will@cvradio.com Charles and Patrick Johnson are excited for the opportunity to bring a unique dining experience to their hometown. The two Charles, age 26, and Patrick, age 24 are behind the Sugarfire Smoke House restaurant in Farmington. The Farmington location will be the seventh in the fast-casual concept restaurant started in 2012 by their cousin, Mike Johnson. Sugarfire Smoke House is an award-winning restaurant known for "its succulent brisket, pulled pork and ribs, as well as its signature sandwiches and sides that shine light on Mikes dynamic capacity." Mike began his culinary career specializing in fine dining, with his career launching under the tutelage of Emeril Lagasse before stints in Chicago, Paris and Colorado as well as St. Louis. He has been featured on a variety of national television shows, including Food Networks BBQ, Brews & Que (feat. Michael Symon), Destination Americas BBQ Pitmasters, and Food Networks Beat Bobby Flay. (The progress of the restaurant) is way ahead of where I thought it would have been, Mike said. Im very impressed. When word of the Farmington location was first made known in June of this year, co-owner and Chef Christina Fitzgerald said Farmington was a perfect fit for Sugarfire Smoke House. Fitzgerald expressed an interest in culinary arts at an early age, graduating from culinary school and serving as the captain of the culinary competition team. She rose to fame as a competitor on season 11 of Food Network Star. The Johnson brothers have been working at the original Sugarfire location in Olivette. At the Farmington restaurant, it will be Patrick taking care of the business end, while Charles will help oversee the food part of the restaurant. On Thursday, the two talked about what the Parkland can expect at the restaurant while crews were busy getting the new restaurant located on Walton Drive ready for a projected opening in mid-January 2018. They both expressed thanks to the contractors working to get the restaurant open. A unique dining experience at Sugarfire Smoke House is each restaurant features a favorite local delicacy lending Charles, Patrick and Mike to discussing what could be featured at the Farmington store. They decided to put the question out to the community what is a dish specific to the Parkland and hope for future customers to share their thoughts on the restaurants Facebook page, www.facebook.com/sugarfirefarmington. Local artist Brandon Warren is commissioned to create a mural for the store, as well as the menu hanging above the serving area. Everything about the restaurant will be familiar to Sugarfire Smoke House diners from the soda served, the sides fixed up, the desserts available and the at-home atmosphere to make even first-time Sugarfire customers comfortable. The two say theyve made lifelong friends at the Olivette location one of which, Shaun Heitert, is coming to work in Farmington for a couple of months. They are also bringing a couple of familiar local faces to work at Farmington including Jon Belken, Ethan Parker and Alex Cofer. Kate Derby also a cousin to the Johnson brothers will create the signature Sugarfire pies in house. The Farmington location will feature pecan, apple, the Sugarfire pie and Mississippi Mud pie as well as the smoked chocolate chip cookies. Which are amazing, Patrick said. The soda served at the restaurant comes from Excel Soda from Excel Bottling Company out of Breese, Illinois a family-owned company started by the late Edward Lefty J. Meier and Catherine Meier in the summer of 1936 with reward money Lefty obtained from catching a bank robber. The strength of Sugarfire is that it is different from any other dining experience, Charles said. Ice cream served at the restaurant comes from a family-owned St. Louis company. The dine-in restaurant will be the biggest in the Sugarfire chain which has diners moving along a serving line with stations to select meat and sides, many of which are special creations of the Sugarfire chefs. Sugarfire has a huge variety of sides, Charles said. We have beans, coleslaw, french fries ... we have potato salad every day. Then, we have another like four sides that we make up like brisket chili, hashbrown casserole with brisket One side they say is a favorite is mac and cheese and, Charles said hes known to see customers leave when its not on that days menu. I think were going to have it every day he said. When we dont have mac and cheese, they leave the line... That breaks my heart, Patrick said. Like the others, the restaurant will open at 11 a.m. and stays open until they run out of meat. The only thing that is frozen is the ice cream, Patrick said. Everything is made from scratch. Were going to have our chefs just run wild. And, the two are currently hiring for the restaurant and know those who come on staff will love to be part of the Sugarfire family. We are really serious about the quality of everything and were excited to work all day, every day, Charles said. I think, for our employees, its going to be a fun environment. A standing room only crowd attended a Tuesday meeting held on the Mineral Area College campus where local government entities, as well as the general public, were offered an opportunity to meet face to face with representatives from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and restoration partners. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss proposed ASARCO settlement fund projects to restore natural resources injured by waste released from historic mining operations in St. Francois County. According to Associate Commissioner Patrick Mullins, who attended the meeting, discussion included an update on ASARCO restoration, St. Francois County projects, Big River restoration, potential conservation practices and public involvement. In my opinion, the purpose of the meeting was to gain interest and discussion amongst the people in this county and I believe we certainly had that, Mullins said. The federal agencies were very well represented. You had Gene Gunn, who is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) director in this region, and Greg Bock with the EPA. You had the Missouri Department of Conservation they were very well represented. Then there were several DNR folks, that included Eric Gramlich and then you had U.S. Fish and Wildlife Dave Moseby and John Webber. There were also members present of the Natural Conservation Resource Service and the Soil and Water District from Farmington. They had five or six booths, so you could go up and talk to them. They all did a fantastic job. Mullins said he was also excited to see a number of local people in attendance at the meeting where Gramlich and Moseby spoke to the crowd, followed by discussion Members of the community had several questions, he said. Im going to say there was around 50 to 60 people there. They had to bring in some chairs, but thats a good thing. I guess they could have held it in a different part of MAC where there was more room, but you never know how many are going to show up. Eric Gramlich said this was the first of some more meetings coming to this area. I was pleased to hear that. They did give us a number on the amount of money left in the ASARCO fund $26 million. One of the things that theyre really going to take a hard look at is all the uncapped bore holes left over from the mining days. A borehole is a narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally that in the case of those found in this area were used for lead exploration. Theyre also going to be looking at all the erosion thats taking place in the Big River, Mullins said. I really hope that they concentrate on those areas. I spoke to one gentleman I wont use his name but hes from the Bonne Terre area and hes got close to 30 uncapped bore holes on his property. He showed me pictures of how the water is just rushing out. It just took so much dirt into the Big River. Mullins offered special praise for Rep. Mike Henderson, R-Bonne Terre, who he described as the point man on the ASARCO monies. Mike has really done a fantastic job for us, he said. I think hes really pushing the agencies, telling them, Listen, weve been talking about all this stuff, but its time for us to do something about it. Roy Moore is forcing Alabama Republicans to ask themselves some tough questions. Accusations that the Republican nominee for a US Senate seat from Alabama pursued relationships with teenagers, molested a 14-year-old and sexually assaulted a 16-year-old when he was in his 30s have thrown Tuesday's special election race into chaos. Republican leadership in Capitol Hill, the Republican National Committee and the White House for a time appeared to dump his candidacy -- but now President Donald Trump, as well as party resources, are firmly back behind Moore, a former chief justice of the state Supreme Court, and his supporters predict a win. "I think we're going to see Roy Moore win pretty handily in Baldwin County," local Republican activist Matthew Brown told CNN. "I think we're going to see a lower turnout than normal, but I think we're still going to see folks come to the polls, even folks who don't like the situation." Residents of Fairhope and Daphne, towns along the Eastern Shore of deeply red Baldwin County, represent the types of Republican voters Democratic candidate Doug Jones will have to cut into if he hopes to win, says Brown. Republicans here tend to be politically moderate, with higher incomes and higher levels of education, while lacking the racial diversity found in neighboring Mobile County. Signs supporting Jones scattered across lawns around Fairhope are raising some eyebrows in the area. Leslie Goldberg, who is 62 and has lived in the Fairhope area for 25 years, said she felt many Republican voters are hesitant. "I'm not going to vote for Roy Moore, at all. For obvious reasons," she told CNN. "All that's left is Doug Jones, who of course is a Democrat. And then there's a lot of things I don't like about him either. But what's the worst of two evils?" Still, many Alabama voters prioritize maintaining a slim two-seat majority in the Senate in Washington. And the national attention on Alabama's race has invigorated some local Republicans. "They feel like they're voting against everybody who doesn't want Roy Moore," Brown told CNN of some area Republicans who are not fans of Moore. "They feel like there's this bigger thing they're voting against." The national focus was in the forefront Tuesday night when former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon joined Moore for a rally in Fairhope. "They want to destroy judge Roy Moore and they want to take your voice away," Bannon told the crowd in Fairhope. "If they can destroy Roy Moore they can destroy you." Although few voters told CNN they'd actually pull the lever for a Democrat, some voters expressed discomfort with some of Moore's stances. Jones' pro-abortion-rights stance has cost him votes in Alabama but Moore's focus on religious beliefs turned off some voters even before the accusations against him. "I feel like a lot of it is hot air," wedding planner Candy Williams said of Moore's controversial stances. "I really think that Trump's endorsement is because we want the seat, but at which point do we just keep sweeping stuff under the rug?" Williams, who supports Trump, told CNN she thought many voters wouldn't admit it publicly but would probably vote for Moore. Connie Holmes, a retired bookkeeper in Fairhope, said she had voted for Moore's primary opponent, incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to temporarily fill the seat after then-Sen. Jeff Sessions became Trump's attorney general. Holmes plans to cast a write-in vote for Strange, even it it could help Jones win. "At least I was thinking Luther," Holmes told CNN. "Everything has gone haywire all of a sudden in the last six months." Some voters said the best case scenario would see Moore win and then be removed by the Senate Ethics Committee, leaving them with a new chance to elect a different Republican. Voters were also focused on supporting Trump's agenda in Washington, but many of the female voters in Fairhope who said they'd vote for Moore didn't feel comfortable giving their names to CNN. "I think all candidates have some disadvantages in the way they've conducted themselves but I'm probably leaning towards the Republican," Asheton Sawyer, a pastor at the Fairhope First Baptist Church, told CNN. "Look at President Trump. I see some disappointments in him but I felt that he is probably the best for us right now." As the Republican Party continues to transform under the Trump presidency, Fairhope provides a hint of how some Republicans are struggling to adapt. Jimmy Babb, 51, who owns a local fitness business, told CNN he would vote for Moore even though he didn't agree with the way the candidate had handled controversies that led to his suspension as the state's Supreme Court chief justice. Babb, who supported Trump in 2016 and thinks the President is doing "OK," is still wrestling with the accusations against Moore. "I don't know. Dating young girls, I still have a tough time with it," he told CNN. "I wish we had better options." It's absolutely no surprise that President Trump has heartily endorsed Roy Moore as the next senator from Alabama. They are soul mates -- BFFs bringing their own bromance, "The Roy and Donald Show," to a TV or smartphone near you. Moore faces a close race with Democrat Doug Jones in a special election next week. Some Republicans find him so reprehensible that they've threatened to expel him from the Senate if he manages to win. And yet Trump has given Moore a full-throated endorsement. The president says a lot of things that are inaccurate and insincere. But when he said, "Go get 'em, Roy," he was revealing his true character. It was a pure Trumpian moment. He could have been looking in the mirror and cheering himself on. Start with their shared attitudes toward women. Hit on as many as possible. Grab and grope. Some may give in. And if you're accused of assault later, deny everything. Trump made his philosophy completely clear in the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape. "I just start kissing them," he bragged. "It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything." That's a cogent summary of Trump's philosophy: When you're a star, you can do anything. And he said it even before he was elected president, his biggest starring role ever. Moore is not in Trump's league; the mall in Gadsden, Alabama is not exactly a penthouse in Manhattan or Hollywood. But the pattern is similar. Moore was so creepy in his pursuit of young girls that he was reportedly banned from the mall and the YMCA, as well. There's more. Faced with numerous accusations of sexual misdeeds during last year's campaign, Trump told a New Hampshire radio station, "These are stories that are made up, these are total fiction." Moore used almost identical language, telling a campaign rally, "These allegations are completely false, they're malicious ... I do not know any of these women." He was lying. Two of Moore's accusers have produced notes to them in his handwriting. But Trump was happy to take his best bro at his word. "He totally denies it," the president explained, dismissing the charges against Moore. The soul mates have another trait in common: They both believe they're bulletproof, that the conventional rules don't apply to them. Moore was twice ousted from his post as chief judge of Alabama for defying court orders. The first time, in 2003, he refused to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the state judicial building. After being re-elected in 2012, he was deposed again for telling state judges to defy the Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage. Throughout his career, Moore has justified his actions by appealing to a higher authority than made-man statutes. "God is the only source of our law, liberty and government," he said during a debate in September. And of course Roy Moore is, conveniently, God's messenger, so he doesn't have to abide by earthly limitations. Trump makes no claims to divine guidance; in fact, he seldom mentions religion. His sole source of authority is, well, himself. If he says something is true, then that's that, damn the facts. Moore invokes God to defy judges who have ruled against him. Trump doesn't need that excuse. He has denounced numerous "so-called judges" who object to his policies without appealing to a higher power. And now his lawyers have adopted the same mentality. In a truly astounding statement of true Trumpism, the president's attorney, John Dowd, told the website Axios the "president cannot obstruct justice because he's the chief law enforcement officer" under the Constitution, and "has every right to express his view of any case." Yes, the president has the right "to express his view" on an issue like Russia's role in the 2016 election. But speech and action are not the same thing. Trump has no right to undermine the ongoing investigation into that role. The articles of impeachment drafted against both Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton included obstruction charges, and it is a fundamental principle of American democracy that no president is above the law. Let alone a judge in Alabama. Mitt Romney, once the GOP nominee for president, called Moore's candidacy a "stain" on his party, adding: "No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity." But as "The Roy and Donald Show" demonstrates, that battle has already been lost. Steve and Cokie Roberts can be contacted by email at stevecokie@gmail.com "A lot of the youth services are targeted at 12-years and above, and there are some children services which generally go up to 8 years of age, but for children in between there are barely any services," Ms Watts said. Country Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe She had received complaints from businesses who said competitors were "cash only" or paying staff in cash, allowing them to offer cheaper prices, which sent the message to others they had to do the wrong thing to compete. Asked what signs ACT teachers would be told to watch out for, the Education Directorate did not give specifics, instead pointing to federal government resources. Those fact sheets warn someone may be inching towards violent extremism when they've isolated themselves from family and friends and start advocating violence in the name of an ideological, political or religious goal. "We have a good portion of our workforce who are gay and lesbian and speaking generally, the couples coming to us just seem like they're a little bit more confident and decisive in what they want," he said. She said the Crown did not say the men should not feel upset, angry, or even livid about the sex offender's acts, and those feelings explained their actions. However, she said no type of vigilante justice was acceptable under law. Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. When the Toyota Raize came into the picture early this year , it commanded the kind of attention that made you think of it as possibly just ... The countdown to the North American International Auto Show continues as Toyota has released the first teaser image of the 2019 Avalon. Set to be unveiled on January 15th, the redesigned model promises to embrace style and dynamism. The company didnt have much to say about the car but the teaser image suggests it will have a more adventurous design than its predecessor which debuted at the 2012 New York Auto Show. As you can see, the Avalon will have an all-new front fascia which appears to feature LED-infused headlights and a massive grille. The car also has vertical air intakes and a sculpted hood. Little else is known about the model but the Avalon will likely ride on the TNGA platform that underpins the 2018 Camry. Engine options could also carryover from the Camry and include a 3.5-liter V6 that develops 301 hp (224 kW) and 267 lb-ft (361 Nm) of torque. A hybrid variant is also a strong possibility and it could use a 2.5-liter four-cylinder and an electric motor to produce a combined output of approximately 208 hp (155 kW). Regardless of whats under the hood, we can expect the Avalon to have an assortment of Toyota Safety Sense systems. These should include automatic high beam headlights, a lane departure warning system, and a pre-collision warning system with pedestrian detection. Photo Gallery Spotting a wild moose in Canada is far from a rarity but seeing one run rampant through the streets of Ontario? Thats certainly not something that happens every day. On Saturday night, a moose was filmed in the town of Sudbury without a care in the world. In fact, one motorist was even able to capture the moment the moose ran directly at a police car, perhaps understanding that it wasnt welcome on the busy road. Finding humor in the curious encounter, police took to Twitter to warn locals, posting Please use caution as the moose is failing to follow direction by police and may pose a risk to the public should the animal come onto the road. Shortly after, the moose, nicknamed Martha by police, wandered through a parking lot before leaving the area later that night. VIDEO The Alfa Romeo 4C was designed to spearhead the companys resurgence but the model hasnt been a huge sales success as Carsalesbase data shows the automaker sold a combined 1,671 units in Europe and the United States last year. Help is on the way as Alfa Romeo and Maserati engineering boss Roberto Fedeli told Autocar the company is working on an updated 4C which will feature a revised suspension and an improved steering system. The updated model could also come with a new engine which would replace the turbocharged 1.75-liter four-cylinder that produces 237 hp (176 kW) and 258 lb-ft (349 Nm) of torque. It allows the current model to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds before hitting a top speed of 160 mph (257 km/h). Fedeli wasnt ready to talk specifics but he said We are coming back to Formula 1 and we need the 4C to be our halo car. Fedeli also confirmed the updated 4C will not be offered with a manual transmission as he doesnt think theres enough demand to justify it. While the lack of a manual transmission wont please the purists, Fedeli said Ferrari spent approximately 10 ($11.7) million to offer a manual transmission in the California. In the end, just two cars were equipped with the gearbox. Photo Gallery Kerrville, TX (78028) Today Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 57F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 37F. Winds light and variable. Lets say youre about to spend a whole lot of money on BMWs M760Li flagship and youre now faced with having to choose its color, in which case something from BMW Individuals palette tickle your fancy. Abu Dhabi Motors is aware that some customers might want to skip the classic, but a bit boring, black, silver or white paintjobs for something a bit more colorful, so they held a photo shoot for all these different Bimmers in a variety of shades. Some of them are San Marino Blue, Twilight Purple, Rallye Green, Chestnut Bronze, Estoril Blue, Imola Red and Austin Yellow. Weve also added a Long Beach Blue example that previously spotted at the Abu Dhabi dealership. Anyway, whatever color one might prefer, the M760Li is BMWs fastest-accelerating saloon after the M5 thanks to its 6.6-liter twin turbo V12 thats good for 600 PS (592 HP) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft) of torque. PHOTO GALLERY Michael Dudok de Wits The Red Turtle picked up two honors for character animation and storyboard, while Remi Chayes Long Way North was recognized for its background and character design. In the broadcast categories, the two-part tv special Revolting Rhymes, currently shortlisted for Oscar nomination consideration, earned the main prize for best tv/broadcast production, in addition to an award for best character animation. Though it is officially listed as a U.K. production, the special was animated at studios in Berlin, Germany and Cape Town, South Africa. Television honors were also handed out to The Amazing World of Gumball, the Ernest and Celestine series, Shaun the Sheep, and Lastman. Moth Studios The Last Job on Earth picked up the honor for best commissioned film, while Niki Lindroth von Bahrs The Burden earned the nod for best animated short film. Further thoughts to follow on the awards, and what they mean for European animation, over the next few days. A complete list of winners is below: Feature Film My Life as a Zucchini (France, Switzerland) TV/Broadcast Production Revolting Rhymes (U.K.) Animated Short Film The Burden (Sweden) Student Film Merlot (Italy) Commissioned Film The Last Job on Earth (U.K.) Background and Character Design in an Animated Short Film Peripheria (France) Background and Character Design in a TV/Broadcast Production Ernest & Celestine (France) Background and Character Design in a Feature Film Production Long Way North (France, Denmark) Character Animation in a TV/Broadcast Production Revolting Rhymes (U.K.) Character Animation in a Feature Film Production The Red Turtle (France, Belgium) Writing in a TV/Broadcast Production The Amazing World of Gumball (U.K.) Writing in a Feature Film Production My Life as a Zucchini (France, Switzerland) Soundtrack in a TV/Broadcast Production Lastman (France) Soundtrack in a Feature Film Production My Life as a Zucchini (France, Switzerland) Storyboard in a TV/Broadcast Production Shaun The Sheep (Season 5) (U.K.) Storyboard in a Feature Film Production The Red Turtle (France, Belgium) Lotte Reiniger Lifetime Achievement Award Richard Williams Photo: Contributed B.C.'s Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Doug Donaldson, says a decision on the controversial grizzly bear hunt is coming soon. "In October, we launched a consultation process to help inform regulation development with respect to the future of the grizzly bear hunt in British Columbia. Based on feedback received, we're assessing all input and will be releasing a consultation report, including any new policy direction, in the near future." The public engagement period was Oct. 2, 2017, until Nov. 2, 2017. First Nations throughout the province were engaged, and 15 meetings with key stakeholder groups were held. Approximately 4,200 written responses were received. Photo: Getty Images Four people have been arrested in relation to a series of residential break-ins in South Vancouver. Since Nov. 9, several residents reported their homes were ransacked and personal items stolen. |It appears that suspects were circling neighbourhoods looking for potential targets, said Const. Jason Doucette of the Vancouver Police Deparment. They would knock on the door, and when no one answered, they forced entry. The VPD launched Project Lookout to investigate the break-ins and quickly identified possible suspects. Officers monitored the group, and four of the suspects were arrested after allegedly breaking into a home in Burnaby on Nov. 30. The property allegedly stolen from the Burnaby break-in was recovered, along with a quantity of purses and jewellery possibly related to other offences. VPD detectives are continuing their investigation and additional charges are anticipated. Based on the information collected during Project Lookout, it appears that not all break-ins are getting reported to police. We have recovered a number of valuable personal items that we would like to return to the owners if linked through a police report. Its not too late to call, said Doucette. Crown Counsel has approved one count of break-and-enter against: Photo: VPD Vancouver police have released a surveillance photo of a man suspected in two sexual assaults. Vancouver police have released a surveillance photo of a man suspected in two sexual assaults. Police are asking for the publics help to identify a person-of-interest in a pair of sexual assaults where a man wearing a surgical mask groped two women in East Vancouver. The first incident happened just after 10 p.m. on Oct. 29 after the woman got off a transit bus near East 64th Avenue and Victoria Drive when a man wearing a surgical mask grabbed her from behind. He indicated he had a weapon, and repeatedly groped her before running away. The second incident took place on Nov. 19 around 9 p.m., minutes after a woman got off the SkyTrain at the Nanaimo Station She was walking on Nanaimo Street near Kingsway when she was grabbed from behind and groped before the masked assailant ran off. The suspect has been described as Asian, 20 to 30 years old, approximately 58 tall, with a slim build, short dark hair, and dark-rimmed glasses, and wearing a surgical mask over his face at the time of the attacks. Detectives from the VPDs Sex Crimes Unit have obtained a photograph of the person-of-interest in this investigation, but have been unable to identify him. They are now asking for the publics assistance, said Const. Jason Doucette. Anyone with information about the man in the photo, or information about these incidents, is asked to call investigators at 604-717-0604, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Photo: Contributed Two members of a British Columbia search crew carried out an unusual rescue this week after they received a call about a deer stranded on an ice-covered lake. Mike Ritcey and a fellow member of Kamloops Search and Rescue received a call from a woman who spotted the deer on Tunkwa Lake, about 80 kilometres west of Kamloops. The pair sprang into action on Monday and decided to personally help the deer, although it wasn't an official Kamloops Search and Rescue operation. "It was the right thing to do," Ritcey said, adding the doe was on the ice for at least 30 hours. "When they get out on the ice and they lay there, it's a bad deal. The birds eat them alive." He said he took precautions testing the ice every step of the way. Once he reached the doe, he said he threw a scarf over its eyes to calm it down and rolled it onto a plastic toboggan to pull it back to shore. "We helped stand it up and the thing took off," he said, adding that it didn't appear to have any broken bones and there was no sign of blood. This wasn't the first time Ritcey came to the rescue of a stranded deer. He said there was another case a few years ago, but in that instance the deer was badly injured and had to be euthanized. The B.C. Conservation Service says an officer received a call about the deer on Sunday, but due to a miscommunication, he thought the complaint had been dealt with when it hadn't. Spokesman Tobe Sprado says it's not unusual for deer to flee to frozen lakes while being chased by predators and then be unable to get up from the ice. "For whatever reason, they look at the lake as being a bit of a refuge," he says. "We get calls every year about stranded deer in ice." He says conservation offers do not typically rescue deer in such situations. "It's a risky situation, to be putting your life at risk for saving a deer," he says. "We usually let nature run its course in a lot of these incidents. The other option, if we feel it's in public interest and to prevent suffering of the animal, we would possibly attend and euthanize that wildlife." Another option the service would "possibly consider" would be to reach out to other entities, such as search and rescue or municipal fire departments, who would have the equipment and training to save the deer, he said. Photo: File photo Police have confiscated enough fentanyl to potentially kill 125,000 people The quarter kilogram of the deadly drug was heading for Victoria when police seized the shipment. Two men were arrested early Nov. 30 after they took a ferry from the Lower Mainland and were heading toward downtown Victoria, according to police. The men were also carrying 100 grams of cocaine. The arrests were the result of an investigation that lasted several weeks, police said, adding the drugs were likely intended to circulate in downtown Victoria. Both men have known gang affiliations and remain in custody. - with files from CTV Vancouver Island Photo: Thinkstock.com Renters in British Columbia no longer need to worry about their landlords hiking up rates to match high rents in hot neighbourhoods. The NDP government announced it's closing another loophole in residential tenancy and manufactured home park tenancy regulations by eliminating a clause that permitted landlords to raise rates above the allowable rental increase limit to match rents within a geographic area. Spencer Chandra Herbert, a New Democrat member of the B.C. legislature, said the change is part of an effort to provide the 1.5 million renters in the province with more security. "Renters have been threatened with huge rent hikes under the existing rules that's a scary situation for any renter," he said in a news release. The current allowable rent increase is set at four per cent but the clause allowed landlords to raise rents at significantly higher rates to match neighbouring prices. Andrew Sakamoto, executive director of the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, said some landlords took advantage of the clause to "bully" tenants into agreeing to rent increases. "A landlord will go to a senior and say, 'You know what, the law allows me to apply for this 50 per cent geographic increase but I'm a nice guy, I'll let you sign for a 30 per cent rent increase and we won't have to go through the whole process. I'll give you a break,'" he said. "These often disadvantaged tenants won't know any better and they'll sign the agreement and accept or consent to a 30 per cent increase." Sakamoto said the move to eliminate the clause compliments changes announced earlier this year to slow skyrocketing rental rates. The government said in October that it would eliminate vacate clauses and restrict rent increases between fixed-term tenancy agreements. Landlords could previously abuse the clauses to force out tenants at the end of a lease and hike up rents for new agreements. Sakamoto said the changes will have a significant impact for renters in competitive markets like Vancouver where the vacancy rate hovers near zero. He adds more changes are needed to improve housing security and affordability for renters. The centre is advocating for greater penalties against landlords who evict tenants for renovations and fail to follow through on the work. Sakamoto said the burden for reporting that the reason for the eviction was honoured should no longer be on the tenant who is seeking compensation if they were wrongfully evicted. "It's often challenging, right. You don't live in the unit any more, it's hard to gather evidence of what's going on in there. So we'd like to flip that burden and see the landlords have to prove to an arbitrator that they did follow through," he said. The elimination of the vacate and geographic clauses and limitation on rent increases take effect Monday. Country United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Chino, CA (91710) Today Sunshine and a few clouds. High 76F. Winds light and variable. Stronger winds in and below canyons and passes.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 44F. Winds light and variable. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions Several sources are now saying that Disney buying Fox assets is all but done. The reports say it will include Fox entertainment and cable assests, I assume leaving the print/internet news media alone.What will happen to Faux Views if this comes to pass? Fans of the Portland affiliate of the Spanish-language channel Univision may see some familiar faces on their televisions in the new year. Linn-Benton Community College has videoed two one-minute spots for the channel that will tout the achievements of two of its graduates. The television network has an initiative, Univision Destino Exito Educate, that encourages watchers to seek education and training. LBCC signed on as a sponsor, receiving the two video spots in exchange. The college is aiming its message at people of Latino heritage who might be considering enrollment, said Dale Stowell, executive director of advancement/foundation. It's the first time LBCC has worked with Univision. "We've been looking for opportunities to kind of raise awareness in the Latino community," he said. "It's a way of raising awareness and letting them know what we have to offer." One spot features Jose Caldera-Ibarra, who had little formal education and worked on a farm before enrolling in LBCC's welding program. He graduated in 2016 with an Associate of Applied Science in welding and now works for ATI. The other centers on Adriana Villegas, an immigrant who became eligible to work legally in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Villegas graduated from LBCC in 2013 with her Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree, then received a bachelor's from Oregon State University two years later. She now works as the service coordinator in Benton County's Developmental Diversity Program. The slots will air during KUNP's news segment, among other times, Stowell said. They also will be posted on LBCC's website, www.linnbenton.edu, probably by early January, Stowell said. For the 5th consecutive year, Linda Huguelet, co-leader of the Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking Group, is joining over 25,000 hematologists and healthcare professionals from around the world at the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition. The meeting is being held in Atlanta Dec. 8-11. Ms. Huguelet was selected by the International Myeloma Foundation from over 150 support group leaders in the United States. She will be one of 11 support group leaders on the IMFs team this year. While at the conference, Ms. Huguelet will be brought up-to-date on the latest research, therapies, and tools available to myeloma patients. In turn, she will report the news to patients back home, using social media tools like blogs, Twitter, and video. Follow her on Twitter at @LindaMYELOMA and read her blogs by visiting MyelomaChattanooga.org and clicking on the ASH logo. Her first blog was inspired by the Ironman races held in Chattanooga this year. The IMF is the oldest and largest organization dedicated to improving the life and care of myeloma patients around the world. Myeloma, also called multiple myeloma, is a cancer of cells in the bone marrow that affects production of red cells, white cells and stem cells and can damage bone. Its currently incurable and is being contracted by an increasing number of people and is particularly affecting younger people. Ms. Huguelet, a Signal Mountain resident, has been dealing with myeloma for over seven years and has taken numerous treatments since her diagnosis. Many myeloma patients, like Ms. Huguelet, are constantly on some type of therapy to keep the cancer under control. She is currently being treated with a relatively new immunotherapy drug that was not even on the horizon in 2010 when she was diagnosed. She said, The drive among the researchers to treat and ultimately find a cure for myeloma is inspiring and encouraging. At the ASH conference, Im able to witness the progress and passion firsthand. She will pass along the highlights of the research taking place when the Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking Group meets after the first of the year. The Chattanooga Multiple Myeloma Networking Group meets the second Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. Meetings are held at the Memorial Center for Cancer Support located next to Memorial Hospital. Visit MyelomaChattanooga.org for more information on the group which provides information and support to patients and caregivers in the Chattanooga/North Georgia area. 404 Try searching for the content you're looking for, or take a look at our recently published stories MADISON, Wis. A Wisconsin woman accused of robbing three banks while she was more than eight months pregnant pleaded guilty to robbing two of them and was sentenced to four years in prison. The State Journal reports that 32-year-old Lisa Harding of Madison was also ordered to pay back money taken during a third bank robbery, even though that charge was dismissed under a plea agreement. The robberies happened in December 2016. Harding was arrested after taking a taxi to and from the final robbery. Police noticed red dye on Harding's fingernails a linked that to an earlier robbery in which a dye pack exploded. Harding's four-year prison term will follow five years she is currently serving for other crimes for which her probation was revoked, according to the State Journal. Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky said that while she understands Harding's health problems and drug addictions, a prison sentence was warranted because of the threat to public safety. Harding apologized for her crimes and said a lot of things were "going wrong" for her at the time. Advertisement "I have nightmares about it," she said. "I feel bad. I really do. I wish I could take it all back. I really do." We hear the argument made all the time: Investments we make now in safety-net programs such as food stamps, early childhood education and unemployment benefits pay off handsomely in the long run with reduced costs for health care, remedial education and crime prevention. No one has a serious disagreement with the proposition, but yet we find it difficult to really act on it. Sometimes, we need to focus on more urgent matters, such as big shortfalls in government budgets. It can be challenging to stay focused on the long run. And sometimes, politics just gets in the way. Now, an Oregon State University assistant professor has offered another piece of evidence to support the argument: David Rothwell of OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences is the lead author of a study showing that social policies such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act enacted during the Great Recession likely had a role in keeping child poverty rates lower than they would have been without the policies possibly by as much as 5 percent. (The National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University estimates that 21 percent of U.S. children, about 15 million, live in households with income under the federal poverty threshold. The percentage in Oregon is also 21 percent, the center said, although it notes that the way the U.S. officially measures poverty is outdated.) For the study, Rothwell and co-author Annie McEwen of Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, examined child poverty rates between 2007 and 2010 in the United States and four other countries with similar demographics: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and Australia. (The study was recently published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.) Rothwell and McEwen found that child poverty declined between 2007 and 2010 in Canada and the United Kingdom, increased in Australia and Ireland, and remained unchanged in the United States. Changes in income accounted for the decline in Canada and the increases in Australia and Ireland. In the United Kingdom, changes to the social safety net were associated with declines in the poverty rate. In the United States, the study indicated, social policy changes (primarily 2009's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) played a role in offsetting wage declines. Child poverty rates stayed unchanged in the United States in the time period studied. That's important, Rothwell said, because the evidence is clear that childhood poverty can have a lifetime impact on those children. Research has shown that children who grow up in poverty are more likely to struggle in school, suffer long-term health problems and earn less money during their lifetimes. Also troubling is recent research showing that the gap between the poor and nonpoor is expanding, stretching a frayed safety net even further. Rothwell noted that the safety net programs of the New Deal and Great Society eras were enacted at a time when family structures were much different. Traditional two-parent families are less frequent these days, but our social programs have not adapted to reflect that new reality. "Families are a lot more complex than they were in the New Deal and Great Society programs," he said. "We need to update our safety net programs to serve the realities of our families." And yet another factor is at play: More families need to be aware of the resources that are available to them. Rothwell pointed, as an example, to the Earned Income Tax Credit, a program that offers real benefit to poor families, but one that is underutilized. "It's a perplexing problem because there's so much we don't know," he said. Rothwell has been studying poverty for 15 years now, and I had to ask: Doesn't that get depressing? He laughed, but then turned serious again: It's work, he said, that gets at some of the bigger questions we face as a nation. And he hopes it's work that helps provide information about programs and options that have proven effective at reducing poverty "insights as to what may be possible if we moved in that direction." (mm) Hall of Fame music Nominations continue to roll in for the Think Too Much Holiday Music Hall of Fame: Which performances of holiday standards are so definitive that it should be illegal for anyone else to record them? Think of records like Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" or Bing Crosby's "White Christmas," the two inaugural inductees into the hall. I'm still accepting nominations for this year's honorees, but time is growing short: In order to be considered for the Dec. 24 column, nominations must be submitted by the end of the day next Sunday, Dec. 17. Send nominations to mike.mcinally@lee.net or phone 541-758-9502. At the fifth session on December 7, Khanh Hoa People's Council issued a resolution approving the scheme of the provincial People's Committee on the establishment of the Bac Van Phong SEZ in Khanh Hoa province. The zone will cover the entire natural area and population of Van Ninh district. Bac Van Phong will join a list of SEZs that are under some stage of planning and development, including Van Don SEZ in Quang Ninh province and Phu Quoc SEZ in Kien Giang province. Van Ninh districts total area is about 111,000 hectares, including 56,000 hectares of land and 55,000 hectares of water surface; The districts total population in its 12 communes and one town in 2011 was 128,000 people. The scheme to develop Bac Van Phong SEZ clearly states that Van Phong Bay in general and Bac Van Phong area, in particular, have important geo-economic and strategic position in Vietnam and the region. The area conquers all favorable conditions to build a gateway area developed towards the East Sea of Vietnam and the Indochinese Peninsula. Specifically, Bac Van Phong has an important strategic position for the economic development along the East-West and North-South Economic Corridors and also for the development of trade with countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This will promote the development of marine economic sectors in the whole country at large and the southern Central region, the Central Highlands and Khanh Hoa province, in particular, greatly contributing to ensure the national sovereignty over sea and islands. The People's Council of Khanh Hoa Province has assigned the provincial People's Committee to complete the necessary dossier and submit it to competent authorities. All votes in the CO-3 election won't be counted until the end of this week . . . Both China and Canada showed willingness to negotiate and sign a free trade agreement (FTA) during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's recent visit, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday. Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing that China and Canada had in-depth negotiations on the FTA during Trudeau's visit. They agreed to promote economic globalization, safeguard trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, work jointly to promote the construction of a free trade area, and create conditions for the early start of relevant talks. Trudeau paid an official visit to China from Dec. 3 to 7, and exchanged views with Chinese leaders on issues of common concern, Geng said. He said the two sides agreed to deepen practical cooperation on trade, investment, clean technology, and aerospace, as well as expand people-to-people exchanges in tourism, education and culture. They also agreed to enhance coordination in international and regional issues and work jointly to tackle the climate change, he added. China stands ready to work with Canada to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries on the basis of mutual respect, equal treatment and mutual benefits so as to further promote the bilateral strategic partnership, Geng said. Chinese cities make up half the world's 10 most expensive locations for premium office rents, mainly fuelled by strong market fundamentals, increasing costs and sustained robust demand, global real estate consultancy JLL said in a new report on Friday. Hong Kong's Central continues to be the world's most expensive office sub-market, followed by New York's Midtown and London's West End, according to JLL's Premium Office Rent Tracker, which compares like-for-like occupation costs across 54 major office markets in 46 cities around the globe. Beijing's Finance Street follows close behind in fourth place, the Chinese capital's CBD is ranked seventh, Shenzhen's Futian District debuts at eighth, and Pudong in Shanghai comes in 10th. "Looking at China, we're seeing companies fill up high-quality completions in Beijing while domestic financial services firms are driving demand in Shanghai's CBD," said K.K. Fung, managing director of JLL China. "Established firms in China continue to set up offices in Beijing and Shanghai to extend their national footprint and this will likely drive even more demand for office space." Notably, tech companies, among others, are more willing to splurge on premium office space to attract top talent and enhance their brand image, according to the research. A man in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, who was mistakenly diagnosed with HIV in 2008, filed a civil lawsuit against both the municipal and provincial health departments on December 5, 2017, thepaper.cn reported Thursday. Zhong Xiaowei was diagnosed as HIV positive during a premarital examination in Chengdu in 2009. The diagnosis was confirmed by the Sichuan Province Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Zhong did not doubt the result as he had a history of using drugs. After suffering no symptoms of AIDS in the last seven years, Zhong took another test on December 15, 2015, and the result was negative. This result was confirmed by Jinniu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention in January 2016. However, Zhong's original blood samples are still held at the provincial center and were confirmed as positive during a second test. The Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that it is only responsible for providing a correct result for the blood sample, and takes no responsibility for whose sample it is. According to the Chengdu Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, due to the inability of HIV antibodies to change from positive to negative, the first blood sample does not belong to Zhong. They expressed deep regret and hoped that Zhong can resolve the matter through legal proceedings. Zhong filed a civil lawsuit against both the municipal and provincial centers on December 5, 2017, accompanied by two lawyers who are acting pro bono as Zhong has financial difficulties. The two departments have reportedly started the legal process in regards to this issue, but neither was willing to reveal information and Zhong has received no contact from either, according to thepaper.cn. The once-abundant yellow-breasted buntingoften listed on menus as "rice bird"has been reclassified as critically endangered on the red list of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. That is one step from the highest levels of "extinct in the wild" and "extinct". Its decline has become extreme in the past decade, likely driven by excessive trapping at migration and wintering sites, according to the IUCN, which released the list on Tuesday. The bird has long been considered a delicacy in southern China, especially in Guangdong province. Although the Chinese government banned the hunting and selling of the bird in 1997, illicit trading has been rampant, driving the species to the verge of extinction. Every year, yellow-breasted buntings migrate from Siberia to wintering grounds in South China and Southeast Asia, on a journey spanning up to 4,000 kilometers. On the way, they have become the target of poachers. "The species migrates in huge flocks, which are hunted in massive numbers," according to a report from the international conservation organization Birdlife International. They also roost at night in large numbers, making them easy to trap. Once restricted to a small area of southern China, rising affluence has increased demand for the rare delicacy, and now hunters have to travel widely to find sufficient birds, according to the IUCN. A man surnamed Liu from the northern province of Hebei told Beijing Youth Daily that back in 2000, more than 400 yellow-breasted buntings could be captured in one net; and in 2008, he could still catch more than 50 birds in one day. But today, only one or two can be caught in a day. Liu said bird hunting is a lucrative business: a net costs only 15 yuan ($2.30), while a yellow-breasted bunting can be sold for about 20 yuan. Liu said that after the birds were captured, they would be put into cages to be fattened up for around 20 days. Then they would be suffocated in a sealed bag before being sold to South China. According to bird protection volunteers, sales of the yellow-breasted bunting in Guangdong have gone underground in recent years as a result of the government's crackdown campaigns. In some restaurants, where one yellow-breasted bunting is priced at up to 60 yuan, its name on the menu has been replaced with "rice bird" to avoid attention from authorities. Despite its popularity among diners, the yellow-breasted bunting differs little from pigeons or quail in nutrition, said Zhu Yi, a food science professor with China Agricultural University. And as a migratory species, the birds may host unidentified viruses, and many illegally captured ones may be poisoned to death, threatening the health of diners, he said. Media reports show there were 28 cases of illegal hunting of yellow-breasted bunting in China from 2000 to 2013. In one case, more than 100,000 birds were seized by authorities in Guangzhou and Shaoguan, Guangdong province. The Sanya Forum 2017, a non-governmental forum for international economic and financial dialogue, opened in Sanya, Hainan Province, on Dec. 9. With the theme of "Challenges in Global Governance and the Role of China", the two-day event has drawn influential political, business and academic leaders from China, the United States, Europe and the rest of Asia to explore global governance models and the ways to advance sound development of the world economy. The forum is highly relevant to the current situation, as former French prime minister Dominique de Villepin said in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, insisting that, "never before has it been so necessary to combine various fields of expertise, from the economy to politics, to better grasp and more effectively tackle the dangers of today." According to the French politician, the global community is at a turning point, where there are various tensions endangering stability and challenging globalization, as well as a path to a better future in regional integration and global governance. Committed to the goal of building a community of shared future for all humanity, China is going to play an increasingly crucial role in reforming and developing the global governance system, according to Wang Yiming, vice minister of the Development Research Center of the State Council, who also delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. Wang believed China's role was reflected in four major aspects, namely upholding the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, making positive contribution to the reform and development of the global governance system, getting actively involved in meeting global challenges and unswervingly pursing the Belt and Road Initiative. The Sanya Forum is sponsored by China Development Research Foundation, a public foundation initiated by the Development Research Center of the State Council, and organized by Caijing, a weekly business magazine based in Beijing. Since its inception in 2012, the annual forum has been held in Sanya for six consecutive years, becoming an important platform for officials, academic and business leaders to seek fresh inspiration through in-depth discussion on economic and financial issues. Gun control in the U.S. [File photo] Over the years, spiralling statistics of mass shootings in the U.S. have given rise to many questions. How can one of the world's most rich and powerful countries be facing such a crisis? In the year 2016 alone, 483 mass shooting incidents were recorded by the Gun Violence Archives, which defines a mass shooting as "four or more individuals being shot or killed in the same general time and location." As such incidents, according to this same website, become an everyday affair in the U.S., with varying amounts of casualties, the November 14th shooting at a California school became the 317th mass shooting in the U.S. for the year 2017. Statistics for other years are available here; even though the rate at which these incidents occur may have become less frequent this year, the number is high enough to entail a security crisis. But even as the security situation drastically worsens, U.S. citizens still possess 42 percent of the world's guns. Not only that, 31 percent of gunmen in such incidents worldwide from the year 1966 to 2015 happened to be Americans as well, found by Professor Adam Lankford from the University of Alabama in his research. As of now, it is the war-torn country of Yemen that has the highest amount of gun owners in the world after the U.S. Professor Lankford has explained that a country's gun ownership rate corresponds with mass shooting incident statistics, while countries with high suicide rates have a very low incidence of mass shootings. Apparently mental instability is not the main factor, and this aspect gets crossed out as less than 5 percent of 120,000 gun-related killings in America between 2001 and 2010 were committed by mentally instable people according to the American Journal of Public Health. Another research estimates that mental health factors are only responsible for 4 percent of such incidents. Video games violence also has little correlation with these crimes. From any angle, the root of the problem remains the rate of gun ownership: countries with lower gun circulation like Canada and Britain have a gun homicide rate of 5 per million and 0.7 per million respectively while the U.S. rate was 33 per million in 2009. Along with that, criminal incidents in America are 54 times more likely of culminating with fatalities, according to a University of California study by Franklin E. Zimring and Gordon Hawkins. Why not then control the issue with legislation? Another analysis comprising of 130 studies from 10 countries suggests that gun legislation would help reduce such crimes. Instead, American society is getting progressively more violent, as shooters start using more powerful weapons with high-capacity magazines. David Hemenway from the Harvard School of Public Health says, "There are more people being shot in a shorter amount of time -- with more bullets in them." Digging deeper into the problem, it has come to light that a law placing a ban against high potency rifles in 1994 was done away with in 2004. Alarmingly, every time firearms restrictions were placed, gun sales shot up alongside and bigger mass shooting incidents took place. Even though such crimes are not absent in other countries, mass shootings have now become synonymous with the U.S. Such alarming frequency is not found anywhere else but in America, which ranks higher than Australia, Canada, China, England, France, Germany and Mexico according to a research undertaken by Jaclyn Schildkraut and H. Jaymi Elsass. It only ranked lower than Norway, Finland and Switzerland, who have tiny populations and where even one mass-casualty events may result in a higher per capita rate. Considering the magnitude of the problem, it could be thought that strict gun laws would remain in place to tackle the issue, but powerful gun lobbies in the U.S. prevent any such moves. Politically powerful, members of the National Rifle Association seem to be sentimental about guns and contribute generously to electoral candidates and political action committees pledging to remove any impediments in gun sales. Spending millions has ensured that deadly semi-automatic weapons get passed off as "modern sporting rifles;" right now 6 to 10 million semi-automatic rifles are in circulation, awaiting only to end up literally as "weapons of war." The occurrence of mass shootings in the U.S. could be easily reduced by limiting the availability of weapons, as the majority of the "shooters" are mentally stable, but things remain in limbo. Even though these crimes now happen on a daily basis, guns can be obtained legally sans any limit. It is guns and not a lack of health care or racism that is the main cause of this security crisis and it is in the U.S. government's hands. Sabena Siddiqui (Twitter: @sabena_siddiqi) is a foreign affairs journalist and lawyer based in Pakistan. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash China and seven other countries co-launched a digital economy cooperation initiative on Dec. 3 at the ongoing 4th World Internet Conference (WIC) seeking to leverage digital opportunities and enhance connectivity along the ancient silk route. "The Belt and Road" Digital Economy International Cooperation Initiative is launched on Dec.3 during the ongoing 4th World Internet Conference. [Photo by Guo Yiming / China.org.cn] China, Egypt, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey and United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to extend their cooperation in the digital economy in order to build an interconnected Digital Silk Road and create a community of shared interests and a shared future with win-win cooperation and common prosperity. According to "The Belt and Road" Digital Economy International Cooperation Initiative, the eight countries will expand broadband access and improve quality, promote a digital transformation, encourage e-commerce cooperation, support internet-based entrepreneurship and innovation, promote development of MSMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises), strengthen digital capability building, promote investment in the ICT sector, and promote inter-city cooperation of the digital economy. According to Zhuang Rongwen, vice minister of Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), China's internet regulator, they will also enhance digital inclusion, encourage policy-making to create a transparent digital economy, promote cooperation in international standardization. They want to strengthen confidence and trust, encourage cooperation with respect to independent choice of development path, encourage the establishment of a peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and orderly cyberspace. In addition, they want to encourage the establishment of a multi-level exchange mechanism to promote exchanges and share views among governments, enterprises, scientific institutions, industry organizations and relevant interested parties to promote cooperation in digital economy. The initiative, which is in line with building connectivity of the Belt and Road, has high potential to leverage digital opportunities, bring common understanding among the Belt and Road countries and bridge gaps in digital development, said Vallobh Muangkeo, secretary general of the National Assembly of Thailand. According to Lin Nianxiu, vice chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's top economic planning body, said China expected more countries to join in digital economy cooperation, embrace the new scientific and technological revolution and create a better future for inclusive and sustainable development. Flash The first "South-South Human Rights Forum" was concluded in Beijing Friday, calling for efforts to safeguard people's right to development. The two-day forum, themed "Building a Community of Shared Future for Humanity: New Opportunities for South-South Human Rights Development," saw more than 300 officials attend, including scholars and representatives from over 70 countries and international organizations. According to the Beijing Declaration issued at the forum, participants agreed that the right to subsistence and the right to development were the primary basic human rights. "Developing countries should pay special attention to safeguarding people's right to subsistence and right to development, especially to achieve a decent standard of living, adequate food, clothing, and clean drinking water, the right to housing, security, work, education, health and social security," the declaration said. The participants agreed in the declaration that Chinese President Xi Jinping's proposal to build a community of shared future for humanity was "a major concept which conforms to the trend of the times, fits the requirements of development, and reflects the pursuit of a new human social value." Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the forum Thursday, calling on the international community to respect and reflect the will of the people in developing countries in human rights development. Xi said that human rights worldwide could not be achieved without the joint efforts of developing countries, which account for more than 80 percent of the world's population. He stressed that human rights must and can only be promoted in light of specific national conditions and people's needs. Xi called on developing countries to uphold both the universality and particularity of human rights and steadily raise the level of human rights protection. "The Chinese people would like to work in concert with people in other developing countries and beyond to advance development through cooperation, promote human rights through development, and build a community with a shared future for human beings," the message read. The message was read by Huang Kunming, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, at the opening ceremony of the forum. "The important thought on building a community with a shared future for human beings proposed by Xi offered Chinese wisdom and solutions toward a more fair and reasonable global human rights governance," said Huang, who also heads the publicity department of the CPC Central Committee. Willy Nyamitwe, senior advisor on media with Burundi's Office of the Head of State, said that other developing countries can learn from China on fighting against poverty and improving the well-being of the people. "Some people have misunderstanding about human rights, while they always talk about civil and political rights, they forget that citizens need to get the life and conduct their lives in a better way before they get civil and political rights," he said. He believed that for developing countries it was important to fight against poverty, and this was one of the best way to promote human rights. Farukh Amil, ambassador and permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations Office at Geneva and Other International Organizations in Switzerland, said that building a community of shared future for humanity was "not a slogan, it is important to inspire people and make people get up and do something." "We have to work together. We must respect each other and live together," said Amil. He said that people face common challenges and need cooperation rather than confrontations. Mutinta Stella Mushabati, senior counsel of the Ministry of Justice of Zambia, said that China, as one of the major contributors to the South-South Cooperation and a major foreign investor in most developing countries throughout the world, was now promoting international human rights to build a community of common destiny with other developing countries. At the 19th CPC National Congress, the Chinese government laid out a diplomacy blueprint aiming to foster "a new type of international relations." "The message that we have heard coming out of China's 19th CPC National Congress that spoke very much about shared values and common destiny is an important one," UNICEF Representative to China Rana Flowers said, adding that the South-South Human Rights Forum was a good initiative to bring developing countries together for a better future. Due to the constraints and various factors, there are still many problems in improving the human rights protection of developing countries. "It is necessary for developing countries and the international community to keep on making their unremitting efforts," the Beijing Declaration said. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Irene passed away on December 5, 2017 in Topeka, KS at the age of 98. She is survived by her daughters Victoria Hood Console of Topeka, KS and Jacqueline Hood Hopper of Riverside, CA as well as eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her son Thomas Hunter Hood and her husband Thomas Knight Hood. Irene was born in Leslie, MO on February 5, 1919. She received her RN degree at Washington University in St. Louis, MO and married Tom in 1944. Irene moved to Elko in 1951 and was an active member of the community until moving to Topeka, KS in 2011 to be near her daughter. Irene was a longtime supporting member of St. Pauls Episcopal Church. She was a devoted member of PEO and worked to support the Nevada Historical Museum. She especially enjoyed playing bridge and needlework. She loved spending time with her family and keeping up with all the activities of her children and grandchildren. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. A memorial service will be held this summer in Elko. Donations can be made in her name for St. Pauls Episcopal Church or Northeastern Nevada Museum in Elko. HNA Group, one of China's largest conglomerates, has confirmed its interest in investing in Thailand's grand infrastructure project by setting up a major fund with a local partner, as the group enhances its footprint in ASEAN and along the Belt and Road. HNA Innovation Finance Group (HNAIF), HNA's only Hong Kong-based unit, has signed a deal to form a $5 billion fund with CT Bright, the investment unit of Thailand's largest conglomerate CP Pokphand, to invest in Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor, or EEC, according to media reports Wednesday. HNAIF and CT Bright will "contribute equally" to the starting 20 percent while "raising the remainder" of the capital from Chinese and Thai investors in the next three to five years, a source familiar with the project has told the press. The move will be a boost for the economy of Thailand and all the ASEAN regions, which face daunting challenges to improve infrastructure. HNAIF has been watching investment opportunities in Thailand and the entire ASEAN region, said Qi Guanghui, the company spokesman. "Working with our local partners to seek potential opportunities, we wish to apply our expertise in service and investments," he said, adding that HNAIF is eligible to set up funds overseas to support the Belt and Road construction. "Such measures will help us raise money from the market," Qi added. This is the first of such funds HNAIF will form in the Belt and Road region since it was founded in March. With the Eastern Economic Corridor, Thailand hopes to develop its eastern provinces into a leading ASEAN economic zone. The EEC straddles three eastern provinces of Thailand off the coast of the Gulf of Thailand Chonburi, Rayong and Chachoengsao and spans 13,285 square kilometers. The government hopes to complete the EEC by 2021, turning these provinces into a hub for technological manufacturing and services with strong connectivity to ASEAN neighbors by land, sea and air. The newest member of HNA Group's seven major units, HNAIF has six subsidiaries and total assets of more than 60 billion yuan ($9.1 billion). Its portfolio covers mainly commodity trading, financial investment and consumer finance. The EEC fund follows HNA's $1 billion acquisition of CWT Group, an integrated supply chain service provider listed in Singapore. The CWT deal, which may be concluded soon, is done by Hong Kong-listed HNA Holding Group, a subsidiary of HNAIF. Guo Ke, CEO of HNAIF, has said in a recent interview that CWT will be the vehicle to bring HNAIF into bulk commodity trading in Asia. China-United Kingdom "golden era" ties are set to gain momentum during the new era after 10 key agreements were signed at the fifth annual UK-China High-Level People to People Dialogue, which was co-chaired by Vice-Premier Liu Yandong and UK Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt on Thursday. The agreements signed during the meeting at Lancaster House in London cover connected sectors including people-to-people dialogue, education, regional cooperation, culture, tourism, and science and innovation. "This year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-UK ambassadorial diplomatic relations," Liu said. "Under the strategic guideline of the leaders of the two countries, the China-UK relationship has entered a 'golden era' and made great progress." Terrorists reportedly have planned to launch a series of attacks on Chinese agencies and personnel in Pakistan in the near future, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said in an "important security notice" issued on its website on Friday. The embassy alerted Chinese agencies based in the South Asian country and Chinese citizens there to boost security awareness, strengthen internal precautions, minimize outdoor activities and avoid going to crowded places. The notice was issued at a time when terrorist threats continue to plague the country. home US Massachusetts church launches nativity scene highlighting US mass shootings A Catholic church in Massachusetts has put up a Christmas nativity scene that lists the death tolls of some of the worst mass shootings in the U.S. St. Susanna Catholic Parish is hoping that its nativity display in the town of Dedham in the Boston area would encourage a discussion about gun violence in America. The display features the traditional elements such as the three kings, angels, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus, but behind the figures are planks listing 16 mass shootings that occurred throughout the U.S., along with the number of people killed in each incident. "We chose these events to highlight [that] this can happen anywhere," Pastor Stephen Josoma told NBC News. "It has happened at nursing homes, schools, military bases, or concerts, and there doesn't seem to be a place that is safe," he added. In an effort to continue the discussion about gun violence, the church has partnered with Pax Christi, a Catholic group aiming to promote peace and justice. "It feels like we are in an endless loop cycle of tragedy striking, talking about it, and then deciding this isn't the time to act because we should be praying for the families and victims. Our hope is to keep the conversation going," Josoma said. Among the incidents listed in the nativity scene were the November shooting at the First Baptist in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and the Las Vegas mass shooting in October. In Sutherland Springs, 26 people were killed and 19 others were injured after gunman Devin Patrick Kelley opened fire at the church during a Sunday service. In the Las Vegas mass shooting, Stephen Paddock opened fire on a crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival, resulting in 59 deaths and 546 non-fatal injuries. Other incidents listed on the display include those in Columbine, Colorado; Newtown, Connecticut; Orlando, Florida; Virginia Tech and Charleston, South Carolina. The number of victims in the 16 shootings listed on the nativity total 300, which was also the number of bodies buried at St. Susanna since 2005. The display includes a banner with featuring a quote from the Gospel of Luke, which reads, "If only you knew the things that make for Peace." The church bulletin states that the list serves as a "sobering reminder" to continue to work for peace. Josoma said that there had been some negative reactions about the display, but no one has asked the church to take it down. Patricia Ferrone, a parishioner and member of the Pax Christi group, said that the congregation is not worried about a backlash because installing the nativity scene "felt like a clear thing to do." While the church hopes that the display would start conversations about gun violence, the members of the congregation do not appear to be advocating for any particular policy. "You can interpret it in different ways. It's just to draw people in, make people think," Ferrone said. A man charged with murdering his girlfriend had gotten in a fight with her earlier in the day at a bar because he flirted with other women, according to details revealed during a court hearing Saturday. Jasper Davis, 29, was charged in the death of 24-year-old Jennifer Nicole Mamo, whose body was found Friday morning near Birnamwood Boulevard. Davis told Houston police that he and Mamo got into a fight at a bar because Davis was flirting with other girls. When they got home, Davis told police that Mamo took his gun from the bedroom dresser and he tried to get the gun away from her by grabbing her arm. Then, the gun went off. Davis apparently called a friend over for help. When his friend arrived, he saw Mamo's body inside Davis' trunk and said that he would not help him, according to a prosecutor at the probable cause court hearing. The friend left the home and called police when he arrived back at his own residence. Davis told police he eventually dumped Mamo's body in a creek. Authorities found the woman's body at the location with a gunshot wound to her face, according to the court hearing. Their infant daughter was also found at the home alone, but with no injuries. Davis is currently in Harris County Jail with a $100,000 bond. He is expected to appear in court Monday. This story contains information from the Associated Press. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Friday lashed out against Wells Fargo, insisting that fines against the bank would not be scrapped and threatening even harsher penalties. "Fines and penalties against Wells Fargo Bank for their bad acts against their customers and others will not be dropped, as has been incorrectly reported, but will be pursued and, if anything, substantially increased," Trump said in a tweet. "I will cut Regs but make penalties severe when caught cheating." Trump was apparently referring to a Reuters news agency story published Thursday that said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, recently taken over by a Trump appointee, was reviewing whether the bank should be forced to pay potentially tens of millions of dollars for mortgage lending abuse. Wells Fargo has acknowledged that it improperly charged some customers fees to secure lower mortgage rates and said it would issue refunds. Wells Fargo declined to comment on the president's tweet. The consumer bureau's former director, Richard Cordray, agreed to settlement terms with the company before resigning last month, according to Reuters, which cited three anonymous sources. But the "Wells Fargo sanctions are on ice" under Mick Mulvaney, Trump's pick to lead the agency, Reuters said. In his tweet Friday, Trump sought to dispel the notion that the bank could be off the hook. "We can't comment on pending enforcement matters," John Czwartacki, a senior adviser at the consumer bureau, said in a statement. "However, as a matter of principle, Acting Director Mulvaney shares the president's firm commitment to punishing bad actors and protecting American consumers." Mulvaney, also the White House budget director, said last week that he was reviewing the agency's ongoing investigations and lawsuits. "I am looking at each of those on an individual basis," he said. Trump's tweet alarmed some legal experts who said he should not be weighing in on the work of an independent agency. Mulvaney's ability to wear two hats - director of the Office of Management and Budget and acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - has already raised concerns among some consumer advocates and Democrats. At the OMB, Mulvaney is a political appointee, subject to being fired at will by Trump. But at the CFPB, he's a powerful independent financial regulator who can make nearly unilateral decisions affecting mortgages, credit cards, bank accounts and many other financial products, legal experts have said. "The president should not be commenting on what 'will' happen in an ongoing investigation, especially at an independent agency that should not be reporting to him," said Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center. "I appreciate his recognition that severe penalties are warranted when companies are caught cheating, but rules to outlaw unfair practices are also important in industries where abuses are rampant." With his tweet, Trump has thrust himself into two of the most contentious issues facing the banking sector this year: whether San Francisco-based Wells Fargo has paid enough for its most recent misdeeds and whether the Trump administration would significantly weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a watchdog agency set up after the global financial crisis. Trump has made rolling back banking regulations that he says have hindered economic growth a key focus of his administration, but he has been criticized for being too cozy with Wall Street executives he once promised to rein in. "This shows how politically difficult it is to side with a very large bank on a policy issue. The best move politically is always to bash the biggest bank. The president fundamentally understands this," Jaret Seiberg, analyst at Cowen Research Group, wrote in a note on Friday. "We see this as a purely political move divorced from the broader issue of whether penalties of the scale the CFPB had been contemplating are warranted." It also likely reflects the likelihood Wells Fargo, which declined to comment on Trump's tweet, will remain a political punching bag for some time. The bank has been under pressure since acknowledging last year that it had opened millions of fake accounts customers didn't need or want. Wells Fargo has already paid nearly $200 million in fines and penalties for the incident, but some lawmakers and consumer advocates have said it should be forced to pay more. In the year since, Wells Fargo has struggled to rehabilitate its image and has come to symbolize U.S. consumers' lingering resentment toward big banks after the financial crisis. Meanwhile, the leadership of the CFPB was thrown into limbo last month after Cordray resigned and said his chief of staff, Leandra English, would be acting director. Trump appointed Mulvaney to the post hours later. Both English and Mulvaney claim to be acting director, and a federal judge has scheduled a Dec. 22 hearing on the matter. Messy falcons move into legislative building CARSON CITY (AP) A pair of Peregrine falcons has moved into the east side of the Nevada Capitol building causing headaches for staff. The Nevada Appeal reported Wednesday that while the falcons have scared off problematic pigeons in the month that they arrived, their messy eating has created a new problem. According to staff, the falcons have littered the grounds with body parts and feathers of their prey. The falcons droppings have left behind stains Legislative Counsel Bureau Director Rick Combs says he and the staff are aware that Peregrine falcons are protected by federal law and cannot be harmed. Combs and staff are hoping the falcons will move out on their own once theyve culled their food source. Vegas lawyer who stole $16M from clients headed to prison LAS VEGAS (AP) A Las Vegas lawyer who stole $16 million from his clients trust funds has been sentenced to 16 to 40 years in prison. Clark County District Judge Kerry Earley sentenced Robert Graham on Friday after nearly a dozen victims testified about how he preyed on clients who set up trusts for loved ones, including children, the elderly and disabled. Graham pleaded guilty in September to five felony counts, including theft and exploitation of vulnerable people. He was a frequent television advertiser before shutting down his Lawyers West practice. Prosecutors said when Graham was indicted in January that he used a client trust fund as a personal piggy bank for his business and private bills. Utah man stabbed 12 times with scissors dies SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Police say a man who was stabbed 12 times in the neck with scissors has died from his injuries. The Deseret News reports that a GoFundMe page for 67-year-old Linton Livingston says he died on Saturday. Livingstons neighbor, 23-year-old Dyann Mariel Hernandez, is accused of stabbing him Nov. 15 in what authorities say was an unprovoked attack. Hernandez was arrested and her bail set at $500,000. The stabbing occurred just one day after Hernandez was charged in a separate case with aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and child abuse, a misdemeanor. Court documents say that in December, Hernandez was charged in another case with aggravated robbery after she was accused of threatening her mother and a man with a knife. That case was dismissed. Lone Star College-CyFair students are hoping their research will get Houston's Olivewood Cemetery and Freedmen's Town more recognition. The college students are trying to get the historic sites on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site listing, which now lists 23 historic sites across the United States. "This research is an important thing to do because it is an important aspect of African American History in Harris County that otherwise isn't being recorded," said David Bruner, LSC-CyFair associate professor of anthropology. "My students are contributing a value to history by helping to records these aspects of a public cemetery." Recently, Bruner and nine anthropology and history career-track students attended a symposium on the World Heritage Site application process with Jane Landers, a member of a UNESCO International Scientific Committee on slave routes. Landers is currently seeking potential sites and places related to the slave trade and slavery to nominate for the registry. Bruner and his students were part of a team of scholars from Texas Southern University and University of Houston, which worked with the Yates Museum to gather material for the UNESCO nomination application. Descendants of Olivewood is a nonprofit that manages the Olivewood Cemetery and students of Bruner are working with the organization through the historic cemetery preservation course and are receiving credit for their research. The college believes that community service helps meet community needs through volunteer efforts. Service learning also meets those needs, but students use the service experience as a foundation to examine themselves, their society, and their future. One of the goals of the Descendants of Olivewood is to encourage the local community to learn more about the rich history of the cemetery and those who are interred there. The cemetery is located against a bend of White Oak Bayou. "This one of Houston's untapped and unrecorded historical resources, but it is an absolutely critical historical resource. The students are active agents in helping record the resources" Bruner said. "Not only are they learning about African American history in Harris County, but they are also learning about the distinctive unique nature of the Olivewood Cemetery." Olivewood Cemetery, which spans six acres, is Houston's first incorporated African-American burial ground, established 10 years after the emancipation of slaves in 1865. Some of the grave markers in the cemetery are adorned with ocean shells, metal pipes, and reversed script, resembling a combination of religious West African and Anglo-European belief systems. "The upright pipes also are symbolic components of a belief system that comes from West Africa. What is really singular about the Olivewood Cemetery is the use of reversed writing of backwards letters and text on the grave markers," Bruner said. "This is something else that symbolically can find its roots, its origin points, in West Africa." Students are recording all the grave markers in Olivewood with the goal of surveying 100 percent of everyone buried there and creating a database that will be housed at LSC-CyFair and the African American Library at Gregory School. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot former elementary school was named after Edgar M. Gregory, a Union officer and assistant commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau for the Texas area. To conduct their research, students are using non-intrusive technology, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV or drones) for aerial mapping, a thermal camera that can detect objects in the soil and Ground Penetrating Radar that is used after the camera picks up on possible grave stones just beneath the surface. LSC officials confirm that the equipment was funded through a Lone Star College grant. Kenneth Purcell is an honor student who has used drones for aerial mapping and ground penetrating radar to help look for unmarked graves at Olivewood. "One of the most interesting things I've learned while conducting research is the historic and cultural value of the cemetery itself and the role it plays in the history of Texas," Purcell said. "Also, the ability on how to use new technology and upcoming technology in a field that helps to progress this history and further information that is overlooked by most textbooks and records." In addition to conducting research at the cemetery, Bruner is teaching his students as well as some from disciplines such as history and geography, archaeological survey techniques in Freedmen's Town, an African-American community that was established after the U.S. Civil War. It is located in Freedmen's Town, a historic district in Houston's Fourth Ward. The town is historic district due to intact historical structures and properties with archaeological components. The students are using GPR to determine locations for further excavations of artifacts. The organization that is leading the UNESCO application is the Rutherford B.H. Yates Museum located in the Freedmen community. "For sites stretching from Galveston to Harris County what I'm doing, my students, and along with scholars from Harris County including the University of Houston is we are all contributing parts to the application process. Other UNESCO World Heritage site include the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, and Mesa Verde," Bruner said. "There's only one other site in Texas located outside of San Antonio, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, but African American history and heritage is an equal value. It is a historical resource that is under-represented in the history books. It's something that needs to be recorded, saved, and preserved. So, Lone Star students are helping in that process." The research is going to be a multi-semester project. The plan is to record the entire cemetery landscape including unmarked graves. Bruner's students are take interest in the historical aspect of the research as well shedding light on a group of people that are not typically given attention. "My hopes are that the research impacts the community by bringing more attention from the community to the cemetery and all the history that involves it surrounding African American history, Houston, and Harris County," Purcell said. "I also hope it helps to preserve these sites that are in much need of preservation because they are overlooked, like Olivewood was for some time." Want to know more? Descendants of Olivewood http://www.descendantsofolivewood.org I often think about Mary, the mother of Jesus, and how she felt about her Son. When she looked at Jesus, did she see glimpses of Him as a baby? My own children are grown; but sometimes when they are talking to me, I will get a glimpse or a memory of them as a baby and I will smile. Mary's Son, the Son of God, was sent into the world for a specific purpose at a specific time in history. It had been prophesied hundreds of years before. Isaiah prophesied the virgin birth, Micah prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. Jacob prophesied He would come from the tribe of Judah in Genesis 49:10, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until He comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nation is His." Isaiah speaks of a ruler who would be a descendant of Jesse who was the father of Israel's great King David. In Luke 1, Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, "Greetings favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. "Don't be afraid, Mary," the angel told her, "for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you will name Him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give Him the throne of His ancestor David and He will rein over Israel forever, His kingdom will never end!" Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby will be Holy and He will be called the Son of God." Afterward, Mary went to see her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant with John the Baptist; and Elizabeth said to Mary, "You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said." Mary responded in song, "Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He took notice of His lowly servant girl and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is Holy, and He has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear Him. His Mighty Arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and the haughty ones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty handed. He has helped His servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For He made a promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever." Mary understood that the birth of Jesus fulfilled the long-awaited promise that God had made to Abraham and she accepted the gift God had given to her to be the vessel with which Jesus would come into the world. The song, "Mary Did You Know" asks, "Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation? Mary did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations? Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb? This sleeping boy you're holding is the great 'I AM.'" Yes, she did! She saw Him arrive as her baby Son and she watched Him die as her Savior! He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He is the great I Am and He deserves honor, praise and glory! He is called Faithful and True, the Word of God and He is the Son of God sent into the world as our Savior! No name does Him justice, but we call Him Jesus! References: The Holy Bible; Song, "Mary Did You Know?" by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene Email: videodebi@att.net This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate JERUSALEM - Large crowds of worshippers across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches Friday, some stomping on posters of Donald Trump or burning American flags in the largest outpouring of anger yet at the U.S. president's recognition of bitterly contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In the holy city itself, prayers at Islam's third-holiest site dispersed largely without incident, but Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in several dozen West Bank hot spots and on the border with the Gaza Strip. Airstrikes, Gaza death Israeli warplanes struck Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip Friday in response to a rocket fired from the zone that Israel's military said was intercepted by its Iron Dome missile-defense system. The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people were injured in Friday's airstrikes. Earlier, a 30-year-old Gaza man was killed by Israeli gunfire, the first death of a protester since Trump's dramatic midweek announcement. Two Palestinians were seriously wounded. Dozens of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza were hit by live rounds or rubber-coated steel or inhaled tear gas, the officials said. The religious and political dispute over Jerusalem forms the emotional core of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The ancient city is home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian shrines and looms large in the competing national narratives of Israelis and Palestinians. On Friday, demonstrators in the West Bank torched heaps of tires, sending columns of thick black smoke rising over the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem. Palestinian stone-throwers traded volleys in the streets with soldiers firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Along the Gaza-Israel border fence, Israeli troops fired at stone-throwers. Trump's decision has also strained U.S. foreign relations. U.N. Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov said at an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Friday that Trump's announcement created a "serious risk" of a chain of unilateral actions that would push the goal of peace further away. A 'never-ending' war Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour warned of the danger of "a never-ending religious war that will only be exploited by extremists, fueling more radicalism, violence and strife in the region and elsewhere." Even traditional U.S. allies sharply criticized Trump's decision. Sweden's U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog said the U.S. action "contradicts international law and Security Council resolutions." Britain's Ambassador Matthew Rycroft called the U.S. decision "unhelpful to peace," the French envoy expressed regret and Italy's Sebastiano Cardi warned of "the risk of unrest and tensions in the region." U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, told the council that the Trump administration is more committed to peace "than we've ever been before - and we believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before." Haley did not explain. Former Vice President Joe Biden gave no new hints about whether he will run again for president during a speech Thursday night in Sugar Land. Instead, Biden spent most of his speech at the Smart Financial Center focused on praising the Houston area and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for taking care of his late son, Beau, over 18 months as he battled cancer. "MD Anderson is not just the best cancer center in the world, but it's the way in which the staff really cared about Beau." Joe Biden told the crowd t he repeatedly was able to fly into Houston without drawing attention because of the Secret Service and the Houston Police Department keeping his arrivals low key. "The Houston Police, they did incredible things for me," Biden said. "They quietly got me in and out Houston." Biden was in Texas Thursday night as part of a tour to promote his new book "Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose. But for many in the audience, it was to push Biden to take on President Donald Trump in 2020. Of course, he passed on running in 2016 against fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton. In his new memoir Biden writes about just how close he came to running, even instructing his campaign team to write an announcement speech that was never given. Biden, 74, stressed that he has no regrets over not running, which he still believes was at the time in the best interest of himself and his family. On May 30, 2015, Beau Biden died of cancer at 46. In the book and in his speech ,he explained how his family needed time to grieve and that even key members of his campaign team ultimately recommended he not run. But Biden gave the crowd hope that he might run by pointing out that Beau clearly urged him to continue his public service. Biden told the crowd that Beau worried that he would retreat from public life. But Biden said he promised his son he would continue to be in public life. "I continue to work on the things I work on," Biden said. Just on Thursday, Biden sent a mass fund-raising email to supporters through his political action committee decrying the Republican tax cut plans. "This Republican plan isn't anything more than the latest, worst edition of the same-old trickle-down economics that has failed time and time again," Biden says in the letter. Biden says in the letter the money is aimed at helping elect Democratic candidates nationwide. While he didn't focus much of his speech in Sugar Land on running for president in 2020, he has repeatedly told audiences this fall that he hasn't ruled it out. But Biden did sound like a potential candidate as he warned about the "half-baked nationalism" coming out of the Trump Administration. "We are doing things that very dangerous to the unity of this country," Biden said. For many Democrats Biden, a Pennsylvania native, represents the blue collar base of the party in the north east, a guy who can drop a "that's mularky" and sound natural when going toe-to-toe with Trump, who himself will be 74 when the November 2020 election happens. Before being Presiden Barak Obama's vice president, Biden was a United States senator from Delaware from 1973 to 2009. He twice has run for president before in 1988 and in 2008 BONSALL, Calif. (AP) A routine day at an elite training center for racehorses transformed into terror and chaos in minutes, with hundreds of thoroughbreds stampeding out of their stalls in a desperate attempt to flee a Southern California wildfire that set their barns ablaze. Turned loose by their trainers in a last-ditch effort to save their lives, the huge, muscular animals, their eyes wide with fear, charged through thick smoke and past dancing flames. While hundreds made it to the safety of a nearby racetrack, others galloped in circles, unsure which way to run. Still others, too frightened to leave their paddocks, stayed there and died. Workers at San Luis Rey Downs said an estimated 30 to 40 horses perished Thursday in the wildfire still raging out of control north of San Diego on Friday. At least two stable workers were injured, and their conditions were not immediately known. Trainers described a terrifying scene that erupted at the facility Thursday afternoon, recalling how only minutes after smelling smoke, they saw flames roaring down a nearby hillside. I was heading to my barn to drop my equipment off and I smell smoke, trainer Kim Marrs said Friday as she stood outside the still-smoldering facility. Within two minutes, I look up the hill and you could just see it come up over the ridge. She and others tried to turn back the flames with hoses and fire extinguishers before firefighters arrived. But when embers from burning palm trees began igniting the roofs of barns, they realized they had no other alternative than to turn loose the approximately 450 horses stabled there. The next thing, theres a stampede of 100 horses coming through here, said Marrs, who was trying to lead one of the horses she trains, a 5-year-old named Spirit World, through a tunnel. We almost got trampled to death. At one of the centers many barns, video showed a group of trainers frantically tearing down a wooden fence and shouting at their horses to run. One large black horse, its forelocks wrapped in white leggings, bolted toward safety but then spooked by the burning palm trees, turned and fled back toward its stable. Scores of others charged through thick smoke to safety. Trainer Cliff Sise suffered burns on his chest and arm trying to get a 2-year-old filly named Scat Home Lady out of her stable. She wouldnt budge, and he said she burned to death there. She was one of my favorites, Sise said as he sat outside the facility. Trainer Jerry Contreras said one of his best friends, a fellow trainer, was hospitalized. He was trying to get his horses out and was burned, Contreras said. At San Luis Rey Downs, the phone rang unanswered and the owners quickly barred outsiders from the sprawling facility. It is Southern Californias premier training center for thoroughbreds, with a competition-sized racetrack, a smaller one for training, numerous trails for horses to relax on and even a swimming pool for them to work out in. The fire also destroyed dozens of mobile homes in a retirement community in the small city of Fallbrook, known for its avocado orchards and horse ranches. Three people were burned trying to escape the flames, said Capt. Nick Schuler of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The destructive blaze broke out as firefighters tried to corral the largest fire in the state that was burning around Ventura 130 miles to the north and destroyed 430 buildings as it grew to 180 square miles since Monday. Fire crews also fought large fires around Los Angeles, though they made enough progress to lift most evacuation orders. More than 100 minimum security inmates at prison camps in Nevada were being deployed to Ventura to help fight the fires. Nevada Department of Corrections Director James Dzurenda said the camp officers and inmate firefighters are trained and prepared to do the job. Dzurenda said Thursday they were en route from prison camps in Carson City, Pioche, Ely, Jean and the Three Lakes Valley Camp about 30 miles north of Las Vegas. He says only those inmates who pose the least security risk are allowed to work on the crews. The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p. A sinister storyline from already known facts could hold both President Trump and Hillary Clinton guilty of collusion with the Russians in 2016 with much still to be learned. The first point that needs to be understood about collusion it is not a crime. The word collusion refers to a collaboration in common activity that is not necessarily criminal. What prosecutors care about is conspiracy, an agreement by two or more people to commit a crime. The allegations made in the 12-count indictment against former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort invite belief in collusion with the Russians. Far from draining the swamp, the Trump campaign chose a known scoundrel to serve as campaign chair for four months, until August 2016. Manafort had an extensive history of representing foreign rogues and tyrants, most noteworthy being the pro-Russian former president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. The indictment alleges that Manafort pocketed a staggering $75 million in consulting fees from 2006-2016 from shady pro-Russian Ukrainians. Manafort worked as a volunteer for Trump from March to August, 2016, resigning when news stories surfaced that he had illegally received $12.7 million from pro-Russian interests. Manafort still maintains close ties to Russian intelligence. Prior to his resignation, Manafort managed Trumps Republican National Convention activities in July 2016, including the writing of the Republican Party platform. Under Manaforts leadership, the Trump campaign orchestrated the adoption of a platform on Russia and Ukraine that was at odds with almost all of the partys national security leaders. Ronald Reagan stood up to Russian aggression in Europe and defended democratic principles abroad. The GOP 2016 platform was a major departure from the Reagan Doctrine. Trumps view of Russia has always been friendlier than most Republicans. Trump claimed he would get along very well with Vladimir Putin and called it a great honor when Putin praised him. Trump called for a reduced U.S. commitment to NATO; wanted to give the Russians a free hand in Syria; and said he didnt see Russia as a dangerous threat. Trump has done extensive business in Russia since 1987. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton also gives the appearance of collusion with the Russians. Investigations are restarting concerning the 2010 Uranium One deal giving Moscow 20 percent of Americas licensed uranium mining capacity. This involved a Canadian businessman friend of Bill Clinton bundling donations totaling $148 million, all directed to the Clinton Foundation. Ultimately, permission was granted by Mrs. Clinton on behalf of the State Department to buy a controlling stake in Uranium One, with other government approvals following. Bill Clinton also pocketed a $500,000 speaking fee from the Russians. A second vein of Russian collusion for Hillary Clinton is the financing of the 35-page so-called Trump dossier assembled by Christopher Steele, a onetime British spy. After denying any involvement, the Clinton campaign acknowledged paying for the dossier. Virtually all of the sources are Russian, meaning Democrats have been indirectly colluding with Moscow disinformation to bash Trump for purportedly doing the same thing. Hillary Clinton now believes Russian operatives under President Vladimir Putin caused her to lose the election. But Clinton, back in 2012, mocked Mitt Romney saying it was somewhat dated to be concerned over Russia, adding that he was stuck in the Cold War mind warp and that Russia was, in fact, an ally. While Romney was excoriated by President Obama and on the editorial pages of the New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle for his assertion that Russia was our No. 1 Geo-political foe, he has been proven right. The Russians war in Georgia, annexation of Crimea, the separatist strife in eastern Ukraine, violation of Baltic states air space, meddling in Syria, Mali and with North Korea, proves his point. Will we ultimately conclude that both Trump and Clinton colluded with the Russians, or were they simply profoundly wrong about Russian intentions? COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The co-founder of Ohio's 2015 failed recreational marijuana legalization measure plans to back a new legalization effort next year. Jimmy Gould, co-founder of ResponsibleOhio, and others plan to propose on Monday a "free market" recreational marijuana measure for the 2018 ballot, according to a news release. Gould, along with ResponsibleOhio co-founder Ian James, unsuccessfully applied for one of the state's medical marijuana cultivator licenses. Their company CannAscend ranked in the middle of the pack of 109 applicants for 12 licenses, state regulators said last week. The application was disqualified for an unknown reason. Gould and James did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Friday afternoon. In a press conference last week, Gould threatened a new legalization ballot measure for a free-market system, without "self-selection." The 2015 marijuana ballot issue would have limited commercial cultivation to 10 pre-selected sites owned by campaign investors. Investors spent more than $20 million on the Issue 3 campaign, but the measure was defeated by a vote of 64 to 36 percent. Gould initially promised another legalization measure in 2016 but abandoned that idea to join a task force examining the issue for the Ohio General Assembly. He has praised Ohio's medical marijuana law, which borrowed much from the task force's work. Gould said he and other unsuccessful applicants plan to sue the state over several flaws they identified in the license application scoring process. Gould alleged at least one other applicant plagiarized information from a consultant working for his company. Earlier this week, the Department of Commerce said it didn't know one of three scoring consultants it hired had a felony marijuana conviction on his record. The department, which oversees the cultivators, product processors and testing labs, defended its scoring process and plans to move forward despite calls from state officials to freeze the issuance of grow licenses. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Lakewood man was arrested after leading Parma Heights police on a chase that ended in a crash in Cleveland. Jason Whoolery, 42, is charged with fleeing and eluding, Parma Heights police Capt. Steve Scharschmidt said. More charges are pending. The incident began Friday about 7:30 p.m. on Newkirk Drive when police received a call from a woman who stated her daughter overdosed and was not breathing. Police have been called to the home before, Scharschmidt said. When officers arrived they treated the woman with two doses of Narcan and she was taken to the hospital. The mother told police the man who supplied her with the drugs was out in his car, police said. When officers confronted the man, he took off, police said. Police pursued the man into Cleveland, where he drove through a red light and crashed into a woman's car at West 46th Street and Storer Avenue, police said. The woman was not hurt. He got out of his car and ran, but police caught up to him and took him into custody. Police found drugs in his car, but it is unknown what drugs there were. Whoolery complained of injuries and was taken to MetroHealth, where he was treated and released, police said. Court records do not say when Whoolery will make his first court appearance. If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Saturday's crime and courts comments section. Continue Reading Below Advertisement What's more, the shampoo is targeted at teenage girls, a population very much at risk for suicide. The copy on the bottle mixes bad puns about hair with psychotically irresponsible metaphors for actual suicide. Here it is, in all its whimsical sadness: Well, I knew it was feeling a little off color, but I just put that down to the bad dye job. I never knew my once beautiful hair would actually commit suicide by tossing itself off dramatic white cliffs to the rocks below. Now look at me, completely bald. Before it's too late, bring your locks back from a state of complete depression with this conditioning peach shampoo. Continue Reading Below Advertisement The writing is so bad in so many directions that its casual reference to all the dead people who threw themselves off cliffs is almost the least of its crimes. Oh, and it gets worse. "Peachy Head" isn't some random whimsical name for peach-scented shampoo. It's a play on the name of the location with by far the most suicides in the UK -- a very high cliff with easy access to its highest point called Beachy Head. On average, 20 people commit suicide there every year, and the local government takes the problem so seriously that they've installed a telephone box at the top of the cliff with a direct line to a suicide support center, and volunteers patrol the area several times a day. Exactly the kind of vibe you want your personal hygiene product to evoke, right? Continue Reading Below Advertisement The backlash was pretty huge when somebody posted a pic of the bottle on Twitter, as you might expect. It seems the leadership of Anatomicals didn't seem to think it was a big deal. In a statement about the shampoo, the brand's co-founder said they're an "irreverent" brand that made an innocent tongue-in-cheek reference, all in good humor ... which might make sense for a topic other than troubled people taking their own lives. Although Urban Outfitters promptly pulled the shampoo off their shelves, Anatomicals still lists it on their website, having decided to fight to the bitter end for their right to base cute and quirky branding on suicide. And if you're still not convinced of how fucked up this shampoo is, maybe this picture of the back of the bottle will help. Face-Off The 2-in-1 device category is a rare bright spot in the sluggish PC market, and most major vendors have by now jumped in with convertible tablets, laptops or both. The true pioneers in the space, however, are Microsoft on the tablet side (with the Surface Pro series) and Lenovo in laptops (with the Yoga line). Both product lineups got major updates in 2017 with the launch of a successor to the Surface Pro 4, simply dubbed the Surface Pro, and the debut of the Yoga 920. Which of the 2-in-1s is a better fit for you? In the following slides, the CRN Test Center compares Lenovo's Yoga 920 versus Microsoft's Surface Pro on specs and price. Theresa May sealed a dramatic last-gasp deal with the EU - but David Jones predicts euphoria over the agreement will quickly vanish Fridays TV screens were full of images of the Prime Minister making her dramatic pre-dawn flight to seal the deal with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. But I predict that, like the Brussels morning mist, early euphoria over last weeks so-called Brexit breakthrough will quickly vanish. In its place will come mounting concern from those of us who want to honour the referendum result that an EU sellout is in the offing. This is not to say that the dogged Theresa May hasnt achieved a personal victory in the face of classic Brussels obduracy, for which she deserves full credit. We are at long last on the brink of where we should have been months ago moving from preliminary skirmishes about the exit bill to serious talks on our future trade relationship with Europe. That alone is very welcome and I can understand my fellow Tory Brexiteers reluctance to criticise the deal. But we cannot ignore the hard fact that lying in the heart of this agreement are provisions that could make a nonsense of a real Brexit. Lets start with the new proposal for continued regulatory alignment between the UK and the EU, to support co-operation between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. The phrase may have come out of nowhere but it is certainly going somewhere blocking Brexit. Ensuring co-operation on the island of Ireland is indeed important; but if we do continue to observe EU regulations, we kiss goodbye to one of the main advantages of Brexit negotiating new, lucrative trade deals with the rest of the world. What price a bumper free trade deal with the US if we kick off by ruling out importing a huge array of American products because they dont comply with rules made by Brussels bureaucrats? Mrs May struck a deal with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker The whole point of Brexit is that we make our own rules, in our own national interest. If we stay shackled to EU regulations, Liam Fox and his Department of International Trade might as well pack up and go home. But thats not the only poison hidden away in last weeks Brexit deal. Within it is the reality that the European Court of Justice will continue to dictate law on EU citizens rights for eight years after any transitional period. This means that judges in Luxembourg will still be making British law in 2029 13 years after the referendum vote a mockery of the Brexiteers worthy slogan of taking back control. Add to that the possibility of a monstrous bill as the price for escaping Brusselss grip. Government sources were quoted saying the price tag was likely to be 39 billion down from an earlier-reported 50 billion. However, the deal document contains no such precise figure, reduced or otherwise. What it does contain is a set of highly technical mechanisms we would have to follow to work out the eventual Brexit cost to the UK. And those mechanisms could land us with a bill, on some estimates, of as much as 100 billion a figure EU sources were touting earlier this year. Therell be a lot more tough negotiating before we finally break free from Brussels. And we must never forget one important phrase tucked away in Fridays deal document: Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. A bride-to-be whose gappy teeth left her too self-conscious to wed is barely recognisable after having her smile fixed for her big day. Chloe Smith, 29, from Bracknell, had been tormented by the gap between her two front teeth since she was a teenager which caused her confidence to plummet. Growing up, Chloe had a lot of deciduous ('baby') teeth and couldn't bear the idea of wearing train tracks so decided against getting braces. 'I never liked having my photo taken and would never show my teeth when I smiled,' she told FEMAIL. But after she got engaged to Jay Smith, 28, Chloe decided it was time to fix her smile for good. Transformation: Chloe had been tormented by the gap between her two front teeth since she was a teenager (left) but she got them fixed in time for her wedding (right) She decided to get fitted with clear Invisalign braces at a cost of 4,000, as she decided they would be more discreet than traditional braces. Chloe says she is delighted with the results, and her resulting wedding pictures are 'fantastic'. Her new look also gave her the confidence boost to qualify as a personal trainer and carve out a new career path. Chloe's husband Jay says he has noticed a huge change in her confidence, too. Dentist Hanel Nathwani commented: 'Chloe came in wanting to improve her smile for the wedding day. Her main issue was the alignment of the teeth and a missing tooth. 'To get the best smile we could we used Invisalign rather than veneers to preserve the good health of Chloe's teeth. Bright future: Chloe's new look gave her the confidence boost to qualify as a personal trainer and carve out a new career path. Her husband Jay (pictured here on their wedding day) says he has noticed a huge change in her confidence, too Chloe decided to get fitted with clear Invisalign braces as they would be more discreet than traditional braces. She says she is delighted with the results, and her resulting wedding pictures are 'fantastic' Commenting on Chloe's new look, dentist Hanel Nathwani commented:'Chloe came in wanting to improve her smile for the wedding day. Her main issue was the alignment of the teeth and a missing tooth' 'Due to the missing tooth, although the smile was straightened and looked lovely, we finished with some whitening, cosmetic contouring and bonding on her front upper teeth, none of which requires any anaesthetic. 'Most patients assume they would need expensive, invasive dental work to have a great smile, however Invisalign is increasingly becoming the treatment of choice for both patients like Chloe and dentists too. The best part of all was seeing Chloe's confidence increase over the months leading up to her wedding, with the finished result speaking for itself.' It has traditionally been seen as a male-dominated world and to this day, heavy engineering is an industry that struggles to attract women, especially in the UK. Britain has the lowest proportion of female engineers in Europe, at just eight per cent. But theres one project thats been groundbreaking both literally and figuratively. Almost a third of the engineers on the 15 billion Crossrail project, the East-West London rail line due to open next year, are women, thanks to a concerted effort to increase the diversity of the workforce. Here are just some of those women making Europes biggest construction project come to fruition. Almost a third of the engineers on the 15 billion Crossrail project, the East-West London rail line due to open next year, are women, thanks to a concerted effort to increase the diversity of the workforce. Here are just some of those women making Europes biggest construction project come to fruition Britain has the lowest proportion of female engineers in Europe, at just eight per cent. But theres one project thats been groundbreaking both literally and figuratively. Pictured: Crossrail's female engineers THE FASHIONISTA Rachel, 43, lives in London with husband Richard, 44, a tech entrepreneur, and their three children When I was a little girl I was utterly ignorant of engineering, says Rachel Morris, a project engineer. She went to Leeds University expecting to become an architect but soon discovered I was terrible at architecture, so I did civil engineering instead. She says: It never crossed my mind that engineering was a masculine industry. I grew up in a family of feminists where you do what you want to do. Now, I do get people asking me whether I boss lots of men around, which I dont. Rachel, 43, lives in London with husband Richard, 44, a tech entrepreneur, and their three children. In terms of combining work with motherhood, it has been brilliant, she adds. I am judged by results, not by hours on site, so the work-life balance is easier than a lot of jobs. I think having so many women involved in building Crossrail will make it better for passengers. I am obsessed with how far you have to walk between platforms because I think about what it will be like for women travelling with kids. A subtle thing such as telling passengers how far it is on the signs could make a big difference. My only real bugbear is the protective clothes. Often we are expected to wear small mens sizes. My hobby is fashion and Im not prepared to walk out on site looking as if Im wearing my dads jacket and trousers. It looks silly. I am a professional engineer and I want to look like one. I have got some ladies fit clothes now they had to be ordered specially, but I can wear them on site and hold my head up high. THE BEAUTY BLOGGER Ala, who was born in Palestine but brought up in Ireland, says: I was always fascinated by transport and tunnels' Ala Hammad is a tunnel engineer and a beauty and lifestyle blogger whose website has a thread on engineering alongside tips on beauty, skincare and shopping. People dont expect someone like me to be an engineer because I like make-up and beauty, she says. I dont put my full make-up on all the time to go to work Im not going to get up an hour early just to do that. People might think if you look a certain way you are not serious, but I have studied hard. Ala, who was born in Palestine but brought up in Ireland, says: I was always fascinated by transport and tunnels. When I was at school in Co Limerick, I really liked maths and science, so it would have made sense for my careers teacher to advise me to do engineering, but she suggested home economics. That experience stuck with me and because of it I am now an ambassador to schools, encouraging kids to get into science, maths, technology and engineering. Unfortunately I have experienced sexism and some harassment. Usually its just remarks and unwanted attention. The most important thing to do is report it, then things are done about it. THE EX-HAIRDRESSER Cassandra Waterman, 31, is a quantity surveyor, but was a hairdresser for eight years after leaving school Cassandra Waterman, 31, is a quantity surveyor, but was a hairdresser for eight years after leaving school before deciding on a change. She initially came to work for Crossrail in a clerical job. It was a real buzz to go out on site and see what was happening. When the opportunity came to work on the commercial team I jumped at it, she says. Now Im working at Tottenham Court Road Station to make sure we deliver the project on time and in budget. A lot of my friends and family think it is brave to go out and work in quite a male environment, but I havent really encountered any prejudice. I dont think anybody would dare. There can be a bit of a tussle between quantity surveyors and engineers because we control the costs. Sometimes Im shaking the money bag, saying its almost empty, and that can cause disagreements. THE TEAM LEADER Project manager Camilla Barrow spent nine years working on rail schemes in Qatar, California and Washington DC Project manager Camilla Barrow spent nine years working on rail schemes in Qatar, California and Washington DC, but when I found out they were building the largest infrastructure project in Europe in London, my home town, I wanted to come back. It is such an exciting industry. The world is your oyster when you graduate. There is a real skill shortage now, of women and men. Having more women engineers is better for everyone if you have diverse people on a project, you will get better ideas. If everyone thinks the same, youre less likely to get innovation. When you have a huge project like Crossrail, you need that creative thinking. For instance, we created from scratch a unique drilling rig and it was designed by one of our young engineers. I am in charge of 40 people responsible for rail systems anything inside the tunnel: the track, the communications, 3,000 miles of cable, the overhead power line. Sometimes I wonder whether my next job will be an anti-climax, but there is always another challenge. THE APPRENTICE At the age of 24, site engineer Chloe Etheridge has already been working on Crossrail for four-and-a-half years, starting as an apprentice At the age of 24, site engineer Chloe Etheridge has already been working on Crossrail for four-and-a-half years, starting as an apprentice. I was attracted to engineering because it is full of problem-solving and physical and mental challenges and you can work all over the world, she says. When I was at school in the West Midlands, it was unheard of for a girl to do an engineering apprenticeship. I did art and design, but I realised I didnt want to do that as a career and didnt want to go to uni. I wanted to get into the workplace and study combined with a job. She adds: About 20 per cent of apprentices on Crossrail are female, which is better than many other projects, but not enough. People are often surprised at what I do, which includes a lot of campaigning trying to promote engineering and construction to women There is still a bit of a stigma attached to apprenticeships, for both men and women, in that people think degrees are higher-status. But I have excavated to 130ft below London to build new stations. Ive been involved in excavating the tunnels, mining ahead and spraying concrete as a temporary support. Its going to feel really great when Crossrail opens. Im looking forward to being a passenger. THE ROLE MODEL Field engineer Linda Muzikants, 45, has been working on Crossrail for seven years Field engineer Linda Muzikants, 45, has been working on Crossrail for seven years. My father and brother are both engineers and I wanted to follow in their footsteps, but when I started my career 20 years ago there were hardly any female role models, she says. There was no one I could look up to, in terms of women in senior positions. Luckily, my father was my mentor he never brought up the fact I was a female, so its never been in my mind as a barrier. Now I am a mentor myself, mainly for women. It would be good if we had more men who were prepared to act as mentors to help women and if senior women could be mentors for younger men, that would help educate the next generation of male engineers into seeing it as normal for women to be in positions of authority. I was brought up in San Francisco but I am Latvian by descent. Latvia has the highest percentage of women in engineering in the EU, so young women coming out of school see women in senior positions and have them to look up to. Men ask me how it feels to be working in a male environment. In my engineering class at Glasgow University, there were four girls out of 125. You just carry on, you get used to it. Things have definitely improved over my working life. But the more specialised you become, the fewer females you see. When I heard about Crossrail I immediately wanted to be a part of it I was attracted by the challenge, the complexity and logistics of building tunnels in a major city. THE NEW MUM Houloud El Hakim, 30, has recently returned from maternity leave to her job as a supervisor at Farringdon Station Houloud El Hakim, 30, has recently returned from maternity leave to her job as a supervisor at Farringdon Station. She has been working on Crossrail since 2010. She says: I am responsible for technical assurance. Its a huge responsibility, because it covers the building itself, the tunnels, the platforms, the escalators, the cameras, everything from the tiles to the electricity. It is designed to last 120 years. Khouloud says: The key to making it work with motherhood is delegation. I have to leave at 4pm because, if I dont, I miss my daughters dinner. But I can work remotely, which is invaluable. Sometimes I feel guilty about my work and my daughter, but that is just life. It helps that my husband [a construction manager] and I have an understanding about the work we do and support each other. We dont see either of our jobs as being more important. When I moved to the UK nearly ten years ago, I was surprised that you call the man who comes to fix your boiler an engineer. In Lebanon, engineering is a very high-status profession, like being a doctor or a lawyer. It takes effort and resilience to be an engineer, so not everyone can do it. In Lebanon it is more popular as a profession for men and women, because it is more highly regarded. Most people will be tucking into a traditional turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas Day this year. But what do some of the UK's top chefs eat when they're not slaving away in their restaurant's kitchen? Four top chefs have revealed what they eat on the big day - and it's quite unconventional. The professionals revealed their unusual Christmas Day feasts in National Geographic Food magazine. Top chefs revealed they all have wildly different Christmases. Margot Henderson, of Rochelle Canteen, reveals she has a very traditional British Christmas of a whole turkey (centre). Her husband's mother always makes a white sauce with a blob of Parmesan (right) One Icelandic Michelin-starred chef reveals he tucks into his country's traditional main course of lamb with red cabbage and white sauce every year, and that no-one in the country ever drinks on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile a chef who hails from Spain tucks into a whole sea bass instead of poultry, and a cook from the Caribbean reveals he will be eating a roast chicken stuffed with cornbread. Here, they explain what they choose to have on December 25 in the comfort of their own homes. Aggri Sverrisson - Christmas in Iceland Chef Patron of Texture, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Marylebone, London Agrri Sverrisson, revealed what he eats on Christmas Day back in his native country of Iceland. Agrri Sverrisson says he has a traditional Icelandic Christmas dinner of roast lamb (centre), red cabbage (top left), leaf bread (top right), peas (left) and a white sauce with potatoes (right) Aggri Sverrisson is chef patron of Michelin-starred Texture We open all the presents on the 24th, not the 25th. We love our drinking, but we dont drink on the 24th no way. Its very serious, even people like who love a drink or two dont drink on the 24th. Most people are in the kitchen all day cooking, listening to Christmas music, eating chocolate and helping each other. A typical start would be herring, smoked salmon and gravlax to start with, then the lamb, then you always have risalamande [a cold, rice pudding dish] for dessert. For Christmas Day we prepare smoked leg of lamb with red cabbage, white sauce, potatoes and leaf bread. This is what weve been eating for hundreds and hundreds of years back in Iceland, and we only ever eat it at Christmas not at any other time. And I love it, its amazing. The smoky scent of the lamb is always Christmas to me. When I start making the white sauce too, the smell that comes from it all sweet and sour its delicious. We serve it with a bit of leaf bread, which is very thin, deep fried bread. Its all very traditional. It has a very special place in my heart. Other flavours which come out include ginger cake, we do a lot of ginger cake. Chocolate is everywhere too. Anything sweet basically. When youre cooking the risalamande you can put cinnamon, apple compote or vanilla in it. We also do cinnamon gingerbread houses, everybody does one of those. The mothers and kids do them together in advance, and they can get very competitive and elaborate they can be massive. Theyll decorate them with icing in all sorts of colours and with sweets too, of course. Advertisement Marlon Edwards - Caribbean Christmas Marlon is the head chef of Cottons Rum Shack and Restaurant in Shoreditch, London. It's a very Caribbean affair at Marlon Edwards' at Christmas. He makes a chicken stuffed with cornbread (centre, sweet potato wedges (left), honey-glazed jerk vegetables (top left and right), and a sorrel conserve (top) Marlon reveals he always tucks into banana cake after Christmas dinner rather than traditional pudding or cake In St Lucia, everyone comes together at Christmas, and I mean everybody. We all get together in one house and everyone cooks. Were all one big family no matter what happened the year before. Growing up, the house was separate from the kitchen; we had this big yard and we would put up little huts with coconut palms, thered be candles and little kerosene lamps. We had no electricity and yet the food always came out perfect bread, pudding and cakes all cooked to perfection on the charcoal grill. Roast chicken with cornbread stuffing, sorrel conserve and honey-glazed jerk vegetables is a family favourite, inspired by my grandmother back in St Lucia. From about the age of 12, Id be sent out to catch the birds for dinner. My grandmother would say, 'Marlon, I want that one, that one, and that one,' and Id have to chase the chickens through the community. Thered be a pot of boiling water ready to help make plucking easier. I look forward to banana cake which my mum liked to bake so we'd have a lot of banana cake, coconut cake and something called pone, which is basically cassava bread flavoured with vanilla and raisins. And there were sweets and lollipops in just about every flavour. My grandmother would also make a hot drink with grenadine syrup, cinnamon and our famous white rum now that was the bomb. Advertisement Jose Pizzaro - Christmas in Spain Jose is owner and chef of Spanish restaurant Jose & Pizzaro near Liverpool Street station in London. Jose says he always goes back to Spain for Christmas, where he makes a whole sea bass baked with anchovy and garlic potatoes Jose says Christmas Eve is actually more important than December 25 in Spain I promised my mother when I left Spain that I would always come home for Christmas. Ive been living in London for 18 years and Ive only ever missed one and that was because the flights were cancelled. We live in a small village in Extremadura and I love going for a Christmas day walk in the crisp weather we visit the local farms and always bump into old friends. Christmas is all about relaxing, eating, drinking, listening and arguing theres always plenty of that, its tradition. We look forward to whole sea bass baked with anchovy and garlic potatoes. This is what we always have at home its all about being able to share. Christmas is the one time were all together and theres nothing better than a lovely bit of fish. We have it on Christmas Eve because thats the big night for Spanish people when it comes to Christmas its more important than the day itself and its when everyone is together for the first time in a while. On Christmas day itself, well have roast kid with a big green salad and fried potatoes. Other foods included in a Spanish Chrismas include, Turron [nougat]; we have big plates of it and I always make a turron mousse people love it. As well as jamon, we always have prawns; the big ones we just boil and the small ones we do al ajillo [with garlic]. And because its La Matanza [Spains annual pig slaughter festival], we always have fresh pork too. Black pudding, the trotters, all of that is there too. Its just eating, eating, eating. Advertisement Margot Henderson, British Christmas Margot is the co-owner and chef at Rochelle Canteen, in east London. Margot reveals she enjoys turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas Day, such as cranberry sauce, Brussel sprouts and a white sauce Margot says she would never have turkey back in her native New Zealand but she has eaten the bird every year for 33 years We have a turkey every year my mother-in- law always makes sure of it. And because of Fergus [Henderson, Margots husband, the chef and founder of London's St John restaurant], we have no choice anyway, but its a great bird. Its delicious and goes well with all the trimmings. I like the danger of cooking it too: is it done? Isnt it? Am I drying it out? Should I brine it? I love cooking like that, even if its just once a year having 10 people putting their suggestions in as to how to cook it. I just love the discussions. The rama of the turkey is great it looks good on the table. I am originally from New Zealand, but Ive been doing British Christmas for 33 years now and I think the traditional meal suits Britain far better. I love all the lights and the fact its cold, although Ive only seen snow once since Ive been here. Back in New Zealand, you might have duck, crayfish, chicken, but never a turkey. A family food tradition which always makes the big day special is on Christmas Eve, Ferguss mum always does smoked salmon with spinach and a white sauce with a blob of Parmesan, which is delicious. On the day, we get up early and start drinking champagne as soon as possible. Once weve done the stockings, we get all the food in the oven and then its presents before dinner. We tend to stop for a bit, and then have Stilton followed by Christmas puddings that have been waiting for us from the year before. We always get two St John Christmas puddings we flame them up and have them with brandy butter, which is probably one of my favourite things. Advertisement Find the chefs' recipes inside the first issue of the magazine, out now. Nothing that anyone can say or do will bring Averil Hart back Nothing that anyone can say or do will bring Averil Hart back. All her parents wanted was answers, but it has taken them years of tireless campaigning to get to the bottom of what really happened to her and who is to blame for her tragic death. As reported yesterday, the 19-year-old student, who suffered from anorexia, was found unconscious on the floor of her university flat after she became so weak she couldnt stand. Only four months previously she had been discharged from hospital, but her case was not followed up properly and her weight plummeted. A catalogue of failings from every NHS organisation involved in her care led to her death in 2012. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has now said that these failings were symptomatic of wider NHS failings in the treatment of people with eating disorders and needed urgent national attention. As a specialist in eating disorders, I completely agree. The way that those with eating disorders are treated in the NHS is nothing short of a scandal. The problem is eating disorders are one of the last areas in mental health where people still feel at liberty to dismiss it as all in the mind. These days, no one would dare say to someone with depression that they should pull their socks up, but Ive heard doctors and nurses say to someone with anorexia that they should just eat, or to stop being so vain. Its considered something that silly young girls do to get attention, driven by vanity and narcissism. As reported yesterday, the 19-year-old student, who suffered from anorexia, was found unconscious on the floor of her university flat after she became so weak she couldnt stand This couldnt be further from the truth. Anorexia is not about vanity: quite the opposite. Many of the patients feel profoundly disgusted by their bodies and feel they dont deserve to eat. For many, its not even about how they look; its about the sense of control and mastery they get from restricting their food intake. The nature of an eating disorder means that many patients dont want treatment or will avoid contact with services. We have to be very proactive and this requires a lot of energy. The condition also means many dont see themselves as sick or dont feel theyre deserving of treatment. Many have very low levels of self-esteem and entitlement, and its all too easy for this group of patients to be ignored and pushed to the margins. Ive had patients told by GPs and doctors in A&E that they didnt look very anorexic. GPs will often not bother to do the blood tests I request to assess how damaged their organs are and to check that patients are not physically deteriorating. The nature of an eating disorder means that many patients dont want treatment or will avoid contact with services. We have to be very proactive and this requires a lot of energy Despite the high risk of heart attacks in this patient group, heart tracings are not done and scans are not ordered. GPs also dismiss the patients when they go to see them about physical health concerns chest or abdominal pains, for example attributing everything to the eating disorder. Other mental health services, such as those dealing with depression, anxiety or personality disorder, are reluctant to get involved if the person has an eating disorder, even though we know that eating disorders often go hand in hand with these other mental health problems. There is no doubt that the eating disorder service failed Averil. These services are in dire straits and I know Averils story is far from unique. This area of medicine is highly specialist, requiring a depth and breadth of knowledge both psychiatric and medical that few have. The vast majority of doctors go through their entire training with no experience of eating disorder services and this is true, too, even for many working in mental health. There are extraordinary levels of ignorance about the condition among medical professionals and, because of this, few people choose to specialise in it. At the unit where I work, we have been searching for appropriately-qualified staff not just for months, but for years. They simply arent there. There is no doubt that the eating disorder service failed Averil. These services are in dire straits and I know Averils story is far from unique. She is pictured with her father Nic As a result, many services downgrade what they offer. There are no doctors, so instead they are run by psychologists and nurses, who are often very good and highly skilled, but lack the medical background needed to ensure that patients are physically safe. One in five people with an eating disorder dies from an eating disorder. Its a shocking statistic that preys on my mind and when I go to work a part of me dreads looking at my emails for fear that a patient has died. The mortality rates are similar to brain tumours. Now imagine a service for patients with brain tumours being run without doctors. It would never happen. And to compound the tragedy, we only know about Averils case because her parents fought tirelessly for answers, while some of the NHS organisations involved tried to hinder the investigation into their conduct. Lets not beat around the bush: Averil was allowed to starve to death. This is a total dereliction of duty for those whose job it was to save her. It is a tragedy that it took her death for the shortcomings of services for eating disorder patients to be discussed, but also a tragedy that today there are patients out there who still wont get the care they need. Is the doner a gonna? Have kebabs had their chips? It seems the EU is proposing to ban phosphates used to keep seasoned kebab meat moist because they might raise the risk of heart disease. For goodness sake! What kind of life is it when we cant have a few bad indulgences every so often? The public health nannies treat us like children. Their only solution to any element of risk is to ban it. But there is much in life that is risky and its up to us to decide what risks were happy to accept, not the EU. I can't stand heath hypocrites When it comes to handing out lifestyle advice, I think health professionals must practise what they preach. But now a study has found that one in four nurses is obese, with nearly two-thirds of them overweight. Why are so many so overweight? Theyve seen the heart attacks, the strokes, the diabetes and the leg amputations associated with obesity, so should know better. Its a clear example of denial a psychological defence mechanism to resolve conflicts. You simply pretend its not happening. When it comes to handing out lifestyle advice, I think health professionals must practise what they preach Im worried about the appalling example those overweight health- care professionals set others. Yes, of course nurses and doctors are human and cant be expected to have blemish-free lives. But when youre a professional seeing patients, you have a duty to uphold basic principles of a healthy lifestyle. And if you cant stick to the principles that youre promoting, you have no business being on the front line. No patient is going to take you seriously. You wouldnt take advice about your drinking from an alcoholic, so why listen to an overweight professional telling you to shed a few pounds? Yet a once-obese nurse who has lost weight could be a real motivation for patients. As a former smoker, I like to think that knowing I used to smoke helps my patients. It means Ive done daft things, but Ive changed and so can they. How to cure the crisis in the NHS There have been warnings that the NHS is facing its worst winter ever, thanks to a combination of a particularly virulent flu virus, a sudden drop in temperature, chronic staff shortages and under-investment. Some predict this could even be the tipping point for the NHS finally to keel over and part of me wishes it would, because as someone who works on the front line, I know that it really cant keep on like this. In a desperate attempt to make resources stretch, we keep cutting services further and further, with the result that now, if Im honest, the care we provide is all too often not adequate. There have been warnings that the NHS is facing its worst winter ever, thanks to a combination of a particularly virulent flu virus, a sudden drop in temperature, chronic staff shortages and under-investment It pains me to say this because I am a great advocate of the NHS. All the evidence shows its the fairest, most efficient and cost-effective way of delivering healthcare. Of course it could be better, but overall its pretty good. Yet years of political meddling and under-investment have weakened it, and rather than see it limping and stumbling along, mortally wounded, I wish the inevitable end would come. Then we would have no choice but to have a serious, sensible, national discussion about what we want our health service to look like, how we want it run and how much were willing to pay for it. Until it collapses, no politician is going to tackle the subject because no one wants to court controversy. Theyll just keep on talking about improvement and efficiency, occasionally throwing some money in the vague direction of front-line services. Theyll continue dodging the vital questions we should be debating now to enable us to plan things, rather than adopting crisis management when the crunch comes. The politicians know this is only a matter of time: theyre just hoping it doesnt die on their watch. We need an independent review of the NHS which hears from all those involved politicians, staff and members of the public The fact is that health and social care is expensive. Earlier this year, the Office for Budget Responsibility warned that the NHS annual budget would need to increase by 88 billion to about 228 billion by 2066-67, in order to keep pace with the rising demand for healthcare. So what do we do? We need an independent review of the NHS which hears from all those involved politicians, staff and members of the public. The ideal forum would be a Royal Commission, as this is both independent of government and powerful. Such a review will require a considerable amount of debate and soul-searching. But without it, the NHS will flatline. BMW X3 Rating: 'You either like the look of BMWs or you dont. That seems to be the deal the Bavarian Motor Works made with its customers about a million years ago. There has, of course, been the odd maverick moment of rather marvellous creativity along the way, like the current I series, the twilight Eighties Z1 with its insane drop-down doors, Pierce Brosnans gorgeous Z8 from The World Is Not Enough, and the sublime Fifties 507 roadster check that baby out and let me know when you stop salivating. Flashes of brilliance, alas, that only serve to make it ever more frustrating when yet another kidney-grilled clone comes off the production line. Classy and elegant is one way to describe the new X3. Whatever the German is for same old same old is another Handling-wise, here we have an SUV that drives more like a jacked-up 5 or 7 series than a run-of-the-mill Chelsea tractor The glamorous panoramic roof canopy, by no means a bargain extra at 1,190, helping to bring some light and life to the vast cabin Classy and elegant is one way to describe the new X3. Whatever the German is for same old same old is another. Im not saying the result is by any means unattractive its just all a bit meh. Grey-sky thinking taken to the Nth degree, compounded by an inexplicable, insatiable demand for modern SUVs to be stupidly, unnecessarily over-practical. A brief that only plays into BMWs already overly practical psyche, increasing the probability of them churning out the most risk-averse box-ticking design in motoring history. That said, the all-new X3 is annoyingly faultless. Open the fully automated tailgate and behold the most generous of cargo holds, complete with myriad hooks, cubbyholes and anchor points all from the desk of Captain Sensible and his minions. As is the floor panel reassuringly supported by a thoughtful gas damper, so that one is not compromised having to prop it up oneself and behold, yet another nifty cavity. Next, pull gently on the recline lever and gasp in wonder as the rear seat backs fold down, with attendant German precision and triple quadruple even that already massive luggage space. The comparative bulk of the rear doors is the only perceptible giveaway that this is the baby brother of the more grandiose, longstanding X5. That said, this X3 is still bigger than the original X5, which tells us all we need to know about how important scale has become. Talking of which, in the back, there is ample comfort and support in a typically Teutonic environment of well-trimmed quality leather and first-rate finishes. Jump in the front and theres yet more binary perfection on display. The glamorous panoramic roof canopy, by no means a bargain extra at 1,190, helping to bring some light and life to the vast cabin. Thank God, otherwise one could be forgiven for thinking youre sitting in either a 5 or 7 series saloon because theyre all the same! Mind-numbingly consistent, like a Premier Inn, or a Sausage & Egg McMuffin. TECH SPEC Price 44,380 Engine 3.0-litre six-cylinder Gearbox Eightspeed auto Power 265hp 0-60mph 5.8 seconds Top speed 149mph Fuel economy 49.6mpg Annual road tax 500 first year Advertisement Under the bonnet is BMWs stalwart 3.0-litre straight six engine, boasting a highly respectable 265hp, but far more impressively, a whopping 620nm of torque. Which is a) insane and b) bloody fantastic in any of the three driving modes: Comfort (very smooth, plenty of power), Eco Pro (a little bit too restrained), and Sport and Sport+ (mildly exciting for a while but I suspect most X3 owners will go back to Comfort after the first few weekends). Handling-wise, here we have an SUV that drives more like a jacked-up 5 or 7 series than a run-of-the-mill Chelsea tractor, effortlessly compliant, with minimal body roll, a satisfying kick-down and more than enough feedback to make driving fun, perhaps even verging on stimulating. The only caveat being the xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system, which zaps a few of those available ponies along the way. That said, the resultant extra grip is more than a fair swap. Right, confession time. Two days in and I had become reluctantly bowled over by BMWs unquestionable prowess for producing understated brilliance. A state of affairs I was not at all happy about. I am simply not ready to be this grown up. I reserve the right to make decisions that are not entirely in my best interests or those of my nearest and dearest. Which is why, though personally I would still not consider an X3 as a daily drive for a single moment, this point of view placed me firmly in a minority of one. My wife loved this car Its like a Range Rover, only cooler, she cooed. And then the future generation weighed in. Dad! Theres not only a massive touch screen, but swivel control, gesture control and voice control, said Noah. You can have all six main function apps open at the same time, and you can also pull up the weather forecast anywhere in the world for the next three days. Theres also a global rainfall radar and you can ask it where the nearest Christmas tree farm is and it will not only tell you but flash up a picture of the farm gate [Pines and Needles 13.4 miles away, in case you were wondering]. Dad, this car is so not dull. You have never been more wrong about anything. All right, I surrender! Two days in and I had become reluctantly bowled over by BMWs unquestionable prowess for producing understated brilliance This is undoubtedly a fabulous not dull car and at an on-the-road price of 44,380 it might also qualify as vaguely reasonable. The only issue being that the 15 chargeable options out of the 24 fitted to my test model saw this figure swiftly rocket to a rather more squeaky-bum 56,045. That said, could any of us find a genuinely better car for less money? I suspect not. In which case, if you hate surprises, then this could be the perfect non-surprise for you. Five stars all the way and anyone who claims otherwise is wrong, including me. Not that Im about to. I mean, I was, right up until one of the dads at school pulled up in his white, 2010 X3. I cannot tell you how different they look, side by side, in the flesh. The new X3 comes across so much chunkier, sportier, bigger, modern and more attractive all round. A fabulous new shape then, surreptitiously designed to not scare anyone away. Which, I suppose, is German for some kind of genius. In a horrific attack, a 15-year-old girl has allegedly been gang-raped and set ablaze by two men at her house in the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh (MP). The heinous crime took place just three days after MP became the first state to allow the death penalty for rapists. The Assembly had unanimously passed a Bill on Monday, allowing for the death penalty to be imposed upon those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and under. As the student battles for her life, with more than 80 per cent burns at Bundelkhand Medical College in Sagar, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told India Today TV that the Bill aims to trigger a nationwide debate on the issue of death penalty for rapists. MP recently passed a Bill on the death penalty for rapists (stock photo, posed by models) Those arguing against the death penalty have claimed that rapists will attempt to kill the victim if the Bill is passed into law after presidential assent The two accused, Raghvendra Sen and Shubham Yadav are alleged to have entered the victim's house while she was alone. 'After raping the girl, the two accused doused her with kerosene and set her ablaze. Neighbours rescued her after hearing her cries for help,' Bhangarh SHO said. The police added that one of the men has been arrested on the basis of the victim's statement and a search for the other one is continuing. Though Chouhan strongly supports the death penalty for rapists on the grounds that it will curb rapes, the Sagar incident has once again brought into focus the controversial issue of capital punishment for such crimes. Those arguing against the death penalty have claimed that rapists will attempt to kill the victim if the Bill is passed. 'This is a bad piece of legislation. The accused will now kill their victim,' Arti Mehta, who works for police reforms, told India Today TV. Congress has backed Mehta, with Ajay Singh, leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, saying: 'The death penalty can lead to the accused killing the victim, as witnessed in Sagar.' An adamant Chouhan stuck to his guns saying: 'Everything has two or more aspects; there are pros and cons of everything. But as far as the death penalty for rapists is concerned, there is widespread consensus in MP, because we think that such people should be given exemplary punishment.' The Bill will become a law after presidential assent, with Chouhan adding that it, 'was introduced in the MP Vidhan Sabha after widespread discussions with various sections of our society. 'During the Narmada Seva Yatra, people came up with this suggestion and we followed it up. The consensus was that people who are involved in such heinous acts have no right to live.' Brushing aside charges that the Bill was a whitewash as it is beyond the scope of any state legislature to amend the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, Chouhan said: 'In the past, too, several state governments have introduced legislation on critical issues like terrorism. In this case, too, we will request the honourable President and also follow up the issue with the Home minister.' The private hospital accused of medial negligence, after sending a living newborn to a funeral ground in a body bag, has had its licence withdrawn. Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, lost its licence to operate, with immediate effect, on Friday after the Delhi government came down heavily on the institution. The newborn baby was incorrectly declared dead a week ago, only to be rescued after his grieving family noticed a slight movement in the body bag, while they were heading towards a funeral ground. Tragically, the newborn has now died It later transpired that doctors had incorrectly declared the premature twins born to Varsha Bidawat, 21, were both dead, immediately after their delivery. One of the twins had indeed died, but his sibling survived for a further week following his rescue. Sadly, he too passed away, on Thursday, while under the care of a nursing home in Pitampura. A panel formed by the Delhi government to look into the case found the Max Hospital administration guilty of not following prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain told Mail Today: 'Delhi government has cancelled the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, over medical negligence in the case. The Delhi government has cancelled the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, with immediate effect, after the hospital erroneously declared the newborn boy dead 'The medical fault which happened at the Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, is a criminal medical negligence and it is not acceptable at all.' In an attempt to deter similar problems occurring at other private healthcare facilities, Jain added: 'If in the future, cases of medical laxity come up at any private hospitals, none of them would be spared. Stringent action will be taken against them.' He said while health officials, 'will not interfere in the day-to-day functioning of any private hospital, they cannot play with the lives of patients. We will not tolerate criminal negligence.' Earlier, the three-member doctors' panel, in its preliminary report, found Max Shalimar Bagh guilty for not having followed prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants. It reported: 'No ECG tracings were done to check whether the child was alive. The body was handed over without written instructions. Dead and alive infants were not kept separately.' Meanwhile, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted that 'criminal negligence by any hospital will not be tolerated'. The family of the dead twins has thanked Delhi government. 'We are thankful to the Delhi chief minister and health minister for taking the strongest action against Max healthcare,' said Deepak Bidawat, an uncle of the deceased twins. Max Hospital, Shalmar Bagh They asked the government to arrest the doctors responsible for the botch-up. The Delhi health minister said that it was not the first time that Max Hospital had been under the scanner. 'Max is a habitual offender. Three notices had been issued to the hospital over lapses involving the EWS (extremely weaker section) quota patients and additional beds. 'It has been found guilty in those cases, too. The action taken on it is a continuation of previous notices,' Jain said. This week's action initiated against Max, Shalimar Bagh, leading to the cancellation of its licence, was on the basis of three cases of oversight involving the twins' case, EWS services and fever beds. The Delhi government has now ordered Max Healthcare to not register any new patients. Jain said: 'Max Hospital (Shalimar) continues to treat admitted patients, but it cannot take new case now. I have directed the hospital to tell admitted patients they can shift, or they can continue their treatment at the hospital.' The government has directed the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) and the Medical Council of India to take action against the accused doctors. DMC registrar Dr Girish Tyagi said: 'It is the first time a bold step like cancelling the licence of any big corporate hospital has been taken. Had it been a small nursing home or a private clinic, things would not have been same. Max Shalimar's licence cancellation will be a deterrent for other private hospitals.' Max Hospital authorities issued a statement after the licence cancellation order was issued: 'We have received notice of cancellation of the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. 'We strongly believe that this ruling is harsh and that we have not been given an adequate opportunity to be heard.' Top hospitals, including one at the centre of a storm after incorrectly declaring a baby was dead, are under scrutiny following hundreds of of complaints. Delhi Medical Council (DMC), which keeps a close watch on the functioning of the hospitals in the city, receives at least 30 serious grievances every month. These numbers paint a grim picture, more so against the backdrop of a serious, recent incident of alleged medical negligence at Max Healthcare (Shalimar Bagh) and Fortis Hospital (Gurugram). New Delhi: People protest outside Max Hospital where a newborn baby was wrongly declared dead Dr Arun Gupta 'We receive 25-30 complaints per month and at least 200-300 complaints per year,' Dr Arun Gupta, president, DMC said. The complaints that the council receives are related to medical negligence, inflated bills, quacks practicing medicine or running their clinics. Dr Gupta added that the DMC receives the highest number of complaints of all state medical councils combined. 'We have around 60,000 doctors registered with the council. All doctors practicing modern medical science, that is allopathy, have to be registered with the DMC. Both private and government doctors have to renew their registration every five years,' he said. Suresh, who was diagnosed with a heart complication, did not receive treatment he required According to a council official, top hospitals which are allegedly under scrutiny include Max Healthcare, along with the BLK, Apollo, Sir Ganga Ram, Metro, Rockland, St Stephen, Balaji, Jaipur Golden, Hedgewar, Lady Hardinge, Maharja Agrasen, and Madan Mohan Malviya hospitals. 'We receive direct complaints from the patient and their family members. The police and Directorate General of Health Services also inform us,' said Dr Gupta. Talking about the process of investigating the complaints, he explained: 'Once we receive a complaint, it is sent to the doctor concerned, and the hospital. 'Based on their response and supporting documents, the case is examined by the executive committee of the DMC. If there is prima facie evidence, then we refer it to our disciplinary committee, which is a larger body that also includes three non-doctors. 'Then both parties are questioned, and later the report is placed before the whole council which finally approves the decision.' Complaints received by the DMC relate to accusations of medical negligence and inflated bills The council has recently brought all state medical councils of the country under one roof, and discussed various issues to make laws more practical. 'Complaints against these top hospitals are under the consideration of DMC. Our executive committee examines each and every case very seriously,' said Dr Girish Tyagi, registrar at the council. The recent death of twins at Max Healthcare in Shalimar Bagh and a baby girl at Fortis Hospital in Gurugram, as well as other issues of medical negligence and inflated bills, have exacerbated the situation and attracted public ire towards the healthcare industry in the capital. The Delhi government has cancelled Max Hospital's licence In the case of Max Healthcare, this week the Delhi government took the strongest course of action and cancelled the hospital's licence. Delhi's health minister Satyendar Jain told Mail Today: 'Delhi government has cancelled the licence of Max Healthcare in Shalimar Bagh over [alleged] medical negligence in the twins' case. 'The incident is a case of criminal medical negligence and is not acceptable at all.' Jain added: 'If, in the future, cases of medical laxity come up at any private hospitals, none of the hospitals would be spared. Stringent action will be taken against them.' Pakistan on Saturday beefed up security for foreigners, following a series of anti-US and Israel demonstrations that have erupted throughout the country, following the United States' announcement to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Thousands of protesters rallied in the heart of Islamabad on Friday to condemn the US decision. The protesters remained peaceful through the rally. However, law enforcement agencies tightened security outside the Diplomatic Enclave, which is home to the US embassy and other foreign missions. Palestinian protesters step on US and Israeli flags and on a portrait of US President Donald Trump following his decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City, on December 7 Similar demonstrations were observed across cities and towns of Pakistan. Alarmed by the fresh wave of anti-US sentiment, the Department of State on Thursday issued a new advisory, warning American citizens against all non-essential travel to Pakistan. A US diplomat stationed in Islamabad said the advisory was issued in view of countrywide demonstrations after President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his plans to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, Israeli security forces intervene with demonstrators during a protest against President Donald Trump 'Security has been beefed up across country,' said an Interior Ministry offical. However, he did not provide more details. This year, on May 22 the US Department of State issued a travel warning to its citizens. As part of the guidelines, the US Embassy in Islamabad also advised American citizens to maintain high levels of vigilance and take appropriate measures for personal safety against possible attacks. It has now warned its citizens against visiting places where there are large gatherings, protests and demonstrations as 'even peaceful might turn confrontational and escalate into violence'. Palestinian protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes at a protest against Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Along with the US, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan has advised its citizens residing in the country to remain vigilant and take precautions to ensure their safety. The embassy said it has been informed that terrorists were planning 'a series of attacks soon' against the Chinese, according to a statement released on Friday. 'The embassy alerts all Chinese organisations and citizens in Pakistan to stay vigilant, safeguard personal security, reduce time spent outside and avoid going to crowded places as much as possible,' the statement said. The Chinese should cooperate with Pakistani police and military and contact the Chinese embassy if necessary, it added. Demonstrators hold Palestinian flags during a protest against Trump, in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 9 Nablus, West Bank: A man carries a burning tyre as Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli security forces during a demonstration Pakistan has already deployed 15,000 military personnel as part of the Special Security Division (SSD) and Maritime Security Force (MSF) to protect projects under the umbrella of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Both forces will work under the Interior Ministry in coordination with the provinces to ensure the safety of locals and foreigners working on CPEC projects. According to an estimate, as many as 20,000 Chinese are in Pakistan, where China and its companies are involved in 300 projects. More than 9,000 of them are working under CPEC, which has been declared the flagship project of Beijing's 'Road and Belt Initiative'. Despite the fresh advisory from the embassy of China in Pakistan, Chinese nationals residing in Pakistan consider it their additional home. 'Pakistan is our second home. We feel safe here, as always,' said a Chinese national who has lived in Islamabad for the past three years. Palestinians inspect a destroyed Hamas military camp in Beit Lahiya town, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 9. The camp was a target of airstrikes a day earlier Pakistan's foreign office was yet to respond to fresh advisories given by the USA and China. But defence and security experts believe Pakistan is on high alert in terms of security because of the ongoing demonstrations against the US President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Sohail Bhati, an Islamabad-based defence and security expert, believes enemies of Pakistan are conspiring against CPEC. 'The threat is always there. People who are opposed to Pakistan are opposed to Pakistan-China cooperation, and the China-Pakistan Corridor,' he claimed. A shocking video of a retired army officer shooting a pitbull twice from a double-barrelled shotgun has enraged animals lovers. The incident took place on Wednesday at 4pm when the man, identified as Tony Kanpuria, killed the dog, allegedly because it had bitten his pet buffalo. In the video footage, it shows a Sikh man with a 12-bore double-barrelled shotgun. He points the shotgun towards the dog, which is chained to a cart, and shoots two rounds. The video, which has gone viral, shows a man shooting the pitbull, sparking complaints After the video went viral on social media, the accused made another confessional video to explain the killing. The second video says the pitbull was killed a day after it bit the buffalo. Both the dog and buffalo were owned by the accused. Abhinav Srihan, managing trustee of the Fauna Police an organisation which provides first aid to animals wrote to the Animal Welfare Board of India, Maneka Gandhi, and to the Director General of Punjab Police after watching the video. He said: 'No visible marks of a dog bite could be seen on the buffalo. Even if the dog had bitten the animal, killing it is not a solution.' 'If this family has adopted a breed like a pitbull, then it must be literate enough to handle the aggressive breed,' Srihan added. When the Animal Welfare Board intervened, a case under the section 429 IPC and 11(1) of the Prevention of cruelty to animals act was registered at Dhanaula police station. A First Information Report has been lodged against the old man, who has allegedly since absconded. Hotels group Millennium & Copthorne soared after the Singaporean billionaire vying to take it over upped his offer. Kwek Leng Beng, the 77-year-old chairman of M&C who already owns 65.2 per cent of the company through investment vehicle City Developments Limited, has offered 2billion to take outright control. The offer, at 620p per share, is a 38.8 per cent premium to the closing price of 446.7p before an initial proposal was made in August. Millennium & Copthorne which owns seven sites in the capital, including the Chelsea Harbour Hotel and the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair rose 6.1 per cent, or 35.5p, to 613.5p following the news. Millennium & Copthorne - which owns seven sites in the capital, including the Chelsea Harbour Hotel and the Millennium hotel in Mayfair rose 6.1 per cent, or 35.5p, to 613.5 CDL claimed the offer was final and that it had been recommended by M&C's independent directors. It announced the bid just 75 minutes before it had to make a firm offer or walk away after its earlier proposal of 552.5p per share faced criticism from the hotel chain's investors who argued that it undervalued the business and did not reflect the value of its assets. Grant Kelley, chief executive of CDL, said that taking M&C private would ensure it is 'best placed' to compete in the competitive marketplace. It caps off a week of heavy takeover activity, which has seen Cineworld agree a deal with US rival Regal, gambling company GVC launch a swoop on Ladbrokes Coral, and Hammerson announce a tie-up with Intu. STOCK WATCH - UNITE Student accommodation provider Unite was lifted higher after it exchanged contracts for a development in Oxford. The agreement with Oxford Brookes University will provide 885 beds and is expected to be completed by the academic year in 2019. It will extend Unite's partnership with the university to more than 1,350 beds and, as part of the deal, Oxford Brookes will refer new students to the facility. Shares rose 2.9 per cent, or 21.5p, to 756.5p. The FTSE 100 finished up 1pc, or 73.21 points, at 7393.96. The banking sector was boosted by clarity on Brexit, with Lloyds up 3.6 per cent, or 2.29p, to 66.8p, Barclays up 2.5 per cent, or 4.75p, to 196.4p and Royal Bank of Scotland up 2.1 per cent, or 5.9p, to 281p. Also up was Dunelm, which was lifted after Deutsche Bank gave it a Christmas boost. The German bank said it expects the homeware retailer to post a positive update next month as it benefits from the integration of online rival Woldstores, which it snapped up for 8.5million last year. It upped its share price target for Dunelm to 685p from 640p but maintained its 'hold' rating following a challenging 12 months of trading. The stock grew by 4.8 per cent, or 33p, to 721p. Among Deutsche's top Christmas crackers was Boohoo, which soared after it said that recent share price weakness made it attractive again. It gave the firm a 'buy' rating, noting that it is trading at a discount to rivals Asos and German group Zalando. It added that it expects Boohoo's trendy sister-brand Pretty Little Thing to benefit from its recent collaboration with socialite Kourtney Kardashian while Nasty Gal is expected to contribute 10million to group sales. The comments sent shares up 4.2 per cent, or 7p, to 174.25p. As well as Boohoo, the German bank's other top picks included Primark owner Associated British Foods (up 1 per cent, or 31p, to 2883p) and discount retailer B&M (up 0.9 per cent, or 3.5p, to 395.4p). Boohoo won the online fashion stakes, beating out rival Asos, which Deutsche maintained at 'hold'. But Asos's share price slipped after Morgan Stanley downgraded it in a separate note to 'underweight' from 'equal weight' claiming its recent investment into the business might not have as much impact as hoped. The bank said while Asos's shares have performed well, growth was partly driven by price cuts for international shoppers as a result of the weak pound, a reduction in delivery times, and adding free returns to key markets. Shares fell 0.03 per cent, or 2p, to 6024p. With sexual harassment scandals toppling men in every industry, feminists are stressing the importance of believing female accusers no matter what. But MSNBC's Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski questioned that tenant on Friday, after the #MeToo movement took down one of her own party - Sen. Al Franken. Speaking a day after Franken resigned with a speech on the Senate floor, after many within his own party urged him to quit, Brzezinski expressed her fear that the Democrats had gotten ahead of themselves in forcing Franken out. 'I'm very torn apart by it,' she said, 'but I feel that to just be on one side of all these stories sometimes is very dangerous.' Brzezinski said she was skeptical of the motivations of the first accuser who spoke out to accuse Franken of sexual harassment. Scroll down for video Mika Brzezinski (left) questioned whether all women who claim to be victims of sexual harassment and assault need to be believed The MSNBC Morning Joe co-host questioned the core tenant of the "Me Too" movement on her show Friday morning, a day after Sen. Al Franken resigned over such allegations Last month, former Playboy model Leeann Tweeden wrote a blog post, claiming Franken forcibly kissed when the two were on a 2006 USO tour. Tweeden also said he mocked groping her breasts while she was asleep on a flight during that tour, and provided a photo showing the despicable moment. I'm concerned that we are being the judge, the jury and the cops here. Mika Brzezinski Brzezinski said the fact that Tweeden voted for Trump and went on Sean Hannity's right-leaning show made her question her reasons for coming forward. 'I see some politics there, but I haven't brought that up every step of the way because, of course, in this "Me Too" environment you must always just believe the women. And I think that there's a lot of reasons why we need to look at the women seriously and believe them. 'In many cases, like, for example I spoke to accusers in Mark Halperin, to which he admits a lot of what he's accused of doing, I spoke to them, I believe them. I'm just wondering if all women need to be believed. And I'm concerned that we are being the judge, the jury and the cops here,' she said. Fraken, a Democratic senator from Minnesota, took to the Senate floor on Thursday and said he would be resigning in the coming weeks over sexual harassment allegations from seven women The first women to speak out was Leeann Tweeden who said that Franken forcibly kissed her and mocked groping her during a USO tour in 2006 (a picture of the groping incident above) Brzezinski said she thinks politics may have played a role in Tweeden's decision to come forward since she voted for Trump and appeared on Sean Hannity. The former Playboy model is pictured on the left in 2005 and on the right after coming forward In the case of Franken, Brzezinski said she thinks Senate Democrats got ahead of themselves in forcing Franken to resign before he even underwent an ethics investigation. I feel like we are, we've just got a machine gun out and we're just, you know, going around the room with every man that perhaps we don't like politically. 'I feel like we are, we've just got a machine gun out and we're just, you know, going around the room with every man that perhaps we don't like politically,' she said. Brzezinski admitted that the photo of Franken pretending to grope Tweeden's breasts was perhaps too inflammatory to keep him around, especially since it's been used by Republicans as a counter for criticisms of candidate Roy Moore or even President Trump's alleged sexual misconduct. But she thinks that the Senate Democrats should have cut ties with Franken in a more diplomatic way, highlighting the work he's done to advance women's issues during his years in office serving Minnesota. 'I would appreciate if senators, Democratic senators, would say the photo is too dangerous. We recognize the work that he's done for women - I have a list of legislation that he sponsored for victims of domestic violence and rape survivors - we appreciate his work, at this time right now that picture is too politically damaging and we prefer if he stepped aside. That would have been a more honest way of asking him to step down in my opinion,' she said. Brzezinski's co-host and fiance Joe Scarborough came to her defense when Brzezinski detailed how she was criticized after touching on similar feelings on the previous newscast. He said that Brzezinski's comments have nothing to do with 'tribalism' since she was very outspoken against President Clinton when the Monica Lewinsky story broke. Reaction to Brzezinski's comments on Twitter were mixed, with people on both sides of the aisle agreeing and disagreeing with her. 'She's not wrong. It's gotten to the point that if there are more than 2 accusations, it's automatically true. Each one needs to be vetted,' Twitter user @miss_vickie76 said. Former Trump campaigner AJ Delgado was one of the many to weigh in on Brzezinski's comments on Twitter 'I don't see how the fact that LeeAnn was a "Playboy model" is relevant, Mika. Sadly this is a stark reminder that often it's WOMEN who are the harshest on other women," AJ Delgado, a former Trump campaigner and Mediaite columnist, wrote. Others said they agreed with Brzezinski's message but think she only cares about the rush to judgement when it targets a member of her own party. 'What Mika is trying to say... Believe allegations against Republicans, not Democrat allegations,' @Haulroadrunner wrote. Brzezinski isn't the only one to come to Franken's defense. In fact, many conservatives have spoken out to say that what happened to Fraken was rushed and wrong. Former House Speaker New Gingrich went so far as to say Fraken was the victim of a 'lynch mob'. On her show The Ingraham Angle, conservative pundit Luara Ingraham said that Franken should have been given 'due process'. When questioned at the Capitol after Franken's resignation, Sen Bill Cassiby (R-Louisiana) said he found the way it all played out 'sad'. He said he was 'a little nervous when people are brought down by - in some cases - anonymous' accusers. Authorities say three men onboard a small plane that crashed into a lake in central Florida are presumed dead. The Federal Aviation Administration said the twin-engine Beechcraft was landing at Orlando Sanford International Airport when it crashed about 11.30am Friday into Lake Harney, which is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Orlando. Reporters on the scene saw authorities bringing pieces of wreckage onto shore. The Federal Aviation Administration said the twin-engine Beechcraft was landing at Orlando Sanford International Airport when it crashed about 11.30am Friday into Lake Harney, which is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Orlando The Seminole County Sheriff's Office identified the pilot as 56-year-old Kamalesh Naik of Sanford, Florida, and the passengers as two Chinese nationals, 22-year-old Men Tao and 23-year-old Hou Xupeng. The Seminole County Sheriff's Office identified the pilot as 56-year-old Kamalesh Naik of Sanford, Florida, and the passengers as two Chinese nationals, 22-year-old Men Tao and 23-year-old Hou Xupeng (pictured) Their bodies have not been recovered. The plane belonged to a commercial flight school at the airport. Investigators have been able to find what looks to be a plane seat. Naik's LinkedIn account lists his occupations as flight instructor and airline pilot. The search for men's bodies will resume today. Recovery efforts could take up to seven days but at minimum would take five. The owners of the plane, Commercial Training Solutions, released a statement that said: 'Commercial Training Solutions can confirm that a King Air aircraft that crashed in Lake Harney, Florida this morning involved one of our employees and two trainees. 'We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the victims of this tragedy. 'We are awaiting updates from local authorities on developments around this incident, and will cooperate fully with the FAA and the NTSB in the ongoing investigation. No further information is available at this time.' Monster bull sharks have made their way to the popular Queensland waterways causing quite a stir just in time for summer. Huge sharks of up to three-and-a-half metres have been spotted in the Gold Coast waters by local anglers, according to Mad Fins Fishing manager Brendan Elmslie. The 'beasts' have been spotted everywhere from the local rivers, lakes and canals and are bringing their young with them. Monster bull sharks (pictured) have made their way to the popular Queensland waterways Huge sharks of up to three metres have been spotted on the Gold Coast by local anglers Mr Elmslie, an angler, told Daily Mail Australia there were always large numbers of sharks in the waters at this time of year. 'Thats just because of the time of year they come to breed and feed in the warm water,' he said. Incredible photos show the huge sharks being caught by keen anglers who catch, tag and release the bull sharks after sharing the images on social media. Anglers from Mad Fins Fishing snapped a number of impressive photos captured during the 'fun sport', sharing just how large the 'beasts' are. Many of the anglers are helping tag the sharks for research, which has shown bull sharks migrating as south as Sydney or as north as Townsville. One 27-year-old fisherman Callum Ryan told Gold Coast Bulletin he chases the bull sharks for sport and the power 'is unreal'. 'It's unreal when you get a 2.6 metre shark next to a four metre tinnie. It's intimidating,' Mr Ryan said. 'When my missus comes out with me, she gets pretty worried.' A federal appeals court narrowly overturned a ruling that could have freed the inmate featured in the Netflix series 'Making a Murderer' from prison. The full Seventh US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago reviewed Brendan Dassey's claims that investigators tricked him into confessing that he took part in raping and killing photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005. Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after telling detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO The full Seventh US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago reviewed Brendan Dassey's claims that investigators tricked him into confessing that he took part in raping and killing photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005. Dassey is pictured in 2007 when he was sentenced to life in prison Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after telling detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach The opinion, which came to four in favor and three dissenting, said the ruling wasn't obvious or easy but that it came down to whether findings by Wisconsin state courts that Dassey wasn't coerced into confessing were reasonable. Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner (pictured) wrote that the opinion was a 'profound miscarriage of justice' in her dissent 'The state courts' finding that Dassey's confession was voluntary was not beyond fair debate, but we conclude it was reasonable,' their 39-page ruling said. But Judge Ilana Diamond Rovner strongly disagreed. 'His confession was not voluntary and his conviction should not stand, and yet an impaired teenager has been sentenced to life in prison,' she wrote in her dissent. 'I view this as a profound miscarriage of justice.' In her dissent, Chief Judge Diane P Wood added: 'Without this involuntary and highly unreliable confession, the case against Dassey was almost nonexistent.' A federal magistrate judge overturned Dassey's conviction last year, ruling that detectives took advantage of Dassey's youth and learning disabilities to coerce his confession. He was only 16 at the time. A three-judge panel from the Seventh Circuit upheld the magistrate's ruling in June - but the state asked for a review, leading to Friday's decision. The opinion, which came to four in favor and three dissenting, said the ruling wasn't obvious or easy but that it came down to whether findings by Wisconsin state courts that Dassey wasn't coerced into confessing were reasonable (Dassey is pictured in 2007) A federal magistrate judge overturned Dassey's conviction last year, ruling that detectives took advantage of Dassey's youth and learning disabilities to coerce his confession. He was only 16 at the time. He is pictured in 2007 It wasn't immediately clear if Dassey's attorneys would appeal to the US Supreme Court. The case gained national attention in 2015 after Netflix aired its multi-part documentary, Making a Murderer, which suggested that Avery Dassey were innocent but had been railroaded by local officials State attorneys asked the full Seventh Circuit to review the case, arguing the ruling called long-accepted police interrogation tactics into question. The appellate court rarely grants such reviews but opted to take Dassey's case in August without comment on the merits. Dassey has remained in prison while the state appeals. Both Avery and Dassey contend police framed them because they wanted revenge against Avery for filing a lawsuit against Manitowoc County over wrongful imprisonment for a sexual assault he didn't commit. The case gained national attention in 2015 after Netflix aired its multi-part documentary, Making a Murderer, which suggested that Avery Dassey were innocent but had been railroaded by local officials. Authorities who worked on the cases said the series was biased. The filmmakers defended their work and supported calls to set both Avery and Dassey free. The heartwarming moment a three-year-old girl lights up with astonishment as she hears for the first time following cochlear implant surgery has been caught on video. Little Harper Rollinson's face said it all when she was finally able to hear her parents Luke and Katie when the implants were activated on Monday morning at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney. The Rollinsons started their newborn baby daughter on chemotherapy when she was just 12 days old after she was diagnosed with aggressive eye cancer, according to the Illawara Mercury. Scroll down for video Little Harper Rollinson's face said it all when she was finally able to hear her parents Luke and Katie when the implants were activated The Rollinsons started their newborn baby daughter on chemotherapy when she was just 12 days old after she was diagnosed with aggressive eye cancer The chemotherapy saved the tiny girl's life, but one of the side effects was severe hearing loss. The family from Illawara in New South Wales were forced to choose between using hearing aids or five-hour-long cochlear implant surgery for their daughter or cochlear implant surgery. 'When you have a cochlear implant you can't reverse it, so it's a big decision to make for a three-year-old girl,' Mr Rollinson said. Harper is a student at The Shepherd Centre in Wollongong, a children's charity helping deaf and hearing-impaired children learn to listed and speak. Testing in utero found Harper carried the RB1 gene and she later developed retinoblastoma. Their four-year-old son Eli had a small tumour on his retina which was treated with lasers and cryotherapy Mr Rollinson said he was very proud of how his young daughter has handled her health issues Her father also carries the gene and had his right eye removed because of a tumour when he was just 18 months old. Their four-year-old son Eli had a small tumour on his retina which was treated with lasers and cryotherapy. Mr Rollinson said he was very proud of how his young daughter has handled the setbacks in her short life. 'It's absolutely inspirational to see how resilient she has been and it amazes me she's such a strong individual with a heart of gold.' Prime Minister Theresa May has overcome her biggest Brexit obstacle so far by winning a deal with Brussels on future trade negotiations - but now she must face the Brexiteers. She has arranged a Cabinet meeting for December 19 so her ministers can discuss what Britain's final relationship with the EU will look like. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove are among the leading Brexiteers she is now expected to confront. The PM and Jean-Claude Juncker were smiling as they shook hands for the cameras on the day the deal was agreed Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (pictured left) and Environment Secretary Michael Gove (right) are among the leading Brexiteers she is now expected to confront According to The Times, the prime minister has been 'buoyed' by her victory in securing a preliminary deal and is now keen to challenge Boris 'with the realities of the next stage of negotiations'. The key concessions Britain must pay a 'divorce bill' of up to 39 billion under the terms of the withdrawal package The European Court of Justice will oversee EU citizens' rights in the UK for eight years after Brexit Three million EU citizens will be permitted to remain in the UK - and bring their families There will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland The UK will stay in the single market and customs union until 2021 Advertisement It comes as Mr Gove explained yesterday that the public will have their say on the EU deal at the next general election - and stressed that Mrs May's deal might be changed by future governments. The Times also reports that the exact form of Britain's post-Brexit relationship with the EU will not be determined in the showdown Cabinet meeting, and that ministers will be permitted to put forward their own plans. Mrs May, however, is said to believe that the reality of needing to gain access to EU markets will force hardline Brexiteers to soften their stance on regulatory compliance. The environment secretary, one of the leaders of the Leave campaign, explained in The Telegraph that the UK will have 'full freedom to diverge' from the EU on the single market and customs union following the two-year post-Brexit transition. He also stressed that 'the British people will be in control' and, if they did not approve of a final Brexit deal, a future government will be allowed to 'diverge'. Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit Secretary David Davis smiled alongside EU officials after securing a last-minute Brexit deal Mrs May was pictured greeting EU President Jean-Claude Juncker after she arrived in Brussels just before 6am. Talks started almost immediately after Brexit Secretary David Davis embraced EU President Juncker early on Friday just hours before the deal was struck But Mr Gove - who alongside Boris has espoused a Brexit featuring freedom from EU regulation - also praised Mrs May's 'tenacity and skill' in the negotiation. Mrs May shook hands with the president of the European Council Donald Tusk before the meeting in Brussels yesterday A senior official told The Telegraph that the 'real battle begins now' and that the 'heart and soul of Brexit is now at stake'. Mr Gove added in his article that Britain will be free to spend more cash on the NHS and housing once the country has left the EU, as well as being at liberty to make trade deals abroad. Mrs May celebrated yesterday after the European Commission cleared the way for negotiations on the future relationship after the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Britain will pay a 'divorce bill' of up to 39 billion under the terms of a withdrawal package agreed with Brussels. The breakthrough was hailed by Mrs May as 'a hard-won agreement in all our interests'. Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said it represented 'sufficient progress' for negotiations to move on to their second phase, subject to approval by leaders of the remaining 27 EU states at a summit on December 14-15. In dramatic pre-dawn scenes, Mrs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis flew to Brussels to confirm with Mr Juncker over breakfast the text of a joint document setting out proposals on the key withdrawal issues of citizens' rights, the Irish border and Britain's exit bill. But the scene was set for further wrangling, as European Council president Donald Tusk set out guidelines for the next phase of talks, covering the transition to a post-Brexit relationship, which envisage the UK staying in the single market and customs union and observing all EU laws for around two years after the official withdrawal date in March 2019. He said only 'exploratory talks' on a free trade agreement could begin at this stage, with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier suggesting that 'real negotiations' on trade would get under way once a withdrawal treaty is finalised in October. Mr Barnier also threw cold water on Mrs May's hopes for a 'deep and special' trading relationship with the EU. He warned that her 'red lines' of taking the UK out of the single market, the customs union and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice left a free trade deal similar to Canada's as the only option open to Britain. There was consternation among some Brexit-backers over provisions allowing the European Court of Justice a role in overseeing EU citizens' rights in the UK for eight years after Brexit. However, Downing Street said they only expected around two or three cases a year to be referred voluntarily by UK judges to the Luxembourg court. And a compromise on the Irish border - forged in intensive talks late on Thursday night after the Democratic Unionist Party blocked an earlier deal on Monday - states that if no trade deal is reached, the UK as a whole will maintain 'full alignment' with elements of the EU single market and customs union which support the economy of the island of Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson insisted the PM was determined to ensure the measure's 'compatibility with taking back control of our money, laws and borders' Tory chief whip Julian Smith tweeted a photgraph of Mrs May apparently briefing Mr Johnson on the developments last night Tory former Brexit minister David Jones warned this could 'severely handicap' Britain's ability to enter free trade agreements covering areas like agriculture with countries outside the EU, like the US. But Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson insisted the PM was determined to ensure the measure's 'compatibility with taking back control of our money, laws and borders'. Mr Johnson and fellow Cabinet Brexiteer Michael Gove gave their public blessing to the deal, with the Environment Secretary describing it as a 'significant personal political achievement for the Prime Minister' which would make more money available for the NHS. The development was also welcomed by business leaders, who had warned that companies would begin activating plans to move staff and activities abroad if no progress was made by Christmas. The pound rose on the announcement. In a Brussels press conference, Mrs May said the process of arriving at a withdrawal deal 'hasn't been easy for either side', but the agreement represented a 'significant improvement' on the text she was preparing to sign off on Monday. Provisions on citizens' rights would allow EU nationals in the UK 'to go on living their lives as before'. Mr Johnson, another senior Brexiteer who has been trying to toughen the government's stance, tweeted his support but made clear the process has only just started Meanwhile, the financial settlement would be 'fair to the British taxpayer' and the agreement on Ireland would guarantee there would be 'no hard border' between Northern Ireland and the Republic. 'I very much welcome the prospect of moving ahead to the next phase, to talk about trade and security and to discuss the positive and ambitious future relationship that is in all of our interests,' said Mrs May. Mr Juncker said Brexit was a 'sad' development, but added: 'Now we must start looking to the future, a future in which the UK will remain a close friend and ally.' Friday's announcement came after late-night telephone conversations with DUP leader Arlene Foster, as the Prime Minister sought a formula which would resolve the party's concerns about Northern Ireland being treated differently from the rest of the UK. As Number 10's staff Christmas party took place elsewhere in the building, Mrs May finalised a text shortly before midnight. It specified that 'no new regulatory barriers' will be allowed between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and that the province's businesses will continue to have 'unfettered access' to the UK internal market. Mrs Foster said 'substantial changes' to the text ensured there was 'no red line down the Irish Sea' and no 'special status' for Northern Ireland, but added that there was still further work to be done. Irish premier Leo Varadkar, who held telephone talks with Mrs May on Thursday as the details of the deal were hammered out, said it was a 'significant day' for Ireland, which 'achieved all that we set out to achieve in phase one of these negotiations'. The estimated Brexit bill - significantly lower than the 50 billion or more suggested by previous leaks - covers Britain's share of the EU's budget up to the end of 2020, as well as outstanding debts and liabilities for items such as the pensions of staff at European institutions. It will be paid over several years and the exact figure is unlikely to be known for some time. The financial settlement 'will be drawn up and paid in euro'. Jeremy Corbyn said Mrs May had only managed to 'scrape through' the first phase of Brexit negotiations some 18 months after the referendum. 'Tory chaos and posturing has caused damaging delay and risked serious harm to our economy,' said the Labour leader. 'We need a much stronger and more constructive approach in crucial phase two.' What has been agreed today? Citizens' rights The three million EU citizens in the UK and the one million UK citizens living in the EU can stay for their lifetime. British courts will be able to refer issues about the rights of EU nationals to the European Court of Justice and have 'due regard' for the court's judgement in its decisions for eight years. This means EU judges will still have some power over the UK after Brexit, but No10 believes this will only relate to 'two or three' cases a year. EU citizens in Britain and Northern Ireland will continue to have access to free healthcare and the benefits system after the UK cuts its ties with Brussels. EU citizens with family outside the UK will also be able to bring them to the UK after Brexit. No 10 said there are no estimates for how many Europeans are expected to move to Britain under this bit of the deal. Irish border This was the main thorny issue which threatened to derail the talks after the DUP pulled the plug on initial plans for a deal amid fears it would break up the UK. But six 'substantial changes' have been made to the deal which ensure Northern Ireland will keep the same rules as the rest of the UK and the border will not be pushed out to the Irish Sea. It also rules out calls by Sinn Fein to give Northern Ireland 'special status' which would have seen it have different rules to the rest of the UK. And it spelled out in black and white that Northern Ireland will not be separated 'constitutionally, politically, economically or regulatory' from the rest of the UK. And that the UK is committed to retaining its own internal market. The document also pledges to keep soft Irish border and to maintain the good Friday Agreement - ensuring Dublin's support for it. But in a major concession which could spark opposition from Brexiteers, the UK said if it leaves the EU without a deal and does not come up with a plan to keep the border open then it 'will maintain full alignment' with the EU as a full back position. Brexit bill Britain has agreed to pay the EU between 35billion and 39billion as part of the divorce package. Britain will pay the amount over many years to come - meaning Theresa May will not have to hand over a single fat cheque to foot the bill. The document says: 'The UK will contribute its share of the financing of the budgetary commitments outstanding at 31 December 2020'. Britain will get around 12 installments of 300m euros back from the European Investment Bank from 2020. Despite Philip Hammond insisting this week that the UK should pay whether or not there is a trade deal, the document makes clear the cash is contingent on a final agreement being reached. Advertisement And Ukip's former leader Nigel Farage said the 17.4 million people who backed Leave last year 'did not vote for a large exit fee, the ECJ continuing to have a say over our country or a two-year transition', adding: 'This is not a deal, it's a capitulation.' Arron Banks, the millionaire founder of the Leave.EU campaign, said the agreement amounted to a 'betrayal' of the country by a 'traitorous, lily-livered embarrassment of a prime minister'. Mr Tusk warned that 'the most difficult challenge is still ahead'. 'We all know that breaking up is hard, but breaking up and building a new relation is much harder,' said the European Council president. 'Since the Brexit referendum, a year and a half has passed. 'So much time has been devoted to the easier part of the task, and now to negotiate the transition agreement and the framework for our future relationship we have de facto less than a year.' A stem cell transplant is the next step for the young boy to cure his cancer Doctors have told the family, from Adelaide, they will have to move to Sydney The little boy was diagnosed four months ago and has received chemotherapy Jaxon Kaplatzis was a just happy three-year-old boy four months ago, before he was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer. Jaxon and his family, from Adelaide, first noticed a lump in his groin area in August, which appeared to develop overnight. A biopsy later revealed the lump was an enlarged lymph node, containing lymphoblasts which are consistent with leukaemia and lymphoma. Scroll down for video Four-year-old Jaxon Kaplatzis, from Adelaide, has Pre B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma Jaxon Kaplatzis (left, with his little brother Loukas) was a just happy three-year-old boy four months ago, before he was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer The Kaplatzis family (pictured is mum Victoria with Jaxon, right, and Loukas) were told their son has the only case of its kind in Australia Two weeks later and after several appointments with doctors and specialists, Jaxon, now four, underwent surgery to remove the lump. The Kaplatzis family were soon told their son had Pre B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma - the only case of its kind in Australia. Jaxon's mother, Victoria, told 7 News her son went from playing with his little brother to ending up in hospital. 'It's like a nightmare you just couldn't wake up from,' she said. 'It'll be a really hard road but he's a little fighter.' Jaxon has been receiving chemotherapy treatment to try and cure his cancer for several months The four-year-old now has an implantable port and chemotherapy line inserted in his little body. Jaxon has been receiving chemotherapy treatment to try and cure his cancer for several months. However, doctors have now informed the family the little boy may need a stem cell transplant, which will force them to move to Sydney for treatment. Jaxon (left), a devoted big brother to two-year-old Loukas, has been receiving chemotherapy treatment to try and cure his cancer for several months Jaxon's aunty Jessica Machtoub said the family will be in Sydney more than half a year. 'Jaxon with his mum and dad will have to relocate to Sydney and live between the hospital and Ronald McDonald House for at least five to seven months,' she said. A fundraising page has been set up for the family to help cover costs of treatment and travel. Theresa Mays Brexit triumph will, I am sure, be considered to be one of the most epic personal comebacks in the annals of British political history. Remember, its barely eight weeks since the Prime Ministers gleeful enemies were proverbially hammering nails into her political coffin. Mrs Mays most poisonous and unpatriotic critics likened the fate of her Government to the corpse-strewn finale of the Sixties horror movie Night Of The Living Dead. George Osborne, sacked by the Prime Minister as Chancellor last year and a deeply embittered man, said he would not rest until she was chopped up in bags in my freezer. Remember, its barely eight weeks since the Prime Ministers gleeful enemies were proverbially hammering nails into her political coffin Such odious comments apart, it must be admitted that over the past few weeks there have been many times when Mrs May did, indeed, look doomed. She has been struggling since her wretched failure to increase the Conservatives majority in the summers general election forced her to head a minority Government. Her nightmare speech to the Tory Party conference was a particular low point. Losing her voice mid-speech and forced into long periods of silence, it was excruciating to watch her because it symbolised perfectly a premiership which seemed to have lost its way. In the days that followed, even her closest admirers feared she might be finished. They held their breath as her enemies and critics in the media bayed for a resignation statement from a broken Prime Minister. Such an achievement is thanks to the steady nerve and steely resolution of the Prime Minister at a time of unimaginable difficulty She has been struggling since her wretched failure to increase the Conservatives majority in the summers general election forced her to head a minority Government However, the moment never came. Mrs May, it seems, is made of sterner stuff. Indeed, as we have learned in the 15 months she became Britains Prime Minister, Theresa Mary May, with her experience, intellect and determination, may prove to be the best qualified leader to steer this country through turbulent and divisive times. Slowly, despite many setbacks, she has rebuilt her position. As recently as last Monday, there was another huge hurdle she had to overcome. The Democratic Unionist Party, upon whose support her Government depends for its very survival, pulled the plug at the last moment on what she hoped would be a conclusive deal with Brussels. Once again, as Mrs May was forced to steel herself against the possibility of defeat, the vultures hovered. Her enemies said it was all over for the Prime Minister as a Brexit deal was impossible. How typically undignified of Mr Osborne, scenting blood, to speak of humiliation and the folly of her leadership. He even had the arrogance to speak of his own possible political comeback. Of course, the Prime Minister has conceded a great deal in the transitional arrangement she has made with Brussels. The European Court of Justice will continue to hold sway in Britain until 2027 In the small hours of yesterday morning, Mrs May proved all the Jeremiahs wrong. She struck the deal that her opponents said was out of the question. Of course, the Prime Minister has conceded a great deal in the transitional arrangement she has made with Brussels. The European Court of Justice will continue to hold sway in Britain until 2027. It seems the Irish government has been given a veto over the terms with which Britain leaves Europe though I suspect this is a manageable problem. Whats more, Britains estimated 39 billion divorce payment looks excessive. Nonetheless, a truly momentous deal has been struck. Now, at last, we can move confidently on to the next stage. Such an achievement is thanks to the steady nerve and steely resolution of the Prime Minister at a time of unimaginable difficulty. Mrs May has shown considerable cunning and dexterity above all by keeping Brexiteers Boris Johnson and Michael Gove onside. George Osborne, sacked by the Prime Minister as Chancellor last year and a deeply embittered man, said he would not rest until she was chopped up in bags in my freezer A resignation from either man would have caused a major political explosion. Thanks to Mrs Mays skilful handling, that pitfall has been avoided. And how deftly she has neutered Labour. After months of bluster and shambolically contradictory policy statements on Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn was reduced yesterday to muttering a few words about the need for mutual benefit, free trade and proactive internationalisation. What waffle! Leaving Corbyn trailing, Mrs May will now endeavour to keep Britain on this pragmatic and cautious path. This will be shaped in her own steady image. And yesterdays triumph offers her another bonus. This is her moment of maximum political strength. Not only is she able to spell out with more confidence and detail her vision of what Brexit means, but she has the opportunity to execute the imaginative Cabinet reshuffle that the Government desperately needs. For the first time in a year, Mrs May is in control of political events. However, she must seize the chance because the moment wont last. I dont want to overdo the optimism. Theresa May has made some major concessions to Brussels in order to advance to the next stage of the negotiating process. There is a danger, too, that Britain could end up subject to Brussels rules and regulations without having any say in how they are created. Since we remain subject to the European Court of Justice rulings for several years after Brexit, European laws will apply even though Britain no longer has a say in how they are made. But such questions are for another day. Lazarus-like, Theresa May is back from the dead. Still more importantly, her vision of a sensible, pragmatic Brexit is back on course. Trump's turning Israel into an apartheid state President Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital despite Palestinians claiming it to be theirs, too has smashed any hope of the two-state solution For the past 50 years, hopes of a peace deal in the Middle East have hung on the two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians. This has meant an internationally recognised Palestinian state operating alongside Israel, with one state for Arabs and another for Jews. But President Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital despite Palestinians claiming it to be theirs, too has smashed any hope of the two-state solution. This leaves a one-state solution, a larger Israel composed of both Palestinians and Jews stretching from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River. But this means Israel faces a stark choice. It can either allow all citizens, Jews and Palestinians alike, the vote. Yet because the Palestinians will become more populous over time, this would inevitably mean that Israel will cease to be a Jewish state. Or it can remain a Jewish state, but only at the cost of not allowing Palestinians to vote. In other words, it would be an apartheid state. In which case, Israel would soon be spurned by the outside world, as happened to South Africa after World War II. A revolutionary new drug made from body fat could transform the treatment of sepsis, the deadly condition that kills over 40,000 Britons a year. The experimental treatment uses a hormone called resistin, found in human fat cells. Tests at the University of California found mice with sepsis had a 100 per cent survival rate when given the hormone. Sepsis currently kills up to one in three victims many within a few hours of symptoms first appearing. A revolutionary new drug made from body fat could transform the treatment of sepsis, the deadly condition that kills over 40,000 Britons a year (file photo) But injecting resistin seems to stop the lethal condition in its tracks, scientists said. Top British experts welcomed the breakthrough. Professor William Harnett, a specialist in immunology at Strathclyde University, said: 'This is an exciting finding. 'It's a noteworthy development in the drive to find new treatments for sepsis.' Sepsis kills more people in the UK than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined. The UK Sepsis Trust estimates there are 150,000 cases a year and claims at least 12,000 lives a year could be saved if doctors, nurses and paramedics were better trained to spot the vital early signs. BAFTA award winning actor Jason Watkins, who starred in the BBC spoof W1A and ITV's The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, lost his two-year-old daughter Maude to the lethal condition in 2011. Many victims fall ill when germs get into the body through wounds in the skin, dental abscesses or infections in the ears, lungs or urinary tract. This can trigger a massive over-reaction by the immune system. William Mead from Cornwall, died aged 12 months in 2014 from sepsis. His death followed a catalogue of errors, misdiagnoses and missed opportunities by doctors and NHS helpline staff It floods the body with cytokines, chemicals that cause blood vessels to widen, leading to a dramatic reduction in blood pressure. Widespread inflammation also blocks oxygen supplies to the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys triggering organ failure. Doctors treat it with large doses of antibiotics to beat the bacteria and fluids to bolster blood pressure. But speed is vital to stop this potentially fatal chain reaction. In December 2014, 12-year-old William Mead died from sepsis after a string of NHS failings. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt apologised to William's parents after GPs, out-of-hours services and a 111 call handler failed to spot he had sepsis caused by an underlying chest infection and pneumonia Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt apologised to the boy's parents after GPs, out-of-hours services and a 111 call handler failed to spot he had sepsis caused by an underlying chest infection and pneumonia. Scientists already knew resistin was found in much higher levels in obese people because it is secreted by fat cells. Some earlier studies pointed to better survival rates among obese patients struck down by sepsis, although others found no such link. During laboratory tests, researchers noticed that resistin was able to block a molecule called TLR4. Normally, this molecule alerts the immune system to a foreign invader so it can launch cells to attack it. But in sepsis TLR4 becomes massively overstimulated and triggers a catastrophic over-reaction by the immune system. Resistin 'binds' to TLR4 and stops this happening. Scientists looked at mice with sepsis who had raised levels of resistin in their blood and found none died, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Meera Nair, who led the research at the University of California in Riverside, said: 'Resistin is protective in sepsis. 'And because our bodies make it naturally, there is no fear of it being rejected. 'If it can stop the excessive immune system reaction, it can stop sepsis.' Researchers have developed an experimental drug called Retn N-pep(Correct) which contains resistin and can be injected into sepsis patients to try and halt the life-threatening reaction. They are planning clinical trials next year to test the drug's effectiveness on humans. Professor Harnett said: 'This is an intriguing development because resistin was previously thought to actually contribute to sepsis. 'But researchers have used state-of-the-art experimental procedures to suggest a new approach.' Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, pictured, is opposed to expanding schools offering academic selection The Archbishop of Canterbury criticised grammar schools yesterday as he warned the children of privilege are continuing to inherit privilege. The Most Revd Justin Welby said academic selection that separates high achievers from their less well-performing counterparts is contrary to the notion of the common good. In an attack on proposals to expand selective schools in the Tory manifesto, which have since been abandoned, the archbishop insisted ministers must not waste our time rummaging in the past for the solutions of tomorrow. Leading a debate in the House of Lords on the role of education, he said the trend towards a more inclusive approach to those with disabilities or special educational needs was witness to the way that comprehensive education has improved. He labelled this a welcome step towards an education that seeks the fullest and most abundant possible life for each human being, regardless of their ability. The archbishop, who was educated at Eton and Cambridge, added: The academic selective approach to education, which prioritises separation as a necessary precondition for the nurture of excellence, makes a statement about the purpose of education that is contrary to the notion of the common good. An approach that neglects those of lesser ability or, because of a misguided notion of levelling out does not give the fullest opportunity to those of highest ability will ultimately fail. The archbishops comments were dismissed by Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, 53, who said: He is obviously entitled to his own views, but the evidence is that grammar schools are a great way for under-privileged children to escape poverty. It is well known that they provide social mobility for the under-privileged. Fellow Tory Conor Burns, MP for Bournemouth West, who represents an area with several grammar schools, said: Perhaps the archbishop is reflecting his age in his comments. I think hes speaking of a time when he was 11 when there was complete separation, which no longer really exists. Many grammar schools provide invaluable opportunities for children from both poor and rich backgrounds and give them opportunities they may not otherwise have. The Church of England affirmed its opposition to grammar schools earlier this year after Theresa Mays pledge to allow more to be set up. The Eton-educated Archbishop, pictured, claimed academic selection was against the common good during an address yesterday to the House of Lords The archbishop said Brexit would provide unforeseeable challenges and we need an education system that can bear the weight of the changes that are coming. But he added: We must be sure that while we may find some inspiration in our past we dont waste our time rummaging there for the solutions of tomorrow. The children of privilege are continuing to inherit privilege. This is true not only in our education institutions but also the whole country. It is also true globally. The archbishop also warned that a secular education without religious input leaves children vulnerable to peddlers of extremism. He said: For schools that are not of a religious character, confidence in any personal sense of ultimate values has diminished. Functionalism or utilitarianism offers neither a meaningful alternative to those who are threatened by peddlers of extremism nor a confident framework within which to educate those of different cultures and beliefs. But Stephen Evans, of the National Secular Society, said: Welby is absolutely wrong to attack community schools over their lack of transmission of values. Non-faith-based schools actively promote the same universal values as church schools. Stunned schoolkids as young as six and seven were left 'horrified' after their Xmas panto included a scene were a female character mimed shaving her 'intimate area.' Dozens of pupils were among an audience watching a performance of festive panto Rapunzel which had been advertised as 'family friendly' in Cambridge. But a teacher who took a party of local pupils to the panto has demanded a refund after slating the panto as 'vulgar.' According to the teacher, Rapunzel was not just letting down her hair, as the story tell, but doing something altogether more rude Tickets for the production range from 10 to 15.50. The woman, who did not wish to be named, told her local newspaper: 'It was totally inappropriate. 'Rapunzel on her wedding night has her bits and bobs shaved ready for her wedding. 'The school I work at took its Year 2's yesterday and they were horrified. 'We have been to the production every year so we automatically booked to take the kids again. 'We were also due to take a Year 6 group but after this the headteacher had to email all the parents to say we wouldn't be able to take them.' The show, performed at The Junction in Cambridge, was also slammed for its heroine wearing risque red lingerie, which the woman described as 'properly smutty'. The Junction theatre in Cambridge said the creative team modified a small part of the show to ensure it would be 'enjoyed by everyone' She added: 'With pantomimes you expect a few jokes which might go over the children's heads but it was not innuendo, it was absolutely in your face.' The headteacher has requested a refund for tickets for the show for Year 6 pupils who were supposed to be attending. Marketing manager for The Junction, Ed Hine, said: 'We are really pleased with the reception we have had to Rapunzel from audiences young and old. 'We always listen to our audiences and have welcomed feedback from a local school who attended earlier this week. 'Our creative team then slightly modified a small part of the show to ensure that it would be enjoyed by everyone, and it's looking great.' He added: 'This is the tenth Christmas show we have put on and it's great to see another exciting production made in our studio take to the stage.' North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has paid a visit Mount Paektu, a spot the regime has decreed 'sacred' as the birthplace of the secretive state's first dictator, Kim's grandfather. Pictures released by the regime show the Kim in the snow at the 9,022ft, on North Korea's border with China, which the regime rewrote history to claim was birthplace of Kim Il-Sung, the Communist who ruled from after the Second World War until 1994. He was in fact born in the Soviet Union, but the mountain, has long been integral to the country's identity. Kim Jong-un on Mount Pektu, on North Korea's border with China, which the regime has said is 'sacred', on account of it being the birthplace of the country's first dictator The Mountain reputedly the birthplace of the earliest Korean leader ever recorded, Dangun, who according to legend founded the early kingdom of Gojoseon in 2333BC The mountain is believed to be the site of the deadliest volcano eruption in history and fears have been raised North Korea's nuclear testing could trigger another one It is reputedly the birthplace of the earliest Korean leader ever recorded, Dangun, who according to legend founded the early kingdom of Gojoseon in 2333BC. The mountain is believed to be the site of the deadliest volcano eruption in history and there are fears it may erupt again as a result of North Korea's nuclear weapons testing. A thousand years ago it exploded so violently that ash fell as far away as northern Japan. Last month Bruce Bennett, a senior defence analyst at the Rand Corporation, warned one of the nuclear weapon tests carried out by North Korea could have a catastrophic effect. A North Korean poster depicting leaders Kim Jong Il (left) and Kim Il Sung at the summit of Mount Paektu The mountain is considered holy by North Koreans, with dedicated supporters of the Kim dynasty carrying out pilgrimmages Kim was also out and about in the rest of the country, here offering his advice to local people in Samjiyon County North Korea, formally called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), last week tested its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, saying the device could reach all of the United States. Two U.S. B-1B heavy bombers joined large-scale combat drills over South Korea on Thursday amid warnings from North Korea that the exercises and U.S. threats have made the outbreak of war 'an established fact.' The annual U.S.-South Korean 'Vigilant Ace' exercises feature 230 aircraft, including some of the most advanced U.S. stealth warplanes. North Korea's foreign ministry blamed the drills and 'confrontational warmongering' by U.S. officials for making war inevitable. U.S. national security adviser H.R. McMaster said at the weekend the possibility of war was 'increasing every day.' He said Trump was prepared to take action against North Korea but was working to convince China, Russia and others to do more to press Pyongyang to get it to give up its weapons programs. After the latest nuclear weapons tests, U.S warplanes, including B-1B heavy bombers (pictured) carried out joined large-scale combat drills over South Korea U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged the Pentagon on Sunday to start moving U.S. military dependants out of South Korea, saying conflict with North Korea was getting close. The Pentagon said it has 'no intent' to move out any dependants. Joseph Yun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, will travel to Japan and Thailand next week to meet government officials 'to discuss ways to strengthen the pressure campaign following the DPRK latest ballistic missile test,' the State Department. 'The United States looks forward to continuing its partnership with both these nations so that the DPRK will return to credible talks on denuclearization,' it added. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says he believes the chances of dialogue to resolve the tensions over North Korea's nuclear weapons program are low. Lavrov was speaking Friday while attending an OSCE ministerial summit in Vienna. He said 'the North Koreans have told us more than once that they need security guarantees, especially in the situation when Washington is trying to withdraw from the agreements on the Iranian nuclear program'. Plastic pollution has become so widespread that we may be inhaling up to 130 tiny pieces a day. Fibres from fleece and polyester clothing and particles from urban dust and car tyres are the biggest sources of so-called microplastics in the air. The tiny specks are lighter than air and could cause asthma, heart disease and auto-immune conditions, according to research, that reveals washing a single polyester garment can produce 1,900 plastic fibres. Plastic pollution means we are consuming up to 130 tiny pieces of plastic every day This plastic pollution is on the rise as more and more synthetic clothing is produced. While only people working with plastic fibres are known to develop respiratory problems, experts say the pollution is so widespread that it may now pose a risk to everyones health. The studys author, Dr Joana Correia Prata, of Fernando Pessoa University in Portugal, said: The evidence suggests that an individuals lungs could be exposed to between 26 and 130 airborne microplastics a day, which would pose a risk for human health, especially in susceptible individuals, including children. Exposure may cause asthma, cardiac disease, allergies and auto-immune diseases. On Wednesday, more than 100 nations signed a pledge to eliminate plastic pollution from the oceans. Envoys at a global summit in Kenya agreed to a zero-tolerance policy against the planetary crisis. The head of the UNs environment programme praised the Mail to the 7,000 delegates for its Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign. Holding up a copy of the newspaper, headlined Lets turn the tide on plastic, Erik Solheim said: Pollution is the biggest killer on the planet and we need to defeat it. More than 100 nations signed an agreement on Wednesday to eliminate plastic pollution from the oceans at a global summit in Kenya To tackle the problem of marine pollution we have to make this a kitchen table conversation. This is happening. For example, the Daily Mail, one of the most widely read newspapers in the world, is putting the message out and this is really positive, really fantastic. It had been thought that tiny fragments of plastic could only get into the human body from eating fish contaminated in the sea. A Belgian study earlier this year suggested the average plate of mussels contain 90 plastic particles, while six oysters contain 50. But Iranian scientists who analysed street dust reported that children could swallow as many 3,200 plastic particles a year from the air. That is because many plastic particles have such a low density that they can be carried by the wind. Iranian scientists who analysed street dust reported that children could swallow as many 3,200 plastic particles a year from the air. Around 7 per cent of plastics found in our oceans are believed to have blown there. Dr Prata said: Microplastics can cause respiratory diseases, and sometimes even involve other organs. We are still exposed to low daily concentrations that are unlikely to cause disease. However, microplastics are persistent and continuously accumulating in our environment. The review states that humans are probably most exposed to microplastics indoors, where the wind cannot disperse them so easily. People also spend 70 to 90 per cent of their time indoors, where the fibres and particles are also thought to come from furniture and potentially the vents on tumble dryers. Professor Frank Kelly, an environmental health expert from Kings College London, told the Commons environmental audit committee last year that if plastics were airborne, we could breathe them in. Dr Prata says this would have far-reaching effects because the molecular structure of plastics and the shape of plastic fibres made them difficult to remove from the respiratory system. They are a magnet for other toxins in the environment and could release hazardous chemicals. People exposed to plastics in textile manufacturing have been found to have plastic particles in the cells lining their major organs, while one study has suggested plastic can cross over from the blood into the brain itself. Dr Pratas review, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, concludes that microplastics, which measure less than 5mm (a fifth of an inch) are of high concern, adding: Even low environmental concentrations may contribute to incidence of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in the general population, especially in susceptible individuals. The judge said Carman must also turn over phone records from Sept. 1 through Sept. 25, 2016, the day he was rescued He said he doesn't know if anyone has seen his mother since their fishing trip in 2016 and has not been arrested by police Carman has also been called a suspect in the shooting death of 87-year-old real estate developer John Chakalos in Connecticut in 2013 Lawyers say that Nathan Carman, now 23, drilled holes in his mother's boat Lawyers say that Nathan Carman (pictured), now 23, drilled holes in his mother's boat A New Hampshire man suspected of killing his wealthy 87-year-old grandfather and then his mother to get his hands on her inheritance sabotaged the boat she perished on, new court documents allege. Lawyers representing the company that insured Nathan Carman's boat say he used a power tool to enlarge holes found on the vessel after it sank with his mother aboard. Carman, 23, has also been called a suspect in the shooting death of 87-year-old real estate developer John Chakalos in Connecticut in 2013. Police have yet to make an arrest in the case. He has also been questioned about the day his boat sank with his mother, Linda Carman, on it. She's presumed dead. He said he doesn't know if anyone has seen his mother since their fishing trip in 2016. Carman has also been called a suspect in the shooting death of 87-year-old real estate developer John Chakalos in Connecticut in 2013 He said he doesn't know if anyone has seen his mother, Linda Carman (pictured), since their fishing trip in 2016 and has not been arrested by police John Chakalos' three surviving daughters have filed a court order seeking to prevent the 23-year-old from getting any of his $29 million fortune after his mother's disappearance in September. Meanwhile, U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Sullivan ordered Nathan Carman to turn over information about a Sig Sauer .308-caliber semi-automatic rifle he owned. According to previous reports, the lawsuit filed against Nathan states that prior to Chakalos' death, Nathan purchased a semi-automatic rifle that matched the caliber of the weapon used to kill Chakalos. The judge said Carman must also turn over phone records from Sept. 1 through Sept. 25, 2016, the day he was rescued That weapon is now missing, according to documents filed in a different lawsuit in New Hampshire. But Sullivan rejected a request by the boat's insurer to get information about other guns Carman may have owned, saying it was 'sheer speculation' for them to ask for records about every firearm Carman might have ever owned or possessed. Carman and his mother, Linda, embarked on a fishing trip out of Rhode Island on Sept. 17, 2016. He was rescued a week later after being found floating on a life raft in the Atlantic Ocean nearly 100 miles offshore. The judge said Carman must also turn over phone records from Sept. 1 through Sept. 25, 2016, the day he was rescued. Carman has acknowledged patching some holes on the 31-foot-long boat with marine putty before going fishing with his mother but insisted the boat was seaworthy. In a filing on Thursday, the insurer's lawyers alleged that Carman must have enlarged the holes in his boat's hull. 'No wonder the boat sank and Carman's mother died,' the filing said. Carman's lawyer said he would not address 'unsupported allegations' or engage in 'litigation in the press' when asked about the assertions about the holes after Friday's hearing. Nathan Carman has denied allegations that he killed Chakalos, and said he doesn't know the whereabouts of his mother. Nathan Carman has denied allegations that he killed Chakalos, and said he doesn't know the whereabouts of his mother. Six women who served as clerks or externs at the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allege to The Washington Post that Judge Alex Kozinski subjected them to inappropriate sexual comments or conduct, including asking them to watch pornography in his chambers, the newspaper reported Friday. Heidi Bond, who clerked for the Pasadena, California-based judge from 2006 to 2007, told the newspaper she recalled three instances in which he asked her to look at images of naked people. She said one set of images was of college-age students where some were 'inexplicably naked while everyone else was clothed.' Another set was a type of digital flip book that allowed users to mix and match heads, torsos and legs to create an image of a naked woman. Bond said the judge asked if she thought the pornography was photo-shopped or if it aroused her sexually. Six women allege Judge Alex Kozinski (pictured in July 2014) subjected them to inappropriate sexual comments or conduct 'I was in a state of emotional shock, and what I really wanted to do was be as small as possible and make as few movements as possible and to say as little as possible to get out,' said Bond, now 41. Kozinski, who is 67 and still serving as a judge on the court, said in a statement to the newspaper that he has had more than 500 employees in his chambers over a 35-year career as judge. 'I would never intentionally do anything to offend anyone and it is regrettable that a handful have been offended by something I may have said or done,' he said. A spokesman for the court, David Madden, referred further comment to Chuck Winner of Winner & Associates. Winner did not immediately return a request for comment. Kozinski is a prominent judge who was chief judge from 2007 to 2014 of the 9th Circuit, the largest federal appeals court circuit in the country. He is known for his irreverent opinions and his clerks often win prestigious clerkships at the Supreme Court. The Post interviewed Bond and Emily Murphy, a law professor who worked for a different judge on the 9th Circuit, in on-the-record interviews. The four other women were not named out of fear they might face retaliation. Murphy said she was discussing training regimens with other clerks at a San Francisco hotel in 2012 when Kozinski approached her and said the gym in the 9th Circuit courthouse was nice because other people were seldom there. He then said if that were the case, she should work out naked, according to Murphy and two others present at the time who spoke to The Post. The newspaper interviewed another former clerk of the judge who said he showed her porn; she declined to provide specifics out of fear the judge could identify her. The women did not file formal complaints at the time. Judge Alex Kozinski is pictured in this file photograph from September 22, 2003 In 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported that Kozinski had an email list that he used to distribute crude jokes to and he had a publicly accessible website that contained pornography. A judicial investigation found that Kozinski did not intend for the material to be accessed by the public. The 9th Circuit courts in San Francisco has clashed repeatedly with President Donald Trump. Judges in the circuit have blocked both of Trump's bans on travelers from a group of mostly Muslim countries and halted his attempt to strip funding from so-called sanctuary cities. Kozinski joined four fellow conservative judges in an opinion in March that did not mention Trump by name, but said 'personal attacks' on judges who blocked the administration's first travel ban were 'out of all bounds of civic and persuasive discourse.' Andrei Mamaliga (pictured) was jailed along with his brother Ovidiu for the attack Two Romanian brothers raped a woman in London just weeks after being freed from prison in France. Ovidiu Mamaliga, 30, and Andrei Mamaliga, 28, attacked the woman in May after their release from prison following a rape sentence in France in 2016. But astonishingly, their entry into the UK - which came almost immediately after they left jail - raised no alarms because the Border Agency had no record of their previous convictions. They befriended their victim on her doorstep before attacking her, tying her up with shoelaces and raping her. Each has been jailed for 12 years with a further eight years to be served on licence. But police fear there may be other victims of the brothers who are yet to come forward. The shocking case could lead to calls for improvements in the sharing of criminal records across Europe. Detective Inspector Neil John, from the Scotland Yard's child abuse and sexual offences command, was reported in The Times as saying: 'I cannot understand how, in 2017, we do not know when two dangerous men have come to the UK.' The horrific rape occurred just four miles from where 14-year-old Alice Gross was murdered in 2014 by a Latvian man - Arnis Zalkalns - who had come to the UK after serving a sentence for murder. The brothers started a conversation with the victim, who is in her 40s, at about 7.30am on May 10 her doorstep in Ealing, west London. They left but returned later in the morning, chatting to her again, before one brother followed her inside and asked to use the toilet. When she declined, the brothers unleashed their vile attack, tying her up with shoelaces they had brought with them before undressing her and raping her. They then stole cash, jewellery and mobile phones before fleeing the scene. Met Police Detective Inspector Tim Desai said: 'This was a horrific sex attack committed by two brothers who pose a huge danger to women and should be behind bars. 'The victim was friendly and welcoming when they engaged her in conversation, but she could have no clue as to their violent intentions. 'She has been left traumatised by what happened, and I praise her bravery in first reporting the attack and then coming face-to-face with her attackers and testifying against them to ensure their convictions. The horrific rape occurred just four miles from where 14-year-old Alice Gross (left) was murdered in 2014 by a Latvian man - Arnis Zalkalns (right) - who had come to the UK after serving a sentence for murder 'There may well be other victims of these two men who for whatever reason did not report the crime to police at the time. 'We would urge you to contact police - our specially trained officer will provide you with any support you need, and we will do everything we can to achieve justice for you.' Both were found guilty on Wednesday, October 25 of rape, sexual assault, attempted rape, actual bodily harm and theft. The victim had called police after the attack and the Met's Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command uncovered forensic evidence and DNA at the scene which matched the brothers. CCTV footage also showed them close to the scene and phone signals and Oyster records placed them in the area. Both brothers were arrested in Wembley on Tuesday, June 6 and denied any involvement during police interviews. Ovidiu Mamaliga was charged on Wednesday, June 7 and Andrei Mamaliga was charged the following day with the offences above. The court heard during the trial that the brothers had been released from prison in France in 2016 after serving a sentence for rape. They raped a 26-year-old hitchhiker in 2011. They were sentenced on December 1. Applications for them both to be deported at the end of the sentences have been made. Donald Trump doubled down on his endorsement of Alabama Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore on Friday, during a Florida rally just 15 miles from the Yellowhammer State's border. He jetted to Florida's Panhandle region to rally supporters in Pensacola, a town that's just a short drive from this month's political ground zero. He took the Christmas-decorated stage to the enthusiastic screams in an arena full of people who weren't deterred by near-freezing temperatures. Pensacola shares a media market with Mobile, Alabama, one of a handful of metro areas whose voters will decide Tuesday's strange U.S. Senate special election between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones. Amid a litany of policy promises and complaints about Democrats in Congress, he stopped and pointed to a man in the crowd. 'This guy's screaming, "We want Roy Moore!' He's right,' Trump said. Scroll down for video President Donald Trump took to the stage to the screams of enthusiastic Trump-lovers in an arena where near-freezing temperatures left the seating areas less than full Amid a litany of policy promises and complaints about Democrats in Congress, he stopped and pointed to a man in the crowd. 'This guy's screaming, "We want Roy Moore!' He's right,' Trump said Trump was in Pensacola which shares a media market with Mobile, Alabama, one of a handful of metro areas whose voters will decide the strange U.S. Senate special election between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones 'Democrats in Congress want open borders, higher taxes and government-run health care that doesn't work,' he said. 'They don't want to vote for our tax cuts because they want tax increases. That's why we need a Republican in the House. We need a Republican in the Senate. We need more of them.' Trump asked how many Alabamians were in his audience, and a wild whoop rose to the rafters of the hockey arena where he was holding court. The president also jabbed at one of the nine women who have accused Moore of sexual misconduct, Beverly Young Nelson, who revised a detail of her story on Friday. Nelson conceded on 'Good Morning America' that small amount of a high-school yearbook inscription her lawyer Gloria Allred had attributed to Moore was actually written in her own hand. Her addition was a date and the name of a restaurant where she says Moore scrawled a Christmas message signed with 'love.' Nelson claims Moore, then in his 30s, groped her and tried to force her to perform a sex act in his car when she was 16 years old. Friday's tweak to her story was music to Trump's ears hours later. 'You know the yearbook? Did you see that? That was a little mistake made. She started writing things in the yearbook,' the president scolded. 'Gloria Allred! Anytime you see her you know something's going wrong,' he added, referring to Nelson's attorney. Moore stands accused of sexual misconduct by nine different women, including two who say he groped them while they were 14 and 16 years old. He has denied everything. He is seen above with wife Kayla Moore during a campaign event at Oak Hollow Farm on December 5 Attorney Gloria Allred and her client, Beverly Young Nelson, hold up a yearbook from 1977 that Nelson says is signed by Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore during a press conference on Friday. Trump took a swipe at nelson saying : 'You know the yearbook? Did you see that? That was a little mistake made. She started writing things in the yearbook' 'Democrats in Congress want open borders, higher taxes and government-run health care that doesn't work,' he said. 'They don't want to vote for our tax cuts because they want tax increases. That's why we need a Republican in the House. We need a Republican in the Senate. We need more of them' The stage was Christmas-decorated. Trump announced to the crowds that he had given them an early Christmas present of tax cuts 'We cannot afford to lose a seat in the very, very close United States Senate. We can't afford it. We can't afford to have a liberal Democrat whjo is completely controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer,' Trump said Citing crime fighting, immigration, military funding, veterans programs and his promised border wall, Trump issued a full-throated request for pro-Moore voters to go to the polls next week. Nelson (pictured) claims Moore, then in his 30s, groped her and tried to force her to perform a sex act in his car when she was 16 years old 'We cannot afford to lose a seat in the very, very close United States Senate. We can't afford it. We can't afford to have a liberal Democrat whjo is completely controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer,' he said. 'We want jobs, jobs, jobs. So get out and vote for Roy Moore!' Moore stands accused of sexual misconduct by nine different women, including two who say he groped them while they were 14 and 16 years old. He has denied everything. But Trump has endorsed him anyway, underscoring Moore's denials and insisting that another Senate Democrat would make passing his agenda far more difficult. 'LAST thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already,' Trump tweeted Friday morning. 'VOTE ROY MOORE!' 'The Pelosi/Schumer Puppet Jones would vote against us 100% of the time. He's bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military,' he wrote. Beverly Young Nelson claims U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore groped her in a car when she was 16 years old and he was a rising legal star, but now she concedes that she herself wrote a few lines of an entry in her high school yearbook that was previously attributed to him Nelson now says that while Moore wrote this message in her high school yearbook, she added the date at the bottom and the name of the restaurant where she claims he wrote it Nelson claims she was a 16-year-old waitress when Moore groped her and tried to force her to perform a sex act in his car. Moore denies ever having known her but did rule against her in a divorce proceeding years later when he was a judge. On Friday, Nelson told 'Good Morning America' that she still fears Moore's potential impact in the U.S. Senate, but softened her earlier insistence that an inscription in her high school yearbook was entirely written in Moore's hand. She admitted adding the date and location under Moore's signature, despite her attorney Gloria Allred's earlier claim that the Republican candidate wrote it all. She added the date '12-22-77' and a restaurant name 'Olde Hickory House' to the yearbook inscription, she said. Allred has presented the yearbook page as proof that Moore, then in his 30s, sought an inappropriate relationship with Nelson at the time. After the rally Trump tweeted: 'This is your land, this is your home, and it's your voice that matters the most. So speak up, be heard, and fight, fight, fight for the change you've been waiting for your entire life! MERRY CHRISTMAS and THANK YOU Pensacola, Florida!' Trump also took credit for an economic book that has driven the stock market to dozens of record-setting days, and claimed Democratic administrations had nose-dived 401(k) values Trump waves to his supporters who held up festive placards in the arena Moore insisted last week during a campaign rally that he is completely innocent. 'These allegations are completely false. They're malicious. Specifically, I do not know any of these women, nor have I ever engaged in sexual misconduct with any woman,' Moore said. Nelson, who says she voted for Trump, tells a different story. 'He was trying to pull me toward in between his legs. It was terrible. I was bound and determined that I was not going to be raped by him,' she recalled on Friday. 'I was terrified.' 'It sickens me to wonder what may go on with him if he gets into office,' she added. 'Maybe, you know, he could be doing this still. We don't know. And then again I hope that he's changed. I pray that he's changed. I really do.' Trump said he thought no president had had a more successful honeymoon period, but cited little to support that conclusion. 'I think the answer is "no," but I have to be very accurate because of the fake news back there,' Trump jabbed, pointing to a cadre of journalists staring him down White House Chief Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah downplayed the geographical significance of Pensacola on Friday as he spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One. 'It's not that he's not going to Alabama. It's that he is going to Pensacola,' Shah said. 'Pensacola is Trump country. This is a part of the state that voted overwhelmingly for the president in 2016. He'll be traveling back to Florida from time to time.' Trump speaks at the rally above Trump tosses a jacket he signed to a supporter after the rally in Pensacola, Florida White House Chief Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah downplayed the geographical significance of Pensacola on Friday as he spoke with reporters aboard Air Force One. 'It's not that he's not going to Alabama. It's that he is going to Pensacola,' Shah said. 'Pensacola is Trump country. This is a part of the state that voted overwhelmingly for the president in 2016. He'll be traveling back to Florida from time to time.' The White House has said the president wouldn't campaign for the former state Supreme Court judge in advance of Tuesday's election, but that pledge has served as a fig leaf covering his advocacy on Twitter and, now, in a city across the border. Shah said of the raft of claims facing Moore that 'we find these allegations to be troubling and concerning and they should be taken seriously.' 'But Roy Moore has also maintained that these allegations aren't true and that should also be taken into account,' he added. Trump began his speech Friday by taking pot shots at political reporters, telling saying he would 'cut straight through the fake news media. We're going to speak the plain truth. And really the truth you want to hear.' On a day when CNN had to correct a story that had claimed Trump's son Donald Jr. was tipped off to a cache of hacked emails before WikiLeaks published them the truth was that it came afterward the president showed no mercy. 'CNN apologized just a little while ago. They apologized!' he exclaimed as a few in the audience yelled, 'CNN sucks!' 'Oh thank you CNN, thank you so much,' Trump gushed. 'You should have been apologizing for the last two years!' He said the reporters he loves to hate 'have been apologizing left and right,' citing a flawed ABC News report that falsely claimed he had instructed his son-in-law Jared Kushner to contact Russians while he was still a presidential candidate. 'They took this fraudster from ABC. They suspended him. They should have fired him,' he said of correspondent Brian Ross. 'He drove the stock market down 350 points in minutes.' 'Get yourself a lawyer and sue ABC News,' he blared. Trump kicked off his speech by promising a Christmas present in the form of tax reform, as House and Senate leaders prepared to hammer out the differences between their respective bills. 'I can't wait to sign that tax cut ... We're going to cap off an incredible first year in office,' he pledged. 'I can't wait to sign that tax cut ... We're going to cap off an incredible first year in office,' Trump pledged. A supporter at the rally is seen above Supporters watch as Trump speaks during the rally at the Pensacola Bay Center Trump kicked off his speech by promising a Christmas present in the form of tax reform, as House and Senate leaders prepared to hammer out the differences between their respective bills. A supporter is seen above Trump supporters: Paulette Vee, Becky Gee and Pat Morgan (L-R) at the Pensacola Bay Center Trump said he thought no president had had a more successful honeymoon period, but cited little to support that conclusion. 'I think the answer is "no," but I have to be very accurate because of the fake news back there,' Trump jabbed, pointing to a cadre of journalists staring him down. In a moment ripped from the greatest-hits reel of his rise to power, Trump returned to calling America's election system 'rigged,' saying there's 'a lot of sickness' in political institutions. He blasted progressives who now embrace the word 'resist' as a rallying cry, jabbing Hillary Clinton in the process. 'Hillary resisted, and you know what happened?' he asked. 'She lost the election in a landslide!' 'They're resisting the will of the American people. That's what they're resisting,' he said. The president whacked Clinton for failing to campaign in Wisconsin, a state her political advisers thought was a sure thing. 'I guess the Russians told her not to go,' he grinned. President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida, Friday President Donald Trump greets people after he arrived on Air Force One at Naval Air Station Pensacola Friday Trump also took credit for an economic boom that has driven the stock market to dozens of record-setting days, and claimed Democratic administrations had nose-dived 401(k) values. 'With us it goes up, with them it goes down. And that's the end of it,' he said. After the rally Trump tweeted: 'This is your land, this is your home, and it's your voice that matters the most. So speak up, be heard, and fight, fight, fight for the change you've been waiting for your entire life! MERRY CHRISTMAS and THANK YOU Pensacola, Florida!' Trump won Florida by just 1.2 per cent of the vote, a crucial part of his stunning victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. He held three campaign rallies in Pensacola last year, including an outdoor amphitheater less than a week before Election Day that ended in fireworks. Another, in January 2016, came while the rest of the Republian field was preoccupied with early primary states. That's where the USA Freedom Kids, a trio of sequin-spangled girls who later sued the Trump campaign in a breach of contract dispute, danced and lip-synched to a patriotic tune. The president will fly to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida after Friday night's rally and spend part of Saturday at the opening of the new Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Trump isn't expected to speak at the event. Prominent black civil rights leaders including Reps. John Lewis and Bennie Thompson, along with former Mississippi Gov. Ray Mabus, have said they won't attend because he will be the main draw. Bullying and sexual harassment are endemic in the television industry, workers claim. More than 70 per cent were bullied and more than half were sexually harassed. But reporting of the incidents was extremely low, with 84 per cent of sexual harassment victims saying they did not tell anyone, mostly because they feared they would lose their jobs, the survey of broadcasters and independent production companies found. Dame Janet Smith, who led the independent inquiry into Jimmy Savile and the BBC, said low reporting rates reflected the culture of fear in the industry. Reporting of the incidents was extremely low, with 84 per cent of sexual harassment victims saying they did not tell anyone, mostly because they feared they would lose their jobs She told an Edinburgh International TV Festival debate in London yesterday that BBC employees were afraid to be seen giving evidence to her review. She said the prevalence of short-term contracts in the media made staff worry they would lose work if they complained. Naked Attraction presenter Anna Richardson told the debate that a female producer told her to look f***able, and criticised the industry for not making progress on sexual harassment for a decade. Dame Janet Smith, who led the independent inquiry into Jimmy Savile and the BBC, said low reporting rates reflected the culture of fear in the industry She said the prevalence of short-term contracts in the media made staff worry they would lose work if they complained But Channel 5 News editor Rachel Corp said ITN had introduced an independent hotline for complaints this week, following the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal. The industry-wide survey, commissioned by Channel 5 News and the Edinburgh International Television Festival, received 315 responses from employees and freelancers at broadcasters and independent production companies. Only 35 per cent of respondents said they trusted their employer to deal with any incidents of bullying and sexual harassment properly. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert enjoyed a passionate private life that saw them share nine children. Victoria, portrayed by Jenna Coleman in the ITV drama of the same name, famously refused to obey the conservative standards of the time, even going as far as calling her many pregnancies the 'shadow side' of marriage. But what is little known is the fact the queen and her husband also had a tenth child after adopting a Nigerian princess following the brutal murder of her royal parents. Sarah Forbes Bonetta was just five when she was captured by the merciless King of Dahomey in 1848. The remarkable story of Nigerian princess Sarah Forbes Bonetta, who was adopted by Queen Victoria, will be told in the Christmas special of ITV drama Victoria Victoria and Prince Albert famously had a passionate private life and shared nine children. But few people know about their tenth, adopted, child But before she too could be killed, British naval officer Frederick Forbes rescued her while on a mission to end slavery among the Dahomans. He managed to convince Sarah's captors to present the child as a 'gift' to Victoria and sailed back to England with her on his ship HMS Bonetta, which became her adopted name. The princess' remarkable story will be told in the Victoria Christmas special. Speaking to the Mirror, her great-great grandson Arnold Awoonor-Gordon said: 'For an African slave to be taken on by the British royal family in the 19th century is remarkable. 'Sarah grew up with the queen's children around her and was treated just like a member of the queen's own family. 'Queen Victoria was very kind to her, and it was a relationship that was really ahead of its time.' Mr Awoonor-Gordon discovered his royal link when researching his family history. His great-grandmother Emily used to tell the improbable story of a relative rescued from the slave trade and whisked off to the regal surroundings of Buckingham Palace. Princess Sarah's parent were murdered and she was captured. But before she too could be killed, British naval officer Frederick Forbes rescued her and brought her to England The story will be told in the Christmas special of Victoria, which stars Jenna Coleman as the queen and Zaris-Angel Hator as Sarah And 10 years ago he made inquiries with Windsor Castle - and found the story to be true. Mr Awoonor-Gordon, a retired broadcaster from Sierra Leone, called Victoria a 'pioneer' and praised her for her open-minded attitude. And he revealed Sarah, who the queen called Sally, loved Victoria that much she named her eldest daughter after her. Despite their apparently close bond, Sarah, played in the ITV Christmas special by Zaris-Angel Hator, was shipped out to live with the Forbes family in Gillingham, Kent, after Albert convinced Victoria the child was not happy. A year later Sarah was sent to Sierra Leone for her education before returning to England in 1855. The creator of Victoria, Daisy Goodwin, said the queen did not have any prejudices though acknowledges Sarah's discomfort in Buckingham Palace. The child is shown as shy and reserved around the castle in the drama though the show's creator says Victoria remained an important influence in the youngster's life The Victoria Christmas special airs on Christmas Day at 9pm on ITV But whatever difficulties the young princess had, the queen remained an important influence in her life, even pressuring her into marrying wealthy businessman Captain James Davies in 1862. Sarah, then 18, had been unsure of her proposed husband because he was 13 years older. Even after walking down the aisle Sarah continued to visit the queen, and introduced her to her oldest daughter who took the monarch's name. Victoria senior agreed to be the child's godmother. The visits continued even after Sarah returned home to Lagos, Nigeria, and had two more children, Arthur and Stella. But Sarah had been plagued by poor health and Victoria had sent her to school in Sierra Leone because she thought the British climate was making her poorly. She died of tuberculosis in 1880 at the age of 37 and was buried in Funchal, Madeira. Mr Awoonor-Gordon has a picture of her grave in his home. The Victoria Christmas special airs on Christmas Day at 9pm on ITV. Two senior Army officers and a sergeant have appeared in court relating to the death of a soldier killed by a stray bullet more than 1,000 yards away. Ranger Michael Maguire, of the 1st Batallion, The Royal Irish Regiment, was taking part in a live ammunitions training exercise when he was fatally struck in the head. Captain Jonathan Price has been charged with manslaughter, while Colonel Richard Bell and Colour Sergeant Stuart Pankhurst have been charged with negligently performing their duty. They appeared at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, yesterday. On the judge's instructions, Bell and Pankhurst have yet to enter pleas. Ranger Michael Maguire, of the 1st Batallion, The Royal Irish Regiment, was taking part in a live ammunition training exercise when he was fatally struck in the head by a stray round The men appeared at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, yesterday (file picture) The exercise, at the Castlemartin Training Area in Pembrokeshire in May 2012, involved soldiers firing live rounds at both static and pop-up targets. Captain Price had been in charge of the drill, while Colonel Bell and Colour Sergeant Pankhurst, handled the health and safety of the exercise Assistant Judge Advocate General Alan Large said the three would face trial in May next year. He said: I will not arraign any of you today. We will do this at the next hearing when each of your counsel has had a chance to look at the documents served by the crown. The next hearing in this case will be on January 26, and we will work towards a trial in May. It has been a long time for both the family of the deceased and the defendants and so I hope we have no more delays. Ranger Maguire, 21, joined 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment in May 2010 and had completed a tour of Afghanistan with the troop. A 2013 inquest found Ranger Maguire, who was 6ft 7in and known as High Tower, was killed after he had taken off his helmet to eat his lunch. The soldier was airlifted to a hospital in Cardiff where he was pronounced dead. It comes after the MOD revealed 139 soldiers have been killed in training exercises since 2000. The figures showed 13 soldiers have been killed during live fire shooting exercises between 2000 and February 2017. While 92 Army soldiers died on training, 24 Navy members and 23 people in the RAF also lost their lives. Last month an inquest was launched over the death of Private Conor McPherson, 24, who was shot in the head on the first day of Exercise Wessex Storm in August 2016. Private McPherson, of the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, was killed at the Heely Dod Range at Otterburn, Northumberland. Advertisement Ex-Today host Matt Lauer spent a lonely day running errands on Friday, while his wife Annette Roque - who moved out of their home after sexual harassment and assault claims emerged about him - took solace in her horse. Both Lauer, 59, and Roque, 51, were photographed in Sag Harbor, New York, as the winter cold finally descended on the coastline. The photos came as Lauer's ex-colleagues at NBC told Vanity Fair about how Lauer 'micro-managed' his 'double life' so meticulously that producers are still concerned about the existence of more skeletons in his closet. Scroll down for video Matt Lauer was seen on Friday walking around the New York village of Sag Harbor, picking up groceries. He was not wearing his wedding band. His wife left him after several women accused him of sexual harassment Lauer was spotted eating lunch alone at Estia's Little Kitchen, a restaurant in the village. He then went to a stable to care for horses that he owns Lauer's wife, Annette Roque, is seen here the same day at a stable. She and Lauer have not had an easy marriage; when the first claims came out, insiders said she went with him to the 2012 Olympics in London because she didn't trust him to go alone Roque is seen here with her horse. Lauer has been accused of using the Olympics to hit on colleagues. NBC insiders say that he 'micro-managed' his 'double life' to the extent that it's plausible NBC execs didn't know about the claims Lauer was seen without his wedding ring as he hauled a stuffed paper carrier bag around, before grabbing lunch - alone - at local eatery Estia's Little Kitchen. The disgraced former host wore a grey sweater and white shirt to protect him from the falling temperatures, and a pair of sunglasses, possibly to protect him from being recognized, along with an impressively large and shiny watch. He then went to a stable to care for his horses. Also spending time with horses on Friday was Roque, who was snapped walking her stunning black horse around the stable area. The stunning former model wore black pants and leather boots, and alternated blue puffy jackets to keep herself protected from the winter chill. While Lauer is settling into his downtime, bosses at his former home, NBC, are still tense over the possibility that more accusations may emerge about him. The company has held aroudn 60 HR meetings with staff in order 'to get ahead of any other possible scandals that could be lurking beneath the surface,' insiders told Vanity Fair. One of the questions asked in those meetings is who else knew of Lauer's alleged misbehavior, which reportedly includes sexually harassing female staff at NBC. Some there have questioned whether the heads at the network knew of the claims, but some believe that he was so good at hiding his acts that it's entirely plausible that nobody else knew. 'If people stop and think about it,' an unidentified senior journalist said, 'it's not surprising a lot of people didn't know, because it was all done in secret. 'Matt's a very organized guy and very adept at leading that kind of double life.' A source who worked with Lauer told People Magazine on Thursday that the couple's marriage had been strained for years - and that Roque filed for divorce in 2006. She claimed that claiming that Lauer performed 'cruel and inhumane' acts against her and demonstrated 'extreme anger and hostility' that endangered her mental and physical wellbeing, according to court documents. The pair reconciled but the relationship never regained its original luster, with the source saying the two 'lived totally separate lives.' Lauer was 'essentially living as a single guy' in Manhattan, said the source, while Roque stayed in the Hamptons along with their three children. Three teenager girls are among five friends lucky to survive a horror crash after a car slammed into a retirement village and caught fire. Five people, including two men aged 21 and 30, were in the Ford Escape when it crashed into a brick wall in Melbourne just after midnight leaving them with serious injuries. Victoria Police say one passenger was trapped in the car for about one hour at the Vermont crash, about 31 kilometres east of Melbourne. Three teenager girls are among a number of people lucky to survive a horror crash in Melbourne (pictured) The car smashed into a brick wall of a retirement village 31km east of Melbourne Saturday All five of the passengers of the gold car, including a 16-year-old girl, 17-year-old girl and 19-year-old girl, were rushed to hospital shortly after 12.15am Saturday. 'Police are investigating whether drugs or alcohol may have played a role in the crash,' a statement said. The car went up in flames and flipped on its side after smashing into the brick wall, according to 9 News. '[It was] extremely fortunate that no one was killed in this collision,' Detective Senior Sergeant David Yeaoman said according to the publication. A former Channel Nine reporter says she was shocked by how 'open and brazen' Ben McCormack was about his sexual attraction to young boys in front of other company employees. Journalist Caroline Marcus appeared on Peta Credlin's Sky News program on Thursday night to discuss the disgraced A Current Affair presenter, who pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to transmit, publish or promote child pornography last week. Ms Marcus told Tony Abbott's former chief of staff she was 'not surprised at all' when news broke of McCormack's arrest. 'I was quite troubled when I worked there by how open and brazen he was in talking about his attraction to young boys,' Ms Marcus said. 'There were clearly underage boys who would come on the television screens in the (station) and he would make comments indicating his sexual attraction to them.' Scroll down for video A former Channel Nine reporter says she was shocked by how 'open and brazen' Ben McCormack was about his sexual attraction to young boys in front of Nine employees Journalist Caroline Marcus appeared on Peta Credlin's Sky News program on Thursday night to discuss the disgraced A Current Affair presenter Ben McCormack pleaded guilty to two counts of using a carriage service to transmit, publish or promote child pornography. McCormack, 43, was suspended from his role as a journalist on A Current Affair after his arrest in April. He pleaded guilty to the charges in September - the first offence relating to 20 months worth of text messages he sent to a West Australian primary school teacher fantasising about sex with children. Ms Marcus said there were 'plenty' of people within Channel Nine who were aware of his attraction to young boys and even relatives of co-workers. 'He would make comments to (another Nine employee) about their 14-year-old male relative saying 'he's hot',' Ms Marcus said. A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw began the program following McCormack's sentencing to a three-year good behaviour bond saying staff reaction ranged from 'utter disbelief... to a mixture of sadness, shock and revulsion'. Ms Marcus said Grimshaw worked from her own office away from others and likely wouldn't have been exposed to his comments the same way others had. 'She may not have known but certainly other people knew, it was well known,' Ms Marcus said. The journalist said both herself and staff were unaware of the extent in which he had taken his sexual attraction, but is concerned how McCormack has been able to act in the office, including making anti-semitic remarks to Ms Marcus which she formally complained about. 'I don't know how someone like Ben McCormack was able to get away with his workplace behaviour as long as he did.' Ms Marcus said there were 'plenty' of people within Channel Nine who were aware of his attraction to young boys and even young relatives of co-workers 'He would make comments to (a Nine employee) about their 14-year-old male relative saying 'he's hot',' Ms Marcus said Executive Producer Grant Williams was stood down from his role as deputy director of news and current affairs in October after staff reportedly accused him of verbal abuse and mistreatment after he introduced rules to stop them from discussing and supporting McCormack. The executive producer particularly 'p***ed off' the women in the office, according to the Daily Telegraph, and was forced to take leave after a string of grievances were filed against him. Ms Marcus, however, said Williams was just trying to 'pull them into line' for their overt public support of the self-confessed 'proud Ped'. 'There are colleagues who would be posting pictures with cupcakes for him for R U OK day,' she said. 'I know when Grant Williams tried to pull them into line it caused a lot of problems, and it was because of that he had harassment claims put against him.' Ms Marcus and Channel Nine refused to comment when approached by Daily Mail Australia. Advertisement Eerie images and video footage have revealed the abandoned American ghost town where notorious gunslinger Billy the Kid is said to have hid during the 1800s. The haunting pictures and video show what little remains of the town, which has been uninhabited for nearly 50 years. Now, only a few heavily-graffiti-ed buildings dot the desert landscape. Other stunning shots show the neglected camp ground and forgotten petrol station beneath a spectacular Milkyway sky. Scroll down for video Jeff Hagerman, of Georgia, visited Arizona and photographed the ghost town where Old West gunslinger Billy the Kid is said to have hid in the late 1800s Today, the site is dotted with heavily graffiti-ed buildings such as an old gas station and a campground. The site has been uninhabited for 50 years 'This is a ghost town called Two Guns in Arizona that was once a popular stop along old Route 66, but has now been abandoned for almost 50 years,' Hagerman said He added: 'I love abandoned places because there's usually an interesting story behind why it's been abandoned. It makes you wonder what's happened there and to me it looks beautiful in photographs' The photographs were taken in Two Guns, Arizona, USA by photographer Jeff Hagerman, 36, from Atlanta, Georgia. 'This is a ghost town called Two Guns in Arizona that was once a popular stop along old Route 66, but has now been abandoned for almost 50 years,' he told Media Drum World. 'Left standing there are a gas station, a campground, and a few other empty buildings, all covered in graffiti. 'I love abandoned places because there's usually an interesting story behind why it's been abandoned. It makes you wonder what's happened there and to me it looks beautiful in photographs. 'This location actually contained Native American artifacts dating all the way back to 1050. There was a mass murder there between rival Native American tribes, and they even say Billy the Kid used it as a hideout in the 1800s.' Hagerman described the history of the site: 'This location actually contained Native American artifacts dating all the way back to 1050. There was a mass murder there between rival Native American tribes, and they even say Billy the Kid used it as a hideout in the 1800s' Billy the Kid (1859-1881) is known to have killed at least eight men, and he was set to be executed in 1881 but he escaped from jail He was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, New Mexico on July 14, 1881. He had evaded capture for more than two months Hagerman said: 'I just happened to be staying at a hotel a few miles away and a friend told me about [the site]' Billy the Kid, born Henry McCarty in 1859, was an American Old West gunfighter who participated in the New Mexico Territory's Lincoln County War of 1878. He is known to have killed eight men. In April 1881, Billy was tried and convicted of the murder of Lincoln County Sherriff William J Brady, and was sentenced to hang in May of that year. He escaped from jail on April 28, 1881, killing two sheriff's deputies in the process and evading capture for more than two months. Sheriff Pat Garrett shot and killed Billy, aged 21, in Fort Sumner, New Mexico on July 14, 1881. During the following decades, legends that he had survived that night grew, and a number of men claimed to be him. Jeff, who took the pictures with a Canon 5D Mark III, was staying in a nearby hotel and explained why he ventured out to Two Guns. He continued: 'I was prepared to try astrophotography on the trip, but once I saw this place, I knew it would be the place I tried it' He added: 'I just want to show how beautiful abandoned places can be and maybe inspire other people to go out and explore places they've never been' Two Guns, Arizona is about two and a half hours by car from Phoenix, the capital of the southwestern state Hagerman said: 'A lot of people wonder if the sky is photoshopped (it's not) and people obviously are curious about where it's located' 'I just happened to be staying at a hotel a few miles away and a friend told me about it,' he said. 'I was prepared to try astrophotography on the trip, but once I saw this place, I knew it would be the place I tried it. 'I just want to show how beautiful abandoned places can be and maybe inspire other people to go out and explore places they've never been. 'A lot of people wonder if the sky is photoshopped (it's not) and people obviously are curious about where it's located.' The parents of a 21-year-old man charged with assaulted police claim their son was taunted first by authorities. Footage captures the moment the dramatic arrest of Jakob Wiles unfolded on the streets of Sydney's south-west. NSW Police charged Wiles after he allegedly lashed out and assaulted an officer in Airds on Friday. Scroll down for video Footage captures the moment of the dramatic arrest of Jakob Wiles on Friday (pictured) NSW Police charged Wiles after he allegedly assaulted an officer in Airds, south-west Sydney Footage shows the 21-year-old appearing to be forcefully restrained by two police officers The parents of a 21-year-old man (pictured) who allegedly assaulted police have spoken out Two officers appeared to forcefully restrain the 21-year-old down to the pavement where one officer can be seen holding him in a headlock as they hold his head to the ground. While one police officer stands watching, the other two officers could be seen forcing Wiles to his stomach before handcuffing his hands behind his back. Wiles was taken to Campbelltown Police Station where he was charged with resist officer in the execution of duty, assault officer in the execution of duty and, breach of bail. He faced Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday where he did not apply for bail. Outside the court, Wiles' parents spoke to reporter saying the police had targeted and taunted their son. 'He gets picked on no matter where he goes,' Wiles' father Peter Wiles said. 'In this case he's done nothing ... it happens once or twice a week. Wiles' father Peter Wiles (pictured) said his son was taunted by police and gets picked on Wiles' mother Cheree Frank (pictured) said the video shows the amount of 'abuse he copped' Police say they saw Wiles (pictured), a man believed to be wanted on an outstanding warrant 'It's getting beyond a joke mate, we can't deal with it.' The 21-year-old's mother Cheree Frank said the video shows the amount of 'abuse he copped'. NSW Police said they first saw Wiles, a man they believed was wanted on an outstanding warrant. The officers spoke to the driver before asking the young man to exit the car before he allegedly became aggressive. 'As police were arresting the man, he allegedly began to resist and kicked out at one of the officers,' a police statement said. Wiles was refused bail and is expected to face Parramatta Local Court Saturday. A former Catholic priest was found guilty in the brutal murder of a Texas beauty queen nearly six decades ago, a jury announced Thursday. John Bernard Feit, 84, was sentenced to life in prison for the death of 25-year-old Irene Garza, who disappeared the night before Easter in April 1960. She was found dead in a canal five days later. Prosecutors had pushed for a 57 year sentence for Feit - which was reflective of the time he spent walking free from the heinous crime. He was indicted for the murder last February. The gorgeous Garza was a schoolteacher and Miss All South Texas Sweetheart 1958 before she abruptly vanished. She was last seen at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, where she was a parishioner, visiting Feit for confession. Former priest John Feit leaves the 92nd state District Court after closing arguments in his trial for the 1960 murder of Irene Garza at the Hidalgo County Courthouse in Edinburg, Texas Friday Feit sits with his lawyer O. Rene Flores before the start of the sentencing phase of his trial Noemi Sigler, a relative to the victim, hugs Hidalo County Assistant District Attorney Michael Garza following the guilty verdict for Feit Feit, 84 (right), was long-believed to have killed 25-year-old Irene Garza (left), a Texas beauty queen Garza's shoe and purse were found first before her body was. An autopsy revealed that she had been raped while unconscious and then beaten and asphyxiated. Also found on her was a slide viewer with long black cord, which belonged to Feit. Authorities questioned the then-27-year-old priest who had scratches on his hand and failed a lie detector test. He was later ruled out as a suspect after church officials allegedly pressured police to leave him alone, according to the Houston Chronicle. At the time it was unthinkable for a priest to commit such a horrible act. Garza (pictured), a schoolteacher and Miss All South Texas Sweetheart 1958, disappeared on Easter weekend in April 1960 and was found dead in a canal five days later She was last seen at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, where Feit (pictured) was a visiting priest, for confession with him The case went cold until 2002 when McAllen police and Texas Rangers decided to reopen the case. They interviewed Reverend Joseph O'Brien, a McAllen priest who said he'd seen the scratches on Feit's hands in the days following Garza's disappearance. He eventually told Rangers that Feit confessed to killing Garza, as did another priest. Authorities questioned the then-27-year-old priest (pictured) who had scratches on his hand and failed a lie detector test. He was later ruled out as a suspect after church officials allegedly pressured police to leave him alone Two priests revealed that Feit admitted killing Garza. The re-opened case sparked a grand jury probe in 2004, but Feit was never indicted due to a lack of new evidence (Pictured, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas where Feit worked and where Garza was last seen) After Ricardo Rodriguez was elected Hildago County district attorney in 2014 he reopened Garza's case and requested a new grand jury, which led to a subsequent indictment against Feit (pictured) in early February 2016. He was arrested at his home in Arizona Jury selection began Monday with opening arguments Friday. Since his extradition last March, Feit has remained in custody at the county jail under 24-hour medical watch because of a slew of ailments (Pictured, Feit with a walker in court) The re-opened case sparked a grand jury probe in 2004, but Feit was never indicted due to a lack of new evidence. The case went cold again, until it became the center of the 2014 race for Hildago County district attorney. Ricardo Rodriguez, who was running to replace Rene Guerra, promised to re-open the case and bring justice to Garza's family if he won. After winning, he reopened Garza's case and requested a new grand jury, which led to a subsequent indictment against Feit in early February 2016. Garza's body was found in a canal (pictured) five days later. An autopsy revealed that she had been raped while unconscious and then beaten and asphyxiated Garza's shoe (right) and purse (left) were found first before her body was. Also found on her was a slide viewer with long black cord, which belonged to Feit. Feit was arrested that month at his home Scottsdale, Arizona, home Rodriguez argued there was enough evidence to prosecute him. Since his extradition last March, Feit has remained in custody at the county jail under 24-hour medical watch because of a slew of ailments. Since the 1970s, Feit has enjoyed family life. He got married, had children and grandchildren and regularly volunteered at his church. He publicly denied any involvement in Garza's death on multiple occasions previously. Sydney's marriage registry office opened its doors Saturday to a massive line of same sex couples eager to register their intention to marry as soon as possible. At the head of the line was Daniel Gray-Barnett and Daniel Barnett, who unintentionally became the state's very first couple to sign above the dotted line. The 36 and 39-year-old celebrated with a pint after making the life-long commitment at Chippendale's NSW Births Deaths and Marriages office, in the city's inner-west, at 9.10am. Daniel Gray-Barnett and Daniel Barnett (pictured) were the first Sydney couple to sign their intentions to be married on Saturday The 36 and 39-year-old were unofficially married three years ago, and were elated - and shocked - to be the first to sign above the dotted line Saturday, December 9, was the first day Australians could give their compulsory one-month intention to get married after the same sex marriage bill was officially passed on Thursday. Registry employee Ben Flinn said extra staff had been rostered on to cope with the high volume of couples expected to register, ABC news reports. 'With the changes to the Commonwealth Marriage Act we anticipated there would be an increase in people wanting to lodge their notice of intent to marry and get married at the registry so we have opened today with that likelihood of a spike in demand,' Mr Flinn said. The couple, who got engaged four years ago and held an 'unofficial' marriage ceremony three years ago, were elated to finally be making their unity official. The 36 and 39-year-old celebrated with a pint after making the life-long commitment at Chippendale's NSW Births Deaths and Marriages office Saturday, December 9, was the first day Australians could give their compulsory one-month intention to get married Extra staff had been rostered on to cope with the high volume of couples expected to register 'We met in Sydney. We pretty much... love at first sight and we have literally been together ever since,' Mr Barnett said. 'We just thought we'd get it done straight away.' In all the excitement, the pair forgot to snap a selfie while at the office on Saturday, but indulged in an early-morning celebratory pint afterwards. 'I know it's early but we need a drink,' Mr Gray-Bartlett announced in an Instagram post of the couple 'cheers-ing' their beverages. The couple, who got engaged four years ago were elated to finally be making their unity official Mr Barnett said it was 'love at first sight' when they first met in Sydney, with them getting engaged for their 'unofficial' wedding four years ago 'Today we had the first appointment on the first day of reforms! We didn't plan to be but are very happy to be the first gays in Sydney to lodge our notice of intent to marry this morning.' 'Also we'll be on the news and in the papers and my husband is totally going to murder me. REALLY SORRY BABE.' The comment box quickly flooded with excited followers who rushed to congratulate the couple and offer their well wishes. The Melbourne registry office was a stark contrast to scenes in Sydney, with absolutely no same sex couples spotted lining up at all. In all the excitement, the pair forgot to snap a selfie while at the office on Saturday, but indulged in an early-morning celebratory pint afterwards 'We didn't plan to be but are very happy to be the first gays in Sydney to lodge our notice of intent to marry this morning,' Mr Gray-Barnett wrote in an Instagram post Followers rushed to congratulate the couple on the exciting news and offer their well wishes The Melbourne registry office was a stark contrast to scenes in Sydney, with absolutely no same sex couples spotted lining up at all A council member of the National Museum of Australia has posed for a photo with right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos shortly after he said Aboriginal art was 'crap' and 'really s**t'. Janet Albrechtsen posed for a selfie with Mr Yiannopoulos and Michael Kauter, former deputy campaign director for the National Party, reportedly after the controversial commentator's show in Sydney on Wednesday night. During his performance in Melbourne two days earlier Mr Yiannopoulos said Aboriginal art was 'crap' and 'really shit', according toThe Guardian. He posted the photo to his Instagram account, tagging Mr Kauter in the caption. Janet Albrechtsen posed for a photo with Mr Yiannopoulos reportedly after he spoke in Sydney on Wednesday night In addition to being a council member of the museum Ms Albrechtsen was appointed as an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation In addition to being a council member of the museum Ms Albrechtsen was appointed as an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation by then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2015. In the photo which was posted to social media both Ms Albrechtsen - a prominent conservative newspaper columnist - and Mr Yiannopoulos are wearing large reflective aviator sunglasses. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Albrechtsen, the National Museum of Australia and the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation for comment. Mr Yiannopoulos' speaking tour across Australia has sparked violent clashes between protestors and generated a $50,000 bill from the police. Mr Yiannopoulos speaking tour across Australia has sparked violent clashes between protestors Promoters have said ticket and merchandise sales for the tour are 'set to pass $1million' Promoters have said ticket and merchandise sales for the tour are 'set to pass $1million', according to the Sydney Morning Herald. It is also claimed Mr Yiannopoulos will receive a $250,000 appearance fee for the tour. In Melbourne on Monday night, hundreds of police were sent in to control up to 550 activists outside the venue for one of his performances. Police officers were pelted with bottles and rocks and two protestors, one from each side, were arrested during the violent scenes. The Brennen's have restored over 320 abandoned bikes in the last year Tia and her family donate the bikes they fix to charities across the area The 11-year-old Sydney mechanic has been fixing bikes for kids in need for a year Tia Brennen has been named the Young Volunteer of the Year in NSW for 2017 Tia Brennen is an 11-year-old girl who loves bikes so much, she has restored over 320 abandoned bikes in the last year. The young mechanic and her dad, Simon, donate the bikes to children in need and have now been recognised for their charity work. Tia was named Young Volunteer of the Year at the 2017 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards on Friday. Tia Brennen is an 11-year-old girl who loves bikes so much, she has restored over 320 abandoned bikes in the last year Since Tia and her family began their mission, they have donated the bikes to disadvantaged children across Sydney Tia has now been recognised for her work, named Young Volunteer of the Year at the 2017 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards The young girl, from Campbelltown in Sydney's west, first came up with the idea when she saw four bikes piled up next to a skip bin at a caravan park on the south coast at during a Christmas holiday last year. 'I love giving the bikes away to children knowing that it will make them smile,' Tia previously told Daily Mail Australia. 'I asked mum if we could take the bikes home and give them to children who needed them but we didn't have enough room in the car so we had to leave them behind.' Tia's mother Clarissa Brennen said her daughter kept pushing the issue until her parents began helping her collect the bikes and fixing them up. Since the family began their mission, they have donated the bikes to disadvantaged children across Sydney. The bikes have found new homes through organisations like the Benevolent Society, Campbelltown Hospital and the Department of Family and Community and Services. 'I love giving the bikes away to children knowing that it will make them smile,' Tia previously told Daily Mail Australia Dad Simon is the 'chief mechanic' of their family, but Tia has her own set of skills too The young mechanic and her dad, Simon, fix the bikes together before donating them to kids in need The Brennen's have also donated to Bike for Life, a charity that gives the bikes to Cambodian children who otherwise have no way of getting to school. Tia's dad Simon is the chief mechanic, pumping tyres, putting on pedals, adding baskets and making sure the brakes work. Tia and her mum then clean the bikes to make them look like new before Harmony, Tia's younger sister, takes them for a spin to see if the repairs have made the grade. While her dad might do most of the heavy lifting, Tia said she has picked up a few skills of her own over the last year. 'Volunteer because it's the best thing you could ever do. It makes your heart smile,' Tia said Tia and her little sister Harmony work together to get the bikes looking new and ready to ride The Brennen's have also donated to Bike for Life, a charity that gives the bikes to Cambodian children who otherwise have no way of getting to school 'I went to a workshop at 99 Bikes and learned how to fix the brakes,' Tia told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'One trick I learned is to take off the bells and put them back on again, which is something I like to do for a lot of the bikes.' As well as her work fixing bikes, the 11-year-old also makes her own lip-balm to raise money for the local PCYC. She also volunteers at One Meal It Makes a Difference, delivers flowers to a nearby nursing home, and has hosted a toy drive over Christmas for children at the local hospital. 'Volunteer because it's the best thing you could ever do. It makes your heart smile,' she said. Advertisement Family, friends and political figures have gathered for the funeral for Tony Abbott's late father. Richard Henry Abbott died on November 22 after suffering 'a very serious stroke'. The 93-year-old was surrounded by his family in hospital when he passed. The former prime minister, his wife Margaret and their three daughters Frances, Louise and Bridget were all in attendance at the Corpus Christi Church on Sydney's north shore on Saturday morning. Abbott led the procession as the service ended, helping carry his father's casket from the church. Frances Abbott and her fiance Sam Loch were among the mourners at the funeral for her grandfather, Richard Abbott The former prime minister, his wife Margaret and their three daughters Frances, Louise and Bridget were all in attendance at the Corpus Christi Church on Sydney's north shore on Saturday morning Richard Henry Abbott died on November 22 after suffering 'a very serious stroke', and his funeral was attended by family and friends, including granddaughter Frances Abbott and her fiance Sam Loch (pictured, left, right) Richard Henry Abbott (pictured) died on November 22 after suffering 'a very serious stroke'. The 93-year-old was surrounded by his family in hospital when he passed Abbott led the procession as the service ended, helping carry his father's casket from the church Family, friends and political figures have gathered for the funeral for Tony Abbott's late father An emotional Frances was seen being consoled by her mother and fiance Sam Loch, who made his first public appearance alongside his new in-laws. The two got engaged last month after dating for just two weeks. The modest service at the small church in St Ives was attended by a close group of family and friends. The Abbotts requested donations be made in Richard's name to StreetWork and the Royal Far West. The 93-year-old, who was also known as Dickie, had been in Sydney Adventist Hospital in Wahroonga since Monday, when he suffered the stroke. Richard ran an orthodontist practice in Chatswood on Sydney's North Shore and worked well into his 80s. An emotional Frances was seen being consoled by her mother and fiance Sam Loch, who made his first public appearance alongside his new in-laws The family held a small wake at the church on Sydney's north shore following the service on Saturday Abbott's former chief of staff Peta Credlin (left) and Liberal MP Kevin Andrews (right) were also in attendance The former prime minister, his wife Margaret and their three daughters Frances, Louise and Bridget were all in attendance at the Corpus Christi Church on Sydney's north shore on Saturday morning Former prime minister Tony Abbott (pictured, left) was surrounded by family and friends as he paid tribute to his father Richard, his daughter's fiance, Sam Loch (pictured, right) was also in attendance The Abbott family smile after Tony was sworn in as prime minister in 2013 After the funeral Mr Abbott left a heartfelt message alongside a photo of him and his late father on Instagram saying: 'A big thank you to all who attended Richard Abbott's funeral mass this morning'. 'I have met smarter, richer and more successful people but never a better man than my dad. It was a fine celebration of a wonderful life.' The former prime minister confirmed the news of his father's passing on Twitter by posting a touching tribute to his late father. 'The Abbott family has lost a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. God bless you, Dad,' he wrote. Abbott also spoke to the Daily Telegraph, saying he was in 'debt' to his father for the life lessons he had taught him. 'All of us have an extraordinary debt to our parents, absolutely extraordinary debt and in my case my parents have been a wonderful influence on my life; from Mum I've learned to do my best, to be welcoming; from Dad I've learned to always try to see the good in people,' he said. 'I've been incredibly blessed with two wonderful parents, I know Dad's very proud of all of his kids.' 'All of us have an extraordinary debt to our parents, absolutely extraordinary debt and in my case my parents have been a wonderful influence on my life; from Mum I've learned to do my best, to be welcoming; from Dad I've learned to always try to see the good in people,' Abbott said The former prime minister confirmed the news of his father's passing on Twitter by posting a touching tribute to his late father. 'The Abbott family has lost a wonderful husband, father and grandfather. God bless you, Dad,' he wrote Frances first announced the whirlwind romance and subsequent engagement to the weightlifter Loch via Instagram with a series of couple snaps taken in a photobooth. 'Two weeks was all it took to know that forever with you was a mighty fine idea,' the fitness devotee wrote. Mr Loch confirmed the news with a selfie of the pair captioned 'With the soon to be Mrs Loch'. The 60-year-old former Prime Minister of Australia also confirmed news of his daughter's engagement on social media. Using two tweets to post his message, the Liberal MP said: 'Really thrilled at the news of Francie and Sam's engagement. 'We are very proud of her and the Abbotts are looking forward to welcoming Sam into the family.' Frances Abbott and her Olympic weightlifting partner Sam Loch got engaged last month after dating for just two weeks Frances first announced the whirlwind romance and subsequent engagement to the weightlifter Loch via Instagram with a series of couple snaps taken in a photobooth 'Mum was like, "Frances, you are quite impulsive",' Frances remembered, saying her family want the best for her despite the speed of her engagement Mr Abbott's enthusiasm may have been fuelled by his first impressions of the Olympic rower, formed when the two met in Melbourne. At the time the young couple were in the midst of a whirlwind romance and very much in love, but Mr Loch had yet to pop the question. 'I think meeting Tones can be quite intimidating for anyone, but that's what I love about Sam,' the 26-year-old confided. 'He's so grounded, and so settled in his own skin, it felt totally natural. There was no change in voice, no sitting upright. Dad liked him.' As for her mother Margie, she was as surprised as anyone when her middle daughter told her of Mr Loch's proposal. 'Mum was like, "Frances, you are quite impulsive",' Frances remembered, saying her family want the best for her despite the speed of her engagement. A 20-year-old woman (pictured) accused of murdering a teenage boy and attempting to kill four others after allegedly ploughing her car into the group has faced court A 20-year-old woman accused of murdering a teenage boy and attempting to kill four others after allegedly ploughing her car into the group has faced court. Jacob Cummins was standing at a Perth bus stop with friends on Thursday afternoon when Aya Hishmeh allegedly deliberately drove her red Nissan Skyline into them. Cummins smashed through the windscreen after being struck, and was raced to Fiona Stanley Hospital in a critical condition, where he later died of his injuries. Ms Hishmeh was in court on Saturday charged with his murder and four separate counts of attempting to kill. She sobbed as the Magistrate read out her charges and asked her if she understood, according to the ABC. Her family was present in court, and her father yelled 'we love you bubba, we all love you' as she was taken away. She has been remanded in custody, and is scheduled to appear in court in January. Four other boys remained in hospital on Friday night, one with two broken legs and two in a serious condition. The woman has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder relating to three boys aged 16 and one boy aged 17. Scroll down for video Jacob Cummins was standing at a Perth bus stop with friends on Thursday afternoon when Aya Hishmeh (pictured) allegedly deliberately drove her red Nissan Skyline into them Cummins smashed through the windscreen after being struck, and was raced to Fiona Stanley Hospital in a critical condition, where he later died of his injuries (pictured is the car which allegedly hit Cummins) Ms Hishmeh (pictured, left, right) was in court on Saturday charged with his murder and four separate counts of attempting to kill Jacob was farewelled by about 100 people at Scarborough Beach - one of the teen's favourite hang-out spots - on Saturday, WA Today reported. State Control Acting Inspector Dean Snashall was at the beachside vigil to support Cummin's family, and called the incident an 'absolute tragedy'. 'What we are dealing with here is essentially a school fight that's got completely out of hand,' he said. 'This is school kids who have had an altercation over a school yard matter and unfortunately a young 17-year-old has paid the ultimate price.' Four other boys remained in hospital on Friday night, one with two broken legs and two in a serious condition (pictured is the scene of the incident) Ms Hishmeh (pictured, left, middle, right) sobbed as the Magistrate read out her charges and asked her if she understood Ms Hishmeh (pictured) has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder relating to three boys aged 16 and one boy aged 17 He said there was no suggestion of gang activity, and that six or seven nationalities were present at the memorial. Organisation of African Community of WA Inc youth president Ibrahim Kebe also addressed the memorial, telling those gathered to stay away from violence. Close friends and family took to social media on Friday to remember the teenager, saying it was 'hard to believe' he had gone. 'You always see this stuff on d (sic) news never would you think it's going happen to anyone in your family Rest In Peace my beautiful little cousin Jacob Cummins you where a little character love you always. heartbroken,' a family member wrote. Close friends and family took to social media on Friday to remember the teenager, saying it was 'hard to believe' he had gone The local community have been struggling to cope with the loss of Cummins, who was described by one friend as one of the 'nicest' people they had ever met It is believed the incident was connected to a mass fight between rival school groups that took place earlier on Thursday afternoon. Students from Mandurah and Canning Vale schools gathered for an 'arranged fight' which ended up spilling into an out-of-control brawl that spanned three suburbs. The deadly car rampage began at a park in Canning Vale before moving to a McDonald's and liquor store on Thursday afternoon, ending when the woman allegedly ploughed her car into the students on Eucalyptus Boulevard at around 4.15pm. The local community have been struggling to cope with the loss of Cummins, who was described by one friend as one of the 'nicest' people they had ever met. 'So shocked still cannot believe that your gone Jacob Cummins thoughts are with your family in this hard time you will be missed brother love you RIP,' one person posted to Facebook. 'Why did you have to leave at a young age... you was one of the realist (sic) people I've met. I still remember that voice of yours just repeating in my head, my prayers go out to your family. Fly high Jacob Cummins,' a friend said. 'You always see this stuff on d (sic) news never would you think it's going happen to anyone in your family Rest In Peace my beautiful little cousin,' a family member wrote Friends have taken to social media to express their shock and sadness with the loss of the popular teenager Close friends and family took to social media on Friday to remember the teenager, saying it was 'hard to believe' he had gone A tribute was held for the teenager at Scarborough beach on Friday, which friends said was his favourite spot A woman, 20, was charged with murder after allegedly mowing down Mr Cummins. The red Nissan Skyline involved in the incident is pictured above The woman was also charged with four counts of attempted murder after the incident 'RIP Jacob Cummins, you'll forever be in our hearts my brother,' another shared. A tribute was held for the teenager at Scarborough beach on Friday, which friends said was his favourite spot. Two people were also stabbed during the fight, with one suffering serious injuries, and police have confirmed five people are in hospital. The boys were fighting outside Dan Murphy's store, before it spilled into a McDonald's restaurant car park where the stabbings occurred and continued in nearby suburban streets. Police were called about 3.15pm, but an hour later, the car drove into the group of four teenage boys waiting at a bus stop, who were also connected to the brawl. The deadly rampage began at a park in Canning Vale before moving to a McDonald's and liquor store on Thursday afternoon Mr Cummins, a 17-year-old Baldivis boy, went through a windscreen and died in hospital a short time later. One of the students is understood to have sustained two broken legs. Mobile phone footage of the brawl obtained by Nine News shows a group of school-aged boys throwing punches and kicking each other in a grassy park. Detective Sergeant Matt Lewis said the dispute between two young people had escalated to something far worse and had also involved family members. Detective Sergeant Matt Lewis said the dispute between two young people had escalated to something far worse and had also involved family members 'People obviously got angry, their blood got up and things obviously went way too far,' he told ABC radio. He said police were examining CCTV and phone footage and urged people with information to come forward. Canning Vale College teachers and staff held an emergency meeting on Friday morning. Armadale Detectives are continuing to investigate the series of incidents. Two Melbourne beaches are more accessible than ever after wheelchair-friendly devices were launched to help disabled people. Port Phillip Council showcased the result of their $65,000 initiative Saturday, hosting events at St Kilda and Port Melbourne beaches. The new equipment includes special matting, as well as 'floating' wheelchairs and will be free for people to use. Victoria's St Kilda and Port Melbourne beaches are more accessible than ever after water wheelchairs and special matting were launched on Saturday 'Everyone should be able to enjoy our beautiful beaches,' Mayor Bernadene Voss said. 'As our Council is always trying to improve inclusion and accessibility, we wanted people with disabilities to have the same opportunity to explore and experience Port Phillip beaches.' The launch was supported by the local community, including the St Kilda and Port Melbourne Surf Life Saving Clubs, who will roll the matting out during patrol hours. Councillor Voss said it was a bittersweet day though, as 10-year-old Astrid, who had helped promote the chairs had passed away recently. The new equipment forms part of a $65,000 initiative from Port Phillip Council and includes special matting (pictured) which will be laid out to allow the chairs to travel down to the ocean The launch was supported by the local community, including the St Kilda and Port Melbourne Surf Life Saving Clubs, who will roll the matting out during patrol hours 'Astrid was looking forward to splashing about surrounded by water at the beach. This day is for her and all the other 'Astrids' who want to enjoy a fun day at the beach,' Cr Voss said. Federal Disability Discrimination Commissioner Alastair McEwin said going to the beach was something many people took for granted and that it was a difficult task for people with disabilities. 'I am delighted to see Port Phillip Council demonstrate an understanding of the need to be inclusive and provide access to their beaches,' he said. Among those who enjoyed the new devices was St Kilda double amputee Amanda Lawrie-Jones (pictured) who enjoyed her first splash in the ocean in 11 years 'This means people with disability can now enjoy a day at their beaches just like anyone else.' Among those who enjoyed the new devices was St Kilda double amputee Amanda Lawrie-Jones, who enjoyed her first splash in the ocean in 11 years. Not one to let the cold weather or wind put her off, Ms Lawrie-Jones was helped into the water on a floating wheelchair by St Kilda Lifesaving Club captain Simon Lewis. 'It feels amazing. It brought back so many memories of being a kid,' she told The Age. Greens councillor Jonathan Sri has resigned to living in a houseboat after claiming his $150k taxpayer-funded salary is not enough to afford a house. The colourful Brisbane city councillor has been living living on the five by three metre boat with his girlfriend since March this year, after abandoning his eight-person share-house. Sri bought the cramped vessel for $30,000 despite earning a $157,782 salary which could easily buy him a decent-sized family home on the Gold Coast, Domain reports. The colourful Brisbane city councillor (pictured) has been living living on the five by three metre boat with his girlfriend since March this year, after abandoning his eight-person share-house Sri (pictured) bought the cramped vessel for $30,000 despite earning a $157,782 salary which could easily buy him a decent-sized family home on the Gold Coast, Domain reports But the Greens politician instead chooses to donate half his wages to charity and lives well below his means. 'I get about $150,000 a year. If I was keeping that I could afford to live in a much nicer place,' he told the publication. 'Until ordinary workers are paid better and Centrelink is much more reasonable I don't think it's fair for politicians to be afforded much higher pay.' He revealed his take-home pay is a measly $900 per week. Up until only months ago, the 29-year-old had been living in an illegally crowded share-house containing seven other flatmates. 'I get about $150,000 a year. If I was keeping that I could afford to live in a much nicer place,' he told the publication Up until only months ago, the 29-year-old (pictured) had been living in an illegally crowded share-house containing seven other flatmates After the Courier Mail exposed Sri's unlawful living conditions, three of his housemates were forced to move under local council legislation which forbids more than five unrelated people to live under one roof. He then decided to jump ship and finance his new floating home after complaining he was 'sick' of a landlord controlling his life. The vessel is moored at Brisbane River and Sri and his girlfriend use a kayak to get on and off. Sri told the Courier Mail while it is not an ideal lifestyle, he is planning to stay aboard his floating home for several more years. 'It's not always an easy life,' he said. 'The sandflies are really bad. You're living off rainwater so there are definitely some downsides. But I think I'll be there for at least a couple of years.' He then decided to jump ship and finance his new floating home after complaining he was 'sick' of a landlord controlling his life (Stock image pictured) 'Until ordinary workers are paid better and Centrelink is much more reasonable I don't think it's fair for politicians to be afforded much higher pay,' Sri said Sri told the Courier Mail while it is not an ideal lifestyle, he is planning to stay aboard his floating home for several more years Sri was also quick to point out he did not want the government to view his houseboat stunt as an alternative to affordable housing. 'It's a lot more cramped than I think is comfortable and it's not sustainable for most people,' he told Domain. 'The way I live is not a model I'd recommend for housing affordability.' The Greens staffer has been long known for his bohemian lifestyle and is often seen with a rainbow scarf hanging from his neck. He is also a former Queensland poetry slam champion who has featured at both the Sydney and Brisbane Writers' Festivals. A man has died and a woman is fighting for her life after they were hit by a car while walking their dog in Melbourne's east. The pair were on Monbulk-Seville Road in Seville when a green Commodore struck them around 1pm on Saturday. Despite valiant efforts from passerby's who performed CPR, the 58-year-old man could not be saved and died at the scene. A man has died and a woman is fighting for her life after they were hit by a car while walking their border collie dog in Melbourne's east on Saturday The woman, 68, was left with critical arm, leg and abdominal injuries and was airlifted to Royal Melbourne Hospital. Meanwhile, the car reportedly flipped several times before ending up on its roof, 9News reports. The 27-year-old driver was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital to undergo mandatory tests. The couple's border collie dog is believed to have survived the crash and was taken to a nearby vet. The pair were on Monbulk-Seville Road in Seville when a green Commodore struck them around 1pm, with the car rolling before coming to a stop on its roof Detective Sergeant Darren Williams (pictured) said that the scene went back 'four to five hundred metres' and that police would be looking into the 'erratic' driving Detectives from the Major Collision Investigation Unit have launched enquiries into the incident, with speed a potential factor. 'We are looking at the fact that he was seen driving erratically for some distance prior,' Detective Sergeant Darren Williams told Nine. 'This scene goes back four to five hundred metres from where it ended up. 'I feel for the families in this circumstances, a family that will be missing a loved one this Christmas.' Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the collision is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Duha Dallah, 19, (pictured) claims she lost out on a sales position at a Texas Dillard's because of her hijab A woman who was offered employment at a Texas Dillard's sued the department store, claiming she lost her job because of religious discrimination. It seems Duha Dallah, 19, had already begun training for a sales position at Firewheel Town Center in Garland before a children's department manager informed her she would not be permitted to wear a head scarf on the floor. In a follow-up meeting, the Muslim teen told the store manager about the conversation - while noting the hijab was a required part of her religion. The store manager apologized and told her the individual had not been fully informed of store policy. However, later, Dallah received an email from the store manager, who retracted her employment offer and said other candidates were being interviewed for the position. Dallah said she had already begun training for a sales position at Firewheel Town Center in Garland before she was told her head scarf was not permitted A second manager at the Dillard's apologized and told her the person had not been fully informed of store policy, but she later received an email saying she was no longer offered the job The teen took to Facebook November 30 following the incident to share her story 'I believe I lost the sales position because Dillard's did not want a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf to work on the sales floor,' Dallah said, according to Dallas News. The disappointed teen took to Facebook November 30 following the incident to share her story. 'I recently contacted CAIR-DFW because I was refused employment at Dillard's due to my headscarf. The heartbroken Dallah said she felt invalidated and belittled because of her religious beliefs Dallah claimed 'had the job in her hand' until the disagreement over her head scarf 'I am seeking the justice I deserve With the help of my attorneys Nikiya Natale and Christine Hopkins, they were able to file a charge of discrimination with the Texas Workforce Commission against Dillard's.' Dallah felt the managers were 'invalidating' and 'belittling' her over her religious beliefs. 'I was honestly speechless at the time and could not believe what I was hearing. It made me feel as tho my religion is what is stopping me from pursuing a job in America. 'I don't think any woman should ever have to go through that. I felt the hate. It's extremely heartbreaking that a place my family and I love to shop at would discriminate against me because of my head scarf.' She added she was 'overqualified' for the position and 'had the job in her hand' prior to the disagreement. Garland Dillard's has not yet commented on the matter and could not be reached late Friday. 'I don't think any woman should ever have to go through that. I felt the hate. It's extremely heartbreaking,' she said on Facebook A 12-year-old boy has suffered cardiac arrest after slipping and hitting his head in a pool. Police were called to a property in Haberfield in Sydney's west after reports the young boy had fallen into the water at 5pm on Saturday afternoon while at a birthday party. Paramedics attended the scene and pulled the child, from Newtown in Sydney's inner-west, from the backyard pool on Nicolls Avenue, Nine News reports. Paramedics attended the scene and pulled the child from the backyard pool on Nicolls Avenue (pictured) The boy's parents were not present during the incident and rushed to the home after learning the news, according to the Daily Telegraph. A Careflight helicopter also responded and paramedics treated the boy at the scene. The child was taken to the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick and is in a critical condition. More to come. Advertisement There have been violent protests around the world tonight as furious Muslims rage against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Dozens of protesters were wounded by rubber bullets or live fire in clashes in the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. Tens of thousands also protested in Muslim-majority and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia. In Tel Aviv, meanwhile, thousands of Israelis protesters against the alleged corruption of the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. In the Gaza Strip, mourners vented their anger at the funerals of two people killed during clashes at the border fence on Friday and the two Hamas terrorists killed early today. Unrest spread into Israel tonight when a bus was stoned as it passed by Arab towns in the northern Wadi Ara district, injuring the driver. Police said they arrested two young men from the Israeli Arab town of Arara. An Israeli army statement said 'violent riots have erupted at approximately 20 locations' in the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian protesters burn tyres during clashes with Israeli troops following protests on the streets of Israel Palestinian demonstrators react to tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Israeli police disperse Palestinian protesters in East Jerusalem earlier today after President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Israeli security forces intervene against protesters during a demonstration against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Bethlehem, West Bank Israelis take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv under the name 'March of Shame' to protest against government corruption and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Anger: A Palestinian protester throws stones towards Israeli forces during clashes on Saturday morning in Israel Israeli police carry away a blindfolded man after he is arrested during protests in Jerusalem following President Trump's announcement A wounded baby waits for treatment at the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza after the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on the territory yesterday A Palestinian protester pushes a tyre onto a fire barricade as they clashed with Israeli border guards near an Israeli checkpoint in Ramallah It said soldiers responded to protesters with unspecified 'riot dispersal means', lightly wounding three Palestinians. In Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem - taken from Jordan after the bitter 1967 war - police fired stun grenades to disperse Palestinian demonstrators on the main Salahedin Street. A police statement said four policemen were slightly injured and 13 protesters arrested. The Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians were injured by shrapnel from grenades or by blows from police. Thousands of people also rallied in central Tel Aviv on Saturday night in what organisers called a 'March of Shame' in protest at alleged corruption in government. Marchers chanted 'Bibi go home', using the nickname of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is under police investigation over suspicions of various graft offences. His close political ally MP David Bitan, parliamentary chairman of the ruling coalition, has also been grilled at length over separate allegations of bribery and links with organised crime during his time as deputy mayor of Rishon Lezion, near Tel Aviv. Israeli warplanes rained down missiles on Gaza overnight in retaliation for rockets shot into Israel from terrorists in the coastal enclave. Pictured: The damage in Gaza on Saturday Today hundreds of Palestinian protesters are marching from the town of Khan Younis, in Gaza, towards the Israeli border fence Gaza's health ministry reported that two were killed, both at the Hamas facility at Nusseirat in central Gaza. Pictured: The damage in Gaza on Saturday Police closed the upscale Rothschild Boulevard and a number of surrounding main thoroughfares for the march but did not give an estimate of attendance. The protest is billed as being non-partisan and some marchers wore T-shirts with the slogan 'Not right, not left, straight' in Hebrew. Haaretz newspaper put the turnout at about 10,000, sharply down from the tens of thousands who had marched a week earlier. Media commentators had predicted that fewer might take part, as Netanyahu's popularity was boosted by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. There have been fears of a much larger escalation of violence after Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called for a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad terrorist group both renewed that call on Saturday. Abbas's Fatah organisation urged Palestinians to 'keep up confrontation and broaden it to all points where the Israeli army is present' in the West Bank. In an Arabic-language Facebook post on Saturday, a senior Israeli military officer warned the people of Gaza. 'Continued fire will result in a harsh and painful response from the Israel Defence Forces, so do not test our strength,' wrote Major General Yoav Mordechai, head of the defence ministry agency responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories. The Hamas health ministry in Gaza said the two men killed on Saturday were in the movement's armed wing, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. Overnight, Israeli warplanes rained down missiles on Gaza in retaliation for rockets shot into Israel as violent protests continued today following Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the country's capital. Targets included two weapons manufacturing sites, a military compound and an arsenal. Reports in Gaza said that 15 people were injured in the strikes, including a six-month-old boy. The attack was a response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip on Friday night. Pictured: The damage in Gaza on Saturday A Palestinian protester flies Palestinian flags during clashes with Israeli troops following widespread protests on Saturday Palestinians throw back a tear gas grenade during clashes in the West Bank City of Ramallah. It comes after Palestinians announced a general strike and days of rage after the US reconised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Two members of Hamas were killed by strikes on the Hamas facility at Nusseirat in central Gaza, officials said. The attack was a response to rocket fire from the Gaza Strip on Friday which forced Israeli civilians in the south of the country to run for cover as air raid sirens blared for the first time since the unrest began. One rocket fell short, the second was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system, and one landed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, damaging property but causing no casualties. The Israeli Defence Force blamed Palestine for the deaths and injuries caused by its retaliation. It said in a statement: 'The IDF views the shooting at Israeli communities severely. Hamas is solely responsible for what happens in the Gaza Strip.' Today hundreds of Palestinian protesters marched from the town of Khan Younis, in Gaza, towards the Israeli border fence, with ambulances standing by in anticipation of casualties. As the violence intensified, police forcibly closed shops along the streets. Dramatic video taken by MailOnline reporter Jake Wallis Simons showed mounted Israeli police, backed up by officers shooting teargas, violently dispersing a demonstration in the heart of Arab East Jerusalem. About 100 demonstrators gathered at lunchtime, chanting 'Jerusalem is Palestine' and stopping traffic. Their intention was to march on the Old City, a short walk away. Police moved in quickly as the tension mounted. One woman was injured before officers on horseback charged the growing crowds, demonstrators and bystanders alike. Teargas and stun grenades were deployed as increasing numbers of protestors fled into nearby buildings and down Salah e-Din Street, the main commercial street of East Jerusalem. Israeli border police officer clears a burning tyre during clashes with Palestinian protesters following protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel An Israeli Border police officer stands by burning garbage in a dumpster during running clashes on a central East Jerusalem street Palestinian protesters set tyres on fire as Israeli security forces intervene them during a demonstration against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli police forces arrest a Palestinian protester in Jerusalem after the protests in the streets turned violent A Palestinian woman walks with the Palestinian flag as other women huddle in a half-closed shop door during running clashes with Israeli security forces on a central East Jerusalem street The landmark Raouche sea rock is illuminated by a giant Palestinian flag in Beirut, Lebanon in support of Palestine Israeli border police officers take position during clashes with Palestinians which turned violent on Saturday A man throws a stone in the West Bank as Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli security forces during a demonstration against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot during clashes with Israeli troops following protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Palestinian protesters take an injured fellow toward an ambulance during clashes with Israeli troops following protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision Dramatic video showed mounted Israeli police, backed up by officers shooting teargas, violently dispersing a demonstration in the heart of Arab East Jerusalem About 100 demonstrators gathered at lunchtime, chanting 'Jerusalem is Palestine' and stopping traffic. Their intention was to march on the Old City, a short walk away Police moved in quickly as the tension mounted. One woman was injured before officers on horseback charged the growing crowds, demonstrators and bystanders alike Police tore down Palestinian flags and made two arrests before blocking off the street. They then charged with a volley of stun grenades, followed by mounted officers, to push protestors back Israeli police disperse Palestinian protesters in East Jerusalem as unrest simmered across the Palestinian territories Commanders are due to meet tonight to review the situation on the ground and make a decision about troop numbers in the coming days. Pictured: An Israeli policeman aims his weapon in a street during a demonstration in east Jerusalem A Palestinian prepares to throw back a tear gas grenade shot by Israeli troops during clashes in the West Bank city of Bethlehem A Palestinian protester hurls stones at Israeli border guards during clashes near an Israeli checkpoint in Ramallah An explosive detonates in East Jerusalem as protesters demonstrate against the United States' decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital A man overwhelmed by his passions screams in the face of a police officer during protesters in East Jerusalem earlier today A man wearing a keffiyeh is held by an Israeli security officer in East Jerusalem as protests rocked the city Police tore down Palestinian flags and made two arrests before blocking off the street. They then charged with a volley of stun grenades, followed by mounted officers, to push protestors back. It comes after Palestinian group Hamas called for an intensification of conflict following Trump's decision on Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The city is claimed by both Palestine and Israel. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas has said he will refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence later this month as the Palestinian foreign minister demands a UN Security Council Resolution on the matter. Palestinians react as a stun grenade explodes near them during running clashes on a central East Jerusalem street earlier today Palestinian women shout and clap in the face of Israeli security personnel in East Jerusalem to display their anger at President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Israeli mounted riot police pass next to burning garbage in a dumpster during running clashes on a central East Jerusalem street Israeli Border Police and mounted police (behind) clear the street during running clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces on a central East Jerusalem street Israeli army reinforcements have been deployed in significant numbers to the settlements on the West Bank in an attempt to defend against possible terror attacks on the Jewish outposts. Pictured: An Israeli policewoman in Jerusalem today Israeli police forces arrest a Palestinian protester today in Jerusalem after protests in the city over its recognition by the US as the capital of Israel Israeli soldiers fire tear gas at Palestinians during clashes in the West Bank City of Ramallah in an attempt to disperse protesters Palestinians seek cover from tear gas fired by Israeli soldiers during clashes in the West Bank City of Ramallah today Israeli soldiers fire tear gas over Palestinian houses during clashes in the West Bank City of Ramallah. Police have been trying to control protests among the Palestinians Israeli army reinforcements have been deployed in significant numbers to the settlements on the West Bank in an attempt to defend against possible terror attacks on the Jewish outposts. The army put the overall number of demonstrators during yesterday's 'day of rage' at 5,000, which was lower than feared, but emphasised that clashes may continue for several days. Commanders are due to meet tonight to review the situation on the ground and make a decision about troop numbers in the coming days. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir arrives to attend the Arab League foreign ministers emergency meeting in Cairo on Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit meets Palestinian minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo An injured Palestinian man arrives at a hospital to receive treatment following an Israeli air strike in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip A Palestinian protester throws stones to Israeli security forces during a demonstration in Bethlehem on Saturday Palestinian protestors clash with Israeli forces near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Saturday A Palestinian kicks away a tear gas grenade shot by Israeli troops during clashes in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Israel prepares for a second wave of violent protests this morning after Hamas has called for an intensification of the conflict. Pictured: Palestinian protests on Saturday Israeli army reinforcements have been deployed in significant numbers to the settlements on the West Bank. Pictured: Palestinian protests on Saturday Israeli troops during clashes with Palestinians in the West Bank city of Bethlehem Supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) burn Israeli and U.S. flags during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Karachi, Pakistan Turkish anti-riot police officers detain a leftist protester during a demonstration against the US and Israel in Istanbul earlier tonight Angry: Another protester in Istanbul fumes about the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel Protestors pray for Palestine during a protest against Israel in front of the Hagia Sophia, a former church that was converted into a mosque after the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453. It is now a museum Yesterday two Palestinians were killed and hundreds wounded during about 30 violent protests in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. The majority suffered from tear gas inhalation. Eleven were wounded by live fire. The clashes were less intense than had been feared, however, and appeared to fall well short of another intifada, or Palestinian uprising. Angry protesters scream slogans and make religious gestures during a demonstration against Israel and the United States following President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital People attend a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and plans to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on December 9, 2017 in Kuwait City The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, called for mass violence against Israelis until the Jewish State was destroyed, saying: 'We will stick to the strategic plan until we reach the final point, the liberation of Jerusalem and all the land of Palestine.' The Israeli official in charge of Palestinian areas wrote a Facebook post in Arabic appealing for calm. 'Extremists want to ferment the street with lies and distortions because this is a religious war,' Major General Yoav Mordechai wrote. 'I urge you not to let the extremists destroy the Christmas holidays Israel preserves access to the holy sites for all, and anybody who says otherwise is a liar'. Female supporters of Pakistani religious party Jammat-e-Islami rally against United States in Karachi, Pakistan Israeli warplanes rained down missiles on Gaza overnight in retaliation for rockets shot into Israel from terrorists in the coastal enclave. Pictured: A Palestinian protester pushes a tire onto a fire barricade as they clashed with Israeli border guards A masked Palestinian woman gestures during clashes with Israeli troops at an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah after Friday prayers today. Protests have taken place around the world against Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel An injured Palestinian is helped by medics after being hurt while protesting against the US and Israel This was the scene in Bethlehem yesterday as Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops on the second day of unrest in the town Flashpoint: Israeli forces used power jets to control and disperse crowds in Bethlehem following Friday prayers yesterday Kashmiri Shitte Muslims burnt an effigy of Donald Trump as they marched through the streets of Srinagar this morning Furious campaigners are pictured torching a US flag during protests in Kabul, Afghanistan after Friday prayers this morning A protester jumps over the burning effigy of US President Donald Trump during an anti-US and Israeli protest in Peshawar, Pakistan, today Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem (pictured) today while there were also confrontations in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Bethlehem and Ramallah in the wake of Donald Trump's new stance on Jerusalem Israeli officials continued to praise Mr Trump's move on Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as its capital, with the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat, calling it 'the date that the President of the free world stood on the side of truth'. Mr Berkat, who is famous for neutralising a knife-wielding terrorist on the streets of Jerusalem with his bare hands in 2015, praised 'leaders who will do what is right in spite of threats and incitement from the region.' Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, praised the vociferous condemnation of Mr Trump's decision by the international community. 'The United States of America is no longer qualified to act as a broker and mediator of the peace process,' he said. Protesters burn a mock US flag as they take part in an anti-Trump anti-Israel march outside the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan on Friday 'Jerusalem!' Trump was cheered as he entered the East Room and when he started a speech Thursday, said 'there were a lot of very happy people' before saying 'Jerusalem' Dina Powell, a veteran Middle East expert who has been a key part of Mr Trump's Israel-Palestine team, dramatically resigned, though she did state that she was leaving 'on good terms'. Ms Powell, who speaks fluent Arabic, was previously an adviser to Jared Kushner and worked in the State Department under George W Bush, focussing on relations with Arab countries. The international diplomatic community continued to make sense of Mr Trump's unprecedented move to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The United Nations Security Council met yesterday at the request of eight of its 15 members, including Britain and France, declaring that 'the status of Jerusalem must be determined through negotiations'. Britain urged the US to put forward a detailed roadmap for peace between the two sides. However, America's envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the UN has done more harm than good to peace in the middle east. 'Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations,' she said. The Israeli envoy emphasised that there could never be peace without Jerusalem being recognised as the capital of the Jewish State. P for Palestine: A demonstrator wears a mask in the colours of the Palestinian flag during a protest in Paris The Czech Republic, which had mustered a level of support for Mr Trump's position by saying it would recognise west Jerusalem as Israel's capital, appeared to climb down from this position. The EU's foreign policy representative Federica Mogherini said that the Czech foreign minister had pledged to support the EU's policy of reserving such recognition until a peace agreement was achieved. So far, only the Philippines has joined the United States in vowing to move its embassy to the disputed city, though Israeli diplomatic pressure is being applied to its allies mainly in Asia, Africa and Latin America to follow suit. South Africa is considering downgrading its embassy in Israel to a 'liaison office' in protest against 'the lack of commitment from Israel to finding a resolution to the Palestinian question', though that country's Jewish and Christian communities are campaigning against the move. An Israeli cabinet minister said that Mr Trump's statement clearly left open a route to partition Jerusalem, a proposal that would be vehemently opposed by Israel. Zeev Elkin, Jerusalem Affairs Minister, said: 'He hinted that borders in Jerusalem will also be set as a result of negotiations, which presupposes an option of partition.' The world-wide Jewish community remained split on the issue. In a statement, the Reform movement said, 'we cannot support his decision to begin preparing that move now, absent a comprehensive plan for a peace process', a position that Israel's consul in New York, Dani Dayan, called 'deeply frustrating and disappointing'. A family left paralysed after eating contaminated wild boar have been dealt a fresh blow, with claims insurance will not cover their hospital bill. Paramedics found Shibu Kochummen, 35, his wife Subi Babu, 32, and his mother Alekutty Daniel, 62, unconscious in their home in Putaruru, New Zealand, last month. Doctors feared the three would be paralysed for life, but they woke from a vegetative state two weeks after consuming meat from a boar they killed on a hunting trip. A family (pictured) left paralysed after eating contaminated wild boar have been dealt a fresh blow, with claims insurance will not cover their hospital bill The boar meat consumed by the family members is suspected to have contained botulism, a fatal toxin. Mr Kochummen and Ms Daniel can walk again using a stick or walker, but Ms Babu still requires personal assistance and is having motor skill problems. Family friend Joji Varghese said Ms Babu was the worst affected, and even has difficulty using a pen. After waking from their two-week vegetative state the husband and wife are suffering memory loss, their problems compounded by their insurance woes. They fear state insurance provider Accident Compensation Corporation will not cover their medical costs, The New Zealand Herald reported. Mr Varghese claimed an ACC representative told the family ingestion of bacteria does not count as an accident if it is not the result of a crime. Paramedics found Shibu Kochummen, 35, his wife Subi Babu, 32, and his mother Alekutty Daniel, 62, unconscious in their home in Putaruru, New Zealand, last month (pictured with the couple's two children) The family would therefore not be covered, but would not appeal because the ACC will 'keep coming back with legislation'. Mr Varghese said he wanted to raise awareness of the rule, and hopefully succeed in changing the law. 'Policy-makers should look at this piece of legislation ... the worst part is legislation is put into place by people that we common New Zealanders vote into power,' he said. Doctors fear the three would be paralysed for life, but they woke from a vegetative state two weeks after consuming meat from a boar they killed on a hunting trip (pictured are the husband and wife and their eldest daughter) An ACC spokesman told The New Zealand Herald he was unable to comment on the matter unless the family provide a privacy waiver. The couple have two children aged seven and one, and their oldest daughter was overjoyed when her parents regained consciousness. Mr Kochummen, who moved from Kerala in India to New Zealand five years ago, was a keen hunter who would make monthly trips, and regularly ate wild boar. Prosecutors for special counsel Robert Mueller (pictured) are revealing they know every word Paul Manafort changed in the opinion piece Prosecutors for special counsel Robert Mueller are revealing they know every word Paul Manafort changed in an opinion piece about his involvement in Ukrainian politics. They say they tracked the changes the former Trump campaign chairman made as he edited the piece while under house arrest. Prosecutors say the op-ed was part of a public effort Manafort was trying to orchestrate that would have violated a judge's order to refrain from trying his case in the press. Manafort's attorneys argue that he had only edited the piece after receiving it from a former Ukrainian public official whom he knew through his consulting work in Ukraine. They also say Manafort didn't violate the judge's order and was exercising his free speech rights to defend himself. Defense lawyer Kevin Downing said on Thursday's filing that his client was involved only in editing the piece to ensure accuracy, and that it would not prejudice the case because it was ultimately published in a Ukrainian newspaper, not an American one. 'The defense did not, and does not, understand that the court meant to impose a gag order precluding Mr. Manafort from addressing matters, which do not "pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice to this case,"' Downing wrote. Earlier in the week, prosecutors said in a filing that they had reached out to Manafort's lawyers when they discovered the draft and had been assured that it would not be published. The piece appeared online in the English-language Kyiv Post on Thursday. The article, which was authored by Oleg Voloshyn, a former spokesman for Ukraines foreign affairs ministry, praised Manafort's political work in helping Ukraine secure better relations with the European Union. 'I can only wonder why some American media dare falsely claim that Paul Manafort lobbied Russian interests in Ukraine,' the piece said. 'Without his input Ukraine would not have had the command focus on reforms that were required to be a nation candidate to the EU.' It is also believed by the prosecution, that the effort is Manafort's (pictured) chance to try the case in the press Brian Bonner, the chief editor at the Kyiv Post, told Reuters that the article was submitted on Monday. Bonner said Voloshyn claimed to have written the article and then sent it to Manafort and the American's longtime Russian colleague, Konstantin Kilimnik, for fact-checking before submission. Bonner said he did not immediately publish the article because he was suspicious of the contents and wanted to confirm that Voloshyn had written it. 'It was blatantly pro-Manafort with an opinion about his activities that most people don't share and that his record in Ukraine doesn't support,' Bonner wrote in an email. Voloshyn told Reuters he was not immediately in a position to comment. It was not clear when U.S. District judge Amy Berman Jackson would decide whether or not the order was violated, but Manafort and Gates are due to appear before her on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for a status hearing. An elderly couple who have been paying life insurance for nearly 25 years have been left reeling after learning they won't receive a cent unless one of them dies very soon. George and Irene Nesbitt, both aged 89, have paid more than $31,000 on their life insurance policy for the last quarter of a century - but were told the money will expire if one of them doesn't die within the next six weeks. Speaking with A Current Affair, the distressed couple admitted they have only a few hundred dollars to their name, and without an insurance payout, they won't be able to afford their own funerals. Scroll down for video George and Irene Nesbitt, (pictured) both aged 89, have paid more than $30,000 on their life insurance policy for the last quarter of a century - but were told the money will expire if one of them doesn't die within the next six weeks Speaking with A Current Affair , the distressed couple admitted they have only a few hundred dollars to their name, and without an insurance payout, they won't be able to afford their own funerals (Pictured is their insurance documents) The Nesbitt's insurance provider Colonial - which is owned by the Commonwealth Bank - recently informed the pair that their policy will be worthless come January 17 next year. 'I think its disgusting, I never would have paid into an insurance like that, I would have cut it off,' Mrs Nesbitt told the program. 'For out children's sake I wanted to cover our funerals so they wouldn't have to lay out any money.' Their fortnightly pension is a meagre $1,334 and they both struggle to save at all. And on a cruel technicality, George and Irene will also be forced to pay for their worthless life insurance for the next month at an expense of $161 until it finally lapses in early 2018. The Nesbitt's payout was promised to be $8,000 each, but both are very close to outliving their 'life' cover. 'I think its disgusting, I never would have paid into an insurance like that, I would have cut it off,' Mrs Nesbitt (pictured) told the program Despite faithfully paying their rising premiums month after month and year after year, they were blissfully unaware of a small clause which stated the cover would stop before they turn 90. Mrs Nesbitt only discovered the heart-wrenching stipulation last month after sifting through her insurance documents. 'I didn't look at that clause.. I didn't realise that meant you didn't get any money,' she said. The couple's daughter Diane said it is heartbreaking to watch her frail parents worry over how they will pay for their own deaths. 'They're 89 - both of them - and they've worked hard all their life... all they've cared about is that we don't have to worry about their funeral costs,' Diane said. 'This breaks my heart for my parents.' Despite faithfully paying their rising premiums month after month and year after year, the couple was blissfully unaware of a small clause which stated the cover would stop before they turn 90 Solicitor Alexandra Kelly said life insurance providers often prey on the vulnerability and emotions of elderly Australians. 'We see a lot of marketing particularly in the daytime TV space or late night, and it ends to be very focused on the person being a burden on their family on their death, and it seems to us to be a type of financial abuse,' Ms Kelly said. Commonwealth Bank told Daily Mail Australia in a statement they are unable to extend the couple's policy. 'We are in touch with the Nesbitt's to explore if there is any kind of assistance that we can offer,' the statement read. The husband of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe said Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's meeting with Iranian officials today 'can only be good'. Mr Johnson arrived in Iran this morning to meet foreign minister Javad Narif for talks to free Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British woman arrested in 2016 after being accused of spying. The mother-of-one was jailed for five-years for allegedly planning the 'soft toppling' of Iran's government. Mr Johnson said he and his Iranian counterpart spoke 'frankly' regarding the case during 'constructive' talks in Tehran. Scroll down for video Boris Johnson has arrived in Iran to meet foreign minister Javad Narif (pictured) for talks to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British woman arrested in 2016 accused of spying Mr Johnson arrived in Iran this morning to meet foreign minister Javad Narif for talks to free Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe (pictured), the British woman arrested in 2016 after being accused of spying The trip is the third by a UK Foreign Secretary since 2003 and is intended to 'lay the groundwork' for the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe Richard Ratcliffe said he is expecting to have a full briefing from Mr Johnson and the Foreign Office once he returns to the UK. The father-of-one said constructive is 'certainly good and frank is not bad'. He added: 'An honest discussion about Nazanin's case can only be good for us. 'I am glad he is there and is meeting as many people as he can ... he undertook to raise her case, to call for her humanitarian release, let's hope that has positive consequences. 'Obviously for us the weekend is big because of his visit, but it is also big because she has got the scheduled court case tomorrow.' Mr Ratcliffe said he will not know for sure whether his wife's court case has gone ahead as planned until he has spoken to her over the phone on Sunday. 'I am obviously watching closely with hope, fingers crossed and excitement - I couldn't sleep at all last night,' Mr Ratcliffe said of the situation. '(I am) just trying to read the runes, look to see what is happening and what it means. And of course it is easy to misinterpret things.' He said he is hopeful that the debrief from the Foreign Secretary about how the meetings went will be positive. 'The Foreign Office weren't sure if he would be allowed to but it it is definitely good that he is there before she appears in court,' Mr Ratcliffe added. 'And we are sitting here hopeful that it could be over soon,' Mr Ratcliffe added. Mr Johnson's trip to Tehran on Saturday is only the third by a UK Foreign Secretary since 2003 and comes at a time of tension in the Middle East over Donald Trump's announcement that he is recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel 'If he comes back and says 'this could be done in six months time', that is not going to be a great feeling. We are hoping for Christmas still. 'We will be looking to see how the conservation has gone as to how feasible and realistic that is. 'But I wanted him to get to Iran and try and raise her case, and to do it before her court case and he has done that. 'Hopefully he will be persuasive and charming, and build a good relationship with the Iranian foreign minister ... it is definitely good that he is there, but let's wait and see what happens.' Mr Johnson has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Mr Johnson's trip to Tehran is only the third by a UK Foreign Secretary since 2003 and comes at a time of tension in the Middle East over Donald Trump's announcement that he is recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Following the talks, a Foreign Office spokesman said: 'They discussed the full range of bilateral issues and they both spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship, including the Foreign Secretary's concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals. 'Both emphasised their commitment to continuing to work together to improve the bilateral relationship.' The spokesman added that the meeting had been 'constructive'. In wide-ranging talks with Iran's foreign minister, Mr Johnson will seek to shore up bilateral relations and urge Tehran to stick by the terms of its 2015 nuclear deal The threats to increase her sentence by five years came following Mr Johnson's gaffe of telling a parliamentary committee she had been in Iran to train journalists (alongside British ambassador to Tehran Nicholas Hopton, left) 'During two hours of frank talks, they agreed to work together to make progress on a number of the most important bilateral and regional security issues. 'The Foreign Secretary began by expressing his condolences for the powerful November earthquake which struck Iran's border region with Iraq. 'He then moved on to the nuclear deal, underlining the UK's continued support for the deal and determination that it should be fully implemented. 'They also talked at length about the breadth of regional issues and the need for regional partners and the international community to work together to find solutions. 'Overall, it was a useful meeting at the start of the Foreign Secretary's visit to Iran.' Despite discussing a range of issues, the primary goal was to 'lay the groundwork' for the release of the British Iranian mother-of-one before Christmas. Mr Johnson's mission to Iran could see Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe set free for Christmas, her husband Richard Ratcliffe hopes. Speaking to Sky News after Mr Johnson's meeting tonight, Mr Ratcliffe said he was 'really pleased' the foreign secretary met with officials in Iran, adding: 'It can only be a good thing'. He went on: 'He's done a good job of meeting lots of different people. 'I stand here still with my fingers crossed.' Mr Ratcliffe also explained that 'it's complicated in Iran' and stressed that he will find out more tomorrow. He mentioned, too, that he spoke with his wife this morning in a 'surprise phone call'. 'She remains fragile,' he said. 'She's not in a good place.' Iranian Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani with Mr Johnson Just ahead of Johnson's visit, Iran's state-run English broadcaster PressTV re-aired a documentary accusing Zaghari-Ratcliffe of planning the 'soft toppling' of Iran's government. Her family has denied the allegations Johnson met first with Zarif. The state-run IRNA news agency said he would meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other top officials during his visit (pictured speaking with an interpreter) 'I think it's realistic she could be home for Christmas, I am hopeful,' husband Richard Ratcliffe told The Sun. Mr Johnson requested to visit Nazanin during his visit, a move welcomed by her husband. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, of West Hampstead, North London, could see her five year sentence doubled following fresh charges, having been arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Her husband said that by Tuesday or Wednesday of the coming week, he would know the likelihood of having his wife home for Christmas. The threats to increase her sentence by five years came following a gaffe made by Mr Johnson, where he told a parliamentary committee she had been in Iran to train journalists. He later acknowledged this was not the case. It is understood that Mr Ratcliffe has not accompanied Mr Johnson on his trip after receiving advice that it may not help his chances of seeing his wife in prison. Johnson is in Tehran as part of a three-nation Gulf tour, which the Foreign Office said was focused on the Iran nuclear deal and 'how to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen.' Iran supports Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are at war with a Saudi-led coalition, but it denies arming them. That's despite both Saudi Arabia and the U.S. accusing Iran of supplying the Houthis with ballistic missiles, including one the rebels used to target Riyadh on November 4 Tehran does not recognise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's dual UK-Iranian nationality, and refuses access to her for representatives of the British authorities, making a prison visit for the Foreign Secretary unlikely during the trip. Mr Johnson said he wanted the visit to be 'constructive', however he admitted that 'on many issues we will not agree' despite improvements to relations in recent years. He said: 'Iran is a significant country in a strategically important, but volatile and unstable, region which matters to the UK's security and prosperity. The mother-of-one is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly planning the 'soft toppling' of Iran's government, and has been imprisoned since April 2016. Husband Richard Ratcliffe said he's hopeful his wife will be freed by Christmas 'My first visit is an opportunity to hold further discussions on a series of crucial issues, including how we can find a political solution to the devastating conflict in Yemen and secure greater humanitarian access to ease the immense suffering there. 'I will also underline the UK's continued support for the nuclear deal while making clear our concerns about some of Iran's activity in the region. 'We will also discuss our bilateral relationship and I will stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so.' Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, of Hampstead, North London, could see her five year sentence doubled following fresh charges, having been arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case is one of a small number of cases of dual nationals whose release Britain is seeking on humanitarian grounds on which Mr Johnson will push for progress. The Foreign Office has declined to name the other individuals involved - or even identify the number in jail - after their families asked for their cases to be kept out of the public eye. Relations with Iran have been strained in recent years, despite the reopening of the UK embassy in Tehran in 2015, but London has detected possible signs of greater openness to dialogue in recent months. Advertisement Heavy snow and ice will continue is set to cause widespread disruption across large parts of the UK today with forecasters warning some communities could be cut off as temperatures plummet. Weather warnings remain in place across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of western England as icy conditions plunged roads into chaos last night. And emergency services are preparing for all eventualities, with West Midlands Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team taking to Twitter to post an image of of their Polaris six-by-six all-terrain vehicle. They said: 'Did you know we have a 6x6 Polaris with its own snow plough and stretcher to rescue patients? 'We use this to access patients in remote areas where even 4x4 ambulances can't reach!' Scroll down for video West Midlands Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team took to Twitter to post an image of of their Polaris six-by-six all-terrain vehicle which can reach places even four-by-four vehicles are unable to Traffic grinds to a halt in front of a wintry backdrop on the A55 in Wales following an accident in blizzard conditions on Saturday Police and ambulance crews attend the scene of a crash on the icy M6 near Preston, Lancashire, on Saturday morning. Officers confirmed no one was hurt in the incident A dusting of snow covers the ground at a farm in Middleton-in-Teesdale on Saturday morning as the country is hit by sub-zero temperatures Snow showers and below freezing temperatures made roads treacherous across parts of the UK on Sunday morning Sheet ice completely covers the road in Foolow, in the Derbyshire Peak District on another freezing morning on Saturday Temperatures plummeted over night well below freezing which caused these 7ft icicles to form under a bridge at the Killhope Lead Mining Museum in The North Pennines on Saturday This graphic shows the temperature across the country as well as the wind speed, precipitation and air pressure as Storm Caroline sweeps across the UK. It also shows how the UK compares to other countries on the continent Pedestrians in Aberdeen do their best not to slip over as they make their way down a snow-covered street on Saturday Snow continued to affect Scotland yesterday. Pictured: A postman struggles to complete his round during a blizzard in Ellon, Aberdeenshire A dusting of snow covered much of Cumbria yesterday morning making for some dangerous driving conditions A car drives through the snow yesterday near Castleton in the Peak District. Widespread disruption is expected on the roads A postman wearing a pair of shorts delivers mail in StalyBridge, Greater Manchester, yesterday morning Temperatures already plunged to a bitterly cold -9C in Dalwhinnie the coldest temperature during the autumn and winter period. And hundreds of homes are still without power in the West Midlands, where temperatures remained below freezing overnight. An amber 'be prepared' warning of heavy snow, beginning at 4am tomorrow, has been issued for most of north Wales and north-west England, while parts of the West and East Midlands, the East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber and London and the South East could also be affected. The Met Office said: 'Road, rail and air travel delays are likely, as well as stranding of vehicles and public transport cancellations. 'There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off.' And London is predicted to see as much as 4in of snowfall in the north, but it could affect other parts of the capital. Tailbacks were last night forming on the A50 in Stoke following a 'serious' incident involving a lorry, close to the Royal Mail sorting office. There are also delays on the M40 between Beaconsfield and Loudwater, Buckinghamshire, after a car overturned between junctions 2 and 3. The onslaught of snow could also disrupt the skies, with Birmingham Airport writing on Twitter: 'If you're flying from bhx tomorrow morning please leave more time for your journey in case of snow.' The amber alert is accompanied by a yellow warning of wind for parts of eastern England, London and the South East, the South West and Wales that could bring 'short-term loss of power and other services' as well as transport disruption. Around 4in (10cm) of snow is expected to fall widely in the warning areas over just a few hours, while as much as 10in (25cm) is possible in worst-hit areas, as Storm Caroline drags cold air across the country from Scandinavia. 'Road, rail and air travel delays are likely, as well as stranding of vehicles and public transport cancellations. There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off,' the Met Office said. The Ministry of Defence spokesman said the Armed Forces 'stand ready to provide assistance if needed'. The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze dubbed tomorrow 'Snow Sunday'. He said: 'It will really pelt down, meeting the definition of a 'snow bomb', an expression used when at least four inches of snow fall in a few hours as significant disruption always results.' A yellow 'be aware' warning of snow and ice covering western parts stretching from Devon and Cornwall in the South to the far north of Scotland is in place until 6pm this evening, with temperatures struggling to get much higher than 0C (32F) 'across the board' throughout the day. Highways England has advised road users intending to travel through the West Midlands and the north-west of England to check the forecast and road conditions before they travel. Several roads in Wales have been declared 'impassable' due to the conditions with reports of vehicles becoming stuck in the Brecon Beacons. Walkers make the most of the beautiful scenery at Winnats Pass in the Peak District, Derbyshire, yesterday morning Families spend their Saturday morning sledging in the Brecon Beacons National Park Snow covers the landscape over the Brecon Beacons, Wales, as the cold weather continues across the UK Four men hike on the snow-covered mountains at Brecon Beacons National Park this afternoon A football fan amuses herself by building a snowman at Gigg Lane, Bury, after the home side's match against AFC Wimbledon was postponed yesterday due to a frozen pitch The sun peaks out from behind the trees as deep snow covers Ironbridge in Shropshire yesterday morning A hardy swimmer runs to his clothes after taking a dip in the Serpentine at London's Hyde Park yesterday morning The scantily-clad swimmers braved freezing temperatures in the park as bemused onlookers walked by on Saturday While in Lancashire, motorists were subjected to long delays after two lanes were closed on the icy M6 for two hours following an accident. Police advised motorists to 'drive to the conditions' after the vehicle collided with the central reservation on the motorway, near Preston. Officers confirmed no one was hurt in the incident. In Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, this afternoon police were met head-on by a driver mistakenly attempting to join the wrong side of the M62 in extremely poor visibility. Conditions are predicted to ease as the day progresses before the heavy snowfall tomorrow night with sunshine forecast large parts of England. In Manchester, fire stations are opening their doors to the city's homeless to provide them with shelter against bitterly cold conditions. Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: 'For much of southern England, the Midlands and eastern England it's going to be a sunny start to what will be a fine and sunny day and with the winds a bit lighter than yesterday it won't feel quite so bitter. 'You will still need a few layers on though.' Tonight in Edinburgh some 9,000 people will brave the sub-zero temperatures when sleep in a park as part of a campaign to raise 4million to end homelessness in Scotland. And in London this morning hardy swimmers were seen taking a dip in Hyde Park's Serpentine lake as in front of bemused onlookers. Meanwhile, council gritting teams are on standby to cover roads across the country as temperatures are set to plummet for a second night. The Met Office forecast -10C (14F) lows in Scotland and -5C (23F) in England tomorrow. Snow showers hit parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and the Midlands yesterday. Schools were closed and commuters faced havoc with cancelled trains and treacherous driving conditions. On Friday night lows of -5.3C (22F) were recorded at Spadeadam in Cumbria, while widespread frost was forecast on Saturday night with lows of -12C (10F) expected in sheltered Scottish glens under clear skies. Some 18,000 homes were reconnected after losing power as a result of stormy weather on Friday, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said. A total of 14cm (6in) of snow was recorded in Inverness-shire, while 12cm (4.7in) was recorded in Aviemore. A father and his son walk their dog past a large snowman on Black Mountain in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Friday Fizz the Collie dog had fun in the snow at woodlands near Muir of Ord in the Scottish Highlands Hartington in the Derbyshire Peak District woke up to a thick blanket of snow first thing yesterday morning, with freezing temperatures and lows of -3C People making their way to work in Birmingham Friday morning donned wellington boots, umbrellas and fur coats Heading out of this weekend, Britain it set to be battered by Storm Ana, which could hit parts of the southern English channel bringing some snow and gusts of 70mph. The storm, which was named by Spanish weather agencies and is caused by a deep depression which is expected to travel of France, is believed to batter the Bay of Biscay but could affect southern parts of Britain. It could bring strong winds to parts of southern England on Monday should the storm take a northern trajectory, yet it may not effect Britain should it take a southern trajectory. The Met Office is unclear about what path the storm may take. A spokesman confirmed that it will be monitoring the storm over the weekend and will offer weather warnings if necessary. Dramatic pictures from across the country revealed a number of stricken vehicles which have crashed on treacherous roads in Scotland, Flintshire, the Peak District and Derbyshire. Motorists filmed their perilous commutes to work and one driver captured the moment a huge wave washed over a commuter ferry in Scotland. The Local Government Association confirmed that councils are prepared for the possibility of snow tomorrow as some 2,000 gritters across Britain are tackling the freeze. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks have issued a checklist to help residents in the event of a power cut A spokesman for Highways England said: 'We work around the clock to keep traffic moving.' The RAC predicted breakdowns to rocket 20 per cent to 7,000 tomorrow, with its busiest day since last winter due on Monday. RAC spokesman Pete Williams said: 'Call-outs are expected to soar on Sunday, with Monday seeing the highest number of roadside requests since last winter.' Network Rail said it is using a thermal-imaging helicopter running empty 'ghost trains' at night to clear snow and ice from the tracks. And Britain's major airports are prepared: Heathrow has 500 snow-clearing staff and 185 snowploughs on duty while Gatwick has 98 snow-ploughs and blowers ready. The Ministry of Defence spokesman said requests for assistance can be made to the department. 'Then we would see what help we can provide,' he added. In December 2010, the Army cleared snow from streets in Edinburgh, provided ambulance services in Scotland and offered to clear Heathrow snow. And in January 2013, the Army moved two buses stuck in snow for five hours in Northumberland. A very excited-looking pooch pulls a hilarious face for the camera as it bounds around int he snowy Brecon Beacons Five people, including one teenager, have been arrested after a police investigation into a 'sophisticated and highly organised' cocaine syndicate allegedly operating across Sydney. Three men, a woman and a 17-year-old were charged on Friday in relation to the alleged drug ring which supplied hundreds of customers throughout the city. The men, aged between 22 and 43, a 27-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy were arrested in Ryde on Friday and charged with numerous offences, including directing a criminal group, supplying drugs and possessing weapons. Three men, a woman and a 17-year-old were charged on Friday in relation to the alleged drug ring which supplied hundreds of customers throughout the city (Stock image of cocaine pictured) The arrests follow a major police sting which resulted in the arrest of over 30 people in Sydney's CBD last week (pictured) The five accused were refused bail and appeared in Parramatta Bail Court and a children's court on Saturday. 'This syndicate was a sophisticated and highly organised group but, like all criminal groups, their time came to an end,' Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace said in a statement. 'Drug supply and use have absolutely devastating effects on the community and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure groups like these are stopped.' Detective Wallace also said the arrests should act as a warning to others who participate in criminal activity. 'It may not be today or tomorrow but if you are involved in criminal activity it is only a matter of time before we catch up with you,' she said. Detective Wallace also said the arrests should act as a warning to others who participate in criminal activity. 'It may not be today or tomorrow but if you are involved in criminal activity it is only a matter of time before we catch up with you,' she said. 'This syndicate was a sophisticated and highly organised group but, like all criminal groups, their time came to an end,' Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace said in a statement (Stock image) The arrests are the result of a lengthy police operation which began in February 2017, when officers attached to the former Middle Eastern Organised Crime Squad established Strike Force Mirimar to investigate the large-scale supply of cocaine through the Sydney Metropolitan Region. The arrests follow the large-scale 'dial-a-dealer' police sting which resulted in 36 men and women charged and 468 grams of cocaine, 196g of MDMA, $120,000 cash, two loaded firearms and a number of cars seized. A police spokesperson was unable to confirm if Friday's arrests were in relation to the recent police operation. The arrests (pictured) follow the large-scale 'dial-a-dealer' police sting which resulted in 36 men and women charged and 468 grams of cocaine, 196g of MDMA, $120,000 cash, two loaded firearms and a number of cars seized A police spokesperson was unable to confirm if Friday's arrests were in relation to the recent police operation (pictured) About 2000 phone numbers were retrieved from the offenders' phones to help with the investigation last week. The cocaine seized would have equated to about 500 street deals. The majority of those arrested face charges relating to the ongoing dealing of cocaine and others were picked up for possession. Michael Gove has reassured British voters that they will be able to force changes to the EU withdrawal deal at the next election if they do not like it Michael Gove has reassured British voters that they will be able to force changes to the EU withdrawal deal at the next election if they do not like it. The environmental secretary - instrumental in the Brexit camp's victory in 2016 - said that if voters were not satisfied with the deal there would be scope to change it at subsequent elections. 'The British people will be in control. If the British people dislike the agreement that we have negotiated with the EU, the agreement will allow a future government to diverge,' Gove said in his Telegraph column - reported to have received approval from No 10 beforehand. Adding that after a period of transition, the UK would have 'full freedom to diverge from EU law on the single market and customs union'. Doubling down on his campaign promises, Mr Gove emphasised in his column that Britain will be free to spend more cash on the NHS and housing once the country has left the EU, as well as being at liberty to make trade deals abroad. Mrs May earned praise after the European Commission cleared the way for negotiations on the future relationship after the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Setting out the agreements on three fundamental issues, Gove said that it was Mrs May's tenacity and skill as a negotiator that had allowed Britain to move on to the next phase of negotiations. Those three were an agreement on a financial settlement, achieving 'certainty' for the rights of three million EU citizens living in the UK, and an agreement on the question on the Irish border. Having settled on all three, Britain is able to edge closer to the final withdrawal from the European Union, Gove said. Setting out the agreements on three fundamental issues, Gove said that it was Mrs May's tenacity and skill as a negotiator that had allowed Britain to move on to the next phase of negotiations Britain will pay a 'divorce bill' of up to 39 billion under the terms of a withdrawal package agreed with Brussels. The breakthrough was hailed by Mrs May as 'a hard-won agreement in all our interests'. Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said it represented 'sufficient progress' for negotiations to move on to their second phase, subject to approval by leaders of the remaining 27 EU states at a summit on December 14-15. In dramatic pre-dawn scenes, Mrs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis flew to Brussels to confirm with Mr Juncker over breakfast the text of a joint document setting out proposals on the key withdrawal issues of citizens' rights, the Irish border and Britain's exit bill. Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker (right) said it represented 'sufficient progress' for negotiations to move on to their second phase. While Nigel Farage (left) said he expected anger to emerge at the preliminary agreement over the weekend The key concessions Britain must pay a 'divorce bill' of up to 39 billion under the terms of the withdrawal package The European Court of Justice will oversee EU citizens' rights in the UK for eight years after Brexit Three million EU citizens will be permitted to remain in the UK - and bring their families There will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland The UK will stay in the single market and customs union until 2021 Advertisement But the scene was set for further wrangling, as European Council president Donald Tusk set out guidelines for the next phase of talks, covering the transition to a post-Brexit relationship, which envisage the UK staying in the single market and customs union and observing all EU laws for around two years after the official withdrawal date in March 2019. In contrast, former Ukip leader Nigel Farage predicted that Tory anger over May's agreement with Former Ukip leader emerge over the weekend. Speaking to the BBC, Mr Farage said: 'I think that within the next 48 hours you will hear a lot more Conservative voices... saying, actually, they are not happy with whats happened today.' The determination was made during talks between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Liberian Foreign Minister Marjon Vashti Kamara in Hanoi on December 8th. At the talks, Minh asserted that Vietnam always attaches importance to developing its friendship and cooperation with Liberia, a promising partner in West Africa. The two officials agreed on concrete measures to further the bilateral ties in a deep and effective manner. In terms of economy, the Liberian official wished Vietnam to help his country in agriculture, mining, infrastructure building and telecommunication. He welcomed Vietnamese businesses to Liberia for market research to establish trade and investment relations. The two sides agreed to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese and Liberian enterprises to promote trade and attend fairs and exhibitions in respective countries. They discussed measures to step up collaboration in agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunication, and defence-security, and agreed to soon sign the framework agreement on cooperation between the two Governments, the bilateral trade agreement, the agreement on investment encouragement and protection, the protocol on cooperation between the two foreign ministries, creating a favourable legal corridor for bilateral cooperation. In terms of politics, the two sides emphasised the need to increase the exchange of all-level delegations via the channels of Party, State, National Assembly, ministries and localities while facilitating people-to-people exchange to further solidarity and mutual understanding. They also pledged to continue coordination at multilateral forums. Deputy PM and FM Pham Binh Minh expressed his wish to welcome the President of Liberia in Hanoi next year. He suggested the West African country support Vietnams bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and recognise Vietnam as a full market economy. Regarding regional and international issues of mutual concern, the Vietnamese official affirmed the principle stance of Vietnam and ASEAN is to solve disputes, including those in the East Sea, by peaceful means, including full respect for diplomatic and legal processes on the basis of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and objection to the use of force or threat of use of force. Stressing the need for the full and serious implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), Minh suggested Liberia back the principal stance of Vietnam and ASEAN. Following the talks, Deputy PM and FM Pham Binh Minh and Liberian FM Marjon Vashti Kamara witnessed the signing of the agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders, the first agreement between the two countries./. The United Nations has warned Australia that discrimination against Muslims and Aboriginals is 'on the rise' and it must 'put an end to racist hate speech'. The damning review was blasted by Multicultural Affairs Minister Zed Seselja, who lashed out at the global organisation's 'bizarre criticism', the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The report outlined 16 areas where improvement was needed including the welfare and status of Indigenous Australians, asylum seekers and migrant workers. It also claimed Arabs, Muslims, Africans, South Asians and Indigenous Australians were 'particularly affected by racist hate speech and violence'. The United Nations has warned Australia that discrimination against Muslims and Aboriginals is 'on the rise' Multicultural Affairs Minister Zed Seselja (pictured) lashed out at the global organisation's 'bizarre criticism A number of proposals to remedy the issues were put forward including one recommending to effectively censor aspects of the media and public commentary. The document put forward an idea to take another look at section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act which should be better policed by 'law enforcement officials'. The UN report also questioned whether the lack of racial discrimination complaints that made it before the high court were due to high costs and the burden of proof required. Section 18C says it is unlawful to offend, insult or humiliate someone on the basis of race. A recommendation was made to censor some media and public commentary (pictured: protesters clash during a demonstration outside Milo Yiannopoulos' sold out show at the Melbourne Pavilion) The UN report also questioned the lack of racial discrimination complaints (pictured: police officers holding a man after he made a disturbance at Cronulla beach in Sydney) Following the review released in Geneva on Friday, the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination stated 'expressions of racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia, including in the public sphere and political debates as well as in the media, are on the rise' in Australia. The findings were put together off submissions and testimony from non-government organisations, communities and Australian governments. Senator Seselja said the Turnbull government 'completely rejects this bizarre criticism' and that a successful multicultural Australia 'is only possible, if at the same time, our borders are secure and our nation is safe'. Politicians were singled out in the report, stating Australia could fight against xenophobia by ensuring public servants 'not only refrain from such speech but also formally reject and condemn hate speech'. The media was also recommended to 'put an end to racist hate speech' in print and online while ensuring a 'code of good conduct' with clear restrictions on racism. A woman protester with a megaphone speaks during a protest, organized by Aboriginal rights activists on Australia Day in Melbourne, Australia in January Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday that Iraqi forces had driven the last remnants of Islamic State from the country, three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq's territory. The announcement comes two days after the Russian military announced the defeat of the militants in neighbouring Syria, where Moscow is backing Syrian government forces. The Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under IS control along the border with Syria, state television quoted Abadi as telling an Arab media conference in Baghdad. Prime Minister Theresa May has congratulated Mr al-Abadi but warned the extremist group are 'not yet defeated'. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday that Iraqi forces had driven the last remnants of Islamic State from the country, three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq's territory Several squadrons of Iraqi helicopters flew over Baghdad carrying Iraqi flags at noon, in an apparent rehearsal for a victory parade that Iraq is planning to hold in the coming days. 'Commander-in-Chief @HaiderAlAbadi announces that Iraq's armed forces have secured the western desert & the entire Iraq Syria border, says this marks the end of the war against Daesh terrorists who have been completely defeated and evicted from Iraq,' the federal government's official account tweeted. In a separate tweet later, Abadi said: 'Our heroic armed forces have now secured the entire length of the Iraq-Syria border. We defeated Daesh through our unity and sacrifice for the nation. Long live Iraq and its people.' Daesh is an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. Iraq's fightback was launched with the backing of an air campaign waged by a US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists Mosul, the group's de facto capital in Iraq, fell in July after a gruelling nine-month campaign backed by a U.S.-led coalition that saw much of the northern Iraqi city destroyed The U.S.-led coalition that has been supporting the Iraqi forces against Islamic State welcomed the news in a tweet. 'The Coalition congratulate the people of Iraq on their significant victory against #Daesh. We stand by them as they set the conditions for a secure and prosperous #futureiraq,' said the tweet. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson praised Iraqi achievements but said Islamic State remained a threat. 'The fight though isn't over, as the group continue to pose a threat from across the Syrian border. 'They can plan and inspire terrorist attacks, which rally their branches worldwide and continue to inspire others at home and abroad to do us harm. 'We must continue to support the government of Iraq to ensure their long term security, the lives of the Iraqi and Syrian people, regional stability, and ultimately the security of our own country.' Mosul, the group's de facto capital in Iraq, fell in July after a gruelling nine-month campaign backed by a U.S.-led coalition that saw much of the northern Iraqi city destroyed. Islamic State's Syrian capital Raqqa also fell to a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition in September. The forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare, a tactic the militants have already shown themselves capable of. The war has had a devastating impact on the areas previously controlled by the militants. About 3.2 million people remain displaced, a U.N. statement said on Saturday. Suspected Islamic State members sit inside a small room in a prison south of Mosul Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in 2014 declared in Mosul the founding of a new Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria, released an audio recording on Sept. 28 that indicated he was alive, after several reports he had been killed. He urged his followers to keep up the fight despite setbacks. Baghdadi is believed to be hiding in the stretch of desert in the border area. His followers imposed a reign of terror on the populations they controlled, alienating even many of those Sunni Muslims who had supported the group as allies against the heavy-handed rule of the Shi'ite majority-led government of the time. The militants took thousands of women from the Yazidi minority, which lives in a mountain west of Mosul, as sex slaves and killed the men. Driven from its two de facto capitals, Islamic State was progressively squeezed this year into an ever-shrinking pocket of desert, straddling the frontier between the two countries, by enemies that include regional states and global powers. In Iraq, the group confronted mainly U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and Iranian-trained Shi'ite paramilitaries known as Popular Mobilisation. In his speech to the Arab media conference, Abadi said 'the victories were achieved thanks to our unity', a reference to the contribution of different communities, including Sunni tribal fighters. The Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under IS control along the border with Syria, state television quoted Abadi as telling an Arab media conference in Baghdad However, Iraq faces a fresh internal conflict after it retaliated economically and militarily against the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for holding a referendum on Kurdish independence despite Baghdad's opposition. UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who said she saw the situation on the ground first hand during a visit to Iraq last week, added: 'Daesh no longer hold significant territory in Iraq or Syria. I pay tribute to the Iraqi security forces for their courage and sacrifice. 'I am proud that the UK, as a leading member of the global coalition, has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraq. 'The UK, as a coalition member, has played a leading role in supporting the Iraqi security forces, including the armed forces and the Peshmerga, in the fight against Daesh. UK aircraft have launched over 1,350 air strikes in Iraq and have trained over 60,000 members of the Iraqi security forces. 'UK aid provides a vital lifeline to millions of Iraqis with emergency food, shelter, medical care and clean water. We are now supporting the government of Iraq to lay the foundations for an economy that meets the aspirations of all Iraqis. 'During my visit, I announced that the UK will invest 30 million in stabilisation support, 20 million in humanitarian assistance and 10 million to support counter-terrorist capacity building in Iraq.' Iraq faces a fresh internal conflict after it retaliated economically and militarily against the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for holding a referendum on Kurdish independence despite Baghdad's opposition. Pictured: Militiamen watch Prime Minister al-Abadi's speech The United States is also congratulating Iraq following the that the war is over. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the U.S. offers 'sincere congratulations to the Iraqi people and to the brave Iraqi Security Forces, many of whom lost their lives heroically fighting ISIS,' in an official statement released Saturday. The statement adds 'the United States joins the Government of Iraq in stressing that Iraq's liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against ISIS, in Iraq is over.' ISIS is an alternative acronym for IS. Iraqi and coalition officials have stressed that despite the declaration of military victories against the extremists, Iraq continues to be faced with significant security threats. The Islamic State group has repeatedly returned to their insurgent roots following territorial defeats, targeting Iraqi civilians and infrastructure far from frontline fighting. One of the UK's highest ranked police officers was handed 67,000 so that she could move house as part of a 'benefits in kind' payout totalling more than 100,000. Scotland's deputy chief constable Rose Fitzpatrick was earning 175,000 when the Scottish Police Authority also paid her 53,000 tax bill as part of the public money package. Financial watchdog Audit Scotland branded it an 'unacceptable' use of public cash in a report that showed the authority also paid an HR director the equivalent of a 324,822 annual salary. Rose Fitzpatrick was given a 'benefits in kind' package totaling more than 100,000 in public money Ms Fitzpatrick's tax bill was footed by the authority for 2016-17 in a move that is still unexplained, according to The Times. Two relocation packages where allocated when she moved from London to Scotland, the first 18,000 in 2014-15 and the next for 49,000 in 2016-17. The second payment was incorrectly recorded as 'childcare vouchers', meaning it was not liable for tax. This also kept it from appearing in the accounts in the usual way, which has led critics to accuse the authority of behaving 'as some kind of dodgy haven'. The HR director was paid 106,192 after being employed for the 17 weeks leading up to March 31. Scotland's deputy chief constable Rose Fitzpatrick was earning 175,000 when the Scottish Police Authority also paid her 53,000 tax bill The authority also spent 199,500 to second James Grady from PwC accountants as a chief financial officer for fewer than 10 months. Police Scotland and the authority made the payments despite being repeatedly told to bring spending under control while they ran up. Audit Scotland described each of the payments as 'not good use of public money' and auditor-general Caroline Gardner called the packages 'unacceptable'. John Foley, the authority's chief executive who stood down last month, was singled out for authorising the payments. A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'Audit Scotland has made it clear that Deputy Chief Constable Fitzpatrick acted in accordance with the terms of her appointment and that she at all times complied fully with the requirements of the Scottish Police Authority.' A Scottish Police Authority spokesman said: 'We accept that this is an area where more can be done to ensure we achieve best value. 'As a result, the SPA has initiated discussions with the staff associations through official channels with a view to agreeing guidance that ensures officers are reimbursed for expenses reasonably incurred while also demonstrating efficient use of taxpayers money.' This is the latest blow for Scotlands police force, which has been dogged by the departure of top managers, financial issues and criticism. Conservative MSP Liam Kerr said: 'This report could lead some to think the Scottish Police Authority has been behaving like some kind of dodgy haven. 'People will be astonished if senior police officers are having their tax liabilities settled by the taxpayer and theyll be incredulous if none of this was properly declared.' Liam McArthur demanded an independent commission to fix the issues And Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur says an independent commission is needed to fix issues within the police and the authority. The Scottish Police Federation, which represents the force's officers, branded the pay deals for temporary staff 'profligacy of the highest order'. The spokesman added: 'It is beyond belief that at a time the police service is under the greatest financial stress in living memory that public funds have been used like Monopoly money.' Former Labour minister Susan Deacon, who recently took over as the authority's chairwoman, acknowledged problems need to be addressed. 'I share the auditors concerns and I will work with the SPA board and the new chief officer to ensure we learn the lessons from that and that further improvements in decision-making, transparency and process are made,' she said. Justice secretary Michael Matheson said the authority must give 'due consideration' to concerns raised and 'take any appropriate measures that are necessary to try and prevent this type of thing from happening again'. Rose McGowan lashed out at her former Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano this week for her enduring friendship with Harvey Weinstein's ex-wife. McGowan, who has led the commentary on Weinstein's alleged abuse of countless women and claims to have beenvictimized by the mogul himself, told Milano on Twitter that she made her want to 'vomit'. 'You make me want to vomit. You actually gave me a body flashback. Well done, fake one,' she wrote. The remark was in reference to Milano's comments about Weinstein's estranged wife Georgina Chapman earlier in the week. Milano, who herself is an advocate for the Me Too movement, appeared on Megyn Kelly Today and was asked how Chapman, 41, was faring in the wake of the scandal. Scroll down for video Rose McGowan lashed out at her Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano on Thursday for her kind words towards Georgina Chapman, Harvey Weinstein's estranged wife, earlier in the week McGowan and Milano (pictured in 2007) appeared on Charmed together from 1998 until 2006 Before answering Kelly's question, she made a point of signalling her friendship with McGowan too. 'I am,' she said, in reference to the host's remark that she and Chapman were friends. 'I am also very good friends with Rose McGowan, my co-star on Charmed for five years,' she said. Milano then went on to say while Chapman was doing 'very well', she has 'very dark times'. 'Georgina is doing very well. She's an amazing mother, she's an amazing woman and I think her priority right now is focusing on how to raise those two children to the best of her capacity given the situation. 'She goes through very dark times, she's very sad. This is not easy for her. 'But I have no doubt that not only will she come out on the other side of it but she deserves to, she is a good woman,' she said. Chapman left Weinstein after the first allegations against him emerged in a New York Times report in October. 'A good woman': Milano said earlier in the week that Georgina Chapman, Harvey Weinstein's estranged wife, was an 'amazing mother' who was doing 'very well' despite the revelations against her husband Milano and Chapman (above in 2014) are friends. She said while Chapman was having 'very dark times', she 'deserves' to recover from the scandal On Tuesday, Milano appeared on Megyn Kelly Today where she described both McGowan and Chapman as friends McGowan claims Weinstein raped her in 1997. At the time, she accepted a settlement from him but spoke out in October as dozens of other women came forward with allegations. She is pictured with the mogul in 2007 At the time, she said she was 'heartbroken' for the women who had suffered under her husband but gave no indication of whether their claims came as a shock to her. 'My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband. 'Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time,' she said in a statement. McGowan, 44, who took a settlement from Weinstein after alleging that he raped her in 1997, does not adopt the same sympathetic view of the mogul's wife as her co-star. She claims Chapman was complicit in her husband's alleged bullying of Hollywood stars who say he forced them to wear her Marchesa designs on the red carpet. Marchesa was founded in 2004, the same year she and Weinstein met. McGowan carried on her crusade against Chapman by taking aim at her fashion label Marchesa Chapman's fashion label was founded in 2004, the same year she met Weinstein. It quickly became successful thanks to the famous actresses who would wear her designs on the red carpet It was funded by the multi-millionaire movie mogul and enjoyed instant success, the likes of which most infant labels can only dream of, thanks to a handful of actresses who boosted its profile by wearing some of its earliest garments to premieres and events. McGowan harkened back to this seemingly overnight success on Twitter as she blasted Chapman this week. She retweeted the following remarks from another user: 'I'm saying Georgina Chapman's company was 100% funded by Weinstein money. No one knew who she was in the fashion world before she married him. 'I'm saying Weinstein bullied abused women to wear his wife's clothing line. She knew who and what she married and why.' Milano, an advocate of the MeToo movement, spent the rest of her week discussing the topic. She is pictured on Friday with Anita Hill and Fatima Gross Graves at an event in Beverly Hills McGowan then went further and told Milano and Chapman to 'call up Camille Cosby', the wife of of alleged serial abuser Bill Cosby who has always denied the allegations against him despite several women coming forward to say he drugged and sexually assaulted them. Milano has not responded to McGowan's comments. She has spent the last week advocating on behalf of sexual abuse sufferers. On Friday, she attended an event to hear Anita Hill, the law professor who accused Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas of sexual assault in 1991, relive her fight to bring him to justice. Milano and McGowan starred together on Charmed from 1998 to 2006. An IT worker who downed two bottles of whiskey before mugging two men of their mobile phones walked free after a judge accepted he was in 'real fear of prison'. Chris Kolajo, 19, spotted Stephen Dyke using his Microsoft Lumia 650 as he parked his motorbike on his way to work shortly after 6am back on August 2. Mr Dyke became aware of a group of males watching him close to the Vanilla Club in Soho, central London, and quickly put the device away. Chris Kolajo, 19, (pictured) spotted Stephen Dyke using his Microsoft Lumia 650 as he parked his motorbike on his way to work shortly after 6am back on August 2 But three of the group approached, with Kolajo warning: 'I don't want to hurt you but you need to give me something - I've got a blade.' The victim claimed Kolajo kept his hand inside the pocket of his zipped-up tracksuit as he demanded the phone, Southwark Crown Court heard. Fearing what might happen if he failed to oblige, Mr Dyke handed over the device which was eventually recovered from Kolajo when he was arrested a short while later. A second man, Leon Garcia, reported spotting a group of about five males with whom he had shared a bit of banter with earlier that same morning. Kolajo, of Lytchet Way, Enfield, Middlesex, was handed a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay 500 costs in addition to a 140 surcharge But when they crossed paths at around the same time as Mr Dyke's mugging, he claimed the group appeared more aggressive. Again, Kolajo was the one to approach, telling Mr Garcia: 'Come on, you know you have to do this because I have got a blade.' Believing the threat to ring true, he surrendered his Samsung mobile before picking himself up off the floor following a shove from one of the other men and scurrying away. Kolajo subsequently pleaded guilty to both robberies last month. The court heard the ashamed and remorseful teenager had necked two bottles of Jack Daniel's in the hours leading up to the muggings while probation officers reported he may have been acting up in front of his cronies, none of whom were identified. 'These are very serious offences,' said Judge Michael Grieve QC. 'You played the leading role in two street robberies, pretending to have a knife. 'Whether or not you did, I sentence you on the basis that there is no clear evidence to me that you did have a knife and therefore that it was a pretence. 'It is nevertheless very serious.' He added: 'I accept you have been in real fear of prison - and you should have been - and for the last four months there has been a real restriction on your liberty in the form of a curfew. 'I very much hope that everything you have said is true and that you will not succumb to this type of very serious street violence again in the future.' Kolajo, of Lytchet Way, Enfield, Middlesex, was handed a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay 500 costs in addition to a 140 surcharge. He was also made subject to an alcohol abstinence monitoring order for 60 days, a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement and ordered to complete 120 hours' unpaid work. A Labour candidate has apologised after previously claiming there was 'no proof' ISIS exists in one of a spate of controversial Facebook posts. Safia Noor, 25, was selected as the left-wing party's new candidate for the Small Heath ward in Birmingham city council elections next year. But the law student has come under fire after it emerged the school governor has posted a string of highly controversial messages on social media about ISIS and UK terror attacks. The same day as the Westminster terror attack in March this year, which left five dead, she posted: 'Can people relax and stop fighting on Facebook, sadly people died in Westminster today but people die everyday in Syria Palestine Africa Rohingya Kashmir.. Need I carry on?!! Grow up and stop pointing fingers!' Safia Noor, 25, was selected as the left-wing party's new candidate for the Small Heath ward in Birmingham city council elections next year She posted #AdultsPlayingDumb and #UnityNotWar below the message. On the same day in a message only to her followers, Noor posted: 'Terrorist attack...and even the terrorist died?! Let me guess, he was a Muslim!' On March 27, five days after the Westminster attack, she commented on a Guardian article which had the headline: 'Westminster attacker Khalid Masood had interest in Jihad - police'. She then posted: 'So someone got stabbed after the attack last week as a result of media and government claiming that SO CALLED ISIS HAD CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY. 'There is no ISIS and there is no proof.' She also 'liked' an article by the Independent which was headlined: 'Egyptian state media claims 9/11 was carried out by West to justify war on terror' on September last year. Noor said there was 'no ISIS and there is no proof' just five days after the Westminster terror attack in March this year Safia Noor with Labour MPs Shabana Mahmood and Liam Byrne When The Birmingham Mail contacted Noor about the incidents, she abruptly interrupted them saying: 'At this point in time it is not appropriate for me to speak about any of this, simply because I'm in the middle of something.' Noor has previously been photographed with high-profile Labour MPs, including Yvette Cooper, Jess Philips and Shabana Mahmood. In a statment email after, she said: 'Following your phone call I would like to say: 'Having read these comments back I accept I should have chosen my words more carefully. I didn't intend to cause any offence and I apologise to anyone who found those comments offensive or upsetting. 'I completely condemn all terrorist acts.' A spokesman for Labour's local regional office was contacted but declined to comment. But it is understood the party welcomed Ms Noor's apology. President Trump blasted CNN on Saturday over a mistake in its report which wrongly claimed his son Donald Jr. received hacked DNC files before they were made public, describing the error as 'vicious and purposeful'. In his weekly early-morning flurry of tweets at around 8am, the president fumed: 'Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday. 'They were caught red handed, just like lonely Brian Ross at ABC News (who should be immediately fired for his mistake). Watch to see if fires those responsible, or was it just gross incompetence?' In a second tweet moments later, he continued: 'CNNS slogan is CNN, THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS. President Trump lashed out at CNN in two tweets on Saturday morning after the network corrected a false report which claimed Donald Jr. received hacked WikiLeaks files from the DNC 10 days before they were public 'Everyone knows this is not true, that this could, in fact, be a fraud on the American Public. There are many outlets that are far more trusted than Fake News CNN. 'Their slogan should be CNN, THE LEAST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS!' His outrage was prompted by a now corrected story based on source information which claimed Donald Jr. received a hacked WikiLeaks file in encrypted form on September 4, 2016, a week before the rest of the world. CNN reporters Manu Raj and Jeremy Herb said they spoke with several sources who confirmed the date. They were never shown the email, but their sources described it and said it included a decryption key for him to access the files. The email came to Don Jr. from a mysterious 'Mike Eckerson' who no one has been able to identify or confirm as a real person since. CBS followed up on the story and made the same claim - that the email was sent on September 4. It was published on Friday after being discussed in the Senate House Intelligence Committee two days earlier. Once the CNN story had been published however, The Washington Post revealed it to be wrong. Having actually seen the email for themselves, they revealed that it was in fact sent on September 14 - by which point the files were already in the public domain and being spoken about online. This is the email Trump Jr. received on September 14, 2016. It included a link to encrypted files and reference to files hacked from Democrat Colin Powell CNN claimed on Friday that Donald Trump Jr. received it on September 4, 2016, and it contained a link to encrypted files which had been hacked from the DNC CNN reporter Manu Raj said he spoke with several sources who all dated the email September 4. Neither he nor Jeremy Herb, who worked with him on the story, actually saw the email themselves CNN corrected its version of the story but has stuck by the sources who misinformed them, saying their mistake was unintentional. 'CNN's initial reporting of the date on an email sent to members of the Trump campaign about Wikileaks documents, which was confirmed by two sources to CNN, was incorrect. 'We have updated our story to include the correct date, and present the proper context for the timing of email,' a spokesman said. But their refusal to retract the story or discipline Raj and Herb has been met with ire from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who agreed with the president's characterization of the network. The email was actually sent on September 14, a day after WikiLeaks announced the files on its Twitter account CNN corrected its report but did not retract it or apologize for it. They said their sources were mistaken and not intentionally misleading WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is among those to have hit out at CNN for the mistake He repeated the president's characterization of it as 'fake news' and labeled it a 'bombshell' 'Hoaxers are not sources. Sources provide information they believe to be true,' he said. Don Jr. was just as irate. 'Does anyone actually believe that CNNs democratic sources, who had all the info, were not deliberately trying to hide facts that would turn a non-story into their exact BS narrative? 'No one is that naive!!! Im sure they wouldnt lie to cover their prominent source,' he said. His lawyer Alan Futerfas early the report and story about the email was an attempt to besmirch him. 'The email was never read or responded to and the House Intelligence Committee knows this. Trump Jr dismissed the network's claims that the mistake was innocent 'It is profoundly disappointing that members of the House Intelligence Committee would deliberately leak a document, with the misleading suggestion that the information was not public, when they know that there is not a scintilla of evidence that Mr. Trump Jr. read or responded to the email,' he said. In his tweet on Saturday, Trump also made reference to suspended ABC reporter Brian Ross and his erroneous report last week that Michael Flynn planned to testify that the president ordered him to make contact with Russian officials when he was still a presidential candidate and had not yet been elected. Ross used source information to back up the report. ABC has since apologized and corrected it to make clear that Flynn was asked to make the contact after the president had won and was acting in as the president-elect. Flynn last week pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators over his contact with Russian officials and will now cooperate with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin. Trump's comments on Saturday morning come after a rousing speech in Pensacola on Friday night where he hit out at the 'fake news' media and urged crowds to vote for accused sexual harasser Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race. Egypt's Coptic Church head Pope Tawadros II and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas will both shun Mike Pence when he visits the Middle East later this month in response to the White House acknowledging Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Pope Tawadros has cancelled a scheduled meeting with Pence in Cairo. He said President Trump's decision 'did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people'. 'The Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church declines to receive American Vice President Mike Pence,' the church said in a statement, adding it would pray for 'wisdom and to address all issues that impact peace for the people of the Middle East.' An Abbas aide said this week that he will also shun the US Vice President. 'There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine,' Abbas's diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi told AFP. 'The United States has crossed all the red lines with the Jerusalem decision,' he added. Egypt's Coptic Church head Pope Tawadros II (left) and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas have both announced their plans to shun Mike Pence when he visits the Middle East later this month Vice President Pence stood behind the president as he signed the proclamation on Wednesday The decision comes a day after Egypt's top Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Tayeb, the head of Al-Azhar, also declined to meet Pence. He described it as an 'unjust and unfair American decision on Jerusalem'. Egyptian Coptic Christians make up about 10 per cent of the country's 93 million people, and are the largest religious minority in the region. Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel sparked Palestinian protests, sporadic clashes and a call for a new intifada or uprising amid fears of new bloodshed in the region. He stood by the decision on Wednesday as he announced it with VP Pence behind him. 'My announcement today marks the beginning of a new approach to conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The country's top Muslim cleric, Grand Imam Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb (left with Pope Tawadros II) has also canceled his meeting with Pence Protests in Cairo on December 7, the day after Trump's announcement 'While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today I am delivering,' he said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced the announcement. 'This is a festive and unifying moment, for the right, the left, religious, secular. We are making Jerusalem our chief joy,' he said. Violence has erupted in Gaza where, overnight, Israeli warplanes rained down missiles on Palestinians. It was an act of retaliation for rockets thrown into Israel earlier in the week. Darian Cummings, 17, was charged with second-degree murder on Friday in St. Louis A suspected carjacker has been charged with murder in the fatal car crash that took a young boy's life as he was on his way home from Disney World. Darian Cummings, 17, was charged with second-degree murder on Friday in St. Louis, where in April a stolen SUV slammed into the family sedan of nine-year-old Caleb Lee, killing the boy. On April 25 at around 3am, two male suspects asked a pair of St. Louis University students for a ride, police said. After the students agreed, the males brandished a gun and demanded their wallets, phones, and the car. The carjackers let the students, a man and woman who were both 21, out of the car uninjured after they agreed to the demands. The students contacted police, who issued an alert to be on the lookout for the stolen vehicle, a silver 2010 Toyota RAV4 with California plates. About six hours later, an officer with the Normandy Police Department spotted the stolen vehicle racing westbound on I-70 and attempted to pull it over, according to charging documents reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Lee family was returning home from a family trip to Disney World when their car was struck by a stolen SUV fleeing cops. Pictured (left to right): Mother Candice, five-year-old Evan, father Dennis, and nine-year-old Caleb, who died from his injuries in the crash Caleb (center) attended Forder Elementary along with his younger brother Evan (left). Mother Candice works as a hairstylist and father Dennis works for supermarket chain Schnucks Instead of pulling over, the suspect vehicle sped off, weaving in and out of traffic and almost striking several other vehicles, police said. Meanwhile, the Lee family was returning from a family trip to Disney World. They had flown into St. Louis Lambert International Airport and were returning to their home in southern St. Louis county in two cars. Riding in the car with Caleb were his brother Evan, age five, his mother and his aunt. The stolen SUV, attempting to flee the cops, exited the interstate near the airport and flew through a red light, police said. At around 9.47am, the stolen SUV slammed into the Lee's family car as it was leaving the airport. The suspect vehicle, a a silver 2010 Toyota RAV4, ran a red light and slammed into the Lee's car The crash occurred near the west end of Terminal 2, just minutes after police tried to pull over the suspect vehicle that had been stolen by armed carjackers hours earlier Caleb (pictured) was hospitalized in critical condition and died from his injuries on May 5 Caleb was in the rear driver's side seat, police say. He was hospitalized in critical condition and died from his injuries on May 5. The other family members in the car had injuries ranging from serious to critical, but survived. 'They were loving life,' the family said in a statement. 'Then in just a blink of an eye our entire family's lives were destroyed.' Police said Cummings was driving the stolen vehicle when it crashed. Cummings, who as 16 at the time, was taken into custody at the crash scene, along with two other occupants of the stolen SUV, a male and female who were both 15 at the time. The younger male suspect remains in juvenile custody. The two victims in the carjacking identified Cummings in a photo lineup as one of the suspects who stole the SUV, police said. A fake gun was found in the stolen vehicle after the crash. Nine-year-old Caleb (right) was sitting in the driver's side rear seat when the car was struck Caleb (left) and his five-year-old brother Evan (right) were in the back seat of the family sedan Cummings has been charged as an adult with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of second-degree assault and one count of tampering with a motor vehicle. He is being held pending $1million cash bond. Online court records don't identify an attorney for Cummings. Caleb's father works at a supermarket, and his mother is a hair stylist. A GoFundMe page for the Lee family has raised over $50,000. 'Me and my wife want the public to know how we appreciate - and our family and friends appreciate - support,' father Dennis Lee told Channel 2. 'We also want everyone to know how our lives have been flipped upside down, changed immensely beyond belief.' A former Massachusetts state senator was arrested on charges of extortion and fraud after allegedly using his office to gain about $1 million, 700 pounds of free coffee and a Jeep. Former state Sen. Brian A. Joyce, 55, federal authorities say, received up to 700 pounds of free coffee, and roughly $125,000 in alleged kickbacks, from a Dunkin' Donuts franchisee owner, who later claimed it was in exchange for legal services. 'No decaf,' Joyce told the franchisee owner in a December 2014 email for one request, according to the indictment. 'We like k cups (sic) at my office if possible.' Former state Sen. Brian Joyce (pictured center) leaves the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Worcester, Mass., Friday Joyce was charged with accepting up to $1 million in bribes and kickbacks in exchange for helping companies and laundering the money through his law office, disguising it as legal fees He also allegedly created a shell company used to collect kickbacks from an energy broker in exchange for pressuring officials to hire the broker for contracts. The massive 113 count indictment also alleges Joyce came up with a bogus IRA account with fake legal fees- which led to additional charges including racketeering, 20 counts of extortion and seven counts of money laundering. Prosecutors say Joyce also pressured a local planning board to approve a waiver sought by a developer, who gave Joyce a Jeep from one of the developer's car dealerships. 'Joyce ran his Senate office as a criminal enterprise,' acting U.S. Attorney William Weinreb said at a press conference, according to the Boston Herald. He added that Joyce's alleged schemes started in 2010. He left the legislature in January. Hank Shaw, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Boston office, called Joyce 'greedy, plain and simple.' Joyce was arrested at his Westport home shortly before sunrise Friday, hours before authorities unsealed the indictment stemming from a two-year investigation that charges the Democrat with racketeering, extortion, wire fraud and money laundering. Joyce did not seek re-election last year after the FBI raided his office in February 'He had a duty to serve (his constituents) honestly, and he violated that duty by accepting bribes and kickbacks in exchange for his official action,' Weinreb said. Joyce pleaded not guilty in Worcester's federal courthouse Friday before being released on $250,000 bond. His attorney, Howard Cooper, said after Joyce's court appearance that 'he's innocent of all of these charges.' 'In the last few years it's been apparent across the country that the federal government has brought a number of cases against public officials which have either gone nowhere or have been rejected by juries or highly criticized by courts,' Cooper told reporters. Joyce's law office in Canton was raided by the FBI in February 2016 in what was then described as 'court-authorized activity in connection with an ongoing federal investigation.' Cooper said at the time that Joyce was cooperating and believed he had done nothing wrong. Joyce, who had served as assistant majority leader and represented his district since 1998, said shortly after the investigation was announced last year that he would not seek re-election to the Senate. Joyce is accused of participating in number of complex schemes dating back to 2010 that netted him hundreds of thousands of dollars and concealing the payments by using his law office as a 'money laundering conduit.' Prosecutors say he also lied to the state's ethics commission and used the panel as a 'cloak of legitimacy for his corrupt schemes.' In 2015, then-Senate President Stan Rosenberg asked the ethics commission to review Joyce's conduct after The Boston Globe reported on potential conflicts of interest focusing on whether he used his position to boost his law practice. In an unrelated case last year, Joyce agreed to pay nearly $5,000 to resolve issues raised by state campaign finance regulators, including using campaign funds for his son's 2014 high school graduation party. Joyce said there had been no finding of wrongdoing on his part in that case. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker called the allegations against Joyce disturbing. 'People in public life need to respect the offices they hold and that means not using them for personal gain, and if the feds believe there's enough there to justify an indictment then the investigation needs to be thorough and move forward accordingly,' Baker said. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the suggestion at a reception in Hanoi on December 8th for outgoing South African Ambassador to Vietnam Kgomotso Ruth Magau, who came to say good-bye to him. The two countries need to facilitate the investment promotion of their businesses, especially in agriculture, one of Vietnams strengths, he said. Lauding the successful tenure of Kgomotso Ruth Magau as South African Ambassador to Vietnam, the Government leader expressed his wish that she will continue to support the enhancement of Vietnam-South Africa multi-faceted cooperation in her new position. For her part, the ambassador said Vietnam holds an important role in South Africans foreign policy. The South African Government and people always remember the support and assistance Vietnam has given to their past struggle for independence as well as current national development, she said. Haling the progressing bilateral relations, she said that the South African Government will continue fostering cooperation with Vietnam, particularly in agriculture, tourism and people-to-people exchange./. Theresa May today crowned her church's Christmas tree with a shoe in fitting tribute to her love of expensive footwear. The Prime Minister beamed as she placed the silver heel while husband Philip watched on in their Maidenhead church. Mrs May described shoes as 'the love of her life' after famously chiding her colleagues for their reputation as 'the nasty party' in a pair of leopard-print kitten heels in 2002. Scroll down for video Theresa May today crowned her church's Christmas tree with a shoe in fitting tribute to her love of expensive footwear The Prime Minister beamed as she placed the silver heel on the tree while husband Philip watched on in their Maidenhead church Vicar Sally Lynch shows Theresa and Philip May around the tree festival at St Luke's Church in Maidenhead There was not a hint of tiredness about Mrs May who had only two hours sleep on Thursday night The tree she crowned was one of many in St Luke's church which held its annual tree festival today. There was not a hint of tiredness about Mrs May who had only two hours sleep on Thursday night before she jetted to Brussels to seal a Brexit divorce terms deal on Friday morning. Key elements of the deal include guarantees for three million EU citizens in this country and one million Britons abroad, a severely limited role for the European Court of Justice and a two-year Brexit 'implementation period'. There will be a proposed cut-off date of March 29, 2019, after which new arrivals from the EU will lose the automatic right to work, claim benefits and stay in this country. Yesterday's breakthrough came after what Downing Street acknowledged it had been a 'tough' 24 hours for Mrs May. The Prime Minister carried out a string of negotiations by phone with Mr Juncker, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and DUP leader Arlene Foster who had vetoed the original deal on Monday. Prime Minister Theresa May and her husband Philip, leave a church in her Maidenhead constituency after visiting it's annual Christmas tree festival Mrs May described shoes as 'the love of her life' after famously chiding her colleagues for their reputation as 'the nasty party' in a pair of leopard-print kitten heels in 2002 Theresa May's shoes at the Conservative Party Spring Forum in Cardiff, Wales on 17 Mar 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May's shoes as she delivers her keynote speech on the final day of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in October 2017 Shoes worn by Mrs May at the launch event for the Conservative Party manifesto at The Arches in Halifax, West Yorkshire in May 2017 Advertisement Revelers braved the snow brought by Winter Storm Benji for New York City's annual pub crawl SantaCon on Saturday. Thousands took to the street as the white stuff blanketed the Big Apple and Northeast. New York's LaGuardia airport reported 4.4 inches of snow. Saturday evening snow was falling throughout New England and parts of the Northeast. According to The Weather Channel three to five inches of snow has been reported in southern New England and on Long Island, including five inches near Mansfield, Connecticut. Boston's Logan Airport got 4.3 inches of snow. In parts of Maine and New Hampshire between two to six inches of snow fell, in Philadelphia 3.3 inches of snow was recorded with eight inches in Ridley Park near Philadelphia International Airport. Benji has dropped snow 2,000 miles from Texas to New England leaving over 400,000 customers without power in parts of the South. At least three people have been killed in the South and mid-Atlantic due to the weather. Scroll down for video Revelers braved the snow brought by Winter Storm Benji for New York City's annual pub crawl as SantaCon kicked off Saturday morning (pictured) Thousands took to the streets on Saturday (pictured) as meteorologists warned that up to five inches of snow could fall in the Big Apple. As of 5pm, 1.8 inches had fallen in Central Park While the event ends around 7pm, a weather advisory has been set in place until 1am on Sunday (Pictured, left and right, a Santa kicks his feet up in the snow as SantaCon gets underway on Saturday) The heaviest snowfall is expected between noon and 3pm, but wet flakes should be coming down into the evening before tapering off early Sunday morning (Pictured, SantaCon 2017 gets underway on Saturday) The storm is expected to taper off on Sunday morning with temperatures rising to the mid-40s In NYC cheerful drinkers and Santa clones began their festivities for Santacon at the Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue at 10am Saturday morning as flurries fell. SantaCon goers have a reputation for making the most of the holiday tradition each year which takes place in as many as 380 cities in America and 51 countries, according to SantaCon.info. Although it is held in several other locations around the world, New York is known to be the most widely celebrated. The giant pub crawl continues into Sunday morning. A weather advisory was set in place until 1am on Sunday and snow will begin tapering off early Sunday morning. The weather forecast likely won't stop dedicated SantaCon goers - who have a reputation for making the most of the holiday tradition each year The holiday event takes place in as many as 380 cities in America and 51 countries, according to SantaCon.info Although it is held in several other locations around the world, New York is known to be the most widely celebrated By the time the storm departs the Northeast, it will have laid down a blanket of snow 2,000 miles long from Texas to New England For many, Benji is bringing the first winter snow. Meteorologists say a swath of central Long Island and parts of coastal New Jersey could see six inches of powder. Slick and icy conditions will also be possible on untreated roads later in the night as temperatures dip into the 20s. Temperatures are expected to rise a bit on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, with highs in New York City hitting the low 40s each day. Then, on Tuesday, there's another chance for light snow as another cold front moves through the region, plunging highs into the low and mid-30s through next weekend. Cheerful drinkers and Santa clones began their festivities at the Farley Post Office on Eighth Avenue at 10am as flurries fell Last year, police swarmed the city as thousands of people dressed in red, white and green crowded together early Saturday and continued the bash into Sunday morning (Pictured, SantaCon revelers on Saturday morning) The 19th annual charity event has received disdain from many New Yorkers repulsed by the sight of Santas vomiting or urinating in the street in years past (Pictured, SantaCon participants on Saturday) However, the NYPD reported zero arrests in the first few hours of SantaCon as the revelers began moving from bar to bar (Pictured, SantaCon participants on Saturday) Unlike past years, this years pub crawl has no set route with organizers saying they hoped to avoid repeats of past incidents which have left the event with a bad rap (Pictured, a SantaCon participant in a reindeer costume waves his hand) Benji first swept through the Gulf Coast Friday and hit Alabama and North Carolina (Pictured, Laura Washington shovels her walk after a heavy snow on Saturday, in Kennesaw, Georgia) According to The Weather Channel the Highlands, North Carolina, received the most snow with 15 inches falling in the area. (Pictured, Jon Bookspun plays in the snow with this children Meghan and Charlie at Piedmont Park as a rare snowfall occurs in Atlanta) Mak Malloy, 14, walks down Liberty Road on his way to the corner market store as snow falls on Saturday in Roanoke, Virginia Traffic flows along Interstate 581 near exit 4E as snow falls on Saturday morning in Roanoke, Virginia Flight cancellations spiked at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday afternoon after a winter storm brought heavier-than-expected snow to Atlanta with 815 flights canceled That number represented about one-third of the entire day's schedule at the airport with the number of cancellations more than tripling from the 165 that had been reported as of 11am (Pictured, a traveler makes his way to a vehicle as snow covers the parking decks at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Friday) People walk down a snow covered road after a heavy snow on Saturday in Kennesaw, Georgia AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said: 'While a three to six-inch snowfall is most likely in New England, that sort of snowfall may extend all the way down to parts of New Jersey, Delaware, southern Maryland and central and southeastern Virginia. 'Temperatures will be a little lower in New England, when compared to Virginia, but there may be just as much moisture available on a straight line from eastern Maine to southeastern Virginia.' Benji first swept through the Gulf Coast Friday and hit Alabama and North Carolina. Flight cancellations spiked at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday afternoon after a winter storm brought heavier-than-expected snow to Atlanta with 815 flights canceled. That number represented about one-third of the entire day's schedule at the airport with the number of cancellations more than tripling from the 165 that had been reported as of 11am, according to flight-tracking service Flightaware. More than 250,000 customers across the South were left without power after facing snow from Benji. The number of outages is highest in Georgia, where utilities report more than 90,000 customers lack power, mostly west and north of Atlanta. Another 68,000 are without power in the southern half of Mississippi, utility companies say, and nearly 63,000 customers are without power in southeast Louisiana. Customers in hardest-hit areas might not get power until Saturday or even Sunday. Members of the grounds crew remove a tarp from the field as snow falls before an NCAA college football game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday Navy Midshipmen and Army Cadets gather on the field as snow falls ahead of an NCAA college football game between Army and Navy on Saturday Navy midshipman practice a formation as snow falls before the start of the at the 118th meeting of the annual Army-Navy football game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia Navy Midshipmen stand in formation on the field ahead of an NCAA college football game between Army and Navy on Saturday Simone Askew leads the 'march-on' before the game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday. Askew is the first African American woman to lead the 'march on' of the Army cadets Askew stands at attention as she and members of the West Point Military Academy stand in formation ahead of the game. Askew is the first African American woman to hold the position of First captain of the Corps of Cadets First Lady Melania Trump shared a photo on Twitter of the first Christmas snow falling near the White House And the snow didn't stop First Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner from going on their regular couple's weekend jog on Saturday morning (left and right). Secret Service followed the pair, who dressed warmly in black jogging pants and black running jackets As the snow made its way to Virginia and DC, First Lady Melania Trump shared a photo on Twitter of the first Christmas snow falling near the White House outlined by a wreath on the window, which she captioned: 'Beautiful morning'. And the snow didn't stop First Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner from going on their regular couple's weekend jog on Saturday morning. Secret Service followed the pair, who dressed warmly in black jogging pants and black running jackets. While Jared opted for a black baseball cap, Ivanka stayed warm with a black sweatband. Snow in Philadelphia also didn't deter staff at Lincoln Financial Field from preparing for the annual ArmyNavy college football game. The match marks the 118th time the Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York meet the Navy Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. According to The Weather Channel, the Highlands, North Carolina, received the most snow with 15 inches falling in the area. A foot of snow was recorded in Fairview, North Carolina, near Ashville, and Henderson and Buncombe counties in western North Carolina has seen between seven and 12 inches of snowfall in the higher terrain. Police pursued a runaway pooch for several hours outside of Logan International Airport after he escaped from his pet carrier Friday following a long flight. Ronin, a two-year-old German Shepherd was on a flight from California and was being picked up by his new owner Nick Kanieff who opened the crate to put his leash on, but the restless Ronin bolted. Police, Mr Kanieff and his eight-year-old son James tried everything to get Ronin to return - until he finally was persuaded by the smell of bacon and sausage, according to the Boston Globe. Ronin, a two-year-old German Shepherd led police on a chase around Logan Airport (pictured, file) for hours after he escaped from his carrier following a red-eye flight A sighting of the furry fugitive came in at around 8.20am. State Police Lieutenant Nunzio Orlando alerted Troop F headquarters that the dog had been spotted in shallow water near Jeffries and Marginal streets. Members of the State Police, Boston police and Massport Fire Rescue, along with the owner and his son spent several hours trying to corral the canine but to no avail. 'Every time they tried to approach the dog he would run from the shore into the water,' said State Police spokesman David Procopio. 'When it got to the point where the water was over his head and he had to swim, he would return toward the shore, and this went on for more than 2-and-a-half hours. It was like cat and mouse... er, cat and dog... or something.' Police finally surrounded him on a rocky shore once he began to run out of steam. Trooper Randall Enos of the K-9 unit knelt down and held out the ball in his hand. The pup wanted nothing to do with the ball, or the squeaky toy he tried next. Then Kanieff's son reached into a take-out box that was full of bacon and sausage, holding the meat out in his hand. Ronin finally started to approach the boy and took a nibble on the treat. While they had the pup's attention, his owner ran to get the large blue pet carrier. His son put the food inside, and his son called out to the dog again. At this point, about a dozen people were gathered to watch the rebel pup get collared. Ronin sniffed his way into the carrier and walked inside, and James shut the door, and the crowd broke out in applause. Enos said it's not uncommon for dogs to get loose at Logan, and it happens every couple months. If there's the opportunity, 'they bolt,' he said. New Yorkers flocked to Times Square on Friday night to protest Donald Trump's controversial declaration that the US will recognize Jerusalem as being Israel's capital city. Hundreds of people gathered on the sidewalks between 41st and 42nd streets and Seventh Avenue for the evening of pro-Palestinian protests, speaking out about the decision Trump revealed on Wednesday. 'The whole world knows that Jerusalem is divided. Some part is for Israelis and the other part is Palestinian. So I can't all of the sudden come and say, "Okay, I'm going to give New York to so and so,"' pro-Palestinian supporter Amal Al-Shrouf told 4 New York. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Times Square on Friday night in response to Donald Trump's revelation that the US will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital city Pro-Palestinian protesters lined the sidewalks from 41st to 42nd streets on Seventh Avenue Protesters in Times Square carried Palestinian flags and 'Free Palestine' signs Jerusalem's status has long been at the center of the religious and political Israeli-Arab conflict. Home to Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy places, the city figures greatly in the competing national narratives of Israelis and Palestinians, with both sides claiming the city as their capital. Trump's decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has been seen by some as reflecting a pro-Israel bias. Previous US policy has been that America would not declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel until an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal was agreed to. Palestinian native Sayel Kayed, who spearheads the New Jersey chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, told NorthJersey.com that Trump's call was a 'slap in the face' to all the Muslims who have been discriminated against in the holy city. 'This is a move to ethnically cleanse the Palestine area even more,' Kayed noted. The pro-Palestinian protesters were met by a number of pro-Israeli counter-protestors The pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli counter-protesters pushed and shoved each other The Times Square pro-Palestinian protesters faced off against a smaller number of pro-Israeli counter-protesters on Friday night, with the two groups clashing at various points on the street. 'I believe in a shared state and they want the whole thing for themselves,' pro-Israeli counter-protester Dennis Mitchell told 4 New York. According to reports, there was some pushing and shoving between the protesters and counter-protesters. The Times Square protest one of many held around the world immediately followed news of the deadly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in and around Jerusalem in the two days since Trump's announcement. Trump's decision has been seen by some as showing a pro-Israel bias, as both Israelis and Palestinians have claimed Jerusalem as their capital city The New York City protest was one of many held around the world and followed on the heels of deadly clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians in Jerusalem on Friday Protesters said that Trump's decision was a 'slap in the face' to Muslims who've been discriminated against in Jerusalem On Friday, the Palestinian Authority said a 30-year-old Palestinian man was shot and killed in eastern Gaza, while more than 300 were injured along the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem. Israeli airstrikes against Hamas targets also left a 54-year-old Palestinian man dead in Gaza, CNN reported. World leaders have critiqued Trump's decision, among them Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. 'You're seeing unrest not only in the US but all over the world,' Omar Awad, president of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, New Jersey, told NorthJersey.com. Delaware State Police say a 16-year-old boy was shot and killed by a trooper in an exchange of gunfire during a traffic stop. Police said a trooper stopped a vehicle in Dover shortly after 3am Saturday. According to police, the front seat passenger of the car pulled out a gun as the trooper approached the vehicle. They said the 16-year-old was killed when he and the trooper exchanged gunfire. The boy died after being taken to an area hospital. A traffic stop just after 3am in Delaware ended in a gunfire exchange with troopers shooting dead a 16-year-old-boy at the above intersection The 18-year-old driver was shot in his leg, and was treated and released from the hospital. A 15-year-old passenger was not injured. The trooper also was not injured. Samantha Herrmann told Delaware Online that she saw the lifeless boy being removed from the car, she knew he was dead. 'When police pulled the guy out of the passenger side, I didn't think he was alive,' said Herrmann, whose house is near where the shooting took place. 'It made me throw up.' Herrmann, and her husband George woke up when their dog started barking and she looked outside her window. 'I saw the driver and a passenger were already on the ground,' she said. 'Then I saw them pull the guy on the passenger side out and started doing CPR. It was bad.' George described the incident as 'quite alarming.' 'When I saw the guy lifeless, I knew something was wrong,' he said. 'It's something I wouldn't expect to happen here. You turn on the news and you see it, but not in front of your house.' Samantha said the shooting happened so close to her car that a shell casing was marked on top of her hood. 'It happened right out on our street,' she said. 'It was bad.' The Delaware State Police Homicide unit is currently investigating the incident. While the eyes of the world were on Donald Trump at his inauguration in Washington DC in January, one man a few feet away from the newly sworn in 45th President of the United States had his attention elsewhere. General Michael Flynn a much decorated veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq turned trusted security adviser to Trump instead was looking at his mobile phone as he texted: Good to go. The simple message signalled his hope for an end to sanctions against Russia, allowing an incredible trillion-dollar deal to build nuclear reactors across the Middle East to go ahead. General Michael Flynn (circled) a much decorated veteran of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq turned trusted security adviser to Trump instead was looking at his mobile phone as he texted: Good to go' According to shock testimony revealed this week by a whistleblower speaking to the probe into links between Trump and the Kremlin and Russian meddling in the US election, the text was sent to British millionaire businessman Alex Copson. Though Copson entirely denies the whistleblowers claims, he is now at the heart of the biggest political scandal since Watergate. Flynn has since fallen from his position at the heart of the Trump administration after lying to cover up his links to Russia. He is said to have turned FBI informer in an investigation that could bring down the President. It is a story that even has bizarre echoes of the TV drama House Of Cards in which, by a strange coincidence, Copsons actress wife has appeared. While the very existence of the bombshell text is in dispute, there is no doubt that Copson, 65, had previously hired Flynn as an adviser for the ambitious project to build 45 nuclear power plants with Russian companies. But the venture poised to yield unimaginable profits had been held up by sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama on a Russian state-owned arms firm involved in the global deal. With Flynn set for a top political role with Trump in the White House, Copson is said to have boasted the US sanctions would be ripped up within days. General Michael Flynn, left, with Vladimir Putin in 2015, had been hired by Copson as an adviser on the nuclear project The unnamed, female whistleblower said to be an experienced lawyer told a senior Democrat Congressman that Copson showed her the text from Flynn at an inauguration day event in Washington DC, and said: Mike (Flynn) has been putting everything in place for us. I am going to celebrate today. This is going to make a lot of very wealthy people. Copson is said to have blamed President Obama for f*****g everything up in my nuclear deal with the sanctions, adding: This is the best day of my life. This is the start of something Ive been working on for years and we are good to go. The astonishing claims come as US Congressional investigations unearth more and more evidence fuelling allegations of collusion between the Trump election campaign and the Kremlin, not least the troll factory in St Petersburg which poured out fake news to influence US voters. An official Congressional probe headed by former FBI boss Robert Mueller has been set up to investigate the allegations. A whistleblowers testimony claims Flynn texted Alex Copson above in a rare picture from 1992 Meanwhile, Democrats on the House of Representatives Oversight Committee are also probing Flynns involvement in the Middle East nuclear power project. This is the best day of my life. This is the start of something Ive been working on for years and we are good to go Flynn, a senior military commander who served in the US Army for 33 years, was forced to resign from his role as Trumps National Security Adviser after just 24 days when it emerged he had lied about conversations he had with a Russian diplomat about lifting economic sanctions. After pleading guilty to making false statements to the FBI, Flynn has said he will co-operate fully with Muellers investigation. Now there is speculation that Flynn may have flipped and plans to implicate Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner husband of Trumps daughter Ivanka by claiming Kushner had ordered him to contact Russian officials to try to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton. Both Kushner and Trump have vehemently denied any Russian connection. The whistleblowers allegations about Flynns text to Copson were made to US Congressman Elijah Cummings, a senior Democrat who sits on the Oversight Committee. He said: She is someone who has practised in the law for many years. I found her account quite credible. But Copsons firm, ACU Strategic Partners, last night denied there was any contact between the company and Flynn at any point while Flynn was working for Trump. Copson has spent three decades pursuing lucrative environmental waste projects and has forged close business relationships with people at the top of American politics, and also with Russian state officials eager to pursue massive deals after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He worked with Viktor Mikhailov, Russias Minister of Atomic Energy, at the time when Copson was seeking to set up a storage facility on Wake Island in the Pacific. Copsons plan was to build nuclear plants in Middle East Another of Copsons projects with prominent US and Russian figures envisaged a nuclear waste dustbin in Siberia, with the Kremlin giving its backing to a plan worth billions of pounds. The project was supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin and had the backing of then prime minister Mikhail Fradkov, a former KGB officer and leader of Russias SVR foreign intelligence service. But the deal reportedly collapsed in 2004 when America withdrew its support. Copsons latest venture is to lead a new consortium of US, French, Ukrainian and Russian companies backed with money from Saudi investors to build 45 nuclear power plants across the Middle East. It is claimed the deal could be worth as much as $1 trillion. This is because the deals last for decades and involve transporting highly-dangerous waste material. Donald Trumps election as president is a game changer because Trumps highest foreign policy priority is to stabilise US relations with Russia which are now at a historical low-point The project, led by his firm ACU Strategic Partners, had stalled because the security for the reactors and dangerous nuclear waste was to be provided by Rosoboronexport, a Russian state-owned arms exporter that is currently under US sanctions. Copson has confirmed that he hired Flynn as a strategic adviser from April 2015 until June 2016. In June 2015, Flynn travelled to Egypt and Israel to promote the reactor project. In a letter to Congressmen, Copson said he wrote Flynn a $25,000 cheque and paid him $5,000 to cover his expenses for the trip to Egypt and Israel but claims the cheque was never cashed. Documents obtained by Reuters earlier this month revealed enthusiastic emails reportedly sent by Copson to potential investors in the project days after the election. On November 16, 2016 eight days after Trump won Copson wrote: Donald Trumps election as president is a game changer because Trumps highest foreign policy priority is to stabilise US relations with Russia which are now at a historical low-point. A nuclear expert called Reuben Sorensen wrote an email to Copson two days later in which he said he had spoken to Flynn about ACUs project. Sorensen wrote: Flynn is getting closer to (being named) National Security Adviser. Expect an announcement soon. This is a big win for the ACU project. Sorensen added in the email: Spoke with him via backchannels earlier this week. He has always believed in the vision of the ACU effort. However, Donald Gross, a lawyer for ACU Strategic Partners, denied that there was any contact between Copsons company and Flynn at any point while Flynn was working for Trump. In a statement on its website, ACU said the Middle East nuclear deal was meant to ensure the US plays a key role in developing nuclear energy in the region to secure US jobs and exports via partnerships with France, Britain and Ukraine. Bizarre twist as tycoons wife starred in House Of Cards The alleged embroilment of the White House with the Kremlin and multi-billion-dollar business echoes TVs House Of Cards, in which Alex Copsons actress wife Maureen Reese (below, left) appeared. Pictured: Alex Copson's wife Maureen Reese who starred alongside Kevin Spacey in House of Cards In Season Two, the ambitions of Vice President Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey, above right) were blocked by tycoon Raymond Tusk until a murky conspiracy linked to China saw Underwood become President. Advertisement Through his lawyer, Copson claimed to The Mail on Sunday last night that part of the plan was to build two nuclear reactors in Britain, but he did not provide additional information when asked. The companys statement said: ACU, as a matter of strict company policy, has never used or accepted investment funds from any foreign government or any company affiliated with any foreign government. The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post have reported that Flynn did indeed push a version of the nuclear project in a memo to Trump while he was his National Security Adviser. Two US officials claimed a policy document Flynn prepared for Trumps approval proposed working with Russia on a nuclear reactor project but it did not specifically mention ACU. The officials said they did not know if Trump had ever read the memo or acted upon it. All of this will be probed by the special counsel investigation led by Mueller. Copsons business background is as a naval architect and an engineer who made his fortune in the late 1980s by inventing a piece of equipment that allowed North Sea divers to stay underwater for longer. Born in 1952 in Egypt to a British father and a Greek mother, Copson grew up in the UK, making his home in Mayfair after he found business success. He moved to the US in the 1990s, making his new home in Washington DC, where with his cut-glass English accent he has moved around the corridors of power as a dealmaker. In 2002, he married third wife Maureen Reese, 49, an American actress who played a news reporter in House Of Cards. Together they live in the wealthy Georgetown area of Washington. In the 1980s, Copson launched a bid to hook up British homes to Icelandic electricity by running a 1,000-mile cable under the sea. And, intriguingly, at the height of the Cold War in 1986 he filed a patent for a system that he claimed could launch spacecraft from a ships deck while at sea. Now it is a power game being played out at the highest level of US politics that will determine the success of Copsons most ambitious venture of all. General Flynn did not respond to our requests to comment. ACU denied that Copson received a text message from Flynn. A former top executive at Banc of California is accused of having sex with junior employees and doing drugs - all while on the premises of the bank's headquarter's in Irvine. A lawsuit filed in California state court alleges Executive Vice President and Interim CFO Francisco Turner also corralled workers to go to strip clubs, on the bank's dime. The suit, filed by Heather Endresen, a former managing director at the bank, also alleges the bank screwed employees out of their bonuses last year. Executive Vice President and Interim CFO Francisco Turner (pictured) is accused of having sex with young staffers and doing drugs at the Banc of California headquarter's office The allegations were leveled by Heather Endresen, a former managing director at the bank It's claimed in the suit that those funds were improperly shifted to cook this year's books, according to the New York Post. Endresen claims in the complaint the bank took $7.8 million in 2016 bonuses and that the funds were moved to the next quarter, improperly putting that money under liabilities. Endresen also alleges, in the 24-page complaint, that Mike Urtel, the head of human resources, said her complaints were 'akin to rumor or gossip.' Even more shockingly, she claims she was told by a lawyer at the publicly traded bank, Manisha Merchant, 'that the company does not have a policy prohibiting employees from engaging in sexual activity in the workplace, or a policy against using corporate funds to pay for strip clubs.' The bank operates 34 branches and has a $1billion market cap. When Endresen complained to CEO Doug Bowers, the boss said the company had received a similar complaint about Turner from another employee. She says he added BoC had tapped an independent investigator. Enderson says that once she left the company, she was blackballed when prospective employers reached out to Banc of California, she says top brass lied about her success rate Enderson says in the complaint that Bowers broke a promise to her to extend her family health insurance for six months after she left the bank- which cost her when her son had a health crisis. She also found herself being blackballed by the company when she searched for a new job. In the suit she claims Bowers 'lied to Ms. Edresen's prospective employers about the quality of her work and her loan success rates.' She also says when she brought up the alleged accounting irregularities to Turner he threatened her 'professional reputation.' 'We believe the action has no merit,and we intend to defend against the claims vigorously,' a Banc of California spokesman told The Post. 'The record should be clear, however, that we treat all matters of compliance with the utmost seriousness and any suggestion otherwise is categorically wrong. We encourage all employees to raise any area of concern and we investigate all claims thoroughly.' It was previously reported that Turner resigned from the bank in June. He received a a $2.75 million payout and continued health-care coverage for 18 months. Michael Gove was last night accused of undermining Theresa May and promoting himself as her successor by saying voters could use the next Election to rip up her EU deal. The Environment Secretary, who led the Brexit campaign with Boris Johnson, said that after a two-year transition when the UK leaves the EU in 2019, it would have full freedom to diverge from EU law on the single market and customs union. If the public thought the Government was being too timid, an Election could force a more radical split and divergence from Brussels, he argued. His remarks came as rival Cabinet factions squared up over whether the Prime Minister opts for a hard or soft Brexit deal. Michael Gove has been accused of undermining Theresa May and promoting himself as her successor by saying voters could use the next Election to rip up her EU deal The High Priest of the hard Brexiteer divergers, Michael Gove is leading the charge to unshackle the UK. The Environment Secretary ranges well beyond his brief in Cabinet discussions The bete noir of Brexiteers for advocating close EU ties post- Brexit, Chancellor Philip Hammond claims he is helping business; they call him a doomsayer But Remain Conservative MP Anna Soubry warned: All politicians have to put personal ambition to one side to get the best deal for Britain. It is essential that nothing is done to undermine the Prime Minister. She has done an excellent job in achieving a wide degree of consensus and we need to rally behind her. The Government said we would end up with a trade deal as good as the single market and the PM has been as good as her word. Ms Soubry said Mrs Mays pledge that the UK would stay aligned with the EU to protect the status of Northern Ireland in the event of no final trade deal meant, in effect, Britain was almost certain to remain in the single market and customs union. Another Tory critic of Mr Gove said: Michael has made one ill-judged attempt to be leader. This is no time to promote himself again. The comments were echoed by pro-EU Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable who accused Mr Gove of a poisonous attempt to wreck Mrs Mays modest triumph. He writes in todays Mail on Sunday: The male equivalent of a stiletto heel was deployed by this smiling assassin to hurt, diminish and seemingly seek to destroy her politically. Goves message to hardline Brexiteers is clear, says Sir Vince: Dont worry guys, we may have lost the battle, but we will win the war. Once we have got past Brexit Day in March 2019, we will get rid of this troublesome woman. Mr Gove made a disastrous bid to become Tory leader when David Cameron resigned as PM in 2016 after the referendum. He had promised to support Mr Johnson but changed his mind, only to see his challenge end in humiliating defeat with allegations of rank treachery. Boriss Brexit bromance with Gove is back on. The Foreign Secretarys letter to the PM, written with Gove, called for Britain to become the Singapore of Europe by scrapping stodgy EU rules The most prominent soft Brexiteer out of future leadership contenders, Amber Rudd has mulled running on a joint ticket with Boris to help dilute his headbanger Brexit image Andrea Leadsom leapt to Goves support yesterday, reciting the Brexit mantra about taking back control. Recently demoted, the Commons Leader is feeling rebellious But he was given a Cabinet comeback by Mrs May after the June Election and since then his popularity with grassroots Tories has soared, although he denies he has renewed leadership ambitions. Further evidence of a backlash to Mrs Mays deal from Tory Eurosceptics came from former Brexit Minister David Jones, who says euphoria will quickly vanish like Brussels morning mist. There is mounting concern that it is an EU sell-out, he writes on the opposite page. Like Mr Gove, he salutes Mrs Mays personal victory in the face of Brussels obduracy. But Mr Jones says the small print of the complex deal could make a nonsense of a real Brexit. Mr Gove also won support from Commons Leader Angela Leadsom, who said it was a statement of the obvious that voters could change the deal in future. Ambitious Jeremy Hunt thinks divergence will harm the NHS and cause a cash crisis for drugs companies who need the Brussels market. He is an outside bet for leader Liam Fox believes a world of opportunity lies beyond the red tape of Brussels. The International Trade Secretary says that divergence is the only way to carve up lucrative post-Brexit trade deals for the UK De facto deputy PM Damian Green is an instinctive aligner: if he survives the inquiry into claims he downloaded pornography at the Commons he will push hard against divergence But former European Trade Commissioner, ex Belgian foreign minister Karel De Gucht, said: You are very clearly heading now to a soft Brexit, a very, very soft Brexit. Mr De Guchts opinion was reinforced by reports that former Tory Chancellor and lifelong Europhile Kenneth Clarke believes Mrs May has won a good, common-sense deal for Britain. A friend of Mr Clarke said: He thinks that Theresa has done a very good job in difficult circumstances. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said that by agreeing to a deal with Mrs May, Brussels had showed that for all its tough talk, it could not thrive unless it stayed on good terms with the UK. The EU recognises that they really do need and want a free trade arrangement with us, he said. But Sir Andrew Cahn, ex-head of UK Trade and Investment, countered: Its simply not true the UK side is the one which blinked. P.S. SMART FOOTWORK, THERESA! From mock-croc stilettos to leopard print kitten heels, Theresa May loves her footwear. So perhaps thats why the PM praised last week for clinching her Brexit deal decided to top the Christmas tree she donated to a church in her Maidenhead constituency with a glittery shoe yesterday. Prime Minister Theresa May placed a glittery shoe on top of a Christmas tree in her Maidenhead constituency yesterday The vast majority of men in gangs convicted of grooming young white girls 84 per cent are of Asian origin, according to a report to be published this week. The study by the renowned counter-extremism think-tank Quilliam says that of these, seven in ten are believed to be of Pakistani-Muslim heritage. Asian gangs have deliberately abused white girls because they hold entrenched racist attitudes towards them as being easy targets for sex, according to the report, which is based on the testimonies of convicted Asian men during court hearings. Nine men were sentenced in 2012 for abusing young girls in Rochdale. Top row left to right: Abdul Rauf, Hamid Safi, Mohammed Sajid and Abdul Aziz; Bottom row left to right: Abdul Qayyum, Adil Khan, Mohammed Amin and Kabeer Hassan It adds: Girls from the Asian community are seen as commodities to be protected, whereas girls from outside of the community are seen as fair game. The study likely to provoke controversy is written by two British Pakistani authors, who say they hope it will encourage their community to take responsibility. Shabir Ahmed, the ringleader of the Rochdale child sex grooming gang The authors said in a statement: In attempts to protect the sentiments of the British Pakistani community, we have failed vulnerable young girls who have suffered years of irreversible damage. They added that there was a disproportionate representation of males with Asian heritage convicted in such cases with the Asian male perpetrator/white female victim dynamic serving as the prominent feature of these grooming gangs. Most of these men are of Pakistani (Muslim) origin, and the victims that have come forward so far are almost exclusively young white girls. The Quilliam study comes after a spate of high-profile court cases, one of which involved the Rochdale child abuse ring. In 2012, nine British Pakistani men were convicted of abusing under-age white girls. Although the testimonies of three victims led to the convictions of the gang members, police believe the group abused and trafficked as many as 47 white girls. A separate grooming gang from Rochdale involving ten more men was convicted at a trial in 2015. Pictured is Molly Windsor depicting one of the abuse victims in the BBC drama Three Girls The first case was made into a controversial three-part BBC drama called Three Girls, which was broadcast earlier this year. The Quilliam report studied all court cases involving grooming gangs in England and Wales between 2005 and 2017. It said that 58 gangs had been prosecuted in that period, with 264 individual convictions. It is one of Europes busiest Christmas markets, with thousands of shoppers enjoying the festive spirit in the shadow of Lincolns magnificent gothic cathedral. But in a sad sign of the times, police drones are this year watching over revellers to protect them from terrorists. Armed officers are also on patrol in the medieval square where the market is held, and surrounding streets are blocked with concrete barriers to prevent a vehicle being driven into the crowds. Other festive events around Britain have also beefed up security this year, but Lincolns is believed to be the only one protected by drones. Scroll down for video One of Lincolnshire police's drones with its pilot, Sergeant Kev Taylor. The force has four drones at a cost of 1200 each The heightened security measures follow last years attack on a Christmas market in Berlin when a terrorist driving a lorry ploughed into crowds, killing 12 people and injuring more than 50. Lincolnshire Police have been flying one of their drones near the Norman castle, enabling officers to get a birds eye view of the event, which attracted a total of 260,000 visitors last year. The drone uses a normal camera by day and thermal imaging at night, beaming live video to a command centre at the market and to police headquarters four miles away at Nettleham. The Mail on Sunday found that most visitors to the market on Friday seemed unaware of any drones hovering at up to 400ft above them. Under Civil Aviation Authority rules, drones are banned from being flown over large crowds, but police are allowed a blue light dispensation if lives are at risk. Armed police are also patrolling the streets of Lincoln, which is home to one of Europe's biggest Christmas markets Sergeant Ed Delderfield, who is in charge of the Lincolnshire Police drone unit, said they had mainly been flying above the launch site where the bulk of the market could be viewed. But he added: If there was a firearms incident or somebody was marauding with a firearm, a knife or a vehicle, we are allowed to break regulations and fly over the crowd. We could have the drone flying over the main entrance of the cathedral in less than ten seconds. We can be a potential eye-in-the-sky for firearms commanders and public order commanders. The forces four drones, which cost around 1,200 each and which can fly at 50mph, have so far been used for helping to search for missing people and combating countryside crimes such as hare coursing. There are also road blocks on the streets of the city, in a bid to thwart a Berlin-style terror attack on the market Sgt Delderfield said officers had been explaining the use of drones to visitors at the market, which runs until the end of today. I know that there have been some concerns about privacy and how we use drones, but people have been fantastically positive. I have seen no negativity from the public, he said. Visitors to the market, which has been running for 35 years, welcomed the extra security measures. Property manager Tess Hebblewhite, 43, who lives in the city, chatted to two armed officers with her four-year-old son Christopher. I realise Lincoln is probably not at the top of the hit-list for terrorists, but there are thousands of visitors here, so you never know, she said. Simon Colburn, an assistant director of health and environment services at Lincoln Council who has responsibility for the market, said: This is the first time we have had drones and armed police visibly deployed on the streets. People are reassured by seeing them. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) welcomes Kuniharu Nakamura, Co-Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Economic Committee at the Japan Business Federation (Photo: VNA) The host leader spoke highly of KEIDANRENs role in the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership along with the role of the federations Japan-Vietnam Economic Committee in enhancing the two countries economic, trade and investment cooperation. The Vietnamese Government and people attach importance to developing ties with Japan and pledge utmost efforts to boost the strong and sustainable development of this relationship, he said, expressing his hope that Japan will soon become the biggest investor in Vietnam. Kuniharu Nakamura, Co-Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Economic Committee, said to Japanese businesses, the Vietnamese market holds a very important position with big consumption strength. The two countries boast strong trade ties at present. Vietnam should step up improving its business climate and reinforcing bilateral economic partnership, he added. Hideo Ichikawa, who co-chairs the committee, said Vietnam needs to further develop infrastructure such as railways and roads which are critical to improving investment and business climate. Japanese companies are interested in infrastructure projects under the public-private partnership format in Vietnam, he noted, asking the Vietnamese Government to remove obstacles facing Japanese firms. PM Phuc said he hopes Japanese enterprises will pay attention to the environment when investing in Vietnam. He also asked Japan to assist Vietnam to develop infrastructure, especially in transport, as it is currently a bottleneck in Vietnams economy. Vietnam wants Japanese businesses to invest more strongly in the country. They are very successful in Vietnam, which is partly attributable to KEIDANRENs activities, he added. At the meeting, PM Phuc also answered Japanese businesses questions on local mechanisms and policies./. Star Wars: The Last Jedi star, John Boyega, prompted a flurry of concern after he tweeted he was stranded in a snowstorm at an Atlanta airport and wasn't sure he was going to make it to the film's premiere in Hollywood tonight. Boyega, 25, plays Finn, a reformed stormtrooper who escapes to join the Resistance, had a flight out, but the force was not with him, as mother nature dropped six inches of snow in the area, and he tweeted his angst over being stranded. 'Trying to get back for the LA premiere! I actually NEED a pilot !!!' the actor ironically tweeted as he himself flies in promo shots for the flick. If he only had a pilot. John Boyega hilariously chronicled his struggles getting a flight out of Atlanta to the Star Wars: The Last Jedi premiere in Hollywood tonight (pictured in the film) Oh the irony. While he plays an excellent pilot in The Last Jedi, it appears his 'license' doesn't translate in real life I guess, while you're waiting... Boyega tweets he my as well start a family since he's going to be stuck with fellow stranded passengers for awhile Director Rian Johnson tweeted to Boyega his concerns over potentially missing the big night: 'Hahahaha oh my god GET HERE JOHN!' Boyega was certainly concerned but was taking the situation in stride, as he cracked on Twitter that since no one was leaving the airport, he may as well 'start a family now.' The snow storm clobbered the Southern United states, snarling travelers with powder in places like Atlanta, which rarely sees any significant accumulations and is ill-prepared to cope with such weather. More than 800 flights were canceled Friday, as the snow continued to fall. However, the good guy should always win. It's unclear if Boyega had to fight off a fellow stormtrooper to make it happen, but Deadline reports that he was able to find a flight out of the storm. The good guy gets a win- this time. Boyega was able to secure a flight out of Atlanta according to a report He'll appreciate the change in weather- he'll be flying out of snowy Atlanta to sunny 71 degree LA night He is expected to make it to the Hollywood premiere tonight at the Shrine Auditorium. The weather out in sunny Los Angeles will be around 71 degrees. This morning, Boyega tweeted it was so cold his 'thighs won't even generate the heat anymore.' Assuming he makes it out there- he will surely appreciate the weather, and the premiere this evening. Pro-Brexit Cabinet Minister Liam Fox faced embarrassment last night after it was revealed that he commissioned and endorsed a new book which warns of the damaging effects of a 'hard' Brexit. The International Trade Secretary has written a foreword for the book about a 19th Century economist which includes the claim that leaving the EU without a deal would cause a 43 per cent fall in UK exports to the EU and a drop in household incomes. Dr Fox has said the UK should not fear a 'no deal' Brexit. Pro-Brexit Cabinet Minister Liam Fox faced embarrassment after it was revealed that he commissioned and endorsed a new book which warns of the damaging effects of a 'hard' Brexit The book includes an essay by academic Swati Dhingra (pictured), who argues that obtaining no deal with the EU would lead to a rise in trade tariffs But the book includes an essay by academic Swati Dhingra, who argues that obtaining no deal with the EU would lead to a rise in trade tariffs, 'causing a 43 per cent reduction in exports to the EU and a three per cent fall in average UK incomes, compared to a no Brexit scenario'. The book, Cloth For Wine? The Relevance of Ricardo's Comparative Advantage in the 21st Century a collection of essays about the 19th Century classical economist David Ricardo was commissioned by Dr Fox's in preparation for Brexit. Campaigners against a hard Brexit say that amounts to an annual 103 billion fall in UK exports, while the drop in incomes would cost the average UK household 816 a year. Last night, Labour MP Conor McGinn, from the anti-hard Brexit campaign group Open Britain, said: 'This would be laughable if it weren't so serious. The way this Government is handling Brexit has been an utter shambles.' A spokesman for Dr Fox said: 'We are confident of securing a deal which is in the interests of both the UK and our European partners.' Few had heard of Gavin Williamson until he replaced Defence Secretary Michael Fallon who was forced to resign last month over sexual harassment claims Just a month ago the idea of Gavin Williamson succeeding Theresa May if, as many expect, she stands down as Prime Minister after Britain leaves the EU in March 2019, would have been dismissed as a joke. Few had heard of him until he replaced Defence Secretary Michael Fallon who was forced to resign last month over sexual harassment claims. But the moment Williamson got his feet under his MoD desk he launched a one-man publicity blitz: he picked a public fight with Chancellor Philip Hammond over defence cuts, saved two military dogs from being put down and last week said all Britons who had fought for ISIS should be killed. Those who scoffed at the idea that Williamson plans a late run for the Tory leadership post-March 2019 have been forced to reconsider. On the face of it, it's an unlikely scenario: a 40-something Tory MP with a state school background, nasal whiney voice, seen as a 'grey' nonentity, best known for plotting in the Whips office, wins the confidence of a female PM reaching the end of her Downing Street reign, gets massive global-role Cabinet promotion from her and, 16 months later, beats the charismatic, but flawed blond Tory heartthrob seen as destined for greatness. I am not referring to how Gavin Williamson might beat Boris Johnson in the race to succeed Mrs May in 2019, but how Sir John Major beat Michael Heseltine in the race to succeed Margaret Thatcher in 1990. The parallels are intriguing. Major was 45 when Thatcher, desperate to find an alternative heir to her pro-EU Tory foe Heseltine, plucked him from relative obscurity to make him Foreign Secretary in July 1989. Major made his Tory reputation as a Whip and was derided by snobbish colleagues for his flat South London vowels, state school education and accountant's background. But he wooed Mrs Thatcher and, when she was forced to resign in November 1990, her support helped him pull off a surprise victory. He defeated Heseltine, known for his flowing blond locks and flamboyant temperament. Those who scoffed at the idea that Williamson plans a late run for the Tory leadership post-March 2019 have been forced to reconsider In the eyes of some Conservative grandees, Williamson, 41, is as much of a Tory 'outsider' as Major. He went to a comprehensive school, ran a pottery company before entering Parliament and, until his MoD move, was the Party's Chief Whip. Despite having been David Cameron's Commons aide, he switched his allegiance to Mrs May and quickly became a member of No 10's inner circle. Her decision to grant his plea to make him Defence Secretary last month was as big as surprise as Thatcher giving Major the Foreign Office out of the blue nearly 30 years ago. Just as Major was mocked for supposedly tucking his shirt inside his underpants and lacking the elan to be Britain's premier diplomat, skinny Williamson has had to fend off jibes from Tory critics that he is like 'Pike' in the Dad's Army TV series. But, like Major, wily Williamson is a man in a hurry and is winning support on the Tory backbenches and sections of the media with his populist utterances. Johnson shares Heseltine's flair and brilliance, but as with Hezza, there will always be a hard core of Tories unwilling to entrust gaffe-prone Boris with the keys to No 10. If there is someone less exciting, but with down-to-earth roots, who has the support of a much-loved outgoing leader and can be presented as a vote-winning 'break with the past', they could win just like Major. The signs are Williamson has made the same calculation. We may find out in March 2019. It is only 15 months away. A motorbike rider has been fined more than $300 for wearing his helmet upside down because he didn't want to put a strap over a pimple on his cheek. The 20-year-old man was pulled over near Sydney's city centre shortly after 3pm Thursday. He was fined $319 and incurred three demerit points for wearing the open-faced helmet the wrong way when he was caught on Elizabeth Street in Surry Hills. This motorcycle rider was pulled over and fined $319 for wearing his helmet upside down Police said the motorbike rider wore his helmet the wrong way to avoid putting a strap over a pimple (stock image) 'This is obviously against the manufacturer's recommendations and the helmet's design capabilities,' the New South Wales Police Highway and Traffic Patrol Command said. 'When stopped and spoken with he stated he had a pimple on his cheek and wearing the helmet that way was easier to take on and off without undoing the strap.' In NSW, drivers and motorcycle riders have their licence suspended if they incur 13 or more demerit points. They lose their licence for three months in they rack up 13 to 15 demerit points. The NSW Police Highway and Traffic Patrol said the motorbike rider had ignored the helmet manufacturer's instructions Several people compared the fine to former A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack's $1,000 penalty for child pornography offences Several people on the Highway and Traffic Patrol's Facebook page compared the $300 fine to former A Current Affair reporter Ben McCormack's $1,000 for child pornography offences. 'So what Ben McCormack did was only three times worse than this?,' one man asked. 'Get your priorities right. What a joke poor bloke puts his helmet on and you guys take half his weekly wage off him. Give yourselves a pat on the back.' Last week, Manly Sea Eagles rugby league player Darcy Lussick compared his motorbike riding infringements to McCormack's fine and good behaviour bond. Manly Sea Eagles rugby league prop Darcy Lussick compared his motorbike helmet fines to Ben McCormack's $1,000 for chatting online about paedophile fantasies Motorbike riders in New South Wales generally incur a $330 fine for failing to wear a helmet 'I got two fines for riding a push bike without a helmet to get lunch the other day totalling $660. Ben McCormack got fined $1000 for what he did. Well done Australian justice system,' the 28-year-old prop tweeted. However, several people on Facebook defended the NSW Police giving out penalties for motorbike riders for not wearing a helmet properly. 'I assume youve never ridden a bike, let alone come off one,' one man said. 'Helmets are designed to protect the head, if he had an accident with it like that. 'The chances of him getting decapitated are extremely high. Theyve done him a favour, hope he learns from it.' A man died after he slammed his car into a tree at high speed while fleeing police and almost split the vehicle in two. The 35-year-old burned past a random breath test on the Great Western Highway in Lapstone in Western Sydney, and police took off after him. Officers called off their pursuit before the speeding car left the road and crashed into a tree on the M4 in nearby Leonay about 10.10pm on Saturday. A man died after he slammed his car into a tree at high speed while fleeing police and almost split the vehicle in two The 35-year-old burned past a random breath test on the Great Western Highway in Lapstone in Western Sydney, and police took off after him The car's almost unrecognisible remains were found propped up against the tree by the side of the motorway in a heap of twisted metal. The car's almost unrecognisible remains were found propped up against the tree by the side of the motorway in a heap of twisted metal. The man was rushed to Nepean Hospital where he was pronounced dead from his injuries during the crash. Police will investigate the circumstances of the crash, which will be subject to independent review and all information will be provided to the coroner. Officers called off their pursuit before the speeding car left the road and crashed into a tree on the M4 in nearby Leonay about 10.10pm on Saturday Theresa May was forced to intervene to stop a stand-up row between two warring Cabinet Ministers in the Commons, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The Prime Minister stepped in after Chancellor Philip Hammond and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson hurled abuse at each other as a simmering feud over defence cuts boiled over into a shouting match. Witnesses reported the astonishing sight of Mr Williamson and Mr Hammond going 'toe to toe' in the Commons last week, with Mr Williamson angrily accusing Mr Hammond of publicly insulting him over his handling of the MoD. Mr Hammond defended himself, arguing he had done no such thing. At this point a horrified Mrs May, standing just feet away, stepped in to break up the row. A well-placed source said: 'She made it clear the two of them should grow up and calm down. After slugging it out toe to toe, they trudged off like naughty schoolboys.' The extraordinary confrontation took place at 8pm on Wednesday during a key vote on Brexit legislation. Scroll down for video The Prime Minister stepped in after Chancellor Philip Hammond, pictured left, and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, pictured right, hurled abuse at each other It was the culmination of an explosive rift between the two men, first revealed in this newspaper last weekend. We reported how Mr Hammond's allies had accused Mr Williamson, promoted to Defence Secretary last month, of deliberately stirring up a row over defence cuts. Mr Williamson was said to be furious over the way one of Mr Hammond's allies had compared him to the naive Dad's Army character Private Pike. Within 24 hours, Mr Williamson retaliated by banning the Chancellor from taking the RAF aircraft reserved for official government and Royal business, claiming the Treasury had failed to pay the MoD a six-figure bill. Then, on Wednesday, Mr Hammond struck back by saying that the Defence Secretary had yet to 'get his head around' his own budget. Hours later, the two men came face-to-face in the Commons when they voted on the EU Withdrawal Bill. A well-placed source said: '[Theresa May, pictured] made it clear the two of them should grow up and calm down. After slugging it out toe to toe, they trudged off like naughty schoolboys' Within moments, a fierce argument had broken out, although there are conflicting accounts as to who started it. According to one Tory MP, Mr Williamson was the aggressor. 'Gavin went for Philip's throat,' said the MP. 'All the pent-up anger came spilling out. Hammond looked taken aback, but then gave as good as he got. The PM could see it was all getting out of hand and broke it up.' The confrontation came amid a growing rebellion by backbench Tory MPs over threatened cuts to the MoD budget, a dispute which the Treasury believes is being stirred up by Mr Williamson to boost his career and win the respect of the Armed Forces. The Treasury is convinced that Mr Williamson who was parachuted in to the Defence Secretary job last month when Sir Michael Fallon was forced out over a sex harassment scandal is 'on manoeuvres' to position himself for a run at party leader when Theresa May steps down. The drama erupted in the House of Commons, according to insiders (stock photo) Since his appointment, he has made a series of eye-catching announcements including in the past week alone vowing to hunt down and kill British jihadis, and saving Army dogs from being put down. Mr Williamson, 41, tried to drag a reluctant No 10 into his row with Mr Hammond last week by complaining to senior aides about 'negative briefing' from the Treasury following the backbench rebellion. But it was the description of him resembling Pike, the 'stupid boy' in the BBC comedy, as he sat with seasoned officers, which really stung Mr Williamson. His allies responded by telling The Mail on Sunday that Mr Hammond left the Forces in a 'parlous state' during his own time as Defence Secretary and would be held to account for it. It was also claimed that Mr Hammond, 62, had told the Prime Minister that the Army needs as few as 50,000 troops, a cut of nearly 30,000, which was dismissed by the Treasury as 'utterly untrue'. Mr Williamson is due to hold talks with Mr Hammond before Christmas to thrash out how to fill a 2 billion hole in the MoD budget. Mr Hammond told the Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday: 'There is no question of the defence budget being cut. You have been watching Pike... and 'we're all doomed' Frazer Allies of Mr Williamson liken the Chancellor to the doomsaying undertaker Private Frazer in the BBC programme - because Mr Hammond is an Eeyorish character who is always downbeat about Brexit and the economy. Advertisement 'The defence budget is being increased. I expect that once he has had a chance to understand the situation in the Ministry of Defence, and to get his head around the defence budget, the new Defence Secretary will be wanting to come and talk to me and he will find no one more sympathetic to the challenges of defence than me'. An ally of Mr Williamson said: 'Gavin will just turn this to his advantage. Pike was the next generation after all and at least he is still with us.' The actor who played Pike, Ian Lavender, is one of just two Dad's Army cast members still alive. The other is Frank Williams, 86, who played vicar Timothy Farthing. Mr Williamson's camp also liken the Chancellor to doom-mongering, penny-pinching undertaker Private Frazer in the BBC show, because Mr Hammond is always 'downbeat' about Brexit and the economy. Tory MPs say that Mr Williamson is 'very active' talking to MPs in the Commons tea rooms, which they interpret as a sign that he is preparing to mount a leadership bid. Mr Hammond's allies think that Mr Williamson cooked up the backbench rebellion over cuts in order to distract attention from the row over his fast-track promotion to the Cabinet. They believe he is exaggerating the financial pressures so that he can claim a 'win' if the cuts fail to materialise, and so boost his leadership hopes. No 10, the Treasury and the MoD all declined to comment. Mr Williamson also declined to comment. ...And then blamed 'Frazer' of Treasury for delaying pay rise for 195,000 troops By Mark Nicol, Defence Correspondent for the Mail On Sunday Nearly 200,000 troops have been told they will have to wait for a pay rise promised in the Budget a delay Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has blamed on Chancellor Philip Hammond. All servicemen and women across the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force were supposed to get a one per cent hike in April 2018. But now, in a crushing blow to morale just before Christmas, the increase has been postponed. Last night, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that because of red tape the soldiers, sailors and airmen and women will not get their pay rise when promised. Instead, troops will get the money at a later date. But, remarkably, the MoD could not say when that will be. Defence officials said the delay had been caused by Mr Hammond's decision to move the Budget from April to November. But this was dismissed by former head of the Royal Navy Lord West, who called for the 'shocking blunder' to be rectified immediately. It will mean Britain's lowest-paid troops, who earn 18,500, miss out on about 15 per month. The apparent attempt by Mr Williamson dubbed Private Pike and his staff to shame the Chancellor publicly over the pay delay came as the Cabinet rivals continued their increasingly personal dispute over defence spending. In a letter published on the website of the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB) which advises the MoD on pay issues Mr Williamson appeared to blame the delay on Mr Hammond's shake-up of the fiscal calendar. Last night, Treasury sources interpreted the Defence Secretary's comments as a 'cheap jibe' at the Chancellor, who allies of Mr Williamson have now dubbed Frazer after Private Pike's dour Dad's Army comrade. Writing to AFPRB chairman John Steele on December 7, Mr Williamson referred to the 'inconvenience' of moving the Budget from the spring to autumn, which he suggested meant troops could not receive their pay rise on time. He wrote: 'The MoD will continue to support the work of the AFPRB, noting the inconvenience of the changed timeline and implications for a deferred announcement of the [pay] award after April 1. 'We have communicated the delay to Service personnel, explaining that both the review body and the Government are seeking to keep any delays to an absolute minimum and that pay awards will be backdated to April 1.' But last night Lord West said he could not understand how the MoD was incapable of processing the pay rise regardless of Mr Hammond moving the Budget. Lord West said: 'It does not seem remotely complicated to me to add one per cent to everyone's pay on April 1, which is still some way off. This is an appalling error which will have quite an impact on our lowest paid servicemen and women.' And former Labour Defence Minister Kevan Jones added: 'Mr Williamson is just passing the buck. In real terms, our Armed Forces have had years of pay cuts so delaying the rise is yet another insult.' Mr Williamson's thinly veiled attack on the Chancellor represents a further escalation in the row between the Cabinet rivals over proposed cuts to Britain's over-stretched Armed Forces. It follows Mr Hammond suggesting that Mr Williamson, who was appointed Defence Secretary last month following Sir Michael Fallon's resignation, was yet to understand his brief. It remained unclear last night how many other workers would be affected by the delay. The Home Office and the Department for Education confirmed there were no changes to proposed timetables for its workers to receive pay rises. A Treasury spokesman said: 'All public sector staff covered by a pay review body will receive next year's increase in full and backdated, no matter when the deal is agreed.' Outsider with his sights zeroed in on No10 Comment by Simon Walters, Political Editor for the Mail On Sunday Few had heard of Gavin Williamson until he replaced Defence Secretary Michael Fallon who was forced to resign last month over sexual harassment claims Just a month ago the idea of Gavin Williamson succeeding Theresa May if, as many expect, she stands down as Prime Minister after Britain leaves the EU in March 2019, would have been dismissed as a joke. Few had heard of him until he replaced Defence Secretary Michael Fallon who was forced to resign last month over sexual harassment claims. But the moment Williamson got his feet under his MoD desk he launched a one-man publicity blitz: he picked a public fight with Chancellor Philip Hammond over defence cuts, saved two military dogs from being put down and last week said all Britons who had fought for ISIS should be killed. Those who scoffed at the idea that Williamson plans a late run for the Tory leadership post-March 2019 have been forced to reconsider. On the face of it, it's an unlikely scenario: a 40-something Tory MP with a state school background, nasal whiney voice, seen as a 'grey' nonentity, best known for plotting in the Whips office, wins the confidence of a female PM reaching the end of her Downing Street reign, gets massive global-role Cabinet promotion from her and, 16 months later, beats the charismatic, but flawed blond Tory heartthrob seen as destined for greatness. I am not referring to how Gavin Williamson might beat Boris Johnson in the race to succeed Mrs May in 2019, but how Sir John Major beat Michael Heseltine in the race to succeed Margaret Thatcher in 1990. The parallels are intriguing. Major was 45 when Thatcher, desperate to find an alternative heir to her pro-EU Tory foe Heseltine, plucked him from relative obscurity to make him Foreign Secretary in July 1989. Major made his Tory reputation as a Whip and was derided by snobbish colleagues for his flat South London vowels, state school education and accountant's background. But he wooed Mrs Thatcher and, when she was forced to resign in November 1990, her support helped him pull off a surprise victory. He defeated Heseltine, known for his flowing blond locks and flamboyant temperament. Those who scoffed at the idea that Williamson plans a late run for the Tory leadership post-March 2019 have been forced to reconsider In the eyes of some Conservative grandees, Williamson, 41, is as much of a Tory 'outsider' as Major. He went to a comprehensive school, ran a pottery company before entering Parliament and, until his MoD move, was the Party's Chief Whip. Despite having been David Cameron's Commons aide, he switched his allegiance to Mrs May and quickly became a member of No 10's inner circle. Her decision to grant his plea to make him Defence Secretary last month was as big as surprise as Thatcher giving Major the Foreign Office out of the blue nearly 30 years ago. Just as Major was mocked for supposedly tucking his shirt inside his underpants and lacking the elan to be Britain's premier diplomat, skinny Williamson has had to fend off jibes from Tory critics that he is like 'Pike' in the Dad's Army TV series. But, like Major, wily Williamson is a man in a hurry and is winning support on the Tory backbenches and sections of the media with his populist utterances. Johnson shares Heseltine's flair and brilliance, but as with Hezza, there will always be a hard core of Tories unwilling to entrust gaffe-prone Boris with the keys to No 10. If there is someone less exciting, but with down-to-earth roots, who has the support of a much-loved outgoing leader and can be presented as a vote-winning 'break with the past', they could win just like Major. The signs are Williamson has made the same calculation. We may find out in March 2019. It is only 15 months away. Industry experts say that the raging southern California wildfires are now destroying the state's precious avocado crop. 'We've lost at least several hundred acres of avocados, probably more,' Research Program Director for the California Avocado Commission Tim Spann told AgNet West. It's estimated that more than 132,000 acres of land in Ventura County have been blackened by the wildfire, named the Thomas Fire. An inmate firefighter fights a fire in an avocado grove in the Ojai Vista Farm, in Ojai, California Avocados that were charred by the Lilac Fire in Bonsall, California Experts told Reuters that while the majority of the family-owned avocado orchards have not been engulfed in flames, the crops have likely suffered in massive ways from the hot Santa Ana winds coming out of the desert. The winds, which are gusting up to 80 miles per hour are said to be ripping the avocados off tree branches. Once on the ground, food safety regulations stipulate that the avocados cannot be sold for human consumption. 'A lot of that fruit everybody was looking forward to harvesting next year is laying on the ground,' chief executive of the Ventura County Farm Bureau, John Krist, told Reuters. According to Ben Faber, a University of California farm advisor in Ventura where 90 per cent of America's avocados are grown avocados are usually harvest in February and March, with full-size avocados beginning to appear in December, attached to trees by long stems, making them more vulnerable to the desert winds. Even if the avocados doesn't appear to be scorched, damage could still be present in the form of internal heat damage or sunburn resulting from the loss of the tree canopies. Inmate firefighters work to put out the blaze in an avocado orchard in the Ojai Vista Farm The Ojai Vista Farm is among those avocado orchards threatened by the Thomas Fire Additional fire-related crop damage could have an impact on America's multimillion-dollar avocado industry for a year or more. It's thought that the crop will also be affected by the thick coating of ash that the fires leave behind. The ash would interrupt the work done by insects that hunt pests that feed on avocado trees. 'Thats going to cause a disruption to the bio controls thats going to go on for a year or more. So the impact of the fires is not all immediate,' Faber said. Ventura's lemon crop is also expected to suffer from the same issues. Eighty per cent of the nation's lemons are grown in Ventura County, however the lemons may fare slightly better than the avocados in the end, due to their being a lighter fruit grown on a shorter, sturdier stem, experts say. Experts do not expect avocado prices to rise due to the wildfire damage, since Ventura's crops represent only a portion of the worldwide production. Most avocados are grown in Mexico and South America. In August 2017, reports surfaced that avocado prices rose in the US due to a poor harvest in both the US and Mexico the previous year. Still, 2016's avocado harvest produced a crop worth in excess of $400million, reports BBC News. Fire crews in Southern California are rushing to contain devastating wildfires, with dry desert winds expected to intensify over the weekend. Smoke from the raging wildfires in Ventura County is seen on Saturday. 'I used to love the windthe feeling of free-spiritedness it brought as it whipped through my hair and made me a little unsteady on my feet,' wrote photographer Jenni Keast. 'Not any more. Now it's just bringing destruction and mayhem as my beloved state burns' Smoke from the fires is seen from the air over Southern California on Saturday. Over the past week, six major wildfires have killed at least one person, destroyed hundreds of buildings, and forced more than 200,000 people to flee Over the past week, six major wildfires have killed at least one person, destroyed hundreds of buildings, forced more than 200,000 people to flee and choked the air across much of the region. California Governor Jerry Brown will survey the destruction of the state's devastating wildfires on Saturday. Forecasters predict wind gusts to become more intense by Saturday night, challenging the 8,700 firefighters who have been battling the fast-moving blazes for five days. 'As we know, when a tornado hits the Midwest, there's no stopping it. When a hurricane hits the East Coast, there's no stopping it. When Santa Ana winds come in, there's no stopping them,' said Captain Kendal Bortisser of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. Naval Aircrewman 1st Class Justin Greene, assigned to the 'Merlins' of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 3, searches for hotspots from an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter to support California fire fighting efforts Firefighters watch as flames erupt on mountainsides in the Los Padres national Forest north of Ojai on Friday.Unrelenting winds fanned towering flames in southern California, where hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee A hillside glows with embers as the Thomas fire burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, California on Friday night This map shows the areas of active wildfires northwest of Los Angeles as of Saturday morning. Fire crews are bracing for high winds over the weekend, with forecasts calling for gusts up to 40mph Saturday and up to 50mph Sunday Winds were expected to gusts up to 40mph Saturday and up to 50mph Sunday in the Los Angeles and Ventura areas, the National Weather Service said. The winds 'potentially put the fires that are currently burning at risk of spreading,' said Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for CAL FIRE. The fire is continuing to spread, although Thursday's high winds have eased off, making firefighting easier. Shane Winton sprays water on a friend's property as the Thomas Fire approaches in the town of La Conchita The fires have taken people by surprise over a large swath of Southern California since the biggest fire broke out Monday evening in Ventura County. There, the only death attributed to the fires so far involved a 70-year-old woman who was found dead in a wrecked car on a designated evacuation route in the small city of Santa Paula. Virginia Pesola, 70, was found dead in Ventura on Wednesday. Officials said she had been fleeing the Thomas Fire the oldest and biggest of the blazes when she died. Three people were also burned trying to escape a fast-moving fire that started Thursday 50 miles north of San Diego that overran a mobile home retirement community and a race horse training facility. A man bicycles past bluffs burned in the Thomas Fire on Thursday in La Conchita, California Fire crews search for hot spots among destroyed homes in the Rancho Monserate Country Club community on Friday A general view shows dozens of mobile homes consumed by the Lilac wildfire in Fallbrook Fire ravaged vehicles remain parked in front of burnt out homes off Highway 33 north of Ojai, which was surrounded by the ever-growing fires This photo was posted on Twitter by astronaut Randy Bresnik, who wrote: 'I was asked this evening if we can see the SoCal fires from space. Yes Faith, unfortunately we can. May the Santa Ana [winds] die down soon' The fires reached San Diego County on Thursday, with the Lilac Fire tearing through retirement homes and ranches in Bonsall as it crept toward Oceanside Arab foreign ministers fumed over Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital at an emergency meeting in Cairo today. In speech after speech, officials at the Arab League get-together spoke venomously of President Trump's announcement - but offered few ideas on actions to counter his move. 'If we do nothing about this one [Trump's decision], there will be many, many more tragedies,' warned Iraq's foreign minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari. 'No normalization [with Israel] and no compromises.' Scroll down for video In speech after speech, officials at the Arab League get-together spoke venomously of President Trump's announcement - but offered few ideas on actions to counter his move Lebanon's foreign minister, Gibran Bassil, suggested that there might be a silver lining in the latest crisis to hit an Arab world locked in conflict with Israel for nearly 70 years. Pictured: Palestinian National Authority Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad Al Maliki meets with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit ahead of the meeting 'If we do nothing about this one [Trump's decision], there will be many, many more tragedies,' warned Iraq's foreign minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari (pictured) The Cairo meeting's televised public session began at 9pm local time and ended two hours later after nearly 20 chief delegates spoke The head of Egypt's largest Christian church also announced he would not meet US Vice President Mike Pence when he visits Cairo on December 20, mirroring a decision on Friday by the head of al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's top seat of learning. Trump's announcement on Jerusalem, and his intention to move the US Embassy there, triggered denunciations from around the world, with even close allies suggesting he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. The city's status lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinians conflict, and Trump's move was widely perceived as siding with Israel. Even small crises over Jerusalem's status and that of the holy sites in its ancient Old City have sparked deadly bloodshed in the past. The Cairo meeting's televised public session began at 9pm local time and ended two hours later after nearly 20 chief delegates spoke. Their comments ranged from blasting Trump's decision to the need for concrete action to musings on whether fiery speeches would change anything. Lebanon's foreign minister, Gibran Bassil, suggested that there might be a silver lining in the latest crisis to hit an Arab world locked in conflict with Israel for nearly 70 years. 'Could this calamity bring us together and wake us from our slumber? Let it be known that history will never forgive us and our future will not be proud of what we have done,' he told the meeting. Bassil also called for an emergency Arab summit, a proposition that's said to have been embraced by several Arab league member-states. Earlier, Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki called on world nations to recognize the State of Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital in response to Trump's decision. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir arrives to attend the Arab League foreign ministers emergency meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaks during the meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attends an Arab League foreign ministers emergency meeting to discuss the potential Arab response to Trump's announcement Aboul-Gheit said Trump's decision 'condemned' the country that took it and the administration that passed it. It also raised a question mark over Washington's role as a peace mediator, not just in the Middle East but in the entire world. 'The decision amounts to the legalization of occupation,' said Aboul-Gheit, alluding to the occupation and later annexation of east Jerusalem by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Al-Maliki called on the league to instruct its envoys in the United Nations to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council condemning Trump's decision. Trump's decision, he said, 'betrays its hostility and bias against the Palestinian people.' The top aide to Jeremy Corbyn who quit last week over a Lords expenses scandal faced further questions last night over thousands of pounds in secretarial allowances which he paid his wife even though she has a separate job as a lawyer. Steve Bassam resigned as Labours Chief Whip in the Lords after the MoS revealed he claimed travel expenses to commute from Brighton while getting 260,000 over the past seven years for London overnight stays he was rarely making. Lord Bassam known as Lord Swampy because of his background as a squatters rights leader was forced to announce his resignation. Steve Bassam - known as Lord Swampy - faces a second expenses probe after he paid his wife Jill Whittaker, right, from a 44,000 secretarial allowance he has claimed since 2010 He had already promised to pay back about 41,000 travel expenses but denied that he had broken rules relating to the second-home allowances. Now this newspaper has established that since 2010 he has claimed around 44,000 of taxpayers money from a little-known Lords secretarial allowance. Lord Bassam confirmed he used much of the allowance to pay his wife, Jill Whittaker. Ms Whittaker, who lives with her husband in a 1 million home in Brighton, is a corporate lawyer with Brighton and Hove City Council. The Lords Ministerial and Office Holder Secretarial Expenses budget funds secretarial support for senior frontbench peers. Last week The Mail on Sunday exposed the original scandal which led to Bassam's resignation Lord Bassam said the money had paid for support on a range of parliamentary duties, including case work administration, charitable work and related diary management. He added: Until October of this year, much of that support was provided by my wife. Asked to explain exactly how much she had received and how he justified it when she has a job with the council, he declined to answer. There is no suggestion that Lord Bassam has broken Lords rules by paying his wife to assist him. A Lords official said peers must submit a monthly bill which they and the person doing the work have to sign. The president of an impoverished African state which receives 55 million a year in British foreign aid has spent 7 million on a private executive jet, according to anti-corruption campaigners. Mozambique, where two-thirds of the population earn less than 1 a day, is mired in debt and all direct aid payments to the government from the international community were halted last year after a 1.5 billion secret-loan scandal. But the Department for International Development (DFID) still pours millions into NGO projects in Mozambique, thus freeing up funds which can be lavished on extravagances such as Filipe Nyusis new jet, say critics. Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi, left, picutred with European Commission president Jean-Claude Junker has spent 7 million on a private executive jet, campaigners have claimed The aircraft, a 14-seater Bombardier Challenger 850, was bought last month for $9.2 million and was used to fly President Nyusi to the inauguration of new Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa Mozambique claimed they were purchasing a 'Tuna Fleet', but instead bought military vessels The aircraft, a 14-seater Bombardier Challenger 850, was bought last month for $9.2 million and was used to fly President Nyusi to the inauguration of new Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Passengers enjoy a plush carpeted cabin with leather seats. The jet is apparently more luxurious than the presidents previous aircraft, a Hawker 850 XP, in more utilitarian Mozambique Air Force livery. According to respected economic and political newsletter Africa Confidential, the aircraft was bought with a loan from the state-owned BNI bank, which is closely linked with the finance ministry. Commentators were amazed at the insensitivity and extravagance of the acquisition in view of the countrys deep economic crisis, it reported. The ten-year-old plane was bought by Mozambiques ailing state-owned airline, LAM, but the firm denied it was for the presidents exclusive use. The Minister of Transport and Communications, Carlos Mesquita, told journalists in the capital Maputo last month: It is an aircraft specifically for executive flights, which is proving a very attractive segment. How the MoS has led the way Following news last week that British aid was being diverted to Islamic extremists, The Mail on Sundays campaign has continued to make an impact on Government policy. In 2016, MoS reporter Ian Birrell (pictured below giving evidence to a Government committee) exposed the corruption, waste and profiteering of the foreign aid industry. Our investigation discovered that ASI had faked evidence to show progress on Government-funded projects in attempts to get even more cash. Four executives quit over the scandal. Adam Smith International have stated that it makes every effort to ensure aid funds in Syria are used properly and says the allegations were untrue or misleading. https://www.adamsmithinternational.com/news-and-insights/adam-smith-international-strongly-defends-integrity-of-unarmed-community-po/ Advertisement But critics have cast serious doubt on the idea that a burgeoning executive jet market has taken root in a country that is struggling economically. In the coastal resort of Nacala, for example, a gleaming new 150 million international airport stands virtually unused since it was opened three years ago because of the disastrous financial downturn which Mozambique has suffered. Mozambique analyst Nigel Morgan, of Rhula Intelligent Solutions risk management specialists, said: This sends out completely the wrong message to the world. LAM is in a terrible financial state, so the idea of it venturing into the executive jet market is very unlikely. One also has to ask where on earth the money is coming from. In last years aid scandal, the Mozambique government confessed to more than 1.5 billion of debts it had kept secret while taking aid money, including 84 million from Britain. Cash was supposed to fund a state-owned tuna fishing fleet, but was instead used to buy military patrol boats from France. Other purchases included security equipment for coastal protection, light aircraft and drones. When last years scandal emerged, direct aid to the country through the International Monetary Fund which included UK money was stopped, and has not yet been restored. But other DFID money channelled to NGOs and charities working in Mozambique often alongside the government, though not handing cash directly to them continues to be spent unabated in projects such as health, economic development and education. Earlier this year, the purchase of a 2.9 million fleet of Mercedes saloons by officials in Mozambique provoked public outrage. A DFID spokesman said: No UK funding goes to the government of Mozambique. We do continue to work with trusted partners to deliver water, healthcare and other lifesaving aid directly to those in desperate need of support. Calls and emails to spokesmen for President Nyusi and LAM were not answered. It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the Only the shoes are missing! Proudly displayed in a glass case next to the Customer Services desk on Royal Princess is the outfit that Kate Middleton wore when she launched the flagship cruise liner, including her Dalmatian spot coat hanging on a stand. Everything but the shoes, sighs Luis, the twinkly Shore Excursions Manager. We have the scissors she used to cut the ribbon, the letter she wrote to us. We even have the foil and the neck of the champagne bottle, but the shoes Wed come across the display while exploring on our first evening aboard as the ship sailed out of Fort Lauderdale in Florida for a ten-day Southern Caribbean cruise in search of the best rum punch. The famous champagne waterfall being carefully poured in Royal Princesss enormous atrium We started with the ships own version at the Mermaids Tale bar by the pool area seriously good before setting off, clutching our little pocket maps. My other half Grant and I had sailed with the Princess line around Japan a couple of years before and loved it, so there were many familiar aspects to the ship. But here, we soon discovered, everything is on a much grander scale across the 19 decks. The central atrium is huge, gleaming and glamorous and theres a glitzy elegance to the bewildering choice of bars and restaurants. The poolside screen for the Movies Under The Stars feature is the biggest at sea and the central triple pool complex has fabulous dancing fountain displays. The seawalk glass walkway, meanwhile, extends so theres nothing but glass beneath your feet and the sea many decks below. Mesmerising once youve got your nerve. And the state-of-the-art TV studio means you can watch live shows there, or on your TV in your cabin, or on catch-up. Featured on The Cruise series on ITV earlier this year, Royal Princess is the largest cruise ship weve been on, carrying 3,500 passengers (never mind the 1,300 crew). How would we cope away from our compact stateroom? Would we be overwhelmed? Would we ever get to the stage where we could navigate our way round without our maps? A waterfall near Dominicas Titou Gorge, which is just as impressive as the champagne one No worries. There was plenty of time to get our bearings. The first two days were spent at sea while the ship made its way right down the Caribbean to the Dutch island of Aruba just off the north coast of South America. Venezuela is almost within sight. Id always been intrigued and wondered where Aruba was, ever since very non-PC the days when Miss Aruba was always the first alphabetically in the Miss World contest on TV. Somehow we never felt crowded, not even on the first Formal Night in the atrium. It was nice to have a chance to glam up a bit and squeeze into the frock. We discovered the bulk of our companions were from the US (We just love your Queen and that Princess Kate. Thats a great coat!) as Captain Craig Street, a Scot, welcomed each nation. Everybody was on parade, officers in their whites, for another Princess tradition, the Captains Champagne Waterfall. Watching maitre dhotel Giorgio nonchalantly splashing bottle after bottle over the fragile tower of champagne coupes what if it collapses? fills you with wonder. But it was less scary than watching young guys tombstoning into the pool beneath the tall, fern-festooned Annandale Falls as we did on Grenada. Or swimming through a dark cave towards the falls inside Titou Gorge on Dominica. All three just thrilling waterfall experiences, for sure. I know which one I want to repeat. We did a lot of swimming. The sand on palm-tree-lined Eagle Beach in Aruba was so soft and pale it was almost like powder. We celebrated with a rum punch in a little bar on the dock opposite the ship. Featured on The Cruise series on ITV earlier this year, the Royal Princess can carry 3,500 passengers The next morning on the way back from snorkelling on nearby Bonaire along with neighbour Curacao, it makes up the Dutch trio called the ABC islands we drank rum punches on the catamaran. It was 11am and they were delicious. On board we eased into a routine. Each morning Id go to the top-deck gym before joining Grant for a swim in the Fountain pool before breakfast. We couldnt believe it, but at 8.30am we always had it to ourselves. It was all very necessary because the food was mind-boggling. We decided the only way to battle non-stop opportunities to fill our faces was to keep it simple during the day and not go too mad at night. Well, that was the theory. The Chefs Table Lumiere, which started with champagne and canapes in the galley and continued via a six-course gourmet menu, had me photographing the pudding: Bitter Chocolate Mousse with Salted Caramel Cream and Chocolate Crunch. By contrast, on one day we ate conch fritters from a paper plate on a beach by a shack on Grand Turk just bliss. The Duchess of Cambridge officially cut the ribbon to officially name the Royal Princess in June 2013, shortly before the birth of Prince George You cant see and do everything, but we had a good go. A visit to the bridge had me walking like the Duke of Edinburgh, hands behind my back out of the way. The technology was so stunning. We loved hilarious stand-up Troy Thirdgill, and The Love Boat Disco Pool Party was a great night. Above on the big screen were images from the original TV series filmed on a Princess ship 40 years ago while below, the ships team danced their socks off round the pools to 1970s hits such as Dancing Queen. Something for everyone, is it the ship with everything? Well not quite. There is the question of the Royal shoes. Over to you Kate And the best rum punch? I think it was in Grenada. But theres no such thing as a bad one. As we were waiting for our flight to the Maldives, I started to doubt my sanity. Here I was, heading halfway round the world with three children in tow two of whom have Aspergers, hate change and cannot sit still for a minute. Whats more, we were flying to a small island where we would be trapped for a week. Wed heard that Kandima Maldives on part of the Dhaalu Atoll was different from the usual five-star luxury honeymoon spots. It is billed as a four-star lifestyle resort and what attracted us was an exhaustive list of activities for adults and children. A pier at Kandima resort on part of the Dhaalu Atoll in the Maldives, in the heart of the Indian Ocean Still, this, our first foreign beach holiday in 12 years, was a bit of a gamble. We got off to a good start. Before the flip-flops had even come out of our suitcases, Sarah, 11, discovered that at 4pm they turn on the water at Kandiland, a kids club, which has a large wet play area. After getting soaked and bouncing on the trampoline, she scanned the Kandiland itinerary and signed up for candy-floss-making, Maldivian drumming, rock painting, an art class and mocktail mixing. George, 17, who is further along the autistic spectrum than his sister, was itching to go on a jet ski, but when he declared it was the only activity he would try, my heart sank my husband Gavin and I were keen on mojitos by the pool. All was not lost. George discovered Burn, Kandimas fully equipped air-conditioned gym hes sports-mad and cannot waver from his intense training schedule, so this was a godsend. The Kandiland play area at the resort, where Sally Chaplin took her husband and three children He also joined us on a sunset fishing trip, landed a red snapper and ate it for lunch the next day. I worried about the food on offer before we left the UK, as our children are fussy eaters. We always argue about where to eat and there would be no McDonalds, Starbucks or Burger King at Kandima. We were on the Select All Inclusive package, which included all meals in the resorts self-serve Flavour restaurant, and fortunately the choice was immense. They had everything from a full English breakfast through to curries, freshly griddled fish and a dizzying array of salads. In fact, Sarah and her neurotypical 15-year-old sister Alice were so inspired by the food at Kandima that they signed up for a pizza-making class. We also had high tea in the Deli known as K Tea. Alice learns to make a pizza at one of the classes at the resort. The family also had high tea in the Deli known as K Tea What I hadnt factored in was the heat. Temperatures in the Maldives hover around the 28 to 30C (82 to 86F) mark and were all quite fair. While most guests basked in the rays, we tended to stick to shaded areas until 3pm. Thankfully, our Sky Studio with interconnecting rooms was blissfully air-conditioned. It was also clean, modern and had a vast bathroom. Best of all, it had a balcony, complete with swing seat, overlooking the Indian Ocean. No parent needs me to tell them that a holiday with kids is never really a break, but our trip was a huge success. George, Alice and Sarah were happily exhausted at the end of each day and the adults even managed to grab the odd siesta. Kandima was just the right mix of paradise and practicality for us. Continuing our series on the worlds hottest hotels and the stars who frequent them, this week Sarah Turner checks out The Marylebone in London Star quality: A favourite with Kendall Jenner, David Gandy, Denise van Outen, John Galliano and Ruby Wax. Vital statistics: Cool and calm but right in the centre of London, there are 257 rooms, including 44 suites. Earlier this year, fashion model Kendall Jenner stayed in The Marylebone Suite, with its outdoor firepit and terrace with views across the rooftops towards the Thames, plus indoor cocktail bar. However, all the rooms are spacious with large windows. A private dining courtyard at The Marylebone, a cool and calm hotel that's right in the centre of London The 108 Brasserie on Marylebone Lane offers classic French cuisine to a steady stream of appreciative locals and guests. If youre in search of something more millennial, however, The Marylebone has a celebrity juicer on staff Cindy Palusamy. She uses organic ingredients to mix up cocktails, including London Greens, which uses spinach, pear and cucumber. The hotel also has a branch of exclusive gym Third Space, which has a pool. Location report: Just behind Oxford Street, Marylebone is a tranquil enclave of posh boutiques, period buildings and restaurants. Around the corner from Harley Street, the Wallace Collection and the Wigmore concert hall, it still qualifies as one of Londons villages. The hotel uses many local suppliers, including cheese from La Fromagerie and meat from The Ginger Pig, both on adjacent Marylebone High Street. The hotel is a big draw for celebrity guests. Among those to stay there are Kendall Jenner, David Gandy and Denise Van Outen, pictured Key attraction: A luxurious but under-the-radar hotel where celebrities can hang out without being bothered, it is part of the Doyle Collection. As a result, there are some nice Irish touches, from the chefs Guinness bread to the Bailies coffee brand used in the restaurant (a reason designer John Galliano often has breakfast here). Guests can join yoga and Pilates classes at no extra cost, and pretty much everything in London is within walking distance. Good enough for the rest of us? Afternoon tea, which starts at 32 per person, is an abundance of scones, cakes and clotted cream. Staying there: Rooms start from 235, room-only. The Marylebone Hotel, Welbeck Street, London W1G 8DN. 020 7486 6600, marylebone@doylecollection.com. With just two weeks to go until Christmas, what can we expect to cheer us up at this festive time? Weve already had the (presumed) death of Gary in Coronation Street (maybe they are saving his resurrection until Easter), Carmels heartache and Maxs comeuppance in EastEnders, and an out-of-control, drunken Pete falling down the stairs in Emmerdale. At least Corrie tried to lighten the mood last week when Roy decided to forgo the traditional Santa outfit in favour of that of the German gift-giver Pelznickel. Not if the Loch Ness monster had reared its head and eaten them whole could the kiddies have been more unimpressed. Chesney proposes to Sinead in front of a devastated Daniel who confronts Chesney claiming that Sinead is still in love with him in Coronation Street So, what can we expect, come the big Yuletide celebrations? Walford residents will doubtless order the turkey and decide instead that theyll have more fun with the carving knife. Emmerdale will probably celebrate with a kidnapping and a shootout (why spoil the habit of every week?). And I suspect the folk of Weatherfield will drink too much and end up falling into bed (or up against the wall of the Rovers toilet) with anyone they can lay their hands on. Again, why change the habit of a lifetime? CORONATION STREET: THREES A (TEDIOUS) CROWD When will it end? Not since Bananarama have I put my hands over my ears so much at the wailings of a threesome. Yes, theyre back. Weatherfields very own Groundhog Day, but without the laughs: Chesney, Daniel and Sinead, and their incessant whine-athon. Chesney ends up with a bloodied face after a confrontation This week sees Chesney propose in front of a devastated Daniel. Right: one, Chesney would have to be insane to sign up to Sineads whingeing for life; two, Daniel would have to be insane to care. Yet Daniel confronts his love rival and tells him that he is only jealous because he knows that Sinead is still in love with him. But why does Chesney have blood oozing out of his face? My guess would be from smashing his head against a brick wall when he finally realises the extent of his lunacy. As Bananarama almost sang, this is a sad case of Love In The Worst Degree. When Anna manages to escape from hospital in just an overcoat, we must breathe a sigh of relief, not only from a justice point of view but because someone has finally located the warm clothing in the wardrobe department. So underdressed has everyone been in recent weeks, I was beginning to suspect Manchester was enjoying some kind of freak heatwave. EASTENDERS: LAUREN PUCKERS UP If in doubt, lock lips. When Josh tries to steal files from his fathers computer, Lauren first tries to buy time by chaining herself to the Community Centre doors and later moves in for a kiss. But whats her motive? Genuine affection, or is Josh about to be run out of town? It wouldnt be the first time someone has used kissing to prevent a love object leaving the Square in the back of a taxi, or on the Underground that runs once a week (at most). Or, in this case, is a kiss just a kiss? Lauren's motives for kissing Josh (pictured) are questionable in this week's EastEnders However, my real query is about Willmott-Browns office. If everything is so top secret, wouldnt he have CCTV? Having said that, maybe he doesnt need it: Lauren and Josh snooping are about as inconspicuous as Hannibal Lecter at an All You Can Eat Ribs Buffet. Josh tries to make Fi see the real Willmott-Brown and, desperate to know the truth, Fi then asks Kathy to tell her what happened on the night of the rape. But will she believe her? Am I alone in feeling sorry for Max? Things are about to get even worse when his past catches up with him, leaving him on dangerous ground. Oh, how he must long for the time when all he had to do was carry round an empty briefcase, pretend there was something in it, and ponder his life from a hole in the ground when his wife buried him alive. Life was so much simpler in those days.Least believable storyline this week is Mick and Linda go for an interview to run a pub and get the job. They cant even run a bath. EMMERDALE: DIAL M FOR MORONS Victoria grows worried after hearing Adam (pictured) make an anonymous call in Emmerdale This week will apparently reveal all, as flashbacks show what happened at the viaduct. Adam is angry when Victoria is unconcerned that hes a suspect in Emmas murder, but she worries when she hears him making an anonymous call, claiming Ross is the killer. I dont know which soapland police force is worse. In the Dales itd take these incompetents three years to finish a game of Cluedo, let alone solve a real life murder. They do always have the best macs, though (the material, not the electronic kind, alas). Maybe theyre so busy shopping for overcoats, they dont have time to examine any evidence. Chrissy Metzs estranged father has hit back at claims he abandoned her as a child and only wants contact with her now that shes a Hollywood star. Mark Metz, a Navy veteran, has accused her mother Denise of cheating on him and causing an explosive family feud. Speaking to DailyMail.com, 66-year-old Mark claimed that rather than desert his daughter and her siblings, he long tried to save their relationship after the family was torn apart by a bitter divorce. 'If she doesn't contact me, that's her business!' Chrissy Metz's estranged father denies abandoning This Is Us star The This Is Us star was raised by her stepfather Crayton from the age of 10, who claims her father is only interested in being in her life now that she has a starring role on the NBC show. But Mark is disputing the claims and says although hes only seen the 37-year-old star a handful of times since she was a child, he regularly tries to contact her. 'Chrissy was born in the Navy and grew up in the Navy, I was sent overseas and the family came back to Florida, then I had to deal with her mother when we got divorced,' Mark said. 'Ive seen her on occasions over the years, but not a lot since shes moved to Hollywood.' Family is the essence: Mark holds up a old family photo featuring the This Is Us star Happier times: The former Navy officer says hes 'very proud' of his daughter, but she has taken sides in the family row The former Navy officer says hes 'very proud'of his daughter, but she has taken sides in the family - with her, her mother and older sister Monica, against her dad and her brother Phil. 'She never reaches out, Ive called her, Ive left voicemail messages, contacted her on Facebook,' he said. 'She came down here once, two Christmases ago, and Ive not seen her since. 'Did I abandon her? No! I didnt abandon anybody. If she never contacts me, thats her business.' Mark was told Denise suffered a serious stroke in August and is unable to speak, which has left Chrissy devastated, and says he had hoped to be there for his daughter. Want to reconnect: Mark with his second wife, Maria, who has has been married to for 25 years He claims her mother told her he didnt send money back from overseas, resulting in them being evicted from their house, and having no food in the fridge. The family moved into a mobile home before Denise met her second husband Crayton, and Mark thinks she has never believed his version of events. 'Chrissy had everything she wanted growing up when I was there, so did her brother, and so did her sister,' Mark went on. 'When I was in Japan, everyone was with me. The kids had all the best clothes and the latest toys. When I had to go off to another duty, I sent them back to the States. 'Thats when I found out from another Navy guy that my ex was fooling around in West Palm Beach, Florida. I didnt think much of it, I thought maybe its a little thing.' 'When it hit me was when I got called in while I was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and the Captain says to me, "Chief, how come your bills arent being paid?"' Proud: The 66-year-old said he 'had nothing but positive things' to say about Chrissy, who is seen on the NBC show This Is Us 'I was like, "What are you talking about?" All these stores back in the States wanted money, and nobody was paying for my house. Then I was p*****, because I was sending all of my money home. 'I never missed one child support payment for three kids after we got divorced, for years. I didnt leave out anybody. I did what I was supposed to do, but you dont get any thanks for that.' 'Phil said, "Moms never here, shes drinking, we got evicted from the house". If you really want to know who caused the family feud, my ex caused it.' Mark says Chrissy doesnt talk to him now, and shes 'in a different world' in Los Angeles, but hes sad they dont have a relationship and he misses her. 'I think shes done well in Hollywood. She always did well in school. She was the smartest out of all of my kids,' he said. 'I have nothing but positive things to say about her, except she listens to other people too much and doesnt reach out to everybody.' He added: 'She doesnt send regular birthday cards, Fathers Day cards or anything at Christmas. Its Veterans Day, she should at least be calling me, and so should Monica.' A different world: Mark said he's daughter's life was now very different Mark's wife of 25 years, Chrissy's stepmother Maria, 65, hopes they will one day be reunited. She said: 'We read that shed said she was estranged from her father, we were always trying to get in contact, through Monica. 'The only time I met Chrissy was when she came for the holidays, I was closer to her siblings. I havent had that much contact with her, but she was a delight. 'Its very exciting for her, and she talked about the people shes met in Hollywood. We see her all the time on TV, and watch the show. Im sure she can relate to her character Kate [who has weight issues]. 'We met her boyfriend Josh. He was quiet but very nice, and we told her to enjoy it. She stayed for a little bit, but then she left. Im hoping she does come again, and I just hope she remembers her roots.' Shark Tank investor Naomi Simson has spoken for the first time about 'orchestrating the dramatic coup' that saw her return to RedBalloon. This year, after visiting the office to 'pick something up,' the gifting company's founder was left appalled by the way staff were being utilised, she told News Corp. Naomi soon orchestrated a massive shake-up, with the chairman, CEO and marketing team all departing - while she returned for the first time since 2011. 'S**t needed to be fixed': Shark Tank investor Naomi Simson has spoken for the first time about 'orchestrating the dramatic coup' that saw her return to gifting company RedBalloon Speaking frankly to The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, Naomi insisted: 'There was all sorts of s**t that needed to be fixed.' Her ex-husband Peter Simson was also a casualty in the overhaul, and Naomi now reportedly 'cautions women' about going into business with their husband. The 'all sorts of s**t' the Shark Tank and LinkedIn (2.3 million followers) celebrity was referring to, included the 'finances, culture, direction and ownership structure.' She also 'couldn't stand' ousted CEO Nick Baker's decision to move the popular Christmas gift-card outlet's into the travel industry. Appalled: This year, after visiting the office to 'pick something up,' the gifting company's founder was left appalled by the way staff were being utilised, she told News Corp Elsewhere, the cost of employment had allegedly sky-rocketed (up by 'a third in a year') and Naomi believes staff were being used poorly. 'I came in to pick something up and 14 people were crammed into a meeting room,' Naomi recalled. 'I opened the door and said 'What are you all doing?' They said, 'We're talking about the brand.' She was left baffled management had that many people - both internal and external - discussing a topic she could answer herself. Coup: Naomi soon orchestrated a massive shake-up, with the chairman, CEO and marketing team all departing - while she returned for the first time since 2011 From taking calculated risks and focusing on gift-giving, to a lean staffing structure: the ideals Naomi founded the business on had seemingly vanished. Nick, along with many others involved with the coup have slammed the founder's claims, insisting she had a share in the decisions that hampered the company. Alas, six-years after departing from a company she'd help turn into a $50 million-a-year empire, she returned to steady the ship, sparking the huge staff overhaul. 'All sorts of s**t': Speaking frankly to reporters on Saturday, Naomi insisted: 'there was all sorts of s**t that needed to be fixed,' including: 'finances, culture, direction and ownership structure.' 'Couldn't stand': She also 'couldn't stand' ousted CEO Nick Baker's decision to move the popular Christmas gift-card outlet's into the travel industry Her divorce from co-founder Peter in 2011 was a large reason for her departure and Naomi appears to regret choosing him as her business partner. She told the publication that just because women 'trust' their husband, it doesn't mean they should go into business with them. 'They might not be the best business partner in the world. They might not have the best skills... I would always encourage people to look further than the home.' She recently gushed about her husband Michael Polish while on The Late Late Show With James Corden. And Kate Bosworth looked so in love as she jetted into Los Angeles on Friday, walking hand-in-hand with her 'sexiest man alive.' The actress looked sharp in an edgy, head-to-toe leather look. Traveling buddies: On Friday, Kate Bosworth, 34, returned to LAX, walking hand-in-hand with her husband, Michael Polish, 47 Kate, 34, layered a black top under a zippered jacket, complete with a cozy lining. The blonde beauty added a pair of cropped, bell leggings and a set of high-heel ankle boots to her ensemble. Michael, 47, layered a solid grey sweater underneath a collared shirt. The actor-director dressed down with dark jeans and snow boots. Winter-ready: The actress layered a black top under a zippered, leather jacket, complete with a cozy lining Recently, Kate appeared on The Late, Late Show with James Corden. In an interview with the British comedian, Kate was asked who she would pick as the world's sexiest man alive. 'I married my sexiest man alive...' she said. Edgy: The blonde beauty added a pair of cropped, bell leggings and a set of high-heel ankle boots to her look Kate and Michael have been married since August 2013. The couple met on the set of Big Sur in 2011, a film which Michael directed. Prior to their relationship, Kate dated Alexander Skarsgard for two years, and Orlando Bloom for three. She's a working mom with three adorable children. And Kourtney Kardashian, 38, looked stunning as she walked to breakfast wearing a black lace bra alongside five-year-old daughter Penelope and gal pal Larsa Pippen, 43, in Calabasas, California on Friday morning. The social media siren showed off peeks of her toned tummy in the tiny bralette as she headed into trendy Blu Jam Cafe where the trio met up with Kendall Jenner. Scroll down for video Hungry? Kourtney Kardashian, 38, looked stunning as she walked to breakfast wearing a black lace bra alongside five-year-old daughter Penelope and gal pal Larsa Pippen, 43, in Calabasas, California on Friday morning Kourtney covered up in a crisp white long-sleeved shirt which she left unbuttoned to reveal her incredible figure. She sported a pair of high-waisted black pants which were held up above her hips with an over-sized black belt tied into a ribbon. Her black bralette barely contained her ample assets and featured delicate lacy panels along her busy. Walk it out: The social media siren showed off peeks of her toned tummy in the tiny bralette as she headed into trendy Blu Jam Cafe Little Penelope wore all black, sporting a long-sleeved shirt, tights and black running shorts paired with hot pink shoes. Larsa showed off her enviable legs in a long-sleeved white shirt with a red and grey graphic print along the bust. She made sure to err on the side of caution with a pair of tiny black running shorts worn underneath her long shirt, with tan thigh-high boots resting above her knees. Hot! Larsa showed off her enviable legs in a long-sleeved white shirt with a red and grey graphic print along the bust Casual Friday: Kourtney covered up in a crisp white long-sleeved shirt which she left unbuttoned to reveal her incredible figure Leggy lady: She sported a pair of high-waisted black pants which were held up above her hips with an over-sized black belt tied into a ribbon Dressed down: Once inside, the women met up to eat a quick bite with Kourtney's little sister Kendall Jenner Once inside, the women met up to eat a quick bite with Kourtney's little sister Kendall Jenner. The supermodel dressed casually for the early afternoon adventure wearing a pair of distressed denim jeans. She opted for double the warmth in a over-sized grey sweatshirt worn underneath a black-and-white striped blazer. Sweet: The supermodel dressed casually for the early afternoon adventure wearing a pair of distressed denim jeans Lil Peep's death last month at 21 was the result of an accidental drug overdose on substances such as Fentanyl and Xanax. The 21-year-old rapper, whose real name was Gustav Ahr, died November 15 on his tour bus in Tucson, Arizona due to 'combined toxic effects of fentanyl and alprazolam' - the latter a generic term for Xanax - according to a report from TMZ, citing the Pima County Medical Examiner. The New York native also had recreational drugs including cocaine and marijuana - and prescription medications including Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, Oxymorphone and Tramadol - in his system at the time he died, the outlet reported, citing the medical examiner, adding that he did not test positive for alcohol at his time of death. Scroll below for video Tragic turn: Lil Peep, pictured this past June in France, died last month as result of an overdose of Fentanyl and Xanax, medical officials said, according to TMZ The combination of Fentanyl and Xanax was particularly lethal, as medical experts say blending the two can result in severe respiratory damage, with consequences including a coma or death. The rap artist's brother Karl 'Oskar' Aher, 23, told People in the wake of his death that he was shocked by his sibling's passing, noting that Lil Peep 'was not struggling' amid the period when he died. 'It was an accident, it really was an accident: He was super happy with where he was in life,' Oskar said. In January, Lil Peep - who was romantically-linked with actress Bella Thorne for a time - opened up to the outlet Pitchfork about his ongoing battle with depression. Open book: The rapper was candid about his mental health, drug use and sexuality. He was pictured in France in June On the mic: The rapper was snapped performing in Anaheim, California in September 'I suffer from depression and some days I wake up and Im like, "F***, I wish I didnt wake up,"' he said. 'I dont express that side of myself on social media. 'Thats the side of myself that I express through music. Thats my channel for letting all that s*** out.' Oskar told the publication that the Awful Things performer ingested a pill that could have been laced with a lethal substance, causing his premature passing. Sad day: Fans congregated in Long Beach, New York on Sunday to pay tribute to the rapper Mournful: The rap artist's name Gus, short for Gustav, was written in the sand over a heart on the gloomy day Remembrance: Lil Peep's mother Liza Womack spoke to mourners at the assembly 'We have heard there was some sort of substance he did not expect to be involved in the substance he was taking,' Oskar said. 'He thought he could take what he did, but he had been given something and he didnt realize what it was.' The rapper, who rose to prominence on forums such as YouTube and Soundcloud, was honored by fans in Long Beach, New York last week at a memorial service. This week she slammed trolls for critisising her nose job. And Georgia Kousoulou put on a brave face as she attended the launch of the new premium Prosecco Vidici at Sugar Hut in Brentwood in Essex on Friday. The TOWIE star, 26, was joined by fellow reality star Nicole Bass, as she took her mind off the drama, having recently defended her surgery. Scroll down for video Strong: Georgia Kousoulou put on a brave face as she attended the launch of the new premium Prosecco Vidici at Sugar Hut in Brentwood in Essex on Friday, following her nose job drama Dressed in a plunging black wrap dress which made the most of her generous decolletage, she cut a glamorous figure in the thigh-skimming piece. She wore her blonde tresses in a sleek centre parting, rocking a bold red lip and adding a touch of bronzer to her look. Ex on The Beach pal Nicole opted for a blazer ensemble, showing off her lace bra underneath the open jacket. Girls' night out! The TOWIE star, 26, was joined by fellow reality star Nicole Bass, as she took her mind off the drama, having recently defended her surgery Meanwhile Georgia hit out at cruel trolls on Wednesday, criticising their harsh words. 'People think because you're in the public eye they own you,' she told The Sun. 'I had one comment which said, "you signed up for this" and I thought, "no I didn't",' continued Georgia, who shot to fame after joining the TOWIE cast in 2014. 'I haven't been reading it and I try not to respond. If you call them out, nine times out ten they message you and apologise. Most of them don't even have a profile picture.' Racy! Dressed in a plunging black wrap dress which made the most of her generous decolletage, she cut a glamorous figure in the thigh-skimming piece Glam! She wore her blonde tresses in a sleek centre parting, rocking a bold red lip and adding a touch of bronzer to her look Standing up for her: Georgia also praised her boyfriend Tommy Mallett for defending her Glam trio! Nicole Bass and Georgia Kousoulou and Amber Dowding were later seen leaving the venue Blondes don't have more fun? Amber showed off her recently dyed dark locks Black on black: Chloe Crowhurst posed alongside Nicole Bass inside the venue Beaut: The blonde Love Island beauty dared to showcase her assets in a plunging mini dress Georgia also praised her boyfriend Tommy Mallett for defending her in a lengthy post that told trolls it was 'her body, her life' and that people should 'keep their opinions to themselves'. Tommy took to Instagram recently to defend Georgia from the onslaught of trolling she has faced. The Essex star wrote: 'Comments like that are the reason people in Georgias positions change themselves.. Putting in an appearance: Jamie O'Hara and fiance Elizabeth Jayne Tierney also joined the festivities Racy! Nicole left little to the imagination in her plunging ensemble, putting on a tanned appearance Dressed up duo! She was joined by her dapper boyfriend Jacques Fraser Brave face: Amber Davies stepped out to join her fellow reality stars following her split from ex-beau Kem Cetinay 'Every time she had a argument on the show she had people pointing out insecurities that she already had so she changed it. 'That is your opinion, you should just keep it to yourself if you feel like it's going to bother someone... 'It's her body, her life, her Instagram she can do what she wants... If it makes her happy.' Having a blast: She was seen in the company of her former co-star Georgia Harrison Besties: Georgia was seen cuddling up to former TOWIE star Fran Parman Suited and booted: Fran favoured a navy two-piece suit and fluffy heels Not a fan? Tommy Mallet was seen pulling a face as he took a drink She's a business entrepreneur at the tender age of six years old. And Pixie Curtis already has expensive taste, with the adorable daughter of PR maven Roxy Jacenko spotted enjoying a new colouring book from Cartier. The red-haired tot, who has over 100,000 followers on her Instagram account, shared the picture on Saturday morning. Scroll down for video Finer things! Pixie Curtis, six, already has expensive taste, with the adorable daughter of PR maven Roxy Jacenko spotted enjoying a new colouring book from Cartier 'A lovely colouring book from Alexander at Cartier,' read the image's caption, with a nod to the luxury goods brand. Pixie beamed in the photo, wearing one of her signature hair bows as she filled in an illustration. Mum Roxy regularly posts photos of Pixie and her younger brother Hunter, two, to social media. Like mother, like daughter: She's a business entrepreneur at the tender age of six years old Earlier in the week, Roxy joined forces with Kyle and Jackie O's Toy Drive, arranging for a car load of toys to be delivered to sick kids at Sydney Children's Hospital. The 37-year-old businesswoman explained her decision to take part in the charity effort, telling Daily Mail Australia: 'We wanted to brighten these children's day.' 'I find it heartbreaking most people are celebrating at home with family and friends and some children will sadly have to spend Christmas in hospital,' she continued. Reunited: This holiday season marks her husband Oliver Curtis' first Christmas home following his release from prison in June, for conspiracy to commit insider trading This holiday season marks her husband Oliver Curtis' first Christmas home following his release from prison in June, for conspiracy to commit insider trading. The doting mother revealed to Daily Mail Australia last month their daughter Pixie is 'thrilled' to have her father back home in time. 'She is now full of life - it was like she was a deflated person before,' she revealed. Her short cut became so famous it had hairdressers dubbing it the 'Bingle Bob'. And Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) appeared to be switching up her notable style in Sydney on Saturday. The 30-year-old took to her Instagram stories while having her mane attended to by stylist Travis Balcke, who appeared to dye her signature blonde locks a new shade. Scroll down for video Changes! Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) appeared to be switching up her hair style in Sydney on Saturday In the initial footage, Travis was seen mixing the hair dye in a small bowel. 'What colour is it?' the New York City-based star eagerly questioned him. 'Orange!' the creative director happily replied. 'What colour is it?' the New York City-based star eagerly questioned her stylist Iconic: Her short cut became so famous it had hairdressers dubbing it the 'Bingle Bob' The next video showcased Travis applying the amber-coloured mixture onto Lara's scalp, while she added the caption: 'Hair Question: Orange Or Red'. The model then filmed Travis washing the dye out of her hair as she leaned her head under the basin, tagging it with the cheeky phrase 'Gives good massage'. Her famed 'Bingle Bob' made its debut in 2014, with Lara telling Daily Mail Australia the following year that when it comes to styling: 'I think less is more, to be honest.' Decisions: The next video showcased Travis applying the amber-coloured mixture onto Lara's scalp, while she added the caption: 'Hair Question: Orange Or Red' 'Probably my hair is the least maintenance thing about me. I don't really brush it, I just let it dry,' she explained. Lara arrived back in Sydney on Friday without actor husband Sam Worthington and their two sons, Rocket Zot and Racer. The high-profile couple were recently spotted enjoying a family holiday in Hawaii. She's been lighting up the big screen as she recently moved from television to film. And Zendaya looked every inch the movie star as she dazzled onlookers for the premiere of her latest film The Greatest Showman in New York on Friday. The 21-year-old beauty was sophisticated chic in a black and red couture gown as she commanded attention on the red carpet. Stunner: Zendaya, 21, looked every inch the movie star as she dazzled onlookers for the premiere of her latest film The Greatest Showman in New York on Friday Daring to impress, the Disney Channel alum put her pretty decolletage on full display as the strapless dress plunged low. Her enviable figure was belied by the flowing gown as only her lithe waist was brought to center stage. The elegant ensemble held three layers of frilly toile that begged for heads to turn. With her flawless complexion on point, Zendaya chose a subtle neutral palette for her makeup adding a touch of berry to her lip. Beautiful: The beauty was sophisticated chic in a black and red couture gown as she commanded attention on the red carpet Daring: Daring to impress, the Disney Channel alum put her pretty decolletage on full display as the strapless dress plunged low Her trademark raven tresses were kept straight and loose with fashionable bangs that allowed her youthful face to glow. Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman cut dapper figures in classic tailored suits as they made an appearance on the red carpet. The Greatest Showman follows American showman P.T. Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman, as he becomes the founder of the circus that became the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Dazzling: Her enviable figure was belied by the flowing gown as only her lithe waist was brought to center stage Movie star: With her flawless complexion on point, Zendaya chose a subtle neutral palette for her makeup adding a touch of berry to her lip Zac and Zendaya play circus workers in the film also starring Michelle Williams as Charity Barnum, the wife of P.T. Barnum. And Zendaya reportedly did all her own circus stunts. Speaking to E! Online earlier this year, the starlet said of her preparation: 'I spent months trapeze training, which is not something I said or thought I could do. Dapper: Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman cut dapper figures in classic tailored suits as they made an appearance on the red carpet Handsome: Zac looked like a leading man 'You can see that I did it. I did as much as I could and it was so much fun. I learned different things that I could actually do and take it there.' The movie also features Alexandra Shipp and Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson. The Greatest Showman is scheduled for release on December 20. She's one of the most recognizable figures in Hollywood. But on Friday Nicole Kidman definitely didn't look like her normal, glamorous self as she got down to business on the set of Destroyer in Los Angeles. The 50-year-old, who normally rocks of mane of strawberry blonde locks, appeared to be wearing a brunette wig for the shoot. Who's that? On Friday Nicole Kidman definitely didn't look like her normal, glamorous self as she got down to business on the set of Destroyer in Los Angeles The rest of her laid-back outfit consisted of a jacket sporting a contemporary greyscale pattern, which was layered over an olive colored v-neck t-shirt and some straight leg jeans. Low-key black boots completed the ultra casual look. She didn't appear to be toting any accessories, though the Oscar winner did carry a white phone in her left hand as she walked. It seemed things were going well on set, as the Hollywood vet couldn't help but crack a smile at one point. Out of the ordinary: The 50-year-old, who normally rocks of mane of strawberry blonde locks, appeared to be wearing a brunette wig for the shoot Nothing fancy: The rest of her laid-back outfit consisted of a jacket sporting a contemporary greyscale pattern, which was layered over an olive colored v-neck t-shirt and some straight leg jeans In addition to being hard at work on Destroyer, Nicole recently got the good news that Big Little Lies will return for a second season with co-star Reese Witherspoon. The drama - an adaptation of Liane Moriarty's novel by the same name - has been one of the most talked-about series of the year, bagging eight Emmys and a score of awards season nominations. The duo, who executive produce the show, will once again be joined by creator and writer David E. Kelley, but will welcome a new director in the form of Academy Award winner Andrea Arnold. In good spirits! It seemed things were going well on set, as the Hollywood vet couldn't help but crack a smile at one point Kidman, 50, said in a statement via Variety: 'This is inspired by the overwhelming response by audiences around the world, conceived once again by Liane Moriarty, realized by David Kelley and now in the hands of visionary filmmaker Andrea Arnold. 'What a journey this has been. Im so grateful to have this opportunity to keep exploring these female characters and make this series with my friends.' Witherspoon, 41, added: 'Im thrilled to be bringing back this talented team of artists.' Charlie Sheen on Friday filed a defamation lawsuit in Los Angeles against the National Enquirer, its parent company American Media Inc., and its editor Dylan Howard over a story which claimed the actor had raped the late Corey Haim on the set of the 1986 film Lucas. Sheen, who denied the claims made in the story, said that Howard published it 'because of a personal vendetta that arose after he was unable to be the first to break the story' that he was HIV positive in late 2015, the actor's lawyer Shane Bernard said in court docs filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the story the tabloid ran November 8, Sheen was dubbed a 'a twisted child molester' and 'ruthless adult rapist' as it claimed he was 19 when he had sex with Haim, who was 13 at the time. Scroll below for video Legal battle ahead: Charlie Sheen, 52, (L) has sued the National Enquirer, its parent company American Media Inc., and its editor Dylan Howard, 35, (R) over a story which claimed the actor had raped the late Corey Haim on the set of the 1986 film Lucas The story quoted actor Dominick Brascia - noting that he 'was also accused of having sex with Haim,' and denied the allegations. Sheen and his legal team said given allegations have also been made against Brascia, Howard and AMI 'entertained serious doubt as to the truth of the publication and/or acted with a high degree of awareness of probably falsity' of the story's validity. Sheen told the court that the story was particularly offensive as he has kids who are in their early-teens, just as Haim was during the time of the events described in the Enquirer story. He noted that Haim's mother Judy Haim said that while he was abused as a youth, it was not by Sheen. Judy Haim, speaking with Dr. Oz after the report was published, contested the claims about Sheen in the story, saying that she 'would have known if anything was wrong' because she and her son communicated about everything. 'My kid hid nothing, he was like... transparent,' she said. 'He never hid anything, it's out of character, that's number one. When my son was 13 he's not going to go and ask Charlie Sheen to go and sleep with him.' On the offense: Sheen told TMZ that the story he had raped Haim in the 1980s was 'radically groundless' (pictured January 2017) The mother of the late star of The Lost Boys, who died in March of 2010, told Dr. Oz that Corey was sexually abused by a grown man, but his named was bleeped out of the broadcast. Sheen talked to TMZ Friday, saying that he had hit his 'breaking point' following the sordid allegations detailed in the story. 'In my nearly 35 years as a celebrated entertainer, I have been nothing shy of a forthright, noble and valiant courier of the truth,' the Two and a Half Men actor said. 'Consistently admitting and owning a laundry list of shortcomings, wrongdoings and indiscretions this traveler hath traveled - however, every man has a breaking point. 'These radically groundless and unfounded allegations end now. I now take a passionate stand against those who wish to even entertain the sick and twisted lies against me. GAME OVER.' 'Vendetta': Sheen said Howard, pictured in NYC last year, was angry with him over not being able to break the story about him being HIV positive in late 2015. Sheen first revealed the news of his HIV positive status to Matt Lauer on the Today show Howard, meanwhile, has been thrust into the spotlight recently. Howard, the top editor at National Enquirer publisher American Media Inc., who previously faced allegations of sexual misconduct at the gossip news giant, was also accused of harassing behavior at another employer, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Associated Press. Howard took over as the chief editor of the startup celebrity news site Celebuzz in early 2012, after a stint running American Media's Los Angeles office that was punctuated by allegations of sexual harassment. Questions about Howard's behavior didn't stop at the new job. At Celebuzz, Howard regularly asked female employees about their sex lives, talked in the office about which of his subordinates he'd like to sleep with and once threw what was described as a 'c--- ring' sexual aid at an employee, according to confidential documents obtained by AP and interviews with former employees. In a letter obtained by AP, a human resources specialist said an investigation concluded that Howard had violated the company's sexual harassment policy. After 15 months at Celebuzz, Howard left the smaller gossip publication and returned to American Media, where he is now chief content officer overseeing the National Enquirer, Us Weekly and other publications and web sites. In a statement issued through his publicist Friday, Howard acknowledged that the top reason for his resignation from Celebuzz was the way the company handled what he called "unfounded" accusations against him. 'There is nothing here that has any truth to it,' he said. 'Period.' 'There is a fundamental difference between words and the actions of people,' he said. 'We have clearly lost nuance and proportionality.' She's the model who recently confirmed a same-sex relationship with women's AFL star Lara Creber. And Fiona Falkiner made the most of the Sydney sun on Saturday, taking to Instagram to document her outing. The 34-year-old shared a jealousy-inducing photo that showed her posing moodily in front of a picturesque scene wearing just a top, while she kept her legs bare. Flaunt it: Fiona Falkiner (pictured) made the most of the Sydney sun on Saturday, taking to Instagram to document her outing The blonde beauty flaunted her well-toned and bronzed legs, wearing only a large white collared shirt over a bikini. Fiona appeared to be deep in thought, with her head down and eyes closed as she posed. The model's fans could not help but offer such epithets as: 'stunning,' and; 'gorgeous' in response to the post. Trim pins: The blonde beauty flaunted her well-toned and bronzed legs, wearing only a large white collared shirt over a bikini One fan was quick to applaud Fiona for her natural beauty, admitting she was an inspiration. 'Such a naturally beautiful woman,' they wrote. 'When I'm scrolling through my Insta feed your posts always make me smile.' Fiona, who announced her relationship with Lara Creber in October, took to the social media platform on Friday to celebrate Australia's historic same-sex marriage 'yes' vote. Happy days: Fiona, who announced her relationship with Lara Creber in October, took to the social media platform on Friday to celebrate Australia's historic same-sex marriage 'yes' vote Fiona shared a sweet black and white selfie that showed Lara planting a peck on her cheek. 'Love wins! #loveislove #Yes #Finally' she captioned the couple's selfie. Summing up the sentiment, one fan commented with: 'This photo makes me so happy! Bask in your amazing connection. Love does win.' She's no stranger to showing off her model physique. And on Friday night Martha Hunt was at it again as she attended the Maxim December Issue Party in Miami. The 28-year old Victoria's Secret beauty put her famous legs on full display in a very skimpy romper. Leggy lady! On Friday night Martha Hunt, 28, was flaunting her physique as she attended the Maxim December Issue Party in Miami The 5ft9in stunner's blue and white plaid garment also featured a huge cutout on the back and a lack of sleeves, which ensured a maximal amount of skin could be glimpsed. A crimson belt added a dash of color, and matched her strappy heels. Her honey tresses were parted in the middle and fell in waves down past her shoulders. Smokey eyes, subtle blush and nude lipstick ensured the supermodel's visage was flawless. Quite the figure: The Victoria's Secret beauty put her famous legs on full display in a very skimpy romper Flashing the flesh! The 5ft9in stunner's blue and white plaid garment also featured a huge cutout on the back and a lack of sleeves, which ensured a maximal amount of skin could be glimpsed Classic blonde: Her honey tresses were parted in the middle and fell in waves down past her shoulders Not shy: In the snap, the North Carolina native apparently donned a frilly plaid bikini for her trip from Los Angeles to Miami, one which showed off her ample assets While she no doubt had a ball showcasing her lithe limbs, a few hours earlier she took to Instagram to showcase her physique. In the snap, the North Carolina native apparently donned a frilly plaid bikini for her trip from Los Angeles to Miami, one which showed off her ample assets. Of course other celebs were on hand for the Maxim shindig as well. Leaving little to the imagination: Actress Joy Corrigan sizzled on the red carpet in a black sheer top fastened only with a flimsy string Edgy: On the bottom she donned a black shiny skirt which included a prominent front zipper Actress Joy Corrigan sizzled on the red carpet in a black sheer top fastened only with a flimsy string. On the bottom she donned a black shiny skirt which included a prominent front zipper. Massive spike heels rounded out her fetching ensemble. Florida native and rapper Rick Ross, 41, also partook in the festivities. She jetted back to her base in Los Angeles earlier in the week after spending time in her native Australia. But shortly after Ruby Rose returned to her adopted city, she was forced to flee her residence as raging wildfires tore through the region. On Saturday, however, the Orange Is The New Black star took to Twitter to tell fans that she and her beloved rescue dogs were safe and that she would be able to return to her Californian crib. Safe and sound: On Saturday, Ruby Rose (pictured) revealed she will be able to return to her Los Angeles home along with her beloved rescue dogs after she was evacuated earlier in the week due to a raging wildfire which threatened her residence 'After 3 days of being evacuated with my dogs and a suitcase I can finally go home tomorrow,' Ruby proclaimed to her 1.34 million followers. She added: 'Thanks to the hard and dangerous work put in by the firefighters who risked their lives to save ours.' The actress' home was threatened by the Skirball Fire, which tore through 475 acres of land close to the ritzy Bel-Air area. Evacuated: Ruby pictured with her beloved chihuahua Chance More than 46,000 residents of the upmarket enclave were forced to evacuate their homes on Tuesday, before the blaze destroyed a number of multi-million dollar properties. It's believed Ruby's residence was spared any damage. The out-of-control fire also temporarily forced the closure of the city's 405 freeway, and a jaw-dropping photo taken by a commuter quickly went viral as it showed the full fury of the inferno. Under threat: The leafy streets of ritzy Bel-Air were shrouded in smoke as firefighters worked to save multi-million dollar properties from the raging Skirball Fire During her mandatory evacuation, Ruby kept fans updated on the Los Angeles fires, revealing that she was playing vigilante in the catastrophic conditions. On Wednesday, the beauty wrote: 'Really!!?? Ive just seen two cars throw cigarettes out there [sic] windows on the freeway. Im sorry to be that person but I will get all number plates and report this. Peoples lives are in danger.' Inferno: The Skirball fire also temporarily forced the closure of the city's 405 freeway, and a jaw-dropping photo taken by a commuter quickly went viral as it showed the full fury of the blaze Earlier, Ruby also tweeted: 'These fires are so scary and I am hoping everyone is ok and praying for the people in those areas and the brave fire fighters and volunteers. My heart goes out to all the poor animals too.' The animal lover made sure her beloved rescue pups Ru and Chance were by her side during her evacuation, and the canines will return home with Ruby safe and sound. The vineyard manager gifted Bachelorette Sophie Monk a 'love plant' and ugg boots to show his growing affection for the beauty on Channel Ten's hit dating show. And Jarrod Woodgate, 31, is now an ambassador for Melbourne's Chapel Street's Christmas campaign, helping men pick the right presents for their lady loves. On Saturday, the reality TV romantic offered his free gift-giving advice service for willing participants wearing a Santa-inspired suit. Brace your elfs! Bachelor reject Jarrod Woodgate dons Santa-inspired suit to spread Christmas cheer to Melbourne fans struggling with gift-giving ideas on Saturday The star, who was labeled a 'five-stage clinger' by fans for his forward-approach to dating, appears to have flown home for the gig after appearing on new dating show, Bachelor In Paradise. Jarrod looked as cheery as Saint Nicholas himself during his appearance, showcasing his pearly white grin at any given opportunity. The TV personality looked smart in a slimming tailored suit as he posed in front of a rose-themed backdrop. Gift that keeps giving! On Saturday, the reality TV romantic offered his free gift-giving advice service for willing participants at Melbourne's Chapel Street precinct Looks like he's been nice! Jarrod looked as cheery as Saint Nicholas himself during his appearance, showcasing his pearly white grin at any given opportunity Suits him: The TV personality looked smart in a slimming tailored suit as he posed in front of a rose-themed backdrop Not so different to his cocktail party attire on the Bachelorette, Jarrod wore black suit trousers and a white collared button-up with a black bow-tie. Adding a Christmas element to his ensemble, Jarrod paired the suave look with a red velvet jacket with black silk trimmings and a traditional red Santa hat. Dressing down the look, he chose to wear crisp white sneakers instead of dress shoes or boots. Red-y to go! Adding a Christmas element to his ensemble, Jarrod paired the suave look with a red velvet jacket with black silk trimmings and a traditional red Santa hat as he greeted fans No Santa boots here! Dressing down the look, he chose to wear crisp white sneakers instead of dress shoes or boots 'I dont care if youve been naughty or nice, everyone is welcome to come down': Jarrod perched himself on a stool, while hoards of fans and indecisive shoppers lined up to meet the shopping precinct's guest gift expert Jarrod perched himself on a stool, while hoards of fans and indecisive shoppers lined up to meet the shopping precinct's guest gift expert. 'I dont care if youve been naughty or nice, everyone is welcome to come down to the Chapel Street Precinct and whisper in my ear what they want for Christmas,' Jarrod previously said in a statement ahead of the event. Chapel Street reminded patrons to come down on the day, by cheekily sharing on social media: 'The perfect xmas present? Come see Jarrod and you might get lucky.' 'Whisper in my ear what they want for Christmas': Jarrod, who was unlucky-in-love on The Bachelorette, appeared flirtatious on Instagram while the precinct cheekily suggested: 'Come see Jarrod and you might get lucky' All smiles: Jarrod looked as cheery as Saint Nicholas himself during his appearance, showcasing his pearly white grin at any given opportunity What advice did he give? There to give advice, he was seen in deep chats with guests who were struggling to think of the perfect presents for their loved ones He was seen engaging with men and women of all ages, and even the odd adorable pooch. Fans joked on social media that they had 'accepted a rose' from the Bachelorette reject, while others just wanted a selfie. There to give advice, he was seen in deep chats with guests who were struggling to think of the perfect presents for their loved ones. Jarrod recently presented his 'Top Ten Tips For Buying Christmas Presents,' a helpful 'do's and don'ts' guide, clearly borne out of his own personal experiences. On his list, he claimed to be cautious of buying homewares, dresses, furniture or exercise gear, and that a romantic getaway, shoes, and pampering are always good ideas. Prepared: Jarrod recently presented his 'Top Ten Tips For Buying Christmas Presents,' a helpful 'do's and don'ts' guide, clearly borne out of his own personal experiences Dos and don'ts: On his list, he claimed to be cautious of buying homewares, dresses, furniture or exercise gear, and that a romantic getaway, shoes, and pampering are always good ideas They recently showcased their sizzling physiques at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in Shanghai. And Josephine Skriver, 24, and Jasmine Tookes, 26, flaunted their flawless figures once again for the lingerie brand on Friday, as they starred in a jaw-dropping photo-shoot at Venice Beach in Los Angeles. The stunning catwalk stars switched up the label's famous angel wings for a series of skimpy fitness-inspired looks as they worked up a sweat. Scroll down for video Looking good: Josephine Skriver, 24, and Jasmine Tookes, 26, flaunted their flawless figures as they starred in a jaw-dropping Victoria's Secret shoot at Venice Beach on Friday Danish beauty Josephine certainly turned heads as she showed off her enviably toned abs in a tiny crop top and skintight leggings. Stretching into a series of impressive yoga poses, the blonde beauty looked radiant as she flaunted her sun-kissed glow. Sweeping her glossy tresses into a simple topknot, the model showcased her striking features with minimal make-up. The star was joined by Californian babe Jasmine, who stunned in a pink crop top and grey figure-flattering leggings. Working up a sweat: Danish beauty Josephine certainly turned heads as she showed off her enviably toned abs in a tiny crop top and skintight leggings Natural beauty: Sweeping her glossy tresses into a simple topknot, the model showcased her striking features with minimal make-up All in a day's work: The runway star flashed a grin as she soaked up the sun on the shoot The catwalk star later slipped into a matching grey number as she did push-ups at the idyllic beachside setting. The models, who have soared to fame as Victoria's Secret stars, recently opened up about the first time they bought bras. Speaking to Refinery29 at the brand's flagship store on Fifth Avenue, Josephine said: 'Oh, this is such funny story! I didn't even have boobs until I was, like, 19.' Luckily, Josephine's aunt bought her a bra when she was 14 or 15 to help her get along with the other girls in her class, but that didn't really work out too well. Stunning: The star was joined by Californian babe Jasmine, who stunned in a pink crop top and grey figure-flattering leggings Sartorial maven: The catwalk star later slipped into a matching grey number for her second look Here they come: The stunning catwalk stars switched up the label's famous angel wings for a series of skimpy fitness-inspired looks as they worked up a sweat Drop and give me 20: She mastered a series of push-ups at the idyllic beachside setting Bit nippy? The girls seemed to be feeling the cold at one point during the shoot Josephine explained that the only bra she could fit into at the time was a Hello Kitty one, but she didn't care at all. She continued: 'I was still so proud of it. I got two, and I refused to take them off.' Jasmine, who was the chosen model to wear the $3 million dollar Fantasy Bra at last year's Paris fashion show, also believes her first bra came from Victoria's Secret. Flexible: Stretching into in a series of impressive yoga poses, the blonde beauty looked radiant as she flaunted her sunkissed glow Exercise queen: Josephine later rocked a skimpy white sports bra with a black velour tracksuit, teamed with a chic silver bowling bag Having a whale of a time: She appeared to be in great spirits as she pulled a funny face for one shot Comfort in her footwear: The runway model completed her sporty look with black and white adidas trainers Nothing to see here: The girls showed off their striking model looks as they chilled out on yoga mats 'I was a mega-fan growing up. I probably tried to have padding in it because when you're young, you want to be older,' she said. 'And now that I'm older, I'm all about no padding. It's funny how things change.' When it comes to the Victoria's Secret show, though, Jasmine hopes its cult status doesn't change for some time. 'There are so many young girls who watch it, like me when I was growing up, and I was like "Those girls are so cool, strong, feminine, and empowering," ' she added. 'Hopefully young girls are at home and watching us and saying the same exact thing.' Candid: The models, who have soared to fame as Victoria's Secret stars, recently opened up about the first time they bought bras Late bloomer: Speaking to Refinery29 at the brand's flagship store on Fifth Avenue, Josephine said: 'Oh, this is such funny story! I didn't even have boobs until I was, like, 19' Helpful: Luckily, Josephine's aunt bought her a bra when she was 14 or 15 to help her get along with the other girls in her class, but that didn't really work out too well Big fan: Josephine explained that the only bra she could fit into at the time was a Hello Kitty one, but she didn't care at all Lauren Phillips has married boyfriend of five years, Lachlan Spark, in a fairytale Victoria wedding on Saturday. The model and TV presenter said 'I do' to her suave-looking beau in a picturesque outdoor wedding in Flinders. Lauren, 30, looked every bit the gorgeous bride in a custom-made gown designed by Con Ilio, with a tulle train and veil. Scroll down for video Happily ever after! Lauren Phillips MARRIES Lachlan Spark in fairytale Victorian wedding wearing stunning custom-made Con Ilio gown on Saturday Mr and Mrs! The model and TV presenter said 'I do' to her suave-looking beau in a picturesque outdoor wedding in Flinders Lauren met Lachlan in 2012, with couple becoming engaged in February last year. The bride showcased her slender figure in a princess-cut design with corset bodice and full skirt. The strapless number cinched in at the Channel Nine's Postcards presenter's svelte waist and showcased her sculptured arms. Stylish bridal party: Lauren was earlier pictured with her six bridesmaids, who also had their custom-made white dresses designed by Con Ilio Here comes the bride! The bride showcased her slender figure in a princess-cut design with corset bodice and full tulle skirt Beautiful father-daughter moment: Lauren was walked down the aisle by her father, with guests capturing the special moment on social media The delicate gown appeared to be embellished with intricate beading and pearls. She wore her brunette locks down in luscious waves over her exposed back, with a portion of her tresses tied up in an updo. Lauren's makeup was flawlessly applied for her big day, with the neutral palette withstanding the hot summer's day. Stunning! The delicate gown appeared to be embellished with intricate beading and pearls Natural beauty! Lauren's makeup was flawlessly applied for her big day, with the neutral palette withstanding the hot summer's day Lauren was walked down the aisle by her father, with guests capturing the special moment on social media. She held her father's arm tight as she took each step wearing her thin veil over her face. The father-and-daughter duo looked overjoyed on the special day as the crowd stood up for their arrival. Lauren carried a chic white bouquet in her delicate hands as she made her way to her groom, who was standing under a floral arbor. A vision in white! Lauren carried a chic white bouquet in her delicate hands as she made her way to her groom, who was standing under a floral arbor You may now kiss the bride! The pair leaped into each other's arm for a passionate smooch once the celebrant had marked the proceedings over 'It's a yes!': The couple encouraged guests to mark the momentous occasion by sharing snaps and clips from the day using the hashtag 'meetthepharks', with images and clips surfacing from the fairytale ceremony online Lachlan, who is a creative director and producer, looked suave in a black suit with a bow-tie as he stared at his stunning bride making her way to him. There appeared to be seating and standing room for more than 150 guests, with the decor in a simplistic white design. According to reports by News Limited, their decor also featured a first of its kind seven-and-a-half-metre high glass marquee inspired by the nuptials of Pippa Middleton, the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge. Newlyweds! Guests recorded the jubilant husband and wife leaving the ceremony as they were showered with confetti and petals Sharing the love: Holding hands, guests approached the pair to provide personal congratulations as they graciously obliged The couple encouraged guests to mark the momentous occasion by sharing snaps and clips from the day using the hashtag: 'meetthepharks' Their romantic 'I do' moment was caught on video, with one user sharing the exact moment they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Others also recorded the jubilant husband and wife leaving the ceremony as they were showered with confetti and petals. Holding hands, guests approached the pair to provide personal congratulations as they graciously obliged. Looking all-white! The bridesmaids cut demure figures in their unique calf-length frocks, pairing their custom-made couture frocks with strappy white heels and white floral bouquets Looking good lads! Meanwhile, Lachlan's four groomsmen looked handsome in matching black suits, bow-ties and a floral lapel Lauren was earlier pictured with her six bridesmaids, who also had their custom-made white dresses designed by Con Ilio. Con Ilio has also created bespoke pieces for Bachelorette Sophie Monk, including her silk Champagne gown during the premiere. The bridesmaids cut demure figures in the calf-length frocks, pairing their uniform look with strappy white heels and white floral bouquets. Top blokes! Channel Nine reporter Tom Steinfort (second left) was best man, while The Project's Tommy Little (far right) also appeared to be part of the group Happy wife! Lauren's second dress was just as glamorous as her first, adorned with intricate beading and a more revealing plunging neckline Work of art: Lauren had been working with the couture brand for at least two months, posting a picture in a different wedding dresses on her Instagram in October Busting out! Lauren's reception dress was just as glamorous as her wedding gown, but flashed flesh with its plunging neckline and high split front Special delivery! At the reception, Lauren changed into a second dress, which was hand-delivered by designer Con Ilio Smitten! The newlyweds posed together in their glass-enclosed atrium fitted by Harry The Hirer, as Lauren flaunted her trim pins in the gown's semi-sheer skirt Meanwhile, Lachlan's four groomsmen looked handsome in matching black suits, bow-ties and a floral lapel. Channel Nine reporter Tom Steinfort was best man, while The Project's Tommy Little also appeared to be part of the group. They appeared to cheers beers before the wedding, which is believed to have moved to another venue for the reception. The Herald Sun reported a guest list of 180 people, including Lauren's Kids WB co-host Shane Crawford and his partner Olivia Anderson, WAG Rebecca Judd and husband Chris, model Kris Smith, AFL star Jonathan Brown and wife Kylie, Australian skateboarder Corbin Harris, Nova's Michael Wipfli and Channel Nine reporter Clint Stanaway, who was the MC. Reception: According to reports by News Limited, their decor also featured a first of its kind seven and a half-metre high glass marquee inspired by the nuptials of Pippa Middleton, the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge 'How good is this marquee? It's amazing!' Lauren's Postcard co-star Bec Judd also gushed over the couple's reception location, which was an impressive glass-enclosed marquee Pretty in pink: Bec Judd attended the wedding in an elegant figure-hugging frock Date night! Bec attended with her husband and AFL star Chris Judd, who she shared four children with 'Thank you for sharing out first pharkin' feast with us': From within the marquee, guests were seated at long tables with personalised seat placement for dinner 'Wedding of the year': Model and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star Kris Smith boasted about the wedding online, posing with his girlfriend Sarah Boulazeris (in red) Model and I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star Kris Smith even called it 'the wedding of the year' on his Instagram stories. Lauren's Postcard co-star Bec Judd also gushed over the couple's reception location, which was an impressive glass marquee. At the reception, Lauren changed into a second dress, hand-delivered by designer Con Ilio. The second dress was just as glamorous as her first, adorned with intricate beading and a more revealing plunging neckline. The newlyweds posed together in their glass-enclosed atrium fitted by Harry The Hirer, as Lauren flaunted her trim pins in the gown's daring front split. Stylish interiors! The Atrium, entirely enclosed by glass, was styled by The Melbourne Planner and fitted with florals by Hello Blooms Wedding Delightful! Pictures also revealed their wedding cake was a blue and white tiered naked cake with floral and gold detailing 'The first of its kind in the Australian events landscape': According to marquee provider Harry The Hirer, the glass 'atrium' made its debut at the lavish wedding Wow! According to marquee provider Harry The Hirer, the impressive 32.5m long and 15m wide structure took THREE days to construct by twelve staff members From within the marquee, guests were seated at long tables with personalised seat placement. Bec filmed her menu for the night, which read: 'Thank you for sharing our first Pharkin' feast with us.' Pictures also revealed their wedding cake was a blue and white tiered naked cake with floral and gold detailing. According to marquee provider Harry The Hirer, the glass 'atrium' made its debut at the lavish wedding and took THREE days to construct by twelve staff members. The impressive structure was 32.5m in length and 15m wide. The company took to social media to wish the newlyweds a happy union, complimenting their choice of venue and styling. 'Introducing the Atrium,' the post began, continuing: 'this is the first of its kind in the Australian events landscape and it is guaranteed to make your next celebration absolutely spectacular.' How romantic! Lachlan popped the question in February last year during a coastal picnic on Rottnest Island, off the coast of Western Australia The Myer ambassador met Lachlan in 2012 after her split from footy superstar Gary Ablett Jr. Lachlan popped the question in February last year during a coastal picnic on Rottnest Island, off the coast of Western Australia. He got down on one knee to profess his love for his lady love, as they stood on the cliff of a coastal enclave. 'I've got my brand new engagement ring on so I am keen to show it off to everyone!' Lauren flaunted her diamond sparkler on social media after saying yes to Lachlan's proposal 'This time last week was the best moment of my life (Props to our best friends who were hiding in the bushes to capture this magical moment),' Lauren captioned the heart-warming snap at the time. In February, Lauren told Daily Mail Australia it felt 'amazing' to be engaged to Lachlan, her 'best friend.' 'I'm very excited - I've got my brand new engagement ring on so I am keen to show it off to everyone!' she gushed as she flashed the sparkling new addition on her finger. She added: 'He did a really good job - I'm stoked with it actually!' as she pointed out that she had purposely decided not to wear any other jewellery. 'He did a really good job - I'm stoked with it actually!' Lauren said it was 'amazing' to be engaged to her 'best friend' in an interview with Daily Mail earlier this year and claimed she couldn't have been happier with his choice of engagement ring Staying close to home: Lauren had previously suggested her desire to have an overseas destination wedding as the pair were 'from different cities' Surname change? With the wedding's hashtag as 'meetthepharks', it is unconfirmed whether Lauren intends to take Lachlan's last name Spark or if there will be a hyphenated Phillips-Spark alternative Lauren previously suggested to TV Week that the couple 'would like to have a destination wedding, because we're from different cities.' However, it appears the pair happily settled on the picturesque Victorian Flinders. With the wedding's hashtag as 'meetthepharks', it is unconfirmed whether Lauren intends to take Lachlan's last name Spark or if there will be a hyphenated Phillips-Spark alternative. The couple have yet to plan a honeymoon. Where to next? The couple have yet to plan a honeymoon She welcomed baby Vienna to the world back in May. But it's taken a mere seven months for Cally Jane Beech, 26, to bounce back to her enviable figure, which she proudly showcased on a rare night off mum duty at the Gym King Christmas party in Leeds on Friday. The Love Island star showed off her ample cleavage in a skintight caramel strap vest top, which hugged her incredible curves as she joined her on-again beau and baby daddy Luis Morrison at the party for the reality star-favoured clothing brand. Scroll down for video Post baby bod: It's taken a mere seven months for Cally Jane Beech, 26, to bounce back to her enviable figure, which she showcased on a rare night off mum duty at the Gym King Christmas party in Leeds on Friday Cally displayed her tiny waist and pert derriere in a cream knee-length skirt, with a daringly high thigh slit that revealed her perfectly toned legs. She complemented her stunning ensemble with matching nude heels and simple clutch bag, letting her petite figure do the talking. The raven-haired beauty tied up her long tresses in a high up-do with delicate strands lightly touching her shoulders. Cally braved the chilly evening and added to her glam look with a cream faux-fur jacket, which she draped over her shoulders. Happy: The Love Island star showed off her ample cleavage in a skintight caramel strap vest top, which hugged incredible curves as she joined her on-again beau and baby daddy Luis Morrison at the party for the reality star-favoured clothing brand Beauty: Cally displayed her tiny waist in a cream knee-length skirt, with a daringly high thigh slit that revealed her perfectly toned legs On-again boyfriend and Vienna's father, fellow Love Islander Luis, appeared in good spirits as he joined Cally for the night out, as the couple give their relationship another go. Luis donned a black faux-fur biker jacket with matching ripped jeans for his stylish night on the down. While cutting it rather casual in a simple khaki green shirt, the reality star added some serious bling with his diamante-encrusted trainers. The pair looked happy together as they took a night off from looking after baby Vienna, but it's not always been smiles for the couple. Beaming: The raven-haired beauty tied up her long tresses in a high updo with delicate strands lightly touching her shoulders The first Love Island mum welcomed their daughter back in May and the couple were very much in love, but split 10 weeks after the birth amid cheating claims. They reconciled this autumn and seem more loved-up than ever in recent weeks. Cally first met Luis when they were both on the popular ITV2 series in 2015. The reality star endured a difficult, 32-hour long labour to deliver her first child by C-section. Although thrilled with her new bundle of joy, Cally-Jane hinted at a traumatic birth on Twitter. She wrote: 'Thank you for all your lovely tweets! The most amazing but frightening experience ever....she's here 07/05/2017.' He is one of Hollywood's leading men having starred in blockbuster hits such as Wedding Crashers and Zoolander. But Owen Wilson took a break away from the big screen as he enjoyed some downtime at a beach in Miami on Friday. The 49-year-old funnyman showed off his ripped physique as he took to the waters for a sunset swim with pals - looking relaxed and handsome as he did so. Scroll down for video Ripped: Owen Wilson took a break away from the big screen as he enjoyed some downtime at a beach in Miami on Friday The Marley & Me star showcased his toned abs, donning a pair of board shorts. His long swim trunks featured a red paisley print on top of a green background with a thick red drawstring waistband. Owen looked thoroughly relaxed as he splashed around in the waters before enjoying an hour long swim. Wet from the warm water, his long blonde hair dripped onto his bare chest as he wiped down his rippling muscles with a white beach towel. Active: The 49-year-old actor showed off his ripped physique as he took to the waters for a sunset swim His long swim trunks featured a red paisley print on top of a green background with a thick red drawstring waistband Having a great time: Owen looked thoroughly relaxed as he splashed around in the waters before enjoying an hour long swim The Night At The Museum star chatted away to his female pal as he shrugged on a light grey dressing gown. The day before the comedian-actor attended a party celebrating the launch of The Beach Club at 1 Hotel South Beach. He mingled with the likes of Ellie Goulding and Sarah Ferguson at the star-studded bash. Star-studded bash: The day before the comedian actor attended a party celebrating the launch of The Beach Club at 1 Hotel South Beach The Night At The Museum star chatted away to his female pal as he shrugged on a light grey dressing gown Wilson seems to have been taking some time off after being replaced on executive producer Lorne Michael's latest television project. Deadline reported in late August that Wilson was replaced in the TBS show Miracle Workers by Steve Buscemi. Production on the seven-episode comedy was delayed for months until his leading role was re-cast. Created by Simon Rich, the first season of Miracle Workers will be a heaven-set workplace comedy based on Rich's book What in God's Name and also stars Daniel Radcliffe. She admitted she was left 'very shaken' after being 'attacked' by two men for refusing to give them her autograph in a terrifying bar brawl on Thursday. But Jessie Wallace proved the ordeal would not get her down, as she flashed a defiant smile the day after the incident while leaving the Churchill Theatre in Kent. Ever the professional, the former EastEnders actress, 46, seemed to be in good spirits as she returned to work for her latest performance in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pantomime. Scroll down for video Moving on: Jessie Wallace flashed a defiant smile as she stepped out the day after she was reportedly attacked by two men for refusing to give them her autograph in a bar brawl The London-born star kept her ensemble casual for the outing, rocking a leather jacket over a grey tunic and simple indigo skinny jeans. Warding off the December chill, she layered up with a black knitted beanie and a scarf, completing her look with a chic studded leather bag. The star, who was said to be 'furious' after the men reportedly started hurling glasses at her in the pub brawl, managed to raise a grin and even sign autographs as she stepped out the next day. Brave: She proved the ordeal would not get her down, as she raised a grin while leaving the Churchill Theatre in Kent Ever the professional: The former EastEnders actress, 46, seemed to be in good spirits as she returned to work for her latest performance in the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pantomime In the incident two 'drunk' allegedly threw glasses at her and split an actor's head open after she refused to give out her autograph in a pub. Jessie, who played Queens Vic landlady Kat Slater in the soap, was apparently attacked by two fans at The Partridge pub in Bromley, southLondon, on Thursday at about 8.20pm. She was enjoying a quiet drink after the Snow White pantomime with the show's other performers when she was approached. Low-key look: The London-born star kept her ensemble casual for the outing, rocking a leather jacket over a grey tunic and simple indigo skinny jeans Wrapping up: Warding off the December chill, she layered up with a black knitted beanie and a scarf, completing her look with a chic studded leather bag Brave face: The star, who was said to be 'furious' after the men reportedly started hurling glasses at her in the pub brawl, managed to raise a grin and even sign autographs as she stepped out the next day Lesley Ashmall, who was in the pub at the time, said: 'There was a nice atmosphere until these two drunks were asking Jessie for a photograph. 'They were hassling her for a photo and she said no because they were too drunk.' She said it was at this stage that the two men started throwing glasses around the pub and punched fellow pantomime performer Jason Sutton, allegedly splitting his head open. Horror: It comes after she allegedly had glasses thrown at her for refusing to sign an autograph Established actress: She played Queen Vic landlady Kat Slater in the long-running soap EastEnders 'They must have broken six glasses, then they smashed the actor who was playing Nurse Nancy,' she said. 'After that they ran out of the pub.' Lesley said Jessie, who is playing The Wicked Queen in the pantomime, was furious after Jason Sutton was left needing medical attention. 'Everyone was fine apart from Jason who needed stitches,' she said. 'He's only a small guy. The venue: The former EastEnders star said she was shaken after the row in The Partridge in Bromley, South London Taking centre-stage: Wallace is currently starring in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in which she plays The Wicked Queen 'He's going to have a real shiner. The police and the ambulance came. Im surprised nobody was worse off, they started chucking glasses at her. 'She was furious with what happened.' Today, her agent said Ms Wallace had been left 'very shaken' by the incident. Ordeal: Wallace and fellow cast members were drinking in The Partridge at the time of the alleged attack Nightmare: The actress was drinking with fellow cast members when one of them was reportedly injured in the assault Phil Dale said: 'Although very shaken by the intrusion into her private time with her family and friends, Jessie is looking forward to being back on stage in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs today.' Staff at the Partridge have so far declined to comment on the incident, which saw several police officers attend. No arrests have been made and enquiries continue according to Met Police. Ms Ashmall posted on Twitter: 'Interesting evening in Bromley pub. 2 men attacked @JessieWallaceUK and her friends: unprovoked. She's in panto here. Men fled.' A spokesman for the pub said they were unable to comment. For Lauren Phillips, saying yes to her custom-made Con Ilio gown was no doubt almost as special as saying 'I do' on Saturday to business owner Lachlan Spark after half a decade together. But the designer frock wasn't the only ensemble to make an appearance for Channel Nine TV host's special day - she also changed into an equally elegant number for her lavish reception. As the newlyweds celebrate their union in Flinders, Victoria, Daily Mail Australia reveals the elaborate designer looks Lauren sported for the happy occasion. Plunging necklines, intricate beading and TWO couture gowns: Lauren Phillips' luxurious designer wedding looks revealed... as she says 'I do' in a lavish, star-studded ceremony Melbourne-based couture wedding label Con Illio happily catered to the stunning brunette's desire for a fitted bodice with a sweetheart neckline that transformed into a Cinderella-style skirt. Lauren had been working with the brand for at least two months, posting a picture in a different wedding dress on her Instagram in October. This one featured a more close-fitted skirt made of satin, rather than the bouncy tulle ballgown design she eventually chose. With such a statement dress for the ceremony, Lauren kept jewels to an absolute minimum, choosing to showcase a pair of circular silver diamante earrings and forgoing any type of bracelet or necklace. Ladies in white! She had been working with the brand for at least two months Say cheese! Each of Lauren's bridesmaids were also fitted in custom Con Ilio, choosing a separate style for each of the leading ladies The dress that almost was! This one featured a more close-fitted skirt made of satin, rather than the bouncy tulle ballgown design she eventually chose Instead she pulled back her hair in a half-up-half-down style and lightly curled it so it fell on the small of her back. But she didn't skimp on the veil and chose a traditional design to match her elegant dress. Each of Lauren's bridesmaids were also fitted in custom Con Ilio, choosing a separate style for each of the leading ladies. So sweet! Lauren was walked down the aisle by her father, with guests capturing the special moment on social media And from the back: Instead she pulled back her hair in a half-up-half-down style and lightly curled it so it fell on the small of her back Here comes the bride: The father-and-daughter duo looked overjoyed on the special day as the crowd stood up for their arrival All of them revealed a fair amount of shoulder on the day with strapless and one-armed designs favoured. For the reception Lauren changed into a second look of similar quality, which featured a plunging neckline, beaded sleeves and a split up the front. Con Ilio has also created bespoke pieces for Bachelorette Sophie Monk, including her silk Champagne gown during the show's premiere. The wedding, which incorporated the hashtag #meetthepharks, was held in picturesque Flinders, Victoria. Party in the front! For the reception Lauren changed into a second look of similar quality, which featured a plunging neckline, beaded sleeves and a split up the front Reception dining! Lauren met Lachlan in 2012, with the couple becoming engaged in February last year Lauren met Lachlan in 2012, with the couple becoming engaged in February last year. The TV personality was walked down the aisle by her father, with guests capturing the special moment on social media. She held her father's arm tight as she took each step wearing her thin veil over her face. The father-and-daughter duo looked overjoyed on the special day as the crowd stood up for their arrival. Lauren carried a chic white bouquet in her delicate hands as she made her way to her groom, who was standing under a floral arbor. Everybody put your hands up! Lauren carried a chic white bouquet in her delicate hands as she made her way to her groom, who was standing under a floral arbor We did it! Lachlan looked suave in a black suit with a bow-tie as he stared at his stunning bride making her way to him Lachlan looked suave in a black suit with a bow-tie as he stared at his stunning bride making her way to him. There appeared to be seating and standing room for more than 150 guests, with the decor in a simplistic white design. According to reports by News Limited, their decor also featured a first of its kind seven-and-a-half-metre high glass marquee inspired by the nuptials of Pippa Middleton, the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge. Their romantic 'I do' moment was caught on video, with one user sharing the exact moment they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Traditional: There appeared to be seating and standing room for more than 150 guests, with the decor in a simplistic white design It's the cooking show which has had its far share of drama since launching seven years ago. But never before has a couple been kicked off Seven's hit show My Kitchen Rules mid-season for 'inappropriate conduct.' An insider told the Daily Telegraph that two teams had a scuffle inside a Launceston hotel because one believed they had heard the other making inappropriate comments about them. Scroll down for video 'One of the contestants had most certainly crossed a line': My Kitchen Rules contestants AXED mid-season because of 'unacceptable behaviour' behind-the-scenes According to the source, the comments were overheard as one team walked past the other's room and was witnessed by hotel staff. It's believed a number of on-air clashes had already been filmed between the two teams before the brawl took place. 'Meetings were held almost immediately in Tasmania and again once the cast and crew returned to Sydney,' the inside told the newspaper. Cut throat! Network bosses made the difficult decision to remove one of the teams involved in the disagreement from the line up The decision was then made that one of the contestants in question had most certainly crossed a line. 'That behaviour was well beyond the limits of what is deemed acceptable.' Network bosses made the difficult decision to remove one of the teams involved in the disagreement from the line up but won't scrap their on-air debut, which was filmed in the first four weeks of the soon-to-be-aired season. The other team - and the six other pairs of contestants - will remain in the competition. Gripping viewing: MKR - hosted by Manu Feildel and Pete Evans - has had its far share of drama since launching seven years ago A spokeswoman for Channel Seven confirmed 'an incident' took place and that one team had been dropped as a result. 'Someone crossed a line that shouldn't be crossed,' Seven's head of publicity Susan Wood told the Daily Telegraph. This isn't the first time the popular prime time show has caused a stir. Foul-mouthed Josh from 2017's season called Amy a 's***' after being handed a meal which led to a 'talking to' from Manu Feildel. And who can forget the TV war between arch rivals Chloe and Kelly from WA and Melbourne twins Vikki and Helena? Their fiery exchanges were featured in some of the series' most-watched shows. The new season of the show will start on January 29. She recently revealed plans to marry next summer, less than a year after her beau John Noble popped the question. But Vicky Pattison stepped out without her husband-to-be on Saturday as she made her way to an estate agents in Essex. The 29-year-old former Geordie Shore star failed to raise a smile as she flashed her 3.6-carat diamond ring on the solo outing. Scroll down for video Vicky Pattison lf stepped out without her husband-to-be on Saturday as she made her way to an estate agents in Essex The reality starlet covered up her hourglass curves in a tailored black coat and knitted jumper dress. She styled the all-black ensemble with tight leggings and opted for comfort with a pair of Nike trainers. Vicky sported a glamorous appearance, styling her sleek brunette tresses in Hollywood curls and sporting a full face of make-up with bronzed cheeks, fluttery eyelashes and a slick of a muted brown lipstick. She added a touch of luxury to her outfit with a Prada handbag. Downcast: The 29-year-old former Geordie Shore star failed to raise a smile as she flashed her 3.6-carat diamond ring for the solo outing Stylish: Vicky sported a glamorous appearance, styling her sleek brunette tresses with Hollywood curls and added a touch of luxury to her outfit with a Prada handbag Sultry snap: Slipping into a pair of suede knee high boots, the Geordie native oozed confidence as she posed on her balcony She later ditched the leggings, showing off her enviable pins in the jumper dress in a sultry Instagram snap. Slipping into a pair of suede knee high boots, the Geordie native oozed confidence as she posed on her balcony. The brunette beauty got engaged in July after accepting a proposal from her long-term boyfriend John Noble. The brunette beauty got engaged in July after accepting a proposal from her long-term boyfriend John Noble The former Queen of the Jungle burst into tears when John popped the question with a 3.6-carat diamond ring while the couple were out dog walking. The lovebirds go way back as they used to date when they were 20 years old before they rekindled the flames of their romance years later. Revealing the intimate details of her romantic relationship, Vicky divulged exclusively to MailOnline at the EMAs in November: 'John has done a lot of growing up in the last eight or nine years. It is meant to be. New home: Vicky Pattison and her fiance John Noble, both 29, brought their first property together earlier this year 'When we first started going out we were very wrapped up in ourselves and what we wanted to do. We're very lucky to have had a chance to find each other again.' Although the couple are very loved-up, the I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! winner revealed she is not ready for children yet. She explained: 'Most of my friends are thinking of having children, but we're not quite at that stage.' He was left heartbroken when Bachelorette Sophie Monk chose millionaire Stu Laundy over him in Channel Ten's hit match-making series finale in October. But Jarrod Woodgate has revealed he intends to stand at the end of a wedding aisle in a suave suit VERY soon. Despite the 31-year-old romantic being unlucky-in-love on reality TV, he told The Daily Telegraph he has plans for nuptials in the coming year at his family's Gippsland winery in Victoria. Has he found 'the one'? Jarrod Woodgate reveals exciting wedding plans you NEVER saw coming... after being left heartbroken by Sophie Monk in the brutal Bachelorette finale Jarrod recently returned to Australia after looking for love on Bachelor In Paradise. The vineyard manager has yet to confirm whether his stint on the show resulted in a flourishing new relationship. Jarrod's exciting wedding news was revealed to the publication, as he stated his desire to become a wedding celebrant, to be part of happy couples' special days. New lady love? The vineyard manager has yet to confirm whether his stint on the show resulting in a flourishing new relationship 'I want to get a celebrant's licence so I can marry people on the winery': Jarrod wants to help happy couples get married on his family vineyard 'Business has picked up dramatically after the show with the combination of weddings to the point where I want to get a celebrant's licence so I can marry people on the winery,' the former reality star said. Jarrod also told the publication his love life was looking up, despite being labeled by fans as the show's 'stage five clinger'. 'People's perception of me has definitely changed which is such a good thing. They say I'm a lot taller and a lot better looking in person and that TV does not do me any justice,' he joked. 'People's perception of me has definitely changed which is such a good thing': Jarrod also told the publication his love life was looking up, despite being labelled by fans as the show's 'stage five clinger' Signing those papers, Stu? Meanwhile, Sophie has joked about how her chosen beau is still legally married to his ex-wife Rachel Meanwhile, Sophie's chosen beau is still legally married to his ex-wife Rachel. The pair have been the subject of ongoing rumours of a split since the finale aired. Jarrod told the publication his relationship was Sophie wasn't 'strange' anymore and he would be reaching out to her in the coming week to wish her a happy birthday. She was pushed to her death from a high viaduct by a mystery culprit back in October. And Emma Barton's killer will be unveiled next Thursday, after months of speculation in the Dales. As her funeral gets under way, tensions are running high in Emmerdale as all seven suspects appear noticeably shifty as they attend the memorial service. Scroll down for video Emma Barton's killer will be unveiled next week after months of speculation in the dales Her perilous death occurred when the self destructive mother fled to the viaduct after realising she was responsible for Finn's death, who viewers saw flatline and die in hospital. Emma was also embroiled in further drama after Moira Barton left hospital after discovering that Emma had stolen her newborn baby. With her panic rising and on the run, Emma later left the tot in the church before hearing the news that her son had died on the radio. Contemplating suicide as she stood on the brink of the bridge, her situation was made all the more sinister as the ghost of her son Finn was seen standing beside her. Shocking death: Her perilous death occurred when the self destructive mother fled to the viaduct after realising she was responsible for Finn's death, who viewers saw flatline and die in hospital In a shocking twist, a post-mortem later revealed Emma may have been murdered. She is not short of enemies, with Pete, Ross and Adam Barton in the frame alongside Laurel Thomas, Cain and Moira Dingle. As suspicions grow, DS Benton and DC Wilson focus their attention on Laurel Thomas, while Victoria Sugden quizzes why Adam is adamant on Ross Barton being the culprit. The explosive double-bill will show a number of flashbacks, which will reveal what happened in Emma's final moments- and exactly who was behind her tragic death. Lingerie model Adriana Lima has announced that she's ready to stop showing off her body 'for empty causes'. In a lengthy message posted to Instagram on Saturday, the 36-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel called for change, explaining that she's had enough of the pressure on women to 'look a certain way' from society, social media and fashion. Alongside her long note, the Brazilian-born star hinted that she may be quitting the lingerie brand as she wrote in the caption: 'I decided to make that change..... I will not take of my clothes anymore for a empty cause' Ready to quit Victoria's Secret? Adriana Lima has taken to social media to announce she wants to stop taking her clothes off while hitting out at pressures on women 'to look a certain way' It's unclear how the model defines 'empty' causes as she doesn't go into any more detail about how her decision will affect her career going forward. Her full caption, written in broken English, read: 'I had received a call for the possibility of filming a sexy video of me to be posted and shared in social media. 'Even though I have done many of this type, something had changed in me, when a friend approached me to share that she was unhappy with her body, then it made me think.... that everyday in my life, I wake up thinking, how do I look?' 'Was I going to be accepted in my job? And in that moment I realized that majority of woman probably wake up every morning trying to fit in a stereotype that Society/socialmedia/fashion etc imposed.... 'Make that change': In a rambling post she shared to Instagram Lima wrote of her frustrations at having to think about how she looks every morning and how women are put under such pressure every day 'i thought thats not a way of living and beyond that.... thats not physically and mentally healthy, so I decided to make that change..... I will not take of my clothes anymore for a empty cause....' A representative for the Brazilian model later confirmed she is not leaving the Victoria's Secret brand. In a statement released to People, they said: 'As Adriana mentioned in her post she received a recent offer where she was not aligned with the direction. 'Adriana is blessed to be able to work with all of the brands she does including Victorias Secret.' Many of Lima's fans responded to her message with supportive comments, such as one user who wrote: 'Finally someone thinks its not necessary to just get naked all the time.' Another fan added: 'what does mean an empty cause??? I support your decision but are you leaving VS or something??' Others commented that Lima was 'admirable' and inspiring'. In her main note, shared as a screenshot, the Desiguall brand ambassador wrote of her frustrations at how women are pressured 'every day' to look a certain way. She concludes it with 'Let's f***ing change the world' before apologizing for 'crossing boundaries'. Hanging up her wings? The 5ft 10in beauty has been a Victoria's Secret Angel since 1999 and has walked in 18 Victoria's Secret Fashions Shows 'My job puts me in such big pressure to look a certain way, I was thinking, how we woman have to carry so much.... I am tired of the impositions' Lima wrote Part of it read: 'My job puts me in such big pressure to look a certain way, I was thinking, how we woman have to carry so much.... I am tired of the impositions, we 'as woman' can't be continuing living in a world with such superficial values, it's not fair for us, beyond fair, it's physically and mentally not healthy what society in imposing to 'us' to be, to behave, to look... I want to change it,' The 5ft 10in beauty has been a Victoria's Secret Angel since 1999 and has walked in 18 Victoria's Secret Fashions Shows. And this year she was named 'the most valuable Victoria's Secret Angel'. Last month she told PEOPLE that she wouldn't retire from the brand until her 20th VS Fashion Show but was realistic about her age being a factor in her decision. 'I plan to be at 20. Two more years. Maybe more, I dont know,' she said. 'Its nature. I'm working out, Im being healthy, so lets see how the body is going to turn out. But I enjoy it. So lets say 20.' Lima has two children, Valentina and Sienna, with ex husband Marko Jaric. She is a legendary French actress, who boasts a successful career of over 30 years. And Juliette Binoche appeared younger than her years as she graced the red carpet in a busty bedazzled one-piece at the European Film Awards in Berlin on Saturday. The award-winning star has received a nomination for Best Actress for her performance in French film, Let the Sunshine In. Scroll down for video Youthful: Juliette Binoche, 53, appeared younger than her years as she graced the red carpet in a busty bedazzled one-piece at the European Film Awards in Berlin on Saturday The 53-year-old beamed a radiant glow as she slipped into a figure-hugging jumpsuit, adorned with a plunging double breasted neckline. Covered in dotted sequins, the award-winning star appeared youthful as her busty cleavage was on display. Juliette cracked a smile for the cameras as she dressed her brunette locks in a sleek middle parting, as her straight tresses fell against her chest. Age-defying star: The 53-year-old beamed a radiant glow as she slipped into a figure-hugging jumpsuit, adorned with a plunging double breasted neckline Proven as a natural beauty, the dancer accentuated her striking features with neutral toned makeup - a faint rose blush, a shimmer of gold eyeshadow and glistening nude lipstick. She gave room to her eye-catching ensemble as she opted for simple dangle earrings. Given in over ten categories, the European Film Awards establishes excellence in European film achievements. Natural beauty: The dancer accentuated her striking features with neutral toned makeup - a faint rose blush, a shimmer of gold eyeshadow and glistening nude lipstick Striking: She gave room to her eye-catching ensemble as she opted for simple dangle earrings All smiles: Juliette cracked a smile for the cameras as she dressed her brunette locks in a sleek middle parting, as straight tresses fell against her chest Prestigious: Given in over ten categories, the European Film Awards establishes excellence in European film achievements In the running: Juliette was nominated for Best Actress for her role in Let the Sunshine In, directed by Claire Denis Juliette was nominated for Best Actress for her role in Let the Sunshine In, directed by Claire Denis. The film adaptation of Roland Barthes' A Lover's Discourse: Fragments, follows the journey of Isabelle, a single artist, who is unable to decide whether finding a potential partner is important. Juliette - a mother of two children - has made known of her philanthropic work with French charity Asian Children's Association, where she became the godmother to five Cambodian orphans, and funded the construction of a children's home. Off she goes! She looked sensational as she was pictured leaving the event on Saturday night Cindy Crawford has proved once again that she's barely aged a day since the height of her modeling career in the 1990s. The 51-year-old supermodel was traffic-stoppingly gorgeous during a photoshoot in Malibu, California Saturday, showing off a variety of looks. The cover girl appeared a sultry blast-from-the-past as she leaned against a vintage Lamborghini Countach during the beachside shoot. Revving engines! Cindy looked iconic in a retro shoot in Malibu, California on Saturday Ageless beauty: The supermodel looked super glam in the throwback shoot and has barely aged since 1996 (left) Another outfit saw her sporting a crimson miniskirt which showcased her endless legs. The beautiful mother-of-two matched her itty-bitty skirt with a sharply tailored jacket in matching hue. She combed her tresses up to the sky for maximum retro appeal. The beautiful mother-of-two displayed her statuesque form as she bent over the engine of the smoking Lambo. The car, which was produced from 1974 to 1990, has a starting value of $360k. Red hot: The 51-year-old beauty also showed off her endless legs in a tiny mini skirt and jacket 1990s icon: The mother-of-two rocked bouffant hair similar to the hairdos she sported during her modeling heyday Higher the hair, closer to heaven! The statuesque stunner piled on the retro appeal, styling her warm brown hair to the ceiling Hot wheels! The car, which was produced from 1974 to 1990, has a starting value of $360k After strutting her stuff in scarlet, Cindy switched into high-waisted slacks as she draped her fantastic figure upon the car. The Illinois native paired the pants with a crisp collared shirt and flat shoes. Later the wife of restaurateur Rande Gerber swapped into a white and ecru suit with subtle zebra-print pattern. Cindy is back on the west coast after visiting Miami, Florida with her hubby and son Presley, 18. Charming their pants off! Cindy switched into high-waisted slacks as she draped her fantastic figure upon the car Her true stripes! Later the wife of restaurateur Rande Gerber swapped into a white and ecru suit with subtle zebra-print pattern Back to work! The partner of Rande Gerber is back on the west coast after visiting Miami, Florida with her hubby and son Presley A look: The model sported a red leather overcoat that was tied at her waist Suited up: Cindy later slicked back her dark tresses while wearing a white striped suit Cindy later slicked back her dark tresses while wearing a white striped suit and a black belted dress. The 51-year-old beauty gave her best pose as she stood on top of a red car. The crew helped Cindy with the photography lighting as she dazzled in the sun. Cindy later slicked back her dark tresses while wearing a white striped suit and a black belted dress The crew helped Cindy with the photography lighting as she dazzled in the sun Standing tall! Crawford stood upon a platform in a chic black number Elsewhere daughter Kaia Gerber was in Hamburg, Germany, where she stormed the runway for Chanel's pre-Fall 2018 collection. Kaia and brother Presley are fast taking after mom's runway. The starlet began modelling at just 10 years old when she landed her first modeling gig with Versace's junior line Young Versace, and has since gone on to pose for Vogue. Stepping out: The model made her way by the sporty red Ferrari in a tight skirt These boots are made for walking! Crawford hit her stride in strappy boots Following in mom's footsteps! Elsewhere daughter Kaia Gerber was in Hamburg, Germany, where she stormed the runway for Chanel's pre-Fall 2018 collection, above Jennie McAlpine became the eighth contestant eliminated from the I'm A Celebrity jungle on Saturday, narrowly missing out on a place in Sunday night's final. This followed boxer Amir Khan's elimination on Friday night. A visibly shocked Jennie, 33, couldn't contain her emotion as she was given the news she would be leaving the jungle. Scroll down for video Exit: Jennie McAlpine became the eighth contestant eliminated from the I'm A Celebrity jungle, narrowly missing out on a place in Sunday night's final Playful: Jennie then jokingly compared her experience of the jungle to giving birth saying: 'I thought I'd be better at it then I was. I asked people about it but I didn't listen and they lie. It's like giving birth. Nobody tells you what happens on I'm A Celebrity; This means that either actor Jamie Lomas, Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo or comedian Iain Lee will be crowned king or queen of the jungle on Sunday night's show. Jennie then jokingly compared her experience of the jungle to giving birth saying: 'I thought I'd be better at it then I was. I asked people about it but I didn't listen and they lie. It's like giving birth. Nobody tells you what happens on I'm A Celebrity.' 'It was so much harder than I expected, 'I don't know if it was a shock. I'm speechless. I'm just going to miss them so much. Reunited: Jennie was reunited with her husband Chris on the show's iconic bridge, but lost her hat during their hug Farewell: Jennie said 'I don't know if it was a shock. I'm speechless. I'm just going to miss them so much Reunion: Jenny couldn't keep the smile off her face as she hugged her beau on the bridge Hugs: Jennie looked delighted at the prospect of being reunited with her husband and young son Prediction: When asked who would make it to the final, Jennie went 'I can't, Toff, Jamie, Toff Jamie, I can't!' 'I have been away from Albert for four nights in his whole life so three weeks is just... I can't wait to see him.' Ant and Dec were also quick to gush about Jennie's cooking abilities including Wallaby Sausages, Alpaca Neck and Crocodile Tail. When asked who would make it to the final, Jennie went 'I can't, Toff, Jamie, Toff Jamie, I can't!' The episode kicked off with Iain Lee snoring up a storm which woke Toff up with the star ranting that she couldnt get back to sleep. Talking in the BT, Toff said 'Oh my goodness, the noise on the decibelometer, he must have been at the top. So loud and so long!' Cringe: The awkward moment came as the semi-finalists Toff, Jennie, Iain Lee and Jamie Lomas headed down for the Celebrity Cyclone challenge Here we go: Jennie walked into camp with a Jungle laminate and read it out 'Celebrities you will all take part in todays Trial which is Celebrity Cyclone. Racy: 'These are naught' Toff shrieked as she held up a pair of underpants before the trial The exhausted Made In Chelsea star tried to get to sleep but she couldnt. Up with the lark Amir woke up first just before 6am and came out of No 10 Downing Creek. Talking in the BT, Amir said For the first time I woke up before anyone, normally Im the last one out of bed. The celebrities had a luxury breakfast basket delivered after winning the previous nights challenge, containing what Iain labelled 'nectar and gold'. Caped crusader: Jennie gave everyone their superhero costumes and they all started getting changed Fetching: Toff couldn't keep the grin off her face as she marched around in pink pants Men and women of steel: The caped crusaders then sprinted to the trial as 'Tough Toff' led the way while Ant and Dec hummed the Superman theme tune Breakfast included bread, tomatoes, sausages, baked beans and mushrooms. Iain said: 'After enduring the hell of the grim grotto, the thought of a full English is really really good. Amir added: 'If I leave today Id be very happy. Ive had a beautiful breakfast and Ive had such a great experience that Im happy to leave today.' 'This saus-age is amazing!' mmmmm' gushed Toff. Facing off: The celebs had to battle wind, rain and balls in the Celebrity Cyclone challenge in the hopes of winning four stars- and meals- for the camp Balls everywhere: The celebs looked apprehensive as they faced a wall of balls Wow: A screaming Jennie tried to run up the Cyclone path but she was hit by water, paint and balls while Ant said 'I don't think she's going to make it' Winning: Despite Jennie McAlpine taking two mammoth tumbles in the Celebrity Cyclone challenge she was roundly praised on social media for clinging on Getting there: A ball hit her and she fell over, dropping all her stars so she had to attempt to start again. 'Come on Jennie, you can do this' said Dec as Jennie fell over again and again, with Ant joking 'we're going to run out of water in a minute' Ant and Dec walked into camp and announced that Amir would be the seventh celebrity to leave the Jungle. Talking in the Bush Telegraph, Iain said 'He wound me up incessantly but I gave back as good as I got and he made me laugh so much. Hes the person Ive laughed with the most, I shall miss him lots.' Jamie said 'He just made me laugh constantly.' 'To be in the final four is just lovely' said a visibly emotional Jennie. Soaked: Eventually she managed to get to the first star marker and a brave Iain started to run up to her just as a star fell back to the start so he had to turn around and grab that Effort: Jamie slid onto the floor as he battled valiantly to get to the star markers Tumble: Georgia kept getting hit in the face by plastic beach balls as she attempted to grab a star Flat: She got up and tried to run up again but another ball hit her and she fell down with Ant remarking that 'she's so light, you could blow her over' Hysterics: And and Dec couldn't stop laughing as they walked the celebs skidding about Talking in the BT, Toff said, 'Im so sad Amir has gone. I hope the dynamic shifts a little bit and maybe Iain and Jamie can grow a bit closer.' Iain and Jamie were talking in camp. 'Im so humbled that people have seen something in us that perhaps weve not seen' said Iain. I thought you were playing a game but you know I dont think you are now, I think youre a genuine guy', said Jamie. 'Thank you man, I appreciate you saying that' replied Iain. 'But thats what this is, its a game said Jamie as Iain agreed. Wow: Jennie clung on before the tsunami wave hit her full on as Toff fell over Got you: Toff gripped onto Jamie as he valiantly held onto his stars in a bid to secure meals Flood: Jennie was the only celeb left holding on after a tsunami wave hit them Challenge: Toff held up the stars as Jennie continued to hold on for dear life Talking in the BT, Iain said 'I thought that was very noble of him to say that, I certainly have not had a plan whereas I say Im going to behave like this and to try and get reactions from them so they look bad. Ive been as relaxed as much as one can be.' The campmates then prepared to face the iconic Celebrity Cyclone challenge. With glee Ant and Dec revealed that the fan favourite will now include a five-way flamethrower called the Five-Headed Dragon, to add to the many elements contestants will have to face. Jennie walked into camp with a jungle laminate and read it out, saying 'Celebrities you will all take part in todays trial which is Celebrity Cyclone.' Making a splash: It was a battle against time at 6 minutes as they all fought to get back to their positions with Iain helping Toff over the line Clinging on: Jennie and Toff looked worn out as the task came to a close Loving it: Toff couldn't stop laughing as she was soaked from the task Did it: The celebs called it 'the best' experience as they made their way back to camp Celebration: The final four looked over the moon at triumphing in their task They all cheered. 'Im so excited to do this today, itll be such a laugh' said Jamie. Jennie gave everyone their superhero costumes and they all started getting changed. Toff held up a pair of pink underpants and shrieked 'this is naughty' The celebrities all high fived each other and started to spin around in their outfits. Jamie and Jennie named Toff Tough Toff as she ran about in a hot pink cape. Treat:The celebrities then all enjoyed a choc ice treasure hunt with Iain waxing lyrical about the icecream treat Yum: Jennie got stuck into the sweet treat after three weeks surviving on rather less appetising fayre The caped crusaders then sprinted to the trial as 'Tough Toff' led the way with Ant and Dec hummed the Superman theme tune. Toff said 'This is going to be the best time of my entire life' while an elated Jennie said 'I'm going to fall over!' Dec said: 'This is Celebrity Cyclone, you will all begin on the turntable at the end here and when the fireball goes off the first person will get off the turntable, grab all four stars and make their way up the course to the first star marker, where youll put the first star.' Ant added 'Then when theyre in place, the second person leaves the turntable, takes the 3 stars and has to get to that star and so on. You have 10 minutes to get all 4 stars on the star markers and yourselves.' 'So they have to be in place at the end of time' added Dec. Reunited: For the first time in Im A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! history, the camp allowed the loved ones of the final four campmates into the Jungle 'As Im sure youre aware theyll be surprises along the way'. The celebrities decided the order which was Jennie first, then Iain, then Toff and finally Jamie. They all got on the turntable and the klaxon sounded to start the trial. A screaming Jennie tried to run up the Cyclone path but she was hit by water, paint and balls while Ant said 'I don' think she's going to make it', A ball hit her and she fell over, dropping all her stars so she had to start again. 'Come on Jennie, you can do this' said Dec as Jennie fell over again and again, with Ant joking 'we're going to run out of water in a minute.' No way: Thinking they were taking part in a challenge, the celebrities were sent one by one to different parts of the Jungle Embrace: Jennie stopped in her tracks when she stumbled across husband Chris and the pair embraced and kissed tearfully as she asked about her toddler son Glee: Chris said:'Im so, so proud of you' as a smitten Jennie said 'I love you' before hugging him 'I cant do it' said Jennie, while Ant said 'She cant even walk.' Eventually she managed to get to the first star marker and a brave Iain started to run up to her just as a star fell back to the start so he had to turn around and grab that. As a valiant Iain shouted 'I'm coming Jennie, I'm coming' but he managed to reach Jennie, get the 3 stars and get to his star marker.' Next up was Toff, as she started to run up the cyclone she said 'Im coming Iain' but then fell over as a ball hit her. Shock: Toff was told to go to Snake Rock and there, sat on a log she found her mum Nicola. Toff was overwhelmed and hugged her mum tight saying 'Mum Ive missed you so much and thought about you every single minute' Joy: Toff looked emotional as her mother held out her arms to hug her in the jungle Hugs: As Toff wept her mum said: 'Georgia you are so little you need a burger.' Toff asked after her grandparents and her Instagram account Gushing: In the BT Toff said: 'I thought I was dreaming, it was the most amazing, amazing thing thats ever happened. That was the most special moment of my life thus far, to see my beautiful mummy sat there and reassure me that everyones ok' She got up and tried to run up again but another ball hit her and she fell down with Ant remarking that 'she's so light, you could blow her over.' Toff was hit in the knees and face as she valiantly attempted to reach Iain. Eventually she reached Iain and he grabbed her by the hand as she took two stars and made a dash for her star marker before plummeting yet again More water, paint and balls hit her but she arrived at her star marker and Jamie set off. He only managed to take a couple of steps when a wall of water, balls and paint were released and everyone slid back to the beginning. Happy: Meanwhile Iain came across his sister Jo. After hugging it out Jo said: 'Youve been absolutely amazing, weve been so proud of you, Mum and the boys, you trended on twitter, whatever that means. Mums fine and really proud' Support: 'Ive been making a list of all the celebrities that are supporting you, Nadia from Bake Off and Chas from Chas and Dave, everyone is loving it,' said Jo. Glee: Really? I dont get it,' he said. 'Because you are not an alpha jock bloke,' Jo replied Strawberry gate: Jo joked 'Its shown you to be someone who really likes strawberries. And a bit deceitful!' They all tried to get back to their star markers before time ran out, Jamie expertly headbutted two balls out the way. Toff then struggled to get to her star but eventually made it. The klaxon sounded and a river of red water dislodged all the contestants bar Jennie who clung on with a vice grip. It was a battle against time at 6 minutes as they all fought to get back to their positions with Iain helping Toff over the line. As the celebs clung on they all cheered as they clung on and ultimately won the challenge. 'Can we go again that was brilliant' said Iain. 'We did it' said Toff. Close bond: Making his way back into Croc Creek Jamie found, to his delight, his mum Helen sitting in the PMs chair Glad: After telling each other how much they missed each other Helen said: 'You need to put some weight on. Ive had a great time, Dennis was telling us how fantastic you are' Good to see you: Jamie said in the BT: 'That was the most amazing thing to have happened but Im just in shock, thinking what are you doing here? She said I was doing well and thats spurred me on and will keep me going until its my turn to go.' 'I couldnt see a thing' said Jennie. Ant said 'Nobody has never not completed this challenge.' Ant said to Toff, 'You really struggled at the end there. 'Do you have any idea, they were all going for me' said Toff. Dec smiled and turned to Ant and said 'You dont understand.' Ant laughed 'I dont understand. Toff laughed and said You dont understand again.'I had it tough, you don't understand!' Jennie said: 'I had a big ball in the face,' as a cheeky Ant said 'lucky you!' Cute: A visibly emotional Iain introduced his campmates to his beloved sister Greeting: The campmates couldn't help but smile as they met their pals' family members Four stars and four meals for camp' announced Dec. The celebrities then all enjoyed a choc ice treasure hunt with Iain waxing lyrical about the icecream treat, saying 'This is shaping up to be one of the best days I have ever had!' For the first time in Im A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! history, the camp allowed the loved ones of the final four campmates into the jungle. Thinking they were taking part in a challenge, the celebrities were sent one by one to different parts of the camp. Jennie stopped in her tracks when she stumbled across husband Chris and the pair embraced and kissed tearfully as she asked about her toddler son. Chris said: 'Albert slept on the plane all the way here, everything is fine, hes made friends round the pool, he's started swimming lessons and is having a ball. Happy: The campmates looked overjoyed as they were reunited with their families in Australia Pulling her to him and kissing her, Chris said again: 'Im so, so proud of you' as a smitten Jennie said 'I love you' Toff was told to go to Snake Rock and there, sat on a log she found her mum Nicola. Toff was overwhelmed and hugged her mum tight saying 'Mum Ive missed you so much and thought about you every single minute.' Nicola responded: 'Ive missed you more and I love you more.' As Toff wept her mum said: 'Georgia you are so little you need a burger.' Toff asked after her grandparents and her Instagram account. 'Everything is perfect,' said Nicola. Fun times: Jennie's husband Chris gave Jamie a warm hug as the pair celebrated in the jungle In the BT Toff said: 'I thought I was dreaming, it was the most amazing, amazing thing thats ever happened. That was the most special moment of my life thus far, to see my beautiful mummy sat there and reassure me that everyones OK.' Pulling back Nicola said: 'I need to tell you that my heart is bursting with pride because you have shown everyone how strong, fair, how kind you are your little positive face every morning when you wake up.' Toff gushed: 'Mum its been really hard. I kind of pretend Im really strong and then it happens. I cant believe you are here, mums in the Jungle!' Meanwhile Iain came across his sister Jo. After hugging it out Jo said: 'Youve been absolutely amazing, weve been so proud of you, Mum and the boys, you trended on twitter, whatever that means. Mums fine and really proud. Fan favourite: Iain shed tears as he celebrated being reunited with his beloved sister 'Ive been making a list of all the celebrities that are supporting you, Nadia from Bake Off and Chas from Chas and Dave, everyone is loving it,' said Jo.' Really? I dont get it,' he said. 'Because you are not an alpha jock bloke,' Jo replied. 'Its shown you to be someone who really likes strawberries. And a bit deceitful!' joked Jo. In the BT Iain said: 'Oh my God, thats my sister, she emigrated to New Zealand two and a half years ago and Ive not seen her since and I didnt expect to see her here. Im crying because that was amazing and so unexpected.' Making his way back into Croc Creek Jamie found, to his delight, his mum Helen sitting in the PMs chair. New friends: Toff hugged Iain's sister Jo as the pair celebrated being reunited in the jungle After telling each other how much they missed each other Helen said: 'You need to put some weight on. Ive had a great time, Dennis was telling us how fantastic you are.' 'Ive had the best time and made friends for life, Ive done nothing but laugh.' said Jamie. He showed Helen where he slept. Its kind of got to the point where I dont want to leave, he said. He added: 'I didn't eat for nine days mum! It's tough!' Am I coming across well?' Jamie said in the BT: 'That was the most amazing thing to have happened but Im just in shock, thinking what are you doing here? She said I was doing well and thats spurred me on and will keep me going until its my turn to go.' Iain and Jennie left camp to take part in the Dingo Dollar Challenge which was called Crack A Smiley. Embrace: Jamie have Toff's mum a big hug as an elated Toff shrieked excitedly Back in camp Jamie and Toff were equipped with a huge mobile phone and lots of smiley faces. At the same time, Iain and Jennie were in a jungle photo-booth and had to recreate a sequence of smiley emojis using their own facial expressions and take a picture of it. This was then beamed into camp where Jamie and Toff had to match their impression with one of the smiley emojis hanging from the trees. They win the challenge and went to collect their Dingo Dollars. As Jennie and Iain pulled a series of animated expressions, Toff said 'they're doing a rude gesture at us' Animated: Iain and Jennie left camp to take part in the Dingo Dollar Challenge which was called Crack A Smiley Animated:Another challenge followed, with just Toff and Jamie in camp, the actor ran to answer the phone and is told theyd be asked a number of questions all relating to campmates in order to spend money at Keiths Christmas Kiosk Another challenge followed, with just Toff and Jamie in camp. The actor ran to answer the phone and was told theyd be asked a number of questions all relating to campmates in order to spend money at Keiths Christmas Kiosk, with Keith donning a festive Father Christmas beard. Viewers of the show were asked a series of questions, they were: 'Who is the camp agony aunt - Jennie or Becky?' with Jamie and Toff having to guess the correct answer. They answered Jennie which was correct. The next question was: 'Who is the most straight talking campmate - Vanessa or Dennis', and without hesitation they agreed Dennis. This was followed by 'who is the biggest drama queen - Iain or Amir. Toff argued for Amir saying 'Drama queen as in screaming, pantomime, theatre' with Amir being the correct answer. Kiosk Keith:Viewers of the show were asked a series of questions, they were: 'Who is the camp agony aunt - Jennie or Becky?' with Jamie and Toff having to guess the correct answer Then came one very awkward question: 'Who has been the BushTucker Trial hero - Toff or Jamie?' with Toff calling out 'oh my goodness that's such a good one'. Jamie was keen to nominate himself but Toff pointed out 'You are more heroic, you are big and strong and you probably got more stars than me but Ive done five trials.' Jamie said: 'I dont want to say myself you are my hero.' 'Ive eaten and drunk a lot but youve done the physical stuff' said Toff. Toff eventually scrunched up a leaf in her hand and asked him to pick a hand - the one he chose meant they gave Toff as the answer. Prizes: Then it was Who is the biggest drama queen - Iain or Amir. Toff argued for Amir 'Drama queen as in screaming, pantomime, theatre' with Amir being the correct answer They answered all the questions correctly and Jennie and Iain arrived back in camp carrying four wrapped packages containing mince pies, gingerbread men, chocolates and marshmallows. After winning all four stars at todays BTT, dinner was Alpaca for the celebrities who talked about their best and worst moments over dinner. Iain's favourite memory was Amir dressed up as a giant cat while he said his lowest moment was being unable to complete the swimming task Fun: An awkward question followed with 'Who has been the BushTucker Trial hero - Toff or Jamie?' with Toff calling out 'oh my goodness that's such a good one' Awkward: Jamie was keen to nominate himself but Toff pointed out 'You are more heroic, you are big and strong and you probably got more stars than me but Ive done five trials' Toff said her lowest point was considering sacrificing the bush turkey while her snakes trial led to her 'biggest triumph.' Jennie said a low point was thinking on the first night in the camp 'this is the worst mistake of my life' but that it has turned into the best experience of her life. Jamie's worst moment was when everybody received their letters while partnering up with Jennie on the Plank challenge was his favourite. Toff said 'that's what I'll take away from this, that being yourself is good.' Oh dear: Toff eventually scrunched up a leaf in her hand and asked him to pick a hand - the one he chose meant they gave Toff as the answer Festive treats: They answered all the questions correctly and Jennie and Iain arrived back in camp carrying four wrapped packages containing mince pies, gingerbread men, chocolates and marshmallows She's one of the country's most famous exports. And Nicole Kidman plans to work in Australia much more in the future, fresh from her record-breaking AACTA Awards wins. The 50-year-old spoke with The Sunday Telegraph about 'coming back and really giving support' to the local film and television industry. Homegrown: Nicole Kidman plans to work in Australia much more in the future, fresh from her record-breaking AACTA Awards wins For the first time ever, the Hollywood star took home Best Supporting Actress at the AACTAs for her roles in Lion and Top Of The Lake: China Girl on Wednesday night. While she scored Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nods for Lion, she expressed gratitude at the ongoing recognition she has received from her native country. 'I was astounded [to win]. I have been around for so long now and so I know pretty much everyone in the industry, so maybe that helped,' she graciously offered. Special: While she scored Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nods for Lion, she expressed gratitude at the ongoing recognition she has received from her native country 'I was astounded [to win]. I have been around for so long now and so I know pretty much everyone in the industry, so maybe that helped,' she graciously offered The veteran actress recently worked with Russell Crowe on actor/director Joel Edgerton's film based on a true story, Boy Erased, filmed in Atlanta. 'Even though [Boy Erased] is not an Aussie film, it seemed very Australian heavy in the sense that Joel was the director, and [his brother] Nash was on set and Russell is in it,' she enthused. The mother of four reflected on being successful since she was 14 years old and explained her numerous screen opportunities were 'what you hope for as an actor'. Star power: The veteran actress recently worked with Russell Crowe on actor/director Joel Edgerton's film based on a true story, Boy Erased, filmed in Atlanta Nicole also pledged her support to Australia's emerging writers and directors, saying 'there are a number of really strong directors coming out of Australia now'. She revealed her two youngest daughters, Sunday Rose, nine, and Faith Margaret, six, have named her 1983 movie BMX Bandits as their favourite. 'BMX Bandits is my shining moment,' she raved. Severe storms are forecast to smash parts of southeast Queensland with very large hail and potentially destructive winds. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned of the likelihood of thunderstorms developing between the Gold Coast and Bundaberg and also predict possible foul weather across much of the state on Saturday afternoon and evening. "Ingredients will be in place for another active day over southeast Queensland," the bureau said. It comes after a series of severe thunderstorms warning were issued covering similar areas on Friday. Authorities are now searching for the body of an 11-year-old boy who was swept into the ocean on the NSW mid-north coast, having given up hope of finding him alive. What was a massive sea and air search effort has now turned into a body-recovery operation, NSW Police said on Friday. The ACT boy was caught in a rip on unpatrolled Lighthouse Beach at Port Macquarie on Wednesday afternoon. Detective Chief Inspector Guy Flaherty said the full-scale search - which included helicopters, jet skis and patrol boats - was suspended at dusk on Friday. A smaller recovery operation will continue on Saturday. "We've scaled back but we will continue to attempt to find a body," Chief Insp Flaherty told AAP. A teenager who allegedly murdered his grandmother in a frenzied stabbing attack has been refused bail in a Sydney court after being extradited from Victoria. Ethan Harwood, 19, is accused of stabbing his 67-year-old grandmother Pauline Farrugia 18 times at her Penrith South home on December 2. He was arrested at his mother's home in Nhill, in western Victoria, on Thursday and faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday as NSW police detectives applied to have him extradited. Harwood appeared via audiovisual link at Parramatta bail court on Saturday where his lawyer did not apply for bail and it was formally refused by Magistrate Michael Morahan. The mother was also in court. According to a NSW police summary, Harwood had lived with his grandmother for most of his life. She raised him until he went to live with his mother at Nhill about a year ago. Police allege Harwood became drunk and upset at a barbecue at his sister's home in Sydney on December 2. Other people overheard him telling his mother on the phone that he "wished he had never been born" and complaining of being physically abused by his grandmother when he was a child. Police allege Harwood left the barbecue and went to his grandmother's house while in a "highly emotional state". "Whilst inside the house, the accused attacked the deceased, inflicting at least 18 stab wounds to the torso of the deceased using several knives," police say. "The attack appears to be uncontrolled and the accused broke several knives while attacking the deceased." Officers found Ms Farrugia's body on Wednesday after one of her daughter's reported her missing. Police allege Harwood tried to set fire to the house, which had been ransacked. The stove and oven had been turned on, a smoke alarm was removed, and a woman's wallet had been set alight using matches. The TV near where Ms Farrugia's body lay had also been switched on. "Oddly, the television was showing a DVD of the accused and the deceased on holidays in Hawaii in 2012," police noted. The matter was adjourned to Penrith Local Court on February 9. An Australian-founded group of anti-nuclear bomb campaigners will accept their Nobel Peace Prize alongside an 85-year-old Hiroshima survivor. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons is the first Australian-born Nobel Laureate for peace and will accept the prestigious award in Norway on Sunday. Leading Australian health and human rights campaigners will be in Oslo for the ceremony, including Kokatha South Australian nuclear test survivor Sue Coleman-Haseldine and ICAN's founding chairman Tilman Ruff. Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 when the Japanese city was bombed, will accept the award with ICAN's executive director Beatrice Fihn. Ms Thurlow has been a leading figure for ICAN since the grassroots movement began in Melbourne's Carlton in 2007 with an aim to end the use of nuclear weapons. Now headquartered in Geneva, ICAN is a non-governmental coalition that promotes the implementation and adherence of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Comprising 468 partner organisations in 100 countries, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for its work to end the threat of nuclear arms to humanity. The 1945 bombing of Hiroshoma and Nagasaki remain the only times nuclear weapons have been used in war. Ms Thurlow was rescued at Hiroshima from the rubble of a collapsed building about 1.8 kilometres from Ground Zero, the closest point to detonation. Most of her classmates, who were in the same room, were burned alive by the bombing. The ceremony will be celebrated in Australia with a live broadcast of the event at the Melbourne Town Hall. Speakers at the Melbourne event will include Australian Greens Leader senator Richard Di Natale, Labor Senator Lisa Singh, and Karina and Rose Lester, daughters of the late elder Yami Lester who was blinded by British nuclear tests in the 1950s. A Sydney police officer has narrowly avoided being hit by two cars that allegedly sped towards her in an underground car park while she was responding to reports of suspicious activity. The sergeant had to jump out of the way after a group of people in the Guildford unit block car park climbed into two cars "which were driven at speed towards the officer" in the early hours of Saturday, police allege. After an aborted police pursuit, one of the cars was found at Granville, allegedly with stolen property in the boot. A 34-year-old man, who was found in a creek with the help of a police helicopter and the dog squad, was charged with police pursuit, using a weapon to avoid lawful detection, using an unregistered vehicle and dealing with the proceeds of crime. He is due to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday with another man, 23, who was charged with multiple offences including goods in custody and carrying a cutting weapon. A 19-year-old woman was charged with drug possession and granted bail to appear at Fairfield Local Court on Monday. Investigators are still searching for the second car. Australia's first UFC world champion Robert Whittaker will stage his opening defence against formidable American former titleholder Luke Rockhold, who has already tasted victory Down Under. With injured Canadian Georges St-Pierre vacating the title this week, Whittaker has been elevated from interim champion to undisputed champion and will fight Rockhold In Perth on February 11. The two will attend media conferences in Perth and Sydney next week. Currently in high altitude training, Whittaker had a succinct reaction to news of his elevation in status and confirmation of his next fight. "It's on," he posted on his Instagram account. "Perth, we've got a main event!!" The Sydneysider won the interim middleweight belt against Cuban Yoel Romero last July when then champion Michael Bisping was injured. Bisping subsequently lost his title to Canadian legend St-Pierre. Rockhold is the third-ranked contender for the title The 33-year-old Californian's last visit to Australia resulted in a second round submission win over Bisping in Sydney in November 2014, though the Englishman avenged that loss last year. Labor leader Bill Shorten will discuss concerns raised by Kiwis living in Australia when he meets New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Auckland. The pair are dining together at the Sky City Hotel on Saturday night. "Great to catch up with New Zealand Prime Minister @jacindaardern for a steak," Shorten tweeted. Mr Shorten says there are some anomalies in the way in which Australian law treats New Zealanders, especially long-time residents of Australia and visa holders after 2001. He says developments in higher education costs in Australia penalised New Zealand permanent residents. "I want to hear Jacinda's views but I think there is at the end of the day real merit in reviewing the way in which New Zealand permanent residents in Australia are getting penalised in terms of higher education costs," he said at a media conference before the dinner. Earlier this year Australia blindsided New Zealand with a plan to charge Kiwi students full university fees. New Zealand's ongoing offer to resettle 150 refugees from Manus Island - rejected by the Turnbull government but supported by the federal opposition - was also expected to be a conversation topic on Saturday. Three men, a woman and a teenager have been charged in relation to an alleged cocaine syndicate that supplied hundreds of customers across Sydney. The men, aged between 22 and 43, a 27-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy were arrested in Ryde on Friday and charged with numerous offences, including directing a criminal group, supplying drugs and possessing weapons. The five appeared in Parramatta Bail Court and a children's court on Saturday. "This syndicate was a sophisticated and highly organised group but, like all criminal groups, their time came to an end," Detective Superintendent Deborah Wallace said in a statement. "Drug supply and use have absolutely devastating effects on the community and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure groups like these are stopped." While the festive season for many of us means spending time with family and friends, for others, it's a time of loneliness and isolation, according to the Australian Red Cross. People who have lost a loved one, experienced divorce or separation or have recently lost a job are more likely to feel lonely, especially during the festive season, Red Cross data shows. The data, published as part of the organisation's Season of Belonging campaign, revealed one in four Australians are lonely almost all of the time or on a regular basis. "Even a simple phone call or an invitation to Christmas dinner can make the world of difference to someone who is isolated," Australian Red Cross chief executive Judy Slatyer said in a statement on Sunday. Melbourne man Ken felt the impact of loneliness after the death of his wife. The 82-year-old said it it's a tough adjustment to be alone after losing your long-term partner. "I guess it's amazing when you've been married for so long and you've had somebody, to then to be on your own, to have to adjust, it's very difficult," Ken said in a statement on Sunday. "Family and friends are wonderful, but still I guess I'm a people person and I like people around me, but having to adjust to living in a home on your own is a little hard." Ken became involved in the Red Cross Community Visitors Scheme and is now regularly visited by Chris, a 20-year-old university student and Red Cross volunteer. The scheme, which helps combat loneliness, offers social support to people who are not in regular social contact with other people. Malcolm Turnbull has emphatically declared China has interfered in Australian politics, a day after Beijing criticised the prime minister for merely suggesting that was the case during a speech to parliament. If the Chinese foreign ministry was hoping to quieten Mr Turnbull by lodging an official complaint about his earlier comments, the plan backfired. "There has been foreign interference in Australian politics, plainly," the prime minister said in Sydney on Saturday. "(Labor senator) Sam Dastyari is a very clear case of somebody who has literally taken money from people closely associated with the Chinese government and, in return for that, has delivered essentially Chinese policy statements." Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Friday said he was "shocked" by what Mr Turnbull had said in parliament the day before. "We express strong dissatisfaction at this and have already lodged solemn representations with the Australian side," Mr Geng told a daily news briefing in Beijing. The prime minister on Saturday claimed Beijing would hold Labor in "complete contempt" over Senator Dastyari's behaviour because Chinese people stood up for their sovereignty and expected Australians to do the same. "That is why we respect each other," Mr Turnbull said. "That is why they respect me and my government." A rally supporting refugees on Manus Island and Nauru will be held in Melbourne on Sunday, calling on the federal government to bring asylum seekers to Australia. The rally will feature key speakers including Labor politician Andrew Giles, Islamic Council of Victoria president Mohammad Mohideen and Shawfikul Islam from the Australia Burmese Rohingya Association. The event, run by the Refugee Action Collective at the State Library of Victoria, will also include a live cross to refugees on Manus Island. A street music event will be held following the rally, which begins at 2pm. A similar event was also held by the collective a month ago, during which federal Greens MP Adam Bandt branded immigration minister Peter Dutton a "terrorist". "Refugee protests for freedom continue daily on Manus Island despite refugees being violently forced to three locations in Lorengau," organiser Chris Breen said in a statement. "The Turnbull government has nothing for these men but cruel indefinite detention." An anti-nuclear weapons group who started in Melbourne more than a decade ago will on Sunday accept the Nobel Peace Prize with an 85-year-old Hiroshima survivor. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is the first Australian Nobel Laureate for peace and will accept the prestigious award in Norway on Sunday. Leading Australian health and human rights campaigners are in Oslo for the ceremony, including Kokatha South Australian nuclear test survivor Sue Coleman-Haseldine and ICAN's founding chairman Tilman Ruff. Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 when the Japanese city was bombed, will accept the award with ICAN's executive director Beatrice Fihn. Ms Thurlow has been a leading figure for ICAN since the grassroots movement began in Carlton in inner-Melbourne more than a decade ago. ICAN is now headquartered in Geneva, and describes itself as a coalition of non-governmental organisations in more than 100 countries. It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for its work on the Treaty on the United Nations Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, adopted by 122 countries in July. The acceptance ceremony will be broadcast live at Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday night, where federal Greens leader Richard Di Natale and Karina and Rose Lester - the daughters the late elder Yami Lester who was blinded by British nuclear tests in the 1950s - will speak. Environmentalists are praising AGL for closing the coal-fired Liddell power plant in 2022 despite the federal government urging the energy giant to extend the station's life or sell it to someone who would. The Australian Conservation Council says AGL's plan to replace the station's current coal-generated output with a mixture of gas, wind and solar power was proof the commonwealth was being left behind by industry and state governments. "To date, all we have from the Turnbull government is the National Energy Guarantee, an undercooked policy that stifles clean energy and gives an irresponsible boost to burning dirty coal despite the harm it causes Australians," council chief executive Kelly O'Shanassy said in a statement. Workers are also backing AGL's plan, released on Saturday, because it protects the jobs of 300 workers. "The CFMEU has worked closely with AGL to ensure that all existing employees would be able to remain in employment at either Bayswater (power station) or the repurposed Liddell ... or take a voluntary redundancy," union boss Tony Maher said in a statement. "This is exactly how corporate Australia should deal with major structural changes." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull denies he's been rebuked by AGL. "I want to be very clear about this - I am technology agnostic about energy," he told reporters in Sydney. "My object is to ensure that Australians have affordable and reliable power so when they go to turn on the lights, the lights come on." Iranian protesters torch a US flag during a demonstration in the capital Tehran after Friday prayers on December 8, 2017 to denounce US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital A senior Iranian cleric called during Friday prayers for Palestinians to "rage" against Israel after US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state. After the prayers Iranians took to the streets of Tehran and other cities to protest against Trump's decision, calling for "death" to Israel and the United States and burning their flags. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, an ultra-conservative and a key leader of the main weekly Muslim prayers, said Trump had drawn a line on years of peace efforts by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "He proved that the cure for the issue of Palestine is only, only, an intifada (uprising)," Khatami, who was appointed by Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei, said in his sermon at Mosalla, Tehran's largest mosque. "Only intifadas can turn day into a dark night for the Zionist regime," he said. He urged the Palestinian people to rise and "rage against this occupying regime". "Any damage that you can incur to this occupying and criminal regime will mean you have taken a step towards pleasing God," he said. Trump's declaration has triggered a global diplomatic backlash, with several world leaders warning the move could spark fresh unrest in an already volatile region. Iranian state broadcaster showed thousands of people protesting after the Friday prayers in Tehran and other cities. Iranian protesters wave placards denouncing the United States and Israel during a demonstration in central Tehran after the noon Friday prayers on December 8, 2017 Protestors chanted "death to the America", "death to Israel" and "death to England", and torched American and Israeli flags. They also held up signs that read "Al-Quds (Jerusalem) is ours" and "We stand against Israel to the end". There were other protests across the region and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas called for a "day of rage". Iran's foreign ministry condemned Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of its nemesis Israel, calling it "provocative and unwise". President Hassan Rouhani said it was "wrong, illegitimate... and very dangerous". In his Friday sermon, Khatami warned that Iranian missiles can reach Israel and destroy its cities. "We build missiles and we will increase the range of our missiles as much as we can, to thousands of kilometres, in order to deprive White House dwellers of a good sleep," he said. "If one day the Zionist regime wants to make a mistake, we will level Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground," he added. Since the Islamic revolution of 1979, opposition to Israel and support for the Palestinian cause has been central to Iran's foreign policy. Brendan Dassey was accused of aiding his uncle Steven Avery (pictured) in the murder of Teresa Halbach, for which they were both given life sentences A US appeals court on Friday declined a motion to free a man convicted of a killing featured in the hit Netflix series "Making a Murderer." The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago met in September to consider whether Brendan Dassey, now 28 but 16 at the time of his conviction, was properly interviewed by police or forced into confessing. In the end, by a vote of 4-3, the judges ruled that the confession was not forced. It was a key element in Dassey's 2007 conviction for the murder of Teresa Halbach in Wisconsin. Dassey was accused of aiding his uncle Steven Avery in the murder, and they were both given life sentences. A federal court in Wisconsin last year found that Dassey, over the course of multiple interviews, had been tricked into confessing -- both by police and an unsympathetic private investigator working for his defense attorney. The judge pointed out in his ruling that Dassey had a low IQ, was easily coerced and changed his story multiple times, and was without proper legal representation during his police interrogations. A three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Chicago agreed in a 2-1 ruling in June and ordered Dassey freed. But the state appealed, asking the full panel of the appeals court to reconsider the case, claiming the earlier decisions had "rewritten the rules for juvenile interrogations." Halbach's murder was featured in the documentary series "Making a Murderer" launched in December 2015. It raised questions about the US legal system and prompted many viewers to believe Dassey and Avery were wrongly convicted. F1i looks back over the whole of the 2017 Formula 1 world championship season team-by-team and driver-by-driver, starting with Sauber F1. Sauber The best thing that can be said about Sauber's season is that it's been a period of transition. The team had been in a parlous position in 2016 before its takeover by Longbow Finance, but as the new year began it was clear that they were still struggling to find a new direction to return them to their former status in Formula 1. Team principal Monisha Kaltenborn organised a deal with Honda for engines in 2018, but left the team shortly afterwards to be replaced by former Renault man Frederic Vasseur. The Honda deal was then dumped in favour of much closer ties with Ferrari, almost to the point of making them a Maranello B-team, culminating in the end-of-year confirmation that Sauber will have title sponsorship from Alfa Romeo next season. Unsurprisingly in the turbulent behind-the-scenes circumstances, the team struggled to make an impact on the race track. It scored points on only two occasions in Spain and Azerbaijan, and duly finished at the bottom of the constructors standings. Other than Baku, the only race all year in which a Sauber even managed to finish on the lead lap was at Spa. After this, things can surely only get better next year. Read on: Marcus Ericsson Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter More than two million Cubans live abroad, and with most in the United States, friends and families in Cuba have long been frustrated by the lack of a direct messaging service Cuban telecommunications monopoly Etecsa Friday authorized Cubans to send text messages to the United States, lifting a restriction which has long frustrated the population. "From December 8, 2017, you will be able to send text messages from any mobile phone internationally to any mobile phone in the United States," the firm said on its website. It also stressed that the $0.60 charge for sending messages to the US is "similar to other international destinations." More than two million Cubans live in other countries. With most in the United States, the lack of a direct messaging service has been a long-time complaint. Web-based phone and messaging services are generally not an option in a country where internet access is highly restricted. The announcement comes at a delicate time for the two countries, which reestablished diplomatic relations in 2015 after half a century of tension. After the historic reconciliation, Washington eased the embargo in place since 1962, and authorized US telecommunications companies to sell their services in Cuba. In February 2015, Etecsa and the United States' IDT Domestic Telecom, Inc, reached an agreement which set the ball rolling on the first direct telecommunications connection between Cuba and the US -- although it was initially only for landline telephone calls. However, ties between the two countries have newly deteriorated over alleged "acoustic attacks" against US diplomats in Havana. In September, the US State Department reduced the number of embassy personnel by half, suspended visa services, and expelled over a dozen diplomats from the Cuban embassy in Washington. President Donald Trump in November also announced the implementation of new economic sanctions and travel restrictions on the island. Former Malian army captain Amadou Sanogo, who staged a military coup in Mali in 2012 and is charged with the murder of several soldiers whose bodies were found in a mass grave, attends his trial in Sikasso on November 30, 2016 A Malian human rights association on Friday called for the immediate resumption of the trial of former coup leader Amadou Sanogo, who is accused of murdering 21 soldiers in 2012. Sanogo, a former army captain who staged a military coup in Mali the same year, went on trial in November 2016 charged with murdering the men, whose bodies were found in a mass grave, but the case has stalled after the defence rejected a forensic analysis of their remains. "We want a rapid resumption of the trial of General Amadou Sanogo and the opening of enquiries into the kidnapping and murder of officials in central Mali," said Moctar Mariko, head of Mali's AMDH rights group. "The former justice minister, Mamadou Konate, had previously said it would happen very soon, but it hasn't, and we are asking why it is dragging on," he added. Sanogo and 16 others, all of them formerly in the military, are accused of the abduction and killing of 21 elite "Red Berets," who were detained and disappeared between April 30 and May 1, 2012. The "Red Berets" were accused of involvement in an April 30 counter-coup against Sanogo and his loyalists. Among those facing the charges of assassination and kidnapping are a former defence minister and a former chief of staff. The bodies were found in December 2013 in a mass grave near Sanogo's headquarters. A joint report released by AMDH and the International Federation for Human Rights said while some advances were being made to prosecute widespread rights violations in Mali, others, such as sex crimes, remained for the large part unpunished. "The extent and gravity of the crimes under investigation and at trial are unprecedented in the recent history of Mali," the report said, as the country grapples with a jihadist insurgency and frequent battles between rival armed groups. Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will meet with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif to discuss the Iranian nuclear deal, the conflict in Yemen and other key regional issues Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will arrive in Iran early Saturday, where he will press for the release of a British-Iranian woman held in prison, according to Britain's Foreign Office. Johnson, who will meet with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, will also discuss the Iranian nuclear deal, the conflict in Yemen and other key regional issues. In advance of his arrival in Tehran -- the first by a British foreign secretary since 2015 -- Johnson said he expected "a constructive visit". "I will stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so," he vowed. Part of a three-day trip to the region, it unfolds amid mass protests across the Muslim world following US President Donald Trump's announced move of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Johnson stopped in Oman on Friday, and will move on to the United Arab Emirates Sunday. "Iran is a significant country in a strategically important, but volatile and unstable, region which matters to the UK's security and prosperity," Johnson added. "While our relationship with Iran has improved significantly since 2011, it is not straightforward and on many issues we will not agree," he added. "But I am clear that dialogue is the key to managing our differences and, where possible, making progress on issues that really matter, even under difficult conditions." Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen, was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016, after visiting relatives with her young daughter. Iranian authorities accused her of links to mass protests in 2009, which she denies, and sentenced Zaghari-Ratcliffe to five years in jail for sedition. Last month they filed additional charges of "spreading propaganda" and will present her in court again on Sunday. Johnson appeared to jeopardise her defence last month by saying she was training journalists during her visit -- something her employer, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and her family strongly deny. The foreign secretary later clarified his remarks, saying it was clear that she was only on holiday. Husband Richard Ratcliffe, who had lobbied to join Johnson on the visit, has raised concerns about his wife's mental health, citing the mounting toll of incarceration. It is common in US courtrooms to see defendants dressed in prison uniforms and bound in chains by their hands and wrists The US Supreme Court announced Friday it will examine whether the routine shackling of defendants during court hearings is unconstitutional. The high court will consider the question after a California-based federal appeals court in May ruled that restraints must be decided on a case-by-case basis, and must only be used where there is a compelling security risk. It is common in US courtrooms to see defendants dressed in prison uniforms and bound in chains by their hands and wrists. The case was brought over a decision by a lower federal court in San Diego, where US Marshals had started blanket shackling of defendants over security concerns. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in San Francisco, issued a six-five decision on the issue. "A presumptively innocent defendant has the right to be treated with respect and dignity in a public courtroom, not like a bear on a chain," wrote Judge Alex Kozinski in the majority opinion. "We must treat people with respect and dignity even though they are suspected of a crime." The Supreme Court will examine the question in the coming months. Pro-Palestinian protesters chant slogans and wave Palestinian flags during a demonstration against the US president's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in Istanbul on December 8, 2017 Turkey's leader is seeking to spearhead Islamic reaction to the US declaration on Jerusalem, but it is uncertain if he can coordinate a meaningful response among often disunited Muslim nations. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause, had fulminated against President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital even before it was officially announced this week. Erdogan described the status of the city, whose eastern sector Palestinians see as the capital of their future state, as a "red line" for Muslims. With Trump disregarding such warnings, the Turkish president used his position as the current chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to call a summit of the pan-Islamic group. "He is seeking to garner an international response," said Ziya Meral, resident fellow at the British Army's Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, noting Erdogan had spoken to Muslim allies and non-Islamic leaders. "What Turkey can do tangibly next is far from clear and responses have risks for Erdogan and Turkey," he told AFP. - 'Exacerbate the malaise' - Turkey in 2016 agreed to resume full diplomatic relations with Israel after the crisis triggered by the deadly storming by Israel of a Turkish ship seeking to break the Gaza blockade in 2010. Cooperation has resumed, most significantly in energy. But Erdogan has rarely mustered much public enthusiasm for ties with Israel and retains warm relations with Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza. Erdogan's supporters proudly recall how he famously walked out of a January 2009 debate in Davos with then Israeli president Shimon Peres, complaining he was not given enough time to respond and repeatedly saying "one minute!". The Turkish leader has left diplomatic niceties aside in warning his US counterpart of the dangers of the move, using the backyard-style rhetoric he usually keeps for bitter enemies. "Hey Trump! What do you want to do?" Erdogan said Thursday. "What kind of approach is this? Political leaders do not stir things up, they seek to make peace!" Bulent Aliriza, director of the Turkey Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it was unclear if Erdogan's strong reaction would have any impact on Trump. "What is clear is that the Jerusalem issue will inevitably exacerbate the malaise in the US-Turkish relationship, which was already under considerable strain." Trump's arrival as US leader was welcomed by Ankara but relations have hit new trouble due to rows over the Syria conflict, an explosive legal case in New York and even a mutual visa suspension. Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at the The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Erdogan's Islamic-rooted ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) shares an "ideological affinity" with Hamas. This suggests "Erdogan can never be an honest broker on the Israeli-Palestinian issue," he said. - 'Flag bearer for Muslim alliances' - The Istanbul summit of the OIC -- an organisation founded in 1969 after an arson attack on the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem -- will offer Erdogan the chance to showcase his status as a global Muslim leader. But it remains unclear if he will be able to come close to shifting the 57 members -- including arch foes like Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia --- into anything resembling a coordinated position. "Turkey... will seek a prominent role in coordinating Muslim reactions to the US move," wrote analysts Ofer Zalzberg and Nathan Thrall of the International Crisis Group (ICG). But they added most leaders in the Gulf, Egypt and elsewhere are "likely to make do with rhetorical expressions of opposition" and were unlikely to risk sacrificing good relations with the US. Crucially watched will be attendance from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's Egypt -- a bete noire of Erdogan -- and Gulf kingpin Saudi Arabia which is under the sway of powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. Under Erdogan's rule, Turkey has sought an enhanced role for the OIC. Thanks to his backing Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu -- who later stood against Erdogan in presidential elections -- was secretary general of the Jeddah-based group from 2004-2014. "Turkey has attempted to be a flag bearer for Muslim alliances for the last 12 years to very limited outcomes," said Meral of the British Army's Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research. "OIC is a weak entity with very little shared agenda and commitment to shared causes," he said, adding a better option to help the Palestinians would be to work more closely with EU and Western nations who have criticised the move. Experts say some North Korean fishermen are travelling far out to sea in order to satisfy government mandates for bigger catches Japanese police on Saturday arrested three North Korean crew members for suspected theft, a spokesman said, amid a fresh wave of North Korean "ghost ship" fishing vessels washing up in Japanese waters. The three were among the 10 North Korean "fishermen" spotted aboard a tiny wooden boat struggling in bad weather off the northern island of Hokkaido late last month. The 45-year-old captain and two other crew members, who all identified themselves as North Korean nationals, were arrested on suspicion of stealing a power generator, a Hokkaido Police Department spokesman said. The arrest came after some of them reportedly admitted to "taking out" some electronic products from a remote Japanese island where they landed briefly to take refuge. Soon after the group left, officials noticed items -- TV sets, fridges, a washing machine, a motorbike, an electric saw -- had vanished from buildings on the island, local media said. The list of items that had disappeared also included some of the solar panels at the lighthouse on the island, an anime poster and blankets. Japanese authorities were questioning them after towing the boat to waters near Hakodate port, southern Hokkaido, but they tried in vain to flee on Friday. Television footage showed a dozen police officers hauling the crew members from the boat anchored at the port as they tried to resist arrest in light snow. Investigators raided the boat, unloading machines and electronic items. The remaining seven crew members, including one in hospital, will be sent to Japan's immigration office, public broadcaster NHK reported. Dozens of North Korean fishing vessels wash up on Japan's coast every year, but last month Japanese coastguards registered 28 cases, the highest monthly figure since records began in 2014. A record number of North Korean fishermen have been rescued alive -- 42 this year compared to zero in 2016 -- but there are still cases of "ghost ships" packed full of bodies, with 18 corpses recovered so far this year. Experts say some North Korean fishermen are travelling far out to sea in order to satisfy government mandates for bigger catches. But their old and poorly equipped vessels are prone to mechanical and other problems, including running out of fuel, and there are few ways for them to call for rescue. The North's leader Kim Jong-Un has ramped up his impoverished nation's missile and nuclear programme in recent years North Korea blamed US "nuclear blackmail" for soaring tensions over its weapons programme following rare meetings with a senior UN official, but agreed to regular communication with the organisation, state media said Saturday. Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Beijing Saturday after wrapping up a five-day visit to Pyongyang aimed at defusing the crisis, just a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip -- the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 -- saw him meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and vice foreign minister Pak Myong-Kuk as well as medical facilities supported by the UN, the North's state news agency KCNA said. "At these meetings, our side said the US policy of hostility toward the DPRK (North Korea) and its nuclear blackmail are to blame for the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula," the report said. It added that the North had agreed with the UN "to regularize communications through visits at various levels". The report did not mention any meetings with leader Kim Jong-Un, who has ramped up his impoverished nation's missile and nuclear programme in recent years in order to achieve Pyongyang's stated goal of developing a warhead capable of hitting the US mainland. Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, visited the country just after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise. Pyongyang reiterated its view that these manoeuvres were a provocation on Saturday, accusing the drills of "revealing its intention to mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike against the DPRK", using the acronym for the country's official name. The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan. Early Saturday Feltman flew to Beijing, a key transit point with the North, and left the city's airport without speaking to reporters. China, which is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and North Korea to halt weapons tests to calm tensions. The Chinese foreign ministry on Saturday published a speech from four days ago by foreign minister Wang Yi in which he warned that the Korean Peninsula "remains deeply entrenched in a vicious cycle of demonstrations of strength and confrontation." "The outlook is not optimistic," Beijing's top diplomat added. - 'Emotion-charged days' - Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula at the end of November when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range. Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth's atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target -- key technological hurdles for Pyongyang. US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit-for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy". The North on Saturday released photographs of Kim on the summit of the country's highest peak, the fabled 2,750-metre Mount Paektu, which he climbed to ponder recent successes in his drive for nuclear weapons statehood. State media said the young leader, who was pictured strolling across the snow covered peak sporting a heavy black coat, fur hat and buffed leather shoes, had climbed the "sublime mountain of revolution", which is on the border with China. Described in the fulsome language of Pyongyang's mouthpiece as "the peerlessly illustrious commander who controls the nature", Kim was particularly pleased with the inclement weather and used the opportunity to muse on his recent military feats. "The respected Supreme Leader gave a familiar look for a while at the dizzy cliffs and the sea of trees," the report said, describing him dwelling on the "emotion-charged days when he realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force without yielding even a moment". Mount Paektu is considered a sacred place in Korean folklore and plays a central role in the propaganda glorifying the Kim family. Officially, Kim's father Kim Jong-Il was born on its slopes in 1942, though independent historians say he was actually born a year earlier and in the Soviet Union, where his own father was in exile. Indian voters show their inked fingers after casting ballots during elections in Gujarat state, seen as a key electoral test of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat went to the polls on Saturday, in a key electoral test of his popularity after a series of controversial economic reforms. Voters, with their election cards in hand, started lining up at polling booths early in the morning in Gujarat where Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held power for 22 years. Modi built his reputation as an economic reformer in Gujarat which boomed under his rule, attracting investments from around the globe. But his recent reforms -- a new national tax and a shock currency ban to fight graft -- have hit India's growth and hurt the very constituency of traders and small business owners who were his biggest supporters in the western state, polls found. Experts say this election is a serious challenge to Modi as his rivals ride a wave of discontent over the stuttering economy, adding that voter anger over the reforms and a desire for change could boost the flagging fortunes of the opposition Congress Party. Voting wrapped up at 5:00 pm local time (1130 GMT) in the first stage of the election on Saturday, with around 68 percent turnout reported, the Election Commission of India said after polls closed, revising its earlier figure of nearly 50 percent. "Thank you Gujarat! Gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Gujarat for voting in record numbers today," Modi tweeted late Saturday. "I am seeing that BJP is headed towards a historic victory, powered by the affection and support of every Gujarati." Saturday's turnout was lower than the 71.3 percent registered at the last state election in 2012. The Congress campaign has been spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi -- the man likely to challenge Modi for premiership at the next general election in 2019. Voting turnout in India's Gujarat was reported to be around 50 percent, which political pundits guessed meant voters were probably not as dissatisfied with the BJP The election is seen as a chance for Gandhi to finally prove his mettle before he is named president of the party his mother Sonia has led for more than two decades. Another threat to Modi's dominance comes from two prominent groups -- the Patidars, who make up almost 14 percent of Gujarat's 43 million voters, and the low-caste Dalit community. The Patidars, a relatively well-off caste group comprising farmers and traders who came out in force to support Modi in previous polls, have rocked the state with demands for preferential access to government jobs and education. A little over 21 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots on Saturday when 89 constituencies were up for grabs across 19 districts of Gujarat, according to the Election Commission of India. The next stage of voting is on December 14. - 'Glitches' in voting - Earlier dozens of electronic voting machines malfunctioned briefly, particularly in the districts of Rajkot and Surat, home to textile and diamond trading industries. "There were initial glitches in more than 30 EVMs due to technical reasons but they have been resolved," said Rajkot district collector and election officer Vikrant Pandey. Propped up by her relatives, 115-year-old Ajiben Chandravadiya cast her vote at a polling booth in Rajkot to retain her record of having voted in every election in Gujarat since 1960. Indian officials verify documents of voters before casting their ballots during the first phase of Vidhan Sabha elections of Gujarat state in Limbdi, some 100 kms from Ahmedabad Further east in Bharuch district, a young couple, dressed in their wedding attire, made a quick stop at their local polling booth to cast their votes before heading to the marriage ceremony. "My wife-to-be and I came here to vote... As an Indian citizen it is our duty and responsibility to vote," the decked-up groom told local news channels, without giving his name. Modi's personal popularity remains high, with three major opinion polls this week showing a win for the BJP -- although by a margin smaller than in 2012. The combined poll average predicted the BJP grabbing 105-106 seats in the 182-member state house -- well over the 92 required for it to form government for a fifth consecutive time. It forecast Congress winning 73-74 seats. India's opinion polls are notoriously unreliable, having been way off mark in previous state and national elections. Votes from the election will be counted on December 18, with results announced the same day. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year Tanzania's President John Magufuli said Saturday he was shocked by an attack on a UN base in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo which killed 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers. The soldiers were all members of the Tanzania People's Defence Forces participating in a peacekeeping operation in the conflict-torn eastern region of the country. "I am very shocked and saddened to hear of the deaths of our young, brave soldiers and heroes who lost their lives carrying out their peace mission in our neighbour the DRC," Magufuli said in a statement in Swahili. He added that two other soldiers were still unaccounted for, though it was unclear if one of those was already included in the death toll. The UN base in North Kivu province came under attack by suspected Ugandan rebels on Thursday. Five Congolese soldiers and a further 53 personnel were also injured, the UN Security Council said. The attack is the worst loss of life to a UN peacekeeping force since 1993 when 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Somalia during clashes with a local warlord. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. Egyptian archaeological technicians restore a mummy wrapped in linen, found at Draa Abul Naga necropolis on the west bank of the city of Luxor Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a mummy in one of two previously unexplored tombs across the Nile from the southern city of Luxor, the antiquities ministry said Saturday. The tombs were found in the 1990s by German archaeologist Frederica Kampp, though she had only reached the entrance gate "but never entered", the ministry said. It said that both tombs, which were given numbers by Kampp, were likely to date back to dynasties of the New Kingdom, which lasted several centuries until about 3,000 years ago. Since Kampp's discovery, "both tombs were left untouched" an Egyptian archaeological mission started work. Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Enany was in Luxor to announce the discovery in Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis near the famed Valley of the Kings, where many pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, were buried. In addition to funerary items, archaeologists found "a mummy wrapped in linen", the ministry said, adding that "studies suggest the mummy could be for a top official or a powerful person". The owner is unidentified, though the ministry said they have two possible identities. The tomb might belong to "a person named Djehuty Mes whose name was engraved on one of the walls", the ministry said. Or it could belong to "the scribe Maati as his name and the name of his wife Mehi were inscribed on 50 funerary cones found in the tombs rectangular chamber". The other tomb was not excavated and only "uncovered" in April, the ministry said, adding that the tomb's owner is not yet known. "The tomb has a court lined with stone and mud-brick walls. It has a six-metre (-yard) deep burial shaft at its southern side that lead to four side chambers," the ministry said. "Studies reveal that the tomb was reused in antiquity," it said. The tomb contains several artefacts and a depiction of "a person, probably the deceaseds brother, presenting offerings and flowers to the deceased and his wife". The fourth association council held by the European Union and Ukraine in Brussels on Friday was an opportunity for Brussels to reaffirm its unwavering support for the Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said. The EU is watching developments in eastern Ukraine very closely, she said after the meeting at a joint press conference with Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. She said that she had discussed the current situation in eastern Ukraine with Groysman and stressed the need for a UN special monitoring mission to have access to all areas affected by the conflict. The safety of the mission must be guaranteed. Mogherini also said that the attendees reaffirmed the EU policy of refusing to recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and condemned the ongoing militarization of the Crimean peninsula and the worsening human rights situation in the region, in particular, the ban on the autonomous Tatar administration. The attendees reiterated the call for the immediate release of all Ukrainians held illegally in illegally annexed Crimea and in Russia, Mogherini said. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is locked in a bitter fight with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to lead the African National Congress Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a front-runner for the leadership of South Africa's ruling ANC party, called during a campaign speech in Durban Saturday for a peaceful contest instead of a "fight amongst enemies". Dlamini-Zuma made the call in what was likely to be her final major appearance ahead of the African National Congress' elective conference to select President Jacob Zuma's successor as party leader in Johannesburg between December 16 and 20. Zuma's ex-wife and former African Union Commission chair has been locked in an increasingly bitter fight with fellow frontrunner Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa -- but called for party unity and a peaceful conference. "This is a democratic process -- it is not a fight amongst enemies... it's a festival of ideas, so you must be prepared to argue your case," she said, adding that the eventual winner would need to go on to unite the party and the country ahead of general elections due in 2019. Dlamini-Zuma, 68, who spoke largely in Zulu, wore her trademark green head-wrap and shawl and was buffeted by high winds as she addressed the large, enthusiastic crowd at the Sugar Ray Xulu stadium. She will go into the conference trailing Ramaphosa, 65, who has a lead among regional party delegates whose votes make up 90 percent of the final ballot for the new leader. He currently has 1,859 pledges to her 1,330 according to a provisional toll of regional ANC party branch members published on Tuesday. Other leadership hopefuls include parliament speaker Baleka Mbete and presidency minister Jeff Radebe -- although they are seen as outsiders. - 'Emancipation of women' - There are 4,731 branch delegates in all who will make up roughly 90 percent of the votes that will be cast at the elective conference to pick a new leader. Branch delegates can change their votes up until the conference. The remaining votes are reserved for delegates from the ANC's Women's, Youth and Veteran's branches as well as provincial executive committee members. The women's and youth leagues are seen as fierce Dlamini-Zuma supporters and she praised them enthusiastically during her speech. She also called for a radical reshaping of the country's ailing economy. "The financial sector must be transformed... Industrialisation is the key -- along with manufacturing," she said, calling for major investment in infrastructure, including spending on high speed rail. Dlamini-Zuma also pledged action on unemployment which has remained stubbornly high -- more than 26 percent. She also complained that the majority of the country's economy remains in the hands of "the minority" -- a reference to the country's white population who make up nine percent of South Africans -- 23 years after the end of white-minority rule. In her most enthusiastically received comments, Dlamini-Zuma appealed to female members of the ANC to back her run for the party's presidency. "National democratic transformation cannot triumph without the emancipation of women," she told the crowds in a speech that was more lively and confident than some of her recent campaign appearances. "We won't be ruled and we don't expect anyone to be ruled." An April 20, 2017 picture taken from the Lebanese side of the border with Israel shows an Israeli military monitoring station Lebanon's prime minister on Saturday criticised a visit by an Iraqi Shiite militia leader to Lebanon's ceasefire line with Israel, saying it violated local law. The trip by Qais al-Khazali, the founder and leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, was organised by Lebanon's Hezbollah, a powerful armed movement and arch-foe of Israel. A video of the visit began circulating on social media on Friday, showing Khazali wearing military uniform during a tour of parts of southern Lebanon. "We declare our full readiness to stand united with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause in the face of the Israeli occupation," he can be heard saying in the recording. Asaib Ahl al-Haq spokesman Jawad al-Tlibawi told AFP that the visit was "in solidarity with the cause of Arabs and Muslims, with occupied Palestine." "It's a clear message to the Israeli entity, as well as solidarity with the Lebanese people if the Israeli entity attacks them," he added. In a statement, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the visit took place six days ago and was a "violation of Lebanese laws", without specifying further. He added that he had instructed authorities to investigate and "take measures to prevent any person from carrying out military activities on Lebanese territory... and to prevent the person in the video from entering Lebanon". Asaib Ahl al-Haq is an Iran-backed group that is one of the main components of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force. Hezbollah has sent advisers to assist the force in their battle against the Islamic State group. The Lebanese group is also fighting in neighbouring Syria, and has been accused of assisting Huthi rebels in Yemen. Its regional interventions have been a source of tension in Lebanon, and were cited by Hariri when he announced last month that he was resigning. He later withdrew his resignation after talks that saw Lebanon's government issue a statement reasserting a policy of non-interference in regional conflicts. Israel fought a devastating war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006 that killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 120 Israelis, most of them soldiers. Israel withdrew its forces from southern Lebanon in 2000, ending a 22-year occupation, but the two countries remain technically at war and there have been occasional skirmishes on the border. burs-rh/sah/hc Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was "null and void" in Ankara's eyes and a "red line" for Muslims Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday described Israel as a "state of occupation" which used "terror" against the Palestinians, as he stepped up his criticism of the US recognition of Jerusalem as its capital. Erdogan has been bitterly opposed to the decision of US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem and has called a summit of Islamic countries on December 13 in Istanbul. "Israel is a state of occupation," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul, referring to Israel's continued occupation of the West Bank and settlement building. "And now they are making use of terror and are bombing young people and children," he said. Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed two militants from Palestinian Islamist group Hamas before dawn, bringing to four the number killed since Trump announced the move. Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause and an opponent of any perceived global injustice against Muslims, described Jerusalem as the "apple of our eye" and a "red line" for Muslims. He said that the American decision was "null and void" for Ankara. "Trump seeks to move forwards by saying 'there we go, I did it, it's done!'. I'm sorry but... being strong does not give you such a right." "The leaders of major countries have a mission to make peace. Not unleash conflicts. Erdogan on Saturday continued to play a central role in diplomatic efforts in the crisis, telephoning French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Michel Aoun, the presidency said. Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel's storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties. The two sides have since stepped up cooperation, particularly in energy, but Erdogan has repeatedly been bitterly critical of Israeli policy. Last week he warned that Turkey's reaction "could go as far as" cutting relations with Israel, but he made no reference to this in his latest speech. Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj holds talks with Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti in Tripoli on December 9, 2017, on ways of battling people smugglers Italy and Libya will set up a joint commission in a bid to fight back against people traffickers and tackle the problem of illegal migration, the Tripoli government said Saturday. The announcement was made after talks in the Libyan capital between Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti and Libya's Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Intelligence agents, coastguard and judicial officials from both countries will sit on the commission, Sarraj's office said in a statement. Human-trafficking networks have flourished in the chaos that followed a NATO-backed uprising which toppled long-time Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Illegal migrants at a detention centre in Zawiyah west of the Libyan capital Tripoli, on December 8, 2017 Sarraj said on Thursday the number of migrants stranded in his country was "staggering... we are talking about 500,000 migrants outside holding centres and 20,000 in the 42 centres run by the interior ministry". But speaking after talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Libyan premier vowed to take action to ease the plight of these migrants, most of whom come from sub-Saharan Africa. Minniti praised Libya's efforts to rescue migrants abandoned at sea by unscrupulous people traffickers, but said more cooperation was needed to monitor the country's southern borders. He said central European countries will be providing Libya with 35 million euros ($40 million) within a week to help the North African country in its anti-immigration efforts, the statement added. A freshly-burned forest is seen under the stars at the Lilac Fire in the early morning hours of December 8, 2017 near Bonsall, California Brutal winds that fueled southern California's firestorm finally began to ease Saturday, giving residents and firefighters hope for respite as the destructive toll of multiple blazes came into focus. After a five-day siege, some Californians were finally able to return home to inspect the damage wrought by the wildfires, which forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee and destroyed some 700 structures including multimillion dollar mansions. Despite the intensity of the fires that raged on six different fronts -- stretching from areas north of Los Angeles down to the San Diego region -- authorities have reported only one fatality. With gusts of up to 60 miles per hour (95 kilometers per hour), the relentless seasonal Santa Ana winds had continued to stoke the fire Friday, spitting embers and creating "extreme fire danger." Winds were expected to calm somewhat but a red alert was extended into Sunday due to expected low humidity. An aircraft drops retardant over burning embers and small fires on top of a mountain in Fillmore, California on December 8, 2017, on the eastern edge of the Thomas Fire in Ventura County And despite the easing of the gusty Santa Anas, meteorologists warned that smoke and ash could linger, prompting several counties to maintain air-quality warnings. In the mountain town of Ojai the air-quality index was hovering over 500 -- at the top of the "hazardous" scale -- as fumes from the "Thomas" fire hung trapped by the mountains. Since erupting in Ventura County late Monday, that blaze has seared 148,000 acres (60,000 hectares), but an area fire department spokesperson said Saturday containment should improve "after aggressive fire fighting" the day prior. - 'Considerable progress' - The material cost of fire suppression efforts has skyrocketed to some $17 million, Ventura officials estimated. The "Skirball" fire -- near the affluent, star-studded Bel Air district -- was at least 50 percent contained after engulfing entire hillsides in flames. Firefighters contained 80 percent of the "Creek" fire -- the largest blaze that menaced the LA region, which roared through more than 15,000 acres -- while the nearby "Rye" fire was some 65 percent under control. California's state fire agency said "favorable conditions helped make considerable progress today" but warned that "residents should remain vigilant as conditions can change quickly." Authorities near San Diego -- where the "Lilac" fire had rapidly charred more than 4,000 acres after igniting Thursday morning -- issued a similar notice, saying improvement was expected but urging residents to remain on high alert. Four civilians and two firefighters were injured in that blaze, which also claimed the lives of more than two dozen racehorses after tearing through eight barns. In Fallbrook, in northern San Diego County, houses were destroyed and ravaged trees lay horizontal. US President Donald Trump has issued a state of emergency in California, authorizing the release of federal funds. Exhausted firefighters have their first rest in over 20 hours since starting to fight the Lilac Fire, December 8, 2017, in Bonsall, California The week's infernos capped California's deadliest year ever for wildfires. More than 40 people died in October when fires swept through the state's wine-producing counties north of San Francisco. Iraqi fighters kick a billboard bearing the logo of the Islamic State group in Hawija on October 6, 2017 Despite Iraq's declaration of victory over the Islamic State group, the jihadists still present a deadly threat and will hide deep in the desert or blend into the civilian population, experts say. Three years after proclaiming a cross-border "caliphate" stretching into Syria, the jihadists' brutal rule over a third of Iraqi territory is consigned to history. There are now fewer than 3,000 IS fighters left in Iraq and Syria, but they still pose a danger, according to the US-led coalition against IS. "IS was defeated militarily in Iraq but not eliminated," said Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, the number two in the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force that has fought alongside the army against IS. "It is still present in some places and its members are trying to infiltrate civilians and villages. IS has changed its method," he said. In a sign of the lingering threat, Iraqi forces said they killed 10 "IS suicide bombers" in a tunnel near the city of Kirkuk on Saturday. After launching a sweeping offensive in 2014, the extremist organisation formed a proto-state as large as Italy straddling Iraq and Syria that was home to millions of people. But now the jihadists have been forced back into hiding. "Security is assured in the main cities because we are there, but it will not be complete without full control of the border with Syria," Mohandis said. On the Syrian side, the army and Kurdish fighters share control of the frontier. In Syria, IS controls about eight percent of Deir Ezzor province and has a presence in Homs and Hama provinces as well as Yarmuk Palestinian camp near Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based war monitor. - 'Not completely defeated' - In Iraq, the jihadists are expected to return to earlier tactics, according to the coalition. "Daesh has been militarily degraded, but (they) are not completely defeated," said coalition spokesman Ryan Dillon, using an Arabic acronym for IS, also known as ISIS. "They still pose a threat to Iraq," he added. "As ISIS continues to lose land, influence, funding streams and conventional capabilities, we expect them to return to their terrorist roots by conducting high-profile attacks on helpless civilians such as those we've already seen in Nasiriyah, Ramadi, and elsewhere over the past weeks." On September 15, gunmen and suicide bombers killed 84 people, mostly Shiite Muslim pilgrims, in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. The coalition also regularly reports raids in the Taji area north of Baghdad, the Qayyarah region south of Mosul and in the vast western province of Anbar. The jihadists can also hide in the inhospitable desert south of the Euphrates River, said Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi expert on IS. "Fighting in the desert is very hard because there are valleys 12 metres (40 feet) deep and hundreds of kilometres (miles) long, and IS has dug hideouts impossible to detect by aircraft," he said. "Every military unit that goes out there needs to be accompanied by an expert in cartography or it risks getting lost," he said. The mopping-up operation has not started yet because a huge number of soldiers and Hashed fighters must be mobilised. Among the areas to be combed are Wadi Hauran, the longest valley in Iraq stretching 350 kilometres from the Saudi border up to the Euphrates River. IS has established positions, hideouts, weapons depots and fallback positions in this rugged terrain, where there are gorges up to 200 metres deep. "IS will return to its origins... in the desert, where there are caves that can serve as a refuge," said Iraqi security expert Fadel Abu Raghif. "This is where it began." Two years after its creation in 2006, the jihadist organisation then known as the Islamic State of Iraq was partly driven from its fiefdoms by the US military backed by Iraqi fighters. It regrouped in the desert and went back on the offensive in 2014. "Despite the success of the Iraqi forces, these (desert) regions cannot be totally secure," said Abu Raghif. A BYD electric car charges at a charging station in Beijing on September 11, 2017 Chinese electric car manufacturer BYD on Saturday signed an agreement to open a factory near the Moroccan city of Tangiers to build battery-powered vehicles, officials said. BYD will become the third car manufacturer, after Renault and Peugeot of French, to construct cars in the North African state. The memorandum of understanding was signed at the royal palace in the coastal city of Casablanca in the presence of King Mohammed VI and BYD's chairman, Wang Chuanfu, whose company is backed by US investor Warren Buffett. The factory in the new Mohammed VI Tangier Tech City, which is part of a project between China and Morocco, is to produce electric cars, buses and trucks at a 50-hectare site employing 2,500 people, according to the project directors. A plant for the assembly of electric trains is also planned, but the amount of investment and timeframe of the overall project were not announced. "We hope to benefit from Morocco's location as an entry point to Europe and the African market," Wang said, adding that the first phase would produce cars. According to industry sources, Morocco aims to add a fourth major automaker plant before the end of 2021 and to have capacity to produce one million vehicles a year by 2025. US President Donald Trump speaks during the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum US leader Donald Trump called for an end to racial hatred Saturday at the launch of a museum dedicated to victims of white-supremacist violence in America's Deep South, a ceremony boycotted by several black leaders. The president's attendance at a private gathering to open the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History next door, which came at the invitation of the state's Republican governor, had triggered a backlash from some who marched in the movement to win those rights, including veteran US congressman John Lewis. Lewis -- a Democratic lawmaker from Georgia who also skipped Trump's presidential inauguration in January -- said Friday that the president's "attendance and his hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum." Democratic US congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi joined Lewis in the boycott. Trump did not reference the controversy in his tribute, opting instead to stay on script. In his remarks to invited guests prior to the museum's public opening, the president emphasized the new institution's recording of "the oppression, cruelty and injustice inflicted on the African American community, the fight to end slavery." "We want our country to be a place where every child from every background can grow up free from fear, innocent of hatred and surrounded by love, opportunity and hope," he said. - 'Bloody Sunday' - Trump honored the legacy of slain activist Medgar Evers, whose widow and brother were in attendance, as well as Martin Luther King Jr -- "a man we have studied and watched and admired for my entire life." He called the museum "an incredible tribute to Mississippi, a state I love; a state I've had great success." "This is a tribute to our nation at the highest level." Afterward, he took to Twitter to express his "great honor" at the ceremony and "pay solemn tribute to our heroes of the past & dedicate ourselves to building a future of freedom, equality, justice & peace." US President Donald Trump tours the new museum Small protests turned out in Jackson against the president's presence, which was also boycotted by the city's mayor and the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Several racially charged controversies have beset the Trump administration in its first year, notably his reaction to an August rally of white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump came under fire from Republicans and Democrats alike after he failed to definitively condemn the role of white supremacists in the event, which turned violent and left one woman dead. In 1965, Lewis -- one of King's closest collaborators -- led a landmark civil rights march in Selma, Alabama that prompted state troopers to attack the protesters during what later became known as "Bloody Sunday." Lewis suffered a fractured skull. When Lewis bowed out of the president's inauguration ceremony earlier this year, Trump called him "all talk" and "not action or results." A Kuwaiti demonstrator burns a wanted poster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a rare protest outside the National Assembly in Kuwait City on December 9, 2017 following Washington's policy shift on Jerusalem Dozens of people took part in an authorised but rare protest Saturday in Kuwait City to denounce US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Protesters gathered at Irada Square outside the National Assembly carrying banners reading "Jerusalem is an eternal Palestinian capital" and "Terrorism is an American business", an AFP reporter said. The call to protest had been made by several political groups, including the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, and civil society associations. A "Wanted" poster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was torched by one protester and trampled on by others. Authorities allowed protests at Irada Square and outside the Palestinian embassy in Kuwait City, but banned any demonstration near the American embassy. Speakers urged Kuwait and Arab governments to pressure Trump to reverse his controversial decision, which has sparked protests across the Arab and Muslim world. Louloua al-Mulla, head of Kuwait's Women's Cultural and Social Society, said the rally was aimed at "voicing the anger of the Kuwaiti people" at Trump's move. Kuwaitis and Palestinians gather outside the Palestinian embassy in Kuwait City on December 9, 2017, to demonstrate against the US president's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital "Trump's decision is unfair. Civil society groups in Kuwait denounce it," she said. Kuwait's parliament is due to hold a special session on Wednesday to discuss Washington's policy shift. ICM lawmaker Ossama al-Shahin told AFP his group has asked the government "to take measures against US interests... and we expect to see concrete measures before Wednesday, not just condemnations". "It is no longer acceptable to have all our investments, political and financial interests in the United States when there are other countries in the world that have much better (political) positions," he added. Shiite lawmaker Khalil Abdullah said Kuwait, which will serve as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for a two-year term from January, should use its upcoming position to rally support against Trump's decision. His recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital sparked three days of protests in the Palestinian territories and demonstrations in Arab and Muslim countries worldwide. Kuwait was among several Muslim and Arab countries to have condemned the move. Turkish anti-riot police officers detain a protester during a demonstration against the US and Israel on December 9, 2017 in the Kadikoy district of Istanbul Turkish riot police on Saturday detained a dozen activists at a protest in Istanbul denouncing Israel and the United States after Washington's recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Holding banners such as "against imperialism, Zionism and their domestic partners", the protesters gathered in Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul. Police moved in and to detain around a dozen protesters, pinning some face down on the ground and wrenching the hands of others behind their backs, an AFP photographer said. Protests by religious conservative Turkish groups against the US move to recognise Jerusalem have proceeded peacefully in Turkey in recent days. But Istanbul police frequently crack down on leftist anti-government protests. Pro-Palestinian protesters also held Muslim prayers outside the Hagia Sophia, a former Byzantine church that was turned into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul but is now a museum. People wave Turkish national flags and carry banners during the pro-Palestinian demonstration in Istanbul Some conservative Turks have argued it should be turned back into a mosque, a move that would risk an international backlash. "We want the Palestinian people and the Muslim people to find a free Jerusalem. We want the Israeli occupier to leave it. We want to denounce with all our means the unfair decision," said protester Muzeyfe Altug. Turkey's religiously conservative Saadet (Felicity) Party is also due to hold a mass rally in Istanbul over Jerusalem on Sunday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led opposition to the decision by US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the israeli capital and has called a summit of Islamic countries on December 13 in Istanbul. Ukrainian law-enforcement agencies have confirmed that leader of the Movement of New Forces Party and ex-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has been detained in Kyiv. "That's true Saakashvili has been detained," a source in a law-enforcement agency has told Interfax-Ukraine, without giving any further details. Guo Wengui, often presented as China's "most wanted," says he plans to launch a new platform to expose the flaws of China's Communist regime and that he's been discussing the project with Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump's former strategist Billionaire Guo Wengui, who is seeking asylum in the United States after accusing officials in his native China of corruption, wants "a change of the regime" in Beijing and the introduction of democracy in the world's most populous country. "I want to try and to have rule of law, I want to try and have democracy, freedom, that's my ultimate goal... A change of the regime," he told AFP in a recent exclusive interview from his luxurious New York apartment facing Central Park. Guo aims to achieve his goal within three years, he said, helped by a new media platform that he intends to launch before the end of December to expose the flaws of China's Communist regime. For several months, he has been flooding social networks with accusations of corruption against China's rich and powerful. He revealed an unexpected ally in his corner -- Steve Bannon, US President Donald Trump's former strategist who has called for Washington to wage "economic war" with China. Guo said he has met ten times with Bannon, the one-time Goldman Sachs investment banker and head of influential ultraconservative outlet Breitbart News. "He is one of the best international political experts I have ever seen. Mr Bannon is one of the very few Westerners who really understands Asia," said Guo, who gives his age as 47 despite uncertainty about his birthdate due to the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution in China at the time. His Twitter account, which has nearly 480,000 people, has been repeatedly blocked since China's Communist Party congress in October, he said. "I have money, you know this, lots of money prepared for this," Guo said of his new platform which he has been discussing with Bannon. In the interview, Guo confirmed Wall Street Journal reports that he had been visited by Chinese government agents in his apartment in May. He said the agents had one objective: "They are here to silence me... They want me to stop talking about the corrupt officials in the Chinese government." "There are more than 100 hours of conversation I have on tape," he said. "For them, it was too big a threat!" Two of Guo's brothers and many of his former employees have been imprisoned since he fled China in 2014, but he says he feels safe in the United States and is confident he will soon be granted political asylum. "I have heard multiple sources saying I am totally safe here and my asylum should go through," he said. "One person even told me, 'They will wrap me in an American flag.'" MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine military and police have asked the president to extend martial law he declared in the country's south by a year because of continuing threats from pro-Islamic State group militants and communist guerrillas, officials said Friday. Interior Undersecretary Catalino Cuy said the national police want President Rodrigo Duterte to extend martial law, which expires on Dec. 31, to allow them to continue offensives against Muslim militants who eluded capture during a five-month siege of southern Marawi city and against other extremist groups. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the military has made a similar recommendation to Duterte so it can press efforts against Muslim extremists and communist New People's Army guerrillas, whose attacks have affected businesses and the economy. A protester passes a burning effigy of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte with a dinosaurs body during a rally in Manila, Philippines on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. Protesters were calling for the ouster of Duterte and denounced his rule whom they have likened as dictatorship. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Duterte imposed martial law in May to deal with the Marawi siege, which troops quelled in October. Left-wing groups have protested martial law because of human rights concerns, but the Supreme Court has upheld its legality. "We have not contained all the threat groups," Cuy said by telephone. "They're still there." Martial law will help the government and troops rebuild Marawi faster, he said. The Marawi siege left more than 1,100 combatants and civilians dead, including more than 900 Filipino and foreign militants. The violence displaced about half a million people and turned mosque-studded Marawi's central business and residential districts into a smoldering war zone. The militant uprising that began on May 23 prompted Duterte to declare martial law across the southern Mindanao region and reinforced fears that the Islamic State group was taking steps to gain a foothold in Asia and elsewhere as it faced major battle setbacks in Syria and Iraq. Although several militant leaders were killed in the intense fighting in Marawi, some gunmen and commanders managed to escape, Padilla said. "Although they have significantly been degraded in terms of capability and manpower, those who survived that siege still remain at large and are attempting to recover by recruiting other members of the society, particularly the vulnerable sector of our population," Padilla told reporters. "We still need the cover of martial law to address that bigger threat that they pose in other areas." Communist guerrilla attacks have increased considerably, with the estimated damage to government and business, including burned construction equipment, rising by 2,000 percent to about 2.4 billion pesos ($47 million) this year, Padilla said. Duterte has called off peace talks with the Maoist rebels to protest their deadly attacks on government forces and moved to designate them as terrorists under the law. He indicated, however, that he is still open to a resumption of the talks if the communist insurgents stop their assaults. "Let's give time for a cooling off with the Communist Party of the Philippines," Duterte said in a speech on Friday. Duterte and his aides have not said if he will extend martial law, but he has strongly argued the need for it to prevent attacks and contain the movement of militants in the south, the scene of decades-long Muslim rebellions in the largely Roman Catholic nation. Protesters wearing plastic bags lie in front of an effigy of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte with a dinosaurs body to symbolize those killed during the government's drug war campaign as they hold a rally in Manila, Philippines on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. Protesters were calling for the ouster of Duterte and denounced his alleged dictator-style rule. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) A protester is wrapped on a plastic bag to reenact alleged killings by police during a rally in Manila, Philippines on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. Protesters were calling for the ouster of Duterte and denounced his rule whom they have likened as dictatorship. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - George Soros' Open Society Foundations say a picture of a dead pig with an ambiguous inscription posted by a ruling party lawmaker on his Facebook page is an anti-Semitic attack on their founder. Janos Pocs from Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party posted the picture Friday, saying it was sent to him by friends. An inscription on the pig - "O volt a soros!!!" - can mean "He was next in line" or "He was Soros." Pocs denied any connection between Soros and the pig. The Open Society Foundations described the photo as a "shocking attack" and "another example of officially accepted anti-Semitism in Viktor Orban's Hungary." Orban has made Soros, an Hungarian-American financier and philanthropist, a repeated target of political campaigns. NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Steve Stricker and Sean O'Hair shot a 15-under 57 in scramble play Friday to take the first-round lead in the QBE Shootout. The 50-year-old Stricker, the winning U.S. Presidents Cup captain in October, chipped in for birdie on the par-4 18th. They also eagled the par-5 17th in gusty conditions on Tiburon's Gold Course. "It's a really good pairing," Stricker said. "He hits it so far down the fairway that it gives us the ability to go in there with some really short irons. At times, I stood on the tee and I'm like, 'Why am I even hitting the tee shot because this guy's going to be 40 yards ahead of me and hitting in two or three less clubs.'" Stricker teamed with Jerry Kelly to win the 2009 title, and the Madison, Wisconsin, duo finished second last year behind Matt Kuchar and Harris English. O'Hair won in 2012 with Kenny Perry. "It was a great day," O'Hair said. "We had a lot of fun. Love watching this guy roll the ball, so much to learn for me. ... Just really felt like it was a good pairing. We kind of ham-and-egged it pretty good today and it was fun." Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele shot 58, Brandt Snedeker and Bubba Watson had a 59, and Kevin Chappell-Kevin Kisner, Daniel Berger-Gary Woodland and Jason Dufner-Billy Horschel followed at 61. Kuchar and English were tied for ninth in the 12-team field at 63. The teams will play modified alternate shot Saturday and close with better ball on Sunday. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - An attorney for a woman who says Roy Moore assaulted her when she was a 16-year-old waitress says a handwriting expert has confirmed that his inscription in her 1977 yearbook is authentic. Moore's campaign says the accuser's admission that she added the time and place of Moore's yearbook inscription in her own handwriting undermines her entire story. Beverly Nelson's high school yearbook has become key evidence supporting her claim that the 34-year-old prosecutor was a regular at the Olde Hickory House restaurant where she worked as a teenager - and where she says he attacked her in his car after she accepted his offer of a ride home one cold winter night. Moore has denied knowing Nelson, or the restaurant in Gadsden, for that matter. FILE- In this Nov. 30, 2017 file photo, former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a campaign rally, in Dora, Ala. In the Alabama Senate race, national Democrats and the liberal grassroots are treading lightly, trying not to sink Doug Jones' upset bid against Republican Roy Moore. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File) With just days to go before Tuesday's voting in Moore's Senate race against Democrat Doug Jones, his campaign has been roiled by this and other accusations of sexual misconduct decades ago. Moore has aggressively sought to discredit his accusers, suggesting that both establishment Republicans and liberals are behind the claims. Moore has posted on Twitter frequently about the yearbook, calling his signature a forgery. The inscription reads, "To a sweeter more beautiful girl I could not say, 'Merry Christmas.'" It is followed by the signature "Roy Moore D.A." and the notation "12-22-77 Olde Hickory House." Gloria Allred said Friday that a hired handwriting expert found the signature to be authentic. "We think it's important evidence that supports Beverly's statements that Roy Moore asked to sign her yearbook when she was just 16 years old. And it demonstrates that when Roy Moore stated, quote, 'I do not know any of these women,' end quote, that statement does not appear to be true," Allred said. Allred acknowledged that Nelson added the date and restaurant name below the signature. Moore's attorney Phillip Jauregui said Friday that this admission undermines the credibility of Nelson's account and shows that they weren't telling the truth at an initial press conference. "What they said then was either a lie or what they said today was a lie. The voters are going to have to decide, were they lying then, or are they lying now?" Jauregui said. He asked Allred to release the yearbook so an independent expert can evaluate the signature and notation. "Until they release the yearbook, all we know is, they're not telling the truth and they've lied," he said. At a rally Friday night in Pensacola, Florida, President Donald Trump taunted Nelson. "Did you see what happened today? You know, the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made," Trump said, shifting to a sing-songy voice. "She started writing things in the yearbook." Trump had reinforced his support for Moore earlier Friday by tweeting a similar message. UNITED NATIONS (AP) - One by one, 14 members of the U.N. Security Council spoke out against President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at an emergency meeting on Friday, some with regret and some with anger at the 15th member, the United States. It wasn't the first time that the U.S. stood alone in defending its close ally, Israel, in the U.N.'s most powerful body. Over decades, it has vetoed many council resolutions it viewed as harmful to Israel. But this was a rare rebuke for an action the United States took that in the eyes of the rest of the council and most of the world clearly violates U.N. resolutions and decisions that Jerusalem is an issue to be resolved by Israel and the Palestinians in peace negotiations on a two-state solution. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Dannon speaks in the Security Council at United Nations headquarters, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) The Trump administration has been working on a new Mideast peace proposal and U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council that the U.S. is more committed to peace "than we've ever been before - and we believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before." She gave no details but noted that past Israeli-Palestinian agreements have been signed on the White House lawn, and if there is a new agreement there is "a good likelihood" it will be signed there as well "because the United States has credibility of both sides." But Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour who spoke after council members said the Trump administration's decision on recognition "undermines and essentially disqualifies its leadership role to seek peace in the region." He said "one party cannot continue to monopolize the peace process," especially one that is biased in favor of "the occupying power," Israel. Mansour urged the Security Council to denounce what he called the "irresponsible" U.S. decision and reaffirm its position on the status of Jerusalem __ that the holy city's status must be decided during Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. And it must "affirm its rejection of all violations of that status," he said. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon, speaking immediately afterward, praised Trump's courage and urged all nations to follow the United States by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving their embassies to the holy city. "There will never be peace without Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel," he said. "And that will never change." Traditional U.S. allies in the Security Council, including Britain, France, Sweden, Italy and Japan, criticized Trump's decision, all insisting that Jerusalem's status must remain unresolved until final Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. In a joint statement, ambassadors from France, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Britain disagreed with Trump's decision, saying "it is not in line with Security Council resolutions and is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region." France's U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre expressed regret at the U.S. decision, citing legal grounds, its impact on efforts to reach a two-state solution, and the potential escalation of violence. He said the United States must explain how Trump's action aligns with the legal foundation "on which all peace efforts are based." Egypt's U.N. Ambassador Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta called the U.S. recognition "a dangerous precedent," saying "Jerusalem is a city under occupation and it is not permissible legally to take any action." The statement from the five ambassadors, echoing many speakers, called for calm "given the volatile situation on the ground." The U.N.'s Mideast envoy Nikolay Mladenov, who briefed the council, called for urgent international efforts to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace, warning that if the conflict isn't resolved "it risks being engulfed in the vortex of religious radicalism throughout the Middle East." He said there is a risk of escalating violence following Trump's decision and "a serious risk" of "a chain of unilateral actions" that would push the goal of peace further away. Bolivia's U.N. Ambassador Sasha Llorenty Soliz said the U.S. leader's unilateral action affects the multi-cultural and multi-religious identity of Jerusalem and "is extremely damaging - it's irresponsible because it further exacerbates the already unstable situation in the Middle East." PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A man charged in the stabbing deaths of two commuters on a Portland light-rail train told a psychologist hired by his defense team that he was on "autopilot" during the attack. A psychological evaluation unsealed Friday quotes Jeremy Christian as saying he wasn't aware of his actions May 26 until he heard other passengers yelling that he was killing people. A third person was injured. The evaluation was submitted to the court last month as part of bail proceedings. Christian has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody. Detective Michele Michaels has testified that Christian inflicted 11 stab wounds in 11 seconds after passengers confronted him about anti-Muslim comments directed at two teenage girls. The report quotes Christian as saying he was barely aware of the girls. HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - More than 10,000 Vietnamese filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who said he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. Despite sweeping economic reforms over the past 30 years that made Vietnam one of the fasting growing countries in the region, the ruling Communist Party maintains strict control over all aspects of society, from media to religions. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 100 Vietnamese are in prison for peaceful religious and political activities. Graham told The Associated Press that the prayer rally in Hanoi on Friday was unprecedented in size for Vietnam and the government did not attach any conditions for the event, which took a year a organize. Authorities granted permission last week, he said. In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, photo, evangelical preacher Franklin Graham speaks in front of audience in Hanoi, Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese have filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who says he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) "This is unprecedented really for us and for the government," Graham said. "We don't want to do anything that would embarrass the government or the people of Vietnam. Again we're guests, the government has not told me what to say or not say. I'm going to talk about God we are not here to talk about politics." Graham said he hoped the government through the event will see Christianity in a different way. "I hope the government will see that Christians are not enemies, but Christians are some of the best citizens in Vietnam and people that they can trust and depend on," he said. "I hope it would be good for the churches and I hope this meeting would be good for the government and they will see us in a different light after this week." A second prayer rally is scheduled for Saturday night. The government was not available for comment Saturday. Graham, who is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and one of the most prominent American preachers, said that religious freedom has gradually improved in Vietnam. "The fact that we are here today and that I'm going to be preaching Friday and Saturday in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, that is huge," he said. "It shows you how much the government has changed in the last 20 years." Despite some improvements, the U.S. State Department said in its annual global report on religious freedom that authorities continued to limit activities of unrecognized religious groups and those without certificates of registration for religious activities, particularly those groups believed to be engaged in political activity. Some religious leaders reported various forms of harassment, including physical assault, short-term detention, prosecution, monitoring, restrictions on travel, property seizure or destruction, it said. Thadeus Nguyen Van Ly, a Roman Catholic priest and founder of the democracy group Bloc 8406, was released last year after serving eight years in prison on charges of conducting anti-government propaganda. Those attending Friday's rally said they were thrilled. "It's very impressive," said Nguyen Thi Lan, who watched the event on a large screen set up outside the Quan Ngua Sports Stadium. "I hope through this event, more people would come to know Jesus and believe in God." There are about 6.5 million Catholics and more than 1 million Protestants among Vietnam's 95 million people, majority of whom are Buddhists. In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, photo, Christians pray as evangelist Franklin Graham preaches in Hanoi, Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese have filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who says he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, photo, a Christian listens to evangelist Franklin Graham's preaching in Hanoi, Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese have filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who says he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, photo, Christians pray as evangelist Franklin Graham preaches in Hanoi, Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese have filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who says he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, photo, Christians pray as evangelist Franklin Graham preaches in Hanoi, Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese have filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who says he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, photo, evangelical preacher Franklin Graham speaks in front of audience in Hanoi, Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese have filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who says he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) In this Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, photo, evangelical preacher Franklin Graham holds up a Christian booklet as he speaks in front of audience in Hanoi, Vietnam. More than 10,000 Vietnamese have filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who says he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) NEWTON, Kan. (AP) - A homeless man who killed a Kansas woman and her 4-year-old daughter pleaded guilty to capital murder but will not face the death penalty. Twenty-year-old Keith Hawkins will serve life in prison without parole after entering the plea Friday. He admitted killing 24-year-old Alyssa Runyon and her daughter, Zaylynn Paz, in August at their duplex in Newton, Kansas. Investigators have said Runyon apparently was strangled and her daughter was stabbed. Hawkins, who was homeless, was visiting Runyon. He was arrested in Texas in August. Harvey County Attorney David Yoder said the victims' families agreed to the plea deal. The Wichita Eagle reports Hawkins was a sex offender but his prior conviction was not placed on the public offender registry. ___ Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com PARIS (AP) - France bid farewell Saturday to its biggest rock star, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an exceptional funeral procession down the Champs-Elysees, a presidential speech and a parade of motorcyclists - all under intense security. Few figures in French history have earned a send-off as elaborate as the one for the man sometimes dubbed the French Elvis. It was ordered by President Emmanuel Macron - a Hallyday fan himself, like generations of others across the French-speaking world. "Johnny was yours. Johnny was his public. Johnny was his country," Macron told fans massed in central Paris for the funeral events. People wait outside the Madeleine church to attend French rock star Johnny Hallyday's funeral ceremony, in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. France is bidding farewell to its biggest rock star, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an exceptional funeral procession down the Champs-Elysees, a presidential speech and a motorcycle parade - all under intense security. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) Hallyday's death Wednesday at age 74 after fighting lung cancer unleashed emotion across the country, where the man known to the public simply as Johnny had been an icon for more than half a century. "He should have fallen 100 times but what held him up and lifted him was your fervor, the love that you brought him," Macron told Hallyday fans on the steps of Paris' Madeleine Church, referring to the musician's illnesses and extreme lifestyle. Shouts of "Johnny! Johnny!" and thunderous applause rose up as Macron finished his speech. Fans then broke out in the singing of Hallyday tunes. In an honor usually reserved for heads of state or cultural greats like 19th-century writer Victor Hugo, Hallyday's funeral cortege rode past Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe monument and down the Champs-Elysees Avenue to the Place de la Concorde plaza on the Seine River. Adding a rock touch to the pomp-filled event, hundreds of motorcyclists accompanied the procession, in a nod to Hallyday's lifelong passion for motorcycles and biker image, with his ever-present leather jackets and numerous tattoos. About 1,500 police officers secured the area, a helicopter surveyed the scene and emergency vehicles filled nearby streets as tens of thousands of fans lined the procession route, many dressed to emulate his flashy, rebellious style. Some climbed on fences or stoplights - and even the roof of a luxury hotel - to get a better view. Catherine Frichot-Janin, 61, and her husband came from Geneva in Switzerland to join the throng. "He's the companion who's always there when you have a worry. There will always be his music playing in a bistro or a concert," Frichot-Janin told The Associated Press. "He's not a god, but he's always been there for me since I was a girl." Laura Dublot, a 30-year-old Parisian, and her brother David are among many of their generation who were named after Hallyday's older children, Laura and David. "He's a national icon. This scale of funeral is not surprising - he's united three generations of French," Dublot said. Laurenne Coral, a 25-year-old from Lyon, said: "For the French, he's like what Queen Elizabeth is for the English." A star lineup of speakers paid homage inside the neo-classical Madeleine Church, including actors Marion Cotillard and Jean Reno, and singer Patrick Bruel. Guests included former Presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, who officiated at Hallyday's last marriage. The words "Thank you Johnny" are being displayed on the Eiffel Tower over the weekend, and soccer stadiums are playing Hallyday's songs before kickoff. Hallyday, born Jean-Philippe Smet, is expected to be buried in the French Caribbean island of St. Barts where he owned a house. He is survived by his wife Laeticia, his two former wives, four children and three grandchildren. A huge poster of French rock star Johnny Hallyday hangs on the Madeleine church, in Paris, Saturday, Dec.9, 2017. France is bidding farewell to its biggest rock star, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an exceptional funeral procession down the Champs-Elysees, a presidential speech and a motorcycle parade, all under intense security. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) A motorcycle parade follows the hearse carrying the casket of French rock star Johnny Hallyday, down the Champs Elysees avenue, with the Arc de Triomphe in background, in Paris, Saturday, Dec.9, 2017. France is bidding farewell to its biggest rock star, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an exceptional funeral procession down the Champs-Elysees, a presidential speech and a motorcycle parade, all under intense security. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Motorcyclists ride down the Champs Elysees avenue as they follow the hearse carrying the casket of French rock star Johnny Hallyday during a funeral procession, in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. France is bidding farewell to its biggest rock star, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an exceptional funeral procession down the Champs-Elysees, a presidential speech and a motorcycle parade - all under intense security. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu) Johnny Hallyday's wife, Laetitia Hallyday, and their children, Jade, left, and Joy, stand behind the hearse carrying French rock legend Johnny Hallyday as the funeral procession arrives at the Madeleine church, in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. French music icon Johnny Hallyday died on December 6, 2017 aged 74 after a battle with lung cancer, plunging the country into mourning for a national treasure whose soft rock lit up the lives of three generations. (Yoan Vallat/Pool Photo via AP) A giant poster of late French rock star Johnny Hallyday hangs on the facade of the Madeleine church in Paris, Saturday, Dec.9, 2017. France is bidding farewell to its biggest rock star, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an exceptional funeral procession down the Champs-Elysees, a presidential speech and a motorcycle parade, all under intense security. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) People wait outside the Madeleine church to attend Johnny Hallyday's funeral ceremony in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. France is bidding farewell to its biggest rock star, honoring Johnny Hallyday with an exceptional funeral procession down the Champs-Elysees, a presidential speech and a motorcycle parade - all under intense security. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) The words "Thank you Johnny" is displayed on the Eiffel Tower referring to late French rock star Johnny Hallyday in Paris, France, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. French President Emmanuel Macron and hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to pay tribute to the late French rock star Johnny Hallyday on Saturday as his funeral procession weaves through Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) The words "Thank you Johnny" is displayed on the Eiffel Tower referring to late French rock star Johnny Hallyday in Paris, France, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. French President Emmanuel Macron and hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to pay tribute to the late French rock star Johnny Hallyday on Saturday as his funeral procession weaves through Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) Leader of the Movement of New Forces Party and ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has been detained by law-enforcement agencies in keeping with law, and the court will decide on a pre-trial restriction for him within 72 hours, adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Minister, MP from the People's Front parliamentary faction Anton Gerashchenko has said. "M.Saakashvili has indeed been detained by members of the National Police in strict adherence to law," he tweeted on Friday evening. According to him, Saakashvili was hiding in a Kyiv apartment and no one was hurt during his arrest. "Now the court will select a measure of restraint for Saakashvili within 72 hours for the period of investigation," Gerashchenko said. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrived in Tehran on Saturday, where he is was expected to discuss the fate of detained dual nationals, including a woman serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow Iran's government. Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported that Johnson met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and they discussed boosting economic ties and Iran's nuclear deal with world powers. Johnson said the U.K. would keep its commitment for full implementation of the landmark nuclear deal, the agency reported. The British Foreign Office said earlier that Johnson would meet with Zarif on Saturday to discuss "a number of consular cases involving dual nationals." Johnson added that he would "press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so." Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, and his British counterpart Boris Johnson, shake hands as they pose for media prior to their talks in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Johnson arrived in Tehran Saturday, where he is expected to discuss the fate of detained British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow Iran's government. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) "While our relationship with Iran has improved significantly since 2011, it is not straightforward and on many issues we will not agree," Johnson said in a statement. "But I am clear that dialogue is the key to managing our differences and, where possible, making progress on issues that really matter, even under difficult conditions." After Zarif, Johnson met Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani but no details of the talks were released. The state-run IRNA news agency said he would meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other top officials during his visit. Johnson is in Tehran as part of a three-nation Gulf tour, which the Foreign Office said was focused on the Iran nuclear deal and "how to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen." Iran supports Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are at war with a Saudi-led coalition, but it denies arming them. That's despite both Saudi Arabia and the U.S. accusing Iran of supplying the Houthis with ballistic missiles, including one the rebels used to target Riyadh on Nov. 4. Efforts to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker who has been held since April 2016, are believed to top Johnson's agenda. Johnson recently complicated those efforts by saying incorrectly that she was training journalists when arrested. He has since apologized. Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband says she faces trial on new charges Sunday that carry the possibility of an additional 16-years imprisonment, but Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi said last month that her verdict has been finalized. Just ahead of Johnson's visit, Iran's state-run English broadcaster PressTV re-aired a documentary accusing Zaghari-Ratcliffe of planning the "soft toppling" of Iran's government. Her family has denied the allegations. London is considering paying Tehran some 400 million pounds from a pre-1979 arms deal. Both sides say the money isn't related to Zaghari-Ratcliffe, though the United States made a similar payment as Iran released four U.S. citizens in 2016. The BBC has meanwhile asked Johnson to bring up the freezing of assets of more than 150 people associated with its Persian service, something the broadcaster complained about to the U.N. in October. The BBC's Farsi-language service was barred from operating in Iran after its disputed 2009 presidential election, though the broadcaster says the service reaches some 18 million people weekly. "We call upon the Iranian authorities to stop the harassment and persecution of our staff and their families," the BBC said. Relations between Britain and Iran remain tense despite London reopening its embassy in Tehran in 2015 after a four-year closure sparked by protesters raiding it amid tensions over the country's disputed nuclear program. Iran's government harbors deep suspicions about both Britain and the United States, linked in part to their role in a 1953 coup that overthrew the country's elected prime minister. State TV and hard-liners often refer to Britain as the "old fox." A billboard put up in Tehran before Iran's 2016 parliamentary election showed the face of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II replaced with that of a camel, warning voters about "foreign meddling." Johnson, who was in Oman on Friday, will end his trip visiting Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. ___ Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, and his British counterpart Boris Johnson, shake hands as they pose for media prior to their talks in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Johnson arrived in Tehran on Saturday, where he is expected to discuss the fate of detained British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow Iran's government. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) JERUSALEM (AP) - The Latest on the fallout from the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital (all times local): 7:15 p.m. Arab foreign ministers are arriving in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to attend an emergency meeting to formulate a unified response to President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinians clash with Israeli troops during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Saturday, Dec.9, 2017.(AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi) The ministerial meeting brings together foreign ministers from Arab League member-states and is scheduled to open in Cairo later on Saturday. The meeting takes place amid a wave of anger at the U.S. leader's decision, which sparked three days of street protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Cairo, the heads of the largest Christian church and the Al-Azhar, the world's top seat of learning for Sunni Muslims, have announced they would not meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he visits Cairo Dec. 20. Hundreds also protested Trump's decision at Al-Azhar mosque on Friday. ___ 7 p.m. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have demonstrated in Paris against the imminent arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The protest organizers say Netanyahu's visit Sunday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron is not welcome - especially following this week's declaration by US President Donald Trump that Jerusalem is Israel's capital city. Macron called the decision "regrettable." Tensions grew at the Place de la Republique demonstration when pro-Israeli protestors approached the rally brandishing Israeli and US flags. The police separated both groups and no further incidents were reported. The rally was organized by a broad coalition of associations. ___ 6:20 p.m. Turkey's Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel's "excessive" and "disproportionate" use of force against Palestinians protesting the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In a statement published Saturday, the ministry said Turkey felt "huge sadness and worry" after four people were killed and hundreds injured in Israeli law enforcement's intervention on Palestinians protesting in the "occupied lands." The statement said the U.S. decision stood contrary to international law and United Nations resolutions on the status of Jerusalem. Turkey has strongly denounced President Donald Trump's announcement, calling it a "red line" and moved to convene the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in an extraordinary congress Wednesday. ___ 5:30 p.m. Hundreds of Palestinians and their supporters have rallied in Rome to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the American Embassy there. The protest on Saturday, outside the U.S. Embassy in Rome, also drew American citizens. Some Italian demonstrators expressed dismay that Italy's top cycling race Giro d'Italia" will start next year in Jerusalem. Other protesters held Palestinian flags, and some shouted slogans against Israel. One participant held a sign reading, "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the State of Palestine." ___ 5:30 p.m. Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church says it will not receive Vice President Mike Pence after the U.S. decision to recognize the contested city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The spokesman of the Coptic Orthodox Church said Saturday in a statement that it's excusing itself from receiving Pence during his visit scheduled for later this month. The Church says the U.S. move is "inappropriate and without consideration for the feelings of millions of people." U.S. President Donald Trump had also announced plans to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision that triggered protests across the Middle East. ___ 4:05 p.m. Turkey's president has called on Muslims to remain calm in their response to the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said protesters should act within the scope of law and democracy. Protests in Gaza and the West Bank have led to clashes. Demonstrations in Turkey continue Saturday. Erdogan says: "The fate of Jerusalem cannot be left to an occupying state that usurped Palestinians' lands since 1967 with no regard to law or morality." Erdogan called Jerusalem "the apple of our eyes" and the "red line" of the Muslim world. ___ 4:05 p.m. Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom says those who called for Jews to be killed did something "totally unacceptable" during a small demonstration in southern Sweden to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Swedish media reported that anti-Jewish slogans were yelled when about 200 people, some waving Palestinian flags, rallied late Friday in Malmo. Wallstrom tweeted Saturday "threats, hate and anti-Semitism have no place in our society"and were "totally unacceptable." Justice Minister Morgan Johansson tweeted "it is horrendous ... to invoke violence against Jews," and promised that if anyone could be identified as those who shouted it, the person would be prosecuted. In Malmo, Sweden's third largest city, about 7 percent of 285,000 inhabitants were born in the Middle East, according to city statistics. ___ 1:45 p.m. Hundreds of women belonging to Pakistan's main Islamist party have rallied in the country's biggest city against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Wearing all-encompassing black veils, the protesters Saturday chanted anti-Trump and anti-U.S. slogans and held banners and placards. Senator Sirajul Haq, the head of Jamaat-e-Islami, addressed the protest, calling for a diplomatic boycott of the United States if it does not reverse its decision. He also called for a ban on American goods and the closure of U.S. diplomatic missions in Pakistan. Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem upended decades of U.S. foreign policy and went against the international consensus that Jerusalem's final status should be decided by Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. It sparked protests across the Arab and Muslim worlds. ___ 11:45 a.m. A senior official has confirmed that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in the West Bank this month because of U.S. recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital. President Donald Trump's recent decision breaks with long-standing U.S. policy. Israel says it won't relinquish any part of the city, while the Palestinians want the Israeli-annexed eastern sector as their future capital. Under international consensus, the city's fate is to be determined in negotiations. Abbas' diplomatic adviser, Majdi Khaldi, said Saturday that Abbas won't meet Pence "because the U.S. has crossed red lines" on Jerusalem. Abbas had viewed close ties with Washington as strategically important because of the U.S. role as Mideast broker. The snub of Pence signaled a sharp deterioration in relations. ___ 10:15 a.m. Gaza officials say two Hamas members have been killed in Israeli airstrikes following a rocket attack on Israel. The Israeli military says it targeted four Hamas facilities early Saturday in response to rockets fired the previous day, including one that landed in the town of Sderot without causing casualties or major damage. The military says it struck military warehouses and weapons manufacturing sites. Hamas says it recovered the bodies of two of its men. Israel considers Hamas responsible for all rocket fire emanating from Gaza, which is home to other armed groups. The conflagration was the latest fallout from President Donald Trump's announcement recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in dozens of West Bank hotspots Friday and along the Gaza border, where two were killed. Protesters, holding Turkish and Palestinian flags and a placard of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, chant anti-U.S. slogans during a rally in Istanbul, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017 against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem at the capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Protesters, holding Turkish and Palestinian flags and a placard of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, chant anti-U.S. slogans during a rally in Istanbul, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem at the capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Protesters hold a rally in Istanbul, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem at the capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Protesters, holding Turkish and Palestinian flags and a placard of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, chant anti-U.S. slogans during a rally in Istanbul, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017 against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem at the capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) Protesters hold a rally in Istanbul, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017, against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - The prime ministers of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania have pledged support for Serbia's membership in the European Union, saying it would boost stability in the Balkans. Officials agreed at a meeting Saturday in Belgrade with Serbia's president to improve trade, energy and transportation links between their countries. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says "Serbia no longer can be outside the European family." He adds "we must cooperate ... and promote peace and stability in the Balkans." Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, second from right pose with Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose, left, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, second from left, and Greece's Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, right, prior talks in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Leaders of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania have pledged support for Serbia's bid to join the European Union, saying it would boost stability in the volatile Balkans. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) Bulgarian Premier Boiko Borisov says "there is no better way for the Balkans than the EU way." Serbia has sought to also maintain close ties with its traditional ally Russia as it seeks EU entry after wars in 1990s. President Aleksandar Vucic says Serbia is on the EU road, but Moscow remains "a friend." NAGOYA, Japan (AP) - Alina Zagitova performed a near-flawless free skate on Saturday to win the figure skating Grand Prix Final. Skating to Don Quixote, the 15-year-old world junior champion from Russia placed all seven of her jumps in the second half of her routine and made no major mistakes to finish with 223.30 points. Zagitova landed seven triple jumps while receiving level-fours on her spins and step sequence. Alina Zagitova of Russia performs during Ladies Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) "I am pleased with my performance," Zagitova said. "There were a few glitches, but they were minor. I am glad I was able to deal with my nerves." Zagitova's compatriot, Maria Sotskova, who was fourth after the short program, also had a strong free skate and moved up to second place with 216.28. "It was a good performance," Sotskova said. "But you always have something to work on and something to achieve. We did a great job with my team ... Of course with experience you get the confidence and consistency." Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada, first after the short program, fell on her triple salchow and dropped to third with 215.16. Two-time defending world champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia pulled out because of a fracture in her foot. The Grand Prix Final is the last major international competition before the Feb. 8-25 Pyeongchang Olympics. In ice dance, world silver medalists Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France won the free dance to secure the gold medal with 202.16 points. World champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada were second with 199.86, ahead of world bronze medalists Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the United States with 188.00. In pairs, Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany retained their lead from the short program to win the gold medal with 236.68. World champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China were second with 230.89 while Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford took bronze with 210.83. Ladies Free skating gold medalist Alina Zagitova of Russia center, silver winner Maria Sotskova of Russia, left , and bronze winner Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada, right, smile with their medals during the awarding ceremony of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China perform during a Pairs Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada perform during a Pairs Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany perform during a Pairs Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan , Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany hung after their performance during a Pairs Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany perform during a Pairs Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany perform during a Pairs Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance event at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance event at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the United States perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance event at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance event at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance event at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada perform during the Ice Dance Free Dance event at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Alina Zagitova of Russia performs during Ladies Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada performs during Ladies Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) Kaetlyn Osmond of Canada performs during Ladies Free Skating of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya central Japan Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) WASHINGTON (AP) - When President Donald Trump's U.N. ambassador recently urged the world to sever diplomatic ties with North Korea, she was sketchy on the details: Should all embassies close? How about those providing the U.S. intelligence from the largely inscrutable country? And what of Sweden, which helps with imprisoned Americans? Nikki Haley's recent call to action underscores the challenge for the United States as it tries to advance a nonmilitary strategy for resolving the nuclear standoff with North Korea. Isolating the reclusive, totalitarian state has been a central component of the U.S. plan, even though Washington says it remains open to talks. Like international economic penalties, the Trump administration believes the diplomatic isolation serves two purposes. In this Dec. 8, 2018, photo, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley speaks at United Nations headquarters. When Haley recently urged the world to sever diplomatic ties with North Korea, she was sketchy on the details: Should all embassies close? How about those providing the U.S. intelligence from the largely inscrutable country? And what of Sweden, which helps with imprisoned Americans? Haley's call to action underscores the challenge for the United States as it tries to advance a nonmilitary strategy for resolving the nuclear standoff with North Korea. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) It's designed to punish North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for developing an atomic arsenal of bombs and intercontinental missiles that potentially could deliver nuclear warheads anywhere in the United States. U.S. officials also contend that freezing out North Korea could drive Kim's government to seek negotiations. "We do know they care a lot about their international reputation," said Mark Tokola, a former No. 2 at the U.S. Embassy in South Korea. Trump's team has chalked up some successes in narrowing the North's diplomatic reach. Mexico, Peru, Italy, Spain, and Kuwait have expelled North Korean ambassadors from their countries. Haley said Portugal and the United Arab Emirates have suspended diplomatic relations. Others have cut trade and security ties. But North Korea isn't and won't be completely isolated. Last month, China, whose once-close relationship with North Korea has been strained by its adoption of tough U.N. sanctions, sent its highest level envoy to Pyongyang in two years. North Korea also recently welcomed a Russian parliamentary delegation, in a sign of increasing contacts between the former Cold War partners. And the North just hosted the most senior U.N. official to visit in years: Jeffrey Feltman, the undersecretary-general for political affairs. Even before he departed, experts played down expectations that Feltman, formerly a senior American diplomat, could offer a breakthrough as the standoff over the North's nuclear weapons threatens to spiral into war. Feltman carried no message from Washington, State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said. Yet Feltman's visit, which included an audience with Kim's foreign minister, added to questions about how effectively the U.S. can isolate North Korea. Feltman left Pyongyang on Saturday after four days of talks with the North Korean Foreign Ministry. "I have to brief the secretary-general first," he said when asked for details of his trip. Also unresolved is whether Trump and his top advisers have a game plan for the second half of a strategy they've called "maximum pressure and engagement." If North Korea signals a willingness to negotiate, now that Kim has declared that he has "realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force," how will the U.S. respond? "This is probably as good a time as any to try to pivot to engagement," said Suzanne DiMaggio at the New America think tank, who has been involved in several rounds of unofficial talks with North Korean officials. She said the administration has focused almost completely on pressure. Kim's declaration followed North Korea's test last month of its most powerful intercontinental missile yet, which led Haley, at an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, to speak of a world "closer to war." At the same time, she pushed for others to cut trade and diplomatic ties with Pyongyang. U.S. officials say doing so would stop North Korea from abusing diplomatic privileges that allow it to raise revenues or conduct illegal business in support of its nuclear and missile programs. It's also intended to exploit North Korean sensitivity to its international standing. But the U.S. has given mixed messages on what form concretely the isolation should take. Haley called all governments to sever ties. Other U.S. officials say the emphasis is on getting North Korean diplomats expelled from overseas postings, not on closing foreign embassies in Pyongyang. To date, no embassies have shut down in the North Korean capital as a result of the U.S. campaign. According to research by the Washington-based East-West Center and the National Committee on North Korea, North Korea maintains diplomatic relations with 167 countries. It has embassies in 47 foreign capitals. Twenty-four countries have embassies in Pyongyang, and those include American rivals and friends. "If the U.S. is really serious about depriving North Korea of diplomatic relations, it must start with its own closest ally, Great Britain," said Artyom Lukin, a North Korea expert at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia. Since the U.S. has no diplomatic presence of its own in North Korea - the two sides remain technically in a state of war - it relies to some extent on Britain, Germany and other partners to stay abreast of what's happening there. Most critically, it needs Sweden, its protecting power, to assist three currently detained Americans in North Korea, on the rare occasions when Kim's government allows consular access. Any isolation campaign will have only marginal diplomatic and economic effect without the participation of North Korea's most powerful partners, China and Russia. Both support more dialogue with the North, not more diplomatic sanctions. Even if only smaller countries follow America's advice, the U.S. could lose potential go-betweens, such as Vietnam and Mongolia, which have constructive relations with the U.S. and North Korea. "If they left, I would be worried I was losing a source of information and a more neutral voice that the North Koreans might actually listen to," said Frank Jannuzi, a former Senate staff specialist on Asia. ___ Online: State Department on North Korea: https://www.state.gov/p/eap/ci/kn/ U.N. Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, center, arrives at an airport in Beijing, China, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. The senior U.N. official left Pyongyang on Saturday after four days of talks with the North Korean Foreign Ministry. Feltman met North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Thursday and also had two sessions of talks with Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Guk. (Minoru Iwasaki/Kyodo News via AP) In this Friday, Dec. 1, 2017, file photo, fireworks explode above the Taedong river as people gather at Kim Il Sung Square for a rally in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Koreans attended a rally Friday in Pyongyang's central Kim Il Sung Square to show support for the country's latest missile test. (AP Photo/Jon Chol Jin, File) BOSTON (AP) - Actress Fran Drescher is hosting a major Hanukkah celebration in Boston. "The Nanny" star will host a celebration of the Jewish Festival of Lights on Saturday at the Union for Reform Judaism's convention at the Hynes Convention Center. The organization says it's the largest Jewish religious gathering in North America, with some 5,500 Jewish leaders from 57 states and provinces in attendance. The organization says the Hanukkah celebration will include stories and songs highlighting Hanukkah as a "call for more social justice and compassion in the world." Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and is celebrated for eight days and nights. The holiday runs from Dec. 12 to Dec. 20 this year. BEIRUT (AP) - A powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militant commander has visited the Lebanon-Israel border expressing support for the Lebanese and Palestinians against the Jewish state and sparking harsh criticism from Lebanon's prime minister who ordered him banned from entering the country. Qais al-Khazali is commander of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, a group that staged spectacular attacks against U.S. troops before their withdrawal from Iraq in 2011. He appeared in military uniform in a video while touring the border with Israel along with members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group. "We declare our full readiness to stand with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against the unjust Israeli occupation that is hostile to Islam, Arabs and humanity," he said. This frame grab from video provided on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, by Asaid Ahl al-Haq's TV station al-Ahd, shows Iraqi militant commander Qais al-Khazali of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, speaks in front of a wall that was built by Israel at the Fatima Gate border point in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon. A powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militant commander has visited the Lebanon-Israel border expressing support for the Lebanese and Palestinians against the Jewish state. (Al-Ahd TV station via AP) The visit could be seen as a message to Israel that a possible war with Hezbollah in the future would bring into the country Iran-backed fighters from around the region at a time when Iranian-backed groups have a major presence in Syria and Iraq. The visit was blasted by Prime Minister Saad Hariri who said in a statement that it is a "flagrant violation" of Lebanese laws, adding that the appearance happened six days ago. Hariri ordered al-Khazali banned from entering Lebanon again. Hariri's office said the prime minister contacted security officials to investigate the incident and prevent any person or group from carrying out any military activities on Lebanese territory. The video was aired by Asaib Ahl al-Haq al-Ahd TV station Thursday night showing al-Khazali along with several other people in military uniforms as they showed him around areas overlooking Israeli towns and villages. One of those guiding al-Khazali points to a mountainous region in a distance and tells him "this is Golan" in reference to Syria's Golan Heights that were captured by Israel during the 1967 Mideast war. Al-Khazali is later seen standing next to a wall on the border near the Fatima Gate in the Lebanese border village of Kfar Kila. Al-Khazali's Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Hezbollah are among the Iran-backed groups that are fighting in Syria along with President Bashar Assad's forces helping in tipping the balance of power in his favor in Syria's conflict now in its seventh year. Jawad al-Tlebawy, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq in Baghdad, told The Associated Press that the trip to the Lebanon-Israel border occurred after this week's decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Hariri's office said it happened few days before Trump's decision that has triggered widespread protests throughout the Arab and Muslim world. ___ Abdul-Zahra reported from Baghdad. This frame grab from video provided on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, by Asaid Ahl al-Haq's TV station al-Ahd, shows Iraqi militant commander Qais al-Khazali of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, speaks in front of a wall that was built by Israel at the Fatima Gate border point in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon. A powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militant commander has visited the Lebanon-Israel border expressing support for the Lebanese and Palestinians against the Jewish state. (Al-Ahd TV station via AP) BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Even as it clashes with American Indians over reductions to national monuments in the Southwest, the Trump administration is pursuing creation of a new monument on the border of a Montana reservation where tribal officials remain wary of the idea. The Blackfeet Indian Tribe has long fought oil and gas drilling and other development within the Badger-Two Medicine area - a mountainous expanse bordering Glacier National Park that's sacred to the tribe. Blackfeet Chairman Harry Barnes told The Associated Press that protection of that 200-square-mile (518-square-kilometer) area is paramount. He sees a "workable solution" in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's proposal to co-manage the area with the tribe, but stressed that the Blackfeet have never sought a national monument designation for the land. This June 16, 2015 aerial photo, shows the Badger-Two Medicine area near the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and Glacier National Park, rear, in Montana. Even as it clashes with American Indians over reductions to national monuments in the Southwest, the Trump administration is engaging with a Montana tribe over the creation of a new monument next to its reservation. The mountainous area was part of the Blackfeet reservation until the 1890s. (Tristan Scott/Flathead Beacon via AP) "We want total return to Blackfeet ownership," Barnes said Saturday, adding that the idea of a monument "has been proffered and advanced by others." Zinke says he'd seek co-congressional approval for the co-management proposal, part of his recommendation to create national monuments at Badger-Two Medicine and two other sites - a Civil War camp in Kentucky and the Mississippi home of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. Barnes cautioned that the tribe would be unwilling to surrender treaty rights dating to the 1800s that let its members hunt, fish and gather timber from the Badger-Two Medicine. "The Blackfeet Tribe's interest has always been protection of the Badger-Two Medicine," Barnes said in an emailed response to questions from The AP. "We have fought a long time and we see it not being over yet." The Badger Two-Medicine has deep cultural significance for the Blackfeet as the site of the tribe's creation story and a place where traditional plants are still gathered for medicinal purposes. During the brutal winter of 1883-84, when hundreds of tribal members starved to death, others journeyed to the Badger-Two Medicine to hunt. They brought back enough food for their families to survive, said John Murray, the tribe's historic preservation officer. The land was part of the Blackfeet Reservation until 1896. That's when the tribe sold it and adjacent property that would later become Glacier National Park to the U.S. government for $1.5 million - a deal some tribal members still dispute as illegitimate. Badger-Two Medicine is now within the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Zinke, a former Montana congressman who grew up around Glacier National Park, recently told reporters that said he recognizes the area's sacred value to the Blackfeet. He described the Badger-Two Medicine as "one of the special places in our country" and deserving of national monument status. "Here is a virtually untapped area to do it right, to generate income through tourism, a greater understanding of the culture," Zinke said on a conference call to discuss the administration's actions on national monuments. Informal talks on the Badger-Two Medicine are underway between the Blackfeet and Zinke's office, Barnes said. Still, Barnes said the tribe remains united with a coalition of tribes in American Southwest that have joined with conservationists to fight Trump's reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in Utah. Barnes said the tribe remains opposed as a "general rule" to a federal monument designation for Badger-Two Medicine. But he added the tribe was working with Zinke in hopes of securing for the Blackfeet a permanent voice in how the land is administered. The co-management of lands by tribes and government agencies has occurred numerous times elsewhere in the U.S., said Martin Nie, professor of Natural Resource Policy at the University of Montana. It's typically a way to balance tribal claims on public lands and resources against the federal government's oversight responsibilities, Nie said. One of the most high-profile examples is the management of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, where tribes were given greater involvement under a court order. In the case of the Badger-Two Medicine, co-management would put the Blackfeet on more equal footing with the U.S. Forest Service, Nie said. In the past, the tribe has been forced to react to actions affecting the land, such as government oil and gas leases issued in the Badger-Two Medicine in the 1980s, against the wishes of many tribal members. Under co-management, the Blackfeet could have a say in such decisions. However, Nie noted that Trump's reductions to the two Utah monuments would call into question the permanence of the Antiquities Act -the 1906 law under which presidents designate monuments - if the reductions withstand legal challenges. Zinke also recommended reductions in Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou monuments and opening other protected land and marine areas to more fishing, logging and other activities. That should give the Blackfeet pause, Nie suggested. "Why would the Blackfeet be interested in pursuing a national monument," he asked, "if it can be undone by a successor?" __ Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matthewbrownap In this March 25, 2016 photo, the sun sets over the Badger-Two Medicine area near Browning, Mont. Even as it clashes with American Indians over reductions to national monuments in the Southwest, the Trump administration is engaging with a Montana tribe over the creation of a new monument next to its reservation. The mountainous area was part of the Blackfeet reservation until the 1890s. (Greg Lindstrom/Flathead Beacon via AP) FALLBROOK, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on wildfires burning in Southern California (all times local): ___ 12:50 p.m. Workers repair transmission lines damaged by the Thomas fire in Ojai, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) California Gov. Jerry Brown says deadly and destructive wildfires in winter are "the new normal." Brown on Saturday toured Ventura County neighborhoods ravaged by a weeklong wildfire that killed at least one person and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings. At a news conference, Brown said drought and climate change mean California faces a "new reality" where lives and property are continually threatened by fire, at a cost of billions of dollars. He added that gusty winds and low humidity are continuing and warned that there's a good chance of seeing "firefighting at Christmas." He said it will take "heroic" efforts in the U.S. and abroad to stem climate change and urged U.S. lawmakers to pay more attention to dealing with natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes. ___ 10:50 a.m. Authorities say they've counted some 800 homes and other buildings destroyed by wildfires ravaging Southern California for the past week. Six fires driven by gusty Santa Ana winds have torched neighborhoods and rural communities from Ventura County north of Los Angeles all the way south to San Diego County. One person died in a car crash Wednesday trying to escape the largest fire in Ventura County. Gov. Jerry Brown toured the devastated neighborhoods on Saturday. The fire also is burning toward a sanctuary for the endangered California condors in Los Padres National Forest. ___ 8:45 a.m. California Gov. Jerry Brown will visit the scene of a deadly wildfire in Ventura as firefighters continue the battle against wind-whipped blazes that have torched hundreds of homes. Brown will survey damage from the Thomas Fire on Saturday and will meet with emergency management officials and residents. The fire is the largest of six that have scorched Southern California. The fires from Ventura County to San Diego County have destroyed more than 500 buildings, killed dozens of horses and forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. One death is blamed on the Ventura blaze: A 70-year-old woman who crashed her car while evacuating. On Friday, President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration allowing counties affected by the wildfires to receive federal assistance. ___ This story corrects the figure for buildings destroyed to 800, not 1,000, per fire officials. A hillside glows with embers as the Thomas fire burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Bonsall, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Bonsall, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Fire crews search for hot spots among destroyed homes in the Rancho Monserate Country Club community Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Firefighter Simon Garcia, of Heartland Fire Dept., gets a hug from a woman who did not give her name after she arrived to find her house was intact in the Rancho Monserate Country Club, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) A helicopter drops fire retardant on a wildfire, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) A plane drops fire retardant on a wildfire Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Fallbrook, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Dick Marsala looks through debris from his destroyed home after a wildfire roared through the Rancho Monserate Country Club Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, in Bonsall, Calif. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in Southern California. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull) Firefighters monitor the Thomas fire as it burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Thousands of Israelis have poured into the streets of Tel Aviv for an anti-corruption rally calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign. Local media estimated that more than 10,000 turned out Saturday for the weekly demonstration. Smaller demonstrations were taking place in other Israeli cities as well. Turnout has been growing dramatically in recent weeks as increasing corruption charges have been linked to Netanyahu and his political allies. Organizers hope the grassroots movement will pressure authorities to press charges that eventually force Netanyahu from office. Netanyahu has been questioned in two cases and police say they suspect him of being involved in bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The prime minister has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and calls the accusations a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media. The Solomiansky district court of Kyiv upheld the legality of searches carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) at the Justice Ministry offices on Friday, NABU said on Facebook on Friday. "The search carried out by NABU detectives on December 8, 2017, at the office of a Ukrainian Justice Ministry official with the aim to save evidence in a criminal case, was legal. This was confirmed by a ruling today by a judge at Solomiansky district court of the city of Kyiv," the statement said. On Friday morning NABU officers broke into the ministry's offices on Horodetskoho Street in Kyiv when there was no one inside except the janitor, and spent there about an hour and a half before exiting via the back door, leaving behind a search report on the desk, Deputy Justice Minister Natalia Bernatska said earlier on Friday. The Justice Ministry called the search illegal (there were no court order, no lawyers, no video and audio recording) and sees it as a form of pressure. The ministry complained to the G7 countries' ambassadors and the United States Department of Justice. NABU said it carried out urgent searches after receiving a tip-off about the risk of some of the documents, which the Justice Ministry was to submit as part of a criminal investigation, being destroyed. The search confirmed this information, the remaining documents were seized. PHOENIX (AP) - U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, a conservative anti-abortion Republican, has resigned after revealing that he discussed surrogacy with two female staffers. One former aide told The Associated Press that the congressman pressured her to carry his child and once offered her $5 million to be a surrogate mother. The eight-term lawmaker initially said he would leave office on Jan. 31. But after getting an ultimatum from House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., he announced Friday he would step aside immediately, starting a clock for elections to replace him. ___ Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., takes his seat before the start of a House Judiciary hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, on Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Franks says in a statement that he never physically intimidated, coerced or attempted to have any sexual contact with any member of his congressional staff. Instead, he says, the dispute resulted from a discussion of surrogacy. Franks and his wife have 3-year-old twins who were conceived through surrogacy. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP? Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey now has 72 hours from the time Frank left his post to schedule a special primary election and a special general election to find a new representative for the 8th Congressional District, an area of northern and western Phoenix suburbs. The special elections are required under Arizona law because the vacancy is occurring more than six months before the next general election. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, will probably wait until Monday to announce the dates, said Ducey spokesman Daniel Scarpinato. ___ WHO WANTS TO REPLACE FRANKS? Several conservative Arizona politicians have said they will run for Franks' heavily Republican Congressional District. All are Republicans. Bob Stump, a former member of Arizona's House and past statewide-elected utility regulator, announced his candidacy on Twitter Thursday night after Franks first said he would resign. Arizona state Sen. Steve Montenegro announced on Facebook Friday afternoon that Franks had asked him to run for the seat. Montenegro was previously a member of the Arizona House of Representatives, and recently said he would run for Arizona secretary of state. The Arizona Republic newspaper reported that state Sens. Debbie Lesko and Kimberly Yee, who recently announced her candidacy for Arizona treasurer, said they are interested in running for Franks' seat. ___ WHAT ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS? Arizona Democrats have been using recent sexual misconduct allegations involving Republican lawmakers to attack Rep. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican who has said she will run next year for the U.S. Senate seat held by Jeff Flake, who is retiring. The Arizona Democratic Party had said McSally should return campaign money she received from Franks, and she said she'd give more than $22,000 her campaign received from him to a veterans charity. McSally campaign spokeswoman Andreea Bozek told the Arizona Daily Star newspaper that McSally acted immediately after "learning about the disturbing allegations" regarding Franks. McSally has referred to U.S. Rep. John Coyners Jr., a Michigan Democrat alleged to have sexually harassed female aides, as a "dirty old man." The Arizona Democratic Party said Friday she should also condemn Roy Moore, her party's candidate in a special election for a U.S. Senate in Alabama. He has been accused by several women of making advances on them when they were teens. ___ Associated Press writer Paul Davenport contributed to this report. http://tucson.com/news/local/u-s-rep-mcsally-to-donate-campaign-donations-from-franks/article_846725ec-dc6e-11e7-9d2e-afa5eeee10d6.html Sinn Fein has given a cautious and qualified welcome to the agreement on the Irish border post-Brexit. Party president Gerry Adams said many questions remained without answer. Brexit is the greatest threat to the economies of this island in generations, he said in Dublin. The DUP, Brexit and the on-off deal. While the communique recognises the unique and special circumstances surrounding the issue of the Irish peace process, the Good Friday Agreement and the border it does not address key areas of concern for many citizens..https://t.co/PCQbzeHyvH Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) December 8, 2017 Todays communique does not set the final deal on Brexit. The communique sets out broad principles. These have been assessed by the Irish government as sufficient progress to allow the Brexit process to move into the next phase of negotiations on trade. While the communique recognises the unique and special circumstances surrounding the issue of the Irish peace process, the Good Friday Agreement and the border, it does not address key areas of concern for many citizens especially nationalists living in the north and citizens in the border region. The insistence by the British that Britain and the north must leave the customs union and the single market presents a real and live danger which cannot be understated. This also contradicts the British Prime Ministers claim that there will not be a hard economic border. A Sinn Fein billboard calling for 'No Hard Border' on display in Belfast (Brian Lawless/PA) Mr Adams said he had concern at the suggestion Northern Ireland would no longer be subject the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. He added: While todays communique represents some progress there are many unanswered questions around key issues and the Irish government must remain focused and vigilant. Sinn Fein is also very mindful that this Brexit process is a work in progress. Our experience through years of agreements with Britain is that the devil is in the detail. Approximately 25 race horses were killed when a wildfire engulfed about eight barns at a training centre in north-east San Diego County, the California Horse Racing Board said. Horses that were in surrounding pastures remain unaccounted for. Devastating Fire Reached San Luis Rey Training Centerhttps://t.co/ciNXE02ZRL CAHorse Racing Board (@caCHRB) December 8, 2017 Nearly 500 horses were stabled at the San Luis Rey training centre in Bonsall when the fire erupted amid strong Santa Ana winds on Thursday, a board statement said. Horses gallop from San Luis Rey Downs in San Diego (Paul Sisson/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP) Training centre workers risked their lives to free horses from stalls and herd them into safer areas, the Horse Racing Board said. When it was safe for vans to enter, surviving horses were transported to the Del Mar race track. Los Alamitos Race Course cancelled its Friday racing programme out of sympathy for the owners, trainers and caretakers of the horses that were involved. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has held frank talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran over the case of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The two-hour meeting with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif covered a number of areas, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes situation. A Foreign Office spokesman said: They discussed the full range of bilateral issues and they both spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship, including the Foreign Secretarys concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals. In what is being seen as a positive move, Mr Johnson will meet Iranian president Hassan Rouhani on Sunday. The Foreign Secretary has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband and their daughter Gabriella (Family handout/PA) Reports suggest she could appear in court again on Sunday, following threats to increase her sentence by five years following Mr Johnsons gaffe of telling a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. He later acknowledged this was not the case. It is understood Mr Johnsons comments to MPs did not come up in the meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. The imprisoned womans husband, Richard Ratcliffe, told the Press Association: An honest discussion about Nazanins case can only be good for us. Obviously, for us the weekend is big because of his visit, but it is also big because she has got the scheduled court case tomorrow. Boris Johnson met Richard Ratcliffe in London before his trip (Stefan Rousseau/PA ) Mr Ratcliffe said he will not know for sure whether his wifes case has gone ahead as planned until he has spoken to her over the phone on Sunday. I am obviously watching closely with hope, fingers crossed and excitement I couldnt sleep at all last night, he said of the situation. Mr Ratcliffe said he was pleased the Foreign Secretary was in Iran. If he comes back and says this could be done in six months time, that is not going to be a great feeling. We are hoping for Christmas still. Hopefully, he will be persuasive and charming, and build a good relationship with the Iranian foreign minister it is definitely good that he is there, but lets wait and see what happens. The British and Iranian teams discuss the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe situation. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP) Tehran does not recognise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes dual UK-Iranian nationality, and refuses access to her for representatives of the British authorities, making a prison visit for the Foreign Secretary unlikely during the trip. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes case is one of a small number of cases of dual nationals whose release Britain is seeking on humanitarian grounds on which Mr Johnson will push for progress. Mr Johnsons trip to Tehran is only the third by a UK foreign secretary since 2003 and comes at a time of tension in the Middle East over Donald Trumps announcement that he is recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A Foreign Office spokesman added that Mr Johnsons meeting with his counterpart had been constructive and covered issues such as the Iran nuclear deal. Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated winning the Ballon dOr for the fifth time this week but one of his future rivals could be a lot closer to home than he realises. Ronaldos seven-year-old son, Cristiano Jr, was pictured at the Ballon dOr awards ceremony eyeing up his fathers latest trophy. Father and son were both in the photo posted on Twitter by the Real Madrid forward. Cristiano Ronaldo with the Ballon dOr, which has provoked envious glances from his son (Martin Rickett/PA) Ronaldos son was born in 2010 and is the oldest of his four children. In June of this year, Ronaldo announced on Facebook that he had fathered twins with a surrogate mother in the United States. Last month Ronaldos girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez gave birth to their daughter. Christian Bentekes missed penalty denied Crystal Palace a priceless Premier League victory as Jermain Defoes stunning lob earned Bournemouth a 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park. Benteke wrestled the ball off regular penalty taker Luka Milivojevic who had already converted a first-half spot-kick only to see his added-time effort saved by Asmir Begovic. The Belgium strikers scoreless run extended to 12 games, charting to back to Palaces 4-0 win over Hull at Selhurst Park in May. (PA Graphics) His penalty miss here cost Roy Hodgsons side two vital points in their battle to beat the Premier League drop, and left Milivojevic furious at being denied the chance for a second goal. So Defoes brace secured the Cherries a share of the spoils, with the 35-year-old striker passing 200 career league goals in south London. Milivojevics penalty and a Scott Dann strike pushed Palace into a 2-1 lead, only for Defoe to conjure a chip of such quality as to silence the south London crowd. What. A. Goal. From an impossible angle Defoe hits a first-time volley up and over the goalkeeper!#CRYBOU 2-2 (45)https://t.co/2pqHXXy9yT AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) December 9, 2017 Despite the late drama, Defoes second goal proved a finish of ageless quality and fully merited the impact of securing a point for the visitors. Palace may have extended their unbeaten league run to five matches, but boss Roy Hodgsons side boast just one win in that stretch. The Eagles also lost talismanic defender Mamadou Sakho to what appeared a worrying calf injury in another blow to the relegation battlers. Defoe drew first blood with a simple finish after Palaces midfielders sat too deep and left him unmarked at a corner. The England hitman spun clear and slotted home first time from Andrew Surmans low ball, to quieten the rowdy home faithful. Bournemouth maintained their pressure, but Defoe could not squeeze home from a tight angle under pressure from James Tomkins. Palace then lost talismanic captain Sakho to that calf injury, which will doubtless hand boss Hodgson another unwanted headache. Defoe failed to convert another chance when Julian Speroni beat him to his nudge forward in the box. And the Cherries paid the price for that profligacy when Zaha drew a penalty, creating just enough contact from Begovic by dragging his leg to force referee Kevin Friend to award the spot-kick. Milivojevic buried the penalty to put Palace level at 1-1, and just three minutes later the hosts were ahead. Defender Dann tapped home Yohan Cabayes drilled cross following a six-yard box scramble, to send the Palace fans into raptures. And the home supporters had not even stopped celebrating when Defoe silenced the stadium with a stunning finish to draw the Cherries level at 2-2. The former Sunderland star lobbed Speroni from a tight angle on the inside right, taking the ball first time after it dropped over his shoulder. Defoe fluffed a fine chance by his high standards to open the second half, striking wide with a first-time effort from Junior Stanislas low cross. Dann should have put Palace back ahead when latching onto Bentekes header, only to blast high over the bar from just three yards out. Milivojevic also botched a fine opening late on as Bournemouth edged to the draw. What they said (Scott Heavey/PA) Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson: Why did Christian Benteke take the penalty? Well, I dont know the answer to that. We expected Luka to take it, hes our designated penalty taker. For some reason Christian persuaded him to let him take it, and then he missed it. I think Christian is stunned, shocked and very disappointed. Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe (on Defoe): They were two really good finishes. Im really pleased with both goals, they are totally different finishes as well. For the second, from that angle hes got no right to score, and thats his unique talent. Theresa May has hailed an historic moment for Iraq as the country insisted it had driven out Islamic State. The Prime Minister cautioned, however, that while the extremist group also known as Daesh no longer held significant territory in Iraq or Syria, it had not yet been fully defeated. The comments came after the PMs Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi said Iraq had been liberated. Prime Minister Theresa May and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi met last month (Leon Neal/PA) We thank our partners and friends around the world who stood by us and supported us in our battle for liberation. We now need your help to rebuild and ensure a lasting peace in our nation and for a stable region pic.twitter.com/0gEHxZ7p0m Haider Al-Abadi (@HaiderAlAbadi) December 9, 2017 Mrs May said: I congratulate prime minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment. I pay tribute to the Iraqi security forces for their courage and sacrifice. Daesh no longer hold significant territory in Iraq or Syria. This signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country. I am proud that the UK, as a leading member of the global coalition, has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraq to help them open that chapter. I saw the effects of this first hand when I visited last week. UK Prime Minister @Number10gov statement: "On behalf of the United Kingdom, I congratulate Prime Minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment. I pay tribute to the Iraqi Security Forces for their courage and sacrifice." https://t.co/R966WvfaNf The Global Coalition (@coalition) December 9, 2017 The UK, as a coalition member, has played a leading role in supporting the Iraqi security forces, including the armed forces and the Peshmerga, in the fight against Daesh. UK aircraft have launched over 1,350 air strikes in Iraq and have trained over 60,000 members of the Iraqi security forces. UK aid provides a vital lifeline to millions of Iraqis with emergency food, shelter, medical care and clean water. We are now supporting the government of Iraq to lay the foundations for an economy that meets the aspirations of all Iraqis. DefSec: I congratulate President Abadi and the Iraqi Security Forces who have successfully defeated Daesh in Iraq. I am also proud of our own vital role which has included launching over 1,350 air strikes against Daesh and training over 60,000 members of the Iraqi Forces. Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) December 9, 2017 DefSec: We must continue to support the Government of Iraq to ensure their long term security, the lives of the Iraqi and Syrian people, regional stability, and ultimately the security of our own country. Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) December 9, 2017 We must be clear however, that whilst Daesh is failing, they are not yet defeated. They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border. This is why, during my visit, I announced that the UK will invest 30 million in stabilisation support, 20 million in humanitarian assistance and 10 million to support counter-terrorist capacity building in Iraq. The defeat of Daesh in Iraq is a great achievement - huge sacrifices, resilience & courage of Iraqi people, soldiers & leaders. Honour to support with US-led #Global Coalition. Great challenges lie ahead to secure future & maintain security @coalition @CJTFOIR @brett_mcgurk pic.twitter.com/b0CRO5MN23 Major General (Retired) Rupert Jones (@rupertthjones) December 9, 2017 Mr al-Abadi formally announced victory over Islamic State in a TV address. He said: Honourable Iraqis, your land has been completely liberated. The liberation dream has become a reality. We achieved victory in difficult circumstances and with Gods help, the steadfastness of our people and the bravery of our heroic forces we prevailed. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson praised Iraqi achievements but said Islamic State remained a threat. The fight though isnt over, as the group continue to pose a threat from across the Syrian border. They can plan and inspire terrorist attacks, which rally their branches worldwide and continue to inspire others at home and abroad to do us harm. We must continue to support the government of Iraq to ensure their long term security, the lives of the Iraqi and Syrian people, regional stability, and ultimately the security of our own country. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnsons frank discussions with his Iranian counterpart over the case of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe can only be good, her husband has said. Mr Johnson has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe as he held top-level talks in Tehran with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. A Foreign Office spokesman said that during a two-hour meeting the pair discussed a full range of issues and spoke frankly, but that the meeting had been constructive. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard and their daughter Gabriella (Family handout/PA) Richard Ratcliffe told the Press Association that he is expecting to have a full briefing from Mr Johnson and the Foreign Office once he returns to the UK. The father-of-one said constructive is certainly good and frank is not bad. He added: An honest discussion about Nazanins case can only be good for us. I am glad he is there and is meeting as many people as he can he undertook to raise her case, to call for her humanitarian release, lets hope that has positive consequences. Obviously for us the weekend is big because of his visit, but it is also big because she has got the scheduled court case tomorrow. Mr Ratcliffe said he will not know for sure whether his wifes court case has gone ahead as planned until he has spoken to her over the phone on Sunday. I am obviously watching closely with hope, fingers crossed and excitement I couldnt sleep at all last night, Mr Ratcliffe said of the situation. (I am) just trying to read the runes, look to see what is happening and what it means. And of course it is easy to misinterpret things. He said he is hopeful that the debrief from the Foreign Secretary about how the meetings went will be positive. And we are sitting here hopeful that it could be over soon, Mr Ratcliffe added. If he comes back and says this could be done in six months time, that is not going to be a great feeling. We are hoping for Christmas still. Had a positive meeting with Richard Ratcliffe about UK efforts to help his wife Nazanin. We will continue to leave no stone unturned in our work on all our Iranian consular cases https://t.co/CIPXx4mq81 pic.twitter.com/VSI2PEmsdQ Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 15, 2017 We will be looking to see how the conservation has gone as to how feasible and realistic that is. But I wanted him to get to Iran and try and raise her case, and to do it before her court case and he has done that. Hopefully he will be persuasive and charming, and build a good relationship with the Iranian foreign minister it is definitely good that he is there, but lets wait and see what happens. Mr Johnson has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. By Emma Rumney and Lawrence White LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Scotland's chances of reaching a deal this year with the U.S. Department of Justice over its mis-selling of toxic mortgage-backed securities are "diminishing", its chief executive said in a Bloomberg TV interview. Ross McEwan had said several times this year he expected to reach a settlement in 2017, a key step in allowing the bank to return to full-year profit in 2018. Analysts have estimated the bank could pay up to $12 billion to settle the case. "There are diminishing chances we settle in the year," McEwan said in the interview. RBS had no further comment. McEwan has been trying to clean up RBS's balance sheet and end an array of legal cases so the UK government can sell the more than 70 percent stake in the bank it obtained via a 46 billion pound ($60 billion) bailout during the financial crisis. The case with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) is the last major such problem remaining, after RBS in July paid the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency $5.5 billion to settle similar claims. RBS has not made an annual profit since 2007. It has forecast it will in 2018, contingent on settling with the DoJ. PROFITS JEOPARDISED If the deal is delayed into 2018, as is now likely, it could jeopardise the bank's plan to return to profit at a time when Britain's government is preparing to offload its stake in RBS. Jefferies analyst Joe Dickerson said he expected the bank will need to make an additional provision $2.5 billion to cover the settlement. If shifted into 2018, that would wipe out much of the 3.2 billion pounds of profit the bank is forecast to make, he continued. However he added that if the bank got some certainty on the figure it could still make the provision before its full-year results on Feb. 23. The bank already has $3.1 billion set aside. Talks with the DoJ initially stalled due to staffing changes in the U.S. government following the election of President Donald Trump. McEwan said there had been no substantial discussions with the department when reporting the bank's third quarter results in October, but that he remained hopeful of settling this year and some preliminary conversations had taken place. This had seemed optimistic to some. Dickerson said most market participants had been expecting a settlement some time between now and the first half of 2018. "It would be positive if this deal could be settled within that timeframe from the standpoint of returning capital to shareholders," he said. RBS shares were up 1.5 percent by 1052 GMT, against a broader 2.8 percent climb in the STOXX European banks index . (Reporting by Emma Rumney and Lawrence White; Editing by Gareth Jones and Mark Potter) By Marton Dunai BUDAPEST, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Hungary's main opposition Jobbik party has launched a crowd funding campaign to raise money for a state audit authority fine that it said could cripple it in the run-up to 2018 elections. Hungarians will vote for a new Parliament in April and Prime Minister Viktor Orban's populist Fidesz party is far ahead in the polls, with Jobbik its nearest rival. Jobbik, once on the far right, has turned toward the centre and in the past year campaigned nationwide against Orban, whom they depicted as the leader of a criminal gang on thousands of billboard ads. Orban has rejected corruption charges, saying he has spent his entire life in politics and his financial standing was "an open book". The State Audit Office (ASZ) earlier this week ruled that the party had purchased the posters far below market prices, breaching rules on political funding. The ASZ slapped Jobbik with a 663 million forint ($2.5 million) penalty. Jobbik said it has no money to pay the fine. It has 15 days to respond before the ASZ ruling, which cannot be appealed in court, becomes final. "The ASZ, acting as a court-martial in the manner of the darkest dictatorships, levied on Jobbik a fine whose only real aim is to block the party from running at the elections," Jobbik said in a statement on its website. "This is the first step in the final eradication of what is left of Hungarian democracy." ASZ Chairman Laszlo Domokos is a former Fidesz lawmaker, while Chief Prosecutor Peter Polt, whose office worked with ASZ on the Jobbik case, is a former Fidesz member twice appointed to his post by Fidesz-dominated parliaments. The ASZ was an independent and non-political body, its spokesman Balint Nemeth said. "The prosecution does its job independently, in accordance with the laws," prosecution spokesman Geza Fazekas said. "The prosecution did not participate in the ASZ probe in any way," he said. He added that the ASZ asked the prosecutors to investigate whether Jobbik blocked auditors from reviewing its files. That investigation has a March 6 deadline. "Laws apply to everyone, and Jobbik is no exception," Fidesz spokesman Balazs Hidvegi said. "Jobbik must obey the law, and if they do they will have no problems." The audit crackdown triggered broad criticism. Miklos Ligeti, a director at anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International, said Fidesz has been by far the largest beneficiary of undue price advantages on services that was the basis of Jobbik's fine. 2014 election ads cost Fidesz at least 4 billion forints at list prices, about four times the legal limit, Ligeti said based on their own calculations. Fidesz said on its disclosures it had spent 984 million forints. Other parties, including Jobbik, overshot their 2014 limit by 40-50 percent at most, he estimated. "The auditors have clearly got on Jobbik's case, as they should," Ligeti said. "They should do the same with every other party but clearly don't. Which one they strike down and which they spare seems to be a party political decision." Fidesz was not immediately available to comment on the Transparency International calculations. For the campaign Jobbik used billboards owned by a tycoon named Lajos Simicska, once a key ally of Orban who fell out with the premier in 2015. Orban says Simicska hijacked Jobbik. Both the party and the tycoon deny this. ($1 = 267.83 forints) (Reporting by Marton Dunai; Editing by Toby Chopra) The leader of the the New Forces Movement party and ex-President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, urges the Ukrainians to come to an Impeachment March on December 10. "Government hucksters have arrested me on false charges. They are thus trying to intimidate you. Fear nothing! Go boldly to the peaceful Sunday demonstration for impeachment. Together we will protect Ukraine from corruption and arbitrariness," Saakashvili wrote in a statement read out by his lawyer Ruslan Chornolutsky outside the Ukrainian Security Service detention facility on Saturday. WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy for North Korea will travel to Japan and Thailand next week to discuss how to increase pressure on Pyongyang after its latest ballistic missile test, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. North Korea, formally called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), last week tested its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), saying the device could reach all of the United States. Joseph Yun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, will travel to Japan and Thailand Dec. 11-15 to meet government officials "to discuss ways to strengthen the pressure campaign following the DPRKs latest ballistic missile test," the State Department said in a brief written statement. "The United States looks forward to continuing its partnership with both these nations so that the DPRK will return to credible talks on denuclearization," it added. Tensions have risen markedly in recent months over North Korea's development, in defiance of repeated rounds of U.N. sanctions, of nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the United States. Last week's missile test prompted a U.S. warning that North Korea's leadership would be "utterly destroyed" if war were to break out. The Pentagon has mounted repeated shows of force after North Korean tests. The United States has sent mixed signals about its interest in talks with the North, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying that Washington was pursuing such contacts but President Trump tweeting that this was a waste of time. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Toni Reinhold) By Jane Chung and Michelle Nichols SEOUL/UNITED NATIONS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The United Nations political affairs chief told senior North Korean officials during a visit to Pyongyang this week that there was an "urgent need to prevent miscalculations and open channels to reduce the risks of conflict," the world body said. Jeffrey Feltman, the highest-level U.N. official to visit North Korea since 2011, met with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Vice Minister Pak Myong Guk, the United Nations said in a statement on Saturday after Feltman arrived back in Beijing. Feltman emphasized the need for the full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and that the international community was committed to achieving a peaceful solution. "He also said there can only be a diplomatic solution to the situation, achieved through a process of sincere dialogue. Time is of the essence," the United Nations said. "They ... agreed that the current situation was the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world today." North Korea is pursuing nuclear and missile weapons programs in defiance of U.N. sanctions and international condemnation. On Nov. 29, it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile which it said was its most advanced yet, capable of reaching the mainland United States. North Korea said in a statement carried by its official KCNA news agency that expressed willingness to ease tension on the Korean peninsula and acknowledged the negative impact of sanctions on humanitarian aid to North Korea. "The United Nations expressed concerns over the heightened situation on the Korean peninsula and expressed willingness to work on easing tensions on the Korean peninsula in accordance with the U.N. Charter which is based on international peace and security," KCNA said. KCNA said North Korean officials and Feltman agreed that his visit helped deepen understanding and that they agreed to communicate regularly. Feltman did not speak to reporters upon arriving back from Pyongyang at Beijing airport on Saturday morning after spending four days in North Korea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the situation on the Korean peninsula had entered a vicious circle of shows of strength and confrontation, and the outlook was not optimistic, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "But at the same time it can be seen that hopes for peace have yet to extinguished. The prospects for negotiations still exist, and the option of resorting to force cannot be accepted," Wang was quoted as saying. The United States and South Korea conducted large-scale military drills this week, which the North said have made the outbreak of war "an established fact". Last month's missile test prompted a U.S. warning that North Korea's leadership would be "utterly destroyed" if war were to break out. The Pentagon has mounted repeated shows of force after North Korean tests. North Korea regularly threatens to destroy South Korea and the United States and says its weapons programs are necessary to counter U.S. aggression. The United States stations 28,500 troops in the South, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War. (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Nick Macfie and Jonathan Oatis) DUBAI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson flew to Tehran on Saturday to seek the release of a jailed British-Iranian aid worker. The Foreign Office said Johnson spoke "frankly" with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif about "consular cases of dual nationals" such as Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who Britain says was visiting family on holiday when she was jailed by Iran for attempting to overthrow the government. The case has taken on domestic political importance in Britain, especially since Johnson said last month that Zaghari-Ratcliffe trained journalists, which her employer denies. Johnson later apologised. Opponents have called for him to resign if his comments lead to her serving longer in prison. Johnson is also expected to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday to discuss bilateral and regional issues, a Foreign Office official said, during just the third visit by a British foreign minister to Iran in the last 14 years. Talks with Zarif were "constructive", Johnson's office said, despite differences between the two countries. "They both spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship, including the Foreign Secretary's concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals," a British Foreign Office spokeswoman said in a statement. The two-day visit takes place against a complex backdrop of historical, regional and bilateral tensions. Johnson stressed Britain's support for Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in the meeting, the spokeswoman said. International sanctions against Iran have only recently been lifted as part of the multilateral nuclear deal to curb Tehran's disputed uranium enrichment programme. That deal is under threat after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to decertify Iran's compliance with its terms. Johnson told Zarif he believed the deal should be fully implemented. Johnson also met Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and parliament speaker Ali Larijani during the first day of his two-day visit, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported. The Foreign Office statement did not mention Zaghari-Ratcliffe by name, although Johnson has vowed to leave "no stone unturned" in Britain's efforts to free her. A project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, she was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted by an Iranian court of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. She denies the charges. Zaghari-Ratcliffe is not the only dual national being held in Iran, but has become the most high-profile case. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is a charity organisation that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. It says Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been on holiday and had not been teaching journalism in Iran. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been told she will appear in court on Dec. 10, her husband Richard has said. The visit is a test of Johnson's ability to navigate a political landscape littered with potential pitfalls. Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution turned it into a pariah state for most of the West and many Middle Eastern neighbours. Britain has voiced its continued support for the nuclear deal but is one of a number of Western powers voicing concerns about Tehran's "destabilising" influence in the region. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Gareth Jones and Peter Graff) A Sri Lankan man who threatened to set off a bomb onboard a flight from Melbourne is facing a maximum 20 years' jail after pleading guilty to attempting to take control of an aircraft, the ABC News reported today. Manodh Marks, 25, forced Malaysia Airlines flight MH128 to Kuala Lumpur to turn back shortly after take-off when he tried to enter the cockpit while screaming that he had a bomb. The catering student was overpowered by passengers who tied him up with belts until the flight landed at Melbourne Airport in June. Police were criticised for taking up to 90 minutes to board the plane and remove Mr Marks, who had in fact been holding what officers described as a "speaker-type" object. He was initially charged with multiple offences, some of which carried a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. But prosecutors dropped a number of charges, leaving Mr Marks to plead guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court to a single charge of attempting to take control of an aircraft. It carries a maximum penalty of 20 years' jail. The court was told Mr Marks, who had been living at Dandenong in Melbourne's south-east, has a psychiatric illness. He has been remanded in custody to face a plea hearing at the County Court in April. Sri Lanka has acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on December 5, 2017 and it will enter into force for Sri Lanka on January 4, 2018, a UN document stated. This was announced by the United Nations Secretary-General, acting in his capacity as depository. The Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment was signed by Sri Lanka in 1984 and the provisions of the Convention were enforced in 1994 by the existing law of this country. But, the government did not sign the 15-year old Optional Protocol under the Convention. On November 14, this year, the proposal made by foreign affairs minister Thilak Marapana, for Sri Lanka to sign the Optional Protocol under the said Convention demonstrating the sincerity and the determination of the Government to combat Torture and to co-operate with the National and International mechanism for the purpose of compliance, for the regular inspection of the places of detention and to take necessary action to improve the welfare of the persons detained on Judicial Orders or otherwise, was approved by the Cabinet. Over the past day, four Ukrainian military servicemen were killed and another one wounded amid 28 shelling attacks by Russian hybrid forces on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the press center of the ATO headquarters has reported. "Over the past day, 28 violations of the ceasefire regime were registered on the part of invaders. In cases where the enemy shelling was an immediate threat to life and health of our soldiers, the ATO units responded with heavy fire from grenade launchers, machine guns, and small arms... As a result of the enemy shooting, four servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were killed, one was wounded, and another injured," the ATO staff said on its Facebook page on Saturday morning. In the Luhansk sector, militants fired on the Ukrainian positions near Travneve more than 50 times, using all types of infantry weapons and 120-mm mortars. After dark, the illegal armed formations moved their attack focus slightly to the north, to the area of Zolote checkpoint at the demarcation line. It is scheduled to be opened on December 9 and operate while the pedestrian bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska is repaired. In particular, militants fired from 82-mm mortars and grenade launchers near Katerynivka, Novo-Oleksandrivka, and Krymske. Small arms and grenade launchers were used to shell works near Zolote. Also the illegal armed groups fired their infantry guns at Ukrainian fighters near Luhanske and Zaitseve. In the Donetsk sector, the peak of the militants' fire intensity fell on the first half of the day. The militants opened heavy fire from mortars and the entire range of infantry weapons in the area of Vodiane near the Mariupol sector and in the suburbs of Avdiyivka. In the vicinity of Kamianka, the Ukrainian positions were actively fired upon by a militant sniper. As night fell, the defenders of Butovka mine came under fire from mortars, grenade launchers and small arms. In addition, enemy drones, prohibited by Minsk agreement, were recorded in the area of Vodiane, Avdiyivka, Mayske, Siversk, and Stanytsia Luhanska. According to several reports from New Zealandbased news outlets over the past week, the Royal New Zealand Ballet is facing significant internal upheaval just a few months after Patricia Barker took over as artistic director. The New Zealand Herald reported that of the companys 36 dancers who were employed for the 2017 season, 16 will be leaving prior to the start of the new season. Among those leaving are three retiring dancers, one taking parental leave, six departing for contracts with European companies and an unspecified number whose contracts have not been renewed. Adding fuel to the fire were rumors that no students from the New Zealand School of Dance would be hired, though this has already been debunked with the announcement of the 2018 Todd Scholar, a 2016 NZSD graduate. (Auditions for company positions for the 2018 season have not yet been announced.) Nevertheless, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has reportedly expressed concern over the number of New Zealanders who will be dancing for the national company; a RNZB spokesperson stated that they expect to have a comparable portion in the company as they have in past years. The recent announcement that Nicholas Schultz and Laura McQueen Schultz would be joining RNZB as ballet masters has also added to the furor. The American couple are leaving comparable positions at Grand Rapids Ballet, where Barker is continuing her artistic director duties until a suitable replacement is found. While a drastic shift in company rosters and artistic staff in the wake of new directors is hardly unusual, this situation does not seem so cut and dried. At the moment, it reads less as a sea change spearheaded by Barker than as a confluence of circumstances that, taken together, seem more connected than they are. After all, RNZBs 2018 programming was already in place when Barker stepped into her role, making it far less likely that the dancers choosing to take jobs elsewhere are doing so in response to her artistic choices. But it will be impossible to say for sure until we see the 2018 rosterand hear Barkers take on all of this. The leader of the New Forces Movement party and ex-President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, who is being held at the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) detention facility, has announced his decision to go on a hunger strike. "He said he was announcing beginning of an indefinite hunger strike. He also said he would refuse from any force-feeding. In the event of remanding him in custody for 60 days, he will prolong his hunger strike yet further," Saakashvili's lawyer said outside the SBU facility in the early hours of Saturday. It was reported that Saakashvili was detained in Kyiv and placed in a temporary detention facility. Inquiries are under way and a court is due to decide on a measure of restraint soon. Bengaluru: Former Infosys Chief Financial Officer V Balakrishnan on Saturday sought the discontinuance of certain board members in light of the company filing a settlement plea with SEBI on corporate governance lapses relating to severance payment to its former CFO Rajiv Bansal. "I think the continuation of certain board members like the erstwhile co-chairman (Ravi Venkatesan) and the audit committee chairman (Roopa Kudva) looks highly untenable in light of the current development of the company filing consent agreement with SEBI over Bansal's severance payment case," Balakrishnan told PTI here. In view of the current development it is all the more important to restructure the board and fill it with people of high integrity and stature, he added. The scathing communication to the stock exchanges blaming Infosys Co-Founder N R Narayana Murthy for all of the board's lapses was 'unprecedented,' Balakrishnan, who is known supporter of Murthy, said. He also said all along, the board had consistently denied any wrong-doing and in fact blamed Murthy terming his questioning as a "misguided campaign." Earlier, Murthy had accused Infosys and its board of failing in disclosure and corporate governance norms. The board of Infosys owes an apology to Murthy and should take steps to retract that statement, he said. "Murthy always stood for high level of corporate governance and only acted in the interest of protecting a great institution like Infosys," Balakrishnan said. On December 6, Infosys said it had approached SEBI with an application to settle the issues arising out of alleged disclosure lapses on the severance package paid to Bansal. India's second-largest IT firm, in a regulatory filing to the BSE, had said the settlement application made to SEBI was neither admission of guilt nor a denial. It, however, did not disclose what it had proposed in the settlement application. Infosys, under new Chairman Nandan Nilekani, moved the application as part of its attempt to settle the issues that had cropped up during the tenure of former CEO Vishal Sikka Murthy had first raised the issue of failure in corporate governance at Infosys soon after the company gave a huge severance pay to Bansal after the acquisition of Israeli technology firm Panaya. The founder continued to put pressure on Infosys to come clean, including seeking the resignation of then Infosys Chairman Seshasayee. In its petition to the NCLT, the government had alleged mismanagement and siphoning off of funds by the company's management. New Delhi: Realty firm Unitech Ltd on Friday said any interference in the working of its current management would be detrimental to the cause of all stakeholders after the NCLT ordered suspension of its eight directors and allowed the government to appoint nominees. The company said that despite its two managing directors in judicial custody, they have been "striving hard to secure financing so that construction can continue to complete various projects". In a statement, Unitech claimed that it has been successful in raising some finance in the past few months and was confident that it would complete all its projects over a period of time. "It would not be out of place to mention that the current management of the company has been with the company since its inception and is much better equipped in raising funds and any interference in the working of the current management would be detrimental to the cause of all stakeholders," the company added. In its petition to the NCLT, the government had alleged mismanagement and siphoning off of funds by the company's management. "We have already submitted a detailed chart before the Supreme Court which demonstrates that there is no diversion of funds," the company said. It further claimed that forensic audits on a majority of its projects conducted by both Haryana and Noida authorities have "repeatedly found that the company has invested more money in the projects compared to what it has received from various consumers, who have bought flats in those projects". "We have also filed various affidavits in the Supreme Court which show that the investment made in all our 74 projects is more than what has been collected from homebuyers," the statement said. Unitech's two Managing Directors Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra have been in jail for the past four months. "Notwithstanding that our managing directors are in judicial custody having extremely limited facilities, they are still striving hard to secure financing so that construction can continue to complete various projects," the company added. The plant will have a capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per annum. New Delhi: Aditya Birla group firm UltraTech Cement on Saturday said it will set up a new plant in Rajasthan with a proposed investment of Rs 1,850 crore. The plant, which will have a capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), is expected to commence commercial production by June, 2020. "The board of directors at its meeting held on Saturday have approved setting up a 3.5 MTPA integrated plant at Pali, Rajasthan at an investment of Rs 1,850 crore," said UltraTech in a regulatory updates. With this expansion UltraTech will have a foot print across the country with 50 plant locations, it added. This plant is being set up in one of the fastest growing markets in the country and the highest cement consuming states in the North Zone. "It will cater to the markets in Western Rajasthan where Ultratech does not have significant presence," it added. Meanwhile, UltraTech also informed that its board has also approved a proposal "to increase in the investment limits by RPFI, including FIIs, from the existing limit of 30 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital to up to 40 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital of the company". This would make availability of more space for registered foreign portfolio investors (RPFI) to invest into the equity of the company. However, the decision will be subject to approval from the share holders and other regulatory clearances. The responding companies accounted for 81.2 per cent of the total software exports during the year. Mumbai: India's export of software services rose by 10.3 per cent on an annual basis to USD 97.1 billion in 2016-17, the Reserve Bank (RBI) said on Friday. The export of software services -- excluding the one through commercial presence -- was USD 88 billion in 2015-16. "The USA and Canada remained the top destinations of India's export of software services, followed by Europe in which the UK accounted for nearly half," said RBI's 'Survey on Computer Software & Information Technology Enabled Services Exports: 2016-17'. Export of computer services ruled, with private and public limited companies accounting for equal shares during the year. The US dollar was the principal invoicing currency, making up 73 per cent of software exports, followed by the pound sterling and the euro. For the 2016-17 round of the survey, the RBI said, 7,506 IT companies were approached, of which 1,362 -- including most large companies -- responded. The responding companies accounted for 81.2 per cent of the total software exports during the year. Exports of the remaining companies were estimated using the distribution pattern after classifying them in four groups -- IT services, BPO services, engineering services and software product development. Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is all set to sit in a judge's chair for the first time to help budding 'Storytellers' of our country. "I believe we have incredible talent in this country. However, that talent has been facing immense difficulty in reaching the Indian film industry," said the 'Dangal' star, who will be judging a script contest. "I feel that good writers don't have enough opportunities and this is where the 'Cinestaan India's Storytellers' Script' contest will help tremendously," he added. Apart from Aamir, director Rajkumar Hirani, and screenwriters Juhi Chaturvedi and Anjum Rajabali are also on the jury for the contest. "This is precisely the kind of strong stimulus that we were looking for. It is now imperative that Indian screenwriting leap to the next level, and bloom. Indian cinema desperately needs great scripts, and this wonderful contest should take us one step closer to that goal," said Anjum Rajabali, Chairperson of the Jury. Rohit Khattar, Chairman of Cinestaan Digital, said, "We are doing our utmost to bring Indian storytelling talent to the forefront and I am immensely grateful to our esteemed jury in helping us achieve this aim." Charlie Sheen in a still from the film 'Lucas' with Corey Haim. Washington D.C.: Actor Charlie Sheen is bringing a suit against an American tabloid in response to an article published last month which accused Sheen of raping Corey Haim on the set of the 1986 film, 'Lucas'. In early November, the National Enquirer published a story in which actor Dominick Brascia, an alleged friend of the late Corey Haim, accused the 52-year-old of having sex with then-13-year-old Haim. Sheen has publicly denied the story, and in the lawsuit, he points out that Haim's own mother has also denied it. According to TMZ, the former 'Two and a Half Men' star alleges that National Enquirer executive Dylan Howard, who along with Brascia is also named in the suit, has it out for him, and is angry that he wasn't able to break the news of Sheen's HIV-positive status. Bella Hadid joined a London protest against Donald Trumps controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel for three minutes before being whisked away in her chauffeur-driven car. According to DailyMail.co.uk, she marched with Free Palestine protesters outside the U.S. Embassy in London, as they chanted Hands off Jerusalem. The model, who is of Palestinian descent, had been partying five minutes away on Oxford Street at an event. She appeared to be enjoying her brief stint as a protester and was pictured smiling and raising her fist into the air as she put her arm around a young fan. The demonstrations are part of a Day of Rage which has seen trouble flare around the world in the wake of Trumps move. Investigative actions in the case of the leader of the New Forces Movement party Mikheil Saakashvili has been completed, prosecutors are preparing a motion to court, press secretary of the Prosecutor General Larysa Sarhan has said. "The probe into Saakashvili case is over. Four lawyers are leaving the detention facility. The prosecutor's office is preparing a petition to the court," she wrote on her Facebook page on Saturday night. As the press secretary of the Prosecutor General informed earlier, while choosing a preventive measure for Saakashvili, prosecutors will apply for a preventive measure in the form of a house arrest with an electronic bracelet. When Elisa came to me, I was nervous and a little suspicious. I couldnt understand why she would want to make a film about a girl, who was just a driver. But with time, I felt more comfortable and I began to understand the bigger picture, says Selvi, the protagonist of the acclaimed documentary Driving with Selvi. This multi-lingual project is about south Indias first female taxi driver named Selvi, who had previously escaped a child marriage. In an interactive chat with DC, films director Elisa and main character Selvi open up about their journey. The film, directed by Canadian filmmaker Elisa Paloschi, is the 10-year journey of a courageous young woman, who defied all expectations and moved beyond the pain shes experienced to create a new life. Elisa reminisces, I met Selvi in 2004 when I came to India as a tourist. She was living in a shelter called Odanadi, an organisation dedicated to rehabilitating people affected by human trafficking in Mysore. She was learning to drive a car and become a professional taxi driver. I was totally impressed by her story and decided to make a film on her. When I approached her, she was reluctant and questioned me why am I making a film on her. But later, I was able to convince her and she realised that her story could change the life of many women in the world. The film talks about Selvis personal transformation and coming to terms with who she is and finding a place for herself in society. Its a coming-of-age film her transformation is something spectacular. After four years into the shooting, I noticed her transformation. I believe that her story will make an impact on girls from several communities, adds Elisa. Selvi, who owns a taxi company, says that the film supported her personal growth and helped to gain confidence. My life gained a purpose knowing that my story would reach girls like myself. When I grew up, I had nobody, but I hope I can now be a role model to girls. Selvi, like many girls in India, was a child bride in a violent marriage. One day, in deep despair, she chose to escape, going to a highway with the intention of throwing herself under the wheels of a bus. Instead, she got on the bus, choosing to live and went on to become south Indias first female taxi driver. Explaining about the shooting process, Selvi says, I was new to all of this. Elisa just followed me and captured my daily chores, work and family life. She was just there, quietly doing her work. There were days when no shooting would happen depending on my moods and daily routine. I have no idea how Elisa managed me for 10 years! She has become an integral part of my life, Selvi smiles. Speaking about the challenges, Elisa says that the prominent ones were maintaining the focus and enthusiasm and understanding the importance of continuing this project. The entire process required a lot of patience as it took us 10 long years to shoot her journey. Yet another challenge was raising funds. We raised the money through crowdfunding and campaigns. Over the course of years, both the director and actor have developed an interesting relationship. Her life has inspired me and made me a better person. We are really close. Sometimes, it is like a mother-daughter bond and sometimes, she is like a dear sibling, says Elisa Currently, the makers of the film are doing an outreach campaign across the country and touring India in a bus with a projector and a screen. We are screening the film in tribal communities and schools in remote areas. Through this, we facilitate dialogue and inspire young women to dream big. Meeting various young women across the country is interesting listening to their stories and giving them hope gives us a better understanding of our lives, she adds. The film has been dubbed in several languages including Swahili, Arabic and Spanish. Thiruvananthapuram: Avalkoppam (With Her) was a phrase that divided Malayalam film industry into two. When Algerian filmmaker Rayhana Obermeyer was told about its context the assault of a Malayalam female actor and the alleged involvement of male actor Dileep she said she was not surprised. It is difficult for women working in the field of cinema or art for that matter to do their daily jobs. This is true everywhere in the world. The biggest directors and producers are almost always men. It is the women who are under duress, she said. Her film I Still Hide to Smoke is about a womans desires in a mans world. Set in Algiers of 1995, the film tells the tale of a masseuse living in a country ruled by Islamic fundamentalists. We did not have to wear hijab in the 1980s. When I was young, I wanted to look different, and wore hijab. Then my parents scolded me. A decade later, my parents scolded my younger sister when she told them that she did not want to wear it. It is doubtful whether her film can be screened in her homeland Algeria, in the near future. My movie is forbidden in my country, because I speak about women who express freely. They respect women if she wears the hijab. Anyone who wears pants or shirts with half sleeves is considered a prostitute, she said. She said that a woman who smokes will be thought to have bad morals. But smoking is for everyone, man or woman, she said. She fled the country in 2000, following terrorist attacks in which her many friends got killed. Rating: Cast: Sumanth, Akakshna Singh, Mirchi Kiran. Director: Gautham Thinnanoori After many attempts over seven years, Sumanth does not disappoint with Malli Raava, a simple romantic story. The film begins with Karthik (Sumanth) and his parents waiting at the registrar office for his fiancee Anjali (Akanksha Singh). Anjali drops out at the last minute. The story then goes into flashback. Anjalis parents, transferred to the small town, are a quarrelsome couple and decide to separate. They move out of the town a year later. Anjali and Karthik are in school together for a year, and fall in love. Karthik grows up to join a software company in Hyderabad where Anjali comes as a project manager. Both decide to marry, but Anjali scarred by her parents separation develops cold feet. She instead opts to marry an NRI, leaving quite a few knots to be untangled. Debutant director Gautam Thinnanoori narrates Malli Raava in a different way, but brings in very unnatural office comedy scenes. The romance of the lead pair while in school is stretched. But for these, Malli Raava is a decent film and well made. This is Sumanths best film in the last few years, and gives his career a boost. The highlight is Akanksha Singh. The child artistes have done a good job and the rest of the cast, mostly new faces, support well. Cinematographer Satish Mutyala captures the beautiful locations of Razole well. The music is good, and the songs are in the background. Interestingly, there is no duet. If you are bored with the masala kitsch, Malli Raava looks afresh! Rating: Cast: Saptagiri, Kashish Vohra, Sai Kumar, Siva Prasad, Shakalaka Shankar, Gollapudi. Director: Charan Lakkakula Saptagiri joins the ranks of comedians turning lead actors with Saptagiri LLB, a remake of the four-year-old Jolly LLB. Director Charan Lakkakula has added a few action scenes and songs to project Saptagiri in the typical Tollywood mould. If you expect a laugh riot from Saptagiri, one of the leading comedians, you will be disappointed. Subhash Kapoor, the story writer of Jolly LLB, had packed the film with humour that did not detract from the main plot. The same cannot be said of the Telugu version. Saptagiri (Saptagiri) a small-time lawyer from Chittoor district, fails to win a case, and moves to Hyderabad to gain some experience and a name. He witnesses popular criminal lawyer Rajpal (Sai Kumar) successfully defend Rohith, hailing from a rich family, who is accused of running over six persons while drunk. Saptagiri decides to taken on Rohith, knowing he is up against a famous lawyer with vast experience and a great track record. Judge Siva Prasad (Siva Prasad) too warns Saptagiri that he should come up with strong evidence against Rohith. The director manages to make an interesting second half with gripping court episodes. Saptagiri has done a decent job but the comedy is missing. One cant understand why the actor is sent off to dance in foreign locales, and get involved in a huge action scene. Sai Kumar plays Boman Iranis role in the original, and gives Satpagiri LLB strong support. Siva Prasad who enacts Saurabh Shuklas role as judge comes good. These two actors are the pillars of the Telugu version and make the film watchable, though they cannot match the actors of Jolly LLB. The songs are loud and irritating. The female lead has nothing to do except appear in songs. Shakala Shankar provides a few laughs. Producer Kiran also dons a role and looks decent. Cinematography is average. Nandamuri Kalyan Ram is busy shooting for an untitled film directed by Jayendra. The films shooting is presently going on at Vikarabad with high action sequences. According to a source, the actor got injured while doing the action scenes, even bruising his arm. But he didnt complain or make a big scene about it and completed the shooting without saying anything. However, unit members who saw the bruise got worried and asked him to take rest for a few days. And while no one expected the actor on the sets on Friday, to everyones surprise, Kalyan Ram attended the shoot. He took painkillers and came for the shoot, says a source. The actor told the unit members that these injuries are common and that he cant sit at home to take rest. After Nagarjuna announced that he is sticking to the release date of December 22 for his son Akhils film Hello, now Dil Raju too has confirmed the release date of his upcoming film. The producer held a media conference recently to confirm that his film MCA: Middle Class Abbayi will be releasing on December 21. We announced the release date in August and wanted to advance it by a week, but now, we have decided to go ahead with December 21, says Dil Raju. Directed by Venu Sriram, the film has Nani and Sai Pallavi as the leads. Earlier, we made films on different relationships, but MCA showcases the bond between a sister-in-law and her brother-in-law, says the producer, adding that Bhumika, who plays the sister-in-law in the film, has done a great job. While many are wondering how Chiranjeevi agreed for a small time director like Rakesh Shashi to direct his son-in-law Kalyans debut film, heres the story behind it. Rakesh is a good friend of Satyanand master, who trains all the actors in acting and diction. When Rakesh got a story, he expressed it to Satyanand, but all the actors were busy with their respective projects. At that time, Satyanand told Rakesh about Kalyan and asked him to approach him with his story. Satyanand also put in a word with Kalyan about the same. Kalyan liked the narration and asked Rakesh to narrate the story to Chiranjeevi, says the source. Chiranjeevi was so impressed with Rakeshs narrative that he didnt ask for too many changes and his nod. The Megastar was impressed at how Rakesh narrated the story without any fear, even though he is a small time director, adds the source. He even called producer Sai Korrapati to praise the director. 2.0 is going to be the only film to release on the last weekend of April 2018. Just a couple of days ago, two Telugu producers, D.V.V. Danayya and Bunny Vasu, had created a big hue and cry about the release date of Rajinikanths upcoming film 2.0 clashing with their films. Both the aforementioned producers were planning to release their big-budget films, starring Mahesh Babu and Allu Arjun respectively, on April 27. So, as soon as 2.0's release date of April 27 was made official, they took to social media to say that it wasnt fair at all. On Friday, the Telugu Producers Council met and discussed about this issue. The two producers asked Sunil Narang, the man who has bought the Telugu distribution rights of Rajinikanths film, to confirm the release date, says a source in the know. Sunil then immediately wrote to Lyca Productions, the original producers of 2.0 to confirm the date and they confirmed it as April 27. With this, the two Telugu producers have decided to change their release dates to give way for Rajinikanths film, added the source. Now, Mahesh Babus film, will release on April 13 while Bunny Vasu is yet to announce the new date for the Allu Arjun-starrer. Thus, 2.0 is going to be the only film to release on the last weekend of April 2018. Notably, in a recent announcement the Council had also said that dubbed films will not be released on big festivals in the state. The study found that the bubbles in more expensive, fine sparkling wines are smaller and therefore make the wines taste better quality. (Photo: Pixabay) Christmas is right around the corner, and that means a lot of trees, tinsels, gifts, mistletoes, parties and champagne! It is inevitable that you will be drinking fizz out of a plastic cup at some point or the other. However, an expert warns that pouring champagne or any other sparkling wine into a disposable vessel can ruin its taste. It turns out that using anything other than a traditional glass flute may negatively affect the flavour of the beverage. According to the Cosmopolitan, researchers at Applied Research Laboratories at the University of Texas at Austin found that the type of bubbles in a glass of sparkling wine can really affect the taste. And they discovered that bubbles form differently depending on the type of vessel the fizz is poured into. If you pour Champagne or other sparkling wine into a plastic cup, for example, the bubbles apparently stick to the walls of the cup quite strongly, which causes larger bubbles to form. The study further showed that larger the bubbles, the worse the wine will taste, according to the university researchers. They also said that styrofoam is also to be avoided this party season. The author of the University of Texas study, Kyle S. Spratt, found that bubbles also form differently in styrofoam. It turns out the bubble formation process on styrofoam is completely different than on glass. He added that if one ever resorts to drinking champagne from a Styrofoam cup, the bubbles will be fairly different. The study found that the bubbles in more expensive, fine sparkling wines are smaller and therefore make the wines taste better quality. Couples wanting to wed under the new law can lodge a notice to marry Saturday, but will have to wait a calendar month before exchanging vows. (Photo: AFP) Sydney: Same-sex couples hurried to declare plans to tie the knot on Saturday as Australia's new marriage equality law came into effect, with wedding registry offices holding special hours for the first day of legalised gay unions. The historic bill finally legalising same-sex marriage came into effect barely 24 hours after its overwhelming passage through parliament. Couples wanting to wed under the new law can lodge a notice to marry Saturday, but will have to wait a calendar month before exchanging vows, meaning the first weddings are expected on January 9. "I put in an enquiry yesterday, didn't expect to hear back from someone so quickly and they said 'oh, we are open specially today', so we thought 'okay, let's go and do it, let's do it asap'," said Clare Jacobs, holding tight to her newly-official fiancee Valeria Ballantyne. "I thought we would just come in and sign a form and it would just be a formality, but it's actually quite emotional," added Ballantyne. The legislation came after more than 60 percent of Australian voters backed marriage equality in a contentious three-month national postal vote. To mark the historic moment, registry offices in some parts of the country exceptionally agreed to accept new marriage applications Saturday, when normally they are only open to conduct weddings. "Instead of just doing marriages, we thought we'd open it up to the public today for anyone in our community to come in and lodge a notice of intended marriage," said Amanda Ianna, a registrar for New South Wales state, which includes Sydney. "So it's a nice day to be at work today." Daniel Barnett and Daniel Gray-Barnett didn't decide until Saturday morning to take advantage of the special hours, but they were still the first ones to register. "We just got up and came here and signed the papers and yeah, it's a good day," Daniel Barnett said. Gay couples who already married overseas saw their unions officially recognised from Saturday. The final legislative step for marriage equality came Thursday when only four members of the 150-seat House of Representatives voted against gay unions. In often emotional scenes in recent weeks, several conservative politicians once staunchly opposed to gay marriage recounted how the months of national debate on the issue had led them to accept that same-sex couples deserved the same right to wed as other Australians. "It is a big Australian hug for all same-sex couples, saying we love and respect you, now go out there and get married," was how conservative Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull put it on Friday. Turnbull, a moderate who has long backed same-sex unions, spent Friday encouraging his fellow Australians to start making wedding preparations, and boasted that he'd already received several wedding invitations himself. At least two Sydney councils promised free venues to host marriages as a gesture of solidarity with the gay and lesbian community. "This is an historic day in the struggle for civil rights in Australia," Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne said. "Council will make its facilities -- halls, community centres and parks -- available free of hire fees for 100 days for any same-sex couples wishing to get married." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has unveiled the agenda of a meeting of advisors to the presidents of the Normandy Four nations (Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia) in Minsk on Saturday. "At the level of diplomatic advisors. They will be talking mainly with emphasis on security, with emphasis on humanitarian problems [in Donbas]. This is very important for us," Klimkin told journalists in Kyiv on Saturday when asked about a meeting to be held by Normandy Four presidential advisors in Minsk later in the day. Donbas is "sleepwalking into a humanitarian and ecological disaster," Klimkin said. "Unless we really enlist our friends to deal with these problems, we will face much bigger challenges in future," the minister said. Christmas is the time for giving and sharing. For a family wrought with tragedy, nothing can be farthest from then than Christmas cheer. However, the family of a dying toddler was brought some solace when Santa rushed to be by their dying sons side so that he could sit on his lap for one last time. According to a report by ABC news, Miles Agnew, aged two, was born with microcephaly and has spastic quad cerebral palsy, cortical vision impairment, intractable epilepsy, brain malformations and feeding intolerance. Miles has been in hospice care for months and his health has been slowly declining, but his condition deteriorated last week. This led to Santa rushing to the hospital on December 5 to be with the ill child. The visit was facilitated by the Secret Sleigh Project, who provide poorly and terminally ill children the opportunity to meet Santa at home. While volunteers of the organisation believe that every child deserves to experience Christmas magic, Santa Jerry Bodily admitted that this was an especially difficult visit for him. He went on to add that back in the 70s when he met my former wife, she had two daughters, her youngest had been diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and six weeks after they met, she lost her battle. He went on to add, I cant lie, I got choked up, and there was a tear in Santas eye, but this was for this familys memory. Speaking to ABC, the boys mum added, With the turn in Miles' health and trying to make more memories as quickly as we can we didnt think we would be able to do our Santa visit. We treasure our time and our memories with our family so much. Although we have had so much heartache in our lives we try our hardest to keep moving forward." The image of Miles on Santa's lap was posted to the Secret Sleigh Project Facebook page with the caption: "Yesterday, without hesitation and with last-minute coordination, Santa went to visit one of our family's (sic) whose son became more ill rather quickly this last weekend. He was at their local hospital, receiving hospice care to help him be more comfortable. The family was grateful to have Santa there and to get pictures with all of their children, one last time. We were honored to be a part of this family's day, in some small way. We also send much gratitude to Santa Jeff, who brought some needed joy to this little boy and his family." The man claimed he urgently needed money for cancer treatments for relatives. (Photo: Twitter/Tinder) A man who swindled his Tinder dates out of $49,000 has been sentenced to two to six years in prison. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. says Brandon Kiehm (keem) used a variety of scams on at least three women he met through the dating app. He claimed he urgently needed money for cancer treatments for relatives in one case his sister, in another, his mother. Vance says one victim was especially vulnerable because she was herself a cancer survivor. He conned one woman while he was out on bail. Kiehm also stole $13,000 from a man who hired him as a dog walker and $800 from a neighbor. He was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty in October to grand larceny, identity theft and scheme to defraud. The police took up the special drive after the the chaddi banian gang was spotted in KPHB and Miyapur. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: The Cyberabad police has beefed their hunt for chaddi banian gang members. The police from the Kukatpally and Miyapur divisions conducted searches in colonies and have collected details of unidentified persons. Two ACPs, four Inspectors, 13 sub-inspectors and 75 constables from the Kukatpally and Miyapur divisions, participated in the raids. Mr N. Bhujanga Rao, ACP, Kukatpally, said that the raids were conducted in the Gokul flats area and labour camps. Movements of suspects, unidentified persons and new comers were verified. Their identity cards were checked. We are working on clues for chaddi banian gang members, the ACP said. The police took up the special drive after the the chaddi banian gang was spotted in KPHB and Miyapur. The gang was involved in four offences in Cyberabad since September, including burglaries at Gachibowli, and Madhapur and KPHB. Hyderabad: A 25-year-old student of Nizam College, who is mentally ill, created chaos in Shamshabad on Saturday morning, when he climbed to the top of a hotel building and threatened to commit suicide by jumping. The high voltage drama lasted for more than an hour and created traffic jams on the main road. The police rescued the youth and handed him over to his parents. According to the police, the youth was identified as Shakib Vali, a resident of Begumpet and a final year degree student. On Saturday morning, the patrolling team of the RGI Airport noticed him moving suspiciously. When inquired, he gave irrelevant answers. Later, he was shifted to the police station for inquiry. While questioning, he gave the police a slip and ran out. The police gave him a chase. To their shock, he ran into Airport Bawarchi hotel building and climbed to the first floor of the building. On seeing the police, he climbed the parapet wall in the balcony and threatened to jump from there. Even as the hotel staff and the police approached him, he drove them away. In this process, he slipped from the parapet and fell down but was saved by the police. He is mentally ill and is undergoing treatment for the past few months. We have summoned his parents and handed him over to them. They have shifted him to a private hospital for treatment, said Mr P. Mahesh, inspector of RGI Airport. Meanwhile, vehicular traffic remained blocked till he was rescued. The police has filed a case under Section 174 of the CrPC and is waiting for the post-mortem report. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: A 20-year-old girl died under suspicious circumstances in Vikarabad district after consuming pesticide on Saturday. The unmarried girl was seven months pregnant. While the family members claimed that the girl committed suicide, villagers alleged that her brother and sister-in-law could have killed her over a property dispute. The police has filed a case under Section 174 of the CrPC and is waiting for the post-mortem report. K. Lakshmi was staying with her elder brother Narsimhulus family in Macharam village in Parigi mandal. For the past few days, she had been complaining of severe stomach pain. On Friday, her brother and sister-in-law took her to a private hospital in Parigi town, where doctors diagnosed that she was in her seventh-month of pregnancy. After they returned home, her brother scolded her and asked her about the person who was responsible for her pregnancy. When she declined to reveal the name, he attacked her.A couple of hours later, she consumed pesticide and collapsed in the house. She was rushed to a hospital, where she breathed her last. She had the habit of eating mud in the childhood and was treated for it. We thought the pain is due to that. We never noticed any changes in her body, said a family member. The police found that the girl was mentally unsound and had consumed poison on her own. Based on the autopsy report, the investigation will proceed, said Parigi police officials. However, the students alleged that the circular also stated that the High Courts final order will decide the issue and therefore it is aimed at buying time. (Representational Image) Hyderabad: After five days of continued protests, parents of students from Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT), Kokapet, also joined the stir, demanding withdrawal of the steep fee hike. The management has called for a meeting with parents on Sunday. On Saturday evening, CBIT officials released a statement, saying that the enhanced fees will not be collected from students who are not in agreement and that no students will be pressurised to pay it. However, the students alleged that the circular also stated that the High Courts final order will decide the issue and therefore it is aimed at buying time. Avinash Vemula, a B.Tech student, said, Students have been divided into different categories.The circular does not clearly state if the fee hike has been cancelled. The circular by CBIT stated, Students who are not in a position to pay the enhanced fees due to their economic status will have to submit their request for scholarships which will be made available with the HODs at the earliest. The management issued a notice on December 5, stating that there will be an increase of Rs 86,000 in the fee which has to be paid by students as they had signed the affidavit at the time of admission. This led to protests following which around nine students were taken into custody by the Narsingi police. The video showed a man leading the victim identified as Mohammed Afrazul, to a spot and then attacking him with an axe from behind. (Screengrab from NDTV) Kolkata: On Friday, Kolkata came together to condemn Rajasthan love jihad murder until it was arbitrarily and suddenly called off with police arresting some of the protestors and hauling them off to Lal Bazaar Police Headquarters. On 6th December, Mohammad Afrazul, a labourer was mercilessly killed in what can be called one of Indias most gruesome hate crimes -- amid a spate of religiously motivated killings -- in Rajsamand, Rajasthan. The country watched in shocked and traumatized silence the video -- circulated by Afrazuls assailant identified as Shambhulal Regar -- in which he hacks Afrazul to death with a cleaver, and then sets him on fire. Dumbfounded India found the voice of censure moments after, as the entire country came together to shame the unfortunate incident. Bengal was not to be left behind, as the victim was originally from Kaliachak in district Malda. Prasenjit Bose -- President of Young Bengal, a youth platform -- took the initiative with two others to organise an impromptu protest against the killing. It was a gruesome murder and we all watched it, to our horror. We decided we needed to have an immediate reaction and so we decided to call for a protest on Friday afternoon, Prasenjit Bose told Deccan Chronicle. This was a spontaneous protest and we wanted to protest in front of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayam Sevak) office because we felt that these killings were not at random but actually inspired by dangerous ideology, Prasenjit Bose said. Over a hundred people gathered sloganeering against communal homicides such as Afrazuls. The speeches at the protest condemned the killings of Pehlu Khan, who had been killed by self-styled cow-vigilantes in April, 2017; Mohammad Akhlaq Saifi, who was lynched by a mob in Dadri, in September 2015, among others. As the crowd proceeded toward the RSS office, not far from where they had gathered Kolkata Police barricaded the roads and blocked the protestors. Esha Talukdar, a 33-year-old filmmaker, who was present at the protest, told Deccan Chronicle, People were resisting the barricades because it was a peaceful protest and most did not understand why the police intervened. Soon they (police) started lathicharge, pushing, pulling the protestors. They got hold of some people and took them away in a police van. I was mostly recording videos. I wasnt really shouting or behaving aggressively when a policewoman came and grabbed my hand. Thats when I started protesting and soon there were two policewomen pulling both my hands and another who began pushing me instead of answering my questions. I was taken away with a few others in a second van, she said. Among the protestors arrested was producer of Patalghar, well-known filmmaker Arjun Gaurisaria. I got to know about the protest through a Facebook post and decided to go because I have always followed my conscience, Gaurisaria told Deccan Chronicle. I was, with all of us shouting we want answers, we want answers! The physical fracas (in which I was not physically hurt at all, though some others were) had already finished. The police stood on one side staring at us, we stood on the other, shouting. A very gentle looking policeman came up to me, put his hand on my back and said, Come, uncle. Come. And being a bit of a nitwit, I went, he said. They had picked up two innocent passers-by as well and only let them go when the protestors requested on their behalf, Esha Talukdar said. A total of 24 people had been rounded up and detained at Lal Bazaar Police Headquarters for almost three-and-a-half hours bringing a peaceful protest to an abrupt end. They first took us to Bortola Police Station where we waited without getting off the van. Then they took us to Lal Bazaar, Esha Talukdar said. When we asked why we were being arrested the policemen said that they didnt know anything except that we had been picked up upon the Deputy Inspector Generals orders. Expressing a similar confusion, Prasenjit Bose said, It is still not clear why we werent given details. When our lawyer connected for bailing us out he was told that the matter was being handled from Bortola Police Station. We still dont know what charges -- if any are being pressed or if we were just detained. Videos posted by several people on social media show that the protestors were man-handled. I was taken away with 12 others so I am not sure if lathis had been used but there was a lot of jostling and pushing during the scuffle, Bose added. At the police station we found out about an ABVP (Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad) protest against G D Birla School incident, Talukdar said. Bose called the ABVP procession their post facto justification for the arrests. A cloud of uncertainty looms over the arrests of these dissenters, who had come together to rightfully berate the macabre murder of an innocent man the fourth in nine months in the state of Rajasthan. Organisations such as Rajasthan, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangatha, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties, Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch, Rajasthan Nagrik Manch, National Federation of Indian Women, All India Democratic Womens Association among others, have jointly signed a statement condemning Afrazuls brutal murder and seeking Rajasthan Chief Ministers resignation and Modis explicit opprobrium of the crime. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, publicly condemned the murder saying it was tantamount to murder of human rights and calling the family totally helpless has offered a compensation of Rs 3 lakh and a job to any eligible member from the family. However, Mamata Banerjee has so far said nothing about the arrests made during the Kolkata protest. The guy (Shambhulal Regar) wanted to send a message. He wanted to threaten and I am afraid, I do feel threatened. It is already late, if we dont speak now we may never get a chance, Esha Talukdar said. Here is the video: Security sources said that India had shared specific intelligence inputs on activities of northeast insurgent leaders in Yunnan province of China but it failed to take any action as yet. (Photo: File/Representational) Guwahati: The security agencies of India are extremely worried over the way China has been trying to meddle into insurgency of northeastern states operating from their bases in Myanmar. Disclosing that security agencies have definite information on Chinese agency trying to get the details of Naga-talks, security sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that China was leaving no stone unturned to ensure that Khaplang faction of NSCN doesnt join the ongoing peace-process in Nagaland. Pointing out that frequency of meeting between Chinese intelligence sleuths and northeast insurgent leaders have also gone up, security sources said that relationship between India and China is not good but has stabilised after Doklam. Informing that India and China has also formed joint task-force to deal with trans-border activities of insurgent groups, security sources said that China was reluctant on acting on intelligence shared under the mechanism. Security sources said that India had shared specific intelligence inputs on activities of northeast insurgent leaders in Yunnan province of China but it failed to take any action as yet. Recalling that Indian intelligence agencies had specific input on Chinese agencies provoking Northeast insurgents to oppose Dalai Lamas Assam visit recently, security sources said that China had agreed to form joint task force with India in view of the growing problem in its Xingyang province. Regretting that stand of China on bilateral cooperation on insurgency front may prove to be counter productive for themselves, security sources said that India is extremely worried about their growing interference and meddling into affairs of insurgency. Security sources said that if NSCN (K) decides to join the Naga peace-process, it would be difficult for most of the Northeast insurgent groups to survive in Myanmar. China knows these facts very well, security sources said adding that China has been using the northeast insurgent leaders and facilitating them all kind of help including shelter for top insurgent leaders. Motli Ba is among the senior-most voters in the state of Gujarat who witnessed the historic Dandi March led by Mahatama Gandhi in 1930 as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement. (Photo: Twitter | @airnewsalerts) Ahmedabad: Eighty nine constituencies in Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions are voting on Saturday for the new government. Voters shared pictures with their inked finger after exercising their franchise during the first phase of the assembly polls. The All India Radio (AIR) on Saturday shared a picture of 106-year-old Motli Ba with indelible ink impression on her index finger. Motli Ba is among the senior-most voters in the state of Gujarat who witnessed the historic Dandi March led by Mahatama Gandhi in 1930 as part of the Civil Disobedience Movement. 106 years old Motli ba casts her vote in Surat, She is living witness of #MahatmaGandhi's historic #DandiYatra. #GujaratElection2017#PollsWithAIR#AIRPics: Lopa Darbar pic.twitter.com/Rz0VglrA03 All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) December 9, 2017 What drew attention of media and voters was the enthusiasm by 110-year-old woman who came to exercise her franchise in Jamnagar district. Divyang voters too turned out in numbers to cast their votes on Saturday. 20.9% voting recorded till 11 am in first phase of #GujaratElection2017.#PollsWithAIR#AIRPics: Yogesh Pandya pic.twitter.com/PG6QAvvC4s All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) December 9, 2017 Right from the marriage venue, a newly wed couple reached for voting in Shishak village of Kotda Sangani in Rajkot district. Newly wed couple reaches for voting in Shishak village of Kotda Sangani in Rajkot district.#GujaratElection2017 #PollsWithAIR#AIRPics: Yogesh Pandya pic.twitter.com/5v1G5ZHtyr All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) December 9, 2017 Voting on Saturday will continue till 5 pm. The second phase of voting will take place on December 14 and counting and the results will be announced on December 18. Ravi Belagere was arrested on Friday on charges of criminal conspiracy. (Photo: YouTube screengrab) Bengaluru: The daughter of a leading Kannada tabloid editor, who was arrested for allegedly hiring a contract killer to eliminate his journalist colleague, on Saturday said that her father was "not guilty" and would come out of the case "safely". Ravi Belagere, who brings out 'Hai Bangalore', was arrested on Friday from his house in Bengaluru on charges of hiring a 'supari' killer from Vijayapura in north Karnataka to kill Sunil Heggaravalli. Read: Kannada weekly editor Ravi Belagere gives supari to kill colleague; detained "No one has filed an FIR in this case based on a complaint filed by someone. It is a suo-motu case by the police based on Shahi's (the contract killer) statement. There is no meaning in it," Bhavana claimed. "I'm very confident, he (Belagere) is not guilty. He has not done anything and will be out of it safely very soon," she told reporters in Dharwad. Bhavana said that she has been advised by lawyers not to issue statements on the case and that the evidence, the police have is just a statement and the case cannot stand based on it. "My dad is a great man, he is a fighter, he will come out fighting," she added. Belagere was produced before a magistrate at his residence on Friday night and was remanded in four days police custody. The police stumbled on the alleged plot when the contract killer, Shashidhar Mundewadi, was being questioned in connection with the probe into the killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead at her house by unidentified assailants in Bengaluru on September 5. Official sources said that the City Crime Branch was questioning Belagere. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, commenting on the case, said that the police would do their work according to the law. "I don't know. Police might have evidence, they will work according to the law," he said. On Friday, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Kumar claimed that Mundewadi had stated during interrogation that Belagere gave him 'supari' to kill Heggaravalli. Based on the inputs, Belagare was arrested and a pistol and a double barrel gun was seized from him, he had said. Kumar also said that Belagere wanted to kill Heggaravalli for "personal reasons" and that an FIR was registered at the Subrahmanyapura police station. Belagere was in news after the Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed a resolution sentencing him and Anil Raju, editor of tabloid 'Yelahanka Voice', to one year in jail. Fines of Rs 10,000 each was also imposed on them for their alleged defamatory articles against state legislators. The assembly had recently rejected a plea by both the journalists to reconsider its decision. On a petition by the journalists, the Karnataka High Court had earlier this week directed the assembly not to pursue the proceedings until further orders. The court on choosing a measure of restraint to the detained leader of the New Forces Movement party, Mikheil Saakashvili, may take place on Monday, December 11, one of the lawyers of the detainee Pavlo Bohomazov has said. "According to preliminary information, most likely he [Saakashvili] will be in a temporary detention facility at the weekend, and I think that the case in the Pechersky court will be considered on Monday. This is what the investigator told me," the Hromadske edition quoted Bohomazov on Saturday morning as saying. He stressed that there were many violations when Saakashvili was being detained. Also, the lawyer said that after 72 hours from the moment of his detention "we will be liable to demand his release, because this is illegal detention. But we perfectly understand that the government agencies ignore it." For the first phase of Gujarat elections, BJP and Congress are locked in head-to-head for 89 of 182 constituencies. (Photo: ANI | twitter) Ahmedabad: For the first phase of Gujarat elections, BJP and Congress are locked in head-to-head for 89 of 182 constituencies. Kutch, Saurashtra have the maximum number of constituencies that vote in the first phase and are considered as crucial. According to reports, 70 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) had malfunctioned in Surat, some of which were later restored. According to Indian Express, during the First Level Checks (FLCs) conducted across the state, the Election Commission (EC) has rejected 3,550 VVPATs that were found to be defective. Vipul Goti, Master Trainer, Election Commission in Surat's Varaccha said, two machines and one VVPAT have been replaced and said everything is okay and voting has resumed. Have replaced two machines and one VVPAT, you cannot really call it a technical error, these are electronic items there can be some issues. Now everything is okay & voting has started: Vipul Goti, Master Trainer, Election Commission in Surat's Varaccha #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/RVF86aW4Wh ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 "There is no issue, at few places where machines had problems that has been resolved, machines have been replaced wherever required. Polling is going on peacefully," said Bhavnagar District Collector Harshad Patel. The percentage of VVPAT rejection has been the highest in Jamnagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka and Patan districts, official sources said Wednesday. A total of 70,182 VVPATs will be used in the Gujarat polls that will be held in two phases on December 9 and 14. Of these, 46,000 devices are brand new and are coming directly from the Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Hyderabad-based Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL). The rest have been procured from 11 states including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Haryana, Goa and Karnataka. The EC has also requested for an additional 4,150 VVPATs to replace the defective ones and to keep some as reserve. This is the first time, VVPATs are being used in all the 182 assembly seats in Gujarat. Apart from the VVPATs, over 5245 Control Units (from a total of 62666 units) and 2907 Ballot Units (from 75000 units) were also found to defective during FLCs and have been returned. The control units were plagued with clock-errors and some were found to be broken. Meanwhile, talking to the reporters here, Patel slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). (Photo: PTI/File) Ankleshwar (Gujarat): With reports of multiple faulty Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) hitting the headlines in the very first hour of voting for the Gujarat elections, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Saturday requested quick action. Patel took to Twitter and said, "There are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission (EC) to take necessary action immediately." (sic) Earlier in the day, the poll panel received several complaints about the EVM malfunctioning in Kosamba region of Valsad district. According to media reports, an EVM was also tampered with in Rajkot East constituency, a complaint to the EC said. Meanwhile, talking to the reporters here, Patel slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "People from all social groups have gathered to vote because in three years, the BJP government has not done anything at the Centre, nor have they done anything in Gujarat in the last 22 years", he said. "They did not fulfil any of the promises made in their manifestos of previous elections," Patel added. The first phase of voting in 89 assembly constituencies of Gujarat has begun today. The second phase will be held on December 14 for 93 assembly constituencies while counting of the votes will be done on December 18. Kochi: The Kerala Catholic Bishop Council and Catholic Bishop Council of India will observe December 10, the international human rights day, as a day prayer remembering the victims of the Ockhi cyclone. The KCBC has also called upon the faithful to contribute at least a days earning for the relief fund. The funds collected by each diocese should be handed over to the KCBC secretariat by December 31, a statement said on Friday. The KCBC said that the number of deaths and destruction could have been much lower if the authorities concerned had acted earlier. It is a matter of satisfaction that the both Central and State governments are now working vigorously, the statement said. The KCBC called for better coordination between agencies such as disaster management authority, coastal development authority, marine enforcement agency, coastal police, coast guard and fisheries department to avoid such a calamity in the future. The KCBC has also sought a separate ministry for addressing the problems of the coastal region in the country. Max Hospital authorities said, 'We have received the notice of cancellation of the license of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. We strongly believe that this ruling is harsh.' (Photo: PTI | File) New Delhi: The decision to cancel the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh was "harsh" and "unfair" and it will severely limit patients from accessing treatment, the hospital group on Friday said. Max Healthcare authorities, in a statement, issued hours after the cancellation of the licence by the Delhi government, said, "We have not been given an adequate opportunity to be heard." "We have received the notice of cancellation of the license of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. We strongly believe that this ruling is harsh," it said. "We believe that even if there is an individual error of judgement, holding the hospital responsible is unfair and it will severely limit the ability for patients to access treatment. This will compound the shortage of hospital facilities in the national capital," the Max Healthcare authorities said. The Delhi government cancelled the licence of the super specialty facility in north-west Delhi with immediate effect for alleged medical negligence including the twins case in which one of the babies was found alive after being declared dead by the doctors. The move came after a three-member inquiry panel of the government submitted its final report to Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who described the incident as "not acceptable". According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Delhi government's heath department, the licence has been cancelled till further orders. "We will explore all options available to us. We stand firmly behind our commitment to patient care, clinical and service excellence to the best of our capabilities," the hospital's statement added. Lunavada (Gujarat): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Congress of misleading the Muslims of the country by giving them 'fake' promise of reservation while addressing an election rally in Gujarat's Lunavada. "In every part of the nation, the Congress has misled the Muslim community. They have made fake promises of reservations for Muslims but in no state have they fulfilled their promise," Modi said. Modi also attacked Salman Nizami, a Youth Congress leader, over his tweet where he questioned the family background of the prime minister. Prime Minister Modi said, "I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are. This nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians," "There is a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami. He is even campaigning for Congress in Gujarat. He wrote on Twitter about Rahul Ji's father, grandmother. That is ok but he asks - Modi tell me who is your Mother, who is your father. Such language can't even be used for enemies," he added. Nizami had questioned the prime minister's background, saying: "Rahul Gandhi, son of Rajiv Gandhi. Sacrificed his life for India. Rahul Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi. Sacrificed her life for India. Rahul Gandhi, grand son of Jawaharlal Nehru, fought for India's independence. Narendra Modi, son of ...? Grand son of ...?" (Photo: Twitter) As the voting for the first phase of Gujarat assembly polls took-off this morning, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been canvassing for the public's mandate by berating every attack made by the Congress Party, especially over Prime Minister Modi's humble beginning. BJP leader and spokesperson Sambit Patra also said Prime Minister Modi was the son of India, and that the Congress Party was trying to insult the son of the soil. Bengaluru: Noted journalist and editor of a Kannada weekly tabloid Hai Bangalore, Ravi Belagere, was in for a shock, when the CCB sleuths quizzed him about slain journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh. Thrown completely by the unexpected question, Belagere was reportedly startled initially but then quickly threw the question back at his interrogators and asked why he was being questioned about the fiery journalist. However, he is said to have told the police that Gauri was just a friend and nothing beyond that. It is learnt that the CCB officials had information that after Belagere sacked Sunil Heggaravalli, his long-time colleague at the tabloid and also the person whom Belagere allegedly wanted to see dead, his ex-colleague stayed in touch with Gauri and she was also reportedly helping him. This, it is said, had upset Belagere. Thus, the CCB police questioned Belagere about his relations with Gauri, for which he reportedly responded that his soured relations with Gauri was baseless. In a curious development, Belagere`s second wife Yashomathy had briefly disappeared with her son, for a while from her house and returned later in the day. But curiously, she has also deleted her FB account. The police are likely to quiz her as part of the probe, trying to ascertain her relationship with her husband's employee. CCB officials continued questioning Belagere in connection with the case and he is said to be in denial mode about his involvement in the case. Thus, the CCB police are busy building a watertight case against him, by collecting circumstantial, material and technical evidence. A CCB team is in North Karnataka in search of Viju Badager, as associate of sharpshooter Shashidhara Ramachandra Mundewadi. ``It's of the utmost importantance, we need Viju Badager to be questioned as part of the probe, as he was with Shashidhara when he went to gun Sunil Heggaravalli down. We should get him first and teams are in North Karnataka in search of him. Also, we are yet to question Sunil and his statement holds the key to the investigation,`` an official said. Hyderabad: Telangana Congress on Saturday used the 71st birthday celebrations of party president Sonia Gandhi the day marks the first official statement from the Centre on the formation of Telangana state in 2009 to call for a united Opposition effort to defeat the TRS government. Former Union minister S. Jaipal Reddy said, KCR hatao Telangana bachao should be the slogan for every Congress worker. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao does not have minimum scruples in politics and turned betrayer to Mrs Gandhi who granted Telangana state on her birthday. Asking all Opposition parties to unite in dislodging the TRS, he said Mr Rao was only known for his rhetorical speeches and promises and did not bother to implement them. He said joining of TD leader Revanth Reddy is part of the Congress grand design to unite like-minded people to defeat the TRS. TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said formation of a Congress government in Telangana state in 2019 would be the best gift for Mrs Gandhi. He said she had gone ahead with statehood despite being warned of serious political consequences. Former minister Sabita Indra Reddy said while Mrs Gandhi granted statehood for the sake of four crore people, Mr Rao had utilised the opportunity to develop only four members of his family. Mahila Congress president Nerella Sarada said the enthusiasm shown by Congress leaders left her in no doubt that the party would win in 2019. She demanded that the TRS government include Mrs Gandhis life history as part of the academic curriculum. Mr Revanth Reddy, who stepped into Gandhi Bhavan for the first time along with his supporters, said the party needed to build a mass movement with like-minded people and organisations to unseat Mr Rao who, he said, had failed to implement his promises. He said the removal of Mr Rao should be the second and final phase of the agitation of the people of the region. He alleged that the Chief Ministers daughter-in-law, the wife of minister K.T. Rama Rao, was not from the Velama caste. Her father Haranadhara Rao had served with the government for 35 years as an ST, and wanted Mr Rao to either confirm or deny his allegation. People wait to cast their votes during the first phase of the Gujarat state assembly election in Rajkot. Results of the elections will be declared on Dec. 18. (Photo: AP) New Delhi: Several cases of faulty EVMs were reported and allegations of their tampering emerged in Gujarat where voting took place in 89 seats for the first phase of Assembly elections. Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia caused a flutter by claiming that three polling booths in Porbandar were found to be connecting to external devices via Bluetooth, raising doubts about hacking. He alleged EVMs in booth number 145, 146 and 147 were hacked, a claim rejected by the Election Commission. The complainants phone was detecting when its bluetooth was activated a device identified as ECO 105 at the polling booth, said an EC official. ECO 105 was feared to be the EVM at the polling booth, giving rise to the fear of possible tampering through Bluetooth technology an inquiry showed a polling agent was carrying a mobile phone of Intex company, bearing model number ECO 105, said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) B.B. Swain. The BJP hit out at the Congress for alleging tampering of EVMs. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra said, Congress is searching for an excuse even before the results are out, as it stares at a loss in the elections. An EC official said that there were reports of technical glitches in EVMs in Surat and some other centres, the polling resumed after they were replaced at eight-nine booths. MUMBAI: Braving the winter chill and smog, union railway minister Piyush Goyal made a surprise visit at Churchgate station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in the wee hours of Saturday. Dressed in a casual red T-shirt and beige trousers, Mr Goyal sauntered inside Churchgate station minus his security convoy. He caught several nightshift Western Railway staffers and security personnel off guard. He questioned them about the alarming number of homeless people sleeping inside and outside the railway station. After speaking to few WR staffers, Mr Goyal, who is actually recuperating from a kidney stone treatment headed to CSMT in his car. The number of homeless taking refuge at Central Railways CSMT baffled Mr Goyal even further. Hyderabad: As the deadline for linking Aadhaar with bank accounts is fast approaching, more people are lining up to do the needful. However, banks in Hyderabad are witnessing normal rush. The deadline is December 31, 2017. T. Venkat Ramaiah, general secretary of the Bank Employees Federation of India for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, said, Unlike the demonetisation drive, there is just usual rush. Since this activity is being done for almost a year now, we are able to cater to the needs of the people. People are aware that they need to link their accounts, so th-ey are voluntarily coming over. While the rush will increase as the deadline approaches, banks are setting up separate counters for Aadhaar linking and updates. Banks are also in talks with the government to act as Aadhaar updating agencies. About 10 per cent of bank branches will have an exclusive Aadhaar counter to cater to the needs of the people. These counters will be available for both customers and non-customers of the bank. Some banks are outsourcing the Aadhaar linking section. V.V.S.R. Sarma, general secretary of the National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE), said, Due to Aadhaar updating and shortage of manpower, customer service is being affected. But some banks are outsourcing these activities to reduce the burden on employees. However, experts said that the deadline will be extended. Banks are even offering various options of linking Aadhaar by SMS, ATM and online banking. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has discussed with Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis during the meeting in Vilnius the possibility of expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation, the official website of the Ukrainian president said on Friday. The president positively evaluated the growth of interest in Ukraine of the representatives of the business circles of Lithuania and emphasized Ukraine's interest in attracting new Lithuanian investments. In addition, the parties discussed the issues of interaction between Ukraine and Lithuania in the field of energy security and the prospects for implementing relevant joint projects. "It was positively noted that within the framework of the visit, a bilateral Memorandum on cooperation in the field of energy was signed. The parties also praised Ukraine's decision to join the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence located in Vilnius," the message reads. Poroshenko expressed gratitude to the Lithuanian side for the continued support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and a clear position of Lithuania towards Crimea. He thanked for an important practical assistance of Lithuania in strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, treatment of Ukrainian military, humanitarian and technical assistance. Hyderabad: As in previous years, the TRS did not celebrate December 9, the day the Centre first announced statehood for Telangana in 2009. There is no sanctity to this day. The Centre backtracked and reversed everything on December 23, 2009. Telangana was formed due to the struggle of the TRS and the people and not by Congress people, said TRS Nizamabad MP Kalwakuntla Kavitha. Speaking to this newspaper, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari said, It is ridiculous to celebrate Telangana formation on December 9. Let the Congress do what it wants, but there is no connection between this day and state formation. The Centre had reversed the announcement, which led to unrest and several youth committed suicide. How can the Congress mark the day. he said. The Navy is celebrating 2017 as the Year of the Submarine. Visakhapatnam: President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday awarded Presidential Colours to the submarine arm of Indian Navy that is celebrating its golden jubilee, at Eastern Naval Command (ENC) here. The Navy is celebrating 2017 as the Year of the Submarine. The President, who is also Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, on his maiden visit to a naval formation was given a 21-gun salute upon his arrival at the ENC headquarters. He inspected a guard of honour at the INS Circars parade ground. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kovind appreciated the submarine arm for carrying out their professional responsibility with great skill and grave risk, and making the nation proud by its contribution to national security. Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and Vice-Admiral Karambir Singh, among other senior officers, were present on the occasion. Addressing naval officers and other services personnel after presenting the Colour, the President said the Navys submarine arm was playing a major role not only in safeguarding national security but also has a hand in nation-building by guarding trade routes, given that close to 90 per cent of the trade by value is carried out by the sea route. Mr Kovind said India has been a maritime nation for thousands of years, citing the port town of Lothal in Gujarat that can be traced back to the Harappan civilisation and its familiarity with the ancient tradition of trade by the sea. He also spoke of the Chola empire and subsequently the Maratha rulers led by Chhatrapati Shivaji having a well-developed navy and a maritime defence strategy. Congratulating the officers and men of the submarine arm, Mr Kovind said the submarine arm has grown from a couple of subs in the late 1960s to as many as 25 submarines, commissioned at various points since then. The commissioning of the first submarine, INS Kalvari on December 8, 1967, marked the beginning of the Navys submarine arm. Submarines are complex, high-technology platforms. They acquire their strength from stealth. Quietly and without much fanfare, Indian Navy submarines have had major operational achievements in the 1971 War, during Operation Vijay in 1999 and then Operation Parakram, 2002, the President said. Thiruvananthapuram: Students of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College who protested on Facebook against gender segregation were allegedly getting targeted. The allegation was that some teachers threatened five first-year MBBS students who liked the Facebook post of PG student questioning some teachers forbidding boys and girls sitting side by side in classrooms while most of the other medical colleges in the state did not have such a practice. The issues started after the college union organised a gender sensitisation class by Anishia Jayadev, a faculty member of the Institute of Management in Government. Ms Jayadev argued at the class that if gender sensitivity was to be achieved, boys and girls should sit mixed in the class. Then only they would become inclusive and open. Finally, it should lead to transgender also getting access to such institutes. Following the class, some students decided to sit mixed. The authorities argued that if different genders mixed, it would destroy discipline and lead to 'untoward incidents'. Earlier girl students here had challenged the decision to place CCTV cameras in the hostel. Following this, a postgraduate student pursuing forensic science came up with a series of posts about the misogynist attitude. The student also opposed the segregation. A section of teachers took the print out of them and harassed first-year MBBS students who liked the post, forcing most of them to withdraw. Some even unfriended the PG students. However, five first-year students decided to retain their likes. It was at this juncture that the college authorities decided to convene a meeting of parents, at which they circulated printouts posts with the names of girls who liked it. Many parents even argued for their ouster. Mother of one of them cried after the meeting, sources said. In his earlier speeches, the Prime Minister had urged the people not to be taken in by false promises. (Photo: PTI/File) Lunawada (Gujarat): Questioning Congress assurance of reservation to Patidar community in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday it will either have to snatch the share of SCs, STs and OBCs or is making a false promise like it did on Muslim quota issue in several states. Either they (Congress) have to snatch it from others or they are spreading lies, Modi said in his first major direct attack on Patidar quota issue, which has rankled the BJP especially after the agitation spearhead Hardik Patel backed the Congress in the Assembly polls. In his earlier speeches, the Prime Minister had urged the people not to be taken in by false promises. Addressing a rally in Lunawada town of Mahisagar district on Saturday, Modi asked, I want to ask the Congress party... you gave a lollipop to the Muslims in all the states of the country that you will give reservations to that community. I want to ask my Muslim friends, have they given you reservations anywhere in the country? Has this not proved to be a false promise? he asked. Now, they have made a similar promise to another community here (in Gujarat). From where will they provide reservations. Will they snatch it from the OBC, adivasi (tribal) or SCs?, Modi asked. Last month, Patidar quota stir leader Hardik Patel pledged support of his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) to the Congress for Gujarat Assembly elections, saying the opposition has accepted the demand of giving reservation to his community in a special category. Patel, who led violent protests in support of the demand that left several people dead in police action, had said the Supreme Courts cap of 50 per cent on reservation was just a suggestion. BELAGAVI: Former minister and senior BJP legislator Umesh Katti on Friday hurled expletives at his party leaders amid speculation that he and another former minister, Balachandra Jarkiholi, are likely to rejoin JD (S) ahead of next years elections to the Legislative Assembly. For the record, however, Mr Katti told the media that he would not quit the BJP but was livid with party leaders for not allowing him to join the ongoing stir for separate religion tag for Lingayats, and for describing him as a Hindu. A visibly upset Mr Katti said he was against Hindutva politics pursued by BJP leaders. They call me a Hindu but I know that I am a Lingayat/Veerashaiva. I am keen to attend rallies of Lingayats, but these leaders are preventing me from doing so, he added. Sources close to the former minister said he would part ways with the BJP soon, and could return to JD (S) though Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs decision to dine at the legislators residence recently set off rumours that he would defect to the ruling Congress. Besides Mr Katti, his buddies Balachandra Jarkiholi and Kagwad legislator Raju Kage are likely to join JD (S). Sources said Mr Katti was miffed as BJP leaders not only stopped him from joining the pro-Lingayat agitation but also warned him that he would be denied a ticket to contest from his home constituency, Hukkeri. Leaders of JD (S), who learnt about his indignation, reportedly rolled out the red carpet for him as he had won several times from Hukkeri irrespective of the party he represented. Sources said Mr Kattis exit would certainly dent the prospects of BJP in north Karnataka as a large section of Lingayats in this region could vote against the party in their bid to support Mr Katti. His recent demand for a separate statehood for north Karnataka was supported by many leaders in the region, with heads of Lingayat Maths demonstrating their solidarity with him. He had stated that a movement for separate statehood would take shape if the state government continued to neglect the region and failed to implement recommendations of Dr Nanjundappa Commission. Mr Kattis family has been in the forefront of the cooperation movement in Belagavi region which not only helped him win seven consecutive elections to the Assembly but also ensured the victory of brother Ramesh Katti to Lok Sabha election from Chikkodi. Chennai: The Election Commission of India on Saturday shunted out the controversial RK Nagar returning officer K Velusamy. The transfer comes in the wake of opposition parties, including the DMK, demanding a change. In an official communique on Saturday, the ECI announced the appointment of young IAS officer Praveen Nair as the new returning officer for the high stake RK Nagar constituency bypoll. Nair earlier served as the RK Nagar RO during the cancelled April bypoll and it is said that both the district election officer D. Karthikeyan and chief electoral officer Rajesh Lakhoni backed the officer, who withstood all political pressures during the run-up to the cancelled April bypoll. K. Velusamy, who was at the centre of controversy over the rejection of nomination papers of actor Vishal, is likely to return to his parent department as the joint director of Adidravidar welfare department. Praveen P. Nair is currently the managing director of the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women and is aware of the constituency's boundaries and the issues. He has already served as the Chennai corporation regional deputy commissioner for north Chennai. The posting of Mr. Nair had been made on the basis of recommendation of the CEO and it is learnt that the change was favoured following the controversy erupting over the rejection of Vishal's nomination. As per rule book, the action of returning officer was fair but the political drama resulted in the transfer of RO and more transfers are awaited, a poll official said. The leader of the opposition, MK Stalin, welcomed the transfer of returning officer. 'The president has called for calm and moderation and we are hoping that the voices of tolerance prevail over purveyors of hate,' White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary told reporters. (Photo: AP) Washington: US President Donald Trump has called for calm and moderation in the Middle East, the White House said Saturday, amid reports of clashes in the region following his decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "The president has called for calm and moderation and we are hoping that the voices of tolerance prevail over purveyors of hate. The president does remain committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians," the White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters. Read: Give Trump Tower, not Jerusalem to Israelis: Muslims protest outside White House Shah defended Trump's decision on Jerusalem, saying "We think that the decision to recognise reality, and recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is the right decision". When asked if the President was warned that his decision on Jerusalem would lead to violence, Shah said: "He's fully aware of potential ramifications but we believe strongly that if you are going to be an honest broker in the Middle East, you need to be honest, and recognising reality is the first part of that." Wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves or the colours of the Palestinian flag, protesters also held placards denouncing Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. (Photo: AFP) Washington: Hundreds of Muslims attended Friday prayers in front of the White House to protest President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Responding to the call of American Muslim organizations, worshippers laid out their prayer mats at a park in front of the presidents residence. Wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves or the colours of the Palestinian flag, protesters also held placards denouncing Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. On Wednesday, Trump declared that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- turning his back on decades of American and international diplomacy. Read: Israeli air strikes kill 2, wound scores of Palestinians; US isolates in UN Trump does not own a piece of soil of Jerusalem and Palestine. He owns the Trump Tower. He can give it away to the Israelis, Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said. The president is empowering Christian religious extremism in the US, he added. Speaking alongside other prominent figures from the American Muslim community during the protest, Awad called upon Trump to put the American interests first, not those of a foreign power and its lobbies in the US. Another protester, Zaid al-Harasheh, said that Trumps decision is not for peace and will create more chaos. Trumps declaration sparked anger across the Muslim world. On Friday, clashes between thousands of Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank and on the Gaza Strip left two people dead and dozens more injured. Israel seized control of Palestinian East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and later annexed it, a move not recognized by the international community. The Jewish state considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, but Palestinians believe East Jerusalem is illegally occupied and see it as the capital of their future state. In his statement, he acknowledged that he had discussed surrogacy with two female staffers, but he did not provide details about the discussions. (Photo: AP) Washington: Republican lawmaker Trent Franks offered a female staff member USD 5 million to bear his child, US media reported as he abruptly resigned from Congress where he was facing an ethics probe over sexual misconduct. Franks, an eight-term lawmaker from Arizona, had announced a day earlier that he would be stepping down from the House of Representatives on January 31. In that statement, he acknowledged that he had discussed surrogacy with two female staffers, but he did not provide details about the discussions. In a new statement Friday, he said he was vacating his seat in Congress immediately, US media reported. The Washington Post, citing Andrea Lafferty, the president of the Traditional Values Coalition, said one of the women was told she would be given USD 5 million to "conceive" his child. The woman rejected Franks's offer but felt sidelined and later quit her job, added Lafferty. Politico, citing congressional sources with knowledge of the complaints, said the two female staffers had been approached about acting as a potential surrogate for him and his wife -- Franks says he and his wife have struggled with fertility for years. The women, according to the sources, were concerned that the congressman was asking to have sex with them, and that it was unclear whether he was asking about the prospect of impregnating them through sexual intercourse or in-vitro fertilisation, Politico reported. In his initial statement, Franks, a conservative Republican opposed to abortion rights, said he "absolutely never physically intimidated, coerced, or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff." House Speaker Paul Ryan was told of the misconduct allegations on November 29, his office said, adding that Ryan believed the accusations were "credible" and that he told Franks he should resign. Ryan's office declined to comment on the latest accusations, or Franks's immediate resignation. The scandal comes as sexual harassment allegations have engulfed Capitol Hill. Franks is the third member of Congress this week -- following House Democrat John Conyers and Senate Democrat Al Franken -- to announce his resignation in the wake of sexual misconduct accusations. In a travel warning issued after a gap of seven months the State Department warned the US citizens against all non-essential travel to the South Asian country. Washington: The United States on Saturday advised its citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan, saying that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a threat to them throughout the country. The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. In a travel warning issued after a gap of seven months the State Department warned the US citizens against all non-essential travel to the South Asian country. The fresh travel warning replaces earlier warning, issued on May 22. Pakistan continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, the State Department said, adding that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and Non-Government Organisation employees, tribal elders, and law enforcement personnel were common in the country. Ukraine must implement all the remarks of the Venice Commission on language article in the "Education Law," Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said. The Hungarian foreign minister said this after a meeting with representatives of Ukraine at a meeting of the Association Council in Brussels on Friday, the Radio Liberty reported. "Those rights that already have national minorities can not be withdrawn. These are the fundamental issues that are stipulated in the UN and Council of Europe conventions, as well as the final statement of the Eastern Partnership summit. Secondly, we can be satisfied with something, which is connected with the law on education, but only if the Hungarian minority is satisfied. I told Prime Minister Groysman [Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman] that if you make such fundamental changes in the law, which can influence minorities, you should have previously conducted all the necessary serious consultations, which hadn't been done. And thirdly, Ukraine must fully implement all the comments and opinions of the Venice Commission, which, as I understand, Ukraine intends to do," Szijjarto said. Colombo: Sri Lanka on Saturday handed over a deep-sea port to a Chinese firm, in a deal agreed to boost the cash-strapped islands finances that has raised concerns at home and abroad over Beijings growing influence. The $1.12 billion deal first announced in July lets a Chinese state company take over the southern port of Hambantota, which straddles the worlds busiest east-west shipping route, on a 99-year lease. With the signing of the agreement today the Treasury has received $300 million, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said at a ceremony in the capital to mark the handover. This is the beginning of our debt settlement, Wickremesinghe said. The loss-making port will now be jointly managed by the state-owned Sri Lanka Port Authority and China Merchants Port Holdings. Sri Lanka owes China $8 billion that former president Mahinda Rajapaksas regime borrowed for its infrastructure development projects, including the port. The deal has raised concerns at home and overseas, where countries such as India and the US are known to be worried that China getting a foothold at the deep-sea port could give it a military naval advantage in the Indian Ocean. On Friday, Sri Lankas parliament approved wide-ranging tax concessions for the port deal, including a tax holiday of up to 32 years for the Chinese firm, that opposition parties objected to. Please tell this House the details of very favourable tax concessions you gave China on the deal. What are you getting out of it? Anura Dissanayake, an opposition law marker asked in parliament Saturday. Sri Lanka has said it wants to reduce its high foreign debt with the proceeds of the port deal, and is selling off some other enterprises to raise revenue. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will not hold a planned meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence following Washington's controversial policy shift on Jerusalem, an Abbas aide said Saturday. (Photo: AP) Ramallah (Palestine): Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will not hold a planned meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence following Washington's controversial policy shift on Jerusalem, an Abbas aide said Saturday. "There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine," diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi said. "The United States has crossed all the red lines with the Jerusalem decision," he added. The White House warned on Thursday that cancelling the meeting planned for later in December in the West Bank would be "counterproductive", but Abbas has been under heavy domestic pressure to shun Pence following President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Read: As violence erupts in Middle East, Trump calls for calm and moderation Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Abbas's Fatah party, said the same day that Pence was "not welcome in Palestine" US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday in a move that outraged Palestinian leaders, but which was hailed as historic by Israel. The move was fully supported by Pence. Abbas has said Trump has disqualified the United States from its longstanding role as peace broker in the Middle East conflict. Pence is expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories sometime before Christmas. Whether violence would further spiral in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere was being closely watched, with Friday marking a second day of unrest. (Photo: AFP) Jerusalem/Gaza: Clashes, Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli air strikes killed at least two people and wounded dozens of others on Friday in violence linked to US President Donald Trumps declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital. In the latest diplomatic fallout, the United States stood alone as, one after another, fellow UN Security Council members criticised Trumps decision in an emergency meeting of the world body. After a day of protests and clashes in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, at least three rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, including one shot down by Israels Iron Dome anti-missile system, the army said. Another appeared to have fallen in wasteland but the third landed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. There was no immediate report of casualties. Following the first two rockets, Israel responded with air strikes on two Hamas military facilities in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 14 people were wounded from the strikes. Earlier in the day, two Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces along the fence dividing the Gaza Strip from Israel -- the first deaths in the protests over Trumps decision. Dozens of others were wounded from rubber bullets or live fire in clashes in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem that followed the main weekly Muslim prayers. Whether violence would further spiral in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere was being closely watched, with Friday marking a second day of unrest. Tens of thousands also protested in a range of Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey and Malaysia. Isolated With Trumps decision having drawn near universal condemnation, the United States saw itself isolated at the Security Council session in New York. Five European countries on the council insisted the new US policy was not consistent with past UN resolutions, including one that considers east Jerusalem to be Israeli-occupied. But the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, told delegates that the White House was serious about the search for peace. Let me again assure you, the president and this administration remain committed to the peace process, she said. The meeting was convened by eight of the 14 non-US members of the council but was largely symbolic -- no vote on a resolution was planned, as the US has veto power. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas hailed the international concern, according to a statement carried by official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, had called for a day of rage and its leader Ismail Haniya for the start of a new intifada, or uprising. Read: Violence erupts after Trumps Jerusalem declaration We call on our people in all factions and resistances to continue in this blessed intifada until we achieve all our just demands, it said in a statement late Friday. The Israeli army said around 4,500 Palestinians participated in violent riots along the Gaza-Israel border. It said that troops shot at dozens of what it said were ringleaders of the disturbances along the frontier, but did not specify how many were wounded. In the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians also took part in violent riots throughout the territory, with 28 Palestinians arrested and about 65 wounded, the army said. It did not elaborate on the type of injuries. Most sensitive issue Trumps announcement has brought a worldwide diplomatic backlash, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lavished praise on the president and called the declaration historic. Trump said his defiant move -- making good on a 2016 presidential campaign pledge -- marked the start of a new approach to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But many analysts question how a fair deal could be reached by granting such a major Israeli demand while seeming to require nothing in return. Erdogan says Trump Jerusalem move puts region in ring of fire Israel has long claimed all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians see the annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state. Its status is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and international consensus has been that it must be negotiated between the two sides. While the declaration may mean little immediate concrete change, it risks setting off another round of bloodshed in the turbulent Middle East. Muslim and Middle Eastern leaders, including key US allies, have expressed alarm over Trumps decision to break with decades of precedent with unpredictable consequences. Not welcome Palestinian leaders have been so outraged that they have argued it disqualifies the United States from its traditional role as peace broker in the Middle East conflict. Mohammad Shtayyeh, a senior Palestinian official who has been involved in past peace talks, questioned what was left to negotiate. If these are the signs of the ultimate deal, God knows what the deal is going to be, he said. The declaration is sure to weigh heavily on an upcoming visit by US Vice President Mike Pence. He was due to meet the Palestinian president later this month but a senior member of Abbass Fatah faction said this would not now happen. The American vice president is not welcome in Palestine. And President Abbas will not welcome him, Jibril Rajoub said, although the Palestinian leader himself has not made similar comments. A White House aide said Pence still plans to meet with Abbas as scheduled, and believes it would be counterproductive for him to pull out of the meeting. The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepal's transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives. (Photo: AFP) Kathmandu: The Left alliance has won at least 26 of the 30 parliamentary seats and is leading comfortably against the opposition NC which has won three seats in the historic parliamentary and provincial assembly polls in Nepal, officials said Saturday. The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) has won 18 seats while its alliance partner, the CPN Maoist-Centre eight. The opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has won three seats while independent one. The CPN-UML is leading on 44 seats, the CPN-Maoist Centre on 18 and the NC on 12 seats, they said. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats while 2,819 were in the fray for the provincial assembly seats in the historic elections that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation. The polls will elect 128 members of parliament and 256 members of provincial assemblies. The house of representatives consists of 275 members, of which 165 would be elected directly under the first-past-the- post system while the remaining 110 will come through the proportional representation system. Of the 10 parliamentary seats in Kathmandu district, the CPN-UML has won three while the NC two. Senior NC leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh has won from Kathmandu-1 seat by a thin margin against his rival Ravindra Mishra, a senior journalist who was contesting from a new party Sajha Viveksheel. Popular NC youth leader Gagan Thapa won from Kathmandu-4 by defeating Rajan Bhattarai of the CPN-UML. Read: History in the making: Win for left alliance in Nepals first phase of elections Left alliance candidates Krishna Kumar Rai, Jeevan Ram Bhandari and Krishna Gopal Shrestha have won from Kathmandu-3, Kathmandu-8 and Kathmandu-9 seats respectively by defeating their NC opponents. In the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections, the Nepali Congress had won eight out of ten seats from Kathmandu. The heavy weights who lost include NC leader Shekhar Koirala, Communication minister and NC candidate Mohan Basnet and Rastriya Prajatantrik Party leader Pashupati Shumsher Rana. Koirala lost to Lal Babu Pandit of the CPN-UML from Morang 6 while Basnet lost to Agni Sapkota of the CPN-Maoist Centre from Sindhupalchowk-1 seat. Rana lost to Sher Bahadur Tamang of the CPN-UML on Sindhupalcowk-2 seat. In the provincial assemblies, the CPN-UML has won 12 seats while the CPN-Maoist Centre and the NC won 8 and 3 seats respectively, they said. Voting in the two-phased parliamentary and provincial assembly elections were held on November 26 and December 7. In the first phase, polling were held in 32 districts, mostly situated in the hilly and mountainous region, in which 65 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise. In the second phase, 67 per cent voter turnout was registered. The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepal's transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives. While many hope Nepal's first state elections will hasten regional development, others fear they will spark a fresh wave of violence. In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights. Following the adoption of the new Constitution, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the provinces and were also facing discrimination. The polls are seen as a major step towards implementing the new Constitution. Local residents, activists and representatives of Kadu Malleshwara Friends Circle protested against the cutting of a 30-year-old mahogany tree in Malleswaram on Friday. The tree was cut down by the staff of Kalyan Jewellers. B K Shivaram, a retired police officer, termed chopping of the tree a criminal offence. The staff claimed they had permission from the BBMP's Forest Cell to cut the tree on December 5. The protesters dispute the claim and plan to file an RTI application. The staff also claimed they would plant 100 saplings. Actor Shivarajkumar, who had come to inaugurate the showroom, planted a sapling to pacify the protesters. He said chopping the tree was wrong and clarified that he didn't know who had cut it down. Posing as rich non-resident Indians (NRIs), members of an online gang are befriending gullible people on Facebook and cheating them of their money through rather ingenious ways. A 37-year-old woman from Bengaluru had to take a loan of Rs 1 lakh to help a female friend pay "stamping and registration charges" at the Delhi airport for carrying Rs 4.5 crore in British currency. The woman sensed she was being taken for a ride when she was asked to pay another Rs 2.8 lakh as bribe. It all started when Renuka N, a lab technician from Hunasemaranahalli, received a friend request from one Susane Jones, who claimed to be an Indian working in a British government department. She accepted the request and started chatting with her. They even shared family photographs and WhatsApp numbers. In the last week of November, Jones told Renuka she was flying to Bengaluru to invest her life savings in real estate. She also sought her help. Renuka readily agreed. Jones said she would arrive in Bengaluru on November 28 and kept texting Renuka about her every activity. That day, though Jones didn't arrive, Renuka got a phone call from a woman claiming to be a staffer at the Delhi airport. The caller said a woman named Susan Jones had arrived from England but was detained by the airport authorities as she was carrying Rs 4.5 crore in British currency. She further said that Jones carried just Rs 1 lakh in Indian currency, which was not enough to pay Rs 1.95 lakh towards "stamping and registration charges" for Rs 4.5 crore. The caller added that since Renuka was Jones's local point of contact, she was informed so that she could help. Renuka checked the caller's number on Truecaller, and the result stated 'Delhi Airport'. She was convinced the caller was genuine. She then spoke to her husband and took a loan of Rs 1 lakh. She wired Rs 95,000 to the bank account number Jones had texted her. A short while later, the woman called up Renuka again and demanded Rs 2.8 lakh as bribe. Renuka got suspicious and opened up to her husband. The couple rushed to the cybercrime police station and filed a complaint. Though police have registered a case, Renuka continues to get phone calls from Jones saying she is still "stuck" at the Delhi airport. The Left alliance between Nepal's former Maoist rebels and moderate communists appeared to be heading for a victory in elections aimed at completing a transition to democracy after the abolition of the monarchy and end to civil war. Early tallies from Thursday's vote show the leftists lead in 63 out of 80 constituencies where counting has begun. Nepal has seen 10 government changes in as many years. Instability has given rise to corruption, retarded growth and slowed recovery from a 2015 earthquake that killed 9,000 people. The election pits the centrist Nepali Congress party of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who heads a loose alliance that includes the Madhesi parties from Nepal's southern plains and former royalists, against the tight-knit alliance of former Maoists and the moderate Communist UML party. The Nepali Congress is considered a pro-India group, while the opposition alliance is seen as being closer to China. Nepal is a natural buffer between the two and the outcome could indicate whether China or India gets the upper hand in the battle for influence in a nation rich in hydropower and home to Mount Everest. Nepal emerged from a civil war in 2006 and abolished its 239-year-old Hindu monarchy two years later. Guna Raj Luintel, the editor of the Nagarik, said it was almost certain the Leftist alliance would win. "Trends so far suggest they could win a two-thirds majority. If that happened, that will be a landslide win," Luintel said. There are 165 seats to be decided on a first-past-the-post basis for which voting was held on Thursday with another 110 seats decided by proportional representation. Few results are in from the southern plains, home to nearly half of the population, and communists are thought to have weaker support there. Final results of the election, Nepal's first under its republican constitution approved by a special Constituent Assembly in 2015, could take around 10 days due to cumbersome counting procedures. Jon Heely, the director of music publishing at Disney, was arrested and charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child. The 58-year-old, who was arrested on November 16 and released six days later on $ 1,50,000 bail, is accused of abusing two underage girls about a decade ago, reported Variety. He allegedly victimised the first girl when she was 15. According to the charges, he began abusing the second when she was about 11 years old and continued until she was 15. In a statement, a Disney spokesman said the company suspended Heely on Friday, after being informed of the charges. "Immediately upon learning of this situation tonight, he has been suspended without pay until the matter is resolved by the courts," the spokesman said. Heely pleaded not guilty at his arraignment at the San Fernando courthouse on Thursday. He is due back in court on January 10. If convicted, he faces up to nine years and three months in prison. Heely's attorney, Robert Helfend, denied the charges. "He vehemently denies these allegations and we will be fighting until the end to clear his name. It's a shame, that's all I've got to say," Helfend said. It's the kind of day when the wind turns lusty and starts flirting with you. The dark clouds cloak the sun as I sit on a stone bench in the charming Old Town of Roskilde, attempting to fit into the shoes of the legendary fairy tale author, Hans Christian Andersen. A pair of massive metal galoshes is placed on the cobbled street below the bench. There is a story behind the sculpture; it's believed to be an interpretation of the fairy tale The Galoshes of Fortune penned by Andersen. According to the lore, a group of men want to escape to the medieval era and travel back in time by wearing these galoshes. However, I do not feel the need to fly into a land of fantasy as I'm in one right now, steeped in Viking lore. Located on the island of Zealand near Copenhagen, Roskilde is one of the oldest capitals of Denmark. The railway station here is believed to be the oldest in the country, as the first train from Copenhagen chugged into the platform here in 1847. Stepping out of the portals of the station, my eyes feast on three towering jars standing tall at 16 feet. Referred to as Roskilde Jars, they commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the town, representing life, birth and death, and were created by Danish sculptor Peter Brandes. From here springs the name Pottering around the main square, StAndertorvet, the town seems more like a fairy-tale land carved out of Andersen's pages than a land ruled by the Vikings. But it takes its name from a Viking ruler named Roar as it was called Ro's spring. 'Kilde' in Norse referred to a fountain. Every stone of Roskilde has a story to tell, but all roads lead to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 13th century Roskilde Cathedral, the first Gothic Brick Cathedral to be built in Europe. Buried in this massive cathedral are 39 Danish kings. But I'm interested in just one of them a Harald Bluetooth Gormsson. It was Bluetooth who made Roskilde the capital of Denmark and apparently built a wooden church, which is where the cathedral stands today. Bluetooth owed his nickname to a dead tooth that looked blue, but he is known today for lending his name to the Bluetooth technology. According to my guide, he was one of the few Viking rulers who brought the warring factions together and hence became the inspiration for the technology that connected devices. Standing beside the Roskilde Cathedral is the palace built in baroque style, painted in the characteristic Danish yellow colour. The palace is now a Museum of Contemporary Art. It's not enough for me to step into the shoes of Andersen alone. Wearing a life jacket and struggling to hold an oar in my arm, I attempt to set sail into the wild seas like the Vikings. We are sitting in a wooden boat that has been recreated in Roskilde, and it looks straight out of the Viking era. As we start sailing, the winds howl and growl as the sails come down. We are tossed around as the oceans turn choppy. It starts raining heavily. "I can handle thunderstorms, but this is something else," says Dylan, our instructor who has braved these oceans and sailed from Denmark to Ireland. An hour later, we are back on the shore at the Viking Ship Museum where 1,000-year-old ships discovered during the Viking era are showcased. These ships, called the Skuldelev, were found on the Roskilde fjord during an excavation, stacked on top of each other. The stacked ships choked the fjord and defended the capital from any possible assault from the seas. Walking around, I see a small boatyard where similar ships are recreated for sailing expeditions with the same tools, ropes and axes used by the Vikings. Some tourists assemble their own little ships and carry home a souvenir. After the rain-wash The rain abates a bit as the town shines in a fresh coat of paint. The streets are suddenly full of life as we head back towards the Old Town, stopping by Roskilde Museum. I see a small park with a colourful mural that talks about naughty nuns in a medieval convent. Sitting in a quaint cafA and sipping a cup of hot chocolate, I'm lost in a time warp. Roskilde has an ageless spirit to it even though the town is over a 1,000 years old. And it beats to the rhythm of pulsating rock music as it hosts one of Europe's largest music festival every year - The Roskilde Festival. There is an energy here which is rather inexplicable. Perhaps it has something to do with the fairy-tale charm of Andersen and the adventurous spirit of the Vikings blended here. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko during his visit to Vilnius said that everything that happens with Mikheil Saakashvili is not connected with his political activities. "The situation with Saakashvili is not worthy of international attention. There is a specific crime, and we must ensure transparency of the investigation, absolute openness and impartiality of the investigative bodies. A transparent, effective and impartial court is what we have to guarantee as an independent state," the website of the TV news service quoted the Ukrainian president. Poroshenko believes that the one who is accused of crimes, illegally crosses the border, escapes from custody, must bear responsibility for this. "This has nothing to do with political activity," the president said. Also, the Ukrainian president said about the financing of Saakashvili by the Russian side and the subsequent responsibility for it. "One mustn't violate the law. If someone is financed by the aggressor country or its special services, or by the oligarchs in order to undermine the social calm and stability in the state, there must be criminal responsibility for this," Poroshenko said. A journalist of a Hindi daily was beaten up by liquor mafia in Bihar's Nawada district. The incident occurred when Vikas Kumar alias Sonu, working with Hindustan, had gone to cover the raid on liquor mafia by a police team in Rajauli Dih area of the district on Friday evening, Rajauli police station SHO Awadhesh Prasad said. Kumar, who received injuries on his head, was rushed to Rajauli primary health centre from where he was referred to Gaya but the relatives took him to Ranchi for treatment, the SHO said. The operation for brain injury has been completed at Ranchi, Dinesh Kumar Barnwal alias Pinku, Kumar's cousin, said adding that his brother's condition is stable. One person from Dih village has been arrested. The Nitish Kumar government has clamped total prohibition in Bihar since April 2016. The state administration has launched a vigorous drive to nab the violators of liquor law. An Israeli air strike on a Gaza base of Hamas's military wing killed two people today, security officials of the territory's Palestinian Islamist rulers said. The strike on a base in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip, one of several in the early hours, came amid protests across the Palestinian territories against US President Donald Trump's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. North Korea blamed US "nuclear blackmail" for soaring tensions over its weapons programme in rare meetings with a senior UN official, but agreed to regular communication with the organisation, state media said today. Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Beijing today after wrapping up a five-day visit to Pyongyang aimed at defusing the crisis, just a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip -- the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 -- saw him meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and vice foreign minister Pak Myong-Kuk, the North's state news agency KCNA said. "At these meetings, our side said the US policy of hostility toward the DPRK (North Korea) and its nuclear blackmail are to blame for the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula," the report said. It added that the North had agreed with the UN "to regularise communications through visits at various levels". The report did not mention any meetings with leader Kim Jong-Un, who has ramped up his impoverished nation's missile and nuclear programme in recent years in order to achieve Pyongyang's stated goal of developing a warhead capable of hitting the US mainland. Feltman, the UN's under secretary general for political affairs, visited the country just after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise. Pyongyang reiterated its view that these manoeuvres were a provocation on today, accusing the drills of "revealing its intention to mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike against the DPRK", using the acronym for the country's official name. The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan. Early today Feltman flew to Beijing, a key transit point with the North, and left the city's airport without speaking to reporters. China, which is Pyongyang's sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and North Korea to halt weapons tests to calm tensions. BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje on Saturday demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the death of Hindu activist Paresh Mesta, whose body was found in a lake in Honnavar on Friday. "Mesta was brutally killed by some Muslim goondas, who had tacit support of the police. The killing was covered up because Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was touring the Uttara Kannada district," Karandlaje charged, at a press conference. "As many as 20 Hindu activists have been killed, so far. Siddaramaiah says he's also a Hindu. How many more Hindu lives must be lost? The CM should answer this," the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP demanded. Honnavar has been tense following violence earlier this week. Tempers soared further after the body of Mesta, who went missing on the night of December 6 from the local Lord Shani temple, was found floating in a nearby lake. According to Karandlaje, Mesta was at the temple that was under attack. "Stones and slippers were hurled at the temple despite prohibitory orders in place," she said, pointing to footages that show uniformed police personnel standing with a weapon-wielding mob. "One of the accused, Azad Annigeri, has links to the ISIS. The Paresh Mesta case has to be probed by the NIA," Karandlaje said. The former minister accused the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of weakening the police "through people like Kempaiah (home minister's advisor)." She said the government was "least concerned" to strengthen the State Human Rights Commission where 80,000 cases were pending, according to her. The Election Commission has dismissed allegation that some Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used during polling in Porbandar in Gujarat on Saturday could be linked with smartphones through bluetooth technology. The EC also stated that only a very small number of the EVMs and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail devices malfunctioned and had to be replaced during the first phase polling in the state assembly elections. The poll panel also maintained that it had not received any complaint about the EVMs registering votes wrongly or the votes cast for one candidate being registered in favour of another on the machines. Sudeep Jain, Deputy Chief Election Commissioner, told journalists here that some of the EVMs and VVPATs deployed in polling stations on Saturday were replaced because some buttons on them did not work properly or the display panels malfunctioned. The EC sent its observer and other local poll officials to the polling stations from where the complaints about the EVMs being connected with smartphone through bluetooth had come. It was found that one of the polling agents had a smartphone with device ID as "ECO 105". It was shown as a pairable device when the bluetooth on other smartphones in the vicinity were switched on. The "ECO-105" was wrongly believed to be the device ID of the EVMs used in the polling stations and a complaint was lodged, said Jain. "The allegation was found to be baseless. None of the EVMs used by the EC can be connected with any other device through bluetooth or wi-fi technologies," he said. Malfunction The EC deployed 26,865 Balloting Units, 24,689 Control Units and 24,689 VVPATs for the first phase polling in Gujarat. Only 0.6% (181) Balloting Units, 0.55% (223) Control Units and 1.7% (714) VVPATs malfunctioned and had to be replaced during polling, said poll panel officials. The EVMs were at the centre of a controversy earlier this year after the BJP's landslide victories in the assembly-polls in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with several opposition parties doubting the credibility of the machines. The EC on Friday had reassured Gujarat voters that it had put in place an elaborate framework of administrative systems, security protocols and procedural checks and balances to prevent any misuse of the machines or procedural lapses during voting. A television actor's car was vandalised after he refused a selfie with a group of people in Vijayanagar on Thursday night. Actor Deekshith Shetty, who has a prominent role in Nagini serial, has lodged a complaint with the Vijayanagar police. According to the police, the actor was returning home in Vijayanagar when a group of people stopped his car and attempted to take a selfie with him. When he refused, the enraged group of men pelted stones on his car and vandalised his vehicle. Shetty lodged a complaint with the Vijayanagar police. A gang of five armed men stormed into a bank in Mapusa and held its staff and customers hostage at gunpoint before decamping with Rs 13 lakh cash on Friday. People managed to catch two robbers, who were handed over to the police. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has sought a detailed report from the police. "A gang of five robbers entered the Indian Overseas Bank located in the heart of Mapusa city on Friday afternoon and attacked the manager, a clerk and a sweeper in the bank by taking the staff and customers hostage," a senior police official said. The robbers were armed with pistols and knives and fired in the air before robbing the bank, he said. "The belongings of the customers who were standing in the queue during the peak hours of the bank were also snatched away by them," the official added. According to the official, while two of the robbers were caught by the people, three others managed to flee with Rs 13 lakh cash. "The two robbers were caught 150 metres away from the bank and were badly beaten up by the people," he said. Police said the accused have been admitted to a hospital. "Right now their condition is such that they are not able to speak, which is why their statement is yet to be recorded," the police added. The police are on the lookout for three other accused. The daughter of a Ravi Belagere, a leading Kannada tabloid editor who was arrested for allegedly hiring a contract killer to eliminate his journalist colleague, today said that her father was "not guilty" and would come out of the case "safely". Belagere, who brings out 'Hai Bangalore', was arrested yesterday from his house here on charges of hiring a 'supari' killer from Vijayapura in north Karnataka to kill Sunil Heggaravalli. "No one has filed an FIR in this case based on a complaint filed by someone. It is a suo-motu case by the police based on Shahi's (the contract killer) statement. There is no meaning in it," Bhavana claimed. "I'm very confident, he (Belagere) is not guilty. He has not done anything and will be out of it safely very soon," she told reporters in Dharwad. Bhavana said that she has been advised by lawyers not to issue statements on the case and that the evidence, the police have is just a statement and the case cannot stand based on it. "My dad is a great man, he is a fighter, he will come out fighting," she added. Belagere was produced before a magistrate at his residence last night and was remanded in four days police custody. The police stumbled on the alleged plot when the contract killer, Shashidhar Mundewadi, was being questioned in connection with the probe into the killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead at her house by unidentified assailants here on September 5. Official sources said that the City Crime Branch was questioning Belagere. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, commenting on the case, said that the police would do their work according to the law. "I don't know. Police might have evidence, they will work according to the law," he said. Yesterday, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Kumar claimed that Mundewadi had stated during interrogation that Belagere gave him 'supari' to kill Heggaravalli Based on the inputs, Belagare was arrested and a pistol and a double barrel gun was seized from him, he had said. Kumar also said that Belagere wanted to kill Heggaravalli for "personal reasons" and that an FIR was registered at the Subrahmanyapura police station. Belagere was in news after the Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed a resolution sentencing him and Anil Raju, editor of tabloid 'Yelahanka Voice', to one year in jail. Fines of Rs 10,000 each was also imposed on them for their alleged defamatory articles against state legislators. The assembly had recently rejected a plea by both the journalists to reconsider its decision. On a petition by the journalists, the Karnataka High Court had earlier this week directed the assembly not to pursue the proceedings until further orders. Ukraine will always talk with Poland as a friend, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said. "We will always talk with our Polish friends as friends. On all issues, including the issue of our historical memory," he told reporters in Kyiv on Saturday. Klimkin reported that, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, currently there are almost 1 million Ukrainians in Poland. "We are really saving the Polish economy, because the Ukrainians work there ... So who saves whom? In this sense, we are saving the Polish economy," he said. The foreign minister noted that he knows cases when Ukrainians are offered a large salary in Poland, because they are "more flexible, very focused on what they are doing." The H D Kumaraswamy-led JD-S' efforts to establish a strong base in Bengaluru Urban district which has 28 assembly constituencies, ahead of the election, appears to be not yielding much results. Kumaraswamy, who held back-to-back meetings for three days recently with those aspiring to contest the election at the party office here, was left disappointed as he could not find strong candidates who can take on the BJP and the Congress. For some constituencies, there were hardly any aspirants for the JD(S) tickets. In case of others, the aspirants were found to be political greenhorns. Sources in the JD(S) said the party had received only 70 to 80 applications from the ticket aspirants for the 28 constituencies. Of this, the party has been able to shortlist candidates for about 15 constituencies, including Rajarajeshwarinagar, Hebbal, Byatarayanapura, Basavanagudi, Chamarajpet and Yeshwantpur. A majority of these candidates will be contesting the Assembly election for the first time. Ironically, the JD(S) had high hopes on Bengaluru Urban, which has the maximum number of Assembly seats. It had planned to win eight to 10 seats against three it had won in 2013 Chamarajpet, Pulakeshinagar and Mahalakshmi Layout. Winning maximum number of seats in Bengaluru is important for any party aiming to come to power. In fact, the JD(S) had been making earnest efforts to do away with its image as an agrarian party. It had been using social media platforms to woo the youth, especially techies. Kumaraswamy had organised a conference of his social media followers in Bengaluru last year. Besides, the party had, for the first time, formed booth-level committees, appointed presidents to the party units in each of the 28 constituencies and established the women's wing. The sources said Chamarajpet MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan and Pulakeshinagar MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy jumping ship to the Congress had dealt a big blow to the party. With them, a majority of the JD(S) workers in these constituencies too have hopped over to the ruling party. This apart, the JD(S) has been away from power for close to 10 years. So, it has been struggling to retain its support base, the sources said. JD(S) Rajya Sabha member Kupendra Reddy, who has been overseeing ticket distribution in Bengaluru, dismissed the suggestions that there were few takers for tickets in the district. "We have aspirants in all constituencies. The only reason that we haven't been able to finalise candidates in some of the constituencies is because there is stiff competition among the aspirants. This issue will be sorted soon, and we will announce names for all 28 constituencies," he added. Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil has said that the staff of the District Wenlcok Hospital should not compromise on the quality of services offered to patients. Speaking at Kayakalpotsava organised by the District Wenlock Hospital here on Saturday, he said that the Arogya Raksha Samithi of the hospital will ensure that quality drugs are purchased for patients in the hospital. There is a positive vibe in the district hospital in Mangaluru unlike other district hospitals in the state. "Amid the constraints of lack of facilities, there is a positive energy among the hospital staff. The services rendered by the paramedical and clinical staff of the hospital is commendable," he said. He called upon the staff not to forget the services offered to underprivileged and poor patients in the hospital. The DC also called upon the medical fraternity of Mangaluru to extend their support to the district Wenlock Hospital. District Wenlock Hospital Superintendent Dr Rajeshwari Devi H R said that the Government Wenlock Hospital, Mangaluru, has won a commendation award under Kayakalpa by the Union government. The Kayakalpa project was initiated under the Swacch Bharat movement in all district government hospitals, including Wenlock. Also, the internal Kayakalpa committee constituted within the hospital ensured that the entire staff of the hospital is engaged in implementing the mission. In fact, the district hospital had won a national award under the project in 2015-16. Stating that the Wenlock Hospital not only caters to the patients of Dakshina Kannada district, Dr Rajeshwari Devi said that patients from nearly eight districts including Gadag and Kasargod of Kerala too visit the hospital for treatment. She said that work on the 176-bed new wing of the hospital is in progress. The Arogya Raksha Samithi of the Hospital has given Rs 5 crore while Nabard has given Rs 10 crore for the new wing of the hospital. Further, the state government in its budget had announced Rs 10 crore to upgrade the district hospital into a regional hospital. The amount will be utilised for constructing another 100-bedded wing. The Regional Advanced Paediatric Care Centre (RAPCC) will be upgraded as Child Health Institute at a cost of Rs 3 crore earmarked by the state government. An action plan is being prepared to upgrade the facilities with special wards in RAPCC, she added. Dr Rathnakar administered eye donation pledge to the participants on the occasion. He said that following the direction of Zilla Panchayat CEO Dr M R Ravi, it has been decided to collect declarations from 10,000 persons to donate their eyes in the district, of which, already 8,000 declarations have been collected, he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi may visit Ramallah soon to strike a balance between India's traditional support to the cause of Palestine and its growing ties with Israel. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit India next month, New Delhi is also exploring possibilities of an early visit of Modi to Palestine, sources said on Saturday. India, of late, declined to toe the US line to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but refrained from reiterating its long-held view that eastern part of the holy city should be the capital of Palestine. After US President Donald Trump formally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, New Delhi stated that India's position on Palestine was not determined by any third country. Palestine's envoy to New Delhi, Adnan Abu Alhaijaa, recently said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's government was looking forward to hosting Prime Minister of India. Modi's visit to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in July sought to de-link India's relations with Israel and Palestine. Indian dignitaries visiting Israel in the past had made it a point to visit Palestine, too. The then President Pranab Mukherjee had visited both Israel and Palestine in October 2015. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, too, had visited Palestine after touring Israel in January 2016. Modi, however, did not add Palestine in his itinerary when he visited Israel. His visit to Israel was the first by a Prime Minister of India. India was the first non-Arab country to recognise Palestine way back in 1988. But New Delhi's growing ties with Israel after the BJP's ascent to power in May 2014, fuelled speculations about India reviewing its position on Palestine. The Modi government, however, made it clear that while India would continue to support the cause of Palestine, it would also seek to build stronger ties with Israel. The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to organise only education-related programmes in educational institutions. The directive from Justice N Kirubakaran came during the hearing of a petition from Kathirvel, who had urged the court to restrain authorities from organising an exhibition for 45 days in a government arts college in Tirupur to highlight the government's achievements and schemes. The judge, however, permitted the authorities to conduct the exhibition in the college subject to eight riders. Among the conditions the judge laid down included proper traffic management and levelling of the playground once the exhibition was over at Chikkanna Government Arts College. Also, 25 trees have to be planted by the government for every single tree that was cut, the judge ordered. He observed that the petitioner approached the court at the last minute, and said had he had done so in time, the result could have been different. Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted to the court that arrangements had been made for the exhibition and there cannot be any order restraining the authorities from organising the programme at the last minute. The judge said any educational institution should be allowed to function without interference from the government. The academic atmosphere has to be maintained and should not be vitiated, he said. If the government intends to hold an exhibition to demonstrate their achievements, the same can be done anywhere, except in educational institutions, Justice Kirubakaran said. Educational institutions are only for imparting education and no other activity should be undertaken either temporarily or permanently, he said. Only programmes with regard to education and incidental ones alone could be undertaken in the temple of learning, he said. Therefore, the government is directed not to organise any programme except those related to education in any of the educational institutions, whether schools or colleges or universities, the judge said. Even as the first phase of Gujarat elections are complete and campaigning for the second phase is on in full swing, both the BJP and the Congress are out to knock out each other's promises to voters. If Rahul Gandhi is questioning the much-touted "Gujarat model of development" at all his rallies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has broken his silence by launching his first major direct attack on the Patidar quota, which has been promised by the Congress to community leader Hardik Patel. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley too took to a Facebook post on Saturday to question the Congress' promise of a tax waiver of Rs 20,000 crore, which, he held, will bring down the effective revenue income of the state to Rs 70,000 crore from Rs 90,000 crore. The second phase of voting for the remaining 93 seats on December 14 will be crucial for both the parties to make up for their deficiencies in the first phase, which covered 89 constituencies. With Rahul Gandhi attacking the PM by saying that the issue of 'development' is missing from his speeches, Modi has made it a point to list almost every single big-ticket decision of his government at the Centre and when he was chief minister of Gujarat. Modi questioned the veracity of the Congress' assurance of reservation to the Patidar community. He did not mince words in saying that it would have to "snatch" the share of SCs, STs and OBCs to help the Patidars because of the 50% ceiling on quota in jobs and seats in educational institutions following the Supreme Court's judgement. He implied that the Congress had made similar "false promise" on Muslim quota in several states, including Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, which were later struck down by court. 3 infirmities Jaitley held that the Congress campaign in Gujarat suffered from three "infirmities." The first distinct aspect of the Congress campaign was that "it has clearly demolished its own state-level leadership and outsourced both its leadership and issues to those who had conventionally nothing to do with the party." Jaitley said "the second limb of the Congress campaign has been that the Gujarat model of development does not exist. This claim has been conclusively demolished by the recent data that Gujarat is the only State in India whose GDP grew by 10% during the period 2012-2017." Thirdly, Jaitley said, "The Supreme Court, since 1992, has repeatedly reemphasised that the net total of all reservation cannot exceed 50%. States which have attempted to breach this cap have faced constitutional resistance. A promise of reservation beyond 50% has been made by the Congress and the PAAS to the people of Gujarat." After the Mani Shankar Aiyar episode, the Congress found itself in the dock over comments by its youth wing worker from Jammu & Kashmir questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parentage. The little known Youth Congress functionary found himself at the centre of a controversy when Modi picked up his tweets and mentioned it at an election rally in Lunawada in Gujarat, prompting the Congress to disown its party worker. "Rahul Gandhi, son of Rajiv Gandhi. Sacrificed his life for India. Rahul Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi. Sacrificed her life for India. Rahul Gandhi, great grandson of Jawaharlal Nehru, fought for India's independence. Narendra Modi, son of ...? Grand son of ...," Nizami had said on Twitter. The BJP went ballistic over the remarks, targetting the Congress and accusing it of insulting Modi, the "son of the soil". "Rahul Gandhi's party is asking me who are my parents. The people of my country are my parents. I am the son of this soil, this Lunawada," Modi said. Referring to Nizami's purported tweets, Modi said the Congress leader had called for Azad Kashmir and said "har ghar se Afzal nikalega" (there will be an Afzal in every house). "He calls our Army rapists. Does Congress want to win election with the help of such people," Modi asked at a rally. As an immediate reaction, Nizami blocked access to his Twitter account and later said that his supposed "anti-national" tweets referred to by the prime minister were "fake" and that he had lodged a complaint with the police in 2015. Nizami who, asks Cong Finding itself cornered, Congress spokesperson Rajiv Shukla sought to distance the party from the controversy. "Nizami who? Is he your (Modi's) man? We don't know who this Nizami is. He does not hold any position in the party. We can also say that there is some random person Ram Lal in the BJP, who said something," Shukla said. The Nizami controversy came on the heels of the Congress suspending veteran leader Mani Shankar Aiyar from the party for making "distasteful" remarks against Modi. Rahul, who is set to take over as Congress President next week, directed the party spokespersons to refrain from making personal comments against the prime minister. When popular Kannada cine songs like 'Huttidare Kannada Nadalli Huttabeku' were sung with utmost involvement, not by a born Kannadiga, but by a Japanese, the audience there were had no other option but to be spellbound. An almost similar wonder was experienced when local students presented Japanese songs and dance in Japanese attire itself. Like many engineering students, they might also have a dream to get their dream job at Tokyo, but getting familiar with the Japanese culture was no doubt an exciting experience for these students also. It was not just about Kannada songs presented by a Japanese, and Japanese songs and dance presented by Kannadiga students. 'Japanotsava' held at the KLE Technological University (KLETU) in the City on Saturday had much more than a mere cultural exchange programme. It was also the occasion for 38 students of BE final year to celebrate the completion of their course to learn Japanese business conversion, along with an introduction to Japanese culture, which is part of language education. At the Indo-Japan cultural event held on the occasion of the valedictory of the first batch of 50-hour Japanese business conversation course, JCSS Consulting Private Limited head (Japan Desk) Kazumasa Kuboki, a Japanese who has learnt Kannada, came closer to the hearts of North Karnataka people by singing Dr Rajkumar starrer 'Akasmika' film's 'Huttidare Kannada Nadalli Huttabeku' song which was shot in Hubballi itself. He also presented 'Ide Nadu Ide Bhashe', 'Prema Chandrama Kaige Siguvude', and 'Elliruve Manava Kaduva Roopasiye', which are also popular Kannada film songs. KLETU students displayed the proximity with Japanese language and culture they have achieved during their course. Japanese song, Japanese dance, and ramp walk in traditional Japanese attire were the attractions. Outside the BT auditorium, the path was decorated with Japanese artefacts, and there were stalls on Japanese art forms like Origami, Shodo and Anime Cosplay, while Bonsai plants were also display. Visitors also had a chance to get their names written in Japanese language. Inauguration Earlier, at the inauguration of the event, Mr Kazumasa Kuboki stated that he developed interest in Indian languages and culture when he first visited India in 1968. "I am residing in Bengaluru since last 15 years, and I am learning Kannada, while I have become a Japanese-Kannadiga," he added. Bengaluru-based Sakuraa Nihongo Resource Centre Director Ananthapadmanabhan noted that students who have engineering skills and Japanese language skills would be in great demand. Psychiatrist Raveesh B N advised students to learn discipline, self-esteem, respect giving and development-oriented attitude from the Japanese. KLETU Registrar B L Desai also spoke. Shivarudra Trust founder president G S Mahagaonkar, KLETU student welfare dean Sanjay Kotabagi, and others were present. Former MLA Chandrakanth Bellad, KCCI President Ramesh Patil, IMA office-bearer V B Nitali, and others were among the audience. A former JD(S) corporator was chased down and brutally hacked to death in broad daylight by a gang of 15, just 200 metres from his house in Hegganahalli, North Bengaluru, on Saturday. Police suspect old political rivalry behind the murder. M B Govinde Gowda (58), who represented Hegganahalli in the BBMP council from 2010 to 2015, tried to dash into the Mathrushree Kalyana Mantapa but the assailants chased him down before hacking him with machetes and longs. The incident occurred between 5 pm and 5.30 pm, police said. Passersby took Gowda to a hospital in Sunkadakatte but he died on the way. Meanwhile, the jurisdictional Rajagopalanagar police rushed to the spot and conducted an inspection. They opened a case of murder after Gowda's family filed a complaint. Police suspect the murder stemmed from the violent rivalry between two gangs. In November 2016, Gowda and his wife, Varamahalakshmi (48), were arrested for hiring a gang of supari killers to eliminate their rival, Chikkathimme Gowda, a local BJP leader. Chikkathimme Gowda was once an associate of Govinde Gowda's and had helped him win the BBMP election in 2010. But in 2015, he joined the BJP and ensured the defeat of Varamahalakshmi, who had contested the polls on the JD(S) ticket. The couple reportedly vowed to eliminate him. Police said Chikkathimme Gowda's killing was carried out at the behest of Govinde Gowda. They arrested the couple who later came out on bail. Police suspect the rival gang planned and carried out the murderous attack on Govinde Gowda. DCP (North) Chethan Rathor Singh said: "We have definite clues about the assailants and are tracking them. We are also verifying the exact number of assailants." DH News Service Bengaluru flyovers are constructed only to be demolished or redesigned later. This has come to the fore once again with the Jayadeva flyover scheduled to be demolished soon for a Metro line on the same path. Many feel that such mega projects should be meticulously planned to avoid disasters as it involves human resource, time and money. DH speaks to a cross-section of Bengalureans to ascertain their views on such unplanned projects. One of them, Manjunath Basavaraju, Regional Procurement Manager, Danske IT opines that flyovers in the city have been built unscientifically. He explains, "A few of them are too small while others are lengthy without proper planning. They are not built to ease traffic along a stretch but only to decongest a specific intersection. This is wrong. These flyovers should be built with an intention to decongest multiple intersections on a long stretch. The entry and exit points should have enough room for motorists to pass through." Basavaraju also laments that these flyovers are not strategically planned for a long-term with an option to expand the capacity if needed. "We build these flyovers but restrict ourselves from future enhancements. Instead of multiple smaller and manageable jams, they create large unmanageable jams. Now there are traffic jams even on the flyovers," he points out. Flyovers are expensive to build. "Installing synchronized signals and recruiting traffic policemen will cost far less. Most of the flyovers make it difficult for pedestrians to cross." The Jayadeva flyover cost Rs 21 crore in 2006. "Within a decade, it is scheduled for demolition. It clearly shows how the civic bodies BBMP, BDA and BMRCL are unorganized and unplanned. The coordination should be improved a great deal," he says. HSR Layout resident V Jayakumar does not find any purpose in building flyovers. He explains, "When the BDA or BBMP planned to construct the flyovers, livelihoods of many people went for a toss, especially street vendors. Such flyovers do not serve any purpose as the problems of traffic have remained unresolved," he notes. When planners are involved in the design process, he says they should consider the population for the next 20 a 30 years down the lane. "This is where they have failed. Right now, they just think of shifting the bottlenecks to elsewhere, which is a temporary solution." In the case of Jayadeva flyover, he says, "BMRCL has already got the permission to demolish it, but, no one thinks about the cost and time involved in it. Our hard earned money which we pay through tax is taken for granted. If there was proper communication among the civic agencies, the demolition could have been avoided. The commuters travelling to Electronics City are using it and now, with the demolition plan, it would be chaos during peak hours." He suggests taking help of good urban planners with sound knowledge of sustainable development for the city. "They will have the data analytics to address many issues such as population, numbers of vehicles on road and traffic management. That way, we can have an intelligent solution to plan a better city for the future." On Sirsi flyover, Mahalakshmi, Executive Assistant, Janalakshmi Financial Services has this to say: "This project on Mysuru Road takes the credit of being the first. But poor maintenance has made commuting on the flyover a nightmare for people. Any flyovers needs timely upkeep." Teacher Sarala feels that poor planning of flyovers is a major hurdle for development. "Richmond flyover on Double Road that connects Residency Road is helpful, but, is not well-planned. Though it is two-way, the road is very narrow leading to traffic snarls during peak hours," she notes. She belives that traffic issue is an engineering problem. "Design flaws will certainly lead to congestion on a flyover. Once the design is in place, everything will fall in place. Building a number of flyovers does not matter, what matters is how useful are they to common man." Tabloid editor Ravi Belagere, arrested on Friday, denied he had hired a killer to eliminate his colleague Sunil Heggaravalli. "I groomed him. He was a member of my family for 15 years. Why would I want him dead?" is what he told the police on Saturday. The police took Belagere into custody on December 8, soon after the arrest of Shashidhar Mundewadi, whom they describe as a contract killer. Sources privy to the investigation told DH a team, headed by DCP Jinendra Kanagavi, asked Belagere specific questions: "Why did you conspire to kill Sunil Heggaravalli? How do you know Shashidhar Mundewadi? How much did you promise to pay him?" Belagere flatly denied all the charges. "If Heggaravalli had cheated me, I would have slapped him and counselled him. I had the liberty. He is no big rival that I had to kill him," a source quoted Belagere as saying. Belagere is housed at the office of ACP Subramanya. He has been provided a bed and a chair. A doctor is on standby to check his condition every two hours, a source said. Meanwhile, the Central Crime Branch on Saturday continued searches on premises owned by Belagere. A team visited his farm house in Joida in Uttara Kannada district, while another searched a building in Rajarajeshwari Nagar and seized some documents, according to Kanagavi. A house named Hima Belegere in Pattanagere in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, where Belagere's second wife Yashomathi lives, was also searched. The police said the house was searched in her presence and a statement was obtained from her. Gauri Lankesh murder The police are also questioning Mundewadi in connection with the sensational shooting of journalist Gauri Lankesh. Call records of his phone show he was in touch with gun runners in Goa and Maharashtra, police said. Mundewadi was arrested by the Maharashtra Police on September 14 in connection with an arms case. The police hope to get leads from him on sharpshooters and weapon dealers to crack the Gauri case, sources said. Meanwhile, police in Vijayapura are looking for Mundewadi's accomplice Viji Badiger, who had visited Belagere on October 28. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin expects that the exchange of hostages will take place in the coming weeks and will comprise the maximum possible number of Ukrainian citizens. "Now there are ongoing consultations as regards when and what way [they will be exchanged] ... I deliberately won't unveil any details and I apologize, this is a very sensitive process and any word that can be wrongly interpreted, can prevent it. We very much hope that this will happen in the coming weeks. I won't tell about a more exact date and very much hope that this will be extended to the maximum possible number (hostages)," he told reporters in Kyiv on Saturday. The foreign minister said that there are legal aspects in the matter of exchanging hostages. He recalled that he spoke about this with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Vienna. "I wanted to discuss them [legal issues] with Lavrov, since if this legal aspect is used by somebody to interfere with this process, it will be a real harm," Klimkin said. He recalled that some of the citizens imprisoned in the territory controlled by Ukraine do not want to return to the occupied territories, "therefore there must be some verification procedure, and it must be done with the help of our international friends, international bodies, the way it will be done , where there is a role of the OSCE, of the International Red Cross." Here's Why Tanushree Dutta Could Not Attend Sister Ishita Dutta's Wedding With Vatsal Sheth! Delhi's Taj Mansingh, two other premium hotels put up for auction The national capital will soon see the auction of three premium hotels, including the iconic Taj Mansingh, after the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) decided to grant licence for the properties for a further 33 years. The minimum reserve price for Taj Mansingh has been fixed at Rs32.2 crore, while the reserve prices for Hotel Connaught and Asian Hotel have been fixed at Rs49 lakh and Rs9.9 lakh, respectively. The long overdue decision to auction the licence for the hotels was taken at meeting of NDMC which met in September under chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. The lease period of the hotel properties had expired in 2011 and, according to NDMC vice chairman Karan Singh Tanwar, the expiry of the lease period had led to a legal battle with the owners as the council wanted to put up the hotels for auction. The decision to auction Taj Mansingh was taken after the end of a six-year-long battle between NDMC and Tata Group. However, no action was taken on auctioning the property as the NDMC was entangled in a legal battle with Tata Group's Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). Taj Mansingh was given to Tata Group's Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) on a lease and had operated the hotel for 39 years. The company had since approached Delhi high court when NDMC decided to auction the hotel. "The company's plea was dismissed last year," said Tanwar. IHCL moved Supreme Court last year against the order. "The court asked us to review our decision and we decided to auction the hotel," said Tanwar. The lease period of Hotel Connaught had expired in 1995 and NDMC had sealed the property in May 2016. The lease of Hotel Asian had expired in 2007 after which its lease was extended temporarily. As per norms, the council revises the license fee after the licence period of 33 years. As per the NDMC, the minimum reserve price for bidders is decided on the basis of 17.25 percent of the gross revenue of the hotel. NDMC expects some serious bidding for the iconic Taj Mansingh Hotel located in Delhi's prime location Lutyens area. Hotel Asian was auctioned in January with final bid fetching Rs45 lakh as the monthly licence fee. But, the deal couldn't be finalised, leading to fresh auctioning of the property. The lease of Hotel Asian expired in 2007 after which the owner got a temporary extension. In May 2016 NDMC had sealed Hotel Connaught whose lease had been terminated in 1995 after it was found to be violating the terms of the lease. The GAA in Donegal has been given a welcome pre-Christmas boost, with the imminent announcement of a substantial grant to help advance the Training Centre in Convoy. The announcement was made in an emotional, eloquent and memorable final speech from county chairman Sean Dunnion, who was given a heartfelt standing ovation when he finished his 18- minute speech at the GAA Co. Convention in Jacksons Hotel, Ballybofey on Friday night. The chairman said he was delighted to make the announcement that he only heard about at 6 pm on Friday evening. It came after a meeting that he, Cieran Kelly county treasurer and county development Officer David McLoone had with Croke Park official in presenting plans to source more investment in the Convoy project. He added that their proposals had been forensically examined but were now being put to the Croke Park Management Committee for expected approval Dunnion said he hoped that the building would rise up out of the ground in 2018 and be available for use then at some time in 2019. Some of you will be aware that the County Development Officer a few weeks ago presented the National Infrastructure Committee with an update on the building project which was very well received. "This was followed up on Thursday evening when myself, the county treasurer and the county development officer made a very detailed presentation which was forensically examined. As of this evening (Friday) I am delighted to report that the Director of Finance in Croke Park has assured us that there is a recommendation going to the Management Committee next weekend of a substantial grant coming towards the building of the Training Centre and we are absolutely delighted. Elsewhere, Dunnion said that county chairmen and GAA volunteers generally faced challenges that could be very stressful nowadays. It is different nowadays where we live in this digital age where everybody and anybody has an instant opinion on what they see on digital platforms and social media. As somebody said to me recently, at leat when a major issue arose back ten years ago, you usually had three or four days to get it resolved before the next newspaper hit the shelves and it became public knowledge. Now almost everything seems to make it into the public domain and ends up being debated relentlessly for a number of days. He added: Unfortunately this increased the strain on volunteers who are trying to manage difficult situations under extreme scrutiny. And he asked the question, did I leave Donegal GAA in a better place than when I came in to the role in December 2012.? Yes I believe I did. Financially 2017 has been a very successful year, despite the many challenges outlined by the county treasurer. Any year that you break even on an expenditure budget of approximately 5m is a good year. And I am thankful that we have been able to accomplish that over the past five years. He also praised the growing association between the GAA in Donegal and Letterkenny IT. He said it was a relationship that should be nurtured. On a more sombre note he slammed the abuse directed towards ex Donegal team manager Rory Gallagher following the countys heavy defeat to Galway in the All-Ireland Qualifiers. It would be remiss of me not to mention the days immediately following our exit from the All-Ireland series with that defeat against Galway. The level of abuse directed towards our players but mostly towards our former team manager Rory Gallagher and indeed his family primarily on digital and social media channels was absolutely disgusting and should not be tolerated in what is supposed to be a modern mature society. It was truly shocking. But the most memorable part of this seminal speech was a sentence that really defined the respectful Four Masters clubman. For if the definition of a gentleman is one who tries to inflict the least possible pain on others, Sean Dunnion ticked all boxes. He added that he was always struck by the respect that clubs had for him when he attended their events. I believe that respect should be a core value in every walk of life and I hope and trust that I afforded the level of respect to everybody that I dealt with during my term that they would have expected from me. "I have a simple enough philosophy that if somebody calls me or texts me it must be of sufficient importance to them to warrant a call or a text back at the earliest possible opportunity. Respect indeed! The Enterprise Police Department said Friday that no report of an attempted abduction of a child at the Enterprise Walmart has been made to authorities there or evidence found of a crime, despite what is circulating on social media. A news release from EPD Captain Michael Moore said no report has been made to the department, no victim has been identified, and no evidence has been discovered as to proof of the claim during an investigation of the social-media post. The post, which was sent in a message to The Ledgers Facebook page on Thursday, alleges that a man took a womans baby from a buggy in the Walmart parking lot, claiming the child was his. The woman caught the man, fought him off, reclaimed her child and went into the story to call the police, the post further claims. The EPD said anyone with more information on the alleged incident can call 334-347-2222. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin is sure that Ukraine and Hungary will find a solution to the language problem. "Hungarians should get all the chances in the civil service, in politics, which is already clear to our Hungarian partners. But there are certainly some nuances in domestic politics, but I am sure that we will agree. Hungarian education remains, but a part of the subjects will be taught in the Ukrainian language," he told reporters in Kyiv on Saturday. The foreign minister said that everyone should know the Ukrainian language and understand in which country he lives. As reported, the Ukrainian law on education came into force on September 28. Among other things, the law stipulates that the state language is a language of learning at educational institutions, but one or several subjects in two or more languages, namely, the state language, English and other European Union official languages can be taught in compliance with the educational program. People, who belong to ethnic minorities, are guaranteed the right for learning in the native language along with the Ukrainian language in separate groups of municipal pre-school and primary school institutions. On September 28, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sent the education law for examination by the Venice Commission. The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 26 announced the intention of the country to block the rapprochement between Ukraine and the EU because of the law on education. On December 8, the Education Ministry reported that the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission) not supported Hungary's accusation of narrowing the rights of national minorities in the article on the language of instruction in the Law of Ukraine "On Education." "Therefore, Hungary's accusations are not supported," the ministry said in a statement. Marianna Chapel Funeral Home 3960 Lafayette Street Marianna, FL 32446 Phone: (850) 526-5059 www.mariannachapelfh.com Bill Duncan was born in Toledo, Ohio on June 20, 1936, and he passed away on November 27, 2017. Bill played in the Duncan Downbeats Band, which helped support him through college. He attended The University of Michigan for two years. He received his business degree after two years at Detroit University. Bill became employed with the Government in the U.S. Customs Office in Detroit, Michigan. While working for U.S. Customs in Philadelphia he went to Temple University Law School. He became District Director in Saint Louis, Missouri. After fourteen years, Bill transferred to Washington, D.C. in the International Division of Customs. While in the International Division, Bill designed a program to train other countries how to computerize their customs. He implemented his program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia where numerous foreign governments received instruction in computerizing their customs systems. Bill is survived by one brother Jack Duncan, and one sister Diane Bieber both from Michigan. Bill was married to Mary F. Duncan on January 18, 1958. They had three children; Bill A. Duncan and wife Karen of Arnold, Missouri, Kathryn Werner and husband Bill R. of Nashville, Tennessee, Elizabeth Marsella and husband Dr. Richard Marsella of Crawfordville, Florida. Bill and Mary have seven grandchildren; Tina, Mary, Robert, Richard, Joshua, Nathan, and Brianna, one great grandchild, Maxton. Bill and Mary are members of Ascension Lutheran Church. He was a member of the Marianna Lions Club, and the AARP Tax Free group for Marianna for a number of years. A Memorial service for Bill will be held 11:00 A.M., Monday, December 11, 2017 in the Ascension Lutheran Church with Reverend Steve Mazzaferru officiating. Family will accept flowers or you may make donations to Ascension Lutheran Church at 3975 Hwy 90, Marianna, Florida 32446 Marianna Chapel Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Expressions of sympathy may be submitted online at www.mariannachapelfh.com. Christmas came a little early for Ranelle Gillis at Cloverdale Elementary School Friday. Gillis didnt quite know what to expect when she was called up to the front during a school assembly, but burst into a wide smile when she saw her father, Army Sgt. Randy Gillis, enter the school cafeteria. Gillis has been stationed in Honduras for about a year. Gillis said he was overwhelmed by Fridays assembly at Cloverdale. Im excited, he said. I wasnt really expecting all this. I just wanted to pick her up. Ranelle, a kindergarten student at Cloverdale, didnt have much to say. She hugged her father tight, pleased that he was home for the holiday season. Principal Christy Martin said she was pleased to give Gillis a big homecoming. Martin said the event illustrated the sacrifices military personnel make to serve their country. I was really excited about our kids being able to see this, she said. Martin said the event was emotional for school staff. I teared up I dont know how I got through the announcement, she said. According to the Department of Defense, about 200,000 troops are currently serving overseas in about 177 countries. About 1.1 million active duty troops are serving in the U.S. Giuli Alasania, the mother of Mikheil Saakashvili, former Georgian president, ex-head of the Odesa region, and leader of the Ukrainian opposition party, the Movement of New Forces, said she believes her son was detained illegally in Kyiv. "His detention is absolutely illegal," the Georgian media cited Alasania as saying on Saturday. She said she believes that the Ukrainian authorities "while doing so, still have claims" to be democratic and aspire to join the European Union. She said she is ready to come to Ukraine only if it is necessary and she is requested to do so. "I will not go on my own initiative to avoid interfering. I will do what the matter requires," she said. Commenting on Saakashvili's health condition, Alasania said she has little information and she only knows that he has a bad cold. She said she does not rule out him having pneumonia. According to the Georgian media, Saakashvili's wife Sandra Roelofs said earlier on Saturday that she believes her husband's detention in Kyiv is "politically motivated." "He has been threatened since he joined the opposition about a year ago. Despite those threats, he still decided to return from Poland to Ukraine and continue fighting, "the media cited her as saying. The goal of the Ukrainian authorities is silencing Saakashvili, Roelofs said. "It won't work. Ukrainians with international support will surely confirm that such treatment of political opponents is unacceptable and illegal," she said. As reported, Saakashvili has been detained on Friday evening. He is charged with aiding and abetting to members of criminal groups and concealing their criminal activities and is facing from five to ten years of imprisonment. Saakashvili is currently being held in a temporary detention facility of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) in Kyiv. The court is to impose a restrictive measure on him within 72 hours. Georgian Foreign Ministry says it has no contacts with Kyiv on Saakashvili case Georgian Foreign Ministry says it has no contacts with Kyiv on Saakashvili case TBILISI. Dec 9 (Interfax) - Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze said that there had been no contacts with the Ukrainian foreign ministry regarding the detention of ex-Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in Kyiv. "The cooperation of Georgia and Ukraine on this issue [the minister was asked about the possible extradition of Saakashvili to Georgia] is limited by the legal framework. If there are contacts on this issue, they are conducted by the relevant departments," Janelidze told reporters on Saturday. Earlier, Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani told reporters that the Ministry of Justice and the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine had been ordered to detain and extradite Saakashvili from Kyiv to Tbilisi, where he was charged with several crimes. Currently, the Tbilisi City Court is considering the case of Saakashvili's excess of authority as the president of Georgia. In particular, it is a question of his order on the early release of four policemen convicted on charges of murdering Bank of Georgia employee Sandro Girgvliani in 2006. The court also considers criminal cases against Saakashvili in embezzlement of public funds, orders for the violent disrupting of the opposition rally in Tbilisi in 2007 and the seizure of the Imedi TV company building. Earlier, the Tbilisi City Court ruled on the arrest and pretrial detention of Saakashvili in the event of his appearance on the territory of Georgia. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin has said that the West considers the detention of the leader of the New Forces Movement party, ex-head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, ex-President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, an internal affair of Ukraine. "... This is Ukrainian business: go about your business, but do it within the legal field. It's very simple, but you will not hear any official unusual reaction, because they [Europe] understand how this should be done. And always, when we say that we have a European society, a European country, it implies that we have the rule of law. It's very simple," Klimkin told reporters in Kyiv on Saturday, commenting on the situation around Saakashvili. As reported, Saakashvili was detained late on Friday, December 8. The case on Saakashvili was opened pursuant to Part 2 of Article 256 of the Criminal Code (assistance to participants of criminal organizations and concealment of their criminal activity), which envisages from five to ten years of imprisonment. Saakashvili is placed in temporary detention facility of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv. He announced an indefinite hunger strike. Elizabeth Green, the founder of Chalkbeat, an online education site, is out with a fawning, sycophantic puff piece on Eva Moskowitz, the leader of the Success Academy network of charter schools in New York City. Some of my favorite edubloggers have already responded with their thoughts (Peter Greene, aka Curmudgication; Mercedes Schneider here), so Ill make my comments on this article brief Eva Moskowitz is not an education leader. When your approach to teaching children is based on union busting; hiring unqualified, uncertified edutourists instead of real teachers; draconian and abusive disciplinary policies; and substituting canned curricula and standardized test prep for actual curriculum content taught creatively and relevantly by certified professionals who are committed to their careers, youre not a school leader. Youre a school arsonist. Whether you like it or not, Evaand Elizabethcharters are *technically* public schools. So if you want to congratulate yourselves on this bold new experiment in saving education, try doing it without public tax dollars, then get back to me. Im still trying to understand whats so innovative about Ms. Moskowitzs approach to teaching. Is it innovative for your model teachers to scream at little kids when they act likelittle kids? Is it innovative to expel more students of color than your neighborhood public schools do? Is it innovative to be against poor kidsget(ting) medical, nutritional and other services at school? Im struggling with how anyone, including Ms. Green, could consider Eva Moskowitzs approach at Success Academy to be innovativebut then, Ive only been teaching for 37 years, and attended a state university for my undergraduate degree in education. I am beyond tiredbeyond exhausted, reallyof persons who have never taught anyone anything lecturing the rest of us who have about what we are doing wrong, how stupid we are, how lazy we are, and how they know better than we do when it comes to everything about teaching and learning. How about this, Eva and Elizabeth?instead of pontificating about things you are equally arrogant and ignorant of, why dont you each go back to school, get an education degree, or two, or three, get certified, do an internship (for freein fact, pay a bunch of money to do so), or two, or three, then see if you can find a job in a school. Then, teach.I dont care what you teach; what grade level; what subject. But stick it out for at least a school year. Write your lesson plans. Grade your papers and projects. Go to all of those grade level meetings, and IEP meetings, and school board meetings, and budget negotiation meetings, and union meetings, and curriculum revision meetings, and curriculum re-revision meetings, and teacher evaluation meetings, and special area meetings, and state department of education meetings, and professional development in-services, and parent-teacher conferences, and open houses, and attend all those concerts, and football games, and dance recitals, and basketball games, and soccer matches, and lacrosse games, and honor band concerts, and school musicals, and tennis matches, and plays, and debates, and quiz bowl competitions, and marching band shows, and cheerleading competitions, and swim meets.Then do it all 10, or 20, or 30 more times, and let me know how you feel about someone who never did ANY of these things, even for a few lessons, telling you how stupid, and lazy you are, and how youre being a defender of the status quo if youre not really excited to immediately implement their radical, disruptive ideas about how to save public education. If this quote doesnt raise your eyebrows, something is wrong with you: I had visited impressive schools before, but none quite like this one. The kids, who congregated in a corner of a large public-school building on West 118th Street. Heres whywhat Ms. Green is describing here is known as co-location. This is the practice of a charter school setting up shop in a traditional public school (TPS), taking advantage of the school districts facilities, utilities, maintenance staff, and other services, and then often expelling the kids who are more difficult (read: expensive) to teach, sending them back to the TPS, and keeping those sweet, delicious public tax dollars. Dont believe this happens? Read on In addition to having a greater ability to be selective in admitting students, charters also have a much greater ability to aggressively counsel out students who are performing worse. A study by the citys Independent Budget Office found that 80% of charter school students with special needs left the school within three years, compared to 50% of their traditional public school counterparts, raising the question over whether charters pushed out these students. Some parents of charter school special needs students say their children did not get state-mandated help, which charter schools deny or sometimes argue is due to a lack of resources, but skeptics think is done to intentionally sabotage these students so they will transfer out before they can drag down student test score averages. Treating young black and Hispanic children as interchangeable widgets (Eva can call them scholars all she likes, but if you check out some video of how Success Academy teachers treat their students, youll think widgets, too), stamping out any shred of excitement about learning, and replacing natural curiosity and exuberance with regimentation, unnecessary strictness, and military-like rules and regulations, is not a classroom management approachits institutionalized racism. Pure and simple. How big should Success get? She doesnt specify, but says that maybe a public school system consisting principally of charter schools would be an improvement. Um, maybe ask the folks in New Orleans and Detroit how thats worked out for them, Elizabeth. I mean, its not like we dont know that these Achievement School Districts, or portfolio management school systems have been a disaster wherever theyve been tried. Why the lies? Ms. Green writes this sentence, which disqualifies her from further consideration of credibility: Of all the reforms that have set out to free schools from this trap, to date Ive seen only one that works: the implementation of charter-school networks. If Ms. Moskowitzs charter network has been so successful, why hasnt it been scaled up (another bit of charter jargon I really hate) successfully in other places? Because it doesnt workit actively targets children of color and expels these students disproportionatelyand it isnt actually working in NYC, either Pet Peeve #43: Dont use the term teacher training. We train dogs; we prepare teachers. When you use that term it tells us you dont have any idea what youre talking about, and have zero respect for teachers or the profession of teaching. Just stop it. Thats all for now. Im off to dream up my radical new solutions to our countrys failing* health care, intelligence, and military systems. I dont have a scintilla of experience in any of these disciplines, but who knows? Maybe The Atlantic will publish my articles, too! * not really failing President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has discussed with the Speaker of Seimas of Lithuania Viktoras Pranckietis the issues of counteraction to Russian aggression, as well as the application and strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation, the presidential website has reported. "During the meeting, the necessity of further counteraction to Russia's aggressive actions was emphasized, first of all, by continuing to apply and reinforce the relevant EU sanctions. The Ukrainian president thanked for the decisive position of the Seimas of Lithuania regarding the support of European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine," the message reads. In addition, during the meeting, the issue of practical implementation of the initiative of the Lithuanian Parliament 'New European Plan for Ukraine' was discussed. Lithuania ready to support Ukraine, realizing unity of geopolitical space, common threats chief of Lithuanian Armed Forces at meeting with NSDC chief Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov and Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Lithuania Jonas Vytautas Zukas have discussed the situation in the east of Ukraine, which has developed as a result of Russia's aggression, as well as further cooperation between the two countries in a number of areas. "Lithuania's help is extremely important and valuable to us," the press service of the NSDC quoted Turchynov as saying on Friday. He also said that Lithuania has always been one of the most reliable friends of Ukraine. "We felt the support of Lithuania during the Revolution of Dignity and from the first days of Russian aggression," he added. In his turn, Zukas emphasized the importance for Lithuania to cooperate with Ukraine: "We understand where the destiny of Europe is being solved now." Thanking the NSDC Secretary for cooperation, the Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Lithuania stressed that his country "understands that we must jointly defend our common values." "We are always ready to support Ukraine because we understand that we have a single geopolitical space and common threats," he said. When discussing the situation in the east of Ukraine, Turchynov said that "Russian hybrid troops keep up conducting aggression in Donbas." Moreover, the issues of countering cyber aggression, reforming the Ukrainian security and defense sector, the experience of the transition of the Lithuanian Armed Forces to NATO standards, cooperation in strategic communications and intensifying the activities of the joint Ukrainian-Lithuanian-Polish Brigade were also considered. Ex-President of Georgia, leader of the New Forces Movement party, Mikheil Saakashvili, was detained on Friday in the apartment of former head of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Luhansk region Yuriy Pokynboroda, Director of the Interior Ministry's media liaison office Artem Shevchenko has reported. "For information of the media: Colonel Yuriy Pokynboroda, at whose apartment, Saakashvili, the wanted and suspected stateless person was detained without resistance. Pokynboroda was dismissed five months ago from the ranks of the National Police for staff reduction," Shevchenko wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday. According to him, Pokynbroda "really headed the police of Luhansk region last winter, but at present he is not a current employee of law enforcement agencies." Pokynboroda posted a video message, in which he confirmed the detention of Saakashvili in his apartment. He claims that he has nothing to do with the arrest. Pokynboroda also fears for his life. "Now I'm free because I expect someone will kill me in revenge for the arrest of Misha," he said. As reported, Saakashvili was detained late on Friday, December 8. The case on Saakashvili was opened pursuant to Part 2 of Article 256 of the Criminal Code (assistance to participants of criminal organizations and concealment of their criminal activity), which envisages from five to ten years of imprisonment. Saakashvili is placed in temporary detention facility of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv. He announced an indefinite hunger strike. The court must choose a measure of restraint for Saakashvili within 72 hours. Kourtney Kardashian first stepped out with Younes Bendjima in Paris last year but on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she has yet to confirm their romance. While the couple has been photographed kissing and holding hands in recent months, 38-year-old Kardashian continues to play coy about the nature of their relationship with her sisters. That said, a confirmation may be seen sooner rather than later -- at least if Kim and Khloe Kardashian get their way. In a sneak peek at this Sunday night's new episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians season 14, Kim and Khloe attempt to trick Kourtney into coming clean about her romance with 24-year-old Bendjima by telling her that they are setting her up on a "date." Oh my god, we have the most perfect guy for you, Kim is seen telling her older sister, Kourtney, during a FaceTime session, via a Hollywood Life report on Dec. 7. Okay, hes tall, he has the best body, and he has two kids. He has like a 12-pack and big muscles, Khloe adds. As for their ideal date for Kourtney Kardashian, it is ultimately revealed that the two women were talking about Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, who is currently married to actress Elsa Pataky. However, the marriage isn't mentioned. Instead, Kardashian shuts down her sister's dating idea and says that she doesn't go on dates and is "too busy" to do any such thing. But we noticed you were out with a certain someone, Kim continues. As Kim points out, Kardashian has been spotted on and off with Bendjima for some time. That said, Kardashian fails to acknowledge who exactly Bendjima is to her when Khloe asks if he is her boyfriend. So you hang out with this guy but you wont validate anything to us? Thats weird, Khloe points out. Kardashian previously said that Bendjima was with her when her sister was robbed in Paris and even admitted that he helped her through the ordeal because he is fluent in French. Kardashian began spending time with Bendjima after her rumored romance with Justin Bieber, 23, came to an end last summer. To see more of Kourtney Kardashian and her family, including her three kids, Mason, Penelope, and Reign, tune into new episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians season 14 on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on the E! Network. Film icon Woody Allen has a new supporter that is sticking up for him: Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet. The Oscar-winning actress stepped up to defend her Wagon Wheel director as Allen's estranged daughter, Dylan Farrow, called out actresses who worked with the controversial film icon. Woody's Feminine Side Winslet has been vocal regarding how Allen understands the empowered female characters that he has created throughout his numerous films. "His female characters are always so rich and large and honest in terms of how they're feeling, and he just knows how to write dialogue for them to communicate that," said Winslet. Several of Allen's past films such as 2008's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 2009's Midnight in Paris, and 2013's Blue Jasmine featured a robust woman who commanded the screen. Actresses such as Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, and Cate Blanchett earned critical acclaim for embracing Allen's complex characters. "I think on some level that Woody is a woman," said Winslet. "I just think he's very in touch with that side of himself. He understands the characters he creates exceptionally well." The Titanic and Steve Jobs actress walked into a hornet's nest as several fans questioned Winslet's willingness to act in one of Allen's movies after Farrow's 2014 revelations that the Annie Hall actor and director molested her as a young girl. "It's just a difficult discussion. I'd rather respectfully not enter it today," said Winslet. Farrow's War of Words Winslet's comments come after Dylan Farrow's harsh op-ed in the Los Angeles Times where she harshly critiqued Winslet, Blake Lively, and Greta Gerwig for still working with her father when they have severed their ties to disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. "Although the culture seems to be shifting rapidly, my allegation is apparently still just too complicated," wrote Farrow. "It breaks my heart when women and men I admire work with Allen, then refuse to answer questions about it." Farrow did praise the MeToo Movement, which empowered women and men to come forward with their accusations and earned TIME Magazine's Person of the Year Award. "From allegations against studio heads and journalists to hotel maids recounting abuses on the job, women are exposing the truth and men are losing their jobs," Farrow explained. "But the revolution has been selective." Allen has adamantly denied Farrow's claims. The cause of the untimely death of young rapper, Lil Peep, has been released to the public. Over three weeks after reports of his death, the Pima County Medical Examiner has released the toxicology report that reveals that Peep (born Gustav Ahr) died from an overdose of Fentanyl and Xanax. The report also confirmed that the death was accidental. A Deadly Mix While fairly safe to use, Fentanyl and Alprazolam are a dangerous mix. Alprazolam, the generic name of Xanax, is a well-known anti-anxiety drug. According to Drugs.com, mixing fentanyl with alprazolam (and other drugs that cause central nervous system depression) is fatal. Other side effects include respiratory distress and coma. At the time of his death, Lil Peep's older brother, Karl Aher, suspected that the pill the rapper took might have been laced. "We [the family] have heard there was some sort of substance he did not expect to be involved in the substance he was taking," Oskar told People. "He thought he could take what he did, but he had been given something and he didn't realize what it was." He also mentioned that his brother, Karl, had a healthy relationship with drugs. Moreover, there was no reason for the rapper, who was also a model and fashion icon, to take his own life. "He was super happy with where he was in life," Oskar added. Authorities found drug paraphernalia and evidence of an overdose at the scene. No foul play was suspected. Drug Cocktail TMZ reported that the medical examiner also found traces of other recreational drugs in his system. Lil Peep tested positive for marijuana and cocaine. The YouTube star also tested positive for the painkiller Tramadol and other powerful opiates such as Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone, and Oxymorphone. The medical examiner, however, did not find any traces of alcohol in his system at the time of his death. Untimely Death Lil Peep was found lifeless inside his tour bus on Nov. 16, hours before he was scheduled to perform at a nightclub in Tucson, Arizona. He was laid to rest in a quiet memorial held in his hometown of Long Beach, California on Dec. 12. The music industry is mourning the untimely death of the emerging rapper who, a few months ago, has released his first and only studio album, Come Over When You're Sober (Part One). Fellow musicians such as Diplo, Sam Smith, and Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy have paid tribute to the young artist. His ex-girlfriend, actress Bella Thorne, also expressed her grief on her personal Twitter and Instagram accounts. A slew of celebrities has been forced to evacuate their homes amid the raging wildfires in Southern California. A Thousand others have sought refuge at various shelters in and around the area. Which Celebrities Evacuated Their Homes? Glee alum Lea Michele was one of the first celebrities to announce that she has evacuated her home in the wake of the massive fire. The 31-year-old actress packed her stuff and went straight to her friend's house. Paris Hilton also left her home temporarily and the reality TV star shared a video of the fire that can be seen from the highway. Hilton thanked all of the firefighters who helped her and all of her pets out of the house safely. This wild fire in LA is terrifying! My house is now being evacuated to get all of my pets out of there safely. Thank you to all the firefighters who are risking their lives to save ours. You are true heroes! pic.twitter.com/6uYBUh1pjV Paris Hilton (@ParisHilton) December 6, 2017 Ariana Grande's mom, Joan Grande, and brother, Frankie Grande, gave fans an update regarding their situation, separately. Joan said that it was the first time for her to be asked to evacuate her home. Frankie told his social media followers that his entire family is safe. American Idol reboot judge Lionel Richie skipped his Wednesday night performance at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas so he and his family could also evacuate their home. Supermodel Chrissy Teigen admitted that she never thought she would ever have to play a hypothetical game of "what would you grab if there were a fire." Teigen, her husband John Legend, and their kids are all safe post-evacuation. Chelsea Handler Links California Wildfires To Trump Talk show host Chelsea Handler also evacuated her house with her family. The controversial TV personality even likened the California wildfires to President Donald Trump and was criticized for her comments. The series of massive fires first broke out in Ventura County earlier this week. New fires continued to break throughout nearby areas within the next couple of days. On Wednesday, fire officials ordered the evacuation of thousands of people as the Thomas fire reached the upscale areas of Los Angeles. "These are days that break your heart, but these are also days that show the resilience of our city," said Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles. Garcetti also took the time to thank all of the firefighters, agencies, city personnel, and residents who helped each other during a time of need. iStock/Thinkstock(WELLSTON, Mo.) -- A manhunt is underway for the unknown assailant who shot and killed a Missouri father of 16 while washing his car in Wellston on Sunday. Steven Combs, 41, can be seen on surveillance video bent down washing his car in a driveway as the suspect walks by. The suspect, dressed in all black, then turns around and approaches Combs and shoots him as he stands up. Combs was shot six times, according to the North County Police Cooperative. The suspect walks away from the scene at first, then takes off running, the video shows. Investigators do not know his identity, police said. Minutes after he was shot, a man walks out to find Combs on the ground. The witness is seen running around the driveway and administering aid to Combs before flagging down a police car as it turns the corner with its siren on. North County Police Major Steve Runge described Combs' death as a "calculated murder," the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Combs had another child on the way in addition to his 16 children, police said. A GoFundMe campaign created for Combs by the police cooperative says he left behind a "wonderful loving family." The funeral procession for Combs will include tow trucks and at least one police car because he was a tow truck driver and friends with some officers, the Post reported. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Serbia has embarked on a pro-European course but it has no plans to join the NATO defence alliance, the TASS news agency on Friday cited Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as saying in an interview. "Nine days ago I was in Brussels, at the NATO headquarters, and in front of the 29 leaders of the NATO member states I declared that Serbia has no aspiration to joint NATO," Vucic, who plans to visit Moscow soon, told TASS. "Serbia will preserve its military neutrality, this was and will be Serbia's policy." Search Keywords: Short link: Sorry for yet another tax related question, but I would be grateful if someone could provide some insight. December 1st, 2016 I switched jobs and moved from Denmark to France together with my family. Due to circumstances I have not filed a revenue statement yet for 2016 (I know I should expect a fine for this, but that is a different matter). I know I should complete (at least) forms 2042 and 2047, but it is not clear to me to what extent I should report my income in Denmark. To be clear: I was tax resident in Denmark until November 2016 (with no revenues abroad and I have filed Danish tax return accordingly) and in December 2016 I was tax resident in France (with no revenues abroad). Questions: 1) Should I report all my Danish income in the period before I moved to France? Form 2047 seems to assume that I have been tax resident in France for the whole year of 2016. How do the tax authorities distinguish between income abroad before and after my move? Or is this distinction irrelevant? 2) My wife had no income (neither in France nor abroad). Should we still file a joint declaration (i.e. 2042)? I know it is probably best to discuss such matters at one of the centre des impots, but unfortunately my French is not very good.... This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Federal prosecutors denied they purposefully withheld sexually explicit texts and other texts from state Sen. Carlos Uresti, who believes the messages may help exonerate him in his upcoming criminal fraud trial. Prosecutors in the U.S. attorneys office, in a Thursday court filing, said many of the allegedly concealed text messages have been in the San Antonio Democrats possession since June when they first turned over information relevant to his case. Uresti has accused prosecutors of failing to obey court rules by timely turning over certain text messages exchanged between Denise Cantu of Harlingen, the governments star witness, and Stan Bates, a co-defendant in the criminal case. The trial is set for Jan. 4. Prosecutors conceded in their filing that there have been a few isolated glitches in the production of certain files that resulted in some of the images of sexually explicit texts not copying properly. Still, they added they previously disclosed that Bates and Ms. Cantu exchanged sexually related text messages to Uresti as part of the material provided to him in June. Uresti is trying to turn a previously disclosed file copying issue into a plot by the United States to withhold and conceal evidence, prosecutors filing reads. The bombastic allegations are salacious but more importantly, untrue. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell declined to comment. Tab Turner, a lawyer for Uresti, said hes not buying prosecutors excuse for why the text messages were withheld. What we do know as fact is that the subject text messages were withheld from us, intentionally deleted from Ms. Cantus sworn testimony in (a bankruptcy court) proceeding by artful concealment, and that (prosecutors) had full knowledge of both of those facts, Turner said in an email. This is not a game of hide and seek. This is a serious proceeding where Mr. Urestis life and career are at risk. Uresti, Bates and Gary Cain were indicted in May on a combined 22 counts of conspiracy, wire fraud and other crimes for their roles in a now-defunct oil field services company called FourWinds Logistics. Uresti served as the companys outside general counsel for a short time, was a 1 percent owner and recruited Cantu whom he previously represented in a wrongful-death case involving two of her children as an investor. Uresti collected a $27,000 commission on her $900,000 investment with FourWinds, the bulk of her legal settlement from the childrens deaths. She lost all but about $100,000 and is expected to testify against Uresti. Bates was FourWinds CEO and Cain was a consultant. All three defendants have denied the charges. Turner told the San Antonio Express-News this week that the sext messages between Cantu and Bates are relevant because they raise doubts about Cantus credibility. She first denied to FBI agents that she had a sexual relationship with Bates, but admitted to it in a subsequent interview with agents, according to court filings. Prosecutors say Uresti already had knowledge of the sexual relationship. Materials turned over to Uresti in June by the government included a FBI report on the interview with Cantu where she admitted to the sexual relationship. In addition, the United States provided to the defendant other text messages between Bates and Ms. Cantu, which were sexually explicit in nature, prosecutors filing states. In short, the United States never purposely concealed the evidence it has of the relationship between Bates and Ms. Cantu, and in fact, expressly disclosed its evidence of a relationship to all defendants. Turner replied in an interview, There is nothing as explicit as (these text messages.) I would challenge you to put forth what those text messages are, because I havent seen them. Separately, Cantus lawyer told the Express-News that she and Uresti had an intimate relationship before she invested with FourWinds. Uresti has disputed the allegation. The images of the texts between Cantu and Bates were supposed to have been part of a December 2015 email that prosecutors say they turned over to Uresti in June. The email was sent by Bates to his bankruptcy lawyer and was obtained through a search warrant of Bates Yahoo email account. Turner told prosecutors on Nov. 28 that he did not receive the images. Prosecutors say they produced the images within two hours of being notified. In its court motion, Urestis legal team wants the court to force prosecutors to disclose any other information that might help his case. Urestis lawyers contend that the withheld text messages unquestionably negate charges in the indictment that he did not disclose to Cantu that he was receiving a commission on her investment with FourWinds. Prosecutors, though, countered that texts between Cantu and Bates addressing Urestis compensation in her deal with FourWinds were turned over to the senator along with other material in June. Also this week, Annies List, a political group that works to get Democratic women elected in Texas, called for Urestis resignation after the Daily Beast reported accounts of sexual misconduct by the senator. Uresti denied the report, which included allegations of assault and harassment from unnamed sources. In an unrelated matter, Harlingen police arrested Cantu last month and charged her with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, both felonies. She was released on a $300,000 bond. pdanner@express-news.net AUSTIN Texas Education Agency auditors dismissed concerns lodged by the agencys former special education director who alleged the state improperly awarded a multimillion-dollar, no-bid contract to a tech company that is mining data on disabled students. TEA auditors reviewed the states contract with SPEDx, a data company, after the agencys special education director alleged another TEA employee awarded the contract to a friend. Laurie Kash, the director, also alleged the agency did not attempt to determine if other vendors could provide the same service. The accusations could not be substantiated, and the complainants charges were made without basis and were not supportable, Bill Wilson, the TEAs director of internal audit, said in a memo obtained by the Houston Chronicle. Kash raised concerns about the contract internally, and in late November, also filed a federal complaint against the agency for awarding the contract. TEA fired Kash last month because of allegations that she covered up the sexual abuse of a 6-year-old girl in her previous school district. Two former employees filed a civil lawsuit making the allegations in Oregon days before Kash was fired. Kash denies the allegations. Bill Aleshire, Kashs lawyer, said he does not trust the audit because it does not cite any legal analysis and auditors did not investigate all of Kashs concerns. Its hard to refer to that as an audit without putting quote marks around that word, Aleshire said. It doesnt conclude that TEA properly awarded the contract; it just addresses three issues. Auditors reviewed whether a TEA staff member awarded a contract to her friend, if the staff member arranged for her friend to become a subcontractor and if there were attempts made to find vendors with similar products. Aleshire contends TEA is using the Oregon lawsuit as a cover, and said Kash was fired because she was outspoken about the SPEDx contract. The Georgia-based company received a $4 million contract to analyze students Individualized Education Program, or IEP. An IEP lays out a students disability, his education needs and how a school intends to meet those needs. In a presentation to school districts, TEA said SPEDx will analyze IEPs to detect hidden patterns and insights that can help the department better serve students. TEA did not put the contract out for bid because the data project requires specialized software that state staff say only SPEDx can provide. Kash, however, believed Penny Schwinn, the TEAs chief deputy commissioner of academics, awarded the contract to a friend. Christina Heitz, who Schwinn met through an education training program, introduced Schwinn to SPEDx CEO Richard Nyankori in January, according to the audit. Once SPEDx won the state contract a few months later, the company hired Heitz to conduct training for TEA staff and to interview special education stakeholders. TEA auditors found no wrongdoing with that arrangement. Mr. Nyankori did not suggest that TEA persuaded him to hire this subcontractor, and it was a decision he made early in the process, the memo said. In fact, the Agency is not permitted to direct a vendor on what sub-contractor to use. Auditors also say TEA staff searched for other vendors that had software that could perform a data analysis such as the one SPEDx offered, but TEA could not find any. In early November, Kash received a written reprimand for accusing Schwinn of awarding the contract to Heitz. The reprimand letter also noted other instances when Kash objected to the SPEDx project. It is your responsibility to represent the positions of the agency, not your personal preferences or opinions, Justin Porter, Kashs supervisor wrote. Porter then required that he be present in all of Kashs meetings, including when taking phone calls. Porter noted that the reprimand was not intended to prohibit Kash from reporting conduct that she believed to be illegal or unethical. Aleshire, Kashs lawyer, said he was retained soon after Kash received the reprimand. On Nov. 21, Kash responded to the reprimand and filed a complaint with the Department of Education outlining her concerns with the contract. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate AUSTIN Former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, accusing his successor of mismanaging the ambitious Alamo redevelopment project, said Friday that he will challenge George P. Bush in the Republican primary. Over the last three years, Ive watched the Texas General Land Office crater, Patterson told the San Antonio Express-News, contending that he has watched the agency hide the ball on the Alamo through a management structure involving nonprofit entities and generally mismanage the process over the last six or eight months. A former state senator, Patterson served three terms as land commissioner, first winning election in 2002. He chose not to seek another re-election bid in 2014, instead making an unsuccessful race for lieutenant governor. Patterson, who said he had tried to find another strong contender to challenge Bush, said he will file for land commissioner Monday. The Alamo wasnt the only issue cited by Patterson on Friday. He also was critical of Bushs handling of housing needs for those displaced by Hurricane Harvey, his responsibility after the catastrophic storm. But Patterson told the Express-News in October that the Alamo would be THE issue in a contested race for land commissioner. He also said at the time that he wouldnt run against Bush, but he indicated now that things have changed. I dont need this job, and I frankly would prefer to be praising George P. Bush at this point in time, Patterson said Friday. As I said before, and I think you wrote it, Ive been looking for a candidate for several months without success. Ive concluded that there are some things more important than me enjoying my retirement, and the Texas General Land Office is more important, he said. Two little-known candidates, retired schoolteacher Rick Range and land surveyor Davey Edwards, already have filed in the GOP primary. Energy lawyer Miguel Suazo on Friday filed in the Democratic primary. Now Playing: Democratic Land Commissioner candidate Miguel Suazo talks about the Alamo Dec. 8, 2019. Video: Peggy Fikac, San Antonio Express-News Bushs campaign manager, Ash Wright, said Friday that the incumbent is proud of his conservative record as he seeks a second term, saying in part that he has worked to save the Alamo. Commissioner Bush is arguably the most conservative land commissioner in Texas history, said Wright, adding that besides his work for the Alamo, Bush has reduced his agencys size, implemented zero-based budgeting, improved services and benefits for veterans, and defied and defeated Barack Obama when he tried to take over Texas land. Wright also pointed out that Bush has used his platform to champion school choice and the sanctity of life. Bush isnt an easy target. He is part of a political dynasty that includes his father, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; uncle, former President George W. Bush; grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush; and late great-grandfather, Prescott, who served as a U.S. senator from Connecticut. He had $2.8 million in his campaign account at last count. He received 73 percent of the vote in the 2014 GOP primary and nearly 61 percent in that years general election against foes who were little known. But he has stirred controversy over his plan to re-imagine the Alamo, including a dramatic redevelopment of the historic site that is in a bustling, touristy area of San Antonio. There is no real disagreement over the need to repair and restore the circa-1760s Alamo shrine. But Bush has faced criticism over the ouster of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas from a longtime role running the site and over aspects of a multiyear, potentially $450 million plan that he said is aimed at restoring dignity to the battlefield. A proposal for glass walls to define the battlefield has been shelved. Protests have been mounted over a possible new location for the marble and granite Cenotaph honoring the slain Alamo defenders. There have been repeated concerns that theres not enough openness in nonprofit entities that are part of the Alamo management structure. State senators from both parties this week criticized that structure, telling Bush they want a more transparent process. The state has appropriated $100 million toward the Alamo master plan so far, and it has allocated $6.5 million for restoration and day-to-day operations. The city has committed $38 million. Upward of $200 million is expected to be raised privately by the nonprofit Alamo Endowment. Patterson long has said more transparency is needed, and he has described Bush as having a faltering management style. He also has taken issue with how Bush handled the ouster of the DRT, and he has cited the outcry over the potential Cenotaph move as an example of an issue that was allowed to get out of hand. The Alamo has been controversial for 300 years. Thats not going to change. But you need to manage the controversy, and you need to give folks who maybe have a different opinion an actual, real opportunity to have input, Patterson told the Express-News in October. He has suggested that if the Cenotaph is to be moved from its current Alamo Plaza site, people might be receptive if it were still adjacent to the shrine. Critics also have worried that Bushs plan will de-emphasize the iconic 1836 battle between the Alamo defenders and Mexican troops in favor of a broader historical view. Bush has turned back such criticism, telling the Express-News in October that he is focused on doing something historic, something great, that honors and brings dignity to the most important battlefield in Texas state history. He has said he has been deeply involved in the project and that he has pushed for more transparency than is required by law. Suazo, the Democratic hopeful, said Friday that he also expected the Alamo to be an important issue in the race. I think it is going to be a big issue. I think theres a lot of questions around the transparency, and whos actually taking action to take care of one of the most important sites to the state of Texas, and really to our entire country, Suazo said. I think a lot of eyes are going to be on it. pfikac@express-news.net | Twitter: @pfikac This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Former priest John Feit was sentenced to life in prison Friday for the 1960 murder of a South Texas beauty queen, ending a trial that revealed that local law enforcement conspired with the Catholic Church to cover up Feits involvement in the sensational case that gained national notoriety. It has been nearly 60 years since Feit attacked 25-year-old Irene Garza in the rectory of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, where she went for the sacrament of confession. Instead of receiving a spiritual renewal, testimony showed, she was raped while unconscious and died gasping for breath. The sentence means Feit, now 85, likely will die behind bars. It was a cathartic moment for Garzas family and investigators who had spent decades pursuing Feit, an early suspect in Garzas death who had escaped prosecution until now. It was also a significant victory for Hidalgo County District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez, making good on a 2014 campaign promise to reopen the case. In a tearful victim impact statement in court Friday, Nick Cavazos, Garzas nephew, said his grandfather never again set foot in church after his aunt died. And his mother, Garzas sister, who now suffers from dementia, is haunted by her death. She screams bloody murder in fear of her life because of that (expletive) man, the 56-year-old Cavazos said of Feit, who watched Cavazos without emotion. Cavazos said his mother cries out, They killed my sister, they can kill me. Arturo Tito Torres, a friend of Garzas, said he closely followed the trial, expecting that Feit would finally admit his guilt, but that didnt happen. Hes a murderous animal, Torres, 84, said from the witness stand. Youre a sorry excuse for a human being. Jurors convicted Feit of murder with malice aforethought Thursday after a short trial that brought explosive testimony nearly every day, including evidence that the then-district attorney struck a deal with the Catholic Church to stop investigating Feit. The church and other community leaders who were Catholic wanted to avoid a scandal that threatened to affect John F. Kennedys race for president, testimony showed. Kennedy became the first Catholic elected president later that year. Feit was sent to a monastery in Iowa, then to one in Missouri, where he was supposed to spend the rest of his life. But he eventually left the church, got married and had three children. He was arrested in 2016 at his home in Arizona after the case was reopened by Rodriguezs office in 2015. Rodriguez blasted leaders who were in office at the time of Garzas death for allowing Feit to leave the Rio Grande Valley without prosecution and said his predecessors in the ensuing years had lacked the courage and compassion to pursue Feit. When we decided to take a closer look at this case, the evidence had long been overlooked, was overwhelming and damning, Rodriguez said. We were disappointed that so many were involved in sweeping this case under the rug for selfish reasons to protect the powerful. Garzas parents last saw her April 16, 1960, when she took the car, saying she was going to confession at Sacred Heart. Feit first denied, then admitted, that he had heard Garzas confession in the church rectory. Testimony showed that he attacked her there, left her in the basement, went back to hear more confessions, then returned to the rectory and put her in a bathtub, where he left her to die. Her disappearance stunned the tight-knit border community. Law enforcement and community members combed the area for five days on land, from the air and by boat. When her bloated body was finally found in a water-filled canal, it was virtually unrecognizable. The death hit hard. Garza had been Miss All South Texas Sweetheart in 1958 and was a former prom and homecoming queen at what then was Pan American College. She was a second-grade teacher, beloved by her students. She had many friends and was widely admired. Friday morning, Michael Garza, assistant district attorney and lead prosecutor, asked jurors to sentence Feit to 57 years in prison, one for every year he had been free since the murder. Every year that he lived, having a family, getting married, hiding behind the protection of the church, mocking the system because he got away with murder, Garza, no relation to the victim, said in closing. The jury went further than Garza asked, giving Feit a life sentence, the maximum penalty allowed because the murder was committed with malice aforethought. anelsen@express-news.nest | @amnelsen This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A light snowfall dusted much of South Texas on Thursday night and Friday morning, conjuring dreamy images of a winter wonderland in 1985, when 13 inches blanketed the city and made news worldwide. But in typical South Texas winter fashion, the snow was fleeting and the forecast fickle. Todays high temperature is expected to be 60 degrees. Still, the Friday morning sun and an impending warmer weekend did nothing to dampen enthusiastic social media posts in the aftermath of Thursday nights 1.9-inch snowstorm in the Alamo City. Although the snowmen and duration of the storm were much shorter, South Texans who seldom see the white crystalline flakes were nonetheless mesmerized, many drawn nostalgically to the record storm three decades earlier. In a time before digital photography and social media, San Antonians cleared store shelves of camera film and frolicked, slid and skied in the snow that January weekend. There was kind of a wonderment for the families with children, Linda Wasserman, an early morning television news anchor during the record storm, told the San Antonio Express-News for a 2015 article on its 30th anniversary. Thursdays overnight snowstorm gave San Antonio a layer of white on the ground the last time that the city got about 2 inches was Feb. 8, 1973 then moved onward south, dropping up to 7 inches in Corpus Christi and accumulations even farther south in the Rio Grande Valley. Residents in those areas had not seen white flakes since a memorable Christmas Eve snow miracle Dec. 24, 2004. North Texas frequently gets snow, with totals of up to 5 feet recorded in the Panhandle in a 1956 storm linked to 20 deaths. The historic record snowfall for the southern half of Texas is 20 to 24 inches in the Houston area Feb. 13-14, 1895, records show. Its rare, perhaps once every five and 10 years, that San Antonio receives accumulations of snow. So when it does snow, people turn giddy, often to the dismay of transplanted Northerners. The record storm in 1985 moved in from the west, reaching the city about 11:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11. Back-to-back surges of arctic air, an area of low pressure from northern Mexico and upper-level tropical moisture produced a rare continuous snowfall for more than 24 hours. The city was covered with 13.5 inches, shattering the previous record of 6.4 inches Jan. 23-24, 1926, based on records dating to 1885. Wasserman fielded questions from the Australian media on how San Antonio was coping. Highways were shut down, and emergency responders called on residents with all-terrain vehicles to shuttle doctors and nurses to and from local hospitals. With no snowplows in its public works fleet, the city adapted street graders that normally would spread gravel to clear streets. The storm caused millions of dollars in damage as carports, awnings and roofs collapsed under the snows weight. Only one death, attributed to a man suffering a heart attack while shoveling snow, was reported. One of the most iconic photos of that wintry weekend, of two smiling young women and a snowman in the bed of a pickup by the Alamo, was taken by a newspaper photographer and distributed by the Associated Press, appearing in newspapers worldwide, including Saudi Arabia. Everyone was home for the holidays, and we thought that since wed never seen the Alamo with all this snow, we should go there, recalled Lolly Harrison, one of the women in the photo. Henry Cisneros, who then was mayor, spent much of the weekend at City Hall, coordinating the citys response with fire, police and public works officials and other departments. He later recalled getting a lot of flak from the business community for asking businesses, schools and government offices to remain closed Monday morning. The snow began melting by midday Monday. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA NOTE: This article has been updated to clarify how Thursdays snowfall compares to that of previous storms. BOERNE A road-planning partnership by the city, Kendall County and the Texas Department of Transportation has yielded several possible pathways for new thoroughfares intended to ease traffic congestion in this fast-growing community. Few motorists participating in the moving parking lots at rush hour here would dispute the need for construction of relief routes to ease the flow of traffic around downtown and other choke points. But the release of a reasonable concepts map depicting the potential routes of future roads has evoked concerns among some who live or work near what, for now, are merely colored lines on a map. Theyre going to get extreme resistance, predicted Rod Fowler, a Ranch Drive resident who fears that the route depicted near his Southside neighborhood will hurt property values there, even if a road is never built. Its very polarizing when youve got a highway proposed near your home, he said. TxDOT spokeswoman Laura Lopez stressed that nothing is set in stone concerning potential paths of future roads as depicted in the Kendall Gateway Study update released last month after two years of work. She said ongoing public input is likely to spur additional adjustments before final recommendations on new roads are brought to the Boerne City Council and county commissioners for consideration next year. The pathways of the outer, middle and inner concepts were developed with assistance from BGE Inc., consultants whose $1.2 million contract with TxDOT included a requirement to host public forums. Over 400 attendees combined attended the meetings on Jan. 17 and Nov. 8, where input was taken on where new roads are needed and what routes they should follow. In general terms, the strategy on moving traffic was focused on reducing congestion and increasing safety without ruining downtown Boerne, said Lopez. To provide the capacity that the congested roads need without widening those roads requires a new road. The new road should remove traffic that is just cutting through Boerne, not staying in Boerne. The road segments depicted in the concept maps generally loop around downtown Boerne to and from Texas 46, which Lopez called the only viable east/west option locally, and range in length from about 13 miles to 30 miles. Texas 46 already is the most congested local road, handling 13,705 vehicles daily east of Boerne, 9,090 vehicles west of town, and 24,214 vehicles in downtown, she said. Forecasts call for each of those tallies to nearly double by 2040, Lopez said, noting Interstate 10 in Boerne now carries 40,118 vehicles a day, and should hit 80,963 by 2040. City and county leaders agreed in 2015 to collaborate with TxDOT on the feasibility study, each adopting a joint resolution that noted the region is experiencing great growth and the mobility issues are not going to improve unless discussions concerning long-term projects begin. No funding commitments have been made by the state or local entities to cover the cost of moving forward on the project, which would require 300-foot rights of way. A great number of steps must be achieved before any project could potentially move forward, Lopez said. Recommendations that come out of the feasibility study process could proceed as actual projects as funding becomes available. The concepts map alarmed Lance Kyle, who runs Cascade Caverns, because one road route crosses the property that hosts the tourist attraction south of Boerne. He fears such a project could harm subsurface geological formations and jeopardize animals residing in the caves. My opinion is that the city of Boerne is trying to facilitate more development, he said. If we let these politicians run wild, there will be commercial development everywhere. Denying any such motive, Mayor Mike Schultz said many constituents are glad to see steps being taken to address local mobility problems with bypass routes. About 10 years ago TxDOT started talking about a loop around Boerne and they literally got booted out of town, he said. There were some county leaders at the time who said, We dont even want to talk about anything like that, and TxDOT left town. County Judge Darrel Lux, who was a commissioner when the county directed TxDOT to stop work on the loop/bypass, referred questions to Commission Richard Elkins, the county liaison to the project. That was a mistake, Elkins said Friday of the countys directive around 2005 to TxDOT to cease bypass work. Planning should not have been stopped back then. Today we would be further along and some of the developments wouldnt have occurred along possible routes, he said. Elkins said the current commissioners court opposes use of eminent domain by the county to acquire easements for roads from property owners. Despite the public forums, which she attended, county resident Paula Cairns said she and many neighbors around Spring Creek Road feel they were not adequately consulted. Of the proposed routes, she said, None of the roads on the northeast side are far enough out to function as a true bypass. They go right through Boerne neighborhoods. Elkins said public comments are still being accepted for consideration by study authors BGE Inc. John Kight, a retired TxDOT engineer and former county commissioner, said action to build new roads must occur quickly or the project are unlikely to ever occur. Even if they agreed on a route today, its going to be at least 10 years before its built, he said. And if you dont protect the route alignment from development during that 10 years, than the routes gone by the time money is available. A decade ago Fowler chaired a Thoroughfare Citizens Planning Committee created by county commissioners after TxDOT was ousted that included Kight and Cairns as members. Fowler said commissioners shelved his panels 150-page report called for constructing up to 15 new roads and making safety improvements to many existing roads, proposals he contends would have lessened problems seen today. Had they addressed the need for new roads years ago, before all the developments were done, the county wouldnt be in the position its in now, he said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate In many ways, the history of the Archdiocese of San Antonio is a series of immigration stories that reflect the states political shifts, its segregation, its social changes and the succeeding waves of religious leaders and workers who came to Texas to convert the population and lead the faithful. Officially, its start date was 1874, when the Vatican created the Diocese of San Antonio by splitting it from the Texas Diocese, then based in Galveston. Spanish Catholic roots, however, were deeply established long before that. During the 18th century, Franciscan friars and indigenous neophytes built the citys Spanish colonial missions that today enjoy UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Waves of immigration in the 19th century had a significant Catholic component, bringing newer Spanish, French, Irish, German and Mexican priests and parishioners to San Antonio. Dogged and determined religious women arrived, too, and their orders established Catholic institutions that contributed to the growth of the faith. Like other institutions of the 20th century, Catholicism here was marked by demographic shifts and internal dissension. The archdiocese saw the appointment of the nations first Mexican-American bishop, the rise of lay movements and, more recently, its first woman chancellor. In the early 1800s, though, Rome was baffled by the territory, a frontier at the edges of Latin and Anglo America that would someday become a U.S. state. The Vatican wanted to know, What was this place called Texas? said Brother Ed Loch, who has worked at the archdiocese for more than four decades and is its archivist. The Catholic Church in Texas once fell under the jurisdictions of the Guadalajara, Durango and Monterrey archdioceses, according to a 1974 book commemorating the archdioceses centennial. The book refers to San Antonios post-mission period as the dark night of the church. By the 1870s, when Rome named Father Anthony Dominic Pellicer its first bishop in 1874, San Antonio had only a few parishes, according to the Handbook of Texas: San Fernando (1731) for the Spanish speaking, St. Marys (1856) for the Irish, St. Michaels (1866) for the Polish community, and St. Josephs (1868) for Germans. Bishop John C. Neraz, a Frenchman, was the second bishop, growing the diocese from 1881 to 1894 and ushering in a French period for it. French Vincentian priests arrived, and the diocese mined France for vocations, Loch said. The Vincentians would run St. Johns (minor and major) Seminary, now shuttered, the precursor to Assumption Seminary. The Irish were next. Each time an immigrant religious group dried up, the diocese turned to another or back to a previous group, as it did in the early 1890s when the Spanish Claretians arrived. Loch said they drew a top-priority assignment of beautifying and completing San Fernando Cathedral. The seat of the bishop still had oil-treated canvas for windows; stained glass wouldnt come until 1918. San Fernandos original chapel has been described as Romanesque for its rounded features, or as a little Mexican church. The newer, larger portion introduced its famous French Gothic facade. In 1926, the diocese was elevated to an archdiocese and continued to grow despite the Great Depression. It was bolstered by Mexican Catholics who sought refuge here before, during and after the Mexican Revolution. Mexican priests came to the archdiocese, too. The 1960s ethnic, cultural and political upheavals would affect the American church. That might have been most apparent here in 1968, when more than 60 priests asked Rome to retire Archbishop Robert E. Lucey. Though liberal on labor and social issues, a story in the San Antonio Express about his retirement described him as too conservative for priests. He was regarded as the archdioceses last imperial bishop, Loch said. Before leaving, newspaper accounts say, Lucey fired several priests, including four at Assumption Seminary, and transferred more than a dozen others regarded as dissenters. In the 1970s, PADRES, a group of Mexican-American priests, and Las Hermanas, a group of Mexican-American nuns, advocated for inclusion and more Latinos in positions of power both in and out of the church. Meanwhile, the grass-roots social justice group Citizens Organized for Public Service, now COPS Metro Alliance, grew out of West Side parishes. Given San Antonios status as a mecca for all things Hispanic, it would be no accident that Patricio Flores, a migrant farmworker in his youth, would become the nations first Mexican-American Catholic bishop. After being named auxiliary bishop in 1970, his episcopal ordination in the old Convention Center was packed with everyday citizens and national Hispanic leadership. He became archbishop of San Antonio in 1979, paving the way for other U.S. Latino church leaders; and he would be at its helm during one of the archdioceses most celebrated chapters Pope John Paul IIs visit to the Alamo City. Flores was a major voice for Latino social and civil rights rights, a tradition that has continued in the social advocacy leadership of Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, who has been an advocate for immigrants and refugees and a critic of gun violence and proliferation. In 2014, he selected Sister Jane Ann Slater as chancellor, making her the first woman to hold a post historically held by a priest, typically a monsignor. Today, the archdiocese still has thriving parishes in the inner city, though several have been closed or combined. Some priests do double duty and lead two parishes. The archdiocese expects to have 1 million Catholics under its domain by 2028 and is planning for that demographic explosion with a $60 million capital campaign. Its goals include raising $7 million to buy land for at least eight more parishes to serve an estimated 250,000 Catholics moving into the archdiocese. And in keeping with its long immigration story, the archdiocese has parishes made up of Italian, Vietnamese, Korean and Burmese Catholics and is now recruiting priests primarily from India, Africa and the Philippines. The UN humanitarian chief says 1.25 million people in war-torn South Sudan are one step away from famine twice as many as the same time last year. Mark Lowcock told the UN Security Council that 7 million people in the world's newest nation almost two-thirds of the population need humanitarian aid. And he warned that in early 2018, half of the country's population will be reliant on emergency food. "The next lean season beginning in March is likely to see famine conditions in several locations across the country," Lowcock said. UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix called the security situation in South Sudan "precarious." He warned of escalating military conflict as the dry season sets in and urged the council to take action to stop the violence. Search Keywords: Short link: But right down in the deep south they do have that sort of rainfall in the summer and so theoretically it should be possible to get two crops a year, so if its successful its going to be wonderful. When you listen to organisations such as the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development that hope to treble the amount of production that comes out of WA by 2025, the only way were going to be able to do that is by having good people in management but also at a farm worker level. The hot air moves through the mat of grain on the top deck as it carries grain to be inverted to the bottom deck before cool air is introduced on the last third of the bottom deck Alvan Blanch recycles as much of the already warmed air as possible, which allows the energy demand to be lowered. The more prepared we are the better, as it allows us to have a good understanding of what our plans are for the year, and what changes need to be made from the previous year, Melanie said. David Beckham is "sure" his son Brooklyn will regret some of his tattoos. David and Brooklyn Beckham The 42-year-old star - who himself has over 50 tattoos - is convinced the 18-year-old aspiring photographer will make some "mistakes" with what he chooses to get inked on his body but says that is "part and parcel of life". He said: "Thankfully I don't feel I've made any with my tattoos. My son's started and I'm sure he'll make mistakes. But it's part and parcel of life and being creative. That's something you can't stop someone doing, it holds them back." And opening up about his own experience with tattoos, David insists he has never got an inking to impress someone but instead likes to change his look just for himself. He is quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying: "I've never changed my look or style for attention. I do it because I want to grow my hair, or cut it off, or I want to shave or I don't - or I want a new tattoo. I never try to be someone else or do something different for any other reason than I enjoy it." It comes after David admitted he was "worried" about his son Brooklyn moving to New York to attend university. He said: "When you have children - young children and older children going to university in America - you are of course concerned and worried." And Victoria had previously revealed she hadn't been able to stop crying since her son left for America. She admitted: "I'm still crying, Brooklyn's moved to New York, he's 18, and I haven't stopped crying. I miss him so much, so much." Friday's attack saw 15 UN peacekeepers killed and over 50 others injured Egypt condemns an attack against a United Nations base in East Congo where not less than 15 UN peacekeepers were killed and 53 others injured Friday, the Egyptian foreign ministry stated. In a statement issued Saturday, the foreign ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the UN peacekeepers from Tanzania and Congo who were killed in the attack. The statement also expressed Egypt's hopes for the speedy recovery for the injured. It added that Egypt fully appreciates the efforts of the UN peace mission in Congo. According to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the attack is considered the worst against UN peacekeepers in recent history. In an official statement, the UN mission in Congo pointed a finger at the rebel Allied Democratic Forces group as being responsible for the attack. Search Keywords: Short link: Stormzy was crowned Artist of the Year at the BBC Music Awards 2017. Stormzy The 'Big For Your Boots' rapper has had a phenomenal year thanks to his award-winning LP 'Gangs, Signs & Prayers' and topped it off picking up the biggest prize of the night at the annual bash, which was broadcast on Friday (08.12.17). Stormzy said: "I'm actually blessed to be able to say that I'm an artist that's managed to be regarded as someone that's worthy of this award. Thank you guys. Love." Elsewhere, Foo Fighters took home Live Performance of the Year for their headline set at Glastonbury Festival in the summer. Speaking of their slot at Worthy Farm in Somerset, South West England, frontman Dave Grohl said: "It really did just turn into this one big ball of love and energy and celebration and music. That's what you want every show to be, but when it's on that scale it's a big feeling." British soul star Rag'n'Bone Man was also honoured on the night, collecting the Album of the Year Award for 'Human', which was the biggest-selling debut LP of 2017. He commented: "I keep thinking at one point that someone is going to fishhook me off and tell me it's a joke, but it's not, and it's a wonderful thing to have." Bob Shennan, director, BBC Radio and Music, said: "Congratulations to all the recipients of the awards and to the nominees - the calibre of all the artists involved this year was outstanding. It's been a brilliant year for music on BBC TV, with our At The BBC specials with Sam Smith, Harry Styles and U2, the launch of 'Sounds Like Friday Night', and the defining music event of the year, One Love Manchester. "The Year in Music 2017 on BBC Two really has provided a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge the artists that have made an impact over the past year, as well as reflect on the greatest musical moments - many of which brought people together through their shared love of music." This year saw winners announced on a one-hour BBC Two show, titled 'The Year in Music 2017', which was hosted by Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo and Strictly Come Dancings's Claudia Winkleman. In previous years, a host of stars performed at the ceremony, but it was pulled this time due to poor rating figures. Matt Damon and Luciana Bozan Barroso celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary today, so we reflect on their time together as husband and wife with some things you might not know about the couple. Matt Damon and Luciana Bozan Barroso (Credit: Famous) 1. Damon met Barroso in Miami where she was working at a bar. He was filming Stuck On You in Florida at the time. 2. They got engaged in September 2005. 3. On 9th December the couple married in a private civil ceremony at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau near New York City Hall. 4. Damon is now stepfather to Alexia, Barroso's child from her previous marriage. 5. The couple later had three daughters; Isabella Zavala, 2006, Gia Zavalda, 2008 and Stella Zavalda, 2012. When asked about living with 5 women he said; 'Yeah it's a lot of estrogen, sometimes I need to talk a walk by myself.' (IMDB) 6. In April 2013, they renewed their marriage vows after only eight years of being together. 7. Since 2012, they have lived in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles and have previously lived in Miami and New York. Happy Anniversary Matt and Luciana! Source: Wikipedia by Lucy Moore for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 8, 2017 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Katanga Mining Limited ("Katanga" or the "Company") (OTC PINK: KATFF) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, for the District of New Jersey, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Katanga's securities between February 11, 2016 and November 19, 2017, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials. If you are a shareholder who purchased Katanga's securities between February 11, 2016 and November 19, 2017, both dates inclusive, you have until January 29, 2018, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and quantity of shares purchased. [Click here to join this class action] Katanga through its subsidiary, Kamoto Copper Company SA, engages in the copper and cobalt mining and related activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Company engaged in improper accounting practices; (2) there were material weaknesses in the Company's internal control over financial reporting; and (3) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On November 20, 2017, Katanga announced the resignation of three executives of Glencore plc, Katanga's parent company, from Katanga's board of directors after an internal review found "material weaknesses" in the Company's financial reporting controls. Katanga stated that questions about the "appropriateness" of certain of Katanga's accounting practices arose during the course of an investigation by the Ontario Securities Commission (the "OSC"). The Company restated certain historical financial statements for the years 2015 and 2016, as well as the first quarter of 2017, and advised investors that "the Company's previously filed consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2015 and 2014 and related MD&A [management's discussion and analysis] and all interim consolidated financial statements and interim MD&A since December 31, 2014 should not be relied upon." In addition, Katanga advised investors that "OSC enforcement staff is also investigating the adequacy of Katanga's corporate governance practices and compliance with those practices and the related conduct of certain directors and officers of Katanga" and "Katanga's risk disclosure in connection with applicable requirements under certain international bribery, government payment and anti-corruption laws." On this news, shares of the Company fell $0.23 per share or over 23% over three trading days to close at $0.75 per share on November 22, 2017, damaging investors. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT -- (Marketwired) -- 12/08/17 -- Editor's Note: There is a photo associated with this press release. While African Heads of State, Policy makers and business Leaders are meeting at the Africa 2017 Forum this week, The Almas Jiwani Foundation announces a new strategic partnership with Lions Legacy International. A champion for gender equality and women's social, economic, and political empowerment, working diligently to promote access to education to young women and girls around the world, The Almas Jiwani Foundation's new partnership will improve long term socioeconomic outcomes in some of the world's most rural and impacted regions. "Education is a fundamental human right and is essential to building equality and opportunity for women and girls. Enriching the beautiful minds of our young people will allow them to soar above the challenges they face with ingenuity and innovation. We are very happy to be working together to advance this crucial goal," said Almas Jiwani, CEO & President of the Almas Jiwani Foundation. "We believe that access to education is a fundamental human right," said Alex Hill, Executive Director, Investor Development of Lions Legacy International. "The status and role of women is the best indicator to a nation's growth potential, and is a key factor in determining a society's standard of living. Through our team, partners, investors and the community at large - we have set out to achieve an ambitious goal: to democratize education globally. Partnering with The Almas Jiwani Foundation will accelerate our collective efforts in realizing this vision." Currently, Ethiopia has a gender parity index of 0.82 in the classroom, and the low number of schools in the nation's most remote regions makes opportunity for education a challenge for most Ethiopian girls and young women. This cooperation will result in the creation of several schools in Ethiopia's Tigray Region with a 1:1 gender parity in every classroom. About Almas Jiwani Foundation The vision of The Almas Jiwani Foundation is to empower women, girls and marginalized communities through focused projects that directly address disparities in equality, education, entrepreneurship and energy rights. The Foundation aims to bridge inequalities through innovative projects designed to incubate and deliver sustainable and gender conscious solutions for communities in need. By leveraging our unparalleled network of partners and stakeholders in global issues, the Almas Jiwani Foundation provides the forum for discourse, engagement and action on the world's most pressing challenges. About Lions Legacy International Lions Legacy International is a philanthropic organization focused on democratizing education globally, through building schools with a 1:1 gender parity and creation of open source education technology. The organization's first project is focused on building schools in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia, culminated by a month long motorcycle trek to document the communities impacted. To view the photo associated with this release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20171208-1105805_800.jpg Contacts: Kevin West Almas Jiwani Foundation Vice President International Operations Almas Jiwani Foundation kwest@almasjiwanifoundation.org 613-976-3722 Jered Love Lions Legacy International Executive Director, Marketing Lions Legacy International jered@lionslegacy.ca 778-868-0776 Official Music Video features Activist Marisa Papen PIONEERTOWN, California, Dec. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Hot Trash's "One More Chance (feat. MELI)" shares the familiar experience of wondering if you did the right thing ending your relationship. Most of us haveromanticized how blissful it would all be with just one more chance. The video, youtube.com/watch?v=aAZtrN8_ipc&feature=youtu.be, represents the feeling you have when you see an old photo of an ex in your phone, reminiscing about the best of times, temporary amnesiaabout the truth, and making up a romantic story of how it could be again. Starring world renowned Artist, Activist and Nudist Marisa Papen who shares her thoughts on art,freedom and truth with us; "Being true to who we are is the most important thing to me. We face daily news of abuse of power, sexually and otherwise. Manytoo fearful to come forward before are finally sharing their voice and truly being heard, knowing they matter, it's so freeing. We also see countless Instagrammodels looking for likes by exploiting themselves physically while often being judged negatively or blamed for unwanted advances for showing off their bodies.Freedom to be in our truth is a birth right, showing our bodies isn't an invitation for unwanted sexual advances, nor is being naked not an art form, so thecontroversy around people's rights to be nude feels like a law against our nature. Nudity seems to be extremely confusing for many, no one should beashamed, abused or forced to hide themselves. I see our bodies as entirely unique, beautiful and ours to do with as we please, as long as we do not harmanother. I hope that by sharing my body and art I free people's beliefs of stigmas, empower them, and open their minds. Much like feeling confined in arelationship that isn't working, many are confined by societies decided on judgments. Now that people are feeling more courageous to express their truth, weare taking back our power. I love feeling free so I choose to make my art surrounded by nature and the beautiful places that draw attention to things thatmatter to me. Being arrested for my art and the feeling of being free is something I stand firmly against." Marisa Papen is a 25-year-old nude-artist from Belgium. Born in the town of Paal, she grew up feeling more comfortable nude than in clothing. Recentlyarrested for entering the pyramids at Giza sans clothing, she made global news headlines. Hot Trash, comprised of artists Kelly Halloran and Rocco Gardner, will release their freshman album in February; One More Chance is the first single featuringvocals by Meli, recorded at Rancho V in Pioneertown, CA. For more information; Erica@revelcollective.com Available on Spotify and iTunes. BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Two Palestinians have been shot dead in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, which was a part of a counterattack to rocket launch from inside the Gaza Strip, media reports showed Saturday. The strike, targeted at a militant training camp and a weapons depot, also wounded more than twenty five people. 'Today... in response to the rockets fired at southern Israeli communities throughout yesterday, Israel air force aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in the Gaza Strip,' Israeli army said in a statement. The dead were identified as Mahmoud al-Atal and Mohammed Safadi and their bodies had been obtained at dawn from training sites of the Qassam Brigades armed wing in the south of Gaza City. The Israeli attack came following clashes with Palestinians over President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. Hanif Kureishi is growing old. So are his heroes. The author, who gave us great stories like Intimacy and My Son the Fanatic, has come up with The Nothing, whose protagonist, Waldo, is a once-celebrated filmmaker bogged down by age and illness. Why should we be interested in him? Waldo, also the narrator of the Pakistani-origin British author's eighth novel, used to once hang out with the Who's Who of Hollywood. Now in his 80s, he is a wheelchair-bound has-been, confined to his London home with illness. He is taken care of by his young and devoted wife Zee, short for Zenab. But even in sickness, Waldo is addicted to sex. The only problem is he is impotent. The novel's evocative beginning "One night, when I am old, sick, right out of semen, and don't need things to get any worse, I hear the noises again. I am sure they are making love in Zenab's bedroom, which is next to mine" sets the tone. Dark-humoured, resentful and unpleasant. The man Waldo suspects Zee is cheating on him with is Eddie a freeloader and a leech whom he has known for decades but as "more than an acquaintance and less than a friend". This gives Waldo's meaningless life a mission. He wants Zee back and Eddie gone. So he starts plotting and "directing" their lives like one of his films. His desire to mean something, to not be nothing, is what forms the core of the novel. The level of honesty with which the 63-year-old author has explored old-age sexuality, male insecurity, and the futility of it all, is unsettling. Let's be honest, Waldo is a manipulative, scheming, insecure and a vengeful control freak -- in short an unpleasant man -- and it's hard to feel any empathy for him. Considering that was the intention, for he was chosen to be the narrator and not Zee, Kureishi failed. But maybe that's what the author wanted for Waldo to be loathed and resented because does the hero have to be likeable always? While deciding to get Zee back, Waldo muses: "Even these days, a woman is the ultimate luxury; a diamond, a Rolls-Royce, a Leonardo in your living room." We live in a politically correct world where even a hint of sexism is sure to cause a Twitter storm and invite trouble well deserved. To write, in such times, about the desires of a misogynist is brave. It is also important, for writing, like any other art form, should not be subjected to a censor, moral or otherwise. But Waldo is not just a misogynist; he is also a narcissist and a "lookist", for whom appearance matters most. Looking back at his youth, when he had "f***ability", Waldo says: "If you've once been attractive, desired and charismatic, with a good body, you never forget it. Intelligence and effort can be no compensation for ugliness... the beautiful are the truly entitled." And Waldo can also be pretty crude in his words with Kureishi pulling no punches with his use of earthy language. As our hero says: "If my suspicions are correct, I will move like a serpent between the rocks... First I will smite him with madness, blindness and impotence... then I will urinate in his mouth and wipe my a** with his head." If there is one place where one can appreciate the hedonistic Waldo, despite his insistence on not letting his still young wife (22 years his junior) fall in love with someone else, is his desire. As we grow old, we lose the will to live. But not Waldo. In spite of his flaws, he loves Zee and believes he knows better. It's this rather self-indulgent belief, generally reserved for artistes, that perhaps made Zee fall for him in the first place. Does Waldo succeed in his aim of displacing Eddie? Will he regain Zee? And what and how long is his future? So how does The Nothing rank? Compared to the Kureishi of Intimacy and The Buddha of Suburbia, it reads like a lazy work. Like he doesn't care any more what people think of his art. There's a line in the novel where Waldo says: "As a reader, I'm done with literature. I only want fun." And that's what Kureishi does with The Nothing. Egypt's Pope Tawadros II, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, has cancelled a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence over last week's decision by US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as the capital to Israel, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported on Saturday. "Considering the decision taken by the US administration concerning the city of Jerusalem at this inappropriate time with no consideration to the feelings of millions of Arabs, the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church declines to meet with Mr Mike Pence," said the Coptic Orthodox Church in a short statement. The head of Al-Azhars Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb also announced the cancellation of a meeting with the US Vice president, who is expected to visit Egypt later this month. On Wednesday, President Trump declared that the US would formally recognise the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, breaking with a decades-old US policy that the status of the city must be determined in negotiations with the Palestinians, who seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The decision has sparked anger in Palestinian territories and Arab countries, and has been met with condemnation from countries around the world. Egypt has officially condemned the decision, maintaining its official stance supporting the two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital. Search Keywords: Short link: In a recent interview, filmmaker Anand L Rai compared the controversies the films Udta Punjab and Padmavati (have) faced in the run-up to their theatrical release, and also opined as to what might possibly be the reason the former got more visible support from the industry than the latter. According to Rai, the difference was that the makers of Udta Punjab had stood at the forefront, resisting the attempts to snuff out their film, while in the case of Padmavat, this seems to be missing. The magnitude of both controversies may differ, but Rai made a point worth examining. Why has Sanjay Leela Bhansali stayed incommunicado even in the face of such virulent opposition to his film? He's chosen, so far, to air his views only through a series of short video clips when his physical presence in addressing the controversy head-on, surrounded by eminent members of the film industry, would have sent a strong message to his detractors. Read on Firstpost Padmavati controversy: A timeline of the setbacks faced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Bhansalis elusiveness may be doing more harm than good for his Rs 175 crore magnum opus. His silence too has sort of been fodder for the anti-Padmavati brigade, whose initial objections only had to do with one 'intimate' scene between the characters of Rani Padmini and Alauddin Khilji (which wasn't even part of the script). It was only when the agitation gained momentum, that calls for a complete ban on the film began. Would this have come to pass if Bhansali had dealt with the misgivings early on? Death threats are frightening enough, but perhaps Bhansali's unwillingness to articulate his position has only 'helped' the various state governments that have now said they will not allow the film to release on their home ground. Bhansali is a loner; socialising is not something he engages in with any regularity. He's only seen when promoting his films. An artist is entitled to his/her silence but when Rs 175 crore is at stake, then perhaps personal traits and quirks must be kept aside for a while. It was heartening to see the film body CINTAA organise a press conference to voice their support for Padmavati; it was attended by the likes of Sudhir Mishra and Rahul Rawail. Solidarity with Padmavati was again witnessed when leading industry associations came together and halted work for 15 minutes to send a message to the protestors. What was peculiar, however, was that neither Bhansali nor any members of his cast participated in these initiaves. This is not the first time the industry has faced down a crisis when a film's release was threatened. In the past too films like Fanaa, Phantom or The Last Lear, which featured some of the industry's biggest names, have had to face the masses' and the government's ire. So while Aamir Khan addressed a long press conference at his Bandra bungalow just before the release of Fanaa, Saif Ali Khan and Kabir Khan did the same during the release of Phantom. For The Last Lear, Amitabh Bachchan and Rituparno Ghosh gave numerous one-on-one interviews and assuaged all possible queries regarding their film. The same was witnessed during the release of Udta Punjab too. All these films managed to create a dialogue in the case of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Padmavati, there seems to be a monologue, which dilutes the discussion around the movie considerably. Also read Padmavati row: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil to PK, six Bollywood films that courted controversy Worth mentioning too, is that bruised egos seem to be the real reason behind the whole Padmavati brouhaha, as Firstpost has previously reported. To quickly recap: Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi told Firstpost's Sanjay Singh that the issue began with some comments Ranveer Singh (who plays Khilji in Padmavati) made, about taking his onscreen villainous character up a few notches if he was promised a few intimate scenes with Deepika Padukone. The Karni Sena demanded an explanation; when they didn't secure a meeting with Bhansali in Jaipur, they sought one in Mumbai. But no parley occurred between the two groups. This is a matter of conjecture of course, but one cannot help assume that matters might have been resolved had a frank discussion happened at that stage with Bhansali. With the controversy having taken on national proportions, and no new release date announced for his film, one can only wonder if Bhansali could have ensured a different path for Padmavati. The International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2017 kicked off with a solemn note and a candle-light vigil marking a tribute to all the victims of Cyclone Ochki. The 22nd edition of the film festival had noted Bengali veteran Madhabi Mukherjee and south Indian actor Prakash Raj as the chief guests for the evening, reports The Times of India. During the inaugural speech, Raj talked about a lack of dissent in public discourse, his concerns for the future generation and his love for Kerala. "When I come to Kerala I dont come with a script to talk because there is no censor here. I love you because this is one state where I can breathe without fear. Whatever I am going to talk, I believe with integrity that this is what I should talk," begins Raj, as quoted by The Quint, in one of its reports. Raj has recently been in headlines for openly lashing out at the BJP government and its "right-wing" policies. Speaking about his opinions on the present socio-politico-cultural environment of the country, Raj opines, "I talk and I raise my voice because I dont belong to a political. I raise my voice as an artist as I feel responsible to speak. We the film fraternity, artists of the society, are what we are not because of (our) talents. But, they are what they are because of the love from the society. When artists, creators, and creative people become cowards, we should realise we make society cowardly, adds Raj. We have to be the voice of those who cannot raise voices, reports The Indian Express. Speaking about the whole controversy around Padmavati and the lack of action taken against the bounty callers, the ones who threaten out in the open, Raj slams the BJP-led government. Today if somebody is being lynched and killed in Rajasthan. If somebody is threatened that we will cut your nose. Cut your head. And there is a prize money announced and then they can go scot-free. We need to think ladies and gentlemen, what is this narrative, adds the Express report. He also raised questions over the recent debate over the Malayalam film S Durga that was banned from IFFI 2017. The Express report quotes him: "Films being stopped is the most dangerous thing. Stopping thinking, creativity, free expression is the most dangerous disease a society can have. Yes, there have been such incidents of stopping a dissenting voice and artwork for years. But, today we are questioning because you are doing it. Dont ask me why didnt you question them," he continues, and raises some serious questions. "They have a problem with a film called, S Durga. But the same people have no problem with Durga Wine and Bar. They dont have a problem if a street named Durga is dirty'. Other attendees at the inaugural ceremony included veteran filmmakers Aparna Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal, Chalachitra Academy secretary Mahesh Panju, IFFK artistic director Bina Paul, IFFK jury chairman Marco Muller, IFFK jury member Aboubacker Sanogo and Kerala govt's cultural department secretary Rani George among others, as per the report by The Times of India. The 8-day film festival began with the screening of the French-Lebanese film The Insult, directed by Ziad Doueiri. On Saturday (9 December), around 68 films will be screened. The international competition section will also kick off with the screening of the films Symphony for Ana , directed by Ernesto Ardito and Virna Molina, and Grain directed by the Turkish filmmaker Semih Kaplanagolu, adds the TOI report. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Bank lobbyists are scrambling to preserve a critical $2.2 trillion-a-day short-term funding market that would be disrupted under a provision in the Republican U.S. tax overhaul that aims to crack down on tax-dodging by multinational corporations, banking industry sources said on Friday. FILE PHOTO - A street sign for Wall Street is seen outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in Manhattan, New York City, U.S. December 28, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew KellyThe provision contained in both the Senate and House of Representatives versions of the bill would hurt banks by upending the so-called repurchase agreement - or repo - market used by banks and investors for everyday funding needs. The House and Senate this week voted to begin talks to iron out the differences in their rival tax bills, giving lobbyists a last window of opportunity to advocate to lawmakers for changes to the final text ahead of a self-imposed Republican Dec. 22 deadline. Wall Street is seen as one of the major winners in the Republican effort, backed by President Donald Trump, to rework the U.S. tax code. The provision that banking lobbyists are taking aim at is intended to stamp out practices employed by multinational corporations to reduce U.S. tax obligations by shifting money earned in the United States to less heavily taxed overseas affiliates. Reversing this base erosion among U.S. tax-paying companies has been a top priority for Republican lawmakers. The bill passed by the Senate aimed to do this by imposing a tax of up to 10 percent on payments made by a U.S. company to its related foreign company. For banks and securities dealers, the figure would be 11 percent. Reuters reported last month that the provision had initially covered derivatives transactions, but such trades were later exempted in the bill passed by the Senate. That exemption does not, however, explicitly include repos or securities lending transactions. The version of the bill passed by the House did not exempt derivatives transactions. Bank lobbyists are particularly concerned about the implications of the tax for the repo market because it is a critical source of bank funding, two industry sources told Reuters. It is also used by investors and companies as a way to invest their spare cash. A repo deal involves one party selling assets, such as a portfolio of bonds, in return for cash with a promise to repurchase the assets in future, typically the following business day. Repos require global banks to make trades and payments between their U.S. and overseas entities to help manage their risk exposure. Net profits on repo trades are already taxed. Under the Senate bill, they would continue to be taxed at the proposed 20 percent corporate income tax rate. But the intra-group payments on such deals would also be taxed at 11 percent in the Senate version and 10 percent in the House version. This would make repos uneconomical because the tax on the payments would be higher than the total profit on the deal. Bank lobbyists hope the current House-Senate negotiations will offer another opportunity for them to push lawmakers for an explicit exemption for repos and securities lending deals, the industry sources said. Although the House bills base erosion language is more damaging for banks, lobbyists are focusing on the Senate version, which they believe is most likely to be included in the final bill that would be put to a vote in the Republican-led Congress before going to Trump to sign into law. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are set to warn Bayer its planned purchase of U.S. seed maker Monsanto may hurt competition, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday, a move that would force Bayer to offer concessions to address the concerns. FILE PHOTO: Monsanto logo is displayed on a screen where the stock is traded on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 9, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoThe $66 billion deal would make Bayer (BAYGn.DE) the worlds largest pesticides and seeds company, an outcome already facing strong criticism from environmentalists and some farm groups. The European Commission is expected to send a charge sheet known as a statement of objections to the companies in the coming weeks, but a final decision has not yet been made, the person said. The EU competition enforcer declined to comment. Companies have to address all the concerns addressed in the document with concessions or face a veto. Bayer continues to work with the necessary regulatory parties, including the EU, toward a successful close of the acquisition of Monsanto in early 2018, Bayer spokesman Darren Wallis said in an email. He declined further comment. Monsanto spokeswoman Sara Miller said the company had no comment. Bayer and Monsanto (MON.N) met with Commission officials earlier this week and were told of the regulatory concerns. Bayer agreed in October to sell its seed and herbicide units, including its LibertyLink-branded seeds and Liberty herbicide businesses, to world No. 3 crop chemicals maker BASF (BASFn.DE) for 5.9 billion euros as part of an attempt to ease competition concerns. It has yet to make a formal offer of concessions to the Commission which opened a full-scale investigation into the deal in August after expressing preliminary concerns that it may reduce competition and jack up prices. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has agreed to swap up to 60,000 barrels per day of crude produced from the northern Iraqi Kirkuk oilfield for Iranian oil, Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al-Luaibi said on Saturday. An oil field is seen in Kirkuk, Iraq October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-MarjaniThe agreement signed by the two countries provides for Iran to deliver to Iraqs southern ports, on the Gulf, oil of the same characteristics and in the same quantities as those it would receive from Kirkuk, Luaibi said in a statement. The deal in effect allows Iraq to resume sales of Kirkuk crude, which have been halted since Iraqi forces took back control of the fields from the Kurds in October. Between 30,000 and 60,000 bpd of Kirkuk crude will be delivered by tanker trucks to the border area of Kermanshah, where Iran has a refinery, Luaibi said. The two countries are planning to build a pipeline to carry the oil from Kirkuk, so as to avoid trucking the crude, he said. The pipeline could replace the existing export route from Kirkuk via Turkey and the Mediterranean by pipeline. Kurdish forces took control of Kirkuk in 2014, when the Iraqi army collapsed in the face of Islamic state, preventing the regions oilfields from falling into the hands of the militants. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. OSLO (Reuters) - A survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and the leader of the group that won this years Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday urged the United States and North Korea to tone down their rhetoric and negotiate together to avoid a nuclear strike. ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) campaigner and Hiroshima survivor, Setsuko Thurlow (L) signs the Nobel protocol, Oslo, Norway December 9, 2017. Audun Braastad/NTB Scanpix/via REUTERSTensions have risen markedly in recent months over North Koreas development, in defiance of repeated rounds of U.N. sanctions, of nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the United States. A missile test last week prompted a U.S. warning that North Koreas leadership would be utterly destroyed if war were to break out. The Pentagon has mounted repeated shows of force after North Korean tests. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was awarded this years Nobel Peace Prize by a Nobel committee that cited the spread of nuclear weapons by countries like North Korea and the growing risk of an atomic war. Setsuko Thurlow, an 85-year-old survivor of the Hiroshima bombing on Aug. 6, 1945, and Beatrice Fihn, ICANs executive director, will receive the prize together on Sunday at Oslo City Hall in front of King Harald and Queen Sonja. No human being should suffer what we suffered, Thurlow, who was 13 at the time of the attack and is now an ICAN campaigner, told reporters on Saturday. I deeply and strongly urge the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. never to use nuclear weapons ... Negotiate. A diplomatic solution is the only solution. URGENT THREAT ICAN campaigner and Hiroshima survivor, Setsuko Thurlow during the press conference with ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), who is set to recieve the Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday, in Oslo, Norway December 9, 2017. Audun Braastad/NTB Scanpix/via REUTERSICANs Fihn said that the risk of a nuclear war had increased over the past year. There is an urgent threat right now, she told reporters. I would very strongly urge the leaders (of North Korea and the U.S.) to back down from their very dangerous rhetoric. Stop threatening to use weapons of mass destruction. Engage in a diplomatic solution. ICAN is a coalition of grassroots non-governmental groups in more than 100 nations that began in Australia. It has campaigned for a U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted by 122 nations in July. It needs to be ratified by 50 states to come into force. So far only three have done so: the Holy See, Thailand and Guyana. The treaty is not signed by - and would not apply to - any of the states that already have nuclear arms, which include the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France, as well as India, Pakistan and North Korea. Israel is also widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies it. The U.S., Britain and France are sending second-rank diplomats to the award ceremony, which Fihn said was some kind of protest. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber [UBER.UL] has agreed to settle a U.S. civil lawsuit filed by a woman who had accused top executives of improperly obtaining her medical records after a company driver raped her in India, according to a court filing on Friday. FILE PHOTO: Uber's logo is pictured at its office in Tokyo, Japan, November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonTerms of the settlement were not disclosed in the court filing. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: The ASEAN-India Connectivity Summit (AICS) will be held in New Delhi on 11-12 December, and will be attended by senior ministers from India and ASEAN countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday. The theme of the meeting is 'Powering Digital and Physical Linkages for Asia in the 21st Century'. The summit would be attended by Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation; Communications Minister Manoj Sinha; Ministers of State in the External Affairs Ministry VK Singh and MJ Akbar; and Preeti Saran, Secretary (East), MEA. From ASEAN, Phan Tam, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Vietnam, Tauch Chankosal, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia would be attending the summit. The AICS would be bringing together policymakers, senior officials from the government, investors, industry leaders, representatives of trade associations and entrepreneurs on the same platform, the ministry said in a statement. "The AICS aims to accelerate existing connectivity prospects, identify issues of concern, evolve suitable policy recommendations and develop strategies to enhance economic, industrial and trade relations between ASEAN and India. Its focus areas are infrastructure, roadways, shipping, digital, finance, energy and aviation," a statement by the MEA said. New Delhi: The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Saturday called Delhi government's decision to cancel the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, after it erroneously declared a newborn dead, "irrational and autocratic". The DMA added that the government should have waited for the report of Delhi Medical Council (DMC) which would be submitted in a few days. According to DMA, while the investigation against the concerned doctors was expected, the decision to shut down the entire hospital is too harsh. "The decision to shut the entire hospital is irrational and autocratic. Private hospitals bear 80 per cent of the patients' burden in Delhi. Action against the concerned doctors is expected but why should all other departments and the hospital suffer?," Ashwini Goyal of DMA said. In the cancellation order, which comes after a three-member panel had submitted a report to Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain, the government has stopped the hospital from admitting any new patient and put a stop to all outpatient treatment services and laboratory testing on the premises. The baby boy22-weeks prematurewas declared dead by Max Hospital on 30 November and handed over to the parents in a plastic bag, along with his still-born sister. However, the baby started moving while being taken for burial. The baby was then admitted in north Delhi's Agarwal Nursing Home but died on Wednesday. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) termed the cancellation of licence "too harsh a step". It backed the hospital and said if all hospitals start facing such situations, healthcare will come to a halt. The DMA said it will also call for a strike if needed and will appeal to the government to revoke the decision to Max Hospital's license cancellation. According to Goyal, DMC, being a statutory body, has taken cognizance of the matter and will come out with their report in a day or two. Meanwhile, terming the Delhi government order harsh, the Max Hospital said they were not given adequate opportunity to put forth their side of the story. Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Saturday requested the navy, Coast Guard (CG) and Indian Air Force (IAF) to continue the search operations for the missing fishermen in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi, for another 10 days. State chief secretary KM Abraham on Saturday sent an urgent letter in this regard to Rear Admiral R Nadkarni, Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command, Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, AOC Southern Air command and Additional Director General K Natarajan, Coast Guard Commander (Western Seaboard), Mumbai, an official press release said. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who is in Delhi, will be meeting Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and discuss the matter with her on Saturday evening. He will also be meeting Union home minister Rajnath Singh with regard to the state's plea for a special central package to rehabilitate families affected by Ockhi cyclone. The chief secretary, in his letter, stated that reports had reached the state government from fishermen of Thiruvananthapuram that floating bodies of fishermen were spotted in the high seas. The fishermen have also appealed to step up operations to retrieve the bodies and search for survivors and also take them on board the rescue ships and interceptor boats. The chief secretary also asked the Navy and Coast Guard to mobilise sufficient ships at Vizhinjam for taking the fishermen to the deep seas in their rescue and search operations. An official of the district administration should also be deployed in the search vessels, it was stated. Besides, the health department has been instructed to mobilise adequate storage and treatment facilities for the retrieved bodies at Vizhinjam and along the important coastal centres. Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Vijayan said Naval and coast guard ships are continuing the search and rescue operations. There are reports of bodies floating in the waters but the defence ships are unable to trace them. Vijayan said he would also be taking up this matter with Defence Minister during talks. On Friday, an all party meeting in Thiruvananthapuram had decided to knock the Centre's doors for the special financial package. So far, 37 persons have lost their lives in the cyclone which left several others missing. Meanwhile, defence sources said the Coast Guard has been searching around the northern atolls of Maldives. The Maldives fishing community has located an overturned fishing vessel 70 nautical miles of Makanadhoo on Saturday which has been positively identified as Sri Lankan fishing vessel. INS Mumbai has searched the locations around three islands and has found no distressed vessels, the sources said, adding INS Koswari will also be arriving in the area on Saturday to participate in the search operations. Dornier aircraft of Indian Coast guard will conduct sorties on Saturday and Sunday over North Maldives to locate any drifting fishing vessels. The Latin Catholic church head Archbishop Soosai Pakiyam expressed the church's dissatisfaction over the rescue and relief operations. At least one person was killed in clashes with Israeli troops on Friday when thousands of Palestinians demonstrated against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the Palestinian president said Washington could no longer be a peace broker. Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters took to the streets on the Muslim holy day, expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and outrage at Trump's reversal of decades of U.S. policy. Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man near the Gaza border, the first confirmed death in two days of unrest. Scores of people were wounded on the "Day of Rage". The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border. "During the riots IDF soldiers fired selectively towards two main instigators and hits were confirmed," it said. More than 80 Palestinians were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. Dozens more suffered from tear gas inhalation. Thirty-one were wounded on Thursday. As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshippers made their way toward the walled Old City gates, chanting "Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital" and "We don't need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs". Scuffles broke out between protesters and police. In Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas. In Gaza, calls for worshippers to protest sounded over mosque loudspeakers. Hamas has called for a new Palestinian uprising like the "intifadas" of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005, which together saw thousands of Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israelis killed. "Whoever moves his embassy to occupied Jerusalem will become an enemy of the Palestinians and a target of Palestinian factions," said Hamas leader Fathy Hammad as protesters in Gaza burned posters of Trump. "We declare an intifada until the liberation of Jerusalem and all of Palestine." Protests largely died down as night fell. Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israeli towns near the Gaza border, and the Israeli military said it had intercepted one of at least two projectiles fired from Gaza. No damage or casualties were reported. Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militant group linked to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party said it was responsible for firing one of the rockets, in protest at Trumps decision. Residents in Gaza heard explosions near the border after the rockets were fired and Hamas media said Israeli tanks had fired on a militant position. The Israeli military said it had no knowledge of the incident, in which no casualties were reported. At the United Nations, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Washington still had credibility as a mediator with both Israel and the Palestinians. "The United States has credibility with both sides. Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations, or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel's security," Haley told the U.N. Security Council. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appeared defiant. "We reject the American decision over Jerusalem. With this position the United States has become no longer qualified to sponsor the peace process, Abbas said in a statement. He did not elaborate further. France, Italy, Germany, Britain and Sweden called on the United States to "bring forward detailed proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement". "PROMISE FULFILLED" Trump's announcement on Wednesday has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after occupying it in the 1967 Middle East War, to be occupied territory. For decades, Washington, like most of the rest of the international community, held back from recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying its status should be determined as part of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. No other country has an embassy there. The Trump administration argues that the peace process has become moribund, and outdated policies need to be jettisoned for the sides in the conflict to make progress. Administration officials say all serious peace plans call for Israel to have its capital in Jerusalem, whatever the outcome of other issues. Trump has also noted that Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton all promised as candidates to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "I fulfilled my campaign promise - others didn't!" Trump tweeted on Friday with a video montage of campaign speeches on the issue by his three predecessors. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday it would still be up to the Israelis and Palestinians to hammer out all other issues surrounding the city in future talks. "With respect to the rest of Jerusalem, the president ... did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. He was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide." "DEATH TO THE DEVIL" In Ramallah, the seat of Abbas's Palestinian Authority, the leader's religious affairs adviser said Trump's stance was an affront to Islam and Christianity alike. "America has chosen to elect a president who has put it in enmity with all Muslims and Christians," said Mahmoud al-Habbash. In Iran, which has never recognised Israel and supports anti-Israel militants, demonstrators burned pictures of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while chanting "Death to the Devil". Opposition to the U.S. move has united Iran's pragmatist faction, which supports greater openness to the outside world, with hardliners who oppose it. Large demonstrations also took place in Jordan, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia. France said the United States had sidelined itself in the Middle East. "The reality is they are alone and isolated on this issue," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: New Delhi/New York: Uber Technologies and an Indian woman who had accused its top executives of improperly obtaining her medical records after a company driver raped her have agreed to settle a civil US lawsuit. When contacted, Uber confirmed the filing which says a settlement has been reached between all defendants and Uber expects the case to be dismissed in January. Terms of the settlement were, however, not disclosed. In 2014, the Indian woman was raped by an Uber driver in New Delhi. She had filed a lawsuit earlier and later "voluntarily" withdrew it. In June this year, she filed another case against the ride-hailing company and its embattled CEO Travis Kalanick for "unlawfully" obtaining her medical records and engaging in offensive conspiracy theories about the brutal incident. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in the 18-page lawsuit filed in the federal court in California, said Uber has taken startup culture, in which "fierceness" and "always be hustling" are prioritised above people to a new extreme, "perpetuating rape culture and violating all bounds of decency as to customer privacy". Uber spent the early part of this year battling a number of issues, including widespread mismanagement and harassment at workplace. Troubles started for Uber after a former employee wrote a blog post alleging sexual harassment and sexism at the firm. Matters came to a head when reports emerged that a top Uber executive had allegedly obtained medical records of the 26-year-old woman raped by an Uber driver in India in 2014. Following these, Uber co-founder and then CEO Travis Kalanick stepped down and in August, former Expedia chief Dara Khosrowshahi was brought in as the new chief executive. New Delhi: The family of the baby, who was wrongly declared dead by Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, on Friday welcomed the decision by the Delhi government to cancel its licence, saying the action will serve as a deterrent to other private hospitals. "We are indebted to the Delhi government for taking swift action in the case. We have been protesting outside the hospital demanding action for last few days. And today, we feel somehow redeemed, that some justice has been delivered," said Sunil Kumar, uncle of the baby boy, who died on 6 December at a nursing home in Pitampura, after being on life support for a week. The boy was one of the premature twins (other being a girl), born on 30 November at the upscale private hospital. Both the babies were declared stillborn by the hospital and handed over to the family allegedly in a polythene bag. But to their shock, the family discovered that the boy was still alive when they were on way to do the last rites. Ashish Kumar, father of the babies, had refused to receive the boy's body, demanding that the erring doctors be arrested. "We took the body yesterday (Thursday) and performed the last rites. We are feeling very relieved that the government fast-tracked the case. We have planned to meet Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow (Saturday) and thank him for the support. "The action will serve as a deterrent to other private hospitals," he told PTI. "We will also hold a candlelight vigil to raise awareness about safety of newborns tomorrow (Saturday)," Kumar said. Praveen Malik, grandfather of the twins, and his relatives shouted slogans outside the Max Hospital, hailing the Delhi government's decision. According to the Directorate-General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Delhi government's health department, the licence was cancelled on Friday till further order. In the order issued by the DGHS, the keeper of the hospital has been directed to "refrain from admitting any new indoor patient and stop all outdoor treatment service in the premises with immediate effect". A relative of a patient admitted in ICU at the hospital said: "No direction has been given to shift patients." Parag Chahal, who lives in the nearby Rohini neighbourhood, said no one has been advised to shift to other hospital immediately. "I admitted my mother here three days ago because of pneumonia and the doctors have advised for a discharge on Monday," he said. Dang, Gujarat: You wont find many people to talk (to) in our village, said 50-year-old Gaman Gavit, a farmer from Girmal village near Girmal falls, a tourist spot in South Gujarats Dang district, 400 kilometres from the states capital Gandhinagar. Two of his four sons migrated to Surat district and Maharashtra to help feed his family of 15, said Gavit, who owns four acres of land on which he grows rice, nagali (finger millet) and vagai (sorghum). About 50 truckloads of people migrate from his village after every monsoon as there are few alternatives to farming, he told IndiaSpend. As much as 75% of Dangs population lives under the poverty line of Rs 356 per person a month in villages and Rs 538 per person in cities, and the district struggles to succeed under Gujarats development model. In this primarily tribal district98% belong to the scheduled tribes48.1% of children under five years were stunted, 72.2% of women were anaemic and only 44.3% of children under two were fully immunised, according to the latest National Family Health Survey of 2015-16 (NFHS-4), even as the district has made investments in health infrastructure. And it is not just Dang. Gujarat, ranked fifth by per capita income in the country, is ranked 17 among 29 states on infant mortality, with 34 of every 1,000 infants dying every year, worse than much poorer Meghalaya (30), and lower than Indias average infant mortality rate (IMR: deaths per 1,000 births) of 41, as IndiaSpend reported in November 2017. Its neighbouring state of Maharashtra has been able to reduce stunting, wasting in children and improve the health of its mothers, while Gujarat has struggled. The data present a conundrum: In spite of industrialisation, rising incomes, and investment in infrastructure, health outcomes are poor and there are not enough jobs for the growing populationin India, 280 million will need jobs between now and 2050, the year when the working-age population (15 to 64 years) will peak, IndiaSpend reported in May 2016. This population will have to be healthy and educated to be productive. Gujarat never lacked political will to make health a priority, said Somashekhar Nimbalkar, head of the department of paediatrics at the Pramukhswami Medical College, in Karamsad, Gujarat. What it lacked is bureaucrats and administrators who would study the problems and offer solutions to political leaders. While bridges and providing good water supply can rapidly improve and show results, health programmes need long-term planning and take time to reap benefits. Solutions need to come from the people working on the ground who understand local issues, rather than from high powered committees in locations of power, he explained. As Gujarat goes to polls on 9 December and 14 December, 2017, IndiaSpend visited half a dozen villages in Dang districtone of the six most backward districts of Gujaratto understand where India and Gujarats development model fell short. Even as Gujarat has grown industrially, a lack of jobs forces people to migrate from Dang, and people dont access the same benefits they would have accessed in their hometown, it is difficult to access higher levels of education, there is limited emphasis on tribal health and health services and messaging are not adapted to local conditions. Source: National Family Health Survey, 2015-16 data Gujarat, Dang Gujarats Health Lags Other Rich States State Infant mortality (Deaths/1,000 live births) Under-five mortality (Deaths/1,000 live births) Children (12-23 months) fully immunised (In %) Children < 5 who are stunted (In %) Children < 5 who are wasted (In %) Children < 5 who are severely wasted (In %) Children < 5 who are underweight (In %) Haryana 33 41 62.2 34 21.2 9 29.4 Maharashtra 24 29 56.3 34.4 25.6 9.4 36 Punjab 29 33 89.1 25.7 15.6 5.6 21.6 Gujarat 34 43 50.4 38.5 26.4 9.5 39.3 Kerala 6 7 82.1 19.7 15.7 6.5 16.1 Tamil Nadu 20 27 69.7 27.1 19.7 7.9 23.8 Source: National Family Health Survey, 2015-16 Forced migration because of a lack of jobs Gujarats per capita income is Rs 1,22,502, 39% higher than the Indian average of Rs 82,269, but 75% of Dangs residents live below the poverty line. Most people in Dang are dependent on rain-fed subsistence farming of rice, millet, and pulses. Agricultural productivity here is low with 31% of the area under cultivation and 13% of it irrigated, according to a 2013 study by the Aga Khan rural support programme, an Indian non-profit. In Subir and Waghai blocks of Dang, 48% to 60% of the households migrate seasonally, after the monsoon, the study found. A lack of local employment opportunities in Dang combined with insufficient income forced people to fall in debt traps and migrate to pay off loans to local mukkardams or, labour contractors. After repaying the mukkardam, there is little money left to send back, said Gavit of Girman village, two of whose sons had migrated for work. There are no jobs here, only outsiders come and work here, said Yohan Thakrey, 18, from the same village. People from other parts of Gujarat work as teachers or government employees, while locals work as agricultural labourers and have to migrate to find jobs, he said. As people move in search of work, they leave behind government benefits they would have received in Dang, adversely affecting their health. Aadhaar, which provides a unique identification number to every Indian, was formed in part to ensure that people do not lose such benefits when they move, but implementations gaps remain. The districts successes: Clean, adequately staffed health centres When IndiaSpend visited the health sub-centre at Dhawlidod, Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy (AYUSH) doctor Priyanka Patel was in the outpatient department (OPD). Under the Arogya Setu programme of the government, launched to set-up a dispensary in each village, doctors conduct a general OPD in sub-centres two days a week, she said. Like most other sub-centres in the district, this sub-centre was clean, well maintained and adequately staffed. It was well-stocked with drugs and there were 76 pregnant women registered with the sub-centre, said multipurpose health worker Abdul Fakir. There were no patients the afternoon IndiaSpend visited, but a fair number of people come for Mamta Divas, the village health and nutrition day every Monday and Wednesday, when women and children are immunised. The health facilities at Ahwa have come a long way, said Usha Valand, the auxiliary nurse and midwife who has been working at the Ahwa Civil Hospital since 1998. The hospital was rebuilt two years ago. Far more women have institutional deliveries now and there is awareness about immunisation, she said. She showed us the cold storage for vaccines that could be monitored from Delhi in order to preserve it at the right temperature. The hospital had two paediatricians, one orthopaedic and one dental surgeon working when we visited. It also had a neonatal intensive unit with ten warmers and five attending nurses. So confident is Valand of the services here that she is bringing her own daughter from Vadodara to Ahwa for her delivery, she told us. Patients agree. Our ASHA [accredited social health activist] dropped us to the hospital, and they are taking good care of me and my son, said Daksha Choudhari, 27, who came from Chikhli, 20 km away. She said she had a bank account and knew about the benefits of the Janani Swasthya Yojana, a safe motherhood intervention that incentivises institutional deliveries by giving mothers cash. In the OPD, we met some patients who had travelled to the hospital from Maharashtra for eye surgeries. Good quality care and free treatment motivated us to travel three hours and spend Rs 3,000, said Vilas Gawli, who came to the hospital with his grandmother and father, 150 km from Dhule district in Maharashtra. I am focussed on improving the immunisation cover, said Megha Mehta, the districts new health officer. A month ago 89% of the children under one year were fully immunised; in the last one month, it has improved to 99%. These numbers are from e-Mamtaa mother and child tracking system of the Gujarat government. It is based on pregnancies registered in this system, and may miss other institutional deliveries, and deliveries that do not happen in a health care centre. Overall in Dang district, 44.3% of children under two years were fully immunised in 2015-16, according to central government data, compared to the India average of 62%. Not all health centres are as good. At Garkhadi primary health centre (PHC), there was no telephone connection or mobile phone network, which means the parked ambulance is put to little use. By January, there is little water left in the village. When IndiaSpend visited the PHC, around 5 pm, there was no doctor. Medical officers find the living quarters in the PHC unfit to stay, so they commute from bigger towns and there is rarely a doctor available after 5 pm, according to the accountant and the security staff at the PHC. IndiaSpend was unable to reach a doctor for comment. Little emphasis on tribal health In spite of the good health infrastructure and health resources, Dang has one of the worst health indicators in the state. One of the reasons could be that tribal populationsabout 15% of Gujarats population is tribal compared to 8% of the Indian populationhave lower access to such services. Poor women belonging to scheduled tribes were 5.32 times less likely to use antenatal care (ANC) services than the non-poor from other castes, a 2013 study that analysed the use of ANC among young mothers in a district-level health survey found. Even non-poor scheduled tribe women were 2.37 times less likely to use the service than other castes, the study found. It is not enough to focus on adjusting the health system. Even introducing and strengthening demand-side interventions designed to encourage use of maternal health services, such as conditional cash transfers and voucher schemes will not be enough to affect changes in use of services in some groups. More comprehensive structural changes are needed to address other factors such as gender and social norms, political influence, corruption, and discrimination, the study noted. Still, medical colleges in Gujarat, including the department of community medicine, is apathetic towards tribal health initiatives, according to Kandarp Talati, the director of Promotion of Action Research, Foundation for Diffusion of Innovations, which works in the tribal district of Dahod in Gujarat. There is very little health counselling and health messaging adapted to local practices and customs. For example, health workers talk about breastfeeding within one hour of birth but do not mention that mothers should refrain from giving goat milk which is a prevalent practice here, he explained. We found ASHAs not using their knowledge in their own households, so they also failed in communicating the messages in their communities, said Nimbalkar who, along with Talati, conducted a study on the level of knowledge of health workers. Migration makes it difficult to track women, children Entire families migrate for work from Dang, making it difficult for Anganwadi workers to track their childrens immunisation schedule and for ASHAs to register pregnancies. Large scale seasonal migration of entire households forces children to join the labour force at the age of six to seven years, and they leave school to become full-fledged labourers by the age of 11-12 years, and girls have to take care of younger siblings and do household chores, according to a 2013 study on children of migrant labourers from Dang. Children miss out on school years, receive no immunisation, no nutritious food and spend time in unsafe work environments, the study noted. Difficult to access higher levels of schooling In 2016, 74.8% of men in Dang were literate, compared to 85.7% in India, and 56.9% of women were literate, compared to 68.4% in India. But only 16.3% of women in 2015-16 had more than ten years of education, according to data from NFHS-4, compared to 35.7% in India. A child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past five years of age, and each year of mothers schooling decreases the probability of infant mortality by 5-10%, according to a 2011 report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. While local schools have residential facilities for children whose parents migrate, the village of Girmal, where Gavit lives, only has a government primary school. Gavit said he spent Rs 6,000 to get one of his grandchildren in the school at Pipaldahad, a nearby village. Now he doesnt have the money to educate his 14-year-old granddaughter and 15-year-old grandson. The teachers (in local schools) arent locals. They stay in towns like Dharampur and Wajda and travel two hours to reach the village. By the time they reach here, they are exhausted so they arent keen to teach, said grocery shop-owner Sanjay Raut, 37, from Gaodahad village. There are very few students from local schools who pass grade X in the first attempt. This is why he sent his daughter to study in a residential school, 116 km away, he told IndiaSpend. Several problems exist on the ground, but most Dang residents remain apolitical For all their lives, Ramabhai Gadhar, 60, and his wife, have been trekking 14 km uphill to reach their daughters house in Girmal from Dhulda village. Dhulda has no road to nearby villages. Though there is an ASHA in the village, the nearest health centre is 4 km away, and the village is completely cut-off during the monsoon when the river floods. We want a bridge, Gadhar said, but was non-committal about whom he would vote for this election. The district looked apolitical; there were no political banners, posters or even flags in the villages. Most villagers said they werent affiliated to one party but added that they hadnt seen their member of legislative assembly (MLA) since the last election. Some said they would vote for whoever paid them. In 1997, the district had grabbed headlines for violent attacks against Christians by right wing groups opposed to what they said were forced conversions. Villagers are still wary of talking about religion and political affiliation with outsiders. Since 2012, Mangalbhai Gavit from the Congress party has been the districts MLA, after defeating Bharatiya Janata Partys Vijaybhai Patel by a margin of 2,422 votes. This year too Gavit and Patel are contesting the elections. Ahmedabad: Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia on Saturday complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar claiming that some machines were found to be connecting to external devices via Bluetooth. The Election Commission said that based on the Congress leader's complaint, an inquiry had been initiated. "We detected that the EVMs at three polling booths at Memanwada, a Muslim-dominated area, are connected to external devices through Bluetooth. When the Bluetooth of a mobile phone is turned on, a device named 'ECO 105' is shown as available," Modhwadia, the Congress candidate from Porbandar, said. This clearly means that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be tampered with using the device via Bluetooth, he alleged. "The chips fitted in the EVMs appear to be programmable using Bluetooth, and this raises the possibility of tampering. The voting system should be immune to such connectivity to external devices," he said. Modhwadia said he had registered a complaint with the district election officer. The election officer visited the booth and saw the display, he added. Chief Election Officer (CEO) BB Swain said an inquiry was ordered into the matter and the collector and the observer of the Election Commission (EC) were sent to the spot. "We received a complaint regarding the connectivity of EVM through Bluetooth. After discussing the matter with the Election Commission, we have sent the collector and an observer of the commission has been sent to the spot along with the senior-most engineer. An inquiry is being conducted in the presence of the complainant," Swain said. The ruling BJP, however, said the complaint made by Modhwadia shows the Opposition party's "search for an excuse" as it knows that it would bite the dust in the election. "Members of the Congress are saying there is a defect in the EVMs. The EC would respond to it. But we can say that the Congress is searching for an excuse even before the results are out, as it stares at a loss in the elections. They are trying to hide behind the EVMs," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly election 2017 For LIVE updates on the first phase of Gujarat election click here Patna: RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Friday termed the Enforcement Directorates order attaching a price of land owned by his family as "political vendetta" and "conspiracy" by the central and Bihar governments to gag the voice of the opposition. He said the property attached has been wrongly showed as "benami" by the agency. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the attachment was "expected" as RJD chief Lalu Prasads family has "nothing to explain." "This is a well-thought out conspiracy of both the central and Bihar governments to put pressure on the opposition parties to gag their voice from exposing the corruption of the state government including the Srijan scam. This is not a new attachment as the Income Tax deprtment has already attached the same property," Tejashwi Yadav told reporters. "If there is anything wrong in it, then why agencies have not filed the charge sheet in the case even after a lapse of 150 days of filing of FIR?" Tejashwi Yadav, the younger son Prasad, asked. He said the agencies should to file charge sheet in the matter at the earliest so that he could also fight out the matter in court to come clean in the case like his father and mother, who came out with "flying colours" in the Supreme Court in a disproportionate assets case. Tejashwi Yadav, a former deputy chief minister and who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly now, said that he has not got any information from the ED so far in this regard. The ED on Friday attached a three-acre plot here worth Rs 45 in connection with its money laundering probe in the IRCTC hotel allotment scam case against Prasad and his family. Agency sources said the land is allegedly in the name of the family members of Prasad and a mall was supposed to be constructed there. The matter hogged the limelight in the wake of surfacing of soil purchase case during the previous RJD-JD(U)-Congress government earlier this year. Prasads elder son and ex-forest minister Tej Pratap Yadav was accused of selling soil of this mall to Patna zoo for a hefty Rs 90 lakh. The central probe had last week questioned the RJD chiefs wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi in this case in Patna. It has questioned Tejashwi Yadav twice in this case. In July, the agency registered a case against Lalu Prasad, his family members and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Accusing the Union and state governments of using the central agencies as their "tool" to settle political score with opposition parties, Prasad alleged that delay in filing charge sheet was because the agencies were "manufacturing" a case out of a non-issue as all the properties are "named ones" which the agencies have claimed and showed these as "benami". The agencies sole objective seemed to get him (Tejashwi) and his family members embroiled in a case so that the opposition leader could be stopped from raising and exposing the various scams, including the Srijan scam, that have surfaced in the state in recent months, he alleged. He also asked why a probe was not ordered in the case of BJP chief Amit Shahs son Jay Shah and why his family was being only targeted. "It (the attachment) was very much expected...Lalu Prasads family has nothing to explain. It is a clear-cut benami property which should be confiscated," BJP leader Sushil Modi told PTI in Kolkata. He said the I-T department has already attached the same property. Bihar JD(U) chief spokesman and MLC Sanjay Kumar Singh also took a swipe at Prasad and his family saying that the countdown for the RJD chief and his family has begun. "Now schools and colleges will be opened on properties attached by the agencies. Lalu Prasad jee, you did nothing for the poor when you were in power but now your properties will be utilised for the benefit of the poor," he said in a statement. Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha termed the attachment order as a "natural process" and said that the agency was discharging its duty in an impartial and fair manner and taking necessary steps required in the case. GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after rockets were fired from the enclave, in violence that erupted over President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. In Cairo, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said the Palestinians will seek a UN Security Council resolution over Trumps decision on Jerusalem. Turkeys President Tayyip Erdogan and French President Emmanuel Macron will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider the move, a Turkish presidential source said. Trumps reversal of decades of U.S. policy has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies, who say it is a blow to peace efforts and risks sparking more violence in the region. Gaza militants launched at least three rockets towards Israeli towns from the Gaza Strip - which is controlled by the Islamist group Hamas - after dark on Friday. The day had been declared a day of rage by Palestinian factions protesting against Trumps announcement on Wednesday. IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip: two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse, a military compound, the Israeli military said in a statement. A Hamas source confirmed the two men killed in the pre-dawn air strikes belonged to the group, which has urged Palestinians to keep up the confrontation with Israeli forces. Palestinian protests on Saturday were less intense than on the previous two days. About 60 Palestinian youths threw stones at Israeli soldiers across the Gaza-Israel border and the health ministry said at least 10 were wounded by Israeli fire. In the West Bank, Palestinians set fire to tyres and threw stones and fire-bombs at Israeli troops, who used tear gas. The Israeli military said one protester was arrested. In East Jerusalem about 60 people demonstrated near the walled Old City, where paramilitary border police and officers on horseback tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas. Six demonstrators were arrested and two officers were injured by stones, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. RED LINES On Friday, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in protest and two Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops on the Gaza border. Scores more were wounded there and in the West Bank. Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters had gathered to express solidarity. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday the United States could no longer broker peace talks. Trumps adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is leading efforts to restart negotiations, though his bid has shown little progress. Smoke is seen as a Palestinian man inspects a militant target that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in the northern Gaza Strip December 9, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYAbbass diplomatic affairs adviser said the leader would not be meeting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who was due to visit the region later this month. America has crossed all red lines with its latest decisions over Jerusalem, the adviser, Majdi al-Khaldi, said. A possible meeting with Pence has also been turned down by Egypts Coptic Church, MENA state news agency reported on Saturday. The Turkish presidential source said Erdogan and Macron agreed during a phone call that Trumps move was worrying for the region and that Turkey and France would make a joint effort to try to reverse the U.S. decision. Slideshow (6 Images)Erdogan also spoke to the presidents of Kazakhstan, Lebanon and Azerbaijan on Saturday, the source said. On Wednesday, he called an urgent meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Turkey next week. A GIFT TO RADICALISM The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East War, to be occupied territory. It includes the Old City, home to sites considered holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. For decades, Washington, like most of the rest of the international community, held back from recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital, saying its status should be determined as part of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Trump also said on Wednesday he was starting the process of moving the United States embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The Trump administration argues that the peace process has become moribund, and outdated policies need to be jettisoned for the sides in the conflict to make progress. A senior United Arab Emirates (UAE) official said on Saturday that Trumps move was a boon to radicals. These issues are a gift to radicalism. Radicals and extremists will use that to fan the language of hate, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: Stating that the focus on strategic issues is shifting from the Pacific Ocean to India and the Indian Ocean, Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu has said that his country has placed India at the centre of its Indo-Pacific policy. "The geopolitics of Asia is dynamically changing. We used to discuss strategic issues with a focus on the Pacific Ocean, but that focus has shifted to India and the Indian Ocean." Hiramatsu said while speaking on "Japan's Perspective of the Changing Geopolitics of Asia" as part of the Changing Asia Lecture Series organised by the Society of Policy Studies think tank and the India Habitat Centre here on Friday evening. "We are now having strategic discussions on this region, stretching from Asia to the African Continent. We place India right in the middle of this geopolitical dynamics," he said. Stating that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India in September this year was "unprecedented and special", he said that bilateral relations "are at its best ever, and substantial dialogues are being held at all level". Explaining why Japan considers India as its key partner, Hiramatsu said that both countries shared values such as democracy, openness, and the rule of the law. Stating that Japan attached great importance to upholding the rule of law, he said Tokyo found India's adherence to this in the international arena "worthy of admiration". "You can see this from India's compliance with an arbitral decision regarding a sea boundary dispute with Bangladesh that was not necessarily in India's favour," the ambassador said. "I appreciate India's consistent attitude to engage in dialogue through diplomatic channels to find a mutually acceptable solution at time of disputes. This is precisely why India is an indispensable strategic partner for Japan." Speaking about the shifting of geopolitics to Asia, he cited three major reasons for this. "The first reason is that the global power balance is changing, as it is becoming more dynamic and complex. The strategic situation in Asia is becoming ever globalised and interconnected, with emerging powers rising in the region," he said. "The second reason is that the world we live in is becoming increasingly uncertain and unpredictable, with issues such as North Korea, the South China Sea, terrorism and others which are surfacing in the region. The third reason is the heightened significance of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, where the sea lanes stretching from the African continent to Japan are becoming crucial for the peace and prosperity of this part of the globe." Referring to the India-US-Japan-Australia quadrilateral meeting held in the Philippines last month, the first such in a decade, he said that "given the greater convergence of views among the four like-minded countries, it is only natural that they come together to discuss measures to ensure a free and open international order in the Indo-Pacific region". "In the meeting, senior officials of the four countries discussed the direction for cooperation in upholding the rules-based order and respect for international law in the Indo-Pacific, tackling proliferation threats, including North Korea's nuclear and missile issues, ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and countering terrorism and other issues," he stated. "We share values and principles, so it is natural that we meet and discuss common challenges and deepen cooperation. We respect and understand initiatives by other countries to have their own mini-lateral frameworks, being trilateral or quadrilateral, with each of their own agenda." Stating that both countries shared the principles of connectivity infrastructure he said that this should be implemented "in an open, transparent and non-exclusive manner based on international standards and responsible debt financing practices, while ensuring respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, the rule of law and environment" in what can be seen as an obvious reference to China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. Hiramatsu said that while his country would like to promote cooperation on infrastructure development to the countries in the Indian Ocean region and beyond, connectivity on land too was essential. "Japan and India have launched the Act East Forum to advance development in and to foster people-to-people exchanges with the northeastern region (of India) in order to enhance overland connectivity. We hope the Forum will serve as a springboard for concrete projects in the region," he stated. During a question and answer session following the his speech, Hiramatsu agreed to the view that Japan-India ties were getting a boost because of China's increasing aggressiveness and the US' lessening influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Nawada: A journalist of a Hindi daily was beaten up by liquor mafia in Bihar's Nawada district, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred when Vikas Kumar alias Sonu, working in the newspaper 'Hindustan' had gone to cover the raid on liquor mafia by a police team in Rajauli Dih area of the district last evening, Rajauli police station SHO Awadhesh Prasad said. Kumar, who received injuries in his head in the incident, was rushed to Rajauli primary health centre from where he was referred to Gaya but the relatives took him to Ranchi for treatment, the SHO said. The operation for brain injury has been completed in Ranchi, Dinesh Kumar Barnwal alias Pinku, Kumar's cousin, said adding that his brother's condition is stable. One person from Dih village has been arrested late last night in this connection, the SHO said. The Nitish Kumar government has clamped total prohibition in Bihar since April last year. The state administration has launched a vigorous drive to nab the violators the liquor law. Bengaluru: The daughter of a leading Kannada tabloid editor, who was arrested for allegedly hiring a contract killer to eliminate his journalist colleague, on Saturday said that her father was "not guilty" and would come out of the case "safely". Ravi Belagere, who brings out 'Hi Bangalore', was arrested on Friday from his house on charges of hiring a 'supari' killer from Vijayapura in north Karnataka to kill Sunil Heggaravalli. "No one has filed an FIR in this case based on a complaint filed by someone. It is a suo-motu case by the police based on Shahi's (the contract killer) statement. There is no meaning in it," Bhavana claimed. "I'm very confident, he (Belagere) is not guilty. He has not done anything and will be out of it safely very soon," she told reporters in Dharwad. Bhavana said that she has been advised by lawyers not to issue statements on the case and that the evidence, the police have is just a statement and the case cannot stand based on it. "My dad is a great man, he is a fighter, he will come out fighting," she added. Belagere was produced before a magistrate at his residence last night and was remanded in four days police custody. The police stumbled on the alleged plot when the contract killer, Shashidhar Mundewadi, was being questioned in connection with the probe into the killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead at her house by unidentified assailants here on 5 September. Official sources said that the City Crime Branch was questioning Belagere. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, commenting on the case, said that the police would do their work according to the law. "I don't know. Police might have evidence, they will work according to the law," he said. On Friday, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Kumar claimed that Mundewadi had stated during interrogation that Belagere gave him 'supari' to kill Heggaravalli. Based on the inputs, Belagare was arrested and a pistol and a double barrel gun was seized from him, he had said. Kumar also said that Belagere wanted to kill Heggaravalli for "personal reasons" and that an FIR was registered at the Subrahmanyapura police station. Belagere was in news after the Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed a resolution sentencing him and Anil Raju, editor of tabloid 'Yelahanka Voice', to one year in jail. Fines of Rs 10,000 each was also imposed on them for their alleged defamatory articles against state legislators. The assembly had recently rejected a plea by both the journalists to reconsider its decision. On a petition by the journalists, the Karnataka High Court had earlier this week directed the assembly not to pursue the proceedings until further orders. If New Delhis aim was to create cracks within the separatist leadership in Kashmir Valley by going hard against one section using National Investigation Agency (NIA) raids as an alibi and offering a carrot to another so that dialogues are held behind the curtain with the "disgruntled lot", it may have largely succeeded in doing so. Now, the Centres point man on Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, is likely to hold dialogues with those separatists who are not part of the united front of Hurriyat Conference led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani known as Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL). Three most important leaders in Hurriyat Conference who head their own parties earlier are today united under the umbrella of Joint Resistance leadership. The leadership, which includes Geelani as well as Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has been opposing any dialogue with Delhi, arguing that the killing of Kashmiri youth and the parleys with interlocutor Sharma cannot go hand-in-hand. During his second trip, Sharma met three mid-rung separatist leaders during the middle of the night inside a colonial shaped house on the Gupkar Road, sources have told Firstpost. Bhat himself has confirmed the meeting, saying that theres nothing wrong since Hurriyat leaders have met delegations and leaders from Delhi in the past as well. But the man who is holding the JRL together came down heavily on those who believe it was the right time to indulge in talks with the Government of India. Malik, the chairman of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), who is the man behind the idea of JRL, was the first one to shun the gun after an insurgency erupted in the state. It was he who had floated the idea of combining different Hurriyat parties and bringing them under one roof, sending jitters both in Islamabad and New Delhi. On Wednesday, he said those who believe indirectly referring to Professor Abdul Ghani Bhat of Mirwaiz faction of Hurriyat Conference who met Sharma that this is the right time to hold dialogue with New Delhi are living in a delusion. Who is against dialogue? Malik asked addressing a gathering inside Farooq's residence during a conference. I have met everyone. Havent I said I have met RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) members? I have met Leftists and Indians across the board, even the prime minister, he added. Malik looked visibly angry as he made pointed comments towards those who are allegedly working towards holding a quiet dialogue with New Delhi. But surprisingly, a few hours later, another middle rung leader from Mirwaiz's Hurriyat faction, Javaid Ahmad Mir also chairman of his faction of JKLF (Haqeeqi) sent his resignation, saying the leadership (Mirwaiz) has "lately disappointed me". With the resignation of Mir, who once appeared on the cover of the Time magazine holding a rifle in his hand (and often referred to as the the living Che Guevara of Kashmir), there is a likelihood of more resignations of small leaders in Hurriyat Conference coming forth in coming days, according to sources. The Hurriyat Conference led by Mirwaiz expressed surprise over Mirs resignation. Mir neither informed the forum nor the chairman (Mirwaiz) about his decision or the reasons behind it, but straightaway went to the media where he ambiguously mentioned about some so-called 'ideological differences' without elaborating what that meant, a statement issued by the organisation said. Mirwaiz said no one was against dialogue on Kashmir. "It should be sincere, meaningful and result-oriented dialogue. On the one hand, you start a dialogue, and (on the other) killing of youth continues. We are not allowed to pray. Geelani sahib is under house arrest for many years now and is not even allowed to offer Friday prayers. In this scenario, what is a dialogue process for?" Mirwaiz asked. A few days back, Mir, while talking to Firstpost, had said that the Hurriyat leadership had to walk the extra mile in order to hold dialogue with Sharma because that is what people in the Valley wanted. Sometimes if you are not able to make hard choices, why would you be called a leader, Mir said, adding, There is no other way except engaging people in dialogue, India, Pakistan and the leadership of the Valley." It is this group of leaders who Sharma is likely to hold talks with initially. A list has been prepared already by Sharma's office on the logistics of how and where the talks will be held. They are likely to happen out of media glare. But sources said that New Delhi has advised Sharma to keep engaging the youth of the state for some "fruitful outcome" and holding dialogues with the separatists will be facilitated by Home Minister Rajnath Singhs office in Delhi. If New Delhi manages to get the disgruntled lot from the Hurriyat Conference and starts a dialogue with them, it is for sure going to create further fissures in the separatist camp. What remains to be seen is whether or not Malik would manage to keep the JRL floating in the rough sea ahead. Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and Italy called on the United States on Friday to put forward detailed proposals for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and described as "unhelpful" a decision by President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Trump's reversal of decades of U.S. policy on Wednesday sparked a Palestinian "day of rage" on Friday. Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated, scores were hurt and at least one was killed in clashes with Israeli troops. Amid anger in the Arab world and concern among Washington's Western allies, the United Nations Security Council met on Friday at the request of eight of the 15 members - Britain, France, Sweden, Bolivia, Uruguay, Italy, Senegal and Egypt. In a joint statement after the meeting, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and Italy said the U.S. decision, which includes plans to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, was "unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region." "We stand ready to contribute to all credible efforts to restart the peace process, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, leading to a two-State solution," they said. "We encourage the U.S. Administration to now bring forward detailed proposals for an Israel-Palestinian settlement." Egypt's U.N. Ambassador Amr Aboulatta said the U.S. decision would have "a grave, negative impact" on the peace process. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the Washington has credibility as a mediator with both Israel and the Palestinians and accused the United Nations of damaging rather than advancing peace prospects with unfair attacks on Israel. "Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations, or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel's security," Haley said. ESCALATION RISK Haley said Trump was committed to the peace process and that the United States had not taken a position on Jerusalem's borders or boundaries and was not advocating any changes to the arrangements at the holy sites. "Our actions are intended to help advance the cause of peace," she said. "We believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before." Earlier on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a news conference in Paris that any final decision on the status of Jerusalem would depend on negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. United Nations Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned there was a risk of violent escalation. "There is a serious risk today that we may see a chain of unilateral actions, which can only push us further away from achieving our shared goal of peace," Mladenov told the U.N. Security Council. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East War, to be occupied territory, including the Old City, home to sites considered holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. A U.N. Security Council resolution adopted in December last year "underlines that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations." That resolution was approved with 14 votes in favor and an abstention by former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, which defied heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and Trump, who was then president-elect, for Washington to wield its veto. Search Keywords: Short link: Hadiya, the Kerala woman at the centre of an alleged 'love jihad' case, met her husband at her homeopathic medical college in Salem on Thursday, said media reports. The 24-year-old, according The News Minute, met her husband Shafin Jahan under CCTV surveillance, after an year of separation as the Kerala High Court had annulled their marriage. The court had termed the marriage as an instance of 'love jihad', following which Jahan approached the Supreme court. The meeting was so emotional. Hadiya was so happy. She had a lot to share with me as we were meeting after a long time, Jahan was quoted as saying by The News Minute. Jahan visited Hadiya along with two others, including his lawyer, The Indian Express quoted the college sources as saying. The report added that the college authorities allowed the meeting after both Jahan and Hadiya sought permission. Born Akhila, Hadiya had converted to Islam and married Jahan while still studying. The court had appointed the dean of the college as Hadiya's guardian and granted him liberty to approach it in case of any problem. She was earlier staying at her parental home in Kochi for several weeks. In an interim order on a petition by Jahan challenging the high court verdict, the Supreme Court had on 27 November set her free from the custody of her parents. The apex court, however, did not accede to her plea to be allowed to go with her husband. Hadiya's father on 30 November had claimed that some persons were trying to "interrupt" his daughter's studies and that he would approach the court to protect her. KM Asokan had said that the Supreme Court had directed that his daughter go to the homoeopathy medical college in Tamil Nadu with a purpose to allow her to complete her studies and any move to interrupt it would be an offence. Claiming that his daughter had been "brainwashed" to go to Syria, Asokan, a former army man, said he had no issues with whatever faith his daughter wanted to follow. On the reported move by Shafin Jahan, to meet her at the college, he had said, "I will adopt all possible measures, including the legal route, to protect my daughter. I have full faith in the judicial system". With input from PTI Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday that both the grisly killing of Mohammad Afrazul in Rajasthan and the "forcible" linking of Aadhaar with bank accounts and mobile numbers are "gross violations of human rights" which should be taken up by all human rights organisations. Criticising those behind the killing of Afrazul, a labourer from Bengal, in Rajasthan and the Modi government which is "forcibly trying to link" Aadhaar numbers of people with their bank accounts and other details, Banerjee called upon all rights organisations to fight against them and aware people of their rights and safety. "What happened in Rajasthan was most inhuman. Its our duty to protect human rights and ensure people's safety. Breach in human rights means making a mockery of civilisation," Banerjee said at a function on human rights at the Calcutta High Court premises. Banerjee said she was shocked to see the footage of the burning of the man which "tantamount to murder of human rights". "Burning a person alive is no less than killing of human rights. We can have differences but should we commit such a heinous act? The sight disturbed me mentally," the chief minister said and demanded exemplary punishment for the culprit. The attacker, identified as Shambhu Lal Regar, has been arrested. The Centre should take the responsibility and stand by people affected by infringement of their rights. "Everyone in the country has the right to express his or her own thoughts, choose their own food and follow their own religious faiths and no one has the right to interfere." The chief minister expressed her opposition to linking of personal details with Aadhaar. "I will stop criticising (the Centre on linking of Aadhaar) only when I see my fundamental rights and my rights to privacy are secure. People have to be alert against any violation of rights and privacy," she added. New Delhi: Pakistan's gesture of allowing Kulbhushan Jadhav's mother and wife to meet him in jail in the presence of an Indian diplomat is a "positive development" but cannot be called consular access as of now, the external affairs ministry (MEA) said. "It's a good news for us. We are happy that Pakistan has accepted our request to let both his wife and mother meet Kulbhushan Jadhav. It is a positive development. An Indian diplomat will be accompanying the wife and mother when they meet him," said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. "But it is too early to predict the nature of the meeting and the access given by the Pakistani government," he added in response to a media query if the meeting can be construed as the consular access to Jadhav that India has been seeking for long. The meeting is tentatively scheduled to take place on 25 December and further modalities in this connection are being worked out, Kumar said. He said that the Pakistan government has assured that "it will ensure the safety, security and well-being of the wife and mother" during their stay in Pakistan. Earlier in the day, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj announced that the Pakistan government has accepted India's request to let Jadhav's mother and wife to meet him. She also spoke to Jadhav's mother Avantika Jadhav. Earlier, Pakistan had agreed to give visa only to Jadhav's wife. Then India asked the Pakistani authorities to let his mother meet him as well. Islamabad has said that Jadhav, allegedly an officer with the Indian Navy and attached to the intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), was arrested on 3 March, 2016 from Balochistan after he entered Pakistan illegally from Iran. He was sentenced to death on 10 April by a Pakistani military court on alleged charges of "coordinating and organising espionage, terrorist and sabotage activities aimed at destabilising and waging war against Pakistan". His execution was halted by the International Court of Justice on 18 May this year till a final decision was reached in the proceedings. New Delhi: Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday sought to see the burning to death of a Muslim labourer in Rajasthan earlier this week as a "criminal incident" and not as a case of "love jihad" as was being alleged. The minority affairs minister also, without naming anyone, said that some "sick" people were allegedly trying to disturb the communal harmony in society. He said a crime should not be clubbed with religion. Naqvi, however, stressed people allegedly doing so will not succeed in their "nefarious designs". Naqvi, who chaired a meeting of the general body of Maulana Azad Education Foundation in New Delhi, also said that short-term certificate courses of 'GST facilitator' and 'sanitary supervisor' have been providing employment opportunities to a "large number" of youth from minority communities. "It is an unfortunate incident. We should not club crime with religion and treat criminal incidents as criminal incidents only. The state government has already taken strict action against the guilty," Naqvi said, when asked about the alleged "love jihad" incident. He added, "Some sick people are trying to disturb the communal harmony in society. But they will not succeed in their nefarious designs." A 48-year-old Muslim labourer, from West Bengal, was hacked and burnt to death in Rajasthan's Rajsamand earlier this week, leading the police to arrest the killer, seen raving against "love jihad" while torching Mohammad Afrazul in videos of the incident shared on social media. The accused, identified as Shambu Lal Raigar, is seen in the videos ranting against "love jihad", a term used by sections of Hindu activists to describe marriages between Hindu women and Muslim men, who they claim seek to propagate Islam. Meanwhile, the meeting reviewed various schemes being run by the foundation for educational and skill development of minorities. The minister said the youth benefited from the 'GST facilitator' course, are helping small, medium enterprises and also big business groups. "Similarly, sanitary supervisors are getting jobs in different projects across the country. Lakhs of toilets, cleanliness centres, health centres are being constructed under the Clean India campaign and these supervisors are strengthening it," he added. Reiterating Modi government's commitment towards educational empowerment of minorities, Naqvi said his ministry was spending more than 65 percent of its total budget on the activities related to the sector. He said more than 1.5 crore students have been given various scholarships by the ministry in the past three years. The minister also talked about the efforts being made under the government's multi-sectoral development programme and the plan to set up 100 skill development centres named as 'Garib Nawaz'. "I myself have been monitoring all the educational empowerment and skill development programmes. Any negligence in implementation of these schemes will not be tolerated," he added. Jaipur: The Rajasthan government on Saturday provided Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of the Muslim labourer from West Bengal who was hacked and burnt to death by a man, who could be seen in a video of the crime ranting against "love jihad". Rajsamand SDM Rajendra Prasad Agarwal provided a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the wife of Mohammad Afrazul, 48, who was killed on Wednesday allegedly by Shambhu Lal Raigir in the district. In a video of the crime, Rajgir could be seen raving against "love jihad", a term used by sections of Hindu activists to describe marriages between Hindu women and Muslim men, who are accused of seeking to propagate Islam. Raigir was later arrested. On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee announced Rs 3 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and assured a government job for one of his family members. Earlier on Saturday, Rajasthan DGP O P Galhotra visited Rajsamand and met the victim's family. He also discussed the case with senior police officials. Galhotra later told reporters that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was serious about the case and monitoring the progress of investigation in the matter. "It is a heinous crime and investigation is being done thoroughly. Scientific and forensic evidences were collected and strict action will be taken," Galhotra said. He said the police department was making efforts to present the case chargesheet in the court within a month. Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria has ordered a probe by an Special Investigation Team in the matter. Human rights groups have demanded the resignation of Raje and Kataria, accusing them of protecting those behind targeted attacks on Muslims. Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to protest against alleged firing by India across the Line of Control that killed two people. The Foreign Office (FO) here said the incident occurred on Friday when Indian troops fired at a group of people in Chaffar village of Chirikot Sector. The villagers had gathered for funeral of a local resident. The firing killed two civilians and injured four others, the FO said. Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Mohammad Faisal summoned Singh and "condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces," according to a Foreign Office statement. "The deliberate targeting of civilians, now even at funerals, is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," he said. He also termed the ceasefire violations by India as a threat to regional peace and security, which may "lead to a strategic miscalculation". Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit, and maintain peace on the LoC and the working boundary. He urged that India should permit UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions. India maintains that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC). Faisal maintained that despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations. He alleged that Indian forces have carried out more than 1,300 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the working boundary in 2017, resulting in the death of 52 Pakistani nationals and injuries to 174 others. He claimed India committed 382 ceasefire violations in 2016. Mumbai: Advocates of Indrani Mukerjea on Friday claimed that the accused-turned-approver in the Sheena Bora murder case, Shyamwar Rai, was picked up by police 10 days before his arrest was shown in August 2015. Rai, however, refuted the claim. Rai also denied another suggestion that Indrani had no role to play in the murder of Sheena Bora. Rai told the court that he was not working for about 15 days prior to his arrest. He also told the court that he last worked with one Sameer Buddha. Indrani's lawyer Sudeep Passbola showed two numbers to Rai but the latter said that he didn't remember whose numbers these were. Passbola later said that with the help of the holders of the mobile numbers, Rai came in contact with the police and joined hands with them (to implicate Indrani). But Rai denied it. Lawyers of Indrani Mukerjea on Friday concluded the cross- examination of Rai in the Sheena Bora murder case. Key accused Indrani grilled Rai for almost five months since his examination by the CBI lawyers got over. Meanwhile, lawyer of another accused, and Indrani's former husband, Sanjeev Khanna, started examining on Friday and will continue their examination on Monday. Sheena Bora's murder came to light in August 2015 after Mukerjea's driver Shyamvar Rai, arrested in another case, told police about the murder. Kolkata: A number of West Bengal ministers and political leaders on Saturday visited the family of a Bengali labourer, brutally killed in Rajasthan two days ago, and offered their condolences. State urban development minister Firhad Hakim, transport minister Subhendu Adhikari, and senior Trinamool leaders Sougata Roy and Sudip Bandyopadhyay met the family in West Bengal's Malda district and handed over a compensation of Rs 2 lakh on behalf of the party. "Such brutality and violence is unprecedented in India or in Bengal. I strongly condemn such acts of terror. Our government would be beside the helpless family in every possible way," Hakim said. On Friday, Bengal chief minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned the killing. She also announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh and a government job for one of the victim's kin. State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury and Rajya Sabha member from Bengal Pradeep Bhattacharya also met the grieving family. "People have to travel to different places in search of work sometimes. That is normal. But why such violence would take place against people?" Bhattacharya questioned. Mohammad Afrajul was brutally hacked to death and set on fire by a local in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan in what has been described as a hate crime. The horrifying video footage of the incident was released by the murderer himself. Police arrested the accused, Shambu Lal Raigar, on Thursday. Editor's note: Beginning 15 October 2017, we're running a series called 'By Design' that looks at Indian cities from the perspective of urban design. How can design make the quality of life in India cities better? How can the architecture of our infrastructure prevent life-threatening situations like flooding, or rush-hour stampedes? What solutions can simple design changes offer to monumental urban problems? We'll be discussing all this and more, in 'By Design'. An uptight nation that gets its knickers in a twist every time someone eats a piece of meat designated as sacred, or writes a book that questions and subverts, or makes a film about a fictional queen, can be a hostile place for minorities. Sexual minorities, treated as refugees, or worse, criminals in their own countries, are often compelled to seek sanctuary in less oppressive cultures. But if the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in India was offered the opportunity to reimagine the metropolis, it might be tempted to model Delhi or Mumbai or Bengaluru or Chennai on Berlin in the flamboyant mid-19th-early-20th century, before the rampant homophobia of the Nazi regime incarcerated and killed thousands of homosexual men. Robert Beachys book, Gay Berlin: Birthplace of a Modern Identity, published in 2014, mentions a police commissioner named Leopold von Meerscheidt-Hullessem, who, in the 1880s adopted liberal policies towards homosexuals after ascertaining that clubs and bars frequented by them were not places of public nuisance or debauchery. The first gay magazine in the world, Der Eigene, (The Self-Owning) was published by Adolf Brand in Berlin in 1896. In the 1920s, Charlotte Wolff, a young lesbian who became a sexologist who was later exiled under the Nazi regime, wrote in her memoir, Hindsight: An Autobiography, which was published in 1980: Homo bars and nightclubs had sprung up not only in the trendy districts of west Berlin, but also in the poor neighbourhoods. One might see a line of Mercedes in front of the homo bars as well as in front of the upper crust lesbian nightclubs. Men and women, who may have been hetero, would greedily watch the comings and goings of the underground society, which now goes by the horrible term subculture. Some of those who came as onlookers would join in the fun and danced with partners of the same sex. The term homosexual was used for the first time by the Hungarian journalist and human rights campaigner, Karl-Maria Kertbeny in 1869, when, in an anonymous report addressed to Dr Leonhardt, Prussian Minister of Justice, he called for the abolition of criminal laws on unnatural acts. The word was put to good use in the Berlin of the 1920s, described by a visitor in a letter published in Masques in 1983, as this big blond bitch of a city. Clubs and bars, with their boudoir-like ambience and lighting, became bastions of middle-class homosexual life in the city. The Homosexual Row was a string of bars along Siegesallee, which led to the Brandenburg Gate. In the book A History of Homosexuality in Europe: Berlin, London, Paris 1919-1939 (Volume I) Florence Tamagne writes, Conti-Kasino held theme evenings, a musical soiree on Tuesdays, an evening for the elite on Thursday, private parties on Saturdays. Kleist Kasino, 14 Kleiststrasse, was frequented by the trade and banking clerks; lower middle class men who savoured the furnishings, the cocktails and canapes. Berlins lesbian subculture was also characterised by sophisticated clubs that hosted theme nights like a Bavarian alpine festival or a Rhenish grape harvest festival. Soft lighting, frozen sherry, sparkling wine and jazz provided a languorous setting for these female meeting places, and information about clubs and masked balls could be found in the lesbian newspaper, Die Freundin. Vita Sackville-West is believed to have attended one of these jamborees. We went to a ball of Sodomites, she wrote in a letter to Virginia Woolf in 1929, published in the collection, The Letters of Vita Sackville-West to Virginia Woolf in 1984. A great number of them were dressed as women, but I suppose that I was, in this respect, the only authenticate article, she revealed. In India, where Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalises gay sex, a thwarted community has managed to survive, protest with a song and dance, throw parties, and crawl under the sheets whenever it pleases. Mumbai has had rollicking homosexual shindigs since the 1970s and '80s. One of the citys first bars that was known for its gay clientele was a tiny one called Gokul, located behind the Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba. Discotheques like Voodoo, also in Colaba, were spaces for queer young executives and professionals to meet, flirt, dance if they felt like it. It was where Led Zeppelin had performed, impromptu, in 1972. A police raid, carried out to foil a prostitution racket, led to its closure in 2012. Apart from the thumping party scene, gay activism, led primarily by Ashok Row Kavi, became the affirmative voice of sexual minorities. Bombay Dost, the countrys first gay magazine was founded by him in 1990. He also set up the Humsafar Trust in 1991 a taskforce in the field of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. The organisation has grown to include research and advocacy for the emancipation of the LGBT community, and has a youth subset called Yaariyan, an LBT wing called Umang, and Kinnar Asmita for the Hijra and transgender community. Row Kavi, who is currently the founder-chairperson of the Humsafar Trust, mentions egalitarian undertakings like the Queer Azaadi Mumbai Pride March or Yaariyans Gulabi Mela, which bring gay movements onto the streets, chowks, beaches and public grounds. Gay Pride events should obliterate class consciousness, he advocates, adding, its important for gay communities to gain critical mass. Homosexual movements, particularly activism, when restricted to the bourgeoisie or the avant-garde members of a community, dwindle into a declaration of alternate lifestyle steeped in hedonism and inaccessible to the queer person on the street. An ideal gay city is one in which a crusade invites its people, or comes closer to them. Public spaces like Mumbais Chowpatty Beach or the 1.2 kilometre long Bandstand Promenade are picturesque cityscapes for same-sex couples to steal a moment. I kissed a man standing in the open, on Bandstand, and no one batted an eyelid, divulges 38-year-old activist Harish Iyer. While Iyer is openly out, there are those who lead closeted lives, and for them, the city is fraught with the perils of being caught and exposed to the derision of friends and family. Debendra Nath Sanyal, a 26-year-old core team member at Yaariyan, mentions the need for safe spaces in the city LGBT-friendly cafes and pubs for queer people who lead dual lives (straight at home, gay with friends) to meet without the fear of being judged for their orientation. Motifs of gay pride like the rainbow flag fluttering outside a cafe are helpful hints for homosexuals on a simple quest for coffee and a sandwich, in crowded heterosexual cities. But homosexual liberation and inclusion involves so much more than boisterous declarations of ones orientation at festivals and marches, or watering holes with queer patrons. Finding rented accommodation in cities like Delhi challenging at all times for heterosexual singles is an excruciating process for queer men and women. Aditya Advani, a landscape architect who lives in South Delhis Defence Colony with his partner Michael and their five-year-old twins, Amrita and Shiv, mentions the Haight-Ashbusy district within San Francisco as an example of an area that became a bohemian enclave for the flower children of the 1960s. Imagine the possibilities of an enclave for gay people, or even single people here, singles are seen as wrong or lesser in some way or criminal. What if they had their own colony? he asks, rhetorically. He suggests building community centres and retirement homes for homosexuals, as well as a smattering of gay book stores in metropolitan centres. While there are facilities like GHAR (Gay Housing Assistance Resource), an internet-based housing facilitator for the LGBT community founded by Sachin Jain in 2000, Indian cities are built to cater to the dominant ideal monogamous, heterosexual, middle-class families. A change in the orientation of a town or city would require altered mindscapes before the landscape follows suit. Stay tuned for more from our 'By Design' series over the coming weeks. Current events in Yemen are forcing a change in the regional arena, most apparent in transformations made by the Saudi-led Arab Coalition on Yemen. Before his assassination Monday, former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh had broken his association with the Houthis and returned to his former allies, turning a new page with neighbouring countries. Salehs move was welcomed in the media and amid political circles that are now relieved the Houthis no longer enjoy any kind of support in the country, especially with rising popular resentment against the rebels. Moreover, military strikes are being directed at Houthi strongholds in the capital Sanaa. After Saleh had shifted his alliance, Ahmed Rafik, who is close to leaders of Salehs General Congress Party (GCP), revealed that Saleh had established connections with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemeni decision-makers. It was vital, he said, to capitalise on Salehs conciliatory messages, fearing the Houthis might exert pressure on the GCP. Yemeni reports stated that seven brigades from the Iranian-backed Houthis headed to Mareb where the Arab Coalition operation centre is located. The rebels also attacked GCP groupings, reports added. The Arab Coalition leadership has called on civilians and army personnel to stay away from Houthi rebel military locations. The recent events will help the Arab coalition re-evaluate the situation in Yemen, Abdel-Aziz Al-Meguidi, editor-in-chief of Al-Shahed newspaper, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Saudi Arabia and the UAE had a problem reading between the lines of Yemeni politics since Saleh forged an alliance with the Houthis in 2014 with the backing of these two countries. Despite the fact that they tried to correct this mistake by launching Operation Storm of Resolve in 2015, a series of mistakes in dealing with strategic dangers compounded the situation further. The Arab Coalition should arrange its priorities to deal with threats to national security. They should assist Yemens army in liberating the country. This is doable. If they have any fears concerning the composition and allegiance of the army they can restructure it and integrate it on national foundations. They should also support the establishment of a federal state that belongs to all Yemenis. This is the only guarantee to end the threats of the Iranian project and secure national stability, Al-Meguidi added. Official statements released by the Riyadh-led coalition asserted that Iran was managing and supporting the Houthi Movement in Yemen. Iran has planned what is taking place in Yemen, Khaled Elian, media counsellor of the Yemeni government, told the Weekly from Riyadh. Iran is celebrating Salehs assassination at the hands of Houthis and the rebels control of Sanaa, so is the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Mohamed Ali Jafari. Salehs assassination is the end of turning against the Houthis, Jafari said in a statement similar to that of the leader of Houthi militias. Tasnim News Agency, affiliated to the IRGC, reported Jafari saying that Irans allies in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain are inspired by the Iranian Revolution. He added that, the conspiracy planned in Yemen was nipped in the bud, just like what happened in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iranian Kahyan newspaper, which is close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, reported that Salehs assassination is a divine intervention. On Tuesday, the newspaper said the enemies sometimes took uncalculated steps but they fall pray and their plans fail. Kahyan added that it was the Arab Coalition that convinced Saleh to break his alliance with the Houthis who were monitoring his movements and his receipt of cash and weapons. The Gulf Cooperation Council rounded up its 38th meeting in Kuwait Tuesday. The meeting is the first since the Arab Quartets (UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt) boycott of Qatar. At the summit, the UAE accused Qatar of trying to prevent the break-up between Saleh and the Houthis. It is likely the region will witness an exacerbation between the Quartet and Iran. Some observers expect Salehs son Ahmed to return to Yemen to run military operations. Iran, on the other hand, will continue supporting Houthi militias to prolong the war and drain Yemen. *Previously published on Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: The Zee Jaipur Literature Festival has been described in several ways the Kumbh Mela of literature, the greatest literary show on Earth' and 'a place where the socialites and socialists meet'. The preview of the 2018 edition of this festival showed that it is one more thing a labour of love. At the curtain raiser held at Mumbai's Royal Opera House, the festival's directors William Dalrymple, Namita Gokhale and Sanjoy Roy spoke about what attendees can look forward to this year and reflected on the previous editions, funny stories and some controversies, too. Though it has become widely successful and popular over the course of a decade, they said that they had come together and conceived of this literature festival "by accident". The 2018 edition boasts of a line-up with a vast range of writers, from Helen Fielding, the author of Bridget Jones's Diary to Peter Bergen, one of the few journalists to ever interview Osama bin Laden, and even Rupi Kaur, who rose to fame with her brand of 'Instagram poetry'. The festival's selection of authors and sessions is fuelled by Gokhale and Dalrymple's zeal to ensure that Indian authors and writing that is considered more academic than literary finds a place in the line-up. The White Mughals writer, who has brought many of the festival's most famous international speakers over the years, has managed to rope more than 20 Harvard professors for this edition. Gokhale spoke about how from the very beginning she was insistent about ensuring that authors who write in Indian languages, especially those who are not part of the mainstream narrative, find a place at the festival. "The only language that has not been represented is Bodo, and we'll make that happen soon" said Gokhale triumphantly. Of these, Dalrymple's picks are playwright Thomas Stoppard, journalist Adrian Levy, former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai, and author Amy Tan. Gokhale spoke excitedly about sessions on varying subjects, such as the Chinese and Jewish minorities of India, Dalit writing, PG Wodehouse, and the women poets of the Vedas. She recommends the session that will be held about the significance of Hindi in today's world and why it seems to have turned into a "bureaucratic monster". Another event attendees can look forward to is the Oxford Hindi word of the year, which will be announced at JLF. Many people have raised objections about the inclusion of Rupi Kaur in the line-up. "There are people who don't consider her a poet at all, and I have received so much heartbreak from very serious poets who ask why she has been chosen. But when you study her, you'll realise she is very intriguing, and I quite respect her work. She appeals to a large number of people," Gokhale explains. Each of the festival directors shared one of their favourite memories from previous editions of JLF. William Dalrymple said that he watched in disbelief as a large crowd of people, including himself, sat silently and listened intently to JM Coetzee talk; he said that the author's cold brilliance forced the audience into submission. He was shocked that Coetzee had accepted their offer to speak at the festival, and talked about the many conditions he put forward before he agreed a 45-minute-long book reading, four questions from the audience, a panel which he could choose to cancel. Namita Gokhale said that the moment which made her feel truly proud was when one of the authors who had spoken at JLF found herself placed in a 'manel' (male-dominated panel) at another literature fest. She raised a point about being sidelined by the men, adding that this was not true of the experience at Jaipur. But Sanjoy Roy's favourite memory was the most heart-warming of them all; he narrated the story of how once an underprivileged man walking with his child was stopped by the security guard, because he "didn't look like he belonged". When Roy went up to the guard to resolve the issue, the man told him that he lives on the street across from the venue, and that he was hoping to take his son to the festival because he had heard that people tell stories there. He added that this was his only chance to regale his son with stories, because he did not have the money to send him to school. He and his son were let in, keeping in mind the 'free entry for all' principal of the festival. The directors recounted how hordes of people who could not afford to live in Jaipur's hotels would end up living at the railway station at night. They also spoke about how teachers from small villages who had attended the festival went back and started reading clubs for their students. Such is the influence of the Jaipur Literature Festival, that it has inspired more than a 100 other literature festivals to emerge and grow, the directors said. They seem to be largely disinterested in controversy, although the literature festival has consistently made headlines because of comments made by speakers or the choice of certain authors in the line-up, such as Taslima Nasrin. "Controversies are a nightmare, because they distract us from the things speakers want to say," says Roy. He explains the festival has grown from having 250 attendees in the morning in its first year to be filled to capacity in recent years, and that name recognition is not a worry any more. "This has allowed us to talk about the arts, philosophy, math, the sciences subjects that other festivals might find it challenging to do, because they wouldn't necessarily be a draw. Here, if you may not be able to get into one talk, you might end up going for another. And there is an assurance that everything you listen to will be exciting and interesting. This has helped us to increase the scope of what we are able to present," he explains. In terms of vision and growth, all three directors assert that the only primary goal they set for themselves is to ensure that the quality of experience the festival provides keeps getting better. "We ask ourselves, 'How do we stay ahead of the curve without necessarily changing the core philosophy of the festival?' Because the philosophy will always be the same; it can never be mortgaged," explains Roy. William Dalrymple says that it is a conscious decision to not have themed editions at Jaipur. "That inevitably means an overdose of one thing. Putting together a literature fest is kind of like cooking a meal; you want variety, a little bit of everything. What we do every year is get a mix of the big books each year and big authors, as well as our all-time favourites," he says. Gokhale calls these festival regulars, such as Prasoon Joshi and Javed Akhtar, their 'baaratis'. How will this edition of JLF be different from the previous ones? Roy promises that attendees will get to know about writing that they may not be otherwise exposed to, or that they wouldn't discover anywhere else. "We've introduced a book club for the first time ever for young people. We have extended the music stage timings and we're going to have a lot of conversations about music, such as the session with Zakir Hussain and the one on the Beatles," he adds. Gokhale emphasised on how more space will be opened up this year to prevent crowding, and that this edition marks the fifth year of the Jaipur Bookmark which has been designed as a space where publishers and writers can interact. "I think a whole generation of people have learnt to be writers here. They have met and admired writers, they have met agents and publishers. I know so many kids who were volunteers and today, they come as speakers. It has provided a platform of this kind," says Gokhale. Here's the list of writers who will be speaking at the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival 2018: 1. Abhijit Kothari 2. Gerur Kristny Gujonsdottir 3. Lorenzo Angeloni 4. Rajdeep Sardesai 5. Swapan Dasgupta 6. Adrian Levy 7. Akshaya Mukul 8. Amish 9. Anne Cheng 10. Anthony Horowitz 11. Anu Singh 12. Arundhathi Subramaniam 13. Ashwin Sanghi 14. Avinash Das 15. Bachi Karkaria 16. Cathy Scott-Clark 17. Charmaine Craig 18. Chika Unigwe 19. Chintan Chandrachud 20. Chitra Mudgal 21. Elizabeth Chatwin 22. Gaurav Solanki 23. Giorgio Montefoschi 24. Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar 25. Ikram Rajasthani 26. Javed Akhtar 27. Julia Donaldson 28. Kiran Nagarkar 29. Lathika George 30. Leonora Miano 31. Lisa Randall 32. Lucy Hughes-Hallett 33. Makarand Paranjape 34. Maya Jasanoff 35. Mira Nair 36. Nand Bhardwaj 37. Nicholas Shakespeare 38. Paramita Satpathy 39. Peter Bergen 40. Pragya Tiwari 41. Pranay Lal 42. Raghvendra Singh 43. Robert Dessaix 44. Rohan Murty 45. Samhita Arni 46. Sampat Saral 47. Sampurna Chatterji 48. Shabana Azmi 49. Snigdha Poonam 50. Soha Ali Khan 51. Sreenivasan Jain 52. Suchita Malik 53. Suki Kim 54. Tishani Doshi 55. Tracey Spicer 56. Tridip Suhrud 57. Vimlesh Sharma 58. Vishal Bhardwaj 59. Vivek Shanbhag 60. Yotam Ottolenghi New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday stepped up attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking why there is no mention of development in his speeches during the Gujarat election campaign. Gandhi said he did not get an answer to even one of the 10 questions he had asked Modi on Gujarat's report card, despite the BJP being in power in the state for 22 years, and wondered if governance meant mere speeches. "BJP has its government in Gujarat for 22 years. I will only ask, what is the reason development is missing in the prime ministers speeches." "I asked 10 questions on Gujarats report card but no answers came. No manifesto till the campaign for the first phase of polling ended. So, 'ab bhashan hi shasan hai' (does governance mean mere speeches now)," he asked on Twitter. Taking on Modi, the Congress leaders have started a question a day series on social networking site with the tagline "22 saal ka hisab, Gujarat maange jawab. (22 years of account, Gujarat demands answers). The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP and Gandhi has spearheaded the attack, often targeting the prime minister over the claims of development and questioning the 'Gujarat model'. As polling began on Saturday for the first phase of Gujarat elections, the Congress vice-president welcomed the first-time youth voters of the state and urged all to help make the festival of democracy a success. "Participation of voters is the soul of democracy. Welcome all the first-time youth voters of Gujarat. Appeal to all voters to vote to help make a success of this festival of democracy," he said on Twitter. The second phase of the Assembly polls is on 14 December. The results will be out on 18 December. New Delhi: Terming it a scam, Congress on Friday accused the BJP government in Gujarat and the Narendra Modi-led Central government of misspending Rs 10,651 crore worth foreign exchange in the Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry by the CBI in the matter. The party also called it a "Gujarat model of corruption." "Latest revelations in the GSPC scam have revealed reports of misspending of Rs 10,651.80 crore of foreign exchange. This is evident from the examination of the accounts of the GSPC between 2006-07 and 2015-16," Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar told media persons. "What is striking is that the spending of this foreign exchange is not explained in the profit and loss account of the GSPC. The question is where did this money go?" he asked. The Congress demanded a CBI inquiry monitored by a Supreme Court judge in the alleged scam. "Just Rs 372.32 crore expenditure in foreign exchange was mentioned in the accounts of GSPC in the category of miscellaneous expenses. Can such a huge amount spent from the state exchequer be put in the category of 'miscellaneous expenses'," he asked. "The sudden increase in expenditure in foreign currency in the GSPC accounts reeks of a conspiracy," he added. According to the party, in the year 2008-09, the amount of foreign exchange spent has been shown to be Rs 175 crore and it increased to Rs 208 crore in 2009-10. In 2012-13, the amount of expenses in foreign currency was shown as Rs 472 crore, which increased to Rs 622 crore the next year, Rs 614 crore in the following year before suddenly increasing to Rs 1,667 crore next year. Nagpur: Nana Patole, who resigned on Friday from the Lok Sabha and the BJP, has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using his OBC credentials for political gains. Patole, a critic of the central and state governments' handling of agrarian issues, had resigned alleging that the BJP had failed to keep the promises it had made to the people. Speaking at a press conference, he accused the prime minister of "double standards" and alleged that Modi was using his other backward classes (OBC) credentials for electoral and political gains, but had done nothing for the benefit of OBCs and farmers. "Day before yesterday, the prime minister reacting to Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's comment had said in an election rally that he was being hounded as he came from a 'neechi jaati'. This really made me furious at the double standards of PM Narendra Modi," said Patole, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Maharastra's Bhandara-Gondia constituency. "In a meeting at the PM's residence last year, I had raised the problems being faced by OBCs and demanded a separate ministry for OBCs. However, PM Modi shouted at me and questioned its need, saying OBCs don't need it," Patole claimed. Now, the prime minister is asking for votes on his OBC credentials, he said. Patole alleged that the PM also got angry on him in the meeting after he raised farmers' issues and sought a greater contribution from the union government for the agricultural sector. "The assurances made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not being fullfilled by the Centre and the state government," he said. Patole said that he had raised these issues in the Lok Sabha as well as in meetings with the prime minister. "The government is not bothered on the farmers' issue. PM Modi is deceiving the people of this country," he said. He said that he would be touring Ahmedabad on Monday and will highlight the "double standards" of Modi. "I will visit my constituency Bhandara-Gondia on 15-16 December followed by visits to Gadchiroli and Chandrapur," Patole said. Replying to a query on whether he intended to join the Congress, he said that he had not yet decided on joining any party. Gandhinagar: The Congress party on Saturday urged the Election Commission to look into the malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines as Gujarat began its first phase polling. Senior party leader from the state Ahmed Patel requested quick action. "There are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission to take necessary action immediately," Patel said in a tweet. There are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission to take necessary action immediately Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) December 9, 2017 The poll panel received several complaints about Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctioning in Kosamba region of Valsad district, besides several in Saurashtra and Surat. An EVM was also tampered with in Rajkot East constituency, a complaint to the Election Commission said. After casting his vote in Ankleshwar in Bharuch, Patel said that he voted for change, and urged the people of Gujarat to do the same. "I have cast my vote today. I have voted for change. Urge all fellow Gujaratis to turn out in large numbers and bring around the change that the entire nation is waiting for," he said in another tweet. I have cast my vote today. I have voted for change. Urge all fellow Gujaratis to turn out in large numbers & bring around the change that the entire nation is waiting for pic.twitter.com/6obnW00czn Ahmed Patel (@ahmedpatel) December 9, 2017 Talking to reporters, Patel slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not fulfilling its promises made in previous polls. "People from all social groups have gathered to vote because in three years, the BJP government has not done anything at the Centre, nor have they done anything in Gujarat in the last 22 years. "They did not fulfil any of the promises made in their manifestos of previous elections," Patel said. The first phase of polling in the two-phase Gujarat assembly election is underway on Saturday. Polling, which began at 8 am, will end at 5 pm. The second phase of polling is on 14 December. Counting of votes, along with that of Himachal Pradesh, will be held on 18 December. Click here for LIVE blog on Gujarat election first phase Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Ahmedabad: Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in Morbi district of Gujarat on Saturday as the locals, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling. While long lines were seen outside polling booths in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Assembly polls, none among the 1,000 registered voters in Gajadi turned up to cast vote, officials said. The village, though situated in Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under Kalavad constituency of Jamnagar district. The district administration said they tried their best to persuade villagers to vote. "Villagers had announced a few months ago that they will refrain from voting. Their main grievance was about water supply. Though the village is being supplied water through a pipeline, they claimed it was not enough and demanded another pipeline," said Morbi Collector and District Election Officer IK Patel. "Even today, senior officials went to the village and urged them to cast vote. But no one turned up at the polling booth," he added. "When we told them there are plans to lay a new pipeline, villagers asked us to give the assurance on paper. As the model code of conduct was in place, it was not possible to give it in writing. Such an assurance on the day of polling would also set a wrong precedent," the Collector added. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Auto refresh feeds Gujarat goes to the polls on Saturday for the first phase of the assembly election being held in 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions with 977 candidates in the fray. After a campaign that often turned vituperative, around 2.12 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in Modi's home state tomorrow to choose between the ruling BJP and the Congress. Voters from Saurashtra, South Gujarat to decide fate of 977 candidates on Saturday Rupani must also overcome the discontent Patidars, who are the largest community in the seat. Out of 3.15 lakh voters in the constituency, the number of Kadva and Leuva Patidars is the highest at 62,000, followed by Brahmins, Lohana and Jain communities. Though Rajkot-West is a stronghold of the RSS, the Congress has mounted a strong challenge by bringing in Rajyaguru, the sitting MLA from Rajkot-East, to rework the caste combination in the party's favour. The Gujarat Chief Minister is contesting election from Rajkot-West, often seen as a safe seat for BJP, which has been representing it since 1985. However, this time around the odds may not align so easily in the favour of BJP as Rupani is facing Congress' Indranil Rajyaguru. Rahul Gandhi however, slammed the move. "We raised questions about Manifesto & BJP hastily prepared it behind closed doors. Congress asked for it so Arun Jaitley released it. Otherwise why do they need it when they think they're going to govern here for 100 years? Such is their arrogance," he said. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, BJP Gujarat president Jitu Vaghani and BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav released the BJP's manifesto for the Gujarat Assembly elections in Ahmedabad on Friday. The Bharatiya Janata Party, while releasing its sankalp patra (vision document), said that the document will focus on the party's development plank for Gujarat. Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) BB Swain said around 2.12 crore of the 4.35 crore voters of the state were expected to exercise their franchise on Saturday. A total of 89 seats out of 182 spanning the Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions, are up for grabs in the first phase with 977 candidates in the fray, including Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Voters to cast polls for 89 seats in phase one Gujarat would be the second state after Goa where the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) system would be used, along with electronic voting machines (EVMs), at all the 50,128 polling booths. Political parties have been raising their doubts about the electronic voting machines. However, the Election Commission has said that the machines remain tamper-proof. After Goa, Gujarat to be second state to use VVPAT machines for polling VVPAT machines are special printers attached to the voting machine. When a voter presses a button in the EVM, a paper slip is printed through the VVPAT. The slip contains the poll symbol and name of the candidate. It allows the voter to verify his/her choice. After being visible to the voter from a glass case in the VVPAT for seven seconds, the ballot slip will be cut and dropped into the drop box in the VVPAT machine and a beep will be heard. VVPAT machines can be accessed by polling officers only. Of the 58 seats in Saurashtra and Kutch, the BJP had won 35 in the 2012 Assembly polls and the Congress 20. Of the remaining three seats, two were won by the now-defunct Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) of Keshubhai Patel and one by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Saurashtra, located on the Arabian Sea coast, covers 11 districts of the state. Kutch is the largest district in Gujarat, comprising 10 talukas, 939 villages and six municipalities. Saurashtra and Kutch are crucial for the ruling BJP as these two regions have the highest concentration of seats in the first phase. Political pundits believe that the party winning the maximum number of seats from Saurashtra and Kutch will be better placed to form the next government in the state. The Congress in its manifesto has promised that if it forms the government in the state, it will bring in a special bill to provide quotas for those who are not presently entitled to any reservation and Patidars will get quota under special category. The quota given to OBCs, STs and SCs will not be touched. "One of Congress' poll promises is constitutionally impossible, which is reservation. It cannot go beyond 50 per cent. The Congress vision is based on constitutional impossibility." The BJP on Friday said the Congress poll manifesto in Gujarat promising quota for Patidars and farm debt waiver was " constitutionally impossible " and "financially improbable" and that the party's policy of social polarisation would harm the state. Dhoraji is the only Assembly constituency on which Congress has fielded a leader from Hardik Patel-led PAAS. The contest on Dhoraji seat of Gujarat will be a prestige issue for Hardik Patel as one of his key aides, Lalit Vasoya, is contesting from there on Congress' ticket. Vasoya will be taking on veteran BJP leader and former Lok Sabha MP Harilal Patel on this Patel community-dominated Assembly constituency in Rajkot district. Amid a host of measures to ensure integrity of EVMs, the Election Commission said that the presiding officers will conduct mock polls at all polling stations with at least 50 votes to ensure that the EVMs are functioning properly. The mock poll exercise will be conducted at least one hour before the actual polling starts. Mock polls to be conducted at every polling station before actual polling: EC The maximum of 27 are in Jamnagar Rural seat and there are eight seats with more than 16 candidates. Wherever there are more than 16 candidates, two ballot units will be put up. There are just three candidates each in Jhagadia and Ganadevi constituencies. Both these constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates. The millionaire club: Who has the richest candidates Polling on Saturday will begin at 8 am and end at 5 pm at a total of 24,689 polling booths. Of the 2,12,31,652 voters, 1,11,05,933 are males and 1,01,25,472 females while 247 are from the third gender. As chief minister, Modi often castigated the then prime minister Manmohan Singh and demanded the prices be raised to Rs 1,500. The main gripe of farmers is that Modi as prime minister has not done anything on this issue himself. Moreover, cotton, which was sold at Rs 1,200/20 kg three years ago, today sells at Rs 850-900. Meanwhile, the production cost has tripled. Amreli is predominantly agrarian and the farmers there are particularly angry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over falling crop prices. 8.5 percent voter turnout in the first hour of voting in Gujarat: CNN-News18 a significant number of women attended Modi's rallies. Will they come out and vote for him when Modi in the last two days has linked this election with son of soils pride and by extension with Gujarati ashmita? Do they continue to support Modi and his party when he is away as prime minister? While much has been talked about Patidar, OBC, Muslim, tribal factor, there has not any worthwhile ground level assessment about what womenfolk think of this election, how are they going to vote, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas. In this election in Gujarat, the mood of women voters will be watched very closely by the BJP. Over the years, Narendra Modi has had tremendous appeal among women voters and in the past, they have voted decisively for Narendra Modi. The number of women queuing up to vote early morning is indicative of the fact that they take democracy seriously. While 198 out of the total 977 candidates of the first phase have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, 199 nominees out of the total 851 of second phase have emerged as 'crorepati' as per the analysis of their affidavits conducted by the NGOs. Of the total 1,828 candidates trying their luck in the two-phased Assembly polls, 1,098 nominees have passed class 12 or below. Also, there are only 118 women candidates in the fray, according to the report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Gujarat Election Watch (GEW). As many as 397 crorepati candidates are in the fray for the Gujarat Assembly elections, an analysis of their election affidavits done by two NGOs has found. Of the three young Turks, which sections of media tirelessly talked about, two of them Jignesh Mewani and Aplesh Thakor could bring any dividend or so to say help Congress is swinging tribal and OBC votes in favour of the party. That burden of ousting BJP from power and making Congress return after 27 years rests on Hardiks perceived influence. As the polling is on in 89 constituencies, its now on to the voters . For long, Congress pre-poll punch line was Congress ka haath Garib ke saath, but in December 2017, during the Gujarat election campaigns, it changed to something else Hardik ka haath, Congress ke saath. 'Burden of making Congress return to power after 27 years rests on Hardiks perceived influence' "A leader told me that whatever Mani Shankar-ji (Mani Shankar Aiyar) said about (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi was wrong, but what about Modiji and people from BJP saying wrong things about you, abusing you, and saying (objectionable things) about you on Internet? I told him he belongs to Congress and not the BJP, so we will not do what they do, we have a history," Gandhi said. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said his party would not imitate BJP leaders who "abuse" him, and asserted that he would fight over the issues which affect the people of poll-bound Gujarat. Congress won't ape BJP but will fight for issues that affect people, says Rahul Gandhi A voter from Rajkot says people are choosing between development and change in these Assembly polls People showed unprecedented and overwhelming response in Rajkot and Amreli as sources said there was 16 percent polling since 8 am. In the first two hours of polling in 89 constituencies spread across 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and the southern region of the state, an overall 10 percent polling was registered, a poll official said. Visible enthusiasm among voters marked the first phase of Gujarat election on Saturday as large queues lined up outside 24,689 polling booths. The Election Commission said it received several complaints against malfunctioning EVMs and VVPATs, while the Model Code of Conduct was also violated at a few places. Hardiks influence is put to test in Saurastra region and GSTs implication is put to test in Surat, diamond and textile hub. In last few days, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the campaigning pitch to an emotive level, putting it on the top of everything else. The key question is has that convinced voters to continue preferring the BJP over Congress? After all, their vote would decide who rules Gujarat for next five years. Between BJP repeating its 2012 performance winning 63 seats out of 89 going to the polls stand Patidar reservation activist Hardil Patel and cumbersome procedures of GST. There is no denying the fact that there has been palpable resentment among the people in the run up to the polls against the BJP, a party which they strongly supported for close to two and half decades. Hardik Patel and GST stand in the way of an easy win for BJP In the first two hours, several important leaders and candidates cast their votes, including Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, his opponent on Rajkot-West seat Indranil Rajyaguru, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani and Congress MLA of Amreli seat Paresh Dhanan, among others. PTI Although there were reports of technical glitches in EVMs in Surat and some other centres, the polling process resumed after the machines were replaced, officials of the Election Commission said. According to officials, around 11 percent voting has been recorded in the first two hours. After the polling process began at 8 am, people could be seen stepping out of their homes despite cold weather and queuing up to exercise their franchise at the polling stations. Around 11 percent voter turnout was recorded in the initial two hours during polling on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions in the first phase of the crucial Gujarat assembly polls. 11 percent voting recorded in first two hours of polling "Salman Nizami asks on Twitter - Modi, who is your father, who is your mother? Among the other things he says - he calls for Azad Kashmir. He calls our army rapists. How can the people accept such people like Salman Nizami? He also says there will be an Afzal from every home," ANI also quoted the prime minister as saying. Congress asking for votes in the name of caste: Narendra Modi Social worker Saleem Patel from Surat said that Muslims need a separate body called Muslim Adhikaar Sangharsh Samiti (MAAS), just like Hardik Patel's Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Over 1 lakh power loom machines shut down due to lack of demand because of demonetisation: Voter Responding to Modi's remarks, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla dismissed the claims and said that he didn't know any individual in the party by Nizami's name and that he held no position in the party. "I don't know who is Salman Nizami. He does not hold any position in the party. Even we can say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something," said Shukla. According to a report on Times Now, Nizami often tweeted about Azad Kashmir. Narendra Modi was allegedly referring to Nizami's tweet where he questioned who the prime minister's parents are. A defamation notice had been issued against him earlier in 2017 for lashing out at Yogi Adityanath. On 19 March, Nizam had allegedly tweeted: "Zakir Naik is being hounded despite no evidence against him. Yogi Aditynath has cases of murder, riots registered against him." According to News18 , Nizami was reportedly the joint secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee in 2014. He has a history of making controversial remarks. "Honesty has surrounded Narendra Modi," said the Congress vice-president. "When Narendra Modi talked yesterday, he was talking about himself 60 percent of the time." "Narendra Modi has not talked about the issue of corruption even once in the Gujarat polls," said Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, adding that it was because of Jay Shah that the prime minister avoided the topic of corruption. Narendra Modi avoided topic of corruption in Gujarat polls because of Jay Shah: Rahul Gandhi Here is the list of voting percentages in Surat till 3 pm: The poll panel received several complaints of EVM malfunctioning in Kosamba region of Valsad district as well. An EVM was also tampered with in Rajkot East constituency, a complaint to the EC said. Earlier on Saturday, there were reports of technical glitches in EVMs in some of the polling booths in Surat and other areas. As of 2 pm on Saturday, Gujarat recorded 40.47 percent voting as in the first phase of the state Assembly election amid reports of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and VVPAT glitches. "We detected that the EVMs at three polling booths at Memanwada, a Muslim-dominated area, are connected to external devices through Bluetooth. When the Bluetooth of a mobile phone is turned on, a device named 'ECO 105' is shown as available," Modhwadia, the Congress candidate from Porbandar, said. The Election Commission said that based on the Congress leader's complaint, an inquiry had been initiated. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia on Saturday complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar claiming that some machines were found to be connecting to external devices via Bluetooth. Criticising the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra said that Congress has set a record of spreading lies. At a rally in Mehsana, Modi said: "You have destroyed the country. Four generations (of Gandhi family) had made the situation poor in India." Jagdishbhai Kakadiya from Rajsamadiyala village of Rajkot, where voting is compulsory spoke to Firstpost. He said: "Mere bhai ka accident ho gaya hai, Isliye usne panchayat se permission le liya hai. Hospital me hai, vote nahi karega. Lekin mai khud pahucha hu vote karne. (My brother met with an accident. He took permission from the panchayat since he can't vote from the hospital. But I am here to vote)" Rajkot voter says his brother took permission from panchayat as he is hospitalised "We brought the Sujalam-Sufalam scheme. We got rid of the thirst of Gujarat. The water level in the ground is what we call development," Modi said at a rally in Mehsana on Saturday. Taking a dig at Congress for losing election in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and other states, Modi urged the voter in Gujarat to not vote for the Grand Old Party. "Congress should not win even one seat in the state Assembly. BJP should win in every booth," he said. BJP should win in every booth, Narendra Modi tells voters in Mehsana Lok Adalat's Hardev Singh Jadeja told Firstpost that Rajsamadhiyala village has adopted a "scientific method" to handle polling. "We have allotted people time slots have discipline during voting process," he said. Chairman of Lok Adalat in Rajsamadhiyala says voters given time slots to maintain discipline Over 70 percent voting was registered in Gujarat at close of polling at 5 pm in the first phase, though there were still long queues lined up to vote at most polling stations, Chief Electoral Officer BB Swain said on Saturday. Over 70% voting in Gujarat first phase, many still to vote Jaitley said that he is sure that BJP will have "landslide victory" in Gujarat. "The BJP will get to serve the people of Gujarat again for the next five years," the finance minister said. Arun Jaitley exudes confidence in BJP as polling ends for first phase At the media briefing, the Election Commission said that 68 percent voter turnout has been recorded during the first phase and it is expected to exceed 70 percent. "Exact voting percentage will be known soon," the Election Commission said. On Twitter, BJP chief Amit Shah wrote: "In the first phase of election, the people of Gujarat, who have participated in this great episode of democracy, are venerable. This record voting symbolises the belief in Modi's Gujarat model in the mind of every person in Gujarat. The BJP is heading towards historic conquest in Gujarat." The district administration said they tried their best to persuade villagers to vote. "Villagers had announced a few months ago that they will refrain from voting. Their main grievance was about water supply. Though the village is being supplied water through a pipeline, they claimed it was not enough and demanded another pipeline," said Morbi Collector and District Election Officer IK Patel. While long lines were seen outside polling booths in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Assembly polls, none among the 1,000 registered voters in Gajadi turned up to cast vote, officials said. The village, though situated in Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under Kalavad constituency of Jamnagar district. Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in Morbi district of Gujarat on Saturday as the locals, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling. "We have not even heard the name Salman Nizami. He holds no post in the party, we don't know who he is. Maybe they (BJP) got a name from somewhere. If we start speaking like this, we can name anyone and call the person a BJP worker," he said. Congress leader Rajeev Shukla told reporters that Salman Nizami doesn't hold any position in the party. The Congress on Saturday said that Salman Nizami, who Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited to attack it, does not hold any position in the party, while hitting out at the prime minister for moving away from "real issues". Experts say this election is a serious challenge to Modi as his rivals ride a wave of discontent over the stuttering economy, adding that voter anger over the reforms and a desire for change could boost the flagging fortunes of the Opposition Congress. Modi built his reputation as an economic reformer in Gujarat which boomed under his rule, attracting investments from around the globe. But his recent reformsa new national tax and a shock currency ban to fight grafthave hit India's growth and hurt the very constituency of traders and small business owners who were his biggest supporters in the western state, polls found. Voters, with their election cards in hand, started lining up at polling booths early in the morning in Gujarat where Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held power for 22 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat went to the polls on Saturday, in a key electoral test of his popularity after a series of controversial economic reforms. By the time we get final figures voting percentage may go a little higher and touch last year's figure.: Election Commission of India #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/xng48jKNMx At the media briefing, the Election Commission said that 68 percent voter turnout has been recorded during the first phase and it is expected to exceed 70 percent. "Exact voting percentage will be known soon," the Election Commission said. There is no such connection of any Bluetooth or EVM. EVMs don't have receptors or wiring to facilitate that. So such reports are false.: Election Commission of India #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/LwpdQiGzVQ Election Commission says EVMs can't be tampered with via Bluetooth On Twitter, BJP chief Amit Shah wrote: "In the first phase of election, the people of Gujarat, who have participated in this great episode of democracy, are venerable. This record voting symbolises the belief in Modi's Gujarat model in the mind of every person in Gujarat. The BJP is heading towards historic conquest in Gujarat." When our govt comes to power, it will provide you free of cost medical facility in govt hospitals and free medicines in govt pharmacies: Rahul Gandhi in Mehsana #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/Z21xufXk0W In Mehsana's Vijapur, Rahul Gandhi promises free medical facilities if Congress comes to power The district administration said they tried their best to persuade villagers to vote. "Villagers had announced a few months ago that they will refrain from voting. Their main grievance was about water supply. Though the village is being supplied water through a pipeline, they claimed it was not enough and demanded another pipeline," said Morbi Collector and District Election Officer IK Patel. While long lines were seen outside polling booths in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Assembly polls, none among the 1,000 registered voters in Gajadi turned up to cast vote, officials said. The village, though situated in Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under Kalavad constituency of Jamnagar district. Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in Morbi district of Gujarat on Saturday as the locals, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling. An entire village boycotted the elections due to pathetic roads, water and Electricity supply and BJP keeps blaring about is achievements. Is this the quality of life under Gujarat model ? https://t.co/f7FcdbVeoQ "We have not even heard the name Salman Nizami. He holds no post in the party, we don't know who he is. Maybe they (BJP) got a name from somewhere. If we start speaking like this, we can name anyone and call the person a BJP worker," he said. Congress leader Rajeev Shukla told reporters that Salman Nizami doesn't hold any position in the party. The Congress on Saturday said that Salman Nizami, who Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited to attack it, does not hold any position in the party, while hitting out at the prime minister for moving away from "real issues". Experts say this election is a serious challenge to Modi as his rivals ride a wave of discontent over the stuttering economy, adding that voter anger over the reforms and a desire for change could boost the flagging fortunes of the Opposition Congress. Modi built his reputation as an economic reformer in Gujarat which boomed under his rule, attracting investments from around the globe. But his recent reformsa new national tax and a shock currency ban to fight grafthave hit India's growth and hurt the very constituency of traders and small business owners who were his biggest supporters in the western state, polls found. Voters, with their election cards in hand, started lining up at polling booths early in the morning in Gujarat where Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held power for 22 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of Gujarat went to the polls on Saturday, in a key electoral test of his popularity after a series of controversial economic reforms. Gujarat is all set for Saturday's first phase of Assembly elections in which 977 candidates will battle it out to get elected from 89 of the 182 constituencies, with the ruling BJP facing a strong Congress challenge. The 89 constituencies are spread out in the 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and southern regions. High-pitched campaigning, involving among others Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ended on Thursday evening. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Botad, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Dang and Valsad districts. Of the 89 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party holds 67 and the Congress 16. One seat each is held by the NCP and JD-U while independents hold the remaining two. The most striking battle on Saturday will be in Rajkot West, presently held by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. He is being challenged by Congress candidate Indraneel Rajyaguru, the outgoing MLA from Rajkot East. Another outgoing Congress MLA, Paresh Dhanani, from Amreli is challenged by a former Congress leader and now BJP MLA in Lathi constituency. The Saurashtra region will see some more high profile battles involving cabinet minister Babubhai Bokhiria, Arjun Modhwadia of Congress and former finance and power minister Saurabh Patel. The Congress has tried to woo the voters with a manifesto. The BJP released a 'Sankalp Patra' or 'Resolution Letter' on Friday. The polling on Saturday will begin at 8 am and end at 5 pm. There are a total of 24,689 polling booths. Of the 2,12,31,652 voters, 1,11,05,933 are males and 1,01,25,472 females while 247 are from the third gender. There are eight seats with more than 16 candidates. The maximum of 27 are in Jamnagar Rural seat. There are just three candidates each in Jhagadia and Ganadevi constituencies, both Scheduled Tribe seats. Wherever there are more than 16 candidates, two ballot units will be put up. On the seventh and last day of campaigning on Thursday, Modi, BJP President Amit Shah, Rupani and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed several public meetings. The main face of the Congress campaign has been Rahul Gandhi. The Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), which has been agitating against the BJP government for more than two years, has been asking people not to vote for the saffron party, a subtle message to vote for the Opposition. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 With the first phase of polling in Gujarat already in progress, the one issue which is being discussed is the role that the Patel factor may play in the election results. Will the Patels unhappiness hurt BJP or will it end up helping the ruling party in the state? Could it be that the Patel discourse may mobilise other castes? Nimish Bhai Kadiya and Rakesh Bhai Kadiya in Rajkots Limda Chowk believe it would. A mason by profession, Nimish Bhai who belongs to the OBC community says, The Patel issue is not as big as its being played out. Yes, theres talk, but we have been voting for BJP. Its not going to make much of a difference. Whatever happens, BJP will form the government, adds Rakesh Bhai. In Patel bastion Saurashtra, BJP is facing a tough battle in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly election. Patels also form an influencing community in Rajkot and nearby areas. Overall, the Patel community, which accounts for 15 percent votes in Gujarat, can change the elections outcomes on its own. However, some predict a split in Patel votes. The Pate community has always stood behind BJP wholeheartedly, but now theres crack, more visible in rural areas of Gujarat. But, BJP strategists are talking about making up for the lost votes from other sources. BJP hopes that mobilising other castes in the OBC community could help it sail through the Gujarat Assembly election. In Gujarat, the voting percentage of OBCs is nearly 51 percent. Apart from backward castes, there are many extremely backward castes, taking the total of backward castes to 146. Of the 182 seats in Gujarat Assembly, traditionally OBCs have had an influence in 110 seats. Additionally, the OBC castes influence almost every Assembly constituency. The BJP has been trying to penetrate into the backward and extremely backward castes vote bank. Even when Narendra Modi was the chief minister, BJP was trying to influence them. The fact that Modi comes from a backward caste, has also already brought several members from backward castes to BJP. North Gujarats Palanpur resident, Aalok Prajapati studies engineering at CEPT University in Ahmedabad. Speaking about the buzz within the OBC community, Prajapati says, Modi is OBC and he has done a lot for the OBCs. Theres no doubt that we will vote for him. BJP can be assured of support from the OBC community in the Patel bastion too. After touring the different regions, from Saurashtra to North Gujarat, its becoming clear that OBC icon Alpesh Thakur is unable to influence the community. Currently busy in establishing himself as the sole leader of the OBC community, Thakur seems to be entangled in his own election campaigning. In the state, several of the OBC communities including the Kolis, Thakurs, Kadias, Charwaha (grazers), Nai (barbers) had been with BJP. But now with Patels unhappiness towards BJP, its likely that these castes may mobilise in BJPs favour, which will have a direct effect on BJP. Besides, BJP has been working towards increasing its influence among Dalits and Adivasis as well. During the election campaigning, Modi repeatedly spoke about connecting with Gujarati Asmita and Gujarati Pride and promoted himself as a sympathiser of the Gujarati people. Modi also talked about the rehabilitation work done by his government in the flood-hit Banaskantha district while raising questions about unavailable Congress MLA in the constituency. During the recent cyclone, Modi urged BJP workers to help the affected people, and he has been relying on his appeal as well to connect with the people. Porbandar resident Rajiv Bhai Godania says, When PM Modi appeals like this, it shows kinship. We dont feel the same affinity with Rahul Gandhi. Whether its the reemergence of the Ram Mandir issue and the prime minister trying to bank on it, or the latest deed fo Mani Shankar Aiyar, these are emotional issues which BJP seems to have been waiting to lap on for a long time. Though they have arrived little late, with the first phase of the election already in progress, BJP is forcing Congress to play on its home turf. The BJP believes the Gujarati voters will support Modi once again in the name of Gujarat Asmita. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 New Delhi: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday slammed the Congress party's Gujarat poll manifesto as one of "fiscal impossibility" and its hope of winning as a "political improbability". "Having no model of development, the Congress party manifesto is one of fiscal impossibility," Jaitley said. Jaitley in a Facebook post said the total revenue earned by Gujarat is about Rs 90,000 crore per annum. The Congress promises a tax waiver of Rs 20,000 crore, which will bring down the effective revenue income of the state to Rs 70,000 crore. He said there would be "no surplus money left" after the committed expenditure like salaries, pensions, social and developmental expenditure. "The Congress manifesto promises an additional bonanza of Rs 1,21,000 crore in terms of populist programmes. The Congress party can well afford this risk since its victory is a political improbability," he said Jaitley also said that the Congress has demolished its own state-level leaderships and "outsourced both its leadership and issues to those who had conventionally nothing to do with the Congress party". "There is not a single state leader who is touring the state for the campaign. He also accused Congress of opting for a "divisive agenda of social repolarisation". His comments come as Gujarat was holding its first phase of polls on Saturday. Click here for our LIVE blog on Gujarat election first phase Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 As the first phase of polling takes place across Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at Congress leaders for questioning his lineage and loyalties while addressing a rally in Lunawada on Saturday. Referring to a Congress leader named Salman Nizami, Modi said, "There is a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami who is even campaigning for Congress in Gujarat. He wrote on Twitter about Rahulji's father and grandmother. That is alright but he also asks, 'Modi tell me who is your Mother, who is your father?' Such language can't even be used for enemies," ANI quoted him. Modi was allegedly referring to Nizami's tweet where he questioned who the prime minister's parents are. Nizami's tweets, however, were not accessible at the time of publishing this article. Lashing out at the Congress leader, Modi accused the party of abusing and mocking him, "I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are: This nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians." Modi also claimed that Nizami supports the idea of Azad Kashmir and that he referred to the Indian army as rapists. Modi further said that Nizami had said "there will (be) an Afzal (Guru) from every home", reported ANI. According to a report on Times Now, Nizami often tweeted about Azad Kashmir. Responding to it, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla dismissed the claims and said that he didn't know any individual in the party by Nizami's name and that he held no position in the party. "I don't know who is Salman Nizami. He does not hold any position in the party. Even we can say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something," said Shukla. Salman Nizami kaun hai hum jaante hi nahi. He does not hold any position in the party. We can also say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something: Rajiv Shukla on PM Modi's remarks about Salman Nizami pic.twitter.com/nKWe2WDnDD ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 Apart from this, the prime minister also questioned Congress' ability to fulfill its promises at the Lunawada rally. "Congress promised reservation to Muslims in various states. Have they been able to fulfill the promise?" asked Modi. Referring to promises of ensuring reservation for Patidars, Modi asked if the party would snatch it away from other groups or if they were just empty words. "The Congress has promised reservation in Gujarat to a community. Are they going to snatch it away from SC/STs or OBCs or is it just like a quota promise to Muslims?" he asked. Voting for the first phase of the Gujarat polls began on Saturday morning, while polling for the second phase will be held on 14 December. Counting of votes for both the phases will be held on 18 December. With inputs from PTI Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Follow LIVE updates on the first phase of Gujarat election here Niger has flown home more than 500 of its citizens from Libya as part of an urgent repatriation plan which will see up to 4,000 people evacuated, the foreign ministry has said. The move follows global shock over the atrocities suffered in Libya by African migrants, many of whom are trying to reach Europe, which was brought home by a CNN report showing people being sold as slaves. Pressure has since grown on individual states and the African Union to get them out, with the AU this week pledging to repatriate 20,000 Africans within the next six weeks. "This evening, 504 of our fellow countrymen who were living in Libya have been brought back home," said Foreign Minister Ibrahim Yacoubou who met them as they arrived at Niamey airport on Wednesday evening. "There are thousands of others who are still in Libya and we will bring back everyone who wants to leave," he said. Interior Minister Bazoum Mohamed said buses had been chartered to ferry them back to their villages. Among those brought back home there was a tangible sense of relief. "I feel so relieved to have left that hell back there. Even though it was anarchy in Libya, we didn't know that migrants were being sold, although ransom demands are rife," said one of those who landed on Wednesday, who looked exhausted and did not give his name. Some 4,000 Niger nationals have already signed up to be brought home, the foreign ministry said, saying they would be brought back in a "rolling airlift". It is not the first time that Niamey has repatriated its nationals stranded in neighbouring Libya. Since the Kadhafi regime collapsed in 2011, Libya has fallen under the control of a network of armed groups and militias; the violence and anarchy contributing to the push by many migrants, some of whom have been there for years, to try and make the perilous sea crossing to Europe. Over the past six years, around 250,000 people have returned home to Niger, fleeing the violence in Libya. At the end of November, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou called on the International Criminal Court to take up the case of African migrants being sold as slaves in Libya. Agadez, the main city in central Niger, has become a revolving door for economic migrants seeking to reach Europe via Libya, winning notoriety as Africa's people-smuggling capital. Despite a government crackdown and increased security checks at the borders, aided by the EU, there is still a steady flow of migrants and traffickers passing through Niger. Search Keywords: Short link: Ahmedabad: Hardik Patel's key aide and senior member of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) Dinesh Bambhania on Friday alleged that the quota agitation spearhead's support to the Congress party smacks of some kind of "fixing" between them. Bambhania said he could not understand why Patel was supporting the Congress party, despite it not clarifying how it would give reservation to the Patidar community if voted to power. "In the poll manifesto, the Congress has not clarified how it would grant us reservation under OBC quota after coming to power in Gujarat. It shows that Congress actually never wanted to give us reservation. Yet, Hardik Patel is doing rallies in Congress' favour," he told reporters in Ahmedabad. "Though there is no clarity how we will get reservation under OBC quota, Hardik is mum about it. It seems like fixing to me. Our fight was not about bringing a party to power. At least I do not wish to be an agent of a party. Hardik should not politicise the agitation," he added. "Hardik is playing into the hands of Congress in the name of the Patidar movement. Hardik is using the agitation for political purposes and I am totally against it. I urge all the Patidars to use their wisdom when they go for voting tomorrow (Saturday)," Bhambania said. Bambhania's open rebellion against Patel came a day ahead of the first phase of polling in Saurashtra and south Gujarat. Commenting on Patel's purported sex tapes, Bambhania indicated that only one CD can be morphed, not all. "Hardik is seen as an icon. Patidars are having very high hopes from him. One CD can be morphed, but, when so many CDs came out, it does not suit a man who is the leader of a community. I am deeply pained by the entire episode," he said. Bambhania claimed he was still with PAAS and said he was not joining the BJP. "Neither am I against Hardik, nor I am leaving PAAS. I am also not joining BJP. My only contention is that Hardik has failed to pressure the Congress to accept our demand as agreed earlier between both PAAS and Congress," he added. Follow LIVE updates on Gujarat polls Phase 1 Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 As of 2 pm on Saturday, Gujarat recorded 40.47 percent voting as in the first phase of the state Assembly election amid reports of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and VVPAT glitches. Earlier on Saturday, there were reports of technical glitches in EVMs in some of the polling booths in Surat and other areas. The Election Commission said it received several complaints against malfunctioning EVMs and VVPATs. The poll panel received several complaints of EVM malfunctioning in Kosamba region of Valsad district as well. An EVM was also tampered with in Rajkot East constituency, a complaint to the EC said. A Congress candidate from Pardi also filed a complaint with the EC for a Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) not showing the paper slip while voting. The polling process was resumed after the EVMs were replaced, an EC official told PTI. In Kamrej constituency of the Surat region, there were complaints of seven to eight EVMs malfunctioning since Saturday morning. People were seen complaining as they were not able to cast their votes despite standing in queues since morning. Speaking to Firstpost, Khalid Badshah, a businessman from Surat expressed concerns over EVM tampering. "Despite talks of technology and Digital India from the prime minister and the government, problems with EVMs keep cropping up. It happened in Uttar Pradesh polls as well. The government hasn't taken any steps to resolve the issue. The public is quite disappointed in the present circumstances," Badshah said. He also said that even developed countries often use the balloting system in spite of being technologically advanced. "BJP's Subramaniam Swamy also raised this issue a while ago. The EVM system is in dire conditions at the moment while the Election Commission just looks on silently," added Badshah. There were complaints of many EVMs malfunctioning in Mandvi constituency of Kutch as well. "Why is it that EVMs in polling booths especially dominated by Dalit communities are malfunctioning. And if they are not working those should be replaced immediately. One machine here (Mandvi) was replaced after one and a half hours. Sometime later, that too went bad," said Shaktisinh Gohil, who is contesting from Mandvi. "I suspect a conspiracy against the Dalit voters by BJP, which has never supported the Dalit community. But we are confident that despite this, Congress will snatch all the six constituencies this time," Gohil added. "We are inquiring into complaints of EVMs being connected to Bluetooth or WiFi made from Porbandar," said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gujarat, BB Swain. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia had complained that three EVMs were seen connected to Bluetooth devices and he sent the complaint to the ECI along with screenshots backing his complaint. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asked the EC to address the queries being raised on the trustworthiness of the electronic voting machines (EVMs). "I've been extremely sceptical of EVM-related conspiracy theories but I'm beginning to question my unwavering faith in the machines and their infallibility," Abdullah wrote in a Twitter post. Ive been extremely sceptical of EVM related conspiracy theories but Im being to question my unwavering faith in the machines & their infallibility. Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) December 9, 2017 A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Botad, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Dang and Valsad districts. Polling, which began at 8 am, will end at 5 pm. The second phase polling is on 14 December and counting, along with that of Himachal Pradesh, will be held on 18 December. With inputs from Pallavi Rebbapragada and agencies Click here for our LIVE blog on Gujarat election first phase Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Pavi Jetpur/Tarapur (Gujarat): Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said his party would not imitate BJP leaders who "abuse" him, and asserted that he would fight over the issues which affect the people of poll-bound Gujarat. "A leader told me that whatever Mani Shankar-ji (Mani Shankar Aiyar) said about (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi was wrong, but what about Modi-ji and people from BJP saying wrong things about you, abusing you, and saying (objectionable things) about you on Internet? I told him he belongs to Congress and not the BJP, so we will not do what they do, we have a history," Gandhi said. The Congress leader on Friday campaigned in central Gujarat including the tribal-dominated district of Chhota Udepur which go to the polls on 14 December. "We will respect the post of prime minister, will continue to fight on issues, will talk about development of Gujarat, and will work for you wholeheartedly," he said. Gandhi's statement comes at a time when his party is facing flak over Aiyar calling Modi "neech aadmi" which was mentioned by Modi many times in his campaign speeches. The Congress subsequently suspended Aiyar. "Modi-ji may distract you, but yesterday (Thursday) I talked to our leaders and they told me frankly that Rahul-ji, Congress is going to win the election in Gujarat, nothing is going to stop this," Gandhi said. Questioning the delay by the ruling party in publishing its manifesto which it eventually did on Friday evening Gandhi attacked Modi over his statement that the BJP was going to stay in power in Gujarat for 100 years. The Congress prepared its manifesto after consulting various sections of society such as tribal communities, women and youths, and incorporating their demands, Gandhi said. "Modi-ji says his government will stay for 100 years. Look at his arrogance. He will talk about a lot of different things Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and will take you on a tour of entire world, but will not talk about Gujarat, its development and what happened to Gujarat in 22 years," he said. "Modi-ji will also not talk about (BJP president) Amit Shah's son Jay Shah's corruption or about Rafale fighter jet deal. Modi-ji will also not talk about how much you get for cotton. He will only say BJP will rule Gujarat for 100 years," he added. "What does that mean? It means whatever the people of Gujarat say, Modi-ji has decided that the BJP will rule in Gujarat for 100 years," he said. Modi was going to lose in this election because "for 22 years he took from you but gave you nothing", the Congress leader said, adding "when Congress forms the government, we will work to give you your due, help you." Gandhi also accused Modi of offering farmers' land to corporates while ignoring demands made by the government. Modi gave 45,000 acres of land in Kutch to "one person" at the rate of Rs 1 per square metre, Gandhi said, naming a prominent industrialist from Gujarat, and added that this person later "sold the same land at Rs 3,000 per square metre to government companies". "This is Narendra Modi-ji's magic," he said. "But the prime minister-ji will not talk about all this in his speeches. He will not say that he has snatched 6.5 lakh acres of your land to give to five or ten richest people. He will also not tell you that Narmada water cannot reach your farm but will go to factories of five-ten people," he said. The Congress vice president, who has visited several temples in the state since the poll campaign began, on Friday visited the Mogal Dham temple at Ranesar in Ahmedabad district. Voting for 89 seats of Saurashtra and south Gujarat will be held on Saturday, while that for 93 seats of north and central Gujarat, including Chhota Udepur, will he held on 14 December. Click here for our LIVE blog on Gujarat election first phase Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Gujarat is halfway close to deciding the fate of its 22-year-long relationship with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The prime minister, actively campaigning in all parts of the state, had through a tweet, appealed to voters to turn out in record numbers and vote. The Election Commission has recorded a 68 percent voting turnout in 89 out of Gujarats 182 constituencies, although the poll panel has not come out with the final figure yet. Firstposts reporters gauged the public mood outside polling stations in western and southern Gujarat on 9 December. In south Gujarat, the voting percentage was between 68 and 70 percent in constituencies like the industrial hub of Udhna, where mixed opinions on the GST emerged. The staunch support for the Congress in the adivasi pockets like Vyaara and Dang faded as one moved westward toward Bharuch, where only one (Jhagadiya) of the five seats is a tribal seat. In Navsari, two seats (Gandevi and Vansda) are tribal seats and from Valsad, three seats (Dharampur, Kaprada and Umargaon) are reserved for STs. The ratio of ST:Open Seats is the ratio of Congress:BJP. There seemed to be no change in the old dynamic. In Surat, there was a stark split in opinion within groups of even three and four. For instance, two families from City Light Town at the polling station inside the NIT Surat campus said that there is no alternative to Modi and will never be. Another one standing next to it snatched the mic to confess it is fed up of being lied to. Surat is home to nearly 15 lakh Patels that are concentrated in regions of Varachha, Katargam, Kamrej and Karanj. Here, just last week, thousands thronged the roads during Hardik Patels rally. From our interaction with voters in these regions, it seems that the concerns raised by the Paditar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) led by Hardik have earned the support of some but not all. Some accused him of invoking the trauma of the Patidar farmers for the benefit of the Congress, a party whose name still brings to their mind an era of curfews and riots and gunshots and sirens and dramatic Hindu-Muslim enmity. Some others are happy that the Patidar community, which dominates 48-52 seats is finally speaking up for its rights. We want to take pride in our community, said Yash Patel, a student. Nilesh Vithani, another resident of Surat and one of the early voters at a booth in Katargaam said that asking for reservation is a disgrace for the Patidar community that is hailed for its work ethic. In Choryasi in southwest Surat, which has 1.60 lakh voters from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, people expressed disgust over the lack of a candidate from their states in the Congress and the BJP. Some of them pledged support to Ajay Choudhari, who is contesting independently from there and is backed by the Samajwadi party. Some, like Prince Pandey point to broken roads and open gutters inside the densely populated Dindoli, another colony dominated by migrant workers from the Indian heartland. Standing metres away from him, Manoj Chaudhary and Kamla Chauhan thanked Modi for clean water and LPG pipelines in the same area. The voter here seemed divided not on ideologies but on facts. The Muslim regions of Bhestan, Sagrampura and Nanpura expressed support for the Congress. Though the voters here seemed unhappy with politics at large, they still came out to vote against the BJP, a party they feel not only threatens their safety but completely ignores them as a category both during campaigning and governance. Today, Muslims are left searching for their political and social face. The Dalits, the OBCs and the Patels have found leadership in Jignesh Mevani, Alpesh Thakore and Hardik Patel but who will come to represent us?, asked Saleem Patel, social worker, who also feels the BJP has interfered with the Sharia by abolishing instant triple talaq. Through demonetisation, GST and the lack of empathy towards the road-raasta-gutter in Muslim bastis, the community seemed united in its rejection of the ruling party. Muzaffar Naatalwala cribbed about the shutting down of one lakh power looms which he feels is a consequence of demonetisation, which worsened by demonetisation. Khalid Badshah, who runs a computer business alleged that EVM tampering will have an impact on the result this time. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia on Saturday complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar claiming that some machines were found to be connecting to external devices via Bluetooth. Later in the day, Firstpost spoke to the Collector of Rajkot, who confirmed that 31 VVPATs and 27 EVMs were changed through the day in the district as of 5.45 pm. In western Gujarat is Saurashtra, where the Patidars are in a majority. Here, the cities of Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagarh, Bhavnagar, Amreli too saw a turnout of 68 to 70 percent. The Patel seemed divided between urban and rural Gujarat. In Rajkot, at the same polling booth, Uday Patel seemed to be in favour of BJPs pro-development approach and Priyank Patel said that he voted for change and not development. There seemed to be a 2:1 ratio in favour of the BJP. In Surendranagar, where the BJP finished off with a clean sweep last time, the Patel factor could be seen and in Morbi, home to a large ceramic industry that was initially affected by the GST, mixed reactions to the economic reform could be sensed. But overall, people here seemed to be in favour of the BJP. Interesting contradictions emerged in the will to vote. In Gajadi, a village in Jamnagar fed up of water shortage decided to boycott the election whereas in Rajsamadhiyala on the outskirts Rajkot, it is compulsory to vote and those admitted in hospitals were seen taking permissions from the Panchayat to keep away. However, there wasn't much of an impact of these moods on the polling percentage of their districts, 69 percent in Jamnagar and 68 percent in Rajkot Rural. In rural areas that fall in the districts of Saurashtras Jamnagar, Porbandar, Junagarh, Amreli, Bhavnagar and Rajkot, the gripe among Patidars is that the crop prices have dropped from Rs 1,200 per 20 kg to Rs 850 to 900, while the production cost has tripled. When Manmohan Singh was Prime Minister, Modi blamed him for not fixing the minimum support price. The despair has pushed them towards Hardiks energy. The killing of 14 members of the Patidar community during the quota stir in 2015 is an incident that some politically charged people in Surat and Saurashtra made references to. The second phase of the Gujarat Assembly election will be conducted on 14 December. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 With inputs from Amitesh and Parth MN India is missing a Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan, often known as TN Seshan, more than ever today. As the chief election commissioner from 199096, Seshan was instrumental in cleaning up the polling process in the country as he displayed all the might of the Election Commission of India literally purifying this most critical part of the democracy. His sheer determination, in fact, acted as a catalyst to restore people's faith in this key institution. Two decades after his retirement, things have changed considerablyperhaps in a manner that won't impress the former chief election commissioner too much. One of the most disturbing aspects through Gujarat is how casually and frequently people mention the EVM tampering. "Bass EVM mein kuch gadbad nahi hona chahiye (Only there should not be any problems with the EVM)," they say with a smile. There is no proof yet if EVMs are being tampered to suit a particular political party. What is, however, obvious is that people's faith in the process of elections is eroding, and that is disquieting. The scepticism of the electorate may or may not be accurate, but it is definitely not unfounded. Independent candidates in Uttar Pradesh civic polls have tallied zero votes, which is amusing because if you think of yourself worthy of contesting the polls, you would definitely want to vote for yourself. A Times of India report said when a voter pressed the button for BSP, the vote went to BJP. A collector in Maharashtra confirmed EVM malfunctioning in an RTI response. These are not rumours but news reports. They spread quickly in the WhatsApp era, triggering the perception crisis over the most important process of democracy. Glitches in the EVMs have been reported in the past. Political parties, including the BJP, have made similar allegations in the past, but none of them found resonance among the electorate because the autonomy of the Election Commission appeared by and large intact. Today, the credibility of the Election Commission is certainly not at its peak, and the poll panel has itself to blame for it. The manner in which it delayed declaring the dates for Gujarat elections, and came up with rather unconvincing answers allowed people to cast aspersions on the functioning of the Election Commission. The poll panel has so far not reacted to an alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 December in a rally when he asked people to vote for BJP on the 9 December, a report in India Today said. It is not like the Election Commission is unaware of the perception crisis, which is why it held a press conference and declared the EVMs would be accompanied by VVPATs. It even sent out a press release trying to reassure the voters. However, as Saurashtra and parts of South Gujarat went to polls on 9 December, 33 EVMs in Rajkot showed technical glitches, reported the local media. According to a VTV Gujarati News report, the BJP symbol appeared when the Congress button was pressed at booth number 168 in Dwarka. Several other districts in Saurashtra reported EVM and VVPAT failures. In Surat alone, 70 EVMs had problems, as reported by NDTV. In Porbandar, three EVMs were alleged to be linked to Bluetooth, and Arjun Modhwadia of the Congress even filed a complaint with the Election Commission. However, the poll panel disposed of the complaint after conducting an investigation, the DNA reported. The poll panel chief clarified to NDTV that only seven booths have had problems, but that does not mean the other EVMs that were reported to be faulty did not need technical assistance. I met the collector of Rajkot at 5.45 pm, and he said 31 VVPATs and 27 EVMs were replaced through the day in the entire district. Bottom line: it delayed, and derailed the voting process by hours. Saurashtra is a weak link of the BJP, where farmers and rural Patidars are evidently angry with the party. Rajkot is Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's constituency, and he has a stiff challenge. Surat was the epicentre of mass protests held against the government. Mass malfunctioning of EVMs in these areas has further eroded the electorate's confidence in the fairness of the elections. Murmurs on the ground find these coincidences too stark to be ignored. The Election Commission needs to act, and act fast, not just to save its own credibility, but to restore the wavering faith of the people in the institution of democracy. Click here for detailed coverage of Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 Kohima: In a twist to the ongoing bickering within the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF), Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang and NPF president Shurhozelie Liezietsu today reportedly signed a document to reconcile and re-unite. The internal crisis in the party began in July after 36 NPF MLAs joined Zeliang's camp to oust then Chief Minister Liezietsu, and after a division in the NPF resulted in a parallel party with former CM Neiphiu Rio as its president. Sources within both the NPF camps told PTI on Friday night that a reconciliatory process was and Zeliang and Liezietsu have inked a document accepting to reconcile and re-unite. A final outcome of the reconciliatory process could be expected in a couple of days, the sources said, without wanting to be quoted. However, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Imkong L Imchen, who is in the Zeliang camp, said the process was initiated as a solution to the vexed Naga political issue is expected to be reaching the final stage. "Solution of the Naga political issue is the prime concern. And as legislators we thought it is best to work together for a final settlement without difference to achieve the common aspiration of the Naga people," he said. Another reason for the reconciliation, Imchen said, was the acknowledgement of the directive of the Election Commission of India to reconcile and resolved the matter as per the provisions of the NPF constitution. The sources also said that after the reconciliatory process is completed the NPF faction headed by Rio would die "a natural death". They, however, said Rio, accepting the reconciliation, has decided to resign from the post of president. Lunawada: Questioning Congress' assurance of reservation to Patidar community in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said it will either have to "snatch" the share of SCs, STs, and OBCs or is making a "false promise" like it did on Muslim quota issue in several states. "Either they (Congress) have to snatch it from others or they are spreading lies," Modi said in his first major direct attack on Patidar quota issue, which has rankled the BJP especially after the agitation spearhead Hardik Patel backed the Congress in the Assembly polls. In his earlier campaign speeches, the prime minister had urged the people not to be taken in by false promises. Addressing a rally in Lunawada town of Mahisagar district on Saturday, Modi said, "I want to ask the Congress party...you gave a lollipop to the Muslims in all the states of the country that you will give reservations to that community. "I want to ask my Muslim friends, have they given you reservations anywhere in the country? Has this not proved to be a false promise." "Now, they have made a similar promise to another community (in Gujarat). From where will they provide reservations. With they snatch it from the OBC, Adivasi (tribal) or SCs," Modi asked. Last month, Patidar quota stir leader Hardik Patel pledged support of his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) to the Congress for Gujarat Assembly elections, saying the opposition party has accepted the demand of giving reservation to his community in a "special category". Patel, who led violent protests in support of the demand that left several people dead in police action, had said that the Supreme Court's cap of 50 percent on the reservation was just a "suggestion". For LIVE updates on the first phase of Gujarat election click here Chennai: The Election Commission on Saturday ordered a change of Returning Officer for Tamil Nadu's Radhakrishnan Nagar (RK) Assembly constituency, where the bypoll will be held on 21 December, said an official. The poll body has appointed Praveen P Nair as the Returning Officer in the place of K Velusamy who was in the eye of controversy rejecting the nomination papers filed by actor Vishal Krishna, popularly known as actor Vishal. The DMK also made a written complaint to the Election Commission against Velusamy on Saturday, demanding his replacement as it alleged the official "is functioning with a biased and discriminatory mind" and that he "has also deliberately failed in following the procedure to be adhered to in the election process". "Our party candidate has given an application on 29 November to set up a central election office in the jurisdiction of the Assembly constituency. The said application was kept pending deliberately without any reason whatsoever for more than 10 days because of the pressure of ruling AIADMK," it said. "It is only after our party announced an agitation; the returning officer had given permission for setting up the central election office on 8 December. We were deprived of having an official central election office for more than 10 days which is a clear negligence on the part of the Returning Officer," it added. The DMK also referred to the manner in which Vishal's nomination form was handled is also a reason for demanding Velusamy's shifting. "The Returning Officer has become a laughing stock in the eye of the public which the commission may take note of," it told the Election Commission. The Returning Officer rejected Vishal's nomination papers, saying the signatures of two proposers were forged. Vishal also tweeted to President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to bring his plight to their notice. In his tweet, the actor said: To the people, I look upto, Hon @narendramodi & Hon @rashtrapatibhvn I am Vishal,I hope u r aware of wats happening in the RK Nagar Election process in Chennai. My nomination was accepted & later rejected. Totally unfair. I bring this to your notice & I hope justice prevails. Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) December 6, 2017 "My nomination was accepted & later rejected. Totally unfair. I bring this to your notice & I hope justice prevails." On Saturday, Vishal uploaded a video clip on his Twitter account in which a person was seen telling the EC official that the signature he made was not his. Here is another instance of mockery of Democracy !!! The person accepting that the signature made by him is not his. He said & I quote, "Naan Potta Kaiyeludhu Enododhu Illai" In Tamil " " pic.twitter.com/akr19GJ7Ls Vishal (@VishalKOfficial) December 8, 2017 "The person accepting that the signature made by him is not his." "He said & I quote, 'Naan Potta Kaiyeludhu Enododhu Illai' (the signature I made is not mine)," Vishal tweeted. The major contest in the seat, which was held by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, will be between the ruling AIADMK's E Madhusudhanan), DMK's N Marudhu Ganesh and sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran (also spelled as Dinakaran), contesting as an Independent candidate. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded K Nagarajan as its candidate. The RK Nagar seat fell vacant following the death of Jayalalithaa on 5 December, 2016. Mumbai: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday took a dig at Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, saying let the "bechara" (poor thing) first become party chief, and dismissed his becoming the country's leader. During the rapid fire round at the conference 'We The Women' on Saturday in Mumbai, Irani was asked who is the most overrated politician. Without referring to Gandhi, who is set to become Congress chief this week, she said dismissively: "Bechare ko abhi President to banne do (let the poor thing become the party president first). Let him become the president of his own party. I am not even talking about the country." TV and film producer Ekta Kapoor was asked the same question. She refused to comment on it, and went on to ask filmmaker Karan Johar, "Don't you think there is so much nepotism in politics?" Both Karan and Irani said, "Yes, we agree." Adding to it, Karan, who had stirred up a row for raising the issue of nepotism at an award function, said: "As filmy as it sounds, 'Bhagwan ke liye mujhe chod do' (For the God's sake, please leave me)." Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday that Iraqi forces had driven the last remnants of IS militants group from the country, three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq's territory. The Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under IS control along the border with Syria, state television quoted Abadi as telling an Arab media conference in Baghdad. "Commander-in-Chief @HaiderAlAbadi announces that Iraq's armed forces have secured the western desert & the entire Iraq Syria border, says this marks the end of the war against Daesh terrorists who have been completely defeated and evicted from Iraq," the federal government's official account tweeted. In a separate tweet later, Abadi said: "Our heroic armed forces have now secured the entire length of the Iraq-Syria border. We defeated Daesh through our unity and sacrifice for the nation. Long live Iraq and its people." The U.S.-led coalition that has been supporting Iraqi force against IS tweeted its congratulations. "The Coalition congratulate the people of Iraq on their significant victory against #Daesh. We stand by them as they set the conditions for a secure and prosperous #futureiraq," said the tweet. Daesh is the Arabic name for Islamic State. Last month Iraqi forces captured Rawa, the last remaining town under Islamic State control, near the Syrian border. Mosul, the group's de facto capital in Iraq, fell in July after a gruelling nine-month campaign backed by a U.S.-led coalition that saw much of the northern Iraqi city destroyed. Islamic State's Syrian capital Raqqa also fell to a U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition in September. The forces fighting Islamic State in both countries now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare, a tactic the militants have already shown themselves capable of. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in 2014 had declared in Mosul the founding of a new Islamic caliphate, released an audio recording on Sept. 28 that indicated he was alive, after several reports he had been killed. He urged his followers to keep up the fight despite setbacks. He is believed to be hiding in the stretch of desert in the border area. Driven from its two de facto capitals, Islamic State was progressively squeezed this year into an ever-shrinking pocket of desert, straddling the frontier between the two countries, by enemies that include most regional states and global powers. In Iraq, the group confronted U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces and Iranian-trained paramilitary groups known as Popular Mobilisation. Search Keywords: Short link: PTI A 530-million-year-old fossil of an extinct sea creature contains what could be the oldest eye ever discovered, a study has found. The remains include an early form of the eye seen in many of today's animals, including crabs, bees and dragonflies, researchers said. Scientists, including those from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, made the finding while examining the well-preserved fossil of a hard-shelled species called a trilobite. These ancestors of spiders and crabs lived in coastal waters during the Palaeozoic era, between 541-251 million years ago, researchers said. They found the ancient creature had a primitive form of compound eye an optical organ that consists of arrays of tiny visual cells, called ommatidia, similar to those of present-day bees. The findings, published in the journal PNAS, suggest that compound eyes have changed little over 500 million years. The right eye of the fossil which was unearthed in Estonia was partly worn away, giving researchers a clear view inside the organ. This revealed details of the eye's structure and function, and how it differs from modern compound eyes. The species had poor vision compared with many animals today, but it could identify predators and obstacles in its path, researchers said. Its eye consists of about 100 ommatidia, which are situated relatively far apart compared to contemporary compound eyes, they said. Unlike modern compound eyes, the fossil's eye does not have a lens. This is likely because the primitive species called Schmidtiellus reetae lacked parts of the shell needed for lens formation. The team also revealed that only a few million years later, improved compound eyes with higher resolution developed in another trilobite species from the present-day Baltic region. "This exceptional fossil shows us how early animals saw the world around them hundreds of millions of years ago," said Professor Euan Clarkson, from the University of Edinburgh. "Remarkably, it also reveals that the structure and function of compound eyes has barely changed in half a billion years," said Clarkson. "This may be the earliest example of an eye that it is possible to find," said Professor Brigitte Schoenemann, of the University of Cologne in Germany. "Older specimens in sediment layers below this fossil contain only traces of the original animals, which were too soft to be fossilised and have disintegrated over time," said Schoenemann. IANS As collection of space data increases, NASA is exploring the infusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into space communications networks to meet demand and increase efficiency. Software-defined radios like cognitive radio use AI to employ underutilised portions of the electromagnetic spectrum without human intervention. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permits a cognitive radio to use the frequency while unused by its primary user until the user becomes active again. "Modern space communications systems use complex software to support science and exploration missions. By applying AI and machine learning, satellites control these systems seamlessly, making real-time decisions without awaiting instruction," Janette C. Briones, Principal Investigator at NASA's Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland, Ohio, said in a statement on Saturday. The recent development of cognitive technologies is a new thrust in the architecture of communications systems. "We envision these technologies will make our communications networks more efficient and resilient for missions exploring the depths of space. By integrating AI and cognitive radios into our networks, we will increase the efficiency, autonomy and reliability of space communications systems," added Briones. For NASA, the space environment presents unique challenges that cognitive radio could mitigate. Space weather, electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun and other celestial bodies, fills space with noise that can interrupt certain frequencies. The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) provides engineers and researchers with tools to test cognitive radio in the space environment. The testbed houses three software-defined radios in addition to a variety of antennas and apparatus that can be configured from the ground or other spacecraft. "The testbed keeps us honest about the environment in orbit. While it can be simulated on the ground, there is an element of unpredictability to space. The testbed provides this environment, a setting that requires the resiliency of technology advancements like cognitive radio," explained Dave Chelmins, Project Manager for the SCaN Testbed and cognitive communications. In the future, a NASA cognitive radio could even learn to shut itself down temporarily to mitigate radiation damage during severe space weather events. Adaptive radio software could circumvent the harmful effects of space weather, increasing science and exploration data returns. A cognitive radio network could also suggest alternate data paths to the ground, said NASA. The cognitive radio's AI could also allocate ground station downlinks just hours in advance, as opposed to weeks, leading to more efficient scheduling. Additionally, cognitive radio may make communications network operations more efficient by decreasing the need for human intervention. An intelligent radio could adapt to new electromagnetic landscapes without human help and predict common operational settings for different environments, automating time-consuming processes previously handled by humans. tech2 News Staff Samsung has announced that it has partnered up with Paytm Mall to offer cashback, as part of is Christmas Carnival sale. Samsung will be offering up to Rs 8,000 on certain Galaxy smartphones. The offer would be valid from 8 -15 December. The offer is applied to the following devices: Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8, Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy C7 Pro and Galaxy J5 Prime. To avail these offers, the customer has to go to select Samsung outlet, select the product from the above-mentioned list, then scan the Paytm mall QR code and complete their purchase. It is important to note that the cashback will be transferred to your Paytm wallet and not your bank account. Samsung Shop also has some other tempting offers on its electronics items such as the Gear Fit2 Pro, Gear Sport, LED TV's, portable speakers, headphones and more. Samsung has also partnered up with Cashify to provide one year of free accidental and liquid protection and Bajaj Finesary for no cost EMI options on the purchase of Samsung devices. Samsung has also joined hands with MobiKwik for providing a flat 10 percent cash back on its devices. tech2 News Staff In a first, Samsung India will cut the prices of some of its Galaxy smartphones ahead of Christmas as part of "Happy Hours" sale on Amazon.in on 12 December from 12 pm to 2 pm. The 'Happy Hour" sale, also on Samsung e-store, will see a price slash of the Rs 9,490 Galaxy On7 Pro and also on the Rs 7,990 Galaxy On5. The full price has not been revealed, but we can be sure that the On7 Pro has received a price cut of at least Rs 1,500 while the On5 Pro price has been slashed by at least Rs 1,000. The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro will be available for Rs 29,900 after a price slash of Rs 4,000, the Galaxy A7 is available for Rs 20,990 after a price cut of Rs 7,000 and lot more offers are available on various Samsung devices. Alongside this Samsung has also announced that it has partnered with Paytm Mall to offer cashback, as part of its Christmas Carnival sale. Samsung will be offering up to Rs 8,000 on certain Galaxy smartphones. The offer would be valid from 8-15 December and includes cashback on devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, S8 and S8 Plus The South Korean tech giant's smartphone sales recorded a double-digit increase (19.3 percent) in the third quarter, market research firm Gartner said last month. With a 22.3 percent market share, Samsung pipped Apple to grab the top spot in the global smartphone sales to end users (by vendor) in the third quarter of 2017. Apple registered a distant 11.9 percent market share while Huawei with 9.5 percent was at third spot as the global smartphone sales reached 383 million units in the third quarter. In the second quarter, Samsung registered 20.7 percent market share while Apple had 13.7 percent, indicating a drop for the Cupertino-based giant. With inputs from IANS Washington: US president Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens of six mainly Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela is now fully operational, the State Department said on Friday. The announcement comes four days after the US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can fully enforce the ban even as the separate challenges continue before the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit and the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit appeals courts. The restrictions are not intended to be permanent, the State Department said. The restrictions are conditional and may be lifted as countries work with the US government to ensure the safety of Americans; it said adding that most countries in the world now meet the new requirements, which is an important element of ensuring US security. Asserting that the national security is its top priority in visa operations, the State Department said its embassies and consulates around the world are fully implementing Presidential Proclamation 9645 to protect the American people. However, the entry restrictions in the Proclamation do not apply to certain categories of individuals, including those who were inside the US or who had a valid visa on the effective date of the Proclamation, even after their visa expires or they leave the United States, it said. All countries share responsibility to prevent terrorist attacks, transnational crime, and immigration fraud, it said. "The Presidential Proclamation directed the Departments of State and Homeland Security to restrict the entry of nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela, and Yemen in order to protect the security and welfare of the United States," the State Department said. Trump announced his initial travel ban on citizens of certain Muslim-majority nations in late January, bringing havoc and protests to airports around the country. A federal judge in Seattle soon blocked it, and courts since then have wrestled with the restrictions as the administration has rewritten them. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two minor tremors were detected on Saturday from near North Koreas nuclear test site and were probably aftershocks from the countrys massive nuclear test in early September, a U.S. Geological Survey official said. A flag is pictured outside the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva, Switzerland, November 17, 2017. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseThe aftershocks, of magnitude 2.9 and 2.4, were detected at 0613 and 0640 GMT (1:13 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. EST) respectively, said the USGS and Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. A tweet from Zerbo said analysts had confirmed that the activity was tectonic in origin. The USGS official said the tremors had been in the vicinity of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where North Korea conducted its sixth and largest underground nuclear test on Sept. 3. Theyre probably relaxation events from the sixth nuclear test, the official said. When you have a large nuclear test, it moves the earths crust around the area, and it takes a while for it to fully subside. Weve had a few of them since the sixth nuclear test. Pyongyang said the September test was of an H-bomb, and experts have estimated it was 10 times more powerful than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. A series of quakes since then has prompted experts and observers to suspect the test might have damaged the mountainous location of its site in the northwest tip of North Korea, where all of the countrys nuclear tests have been conducted. South Koreas spy agency told South Korean lawmakers in October that North Korea might be readying two more tunnels at the site. North Korea hinted its next nuclear test could be above ground after U.S. President Donald Trump warned in September that the United States would totally destroy North Korea if it threatened America. Another possible obstacle to North Koreas use of Punggye-ri for tests is the nearby active volcano of Mount Paektu, which North Koreans consider a sacred site. Its last eruption was in 1903, and experts have debated whether nuclear testing could trigger another. North Koreas official media reported on Saturday that national leader Kim Jong Un had scaled Mount Paektu with senior military officials to emphasize his military vision after completion of the countrys nuclear force. Kim declared the nuclear force complete after the test of North Koreas largest ever intercontinental ballistic missile last month, which experts said puts all of America within range. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Yangon: Global aid groups on Saturday warned Myanmar they would boycott any new camps for Rohingya returnees to Rakhine state, saying refugees must be allowed to settle in their original homes. The joint statement, signed by more than a dozen humanitarian organisations including Save the Children and Oxfam, said the groups were "concerned" by recent announcements that Myanmar would begin repatriating Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh in two months. More than 620,000 of the Muslim minority have fled into Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district since late August, when the Myanmar Army launched a sweeping crackdown on Rohingya rebels in northern Rakhine state. After inking a repatriation deal with Myanmar in November, Bangladesh said returnees would initially live in temporary shelters in Rakhine state. That announcement raised fears that the refugees would face a repeat of the situation endured by more than 100,000 Rohingya in central Rakhine, who have been trapped in squalid camps ever since they were displaced by a 2012 outbreak of violence. "There should be no form of closed camps or camp-like settlements. INGOs will not operate in such camps if they are created," aid groups said Saturday, adding that all returns must be voluntary. The UN has said the army campaign, which saw hundreds of Rohingya villages razed to the ground, likely amounts to ethnic cleansing and has possible "elements of genocide" charges Myanmar vehemently denies. While the worst bouts of violence appear to have subsided in recent months, refugees are still crossing the border, UNHCR said on Friday, insisting that peace must be secured before any repatriation process begins. The Rohingya face intense discrimination in mainly Buddhist Myanmar. Myanmar does not recognise the minority as a genuine ethnicity and has systematically stripped the group of citizenship, while curtailing their movement and access to jobs and basic services. Authorities have also severely curbed aid access to northern Rakhine since the violence erupted in late August, a blockade that has helped drive more refugees across the border. GAZA (Reuters) - Israels military said its aircraft bombed militant targets in Gaza on Friday and the Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 25 people were wounded in the strikes, including six children. The Israeli military said it had carried out the strikes on a militant training camp and on a weapons depot in response to rockets fired earlier from Gaza at Israeli towns. Witnesses said most of the wounded were residents of a building near the camp. At least one Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops earlier on Friday and dozens wounded in day of rage protests against U.S. President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Michel Temer accepted the resignation on Friday of his minister of political affairs, whose party is abandoning the ruling coalition to ready for the 2018 election. Brazil's President Michel Temer (R) attends a ceremony at Planalto Palace with Brazilian Minister of Government Secretariat Antonio Imbassahy in Brasilia, Brazil, December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Adriano MachadoAntonio Imbassahy of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) has handled the governments relations with Congress, keeping an unwieldy coalition united in blocking the prosecution of Temer on corruption charges earlier this year. However the PSDB, Temers largest ally, has split over whether to stick with the unpopular president in the run-up to a general election next October, when the party plans to field its own presidential candidate. The PSDB will hold its national convention in Brasilia on Saturday, when it is expected to elect Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin as its new party leader, replacing Senator Aecio Neves, who is under investigation for graft. That would make Alckmin the PSDBs most likely candidate in next years presidential race. Allies say Alckmin plans to continue his partys disengagement from the Temer government, where the PSDB still has two ministers, including Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes, who is expected to stay on the job based on personal conviction. Still, Alckmin is expected to mobilise PSDB support for Temers signature legislation proposal, the overhaul of Brazils costly social security system. Investors consider the measure crucial to closing a huge budget deficit that cost Latin Americas largest economy its investment-grade credit rating. Temer needs the PSDBs 46 votes in the lower house of Congress to win passage of the pension reform bill, which is set for a vote the week of Dec. 18. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Brussels: Britain and the European Union struck a divorce deal on Friday that paves the way for arduous talks on future trade ties, easing immediate pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May and boosting hopes of an orderly Brexit. May rushed to Brussels before dawn to seal a European Commission agreement that "sufficient progress" had been made to begin talks about trade and a two-year Brexit transition period that will start when Britain leaves the EU on 29 March, 2019. Negotiators in London, Brussels and Dublin worked through the night before breaking an impasse over the status of the Irish border, the last major obstacle to the opening of trade talks which EU leaders are due to bless at a summit on 15 December. But though the Irish prime minister called a British pledge to avoid a destabilising hard border for Northern Ireland a "bullet-proof" commitment, one senior EU official conceded that wording to appease Mays Belfast allies was a "fudge" which had simply put off until later the need to "square the circle". While Northern Ireland would remain aligned with the rules of the EUs single market and customs union under which member state Ireland operates, Mays government is officially committed to leaving both the single market and customs union. Actual negotiations on a trade pact that may take several years to agree may not start for some months. But EU officials said they should be ready to start rapid talks in January to give May the transition period she wants to reassure business that not much will change for a couple of years after Brexit. Speaking before sunrise at the EU executives headquarters after a hurried flight on a Royal Air Force plane, May said opening up trade talks would bring certainty for citizens and businesses about Britains future after quitting the EU. "The most difficult challenge is still ahead," European Council President Donald Tusk cautioned. "We all know that breaking up is hard. But breaking up and building a new relationship is much harder." May, looking weary after just a couple of hours sleep, spoke after Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced the breakthrough, first in English and then in German and French. The move to agree trade talks 18 months after the United Kingdoms shock vote to exit the EU allayed some fears of a disorderly Brexit that could disrupt trade between the worlds biggest trading bloc and its sixth-largest national economy. Sterling was dented when last-minute objections from Belfast forced May to abort a deal on Monday while already in Brussels, but it climbed to a six-month high against the euro EURGBP=D3 on Friday. It later gave up earlier gains and turned lower on the day against the EU common currency as investors took profits after a sharp rally in recent days. Brexit divorce? Facing 27 other members of the bloc, May largely conceded to the EU on the structure, timetable and substance of the negotiations. Moving to talks about trade and a Brexit transition was crucial for Mays own future after her premiership was thrown into doubt when she lost the ruling Conservative Party its majority in an unwisely called snap election in June. "I very much welcome the prospect of moving ahead," said May, a 61-year-old Anglican vicars daughter who herself voted to stay in the EU in the June 2016 referendum but has repeatedly insisted Britain will make a success of Brexit. A senior British banker said the deal signalled May would stay in power for now and that Britain was heading toward a much closer post-Brexit relationship with the EU than many had feared. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar agreed. ...What phase one was always about was narrowing the parameters, and we are now funnelling and directing things into a situation where I believe the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland will remain in alignment with the EU on lots of regulations, he told Irish national broadcaster RTE on Friday evening. Heralding pitfalls ahead, however, Scotlands leader Nicola Sturgeon swiftly cited the promise of free trade on the Irish border as removing an argument used to dissuade Scots from breaking their union with England to rejoin the European Union. Draft guidelines showed the transition period, which would start on March 30, 2019, could last around two years, as May has requested. During that time, Britain will remain part of the EUs customs union and single market but no longer take part in EU institutions or have a vote. It will also still be subject to EU law. Pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers rallied around her after the deal. This looked like a signal that the party, which has been split over EU membership for generations, was not preparing to ditch her immediately despite the election fiasco in June that left her government dependent on the support of Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who spearheaded the 2016 Brexit campaign, congratulated May, adding that Britain would now take back control of its laws, money and borders. Supporters of a radical Brexit were tougher. Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage struck a jarring note saying it was extraordinary a British premier had conceded so much in the middle of the night, agreeing to all the demands of Juncker, Tusk and EU negotiator Michel Barnier. The British prime minister has to fly through the middle of the night to go and meet three unelected people, who condescendingly say: Now, jolly well done May, youve met every single one of our demands, thank you very much, we can now move on to the next stage. Asked for an example of the EU conceding something to London, which says it will pay 40-45 billion euros over many years to meet EU obligations, Barnier said Brussels dropped a demand that Britain bear relocation costs for two EU agencies that are leaving London - costs in the hundreds of millions. Juncker once put the Brexit bill at some 60 billion euros ($70 billion) but Barnier said it was not possible to calculate a firm figure as much depended on future developments. Jeremy Corbyn, the socialist leader of Britains main opposition Labour party, said on Friday he wanted to see much more information about the divorce deal before he could judge whether it was a breakthrough. Corbyn said Labour had consistently called for maintaining the benefits of belonging to the EUs customs union and single market during a transitional period as Britain leaves the bloc. "The transitional period is unspecific and I think she needs to bring some clarity to that," he said on a visit to Geneva. "Breakthrough" The EU had insisted it would only move on to trade talks if there was enough progress on three key issues: the money Britain must pay to the EU; rights for EU citizens in Britain and British citizens in the EU; and how to avoid a hard border with Ireland. I believe we have now made the breakthrough we needed, Juncker said. On citizens rights, London and Brussels agreed to offer equal treatment on social security, healthcare, employment and education and that Britain will enable its judges to ask the European Court of Justice to weigh in when necessary for eight years after Brexit, aiming to create a common body of law. But the crucial breakthrough was on the future of the 500-km UK-EU land border on the island of Ireland. The Northern Irish DUP had vetoed a draft deal on Monday. May stayed up most of the night into Friday, grabbing just a couple of hours sleep, as she worked the phones from Downing Street to secure agreement from Dublin, Brussels and the DUP. They agreed to avoid a hard border which might upset the peace established after decades of Protestant-Catholic violence, but said the details would be agreed as part of talks about the future relationship, according to a 15-page negotiators report. Britain agreed that should London and Brussels fail to agree a final Brexit deal, the United Kingdom will maintain full alignment with those rules of the internal market and customs union that help protect north-south cooperation in Ireland. In all circumstances, the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Irelands businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market, it said. The DUP gave only a conditional endorsement of the new terms: We cautioned the prime minister about proceeding with this agreement in its present form given the issues which still need to be resolved, its leader Arlene Foster said. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and how we vote on the final deal will depend on its contents. It remains unclear how Britain can fully meet all three key pledges it has made on the border: keeping Northern Irish rules in line with the EU, keeping Northern Ireland aligned with the UK mainland and allowing the UK to diverge from EU regulations. Its still a fudge, said one senior EU official. They put off squaring the circle till later. But how can they do it? For Brussels and Dublin, however, the key commitment was the first. The rest is Theresa Mays problem, the official said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to the region and there will be no communication between U.S. and Palestinian officials Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said on Saturday. Maliki comments were made before an Arab League meeting in Cairo to discuss President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and after Abbas said Washington could no longer be a peace broker. "We will seek a new mediator from our Arab brothers and the international community, a mediator who can help with reaching a two-state solution," Maliki told reporters in Cairo. Search Keywords: Short link: SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarias Foreign Ministry said on Friday any discussion about a revision of the treaty defining the borders of its neighbours Greece and Turkey would not help stability in the region. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan meets with members of Muslim community in Komotini, Greece, December 8, 2017. Kayhan Ozer/Turkish Presidential Palace/Handout via REUTERS The statement comes a day after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to Greece that some details in the Treaty of Lausanne, which established the borders of modern-day Turkey, were unclear and that a lasting solution to issues in the Aegean and Cyprus was needed. Bulgaria believes that a discussion of peace treaties and existing borders is not beneficial to the international community and stability in the region, the ministry said. Any revision of international treaties may only be done by mutual agreement between the countries in accordance with international law, it said, urging its neighbours to continue on the path of dialogue. The ministry said it had discussed the issue with the Turkish ambassador to Sofia. Erdogan, making the first visit by a Turkish president to Greece in 65 years, said Muslims in the Greek border region of Western Thrace were not able to choose their own chief mufti, while Christian communities in Turkey enjoyed greater freedom to choose their patriarchs, suggesting the treaty was not being applied fairly. Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos also ruled out a revision of the 1923 Lausanne treaty. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Trent Franks on Friday announced that he would resign from Congress effective immediately, instead of the Jan. 31 date he previously had set, following the announcement of a probe into accusations of sexual harassment against him. Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. BernsteinLast night, my wife was admitted to the hospital in Washington, D.C., due to an ongoing ailment. After discussing options with my family, we came to the conclusion that the best thing for our family now would be for me to tender my previous resignation effective today, December 8th, 2017, Franks said in an emailed statement. Late on Thursday, Franks, who has represented a district in the Phoenix, Arizona, area since 2003, issued a statement saying that two women on his staff complained that he had discussed with them his efforts to find a surrogate mother, but he denied he had ever physically intimidated, coerced, or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff. The House of Representatives Ethics Committee said on Thursday it had opened an investigation into accusations of sexual harassment against Franks. The 60-year-old lawmaker also said that he and his wife have long struggled with infertility. Franks departure comes just days after Democratic Representative John Conyers of Michigan announced his immediate retirement amid sexual harassment allegations that he has denied. On Thursday, Democratic Senator Al Franken announced on the Senate floor that he too would resign his Minnesota seat amid harassment claims. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypts Coptic Church has rejected a meeting requested by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during his visit later this month in protest against Washingtons decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, MENA state news agency reported on Saturday. The Church excused itself from hosting Mike Pence when he visits Egypt, citing President Donald Trumps decision at an unsuitable time and without consideration for the feelings of millions of people, MENA said. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Baghdad: Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday announced the end of a three-year war by Iraqi forces to drive the Islamic State group out of the country. "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Islamic State," Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. "Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time," he said. Iraq's fightback was launched with the backing of an air campaign waged by a United States-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists. "I announce the good news: the liberation by Iraqi forces of the whole of the Iraqi-Syrian border," the prime minister told the conference organised by the Iraqi journalists' union. IS seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014. With Iraq's army and police retreating in disarray at the time, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, spiritual leader of the country's majority Shiites, called for a general mobilisation, leading to the formation of Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units. Iraq's close ally Iran already declared victory over Islamic State last month, as the jihadists clung to just a few remaining scraps of territory. But Abadi said at the time that he would not follow suit until the desert on the border with Syria had been cleared. The jihadists' defeat is a massive turnaround for an organisation 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, Islamic State is under massive pressure too. On Thursday, Russia's defence ministry said its mission in support of the Syrian regime to oust Islamic State jihadists had been "accomplished" and the country was "completely liberated". In the border region, pro-government forces and US-backed Kurdish-led forces are conducting operations to clear Islamic State fighters from the countryside north of the Euphrates valley after ousting them from all Syrian towns. The head of Iraq's Joint Operations Command set up to fight Islamic State, General Abdel Amir Yarallah, gave an update on Saturday to announce that the desert valley of Al-Jazeera was under the control of Iraqi troops and the Hashed all the way from Nineveh province in the north to Anbar in the west. Federal forces "now control the border with Syria from Al-Walid border crossing to that of Rabia", covering a distance of 435 kilometres, he said. Islamic State retains capacity Despite the victory announcements, experts have warned that Islamic State retains the capacity as an insurgency group to carry out high-casualty bomb attacks through sleeper cells. It also retains natural hideouts in the deep gorges of Wadi Hauran, Iraq's longest valley stretching from the Saudi border up to the Euphrates River and the frontiers with Syria and Jordan. The fightback in Iraq kicked off with the "liberation" of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, that had been under Islamic State control for nearly 10 months. The operations have involved both Tehran, through Iranian-trained Shiite militias in the Hashed al-Shaabi coalition, and Washington as head of the anti-jihadist coalition. The western cities of Ramadi and Fallujah followed in 2016 before the turning point of the recapture of Iraq's second city of Mosul in July this year after a nine-month offensive led by a 30,000-strong federal force. Abadi said the battle for Mosul that left the city in ruins and thousands of its residents displaced marked the end of the jihadists' "caliphate". Victory was declared at the end of August in Tal Afar, the last major Islamic State urban stronghold in northern Iraq, before a final military operation launched last month against Islamic State in a vast desert region of western Iraq. Gaza City: An Israeli air strike on a Gaza base of Hamas' military wing killed two people on Saturday, health officials of the territory's Palestinian Islamist rulers said. The strike on a base in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip, one of several in the early hours, came amid protests across the Palestinian territories against US president Donald Trump's deeply controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Hamas health ministry in Gaza named the men as Abdullah al-Atal, 28 and Mohammed al-Safdi, 30. It said that their bodies were only recovered several hours after the pre-dawn strike on a base of Hamas's military wing in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip. The militants did not say if the dead men were its members. The strike followed three rocket attacks last night from Gaza into southern Israel. "Today... in response to the rockets fired at southern Israeli communities throughout yesterday, Israel air force aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in the Gaza Strip," an English-language army statement said on Saturday. It said the targets were "two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound." "In each target, several components were hit," it added. Israeli strikes on Hamas facilities last night wounded 14 people, among them women and children, the Hamas medical services said. They followed three rocket attacks during yesterday's Palestinian "day of rage" over Trump's decision. In one of them, a rocket hit the southern Israeli city of Sderot although Israeli public radio said it did not explode and did not cause any casualties. The Israeli military said that its Iron Dome air defence system intercepted an earlier rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave. It said it later detected a second missile launch, but had not found evidence that it had reached Israeli territory. The military retaliated on Friday with air strikes on what it said were two targets. "In response to the projectiles fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip earlier on Saturday, Israel air force aircraft targeted a Hamas training compound and an ammunition warehouse in the Gaza Strip," an English-language statement said. Gaza security officials said that both targets were in the vicinity of Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of the strip, close to the border with Israel. A previously unknown Salafist group calling itself the Salahedin Brigades claimed responsibility for one of the attacks. But the Israeli army said it held Hamas responsible for all "hostile activity" originating from the territory under its control. Tokyo: Japanese police arrested three crew of a North Korean boat on Saturday for stealing a generator from a hut on an uninhabited island, public broadcaster NHK said, the latest drama amid increasing arrivals of North Korean fishing boats off Japan. The boats, some in distress, some abandoned and some with dead bodies on board, have raised fears about infiltration by spies as tension with North Korea surges over its missile and nuclear programmes. North Korea has test-fired two missiles over Japan, a country it has threatened to destroy. Most experts say the wooden boats are just carrying fishermen including soldiers drafted to fish. There has been no suggestion the crew are defectors. A boat, with 10 crew on board, was found moored at the island, off Hokkaido, last month and several crew said they picked up electronic goods from the hut, according to NHK. Police arrested three of them for theft and other crew members will be sent to the Immigration Bureau, NHK said. Hokkaido police were not immediately available to comment. A spokesman at the Japan coast guard declined to comment. There were 28 cases of boats adrift off Japan or grounded on its shores in November, the coast guard has said, compared with just four in November 2016. TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyas U.N.-backed government agreed with Italy on Saturday to establish a joint operations room for tackling migrant smugglers and traffickers as part of efforts to curb migrant flows towards Europe, according to a statement. Migrants are seen on a boat as they are being rescued by Libyan coast guards at the coast of Tripoli in Libya, December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Hani AmaraLibya is the main gateway for migrants trying to cross to Europe by sea, though numbers have dropped sharply since July as Libyan factions and authorities have begun to block departures under Italian pressure. More than 600,000 have made the journey over the past four years. The agreement to set up the operations room was announced after a meeting in Tripoli between the head of the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez Seraj, Libyan Interior Minister Aref Khodja, and his Italian counterpart Marco Minniti. A statement from Serajs office said the centre would consist of representatives from the coastguard, the illegal migration department, the Libyan attorney general and the intelligence services, along with their Italian counterparts. No details were given on the location of the centre and how it would operate. In the past, migrant smugglers have worked with impunity in western Libya, where the GNA has little authority over armed groups that have real power on the ground. The Italian navy already has a presence in Tripoli port, providing technical assistance to Libyas coastguard, according to Italian and Libyan officials. The coastguard, which is receiving funding and training from the European Union, has become more assertive in recent months in intercepting migrants and bringing them back to Libya. Activists have criticised the policy, since migrants often face extreme hardship and abuse in Libya, including forced labour. Migrants who are caught trying to cross to Italy are put in severely overcrowded detention centres authorised by the interior ministry. The GNA has said it is investigating reports of migrants being auctioned as slaves in Libya, after CNN broadcast footage appearing to show such auctions. According to Saturdays statement, Seraj told Minniti that despite the successes achieved in the migration file, the number of illegal immigrants outside shelters remains large and we need more cooperation, especially in securing the borders of southern Libya through which these migrants flow. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Seoul: North Korea has lambasted US president Donald Trump for recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, renewing its description of him as a "dotard" in a statement released on Saturday on state media. Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults in recent months as tensions remain high over the North's missile and nuclear threats. Now the hermit state has joined near-universal condemnation of the US president's decision on Jerusalem, calling it a "reckless, wicked act". "Considering the fact that the mentally deranged dotard openly called for a total destruction of a sovereign state at the UN, this action is not so surprising", a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the state-run KCNA news agency. "But this move clearly shows to the whole world who is the destroyer of world peace and security, pariah and rogue in the international community", he said, using epithets usually reserved for the North. Trump's declaration on Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv sparked anger across the Muslim world, and drew expressions of concern and disapproval from US allies. Trump has previously warned Pyongyang of "fire and fury", telling the UN General Assembly that Washington would "totally destroy North Korea" if it had to defend itself or its allies. Trump dubbed Kim "Rocket Man" in the same speech Pyongyang has tested missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland and days later Kim responded with a personal statement calling him a "dotard", an obscure term for a weak or senile old man. According to the latest KCNA statement, the North "strongly condemns" the US move to recognise Jerusalem as capital, and expressed "firm support and solidarity for Palestinians and Arab peoples struggling to win their legitimate rights". "The US will be held accountable for all consequences from this reckless, wicked act", it added. PARIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on Saturday staged a protest in Paris against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus planned visit to France on Sunday. Activists protest against the visit of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Paris, France, December 9, 2017. REUTERS/Youssef BoudlalProtestors carried Palestinian flags and photos of French President Emmanuel Macron marked accomplice for hosting Netanyahu following the U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Netanyahu, who has welcomed Trumps move, will meet with Macron on Sunday ahead of a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. France said on Friday the United States had sidelined itself in the Middle East by recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on French TV that the U.S. move went against international law. Trump says he has a project. Let him present it, so that this intervention can be wiped out by the restart of the peace process, he said. Macron and Turkeys President Tayyip Erdogan will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider the decision, a Turkish presidential source said on Saturday. France has been a supporter of the Palestinian cause. In 2014, the French National Assembly passed a non-binding motion calling on the government to recognize Palestine, but the government has not officially done so. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on Saturday staged a protest in Paris against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned visit to France on Sunday. Protestors carried Palestinian flags and photos of French President Emmanuel Macron marked "accomplice" for hosting Netanyahu following the U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Netanyahu, who has welcomed Trump's move, will meet with Macron on Sunday ahead of a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. France said on Friday the United States had sidelined itself in the Middle East by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on French TV that the U.S. move went "against international law". "Trump says he has a project. Let him present it, so that this intervention can be wiped out by the restart of the peace process," he said. Macron and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider the decision, a Turkish presidential source said on Saturday. France has been a supporter of the Palestinian cause. In 2014, the French National Assembly passed a non-binding motion calling on the government to recognize Palestine, but the government has not officially done so. Search Keywords: Short link: GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Suspected Ugandan rebels killed at least 15 Tanzanian U.N. peacekeepers and wounded 53 others in a raid on a base in Congo that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called the worst attack on the organisation in recent history. Tanzanias President John Magufuli said he was shocked and saddened by the deaths, which come amid rising violence against civilians, the army and U.N. troops in Democratic Republic of Congos eastern borderlands. The U.N. chief said the attack constituted a war crime and called on Congolese authorities to investigate and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. I want to express my outrage and utter heartbreak at last nights attack, Guterres told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else. The United Nations Security Council condemned the attack on Friday and held a moment of silence for the victims. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert wrote on Twitter that the United States was appalled by the horrific attack. U.N. troops were still searching for three peacekeepers who went missing during the more than three-hour firefight that broke out at dusk on Thursday evening, Ian Sinclair, the director of the U.N. Operations and Crisis Centre, said. U.N. officials said they suspected militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) staged the assault on the base in the town of Semuliki in North Kivus Beni territory. The ADF is an Islamist rebel group that has been active in the area. Congos U.N. mission, MONUSCO, said it was coordinating a joint response with the Congolese army and evacuating wounded from the base. Five Congolese soldiers were also killed in the raid, MONUSCO said in a statement. Congos army said only one of its soldiers was missing, however, while another had been injured, adding that 72 militants had been killed. THEY DONT WANT US THERE Rival militia groups control parts of mineral-rich eastern Congo nearly a decade and a half after the official end of a 1998-2003 war in which millions of people died, mostly from hunger and disease. The area has been the scene of repeated massacres and at least 26 people died in an ambush in October. The government and U.N. mission have blamed almost all the violence on the ADF but U.N. experts and independent analysts say other militia and elements of Congos own army have also been involved. In response to the growing unrest, and in an effort to protect civilians, the U.N.s Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix said MONUSCO had stepped up its activities in the area. They dont want us there. And I think this attack is a response ... to our increasingly robust posture in that region, he told reporters. Thursdays raid was the third attack on a U.N. base in eastern Congo in recent months. Increased militia activity in the east and centre of the country has added to insecurity in Congo this year amid political tensions linked to President Joseph Kabilas refusal to step down when his mandate expired last December. An election to replace Kabila, who has ruled Congo since his fathers assassination in 2001, has been repeatedly delayed and is now scheduled for December 2018. Established in 2010, MONUSCO is the United Nations largest peacekeeping mission and had recorded 93 fatalities of military, police and civilian personnel. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Jerusalem: A rocket fired from the Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave hit the southern Israel town of Sderot, the Israeli army said on Friday, but refused to comment on possible casualties. Public radio said the rocket failed to explode and caused no injuries. Israel's national ambulance service said its paramedics treated a woman in her 50s for shock. It was Friday's third rocket attack and the second night of rocket fire since US president Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In Gaza, two Palestinians were killed in border clashes sparked by the deeply controversial Trump declaration. A third man was in "very critical" condition after being shot in the head during the clashes, the Gaza health ministry said. It said that 14 people were injured in Israeli air strikes launched in response to rocket fire. The Israeli army said around 4,500 Palestinians "participated in violent riots at six locations along the border with the Gaza Strip". It said troops shot at "dozens" of people along the Gaza border, but did not specify how many were wounded. The Israeli military said earlier that its Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave. It said it later detected a second missile launch, but had so far not found evidence that it had fallen inside Israeli territory. The military retaliated with air strikes on what it said were two targets. "In response to the projectiles fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip earlier today, Israel Air Force aircraft targeted a Hamas training compound and an ammunition warehouse in the Gaza Strip," an English-language statement said. Gaza security officials said that both targets were in the vicinity of Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of the strip, close to the border with Israel. A previously unknown Salafist group calling itself the Salahedin Brigades claimed responsibility for the first attempted attack. But the Israeli army said it held Hamas responsible for all attacks originating from the territory under its control. On Thursday, Israel responded with air strikes and tank fire into Gaza after what a military statement described as "a projectile" was fired into southern Israel. Palestinian security officials in the enclave said the sites hit were two Hamas posts. The Israeli military said the targets were "two terror posts", without identifying them. Bonsall: Thousands of firefighters battled raging wildfires in California on Saturday that have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the Los Angeles area, as well as outbreaks closer to San Diego. Nearly 700 structures including multi-million dollar mansions have been destroyed by wildfires raging on six different fronts, but despite the intensity of the blazes, authorities have reported only one fatality. Black smoke billowed through the region, gagging residents who ventured outdoors. "I've never seen anything like this and I've lived here 20 years," Judy Herman, 76, told AFP. Herman was relieved to find her home in Murrieta, east of Los Angeles, still intact. It was part of the huge evacuation zone forced by the "Liberty" fire, which included many ranches in the area, where rodeos are popular. Meanwhile, since erupting in Ventura county late Monday, the so-called "Thomas" fire has ravaged 143,000 acres. With gusts of up to 60 miles per hour, the turbulent seasonal Santa Ana winds whipped the fire on Friday, spitting embers and creating "extreme fire danger." A red alert was extended into the weekend due to expected low humidity. Further south in San Diego County the "Lilac" fire was ballooning at a dangerous rate, charring more than 4,000 acres after igniting Thursday morning and triggering a new wave of evacuations as it encroached on the university town of Santa Barbara. The plumes of smoke and flames left at least four people in the area injured from burns or smoke inhalation. Flames also claimed the lives of more than two dozen racehorses after tearing through eight barns at the normally serene San Luis Rey training center, in the town of Bonsall, where some 500 horses were stabled, the California Horse Racing Board said in a statement. "75 percent of the stables were consumed, the fire was spreading so fast...they couldn't evacuate all the horses," fire chief Ross Fowler said. "It's hard when horses are scared, they don't comply, they are heavy, they can hurt you," he added. In Fallbrook, northern San Diego County, the scene was apocalyptic. With ravaged trees lying horizontal and houses destroyed, everything was black as firefighters inspected for possible sources for a new blaze. Taking advantage of a lull in the wind, they also blasted water on homes affected in both towns. Meanwhile, firefighters also got something of a handle on the "Skirball" fire in Los Angeles, which had spewed rivers of flames over 500 acres in the densely populated area of Bel Air, engulfing entire hillsides. Multi-million dollar mansions were destroyed in the neighbourhood, home to many celebrities. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has a USD 30 million estate, the Moraga Bel Air Winery, there. Another Los Angeles County blaze, the "Rye" fire, has consumed more than 6,000 acres and was 50percentt contained, while the "Creek" fire the largest wildfire menacing the LA region had grown to more than 15,000 acres and destroyed more than 100 structures, over half of them residential. The "Liberty" wildfire in Riverside County east of Los Angeles, America's second largest city, has scorched 300 acres and was just 10 percent contained. US President Donald Trump issued a state of emergency in California, authorising the release of federal funds to "help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency may inflict on the local population." However, several evacuation orders were lifted last afternoon. This has been California's deadliest year ever for wildfires. More than 40 people died in October when fires swept through the state's wine-producing counties north of San Francisco. Kabul: An Afghan official says Taliban insurgents have killed three Afghan soldiers in an attack on a checkpoint. Arif Noori, spokesman for the provincial governor of the eastern Ghazni province, says two other soldiers were wounded in the attack early on Saturday. He says eight insurgents were killed and more than 10 others were wounded. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the fighters were able to overrun the checkpoint and seize weapons and ammunition. The Taliban has stepped up its attacks on Afghan security forces in recent years, seizing control of several districts across the country. JERUSALEM/GAZA (Reuters) - At least two people were killed in clashes with Israeli troops on Friday when thousands of Palestinians demonstrated against U.S. President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital and the Palestinian president said Washington could no longer be a peace broker. Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters took to the streets on the Muslim holy day to express solidarity with the Palestinians and outrage at Trumps reversal of decades of U.S. policy. Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man near the Gaza border, the first confirmed death in two days of unrest. Scores of people were wounded on the Day of Rage. A second person later died of their wounds, a Gaza hospital official said. The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border. During the riots IDF soldiers fired selectively towards two main instigators and hits were confirmed, it said. More than 80 Palestinians were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. Dozens more suffered from tear gas inhalation. Thirty-one were wounded on Thursday. As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshippers made their way towards the walled Old City gates, chanting Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital and We dont need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs. Scuffles broke out between protesters and police. In Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas. In Gaza, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, calls for worshippers to protest sounded over mosque loudspeakers. Hamas has called for a new Palestinian uprising like the intifadas of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005, which together saw thousands of Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israelis killed. Whoever moves his embassy to occupied Jerusalem will become an enemy of the Palestinians and a target of Palestinian factions, said Hamas leader Fathy Hammad as protesters in Gaza burnt posters of Trump. We declare an intifada until the liberation of Jerusalem and all of Palestine. Protests largely died down as night fell. Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israeli towns near the Gaza border, and the Israeli military said it had intercepted one of at least two projectiles fired from Gaza. No casualties were reported. Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group linked to Abbass Fatah party, claimed responsibility for firing one of the rockets, and said it was in protest against Trumps decision. The military said another rocket hit the Israeli town of Sderot. No casualties were reported. Israels military said that in response to the rocket fire, its aircraft bombed militant targets in Gaza and the Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 25 people were wounded in the strikes, including six children. The Israeli military said it had carried out the strikes on a militant training camp and on a weapons depot. Witnesses said most of the wounded were residents of a building near the camp. At the United Nations, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Washington still had credibility as a mediator. The United States has credibility with both sides. Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations, or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israels security, Haley told the U.N. Security Council. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appeared defiant. A Palestinian protester uses a sling shot to hurl stones towards Israeli troops during clashes as Palestinians call for a "day of rage" in response to President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. REUTERS/Mohamad TorokmanWe reject the American decision over Jerusalem. With this position the United States has become no longer qualified to sponsor the peace process, Abbas said in a statement. He did not elaborate further. France, Italy, Germany, Britain and Sweden called on the United States to bring forward detailed proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. PROMISE FULFILLED Trumps announcement on Wednesday has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East War, to be occupied territory. It includes the Old City, home to sites considered holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. For decades, Washington, like most of the rest of the international community, held back from recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital, saying its status should be determined as part of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. No other country has an embassy there. Slideshow (5 Images)The Trump administration argues that the peace process has become moribund, and outdated policies need to be jettisoned for the sides in the conflict to make progress. Trump has also noted that Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton all promised as candidates to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital. I fulfilled my campaign promise - others didnt! Trump tweeted on Friday with a video montage of campaign speeches on the issue by his three predecessors. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday it would still be up to the Israelis and Palestinians to hammer out all other issues surrounding the city in future talks. With respect to the rest of Jerusalem, the president ... did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. He was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide. Still, some Muslim countries view the Trump administrations motives with particular suspicion. As a candidate he proposed banning all Muslims from entering the United States, and in office he has tried to block entry by citizens of several Muslim-majority states. DEATH TO THE DEVIL In Ramallah, the seat of Abbass Palestinian Authority, the leaders religious affairs adviser said Trumps stance was an affront to Islam and Christianity alike. America has chosen to elect a president who has put it in enmity with all Muslims and Christians, said Mahmoud al-Habbash. In Iran, which has never recognised Israel and supports anti-Israel militants, demonstrators burnt pictures of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while chanting Death to the Devil. In Cairo, capital of Egypt, a U.S. ally which has a peace treaty with Israel, hundreds of protesters who had gathered in Al-Azhar mosque and outside in its courtyard chanted Jerusalem is Arab! O Trump, you madman, the Arab people are everywhere! Al Azhars Imam, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, rejected an invitation to meet U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. Large demonstrations also took place in Jordan, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia, and hundreds protested outside the U.S. embassy in Berlin. France said the United States had sidelined itself in the Middle East. The reality is they are alone and isolated on this issue, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday called on the Saudi-led military coalition to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid to all of Yemens ports and through Sanaa airport, the White House said in a statement. Washington also condemned the Houthis repression of political opponents in Sanaa, including killing former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh and said political negotiations were necessary to end violence in the country, free of the malign influence of Iranian-backed militias, according to the statement. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy for North Korea will travel to Japan and Thailand next week to discuss how to increase pressure on Pyongyang after its latest ballistic missile test, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Joseph Yun (R) answers questions from reporters following meeting with Japan and South Korea chief nuclear negotiators to talk about North Korean issues at the Iikura guest house in Tokyo, Japan April 25, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Yamanaka/Pool/File Photo North Korea, formally called the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK), last week tested its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), saying the device could reach all of the United States. Joseph Yun, the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy, will travel to Japan and Thailand Dec. 11-15 to meet government officials to discuss ways to strengthen the pressure campaign following the DPRKs latest ballistic missile test, the State Department said in a brief written statement. The United States looks forward to continuing its partnership with both these nations so that the DPRK will return to credible talks on denuclearisation, it added. Tensions have risen markedly in recent months over North Koreas development, in defiance of repeated rounds of U.N. sanctions, of nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the United States. Last weeks missile test prompted a U.S. warning that North Koreas leadership would be utterly destroyed if war were to break out. The Pentagon has mounted repeated shows of force after North Korean tests. The United States has sent mixed signals about its interest in talks with the North, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson saying that Washington was pursuing such contacts but President Trump tweeting that this was a waste of time. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraines general prosecutor said on Friday police had recaptured the former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, who was freed from police custody by his supporters in dramatic scenes earlier this week. Georgian former President Mikheil Saakashvili is detained by officers of the Security Service of Ukraine, conducting a search of his apartment, in Kiev, Ukraine. REUTERS/Valentyn OgirenkoThe development is the latest twist in a long feud between the Ukrainian authorities and Saakashvili, who has turned on his one-time patron President Petro Poroshenko, accusing him of corruption and calling for his removal from office. General Prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko, who says Saakashvili is suspected of assisting a criminal organisation, said the opposition leader had been detained by police in Kiev and was in a temporary detention facility. As promised, security officers did everything to avoid extreme violence and bloodshed, he said in a post on Facebook. Saakashvilis recapture follows a surreal game of hide-and-seek that saw him clamber on a roof to avoid law enforcement, before being broken out of a police van by protesters amid clashes with hundreds of riot police on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear how his supporters would respond to his recapture on Friday. A statement posted on his official Facebook page called for a protest at the detention centre. Urgent. They have detained Mikheil Saakashvili, it said. Television footage showed a large number of police in riot gear outside the centre and a few dozen protesters, but the situation appeared relatively calm. Saakashvili became a regional governor in Ukraine in 2015 at Poroshenkos invitation but they later fell out. Saakashvili denies the allegations against him. This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. United Nations: Members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have criticised Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned that it would raise tensions in the area even as Washington stood alone steadfastly defending its decision. The political conflict over Jerusalem could turn into an unrelenting religious conflict, France's Permanent Representative Francois Delattre told an emergency meeting on Friday. Citing several council resolutions, he said that any unilateral changes to the city's status would be null and void. The international community would only recognise modifications of the 1967 borders accepted by both sides, he said in a statement that reflected the broad convergence of views of both US allies and others in the council. One of the council resolutions adopted in 1980 specifically asks member countries not to put their diplomatic missions in the "Holy City" considered sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims. In contrast to the UN, where even Washington's allies crticised President Donald Trump's decision announced on Wednesday, there was a broad consensus in the US reflected in a law passed by Congress in 1995 move the embassy to Jerusalem. About 1,000 Palestine supporters protested in New York's Times Square on Friday evening. Separated by police barriers across the avenue, a smaller group held a counter demonstration supporting Trump. US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to a peace process and to a two-state solution. "The US has not taken a position on boundaries or borders... The specific dimensions of sovereignty over Jerusalem are still to be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations." Haley said that it was "simple common sense" to move Washington's embassy to Jerusalem because "in virtually every country in the world, US embassies are located in the host country's capital city". British Permanent Representative Matthew Ryrcroft said that Jerusalem should be the joint capital of Israeli and Palestinian states and the US decision was unhelpful. He said that the expansion of Israeli settlements, particularly in East Jerusalem, terrorism and incitement to violence were barriers to a lasting solution to the conflict there. China's Deputy Permanent Representative Wu Haitao said that any unilateral actions on Jerusalem's status could trigger new confrontations. Earlier while briefing the Council, UN's Middle East Peace Process Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov noted that Trump had said final status issues, including the boundaries, remains to be determined. "It is up to all of us in the international community, as much as it is up to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, to urgently advance a just and lasting resolution to this conflict," he said, warning of the risks of "being engulfed in the vortex of religious radicalism". Jerusalem/United Nations: Clashes, Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli air strikes killed at least two people and wounded dozens of others on Friday in violence linked to US president Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In the latest diplomatic fallout, the United States stood alone as, one after another, fellow UN Security Council members criticised Trump's decision in an emergency meeting of the world body. After a day of protests and clashes in Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, at least three rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip, including one shot down by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system, the army said. Another appeared to have fallen in wasteland but the third landed in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. There was no immediate report of casualties. Following the first two rockets, Israel responded with air strikes on two Hamas military facilities in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said 14 people were wounded from the strikes. Earlier in the day, two Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces along the fence dividing the Gaza Strip from Israel - the first deaths in the protests over Trump's decision. Dozens of others were wounded from rubber bullets or live fire in clashes in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem that followed the main weekly Muslim prayers. Whether violence would further spiral in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere was being closely watched, with Friday marking a second day of unrest. Tens of thousands also protested in a range of Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey and Malaysia. Isolated With Trump's decision having drawn near universal condemnation, the United States saw itself isolated at the Security Council session in New York. Five European countries on the council insisted the new US policy was not consistent with past UN resolutions, including one that considers east Jerusalem to be Israeli-occupied. But the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, told delegates that the White House was serious about the search for peace. "Let me again assure you, the president and this administration remain committed to the peace process," she said. The meeting was convened by eight of the 14 non-US members of the council but was largely symbolic - no vote on a resolution was planned, as the US has veto power. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas hailed the international concern, according to a statement carried by official Palestinian news agency WAFA. Islamist movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, had called for a "day of rage" and its leader Ismail Haniya for the start of a new intifada, or uprising. "We call on our people in all factions and resistances to continue in this blessed intifada until we achieve all our just demands," it said in a statement late on Friday. The Israeli army said around 4,500 Palestinians "participated in violent riots" along the Gaza-Israel border. It said that troops shot at "dozens" of what it said were ringleaders of the disturbances along the frontier, but did not specify how many were wounded. In the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians also took part in "violent riots" throughout the territory, with 28 Palestinians arrested and about 65 wounded, the army said. Most sensitive issue Trump's announcement has brought a worldwide diplomatic backlash, though Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lavished praise on the president and called the declaration "historic". Trump said his defiant move making good on a 2016 presidential campaign pledge marked the start of a "new approach" to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But many analysts question how a fair deal could be reached by granting such a major Israeli demand while seeming to require nothing in return. Israel has long claimed all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians see the annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state. Its status is perhaps the most sensitive issue in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and international consensus has been that it must be negotiated between the two sides. While the declaration may mean little immediate concrete change, it risks setting off another round of bloodshed in the turbulent Middle East. Muslim and Middle Eastern leaders, including key US allies, have expressed alarm over Trump's decision to break with decades of precedent with unpredictable consequences. 'Not welcome' Palestinian leaders have been so outraged that they have argued it disqualifies the United States from its traditional role as peace broker in the Middle East conflict. Mohammad Shtayyeh, a senior Palestinian official who has been involved in past peace talks, questioned what was left to negotiate. "If these are the signs of the ultimate deal, God knows what the deal is going to be," he said. The declaration is sure to weigh heavily on an upcoming visit by US vice president Mike Pence. He was due to meet the Palestinian president later this month but a senior member of Abbas's Fatah faction said this would not now happen. "The American vice president is not welcome in Palestine. And President Abbas will not welcome him," Jibril Rajoub said, although the Palestinian leader himself has not made similar comments. A White House aide said Pence "still plans to meet with Abbas as scheduled", and "believes it would be counterproductive for him to pull out of the meeting". Egypt's minister of trade and industry, Tarek Qabil, met Saturday with Spain's Marisa Poncela Garcia in Buenos Aires on the fringes of this week's WTO ministerial meetings Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Qabil said on Saturday that Egyptian exports to Spain from January to August 2017 reached 779.8 million euros compared to 443.7 million euros in the same period last year, an increase of 75 percent, Egypt's MENA news agency reported. Minister Qabil held talks on Saturday with Spanish Trade Minister Maria Luisa Poncela in Buenos Aires where they discussed Egyptian-Spanish economic relations. Qabil also said that Spanish imports to Egypt decreased during the same period, amounting to 823.5 million euros from January to August 2017 compared to 929 million euros the previous year. Garcia said that Spain is looking forward to expanding its investments in Egypt. Qabil is currently in Buenos Aires heading the Egyptian delegation to the 11th World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial conference, which will kick off on Sunday. The Egyptian minister is expected to meet with a number of counterparts from other countries during the conference, where 164 WTO member countries are participating, according to official statements. Search Keywords: Short link: Paris: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday said the final status of Jerusalem would be decided by Israeli and Palestinian negotiators despite US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise the holy city as the capital of Israel. "The president did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem," Tillerson told reporters in Paris at a joint press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, Efe reported. "He was very clear, I think, the final status of Jerusalem, including the borders, would be left to the parties to negotiate and decide," he added. On Wednesday, the US president broke with decades of Washington policy by acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He decided to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city which has been a sensitive issue in peace talks and the main subject of disagreement between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators for decades. Trump's declaration triggered wide criticism and opposition from Arab and Muslim countries and upset major Western powers. Palestinians held protests on Friday in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem over the US move. At least one Palestinian was killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers. To the US Secretary of State, moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would be made in a "determined way". However, it would take time. "It's not something that will happen this year or even probably next year," said Tillerson, who was on the final stop of his trip to Europe. If you're in the market for a credit card, you may have a number of offers to consider, some of which come with annual fees and some of which don't. At first glance, the idea of paying an annual credit card fee might seem silly. Yet credit card companies that impose fees also tend to offer enough benefits to more than compensate you. For example, earning rewards points might be easier with an annual fee card, and you might also enjoy some valuable perks, from car rental discounts to airport lounge access. So how much of an annual fee might you pay? According to 2015 data from NerdWallet, the average annual fee is $58, and that's based on a survey of over 2,200 cards. That said, credit card fees can climb as high as several hundred dollars, so you'll need to consider whether it's worthwhile to pay that much. Why you might consider paying an annual fee I know what you're thinking: Why should I pay for the privilege of having a credit card when I can get one for free? And that certainly makes sense. But before you dismiss the idea of paying an annual fee, consider the benefits of doing so. For one thing, credit cards with no annual fee often come with stingier rewards programs than those that do charge fees. For example, a no-fee card might offer 1% cash back on purchases across the board, whereas a card that charges a fee might offer 1.5% or 2% cash back. Or the card with no fee might cap your cash back for the year to a certain amount -- say, $300 -- whereas your annual fee card might offer unlimited cash-back potential. Additionally, credit cards with no annual fee frequently offer lower sign-up bonuses than those that charge fees. For example, you might find that a no-fee card gives you a $100 bonus for charging $1,000 within your first three months of opening that card. But an annual fee card might offer a $300 bonus for doing the same. Another point to consider is the added amenities that come with annual fee cards. If you have a travel card that charges a fee, for example, it might give you perks such as free checked luggage on flights. It might also offer purchase travel insurance that goes above and beyond what a typical no-fee card gives you. Is an annual fee card right for you? To determine whether it pays to fork over an annual fee for a credit card, you'll need to first consider your likelihood of using its benefits. If you have a card that offers a generous amount of cash back on gasoline, but you drive infrequently, then it probably doesn't make sense to get it. On the other hand, if your card offers a generous points program on hotel stays, and you're a frequent traveler, you're more likely to collect the rewards you're paying for. Once you determine whether you'll actually benefit from the annual fee card you're looking at, your next move should be to run a breakeven analysis and see whether that fee makes sense financially. Here's an example. Say you're looking at two cards. One has no fees and offers 1% cash back on all purchases. The second card charges a $120 annual fee but offers 3% back on groceries. If you typically spend at least $6,000 a year on groceries, that additional cash back will cover your $120 fee. Therefore if you tend to spend less than that at supermarkets, the card won't make sense. But if your grocery bills typically top the $6,000 mark, then you'll come out ahead by paying a fee and getting more cash back. At the end of the day, the decision to open a credit card with an annual fee boils down to the benefits you'll ultimately reap. If that fee will more than pay for itself, go for it. If not, there are plenty of excellent credit cards out there that don't charge annual fees, so if the idea of paying one doesn't sit well with you, there's no reason to do so. 5 Simple Tips to Skyrocket Your Credit Score Over 800!Increasing your credit score above 800 will put you in rare company. So rare that only 1 in 9 Americans can claim they're members of this elite club. But contrary to popular belief, racking up a high credit score is a lot easier than you may have imagined following 5 simple, disciplined strategies. You'll find a full rundown of each inside our FREE credit score guide. It's time to put your financial future first and secure a lifetime of savings by increasing your credit score. Simply click here to claim a copy 5 Simple Tips to Skyrocket Your Credit Score over 800. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Social Security is a go-to safety net during retirement for tens of millions of seniors. Even though the Social Security Administration (SSA) suggests that it's only designed to replace about 40% of the average retired workers' wages, most retirees lean on the program for much more. According to SSA data, 62% of elderly beneficiaries count on their monthly check for at least half of their income, with 34% leaning on Social Security for 90% or more. Unfortunately, the program that seniors have come to rely on so heavily over the past couple of decades is nearing what can arguably be described as its biggest hurdle in history. Due to the ongoing retirement of baby boomers, which is weighing on the worker-to-beneficiary ratio, and a steady lengthening of life expectancies, Social Security's coffers are soon expected to be drained. According to the Social Security Board of Trustees report from earlier this year, the program will begin paying out more in benefits than it receives in income by 2022. Assuming Congress fails to enact any changes that generate more revenue, Social Security's nearly $3 trillion in asset reserves will be completely gone by 2034. This, in the eyes of the Trustees, would lead to an across-the-board cut of benefits to current and future retirees of up to 23%. That's not exactly a bright forecast with more than three out of five elderly beneficiaries reliant on Social Security for half of their income. How to bridge a $12.5 trillion funding gap? In order to "fix" Social Security's budget shortfall, which is estimated at $12.5 trillion between 2034 and 2091, lawmakers would have to do one of three things: raise revenue, cut spending, or do some combination of the two. Spending cuts include such solutions as cutting benefits on all retirees now, cutting benefits on all retirees in 2034, freezing the purchasing power of benefits (i.e., ending cost-of-living adjustments), and raising the full retirement age, which is a popular idea among congressional Republicans. But the easier of the two solutions might just be to raise more revenue so benefits won't be cut for current or future retirees. Social Security is funded three ways: A payroll tax on earned income between $0.01 and $127,200 (as of 2017); Interest earned on the programs' $2.88 trillion in asset reserves; The taxation of Social Security benefits. In the grand scheme of things, the latter two funding mechanisms don't account for much. The taxation of benefits (yes, your Social Security benefits may be taxable if you earn over a certain threshold) accounted for less than $33 billion of $957.5 billion in revenue in 2017, while interest income from special issue bonds and certificates of indebtedness added another $88 billion. More than 87% of Social Security's funding, and probably more like 95% of its funding by 2034 with the likelihood of interest income disappearing, comes from payroll taxes. This suggests tweaking the payroll tax would be the easiest way to fix Social Security. Here's how much payroll taxes need to increase to keep payouts from being cut The beauty of the 12.4% payroll tax on earned income is that as long as Americans are working, Social Security is being funded. This ensures that, short of Congress changing the way Social Security is funded, the program can never go bankrupt. What it doesn't do is ensure that payments can stay at their current levels. In order for that to happen, we'd need to see payroll taxes go up for working Americans. How much, you ask? According to the Trustees report, the actuarial deficit over the long term, defined as 75 years, is 2.83%. This is another way of saying that if the aggregate payroll tax rose by 2.83% today, enough additional revenue should be added over the next 75 years that no cuts to payouts should be necessary. The Trustees are crystal clear in their projections that the longer lawmakers wait to act, the higher the aggregate payroll tax hike would need to be to cover the imminent budget shortfall. On the surface, we'd be talking about a 15.23% tax (the current 12.4% plus 2.83%) on all earned income between $0.01 and $127,200 -- but it's not that simple. Quite a lot of working Americans wouldn't owe anywhere near this amount. Though the self-employed would be on the line for this higher payroll tax rate, employees of a company have half of their payroll tax liability paid by the employer. This means the liability for the average worker would rise from 6.2%, which is where it is now, to 7.615% of earned income. With the average household bringing home around $50,000 annually, this higher payroll tax liability would take nearly $708 extra out of paychecks a year. Could the average American family survive without $708 in added payroll tax a year? It's tough to say given how poor saving rates are in this country. But taking into account how reliant Americans are on Social Security, the added tax would be somewhat of an investment in the future financial well-being of our retirees. A far likelier solution While a 2.83% increase in payroll taxes would be the cut-and-dried fix for Social Security, a more preferred solution by the American public (and Democrats) would be to increase or remove the maximum taxable earnings cap. You'll note that in 2017 all earned income up to $127,200 is taxable, but any income earned above this mark is free and clear of Social Security's payroll tax. The reason for this is because Social Security has a maximum monthly payout of $2,687 at full retirement age. In other words, it's not particularly "fair" to tax $10 million in earned income if a person is only going to receive $2,687 a month at full retirement age. But there's a counterargument to this: The rich almost certainly aren't going to depend on Social Security income when they retire. This suggests that they could bear the brunt of increased taxation by removing or substantially increasing the maximum taxable earnings cap. If removed completely, Democrats suggest that Social Security's budget shortfall would completely disappear. While the wealthy are unlikely to favor such a proposal, it's really popular with the average American. Nearly seven out of 10 respondents in an informal Washington Post survey in 2014 approved lifting or removing the maximum taxable earnings cap. But as we've often seen in the past, what a majority of the population prefers isn't always what happens in Congress. For the time being, your guess remains as good as mine as to where any additional funding for Social Security could come from. The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. According to the new deal, Empire will be the sole distributor of Synergy Films lineup of movies in the Middle-East, while Synergy will be the sole acquisition agent of Empire International for Egyptian films Empire International and Synergy Films on Saturday announced a new partnership agreement, signed last Thursday, that cements cooperation between the two companies and brings Egyptian and Middle Eastern films to a wider scope of audiences in the region. According to the agreement, the UAE's Empire International will be the sole distributor of movies produced by Synergy Films, a new Egyptian company headed by Tamer Morsi (one of Egypts top TV and film producers and known for his work with many celebrities), while Synergy will be the sole acquisition agent of Empire for Egyptian films. The announcement was made at a press conference hosted in collaboration with the Dubai International Film Festival and attended by Empires chairman of the board and CEO Mario Georges Haddad, president Mario Jr Haddad as well as Synergy Films general manager Ahmad Badawy, executive producer Yasser Howaidy, with Egyptian stars Mohamed Adel Emam and Ahmad Fahmy also attending. Under the agreement it is expected that a minimum of nine movies will be released in 2018, starting with movies already in production such as Laylat Hana WaSrour, starring Mohamed Adel Emam and Yasmin Sabry and scheduled for Eid Al Fitr, Ahmed El Gendis El Zeeb Wal Onsa, starring Ahmad Fahmy with a release date for Eid Al Adha, as well as an untitled project directed by Tarek El Aryan and starring Amr Diab. Empire is extremely proud to have partnered up with Synergy Films. The Egyptian film industry has been the shining star of Arab cinema for decades, the official press release quotes Empires Mario Georges Haddad as saying. This marks the first time that an Egyptian studio collaborates exclusively with a Middle Eastern distributor on a regular basis, which is quite uncommon for Arab studios and is usually reserved for Hollywood studios. This will allow us to work with Synergy continuously and we are confident that this partnership will help bring back the Golden Age of Egyptian cinema thanks to an intelligent and modern distribution pattern, which is something that was sadly missing when Egyptian films were being distributed independently, Haddad said. Egypt was the second country in the world to host a cinema screening back in 1895 and it has since been a pioneer in the cinema industry. We believe that the joint efforts of Empire and Synergy will bring back Egyptian cinema to its old standard of popularity in the Middle East. We are motivated by a strong hope that, through this agreement, Egyptian cinema will achieve success also in the international scene, Synergy general manager Ahmed Badawy said. 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 Search Keywords: Short link: Even as it clashes with American Indians over reductions to national monuments in the Southwest, the Trump administration is pursuing creation of a new monument on the border of a Montana reservation where tribal officials remain wary of the idea. The Blackfeet Indian Tribe has long fought oil and gas drilling and other development within the Badger-Two Medicine area a mountainous expanse bordering Glacier National Park that's sacred to the tribe. Blackfeet Chairman Harry Barnes told The Associated Press that protection of that 200-square-mile (518-square-kilometer) area is paramount. He sees a "workable solution" in Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's proposal to co-manage the area with the tribe, but stressed that the Blackfeet have never sought a national monument designation for the land. "We want total return to Blackfeet ownership," Barnes said Saturday, adding that the idea of a monument "has been proffered and advanced by others." Zinke says he'd seek co-congressional approval for the co-management proposal, part of his recommendation to create national monuments at Badger-Two Medicine and two other sites a Civil War camp in Kentucky and the Mississippi home of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. Barnes cautioned that the tribe would be unwilling to surrender treaty rights dating to the 1800s that let its members hunt, fish and gather timber from the Badger-Two Medicine. "The Blackfeet Tribe's interest has always been protection of the Badger-Two Medicine," Barnes said in an emailed response to questions from The AP. "We have fought a long time and we see it not being over yet." The Badger Two-Medicine has deep cultural significance for the Blackfeet as the site of the tribe's creation story and a place where traditional plants are still gathered for medicinal purposes. During the brutal winter of 1883-84, when hundreds of tribal members starved to death, others journeyed to the Badger-Two Medicine to hunt. They brought back enough food for their families to survive, said John Murray, the tribe's historic preservation officer. The land was part of the Blackfeet Reservation until 1896. That's when the tribe sold it and adjacent property that would later become Glacier National Park to the U.S. government for $1.5 million a deal some tribal members still dispute as illegitimate. Badger-Two Medicine is now within the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Zinke, a former Montana congressman who grew up around Glacier National Park, recently told reporters that said he recognizes the area's sacred value to the Blackfeet. He described the Badger-Two Medicine as "one of the special places in our country" and deserving of national monument status. "Here is a virtually untapped area to do it right, to generate income through tourism, a greater understanding of the culture," Zinke said on a conference call to discuss the administration's actions on national monuments. Informal talks on the Badger-Two Medicine are underway between the Blackfeet and Zinke's office, Barnes said. Still, Barnes said the tribe remains united with a coalition of tribes in American Southwest that have joined with conservationists to fight Trump's reductions to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante monuments in Utah. Barnes said the tribe remains opposed as a "general rule" to a federal monument designation for Badger-Two Medicine. But he added the tribe was working with Zinke in hopes of securing for the Blackfeet a permanent voice in how the land is administered. The co-management of lands by tribes and government agencies has occurred numerous times elsewhere in the U.S., said Martin Nie, professor of Natural Resource Policy at the University of Montana. It's typically a way to balance tribal claims on public lands and resources against the federal government's oversight responsibilities, Nie said. One of the most high-profile examples is the management of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, where tribes were given greater involvement under a court order. In the case of the Badger-Two Medicine, co-management would put the Blackfeet on more equal footing with the U.S. Forest Service, Nie said. In the past, the tribe has been forced to react to actions affecting the land, such as government oil and gas leases issued in the Badger-Two Medicine in the 1980s, against the wishes of many tribal members. Under co-management, the Blackfeet could have a say in such decisions. However, Nie noted that Trump's reductions to the two Utah monuments would call into question the permanence of the Antiquities Act the 1906 law under which presidents designate monuments if the reductions withstand legal challenges. Zinke also recommended reductions in Nevada's Gold Butte and Oregon's Cascade-Siskiyou monuments and opening other protected land and marine areas to more fishing, logging and other activities. That should give the Blackfeet pause, Nie suggested. "Why would the Blackfeet be interested in pursuing a national monument," he asked, "if it can be undone by a successor?" __ Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matthewbrownap When it comes to the fastest-growing industries in the United States, marijuana probably comes to mind. Over the next five years, few if any industries have the potential to grow at a quicker pace. According to a report from Marijuana Business Daily, the legal weed industry has the opportunity to see its annual sales quadruple between 2016 and 2021 to approximately $17 billion. Underlying this massive surge in sales is a shift in the way the American public views weed. Once considered to be a taboo topic that most folks, including politicians, would shun, cannabis is now a mainstream topic. According to both an Oct. 2017 Gallup poll and an April 2017 CBS News survey, support for legalizing pot is at an all-time high (64% for Gallup, and 61% for CBS News). By comparison, support stood at roughly a quarter of respondents back in the mid-1990s. This growing support for the pot industry gives hope that federal lawmakers may, one day, change their stance on the drug. Marijuana businesses face a plethora of legal hurdles But as it stands now, the marijuana industry faces a mountain of restrictions. At the federal level, marijuana is a schedule I substance, which means it has no recognized medical benefits, and it's on par with heroin and LSD. This scheduling comes with a host of issues for the industry. On the medical side of the equation, the schedule I categorization makes it extremely difficult to conduct benefit-versus-risk clinical studies. The Drug Enforcement Agency only authorizes the University of Mississippi to grow cannabis for medical research, meaning there's a limited annual supply and a mountain of red tape researchers have to climb through in order to conduct tests. For businesses, there are two primary disadvantages. First, most have little or no access to basic banking services, even including something as simple as a checking account. Because financial institutions answer to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the FDIC is a federally created entity, offering financial services to marijuana companies could be construed as money laundering. If the federal government wanted to, it could criminally charge banks, or at the very least slap them with hefty fines for aiding pot companies. The other issue is tax code 280E, which disallows businesses that sell a federally illegal substance from taking normal corporate income-tax deductions. The result is pot businesses are forced to pay income tax on their gross profit as opposed to their net profit. Some estimates suggest that weed companies are paying an effective tax rate of 70% to 90% on their income, compared to 15% to 30% for a "normal" company. This senator just built up (then crushed) marijuana businesses and investors This latter obstacle has been a talking point of select lawmakers on Capitol Hill for years. Having to pay such an exorbitant tax rate is a detriment to pot businesses that can adversely impact their ability to expand and hire. One such lawmaker who looked to be making inroads against the three-decade-old 280E was Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Co.). Gardner hails from Colorado, one of the first two states to have legalized recreational weed (along with Washington), and the very first state to begin selling adult-use cannabis. Gardner knows firsthand what a burden 280E is on pot businesses in his home state, and he planned to do something about it. While Republicans in the Senate were refining their tax plan a little more than a week ago, Gardner was submitting an amendment that would have removed marijuana businesses from the restrictions associated with 280E, allowing them to instead be taxed like a normal business. Unfortunately, the excitement surrounding Gardner's amendment proved to be short-lived. With a flurry of amendments and alterations coming from senators of both parties, Gardner's amendment was never voted on. Gardner wound up not requesting the amendment be put to vote on the belief that he wouldn't have had the required votes (51) for passage. Why wouldn't it pass, you ask? According to Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation, putting cannabis businesses on par with normal businesses would have cost the federal government about $5 billion in tax revenue over the next 10 years. While that's practically peanuts relative to the $1.5 trillion deficit the GOP tax plan was scored at by the Congressional Budget Office, it would nonetheless move the needle in the wrong direction. The other possible issue is that Republicans aren't nearly as excited about marijuana's expansion as Democrats. Though Gallup's latest poll shows a majority of respondents (51%) who identify as Republican now favor the legalization of marijuana, the GOP is still considerably more skeptical about cannabis than Democrats. Since they control Congress for the time being, advancing new marijuana policy is unlikely. The end result is that 280E isn't expected to go anywhere anytime soon. Couple this with the fact that Attorney General Jeff Sessions is pressing Congress for the right to prosecute marijuana businesses, and things aren't looking nearly as "green" for the marijuana industry as you might think. 10 stocks we like better than Wal-MartWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, the Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Wal-Mart wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of December 4, 2017The author(s) may have a position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Despite a declining customer base and greater restrictions being placed on smoking in markets all around the globe, there is a convergence of events happening in 2018 that could make the year Philip Morris International's (NYSE: PM) best one yet. Let's take a closer look at why investors should be excited at what might transpire over the coming year. First, the bad news Although Philip Morris enjoyed a 3.5% increase in third-quarter revenue and a 3% rise in operating income, it suffered a 4% decline in cigarette shipment volumes across every market it operates in. It was able to revise its earnings guidance for the full year higher only because it's been able to increase prices virtually at will, just like every other tobacco giant. The inelasticity of demand for cigarettes is obviously related to their addictive nature, which causes users to be willing to pay almost any price to smoke. Sure, tobacco companies are losing more smokers every year, and the exorbitant cost of cigarettes is an important motivation for many people who quit smoking, but smoking remains a very profitable business. That's not much of a "bad news" item for investors when you think of it, but the global dwindling user base will eventually take its toll on earnings. Which leads to the good news... This long-term trend has led Philip Morris and peers Altria (NYSE: MO) and British American Tobacco (NYSE: BTI) to explore what comes next for the industry, and they've hit on electronic cigarettes as the solution. While the first-generation type of e-cig that uses a cigarette-like device that heats up a liquid to produce a vapor has proven popular, it's really the next-gen devices using heat-not-burn technology that will likely lead the industry into what Philip Morris calls the "smoke-free" future. Philip Morris International, British American, and even Japan Tobacco have competing designs on the market, but the former is arguably the leader here with its iQOS device. The global cigarette giant says Altria's Marlboro (which it sells internationally) is the best-selling brand in the world and accounts for 35% of its shipment volume. Starting a few years ago, the two agreed to collaborate on developing reduced-risk products, which has led to the iQOS being marketed under Altria's Marlboro brand as HeatSticks, though it also sells them as HEETS in some markets. The iQOS heat-not-burn (HNB) e-cig has tremendously ramped up production and is taking a growing swath of share in the markets in which it is introduced. In Japan, for example, which has become something of a testing ground for e-cig innovations, HeatSticks' market share in the third quarter grew to 11.9%, up from 3.5% last year and 10% in the second quarter. Moreover, it commands more market share than any other brand of combustible cigarette Philip Morris sells in Japan and is the second-largest brand in the industry. And even more good news But what should help really move the market, and why the iQOS can be seen as being in the forefront, is that Philip Morris is trying to have the device introduced into the U.S. as a reduced-risk product. The company has applications before the Food and Drug Administration to allow it to both market the product here as well as give it a reduced-risk classification. Particularly if it achieves the latter, it will garner a significant competitive advantage by getting the FDA to view its product as a safer, healthier alternative to cigarettes when the competition cannot. The regulatory agency is reportedly reviewing the application right now with a determination expected very early in 2018; that would be perfect timing for a big marketing blitz. Right now cigarette companies are advertising on TV for the first time in decades, but it's coming as the result of a federal court order that basically has the tobacco companies admitting cigarettes are deadly. The ads are going to run for a year, and if Philip Morris can then market its iQOS device as a better alternative, the opportunity to steal market share acreage would indeed be vast. In short, the smoking industry has brought about its own decline but also its own resurrection. 2018 could be a turning point for all tobacco companies -- but it could be the best year yet for Philip Morris International. 10 stocks we like better than Philip Morris InternationalWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Philip Morris International wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of November 6, 2017 Rich Duprey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Alyssa Milano was slammed by her former Charmed co-star Rose McGowan for supporting disgraced producer Harvey Weinsteins estranged wife. Milano appeared on Megyn Kelly Today on Thursday and was asked about Georgina Chapman, Weinsteins fashion designer wife. Chapman in October said that she was leaving Weinstein after 10 years of marriage following numerous sexual misconduct allegations made against him. Milano and Chapman worked together on Project Runway: All Stars. Milano told Kelly that Georgina was doing well following the allegations. ROSE MCGOWAN ARRESTED FOR FELONY POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE Georgina is doing very well shes an amazing woman, and I think her priority right now is focusing on how to raise those two children to the best of her capacity given the situation, Milano said. She goes through very dark times. Shes very sad. This is not easy for her, but I have no doubt that not only will she come out on the other side of this, but she deserves to. Shes a good woman. McGowan tweeted in response to Milanos update of Chapman: You make me want to vomit. You actually gave me a body flashback. Well done, fake one. McGowan followed up with another tweet suggesting Milano and Chapman could "call up Camille Cosby." Bill Cosby's wife, Camille, has stood by the comedian following numerous sexual assault allegations against him. McGowan has questioned how much Chapman knew of Weinsteins alleged misconduct and reports of the disgraced producer bullying stars into wearing his wifes clothing. HARVEY WEINSTEIN LIED ABOUT SLEEPING WITH GWYNETH PALTROW TO ATTRACT OTHER WOMEN, REPORT SAYS In a different tweet, McGowan called Meryl Streep such a lie following her comments on Weinstein. Streep called the allegations against Weinstein the most gargantuan example of disrespect, USA Today reported. McGowan and Milano were just featured in Time magazines Person of the Year. The men and women who came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against people were honored by the magazine. Milano helped begin the #MeToo movement on social media while McGowan was one of the first stars to come forward with allegations. Charlie Sheen is suing the National Enquirer for defamation after the tabloid reported the actor sexually assaulted former child star Corey Haim in the 1980s. Sheen filed the suit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the tabloid, its parent company American Media, Inc., Dylan Howard, the tabloids chief content office and Dominick Brascia, who told the publication the Two and Half Men star raped Haim. Sheen was seeking a jury trial, general and special damages in the amount proven to be at trial, exemplary and punitive damages and attorneys fees, People reported. CHARLIE SHEEN DENIES REPORT CLAIMING HE SEXUALLY ASSAULTED 13-YEAR-OLD COREY HAIM The National Enquirer published an article on Nov. 8 that claimed Sheen, who was 19-years-old at the time, raped Haim, who was 13-years-old, in 1986 while on the set of the film Lucas. Brascia was the source of the tabloids report. Brascia, a close friend of Haims, told the tabloid that Haim and Sheen smoked pot and had anal sex. Haim said after it happened Sheen became very cold and rejected him. When Corey wanted to fool around again, Charlie was not interested, Brascia said. Sheen, who revealed in 2015 that he was living with HIV, immediately denied the allegations following the report. COREY HAIMS MOTHER TELLS DR. OZ CHARLIE DIDNT ABUSE HER SON Sheens attorney called the report egregious, hurtful, and disgusting campaign of defamations, falsely asserting that Mr. Sheen sodomized a thirteen-year-old celebrity actor Corey Haim, now deceased. In fact, Mr. Haim passed over seven years ago and the conduct alleged happened more than thirty years ago, when Mr. Sheen was nineteen, court documents stated. The lawsuit also alleged Howard is on an active vendetta against Sheen because the editor was not the first to break the story that the Anger Management star had HIV. National Enquirer states that there are hundreds of people to support these ridiculous assertions, yet the only person actually quoted, defendant Dominick Brascia, has himself been accused of having sexually molested Corey Haim, the lawsuit stated. The lawsuit also claimed the story was hurtful, damaging and offensive to Sheens family. With calculated malice, the National Enquirer has concluded that it can make money by running false and salacious stories claiming that Mr. Sheen is a sexual molester that preys on young pubescent boys, according to court documents. Following the report, Haims mother Judy Haim came forward and denied Sheen raped her son. Haim died in 2010 of pneumonia. The child actor suffered with drug addiction throughout his later career. An AMI spokesperson told People: We look forward to litigating against Charlie Sheen, and cant wait to expose his depravities in a court of law. Some may call Jay Swingler a blockhead -- but at least he's a grateful blockhead. The British YouTuber recently made headlines after a prank -- in which he tried cementing his head in a microwave oven -- went horribly wrong. He responded to the mishap in a video on Friday. You dont know how grateful I am, I was so scared," Swingler, 22, said after firefighters rescued him. "You guys (fire department) are awesome at your job, and so are the paramedics. I appreciate you guys a lot, he added in his TGFbro YouTube channel post. Swingler's plan to cement his head in the microwave using spackling paste took an unexpectedly bad turn when the substance solidified faster than he anticipated. The plan was literally to set my head in there, but not let it set complete. At one point it was like a thick jelly and I could keep it on my head and I could move the microwave standing up, he said. But, if I really wanted to I could pull it off and it would slide off cause the [spackling paste] was kind of like a thick jelly around my head. In the video posted Thursday, Swingler is seen covering his head with a plastic bag and using a tube to breathe, before sticking his head into a microwave oven filled with the paste. His friend then uses a hairdryer to speed the paste-hardening process. But Swingler's breathing is cut off when he stands up with the microwave attached to his head after the paste has solidified. His friends are able to chisel away at the plaster just enough to provide some space for him to breathe until help arrives. I was panicking, and I was telling them, Im about to die. Swingler says in the video. Swingler said hes never appreciated life so much, after the fire department spent about an hour chiseling and hammering away at the hardened paste to free his head from the kitchen appliance. To some, it may have seemed a funny scenario, but the first-responders were not amused. All of the group involved were very apologetic, but this was clearly a call-out which might have prevented us from helping someone else in genuine, accidental need, said Watch Commander Shaun Dakin, officer in charge of the West Midlands Fire Service crew who responded, USA Today reported. However, looking back on the whole escapade Swingler said its a story that people are going to remember. I had a damn microwave stuck to my head. Do you know how many people are going to remember that? In comparison to, do you know how many people are going to remember that news article that said, Man stole toy from a shop, gets a fine, he said. The YouTube star also addressed the backlash on social media, in which people called him anything from an idiot to a waste of emergency services time. Literally, 100 percent I should be fined and Im expecting a fine, Swingler said. I dont know whether thats going to happen or not, but Im expecting a fine. And Im more than happy to pay it, and Im more than happy to donate my money to the people that helped me that day. As of late Friday, the video of Swingler getting his head stuck in a microwave has been viewed nearly 2 million times. Beer lovers have a sweet new brew to look forward to. Two Tampa Bay breweries have teamed up to use Krispy Kreme donuts in the brewing of their beers. Both Hidden Springs Ale Works and Arkane Aleworks in Tampa, Florida, have starting brewing up batches of the beer, with one batch made out of dozens of glazed donuts, while the other is made out of cream-filled donuts, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Hidden Springs Ale Works posted a picture of the brewing process on their Facebook last week, showing chunks of the donuts theyre mixing in with a Russian imperial stout thats yet to be named. Each of the batches are made up of two dozen donuts, creating a 12.5 ABV stout thats roasty and chocolatey, with flavors of the glaze on the doughnuts coming through when you take a sip, Hidden Springs founder Josh Garman told the Tampa Times. While Krispy Kreme isnt directly partnering with the breweries on the beers, they did give them their support for the concept, Garman told the publication. This isnt the first time either brewery is experimenting with unexpected flavors, though, having already used everything from Peeps and 7-Eleven doughnuts to peanut butter and Gatorade. The donuts bring in a sweet touch to the Russian imperial stout, known for exhibiting flavors of coffee, chocolate, and roasted malt. The breweries are planning to offer the new brew on draft and by the bottle, at a price of $25, starting next month. This article originally appeared in Travel + Leisure. According to multiple news reports, Donald Trump Jr. testified before a congressional committee Wednesday that he could not discuss a phone conversation he had with his father in July 2016 about a meeting a month earlier between Russians and Trump presidential campaign officials. Trump Jr. said the phone call was protected under attorney-client privilege because lawyers for him and for his father were on the call a point Democrats quickly disputed. Democrats and some in the media said the younger Trump must be hiding something. I dont have any non-public information about the June meeting held at Trump Tower. But I learned some things during my 30-year government career in the national security sector including with the CIA where part of my work was to observe Russian intelligence operations. Based on my experience and training, I have a hunch that the June 2016 meeting may have been set up by the Russians as a trap to embarrass the Trump campaign and cast doubt on the integrity of Americas election system. In other words, its possible that instead of meeting with Donald Trump Jr., Trumps son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, and Trump presidential campaign Chairman Paul Manafort to help Donald Trump become president, the Russians may have actually been trying to hurt the man who wound up being elected president. Remember that in June 2016 just about everyone expected Hillary Clinton to be elected president. The Russians likely thought they could not swing the election to Donald Trump even if they wanted to. So it appears at this point that their operation was designed to degrade the publics trust in Americas presidential election, rather than to establish a clandestine conduit for collusion with the Trump campaign. Sound complicated? Confusing? It is. But in the world of espionage, things dont always appear to be what they seem. Lying and making things look like something they are not by creating false versions of reality are the tools of the trained intelligence operative. And one person very familiar with these tools is none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the course of my career, I learned that Putin relies to an extraordinary degree on a wide array of espionage operations to serve Russias national security interests. This is understandable, because Putin spent his formative years in the KGB (the Soviet Unions main intelligence agency) and served as director of its successor agency, the FSB. Russia, and the Soviet Union before that, both have records of publicly known espionage activities against the United States. In June 2010, for example, the U.S. arrested 11 Russian spies who had developed fake biographies and sought to steal our secrets without the usual embassy diplomatic cover. So when a spymaster is head of a nation, its not far-fetched to expect him to use some of the tricks of the trade in his role as leader of the government. So lets start putting together some clues. In a recent interview with Britains Sunday Times Magazine, publicist Rob Goldstone revealed a crucial detail about how he set up the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between top Trump presidential campaign officials and Russians. Goldstone said his client, Russian pop star and real estate mogul Emin Agaralov the son of Kremlin-connected oligarch Aras Agaralov asked him to help set up a meeting with Trump campaign officials. No conclusive proof has yet emerged that it was the Kremlin that arranged the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower. But Goldstones admission puts us one step closer to proving the theory that Aras Agaralov was directed by Putin to deploy his son Emin to contact Goldstone, who in turn contacted Donald Trump Jr. via email. Putin would have seen the value in choosing Agaralov, who had helped host Donald Trumps 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, as a seemingly trusted conduit. Goldstone admitted he embellished in his email about the derogatory information Russians could provide to the Trump campaign on Hillary Clinton. And it seems that Putin believed he would most effectively soil our democratic process by leaving a trail of bread crumbs from Trump Tower to the Kremlin. In other words, if my theory holds up, Putin wanted news of the Trump Tower meeting to become public. It doesnt matter whether the meeting resulted in any substantive discussion. What matters is the email from Goldstone that triggered the meeting, coupled with the high-profile venue choice of Trump Tower. All this points to an expectation if not an outright plan by the Russians that the meeting would be discovered. Putin achieved his goal when Emin Agaralov met with Kushner and Manafort in Trump Tower. Also attending the meeting were Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Moscow lawyer who has done work on behalf of the FSB; and Rinat Akhmetshin, a Russian-American lobbyist who served in the Soviet military. Goldstone admitted he was being overly naive and unaware he was being used as a cut-out to help the Russians or as Soviet Communists used to call those who supported their cause unwittingly, a useful idiot. Goldstone has said he is ready to tell his story to the U.S. Senate and Special Counsel Robert Mueller. And he can serve a highly valuable purpose even if he was unaware of the role he played in enabling the Kremlins strategy. Goldstone should explain all of the details about his contact with Emin Agaralov, to shed some additional light on this discoverable Kremlin influence operation. Is the above scenario the way things unfolded? I dont now. But it is certainly a possibility and should be examined carefully, rather than assuming that the Trump campaign and perhaps President Trump himself colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 presidential election. As I and other conservatives have written, two stealthy ObamaCare tax increases are slated to hit Americans hard in just a few weeks: the medical device tax and the health insurance tax. These taxes are among the worst provisions in ObamaCare. The medical device tax discourages medical research and innovation. The health insurance tax drives up the cost of private-market health insurance premiums. And both of these taxes kill jobs. They also disproportionately harm seniors, small businesses and American manufacturers constituencies that reliably vote Republican. The good news is there is some progress to report. House Republicans are finally working on a package to prevent the return of ObamaCare tax hikes. While all Obamacare taxes should be fully repealed, suspending those that are scheduled to take effect in January is at least a step in the right direction. These two taxes are so harmful that there is even talk of winning Democratic support to get rid of them. However, there is one curious exception: the ObamaCare tax on small business health insurance plans. Multiple media outlets are reporting that some establishment Republicans in Congress want to exempt small businesses from the coming ObamaCare tax relief package. I have already written about my concerns regarding the Senate plan and how it deals with small businesses in regards to the tax rates. But excluding small business from ObamaCare tax relief would be a sell-out of epic proportions. Small businesses are the engine of American job creation. While large multinational corporations often outsource jobs overseas, small businesses create jobs here at home: nearly half of the private sector jobs in this country come from small businesses. Small businesses are the engine of American job creation. While large multinational corporations often outsource jobs overseas, small businesses create jobs here at home: nearly half of the private sector jobs in this country come from small businesses. For the record, when Democrats were jamming through ObamaCare on a party-line vote in 2010, these same giant corporations cut a sweetheart deal to exempt themselves from the health insurance tax, as did big labor bosses. Small businesses and seniors got stuck with the bill. If this tax returns, the cost of covering small business employees will increase by more than $500 per family in 2018. That may not seem like much money in the Swamp, but talk to real small business owners or employees outside of Washington and ask them if they can afford another $500 per family added to their soaring health care bills. By adding billions of dollars in costs onto the backs of small businesses, the ObamaCare health insurance tax not makes it even harder for small employers to provide health-care benefits to their employees. It also makes it harder for such employers to meet payroll, grow and create new jobs. The National Federation of Independent Business has forecast that the health insurance tax will kill up to 286,000 American jobs. Grassroots conservative leaders have made clear that they expect Republican leaders to prevent these tax hikes. In the wake of their catastrophic failure to fulfill seven years of campaign promises to repeal the Democrats disastrous health care law, the very least Republicans in Congress can do is protect their small business base from footing the bill for the remaining wreckage of ObamaCare. Republicans in Congress must approve the relief from ObamaCare tax hikes that all Americans deserve. No exceptions. And especially no exceptions that penalize job creators on Main Street U.S.A. Programming alert: Watch "Andrew Jackson: Hero On Fire" airing December 10th at 8 p.m. ET on Fox News Channel. Editors note: This excerpt was taken from "Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans,"by Brian Kilmeade. In this chapter, we learn that following a firefight with the British, Jackson decides he must fortify New Orleans as soon as possible, toiling through Christmas to erect the defenses. Chapter 11 The Defensive Line It is true the enemy is on our coast and threatens an invasion of our territory, but it is equally true, with union, energy, and the approbation of Heaven, we will beat him at every point. Andrew Jackson I expect the enemy is pretty sore today, General Jackson observed on the morning after the firefight. Even so, with British reinforcements continuing to step ashore at Bayous Bienvenue and Mazant, a counterattack seemed inevitable. But when? Spies reported that, at least for the moment, the British looked to be stationary. But Jackson couldnt just wait not a minute could be wasted and he made sure the men around him were anything but idle. When falling back from the field of battle the night before, the army had marched across several plantation properties toward New Orleans. At 4:00 a.m., Jackson ordered a halt at the Rodriguez Canal, two miles upstream from the British front at the Villere plantation and six miles short of New Orleans. This was to be his line in the silty Louisiana soil, and he would make it a breastwork he could defend. The Carolina could provide supporting artillery fire from the river and, in the course of the morning, she would be reinforced by the arrival of her sister ship, the Louisiana. Commodore Pattersons crew was a motley one there were Yankees, Portuguese, Norwegians, Spanish, Greeks, Italians, Germans, Arabs, Hindus, and Swedes aboard. As Patterson advised the secretary of the navy, the crew of the Louisiana is composed of men of all nations, (English excepted) taken from the streets of New Orleans. In other words, this force was diverse enough to be pure American. General Jackson took Augustin Macartys mansion for his headquarters. The large house stood on piers, with the main living quarters raised a full story above the Mississippi floodplain. The porch that swept around the perimeter overlooked the Rodriguez Canal to the east, just a hundred yards away. On the other side of the canal lay another plantation, the property of the Creole family Chalmette, its roughly two hundred acres of open fields mostly given over to the cultivation of sugarcane. From the dormers that peered out of the steep roof of the Macarty house, Jackson, using a telescope, took in a broad view of the more distant British encampment located on two other properties, the Bienvenue and De La Ronde plantations. Jackson ordered platoons of Mississippi mounted rifles and Louisiana dragoons to patrol the no-mans-land in between the two armies. But the rest of his men were about to become ditchdiggers. A nearby disused millstream (it had once powered a sawmill), the so-called Rodriguez Canal held no water. Four feet deep and twenty wide, the ditch extended north- south at the boundary of the Macarty plantation. Its strategic value lay in the fact that it ran at a right angle all the way from the levee at the rivers edge to a nearly impenetrable wooded swamp at the far edge of the field. Jackson consulted his chief engineer, Major Arsene Lacarriere Latour, who knew the soils and topography of the region intimately. Latour agreed with Jacksons assessment: Once cleared of weeds and silt, the Rodriguez Canal could be flooded with water from the river to serve as a moat, an obstacle to an oncoming army. And parapets could be raised on the New Orleans side of the canal, ramparts behind which American soldiers and artillery could take cover. Working in shifts, the army labored through Christmas Day and into the night. The job would be a long one, requiring more than a day or even two or three. But no one knew how much time they had. Jackson issued an order to have every shovel in the area commandeered. By the time the morning fog had burned off, Jacksons men were at work, spades in hand, together with slaves from nearby plantations. They moved earth forward from behind the line to form an embankment and used posts taken from nearby fences to prevent the rising mound of soil from falling into the ditch. Other men worked at cutting a sluiceway to permit the flow of water into the canal, and Jackson ordered more channels dug in the levee to flood open land between the armies. Having to march through mud and standing water, Jackson thought, would slow any British attack. Working in shifts, the army labored through Christmas Day and into the night. The job would be a long one, requiring more than a day or even two or three. But no one knew how much time they had. Jackson himself supervised. On his horse, he was a constant presence, vigilant and refusing to sleep. One of Rachels nephews, a captain in the Tennessee militia, soon observed the toll the intense days were taking on the general. Uncle Jackson, he wrote home, looks very badly at present, and has broken very much. His body suffering, Jacksons spirit was strong. When one British prisoner reported to him that Admiral Cochrane had sworn he would take his Christmas dinner in New Orleans, Jackson had a sharp answer. Perhaps so, he snapped, but I shall have the honor of presiding at that dinner. Excerpted from Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager, in agreement with Sentinel, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright 2017 Brian Kilmeade and Don Yeager. Two tombs of unidentified officials dated to Egypts New Kingdom era have been opened at Luxors Draa Abul-Naglaa necropolis years after they were initially discovered by German archaeologist Frederica Kampp in the 1990s. The opening of the tombs was announced at an international conference attended by the governor of Luxor, the minister of social solidarity, the director-general of the International Monetary Fund, members of the international media, foreign ambassadors, members of parliament, and Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany. It is a very important discovery because both tombs contain very rich funerary collections, and one of them has a very distinguished painted statue of a lady in the Osirian shape, El-Enany said, adding that 2017 has been a year of discoveries, with this most recent discovery being the third Draa Abul-Naga alone. It seems that our ancient Egyptian ancestors are bestowing their blessing on Egypts economy as these discoveries are good promotion for the country and its tourism industry, El-Enany told Ahram Online. Mostafa Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and head of the Egyptian excavation mission, explains that both tombs were given special numbers by German archaeologist Frederica Kampp in the 1990s. The first tomb, named Kampp 161, was never excavated, while excavation work on the second, Kampp 150, was undertaken by archaeologist Kampp short of entering the tomb itself. The tombs had been left untouched until excavation started during the recent archaeological season. Most of the items discovered in Kampala 161 are fragments of wooden coffins. The most notable discoveries are a large wooden mask that was originally a part of a coffin, a small painted wooden mask, a fragment of a gilded wooden mask in poor condition, four legs of wooden chairs that were among the deceaseds funerary equipment, as well as the lower part of a wooden Osirian shaped coffin decorated with a scene of goddess Isis lifting up her hands. The owner of Kampp 150 is not yet known, but there are two possible candidates, Waziri told Ahram Online. He said that the first possibility is that the tomb belongs to a person named Djehuty Mes, as this name is engraved on one of the walls. The second possibility is that the owner could be the scribe Maati, as his name and the name of his wife Mehi are inscribed on 50 funerary cones found in the tombs rectangular chamber. The tomb has only one inscription on one of its northern pillars. It shows a scene with a seated man offering food to four oxen, with the first kneeling in front of the man, who is giving it herbs. The scene also depicts five people making funerary furniture. The entrance of the long hall is inscribed with hieroglyphic text with the name of Djehuty Mes. The ceiling of the chamber is inscribed with hieroglyphic inscriptions and the cartouche of King Thutmose I. The objects uncovered inside include 100 funerary cones, painted wooden masks, a collection of 450 statues carved in different materials such as clay, wood and faience, and a small box in the shape of a wooden coffin with a lid. The box was probably used for storing an Ushabti figurine 17 cm tall and 6 cm large. Also found was a collection of clay vessels of different shapes and sizes as well as a mummy wrapped in linen with its hands on its chest in the Osirian form. Studies suggest that the mummy, which was found inside the long chamber, could be of a top official or another powerful person. Search Keywords: Short link: House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and the Republican Party seem intent on punishing a key part of their base older Americans. Ryan announced Wednesday that in 2018 the Republicans will be ready to put Medicare on the chopping block to pay for tax cuts. And those tax cuts are aimed at corporations and the rich not the middle-class. Were going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit, Ryan said. But a good chunk of the future deficit and debt would be fueled by separate tax-cutting bills approved by the House and Senate. The two houses still need to reach agreement on a single piece of legislation for it to go to President Trump for his signature. As usual, the numbers tell the story. In 2016, older voters who were the most likely to look to Medicare to pay for their health care in retirement put Donald Trump over the top. According to Election Day exit polls, he garnered an almost 20-point margin among white seniors, a 28 percent lead among whites voters ages 45 to 64, and a historic 37-point victory with white working-class voters. But now the GOP seeks to punish the very folks who brought them to power. Unlike food stamps and welfare, Medicare and Social Security are benefits that working Americans have earned over a lifetime of steady, reliable, and conscientious work. They paid for these benefit with weekly payroll deductions. In other words, Social Security and Medicare are not welfare. Working Americans shouldnt be treated as moochers. As Trump declared back in 2013: Its not unreasonable for people who paid into a system for decades to expect to get their moneys worth thats not an entitlement, thats honoring a deal. For Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., targeting earned entitlements like Social Security and Medicare is nothing new. Fresh off his 2012 loss as the Republican vice presidential candidate, Ryan then chairman of the House Budget Committee unsuccessfully pressed the idea of restricting Medicare to Americans who were already at least 56, and giving younger workers vouchers when they hit retirement. In the aftermath of recapturing the Senate in 2014 and on the eve of the 2015 State of the Union address, McConnell beseeched President Obama to allow us to save and strengthen Medicare and to cooperate with both parties to save Social Security. In other words, make sure both parties have their hands on the dagger and no one will get blamed. In case Ryan and McConnell forgot, the sole source of income for most Americans now turning 65 is their monthly Social Security check, which averages a little more than $1,200 before paying $100 a month for Medicare Part B. And the GOP is now a predominately working class party, with voters relying on their earned retirement benefits. Indeed, among whites without a college degree, the mortality rate is rising. As death from heart disease and cancer have slowed, drug overdoses, suicide and alcoholism have increased. Moreover, Alzheimers disease looms as a disaster for all a development that stands ready to blow the lid off of any budget. Already, Japan is confronting a pandemic of dementia and there is no reason to believe that America wont be next. Which leaves us with President Trump. As a candidate, he took a you paid for it, its yours approach to older Americans. In May 2015, Trump tweeted: I was the first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid. Huckabee copied me. But stating is one thing. Doing something is another. Now Paul Ryan is sounding like a guy who thinks hes convinced the president to take a 180- degree turn on Medicare. Ryan has let the world know that he has been speaking privately with President Trump, and that the president has started to cotton to the idea of cutting entitlements. As Ryan framed things: I think the president is understanding choice and competition works everywhere, especially in Medicare. Politically, this looks like a play that the Republican cannot afford as they head into the 2018 midterm elections. If the recent Virginia governors race and the latest polls tell us anything, it is that younger voters dont support the GOP, and that the Republicans need older voters if they are retain their grip on Congress. This past November in Virginia, Ralph Northam the successful Democratic candidate for governor outran Hillary Clinton by 15 points among voters under 30, and by 8 percent among the 30-44 set. By contrast, Ed Gillespie, the Republican, barely matched Trumps margins with older Virginians and lost by 9 percent. Although GOP congressional leaders Ryan and McConnell seem intent on pleasing Republican donors. But they need to remember that politics is about winning not sticking it to your base. Creating a Republican version of death panels by cutting Medicare and Social Security is a surefire way to hand Democrats control of Congress in the 2018 elections and turn the congressional GOP into the minority party. Time Magazine announced Wednesday that the Silence Breakers are the 2017 Person of the Year. Since the first brave woman stepped out of the shadows in October to speak about the decades-long alleged sexual misconduct of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, we have seen a growing number of prominent men accused by women (and a few men) who are breaking their silence about sexual harassment, abuse and assault. I will never know the full pain and trauma of the Silence Breakers or others who have been victims of sexual misconduct. But I know all too well the domino effect this can create. My wife was just 10 years old when her innocence was sabotaged by three teenage creeps from her neighborhood who decided to feed on what they considered to be easy prey a young, trusting girl as innocent as a winter snow. This was only the beginning. Sexual assault is a crime that never goes away and happens over and over in the mind, heart and soul. Within a few short years she was ambushed again, this time at the hands of not only a family member but also a sexual predator. The calculated manipulation went on for years. Like most girls and women in this terrible situation, my wife was gripped by fear. She hid under a veil of grief, confusion, self-blame, embarrassment, shame and a warehouse of other emotions and feelings that tortured and plagued her. In spite of her inescapable pain and nightmares, she told absolutely no one until the day she opened the floodgates to me. I was crushed for her and wanted to help, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldnt relate. While I was committed to supporting her in finding healing from her past and expressing unconditional love toward her, I quickly realized that the insidiousness of sexual misconduct permeates far beyond its survivors. I knew she was wounded, but I had no idea how deep the wounds were until months after we married. I naively assumed she was over her tortured past and unknowingly didnt understand why she was unable to connect with me on a physical level. But immediately after the I Dos were spoken, marriage intimacy began to stir up old memories for my bride. She still felt damaged and I felt rejected. She resented my advances. Im ashamed to admit it, but no matter how hard I tried, I resented her rejection. All the while we both carried guilt: she because she wasnt meeting my needs and me because I felt it was unfair for me to have them. During this same time, our communication rapidly evaporated. No matter how hard she tried, she couldnt help me understand, and I was ashamed that I was unable to do so. At other times, I wanted to share my own hurt and insecurities. I didnt because I felt I was being selfish, since she was the one who had been violated. The cycle was not only poisonous but was destroying every aspect of our marriage. My wifes individual abuse reverberated collaterally to our entire family, even creating an unhealthy over-protectiveness of our daughter. I was so filled with anger over what had happened to my wife that all I cared about was personally guarding my daughter and her future marriage. I even went so far as to threaten to kill a neighbor if anything were to happen to my little girl while staying overnight with his daughter. For my wife and me, the inability to find a cure or common ground led us to the brink of divorce. A close friend suggested we go for marriage counseling. After only a few sessions, the counselor recommended we meet both collectively and individually. It was a brutal time that required unending faith, forgiveness, patience and understanding. Initially, it got worse for her and us together before it got better. We didnt just dig up bones but entire corpses that had been suppressed and ignored because of the suffering they caused to our immediate and extended family. But by walking through the fire, we were refined and strengthened. Only then did we find healing together. Today we have three kids and have been married for over 20 years. I can honestly say that there are still short seasons of struggle and the process of healing will always be ongoing, but we are growing in love and strength each and every year. I will never totally comprehend her suffering, but I am committed to patiently trying. Sexual assault is a crime that never goes away and happens over and over in the mind, heart and soul. I regret that it took me so long to gain a deeper understanding of the layers of healing and patience to which my wife and all victims need and should be entitled. A victim should never feel ashamed to step forward, no matter how much time has passed. I celebrate the Silence Breakers and pray that recent news coverage of high-profile men accused of sexual misconduct will wake our nation up to the need to enforce severe consequences for unacceptable and intolerable sexual misconduct. We must stop enabling and turning a blind eye on those who use their power to prey on victims. Only then can we save and protect the American family. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told Fox News on Friday that his investigators have already uncovered evidence of "abuse" in the U.S. government's surveillance practices. I believe there's evidence that abuses have occurred," Nunes said in his first interview since the House Ethics Committee dismissed allegations he had wrongly released classified information as part of the panels Russia investigation. "We have had an ongoing investigation into DOJ [Department of Justice] and FBI since mid-summer for both FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court] abuse and other matters that we can't get into too much. But it is very concerning." Nunes pointed to the leaked conversation of former national security adviser, Gen. Mike Flynn with the Russian ambassador. The congressman said he is unaware of any leak investigation by the FBI or Justice Department. I hate to use the word corrupt, but they become so dirty that, who is watching the watchmen? Who is investigating these people? There is no one." Nunes said he will call Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, whose apparent demotion was first reported by Fox's James Rosen, over his contacts with the firm behind the Trump dossier -- to testify. The congressman said he believes the Obama Justice Department from Attorney General Lynch, to her deputy, Sally Yates, FBI Director Comey as well as FBI agent Peter Strzok who was fired by the Mueller Russia probe over anti-Trump text messages -- may have valuable information. "It's hard to believe that all of them, there was a very small circle that were looking into the Trump dossier overall." Nunes said. I hate to use the word 'corrupt,' but they become so dirty that ... who is watching the watchmen? Who is investigating these people? There is no one. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. In the short term, Nunes said, the Justice Department will be providing Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Strzok, and possibly the main handler for former British spy Christopher Steele who researched the dossier for Fusion GPS. After an eight-month review, the House Ethics Committee cleared Nunes on Thursday of allegations leveled by outside groups. Asked if the ethics complaint was legitimate, Nunes said it was designed to shut down his investigation, which had revealed the unmasking or identification of Trump campaign associates -- by President Obama's appointees -- in foreign intelligence reports. "No," Nunes said. "The ethics complaint was a joke from the beginning, designed, purely designed to remove me as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, which they were unable to do. I think, a clear design from the left, working in conjunction with parts of our government to keep information away from me and the House Intelligence Committee." Nunes said reports he had recused himself from the Russia probe were deliberately misleading, and he remained chairman, directing his Republicans colleagues on the investigation. A former chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has been accused of sexual harassment by multiple women who worked as clerks or externs on the court. The claims against Alex Kozinski, 67, were first reported by The Washington Post. Two of the women told the Post that Kozinski asked them to look at pornography on a computer in his chambers. Four other women claimed he made inappropriate comments or subjected them to inappropriate behavior. The accusations against Kozinski were reported in the same week that three members of Congress -- Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich.; Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.; and Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz. -- announced they would resign or retire amid allegations of sexual misconduct. One of the women, former clerk Heidi Bond, told the Post that Kozinski showed her pornographic images on at least three occasions and asked her if they aroused her. Bond, who writes romance novels under the pen name Courtney Milan, posted a longer account of Kozinski's behavior online. She wrote that the judge once showed her a piece of paper listing names of women he and his friends had sex with while in college. "Dont tell your co-clerks about this," Bond wrote that Kozinski told her. "It's not something I want them to know about." On another occasion, Bond wrote, Kozinski forbid her from reading romance novels on her dinner break. When she protested, he told her, "I control what you read, what you write, when you eat. You dont sleep if I say so. You dont s--- unless I say so. Do you understand?" "There was nothing to say but this: 'Yes, Judge,'" Bond wrote. Another former clerk, Emily Murphy, told the Post that Kozinski approached her at a reception where she had been discussing training regimens with other clerks and suggested that she work out naked. When Murphy tried to change the subject, she said Kozinski steered the conversation back toward nudity. "It wasnt just clear that he was imagining me naked, he was trying to invite other people my professional colleagues to do so as well, Murphy told the paper. "That was what was humiliating about it." In a statement to the Post, Kozinski said, "I have been a judge for 35 years and during that time have had over 500 employees in my chambers. I treat all of my employees as family and work very closely with most of them. I would never intentionally do anything to offend anyone and it is regrettable that a handful have been offended by something I may have said or done." After the Post report was published, other members of the legal community reacted on social media. Civil rights attorney Alexandra Brodsky tweeted that Kozinski's behavior was "an open secret." "In law school, everyone knew, and women didn't apply to clerk for Judge Kosinski [sic] despite his prestige and connections to the Supreme Court," she wrote. "I always felt the men who took their places were traitors." The Romania-born Kozinski was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. He served as chief judge on the San Francisco-based Ninth Circuit between 2007 and 2014. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals handles cases for nine Western states, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. It has drawn criticism from some conservatives, who claim many of the judges are politically biased toward liberal positions. Click for more from The Washington Post. President Donald Trump doubled down on his support for embattled Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore at a Florida rally Friday night, telling supporters to "get out and vote for Roy Moore." Many had speculated that the rally in Pensacola, which is near the Alabama border and feeds television markets in the state, was a backdoor way for the president to give Moore's campaign a boost without actually setting foot in the state. Moore, who is 70, has been dogged by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including accusations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s. He has denied the allegations. Trump did not mention Moore for the first 40 minutes of his address, which lasted approximately 80 minutes. Finally, appearing to acknowledge a Moore supporter in front of the stage, the president asked how many members of the crowd were from Alabama. "We cannot afford ... to lose a seat in the very, very close United States Senate," Trump said. "We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our 'Make America Great Again' agenda So get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it." Trump reiterated past criticisms of Moore's Democratic opponent, Doug Jones. "We cant afford to have a liberal Democrat who is completely controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer," the president said. "His name is Jones and hes their total puppet and everybody knows it." The president also referenced one of Moore's accusers, Beverly Young Nelson, who admitted Friday that she had written part of an inscription in her yearbook that she originally attributed to Moore in its entirety. ROY MOORE ACCUSER ADMITS SHE WROTE PART OF YEARBOOK INSCRIPTION ATTRIBUTED TO HIM "So did you see what happened today?" Trump asked. "You know, the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made, She started writing things in the yearbook." Trump then took a shot at Nelson's lawyer, Gloria Allred, saying, "Anytime you see her, you know something's gone wrong." White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters onboard Air Force One that the president and White House have made clear they find the allegations "troubling and concerning" and believe they "should be taken seriously." But he said Moore has maintained his innocence, and that should be taken into account as well. "Ultimately his endorsement is about the issues," said Shah. "He doesn't want to see Alabama elect a Nancy Pelosi/Chuck Schumer puppet who's going to be wrong on the issues and not support the agenda," he said, referring to top congressional Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Top Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, had called on Moore to step aside after the allegations were made public. During the rally, Trump also crowed about stock market gains and other upbeat economic indicators. He said he was confident he'd win re-election in 2020, despite his dismal approval rating. "I think it's going to be very hard for somebody to beat us in a few years," Trump said, pointing to the impact on 401(k) investments. "All you have to say is: With us it goes up, with them it goes down. And that's the end of the election, right?" But the president also touched on some darker themes, telling the audience, "It's being proven we have a rigged system." "This is a sick system from the inside," Trump said. "And, you know, there is no country like our country but we have a lot of sickness in some of our institutions." Trump also took his now-customary shots at the news media, referring to suspended ABC News correspondent Brian Ross as a "fraudster" and mocking CNN for an incorrect report earlier in the day on his campaign's contacts with Wikileaks. CNN BOTCHES DATES, INACCURATELY REPORTS TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAD WIKILEAKS SNEAK PEAK "They apologized! Thank you CNN!" Trump cried in mock gratitude. "Thank you so much! You should have been apologizing for the last two years." The crowd at the Pensacola Bay Center included some Alabama voters who traveled across the border for the rally. "These are lies, just malicious lies," said John Maddalena, head of the south Alabama chapter of "Bikers for Trump." Maddalena and his wife, Alisha, rode to the Trump rally from their home near Montgomery, Ala. Alisha described herself as a "strong woman" who still doesn't believe Moore's accusers. "You let him sit there and pass judgment on people" as a jurist "for 40 years and don't say anything?" she asked. "You wait until he's running for the Senate to come up with this? That makes you suspicious." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Multiple politicians have been accused of sexual misconduct in 2017, leading to ethics investigations and resignations. Here are the Republicans and Democrats who have been accused of sexual misconduct this year. John Conyers Nearly a half-dozen women who previously worked for Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., recently accused him of sexual misconduct. Many of the women claimed Conyers harassed or touched them inappropriately. Conyers has denied the allegations. Still, many of his colleagues encouraged him to step down. The representative, who was first elected in 1964, retired on Dec. 5. At the time of his retirement, Conyers endorsed his 27-year-old son, John Conyers III, to replace him. Its not yet clear if he plans on running for his fathers old seat. Blake Farenthold Republicans said Texas GOP Rep. Blake Farenthold won't seek re-election amid sexual harassment allegations. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters on Dec. 14 that Farenthold was making the right decision to retire, citing the unacceptable behavior that has been alleged. The news comes after the House Ethics Committee announced in early December that it was expanding an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against Farenthold. The committee said it would investigate whether Farenthold sexually harassed a former member of his staff and retaliated against her for complaining. The committee also said the panel would review allegations that Farenthold made inappropriate statements to other members of his official staff. Lauren Greene, a former communications director in the congressman's office, alleged in a 2014 federal lawsuit that she was sexually harassed and fired soon after complaining of a hostile work environment. Farenthold said when the case was settled in 2015 that he didn't engage in any wrongdoing. Following the announcement, Farenthold said he was "relieved" that the Ethics Committee would look further into the case. "Once all the facts are released, I'm confident this matter will once and for all be settled and resolved," Farenthold said. "I'm also pleased the Committee on Ethics recognizes, as per their statement, that I have cooperated fully with the committee's investigation and acknowledged a decision has been delayed because of difficulty obtaining live testimony from other witnesses. "This investigation increases the transparency the public deserves and what I've wanted since the beginning." Al Franken At least eight different women have accused Democratic Minnesota Sen. Al Franken of sexual misconduct. Many of the women allege that Franken forcibly kissed them, groped them and made unwanted sexual advances. Franken, a comedian turned politician who has been in office since 2009, was first accused by Los Angeles radio anchor Leeann Tweeden, who claimed Franken forcibly kissed her during a 2006 USO tour. After more women came forward, Franken faced a Senate Ethics Committee investigation, and many Democrats encouraged Franken to step down. Franken, who has apologized for his actions, announced in early December that he will resign from the Senate "in the coming weeks." Fox News confirmed on Wednesday that the senator will resign on Jan. 2. He will be replaced by Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith the following day. Trent Franks Arizona Rep. Trent Franks stepped down in early December amid news reports that he allegedly pressed a former aide to carry his child. Franks reportedly offered her $5 million to act as a surrogate. Franks first announced his resignation on Dec. 7, saying that he would formally step down in January. But after his wife was admitted to the hospital, his plans changed and his resignation was effective as of Dec. 8, 2017. The representative was reportedly encouraged to step down by Speaker Paul Ryan, who learned of an House Ethics Committee investigation into his behavior. Franks admitted that discussing surrogacy with two of his female staffers made certain individuals uncomfortable. Ruben Kihuen A former aide, identified only as Samantha, recently accused Nevada Rep. Ruben Kihuen, a first-term lawmaker, of repeatedly making sexual advances toward her during the 2016 congressional campaign. On two occasions, she said, he touched her thighs without consent. She also claims that the representative propositioned her for dates and sex on multiple occasions despite her repeated rejections. Buzzfeed first reported the former aides allegations. "I sincerely apologize for anything that I may have said or done that made her feel uncomfortable. I take this matter seriously as it is not indicative of who I am," Kihuen said in a statement following the report. "But I want to make it clear that I don't recall any of the circumstances she described." A top House Democrat said Kihuen should resign amid the allegations. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she found Samanthas allegations to be convincing, the Associated Press reported. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, who heads the Democrats campaign arm, has also called on Kihuen to resign. On Dec. 14, a second woman came forward with allegations against Kihuen. The woman, who is currently unnamed, first told the Nevada Independent that the representative made inappropriate sexual advances toward her, like touching her thighs or buttocks, as well as sending her suggestive Facebook and text messages. Shortly after the second woman came forward and one day after House Ethics Committee said it had opened an investigation into the harassment claims against him, Kihuen announced that he would not seek re-election. "I want to state clearly again that I deny the allegations in question," Kihuen said in a statement. "However, the allegations that have surfaced would be a distraction from a fair and thorough discussion of the issues in a reelection campaign. Therefore, it is in the best interests of my family and my constituents to complete my term in Congress and not seek re-election." Roy Moore Roy Moore, a former Alabama judge and the 2017 Republican candidate in the United States Senate Special election in Alabama, was accused of having inappropriate sexual relations with teenage girls while he was in his 30s, the Washington Post reported in a bombshell report about a month before the special election. Since the report, additional women have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations. Moore has vehemently denied the accusations, once calling them the definition of fake news. After the allegations came to light, however, many Republicans called on him to step aside from the campaign. But others, like President Trump and Steve Bannon, continued to stand by Moore despite the accusations. Moore lost the election to Doug Jones on Dec. 12. The Associated Press contributed to this report. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Every time hes run for statewide office here, Roy Moore has had Johnny Williams vote. Ive seen him fighting at them fires, and I just believe in him, the 77-year-old retired bus charter company owner said in an interview. Moore, Alabamas Senate Republican nominee, has been bleeding support from some conservatives in the weeks since the allegations of past sexual misconduct have surfaced. But the candidates famously loyal supporters who have long supported the Christian conservative in statewide races for chief justice, governor and senator for two decades arent leaving him. I think whoever put this thing together is trying to take him out, and we just dont believe it down here, said Williams, who lives in Pike Road. Moore has denied the allegations that he engaged in sexual activity or sought romantic relationships with teenage females when he was in his thirties. Its way bigger than Roy Moore. It is the direction of our country. 68-year-old Ann Eubanks of Birmingham Though he's taken a hit, Moore's polling has recovered in recent days, with the Real Clear Politics polling average showing the Republican leading Democratic nominee Doug Jones 49 percent to 45 percent. In interviews, Moores supporters say theyre sticking with him because of what the election means for passing Presidents Trump legislative agenda. I am a policy voter, said 68-year-old Ann Eubanks of Birmingham, who leads a tea party group. And I refuse to send a far-left liberal Democrat to Congress. Theres too much at stake in this country at this point with the balance of the Senate at critical mass. Eubanks cited future nominations to the Supreme Court, repealing ObamaCare, building the wall and immigration proposals as issues the president will need every vote he can muster in the Senate. Its way bigger than Roy Moore, Eubanks said. It is the direction of our country. Still, Moore is struggling to win over the support of other Alabama voters who usually vote Republican, something which has made the race much closer than expected. Over coffee and waffles at a Waffle House here, 66-year-old Richard Barnett said he wasnt a fan of Moore before the allegations surfaced and wont vote for him though he usually votes Republican. The last Democrat I voted for is Jimmy Carter, said Barnett, the general manager of a metals and welding company. Barnett said he has no faith in Roy Moores ability to represent the majority of people and would likely write-in Sen. Luther Strange, who lost to Moore in the primary, instead. He said the Hoover, Alabama community he lives in is predominantly Republican, but hes noticed no public support for Moore on neighbors lawns. You see no Roy Moore signs, Barnett said. You see some for Doug Jones. Its very, very unusual. At another table at the diner on Friday, a mother from Alabaster, who gave her name as Sandra, was having breakfast with her husband. She said shes 100 percent behind Donald Trump, but doesnt know how shell vote Tuesday. Deep down, I wish Luther Strange had been the candidate, she said. Ive seen him fighting at them fires, and I just believe in him." 77-year-old retiree Johnny Williams on Roy Moore Winning over those voters could be the key to Moore's victory. Knowing the path to victory involves motivating Trumps supporters in Alabama to vote in the special election Tuesday, Moores campaign was jubilant that the president held a rally Friday night just 25 miles away from the Alabama state line in Pensacola, Florida to encourage people to vote for Moore. But at the diner in Birmingham, one waitress said shes had enough of the election. As she cleared plates of hashbrowns and eggs, the Waffle House employee, named Nona, said she couldnt bring herself to vote for any of the candidates Tuesday. She said the behavior Moore has been accused of is not Christian. Im not voting for either of them, she said. The Treasury Department paid $220,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former congressional staffer alleging sexual harassment by Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., it was reported Friday. According to Roll Call, which cited documents related to the case, Winsome Packer alleged that Hastings touched her inappropriately and made unwanted sexual advances. On one occasion, Packer said Hastings asked her what kind of underwear she was wearing. The former Republican Hill staffer alleged that the harassment occurred while she worked for the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also known as the Helsinki Commission. The commission, which helps shape U.S. policy in Europe, includes nine members of the House and nine members of the Senate. Hastings, 81, is one of the commission's ranking members. HASTINGS HAS PAID CONVICTED MONEY-LAUNDERER $75,000 FOR 'PART-TIME' WORK IN DISTRICT OFFICE In a statement, Hastings said had not seen the settlement agreement between Packer and the CSCE until the Roll Call report came out. "At no time was I consulted, nor did I know until after the fact that such a settlement was made," Hastings said. "I am outraged that any taxpayer dollars were needlessly paid to Ms. Packer." Roll Call reported that Packer sued Hastings and the CSCE in 2011 under a federal statute that allows individuals to seek damages from federal officials for civil rights violations. Hastings' name was dropped from the lawsuit the following year after he argued that the statute did not apply to members of Congress. The House Ethics Committee conducted a separate investigation into Hastings, which it closed in December 2014. The committee concluded that Hastings "did admit to certain conduct that was less than professional," but the most serious charges against him "were not supported by evidence." The claim against Hastings came to light on the same day that Rep. Trent Franks, Ariz., announced he would resign from Congress with immediate effect. Franks' resignation followed a claim by a former aide that the congressman repeatedly asked her to carry his child, at one point offering her $5 million to do so. Click for more from Roll Call. Fox News' Chad Pergram contributed to this report. President Trump is recording a robocall for Alabama Senate nominee Roy Moore ahead of Tuesdays election, Fox News has confirmed. It comes as the president has been stepping up his support for Moore, who has been battling accusations of past sexual misconduct and needs the votes of Trump supporters to pull off a win. The president on Saturday tweeted his support for Moore while painting Democratic nominee Doug Jones as a liberal who will vote against his agenda. We cant have a Pelosi/Schumer Liberal Democrat, Jones, in that important Alabama Senate seat, the president tweeted. Need your vote to Make America Great Again! Jones will always vote against what we must do for our Country. On Friday night, the president talked up his support for Moore during a rally in Pensacola, Florida, just across the state line from towns in south Alabama. MOORE SUPPORTERS STICKING BY CANDIDATE IN FINAL LEG OF SCANDAL-SCARRED CAMPAIGN "We cannot afford ... to lose a seat in the very, very close United States Senate," Trump said Friday. "We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our 'Make America Great Again' agenda So get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it." Trump officially endorsed Moore last week after giving lukewarm support in wake of the accusations in the media that the Republican candidate pursued sexual relationships with female teenagers while in his thirties. Moore denies the allegations. According to Politico, which first reported the robocalls, the call from Trump to voters is expected to go out Monday. Fox News Jennifer Bowman contributed to this report. President Trump on Saturday continued his full but at-distance support for Roy Moore ahead of the Alabama Senate race, saying the Republicans opponent will always vote against what we must do for our country. In an early morning tweet, Trump boasted about the support for Moore at his rally Friday night in Pensacola, Fla. A big contingent of very enthusiastic Roy Moore fans at the rally last night, Trump wrote Saturday morning. We cant have a Pelosi/Schumer Liberal Democrat, Jones, in that important Alabama Senate seat. Need your vote to Make America Great Again! Jones will always vote against what we must do for our Country. Trumps support of Moore comes just four days before Alabama voters hit the polls on Tuesday. However, he is not campaigning in Alabama for Moore, despite spending this weekend in nearby Mississippi and on the Florida panhandle. The president originally supported Moores opponent in the Alabama special election, Sen. Luther Strange, but in the closing weeks has fully endorsed Moore, a firebrand social conservative whose campaign has been severely damaged by allegations of sexual misconduct about 30 years ago. Last week, Trump endorsed Moore via Twitter and the Republican National Committee again started giving money to the Moore campaign about $170,000 with Moore now 3 percentage points ahead of Jones, according to the RealClearPolitics.com polls average. Despite their concerns about Moore, some Republicans appear to have taken the position that they cannot afford to lose the Senate seat, formerly held by Republican Jeff Sessions, considering the GOP has just a 52-48 majority in the chamber. GREAT EVENING last night in Pensacola, Florida, Trump also tweeted Saturday morning. Arena was packed to the rafters, the crowd was loud, loving and really smart. They definitely get whats going on. Thank you Pensacola! At Fridays rally, Trump urged his supporters to vote for Moore, saying we need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda. In the same speech, he called Jones a liberal Democrat who is completely controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Trump will visit Mississippi later Saturday to attend opening-day events at the new Civil Rights Museum in Jackson. His arrival has sparked controversy from several speakers and civil rights leaders -- including Georgia Democratic Rep. John Lewis who are planning to boycott the event. Trump is expected to be met by protesters when he arrives to speak at a private event before the public ceremony. Drunk and violent airline passengers are on the rise, with airline staff now forced to physically restrain more mid-flight troublemakers than ever before. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says was a 50 percent rise this year in the number of passengers forcibly contained for bad behavior, ranging from verbal abuse to life-threatening situations. The annual stats come after a year of headline-grabbing stories from across the world, including the famous case of a United Airlines passenger who was dragged from a flight back in April. MELANIA TRUMP SAYS SHE'D LIKE TO SPEND CHRISTMAS ON A DESERTED ISLAND In one incident in October, a sozzled woman who lunged at a passenger on a flight from Manchester to Cancun forced the pilot to land 2,000 miles away in Quebec and was then jailed for 20 days. Bridget Hanley binged on gin and tonic, champagne and wine en route to the Mexican resort. When a fellow traveler asked her to stop slamming her tray, Hanley replied: Shut up, ugly face. Who are you to tell me what to do? before threatening to throw them out of the plane and lunging at a TUI crew member from holiday firm TUI. In a separate incident in September, a brawl broke out on a Ryanair flight from Newcastle to Alicante when a drunk woman started kicking off. Both men and women flung punches over the seats as other passengers desperately tried to get away from the fight. Booze is regularly involved when it comes to these incidents on planes third of all incidents involved intoxicated passengers, with 444 registered as cases that escalated physically. MAN APOLOGIZES TO RACIST WOMAN WHO SHAMED HIM IN AIRPORT In July, a furious flyer was dragged off a UK flight by four cops for a drunken rant at a steward and a group of women. Footage shows the man shouting in the aisle during a Virgin Atlantic flight from London Gatwick to Montego Bay, Jamaica. He had been taking advantage of the free bar and flew into a rage after being refused more booze, according to witnesses. Earlier in the year in May, a passenger forced a Flybe flight between Birmingham and Amsterdam to turn around and land again after he threatened to p*** on the floor just ten minutes after the plane had left the airport. Kieran Tabberner became aggressive after he was told he could not use the toilet and directed his anger at air stewardess Robyn Pascoe, who was left so traumatized that she later quit her job of seven years over anxiety. Last month, Tabberner was found guilty of behaving in a threatening, abusive and insulting manner towards a member of aircraft crew. He was fined $700, told to pay court costs of $700 and ordered to pay Pascoe $700 in compensation plus a $70 court surcharge. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS Incidents like these are becoming more frequent, with the amount of disorderly passengers on planes rising year-on-year and many airlines now training staff for violent situations. The figures also show that passengers are more aggressive than they were before, with the number of incidents including physical assault rising to 12 percent from 11 percent. The total number of incidents reported actually fell by 10 percent, with 9,837 counted in total, the equivalent of one incident every 1,434 flights. But the number of abusive incidents rose sharply, with 169 passengers having to be forcibly confined more than double the previous years figure. More than half of all cases involved passengers smoking on board, either in the main cabin or more commonly, in the toilets. The tally of incidents took into account 190 of the worlds airlines, but with thousands of registered airlines existing across the globe, the IATA has admitted the figures could significantly underestimate the problem. This article originally appeared in the Sun. The shooting Thursday morning at Aztec High School in northern New Mexico could have been significantly worse had it not been for heroes who locked the school down and the police officers who ran inside. There were two heroes in particular, according to San Juan Shereiff Ken Christesen. One is a custodian, Thomas Hill, who ran around the school yelling for people to lock down. The other is substitute teacher Katie Potter. When Potter heard the shots being fired, she knew she had to hide the 17 students in her classroom. I heard popping sounds down the hall, going pop, pop, pop. I looked in the hall and the custodian, Hill, was in the hall and he was saying, who are you? I could tell he was frantic and I knew what was going on, said Potter. Potter knew both victims, Francisco Fernandez and Casey Marquez. She described them both as popular, all-American students. Fernandez, however, was in her class that morning. He asked Potter if he could go to the bathroom, signed out and never came back. When Fernandez opened the bathroom door, the shooter was standing inside with his gun loaded. He walked into that bathroom and saved lives. If not, the shooter would have walked into a classroom. That kids a hero, said New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas. Potter told all the kids to get into the classrooms office. They got inside, pushed the sofa against the door, and laid on the floor. Then they waited. The students inside were quiet, as they were trained to be in a lockdown, according to Potter. But some were scared. They knew they were in serious danger and some of them said, 'I dont want to die.' And I said, 'You know what? Youre going to be OK,' said Potter. "They knew they were in serious danger and some of them said, 'I don't want to die.' And I said, 'You know what? You're going to be OK.'" Katie Potter, substitute teacher at Aztec High School The shooter found the students in the room with Potter. He tried to get in but couldnt because of the sofa barricading the door. Then he shot through the walls but miraculously never hit anyone. I heard pop, pop, pop, for probably four or five minutes and he was right outside the door. And I knew that he was shooting everything up, said Potter. Eventually Potter heard the Sheriffs department yell out. She opened the door and knew they were safe. She doesnt consider herself a hero but says the students and other teachers are the real heroes. She also said shell be back substituting as soon as possible. I told the secretary who called me this morning, I said, if you need somebody Monday, Ill be there, said Potter. Christesen said Friday the shooter left a note saying he hated life, wanted to go into the school to die, and take as many students as he could with him. Hes not only a coward, hes evil. In my mind theres so many things wrong with this. Its a shame he wasnt on our radar. I dont think he had anything so much as a traffic ticket, said Christensen. A Wisconsin woman accused of robbing three banks while she was more than eight months pregnant pleaded guilty to robbing two of them and was sentenced to four years in prison. The State Journal reports that 32-year-old Lisa Harding of Madison was also ordered to pay back money taken during a third bank robbery, even though that charge was dismissed under a plea agreement. The robberies happened in December 2016. Harding was arrested after taking a taxi to and from the final robbery. Dane County Circuit Judge Jill Karofsky said that while she understands Harding's health problems and drug addictions, a prison sentence was warranted because of the threat to public safety. Harding apologized for her crimes and said a lot of things were "going wrong" for her at the time. ___ Information from: Wisconsin State Journal, http://www.madison.com/wsj Storms that yielded recording-breaking snowfall in the South during the week hit the Northeast on Friday evening and could continue causing problems throughout the weekend. Winter Storm Benji was moving up the East Coast, with heavy snow predicted for a 2,000-mile stretch from the Deep South to New England. Some spots could see as much as 10 to 15 inches of snow pile up, forecasters said. Winter weather warnings were issued Friday for parts of Massachusetts and northern Virginia, with travel expected to be hazardous in the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., metro areas. Officials warned that travel would be hazardous in those regions. Winter weather advisories were issued from Maine to northern Virginia. The snow will spread in the Northeast during the day and forecasters predicted that by the afternoon, most of Maine to Virginia would experience snow, the Weather Channel reported. By Saturday night, the snow was expected to taper off in northern New York but continue to fall in New England throughout the night. By Sunday, some areas in northern New England may experience snow until the storm moves off into eastern Canada. The South saw unprecedented levels of snowfall from Texas to North Carolina, resulting in power outages, frozen roadways and numerous auto accidents. Many areas closed schools during the week. On Thursday, Delta Air Lines canceled hundreds of flights coming in and out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport the busiest in the world. Atlanta was to be under a winter storm watch until 10 a.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service said. The airport's spokesman confirmed that nearly 1,200 flights were canceled Friday. On Saturday, another 400 more flights were canceled. In Atlanta, firefighters said an unidentified man died after being electrocuted by a downed power line. The man was found dead Friday night in the middle of the roadway near the live wire. Authorities believed the wire was brought down by the ice and snow that accumulated Friday across much of the Deep South. Other weather trackers warned of frozen roadways in southern Mississippi and Louisiana through the weekend. Cities in Mississippi reported some of the highest levels of snow on record. Houston was the first city to report record-breaking snowfall, as cold temperatures combined with moisture off the Gulf of Mexico to hit border communities. The Weather Channel reported some 400,000 customers were without power in the South. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Erika Crooks remembers the day well. On Memorial Day weekend four years ago, she, her husband and their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter went to a local Target near their home in Elk Grove, Calif., to purchase barbecuing supplies. When they returned, their home was engulfed in flames. It was like an out-of-body experience, Crooks, 33, told Fox News. You see fires on TV and are desensitized to them. But you never know when it's going to be your home. It was a last-minute decision that saved Crooks and her family from the flames; she and her husband decided to make the trip to Target a family outing, opposed to one of them staying home with their young daughter, she said. It was like an out-of-body experience." Erika Crooks Crooks family, who had only been living in the house for five months, watched their home burn for roughly seven hours before the fire was contained. The fire marshal on duty that day told Crooks that it was an exterior fire, most likely sparked by something flammable thrown into a trashcan near their home. I was shocked, frightened and saddened, she said. I wanted to run in and grab pictures and my daughters favorite blanket -- material things that you take for granted. Crooks family lost a lot that day. But thanks to a $100 gift card from the California Fire Foundations SAVE program, they were able to buy food and pajamas for their daughter that night. The foundation works with local fire agencies to provide immediate, on-site assistance to families that have suffered a residential loss of at least 25 percent, according to its website. It also provided assistance to those who were impacted by the wildfires in Southern California, which scorched hundreds of thousands of acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and forced more than 200,000 people to evacuate at the height of the fires. The foundation gave roughly 500 gift cards to Southern Californians who were affected by the wildfires, Lou Paulson, chairman of the California Fire Foundation, told Fox News. Here's how the wildfire victims have been helped so far. President Trump approves California's disaster declaration On Jan. 2, President Trump declared that a "major disaster exists in the state of California." He also ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires, mainly in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties where the Thomas Fire has hit the hardest. Certain non-profit organizations were also eligible to receive funds, according to a statement from the White House. Trump previously declared a state of emergency in California on Dec. 8, which allowed federal assistance to supplement the state and local response to the fires. His declaration was in response to a letter from California Gov. Jerry Brown. Los Angeles, Ventura, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Riverside counties will receive federal assistance. More specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency, the emergency management agency said in a statement. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, was also provided at 75 percent federal funding. United Way of Ventura County In a partnership with the American Red Cross of Ventura County and the Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services, the United Way of Ventura County started the Thomas Fire Fund to assist community relief efforts in the county, which was primarily been impacted by the Thomas Fire. This wildfire -- which is now the largest in the state's history -- has scorched more than 281,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures. Salvation Army The Salvation Army Ventura Corps accepted food, water and money donations to help those who were impacted by the wildfires, especially those who were evacuated to the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Up until Dec. 9, the organization served a combined total of 4,619 meals to evacuees at the fairgrounds and at Nordhoff High School in Ojai, Calif., which also served as a temporary evacuation center. The Red Cross Roughly 615 people who were forced to leave their homes due to the wildfires sought refuge at the 13 Red Cross community shelters in Southern California. Go Fund Me Many individuals started fundraising campaigns on Go Fund Me in light of the wildfires. California Community Foundations Wildfire Relief Fund The California Community Foundation's Wildfire Relief Fund provides immediate and long-term wildfire recovery efforts. Since 2003, the fund has raised $3.5 million to support relief and recovery efforts. More specifically, the fund supports those who have suffered long-term mental or health issues as a result of wildfires, helps to rebuild homes and provides financial assistance to victims, among other things. L.A. Kitchen L.A. Kitchen provided meals to firefighters and displaced wildfire victims. Humane Society of Ventura County The Humane Society of Ventura County housed more than 100 animals due to the wildfires. At the time, they were in need of basic animal supplies such as: cat food, alfalfa, hay, water troughs, hoses, flashlights and rabbit food. The deranged man who exchanged gunfire with police after killing five people in rural Northern California last month died at his own hands. Police fired 12 rounds at the man, Kevin Neal, 44, after forcing his car off a road in Rancho Tehama Reserve after the shooting spree. He was then found dead in the drivers seat. The evidence and examination conducted by a forensic pathologist concluded the shooter died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, Tehama County Sheriff Dave Hencratt said Friday. Authorities said Neal killed his wife on Nov. 13 and then went on a shooting rampage the next day, one that included a spray of bullets at an elementary school. He killed four others, including two neighbors, and wounded 12 people, including six children. Authorities said neighbors had repeatedly complained about Neal firing hundreds of rounds from his house and engaging in other erratic and violent behavior. His wifes body was found under the floorboards of their home. Family members say he suffered from delusions and mental problems. The Associated Press contributed this report. A Catholic priest who was once a member of the Ku Klux Klan apologized in writing to a black couple for burning a cross on their lawn 40 years ago. The Rev. William Aitcheson told Philip and Barbara Butler he was "blinded by hate and ignorance" when he targeted them in 1977 at their home in College Park, Md. The Washington Post reports that in a letter dated Sept. 8, Aitcheson said he rejected those beliefs before he joined the priesthood, but was too ashamed to face the Butlers. "I believe now that all people can live together in peace regardless of race," he wrote in the letter. "I also know that the symbol of the most enduring love the world has ever known must never be used as a weapon of terror. Its use against you was a despicable act. I seriously regret the suffering it caused you." NEW YORK CATHOLIC CHURCH PAYS $40 MILLION TO SEX ABUSE VICTIMS The Butlers said they are not sure what Aitcheson, who was sentenced to 90 days in jail in 1977, could do to earn their forgiveness. "This is going to take some time," Barbara Butler said after a news conference Friday, reports the Associated Press. "For you to come into my life, 40 years, and say I'm sorry. I will pray on it. That's the only thing I can do." The Butlers and their attorney also spoke about the recent payment to the Butlers of $23,000 from an overdue judgment in a lawsuit, along with $9,600 in attorney fees. In a statement, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington said Aitcheson used his private funds and a personal loan to make the payment. Aitcheson wrote in a recent essay that the violence at the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in August made him think about his actions with the KKK. "As this matter involving the Butler family and Fr. Aitcheson has only been resolved recently, plans for his future priestly ministry are still being discerned," the diocese said in a statement Friday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. A Chicago woman involved in the beating of a mentally disabled man that was broadcast on Facebook Live pled guilty Friday to a hate crime and was sentenced to four years probation. Brittany Covington, 19, entered her plea in a case that received national attention because it involved an 18-year-old disabled white man and four blacks who taunted him with profanities against white people and President Trump. Covington narrated the video of her and three others torturing the man. The victim disappeared in January and his family said they received text messages from him claiming he was being held hostage. Jordan Hill, one of the four friends charged, picked the victim up at a McDonalds in Streamwood in a stolen van. Hill and the victim previously knew each other from high school, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The two reportedly drove around for three days. FAMILY OF CHICAGO-AREA MAN TORTURED IN FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEO SPEAKS OUT The video captured the four suspects taunting him and cutting his clothes after a play fight in Covingtons sisters apartment. The video showed a wound on top of the victims head and him being pushed by one of the attackers. A neighbor threatened to call police, which resulted in the four suspects raiding her apartment and stealing her property, police said. The victim was able to escape during that time. Officers found the victim in torn clothing a block away from the apartment. The videos sparked outrage including condemnation from then President Barack Obama who called the acts despicable. Covington has been behind bars since January when the video, which she narrated, surfaced. Her three co-defendants remain in custody and their cases are pending. 4 SUSPECTS IN ATTACK ON MENTALLY DISABLED MAN DUE IN COURT In exchange for pleading guilty to committing a hate crime, aggravated battery and intimidation, prosecutors dropped a kidnapping charge and others. The judge ordered Covington to not use social media for four years. She also must perform 200 hours of community service. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The traditional reenactment of George Washington crossing the Delaware River is still on for Christmas Day, but this Sunday's scheduled dress rehearsal has been canceled. The reason: Officials at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Pennsylvania say the river's water level is simply too low to ensure safe passage for the general and his Continental Army soldiers -- and the park's expensive replica boats. It is a disappointment, but we always err on the side of safety for the reenactors and the public -- and for maintaining the equipment for future years, Joseph Capone told the Morning Call of Allentown, Pa. Capone is executive director of the Friends of the Washington Crossing Historic Park, the nonprofit organization that partners with the Pennsylvania state government to run the park. But if the region doesn't get enough snow or rain before Christmas, then the "real" reenactment of the crossing might be canceled too, John Godzieba, chief of the Langhorn Police Department, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Godzieba played George Washington for about two decades, the newspaper reported. Though America's first president almost called off the first Christmas night crossing in 1776 because of bad weather, Godzieba said hes never had to miss one until now. Its a disappointment, not just for me, but for all the reenactors, he told the Inquirer. The reenactment, a tradition for Pennsylvania and New Jersey since the 1950s, cannot take place unless the water level is at least 9 feet above sea level, the Morning Call reported. But the forecast does not show enough rain on the way to increase the rivers level by Sunday. Capone told the Inquirer that the replica Durham boats used for the crossing are expensive, handmade works of art, valued at about $150,000 each. So putting them at risk is a bad idea. Its a 42-foot rowboat that weighs two tons, empty, he said. Washingtons decision to cross the icy Delaware on Christmas night in 1776 turned the tide of the Revolutionary War, the Inquirer reported, citing historians. More than 2,400 soldiers crossed the river that night to surprise and capture most of the Hessian forces during the Battle of Trenton, which followed the crossing. In all, the Continental Army won three battles during their mission, including the Battle of Princeton on Jan. 3, 1777, to give the United States crucial victories needed to ultimately defeat the British and win the war in 1783, the Morning Call reported. Godzieba told the Inquirer that he believes some Christmas reenactments have been canceled over the years due to weather. The river runs too fast if theres too much rain, but its also impassable if theres too much ice, he said. But he added: Theres always hope. Although Sundays river crossing has been canceled, other scheduled events -- leading up to the point where the reenactors would board the boats -- will still go on, the Morning Call reported. More than 10,000 Vietnamese have filled up a stadium in a rare Christian evangelistic event led by the Rev. Franklin Graham, who says he wants the communist government to consider Christians its best citizens. Despite sweeping economic reforms over the past 30 years that made Vietnam one of the fasting growing countries in the region, the ruling Communist Party maintains strict control over all aspects of society, from media to religions. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 100 Vietnamese are in prison for peaceful religious and political activities. Graham told The Associated Press that the prayer rally in Hanoi on Friday was unprecedented in size for Vietnam. He says he doesn't want to do anything that would embarrass the government or talk politics. Startling cellphone video posted online Friday shows the moment a Canadian man and his family were attacked by a bat-wielding lunatic shouting terrorists and ISIS all because they were speaking in Spanish. Get the fk outta here, the attacker seethes in the now-viral footage. WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE Terrorists! We got terrorists here! he says repeatedly. ISIS! ISIS! We got ISIS right here!The sickening incident was caught on camera Thursday afternoon outside a mall in St. Thomas, Ontario. Suspect Mark Philips, 36, was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, according to CBC News. Click for more at the New York Post A senior U.N. official has left Pyongyang after four days of talks with the North Korean Foreign Ministry. U.N. Undersecretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman says "I have to brief the secretary general first" when asked for details of his trip. Feltman met North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho on Thursday and also had two sessions of talks with Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Guk. Feltman, the highest-ranking American in the U.N. secretariat, is the first person in that post to visit North Korea since February 2010. North Korea regularly accuses the U.N. of bias, criticizing the U.N. sanctions resolutions that condemn Pyongyang's missile launches and nuclear tests. Pyongyang says those resolutions are illegal and it has the right to pursue missile and nuclear programs. Iranian state media is reporting that British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has arrived in Tehran, where he is expected to discuss the fate of detained dual nationals. A British-Iranian woman, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly planning the "soft toppling" of Iran's government. The British Foreign Office said Johnson would meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif on Saturday to discuss "a number of consular cases involving dual nationals," along with other bilateral issues. London is considering repaying Tehran some 400 million pounds from a pre-1979 arms deal. Both sides say the money isn't related to Zaghari-Ratcliffe, though the United States made a similar payment as Iran released four U.S. citizens in 2016. Iraq declared its war against the Islamic State was over after more than three years of combat operations drove extremist fighters from all of the territories they once held. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Iraqi forces were in full control of the countrys border with Syria during remarks at a conference in Baghdad, and his spokesman said the development marked the end of the military fight against ISIS. A senior military commander confirmed to The Associated Press that combat operations had been completed. TRUMP, MATTIS TURN MILITARY LOOSE ON ISIS, LEAVING TERROR CALIPHATE IN TATTERS "All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist Daesh (acronym of the groups full Arabic name) gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian border," Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah said in a statement released shortly after al-Abadi's remarks. The declaration comes two days after the Russian military announced it defeated the terror group in Syria, its ally, the BBC reported. The jihadi group overran nearly a third of Iraqi territory, including Mosul, the countrys second-largest city, in the summer of 2014. ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called it a new Islamic caliphate. It was not immediately clear if the ISIS leader is still alive or dead. Reuters reported al-Baghdadi released a recording on Sept. 28 reporting he was alive. TRUMPS JERUSALEM DECISION COULD INCITE EXTREMISTS, IRAQ WARNS ISIS started losing its land over the past three and a half years after Iraqi ground forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition fought to retake its territory. However, ISIS fighters remained capable of carrying out insurgent attacks in Iraq, and the group has recovered from past setbacks. In November, Iraqi forces retook the last town held by ISIS Rawah, near the border with Syria. Over the following weeks, Iraqi forces continued to clear patches of the countrys vast western deserts. In the most significant victory over the extremists, Iraqi forces retook Mosul earlier this year. Al-Abadi declared the fight concluded in July, but clashes continued in the city for weeks afterward. Officials believed some ISIS fighters fled to Syria and Turkey. Now the country would have to reconstruct the devastation done after years of fighting that left some 3 million Iraqis displaced. The Associated Press contributed to this report. King George County residents were lighting up a Facebook forum after they got not one, but two, reassessment notices in recent weeks. Turns out, the company hired by the county to do the reassessments and mail the notices put figures in the wrong columns. Numbers for the 2018 reassessment were listed in the 2016 column. The county provides values for three years so residents can see how changes occurred over time, said Judy Hart, King Georges commissioner of revenue. She explained the mistake to the King George Board of Supervisors Tuesday night. She also said that corrected forms were mailed Nov. 30, at the expense of the company who performed the assessments, Blue Ridge Mass Appraisal of Staunton. Hart suggested property owners throw away the first notice, mailed before Thanksgiving, to avoid confusion. I was kind of hoping the first letter was the correct one because it lowered my assessment, said Supervisor Jim Howard. Then I got the second one. Some of the people posting on the Facebook page, King GeorgeWestmoreland General Forum, echoed his comments, saying home values went up by as much as 20 percent. The funny thing is, we just had our house appraised for refinancing and the countys assessment is higher than the appraisal, posted Sandie Makely. Its usually opposite. Others said their reassessments went down, and they didnt understand that either, given the value of properties around them. And, as often happens on social media, there were suggestions of corruption and conspiracy theoriesthe notion that the county realized it needed to generate more money so it sent out a second notice with higher rates. They need to pay for that new courthouse somehow, wrote one resident, referring to the estimated $30 million price tag for a new courthouse facility. The reality is the tax rate for the next fiscal year hasnt been setand wont be until the spring. Also, localities are required to reassess property every four years, and governing bodies typically adjust their property tax rates as a result. Its not a given that taxes will go up just because property values do. For instance, if counties need the same amount of general revenue and home values have increased, they may lower the tax rate to equalize the difference. In the past, real-estate tax rates have gone down in King George due to reassessments and the equalization process. But that hasnt happened in the county in the last 10 years. The real-estate tax rate has increased steadily from 45 cents per $100 of assessed value in 2008 to the current rate of 70 cents. Residents with questions about their reassessments or why their rates changed can call the Commissioner of Revenues office at 540/775-4664. If employees cant answer their questions, Hart said they can schedule an appointment with an assessor from Blue Ridge, who will be in King George through Friday. Residents who dont agree with the assessment can appeal them to the countys Board of Equalization, composed of five representatives from throughout the county. The board probably will meet to decide its schedule in January. The new year will bring a drastic change for the Rev. Wayne Bernardo. For 27 years, he has stepped into the pulpit of the Culpeper Presbyterian Church almost every Sunday to preach a sermon to what is almost always a packed sanctuary. After he retires on Dec. 31, he will be forcedby denomination ruleto remove himself from the church family he loves and allow change to occur. I have to step away completely from this church for a time, Bernardo said. That will be the hardest thing for me, but it is necessary for the health of the church. I dont want to undermine the work of the person who replaces me. Bernardo took over the reins at Culpeper Presbyterian months after the former pastor was asked to resign amid scandal. In some ways, the Danville native had to rebuild the congregation, but his biggest job was mending the confidence that had been shattered. Bernardo acknowledges that it was difficult at first, because he became a lightning rod for the congregations lost trust. They welcomed me, but deep down they had such pain and hurt and they had to beat on somebody, he recalled. I spent the first six years just trying to get the people to trust me. It was another trying time for a man who was adopted twice as a child and remembers riding alone on a bus when he was 3 years old while being sent from one divorced parents home to that of the other. But Bernardo is a fighter. He recalled that he only expected to stay at Culpeper Presbyterian for five or six years to help the parishioners heal. Understanding that Culpeper was a small town and the churchs reputation had been somewhat tarnished, the first thing the new preacher did was try to change that. I got involved in the community to help re-establish our image, Bernardo said. He joined civic clubs and became a leader in a number of community projects, including the Powell Wellness Center, the Free Clinic and the building of a new library, where he also took a great deal of heat amid anger over a change of personnel. But even as he was establishing himself as a pillar of the Culpeper community, his church was his main concern. His greatest accomplishment was keeping our church family together through good and bad times, said church member Beth Whitt. Allen Martin, who sings in the choir, agreed. He kept us unified, Martin said. Hes very diplomatic and has a soothing personality. By 2000, the times were getting good again. The pain had eased and the six years Bernardo figured he would stay at Culpeper Presbyterian had turned into almost a decade. I had now been here almost 10 years and I asked the congregation if they wanted me to stay, said Bernardo. By that time, he had endeared himself both to his parishioners and his community, so the answer was an unequivocal yes. That periodfrom 1998 to the presenthas become one of the high-water marks in the history of the 203-year-old congregation. Membership climbed to about 300 by the turn of the century and the modest sanctuary on South Main Street was all but overflowing every Sunday. We thought about moving, but we couldnt find any land we wanted, so we finally decided to stay where we are, primarily because we felt we could make a difference with our downtown location, Bernardo said. So the church bought the property across Locust Street, adjacent to the State Theatre, demolished the old house there and began an ambitious program to build an almost $2 million fellowship hall, which opened in 2003. We paid that loan off in eight years, mostly with small contributions, said Bernardo. Bernardo said that when he first came to Culpeper, he felt community mission work was a key to getting the church back to the forefront of the community. Today that fellowship hall is home to the Manna Ministry, one of the most popular programs in Culpeper. Dozens of poor, homeless and lonely people eat lunch there every weekday. There are several churches involved in this program, including Mountain View and Culpeper United Methodist, said Bernardo. It has truly been a community effort. But that is all in the past, and now the man who has led Culpeper Presbyterian in many such efforts, large and small, is walking away and into a Presbyterian-imposed 18-month separation from his church family. What will he do? First, Ill decompress, said the 68-year-old pastor, who did most of his growing up in North Carolina. I look forward to visiting a variety of churches. Listening to sermons is something I have missed. He added that he and his wife, Margaret, also hope to do some traveling. Weve been in this ministry together, Bernardo said. Margaret also has great support and love for this church. Bernardo plans to stay in Culpeper and remain an integral part of the community. Then, when the 18-month absence has passed, he would like to come back to his church family to teach Sunday School or help in other ways. But he made it clear that he will return only when he is certain the next pastor will not stand in his shadow. Still, it will be hard staying away, especially since hell still see church members in public. Ive done baptisms, marriages and funerals for almost every family in this church, he said. These people are like my family. He will certainly be missed, said Martin. He has a great sense of humor and is very good with kids. Over the years, parishioners seem to have found only one fault with their pastor. He cant sing, Martin said. But he knows that and admits it. Its a standing joke. One fault in 27 years? Thats a pretty good recordeven for a preacher. Snow fell in heavy patches around the Fredericksburg region Saturday morning, canceling events and blurring the sky but so far causing few problems on area roadways. Two to four inches of accumulation is possible in some places by the evening, but any sticking is likely to be confined to grassy surfaces, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ray Martin. "We're not looking at too much on pavement," he said. The snowfall should be gone by evening. But with temperatures expected to drop below freezing, ice is definitely possible on roads later today and overnight, Martin said. The Virginia Department of Transportation is asking motorists to exercise caution this morning and throughout the day, as there are isolated areas of snow and slush on roads in Caroline County, the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck, according to a news release. Conditions can change quickly. Interstate 95 and primary and secondary roads in the area were clear Saturday morning, VDOT said. Crews worked overnight to plow roads where at least two inches of snow had accumulated. They continued to spread sand and salt as needed to prevent icing and give drivers more traction, according to the news release. For real-time road conditions in any area, drivers can call 511, visit 511Virginia.org or use VDOT's 511Virginia free mobile app. VDOT's customer service center is open 24 hours a day to answer questions and take reports of roadway hazards at 800/FOR-ROAD (367-7623) or online at https://my.vdot.virginia.gov. Bishop Izear Stafford Tyous, 76, of Spotsylvania County passed away Monday, December 4, 2017 at Spotsylvania Regional Hospital. Bishop Tyous was retired from the federal government. He served as a Bishop in the Greater Holy Light House of Prayer. Survivors include his wife, Patricia A. Tyous. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, December 11, 2017 at Covenant Funeral Service, Fredericksburg. A service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, December 12 at the funeral home chapel. Interment will follow at noon at Quantico National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Greater Holy Light House of Prayer, 4430 Lee Hill School Dr., Fredericksburg, Va. 22408. Online guestbook available at covenantfuneralservice.com. This research opens up the floor to studies of how we can support caregivers we think could be at risk, said study leader Dr. Kareem Jamani. And even outside of the research realm maybe we as clinicians will realize, hey, maybe the caregiver needs some support here, not just the patient. The study was published online on June 21 in the journal Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Caregiving: lifesaving and life-changing In blood stem cell and bone marrow transplantation, which is used to treat leukemia and other blood diseases, caregivers play a really important role through a very difficult and traumatic process for patients, Jamani said. In fact, having a caregiver is so important for a patients outcomes even survival that doctors in the Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium require their patients to have one before undergoing a transplant, Lee said. Benny Juarez, 50, of Oakland, California, is one of them. Juarez has dedicated the past several years of his life to taking care of his girlfriend, Kristin Kleinhofer, who in 2014 was diagnosed with relapsed leukemia. She received a transplant of donated umbilical cord blood through a Fred Hutch trial in 2015. Kleinhofer is now cancer-free, but getting to this point has been harrowing, for both her and, in a different way, for Juarez. Over the course of a year, she went through standard-of-care chemotherapy, experimental chemotherapy, an experimental immunotherapy and the transplant. These were punctuated by stressful searches for each new treatment option and mired in serious side effects that lasted long after her cancer was sent into complete remission. The caregiving role can be exhausting, Juarez said. From overseeing medications and managing medical appointments to assisting in the activities of daily living, theres so much to do. Because a transplant replaces a patients immune system, the patient is vulnerable to infection for a long time as the new system takes hold meaning that even cooking a meal requires extra effort; for example, food-preparation areas, dishes and utensils must be sterilized to reduce the patient's infection risk. Add to the extra physical work the emotional impact of seeing a loved one face death, dealing with stressful medical emergencies, and becoming more isolated from family, friends and hobbies. Its day by day, and sometimes minute by minute. It just goes on, Juarez said. Youre just really alert and really on. He looks back wryly at what he expected when he took on the role: I thought shed just be tired and Id have some quiet time. I was really surprised that there was not too much downtime and time for oneself. One of the hardest things is when it all does come to an end, Juarez said. The patient (hopefully) recovers. The need for caregiving diminishes. The whirlwind dies down. You finally have the chance to reflect on the nightmare that youve lived. And those reflections are difficult to escape. At the same time, said Juarez, his experience has made him rethink his focus in life. Hes gone back to work in corporate accounting hed stopped working to focus on caregiving but recently hes been taking a month off between contract gigs. People are floored by that. I would have been floored by that, too, he said. You re-evaluate whats important. Shining a light on the hidden struggles of caregivers Juarezs thoughts are echoed by many of the anonymous comments from caregivers who responded to the Fred Hutch teams survey. The pages of comments shine a light on lives transformed by caregiving for better and for worse and reflect the trauma the caregivers experienced throughout their loved ones' illness. The caregiver comments reveal a wide range of feelings, from anger and depression to contentment and pride. And they shower both gratitude and admonitions on the doctors who saved their loved ones lives while sometimes leaving the caregivers to feel overlooked. Twenty-five years ago, the questionnaire might have seemed more appropriate. We have dealt with these issues on our own over the last 25 years and you just now resurface these feelings? wrote one. Free Freightnet Membership List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours. On The Water: You might need a bigger boat for Transpac 2023 Editors note: This editorial was written by the editorial board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Guest editorials in this space are intended to provide our readers with a sampling of opinion from other publications and do not necessarily represent the views of the Mid-Valley Media editorial board. A Benton County judge has ruled that pretrial inmates must be housed locally when there are jail beds available before considering housing them in a jail in The Dalles with which the county contracts. Circuit Court Judge David Connell made the decision on Nov. 20. Since then, all pretrial inmates have been transported back to Benton County from the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facility (NORCOR) in The Dalles, and many have been released back into the community, Sheriff Scott Jackson said. The countys contract with NORCOR has been contentious since its inception in July. Many defense attorneys have requested and been granted court orders requiring their clients remain in Benton County until sentencing. Their argument is that NORCOR, which is a three-hour drive northeast of Corvallis, is too far for defense lawyers to adequately get to know clients and prepare cases for trial. Connell, at the request of the countys counsel, reviewed state statutes governing the detention of inmates in order to determine if the NORCOR contract was legal. The judge decided the county has the legal right to enter into contracts for jail beds with nonadjoining counties, but only if all beds at the Benton County Jail are full and all beds in adjoining counties correctional facilities are full. The judge offered a caveat, stating pretrial detainees can waive their right to be housed locally or in an adjoining county if they wish to be taken to NORCOR. Defense attorney John Rich applauded the decision. It vindicates what we have been arguing since they started using NORCOR and reaffirms my position that clients should be held locally pretrial and NORCOR should be used for clients that have been sentenced to a term of local incarceration by the court, Rich said. County Counsel Vance Croney said he initiated the civil case in July because the county wanted clarification regarding the lawfulness of its contract with NORCOR. Clearly, Judge Connells decision was not the decision Benton County had hoped for, but we always respect the courts decision, Croney said. Benton County and the sheriff were listed as plaintiffs in the case. The defendants were All Electors, Freeholders, Taxpayers, and Other Interested Persons. Croney said the summons and complaint in the case were published in the Gazette-Times for three consecutive weeks after being filed in court. When no respondents appeared in the case, Croney asked Connell in September to issue a default judgment asserting the county could legally house pretrial and sentenced inmates at NORCOR. However, the judge stated the countys proposed default judgment would request the court to make a conclusion that could be contrary to state law. As I see it, the county tried to pull a fast one and got caught by a vigilant judge who then set a hearing so that they could present their argument in court, Rich said. On Sept. 22, a hearing in the case took place in Connells courtroom, court records show. Rich said he was unaware of the hearing and that no one was present at the hearing to provide views contrary to the countys arguments. The Gazette-Times did not attend the hearing. Connell took the issue under consideration and issued his ruling via a letter last month. Croney said he intends to ask for clarification from the judge on whether Benton County is required to consider if beds are available at jails in adjoining counties when Benton County doesnt have a contract with those counties to house prisoners. He also said the county is considering whether to appeal the judges decision. For the time being, Benton County pretrial inmates will be held in the local jail, the sheriff said. When space is an issue, defendants with less serious charges and limited or no criminal history will be released first. Jackson did not expect the contract with NORCOR, which went into effect July 1, to become controversial. For 17 years, the county contracted with the nonadjoining Yamhill County for jail beds, he said. Benton County canceled that contract, as well as a contract with Lincoln County, when the NORCOR agreement went into effect. The county has a contract with Linn County for jail beds but it is only used when law enforcement officers there arrest someone wanted in Benton County, Jackson said. The move to NORCOR was expected to save the county about $500,000 a year, Jackson said. The county can use up to 40 beds at NORCOR at a time. Jackson said he is concerned about the number of pretrial defendants the Benton County Jail, which has a total of 40 beds, is being forced to release. He said the jail staff is being faced with ugly decisions about who to let go. I think the more that happens, were kind of buying time until something really tragic happens in the community, the sheriff said. Have you noticed anything different recently when you are zooming up and down Interstate 5? Remember those old double-decker signs that said SPEED LIMIT 65 and TRUCKS 55? Well, the bottom ones have been replaced by ones that say TRUCKS 60. Yes, the state has changed its mind and long-haul trucks now can go 60 mph on most sections of Interstate 5 as well as some sections of Interstates 205 and 84. The change, which was approved with little fanfare by the Oregon Transportation Commission at its Sept. 22 meeting in Salem, was fueled by concerns that with most non-truck traffic traveling at 70 or 75 mph, holding big rigs to 20 mph below that posed safety issues. It left too wide a gap between what trucks were doing and regular vehicles were traveling, said Lou Torres, public information officer for Region 2 of the Oregon Department of Transportation in Salem. Our engineers considered two studies, said Shelley Snow, spokeswoman at ODOT headquarters in Salem, one performed by ODOT and one by Portland State University. "Based on those two studies and several community open houses, they recommended to the speed zone review panel that we change the speed limit to reduce the difference between cars and trucks. The studies found that trucks currently average between 58 and 62 mph on the freeway sections under review with the 85th percentile a common metric used to establish posted speeds closer to 64 mph. From 2001 through 2014 crashes on interstate highways increased in Oregon, although crashes involving trucks have decreased. The studies also found that passenger vehicles are more often at fault in crashes involving trucks. The speed limit change took effect Nov. 13 when ODOT began installing the new signs, said Angela Beers-Seydel, public information officer for ODOTs Region 2, which includes the mid-valley. Installation on Interstate 5 and 205 was completed Nov. 14, with the I-84 project taking a bit longer, Beers-Seydel said, because lanes needed to be closed for the safety of the crews. Each of the seven ODOT districts that were involved in the speed limit change determined how they would replace the signs. Some installed new signs for the truck speed. Others, Beers-Seydel said, did an overlay of the new speed limit on the existing sign. All of the 21 mid-valley signs are new, Beers-Seydel said. A total of 159 signs were installed statewide at a cost of $26,700, not counting the labor or crew equipment. The speed limit remains 55 for trucks in urban areas such as Salem, Eugene and Portland, with Roseburg also staying at 55. Roseburg was a special case, ODOT officials said, because of crash problems, intersections that are close together and a high-usage rate by vehicles traveling within Roseburg. The new speed limit also will be in place on I-205 between I-5 and West Linn and on I-84 from Troutdale to The Dalles. The change has not sparked much response or criticism. Marie Dodds, director of government and public affairs with AAA of Oregon, said the auto club, which has a long record of involvement in highway safety issues, did not take a position on the change. Generally, if ODOT puts forth a recommendation that a speed change is safe, we do not interfere, said Dodds, who added that as a rule AAAs position is that car and truck speeds should not be beyond (a) 10 mph difference because of safety concerns. C.J. Drake, communications and public affairs manager with Georgia-Pacific in Toledo, said the firm, which runs more than 300 trucks daily out of its container board facility, also has not taken a position on the change. Were still evaluating its impact, if any, on our operations in Oregon, Drake said. ODOT began its investigation of the issue in November 2016. Portland State began its inquiry in February, public meetings were held in March and ODOTs speed zone review panel made its recommendation to the commission in June after reviewing the completed ODOT and PSU studies (see the full text of the studies in the online version of this story). "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is often interred with their bones. So let it be with [Thomas Hart Benton, Joseph C. Avery, etc., etc.]" (Apologies to W. Shakespeare). The current almost mindless focus on aspects of our ancestors which do not meet the strictures of the left's preoccupation with political correctness is getting ridiculous. Slavery is an unmitigated complete evil. Period, exclamation point. It is an evil, however, that was practically universal in almost all societies in all eras until some white European males decided to impose their values on other societies. They weren't totally successful; a slave auction was recently reported in Libya and the peculiar Institution lives on in other Muslem countries. Here in the United States, slavery existed among the Pacific Northwest Indians among others (there were a number of Cherokee slave owners) and there were many black slave owners as well in 1860 about three-quarters of free black households in Charleston, South Carolina owned slaves (refer to "Black Slaveowners" by Larry Kroger, a well-referenced book). Do we excise all history? The City Council should consider that without the efforts of men like Thomas Hart Benton, Joseph C. Avery and others, you, gentle reader, would not be here, Corvallis would not exist and what is now Oregon would be part of Canada. But, if it is to be renamed, may I suggest Snowflake Park? That would seem to be appropriate. Jonathan A. Hayes Corvallis (Dec. 8) Regarding "Valve turners or vigilante justice," the Dec. 7 opinion piece by Paul deLespinasse: Leonard Higgins is an extraordinarily courageous man courageous in his efforts to reverse global warming by putting his body on the gears of the North American big-oil machine. Professor deLespinasse began his effort to smear the reputation of Higgins by linking Higgins to the description "vigilante." The professor seems to enjoy using words such as "sin," "immoral," and, now, "hell" ("the road to hell") but does not explain what he is talking about. With "vigilante" he did supply examples, four of which clearly portray the murder of humans, e.g., "Terrorists who object ... by killing randomly selected crowds of people." The professor did not mention that "vigilante" usually both denotes and connotes violence against humans. This is the essence of the professor's smear approach. Leonard Higgins closed an emergency shutoff valve and thereby temporarily stopped the flow of oil and oil profits. The professor connects Higgins to murderous vigilantes. Does the professor, who uses words like "hell" casually, know that what is legal is not necessarily what is moral? Does he think the American patriots who defied British law at Lexington and Concord in 1775 were just murderous vigilantes? Does he think that the German youths Hans and Sophie Scholl, who were executed in 1943 for violating Nazi law by handing out leaflets, were just aspiring to "standing ovations?" Perhaps the professor could reveal to us exactly where his "road to hell" is located. Leo Quirk Corvallis (Dec. 8) Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. After roughly two years without a designated chief information officer, Kentucky has tapped a recently retired U.S. Army veteran with federal-level information technology (IT) experience as its top tech official.In a Dec. 8 announcement , Finance and Administration Secretary William Landrum III revealed that Charles Grindle, a colonel with a 29-year U.S. Army career, will serve as Kentuckys new CIO. He will head the Commonwealth Office of Technology and will be a member of Gov. Matt Bevins executive cabinet.Grindle served as an Army IT and field artillery officer during his active military service, and completed a broad range of tactical, operational and strategic assignments during peace and wartime.Immediately prior to becoming CIO, he was an associate professor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., where he's served in various capacities since June 2012 according to his LinkedIn profile.His Army career dates to 1988; and during active service, Grindle was deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, where he was lead IT officer for the 3rd Army (FWD). Upon returning, he served as CIO for the U.S. Military Academy.Landrum said in a statement he is extremely pleased at Grindles elevation to the position of CIO, which was previously occupied by acting CIO and Deputy Commissioner Jim Barnhart . Barnhart replaced CIO Jim Fowler , who resigned in December 2015 after Bevins election in the previous month.His breadth of experience and depth of knowledge will be instrumental as we continue transitioning to enterprisewide technology platforms, as opposed to the prior practice of state government developing agency-specific applications, Landrum said. This created far too many silos in the executive branch, with agencies working entirely independent of each other."Grindle said he is excited to join the Office of Technology.I feel confident we can build upon the work already being done while also challenging our IT team to embrace new thinking, deploy new technologies and improve the commonwealths technology platforms to make state government more accessible to citizens, the new CIO said in a statement.The retired colonel has long focused on IT. He earned both a masters and doctorate degree in information science at the University of Pittsburgh. Grindle also holds a second masters degree from the U.S. Army War College.He has also taught academic courses on topics including contemporary security issues, cyber operations and U.S. national security policy.He is married with two daughters and retired from the Army earlier this year. (TNS) Weeks into a new gas tax hike, California transportation officials said Thursday they are studying ways to charge drivers based on how many miles they drove since their last fill-up rather than the amount of fuel they use.The problem? California drivers are choosing such fuel-efficient cars that the state fears it will be deprived of enough road construction revenues in the long run.The CalTrans study the California Road Charge Pilot Program report is billed as a way for the state to move from its longstanding but outmoded pump tax to a system where drivers pay based on their odometer readings.Caltrans Deputy Director Carrie Pourvahidi said the state will send out a request early next year to technology companies for ideas on a simple communication system at gas stations or electric charging stations that can instantly tell how many miles the car has driven.Itd be point-of-sale technology, she said. Were looking for something so simple that there is nothing (the driver) has to do.If the state finds technology that works, it will apply for a federal highway grant to explore how to set up a statewide system. Other states have been looking into switching to a per-mile road tax, but California appears to be the first to look at point-of-purchase technology in recent years, Pourvahidi said.Officials say the research stems from the states struggles to come up with adequate per-gallon pump revenues as more cars get higher mileage.Gov. Jerry Brown and the state Legislature passed a controversial set of tax and fee increases this year that they see as a stopgap. Those fees, including a 12-cent per gallon tax increase, are being challenged by tax groups seeking a November 2018 ballot repeal.In a report issued Thursday, state officials said this years Senate Bill 1 tax should succeed in delaying the expected transportation funding shortage by a decade or more, but contends the state ultimately will need a new system for funding road maintenance and repair.Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach, is an opponent of SB 1 and dismissed the pay-per-mile concept as well, saying the state has adequate funding already.Its another terrible idea from Sacramento Democrats to reduce productivity, he said.The California Road Charge Pilot Program report included an overview of a just-finished road charge experiment that enlisted more than 5,000 volunteer drivers to have their mileage monitored over nine months of driving.Most volunteers used a device plugged into the vehicles data port that relied on wireless technology to transmit mileage information to a state contractor. The state then sent each driver a simulated monthly invoice, and drivers sent in online mock payments.State officials report that the project went well and is doable on a larger basis for the entire state driving population.However, they said, a system based on paying per mile at the gas pump or charging station could be simpler, more cost effective and more readily accepted by the public. It likely will take at least until 2025 to come up with a system, the reports authors said.That new system will be problematic politically, though.Rob Stutzman, a consultant who works with Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said it could create a policy conundrum for California. Any effort to charge those users creates a disincentive to purchase alternative fuel vehicles, he said.Matthew Baker, policy director for the Planning and Conservation League, an environmental group, said the pay-per-mile concept could help reduce the vehicle miles traveled by California drivers, an important goal for his group, but the fee could have the negative effect of hitting lower-income communities harder.He said the state should use revenues from a pay-per-mile system to provide more access to non-car travel modes, such as public transit, and should focus efforts as well on creating communities where people dont have to drive as many miles in their daily lives. Its bad enough that rising court costs in North Carolina put onerous, long-term burdens on many people. Its worse that judges are now hindered in their ability to waive fines and fees for individuals who have no means to pay. A provision in the state budget that took effect Dec. 1 requires courts to give 15 days notice to a list of agencies that receive funds from penalties before a judge can waive fees. That supposedly gives those parties a chance to object. But it seems intended to create so much red tape that courts will become too tangled up to grant waivers. The effect is to maintain a court system unique in the country for the amount of money it squeezes out of people unfortunate enough to be caught in the justice system. The law is believed to be the first of its kind in the country, Joseph Neff wrote for The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the courts. It runs counter to reform efforts in other states that are attempting to reduce the number of people jailed because they are unable to pay fines or fees or make bail. In North Carolina, the legislature is turning courts into a self-funding operation and putting excess revenue into its general fund. But when indigents are jailed because they cant pay, the expense of locking them up is carried by counties. The new requirement is forcing Guilford Countys court leaders to devise a compliance strategy, according to Chief District Court Judge Tom Jarrell. Were really inventing the wheel on this, Jarrell said this week. Theres no precedent for any implementation of this anywhere in the country. Jarrell has prepared a form that the clerks office can send to funded agencies every 15 days letting them know that judges will consider waiving fees in criminal cases and offering them the opportunity to appear in court and lodge objections. He thinks that will comply with the letter of the law. If there are objections, judges must hold a hearing and make findings of fact based on a defendants present ability to pay. The judge then could waive fees, set a payment schedule or order another remedy. We have a tool kit full of judgments other than money, Jarrell said. Yet, the legislature clearly wants money, which is why its imposed fees and court costs that can put an offender thousands of dollars in debt for a DWI or even a lesser infraction. While drunken drivers dont deserve much sympathy, some costs are truly absurd such as a fee to file a form declaring indigency, or for being arrested, or for requesting a public defender. Guilford Countys chief assistant public defender, David Clark, gave an example last week in a talk to the League of Women Voters of two teenagers charged with simple affray having a fist fight. It was the first run-in with the law for both. Offered the chance to participate in a first-offender program, one paid the cost, completed the course and was rewarded by having his record cleared. The other couldnt afford to enroll in the first-offender program. He ended up with a criminal record and ultimately owed more money in fines. Clark asked whether the state should offer such different outcomes in court based solely on financial circumstances. In North Carolina, the state is running its criminal-justice system largely on fines and fees, with different outcomes based on the ability to pay. Thousands of people sit in county jails on minor charges because they cant pay fines or make bail. Furthermore, while most revenues go to the state, many of the costs are paid by the poor and by counties. Now, because judges waive fees when they think its warranted, the legislature has made even that exercise onerous. But its requirements add delays and ties the hands of judges who are elected, logically enough, to make judgments. This is exploitation, not justice. The legislature should reverse course and let judges weigh justice in their courts. Ann Bissell Luke is a volunteer with U.S.E. Utilize Senior Energy a job referral service located downstairs in the Senior Center. J: How did you get involved with U.S.E.? A: (My kids) are in college now, so I wanted to be more active and I always have liked volunteering. Im an ex-Peace Corps volunteer. I was in Morocco from 1980 to 83. Many many years ago. J: Oh thats great. A: Actually, this job came to me by a fluke. I wanted to get involved with French again, so Alliance Francaise is upstairs and when I went upstairs to find out about that, I saw the flyer for U.S.E. We refer people 50 and over into positions ... we just pair companies who need people to work, and we have a variety of different jobs: administrative assistant, clerical, reception, computer, drivers. McArdles is one of our clients we refer people to because a lot of people need seasonal ... people to deliver trees or floral arrangements, stuff like that. J: Right. A: And a lot of stores need people this time of year, seasonal sales clerks. J: Where are you from? A: I lived in Rye Brook, N.Y., but I was always kind of involved in the Greenwich community because I bought our house in Rye Brook from a Greenwich Junior League member. I was in the Junior League for many years but I let my sustainership go. Now that I live in Byram, I am involved again. J: And you said you have children in college. How many children do you have? A: Two. My son is a senior at the University of New Hampshire and my daughter is a sophomore at Syracuse. J: Oh great. Im sure its a change to have them not around anymore. A: Yeah, so thats why I think for people like me, this job is great. Because it keeps you busy you meet a lot of people. J: So now, for people who are looking for extra work, is there any advice you have for them? I know it can be difficult for people who are older because, employers are supposed to be equal opportunity but sometimes they are not. A: Yeah. Well anyone 50 and over can utilize our services. You dont have to necessarily be from Greenwich, but a lot of people are from Greenwich. They have to come in first, we have to see them, and then they do an interview. And then I think the nice thing about this is we dont pigeonhole people. Someone comes in and says, My background is in bookkeeping or I was in accounting but if you dont want to do that, lets say now you want to branch out and be in food services or maybe you want to do something creative like floral arranging we will hook you up with those kinds of positions as well. J: So its not just based off of experience, but based off of new learning experiences. A: Correct. And we are all volunteers at U.S.E., like I volunteer Wednesdays, and we have people who volunteer other days. We are open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. J: Do you also have businesses that call you to find people? A: I wish! J: So you reach out to the businesses. Is there something youve noticed about the people who find work versus the people who dont necessarily find work? A: I think like anything in life you have to be proactive. You cant just be reactive and sit around and wait for the telephone to ring. I think the one thing is people who are computer literate or know how to get online are definitely at an advantage to people who dont know how to use a computer. Because nowadays a lot of jobs are, you have to go online. ... Especially for older people, I think that makes them young too, when they can say, Yeah, Im proficient with the computer. J: And there is also the free computer lab here at the Senior Center. There are resources in this building for people looking to do that. A: Yeah, and (U.S.E. has) been in business since 1978 and there is no fee for our referral service ... I have a Facebook page that I created for U.S.E. as well. Email Jennifer Turiano at jturiano@greenwichtime.com and follow her on Twitter: @jturianoGT and Instagram: @greenwichgreen. Nicehash, a famous mining pool seems to have been hacked, according to online data, a good 56 million USD worth of BitCoin seems to have disappeared overnight. While unconfirmed, it seems 4700+ BTC has gone missing and all NH mining pools are offline. NiceHash is one of the more popular solutions thanks to an easy interface and its usability, by downloading a small application and associating your BTC address, you are good to go. Users mention that their wallets have been emptied and the bitcoins are now in a wallet that received 4736 bitcoins on Wednesday, currently, that entails a total value of 51 million euros, roughly 56 million USD. The service has been showing a mysterious maintenance notification for the entire day already, according to some rumors coming from expert users of the pool and blogger steemit mention it seems possible that NiceHash has been the victim of one of the biggest hacks ever seen on such a platform. At the following link, there is the "main" address of NiceHash that shows the zeroing in the early morning of the total, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, if the user's wallets have been emptied, this will be amounting to almost 56 million dollars, and that seems to have been transferred towards one BTC address. Many people are very worried since official confirmation is still lacking, a possible hack remains unconfirmed. Bitcoin reached 12,000 dollars per Bitcoin today. Update: the CEO of NiceHash just posted the following and confirms that their website indeed has been compromised: Unfortunately, there has been a security breach involving NiceHash website. We are currently investigating the nature of the incident and, as a result, we are stopping all operations for the next 24 hours. Importantly, our payment system was compromised and the contents of the NiceHash Bitcoin wallet have been stolen. We are working to verify the precise number of BTC taken. Clearly, this is a matter of deep concern and we are working hard to rectify the matter in the coming days. In addition to undertaking our own investigation, the incident has been reported to the relevant authorities and law enforcement and we are co-operating with them as a matter of urgency. We are fully committed to restoring the NiceHash service with the highest security measures at the earliest opportunity. We would not exist without our devoted buyers and miners all around the globe. We understand that you will have a lot of questions, and we ask for patience and understanding while we investigate the causes and find the appropriate solutions for the future of the service. We will endeavor to update you at regular intervals. While the full scope of what happened is not yet known, we recommend, as a precaution, that you change your online passwords. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience that this may have caused and are committing every resource towards solving this issue as soon as possible. Source: Twitter Haiti - Health : Project of a Hi-Tech analysis laboratory of nearly 1 billion gourdes This week, Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafonfant met with a delegation of doctors from the Hospital of the State University of Haiti (HUEH), led by Dr. Malbranche, around the pilot project called "Laboratory of non-invasive cardiovascular investigations." This hi-tech analysis laboratory has two major objectives: a better standard academic training for cardiologists and a cost-effective management of cardiovascular cases, such as the electrocardiogram. The Head of Government is committed to the implementation of this project, whose total cost is currently estimated at more than 820 million gourdes. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Social : Launch of the Project Pwoteje'm se dwa'm On Friday, celebrating International Human Rights Day in advance (Sunday, December 10), the European Union and Association of Volunteers in the International Service (AVSI) launched the project "Pwoteje'm se dwa'm". Lasting two years and with an envelope of 625,000 Euros ( 45 million gourdes) 70% of which is provided by the European Union, this project aims to defend the rights of children who are victims of exploitation, discrimination, trafficking and abandonment in three departments of Haiti (North, North East and West). "Pwoteje'm se dwa'm" will be implemented in partnership with, among others, the Jesuit Migrant Service (SJM) and the Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR). On the occasion of the launching ceremony, the Ambassador of the European Union, Vincent Degert, declared "December 10th will mark the beginning of a year of events for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration human rights [...] However, translating the promises of the Declaration into reality requires ongoing and substantial efforts. In this context, I am delighted that we have [...] come together to launch new concrete actions in the field. In this case, for the next two years, we will help children in vulnerable areas, where the needs are most acute." The project will support 600 vulnerable children and 150 families of origin or reception, through psychosocial assistance and educational support. In addition, children's rights in state and non-state institutions for the protection of children in targeted departments and communities will be promoted. The action will directly involve local authorities, the Minors Protection Brigade, 40 school directors, 240 teachers, 6,000 school children and 40 community-based organizations. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : Fight against corruption, message from Major David Basile As part of the International Day Against Corruption, this Saturday, December 9, celebrated by the United Nations on the theme "United Against Corruption for Development, Peace and Security", Major David Basile, Director General of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) delivered a message. Extracts from Major David Basile's message : "[...] the Anti-Corruption Unit reaffirms its strong commitment to fight corruption in all its forms within the National Public Administration according to the wish of the decree of September 8, 2004 on its creation. The scourge of corruption must be curbed at all costs in order to guarantee a stable business climate that is favorable to economic operators. [...] There is a need for all sectors of national life to stand together against this endemic disease that has deep roots in the bureaucratic and administrative traditions of the country. It is true that the responsibility for the fight against corruption rests primarily with the public authorities charged with imposing strict compliance with the standards of good governance and ethical principles in the management of public resources. But, faced with the scale of this systemic phenomenon, collective mobilization is essential to ensure the effectiveness of the struggle [...] [...] The emergence of this citizen vigilance must be encouraged to reinforce the accountability of public accountants and controllers for the population [...] the ULCC relies heavily on this citizen awakening to be able to to boost the process of eliminating corruption in Haitian society in general and the National Public Administration in particular. [...] In the same vein, the ULCC takes advantage of the commemoration of the International Day Against Corruption to announce the establishment of anti-corruption alert boxes in public offices, nicknamed, intended to receive the complaints and denunciations of the victims and witnesses of acts of corruption perpetrated at the level of the public institutions. To deter fraud and corruption, we must declare zero tolerance against the corruptors, the corrupt and their accomplices [...]" HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Gary Bodeau replors Trump's decision Gary Bodeau, Deputy of Delmas, Questor of the Lower House and President of the Majority bloc reacting to Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, declared Donald Trump's decision on Jerusalem, the creation of two States, Palestine and Israel are necessary for the reconciliation of the two peoples who are condemned to live together in peace and serenity." REMINDER : Credit cards Following the decision of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), since 1 December 2017 in Haiti, all transactions made from credit cards issued in Haiti must be made in Gourdes. "The security situation is better than before" dixit PM According to Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant also Head of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN) "The security situation in Haiti is better than it was before" and announces that arrangements have been made to secure the population during the period end of year celebrations. Think Eco and Act Eco Friday, as part of the "World Climate Day" the Directorate of Climate Change of the Ministry of the Environment and its main collaborators, while recommending to the Haitian community good climate-smart practices and efficient on carbon invite every citizen to practice "eco-gestures". Launch of the new preschool curriculum The launch ceremony of the pilot experience of the new preschool curriculum will take place on Monday, December 11 at 9:45 am at the Best Western Hotel in Petion-ville. The ceremony will be chaired by Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education. Inauguration of the Fire Department On Friday, the Mayor of Croix-des-Bouquets Rony Colin inaugurated the Fire and Rescue Service of the Commune. HL/ HaitiLibre We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here Some of the United States' oldest allies turned their backs on Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate its embassy there, during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday. "It contradicts international law and UN Security Council resolutions," Swedish Ambassador Olof Skoog told the council. "Jerusalem is a final status issue and can therefore only be resolved through negotiations agreed between the parties." Skoog noted that in 1947, the year before the state of Israel was established, the United Nations attributed special legal status as corpus separatum or a "separated body" to the city, which is holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. The decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel reflects the "will of the American people," U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council on Dec. 8, 2017. /AP 1980 Decision Until now, states have respected a 1980 council decision declaring attempts to change the status of Jerusalem as "null and void" and calling on all states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from the city. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states after a negotiated settlement. "We therefore disagree with the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and unilaterally to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel before a final status agreement," Rycroft said. "These decisions are unhelpful to the prospects for peace in the region, an aim I know all of us in the council remain committed to." More than half the council's 15 members requested the open meeting, and delegations from other member states packed the chamber, indicating the importance Jerusalem's status holds across the globe. Security Council members criticized the Trump administration decision, saying it risks prejudging the outcome of final status issues and threatens the entire peace process. They also expressed concerns it could be exploited by extremists and radicals, fueling tensions in an already turbulent region. "This carries the risk of taking a political conflict -- which in and of itself carries risks -- causing it to morph into an insurmountable religious conflict," warned French envoy Francois Delattre. Egypt, under the leadership of Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has developed a close relationship with the Trump administration, but the two have diverging views on this issue. "This is a dangerous precedent that needs reflection," cautioned Egyptian envoy Amr Aboulatta. "Such a unilateral decision is a violation of international legitimacy and thus, it has no impact on the legal status of the city of Jerusalem, since it is a city under occupation," he added. Israel annexed East Jerusalem after the 1967 war. Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour told the Security Council the U.S. announcement was "extremely regrettable" on Dec. 8, 2017. /AP Rare Rebuke In a rare rebuke of the United States, the four European council members -- Britain, France, Italy and Sweden -- with Germany, read a joint statement to reporters after the meeting, reinforcing their disagreement with the Trump administration position and stating the move runs counter to security council resolutions and is unhelpful to the pursuit of peace. During Friday's council meeting, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley was defiant. A staunch ally of Israel, she first took aim at the UN. "Over many years, the United Nations has outrageously been [one] of the world's foremost centers of hostility toward Israel," Haley said. "The UN has done much more to damage the prospects for Middle East peace than to advance them. We will not be a party to that." She defended the president's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying it is the "will of the American people" and is merely recognizing the reality on the ground. "The United States has not taken a position on boundaries or borders," she said. "The specific dimensions of sovereignty over Jerusalem are still to be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations." She said the president supports maintaining the status quo at holy sites. "We remain committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement," Haley added. "We support a two-state solution if agreed to by the parties." 'Reality Check' Israel's envoy Danny Danon welcomed the U.S. announcement saying it should serve as a "reality check" for the Palestinians and other nations. "They can realize what's always been true: that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a critical and necessary step for peace," Danon said. "They can learn that there will never be peace without Jerusalem as the capital of Israel." Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the U.S. announcement was "extremely regrettable," has heightened tensions and risks completely destabilizing the situation. He referred to several UN resolutions protecting Jerusalem's status. "No policy announcement can change that reality, nor can it negate the rights of the Palestinian people, per international law and the relevant UN resolutions," he said. Mansour told reporters that following meetings of the Arab League ministers Saturday in Cairo and next Wednesday of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Istanbul, he would return to the Security Council to ask members to adopt a resolution asking the U.S. to rescind its decision and to reaffirm the special status of Jerusalem. The United States would certainly veto such a resolution, but politically the move could further internationally isolate the Trump administration. BRISTOL, Va. The Bristol Virginia Democratic Committee will conduct a mass meeting on Monday to elect new members for January 2018 through December 2019. All Democrats residing in and registered to vote in Bristol, Virginia, are encouraged to attend. The meeting will be at the Bristol Virginia Courthouse, 497 Cumberland Street. The location is ADA accessible. Registration begins at 6 p.m. Doors will close at 6:30 p.m. for the meeting. Registration forms may be downloaded from bristolvademocrats.org or the committees Facebook page. The form can also be requested by email at bvdcalendar@gmail.com. If you cannot attend and wish to be a committee member, call 423-571-0691. A completed form must be turned in before 6 p.m. on Dec. 10. BRISTOL, Tenn. King University celebrated Fall 2017 Commencement exercises Saturday at Viking Hall. More than 350 diplomas were awarded to students who have completed undergraduate or graduate degrees, according to a King University news release. "Today, we celebrate the hard work and dedication of each of our graduates as they receive their degrees from King University, President Alexander Whitaker said in the release. From the moment students are accepted to King, they are members of a close-knit community. During Commencement, we not only recognize the graduates exceptional accomplishments but also welcome them as alumni of King University. The Commencement speaker was Claude Pressnell Jr., president of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association. Pressnell has spent nearly 30 years in higher education administration. He holds a doctorate in higher education administration/educational leadership from Vanderbilt University. For his message to the graduates, he shared Intellectual Stewardship. The attainment of this degree is to be employed in service to others, Pressnell said in the release. It is to be focused on the other, not focused on the giver. It is to be exercised in love. But, you take with you the responsibility that you have gained to be employed for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. Matt Roberts, vice president for academic affairs, said, "Every Commencement is a special time as the entire institution comes together to celebrate the accomplishments of our students. These graduates are forever part of our Christian academic community, and we wish them well in their professional and personal endeavors. R Bindu also said the quality of education in Kerala had not dipped contrary to the opposition's claims. Within two years, a deep underground wall, equipped with advanced sensors, will cut through Hamass ability to tunnel into Israel. That will lead southern Israeli villages and towns to breathe a collective sigh of relief. But the Gazan terrorist factions that are currently arming themselves are likely already thinking about new ways to target Israelis. The IDF and Israeli Defense Ministry are working around the clock to complete the new underground wall. It will stretch 65 kilometers (40 miles) from north to south, across Israels entire border with Gaza. In the past, the ability to inject heavily armed, well-trained terror squads into Israel via attack tunnels formed a key ability in the hands of Gazas factions. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad poured considerable treasure, sweat and blood (many diggers died when tunnels collapsed on them) to create them. Some of the tunnels branch out into multiple exit shafts. They are often built with small rails and wheeled cars for shifting weapons around, ventilation systems, an electrical supply, and rooms for storing weapons and uniforms. Some even had motorcycles parked inside. But by 2019, the underground barrier will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for terrorists to infiltrate Israel by traveling underground. The wall is being complemented by a new IDF tunnel detection system. This is being used with increasing success by the militarys Southern Command to discover and destroy tunnels. The most recent example of this scenario was the detonation of a PIJ tunnel in late October, an operation that killed around 15 diggers and those who tried to rescue them. The underground barrier is being constructed by Israel entirely on its own side of the border. It represents a significant Israeli gain in the high-stakes game of cat and mouse against Gazas terrorists, but it is not the final word. In the ongoing campaign between Israel and Palestinian terrorist organizations, a competition is always happening, on learning how to utilize technological developments, and formulating new strategies and doctrines for action, Prof. Boaz Ganor, executive director of Israels International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, told JNS.org. The terror organizations are trying to find new techniques and means to conduct attacks, and Israel is trying to develop new technologies and strategies for defense and attack, Ganor said. The challenge posed by tunnels committed Israel to finding a technological solutions to prevent infiltration into its territory. The more Israel is successful in preventing the digging of tunnels into its territory, it is reasonable to assume that the terror organizations will search for techniques and means that will help them overcome the new barrier. Those could include attempts to infiltrate Israel through the sea or air, or to dig deeper tunnels running underneath the new barrier, he added. In fact, according to the Southern Commands assessments, Hamas has been working to build new short-range rockets that are not very accurate, but do carry a massive warhead, inspired by projectiles used with devastating effect by warring sides in Syria. Such a rocket could destroy whole buildings in a direct impact. In addition, the terror factions could try to set up new operations out of Judea and Samaria (commonly known as the West Bank), away from Gaza, Ganor said. One must remember that despite all of the difficulties they have in getting organized in Judea and Samaria for the purpose of conduction an attack, these terror organizations do have the ability to transfer their infiltration efforts, for example to kidnap soldiers and civilians, from the Gaza Strip to Judea and Samaria, he said. Meanwhile, above ground on the Gaza border, Israel is working on completing another projectan eight-meter (26-foot) tall fence, complete with high masts that hold radars, and far-reaching day and night cameras. The above-ground barrier will deliver early alerts on any suspicious movement, giving the IDF a timely heads-up about the approach of terror cells. It is modeled on the advanced barriers built along Israels borders with Egypt and Syria. The underground wall can also deliver real-time alerts. They will be sent to military control centers that are popping up along the border. These centers are staffed 24 hours a day by dedicated IDF operators, and equipped with advanced automatic threat detection computer systems. The centers could, for example, request action against tunnels detected by the walls advanced sensors, deep underground. The IDF has additional ways of keeping a close watch on Gaza, including drones, surveillance flights and field units deployed in camouflage throughout the border, which can call in supporting fire when they detect threats. A pilot program for the underground wall started in the summer. In September, intensive work began to complete the project as soon as possible. Currently, Defense Ministry employees are working around the clock, pouring cement onto a superstructure deep underground. Hamas and the other terror organizations are watching the work unfold, but are not intervening. In August, Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, who is in charge of the Southern Command, told reporters that the underground barrier will prevent the digging of tunnels into our territory. It is advancing according to plan. In the coming months, this project will be significantly accelerated. We will see an expansion of the scope of worksWe very much hope we will not be challenged while working on this project. Prof. Uzi Rabi, director of the Moshe Dayan for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, said the new wall could contribute to Israels deterrence power, but that this deterrence would always be limited. It could restrain those who can be restrained, Rabi told JNS.org. But since there are peripheral organizations among them [in Gaza] who view conflict against Israel as the axis of their existence, he said, these groups will channel their negative energies to find no less lethal options. SALISBURY Four individuals were honored by Catawba College on Nov. 29 at the 2017 Church/College Dinner hosted on campus by the colleges Lilly Center for Vocation and Values and Campus Ministry. Those honored with Church/College Awards included the Rev. Don and Jo Anne Flick of Taylorsville, the Rev. Lawrence Larry Bolick, Jr. (70) of Salisbury, and Barry Leonard (65) of Lexington, all of whom have supported and assisted with the work of Catawbas campus ministry and its Lilly Center. Established in 2009 as a way for the college to recognize and express appreciation to persons who have served both the church and the college in exemplary ways, the Church/College Awards, and the dinner at which they are presented, lift up the relationship between Catawba College and the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ. The event is an opportunity to share with the church constituency what the college currently is doing to address that church/college relationship and to continue the tradition and mission of providing an education rich in opportunities for students to grow spiritually. The event also is an opportunity to recognize persons who have been particularly faithful to that aforementioned mission in both the wider church and to the college. The Flicks have established a scholarship at Catawba to enable deserving students to prepare for a vocation in ministry. The Flicks have provided leadership for the Southern Conference and the Western North Carolina Association of the United Church of Christ, serving multiple congregations and working together to organize and reshape these congregations. They have also served in the long-term health care and retirement housing area of ministry and have been instrumental in developing new facilities and inter-generational programs. In the Hickory area, the Flicks were the organizing team who moved from Hagerstown, Md., to Hickory in 1963 to bring into being a new United Church of Christ in the St. Stephens area. This church has been known for more than 50 years as Church of the Master and just recently changed its name to Peace United Church of Christ. From 1984 to 1997, Don Flick served as executive director of what is now United Church Homes and Services in Newton, and Jo Anne Flick served as administrative assistant of what is now Abernethy Laurels from 1985 until 1992. Both Don and Jo Anne have been active in a number of community ministries such as Cooperative Christian Ministry, Habitat for Humanity and most recently in Catawba Valley Interfaith Council. This team helped organize Linked in New Creative Ministry (LINC Ministry) which is a not-for-profit ministry uniting the outreach efforts of seven churches and UCHS. LINC operates a Gift and Thrift Store in Newton and a project known as Serving with Heart and Hammer which provides home improvement services to needy elderly. All of the profits from the store are directed back into the community to carry on outreach ministry. Bolick has held many roles in the Southern Conference and the Western North Carolina Association for the United Church of Christ, from senior pastor to music minister. He has ministered in UCC retirement communities, led mission trips to rebuild devastated neighborhoods, and helped assure that there is a written record of the faith journeys of those in the UCC through his work with the Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society and in his contributions in the writing of the history book, Churches Related. Bolick has also helped market and promote the Youth Theology Institute offered at Catawba College. Leonard, a retired CPA, has provide leadership and shared his business acumen at Peace United Church of Christ in Greensboro, at his home congregation of Second United Church in Lexington, and at Catawba College, his alma mater. He served for almost two decades on the Catawba College Board of Trustees, a living example of the Christian faith tradition where his strong ethical and moral values were exemplified in selfless service and generosity. He has also established a fund at Catawba to support students preparing for Christian ministry. The first Church/College Dinner was held in 2009 and the inaugural recipients of the Church/College Award were Wade Hampton Shuford Jr. (50) of Hickory and Claude Abernethy Jr. of Conover. In 2011 another Catawba County resident, the Rev. Tom Hamilton (55) received the honor. The fact that several of the total award recipients to date are from Catawba County itself speaks to the strong affiliation between Catawba College and the county in which the college was founded and existed for nearly 75 years. In addition to presenting the Church/College Awards, this years dinner provided an opportunity for Catawba students who are a part of the Year of Inquiry program to update the church representatives on developments at the college which make possible the strengthening of the relationship and the mission. One such program is the Theology Institute which has been developed by the college with the support of a major funding grant from the Lilly Endowment. The Institute gives Catawba students opportunities to further explore their faith and the possibility they may be being called into professional ministry. These students work with faculty members and pastors to provide week-long retreat experiences for high school youth to learn about the Christian faith and what being a person of faith can mean to them. Participation in this program doubled from the previous summer. Another new program at the college is the Catawba Outdoor Adventures (COA) which provides students opportunities to go camping, hiking, and exploring in the outdoors, and enables them to recognize God at work in their lives and to think about their relationship to God and one another. There are 15 students in the Year of Inquiry program, the largest number in the past 10 years. This program provides those students who think they may be receiving a call from God full time Christian service to further explore that possibility. Many of these students will go into pastoral, music, outdoor, or youth ministry and do further education in preparation for serving in these capacities. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/ I have just received a copy of this years lecture in honour of the outstanding civil servant Lalit Doshi given by Kaushik Basu who was Chief Economic Advisor to the government of India at the finance ministry. In the lecture he says A sudden digitalisation in an emerging economy like ours will be devastating for the poor. This is what seems to be happening with the Aadhaar-based biometric card authentication which the economist Jean Dreze says is being pushed relentlessly by the central government. Jean is teaching at Ranchi University. He calls his research in the villages of Jharkhand and elsewhere action-oriented research or research for action. When I met him in Ranchi a week or so ago he shared with me some recent research showing that compulsory biometric authentication was excluding marginalised people from security nets they were entitled too. This was particularly true of the rations they should receive from the PDS, the Public Distribution System. He showed me a series of videoed incidents in which people who had been refused rations because biometric machines failed to read their fingerprints, machines did not work because the Internet was down, or there was no electricity. In one incident the PDS recognition machine was hanging from a Jamun tree in the hope that it might receive a signal there. I have my own evidence of biometric aadhaar recognitions fragility. When I went to obtain my card my fingerprints failed to register. Fortunately I went to a small travel agency where the owner was anxious to earn the Rs 300 I was to pay him so he persevered, assuring me that it often took time to get an impression from old people because their fingertips were worn away. Eventually in frustration he grabbed my hand and started rubbing my fingers in his hair. Lo and behold an impression faint, but visible enough to get a card, appeared. Exactly how faint I discovered when I had to be biometrically recognised to buy a new mobile. It took more than ten minutes and countless attempts for my fingerprints to register. Once again the shopkeeper persevered patiently because he wanted my money, but at the time I wondered whether elderly poor people facing biometric difficulties would be treated patiently by PDS shop owners. In the videos I saw they were not. Before I met Jean I had spent two days in tribal villages surrounding Hazaribagh less than two hours by road from Jhansi. There I found that the aadhaar card was being pushed vigorously. A retired carpenter who had spent his working life in Mumbai said to me, The aadhar card is good, corruption is less, but now you cant get anything from the government if you dont have a card. When I asked whether there were people who couldnt get cards he replied, Yes there are many people. The carpenter was reluctant to give me his name explaining with a sheepish smile, I am the BJP booth-in-charge for this village. In another village a retired schoolmaster had no hesitation in identifying himself as Laxmi Narayan Mehto and criticising the aadhar card. He said You need the aadhar card for everything but the problem here is that we dont remember exactly when we were born and often we guess differently on different documents, so the date on a ration card may not be he same as the date on a ration card. Then pointing to the child holding his hand he said It will be all right when he grows up because childrens births are registered today. Responding to recent starvation deaths in Jharkhand the central government has now asked the states to see that people get their rations even if their aadhaar cards dont work. But in March the chief secretary of Jharkhand had ordered all ration cards without aadhaar cards to be cancelled. The problem with aadhaar cards seems to me that the scheme is being pushed ahead suddenly with results that are devastating for many poor people. This is not a criticism of the aadhaar scheme but of the zeal with which it is being pushed a zeal which whatever the central government or state governments says is creating the impression in the field that having a card and fingertips which are not worn down is compulsory. The views expressed are personal For the first time since 1995, the Congress is looking at its best chance yet to wrest Gujarat from the Bharatiya Janata Party and, at the same time, cement the position of its soon-to-be president Rahul Gandhi. The party is banking heavily on the Patidars anger against the BJP, a factor that will be big in the first round of the two-phase polls on Saturday. At stake for the Congress is a crucial momentum that it needs ahead of state elections in 2018 and the general election in 2019. A win in Gujarat will boost Congresss chances of retaining Karnataka which may have elections in March-April and ousting its arch-rival from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan later in the year. The Patel factor Patels, who constitute 12% of Gujarats 60 million-odd population and considered the core supporters of the BJP for the past two decades, are up in arms against the ruling party over the reservation issue. They can potentially influence the outcome in around 60 seats in a 182-member state assembly. With Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel pledging support to the Congress, the nervousness in the BJP camp is palpable. The addition of Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader Alpesh Thakor and tacit support from Dalit activist Jignesh Mevani have also raised the hopes of a turnaround for the opposition party after 22 years, of which Modi ruled for 12. The party face As part of its strategy, the Congress has not declared its chief ministerial candidate and party leaders suggest this works to their advantage and checks factionalism. But, important, it is also a lack of a credible face in Gujarat for the Congress, which has leaders like Captain Amarinder Singh in Punjab and Virbhadra Singh in Himachal Pradesh. The campaigning, largely, has been around Rahul Gandhi. People at a rally of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at Pavi Jetpur, Chhota Udaipur. (PTI Photo) Lessons from 2012 Saurashtra and Kutch are crucial for both parties as these have the highest concentration of seats in the first phase. Together, they account for 58 out of the 89 seats going to polls on Saturday. In the 2012 assembly elections, the BJP won 35 while the Congress bagged 20. Of the remaining three, two were won by the Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) of Keshubhai Patel and one by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Hence, a party that wins the maximum seats from the regions could have the leverage to form the next government. A keen contest will also be witnessed on the 12 seats in Surat, the diamond and textile hub of the country. Here, the Congress is hoping the trading community will vote against the BJP to show their displeasure over demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). For his part, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has campaigned extensively in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, taking on the BJP over issues such as the note ban, GST, job losses, farm distress and its development model. He even coined the phrase Gabbar Singh Tax for GST in one of his election rallies. But as the polling date drew near, the campaign narrative shifted to Gandhis temple visits, Ram Mandir issue and political mud-slinging. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Gujarat voted in the first phase of assembly elections on Saturday, with Election Commission saying the state recorded a voter turnout of 68 per cent. In this phase, Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat went to polls for 89 of the 182 seats. The next round of voting will be held on December 14 and results will be declared on December 18. The Congress hopes to pose a challenge to the BJP in Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state, where the saffron party has been in power for 22 years. During Saturdays voting, EVM glitches were reported from several booths, prompting the Congress to allege that the machines were getting connected to mobile phone via bluetooth. But officials junked the allegation. Here are the updates: 8:50 pm: Thank you Gujarat! Gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Gujarat for voting in record numbers today. I am seeing that BJP is headed towards a historic victory, powered by the affection and support of every Gujarati. pic.twitter.com/FF6hwzfOi3 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 8:07 pm: Arun Jaitley termed the Congress partys Gujarat poll manifesto as constitutionally and financially impossible and said the promises like quota to Patidar and farm loan waiver can never be fulfilled. Having no model of development, the Congress partys manifesto is one of fiscal impossibility. The total revenue earned by the state is about Rs 90,000 crore per annum. The Congress promises a tax waiver of Rs 20,000 crore, he said. 7: 32 pm: When our govt comes to power, it will provide you free of cost medical facility in govt hospitals and free medicines in govt pharmacies: Rahul Gandhi in Mehsana. 7:02 pm: There is no such connection of any Bluetooth or EVM. EVMs don't have receptors or wiring to facilitate that. So such reports are false.: Election Commission of India #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/LwpdQiGzVQ ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 6:45 pm: 68% voter turnout recorded in the first phase of Gujarat Election 2017: Election Commission of India. EC says the figure is likely to cross 70 per cent. 6:58 pm: Arun Jaitley said the BJP was satisfied with the manner in which the first phase of polling in the Gujarat assembly elections went, and claimed his party was headed towards a landslide victory. We express more than satisfaction over the manner in which the election has been conducted today. 6: 20 pm: These are just baseless statements. When statements of these kind are given, I cant help but say that these are preparation of upcoming defeat: Arun Jaitley on Congress Arjun Modhwadia complaints of EVMs connecting to mobile phones via bluetooth in Porbandar. 6:10 pm: Over 70 per cent voting was registered in Gujarat at close of polling at 5 pm in the first phase, though there were still long queues lined up to vote at most polling stations: Gujarat chief electoral officer, B B Swain said, reports IANS. 5:50 pm: Few voters in polling booth 4 said their votes are going to some other candidate. Polling Officer said it'll be tested & if it's found to be false action will be taken against them. Those voters left without tests. There's no truth behind such reports: Bharuch District Collector pic.twitter.com/3oqJsSfWUv ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 5:30 pm: A well educated Congress leader called me Neech. This is the mindset of Congress. They have their language and we have our work. People will answer them through the ballot box : PM Modi 5:28pm: Like a magician tries to distract, PM Modi has also been trying to distracts peoples attention. Congress tried to bring it back and yesterday PM Modi finally gave up. Truth surrounded PM Modi: Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting in Vadnagar, Gujarat. The prime minister in his speeches has only talked about himself. But this election is not about Modi ji or me; it is about Gujarats future, he said. 5:14 pm: Chief Electoral Officer for Gujarat B B Swain said that though voting would end at 5 pm, those standing in queues outside polling booths before the process ends, would be given a chance to cast their votes. The highest turnout of 57.26 per cent was recorded in the tribal-dominated Tapi district, while Porbandar district in Saurashtra region recorded the lowest turnout of 40.06 per cent so far. 5:06 pm: The MUDRA Yojana has empowered people from Dalit communities. This is an effort towards making India a nation of job creators, not job seekers, says Modi. 4:59 pm: Without development there is no solution to the problems India faces: PM Modi at a rally in Mehsana. 4:29 pm: Governor of Karnataka Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala casts his vote in Rajkot. 4:28 pm: During the first phase of voting 1.90% of VVPATs replaced out of 24,689 units deployed. 0.37% out of the 26,865 Ballot Units and 0.38% out of the 24,689 Control Unites replaced too, reports ANI. 4:24 pm: An average 45.61% voting in Phase I #GujaratElection today till 2 pm @htTweets pic.twitter.com/nX0W9dfLWg hiral dave (@hiralddave) December 9, 2017 4:10 pm: No such issues reported till now. Some EVMs replaced due to errors. EVMs were updated with VVPAT, which allows people to verify their vote for 7 seconds: Yogesh Thakkar, Bhavnagar Deputy Electoral Officer on reports of faulty EVMs in 1st phase of polling in #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/czFeupn7UU ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 3:40 pm: No EVMs were connecting to mobile phone via bluetooth, as complained by Congress, in phase I of Gujarat Election: CEO B Swain Excellent trend in voting has been seen so far in phase I, says Swain. 3:19 pm: #WATCH EVM engineer S.Anand talks to media after visiting a polling booth in Porbandar's Thakkar plot following complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth, says, 'the name that you give to your Bluetooth device will be shown when it is paired to another device' #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/TivLjQXEOW ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 3:15 pm: Congress party is synonymous with corruption. Their corrupt practices will never be accepted in Gujarat: PM Narendra Modi. 2:55 pm: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah asked the Election Commission to address the queries being raised on the trustworthiness of the electronic voting machines (EVMs). Ive been extremely sceptical of EVM related conspiracy theories but Im beginning to question my unwavering faith in the machines & their infallibility, Abdullah wrote in a Twitter. 2:42pm: An Election Commission team reaches polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar, to investigate complaints of EVMs connecting to mobile phones via bluetooth. 2:30pm: Rahul Gandhi also repeats his attack on Modi over the Goods and Services tax (GST). Like Gabbar Singhs five weapons, the GST has provisions for five different taxes. 2:29pm: Modijis government launched Make In India and Start Up India but could not do in one year what the Chinese can do in two days: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi 2:25pm: At campaign rally in Patan, Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Narendra Modi over Amit Shahs son. Modiji didnt talk about corruption in his speeches because the company owned by Amit Shahs son has a turnover of Rs 80 crore in three months from Rs 50,000. 2:21pm: This election is not about (Narendra) Modiji but about the future of Gujarat people, says Rahul Gandhi. 2:16pm: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi campaigns in Patans Harij ahead of Gujarats second phase of assembly polling. They (BJP) have everything central government, UP government, Maharashtra government. The Congress party has nothing but the truth of Gujarat. 2pm: Union minister Jitendra Singh dismisses Congress partys complaint about EVMs. Congress has made it a practice to say EVM malfunctioned every time when they face defeat. Therefore, they are preparing ground before December 18 to blame their defeat on EVM, ANI quotes Singh as saying. 1:55pm: Bhavnagar district collector, Harshad Patel, says polling has so far gone ahead peacefully. There is no issue. At few places where machines had problems (have) been resolved; machines have been replaced wherever required, ANI quotes him as saying. 1:45pm: Voter turnout percentage at noon is 30.31%. 1:30pm: Another bride turns up at a polling booth to vote amid her wedding festivities. Katargam(Surat): A bride to be, Fenny Parekh arrives from her 'haldi' ceremony to cast her vote #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/oGaW9skOYV ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 12:50pm: Union minister Arun Jaitley predicts landslide victory for BJP. Congresss campaign tactics have failed, ANI quotes him as saying. 12:40pm: Election Commission orders probe into Congress claim that some EVMs were connecting to mobile phones via bluetooth. 12:30pm: Congress reacts to Modis comments about the attack on him. Salman Nizami kaun hai hum jaante hi nahi (Dont know who Salman Nizami is). He does not hold any position in the party. We can also say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something, says Congress MP Rajiv Shukla, according to ANI. 12:10pm: State information bureau says a 115-year-old woman has voted at Upleta. 115-year-old Ajiben Chandravadia votes at Upleta in phase I #GujaratElection2017 today @htTweets pic.twitter.com/K4wUdtsiT5 hiral dave (@hiralddave) December 9, 2017 12:03pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is campaigning in Lunavada, says, In every part of the nation, the Congress has misled the Muslim community. They have made fake promises of reservations for Muslims but in no state have they fulfilled their promise. 12:01pm: Election Commission confirms average voter turnout percentage till 10 am is 13.38%. Nine third gender votes registered till the time. Noon: I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians: Modi hits back at Nizami. 11:45am: There is a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami, he is even campaigning for Congress in Gujarat. He wrote on Twitter about Rahul Jis father, grandmother. That is ok but he asks - Modi tell me who is your Mother, who is your father. Such language cant even be used for enemies, Modi says. 11:41am: The BJP is asking for votes in these elections on our development agenda. Sadly, the Congress is asking for votes in the name of caste politics, divisive tactics, PM Modi says. 11:35am: PM Modi campaigns for BJP in Lunavada which goes to vote in second phase of polling. Says Gujarat will reject the Congress and punish it for their politics as it happened in Uttar Pradesh. 11:25am: A group of Patidars protest as BJPs Reshma Patel arrives to cast her vote in Junagadh. 11am: Election Commission official Vipul Goti says two EVMs and one VVPAT machine have been replaced. You cannot really call it a technical error; these are electronic items, there can be some issues. Now everything is okay and voting has started, says Goti, who is the master trainer in Surats Varaccha, according to ANI. 10:33am: Around 15% polling has been registered in the first two hours of polling (10am). 10:30am: Election Commission officials replace faulty EVM at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth in Surats Varaccha. 10:25am: Congress Arjun Modhwadia casts his vote in Porbandar. He is in contest with BJP incumbent Babu Bokhiria. Quick fact: The largest constituency to go to vote in this phase is the Abdasa assembly seat in Kutch district, which is spread over 6,278 sq km. The smallest is the Karanj assembly seat in Surat district with only around 4 sq km. 10:15am: Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel casts his vote in Bharuchs Ankleshwar. Congress will win more than 110 seats, ANI quotes him as saying. 10am: Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara casts his vote in Rajkots Ravi Vidayalaya booth. 9:56am: A couple arrive at a polling booth in Bharuch to cast their vote before heading for their wedding ceremony. (Read story) 8:50am: A technical snag in EVM delays voting in Jetpurs Jamkandorna. Minister Jayesh Radadiya and other voters wait. 8:47am: CM Vijay Rupani casts his vote from his Rajkot West seat. He is in contest with Congress Indranil Rajyaguru. 8:40am: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi tweets out an appeal to people to vote, and congratulates first-time voters. He says voting is the soul of democracy. 8:35am: Voting underway in Surat for the Choryasi assembly seat. BJPs Jhankhnaben Patel is up against Congress Yogeshbhai B Patel for this seat. 8:24am: BJPs Gujarat chief Jitubhai Vaghani casts his vote in Bhavnagar. 8:14am: People line up in Surat, Bharuchs Ankleshwar and Rajkot to cast their votes. Voting underway in J.H. Ambani Saraswati Vidyamandir polling booth in Surat #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/f6s6ASldQE ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 8:03am: Chief minister Vijay Rupani calls on people to come out and vote, and also expresses confidence in a BJP win. No question of any challenge, ANI quotes Rupani as saying. 8am: Polling begins. Quick fact: 27,158 EVMs are being used in 24,689 polling stations for the first phase. 7:30am: Security personnel take stock outside polling stations as Election Commission officials set up for the day. 6:15am: Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges people to come out and vote in his home state ahead of the start of the first phase of polling for the assembly election. Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 No, the envisioned Ram Temple in Ayodhya isnt an issue that hits one in the face in agrarian North Gujarat. Much of the public discourse here is about sustenance; oppression and denial of fair opportunity. Out in the fields that grow cumin, fennel and psyllium seeds, its an angry world locked in a contest with urban affluence. What mocks people is their sense of poverty in contrast with next-door abundance. They feel their lives are shorn of the spice and aroma of their farm produce. Unlike in urban pockets, debates at line-hotels on highways and tea vends in the interior arent about incessant political name-calling that drives TV chat shows. Theyre about promises made but not kept. Along the over 200 km stretch from Ahmedabad to Banaskantha through Mehsana and Patan, outrage over the 2015 police action to quell the Hardik Patel-led Patidar stir isnt residual. It is palpable! The full picture emerges when one factors in rising unemployment, farmers angst, shoestring existence of fixed-salaried teachers and junior policemen, graft at local level and privatisation that makes education far too expensive. Its not for nothing that Rahul Gandhi gets an attentive audience when he flags these issues. The questions he asks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are the ones the people have. Not surprising then that across age groups and gender, one hears voices of support for the Congress not as much out of love for it as for teaching the BJP a lesson. Predictions of support for the ruling party rest mostly on humongous logistics at its command and Modis larger than life aura. Mostly muted and sporadically loud, resentment is as much against the PM. But his drawing power is recognised by his detractors who, in a first of sorts in over two decades, arent hard to come by. Some among them feel however that Hardik is as much of a crowd puller without the support of a party machinery. A tussle between the established and the emerging leader will be on display soon in the region that goes to polls on December 14. What should worry the BJP is the tangible alienation. The prevailing mood having its genesis in police action against the Patel youth, turns upside down the conventional wisdom of public memory being short. A proof of it is the BJPs foremost Patidar face and deputy CM Nitin Patel sweating it out in the partys bastion of Mehsana. The dilemma of the very affable former state minister, Jay Narayan Vyas is no different at nearby Sidhpur in Patan. Theyre both banking on Modi to turn the tide. It is hard to miss the BJPs bid to use the Temple issue and Mani Shankar Aiyars low-brow jibe at the PM to polarise voters on religious and caste lines. But the strategy isnt paying dividends. Not yet. One reason for that, perhaps, is the inclusive appeal of the anti-BJP trident: Hardik, Jignesh Mewani and Alpesh Thakor. Hardik is a campaigner, not a contestant. But the other two are candidates in Banaskantha (Vadgam) and Patan (Radhanpur) respectively. It must be said to the BJPs credit that the Jignesh-Alpesh duo have been restricted to their constituencies through richly-funded independents and a word of mouth-media campaign. Jignesh for instance is facing a former area MLAs son contesting as an Independent. Rightly or wrongly, hes also shown to have links with a Muslim outfit under NIA probe. But Jignesh is a good orator. Hes finding traction with the Vadgam electorate whom he exhorts to elect him to send a message to Vadnagar, the PMs birth-place in Mehsana. His game plan is to capitalise on anti-incumbency in an area where caste is a major factor and development is lacking: It has been divide and rule for 22 years. My (tailoring machine) poll symbol will join the threads to stitch up the divide. His independent challenge has the official support of the Congress that holds six out of Banaskanthas nine seats. But hes denied help on the ground by local party leaders. By his own admission, the other challenge he has, is of overturning the BJPs all-out effort to present him as anti-Hindu in a constituency with a sizeable Muslim population. The poll-time machinations in Vadgam are a microcosm of the strategy the BJP wants to secure across Gujarat: use the Muslim card, the temple issue and Aiyars comment to whip up an identity backlash encompassing Dalits and the OBCs. Hardik knows it. So does the Congress. vinodsharma@hindustantimes.com Banihal resident Salman Nizami has an image of him interacting with Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad as his Facebook display picture. Scroll down, and one comes across photographs that show him addressing what seems like a Congress rally. A post dated December 6 states that Nizami was at a public rally in favour of Gujarat leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil in Mandvi, and makes the claim of a Rahul Gandhi wave in Gujarat. And yet, the Congress is trying to distance itself from Nizami. We checked our booth-wise list and found that he isnt even a primary member of the party, state Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir told HT. These denials came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently dug up old tweets of Nizami calling for azadi, the term used to denote the Kashmiri separatists wish to overthrow Indian rule, and dubbed him as a supporter of executed terrorist Afzal Guru. He also claimed to have uncovered several questions alleged posed by Nizami vis-a-vis his lineage. Unwilling to take any chances in the Gujarat elections, the Congress quickly went into damage control mode. So, who exactly is Nizami? Sources said the Kashmiri dabbled in a number of vocations including journalism before his brief stint in politics. Even Mir acknowledged that Nizami was associated with the Congress between 2014 and 2015. Salman Nizami was engaged as the partys publicity secretary in March 2015. However, he was given a show cause notice in September that year after we found that a social media message he posted was not in line with the partys policy. When Nizami failed to respond in 15 days, he was suspended, the state Congress chief said. Mir claimed even the state unit of the party disassociated itself from him after that. If one takes photographs with Congress leaders by posing as journalist or an NGO activist, how can the party be blamed? He can go to Gujarat by himself, but that wouldnt make him the partys campaigner, he said, alleging that many cases of fraud have been filed against Nizami. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma made a similar contention. If Nizami has said anything derogatory against the Prime Minister, it should not be attributed to the Congress. Whatever he has said was highly condemnable, he said. Another party leader dubbed Nizami as a virtual non-entity in politics. He has not done any work in the state Congress. Getting photographed with senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, and going on excursions in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat in the name of campaigning proves nothing, he asserted. Nizami hit the headlines when Modi named him as an Afzal Guru supporter affiliated to the Congress at an election rally in Lunavada, Mahisagar. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also shared screenshots of his Twitter account in 2013, when he allegedly posted slogans in support of Guru. The Banihal resident, however, claimed that his Twitter account was hacked. I have now protected my account because they are using my name to post anything. Even earlier I had pointed out that these were not my tweets, he said, adding that he would continue to fight the BJPs divisive politics whether he was part of the Congress or not. Nizami claimed that he was being targeted because of his identity. Whenever a Kashmiri tries to go mainstream, this is what happens to him. People dig up dirt on him and call him anti-national. People hacked my account and posted the tweets when I wrote articles against terrorism in 2013, he said. Several electronic voting machines (EVMs) were replaced after complaints of malfunctioning and tampering of these devices surfaced in the first phase of voting in the Gujarat assembly elections on Saturday. (Here are the live updates) The Election Commission said some malfunctioning EVMs and paper trail machines were replaced from several polling booths in Gujarat, and denied reports that officials had found the machines attached to the internet in some places. According to information released by the poll panel, 26,865 ballot units and 24,689 control units were deployed for the first phase of voting, of which 0.37% and 0.38% were replaced on account of snags. Poll panel officials said 1.90% of the 24,689 VVPAT machines were replaced. Sources in the commission said technical snag was reported in nearly 40 machines. The Congresss Porbandar candidate, Arjun Modhwadia, alleged the possibility of EVMs being connected to mobile phones through Bluetooth. All the machines got connected through Bluetooth of three mobile phones, Modhwadia said, reporting his compliant to the poll panel. Of the 182 constituencies in Gujarat, voting is held in 89 seats spread across 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and the states southern region. The second phase is slated for December 14 and results will be declared on December 18. Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohile, who is contesting from Mandvi, also complained about EVM snags. There have been reports of EVMs not functioning properly from some places, Gohile said, requesting the poll panel to allow more voting time at polling duration where such complaints were reported. At a booth in Jamkandorna of Jetpur constituency, polling was interrupted for 15 minutes because of a technical problem. State minister Jayesh Radadiya was among the voters and he waited with other people in the queue. About 33 machines in Rajkot district reported glitches. Voting began at 8am and chief minister Vijay Rupani, BJP state chief Jitu Vaghani and Congresss Amreli legislator Paresh Dhanai were among the early voters. They are contesting from Rajkot West, Bhavnagar West and Amreli assembly seats, respectively. (With inputs from HTC New Delhi) Box-office success, one-of-a-kind roles, and a shot at the Oscars. The year 2017 has given it all to Rajkummar Rao. The film Bareilly ki Barfi drew audiences in droves; the web series, Bose: Dead/Alive cast him as none other than Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose; and his film Newton became Indias official entry to the Oscars 2018. That much we know about him. The question is: what effect has success had on him? The actor says that the positive things happening in his career have made content but not complacent. I want to do good films. I want people to know about my work, says Rajkummar. Success isnt permanent, its there today, but it might not be there tomorrow. Success is accidental, it can change overnight. So I dont let it go to my head. I am content with everything thats happening in my career. But what I am aiming for is doing good work, he smiles. There are reports that Rajkummar has hiked his fees after this streak of success. I havent. This is just speculation. Its just that I have got a little busy, laughs the actor, who is currently shooting for Fanney Khan, also starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anil Kapoor. In another film, Rajkummar is paired with Shraddha Kapoor. #Bose #Pictures #ComingSoon #Netaji #Actor'sLife @ektaravikapoor @hansalmehta @filmybastardpulkit @patralekhaa @altbalaji A post shared by Raj Kummar Rao (@rajkummar_rao) on Nov 3, 2017 at 9:36am PDT Alongside his films, Rajkummar was recently seen in Hansal Mehtas web series on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, titled Bose: Dead/Alive. The subject was the enduring mystery of Netajis disappearance in 1945 after a plane crash the argument over whether he is dead or alive rages even now. The web series received a lot of appreciation. Rajkummar reveals, I never thought Id play the role of Bose someday. But when I saw that both Hansal and Ekta [Kapoor, producer] had so much faith in me and imagined me playing Bose, I decided to put in all my effort. I put on weight, shaved my head in half. But for me, more than the physical transformation, the internal transformation was important. I had to read a lot, watch videos, documentary, radio speeches etc to get an idea about the man. It also helped me in getting his [speech] style and tone right. And I loved the entire journey. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON This city of Lucknow, the capital of Indias most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, which extends along the banks of the river Gomti was once the centre of a distinctive and highly sophisticated society, says Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. It was here that a unique composite culture, known as Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, which is syncretic and genuinely embraces both Hindu and Muslim traditions, was born My mother (Chand Sur), when she first arrived in Lucknow, had never really cooked before, as she had spent most of her life in a boarding school in Mussoorie. But she had watched her mother cook during their holidays in Balochistan, or wherever else my grandfather was posted across the North West Frontier regions. Her mother was a superb cook. Once my parents were well settled in Lucknow, my father arranged for the head chef from Government House to come twice a week to teach my mother. That was really the beginning of my mothers passionate involvement with cooking. Her cooking style has always been simple and she favours nutritious food and ensured that she uses authentic and natural ingredients. Her dishes are well-presented...This book of recipes is all about the good food that we grew up with... Authors Chand Sur(seated) and Sunita Kohli (Courtesy the publisher) My mother is a skilled enough cook to invent dishes such as her simple but delightful Jalebi Pudding. She learnt recipes from her friends as also from books and magazines but, recipes received or read, prompt her to create new dishes that are an interpretation of her personality and a reflection of her taste... My mother is now in her nineties. I, too, am in the autumn of my life. To quote Attia Hosain, the strength of my roots is strong; it also causes pain, because it makes one a stranger everywhere in the deeper area of ones mind and spirit, except where one was born and brought up. For me, that is Lucknow. MEETHA When it comes to meetha, Lucknowi preparations perhaps outshine those from many other regions in the country in terms of taste and delicacy. A famous and unique Lucknow speciality is Nimish, a beautiful and delicate frothy dessert which can be made only during the cold winter months. The basic preparation of Nimish is when milk is poured into large flat pans and left in the open before dawn. When the early morning dew falls on the milk, it creates a froth which is as light as air. This is continuously collected and later mixed in with cream and other condiments. It is a laborious and painstaking process. A version of Nimish which can be made at home is included in this cookbook as this meetha is a signature dessert of Lucknow. The Nimish of Lucknow is very different from the Daulat ki Chaat available in Delhi. Muzaafar is a sweet delicacy made out of fine vermicelli. This particular recipe was given to me by my school friend Nilofer Ali, nee Qureshi. In school, Nilofer was a champion sportswoman who had only wielded a bat and never a karhchi (ladle), as she had never been inside a kitchen. Now she is a consummate cook. Sheer Korma or Khurma is derived from sheer (milk) and khurma (dates) combined with vermicelli and dry fruit. It is a mouthwatering and celebrated dessert during Ramadan and Eid. Shahi Tukra means royal pieces of bread. According to legend, this baadshahi dessert was invented by the old khansamas who disliked throwing away leftover or day-old bread. So, instead, they made the best use of it by converting it into a royal dessert. The bread is deepfried in ghee and then soaked in sweetened creamy milk, flavoured with saffron and pistachios and generously decorated with gold and silver leaves (varq). It was so popular among the Mughals that they enjoyed this dessert even for breakfast during the month of Ramadan. The Lucknow nobility followed suit. Other favourite meethas of Lucknow are Badaam ki Kheer, a sweet creamy dessert made with pounded almonds and rice. Rabarhi is a popular milk pudding garnished with pistachios that tastes delicious with jalebis. Phirni is a simple rice pudding prepared in almost every house. Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Fudge Frosting, Basic Sponge Cake (Jasmer Singh) Halwa or halva, a word derived from Arabic, means sweet or sweetness, and is a grain or lentil-based dessert made with ghee and sugar. It was introduced to Indians through the trade route from the Middle East. In Lucknow, halwas were made with various combinations of lentil, flour, semolina, fresh fruit, carrots, etc. The cheaply available chana ki dal (chickpea lentil) was roasted and ground to flour to make the perfect Chane ki Dal ka Halwa, a rich dessert. My friend Zakia Zaheer makes, perhaps, the best Kali Gajar (black carrot) ka Halwa. She willingly shared the recipe of this seasonal and favourite dessert, which otherwise can only be bought from the Chowk in Lucknow. My mothers meetha recipes like Steamed Yoghurt, which is blended yoghurt combined with condensed milk, is similar in taste to a delicious cheesecake. Her Aam Malai, made with the puree of luscious ripe mangoes, is very simple and loved by everyone. The kulfi made in our house is, perhaps, the best home-made kulfi. This recipe was devised by my husband, Rome, and is always available in our refrigerator, be it summer or winter. This simple recipe is light, made without khoya and served without faluda. NIMISH (LUCKNOW SOUFFLE) SERVES: 4 PREPARATION TIME: 22 HOURS INGREDIENTS Full-cream milk 8 cups, unboiled cream 2 cups, cream of tartar 1 tsp, castor sugar 1 cup, gulab jal (rose water) 1 tsp, pista (pistachios) 2 tbsp, finely sliced METHOD Combine the milk, cream and the cream of tartar in a large bowl and refrigerate overnight. Next morning stir in 4 teaspoons of castor sugar and 1 teaspoon of rose water and whisk the mixture, using a rotary or electric beater at a high speed. Using a large tea strainer, collect the foam that forms and transfer it to a large tray. Keep the tray tilted so that the foam stays on one side while the milk collects on the lower side. When the tray is fairly full, spoon the foam into small glass ramekins, sprinkling a little castor sugar between each layer and on top of it. The foam will condense a little during this operation. What looks like four bowlfuls in the tray will make only two bowls. Pour the milk collected in the tray back into the bowl and continue beating and collecting the foam until all the milk is finished. This whole process will take approximately 2 to 2 hours. Sprinkle pistachios on top of each bowl of foam. Refrigerate until you serve. SHAHI TUKRA (INDIAN BREAD PUDDING) SERVES: 8 PREPARATION TIME: 15 MINUTES COOKING TIME: 15 MINUTES INGREDIENTS Bread loaf (one day old) 1216 slices, crusts removed, milk 2 cups, khoya (whole milk fudge) 1 cup, crushed sugar 1 cup, water cup, desi ghee 1 cup, gulab jal (rose water) 45 drops, badaam (almond) paste 1 tbsp, kishmish (raisins) 10 raisins, soaked pista (pistachios) cup, slivered Badaam (almonds) cup, slivered kesar (saffron) tsp (liquefied) and a pinch for garnishing, chandi ka varq (silver leaf) for garnishing METHOD Cut the slices of bread neatly into triangular or rectangular pieces. Fry them in ghee on a low flame to a golden colour. Coat them with the almond paste. Mix the sugar and water to make sugar syrup of a single thread consistency. Keep it on a low flame. Add the saffron and mix well. Dip each slice of bread into the hot syrup, remove and keep on a tray. Reduce the milk to half by boiling it. Add the crushed khoya and mix it in well. On a flat pan, spread the bread slices in a single layer. Pour half the milk mixture over them. Then sprinkle the nuts. Pour the remaining milk mixture and sugar syrup over this and cook the slices until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Take it off the flame and add the pinch of saffron and essence (rose water) over it. Garnish with the slivered almonds, pistachios and silver leaf (chandi ka varq). Jalebi Pudding and Stewed Guava with Cream. (Jasmer Singh) AAM MALAI (MANGO CREAM DESSERT) SERVES: 8 PREPARATION TIME: 1 HOUR INGREDIENTS Mango puree 6 well-ripened mangoes (aamras colour), heavy cream cup and 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp gelatin 1 tsp powdered or 1 envelopes unflavoured METHOD To the mango puree, add the cream and sugar and mix well. Prepare the gelatin by dissolving it in half a cup of boiling water, stirring continuously until it is fully dissolved. Pour the gelatin into the mango mixture and whisk it briskly. Transfer the mixture into a serving bowl, swirl a tablespoon of cream over the top and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, until the mango cream is set. Serve chilled. This can also be set and served in individual glass bowls. It is a funny thing but most times when I have my first cup of coffee of the day at an Indian hotel no matter how fancy or super-deluxe the property is I find myself wishing that I was drinking my own coffee at my own home. Nine times out of 10, the coffee at home is better than the room service or breakfast buffet coffee at any hotel. Only 10 years ago, the reverse was true. Most of us grew up on instant coffee. We thought Nescafe represented the perfect, international taste of coffee. In the South, they knew better and looked down on instant coffee. But South Indian coffee is in a league of its own. It has very little to do with the Western coffee tradition and usually, filter coffee from the South needs milk to taste right. So most of us drank Nescafe or some other popular brand of instant coffee.When we wanted a more glamorous coffee a strong espresso or a foamy cappuccino we went to a restaurant or a deluxe hotel. And then, by the 1990s, we discovered the coffee chains (Barista was the pioneer) and began to learn about fancier coffees. The Lavazza coffee machine uses only Lavazza capsules (Getty Images) At home, however, we were content to drink second-rate coffee. Oddly enough, for most middle-class Indians, good coffee remained the sort of drink that you ordered only when you went out. All that is changing now. And, it is because of the coffee machine. There are many coffee machines in the market now (prices start at around Rs14,000 and go all the way up to Rs 80,000) and many of them use a system created by Nestle in 1976. This involves the use of hermetically-sealed small capsules of coffee which are pierced inside the machine and give us a cup of coffee that is of consistent (and usually) good quality, time after time. The machines really took off in the 1990s and now, there is an explosion of coffee machines. Most hotels dont get coffee right as they buy cheap beans in bulk and use French press devices which leave huge room for human error When I got my first coffee machine a decade ago, it used Lavazza capsules and the design was such that only Lavazza capsules would fit into it. The advantage was that Lavazza capsules were imported legally and were available in India. Nespresso did not sell its capsules (though Nestle, Nespressos owner, is huge in India) through official channels. You could get them in the gray market but I was never sure of their freshness and the prices were far higher than Lavazza up to ~95 per capsule. Then, a few years ago, I went to the famous coffee shop, SantEustachio in Rome. The coffee was fine but what intrigued me was that they were also selling capsules for coffee machines. I asked at the counter if they had their own machines. Otherwise how could one use these capsules? They said it was easy. The capsules fit into all coffee machines. I knew it could not be that simple. If a Lavazza machine used capsules that were incompatible with Nespresso machines, then it was clear that there was no standard capsule size. (From left) Arman Sood, Ajai Thandi and Ashwajeet Singh founded Sleepy Owl Coffee, known for its cold brews Eventually, the people at SantEustachio explained that when they said all machines what they really meant were Nespresso machines. And indeed I soon discovered that Nespresso had become the industry standard. Nestle had allowed other manufactures to make Nespresso-compatible machines in the hope of boosting sales of their own capsules. But this had led to a flood of other competitors entering the market and making their own Nespresso machine-compatible capsules. Nestle was not pleased. It did not do much about the smaller competitors but took legal action against such giants as Sara Lee who, it believed, were trying to intrude on a space they had created and nurtured. All this was well and good but I was hardly going to get a regular supply of capsules from SantEustachio in Rome and I was reluctant to scour the Indian gray market looking for high-priced Nespresso capsules. So, I stuck to my Lavazza machine. Karan Tibrawalla started Fresh Brew Coffee with his wife Then, I bumped into Karan and Chandni Tibrawalla at an event. Karan Tibrawallas family are in the infrastructure business but coffee is his passion. So, he started Fresh Brew Coffee as a sideline. The idea, originally, was to make Nespresso-compatible capsules in India using the best Indian coffees. The capsules would be available on the net and at select stores and they would be much cheaper than Nespresso. At first, I am ashamed to say, I was sceptical of the ability of a husband and wife team of coffee geeks to compete with the worlds greatest coffee companies. But then, I tried their coffee. And almost from the first sip, I was hooked. I got myself a Nespresso-compatible machine and now I drink many cups of the Tibrawallas Fresh Brew coffee at home every single day. It beats the hell out of the coffee you get at most hotels. Coffee capsules are pierced inside coffee machines to give us a good quality cuppa (Shutterstock) Because the Tibrawallas take their coffee seriously, their coffees do not have the generic distinctions that you find in many multinational coffees where the capsules are simply described as Espresso, Ristretto, Decaff or whatever. Instead they offer detailed information about the 12 coffees they sell. The more I tasted their coffees, the more I came to terms with two determinants of coffee flavour. The first is the roast. Good coffee is like good wine. You need great terroir to produce top quality beans but just as great grapes can be ruined by a untalented wine-maker, the flavour of coffee depends out the way the beans are roasted and the skill of the people doing the roasting. The Tibrawallas offer three basic roasts. An Italian roast is a longer duration roast that gives you a significantly darker, slightly bitter, less acidic coffee. A French roast, where the coffee is not roasted at such high temperatures, is lighter, contains more of the bean flavour, has higher acidity and less bitterness. A medium roast is an extremely light roast with higher acidity. Fresh Brew Coffee has capsules compatible with Nespresso machines Then, there are beans themselves. As we all know, there are two basic kinds of coffee beans, the cheaper Robusta which is grown at lower altitudes and the superior Arabica which has a subtler flavour. Many companies blend both varieties together but Fresh Brew uses only Arabica. It sources its beans from carefully selected local estates and prides itself on single-estate coffees. So ideally, you can find an estate whose coffee you like and a roast that suits your taste buds. There are also three international coffees Ethiopian, Columbian and Sumatra. Soon there will be vanilla-flavoured coffee too. Which brings us back to where we started. Why is the coffee at my home (and potentially at your home and at the home of anyone who can afford Rs 14,000 for a coffee machine) so much better than the coffee at most hotels? Well, basically because most hotels cant be bothered to get it right. They buy cheap beans in bulk. When they use large industrial coffee machines, they dont train their staff to fix the settings. And many still use French press devices which leave huge room for human error. My guess is that as good coffee becomes accessible to all of us at home, the hotels will have to up their game. One coffee they wont make though is the currently trendy Cold Brew coffee. We all know of cold coffee or iced coffee. This is just normally brewed coffee poured over ice. It is hot when it is brewed and you need the ice to cool it down. Cold Brew, on the other hand, uses no hot water. It uses cold water to extract the flavour from the beans, a process that takes over 21 hours. A cold extraction leaves behind the bitterness in the bean and yields a smooth but strong dark brew. Sleepy Owl is the best regarded company for Cold Brew coffee Fresh Brew makes Cold Brew coffee but it is a small part of the business. The real pioneers of Cold Brew in India are a team of young entrepreneurs who run Sleepy Owl, the best regarded company in the sector. I asked Ajai Thandi, one of the companys founders, why his coffee was so special. His answer was that Sleepy Owl ignores the middlemen and goes directly to estates in Chikmagalur. It buys Arabica beans, grown at altitudes of over 4,000 feet and then pulls out all the flavour from them through cold extraction. You can do many things with Cold Brew coffee, one of which perversely enough, is to heat it. A hot coffee from one of Sleepy Owls packs of Cold Brew, tastes significantly different from a normal hot coffee because the cold extraction has produced a much smoother and elegant brew. So, after decades of drinking instant coffee, India is on the cusp of a coffee revolution. And oddly enough, this revolution has little to do with the fancy coffee chains. It is a revolution that starts at home. From HT Brunch, December 10, 2017 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Comfortably uncool Its fashionable these days to mock ones convent-school upbringing. Joyless nuns. Knee-length tunics. State syllabus. Rickety school bus. I can only hope a lot of this is simply posturing. A need to declare oneself out of the world of middle-class morals and obsessions. An escape from a modest reality to an attractively marketed one. I agree about the syllabus it could have been more imaginative. And perhaps some of the nuns were more joyless than even religious guilt demands. Also, every student in every school must have her own experience. But the older I grow, the more frequent my excursions to the days spent in a government-subsidised convent school, where I didnt have to pay any fees (under then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, girls education in government-aided institutions up to Class 12 in Maharashtra was made free). This was, of course, the 80s and 90s, when school was a place you went to learn, and also learn to integrate yourself into society, a subset of which existed in your classroom. It did not, generally, involve casual trips to Greece with 35 people who looked, dressed and lived just like you. Its odd but almost none of these school memories centre around academics. I often think about how students were grouped into Catholics and non-Catholics. The first set was given religious instruction. The second, moral science lessons. Or in later years, value education. (We non-Catholics always thought we got off easy.) On December 6, 1992, the day of the Babri demolition, I remember a chaotic school campus, with classmates worried about friends and family. At 10 years of age, this was my first consciousness of the Hindu-Muslim divide. The same divide that turned a carefree Bombay to an easily offended Mumbai. But in school, it was soon business as usual. Hindus and Muslims sat together and learnt about values. We even had exams. But this was not, primarily, where I picked up mine. They came from all around me. Hand-me-down values Teacher Susan, our feisty middle-aged music teacher part Dev Anand, part Mary Poppins unfortunately failed to extract a single tuneful note out of most of us. What she did, however, was end each singing lesson with a little modelling session. She would hold up used uniforms against herself so we had a good idea about size and invite girls to claim the uniforms they thought would be useful, after class. The same with used textbooks, minus the modelling. Teacher Hazel tried valiantly to demystify the reproductive cycles of amphibians for us. But what has stayed with me was her simple injunction: When a garbage truck passes you by, dont hold your noses up in disgust; its disrespectful to the attendants. And when we went in giggling for our first sex-ed lesson, she wisely said: Theres more to life than sex. An adage a lot of us are still undecided about. Mathematical wizard Teacher Iyer still features in my recurring algebraic nightmares. But I fondly remember her as one of the faculty who helped organise an informal daily meal sponsorship for the students, by the students. And Teacher Nattie taught me as much about verb conjugation and clause analysis as she did about warmth and grace. Bursting the bubble This is not to say that schools these days or for that matter, posher schools in those days dont impart values. But as the recent film Hindi Medium pointed out, were missing the point of education all together when we make it about what car drops you to school and which celebrity graces the annual day. My friends with kids face a tough choice, with middle-of-the-road schools not being in the reckoning (for debatable reasons), and fancy schools overwhelming them with their haughtiness. In a nation where polarisation between the classes increases with each new development marvel, and the education ministry undermines learning with its religious and political agendas, schools clearly need to do much more when it comes to human, not material values. We go on about a lack of diversity in corporate, sporting and cultural spaces. But they only reflect a similar lack in one of the most fundamental social institutions. When privileged kids are raised among people from their own background upper-middle class to elite empathy and understanding are not required. The bubble of privilege protects those who need no protection. And this is how it stays through adulthood. Media projects with a social conscience, like Sesame Street (the excellent GalliGalliSimSim in India), take on some of the duties of schools and do a good job. But classroom learning has its own place. Its official, enforceable and most importantly, it sticks. It becomes part of who we are. Ill never be able to turn away from a garbage truck in disgust ever again. From HT Brunch, December 10, 2017 Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch Connect with us on facebook.com/hindustantimesbrunch Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the Indian economy is set for a higher growth trajectory on the back of a slew of structural reforms. He said the NDA government would now focus on large- scale investment in the infrastructure sector and rural areas. I think, we should be looking forward to a much higher growth trajectory (for India) in the days to come. Our government has carried out structural reforms at the right time. Demonetisation and GST were carried out keeping in mind their long-term benefits to the economy, Jaitley said. Reversing the five quarters of slowing GDP growth, Indian economy expanded by 6.3% in July-September on the back of a pick-up in manufacturing. The gross domestic product growth had hit a three-year low of 5.7% in the first quarter of 2017-18. It was 7.5% in the September quarter of 2016-17. Jaitley was speaking last night at an event organised to mark the golden jubilee celebration of the local branch of the Western India Regional Council of the Chartered Accountants Association of India (ICAI). Representatives from trade and industry bodies attended the meet. He said the upgraded global growth projections should be a further help to Indias own GDP rate expansion. The finance minister also took on the critics of note- ban and GST. The fundamental question is: Does India continue to indefinitely be a cash-dominated economy? To say its a very risky proposition, it will have adverse consequences for a quarter or two, so lets not attempt it? Can India say, you will have de-stocking, so lets not attempt GST?, he asked. Jaitley said while the Congress dithered, the BJP took bold decisions. The BJP simply did what the Congress couldnt while they were in power. Attacking black money was never a priority for the Congress. So their concern (about demonetisation) is natural. And GST was a Congress move. But since (the Congress) party is an opportunist, it is opposing it, he said. Jaitley said the BJP stayed away from populism. Populism is what we did not indulge in. We could have let people live in a cash-dominated economy and let India continue to have a shadow economy and have everyone really prosper on that basis. (But) we struck a blow to that kind of an economy. Thats not populism. That was the right economic policy to follow. He said key measures like scrapping high-value currency notes and rolling out GST, a landmark indirect tax reform, won global appreciation. There is a global appreciation of the fact that India has the capacity and courage to carry out structural reforms like demonetisation and GST, Jaitley said. Positive responses and statements about the Indian economy from influential international bodies like the World Bank, the IMF and Moodys had increased the confidence of India, he noted. Pakistan has agreed to allow the depreciation of rupee post talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the nations economy. Pakistan and an IMF delegation concluded the first round of discussions on the countrys economy. Now members of the IMF delegation and Pakistan team are taking a two-day break to prepare for the policy-level wrap-up by December 13-14, reported the Dawn. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) would now let the currency exchange rate to adjust to market conditions after many months, rather years, of resisting expectations, the newspaper reported, citing the senior officials as saying. The authorities believed the currency adjustment would help shift foreign currency holdings from commercial banks currently standing at a higher level of around $6 billion back to official reserves, said the Dawn. The timing of the move was planned for Friday to ensure materialisation of $2.5 billion worth of receipts from two international bonds launched last month. This calculated move allowed the currency rate to touch Rs 110 to a dollar on Friday before settling down at around Rs 107 and did not go beyond official estimates. While the government team, led by secretary of finance Shahid Mehmood will review the assessment, the IMF mission to Pakistan, led by Harald Finger, will visit Lahore next week for talks with provincial authorities. Pakistan will continue to remain under the IMFs post-programme monitoring (PPM) until about 2023 for borrowing significantly higher than its quota. Do you remember the name of the horse who fought alongside Napoleon? asked Colonel Hardeep Singh, speaking at a session on Military animals: The unsung heroes during the Military Literature Festival, in Chandigarh on Saturday. Personalities are important, but we forget the animals associated with them, he said. While military animals fought on the battlefield and risked their lives for different countries, their bravery has not been documented as that of their human counterparts. Lt Gen Baljit Singh, a panellists on the session rued that canine soldiers in India have not been given their due credit. One of the heroes that he talked about was Bobbie, a mongrel with the Berkshire Regiment. He guarded the regiment and accompanied his handler Lance Sgt Peter Kelly onto the battlefield in Afghanistan in 1880. During the war, the British force was overrun by the Afghans, and over half of the regiment was killed. Bobbie kept barking furiously and also sustained serious injuries. He, however, survived along with a few other soldiers. When he returned to England, he was presented to Queen Victoria, who bent down and pinned the Afghan medal on his collar, Lt Gen said. Bobbie now remains stuffed at the regimental museum in Salisbury, decorated with the medal. Lt Gen Singh also narrated an account from Brig Darshan Khullars (retd) book When Generals Failed of an Indian dog who saved a grievously injured soldier. The dog kept on barking after seeing a party, constantly peeped inside a hut and run around it to attract its attention. Upon checking, the team found an emaciated jawan, who came crawling out on his arms. The jawan later told the officer that he had survived six days on the crumbs brought to him by his canine friend. Lt Gen Singh emphasised that the valour of canine heroes should be recognised and tales of their bravery told like that of their human counterparts. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh was a fauji first at the Military Literature Festival here on Friday when he minced no words, saying that the Henderson Brooks report on the Sino-Indian War of 1962 was not being declassified only to save political skin. The Henderson Brooks-Prem Bhagat report should have been made public long back. It is an open secret. It has not been declassified only to save political skin, Capt Amarinder said. After the government order, the defence minister (Krishna Menon) was literally shifting platoons. There was a compliant corps commander who didnt give brigade commander Hoshiar Singh a chance to fight. It was not the army fighting, it was a faulty government policy at work, said Capt Singh, who was wearing his medals. He was commissioned in 2 Sikh Regiment in 1963. He was interacting with veteran journalist Vir Sanghvi and military historians Thomas Fraser, Alan Jefferys, Lt Gen TS Shergill (retd) and Ed Haynes at a panel discussion. Asked about Indias provocative foreign policy in 1962 despite no preparedness, Lt Gen Shergill said, It was the lack of understanding by the government on what it takes besides the lack of spine of certain officers to admit what cant be done. There was unanimity among the panellists that then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru died a disappointed man. Then defence minister Krishna Menon and he had clearly misread the situation despite intelligence inputs as far back as 1959 that China was planning an offensive. WINNER OR LOSER? Lt Gen Shergill said that military history has taught that only a force that endures can win. The perception is that military history is written by the winner but who is the winner in a counter-insurgency situation? There is no clear winner or loser. The lexicon of conflict is changing and caution should be exercised in usage of terms, he said. Asked who had won the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Capt Amarinder Singh said, It was more or less a draw. We had no ammo left and if it continued any longer, wed be fighting each other with stones. It was a pathetic situation. India may have gained territorially but it was a negligible gain. NO POLITICS IN FORCES The chief minister denied any politicisation in the armed forces but declined comment on political interference. The forces are disciplined and will always be, he said. Like most participants at the session, Capt Singh agreed that unlike the past, todays youth were not drawn to a career in the armed forces. It is a concern that many dont want to join the forces and we need to find out why, he said. All for one-year military training for politicians Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh prescribed one-year military training for all those seeking to fight an election. Yes, all MLAs should be put through military training. Only then will our politicians and leaders know how to treat soldiers and the armed forces, he said to applause. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Wars can be avoided when there is a better understanding between the militaries of two nations, said former army chief General VP Malik during a session on Military diplomacy -the Indian perspective on the concluding day of the Military Literature Festival, in Chandigarh on Saturday. He said even though military diplomacy can never replace traditional diplomacy, it can be effectively used to supplement the latter. Unlike the past when military diplomacy came in only when traditional diplomacy failed, today the concept is also being used to avoid wars and send across messages which are not possible through traditional diplomatic engagements. Gen Malik added that the advantage with military diplomacy is that it is largely secretive. He recounted his experience of engaging with the leadership in Myanmar in 2000 when its army ruled the country. To engage with the vice-chairman, I flew to Mandley. Stayed there for two-three days and interacted with the leaders. I then asked the vice-chairman to come to Shillong and spend some time. When he was returning, I handed him a map that marked the militant hideouts that I wanted the Myanmar Army to attack. All this happened in complete secrecy, he said. Need subject experts for better engagement Lt Gen Hardev Singh Lidder (retd), who was a military attache to Washington after the nuclear test of 1998 and during the 9/11 attack, said the major difference between the strategic planning of the two countries is that while USA tries to take suggestions from everyone possible, to collect facts and expertise before finalising a plan, in India we dont do it because the person who has to take the decision just takes it. He added that for an effective diplomacy, we need to identify the countries that we want to engage with and then earmark the specific areas of engagement. Unfortunately, this practice is rarely followed in India, he said. Participating in the discussion, Lt Gen SR Ghosh (retd), said , to boost our diplomacy, we need a tri-service military cadre of area specialists who will support the foreign missions and later work with other government departments. He added that the external affairs ministry also needs to shed its preference for Western countries for military exercises and training and work more closely with smaller countries in Africa and Asia. Speaking on the issue, Gen Malik rued the fact that the defence ministry and the external affairs ministry dont consult the military adequately while making strategies. This is the biggest handicap in achieving the best. We need to stop working in silos, he said. When asked if military diplomacy can be used as a deterrent, Gen Malik said that at best, it can be used to send across a message. Why conduct military exercises Discussing the relevance of military exercises with different countries, the panelists said these play the dual role of soft as well as coercive diplomacy. These are important because they help us know what others do and what equipment they have. It also gives us an opportunity to tell other countries about ourselves, said Lt Gen TS Shergil (retd). On the United Nations peacekeeping missions, Maj Gen MP Bhagat (retd), a veteran of these missions, said besides the humanitarian aspect, these operations are important as they provide opportunities for troop-to-troop engagement, besides helping us understand the operational techniques used by other armies. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pakistan wasnt inclined to launch the 1965 offensive, but a couple of political decisions taken by India on Kashmir, Sheikh Abdullahs visit to Pakistan to promote self-determination, death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and unrest at home prompted President Field Marshal Ayub Khan to change his mind, said panellist at the Military Literature Festival. Moderating the discussion on Indo-Pak War 1965, Lt Gen NS Brar (retd) said the operation is mostly assumed as a large-scale brawl with no clear outcomes, but it has important lessons. There was a sense of deja vu as Lt Gen Jagbir Singh Cheema (retd) dwelt on the reasons that led to the war. It was in early 1964 that then Pakistan foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto set up a Kashmir cell to prevent the integration of the hill state into India. Ayub, he said, was disinclined to wage a war against India for Kashmir as the US had threatened to stop the supply of weapons in case of any such offensive. But some political decisions by India on Kashmirimposition of Article 356 and Article 357, changing the nomenclature of J&K prime minister to chief ministercoupled with his close shave in the elections forced him to change his mind. LESSONS OF WAR Though taken by surprise at the attack, India was able to rebuff it successfully. Fifty-three years on, the panellists mulled the course of the war and concluded they could have fared better. As Lt Gen TS Shergill (retd) put it, Pakistan was much more flexible than India at a strategic and operational level because of its unitary command right up to the president. India, on the other hand, had quite a few last-minute change of plans that impacted its effectiveness. Brig Sukhjit Singh (retd) said one of the important learnings of the war was the importance of deploying commanders who knew their troops well and were adequately trained. If you give a staff appointee a tactical role, he is unlikely to perform well. The panellists agreed that Pakistani ground forces also had better coordination with the air force. Lt Gen Brar said there was a perception in the army that they did not get the required air support unlike their counterparts. To this, Air Marshal Bharat Kumar (retd), a well-known author, said there was no joint planning, just a general idea. We were also told that we will not attack any Pakistani air field, he said. Brig Sukhjit spoke for many when he concluded, Ground attack is not a picnic. It is very ugly. Our mistakes come back in body bags. I hope the commanders have learnt their lessons. History, unlike most academic disciplines, is prickled with the needles of uncertainties, surprises and happenstance. When it comes to the military, these can have long-term strategic implications. The story of the Siachen conflict is no exception to this. The first time when Indian forces realised that Pakistan, with the help of the United States of America, was planning something around Siachen, was because of a chance discovery of some maps of the area from some foreign tourists who were exploring the region for trekking. Speaking at the Military Literature Festival, Kunal Verma, author of the book The Long Road to Siachen, said, When military officials analysed the maps, it was found that the US had drawn a line which would virtually hand over Siachen glacier to Pakistan. It is only after these maps were discovered, coupled with noticing some ground presence of the Pakistan Army in the early 1980s, that India became serious about occupying the glacier. A mad race between the two neighbours followed suit. When luck smiled If discovering Pakistans ploy was coincidental, the story of how India reached first on the glacier to occupy it, is no less interesting. Lt Gen Sanjay Kulkarni (retd) was one of the officers to be part of the first team to occupy the glacier in 1984. Speaking during the session on Siachen - the ongoing conflict, he said, From 1981 onwards, the army had started sending small patrolling parties in the area. Pakistani forces were doing this for long and were even granting permissions to foreign expeditions to visit the glacier. But we were unaware of this. In 1983, the Pakistan army tried to occupy it, but its troops could not stand the inclement weather and retreated. Later when April 13, 1984, was chosen as the day for the operation to claim and occupy Siachen, some raised doubts that the 13th is an inauspicious day. But we moved ahead with the plan by telling ourselves that it is also the day when Baisakhi is celebrated, Lt Gen Kulkarni said. However, occupying the glacier required specialised high-altitude gears which had to be purchased from Europe. Till then, Indian troops had just visited the glacier but not occupied it. In January 1984, when Indian officials visited markets in Europe to purchase the equipment, they found that all of them, across European markets, had already been purchased. The intelligence revealed that Pakistan had purchased them in advance. This, as per Lt Gen Kulkarni, was the first concrete proof that Pakistan was planning an expedition to Siachen. The Pakistan Army decided to launch an operation in the first week of March. But this was postponed to May 1, 1984, because senior officers felt that the weather was too harsh in March for troops to stay there and occupy it. We had no clue about all this. We were unaware that Pakistan was planning an expedition in March and that it has been postponed to May 1, said Lt Gen Kulkarni. As luck would have it, the army was successful in arranging the high-altitude gear just in time and they were flown to the base camp by the air force a day before the operation. On April 13, 1984, the Indian Army successfully occupied the glacier and the rest is history. The 17-day advantage made all the difference in the lofty peaks as the army continues to dominate positions in Siachen. History, of course, could have been otherwise if such coincidences had never occurred. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON I toured Australia a couple of weeks ago, and was greatly impressed, among other things, by the Australians love for travelling. Saving up for travel is apparently way higher in their priority list than investing in stuff such as a new car or property. While this seems to be an exciting trend internationally, what struck me as different, and really beautiful, was seeing a lot of senior citizens travelling to domestic and international destinations, on their own. Women and men in their late 70s or 80s, cheerfully looking around the sights, backpacks in tow. I met Mary, supremely beautiful at 91, walking around at a fascinating historical spot in Mannum on the banks of River Murray. Marys back had a hump, curved almost to an inverted U, and she slowly walked uphill, with a stick. The tour guide as well as other visitors waited patiently for her to make her way to every tourist spot, before the significance of the place was narrated. I found Mary to be as fascinating as the place, and went up to her during the walk. Maam, who are you here with? I asked. You, she looked up, her wrinkled smile making her face glow. Of course, I went all sheepish, I meant from your family. Ohh dear, Im on a holiday. Alone. Its a dream vacation, she went on to tell me about how she had saved money from her retirement fund to go on vacations, especially to places that had historical significance for being home to indigenous Aboriginal Australians. I really liked Mary. And then I got back home and made the mistake of telling my evil neighbour Chaddha ji about her. In fact, call it blunder. 91 saal ki? Ghar se nikaal diya tha bachchon ne? (Had she been abandoned by her kids?), Chaddha ji opened his eyes so wide that I feared his brains would slip out. Whats wrong with you? Mary was amazingly healthy and perfectly happy travelling alone, I retorted. Chaddha ji, meanwhile, went on his own trip of speaking without listening. Tune kiya nah mummy ke saath aisa, phir dekhna, (dont you dare do this to your mom), he growled at poor Bansuri, who was happily munching away on Australian chocolate, and looked bewildered at his warning-laden finger. After unsuccessfully trying to get some sense into his head, I got out as he stood shaking his head, muttering 90 saal di umar. Poor lady has to unfortunately travel. That too alone. Kalyug. The point was lost on Chaddha ji. As always. But I hope to God not on you as you read this. Mary wasnt poor, she wasnt unfortunate. In fact, I found her more blessed than any other person present there that beautiful, rainy evening. She was living a dream. On her terms. I love Indian culture and our family system more than a lot of people I know. I love the fact that we, in India, feel so much pride in taking great care of our parents as age catches up with them. I love it that as compared to a lot of countries in the West where old age homes is where old people live, we, in India, live with our parents till we get old ourselves. But amid all this care, we sometimes let an old parent get too dependent on us. Especially when it comes to leisure pursuits. A typical 91 year old woman in most Indian homes has surrendered life to the drudgery of staying indoors, perhaps since decades. Even if the state of health isnt an inhibitor, most aged men and women in India limit their outings to parks, places of worship, or homes of relatives accompanied by relatives. Yes, a lot of senior people these days go for vacations, but mostly in groups, or when they are taken for a holiday by their son or daughter. This is particularly true in case the aged person has lost a spouse, or is single for any other reason. I feel that there is nothing wrong in outings with the family, but theres something not quite right in no outings without family. Today, through this column, I want to plead in front of my elderly readers. Sir, Maam, if health, safety and money are not concerns that disallow it, PLEASE take a vacation on your own. Youd be surprised at how empowered youll feel when youll see all the lovely places you dreamt of visiting, without having to depend on another persons liking, mood, timings or choice being similar to yours. Youll also love the fact that when you travel alone, youd meet and talk to new, interesting people, rather than talking to your own family members, something youve anyway done all your life. And its much easier to travel now than it ever was. There are many, many places, both in India and abroad, that are accessible to people with varied state of health and fitness. And please, dont make the mistake of thinking that after a certain age, a trip only means pilgrimage. That day, Marys eyes twinkled with satisfaction and delight over being the one commanding her own life. Your life is waiting for you to take command. Go solo, life will follow. Sonal Kalra decided to travel alone, and booked a trip. Her loving family decided to surprise her. Sigh. Mail your thoughts at sonal.kalra@ hindustantimes.com or facebook.com/SonalKalraOfficial. Follow on Twitter @sonalkalra. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON This is a tale of two visits, across a pair of Indian cities, over the past couple of months. In October, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson came visiting and was hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, among a chain of appointments in New Delhi. He spoke of the broader Indo-Pacific region, a phrase later appropriated by US President Donald Trump during his nation-hopping tour of Asia last month. If Trump was paying attention to Tillersons trip, that wasnt quite reflected in his public pronouncements. There may have been another sojourn to Indian shores that was occupying his mindspace: That of White House special adviser, and more importantly, First Daughter Ivanka Trumps bonhomie in Hyderabad. In fact, as Trump and Modi met in Manila, the White House press secretary ensured the readout included how the prime minister looked forward to hosting the United States delegation to the upcoming Global Entrepreneurship Summit, showcasing innovation and collaboration between India and the United States. As Ivanka Trump sashayed through the Hyderabad summit, her father was certainly tracking her movements. A series of tweets and retweets appeared on his Twitter feed, even as the White House press secretary, in another readout, gushed over how the leaders expressed satisfaction over the meet. Modi, of course, chatted with Ivanka as she was feted at the tech fest to the chagrin of some, and that may actually be a pragmatic course of action for New Delhi. Less than a year since the Trump administration came into existence, senior members have changed frequently. Initial interlocutors like original national security advisor General (retd) Michael Flynn, now under indictment, were jettisoned early, the first among a series of departures. Tillerson, dubbed TRex, could soon be another to join the dinosaurs forced into extinction. While the White House has so far maintained he remains the boss of Foggy Bottom, such pronouncements over others, prior to their exits, dont portend particularly kindly for his future. Especially since he has offended Trump kin, in this case, son-in-law Jared Kushner, apparently over Americas policy in West Asia, including this weeks decision on shifting the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. As events over this year have shown, no Trump appointee is indispensable. Though that may well exclude the Tweeter-in-chiefs children and his family. Trump is someone with a sense of insecurity, made evident by his self-serving statements as president. With a fragile ego as large as the Oval Office, its easy for others to trespass upon it. That often leads to their ousting. But those tied to him with filial strands may be fire-proof. So, even if Tillerson is history next month, Ivanka will endure. The BJP may be criticising one dynasty, but theres definitely another that its government at the Centre needs to continue to cultivate. And thats simply because US administration is now a family enterprise. Anirudh Bhattacharyya is a Toronto-based commentator on American affairs The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ive chosen deliberately to write after Rahul Gandhis elevation to Congress President and before the Gujarat election results are announced. The first makes this pertinent whilst the second could render it irrelevant. So you have a brief window to consider my point. Let me, however, add another caveat. Im raising a theoretical question, not expressing disapproval of Mr. Modi or endorsement of Congress. Im raising an issue that might occur to tens or even hundreds of millions as they consider how they will vote in 2019. Is accepting Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister the price we have to pay for voting out Narendra Modi? Ive put it bluntly to emphasise the dilemma I wish to point out. There are many who wish to see the back of Mr. Modi but are disturbed by the prospect of Mr. Gandhi as head of government. Congressmen will not like this question. They will see it as prejudiced or, at least, unfair. Yet if they open their eyes to how Mr. Gandhi is perceived they will also realise this is an issue they need to grapple with and resolve before we vote in 18 months time. Otherwise many might desire a change of government yet feel unable to vote for Congress. Now let me make a second point which could throw light on a possible answer. Im not questioning Rahul Gandhis right to be Congress President and his elevation may well change the partys fortunes. But does every Congress president have to automatically become prime minister? In Indira Gandhis and Jawaharlal Nehrus time many did not. More pertinently, Sonia Gandhi brought Congress to power but refused to accept the prime ministership. Could a repeat of the Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan Singh arrangement, announced well before the elections, remove the hesitation in the minds of those who want a change but are apprehensive of voting for Congress? I accept its difficult to name the individual who will play the Manmohan role but theres also no need to do so at this stage. All thats required is clarity that the dyarchy that prevailed from 2004 to 2014 will re-emerge if Congress wins in 2019. Of course, this wont be an easy decision for Rahul Gandhi. Hes been brought up to believe he will be prime minister and the fourth generation of his family to hold that post. To disavow it wont be easy. But it would be a sign of greatness. For he would be putting party and country ahead of himself. Indeed, it would be an even bigger sacrifice than the one his mother made in 2004. Her Italian origin made her recusal not just understandable but, perhaps, necessary. Rahul, on the other hand, is as Indian as you and I. One other thing: an announcement by Rahul that he wont be prime minister could cast an emotional spell. To fight and win but not want the laurels of office is the sort of humility that reflects our cultural values. It could even alter the way Mr. Modi is perceived because thereafter, in contrast, his ambition might seem like hunger. If Im right, the question Ive raised and the answer Ive suggested could become more pressing with each passing month. But its also possible Im wrong and the way we view Rahul might change so comprehensively that our apprehensions will simply fade away before 2019. Lets see what happens. The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Last week marked a predictable low point in Indian politics. It also marked a surprising high point. First, the low. Reacting to what he saw as politicisation of the legacy of B R Ambedkar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress Mani Shankar Aiyar called the latter neech or low-class. The backlash was immediate, even if some of it came from an unexpected source, but more on that anon. Aiyar is a long-suffering victim of the foot-in-the-mouth disease, but he isnt the only one. The quality of political discourse in India has never been great and it has degenerated into downright billingsgate in recent years. No party, and no leaders, can claim to have taken the moral high ground when it comes to this. A quick, but incomplete sampling would include: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals reference to Modi as a coward and psychopath; BJP leader Giriraj Singhs question on whether, if Rajiv Gandhi had married a Nigerian, the Congress would have accepted her as its leader; Congress leader Sanjay Nirupams retort to BJP leader (and now union minister) Smriti Irani that she had come a long way from dancing on TV (the Hindi original is far more insulting) to making poll predictions; and CPI (M) representative Anil Basu drawing an analogy between prostitutes getting money from clients and TMC leader and now West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee allegedly receiving donations from the US. Theres more, a lot more. Theres worse, a lot worse. But you get the picture. Several factors can explain why this is happening. The stakes are probably far higher today than they ever were in the past, and many politicians are in perennial campaign mode, moving from campaigning for parliamentary elections to seeking votes for state elections to, in some cases, hitting the road for local administrative body elections. These elections, all of them, are also extensively covered in the 24x7 media cycle, with many seeing the outcomes of even local body elections as a referendum on the policies and the popularity of the prime minister. Such coverage also means that every foolish utterance, every rabid rant is picked up and played on loop. Sometimes, it would appear as if politicians are saying something solely for effect, or exclusively to provoke, but most media outlets do not apply even the most basic filters. Many politicians see the coverage as a licence to say such things and also as an easy way to stay in the limelight. Indeed, there are names all of us can name, from across the political spectrum who have become names only on the strength of such utterances. In the world of alternate facts, such comments are also often hyperbolic, perpetuating convenient narratives. For instance, last week, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao called Rahul Gandhi a Babar bhakt and kin of Khilji in a tweet. Nehru dynasty sided with both Islamic invaders, he added. Mr and Ms Bharat are to blame too, to some extent. They have always preferred the loud slapstick humour of a David Dhawan over the gentle situational comedies of a Hrishikesh Mukherjee. To be fair to politicians, it also isnt possible to be nuanced when one is addressing a few tens of thousands of people or in 140 or 280 characters. Finally, and most importantly, perhaps because the stakes are high, many politicians of today seem to have developed a personal antipathy (often a violent personal antipathy) towards their rivals. That may also be because ideological positions are blurring, and, strange as it may seem, converging. For instance, apart from the fact that the current National Democratic Alliance government hasnt got embroiled in corruption controversies, theres little to separate its larger policies, specially economic ones, from those of its predecessor, the United Progressive Alliance. Given this, a lot of politics revolves around personalities, not ideologies. As it turns out it also means a lot of politics is beginning to revolve around name-calling. Still, just because something can be explained doesnt mean it is acceptable. Chanakya isnt anybodys fan. Indeed, if anything can describe this writer, it would be equal opportunity offender. But it is hard to ignore the surprising high point of the past week the behaviour of Rahul Gandhi. First, he apologised for a mistake in his tweet, about the rise of commodity prices (they had increased but not by as much as he originally claimed) even as he took a gentle dig at the Prime Minister (...unlike Narendrabhai, I am human. We do make the odd mistake and thats what makes life interesting...). Then, he rapped Aiyar on the knuckles, forcing him to apologise and, later, suspending him from the primary membership of the party. Both come several weeks after he said that while he would criticise Modi, he wouldnt disrespect him because he is the prime minister of the country. For the record, other leaders and other parties have also, on occasion, pulled up one of their own for such utterances. For instance, Giriraj Singh apologised for his remarks above, reportedly at the insistence of party chief Amit Shah; and in 2011, Basu was expelled from the party for his remarks on Banerjee. It would be good to see some consistency on this front, though, and from all sides. Chanakya is pragmatic and doesnt expect to see the kind of repartee immortalised by Lady Astor and Winston Churchill, but some good, old-fashioned civility would be welcome. Its high time to restore decency to debate. letters@hindustantimes.com SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON DEHRADUN: A total of 409 gentlemen cadets , including those from abroad, completed the Passing out Parade on Saturday at the Indian Military Academy before being commissioned into the armies of their respective countries after completing the autumn training course. The gentlemen cadets had been in the IMA for around one and a half year. Seventy-eight cadets from Maldives, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka also graduated from the IMA. Early in the morning, the gentleman cadets assembled in the drill square of the Chetwode Building where they conducted the march past to the military tunes of Colonel Bogey and Sare jahan se achha. The parade was reviewed by Bangladesh army chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq. The Chief of Army staff Banner was handed over to the Nowshera company for being overall first among 16 companies. The coveted sword of honour went to Chandrakant Acharya, who also won the Gold medal bestowed to the cadet standing first in Order of Merit. The silver medal went to Amarpreet Singh Dhatt. The Silver medal for the gentleman cadet standing first in order of merit in the Technical Graduate Course was given to Barnna Yadagiri. Alexandar Simonaitis from Kazakhstan was awarded the Silver medal for standing first in order of merit among foreign gentleman cadets. Subedar Major (Honorary Captain) Darbara Singh witnessed the parade as a special invitee. Darbara Singh is a legend to many officers for whom he has been the disciplinarian instructor at the National Defense Aacademy, Pune. After the Pipping Ceremony held at the Somnath stadium in the south campus, IMA commandant Lt Gen SK Jha urged the newly commissioned officers to set high goals in life and not to be deterred by obstacles. Sky is the limit for you, he said, reminding them that the training they received was among the best in the world. DEHRADUN: Women are the unlikely suspects when it comes to anything illegal related to booze in Uttarakhand as they spearhead protests against liquor shops and alcoholism. But, two women gangs are under the police scanner for bootlegging in the spiritual town of Rishikesh. Popular among pilgrims and adventure tourism lovers, Rishikesh is a dry area where consumption or sale of liquor is prohibited. It apparently doesnt stop desi daru lovers from their quota of pawwas (one pawwa is 180 ml), thanks to bootleggers, many of whom are women. After clamping down with the Gangster Act, the Rishikesh police is working to nab members of the Janki Gang and the Bala Gang who are smuggling desi daru (country made liquor) in the region. The Act stipulates a minimum of two-year jail and it may extend up to 10 years. The police have identified and booked two members each of these two gangs under the stringent act after approval from the district magistrate. Many women groups are believed to be involved in smuggling of liquor in the holy town located at the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayas. Like the Janki and Bala gangs, there are around 30-35 women involved in bootlegging in Rishikesh. We are working to identify and nab them. These women smuggle desi sharab in large quantities from nearby towns and sell it. Many of them were arrested earlier but got bail. So, we are invoking the Gangster Act against them, Praveen Koshyari, in-charge of Rishikesh police station, told HT. With some cash in their possession, the women mostly board buses leaving Rishikesh for nearby towns such as Doiwala and Ranipokhri where sale of liquor is not banned. They slip in around 30-40 quarter bottles in their bags and return in Rishikesh-bound buses. Liquor is then sold at much higher rates with a 50-70% profit in the process, a source in the know of the illegal activity told HT. While a quarter bottle comes for Rs 40-45, the gangs sell them for Rs 65-70 each in Rishikesh. Prior to these two gangs, the Rishikesh police had booked another bunch of women under the Gangster Act in September. Of the four women, three were arrested in October, while one continues to be on the run, Koshyari said, adding that the challenge was to get the people to testify against them. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bangladesh Army chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq, who was the reviewing officer (RO) at the passing out parade of Indian army personnel in Dehradun on Saturday, said the issue of refugees pouring into Bangladesh from Myanmar will be resolved amicably as both the countries are in talks over it. He talked at length on the historic ties between India and Bangladesh and thanked the soldiers and martyrs who fought in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. He also thanked Bangabandhu Mujibur Rahman and India for its role in the creation of Bangladesh. Extending support to Indias fight against terrorism General Shafiul Huq said, Bangladesh has zero tolerance towards terror and we are with India in the fight against terrorism. He rejected talks of conflict with India saying there is no issue of conflict with India and both the countries are very close friends on international forums. The countries have excellent diplomatic and military relations, he added. We not only share common boundary, but common culture and heritage. Let the India-Bangladesh friendship grow from strength to strength, he further emphasized. The Delhi Jal Board has decided to go after government departments, who have crores in terms of outstanding water bill payments. These include the three municipal corporations, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, Delhi Development Authority, Delhi Police and Indian Railways. According to a senior Delhi government official, the decision was taken by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the states water minister, after a meeting with Delhi Jal Board officials at his residence on Saturday. The overdues of government departments was the primary agenda during the meeting. Huge amount of bills have been pending . Now it has been decided to send these seven departments a notice for payment within a week or their connection will be disconnected. The total principle outstanding amount is Rs 737.77 crore and when late payment surcharge is added the amount comes up to Rs 3,220.12 crore, the official told Hindustan Times. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has a principal outstanding of Rs 6.07 crore, while its total amount due is Rs 31.85 crore, after the addition of of Rs 25.70 crore late payment surcharge. The North Delhi Municipal Corporation owes Rs 1,044.68 crore, which includes Rs 835.19 crore late payment surcharge. The East civic body has to pay Rs 23.73 crore, which includes Rs 6.84 crore principal outstanding and the rest Rs 16.89 crore as late payment surcharge. DUSIB has to cough up Rs 186.03 crore, DDA R71.98 crore and Delhi Police Rs 284.53 crore. Railways has the highest outstanding with Rs 330.11 crore principal outstanding. Add another Rs 1,247.20 crore late payment surcharge to it and the the total due jumps to Rs 1577.32 crore, a DJB official said. Reacting to the notice, east corporation mayor Neema Bhagat said the Delhi government was putting unnecessary pressure on the cash-strapped civic bodies. They havent paid us under the 4th Finance Commission. Instead they are threatening us. They want to strangulate us further, Bhagat said. A North Delhi Municipal Corporation, who wished not to be named, said they are in talks with DJB officials over the issue. We have already taken up the matter with the Delhi Jal Board and hopefully this will be sorted out soon. the official said. Next week, the jal board will start pursuing outstanding water bills of private and commercial users, a government official said. Dependra Pathak, Delhi Polices chief spokesperson, said that the dues would be examined and cleared as per the standardized process. We are a responsible government organisation that pays for services it uses, said Pathak when the issue was brought to his notice. RN Singh, divisional railway manager, Northern Railway, said he was not aware of any such notice. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Noida After killing his mother (42) and sister (11) in a high rise apartment in Greater Noida, a 16-year-old boy travelled to five states Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Union Territory Chandigarh between December 4 and December 8, officials said. He travelled in general compartment of trains without tickets. Investigators said he was mostly fed by co-passengers and sometime purchased food with the money that he had stolen from his home. The boy said he was confused and would often get down from a train and board another without a destination in mind. He had left the house in Greater Noida around 11pm on December 4 after murdering his mother and sister. Police said the boy reached Old Delhi railway station in a Ola cab and boarded a Jammu-bound train. He then got down at Ludhiana junction early on Tuesday. From Ludhiana, the boy went to Chandigarh and from there he boarded a bus to Shimla. In Shimla, the boy a spent whole day at the ISBT, where he was spotted and questioned by a number of people about his whereabouts, said police. On Tuesday evening, the boy returned to Chandigarh from where he booked a bus to Ludhiana. He reached Ludhiana early on Wednesday where he brought food for himself and then boarded a train to Ranchi. He reached Ranchi on Wednesday afternoon but did not leave the railway station. From Ranchi, he took a train to Mughalsarai, police added. Senior superintendent of police, Gautam Budh Nagar, Love Kumar, said, The boy stepped out of Mughalsarai railway station on Friday morning, where he made a call to his father from a passerbys phone. We called back on the number and the person told us that he was from Mughalsarai. The police then contacted their counterparts in Mughalsarai and a search was launched. The passerby told police that the boy was last spotted headed towards a ghat (bank) in Varanasi. Five police vehicles were immediately dispatched to trace him. It took the police five hours to locate him from a ghat in Varanasi on Friday afternoon. The police team from Greater Noida left for Varanasi around 1:30pm on Friday and took the custody of the boy in evening. The team returned to Greater Noida with the boy around midnight. Investigators said the boy was crying on his trip back and expressed remorse for his crime. At Greater Noida police station, the boy was given some food and allowed to sleep till 9am on Saturday. He was questioned in the morning by investigators, where he told them about the sequence of events. The boy told the police that he had taken some cash from home but he did not know that the amount was Rs 2 lakh. After reaching Shimla, the boy claimed, that he realised that his backpack was not with him. The boys family was allowed to meet him on Saturday. The father of the boy said, Parents want to discipline their children so that they can excel in life. We could never have imagined that he would get o angry and do such a thing at being scolded. On December 4, around 7.30 pm, the mother had taken the children to the nearby market from where they packed biryani and chips for dinner and returned around 8.19 pm as seen on CCTV. Later in the night, the three went to sleep in the same room. Love Kumar said, the boy hadnt initially thought about killing his sister. But he was enraged and he was scared that his sister was a witness to the crime. So he killed her too with a blow to her head. After the murders, the 16-year-old boy went to the kitchen and got a pair of scissors and a pizza cutter. He used the scissors and pizza cutter to disfigure the faces and also stabbed them in the neck. After ensuring both were dead, the boy changed his bloodstained clothes, locked the house from outside and fled, the police officer said. Before leaving, the boy opened the bedroom locker and took out cash and left the jewellery intact. He left the Greater Noida West apartment complex around 11pm. From his 14th floor apartment he took the lift to the basement rather than the ground floor so that security guards dont see him leaving. He also took his mothers mobile phone as he didnt have one. Love Kumar said, the boy booked a cab through an app (OLA) using his mothers phone and went to Old Delhi railway station. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON His confidence, pleasant appearance and ability to convince people propelled 65-year-old Shiv Prasad Pandey from a failed medical practitioner to the chairman of a fake education board, interrogators said. These qualities made Pandey the de facto choice for the chairman when a group of fraudsters found an opportunity to take over an education racket after its mastermind, Mange Ram Acharya, landed in jail in 2011. The members of the gang rendered leaderless by Acharyas arrest created a fake education board -- an offshoot of the existing racket and decided to make easy money, said Ravindra Yadav, Joint CP (Eastern Range). They needed a face to lead them and happened to come across Pandey who was a man of few words but was very sharp and had great convincing abilities. He dressed in suit and tie and did not appear like a cheat. They did not waste any time and quickly garlanded him to make him the boards chairman. They splashed his photos on the boards website to appear as genuine, an investigator not authorised to speak to the media told Hindustan Times. Produced before the media on Friday, Pandey was not impressed by the attention, said the investigator. He said he received more attention at conferences, conclaves and seminars he attended as the boards chairman. The boards three main offices were located in Delhi and Lucknow and Pandey moved between these two cities. The police are yet to ascertain his financial worth, but investigators said that one of his bank accounts had shown a transaction of Rs 60 lakh since January 2015. A native of Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, Pandey claimed to have done a five-year diploma in ayurveda from a government college in Bihars Bhagalpur district in the 1970s. This is yet to be verified. Pandey then set up a clinic in Pratapgarh that failed to take off. He then moved his clinic to Chembur in Mumbai, near Raj Kapoors studio, RK Films, said the investigator. It was at this clinic that Pandey met another man who introduced him to the education racket and the prospects of easy money. Pandey was allegedly remote-controlled by the man who remains on the run, police said. New Delhi The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Friday rejected a study done by IIT Madras which said its bio-digester toilets being used in trains are no better than septic tanks, and said the study was flawed. Reports quoting Ligy Philip, the professor who headed the study at IIT Madras, had said the toilets that were installed on several trains of Indian Railways were no better than septic tanks. A statement issued on Friday said the DRDO team had interacted with Philip, and found that the study was inaccurate. After examining the information available it emerges that the experiment design by IIT Madras was flawed and results of the study are inaccurate, the statement said. The statement by Prof. Ligy that organic matter (human waste) collecting in the bio-digester does not undergo any kind of treatment is factually incorrect. The statement also said the investigator had not undertaken any study on bio-digesters fitted in Indian Railways and the reference to the same in the news articles is false and misleading. The study had been undertaken without interacting with DRDO and it appears that the study has been conducted without understanding how the technology works. As many as 93,537 bio-digester toilets have been installed in trains by the Indian Railways at a cost of around Rs 1,305 crore. DRDO developed bio-digester technology has been proven over the years and Indian Railways has implemented the same in a very large scale after trying out various options from India and abroad. The application for bio-digester for rural sanitation has the potential to become the single most important factor for the Swachh Bharat initiative, the statement added. Lucknow The Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow will host the fifth PAN-IIM World Management Conference in Lucknow between December 14 and 16. This is an annual event organised by the IIMs and supported by the HRD ministry. The forum provides an opportunity for academicians, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and thought leaders to exchange ideas and foster collaboration, IIM-L sources said. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and union minister of state ministry of communications (independent charge), Manoj Sinha, will be the chief guests at the inaugural function. The CM will inaugurate Digital Street, an expo showcasing leading innovations and technologies on Digital India. Sinha will speak on the contribution of the telecom sector in the making of digital India. Prof Satya Bhushan Dash, convener, PAN IIM organising committee and Ajit Prasad, director, IIM Lucknow, will also be present. The conference agenda will comprise of exhibitions, conferences, awards in a single, unique and distinctive global platform in India. The previous editions were initiated by IIM Calcutta (2013), IIM Kozhikode (2014), IIM Indore (2015) and IIM Ahmedabad (2016). When a notice outside the Delhi University Central Librarys entrance stated SOL students not allowed, most students from School of Open Learning (SOL) raised objections and quite a few felt its a discriminatory move that hinders their right to education. DV Singh, librarian, DU Central Library mentioned in a statement that the library was never open for the SOL students as they often park themselves to prepare for their competitive exams, thus occupying the maximum space. The library administration has also mentioned that the notice was put up recently, to avoid any confusion about who is allowed to access the library. SOL students, however, have a different story to share. We do use the library, but thats also because many of us prefer it over the SOL library. Nobody can be barred from studying in a library, even if the space is an issue. By doing so, they are taking away our right to education, says Radhika Yadav, a second year SOL student. Another student, on the condition of anonymity, says, The library is a big issue because thats one of the few places where we can actually sit and study with full concentration. SOL has many issues when it comes to provision of study material, number of classes and now even the library. We dont need more issues now to divert us from our focus on studying. But, if this continues, we will seek the help of Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS) - who is already helping us with our other grievances. DUSU president Rocky Tuseed (Mohd Zakir/HT PHOTO) Rocky Tuseed, President of Delhi University Students Union (DUSU), has expressed his disappointment over the diktat: I am very disappointed. This cannot be tolerated. How can the university stop the students from studying? We will be making a demand for a 24X7 library for DU students, whether they are college regulars or SOL students. SOL has a multi-storey library available for students in the SOL premises, but if the students have any difficulty accessing certain study material thats usually available in the Central Library, then DUSU will provide it to the students and resolve the issue with the administration. Follow @htTweets for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Barely months after a fake call centre involved in banking fraud was busted, ten persons were arrested by the Gurgaon police for running another through which they duped people of large sums by offering non-existent jobs. Police said a case of fraud was registered against the accused in September, 2017 before the case was transferred to the cyber cell of Gurgaon police. It was the cyber cell which uncovered the racket. Police seized a huge cache of IT equipment and mobile phones used for running the fake job racket. The racket, which was being operated for the last one-and- a-half years, was run by a Mathura-based couple, the police said. Sumit Kuhar, DCP crime, said that the well-organised racket was run by Laxman and Simple and both are currently on the run. Around 50 people were employed at the call centre, which was being operated without permission. There was no recording of calls and data and operators were given fictitious names to call gullible job applicants, Kuhar saids. Police said stolen data from a job portal was used by the call centre employees to reach out to candidates, who were promised jobs, interviews and locations abroad in lieu of money. In most cases, those promised jobs were asked to deposit 2-3 months salary as commission to the call centre, the police said. The accused also used multiple bank accounts to siphon off money and hired people in a dubious manner. Call centres seem to have become an easy way of carrying out frauds in Delhi NCR, be it related to banks, jobs and other financial transactions. There is a need for strict monitoring of such facilities by civil agencies to curb such crimes, Kuhar said. On questioning, the accused told police that every operator at the call centre was given 40 mobile numbers of job seekers. They were asked to call each of them and promise jobs, the accused said. They charged 1,000 to 2,000 as registration money and demanded large amounts in lieu of fake interview letters, which were deposited in banks through a cash transfer, the police said. The Gurgaon-based man on whose complaint the gang was busted said he had also been conned of 2.60 lakh after being promised a lucrative job. Shamsher Singh, ACP, crime, Gurgaon said that the cyber cell of Gurgaon police opened an investigation on the complaint that the call centre was deceiving gullible jobseekers by making rosy promises. After a thorough probe it was found that the accused were operating a well-established call centre out of Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate in Delhi, near the Tuglaqabad Metro station. A police team conducted a search at the call centre during which it found a large number of people calling jobseekers. It was found that this facility was illegal and was engaged in defrauding gullible people, he added. Read I Gurgaon: Fake call centre busted, ex-bank staff among 3 held The 10 accused have been identified as Mohan, Tushar, Mohd Daud, Durgesh, Raghu Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Shailesh Mani, Shiv Kumar, Kishan and Sushil Kumar. They are residents of Delhi and UP. It was a well-organised racket. Sixty CPUs, 60 LED screens, keyboards, mouse and other IT-related equipment were seized from the call centre. Forty seven mobile phones used by the accused to dupe people were also seized, inspector Anand Kumar, in charge, cyber cell, Gurgaon, said. In May, the cyber cell busted a fake call centre in Palam, Delhi. The accused then had used sensitive financial data of clients stolen from banks to carry out the fraud. They duped a large number of people by offering them credit cards and other lucrative schemes, the police said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON In an ultimatum to the state government, the protesting workers associated with the National Health Mission (NHM) have threatened to go on an indefinite statewide strike from Sunday if their demands for a pay hike and permanent jobs are not met. While Haryana health minister Anil Vij, on Friday, directed the protesting health workers to return to work or brace for salary deduction, they continued to hold their ground. The strike by the contractual health workers, which has been on for five days, has already hit services at government hospitals and it is likely to be crippled even further in the event of an indefinite strike. With not enough staff in hand to manage the daily rush, kin of some patients at Gurgaons Civil Hospital were advised to have them shifted to Delhis Safdarjung Hospital. We are planning to go on an indefinite strike. Our meetings with officials of the health department did not yield any fruitful result. However, we are determined to fight on, Hari Raj, state secretary, NHM workers union, said. Mayank Goyal, a member of the workers union, said, The smooth conduct of operations at government hospitals has a lot to do with the effort put in by NHM workers. However, they are not getting the desired benefits out of their jobs. Many workers have not been getting their salaries on time as well. The ongoing strike has crippled the ambulance and other health care services at government hospitals, as the entire crop of class IV employees and NHM workers. Read I Gurgaon: Health workers strike continues for third day, services hit Gurgaon has a total of 650 NHM workers and more than 80% of them are hired on contract. The protesting workers have already put forward their primary demands regularisation of service and equal pay for equal work. They said though they have written to the chief minister highlighting their plight, theres been no improvement in their working condition. Over the last one year, NHM workers in the state have staged many protests seeking better pay and permanent jobs. We got assurance for the government officials that our demands will be considered. However, we will only resume work once we have a word of confirmation that our demands will be met, Kul Bhushan, another member of the workers union, said. The parents of a 7-year-old girl who died of dengue after being treated at Gurgaons Fortis Hospital have now accused the institution of criminal negligence, filing a police complaint weeks after they disclosed that they were charged Rs 16 lakh in billing that appeared to be inflated. The case emerged in spotlight in mid-November after a family friend of the patient posted on social media images of the itemised bill. The 20-page bill included 660 syringes and 2,700 gloves, triggering outrage among people that the family was overcharged. On Friday evening, Jayant Singh, father of the patient Adya, filed a complaint with Gurgaon police alleging that his daughter died because of the negligence by the doctors and the hospital tried to destroy evidence of the wrongdoing. Singh named 18 people as allegedly responsible for the death of his daughter. The doctors made deliberate attempts to change facts related to the case, which is a criminal offense. Action should be taken against all person who I have mentioned in the complaint, Singh said in his complaint. On Thursday, Haryana health minister Anil Vij ordered Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon be removed from the list of government empanelled hospitals due to the case. He also ordered the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to look into the possibility of cancelling the hospitals land lease. The troubles surrounding Fortis Hospital Gurgaon comes against the background of growing unease with private hospitals. On Friday, the Delhi government cancelled the licence of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh after an infant was wrongly declared dead and handed over in a plastic bag. The infant died soon. The police confirmed the complaint against Fortis and said they were conducting an investigation. We will inquire into the matter first and then based on the findings we will take action, said inspector Gaurav Phogat, SHO, Sushant Lok police station. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday his government will develop places of religious importance of all faiths and communities without any bias. After celebrating Diwali in Ayodhya this year, the government announced that Holi will be celebrated in a grand manner in Braj, a region around Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. With the Holi of Barsana, we will connect the world, he said. Adityanath said that culture is the soul of the country and it is our duty to further strengthen it. We have decided that places of religious importance of all faiths and communities will be developed for serving culture and also giving a platform for encouraging tourism...I believe those who have to oppose will do so, he said. Adityanath was speaking at a programme jointly organised by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism department and Sanskar Bharti, an NGO. He said festivals should be made a medium of uniting society as they depict collective bond but people have forgotten it and this needed to be revived. Making a mention of the Kanwar yatra, he said that he got the official orders banning use of shankh, ghanta and mike, cancelled. I took the responsibility and convened a meeting with officials of Uttarakhand, Haryana and Delhi. Four crore kawariyas went to Haridwar from Ghaziabad and it was proved that festivals can be celebrated peacefully, he said. He said that a Rs 100 crore plan was being prepared for the development of pilgrim areas in Naimisaranya in Sitapur district and its adjoining areas at the banks of Gomti river. The looming termination of 10,323 Tripura government school teachers on December 31 due to irregularities in recruitment will leave 40,000 lives dependent on them in the lurch unless the Manik Sarkar administration brings new rules to save their jobs. About 15 teachers have died of depression-induced ailments since May 7, 2014, when the Tripura high court ordered the termination of the teachers jobs due to discrepancies in the hiring process. The All Tripura 10,323 Teachers Association, which gave an ultimatum to the government on Friday to ensure job security by year-end, fears more depression-driven suicides if they are not reinstated after the termination order takes effect from January 1 next year. Members of the association have also imposed a railway and national highway blockade, affecting movement of trains and goods-laden trucks. We have organised a series of agitations, had meetings with chief minister Manik Sarkar and the education minister. We did not get anything beyond assurances. We want a permanent solution, Uttam Kumar Dey, an association leader, said on Saturday. We lost 11 members after the 2014 high court order and a few more after the Supreme Court upheld the high court order on March 29. The ball is now in the state governments court, and we are doomed if it does not act fast, Dey said. Around 700 teachers left the association after qualifying through the Teachers Eligibility Test a few months ago. But more than 70% of the teachers facing termination are past the eligible age to apply for TET or other jobs, association leaders said. State education minister Tapan Chakraborty has urged the teachers to call off their blockade since the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the state governments petition on Monday seeking extension of the appointments. The government is sympathetic to their plight, and we do not intend to use force on them for lifting the blockade, he said. The association too is divided on the mode of agitation. A section does not favour railway and highway blockade that affects normal life and prefers to storm the secretariat instead. Alternative Jobs Officials said the government had created 13,000 non-teaching posts soon after the apex courts verdict to absorb the 10,323 teachers facing the axe. Of these new posts, 12,000 were created in education department and the rest in social welfare and social education departments. The posts are of academic counsellor (1,200), student counsellor (3,400), school library assistant (1,500), hostel warden (300), school assistant (5,600) and early childhood coordinator (1,000). But the terminated teachers association doubts if their members would be accommodated in these posts. They have also questioned the move to rehabilitate qualified and experienced teachers in non-teaching posts. Opposition parties, particularly the BJP that wants to win Tripura after Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, termed the creation of the non-teaching posts as political gimmick. Three Left Front MPs of the state two of Lok Sabha have meanwhile asked the Union human resources development ministry to relax the minimum age criterion for the teachers to appear for TET. Saturdays polling in 19 districts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions will have implications beyond the state a resounding victory could give Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party the courage to push through ambitious social, economic and political plans. A blow, likewise, could tamp down those ambitions, especially since Gujarat is the home state of Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. The plans include a bill to criminalise the Muslim practice of triple talaq. The message from Gujarat could determine how it is manoeuvred through Parliament, which will begin its Winter Session on December 15. The Gujarat election result will be declared on December 18. The budget, the first after the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), will likely be the next most important area where the effects could be felt. Politically, the outcome could colour the campaigns for state elections next year, particularly Tripura and Karnataka that may go to polls in the first quarter. The first phase is particularly crucial for the BJP. The districts going to polls are where Patidars are a dominant group, and their decision can make or break the BJPs chances. Out of the 89 seats in the phase, the BJP won 63 while 22 went to the Congress in the last election. The advantage There is little or no dip in Prime Minister Narendra Modis personal appeal to voters in Gujarat. The western state is his home and he knows the region better than anyone else. The BJP benefits immensely out of the trust that Gujarat voters rest in him. The middle class and they are in majority in Gujarat remains loyal to him. This is BJPs strength, said political-scientist Ghanshyam Shah. Modi has managed to build a caste-neutral constituency for himself. The Congress does not have leader with the appeal that Modi has in Gujarat. It also lacks BJP chief Amit Shahs style of micro-managing the election. A lot of research went into BJPs candidate selection and last-minute changes were made to ensure the right caste balance is struck on each seat. The BJP has a strong cadre base, unlike the Congress, and every booth of Gujarat is mapped for canvassing. The party has conducted three rounds of door-to-door outreach so far, and nearly every voter of Gujarat has been personally reached. Gujarat also has a strong network of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh BJPs ideological parent and, despite differences over issues; it rallies around to help the BJP during elections. The BJP is conscious of an inertia that a 20-year rule might have brought in and tried to fight the anti-incumbency factor by dropping more than 30 sitting MLAs. The strategy has worked in the last two elections and the BJP hopes it will this time too. We will win 150 plus seats, said Bhupendra Yadav, the BJPs general secretary in-charge for Gujarat. We receive support from every community. The minuses The response from Patidars belies BJPs confidence about getting a three-fourths majority. The hostility is such that they have stopped BJP candidates from campaigning in certain pockets. Gujarats most prosperous community, the Patidars have been nursing a grudge against the ruling party since a police crackdown in 2015 on an agitation for reservation. The emergence of 24-year-old Hardik Patel is a manifestation of the anger in the community and his rallies across Gujarat have largely been a hit. Adding to that is the partys troubles with other castes. Alpesh Thakor, an OBC, and Jignesh Mevani, a Dalit, are prominent caste leaders who now oppose the BJP. Thakor has joined Congress and Mevani is fighting as an independent, with Congress support. Thakor will bring new energy into the Congress in north Gujarat, an area where the grand old party did reasonably well even during Narendra Modi days. Mevanis influence appears limited compared to Hardik and Thakor, but he has drawn support from the Muslilm community in his region. Together, Dalits and Muslim are capable of springing a surprise in about half a dozen assembly seats. Any gain that Mevani makes will be BJPs loss. A distress in the farm sector and a lack of jobs also stares into the BJPs face. Farmers are complaining about low procurement prices produce such as cotton and groundnut are fetching prices lower than last time. The BJP could be in a tight spot if this angst translates into votes. This is the first election since 2001 that the BJP is without Narendra Modi as the chief minister. It has tried to compensate it with nearly 20 rallies of the Prime Minister so far. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The body of 22-year-old Talim Khan, a suspected cow smuggler who was killed in a police encounter in Rajasthans Alwar district, was on Saturday handed over to his family members after postmortem, a top police official said. The body handed over to the family members, from Nuh district in Haryana, deputy superintendent of police of Alwar Jai Singh Nathawat said, adding that the case was being investigated by the CID-CB. Khan was killed in the Janta Colony area in Alwar on Wednesday night when he was allegedly transporting stray cows. A group of five-seven people were seen transporting cows in a stolen mini truck. When police tried to stop them, they opened fire at policemen. Two policemen on patrol duty saw 5-7 people loading stray cows in the mini truck. They tried to stop them but the accused drove away. The policemen informed the control room following which separate teams tried to intercept the vehicle at SMD circle, Kali Mori over-bridge and college circle but the accused opened fire and fled toward the Maujpur House road, superintendent of police of Alwar Rahul Prakash said. Talim was killed in retaliatory fire. The others fled the spot, Prakash added. Five cows, with their legs tied up, were found in the mini truck. One of them was found dead, he said. A country-made pistol, a mobile phone, a diary and live cartridges were found in the vehicle. Police suspect the cows were made to drink acid to prevent them from making a noise. In April, a dairy farmer, Pehlu Khan, had allegedly died after being thrashed by a mob of cow vigilantes in Alwar. In November, cow vigilantes allegedly shot dead 35-year- old Ummar Khan, and critically injured his fellow passenger transporting cows in the districts Govindgarh area. The Assam government has sent water samples of the Brahmaputra to the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Chemical Technology after reports that the rivers water has turned blackish because of suspected Chinese activities upstream in Tibet. Samples were collected from several points of the 891km river from Sadiya in eastern Assam to Dhubri in the west bordering Bangladesh, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Saturday. The Brahmaputra is formed after three rivers Lohit, Dibang and Siang, all flowing through Arunachal Pradesh meet near Sadiya. The Siang originates in Tibet, where the river is called Yarlung Tsangpo. Blackened, muddy waters of the Siang triggered conspiracy theories about China constructing a tunnel to divert the water of Yarlung Tsangpo to the parched Xinjiang province. Beijing denied the reports or any plan to contaminate the Siang and Brahmaputra. Indian officials attributed the blackening of water of the two rivers to a major earthquake in Tibet. The Hyderabad institute and the Indian Institute of Technology in Guwahati have been asked to test the water samples and find out the reasons behind the water turning black. Remedial action would be taken after finding out the reason, Sonowal said. Ninong Ering, the Congress MP representing Arunachal East, sounded the alarm in November, saying the Siangs water has turned unusually turbid and is threatening aquatic life. The turbidity, he said, was caused by a cement-like substance possibly flushed down from Tibet. Ering wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the issue. Days later, the frontier states public health engineering department tested samples from near Pasighat town and found the nephelometric turbidity unit (NTU) to be 425, abnormally more than the permissible limit of five. Assam was late to react, but water resources minister Keshab Mahanta said Siangs problem flowed into the Brahmaputra after tests at three places two in Dibrugarh and one in Sonitpur districts revealed an NTU level of 295, 404 and 162 respectively. We have taken up the matter with the water resources and other central ministries, Mahanta said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Pakistans gesture of allowing Kulbhushan Jadhavs mother and wife to meet him in the jail in the presence of an Indian diplomat is a positive development but cannot be called consular access as of now, the external affairs ministry (MEA) said on Friday. Its a good news for us. We are happy that Pakistan has accepted our request to let both his wife and mother meet Kulbhushan Jadhav. It is a positive development. An Indian diplomat will be accompanying the wife and mother when they meet him, said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said. But it is too early to predict the nature of the meeting and the access given by the Pakistani government, he added in response to a media query if the meeting can be construed as the consular access to Jadhav that India has been seeking for long. The meeting is tentatively scheduled to take place on December 25 and further modalities in this connection are being worked out, Kumar said. He said the Pakistan government has assured that it will ensure the safety, security and well-being of the wife and mother during their stay in Pakistan. Earlier in the day, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj announced that the Pakistan government has accepted Indias request to let Jadhavs mother and wife to meet him. She also spoke to Jadhavs mother Avantika Jadhav. Earlier, Pakistan had agreed to give visa only to Jadhavs wife. Then India asked the Pakistani authorities to let his mother meet him as well. Islamabad has said that Jadhav, allegedly an officer with the Indian Navy and attached to the intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), was arrested on March 3, 2016 from Balochistan after he entered Pakistan illegally from Iran. He was sentenced to death on April 10 by a Pakistani military court on alleged charges of coordinating and organising espionage, terrorist and sabotage activities aimed at destabilizing and waging war against Pakistan. His execution was halted by the International Court of Justice on May 18 this year till a final decision was reached in the proceedings. The capping of educational expenses paid to children of martyrs and disabled soldiers at Rs 10,000 per month will result in a more even distribution of the money among the beneficiaries, government sources said on Saturday. The sources said only a small percentage of students receiving grant of educational concession (GEC) were claiming more than Rs 10,000 per month but they were consuming a third of the total amount disbursed. The armed forces have written to the defence ministry seeking the removal of the ceiling on financial aid granted to the children and the ministry is re-examining the issue. The cap on the financial aid was imposed earlier this year following the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. The sources said out of the 3,265 students who availed the concession in 2016-17, only 218 claimed more than Rs 10,000 per month. Barely 7% of the claimants consumed 33% of the disbursed grant, averaging reimbursement of Rs 2.48 lakh per annum, they said. This category of students consumed Rs 5.4 crore of the total Rs 16 crore under the scheme. The trends for the current financial year are similar. Of the 2,227 students who availed the concession till October 2017, only 176 claimed more than Rs 10,000 per month. This smaller category of students claimed Rs 5.28 crore out of Rs 14.5 crore disbursed under the scheme. The scheme to provide financial aid to children of martyrs was announced in December 1971, days after the Indian victory in the war with Pakistan. The department of ex-servicemen welfare wrote to the three chiefs and the coast guard chief on September 13 that the combined amount of tuition fees and hostel charges should not exceed Rs 10,000 per month. Read: A cap on the education reimbursement of children of martyrs is unfair and cruel Smuggling bovines is a serious business and much thought is put into executing the operation from procuring cattle, to loading them in vehicles and transporting them to the desired location. The whole operation hinges around the vehicle used to transport the cattle, and the driver who, if the need be, must be able to drive fast and rash to dodge the police. A vehicle, seized after an operation on Thursday night in which one of the cow smugglers was killed, helps understand how much effort the criminals had put to rework the mini-truck into a bull-dozer that rammed through two police barricades before coming to halt. The vehicle is fitted with iron girders both at the front and in the back. If intercepted, the girders act as bulwark as smugglers ram into vehicles or barricades. If chased, the driver often brakes suddenly, forcing the vehicle behind to ram into the trucks girders, a senior police officer said requesting anonymity. The smugglers also keep a load of stones handy that are used for pelting, in addition to arms and ammunition. Citing a recent incident, the officer said a retired police official who gave chase to cattle smugglers had his vehicle pelted with stones shattering the windscreen. The miscreants also rammed his vehicle with their van. The cow smugglers drive at high speed, often around 80-110 km per hour, and install specially designed exhaust pipe, which tilts sharply towards the ground and helps raise dust creating problems for anyone chasing them. The official said that smugglers mostly opt for stolen vehicles having fake registration number and with their engine numbers rubbed out. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A CRPF jawan allegedly shot dead four of his fellow troopers with his service rifle after a brawl in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district on Saturday evening, police said. Another jawan was injured when the accused, Santh Kumar, opened fire at Basaguda camp of the CRPFs 168 battalion, engaged in anti-Maoist operations in the state. The killed CRPF troopers include two sub inspectors (SI), one assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a constable. The condition of the injured jawan is said be critical. Santh Kumar had some issues with one sub-inspector Vikey Sharma (one of those killed). But, we are yet to ascertain the exact cause which triggered the firing, said a senior officer of CRPF, who was not willing to be named. Deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Bastar, Sunderaj P, identified the dead as Megh Singh (52) from Gujarat, Rajbeer Singh (48) from Rajasthan and GS Rao (37) from Andhra Pradesh, besides Vikey Sharma (34) who was from Jammu and Kashmir. The DIG further said that the accused Santh Kumar (35) is from Firozabad district of Uttar Pradesh. ASI Gajanand suffered injuries in the incident, the DIG said. The bodies and the injured ASI were evacuated from Basaguda to Bijapur at 6 pm. An MI17 helicopter was sent to airlift the injured and the bodies to Raipur, he added. Officials said Kumar was overpowered and apprehended by other colleagues who were present in the camp. (With PTI inputs) Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member of Parliament (MP) Nana Patoles plan to join the Congress may lead to a spat with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has insisted that the Parliamentary seat from Bhandara-Gondia where Patole was an MP belongs to it, according to the seat-sharing arrangement the parties formulated ahead of the 2014 elections. State NCP chief Sunil Tatkare said party members will deliberate with the Congress over the issue, should the need arise. However, sources in the NCP said giving Congress the seat would not be possible as Gondia is the home town of party leader Praful Patel, who also represented the constituency the before 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In a blow to the BJP, Patole quit the party on Friday and also resigned as representative of Bhandara-Gondia parliamentary constituency. He is likely to rejoin Congress, for which he has been in talks with party leadership. The Congress is keen to field Patole in the by-election, which is likely to be held as he submitted his resignation to Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan. It also wants the NCP to support him. The two parties had formed an alliance to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress had won two seats, with the NCP winning four. The alliance crumbled during the Assembly elections, which both parties lost. However, they are considering forming an alliance once more for the next elections. Patole had left the Congress in 2008 to join the BJP. During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP fielded him in the Bhandara-Gondia constituency, where he defeated NCP stalwart Praful Patel. Patel is a close aide of NCP chief Sharad Pawar and is considered to be one of the partys most influential leaders. Handing Patole the seat is impossible as it belongs to Praful bhai. I dont think the party leadership would agree to this, said a senior NCP leader, who did not wish to be identified. The Bhandara-Gondia seat belongs to the NCP, according to the seat-sharing arrangement hashed out with the Congress. However, Patole has not joined the Congress yet, so it would be premature to discuss this further, Tatkare told reporters. There are no ongoing discussions. We will examine the matter at the appropriate time. Let Patole join the Congress first, Ashok Chavan, state Congress chief, told HT. Patole was unhappy with the BJP for quite some time and had been criticising senior leaders. He recently made headlines for publicly criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi,who he claimed doesnt like to be questioned. BJP MLA slams Fadnavis over farmers crisis After Lok Sabha member Nana Patole quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), first-time MLA from Katol in Nagpur, Ashish Deshmukh, wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday, targeting him for growing unemployment, unrest among farmers, the ongoing agrarian crisis and his failure to curb corruption in the state. Patole resigned in protest against the Fadnavis casual approach to several issues, particularly farmers of the region. In his six-page letter Deshmukh said there were no effective changes during the BJP-led governments three-year tenure so far. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The permanent solution to deal with the issue of public stock-holding of food needs to be better than the Bali Peace Clause, said senior government officials who are here to attend the 11th ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Articulating Indias position on various issues, the officials said that a lot has changed in the past two years, and its time that development should come to the centre-stage of agenda of the 164-member multi-lateral trade body. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu will represent India at the four-day ministerial meeting which begins here on Sunday. The ministerial conference is the highest decision-making body of the WTO. Under the global trade norms, a WTO member countrys food subsidy bill should not breach the limit of 10% of the value of production based on the reference price of 1986-88. Apprehending that full implementation of food security programme may result in breach of the WTO cap, India has been seeking amendments in the formula to calculate the food subsidy cap. As an interim measure, the WTO members at the Bali ministerial meeting in December 2013 had agreed to put in place a mechanism popularly called the Peace Clause and committed to negotiate an agreement for permanent solution at the 11th ministerial meeting at Buenos Aires. Under the Peace Clause, WTO members agreed to refrain from challenging any breach in prescribe ceiling by a developing nation at the dispute settlement forum of the WTO. This clause will be there till a permanent solution is found to the food stockpiling issue. The permanent solution ought to be better than the Peace Clause otherwise why developing nations would accept that said a senior official. India would press for more transparency, easier operation guidelines and dilution of certain onerous conditions especially with regard to mandatory requirement of notifications as far as the public food procurement issue is concerned. As regards fisheries subsidies issue, India will press for work programme so that a matured draft could be taken up for negotiations at future ministerial meetings. India, along with some other developing nations, has been pressing for special and differential treatment as it has to protect the interest and livelihood of small fishermen. The proposal on fisheries seeks to eliminate subsidies that contribute to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. It aimed at dealing with the problem of overfishing and preventing depletion of the marine stock. The fisheries issue is expected to make some headway during the ministerial as there is hardly any opposition to the high moralistic stand of preventing overfishing. However, the mechanism to deal with IUU fishing would pose problems as several countries do not have the wherewithal for regulation and reporting of fishing. On the proposal of e-commerce, which many developed nations are keen to push, the officials said that they could be at best be referred to a technical committee and taken up by the ministerial once the issue becomes mature for negotiation. Among other things, the officials said, India will also press for reduction of farm subsidies by developed countries, facilitation of trade in services and resist attempts to investment facilitation lest it becomes investment protection restricting policy making space of the developing nations. Air Marshal NJS Dhillon said on Saturday the Indian Air Force (IAF) is fully equipped to face any foreign aggression. However, Air Marshal Dhillon, a senior Air Staff Officer at the Western Air Command, said there was little possibility of any foreign aggression against India. Air Marshal Dhillon, an alumnus of Sainik School Kapurthala, was in Kapurthala to participate in the annual old boys meet of the school in Kapurthala. Talking to the media, Air Marshal Dhillon said the Indian Air Force is the fourth largest air force in the world. And, he said, after inducting 18 Rafale fighter jets next September, the capabilities of the IAF would be enhanced manyfold. Air Marshal Dhillon, who was the chief guest at the event, laid a wreath at the Saikap Smriti Sthal in the school. Major General Balwinder Singh, the chairman of the local board of administration of the school, lauded the achievements of the school. The Telangana government will distribute gifts to around two lakh Christians from impoverished backgrounds and host Christmas dinners, officials told Hindustan Times, confirming the administration will stick to a tradition that started in 2015. The gifts will include sarees or cloth pieces that can be stitched into a pair of shirt and a pant, or a salwar-kameez. The distribution of gift hampers will take place on December 14 and the dinner will be hosted on December 18. The total expenditure for distribution of gift hampers and hosting of lunch is around Rs 15 crore, Syed Omar Jaleel, the secretary of Telangana minority welfare department said. In September, the state government distributed sarees to around one crore Hindu women on the occasion of Bathukamma festival during Dasara, but the gifts were criticised for their poor quality. Jaleel said as per estimates, there were around one lakh poor Christians in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, and another lakh in the rest of Telangana. The government has asked MLAs and corporators to identify those eligible for the gifts with the help of Christian organisations associated with local churches. Once the beneficiaries under each church are identified, we will transfer the amount directly to the church account to host the dinner, besides handing over the gift packets with new clothes, the official said. In all, 190 churches have been identified for the scheme. Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has also decided that Christmas will be celebrated as an official state function. The chief minister will host a grand dinner for elite Christian families of the city in Hyderabad on Christmas eve, Jaleel said. The distribution of gift hampers during Christmas festivities was launched by KCR in December 2015. He also laid a foundation stone for a Christian Bhavan proposed to be constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore at Mahendra Hills in Secunderabad. But construction did not take off due to legal problems over the land. Last year, he promised a two-acre land for at Nagole in Hyderabad, but it, too, did not materialise. Finally, on December 4 this year, deputy chief minister Mohammad Mahmud Ali laid foundation for Christian Bhavan at Medchal on the city suburbs. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Maoists in Chhattisgarh have made a strong pitch for the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansalis controversial period-drama Padmavati to uphold freedom of expression. Banners and pamphlets were put up by the left-wing extremists in the jungles of Dantewada district in Bastar region a few days ago in support of the Deepika Padukone starrer, made on 14th century Rajput queen. The Maoists demanded of the government to allow the screening of the movie advocating for the rights to freedom of expression, additional superintendent of police ( Naxal operations, Dantewada ) Abhishek Pallav said, confirming the development. Members of the Rajput community and many political groups across the country were up in arms against the film, claiming it distorted history and degraded the community. In the wake of the protests, five statesUttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajashtan and Biharwhere BJP is in power banned the screening of the movie. The unprecedented support for the movie by Maoists is viewed by police as part of the militants recent strategy shiftfrom anti-establishment to anti-BJP. It was alleged that the Maoists destroyed Dholkal Ganesh temple early this yearNaxals foraying and commenting on religious and cultural issues are a new phenomenon, said a senior police officer posted in Bastar region. Maoists generally dont comment or express opinion on movies or subjects that are not relevant to their movement. But of late, they have started expressing support to any issue which is either against the current BJP government or is opposed by the right-wing groups, the officer added. He further stated that most of the pamphlets circulated of late by the ultras contain criticism of right-wing groups. Three BJP local leaders had been killed by the Maoists in the past three months in Jharkhand, another state affected by the left-wing extremism. The Maoists support for the movie came amid the Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) week the banned CPI (Maoist ) has been observing from December 2 to December 10 in the memory of the killing of three central committee members of the outfit in 1999 in Karimnagar district. The security forces are on high alert in the Maoist-dominated areas of the state during this period. We have increased our patrolling in sensitive areas and strengthened our local intelligence network so that no road disruptions, arsons or violence take place during the period, the ASP said. Banaras Hindu University tested the knowledge of its postgraduate political science students on contemporary politics with questions on two ruling Indian parties in their first semester exam the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party. Write an essay on Bhartiya Janta Party. Never mind the spelling of the proper noun, but this was question number six carrying 15 marks in the exam for the MA part-one subject, titled Indian Political System: Theoretical and Structural Aspects. The students had the option of attempting another essay should they find an article on the BJP difficult to handle. The other choice: In two era of Coalition Government in India, Discuss the nature of federalism. The AAP, which rules the national capital of Delhi, was part of a short-answer question in the exam held five days ago. According to students, it was part of another question with five sub-parts, carrying two marks apiece. Political parties are part of the MA first-year syllabus. So, the two questions were incorporated in the question paper. No student had any objection to it, said BHU political science professor Kaushal Kishore Mishra, who set the question paper. Asked why he chose not to frame a long-answer question on any other political party, Mishra said the BJP was on his mind when he was setting the paper. There is nothing intentional. A short-answer question about the AAP is also there in the paper, he said on Saturday. The students had it easy as one of them said everyone knows the AAP is a political party. As far as question number six is concerned, writing an essay on the BJP was equally easy. It wasnt a cakewalk for many when they confronted ancient philosopher Kautilyas political treatise Arthashastra in the context of modern-day goods and services tax, and sage Manus concept of globalisation in their exam on social and political thought of ancient and medieval India on Monday. Question number five, carrying 15 marks, said: Write an essay on nature of GST in Kautilyas Arthashashtra. The optional question was Manu is the first Indian thinker of globalisation. Discuss. Mishra defended the questions, or rather the topics, saying these were being taught at the university since 1939. He said Kautilyas Arthashastra, a Sanskrit treatise on political diplomacy, economy and military strategy, talks of a single-tax system, including 13 slabs. Mishra also justified the optional question, saying ancient sage Manu talked about the whole world in the book, Manusmriti Me Rajtantra, and was the first global thinker. There is no doubt about it. But the questions and topics triggered a debate as critics alleged that these were part of a drive by Hindu hardliners to promote ancient philosophies in the contemporary context. Arthashastra was for monarchy and GST is introduced in a democracy, said Dhananjay Tripathi, a political analyst at the university. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who turned 71 on Saturday, will hand over the reins of the grand old party to her son Rahul Gandhi next week. For the past two years now, Sonia, who held the post for a record 19 consecutive years, has taken a backseat and the party was virtually managed by the 47-year Rahul who cleared all appointments. She has also stayed away from the partys election campaign this year. However, Congress sources said Sonia will continue to guide the party, albeit in a different role. Rahul took a break from his hectic campaigning in Gujarat to be with his mother on her birthday. Congress leaders took to Twitter to wish the outgoing party chief. Compassionate, hardworking, selfless. Calm and composed, yet dignified and strong. A force for empowerment against all odds. A mother, a leader, a friend. Wishing Congress President Sonia Gandhi a very happy birthday, the party wrote on its Twitter handle. A binding force for the Congress and known for her ability to build alliances, Sonia could take the role of its chief patron or head the Congress Parliamentary Party. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury recently called Sonia the glue that binds the Congress as well as the opposition. He also credited her with playing a critical role in the formation of the UPA in 2004. Sonia also played a key task in bringing 18 opposition parties together for this years presidential and vice-presidential elections. Her aggressive stand on the land acquisition bill in 2015 forced the government to withdraw the controversial ordinance and shelve the idea of bringing a new legislation. However, Rahuls elevation will put an end to criticism that the Congress was falling in confusion between the two power centres though party leaders had maintained that the combination of mature and youthful leadership was an ideal solution that had put them in a comfortable position. Such an agreement existed in the Congress in the past as well, they said, and cited the example of Rajiv Gandhi who served as a general secretary for four years when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister and Congress president from 1980-84. Congress leaders indicated that Sonia is unlikely to seek re-election from Rae Bareli in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Counter-terrorism is set to get a stronger expression of intent and plan of action in the joint communique to be issued after the meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, India China (RIC) in New Delhi on Monday. The statement is also likely to make a more detailed mention of Asia-Pacific region and the primary role of East Asia Summit in maintaining peace and stability and in the regional security architecture as well as reflect continuing support of Russia and China for India becoming a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Forum (APEC). Though greater emphasis on terrorism wouldnt mean much in terms of China lifting its opposition to Indian efforts to get leaders of Pakistan-based terrorist outfits such as Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Mazood Azhar listed under United Nations Security Council Sanctions list, some experts see this as three countries finding greater common ground on fighting international terrorism. Ahead of the meeting, officials of the three countries are working on the joint communique which will be vetted by the ministers before it is issued. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will host her Russian and Chinese counterparts Sergei Lavrov and Wang Yi, respectively, for the 15th edition of the meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries. Sources familiar with the developments said principal efforts are on getting a statement with a heavy accent on counter-terrorism that would reflect common ground among the three countries have to deal with the menace in the region with bigger resolve. The indications from the meetings are the statement would have the following: primary role and responsibility the states have in countering terrorism, stopping the cross country movement of terrorists and mentioning of Pakistan-based terror groups that target India, and early adoption of UN convention on International Terrorism. This would help the grouping address Indias concern over Pakistan-based terrorist groups and role Pakistani state refuses to play in countering non-state actors. Terrorism is a common concern for the three countries, so groups that are of concern to each country is a common concern when it comes to addressing terrorism, said a source. Experts agree to the larger sentiment on countering terrorism that can be reflected in the statement, but they doubt whether it would translate into China changing its position on Pakistan-based terrorist outfits. Beijing consistently torpedoed Indian efforts to bring Mazood Azhar under UN Sanction list. The listed entities and individuals face asset freeze, travel ban and other measures that cripple their ability to carry out terror strikes. The statement can make the larger point of the three countries having greater common ground on how to deal with international terrorism. The leaders would also have a free and frank exchange on the issue that is always helpful, said former foreign secretary Lalit Mansingh. But he said this should not be taken as China changing its position. Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellany agreed with Mansingh and also questioned the relevance of the RIC, which has become largely irrelevant, especially after the formation of BRICS. An RIC statement on any issue will carry little weight, but especially on terrorism, given the way China blocks UN action against Azhar and other Pakistan-based terrorists. The joint statement will also reflect the common approach of three countries in Asia Pacific. They would stress on the role of East Asia Summit. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Jharkhand doctors social media posts bragging about how he saved the life of a woman has landed him in trouble after officials realised that he had virtually abducted the woman and conducted surgery without following proper procedure. Officials said Dr Sushil Kumar, who holds only an MBBS degree, first tricked doctors at a local health centre in Jharia-Chasnala to refer the woman, who was admitted for childbirth, to the Patliputra Medical College and Hospital in Jharkhand. But he took the patient to a local health centre in Kenduadih -- where he is posted -- and performed a caesarean delivery, without a gynaecologist or an anaesthetist assisting him, officials said. He asked people present to take pictures of him while conducting the operation, posting them later on social media where he said that he had saved the lives of the mother and her baby. The surgery took place on December 1 but came to light only after Kumar, who is a contractual employee with the state health department, uploaded the photos on December 6. Medical officer in-charge of Kenduadih ACHC, Dr Alok Viswakarma has issued a show cause notice to Kumar, seeking explanation as per whose order he brought the patient to the ACHC, and how a caesarean delivery was done in absence of an anaesthetist and a gynaecologist. He has also been asked to explain why he uploaded pictures of a procedure conducted in government hospital on social media. Viswakarma said if, in a referral case, any individual takes the patient to a different destination without any authorisation, the act will be considered as abduction. Medical officer in-charge of Chasnala CHC where the woman was first admitted has also sent a complaint against Kumar to the state health department. Kumar, however, defended his actions saying he knew the patient and he took her to the ACHC as her condition was critical. He also claimed that he did not perform the surgery himself and it was done by a gynaecologist. If saving life of a patient is crime, I am willing to repeat it, he said, adding he was yet to receive the show-cause notice. But the Chasnala medical officer denied that condition of the woman was critical. A patient of community health centre cant be shifted to an additional health centre for treatment. Moreover, in this particular case, the delivery time was still due and surgery was not required then, said Dr SK Sinha, Chasnala CHC in-charge. According to health department officials, Puja Jha, wife of Sindri resident Chandan Jha, was admitted at Chasnala CHC at around 11 pm of December 1. Doctors kept her under observation for labour pain. At around 12.15 am, Kumar reached Chasnala CHC and pressed the doctors to refer Puja to PMCH for better treatment. After the referral process, he brought the woman at Kenduadih ACHC instead of taking her to PMCH and conducted the operation himself. Slamming the Congress for criticising the Rafale deal in the run up to the Gujarat elections, Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar said that in India, purchases of fighter aircraft is considered on par with buying pulses. The former defence minister also said, that while buying fighter planes, the plane itself may cost less than its hi-tech accessories. He also slammed his predecessor AK Antony for his remarks on the Rafale purchase deal, which the then minister had said was in violation of vigilance guidelines and had delayed the purchase considerably. I am explaining this only to make you understand that an aircraft may cost 92 million Euros, but the other components will cost you 150 million Euros because you have to make it fighting fit. Unluckily, we in India deal with aircraft purchases, or the fighter purchases like we think of tur dal and moong dal. They are not, he said. Elaborating on the intricacies of the Rafale deal, between the Indian and the French government for 36 fighters at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore, Parrikar said that the aircrafts actual cost is much lower than the price of other special equipment, which is also a part of the deal. I was watching many of the Congress stalwarts talking about Rafale in Gujarat election and I realised these people dont know anything about defence. A fight aircraft is not only aircraft. Aircraft is probably smaller part of the total cost. The real cost comes in special equipment, Parrikar said. How many of you know that this particular deal has a helmet to be worn by the pilot and a target was locked by just watching at the target. It is a virtually 360 degree visibility. The pilot doesnt have to actually check up. You must have seen on many movies, pilot locking the opponent on his radar and then firing. Here he didnt have to do that. He has to just watch, he said. Our Rafales will be coming with this equipment. You watch the opponents target more or less and press the button, the computer does the rest. So you have an advantage of 10 to 15 seconds over your... That cost of development of helmet is included, he added. Parrikar also said that the Indian Air Force was strategically on the backfoot compared to its Pakistani counterparts vis-a-vis beyond visual range missiles and that the lacunae was plugged with the purchase of the Meteor missile, under the deal. He claimed that between 1999 and 2014 till Narendra Modi came, Pakistan had acquired a capacity of 100km range, whereas India had upgraded their BVR weaponry to only 60 km on the Su-30s. So we were now, in danger of being shot down by Pakistani fighters staying 100 km away and not being able to retaliate. Meteor does take care of that with 150 km range, he said. Parrikar also singled out Antony for his strange noting on the Rafale purchase deal file, which had said start discussion, finalise price and after everything is finished, please come back to me with all the documentary evidence how Dassault or the Rafale company was the lowest, saying this had delayed the agreement. Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said the murder of a Muslim migrant labourer in Rajasthan earlier this week was a criminal incident and not a case of love jihad, as was being alleged. Addressing a general body meeting of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation here, the minority affairs minister claimed that some sick people were trying to disturb the communal harmony prevailing in society. Crimes should not be clubbed with religion, he asserted. In Rajasthan, Rajsamand SDM Rajendra Prasad Agarwal gave a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the wife of Mohammad Afrazul and DGP OP Galhotra met the victims family. Galhotra later told reporters that Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje was serious about the case and monitoring the progress of investigation in the matter. Meanwhile, the murder of Afrazul Khan continued to rock Bengal on Saturday, with leaders of various political parties visiting his residence at Sayedpur village in Malda district to express their condolences. A few rallies were taken out in Bengals Malda and Kolkata to protest Khans killing at the hands of Shambhu Lal Regar, an unemployed man, in Rajasthans Rajsamand district on Wednesday. Bengal director general of police Surajit Kar Purkayastha also spoke to his Rajasthan counterpart, requesting him to ensure the safety of Bengali migrants in the northern state. Khans body had reached his residence on Friday evening. Thousands of people including political leaders and well-wishers gathered at the scene until the funeral proceedings were completed. Regar had repeatedly stabbed Khan before setting his body ablaze. A video recording of the crime, reportedly taken by the accuseds nephew, triggered outrage across the country. Two ministers from the Mamata Banerjee cabinet Subhendu Adhikari and Firhad Hakim and three Trinamool MPs Saugata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Sudip Bandyopadhyay visited Khans residence on Saturday morning. We demand exemplary punishment for the culprits, so it will act as a deterrent for future offenders. We will raise the matter in the winter session of Parliament, said Bandyopadhyay. The BJP has ushered in this politics of intolerance in the country, Hakim said at a rally in Malda. State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury and former state president Pradip Bhattacharya also met Khans wife and daughters. Local Congress MLA Isha Khan Chowdhury said he has already spoken to Rajsamand superintendent of police Manoj Kumar. Khans daughter Rezina Khatun said the government has promised to put pressure on the Rajasthan government for ensuring a speedy trial in the case. We are also thankful to the government for arranging widow pension for my mother, Gulbahar Bibi. The administration has handed the necessary papers over to us, she added. (With PTI inputs) The post-mortem of the alleged cow smuggler, killed in a shootout with Alwar police, was conducted on Saturday, and a doctor on the medical board said the death was caused by a bullet injury to the neck. Taleem, 22, from Salaheri village in Nuh, a town in Haryanas Mewat district, was killed by the police in Rajasthans Alwar district when he along with five or six other accomplices was allegedly smuggling cows in a pick-up truck early on Thursday. The others managed to escape. The police version is that Taleem died after the police fired at the truck he was driving, which was carrying stolen cattle. The police add that the truck did not stop at two earlier barricades. The post-mortem was conducted by a medical board comprising Dr Dinesh Yadav, Dr Yogesh Chaudhary, Dr Shyam Mohan Goyal and medical jurist Dr KK Meena. Members of the FSL team and CID-CB deputy SP Suresh Mehrania were also present. The CID-CB is investigating the case. Dr Meena said there were three to four injuries on the body of Taleem. The main injury was on the neck. A bullet was dislodged from the neck. It had shattered the wind pipe, which led to the death, Meena told HT. He said the bullet has been sent to the FSL laboratory for investigation. The family members of the deceased claimed the body and returned to their native village, Salahedi, 95 km from Alwar, after the post-mortem was conducted at the government hospital. The family members had reached Alwar from Haryana on Thursday to take the body but as they reached late, the post-mortem could not be done that day. On Friday, the post-mortem was postponed again as doctors went on a mass leave. Ramzan Chaudhary, an activist who accompanied the family members of the deceased, said they would perform the funeral on Saturday evening in the village. The family had demanded that they be given compensation and that a probe into the killing be conducted outside the district as well as a case filed against the police team that shot Taleem. Chaudhary said the Alwar administration had refused to file a case against the police, and on the other demands they had said they would look into them. We will approach the court in Haryana to file a complaint against the Alwar police, said Chaudhary. Taleems father Shareef is a farmer, and two of his brothers Shamshad and Sabir are also truck drivers. Dozens of leaders from different political parties visited the home of a construction worker, who was killed in Rajasthan. Afrajul Khans body reached his home in Sayedpur village of Malda district on Friday evening. Thousands of villagers were present at the spot till the end of last rites. On Wednesday, Khan was killed with sharp weapon, and his body was set ablaze in an attack by Shambhu Lal Regar in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan. The act captured on video that went viral has triggered outrage across the country. Rallies were brought out in Malda and Kolkata to protest against the murder which the people of Bengal continued to protest tor the second day on Saturday. Left parties and Congress held rallies in Kolkata. The director general of Bengal police spoke to his counterpart in Rajasthan and requested him to ensure the safety of workers who migrated to the northern state for employment. In the morning, Bengal ministers Subhendu Adhikari and Firhad Hakim and MPs Saugata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Sudip Banerjee visited the home in Sayedpur . We demand exemplary punishment for the culprits so that it acts as a deterrent in the future. We will raise the matter in the Winter Session of Parliament, Sudip Bandyopadhyay said. BJP has ushered in this politics of intolerance in the country, said Firhad Hakim at a rally in Malda. Congress state president Adhir Chowdhury and former state president Pradip Bhattacharya met wife and daughters of the victim. Local Congress MLA Isha Khan Chowdhury said he has spoken to the superintendent of police of Rajsamand. The ministers have assured us that the government will put pressure on the Rajasthan government for speedy trial of the culprits. We are also thankful to the government for arranging widow pension for my mother Gulbahar Bibi, one of the victims daughters said. The administration has handed over to us the necessary papers. An amount of Rs 2 lakh was also handed over to the family on Saturday. The Rajasthan government on Saturday announced a compensation of 5 lakh for the family members of Mohammed Afrazul,48, a migrant worker from West Bengal who was hacked to death and burnt in Rajsamand on Wednesday. Later in the day, Rajsamand additional district magistrate Rajendra Prasad Agrawal handed over a cheque in the name of Afrazuls wife, to his son-in-law Mosharraf Khan. Earlier in the day, state director general of police (DGP) OP Galhotra visited Rajsamand to take stock of the investigation in the case. The gruesome crime evoked widespread horror and condemnation as the killer, Shambhu Lal Regar, got a video of the act shot on camera and uploaded it on social media. Regar was arrested by police on Thursday morning and is under police remand. The chief minister has sent me to assure the people that we take such incidents very seriously, and have done so in the past as well, Galhotra said. In addition, the state government is in the process of giving 5 lakh compensation to the victims family, he said. Police was swift in arresting the accused and a very competent team was investigating the matter, the DGP said. We have collected scientific evidences and the forensic tests will be carried. Police will try to file the charge sheet in the case within a month and then try to prosecute the accused in court at the earliest, he said. Chief minister Vasundhara Raje in a statement on Thursday condemned the incident, terming it as deplorable and directed police to prosecute the criminal in the shortest possible time. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced 3 lakh compensation and a government job to a member of the victims family. Afrazu, who hailed from Sayadpur village in West Bengals Malda district, was working in Rajsamand for the last 12 to 13 years as a daily wage workers as well as a labour contractor. He has three daughters, two of whom are married. The GSVM Medical College has suspended six students, three each of 2014 and 2015 batches, on disciplinary grounds even though some juniors alleged it was a case of ragging. Junior students Avnish Kumar, Manoj Kumar Yadav and Manish Arya alleged that they were ragged by seniors Mohammad Faizan, Avneesh Kumar Singh and Harshit Misra. They alleged that the seniors asked them to take off their clothes and thrashed them when they refused to do so. The seniors even made them clean kitchen utensils on December 4. Following the incident, the juniors lodged an online complaint with the Medical Council of India (MCI) after which the college administration swung into action and formed a three-member committee under Dr RC Gupta to probe the allegations. However, the panel in its report denied the charges of ragging and instead said both the groups were involved in a scuffle due to some reason. The committee therefore initiated action against the accused as well as the complainants and suspended all the six students and directed them to vacate the hostel, said Dr Gupta and added that it was a disciplinary action initiated in the wake of scuffle between the two groups. Read more: SOL students unhappy over library diktat, DUSU President offers support The institute has this year witnessed three incidents of ragging, including this case. In October 2017, a junior doctor of anesthesia department had complained of ragging by senior students. Again, on November 10 a student had complained of ragging by seniors and a teacher of the GSVM College. Following the incidents, principal Dr Navneet Kumar had banned the annual cultural festival for two years. After Manu and Kautilya, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has found place in the MA I political science (first semester) question paper of the Banaras Hindu University. The question requiring students to write an essay on the BJP carried 15 marks in the paper titled Indian Political System: Theoretical and Structural Aspects. The exam was held five days ago. The students said there was also a short-answer type question on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). This was part of another question with five sub-parts each carrying two marks. A student, who refused to be named, said, The questions were very easy. Everyone knows AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) is a political party. As far as question number 6 is concerned, writing an essay on BJP was also equally easy. The party is in power at the centre and in the state. Really, the queries amused me. Another student said there should be analytical questions. Prof Kaushal Kishore Mishra, who teaches at the department of political science and set the question paper, said, Political parties are part of the MA previous year (first year) syllabus. So, the two questions were incorporated in the question paper. Examination for the paper already took place. No student had any objection to it. Read: BHU students grilled on Kautilyas GST, Manus globalisation in MA exam Asked why he chose not to frame a (long answer) question on any other political party, Mishra said political parties were part of the question paper. At the time of setting the paper, the BJP came to mind and he framed a long-answer question on it, he said. There is nothing intentional. A short answer question about AAP is also there in the paper, he said. Earlier the same professor set the question paper for MA (political science) first year students with posers on Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Kautilyas Arthashastra and Manus concept of globalisation. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to bring a new law to regulate fee structures of private schools from the coming academic session. The department of secondary education has already prepared the draft of the Uttar Pradesh Self-Financed Independent Schools (Regulation of Fees) Bill 2017 and posted it on its website, seeking feedback from the parents, school management and common people. The suggestions, which can be sent till December 22, will be incorporated in the final draft. The private schools charging fees above Rs 20,000 per annum will be brought under the ambit of the proposed law. Apart from the schools affiliated to UP Secondary Education Board, CBSE, ICSE and other boards, schools run by minority institutions will also be brought under the purview of the new legislation. Addressing newspersons in Lucknow on Friday, deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma said, besides regulating fees, the government wanted to bring transparency in fee collections and make the process open and accountable. The Supreme Court had directed state governments to regulate fees charged by the schools, he added. To enact the law, the government is also keeping open the option of ordinance route in case the bill cannot be tabled in the winter session of the assembly to be convened later this month. Sharma said each year the schools hike fee arbitrarily. They also charge admission fees from existing students promoted to new classes, and force the students to purchase dress, bags, books and other items from outlets within the school premises or specific shops in the market, he said. Often schools hike the fee mid-session and students are forced to pay for various programmes organised by them. Once the new law comes into force, a zonal fee regulatory committee, headed by divisional commissioners, will monitor fee charged by schools, he said. Haryana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have already brought in similar legislation to monitor fee structures of private schools. Additional chief secretary, secondary education, Sanjay Agarwal said the secondary education department studied the models adopted by the five states and invited suggestions of academicians, lawyers, parents, school managements, members of legislative council elected from teaching fraternity and media persons before drafting the bill. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered regulation of fees charged by schools immediately after taking over the reins of the state on March 19. Three alumnae of Miranda House College, New Delhi, are on a mission to bring about a positive change in primary education in Varanasi. Posted in three government primary schools in the rural pockets of Varanasi, Puja Singh, Ritu Giri and Garima Pandey, have started using their language skills and big city exposure to educate children. And the change is visible in their classrooms. Garimas students of class 5 not only understand English well but can also speak the language fluently. Touch your head, touch your elbow, close your eyes, open your eyes, now stand up and start reciting a poem, Garima, an assistant teacher at government primary school of Milki Chak, instructs her students in English. The three belong to New Delhi and live together in Varanasi. They share their teaching experiences daily at home and try to do some innovations. Read more: Indian-American firm to introduce new method of teaching in Indian schools Before joining the primary schools in July 2016, they earned four-year Bachelor in Elementary Education (B El Ed) degree from Miranda House College in 2014. Two of them were among top ten, while one is a subject topper. Garima and Puja earned scholarship for securing first and third rank among the toppers of B El Ed course in 2014. They also earned M.Ed from Central Institute of Education, New Delhi. This year they completed their post-graduation in mathematics from Nalanda Open University. They are teachers by choice and have a common goal: improving education quality in government primary schools so that children from poor families get quality education and compete well. While Garima is posted in the primary school at Milki Chak, around 20 km away from Varanasi, Puja and Ritu are posted in Todarpur-I and Todarpur-II respectively. Read more| Tripura trying to save jobs of 10,323 teachers: Education minister The two schools are around 22 km off the district headquarters. All three schools together have over 120 children. At Milki Chak, children of fourth and fifth standard now speak English. I am Ritika. Garima Maam teaches us English and mathematics. I live in this village, a student of the fifth standard said. I am a teacher by choice and improving education in primary schools is my goal. Children can do well in primary schools provided they get the atmosphere. I have tried to create it in my primary school. The results are there for all to see. Children are confident and learn fast, Garima said. Ritu and Puja too have made teaching innovations in their respective schools. Teaching in primary schools in rural pocket is entirely different experience. Children are intelligent but lack the atmosphere. We are using innovative ways of teaching in the classrooms to make learning easy and interesting, Puja said. In case they get a chance after spending few years in primary schools, they would like to work with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to develop a course for creative teaching in primary and upper primary schools. They would like to use their experience in primary as a tool for developing the curriculum. Teaching the children in government primary school is an opportunity. We want to make change. We have to a great extent succeeded in it. This is a beginning. We have a long way to go. Primary education is base and as teachers, we three are trying to strengthen it, said Ritu. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Popular fashion desi-gner Riyaz Iqbal Ganji has lodged an extortion complaint with the police, alleging that D-Company gangster Fahim Machmach has demanded Rs2 crore from him. Ganji, director of Libas, approached the Oshiwara police against Dawood Ibrahims aide and three businessmen from Punjab. According to the complaint, the businessmen, who are directors of a real estate company in Ludhiana, met Ganji in January 2014 and showed interest to invest in his brand and showroom. After a series of meetings, the two parties agreed to launch a public limited company. Ganji alleged the businessmen forced him to sign the business contract despite his opposition to certain terms and conditions. As per the terms of the contract, Ganji renovated the Libas showroom, but never received the promised payment from the businessmen. In 2015, he opened the showroom with his own finances, states the complaint. Ganji said he started getting extortion calls from a Dubai number since August 2017. The caller threatened to kill Ganji if he did not pay Rs2 crore to the businessmen. After a series of threat calls, the designer decided to approach the police. The Oshiwara police said they were investigating the case and would file a first information report (FIR) soon. We are investigating the calls to find out the caller. The complaint is about a business dispute, said Subhash Khanwilkar, senior inspector of Oshiwara police station. The Bombay high court on Friday ruled that a healthy, physically fit person, capable of supporting himself, is bound to support his wife. It rejected a petition filed by a pharmacist, that challenged the grant of interim maintenance to his estranged wife and minor daughter, on the ground that he was no longer earning. If the husband is healthy, able-bodied and is in a position to support himself, he is under legal obligation to support his wife, said Justice Mahesh Sonak, confirming a November 2014 order of the principal judge of the family court at Solapur. The family court had directed the pharmacist to pay Rs9,000 to his estranged wife and Rs3,000 to his minor daughter, towards interim maintenance during the pendency of their matrimonial dispute. Challenging the above order, the husband had approached the high court asserting that his pharmacy had been shut down on government orders, and he had lost his means of income. He further argued that the quantum of maintenance was excessive in view of the fact that his estranged wife was earning and residing with his minor daughter in the premises provided by him. Justice Sonak outright rejected the pharmacists contention. He noted that the husband admittedly held a bachelors degree in pharmacy and ran a pharmacy. He said the circumstances in which the pharmacy was shut down were unclear. In any case, the petitioner, cannot, despite such qualification and financial capacity, claim he is sitting idle and avoid payment of maintenance, said the judge. He added that this principle applies with added rigor in cases of minor children. The chopper carrying chief minister Devendra Fadnavis force-landed soon after taking off in Nashik on Saturday as it was overloaded. The incident took place in the morning when Fadnavis along with his personal secretary, his cook and water resources minister Girish Mahajan were travelling from Nashik to Aurangabad. The chief ministers office (CMO) said it wasnt a major incident and offloading extra passengers was a routine process. It was the fourth incident involving the CMs chopper in past eight months. Fadnavis narrowly escaped an accident in Alibaug on July 7 when the chopper took off even as was getting in. His security personnel plunged forward and pulled Fadnavis away from the rotating blades. Following the incident, the state suspended chopper operations for VVIPs during the monsoon. It has now empaneled two agencies that provide choppers to fly VVIPs, including the Governor, CM and other ministers. Earlier, on May 25, a state-owned helicopter crash landed at Nilanga, near Latur, minutes after taking off; no one was injured in the incident. On May 12, Fadnavis could not use the helicopter to travel from Gadchiroli to Mumbai after it developed a technical snag. On Saturday, Fadnavis was scheduled to inaugurate the Maharashtra National Law University in Aurangabad around 10am. However, after taking off, the pilot could not take the chopper to the required height, apparently because the aircraft had more passengers. The chopper was struggling to take off as its main rotor was unable to lift and push it forward. After it stabilised, it made a descent to the ground, an official said. The chopper finally took off after the CMs cook, Satish, got off and reached Aurangabad by road. The chopper has the capacity of 6 persons, but due to the fuel issues only four persons were allowed to board. After taking off, the pilot felt that it was safe to carry only three persons and requested offloading one passenger. It is a routine practice. The chopper took off again safely. CM attended all the programmes as per schedule by same chopper, the statement from the CMO said. Water resources minister Girish Mahajan, who is also the guardian minister of Nashik, said, We had already taken all precautions by sending our bags by road. But even after that the pilot realised it [chopper] was still overweight and decided to land the chopper after ascending for about 150 feet. We reached Aurangabad within minutes after that. Nashik collector, Radhakrishnan B, said, It was just an additional precaution taken by the pilot while taking decision of offloading a passenger. There was nothing serious about it. We have not been asked to submit any report about it. The state currently does not have any helicopters, and the one flying the CM on Saturday was hired from a private corporate house. In May, a woman approached a police station in Nashik rural area, complaining of rape, but the officers only filed a case of molestation. Three months later, when the forensic science laboratory confirmed sexual assault, they changed it to rape. This is not an isolated incident of police lessening an offence (filing a charge that is less grave compared to the offence committed; for instance molestation for rape) or burking crimes (refusing to register FIRs in cognisable offences). According to an in-house survey conducted by the state police administration, a first of its kind, burking of crimes by police stations across the state is as high as 50%, while the same holds true for lessening of offences. Burking of complaints is a serious issue. It amounts to tampering with the criminal justice system, said Bipin Bihari, additional director general (AdGP) of police, law and order, who was instrumental in conducting the state-wide survey to check the ground reality at police stations. With the Nashik incident as a trigger, the survey started four months ago. Several constables of the state crime investigation department (CID) and citizens from across seven police ranges were handpicked for the task. The constables and citizens were briefed about the task and split into groups of 4-5, Bihari said. The group members, posing as complainants, were sent to police stations at different times with complaints of street crimes such as assault, pick-pocketing, theft of mobile phones, chain-snatching or robbery. The responses to the complaints were collated after three months. It was shocking to find that in 50% of the cases, the police stations did not file FIRs, although the cases were cognisable in nature, said another senior state police official. In a majority of cases, where the police did register offences, they applied non-cognisable sections, with the intention of not initiating investigation or to ensure that the cases did not add up to the list of FIRs. This has become a practice at police stations. The department is happy measuring its efficiency through annual statistics denoting escalation or decline in crime rate. Increase in crime rate brings wrath of seniors and in turn junior-level officers, said an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) posted in a suburban police station. Former director general of police (DGP) Pravin Dixit said the problem is a result of inadequate supervision at police stations by superior officers. The unit in charge should ensure complaints are duly registered and investigated, he said, adding the crime and criminal tracking networking and system (CCTNS), which was launched earlier this year, could help address the problem effectively. The system facilitates registering of online complaints. Irrespective of jurisdiction limitations, once the complaint is lodged, it is automatically transferred to the police station concerned. This leaves little room for burking by the officials, he added. Following the survey, the Director General of Police (DGP) office has asked Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs) in each of the seven police ranges to come down heavily on officers found guilty of refusing to register FIRs or trying to lessen offences. The punishments recommended range from reprimand for first-time offenders to severe punishments such as suspension and departmental inquiry against repeat offenders, Bihari said, claiming within a month of the directive being issued, the registration of offences witnessed 8% jump, compared to the figures in the corresponding period in the previous year. Question cops when crime numbers drop Former police commissioner MN Singh said strict action should be taken against officials refusing to file first information reports (FIRs). Excerpts from an interview: What are the reasons behind burking (not filing FIRs in cognizable offences)? Burking of crimes or minimising the gravity of an offence is endemic to police stations across the country. The problem existed even before Independence. Unfortunately, little has been done over the years to address it. Who is to blame? Its a combination of many factors. Firstly, people are ignorant about law. For a cognisable offence, say when someones pocket is picked, the police have to register an FIR for theft. However, in most cases, they register a non-cognisable offence and give a number scribbled on a piece of paper. The complainant feels his complaint has been registered. The fact is he has been fooled by the officer concerned. Secondly, after Independence, our Indian Police Service (IPS) fraternity has completely failed to effectively address the issue. The third factor is overemphasis on statistics and crime management by superior officials. The seniors are happy to show the government that the crimes have reduced. One way to achieve it is by not registering FIRs. What is the effect of such a practice? Crimes keep multiplying, while people are denied justice. It encourages criminals tendency to perpetuate more crimes. Which area is more vulnerable -- urban or rural? It exists everywhere, in varying degrees. In cities like Mumbai, shortage of staff in police stations takes a toll on the registration and investigation of cases. In rural areas, poor supervision of police stations owing to distance from headquarters contributes to the problem. The level of awareness about law in rural areas is also low compared to cities. What is the solution? The police headquarters need to issue clear guidelines to all police stations to register offences and stop bothering about the statistics. No explanation should be sought from officers for surge in the registration of offences. On the contrary, explanation should be sought for not registering cases. Burking of crimes should be viewed very seriously and appropriate severe action should follow against the defaulter. The situation should be gauged from time to time through an internal vigilance mechanism, say by sending decoy complainants. The assertion that statistics represent crime control must go. In a growing society, crime will not reduce. Can technology help? Online registrations of FIRs leave little chance for the officer to deny filing an offence. With CCTV cameras, supervisory officers can check the happenings at every police station. Also, mandatory video recording of the interaction between a complainant and officials at the police station can act as deterrent. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Mumbai With an aim to decongest citys roads and upgrade the infrastructure, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to link stretches measuring 220km by 2034, a move that will in effect reduce your travel time. In the next two years, the civic body will construct 41km links -- roads connecting areas that are not currently linked. By 2034, the BMC will construct 220km of such links that are currently missing. These links will act as short-cuts in certain areas, reducing the congestion on main roads. The projects are part of the comprehensive mobility plan (CMP), designed to upgrade the transport system, along with improving the infrastructure of the city. The plan focuses on widening congested roads, connecting missing links, need for integrated fare structure and common ticketing for existing public transport system. In the first phase, the civic body will connect 41km of links in Bandra, Dadar, Byculla, Wadala, Chembur, Malad and Lower Parel, among others. In the second phase, the BMC will complete work on 80km of missing links till 2024 and the rest till 2034. In most cases, the stretches being considered for the links have slums or structures that can be rehabilitated, said civic officials. Some of the missing links suggested in the plan include connecting Senapati-Bapat Road to Central Railway Line (Dadar), E Moses Road to Lala Lajpat Rai Road (Lower Parel), Pestom Sagar to Phule Nagar Road (Chembur), Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road to Akruti Rising City Road (Ghatkopar), BKC G Block to MMRDA Grounds (Bandra) and Madh Marve Road to Madh Jetty Road (Malad). Vinod Chitore, chief engineer of roads and traffic department, said, We have started to implement the plan and work on designated roads. The BMC is co-ordinating with other stakeholders of the plan, including the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply Transport, Indian Railways and the traffic police department. The plan is estimated to cost Rs1.68 lakh crore over the next 20 years. The BMCs investment is pegged at Rs69,000 crore, of which it will contribute more than Rs7, 000 crore in the first phase. The MMRDA will give Rs76,283 crore in the first phase, while the Indian Railways will contribute Rs18,359 crore. BEST will shell out Rs2,590 crore and the traffic police will contribute Rs1,350 crore, said civic officials. A sessions court denied pre-arrest bail to a ship captain, Prabhat Jha, and his wife, Rashmi, for allegedly facilitating the seizure of a vessel by the Egyptian Navy. The Santacruz police are investigating the case. According to the police, Jha was on board the MT Pristine GV, managed by Mumbai-based company Shuttle Chemical Carrier, when the ship was seized by the Egyptian Navy at Safaga Port on June 15, 2016. The ship was hired by HAPCO FZE and MOK Petroleum Energy to carry gas oil from Fujairah, UAE. to Hodeidah, Yemen, and was being captained by Aaninda Sengupta at the time. According to the complaint registered by the manager of Shuttle Chemical Carrier in September 2017, Jha had colluded with HAPCO FZE and MOK Petroleum Energy to get the ship seized in exchange for $1,08,000. The ship departed on January 4, 2016, and reached the destination after eleven days. However, as the companies could not provide the required permits and documents, the crew was not allowed to deliver the gas oil. Consequently, the ship remained anchored at the Hodeidah Port, and eventually proceeded towards Djibouti and then Salalah, Oman. Meanwhile, Senguptas contract as the captain of the ship expired, and Jha was appointed as his successor. The ship owner Pristine, a Dubai-based firm, sought Rs24.23 crore in damages from HAPCO FZE. While the negotiations were underway, the ship was arrested by the Egyptian Navy for sailing in international waters without permits. The ship was reportedly unloaded at Safaga port and is still stationed there. According to the complaint, Jhas email correspondence with MOK Energy revealed that he had agreed to accept $1,08,000 in bribe if he facilitated the seizure of the ship and arrest of the crew. It was further alleged that Jha and his wife have received Rs18.07 lakh in their bank accounts. Jha, however, rejected the allegations stating that he had tried to avoid the seizure. According to him, they were stuck in international waters for 44 days. During this period, five warrants had been issued against them by NCB (National Centre Bureau)/Interpol, an Egyptian court, and a Kenyan court. Ultimately, he was unable to evade the seizure as they were surrounded by Egyptian warships. The sessions court while rejecting Jhas plea observed that, the grounds presented by the petitioner for grant of anticipatory bail are not found to be satisfactory. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Satellite images from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have compared how the mangrove cover at Thane creek or Mumbais Flamingo Sanctuary has changed over the past three decades. The two images juxtaposed together - one captured in 1988 and the other in 2017 - shows how urban development encroached on mangroves on the northern portion of the creek and the increase in area of the Deonar dumping ground ate into the southern portion of the creek, resulting in destruction of mangroves at the reserved forest (see images). The study was released earlier this month on NASAs Earth Observatory. The study incorporated reports by Hindustan Times from 2017 (see box) to identify the threats to the mangrove cover in Mumbai and Thane creek, cleanup of mangrove areas, proposed construction of a wall around Mumbais mangroves, using drones and satellites with the help of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to monitor the coastal ecosystem. The satellite image taken by NASA in 1988 (NASA) The satellite image taken by NASA in 1988, which shows how urban development encroached on mangroves in several areas (NASA) The Landsat images offer an example of how satellite imagery can be used to track changes to mangroves. These images are centered on Thane Creek a key waterway that runs through the city. Both images were captured around high tide, read the study. Between 1988 and 2017, urban development encroached on mangroves in several areas. For instance, the Deonar landfill spread significantly, and new residential and commercial developments emerged along the northern stretches of Thane Creek. Mangrove forests have historically been overlooked in Mumbai, the study said. Large tracts of mangroves were removed as part of land reclamation projects, and many of the mangroves that remain have become dumping grounds for garbage and targets for developers and squatters, it read. The study also took into account a research paper by the department of geography, Ryerson University, Toronto that examined the changes in Mumbais mangroves since 1970s. We have seen stark declines in mangroves in Mumbai in recent decades. Of the entire mangrove system in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area, 36% has been lost to urban land since 1973, said Eric Vaz of Ryerson University, author of the paper. The Mumbai Mangrove Conservation Unit, under the state mangrove cell, was given the responsibility for the management of the Flamingo Sanctuary. When state mangrove cell was alerted about the report, they said a drive to remove encroachments from the northern end of Thane creek will be carried out between December and January. We will be taking up the issue with the civic body about the rise in Deonar dumping ground area, eating into the reserved mangrove forest, said N Vasudevan, additional principal chief conservator of forest, state mangrove cell. The NASA images also illustrate a positive trend for the Thane creek with rise in mangrove cover at certain pockets owing to siltation. Over time, the deposition of sediment has narrowed the channel and allowed some mangroves to spread closer to the center of the creek, even as research papers suggest long-term decline, read the study. AUTHORITIES SPEAK The Thane creek is currently a winter home ground for migratory birds such as flamingos, and if proper measures are taken to protect it, the creek will become a nesting ground for these birds. All our actions should work towards preserving the biodiversity and the ecosystem of this area and ensure there is no reduction in mangrove cover, said Satish Gavai, additional chief secretary, state environment department. Mumbai and Thane creek mangrove cover Mumbais mangrove area spreads across 5,800 hectares (ha) of mangrove cover 4,000 ha on government-owned land and 1,800 ha in private areas. While Navi Mumbai and the eastern end of Thane creek have a total cover of 1,471 ha, for the western bank of Thane creek it is 1,500 ha. In August 2016, the state government declared the northern part of Thane creek that includes Airoli and Vashi as a Flamingo Sanctuary that is spread over 1,690 hectares, which includes 896 hectares of mangroves and 794 hectares of land adjacent to a water body, to safeguard the flamingo population. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON After a meeting convened by Union railway minister Piyush Goyal last week, the Central Railway (CR) has sent fresh proposals for implementation of their ambitious communication-based train control (CBTC) system on the main and harbour lines. With better communication, the system will increase the frequency of the trains, reducing their headway (time between departures of two trains) to two minutes from the existing 4-5 minutes. The proposal for harbour line is worth Rs4,000 crore, while for the main line is worth Rs9,000 crore. A senior railway official said the CR has proposed implementation of CBTC between CST-Panvel on harbour line and up till Kasara and Karjat on the main line. The estimated project cost also includes procurement of new locals, as the zonal railway will require at least 21 more locals for harbour line and around 45 trains from the main line. The railway officials also hoping that Goyal will put the ambitious project back on tracks, as the existing railway tracks have almost saturated and there is no scope to add new services, despite the constant demand. In the beginning of October, Goyal asked railway officials to junk the project when some officials explained there would be repercussions on the flow of good trains. Hence, stating that the problems with CBTC are more than the outcomes, he had asked to scrap the proposal. Sources said the railway officials, however, convinced him about the necessity of the project for Mumbais suburban network during the meeting at a private hospital, where Goyal was going through treatment in the end of November. Former chief minister Narayan Rane has threatened Shiv Sena, saying he will reveal party chief Uddhav Thackerays family secrets, including the alleged ill treatment meted out to the late Bal Thackeray. Rane, who is touring the western parts of the state with his newly floated outfit, Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha, said he would be inducted in the cabinet before the year ends. Rane said that if Uddhav and Shiv Sena leaders did not stop attacking him, he would talk about how Bal was treated during his final days. In Sangli on Saturday, he said the Sena chief should stop conspiring against him. I ensured that the honourable Balasaheb was never hurt because of me. But, the incumbent party chief and his family tortured him a lot, he said. Ranes induction in the state cabinet was delayed after the Shiv Sena allegedly threatened to pull out from the government if he was made a minister. The party also opposed the BJPs proposal to field Rane as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in the council election held on December 7. In Akola on Saturday, Shiv Sena leader and minister of state for home Deepak Kesarkar said Rane had lost his political clout and was making remarks against the party out of frustration. Irrigation department has registered an FIR against a sand mining firm SN Constructions for trying to create a makeshift bridge over the Yamuna to extract sand. The bridge was stopping the flow of the river, officials said. The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration, early on Saturday morning, searched the three sand mining sites on the banks of river Yamuna. Officials from the administration conducted searches as part of the ongoing drive against illegal mining on the orders of the chief minister to take strict action in such cases. The searches took place at mining sites in Tilwada, Aurangabad and Kondli. During the search, officials came to know about the makeshift bridge after which the irrigation department lodged an FIR against the construction company on the orders of district magistrate BN Singh. We have started removing the bridge which was stopping the flow of water. We conducted surprise visits to three sites and one of them had created the bridge. By Sunday, this bridge will be broken. The irrigation department has registered the FIR against the firm. It is a serious offence and strict action will be taken against the offenders, said BN Singh. We searched the sites after we got multiple complaints that people are going beyond the area permitted for mining and has gone closer to the river. We couldnt find any persons at the site there but there were signs of illegal activities, said Kumar Vineet, additional district magistrate. Two teams comprising subdivisional magistrates, assistant regional transport officials and police personnel conducted the search. None of the police personnel who took part in the search belonged to the area police stations. The searches were kept a secret from the local police and other officials of the area because there was information that people running these mines work closely with local policemen. We took the decision to conduct searches after midnight and the subdivisional magistrates were informed at 6am. We couldnt find anybody at the site but the action was kept a secret as we believe that miners usually get information in advance. We believe a few local policemen help these miners, Vineet said. It is mandatory for sand mining companies to install CCTV cameras at the site but none of the three places had any. After a gap of around four years, the district administration had allotted contracts for sand mining in the Yamuna floodplains to three private agencies in May. Nardan Infra Developers got a mining site for Rs 459 per cubic metre in Kondli Khadar, while Jatin Buildtech Private Limited got a licence for Rs 257 per cubic metre in Aurangabad village and SN Construction Company for Rs 484 per cubic metre in Tilwada village. For the 100-odd second generation Tibetans living in India, winter season for the last decade has meant exhibiting the finest collections of woollen clothes from the Himalayan region to the people of Noida. Every year, Himalayan Buddhist Exhibition-cum-sale has been organised in Noidas Sector 33 from December 1 to February 12. Those displaying the clothing said they also have fine leather clothing as well for men, women and children. The exhibitors are Tibetans who have settled in India after the infamous exile of the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959, due to the dispute over the territory. Among them are many second-generation Tibetans who have been born and brought up in India. The exhibitors have been coming to Noida for the last 12 years to sell the clothes, which they claim to have procured from manufacturers based in different regions such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Nepal, Tibet and Ladakh. There are as many as 80 stalls set up in the exhibition, which comprises woollen and leather clothing, shoes, bags and womens accessories. The Tibetan exhibitors are fluent in Hindi as they have been settled in India for the last few decades. My father moved from Tibet to Dehradun in 1959 as a refugee and we were born and brought up in India. We procure goods from areas in Nepal border for the exhibition in Noida every winter. Rest of the time, we are busy with farming at our native place in Uttarakhand, said Tenzin (51), an exhibitor of woollen jackets. I have come from Ladakh by plane as the road connectivity is shut during the winter. I procure clothing items from small manufacturers who make handmade woollen clothes throughout the year, Shireen, an exhibitor of woollen clothing, said. Tolma, another Tibetan from Dehradun, also sells leather jackets at the exhibition. We buy our material from Dhaulagiri, Shimla, Nepal and also northeastern states due to our pan-Indian presence. We assemble the clothes in Delhi before the winter and set up our stall at the exhibition, Tolma said. Ranjit Singh, the president of Himalayan Buddhist Exhibition-cum-sale, said, We have Tibetans coming from different states of India, from Himachal Pradesh to Karnataka to north-east, thereby, bringing variety to our exhibition. We offer unique embroidery and patchworks that are way ahead of the market trends. The price range of commodities being sold in the exhibition is from Rs50 to Rs3,500, for products ranging from woollen socks to Kashmiri shawls and blankets. However, the response by Noida residents has been lukewarm, according to the exhibitors, who blame it on several issues. This year, winter has not yet arrived in Noida and our clothing is meant to be worn during the severe cold. Also, due to the introduction of the mall culture, our business has taken a hit. We hope that as December progresses, the region becomes colder and we get back our customers, Tenzin said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The signals were strong the World Banks Ease of Doing Business index ranked India 30 places higher, a significant rise in the history of the index. Moodys upgrade based on the reform process underway and Standard and Poors reaffirmation given the governments sound external accounts position, management of fiscal deficit, and improved monetary credibility set the tone. The official announcement that GDP growth during Q2 stood at 6.3% was, therefore, expected. Just a few hours prior to this announcement, Prime Minister Modi reiterated his governments commitment towards building a corruption-free, citizen-centric, and development-friendly ecosystem for India. Policy measures undertaken over the past three years bear testament to this commitment. The latest growth numbers only show that these policies are being successfully implemented. Demonetisation was the first step in eliminating corrosive crony capitalism, fostered and nurtured for decades. The data amassed through this exercise enables the identification of and bringing to book entities and individuals, who instead of being penalised for corrupt activities, were enjoying political patronage. The fight against corruption was further bolstered by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) and the recent amendment. To better understand the implications of the bankruptcy law and the amendment, one must step back and understand the genesis of the non-performing assets (NPA) crisis. All that any promoter looking to raise funds needed to do was to approach a public sector bank. Leveraging political connections, the promoter would get the loan approved with little or no intention of paying any interest on it, let alone paying back the principal amount. Indias NPA crisis is firmly anchored in this politician-industrialist-bureaucrat nexus where loans from PSUs were essentially largesse donated to corporations with the right connections. The IBC aims at reviving the banking sector and bolstering investment. The judicial system will appoint professionals tasked with selling off defaulting entities. The first round of this fire-sale will take on $40 billion in distressed assets of 12 corporations and complete the necessary procedures by March 2018. The recent amendment addresses promoters who were part of the problem to begin with. Section 29A of the IBC, introduced by the President by way of an ordinance, bars defaulting promoters from bidding for their own company during the insolvency phase. The message is clear if you cant run a business, you have no business being in business. The amendment also busts the myth that certain promoters have sectoral expertise and are the only ones who can revive these corporations should owners want to retain the control of their asset, the amendment allows for a one-year period to raise the requisite finances. The first and foremost priority of this government is to have a citizen-centric approach to economic policy. From opening bank accounts for the poorest of the poor, to creating an e-market for farmers; from universal electrification to affordable insurance schemes; from easing public service delivery, to direct transfer of government benefits this government is dedicated to improving the lives of each and every Indian. It gives me great pride in reporting the performance of my own ministry, that of housing and urban affairs. Over the past three-and-a-half years, we have more than tripled total investments in our flagship urban missions against the total in the previous ten years. This is in line with similar unprecedented investments in a host of other areas like road construction, new railway lines, power sector, Bharatmala and Sagarmala, etc. We are en route to achieving our target of 1.2 crore affordable homes by 2022 30.73 lakh houses have been sanctioned, 13.88 lakh houses have already been grounded, and 3.93 lakh have been completed and are currently occupied by their owners. In addition, the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA) Act, has given the country a real estate regulator after 70 years of independence. Project delays, diversion of funds by builders, asymmetric buyer-builder contracts favouring the latter, and unfulfilled promises have cheated honest citizens who invest their hard earn money and life savings in purchasing homes. RERA in conjunction with several other steps taken will clear and revive the real estate sector. The dawn of a New India has to be built by a responsible industrial class and a government in sync with the needs and demands of its citizens. This will define the essential characteristic of the prime ministers new India 2022. In his words, these reforms are irreversible and permanent and their benefits will accrue to generations. Hardeep S Puri is minister of state (independent charge) for housing and urban affairs The views expressed are personal Rage is sweeping the streets of Gaza and the West Bank after US President Donald Trump decided to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital. Palestinians are aghast. Their claim over Jerusalem -- the site of the revered Al Aqsa mosque and home to some 3,30,000 Arabs -- is at the heart of their aspiration to carve out a nation for themselves and Trumps announcement has dealt their dreams a body blow. But their collective anger may not result in anything substantive, apart from derailing the already stalled West Asia peace process. Protests have already erupted across the region. Disenchanted and frustrated Palestinian youth are fighting pitched battles with Israeli security forces. Palestinian leaders are threatening more: They have called for a third Intifada (uprising) and a fresh bout of bloodshed looks a certainty. Palestinians have justifiable reasons to be angry. They have been reduced to being stateless in the land that belonged to them. Those in Gaza virtually live the life of prisoners as Israel restricts movements of both men and material. In the West Bank, Palestinians are subjected to a harsh Israeli occupation that robs them of dignity. The injustices they suffer are many and their angst is just. But apart from being livid, Palestinians, who are no more in charge of their lives, can do precious little. Their past threats to unleash shock and awe with their rage have proven to be hollow. All Israeli intransigence have historically been met with Palestinian bombast. When the wheel-chair bound Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, was assassinated by the Israelis in 2004, the Palestinians threatened to exact revenge by opening up the road to hell. It did precious little to deter the Israelis, who killed another top Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, a month later. More Palestinian threats followed, but without much avail. Far from being chastened, the Israelis raided Gaza twice since then, bombing the densely populated region to ruins. That they are leaderless plunges the Palestinians deeper into despair. Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah who became the Palestinian president in 2005 for a four-year term, continues to cling on to his chair without being duly re-elected. Hamas, his rival faction that controlled Gaza, ran a police State rife with rights violations. Held hostage by a leadership that apparently lacks majority approval, there is a yawning disconnect between those at the helm and the Palestinian population in the streets. Consequently, hot-heads often take matters into their own hands, firing crude rockets at Israel. But for the din, the projectiles make no difference on the ground. If at all, they provoke Israel to tighten the screws on Palestinians. The helpless Palestinians are trapped in a hopeless situation. Though the plight of Palestinians remains an emotive issue across the region, they have also been failed by other Arab nations whose rulers pay lip-service to their cause. Many are complicit with Israel, emboldening the Jewish State in doing what it does: Choking Gaza, forcibly expanding settlements in the West Bank and pushing the Palestinians further into penury. Going by past experiences, the latest provocation triggered by Trump, will do little to change the fortunes of the Palestinians. Passions inflamed, there could be violence and the region could slip into another round of anarchy. But there is not much more an impoverished population of emaciated people can achieve. The Israeli State --both economically and militarily powerful -- is no easy pushover and fury on the streets is unlikely to propel the Palestinians anywhere close to their goal of an independent nation. @rubenbanerjee SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Blame it on liquor ban, many Biharis are foreign-bound to welcome the New Year. If travel planners are to be believed, Pattaya beach and Phuket in Thailand, Waiotapu, the park with geothermal activities in New Zealand, and the desert village in Dubai are among most sought after destinations for Bachhus lover Biharis to spend the year-end. Even beach destinations of the country, like Kovalam in Kerala or Anjuna in Goa, could witness a large crowd from the dry state celebrating Christmas and New Year, tour operators say. Top city operators, who admitted to low bookings last year, said there was a huge spike in registrations for travel this year with one estimate putting registrations for tours abroad at around 1,200 already, with two weeks still to go. Last year, there were not more than 700 bookings with the top ten travel agents in the capital. Bihar became a dry state on April 5, last year. Consuming, keeping or dealing in liquor is an offence under the states new prohibition law, which provides for imprisonment up to 10 years. UN Mishra, who runs Jatak Travels in Patna, said people seemed desperate to go out of the dry state. Due to total prohibition, many plan frequent trips to Ranchi in Jharkhand or Kolkata in West Bengal for their fill, he said. Winter vacation is just an extension of this mood and the people dont want to miss this opportunity. We are happy that it (liquor ban) has given a new lease of life to the states travel trade which had crashed after demonetisation in November last year and ruined travel businesses. My bookings were pathetic last year at around 20, which has now increased to 90 already for all destinations, with more expected by last week this month, Mishra said. He said, post-prohibition and demonetisation, tour seekers, who numbered in dozens earlier, had now jumped to hundreds, while LTA ( leave travel allowance) travellers , mainly from banks and PSUs, had also added to the throng. Sanjeev Kumar, who runs Mamta Tours and Travels in the state capital, said Bangkok and Macau attracted more Biharis because their casinos offered gambling facility along with free meal and liquor. Many are also preparing to touch base in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, which offer visa on arrival and star cruise trips along with free meal and liquor. After all, people want to relax and get rejuvenated, he said Interestingly, some 300 families are Bangkok bound already. The reason is simple. To spend five nights in Bangkok one has to spend hardly Rs 30,000 even during the peak tourism season. In Goa and Kerala, the trip may cost you more than Rs 35,000. Also, a host of low cost hotels are available in Bangkok, while in Goa the hotel tariff generally shoots up during Christmas, Shailesh Kumar of Almania Travels said. Shailesh Kumar said he had already booked 55 tours, mostly families, which was a spike of 45% over the figures in 2016. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Lt Gen SH Kulkarni (retd) spoke for many when he asked whether the establishment has learnt any lessons from the Kargil War of 1999. Why did Kargil happen? Have we acted upon the lessons it served us or are we setting the stage for another Kargil? He rued that there was little historical analysis of the war and its social impact. Would it have been in our interest to widen the war? The navy could have inflicted great hardships had it been allowed to attack Pakistan. I retired three years ago, and there was no answer to any of these issues, fumed the general. These questions also resonated with the audience at the session on Kargil War 1999 during the Military Literature Festival 2017, here on Friday. So did the blow-by-blow account that Col Balwan Singh, Maha Vir Chakra winner, provided of the battle for Tiger Hill. A young lieutenant with 18 Grenadiers at that time, he was leading the ghatak platoon that was tasked with capturing Tiger Hill on July 3. Though just three months into service, he led his team to the hilltop, taking a very steep, unexplored route, took the enemy by surprise and stormed their bunkers, killing four Pakistanis despite being wounded. That was a very decisive battle, after which the enemy started fleeing, recounted Singh. Interestingly, Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav, Param Vir Chakra, who was part of Col Balwans platoon, was also at the festival. A question of intelligence While Col Balwan brought the war to life, other panelists debated the inter-force coordination and the quality of intelligence inputs that played a big role in Kargil. Author of a book on Operation Vijay, Lt Gen Mohinder Puri (retd), who was commanding 8 Mountain Division, which was moved from the Valley to Kargil, described how they managed to surprise the intruders and secure a victory. Surprise was a big element in the operations. Air Marshal Vinod Patney, who moderated the session, described how they too were taken aback when they were asked to rehash their plans at the last minute. It was on May 25 that I got a call from the chief that we were on deployment the next day. Then he dropped a bombshell. He said dont cross the Line of Control, not a single bomb should fall across it. This was totally different from the plans we had prepared. The operation was a surprise for the aircraft as well. None of our aircraft was designed for combat operations in such mountainous terrain. In fact, no combat aircraft has been designed to operate there, he said, adding that the IAF was in perfect sync with the army and not a single army soldier or installation was affected by the air shelling. When asked about the tri-services doctrine, the Air Marshal declared, Integrated command is a bad word. Commenting on the surprise element, Brig Davinder Singh (retd) said there were indications of intrusion and increased firing in the Kargil sector, but these were not interpreted rightly. All our intelligence gathering resources are with the RAW, not with the army. What can we do if they choose to keep half the information to themselves. Be it intelligence or lack of it, the time taken by the Indian establishment to react, or the last minute change in operations, 18 years on, Kargil continues to confound. Advocating an iron fist in a velvet glove strategy to tackle insurgency in Kashmir, former top-ranking army officers on Friday underlined the need of engaging Valleys youth positively to end the cycle of violence. With his sharp views on the hot-button topic Counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir during a session at the Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh, former chief of the northern command Lt Gen BS Jaswal (retd) set the ball rolling to what turned out to be an engaging and educative session despite a thin audience. Other veterans who were in the panel included Lt Gen JS Cheema, Lt Gen AC Suneja, Maj Gen Dilawar Singh, besides senior journalists Nirupama Subramanian and Vikramjit Singh. While the army officers said the situation was better in Kashmir and stressed the need of keeping pressure on the militants, the senior scribes pointed out that the ground reality in the Valley was not as good as it was being made out to be. When one Kashmiri militant is killed, there are 6-7 youth ready to fill his place, Nirupama said, pointing out that of the near 250 militants operating in Kashmir, about 117 are locals. There is a belief that you cannot keep on killing people, she said. Endorsing her views, Vikramjit said it was a fallacy being propagated by politicians that Kashmir is on the threshold of peace. Earlier, Lt Gen Jaswal said radicalisation of the youth was taking roots as Pakistan wanted to keep the Kashmir pot boiling. Lt Gen Suneja added that during search operations, the Army must deal with women and other people with respect. Despite different views on how to deal with insurgency notwithstanding, the panellists were unanimous that engaging with the people, especially the youth, was important. The British may not have had such a long and free run of the country had the Sikh army not been betrayed by its own generals; and there would have been no Pakistan, said Amar Pal Sidhu, a British historian, at the Military Literature Festival here on Saturday. But well-known author William Dalrymple didnt think it was so simple. The fodder for discussion on the second day of the festival was the two Anglo-Sikh wars that ensued after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Sidhu, who has written two books on the subject, said that had the Sikhs won these closely-fought wars, the British would have lost the first war of independence in 1857. They won it only because they had recruited a large number of soldiers from the disbanded Sikh army. A DIVIDED DURBAR Dalrymple, however, said, The East India Company had huge resources at its disposal, both in terms of weapons and men. Even if it had lost one battle, it had no dearth of backups. The Sikh army, on the contrary, was a treacherously led force. The Lahore Durbar itself, he said, was facing factionalism. There was a Dogra faction, a Rani Jindan faction besides many other intrigues, he said. Historians Amar Pal Sidhu, Mandeep Rai, Sukhmani Bal Riar and William Dalrymple in the session on Anglo-Sikh wars, at the Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh on Saturday. (Anil Dayal/HT) Yet Mandeep Rai, a former bureaucrat and historian, maintained that had the Sikhs got an edge over the British, the results would have been different regardless of the resources. Maharaja Ranjit Singh had raised a very powerful and cosmopolitan army. He had Muslim gunners who never fled the battlefield. Then there were Gurkhas, Sikhs and Hindus. It was a most cosmopolitan army of the brave, said Rai. But this army had a mind of its own and turned mutinous once the Maharaja passed away. Sidhu said, Unable to govern it, politicians such as General Lal Singh, the vizir, and Tej singh, the commander-in-chief, decided to destroy this army and ally with the British for the sake of stability. STAB IN THE BACK About some of the acts of treachery that let to their defeat, Rai said the Sikh army lost the Battle of Subron because Gen Tej Singh, the commander-in-chief, crossed the pontoon bridge linking the two flanks of the Sutlej and ordered its destruction. The battle of Firoze Shehar on December 12, 1845, was also lost due by treachery. Rai said General Henry Harding had asked his aide de corps to bring out his sword so that he could surrender after the battle that continued till late at night. But the next day, the battle took a different course due to the machinations of General Lal Singh. The fallout of Sikh victory over the British, said Sidhu, would have been far-reaching. The Anglo-Afghan wars wouldnt have taken place as Punjab would have been a strong buffer. And last but not the least, there would have been no Pakistan as Punjab would have been a secular independent state, Sidhu declared. Confessing that he is no expert on the Anglo-Sikh wars, Dalrymple said one reason for the fog that continues to surround the Lahore Durbar is poor access to archives. The Punjab archives are housed in the Central Punjab Secretariat compound. To get to its gate is a difficult task, leave alone accessing the archives. But that hasnt stopped historians from writing about this chapter of Indian history. Sukhmani Bal Riar, a history professor at Panjab University, read out a long list of scholars who have written on this subject. Sidhu, who has visited the sites of all these battles, is already working on a third book. And the saga of the Anglo-Sikh wars continues. Scottish writer-historian William Dalrymple described the backlash of the 1857 mutiny as the worst massacre in the British colonial history, adding that the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that is mentioned so often was nothing but a picnic compared to it. The author who has penned the books 'The Last Mughal' and 'White Mughals was the star speaker at the session '1987 First War of Independence' at the ongoing Military Literature Festival here on Friday evening. Dalrymple said the British Mutiny Papers in the National Archives at New Delhi make no mention of Indian heroes like the Rani of Jhansi, Tantia Tope and only a marginal mention of Mangal Pandey who he said were a part of a new-spun nationalist mythology. "It was Veer Sarvarkar, founder of the Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) who gave it the name of the first war of Independence as late as 1910. He added that the first attacks of the sepoys in revolt were on the Indian Christian community living around the Darya Ganj area in Delhi. The author is now writing a book called 'The Anarchy', which focusses on the East India Company and its role in colonising India. The session was introduced by Sukhmani Bal Riar, chairperson of the department of history, Panjab University, on how the uprising of 1857 still remained a mutiny for many, but Indian and Pakistani historians described it as the First War of Independence. She added that the subject was still open to more research. Abhimanyu Singh Arha, a Rajasthan historian, spoke of the monument built to commemorate the people who revolted in Auwa tehsil in his state and said more research work was required. Journalist Manimugdha S Sharma laid emphasis on the repeated uprisings that led to 1857 and mentioned the 1978 Shyam Benegal's film 'Junoon' starring Shashi Kapoor, which captured the merciless deaths that followed to India and the poignant capturing of the spirit of the uprising. The session was anchored by Maj Gen BS Grewal, who also read a poem celebrating the popular heroes of the revolt. Dalrymple also read a poem by Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal, addressed to Begum Zeenat Mahal in an English translation. He lauded the intellectual leanings of Zafar whose time gave great poets like Mirza Ghalib and Ustad Zauq. Haryana has earned the dubious status of having one of the highest number of cases of offences against state in the country in 2016, thanks to Jat quota protests that year. The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)-2016 report reveals that Haryana ranked third in the country with 1,286 cases with Tamil Nadu topping the list with 1,827 cases and Uttar Pradesh ranking second with 1,414 cases. In Haryana, all the cases were registered against protesters during the violent Jat stir for quota that shook the state. While at least 30 persons lost their lives in large-scale violence and arson, public and private property worth crores was gutted or badly damaged by the violent rioters. While the number of offences against the state remained 536 in 2015, their number was 1,051 in 2014 when hundreds of followers of self-styled godman Rampal had a week-long standoff with police in November that year, leaving six people dead. They went berserk resisting police to arrest their religious sect head at Satlok Ashram in Barwala village of Hisar district. About the cases registered in 2016, Haryana director general of police (DGP) BS Sandhu said almost all the cases were registered against the accused during the Jat stir. He admitted that the state police had also lodged a large number of similar cases against Dera Sacha Sauda followers for violent attack on security forces and the public after the conviction of sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on August 25 this year. He was convicted in rape cases by a special CBI court in Panchkula the same day. Of a of total 1,286 cases of offences against state in 2016, 14 were registered for sedition, four for imputation, assertion prejudicial to national integration while 1,265 cases were of prevention of damage to public property. Of the 1,756 accused arrested in 2016 for cases of offences against the state, 16 were women. As many 79 men have been convicted, 756 have been acquitted, while cases against remaining are under trial. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The senior army officers gathered at Military Literature Festival were of the opinion that the izzat (respect) given to army officers in the olden days is lacking now, and that is making army service the least opted profession. The officers spoke about how bureaucracy lacks real understanding of armed forces and how the society admires the army but dont want their children to join it. The bureaucrats dont like us, we dont like bureaucrats the feeling is mutual, said Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi (retd). Sharing an incident, a senior officer said, A defence secretary, who has served the department for years, asked me if Western Command has a strike corps? He did not even know that Indias mightiest strike corps is with Western Command. Lt Gen KJ Singh (retd) said, The problem with the bureaucracy is that they have a fleeting kind of relationship with the armed forces. There is lack of commitment, no sensitivity, and not even an iota of desire to learn about armed forces. Bureaucrats cannot stomach the organised behaviour and bonging among armed forces. Lt Gen Bhopinder Singh added, A citizen regards you because he knows that it is only the army that delivers and is accountable. But right since 1947, there has been a decline in the status and the position of the armed forces. The problem is that despite all this liking among people, everybody wants their neighbours son to join the army and not their own. Thats why we are still short of 12,000 officers, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Customs officials on Friday seized 2.92 kg gold, worth Rs 80 lakh, concealed in a vacuum cleaner that was being carried by a Delhi-based man, who landed at the Chandigarh International Airport on a flight from Dubai. This is the biggest gold recovery at the airport since the commencement of international operations here in September last year. Moreover, it is first such instance of a smuggler trying to sneak in gold by concealing it in an electronic appliance. Using appliances for gold smuggling is common at the Delhi and Mumbai airports but it was first such case in Chandigarh, said a customs official, on the condition of anonymity. The smuggler was caught because of the alertness of the baggage handling team and customs officials. Earlier, gold has been seized from coffee mugs, lunch box and even inside the human body. Officials said smugglers have been trying new ways to conceal gold, hoping to get through checking. Accused a conduit An official said the gold was not being smuggled in form of bricks, but had been used to forge internal parts of the appliance. He said the passenger was carrying the vacuum cleaner in his check-in baggage. We have general instructions to check appliances of passengers retuning from abroad. During the X-ray scan, we found an appliance inside his baggage, he said. Upon this, the passengers body language changed, and the officials suspicion became stronger when the vacuum cleaner did not function properly, he said. On dismantling the appliance, gold was recovered. The accused has been arrested after the seizure and the matter is being probed. he said. Although the customs officials did not reveal his identity, they said he is 30-year-old and his family is into farming. However, they said he was just a conduit and efforts are on to find the smugglers for whom he worked. Officials said with surveillance being much stricter at airports in metropolitan cities, smugglers find it is easier to sneak in contraband through airports at tier-two cities. Gold smuggling from Dubai is rampant because of the price difference. Moreover, gold from Dubai is more pure. Smugglers are also able to evade customs duty. The Punjab Police on late Friday night booked Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia along with other party leaders in a criminal case on the allegations of blocking the road on Harike Bridge and obstructing traffic. This came hours after the dharna being held in protest against the alleged attack by Congress activists on its workers at Mallanwala in Ferozepur district, was lifted after most of its demands were met. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Ferozepur range DIG Rajinder Singh said, A case under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 283 (causing danger or obstruction in public way), 431 (damage to roads and bridges), 188, 148 of the Indian Penal Code and section 8-B of the National Highway Act, 1956 has been registered at Makhu police station for blockade at Bangaliwala Pul, near Harrike. The Akali leaders have been charged for blockade on the national highway after they put up a tent, which caused inconvenience to public and was in violation of orders of the deputy commissioner. Sukhbir Badal had been earlier accused of blocking traffic with Z-security bullet-proof jammer vehicle given to him by the government. The Akalis, who had upped the ante after some party candidates were prevented from filing their nomination papers for the December 17 civic polls at a number of places and the clash at Mallanwala, first held a protest outside the SSPs office in Ferozepur on Thursday and then laid siege to Harike Bridge on National Highway 54 which connects Majha with Malwa. Sukhbir and several other Akali leaders spent the night at the protest site. The SAD also blocked two other roads in the district, and had announced that the protest will continue until all their demands were met. The situation escalated on Friday morning with the protesting Akalis blocking roads at Beas, Phillaur, Balongi, Sirhind, Sangrur, Sunam, Mansa, Ludhiana, Rampura Phul, Bhikhi and Pathankot, leading to traffic snarls. At several places, trucks and buses operating on long routes were stuck. Olive green was the colour of the day at the Military Literature Festival on Friday. Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh came wearing a green jacket with his medals proudly pinned on it, prompting a moderator to observe that he was here as a historian, even though he was footing the bill as the CM. Governor of Punjab VP Singh Badnore also looked quite martial with his black beret. Gallantry awardees in uniform, commandoes who had taken part in the surgical strikes and military authors mingled freely with schoolchildren at what was clearly a celebration of valour. Normally reticent and media shy, commanders from the three forces spoke freely about flash points as recent as that at Doklam and as distant as the First War of Kashmir, bringing to table new information, and raising fresh questions. Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi (retd), who was heading the eastern army command when India and China were locked in a three-month-long standoff at Doklam earlier this year, revealed that Chinese frequently broke ranks. He said there was no clarity on why China was building a road in the Doklam region and whether the project was sanctioned by the countrys top leadership. Captain Amarinder was clearly in form as he regaled the audience about the operations of 1 Sikh and 1 Patiala regiment during the First Kashmir War. Later, when Vir Sanghvi, who was moderating a discussion on military historians, asked Amarinder how he found time to pen his bookshe has seven books to his credithe said he had learnt the art of time management at the National Defence Academy (NDA). Amarinder said he wanted to write three moreone on the 1971 war, another on the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) and the last on the situation in Punjab over the last 30 years. The latter I will do after I quit, he quipped, adding that he was in no hurry to do so. The session on Kargil War 1999 had veterans asking whether the operations were botched up by the top leadership. In the absence of any historical analysis of the war, are we heading towards another Kargil, asked Lt General SH Kulkarni (retd), while Brigadier Davinder Singh (retd) emphasised on the importance of well-analysed actionable intelligence. Intelligence is the key. Unfortunately, it is in the hands of RAW, and not the army, he said. Speaking at the panel discussion on Shape and Contours of the Indian Navy of the Future, vice-admiral Satish Soni declared that Indian Navy would be the new battle arm to take on China in the future. Discussing the Indian maritime heritage going back to the Chola Dynasty, vice-admiral Satish Soni disclosed that Indonesian Naval Academys insignia has an image of Lord Ganesha. The panel on Indian Military and Society had veterans venting about the dilution of their seniority vis-a-vis bureaucrats. As a panellist put it, Army has a fixed hierarchical structure but the bureaucrats are tweaking it to their advantage by changing the balance of power. Lt Gen KJ Singh, former western army commander, attributed the growing gap between the army and bureaucracy to the latters fleeting engagement with the military. The deliberations on Counter insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir had experts sounding a note of caution even as some saw hope in the falling number of active militants as compared to the 1990s. Lt Gen B S Jaswal, former northern army commander, said those days, there were thousands of militants waging a war against the Indian state, now there are only a few hundred. A military writer, Vikramjit Singh, however, warned against the rising discontent in the Kashmiri society. There is a big jump in the number of home-grown militants. They are often relatives or friends of militants killed by security forces, he said. The event was attended by a large number of students, who had a great time interacting with war heroes. They also manned the venue with their teachers wielding walkie-talkies, making many mistake them for police officers. War is not a good thing, says Col Anil Kaul (retd), a Vir Chakra awardee, who lost his right eye and fingers of the left arm while fighting militants in Sri Lanka during Operation Pawan. Operation Pawan is the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. I salute those who did not come back. Platoons were massacred, leaving aside only one man, Gora Singh. He had almost gone mad because he was alive and 35 of his comrades had died. That is the kind of horror that one has seen, recalled Col Anil Kaul. He said, That (war) is what we are trained and paid for, but it is not a good thing. The military accomplishes its tasks, no questions asked. Lt Gen Depinder Singh, who was the overall commander of the IPKF in Sri Lanka from July 1987 to March 1990, spoke about some of the lessons learnt from the ordeal. The IPKF was formed as a tri-service and high-level representation from the navy and air force. But with time, the presence of navy and air force has started decreasing, said Lt Gen Singh, hoping that the tri-service unity has improved with time. He said, The government had no clear political aim as to why we went in? Was it to protect the LTTE or to protect the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka? I was clueless as to whether I was going as a military governor of Sri Lanka or as an overall force commander of IPKF? Each soldier went in with somewhat inadequate individual training. That was the weakness, but who is to blame? said Let Gen Singh, who reflected on the ordeal that left 1,500 people killed and 3,000 injured, and said, In retrospect, it was a good thing. As a major power, we must be prepared to project our might against our neighbours, and so, we require a dose of war with a first-class enemy. Operation Pawan was an excellent but costly blooding in terms of the manpower we lost, he concluded, expressing that the young officers must experience blooding as well. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Thala Ajith and director Siva have joined hands for the fourth time in upcoming Tamil film Viswasam, which had a soft launch with a small pooja ceremony on Thursday in Chennai, according to reliable source from the films unit. The launch was not attended by Ajith; however, the rest of the crew including Siva and members from the production side were present. It was a soft launch to kick-off the proceedings. The pre-production work has already begun and the regular shooting will commence from January 2018. The makers have locked Diwali 2018 for release and there wont be further delay or postponement, a source told Hindustan Times and confirmed that the project wont feature Ajith sporting salt-and-pepper look. Apparently, he has already dyed his hair black. Although thisll be another rural entertainer like Veeram; both Ajith sir and Siva sir felt mutually decided to let go of salt-and-pepper look and sport something different, the source added. Apparently, it was Ajith who insisted on a rural script as he wants it to pander to the masses which he couldnt via Vivegam which despite solid opening failed to click at the box-office. Anushka Shetty is one of the strong contenders for the leading ladys role. It has to be noted that Siva had already worked with Anushka in Telugu film Souryam and they both share a very good rapport. Yuvan Shankar Raja, last seen working with Ajith in Aarrambam, has been confirmed as the films composer. Unlike Vivegam, this project will be shot on a moderate budget. The film is being bankrolled by Sathya Jyothi Films. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Actor Santhanam has known Simbu for a long time. In fact, it is believed that Simbu was instrumental in launching the career of Santhanam, but the former doesnt like to take credit for the same. At the recently concluded audio launch of Sakka Podu Podu Raja, Simbu said: I accepted this project for Santhanam. People say I introduced him but the truth is I just identified his talent and wanted to take it to people. The film marks the debut of Simbu as a composer and Santhanam is all praise for his work, amidst industry grapevine that Simbu is no longer serious about anything he does in life. Talking to Times of India, Santhanam said: We had initially approached Harris Jayaraj, but since he was busy at that time, he couldnt take it up. That is when VTV Ganesh suggested that it would be great if Simbu composed the music for the film. When we spoke to Simbu, he said that he needed time to think about it. About a week later, he called up to say that he will do the film because the script was commercial. This was during last December, and I was shooting for Selvaraghavans Mannavan Vanthanadi at the time. I was overjoyed. He took just a week to compose the five songs we needed. In fact, he completely took charge of the music, and worked hard to ensure that both the songs and the re-recording came out good. On his decision to turn music composer, Simbu said at the audio launch. Im musically inclined; grew up listening to music from a very young age. My dad happens to be a music director and I have to thank him first for inspiring me. Then, theres Ilayaraja sir and Michael Jackson who have had great influence on me. I also need to thank Yuvan Shankar Raja without whom I wouldnt have become a music director. I also have to thank Anirudh Ravichander and Premgi Amaran. Sakka Podu Podu Raja is gearing up for release on December 22. Follow @htshowbiz for more ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop Visitors to the tiny Pacific nation of Palau are being made to sign a promise to respect the environment, in an innovative move that authorities hope will curb ecological damage caused by booming numbers of tourists. Claimed to be a world first, the Palau Pledge is stamped onto visitors passports and must be signed upon arrival in the country, which lies in the western Pacific about halfway between Australia and Japan. I take this pledge as your guest, to protect and preserve your beautiful island home, it reads in part. I vow to tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully. With crystal clear waters, pristine reefs and abundant sea life, Palau is regarded as one of the worlds best diving spots and was once a niche tourist destination. But visitor numbers have exploded in recent years, particularly from China, straining both infrastructure and the environment. The symbolic pledge was written with the help of Palaus children and President Tommy Remengesau said it was about preserving the environment for future generations. Conservation is at the heart of our culture, he said, adding, We rely on our environment to survive and if our beautiful country is lost to environmental degradation, we will be the last generation to enjoy both its beauty and life-sustaining biodiversity. Palau welcomed almost 1,50,000 tourists last year, up 70% on 2010 figures and the nation of 20,000 has struggled to cope. Some of the new arrivals have caused outrage among locals by capturing turtles so they can take selfies with them, walking on fragile coral and leaving trash on beaches. The Palau Pledge aims to encourage environmentally sound habits in visitors, the government said in a statement. If action is not taken now, it will get to the point where it is too late to protect some of the most unique parts of the country. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more After his hush-hush vows with actor Ishita Dutta on November 28, Vatsal Sheth is happy being back to work. Describing his life after marriage as an amazing one, the actor, says that it was never love at first sight for them. Nobody is going to believe us but we did not fall in love on the sets of our show [Rishton Ka Saudagar Baazigar]. The reports that while shooting for it we would spend a lot of time inside the van and all are not true. Our feelings developed when we started meeting after the show got over and became really good friends, says Vatsal. There were stories that while working on the show Rishton Ka Saudagar Baazigar, where the makers made the actors sign a no-dating clause, love bloomed between the two actors, but they tried to hide it from everyone. Coming back to their marriage, Vatsal adds that being a private person, he wanted his big day to be a simple affair. Marriage is sacred and I did not want to make an event out of it. Also we werent making marriage plans for long. It was a sudden affair, only few of my friends and relatives knew about it. I also prefer keeping my personal and professional life separate and made sure that my work is not hampered. So I just took three days off from my show, even my co-stars and makers of the show did not have any clue, he reveals. After the wedding, Vatsal and Ishita went for a short honeymoon to Singapore. Actors Vatsal Seth and Ishita Dutta married on November 28 at the ISKON temple in Juhu, Mumbai. So are an extended honeymoon and grand celebration on the cards? There wont be any grand celebrations but yes I am treating my friends and relatives separately whenever I am getting time. Also, we might go for an extended honeymoon next year after shooting for Haasil wraps up. Being a limited series its expected to get over by February-March, adds Vatsal. Ishita & I got married today in small and a private ceremony... Need all your love and blessings (Photo Credit: @infinityprojkt My outfit: Umang Mehta) A post shared by Vatsal Sheth (@vattyboy) on Nov 28, 2017 at 9:55am PST Ask him is it because of his sudden marriage plan that among others, Ishitas elder sibling, former Bollywood actor Tanushree Dutta could not attend the ceremony at the ISKON temple in Juhu, Mumbai. Tanushree was supposed to come from America, but could not make it due to a last moment visa issue, says Vatsal. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Dina Powell, the United States deputy national security adviser, will leave the White House next month as part of what is expected to be an exodus of senior officials at the one-year mark of the Donald Trump administration. Powell, who was born in Egypt and speaks Arabic, was among people driving Trump administrations West Asia policy. She is leaving of her own accord and was not fired or forced to resign, as had been the case for other prominent exits such as former NSA Michael Flynn, chief of staff Reince Priebus and spokesperson Sean Spicer. Her exit is significant because it is likely to be a part of large number of departures expected around the one-year mark of President Donald Trumps tenure on January 20. Other senior staffers who may leave Trump include the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, chief economic adviser to the president Gary Cohn and a few others. The White House already has a plan to replace Tillerson with the director of CIA Mike Pompeo, who, in turn is likely to be succeeded by a Republican senator from Arkansas, Tom Cotton. Both President Donald Trump and the White House have denied Tillerson was on his way out, but speculation has persisted. The Modi government, which has sought closer ties with the US irrespective of the party and person in power, will be watching these departures closely having invested in forging meaningful relationship with many of them only to start all over again with their replacements, and within just a few months. Trump administration officials insist relations with India are cushioned from blowbacks from these changes but Indian diplomats, like counterparts from around the world, tend to be cautious with this White House, particularly about senior level shake-ups that could impact ties. Powell, who served in the George W Bush administration and had then joined Goldman Sachs, entered Trumps orbit as an adviser to Ivanka Trump and then became an economic adviser before being asked by National Security Adviser HR McMaster to join him as deputy NSA. Egypts Coptic Church head Pope Tawadros II cancelled a meeting with US vice president Mike Pence in Cairo later this month in protest at Washingtons decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, the church said Saturday. US President Donald Trumps decision did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people, the church said in a statement, adding it decided not to receive Pence when his visits Egypt. The Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church declines to receive American Vice President Mike Pence, it said, adding it would pray for wisdom and to address all issues that impact peace for the people of the Middle East. The decision comes a day after Egypts top Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Tayeb, the head of Al-Azhar, also declined to meet Pence. Egyptian Coptic Christians make up about 10 percent of the countrys 93 million people, and are the largest religious minority in the region. Trumps move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel sparked Palestinian protests, sporadic clashes and a call for a new intifada or uprising amid fears of new bloodshed in the region Iraqi Christians celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception on Friday in the town of Qaraqosh that was previously occupied for three years by jihadists of the Islamic State group. The bell tower of the church of the Immaculate Conception is still scarred by war, but its interior has been cleaned and signs of damage erased. Some 300 faithful, mostly women and the elderly, attended Fridays service. Qaraqosh is some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Iraqs second city Mosul, and before being taken by IS had some 50,000 residents. However, only a small number returned after the town was retaken from the jihadists. Bishop Nuel Tuma, 63, said the annual mass used to attract a far larger congregation. But today people are busy rebuilding their homes, he said. The first mass in the town following its liberation was held on October 30 last year. This is our first celebration of Holy Mary after three years when we were displaced, said Hanaa Qasha, a 48-year-old teacher. We were able to hold mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception despite the damage caused by the evil ones. But we are people who love life, she added. Qaraqosh used to have the greatest concentration of Christians in the country. However, in mid-2014, Christians were pushed out as IS seized vast swathes of territory in northern Iraq. An Israeli air strike on a Gaza base of Hamass military wing killed two people on Saturday, health officials of the territorys Palestinian Islamist rulers said. The strike on a base in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip, one of several in the early hours, came amid protests across the Palestinian territories against US President Donald Trumps deeply controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. The Hamas health ministry in Gaza named the men as Abdullah al-Atal, 28 and Mohammed al-Safdi, 30. It said that their bodies were only recovered several hours after the pre-dawn strike on a base of Hamass military wing in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip. The militants did not say if the dead men were its members. The strike followed three rocket attacks Friday night from Gaza into southern Israel. Today... in response to the rockets fired at southern Israeli communities throughout yesterday, Israel air force aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in the Gaza Strip, an English-language army statement said on Saturday. It said the targets were two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound. In each target, several components were hit, it added. Israeli strikes on Hamas facilities on Friday night wounded 14 people, among them women and children, the Hamas medical services said. They followed three rocket attacks during Fridays Palestinian day of rage over Trumps decision. In one of them, a rocket hit the southern Israeli city of Sderot although Israeli public radio said it did not explode and did not cause any casualties. The Israeli military said that its Iron Dome air defence system intercepted an earlier rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave. It said it later detected a second missile launch, but had not found evidence that it had reached Israeli territory. The military retaliated Friday with air strikes on what it said were two targets. In response to the projectiles fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip earlier today, Israel air force aircraft targeted a Hamas training compound and an ammunition warehouse in the Gaza Strip, an English-language statement said. Gaza security officials said that both targets were in the vicinity of Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of the strip, close to the border with Israel. A previously unknown Salafist group calling itself the Salahedin Brigades claimed responsibility for one of the attacks. But the Israeli army said it held Hamas responsible for all hostile activity originating from the territory under its control. Thousands of Palestinian protesters confronted Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border Friday, and thousands more clashed at military checkpoints across the West Bank. Protests broke out after Friday prayers from Beirut to Istanbul, from Mogadishu, Somalia, to Tehran, Iran. In Amman, Jordan, demonstrators held large posters of President Donald Trump bearing the words, Go to hell. In the West Bank, scores of protesters were said to have been wounded, many by rubber-tipped bullets. In Gaza, Palestinian health officials reported two deaths and scores of injuries from Israeli fire along the border. Throwing stones at Israeli forces across the Gaza border fence and masking his face with a Palestinian flag, Mohammed Kharoub, 26, said he was willing to spill his own blood. I am here for Jerusalem, he said. But the enormous wave of violence that had been feared after Trumps decision to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel did not immediately materialize. Hamas, the Islamic militant group that dominates Gaza, had demanded a day of rage Friday, calling on Palestinians to confront Israeli forces wherever they could, and for the start of a new intifada, or popular uprising. But in the holy city itself, the main Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque was held without incident, according to Israeli police, and the crowds that gathered afterward dispersed largely peacefully. Three Palestinians were arrested at the Damascus Gate to the Old City in East Jerusalem after scuffling with police, Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman, said. Later, at least two rockets were fired out of Gaza. The Israeli military said one was intercepted and another fell in open ground. After retaliatory Israeli airstrikes against Hamas military targets in Gaza, another rocket struck a road in the Israeli border town of Sderot. By nightfall, the protests had died down. One possible reason for relative calm in the city at the center of the storm was that Israeli police did not try to bar young Palestinian men from attending the noon prayer at Al-Aqsa Mosque, which it had done during previous tense periods. Limiting entry to the Muslim holy site has inflamed passions in the past. And though Hamas called for an intifada, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, has repeatedly stated that he does not want a third intifada to break out on his watch. Hamas called for protesters to return to the streets Saturday. Israel carried out more retaliatory strikes in Gaza early Saturday, targeting four Hamas sites, its military said. Palestinian protestors throw stones towards Israeli forces during clashes near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on December 9, following the US president's decision to recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (AFP Photo) Analysts said the Palestinians may not be eager to embark on a new, sustained intifada because of fatigue, because of a sense that Trumps decision probably cannot be reversed and because two previous uprisings did not bring them closer to the goal of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. The business community is fatigued, exhausted and angry, said Mahdi Abdul Hadi, director of PASSIA, an independent Palestinian research institute in East Jerusalem. Institutions are fighting for survival. The youth is not organized, cannot see a plan, leadership or direction. Resistance in the city is spontaneous and individualistic, he said. Many of East Jerusalems Palestinians in any case feel ambivalent toward the Palestinian Authority and are largely cut off by Israels separation barrier from the West Bank. Zakaria al-Qaq, a professor at Al-Quds University in East Jerusalem, said the Palestinian Authority had long neglected Jerusalem and its Palestinian inhabitants, allocating a paltry part of its budget to them. With Trumps decision, Qaq said, the authority was paying a price for its lack of strategy for the city. Hamas also noted that the Palestinians were marking the 30th anniversary this week of the start of the first intifada, an uprising against Israeli occupation that began in Gaza, quickly spread to the West Bank and led to hundreds of deaths, most of them of Palestinians. Trump can never change the reality of history, geography and the identity of the holy city, Ismail Haniya, leader of Hamas, said on local television. A Palestinian protestor throws stones towards Israeli forces during clashes near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on December 9, 2017, following the US president's decision to recognize the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (AFP Photo) Trumps declaration Wednesday was widely condemned internationally. At the United Nations, the United States faced strong criticism from friends and adversaries alike Friday. Most of the world considers East Jerusalem, which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war, as occupied territory, its status to be resolved through peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. Despite the highly symbolic recognition, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday that it would probably take two years to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem because of the logistics involved. Trumps declaration also garnered furious responses from leaders throughout the Arab and Muslim world. In Lebanon, thousands rallied in Beirut, and residents of Palestinian refugee camps were bused in to join the protest. Ive only ever seen Jerusalem in pictures, said Abdullah Mustafa, a teenager from a refugee family. But its my life. In Cairo, a preacher at Al-Azhar Mosque, an ancient bastion of Sunni Muslim scholarship, railed against what he termed Trumps illegal decision, which he compared to attacks on Christian churches by the Islamic State militant group. As prayers ended, congregants stood up chanting, We sacrifice our souls and blood for you, Aqsa, in reference to the Jerusalem mosque revered as the third-holiest site in Islam. Thousands demonstrated peacefully in Istanbuls historic quarter with calls against the United States and Israel. Despite restrictions against gatherings and protests under the state of emergency that has been in force for 18 months, police who usually break up demonstrations with tear gas allowed this one to go ahead with speeches and music in the park. In Tehran, state-backed rallies were held after Friday prayer. The hard-line Imam Ahmad Khatami said during his sermon that all the world is protesting Trumps decision, adding, Some of the statesmen in America believe he has a mental problem and must receive treatment from doctors. We have missiles, we build missiles and will increase the range of our missiles to 1,000 or 1,500 kilometers to deprive White House residents from a comfortable sleep, Khatami continued. We will not seek an atomic bomb, he added, but if a crazy state named the Zionist regime makes any mistake, we will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground. Hundreds of Muslims attended Friday prayers in front of the White House to protest President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Responding to the call of American Muslim organizations, worshippers laid out their prayer mats at a park in front of the presidents residence. Wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves or the colors of the Palestinian flag, protesters also held placards denouncing Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. On Wednesday, Trump declared that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- turning his back on decades of American and international diplomacy. Trump does not own a piece of soil of Jerusalem and Palestine. He owns the Trump Tower. He can give it away to the Israelis, Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told AFP. The president is empowering Christian religious extremism in the US, he added. Speaking alongside other prominent figures from the American Muslim community during the protest, Awad called upon Trump to put the American interests first, not those of a foreign power and its lobbies in the US. Another protester, Zaid al-Harasheh, told AFP that Trumps decision is not for peace and will create more chaos. Trumps declaration sparked anger across the Muslim world. On Friday, clashes between thousands of Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank and on the Gaza Strip left two people dead and dozens more injured. Israel seized control of Palestinian East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and later annexed it, a move not recognized by the international community. The Jewish state considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, but Palestinians believe East Jerusalem is illegally occupied and see it as the capital of their future state. The Left alliance has won at least 26 of the 30 parliamentary seats and is leading comfortably against the opposition NC which has won three seats in the historic parliamentary and provincial assembly polls in Nepal, officials said on Saturday. The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified MarxistLeninist (CPN-UML) has won 18 seats while its alliance partner the CPN Maoist-Centre eight. The opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has won three seats while independent one. The CPN-UML is leading on 44 seats, the CPN-Maoist Centre on 18 and the NC on 12 seats, they said. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats while 2,819 were in the fray for the provincial assembly seats in the historic elections that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation. The polls will elect 128 members of parliament and 256 members of provincial assemblies. The house of representatives consists of 275 members, of which 165 would be elected directly under the first-past-the- post system while the remaining 110 will come through the proportional representation system. Of the 10 parliamentary seats in Kathmandu district, the CPN-UML has won three while the NC two. Senior NC leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh has won from Kathmandu-1 seat by a thin margin against his rival Ravindra Mishra, a senior journalist who was contesting from a new party Sajha Viveksheel. Popular NC youth leader Gagan Thapa won from Kathmandu-4 by defeating Rajan Bhattarai of the CPN-UML. Left alliance candidates Krishna Kumar Rai, Jeevan Ram Bhandari and Krishna Gopal Shrestha have won from Kathmandu-3, Kathmandu-8 and Kathmandu-9 seats respectively by defeating their NC opponents. In the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections, the Nepali Congress had won eight out of ten seats from Kathmandu. The heavy weights who lost include NC leader Shekhar Koirala, Communication minister and NC candidate Mohan Basnet and Rastriya Prajatantrik Party leader Pashupati Shumsher Rana. Koirala lost to Lal Babu Pandit of the CPN-UML from Morang6 while Basnet lost to Agni Sapkota of the CPN-Maoist Centre from Sindhupalchowk1 seat. Rana lost to Sher Bahadur Tamang of the CPN-UML on Sindhupalcowk2 seat. In the provincial assemblies, the CPN-UML has won 12 seats while the CPN-Maoist Centre and the NC won 8 and 3 seats respectively, they said. Voting in two-phased the parliamentary and provincial assembly elections were held on November 26 and December 7. In the first phase, polling were held in 32 districts, mostly situated in the hilly and mountainous region, in which 65 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise. In the second phase, 67 per cent voter turnout was registered. The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepals transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives. While many hope Nepals first state elections will hasten regional development, others fear they will spark a fresh wave of violence. In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights. Following the adoption of the new Constitution, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the provinces and were also facing discrimination. The polls are seen as a major step towards implementing the new Constitution. North Korea has lambasted US President Donald Trump for recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital, renewing its description of him as a dotard in a statement released Saturday on state media. Trump and North Koreas leader Kim Jong-Un have traded threats of war and personal insults in recent months as tensions remain high over the Norths missile and nuclear threats. Now the hermit state has joined near-universal condemnation of the US presidents decision on Jerusalem, calling it a reckless, wicked act. Considering the fact that the mentally deranged dotard openly called for a total destruction of a sovereign state at the UN, this action is not so surprising, a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the state-run KCNA news agency. But this move clearly shows to the whole world who is the destroyer of world peace and security, pariah and rogue in the international community, he said, using epithets usually reserved for the North. Trumps declaration Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital and relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv sparked anger across the Muslim world, and drew expressions of concern and disapproval from US allies. Trump has previously warned Pyongyang of fire and fury, telling the UN General Assembly that Washington would totally destroy North Korea if it had to defend itself or its allies. Trump dubbed Kim Rocket Man in the same speech -- Pyongyang has tested missiles apparently capable of reaching much of the US mainland -- and days later Kim responded with a personal statement calling him a dotard, an obscure term for a weak or senile old man. According to the latest KCNA statement, the North strongly condemns the US move to recognise Jerusalem as capital, and expressed firm support and solidarity for Palestinians and Arab peoples struggling to win their legitimate rights. The US will be held accountable for all consequences from this reckless, wicked act, it added. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence later this month following Washingtons controversial policy shift on Jerusalem, an Abbas aide said on Saturday, as protests gripped the Palestinian territories for a third straight day. Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed two Hamas militants before dawn, as unrest simmered over President Donald Trumps controversial declaration of Jerusalem as Israels capital. A total of four people have now been killed and dozens wounded since Trump announced the move, which drew criticism from every other member of the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting on Friday. There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine, Abbass diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi told AFP. The United States has crossed all the red lines with the Jerusalem decision, he added. Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli forces near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah on December 9, 2017. (AFP) Egypts Coptic Pope Tawadros II also cancelled a meeting with Pence with the church saying it declines to receive him in protest at Trumps announcement which failed to take into account the feelings of millions of Arabs. That decision came a day after Egypts top Muslim cleric, Ahmed al-Tayeb who heads Al-Azhar, also scrapped plans to meet the US vice president over the unjust and unfair American decision on Jerusalem. There were fresh clashes on Saturday as Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank hurled stones at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds. In the Gaza Strip, mourners vented their anger at the funerals of two people killed by Israeli troops during clashes at the border fence on Friday and the two Hamas militants killed early on Saturday. Violent riots A woman was wounded by Israeli army fire during clashes at the border following one funeral attended by thousands in the Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis. An Israeli army statement said violent riots have erupted at approximately 20 locations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with protesters throwing rocks, petrol bombs and rolling burning tyres at troops. It said soldiers responded with unspecified riot dispersal means lightly wounding three Palestinians. In Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem police fired stun grenades to disperse Palestinian demonstrators on the main Salahedin street, an AFP cameraman said. Israeli police said the protest was illegal and the Palestinian Red Crescent said 12 Palestinians were injured by shrapnel from grenades or by blows from police. Intifada calls There have been fears of a much larger escalation of violence after Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called for a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising, and analysts have been anxiously watching what happens next. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group both renewed that call on Saturday. Dozens of protesters were wounded by rubber bullets or live fire in clashes in the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem that followed the main weekly Muslim prayers on Friday. Tens of thousands also protested in Muslim and Arab countries, including Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia. Saturdays pre-dawn air strike on a base of Hamass military wing in Nusseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, was one of several, the Israeli military said. A statement said the air force targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in Gaza a day after three rocket attacks from the Palestinian enclave Gaza into southern Israel. The Hamas health ministry in Gaza said the two dead men were members of the movements armed wing, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. Palestinian youths protest with national flags near an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank city of Ramallah on December 9, 2017. (AFP) On Friday night, a rocket hit the southern Israeli city of Sderot although Israeli public radio said it did not explode and did not cause any casualties. The Israeli military said that its Iron Dome air defence system intercepted an earlier rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave. The military retaliated on Friday night with air strikes on what it said were two targets and the Gaza health ministry said 14 people were wounded, among them women and children. A previously unknown Salafist group calling itself the Salahedin Brigades claimed responsibility for one of the attacks. But the Israeli army said it held Hamas responsible for all attacks from territory under its control. US isolated Trumps decision drew lavish praise from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but has sparked a worldwide diplomatic backlash. Five European countries on the UN Security Council insisted the new US policy was not consistent with past resolutions, including one that declares east Jerusalem to be Israeli-occupied. The meeting was requested by eight of the 15 members of the council but was largely symbolic as no vote on a resolution was planned because the US wields veto power. Trump said his defiant move -- making good on a 2016 presidential campaign pledge -- marked the start of a new approach to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But many analysts question how a balanced agreement can be reached by granting such a major Israeli demand before negotiations have even started. Israel has long claimed all of Jerusalem as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians see the annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state. Its status is the most sensitive issue in the decades-long conflict. Bosnian Croat war criminal Slobodan Praljak, who swallowed poison before UN judges in The Hague last week, had a private funeral in Zagreb, a Croatian newspaper reported Saturday. Moments after the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia upheld his 20-year jail sentence on November 29, Praljak took his own life in dramatic scenes that were broadcast live from the courtroom. He died in a hospital several hours later and the preliminary results showed he swallowed potassium cyanide and died from heart failure. A wartime commander of Bosnian Croat forces, Slobodan Praljak, is seen during a hearing at the UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague, Netherlands, November 29, 2017. (REUTERS) The funeral ceremony for Praljak was held Thursday at Zagrebs main Mirogoj crematorium in the presence of close family and a few close friends, those he listed in the farewell letter, influential Vecernji List daily reported Saturday, quoting anonymous sources. The information could not be independently confirmed and the funeral was not announced like others at the cemeterys website. In a sealed letter handed over to his family a few years ago, to be opened when he dies, Praljak said he wanted his funeral be a private one, his lawyer Nika Pinter told AFP last week. On Monday the Croatian generals association will hold a commemoration for Praljak and a mass will be held at a Zagreb church the same day. The 72-year old Bosnian Croat commander, who worked in film and theatre before joining the military, remains a hero to many Croats despite his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity during Bosnias 1990s conflict. Lit candles and flags are placed in tribute to General Slobodan Praljak in Zagreb on November 30, 2017. (AFP) The judges confirmed that Praljak and his five Bosnian Croat co-defendants were part of a joint criminal enterprise to ethnically cleanse Bosnian Muslims in the war. Their convictions were upheld for crimes including murder, persecution and inhumane treatment. Since Praljaks death, Croats have paid multiple tributes to the late general, laying flowers and lighting candles in town squares in Croatia and Bosnia. Yemeni officials say Saudi-led coalition airstrikes have killed at least 23 civilians, including women and children, in the countrys north. Abdel Elah al-Ezi, head of the health directorate in the northern city of Saada, said Fridays airstrikes were carried out in different areas of the city. Saada is a stronghold of the Iran-backed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis. The rebel-run Sabaa news agency reported the strikes, as did tribal officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals. The Saudi-led coalition backing an internationally recognized government has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015. The coalition could not be immediately reached for comment. The stalemated war has killed more than 10,000 civilians and pushed the Arab worlds poorest country to the brink of famine. Sri Lanka on Saturday formally handed over the strategic southern port of Hambantota to China on a 99- year lease, in a deal dubbed by the opposition as a sell-out. Two Chinese firms -- Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS) managed by the China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority will own the port and the investment zone around it, officials said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during a visit to China in April had agreed to swap equity in Chinese infrastructure projects launched by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his home district. Sri Lanka owed China $8 billion then finance minister Ravi Karunanayake had said last year. With this agreement we have started to pay back the loans. Hambantota will be converted to a major port in the Indian Ocean, Wickremesinghe said while addressing the handing over ceremony held in parliament. There will be an economic zone and industrialisation in the area which will lead to economic development and promote tourism, the prime minister said. The governments grant of large tax concessions to Chinese firms have also been questioned by the opposition. The opposition and trade unions have dubbed the deal as a sell out of the countrys national assets to China. The Sri Lankan government had signed a $1.1 billion deal in July to sell a 70% stake in the Hambantota port to China. Sri Lanka received $300 million as the initial payment under the 99-year lease agreement which the opposition had described as a sell out. The port, overlooking the Indian Ocean, is expected to play a key role in Chinas Belt and Road initiative, which will link ports and roads between China and Europe. In order to allay Indias security concerns over the Chinese navys presence in Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe had earlier ruled out the possibility of the strategic port being used as a military base by any foreign country. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW YORK - As small-business owners learn what their 2018 health insurance costs will be, some are considering providing different types of coverage for their employees. Companies are receiving notices of premium and coverage changes for 2018. The changes vary, depending on factors including the state where a company is located, how many employees it has and how comprehensive its insurance is. But many owners are seeing rate increases of double-digit percentages, finding dramatically reduced coverage, or both. Health insurance consultants expect more owners to rethink their strategies beyond 2018 and choose alternatives like paying for claims themselves or adding health services that can lower costs. Gail Trauco's insurer is eliminating her company's policy known as a preferred provider organization, or PPO, replacing it with a health maintenance organization, or HMO, a change that would limit the choice of doctors for her five employees. Her annual costs were scheduled to rise nearly $10,000 in 2018. The HMO was a deal-breaker, says Trauco, owner of The PharmaKon, which helps coordinate clinical drug trials. "It's important for a patient to choose a physician they can have a good relationship with," says Trauco, whose business is in Barnesville, Ga. Trauco hired a health insurance broker who helped her find a PPO with a different carrier, and she's saving enough money to add dental coverage. Some owners say they may not be able to keep shielding their staffers from rising health costs. Workshop Digital's premiums are soaring 55 percent, and co-founder Brian Forrester says the business will be less profitable next year as it absorbs the increase. He may have to ask the Richmond, Va.-based marketing agency's 30 staffers to pay more for coverage in the years ahead. The company pays 83 percent of medical insurance, 90 percent of vision care and 52 percent of dental coverage. "We never plan on removing our coverage or reducing the type of coverage we offer, but the out-of-pocket costs for our team may have to go up over time," Forrester says. Under the Affordable Care Act, companies with fewer than 50 employees aren't required to offer insurance, but many do because they feel it's right or because it helps them compete for and retain top workers. Fifty percent of companies with three to 49 workers have offered health benefits this year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which studies health care trends. That compares with 53 percent of all employers, and is little changed from the previous three years. James Bernstein, an executive at benefits consulting firm Mercer, says many offer employees a choice of plans to serve staffers' needs but also keep their own costs in line. "What they're saying is, a one-plan-fits-all strategy does not work, especially with a multigenerational workforce,"he says. A Mercer survey found many small businesses are considering coverage that has higher deductibles and in turn, lower premiums. These plans shift more costs to employees, but many owners contribute money to Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs, to help staffers pay medical expenses. The combination of a high-deductible plan and an HSA is known as a consumer-driven health plan, because it lets people determine where they spend their health dollars. Mercer found about a fifth of companies with 50 to 199 employees and 37 percent of companies with 200 to 499 workers plan to offer consumer-driven plans as a choice in the next three years. Those with 10 to 49 workers are less inclined to do so; only 10 percent said they will offer one. Employers' health care costs have been rising for decades, not only since the ACA mandated minimum levels of insurance coverage in 2014. Health care costs at W.H. Christian soared between 150 percent and 180 percent over nine years, says Scott Christian, director of operations for the New York-based company that sells and rents work uniforms. W.H. Christian ended the spiral last year, switching to what's called self-funded coverage for its 72 staffers. In self-funding, a company sets aside money to pay employees' claims rather than have an insurer do so. It buys stop-loss insurance or reinsurance to pay claims in case employees submit more claims than expected. Money was just one factor in the change, Scott Christian says. The company saw the quality of its coverage declining, with doctor networks shrinking; it kept switching carriers in hopes of better coverage, but each renewal offer was a disappointment. "The main driver was we wanted to give our employees a good plan," Christian says. "That seemed more and more impossible to provide given where the health insurance universe was going." The number of small businesses that self-fund is small - 15 percent of workers covered by insurance are in self-funded plans, versus 79 percent in large companies, according to the Kaiser foundation. Self-funding can be particularly beneficial for a company with a young and healthy staff, says Craig Scurato, a vice president with Leslie Saunders, an insurance and benefits broker based in Lutz, Florida. Scurato also sees a growing interest in nontraditional medical services like direct primary care practices, doctor's offices that provide medical services including examinations and laboratory testing. The company pays a flat fee per month; insurance companies are not involved. Midwest Scrap Management was interested in health services that would help it save money when it switched to self-funding in March - one of the plan's appeals was that the metal processor would have more say over what its coverage would include, Chief Financial Officer Craig Ward says. The Kansas City, Mo.-based company offers its 120 employees 24/7 access to telemedicine, allowing them to consult with clinicians and get advice and prescriptions when they don't feel well. It costs less than office visits. Midwest Scrap Management also offers biometric screening, which among other things measures cholesterol and blood sugar levels, letting staffers know if there's a problem. The company has saved $20,000 off its projected health care costs since it switched, Ward says. And because an insurer is no longer in charge, there's no mystery about where the company's money is going. "When you get a renewal every year from a traditional carrier, they tell you what your rate increase will be, but you never get a reason why," Ward says. A friend me called recently with a question about what to do with money he will receive soon from his widowed mother who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Through the imminent sale of his mother's house, held in a trust, he and his sister each will receive approximately $75,000. His sister will use that money as a down payment to purchase a nearby apartment where their mother can live, so that she can be available as her mother's needs increase. My friend, who wants to remain anonymous, asked for advice on what to do with his money. Among his top options, should he: Co-invest with his sister in that apartment where his mother will live. Save the money for a "rainy day" fund to cover his mother's health care needs in the future. Use the money himself for his own family's needs, like boosting his retirement savings, or starting a college savings fund for his kids. I enjoy financial questions to which I don't know the right answer, because I tend to learn something in the course of puzzling it out. After considering options, I called an expert in financial planning for elderly parent care, to check on the reasonableness of my advice, as well as to find out what we were missing. One thing I learned about is the use of irrevocable trusts for the benefit of children. I tend to think - and maybe you do too - that trusts are a thing very wealthy people use. It turns out, ironically, that a family of moderate means, like my friend's, might need a trust precisely because they are not wealthy enough. This is the case of using a trust to plan around Medicaid and a long-term illness, and it's the reason his mother's house was in a trust in the first place. With unlimited funds, my friend's mother might pay entirely for her long-term care out of her own pocket. Few families have unlimited funds, however, especially with the rising cost of care, and especially for a slow-developing, complicated disease like Alzheimer's. At this point, they can't know all the costs they face. In the case of my friend, his mother currently has pension and Social Security income, plus approximately $400,000 in accumulated retirement funds. Long-term care for a person with Alzheimer's may require expensive home or nursing care. My friend's mother may also live a long time, depleting all of her assets, at which point Medicaid could begin to pick up the bill. But if Medicaid does kick in, the program has a financial claim on substantially all of her remaining assets. Medicaid, the federal program to pay for health care needs for people without sufficient assets to care for themselves, naturally sets strict rules in place to make sure only the neediest qualify. To qualify for Medicaid, you have to be left with nearly nothing, which means no inheritance for children. As elder care expert Ben Schrock of BA Schrock financial group in Ohio explained to me, an important purpose of the mom's trust for the benefit of her children was to preserve some inheritance, even if Medicaid takes over expenses for her care in the long run. If my friend's mother owned her home at the time of her death, Medicaid could put a lien on the house to recover its costs expended for her end-of-life care, which makes sense. By transferring her home into the trust, she removed the house from a potential Medicaid claim on her assets. Through the trust, my friend and his sister get some inheritance now, rather than no inheritance later. Schrock cautioned us, however, that Medicaid uses a "five-year look-back" when making a claim on financial assets. That means that if my friend's mom transferred her property to her children - using a trust, or otherwise - within five years of getting Medicaid support, then my friend could be liable for up to all of the value of the property he received. Because of the age of the trust, that five-year look-back won't specifically hit them, but it is a big consideration for families who will ultimately depend on Medicaid for health care costs. Schrock also mentioned a semi-complicated insurance product that he advises for some of his clients. Now, I'm allergic to both complicated financial products as well as many types of insurance, but I'll pass on his advice because maybe this one fits your situation. Schrock advises clients sometimes to purchase universal life insurance with an added provision that allows for an "accelerated death benefit." That means that folks with qualifying long-term health needs can access some of the value of their life insurance, often 2 percent of the death benefit per month, without having to die first. An insured person with a $500,000 universal life policy, for example, could receive up to $10,000 per month while still alive. Also, the life insurance policy would not be an asset that would disqualify someone from Medicaid. As always with life insurance, an insured person would need to have bought this type of insurance before a diagnosis, to keep costs on the reasonable side. In the end, what plan did my friend and I come up with, for his $75,000 "early inheritance?" As is so often the situation with family finances, the questions don't really resolve via a simple math formula. We agreed that boosting retirement savings, through maxing out his 403(b) this year and next and opening up and funding two years' worth of IRA contributions for himself and his wife, would make prudent sense for a good chunk of the money. College savings accounts for his kids would be nice, but not as powerful an investment tool as tax-advantaged retirement accounts. Real estate - either as a co-investor with his sister or something like a vacation home, would bring a variety of complications, and he'd avoid that. Finally, he and I agreed that setting aside a substantial emergency fund dedicated to his mom's next phase of life made sense, as much from an emotional standpoint as from a financial one. Some of the money may go to his mother's supplemental care, whatever that may be in the future. Other money could be used for plane tickets to visit her, when needed. Schrock agreed that was solid advice. As of last week, your income taxes are all filed. Congrats! Or, like me, you got an extension. Boo! In either case, it's a good week to think about what our tax money bought this year. And since we've all been promised federal tax reform this spring or summer from a unified legislative and executive branch, it's also good to reflect on how the federal government spends our tax dollars, and how it might spend them in the future. A simple way to understand federal spending is to compare it to a household. To keep it simple, let's say Uncle Sam has $100,000 to spend every year. Here's where all the money goes, based on the federal government's actual spending in 2015 and rounded to the nearest hundred dollars. Roughly $33,400 is spent on Social Security, unemployment payments, food assistance, housing assistance, welfare and salary and benefits for federal employees. All of these are considered "mandatory" services in the sense that Americans are "entitled" to basic services. They are also known as entitlements. Congress doesn't get to vote on entitlement spending as part of its annual budget process. We dished out $27,400 on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care costs each year. This is also considered mandatory spending that falls outside the annual budget process. The bill just comes in the mail and we pay it, no questions asked. The federal government spends about $15,700 on our military every year. This is considered "discretionary" spending, or optional spending, and requires congressional Damian Dovarganes/STF A federal jury in Houston awarded $585,000 to the publisher of an energy newsletter that accused an investment house of passing around unauthorized copies of its pricey publication. Energy Intelligence Group, the publisher of 15 newsletters for the oil and gas industry, sued Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors for sharing its five subscriptions of "Oil Daily" with others in the investment firm who did not have their own subscriptions. The jury found that the Los Angeles-based investment firm, which manages $24.5 billion in assets, was liable for copying 39 issues and determined the damages for each instance was $15,000, according to the jury verdict. The trial began Monday, and the jury reached its verdict Thursday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Woodlands will soon be home to a large publicly traded energy services company when industrial equipment manufacturer Dover Corp. completes a planned spinoff of its oil and gas business in the spring. Tentatively called Wellsite, the new company will combine Dover's artificial lift - which keeps wells pumping oil and gas - and energy automation divisions with several other of its businesses that manufacture compression equipment, drill bits, winches, bearings, wellhead production equipment and process equipment for petrochemical plants. Illinois-based Dover already had consolidated most of its oil and gas businesses in office space in The Woodlands in recent years, so placing the headquarters there is a natural move. Dover also has locations for its Norriseal Wellmark and bearings businesses in Houston. Sivasankaran "Soma" Somasundaram, who leads the artificial lift and automation divisions that operate under the name Dover Energy, will become the CEO of Wellsite when the spin-off is completed. Wellsite will have about 3,000 employees, including nearly 400 in the Houston area, according to a Dover spokesperson. Dover has come under pressure from shareholder activists in recent months to shed its energy business, which hurt earnings during the recent oil bust. The spinoff, however, will come as the energy sector continues its slow recovery. Wellsite would have a stock market value of more than $2 billion, said Byron Pope, an energy analyst with the Houston investment banking firm Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Wellsite immediately becomes one of the country's bigger oil field equipment manufacturers, Pope said, with a specific strength in artificial lift. The pump jack, known as "a nodding donkey," is the most ubiquitous type of artificial lift. Dover Corp. President and CEO Robert Livingston said the deal is an important part of Dover's transformation into a company with a narrower focus on its core businesses such as industrial electronics, fluids, refrigeration and food equipment. "The spinoff creates a strong new company poised to excel in the upstream oil and gas markets, with particular strength in U.S. shale basins," Livingston said in the announcement. "Wellsite has world-class businesses and is known for its differentiated technology, leading brands and superior customer service." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The South African corporation that owns Mattress Firm has lost its CEO, watched its stock price plunge by more than 80 percent and launched an investigation to determine whether it inflated reports of its financial performance as it grew through a series of acquisitions. Steinhoff International, a retail conglomerate that last year paid $3.8 billion to acquire the Houston-based mattress chain, is assessing the "validity and recoverability" of more than $7 billion in assets. PricewaterhouseCoopers has been tapped to investigate accounting irregularities. And officials in South Africa and Germany, where its stock is traded, have launched probes to determine whether the company mislead investors. Steinhoff's former CEO, Markus Jooste, resigned this week amid a disclosure that the company may have to revise financial statements from past years. After the revelations, the company's stock market value sank to $2.7 billion, down from about $14 billion prior to the resignation, and Moody's Investors Service revoked its investment-grade rating on the company's debt. Steinhoff, which has publicly denied allegations of wrongdoing in the past, could not be reached for comment. Tumultuous year It is unclear whether the scandal will have lasting implications for Steinhoff, which through its subsidiaries operates roughly 40 global brands in addition to Mattress Firm. In a note this week, J.P. Morgan analyst Stephen Carrott warned investors that Jooste's resignation and the announcement of the investigation gave "very little clarity on the extent of the accounting issues" and therefore made forecasting nearly impossible. Under Steinhoff, Mattress Firm's Houston leadership has remained in place. However, Steve Stagner, Mattress Firm's executive chairman, also serves on Steinhoff's executive committee. In a statement, Mattress Firm president and CEO Ken Murphy said the company has faith in Steinhoff's board and the interim executive chairman, Christo Wiese, during the investigation. Murphy declined to elaborate. "We have the full support of Steinhoff and our vendor partners, and our focus remains on continuing to do what we do best - help our customers get a better night's sleep," he said. The revelations about its parent company come after a tumultuous year for Mattress Firm, which, under the new ownership, severed ties with Tempur Sealy, once one of its most important suppliers. Mattress Firm sold off its inventory of Tempur-Pedic memory-foam mattresses at a steep discount. It then crafted a five-year partnership with Serta Simmons, the nation's largest mattress maker. As part of the deal, the companies developed two new product lines that incorporate cooling technology, memory foam and more comfortable coils. Serta Simmons recently opened a 265,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in northwest Houston to keep up with demand. Steinhoff has delayed releasing its latest financial results and postponed a meeting with lenders until later this month. It borrowed heavily to acquire a number of South African and European retailers, and its debt topped $6 billion when it finalized its acquisition of Mattress Firm, its first U.S. company. Sales had been slipping Mattress Firm, now the largest mattress retailer in the U.S., for years borrowed heavily to buy up dozens of competitors and increase its store count to more than 3,400 locations stores nationwide. Its $3.8 billion purchase price included more than $1 billion in debt. At the time, Mattress Firm's same-store sales had been slipping. It had more than tripled its store count since 2011, and it reported a loss for two quarters prior to the acquisition even though its rapid expansion had boosted overall revenue. The trend has continued since Steinhoff took over. In financial filings, the company reported that Mattress Firm's same-store sales had fallen 10 percent in the nine-month period since its acquisition. The industry has become intensely competitive in recent years with the rise of bed-in-a-box manufacturers, which offer lower prices by bypassing the mattress salesman in the corner store. Some direct-to-consumer retailers have also expanded into the brick-and-mortar realm, further challenging traditional stores. Casper, a pioneering bed-in-a-box retailer, opened its first retail shop in Houston late last month. Mattress Firm has about 60 stores locally. "There probably are too many mattress stores," said Ed Wulfe, founder and CEO of Houston-based Wulfe & Co. "I predict there's going to be a pretty big repositioning." The new Emmaline restaurant has been described by its partners as a comfortable neighborhood restaurant. But that simple definition only scratches at the surface of one of the year's most anticipated restaurants, opening Monday at 3210 West Dallas. The neighborhood restaurant that operating partner Sam Governale and executive chef Dimitri Voutsinas have fashioned is a multi-faceted charmer part bistro, part terrace lounge, part orangerie, part international bar. Taken together, Emmaline is a handsome, design-smart collection of environments each thoughtfully engineered to keep the varied populace of Houston diners entertained and well fed from posh lunch to buzzy dinner to wake-me-in-the-morning cocktails. Situated in the former Teala's restaurant in north Montrose on the border of River Oaks, Emmaline is a neighborhood restaurant in the same vein as Blue Ribbon in New York's Soho neighborhood, or The Ivy in West Hollywood, Calif., or Casa Tua in South Beach, Fla. If those restaurants instantly suggest to you a certain look and easy sophistication then you'll get what the owners were aiming for. And in that respect, Emmaline's visuals and vibe won't be like any other restaurant in Houston. Governale, familiar to Houston diners for the seven years he was operating partner of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in River Oaks, said Emmaline was designed to offer an all-day dining and drinking in a casual, easy, genuine atmosphere. He hired Ashley Putman, whose design background includes Barneys New York, as the restaurant's creative director. The restaurant's good brick bones work well with the walls of ironwork-cased glass, simple wood floors, antique mirrors, wood paneling, oil paintings, lamps and bistro chairs with green marble tabletops. A 22-seat bar with cushy club stools is the restaurant's anchor; a massive chandelier, a Teala's remnant that was refurbished, is the focal point of the main dining room. Two patios a ground floor wrap-around and a mezzanine space offer outdoor dining and drinking options. In executive chef Dimitri Voutsinas, Governale has a partner who gets that New York neighborhood restaurant vibe that inspires Emmaline. Governale worked for years in the city with wine and spirits consultant Steve Olsen and with sommelier Andrea Immer; he also worked with chefs such as Mario Batali (Babbo), Anita Lo (Mirezi), and Matthew Kenney (Mezze, Monzu, Canteen, Commune and Commissary). Voutsinas, a New York City native, held a number of positions in New York restaurants before moving to Houston. He was the executive chef of La Gamelle, a French bistro (now closed), and was culinary director for the Motorino group of pizza restaurants. His resume also includes the famed Russian Tea Room, Marcus Samuelsson's Red Rooster in Harlem, and Daniel Boulud's Bar Boulud on the Upper West Side. Together, Voutsinas and Governale have fashioned a menu that is loosely described as American with Italian leanings and European sophistication. Voutsinas makes good use of his wood-burning grill: his all-shellfish cioppino enjoys a smoky undertow from cooking on the wood-fried grill; wood-grilled asparagus and prosciutto are topped with a poached egg and vinaigrette; fire-charred hanger steak wears an oregano sauce that has the same consistency of chimichurri; wood-roasted pork chop is served with glazed root vegetables and a fennel apple sauce; and squid ink tagliatelle is tossed with pancetta, charred broccoli florets and fire-roasted lobster. The menu is divided in four sections. From the Market are starters such as burrata with piperade; saffron marinated mussels; sea scallop carpaccio; tuna crudo with apple, buttermilk and pistachio; char broiled oysters with caviar; fontina fondue). Soup and salad offerings include a Swiss chard tortellini in chard Texas onion brodo; grilled romaine and radicchio with gorgonzola dolce, tomato, celery and Texas pecans; escarole with a soft poached egg, pancetta and walnuts; roasted beet with ricotta and hazelnuts; and winter grains and greens with farro, squash, goat cheese and pomegranate. Under the title of pizza, pasta and sandwiches can be found a pizza with roasted wild mushrooms, guanciale, smoked mozzarella and shallots; house pie with provolone, mozzarella, ricotta and oven-roasted cherry tomatoes; agnolotti stuffed with goat cheese and pink peppercorn in a saffron butter sauce with acorn squash, kale and pine nuts; pappardelle with lamb, caponata, and ricotta; a "Chicago style" sandwich of wood-seared steak and pepper relish on an Italian loaf; and the Emmaline burger of house-ground beef, tomato confit, creamy La Tur cheese, pancetta, and fennel jam. The mains: steamed sea bass with cockles, 'Nduja, and roasted baby carrots; seared sea scallops with mushrooms, delicate squash and purslane on crispy rice; roasted brined Cornish hen with lemon jus and chickpea fries; an omelet filled with pancetta, goat cheese, asparagus, and wild mushrooms; and red pepper stuffed with grains, currants, pine nuts and cauliflower couscous. Desserts are from pastry chef Alyssa Dole, formerly of Coltivare. Her introductory menu lists buttermilk panna cotta with blood orange and olive oil; schiacciata (Tuscan flatbread) with mascarpone icing and black grapes; dark chocolate espresso torta; and Backyard Wedding Cake with praline and coconut. When asked to describe his menu, Voutsinas shared some of Governale's descriptions that had less to do with food and more reflective of atmosphere and spirit: comfortable, accessible, easy. "We created this restaurant for people who inspire us," Governale said. "We built the restaurant in the spirit of what they enjoy and like to eat." Emmaline, 3210 West Dallas, 713-523-3210; dineammaline.com. Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight; Saturday and Sunday brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday family-style dining from 4 to 9 p.m. Writer Tom Wolfe famously declared the 1970s the "Me Decade," but judging by the slew of memoirs released just in the past year, gazing inward is a lasting obsession. Here are some new memoirs that blend the spiritual or religious with politics, mental health, death and dying, marriage, motherhood, divorce, academia and founding a business. They take readers into Christianity, Mormonism, Judaism, Islam and a dash of paganism and Voodoo, in each case through the eyes of a single person. All were published in the past year. "Finding Magic: A Spiritual Memoir" by Sally Quinn (Harper Collins) Quinn, the D.C. social maven and journalist who founded the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog, outlines her journey from atheism to Episcopalianism. Along the way, she exposes the steamy details of her love affair with the WaPo editor Ben Bradlee. "What I felt for Ben was so transcendent, so sacred, so divine," she writes. "It was magic. I merged with another being, another soul." It was also a scandal - Bradlee was on his second marriage, 20 years her senior and her boss. Just as scandalous to some reviewers are Quinn's revelations, in the book, that her current embrace of religion includes Voodoo and neopagan beliefs. "Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age" by Amani Al-Khatahtbeh (Simon & Schuster) Al-Khatahtbeh, the founder of MuslimGirl.com, never heard a racial slur directed her way until the Twin Towers fell and her life as a 9-year-old Jersey girl changed forever. Her father's warning - "They're going to blame us" - comes true, but rather than let Islamophobia shut her down, Al-Khatahtbeh carves out her own Muslim American Girl identity. "An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice" by Khizr Khan (Penguin/Random House) How did a Pakistani farm boy make his way to America and find himself center stage at the Democratic National Convention, his wife by his side and a pocket copy of the Constitution in his hand - one of the most talked-about moments of a very talked-about 2016 presidential campaign? The answers are in this memoir by Gold Star father and American Muslim Khizr Khan. "Still Christian: Following Jesus Out of Evangelicalism" by David Gushee (Westminster John Knox Press) Gushee, a professor of Christian ethics and a former columnist for Religion News Service, makes his way from born-again Southern Baptist to evangelical outcast for his acceptance of LGBT Christians. He sets his story against that of American evangelicalism, which moved from the fringes of society to the halls of political power - a kind of reverse trajectory from his own. "The Burning Point: A Memoir of Addiction, Destruction, Love, Parenting, Survival and Hope" by Tracy McKay (By Common Consent Press) A drug-addicted husband, a divorce, single motherhood and an autistic child. Out of this mess McKay, who converted to Mormonism when she married her husband, created a widely read blog, Dandelion Mama. In this book - her first - she charts her reliance on God amid the ruins of her marriage and the many ways her adopted Mormon community came together to help her. "If All the Seas Were Ink" by Ilana Kurshan (St. Martin's) Kurshan turned to Daf Yomi, a seven-year course of coordinated, daily Talmud study undertaken by Jews around the world - at a time of great upheaval in her life and read steadily through divorce, remarriage and the births of three children. Along the way, she progressed from an unhappy 27-year-old wife to a 35-year-old, happily married mother of three, with the Torah her most constant companion, ready with context, wisdom and comfort. "Last Things: A Graphic Memoir of Loss and Love" by Marissa Moss (Conari Press) Moss is a young adult author who is best known for her whimsical "Amelia's Notebook" graphic novel series. But in "Last Things," she uses the stark black, white and gray of the graphic format to explore the dark angles of her husband's eight-month struggle with Lou Gehrig's disease before his death. Moss has acknowledged that illness, grief, sorrow and loss do not make for an uplifting memoir - "That wasn't our story," she has said - but she also believes it is a book about the power of life. Moss is Jewish, and Judaism is addressed in the book, but it is not a major theme. "Madison Park: A Place of Hope" by Eric L. Motley (Zondervan) Motley - director of the Aspen Institute, a sort of incubator for ideas - recalls his roots in a small Alabama town founded by freed African-American slaves. Church and Christian faith are at the center of Madison Park life, both of which Motley credits with his eventual rise to special assistant to President George W. Bush. "Grace for Amateurs: Field Notes on a Journey Back to Faith" by Lily Burana (Thomas Nelson) Writer Lily Burana has lived enough for four lives - she's been a Greenwich Village street kid, punk rocker, stripper, military wife, mother and, throughout it all, a person with chronic depression. In this memoir - her third - she describes how she went from ace Sunday school student to the streets and back again in a successful search for a way to live with her depression. On Tuesday evening, we will begin celebrating Hanukkah, the annual Festival of Lights. This celebration memorializes the miraculous military victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks and the rededication of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. In the temple, the Menorah, the ornate sacred oil lamp, was always lit with ritually pure olive oil. Legend has it that, in the rededication process, enough oil for only a single day was found, but, miraculously, this oil continued to burn for eight days until more oil became available. Traditionally, this holiday is minor, but it is among the most widely known Jewish festivals because of its position on the calendar. The main religious requirement for the holiday is to kindle a flame each night of the festival to celebrate and promote the miracles that the holiday commemorates. This is why many Jews place their lit hanukkiot, Hanukkah menorahs, in their windows, and why some Jews organize large public menorah lightings. We want to spread the joy of the holiday and the remembrance of God's miracles. For me, Hanukkah's traditions lend themselves to a simple message: Be the light and share the light. Light is an amazing thing. When you light another candle from a previous candle, you do not diminish your own candle, you only add. Hanukkah is a celebration to share our light. We answer the darkness of the world with light. Hanukkah is a holiday when we are directed to look out into the darkness of the ever longer nights and say, "I am not deterred. I will answer this darkness with light. I will remove a portion of the darkness and inspire my neighbor to be empowered to remove some more." We are taught in the Mishnah, a major work of Jewish Law codified in the second century of the common era, "That is not upon you to finish the work nor are you free to ignore it." The work the sage in the Mishnah is discussing is that of making the world a better place. We can look toward the darkness in the world and feel that it is all too much. We may have the thought, "What's the use? I won't make a difference, I don't matter." Rabbi Tarfon, whose teaching I just quoted, tells us that we are not allowed to give up. We don't have to dispel all the darkness. We simply have to do our part. Hanukkah is the reminder that we matter. We all glow with divine light. We need to let it shine forth. What does it mean to be the light? It is showing our best selves to the world and to ourselves. It means living a life of compassion, smiling, being open to the best that people have to offer and being present and open to each other. We saw this light made manifest in Houston during the darkness of Hurricane Harvey. Strangers helping each other, people of every religious tradition helping each other. We need our light to shine. Indifference and despair can become an overwhelming darkness. We must not allow that to happen. We see the coming darkness and resolve, "I am going to light my candle and dispel some of the darkness. Then my neighbor lights their candle, and together we can create enough light for which we can see one another." The dark is a lonely void. Spreading light into the darkness telegraphs to others they are not alone. Just as a lighthouse beacon helps bring ships in for safe harbor, we can help each other into the safe harbor of community. We are a social species; we need each other. We cannot exist by ourselves. Lighting our lamps allows us to be seen and see each other. Light is also joy. Joy is not something to be contained. Joy is something that, like light, radiates outward. It is contagious. We share our joy and wonder. The light of Hanukkah can be understood as a perspective and outlook that are attuned to the miracles of everyday life: the freshness of new morning, the beauty of a shooting star or the rainbow of a raindrop refracting the light of the candles on your Hanukkah Menorah. Let the companionship of loved ones sustain and wash over us. Let us be joyful that we can be thankful for the blessings of our lives. Gratitude can lead to contentment and peace, which produces an inner glow to share with the world. Light is also universal. All of us share in the benefits of the illumination of sun and stars. The sun nourishes the plants that provide us our air. We need light. This holiday reminds us of this basic need and compels us to share this bountiful resource with everyone. Therefore, as we celebrate Hanukkah in the days ahead, let us look for ways to light our lamps. Together we will dispel darkness and be sustained. We will recall the miracles that happened in days long ago and be inspired to partner with God to create miracles in the days ahead. Happy Hanukkah! Rabbi Gideon Estes serves at Congregation Or Ami in Houston. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NTHANGE, Kenya - They tried to burn down his church and home. But the arson was hardly the worst of the grief pastor Samson Mulinge Mutuse has suffered because of others' fear of AIDS. AIDS killed his wife in 2013 and his 13-year-old daughter the next year. And when his flock found out that Mutuse himself tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, many abandoned him - and some thought his diagnosis justified the burning of his church. In Nthange - a small sleepy trading center about 125 miles east of the Kenyan capital where Mutuse pastors Deliverance Church - AIDS has wreaked havoc. The same is true of much of the continent. In 2016, nearly 20 million people were living with HIV in eastern and southern Africa, representing the vast majority of people carrying the virus worldwide, according to the United Nations. As in many Kenyan towns, where Christianity and African traditional religion mix freely, people in Nthange dread the virus. Under the giant baobab trees, and in coffee and tea shops, they speak of it in whispers. Those who contract the virus face exclusion once their HIV-positive status becomes known. But on a recent Saturday, Mutuse's wedding showed that there is a different way to treat people with HIV and AIDS. The HIV-positive Pentecostal pastor, 42, married an HIV-negative woman, 39, who had also lost a spouse to AIDS-related complications. In their courtship and marriage - and through their faith - they hope to usher in a new era of tolerance and empathy for those who carry the virus and live with AIDS. That an HIV-negative woman would take an HIV-positive man for her husband shocked many. "They can't imagine this has happened. It is a community still full of stigma and discrimination," Mutuse said during an interview on the church compound where he had wed just days before. "People with HIV are isolated and neglected. They are also ostracized in the church and the community," said his new bride, Evelyn Mueni Mulinge, a primary school teacher who lost her first husband to AIDS in 2006. But her faith convinced her that she should marry Mutuse and give him all her love and support, she said. "I was already aware of his status. I know everything about him, and I am ready for it." Mutuse calls his new wife's HIV-negative status a blessing and recalls the days when his first wife fell ill. Her sickness was hard enough to bear. Then his young daughter developed AIDS. Many of his own congregants responded with rejection - and worse. "She was in school when the teacher called to say my child had fallen ill. She died while undergoing treatment," Mutuse said. "Her death hit me hard. I had just lost my wife and now my daughter. I had nothing left, I thought to myself." Soon after, there was an exodus from his church, some members alleging he was immoral and should no longer serve as pastor of the church he helped found. Among those who remained, some ceased to give tithes and offerings. Then some members of the community attempted to torch his home, which shares a building with his church, as he slept. "It was one night after the death of my daughter, when I smelt paraffin." Peeking through a window, he saw a man strike a match. "I then heard a voice saying, 'Now there you are, Mr. Know Everything,' " Mutuse recalled. The arsonist started a fire that Mutuse was quickly able to extinguish, and was never caught. The mind-set that allowed that man to strike a match against an HIV-positive pastor and his church must change, the pastor said. To that end, he and his new wife have been speaking out about HIV and AIDS - the science behind it, how to avoid spreading the virus and how to compassionately treat those who have tested positive for HIV and are living with AIDS. He takes his message to other churches and their pastors. Mutuse also runs what he calls a "Hope Team," which helps people struggling with AIDS with washing and cooking, and others to start small businesses. And he has founded the Fatherhood Initiative Network to encourage men to overcome their fears of taking an HIV test. "I have realized that men in this region do not have knowledge about HIV. They do not know their statuses," said the pastor, who started antiretroviral drugs in 2014 and said men more than women are likely to stigmatize people living with HIV and AIDS. For most African men, he said, revealing that they have HIV is considered a sign of weakness. For World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, Mutuse assembled 70 older boys from the region to speak to their peers about HIV - what it is and why it's important to get tested. He and Mueni have also become a sort of "poster couple" for what's known as "discordant" marriages, in which one spouse is HIV-positive and one HIV-negative. "It is good to disclose to your partner one's status and also test together. Use condoms all the time. Then seek medical advice if you want to have children," Mutuse said. Such couples have become a focus in the efforts to prevent the spread of AIDS - in Kenya and globally. According to the Kenya AIDS Indicator Survey 2012, about 260,000 discordant couples live in the country. Mutuse's efforts to educate his congregation and the people around it seem to have begun to pay off. Gradually, people have returned to the pews, though he sees about 200 from the pulpit on holidays, when he used to see 500. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate When her husband's job moved them from Atlanta to Texas four years ago, Amina Ishaq faced a question familiar to longtime residents of the state: Which is better - Houston or Dallas? They chose Houston, she said, in part because of the diversity here. Ishaq had grown up in a small town in Florida, in one of five Muslim families in a predominantly Baptist community. Her husband took a job here in the oil and gas industry as a software engineer. When they moved to Sugar Land, it felt like a different world, with more diversity than anywhere she had lived before. Ishaq is a leader on the interfaith outreach team at Maryam Islamic Center in Sugar Land. She helps organize activities every month in partnership with churches and synagogues. Last spring, when Congregation Brith Shalom of Bellaire invited the Maryam Islamic Center to partner with the synagogue for an interfaith day of service, it was an easy decision. "We jumped on it," Ishaq said. The first local Mitzvah/Mercy/Sadaqah Day, which also included St. Theresa Memorial Park Catholic Church, was held Dec. 3. A day of citywide service projects, often called Mitzvah Day (from the Hebrew for "commandment"), has become commonplace at many American synagogues. But only a handful of Mitzvah Days across the country have been organized as interfaith partnerships. "Interfaith Mitzvah Day is an extension of the dialogue we've been having and the relationship we've been building across religious boundaries," said Brith Shalom's Rabbi Ranon Teller. For several years already, Brith Shalom had partnered with St. Theresa for Mitzvah/Mercy Day. Pam Matula has been involved with the event for two years as a member of St. Theresa. Matula said the opportunity to find common ground among congregations drew her to volunteer with the project. Matula said the interfaith day of service provides a way to live core commitments of her Catholic faith - works of mercy including visiting the sick, feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless. At Brith Shalom on Sunday, Matula sat with her Jewish friend Elise Sheppard, whom she met through their congregation's interfaith programs. Sheppard said one of the blessings of interfaith work is getting to know people at other congregations, supporting each other's families and becoming friends. Matula and Sheppard were coordinating volunteers together, helping with check-in and directing volunteers to their service projects throughout the city. In addition to a blood drive at Brith Shalom, there were more than a dozen other projects, including: socializing with residents at Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care, rebuilding families' homes that flooded during Hurricane Harvey, packing and delivering meals with Interfaith Ministries Meals, caring for animals and nature at K-9 Angels and Nature Discovery Center, and delivering cards and gifts to veterans at Midtown Terrace Veteran Housing. Sheppard said she feels passionately about interfaith outreach, having spent three years as Brith Shalom's point person. Brith Shalom's Cantor Mark Levine, who oversees Mitzvah Day, asked Sheppard last year to chair this year's event, in part because he wanted to include the Maryam Islamic Center. Sheppard said it was easy to say yes because she already knew their interfaith partners. They had visited each other's mosque, church and synagogue, joined together in prayer and learning, and welcomed each other into their homes. This year the event was renamed Mitzvah/Mercy/Sadaqah Day, adding the Arabic word for "charity" to mark Muslim participation. It was a natural fit for Maryam Islamic Center, Ishaq said, because the members perform interfaith and volunteer activities throughout the year. They open their doors to neighbors, in part to dispel misconceptions about Islam. "But we have to go beyond that," Ishaq said. "This was so important because I wanted to go beyond tours and learning. Now it's time to make a community. The three Abrahamic faiths all teach service. I want my kids to understand that." On Sunday, Ishaq took her daughters to Midtown Terrace to deliver thank-you cards to veterans and share a meal and raffle. Her daughters got to hear stories about veterans' service in Afghanistan and their life back home. At least 20 volunteers of Muslim, Christian and Jewish faith participated. Across town, volunteers had made food packages for 100 refugee families and delivered them to apartment complexes where many refugees live. Maryam Islamic Center performs this service every week, and it was happy to welcome a dozen Christian and Jewish volunteers to join. Another regular project that Maryam Islamic Center opened up to the broader community on Mitzvah/Mercy/Sadaqah Day was its partnership with Amaanah Refugee Services. This week it was a home-transformation project for a single refugee mother and her children. While a caseworker took the family to lunch - so they would be surprised later - a team of volunteers cleaned, painted and repaired the house. Another team brought in new furniture and appliances. The caseworker brought the family back to the home for the big reveal. "It is always really emotional," Ishaq said, when the family sees their beautiful new home for the first time. At a closing dinner hosted at Brith Shalom for the volunteers, Sheppard shared her thoughts on the value of interfaith relationships. "Tolerance is an ugly word," she said. "It connotes putting up with something distasteful to you. We should be saying, 'Let's build community.' That means you're investing yourself in other people, and you're building something together. That's what this country needs to be talking about." Patrick Miral, a pastoral associate at St. Theresa, said this kind of interfaith partnership should be normal, though sadly it's not. "In light of the fear and hatred that we see in the world today, it is so important for us to see we are all brothers and sisters, all from the same God," Miral said. "There is no better way to work together than to serve others, side by side. Perhaps through that, we can all grow closer to God, as we grow closer to one another." All three congregations remain committed to ongoing interfaith work and service to the community. They hope their example can inspire others as well, especially since Houston is recognized as the most diverse city in America. "Everyone sticks to what they feel comfortable with, with their own congregations," Ishaq said. "We have to move out of that. We have to go be friends, to be neighbors, to see that all faiths have the core belief of giving back to community. Especially in this political climate, we have to be that change." David J. Segal is a freelance writer in Houston. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Religious leaders in Houston are taking a more critical look at security, just one month after a man killed 26 men, women and children at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs. Precinct 1 Harris County Constable Alan Rosen hosted a second active-shooter training session Thursday. The first session was Nov. 8, just three days after 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley committed the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history. More than 100 leaders from mosques, temples and various Christian denominations attended the November training session, Rosen said. About 70 religious leaders came to Thursday's event. "We had to turn away people in our first meeting," Rosen said. "We'll do as many trainings as are necessary to keep these places of worship safe." The crux of the training is providing guidance on preparing emergency plans, especially for smaller places of worship unable to afford police officers, Rosen added. One of the churches at the November training was Yale Street Baptist, which is formulating its own plan. Once that is completed, the church will have the constable's office organize an active-shooter role-play exercise, Rosen said. One guideline deals with the importance of religious leaders identifying new visitors at religious services and asking them to sit where security personnel are aware, Rosen said. For many houses of worship in Houston, security has always been a priority, regardless of the cost. Sagemont Church invests roughly $350,000 a year on security measures, which include numerous surveillance cameras. Following Sutherland Springs, Sagemont added eight more police officers on Sundays, when more than 6,000 worshipers descend on its Sam Houston Parkway location, executive pastor Chuck Schneider said. One of the most visible security additions following the massacre was a police car parked near the entrance of the church, Schneider said. "It's a crazy world," Schneider said. "We take security very seriously." At places of worship with congregations averaging 50 to 1,500 people, security has a different look. Village Heights Church, 311 W. 18th, which welcomes roughly 60 visitors, does not have any officers or security on Sunday and allows its parishioners to conceal carry, said lead pastor Bill White. CORE Church Midtown at 2404 Austin has a similar number of visitors on Sunday. Church members help handle security, said pastor Jim Stern. "We cut our teeth in the Midtown area," Stern said. "You have to be aware of your surroundings." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Fort Bend County Sheriffs Office Show More Show Less The body of a Richmond man was found inside a dumpster after he went missing Tuesday evening to meet a potential buyer for his car, according to the Houston Police Department. Altaf Malik's body was found shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday inside a dumpster at an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Truxillo, police said. "In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery." - Cormac McCarthy, "The Road" The world hums. It shivers endlessly. It's a low, ceaseless droning of unclear origin that rolls imperceptibly beneath our feet, impossible to hear with human ears. A researcher once described it to HuffPost as the sound of static on an old TV, slowed down 10,000 times. It's comforting to think of Earth as solid and immovable, but that's false. The world is vibrating, stretching and compressing. We're shaking right along with it. "The earth is ringing like a bell all the time," said Spahr Webb, a seismologist at Columbia University. The hum is everywhere. Its ultralow frequencies have been recorded in Antarctica and Algeria, and - as announced this week by the American Geophysical Union - on the floor of the Indian Ocean. We still don't know what causes it. Some have theorized that it's the echo of colliding ocean waves, or the movements of the atmosphere, or vibrations born of sea and sky alike. But if we could hear this music more clearly, scientists around the world say, it could reveal deep secrets about the earth beneath us, or even teach us to map out alien planets. And the hum is getting clearer all the time. It rings at different frequencies and amplitudes, for different reasons. Earthquakes are like huge gong bangs. When an enormous quake hit Japan in 2011, Webb said, the globe kept ringing for a month afterward. People sitting on the other side of the world bounced up and down about a centimeter, though so slowly they didn't feel a thing. In 1998, a team of researchers analyzed data from a gravimeter in east Antarctica and realized that some of these vibrations never actually stop. "They discovered features in the data that suggested . . . continuous signals," a University of California researcher recounted in 2001. These seismic waves ranged from 2 to 7 millihertz - thousands of times lower than the human hearing range - and continued endlessly, regardless of earthquakes. The phenomenon became popularly known as the "hum of the Earth." Webb was one of many researchers who searched for the hum's cause in the 21st century. Some thought interactions between the atmosphere and solid ground caused the shaking, though he discounts the idea. Rather, Webb said, most recent research suggests the primary cause is ocean waves - "banging on the sea floor pretty much all the way around the Earth." Sometimes waves sloshing in opposite directions intersect, sending vibrations deep down into Earth's crust. Sometimes a wave on a shallow coast somewhere ripples over the rough sea floor and adds its own frequencies to the hum. "I think our result is an important step in the transformation of mysterious noise into an understood signal," an oceanographer with the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea told Live Science after publishing a 2015 paper detailing the ocean wave theories. Whatever the origin, the result is a harmony of ultralow frequencies that resonate almost identically all over the globe - and that's potentially invaluable to those who want to know what goes on beneath its surface, where the core spins and tectonic plates shift. Scientists already measure how fast earthquake waves travel through different regions of the underground to make detailed subterranean maps. But earthquakes come randomly and briefly, like flashes of lightning on a dark night. A constant, uniform vibration could act like a floodlight into the underworld. Some researchers believe the hum extends all the way down to the Earth's core, and some have even fantasized about using hums on other planets to map out alien geography. And yet we're still only beginning to understand our planet's hum. And scientists have been limited for years because they only knew how to measure it from land, while nearly three-quarters of the globe is underwater. That's where a team led by French researchers comes in, as described in a paper published last month in the American Geophysical Union's journal. The scientists collected data from seismometer stations that had been placed in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar several years ago. These stations were meant to study volcanic hot spots - nothing to do with the hum - but the team worked out a method to clean the data of ocean currents, waves, glitches and other noise. They "were able to reduce the noise level to approximately the same level as a quiet land station," the Geophysical Union said in an accompanying article. And when they were done, they were left with the first-ever underwater recording of the hum. It peaked between 2.9 and 4.5 millihertz, they said - a tighter range than the first hum researchers in the 1990s had recorded. It was also similar to measurements taken from a land-based station in Algeria. So - more evidence that the hum goes all the way around the world; and more hope that we may one day reveal all that goes on beneath it. Mounting tensions Regarding "Protests across Palestinian areas, Mideast after Trump" (Chron.com, Thursday), America gave up all neutrality by picking a side. Now we will never have a say in any future peace deal. President Trump made the Middle East hate America even more. Antonio Perez, posted via Facebook Shifting energy focus Regarding "VW settlement on electric garbage trucks" (Page A15, Thursday), I agree with the op-ed writer who proposed using the Volkswagen dollars to improve emissions from garbage trucks. Her suggestion was to buy electric vehicles, thereby correcting exhaust problems. I would suggest that a better solution would be to use the money to convert the existing fleet to natural gas or propane. This effort is already underway in several instances. I have observed a garbage truck in front of my house with "Powered by Natural Gas" proudly proclaimed on its side. It was emitting no unpleasant fumes into the air. Likewise we spent a great deal of time in the Texas Medical Center this past summer, and I noticed dozens of buses from hotels and hospitals marked with "Powered by Propane" labels. And these vehicles were not new and appeared to have been converted from diesel or gasoline power. Even when walking in the area, the atmosphere was free of the usual noxious fumes generated by other fuels. This type of conversion is relatively easy and inexpensive when compared to the purchase of new vehicles. Kent Marshall, Missouri City Moderate voice Regarding "White enters state's top race" (Page A3, Friday), the story describes Andrew White as a "conservative Democrat," but I question that usage. From what I can gather about White's positions, he is a moderate, as was his father, the late Gov. Mark White. That is to say, he is pro-business, supports adequate funding for public education and responsible regulations to protect the environment. White also opposes the attacks by right-wing Republicans on immigrants and other vulnerable minority groups in our community. Those are positions shared by most Texans, and we desperately need leaders who share our values. Robert Baker, Houston The first performance at the renovated Melba Theatre in downtown Houston occurred Friday night. Constructed in 1938, the building and two adjoining ones underwent a massive renovation to reopen it after its closure in the early 1980s. The project was undertaken by Downtown Houston Inc., a not-for-profit group that has tackled other community projects, including the Lone Star Plaza and its pavilion, three Main Street store fronts that include a community meeting room, University Extension offices and a commercial kitchen, as well as the Houston Visitors Center on Walnut Street. {{tncms-inline content=
At noon Saturday, there were 12 tickets available for that nights performance. Need a ticket, call 417-260-0043.
id=e0cb27a6-ea7a-4eca-8da3-0f48f53fbdbf style-type=bio title=Tickets available for Saturday night type=relcontent}} The Melba project began in 2016 and includes a concession stand, bigger lobby area, new restrooms, dressing rooms and a new stage, curtains, sound and video system and new seating. Downtown Houston Inc. raised the money for the $600,000 project, and no local tax money was involved. Live productions and vintage movies are planned at the Melba. Technology to allow meetings also has been installed. The second performance of A Christmas Story, by the Star Dramatic Co., is Saturday evening at 7. The cost is $10 in advance and $13 at the door. The event is sponsored by Houston Community Betterment and Arts Council of Houston. On Sunday afternoon, Dec. 17, the Southern Ozarks Community Orchestra, which includes members of the STARS Foundation of Cabool, will perform a free Christmas concert at the Melba. Show time is at 3 p.m. Immediately following, STARS will provide an encore performance of its annual Messiah Christmas concert. Orchestra members hail from northwest Arkansas and across southern Missouri. That event is planned as the grand opening a free activity to allow the public to inspect the quarters. Separately, Downtown Houston Inc. announced it has signed an agreement with STARS Foundation, an organization that operates a number of arts programs in the region. It will perform plays at least twice annually. Its volunteer workers will also be in charge of the operation of the facility, its cleaning and other tasks. Scheduling of events and building rental arrangements will be done by volunteer Elaine Campbell. Inside the newly renovated Melba Theatre in downtown Houston. At noon Saturday, there were 12 tickets available for that nights performance. Need a ticket, call 417-260-0043. Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print. Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition. If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. Imperial Valley News Center Free speech is a right guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights Washington, DC - America's schools foster intolerance. They've become places where students are taught not to seek out the truth or the thoughts and opinions of others who disagree with them. Rather, our schools - particularly our colleges and universities - have become hotbeds of "hard left fascism," as Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass put it in an opinion article last spring. The notion that a progressive, leftist culture is firmly entrenched in our schools came to the fore yet again recently when a Rhodes scholar complained that the prestigious scholarship program is biased against conservative viewpoints. Dan Lubrich, who represents the Rhodes Scholars for Intellectual Diversity, a group advocating for free speech and different viewpoints, went public with a letter he wrote to the Rhodes trust. In it, he accused the program of seeking to silence conservative opinion. The group, itself, states plainly in its online mission statement that the management of the Rhodes scholarship trustees openly oppose diversity of opinion. "Dissent is all too frequently not countered with facts and reasoned arguments, but with baseless accusations, ad hominem fallacies and outright insults. Rhodes Scholars for Intellectual Diversity aims to stand firm against the danger of an intellectual mono-culture which this entails." One recent report, based on a study by the Higher Education Research Institute, shows that liberal professors on our college campuses outnumber conservatives by about five to one. The virus of leftist bigotry, meanwhile, is spreading. Across the country, institutions of higher learning are prohibiting anyone with a conservative view from lecturing on campus. And, in those instances where a conservative is invited to speak, they are likely to be met with violent opposition. "It's there in front of you, the thuggish mobs of the left killing free speech at American universities. The thugs call themselves antifa, for anti-fascists. They beat people up and break things and set fires and intimidate. These are not anti-fascists. These are fascists. This is what fascists do," Kass wrote in his column. As bad as the violence is, the suppression of free speech has potentially disastrous long-term implications for the nation. Groups such as antifa have an agenda - to take down our government. And, if our liberal educators - wittingly or unwittingly - do not stand up for the rights of those who disagree with their views, our kids will have a grim future to look forward to. One antifa unit in Texas, the Red Guards Austin, makes no bones about the intent of their movement: to bring down our duly elected government and replace it with a Communist regime. We must be aware of these threats against our freedom and not hesitate to stand up for our rights when necessary. Imperial Valley News Center Presidential Proclamation Fully Implemented Today Washington, DC - The Department of State is fully implementing Presidential Proclamation 9645 (Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States by Terrorists or other Public-Safety Threats), as the Supreme Courts December 4, 2017 orders permit. The Department began implementing the full Proclamation at the opening of business (local time) at U.S. embassies and consulates overseas today. National security is our top priority in visa operations. Our embassies and consulates around the world are fully implementing Presidential Proclamation 9645 to protect the American people, now that U.S. Supreme Court orders permit us to do that and based on extensive guidance provided to them by the Department. All countries share responsibility to prevent terrorist attacks, transnational crime, and immigration fraud. The Presidential Proclamation directed the Departments of State and Homeland Security to restrict the entry of nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, Venezuela, and Yemen in order to protect the security and welfare of the United States. These restrictions follow an extensive review and engagement with countries around the world involving an assessment of whether countries met certain information sharing criteria. Restrictions are tailored to each country, reflecting the unique factors in place for each. No visas will be revoked under the Proclamation, and the restrictions are not intended to be permanent. The restrictions are conditional and may be lifted as countries work with the U.S. government to ensure the safety of Americans. Most countries in the world now meet the new requirements, which is an important element of ensuring our security. The entry restrictions in the Proclamation do not apply to certain categories of individuals, including those who were inside the United States or who had a valid visa on the effective date of the Proclamation, as defined in Section 7 of the Proclamation, even after their visa expires or they leave the United States. Imperial Valley News Center Mexico and the United States of America Strengthen Their Bilateral Dialogue and Cooperation for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights Washington, DC - The United States and Mexico held the 9th annual Bilateral High Level Dialogue on Human Rights today at the State Department in Washington, D.C. As strong bilateral partners and close neighbors, authorities from Mexico and the United States participated in a frank and constructive dialogue on human rights, both at the bilateral and multilateral level. Both countries stressed their commitment to strengthen cooperation, reaffirm joint values, and continue to work together in the effective promotion and protection of human rights. The dialogue covered a wide range of issues, including actions to prevent and eradicate torture and disappearances, and to protect human rights defenders and journalists, noting the important work of civil society in these efforts. Both countries discussed the death penalty and consular notification; the rights of migrants and the use of force at the border; and the criminal justice system. Both sides agreed on the importance of prosecuting individuals engaged in human rights violations and reaffirmed their commitment to comply with their international obligations. They recognized the important recent passage of General Laws on Torture and Disappearances in Mexico. Mexico and the United States also discussed cooperation on the work of the United Nations Human Rights Council and the General Assembly, as well as the Organization of American States, to strengthen their relevance for addressing global and regional challenges to human rights, gender equality, and the promotion of democracy around the world and in our Hemisphere. The Mexican delegation was led by Ambassador Miguel Ruiz-Cabanas Izquierdo, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mexicos Ambassador to the U.S. Geronimo Gutierrez as well as officials from the ministries of Interior, Attorney Generals Office, and the Ministries of National Defense and Navy. The United States delegation was headed by John Creamer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Michael G. Kozak, Senior Bureau Official of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department. Officials from the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Defense and the United States Agency for International Development also participated in the dialogue. Trump Administration INF Treaty Integrated Strategy Washington, DC - Today, we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and what was then the Soviet Union. This landmark arms control agreement has been a pillar of international security and stability since its inception. By eliminating an entire class of the most destabilizing weapon systems, the INF Treaty served as a key component to building and reinforcing strategic stability in the later days of the Cold War. It played a key role in securing the Euro-Atlantic region and set in motion the negotiations for a series of agreements to stabilize the post-Cold War relationship between the United States and our allies and the former Soviet Union. Unfortunately, this pivotal agreement is under threat today. The Russian Federation has taken steps to develop, test, and deploy a ground-launched cruise missile system that can fly to ranges prohibited by the INF Treaty. In 2014, the United States declared the Russian Federation in violation of its obligations under the INF Treaty. Despite repeated U.S. efforts to engage the Russian Federation on this issue, Russian officials have so far refused to discuss the violation in any meaningful way or refute the information provided by the United States. The United States remains firmly committed to the INF Treaty and continues to seek the Russian Federations return to compliance. The Administration firmly believes, however, that the United States cannot stand still while the Russian Federation continues to develop military systems in violation of the Treaty. While the United States will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution, we are now pursuing economic and military measures intended to induce the Russian Federation to return to compliance. This includes a review of military concepts and options, including options for conventional, ground-launched, intermediate-range missile systems, which would enable the United States to defend ourselves and our allies, should the Russian Federation not return to compliance. This step will not violate our INF Treaty obligations. We are also prepared to cease such research and development activities if the Russian Federation returns to full and verifiable compliance with its INF Treaty obligations. The United States does and will continue to abide by its INF Treaty obligations. We call on the Russian Federation to take concrete steps to return to compliance, preserve the INF Treaty, and restore confidence in the role of arms control to manage strategic stability. "Clothes make the cloud" in this lab Washington, DC - Cloud computing has emerged as one of the most successful computing models in recent years. However, lack of accountability and non-compliance with data protection regulations have prevented major users such as business, healthcare and defense organizations from utilizing clouds for sensitive data and applications. One way to better ensure the security of the data is by using a personal cloud. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Ragib Hasan of the University of Alabama at Birmingham is retrofitting everyday objects with next generation, highly secure, personal cloud computing capability, such as a computerized vest with Wi-Fi, battery power and, of course, secure data storage. Hasan is also focused on meeting specialized needs. His team has built cloud-enabled hospital gowns for patients, and he envisions cloud-enabled battle armor for the military and uniforms for first responders deploying into a disaster zone. The sky is the limit for this technology and its applications. The research was supported by NSF grant #1351038, Secure and Trustworthy Provenance for Accountable Clouds, and was made through NSF's Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program. Secretary of State Tillerson Participation in ISG on Lebanon Paris, France - U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will participate in the International Support Group (ISG) for Lebanon ministerial on today, in Paris, France. The Secretarys participation in the ISG demonstrates the United States strong support for the sovereignty, stability, and independence of the Republic of Lebanon and of its political institutions. Secretary Tillerson will re-emphasize the United States continued commitment to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and our partnership in the fight against terrorism. The Secretary will also encourage the Lebanese government and other nations to move more aggressively in limiting Hizballahs destabilizing activity in the region, which will help make for a stronger, more stable Lebanon. The Secretary will meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and other international leaders during the course of the ministerial. White House Regarding the Violence and Humanitarian Conditions in Yemen Washington, DC - The United States is gravely concerned by the recent escalation in violence and continued dire humanitarian conditions in Yemen. We urge all parties to immediately cease hostilities, reenergize political talks, and end the suffering of the Yemeni people. We condemn the Houthis brutal repression of political opponents in Sanaa, including the killing of their former ally Ali Abdullah Salih and his family members, as well as their reckless missile attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its partners are arming, advising, and enabling the Houthis violent actions, which accelerate the cycle of violence and human suffering, obstruct the flow of humanitarian aid, and disrupt efforts toward a political resolution. We call on the Saudi-led coalition to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid and critical commercial goods, including fuel, through all Yemeni ports and to restore commercial flights through Sanaa Airport. The Iranian-backed Houthi militias must allow food, medicine, and fuel to be distributed throughout the areas they control, rather than diverted to sustain their military campaign against the Yemeni people. This humanitarian aid must be allowed to immediately reach all points of need. The United States continues to believe that the devastating conflict in Yemen, and the suffering it causes, must be brought to an end through political negotiations in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Successful political negotiations are necessary to ensure that Yemen can flourish, free of the malign influence of Iranian-backed militias operating outside the structures of the state. Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A table is more than a piece of furniture, just as food is more than fuel. The table is at the heart of Nigella Lawsons latest, At My Table: A celebration of home cooking. No one is better at reminding us that cooking is about eating and eating is about sharing. To prove the point if proof were needed are recipes that cry out to be made, shared and savoured. Theres not an off one in the bunch with a generous third dedicated to sweets, from a heady chocolate cake with coffee buttercream to her how-did-we-live-without it emergency brownies. Caramelised potatoes from Catherine Phipps Citrus book Ease of preparation is a plus with no-churn ice creams, potato waffles made from leftover mash, and all-in-one dishes like her Indian-spiced chicken and potato traybake. A classic. Cookbooks published early in the year often get nudged off the shelf (and Christmas wishlists) by later arrivals. This shouldnt be the case with Catherine Phipps Citrus. Recipes like marinated chicken with charred limes, saffron butter and soft flatbreads; blood orange and rhubarb meringue pie; and a heady gin and bitter grapefruit granita make the case for citrus the essential sour and the sweet in cooking. No one writes with more love for her subject than does Rachel Roddy in Two Kitchens: Family Recipes from Sicily and Rome. Her joy of the food of Sicily is palpable: Figs that taste like honey, aubergines pendulous and black as night and onions the size of frisbees. But, this is a place of grit, not glamour. (Her partner Vicenzos grandparents home in Gela on the south coast of Sicily, is in an industrial area, dominated by an ugly oil refinery.) Yet the food and the stories hold a special beauty from the omnipresent cassata (a Sicilian staple of layered sponge, ricotta and marzipan) to sardines stuffed like little birds, redolent of the sea, citrus, and bay. Born in Jerusalem to a Palestinian family, Reem Kassis grew up in the kitchen surrounded by strong women who taught her how to cook. In The Palestinian Table she shares their recipes from the simplest tahini sauce (with a dollop of yoghurt to cut through the richness), to chicken, onion and sumac flatbread, inspired by her formidable grandmother, Teta Fatmeh. A kafta and tahini bake marries rich meat with crisp potatoes, lifted by a sharp tahini sauce. (Ask any Palestinian woman about this dish and she will likely tell you its a dish she makes when shes tight on time). Childhood memories, nostalgia and strong women figure too in Olia Hercules stunning second book, Kaukasis. Hercules is a natural storyteller as well as an accomplished cook, and Kaukasis is peppered with the people and places of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and beyond. Women like la, a head teacher from western Georgia with a penchant for etymology, thin cigarettes and coffee. Try Hercules buttery saffron plov, studded with sultanas, apricots, barberries and nuts, or a spicy, salty, rich ostriy (the Russian word for spicy) beef ribs cooked in a red chilli-spiked sauce. Feasts is Sabrina Ghayours third and arguably her best cookbook. It plays to her love of cooking for crowds, which she honed running a highly successful supper club. Feasts is helpfully divided by occasion such as breakfast and brunch, weekend feasts, and special occasions but Ghayour is the first to encourage mixing and matching and substituting ingredients freely. The result is a stress-free approach to cooking with big flavours and minimal fuss. Fig and rose millefeuille would dazzle the most jaded dinner party guests while butterflied leg of lamb with pomegranate salsa could be the new go-to Sunday roast. Sabrina Ghayours third book is all about sharing food with big plates and big meals (Kris Kirkham) In a world of door stopper sized cookbooks, The Sunday Night Book by Rosie Sykes is a wee slip of a thing and all the better for it. The premise is simple: 52 short recipes to help you carve back Sunday nights from the relentless march to Monday. Expect eggs, toast and pasta but in unexpected guises comfort food at its best. Sykes has worked with some of the top names in British food including Joyce Molyneaux, Shaun Hill and Margot Henderson, and her culinary pedigree shows in recipes that surprise delight and should keep Monday at bay for at least a few hours longer. Samin Nosrats Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is a masterclass in how to cook by understanding how these four basic yet fundamental elements work in cooking. Nosrat does an impressive job of distilling complex theories into practical culinary strategies. The first part dedicates a section to each element while part two takes the theory and puts it into practice with recipes, cooking lessons and suggested menus. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat focuses on these four basic elements of cooking Photos have thankfully been dismissed in favour of lovely colour illustrations that bring the principles to life. Perfect for the nervous novice but if youre a confident cook, expect to pick up tips to up your culinary game. Three things I find offensive mean men, back-bitin women, and sloppy cookin, are the words of Pamela Strobel, aka Princess Pamela, chef/hostess/owner of a tiny restaurant more of a speakeasy that first opened in 1965 in New York Citys East Village. Princess Pamelas Soul Food Cookbook is a collection of her Afro-American recipes. Published 45 years ago, it fell out of print but thankfully was discovered by food writers Matt and Ted Lee. The recipes are terse but tasty for dishes like smothered pork chops (Smother a pok chop like you would a lovin man), sweet potato biscuits, and okra fritters. Sadly, no one knows what became of Princess Pamela after her restaurant closed in 1998 but thankfully her recipes and words live on. I figure I got a right to the Princess title, cause Lord knows I been crowned more than one time. Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Originally from America where turkey remains synonymous with Thanksgiving early European settlers incorrectly identified this big bird as guineafowl. We now know differently, of course, and turkey is one of the most nutritious meats to grace our dinner plates. While turkey meat is arguably more flavourful and healthier than chicken, it hasnt captured the British publics taste buds in quite the same way as it has in America, where its very popular. But substitute turkey for chicken in any chook recipe and you wont be disappointed: Kiev, curry, sweet and sour, escalopes, stir-fries, and burgers. What to look for when buying turkey Choose a free-range, organic bird if you can: The better the living conditions of the bird, the more flavourful the meat will be. Like all poultry, store turkey in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer (for up to six months) and make sure to fully defrost before cooking. How to cook turkey First of all, they are ideal roasting birds if youre cooking for a crowd, regardless of the time of year. All chefs are in agreement that, after cooking turkey, you must rest the bird for at least 20 minutes before serving, as well as basting well throughout cooking. Check that the meat is cooked using a meat thermometer. Slow cooking is perfect for cuts such as turkey leg and thigh, which can be slow cooked to absorb flavour and tenderise to such an extent that it just falls off the bone. Braising or pot-roasting is a popular method of cooking turkey in the US. Simply brown the meat, pour over stock, then cover and bake in an oven. The best way to roast turkey depends on personal taste some options are: Soaking the bird in brine first (it helps the meat to retain moisture and the salt adds flavour); pre-poaching; pre-browning; steaming; or slow roasting. One of the quickest ways to eat turkey is to pan-fry the breast, or dice or mince the meat and add to a stir-fry. Stuffing or breading the breast will add flavour and moisture. To add more flavour before pan-frying or roasting, marinate the turkey overnight, or cut a pocket into the flesh, stuff it with herbs and butter and wrap with bacon or pancetta before baking. Poaching or steaming delicate white meat can make it superbly tender and juicy and both processes dont require fat, so theyre healthy ways to cook. Its important that the water or stock remains below boiling point too hot and it will adversely affect the texture of the meat. How long it takes depends on the cut of meat and the recipe but neither method takes as long as roasting. What turkey goes with Turkey is one of the more versatile meats around. Traditionally, the bird is roasted and served with a variety of vegetables and roast potatoes, Alyn Williams shows us how in his Christmas turkey recipe. It may be celebrated during the holiday season but turkey isnt just for Christmas; it makes an excellent alternative to the usual Sunday roast, goes well in a sandwich and, because its so lean, makes a healthy replacement for beef use minced turkey in your burgers, meatballs and bolognese. Punchy Asian flavours complement the relatively mild flavour of turkey as with Andy Waters turkey larb as do creamy or herby sauces. Turkey is also wonderful in salads, as demonstrated by Dominic Chapmans turkey, chicory, stilton and walnut salad. How to roast a turkey crown A turkey crown is the body of the bird with the legs and wings removed leaving the white breast meat attached to the bones. It is an ideal joint for smaller gatherings and for those who dont want lots of leftovers particularly at Christmas. A crown takes less time to cook than a whole bird and it is easier to carve but essentially it can be treated in much the same way it can rest on a bed of stuffing, be smeared with butter and draped with smoked bacon then served with roast potatoes, sprouts and cranberry sauce. In this recipe, the crown is glazed with mustard, maple syrup, orange juice and thyme but any combination of flavours that work with turkey could be used instead. 1 turkey crown1tbsp of wholegrain mustard4tbsp of maple syrup4tbsp of orange juice2tsp thyme leavessaltpepper Pre-heat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Place the turkey crown in a roasting tray and generously brush the skin with the glaze, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Pour chicken stock into the roasting tray to the depth of 2-3cm (approximately 500ml). Calculate the cooking time (allow 20 minutes per kg, plus 70 minutes) then place in the preheated oven, re-glazing every 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving. Tips There are so many tips and tricks for injecting flavour into your turkey and locking in that all-important moisture. Brining is a popular choice for super-tender flesh, while others like to add richness and moisture by stuffing flavoured butter under the skin. This requires carefully teasing the skin away from the meat and packing plenty of butter underneath. The butter can be flavoured with your choice of herbs sage, thyme and rosemary are all great choices for a crowd-pleasing Christmas bird. Read more in our ultimate turkey cooking tips guide. Stuffing a crown is a perennial favourite, so make sure youre armed with one of our stuffing recipes for some cheffy tips on the perfect pairing. Recipe guides courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their site for more turkey recipes Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyEats email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Polish food, much like Eastern European in general, has a bad rep. What comes to mind is heavy, grey, uninspiring and pretty much inedible. But that was then. Now, Ren Behan a lawyer turned food writer after a successful blog has turned those misconceptions on its head with her first book, Wild Honey and Rye. With Polish heritage, shes inspired by the food she ate as a child and the new wave of restaurant dining in Poland, which combined allow her to modernise these recipes, making them more appealing and accessible for todays industry. The book is split into seven sections, from sweet and savoury breakfasts (sniadanie) to seasonal soups, street food and high tea. And the photography throws those bland ideas right out the window. Polish gnocchi with bacon and mushrooms Kopytka translates as little hooves and they are sometimes described as Polish gnocchi because they are similar to Italian gnocchi. Some Poles also call these paluszki, which means little fingers. I sometimes experiment with gluten-free flour and I like to make these with almond flour. These can be served sweet, too, with melted butter and a sprinkle of sugar, drizzle of honey or maple syrup even for breakfast. If you add twarog, Polish soft cheese, to the dough, you end up with leniwe, lazy dumplings. In the Ukraine, these are made simply with cheese, egg and flour and called halushky. Serves 4 500g potatoes, such as Maris Piper or a heritage variety, peeled 250g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting (or use almond flour for a gluten-free version) 1 egg, beaten sea salt and freshly ground black pepper To serve vegetable or olive oil 1 tsp butter 1 onion, finely chopped 100g Polish bacon, boczek, or pancetta 200g fresh chanterelles, porcini or chestnut mushrooms 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley Boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water until very soft. Drain and set to one side to steam dry. Once cool and very dry, mash until smooth. Leave the potatoes to cool completely or chill in the fridge. Put the cold mashed potato into a large bowl. Add the flour, beaten egg and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Using a metal spoon, bring the mixture together, then tip it out onto a lightly floured board or work surface and knead until all the flour is incorporated into the potato. The dough should be fairly soft and springy, but not too sticky. Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Show all 20 1 /20 Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea The bustling high street is packed with cafes and restaurants just a short stroll from the harbour Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea The Greenbank is a popular hotel and restaurant destination in the seaside town Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Waters Edge restaurant offers relaxed fine dining with harbour views Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea The homity pie with baby carrots, tenderstem brocolli and roasted onion puree is the perfect hearty dish for vegetarians, while the baked hake fillet with saffron, lemon and crab risotto is worth travelling for Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Breakfast in bed? Why not when youre on holiday Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea The Greenbank is a four-star hotel with stunning rooms featuring seaside views Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea The Working Boat, which can be found below the Greenbank is housed in a location that has had a pub on-site for more than 300 years Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Dollys Tea Room and Wine Bar is a must-visit, serving up afternoon tea, as well as cocktail teas served in a teapot and perfect for sharing Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Like many pubs and cafes in Falmouth, Dollys is 100 per cent pup-friendly, so bring your pets along. Hebe, the pear-wearing yellow labrador is a permanent fixture Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Let them eat cake: Dollys has a selection of delicious homemade cakes on offer Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea If you've got your heart set on a Cornish pasty, youll want to give the Dog and Smuggler Tuck Shop a go Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth is one of the most famous beaches in Cornwall and is one of eight to receive the Blue Flag Award 2017 Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Gylly Beach Cafe, which is open all year-round, sits over the sands of Gyllyngvase and offers fantastic views, as well as a diverse menu Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea The Gylly Beach Cafe motto is good food takes a little longer and the roasted mackerel and squid burger proves it Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea The Harbour View restaurant lives up to its name with a perfect vista Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea The chocolate panna cotta with Baileys cream and ginger crumble is a must-try dessert Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Chintz Wine Bar is truly one-of-a-kind with live music and distinctive decor. You wont want to miss it Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Gylly Adventures offers a number of activities from stand up paddle boarding to coasteering Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea Gylly Adventures also offers sunset sup yoga sessions Falmouth: A foodie haven by the sea With its stunning harbour and Blue Flag beaches, Falmouth sets itself apart from other seaside towns in Cornwall Sprinkle a little more flour onto the board and cut the dough into quarters. Roll each piece into a long cylinder and cut the dough at an angle into 2.5cm/1in pieces. Repeat until you have used up all the dough. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop a few dumplings in at a time its best to cook them in batches. Gently boil for 3-4 minutes; they will rise to the top once cooked. Take them out with a slotted spoon, drain in a colander and continue until you have cooked all the dumplings. Set them to one side. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan and cook the onions for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the bacon and fry until golden and crisp. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley. Add the kopytka to the pan, stir everything together and cook until the kopytka begin to turn golden, then serve. Polish flatbreads with courgette, red cabbage and rocket A podplomyk is a type of Polish flatbread, similar to a tortilla; its a type of bread that most Polish people might remember their grandmother making, but you will now spot podplomyk at Polish food festivals and street food markets. Heres the way I like to eat them, but they are equally good straight from the pan, just as they are. Look out too for zapiekanki, a sort of baguette-pizza, topped with all sorts of ingredients, my favourite being tomato, mushrooms and cheese, and garnished with fresh chives. Makes 6 500g white, wholemeal or rye flour (or a blend), plus extra for dusting 250ml water pinch of salt 2 tsp cold-pressed rapeseed (canola) oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 tsp honey 2 courgettes, peeled into strips head red cabbage, finely shredded a handful of rocket leaves Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the water, salt, 1 teaspoon of oil and the honey. Bring the mixture together by hand to create a ball of dough you can also do this in a food processor. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into six pieces and cover with a damp tea towel. Sprinkle a little flour onto a work surface and roll out each piece of dough into a circle about 5mm/in thick. Heat a large frying pan and place one flatbread at a time into the dry pan over a low heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, taking care not to burn the bread. For the topping, heat a griddle pan and brush with the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil. Place the courgette pieces flat onto the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely charred. Top the flatbreads with the chargrilled courgette strips, scatter over the red cabbage and rocket leaves and serve drizzled with rapeseed oil. recipe from Wild Honey and Rye Asparagus a la polonaise I love the term a la Polonaise, a French term meaning in the Polish manner, because it conjures up an era gone by of French cooks in the 19th century being influenced by the Polish way of cooking thanks to a wave of emigres settling in Paris. The term refers to a garnish for cooked vegetables: A topping of buttery breadcrumbs, sometimes with chopped hard-boiled egg. You can use this topping for all manner of market vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans or leeks. You could also use it as a topping for meat or fish: Roasted cod works well. I have modernised this recipe slightly by using sourdough bread morsels and adding a softly poached egg. Serves 2 about 450g fresh asparagus, stalks trimmed 50g butter 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 slices sourdough bread, torn into small pieces or chopped into cubes 2 eggs 2 tsp white wine vinegar grated zest of lemon sea salt 1 tsp chopped fresh dill Plunge the asparagus into a large pan of boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add the bread pieces, tossing until well coated and fry for 3-4 minutes, until golden and crisp. To poach the eggs, bring a large wide pan of water to the boil. Add the vinegar. Stir the boiling water with a spoon to create a whirlpool effect. One by one, crack the eggs into the centre of the whirlpool. Cook over a low heat for 3 minutes, until the egg whites are firm but the yolks are still soft. Carefully remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Place the cooked asparagus on two plates. Top with the buttery bread cubes and a poached egg. Sprinkle over the lemon zest, sea salt and dill. Recipes from Wild Honey and Rye Modern Polish Recipes by Ren Behan (Pavilion, 20) Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The UK laid out plans on Wednesday to protect and grow its asset management industry as it looks to fight off Brexit-fuelled competition from rival European centres for the valuable business. Britain is Europes largest fund management centre, with 8.1 trillion in assets under management, but countries such as Ireland, Luxembourg and France hope to lure businesses that are concerned about the impact of Britains vote to leave the European Union. In its UK Investment Management Strategy II, the Government said it was updating its original 2013 document to strengthen the UKs brand for asset management, enabling firms to respond effectively to the UKs withdrawal from the European Union and capitalise upon future trading opportunities. Amid concern that Brexit could hamper the industrys ability to access top global investment talent, the Government said it would support Asset Management Centres of Excellence at UK universities across the country, including apprenticeships, but did not give a timeline or say who would fund the centres. The industrys academic research spend is currently spread thinly across many institutions and initiatives. By consolidating the majority of existing research... the industry would be able to benefit from economies of scale and have a greater impact on skills, the Government said. These Centres will form the backbone of the UKs world-leading asset management capabilities and professionalism where qualifications would be universally recognised as a global standard. The plan also aims to attract overseas firms to locate in the UK, including through marketing and liaising with trade bodies such as the Investment Association. Britains asset management industry employs over 38,000 people, the Government said, and is bigger than that of France, Germany and the Netherlands combined. The UK is a world leader in asset management, and it is vital that we keep it that way, Stephen Barclay, economic secretary to the Treasury, said in a statement. The Government said the Treasury could look to expand the number of countries its senior officials engage with through financial and economic dialogue or bi-lateral engagement from the current list of Brazil, China, India, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore. Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year. Other plans include to develop financial technology, including a blockchain-enabled digital fund, and to support growth in innovative investment strategies such as social impact investing. The asset management industry generates around 1 per cent of the UKs gross domestic product. Chris Cummings, chief executive of the Investment Association, said the strategy would provide a roadmap to success through Brexit and beyond. Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} There's nothing quite like a Morrissey interview. While he tends to limit his chats with the media, the ones he does do seem to always stir up conversation. In his latest feature, the British rock legend mouths off to Rolling Stone about everything from existentialism to David Bowie (and animal rights of course). The former Smiths frontman made headlines in November during an exclusive interview with The Times, speaking out about being non-political and defending accused sexual abusers Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. Now, he's explained why he's never voted and the one thing that would shift his perspective, saying: "My final aim is to abolish the abattoir, and although I haven't ever once voted in a general election, my vote awaits any party intelligent enough to ban the slaughterhouse. Only at that point would the world begin to grow up." When later asked about who the musician trusts Morrissey responded, "I couldn't ever trust anyone who ate animals, birds or fish." Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Show all 25 1 /25 Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Ariana Grande, pop star "I love animals more than I love most people, not kidding. But I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, whole food diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-round happier person." Ariana Grande/Facebook Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Paul McCartney, musician "I've been a vegetarian for a long time now and over the years I've seen how the attitudes have changed around the world, so I'm not surprised when I see new research that shows more and more people are increasingly adopting 'meat free eating'." Getty Images Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Ellen DeGeneres, TV Host "It doesn't make [Thanksgiving] harder at all. It makes it easier on the turkeys, too. They get to live." Reuters Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Morrissey, musician "I see no difference between eating animals and paedophilia." Getty Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Bill Clinton, former president of the US Dr Dean Ornish, Clinton's doctor, said: "I asked him, 'Why do you want to live longer?' and he said, 'I want to live long enough to walk my daughter down the aisle and to see my grandkids born and grow up.'" Getty Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Peter Dinklage, actor Dinklage has been a vegetarian since childhood and featured in PETA's 'Face Your Food' film. WireImage Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Russell Brand, comedian "I'm now vegan, goodbye eggs, hello Ellen." PA Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Ellie Goulding, singer "I've got taxidermy, I've got animals.... deer and all sorts. But weirdly, I'm a vegetarian and I don't eat meat. I'm a walking contradiction." Getty Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Ellen Page, actor Page was named as one of PETA's 'Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities' in 2014. Getty Images Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Al Gore, American politician "There are 10 vegan restaurants in Nashville now." Speaking about how he maintains his vegan diet in the city. Getty Images Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Tobey Maguire, actor Maguire said he was a vegan and "stopped consuming any mind-altering substances" when he was 19. Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Stella McCartney On her website, McCartney said that "the decision not to use leather or fur is not just because I dont eat animals or that I think that millions of animals each year shouldnt be killed for the sake of fashion. Its because I also believe in the connection between fur and leather and the environment. Theres a huge connection." Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Natalie Portman, actor Portman converted from being a vegan to vegetarianism. Getty Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Woody Harrelson, actor "I've always been relatively healthy except for my vices." HBO Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Jared Leto, actor and musician "I'm pretty healthy... I've been that way for a long time - 20 solid years of eating vegetarian/vegan and taking care of myself. That probably helps the preservation process." WireImage Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Jessica Chastain, actor It was reported that the vegan actor bought her mother a vegan food truck. AP Photo/Sony - Columbia Pictures, Jonathan Olley Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Joaquin Phoenix, actor Featuring a PETA advert to promote vegetarianism for Thanksgiving, he said: "Holidays can be murder on turkeys. Let's make this one for the birds." Celebrity vegans and vegetarians In March 2018, Beyonce revealed she was following a plant-based diet when preparing for her headlining performances at Coachella music festival, while Jay-Z wrote about going vegan in a 2013 blog post, describing it as a spiritual and physical cleanse". Getty Images Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Kate Mara, actor Mara told E! Online that she stayed fit and healthy by being a vegan. Getty Images Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Alanis Morissette, musician "I'm predominantly vegan, which my friends hate because it's not monogamous; 80% is vegan; the other 20% is following what my body needs." Reuters Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Alicia Silverstone, actor Silverston has a blog called The Kind Life which discusses vegan and vegetarian food. Rex Features Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Kate Nash "I became a vegetarian last September - I used to suffer from OCD and it got stuck in my head that if I didn't eat meat then my bunny rabbit, Fluffy, would survive a dangerous operation she had to have." Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Jennifer Lopez, singer and actor Lopez said that she recommended a vegan diet "because you wake up and feel great". Getty Images Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Mark Hoppus, member of Blink 182 Hoppus announced he was a vegan on Twitter. Getty Images Celebrity vegans and vegetarians Olivia Wilde, actor "[Being vegan] is not always easy and accessible. But it's a way of life and makes me as a person feel really good and physically look better." Getty Images So it comes as no surprise that Morrissey's vote would be dependent on protecting animal rights. In addition to his thoughts on voting, Morrissey also had some confident words to say about why he hadn't lost his inspiration as an artist. "I haven't ever given myself over to the demoralising aspects of marketing," he explains. "I paddle my own canoe." He also couldn't resist a dig at artists with more accolades than he has. When the interviewer complimented him on some of his most overlooked songs, he replied: "Other artists say absolutely nothing and are handed nine Grammys. It's debauched." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 250 people have been arrested following a series of vigilante attacks in Malawi on people they considered to be vampires. Nine people were killed in the mob attacks on individuals who were accused of sucking others blood. The violence has been centred in Malawis poverty-stricken southern regions, including Mulanje and Phalombe, where beliefs in witchcraft are common. The south east African nation is the sixth poorest in the world. There have been at least three separate incidents in recent months, including one in which a Belgian couple were dragged from their 4x4 vehicle and beaten by a mob that accused them of blood-sucking. The attacks have prompted international agencies such as the United Nations to withdraw their staff from the areas and warn tourists against visiting. Many of those targeted by mobs have been wealthier individuals, prompting some commentators to suggest the belief in vampirism is a metaphor for an economic elite that is accused of sucking wealth away from the majority in the deprived country. Anthony Mtuta, a lecturer at the Catholic University of Malawi, said the reports of blood-sucking stemmed from economic hardships and inequalities. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty He said: "It's the rich versus the poor. The poor believe the rich are greedy and are sucking the blood of poor people. One victim, entrepreneur Orlendo Champonda, had to be rescued by police after 2,000 villagers armed with machetes and stones attacked his home. He was out at the time, but said he would otherwise have been killed. Officers came to his aid and fired tear gas at the mob during a five-hour standoff. They said I was keeping blood suckers," he said. "They could have killed me if they found me. There is no truth about blood suckers, but jealous people and thugs want to take advantage to attack rich people. If you have a nice car, you are a bloodsucker." In Blantyre, Malawis second biggest city, a 22-year-old man was stoned and then burnt to death while another was stoned to death. Both were accused of blood-sucking. Malawians go hungry as food crisis deepens A number of people have claimed to have had their blood sucked by vampires. One, Jamiya Bauleni, 40, said she was attacked at home in her village, Ngolongoliwa. "This is not hearsay," she said "I know my blood was sucked. I saw light on the corner of my roof. I failed to stand up from my bed and felt something piercing my left arm. Ms Bauleni said she had then fallen unconscious, but not before she had heard someone fleeing the scene. Another woman, Florence Kalunga, 27, said she was sleeping next to her husband when she saw a light "like fire". She added: "I heard the door open. I felt something like a needle in my finger." Malawis president, Peter Mutharika, had initially appeared to suggest there was some truth to the claims. He said: If people are using witchcraft to suck peoples blood, I will deal with them. More recently, however, he has rubbished the reports. "There is no evidence of blood suckers," he said. "It's a lie meant to destabilise the region. Those spreading rumours will face the law." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} US President Donald Trumps administration has asked a federal judge to delay an order for the US military to start accepting transgender recruits beginning 1 January. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly banned the administration from proceeding with plans to exclude transgender people from military service in October. Part of her ruling required the government to allow transgender individuals to enlist in the new year. She had also filed an order in November reiterating the 1 January requirement. The administration then turned to US appeals court to put the requirement on hold while it appeals Ms Kollar-Kotelly's decision and has requested a response by 11 December. On 26 July Mr Trump tweeted his intention to ban transgender troops, posting that our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory. In August Mr Trump followed through on that, signing an executive order in August that stopped the military from enlisting these troops or paying for transition-related surgery for those already serving. Defence Secretary James Mattis was also given six months to come up with a plan of action regarding the transgender troops already in the service. Pentagon spokesman Army Major Dave Eastburn said in a statement: While reviewing legal options with the Department of Justice, the Department of Defence is taking steps to be prepared to initiate accessions of transgender applicants for military service on January 1, 2018, per recent court orders. The Trump administrations latest motion in the appeals process however said that forcing the military to comply with the court ruling by next year would seriously and irreparably harm the armed services and administration. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty It said forced compliance may negatively impact military readiness because of the complex and multidisciplinary nature of the medical standards that need to be issued and the tens of thousands of geographically dispersed individuals that need to be trained. One Pentagon officials said in a sworn statement that the judges order would place extraordinary burdens on the military. The statement said 20,367 recruiters, 2,785 employees, 32 service medical waiver personnel would have to be trained in too short of a time. Former officials who worked in the administration of predecessor President Barack Obama disagree that training would be a burden. Mr Obama allowed transgender troops to serve openly, be eligible for related medical treatment, and ordered the Pentagon to establish a policy for allowing transgender recruits within a year back in June 2016. That meant much of the preparation was already underway by the time Mr Trump signed his executive order. Mr Obamas decision was based on a study commissioned by the Pentagon which stated that whether a soldier is transgender or not has little impact on day-to-day military operations. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A 29 year-old man has been charged after a snowman holding a rocket launcher was painted on the window of a building in Northern Ireland. The image of the festive firearm, which appeared in Derry City, included the message: "Wishing you an Explosive Christmas. The display appeared in October on the window of the republican party Saoradh headquarters on Chamberlain Street. The man was charged with two counts of permitting image of anything provocative and is due to appear at the magistrates' court in Derry on 3 January according to a statement from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Unionist politician Gregory Campbell criticised the image for being insensitive at the time. Terrorism has already caused enough heartache in Northern Ireland without these people compounding the hurt, he told the Irish Post. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2022 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt leaves 11 Downing Street, London, for the House of Commons to deliver his autumn statement PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA It comes as the issue of the Northern Ireland border was at the centre of UK politics this week, after Theresa May was forced to make last-minute changes to a divorce deal with the EU when it was vetoed by the Democratic Unionists. The DUP were adamant that they did not want to be treated differently from the rest of the UK, and a redrawn deal effectively kicked the issue down the line to be discussed during future trade talks. Ms May set out her commitment to Northern Ireland in the joint EU-UK document, saying "no new regulatory barriers" will be allowed between Northern Ireland and the UK. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has held "frank" talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran over the case of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The two-hour meeting with Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif covered a number of areas, including Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's situation. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "They discussed the full range of bilateral issues and they both spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship, including the Foreign Secretary's concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals. "Both emphasised their commitment to continuing to work together to improve the bilateral relationship." The spokesman added that the meeting had been "constructive". "During two hours of frank talks, they agreed to work together to make progress on a number of the most important bilateral and regional security issues. "The Foreign Secretary began by expressing his condolences for the powerful November earthquake which struck Iran's border region with Iraq. "He then moved on to the nuclear deal, underlining the UK's continued support for the deal and determination that it should be fully implemented. Recommended Iran says pictures show show jailed British mum trained journalists "They also talked at length about the breadth of regional issues and the need for regional partners and the international community to work together to find solutions. "Overall, it was a useful meeting at the start of the Foreign Secretary's visit to Iran." Mr Johnson has been seeking the release of Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Reports suggest she could appear in court again on Sunday, following threats to increase her sentence by five years following Mr Johnson's gaffe of telling a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. He later acknowledged this was not the case. Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said he was "waiting on tenterhooks, biting my nails" ahead of Mr Johnson's visit to Iran. "I'm really pleased he is there in time for Nazanin's trial and waiting to see what will happen. I'm certainly hopeful but I'm trying not to be expectant," he told The Guardian. It is understood that Mr Ratcliffe did not accompany Mr Johnson on his trip after receiving advice that such a move may not help his chances of seeing his wife in prison. "If I'm blunt, it is better that he is there in time for her trial than he and I go there after her trial and she's been sentenced to more years," he told the newspaper. When the couple last spoke by telephone on Tuesday, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was "genuinely worried about the court case and getting quite agitated", her husband said. Mr Ratcliffe told the newspaper that Mr Johnson will attempt to visit his wife in jail and meet the head of the Iranian judiciary. However, Tehran does not recognise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's dual UK-Iranian nationality, and refuses access to her for representatives of the British authorities, making a prison visit for the Foreign Secretary unlikely during the trip. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's case is one of a small number of cases of dual nationals whose release Britain is seeking on humanitarian grounds on which Mr Johnson will push for progress. The Foreign Office has declined to name the other individuals involved - or even identify the number in jail - after their families asked for their cases to be kept out of the public eye. Mr Johnson's trip to Tehran is only the third by a UK foreign secretary since 2003 and comes at a time of tension in the Middle East over Donald Trump's announcement that he is recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. PA Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has told The Independent he hopes Boris Johnson will redeem himself on his visit to Iran, and secure his wifes release. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested on holiday in Iran last year, while visiting her family with her 22-month old daughter Gabriella, and accused of attempting to orchestrate a soft overthrow of the Islamic republic. She is now due to appear in court on Sunday on charges of espionage, which threaten to double her five-year sentence to ten. The Foreign Secretary spent Saturday meeting officials in Iran and calling for Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffes release. Mr Johnson is due to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday. In an interview with The Independent, Mr Ratcliffe said: "If he comes back with her, if he comes back and shes released a couple of days later, then, of course, that more than redeems. Sitting here as her husband, I want her home. He did not cause her to be arrested. No one in the British government caused her to be arrested. Shes been held for a long time and Ive been pushing the government to do more to get her home. And when theyve done that, Ill be eternally grateful to them." Last month the Foreign Secretary erroneously told a parliamentary select committee that Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been in Iran training journalists. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe works as a Project Manager for the charitable foundation of the news company Thomson Reuters, and was in Iran visiting family. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe has always maintained her innocence. Gabriella is now three and a half and has been in Iran since her mothers arrest. Mr Ratcliffe showed The Independent some pictures of Gabriella, taken this week. Richard Ratcliffe with his family (PA) Gabriella is three, three and a half now, he said. And at three and a half she still doesnt understand whats going on. And obviously shes lost her English so my communication is through translation. So shes happy to show me a drawing shes done or show me her dollies. Her wider understanding: she understands that Nazanin is in prison. "She thinks that daddy is in prison as well. She understands that other children have their mummies and daddies come to pick them up and she lives with her granny instead. So she knows that this is temporary, and that soon itll be over. "But her sense of time as to when this will end, and her sense of time of going back to London, what that means even what prison is; prison is just where she visits mummy luckily shes too young to understand lots of it. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty On Saturday afternoon Boris Johnson said had held "frank" talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran over the case. The two-hour meeting with Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif covered a number of areas, as well as Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's situation. Iranian authorities insist that the proceedings against Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe followed the countrys judicial process. They also point out that Iran does not recognise dual nationality and thus she is regarded as an Iranian citizen. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "They discussed the full range of bilateral issues and they both spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship, including the Foreign Secretary's concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals. "Both emphasised their commitment to continuing to work together to improve the bilateral relations. Gabriella Ratcliffe (Richard Ratcliffe) Mr Ratcliffe said he was keeping his fingers crossed that Mr Johnsons visit could bring the ordeal to an end. Were sitting here with fingers crossed, fingernails being bitten, hoping beyond hope that something good can happen, he said. I know the Foreign Secretary will be meeting with the Iranian Foreign minister, the Iranian president, the head of national security and people from Iranian parliament. So a lot of important people that hopefully hell be able to unlock and find a way to bring her home. Having the foreign secretary in Iran at the moment is really important and obviously weve been calling for him to try and get there before Christmas hes done that. Weve been hoping hed get there before her court case hes done that. Mr Ratcliffe has previously said that news the Iranian regime had started referring to her as a spy had caused her to have a panic attack and require sedation. Shed never been called a spy before that was an increase in the rhetoric, Mr Ratcliffe said. And that happened following the Foreign Secretarys comments. So she was really shocked to the point where she had a complete panic attack and needed injections to sedate her. Mr Ratcliffe said he was hopeful the court case might be postponed but cautioned that the Foreign Office has warned him there are no guarantees. Fingers crossed that his presence means the court case is perhaps postponed, perhaps goes better than expected. But also potentially goes worse than expected. But hopefully fingers crossed him being there will hopefully means that, yeah, maybe we wont have a day in court tomorrow, he said. I do believe that Nazanin can come home before Christmas. I certainly hope it, Im not sure I expect shell be home on the next plane. It was arbitrary when it started, it can end suddenly as well. There are no guarantees. The Foreign Office have said behind closed doors that there are no guarantees. My job is to be a little bit selective in my hearing if Im honest, and keep hopeful. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will express "grave concerns" regarding jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe during his visit to Iran. Mr Johnson's trip to Tehran this weekend is only the third by a UK Foreign Secretary since 2003 and comes at a time of tension in the Middle East over Donald Trump's announcement that he is recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In wide-ranging talks with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Mr Johnson will seek to shore up bilateral relations and urge Tehran to stick by the terms of its 2015 nuclear deal. Recommended Iran says pictures show show jailed British mum trained journalists Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government, having been arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Reports suggest she could appear in court again over the weekend, following threats to increase her sentence by five years following Mr Johnson's gaffe of telling a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. He later acknowledged this was not the case. Mr Johnson said he wanted the visit to Iran to be "constructive". He said: "Iran is a significant country in a strategically important, but volatile and unstable, region which matters to the UK's security and prosperity. My first visit is an opportunity to hold further discussions on a series of crucial issues, including how we can find a political solution to the devastating conflict in Yemen and secure greater humanitarian access to ease the immense suffering there. "I will also underline the UK's continued support for the nuclear deal while making clear our concerns about some of Iran's activity in the region. We will also discuss our bilateral relationship and I will stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty "While our relationship with Iran has improved significantly since 2011, it is not straightforward and on many issues we will not agree. But I am clear that dialogue is the key to managing our differences and, where possible, making progress on issues that really matter, even under difficult conditions. I look forward to a constructive visit." It is understood that Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe's husband Richard will not accompany Mr Johnson after receiving advice that it may not help his chances of seeing his wife in prison. Tehran does not recognise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's dual UK-Iranian nationality, and refuses access to her for representatives of the British authorities, making a prison visit for the Foreign Secretary unlikely during the trip. Hers is one of a small number of cases of dual nationals whose release Britain is seeking on humanitarian grounds on which Mr Johnson will push for progress. The Foreign Office has declined to name the other individuals involved - or even identify the number in jail - after their families asked for their cases to be kept out of the public eye. Relations with Iran have been strained in recent years, despite the reopening of the UK embassy in Tehran in 2015, but London has detected possible signs of greater openness to dialogue in recent months. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Michael Gove has said the British people could have their say on a Brexit deal with the EU via a general election. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Gove said: The British people will be in control. If the British people dislike the agreement that we have negotiated with the EU, the agreement will allow a future government to diverge. The Environment Secretary and leading Brexiteer reiterated the UKs position on the negotiations that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed at the end of the process. By the time of the next election, EU law and any new treaty with the EU will cease to have primacy or direct effect in UK law, said Mr Gove, which means the UK could change or reject its agreements with Brussels. After a transition period, the UK would have full freedom to diverge from EU law on the single market and customs union. Recommended Brexit trade talks could still be months away despite breakthrough But the latest a general election could occur would be June 2022, which would be three years after the UKs exit from the European Union. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said Mr Gove was simply trying to deny the electorate the chance for a meaningful say on the terms of withdrawal, which can only happen before the UK leaves. Sir Vince said: Michael Gove is trying to do the opposite of what he says: he wants to strip the British people of control of this process. As recent polling has shown, there is a growing consensus supporting the Liberal Democrat policy for the public to have a vote on the terms of the deal, but extreme Brexiters do not want to take this risk in the light of increasing economic and political evidence that Brexit will be seriously damaging to the UK. Gove wants to deny us the right to block a poor deal. If, by the time of a 2022 general election, the government has negotiated and implemented a bad deal, we would not have the option of returning to the EU on the terms we currently enjoy with our closest, biggest and most important trading partner. The only way to give people control is for a vote on the terms of the deal, with the option of an Exit from Brexit. Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders Show all 10 1 /10 Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May is welcomed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker Reuters Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders EU President Jean-Claude Juncker greeting Theresa May at the EU Commission in Brussels PA Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May poses for a picture with European Council President Donald Tusk REUTERS Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker walks behind British Prime Minister Theresa May EPA Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker address a press conference at the European Commission in Brussels AFP/Getty Images Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at a press conference with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis (L) and Michel Barnier (2-L), the European Chief Negotiator of the Task Force for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom under Article 50 enter the room by the emergency exit to attend British Prime Minister Theresa May press briefing on Brexit Negotiations in Brussels. EPA Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis (L), Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (2-L), European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (2-R) and European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (R) in a meeting on Friday morning AFP/Getty Images Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders European Union chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier speaks during a media conference at EU headquarters Brexit bonhomie as May finally seals agreement with EU leaders European Council President Donald Tusk addresses a media conference at the Europa building in Brussels AP On Friday the Prime Minister flew to Brussels, to announce the EU and the UK had reached an agreement on phase one of the negotiations and will now progress to talks on trade. The broad outline of any future deal, or transitional phase is expected to need agreement by October of next year. The UK will pay a divorce settlement of between 35 and 39 billion, although EU figures have suggested no firm figure has been agreed. The wording of the agreement says there will be full alignment in regulations between Northern Ireland and the Republic in certain sectors to allow for an open border to be maintained. It will also involve the European Court of Justice overseeing the rights of EU nationals living in the UK for the next eight years. The Cabinet will meet on 19 December and discuss, for the first time, what future trading relationship the UK should seek with the EU. Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said certain Brexiteers would not be happy with the arrangements. He told the BBC: I think that within the next 48 hours you will hear a lot more Conservative voices... saying, actually, they are not happy with whats happened today. Some Conservatives have already expressed concern over the role of the European Court of Justices continuing jurisdiction over the UK for such a lengthy period. Leave campaigner Andrea Leadsom, leader of the Commons, said the overall deal was a significant achievement for the Prime Minister. People on all sides of the argument are now seeing that she is determined and is succeeding in making a success of leaving the EU, she said. Justice Minister Dominic Raab also said the details on how to deal with the issue of the Irish border had still to be worked out in full. He told BBC 2s Newsnight: You can call it strategic ambiguity, you can call it constructive ambiguity... what I am admitting to you, very openly, and honestly, is that we have agreed principles, but that the details still need to be ironed out on this very bespoke set of issues around Northern Ireland which cant be dealt with properly and responsibly outside of the context of the broader negotiation on customs and trade and all of those other things we have said all along. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 300 incidents that could violate international law have been tracked by the Ministry of Defence in Yemen since the conflict began two years ago. In the past year 66 incidents of potential concern have been recorded, according to Alistair Burt, Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth office. This takes the total number to 318 from the 252 which had been tracked in January 2017. Recommended Donald Trump calls on Saudi Arabia to end Yemen blockade The UK has licenced arms sales worth more than 4.6bn to Saudi Arabia, which has led a coalition of forces in Yemen against, Iranian backed Houthi rebels. The United Nations (UN) estimates around 10,000 people have died since the conflict began in March 2015. Saudi Arabian forces have been accused of targeting civilians in its deadly air strikes which the regime denies. Speaking in the House of Commons in an emergency debate, Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt admitted: We have been tracking 318 incidents of potential concern since 2015, and this is used to inform the MODs advice to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He added that "sensitive information" provided by liaison officers is used by the Permanent Joint Headquarters and MOD officials when providing advice on Saudi-led coalition capability and when conducting analysis of incidents of potential concern which result from air operations in Yemen. Andrew Smith of Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), an organisation which has taken the Government to court over its arms deals with Saudi Arabia, told The Independent: That is 318 incidents too many. These arent just numbers on a spreadsheet, they are real attacks with real people being killed. The scale of the destruction that has been inflicted upon Yemen is appalling. After almost three years of pain, the situation is only getting worse. The Saudi regime has wagered a terrible bombardment: it has fuelled an awful cholera outbreak, and has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters History will look back on these atrocities as entirely preventable, and the UK Governments role as entirely complicit. If human rights and democracy are to mean anything in Downing Street, then May and her colleagues must end the arms sales now. Mr Burt, who has responsibility for the Middle East, made his admission during a debate at the end of last month, but he insisted the continued sale of arms to the Saudis was lawful. We have a rigorous legal and parliamentary process, and ensuring that international humanitarian law is not breached is clearly a vital part of that. The information supplied by those liaison officers is crucial to ensuring that our international obligations are observed. That is why they are there. But the Scottish National Partys Alison Thewliss told the House: We lose a huge amount of credibility in this whole discussion, and we cannot be a broker for peace, while we are involved in arming a side in the conflict. We are complicit in what happens. The Minister mentioned 318 incidents of concern, and he may wish to clarify that. How many more incidents are acceptable to the Government, given that 318 incidents of concern have been picked up by the people involved and the armed forces on the ground in Yemen? That is a huge amount of concern to have. Ms Thewliss welcomed more than 2m of aid the UK Government has given to Yemen since 2015, but pointed out this was dwarfed by the 4.6 billion in arms sales. Under UK law, weapons should not be exported if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international law. MPs faced criticism after only around 30 out of 650 turned up for the emergency debate on the deepening humanitarian crisis in Yemen which has injured around 50,000 people and left three quarters of a million people at risk of starvation. The UK Government has been repeatedly forced to defend its arms trade amid mounting evidence of war crimes and civilian deaths in Yemen, with an estimated 1,300 children killed and 2,000 injured. In spite of this, the Government won the legal challenge mounted by the CAAT in July after the High Court ruled there was no evidence the Saudi-led coalition was deliberately targeting civilians. In a statement the Foreign Office said: "The UK government takes its defence export responsibilities very seriously and already operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world. We rigorously examine every application on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National arms export licensing Criteria. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Professor Stephen Hawking has joined a legal action that is aimed at preventing greater privatisation in the NHS, in the latest phase of his ongoing dispute with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. A lawsuit already exists that is seeking to prevent the establishment of what are called accountable care organisations (ACOs) in the NHS, which threaten to ration certain resources within the system. Professor Hawking told the Guardian newspaper: I am concerned that accountable care organisations are an attack on the fundamental principles of the NHS. They have not been established by statute, and they appear to be being used for reducing public expenditure, for cutting services and for allowing private companies to receive and benefit from significant sums of public money for organising and providing services. ACOs are commonplace in US healthcare systems. In August Professor Hawking accused the Conservatives underfunding the NHS, and accused the Helath Secretary of misrepresenting research to provide misleading statistics about the organisation. Mr Hunt claimed Professor Hawking was wrong to suggest the NHS was being turned into a US-style insurance system. The lawsuit is intended to prevent the introduction of ACOs without them first being subject to parliamentary scrutiny. I am joining this legal action because the NHS is being taken in a direction which I oppose, as I stated in August, without proper public and parliamentary scrutiny, consultations and debate, said Professor Hawking. I want the attention of the people of England to be drawn to what is happening and for those who are entrusted with responsibility for the NHS to account openly for themselves in public, and to be judged accordingly. Allyson Pollock, a professor of public health and one of the four people who instigated the legal action in October, said: We are honoured and delighted that Prof Stephen Hawking, who cares so deeply about the NHS, is joining this legal action. The full details of these ACOs must be published and consulted on before they progress any further. This should be the first rule of good and transparent administration for the NHS. She added: If Jeremy Hunt and Simon Stevens wont budge, then this is the moment that everybody needs to come together and say clearly that the NHS is ours, and that we are going to fight to keep it that way. The Department of Health said: We strongly resist the misleading claims in this action; it is irresponsible scaremongering to suggest that Accountable Care Organisations are being used to support privatisation and harm the fundamental principles of the NHS. The NHS will remain a taxpayer-funded system free at the point of use; ACOs are simply about making care more joined-up between different health and care organisations. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Wildfires in southern California killed a woman as they destroyed more than 500 buildings, killed dozens of horses and forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. Burning nearly 250 square miles since Monday, blazes whipped up by ferocious winds were blown quickly over huge areas near Los Angeles. Authorities said 1,000 firefighters have been battling the flames with help from a fleet of air tankers and helicopters. Recommended Cher calls for Donald Trump to visit victims of California wildfires On Friday, the first fire-related death was confirmed by the Ventura County medical examiner's office. Virignia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, was found dead on Wednesday night along an evacuation route near a fire northwest of Los Angeles. Her death was caused by crash injuries, smoke inhalation and burns, the medical examiner's office said in a statement. Driven by dry desert Santa Ana winds that surpassed 35 mph, some of the blazes have been too fast for firefighters to stop the flames. "The crews were trying to stay out ahead of this as quickly as they could," said Captain Kendal Bortisser of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. "As we know, when a tornado hits the Midwest, there's no stopping it. When a hurricane hits the East Coast, there's no stopping it. When Santa Ana winds come in, there's no stopping them," Capt. Bortisser said. Firefighters northwest of Los Angeles gained some control over the largest and most destructive fire in the state, which destroyed 430 buildings. The blaze in Ventura County grew to 206 square miles after igniting on Monday, while a fire 50 miles north of San Diego ignited for unknown reasons and destroyed at least 85 structures as it burned 6 square miles. Fire crews made enough progress against other large fires around LA to lift most evacuation orders. Horse trainers took stock of the damage at the elite San Luis Rey Downs training facility for thoroughbreds in Bonsall, where many of the more than 450 horses were cut loose to prevent them from being trapped in burning stables. California fires: in pictures Show all 36 1 /36 California fires: in pictures California fires: in pictures A man watches the Thomas Fire in the hills above Carpinteria, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Santa Barbara harbor stands as wildfire burns along the coast during the Thomas Fire REUTERS California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas Fire burn in the hills of Montecito, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Fire personnel drive along West Lilac Road near Bonsall Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns on a hillside behind Lake Casitas in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Chatsworth firefighters Zach Reynolds, left, and Steven Salazar clear hot spots at a home destroyed by the Skirball Fire on Casiano Road in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures A home is consumed by fire Getty Images California fires: in pictures A mountain lion is removed from a truck. Nearly 200 animals were evacuated from the Wildlife Waystation when the Creek fire started. Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle the Lilac fire in Bonsall AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Kalorama Apartments that was partially destroyed in the fire Rex Features California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Flames consume a structure as the Lilac fire burns in Bonsai, Calif AP California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway towards the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighter Dan Whelan is silhouetted against the sun as he battles a wildfire burning near Faria State Beach AP California fires: in pictures A firefighter is working on extinguishing the Lilac Fire Reuters California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A wildfire threatens homes as it burns along a hillside in La Conchita, Calif AP California fires: in pictures A car drives past as the Thomas Fire burns a hillside south of Casitas Springs, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters try to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burnt-out car is seen at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle to contain flames to a home on fire in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures LA city firefighters try to save a winery storage building that is own by billionaire Rupert Murdoch Rex Features California fires: in pictures A firefighter tries to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Los Angeles City firefighter Francisco Martinez protects a home as firefighters battle the Skirball Fire in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns behind trails on Old Baldwin Road in Ojai, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Members of the Reinhardt family sort through the remains of their family home after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Heavy smoke covers the seaside enclave of Mondos Beach beside the 101 highway as flames reach the coast during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A family wears face masks as they walk through the smoke filled streets after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas fire burn above a truck on Highway 101 north of Ventura AP California fires: in pictures Trees are seen through the haze at the burnt out Vista del Mar Hospital after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A woman involved in a traffic accident waits to get towed beside a wall of flames on the 101 highway during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns along a hillside near Santa Paula, California AFP/Getty Images Most of the loose horses were corralled and taken to another location, but about 25 died as barns and pasture burned. Crews were also dispatched to stamp out a small new fire that began to the east in the Cleveland National Forest near the mountain town of Alpine. AP Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} California Governor Jerry Brown has told the states residents to get used to destructive wildfires in winter, declaring them the new normal. As six major fires ravage southern California, having led to the death of one person and the destruction of hundreds of homes and other buildings, Mr Brown said the state needed to face up to a new challenge. Visiting Ventura County, where the largest of the blazes the Thomas Fire is still growing, Mr Brown said drought and climate change mean California faces a new reality where lives and property are continually threatened by fire, at a cost of billions of dollars. He said it will take heroic efforts in the US and abroad to stem climate change, and urged Congress to pay more attention to dealing with natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes. While California fire season was once largely confined to the hotter months when rain is scarce, officials are coming round to the idea that climate change has birthed a year-round threat. A crippling drought helped pile up dead trees that are now fuelling the flames. Climate change is a contributing factor to the fires, Todd Gartner, a senior associate at environmental think tank World Resources Institute, told The Independent. There is no reason to believe it wont be just as bad in the years ahead. Having started on Monday, as the end of the week arrived even as the Los Angeles County blazes were sufficiently under control to lift evacuation orders and spur a glimmer of optimism from elected officials roaring blazes stretched firefighting resources. California fires: in pictures Show all 36 1 /36 California fires: in pictures California fires: in pictures A man watches the Thomas Fire in the hills above Carpinteria, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Santa Barbara harbor stands as wildfire burns along the coast during the Thomas Fire REUTERS California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas Fire burn in the hills of Montecito, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Fire personnel drive along West Lilac Road near Bonsall Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns on a hillside behind Lake Casitas in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Chatsworth firefighters Zach Reynolds, left, and Steven Salazar clear hot spots at a home destroyed by the Skirball Fire on Casiano Road in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures A home is consumed by fire Getty Images California fires: in pictures A mountain lion is removed from a truck. Nearly 200 animals were evacuated from the Wildlife Waystation when the Creek fire started. Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle the Lilac fire in Bonsall AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Kalorama Apartments that was partially destroyed in the fire Rex Features California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Flames consume a structure as the Lilac fire burns in Bonsai, Calif AP California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway towards the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighter Dan Whelan is silhouetted against the sun as he battles a wildfire burning near Faria State Beach AP California fires: in pictures A firefighter is working on extinguishing the Lilac Fire Reuters California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A wildfire threatens homes as it burns along a hillside in La Conchita, Calif AP California fires: in pictures A car drives past as the Thomas Fire burns a hillside south of Casitas Springs, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters try to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burnt-out car is seen at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle to contain flames to a home on fire in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures LA city firefighters try to save a winery storage building that is own by billionaire Rupert Murdoch Rex Features California fires: in pictures A firefighter tries to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Los Angeles City firefighter Francisco Martinez protects a home as firefighters battle the Skirball Fire in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns behind trails on Old Baldwin Road in Ojai, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Members of the Reinhardt family sort through the remains of their family home after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Heavy smoke covers the seaside enclave of Mondos Beach beside the 101 highway as flames reach the coast during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A family wears face masks as they walk through the smoke filled streets after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas fire burn above a truck on Highway 101 north of Ventura AP California fires: in pictures Trees are seen through the haze at the burnt out Vista del Mar Hospital after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A woman involved in a traffic accident waits to get towed beside a wall of flames on the 101 highway during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns along a hillside near Santa Paula, California AFP/Getty Images The Thomas Fire spread across more than 148,000 acres in Ventura County and Santa Barbara County and destroyed more than 500 buildings, threatening 15,000 more. In San Diego County, the Lilac Fire engulfed some 4,100 acres and 105 structures 1,500 more are threatened. More than 8,700 firefighters had been deployed to battle the blazes across the state, and more than 200,000 people have been evacuated. In total, as a result of the six fires, nearly 175,000 acres have been consumed. In Los Angeles County, firefighters suppressed a trio of blazes enough that residents are beginning to return to their homes. Most of the more than 100,000 people who were driven out had their houses spared, with officials estimating that around 100 structures had been destroyed by the Skirball Fire in Los Angeless Bel Air neighbourhood and in the northern Los Angeles County enclaves menaced by the Rye Fire and the Creek Fire, where at least 56 residences had been lost. Southern California bushfire rages on But others braced for bad news. A 63-year-old-man, who gave his name only as Ed, struggled to contain his emotions, oscillating between tears and anger at firefighters who had not saved his home, as he contemplated the likelihood he had lost everything. His house, along with the woodworking tools he relies upon for income, sat in Kagel Canyon, which sustained some of the worst damage in the Creek Fire. Early on Tuesday morning, he had tried to battle the flames with his hose but gave up as helicopters thumped overhead. It was too much of a conflagration the wind was too much. It just overwhelmed me, he said. The winds were so strong, and the fire was just everywhere. Others are likely to return to their homes to see damage, or worse. Governor Brown said that gusty winds and low humidity are continuing, warning that there is a good chance of seeing firefighting at Christmas. Beyond the tragedy of these fires, there has been little respite for California firefighters this year. In September, they massed from around the state to beat back a series of blazes that scorched much of northern Californias undulating wine country, succeeding only after more than 40 people perished and thousands of buildings were lost. The fires generated more than $9.4bn in insurance claims, making them the costliest in California history. Across the US, this year has been the costliest for wildfires ever, with more than $10bn in damages before the current blazes began. But this week brought similar scenes of flames encroaching on populated areas, this time in and around Los Angeles County. Approaching the area north of Los Angeles, endangered by the Thomas Fire earlier in the week, a wall of grey smoke loomed on the horizon. The sun shone feebly through the haze, basking the landscape in an eerie orange light. A highway that winds up the California coast, alongside some of the cities most threatened by the massive Thomas Fire, was pinned between blackened hills covered with scorched brush and denuded trees, and a Pacific Ocean barely visible through the smoke. Scores of firetrucks in the Ventura County fairgrounds testified to the statewide effort to battle back flames consuming southern California, with engines hailing from the Bay Area, Sacramento and the Central Valley. Firefighters grimed with ash clustered in small groups, making plans to again try to quell the flames. Adjacent to the staging area, hundreds of displaced residents were housed near some 150 cats and dogs that had been transported out of harms way. Among those hunkered down in the evacuation centre was the Abe family, who have spent days fleeing danger. After packing up the car on Monday night, as the power flickered off and sleeping in their clothes in anticipation of a hasty departure, they sought safety in the town of Ojai only to bounce back to Ventura when Ojai came under threat. We could see the sky was just red, said Chris Abe, 53. In Ojai and surrounding towns, a curtain of smoke minimised visibility and shrouded the surrounding mountains, many of which were scorched to barrenness. Cardboard signs urging residents to boil their water were interspersed with handwritten homages to first responders Thank You for Saving Our Homes, one read along the roads in Casitas Springs, where residents trudged through the smoke equipped with heavy masks. For 28-year-old Casitas Springs denizen Mike Anderson, its been hell since the fires ignited. Weve been looking at flames nonstop since Tuesday morning, Mr Anderson said, and at one point it was a 360 degree view of flames. For a tense few days, Ojai residents waited to see if the fires consuming the surrounding forests and hills would reach downtown. As of Friday afternoon that disaster had not materialised, but 52-year-old Jeff Ganter sat at a coffee shop staring at a video he had just captured on his phone of the twisted, incinerated remains of his property. He estimated it was 95 per cent destroyed. The last 48 hours have been really intense, and such a sense of helplessness, he said. Its very numbing and surreal. Frustrated and anxious residents were trying to assess the threat and return to their homes after officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for the Santa Barbara County town of Carpinteria. A procession of drivers tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with a sheriffs deputy who was blocking a stretch of road. Ron Tito was trying to reach his friend, who remained in the evacuation area but lacked groceries and medication for his wife. Im just waiting to hear if we have to evacuate, said Mr Tito, adding that while weather seemed calmer, the prior day seemed dire. The smoke has been really bad, he said. It looked like my front yard had snow on it from all the ash. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Thousands of firefighters have tried to take advantage of reduced winds as they battle six major wild fires raging across Southern California. The fires have consumed a huge area of land from the San Diego area up the Pacific Coast to Santa Barbara. The blazes, as well as several smaller fires, have forced at least 212,000 residents from their homes and destroyed more than 500 buildings. In Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, the largest of the blazes the Thomas Fire continued to rage. Spreading across 132,000 acres it has destroyed 439 structures, including many homes. However, with winds dropping, the 2,600 firefighters managed to increase containment of the blaze to 20 per cent, up from 10 per cent on Thursday. People in the path of the massive Thomas Fire have had to grapple with the agonising decision of when to abandon their homes. Remembering the ferociousness of fires that engulfed Northern California earlier this year, Anita Chisholm had her car packed on Monday night and was scrambling to find safe homes for her three dogs. By Tuesday morning, she said, we could see the fire and the smoke on the hills directly at the end of our street in Ojai. She left, and when she returned later in the week to see if her house was intact, she found the street thick with fire trucks. There was ash absolutely everywhere, she said. President Donald Trump issued a state of emergency declaration for the area, releasing funds and allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help coordinate relief efforts. The declaration from the President said he wanted to alleviate the suffering of Californians. The blaze in San Diego County the Lilac Fire which had spread with frightening speed on Thursday reaching 4,100 acres, engulfed retirement communities and killed a number of horses in a local racehorse stable. Three people were burned while escaping the flames and at least 85 buildings were destroyed, authorities said. Around 900 of the 10,000 believed to have fled were said to be in shelters. California fires: in pictures Show all 36 1 /36 California fires: in pictures California fires: in pictures A man watches the Thomas Fire in the hills above Carpinteria, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Santa Barbara harbor stands as wildfire burns along the coast during the Thomas Fire REUTERS California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas Fire burn in the hills of Montecito, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Fire personnel drive along West Lilac Road near Bonsall Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns on a hillside behind Lake Casitas in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Chatsworth firefighters Zach Reynolds, left, and Steven Salazar clear hot spots at a home destroyed by the Skirball Fire on Casiano Road in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures A home is consumed by fire Getty Images California fires: in pictures A mountain lion is removed from a truck. Nearly 200 animals were evacuated from the Wildlife Waystation when the Creek fire started. Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle the Lilac fire in Bonsall AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Kalorama Apartments that was partially destroyed in the fire Rex Features California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Flames consume a structure as the Lilac fire burns in Bonsai, Calif AP California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway towards the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighter Dan Whelan is silhouetted against the sun as he battles a wildfire burning near Faria State Beach AP California fires: in pictures A firefighter is working on extinguishing the Lilac Fire Reuters California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A wildfire threatens homes as it burns along a hillside in La Conchita, Calif AP California fires: in pictures A car drives past as the Thomas Fire burns a hillside south of Casitas Springs, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters try to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burnt-out car is seen at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle to contain flames to a home on fire in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures LA city firefighters try to save a winery storage building that is own by billionaire Rupert Murdoch Rex Features California fires: in pictures A firefighter tries to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Los Angeles City firefighter Francisco Martinez protects a home as firefighters battle the Skirball Fire in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns behind trails on Old Baldwin Road in Ojai, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Members of the Reinhardt family sort through the remains of their family home after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Heavy smoke covers the seaside enclave of Mondos Beach beside the 101 highway as flames reach the coast during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A family wears face masks as they walk through the smoke filled streets after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas fire burn above a truck on Highway 101 north of Ventura AP California fires: in pictures Trees are seen through the haze at the burnt out Vista del Mar Hospital after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A woman involved in a traffic accident waits to get towed beside a wall of flames on the 101 highway during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns along a hillside near Santa Paula, California AFP/Getty Images Of the other blazes, the Creek Fire, which is the second-largest blaze and stretches to 15,000 acres, is now 40 per cent contained. The Rye Fire, which has consumed 6,000 acres is 35 per cent contained, while the Skirball fire, which hit 475 acres including the exclusive Bel Air neighbourhood of Los Angeles, is 30 per cent contained. The Liberty Fire, which reached 300 acres in Riverside County,is the most under control at 60 per cent containment. Elsewhere around Los Angeles, people were trading information and wondering what might await when they return to their homes. Firefighters have made enough progress with the fires for most evacuations to begin to be lifted. Although winds were due to change direction later on Friday, raising the risk of some firefighters becoming trapped. The winds are due to be an issue until at least Sunday. At a community centre in Sylmar, Joseph Fernandez was corralling his three dogs, which he had grabbed early Tuesday morning after awakening at 4am and spotting all these flames behind my house on the hillside. He has been staying with his sister. Were just waiting, Mr Fernandez said. Southern California bushfire rages on Cars piled up on roads leading back to newly opened neighbourhoods in the crumpled, mountainous terrain where the Creek Fire inflicted the most damage, with residents waiting to see if they could return home and bracing themselves to see what had come of their houses. The acrid smell of burnt wood still hung in the air. The fire has destroyed 65 homes and other structures and damaged dozens more. Earlier in day Brett Godwin discovered, to his gratitude, that his home was spared even as a structure on the same block burned the seemingly random distribution of consequences, influenced by wind patterns and stray embers, that greet survivors of natural disasters. It was just so close, said Mr Goodwin, a 55-year-old teacher. But now he was frustrated: he was hoping to rescue animals belonging to a friend who lived further up the road, but authorities had turned him back. The fate of animals was a common concern in the area, where ranches and signs depicting riders atop horses line the roads. In the days since she awoke at 3:21 am to an orange glow and the thrum of helicopters, Julie Morris said, she had managed exactly five hours of sleep. The thought of losing both her home and her horses did little to calm her mind. She lost neither, but friends scattered in the surrounding hills and canyons had seen their possessions consumed. Were thrilled, but its a horrible feeling to be watching TV and see a friends house burning, she said. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Wildfires in southern California have decimated a large area of the regions famed avocado crop. Known as the avocado capital of the world, the fire spread to the orchards of Fallbrook in Ventura County, scorching trees and ruining the fruit. Experts said even those farms that were not directly impacted by the blaze may have suffered devastating losses due to the hot, dry Santa Ana winds that blow out of the California desert, knocking avocados from the trees with gusts up to 80 miles per hour. A lot of the fruit everybody was looking forward to harvesting next year is laying on the ground, said John Krist, chief executive of the Ventura County Farm Bureau. Once an avocado is on the ground, it cannot be sold for human consumption due to food safety regulations. The ash will also leave the fruit vulnerable to pests, according to Ben Faber, a University of California farm adviser in Ventura, who believes the impact of the fires will not necessarily be immediate. When you get all this ash, they cant do their jobs, he said. Thats going to cause a disruption to the bio controls thats going to go on for a year or more. Wildfires killed one woman as flames ripped through more than 500 buildings, killed dozens of horses and caused hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. Burning nearly 250 square miles since Monday, 1,000 firefighters have been battling the flames with help from a fleet of air tankers and helicopters. Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, was found dead on Wednesday night along an evacuation route near a fire northwest of Los Angeles. Her death was caused by crash injuries, smoke inhalation and burns, the medical examiners office said in a statement. The crews were trying to stay out ahead of this as quickly as they could, said Captain Kendal Bortisser of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. California fires: in pictures Show all 36 1 /36 California fires: in pictures California fires: in pictures A man watches the Thomas Fire in the hills above Carpinteria, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Santa Barbara harbor stands as wildfire burns along the coast during the Thomas Fire REUTERS California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas Fire burn in the hills of Montecito, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Fire personnel drive along West Lilac Road near Bonsall Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns on a hillside behind Lake Casitas in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Chatsworth firefighters Zach Reynolds, left, and Steven Salazar clear hot spots at a home destroyed by the Skirball Fire on Casiano Road in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures A home is consumed by fire Getty Images California fires: in pictures A mountain lion is removed from a truck. Nearly 200 animals were evacuated from the Wildlife Waystation when the Creek fire started. Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle the Lilac fire in Bonsall AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Kalorama Apartments that was partially destroyed in the fire Rex Features California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Flames consume a structure as the Lilac fire burns in Bonsai, Calif AP California fires: in pictures Inmate firefighters fight a fire in an avocado orchard at the Ojai Vista Farm EPA California fires: in pictures Firefighters monitor a section of the Thomas Fire along the 101 freeway Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway towards the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighter Dan Whelan is silhouetted against the sun as he battles a wildfire burning near Faria State Beach AP California fires: in pictures A firefighter is working on extinguishing the Lilac Fire Reuters California fires: in pictures Firefighters work to extinguish the Thomas Fire as it burns past the 101 Highway AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A wildfire threatens homes as it burns along a hillside in La Conchita, Calif AP California fires: in pictures A car drives past as the Thomas Fire burns a hillside south of Casitas Springs, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Firefighters try to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burnt-out car is seen at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Firefighters battle to contain flames to a home on fire in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures LA city firefighters try to save a winery storage building that is own by billionaire Rupert Murdoch Rex Features California fires: in pictures A firefighter tries to extinguish fire at a house in the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures A burning house at the Bel Air district of Los Angeles Rex Features California fires: in pictures Los Angeles City firefighter Francisco Martinez protects a home as firefighters battle the Skirball Fire in Bel-Air Rex Features California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns behind trails on Old Baldwin Road in Ojai, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Members of the Reinhardt family sort through the remains of their family home after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Heavy smoke covers the seaside enclave of Mondos Beach beside the 101 highway as flames reach the coast during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A family wears face masks as they walk through the smoke filled streets after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures Flames from the Thomas fire burn above a truck on Highway 101 north of Ventura AP California fires: in pictures Trees are seen through the haze at the burnt out Vista del Mar Hospital after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures A woman involved in a traffic accident waits to get towed beside a wall of flames on the 101 highway during the Thomas wildfire near Ventura, California AFP/Getty Images California fires: in pictures The Thomas Fire burns along a hillside near Santa Paula, California AFP/Getty Images As we know, when a tornado hits the Midwest, theres no stopping it. When a hurricane hits the East Coast, theres no stopping it. When Santa Ana winds come in, theres no stopping them. Firefighters northwest of Los Angeles gained some control over the largest and most destructive fire in the state, which destroyed 430 buildings. The blaze in Ventura County grew to 206 square miles after igniting on Monday, while a fire 50 miles north of San Diego ignited for unknown reasons and destroyed at least 85 structures as it burned six square miles. Fire crews made enough progress against other large fires around LA to lift most evacuation orders. Recommended Fourth southern California wildfire threatens Los Angeles Horse trainers took stock of the damage at the elite San Luis Rey Downs training facility for thoroughbreds in Bonsall, where many of the more than 450 horses were cut loose to prevent them from being trapped in burning stables. Most of the loose horses were corralled and taken to another location, but about 25 died as barns and pasture burned. Crews were also dispatched to stamp out a small new fire that began to the east in the Cleveland National Forest near the mountain town of Alpine. Additional reporting by agencies Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump's administration is facing a lawsuit for permitting oil companies to dump fracking waste into the Gulf of Mexico. The Centre for Biological Diversity (CBD) filed a formal notice of intent against the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), arguing the practice endangers sea turtles, whales and other marine life. It comes just months after the EPA finalised a Clean Water Act that allows oil companies to offload unlimited amounts of waste into the ocean basin. The Trump administration is letting the oil industry turn our oceans into toxic-waste dumps. The EPA's supposed to protect water quality, not help pollute the Gulf, said Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Centre for Biological Diversity in a statement announcing the lawsuit. It's time for the courts to remind this agency that its mission is to safeguard the environment and public health. The CBD argues the practice was approved without properly evaluating the risks to already imperilled species native to the Gulf. They believe it is in direct violation of the federal Endangered Species Act. Federal waters off Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi host the largest concentration of offshore oil and gas drilling activities in the country, according to the CBD. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Previous records requests revealed that oil companies dumped more than 75 billion gallons of wastewater into these waters in 2014 alone. In October, Mr Trump unveiled plans to sell off 73 million acres of water in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas exploration. The US Interior Department released a statement saying it would offer offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for development, scheduled for March 2018. "Only the courts can stop Trumps assault on our oceans, Ms Monsell said. Oil-industry pollution was already a problem in the Gulf, but this administration isnt even trying to protect wildlife from fracking chemicals. We need to fight back on behalf of marine wildlife. After 60 days, the centre will be able to launch formal proceedings against the federal government to comply with the Endangered Species Act. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A key adviser to Donald Trump on Middle Eastern policy will become the latest senior figure to leave the White House. Dina Powell, the US Presidents deputy national security adviser, will quit the administration early next year, the White House has confirmed. The announcement came just two days after Mr Trumps controversial move to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital, which has sparked demonstrations in the West Bank and across the Arab world. However, close Trump allies say Ms Powells departure had always been planned and the former Goldman Sachs executive would continue to offer advice from outside government. National security adviser HR McMaster told the Washington Post: Dina has been an invaluable member of President Trumps team, She organised and drove an effort to restore our nations strategic competence. Her sage advice helped provide options to the president and her strong relationships across the US government and internationally helped drive execution of the presidents decisions. All of us look forward to continuing to work with her as she continues to support this administrations efforts on Middle East peace and other issues. Eygptian-born Ms Powell had previously served in the George W Bush administration and was appointed to her current post in March this year. She had offered foreign affairs advice to the Trump White House, with a particular focus on the Middle East, planning the Presidents trips to Saudi Arabia and Israel. Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Show all 22 1 /22 Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of Difa-e-Pakistan Council a coalition of right wing Islamic parties, burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump, during a protest in Quetta, Pakistan EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli police scuffle with a Palestinian protester outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City Getty Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn pictures of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu following Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli forces disperse Palestinian protesters outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on 7 December 2017 AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of the Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC), an Islamic organization, chant slogans as they burn Israeli and US flags during a protest against Donald Trump in Peshawar REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinians paint an 'X' over the face of a picture of US president Donald J. Trump which was painted on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protestors burn the Israeli flag and a poster of US President Donald Trump in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of a Pakistani religious party rally against Donald Trump in Lahore AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn the US and Israeli flags in Gaza City AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital A poster depicting U.S. President Donald Trump is burnt during a protest against Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Ramallah REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Israeli forces detain a Palestinian protester during clashes that followed protests against US President Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Hebron AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters burn an effigy of U.S. President Donald Trump AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protesters shout slogans against Donald Trump EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital A Palestinian protester wears a Guy Fawkes mask used by the anonymous movement during clashes with Israeli troops in Hebron AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops during protests AFP/Getty Images Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Supporters of a Pakistani religious party chant anti-American slogans during a rally in Islamabad, Pakistan AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Pakistanis burn a representation of the U.S. flag during a protest rally in Hyderabad AP Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Young Palestinian women look on as smoke billows from burning tyres as fellow Palestinian demonstrators clash with Isralei troops AFP/Getty Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protesters burn a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump at a protest in Islamabad REUTERS Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Protestors shouts slogans against US President Donald Trump as they hold Palestinian and Turkish flags during a protest near the US Embassy in Ankara, Turkey EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Palestinian protestors put their feet over a picture of US president Donald Trump during a protest in the West Bank City of Nablus EPA Protests erupt after Trump recognises Jerusalem as Israel's capital Pakistani protesters burn tires at an anti-Donald Trump rally in Multan AP Ms Powell had reportedly clashed with key figures in the administration, such as secretary of state Rex Tillerson and former chief strategist Steve Bannon, over the direction of Mr Trumps foreign policy. The Presidents decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital this week saw tensions flare on the West Bank. Palestinian demonstrators carried out protests as part of a day of rage on Friday, in which at least two people are thought to have been killed and 200 others injured during clashes with Israeli forces. Mr Trumps declaration was described as a courageous and just decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but has received widespread condemnation from Arab nations and western US allies, including the UK. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A uranium company launched a concerted lobbying campaign to scale back Bears Ears National Monument, saying such action would give it easier access to the area's uranium deposits and help it operate a nearby processing mill, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and top Utah Republicans have said repeatedly that questions of mining or drilling played no role in President Donald Trump's announcement on Monday that he was cutting the site by more than 1.1 million acres, or 85 per cent. Mr Trump also signed a proclamation nearly halving the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is also in southern Utah and has significant coal deposits. "This is not about energy," Mr Zinke told reporters Tuesday. "There is no mine within Bears Ears." Recommended Trump shrinks national monument sacred to local tribe But the nation's sole uranium processing mill sits directly next to the boundaries that President Barack Obama designated a year ago when he established Bears Ears. The documents show that Energy Fuels Resources, a subsidiary of a Canadian firm, urged the Trump administration to limit the monument to the smallest size needed to protect key objects and areas, such as archaeological sites, to make it easier to access the radioactive ore. In a 25 May letter to the Interior Department, Chief Operating Officer Mark Chalmers wrote that the 1.35 million-acre expanse Obama created "could affect existing and future mill operations." He later noted, "There are also many other known uranium and vanadium deposits located within the [original boundaries] that could provide valuable energy and mineral resources in the future." Mr Trump instructed Mr Zinke in April to assess 27 monuments designated under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives presidents wide latitude to protect federal lands and waters under threat. Conservationists, tribal officials, ranching groups and other interests sought to influence the review's outcome, unsuccessfully in the case of the two Utah sites. Governor Gary Herbert, addressed the energy considerations in an interview on Monday. "The only thing that smacks of energy is the uranium," he said. "The uranium deposits are outside the monument now." Energy Fuels Resources did not just weigh in on national monuments through public-comment letters. It hired a team of lobbyists at Faegre Baker Daniels - led by Andrew Wheeler, who is awaiting Senate confirmation as the Environmental Protection Agency's deputy secretary - to work on the matter and other federal policies affecting the company. It paid the firm $30,000 between 1 January and 30 September, according to federal lobbying records, for work on this and other priorities. The company's vice president of operations, William Paul Goranson, joined Mr Wheeler and two other lobbyists, including former congresswoman Mary Bono to discuss Bears Ears in a 17 July meeting with two top Zinke advisers. Mr Goranson said on Friday that the session with Downey Magallanes, who oversaw the monuments review and serves as Mr Zinke's deputy chief of staff for policy, and Vincent De Vito, his energy policy counsellor, was focused on fairly narrow issues. Company officials "were trying to get a sense of what was going on" with the review because some of their air and water quality monitoring stations and a road leading to the now-dormant Daneros mine all lay within the original monument, Mr Goranson explained. "The goal of the meeting . . . was not to go and advocate on the boundaries," he said, adding that the lobbying for that was "on a separate track." Still, the officials proposed small boundary adjustments to accommodate the monitoring stations as well as the mine, he acknowledged. And they emphasised that the company had cut its workforce by more than half since 2015 because of low uranium prices. "They heard what we had to say about the job losses, etc.," he said. Mr Zinke's deputies "were pretty positively disposed to" the idea of spurring future domestic uranium production. The Interior Department did not respond to a request for comment Friday. The price of uranium has recently hovered between $20 and $25 per pound. To justify mining activity, it needs to approach $40 to $50. Michael Heim, a securities research analyst at Noble Capital Markets, said Friday that the current amount "is not a sustainable price" for firms such as Energy Fuels Resources. Given today's price, Mr Heim said, "the idea of creating more areas to mine wouldn't have much impact." But Mr Goranson said he and other company officials are "confident" that the construction of nuclear plants in Asia and elsewhere, along with other factors, will eventually push prices higher and justify reopening the Daneros mine. Greg Zimmerman, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation and advocacy group, said the Energy Fuels Resources effort shows the extent to which industry interests influenced the monuments review. "You listen to the rhetoric about how this was all really about taking special interests out of the equation," Mr Zimmerman said. "They're doing this on behalf of special interests. When you look in terms of public access to recreation areas, there's not a hunter or angler or outdoor recreationist who wants to be out and around an uranium mine." Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park Show all 4 1 /4 Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354728.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354697.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354699.bin KATERINA ADAMS Call of the wild: Hitting the heights in Utah's most dramatic national park 354702.bin AP The idea of uranium mining is particularly sensitive among members of the Navajo Nation, who have a reservation near Bears Ears and played a key role in pressing for its creation. More than 500 uranium mines have been left near or on their lands, and most of these designated Superfund sites have not been cleaned up. Contamination still affects drinking-water wells, springs and storage tanks. Navajo Nation Council delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, who represents several communities near Bears Ears, said on Friday that the nation opposes any additional uranium development. "We felt the full brunt of uranium contamination and lost a whole generation of men who were mining or milling uranium," she said. The Navajo Nation and other tribes are challenging Trump's Bears Ears proclamation in federal court, and Navajo President Russell Begaye expressed confidence in an interview that the move will be overturned. Yet "there is a definite door that's been opened" with its signing, he said. "With this proclamation, it's an open invitation for mining companies to come in and start mining uranium and other minerals in the area." Washington Post Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said North Korea is open to direct talks with the US and passed that message on to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Russian news agencies reported that while speaking at a summit in Vienna, Austria Mr Lavrov noted the talks would likely be contingent on security guarantees. We know that North Korea wants above all to talk to the United States about guarantees for its security. We are ready to support that, we are ready to take part in facilitating such negotiations, Mr Lavrov said. Recommended US to fly strategic bombers over Korean peninsula Our American colleagues, (including) Rex Tillerson, have heard this. Experts have said repeatedly that Pyongyang may be basing its need for security guarantees on recent US treatment of Iran. In October, US President Donald Trump announced he would not re-certify a nuclear deal signed by Iran and six world powers - a signature foreign policy achievement by predecessor President Barack Obama. Despite the evidence provided by the United Nations on Tehran's compliance with the deal, Mr Trump said it was too lenient on Iran and that they had violated portions of it. Donald Trump says 'we will take care of it' after North Korea fires missile It opened the door for harsher economic sanctions to be placed on the country, the mitigation of which was a key inducement for Iran to comply with the historic deal. The meeting between Mr Lavrov and Mr Tillerson took place the same day the United Nations made its first official visit to North Korea in six years. Tensions have continued to rise between Pyongyang and Washington. Late last month, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) - the Hwasong-15 which is reportedly capable of reaching the east coast of the US. North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Show all 13 1 /13 North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Pyongyang residents react after the news of the successful launch of the new intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Images North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un signing an order to test-fire the newly developed inter-continental ballistic missile KRT via AP Video North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch A news broadcast displays Kim Jong Un's signed document AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch People cheer as they watch the news broadcast announcing Kim Jong Un's order to test-fire the new inter-continental ballistic missile AFP/Getty Images North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Residents react after the document signing AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Pyongyang residents celebrate Kim Jong Un's announcement AFP/Getty North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Cheering Pyongyang residents react AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch To counter North Korea's missile test, South Korea fired missiles into the East Sea The Defence Ministry/Yonhap via REUTERS North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch The Hyunmu-2 missiles firing during the drill South Korean Defense Ministry vi North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch The exercise was carried out in an attempt to counter Kim Jong Un's order South Korea Defense Ministry via AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch The South Korean army continue to carry out military exercises AP North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch Where K-9 self-propelled howitzers were taking part in a drill Rex Features North Korea announces intercontinental missile launch US soldiers are also present in the border city of Paju AFP/Getty Images It was the first test the hermit kingdom had conducted in two months, its 20th overall, and its seventh actual launch of a weapon. It also reportedly went approximately 2,800 miles (4,000 km) up into the atmosphere before landing in the Sea of Japan, according to South Korean and Japanese authorities. US Defence Secretary James Mattis said the latest missile did fly higher than previous ones. The launch came just one week after the US declared North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, imposing new economic sanctions on the country. North Korea was last on the state-sponsored terror list in 2008, under the George W Bush administration. It was removed that year in a bid to salvage a deal halting its nuclear development. Mr Tillerson said that attempt at negotiations "obviously failed." The latest missile launch also adds to mounting tensions between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who have traded jabs at each other - the US President called Mr Kim Rocket Man and he in turn called Mr Trump a dotard. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Just four days before a crucial special election for a US Senate seat in Alabama, President Donald Trump has again told Alabamians to "Get out and vote for Roy Moore", the Republican candidate dogged by sexual misconduct allegations. The US leader appeared to cast doubt on the claims of Beverly Young Nelson, who has accused Mr Moore of sexually assaulting her decades ago when she was a teenager. Mr Moore has vehemently denied all the allegations against him. "How many people here are from the great state of Alabama?" Mr Trump asked a cheering crowd in Pensacola, Florida - which is located about 25 miles from the Alabama border. "I have to say this - did you see what happened today? There was a little mistake made. She started writing things in the yearbook," he said, referring to Ms Nelson. Earlier in the day, Ms Nelson acknowledged that she added a notation under a high school yearbook inscription she says Mr Moore wrote in 1977. The candidate and his allies have seized on the admission, using it to argue that Ms Nelson's allegations against him are not true. At a news conference with Ms Nelson, her lawyer Gloria Allred revealed the findings of a handwriting analyst who had determined that the signature on the inscription belonged to Mr Moore. Several women, including one who was 14 at the time, also claim that Mr Moore had inappropriate contact with them decades ago. Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Show all 30 1 /30 Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Threatening to shut down Twitter after being fact-checked After the president tweeted that voting by post would be "substantially fraudulent", Twitter attached a warning label to his tweet and referred readers to a site which explained how the claim was "unsubstantiated". Trump then said Twitter was "stifling free speech" and that he may have to shut it down, something which he would not have the power to do AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Flippantly dismissing a serious allegation of sexual assault When author E Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her, the president responded: Number one, shes not my type. Number two, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Insulting the Mayor of London as he landed in London Just before touching down at Stansted Airport for his state visit, Trump took time out to @ the London mayor Sadiq Khan on twitter. He said that Khan has done a "terrible job"as mayor and that he is a "stone cold loser" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Taking plenty of "Executive Time" The president's official schedule sets aside the hours from 8 to 11am daily for "Executive Time". Further intermittent periods of "Executive Time" are scheduled throughout any given day, ranging from 15 minutes to 3 hours. His duties in these hours have not been officially disclosed, though Axios reports that he spends them watching TV, reading the newspapers and tweeting Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Shutdown the government for over a month in an effort to secure funding for his wall With Mexico declining to pay for the wall, the president has faced difficulty in raising the required $5bn at home. Due to his demand that the money for the wall be included in the budget, and Congress's refusal, the government partially shut down on 22 December 2018. It remained shut for over a month, the longest period in history Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Joking about the Nazi occupation of France to President Macron In this tweet from 13 November 2018, the president mocks Emmanuel Macron's suggestion of a "true, European army" by invoking the conflict between France and Germany in the world wars Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Railing against the Mueller investigation The president has repeatedly claimed that the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, is a "rigged witch hunt" Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting a US intelligence report on Russian meddling in the presence of Vladimir Putin In the press conference that followed his landmark meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Trump stated that he saw no reason why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 US election. This contradicted a 2017 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence that found evidence of Russian interference in favour of Trump Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Contradicting his contradiction of a US intelligence report on Russian meddling Following furious backlash in the US, the president claimed that he meant to say that he saw no reason why it would not have been Russia who meddled in the 2016 US election. As to why he would have intended to use such bizarre phrasing, he did not comment Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Colouring in the US flag wrong The president coloured in the US flag wrongly during a visit to a children's hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He added a blue stripe where in tradition, and statute, there have been only white and red stripes AFP/Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing a Secretary of State over Twitter The president announced on Twitter that he was appointing Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State, much to the surprise of then Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Quoting a catchphrase from a reality TV show when discussing police brutality While addressing the issue of black athletes not standing for the national anthem in protest of police brutality, the president made reference to his catchphrase from reality TV show "The Apprentice": you're fired! Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Calling African nations "S***hole Countries" Ever one for diplomacy, the president reportedly referred to African nations as "s***hole countries". Asked to confirm this when meeting with Nigeria's President Buhari, Trump stated that there are "some countries that are in very bad shape". Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Defending Russian President Vladimir Putin Trump appeared to equate US foreign actions to those of Russian president Vladimir Putin, saying: There are a lot of killers. You think our countrys so innocent? Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Asking for people to 'pray' for Arnold Schwarzenegger At the National Prayer Breakfast, Trump couldnt help but to ask for prayers for the ratings on Arnold Schwarzeneggers show to be good. Schwarzenegger took over as host of The Apprentice which buoyed Trumps celebrity status years ago Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Hanging up on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Early in his presidency, Trump reportedly hung up the phone on Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull after the foreign leader angered him over refugee plans. Mr Trump later said that it was the worst call he had had so far Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... The 'Muslim ban' Perhaps one of his most controversial policies while acting as president, Trumps travel ban targeting predominantly Muslim countries has bought him a lot of criticism. The bans were immediately protested, and judges initially blocked their implementation. The Supreme Court later sided with the administrations argument that the ban was developed out of concern for US security Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Praising crowd size while touring Hurricane Harvey damage After Hurricane Harvey ravaged southeastern Texas, Trump paid the area a visit. While his response to the disaster in Houston was generally applauded, the president picked up some flack when he gave a speech outside Houston (he reportedly did not visit disaster zones), and praised the size of the crowds there AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... 'Little Rocket Man' During his first-ever speech to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump tried out a new nickname for North Korea leader Kim Jong-un: Rocket Man. He later tweaked it to be little Rocket Man as the two feuded, and threatened each other with nuclear war. During that speech, he also threatened to totally annihilate North Korea Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Attacking Sadiq Khan following London Bridge terror attack After the attack on the London Bridge, Trump lashed out at London Mayor Sadiq Khan, criticising Khan for saying there was no reason to be alarmed after the attack. Trump was taking the comments out of context, as Khan was simply saying that the police had everything under control Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming presenter Mika Brezinkski was 'bleeding from the face' Never one not to mock his enemies, Trump mocked MSNBCs Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, saying that she and co-host Joe Scarborough had approached him before his inauguration asking to join him. He noted that she was bleeding badly from a face-lift at the time, and that he said no MSNBC Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming the blame for Charlottesville was on 'both sides' Trump refused to condemn far-right extremists involved in violence at 'the march for the right' protests in Charlottesville, even after the murder of counter protester Heather Heyer AP Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Retweeting cartoon of CNN being hit by a 'Trump train' Trump retweeted a cartoon showing a Trump-branded train running over a person whose body and head were replaced by a CNN avatar. He later deleted the retweet Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Tweeting about 'slamming' CNN Trump caught some flack when he tweeted a video showing him wrestling down an individual whose head had been replaced by a CNN avatar. Trump has singled CNN out in particular with his chants of fake news Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Firing head of the FBI, James Comey Trumps firing of former FBI Director James Comey landed him with a federal investigation into Russias meddling in the 2016 election that has caused many a headache for the White House. The White House initially said that the decision was made after consultation from the Justice Department. Then Mr Trump himself said that he had decided to fire him in part because he wanted the Russia investigation Mr Comey was conducting to stop Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Not realising being president would be 'hard' Just three months into his presidency, Trump admitted that being president is harder than he thought it would be. Though Trump insisted on the 2016 campaign trail that doing the job would be easy for him, he admitted in an interview that living in the White House is harder than running a business empire Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Accusing Obama of wiretapping him Trump accused former president Barack Obama of wire tapping him on twitter. The Justice Department later clarified: Obama had not, in fact, done so Reuters Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Claiming there had been 3 million 'illegal votes' Trump was never very happy about losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.8 million ballots. So, he and White House voter-fraud commissioner Kris Kobach have claimed that anywhere between three and five million people voted illegally during the 2016 election. Conveniently, he says that all of those illegal votes went to Clinton. (There is no evidence to support that level of widespread voter fraud.) Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Leaving Jews out of the Holocaust memorial statement Just days after taking office, Trumps White House issued a statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, but didnt mention jews or even the word jewish in the written statement Getty Donald Trump's least presidential moments so far... Anger over Inauguration crowd size Trumps inauguration crowd was visibly, and noticeably, smaller than that of his predecessor, Barack Obama. But, he really wanted to have had the largest crowd on record. So, he praised it as the biggest crowd ever. Relatedly, Trump also claimed that it stopped raining in Washington at the moment he was inaugurated. It didnt, the day was very dreary Reuters The President's endorsement of Mr Moore and his mention of Ms Nelson during his address show that he has chosen to stand with the accused rather than women who say Mr Moore abused them. "We cannot afford - this country, the future of this country - cannot afford to lose a seat in the very very close United States Senate," Mr Trump said to the approving crowd. "We cant afford it folks. We cant afford to have a liberal Democrat who is completely controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer," he added, referring to the top Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate, respectively. After taking a swipe at the Democratic candidate Doug Jones, calling him a "puppet", Mr Trump declared: "We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda, which involves tough on crime, tough on borders building the wall, strengthening our military, continuing our great fight for our veterans." He continued: "We want jobs, jobs, jobs, so get out and vote for Roy Moore." There is still question over whether the allegations against Mr Moore will have the ability to derail his chances of being elected. Alabama has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980, demonstrating the hold the party has over the state. By endorsing Mr Moore, Mr Trump has taken a position at odds with the views of many in his own party. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell originally said that Mr Moore should withdraw from the race, but on Sunday he said he was going to let the people of Alabama make the call. On Tuesday, Mr McConnell said if Mr Moore was elected, he would immediately have an issue with the Ethics Committee. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} More than 3,000 have signed up for South Koreas palliative care trial. According to data by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, hospitals have received thousands of requests from terminal ill patients to sign up for the die with dignity programme. South Koreas National Assembly passed the law to stop prolonging terminally ill patients lives, if requested, in January of last year but it wont come into force until February 2018. However, hospitals allowed patients to stop receiving treatment before it is legal in a three month trial period. Thousands have signed necessary documents saying they would opt to stop receiving medical treatment in a three-month trial period that began in October. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty During the trial doctors across 13 hospitals discussed end-of-life care with patients or their family members. South Koreas Supreme Court recognised that prolonging a terminally ill comatose patients right to die as a violation of an individuals basic dignity in 2009. It ordered a hospital to remove her respirator, noting that it was wrong to continue treatment just to prolong life without hope of recovery. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Most people who receive vitriolic, racist messages and death threats on social media would rather do anything than come face to face with the person perpetrating the abuse, but Ozlem Sara Cekic takes a very different approach to the relentless harassment she has been subjected to. Cekic, one the first two female MPs in Denmark with a Muslim immigrant background, has met dozens of people on the Danish far right who have inundated her with furiously racist and violent abuse. Since leaving parliament, the former MP for the Socialist Peoples Party (SF) has made it her lifes work to open dialogue between the far right and mainstream Danish society and has set up the Bridge Builders organisation. But unsurprisingly not all of the politicians meetings have gone smoothly. On one occasion, Cekic, who is Kurdish but moved from Turkey to Denmark as a young child, took a three-and-a-half-hour train journey from Copenhagen to meet a neo-Nazi with whom she ended up having a deeply troubling encounter. Recommended Denmark set to ban the burqa I met him because he said he had a very good solution for all of these problems, she tells The Independent. I did not trust him. He said: I dont think we should deport people out the country: the black race is much more violent than the white race, and the best solution is to stop you having children. I said: But I want children. He said: Ive found a solution, we can inseminate you with the white genes, so you can get the white children. The campaigner has had a number of instances where she has been overwhelmed with emotion, and admits it can be difficult to engage with people with such angry and hateful views. I am a human of course I get upset. I wish I did not cry, she says. It is very hard to talk with these people but someone has to do it. I no longer think that the right strategy is to ignore them. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Cekic, whose address is kept secret, is in regular contact with the police to remain protected from people on the far right. She said she went to them half a year ago to inform them she had 31 new cases. I have a restraining order, she says. Twice a year I have contact with the police, where they try and find the people. I had a case against some people in the court. Cekic says that at one point things got so bad she was being stalked by an apparent Danish Nazi party member who she claims was thrown out for being too extreme. It was a horrible time, she says. The telephone would ring and ring and I would get paranoid and think hes in the house. I was at the zoo with my children and the phone rang 20, 30, 40 times and I thought he was there, she said. He called me for eight months. He always called with a secret number and would say you have to get out of my country. My sons said, But mum why does he hate you so much? He doesnt know you. The police found him after that. He only threatened me on the phone. In spite of this experience, Cekic insists the overwhelming majority of meetings go smoothly and the people who send her hate mail are not who you might think they are. I always imagine in my head who I am visiting and what their lifestyle is. Almost every time I am wrong, she says. The people who send the hate mail are normal people. They have a job. A lot of them have a wife or husband. They have children. Muslim MP meets the person who sent her hate mail for coffee The campaigner, who receives hateful messages from trolls every week and has been subject to chants such as go home! on the street, decided to start engaging with the individuals on the other side of the computer screen after leaving parliament. She first became an MP in the 2007 elections but lost her seat in 2015, as SF lost nine of its 16 seats in parliament. The mother-of-three left SF in March this year over the partys decision to support preventing unaccompanied refugee minors from entering Denmark a position on which the party later U-turned. It was during her time in parliament that Cekic started receiving hate mail. According to the former politician, people would brand her a terrorist and ask what she was doing in parliament. While she initially responded by simply deleting the messages, she changed her approach after speaking to Jacob Holdt, an internationally acclaimed Danish photographer who has spent time with the far right. Holdt said: Visit them and try to understand them. And I said: They will kill me. And he said: Rule one, they will never kill you. Rule two, if they kill you, you will be a martyr. Its a win-win situation for you. And that was the reason I started my dialogue coffee, she says. I used to delete all my hate mail, but one of my colleagues said: Dont do that. If something happens to you, its good for the police to have something. So I made a hate-mail map in my Outlook and then I thought, maybe Jacobs right, maybe I should visit them. Its always in their house so they can see that I trust them. I always bring something we can eat. My philosophy is if you can have something to eat you can have peace. Cekic has invited hundreds of people who have sent her abusive messages to engage in an open civil dialogue over a slice of cake and a cup of coffee or tea. Nevertheless, she doesnt meet only those on the far right. I not only visit neo-Nazis and people with a racist mindset. I also visit extreme Muslims, people who hate democracy, people who hate homosexuals, people who hate Jewish people, she says. I try to find a common language, to try to understand why we hate each other when we dont know each other. Recommended Danish opposition party demands immigrants celebrate Christmas But while Cecik has become a seasoned pro at coming face to face with people with extreme views, she still feels nervous before her visits. I was so scared before my first meeting, she says. I thought he would cut my throat. But Jacob said to me: If you are afraid, then they will be afraid. You have to go in with an open mind. I had my telephone in my hand with a message saying help me and the address ready to send to my husband. He had written so much hate mail to me. Each one would start with you are a terrorist and end with you are a terrorist. So I called him, I googled his number, and I said Hi, its Ozlem, you dont know me, I dont know you, but you have sent so much hate mail to me, maybe we can have breakfast together. Can I come and visit you? He said, I have to ask my wife and I thought, What? this racist has a wife! So I visited him. My husband and I agreed that if he hadnt heard from me after one hour he would call the police. Cekic was there for two-and-a-half hours and was surprised by how well it went. He made her coffee and breakfast and they ended up remaining friends for two years, although have since lost contact. She says: When I came home, it was so difficult for me to understand how I could like a man who had such horrible racist views. I wondered why I had so many prejudices about him. That was just the beginning. This raises the question of how Cekic manages to have amicable, civilised exchanges with people who hold such vitriolic views and have previously been so vile towards her. According to her, the aim of the meetings is to try and understand the person behind the troll. During the dialogue coffee, I want to learn about the other person as a human and I want them to know me as a human, because yes, I am Muslim, but I am so many other things too. I am a nurse, I am a daughter. My mum has cancer. I have three children. My husband works in the bank. Cekic says the purpose of the meetings was to try to tackle and overcome feelings of fear felt by either party and find a way to relate to each other on a human level. It is not about me being the good guy and them being the bad guy, it is about meeting each other, she says. I need them to listen and to understand where this hate comes from. I am afraid of people like them and they are afraid of people like me. We have to meet each other to know that we shouldnt be afraid of each other. My advice for all the people I meet is, please talk to each other, dont just talk about each other. Cekic admits bridge-building is by no means a fast or simple process and instead takes a great deal of time, effort and patience. Nevertheless, she has had great triumphs during her work and even took one far-right sympathiser to visit a mosque in Copenhagen. I went into the mosque and I could hear him laughing, she says. He said: What a beautiful place. After that, we met and he said: I have to do something, I have to know that some of these people are very good. I cant generalise. Cekic, who has lived in Denmark for 31 years, says 90 per cent of the visits are positive experiences and the vast majority of people she approaches agree to meeting her. They want to be heard, she says. She says there are many reasons why someone might hold xenophobic and racist views, but that the erroneous fake news they consume is a massive factor. The campaigner draws the line at people who use actively violent language towards her and is careful not to meet them, saying: I only meet with people who dont use violence in their letters. They use horrible language but not violence. Not all of the hate mail is venomous in its wording. Once I got a message that said: Dear Ozlem, Dear beautiful Ozlem with the beautiful eyes, you are so kind and you have so much energy, she says. But please can you go back to your own country and work for whats happening in Turkey and not be in my country. Cekic says a lot of people who sent her hate mail hide behind their screen and forget there is a human on the other side of the computer. For them, its easier to send the hate mail because it is to a person they cant see in front of them, she says. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Kevin Spacey has been accused of groping a member of the Norwegian royal family. Ari Behn, the former son-in-law of the King of Norway, claimed the actor put his hands on him after a Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, 10 years ago. Spacey has been accused of sexual harassment and abuse by a number of men over the past two months and has been written out of Netflix series House of Cards. Recommended Lena Dunham claims she warned Hillary Clinton aides about Weinstein Mr Behn, who was married to King Haralds daughter, Princess Martha Louise, for 14 years until 2016, told Norwegian radio station P4: We had a great talk, he sat right next to me. After five minutes he said, Hey, lets go out and have a cigarette.' "Then he puts his hands under the table and grabs me by the balls. He said he politely rebuked the actor, telling him: Er, maybe later. He said: I am a generous person but this was a bit more than I had in mind. My hair was dark at the time, I was ten years younger and right up his alley. Mr Behn, an author, has three children with Princess Martha. The couple said they had grown apart but hoped to remain friends when they announced their divorce. The Old Vic theatre in London said last month it had been made aware of 20 separate allegations of alleged inappropriate behaviour by Spacey while he was artistic director there. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 November 2022 Emma Woolf, great niece of British author Virginia Woolf, and her son Ludovic sit next to a new bronze statue of Woolf, unveiled in Richmond, London Reuters UK news in pictures 15 November 2022 Lesley Sutcliffe shelters from the rain next to a life-sized replica of the innermost coffin of King Tutankhamun by artist Amanda Stoner as it goes on display inside a traditional red telephone box which has been converted into a museum, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire PA UK news in pictures 14 November 2022 Members of the hospitality sector demonstrate outside parliament in London. The head of the Confederation of British Industry is urging the UK government to relax immigration rules to help British companies with severe staff shortages, ahead of the chancellors autumn statement EPA UK news in pictures 13 November 2022 England celebrate winning the mens T20 World Cup in Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia AAP Image/Reuters UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty Spacey, who came out as gay when the allegations against him emerged, has been replaced by Christopher Plummer in the Ridley Scott film All the Money in the World. He starred in the first five series of the Netflix hit House of Cards, but the sixth and final season will concentrate on his on-screen wife, played by Robin Wright. Spaceys representatives have said he is currently seeking treatment and the actor has not been seen in public since the allegations broke. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Human remains from an old Jewish burial ground in eastern Poland have been dug up and dumped in an empty lot to make way for the construction of an electrical substation and a parking lot, authorities have revealed. Polish Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich described the excavation as the worst desecration of a Jewish cemetery he has seen during the 17 years he has been a rabbi in the country. Jewish religious law holds that bodies should be disturbed once they are buried only under limited circumstances, such as saving lives. A day after visiting the construction site in Siemiatycze, a small town that was about 60 per cent Jewish before the Second World War, Schudrich showed The Associated Press photos of large mounds of earth with human bones, including a large part of a human skull. This is a full-out scandal, the rabbi, who originally is from New York, said. Sometimes people can do something by mistake and may not realise they are seeing bones, but skulls are hard to miss. An official with the local authorities, Bogumila Kazimierczak, insisted that the building work did not take place on the grounds of the Jewish cemetery, but on already developed land that is managed by an automobile association. The mayors office had no information indicating construction there should be prohibited, Kazimierczak said. Schudrich disputes that, saying the land in question was part of the old cemetery. He said it and another section of the cemetery were not returned to the Jewish community after the fall of communism in Poland. The rabbi said he warned local authorities that it was holy ground and asked them to inform him if there was ever a request to build there. I went there three or four years ago and I told them that if you put a shovel in the ground, you are going to find bones, Schudrich said. Prosecutors have opened an investigation. Only 70 of the 7,000 Jews estimated to have been living in Siemiatycze on the eve of the Second World War survived the Holocaust, and none are believed to living there now, Schudrich said. This is a very egregious violation of the final resting place of the Jews of this town, said Gideon Taylor, co-chair of the Foundation for the Preservation of Jewish Heritage in Poland. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The country has more than 1,000 Jewish cemeteries but, in most cases, no Jewish communities left to look after them, Taylor said. Its essential that local authorities protect them because there is no local Jewish voice to protect the memory of those who died, he added. Associated Press For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Boris Johnson arrived on Saturday in Iran, where he is expected to lobby his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for the release of jailed Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The visit is only the third by a British foreign minister to Iran in the last 14 years, and takes place against a complex backdrop of historical, regional and bilateral tensions. Mr Johnson will also meet President Hassan Rouhani, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and other officials, the state news agency IRNA said on Saturday in its report on the visit. Mr Johnson and Iranian officials will discuss bilateral relations, including banking and economic ties, as well as regional issues and international developments, IRNA added. Mr Johnson has vowed to leave "no stone unturned" in Britain's efforts to free Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, who was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted by an Iranian court of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. She denies the charges. "The Foreign Secretary will urge the Iranians to release dual nationals where there are humanitarian grounds to do so," a foreign office spokesman said earlier. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe is not the only dual national being held in Iran, but has become the most high-profile case. Mr Johnson said on 1 November that she had been teaching people journalism before her arrest in April 2016, in remarks critics said could have prompted Iran to extend her sentence. The Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity organisation that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News, said Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been on holiday and had not been teaching journalism in Iran. Mr Johnson has since apologised for any distress his comments may have caused and said that she was in Iran on holiday. Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been told she will appear in court on 10 December, her husband Richard has said. The visit will test Mr Johnson's ability to navigate a political landscape littered with potential pitfalls. Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution turned it into a pariah state for most of the West and many Middle Eastern neighbours. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty International sanctions have only recently been lifted as part of a multilateral nuclear deal to curb Iran's disputed uranium enrichment programme. That deal is under threat after US President Donald Trump decided to decertify Iran's compliance with the terms of the agreement. Britain has voiced its continued support for the nuclear deal but is one of a number of Western powers voicing concerns about Tehran's "destabilising" influence in the region. Reuters For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Theresa May has warned that Isis is not yet defeated after Iraq declared an end to its fight against the jihadi group. Iraqs Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared the countrys war against Isis officially over, saying the group no longer occupied significant territory in the country. Referring to Isis as Daesh, another name for the group, Ms May said: I congratulate Prime Minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment. This signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country. We must be clear, however, that whilst Daesh is failing, they are not yet defeated. They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border. Ms May, who said she saw the situation on the ground first hand during a visit to Iraq last week, added: Daesh no longer hold significant territory in Iraq or Syria. I pay tribute to the Iraqi security forces for their courage and sacrifice. I am proud that the UK, as a leading member of the global coalition, has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraq. The UK, as a coalition member, has played a leading role in supporting the Iraqi security forces, including the armed forces and the Peshmerga, in the fight against Daesh. UK aircraft have launched over 1,350 air strikes in Iraq and have trained over 60,000 members of the Iraqi security forces. UK aid provides a vital lifeline to millions of Iraqis, with emergency food, shelter, medical care and clean water. We are now supporting the government of Iraq to lay the foundations for an economy that meets the aspirations of all Iraqis. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty In an Iraqi state announcement, Lt Gen Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah said combat operations against the extremists have concluded after Iraqi forces retook control of the countrys border with Syria. The statement said: All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist Daesh gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian borders. The US State department welcomed the end of the vile occupation of Iraq, vowing to continue its efforts against the group in the region. Iraqs announcement came two days after the Russian military said it had defeated Isis in Syria. The extremist group seized large amounts of Syria and Iraq in 2014 but it has suffered a series of heavy defeats in the last two years, losing its stronghold in Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, in July, and Raqqa, its effective capital, in Syria in November. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Government has rejected Sadiq Khans call for an apology for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in which at least 379 Sikhs were shot dead by British Indian army soldiers during a religious festival. The Foreign Office stopped short of an apology, instead echoing the words of David Cameron when he visited the region four years ago, saying the government has rightly condemned the deeply shameful act. As the former Prime Minister said when he visited the Jallianwala Bagh in 2013, the massacre was a deeply shameful act in British history and one that we should never forget, a Foreign Office statement read. It is right that we pay respect to those who lost their lives and remember what happened. The British government rightly condemned the events at the time. The statement was in response to the Mayor of Londons comments on Wednesday, where he condemned former British governments for fall[ing] short of delivering a formal apology to the families of those who were killed. I am clear that the Government should now apologise, especially as we reach the centenary of the massacre. This is about properly acknowledging what happened here and giving the people of Amritsar and India the closure they need through a formal apology, he said. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Mr Khan made the comments while visiting the Golden Temple of Amritsar as part of a six-day mission to India and Pakistan to help strengthen ties with London. On Sunday 13 April 1919, colonial soldiers opened fire at unarmed civilians who were taking part in the annual religious and cultural festival, Baisakhi. The civilians, the majority of whom were Sikhs, had also gathered as part of a peaceful protest to condemn the arrest and deportation of two national leaders. The British government released figures saying 379 Sikhs were killed and 1,200 wounded but some sources say that it is more likely 1,000 people were murdered in what Mr Khan described as one of the most horrific events in Indian history. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Advice to any airline looking to muscle in on an existing monopoly market: Dont do it up against an airline that cant afford to lose. Thats the view of Jonathan Hinkles, managing director of Loganair, which calls itself Scotlands Airline. I talked to Mr Hinkles just after he learned his airline had won round one of the Highland and Island Games, in which Loganair is squaring up against its erstwhile partner, Flybe. Go back to 2015 and the pair were deeply committed. Indeed, that summer Shetlanders angry about the high level of fares launched a Facebook campaign entitled Islanders against Flybe & Loganairs excessive prices. But a year ago, Flybe said it wanted a divorce and would, instead, start competing against its erstwhile partner. In September Flybe launched jet flights from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow to Shetlands Sumburgh airport. It offered faster journeys and lower fares, with Loganair forced to cut its prices to compete. But barely three months later, the challenger has announced it will drop Shetland from 8 January next year. Flybes operation was run on a pair of wings and a prayer, and the latter was not always answered. With only one aircraft, if something went awry on the dawn flight from Aberdeen, then the evening passengers to Edinburgh faced disruption. But mostly the sums did not add up. Fares fell by about one-third, and generated some extra business but not enough for Flybe to avoid heavy losses. Passenger numbers have been disappointing, said Ronnie Matheson, Flybes interim chief commercial officer. We entered the market with a strong commitment to offer a faster, more comfortable service with more choice, which delivered on the long overdue lowering of fares that islanders have been calling for. Competition between airlines has worked brilliantly for passengers in Scotland and the rest of the UK, as well as tourists and business travellers coming to the country. Often when a challenger goes up against an incumbent, the resulting price competition stimulates so many extra trips that the size of the market more than doubles. The benefits ripple well beyond the passengers wallets, fostering inbound tourism and business connectivity. Airline competition has boosted the economies in some extreme parts of the world, including the north of Norway and is much needed in other locations, notably Arctic Canada. But there are, evidently, limits. I was mystified by Flybes timing of its move into the meagre market, going head-to-head with Loganair at the end of the summer peak and hoping to prosper as demand sank and weather deteriorated by the day. Had flights started in spring, the newcomer might have caught a wave of interest from prospective travellers further south. But as it is, the people of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow were faced with the prospect of a bargain fare to somewhere even colder and darker than they were experiencing already. Both airlines will have been financially damaged by the experiment, but lets hope that Loganair will also have gained more market knowledge. Flybes heroic failure has shown the hunger for lower fares, and the victor may be more energetic about filling empty seats. A one-way flight on Loganair from Aberdeen to Shetland on the evening of 7 January next year the last day of Flybes operation will cost 67 if you book now. A week later the same flight, under the restored monopoly, is just 49. Meanwhile, competition continues to Orkney and Lewis. Flybe is still serving Kirkwall and Stornoway from Aberdeen and even though its sunset for Shetland, travellers from Orkney and Lewis will benefit from having Flybe aircraft based at the island airports, which will mean earlier departures and later arrivals for these beautiful but far-flung fragments of Britain. Round two of the Highland and Island Games should prove engrossing. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The second weekend in December marks the start of a new year for the railways of Britain and Europe, when timetable alterations are made and new projects unveiled. When revised services start on Sunday morning, the UK's most significant new train link will be a non-stop hop between Manchester Victoria and Manchester Oxford Road. The 8.40am departure of a service scheduled to take just six minutes is expected to be crowded with rail enthusiasts. It marks the first run by a scheduled passenger train around the Ordsall Chord, a 300-metre stretch of new track over what is claimed to be the worlds first asymmetrical rail bridge. The link, to the west of Manchester city centre, has been on the drawing board since the 1970s. The train operator Northern will run the first service. David Brown, Northerns managing director, called it tangible evidence of the Great North Rail Project and the rail industry working together. The rail minister, Paul Maynard. said: This is a historic day for the north and for rail travel in the UK because Manchesters three main stations are linked for the first time. Network Rail, which has created the 85m link, says: Congestion currently seen at Manchester Piccadilly will reduce by a quarter with some services being rerouted through Manchester Victoria. There will be more capacity on the railway, meaning more frequent trains to run." By connecting Victoria and Oxford Road stations for the first time, the Ordsall Chord will provide a link from Leeds to Manchester airport which does not require trains to reverse, and free up space by reducing the number of services terminating at Victoria. But initially only one train every two hours will run on the chord on weekdays a service from Leeds, Bradford, Halifax and Rochdale. Passengers will have to wait until May 2018 for more trains to be added. The promised new station for Kenilworth in Warwickshire, which had been due to open on Sunday, has been delayed until February. The town, south of Coventry and close to the University of Warwick, has been without a station for over half a century. Monica Fogarty, joint managing director of Warwickshire County Council, said: We worked around the clock to get the station ready for early December. The hugely disappointing news is that the Department for Transport (DfT) has not been able to meet the same pace as the Council. The DfT tells us there will be no train service until February 2018. The Department is unable to supply the train and drivers in order to meet the December opening date, and this is beyond disappointing for the people of Kenilworth. Abroad, a new 107km stretch of high-speed line between Erfurt and Ebensfeld in Germany will cut journey times in the former DDR dramatically. New 300km/h trains will slice two hours from the previous six-hour trip between Berlin and Munich, and stepping up competition against the airlines. Chris Woodcock, editor of the European Rail Timetable, said: The trains that will complete the journey in around four hours also avoid the reversal in Leipzig travelling directly via Halle. But for travellers with time on his hands he still recommends the old route via Leipzig and Bamberg as particularly sinuous and very scenic. In Turkey, the European Rail Timetable reveals the fastest-ever passenger service between Istanbul and Ankara, taking just under four hours. But at present there is just one train at this pace each way: a morning eastbound departure from Istanbul at 6.45am, with the return service departing the Turkish capital at 7pm. Mr Woodcocks timetable also brings rail news from Africa. In Kenya, the Mombasa-Nairobi service now runs twice a day with one fast and one stopping service provided in each direction, it reports. Rail passengers in Congo, however, are not so fortunate: Just as we were going to press we were informed of major alterations to services in the Congo. This is due to a bridge on the railway east of Loutete having been destroyed. The town of Loutete is about halfway between the capital, Brazzaville, and Pointe-Noire on the coast. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} For Donald Trump little is out of bounds. Abandoning all pretence of being a fair broker in the Middle East and retweeting anti-Muslim bigotry carry no obvious penalty. Nor apparently does backing a Senate candidate accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct. That would be the pony-riding, Psalm-thumping, hypocrisy-oozing Roy Moore of Alabama. Until now, at least, there has only been reward for Trump and the people who think like him. They delight in making critics gasp and hold their heads in dismay. It is a game of sorts. Provoke a reaction from the other side not just Democrats and progressives but also so-called establishment members of their own party and then ridicule them for their political correctness. Democrats just forced Senator Al Franken to resign after his own record of gross behaviour towards women came to light. It isnt clear that his sins rose to the level of those Moore is accused of but their swift dispatching of him is meant to give them the high ground in battling the Republicans, particularly in next years midterm congressional elections. But if occupying the low ground continues to work for Trump and his allies, will it matter? Well lets see. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty Election day in the Alabama Senate race is this Tuesday and there are many reasons why the outcome will matter very much. Moore, who was twice ejected in disgrace from his seat on the Alabama Supreme Court, should be a shoo-in. A deep-red state, Alabama went to Trump last year by a margin of 24 points. But thanks to the sex scandal hovering over him, Moore, who has denied all the allegations made against him, is now neck and neck with his Democrat challenger, Doug Jones, a former District Attorney. The thought of him joining their club makes Republicans in Washington shudder, but with a Senate majority of just two they cant afford for him to lose. In turn, Democrats, having booted Franken, need a boost now more than ever. He will be replaced by a Democrat in the interim, but a special election must now happen next November in Minnesota. They might lose it. Yet we are interested in Alabama for more feral reasons. We want to know whether it is really possible for a state that calls itself not just conservative, but conservative in the evangelical tradition, to vote for a man like Moore. Recall that the women accusing him were teenagers when they said they suffered his sexual advances and he was in his early thirties. Last week we learned he started dating his wife, Kayla, before she was done divorcing her first husband. That might not bother most. But Moores first expulsion from the Supreme Court was for illegally erecting a monument to the Ten Commandments in the courtyard of the state judicial building. But the Alabama vote will be pivotal above all because it will test the limits of the political warcraft as practised by Trump and also by Stephen Bannon, his former top advisor who since leaving the White House has declared war on the party establishment, throwing his support behind Moore early on and others who might oust party titans in the midterms next November. Roy Moore blames his sexual misconduct allegations on LGBT people When the allegations against Moore first came to light, Trumps reaction was tepid but not outrageous. If there was truth in them, he should withdraw, he said. But that didnt last long. He finally endorsed him fully at the start of last week. On Friday, he did it again in a tweet, casting Jones as a puppet of the Democrats top leaders on the Hill, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. LAST thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already, he wrote on his Twitter feed. The Pelosi/Schumer Puppet Jones would vote against us 100 per cent of the time. Hes bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military. VOTE ROY MOORE! This would seem an egregious stand to take for any serving president, who is meant to offer an example moral rectitude. But then this is a president who himself stands accused by a bevy of women of inappropriate sexual advances and who uttered the phrase grab them by the pussy on tape. Given that, youd think he might shy away from Moore. Yet Friday saw him holding a rally in Pensacola. Thats in Florida, not Alabama, but its so close to the border it might as well have been a rally for Moore. Plenty of Alabama folk watch the Pensacola TV channels. Trump even corrupted the rest of his party. For a few weeks it stood sort of tall, refusing to provide the usual financial help for Moores campaign. Senate leaders like Mitch McConnell openly said they believed the women accusers and urged him to withdraw. There was talk that, were he to win, he would be ejected by his Republican colleagues almost as soon as he arrived. All that has now evaporated. The cash to him is flowing from the Republican National Committee. McConnell said the fate of his campaign should be left to Alabama voters. Well, fine. How this race turns out depends in part, of course, on Jones. His greatest challenge in the waning days of the campaign is to energise African Americans in Alabama, who account for more than a quarter of its registered voters. But in the end, it is the vast majority of Alabamans who have always voted Republican who must examine their consciences. They have a duty, not just to reject Moore and show the respect his accusers deserve but to send a message to Trump and his allies that taking the low road isnt funny anymore. And it wont work. The South Kingstown School Committee announced this week that it is reviewing a proposed memorandum of agreement that spells out the purpose and function of having police officers in its schools. The agreement sets clearly-defined roles about addressing student conduct and says school administrators would be responsible for enforcing the code of conduct and responding to routine disciplinary violations while resource officers would not serve as school disciplinarians or to enforce school regulations but, rather, would be on site to investigate and respond to potential criminal offenses and intervene in situations in order to maintain safety. Do you believe that having dedicated police officers inside locals schools makes students safer? Why or why not? Let us know in this week's poll question below. You voted: CONCORD- Lee Shuman said he feels like he won the lottery. Many others who also live in the Beverly Hills neighborhood felt the same after the announcement Wednesday night that Superintendent Dr. Chris Lowder will recommend the Cabarrus County Board of Education wait a year before making a decision on whether to close their elementary school. If the board accepts the recommendation during its meeting on Monday, Dec. 11, Beverly Hills STEM Elementary School is safe; for now. Shuman, one of the people who headed up the Save Our Schools (SOS) campaign after the community learned that Beverly Hills could be closed in the redistricting of the new Royal Oaks, said after hearing the districts announcement members went to the school and lined up SOS signs in the form of a V for victory. Students and teachers took pictures with the signs the next day at school. We are happy now that we have time to talk to people, talk to the board and CCS staff and other community leaders, and hopefully work on a solution that can benefit all of us, Shuman said. When the district released its scenarios for redistricting in October, the Beverly Hills community was shocked to learn that the school could close as soon as the fall. Shuman said that was the most disappointing park; the decision seems rushed and they only had a few months to learn the reasoning behind the proposal and plan their next moves. We felt as if we didnt have enough time to truly digest the information, understand the reasoning and therefore accept or not accept our fate. We all felt rushed, especially over the holiday period, Shuman said. It was stressful to have to spend every waking evening and weekend hour trying to figure out what happened and why we were here. We only had six-to-eight weeks to mobilize, get it together and brand ourselves to get our information out. But they did it. In those short weeks, the Save Our Schools campaign began catching fire with petitions, speakers piling into public meetings and even a GoFundMe page for possible litigation. Victor Gomez, president of the Beverly Hills neighborhood association, said the success of the campaign was because of all the people who put in the time and effort. He said people did research, watched old YouTube videos from school board meetings and looked into boards of the past that made decisions on building schools. He said excited doesnt quite begin to cover how those that were fighting for the school are feeling right now. Were excited and we have so many emotions, because everybody was kind of trying to gear up for that next meeting on Monday, he said. We are happy for everyone involved; for the parents and the children and then for the neighbors as well. Gomez said as he drove past the school on his way to work Thursday, he honked his horn in celebration at the students outside taking pictures with the signs. We already had a good community, but this made everybody better, he said. Before this, everybody was kind of in their lane and doing their own thing. This has kind of caused neighbors and parents and everybody to cross over and meet one another for this cause. Nobody knew what the outcome was going to be, but it did bring us together as a community. We are grateful for that. After this experience, Gomez said stakeholders plan to attend more school board meetings to keep an eye on the redistricting issue. We are going to send representatives to see what is being said to make sure that nobody is being blindsided. We only had three months to react to a possible closing, so we are going to have some representation there to make sure everybody is in the loop, he said. Brenda Rackoff, Beverly Hills parent who was a member of the redistricting committee, said the news about delaying the vote on closing the school is great for her and hundreds of other parents and neighbors. Our passion for our cherished neighborhood school and persistence to be heard became an undeniable force, Brenda Rackoff, Beverly Hills parent who was a member of the redistricting committee, said. We hope our efforts to support the community and Beverly Hills school will factor into any future decisions made by the superintendent and board of education. And as far as the school, Principal Aimy Steele said she and her staff will strive to do what they always have for the next year; educate students. We at Beverly Hills are elated at the decision allowing our school to remain open during the next calendar year, Steele said. We strive to continue ensuring all of our students are on or above grade level and welcome all those who support our school to join us in taking care of our number one clients, our students. Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. Trump Actions "Irresponsible and Reckless" Israeli Historian By Avi" Shlaim "American policy since 1967 has been consistent, it said that the settlements, the Israeli settlements on the West Bank are illegal, all of them in an obstacle to peace, so America has never recognized Israel's right to have Jerusalem as its capital." Posted December 08, 2017 Avraham "Avi" Shlaim is one of Israels foremost New Historians, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford and fellow of the British Academy. Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter ==== Join the Discussion Russia Is Not the No. 1 Threator Even Among the Top 5 By declaring Putins Russia to be the greatest danger to America, the political-media establishment itself is endangering US national security. By Stephen F. Cohen and John Batchelor December 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - In the 1990s, the Clinton administration embraced post-Soviet Russia as Americas strategic partner and friend. Twenty years later, the US policy establishment, from liberals to conservatives, insists that Russia under Vladimir Putin is the number-one threat to American national security. The primary explanation for this transformed perception, which began under President George W. Bush, became more insistent during the Obama administration, and is now a virtual bipartisan axiom, lies in Washington, not in Moscow. But whatever the full explanation, it is gravely endangering US national security by diminishing real threats and preventing the partnership with Russia needed to cope with them. Pointing out that threats can be real, uninformed misperceptions, or manufactured by vested interests, Cohen argues that Russia is not even among the top five threats to the United States today. He lists the five he sees and explains why. 1. Russiagate. Since the late 1940s, when both the United States and the Soviet Union acquired atomic and then nuclear weapons, the first existential duty of an American president has been to avoid the possibility of war with Russia, a conflagration that could result in the end of modern civilization. Every American president has been politically empowered to discharge that duty, even during the most perilous crises, until now. The still unverified but ever-more-persistent allegations that President Trump has somehow been compromised by the Kremlin and may even be its agent are the number-one threat to America because they hinder, if not cripple, his ability to carry out that existential duty. Most recently, for example, his necessary negotiations with Putin to reduce US-Russian conflicts in Syria, and instead to cooperate in that country, were treated as treasonousnot by a successor publication of the John Birch Society but in the pages of The New York Times and elsewhere in the mainstream media. Thus, in a way somewhat less crude but no less uninformed or detrimental to US security interests, Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin accused Trump of playing into Russias hands on Syria . Still more, the foundational allegation of Russiagate is that we were attacked by Russia during the 2016 presidential election, an act likened to a political Pearl Harbor . What could be more reckless than to insist that we are already at war with the other nuclear superpower? Lest there is any doubt about the gravity of the real national-security threat represented by Russiagate, imagine President John F. Kennedy so burdened by such allegations during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. It is unlikely he could have negotiated its peaceful resolution as he did. And understand also that the new Cold War is fraught with such potential crises from the Baltic region and Ukraine to Syria. 2. The demonization of Putin. This too is unprecedented. No Soviet or post-Soviet leader was ever so wildly, baselessly vilified as Putin has increasingly been for more than a decadeand even more since a few selected members of a few US intelligence agencies claimed in January 2017, without making known any evidence whatsoever, that he personally ordered the attack on America in 2016. Demonizing Putin has become so maniacal that leading opinion-makers seem to think he is a Communist. Joy Reid of MSNBC actually said so, but more telling is the breathless warning of another Washington Post columnist, Dana Milbank , about the red menace of Vladimir Putins Russia. Milbank adds: We were attacked by Russiaabout this there is no doubt. Consumers of the mainstream media may be excused for thinking that somehow the Soviet Communist menace has been reborn in Moscow, and indeed as an even more fearsome threat given the evil of its present-day leader. Even Trumps own CIA Director, Mike Pompeo, evidently believes this utterly uninformed nonsense, or wishes us to do so. Warning that we still face a threat from the Russians, he explains : Theyre Russians, theyre Soviets. pick a name. Demonizing Putin is a ramifying threat. It is hard to imagine even the meager plausibility of Russiagate without such a master villain in the Kremlin. And it all but excludes, in effect delegitimizes, the national-security partner most needed by Washingtonwhoever sits in the Kremlin. This too is unprecedented in the nuclear age. 3. ISIS and other international terrorist organizations in pursuit of radioactive material to lace with their explosives. This actual threat would be number one if the US political-media establishment had not conjured up the preceding ones. Little more needs be said about this looming danger. Simply imagine even small quantities of radioactive material aboard the planes of 9/11, mixed with the bombs of Paris, Boston, and so many other cities, spewed in the air by the fiery explosions and borne by the windand wonder if those areas would be inhabitable today. This threat looms very large over Russia, the victim of so many terrorist acts since the 1990s. Now consider the value and willingness of Moscow as a security partner in this regard given its experiences, vast presence between East and West, and exceptional intelligence capabilities. This existential threat is verifiable. Russiagate and the demonization of Putin, which thwart such a partnership, are not. (P.S. In this context, the real significance of the purported scandal called Uranium One is whether any of that material is missing and, if so, where it is.) Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter 4. The proliferation of states with nuclear weapons. In 1949, there were two. Today there are nine. And this in a new era of transnational ethnic and religious hatreds and wars, fanaticisms that could easily overwhelm the taboo against using such weapons. Iran and North Korea are not the only states capable eventually of acquiring nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. (Every time the United States militarily attacks a non-nuclear state, others feel the imperative to acquire them.) And, experts have long warned, the high-alert/hair-trigger status of American and Russian nuclear weapons is an accident waiting to happen. The best and most immediate national-security step President Trump could take today is to negotiate with Putin an end to that perilous status. Putin has indicated a willingness to do so. But would threats number one and two prevent President Trump from doing so? 5. Climate changethe science is sound and evidentand global income inequality, which breeds misery, resentments, fanaticism, and thus terrorism around the world. ( According to recent studies , The richest 1 percent of the worlds population now owns more than half of global wealth, and the top 10 percent owns about 90 percent.) Cohen ranks these growing threats below the others because he is focused on what a US-Russian bilateral partnership could achieve. These two require a much larger international alliance and considerably more time. Cohen ends by explaining why neither Russia nor China are on his list. Russiabecause it represents no threat to the United States at all (apart from a nuclear accident or miscalculation), except those Washington and NATO have themselves created. Chinabecause its historical moment as a very great power has come. It may be an economic and regional rival to the United States, but an actual threat (at least thus far) only if Washington also makes it one. The expanding alliance between Russia and China, itself significantly a result of unwise Washington policymaking, is a separate subject. This article was originally published by The Nation - ==== Join the Discussion Trump Forfeits US Mideast Mediator Role, Russia Should Step In Editorial December 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - President Donald Trumps announcement this week that the US is henceforth recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will have many harmful repercussions for the entire Middle East. But out of the ashes of US policy, something better can arise. Russia should step in to give badly needed leadership. Russian President Vladimir Putin was among many world leaders who warned that Trumps intervention will likely derail peace prospects, not just for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but for the region as a whole. Palestinians, Arabs and Muslim nations are infuriated by what they see as Trumps betrayal of a righteous cause for Palestinian statehood, with East Jerusalem being the future capital of that state. By declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel, Trump is effectively pre-empting any negotiated settlement to a conflict which has raged for 70 years. Trumps rash intervention upends countless United Nations resolutions calling for negotiated settlement, and which uphold Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem. Trump says his designation this week is merely reflecting reality. No! What the American leader is doing is reflecting the injustice of Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, and in particular its annexation of East Jerusalem from the 1967 Six Day War. The Israeli occupation has been condemned in countless UN resolutions. What Trumps declaration amounts to is Washingtons open complicity in violation of Palestinian rights. For the past 25 years since the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, Washington has appointed itself as the mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Those negotiations have gone nowhere in terms of delivering Palestinian rights to establish a sovereign state. For the past three years, there has in fact been no negotiations at all. The peace process has gone nowhere because it is a charade due in large part because of Washingtons reprehensible bias towards Israeli political objectives. This pandering by the US has emboldened Israeli chauvinism and reluctance to negotiate a fair deal with the Palestinians. Trumps move this week to trash global consensus and international law by endorsing the ultimate Israeli snub to a peace process the usurpation of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel is the last straw. The American president has revealed that the US is not a responsible mediator. Palestinian leaders from the two main factions, Fatah and Hamas, have responded by saying the supposed peace process is over. Fatah has said it does not want to meet with US Vice President Mike Pence when he is due to visit the West Bank later this month. Paradoxically, what Trump has done this week may bring about a new initiative to drive forward a genuine peace process. But in any new process, the US will no longer be able to pose as a mediator. Its credentials as an honest broker are shattered beyond repair after Trumps foolhardy intervention. Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter Americas tarnished image in the Middle East is not just due to its failings over Palestinian rights. Washingtons pernicious wars and covert operations have fueled conflicts and unleashed millions of deaths. Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Iran, among others, all bear the consequences of American selfish meddling in the region. Americas self-appointed role as a peace tribune is a mockery. On the matter of Israel-Palestine, an international forum must be convened in which the rights of Palestinians and the rule of law are enforced against Israeli transgressions. Russia has shown itself it to be a trusted international player, adhering to principles of international law and national sovereignty. While Washington has forfeited its role, Moscow has, through recent regional developments, gained huge multilateral respect. This week Russias Vladimir Putin, in a phone call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that it was imperative to restart the Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations, and to seek a genuine compromise solution, including the status of Jerusalem as a shared capital, perhaps with the Western half belonging to Israel and the Eastern half to Palestine. Putin said any final settlement must be based on corresponding resolutions of the UN Security Council and General Assembly, and on the enforcement of the rights of the Palestinian people to create their own state. This is the kind of diplomatic leadership that the world expects and needs, in contrast to Americas mendacious meddling under Trump and his White House predecessors. This article was originally published by SCF - ==== Join the Discussion Jeremy Corbyn attacks government for 'doing nothing' to help Palestinians By Marcus Dysch December 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Jeremy Corbyn has attacked governments which pay lip service to a proposed two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Labour leader said those in power do nothing to use the leverage they have to end the oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian people. In a major speech at the United Nations in Geneva, Mr Corbyn also renewed his attack on Donald Trump for announcing the United States would recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital. He said the US Presidents decision was not only reckless and provocative it risks setting back any prospect of a political settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Mr Corbyn outlined his positions on tax avoidance, Brexit negotiations and a series of global issues during the address on Friday. In his comments on Israel and the Palestinians he went on to call for the UN to work with Israeli peace campaign groups to demand an end to the multiple human rights abuses Palestinians face on a daily basis. After attacking the governments policies on Yemen and Myanmar, Mr Corbyn added: And our governments pay lip service to a comprehensive settlement and two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, but do nothing to use the leverage they have to end the oppression and dispossession of the Palestinian people. Seventy years after the UN General Assembly voted to create a Palestinian state alongside what would become Israel, and half a century since Israel occupied the whole of historic Palestine, they should take a lead from Israeli peace campaigners such as Gush Shalom and Peace Now and demand an end to the multiple human rights abuses Palestinians face on a daily basis. Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter ==== U.S. Envoy Nikki Haley Says UN Did More Harm Than Good to Mideast Peace : She further said the U.S. will no longer stand by when Israel is attacked at the UN. Jeremy Corbyn brands Donald Trump's Jerusalem decision 'a reckless threat to peace' Both Parties Pushed Trump Toward Reckless Action on Jerusalem: Join the Discussion The Nutball the Neocons Wanted in NATO By Patrick Buchanan December 08, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Even interventionists are regretting some of the wars into which they helped plunge the United States in this century. Among those wars are Afghanistan and Iraq, the longest in our history; Libya, which was left without a stable government; Syrias civil war, a six-year human rights disaster we helped kick off by arming rebels to overthrow Bashar Assad; and Yemen, where a U.S.-backed Saudi bombing campaign and starvation blockade is causing a humanitarian catastrophe. Yet, twice this century, the War Party was beaten back when seeking a clash with Putins Russia. And the "neo-isolationists" who won those arguments served America well. What triggered this observation was an item on Page 1 of Wednesdays New York Times that read in its entirety: "Mikheil Saakashvili, former president of Georgia, led marchers through Kiev after threatening to jump from a five-story building to evade arrest. Page A4" Who is Saakashvili? The wunderkind elected in 2004 in Tbilisi after a "Rose Revolution" we backed during George W. Bushs crusade for global democracy. During the Beijing Olympics in August 2008, Saakashvili sent his army crashing into the tiny enclave of South Ossetia, which had broken free of Georgia when Georgia broke free of Russia. In overrunning the enclave, however, Saakashvilis troops killed Russian peacekeepers. Big mistake. Within 24 hours, Putins tanks and troops were pouring through Roki Tunnel, running Saakashvilis army out of South Ossetia, and occupying parts of Georgia itself. As defeat loomed for the neocon hero, U.S. foreign policy elites were alive with denunciations of "Russian aggression" and calls to send in the 82nd Airborne, bring Georgia into NATO, and station U.S. forces in the Caucasus. "We are all Georgians!" thundered John McCain. Not quite. When an outcry arose against getting into a collision with Russia, Bush, reading the nation right, decided to confine U.S. protests to the nonviolent. A wise call. And Saakashvili? He held power until 2013, and then saw his party defeated, was charged with corruption, and fled to Ukraine. There, President Boris Poroshenko, beneficiary of the Kiev coup the U.S. had backed in 2014, put him in charge of Odessa, one of the most corrupt provinces in a country rife with corruption. In 2016, an exasperated Saakashvili quit, charged his patron Poroshenko with corruption, and fled Ukraine. In September, with a band of supporters, he made a forced entry back across the border. Here is the Times Andrew Higgins on his latest antics: "On Tuesday Saakashvili, onetime darling of the West, took his high-wire political career to bizarre new heights when he climbed onto the roof of his five-story apartment building in the center of Kiev "As hundreds of supporters gathered below, he shouted insults at Ukraines leaders and threatened to jump if security agents tried to grab him. "Dragged from the roof after denouncing Mr. Poroshenko as a traitor and a thief, the former Georgian leader was detained but then freed by his supporters, who blocked a security service van before it could take Mr. Saakashvili to a Kiev detention center and allowed him to escape. "With a Ukrainian flag draped across his shoulders and a pair of handcuffs still attached to one of his wrists, Mr. Saakashvili then led hundreds of supporters in a march across Kiev toward Parliament. Speaking through a bullhorn he called for peaceful protests to remove Mr. Poroshenko from office, just as protests had toppled the former President, Victor F. Yanukovych, in February 2014." Never Miss Another Story Get Your Free Daily Newsletter This reads like a script for a Peter Sellers movie in the 60s. Yet this clown was president of Georgia, for whose cause in South Ossetia some in our foreign policy elite thought we should go to the brink of war with Russia. And there was broad support for bringing Georgia into NATO. This would have given Saakashvili an ability to ignite a confrontation with Russia, which could have forced U.S. intervention. Consider Ukraine. Three years ago, McCain was declaring, in support of the overthrow of the elected pro-Russian government in Kiev, "We are all Ukrainians now." Following that coup, U.S. elites were urging us to confront Putin in Crimea, bring Ukraine, as well as Georgia, into NATO, and send Kiev the lethal weapons needed to defeat Russian-backed rebels in the East. This could have led straight to a Ukraine-Russia war, precipitated by our sending of U.S. arms. Do we really want to cede to folks of the temperament of Mikhail Saakashvili an ability to instigate a war with a nuclear-armed Russia, which every Cold War president was resolved to avoid, even if it meant accepting Moscows hegemony in Eastern Europe all the way to the Elbe? Watching Saakashvili losing it in the streets of Kiev like some blitzed college student should cause us to reassess the stability of all these allies to whom we have ceded a capacity to drag us into war. Alliances, after all, are the transmission belts of war. Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of a new book, "Nixon's White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever." To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com. ==== Join the Discussion Former aspirant for the position of the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has blasted Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State for saying the people of the South-West did not deserve to produce the chairman of the party. George, who said he did not withdraw for any candidate, told one of our correspondents during an interview on Friday evening that he would not be participating in the congress on Saturday (today) as it was obvious that the event would be a charade. While speaking at the headquarters of his campaign office in Maitama District of Abuja, George, flanked by his supporters, said it was wrong for the party not to micro-zone the office of the national chairman, as against the zoning principle reinforced in Port Harcourt last year. He said, The party has lost its soul. It has lost its principled beginning and the predications of righteousness. It has traded the finer principles of democratic guidance and equity for the squalid, dirty and shameful resort to mercenary agenda, where nothing matters save the putrid, oafish gains of the moment. I cannot be part of this screaming aberration. And as the Atona of Yorubaland, I do not expect any well-meaning, well disciplined, forthright, sincere Omoluabi of Yorubaland to continue with this deceit and shameful theatre. The Peoples Democratic Party has now mangled and distorted its soul and spirit. There is no morality here anymore. There is no sanity or any sense of enlightened civility. As a result of these observed aberrations wherein the position of the National Chairman has been apparently sold and auctioned to the highest bidder, I as an Omoluabi and as an authentic Atona of Yorubaland, I will not partake in this charade. I hereby withdraw from this brazen fraud and absolutely preconceived, monetised, mercantilist convention. While describing Wikes comments as unfortunate, George argued that without any meaningful position, the South-West, which played a huge role in the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, would not be eager to support the PDP in 2019. He said, I have removed myself from the charade but I did not step down for any individual. Governor Wike insulted the South-West badly today. What does he take the Yoruba people for? He said there is no micro-zoning and then went ahead to say we have nothing to bring to the table. How do you want the Yoruba people to feel? He implied that the South-West is not an important zone and that we should play second fiddle. It is not fair at all. I will not be going to the congress. We have been spending so much money campaigning all over the country. What do we tell our people when we return home? That the South-West didnt get it because we are not considered important? He therefore called on Wike to apologise to the Yoruba over his comments. Wike had said the South-West geopolitical zone did not deserve to produce the next chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party because the zone had no leader who could restore calm to the party. Wike, who said the current crisis in the PDP emanated from the South-West, argued that the South-South zone, which is largely ruled by the PDP, deserves to produce the chairman in todays national congress. The governor said this during a Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily, on Friday. The governor said, The problem that the PDP has today arose from the South-West. Look at the crisis! Mention one chairman that you will vote today in the South-West that will stabilise the party. Take for example, Tunde Adeniran. If you vote him in, then that will be the beginning of the crisis of the PDP in Ekiti State. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) A wonderful woman has been hailed as the best boss in the world after taking all her 20 staff on a Christmas treat. Most people get excited about the prospect of a free bar for their Christmas party but staff at one marketing agency were beside themselves when their boss took them on a holiday to Madrid for their festive do. Arabella Lewis-Smith, 42, has been dubbed the best boss in the world after flying all 20 of her team to Spain for a two-night getaway last week. The founder of Poole-based marketing agency Salad Creative forked out 5,000 for the trip, which included return flights from Gatwick, Airbnb accommodation and two boozy dinners. The grateful employees basked in Spanish winter sunshine, a far cry from the wind and rain lashing down at the office in Dorset. Last year the festivities at Salad Creative included a trip to London to see a West End show, while other outings have included kayaking sessions and walks in the New Forest. Employee Fleurie Forbes-Martin, a marketing manager, said: When Arabella announced the Christmas do to us in a meeting a few months ago, there were whoops and cheers. Ms Lewis-Smith (pictured) , who founded the company 16 years ago, says shed always wanted to take her employees abroad We were so excited about it and it did not disappoint. We all enjoyed exploring the sites, the great food, a few cocktails and a boogie. Its all we have talked about since. Our boss is pretty awesome in general but this was the cherry on top. The colleagues took off for the Spanish capital at the crack of dawn last Friday, taking part in a quiz on the way organised by strategy director Daniel-Ward Murphy. When they got their they stayed in an enormous apartment in the city centre, strolling around sight seeing. They visited the famous El Retiro park and explored the citys Christmas markets. Arabella Lewis-Smith, 42, has been dubbed the best boss in the world after flying all 20 of her team (pictured) to Spain for a two-night getaway last week They had two paid-for dinners followed by a night of dancing at a club. Ms Lewis-Smith, who founded the company 16 years ago, says shed always wanted to take her employees abroad. She said: We are a company that cares about its people and being able to treat our 20 staff with a trip to Madrid was a delightful feeling. I think getting together as a team is really important and you can see the benefits as it brings every one closer together. Last year we went to the West End for a show and a meal out and this year we wanted to do something a bit different. Weve had an amazing year and I wanted to reward everyone for their hard work. We decided to celebrate in style with a Christmas party to remember. The Aare Ona Kakanfo-designate of Yoruba land has been described as a freedom fighter deserving of the title by the Special Adviser to the President Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu. Ojudu visited Adams in his Lagos home as the Northern Youth Initiative For Peace and Good Governance honoured him with the tile of Yerima Matansa Arewa Najeriya and an award for excellence. Ojudu congratulated Adams, who has been chosen as the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo, saying that the title was based on his track record. He also said that the consistency and sincerity of the national coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress was responsible for bringing him rewards he enjoyed. The leadership of the northern youth group, led by its President, Umar Farouk Lawal, presented him with a medal, which it described as representative of his integrity and selfless service to mankind. The northern youths said they were doing everything possible to replicate the bridge-building attitude of Adams, adding that they had come to visit him to submit to his mentorship. Thanking the Arewa youths for their gesture, the Aare-designate urged the youth to shun religious extremism in order to prevent the spread of sects like the Boko Haram. He described the visit of the youth as timely, saying it would send a signal of confidence to the south westerners in the North that they were in the territory of their brothers and not their foes. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged by a Adamawa United Forum to declare armed Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist group. The organisation, which is an umbrella body for ethnic nationalities in Adamawa State, made the call while reacting to the recent killings of innocent people by suspected Fulani herdsmen in some communities in the state. The Chairman of the group, Musa Jekeko, while addressing journalists on Friday in Yola, the capital, urged President Buhari to quickly intervene and stop the killings. They demanded the removal of the Minister of Interior, Lt. -Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau, for his failure to arrest the situation. The group said, The Nigerian Government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, ought to have removed Dambazzau and replaced him with someone else, who will properly coordinate internal security in the country. We find it increasingly difficult to comprehend the position of the government on the Fulani militancy. Why would Danbazzau, who had implied that Fulani aggression on our people was civil, turn round to allow military air strikes on our people? The increased Fulani militia operations, under the guise of being herdsmen, especially under the leadership of this administration, raise some fundamental questions on the sincerity of its preparedness to stamp out terrorism. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) A former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, on Friday declared his support for Atiku Abubakar, presidential run in 2019. Mr. Babangida, told newsmen Nigerias that the newsmen making the round that he advised Mr. Abubakar not to run for election during a closed-door meeting Thursday was laughable because it was sponsored. Anybody who has sponsored such report was just being unfair to Messrs. Babangida and Abubakar, Kassim Afegbua, a spokesperson for the former military leader. Mr. Afegbua said no one knew the outcome of the meeting because it was held behind closed-doors amongst the two leaders. The comments came a day after the two leaders met at the hilltop residence of Mr. Babangida in Minna, the Niger State capital, around noon Thursday. Media accounts of the meeting said Mr. Abubakar angrily left his host because he was advised not to run against President Muhammadu Buhari. The reports further speculated that the unfriendly face Mr. Abubakar allegedly wore indicated that he was rejected by Mr. Babangida. The report is very, very untrue, Mr. Afegbua said. When I read the report, I was laughing. Because it is far from what they both discussed. Number one, IBB will not discourage anyone from seeking office. IBB will encourage anyone to seek election, the spokesperson added. Mr. Afegbua said the relationship between his principal and his host remains cordial, warning reporters to stop playing politics with peoples relationship. They had a very useful political discussion. IBB also has a good relationship with Atiku. Its not good to play politics with the relationship of people. Similarly, Paul Ibe, a spokesperson for Mr. Abubakar said since the meeting was held by only the two leaders, it would be difficult for anyone to know the details. Except those who were carrying these fake speculations were flying on the wall, theres no way anyone would have known what happened, Mr. Ibe said. The report is a figment of the imagination of people. Mr. Ibe said the two leaders have been friends for a long time, and the outcome of their meeting was positive. Both leaders have enjoyed a mutual relationship for many years and what I gathered was that the meeting was very, very fruitful, he added. On Sunday, Mr. Abubakar returned to the PDP for the third time since 2007 when he left the party after serving eight years on its platform as a vice-president. The move came a little over a week after he resigned from the All Progressives Congress. He is expected to slug it out with President Buhari in 2019, if the incumbents recent signals of a possible re-election bid take hold. Source: ( Premium Times ) As part of her 34th birthday celebration, Ghanaian actress, Jackie Appiah, last Tuesday, donated items and an undisclosed amount to widows at Krobo-Odumase in the Greater-Accra Region. The screen diva who is also the Chief Executive Director of the Jackie Appiah Foundation, whose aim is to put smiles on the faces of needy people, lit the entire township up with joy as the people welcomed her kind gesture in a grand-style. The actress, who is reputed for donating to widows, orphans and needy people on her birthdays for over a decade now, says that it is to show appreciation to God for her life and her achievements. During the give-away, the actress called for support for the less privileged and the aged in society. She further urged the society to pay attention to the aged especially ageing women who sometime struggle to even get people to talk to. In her address, the renowned actress said, I am very delighted to be among you today. It is a little away from home, but the feeling is great especially among the most important section of our population, the aged. source: Thenation There are strong indications that the Nigerian Army will deploy more troops in the major highways in the FCT, anytime from now to forestall any attack during the Yuletide. Although, the army has not officially made a statement, Saturday PUNCH learnt from sources that the army had placed its troops, particularly men and officers of the Guards Brigade, Abuja, on a high alert, to forestall any breach of security. This is just as the newly established Army War College, Abuja, on Friday graduated 33 pioneer officers from the institution, who were trained in operational arts, campaign and strategic skills. A military source told Saturday PUNCH that very strong internal security measures were being put in place. He said, We cannot make any statement yet because the police have been speaking on the threat. But in any case, it is a synergy among all the security agencies. The army knows its roles and it has placed its troops on an alert. The soldiers at the various checkpoints know what to look out for. We are leaving nothing to chance. This is not the first time there will be such threats. For the army, it is a familiar terrain. We know how to deal with threats. The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, who was the special guest at the Army War College graduation, dropped a hint about the threat, saying the training came at the right time. Olonisakin said, You must justify the enormous resources that were deployed to give you such world-class training. The training is coming at the right time. You should apply the knowledge you have acquired from now till the end of your military career. The importance of training in moulding, professionalising and discipline of officers has contributed significantly in degrading the Boko Haram terrorists capabilities. I urge you all to remain loyal to constituted authorities at all times. The war college graduated 30 officers who were Lieutenant Colonels, Colonels, a Captain from Navy, a Wing Commander from the Air Force and an Assistant Commissioner of Police. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, at the event, said the training was necessary to sharpen the officers basic strategic skills. Source: ( Punch Newspaper) A Nigerian identified as Yusuf Ademola was on Thursday 7 December, jailed for 12 years after police found a shotgun with two rounds of ammunition at a residential address. Ademola, of Claremont Road, E7, was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after a four day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court which concluded on 19, October 2017. Ademola and Jessica Soares, 25, of Manor Road, E15, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm at an earlier hearing. Ademola was sentenced at the same court for 12 years imprisonment. This will commence when his current licence expires in July 2018. Photos: Nigerian man jailed in the UK for possession of firearm Soares was sentenced on 27 July at the same court to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. On 27 March, officers from the Mets Trident East Proactive team, with armed officers, carried out a pre-planned operation at Soares address. Upon entry, Soares told the officers that a firearm was being stored in her bedroom behind the cupboard. She was arrested, and officers found a shortened shotgun with two round of ammunition. She was subsequently charged. When officers analysed Soares phone, they discovered messages exchanged between Soares and Ademola which revealed that she had agreed to hold the firearm on his behalf. It was also established that just hours before her arrest, she had taken a private hire vehicle to Ademolas address and collected the firearm. Forensic examination of the bin liner the shotgun was wrapped in led to the discovery of Ademolas fingerprints. Ademola was arrested on 13 June and was subsequently charged. At the time of his arrest, he was on licence from prison having been released from prison in 2016 after serving part of a five-year sentence for possession of a firearm. Photos: Nigerian man jailed in the UK for possession of firearm In summing up, the judge, noted that Ademola had maintained his links with gangs even after his previous conviction for possessing a firearm. She referred to a music video that had been posted online showing Ademola and other gang members making reference to guns. DC Gareth Starr of the Mets Trident and Area Crime Command said: Firearms have no place on Londons streets, and todays sentence reflects the seriousness with which firearms offences are viewed in the eyes of the law. Ademola was on licence from prison after being jailed for the same offence and he clearly did not learn his lesson. Soares, out of some misguided sense of loyalty, agreed to hold this dangerous weapon and she has now received a criminal conviction for the costly gamble she took. Detective Inspector Steve Meechan, of the Mets Trident and Area Crime Command, said: Tackling gun crime remains a key priority of the Met and Trident officers will continue to target those who choose to store such dangerous weapons. Source: ( Linda Ikeji) Officials of the United States and the United Kingdom have continued to insist that the risk of attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in the Federal Capital Territory and other states remains high throughout the festive season. The two missions in their security advice cautioned their citizens against all but essential travels to Bauchi, Zamfara, Kano; Kaduna; Jigawa; Katsina, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, and Yobe states during the Yuletide. The two countries stated that the risk of terrorist attacks was still high in the run-up to and throughout the Christmas and New Year holiday period. Terrorist groups have threatened to conduct bombings and attacks in the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) area during this period. You should avoid places where crowds gather, including religious gatherings and places of worship, markets, shopping malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, transport hubs and camps for displaced people, the UK mission said in the updated travel advisory on its website. The same security warning was also echoed by the US mission, which asked Americans to review their personal security plans and avoid the states listed in the travel advisory. The two countries had issued the security advice ahead of the December 1 Id el Maulud holiday, which passed without any eventualities. This had made some members of the public assume that the threat was over. However, the US Embassy Information Officer, Russell Brooks, said the warning would stand till the end of the year, adding that it was not limited to the last public holiday in the country. He referred one of our correspondents to the warning which says, The US Mission remains concerned about potential attacks in the states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, and Yobe; travellers are urged to avoid those states through the end of the year. If you construed the warning as referring to last Fridays holiday (December 1), you are mistaken, Brooks stated. The British mission spokesman, Joe Abuku, also referred one of our correspondents to the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices warning dated December 1, 2017, which was being updated daily to reflect the latest situation. The police had also on Friday said the plot by Boko Haram to bomb Abuja and other states was real. The FCT Commissioner of Police, Sadiq Bello, however, said the police would work with other security agencies to make sure that the threat was not actualised. It was gathered that the police had deployed undercover operatives in strategic locations in the FCT to foil any terrorist plot. Security sources stated that agencies were also stepping up intelligence gathering and surveillance of dark spots which suspected Boko Haram members might infiltrate to carry out their dastardly act. It was gathered that personnel were raiding vulnerable areas and carrying out arrests of miscreants and other hoodlums who could be used by the insurgents to carry out attacks to demonstrate that they are still a terror group to reckon with. Source: ( Punch Newspaper ) Pa Basil Agha, 69, a Lagos-based Oil and Gas dealer and father of four who spent all his youthful days training his children ended up being kidnapped a year ago by a deadly criminal gang that had been terrorising Anambra, Imo, Rivers, Bayelsa and Lagos states for long. Shockingly, one of his cousins was alleged to have masterminded his abduction in conjunction with a dreaded gang made up of criminals from their area. The gang later killed and buried him in a shallow grave surrounded by shrines in his maternal home, Eziukwu, Ihioma in Orlu, Imo state, after collecting ransom of N5million from members of his family. That was after one of the gang memhers claimed that the victim identified him. Police swings into action Luckily, just few days before one year anniversary of his kidnap, the bubble burst. Detectives attached to the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Squad, IRS, led by ACP Abba Kyari, in conjunction with an Intelligence agency, recorded a breakthrough. They succeeded in arresting one of the kingpins notoriously called Master who confessed to the crime and led detectives to where they buried the man in a shallow grave and his eyes tied with a string. Detectives later arrested three other suspected members of the gang and their startling confessions led to the discreet interrogation of the father of the suspected leader of the gang called Onyebuchi, who opened up lamenting that he had long expected police to have killed his son because of his criminal activities. Exploits of a vicious gangster Crime Guard gathered that the gang was led by Onyebuchi who was also known by many other names like Bennett etc. He was said to be based in Onitsha, Anambra state but operated in Imo, Port-Harcourt, Bayelsa and even Lagos states. Police sources said the gang had a very beautiful lady who usually made hotel reservations for members of the gang with fake names before carrying out their operations. Interestingly, all the members were said to be on oath forbidding any disclosure with death as penalty. Lamentations of gangsters father Reports said detectives, through intelligence gathering discovered that around July this year, Onyebuchi was arrested by a team of policemen from SARS at a location in Imo state but he gave a different name and claimed to be based in Ghana. Chika, his second in command, reportedly was going round trying to raise funds towards setting his boss free and even went to Onyebuchis father but he met a brick wall as he refused to help stating that he had long disowned him as a son. According to sources, his father further told Chika that when his son, Onyebuchi, was involved in a robbery case at Asaba some years ago, he thought the police should have killed him so as to stop the shame he was bringing to the family but they freed him. The father was also said to have reported his son to the community and their king with a view to avoiding the demolition of his house if he was caught in his kidnapping exploits. He also warned Chika to stop coming to him for any help. How we abducted victim Crime Guard learned that when detectives succeeded in arresting Chika, he confessed to the exploits of the notorious gang led by Onyebuchi and also disclosed that Onyebuchi gave his name as Ugochukwu Okafor based in Ghana, after he was arrested. He stated that they used different names whenever they were arrested because their real names were in police crime records. Chika was further said to have given vivid details about the abduction and killing of Pa Basil Agha and how he was recruited for the job. He said he was on the verge of leaving the gang when Onyebuchi invited him for the operation but he did not tell him that it was kidnapping but, rather, they were going to abduct a man coming from Lagos who was owing him a huge sum of money. Chika reportedly disclosed also that Onyebuchi told them to act like policemen. After carrying out the job and brought the man to Onyebuchi, he later gave him N200, 000. He then took detectives to where he buried the locally made gun used for the operation. Police sources disclosed also that during interrogation it was discovered that Chika was cleverly avoiding giving details about the innermost working of the gang fuelling suspicion that members of the gang must have taken an oath not to reveal their secret. Crime Guard gathered that after concerted efforts to make him name members of the gang, he reluctantly agreed but still complained about the oath. It was however learned that on the day he was brought out to fully disclose the identities of members of the gang, he allegedly slumped and died, to the bewilderment of police officers in Orlu station, after uttering just one name. Ikennas gang On the second group led by Ikenna who is presently in the cell, he allegedly gave spiritual power and prepared charm which the gang used for robbery and kidnapping. His charms were said to be so effective that whenever police arrested any member of the gang, he had a way of setting him free. He also allegedly used charm to assist drug peddlers both locally and internationally. Sources said that police also succeeded in arresting a prominent member of his gang who turned out to be a pastor at Akata in Imo state. The Pastor reportedly confessed and narrated how they operated using one Sabbath Church as a cover. He also disclosed that members of the gang quarrelled over the sharing of ransom collected from Pa Aghas family members before some of them were arrested. According to sources, after he was arrested, he said that the name of his church was Alpha and Omega and that he started as a good pastor by helping people to run their churches and assisting Ikenna whom they believed possessed great spiritual powers. Unfortunately, he said each time he tried to establish his own church, he would not succeed and that was what led him to Ikenna at Amagu. He said they now had an agreement that he had to bring other pastors to join their cult group in order to get spiritual powers and that he ended up initiating about four pastors from Anambra and Enugu states. He later fled to Nsukka in Enugu state where he opened his church called Alpha and Omega Ministry. claiming that he was using the power given to him by Ikenna to heal people. He also stated that whenever the power failed him, he would sneak into their community to get more powers. The Pastor reportedly told detectives that the gang was capable of smashing any police station that stood on their way and they had been terrorizing policemen in and around Imo state for long. So far, three of the suspects are still in police cell while both Onyebuchi and Chika were suspected to have died in police cell. According to controversial OAP, Daddy Freeze I wont lie, I have prayed for an enemy to die before, but thats when I worshiped God in ignorance of his grace. Read his full article below You have been fed so many lies and such malicious heresy from the pulpit, that you have become so repulsed by the truth, when confronted with it, develop a severe allergic reaction. Suffer a witch to live is NOT Christianity, its taken from the same part of the Bible that admonishes us to kill our stubborn children. I wont lie, I have prayed for an enemy to die before, but thats when I worshiped God in ignorance of his grace. There is so much we were taught in error that we all need to unlearn before we can abide in the fullness of his grace. Remember what I did to that pastor that drives a black G63 when he cursed me? I blessed him with my forgiveness, hard as it may be. Not only did he curse me, he went ahead to try to get me fired from my place of work. Yet not once did I curse him or wish him evil. It is claimed North Korean hackers are stealing Bitcoin to help finance Kim Jong-un's regime. The value of the digital currency has risen dramatically this year with big gains during the last week. Security researchers say it is a reasonable target and might be easier to gain than physical currency. "The price rise right now is being driven by the expectation of larger institutions coming into Bitcoin. Time will tell as to whether or not Bitcoin gets to a point where its volatility is small enough for it to be used as a means of payment and store of value," said the head of the financial software firm Blockchain Xen Baynham-Herd. One Bitcoin currently equals 13728.05. A man seeking the return of property from the State accused the gardai of not giving a shit and he claimed the judge was working for the prosecution and the reporter covering the case was backing the guards, writes Liam Heylin. These allegations were made yesterday at Cork District Court in the course of a police property application by Hugh OBrien of Ballyanly, Inniscarra, Co Cork. OBrien was seeking the return of property seized from him in the course of an investigation of harassment of neighbours. Inspector Daniel Coholan said the applicant was sentenced to five months imprisonment for the harassment of neighbours on February 10, 2016. That sentence is now the subject of judicial review proceedings brought by OBrien to the High Court. Insp Coholan said the State was opposed to the application to return the seized property to OBrien, who is aged around 50, as it related to the case which was the subject of judicial review. The inspector said the seized property consisted of 26 copybooks, three USB sticks and six photographs. OBrien disputed that description of the property taken and he said there were lamps taken as well as money and a lot more copybooks. Insp Coholan disputed that. When Judge Olann Kelleher spoke during the police property application yesterday the applicant said: Hold on now a second. You dont want to hear the truth. My mother got a tough time from the cops in Ballincollig. I am afraid, judge, you are working for the prosecution. Can you tell me what does photos of my family have to do with judicial review only to put psychological pressure on me. OBrien said the gardai had caused damage to his property and, spelling out the swear word, they dont give a S-H-I-T about it. Turning to the reporter covering the application, he said: Your man is scribbling like hell, he thinks he has a great story you neednt bother putting that in the Echo He is backing the guards. Judge Kelleher said he would adjourn the application for the return of property until after the date of the judicial review in the High Court. He adjourned the matter until May 18, 2018, at Cork District Court. This story originally appeared in the [url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/man-criticises-judge-and-says-gardai-dont-give-a-st-464217.html]Irish Examiner. Update 7.50pm: The Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has tweeted to say plans are in place to get homeless people off the streets across the country tonight. 1/2 Contact with Dublin, Cork, Limerick & Galway has confirmed arrangements in place for rough sleepers. Teams already out in Dublin to help people in ahead of snow forecast for tonight and efforts will intensify in to the evening. 2/2 There is safe shelter & food available for everyone who needs it. My thanks to our partners @PMVTrust who placed everyone they could get in last night (and still with extra capacity had it been needed). Eoghan Murphy (@MurphyEoghan) December 9, 2017 Temperatures are set to plummet to around -5 degrees, leading to homeless services taking action to shelter rough sleepers. The Peter McVerry Trust says they're confident they have enough beds for anyone who needs them. CEO Pat Doyle is urging members of the public who sees anyone sleeping on the streets to get in touch with them. He said: "You can alert us by ring the DRHE's phone number freephone number - that's on the DRHE's website. "You can send a text alert and we can go and pick people up and bring them in. "We're confident that if people want to come in tonight, we can get people in, we will have enough places to get everybody in." Telephone - 01 2226861 Earlier: Dublins Lord Mayor has called for more emergency beds to be opened for the homeless - with another night of sub-zero temperatures ahead. Micheal MacDonncha says additional beds had been made available - but he would like to see them brought online much quicker. At least eight homeless people have died on Irish streets over the past 12 weeks. Mr MacDonncha says emergency accommodation is only part of the solution - and called for the most vulnerable homeless to be moved directly into permanent housing. He said: "In some cases, people who have sadly died on our streets numbers of those were in emergency accommodation, they were accessing services. "I think in some cases it wasnt for them; every person is different, every person has different problems and issues. "We need a complete set of solutions." The cold snap is set to continue with temperates expected to drop below freezing tonight. A status orange snow-ice warning is in place for Connacht, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath and Meath. This means significant falls of snow are expected Saturday night and into Sunday. Earlier, homeless charities said they are beyond words to describe the crisis facing Irelands homeless. With temperatures plunging as low as -4C and snow on the ground in some parts of the country people are still struggling to find accommodation. Anthony Flynn from Dublins Inner City Helping Homeless said they can not seem to get through to the Government about how serious the homeless crisis is. "We were still trying to accommodate families [at teatime last night] that havent been given emergency accommodation through the normal central placement service processes," he said. "It was 3C at 6pm last night. Families are waiting up until 9 or 10pm to be accommodated into emergency units," he added. Manufacture is VN economic propellant The economys manufacturing and processing sector has broken its October growth record with a new record in November, giving the 11-month industrial production and the whole-year growth target a jolt. The manufacturing and processing sector is a key driver in Vietnams economic growth The General Statistics Office (GSO) last week reported that in November, the manufacturing and processing sector rose by a record 24.3 per cent year-on-year, higher than the year-on-year record 22.3 per cent last month, and almost doubling the rate of 13.1 per cent last November. This sector creates 80 per cent of Vietnams industrial growth. The November manufacturing and processing growth contributed to a 14.4 per cent rise in this sectors 11-month on-year growth, and a record 17.2 per cent rise in the economys November industrial growth against only 7.2 per cent in November of last year. The record manufacturing and processing growth for November also created a 10.1 per cent rise in the countrys 11-month industrial growth, higher than a 7.7 per cent climb in last years corresponding period. South Korean tech giant Samsung is expected to earn an export turnover of about $53 billion this year, accounting for more than one-fourth of Vietnams total export turnover. Samsungs contributions have also helped to drive the 11-month industrial production growth of several provinces, such as Bac Ninh (35.3 per cent) and Thai Nguyen (18.3 per cent), which are home to $8.7 billion in Samsung investment. In another case, Do Duc Anh, sales manager of Cong Anh Garments JSC in the northern province of Hai Duong, told VIR that in this years first 11 months, his companys total production value increased about 19 per cent year-on-year to about $7 million, with an export turnover climbing 22 per cent. We feel optimistic about our performance because we have landed some big contracts for the first half of next year, Anh said. We are also recruiting more workers to meet the production demand. Samsung and Cong Anh Garments bright performance has been mirrored by GSO statistics that show the electronics and textile and garment sectors the key manufacturing and processing drivers of the economy saw year-on-year production increases of 31.5 and 14.5 per cent, respectively, in this years first 11 months. Other industrial sectors also strongly ascended in this years first 11 months, such as electronics and computers (31.5 per cent), steel (26.7 per cent), metal (15.4 per cent), and fertilizer (13.4 per cent). And, according to the GSO, if mining industry production were to pull out of its steady decline, the economys production would increase at an even greater clip. In this years first 11 months, the mining industry contracted by 7.1 per cent, causing a 1.5 per cent drop in the industrial sectors growth. State-run PetroVietnam reported that, for this year, its revenue will be about VND437.8 trillion ($19.4 billion), lower than the VND452.5 trillion ($20.57 billion) of last year. This factors in a $50 per barrel export price for crude oil. The government stated that the economy is likely to reach its 6.7 per cent growth target this year, thanks to strong growth in the economys key sectors, including agro-forestry-fishery (up 3 per cent a fourfold increase against 2016 to hit a record $36-37 billion in export turnover), industry and construction (up 7.17 per cent), and service (up 7.25 per cent the highest rise since 2008). However, if the mining sector were not to suffer its projected decrease of 5.9 per cent through the end of the year, the whole economy would surely grow 7.24 per cent, the government said. VIR A judge reportedly told a victim of child sexual abuse not to cry in court in case she influenced the jury, writes Joyce Fegan. Under what was described as a brutal cross-examination, the victim was instructed not to get upset as she gave evidence of abuse that occurred 20 years ago. Yesterday, barrister Maria McDonald told the Irish Observatory on Violence against Women about the case, which resulted in a successful conviction. She had been supporting the victim in a personal capacity during the trial. I sat in court over the course of the two weeks and I saw an individual, who is incredibly strong, incredibly successful, revert to being an eight-year-old girl again, said Ms McDonald. And I never understood that process. I have been to these events and I have heard people speak about trauma and youre like: Oh yes, of course, of course, of course. But I didnt realise it until I saw it happen to somebody I knew and the cross-examination was brutal. Ms McDonald, a co-founder of the Victims Rights Alliance, was explaining how the case allowed her to experience the criminal justice system, not from a defence or prosecution perspective, but from the victims for the first time. Ive been involved in cross-examinations and Ive never seen it in that context, she said. The judge turns around and says: Dont cry. Dont show any emotion, the jury are going to be affected by it. Can you imagine going through your whole life, having to make statements, and then being told youre not allowed cry in court, not allowed to get upset, because youre influencing the jury? Ms McDonald was one of several speakers at the observatory yesterday which was hosted by the National Womens Council of Ireland, and at which the director of Womens Aid Margaret Martin also spoke, along with members of An Garda Siochana. Barrister Rebecca Coen from the Director of the Public Prosecutions also addressed the observatory. Ms Coen recommended far speedier trials, as are common in Scotland, when it comes to domestic abuse cases. If we were to transplant a measure from our neighbouring jurisdictions I would look to Scotland where the speed of disposal is a hallmark and the specialist domestic abuse courts operate with the aim that there will be an eight to 10-week period from alleged offence to hearing, said Ms Coen. Reducing court waiting times would deliver a substantial improvement in the victims experience of the criminal process and would, in my view, truly make a difference. Womens Aid director Margaret Martin, who deals with victims of domestic abuse on a daily basis, said that if progress is to be made in reducing crimes of this nature, we must first recognise who the perpetrator is. A lot of men who are abusive are also going out and leading very successful, professional lives with well-respected careers, seen as pillars of the community, said Ms Martin. So in a sense, they are almost like Mr Invisible. A lot of them are extremely charming and are really good at grooming all of the different agencies that they become involved with be that the courts or the gardai. This story originally appeared in the Irish Examiner. Recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel pulls down the curtains, turns on the lights, and and spray paints yellow the 500lb gorilla in the room, says Peter Van Buren. Donald Trumps formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing some seven decades of American policy, is arguably the most unnecessary decision of his time in office and one that will have consequences lingering far past his tenure. The decision may yield some domestic political advantage among Jewish and evangelical Christian voters for the president, but at irrationally high expense globally. Jerusalem is where Israels president presides, and where the parliament, supreme court, and most government ministries are located. In practical terms, it is the capital. However, unlike in nearly every other nation, the United States maintains its formal embassy in another city, Tel Aviv. It keeps a consulate in West Jerusalem and a consular annex in East Jerusalem, the part of the city annexed by Israel in 1967 and expected by many Palestinians to be the capital of their future state. Washington also has an office directly on the Green Line, the division point between Israel and the Palestinian territories. Diplomats, as well as Israeli officials, understand that normally an embassy is the head office located in the capital, and a consulate is a less important branch located elsewhere. But they also know from experience in Israel which door to knock on when they need to get business done, regardless of what the nameplate reads out front.This kind of thing is not unique to Israel. A similar system in Taiwan has kept the peace there. In 1979, the US recognised the reality of the Peoples Republic of China, with Beijing as its capital, and shifted formal relations from Taiwan. Instead of an embassy in Taipei, the US established the American Institute in Taiwan. An actual registered non-governmental organisation, the Institute benefits from the Department of State providing a large part of funding and guidance in its operations, never mind the entire staff. Yet there is no ambassador at the Institute; the chief representative is called the director. A whole sitcom worth of diplomatic parlour tricks keeps the enterprise in Taipei not an embassy of the US. That all allows Washington, Taipei, and Beijing to focus on the practical work of relations without having to address the never-gonna-resolve-it-in-our-lifetimes geopolitical questions first. Thats why these things matter. Thats why Trumps decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and relocate the embassy pulls down the curtain, turns on the lights, and spray-paints day-glo yellow the 500-pound gorilla in the room. In the case of the US and Jerusalem, the kabuki which maintained the status quo is the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. Under the act, the American headquarters stayed in Tel Aviv, business was done as needed, and everyone with a hand in the complex politics of the Middle East could look whichever way best fit their needs. That law required the US to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem by 1999, but a politically expedient loophole allowed presidents to issue a waiver of the requirement every six months for national security reasons, thereby preventing Congress from exercising its power to withhold half the funds appropriated to the State Department for overseas building operations if the deadline wasnt met. Trump reluctantly issued the waiver a few months ago and then again just after announcing his recognition of Jerusalem, giving the State Department some bureaucratic breathing room on the funding issue while he plans to build a new structure somewhere in Jerusalem a project that could take years. The Jerusalem Embassy Act was a practical solution, not a failed plan that did not lead to formal peace between the Palestinians and Israel as Trump characterised it. The shadowplay status of Jerusalem worked. No more. Trumps action demands all players set aside whatever other issues they have in Israel, not the least of which is the Palestinian peace process, and, instead, take a stand on Americas changed position. Trumps decision has provoked a global uproar, with world leaders criticising the move as irresponsible and dangerous. Of immediate concern is Americas relationship with Jordan. Jordan has thrown in heavily with the US, allowing its territory to be used as an entry point into Syria for American aid. The US and Jordan broadly have a robust and multi-layered security arrangement, working well together in the war on Islamic State. It has been a steady relationship, albeit one often based on personal ties more than formal agreements, according to several American diplomats I spoke with. Yet following Trumps announcement, Jordans King Abdullah II warned of dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region. The issue of Jerusalem runs deep in Jordan: it was Abdullahs father, King Hussein, who lost East Jerusalem to Israel in the 1967 war, and Abdullah himself, under a 2013 agreement between Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, is the custodian of the Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. American diplomats working in Amman will find every facet of the relationship coloured and their skills tested no Arab ruler can be seen being publicly pushed around, perhaps humiliated, by the US. A second blow could come in Washingtons relationship with Egypt. More so than Jordan, Egypts rulers must act in awareness of public opinion, with memories of the Arab Spring still fresh. In response to Trumps announcement, Egyptian parliamentarians called for a boycott of American products, including weapons purchases. Egypt is also no stranger to the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism, and one minister warned Trumps decision would shift focus from fighting terrorists to inflaming them. The role Jerusalem plays in the radical Islamic canon cannot be over-estimated. And all of this comes at a sensitive time: Cairo just reached a preliminary agreement to allow Russian military jets to use Egyptian airspace and bases for the first time since 1973. In the coming days, there will be violence and protests. But long after the tear gas clears, American diplomats will find themselves hamstrung entering negotiations on a full range of issues having to first somehow address the action taken by Trump. This is not an unnecessarily bombastic tweet that runs off the bottom of the page, or a crude remark which fades with the next news cycle: this time, the president overturned a working policy and the effects will resonate long after he leaves the White House. Peter Van Buren, a 24-year State Department veteran, is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and Hoopers War: A Novel of WWII Japan. @WeMeantWell Reuters The underwear brand is an unrivalled example of marketing masquerading as empowerment for women, says Clodagh Finn. If I ever bump into Victoria, remind me not to tell her a secret because weve seen what Victoria does with her secrets she puts them on display and shares them with anyone who happens to pass by. This week, it was 500-plus Irish women and a few brave men who queued on Grafton St to welcome the American lingerie brand to Dublin. And why not? Who wouldnt want to deliver a cead mile failte to a flashy new underwear emporium with a unique store design that wait for it takes sexy to a whole new level. To be fair, I did a virtual tour and the sweep of the new silver staircase is indeed impressive. It does, as the press release claims, reflect the buildings original mid-century character. After that, though, I was entirely at sea and wondered whether it was the buildings design or its must-have contents that were responsible for reinventing sexy. I went up and down the wonderful staircase (again virtually) to try to find out, but all I could see was a masterful modern rendition of the empress new clothes. In this new version there are angels who appear on a video loop of Victorias Secret (VS) fashion shows. To the uninitiated, a VS angel is another name for a honed supermodel who takes to the catwalk in brightly coloured, often barely-there underwear, and makes us think that women need to wear something similar if they want to feel beautiful, worthy, empowered and/or strong. (Tick the box that feels most appropriate). You should not be judged a good or a bad feminist by your choice of underwear. If spending over-the-odds on bombshell bras makes you feel any of those things, then good for you. For the record, a bombshell bra (starting at 58.80) will give you extra hourglass oomph with sexy push-ups that add two cup sizes. But lets not pretend that being in a position to choose a lacy ensemble over a sensible M&S two-pack is a victory for the sisterhood. If thats empowerment, my name is Hans Christian Andersen. What a pity the Danish author is not alive today to explain what is going on. Why, for instance, did VS angels appear in their sweet nothings at the 2017 Victorias Secret fashion show in Shanghai last month while a fully dressed Harry Styles performed alongside them? He opted to wear two of his signature 70s-inspired suits rather than strip down to his boxers. Can he not see that exposing what lies beneath is the key to self-expression and self-fulfilment, or some fantasy mixture of same? I can already feel the wrath of thousands of women who say they love their underwear and are happy to celebrate by forking out on a brand that has made it big by selling smalls. But VS are also selling something else the idea that women are now the ones pulling the strings, even though the VS fashion show looks very much like the beauty pageants of yore that so offended. Can you put your hand on heart and tell me that the VS angels dont reduce women to how they look, what they weigh and what they eat? I didnt think so. Cue more rotten-tomato throwing and opprobrium. All the same, lets thrash it out because its never been more necessary to have an honest and heated discussion on how women are viewed in our society. On Tuesday, we saw hundreds queueing to buy a product that is made by a company that cynically allows its marketing strategy to masquerade as empowerment for women. In the same week, Time magazine named the women who broke the silence on sexual harassment as its person of the year. The #MeToo movement has gained unprecedented momentum and has given thousands of women the courage and space to speak up about sexual harassment. It has been dubbed a cultural tipping point and hailed as the start of a revolution that has been quietly simmering away under the surface for decades. It would be wonderful to think that the time has come when workers, of either sex, no longer have to subscribe to what Time calls the code of going along to get along. Weve seen the mighty fall. Few are sorry to see the demise of Harvey Weinstein who relied upon on a well-oiled complicity machine of enablers and silencers to hide his systematic abuse of women. But what of the other men who have been tried and found guilty by social media? Just where do you draw the line? There are those who argue that the sisterhood is making victims of women by blurring the lines between assault and flirtation. Men have been victimised too. All you need to do to bring a man down is to say that he touched your knee over a decade ago. That cant be right. The time has clearly come to renegotiate all of our relationships; between men and women, between women and women and between men and men. To start, lets try to join up the dots on how women are portrayed in the world around us, starting with the media. On one side of the figurative page, there are stories about men sexually harassing women (and other men) yet on the other, we strip women down to their supposedly sexy underwear and call it empowerment. How can we stand strong and call out men on inappropriate behaviour when we fail to see anything wrong in pretending that a womans sense of worth and strength can be enhanced by a bombshell bra? Bring on the bombshell bra, by all means, but for cup size lets look for one that overfloweth with opportunities for women, a shattering of the glass ceiling, an end to the pay gap, affordable child care, female directorships, a new generation of bright, talented young women who dont feel they have to modify their physical appearance and, finally, a reimagining of Victorias reductive little secret. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has held "frank" talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran over the case of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The two-hour meeting with Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif covered a number of areas, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes situation. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "They discussed the full range of bilateral issues and they both spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship, including the Foreign Secretarys concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals. "Both emphasised their commitment to continuing to work together to improve the bilateral relationship." The spokesman added that the meeting had been "constructive". "During two hours of frank talks, they agreed to work together to make progress on a number of the most important bilateral and regional security issues. "The Foreign Secretary began by expressing his condolences for the powerful November earthquake which struck Irans border region with Iraq. "He then moved on to the nuclear deal, underlining the UKs continued support for the deal and determination that it should be fully implemented. "They also talked at length about the breadth of regional issues and the need for regional partners and the international community to work together to find solutions. "Overall, it was a useful meeting at the start of the Foreign Secretarys visit to Iran." Mr Johnson has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Reports suggest she could appear in court again on Sunday, following threats to increase her sentence by five years following Mr Johnsons gaffe of telling a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. He later acknowledged this was not the case. Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said he was "waiting on tenterhooks, biting my nails" ahead of Mr Johnsons visit to Iran. "Im really pleased he is there in time for Nazanins trial and waiting to see what will happen. Im certainly hopeful but Im trying not to be expectant," he told The Guardian. It is understood that Mr Ratcliffe did not accompany Mr Johnson on his trip after receiving advice that such a move may not help his chances of seeing his wife in prison. "If Im blunt, it is better that he is there in time for her trial than he and I go there after her trial and shes been sentenced to more years," he told the newspaper. When the couple last spoke by telephone on Tuesday, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was "genuinely worried about the court case and getting quite agitated", her husband said. Mr Ratcliffe told the newspaper that Mr Johnson will attempt to visit his wife in jail and meet the head of the Iranian judiciary. However, Tehran does not recognise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes dual UK-Iranian nationality, and refuses access to her for representatives of the British authorities, making a prison visit for the Foreign Secretary unlikely during the trip. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes case is one of a small number of cases of dual nationals whose release Britain is seeking on humanitarian grounds on which Mr Johnson will push for progress. The Foreign Office has declined to name the other individuals involved - or even identify the number in jail - after their families asked for their cases to be kept out of the public eye. Mr Johnsons trip to Tehran is only the third by a UK foreign secretary since 2003 and comes at a time of tension in the Middle East over Donald Trumps announcement that he is recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A boost for Theresa May delivered over breakfast in Brussels with Jean-Claude Juncker that was swiftly blunted by a postprandial reality check from Donald Tusk. Here the papers digest Friday's Brexit breakthrough. "Rejoice! We're on our way" exclaims the Daily Mail on its front page, before turning its attention to the "liberal-Left chattering classes" in its leading article. Referring to a change in fortunes for Mrs May from Monday, when a first round of talks with Mr Junker, the European Commission president, collapsed, it says: "What a difference a week makes! After her flight to Brussels in yesterday's small hours, Mrs May has returned with a breakthrough to knock her critics sideways." The paper acknowledges there "are sure to be setbacks ahead", but adds: "After Mrs May's triumph, there can be no stopping Brexit now." However on its front page the Daily Telegraph itemises the "price of freedom" incurred by Mrs May's deal, listing the so-called divorce bill, EU citizens' rights, a period of oversight from the ECJ, no hard border in Ireland and remaining in the single market and customs union until 2021. The paper praises her for her "stamina and doggedness" in enabling the negotiations to continue, but cautioned that it is "merely the precursor to an even harder slog ahead" to agree a final deal favourable to the UK. The PM's concessions to break the impasse are summed up by the Daily Mirror on its front page with the headline "Mrs Softee", adding in its leader: "In order to move to trade talks that will determine what kind of country we live in, the Mrs Softee in Downing Street has been forced to cross every one of her own red lines." The papers says the PM knows the remaining 27 member states of the EU "have the upper hand" but she is also aware that a hard Brexit without a deal would be "cataclysmic". "The road ahead is dangerous," the paper says. The Daily Express says the deal was a "very heavy price" but the country has "to move on". "We wish we could offer the Prime Minister our whole-hearted congratulations on the deal that she has finally struck with the EU but it must be said that she and we are paying a very heavy price," the paper says. It urges Mrs May not to waver in the coming months that will be "the most important in Britain's history since the Second World War". The Sun, on the other hand, says Mrs May's accomplishments so far are "one in the eye for the Brexit doom-mongers" and it gives optimism that the EU has been negotiating in good faith. However the paper says Brussels needs to be regularly reminded of the PM's mantra that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed" and without a deal no more payments will be made. "Perhaps they have finally realised that we're serious when we say we're off," the paper muses. In a more down-beat assessment, The Guardian says Mrs May also faces a "battle" much closer to home - in her own Cabinet. "Logically she has accepted a soft Brexit, but politically she advocates a hard Brexit. This tension cannot be sustained. She has exposed a division in her cabinet - increasing the risk that her Government may fall," the paper says. It adds: "The UK government's failures and incompetence on Brexit are a threat to this nation's future prospects." However, The Times says a "rejuvenated" Mrs May is now in a position to confront Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and fellow Brexiteers in her Cabinet and the deal was a "fair settlement of divorce issues and follows important concessions from both sides". The paper acknowledges there are tough times ahead and calls for a swift agreement on a transition deal to avoid a "cliff-edge" in 2019. "It did not need to take so long to get to this point," the paper says, attributing the delay largely to infighting within Government. In reference to a photo of a pope's conclave posted by an EU official that hinted a deal had been made, it adds: "Mrs May got her white smoke today. She has yet to ignite the more combustible debate about this country's future." Mr Tusk, European Council president, was responsible for blunting Mrs May's early morning celebrations on Friday, the Financial Times reports. Mr Tusk noted there is "less than a year" to negotiate the transition period and the new relationship between the EU and the UK. The paper says Mrs May did well to broker an agreement, but it is on the EU's terms. Leading UK cabinet Brexiteer Michael Gove has said British voters will be able to force changes to an EU withdrawal deal at the next election if they do not like it. The British Environment Secretary's comments came as UK Prime Minister Theresa May won public backing from both wings of the Tory party after securing an agreement with Brussels to start post-Brexit trade negotiations. Under the deal, Britain will pay a "divorce settlement" of between 35bn to 39bn(40-45bn), allow the European Court of Justice (ECJ) a legal role for eight years after withdrawal, and ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Gove said: "The British people will be in control. If the British people dislike the agreement that we have negotiated with the EU, the agreement will allow a future government to diverge." The Environment Secretary said that after a transition period, the UK would have "full freedom to diverge from EU law on the single market and customs union." The comments came as it emerged the cabinet is set to finally discuss what the UK's post-Brexit "end state" relationship with the EU should be at a meeting on December 19. The gathering is expected to see prominent Leave campaigners such as Mr Gove and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson argue their Brexit version of withdrawal against the softer stance taken by Chancellor Philip Hammond and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage predicted that Tory anger at Mrs May's agreement with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker would emerge over the weekend. He told the BBC: "I think that within the next 48 hours you will hear a lot more Conservative voices... saying, actually, they are not happy with what's happened today." Proposals allowing the ECJ a role in overseeing EU citizens' rights in Britain for eight years after Brexit have caused concern to some Tories, as well as a compromise on the Irish border issue which stated that if no trade deal is reached, the UK as a whole will maintain "full alignment" with elements of the EU single market and customs union which support the economy of the island of Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. Tory former Brexit minister David Jones warned this could "severely handicap" Britain's ability to enter free trade agreements covering areas such as agriculture with countries outside the EU, such as the US. But, UK Justice Minister Dominic Raab said the details of how to deal with the issue of the Irish border had still to be worked out in full. He told BBC 2's Newsnight: "You can call it strategic ambiguity, you can call it constructive ambiguity... what I am admitting to you, very openly, and honestly, is that we have agreed principles, but that the details still need to be ironed out on this very bespoke set of issues around Northern Ireland which can't be dealt with properly and responsibly outside of the context of the broader negotiation on customs and trade and all of those other things we have said all along." The text agreed between the EU and UK provides high-level reassurances to launch negotiations around the small print, said Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann. He suggested up to 142 areas of cross-border co-operation still need to be dealt with. This is a guide as to the next stage, the next stage will tell you the detail and at that point Northern Ireland will see whether the devil is in the detail or the saviour is in the small print. The EU and UK agreed work would continue in a distinct strand of the negotiations on detailed arrangements necessary on Ireland and Northern Ireland. The joint report states: Such work will also address issues arising from Irelands unique geographic situation, including the transit of goods (to and from Ireland via the United Kingdom). Three scenarios were proposed in the text. It initially envisages dealing with issues like protecting trade across Northern Irelands invisible land border with the Republic as part of the overall relationship between member states and Britain. This refrain has been a common one from British cabinet ministers for months. If that fails, the text says the UK would propose specific solutions addressing the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland. Only if that is also rejected will the UK maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South co-operation, the all-island economy, and the protection of the 1998 agreement. The 1998 Good Friday agreement largely ended decades of violence and enshrined many North-South co-operation measures in an international treaty between Ireland and the UK. Following the agreement, politicians and civil servants in Northern Ireland and the Republic worked together on a wide range of areas including tourism, health, waterways, and cross-border trade. Many private-sector workers cross the border every day for work and small businesses on both sides of the frontier rely on its open nature to send goods and labour back and forth. According to Intertrade Ireland, in 2015 total trade in manufacturing came to 3.4bn. Some have suggested many of the trade ties are centred on agriculture. Mr Swann said political leaders were never going to get detailed agreements on up to 142 areas of cross-border co-operation at this stage. This was to get the high-level reassurances to get us to the detailed negotiations. The UK said it remains committed to protecting North-South co-operation and its guarantee of avoiding a hard border. The joint report from EU and UK negotiators confirms: Any future arrangements must be compatible with these overarching requirements. Mr Swann said the responsibilities given to the Northern Ireland Assembly and ministerial Executive made it even more imperative that powersharing was restored after months in the deep freeze. The text also contains concessions for the DUP, which wants to avoid any disparity between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, often referred to as a border in the Irish Sea. It states: In the absence of agreed solutions... the United Kingdom will ensure that no new regulatory barriers develop between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, unless, consistent with the 1998 agreement, the Northern Ireland Executive, and Assembly agree that distinct arrangements are appropriate for Northern Ireland. In all circumstances, the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Irelands businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market. Two brothers running a major drug ring linked to the Kinahan crime cartel have been hit by the Criminal Assets Bureau. CAB seized three top-of-the-range cars, estimated at 100,000 in total, and 20 watches that could be worth as much as 200,000. They seized 28,500 and 700 sterling in cash, and froze 20,000 in bank accounts. This is the latest operation by CAB and by separate garda divisions in south Dublin, which are targeting the wealth and assets of all ranks of the Kinahan cartel in Ireland. The main targets are brothers who are also connected with another man, who was arrested in relation to a high-profile firearms incident involving the Kinahan cartel. One of the brothers resides in Drimnagh, south Dublin, and his brother lives a short distance away, in neighbouring Inchicore. A third man, with an address in Dolphin House flats complex, in the south inner city, was also a target of the operation. Of the 10 properties searched, nine were in Dublin and one in Wicklow. Five were residential, two were business premises (such as lockups), and three were professional offices (such as solicitors or accountants). CAB officers took three vehicles a BMW X5, an Audi A4, and a VW Passat. Twenty high-value watches were confiscated, including Rolex, Audemars Piquet, Tag Heuer Carrera, and Luminor. One of them was recently purchased for 10,000. A small amount of drugs, suspected to be cocaine and cannabis resin, subject to analysis, was also seized. 20,000 was frozen in financial institutions and officers also seized a Presidium Diamond-testing kit used to verify the quality of gems. The testing kit indicated that gems were being used for the purchase and sale of items. CAB also seized documents and mobile phones. There were no arrests. CAB had received details of potential targets from the Special Crime Task Force and the operation was the result. The SCTF, which is attached to the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB), was set up to target mid-level gangs operating in local communities, mainly in Dublin. In many cases, it has targeted gangs that are part of, or linked to, the Kinahan cartel in Dublin. The CAB has six officers in the SCTF, liaising with its team of detectives, who were drawn from stations across Dublin. CAB is now conducting an analysis of all the items seized and will carry out an evaluation of all the assets confiscated. This is a significant operation, against a significant grouping that is linked to the cartel, said one source. Both the CAB and the DOCB have been conducting numerous operations against the cartel, which has resulted in the confiscation of assets, the seizure of multi-million euro worth of drugs, as well as firearms and the prevention and interception of attempted assassinations on the rival Hutch grouping. Officers have said the cartel is running out of trusted members who can orchestrate activities. Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the Government must now continue to defend the border in the crucial phase two negotiations. Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams gave a cautious and qualified welcome to the agreement, claiming the progress report does not set the final deal on Brexit. Labour, Social Democrats, and the Green Party all expressed a cautious approval of the deal, which was hammered out late on Thursday night and officially announced by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and British Prime Minister Theresa May before 7am yesterday. Mr Martin especially welcomed the fact that language committing to no hard border on the island of Ireland had been agreed upon. He pointed out that the text published repeats a number of times that nothing has been agreed until everything has been agreed. He warned that the next phase, which deals with our economically critical east/west trading relationship, would be one of the most difficult issues to hammer out. The phase two process is where the most difficult issues of trade and future relationships will be tackled and it is important that, as a country, we maintain a close and coherent focus on what it is we want from this process, said Mr Martin. The last few days have also demonstrated in a very vivid way the absolute requirement for the re-establishment of the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly. It is my view that the absence of the institutions in the North was a contributing factor to the problems on Monday and it is essential that the North has a voice in the next critical phase. Expressing a cautious welcome, Mr Adams said the document had outlined broad principals but does not set the final deal on Brexit. While the agreement recognises the unique and special circumstances of Northern Ireland and the border, Mr Adams said it does not address key areas of concern for many citizens. The insistence by the British that Britain and the North must leave the Customs Union and the Single Market presents a real and live danger which cannot be understated, said Mr Adams. Todays communique also throws no light on the future role of the European Court of Justice and, in particular, the right of EU citizens in that part of the island to be able to access the EU institutions. Labour leader Brendan Howlin said significant negotiating challenges face Europe and Ireland going into the next phase of talks. He said that a weak and divided British government remains charged with squaring a very difficult circle in the months ahead. Armed with mobile phones with special apps, the plan is to keep gardai out on the beat, and away from their stations for most of their working hours. The gardai involved are based in the Limerick division which was designated to pilot test a new Active Mobility Strategy widely used in the US and UK. Tim Willoughby, head of digital services and innovation at garda headquarters, has been working on the project for over a year with Chief Supt David Sheahan of the Limerick division. Mr Willoughby said: The 50 gardai will have so much functionality on their app devices they wont have to go back to their station to deal with issues they encounter. The station, in the person of the gardai with the app, is now mobile. It is all aimed at gardai being more accessible and they will be more visible as they wont be spending much time in a station. "Our plan down the road is that everybody in the force will have some form of mobile data station through the app. The Active Mobility Strategy also deploys two specially adapted active patrol cars to the Limerick division. Chief Supt Sheahan said: This has the potential for huge change. Last year, in this division, we had up to 45,000 look up calls from gardai out on duty. "These were calls to the communications room to check out car reg numbers. To check out a reg number could take anything from one to 10 minutes. "But, now, the 50 gardai with these apps will be able to do these checks on the spot themselves. We reckon the time saved would be equal to having one extra garda full time on duty 24/7. He also said the two new Active patrol cars fitted with the app have huge potential, particularly in rural areas. It should have a serious impact in rural areas and also the garda communication with the community. If there is a crime scene in an isolated rural area, the Active patrol car with all the key network system installed in it can be set up at the scene and it will provide all the benefits of the technology in a station, in a mobile setting, he said. In the Limerick Division, at present, we have five rural stations which do not have a network because of the difficulty of getting connectivity. "It might be more cost effective to have an Active car look after these stations when the need arises, instead of putting in fibre connectivity. The days of border checks appear to have been consigned to the history books after British prime minister Theresa May and the EU finally signed off on a deal around the border post-Brexit. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar welcomed the deal, describing it as cast-iron and politically bulletproof. This is not the end but it is the end of the beginning, and we will remain fully engaged, Mr Varadkar said yesterday, adding that everything the Government set out to achieve had been achieved in this first phase of talks. Sufficient progress has now been made on EU-UK citizenship rights, the British divorce bill, and the border to move onto the important second phase of talks, which will include the critical issue of trade. The historic deal was reached after a new paragraph was inserted to allay unionist concerns that the North would somehow be separated from mainland Britain. Instead, there is now another backstop that provides that in the absence of a solution businesses in the North will get unfettered access to the British market. This protection is in addition to the paragraph that equally guarantees there will be no barriers between the North and the Republic and therefore no hard border. Mr Varadkar said the commitment for a free-flowing border post-Brexit was rock solid but said he wanted to assure unionists that Dublin was not trying to exploit Brexit to move toward Irish unity without consent. Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said that the fallback position agreed on the North ultimately ruled out any physical border checks. There will be, in no circumstances, a need to introduce border checks on the border of Ireland, he said. High-placed sources in Dublin yesterday said that the outcome was close to the status quo or existing EU arrangements. Their [Britains] scope will be limited for new trade deals, said a senior figure. After an intense few days of discussion, which eventually led to Mrs May catching a 4.30am flight to Brussels yesterday, she conceded that the agreement had been hard-won. Getting to this point has required give and take on both sides, she said, but added that the details of the report were in the best interests of the whole of the UK. DUP leader Arlene Foster, who torpedoed the initial agreement on Monday, welcomed the substantial progress agreed upon in the 14-page report. However, she claimed there is still more work to be done. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, said Ms Foster. And the deal may be harder for the DUP to accept after Mr Varadkar last night told RTE that they needed to respect Irish views on a united Ireland, a scenario unionists fear with Brexit. Unionists and DUP politicians say all the time that they want the union between Northern Ireland and Great Britain to remain, he said. We respect that. Surely they should be able to respect that we have a different view, that we would like there to be a united Ireland, but only by consent. The deal was met with a cautious and qualified welcome by the opposition in the Dail, who warned trade talks will be economically critical for Ireland. However, it is believed the cast-iron deal could pave the way for a soft Brexit. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government has secured a bulletproof deal to guarantee no hard border with the North. Dramatic developments across Dublin, London, and Brussels yesterday saw governments and the EU agree to end phase one of Brexit talks. In a morning press conference in Government Buildings, Mr Varadkar described assurances for no hard border, outlined in the text, as politically bulletproof. This is not the end but it is the end of the beginning and we will remain fully engaged, he said. Final agreement that sufficient progress has been agreed on EU-UK citizenship rights, Britains divorce bill, and a frictionless border will be made at an EU summit next week. The deal was reached after a new paragraph was inserted to allay unionist concerns that the North would somehow be separated from mainland Britain. Instead, there is now another backstop which provides that, in the absence of a solution, businesses in the North will get unfettered access to the British market. This protection is in addition to the paragraph that equally guarantees there will be no barriers, trade or otherwise, between the North and the Republic, and therefore no hard border. Mr Varadkar said the commitment by the EU and Britain to retain a free-flowing border post-Brexit was rock solid and cast-iron. He said he wanted to assure unionists that Dublin was not trying to exploit Brexit to move toward Irish unity without consent. Tanaiste Simon Coveney said ultimately that the fallback position agreed on the North ruled out any physical border checks. There will be, in no circumstances, a need to introduce border checks on the border of Ireland, he said. The Irish Examiner understands the Government signed off on the fresh deal by late Thursday afternoon, after which the new 15-page deal was passed to the EU Brexit taskforce and eventually agreed by all sides close to midnight. Irish officials are pleased with the outcome, with some high-placed sources saying yesterday that the outcome was close to the status quo or existing EU arrangements. Their [Britains] scope will be limited for new trade deals, said one figure. Dublin believes this deal will make it more difficult for Britain to go out and strike new trade deals with other countries or continents, as it will be constrained by ties with the North. We have protected what we sought to protect and we achieved what we sought to achieve, said Mr Varadkar. EU agriculture commissioner and former minister Phil Hogan said the Irish side made no concessions to reach the agreement. Lead by life sciences company Genomics Medicine Ireland Ltd (GMI), its the most comprehensive genomic study of MS ever undertaken on the island of Ireland. Andreas neurologist at Cork University Hospital (CUH), Brian Sweeney, said the project is seeking to recruit 6,000 people with MS on the island, whose DNA will be analysed, with a view to identifying the genetic markers that can help diagnose, predict disease severity, and identify personalised treatments for patients. He said the relative homogeneity of the Irish population means it is easier to identify and study genetic variants amongst a test population. As a small island nation, we really havent experienced much immigration until recent times, so the population has remained fairly stable, said Dr Sweeney. Its a good county to look at patterns rather than somewhere that has experienced a lot of immigration. Dr Sweeney said that there are certainly genetic influences when it comes to MS. For instance, in the case of a family where a member has MS, there is a 3% chance of another family member developing it, putting the risk at between three in 100 compared to one in 500-700 in the general population. Andrea, now 32, from Aherla, Co Cork, is not aware of any family history of MS. Hers began as what she thought was an innocuous pain in her leg, but other symptoms quickly followed: a numbness of the lower left leg, slurred speech, blurred vision and short-term memory loss. Today, she is doing well, and has been off medication since July, which Andrea describes as bitter-sweet because of her fears of relapse. The last proper relapse that resulted in hospitalisation was about three years ago, she says. In the meantime, shes getting on with the business of living and enjoying her 10-year-old son Benjamin, who was just one at the time of diagnosis. Andrea believes the new research is a fantastic opportunity to build up a picture that could lead to a better understanding of MS, with the potential to, in time, find a cause and cure. People with MS who are attending CUH; St Vincents University Hospital, Dublin; Tallaght Hospital, Dublin; and a number of hospitals in the North and who are interested in participating, can ask their consultant for more information. Under what was described as a brutal cross-examination, the victim was instructed not to get upset as she gave evidence of abuse that occurred 20 years ago. Yesterday, barrister Maria McDonald told the Irish Observatory on Violence against Women about the case, which resulted in a successful conviction. She had been supporting the victim in a personal capacity during the trial. I sat in court over the course of the two weeks and I saw an individual, who is incredibly strong, incredibly successful, revert to being an eight-year-old girl again, said Ms McDonald. And I never understood that process. I have been to these events and I have heard people speak about trauma and youre like: Oh yes, of course, of course, of course. But I didnt realise it until I saw it happen to somebody I knew and the cross-examination was brutal. Ms McDonald, a co-founder of the Victims Rights Alliance, was explaining how the case allowed her to experience the criminal justice system, not from a defence or prosecution perspective, but from the victims for the first time. Ive been involved in cross-examinations and Ive never seen it in that context, she said. The judge turns around and says: Dont cry. Dont show any emotion, the jury are going to be affected by it. Can you imagine going through your whole life, having to make statements, and then being told youre not allowed cry in court, not allowed to get upset, because youre influencing the jury? Ms McDonald was one of several speakers at the observatory yesterday which was hosted by the National Womens Council of Ireland, and at which the director of Womens Aid Margaret Martin also spoke, along with members of An Garda Siochana. Barrister Rebecca Coen from the Director of the Public Prosecutions also addressed the observatory. Ms Coen recommended far speedier trials, as are common in Scotland, when it comes to domestic abuse cases. If we were to transplant a measure from our neighbouring jurisdictions I would look to Scotland where the speed of disposal is a hallmark and the specialist domestic abuse courts operate with the aim that there will be an eight to 10-week period from alleged offence to hearing, said Ms Coen. Reducing court waiting times would deliver a substantial improvement in the victims experience of the criminal process and would, in my view, truly make a difference. Womens Aid director Margaret Martin, who deals with victims of domestic abuse on a daily basis, said that if progress is to be made in reducing crimes of this nature, we must first recognise who the perpetrator is. A lot of men who are abusive are also going out and leading very successful, professional lives with well-respected careers, seen as pillars of the community, said Ms Martin. So in a sense, they are almost like Mr Invisible. A lot of them are extremely charming and are really good at grooming all of the different agencies that they become involved with be that the courts or the gardai. A bad domestic week, which saw the Government teeter on the brink of an election, was followed by an exceptional internationally-focused week, which no doubt will have earned Leo Varadkar increased respect among his EU counterparts. While British prime minister Theresa May was sweating over words and clauses in a bid to appease the DUP, Mr Varadkar held the Irish line by maintaining a measured force, politely refusing to budge. The result was a 16-page progress report committing into writing that there will be no return to a hard border on this island, words which Mr Varadkar himself described as politically bulletproof. But the Taoiseach, who since becoming leader has grown fond of taking juvenile pot shots at Sinn Fein in the Dail, showed signs of political maturity even before things started to go awry on Monday. In fact these signals went back as far as Thursday of last week. Setting aside internal party rivalries, he appointed Simon Coveney as Tanaiste following the resignation of Frances Fitzgerald over the McCabe email debacle. The appointment came on the eve of a most crucial period in Brexit talks for this nation and it was evident that installing a safe and experienced pair of hands as second-in-command was a good move. It may have been a case of love at first sight in the bromance between our Taoiseach and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau as the pair giggled over socks and bonded while out on a jog. But the budding relationship between Mr Varadkar and Mr Coveney has been more of a slow burner. Mr Varadkar failed to make Mr Coveney Tanaiste after both men battled it out for the leadership of Fine Gael last summer and the Cork minister was shunted away to Iveagh House. But together this week, the duo appeared as a strong and united force, with Mr Coveney backing the Taoiseach up inside and out of the Dail chamber. Mr Varadkar was no doubt able to rely on Mr Coveneys knowledge of the delicate negotiations which he and his officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs had been slowly picking away at for months. He also brought a negotiating experience to the table, having hammered out an EU Fisheries deal which secured quotas for Irish fishermen in 2012 as minister for the marine. While Brexit negotiations have been and will continue to be strictly between the UK and the EU Brexit task force, it is understood that Irish officials had been kept very well in the loop the entire way through the process. Prevented from actually being present in the room with Ms May and other British negotiators, Irish officials were often in a room next door and were being constantly and immediately briefed on how talks were progressing behind the wall. This level of contact had intensified in recent weeks and while the rules of engagement also prevent one-to-one discussions, it is understood contact between Ireland and the UK became frequent at an official level. On Monday this week, 10 days of tense consultations, meetings, teleconferences, and phone calls culminated in an agreement which all appeared to be satisfied with. A series of checks and double-checks began before official sign-off, first with confirmation between the Taoiseach and Ms May and then confirmation from officials drawing up the text. At the request of EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, further confirmation was sought to ensure the Taoiseach was happy with the deal, before it was bounced back to the British prime minister. It was then confirmed with the Brexit task force. At this stage the logistics of announcing the deal were being arranged and Theresa May went to lunch with Mr Juncker in Brussels. We all know about happened next. All week while the British side became tangled up in the semantics of it all as they tried to please a disgruntled Arlene Foster, Mr Varadkar held firm that the Irish position remained the same. But he left the door ajar in stating he would accept suggestions from Ms May on new or extra lines, provided the core meaning remained the same. This was echoed by the Tanaiste, who told the Dail on Thursday: The Taoiseach and I intend to hold to what we said this week. Of course, we also want to be helpful in terms of trying to move this process on and provide reassurance for people on all sides that what the Government is advocating for is good for everyone living on the island and can also be good for Britain. It was these statements that allowed Ms May to allay Unionist fears by inserting an additional paragraph. While the initial text had agreed that the UK would propose specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland, the new paragraph states that in the absence of agreed solutions the UK will ensure that no new regulatory barriers develop between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, giving businesses in the North unfettered access to the British market. Many around Government buildings were yesterday selling the additional line as a positive which would in fact complement the deal which had been all-but agreed upon on Monday afternoon before the DUP got wind of it. It has been a win-win situation for Ireland, the UK, and the EU. But what happens now could be even more significant. While huge progress has been made, Mr Varadkar and his new partner Mr Coveney will have to use the same level-headed approach to what could be even more difficult and testing negotiations around trade, in phase two of Brexit talks. One initial victory and the continued support of the other EU nations cannot mean we now become complacent. Yesterday, Mr Varadkar appeared to get that. This is not the end but it is the end of the beginning, and we will remain fully engaged, he said. Coming forward is the hardest part picking up the phone and actually making that phone call, said Ms Murphy. Speaking to victims on a daily basis the advice that I give them is, If were not having this conversation, then nobody would come forward. She was speaking yesterday at the Irish Observatory on Violence against Women. In Dublin Circuit Court last October, Ms Murphys former partner, Francis Usanga, was found guilty of assault causing harm to her. The court was told Ms Murphy was punched in the face and left with a black eye after she confronted Usanga about cheating. Directly after the assault, Ms Murphy made a video about her ordeal which went viral. She now works as an advocate for victims and said they are often the strongest people in society. Getting through that [legal]process, you find inner strength from somewhere, you just dont know, she said. They are the strongest people absolutely, to pick up the phone, to make that first phone call. Ms Murphy said it is difficult for someone to even accept they are experiencing violence. To accept that youre actually going through violence its not something that anybody wants to accept and then speak out about, she said. So it does take an unbelievable amount of courage and inner strength. Ms Murphy said the legal process can be extremely draining for victims who may not have faith in the system in the first place. Victims, speaking generally, dont have faith in the justice system, the courts system, and I can totally understand why, she said. Its a very, very long process for many reasons so I can completely relate to women who struggle coming forward for that reason because its one of the most draining process mentally and emotionally and physically anyone will have to go through. Ms Murphy said perpetrators receive more hands-on support and that this can be challenging for victims when it comes to speaking out. If you are a victim and you are being represented by the DPP , its very challenging because you dont get that hands-on support, whereas the perpetrators do, she said. Ms Murphy said she receives messages daily from women and wants to be able to reassure them about our justice system. As a victim and as an advocate for women, I get a lot of messages every single day from women, she said. They have that automatic trust in me because I put myself out there in such a vulnerable position. Theyre putting themselves out there in a vulnerable position, sending me a message, but I dont know if theyre going on and reporting that. I want to be able to go back and tell them you can have faith in our justice system, in our police force,. Sergeant Deborah Marsh, from Bishopstown, who was based at Tipperary Garda Station at the time, wrestled with the armed man after she and a colleague stopped his van in Lackamore, Newport, Co Tipperary, on January 30, 2012. Moments after they stopped the van, Sgt Marsh and Garda Gerard Brassil of Newport Garda Station, who was also presented with a Silver Scott Medal, found themselves in a ferocious fight for their lives. When I went to arrest him he produced a shotgun. I knocked the shotgun away and a shot was discharged, and my colleague and myself fought with the driver using pepper spray and an asp [baton], Sgt Marsh said. My colleague was struggling with him with the gun. A second shot was discharged and we managed to get the gun off him. As we were moving away he produced a rifle, she added. Sgt Marsh fought back tears as she described the horror of the gunman aiming the rifle straight at her before he let off a volley of shots. I was about 15 metres from him, when he pointed the gun out the window and I begged him not to shoot me. He proceeded to take a number of shots at the patrol car, and at ourselves. He discharged nine shots before unfortunately he turned the rifle on himself and took his own life, she said. It was hugely traumatic for him, his family, for us, our families, our extended families. I knew of him as he had recently moved to the area. It took the Cork garda a number of years to battle back from the traumatic incident, but she did return to work. When you face your mortality and you know that your uniform isnt the shield that you thought it was; When you see the impact it had on my family, and the long procedure afterwards the coroners court etc it did take an awful lot out of me, she explained. The inspirational Garda sergeant now teaches recruits at the Garda training college. I tell them to stay safe, thats the first thing. I remind them, like I remind myself, the uniform isnt a shield and it doesnt deflect bullets, unfortunately. Sgt Marsh described it as a huge honour to be the only female garda on the day to receive one of 17 Scott bravery medals presented to officers at the Garda training college by Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan. Its absolutely fantastic. For me, as a woman, its a huge, huge honour to act as a role model for other women in the organisation, and, I suppose, it shows the public that women dont take a back seat in An Garda Siochana. We are out there, alongside our male colleagues, and the degree of equality within the gardai is evident. Whats your background? I studied architectural technology in Cork Institute of Technology. Then I studied construction management. Since graduating, I have worked on contracts in the Middle East, Africa, and mainland China. In Africa, I spent two months on the ground. I was working on an exciting holiday-home development overlooking a beautiful beach. In Saudi Arabia, I worked on a new university project, designed by an Irish architectural firm, but China was where my eyes were really opened. I was just shy of two years in China. It was amazing. That experience has informed my work. It put discipline on me. I have seen all sorts, from the outrageous to the very high-end too. I returned in autumn 2014 to join my mothers business. Whats a typical work day like for you? As I am sitting down in front of a computer for long periods, I try to do something active most mornings before work, either a swim or going to the gym. I find this a great start to a day. Our projects are so varied that there is no such thing as a typical day. Theres a considerable amount of correspondence, travel, and planning on any given day, so a good day ends with a smaller list than I started with. One of the bedrooms designed by Eoghan at Dromoland Castle, Co Clare as part of the Helen Casey Design team. Tell us about a recent project or design/favourite project or design you have worked on? Weve been really very busy in recent years, travelling the length and breadth of the country, so being Tralee-based, we were delighted to get a call from the owners of the Plaza Hotel in Killarney. Our brief was to bring a more cosmopolitan look and feel to its bar and restaurant wing. Weve been working on that project since early summer. We were also involved in the design of the new cafe, Cafe du Parc working very closely with Gemma Ring (the owner) who wished to expand on a classic Parisian theme. Whats your design style? I dont think I have cultivated a definite style, and maybe hope I never do. I think that quality is what stands the test of time. What/who inspires your work? Too many to mention, but travel really inspires me its one of the best ways to see quality design in-situ and in-action. Whats your favourite trend at the moment (if you have any)? Id like to say that I dont do trends, but thats probably nonsense. If it werent for trends, we wouldnt have much to study in the history of art, architecture, music etc., would we? Gothic; Baroque; Neoclassical; Art Deco; Modern; Contemporary; Eclectic all trends! In terms of my own favourite trend, I like the effortless style of Scandinavian interiors and design, that would be my own preferred style. Whats your most treasured possession? I like photographing nice things and sifting through them at the weekend, so my camera would be one of my more valuable possessions, for now. Who would be your favourite designer, or style inspiration? Sir Terence Conran growing up my mother had lots of Conran books and even to this day looking through them, they are still so fresh. I think he has an amazing eye for design. What would be a dream project for you to work on? Id love an opportunity to work on renovating or remodelling a block of abandoned period buildings the ones that grace our larger towns and cities making them practical for modern family living, business, and shopping. Have you any design tips for us? My main tip would be: Identify a look youre comfortable with yourself. Develop this look and maybe try and avoid the labyrinth of web-based, design-search engines. I use them myself, but it can be bewildering at times the array of amazing stuff you can come across. There are plenty of good design magazines one good quality magazine can save you a world of confusion. I like to pick-up the international ones in the airport, you wont find them in a dentists waiting room! Pinterest and Houzz are great resources, but I think you can lose sight of your own style and individuality, and end up questioning your own judgement. Stick with the plan. www.hcda.ie As a point of divergence between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, Iceland is home to more strange beauty than most places: Snow-covered peaks, black-sand beaches, skyscraping geysers and caves glittering with kaleidoscopic stalactites. The countrys drama isnt restricted to its landscapes, though. After the 2008 banking collapse, the government imposed a steep exit tax to keep investors from moving their funds abroad. Forced to turn inward, Icelanders instead backed domestic projects, such as boutique hotels, locavore eateries and designer stores. In so doing, they infused Reykjavik a compact city of just over 122,000 with a truly global feel. Reykjavik is now remaking itself again, this time as a health-and-wellness destination. The famous Blue Lagoon, with its man-made geothermal pool rich in silica and minerals, is opening the Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland, a hotel and day spa that will offer ground-level suites attached to private pools, and a menu of mud masks and in-water massages. Then theres Verandi, a sustainable brand whose handmade body scrub contains sea salt and recycled coffee grounds. STAY CenterHotel Thingholt: The hotel, located just off Reykjaviks main thoroughfare, Laugavegur, is a refreshing departure from the usual Icelandic fare of blandly Scandinavian interiors: Here, Fendi chairs and plush Poliform sofas sit on a floor of black ostrich leather, while a cocoon-like pendant hangs from the ceiling. Room No 415 has an unfettered view of the Esja, the nearby volcanic mountain range. Sandhotel/url]: This cluster of up-cycled buildings and new structures united in the hotel-as-village model incorporates a street-facing haberdashery opened in 1918, as well as the bakery Sandholt, manned by a team of fifth-generation bakers and loved for its rye, kamut and quinoa breads. Upstairs, the cosy 53 guest rooms are accented with art from local gallery I8, which represents some of the countrys best-known contemporary artists, including Olafur Eliasson and Ragnar Kjartansson. EAT Dill: Ragnar Eiriksson, the chef of Icelands first Michelin-starred restaurant, cycles to work so he can collect rose petals, yarrow and sorrel for his seasonal five- and seven-course menus. Diners sit nearly knee-to-knee in former stables from the early 1900s, made over by the local designer Halfdan Pedersen, who transplanted some of the decor from an old farmhouse up north. Among Eirikssons many adventurous dishes which are plated on hand-thrown ceramics from local makers Postulina and are inspired by regional comfort food is his delicate smoked haddock, which sits atop a creamy mash of potatoes whipped with skyr, a mild Icelandic yogurt. Vinberid: Icelanders love their nammi, or candy. Most, in fact, grow up sipping soda through a licorice straw. In addition to lollipops and pastilles, this 41-year-old sugar emporium offers such sentimental favorites as thristur chocolate-dipped caramel bars with salty licorice bites inside and Opal lozenges, packaged in the distinctive Op Art boxes designed by the painter Atli Mar Arnason. SEE The Marshall House: US tax dollars helped build this herring factory in 1948 under the post-Second World War Marshall Plan. It reopened in March as an assemblage of exhibition spaces for previously itinerant artist-run collectives, some of which were struggling to survive post 2008. Tenants include Nylistasafnid and Kling & Bang gallery, as well as Studio Olafur Eliasson, which shows sculptures and installations by the celebrated Berlin- and Copenhagen-based Icelandic artist. The ground-floor Marshall Restaurant + Bar serves simple, well-prepared seafood dishes such as ocean perch crudo topped with citrus and capers. SHOP Steinunn: Located on a blustery stretch of Reykjaviks harbour, this former fishnet repair shop is now filled with plush knitted jackets that take their cue from traditional Icelandic mens wear, along with lavishly ruffled wraps and wool dresses trimmed with lightweight panels designed to dance in the air. Steinunn Sigurdardottir returned to her native Iceland to launch the brand after stints at Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Gucci, and considers her line just the latest participant in Icelands centuries-old knitwear tradition. Hildur Yeoman: Inside this small, newly opened boutique, dresses patterned with Yeomans delightfully dizzying abstract prints hang alongside sculptural shoes and jewellery from fellow local artisans. A fashion designer who studied fine art, Yeoman is a favourite of Edda Gudmundsdottir, best known as Bjorks stylist. For inspiration, Yeoman says she looks to the women in her life, such as a sorceress friend and her great-grandmother, who fled New Jersey with a motorcycle gang. Kirsuberjatred: How to tell if a shop has given in to Icelands tourism surge? Look for the ubiquitous stuffed toy puffins, Icelands best known bird. This conscientious objector, a co-operative of 11 female artisans working in a former stationery shop from the 19th century, specialises instead in high-end design objects, jewellery and billowy womens wear. Among the standouts in the airy showroom are Valdis Harrysdottirs sustainable bowls made of radish paper and Margret Gudnadottirs kooky feathered music boxes, which play Icelandic folk songs. He writes clean, deceptively simple prose that initially appears to be devoid of style. On first reading one of his novels, I found it easy to put down. But once away from the page, something kept pulling me back. Its as if the author manages to burgle your imagination while youre looking the other way. Prior to embarking on a successful career as a novelist, Toibin began his writing life as a journalist. In that capacity, he wrote in 1986 an arresting account of literally walking the length of the border between the North and the Republic. The strength of Tobins prose, and the accompanying photographs by Tony OShea, bring to life the struggles of real people who were living in an unreal world. The violence and hatred that fed the Troubles for 25 years were at their sharpest along the border. Anybody under the age of 40 today might find it difficult to believe that this world existed so recently. At this point, it is custom to declare that the book, Walking Along The Border, should be required reading for anybody interested in Brexit and its capacity to undo what was constructed in the last 20 years or so. But to suggest that would be to assume that those driving Brexit care a whit about such things. Brexiteers have far bigger fish to fry. They are working to a vision that encompasses recapturing the exceptionalism of Britannia in todays globalised world. They are convinced that once freed from the shackles of the EU, they can rule the waves once more, distributing lucrative trade deals rather than conquering and enslaving. To that extent, the challenges of the real world are a mere irritant to these people. And that includes the huge issue on this island of the future of the border. Where once this country felt dogged by the attitude of Perfidious Albion, in this process the biggest danger comes from incompetent Albion. Early yesterday morning the EU and the British government reached a deal designed to address fears of a return to the border of the past between the Republic and the North. There will be no hard border. Come what may, whatever storms the good ship Britannia may encounter in the coming negotiations, a soft border has been anchored. Lets hope so. The whole Brexit process is so rooted in a sense of unreality its difficult to take anything at face value. The deal reached raises an uncomfortable proposition for those driving Brexit. How can the UK have a frictionless border with an EU member state while remaining outside the customs union, and by extension the single market? To remain in both is anathema to the Brexiteers who dominate Theresa Mays Conservative Party. How could Britannia ever fill its sails if such calm conditions were to prevail in the trading climate? What would the point of it all have been? The negotiations leading up to yesterdays agreement opened up for the Brexiteers a tiny porthole view of the real world. Its noteworthy that the North and the advances made in the last 20 years didnt feature in the Brexit debate before or after the vote in 2016. Earlier this year, Boris Johnson delivered a 4,000-word speech about his vision, that didnt even mention the North. This failure to address the real cost of the vision is not confined to the North. During the week, David Davis, the Brexit minister, told a House of Commons committee that no impact assessment had been done on any sector. Mr Davis said he didnt believe in economic models as they are consistently wrong. This echoes with the dismissal of experts by Michael Gove ahead of last years vote. These people are obviously highly reluctant to address the real world lest it interferes with their delusion of grandeur. For a view of the real world, sample a tiny slice of what Toibin encountered when he walked along the border in the summer of 1986. In one passage, based in South Fermanagh, he met two men who gave him a flavour of the routine hassle they received from British soldiers. On rainy nights, they said, the army would take you out of the car and make you stand there, delay you, ask you questions, your name and address, where you were going, where you were coming from; particularly if you were going to a dance and dressed up. When the army came around, having landed from helicopter, they wanted to know the names of dogs on each farm, they told me. Imagine wanting to know the names of the dogs. Another local man described how there were effectively six different armed entities congregated in their area. Tobin wrote: How were there six armies within one mile? He listed them: The RUC, the British Army, the UDR, the free state gardai, the free state army and the water rats? The water rats? I didnt understand. The water rats, he repeated. The Irish customs officials, he explained. That was the border of the past, a raw contour soaked in violence, fear and bereavement. Nobody ever wants to go back there. Years of painstaking talking and manoeuvring saw that border confined to history. On the British side, politicians led by John Major and Tony Blair went where few of their predecessors ever bothered, in giving a huge amount of time to settling ancient enmities. Thankfully, even a worst-case scenario does not envisage a return to the 1980s, but what is notable is that the Brexiteers of today appear to regard the Irish border as an irritant. Ahead of Fridays agreement, Johnson and his colleagues repeatedly suggested that the EU should just get on with things and leave this little matter to the future. At least persistence by the Irish Government, and the solidarity of EU members, has ensured that the Brexiteers must now sit up and take notice. As such, the deal struck to maintain a free-flowing border has seen the real world intrude on the delusions perpetuated by Johnsons merry band of Brexiteers. Their worst nightmare might, as a result, be about to unfold. If Britain is to maintain a form of customs union with this State, how can it avoid doing so with all other EU members? The agreement is certainly a victory of sorts for the Government and the people of Northern Ireland. What remains to be seen is whether the detail contained therein can survive the dismantling of the delusions that have informed the whole Brexit project. Either the agreement will act as an agent in bringing Brexiteers to their senses, or else we could be in trouble. Constant vigilance will be required to ensure that this particular deal is bedded down, because God knows, those driving Brexit appear so incoherent and incompetent, theres no knowing how things will end up. #banks-interest income Banks log record interest income through Sept. on rising rates Banks in South Korea earned record net interest income in the first three quarters of the year, helped by sharp rate hikes by the central bank, data showed Thursday. Their intere... #BTS BTS' Jin to release photo book before joining military Jin, a member of the K-pop megastar BTS, will put out his individual book of photography next month before joining the military, the group's management agency said Thursday. The... For anyone who somehow missed out on Marie Kondos The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, or who found her de-cluttering style too quick, too cute or too oriented toward a younger set, a Swedish author between the age of 80 and 100 has come out with her own take on the subject. In The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning (Scribner, January 2018), Margareta Magnusson uses a dry, unsentimental and sometimes dark Scandinavian sense of humor, and writes with an older set (and their younger relatives) in mind. Aging is not for weaklings, she said. That is why you should not wait too long to start your downsizing. Sooner or later you will have your own infirmities, and then it is damn nice to enjoy the things you can still manage to do without the burden of too many things to look after and too many messes to organize. Death cleaning is translated literally from Swedish (doestaedning). Magnusson said its a de-cluttering tradition generally undertaken by those 65 and up. The purpose is to streamline your belongings while youre still healthy enough to do the job thus saving relatives the difficult task of sorting through them after youre gone. The concept, she wrote, is not sad at all, and can be uplifting and rewarding. The focus is not so much on keeping what sparks joy, as Kondo advises, but on finding the right homes for beloved possessions so they can spark joy for someone else. The diminutive book complete with playful drawings by the author, a professional artist meanders from subject to subject like a conversation over tea with a friend. It addresses how to approach death cleaning, how to encourage an elderly family member to do so, what to keep when downsizing, and even how to arrange the furniture in a smaller space once you do. Magnusson said she has done death cleaning for parents, in-laws, friends, and, after her husband died, for herself. She downsized from a five-bedroom house in the country to a two-bedroom apartment in Stockholm. To do your own death cleaning can really be very hard, she said, quickly adding, I have death cleaned so many times for others, Ill be damned if someone else has to death clean after me. All my kids came home for the funeral, but the death cleaning took almost a year, she wrote. I worked at a steady pace on my own. I kept in mind comments from my children about certain things they adored and held on to these items to give to them later, while cleaning out things that nobody cared about. Magnusson recommends starting by going through the basement, attic, and any cupboards or closets by the front door. She called an appraiser to help decide which items to sell. Then, family, friends and neighbors were invited in to see if they wanted anything. As she looked around, Magnusson kept a notepad handy to label as many things as she could, like labeling a lamp give to Peter or other items give to charity. Tell your loved ones and friends what you are up to. They might want to help you and even take things you dont need and also help you move things that you cannot move alone, she writes. You will see that a steady stream of people you like (or even dislike) will come to take things such as books, clothes and utensils. Have a grandchild or friend about to move into a new apartment? Invite them over and have bags and boxes at hand so they can take things with them when they leave, she suggests. Like Kondo, Magnusson recommends leaving sentimental items like photographs until the end of the process. She, too, suggests dividing belongings into categories, and tackling the least sentimental (generally clothes and books) first. Once the bulk of unwanted stuff had been cleared away, Magnusson said she gave herself one week per room to clear up the remaining items in the house. In this way, I felt, I could handle the death cleaning on my own, without rushing, she wrote. CHARLOTTE North Carolinas legislative leaders have asked the state to restart executions following the brutal killings of four workers at Pasquotank Correctional Institution in October. On Wednesday, Pasquotank Countys District Attorney said he would seek the death penalty against the four inmates who have been charged in the attacks. North Carolina is one of 32 states with the death penalty, but due to legal challenges, no executions have been carried out since 2006. Currently, 143 inmates are on death row. In a news release issued Friday, Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore, both Republicans, called on Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein to resume executions. In light of the prosecutors decision to pursue the death penalty, Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein need to make certain, should a jury sentence these men to death, that those sentences are carried out, Moore said in a statement. Said Berger: No matter what they say, Coopers and Steins indifference and failure to fight the moratorium endangers the lives of prison employees in close proximity to hardened murderers with nothing left to lose, who see no possibility they will face execution for killing again. Asked for comment, a spokeswoman for Cooper said: Legal challenges halted capital punishment in North Carolina and only the courts can restart it. Capital punishment remains the law of the state and Governor Cooper has a long history of upholding it. A spokeswoman for Stein said: The Attorney General will uphold the law in North Carolina. She did not elaborate. According to a prison disciplinary report, the Pasquotank inmates attacked two employees in the prisons sewing plant Oct. 12 before making their way to a loading dock area where they attacked two more employees. A prison worker who called 911 said the inmates used scissors and hammers in the attacks. Prison employees Veronica Darden, Justin Smith, Geoffrey Howe and Wendy Shannon died from their injuries. Inmates Wisezah Buckman, Mikel Brady, Seth Frazier and Jonathan Monk have been charged with first-degree murder. Authorities say all tried to escape from the prison but were captured before scaling Pasquotanks perimeter fence. The Pasquotank employees werent the only prison workers to be killed on the job this year. In April, Sgt. Meggan Callahan was killed while working at Bertie Correctional Institution. Inmate Craig Wissink was charged with her murder. WASHINGTON The U.S.-North Korea confrontation is nearing another tense inflection point, with North Korea signaling that it could be ready for negotiations with Washington soon, even as it moves toward becoming a full nuclear-weapons power. When such diplomatic standoffs get resolved, its often by allowing each country to claim its entering negotiations on its own terms. In this case, North Korea would assert its status as a nuclear-weapons state, while the U.S. would insist the dialogue is about eventual denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. This may sound like an unbridgeable divide, but thats what diplomacy is for. But as 2017 nears its end, the two countries still appear to be on a collision course. Kim Jong Uns bellicose rhetoric matches President Trumps. Theres an odd mutual fascination, too, which one foreign diplomat describes as love/hate. Speculation about talks increased, paradoxically, after North Koreas latest missile test on Nov. 29, which appeared to demonstrate Pyongyangs capability to strike the continental United States. In a statement, Kim announced with pride that now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force. To some analysts, Kim was declaring victory and preparing a pivot. Russian emissary Vitaly Pashin told Interfax news agency on Dec. 1, after a visit to Pyongyang, that senior officials there told me that the North was prepared to sit at the negotiating table. The Tass news agency said North Korea affirmed it is ready for talks with Washington on the condition that it is recognized as a nuclear power. North Koreas insistence on its nuclear-weapons status was conveyed to Song Tau, a senior Chinese emissary who visited Pyongyang on Nov. 17. The North Koreans are said to have reminded Song that since 2012, the North Korean constitution has formally characterized the country as a nuclear state. Pyongyang seemingly wants negotiations with America, but on its own terms. Analysts speculate that to justify keeping its existing stockpile of several dozen nuclear weapons, North Korea might promise not to share its nuclear technology with others, and not to attack the U.S. The U.S. would be wary of such assurances, given Pyongyangs history of broken promises and proliferation. North Korea evidently wants to be like India and Pakistan, which became de facto members of the nuclear club after building weapons secretly. It doesnt want to be like Libya or Iraq, whose leaders were deposed and killed after giving up their nuclear programs. The Trump administration has publicly dismissed the latest overtures. A State Department spokesman said Sunday: We do not see any indications of North Korea being committed to or interested in credible talks for denuclearization. And on Monday, State again rejected, as it has for months, Chinese and Russian calls for a mutual freeze for freeze on North Korea testing and U.S. military exercises: It is not enough for North Korea to stop its program where it is today. An interesting visitor to Pyongyang this week was Jeffrey Feltman, U.N. undersecretary-general and a former U.S. assistant secretary of state. Hes the highest-ranking U.N. envoy there in six years. Whats he up to? Diplomats arent talking. The U.S. strategy for pressuring North Korea remains centered on China, and the hope that the Chinese will tighten sanctions so much that they squeeze Pyongyang into backing down. Many analysts are skeptical this will work: The North Koreans resent Chinese interference, and they have stockpiled a year or more of energy supplies to cope with such pressure tactics. China doesnt want a nuclear North Korea; but it doesnt want a U.S. strike on its border, either. It seeks a diplomatic solution that will resolve the irreconcilable. Thats been a U.S. desire for three decades, too, with no success yet. History tells us that an unconventional solution was found to avert nuclear war 55 years ago, and interestingly, Washington and Beijing are reviewing those very lessons. According to a senior Pentagon official, a high-level Chinese-American military gathering last week in Washington conducted a joint case study of the Cuban missile crisis. Has North Korea crossed the nuclear threshold? Pyongyangs recent statements suggest they have, but some analysts have doubts. North Korea hasnt shown it can control an ICBMs re-entry, and it hasnt fitted an actual warhead atop a missile, sources say. Will the Trump administration try to block North Korea from crossing this final goal line, by military means if necessary? Or will it seek a diplomatic formula that could, over time, leave all sides better off than the cataclysm of war? At this holiday season, that conundrum is hidden in the dark box in the corner. Scorecard panelists rate news events on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being negative and 10 being positive. This weeks event: Democratic Rep. John Conyers steps down amidst allegations of sexual misconduct and Republican candidate for Senate Roy Moore of Alabama continues his run amidst allegations of sexual misconduct. These responses were filed before Thursday, when Democrat Al Franken announced he will leave his Senate seat over allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Jim Monroe: 1. This episode points to the total sliminess of our political process. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi changed her support of ex-Rep. Conyers so fast that it was difficult to keep up. The president's support of Senate candidate Roy Moore is obviously more based on the balance of power in the Senate rather than any real knowledge of Moore's political leanings. And we're supposed to believe that Sen. Al Franken's misconduct was nothing more than the antics of a group of people on an international USO tour. The only unfortunate fact in this whole ugly scenario is the time since all of these acts occurred. This why we have the statute of limitations. Should we feel sorry for both of the men and women in this situation? Hayes McNeill: 0. Any refined legal system requires that punishments fit crimes. It is a failed state that jails hungry children for stealing bread. While it seems fitting that Rep. Conyers should retire, his offenses pale when compared to the pile of allegations against wannabe-senator Roy Moore of Alabama. It is a failed party that would elevate a man of such low character to high office just to get his vote. Joe Eskridge Sr.: Im giving this the big 10 since these guys, the ones we know about, have given a 10 rating to seemingly many of the women in their midst of which most or all didnt appreciate their attention for obvious reasons. But my hats off to Rep. Conyers for finally realizing hes too old to harass anyone any longer (unless hes sitting down on the front pew at church) and is resigning after 53 years in Congress. Congress needs to revisit its ethics guidelines and take out the one that provides payouts to those harassed, with our money no less, and provide us the names of congressional members whom we bailed out over the last 25 years. Please, no mistletoe hanging around Congress this Christmas. Mike Walker: 5. So, decades after Broaddrick, Lewinsky, Willey, et al, it really isnt just about sex. Conyers departure by itself rates 10, as would Franken and Moores departures from politics. However, the years-long enabling and blind eyes on the parts of the cynical press, political allies and electorate rate a shameful 0. Conyers actually earns a point for saying that all tax-paid settlements to harassment victims should be disclosed. We also need to know who authorized such payments. Tax dol-ars should not have been shielding scoundrels from newspaper headlines, and from civil and divorce court summons. Clint Johnson: 6. The rest of the story will be if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asks Sen. Al Franken to step down as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked of Conyers. It is interesting that the Conyers family seems to think it owns the seat. Tony Gagliardi: I give this story a 3 only because of the gall being displayed by Conyers presuming that he can appoint his replacement, otherwise the story is dead. Now if he was going to stay and fight the charges, I would support him until proven guilty and then he could take a hike and the people of his district could choose his replacement. Linda Hill: 7. Whoa, Nellie! The most interesting thing to me about Conyers resign-ing/retiring is his demand that the secret fund used to pay off women who claimed that they had been harassed be made public. What? Is there such a thing? I totally agree, since we the public and the people who elected these guys havent read nor heard enough about the power brokers and their dirty deeds. The other astonishing thing is Conyers endorsement of his son to fill his seat. There is also a cousin who is running for the seat. This situation might make family reunions awkward. Conyers spoke about his legacy in his remarks about his retirement. It is sad to say, but his good will probably not get as much attention as the allegations of harassment. Who can we trust? Charles E. Wilson: The probes rate 5; 0 if the accused is from the party I favor and 10 if from the other party. Although men are more likely than women to initiate sexual harassment, it can be the other way around. Remember the story of Joseph who was sold into slavery. (Genesis 39). Joseph became a household slave to Potiphar and his wife. When she invited Joseph to come to bed with her, he refused and ran. The scorned woman then accused Joseph of being the aggressor, resulting in serious consequences for Joseph. Unsubstantiated accusations should not be treated as facts. Linda Petrou: 7 I have never been in favor of term limits for Congress as I feared it would lead to a professional staff that would in fact be in charge. But after seeing what is happening in society today I am becoming a fan. To have an elected official serve in Congress for 52 years would absolutely surprise and disgust our Founding Fathers. Someone in office for 52 years tends to become arrogant, entitled and believe they are above the law. And it also absolutely disgusts me that Congressman Conyers wants his son to replace him. Congressman, we are not a hereditary country but a Republic. We don't have dynasties. I have often said when an issue becomes about the person, then it is time for that person to go. Congressman Conyers has become the face of sexual harassment (which I would argue is more about power than sex) and it is time for him to go. As it is for Sen. Franken. JURIST Guest Columnist Jeff Shafer of Alliance Defending Freedom, discusses expressions reliance on context in light of Masterpiece Cakeshop Two perpendicular lines: a cross. A church architectural committee asks a sculptor to design one for placement atop the steeple over its new sanctuary. Delighted, he agrees. The KKK admires the craftsmanship provided the church and asks the sculptor for the same design for use during its march in Skokie. Revolted, he declines. While the existence of social forms and practices that symbolically communicate are human constants, many of the particulars conveying those messages are historically contingentand at times intensely contextual. Burning a flag would be just one more kind of fire, in a society without flags in its repertoire of political meaning-markers. But in modern American constitutional jurisprudence, burning a flag can qualify as protected expression under the First Amendments speech clause. If the context indicates, so can wearing an armband. Or silently walking in a parade. Or playing the violin. So can refusing to do any of those things: The Supreme Court has found the First Amendments protection for individual freedom of mind to shield not only ones speech, but also refusal to speak. The state may not compel an individual to utter whats not in his mind. May the state compel a Christian cake artist to design a custom cake celebrating a same-sex wedding? That question was argued before the United States Supreme Court on Dec. 5 in the marquee case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Much of the controversy turns on whether the custom design of the cake for a same-sex couples celebration qualifies as expression under the First Amendment. If the Supreme Court rules that it is, the State of Colorado may be forbidden to compel Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips to design and fashion cakes for same-sex ceremonies if he creates cakes that celebrate marital unions. The wedding cake is an institution. It has long been the centerpiece of receptions celebrating the joining of husband and wife. It is a focal point and monument to the occasion that receives the ceremonial attention and admiration of guests. It is the object of a symbolic unity ritual that marks and orients the wedding reception. Its image represents and honors new nuptial union. When that iconic cake is relocated to celebrate a same-sex relationship, the expressive alteration is severe. That transfer conveys the message that the relationship of the same-sex celebrants can be and is a marriage, and should be lauded as such; that the relationship of husband and wife is irrelevant to the composition of marriage; that an institution binding together mother-father-child is inconsequential and justly erased from law; that orthodox Christian anthropology, theology, and ethics are false; and that marriage is not a natural and pre-political institution, but one more item subject to individual design and government manipulation. These messages Jack Phillips knows to be sacrilege, and his participation in the custom design of the sculpture that represents and ratifies those claims is morally forbidden him. Yet his adversaries assert that he faces no such predicament. The ACLU (representing the male couple joining the state in suing Jack in this case) dully describes the government coercion of his artistry on behalf of a celebration representing the renovation of marriage and family as merely requiring he sell the very same product he would design for husband-wife ceremonies. The very same? Context plays a decisive role in the meaning that attends symbols. A high-profile example of this dynamic is on display in New York at the site of the well-known Charging Bull statue near Wall Street. Provoked by the stock market crash in 1987, Italian immigrant and sculptor Arturo Di Modica devoted two years and a small fortune to constructing the sculpture, which he installed in the financial district in 1989. He intended that his art symbolize national optimism, strength, and resilience in the face of adversity. My bull is a symbol for America. My bull is a symbol of prosperity and for strength. Not anymore. That message has been replaced due to the change in Charging Bulls context: Its visual field has been invaded by another figure. In March of this year, State Street Global Advisors arranged the installation of a statue of a pig-tailed young girl defiantly postured with hands on hips facing the bullwhich now threatens her. In such manner, Di Modicas artistry has been co-opted to contribute to a new message about female empowerment against male dominance in the business and financial sectors. Di Modica implored the city to remove the statue of the young girl that has converted his sculptures positive and optimistic message into one of negativity and threat. (The Guardian reports his attorneys dry observation: The idea for the bull was never to represent the possible trampling death of a small child.) Messagesbe they symbolic, spoken, writtenyield their meaning through complex engagement with the features of spatial, cultural, and narrative environments. Their expressive significance can dramatically change upon contextual alteration. And notably, that alteration can do more than transform the message; audacious reassignments (for that reason) actually may raise the volume on the expressive quality of the appropriated symbol. (Note how formerly mundane pronouns have leapt to a stratospheric elevation in expressive significance upon their reassignment from bodies to minds.) Indeed, that very dynamic acutely impresses itself upon Jack Phillips as he contests the hijacking of his artistry to facilitate new messages about marriage that he devoutly opposes. The de-sexing of marriage represents the overthrow of an archetype anchoring a public understanding of human nature. It constitutes and manifests a cultural reorientation in precepts of anthropology, government, and related concerns that carry foreboding implications for the legal significance of the likes of motherhood, fatherhood, and kinship itself. Dislocating indications are already appearing. As marriage has become a contested concept, so also its symbols. From Jack Phillips vantage, there is a world-description at stake in the placement of those symbols. It is an undiscerning or trivializing advocacy that would treat his conscientious stand against compelled speech as but a spiteful commercial denial, rather than an exercise of artistic integrity at the very heart of First Amendment concern. Jeff Shafer serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), where he has litigated religious liberty and free speech cases and contributed to research and innovation since 2005. ADF represents Jack Phillips and Masterpiece Cakeshop. Suggested citation: Jeff Shafer, Masterpiece Wedding Cakes: The Context-Dependence of Meaning, JURIST Professional Commentary, Dec. 8, 2017, http://jurist.org/hotline/2017/12/jeff-shafer-masterpiece-cakes.php. This article was prepared for publication by Kelly Cullen, a JURIST Section Editor. Please direct any questions or comments to him at commentary@jurist.org At least 15 United Nations peacekeepers were killed in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Friday, in the deadliest attack in the organisation's recent history. The UN Security Council said the peacekeepers, who were from neighbouring Tanzania, were killed in the North Kivu province late Thursday, alongside five Congolese soldiers, with 53 personnel wounded. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime," he said in a statement. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo -- a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping force in DR Congo, said its operating base at Semuliki, North Kivu, was attacked by "suspected ADF elements". ADF are a Ugandan Muslim rebel group, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly," MONUSCO head Maman Sidikou said in a statement, vowing to bring the attackers to justice. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." Some those wounded in the attack are in critical condition with the medical evacuation of casualties continuing, he added, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene. - 500 dead since June - MONUSCO, a 18,000-member force, has suffered scores of attacks since its establishment in DR Congo, a vast, mineral-rich but chronically unstable nation home to myriad warring groups and ethnic groups. The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12. The ADF has been accused by Kinshasa and the UN mission of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014. Violence plagues North Kivu on a daily basis, with civilians caught between a coterie of vicious armed groups. Human Rights Watch has documented more than 500 civilian deaths, at least 1,087 people kidnapped, and 11 reports of mass rape in North Kivu alone since June. The UN estimates that more than four million people are internally displaced in DR Congo, and 922,000 people were forced to flee their homes last year -- more than in any other country. Guterres warned in October against budget cuts to MONUSCO, the UN's largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission. The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said on Twitter he was "outraged" by Thursday's violence. The country has also faced violence after President Joseph Kabila, who refused to step down after his final term last December, pushed back a new vote until December 2018. Kabila, in power since 2001, told the UN General Assembly in September that he was moving "towards credible, transparent and peaceful elections" but concerns persist that tensions over the vote will escalate into large-scale violence. "This latest attack highlights the urgency of helping people in need and addressing the volatile situation," Guterres said. Bosnian Croat war criminal Slobodan Praljak, who swallowed poison before UN judges in The Hague last week, had a private funeral in Zagreb, a Croatian newspaper reported Saturday. Moments after the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia upheld his 20-year jail sentence on November 29, Praljak took his own life in dramatic scenes that were broadcast live from the courtroom. He died in a hospital several hours later and the preliminary results showed he swallowed potassium cyanide and died from heart failure. The funeral ceremony for Praljak was held Thursday at Zagreb's main Mirogoj crematorium in the presence of close family and a few close friends, "those he listed in the farewell letter", influential Vecernji List daily reported Saturday, quoting anonymous sources. The information could not be independently confirmed and the funeral was not announced like others at the cemetery's website. In a sealed letter handed over to his family a few years ago, to be opened when he dies, Praljak said he wanted his funeral be a private one, his lawyer Nika Pinter told AFP last week. On Monday the Croatian generals' association will hold a commemoration for Praljak and a mass will be held at a Zagreb church the same day. The 72-year old Bosnian Croat commander, who worked in film and theatre before joining the military, remains a hero to many Croats despite his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity during Bosnia's 1990s conflict. The judges confirmed that Praljak and his five Bosnian Croat co-defendants were part of a "joint criminal enterprise" to ethnically cleanse Bosnian Muslims in the war. Their convictions were upheld for crimes including murder, persecution and inhumane treatment. Since Praljak's death, Croats have paid multiple tributes to the late general, laying flowers and lighting candles in town squares in Croatia and Bosnia. Business Administration December 9, 2017, 11:30 a.m., Bramlage Coliseum Live stream will be available during the ceremonies To watch a graduation ceremony live, visit this web page on the time and date a ceremony is scheduled. On the left is the list of graduation dates and times for each college. NOTE: DVDs for all Commencements can be purchased through K-State Campus Store in the K-State Student Union. Contact Info: K-State Campus Store Website: http://union.k-state.edu/shopping-services/k-state-campus-store Phone: (785) 532-6583 Education December 9, 2017, 10 a.m., Bramlage Coliseum Live stream will be available during the ceremonies To watch a graduation ceremony live, visit this web page on the time and date a ceremony is scheduled. On the left is the list of graduation dates and times for each college. NOTE: DVDs for all Commencements can be purchased through K-State Campus Store in the K-State Student Union. Contact Info: K-State Campus Store Website: http://union.k-state.edu/shopping-services/k-state-campus-store Phone: (785) 532-6583 KEARNEY National Cattlemens Beef Association leaders described a roller-coaster first year working with the Trump Administration. At the Nebraska Cattlemen Convention last Wednesday, NCBA President Craig Uden of Elwood and NCBA Director of International Trade and Market Access Kent Bacus of Washington, D.C., said highlights have been the re-opening of Chinas market to U.S. beef and rollbacks of Environmental Protection Agency regulations and public lands initiatives. The big setback was President Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from the multi-nation Trans Pacific Partnership. Its not certain whether the North American Free Trade Agreement will meet the same fate. China is the shining light, Bacus said, because the first shipments of U.S. beef in 14 years were allowed last summer. That market was closed after the first U.S. case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy was confirmed in a Washington dairy cow in December 2003. Its still going to take us a while to develop this market, Bacus said. China has a population of nearly 1.4 billion and a growing middle class. Pork and poultry remain the main proteins, he said. But beef is the hot commodity item. Most of the beef they have now is finished on grass from Brazil, Uruguay and also Australia and New Zealand. Bacus added that the U.S. Meat Export Federation estimates that China could be a $300 million market for U.S. grain-fed beef over the next couple of years. Although beef sales continue to grow in Japan, the top export market for U.S. beef at $1.5 billion, opportunities to sell more there and throughout Asia at lower tariff rates were lost with the TPP withdrawal. Bacus said NCBA strongly supported the agreement. Unfortunately, were still going to have to deal with the ramifications of this, he said. If TPP is not a solution, we have to have a bilateral agreement. Two other highly successful trade deals for the U.S. beef industry have been criticized by Trump. Bacus said the 2012 Korea Free Trade Agreement has allowed an 82 percent growth in U.S. beef sales to South Korea, which now is a $1 billion export market. Costco officials decided to purchase all U.S. beef for the companys South Korea stores. The key in South Korea was getting a U.S. free trade agreement ahead of Australia, Bacus said. Uden said dealing with export markets is tough, but the opportunities are great. He said that in five years, Korea went from protesting U.S. beef imports to being a $1 billion market. Although negotiations have started to modernize NAFTA both Mexico and Canada are $1 billion markets for U.S. beef the presidents withdrawal threat remains. The last thing we want to do is lose that access, Bacus said, adding that NAFTA negotiations may take many months. LINCOLN U.S. withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would not only undercut Nebraskas farm and ranch families, but harm the underlying foundation of Nebraskas agriculture-based economy, according to a new report released by the Nebraska Farm Bureau. The report, North American Free Trade Agreement and Nebraska Agriculture, provides a dollars-and-cents breakdown of the value of NAFTA to farmers, ranchers and Nebraska counties, as well as the implications to Nebraskas broader economy. Today, nearly half of Nebraskas total agriculture exports are bound for Canada and Mexico, our NAFTA partners, said Steve Nelson, Nebraska Farm Bureau president. While weve known for years that NAFTA plays a critical role in providing underlying price support for Nebraska agriculture commodities, this economic analysis quantifies what this agreement means at the farmer, rancher and county levels. What it clearly shows is that withdrawing from NAFTA, or renegotiating in a way that harms agriculture trade, would be damaging. The report identifies the 2016 export value of individual Nebraska agriculture commodities to both Canada and Mexico. Analysis in the report also assigns a dollar value of NAFTA on a unit basis for individual agriculture commodities, demonstrating how NAFTA supports commodity prices. The analysis shows that NAFTA exports of soybeans and soybean meal in 2016 were worth $1.28 per bushel of soybeans produced in Nebraska. That means for every bushel of soybeans produced in Nebraska, NAFTA exports of soybean products contributes $1.28 in value to Nebraska soybean producers. The report also points out that if NAFTA goes away, Nebraska soybean products would be at a competitive disadvantage in these markets, and the $1.28 per-bushel value is at risk. Theres no denying NAFTA is vital to providing price support for our agriculture products, said Jay Rempe, Nebraska Farm Bureau senior economist and author of the report. Ultimately, that support has a positive ripple effect which works its way through in positively supporting our states overall economy. The analysis shows that NAFTA exports are worth $38.22 per head of beef, $22.16 per head of pork, $0.21 per bushel of corn and $0.75 per bushel of wheat, using 2016 NAFTA figures. The report also examines the per farm/ranch, and per county implications of NAFTA, as well as examining the value of NAFTA on a commodity-by-commodity basis for each Nebraska county. The report estimates the value of ag exports under NAFTA from Platte County tops $34.5 million, making it the highest dollar export value county in the state. Phelps County, the report noted, has the most at stake in NAFTA on a per farm/ranch basis the trade agreement is estimated to be worth $55,468 to the average agriculture operation in that county. According to Nelson, the reports finding paints a very clear picture of where the Trump Administration needs to be on NAFTA. The idea of withdrawing from NAFTA is unfathomable, he said. The same could be said of any renegotiations that would weaken agricultures trade position in the agreement. Farm and ranch families are already working through a struggling agriculture economy and the loss of NAFTA would undercut recovery and, more importantly, cause long-term damage well into the future. The North American Free Trade Agreement and Nebraska Agriculture report containing the full economic analysis is available on the Nebraska Farm Bureau website at www.nefb.org. There was a panel discussion on fixing Nebraskas reliance on property taxes to fund education Friday at the Nebraska Farmers Union state convention in Grand Island. The panels consensus was the property tax imbalance is only going to compound if not addressed. Getting the needed legislative votes to repair the imbalance will be difficult. Without a legislative solution, the panel said a ballot initiative to fix it could present a new set of challenges. On the panel was Tiffany Seibert Joekel, policy director of Open Sky; Mike Lucas, superintendent of York Public Schools; Bruce Rieker, vice president of government relations, Nebraska Farm Bureau; Al Davis, a board of directors member of Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska and the Nebraska Farmers Union; and Edward Boone, legislative assistant for Sen. Tom Briese. Nebraskans United for Property Tax Reform and Education is a coalition of state homeowners, business owners, farmers and ranchers, taxpayers, and groups. They want the Nebraska Legislature to provide adequate and sustainable funding for education that reduces the overreliance on local property taxes to fund education. Joekel started out the presentation with an overview of Nebraskas state tax system. It highlighted factors that lead to the current overreliance on local property taxes to fund education. Some of those factors include: Forty-five percent of the Nebraskas budget goes to education. Nebraska ranks second among states on its reliance on property taxes to fund education. Nebraska ranks 49th among states when it comes to state funding for education. On average, property taxes make up 60 percent of funding for education in Nebraska. The national average is 45 percent. State funding for education is $12.26 per $1,000. That is down 25 percent from a decade ago. Davis added another statistic. Nebraska farmers and ranchers pay on average $22,000 in property taxes. Thats the highest in the nation. California is second, at $13,000 per farmer and rancher. Even comparing number one to number two, there is this huge discrepancy between us two, he said. It all boils down to the ability of farmers and ranchers to be innovative and adopt new technologies. They dont have resources to do it. Davis said farm and ranch organizations need to take that message to Gov. Ricketts and the Legislature. If you want us to be competitive in agriculture, we are going to have to have a solution to the property tax problem, he said. Both Davis and Boone said the property tax imbalance is not only a farm and ranch concern. Boone said all segments of the states economy are being impacted. For example, renters are seeing their rents go up because of increasing property taxes. Rieker quoted a Farm Bureau statistic that the second-highest expense for business owners are property taxes. It is bad for everyone, Davis said. People in town are unhappy. People in the country are unhappy. The panel discussed three options in fixing the states property tax issue. The preferred one is a legislative solution. Another is a judicial solution where the state is sued and forced by the courts to fix the problem. The third is a people solution with a ballot initiative. That solution is one facing state lawmakers if they dont fix the problem in the upcoming session. If they cant, voters could be voting on a solution in November. That solution could force state lawmakers to cut $1 billion from the state budget. Rieker said Nebraskans United believes that the best solution is the legislative option. But he said, right now there isnt the political will in the Legislature to do it. Without pressure on the governor and the Legislature, they are not going to do it, Rieker said. He said there would be support for the ballot initiative, but it would not be our first choice. But if the Legislature fails to act, then we are going to light the fire and kick the tires to do everything we can to push to allow the second house of our Unicameral the people to have a say at the ballot box in November 2018, Rieker said. What could worsen the problem is that Nebraska could face a projected $173 million shortfall over the next couple of years. Along with education, health care programs and public safety make up the next two largest segments of the state budget. In total, the three make up more than 90 percent of the state budget. If state revenue projections hold up, difficult cuts will happen as lawmakers look for ways to increase education spending as public pressure to do so mounts. One of the factors in the revenue shortfall is the downturn of the ag economy. Low commodity prices are putting a financial squeeze on farmers. But farmers are seeing their property taxes increase to pay for local education. That comes as state spending for education is declining from previous historic levels. Lucus said hes tired of hearing public school districts being the scapegoat for higher property taxes. For example, he said over the last nine years public schools have had an average annual spending increase of 1.3 percent. We have actually spent less each year since 2014, Lucus said. Since 2014, our entire revenue that we get to create our entire budget has gone down $700,000. Our total property taxes to cut the bleed of losing $700,000 has gone up $1 million. He said the York Public School District has seen an increase in the number of students. But they have had to cut staff. He said staff cuts are why they are spending less. We have a funding problem and not a spending problem, he said. Lucus said state aid to York Public Schools has gone from $3.7 million to $148,000. We have seen the percentage of the state budget that goes to education go down from 33 percent to 27.4 percent, he said. Lucus said politicians have gone from kicking the can down to local school districts to blaming local school districts for higher property taxes. The folks in Lincoln were not satisfied making it a local school issue; they are kicking us in the gut and dumping gasoline on us, he said. State tax cuts and economic incentives have cost the state $765 million since 2006, according to the panel. That has exacerbated the states financial problems, especially when funding education to reduce local property taxes. Joekel said changing tax policy is about math and not magic. At the end of the day it is about how you make the math work, she said. From Nebraskans Uniteds perspective, it is about finding the money that reduces property taxes to ensure that schools are fully funded to create the needs of our future workforce. The second part of the problem is how to distribute the funding among the 248 state school districts. If you gave each of those districts that powers to create a new school funding formula, you would have 248 different school funding formulas, Joekel said. It is now (an) easy feat to get all of the education community to say yes on what works best for their district but what works best for other districts. She said Nebraskans United had brought school districts together from across the state, along with agricultural groups with different points of view. We have made a lot of progress, Joekel said. I dont know if we have solved the problem but I think we are really close. MADISON, Wis. (AP) Wisconsin farmers will be allowed to grow industrial hemp under a bill Gov. Scott Walker plans to sign into law. The bills sponsor, Republican Rep. Jesse Kremer, tweeted that signing the bill will make Wisconsin a national and global leader in hemp production. His tweet included the hashtag AmericasHempland. The bill passed the Legislature with unanimous support. With Walkers signature, Wisconsin will join 33 states that have legalized hemp farming. Minnesota legalized hemp farming in 2016. Supporters in Wisconsin say hemp has a wide range of uses and farmers are poised to capitalize on the law change and grow a profitable crop. Under the new law, hemp plants grown couldnt contain more than 0.3 percent THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. And hemp farmers with drug convictions would not be eligible for state-issued licenses to grow the crop. ALMA Diane Fegter, RN and Infection Control nurse at Harlan County Health System, has been chosen by her co-workers to receive the 2017 Nebraska Hospital Association Caring Kind Award. Elizabeth Miller, Director of Nursing at Harlan County Health System stated: Diane is a pleasure to work beside. She cares deeply for her co-workers and community, and she is a terrific mentor and friend to anyone in need. Diane has been a member of the HCHS family for 37 years. Dianes co-workers had this to say, Diane has been a mentor to many. She is a valuable resource of knowledge and she is always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needs it. She is the definition of a team player. She always starts and ends her day by checking on her fellow co-workers to see where she can help. She shows compassion by expressing her appreciation to those around her. She is a big piece of the heart of HCHS. For more than 30 years, the Nebraska Hospital Association has been honored to bestow awards to Nebraska health care employees that have risen to the top by providing service excellence and dedication to their profession with the caring kind award. These award recipients commit themselves to the betterment of their hospitals and health systems, their customers, their coworkers and their communities. The Caring Kind Awards Luncheon was held on Friday, October 27, at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in La Vista during the NHA Conference Congratulations to Diane on this very prestigious award. KEARNEY Kyle Lee, vice president of FirstTier Bank of Kearney, recently completed the 2017 Principles of Commercial Lending School. This school was Oct. 23-27 in Manhattan, Kan. The Principles of Commercial Lending School is sponsored by the Kansas and Nebraska Bankers Associations and in partnership with the Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming Bankers Associations. The school provides to bankers introductory instruction in the entire commercial lending process. Completion of this course assists students in developing skills, which allow them to better serve their customers multiple financial needs. KEARNEY Farmers, ranchers and agribusiness owners trying to convince President Trump and other decision-makers to preserve a vital international trade agreement have a new tool to make their case. The North American Free Trade Agreement and Nebraska Agriculture report written by Nebraska Farm Bureau Senior Economist Jay Rempe was unveiled Monday at the Nebraska Farm Bureau Convention in Kearney. It says Nebraska ag products sold in 2016 to NAFTA partners Mexico and Canada the states two largest customers for ag exports had a value of $2.9 billion. Rempes report also defines 2016 NAFTA values by county, farms within the county and market prices for major commodities. We were able to break down NAFTA into a way farmers, ranchers and others could instantly see its value, he said. For example, the value is $1.28 per bushel for soybeans and soybean meal. Thats a pretty good chunk of the value of soybeans that we get from Canada and Mexico, Rempe said. Those countries purchases of corn, ethanol and distillers grain add 21 cents per bushel to the value of Nebraska corn. Rempe said that without NAFTA markets, those and other Nebraska ag products would be at a competitive disadvantage, especially in other countries with higher tariffs and transportation costs. In the report, American Farm Bureau Federation economist John Newton says, Total withdrawal from NAFTA would make U.S. farmers and ranchers less competitive in our top export markets and could result in billions of dollars of agricultural products accumulating in inventories, further weakening the U.S. farm economy. Rempe and others have said that if NAFTA goes away, World Trade Organization rules may apply. In a NAFTA analysis published in The Washington Post, Chad P. Brown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C., wrote that tariffs on U.S. products would rise in Mexico and Canada under the WTO rules. He said WTO rules would allow Mexico to apply higher tariffs against U.S. exporters than the United States could use against Mexican exporters. The only completely symmetric or fair deal on tariffs would seem to be the zero percent tariffs that each applies under the existing NAFTA, Brown wrote. Theres no denying that NAFTA is vital to providing price support for our agriculture products, Rempe said. Ultimately, that support has a positive ripple effect in supporting farm income, which works its way through in positively supporting our states overall economy. Because agriculture diversity is so great from east to west in Nebraska, the county values in the Farm Bureau report depend on the types and volume of commodities exported to Canada and Mexico. It depends on what is produced in your county and how sensitive it is in these markets, Rempe said. The highest county figure for 2016 was $34,676,704 in Platte County, which would have exported corn, soybeans and pork. The other three counties with values of more than $30 million, in order, are Custer ($32,262,425), Cuming and Holt. The top 2016 NAFTA export impacts per-farm were in Phelps County, $55,468, and Kearney County, $50,621. Those numbers were calculated by dividing the estimated total export value for a county by the number of farms listed in the 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture. Its another way of measuring how important NAFTA is here in Nebraska, Rempe said. We can tell whats at risk ... that this value is at risk. Thats true even though no one can say exactly what would happen if Trump withdraws the United States from NAFTA. Rempe said a goal of the report is to provide talking points on the issue for Farm Bureau members, other ag-related organizations and businesses involved in trade. Copies were sent Monday to Nebraskas congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson of Axtell said the reports numbers are needed to more definitively say what the effects would be without NAFTA. The full report is at https://www.nefb.org/images/FEDeration/PDFs/NAFTA.pdf. KEARNEY Its not only the fear that President Trump might withdraw the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement that has Nebraska ag producers and organization leaders worried. It also is the uncertainty created by a long negotiation process. My greatest concern is that this drags out, said Nebraska Farm Bureau President Steve Nelson of Axtell. With every day that goes by without confirming a trade agreement, it creates uncertainty with our buyers. There already are uncertainty and trust issues that resulted from Trumps decision to pull the United States out of the multi-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership. U.S. ag producers worry that customers in Mexico and Canada (NAFTA partners), Asia (TPP countries) and in other parts of the world will seek deals with other suppliers of corn, soybeans, wheat, beef and pork. How much damage is this doing just because were talking about it? Nelson said. Some exporters of U.S. ag products have told him they know of customers who are shopping around and even starting to buy a few things elsewhere to begin building new relationships. Other exporters have had new clauses added to their deals with importers. There are negative effects already, Nelson said. Darr Feedlot partner and National Cattlemens Beef Association President Craig Uden of Elwood said the beef industry is growing, thanks to a very viable, vibrant export market. He said that if export markets go away, Americans will have to eat a lot more beef to maintain the industrys profitability. That includes tripe, tongue and similar products in high demand in Mexico. With only 330 million people residing in the United States, we have to have export markets, Uden said, and that need extends to farmers who grow feed grains. Good trade deals Chad P. Brown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, wrote in an analysis for The Washington Post that the value of all U.S. goods traded with Mexico and Canada grew from $291 billion in 1993, when NAFTA was passed by Congress, to $1.1 trillion in 2016. Brown said NAFTA has had some effect on lost manufacturing jobs, which has been Trumps focus, but advances in automation technology and Chinas growing role in the global economy have had much greater impacts. Those factors wont change if NAFTA ends and a renegotiated NAFTA that re-establishes trade barriers is unlikely to help U.S. workers who lost their jobs, he said. Meanwhile, withdrawal would result in job losses for agriculture and other industries that depend on NAFTA. In a press release about a new North American Free Trade Agreement and Nebraska Agriculture report by Nebraska Farm Bureau Senior Economist Jay Rempe, Nelson said he understands that Trump wants to get the best trade deal possible, but withdrawing from NAFTA is unfathomable. Nelson added that the same could be said of any renegotiation that weakens U.S. agricultures position in the agreement. What he (Trump) sees as better trade deals and what we see as better trade deals may not be the same thing, he told the Hub. We all want better trade deals, Uden said, especially at a time when ag producers are operating on thin profit margins. ... But were very satisfied with zero tariffs with these (NAFTA) countries. Its very hard to improve on zero tariffs. He added that U.S. beef sales to Mexico and Canada have increased 750 percent since NAFTA was approved. Although Trump has talked about negotiating more favorable bilateral trade deals after withdrawing from TPP, Nelson said he hasnt seen evidence that work is being done toward that goal. Wed have to see hundreds and hundreds of deals, he said about such an undertaking with markets around the world. Were pretty happy with all aspects of our trade deals, Uden said. Wed like to see the federal government increase the scope and access to all export markets. His other concern is maintaining the economic viability of young people returning to agriculture. We dont want to jeopardize our future. Weve created a lot of opportunities and been quite successful. Wed like to move forward on that, Uden said. More positive voices When asked if anyone can convince Trump that NAFTA is critical for agriculture and positive for the overall economy as an export category with consistent trade surpluses, Nelson replied, I think (Agriculture) Secretary Perdue is doing an outstanding job in making the case on behalf of U.S. farmers and ranchers. NCBA Director of International Trade and Market Access Kent Bacus agreed that Perdue has been a fierce advocate for us, but Trump also is hearing from others with negative views of NAFTA. After saying more positive voices are needed, Bacus said it has been a year since the last election and a chief ag negotiator still has not been confirmed. The Farm Bureau report, which focuses on Nebraskas economic benefits from ag exports to Mexico and Canada, was done to provide more information to make positive arguments, Nelson said. But there are those within the administration who dont have a strong connection with farming and ranching, he said, and dont have an appreciation for the negative effects of this (revise or withdraw) talk. Nearly half the residents of Louisiana have debt that has gone into collections, making that state Americas capital of past-due debt, according to a new national map of indebtedness released by the Urban Institute this week. The debt numbers are derived from anonymized consumer-level records shared with Urbans researchers by a major credit bureau. Unpaid bills that creditors have either closed or are trying to collect are considered in collections. For example, unpaid credit card debt typically goes into collections after 180 days, according to the Urban Institute. Nationwide the data shows that 33 percent of Americans hold debt that is currently in collection. The median amount of debt in collections is $1,450. But those figures show striking regional variation. In Louisiana, 46 percent of adults have debt in collection, the highest share in the nation. Rates of past-due debt are generally highest in southern and western states, and lowest in the upper Midwest. In Minnesota, for instance, only 17 percent of adults have debt in collections, the lowest rate in the nation. At the county level, 68 percent of the residents of tiny Allendale County, South Carolina, (population 9,433) have debt currently in collections, the highest county rate in the nation. Cook County, Minnesota, can boast the nations lowest prevalence of past-due debt, at just 6 percent. Previous research by the Urban Institute has identified health insurance coverage as a chief driver of indebtedness: People who have health insurance tend to be less likely to fall behind on their bills. Urbans researchers looked at this relationship nationwide and found that a 1 percentage-point increase in the share of population without health insurance is associated with a 0.16 percentage-point increase in the likelihood of having debt in collections and a 1.3 percent increase (equal to $20) in the average amount of debt in collections. Nationwide, nearly 1 in 5 households has medical debt in collections with a median amount of $681. But again, that particular number varies broadly: The prevalence of past-due medical debt is 10 times higher in Louisiana (30 percent) than it is Minnesota (3 percent). In many counties in Texas and Louisiana, over 60 percent of the population carries past-due medical debt. The numbers underscore the connection between physical and financial health. Among the more astonishing facts about life in America today is that we spend more money on health care than any other developed nation, but we also die younger than people in those nations. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form U.S. President Donald Trump regaled a rally of supporters Friday night with a story about a disagreement with Canada's prime minister, and sprinkled his tale with some questionable statistics about international trade. President Trump speaks during a rally in Pensacola, Fla., Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jonathan Bachman Cured flowers of cannabis intended for the medical marijuana market are seen at a licensed producer facility in Moncton, N.B., on April 14, 2016. Communities across Ontario cannot opt out of hosting a government-run pot shop if they are selected for a site.Ontario's Ministry of Finance says that if a community is selected to host one of the cannabis shops it could delay hosting the store but cannot completely opt out of having it. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward Hiroshima and an supporter of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Setsuko Thurlow sits on a bench in front of the Norwegian parliament surrounded by 1000 paper cranes in Oslo, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. Thurlow was chosen to represent ICAN in accepting the Nobel Peace Prize on Sunday. (AP Photo/David Keyton) File--In this July 9, 2015, file photo, women dressed as sharks march down the main street of the Gas Lamp District on opening day of the Comic Con International convention in San Diego. There is a court battle between rival pop-culture conventions in California and Utah who are battling over rights to use the phrase "comic con." (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, File) Accounts of impaired driving in the Kenosha News comprise far too much of Kenoshas most interesting daily newspaper, and, quite honestly, they worry me. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation indicates that from 2006 to 2015, impaired drivers in crashes declined 39 percent (from 8,379). But heres another, scarier stat: The median alcohol concentration test result for 2015 Operating While Impaired citations was 0.16 percent. Thats twice the level at which a person can first be cited for OWI. As an aside, we often refer to 0.08 percent BAC as being the legal limit, but its really the limit at which driving under the influence becomes illegal. So drunk driving is down, but the level of intoxication is quite high. And drugged driving is up. Impairment behind the wheel of a vehicle, no matter what causes that impairment even a legally prescribed medication is illegal and potentially deadly. Wisconsin is also known for having too many multiple offenders, those with more than one OWI. Oh, the times Ive heard, Well, everyone gets one, right? Wrong. Then we hear the rallying cries that our state government needs to do something about all these drunk drivers. Heres what I know: just because the first OWI in Wisconsin is not a crime doesnt mean there arent serious consequences to it; fines and an assessment are required. And in Kenosha, we go a couple steps further, requiring direct biomarker (fingernail and bloodspot) testing of many impaired drivers, even those with only one offense. We also require them to attend a Victim Impact Panel to hear about the negative impact of others impaired driving on peoples lives. Many people believe taking away a persons license for life will stop impaired driving. It wont. News accounts that indicate whether an impaired driver had a valid license paint a clearer picture of what we are really dealing with. People drive without licenses all the time! So lock them up, right? Well, incarceration keeps impaired drivers off the streets, but at what cost to taxpayers? At the very minimum, it costs $79 per day to incarcerate someone in Wisconsin. That $28,835 annually may be a reasonable cost to keep our streets safe, but in Kenosha County alone in 2016, 521 people were arrested for OWI, 158 of them multiple offenders. So, keeping those 158 incarcerated for one year would cost over $4.5 million. Is THAT a reasonable cost to keep our streets safe? Those with three or more? Over $1.6 million a year. I dont know what the answer is; I do know that we at the Hope Council on Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse are doing our part to help impaired drivers get their licenses back and be safe on the streets. Contact us for more information: info@hopecouncil.org or by phone at 262-658-8166. Guida Brown is the executive director of the Hope Council on Alcohol & Other Drug Abuse. Kilkenny communities across the county are exemplary all year round but togetherness and unity is particularly crucial around Christmas time. Many families in the county will struggle over the Festive period and it can be quite a difficult time of year for households. The pressures of entertaining in the lead-up, with Christmas arriving earlier and earlier every year, can be strenuous in its own right. Then there is Santas arrival and cobbling together the finances to feed the family on Christmas Day which can be equally exhausting and financially challenging. Families must sit around and make a plan for how they will spend between now and the New Year. Thoughtful and homemade gifts can be inexpensive and its important to remember there are ways and means of getting through this time of year - whether youre fretting about the turkey or the gifts for your children. For those who cant find a way around the holiday financially or for those who are homeless - community spirit is at its most vibrant around this time of year. A sort of Christmas community takes over as many people can empathise with the pressure heaped on families at this time of year - everyone feels it. Thomastown is a perfect example, the Community Centre will open on Christmas Day to offer traditional dinner with all the trimmings. Local stores and producers are supplying the food and the organisers tell people not to spend this Christmas Day alone or hungry. But these wonderful community initiatives go on across the county. St Vincent De Paul provides practical supports for families at this time of year - with everything from turkeys to bags of coal given to those in need and it will be needed this year as many households here are not feeling the recovery. Theres been a 135% increase in those seeking the Family Income Supplement in Kilkenny and many parts of the county - both rural and urban - have been classed as disadvantaged. Huge swathes of the population here are not feeling the recovery - that much is plain. So heading into the holidays, now more than ever, Christmas community needs to be spirited. By Alison Bevege SYDNEY, Dec 9 (Reuters) - AGL Energy , Australia's biggest power producer, has rejected a government plea to keep one of its largest coal-fired power stations open and will instead replace it with a mixture of gas and renewable power. Electricity has become a hot political issue over the past year, after a string of blackouts and price spikes hit households as well as major industrial users, including global miners BHP and Rio Tinto , in eastern Australia. AGL rejected extending the life of the coal-fired Liddell plant past 2022 on Saturday saying that electricity generated from gas, wind and solar would be cheaper to produce. The company said on its website that the cost of energy production from the proposed Liddell replacement strategy was A$83 per megawatt hour compared with A$106 per megawatt hour if it extended the life of the coal-fired plant. According to AGL's figures, extending the life of the existing coal plant would cost A$920 million while replacing it cost A$1.36 billion. Despite this, the replacement option was cheaper because of a longer asset life: 15 to 30 years compared with only five years for the extended coal plant. AGL said two years ago it planned to close the ageing 2,000-megawatt Liddell power station in 2022 as part of a phased exit from coal by 2050. The power company rejected the idea of selling the plant because it needs Liddell to supply existing energy to its customers and the plant will be repurposed to form part of its alternative generation after 2022. Liddell also shares coal unloading facilities and water systems with Bayswater Power Station and separating it would require duplication of this infrastructure. The government had asked the company to consider extending the life of the coal-fired power station or selling it to another operator, fearing a forecast 1,000MW shortfall in power after 2022 if the plant is shut. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told a press conference in Sydney on Saturday that the government would not allow a power shortfall. "The gap in baseload power is not acceptable," he said. Turnbull said that AGL now had a plan to meet that gap, which was being examined by the Australian Energy Market Operator. "We look forward to discussions with AEMO," he said. "I want to be very clear about this, I am tech-agnostic about energy. My object is to ensure that Australians have affordable and reliable power." (Reporting by Alison Bevege; Editing by Nick Macfie) OSLO, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Norway's Liberal Party will launch formal negotiations to join the right-wing cabinet of Prime Minister Erna Solberg, it said on Saturday, although the government would still be ruling in a minority even if the small centrist group is included. Informal talks have taken place since the government won re-election in September, and bringing in the Liberals could give a boost to policies favouring small businesses, the environment and education. "We are going to give ourselves a chance ... to find a common platform we can agree on," Liberal Party leader Trine Skei Grande told a meeting of her party in parliament on Saturday, adding it would be a "challenging and difficult" process. Adding the Liberals to the coalition of the Conservatives and the anti-immigration Progress Party could make day-to-day governing easier for Solberg, although she would still require backing from another small party, the Christian Democrats. The prime minister has sought to include both of the small centrist groups, but the Christian Democrats, which back Solberg on fiscal matters, have rejected the offer. (Reporting by Gwladys Fouche and Terje Solsvik in Oslo; Editing by Andrew Bolton) (Add PV Oil deal approved) HANOI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Vietnam hopes to raise a total of more than $570 million by selling stakes in an oil refinery, an oil distribution firm and a power company, the government website said on Saturday. The communist state has accelerated its privatisation programme in recent weeks, partly because of the need to fund a budget deficit and in the face of growing public debt. Vietnam aims to raise at least $297 million by selling a 20 percent stake in Petrovietnam Power Corporation and at least $155 mln by selling 7.79 pct of the Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical company, the government said. In addition to the sale of those shares in initial public offerings (IPOs), the government said it planned to sell a 28.9 percent stake in the power company and a 49 percent stake in the refinery to strategic investors. The government also approved an earlier planned IPO in oil distribution firm PetroVietnam Oil Corp (PV Oil), aiming to raise at least $122 million by selling a 20 percent stake. The three share sales are expected within three months, the government said, without giving more precise details of the timing. Last month, Vietnam unveiled plans to sell a stake of up to 54 percent, worth $5 billion, in the nation's biggest brewer, Sabeco , in what is set to be the country's largest privatisation yet. (Reporting by Mai Nguyen and Mi Nguyen; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Edmund Blair) Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Partly cloudy. Morning high of 36F with temps falling to near 25. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. Low 12F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Knoxville doctor arrested on prescription fraud charges Alfred Vaughn Jackson, Jr. Photo courtesy TBI. KNOXVILLE Following a year-long investigation, a Knoxville doctor has been charged for obtaining prescriptions by fraud. Investigators with the Tennessee Department of Health, the Morristown Police Department and the offices of the District Attorneys General from the 3rd, 4th and 6th Judicial Districts, TBI Agents began investigating Dr. Alfred Jackson, Jr., in September, 2016. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that Jackson was responsible for fraudulently obtaining prescriptions in Knox County. On Wednesday, December 6, the Knox County Grand Jury returned indictments, charging Alfred Vaughn Jackson, Jr. (DOB 9/25/1977) with 10 counts of Obtaining Prescriptions by Fraud. Jackson turned himself in to authorities on Friday, and was booked into the Knox County Jail on a $25,000 bond. This investigation remains ongoing. KNOXVILLE Following a year-long investigation, a Knoxville doctor has been charged for obtaining prescriptions by fraud.Investigators with the Tennessee Department of Health, the Morristown Police Department and the offices of the District Attorneys General from the 3rd, 4th and 6th Judicial Districts, TBI Agents began investigating Dr. Alfred Jackson, Jr., in September, 2016. During the course of the investigation, Agents developed information that Jackson was responsible for fraudulently obtaining prescriptions in Knox County.On Wednesday, December 6, the Knox County Grand Jury returned indictments, charging Alfred Vaughn Jackson, Jr. (DOB 9/25/1977) with 10 counts of Obtaining Prescriptions by Fraud.Jackson turned himself in to authorities on Friday, and was booked into the Knox County Jail on a $25,000 bond.This investigation remains ongoing. Published November 8, 2017 By Choi Ha-young Just a year ago today, the National Assembly voted on a motion to impeach President Park Geun-hye following protests by the people who demanded that the scandal-ridden leader be ousted. The impeachment, which the Constitutional Court confirmed, was due to Park's rampant corruption and mismanagement of state affairs that produced months-long candlelit demonstrations by millions of ordinary citizens who took to the streets. The peaceful rallies were a core impetus behind the impeachment motion. "The candlelit protesters consistently exercised self-restraint throughout the rallies. Such an experience enhanced citizens' pride and increased their engagement in politics," said political analyst Choi Young-il. Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun said in a recent interview, "It was a national misfortune that a president, who the people elected, was ousted. However, the people turned the misfortune into a better future, and I feel gratitude and pride." Watching the corruption scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil and key aides, people realized that politicians and government officials often do not handle political and state issues in the people's interest. And these wanted their voices heard in state affairs. Amid the heightened interest in politics, the snap presidential election was the highlight. In protest against former President Park and her conservative Saenuri Party, the predecessor to the Liberty Korea Party (LKP), the people elected Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) as their leader in the May 9 presidential poll. The former human rights lawyer clinched the presidency with 41.08 percent of the vote. The Moon government has sought to reform politics and eradicate the deep-rooted wrongdoings of former governments. It has installed taskforces in government organizations, including the Ministry of National Defense and the National Intelligence Service, to uncover past wrongdoings and prevent these from recurring. However, the government still has a long way to go to reform politics and make state organizations cleaner and more transparent. During a forum Friday to shed light on Park's impeachment, Rep. Woo Won-sik, floor leader of the ruling DPK, said, "We've just climbed over a mountain. We face tasks to tackle inequality and unfairness in our society, and complete the eradication of the wrongdoing of past governments." DPK Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae also called for another push for political reforms. "The Candlelight Revolution demands a wholesale renovation of the national system, going beyond impeachment," Choo said. "The passage of various reform-oriented bills is essential for the completion of the revolution." She criticized the conservative opposition bloc for preventing her party from carrying out reformative steps. Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, called on the ruling party to take steps to unite people who have different ideologies. "The impeachment motion passage was an order to change the nation and unite the people," Ahn said. "Impeachment was possible because conservatives and progressives united forces. It means that we should change politics and systems so as not to repeat the same mistakes." Rep. Woo of the DPK said the ruling party would start discussions on revising the Constitution and gather public opinion on how to do this. "From next week, we will start to review major issues regarding a revision of the Constitution," he said. The main opposition LKP has made no specific comments on the one-year anniversary of Park's impeachment. In January, after the impeachment motion was passed, 29 Saenuri lawmakers left the party and launched the minor conservative Bareun Party. By James M. Dorsey U.S. President Donald J. Trump has let a genie out of the bottle with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and intent to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In taking his decision, Trump was implementing long-standing U.S. policy dating back to the administrations of presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barak Obama even if none of them were willing to put it into practice. The key to judging Trump's move is the politics behind it and the black swan embedded in it. Recognizing Jerusalem formally as the capital of Israel may well kill two birds at the same time: boost the president's standing among evangelists and conservatives at home and give him leverage to negotiate what he has dubbed the ultimate deal between Israelis and Palestinians. There is no doubt that the move will boost Trump's popularity among his supporters and financial backers like casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and allow him to assert that he has fulfilled a campaign promise. Far less certain is whether Trump will be willing or able to constructively leverage his move to facilitate an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. His move moreover risks sparking an uncontrollable sequence of events. U.S. officials have been tight-lipped about peace plans being developed by Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and chief Israeli-Palestinian negotiator. Almost the only confirmed fact about Kushner's strategy is that, based on his close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he is advocating what he describes as an outside-in approach. In this scenario, Saudi Arabia would ensure Arab backing for a peace plan put forward by Kushner. Prince Mohammed's United Arab Emirates counterpart, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, working through Egyptian general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has helped put a key building block in place by facilitating reconciliation between rival Palestinian factions, Palestine Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Al Fatah movement and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controlled the Gaza Strip. The problem with that scenario is that implicit in U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, notwithstanding Trump's denial, is a rejection of the notion that any Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would have to involve either West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital or shared control of Jerusalem as a whole that would serve as the capital of both states. The rejection of that notion would stroke with readouts of a visit to Riyadh last month by Abbas in which the Saudi crown prince reportedly laid out the peace plan he had discussed with Kushner. According to that readout by Palestinian officials as well as European and Arab diplomats, East Jerusalem would not be the Palestinian capital. Moreover, the future Palestinian state would consist of non-contiguous parts of the West Bank to ensure that Israeli settlements in the area remain under Israeli control. Finally, Palestinians would have to surrender their demand for recognition of the right of return for Palestinians who fled Israel/Palestine during the 1948 and 1967 wars. Beyond the fact that it is hard to see how any Palestinian leader could sign up for the plan, it threatens, coupled with Trump's recognition of Jerusalem, to inflame passions that Prince Mohammed and other Arab autocrats may find difficult to control. In a region that increasingly and brutally suppresses any form of dissent or protest, Prince Mohammed and other Arab leaders could risk fuelling the fire by seeking to suppress demonstrations against Trump's decision and what Arab and Muslim public opinion would perceive as a sellout of Palestinian rights. The situation would become even more tricky if protests, as is likely, would first erupt in Palestine and be countered with force by the Israeli military. It is a scenario in which anti-U.S., anti-Israel protests in Arab capitals could quickly turn into ant-government manifestations. Palestinian groups have already called for three days of rage. Protests would likely not be restricted to Middle Eastern capitals but would probably also erupt in Asian nations like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. In some ways, protests may well be the purpose of the exercise. There is no way of confirming whether the readout provided to officials and diplomats by Abbas of his meeting with Prince Mohammed is accurate. In what amounts to a dangerous game of poker, that readout could well serve multiple purposes, including an effort by Abbas to boost his position at home by projecting himself as resisting U.S. and Saudi pressure. Against a history of less than accurate media reporting and official statements often designed to maintain a facade rather than reality, Saudi media reported that King Salman warned Trump that any decision to move the U.S. Embassy before a permanent peace settlement had been achieved would inflame the Muslim world. While Prince Mohammed and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu see eye to eye in viewing Iran rather than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the region's core issue, it's hard to imagine that the crown prince, a man who has proven that he is not averse to unwarranted risks and gambles, would surrender demands for Muslim control of at least part of Islam's third most holy city. It's equally unfathomable that he would allow for a situation in which the kingdom's position as the custodian of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina could be called into question. Public Saudi backing for Trump's recognition and any plan to grant Israel full control of Jerusalem would see the genie turning on the kingdom and its ruling family. Not only with public protests but also with demands by Iran that Saudi Arabia be stripped of its custodianship and that Mecca and Medina be put under some kind of pan-Islamic administration. In other words, Trump and potentially Prince Mohammed, are playing a game that could lead to a second phase of this decade's popular revolts and a serious escalation of an already dangerous Saudi-Iranian rivalry that is wreaking havoc across the Middle East. With his recognition of Jerusalem, Trump has likely closed the door on any public or Arab support for a peace plan that falls short of what is minimally acceptable to the Palestinians. Moreover, by allowing speculation to flourish over what he has in mind with his ultimate Israeli-Palestinian deal, Trump has potentially set a ball rolling that neither he nor Arab autocrats may be able to control. Dr. James M. Dorsey (jmdorsey@questfze.com) is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, co-director of the University of Wurzburg's Institute for Fan Culture, and co-host of the New Books in Middle Eastern Studies. Exercising during holiday season combats calories, improves mental health The cookies are baked and that glass of milk has been set out for Santa but you find yourself low on energy and need to combat those holiday blues. The... Winter an ideal time to beef up lawns, plant new additions The recent week-long visit of late-summer warmth may have been a distraction from the seasonal change on the horizon, but the piling up pin oak and maple droppings combined... This editorial appears in the December 8, 2017 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. EDITORIAL HELGA ZEPP-LAROUCHE IN ZHUHAI, CHINA Th e BR I an d th e Dialogu e o f Cultures: The Highest Expression of Each Culture [Print version of this editorial] Schiller Institute President Helga Zepp-LaRouche gave a keynote address to the Maritime Silk Road conference in Zhuhai, in Chinas Guangdong Province, on Nov. 29. Her address has been edited. LPAC TV You, the Chinese people, find yourselves at a very decisive moment in history, and I know that after President Xi Jinping put the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on the agenda a little over four years ago, and the tremendous success of the policy of a New Silk Road since then, that you are completely aware of the extraordinary role China is now playing from the standpoint of the universal history of mankind. But let me share with you the view of a Germanor actually, I see myself as an universal citizen, looking at what China is doing from the outside, from an international perspective. For all the centuries up to now, from the earliest manifestations of human civilization, tribes, ethnic groups, nations or alliances of nations have pursued their self-perceived interests by various meansby negotiations, by diplomacy, and if this did not work out, by armed conflict and war. Geopoliticsthe idea that a nation or group of nations has the right to pursue their interest against another group of nationshas led to two World Wars in the Twentieth Century. It should be obvious to anyone, that in the age of thermonuclear weapons, war can no longer be a method of settling conflicts, if we as a human species are not to bring about our own annihilation. Humanity is distinct from all other species known in the universe so far, in that we are capable of creative reason. This means that we, unlike the animal species, can consciously change our mode of our existence, continuously discover new universal principles in science and culture, and develop a deeper and more profound knowledge about the physical universe, of which we are the most important part. So in a certain sense it is lawful that mankind would come up with the idea of how to overcome geopolitics, and establish a system of self-governance, which would guarantee the long-term survivability of humanity. The concept of a community of a shared future of mankind presented by President Xi Jinping, is exactly that idea. By placing the notion of the one single mankind, defined from the standpoint of our common future, as the reference point for how to think about political, economic, social and cultural issues, President Xi has established a higher level of reason, a conceptual basis for a peace order throughout the planet. It is no coincidence that the concept for an entirely new paradigm in human history would come from China, as it is coherent with the 2,500 year-old Confucian tradition. The economic dimension of this idea is expressed in the Belt and Road Initiative, the New Silk Road proposal which Xi presented in September 2013 in Kazakhstan. In the very short period of four years, this initiative for win-win cooperation has become the largest infrastructure program in history, developing six large economic corridors, numerous rail lines in Eurasia and Africa, ports, airports, industrial parks, power projects, water management, etc., with more than 70 countries participating. It is now twelve times bigger than the Marshall Plan in Europe in the reconstruction period after World War II, and it is open-ended. In Africa the New Silk Road Spirit has completely changed the outlook of the participating countries. For the first time after centuries of suffering from colonial oppression and a lack of financing, now, because of Chinese investments there is the perspective of overcoming poverty and underdevelopment in the near future. This has created an unprecedented sense of optimism. At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi defined the goal for China to become by the year 2050 a strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful country; he defined the goal of politics to be creating a better and happier life for the people; he called on the people of all countries to work together to build a community of shared future for mankindto build an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity. Shortly after this remarkable event, the extremely successful state visit of U.S. President Trump to China signified a historic step in the effort to reach this goal. With this global perspective for the next 33 years, President Xi Jinping put a vision on the agenda, which has inspired many people in many countries, especially in the developing sector, with an unprecedented spark of optimism. The response by some politicians in some Western countries, and by the mainstream media, has ranged from complete censorship of what President Xi actually said, to the wildest falsehoods concerning the real motives behind Chinas BRI policy. Some went so far as to say that Chinas policy represents a threat to the liberal order of the West. Does that mean that the idea of building a harmonious world, in which all nations can work together for the common aims of humanity, is a utopia, a dream, that can never become a reality? I believe that the universal history of mankind can provide the answer to that question, because it shows that there are some profound characteristics, involving the ideal of the highest humanity, which are shared by the most noble expressions of different cultures. There is an amazing similarity among some of the most outstanding thinkers, who, coming from completely different cultural backgrounds, nevertheless come to the same insights into the nature of man and the purpose of mankinds existence. These philosophers, poets, and scientists have in common a fundamental optimism about the role of human beings in the universe, realizing that human creativity is itself a power in the further development of the physical universe, and that there is a cohesion between the harmonic development of all human mental and spiritual capacities, with the harmonious development of the state, as well as of states with each other, and also with the laws of the Cosmos. In China, this image of man and harmony in the state and among states is associated foremost with Confucius and his 2,500 year-old tradition in Chinese culture, which accounts, in my view, for the gist of what is generally called socialism with Chinese characteristics. Confucius has an image of man that perceives man as fundamentally good, with the obligation to tirelessly improve himself intellectually and morally, which he can do by exerting his inner will-power, and in aesthetical education through poetry, classical music and certain other arts. If the individuals develop themselves to become junzi, there can be harmonious development in the family. If the government is run by junzi, the common good prospers. The German poet of freedom, as he is called, Friedrich Schiller, after whom the Schiller Institute is named, has an amazing affinity with Confucius, despite the fact that he lived and worked more than 2,000 years later. He, too, likewise develops the concept of the aesthetical education of man, as the only method for political progress, with a special emphasis on poetry and beautiful art. His notion of the beautiful soul is very similar to Confuciuss idea of the junzi. The beautiful soul, Schiller says, is someone who finds his freedom in necessity, does his duty with passion, and who has educated his emotions up to the degree that he can blindly follow his impulses, since they would never command him to do something which would be opposed to Reason. Wilhelm von Humboldt, who created the best education system in the West, said about Schiller that he created a very special category, uniting philosophy and poetry on a higher level, as no one else had done. Probably the closest almost-contemporary philosopher of Confucius in European culture is Plato, who likewise established a school of thought, which continued, albeit with many interruptions in terms of influence, through the centuries into the present. He also has the idea of a harmoniously ordered universe, in which development is embedded in the creation of the universe in such a way that it evolves from chaos to harmony, and where not only can man recognize that harmony, but can tune his own action in accordance with the laws of the universe for the sake of everyone. In his famous work Timaeus, he writes: For God, desiring that all things should be good, and that, so far as this might be, there should be nought evil, having received all that is moving not in a state of rest, but moving without harmony or measure, brought it from its disorder into order, thinking that this was in all ways better than the other. Now it neither has been nor is permitted to the most perfect to do aught but what is most fair. Therefore he took thought and perceived that of all things which are by nature visible, no work that is without reason will ever be fairer than that which has reason, setting whole against whole, and that without soul reason cannot dwell in anything. Because then he argued thus, in forming the universe he created reason in soul and soul in body, that he might be the maker of a work that was by nature most fair and perfect. In this way then, we ought to affirm according to the probable account that this universe is a living creature in very truth possessing soul and reason by the providence of God. This beautiful idea, that God created the best of all possible worlds, was explicitly elaborated by Gottfried Leibniz. In it each human being represents a monad, which has enclosed in it, in the small, all the characteristics of the universe at largeand there is an inclusive, pre-established harmony in that universe. The world is the best of all possible worlds, because it is constructed in such a way that every evil has the potential of generating an even greater good, which the human being can choose, because he or she has a free will. In that way, the degrees of freedom for the good increase, despite the existence of evil. From that follows the obligation of man to continuously ennoble himself in order to contribute to the progress of all of humanity and even the development of the entire cosmos. LPAC TV To further this goal Leibniz created academies and scholarly societies, in order to gather the entire intellectual, scientific and cultural knowledge of all the people and put it to the service of all the nations. His conception was essentially the same as reflected in the new Center for the International Knowledge Development (CIKD), which will serve as a platform for nations to share ideas, so that their development is not delayed by the lack of access to new knowledge. That spirit influenced many scientists in history to give the fruits of their inventive power to that country which would make the best use of the discovery. One good example of that, is the collaboration of German scientists with China in the field of nuclear technology. Leibniz wrote to Czar Peter the Great, I aim at the benefit of the entire human species, and I would rather accomplish a great good for the Russians, than a little for the Germans or the other Europeans, because my inclination and passion is the general best. Leibniz was completely enthusiastic about China, about which he tried to learn as much as possible form the Jesuit missionaries. He was fascinated by the fact that the Kangxi Emperor had come to the same mathematical conclusions as Leibniz himself, and concluded from that, that there are universal principles accessible to all human beings and cultures. He even believed in the moral superiority of the Chinese, and wrote: In light of the growing moral decay, it seems to be almost necessary, that Chinese missionaries be sent to us, who could teach us the application and practice of a natural theology. I therefore believe: that if a wise man were chosen to judge not the beauty of goddesses, but the excellence of peoples, he would give the golden apple to the Chinese. It is not surprising that Leibniz had a conception of the more advanced countries helping the less-developed, very similar to the New Silk Road idea. In 1697 he published his book Novissima Sinica, about how Europe and China should cooperate to develop all countries located between them. He wrote: Maybe it is the aim of the highest providence, that those nations which are highly civilized, but are located at the greatest distance, also uplift the peoples of the regions in between to a life more in accordance with reason. Out of his optimistic idea of the best of all possible worlds, follows for Leibniz the right of the individual to the pursuit of happiness, a notion which has nothing to do with the hedonistic idea of having a good time, but means the right to have a fulfilled life by developing the fullest creative potential for the benefit of the whole society. It was explicitly this Leibnizian notion which is included in the American Declaration of Independence, that all people have the inalienable right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. But it was not only Leibniz who influenced the conceptions of the U.S. Constitution, the preface of which explicitly mentions the commitment to the common goodConfucius did as well. The intellectual father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, was a convinced Confucian scholar. He published a treatise on the morals of Confucius in 1737 in the Pennsylvania Gazette, and he based his own moral philosophy, which he summarized in an outline of thirteen virtues, entirely on the morals of Confucius. So maybe the good chemistry which President Trump emphasized between himself and President Xi, given Xis deep Confucian spirit, has something to do with the fact that President Trump has indicated repeatedly that he wants to revive the American System, which is associated with the philosophy of the young American Republic. To sum up the argument as to whydespite some present opposition in the West to the conception of a community of a shared destiny of mankindthere is nonetheless great reason for optimism that the beautiful vision will indeed become a reality, let me conclude with this. In all great cultures there have been thinkers who understood the deep connections between an optimistic image of the limitless moral and intellectual self-perfectibility of man, with the pursuit of the common good as the precondition for the long-term survival of society, and the cohesion between human creativity and the laws of the physical universe. For a very long time these philosophers influenced their cultures independently from one another, sometimes living during the same period, but knowing nothing of each other, since it took years to travel from one country to the other. Sometimes they influenced one another over the centuries and beyond national boundaries. There was Plato, who influenced the Arab philosophers Al Kindi, Al Farabi and Ibn Sina, as well as the Christian thinkers Augustine, Nicholas of Cusa and Leibniz. But one can also find an affinity of their ideas in the Indian Vedic writings or the scholars of Timbuktu. Without the exchanges between the Caliph Harun Al Rashid and Charlemagne, much of the cultural and scientific heritage of ancient Greece, Egypt, Spain, and Italy might not have been saved after the collapse of the Roman Empire. As the ancient Silk Road led to an exchange not only of goods and technologies, but also of ideas and cultures, so will the New Silk Road lead to a sharing of the best expressions of human creativity for the benefit of the one humanity. Communication, travel and knowledge about each other have sped up tremendously and will continue to do so. What earlier was only stated by the greatest philosophers with metaphysical arguments about man and the physical universe, can now be proven by modern science. And there is no better proof of the cohesion of the microcosm of the human mind and the macrocosm of the universe at large, than space research and travel. The fact that man can travel in space is the ultimate proof of the fact that an immaterial idea, an invention, a scientific breakthrough, has an effect in the physical universe, and can elevate the human species beyond any barriers of sense-perception. All the astronauts who have been to space report the same thing: that looking at the Earth from outer space, one does not see national borders, one only perceives the one human species. So there is profound reason for optimism, despite the reluctance of some people in the West, that the beautiful vision of the One Dream of Mankind will come true. This article appears in the December 8, 2017 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. DR. ALEXANDER DEMISSIE Chinas Belt and Road Initiative and Its Long-Term Impact on African Countries [Print version of this article] This is an edited transcript of the presentation by Dr. Alexander Demissie of Ethiopia to the Nov. 25-26, 2017 Schiller Institute Conference, Fulfilling the Dream of Mankind. Ill begin with two or three words about myself, so you can understand why Im here. My background is in international relations. Im a Ph.D. holder in China-Africa relations, and have been studying China-Africa relations since 2003, so I am quite aware of what has been happening over the last decade in this area. Today, I will try to discuss with you the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and how it is connected to Africa. What kind of long-term impacts are we expecting when we are talk about the BRI and Africa? Chinas Belt and Road Initiative View full size This is a map I always use in my presentations. I always ask my audiences What do you see here? Its a very simple question. You should see something. Its a rhetorical question. Im not expecting you to answer. It usually takes several minutes until people realize what they see here. What you see is the absence of the American continent. [laughter] You see that the Chinese vision of the BRI is absolutely Eur-Asian oriented. Starting in China, it is primarily Eur-Asian oriented. The idea of the BRI, probably even your idea back in the 1970s, is the Land-Bridge, which we have also been discussing yesterday and today. Within this map you will see Africa. Africa is prominent. It is not entirely in the center, but is on the left side, and should be part of the BRI idea. We know that Africa is a late-comer. Its an afterthought in China. It was not a primary address for the BRI. Therefore, it took people such as Professor He and Professor Justin Yifu Lin from Peking University to bring Africa into the picture. Starting in 2013-14, they were the first ones writing about Africa and that Africa should be considered as part of the BRI. They coined the term One Belt, One Road, One Continent, to include the African continent. Later we will see that we cannot even talk about the African continent. How do we understand the BRI from the African perspective? We see that the BRI is a very open and over-arching idea. It is open in that anybody can come in, and dock with it. Earlier we heard about the 16+1 initiative in the Central and Eastern European countries. This is one such idea. If its good or bad, thats another discussion. The BRI is creating a place for re-writing history, creating space for new voices which have been subdued in the last decades, but which can now come out from their hidden places and start referring to their own past histories and ideas. In the keynote speech this morning we heard of an Indian narrative now coming out. India is partially opposing the whole idea of the BRI, but partially also coming up with their own grand history going back many years. So, we are hearing new voices. The BRI in the context of Africa is creating new voices, new ideas, new narrativeswhich is a good thing. My third point: the BRI is primarily an infrastructural undertaking. We dont yet have political institutionalization. We have infrastructural ideas. We have corridors, but we dont yet have political institutions. So, if we talk about the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), or the Silk Road Bank, these are just connected to infrastructure; they are not political ideas. Interestingly, this idea fits perfectly into the current African needinfrastructure development. Africa wants infrastructure, going back here to the African Unions Agenda 2063 strategic framework that has also, coincidentally, been coming up. Together with the BRI, Africa wants a good infrastructure connection, a good internal interconnectivity. So, the idea of the BRI coming from China is perfectly fitting into the ideaactually happening or being discussedwithin the African continent. On the right side of the map you will see different corridors within Africa, which have been at various times conceived of by various players and have been thought through to some extent as very important corridors. The question remains: who is going to finance all these corridors? Lyndon LaRouche: (interrupting from the audience): It ought to be done! What happens is, in the process of the. . . . [audio loss] on the development of the new [inaud] system for them. First of all, this goes way beyond anything which mankind, in Russia or elsewhere, has seen. They have no knowledge of this as such. They have now achieved, together with other people, the development of what is really a work system. Demissie: Are you referring to the BRI? LaRouche: The system itself. The thing is essentially motivated by what the population has developed, what its opened up on. Demissie: Yes, yes. LaRouche: Then people come in and they do some work. By this time, their mind is way beyond anything theyve done before, in terms of an ongoing project. So, the job is: DO IT! Demissie: Yes! Yes! Exactly! Im fully with you on this. Because if you have been following the debate within Africa, or the African continent, or African institutions, the Agenda 2063, what we call The Africa We Want, is nothing else than, literally, infrastructure development that the continent has been needing for decades actually, but has never happened. We see now China as an actor coming in and literally taking up or doing part of those needed works. From the African perspective, this is a huge plus for many African countries. The idea of the BRI, coming only since 2013, is helping what has been taking place on the continent between China and the African countries since the year 2000, what we call the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). For those who are not familiar with that forum, it is similar to the 16+1, where we have at least 48 African countries on the one side, with China on the other. Within this forum, the Chinese position has been always, not changing, but always adapting to the current needs. Lyndon LaRouche: You have to change. . . [inaudible] Demissie: Yes. I will come to that point. It has changed. I will explain how it has changed. What I meant is that it is happening every three years. Every three years this forum has been adapting, gradually, in my view, to the needs of China, actually, not only to the needs of Africa. Since the FOCAC Summit and 6th Ministerial Conference in 2015 in Johannesburg, China has been entirely moving its priority from social-related aspects, more to hard infrastructure development aspects. China has clearly declared that they would like to see China-Africa cooperation moving into development of highways, regional aviation networks, or industrialization. Also China has given a high priority to the African Unions program for infrastructure development. This program has approximately 51 different programs, which has translated into 400 different physical projects. Im speaking about ports, streets, telecommunications lineswhatever is required for a nation or a continent to function. China has also been very clear since Johannesburg in 2015 that they want to cooperate more with Africa more on infrastructural projects that create regional connectivity. That is where the BRI comes in. Thats why I mentioned earlier that the BRI is primarily an infrastructure topic. Now maybe Im putting that emphasis here. China has also been changing its emphasis since at least 2016, clearly articulating their desire to have with Africa a cooperation on industrial and agricultural development. Again, a physical-oriented approach. The preconditions for a developing Africa are good infrastructures in place. Good infrastructures first, and then the human resources development needs to take place at the same time. What we see in Africa since at least two years, is a growing corridorization in the China-Africa relationship. By corridorization, I dont mean that single countries are no longer important, but entire regions are becoming more important for China. This is a huge departure from the bi-lateral single-country-based approach toward corridor development. If you look at the African corridors, the map on the right, you can see right now, as we speak today, around 33 different corridors that have either been developed, are under development, or are thought out and need to be developed. Corridors do nothing else but combine two different areas, and by doing so, create a development initiative, a development paradigm. China is a big player in the corridorization movement happening in Africa, the same as we have heard about earlier with Bulgaria. You also have the same type of development going on in the Central Asian countries. The BRI is supporting these existing ideas within Africa. From the African perspective, the questions directed to China, at least from some sub-regions, are Is our relation to China helping us to advance those infrastructure developments we are planning? Is regional interconnectivity happening with our relationship with China? And, is the industrialization process actually happening through this relationship? LaRouche: Its all are the same thing. They are not separate things. Demissie: No, its not. LaRouche: You have to have these characteristics there acting, when those characteristics are coming into play. For example, I know some members of the talent there. Weve worked on this. Ive worked on it, in part, with my wife. The idea lying in the minds of the scientists in there, you see that the whole thing emerges in that way. The danger is that people begin to monkey around with interpretations of how this thing came about. Right now, in a short period of time, this operation has really exploded. Demissie: True. LaRouche: It has exploded through other groups of people. There is a connection, a very important connection of relevance, not precise. You have to work on that issue, because you have to integrate what has been the modality that you get usually. You have to work it over, change it. You have to build it up, make it stronger, reinforce it. That what the [inaud] part is. Theres no magic in this thing, as such. What there is, is a hot potato, which has been ready to cook for a long period of time. Demissie: I agree. But now China is coming in and is starting to cook that potato. Thats actually the whole story. [laughter] Its true! We need to ask ourselves, Why has this potato that has been lying around for ages, not been cooked until today? In a few minutes, Ill come to the point: who is actually losing out in this power game. I call it a power game. Im just giving you a kind of introduction, and hopefully Ill stay within my time limit. East Africa Lets go one step lower, to East Africa. This is Africa (TIS) has been around for a long, long time. Its plans at least have been in the drawer for a long, long time. We know also that a lot of American research institutes played a very good role in creating those plans in the 1950s-60s, especially in Ethiopia. The Grand Renaissance Dam that is being built now on the Blue Nile in Ethiopia goes back to American scientists who created such ideas in the 1960s. A lot of ideas in East Africa, for example, have been on the table for decades, but no one was able or willing to pay for them. But now a lot of money is coming out of China, so these infrastructure projects can be built. This is actually the whole game-changing idea here about the BRI, when we bring Africa into the picture. What is happening in East Africa? In East Africa we have different types of corridors that are shaping up, which will have a lot of effect on the livelihood of the people. There is the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor. The yellow and red, starting from here (Lamu Port) goes up to Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya; up to Juba, the capital and largest city of South Sudan; then to Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city in Ethiopia; and then later to Djibouti, the capital of Djibouti. A lot of Chinese companies are active in the Lamu Port development, and also in the new standard gauge railway (SGR) that now connects Kenyas port of Mombasa with Nairobi, inaugurated two months ago. Its functioning. Its happening. People can use those trains to go from A to B. The same is happening now from the Djibouti port to Addis Ababa. These physical infrastructures are now in place. Their idea has always been around, but they are now in place. So, they are effectively there. How this has changed the lives of the people is easily described. Transportation of cargo from the Djibouti port to Addis Ababa used to take three days. By train, its now only 10 hours. Now we can imagine the economic activity will happen as a result of this single corridor development, or one infrastructure within this corridor. Yesterday, Mehreteab Mulugeta Haile, the Ethiopian General Consul spoke here about some aspects of this. Looking at other development corridors: In Tanzania, there is the Port of Bagamoyo, approved only two weeks ago, being built with a consortium of Chinese actors with funding by Kuwait. When completed, it will be the largest port in East Africa. The reason I mention these big projects is just to show you the kind of change they can bring into the entire region, not only to the port, but to the hinterlands behind the port. Here, again, Chinese actors are really at the forefront, changing the narrative within the African countries. East Africa is for me the main entry point into Africa, when it comes to the BRI. I know that Egypt and Morocco have also a big stake in the BRI, but looking at the entire development of the BRI, I consider that the East African region, starting from Djibouti in the north, down to Mozambique, will have a bigger impact on how the BRI will be coming into the African continent. The reason why the Chinese attitude towards the African countries is also changing, is easily explained. Since 2016, China has grouped some African countries according to two classifications: industrial cooperation demonstration and pioneering countries, that includes Tanzania, Kenya, Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia; and priority partners for production capacity cooperation countries, that includes Egypt, Angola, and Mozambique. Very interesting wording. The point here, is that these countries will become primus inter pares; they will become a bit better than the others. We observe the emergence of a two-phase China-Africa relationship. I might get some objection to this from my Chinese colleagues, but thats what we are observing from within Africa. We dont have the kind of big forum where every country is equal. We dont have any differentiation taking place, because of those corridorizations and the BRI entry points. Another idea I want to give you: Where is all the Chinese money? One of the questions today was Where do the Chinese get all their money? Thats one question. But where is the money going that flows to Africa? To which sectors? Data from 2016 shows that most of the money goes to transportation and energy. Transportation is a big receiver of money from China. It encompasses trains, roads, ports, etc. This is a hint for you of where the story goes. If we go to East Africa, we see that Ethiopia is receiving a lot of money from China, and Ethiopia is putting this money into productive sectors. They are building dams, streets, industrial parks. These are all preconditions that are required to grow faster and farther. If you dont put the money you receive (from any source) into your productive sector, then probably you will not fly very far. Looking then at Ethiopia, shown here is the planned train connectivities within the country. Ethiopia is planning on different train routes, one of which I just mentioned, from Djibouti to Addis Ababa, has already been constructed. But there are in total eight different routes to be constructed at some point that are planned by the government. There are others in the system, such as Turkish actors, and also interest from Indian actors, but predominantly these systems will be built by Chinese enterprises. At the same time, if you see these routes, youll see also the proliferation of industrial zones, industrial parks within Ethiopia, all of which are being built along those train routes: infrastructural corridors. At the end, we will have production corridors going between various countriesDjibouti-Ethiopia, Ethiopia-Kenya, Kenya-Tanzaniaso that the entire sub-region hopefully will be industrialized at some point. Ethiopia has 22 separate industrial parks that are either planned, built, or under construction. Most are built by Chinese state-owned enterprises. This is the main point here. Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and industrial parks exist not only in Ethiopia, but are also in Kenya and Tanzania. Other countries such as Rwanda or even Senegal are following in these footsteps. They are becoming important attractionnauts. Thats how I call them, attractionnauts within the BRI for Chinese companies that want to go out to African countries. Without those industrial parks, there would not be so many Chinese companies in Africa. Another area which I want to quickly show you, concerns energy production. Who is building the energy for African countries? Again, we see a lot of involvement by Chinese companies. East Africa is predominantly active in this area. Energy consists of anything from power plants, renewables, dams, etc. East Africa is really hard at work here. In the distribution of Chinese projects and power capacity, by sub-region until 2020, you can see that southern and eastern Africa has received quite a number of these projects. What is the impact for African countries? Chinese actions are increasingly controlling the East African corridor development. This is one takeaway we need to make. They are working on the design, the implementation, and the financing, so the entire supply chain is controlled by Chinese actors. What I call the infrastructure-industrial complex is creating for African countries a very interesting mix. First, it is creating jobs. A lot of people now are getting work because of these development projects. But at the same time we see the first signs of dependency coming up. It is really important to know this. We also observe a new relation forming between increasingly powerful Chinese companies and African states. So, how do we manage those into action? Here, Im talking about industrial capital accumulations. We heard earlier that the money that comes from China is put into the productive sectors; its not speculation money, but money that has a long time horizon, that can stay a long time in Africa. Actually, the only source currently that can have this kind of time horizon. This is distinctly different from the fast-paced speculative money coming from western countries. Chinas money which is coming into African countries is not only creating industrial capital accumulations, but another contradiction, or question for African countries: How do you organize the labor power of people when you employ them; and how do you organize your space? So, space organization and labor vs. money coming from China. This is one aspect we need to think really hard about. And then, the new production centersthose industrial zones I mentioned earlierare also creating a new interaction against traditional partners, traditional trade regimes. They are being questioned. Which is good. With the term traditional partners, Im referring actually directly to European actors. [laughs] Traditional development trade partners are increasingly losing out to new forms of manufacturing, capital, and location, especially coming from Asia, from China. But if China can design, finance, and implement those production centers, then that means they can also put in new rules that can exclude, easily, people they dont want. Its very easy. All this means that capital allocation will determine the kind of companies that will come in to those centers and produce. The problem as I see it, is that the traditional partners are still in the old paradigm in their thinking. They still think with traditional assumptions: Africa is seen as an aid-dependent continent, not as a continent full of opportunities. It is still seen with the wrong mind-set. That is one of the biggest problems, and it has to change. New market-allocation mechanisms increasingly are making it difficult for companies from the traditional partner countries to even enter the market. Even when they want to compete, they cannot compete anymore, because they are excluded from the markets. They cannot beat the competition, based on prices. So what happens when you dont even have a chance to enter the market? We see this development happening in the telecom sector and with the buildup of other infrastructure. For example, all the dam-building process in Africa right now is taking place only through Chinese enterprises. There are no other specialized players here. One question that we have been discussing recently with our Chinese colleagues is Could a trilateral corporationtrilateral meaning bringing in the traditional (European) actors, Chinese actors and African actorsbe a solution to this dilemma, especially for European players? On the one hand, we can say, Yes, it could be possible, especially if European players can use already existing Chinese-built structures, for example the special economic zones or industrial zones, to start producing in Africa as well. We think that the traditional partners need to produce a paradigm shift in their thinking toward Africa. If they persist in thinking that Africa is just an aid-recipient continent and not a continent of opportunities, then we believe they might not have a lot of success in the coming years. On the other hand, we need also to acknowledge that China and the African countries are not necessarily keen in working with European partners. If there is no paradigm shift, why should they, especially if things are working fine without them. We see, geopolitically, a big shift happening through the BRI on the African continent that is actually affecting European actors. That what I have from my side. Thank you very much for your time. [applause] This editorial appears in the December 8, 2017 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. There the Parallel Is Again: The LaRouche Case and the Suspended Fake Newsman, Brian Ross [Print version of this editorial] Dec. 3 (EIRNS)On Dec. 1, 2017, as the anti-Trump media mob was in full throat in the United States over Michael Flynns plea to lying to the FBI, ABC Chief Investigative Reporter Brian Ross let loose a bombshell. According to his sources, Ross proclaimed, Flynn had already told Special Counsel Robert Mueller that a high level official of the Trump campaign had told Flynn to contact the Russians during the 2016 election campaign. The stock market promptly dropped 300 points, as traders digested whether or not the long-lost proof of Russian collusion in the U.S. election had finally come to light. The problem is that Rosss claim was completely and totally false. Flynns plea deal specifies that Flynn was asked to contact the Russiansa completely legal activityafter the election. An extremely embarrassed ABC News issued a full retraction and suspended Ross for a month, without pay. Ross has a history of outright lies and fabrications on behalf of the U.S. intelligence community sources, whose leaks of gossip, lies, and fabrications to him form the bulk of his journalistic oeuvre. Like special prosecutor Robert Mueller, Ross cut his teeth on assassination by media falsehood and the U.S. criminal justice system, in the case of Lyndon LaRouche. Then a reporter for NBC News, Ross played a major role in a campaign of media defamations against LaRouche originating in a salon of journalists run by John Train, a spook long associated with President George H.W. Bush and the CIA. The goal of this salon was to create pariah status for LaRouche through the news media, in order to facilitate a manufactured criminal prosecution against him. LaRouche had terrified the Anglo-American elite by proposing an alternative to their bankrupt system, which was catching on with the U.S. population and with significant foreign leaders. A similar terror today is presented by President Trumps desire to ally with Russia and China to end perpetual war and engage in systemic physical economic development of the world. In the LaRouche case, among other outrageous defamations the Train crew and Brian Ross invented, in conjunction with U.S. agencies, the claim that LaRouche had plotted to assassinate President Jimmy Carter by remote-controlled bomb, and that LaRouche was involved in the assassination of Olof Palme. The latter fabrication was actually planted on Ross and his fellow hacks by the East German Stasi with collaboration from Muellers Boston U.S. Attorneys Office. The full story of the parallels between the LaRouche case and the present coup attempt against the President, and the British intelligence origin of both cases, can be found in the EIR Dossier, Robert Mueller Is an Amoral Assassin, He Will Do His Job If You Let Him. Like Robert Muellers well-known prosecutorial excesses and illegalities on behalf of the Anglo-American establishment, Brian Ross has a long and ugly prior record of fake-news reporting. ABC has previously been forced to retract and apologize when Ross claimed that Colorado shooter James Holmes belonged to the Tea Party. In 2001, Ross claimed Saddam Hussein and Iraq were behind the deadly anthrax mailings in the wake of 9/11juicing the skids, with completely fake reporting, for the disastrous invasion of Iraq. ABC News had to retract again when Ross claimed that a former prisoner from Guantanamo Bay masterminded the underwear terror bombing. The problem with that one, is that the prisoner in question was in full Saudi custody. Then there was the Toyota malfunction story, in which Ross got caught editing and splicing video tape in a fabricated scene of an out-of-control car. Has the Greek Nemesis principle finally struck in the coup-beleaguered United States? We have yet to see. PRESS RELEASE House Intelligence Keeps Scoring Against Mueller Witch Hunt Dec. 8, 2017 (EIRNS)With the Lyndon LaRouche Political Action Committee and EIR fully mobilized against the British "Russiagate" assault on the Presidency, the House Select Committee on Intelligence is now also mobilized, and making revelations that are turning "Russiagate" into "Muellergate." The LaRouche movement alone, to now, has identified the witch hunt against the President, fronted by Robert Mueller, as a British intelligence attack on the U.S. Presidency. But Intelligence Committee Republicans are increasingly focusing on the British "phony dossier" of MI6 agent Christopher Steele as the outrage against the United States. The chairman of House Intelligence, Rep. Devin Nunes of California, was cleared yesterday by the House Ethics Committee of accusations that he revealed classified evidence. This removes the reason for Nunes earlier forced recusal from the investigation of "Russiagate." It vindicates his credibility in trying to expose Obama Administration officials intensive surveillance of President Trumps campaign and his transition team members and nominees. Also yesterday, during FBI Director Christopher Wrays appearance before Nunes Committee, at least two members exposed all of Muellers investigative team as having shown pro-Obama, pro-Clinton and anti-Trump political bias. Three of Muellers inquisitors have flagrantly shown this bias in email communications; all the others, by contributing exclusively to Obama, Clinton, and other Democrats campaigns. One Republican, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, explicitly tied this bias to Mueller team attorney Peter Srzoks use of the British dossier, to get warrants from the secret FISA court to surveil Trumps campaign. Wray wouldnt answer Jordans questions on this or related subjects. The Intelligence Committee has also established that Steele of British MI6, with his dossier, was brought into the Obama Justice Department at a very high level during the 2016 campaign, meeting at least once with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosensteins top assistent, Bruce Ohr. Ohr met during the same period with Glenn Simpson of the Fusion GPS consulting firm that was paying Steele for the dossier with Obama/Clinton campaign funds. Ohr has now lost his position as Assistant Deputy Attorney General, the third high-ranking person associated with Muellers investigation to be demoted for manifest bias. Additionally yesterday, the judge overseeing the trial of President Trumps first National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, suddenly recused himself. Judge Rudolph Contreras gave no reason; but he was on the secret FISA Court from May 2016 to May 2017. This was the period in which that court authorized surveillance of at least Trump supporter Carter Page, and in which Michael Flynns communications were surveilled and "unmasked." By recusing, Judge Contreras may be silently indicating the answer to Rep. Jim Jordans question to FBI Director Wray. PRESS RELEASE Lavrov, Tillerson Meet in Vienna on Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan Dec. 8, 2017 (EIRNS)Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Ministerial Council in Vienna. They discussed Syria, North Korea and the Ukraine. Lavrov informed Tillerson that Russia is ready to help North Korea and the United States establish direct dialogue on security guarantees for Pyongyang. "We know that North Korea wants first of all to speak with the United States about its security guarantees. We are ready to support it. We are ready to help promote such talks," Lavrov stressed. Russias Foreign Ministry said, "The Russian and U.S. top diplomats also expressed common opinion that North Korea must strictly abide by the United Nations Security Council resolutions." On Syria, the Ministry statement said, "The sides discussed further steps to put an end to the civil conflict in Syria via establishing a sustainable negotiating process involving all Syrian political forces, including within the Geneva process and in the format of the forthcoming National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, with concurrent completion of the defeat of international terrorist groups." Tillerson said Ukraine was key obstacle in U.S.-Russia ties but that the U.S. president has always sought to establish good relations with Russia. "We can have differences in other arenas, in Syria. We can have differences in other areas," Tillerson said. "But the issue that stands in the way is Ukraine." In a separate meeting with members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation monitoring mission in Ukraine, Tillerson said the United States is working with Russia on the UN peacekeeping proposal according to Voice of America. "We are. Im not going to tell you specifically what we get, but we get progress," said Tillerson, "We get dialogue, we get cooperation. We dont have it solved. You dont solve it in one meeting." While both sides have called for a UN peacekeeping force in eastern Ukraine, they disagree on the terms of its deployment. The two top diplomats also discussed Afghanistan. PRESS RELEASE Trump White House Again Tells Saudis, Lift Yemen Blockade Dec. 8, 2017 (EIRNS)The White House today reiterated in a press statement, President Trumps demand of Thursday to Saudi King Salman, that Saudi Arabia lift its inhuman blockade of the ports and airports which is starving Yemen. "We call on the Saudi-led coalition to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid and critical commercial goods, including fuel, through all Yemeni ports, and to restore commercial flights through Sanaa Airport," the White House statement said. "We urge all parties to immediately cease hostilities, re-energize political talks and end the suffering of the Yemeni people." The Los Angeles Times reported that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in Paris, added a statement: "I think weve been clear when it comes to Yemen. We have called for, and President Trump himself called for this week, a complete end to the blockade of Yemen, a reopening of all the ports to, not just humanitarian assistance, but commercial delivery as well, because about 80% of the food comes in on commercial shipments. We are asking that Saudi Arabia allow that access." As fires continue to burn across Southern California, I hope you and yours are safe. Im Carolyn Kellogg, books editor at the LA Times, with this weeks newsletter. THE BIG STORY What can you get a book lover who has everything? A rare book might be the answer. Agatha French talks to antiquarian bookseller Dan Whitmore about what hes got in his showroom in the heart of Pasadena and susses out what makes rare books special. Advertisement This rare book costs $25,000, but others can be $150-$500 (Claire Hannah Collins / Los Angeles Times ) REVIEWS Award-winning critic Michelle Dean reviews No Time To Spare, the new collection of essays by Ursula K. Le Guin, which are taken from the 88-year old science fiction writers blog. Is it an insult to Ursula K. Le Guins voluminous and varied body of work, or does it malign her stature as a public intellectual, if I admit that among my favorite things she has written are her stories about cats? Dean asks. And Tirhakah Love reviews Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap by Gerrick D. Kennedy. The book caps off a 25th anniversary of the moment hip-hops political utility became fully realized in the wake of the L.A. riots, Love writes. The story of Ruthless Records is the story of Compton in a blazing rage; its the story of black independent business undone, internally, by the very forces it sought to fight off: betrayal, backbiting and a trickle-down business practice that saw adroit hip-hop lifers like D.O.C. and Ice Cube receiving the short end of the stick at least early on. N.W.A in 1989. Clockwise from bottom left: Ice Cube, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre., MC Ren, and Eazy E. (Douglas R. Burrows / For The Times ) BESTSELLERS The No. 1 L.A. Times bestseller in fiction this week is the science fiction novel Artemis by Andy Weir. Last week we talked to Weir about his anxieties following up his surprise bestseller The Martian. The No. 1 L.A. Times bestseller in nonfiction is Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. Isaacsons specialty is genius hes also written biographies of Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs. See all the books on our bestseller lists here. More in books Attica Locke talks to us about how the contradictions of growing up black in Texas informed her book Bluebird, Bluebird, about black Texas ranger who investigates the deaths of two people in a small town one white, one black. Postmodern novelist and noted critic William Gass died this week. He was 93. Gail Brandeis talked to Agatha French about her memoir The Art of Misdiagnosis, about illness, grief and her mothers suicide. Brandeis reads in Los Angeles on Sunday. Bill Gates shared his favorite reads of 2017, which include the novel The Sympathizer by Times critic at large Viet Thanh Nguyen. carolyn.kellogg@latimes.com @paperhaus Troubled Banc of California was a den of iniquity featuring on-premises sex, drugs and strippers, according to a lawsuit filed this week by a former employee. Heather Endresen, who was managing director of the banks small-business loan department, has charged that the company terminated her without cause, days after she took her concerns about activity at the Irvine home office to a corporate whistleblower hotline. For the record: An earlier version of this article identified the law firm where Joe Hixson works as Abernethy MacGregor. The firms name is Abernathy MacGregor. Her complaints included male employees having sex with woman in their work offices, visiting strip clubs with employees and using company funds to pay for strippers. Advertisement Endresens lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, further alleged illegal drug use by former Executive Vice President and interim CFO Francisco Turner, and accused him of having sex with certain employees. Banc of California announced Turners resignation in June. Banc of California spokesperson Joe Hixson, of the firm Abernathy MacGregor, dismissed the suit as frivolous. We do not comment on specific claims in ongoing litigation nor do we discuss personnel matters. We believe the action has no merit and we intend to defend against the claims vigorously, the statement read. The record should be clear, however, that we treat all matters of compliance with the utmost seriousness and any suggestion otherwise is categorically wrong. We encourage all employees to raise any area of concern and we investigate all claims thoroughly. The suit filed by Endresen, who worked at the bank from 2014 through May 2017, alleges serious breaches of financial propriety as well as rampant sex and drug use. Endresen has charged that company officers engaged in a sham effort to shift millions of dollars in corporate revenues from late 2016 into early 2017 partly to avoid paying bonuses earned by Endresen and others. The suit demands civil damages, general damages and special damages, plus restitution of unpaid monies. A statement released by Berokim and Duel, a Beverly Hills law firm representing Endresen, said in part: Ms. Endresen was a victim of Bancs retaliatory conduct for exposing SEC violations, fraud, sexual harassment, and rampant drug use. In the end, she lost her job, her confidence in Banc and its management, and the relationships she had worked so hard to build and maintain. A spokesperson for ousted officer Turner issued a statement, published by Bloomberg, reading in part, I vigorously dispute the allegations made about me and am confident that I will be vindicated once the legal process takes its course. The Irvine-based lender has had a difficult year. Rated among the Best Banks in California in 2016 by Forbes, the company has seen its stock value crater after U.S. regulators convened an investigation into charges that company officers had ties to an imprisoned California financier. Reports of that investigation resulted in the resignation of the banks CEO, Steven Sugarman, in January. Sugarman ultimately was replaced by current CEO Doug Bowers, said Hixson, who confirmed the SEC investigation is still active. charles.fleming@latimes.com @misterfleming UPDATES: 1:30 p.m.: This article has been updated with a statement from a law firm representing Endresen. This article was originally published at 12:55 p.m. When Moctezuma II met Hernan Cortes for the first time, the Aztec leader gave the Spanish conqueror a greenstone necklace with gold bell attachments. He promised Cortes more for the king of Spain, because greenstone was more precious than gold. That account is just part of the research behind the J. Paul Getty Museums expansive exhibition Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas, a centerpiece of the Gettys Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA programming. The show, which will travel to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in February, presents examples of art made for the elite to convey social status, political power and religious beliefs sometimes through shimmering gold, yes, but also through stone, shells, feathers and other materials. A Wari wall hanging, circa 600 to 900, is made of feathers, cotton and camelid fiber, and measures 29 inches by 83 7/8 inches. (Metropolitan Museum of Art) SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter Getty Museum Director Timothy Potts, Getty Research Institute specialist Kim Richter and Met curator Joanne Pillsbury organized the exhibit, which traces these artworks in a south-to-north path, starting in the Andes and moving to Central America and reaching Mexico. Pieces date from 1000 BC to the 16th century. Pillsbury had the idea to focus on luxury arts but give it this new perspective of trying to understand the value systems of the indigenous cultures, rather than the Spanish obsession with gold work, Potts said. Gold is a very important part of the story, but its been treated in many other exhibitions and often presented as if this is the epitome of value of what these ancient cultures created. Take the Aztec word for gold, teocuitlatl, which also means divine excrement. The Aztecs believed that when the sun crossed the underground, it deposited gold nuggets that later emerged in rivers. The earliest gold work emerged in the Andean region and was also tied to the power of the sun. Regalia from the richest unlooted tomb in the ancient Americas are among the first set of gold works displayed in the exhibit. Archaeologist Walter Alva and his colleagues excavated 14 tombs in the Lambayeque Valley on Perus north coast 30 years ago. Alva helped the Golden Kingdoms curators select a headdress, nose ornament, rattle, necklace beads and ear spools of a middle-aged Moche man, nicknamed the Lord of Sipan. Necklace beads from the Peru tomb of the Lord of Sipan. (Getty Museum) The three-dimensional warrior on one of the ear ornaments, hung exclusively from the stretched lobes of ancient Andean nobility, is fashioned after the regalia the lord wore in his tomb. The ear spool is made out of sheet gold and turquoise on a wood backing. Most of the miniature warriors ornaments are removable, including the shield and club. Many of the exhibit pieces were meant to catch light and make noise as they moved on the bodies of kings and queens. Other objects vases, sculptures, reliefs, books and paintings offer a glimpse into how these small ornaments adorned the elite from head to toe. The choice of objects in the exhibit speak about the immense richness found in the countries of the ancient Americas, which are now different countries, Alva said in Spanish. Its very important to know that gold wasnt the only luxury material, it was also feathers, jade and silver. Add obsidian, shells, textiles and turquoise to the list. The show continually departs from gold to other materials that were considered even more precious. Olmec jade mask (Getty Museum) Its easy to gravitate toward the stunning Olmec and Maya masks without glancing once at a seemingly simple jade plaque with faint marks. But the piece traveled over a few centuries and several hundred miles, exchanged from culture to culture. The rectangular plaque began as a cobble in Guatemala, the only documented source of jade in Latin America. It was worked to be an early classic Maya belt plaque around 200-500 AD. Then, it was stolen from a defeated ruler or looted from a tomb and traded in Costa Rica, where it was reworked as a pendant. It was traded again in the Gulf of Mexico and excavated at an archaeological site in Veracruz among a large collection of finished and unfinished jade ornaments and working tools. Jade plaque. (Getty Museum) Green and blue-green colored stones were used as luxurious gifts, offered in sacred ceremonies and commercially traded. Agricultural fertility was one of the meanings associated with the stones. In the Florentine Codex, a 16th century study of Latin America, a Franciscan friar writes about how some green stones were thought to emit vapor that helped vegetation grow greener. These luxury arts were ways in which ideas moved across regions and, dare I say it, moved across borders. We were very excited to do a project that wasnt a single culture or a single modern nation state. In that sense, its a project very in tune with PST: LA/LA as a whole in that art doesnt respect borders, said Pillsbury, a curator of ancient American art. REVIEW: Art critic Christopher Knight on "Golden Kingdoms" To convey how ideas were exchanged across borders in the ancient Americas, the curators fittingly collaborated with archaeologists, researchers and professors internationally. They held workshops in Peru, Mexico and Los Angeles to discuss the context of the show and the selection of more than 300 works. During one research trip, ornaments found in northern Peru suddenly made more sense when put in context with regalia from Colombia. We got to see things that we never dreamed we would see, Richter said. I hope our team feels privileged that they got to interchange amongst each other that the Peruvians got to see what the Colombians had, and the Costa Ricans could see what the Panamanians had. When Richter teaches, she often asks students if they have a familial connection to Latin America. Half my students are either from Latin America or their parents are from Latin America, she said. They deeply identify with the history and typically come with extensive knowledge that they have learned, not in school, but by oral tradition through their parents and popular knowledge about the ancient Americas. Organizers hope the relevance of the show translates when it moves to the Met. Its a fitting destination: a museum whose celebrity-studded gala draws modern-day kings and queens every year, draped in jewelry and decked out in luxurious designer garments a golden kingdom, for sure. A 15th century Mixtec shield made of remarkable tiny bits of turquoise, wood, stone, tree pitch/gum, 32.5 inches in diameter (Ernest Amoroso / National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution) Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas Where: The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Brentwood When: Through Jan. 28; closed Mondays See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts. MORE ON VIEW: USC Pacific Asia Museum will reopen Friday after year-long closure Coca-Cola BlaK? Apple's Newton? Six big flops at the Museum of Failure Sculpture censored after the Harvey Weinstein scandal has been returned At a time when the Supreme Court is willing to debate whether a gay wedding cake is free speech, its easy to hear about 29Rooms and not know what it is. Housed in a gigantic tent in a parking lot in downtown Los Angeles, the conglomeration of 29 installations is a conflicted mishmash of art, marketing and corporate sponsorship with a whiff of socially conscious activism all massaged into branded content by Refinery29. The digital media company, founded in 2005 in New York City, does for millennials what lifestyle magazines did for baby boomers: provide fashion tips, shopping suggestions and advice about relationships along with celebrity gossip and recommendations about whats not to be missed in music, movies and politics, especially as they relate to the interests of young women. Advertisement Thats how it works online, across platforms visited by a worldwide audience numbering upward of 500 million. In the flesh, its less impressive. This weekend and next, visitors are paying $19 each to stroll among 29 installations and four auxiliary displays, popping into bedroom-size rooms that line the long oval tents flanks, like the offices of mid-level managers or the front window of high-end retail outlets. Larger, more elaborate installations fill the central area, like the corridors of malls. Music pulsates, as it does in nightclubs. Spotlights shine, as they do at concerts. Sample products are distributed, as at sales events. Pay $85 and cocktails and lite bites are served. Headphones are everywhere, inviting visitors to escape the chaos and listen to a song or a story. So are phones, which seem to be the real point and purpose of 29Rooms. Sometimes it seems as if the phones brought to the sold-out event are the real guests and that the people who gaze at their screens are the supporting cast in tightly scripted drama. The installations fall into four categories: 1. Collaborations between artists (who work perfectly well on their own) and Refinery29 (a company all about publicity, otherwise known as speech). 2. Collaborations between corporate sponsors (Adidas, SheaMoisture, Dyson and Victorias Secret, among others) and Refinery29. 3. Collaborations among artists, corporate sponsors (Google and Perrier) and Refinery29. 4. Collaborations between nonprofits (Planned Parenthood, the Art of Elysium and Womens March) and Refinery29. The collaborations between the corporate sponsors and Refinery29 are thinly disguised advertisements for shoes, beauty products and more. Portraits of Self-Expression, designed by Refinery29 for Urban Decay cosmetics, invites visitors to pose behind glitter-coated pictures frames. The Netflix, Toyota and Marc Jacobs installations let you pose under giant crowns (in anticipation of The Crown), sit in a new car (while special effects take place around you) and loll among big plastic daisies (as if in a badly crafted rendition of a Takashi Murakami painting). World of Daisy: Plastic flowers to promote Marc Jacobs fragrances. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times ) The same is true when artists are added. Nina Chanel Abneys Fair Grounds, in collaboration with Google Pixel 2, is an oversize, color-coordinated cluster of playground equipment that makes grown-ups look like kids when their pictures are taken. To snap a selfie in front of any of these installations is to provide free advertising to companies far more powerful than you. But its not really free advertising. The corporate sponsors have paid Refinery29 to get their products into your pictures. So youre actually working for Refinery29. And you have paid, rather handsomely, for the privilege. Whatever the aesthetic shortcomings of 29Rooms, the middleman goes to the bank. P.T. Barnum would grin like a chimp. Visitors get the short end of the stick. The majority of the collaborations between the artists and Refinery29 come off as silly sideshows. Like the corporate collaborations, too many invite visitors to do little more than play dress up or lets pretend games my grade-schoolers outgrew years ago. Lilly Singhs Girl Love. (Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for Refinery29 ) SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter In Alexa Meades Become the Masterpiece, you can put on an outfit painted to match the similarly painted backdrops you stand in front of. Lilly Singhs Girl Love provides capes and a pink phone booth so you can play the role of a cartoon superhero. Its the only installation where the backdrop holds its own, its parade of sharply rendered female superheroes packing enough punch to make you want to look at it without anyone in front of it. In contrast, Jee Young Lees Oceans of Creativity, Jucos Seen and Unseen and Lizzos Move and Be Moved treat art as nothing more than a backdrop for photo ops. A few bright spots stand out. These include Maisie Cousins Erotica in Bloom, a cascade of plastic flowers that encircles a trio of helmet-like enclosures you stick your head into to watch sensual videos. The dynamic of private refuge in public space intensifies the vulnerability of the flesh while heightening fantasies of escape. A similar tension energizes Just Be. The installation by Ashlee Haze, Jonathan Rosen and Wallplay gives you plenty of room to contemplate just what it is that separates people and holds us together. The least photogenic installation is also the most introspective. Cleo Wades The Womb looks nothing like the real thing but provides calm and quiet amid the hyper-stimulated spectacle. Dreamers Den steals the show. In a room with walls painted by Juno Calypso, visitors are invited to take a seat, write a dream on a sheet of paper and hand it to Darby Parker. Almost instantly, she turns it into an improvised song, her rich, lilting voice giving your dream depth and resonance and, most important, another way of understanding it. The intimacy of that give-and-take of real conversation is rare today. It is nowhere to be found at an event engineered to get people to take pictures of themselves before branded backdrops. At a time when cakes are mistaken for free speech, its important to comprehend the differences between products and conversation. See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts. MORE: Coca-Cola BlaK? Apples Newton? Six big flops at the Museum of Failure Misty Copeland comes home for the holidays L.A.s Hamilton is bound for Broadway As an expensive Music Center import, the new Miami City Ballet production of The Nutcracker is both unnecessary and indispensable. Unnecessary? Sure. As seen at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Thursday opening night of a six-performance run this Nutcracker turned out to be a Cuban-tinged staging far less distinctive than many others in Southern California. After our short-lived Hollywood-style Nutcracker or long-running early California version, for example, who needs the conservative and often dowdy Miami sets and costumes designed, respectively, by Ruben and Isabel Toledo? Whats more, the high quality of the dancing on Thursday could well be matched on many local stages during the 2017 Nutcracker season. But this Music Center co-commission does boast impressive scale: 45 adults and 60 children plus an orchestra and chorus. And by bringing the George Balanchine Nutcracker back to Los Angeles, the Music Center and Miami and made the venture absolutely indispensable despite its flaws. Advertisement SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter Choreographed for New York City Ballet in 1954, Balanchines Nutcracker wasnt the first American version, but its success and influence arguably made the ballet inescapable in the U.S. But beyond popularity, its generally considered the best anywhere, for the great ballet ensembles of Europe in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris all dance inferior or just plain dreadful choreographies. Angelenos with long memories can recall when the New York ballet presented the show outdoors at the Greek Theatre in the summer, and it was clear from the success of those performances that this was no mere Christmas ornament but a major work in the 19th century classical tradition worth seeing anytime, anyplace. Its high time to see it again, for none of the mom and pop companies that keep ballet a living art form in Southern California or the dance-makers who consider themselves the inheritors of the Balanchine mantle can give us anything equal to its authenticity and authority. Miami has been dancing it for 28 years and delivered its storytelling scenes ably on Thursday, but The Nutcracker grew most satisfying in the great neoclassic passages: the intricate Snowflake ensemble and the masterly interplay of soloist and corps in the Waltz of the Flowers; the complex partnering-on-the-run of the grand pas de deux; the wit and charm of the last-act divertissements. Yes, it mattered that the company staged those brilliant Act 2 showpieces against the backdrop of a giant pretzel that looked like prison bars. But in an imperfect world, an imperfect Balanchine Nutcracker is still cause for celebration, and the involvement of many different institutions among them the Colburn School and the Los Angeles Childrens Chorus added luster to the performance. Miami will rotate its leading dancers, and the Thursday cast sustained the level of spirit and technical finesse we expect from millennial American dancers. Strongly partnered by Renan Cerdeiro, Jennifer Lauren danced the grand pas with a wondrous ease and serenity compared to her rather cautious performance of the Sugar Plum solo. As Dewdrop in the Waltz of the Flowers, Nathalia Arja made every entrance and exit an exciting exclamation point. But for all her diligence Jordan-Elizabeth Long couldnt bring the dated exotic/erotic Arabian dance to life. Male prowess flourished with Shimon Itos Chinese dance and Kleber Rebellos lead Candy Cane both performances displaying perfectly placed multiple jumps. Among the well-drilled and spirited children (dominant in Act 1, ornamental in the last act), the sweet Marie of Renata Adarvez and elegant Little Prince of Erick Rojas deserved their prominence. Reyneris Reyes mimed effectively as Drosselmeier. The lighting by James F. Ingalls often stayed dim perhaps to allow the elaborate and sometimes finicky projections by Wendall K. Harrington to make their ideal effect. In the Snow Scene, for instance, the dancers enjoyed plenty of light but the forest backdrop remained scarcely visible. Just before that sequence came perhaps the most beautiful and essential stage-effect of the evening: nothing but falling snow and gleaming stars. It lasted for a moment or two but made the ensuing scenic extravagance seem one more unnecessary choice. The beloved if overfamiliar Tchaikovsky score sometimes found conductor Gary Sheldon enforcing orchestral cohesion with slow tempos and a lack of forward momentum, but he served the dancers ably. The Nutcracker Where: Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, noon and 4 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $34 and up Info: (213) 972-0711, www.musiccenter.org See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts. MORE ONSTAGE: Misty Copeland comes home for the holidays Broadway, meet your next Alexander Hamilton Peri Gilpin on ugly sweaters, holiday treats and her Miracle on 34th Street Why isnt there an indie-focused comic show in L.A.? This is the question that led to the birth of Comic Arts Los Angeles, a festival celebrating comics and graphic novels, and the community and art associated with them. More than 100 artists will be assembled for the fourth incarnation of this yearly event which launches Saturday to show people that, despite what television and movies may encourage them to believe, super-powered vigilantes and costumed superheroes are not all there is to comic books. There are, in fact, comics for all types of readers with all kinds of interests. Additionally, independent comics increasingly reflect the diversity present in Los Angeles, and CALA aims to show how the medium can not only capture nationwide escapism but also hyper-local issues. Advertisement Most of the shows in the Southern California area are things like Comic-Con and Stan Lees comic show just really big shows where a lot of big companies and Hollywood are involved, explained cartoonist and CALA organizer Jen Wang. There isnt a lot of space for younger, smaller artists who are self-publishing or dont have a big company behind them. There isnt really a place for them. And really big is an understatement. With an immense Hollywood presence, San Diego Comic-Con (known officially as Comic-Con International: San Diego) is a four-day pop culture extravaganza attracting more than 130,000 attendees annually. The three-day Stan Lees Los Angeles Comic Con (formerly known as Stan Lees Comikaze Expo) this year also broke the 100,000 attendees mark. See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour But in addition to the difficulties posed by the size and scale of these events, both shows have additional logistical barriers, such as prohibitive registration costs for attendees and exhibitors, which can price out independent artists, explained Wang. Taking its cue more from events like the Toronto Comic Arts Festival, CALA is free to attend. The organizers, which in addition to Wang includes Angie Wang, Iris Jong and Jake Mumm, are committed to making sure the show is as accessible to as many as possible. Weve tried different ways to expand on this idea, explained Jen Wang. This year, for the first time, we also made Spanish postcards and posters. CALA is less than a month away! Here are Spanish language poster and postcard images we made with the help of exhibitor Gloria Rivera! Thanks, Gloria!! https://t.co/r4B6F4sPPY pic.twitter.com/zQrZtssa0G Comic Arts LA (@ComicArtsLA) November 13, 2017 Ive also been going around to local libraries to try to get the attention of students that might be interested in manga and comics to be aware of the event, she added. CALAs formula is one that tends to attract a wide spectrum of readers and art aficionados, including younger fans, families, people who are new to the comics scene as well as women and people of color. We try to have a diverse group of artists come to the show and I think it just sort of reflects a younger generation and what theyre interested in, said Wang. CALA itself has been steadily growing since its debut. While the event has been held at Think Tank Gallery since 2014, this year CALA is moving to a larger space at the Homenetmen Ararat/Elevate Fitness Complex and will showcase more artists. The show will also feature programming including discussions and lectures and, for the first time, an open forum, designed to invite anyone in attendance to discuss ways to to foster a better comics community. Despite its expansion, Wang does not expect the intimacy of the event that allows for attendees to get to know the artists to be impacted. CALAs community focus also extends to how the show was curated. The organizers thought about more than just the usual considerations regarding a diverse representation of the comics community. This year I wanted [CALA] to try to reflect the diversity within Los Angeles, said Wang. So more creators who would be interesting to local Los Angeles attendees. More Latinx artists. [Artists] who are local and are expressing something about Los Angeles are always interesting to us. According to Wang, CALAs renewed focus on community was partly motivated by current events. Since the election and everything, Ive been thinking a lot about what it means to do a community event, explained Wang. I feel like its shifted a lot of how I think about the show and what I can do with it. This meant rethinking CALA as more of a welcoming space for everyone to be able to enjoy art and have fun than a market-oriented event. And its a trajectory Wang hopes to follow for future iterations of CALA. I dont know exactly what that looks like yet but thats definitely something I am wanting to work more towards, said Wang. We all deserve to have fun and feel inspired. Comic Arts LA will be held at Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapters North Campus, 3000 Dolores St., Los Angeles on Saturday and Sunday. Doors open at 10 a.m. Comic-Con 2016 On Now Cast of 'American Gods' drop divine secrets on the new Starz series On Now Liam Cunningham and Isaac Hempstead on finding the humor in 'Game of Thrones' On Now Acting opposite a giant Hollywood monster on 'Kong: Skull Island' On Now Luc Besson takes us inside his next space odyssey 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' On Now Norman Reedus on the secret Walking Dead' cast Comic-Con ritual On Now The cast of 'Orphan Black' reveal what they want to see resolved in the series finale On Now 'Supergirl' cast on inspiring little girls to pick up a cape of their own On Now Video: Comic-Con: Wishing there could be a body swap between Fitz and Mac on 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'... On Now Charlie Hunnam on the hyper-stylized antics of 'King Arthur: Legend of the Sword' On Now Comic-Con: Ana Gasteyer and Wyatt Cenac on 'People of Earth' tracy.brown@latimes.com Twitter: @tracycbrown The moment N.W.A changed the music world N.W.A on March 23, 1989: Ice Cube, far left; Eazy-E, center; standing from left, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre and MC Ren. (Douglas R. Burrows / Los Angeles Times) (Douglas R. Burrows / Los Angeles Times ) Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella caused a seismic shift in hip-hop when they formed N.W.A in 1986. With its hard-core image, bombastic sound and lyrics that were equal parts poetic, lascivious, conscious and downright in-your-face, N.W.A spoke the truth about life on the streets of Compton, then a hotbed of poverty, drugs, gangs and unemployment. In Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap (Atria: 288 pp., $26), Times music reporter Gerrick D. Kennedy traces the origins of the group that birthed the first major disruption of hip-hop during the genres infancy. Ice Cube once said, Everything in the world came after this group. In this exclusive excerpt, Kennedy details the brash arrival of N.W.A. OF THE MANY BIG BANGS that have transformed rap over the decades, N.W.As Straight Outta Compton is one of the loudest. It was a sonic Molotov cocktail that ignited a firestorm when it debuted in the summer of 1988. Steered by Dr. Dre and DJ Yellas dark production and Ice Cube and MC Rens striking rhymes, then brought to life by Eazy-Es wicked charm, the record fused the bombastic sonics of Public Enemys production with vicious lyrics that were revolutionary or perverse, depending on whom you asked. The world hadnt heard anything like it before. Radio stations and MTV refused to add the title song to their playlists. Critics didnt get it, couldnt see past the language, or, worse, refused to acknowledge it as music. Politicians even launched attacks, working to great lengths to condemn the music and its creators. The Age of Hip-Hop From the streets to cultural dominance The 2018 Grammy nominations are overdue acknowledgment that hip-hop has shaped music and culture worldwide for decades. In this ongoing series, we track its rise and future. N.W.A were to hip-hop what the Sex Pistols were to rock and really, whats more punk than having a name that dared to be spoken or written in full, and music that incensed a nation? Red-faced and outraged Americans protested the group, police officers refused to provide security for its shows, and the FBI got involved, but that didnt stop Straight Outta Compton, N.W.As debut album, from selling three million records without a radio single. With Straight Outta Compton, N.W.A didnt just manage to put its hood on the map, the group forced the world to pay attention to the rap sounds coming out of the West Coast. Its an album that provided the soundtrack for agitated and restless black youth across America with its rough and raunchy tales of violent life in the inner city, expressed through razor-sharp lyrics. It was good music, LA rap-radio pioneer Greg Mack said. And the lyrics, they meant something. Comptons Skateland U.S.A., one of two roller rinks pivotal to hip-hop flourishing in Los Angeles during the 1980s. N.W.A played its first show here in March 1988. (Andres Tardio) Everything in the world came after this group. ... We changed pop culture on all levels. Not just music. We changed it on TV. In movies. On radio. Everything. Ice Cube on N.W.A's influence The emergence of N.W.A who billed itself as the Worlds Most Dangerous Group in the late eighties provided a jolt to the rap industry. Public Enemy had already helped redefine the genre by ushering in aggressively pro-Black raps that were intelligent, socially aware and politically charged. But N.W.A opted for an angrier approach. The group celebrated the hedonism and violence of gangs and drugs that turned neighborhoods into war zones, capturing it in brazen language soaked in explicitness. Street reporters is what they called themselves, and their dispatches were raw and unhinged no matter how ugly the stories were. Like the Beatles, N.W.As lineup was stacked with all-stars: Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and MC Ren would become platinum-selling solo rappers, while DJ Yella helped Dre break ground on a new sound in hip-hop. They were the living embodiment of the streets where they were raised, and there was zero pretense about it. And when it came to subject matter, with N.W.A, politics took a backseat. Instead, frustrations about growing up young and black on the streets of South Central Los Angeles became the driving force behind their music. Gangs, violence, poverty, and the ravishing eighties crack epidemic swept through black neighborhoods like F5 tornadoes. People were angry and restless, and without a flinch N.W.A documented its dark and grim realities like urban newsmen. N.W.A.'s Dr. Dre, left, MC Ren, Eazy-E and DJ Yella in Los Angeles, Jan. 26, 1990. Ice Cube left the band in 1989 over a royalty dispute. (Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times) N.W.A pose with rappers the D.O.C. and Laylaw from Above the Law (From left, standing: Laylaw, DJ Yella, Dr. Dre and the D.O.C. seated Ice Cube, Eazy-E and MC Ren) backstage at the Kemper Arena during their Straight Outta Compton tour in June 1989 in Kansas City. (Raymond Boyd / Getty Images / Michael Ochs Arch) Straight Outta Compton was a flash point that spoke for a disenfranchised community and disrupted the order of those who were confronted with the voices and images of a community theyd much rather ignore. Black teens and young adults immersed in street life, yet looking for something to hold on to, flocked to the album. And so did white, suburban, middle-class teens who knew nothing about the hood or a life inside it, but looked to rap as an outlet for rebellion in the same way their parents gravitated toward the angsty countercultural attitudes percolating in rock music during the 1960s. As unapologetically violent, misogynist, and problematic as their lyrics often were, the groups harrowing depictions of urban nightmares provided a vital response to the growing disenfranchisement from the Reagan-era politics that had transformed the nation and created an economic catastrophe for metropolitan Los Angeles. N.W.A introduced an antihero. The way Melvin Van Peebless groundbreaking 1971 film Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song used Americas longstanding perception of black men as seething, violent hunks to politicize the image, N.W.A brought it to life by mixing reality with fantasy through its music and the result was as terrifying as it was successful. Our music was like our weapon": Ice Cube and Dr. Dre drive the city, talking to The Game and Kendrick Lamar about their impact as they prepared to release the 2015 film "Straight Outta Comton." At its peak, Eazys Ruthless Records a label he started strictly as a means to get off the streets was the number-one independent label in the industry and the largest black-owned indie since Berry Gordys legendary Motown empire. Without Eazy laying down the foundation for hustlers-turned-record-executives, who knows if Death Row, Bad Boy, No Limit, or Cash Money could have existed. How would Jay-Z ever have known he could go from slinging crack cocaine to creating Roc-A- Fella had Eazy not done it less than a decade before? Inductees MC Ren, from left, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and DJ Yella from N.W.A appear at the 31st Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Barclays Center on Friday, April 8, 2016, in New York. (Charles Sykes / Invision/AP) Ice Cube once said the music took off because it was a moment in time bottled up and shaken until it burst. Its no surprise then that the groups most insidious track, ... tha Police, became a rallying cry in L.A. after a group of white police officers were acquitted in the savage beating of unarmed black motorist Rodney King. Those three words became a mantra, shouted and painted on walls by those who pilfered and torched the city in the days after the acquittal, in what remains one of the deadliest, most destructive uprisings in American history. More than a quarter of a century before the Black Lives Matter movement and a new generation of youth turned to social-media activism as a means of protest against police brutality, N.W.A were screaming ... tha police. Their lyrics were purposely confrontational. They shouted furiously to push back against racial profiling and offered insight into the daily turmoil of inner-city youth through visceral storytelling, but they just as well promoted misogyny, homophobia, and sexual violence without abandon. We had lyrics. Thats what we used to combat all the forces that were pushing us from all angles: Whether it was money, gang-banging, crack, LAPD, Cube said. Everything in the world came after this group. N.W.A was the Worlds Most Dangerous Group. We changed pop culture on all levels. Not just music.We changed it on TV. In movies. On radio. Everything. Everybody could be themselves. Before N.W.A . . . you had to pretend to be a good guy. N.W.A shocked middle America, scared the government, and sparked conflict with law enforcement. Although their run together was short, N.W.As music encouraged a generation of young, black emcees to explore their rawest thoughts, no matter how obscene or radical. Today, hip-hop is seen far differently than it was during N.W.As rise. Hip-hop is credited as the single most influential genre in American pop music over the last half century, as its artists have long gone from persona non grata to pop stars, corporate pitchmen, actors, fashion designers, tech moguls, and executives and it wouldnt have happened if a group of men from Compton and South Central didnt light the fire. From Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap by Gerrick D. Kennedy. Copyright 2017 by Kennedy. Reprinted by permission of Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc. Fab Five Freddy is on the set of "Straight Outta Compton" talking to members of N.W.A and the film's cast and crew behind the scenes. gerrick.kennedy@latimes.com ALSO Chronicling the ascent and downfall of N.W.A iconic, contradictory in 'Parental Discretion Is Advised' Allen Hughes got Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine to open up and now hes up for his first Grammy Mariah Carey, N.W.A, Tom Waits nominated for Songwriters Hall of Fame An important L.A. architectural artifact and a small public green space, hidden in the heart of East Hollywood, are the backdrop for this short stroll in the Barnsdall Art Park. Its mostly flat, but involves several staircases. Shady on a hot day, this 36-acre park offers fine views of the city and a lovely lawn for picnics. Find more great L.A. Walks maps included >>> Advertisement 1. Enter the parks parking lot from Hollywood Boulevard, just west of Vermont Avenue, or enter the park gates if youre on foot. Walk between olive trees to the far end of the parking lot and find a staircase on your right. (Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times ) 2. Climb 48 stairs, cross a driveway, and climb 28 more. Follow the path to the driveway and turn right. 3. Follow the road as it circles the Hollyhock House, the private residence that legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright built for heiress Aline Barnsdall between 1919 and 1921. But resist the temptation to visit just yet. Instead, continue on around as the road passes a green lawn on the left, bordered by hollyhocks, and shows off views from Hollywood to Century City on the right. Hollyhock House (Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times ) 4. After the road flattens and comes to a stop sign, turn left. Walk about 50 feet and look for a staircase rising to the left. Climb 70 stairs to the top of the hill -- past a series of classrooms that offer art instruction for children and adults -- and enter a broad plaza thickly shaded by pine trees. 5. To the right, explore the 299-seat Barnsdall Gallery Theatre (which hosts private shows and events) and Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, open noon to 5 p.m. Straight ahead is Hollyhock, Wrights textile block masterwork. Spend some time inspecting the exterior or, if its 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, buy tickets at the adjacent Visitor Center and enjoy a self-guided tour of the interior. (Private, docent-led tours are also available with reservations. Call (323) 913-4030 or email hollyhock@barnsdall.org) (Calvin B. Alagot / Los Angeles Times ) 6. Follow the line of palms north, with Hollyhock House on your left, until the end of the plaza. Up to the left you can see the Griffith Park Observatory and the Hollywood sign. High and slightly to the right look for Wrights other local treasure, the sand-colored Ennis House. 7. Drop down 20 stairs, turn right, and then find the walkway that leads down the 76 stairs to the parking lot. Turn left and return to your starting point. The stats Distance: 3/4 mile Difficulty: 2 on a scale of 1 to 5 Duration: 45 minutes Details: Dogs on leash welcome. Free parking. Open daily 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Accessible by buses 180/181, 206 and 217 Fleming is the author of Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles and Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles. Each month, he leads a free walk at one of his favorite spots in Southern California. Find out more at his Facebook page, Secret Stairs. He can also be reached at charles.fleming@latimes.com. Twitter: @misterfleming MORE L.A. WALKS This short, steep hike takes you high above Burbank Strolling around the lakes in El Dorado Park in Long Beach This hike takes you to an (allegedly) haunted mansion: The Cobb Estate in Altadena Thomas fire victim loses her home but saves the most important thing -- her children Gabriela Gutierrez was at home in Santa Paula watching a childrens program and snuggling with her 18-month-old daughter and 3-year-old son Monday evening when she took a call from her babysitter Adriana. Hey, Gaby. Have they knocked on your door? Theres a fire. They are going to start evacuating. Get your important stuff and clothes, the babysitter told her. What fire? Gutierrez thought to herself. It was 9:01 p.m. The 32-year-old ran outside her mobile home on Wheeler Canyon Road into a wall of gray smoke. She panicked. Minutes later, a law enforcement official knocked on her door. He told her she had a few minutes to pack up and evacuate. Frantically, she packed diapers for 18-month-old Genesis, a pair of shoes for 3-year-old Osiel. She grabbed clothes for all of them, medical cards, her U.S. citizenship naturalization certificate. Gabriela Gutierrez, 32, and daughter Genesis take refuge from the Thomas fire after her home burned. (Cindy Carcamo / Los Angeles Times) Her husband, Alex, froze, unwilling to accept that the fire was heading toward them. Dont worry. The wind is blowing in another direction, he told her. Still, she threw her belongings and blankets into the car. Thats when she saw flames approaching. She buckled in her two children in one car. Her husband jumped into another vehicle. They headed to Gutierrezs mothers home. On Tuesday morning, she returned to a steel shell of what appeared to be her mobile home. Everything was gone. The only way she could tell her two-bedroom home apart from the others that had burned were a pair of tire rims her husband planned to sell. Alex refused to believe their home was gone. Instead he headed to work as usual at a nearby ranch, where he irrigates strawberry fields. He finally accepted the news when Gutierrez texted him photos of their charred home. On Tuesday afternoon, Gutierrez wrangled her tots as she attempted to eat a tamale at the Santa Paula Senior Center, which served as an evacuation center for fire refugees. Her sister, Maricela Martinez, a landscaper, kept her company and helped her care for the kids. Oh, no, she said suddenly. Martinez had just gotten a text message from one of her clients. Hello, our house burned down today so we will not be needing yard service in the near future. I prepaid you through January, we can work it out later, the text message said. Martinez shook her head. So many people have lost their homes, she told her sister. Gutierrez, who was recently laid off from her job picking strawberries after the company went out of business, worried about finding a new home and paying upcoming bills. She doesnt have rental insurance. The $700 in cash shed saved up for Christmas presents and stored on a shelf in her home was gone. Framed pictures of her sons baptism and daughters birth were destroyed. Her eyes welled with tears as she thought of the photos. Still, she said shes thankful for her health and what she was able to salvage from her home. I saved the most important thing, she said. My kids. Gutierrez said she was thankful she didnt have to stay overnight at the evacuation center. She could stay with family, she said. Others werent as lucky. Just outside the center, homeowners in a neighborhood across the street hosed down their roofs. They watched as white and gray smoke billowed up as helicopters carrying fire retardant and water flew past. From just half a mile north, the Thomas fire headed their way. We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. Wildfires: In the Dec. 8 Section A, an article about the wildfires burning in Ventura County and elsewhere in Southern California referred to Ojai-area resident Jordan Schmidt as Eric Schmidt. Newport boat parade: In the Nov. 26 Travel section, the Tip Sheet gave incorrect dates for the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. The parade will be held nightly Wednesday to Dec. 17. Jahmal Nichols: In the Dec. 8 Calendar section, a caption for a photo accompanying a review of Gregory Porters performance at the Theatre at Ace Hotel misspelled bassist Jahmal Nichols first name as Jamal. Advertisement The Shape of Water: In the Dec. 8 Calendar section, a review of the film The Shape of Water misattributed a line of dialogue. It is the character General Hoyt (played by Nick Searcy) not the character Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon) who says of decency, We export it, we sell it, but we dont use it. If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Deirdre Edgar, readers representative, by email at readers.representative@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep. For a while, Southern California was lush and green thanks to a wet winter that spurred a growth in vegetation. But the hottest summer ever recorded in California history dried out much of that new greenery, turning the landscape into fuel for whatever fire needed abetting. Then came the Santa Ana winds. Joan Didion once described the air before a gust as an unnatural stillness. No one is ever fully prepared for what comes after. In this instance, multiple fires have raged throughout Southern California for the past several days. In total, more than 116,000 acres have burned and more than 200,000 people have been evacuated. One body has been discovered, several animals have lost their lives and a growing number of structures have been destroyed. Advertisement Below is a list of ways you can help, virtually and in-person. If youre within driving distance, make sure to check that an area is clear before you head anywhere. The parameters for evacuations continue to change. Virtually American Red Cross: Local chapters of the American Red Cross are sending volunteers from across the country to Southern California. If youre not a volunteer, you can make an online donation in support of the California wildfires. Thomas Fire Fund: The Thomas fire in Ventura County has burned at least 96,000 acres. The United Way of Ventura County has partnered with the American Red Cross of Ventura County and the Ventura County Sheriffs Office of Emergency Services to create a fund to help fire victims. Heres how you can donate: Online: www.vcunitedway.org By phone. Call (805) 485-6288 or text UWVC to 4144 Check. Send by mail to United Way, 702 County Square Dr., Suite 100, Ventura, CA 93003. Write Thomas Fire Fund in the memo. Go Fund Me: Individuals have started fundraising campaigns for those affected by the fires. Go Fund Me has highlighted several. In-person Sherman Oaks East Valley: An L.A.-based donation collection center has been set up to gather donations for fire victims. Theyre asking for sealed water bottles, food items, new and unused clothing, blankets, and new and unused toiletries. The center is at 5056 Van Nuys Blvd., Sherman Oaks, CA 91403. They will be accepting donations until 5 p.m. Friday. After that, call L.A. County at 2-1-1 to find out which agencies are accepting donations. The Salvation Army Ventura Corps: The Salvation Army group stationed at the Ventura County Fairgrounds is asking for donations of food and water. Catholic Charities: The organization is accepting donations of gently used clothes, as well as new clothes and toys that will be distributed as Christmas gifts. Donations may be dropped off at 303 N. Ventura Ave., Ventura, CA 93001. Humane Society of Ventura County: More than 100 animals are being housed at the Humane Society location. Theyre in need of alfalfa hay, Timothy hay, cat food, rabbit food, flashlights, headlamps, lanterns, water troughs, bottled water, fruit, snacks, hoses and power generators, as well as snacks for their volunteers. Donations may be dropped off at the shelter at 402 Bryant St. in Ojai. If youre unable to donate in person, the group has set up an Amazon registry wish list. L.A. Kitchen: The nonprofit organization is preparing meals for firefighters and displaced victims. For shift times, check its Facebook page. Know of other ways to help victims of the wildfires? Email colleen.shalby@latimes.com or tweet @cshalby. ALSO: Heavy winds and dry air could prolong Ventura County wildfire for weeks, officials say Photos: Otherworldly scenes unfold as Thomas fire burns into the night UPDATES: 1:15 p.m. on Dec. 9: This article was updated with additional details about how to donate to the Humane Society of Ventura County. 2:50 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about Sherman Oaks East Valley donation collection center. This article was originally published at 4:00 a.m. on Dec. 8. A week of major wind-whipped fires across Southern California has caused significant air pollution and health problems. The air quality is worst in and around fires burning from Ventura County to San Diego County, but the smoke has traveled to places not threatened by the flames. And with the Santa Ana winds dying down, officials say the smoke could stick around for a while. Phil Moyer, air quality specialist with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, said a winter storm or new Santa Ana winds could lift the smoke out of Ojai, which is heavily polluted. But theres no rain in the forecast and winds would have to be very strong to reach the low-lying community, and would likely intensify the fires. Advertisement Theyre going to see stacks of smoke for a while, he said. More eastern parts of Ventura County like Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks had low levels of pollution, as winds blow toward the sea, he said. The westward current has led to polluted air on the Channel Islands and in neighboring Santa Barbara County. Health officials said Friday that air quality in Santa Barbara and Goleta has been unhealthy for three days. Santa Barbara County health officials are distributing special masks and recommending that people relocate for at least a few hours a day to somewhere with cleaner air to give their lungs a break. On Friday, Maria Perez was volunteering for a nonprofit group in Ventura and didnt like what she saw: a family of four without masks. See, they dont realize the harm theyre causing to themselves, Perez said. She gave the family four masks. Please wear these, she said. The air is not healthy for you because of the fire. Theres chemicals and all sorts of toxins that got released into the air. When it comes to bad air, the coastal parts of Ventura County, including Oxnard and Ventura, havent been spared either. Here in the Oxnard Plains were getting some of the drift of the smoke, and were starting to see our numbers being elevated, Moyer said, adding that the levels were somewhere between unhealthy and very unhealthy. Moyer, whose office is in Ventura, said hes spent most of his time indoors this week and isnt wearing a mask when outside. He said hed seen people in the city wearing masks to protect themselves but warned that most wont do much to spare peoples lungs. N95 and P100 respirators are needed to protect against particulate matter, he said. Experts said a sea breeze that kicked up Friday could push smoke inland. Places with clean air may start to feel that change. The smoke plume is all over the place and wherever it ends up is where the higher reads are, Moyer said. If the wind changes direction, thats all it takes. Hospitals across Southern California reported high numbers of patients showing up in the emergency room with breathing problems this week. 1 / 29 A scorched pot is among the few remnants of a homeless site where investigators believe the Skirball blaze, which destroyed more than 400 acres, started. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 29 Firefighter Ken Williams puts out a hot spot on a fire-ravaged home along Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times ) 3 / 29 Firefighter Steve Barrett hits a hot spot on a fire-ravaged home on Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 29 Firefighters work a hot spot next to a vineyard charred by the Skirball fire in Bel-Air on Thursday. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times ) 5 / 29 The downtown Los Angeles skyline is visible through the smoke from the Skirball fire as seen from Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times ) 6 / 29 A firefighter carries a hose up stairs at a home destroyed by the Skirball fire along Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 29 Firefighter Bobby DAmico looks out over the Getty Center while monitoring the scene over Bel-Air, where the Skirball fire has destroyed several homes. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 29 A helicopter scouts for hot spots from the Skirball fire in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 29 Firefighter Ray Schiller puts out a hot spot on a home destroyed by the Skirball fire on Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 29 A firefighter monitors the scene over Bel-Air, where the Skirball fire has destroyed several homes. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 29 The Getty Center seen through the smoke of the Skirball fire. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 29 A mansion is framed by trees charred in the Skirball fire in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 29 A Los Angeles City firefighter makes his way toward a home on Casiano Road that was destroyed by the Skirball fire. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 29 Los Angeles City firefighters Florin Sarbu, left, Dan Smithers and Robert Caropino monitor the Skirball fire from the backyard of a home on Casiano Road. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 29 Fredi Seraydarian, left, her husband, Paul, and son Mark wave to a helicopter pilot after he filled up with water at the Stone Canyon Reservoir. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 29 A Bel-Air home home on Linda Flora Drive burns in the Skirball fire. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 29 The bedroom of a home is engulfed in flames from the Skirball fire along Linda Flora Drive in Bel Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 29 Firefighters battle a blaze at a home along Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 29 Firefighters work to save a home along Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 29 A car lies among the ruins caused by the Skirball fire at the end of Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 29 Firefighters try to save a home along Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air, where the Skirball fire prompted closure of the 405 Freeway as well as mandatory evacuations. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 29 A helicopter makes a water drop on the Skirball fire in Bel Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 29 Firefighters try to save a home along Linda Flora Drive. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 29 A helicopter makes a water drop on the Skirball fire that threatened several homes along Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 29 Firefighters try to save a home along Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 29 Firefighters near Linda Flora Drive in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 29 A plume of smoke from the Skirball fire looms over a home in Bel Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 29 Firefighters in Bel-Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 29 Smoke and fire from the Skirball fire threatens homes in Bel Air. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) The microscopic particles that are in smoke can penetrate deep into peoples lungs, creating a hazard for those who already have heart or lung problems such as asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The 475-acre Skirball fire broke out above the UCLA campus, in Bel-Air. The university lost power and canceled classes. The smell of smoke lingered in the medical buildings. After the fire began on Wednesday, a 5-year-old was admitted to UCLA Medical Center-Santa Monica because the child was struggling to breathe, said UCLA health spokeswoman Amy Albin. In Westwood, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center treated five patients with asthma attacks on Wednesday, and UCLAs urgent care clinic in Century City administered breathing treatments to a handful of walk-in patients through Thursday, Albin said. Health officials advised that people in the area as well as in Malibu and Santa Monica stay indoors, even when smoke or ash couldnt be smelled or seen. Inhaling smoke can cause cause chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing. Officials also warned of particularly bad air quality in the San Fernando Valley. The Creek fire, which has now burned more than 15,000 acres, broke out Tuesday in Sylmar. Twenty-five patients showed up to the Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills on Tuesday complaining of smoke-related problems, said hospital spokeswoman Patricia Aidem. The hospital also set up a hotline Tuesday to field questions about air quality and has answered about 20 inquiries from patients, she said. Jack Hagerman, spokesman for Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, said the hospital was offering face masks to employees, patients and visitors. He said the facility also put air purifiers in its high-risk areas to keep the air as clean as possible. To limit smoke coming into the building, weve closed all of our exits except for our main entrance and entrance to the Emergency Department, Hagerman said in an email. Weve added fans at those entrances to discourage outside air from traveling inside. Health officials advise that people limit their outdoor activity, close windows, use air-conditioning that recirculates inside air and, if outside, wear N95 masks to filter harmful particles. Karlamangla reported from Los Angeles and Vives from Carpinteria. soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com | Twitter: @skarlamangla ruben.vives@latimes.com | Twitter: @latvives The powerful Santa Ana winds that fueled a five-day fire siege across Southern California this week began to ease Friday, but the destructive toll of the blazes continued to grow and firefighters will remain on high alert through the weekend. The fires, which stretched from Ojai to Oceanside, destroyed more than 500 structures and forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. The smoke created air quality problems that officials said reached unprecedented levels in some areas. As hot, dry Santa Anas faded, officials warned that breezes from the ocean could pick up, changing the direction of the flames, placing fire crews at higher risk of getting caught without an escape route. Advertisement A red flag warning a combination of extremely low relative humidity and wind speeds that indicates a serious threat if a fire were to occur is in effect through Sunday evening, said Tom Fisher, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. President Trump on Friday approved a California emergency declaration, ordering federal aid to the area and putting the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency in charge of relief efforts. In northern San Diego County, the Lilac fire which ignited Thursday off Interstate 15 forced large swaths of Bonsall and Oceanside to evacuate. More than 1,000 firefighters were battling the blaze, which held at 4,100 acres from the night before with 15% containment. The Lilac fire destroyed at least 105 structures, including a number of mobile homes, authorities said Friday. Three people were injured, and 25 horses were killed at a thoroughbred training center. When a tornado hits the Midwest, theres no stopping it. When a hurricane hits the East Coast, theres no stopping it. When the Santa Ana winds come in, theres no stopping them, said Kendal Bortisser, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in San Diego. In Los Angeles County, firefighters on Thursday night took advantage of the calmest winds they had seen in days. The 15,619-acre Creek fire near Sylmar was 70% contained as of Friday night. At least 56 residences and 49 other structures were destroyed and an additional 45 residences and 25 other structures damaged. The 475-acre Skirball fire in Bel-Air was 50% contained. Six houses were destroyed. The Thomas fire in Ventura County was still the largest, spanning 143,000 acres from Santa Paula to the coast, with significant growth north of Ojai. It was 10% contained as of Friday night and had destroyed 476 structures. More than 87,000 people had been evacuated because of the Thomas fire alone. On Friday, the Ventura County medical examiners office identified a body found at the site of a car accident on Wheeler Canyon Road on Wednesday night as 70-year-old Virginia Pesola of Santa Paula, the only death in the Thomas fire to date. She died of blunt-force injuries with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, officials said. The death is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol and the Major Crimes Unit of the Ventura County Sheriffs Office. Besides the flames, there was another major issue for residents to contend with: terrible air quality. Pollution in Ojai was off the charts, said Phil Moyer, an air quality specialist with the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District. Its the highest reading weve seen. Its crazy numbers, Moyer said. The air quality index, a measurement of pollution in the air, is considered unhealthy at a rating of 151 or higher. The worst category is hazardous and covers ratings between 301 and 500, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Pollution levels in Ojai have been averaging over 500, with smoke from the Thomas fire trapped by the mountains that encircle the mountain town, Moyer said. Especially now that the Santa Anas have died down, theres nothing to push the smoke out of the way, so it just kind of sits there, he said. 1 / 73 John Bain and Brandon Baker try to stop a fire from burning a strangers home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 73 A brush fire moving with the wind sends embers all over residential neighborhoods north of Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 73 A family packs up and evacuates as a brush fire gets closer to their home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 73 John Bain and his friends, all from Camarillo, came to help as brush fires move quickly through residential neighborhoods in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 73 Strangers band together to help put out a palm tree on fire and stop it from burning homes. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 73 The Hawaiian Gardens apartments burn in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 7 / 73 Residents help with the fire attack on Buena Vista Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 8 / 73 Residents watch the Thomas fire on Prospect Street in Ventura. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 9 / 73 Firefighters are deployed to battle the fire in a Ventura neighborhood. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 73 A chimney is all that stands of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 73 Remnants of a home as a brush fire continues to threaten other homes in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 73 A home burns on a hillside overlooking Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 73 Palms are consumed in the Thomas fire. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 14 / 73 Emma Jacobson, 19, center, gets a hug from a neighbor after her family home was destroyed by fire in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 73 Olivia Jacobson, 16, wipes tears as she looks at her familys home, destroyed by the brush fire on Island View Drive in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 73 Aerial view of the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 73 Noah Alarcon carries a cage with the family cat while evacuating from Casitas Springs. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 18 / 73 Smoke from the Thomas fire crosses over Lake Casitas near Ojai. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 19 / 73 A Ventura County firefighter battles a blaze on Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 73 Ventura County Firefighter Aaron Cohen catches his breath after fighting to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 73 Aerial view of homes burned to the ground in the Thomas fire in Ventura County. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times ) 22 / 73 A home between Via Baja and Foothill Road burns in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 73 Amanda Leon and husband Johnny Leon watch as firefighters fight to save homes along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 73 Chino Valley firefighters fight to save a home along Cobblestone Drive near Foothill Road in Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 73 Embers continue to burn at sunset Tuesday in a home on Ridgecrest Court at Scenic Way in the Clearpoint neighborhood of Ventura. (Al Seib / Los Angeles TImes) 26 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 73 Firefighters try to protect homes from the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 73 Edward Aguilar runs through the flames of the Thomas Fire to save his cats at his mobile home along Highway 33 in Casitas Springs in Ventura County. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 73 Jeff Lipscomb, left, Gabriel Lipscomb, 17, center, and Rachel Lipscomb, 11, look for items to recover from their burned home in Ventura. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 73 A traffic collision temporarily clogged lanes on the northbound 101 Freeway between Solimar and Faria Beaches as the Thomas fire burned in the hills. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 73 The Thomas fire burns towards the 101 Freeway and homes between Solimar and Faria Beaches. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 73 Fire personnel keep an eye on the Thomas fire on Toland Road near Santa Paula. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 34 / 73 A train on the Rincon coast passes a burning hillside from the Thomas fire. (Michael Owen Baker / For the Times) 35 / 73 The Thomas fire burns along the 101 Freeway north of Ventura on Wednesday evening. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 73 A firefighter battles the Thomas fire in the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 73 A resident cries as the Thomas fire approaches the town of La Conchita early Thursday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 73 Burned palm trees are left standing between the 101 Freeway and Faria Beach as the Thomas fire reaches the Pacific Ocean. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 73 Firefighters battle Thursday to protect the resort city of Ojai from encroaching flames. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 73 Casey Rodriquez helps a friend move belongings after the Thomas Fire destroyed most of an apartment building on North Kalarama in Ventura. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 73 A burnt-out bus near Maripoca Highway. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 73 The Thomas fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 73 A huge plume of smoke rises north of Ventura as seen Sunday afternoon from the Ventura pier, as the Thomas fire threatens parts of Carpenteria and Montecito. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 73 The Thomas Fire burns in the Los Padres National Forest, near Ojai, Calif. on Friday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 73 Residents react as they watch the Thomas Fire burn in the hills above La Conchita at 5 am Thursday moning. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 73 Mary McEwen and husband Dan Bellaart prepare to evacuate their home on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito as the Thomas fire burns. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 73 Carpenteria resident Chris Gayner, right, photographs a plane in the hills of Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 73 From left, residents Michael Desjardins, his neighbor Patty Rodriguez, daughter Mikayla, wife Veronica, mother in law Amanda Buzin, and son Mikey keep an eye on the Thomas fire in Carpenteria. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 73 Mary McEwen cheers as she sees fire crews make their way up a hill past her home on Toro Canyon Rd. in Montecito. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 73 Dan Bellaart and wife Mary McEwen comfort each other in the backyard of their home that includes an avocado ranch on 9 acres of land on Toro Canyon Road in Montecito, as the Thomas fire burns in the background. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 73 Carpinteria resident Jay Molnar, 55, mouth and nose protected against the smoke, views flames glowing in the hills above the city on Dec. 11, 2017. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 73 Sacramento firefighters battle a blaze in Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 53 / 73 Josh Acosta, superintendent with Fulton Hotshots looks for ways to fight fire consuming a structure threatening two homes high up Toro Canyon in Carpenteria at dusk Tuesday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 54 / 73 A motorcade passes on tHighway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson, who died Thursday morning while battling the Thomas Fire. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 73 Santa Paula City officials, Police and Firefighters salute from a bridge as a motorcade passes on the Santa Paula Freeway 126 carrying the body of a Cal Fire engineer Cory Iverson. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 73 Forest Service crews cut and clear dense brush for contingency lines off of East Camino Cielo in the Santa Ynez Mountains above Montecito and Santa Barbara to help stop the Thomas fire from advancing. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 73 A hotshot crew from Ojai marches towards their assignment to protect structures on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 73 Firefighters monitor the flames Saturday from a staging area near Parma Park in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 73 Flames slowly make their way down a valley behind a home in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 73 Flames whip around power lines as they move through Sycamore Canyon on Saturday, threatening structures in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 61 / 73 Smoke billows over Santa Barbara as the Thomas Fire continues to threaten the area on Saturday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 62 / 73 Bill Shubin, deputy fire chief of the Santa Rosa Fire Department checks on flames burning near homes north of East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 63 / 73 A fire truck pulls responds to fires burning near homes on East Mountain Drive in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 64 / 73 Brian Good, from US Forest Service, leans forward against the wind, and holds up a Kestrel to measure wind speeds up to 50 mph on Gibraltar Road in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 73 A plume of smoke moves south as winds as high as 50 mph blow down Gibraltar Road on the west fork of Cold Spring Trail in Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 73 Flames and a big plume of smoke threaten homes on Gibraltar Road near Gibraltar Rock, outside Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 73 The sun rises as fire crews prepare for another day of fighting the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 73 An aircraft makes a water drop over a hot spot up in the mountain range at Gibraltar Rock near Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 73 Humboldt County firefighters Bobby Gray, left, hoses down smoldering flames inside a destroyed home, as Kellee Stoehr, right looks on, after the Thomas Fire burned in Montecito, Calif. on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 73 A home on Park Hill Lane was destroyed by the Thomas fire in Montecito, Calif. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times ) 71 / 73 Humboldt County firefighters Lonnie Risling, left, and Jimmy McHaffie, right, spray down smoldering fire underneath the rubble of a home that was destroyed by the Thomas Fire, in Montecito, Calif., Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 73 Fire crews help the Behrman family retrieve their familys personal belongings out of their burned home, in Montecito, Calif., on Sunday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 73 / 73 In the foreground of the ridges that were burned by the Thomas Fire, Rusty Smith stands outside his home that survived the flames that were kicked up by Saturdays wind event and threatened his home in Flores Flats on Gibraltar Road, near Montecito. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) At the Casitas Shopping Center in Carpinteria, just above the Santa Barbara County line, more than 100 people stood in a queue to pick up masks as smoke and ash filled the air. Among them was Gloria Rivera, who came to grab masks for herself, her husband, her two grandchildren and her chihuahua, Mamba. Im gonna try and put it on him, she said. Rivera said she lives in an area where voluntary evacuations have been issued. She left home Wednesday as a precaution but returned Thursday to check on her house and decided to stay there. Hospitals across Southern California reported high numbers of patients showing up in emergency rooms with breathing problems. Health officials advise that people limit their outdoor activity, close windows, use air conditioning that recirculates inside air and wear N95 masks outside, which can protect from harmful particles. On Friday afternoon, Jacklyn Mann, 29, sifted through the charred metal and debris where her house once stood, along with her brother Ben and her father, Roger. They were some of the first residents on their block in Ventura, near Via Arroyo and Colina Vista, to return. They came back with one goal in mind: to salvage all the household items with sentimental value that they could. I found another one! Jacklyn shouted to her dad. In her hand was a dusty ceramic pinch pot that her other brother, Dixon Mann, made years ago in elementary school. Oh, cool! Sweet, her father responded. Lined on the side of their property were small items that the family had dug up that day, including Bens childhood swimming medals. The family decided to spend their Friday digging after finding a Christmas ornament that belonged to Jacklyn. It had been hanging on the tree they had just decorated Monday. At a Red Cross shelter at Nordhoff High School in Ojai, Ken Williams leaned back in a folding chair and flipped on the switch of an amateur radio console. Hed spent each morning listening to the chatter on emergency response channels to get a sense of the fires behavior. But something remarkable happened when Williams turned on the radio at daybreak Friday: Silence. Man, thats a good thing, said Williams, 71, who lives in an Ojai mobile home. When the chatter calms down, it means things are definitely getting better. Sitting near Williams was John Wilson, 80, one of 118 people taking refuge at the school. Like many others, he was saddled with unanswered questions about the fate of his home in his case just a mile west of the shelter. I sure am ready to go home, said Wilson, who has lived in Ojai more than three decades. Having no idea whats going to happen next is a brand new experience for me. Times staff writers Ruben Vives, Sonali Kohli and Joseph Serna contributed to this report. melissa.etehad@latimes.com louis.sahagun@latimes.com hailey.branson@latimes.com soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com Six former clerks and externs said U.S. 9th Circuit Court Judge Alex Kozinski made inappropriate sexual comments to them, the Washington Post reported Friday. Heidi Bond, a Kozinski clerk from 2006 to 2007, told the Post that Kozinski called her into his office repeatedly, showed her pornography on his computer and asked if it aroused her or if she thought it was Photoshopped. Kozinski, 67, reached by the Los Angeles Times on Friday, said: I have no recollection of that happening. Advertisement He said Bond, now a novelist, was a good clerk, and he recommended her for two clerkships at the U.S. Supreme Court. After Bond left the legal profession, he said, she sent him an email asking if he wanted an audio version of one of her novels. Kozinski described it as a romance novel with one chapter containing very torrid sex. Kozinski said he was unaware of any formal complaint against him and noted that he has employed 120 clerks and 400 externs over the years. If this is all they are able to dredge up after 35 years, I am not too worried, he said in a telephone interview. The Post said those who complained about Kozinski worked for him over the years, the latest in 2012. Bond and Emily Murphy, now a law professor, were the only women who agreed to allow the Post to use their names. Murphy, who clerked for a different 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judge, said Kozinski joked to her in front of other people that she should work out naked at a courthouse gym because so few people used it, according to the Post. The Times reported in 2008 that Kozinski kept sexually explicit materials on a private server. Kozinski, then chief judge of the 9th Circuit, acknowledged in an interview with The Times back then that he had posted the materials. They include a photo of naked women on all fours painted to look like cows and a video of a half-dressed man cavorting with a sexually aroused farm animal. Kozinski acknowledged in the interview that some of the posts were inappropriate, but he defended other content as funny. After The Times published its report, Kozinski asked for a judicial investigation. The probe determined that the judge had not intended the public to see the material and that Kozinski had not realized his private server could be viewed on the Internet. A panel of federal judges from another circuit admonished him, saying the folder had been made public because of an improper security configuration and the judges carelessness. Federal judges serve life terms. Congress can impeach them and the Senate convict them, but removal from office is rare. Kozinski, appointed by President Reagan, is considered a Libertarian and an iconoclast who has used the bench to float quirky ideas. In one case, he wrote that lethal injection should be scrapped for the firing squad, though he thought the guillotine the best method. Kozinski said Friday that he wished Heidi had said something to me. Although stressing he did not remember any such incidents, he said: I wish she could have talked to me about it. He said he often uses salty language at work and once learned from his secretary that it offended a male clerk who was a Mormon. Kozinski said he stopped using the language. I dont remember ever showing pornographic material to my clerks, he said. Kozinski said lots and lots of his former clerks reported to him in recent days that they had been contacted by the Post. In response to the Post, Kozinski issued the following statement: I have been a judge for 35 years and during that time have had over 500 employees in my chambers. I treat all of my employees as family and work very closely with most of them. I would never intentionally do anything to offend anyone and it is regrettable that a handful have been offended by something I may have said or done. David Madden, a spokesman for the 9th Circuit, forwarded a copy of Kozinskis statement and referred further questions to a public relations firm in Los Angeles. Madden did not respond to questions, posed in a telephone message and in emails, about whether the 9th Circuit might investigate the charges. He referred questions to Winner & Associates, a Los Angeles firm that does public policy communications. Chuck Winner, vice chairman of the company, said a friend asked him to assist Kozinski and that he was doing so without charge. Winner said he interviewed both Kozinski and his wife and was unaware of any investigation into the allegations published by the Post. An attempt to reach Bond through her agent was unsuccessful. In a blog post, Bond described her interactions with Kozinski. She writes her novels and her blog under the pen name Courtney Milan. She said in her post that Kozinski showed her pornographic pictures on his private server, and she told him they appeared to have been Photoshopped. Does this kind of thing turn you on? she quoted him as saying. She told him no. It doesnt do anything for me either, she said he replied. People just send me these things. I dont know why. But I like to keep them as a curiosity. I dont understand why people find this sort of thing arousing. Murphy, a professor at UC Hastings College of the Law, was reached through email. She said she was unavailable for an interview Friday night because she was attending a wedding rehearsal. maura.dolan@latimes.com Twitter: @mauradolan UPDATES: 7 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details and comments from Heidi Bond posted on her blog. 5:45 p.m.: This article was updated with Murphy saying she was unavailable to comment Friday night, and details about a public relation firms representation of Kozinski. 5 p.m.: This article was updated with additional background and the full text of a statement Kozinski had given to the Washington Post. 4:20 p.m.: This article was updated to say that efforts to contact the accusers were not immediately successful. This article was originally published at 3:55 p.m. It was Secretary of State Rex Tillersons bad luck that he was in Europe meeting with dozens of U.S. allies when President Trump, on Wednesday, announced formal U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a move that angered much of the world. Tillerson, who wound up a five-day, four-city, three-country tour on Friday, got an earful from one foreign minister after another. The Jerusalem decision was opposed by nearly every U.S. ally except Israel as well as by Russia and the Arab and Muslim world. The ultimate status of the contested city must be the subject of discussion between Israelis and Palestinians, said French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the friendlier leaders Trump has gotten to know. Macron spoke Friday at a ceremony in Paris with Tillerson in the audience. Advertisement Speaking to reporters later, Tillerson tried to stress areas of general agreement, such as the dangers posed by a nuclear-armed North Korea and the importance of fighting terrorism. But he had to admit he had faced what diplomats politely call candid discussions. Of the French, he said, On almost all things, we agree, but on those that we dont, we are very open to express those disagreements, and I think both of us benefit from the richness of those discussions. Tillerson is generally unflappable, at least in public, and he made the trip days after multiple White House leaks indicated Trump was planning to replace him in the new year. Perhaps as a result, Tillerson appeared to take the criticism from foreign leaders in stride. After Trump announced U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital, and ordered the State Department to start making plans to move the embassy there from Tel Aviv, a White House official told The Times that Tillerson had argued against such a move during discussions at the White House. Tillerson was said to have argued that he agreed in principle that Jerusalem was Israels capital. But he said making that pronouncement, which ran counter to decades of U.S. policy and international consensus, deprived Washington of its ability to serve as an honest broker in any future peace negotiations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When Trump rejected that view, Tillerson publicly supported the president although he appeared less than enthusiastic. He urged the public to listen to the entire speech, both to what was said and what was not said. For example, Trump pointedly did not refer to Jerusalem as Israels undivided capital, as many Israeli Jews do. And he made clear his decision did not presume to set the citys borders for the future. That left open possible diplomatic wiggle room for eventually ceding part of the ancient city to the Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem as their capital in a future independent state. Trump also said he would support a two-state solution, assuming the Israelis and Palestinians do. Earlier this year, he appeared to jettison that proposal, which long had been the linchpin of U.S. and international peace-making efforts. During the week, Tillerson met with European Union and NATO allies in Brussels and Vienna and went to Ramstein Air Base in Germany for a briefing from U.S. military commanders who oversee counterterrorism and other operations in Africa, ahead of the secretarys planned trip to that continent early next year. Except for the U.S. air base, by all accounts Tillerson got a chilly reception just about everywhere he went. A way must be found through negotiations to resolve the status of Jerusalem as a future capital of both states, Federica Mogherini, the European Unions de facto foreign minister, said as she stood beside Tillerson in Brussels a few hours before Trumps announcement. Tillersons aides acknowledged his welcome at times could have been warmer. Allies have been very frank in sharing some of their views, senior advisor R.C. Hammond said. Dialogues only work if they go two ways. Jerusalem was only the latest irritant in U.S. relations with traditional allies in Europe. Much of the continent disagrees with Trumps decision to tell Congress that he could not certify Irans compliance with the 2015 nuclear arms control deal, even though the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency says Iran is meeting its nuclear obligations. Allies also were stunned by Trumps decision to pull the United States out of the landmark Paris climate accord the only country in the world to do so. British Prime Minister Theresa May was harshly critical of Trumps retweeting of three hate-baiting anti-Muslim videos last week. The videos were originally tweeted by a British ultranationalist fringe group. In response to Trumps decision on Jerusalem, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency session on Friday. Britain, one of Americas closest allies, made its views clear. The United Kingdom does not agree with the U.S. position on this issue, said the British ambassador to the U.N., Matthew Rycroft. Our view is that the final status negotiations are the place to decide between the Israelis and the Palestinians on the important questions, including on Jerusalem. tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter California voters decided last year that the sale of recreational marijuana should be made legal, beginning on Jan. 1, 2018. But Proposition 64 left many of the details to local governments and state regulators. So the last several months have been a race against the calendar, as officials have sought to develop rules governing where, when and how businesses may grow, transport and sell marijuana to adults. Last month, the state unveiled 276 pages of regulations for the new recreational pot marketplace. Among other things, the rules set hefty licensing fees, regulate how much THC will be allowed in edibles and other cannabis products, and require marijuana businesses to track their product from seed to sale. While the state set many of the industry rules, cities and counties were left to decide whether they want to allow marijuana businesses to set up shop in their jurisdictions. San Diego passed its permitting rules in September. Sacramento, San Jose and San Francisco passed laws in recent weeks allowing recreational cannabis sales, and the Los Angeles City Council this week approved regulations for what will likely be the nations largest market for marijuana. Advertisement The federal government should not make it even more difficult for states to fulfill the will of the voters. None of it has been easy. Even though voters in California overwhelmingly supported Proposition 64, the process of actually legalizing the growing and selling of marijuana for recreational use has been a painstaking balancing of interests and concerns. Cities want to give permits to enough marijuana businesses to meet demand, eliminate the black market and raise significant tax revenue, but they dont want to inundate or overwhelm communities with pot shops. Some cities, such as L.A., want to help people who were disproportionately affected by the war on drugs profit from legalization, but they also want to make sure they dont allow people who committed violent or serious felonies in the business. By and large, state and local officials are treating marijuana legalization with gravity and care, trying to get the details right. And yet, despite all their hard work, there is a dark cloud hanging over California: Jeff Sessions, the U.S. attorney general. The problem is this: Despite the passage of Proposition 64, marijuana remains illegal under federal law. The federal government designates cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning that it is as addictive as heroin and has no medical value whatsoever, which defies common sense. Federal prohibition has not stopped eight states, including Colorado, Washington, Oregon and now California, from legalizing recreational marijuana markets. The conflict with federal law has been a complicating factor for a long time, going back to the early days of medical marijuana. But under the Obama administration and in the early days of the Trump administration, the state and the feds managed to work together. Now, however, mixed messages from the Trump administration and recent statements from Sessions, a vocal opponent of legalization, are making it harder for California to launch its regulated marijuana marketplace with confidence. Late last month, Sessions told reporters that his office was looking very hard at recreational marijuana. Its my view that the use of marijuana is detrimental, and we should not give encouragement in any way to it, and it represents a federal violation, which is in the law and is subject to being enforced, he said, adding that the department was working toward a rational policy. Theres no telling what Sessions views as a rational policy or whether he intends to reverse the Obama administrations hands-off approach. A few weeks earlier, Sessions told Congress that the Department of Justice was still following a 2013 memo on marijuana. That policy stated that the federal government generally would not interfere with states that allowed the commercial sale of marijuana as long as there are were strict regulations in place, including rules to prevent sales to minors and to block criminal enterprises from participating. Pragmatists argue that marijuana legalization would be awfully difficult to stop at this point. Repeated polls show that a majority of Americans support it. Any attempt to enforce prohibition at this point would create a major market upheaval at the very least, if not a voter rebellion. And yet this is an administration that frequently ignores broad public opinion to cater to the most extreme points of view. (Consider its positions on DACA and on climate change to name two.) Sessions comments suggest he is loath to do anything that appears to condone marijuana. Even if he doesnt declare open war on marijuana in California, his anti-marijuana position may stymie state and local efforts to license and regulate the industry. For instance, pot shops typically cant open bank accounts or accept credit cards because financial services companies fear being penalized by federal regulators for handling money from drug sales. Given Sessions stand, thats hardly an unreasonable fear. Come Jan. 1, California will be awash in cash, inviting crime and making it harder to regulate sales and collect taxes. Thats hardly a rational policy. California is doing the hard work to bring marijuana businesses out of the shadows and into a regulated, controlled marketplace. The federal government should not make it even more difficult for states to fulfill the will of the voters. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook. Petition drive to repeal California gas tax increase temporarily slows down By Patrick McGreevy A motorist prepares to gas up her vehicle in San Rafael, Calif., in 2015. ( (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)) Paid signature-gatherers for a ballot measure that would repeal gas tax increases may be hard to find on the streets of California this week. Organizers say its not a money issue, adding that they needed to briefly halt paid signature-gathering to catch up on collecting petitions from volunteers. The petition drive has so far collected more than 327,800 verified signatures of the 587,407 needed to qualify the measure for the November ballot, according to Dave Gilliard, the political strategist behind the drive. We knew it was popular but the incredible pace is even faster than we expected so we outran the capacity of our verification operation over the Christmas holiday and told our crew managers to slow down so we could catch up, Gilliard said. We will be back up to speed by the end of this week. The gas tax and vehicle fee increases signed by Gov. Jerry Brown are expected to raise $5.2 billion annually for road and bridge repairs and expanded mass transit. The gas tax jumped from 18 cents to 30 cents per gallon on Nov. 1, and vehicle fees of at least $25 kicked in Jan. 1. The gas tax repeal petition is breaking records for both paid and volunteer signatures and were using the next two weeks to catch up on validation of signatures already received, said Carl DeMaio, a former San Diego City Councilman and conservative radio talk-show host. As a grass-roots-funded effort we are also continuously raising funds and volunteer support. We are highly confident well qualify this Initiative for the November 2018 ballot. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print State pot bureau ready to enforce Californias new marijuana laws as license applications flood in By Patrick McGreevy The state has issued 104 licenses for retail stores to sell marijuana for recreational use in California and 239 other applications for those permits are pending, officials said Tuesday. An official with the state Bureau of Cannabis Control added that the agency is prepared to begin taking enforcement action against pot shops that are not properly licensed. The bureaus enforcement team is ready to respond to any complaints it receives and start doing compliance checks and site visits at any time, said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the bureau. Selling marijuana without a license is a crime punishable by up to six months in county jail and a fine of up to $500. Those convicted of engaging in any marijuana business activity without a license will also be subject to a civil penalty of up to three times the amount of the license fee for each violation. A new report issued Tuesday indicated the bureau has issued 478 temporary licenses to firms to test, distribute and sell medical and recreational marijuana, which began Jan. 1 after voters approved a legalization initiative, Proposition 64, in 2016. Businesses have received 153 licenses to sell marijuana for medical use. Another 1,458 firms have applied for licenses that are still being processed. The state Department of Food and Agriculture has separately issued 207 licenses to marijuana growers. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Two possible instances of discrimination reported after California issues drivers licenses to immigrants here illegally By Jazmine Ulloa The California Research Bureau on Tuesday released its first report on incidents of discrimination under a 2015 state law that has provided drivers licenses for hundreds of thousands of immigrants here illegally. Researchers found no complaints have been made against government agencies tasked with enforcing anti-discrimination laws. But two possible instances of discrimination were reported in focus group interviews conducted by Drive California, a coalition of advocates studying the impact of the new law. In one case, a woman in Fresno was told her license was not a valid form of identification at a retail store, though it was unclear whether the incident reflected intentional discrimination or simple ignorance of the license marking, the report states. A MoneyGram clerk in another case denied a license holder the ability to cash a check. The same person was later rejected again at a bank. The state Department of Motor Vehicles has issued 960,000 AB 60 drivers licenses as of Nov. 30. The state research bureau produced the report for the Legislature as part of the new law, which declares discrimination against an AB 60 license holder a violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California lawmaker proposes requiring panic buttons for hotel workers in response to widespread sexual harassment By Patrick McGreevy More than half of hotel workers surveyed report being sexually harassed at some point. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times) Alarmed by a survey indicating sexual harassment of hotel housekeepers is widespread, a California state lawmaker on Tuesday proposed requiring employers to provide panic button devices to their employees so they can summon help if abused by a guest. The bill to be introduced Wednesday by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) would also require individual hotels to impose a three-year ban on guests who engage in harassment on the property. We want to protect our most vulnerable women workers, hotel maids who are going into rooms alone, from sexual harassment, said Muratsuchi, who co-authored the bill with Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward). The legislation signals that concerns over sexual harassment that dominated the state Legislature last year will continue to be an issue for lawmakers as they begin the new legislative year Wednesday. Harassment allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, comedian Louis C.K. and other high-profile men have involved sexual misconduct in hotel rooms. A survey in July by Unite Here Local 1 found that 49% of female hotel workers in Chicago had experienced a guest answering the door naked or exposing himself. The report titled Hands Off, Pants On, found 58% of hotel workers said they had been sexually harassed by a guest. Californias Unite Here Local 11 has been calling for the action proposed in the legislation. It is the intent of this measure to protect hotel employees from violent assault, including sexual assault, and sexual harassment, and to enable those employees to speak out when they experience harassment on the job, said the introduction to the legislation introduced by Muratsuchi. In addition to requiring hotels to provide panic buttons to employees who work alone in rooms, the bill requires hotels to take written complaints from employees and keep them for five years. Any complaint backed by evidence including a statement given under penalty of perjury would result in a guest being banned from a hotel for three years. Hotels would also be required to post a notice on the inside of hotel room doors warning guests about the consequences of sexual harassment. Updated at 4:10 pm to include comment from Assemblyman Muratsuchi. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Money, Republican malaise and Tom Steyer: These are the things to watch for in Californias 2018 statewide elections By Seema Mehta Get ready, California. What had been a behind-the-scenes dash for cash closely watched by few other than political observers is about to burst into public view. Voters this year will decide who will succeed Democrat Jerry Brown as the next governor and whether they will send Sen. Dianne Feinstein back to Washington. Before the June 5 primary, candidates will ramp up their campaigns with messages on television and stuffed into mailboxes. Heres a primer on the states two marquee races. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Fickle L.A. County is pivotal in the race for California governor By Phil Willon Home to a quarter of Californias 5.2 million registered voters, Los Angeles County is the biggest prize in Californias 2018 race for governor. For two hometown Democratic candidates especially former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Treasurer John Chiang of Torrance doing well in L.A. County is essential if they hope to best the front-runner, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Yet this overwhelmingly Democratic stronghold continually bedevils even the most adept campaigns. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement A renewed brawl over single-payer healthcare in California is on deck for 2018 By Melanie Mason Carolyn Angela Chen, a registered nurse, gives a free hepatitis A vaccination to Glenn Gardner, 52, at Joshua House Clinic (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) California officials are bracing for healthcare battles in Washington to have a major impact on the states budget and programs. Activists and politicians are planning a showdown over whether or not to establish a single-payer healthcare system in the state. And prescription drug manufacturers are the target of a number of bills meant to target the rising costs of medication. Sound familiar? Turns out the brewing healthcare battles in California in 2018 arent all that different from those from 2017. Heres a primer on the upcoming healthcare agenda in California: Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print How California lawmakers plan to protect the online privacy of consumers in 2018 By Jazmine Ulloa (Elise Amendola / Associated Press) With federal regulation rollbacks and a rise in data breaches, California lawmakers this year are looking for ways to protect consumers and their personal information. Some legislation under consideration could give people more notice and control over what data is collected, without having to pay for privacy or better services. Other bills could provide free credit freezes for consumers and require new privacy features for products that connect to the internet. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print 2018 will see California motorists pay more to the state to repair roads and bridges By Patrick McGreevy The new year brings with it new vehicle fees in California ranging from $25 to $175 depending on the value of your car, but Republican lawmakers are hoping to qualify a ballot measure in November to repeal the higher charges. The fees and a 12-cent increase in Californias gas tax last year are part of a plan by Democrats to raise more than $5.2 billion annually to deal with a backlog of road and bridge repairs. Petitions to qualify a repeal initiative are circulating now. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement A rent control battle tops the list of California housing issues to watch in 2018 By Liam Dillon A new-home community in Anaheim in 2016 (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) California lawmakers arent wasting any time in tackling one of the most contentious issues in state housing politics this year. On Jan. 11, the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee is set to hold a hearing on legislation that could lead to a dramatic expansion of rent control policies across the state. The debate over rent control could spill over onto the 2018 ballot, where Californians also could see proposals to expand or curtail the property tax restrictions ushered in 40 years ago by Proposition 13. Lawmakers will have to wrestle with how to follow up a package of housing bills that passed last year. The measures provided new funding and regulations designed to encourage homebuilding, but are unlikely to make an appreciable difference in housing costs. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas is resigning By John Myers Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas abruptly announced his resignation from the California Legislature on Wednesday, citing health reasons. Ridley-Thomas, a Democrat from Los Angeles, informed Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) Tuesday night. The reason for this difficult decision is that I am facing persistent health issues, Ridley-Thomas, 30, said in a written statement on Wednesday. On December 18th, I underwent surgery for the fifth time this year. Although I expect a full recovery, my physicians advise that I will need an extended period of time to recuperate. Earlier this year, Ridley-Thomas was absent from work for more than two weeks. Staff members initially said the absence was a personal leave, then said the time off was due to unspecified medical reasons. His resignation letter on Wednesday offered no additional details. When I resume public life, I intend to remain active in civic affairs, where my passion lies, he said in the statement released by his office. Ridley-Thomas was first elected to the Assembly in a 2013 special election. He is the son of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. Before winning elected office at age 26, the younger Ridley-Thomas worked as an aide for Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price and managed a 2012 Assembly campaign in San Bernardino County. In a statement about his sons decision, Mark Ridley-Thomas said he and his wife more than anyone, have seen him struggle with health challenges this year, and we fully support his decision to step down from the state Legislature so that he can recuperate with complete rest, in accordance with his doctors orders. His solidly Democratic district includes the west Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westwood, Culver City, Crenshaw and Baldwin Hills. He is chairman of the influential Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee, which oversees all tax-related legislation. Ridley-Thomas is a proponent of changes in the operation of the state Board of Equalization, though his plan would have allowed the agency to ultimately retain many of its duties. A more substantial shake-up was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in June. Ridley-Thomas was the author of a bill signed into law in October giving the Los Angeles Unified School District the power to preserve some of its existing single-gender schools. He was unsuccessful, though, in an effort to stop local governments from imposing taxes on streaming video services like Netflix and Hulu. Ridley-Thomas departure will require a special election in 2018. He is the fourth Southern California legislator to leave office this year. The election of Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) to Congress also required a special election. The other two lawmakers Assemblymen Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Matt Dababneh (D-Woodland Hills) stepped down in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct, which both men have denied. A special election to fill Bocanegras seat will be held on April 3, with a potential runoff on June 5. A special election date has not yet been set for Dababnehs seat. My colleagues and I wish Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas all the best going forward as he deals with his health challenges, Rendon said in a statement. The Assembly will continue to assist the residents of the 54th Assembly District until a new assemblymember is seated. This post was updated with comment from Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, as well as more information about special elections. It was originally published at 11:10 a.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California Senate Democrats are considering some ideas to counter the GOP tax plan By Liam Dillon Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Democrats in the California Senate are planning to write legislation to lessen the effects of the elimination of popular tax breaks in the GOPs overhaul of the federal tax system. To finance broad-based corporate tax cuts and reductions in individual tax rates, the GOP plan caps the deductibility of state and local income and property taxes a benefit used often in suburban areas of California. The Republican tax scam disproportionately harms California taxpayers, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) said in a statement. Our hard-earned tax dollars should not be subject to double-taxation, especially not to line the pockets of the Trump family, hedge fund managers and private jet owners. De Leon, who also is running for U.S. Senate, said the state Senate is working with law professors at UCLA, UC Davis and the University of Chicago to develop the legislation. Ideas being considered, according to a de Leon spokesman, include: Reducing state personal income taxes through a tax credit program and offsetting that amount through payroll taxes. Allowing individuals to make voluntary gifts to the state of California, which would be deductible as a charitable donation under federal law. The deduction for the donated amount would replace the state and local tax deduction. Lawmakers return to Sacramento in January. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti admits considering a 2020 bid: I am thinking about this By Seema Mehta Eric Garcetti (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) Its no secret Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is interested in running for president. When reporters ask about his intentions, he has used all sorts of ways to deflect, typically by saying hes focused on his day job for the moment. But speaking in Spanish to a Univision reporter this week, Garcetti edged ever closer to the telltale admission hes actually considering it. I am thinking about this, said Garcetti, who is partly of Mexican heritage but learned Spanish attending private school. The majority of time goes to my work as mayor of Los Angeles, but every [citizen] should think about what our role is in these difficult times, in these dangerous times. Garcetti added that he expects many mayors to run for president, and noted New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently visited Iowa, which holds the first presidential nominating contest. Garcetti has long been rumored to be flirting with a White House bid, and he has fueled such speculation by traveling out of state to places such as the early presidential primary state of New Hampshire to campaign for a mayoral candidate. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Gov. Brown makes judicial appointments, including attorney who helps train Legislature on anti-sexual-harassment policies .@JerryBrownGov makes two court of appeal and 33 superior court appointments including Lauri Damrell in Sacramento. Damrell, an attorney at Orrick, testified at the Assemblys recent hearing on sexual harassment, outlining the assemblys current prevention efforts. Liam Dillon (@dillonliam) December 22, 2017 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Californias former top cop forms marijuana distribution firm in new age of legalization By Patrick McGreevy Former California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer is going from enforcing laws against marijuana to legally distributing the drug under the states new rules that allow the sale and possession of pot for recreational use. With state-licensed sales of marijuana starting Jan. 1, Lockyer has co-founded a firm, C4 Distro, that will distribute packaged marijuana concentrates and edibles to stores in Los Angeles. He says Californias new regulated system has a chance to be a model for the rest of the country. For me as somebody who was on the law enforcement side for so many years, I saw the inadequacies of the effort to regulate something just by calling it illegal, Lockyer said. I think legalizing will help stabilize and help legitimize this industry and result in better consumer protection and other public benefits. Lockyer, a Democrat who served in the state Assembly and was leader of the state Senate, has co-founded the firm with Eric Spitz, who was chairman and president of the former parent company of the Orange County Register. The businessmen aim to get their products to pot shops in L.A. in late January or early February, Spitz said. Asked if he uses marijuana himself, Lockyer, 76, said, Not in any recent times, but there were college years. He said he sees his involvement in the marijuana industry as a mixture of helping to pay for his kids college tuition and public service to help the new regulations work. This whole industry has to come from the dark side to the light, he said. By focusing on delivery to as many as 700 stores that might open in Los Angeles, C4 Distro hopes to capture a targeted market while other firms distribute statewide. The business has a warehouse in southeast Los Angeles County and is close to applying for a distributors license from the state, Lockyer said. Lockyer served a quarter century in the state Legislature before he was elected as state attorney general in 1999. He left that office in 2007 when he was elected as state treasurer, serving until his retirement from politics in 2015. Before co-leading a group that bought the Register newspaper in 2012, Spitz served as chief financial officer at Narragansett Brewing Company. Spitz left the Registers Freedom Communications in 2016. 2 p.m.: An earlier version of this article mistakenly said Spitz left Freedom Communications in 2015. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print House passes disaster aid bill with wildfire funding, 18 Californians vote no By Sarah D. Wire (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Eighteen of Californias 53 House members voted no on an $81-billion disaster aid package Thursday, which includes funds for Californias recent wildfires. The 17 Democrats and one Republican voted no on the bill, which passed the House by a 251 to 169 vote. The Senate is not expected to take up the bill until January, when Congress returns from its holiday break. The entire California delegation had recently signed onto a letter asking for the disaster aid. In a speech on the House floor before the vote, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) pleaded with colleagues not to take a political stance on a disaster aid bill. Dont play politics on a vote to give aid to the people of Texas, to the people of Puerto Rico and to the Virgin Islands, to the people of Florida, and to the people of California that are still fighting the fires. Dont play politics on a bill where you hope to maybe stop another. That would be the worst of any politics Ive seen played here, McCarthy said. Here and now, right before Christmas, dont vote against aid for Americans who just lost everything. Several of the Democrats who voted no also voted against the spending bill Thursday, and said that they felt they could not support either because the bills did not include Democratic priorities for the end of the year, including protections for people brought to the country illegally as children. Others said the aid bill doesnt provide enough money for California and doesnt treat Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands fairly in terms of competing for the funds. The 18 representatives voting no were: Nanette Barragan (D-San Pedro) Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) Tony Cardenas (D-Los Angeles) Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana) Anna Eshoo (D-Menlo Park) Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Downey) Linda Sanchez (D-Whittier) Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin) Norma Torres (D-Pomona) Juan Vargas (D-San Diego) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Three California House members cross party lines on spending bill to keep government open By Sarah D. Wire Three California House members crossed party lines Thursday on a vote to pass a spending bill that will keep the government open until mid-January. Democratic Reps. Jim Costa of Fresno and Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert joined the majority of Republicans to vote for the bill. Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of Alpine joined Democrats to vote against it. The bill, which funds the government through Jan. 19, passed the House 231 to 188, right before representatives left for the holidays. Costa said in a statement that he voted yes because keeping the government open is Congress job, but he called the vote a continuation of the dysfunction in Washington. It further illustrates the damage that results from partisan politics and irresponsible leadership. It is unacceptable that we have to resort to funding the government for weeks at a time because we cannot sit down together Democrats and Republicans and negotiate a real budget bill, Costa said. Hunters staff said the congressman was concerned that military spending in the bill was extended for only a short period. He had wanted the spending to be extended until September. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Poll points to all-Democrat runoffs in California races for governor and senator By Seema Mehta Californians could see two Democrat-on-Democrat contests in the states premier races in 2018, according to a new poll released Thursday. In the gubernatorial race, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom remains the front-runner with the support of 26% of likely voters in a Berkeley IGS poll. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came in second with the backing of 17%. The poll found notable demographic differences in the two mens bases of support. Newsom had strong leads in the Bay Area, where he once served as the mayor of San Francisco, as well as among white voters, liberals and the wealthy. Villaraigosa saw strong backing in Los Angeles County, among Latino voters and among those who earned less than $40,000. Republicans splintered in the race, placing businessman John Cox and Assemblyman Travis Allen in a tie for third place with 9% each. Two other Democrats, state Treasurer John Chiang and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, each won the support of 5% of likely voters. If Republicans fail to consolidate behind a candidate in the June primary, voters will for the first time see no GOP candidate on the November ballot for governor. Its a repeat of what occurred in the 2016 U.S. Senate race, and what is likely to occur again in the 2018 U.S. Senate race if the field does not grow. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has the support of 41% of likely voters in her reelection bid, but her rival, fellow Democrat Kevin de Leon, won the support of 27%, according to the poll. There is no GOP candidate in the race. Feinstein, who has served in the Senate for a quarter-century, has enormous advantages in fundraising, name recognition and support among powerful political groups. However, the poll found that nearly one-third of likely voters said they are undecided or would like to support another candidate. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California legislator wants to curb sexual harassment in Hollywood and eating disorders for models By Melanie Mason Fashion models show off the BCBG MAX AZRIA Spring 2016 collection during New York Fashion Week. (Richard Drew / AP) A new proposal by a California assemblyman is taking aim at two of the more criticized phenomena in the entertainment industry: sexual harassment and unhealthy body standards for fashion models. The legislation, by Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), would require the states Occupational Safety and Health Standards to adopt guidelines for fashion models in an attempt to combat the prevalence of eating disorders and excessive thinness in the industry. This is the second time Levine has tried to take on the fashion industry. His similar bill to impose standards on models sputtered in 2016. This time, Levine also is trying to address the prevalence of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry by requiring that talent agencies which represent actors, performers and other artists provide training on sexual harassment and how to identify and prevent inappropriate behavior. I believed women who told me their stories of abuse when I introduced legislation to provide workplace protections in the fashion industry in 2016 just like I believe them now, Levine said in a statement. Its time that law reflects societys rejection of sexual harassment in all workplaces, including Hollywood. My bill aims to address the problem before it starts, but also empowers survivors with the tools to report these cases. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Local Indivisible group picks Democrat to endorse against Rep. Duncan Hunter By Christine Mai-Duc Ammar Campa-Najjar, 28, is running against Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Alpine). (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) With an already crowded field of contenders hoping to unseat Rep. Duncan Hunter and months to go before the candidate filing deadline, one local activist group has made an early endorsement in the race. Indivisible CA50, made up of activists mostly in San Diego County, announced Thursday that its endorsing Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Democrat and public affairs consultant whos challenging Hunter. The endorsement comes as liberal activists and interest groups all over the state are grappling with whether and how to winnow down the dozens of candidates vying for 10 GOP-held seats in California. The group held more than half a dozen endorsement meetings to allow members throughout Hunters district to vote on their preferred candidate. One of the candidates, Pierre Beauregard, dropped out of the race recently and endorsed Campa-Najjar. In a statement Campa-Najjar said in a statement that the nod represents the enthusiasm of hundreds of progressive grassroots activists. Indivisibles national political director Maria Urbina said the endorsement was the first made by any California chapter in the 2018 midterms. Aside from Campa-Najjar, two other Democrats are running for Hunters seat: Josh Butner, a school board trustee and former Navy SEAL, and realtor Patrick Malloy, who ran last year and lost to Hunter by nearly 27 percentage points. Hunter will also face at least two GOP challengers: Shamus Sayed and Andrew Zelt. Hunter is not considered to be particularly vulnerable in next years election, but an investigation into his alleged misuse of campaign funds has caused at least one election handicapper to move his race from solid Republican to the likely Republican column. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print San Francisco is getting a new mayor and creating a political star. Who will it be? By Mark Z. Barabak San Francisco is the city everyone loves, even if they hate it. The stately Victorians, like a gingerbread dream come to life. The majestic Golden Gate Bridge, standing like heavens portal above the fog. The plucky cable cars, scrabbling up its impossible hillsides. It can almost make you forget the bands of ravaged homeless, the paralyzing traffic, the scent of human waste wafting from sidewalks outside the citys posh eateries and palatial tech headquarters. San Francisco is getting a new mayor, owing to the sudden death of incumbent Ed Lee. All of the grandeur, and all of the grit, accompany the position. To say the race is wide open Lee having died just about a week ago is an understatement. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Sen. Dianne Feinstein is under pressure over a fix for Dreamers By Sarah D. Wire California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is under pressure from activists and fellow Democrats to withhold support for a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown in exchange for protections for people brought to the country illegally as children. Feinstein said in October that protections for so-called Dreamers are the most important thing we can get done, but the senator known for her moderate bent said this week that she wont try to block the end-of-the-year spending bill over it, and has not offered an explanation. Dreamers this week flooded Feinsteins five California offices and her office on Capitol Hill. Two UCLA students refused to leave her Capitol Hill office after three hours Tuesday and were briefly detained by police. On Wednesday, about a dozen students and parents returned and were asked to leave after about 30 minutes of shouting in her office lobby. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print The GOP tax plan passed. Now Democrats have another big issue to use in the midterms By Sarah D. Wire As GOP leaders in Congress met behind closed doors to hash out the details of their massive tax overhaul, a group of UC Irvine graduate students met in Rep. Mimi Walters district, fretting about how the plan could cost them money. About 20 miles north, dozens of activists in top hats stood outside Rep. Ed Royces Brea office as they chanted, Shame on you! And up in the Central Valley, protesters gathered outside Rep. Jeff Denhams Modesto office to sing Protest ye dreary congressman Remember that he voted to take healthcare away. To save himself from taxes now, so you will have to pay. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Kevin de Leon to Feinstein: Dont come back to California without forcing a government shutdown over Dream Act By Jazmine Ulloa State Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), left, and Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), right. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press) Taking direct criticism to the woman he is attempting to unseat in next years U.S. Senate race, California Senate leader Kevin de Leon on Wednesday urged Democrats to block a year-end spending bill as leverage to pass a Dream Act clean of GOP demands for increased border security. At a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, De Leon commended Sen. Kamala Harris for pledging to block the measure, saying he could not understand why her colleague Sen. Dianne Feinstein had failed to take a similar stance in pushing for legislation to protect the so-called Dreamers, immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Dreamers make up hundreds of thousands of Sen. Feinsteins constituents, and while talking a good game on Dreamers, when it comes to standing up and supporting them, she is AWOL, said De Leon (D-Los Angeles), who has attempted to position himself to Feinsteins left as he campaigns for her seat. His statements follow days of demonstrations by young protesters at legislators offices in Washington and California. The coalitions of activists have been calling on Democrats to hold up the spending bill, a move that could force a government shutdown. They want to pass Dream Act legislation that would provide protections and a path to citizenship to young people without legal residency in the U.S. At least two young protesters were arrested Tuesday outside of Feinsteins Capitol Hill office, and more demonstrations took place at her offices in Washington and San Francisco on Wednesday. Feinstein, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) have sponsored Dream Act legislation but have not pledged to hold up the spending deal. A separate bipartisan group of senators is advocating punting the issue to January. President Trump has asked Congress to come up with a solution by March. Standing next to De Leon and immigrant rights advocates on Wednesday, state Assemblyman Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) said advocates had to double down the shame on any Democrat who thinks its time to wait on the issue. De Leon said they had made that message clear to Schumer, saying, It is time to find your spine, sir. To Pelosi and Feinstein, he said: Dont come back to California if you havent demonstrated your leadership and your courage to stand up for these young men and women. I can tell you this, De Leon said. If the Republicans were on the other side, they wouldnt hesitate for a nanosecond to shut down the government to move forward what they believe in. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement 12 California Republicans vote to support tax overhaul for a second time; Rohrabacher and Issa say no By Sarah D. Wire The House gave final approval for the GOP tax bill Wednesday, with 12 Republicans in the state delegation again voting in favor of the bill. Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Darrell Issa of Vista voted no. The House and Senate both passed the bill Tuesday, but, because Democrats raised procedural objections that forced the bill to be changed in the Senate, the House had to vote on the bill again Wednesday before sending it to President Trump for his signature. Though many California taxpayers are expected to see an initial income tax cut under the plan, a significant number probably will have higher taxes because of the lost deductions. Analysts also expect the biggest cuts to flow to corporations and the states wealthiest residents. Republicans are expected to head to the White House later Wednesday for a celebration with Trump. No House Democrats, including the 39 from California, supported the bill. Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk) was not present for the second vote, but she voted no on Tuesday. See the Republican votes here: Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias Democratic senators vote no on GOP tax bill Californias @SenKamalaHarris and @SenFeinstein join rest of Democrats in the Senate in voting no on the GOP tax bill, which passed 51-48 along party lines. Sanders, who is an Independent, voted with Democrats. Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 "At a time when wages have stagnated and working Americans are trying to do more with less, this tax plan pulls the rug out from the middle class to give billions to those who already have so much. This is an attack on our values, and Americans deserve better," Harris said. Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 "Californians will be hit especially hard by the cap on the state and local tax deduction, making it more difficult for communities to pay for services that our families rely on, Its no wonder a bill that primarily benefits the wealthy is so unpopular..." Feinstein said Sarah D. Wire (@sarahdwire) December 20, 2017 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print GOP tax overhaul passes House with help from a dozen California Republicans By Sarah D. Wire Despite weeks of consternation from some California House Republicans, a dozen of them joined their colleagues to pass an overhaul of the U.S. tax code Tuesday. Two Reps. Darrell Issa and Dana Rohrabacher voted against the plan. In the weeks before the vote, Republican Reps. Mimi Walters of Irvine and Steve Knight of Palmdale cited new caps on popular deductions as reasons they were uncertain about whether to vote for the bill. Both worked behind the scenes on changes and ultimately supported the bill, which passed the House on a near party line vote 227-203. Knight said hes satisfied the changes are enough to to turn what would have been a tax increase into a tax cut for his constituents. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement More than half of Californians oppose GOP tax bill, according to new poll By Sarah D. Wire House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) arrives for a news conference about the tax plan. (Win McNamee / Getty Images) More than half of Californians oppose the GOP tax bill expected to be approved by Congress today, and just 20% believe it will have a positive affect on their families, according to a poll released Monday. Just over half of California voters, 51%, oppose the tax bill, and 30% support it, according to the newest IGS Poll, a survey by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley. And the belief falls largely along party lines, with Democrats opposing the bill by a more than 4-to-1 (67% to 15%) margin and Republicans supporting it 3 to 1 (60% to 21%). The House and Senate are expected to vote on the tax bill Tuesday. Californias Republican members of Congress largely support the bill despite some concerns about how cuts to the state and local tax deduction and mortgage interest deduction might affect Californians. Democrats in the delegation oppose it and have said they will use the vote against vulnerable Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections. When asked about the impact they think the bill will have on themselves and their families, just 20% of the polls respondents said they think it will benefit them directly, while 40% foresee a negative impact. About 27% do not expect much of an impact, and 13% said they dont know if theyll be affected. The poll of a random sample of 1,000 registered voters was completed by telephone in English and Spanish from Dec. 7 to 16. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print A quick look at some of the biggest tax changes for Californians By Sarah D. Wire (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) Congressional Republicans are framing their tax cut bill as a Christmas gift that will give Americans an average tax cut of $2,059. For Californians, especially in the wealthier areas along the coast, the situation isnt as clear-cut. When the measure comes up for a vote in the House on Tuesday morning, its expected to pass along party lines. At least two Republicans say they will join Democrats in the California delegation to oppose the plan because they fear it will hurt their constituents bottom line. Take a quick look at what some of the biggest changes in the tax bill might mean for average Californians. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Lawmakers, pot growers say Californias marijuana cultivation rules favor big corporate farms By Patrick McGreevy Californias new rules allowing marijuana cultivation favor large corporate farms despite a promise in Proposition 64 that small growers would be protected, according to a group of state lawmakers and marijuana industry leaders who called Monday for the policy to be changed. The California Department of Food and Agriculture issued emergency rules last month that allow for small and medium-sized farms of up to a quarter acre and one acre, respectively, to get licenses for the first five years. That five-year head start for small farms was promised in Proposition 64, the initiative approved last year by voters that legalized growing and selling marijuana for recreational use. Individuals and businesses can get only one license for a medium-sized farm, but the new rules do not set a limit on how many small-farm licenses can be obtained by one person or business. That could allow a corporation to assemble a 20-acre farm by obtaining 80 licenses for a quarter-acre each, opponents worry. Democratic state Sens. Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Mike McGuire of Healdsburg, Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) and the California Growers Assn. asked for swift action by the state agricultural department to change the rule. This is clearly a broken promise, McGuire said. For two years, every discussion has included a cap on cannabis grows and the Department of Food and Agriculture needs to fix this massive loophole they have created. This last-minute revision rolls out the red carpet for large corporations to crush the livelihood of small family farmers. With cultivation licenses set to take effect next month, the lawmakers also promised legislative hearings on why the rules were drafted to disadvantage small, mom-and-pop farms. California only has one chance to get this right, and it is already on the wrong path with this last-minute change that flies in the face of what the backers of Prop. 64 promised, said Hezekiah Allen, executive director of the California Growers Assn. This single decision will hand over the California marketplace to multinational corporations and a wealthy few at the expense of thousands of growers who are ready to play by the rules and provide economic opportunity in communities that until recently were criminalized or at the very least marginalized. The industry estimates there are about 3,500 independent growers on track to get a state license in the first half of 2018. Allens group estimates that number could grow to as many as 10,000 or 15,000 by the end of 2020, but not if large corporate farms are allowed in early. The agricultural agency issued a response later: A one-acre canopy limit has not been in proposed regulations at any point and was not included in the emergency regulations due to the fact that Proposition 64, the law guiding the process, did not provide authority to include it. However, local jurisdictions may impose that limitation on their own if it meets the needs of their constituents. Updated at 5:10 pm to include comment from agricultural agency. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Final tax bill dramatically softens blow to mortgage interest deductions in California By Christine Mai-Duc Last-minute changes to the Republican-led tax overhaul seem to be tailor-made to entice support from California GOP lawmakers, several of whom voted against a previous version passed in the House last month. The House version, passed with the support of all but three California Republicans, had proposed capping the mortgage interest deduction at loans of $500,000 or less. Republicans in high-tax, expensive states had voiced concerns the bill would have major effects in their districts. But the final version of the bill dramatically slashed the percentage of new mortgages that would be affected if the package becomes law. *New mortgages over $500,000 include data through Sept. 2017. New mortgages over $750,000 include data through Oct. 2017. Source: Times analysis of data provided by CoreLogic The particulars of the mortgage interest provision and other popular deductions were major sticking points as House and Senate negotiators hammered out a compromise between the two versions. A previous Times analysis showed that more than half of new mortgages this year in Rep. Dana Rohrabachers coastal Orange County district exceeded the $500,000 cap laid out in the House version. Text of the new bill released Friday outlined a cap of $750,000, which would apply to just under a quarter of new mortgages there through October 2017. Rohrabacher was one of three California Republicans, along with Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove) who previously voted against the measure. Rep. Mimi Walters (R-Irvine) said she supported the House version after receiving assurances from leaders that the bill would be changed to account for the loss of deductions, The percentage of new mortgages over the cap dropped from 48% to 14%. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), whose district had 1% of mortgages exceeding the $500,000 cap proposed previously, saw that share drop almost to zero; 27 of 7,515 mortgages in his congressional district this year have been for more than $750,000. The House is expected to vote on the final tax bill Tuesday. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print A major change to Proposition 13 takes its first step toward the 2018 ballot By Liam Dillon A commercial property in San Bernardino County that could face higher property taxes under a proposed ballot measure (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times) Proponents of making a dramatic change to Californias landmark Proposition 13 property tax restrictions took their first step to getting a measure on the November 2018 statewide ballot Friday. The change would allow the state to receive more tax dollars from commercial and industrial properties by assessing them at their current market value, an effort known as split roll because existing tax protections on homes would remain in place. Advocates of the measure, including the League of Women Voters of California and community organizing nonprofits California Calls and PICO Network said the change could raise billions of dollars that could be spent on public schools and community colleges. I think the cumulative effects of the unfair tax system have gotten to the point where its created crippling economic impacts on the state, said Melissa Breach, executive director of the League of Women Voters of California. Backers filed their proposed initiative Friday. The attorney generals office will prepare an official title and summary for the measure and it will receive a financial analysis. From there, advocates will decide if they will collect signatures to put the measure on the ballot. Proposition 13 passed in 1978 amid concerns that rising property taxes could force people out of their homes. The ballot measure limited property taxes to 1% of a propertys value at the time of purchase and ensures that the assessed value on which taxes are based can only increase by a maximum of 2% a year no matter how much a propertys market value goes up. Split-roll measures have been long debated in state politics, but business groups and anti-tax groups have expressed substantial opposition to the idea, arguing that it would cause major harm to the states business climate. Breach said she expected an avalanche of big money against the measure should it go forward, but said that her organization wouldnt get involved without believing it could raise sufficient funding.S For the record 1 p.m., Dec. 18: An earlier version of this post said the split roll ballot measure would allow California to charge higher tax rates on commercial and industrial properties. It would allow the state to assess those properties at current market value, not charge higher rates. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Three more women accuse California assemblyman of sexual misconduct By Melanie Mason Assemblyman Matt Dababneh (D-Woodland Hills) (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) A Los Angeles woman has filed a police report alleging Democratic Assemblyman Matt Dababneh had sex with her without consent four years ago, adding new allegations of sexual misconduct to those that led the politician to announce his resignation last week. He says her claims are false. Nancy Miret, 26, told The Times that when she was 22 and a recent college graduate, she spent time with Dababneh over two months in late 2013, primarily at his Encino apartment. At the time, Dababneh was running for Assembly to represent the western San Fernando Valley. They had consensual sex on one occasion, but after that, Miret said she had multiple nonconsensual sexual encounters with Dababneh that left her traumatized. Miret, who now works in commercial real estate, is one of three women interviewed by The Times who have made new allegations concerning Dababnehs behavior. These allegations are false and Im confident that when all the facts are in, it will clearly show that these claims are not true, Dababneh told The Times. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print San Diego business is first in California to be issued license to sell marijuana for recreational use By Patrick McGreevy A San Diego medical marijuana business is the first firm to be issued a license by the state of California to sell marijuana for recreational use, officials said Thursday. Torrey Holistics received two of the first 20 licenses granted by the state Bureau of Cannabis Control this week to sell or distribute marijuana, although the licenses do not take effect until Jan. 1, according to bureau chief Lori Ajax. An additional 180 firms have applied for licenses but they are being processed. Last week, we officially launched our online licensing system, and today were pleased to issue the first group of temporary licenses to cannabis businesses that fall under the Bureaus jurisdiction, Ajax said in a statement. We plan to issue many more before January 1. The bureau is issuing temporary, four-month licenses to firms initially, but will eventually require firms to undergo background checks and pay a $1,000 application fee for yearlong permits. Tony Hall left a chemical distribution business two years ago to start Torrey Holistics with a friend and classmate at San Diego State. He said he was ecstatic to have the first recreational permit in California. He also obtained a new license to continue selling marijuana for medical uses. We feel fricking great about it, he said Thursday. Its just exciting. This is a once in a multi-generational event, he added, likening it to the end of prohibition. Added Ruthie Edelson, the firms marketing director, We will be open at 7 a.m. on Jan. 1. Last year, voters approved Proposition 64, which makes California one of eight states that allow the growing and sale of marijuana for recreational uses. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Conservative activist group files a lawsuit over Los Angeles County inactive voter list By John Myers A Washington-based conservative-leaning activist group filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday alleging Los Angeles County officials are refusing to cancel the registrations of voters who are ineligible to cast a ballot. The legal action by Judicial Watch comes four months after the organization first accused elections officials across the state of maintaining registration lists that are larger than their voting-age population. The lawsuit also names Secretary of State Alex Padilla as a defendant and alleges the voter lists violate the National Voter Registration Act, or NVRA. They dont care about removing ineligible registration, said Robert Popper of Judicial Watch. I think we have a very strong lawsuit. The lawsuit names four Los Angeles County voters as co-plaintiffs and asserts that a countys two lists of voters the file of active voters and those whose registration has been placed on inactive status should be combined into a single total. The inactive list includes people who havent cast ballots in recent elections and havent responded to inquiries from elections officials. Though the names on that list are considered voters, they are not counted in official registration reports and are not mailed election material. Popper led an effort earlier this year to estimate the size of each countys voting-age population using the Census Bureaus American Community Survey. He said the surveys five-year average of county populations was then adjusted by focusing just on the estimate of those over the age of 18, and then comparing that with the combined active and inactive voter lists. Popper dismissed any concern that the resulting number might be skewed by the different standards used by counties for the inactive list, which could include names of voters who moved or died and thus be an imperfect guide. I believe that a court is going to accept our numbers, he said. Dean Logan, the registrar of voters in Los Angeles County, said his staffs practices are consistent with federal law. This lawsuit appears to fundamentally interpret the requirements of the NVRA in a manner inconsistent with ensuring voter enfranchisement and appropriate list maintenance, he said. The lawsuit also alleges that Los Angeles elections officials failed to provide Judicial Watch with requested data about the size of the inactive list, and accuses Padilla of failing to address the groups concerns about California not following NVRA rules. In a statement on Thursday, Padilla said county inactive-voter files are not out of compliance with the law. He criticized Judicial Watch for its baseless assertions, bad math, and flawed methodology. Local elections officials have said very few inactive voters show up on election day, and that any who do would be asked to cast a provisional ballot one that isnt counted unless the voters eligibility is confirmed through additional review. Popper insisted that if the list is never used, theres no reason to keep it. Judicial Watch, which sued for access to Hillary Clintons emails in 2016, alleged that its calculations show 11 California counties with questionable voter registration totals. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Voters in California GOP districts may get calls asking them to thank their member of Congress for tax plan By Sarah D. Wire Voters in four key Republican-held congressional districts could get a robocall starting Friday urging them to call and thank their member of Congress for supporting the tax bill. Its a last minute effort by American Action Network, a politically active nonprofit connected with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) that has spent millions to shore up Republican support for the bill. The robocalls include the members office number. The four California members being targeted are Reps. Jeff Denham of Turlock, David Valadao of Hanford, Steve Knight of Palmdale and Mimi Walters of Irvine. All four represent districts that backed Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and are Democratic targets in 2018. Knight and Walters had been particularly vocal about their concerns with the plan, saying it might raise taxes for their constituents. The final text of the bill is set to be released Friday, with a vote expected early next week. In total, American Action Network plans to place 1 million robocalls in 29 districts nationwide. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Merry Christmas Republicans in Congress: Funny or Die video goes after California lawmakers over DACA By Christine Mai-Duc As members of Congress try to pass a controversial tax bill and a measure to keep the federal government funded, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is hitting Republicans hard over another unresolved issue: the legal status of hundreds of thousands of people brought to the country illegally as children who could face deportation if lawmakers dont act. Amid negotiations over a long-term spending bill, Democratic leaders have been pushing their GOP colleagues to include a fix for those who were granted temporary protection under President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. President Trump announced an end to the program earlier this year and gave Congress a March deadline to address it. Funny or Die and BOLD PAC released a video Friday featuring comedians skewering GOP members, including two in California, for their inaction. In the video, Oscar Nunez, best known for his role on The Office, calls out Reps. Steve Knight (Palmdale), Ed Royce (Fullerton), Carlos Curbelo (Florida) and John Culberson (Texas), who get to go ahead and celebrate as thousands of Dreamers are banished from the only country theyve ever called home. How many broken promises can fit in a stocking? Nunez asks later. Im asking for a congressman. The political action committee says its spending six figures on the weeklong buy, which will go out nationwide across Funny Or Dies social media channels. They are known for blasting out irreverent, often viral parodies that play to young audiences. The video will also be targeted to constituents in each of the four congressional districts. A separate video released by the ACLU last week also urged members of Congress to strike a deal on DACA. Many California Republicans have remained mum on the issue, particularly those facing tough races in 2018. So far, only Reps. David Valadao (Hanford), Jeff Denham (Turlock) and Mimi Walters (Irvine) have pressured fellow Republicans to come up with a solution before Congress breaks for Christmas. Following Trumps decision, Knight said the issue should receive attention by Congress. Royce, who has taken hard-line stances on immigration in the past, urged his colleagues to provide a permanent, legislative solution that gives certainty to these kids. Neither elaborated on what that solution should be. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print For a prominent California consumer group and savvy political consultants, documents reveal a close financial relationship By John Myers If theres a clear mantra for Consumer Watchdog, one of Californias most visible and vocal advocacy groups, its that hidden financial relationships shouldnt shape politics and public policy. The Santa Monica-based nonprofit has spent more than three decades reprimanding politicians and interest groups for doing the bidding of those who give them money. Its official motto is expose, confront, change. We are loud, and we speak more of a populist truth than the way people usually talk to each other in Sacramento, said Jamie Court, Consumer Watchdogs president. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Regional director resigns from California Democratic Party amid sexual misconduct claims By Jazmine Ulloa A regional director with the California Democratic Party submitted his resignation on Thursday, nearly two weeks after a 23-year-old woman reported that he sexually assaulted her last year, spurring party leaders to seek his ouster. Craig Cheslog served as Region 2 director spanning the East Bay, Napa, Sonoma and the Clearlake areas. In a statement, his lawyer, Mary P. Carey, said she and her client were confident that a full and fair exploration of this matter, undertaken in an appropriate, fact-governed venue, would exonerate Mr. Cheslog. We are prepared, if necessary, to put forward the facts of this matter in just such a venue, she said. Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman and other officials initially called for Cheslogs removal in a Nov. 29 letter to state party secretary Jenny Bach. They said he was seen acting in an inappropriate and sexually aggressive manner toward a member of the party in a public area of the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel, following a Nov. 18 executive board meeting. The level to which this activity advanced made a number of those in attendance uncomfortable, the letter stated. It added that another member reported that Mr. Cheslog raped her at a CDP executive board meeting the previous year. Party officers said the incident occurred during a weekend where the prevention of sexual harassment of women in politics was a dominant theme in the wake of the #metoo movement. Before the meetings conclusion on Sunday, the California Womens Caucus approved a resolution making clear that sexual harassment, bullying and other forms of abuse are grounds to lose endorsements and be stripped of party membership. Maddy Dean, who was not named in the letter, spoke at the meeting about her experiences of sexual harassment in the movie industry, and told the Times that she reported Cheslog. She said she could not provide further details about her allegation as she explores possible legal paths moving forward. This was about protecting other women and in particular other young women, she said of reporting the assault. In his own letter to Bach on Thursday, Cheslog did not acknowledge any wrongdoing. He said he was stepping down to prevent any personal misconduct allegations from creating a distraction with the party at a critical moment in national and state politics. I am confident of the results that would be forthcoming in a fair, fact-based exploration of this matter, he said. Since the report, Cheslog has been fired from his job at Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps families navigate media and technology. He also has stepped down from his position on the Acalanes Union High School District Board of Trustees. The conduct represented a serious violation of both company policy and the way in which our employees are expected to conduct themselves in the community at large, Common Sense spokeswoman Corbie Kiernan said in a statement. We immediately suspended Mr. Cheslog and conducted an investigation. As a result of the investigation, Mr. Cheslogs employment with Common Sense was terminated. 4:05 p.m.: This post was updated with Cheslogs resignation from the school board. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Sen. Bob Hertzberg will cooperate with investigation into unwanted hugs By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Bob Hertzberg works at his Senate Chambers desk. He faces an investigation into unwanted hugging (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) State Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) said Thursday he will cooperate with a state investigation into complaints from a former legislator that she was uncomfortable with his repeated hugs after she asked him not to touch her. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon said Thursday that a team of outside attorneys will investigate a complaint by former Assemblywoman Linda Halderman that Hertzberg has made her uncomfortable with hugs that were too close and lasted too long. Hertzberg, well-known for hugging other lawmakers, said he supports having any allegations investigated by the two outside law firms. I just learned of the investigation, and will fully cooperate, he said. The use of an independent third party investigator is essential to improving transparency and trust in the system. Halderman said Thursday she was encouraged that her concerns will be investigated, but said it was disturbing that attorneys for one of the law firms selected, Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, contributed more than $90,000 in campaign funds to sitting legislators including Hertzberg. Halderman, a surgeon, served in the state Assembly from 2010 through 2012 and said Hertzberg hugged her multiple times even after she asked him to stop because she was uncomfortable. The last incident occurred in a hallway of the Capitol, she claimed. I told him I dont care to be hugged. Dont touch me, Halderman recalled. He then grabbed me and pinned my arms to my side and used his hands to press my lower back into his groin and he essentially pinned me so I couldnt push off of him to get away the way I ended previous hugs. It was certainly so over the line, she added. Halderman said a current female senator and assemblywoman also have complained about inappropriate hugs from Hertzberg. However, Sen. Cathleen Galgiani (D-Stockton) defended Hertzberg, saying she has known him for many years and he has always acted as a gentleman. I have never felt uncomfortable with him, and have always felt his hugs were a display of affection - which I appreciate, she said. I consider him a dear friend. Updated at 5:30 pm to include comment from Sen. Galgiani. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Rep. Maxine Waters asks Justice Department to investigate fake letter tweeted by Republican opponent By Sarah D. Wire (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Rep. Maxine Waters is asking the Justice Department to look into a fake letter posted to Twitter by her Republican challenger that falsely indicated the congresswoman wants to resettle tens of thousand of refugees in her Los Angeles district. The GOP candidate, Omar Navarro, posted the letter on what looks like official House of Representatives letterhead to Twitter on Monday. The letter, which purports to be from the congresswoman, says the congresswoman wants to bring refugees to her congressional district after the 2018 election and perhaps even once I have secured the Speaker of the House position. Navarro accompanied the tweeted letter with a message: According to this document, Maxine Waters wants more terrorists, like the one who bombed NYC, in Californias 43rd District. As Congressman of CAs 43rd District, I will oppose such policies. Its been retweeted more than 680 times. But the letter is a forgery and a fake, her chief of staff, Twaun Samuel, said in a news release. The letter, dated June of this year, also contains several inaccuracies. It references multiple committees and subcommittees Waters does not serve on, and lists an address for a district office that has been closed for nearly a decade. Waters filed a complaint about the tweeted letter with the House general counsel, who forwarded the complaint to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and the fraud section of the Criminal Division for the United States Department of Justice. The complaint states that Waters has not communicated with the letters purported addressee Teri Williams, who is president and chief operating officer of the Los Angeles-based OneUnited Bank, about any refugee resettlement program. Impersonating a federal official and misusing a federal seal are federal crimes. Navarro, who is backed by big name far-right conservatives, said Thursday that the letter was sent to his campaign through Facebook by a person he didnt know. He said neither the Justice Department or Waters staff has asked him about the letter. I dont know if its real or not, so I put it out there, Navarro said, adding that he believed his followers would help him determine if it is real. It doesnt say that I know. Its according to this document what, am I supposed to send it to her and get an email back from Maxine? According to this document, Maxine Waters wants more terrorists, like the one who bombed NYC, in Californias 43rd District. As Congressman of CAs 43rd District, I will oppose such policies. #VoteNavarro2018https://t.co/vO8YUsyPp3 pic.twitter.com/k7ef0H20if Omar Navarro (@RealOmarNavarro) December 11, 2017 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Sen. Tony Mendoza refuses to take a leave of absence amid harassment probe By Patrick McGreevy Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), left, talks earlier this year about a pending bill with Sen. Ted Gaines (R-El Dorado Hills). (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Defying pressure from legislative leadership, state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) refused Thursday to take a leave of absence until an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against him is concluded early next year. Mendoza has denied allegations by former employees that he treated three female aides inappropriately, inviting them to hotel stays and asking one to visit his home to work on her resume. I am very disappointed that certain Senate Rules Committee members are apparently asking me to take a leave of absence or resign before any investigation has even begun and without giving me an opportunity to defend myself, Mendoza said in a statement. This is contrary to the very concept of due process, which is a pillar of our American system of fairness and judicial prudence. These actions bypass any process in a rush to judgment. Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) earlier Thursday called on Mendoza to take a leave of absence. Mendoza had previously been stripped of his leadership positions, including chairmanship of the Senates committee on banking and insurance. Mendoza questioned statements urging him to step down, saying they leave him concerned about the fairness of the investigation. He also said he has been disappointed that he has been told he cannot publicly address allegations. I was not appointed to the position I hold, but was elected by the voters in my district, he said. I am grateful to the voters in my district and thank them for their trust and their continued support. The Senate owes them an opportunity to hear the truth. I assure them that I will vigorously defend myself to clear my name. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print State Senate leader asks Sen. Tony Mendoza to take leave of absence amid sexual harassment investigation By Patrick McGreevy (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) State Senate leader Kevin de Leon said Thursday he has strongly suggested that Sen. Tony Mendoza take a leave of absence until the completion of an investigation by outside attorneys into allegations that Mendoza sexually harassed three former aides. Given the severity of the allegations against Senator Mendoza I do not believe he can perform the duties in Sacramento right now while the investigation is being conducted, De Leon told a packed news conference in his Capitol office. I believe Its the right thing to do, its the fair thing to do, to take a leave, he said. The Senate leader also said the outside attorneys have been asked to investigate complaints by former Assemblywoman Linda Halderman that Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) inappropriately hugged her on multiple occasions in a way that made her uncomfortable, even after she asked him to stop. De Leon also announced the hiring of two law firms to handle the Mendoza and Hertzberg investigations, and all future probes of harassment and abuse involving Senate employees. Mendoza, a Democrat from Artesia, did not immediately respond to the request to step aside. De Leon, a Democrat from Los Angeles who had been Mendozas roommate before the allegations were made public, said he made the suggestion to Mendoza in a meeting Thursday morning. If Mendoza refuses to take a leave, the Senate has the power to suspend him without pay, but De Leon said that is not currently under discussion. There is an effort underway to force his expulsion in January when the Legislature returns to Sacramento. Former Mendoza employees have claimed that he gave inappropriate attention to a female fellow and intern, inviting one to his home and hotel and giving the other alcohol in a hotel even though she was underage. Another former female aide told the Sacramento Bee that Mendoza invited her to one-on-one dinners and a weekend at Pebble Beach. Mendoza has denied the allegations. The Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher and Van Dermyden Maddux law firms have been retained for two years, according to Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), who participated in their selection. Have you experienced sexual harassment in government or politics? Tell us your story In addition, the state is contracting with Weave, a Sacramento crisis-intervention organization for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, to provide counseling and to establish a hotline for Senate employees who are victims of sexual assault. The hotline number is 1-800-729-1443. America is finally reckoning with entrenched inequities in our personal and professional relationships and in workplaces of every type, De Leon said. Nowhere is this reckoning more important than in the halls of power our political institutions. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Watch live: California Senate leader addresses sexual misconduct at state Capitol Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California state senator pledges to bring back net neutrality rules just as FCC votes to repeal them By Jazmine Ulloa Demonstrators rally in support of net neutrality outside a Verizon store in New York on Dec. 7. (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press) Moments after the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to roll back net neutrality regulations, a state senator pledged to introduce legislation that would preserve open internet protections for consumers in California. Net neutrality is essential to our 21st century democracy, and we need to be sure that people can access websites and information freely and fairly, Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said in a statement. If the FCC is going to destroy net neutrality and create a system that favors certain websites just because they can pay more money, California must step in and ensure open internet access. The announcement of the proposal came shortly after the FCC voted to repeal net neutrality in an expected 3-2 party-line vote, with Republicans calling for an end to the utility-like oversight of internet service providers. The Obama-era rules put in February 2015 barred broadband and wireless companies, such at AT&T Inc., Charter Communications Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. from selling faster delivery of certain data, slowing speeds for certain video streams and other content, and discriminating against legal material online. Before the vote, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai argued loosening the regulations would allow the online economy to flourish. FCC commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, one of the the two Democrats on the commission, said the rollback would inhibit the openness that has made the U.S. internet the envy of the world. Supporters of net neutrality are expected to file suit to try to halt the repeal plan. Weiners attempt to institute net neutrality rules in California could have challenges. The FCC order states that allowing state and local governments to adopt their own separate requirements, which could impose a heavier burden on companies, could disrupt the balance between state and federal regulations. The preemption of state and local net neutrality measures is something that could be challenged in court. Amid such legal battles state legislation could face heavy lobbying efforts from internet providers arguing against uneven regulations. A bill by Assemblyman Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park) was shelved last legislative session over similar disputes. It would have enshrined in state law other FCC regulations that were rolled back this year by President Trump and Congress. The Internet privacy rules limited what broadband providers can do with their customers data. The bills defeat capped a behind-the-scenes battle that pitted telecom companies against state internet service providers and brought other bills to a halt in the state Senate as negotiations unfolded over legislation that would have had national significance. UPDATES 7:57 a.m.: This post was updated with additional information about the potential legal case. LA Times reporter Jim Puzzanghera contributed to this report. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print L.A. County sheriffs office failed to follow policy for issuing concealed weapon permits, audit says By Patrick McGreevy Handguns are displayed at the Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show in Las Vegas in 2016. ( (John Locher / Associated Press)) The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department has repeatedly failed to follow its own rules for issuing concealed weapon permits, the state auditor concluded in a report released Thursday. L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonnell disputed some of the key findings of the audit, saying state officials misinterpreted the policy. The department policy requires applicants to provide convincing evidence of a clear and present danger to life or of great bodily harm to get a license, but the audit found the department issued 24 licenses during the last few years without sufficient evidence. Most of the 197 active licenses in L.A. County as of August went to current or former law enforcement officers, judges and prosecutors, the audit found. The lieutenant in charge of reviewing applications told auditors that people in law enforcement satisfy the departments requirements by the nature of their jobs. However, making that decision based solely on the applicants profession both directly contradicts Los Angeless written policy which specifically states that no position or job classification in itself shall constitute good cause for issuance and has led the department to treat applicants inequitably based on their occupations, the audit says. McDonnell said the audit identified some legitimate issues, and the department has added a checklist to the application process in order to show requirements have been met. But he disagreed on the reports sweeping conclusion that the department consistently failed to follow its own policies. The LASD policy simply requires that the applicant provide convincing evidence that his or her life or physical safety is threatened, the sheriff said. He said the policy does not require additional documentation of that evidence if sufficient information is provided in the application. Auditors also concluded that Sacramento County issued some licenses without proper documentation and that San Diego Countys renewal process led it to inappropriately renew some licenses. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Anti-Issa effort discloses donors: Leo DiCaprio, Jane Fonda, Ted Danson and more By Joshua Stewart A political group that has brought professional political organizers into the campaign against Rep. Darrell Issa has received its most significant contributions to date from actress Jane Fonda and other celebrities. Fonda gave $100,000 to Flip the 49th! Neighbors in Action, which recently registered as a political committee to get Issa, R-Vista, out of office. Comedian Bill Maher gave $15,000 to the group, a rebuke of a politician who has twice appeared on his talk show. Former California Sen. Barbara Boxer gave $2,500, as did Academy Award recipient Leonardo DiCaprio. Actor Ted Danson gave $1,500. Flip the 49th gave the The San Diego Union-Tribune a list of donors more than a month before its required to disclose them to the Federal Election Commission. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California Senate GOP leader: Release Capitol whistleblowers from non-disclosure agreements By Melanie Mason California Senate Republican leader Patricia Bates is wading into the sexual harassment debate that has swept up the Capitol and is calling on her Democratic colleagues to allow whistleblowers to speak out by releasing them from non-disclosure agreements. Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) wrote in a letter to the Democratic legislative leaders Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) that Senate Republicans are calling for the Legislature to allow victims or witnesses who may have signed such agreements to share their experiences publicly. This release from NDAs would empower victims of sexual harassment, create a new atmosphere for resolving sexual harassment or discrimination concerns, increase public awareness and transparency, and ensure that both the Senate and the Assembly fulfill their obligations to the public and their employees for providing a safe and welcoming workplace environment, Bates wrote in the letter, dated Dec. 12. The Republican senator also laid out suggestions to improve the Legislatures handling of sexual harassment complaints, such as jointly convening both houses rules committees which act as the chambers human resources departments to have a comprehensive, bicameral and bipartisan review. Bates wrote that the Joint Rules Committee should consider the assigning of an outside entity for assuming responsibility for all issues regarding sexual harassment. She said the California Highway Patrol or an inspector general could serve that function. Bates is currently serving on a panel designated by the Senate Rules Committee to select an outside law firm to investigate sexual harassment complaints. De Leon, in a statement, said he agreed with Bates that sexual harassment is a bipartisan, bicameral problem that requires bipartisan, bicameral solutions. Many of these recommendations we are already pursuing and evaluating in some form and we look forward to working in collaboration with Senator Bates as we did with the independent selection panel on additional reforms in the weeks to come, De Leon said. With regard to non-disclosure agreements, De Leon spokesman Jonathan Underland said the Senate is discussing with attorneys and anti-harassment experts about what options are available without violating the privacy rights of past victims. John Casey, a spokesman for Rendon, said the Assembly does not ask for NDAs in settlement agreements. The Speaker agrees with both the Legislative Womens Caucus and the Rules Committee chair that any sexual harassment policy should be both bicameral and bipartisan, Casey said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print California plans to send out licenses for pot sales this month but they wont be effective until Jan. 1 By Patrick McGreevy Patrons shop at Bud and Bloom, a Santa Ana marijuana dispensary, last year. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) California officials said Wednesday they plan to use email before the new year to send out some licenses to sell marijuana to speed up the transition to a regulated market. The licenses will not go into effect until Jan. 1. Proposition 64, which legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational use, required the state to begin issuing licenses by Jan. 1. Because that date is a state holiday, the bureau originally planned to begin sending them out on Jan. 2. That has changed. Much of the date discussion Jan. 1 versus Jan. 2 was based on whether or not wed be able to be open on a state holiday, said Alex Traverso, a bureau spokesman. The solution to that issue was to issue licenses with an effective date of Jan. 1 since licenses will be issued electronically. That eliminates the need to have the office open on Jan. 1. He said that, as of Wednesday, the bureau has not yet sent out any emails with licenses approved to begin operating Jan. 1. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias budget director makes last ditch effort to urge GOP members to vote against tax plan By Sarah D. Wire House Republicans hold a news conference after the House passed the GOP tax bill. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) As closed-door negotiations over the final tax bill come to an end, the head of the California Department of Finance is making a last-ditch effort to convince Republicans in the states congressional delegation to vote against the plan. In a letter to the entire delegation Wednesday, Finance Department Director Michael Cohen detailed 10 issues in the current tax proposals about which the state is worried. Some of Cohens concerns may be addressed in the deal that House and Senate leaders said they reached Wednesday morning. Details of the agreement are not yet public. Cohens concerns range from potentially billions less in federal funding available to California to offset the $1.4 trillion the plan is expected to add to the federal deficit, to the environmental effect of ending green energy tax credits. Californias 39 Democratic representatives are expected to oppose the final tax bill, which could come before both chambers of Congress by early next week. Three California Republicans Reps. Darrell Issa of Vista, Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa and Tom McClintock of Elk Grove voted against the original House version, and several other California Republicans have indicated they might be willing to vote against the final plan. Cohen specifically pointed to issues that have been raised by the uncertain House members, including the proposal to lower the cap on the mortgage interest deduction, the plan to limit state and local tax deductions and the elimination of a deduction for uninsured personal property damaged in natural disasters such as fires. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement California lawmakers have fought sexual misconduct on military bases, farms and college campuses. Will they police their own house? By Jazmine Ulloa Over the past decade, California lawmakers have worked to help curb sexual violence in the workplace and other spheres of public life. They have pushed college campuses to keep better track of incident reports, created whistleblower protections for military officers who file claims and established sexual harassment training for farmworkers and janitors. Now, as more than 140 women have come forward in an open letter to denounce a pervasive culture of sexual harassment in the California Legislature, activists and employment lawyers say lawmakers have not held colleagues and staffers to the same standards demanded of those in other fields. Members [of the state Assembly and Senate] are quick at pointing the finger at other folks, said Fiona Ma, a former Democratic assemblywoman from San Francisco who is now running for state treasurer. But they dont want to look inside and fix their own house, air their own dark, dirty laundry. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Californias cap-and-trade climate program could generate more than $8 billion by 2027, report says By John Myers Gov. Jerry Brown signs an extension of Californias cap-and-trade program in July. (Eric Risberg / Associated Press) Although Californias cap-and-trade program was designed to combat climate change, a new analysis predicts it could also provide significant cash as much as $8 billion in a decades time for state and regional programs. The report issued Tuesday by the independent Legislative Analysts Office projects a wide range of revenue generated by the sale of permits for companies to emit greenhouse gases beyond a state-ordered emissions cap. The most recent auction of those emission permits brought in more than $800 million. The analysis warns that annual cap-and-trade revenue beyond 2020 is highly uncertain, and offers a possible range from $2 billion in 2018 to almost $7 billion in 2030 the final year of the program under legislation Gov. Jerry Brown signed in July. The estimate of $8.3 billion in 2027 is the high-water mark for any year in the report. Researchers cite a number of factors that make a specific prediction impossible, including future technology that allows industries to cut greenhouse gas emissions easily and thus pass on purchasing emission allowances. While it is clear that there will be additional revenues to the state beyond 2020, the amount that will be generated annually is highly uncertain, the report reads. Money collected from the sale of pollution permits is required to be spent on programs combating climate change. A portion of the money also is earmarked for the states high-speed rail program. The report urges lawmakers to provide oversight for future decisions made by the California Air Resources Board, the agency that has taken the lead on climate change efforts. In particular, the analysts warn that allowing businesses to stockpile too many permits ones bought at current low prices could lead to excessive greenhouse gas emissions in future years, potentially even causing the state to miss its annual benchmark as soon as 2024. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Vice President Pence meets with California lawmakers about massive fires By Sarah D. Wire Briefed bipartisan group of California reps on the fed response to #CAwildfires. @POTUS approved an emergency declaration last Friday & @forestservice is providing air & ground assets including 1,000 personnel. Together, we will help the people of CA restore, rebuild & recover. pic.twitter.com/zn7QdbCZOQ Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) December 12, 2017 A handful of California representatives discussed the federal response to their states wildfires Tuesday with Vice President Mike Pence. Attending the West Wing meeting were House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and Reps. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), Darrell Issa (R-Vista), Julia Brownley (D-Westlake Village), Steve Knight (R-Palmdale) and Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara). It was a very bipartisan-spirited meeting. He clearly understood the significance of the fires and the impacts, Brownley said after the meeting. She said Pence offered federal assistance and recognized that recovery was going to be very important and that we want to work together to make sure that we can get the resources needed. President Trump signed an emergency declaration for the Southern California fires last week. Pence visited California this fall to view fire damage in Northern California. He stayed engaged and specifically wanted to make sure that FEMA and the other organizations were continuing to meet or exceed all expectations, Issa said after the meeting. We mostly thanked him for the fact that hes taken a personal interest and his team has been at the heart of the domestic coordination. There was no discussion about reinstating a federal tax deduction for uninsured damage repairs that would end up in the House and Senate tax bills, Brownley said. If you cant deduct uninsured property loss, its devastating. It would be devastating, Brownley said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement We must talk about the health aspects of climate change, Schwarzenegger says in Paris By Kim Willsher (Thibault Camus / Associated Press) He showed up at Paris City Hall on Monday on a green bicycle and wearing a green tie to talk climate change with the mayor. But Arnold Schwarzenegger almost didnt make the trip from Los Angeles. One of the wildfires scorching Southern California was threatening his home. Luckily we have extraordinary firefighters, he told a group of officials and journalists. The actor and former governor of California was speaking in Paris as the founder of R20, a nonprofit based in Geneva that aims to help regional, state and local governments reduce their carbon emissions by developing clean energy sources. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print A special recall election for state Sen. Josh Newman would cost a lot more than waiting for the June primary, state says By Patrick McGreevy State Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) faces a recall campaign (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)) State finance officials said Monday it would cost about $2.67 million for a special election on the recall of state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), but only $931,000 to put his potential recall on the regular June primary ballot, which will also feature races for governor and congressional seats. The savings and the time it took to complete the financial assessment could give ammunition to Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown to put the recall measure on the primary ballot, possibly improving Newmans chance of staying in office. The higher turnout expected in the primary might benefit Newman as he tries to fend off the Republican recall drive. The financial analysis was a new requirement of a law approved this year by the Democrat-controlled Legislature that has slowed the Newman recall. Brown and legislators now have 30 days to review the election cost report. The deadline for calling a special election was last week, 180 days before the June 5 primary, although state officials have been known to extend such deadlines. In this case, that is unlikely. Carl Demaio, a former San Diego City councilman who is leading the Republican-funded recall, denounced the lengthy new process Monday, but said it will not save Newmans political career. This is about a shameful tactic by Sacramento politicians to keep politicians who break public trust and engage in misconduct in office for as long as possible, he said. Republicans launched the recall after Newman voted with the majority of le President Trump defended embattled U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama on Friday by trying to undercut the credibility of a woman who has accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 16. At a campaign rally just over the Alabama state line in Pensacola, Fla., Trump tried to buttress Moores argument that Beverly Young Nelson forged his signature on her high school yearbook. Nelson and her attorney, Gloria Allred, cite the yearbook as evidence that Moore pursued Nelson sexually when he was in his 30s. Nelson told ABC News on Friday that she had written notes beneath the inscription that she says Moore wrote in her yearbook, but stood by her statement that he wrote the inscription, signed it and later sexually assaulted her. Advertisement So did you see what happened today, you know, the yearbook? Trump asked the cheering crowd. Did you see that? There was a little mistake made. She started writing things in the yearbook. Gloria Allred, any time you see her, you know somethings going wrong, Trump continued. Allred represents Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trumps television show, The Apprentice, who is suing the president for allegedly groping and kissing her against her will in 2007, then defaming her by calling her a liar after she spoke out about it last year. Allred said Friday that a handwriting expert had confirmed that Moore signed Nelsons yearbook. Nelson says that when she was 16, Moore was supposed to be giving her a ride home when he parked the car, groped her breasts, tried to shove her face in his crotch and bruised her neck before she stopped the assault. Trumps comments on Nelson came at a rally at which he cast his presidency as a huge success on a wide range of issues. Trump also hammered Moores Democratic rival, Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney. If Jones wins Alabamas special election Tuesday to fill the seat of Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, the Republicans majority in the Senate will narrow to 51-49. Trump called Jones a total puppet of Democratic leaders in the House and Senate. We cant afford to have a liberal Democrat who is completely controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, he said. Jones has stressed jobs, education and healthcare in his campaign, while reminding Alabama voters that he supports gun rights. He has tried to play down his support for abortion and gay rights. Jones, who prosecuted Ku Klux Klansmen in the deadly 1963 bombing of Birminghams 16th Street Baptist Church, is counting on overwhelming support from African Americans. He would normally stand little chance of winning a Senate seat in deeply conservative Alabama, but allegations of sexual misconduct by Moore have made the race competitive. michael.finnegan@latimes.com Twitter: @finneganLAT ALSO: Trump turns celebration of Mississippi Civil Rights Museum into a slap in the face, say activists who plan to protest Trump doubles down on his demand for a border wall Trump says U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as capital of Israel, upending U.S. policy and sparking protests Assemblyman Matt Dababneh said Friday he is resigning from office at the end of the month, a decision that comes four days after he was publicly accused of masturbating in front of a lobbyist and other inappropriate behavior. In a resignation letter, Dababneh said the allegations against him are untrue and said he expected a legislative investigation would bring to light and into focus the significant and persuasive evidence of my innocence. As we battle for change, we must remember that due process exists for a reason, he wrote. We should never fight injustice with injustice. Advertisement Dababneh, a Democrat from Woodland Hills, told The Times that his resignation should not be construed as a tacit admission of wrongdoing. My stepping down isnt out of guilt or out of fear. Its out of an idea that I think its time for me to move on to new opportunities, Dababneh said in an interview. He said that in the current environment, itd be very hard for me to represent my district and be able to pass the type of legislation that would be meaningful. Dababneh is the second legislator in two weeks to resign due to allegations of sexual misconduct. Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) stepped down last month after multiple women accused him of making unwanted sexual advances. Meanwhile, state Sen. Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia) has been stripped of leadership posts as he faces an investigation into alleged improper behavior with female staffers. Assemblymember Dababnehs resignation is yet another sign that the culture is changing, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said in a statement. The Assembly will continue our work to hasten that change, to make the Legislature an institution where people are safe, survivors are helped, and perpetrators are held accountable. California assemblyman accused of forcing lobbyist into bathroom and masturbating Dababneh, 36, was first elected to the Assembly in 2013, representing a strongly Democratic district in the west San Fernando Valley that includes Encino, Tarzana and Calabasas. Before running for office, he worked for U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Porter Ranch) in the congressmans district office for eight years. As a legislator, he occupied an influential perch as chairman of the Assembly Banking and Finance Committee. He temporarily stepped down from that position on Monday, hours after Sacramento-based lobbyist Pamela Lopez publicly alleged Dababneh followed her into a bathroom, masturbated in front of her and urged her to touch him during a January 2016 party in Las Vegas. Another woman, Jessica Yas Barker, alleged that Dababneh routinely spoke of his sexual exploits and made disparaging comments about women while she worked as his subordinate in Shermans office from June 2009 until December 2010. Dababneh said both allegations are false. He said he would participate in an ongoing Assembly investigation into Lopezs allegation that will be conducted by an outside firm. I look forward to a report coming out, Dababneh said. I was not the one that engaged in that type of activity. Dababnehs attorney sent Lopez a cease-and-desist letter prior to her public accusation. The lawmaker said he has not decided if he will sue Lopez for damages as stated in the letter, saying he first wants to see the results of the investigation. Following Dababnehs announcement, Lopez told The Times that his resignation was not an apology. It does nothing to restore the women that hes hurt. Its also an example that without institutional intervention and without consequences, people like Matt Dababneh will go somewhere else and take their power and take their resources somewhere else, she said. Im scared he will continue to treat women in the same way and abuse them wherever else he goes professionally. Lopez said she is looking ahead to the Assembly investigation into her complaint. I have felt very hopeful about the dialogue that has begun with the Assembly Rules committee about opening the box that is our process to deal with sexual harassment and sexual assault, she said. Those conversations still need to continue. Hes only one example of a man who abuses his power in the political community to victimize people who are more powerless than he is. The assemblyman faced mounting political pressure on the heels of the womens public accusations. The local Democratic Party in the San Fernando Valley called for Dababnehs immediate resignation earlier this week, as did Kelly Gonez, a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. Samantha Stevens, a political consultant and former legislative staffer, said Thursday she would challenge Dababneh in the 2018 election and included a dig in a statement announcing her run at the frat-house reputation of the Capitol. Andra Hoffman, a Los Angeles Community College trustee, is also eyeing the seat. We recognize the bravery of the silence breakers who came forward, said the organizers of We Said Enough, a nonprofit group that has been raising awareness of sexual harassment in the California Capitol. This second resignation in a matter of weeks further demonstrates the pervasiveness of the problem and the continued need for confidential reporting, whistleblower protections and appropriate due process so that victims no longer have to litigate their issues in the press. melanie.mason@latimes.com Follow @melmason on Twitter for the latest on California politics. Sexual harassment hearings come as California Capitol is roiled by accusations and a resignation Graphic allegations about California legislator show there are few protections for female lobbyists in the Capitol Updates from Sacramento UPDATES: 4:20 p.m. This article was updated with additional details from Dababnehs resignation letter, and comments from We Said Enough. This article was originally published at 4:15 p.m. Wait did the president really say, Mission Accomplished? By Marc Olson Some are recalling the last time a president declared Mission accomplished, in May 2003 when George W. Bush was talking about Iraq. (Stephen Jaffe / AFP/Getty Images) President Trump on Saturday morning thanked his allies in a tweet that declared the airstrikes on Syria perfectly executed, but he might have wished hed stopped there. Instead, he ended his message with the phrase, Mission Accomplished! Thats a line that might have a previous president shaking his head. On May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq under a Mission Accomplished banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. That war, which began in March 2003, grew into a prolonged conflict that didnt end until 2011. In 2008, the White House said it had paid a price for the backdrop. A perfectly executed strike last night. Thank you to France and the United Kingdom for their wisdom and the power of their fine Military. Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2018 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Auditor says Pentagon is censoring key data on the war in Afghanistan By Shashank Bengali The Pentagon is blocking the release of data showing how much of Afghanistans territory lies outside government control, censoring a key metric used to gauge progress in the 16-year war, a watchdog agency said Tuesday. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, an auditing agency established by Congress, said in its latest report that the Pentagon instructed it not to release unclassified data on how many districts and people are controlled or influenced by insurgent groups. This is the first time SIGAR has been specifically instructed not to release information marked unclassified to the American taxpayer, the head of the agency, John F. Sopko, wrote in a letter. Sopko also said the U.S.-led military coalition, for the first time since 2009, classified information about the size and attrition rates of the Afghan security forces, important indicators of progress in building up army and police forces on which the U.S. already has spent $70 billion since 2002. The decision to withhold more information from congressional oversight and the public comes amid growing violence in Afghanistan and an intensifying combat mission involving a greater number of American troops. Following a series of bombings in Kabul that left at least 136 people dead in 10 days, President Trump signaled on Monday that he was focused on trying to win the conflict militarily, saying, We dont want to talk with the Taliban. But data released by SIGAR since 2015 have shown how the insurgents have gained ground against Afghan security forces. In its previous quarterly report, the watchdog said that only 57% of Afghanistans 407 districts were under Afghan government control or influence as of August 2017, the lowest level of control since it began tracking the statistic in December 2015. The steady decline in government control should cause even more concern about its disappearance from public disclosure and discussion, Sopko wrote. The watchdog also accused the Pentagon of overstating the impact of its efforts to combat drug cultivation and trafficking, among the Talibans main sources of revenue. The Pentagon touted airstrikes that destroyed 25 drug labs in November and December, saying it eliminated nearly $100 million of Taliban revenue. The labs being destroyed are cheap and easy to replace, SIGAR said. According to some estimates, they only take three or four days to replace. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Women journalists shunted to rear for Pences visit to Western Wall By Noga Tarnopolsky The view from the womens section. (Noga Tarnopolsky / Los Angeles Times) Vice-President Mike Pences 48-hour visit to Israel stumbled into a public storm Tuesday when female reporters covering his final stop at Jerusalems Western Wall were penned behind four rows of their male colleagues. White House officials told stunned journalists that the arrangement emanated from a request made by the Western Wall rabbi, Shmuel Rabinowitz, and followed Western Wall rules. Some women journalists said they could not recall such treatment in the past. In a statement to Israels Channel 10 news, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation said it was exactly as it was during the visit of the U.S. president to the Western Wall last May. Later in the day, in a statement to the newspaper Haaretz, the foundation blamed the United States embassy in Tel Aviv and Israeli security officials for the segregation, and announced they would reexamine the way they handle such events. Women who covered previous VIP visits said the Pence arrangements were significantly more onerous than previous visits, when male and female journalists were separated but not offered substantially different work conditions. LIVE coverage of our male colleagues granted access to cover VP at Western Wall as we are penned into #PenceFence pic.twitter.com/k3svkxfQsa Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) January 23, 2018 The arrangement reflected procedures at the Western Wall, Judaisms holiest site, where on regular days, men have access to two thirds of the area available for prayer. Tal Schneider, the diplomatic analyst for Globes, a financial newspaper, protested that the separation of men and women may be valid for the requirements of Orthodox prayer, but no one is praying here. We are here to work. I dont appreciate being restricted in my ability to work because I am a woman, she said. The discriminatory attitude towards women is infuriating and is unbefitting of a modern country. Yael Freidson, the Jerusalem affairs correspondent for Yediot Ahronot, Israels widest circulation newspaper, said she worried that her editors could choose male colleagues for the next assignment, knowing they would have better access. Before Pence arrived, journalists were herded onto a specially constructed platform in the middle of the Western Walls esplanade, with women guided to the right behind a white fence, and men, many carrying cameras, directed to the left, where they had more than double the space. Towards the end of the vice presidents 10-minute visit, male journalists were permitted into the VIP tent where he received a gift from Rabinowitz, while the women remained in their enclosure. None of the men publicly protested the treatment of their female colleagues. Israels Association of Women Journalists filed a formal complaint with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, herself a woman. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, after his pardon from Trump, says hell run for Senate in Arizona By Kurtis Lee (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press) (Mary Altaffer / Associated Press) Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who last year was pardoned by President Trump in a case stemming from his enforcement tactics aimed at immigrants, announced Tuesday he will run for the open Senate seat in his home state. I am running for the U.S. Senate from the Great State of Arizona, for one unwavering reason: to support the agenda and policies of President Donald Trump in his mission to Make America Great Again, Arpaio, 85, said on Twitter. Hell enter a Republican primary for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Jeff Flake. Last summer, Trump pardoned Arpaio, who was convicted in July of criminal contempt for violating a federal court order to stop racially profiling Latinos. It was Arpaios roughly quarter-century as sheriff that gave him a national reputation for his tough treatment of people suspected of being in the country illegally. Repeated court rulings against his office for civil rights violations cost local taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. In the early 1990s, Arpaio directed construction of a tent city for immigration detainees, a measure he said was intended both to alleviate overcrowding and to underscore his aggressive enforcement measures. But it was open to the burning Arizona sun, and drew widespread criticism. After Trump entered the presidential race in July 2015, Arpaio invited him to Phoenix to talk about a crackdown on illegal immigration. He endorsed Trump just before the first votes in the Iowa caucuses in 2016 and frequently spoke out on behalf of Trumps campaign. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement President Trump ends controversial voter fraud commission By Kurtis Lee President Trump signed an executive order late Wednesday ending the voter fraud commission he launched last year as the panel faces a flurry of lawsuits and criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Trump signed the order disbanding the commission rather than engage in endless legal battles at taxpayer expense, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, created by executive order in May with the stated goal of restoring confidence and integrity in the electoral process, has faced a barrage of lawsuits in recent months over privacy concerns, as the commission sought personal data on voters across the country. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Congress returns to work with slimmer GOP majority to accomplish Trumps agenda By Lisa Mascaro Congress returns to work this week with unfinished business on spending, immigration and other crucial issues, but with an even narrower GOP majority that will make it tougher to move on President Trumps agenda. The House and Senate will convene Wednesday, swearing in the newly elected Democratic senator from Alabama, Doug Jones, and Minnesotas Tina Smith to replace a fellow Democrat, Sen. Al Franken, who is resigning as the latest high-profile public figure sidelined by allegations of sexual misconduct. The change gives Republicans only a one-seat margin in the Senate. Trump, fresh off passage of the GOP tax cuts bill, is pushing lawmakers to pivot quickly on his new year priorities of infrastructure investment and immigration, as well as his foreign policy agenda. But another legislative victory seems far off. Republicans have struggled to hold their majority together and Congress first must tackle critical stalled agenda items that leaders punted to 2018. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump threatens to cut off U.S. aid to Palestinians By Tracy Wilkinson President Trump on Tuesday angrily threatened to cut off U.S. aid to Palestinians as punishment for what he called their failure to show appreciation or respect to the United States. Writing on Twitter, the president compared the Palestinians to Pakistan, a nuclear-armed ally that abruptly drew his ire this week and a similar threat to drastically curtail aid. He accused the Palestinians of recalcitrance in what he described as their refusal to negotiate a peace deal with Israel. Palestinian officials have said they can no longer use Washington as a broker to restart peace talks with Israel following Trumps Dec. 6 decision to overturn decades of U.S. policy and recognize the disputed city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and ultimately to move the U.S. Embassy there. The Palestinians also claim part of Jerusalem as the capital of an eventual independent state. Until now, the United States and most of the world agreed the citys political status was a matter to settle in final peace talks. The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly condemned any effort to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital, and the Palestinian leadership said it would not meet with Vice President Mike Pence, who had planned a trip to the region. That trip is on hold. [W]e pay the Palestinians HUNDRED [sic] OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect, Trump wrote on Twitter. [W]ith the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them? In response to Trumps tweet, Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, issued a statement saying: Palestinian rights are not for sale. By recognizing Occupied Jerusalem as Israels capital Donald Trump has not only violated international law, but he has also singlehandedly destroyed the very foundations of peace and condoned Israels illegal annexation of the city. We will not be blackmailed, she said. President Trump has sabotaged our search for peace, freedom and justice. Now he dares to blame the Palestinians for the consequences of his own irresponsible actions! The United States does not pay large amounts of money directly to the Palestinian Authority, the government that rules over parts of the Palestinian West Bank. Instead, most money goes to the U.N., refugee or aid agencies and even Israel to pay for roads, welfare, schools, security and other Palestinian projects. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, said Tuesday that the administration was planning to cut off one of those organizations, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, until the Palestinians return to the negotiating table. UNRWA, which receives around $300 million annually from the U.S., for years has been the lifeline to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It was not clear if Haley was threatening to cut all U.S. support for the agency. Special correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print The White House stops short of calling for government overthrow in Iran By Brian Bennett President Trump wants Iran to give its citizens basic human rights and stop being a state sponsor of terror, his top spokeswoman said, but the White House stopped short of calling for a change of government in Tehran. If they want to do that through current leadership, if thats possible, OK, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. Sanders praised the organic popular uprising, which she said the widespread protests in Iran represented. The protests grew out of years of years of mismanagement, corruption, and foreign adventurism have eroded the Iranian peoples trust in their leaders, she said. Earlier Tuesday, Trump called Irans government brutal and corrupt and wrote in a tweet: The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching! Trump also blamed President Obama for foolishly giving Iran money that he said went to fund terrorism. The money he referred to were funds belonging to Iran that had been frozen by the U.S. and were released as part of the deal in 2015, which blocked Irans development of nuclear weapons. The people of Iran are finally acting against the brutal and corrupt Iranian regime. All of the money that President Obama so foolishly gave them went into terrorism and into their pockets. The people have little food, big inflation and no human rights. The U.S. is watching! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Retirement of Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch clears the way for a Mitt Romney revival By David Lauter The retirement of Utahs senior senator, Orrin G. Hatch, opens the way for a widely expected Senate bid by Mitt Romney, the Republicans 2012 presidential nominee and a frequent critic of President Trump. Although Romney previously served for two terms as governor of Massachusetts (and was raised in Michigan, where his father was governor and his mother ran for the Senate), he comes from a prominent Mormon family with strong ties to Utah. He also served as chief executive of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Hes viewed as a strong candidate for the Senate seat. Romneys criticisms of Trump, however, could prompt a challenge in a Republican primary. Trump was widely reported to have tried to convince Hatch to run for a seventh term, in part to head off a Romney candidacy. Last month, Romney and Trump were on opposite sides of one of the biggest political fights of the fall the battle over the Senate seat from Alabama. The president strongly supported Roy Moore, the Republican candidate who had been accused of sexual misconduct by several women. Romney called Moore a stain on the GOP. Roy Moore in the US Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Leigh Corfman and other victims are courageous heroes. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity. Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) December 4, 2017 On Tuesday, Romney tweeted praise for Hatch, but did not immediately reveal his own plans. I join the people of Utah in thanking my friend, Senator Orrin Hatch for his more than forty years of service to our great state and nation. Read my full statement: https://t.co/YwjUpjez5y Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) January 2, 2018 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print U.S. calls on Iran to unblock social media sites amid protests By The Associated Press The Trump administration is calling on Irans government to stop blocking Instagram and other popular social media sites as Iranians are demonstrating in the streets. Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein says the U.S. wants Iran to open these sites. He says Instagram, Telegram and other platforms are legitimate avenues for communication. The United States is encouraging Iranians to use virtual private networks, known as VPNs. Those services create encrypted links between computers and can be used to access blocked websites. Goldstein says the U.S. is still communicating with Iranians in Persian through State Department accounts on Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. He says the U.S. wants to encourage the protesters to continue to fight for whats right. Goldstein says the U.S. has an obligation not to stand by. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump blasts Democrats in advance of immigration meeting By Brian Bennett The day before a meeting of administration officials and congressional leaders on outstanding legislative business, President Trump accused Democrats of doing nothing to hammer out an immigration deal to protect from deportation people brought to the country illegally as children. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA just interested in politics, Trump wrote in a Tweet on Tuesday morning, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program by its acronym. Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics. DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start falling in love with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018 House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer along with the Republican leaders, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are scheduled to meet on Wednesday at the Capitol with Trumps legislative director, Marc Short, and budget director, Mick Mulvaney. The White House on Tuesday said the meeting is to discuss separate spending caps on military and domestic programs. Yet the Democrats insist the discussion also must include a variety of legislative issues that Trump and Congress punted into the new year on immigration, the budget, healthcare and more. That stance reflects Democrats leverage: Republicans need Democratic votes to pass a government-funding bill and avert a federal shutdown when the current funding expires Jan. 19. Democrats especially want separate legislation replacing the Obama-era DACA program; Trump in September ordered a phase-out of the program, beginning March 6, and called on Congress to act before then on an alternative way to address the plight of the group. However, Trump has demanded that any alternative must be part of a package including both money for a border wall and immigration limits. Democrats are opposed. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Pakistan hits back after Trump accuses its leaders of lies and deceit By Aoun Sahi Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of lies and deceit and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the presidents statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistans prime minister, Shahid Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trumps New Years Day tweet. It was the presidents latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump again cheers on Iran protests By Laura King President Trump expressed renewed support Sunday for protesters in Iran, declaring that people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. In a tweet from his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, the president said the nationwide economic protests that began on Thursday and have taken on wider political overtones as they have grown in size --- were a signal that Iranians will not take it any longer. Big protests in Iran. The people are finally getting wise as to how their money and wealth is being stolen and squandered on terrorism. Looks like they will not take it any longer. The USA is watching very closely for human rights violations! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2017 The presidents earlier hailing of the protests drew condemnation from Irans government. A Foreign Ministry spokesman called his comments deceitful and opportunistic. Following an overnight report of the first two fatalities stemming from the protests, Trump raised some eyebrows by expressing concern over human rights violations as authorities move to crack down on the demonstrations. During his first year in office, the president has shown scant inclination to press foreign governments to respect the fundamental rights of their citizens. The USA is watching closely for human rights violations! Trump said in his tweet Sunday. Some domestic critics have pointed to the presidents inclusion of Iranian nationals in his travel ban, suggesting he was more interested in bashing the Tehran government than in supporting freedom of speech in Iran. Even some of the presidents allies said that supporting the protesters on social media did not amount to making policy. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he had urged Trump to give a national address laying out his Iran strategy. President Trump is tweeting very sympathetically to the Iranian people, Graham said on CBS Face the Nation. But you just cant tweet here. You have to lay out a plan. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Australian diplomats tip a factor in FBIs Russia inquiry By Associated Press Australian High Commissioner Alexander Downer. (Alastair Grant / Associated Press) An Australian diplomats tip appears to have helped persuade the FBI to investigate Russian meddling in the U.S. election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign, the New York Times reported Saturday. Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos told the diplomat, Alexander Downer, during a meeting in London in May 2016 that Russia had thousands of emails that would embarrass Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, the report said. Downer, a former foreign minister, is Australias top diplomat in Britain. Australia passed the information on to the FBI after the Democratic emails were leaked, according to the Times, which cited four current and former U.S. and foreign officials with direct knowledge of the Australians role. The hacking and the revelation that a member of the Trump campaign may have had inside information about it were driving factors that led the FBI to open an investigation in July 2016, the newspaper said. White House lawyer Ty Cobb declined to comment, saying in a statement that the administration is continuing to cooperate with the investigation now led by special counsel Robert Mueller to help complete their inquiry expeditiously. Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is a cooperating witness. Court documents unsealed two months ago show he met in April 2016 with Joseph Mifsud, a professor in London who told him about Russias cache of emails. This was before the Democratic National Committee became aware of the scope of the intrusion into its email systems by hackers later linked to the Russian government. The Times said Papadopoulos shared this information with Downer, but it was unclear whether he also shared it with anyone in the Trump campaign. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump offers fresh support for protesters in Iran as demonstrations continue By Lisa Mascaro Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! pic.twitter.com/kvv1uAqcZ9 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2017 President Trump again offered support Saturday for anti-government protesters in Iran, where a third day of demonstrations, the largest in years, spilled across the country amid fears of a crackdown. Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching! Trump wrote on Twitter. Trump took a break from playing golf near his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to tweet clips from his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September when he called for Iranian democratic reforms. Iranian authorities warned of potential violence as the street demonstrations, which began over economic conditions, swelled into frustrations with the theocratic rule of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trump has maintained a hawkish stance toward Iran, sharply criticizing the landmark nuclear disarmament accord that Tehran reached with then-President Obama and five other nations in 2015. In October, Trump declined to certify the accord to Congress although the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency says Iran is complying with it. Several conservative GOP senators signaled their support for Trumps position and backed the protesters in Iran. Others in Congress did not immediately respond, however, amid conflicting reports over who had organized the demonstrations. Even after the billions in sanctions relief they secured through the nuclear deal, the ayatollahs still cant provide for the basic needs of their own people, said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a Trump ally and opponent of the nuclear deal. We should support the Iranian people who are willing to risk their lives to speak out against it, he added. Trump initially tweeted his support on Friday night. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement at that time as protests spread. There are many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with the regimes corruption and its squandering of the nations wealth to fund terrorism abroad, Sanders said. The Iranian government should respect their peoples rights, including their right to express themselves. The world is watching. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement When it comes to U.S.-Russia relations, it takes two to tango, Kremlin says By Sabra Ayres The deteriorating relationship between the United States and Russia is one of the biggest disappointments of 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman told reporters today. Russia would like to rebuild relations between the two adversaries, but it takes two to tango, Dmitry Peskov said today during a conference call with the press. We want and are looking for good mutually beneficial relations based on mutual respect, mutual trust with all countries, primarily with European ones, including the United States, but it is necessary to dance tango, as they say. Peskov blamed the ongoing anti-Russian Russophobia in Washington for playing a major role in blocking the two countries from moving forward in their relationship. U.S. investigations into the Trump presidential campaigns alleged collusion with the Kremlin during the 2016 U.S. election and accusations that the Kremlin tried to interfere with the electoral process continue to cast a dark shadow over the relationship, he said. Peskov told reporters that Moscow was perplexed by the investigations. The Kremlin has continued to deny having any involvement with the Trump campaign or doing anything to interfere with the American election. This is definitely a U.S. domestic affair, but in this case it naturally hurts our bilateral relations, which is regrettable, Peskov said. Relations between the U.S. and Russia have been categorized as the worst theyve been since the end of the Cold War. This year, Washington and Moscow have engaged in a diplomatic tit-for-tat in which both sides have been forced to reduce diplomatic staff, embassy properties have been repossessed by the hosting countries and visa services have been interrupted. The U.S. diplomatic mission to Russia shrank from 1,200 personnel, including some Russian local staff, to just over 450 across all its three consulates and embassy in Moscow. In the U.S., Russia was forced to vacate its San Francisco consulate. Moscow has also blamed anti-Russian sentiments on the recent decision by the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian teams from wearing their tricolor uniforms or flags during the upcoming games in South Korea. The international body accused some of the Russian national teams of doping. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print U.S. and Turkey resume reciprocal issuing of visas but frictions remain By Tracy Wilkinson The United States and Turkey began issuing reciprocal visas again on Thursday, more than two months after normal visa service was suspended in a dispute over the arrest of two U.S. diplomatic staffers in Istanbul the latest friction between the two nominal allies. The State Department said it was lifting the visa restrictions after it was assured by the Turkish government that U.S. Embassy employees would not be arrested when performing their official duties. But the Turkish Embassy in Washington denied assurances were offered concerning the ongoing judicial processes, and suggested that the arrests were legal and justified. It is inappropriate to misinform the Turkish and American public that such assurances were provided, the embassy said in a statement. The dispute has aggravated the already tense relationship between the United States and Turkey, which is a member of the NATO military alliance. The two countries have clashed over U.S. support for Kurdish rebels in Syria and over Turkeys demands that the U.S. extradite a Turkish cleric who lives in rural Pennsylvania. After a failed coup attempt killed more than 250 people in July 2016, Turkeys autocratic president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, launched a harsh crackdown on his political opponents, arresting or firing tens of thousands of teachers, police, journalists, military officers and others. Erdogan accused Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic educator and former political ally, of orchestrating the coup. Gulen, who has lived in a compound in the Pocono Mountains, has denied any involvement. The Justice Department has so far denied Turkeys repeated demands to extradite Gulen. Erdogan raised the issue again at the White House in May, but his visit ended in a public relations disaster when his security guards brutally beat peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassadors residence. Two Turkish employees of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul were arrested this fall for alleged ties to the 2016 coup attempt. The U.S. responded by suspending most visa services at its missions in Turkey in October. The Turkish government reciprocated in November. State Department officials said they have repeatedly demanded more information about any formal charges against the two employees. They reiterated on Thursday that serious concerns about the allegations remained. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump: China caught RED HANDED allowing oil to reach North Korea By Brian Bennett (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) President Trump isnt taking a holiday vacation from Twitter. In one of three tweets early on Thursday from his West Palm Beach golf club, he charged that China was caught RED HANDED allowing oil shipments to reach North Korean ports. Pronouncing himself very disappointed, Trump in effect was acknowledging the failure of his months-long effort to convince China to clamp down further on energy shipments going to the isolated country, which relies heavily on Beijing, as a way to pressure North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Caught RED HANDED - very disappointed that China is allowing oil to go into North Korea. There will never be a friendly solution to the North Korea problem if this continues to happen! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2017 Trumps tweet came after a South Korean newspaper published what it said were U.S. spy satellite images of Chinese ships selling oil to North Korean ships. The United Nations Security Council, which includes China, has voted repeatedly to restrict fuel shipments to North Korea. Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping in November to cut off North Koreas oil supply entirely, the American ambassador to the U.N., Nikki R. Haley, said at the time. It is unclear if Trumps admonishment of China was based on news reports or classified information he received from U.S. intelligence officials. There was no daily intelligence briefing on Trumps public schedule Thursday. He is expected to return to Washington next week after spending the Christmas holiday and New Years Eve at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print President Trump again falsely claims hes signed more bills than any president By Brian Bennett President Trump visits a firehouse in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday. (Nicholas Kamm / AFP) After another morning at his Florida golf club, President Trump visited firefighters and paramedics at a West Palm Beach firehouse and praised his own performance as president, including with a false boast. Trump touted his administrations work to roll back government regulations and cut taxes and claimed credit for the stock market hitting record highs. He also said hes signed more bills into law than any other president, which isnt true. We have signed more legislation than anybody, Trump said, standing in front of a rescue vehicle inside the fire station. We have more legislation passed, including the record was Harry Truman a long time ago, and we broke that record, so we got a lot done, Trump said. An analysis by GovTrack, a website that tracks bills in Congress, shows that Trump has signed the fewest bills into law at this point than any president in more than 60 years, back to Dwight D. Eisenhower. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump administration urges Russia to reinstate monitors in Ukraine, lower violence By Tracy Wilkinson Sergei Lavrov (AFP/Getty Images) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asked Russia on Wednesday to reinstate its military personnel at a monitoring station in eastern Ukraine intended to quell escalating bloodshed. In a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Tillerson also urged Russia to lower the level of violence and underscored the Trump administrations concern over increased fighting in Ukraine, the State Department said in a statement. Russia last week withdrew its monitors from the Joint Center on Coordination and Control, which is tasked with verifying a much-violated ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists. Moscow cited what it called restrictions and provocations from Ukrainian authorities that made it impossible for the observers to do their jobs. Washington has accused the pro-Russia forces of being responsible for many of the truce violations. Late last week, the State Department also announced plans to provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, a decision that angered Moscow. The State Department statement did not say whether the weapons deal came up in Tillersons conversation with Lavrov. The two also discussed North Korea, its destabilizing nuclear program and the need for a diplomatic solution to achieve a denuclearized Korean peninsula, the statement said. Russia has offered to serve as a mediator between Washington and Pyongyang, but direct talks do not seem likely at this point. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print U.S. sanctions two more North Korean officials for ballistic missile program By Tracy Wilkinson The Trump administration announced sanctions Tuesday against two more North Korean officials for their alleged role in Pyongyangs expanding ballistic missiles program. The Treasury Department is targeting leaders of North Koreas ballistic missile programs, as part of our maximum pressure campaign to isolate [North Korea] and achieve a fully denuclearized Korean Peninsula, Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said in a statement. The nuclear-armed country tested an intercontinental ballistic missile last month that U.S. officials said appeared capable of reaching New York or Washington, a significant milestone in the countrys growing arsenal. The Treasury Department identified the two North Korean officials as Kim Jong Sik, who reportedly is a key figure in the ballistic missile program and led efforts to switch missiles from liquid to solid fuel (which makes them easier to hide before launch), and Ri Pyong Chol, who was reported to be a key official in the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The sanctions block banks, companies and individuals from doing any business with the targeted officials. It also allows the U.S. government to freeze any American assets owned by the officials. On Friday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to add more sanctions on North Korea, its third round this year. The new measures order North Koreans working abroad to return home within two years, and ban nearly 90% of refined petroleum exports to the country. In a statement published Sunday by North Koreas state-run KCNA news agency, the foreign ministry denounced the new U.N. sanctions as an act of war. We define this sanctions resolution rigged up by the US and its followers as a grave infringement upon the sovereignty of our Republic, as an act of war violating peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the region and categorically reject the resolution, it said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Salt Lake Tribune calls on Sen. Orrin Hatch to not seek reelection in scathing editorial Perhaps the most significant move of Hatchs career is the one that should, if there is any justice, end it. The last time the senator was up for reelection, in 2012, he promised that it would be his last campaign. That was enough for many likely successors, of both parties, to stand down, to let the elder statesman have his victory tour and to prepare to run for an open seat in 2018. Clearly, it was a lie. Read the editorial>> Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Christmas Eve, Trump on Twitter: New attacks on FBI official, decrying Fake News By Laura King President Trump launched a Christmas Eve attack on FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whom he accuses of favoritism toward his former opponent, Hillary Clinton, and also returned to a longtime favored theme, excoriating the news media for failing to sufficiently extol his accomplishments. .@FoxNews-FBIs Andrew McCabe, in addition to his wife getting all of this money from M (Clinton Puppet), he was using, allegedly, his FBI Official Email Account to promote her campaign. You obviously cannot do this. These were the people who were investigating Hillary Clinton. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2017 Thank you President TRUMP!! pic.twitter.com/LKdkT0FL99 oregon4TRUMP (@shawgerald4) December 23, 2017 The Fake News refuses to talk about how Big and how Strong our BASE is. They show Fake Polls just like they report Fake News. Despite only negative reporting, we are doing well - nobody is going to beat us. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 24, 2017 Trump, who is spending the holidays at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, also sent Christmas greetings to deployed military personnel, praising them for success in the fight against terrorism. The early-morning swipe at McCabe followed a flurry of tweets attacking the deputy FBI chief on Saturday. McCabe, who has been a lightning rod for Republican attacks on the FBI, is expected to retire early in the new year. How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wifes campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017 FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go?!!! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2017 Critics say the president and his allies are in the midst of a systematic campaign to denigrate the FBI and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is looking into potential collusion by the Trump campaign in Russias attempts to sway the 2016 presidential election. In a pair of statements on Twitter, Trump again expressed scorn regarding news coverage of his administration. For months, the president has been particularly critical of reports regarding the Russia investigation and more recently has repeatedly complained he does not receive enough credit for a booming stock market. In his video conference message to troops overseas, the president made apparent reference to the fight against the militants of Islamic State, who over the last year have lost most of the territory they previously controlled in Iraq and Syria, including former strongholds in Mosul and Raqqah. Were winning, Trump told military personnel deployed in Qatar, Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay and aboard the guided missile destroyer Sampson. Reporters traveling with the president heard his address, but were ushered from the room before he took questions from the troops. The president often breaks with longtime custom and makes politically charged statements at events in which he addresses military personnel. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trumps Wells Fargo tweet cited in court hearing as reason to remove Mulvaney as CFPB acting chief By Jim Puzzanghera A recent tweet by President Trump about possible penalties against Wells Fargo & Co. was cited during a court hearing Friday as a reason for removing White House official Mick Mulvaney as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The attorney for Leandra English the bureaus deputy director who has said she is the rightful acting head said Trumps tweet showed he was trying to exercise improper influence over the independent consumer watchdog. I think that [tweet] shows you this isnt just some hypothetical concern, the attorney, Deepak Gupta, told Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia during a nearly two-hour hearing. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump administration recognizes Honduran presidents reelection By Tracy Wilkinson The Trump administration on Friday formally recognized the incumbent president of Honduras, conservative Juan Orlando Hernandez, as the winner of a bitterly contested presidential election held last month. In a statement, the State Department congratulated Hernandez while also acknowledging widespread irregularities in the Nov. 26 vote and calling for a robust national dialogue to overcome political discord in the Central American country, a close ally of the administration. The Organization of American States, which monitored the election, said it was so flawed that only a new round of voting could establish a fair and transparent outcome. But the U.S. rejected that determination. Uproar over the contest led to demonstrations in Honduras that left numerous civilians dead after state security forces opened fire on the protests. Activists and others voiced criticism Friday of the administrations decision. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), a leading Democratic voice on Central American issues, said he was angry and deeply disturbed by the State Department decision. The recent elections in Honduras were deeply flawed, chaotic and marred by numerous irregularities, McGovern said. U.S.-Honduran cooperation on matters such as drug-trafficking, violence and immigration requires a credible, legitimate government that has the support of its people, in Honduras, McGovern said. Hernandezs victory also was controversial because it was the first time a sitting president was allowed to run for re-election, barred until now by the Honduran Constitution. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Senate Leader Mitch McConnell says fixing DACA is no emergency until March By Lisa Mascaro Amanda Bayer, left with banner, and Marisol Maqueda, right, join a rally in support of so-called Dreamers outside the White House. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press) Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Friday hes committed to allowing a vote on a bill for so-called Dreamers in January, but sees no rush to resolve the deportation threat posed by President Trumps decision to end a program protecting immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. There isnt that much of an emergency there, he said. There is no emergency until March. Well keep talking about it. Trump called for phasing out by March the Obama-era program that allows the young immigrants, many of them longtime residents, to get two-year deferrals of any deportation threat so they can legally attend school or work. Beneficiaries must be vetted for security purposes. Trump told Congress to come up with a legislative alternative for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which President Obama created by executive order, to protect those currently eligible. A bipartisan Senate group has been working with the White House, but talks stalled this week amid administration demands for curbs on legal immigration flows in exchange for protecting the DACA recipients. Meanwhile, Dreamers and immigrant advocates stormed the Capitol in recent days pressing for the help promised by Trump and Democratic congressional leaders that failed to materialize in the years final legislation. Advocacy groups say more than 120 immigrants each day are falling out of compliance without DACA renewals, putting them at risk of deportation. The number that is projected to swell to more than 1,000 a day in March. Weve been gridlocked on this issue for years, McConnell said. We want to have a signature. We dont just want to spin our wheels and have nothing to show for it. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print President Trump signs tax bill By Noah Bierman (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President Trump on Friday morning signed a sweeping tax-cut measure his first major legislative achievement before heading off for a Christmas vacation at his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Fla. The president also privately signed a short-term spending bill to fund government operations through Jan. 19. Congress approved it Thursday, after Republican leaders were unable to bridge differences in their own party as well as with Democrats to get agreement on funding for the full fiscal year. The stopgap bill punts fights on immigration and other issues to January. The tax bill, approved earlier this week in Congress in largely party-line votes, slashes corporate tax rates from 35% to 21% and also includes a host of other provisions for individuals, all intended to boost the economy. Critics point to nonpartisan analyses showing that the package, including changes greatly reducing the number of estates subject to taxes, steers the bulk of tax benefits to top earners and the wealthy, including Trump, despite his repeated claims that hell take a hit. Trump signed the bill quietly Friday, but held a public ceremony with Republican lawmakers on Wednesday after the bills passage; he also tweeted about the measure extensively. He is expected to hold another public ceremony after the New Years holiday. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Pelosi urges Ryan to prevent Republicans from curtailing Houses Russia probe By Chris Megerian House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin greets House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to Speaker Paul D. Ryan on Friday urging him to ensure the Houses investigation into Russian interference with last years presidential campaign is not cut short. The American people deserve a comprehensive and fair investigation into Russias attacks, wrote Pelosi, of San Francisco, in her letter. Political haste must not cut short valid investigatory threads. The House Intelligence Committee has been probing the issue since March 1, and Democrats have repeatedly warned that Republicans are trying to wrap up its work prematurely. Pelosi said Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin, should take urgent action to ensure this investigation can continue. AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan, said Pelosi simply wants to see this investigation go on forever in order to suit her political agenda. Whether it concludes next month, next year, or in three years, she will say it is too soon, Strong said in a statement. She added, The investigation will conclude when the committee has reached a conclusion. The committees work is led by Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-Texas). His spokeswoman, Emily Hytha, said he remains committed to conducting this investigation as thoroughly and expeditiously as possible. With more interviews scheduled, the investigation shows signs of extending into next year, Bloomberg reported Friday. BREAKING: Steve Bannon and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski have been sent letters requesting they testify to House Intel panel in early January, per @HouseInSession Laura Litvan (@LauraLitvan) December 22, 2017 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Congress votes to avert government shutdown, but Senate fails to pass disaster aid package By Lisa Mascaro ( (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)) Congress approved a temporary spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, but failed to complete work on an $81-billion disaster aid package to help California, Gulf Coast states and Puerto Rico recover from wildfires and hurricanes, as lawmakers scrambled Thursday to wrap up business before a Christmas break. The stopgap measure continues federal operations for a few more weeks, setting up another deadline for Jan. 19. But it left undone a long list of priorities that members of both parties had hoped to finish this year. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Wells Fargo says raises were not linked to tax bill passage then backtracks By James Rufus Koren Wells Fargo & Co.s move to raise its minimum pay to $15 an hour was part of a long-term plan and not related to the passage of the Republican tax overhaul as the company implied, said a bank spokesman, who later backtracked and stated the hikes were a result of the bills approval. The bank was among several large corporations to publicly announce pay raises or new investments immediately following the final House vote in an apparent public relations offensive to boost the popularity of the tax bill The San Francisco bank had implied the direct linkage to the tax legislation in a news release Wednesday, shortly after Congress passed the tax overhaul, which slashes the corporate tax rate to 21% from 35% starting Jan. 1. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Obamacare signups beat expectations, despite Trump administrations opposition By Noam N. Levey President Trump with Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) Despite Trump administration efforts to discourage people from signing up, the number of people enrolling for Affordable Care Act coverage nearly hit last years level, the government revealed Thursday. Exchange open enrollment for 2018 coverage ended w/ approx 8.8M people enrolling in coverage. Great job to the @CMSGov team for the work you did to make this the smoothest experience for consumers to date. We take pride in providing great customer service. Administrator Seema Verma (@SeemaCMS) December 21, 2017 The 8.8 million people who enrolled in the 36 states that use the federal governments healthcare.gov system significantly exceeded most forecasts. The Trump administration stopped most outreach and other efforts this year aimed at getting people to sign up. The president also repeatedly said publicly that Obamacare was dead. Open enrollment continues in California and several other states that run their own healthcare marketplaces. The figures from the federal government indicate that when those states wrap up for the year, the number of people covered by Obamacare will be nearly the same as in 2017. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly condemns U.S. policy change on Jerusalem despite Trumps threats By Tracy Wilkinson The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted Thursday to condemn President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite Trumps threats to punish countries that voted against the U.S. position. The resolution passed in an emergency session at U.N. headquarters in New York with 128 in favor, nine opposed and 35 abstentions. The nonbinding resolution demands that Washington rescind its declaration, which included a plan to transfer the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in coming years. The resolution value is mostly symbolic, showing how isolated the U.S. is in the move. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., warned this week that she would be taking names of countries that opposed the U.S., and Trump on Wednesday suggested he might cut U.S. aid to governments that voted in favor of the resolution. Let them vote against us, Trump said. Well save a lot. We dont care. The U.S. recognition of Jerusalem reversed decades of international consensus on the political status of the divided city. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as their capital in a future independent state. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said the U.N. was facing an unprecedented test and that history would remember those who stand by what is right. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Democrats defend Robert Mueller, saying Russia investigation must be allowed to continue By Chris Megerian Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) speaking during a committee hearing earlier this year. (Molly Riley / Associated Press) House Democrats said they will fight Republican attempts to discredit and undermine the work of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating whether President Trumps associates helped Russian meddling in last years election. There is an organized effort by Republicans, in concert with Fox News, to spin a false narrative and conjure up outrageous scenarios to accuse special counsel Mueller of being biased, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said. Trump has said he has no plan to fire Mueller, but Democrats are alarmed by escalating criticism of the special counsels work. Why is the president afraid of the facts and the truth? Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) said. He added, No matter what the facts are, were satisfied if the investigation is complete. A letter of support signed by 171 Democratic members of Congress will be sent to Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, a former FBI director, and oversees his investigation. Rosenstein has defended Mueller in the face of Republican criticisms. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print U.S. blacklists Myanmar army general who it says oversaw atrocities against Rohingya Muslims By Shashank Bengali The Trump administration on Thursday blacklisted a Myanmar army general who it said oversaw human rights abuses committed by security forces against Rohingya Muslims. Imposing economic sanctions against the general, Maung Maung Soe, was the toughest action the United States has taken in response to a brutal army offensive that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has described as ethnic cleansing. In a statement, the Treasury Department said it had examined credible evidence of Maung Maung Soes activities, including allegations against Burmese security forces of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and arbitrary arrest as well as the widespread burning of villages. The Rohingya are an ethnic and religious minority of about 1 million people in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, also known as Burma. The United Nations says that more than 640,000 Rohingya have fled the country since August, after the army launched clearance operations in response to attacks carried out by a Rohingya insurgent group against security forces. Rohingya refugees in crowded camps in neighboring Bangladesh have described horrific violence by Myanmar forces, including mass rapes, summary executions and children being burned alive. The aid group Doctors Without Borders estimates that 6,700 people were killed in the first month of the operation. Myanmar authorities deny committing atrocities and say that only a few hundred fighters were killed. Maung Maung Soe was chief of the armys Western Command, which carried out the offensive. He was transferred from his position last month, according to news reports. He was one of 13 individuals worldwide who were blacklisted Thursday under a new U.S. law that gives the Treasury Department authority to target officials for human rights abuses and corruption. Others included former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh; Gulnara Karimova, daughter of the late Uzbekistan dictator Islam Karimov; and Artem Chaika, son of Russias prosecutor-general. Today, the United States is taking a strong stand against human rights abuse and corruption globally by shutting these bad actors out of the U.S. financial system, said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. The sanctions freeze any assets Maung Maung Soe holds in the United States and bars Americans from doing business with him. It is also a sign of how quickly U.S. relations with Myanmar have soured. Under the Obama administration, the United States forged closer ties with the former military dictatorship and eased economic and political sanctions as the country began implementing democratic reforms. But Myanmar, which does not regard the Rohingya as citizens, has lashed out at the international community over the current crisis. It has jailed journalists, blocked access to affected areas in the western state of Rakhine and this week barred a U.N. human rights investigator from entering the country. Rohingya activists said the U.S. action would not have much effect on a country that survived under economic sanctions for years. It is the whole military institution that has a policy to persecute these people, said Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist and blogger in Germany. According to the U.S.s own definition, the army is carrying out ethnic cleansing. They have a responsibility to protect these people. Sanctions on one person are really not enough. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Dreamers will have to wait until next year for Congress long-promised protections By Lisa Mascaro Amanda Bayer, left with banner, and Marisol Maqueda, right, join a rally in support of so-called Dreamers outside the White House. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)) A promised year-end deal to protect the young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation collapsed Wednesday as Republicans in Congress fresh off passage of their tax plan prepared to punt nearly all remaining must-do agenda items into the new year. Congressional leaders still hope that before leaving town this week they can pass an $81-billion disaster relief package with recovery funds for California wildfires and Gulf Coast states hit during the devastating hurricane season. But passage even of that relatively popular measure remained in doubt as conservatives balked at the price tag. Rather than finish the year wrapping up the legislative agenda, the GOP majorities in the House and Senate struggled over their next steps. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Chants of protest drown out any caroling this holiday season at the Capitol By Lisa Mascaro U.S. Capitol Police arrest a man wearing a Santa Claus hat during a protest against the Republican tax bill. (Alex Edelman / AFP/Getty Image) Outside the U.S. Capitol, the lights on a towering Christmas tree are flipped on each evening, giving the Engelmann spruce a festive twinkle; inside the marble halls, wreaths and garlands decorate doorways and alcoves ahead of the holidays. But the spirit of the season has been punctuated by other sights: a Jumbotron parked across from the Capitol reflecting pool broadcasts images of young immigrants who face deportation; Little Lobbyists, children with complex medical needs, were featured in a recent news conference; protesters filed into the visitor galleries to shout against the Republican tax plan. While its beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Capitol, its also shaping up to be a holiday season of protest. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Tax bill simplifies filing for some but complicates it for others and dont count on that postcard By Jim Puzzanghera A priority of the Republicans tax overhaul was simplification, and they drove home the point this fall with an omnipresent prop: a red-white-and-blue postcard. Were making things so simple that you can do your taxes on a form the size of a postcard, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) said last month, pulling one from his jacket pocket as he and Republican leaders unveiled their bill. They gave a couple of the cards to President Trump at a White House meeting a few hours later and flashed them often during news conferences and TV interviews in the coming days. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Top U.N. human rights official reportedly wont seek reelection The top United Nations official for human rights, who has frequently criticized the Trump administration, has reportedly decided not to seek a second term, saying his work had become untenable. Zeid Raad Hussein, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, notified his staff in an email that was obtained by several news outlets, including Agence France-Presse. Staying when his four-year term is up for renewal at the end of August might involve bending a knee in supplication, AFP quoted Husseins email as saying. Hussein is a Jordanian prince who has criticized, among other things, President Trumps attempts to ban visitors or refugees from six predominantly Muslim countries. The news comes a day before the U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote on a nonbinding resolution condemning the Trump administrations formal declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a decision that went against international consensus. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., has warned she will be taking names of those who vote against the United States on Thursday. Trump echoed that sentiment Wednesday, voiced support for Haley and implying to reporters that he would consider cutting off U.S. aid to countries that vote against the U.S. Well, were watching those votes, Trump said. Let them vote against us. Well save a lot. We dont care. On Monday, the United States lost a Security Council vote 14-1 on a binding resolution that would have required Washington to rescind its declaration. Haley then vetoed the resolution. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Top Democrat warns Trump not to fire Mueller or interfere with his investigation By Chris Megerian Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, one of the top Democrats involved in the congressional inquiries into Russian interference in last years election, said Wednesday that any attempt by President Trump to interfere with the separate criminal investigation would be a gross abuse of power. Warner, who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, delivered his warning from the Senate floor as Republicans escalate their criticism of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and his team of prosecutors and FBI agents. Some Democrats believe Trump is laying the groundwork to fire Mueller even though the president has publicly denied it. Mueller was appointed in May after Trump fired FBI Director James B. Comey. In the United States of America, no one, no one is above the law, not even the president, Warner said. Congress must make clear to the president that firing the special counsel or interfering with his investigation by issuing pardons of essential witnesses is unacceptable and would have immediate and significant consequences. Some Democrats say the White House may try to in effect short-circuit the Mueller investigation by replacing Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who is the only official empowered to fire Mueller. Rosenstein recently told Congress that the special counsel is acting appropriately and that he would not dismiss Mueller without just cause. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement We have essentially repealed Obamacare, Trump says after tax bill passes By Brian Bennett President Trump at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday at the White House. (Chris Kleponis / Getty Images) President Trump is celebrating Republicans passage of the tax overhaul bill as a two-fer: On Wednesday, in addition to tax cuts, he checked off his promise to repeal Obamacare, pointing to a provision in the bill to end the penalty on Americans who dont get health insurance. We have essentially repealed Obamacare, Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. Other provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act are still in place, and Trump and congressional Republicans failed completely on the replace half of their vow to repeal and replace the program. In Trumps view, however, stripping away the laws individual mandate to get insurance or else pay a tax penalty amounts to repeal of the whole law. Congressional analysts have said that millions of people would lose insurance as a result, either by choice or because they cannot afford it without subsidies, and that premiums would increase for others as younger, healthy people drop coverage. We will come up with something much better, Trump said, adding that block grants to states could be one approach. By his comments, Trump tacitly acknowledged that repeal of the mandate is likely the best he can do following Republicans failure this year to agree on a repeal-and-replace bill. Looking back on his first year, Trump also boasted of his administrations efforts against the Islamic State and increased immigration enforcement. He said he had not given up on funding a border wall or tightening immigration law to limit citizens ability to resettle foreign relatives in the country. He said he would very shortly visit the border with Mexico near San Diego to see wall prototypes that have been built. He didnt answer a reporters shouted question about how he would personally benefit from the tax bill. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print House gives final OK to GOP tax plan, sending it to Trump By Lisa Mascaro Congress gave final approval to the GOP tax plan Wednesday, 224-201, after the House took an unusual do-over vote to clear up differences with the Senate-passed bill. The $1.5-trillion package now heads to President Trump, who plans to sign it into law. The House had approved the tax bill on Tuesday but was forced to take another vote Wednesday because a couple of provisions in the version it approved were found to be in violation of Senate procedures. Those provisions were dropped before the Senate gave its approval early Wednesday. Critics complained the Republicans rushed to pass the sweeping tax plan to deliver Trump a year-end legislative victory, but supporters shrugged off the problems as minor. The tax plan dramatically cuts corporate rates and provides some individual rate reductions, overhauling the tax code for the first time in 30 years. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump administration effort to block immigrant from having an abortion fails By David Savage Scott Lloyd is director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) President Trumps lawyers rushed to the Supreme Court and U.S. appeals court in Washington on Monday evening to file emergency appeals seeking to prevent an immigrant in detention, dubbed Jane Roe in court, from having an abortion. That set the stage for a legal showdown on whether the administration can block pregnant minors in custody from choosing to have an abortion. But the legal clash, which the administration has seemed eager to have, fizzled out Tuesday when the governments lawyers admitted the 17-year-old unaccompanied minor in their custody was actually 19. They said they had obtained her birth certificate and realized she was not a minor after all. As a result, Roe, who is 10 weeks pregnant, will no longer be held in a detention center for immigrant minors, and will not be subject to an administration policy that tries to prevent minors in immigration detention from having abortions. Administration lawyers told appeals court judges Tuesday night that Roe was being sent to a facility for adults and likely would be released until her immigration status can be resolved. In a brief order, the D.C. Circuit Court agreed to put the case on hold, but told government attorneys to confirm that she will be permitted to obtain an abortion. The administration had earlier tried to delay another young woman, referred to in court as Jane Poe, from having an abortion, but officials relented on Monday because she was 22 weeks pregnant and nearing the time limit for a legal abortion. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Senate panel rejects Trumps pick to lead Export-Import Bank, a leader in the effort to shut it down By Jim Puzzanghera A Senate committee on Tuesday rejected President Trumps nominee to lead the Export-Import Bank, extending the chaos at the embattled agency whose job is to help U.S. companies sell their goods abroad. Two Republicans joined all Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee in voting against former Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) to be the banks president. Garrett had been a vocal critic of the Ex-Im Bank and a leader of a conservative effort that shut the bank down for five months in 2015 by blocking its congressional authorization. He and other bank opponents branded the banks aid as crony capitalism. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Congress proposes $81-billion disaster aid package, including funds for California wildfires By Lisa Mascaro Congress is set to consider an $81-billion disaster aid package that includes wildfire recovery money for California and other Western states as well as hurricane relief with a price tag reflecting a year of record-setting natural calamities. The legislation, the text of which was released late Monday, would provide almost twice as much as the $44 billion the White House sought last month to cover relief efforts along the Gulf Coast and in the Caribbean. Republican congressional leaders added more money after California lawmakers objected that the administration had failed to include help for areas damaged by wildfires and Democrats protested that the overall amount President Trump asked for was insufficient. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print White House blames North Korea for worldwide WannaCry cyber attack By Noah Bierman The Royal London Hospital, a victim of the unprecedented global cyberattack in May. (Niklas Hallen / AFP/Getty Images) The White House officially blamed North Korea on Tuesday for the cyberattack in May known as WannaCry that infected hundreds of thousands of computers in 150 countries, affecting healthcare, financial services and vital infrastructure. Thomas P. Bossert, assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism, noted in a briefing with reporters that the consequences were beyond economic. He warned that North Koreas malicious behavior is growing more egregious. Bossert did not specify what evidence American officials have to blame North Korea, citing security issues, but he cited the countrys prior attacks as revealing hallmarks of how Pyongyang and its network of hackers operates. He said other allied countries had joined the United States in making the determination. The administration did not announce any penalties on the regime, which is already subject to severe sanctions over its nuclear program. They want to hold the entire world at risk, Bossert said of North Koreas rulers, referring to the nations nuclear and missile provocations as well as its alleged cyberattack. Given its isolation and international sanctions, North Korea is desperate for funds. Bossert said the country did not appear to make much money on the ransom attack, as word spread that paying a ransom did not result in getting computers unlocked. Its primary goal, he said, was spreading chaos. Bossert and Jeanette Manfra, assistant secretary of homeland security for cybersecurity and communication, said the United States, through a combination of preparation and luck, escaped the worst of the attack, as a patch to the malware was found before U.S. companies and other interests were severely crippled. However, Manfra said, We cannot be complacent. Bossert added, Next time were not going to get so lucky. Manfra praised Microsoft and Facebook for their efforts to combat WannaCry and to block more recent attempts to hack U.S. systems. She and Bossert urged more cooperation and information-sharing from American and multinational companies, arguing a united front is vital to protecting against bad actors who do not differentiate between government and business. Bossert rejected criticism that the the Trump administration has more aggressively called out North Korean cyberattacks than it has Russias meddling in the 2016 election. He said the administration has continued the national emergency initiated by President Obama. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print GOP lures some mountain bike groups in its push to roll back protections for public land By Evan Halper When their vision of creating a scenic cycling trail through a protected alpine backcountry hit a snag, San Diego area mountain bikers turned to an unlikely ally: congressional Republicans aiming to dilute conservation laws. The frustrations of the San Diego cycling group and a handful of similar organizations are providing tailwind to the GOP movement to lift restrictions on the countrys most ecologically fragile and pristine landscapes, officially designated wilderness. Resentment of these cyclists over the longstanding ban on mechanized transportation in that fraction of the nations public lands presents a political opportunity for Republicans eager to drill fissures in the broad coalition of conservation-minded groups united against the GOP environmental agenda. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Vice president postpones Israel trip a second time in case his vote is needed to pass tax cut bill By Noah Bierman (Ethan Miller / Getty Images) Vice President Mike Pence is delaying his trip to Egypt and Israel for a second time in case he is needed to break a tie in the Senate for the tax bill that is expected to pass narrowly this week. Two White House officials confirmed the changed schedule, which they say is unrelated to to protests in the region over the administrations decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. Pence had initially been scheduled to leave last Saturday. Late last week, the White House moved the trip back a few days to Tuesday night, in case Pence was needed to break a Senate tie. But Monday, they decided to postpone the trip further, to January, given the possibility of a late Senate vote and the coming holidays. He wants to see it through the finish line, said a White House official, referring to the tax measure that is a centerpiece of the Republican legislative agenda. We dont want to leave anything to chance. The mid-January dates will allow Pence more breathing room to merge schedules with embassies and hotels, the official said. Trump still plans to address the Israeli Knesset, a high-profile venue to discuss the Jerusalem decision where it is most popular. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump judicial pick who drew ridicule at hearing withdraws By Associated Press A White House official says the Trump judicial nominee whose qualifications were questioned by a Republican senator has withdrawn his nomination. Matthew Petersen, who was nominated by President Trump to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, has been the subject of widespread ridicule since he was unable to define basic legal terms during his confirmation hearing Wednesday. A White House official says Petersen has withdrawn his nomination and that Trump has accepted the withdrawal. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the development publicly. Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy pressed Petersen, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission, who testified he had never tried a case, on his qualifications to the bench. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump says McCain will return to Washington if needed for tax vote By Laura King President Trump said Sunday that Sen. John McCain, who is battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, was returning home to Arizona for the holidays but would come back to Washington if needed to cast a vote on the Republicans tax overhaul bill. The Arizona Republicans office announced last week that McCain was receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington for complications from his cancer treatment. McCains daughter Meghan tweeted earlier Sunday that her 81-year-old father would be spending Christmas in Arizona. The Senate is expected to vote early this week on the tax cut legislation, but the GOP appeared to have secured sufficient support without McCains vote. John will come back if we need his vote, Trump told reporters as he returned from a weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David. Hes going through a very tough time. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Putin calls Trump to thank him for U.S. help foiling terrorist strike By Laura King Vladimir Putin phoned President Trump to thank him for what the Russian president said was CIA help in foiling a terrorist attack, the Kremlin said on Sunday. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed the two leaders conversation to reporters. It was the second time that the two leaders had talked in four days; Trump called Putin on Thursday to thank the Russian leader for lauding the U.S. economy. Putin, in his annual year-end news conference, had praised Trump for a strong performance by the U.S. stock market. Perhaps ironically, given his credit to the CIAs recent help, Putin at that news event dismissed as hysteria the consensus among American intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign. In reporting Putins call to Trump on Sunday, the official Russian news agency Tass said Putin thanked his American counterpart for information shared by the US Central Intelligence Agency that had helped break up a plot to set off explosives in St. Petersburgs landmark Kazan Cathedral and elsewhere in the city, which is Russias second-largest. Russian authorities last week had credited their countrys counter-intelligence service, the FSB, for foiling the attacks. They reported that seven people affiliated with Islamic State had been detained in St. Petersburg in connection with the plot. The FSB, the successor organization to the KGB, announced Friday that the group had planned to carry out the attacks on Saturday, and that one of those in custody had confessed to the cathedral bomb plot. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Mnuchin: Government shutdown unlikely but could happen By Laura King Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin said on Sunday that a government shutdown this week was unlikely but possible. A two-week stopgap spending bill passed by Congress earlier this month provided enough funding to keep the government running through Friday. A deadlock on another temporary funding measure would open the door to a possible shutdown. I cant rule it out, but I cant imagine it occurring, Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday, suggesting everyone had an interest in avoiding the government grinding to a halt and federal workers going unpaid, especially in the holiday season. I would expect that both the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, understand if they cant agree on this, they need to have another short-term extension to move this to January, the Treasury secretary said. We cant have a government shutdown in front of Christmas. In May, irate over concessions made to Democrats in hammering out a spending measure, President Trump tweeted that a good shutdown might help matters. While both parties agree that a government shutdown involves a degree of disruption that is not beneficial to either side, shutdowns in 1995-96 and in 2013 mainly caused a backlash against Republicans. The latest funding measure is to be taken up after a vote on a massive GOP tax overhaul, expected by midweek. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump transition team says sensitive emails should not have been shared with Robert Mueller By Chris Megerian (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) President Trumps transition team is crying foul over how special counsel Robert S. Mueller III obtained emails for his investigation into Russian meddling in last years campaign and possible Trump campaign complicity. Kory Langhofer, a lawyer for the transition team, sent a letter to Congress on Saturday saying there was an unauthorized disclosure of emails. While the Trump transition is long over, the transition team remains a nonprofit organization. Its emails were hosted by the General Services Administration, a federal agency. Mueller reportedly obtained the emails directly from the agency. There are attorney-client communications, Langhofer said in an interview. There are executive-privileged communications. He added, What were asking Congress to do is to take some legislative action to make sure this never happens again. Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsels office, defended the process for obtaining emails. When we have obtained emails in the course of our ongoing criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owners consent or appropriate criminal process, he said. The letter was first reported by Fox News. A request for comment from the General Services Administration was not immediately answered. This story has been updated with a comment from the special counsels office. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Virginia house arrest is ending for Paul Manafort By Chris Megerian (Mark Wilson / Getty Images) A federal judge agreed Friday to end Paul Manaforts house arrest in Virginia, allowing President Trumps former campaign manager to return to Florida while awaiting trial. The decision followed a dispute between Manaforts legal team and prosecutors working for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who accused Manafort of violating a court order restricting public statements about the case. Under the terms of the judges order, Manafort will be allowed to live at his home in Florida as long as he stays within Palm Beach and Broward counties and obeys a curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. If he misses a court appearance, he would forfeit four properties valued at $10 million total. The deal, which includes GPS monitoring, is not as permissive as Manafort originally sought. He had asked to be able to travel freely among Florida, New York, Virginia and Washington. Manafort faces criminal charges of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print GOP negotiators enhance child tax credit to win over Sen. Rubio By Lisa Mascaro Republican negotiators slightly increased the refundable portion of the expanded child tax credit in their tax plan, raising it to $1,400 in hopes of winning back Sen. Marco Rubios (R-Fla.) support ahead of next weeks vote. Rubio announced Thursday he was withholding support after negotiators ignored his push to make the expanded tax credit, which increases from the current $1,000 to $2,000 in the proposed bill, fully refundable for lower- and moderate-income filers. The refundable portion in the original bill was $1,100. The Florida senator argued that was not enough to help working-class Americans, many of whom already view the GOP plan as tilted toward the wealthy. Rubios office was waiting to see the final text before commenting on whether the change was enough to win him over. We have not seen the bill text, and until we see if the percentage of the refundable credit is significantly higher, then our position remains the same, Rubios spokeswoman said. Negotiators meeting Friday before unveiling the bill said they thought they had the support they needed from Rubio and other holdouts. Im confident both chambers will pass it next week, said Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Sen. Marco Rubio opposes GOP tax bill, depriving leaders of crucial support By Lisa Mascaro 20.94% Corp. rate to pay for tax cut for working family making $40k was anti-growth but 21% to cut tax for couples making $1million is fine? Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 12, 2017 Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says he is currently opposed to the GOP tax plan because it fails to include his proposed enhancements to the child tax credit, leaving leaders without crucial support ahead of next weeks expected vote. Republicans can only lose two GOP senators from their slim 52-48 majority as they push the plan forward under special budget rules to prevent a Democratic filibuster. Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday altered his planned Israel trip so he could be on hand, if needed, to cast a tie-breaking vote. Rubio, and GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, have fought to increase the child tax credit, doubling it to $2,000 in the GOP plan, but they also want to increase its refundability. They argue it will lower taxes on middle-income families at a time when the tax plan is being criticized as tilted to the wealthy. Sen. Rubio has consistently communicated to the Senate tax negotiators that his vote on final passage would depend on whether the refundability of the Child Tax Credit was increased in a meaningful way, Rubios spokeswoman said. Lee stopped short of opposing the bill, but his spokesman said Wednesday he is undecided. GOP leaders, though, have said they believe they have the support for passage. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print White House gives Roy Moore a unsubtle shove: Time to concede By David Lauter (Alex Wong / Getty Images) The White House sent a clear signal Thursday to the defeated Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama: Its time to concede. Roy Moore refused to concede the race on Tuesday night when Doug Jones, the Democrat, was declared the winner. Election night results show Jones winning by about 1.5 percentage points, three times more than the states standard for a recount. Although a few absentee and provisional ballots remain to be counted, theres no indication they would change the result. On Wednesday, Moore notably did not call to congratulate Jones even as President Trump and other leading Republicans did. Instead, he released a video declaring the battle rages on. Asked at the daily news briefing whether the White House thinks Moore should concede today, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, It probably sounds like it maybe should have already taken place. Sanders also dismissed the idea, pushed by some Moore supporters, that Jones victory was tainted in some fashion. Asked if the Democrat had won fair and square, she said, I think the numbers reflect that. The states Republican senator, Richard Shelby, offered a similar comment in an interview with MSNBC in which he said he was willing to work with Jones. If I was 25,000 votes behind, its not going to change much, Shelby said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print House Speaker Paul Ryan says hes not leaving anytime soon By Lisa Mascaro House Speaker Paul D. Ryan shot down suggestions Thursday that he might soon be retiring. Stories often circulate that party leaders, especially the House speaker, are stepping aside. Ryans tenure has been as rocky as that of his predecessor, Rep. John Boehner, who abruptly resigned in 2015 amid GOP infighting. Asked Thursday if he would be leaving, Ryan answered a simple no, as he left his weekly press conference in the Capitol. Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who reluctantly took over the speakers gavel after Boehners departure, had just finished talking up the GOP tax plan, which leaders hope to pass next week. He also outlined his sweeping agenda for his longtime goal of entitlement reform of welfare benefits next year. Two stories published Thursday suggested Ryan may soon be out. This is pure speculation, said spokeswoman AshLee Strong. As the speaker himself said today, hes not going anywhere anytime soon. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print GOP leaders reach tax deal, cutting corporate rate to 21% and top individual rate to 37% By Lisa Mascaro Republican leaders on Wednesday agreed on a revised plan to cut taxes that would lower the corporate rate from 35% to 21% and drop the top individual rate for the richest Americans to 37%, according to GOP senators and others briefed on the deal. The tentative accord marked a significant step in the Republican push to have a tax bill on President Trumps desk by Christmas. Leaders did not release details of the compromise or the text of a final bill as negotiations continued. Its critically important for Congress to quickly pass these historic tax cuts, Trump said Wednesday, promising that Americans could begin to reap the benefits of the plan as early as February, if passed. Critics, however, said the latest changes particularly the lowering of the top individual rate from the current 39.6% only reaffirmed several independent analyses that show the bulk of the savings from the Republican plan would go to businesses and the wealthy. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Farenthold to retire from House amid harassment accusations By Associated Press Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold wont seek reelection next year, two Republicans said Thursday, adding his name to the list of lawmakers leaving Congress amid sexual harassment allegations that have cost powerful men their jobs in politics, the arts and other fields. The accusations against Farenthold surfaced in 2014, when a former aide sued him alleging sexually suggestive comments and behavior and said shed been fired after she complained. The lawmaker said he engaged in no wrongdoing and the case was settled in 2015. But the House Ethics Committee said last week that it would investigate Farenthold after congressional sources said hed paid an $84,000 settlement using taxpayers money. Though Farenthold said hed reimburse the Treasury Department, such payments have drawn public criticism from people saying lawmakers should use their own money for such settlements. A House official said Farenthold spoke twice Wednesday to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), while another official said the congressman spoke once with Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) who heads the GOPs House campaign committee. Those discussions suggested that Farenthold may have come under pressure from leaders to step aside. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. Last week, three lawmakers facing accusations of sexual harassment announced their resignations. Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) have already left Congress while Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) has said he will step aside soon. Mike Bergsma, Republican county chairman in Farentholds home county of Nueces, Texas, said Fare A former security manager at the American Junkie bar and nightclub in Newport Beach was charged Friday with multiple felonies on allegations of sales of ecstasy to bar patrons that resulted in multiple overdoses, including a fatal one in November 2016. Sean Robert McLaughlin, 43, of Aliso Viejo is charged with felony sale or transportation of a controlled substance, felony sale or transportation of ecstasy and misdemeanor false imprisonment. The charges come with possible sentencing enhancements on allegations of inflicting great bodily injury. McLaughlin could be sentenced to 16 years in state prison if convicted, according to the Orange County district attorneys office. His arraignment has not been scheduled. Ahmed Said, 25, of Santa Ana died Nov. 18, 2016, a few hours after he ingested an unknown narcotic at American Junkie at 2406 Newport Blvd. Paramedics were called to the Balboa Peninsula bar at about 1 a.m. after four men lost consciousness inside. Authorities believe the men had overdosed on a narcotic. An investigation led police to arrest McLaughlin on suspicion of providing the drug to the men, authorities said. DANIEL LANGHORNE is a contributor to Times Community News. Two bioscience companies that once operated in Costa Mesa have reached a $7.785-million settlement with the Orange County district attorneys office over allegations that they illegally sold fetal tissue to companies around the world, prosecutors said Friday. According to the settlement signed Monday, DV Biologics LLC and sister company DaVinci Biosciences LLC, both based in Yorba Linda, must cease all operations in California within 60 to 120 days. The agreement also requires the companies to admit liability for violations of state and federal laws prohibiting the sale or purchase of fetal tissue for research purposes, prosecutors said. Also named as defendants in the settlement are company principals Estefano Isaias Sr., Estefano Isaias Jr. and Andres Isaias. This settlement seized all profits from DV Biologics and DaVinci Biosciences, which they acquired by viewing body parts as a commodity and illegally selling fetal tissues for valuable consideration. These companies will never be able to operate again in Orange County or the state of California, District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in a statement. About $7.5 million of the settlement amount is the estimated scientific value of a planned donation of the companys adult biological samples, tissues and cells to a nonprofit academic and scientific teaching institution affiliated with a major U.S. medical school, according to the agreement. Prosecutors did not disclose the name of the medical school. The defendants also will donate and transfer laboratory storage containers and equipment estimated to be worth more than $10,000. DV Biologics will pay the county $195,000 in civil penalties. This was a hotly contested case, to say the least. In the end, the parties forged a settlement that benefits medical research, said Michael Tein, an attorney for the defendants. DVs donation is the largest of its kind in history. It allows physicians and scientists to continue to use these cells to find cures for the deadliest childhood and adult diseases. From the beginning, this has always been DVs mission. Prosecutors opened an investigation into the companies in September 2015 after a complaint was submitted by the Irvine-based Center for Medical Progress. The anti-abortion group gained national attention in 2015 after releasing a video showing Planned Parenthood affiliates discussing the sale of aborted fetuses. In October 2016, prosecutors filed a complaint against the companies in Orange County Superior Court, alleging unlawful, unfair and fraudulent business practices. The lawsuit accused the companies of illegally selling cells from fetal brain tissue for up to $1,100 per vial from 2009 to 2015, prosecutors said. Fetal tissue and cells were sold to pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions in Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada and the United Kingdom, authorities said. DANIEL LANGHORNE is a contributor to Times Community News. UPDATES: This article was updated Dec. 10 at 11:40 a.m. with a statement from defendants attorney Michael Tein. This article was originally published Dec. 8. Pope Francis has called for a rewriting of the Lords Prayer, saying the current translation gives God a bad name and, essentially, does not give the devil his due. Described in the Bible as a prayer taught by Jesus, the Lords Prayer is viewed in the catechism of the Roman Catholic Church as the summary of the whole gospel. Used by Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox Christians, the prayer is common ground for churches, which have historically fought over theology, and it can be recited by heart by millions around the world. Advertisement But in a TV interview this week, Pope Francis said that the line asking God to Lead us not into temptation, or in Italian, non indurci in tentazione, should be changed because it has been translated badly. Its not a good translation, he told TV2000, a channel belonging to Italys conference of bishops, because it implies God actively pushes people into temptation. I am the one who falls, Francis said. Its not Him pushing me into temptation to then see how I have fallen. A father doesnt do that; a father helps you to get up immediately, he added. Its Satan who leads us into temptation thats his department, he said. Its Satan who leads us into temptation thats his department Pope Francis The interview gave a stamp of papal approval to moves already afoot in the church to change the line in the prayer. Last month, the Catholic Church in France agreed to switch from the French equivalent of Do not submit us to temptation to Do not let us enter into temptation. The pope said he was impressed with the new wording. The Lords Prayer, also commonly called the Our Father, appears in two gospels: Matthew 6: 9-13 and Luke 11: 2-4. Down the centuries, the short prayer has been through the wringer, linguistically speaking, after being translated from Aramaic the language Jesus spoke to Greek and to Latin and to other languages. The problem stems from the translation of one Greek word, eisenenkes, said Massimo Grilli, a professor of New Testament studies at Gregorian University in Rome. The Greek verb eisfero means take inside, and the form used in the prayer, eisenenkes, literally means dont take us inside, he added. But thats a very literal translation, which must be interpreted, Grilli said. A 4th century Latin translation of the Bible by St. Jerome, which was adopted by the Catholic Church, sticks to the literal meaning, using the Latin inducere, which means bring in. Despite what some headline writers might suggest, Francis is not suggesting changing Jesus words, but just giving a better translation from the original Greek, said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor at large of America, a Jesuit magazine. Before we criticize the pope for inserting his own opinion into traditional prayer, we should recall that St. John Paul added an entire new series of mysteries to the rosary, he added. Pope John Paul II, who was canonized in 2014, added mysteries to the recitation of the rosary in 2002. (Plinio Lepri / Associated Press ) Grilli said the line Lead us not into temptation in the Lords Prayer was already being reevaluated throughout the Catholic Church. The Spanish have already switched to Dont let us fall into temptation, he said. In 2008, the Italian bishops conference switched to Dont abandon us to temptation, although many priests have stuck with the old version during their services. Francis emphasis on the role of the devil leading believers toward temptation reflects his firm belief that Satan exists, after years in which the church played down the idea of the devil as a person. Adjusting the translation of the prayer may appear groundbreaking, but pales in comparison to the tinkering that has happened in the past. Today the King James version of the prayer ends: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. But scholars say the last two lines were added by scribes. The reason? They felt that wrapping up the prayer with talk of evil was too abrupt, and it needed a more polished ending. Kington is a special correspondent. ALSO In a rare court challenge to its abortion ban, Brazil grapples with its own version of Roe vs. Wade What will U.S. foreign aid look like in the age of Trump? A sacred Japanese island juggles secrecy and survival Iraqs prime minister declared victory Saturday over Islamic State, the extremist group that imposed its brutal reign on millions, saying government forces have driven the militants from their last footholds in the country after three years of grueling combat. In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Haider Abadi said Iraqi troops were now in full control of the western desert regions along the border with Syria, where the militants made their final stand. The dream of liberation is now a reality, Abadi said, as senior members of the countrys armed forces stood at attention behind him. The Iraqi flag is flying high today over all Iraqi lands and at the farthest point on the border. Advertisement The U.S.-led coalition, which provided vital air support and other military aid to Abadis government, congratulated the Iraqis in a tweet Saturday on a significant victory. But Islamic State adherents have recovered from previous setbacks, and commanders warn they remain capable of inflicting deadly attacks, both in Iraq and around the world. With the collapse of the groups self-styled caliphate, Iraqi officials and their international allies acknowledge it probably will revert to its roots as a guerrilla force and continue to inspire recruits to kill in its name. The United States joins the government of Iraq in stressing that Iraqs liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against ISIS, in Iraq is over, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement, using a common acronym for the militants also known derisively in Arabic as Daesh. Together, we must be vigilant in countering all extremist ideologies to prevent the return of ISIS or the emergence of threats by other terrorist groups. Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the anti-Islamic State coalition, said it would continue to support the countrys security forces, economy and stabilization to help ensure the militants can never again threaten Iraqs people or use its territory as a haven. We mark todays historic victory mindful of the work that remains, McGurk said in a tweet. Abadi has said he expects that the U.S. will draw down its forces, which peaked at about 5,200 this year, after the end of combat operations against Islamic State, but would like some troops to remain to provide training, intelligence and logistical support. Iraqs victory comes at enormous cost to its people. The coalition acknowledges that its forces have killed at least 800 civilians in Iraq and Syria since it launched its campaign against Islamic State in 2014. Monitoring groups put the toll much higher, at least 5,961, according to the London-based group Airwars. The fighting has ravaged major cities, and more than 3 million Iraqis remain displaced. Saturdays announcement came two days after the Russian military said it had accomplished its mission of helping President Bashar Assad defeat Islamic State in neighboring Syria, although the group retains a presence there and fighting continues in pockets near the Iraqi border. Islamic State stunned the world when its black-clad fighters stormed out of Syria at the end of 2013 and swiftly took control of a large swath of Iraq, including its second-largest city, Mosul. At the height of the groups strength, it controlled about a third of both countries and imposed its harsh interpretation of Islam on more than 8 million people. But the militants have been losing territory. Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. air power and militias supported by Iran, recaptured Mosul in July after a nine-month campaign. Raqqah, the groups de facto capital in Syria, fell to a U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias in October. Since then, fighting has been concentrated in a string of cities and towns along the Euphrates River and desert areas straddling the porous border between Syria and Iraq. The whereabouts of the militants reclusive leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, remains unknown. In September, Islamic State released a purported audio recording of Baghdadi in which he urged followers around the world to intensify attacks. Now the Americans, the Russians and the Europeans are living in terror in their countries, fearing the strikes of the mujahideen, he said. Islamic State retains active branches elsewhere in the Middle East, Africa and Asia a potent threat underscored by an assault last month on a Sufi mosque in Egypts restive North Sinai region that killed more than 300 people. Counter-terrorism experts also warn that groups dont need to control territory to inspire so-called lone-wolf attacks, a strategy Islamic State has used with deadly effect in cities such as Orlando, Fla., and San Bernardino. Victories over terrorists have been precipitously declared countless numbers of times before only to have proven illusory, said Bruce Hoffman, director of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University in Washington. Groups like ISIS always leave behind a subversive cadre that has the capability, the motivation and the intention of becoming the nucleus of either the groups next iteration or even its rebirth. Islamic State is an offshoot of an Al Qaeda affiliate in Iraq that many U.S. commanders believed had been defeated nearly a decade ago. Even as Iraqs Shiite-led government celebrates its latest victory, deep-seated grievances among minority Sunni Arabs who dominated under the late strongman Saddam Hussein remain unaddressed. Fear of Iran, fear of Shia domination, fear now of becoming victims themselves has produced a witchs brew that certainly surviving elements of ISIS could take advantage of and exploit, or that a successor could build upon, Hoffman said. Abadi acknowledged as much in his address Saturday, when he called on Iraqs politicians to refrain from inciting and sectarian speech, which he said was a primary cause in the humanitarian tragedies and in empowering the gang of Daesh. Some of the Iraqi forces that were among the most effective against Islamic State have now been drawn into a standoff between Abadis government and leaders of Iraqs semiautonomous Kurdish region over a vote for independence. Still, analysts said Saturdays victory declaration represents a remarkable achievement for the Iraqi security forces, many of whom laid down their weapons and fled Islamic States advance three years ago. The declaration of the wars end will give Abadi the momentum he needs to tackle some of the other issues facing the country, said Sajad Jiyad, managing director at Baghdads Al Bayan Center for Planning and Studies. There is an unprecedented amount of optimism, he said. But attention will also turn quickly to the need for rebuilding, providing jobs and fighting corruption, which are the priorities for most Iraqis. Bulos is a special correspondent. alexandra.zavis@latimes.com Twitter: @alexzavis UPDATES: 5 p.m.: This article was updated with analyst comment and additional background. 2:05 p.m.: This article was updated with the Iraqi prime minister addressing the nation and reaction from the State Department and the U.S. envoy to the anti-Islamic State coalition. 8:50 a.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting, including quotes from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi and background. This article was originally published at 3:30 a.m. TROPHIES This was a good week for homeless animals in Northampton County. The The Today, for the 58th consecutive year, a group of people will walk from Nazareth to Bethlehem, in homage to the trip Mary and Joseph made before the birth of Jesus. Some walkers re-enact the Christmas Peace Pilgrimage out of religious reverence, others to bear witness to the message of peace. Those taking part should meet at the parking lot at 529 E. Broad Street in Bethlehem before 10:45 a.m. They'll be bused to Nazareth Moravian Church to begin the walk along Route 191. People are invited to join at any point along the way. Transportation will be available for those who can't walk the entire route. The pilgrimage ends at Christ United Church of Christ in Bethlehem for a light meal and a presentation at about 5:30 p.m. TURKEYS So much for the conservative war on earmarks. Last week , R-Pa., pushed for a carveout in the Senate tax bill to exempt certain colleges from a tax on their endowment income -- a measure designed to benefit a Michigan school that has ties to the family of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Democrats said the proposal would have applied only to Hillsdale College, a private institution that doesn't accept federal aid. Toomey said colleges that forgo federal funding should be exempt from a proposed 1.4 percent excise tax on investment income if they meet certain standards for enrollment and endowment. The earmark was pulled after several Republicans joined with Democrats in opposing it. PM will confront Boris over Brexit before Christmas: Theresa May prepares for Cabinet showdown as Gove warns her hard won deal could be ripped up at the next election Anatomy of a deal (and how both sides have fudged settling the Irish border question that could keep Britain in the Single Market FOREVER) The Irish Issue The Hard Border The Unions Integrity Fall-Back Position The All-Important Divorce Bill Payments for a Two-Year Transitional Deal Payments into EU Foriegn Aid Schemes EU to Pay Back Our Bank Investment Citizens' Rights Minor Role for European Judges Criminal Checks for EU Nationals EU Nationals Bringing In Family Members Rights for British Citizens in EU States and Free-Movement Rights By Iain Burns For Mailonline and Press Association 9 December 2017Prime Minister Theresa May has overcome her biggest Brexit obstacle so far by winning a deal with Brussels on future trade negotiations - but now she must face the Brexiteers.She has arranged a Cabinet meeting for December 19 so her ministers can discuss what Britain's final relationship with the EU will look like.Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove are among the leading Brexiteers she is now expected to confront.According to The Times , the Prime Minister has been 'buoyed' by her victory in securing a preliminary deal and is now keen to challenge Boris 'with the realities of the next stage of negotiations'.It comes as Mr Gove explained yesterday that the public will have their say on the EU deal at the next general election - and stressed that Mrs May's deal might be changed by future governments.The Times also reports that the exact form of Britain's post-Brexit relationship with the EU will not be determined in the showdown Cabinet meeting, and that ministers will be permitted to put forward their own plans.Mrs May, however, is said to believe that the reality of needing to gain access to EU markets will force hardline Brexiteers to soften their stance on regulatory compliance.The environment secretary, one of the leaders of the Leave campaign, explained in The Telegraph that the UK will have 'full freedom to diverge' from the EU on the single market and customs union following the two-year post-Brexit transition.He also stressed that 'the British people will be in control' and, if they did not approve of a final Brexit deal, a future government will be allowed to 'diverge'.But Mr Gove - who alongside Boris has espoused a Brexit featuring freedom from EU regulation - also praised Mrs May's 'tenacity and skill' in the negotiation.A senior official told The Telegraph that the 'real battle begins now' and that the 'heart and soul of Brexit is now at stake'.Mr Gove added in his article that Britain will be free to spend more cash on the NHS and housing once the country has left the EU, as well as being at liberty to make trade deals abroad.Mrs May celebrated yesterday after the European Commission cleared the way for negotiations on the future relationship after the UK's withdrawal from the EU.Britain will pay a 'divorce bill' of between 35 billion and 39 billion under the terms of a withdrawal package agreed with Brussels.The breakthrough was hailed by Mrs May as 'a hard-won agreement in all our interests'.Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said it represented 'sufficient progress' for negotiations to move on to their second phase, subject to approval by leaders of the remaining 27 EU states at a summit on December 14-15.In dramatic pre-dawn scenes, Mrs May and Brexit Secretary David Davis flew to Brussels to confirm with Mr Juncker over breakfast the text of a joint document setting out proposals on the key withdrawal issues of citizens' rights, the Irish border and Britain's exit bill.But the scene was set for further wrangling, as European Council president Donald Tusk set out guidelines for the next phase of talks, covering the transition to a post-Brexit relationship, which envisage the UK staying in the single market and customs union and observing all EU laws for around two years after the official withdrawal date in March 2019.He said only 'exploratory talks' on a free trade agreement could begin at this stage, with the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier suggesting that 'real negotiations' on trade would get under way once a withdrawal treaty is finalised in October.Mr Barnier also threw cold water on Mrs May's hopes for a 'deep and special' trading relationship with the EU.He warned that her 'red lines' of taking the UK out of the single market, the customs union and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice left a free trade deal similar to Canada's as the only option open to Britain.There was consternation among some Brexit-backers over provisions allowing the European Court of Justice a role in overseeing EU citizens' rights in the UK for eight years after Brexit.However, Downing Street said they only expected around two or three cases a year to be referred voluntarily by UK judges to the Luxembourg court.And a compromise on the Irish border - forged in intensive talks late on Thursday night after the Democratic Unionist Party blocked an earlier deal on Monday - states that if no trade deal is reached, the UK as a whole will maintain 'full alignment' with elements of the EU single market and customs union which support the economy of the island of Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement.Tory former Brexit minister David Jones warned this could 'severely handicap' Britain's ability to enter free trade agreements covering areas like agriculture with countries outside the EU, like the US.But Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson insisted the PM was determined to ensure the measure's 'compatibility with taking back control of our money, laws and borders'.Mr Johnson and fellow Cabinet Brexiteer Michael Gove gave their public blessing to the deal, with the Environment Secretary describing it as a 'significant personal political achievement for the Prime Minister' which would make more money available for the NHS.The development was also welcomed by business leaders, who had warned that companies would begin activating plans to move staff and activities abroad if no progress was made by Christmas. The pound rose on the announcement.In a Brussels press conference, Mrs May said the process of arriving at a withdrawal deal 'hasn't been easy for either side', but the agreement represented a 'significant improvement' on the text she was preparing to sign off on Monday.Provisions on citizens' rights would allow EU nationals in the UK 'to go on living their lives as before'.Meanwhile, the financial settlement would be 'fair to the British taxpayer' and the agreement on Ireland would guarantee there would be 'no hard border' between Northern Ireland and the Republic.'I very much welcome the prospect of moving ahead to the next phase, to talk about trade and security and to discuss the positive and ambitious future relationship that is in all of our interests,' said Mrs May.Mr Juncker said Brexit was a 'sad' development, but added: 'Now we must start looking to the future, a future in which the UK will remain a close friend and ally.'Friday's announcement came after late-night telephone conversations with DUP leader Arlene Foster, as the Prime Minister sought a formula which would resolve the party's concerns about Northern Ireland being treated differently from the rest of the UK.As Number 10's staff Christmas party took place elsewhere in the building, Mrs May finalised a text shortly before midnight.It specified that 'no new regulatory barriers' will be allowed between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and that the province's businesses will continue to have 'unfettered access' to the UK internal market.Mrs Foster said 'substantial changes' to the text ensured there was 'no red line down the Irish Sea' and no 'special status' for Northern Ireland, but added that there was still further work to be done.Irish premier Leo Varadkar, who held telephone talks with Mrs May on Thursday as the details of the deal were hammered out, said it was a 'significant day' for Ireland, which 'achieved all that we set out to achieve in phase one of these negotiations'.The estimated Brexit bill - significantly lower than the 50 billion or more suggested by previous leaks - covers Britain's share of the EU's budget up to the end of 2020, as well as outstanding debts and liabilities for items such as the pensions of staff at European institutions.It will be paid over several years and the exact figure is unlikely to be known for some time.The financial settlement 'will be drawn up and paid in euro'.Jeremy Corbyn said Mrs May had only managed to 'scrape through' the first phase of Brexit negotiations some 18 months after the referendum.'Tory chaos and posturing has caused damaging delay and risked serious harm to our economy,' said the Labour leader.'We need a much stronger and more constructive approach in crucial phase two.'By Daily Mail Reporter 9 December 2017It was perhaps the most difficult part of the talks how to square Brexit with the Irish peace process after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) vetoed a proposed solution on Monday:Both the Irish government and Sinn Fein insisted that there must be no barriers between the North and the Republic. Ministers promised not to impose any physical infrastructure meaning border checks and controls and even cameras.To reassure the DUP, Mrs May offered a series of assurances. Her six commitments included fully protecting and maintaining Northern Irelands position within the UKs single market, no new borders between the province and Great Britain, and an assurance Northern Ireland would leave the customs union and single market.If the two sides fail to reach an agreement on what to do about the border, the UK agrees to maintain full alignment with the rules of the single market and customs union which form part of the Good Friday Agreement. To some Brexiteers, this could be the poison pill which forces Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to stay within the EUs orbit.Britain will eventually pay between 35 billion and 39 billion as part of the so-called Brexit divorce bill provided the EU agrees to the future trade and transition deal the Prime Minister wants. The Government hailed the deal because the payment is much lower than had been expected:About half of the divorce bill will cover British payments into the EU budget for a two-year transition period. Mrs May used her landmark Florence Brexit speech to announce her desire for a two-year implementation phase that will effectively keep the UK in the EU for two years after Brexit. Ministers believe the deal will offer certainty to British businesses and avoid a cliff edge. In order to remain part of the EU during the period, the UK will guarantee to make payments of between 14.9 billion and 15.8 billion to Brussels until 2020.Money for 'Outstanding Liabilities'Britain will pay 20 billion towards EU spending projects and commitments that could run for decades after Brexit. The deal includes a commitment to pay between 7.9 billion and 8.8 billion towards the gold-plated pension scheme enjoyed by eurocrats, a bugbear for Brexiteers. At 59,000, the average Brussels pension payout is more than twice the average UK salary. The agreement also includes a UK commitment to cover payments towards the blocs spiralling debt pile. Payments, however, will be taken only as they arise for years to come and in a boon to the UK, the EU has agreed not to add any additional liabilities that arise during the transition period.Britain will continue to contribute to the EUs foreign aid programme until 2020, when the current funding round ends. Like with the wider EU budget, ministers acknowledge that commitments have been made and Britain has agreed to fulfil them. The likely cost is 2 billion.Brussels has agreed to return over time our stake in the European Investment Bank. We will receive, over 12 years, 11 instalments of 263.6 million and a final payment of 172.2 million for our 16 per cent stake. The UK may consider taking a stake in the bank which funds infrastructure projects as part of phase two of the talks.Key planks of yesterdays agreement concerned citizens rights and the role of the European Court of Justice:Britain will put into law the rights of EU citizens who decide to stay in Britain which means anyone who arrives before March next year. Any legal disputes which arise over their rights will first be referred to the UK Supreme Court. However, British judges will have the option to refer such cases to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg if relevant case law doesnt exist. This is expected to involve two or three cases a year at most, and crucially, with an eight-year sunset clause which begins from the start of any transitional deal.Any EU nationals applying to stay in Britain after Brexit (who do not already have citizenship) will have to undergo systematic criminality and security checks. Those who fail the test will be refused the right to stay and forced to leave.EU nationals who get the right to stay will be able to bring in existing husbands or wives as well as members of their extended family regardless of whether they are EU or non-EU nationals. New relationships formed after Brexit will face tougher checks, the same as non-EU nationals. Any children born after Brexit will also be protected by the agreement, but this is limited to one generation.Child Benefit For EU CitizensEU nationals who stay in Britain can get settled status and continue to receive social security payments such as child benefit which they can send back to their home countries. Britons living in EU member states will continue to be able to use European Health Insurance Cards to get free medical treatment in the country where they are resident. It is unclear whether the EHIC system will continue for British residents travelling abroad.UK nationals have not been given the right to move freely for work around the EU post-Brexit, but will have to remain in the country where they reside. There is no deal on voting rights, which ministers will seek to negotiate with individual states. A car that was stolen in Cork has ended up in a village 200 kms away where gardai arrested two men aged in their twenties who are not understood to be Irish. Laois Offaly Gardai arrested two occupants of a car stolen in Cork which was parked up overnight in a village in Offaly. Gardai arrested two males at 2.45am on Saturday, December 9 in a car that was parked up in a vehicle which had been stolen in Cork Friday, December 8 during the course of a burglary. The men were apprehended in Ballycumber village. They are currently detained at Tullamore Garda Station and Gardai are liasing with colleagues in Cork. The males are aged 21 and 26 years and come from outside the jurisdiction. A crime taskforce was set up recently in the division in response to a number of violent incident. The latest arrests were carried out by gardai in Tullamore. GARDA HEROS HONOURED Ireland is facing a week of cold weather in the wake of a snow storm which has led to a Status Orange Weather Warning . The weather warning came into effect at 11pm on Saturday night and remains in place until 11pm on Sunday. However, Met Eireann is also warning that temperatures could plunge to minus 8 degrees on Sunday night with the cold spell lasting though to next weekend. The forecaster is warning of 'significant falls of snow' on Saturday night and into Sunday. Accumulations of 4 to 8 cm could occur quite widely with even greater totals possible in some areas. There could also be drifting snow in some areas with brisk winds. Met Eireann is warning of slippery paths and treacherous roads due to snow accumulation and ice. Temperatures tonight could drop as low as -5 degrees. It will be mainly dry today but temperatures will still be between just 1 and 4 degrees. TOP TIPS FOR SNOW AND ICE DRIVING The orange snow-ice warning covers for much of Connacht, Leinster, parts of Ulster and Munster, Laois and surrounding counties are in the path of the worst snow. DRIVING IN SNOW AND ICE Sunday, will see further heavy rain and snow falls. Temperatures in the afternoon will struggle to rise above freezing in the north and will linger between 1 and 4 degrees for much of the country. Munster and the south coast will be between 7 and 9 degrees and higher along the south and southwest coasts. Winds will be strong east to northeast in the northern half of the country and strong westerly in the south, with the east to northeast winds becoming widespread in the evening. The rain and snow will peter out during the second half of the day, with the risk of snow extending in to Munster in the evening. On Sunday night temperatures will fall to as low as minus 8 degrees, and possibly lower still, as skies clear over lying snow. The lowest temperatures will be in the north midlands. Further to the south, temperatures over Munster will be more typically between minus 2 and minus 3 degrees. The widespread, severe frost will bring treacherous driving conditions to the whole country with all areas at risk. Sleet and snow will continue for a time, but will gradually die away as the night goes on. Winds will be mostly moderate westerly. Monday will be dry for most parts of the country with sunshine. Showers will affect the west and north coasts, and there's a risk of isolated showers along eastern coasts for a time also. Showers will continue to have a wintry element with temperatures in the afternoon not expected to rise above plus 3 to 6 degrees. Temperatures on Monday night once again down to as low as minus 4 degrees but it will be a mostly dry and clear night. There will be moderate to fresh northerly winds. Tuesday will have a dry and sunny start but cloud will thicken from the west bringing rain on Tuesday night. Day time temperatures on Tuesday will be between 4 and 8 degrees, the higher temperatures in the southwest of the country and winds will be mainly light northwesterly, backing southwesterly and freshening ahead of the rain on Tuesday night. The rain will continue for a time on Wednesday morning, clearing later to wintry showers in the afternoon. A moderate to fresh southwest to west wind will become established and it will become cold again later on Wednesday. The further outlook to next weekend is for continued cold weather with wintry showers on coasts. WEATHER WARNINGS EXPLAINED The people of Laois, and beyond, sent a clear and unequivocal message to the powers that be last Saturday evening, when they turned out in their thousands to protest over the proposed downgrade of services at Portlaoise Hospital. Any lingering or residual doubt that might have existed about the public's attitude towards the hospital were resolutely crushed in the flow of people on all approach roads to Main Street on a dark December evening. The series of speeches that rang out from Lower Main Street retread the by now familiar ground of why Portlaoise Hospital should be saved, and indeed upgraded. However, in many ways Saturday's protest belonged to the people who spoke en masse in a gathering not seen locally for many a year. It affirmed Portlaoise hospital's place as part of the fabric of the local community. The venting of public support for the hospital was always a necessary measure, and this may not prove to be the last. The focus now moves to the political with a meeting scheduled between the Minister for Health, Simon Harrish and Government Minister and TDs for this week. The mood music emanating from all this is hardly encouraging. We are faced with the apparently dogged determination of the HSE and the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group to implement their plan for the region, which sees Portlaoise downgraded. As stated here and elsewhere before, their arguments for doing so are wrong and flawed, not taking into account factors such as Portlaoise's strategic location. And there is no mistaking the fact that lives are at risk if this plan does become reality. This is not some paper exercise which can be explained away or justified through jargon or lofty sounding bureaucratic waffle which makes much of complexity and integrated plans. A downgrade will leave Portlaoise hospital bereft, purely and simply It will impact on people in crucial life and death situations, and more often than not this will apply to elderly people. A downgrade is wrong. The people of Laois have cleary demonstrated the depth of their feeling. The question now is will they be listened to. A week after several thousand people marched against the downgrade of Portlaoise hospital, a meeting on the future of the Laois hospital between the Minister for Health Simon Harris and the three Laois TDs is now scheduled. Laois TD and Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan said he had raised the issue with his cabinet colleague on a number of occasions since the Light for Lives rally in Portlaoise on December 2. Minister Flanagan told the Light for Lives rally that a meeting would take place where all TDs would make the case against the downgrade of the hospital to the Minister. Speaking to the Leinster Express in Templemore at the Scott Medal presentation to Laois Offaly Gardai, Minister Flanagan confirmed that a meeting had now been scheduled. He said it is fixed for next Wednesday, December 13. "I met Simon Harris regarding MRHP on Monday and I spoke to him again on Tuesday with further updated information to assist in the decision making," said Minister Flanagan. It is not clear if the meeting will take before or after a promised announcement by Minister Harris on what he intends to do with the third draft of downgrade plan for the hospital. He has indicated that he would have to make a statement on the process which began in 2015. Given the political implications, it is likely the the hospital would have to be discussed at Government with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar before a decision is reached. Minister Harris was given the first draft of the downgrade plan in December 2016. Laois opposition TDs, Sean Fleming and Brian Stanley, said they made written and verbal requests to the Minister for meetings since the march. Both said they spoke with Minister Harris in person in Leinster House. They said Minister Harris indicated that he did wish to address the matter by Christmas. The Leinster Express asked the Department of Health if Minister Harris intended to meet the Laois TDs this week as was announced at the public meeting in Portlaoise last Saturday, December 2. There was not reply. RTE's PrimeTime broadcast a feature on the hospital on Thursday, November 7. WATCH REPORT HERE The HSE's Dublin Midland's hospital Group plan for Portlaoise envisages the removal of A&E, ICU, maternity, paediatrics and most surgery. The hospital would get a 24 hour Medical Assessment Unit and Local Injuries unit instead of A&E. The rest of the hospital's activity would be refocused on outpatients and elective work. The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group wanted to begin implementation in January 2017. It aimed to be ready to move most services by 2022 except A&E which would be scaled back before then. The cost would be over 100 million with money spent in Portlaoise, Tallaght, Tullamore, Naas and the Coombe hospitals to facilitate downgrade. No money has been committed to the project by the Government or the Minister for Health has the power to reject this plan. The Portlaoise Hospital Action Committee plan to run a candidate in the next General Election if the Minister backs downgrade. Any more overcrowding at Naas Hospital will affect the peoples lives and dignity, according to independent Naas councillor Sorcha ONeill. She was responding to claims by fellow councillor Darren Scully (FG) that fears over the impact of a closure of the Accident and Emergency department at Portlaoise Hospital on Naas Hospital are scaremongering. Cllr ONeill said: The people should be scared of the prospect and fallout if this downgrade happens. This is peoples' lives and dignity we are talking about here. Naas Hospital is already over burdened and under resourced. She said there is a need to raise awareness locally and fight for the patients and the future of the hospital. She added that people should be able to communicate their opposition to the decision makers. She said a similar downgrading of services has already happened in Limerick and in the North East so it is hardly an obscure idea. Cllr O'Neill criticised Fine Gael for hiding information and sweeping issues under the carpet. While no downgrading of Portlaoise Hospital has been announced, there are fears that this will happen with a consequent increase in demand on Naas Hospital. However Cllr Scully said nothing has been decided. And when he wrote to the Minister for Health he was told that the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (an umbrella group within the Health Service Executive), of which Naas and Portlaoise are part, has come up with a draft plan for a new model of service delivery at Portlaoise. This plan was revised in September and is being considered by the Department of Health before the opinions of patients, staff and the community are sought. As reported last week, the HSE has said that less than half of the patients from County Laois who availed of hospital day ward services last year came to hospital in Portlaoise. Most (55%) go to a hospital in Dublin or to the Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore . Building work has ceased at the extension to St Conleth's Community College in Newbridge in an ongoing dispute over contractor certification of work. The work was temporarily halted yesterday, Friday, December 8. Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) has said it cannot take possession of the building until all matters concerning certification are resolved to its satisfaction "thus ensuring that the best standards of safety and certification are met", it said in a statement this morning. "The design team, appointed by and on behalf of KWETB, has, effective the 8th December 2017, temporarily suspended work in the school pending the production of mandatory building regulation certification from the contractor for elements of the project for which they are responsible from both a design and construction point of view. The design team is in on going contact with the contractor in an effort to resolve these matters. The mandatory certification is required from the contractor to demonstrate that the relevant Building Regulations standards have been fully and adequately complied with." The extension is being funded by the Department of Education and Skills, but its design and construction management is under the remit of KWETB. The extension will provide modern facilities, a special needs unit, and additional space for a school building that was originally designed to cater for 250 students, but currently has a student population of 477. The building works had originally been expected to be completed by the end of the year, and the new facilities available for students in January 2018. In the High Court on November 10, Mr Justice Michael Twomey made an injunction directing that relevant certification in relation to flooring produced supplied and fitted by the subcontractor Drumderry Aggregate Ltd, registered at Bunclody Co Wexford, at the school extension be handed over to K&J Townmore Construction Ltd, which is the main contractor. Seeking the injunction, K&J claimed the failure to hand over the certs put in doubt whether the building will be ready for use next January. Drumderry, the court heard, was opposed to handing over the certs for its portion of the work on grounds including that the building made by the defendant was severely compromised from the point of view of health and safety. In a sworn statement, Drumderry said it would be grossly irresponsible to contribute in any way to the use of a building would in any way where questions regarding the quality of the construction are still extant. The Judge said Drumderry was only responsible for the certification of its own work and ordered it to hand over the certificates. Drumderry managing director Sam Deacon later told the Leader he was handing over the certificates under extreme duress. A LIMERICK city businessman does not believe the councils festive parking initiative will gain traction. Donal OConnell, proprietor of Mike OConnell menswear in Catherine Street, has campaigned for free, on-street car parking. But Limerick City and County Council says this will not be going ahead, and instead is offering city centre shoppers the option of availing of one of 220 car parking spaces at the old Cleeves factory at the North Circular Road. This represents a ten minute walk to the central business district, and Mr OConnell says this is too far for people laden with heavy shopping bags. I dont think it will work. Its a bit far out for people walking with bags at Christmas. Id still have people park in the city centre, and enjoy the atmosphere of the city centre, rather than having to walk over a bridge, he said. On top of this, the council will allow free use of its car parking facility at Merchants Quay on weekends, freeing up another 80 spaces. Thats a nice gesture from them. But obviously its still only 80 spaces, but its worthwhile. Its better than nothing. I actually think it would have been more in the interests of the Council and the city to have free parking in the centre. It would create an excellent atmosphere in the city, especially with the market, he said. While parking will be available at Merchant's Quay for the next three weekends, the free initiative at the Cleeves factory will run from this Friday up to the dying embers of 2017 to allow people in the city to witness the New Years eve fireworks display. Free on-street parking was axed after feedback indicated it was almost impossible to avail of this offer as all of the on-street spaces were taken and there was little turnover of spaces through the day. A PROPOSAL to run a night-time bus service, linking towns and villages in both east and west Limerick, is awaiting ministerial approval and funding. The proposal is part of a wider pilot scheme to extend the operating hours of 38 rural bus routes in 15 different counties including Limerick, in a bid to allay fears of rural isolation as the drink-driving laws are set to get even tougher. Anne Gaughan, the manager of Rural Bus which operates the Local Link service in east and west Limerick, confirmed that they had been asked to draw up proposals for a night-time service on weekend nights on two routes or loops. But she said, It cant happen unless the funds are there. Currently, Local Link runs a six-day service, 2357, which operates on a loop from Kilfinane, through Ballorgan, Effin, Kilmallock and into Charleville, taking in a number of other villages along the way. But this service stops at 6pm in the evening. If the pilot scheme gets the go-ahead, the service would operate on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from 7pm until midnight. Similarly, an evening service up to midnight is also being proposed for the 3101 loop which starts in Newcastle West and connects Ardagh, Rathkeale, Askeaton, Shanagolden, Loughill, Glin and Carrigkerry. As with all Local Link fares, bus pass passengers would go free, other adults would pay 5 return and children would pay 2.50 return. Earlier this week, Martin Heydon, Fine Gael parliamentary party chairperson and TD for Kildare South, outlined the proposed pilot scheme and said that his party was passionate about the potential of rural transport as a way of addressing issues of social isolation. While the drink driving legislation has brought the debate about social isolation to the fore, this proposal is actually about a lot more than bringing people to and from the pub. This is about connecting our communities, he continued. He had been mandated by his parliamentary colleagues, he explained, to work with Transport Minister Shane Ross to come up with a solution to try to address the issue of social isolation. The solution proposed involves 38 routes across 15 counties to operate on a 12-month pilot basis. They are all existing successful routes that have good passenger numbers during the day. Should the 38 routes see significant demand for the pilot evening service, this is something that then could be rolled out nationwide, Deputy Heydon said. It would give people additional opportunities to visit family or friends, go to Bingo or a card game or a match on a summers evening, he elaborated. And the beauty of it was that there was no additional capital spending involved. At a cost of a little over 1 million, this pilot would provide in excess of 11,000 extra trips per annum around rural Ireland. This figure doesnt take into account the money that would be collected in fares by local link, he pointed out. The proposal has been brought before Minister Ross who has referred it to the National Transport Authority for consideration. The next stage in the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017 is expected to be debated in the Oireachtas this Thursday or Friday. The Bill will introduce a three month disqualification for drivers who previously avoided disqualification because the readings were between 50 and 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. or their equivalent in breath or urine. There is no logic to the proposition that in some cases some people should get a waiver on the disqualification and be allowed to pay a 200 fine, get three penalty points and drive on as if nothing had happened, Minister Ross said when introducing the second stage of the bill last month. This Bill is about saving lives, he said, pointing out that it is seven years since the law on drink-driving had been comprehensively revised and updated. It is designed to address a specific failing in our current legislation on drink-driving. We all know that alcohol and driving do not mix. Drink driving is one of the most serious causes of collisions, injuries and fatalities on our roads. No one disputes that. There is also general agreement that the law must be firm on drink-driving. It must take drink-driving seriously and it must be seen to take it seriously. It is now seven years since the law on drink-driving was comprehensively revised and updated There is no logic to the proposition that in some cases some people should get a waiver on the disqualification and be allowed to pay a 200 fine, get three penalty points and drive on as if nothing had happened. A SERIAL offender who robbed cash, cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey from an off-licence in Limerick city centre has avoided additional jail time despite committing the offence while on bail. Roger Ryan, aged 40, who has an address at Lake Road Halting Site, Tipperary Town admitted his role in the robbery which happened at Fine Wines, Roches Street on June 26, 2016. Limerick Circuit Court heard the defendant and another man entered the premises at around 6.30pm and proceeded to threaten a member of staff with glass bottle before taking around 350 in cash and the other items. The defendant, who has more than 90 previous convictions, was identified on CCTV and made admissions following his arrest. Imposing sentence, Judge Tom ODonnell said the threat of violence made against an easy target in a very vulnerable position was an aggravating factor as was Ryans previous record. He said he accepted the offence was spontaneous and not premeditated and that the defendant is genuinely remorseful. While noting he has difficult personal circumstances and faces serious challenges in life, Judge ODonnell commented that staff in off-licences and members of the public are entitled to be protected. Noting that Ryan is currently serving a number of lengthy prison sentences relating to separate offences in County Tipperary, the judge said he had to be conscious of principal of proportionality. He imposed a three year prison sentence which is to be served consecutively to the sentences he is currently serving. However, the full sentence was sentenced for a period of six years. THERE was pride and not a little sadness when some three dozen or so surviving veterans of the siege of Jadotville were presented with a specially created medal An Bonn Jadotville, the Jadotville Medal, at a ceremony in Athlone. The medal was commissioned to honour the bravery and courage of the 155 men of A Company, 35th Infantry Battalion who took part in the siege in September 1961, while on a peace-keeping mission to civil-war torn Congo. Minister of State with responsibility for Defence, Paul Kehoe presented the medals to the surviving veterans and to the family representatives of deceased members. The words inscribed on the medals, Cosaint Chalma (valiant defence) and Misneach (courage) had been carefully chosen in order to pay tribute to the courageous actions of the men of A Company, Minister Kehoe said. The retelling of the events at Jadotville does not and cannot reflect the incredible reality of what happened during the siege and its aftermath. It can only briefly suggest the courage you showed in your willingness to act and the bravery displayed in your every actions, he continued. Despite the overwhelming numbers opposing them, the men of A company retained their resolve and remained unshaken during the attack. For Tadhg Quinn, from Purt, Abbeyfeale, the ceremony brought a fitting end to an ignominious scandal, in which disastrous tactical errors were made and the men of A company were sent into a conflict zone without adequate arms, provisioning or back-up. But these errors were subsequently covered up and instead the men were vilified and scorned. Having been ordered to Jadotville on September 9, the 155-strong A company under Comdt Pat Quinlan came under sustained attack on September 13 from a 600-strong force of Katanganese rebels. From a tactical point of view, it was a disaster, Tadhg said, recalling the events of 56 years ago. Comdt Quinlan knew they were in trouble, Tadhg continued. We all knew we were in trouble. For four days, the siege lasted but finally, with no food, water or ammunition, the men were forced to surrender. Thanks however to the decisions made by Commandant Quinlan not one Irish life had been lost. But Tadhg remains adamant that what he and his comrades endured when they returned to Ireland was absolutely brutal. The way we were treated was absolutely scandalous, he said. They were ignored, taunted, scorned and some were even set upon. There was more blood spilled than during the fighting. If you were called a coward there was only one way to sort that out. It came from the very top down. But it was nothing to what Comdt Quinlan put up with. He was totally ignored, Mr Quinn said. Worse, however, was that there was, Mr Quinn believes, a sustained attempt at cover up. All we needed was food, water and ammunition and we could have been there yet, Tadhg said this week. We were vilified, And every government since has maintained the cover-up, he added. Their attitude was if we ignore it, they will go away and forget it. Happily, thanks in large part to a book by JD Power and the film based on it, Siege of Jadotville, the real story of what happened in September 1961 reached a national and international audience and the men and their commandant were vindicated. But without this, Tadhg is certain, the public and state recognition of the men would not have happened. Earlier this year, a plinth was unveiled at Customs Barracks, Athlone, naming all the men of A company. And last Saturday, the survivors or the family members of deceased men received their special Jadotville medals. But the sense of rightness at being finally vindicated was spliced with sadness that so many comrades had not lived to see the day. I am not into medals, said Tadhg who helped lay a wreath at the plinth in memory of his deceased comrades. But for those who died, this would have been closure. It was very very sad for them. They were living under this great black cloud always. And why, he asked and will always ponder, had it taken so long to rectify. Is Trump's base fraying?(CNN)On the campaign trail, Donald Trump famously described his core supporters as impervious to outside influence -- even when it when it came to his own troubling or divisive behavior."I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody," he said at a 2015 rally in Iowa, "and I wouldn't lose voters."For many pundits, this has become a kind of gospel. Trump was elected in 2016 against what most considered insurmountable odds -- and despite a series of allegations of sexual misconduct that dovetailed with the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape.But a new national Pew Research Center poll released this week suggests the bonds that delivered him to the White House could be fraying since his inauguration. The survey, which was conducted between November 29 and December 4, showed Trump's support narrowing across a wide range of typically friendly demographics, from evangelicals to the elderly and whites without college degrees.There is some overlap between groups there, of course, and the survey compared Trump's numbers now to his scores in February, when he enjoyed a modest post-inaugural bump. But with his approval consistently at or around historic lows for a president at this point in his first term and Republicans in Congress struggling themselves, it has become increasingly clear that even his base is not immune to the downward pressure.Trump's most notable slide came among white evangelical Protestants. In February, 78% said they approved of his job performance. In the new poll, that number falls to 61% -- a 17-point drop. No other demographic shed more than 10 percentage points.The President is also now underwater with white non-college adults, his approval at 46%, down from 56% earlier this year. Among all whites, he is down 8 points, to 41%. Trump has also seen significant falloff with older Americans. Among seniors (65+), he's down double digits, from 48% to 38%. For those with retirement on the (perhaps distant) horizon, ages 50 to 64, Trump's approval is also at 38%, down from 47% in February.The significance of those numbers is underlined by post-election polling from 2016, which helped us map Trump's strongest demographics. Per a Pew report at the time, 67% of whites without college degrees voted for Trump, while only 28% backed Hillary Clinton, the largest exit poll margin in that demographic since 1980.A Monmouth University poll in August showed that six in 10 people who approved of Trump's job performance (61%) said they couldn't think of anything Trump could do that would make them disapprove of him. A similar 57% of those who disapproved of his performance said they would never change their minds.But in a similar question from the Public Religion Research Institute this week, that number is significantly different. Only 37% of people who approved of Trump said there was almost nothing he could do to make them reconsider their support -- nearly 25 points lower than the Monmouth question from August. A similar six in 10 people who disapprove say they would never change their minds in the PRRI poll. (These are not apples-to-apples comparisons since different pollsters use different sampling and question wording. Still, the figures are striking.) It is an unusual pleasure to be able to respond so positively in the House to an issue of this sort. Thats what Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Shane Ross, had to say as he announced that funding will be provided for the much debated and much-needed traffic calming measures in Kilcornan. The question of Kilcornan, raised in the Dail by local TD Tom Neville, has also been talked about at Council level, with local members of the community raising concerns about the traffic since September 2015. The fact that it is located along this expanse of the road (N69 on the main road) is the biggest challenge, said Mr Neville in the Dail. The focal point of the proposal relates to the community hub, which comprises the school, the GAA pitch and the Ger McDonnell Park AstroTurf pitch. On the Askeaton side, there is a blind bend and people take their lives into their hands when they come out onto the road. There is no hard shoulder and no space for cars to move from one side to another. Neither is there any room to put traffic islands in place, the local FG politician explained. Minister Ross replied that the work done by local councillors and council engineers, in collaboration with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) will come to fruition in 2018. Following contact between Limerick City and County Council and the regional road safety engineer about traffic calming measures at Kilcornan, the council initiated preparation of a report on proposed measures for consideration by TII. In October, I understand TII indicated that the design of the proposed traffic calming measures at Kilcornan were expected to be finalised shortly. I have now been advised by TII that it is anticipated that funding will be provided in 2018 for traffic calming measures between the two junctions in Kilcornan, which will also involve a reduction in the speed limit, said Shane Ross. Mr Neville welcomed the confirmation, saying that it is good news for the people of Kilcornan and the general area of the N69. A BITTER war of words has erupted between the University of Limerick Students Union and the campus newspaper, after a decision was made to change An Focal to a monthly publication. A spokesperson for ULSU said that the decision was made in response to the particular experience it had with its outgoing editor Seamus Toomey, who held the position since August. It said that the quality of the bi-weekly campus paper deteriorated considerably in terms of layout, spelling, grammar, use of colour and overall design, and that there were issues with distribution. The Unions statement came after it claimed that its general manager Martin Ryan was not given the right of reply in relation to two recently-published comment pieces, entitled Editors farewell and The SU are changing An Focal: Heres why thats bad. In an e-mail to Mr Toomey, seen by this newspaper, Mr Ryan said that there were mistruths and inaccuracies in these articles. Asked what these mistruths were, the SU spokesperson said that the editor goes into detail about why a monthly paper doesnt work and mentions how a shift to online would be better. Mr Toomey told the Leader that he received angry e-mails from Mr Ryan after the publication, as I had not given him the right of reply and he and others were irritated by the content in the paper. He added: These e-mails were sent to myself and their staff members who I shared an office and workplace with, and that caused me great anxiety for my last two weeks there. He said that he had wanted to leave his position due to the workload and my obviously deteriorating mental health. ULSU said that Mr Toomey did not raise these concerns with the general manager. Mr Toomey said that while his time as editor was far from perfect, there was plenty of good about the paper, adding that layout and design issues were almost all resolved after the first issue. ULSU said that it received a lot of complaints from students about the quality of the newspaper and how it had dropped in standards from previous years. It said that this caused us concern. It said that the decision to change An Focal to a monthly issue was never about cost, and that it had hiked its expenditure on the paper over the past two years. It said that they had discussed the possibility of paying more for an experienced editor who would focus more online and create more opportunities for contributions from students. Mr Toomey, a UL BA Journalism & New Media graduate, said that it came as a shock to hear about the changes which I was informed about in one short e-mail on the day of the content deadline for the last edition of this semester. He claimed that no one from An Focal was involved in the discussion or made aware of the proposals being brought forward. ULSU said that its staff and sabbatical officers have never tried to push change under the radar. At all times this past semester we consulted with elected students of Executive and Council. The student reps of Council made the recommendation to put the focus on the online An Focal articles. Mr Toomey highly contests that I had done any reputational damage to the paper. In a two-page statement, the outgoing editor concluded: The last two weeks have been a low point in a job I was already not happy in, and at this stage, all I want is to put this behind me. ULSU president Jack Shelly, ULSU democracy development manager Liz Gabbett and Mr Toomey took part in an hour-long discussion on campus radio ULFM on December 1. Ms Gabbett said that they are working with the UL School of Journalism on the future of the publication. Meanwhile, UL Head of Journalism Mary Dundon has urged ULSU to reconsider its move to turn An Focal into a monthly newspaper. This would totally eliminate its value as a newspaper because all the stories would be too dated by the time they were published. This move would turn An Focal into a magazine, rather than the campaigning student newspaper that was its original remit. An Focal has provided a very good training ground for our journalism students in giving them an outlet to develop their news writing skills and building up a portfolio of stories. I would urge the Students Union to reconsider this move. The Students Union has advertised for the role of editor of An Focal online and print, and have received at least nine applications as of December 1. MET Eireann has issued a status yellow weather alert warning of high winds in Limerick over the weekend. The national forecaster says Southeast winds veering northwest are expected to reach mean wind speeds of between 55kph and 65kph with gusts of between 90kph and 110kph. The warning, which was issued late on Friday, comes into effect at 1am on Sunday and will remain in place until midday. It also applies to a number of other counties including Clare, Cork, Kerry and Waterford. Meanwhile, a separate status orange weather alert warning of snow and ice remains in place for seventeen counties across the country. While the warning does not extend to Limerick, gardai, the road safety authority and AA Roadwatch are appealing to all motorists to exercise caution if driving this weekend. Gritting and salting machines were deployed last night across the road network which accounts for almost 85% of all Limericks traffic. Duty engineers in Limerick City and County Council are monitoring the ice-cast daily to determine whether gritting is required and will be monitoring weather conditions very closely over the weekend, as further cold Arctic weather is forecast. PIGTOWN playwright Mike Finn is turning his gaze back to a period of Limerick history when the city was fizzing with energy for his next project. The scribe, who is completing a year as theatre artist in residence at the Belltable, is looking to the Limerick Soviet in 1919 as the inspiration for his next work, entitled Bread Not Profits. The tumultuous events of 1919 when workers took over the city for 10 days, organising food and fuel distribution, printing their own newspaper and, uniquely, issuing their own currency, would appear to make for a natural fit for Finn, who has already examined the period in the award-winning promenade piece Pigtown, and 2014s On the Wire, which looked at soldiers coming home from the war and he helped to devise. Bread Not Profits feels like a fitting conclusion to that trilogy. We are talking about the same kind of area. I am a sucker for history and tend to go backwards to find inspiration, because I like history and also, to be quite frank about it, I am not very good at plot, he laughs. I am good at dialogue and gags and can do character ok, but I cant really think up my own stories - which is kind of a flaw when you are a writer, a slight Achilles heel perhaps. So what I have managed to do is go back into the past and find stories that already exist so I can adapt it - it has a beginning, a middle and an end, I can take it and mould it to my ways. So it is partly out of a flaw in my abilities, but also an interest in history. Bread Not Profits is inspired by those events and is being developed as part of Finns year long residency at the Belltable. He hopes to premiere it in 2019 - at Cleeves Factory, but admits a lot of things have to happen between now and then, particularly getting the money for it. The Arts Council is the target to be the major funder - but you wonder also if there will be an institutional commemoration for such a seminal event in Limericks history. It was hugely significant, in the city, nationally and even internationally - it had consequences and was really significant worldwide. But a lot people in Limerick are only vaguely aware that something happened. I think it is because it isnt really taught in schools, the same way as stuff like the 1916 Rising is. I have been aware of it for the longest time. Even before I started this year, I had probably read everything that had been written about it, and we did a short scene about it in Pigtown in 1999, so it is something I have always wanted to return to. The challenge, he says, was trying to find the drama, personal stories - and stories that reflected more than just an apparently male dominated event. On the surface at least, it seems a very male story, but the thing is that, of course, the female population was affected by it and obviously women had a lot to do with this, and trying to find their stories was the thing. And I think we have managed that. I am trying to dig a little deeper to find those personal stories. I started to look at individual domestic scenes, social scenes, scenes at work, where a small group of people are thrown together, perhaps with opposing views on the issues of the day. And that way you get to explore the issues, get out the story through exposition, which hopefully is not too clunky and doesn't sound like a lecture. Terry ODonovan is on board as director, while David Blake is composing some original music - an exciting team. In the meantime, Finn will present a work in progress reading of the play in the Belltable on December 14. He says the play is in good shape as 2019s premiere beckons. I think it is going to be really good, he adds. You wouldnt doubt him. A 30-year-old man who served a prison sentence for a conviction later overturned cannot go forward with his wrongful conviction claim against the state, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled. In an opinion Friday, the states highest court directed the Nebraska Court of Appeals to dismiss Mohammed Nadeems civil case because he cannot ... establish his actual innocence. No one disputes Nadeem is legally innocent. In 2010, a Lancaster County jury found him, then 22 and newly in Nebraska from the Sudan, guilty of attempted first-degree sexual assault and attempted third-degree sexual assault of a minor over an encounter with a 14-year-old girl hed talked to at a Lincoln library in 2009. In August 2009, Nadeem met the girl, who told him she was 15, at Eiseley Branch Library near 14th and Superior streets and gave her his number on a scrap of paper. She told her mom, who told library staff, who told police. The next day, the teenager called him with police listening to what became a graphic call that ended with a plan to meet at the library. When Nadeem got there, Lincoln police arrested him. At trial in June 2010, Nadeems attorney argued it was police entrapment; and the state argued his actions were a substantial step toward committing sexual assault and pointed to testimony from library staff who said theyd seen him watching young girls at the library in the months before his arrest. The jury found him guilty, but the Court of Appeals ultimately vacated Nadeems conviction in 2013, finding his trial attorney ineffective for, among other things, not arguing to keep the librarians from testifying or for the judge to give a jury instruction on entrapment. Prosecutors didnt retry him. By then, Nadeem already had served a three- to six-year prison sentence. In 2015, he sought $500,000 under the Nebraska Wrongful Conviction and Imprisonment Act as compensation. When a Lincoln judge dismissed his claim, Nadeem appealed. In a split decision in June, the Court of Appeals reversed the decision, finding that it was a question for a jury. This time, the state sought review. In an opinion Friday, Supreme Court Justice Max Kelch wrote that a prototypical example of actual innocence is a case where the state has convicted the wrong person of the crime. Nadeems complaint didnt allege an absence of facts, which reflects his actual innocence, as required, Kelch wrote. It came down to a lack of intent. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The Oakland worker strike that has shut down most city services will stretch into next week, but a bit of progress was made Friday when a union said it was willing to engage in mediation after Mayor Libby Schaaf declared an impasse. We reached out to City Negotiators to select a mutually agreeable mediator, despite the Mayors decision to prematurely declare impasse in negotiations, Rob Szykowny, chief negotiator for Service Employees International Union Local 1021, said in a statement. The union had previously proposed informal mediation, but now says it is willing to go through the more formal process spelled out under impasse procedures. A union representative said workers will stay out on strike nonetheless. Nearly 3,000 city workers have been on strike since Tuesday morning, picketing City Hall and shutting down most city services and buildings. Police, fire and other emergency services continue operating. The city and union agree on the first year of the contract, which includes a 4 percent raise for workers. The second year remains contested. The city gave the union what Schaaf called Oaklands last, best and final offer Thursday night, but the union counteroffered early Friday just after midnight. In the citys final offer, workers in the second year would see a guaranteed 1 percent raise and an additional 1 percent increase would depend on whether the city met revenue targets. The unions counteroffer asked for a 4 percent raise in the second year to be phased in by 1 percent each quarter. Schaaf said that proposal posed an unacceptable level of financial risk to the city. The offer we have made to SEUI is fair and responsible to both our workers and to the public, the residents of Oakland that rely on basic city services every day, Schaaf said. The offer that we have made exceeds the cost of living increase in the Bay Area. We recognize that this is an expensive place to live and our workers, like many Oaklanders, are struggling with these increasing costs. I for one, remember quite vividly the horrific layoffs that this city suffered from in 2010, which impacted both workers and residents when we cut a quarter of our workforce. We cannot afford to go back to that fiscal instability. Szykowny said the mayor misrepresented the facts. Again the mayor is actually incorrect, he said. The cost of living is rising at a rate that exceeds the citys wage proposal. Furthermore, and more significantly, the city made no effort to engage and reach agreement with the union on issues related to working conditions and health and safety of the community. Some state elected officials, including state Assemblyman Rob Bonta, D-Alameda, and state Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate John Chiang, showed up Friday outside City Hall to support the striking workers as they picketed. I know firsthand the importance of a living wage and high-quality affordable health care and retirement security, Bonta said through a megaphone to cheers from the crowd. These times are hard, but I stand with you. Alameda County Supervisors Nate Miley and Richard Valle also showed up. Miley took the megaphone, calling on Schaaf and the City Council to get it resolved not later, but now. ... Were in solidarity with you. Workers said they did not anticipate being out of their jobs this long but are committed to standing up for better pay. Frankie Izzo, a Head Start family advocate, stood in front of the Lionel J. Wilson Building holding a picket sign and cigarette in one hand and the leash for her Pomeranian-Chihuahua, Champ, in the other. Izzo, 56, said shes worked for Oaklands Head Start program for more than 20 years. She said she saved up some money in anticipation of the strike, but four days without pay is taking a financial toll. Im gonna make it at least this month, Izzo said. Its devastating to lose this much money out of our paychecks. Izzo said she moved out of Oakland two years ago after she could no longer afford rising rents. I love this city. It hurts me I cant vote here anymore. It hurts me I cant ride my bike to work anymore, she said. I couldnt pay rent. Now she rents a cottage behind a friends home in San Leandro for $1,000 a month, she said. That friend is also an Oakland Head Start employee on strike, Izzo said, so she still has to find money to pay her rent so the friend, also without a paycheck, can afford to pay the mortgage. But Izzo said she isnt deterred from striking. Ill do whatever I have to do, she said. Weve all worked so hard for so long without being fairly compensated. Felipe Cuevas, Oakland chapter president of SEIU Local 1021, said the citys last offer was basically the same as the previous two. Cuevas said many union members lost homes during the recession and have yet to see the fruits of new economic growth themselves. We want them to sit down with us and really start dealing with us, Cuevas said at Frank Ogawa Plaza. It doesnt matter if were bargaining or not, these problems are not going to go away. The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, which is also deep in negotiations and reviewing similar proposals, has been on a solidarity strike. Members of other unions, including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245, are also refusing to cross the picket line. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno The dispute Oakland city negotiators and SEIU Local 1021 have been bargaining for seven months on a two-year labor contract. They have agreed to the terms of the first year, which include a 4 percent raise, but remain in disagreement over pay raises for the second year. In the second year, the union wants a guaranteed 2 percent raise. The city says it can guarantee only 1 percent and will give the other 1 percent only if revenue allows. Next steps The city has declared an impasse and wants the union to agree to state mediation to resolve the conflict. The union can opt instead for fact-finding, which is a nonbinding recommendation from an impartial third party. The strike will continue into next week. LA CONCHITA, Ventura County Hoping to take advantage of a lull in the wind, an army of firefighters in Southern California embarked on a major offensive Friday against seven fires that have carved paths of destruction between Santa Barbara and San Diego. Fierce Santa Ana winds have been whipping flames through wildlands, densely populated neighborhoods and rural communities all week and provoked two more fires in San Diego County over the past two days, but fire crews were waiting for their chance to pounce and took it Friday. Were taking advantage of the lull in the wind and we are going with a direct assault, said Fire Chief Jack Piccinini of the Rincon Valley and Windsor Fire Protection District, and an incident commander on the Thomas Fire, which has burned 143,000 acres in Ventura County and was heading toward Santa Barbara Friday afternoon. The Thomas Fire, which started Sunday night, is the largest of the fires that have scorched Ventura, Los Angeles and San Diego counties. It was 10 percent contained Friday as firefighters set about building firebreaks to pinch off the flames. Dozens of airplanes and helicopters dropped retardant, and bulldozers dug trenches where firefighters planned to make a stand far in advance of the leading edge of the ferocious blaze, which was about 15 miles southeast of the beachside community of Santa Barbara around sunset. The fire has also encroached into Los Padres National Forest from the east, west and north. Mandatory evacuations were in place in parts of Santa Barbara County, prompting President Trump to declare a federal state of emergency for the West Coast for the second time since almost two dozen fires raged through the Wine Country and other parts of Northern California in October, killing 44 people and destroying thousands of homes. Our priority is the portion of the fire heading toward Santa Barbara, said Mark Brown, the fire operations chief who is also deputy chief of the Marin County Fire Department. That portion of the fire significantly slowed. Brown, who, along with Piccinini, has been fighting major fires since July, said the Santa Ana winds were at least predictable, blowing from east to west, but without them fire behavior can be erratic. This fire is going to spread in every direction of the compass depending on the terrain and the microclimate where the flames happen to be, he said. We have to be ready for everything. More than 400 structures, including at least 73 homes and three commercial buildings, have been destroyed in the fire, which, combined with all the other conflagrations, have sent clouds of smoke wafting throughout California, including the Bay Area. The wind-blown fires have put exhausted crews on edge because every time they get a handle on one fire, another one blows up. Thats what happened with the Lilac Fire in San Diego County, which forced hundreds of firefighters to scramble southward when it started around 11:15 a.m. Thursday. It grew to 4,100 acres overnight and leveled at least 85 structures including a mobile home retirement community and at least 20 other homes. Three people were burned escaping from flames, said Capt. Nick Schuler of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire. The Lilac, which was 15 percent contained Friday evening, swept through the sprawling San Luis Rey Downs training facility for thoroughbreds in the town of Bonsall, killing as many as 25 horses that were trapped in their stalls. Many of the more than 450 horses at the facility were cut loose so they could escape on their own from the stables, said Mac McBride of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Horse trainer Scott Hansen said some of his 30 horses at the facility were killed. The California Horse Racing Board said most of the horses died in eight barns that burned. Many others in adjacent pastures were unaccounted for, he said. Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in the county. I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that continued effective response is beyond the capabilities of state and local governments, Brown wrote in a letter to Trump. Yet another fire erupted on Friday near the mountain town of Alpine, about 30 miles east of downtown San Diego. More than 1,000 firefighters, aided by seven air tankers and 15 helicopters, have mobilized to fight the fires in San Diego County. In all, 10,000 people in the path of the San Diego County blazes have been evacuated, 900 of whom are now in shelters in that region, officials said. The devastation across Southern California has been enormous, as nearly 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate, homes and neighborhoods have burned, and at least three people have been injured. A woman was found dead in her car near Ojai in Ventura County and her death has been attributed to the Thomas Fire. The cost to the federal government, combined with the $7.4 billion it will take to rebuild after the deadly fires in Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Yuba counties, is expected to be enormous, and fire officials say their problems are far from over. The Thomas Fire was the first fire and the weather conditions havent changed significantly since that first day and new fires keep happening, said Todd Derum, incident commander for the Thomas Fire, who is also the Cal Fire operations chief for Sonoma County. That puts a strain on firefighters, physically and mentally. This portion of Southern California has not received significant rainfall, so the wildland fuels are just as dry as they were in late summer or fall. The Santa Ana winds, which fanned the fires earlier this week, were expected to kick up again through the weekend, with gusts of up to 30 miles per hour, said Drew Peterson, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. On Friday, after the worst of the winds had passed, soupy smog clouded the coast from Ventura to Santa Barbara. It was so thick that the ocean couldnt be seen from the iconic Pacific Coast Highway. Even the most committed of surfers stayed home. The state beaches were empty and the storefronts were closed. Though evacuation orders in many areas had been lifted and roads reopened, some residents decided not to return home because of the poor air quality. Electricity was out in some areas of the fire zones and officials said it could take days to weeks to restore it. Peter Dugre, 35, briefly returned to his home in La Conchita, which looked like it would be consumed by the Thomas Fire until fire crews dug in and the wind shifted. Embers and ash dusted the front porch, and plastic sand buckets and clothes hangers were blown askew. He hummed Elton Johns Im Still Standing. Its a goddamn miracle this place is still here, Dugre said of the tiny hamlet Friday as he hosed down his patio before heading to Carpinteria, where a long-delayed meal was waiting. I was already resigned to the fact that this place was burning down. I had no idea I would be so emotional until I saw my house still here. Smoke from the fires drifted all the way to the Bay Area, prompting officials to declare a Spare the Air alert over the weekend. It is so bad in Southern California that the chunks of ash are pirouetting around in the wind like snowflakes, dusting every car window and sticking in peoples hair. As the air quality worsened Friday, face masks sold out at stores across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. My friend had to grab them for me, said Stephen Clark, 21, who drove to Santa Barbara from Goleta to get another mask for his sister. I have asthma and can feel myself having trouble breathing. I have a headache and feel drowsy. I cant believe the smoke is so bad. Bay Area firefighters from more than a dozen departments are helping combat the fires in a kind of quid pro quo after Southern California personnel helped fight the Wine Country fires. They seem to have gotten a handle on a fire that broke out Thursday in Riverside County, near the cities of Murrieta and Temecula. The Liberty Fire, which burned 300 acres, was 60 percent contained Friday. Three other fires are being beaten back, including the 15,619-acre Creek Fire, which destroyed five homes and 10 structures in the Sylmar and Lake View Terrace areas of Los Angeles. It was 70 percent contained. The 6,049-acre Rye Fire in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County, which started Tuesday, is 50 percent contained and the 475-acre Skirball Fire, which broke out Wednesday morning in the Bel-Air hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, was 50 percent contained. The Getty Center, which had been threatened by the fire, announced it would reopen Friday. Classes at nearby UCLA also resumed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Lizzie Johnson, Peter Fimrite and Sophie Haigney are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com, pfimrite@sfchronicle.com, sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn, @pfimrite, @SophieHaigney Prison sentence for smuggling aliens ALBANY A 70-year-old Russian citizen was sentenced last week to more than three years in prison for smuggling aliens into the country from Canada, federal prosecutors said. Nikolay Souslov, who has three aliases, smuggled people into the U.S. through the woods during the night from 2013 to 2016, said acting U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent John C. Pfeifer. Souslov was convicted after a four-day jury trial in May. Chief U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby also ordered him to serve a three-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release. Souslov used only a compass to guide people through the woods to a pickup spot, where they were taken to New Jersey. On Oct. 19, 2016, Border Patrol arrested Souslov as he led an alien into the U.S. Gun dealing draws term of probation ALBANY A Gloversville man was sentenced Thursday to three years of probation for dealing guns without a license, federal prosecutors said. Shelley L. Bovee, 63, was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and perform 50 hours of community service, said Acting U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Ashan M. Benedict, special agent in charge with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. As part of an August guilty plea, Bovee admitted that three times in 2016 he sold five firearms, including two .22 caliber rifles, a .30-30 caliber long gun, a .410 caliber shotgun, and an AR-15 variant rifle. Bovee admitted to selling the guns for a profit without having the required federal firearms license. Endangering charge for Gloversville mom GLOVERSVILLE A 29-year-old mother was charged with failing to feed her baby boy, Gloversville police said. Police say Crystyl Mohrlock-Young of Gloversville intentionally did not feed the infant whose condition was so dire that he was sent to the Nathan Littauer Hospital emergency room. Police said the baby was being treated for malnutrition and dehydration. Mohrlock-Young was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. The arrest follows an investigation by Fulton County Child Protective Services and the Gloversville police. Case workers from the county allegedly discovered unopened cans of formula in the residence. The baby will be placed in foster care. Staff reports Whenever news trickles out about the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement, more numbers always seem to follow, underscoring the trade pacts necessity for Nebraska. The latest detail comes from the Nebraska Farm Bureau, which recently released a report on the agreements impact on agriculture. Canada and Mexico, the two other participants, have become the states leading trade partners, accounting for $2.96 billion in agricultural exports, 45 percent of Nebraskas total, in 2016. As the Farm Bureau report correctly noted: Any way you measure it, Mexico and Canada are critically important customers for Nebraska agriculture. Thats why its imperative the Trump administration preserve this deal, or at least certain provisions critical to farmers and ranchers, lest they face even more significant financial hurdles going forward. Already, those key trade partners have begun testing the waters in other overseas markets should this stream of Midwestern bounty dry up. Yes, weve been banging the drum on this topic for more than a year now, ever since President Donald Trump floated withdrawing from the pact as a negotiating tactic. Thats because NAFTA is of the utmost importance to the states leading industry, which is already suffering a downturn. Now that we have a price tag on the impact of a potential exit, its time to sound the alarm louder than ever. The estimated $2.96 billion hit just represents agricultural exports, but that figure still exceeds the Gross Domestic Product of 27 countries, according to World Bank statistics from 2016. For comparison, Nebraska has a budget of slightly more than $9 billion this year. Nebraska farmers and ranchers are relatively fortunate that not all of their eggs are in that particular basket, given the trade deals murky future. Nineteen other states exceed the states 45 percent of 2016 agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico. But only four states California, Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota had farm and ranch exports to NAFTA compatriots exceeding $3 billion last year. Without $2.96 billion of agricultural exports to those two countries, Nebraskas $2.8 billion trade surplus in all industries would have shriveled to a deficit. Free trade agreements have been one of the best developments to increase economies globally. A rising tide indeed lifts all boats, including those in Nebraska. Forty-nine of Nebraskas 93 counties received exported than $10 million in farm goods via NAFTA last year, while farms in 84 counties averaged more than $10,000 in 2016 sales to Canada and Mexico. Easy access to North American markets is vital for the economic success of agriculture, which is felt by all Nebraskans urban and rural. This latest report further highlights and specifies the negative impact a NAFTA withdrawal would have on this state. Journal Star, Dec. 8, 2017 Texas colleges, including the University of Houston, have been targets for white supremacists this past year. In September, UH student Michael Leone spotted racist fliers from Vanguard America around campus. Leone took down the fliers and told Chron.com that he's "not going to let U of H, one of the most diverse campuses in America, get a reputation as a safe space for Nazis and fascists to come and recruit people." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The family of Edvin Mendez had been desperately searching for the missing teen for nearly a month when his brother reached out to an acquaintance of Mendez's on Facebook looking for help, according to newly unsealed search warrants. Sergio Triminio, 14, agreed to meet the brother in September 2016 and told him a chilling story: Mendez, 17, of Falls Church, Virginia had been abducted by MS-13 and killed because they thought he was a spy for their archrival, the 18th Street gang. The next day Sergio disappeared, too, after leaving his family's Alexandria, Virginia, apartment in his pajamas to take out the trash, the court documents say. He was also targeted by MS-13, possibly for speaking with Mendez's brother. The bodies of the two teens were discovered in unmarked graves in Fairfax County's Holmes Run Park in February, two more young victims in a wave of violence by the brutal street gang, which has gripped the Washington region and sparked national concern. Until now, the identities of the victims and what befell them had remained a mystery, since police announced their discovery in early March. Fairfax County police and the FBI have been investigating the slayings, but charges have yet to be brought. Neither agency would comment for this article. Sergio's mother, Karla Triminio, said Friday that the grief has been unbearable for the family. She said her 3-year-old daughter keeps asking where her older brother is. "I tell her that he's in heaven," Karla Triminio said. "But then she goes around looking for heaven, looking for him." The search warrants state Mendez received several calls on Aug. 28, 2016, from an unknown person. Mendez ignored the first two but answered the third. A family member told detectives she overheard Mendez saying, "Wait for me, I'll be right there." Mendez immediately left his family's apartment and was never seen again. On Sept. 1, his family officially reported him missing. In mid-September, family members reached out to police, saying they thought Mendez's disappearance might be gang-related, according to the search warrants filed in Fairfax Circuit Court. Then on Sept. 25, 2016, Mendez's brother met with Sergio at an Alexandria hotel, seeking information. The search warrant states that Sergio was an associate of MS-13, which is why he knew details of Mendez's killing. Mendez's family, which is from Guatemala, could not be reached for comment. Karla Triminio said she sent Sergio to take out the trash around 8 p.m. on Sept. 26, 2016. When he didn't return after about 15 or 20 minutes, his mother said she began texting and calling him but got no response. At the time, Sergio was on probation and was wearing a court-ordered ankle bracelet, according to the search warrant. But after Sept. 26, 2016, the ankle bracelet's signal could not be detected, according to the search warrant. On Oct. 4, Sergio was officially reported missing. Karla Triminio said she thought Sergio had been approached by gang members at school before he went missing, leading to him having disciplinary problems. He began disappearing from home, so she went to police and juvenile court for help. She said Sergio was born in Honduras, before the family came to the United States. "He wasn't a bad kid," she said. "He had a family. He was caring." Triminio said she suspected MS-13 might be involved in her son's disappearance because a female gang member approached her after Sergio vanished and offered to help find him. The mother said she concluded the gang member was actually trying to see what information she had relayed to police. In mid-October of 2016, according to the court documents, police interviewed someone who said Sergio had a photo of Mendez and said he had been murdered around Aug. 28, 2016. Sergio did not tell the person what prompted the killing. In December 2016, police developed information that Mendez and Sergio were killed and buried in Holmes Run Park in the Lincolnia area of the county. Police said the gravesites were found about 300 yards into the park on Feb. 28, 2017. Fairfax County police announced the discovery of the bodies on March 3. The location of the graves has an eerie resonance because MS-13 killed and buried two wayward gang members in Holmes Run Park in 2013. Those murders became part of a high-profile federal prosecution that cracked down on MS-13 in Northern Virginia. In recent years, MS-13 has reconstituted itself both in Virginia and Maryland. The gang, which has some 900 to 1,100 members locally, is the region's biggest and most violent gang. MS-13 has been involved in grisly killings in recent years that have often targeted teens. Earlier this year, police found the body of 15-year-old Damaris Reyes Rivas near a Springfield, Virginia park. Police say she was attacked with a knife and a large stick in a brutal killing that MS-13 members recorded on cellphones. The video was recently played in court during the trial of one her killers. The girl's shaken mother cried. A handful of people have been convicted of charges in the case, while others are awaiting trial. In Maryland earlier this month, Montgomery County prosecutors detailed a particularly violent MS-13 killing during which an unidentified man was stabbed more than 100 times, decapitated and had his heart ripped out. Police believe as many as 10 gang members were involved in that slaying earlier this year. Karla Triminio said the past year has been one of terrible anxiety. "The pain never ends," she said. Two people died during Thursdays freezing temperatures while trying to cross South Texas ranch land, according to the Border Patrol. Members of a family trying to enter the U.S. called 911 early Thursday reporting they were lost on a ranch near the city of Eagle Pass, according to a news release from the Border Patrol. By the time agents arrived, one of the three had already died. UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations said Friday that at least 15 peacekeepers, all from Tanzania, were killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by militant extremists. It was the deadliest assault on the organization's peacekeeping forces in nearly a quarter-century. Five Congolese soldiers also died, and at least 40 other people were injured when the militants attacked a U.N. base in the North Kivu region Thursday evening, the organization said in a statement from its mission in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital. U.N. peacekeeping officials attributed the attack to a militant group known as the Allied Democratic Forces, which has its origins in neighboring Uganda and is accused of killing hundreds of people over the past three years. The Ugandan government has sought to link the group al-Qaida and al-Shabab, the Islamic militants that have terrorized Somalia. But while the Allied Democratic Forces are mostly Muslim, U.N. peacekeeping officials said, the group does not appear to be driven by religious extremist ideology but more by profit. Its members prey on the mining industry in North Kivu through extortion and other gangsterlike behavior. Maman Sidikou, the head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Kinshasa, said the fighters had attacked the mission's operating base near the Uganda border. The U.N. secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, condemned the attack, saying it constituted "a war crime" and was the worst attack on peacekeepers in recent history. Peacekeeping officials said the North Kivu attack constituted the worst single loss since 22 Pakistani peacekeepers were killed in Somalia in 1993. The United Nations declined to say how many militants were killed in the North Kivu attack, but a spokesman for the Congolese army in North Kivu, Capt. Mak Hazukay, said 72 died. The raid took place at a place called Semulikia. The region was a stronghold for the militant group, according to the Congo Research Group, but in early 2014, most of its camps there were destroyed in raids by the Congolese army. BRUSSELS - Now comes the hard part. Under severe constraints of time and internal politics, British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday hammered out an initial agreement with the European Union to move British talks on exiting the bloc to the next, more serious phase. A senior European official, Martin Selmayr, even posted on Twitter a picture of white smoke billowing from a chimney, as if a new Pope had been elected. Yet, this initial deal was no miracle but a hard slog, with harder battles ahead. The pact resolved a trio of issues that had taken the better part of nine months to negotiate. It avoided a "hard" border in Ireland; set the mechanism to calculate Britain's "divorce bill," estimated at $47 billion to $52 billion, roughly double May's original offer; and established judicial protocols to protect the rights of the 3 million European citizens in Britain and the million British citizens in the European Union. May clinched the deal with a unilateral promise - details to be negotiated later - that Britain would not reimpose physical border controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU, even if Britain ultimately fails to strike a trade deal with the bloc. The pact put a patina of success on an effort by the government that was characterized by internal quarreling and an occasionally humiliating and ultimately hopeless effort to bend the EU to its will. It was punctuated by a disastrous election that left a weakened May with a minority government and numerous pretenders to her throne circling like sharks in a tank. Difficult as that was, most analysts agree that the second stage of negotiations will be far harder. Britain and the EU will begin to tangle with the finer details of the divorce settlement and the structure, at least, of the future relationship that Britain, as a nonmember, will have with the European Union. For that to happen, though, the badly divided Cabinet members will have to stop bickering and begin to work out agreements among themselves. At the same time they will need to grapple at the negotiating table with a dominant EU that is determined to make an example of Britain to any other member states thinking of cutting ties. "This deal has only been done through a mixture of fudge and playing for time," said Peter Ricketts, a former senior British diplomat with long European experience and a member of the House of Lords. On the border, he said, "no one has solved the underlying problem of how to have a border if there is no deal with the European Union," which will be the subject of further talks. Even then, he added: "This was the easy part, but now the British Cabinet has to confront some real choices. Now, we get to the really divisive part about what kind of future trading relationship we want with Brussels." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate State Assemblyman Matt Dababneh announced his resignation Friday, days after three women accused him of sexual misconduct, including a lobbyist who said he followed her into a restroom and masturbated in front of her. The Democrat from Encino (Los Angeles County) is the second California assemblyman to resign within two weeks and the third lawmaker in the Capitol to face sexual misconduct accusations from multiple women. Dababnehs resignation is effective Jan. 1 and comes even though he denies all the allegations and says he believes an investigation will prove his innocence. The most serious of the allegations against him came from Sacramento lobbyist Pamela Lopez, who said Dababneh pushed his way into a restroom with her last year and tried to get her to touch his exposed genitals as he masturbated. To be absolutely clear, the allegations made against me are not true, Dababneh said in a statement. However, due to the current environment, I, unfortunately, no longer believe I can serve my district effectively, as I have done for the last four years. After Lopez came forward, the Assembly hired an outside investigator to look into the allegations. Jean Hyams, Lopezs lawyer, said this week that Lopez had not decided yet whether to file a complaint with police since going public about the January 2016 incident at a Las Vegas party. Matt Dababnehs resignation is yet another sign that the culture is changing, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood (Los Angeles County), said in a statement. The Assembly will continue our work to hasten that change, to make the Legislature an institution where people are safe, survivors are helped and perpetrators are held accountable. Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles County), resigned from his seat on Nov. 27 amid several allegations of sexual misconduct. State Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia (Los Angeles County), was stripped of his chairmanship until an investigation into sexual misconduct is completed. A second woman, Jessica Yas Barker, accused Dababneh of sexual harassment Monday, saying the incidents occurred when they worked as congressional staffers for Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles County). Barker said Dababneh would routinely make inappropriate sexual comments, brag about sexual encounters with other women and keep a drawer of condoms he liked to show off. She also said he would comment on her appearance, refer to her as Ellen a reference to comedian Ellen Degeneres and tell her she dressed like a lesbian. Both Lopez and Barker called on Dababneh to donate his campaign war chest to organizations that champion womens rights or fight violence against women after they heard he was resigning. Mr. Dababneh stepping down is not enough, Lopez said. The reality is that he still has a huge campaign war chest that he can use to wield political power. A third woman who spoke to The Chronicle on condition that her name not be published said she left her job as a legislative staffer for Dababneh because the assemblyman would routinely make detailed sexual comments about other women that made her uncomfortable. After the women came forward, several members of the Bruin Democrats at UCLA said on Twitter it was common practice to warn female interns to avoid Dababneh, a UCLA graduate. The allegations against Dababneh came after hundreds of women signed an open letter Oct. 17 calling for an end to pervasive sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in the state Capitol. The open letter led to a campaign called We Said Enough, which is working with the Legislature to reform its sexual harassment policies. This second resignation in a matter of weeks further demonstrates the pervasiveness of the problem and the continued need for confidential reporting, whistle-blower protections and appropriate due process so that victims no longer have to litigate their issues in the press, the group We Said Enough said in a statement. Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mgutierrez@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MelodyGutierrez We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy has demanded urgent Government action to deal with the fodder crisis facing farmers across the country. He also called for the current review of the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme to ensure more targeted aid to those farmers on mountain land and lowlands who face specific difficulties. The Midlands North West MEP, who is a member of the European Parliaments Agriculture Committee made the remarks at a meeting of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association in Sligo on Friday evening. Matt Carthy said: Farmers across the country are facing into a very serious fodder crisis. Excessive rainfall this year has resulted in farmers having to start early feeding of livestock, and they are unable to get a second cut of silage. Waterlogged fields have forced many farmers to keep cattle indoors throughout the worst of the summer weather and grass intended for silage could not be cut across much of the North West. "Farmers have observed 10 dry days between July and October for drying and evaporation. Fodder shortages have now spread to the border counties and Midlands. The fodder situation is serious and getting worse. Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed must urgently address this deepening crisis and implement a fodder scheme to establish a fund for affected farmers. He needs to introduce an emergency fodder scheme immediately. "The Government must step in to assist our farmers. While farmers have been warning about this problem for months now, the Minister for Agriculture has been claiming there is sufficient fodder across the country. Farmers have warned that any fodder that they do manage to produce now will be of poor quality - leading to potential animal health problems. The last time the Government was forced into action on these issues was in 2013. At that time, there was an increase in the number of contacts made by farmers to the Pieta House suicide prevention centre in Limerick following a joint initiative with the IFA. There were massive mental health difficulties as a result of cash flow problems. Addressing the Areas of Natural Consent (ANC) review Mr Carthy said: Sinn Fein has consistently called for special recognition for the extra difficulties faced by mountain farmers in the review. I have also called for farmers constrained by lowlands to receive more targeted aid. Sinn Fein Senators submitted a motion calling for the retention of mountain sheep grazing as a separate category after the review of the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme; payments to properly reflect the multiple constraints experienced by those farming mountain type land; for payments to be set at similar rates to the offshore islands rates; the new, mapped ANC areas to be published in time to have a proper consultation before they are sent in draft to the EU. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael voted against this motion and Minister Creed rejected any alignment of hill and island rates. I have called for the Minister to use the extension of the ANC review wisely as well as not to use this exercise as an attempt to kick the review down the road. It is regrettable that the fact that this money will be distributed before the review has been conducted will mean that the money may not be targeted towards those most deserving." You may also like to read: Worsening fodder crisis in Longford and Leitrim must be addressed Meeting to discuss worsening fodder crisis Longford farmers brace themselves for fodder crisis Things dont always go according to plan. But sometimes they turn out pretty nicely just the same. Days before Thanksgiving a year ago I brought home an eight-week-old chocolate Lab I named Chief D. Toblerone, aka Toby. With a part-time job and a light, flexible freelance schedule I intended to train him into a spectacular bird-finder and well-mannered hunting partner. Turns out it wasnt the ideal year to take on the job. Early training progressed more or less as expected before things went south starting in August. DNRs August Roadside Survey indicated pheasant numbers were down considerably in North Iowa, hardly ideal for starting a pup. Then, as faithful readers will recall, my part-time job turned full-time plus due to understaffing at the Human Society of North Iowa. (Yep, theyre still hiring.) Shooting a pheasant or two on opening weekend was all but a done deal when I trained my previous labs. They were ready and the birds were readily available. As a young pup Toby had the opportunity to find a few roosters I brought home from successful late-season hunts. On spring and summer walks hed occasionally jump birds from the road ditch, demonstrating considerable enthusiasm in the process. Yet our interrupted late-summer training meant Toby had only a handful of pigeons shot over him before the opener and no meaningful experience with tracking birds in heavy cover. Unsure of his abilities, I envisioned shooting his first few roosters at point-blank range in light cover, hoping theyd be stone dead and easy to find. The birds had other ideas. The roosters we did encounter many of which were likely older birds experienced with dogs and hunters tended towards thicker vegetation and often flushed on the edge of range or beyond. I passed on such shots while waiting for those gimmes. By late November, just a few days before Thanksgiving and about a year after he officially became mine, we were still seeking Tobys first rooster. We headed to the restored prairie my wife and I own along the Winnebago River on a beautiful fall morning: sunny skies, cool but not cold temperatures and a light-to-moderate breeze. As we worked the south edge of the grass a rooster flew from the hillside and landed at the edge of a willow thicket over 100 yards ahead. A second did the same another 200 or so yards further down. I guided Toby along the thicket and then waded into some heavier cover in a small depression at the end. The young dog skirted the tangle before diving in a bit far ahead, sending a cackling, low-flying rooster at marginal range sailing deeper into the willows. I held off. From there we made several passes working north through the grass. Toby bounced around happily but without purpose. As far as he knew we were just out for a walk. Along the way we chanced upon the occasional hen. Whenever one flushed I laid on the praise whether Toby had anything to do with it or not. After a few such encounters I noticed Toby tense up, put his nose to the ground and snake through the grass deliberately. Twenty yards or so later another hen popped out almost underfoot. He gave chase for just a few steps and then watched it fly away before bounding excitedly back to me for a double helping of good boys. Instinct was overcoming inexperience. Toby demonstrated considerably more application thereafter and was rewarded with several flushes. He even trailed one runner for 100 yards or more while still returning to my whistles each time he got too far ahead. (My eight-year-old veteran lab Hank could take a lesson!) Yet after nearly two hours we had yet to see another rooster. Finally I accepted what should have been obvious: it was time to take the training wheels off and let Toby hunt roosters where they were instead of where I wanted them to be. The mostly impenetrable thicket features a few low spots where pockets of thick sedges and reed canary grass contain only a smattering of pencil-thin willows. We found a deer trail winding through such an area and waded in. Soon an indignant rooster cackled as he erupted from the chin-deep jungle, within range but not exactly close. I swung my Ruger on the fleeing bird. He dropped with the first shot, but I could tell the hit hadnt been solid. Now I had exactly the scenario Id hoped to avoid all season: a wounded rooster down in thick cover and a green dog that had never tangled with a live pheasant. Toby charged in from my left as I worked toward the mark. Raw though he was, those few training sessions and a handful of duck hunts had taught him that gunshots often mean birds. As expected, the rooster was not where I thought it had fallen. Find it, I encouraged. Toby stuck his nose to the ground and once again assumed a businesslike demeanor as he plunged into the dense vegetation. Soon I heard the unmistakable sound of wingbeats up ahead, followed by silence. A good liar might describe how the pup emerged with the still-kicking rooster clenched firmly in his jaws, head held high as the sunlight rimmed him with a heavenly glow. Ok, not quite. When the sound stopped I waded in to find Toby astride the wounded bird with a paw on each wing, obviously enthused but a bit uncertain how to proceed. I dispatched the rooster, praised Toby lavishly and tossed his prize back into the grass. With encouragement he picked it up and pranced around a bit, obviously pleased with himself. It wasnt a storybook start to what hasnt been a storybook hunting season for Toby and I, but sometimes things that dont go according to plan turn out pretty nicely just the same. Ballymahon Vocational School has been selected as the Ambassador School for the Irish Heart Foundation after their project got noticed in the BT Young Scientist 2017. And, as a direct result of the schools initiative - Defib Demo - The Heart of the Matter at the BT Young Scientist 2017, The Irish Heart Foundation in association with Bank of Ireland launched the CPR 4 schools training programme which is designed for post-primary schools and equips teachers with the skills to deliver CPR training to teach their students. Speaking to the Leader, Ciara Moughty, 5th Year student, Ballymahon Vocational School explained what the project entailed. Our project was to design and develop an educational based programme around CPR that could be easily used in schools, she added, before pointing out that the aim was to create awareness around CPR, the use of AD machines and general life saving skills. We had seven aims one of which included taking the fear out of saving a life and we also raised awareness in our school about the importance of providing Eircodes to the emergency services. We also showed students how to do CPR and we had a whole day dedicated to that in the school. The group also got in contact with the Ballymahon Defibrillator Group and with their help learned the points in the locality where the defibs are located. The students are also trained in CPR themselves. According to the Irish Heart Foundation 70% of cardiac arrests happen in the home and the chances of recovery decrease by 10% for every minute that proper care isnt administered. The CPR 4 Schools team deliver training via education centres to teachers who are then provided with an online programme which can be taught effectively in the classroom. In addition, the Irish Heart Foundation provides schools with free kits worth 600 which consist of training mannequins to encourage hands-on practice. Meanwhile, back at Ballymahon Vocational School students across all years are becoming more and more interested in the initiative and aware of the importance of having life saving skills. Those involved the BT Young Scientist 2017 project say that they can see a change already in their school and the outcome for the years ahead is very positive at this stage. It is so important to know how to do CPR; now I would feel confident if I found myself in a situation where I had to do it whereas before this project I would have been frightened, added Ciara. I am so much more aware of sudden death and cardiac arrest matters now; so is everyone at our school, it is brilliant. You may also like to read: Ballymahon students in calf-rearing All-Ireland final Revised plans for Dun Aras in Ballymahon Selling Ballymahon as a tourist location There was good news for the Longford arts scene last week as locally-raised artist Bernard Canavan stepped up alongside Liam Neeson to collect his Presidential Distinguished Service award. Canavan and Neeson were the only two Irish people abroad to receive the award in the Arts, Culture and Sport category, while eight other Irish abroad were recognised in five other categories. Announcing the award recipients in October, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney TD said: These remarkable people have provided a sustained service and commitment to Ireland and Irish communities abroad, and it is fitting that they have been selected to be honoured by the President. This is the sixth year in which recipients have received this Award, and the ceremony remains a very important opportunity to acknowledge those who have helped to build and expand our reputation across the globe. The diverse contributions of these individuals extends across six different categories, and the impact of their work and dedication is evident across a number of countries. Minister for Diaspora Affairs and International Development, Ciaran Cannon TD, added: As Minister of State for the Diaspora, I am aware of the profound impact our global family has had around the world in a variety of fields. There were 95 nominations for these awards this year, and the level and breadth of the achievements of the people nominated are, by any measure, remarkable. That the recipients of these awards represent Ireland to the world should be an immense source of pride to all of us, as it is to me, and I am glad that we have the opportunity to acknowledge them as such. This is the sixth year of the Presidential Distinguished Service Awards, which recognise the work of Irish people living abroad. It was Bernard's art that captured the eye of the judges. Having grown up in Edgeworthstown, before emigrating to Britain in 1959, Bernard's art is based around the theme of emigration and, specifically, the mass exodus of Irish people to Britain when he was a boy. He has had a number of highly acclaimed exhibitions on the emigrant theme both in Ireland and London. Bernard is passionate about the subject of the forgotten Irish and much of his work highlights this theme. He has previously supported Irish community endeavours through the donation of artwork. A documentary on his life is currently being prepared by a London based Irish documentary producer. You may also like to read: Longford Lives: Bernard Canavan representing the forgotten Irish in London through art Artist with a special touch Forging links in London to highlight Longfords potential After Thanksgiving, the air in this place changes, Carmine Boal says about the Iowa Capitol, where she already is seeing an uptick in activity as lawmakers and staff prepare for the 2018 legislative session. Boal, a member of the Iowa House for 10 years and chief clerk of the House for five sessions, is dealing with personnel changes as well as a new computer program. She also found time to fit in active shooter training. It made me feel better, Boal said about the training by the Iowa State Patrol, which advised Capitol employees what to do in the event of an armed encounter. Iowa State Patrol Capt. Mark Logsdon has offered the training in most Capitol Complex offices. In light of legislation approved earlier this year allowing people to carry concealed weapons in the Capitol, he offered it to employees there. Craig Cronbaugh has never felt unsafe in the 20 years hes worked in the Legislative Information Office on the ground floor of the Capitol. Hes seen people get upset about legislation, but it never gets out of hand. Theyre just reacting to what they believe in. Like Boal, he found the armed encounter training helpful. Im not sure whether anyone will be able to go back to the training or theyll be scared clueless if someone actually points a gun at them, Cronbaugh said. But its helpful to know what to do and not to do if there is an active shooter in the building. One of the most important things they told us was not to crawl under your desk and box yourself in, he said. They were told, he said, to try to flee first, attack second. Hiding under the desk was the third strategy. Logsdon, who oversees the Iowa State Patrol Post 16 that provides security at the Capitol, isnt planning any changes in response to the likelihood of more armed people visiting the Statehouse. Over the years, some lawmakers have acknowledged or hinted that they have carried handguns. Lawmakers and Capitol staff dont go through the security gates like other Iowans. Under the new law, Iowa joins 20 other states that officially allow some form of legal firearm carry for either visitors, legislators, employees or all of the above, according to the Crime Prevention Research Center. The center reported it knows of two times a handgun has misfired in a state capitol, and a handful of instances in which lawmakers temporarily misplaced their weapons. At the Iowa Capitol, a visitor carrying a weapon must have it completely concealed and show the permit to security officers staffing the entrance gates. So far, that hasnt been a problem, according to lead legislative security Officer Dave Garrison. About two people a week have brought handguns into the Capitol so far, he said. Garrison, a retired trooper who led Capitol security when the magnetometers were installed at the entrances after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, expects the number to increase in January when the Legislature convenes for its next session. Hell add an additional security officer at entrance gates during peak times to keep the foot traffic moving. Visitors with handguns will have to present their carry permit and the security officers will determine whether the gun is on their person or in a bag. We want to be discreet so that we dont make someone else uncomfortable, he said. The new law makes some people feel safer because there will be more good guys in the Capitol with weapons, Boal said. She and Cronbaugh have heard some employees talking about arming themselves more in jest, I think, Boal said. Others see the likelihood of more armed people creating more opportunities for bad to happen, they said. The Capitol is a workplace that is more volatile than others, Boal said. Logsdon agreed that emotions can run high at the Capitol. Hot-button issues such as collective bargaining, abortion and water quality drew large, passionate crowds to the Capitol this year. Thats why we try to be present, Logsdon said. It adds a little bit of concern when people are carrying. The best we can do is have a good uniform presence. His goal is to always try to be sure we have a safe place where people can have their voice heard, Logsdon said. click to go to homepage (Insert bad metaphor about the deal being a bridge to the next round of Brexit talks here.) Photo by Elisabeth Dellinger. It is a truth universally acknowledged that two parties negotiating before arbitrary self-imposed deadlines will kick the can when said deadline arrives. To blatantly mix Jane Austen metaphors, you might call it good sense as well as sensibility. So naturally, one day after the US House and Senate kicked the can on a government shutdown for two weeks, the UK and EU kicked the can on Brexit. Of course, that isnt how either side describes it. No, no, this is a major breakthrough on Brexit Phase One! Call the Queen! Alert the corgis! Pip pip! But once you see through their marketing spin and break down the deal, two things remain apparent: Not much has changed, and Brexit remains a glacial process with little to no ability to surprise markets for good or ill. We believe it is mostly a part of Britain and the EUs long-term structural backdrop, not a reason for investors to be bearish or bullish today. To understand how we got here, see Exhibit 1. Exhibit 1: The Brexit Timeline Everyone Is Trying to Stick To Source: Various EU memoranda. Once an EU member-state invokes Article 50 of the EU Treaty, it launches a two-year exit process. Within those two years, the departing nation and EU must negotiate exit terms, which all member-states must ratify for the agreement to take effect. Presuming that happens, voila, Splitsville is official. This is much easier said than done. As with any long marriage that ends, it is complicated. For one, there is the money: The UK already committed to the EU budget through 2020, and its EU pension commitments stretch decades beyond that. Then there is the matter of EU citizens living in Britain (and UK expats living in the EU): Can they stay? What are their rights? Will EU laws protect Europeans in Britain? Whose courts have jurisdiction? Oh, and then there is the not-so-trivial matter of the border. While most everyone short-hands UK as Britain, it is actually the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The latter, of course, shares a border with the Republic of Ireland, which is in the EU. But it is a soft border, with free movement of humans and grazing cattle. Many people live on one side and work on the other. This is one of the crowning achievements of the 1990s Good Friday accords, which brought peace to Northern Ireland. Ending free movement would bring back terrible memories of the Troubles. With the exception of the Irish border, which impacts trade, Phase One is full of sociological issuesnot economic. But because they were preconditions for beginning Phase Two, which centers on post-Brexit trade talks, investors cared about them. When Phase One talks seemingly collapsed earlier this week over the Irish border issue, many thought it was a big deal. Now the resolution has everyone chattering, trying to figure out whether it improves the UKs chances of getting a good trade deal, whatever that means. In our view, it doesnt make them better or worse. Rather, it shows both sides are dedicated to maintaining the pretense of following a timeline. Theyd already penciled in the December 15 EU summit as the Phase One ratification date, and if they didnt meet it and get on to Phase Two, to say politicians would face a backlash probably understates it. We suspect this is why they are now touting an agreement that, near as we can tell, doesnt really address the more difficult issues. Claim: The UK and EU agreed on a 39 billion divorce bill, which refers to how much the UK will pay into the EU budget after Brexit. Reality: That 39 billion comes from conservative estimates of expected future payments, which the EU let Britain use when presenting the agreement to citizens. EU officials estimates peg it closer to 60 billion. In other words, the true divorce bill remains TBD. But considering EU commitments were already built into the Her Majestys long-term spending plans, nothing here is really a surprise or make-or-break for UK public finances. They agreed to pay something, but that was already a foregone conclusion. Claim: The European Court of Justice wont have jurisdiction in the UK. Reality: When deciding cases relating to EU nationals living in Britain, UK courts must defer to the European courts precedents and legal interpretations. For the first eight years, UK courts can voluntarily refer cases to the European court. In other words, expect plenty of grousing about sovereignty. Claim: EU citizens living in Britain can get permanent residency status, preserving access to benefits, while UK nationals living in EU states will have similar rights. Reality: Pretty much as advertised. Claim: No hard border between the UK and Ireland, with full regulatory alignment between Northern Ireland and the EU and no internal borders within the UK. Reality: Just a bunch of loose promises on both sides, with no practical details. They basically punted the issue as an item to address for real in Phase Two. Britain promised to present specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland. The EUs chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said, No one should underestimate the issues that we will face on this issue. In our view, it all amounts to a largely empty hey, look, we did it! for the sole purposes of ticking a box and going on to the next round. Which is totally fine. Thats how the eurozone got through its debt crisis, and it is what politicians do. But it doesnt change anything about Brexit overall. Questions still abound. Talks will still be tense. Everyone will quibble over the meaning of alignment. Rumors and leaks will still roil observers on both sides, sending lobbyists into overdrive. The EU is already warning divisions within Theresa Mays cabinet could delay the start of Phase Two. If her government is as fragile as most presume, we could have an entirely different cast of characters negotiating this thing by the end. Oh, and the end isnt really the end. All involved are still largely in favor of a post-Brexit transition period, which would let the actual Brexit phase in slowly. May envisions a two-year period, but EU leaders are thinking it will stretch to 2025, with the final accord not signed and ratified until then. 2025 is seven years and change away. For markets, this is a long time! Stocks usually look about 3 30 months ahead. Seven-plus years is far outside that realm. For the foreseeable future, it looks increasingly likely that the rules of doing business wont change much. Changes taking place afterward should be well-known long beforehand, giving markets ample time to adapt. There is very little room for sudden, sweeping change to take place the day after people discover it, and surprises are what move stocks most. Overall, we see Brexit similarly to the eurozones efforts to complete the currency union after the debt crisis: structural issues that fade into the background with time. Everyone knows they exist, with the potential to bring change years down the line. Sometimes they create uncertainty, which can weigh on sentiment. But they havent prevented economic expansion or a bull market. Eventually, it can lower sentiment further than fundamentals warrant, making positive surpriseand outperformancemore likely. So it was with the eurozone this year. Brexit can be the same. While the ultimate exit may carry consequences for stocks (depending on the specifics), in the near term, Brexit matters mostly for its influence on sentiment. Continued dread of a hard Brexit that chokes off UK/EU trade, coupled with fear that every seemingly weak economic data release is a result of Brexit, has baked Brexit jitters into UK stock prices. In our view, that sets up plenty of room for reality to surprise positively. How the media and investors treat Brexit from here will be one sign of how sentiment is evolving in the UK. But thats about the extent of Brexits near-term stock market relevance. Heres one way to determine what people and voters, presumably care about. On a weeknight during the holiday season in the state Capital, roughly 600 people attended events featuring discussions on Iowas mental health care and low-income health care systems. Even in the states biggest city, thats a lot of folks venturing out to hear about and discuss issues of the day. Its a headcount to which every state-level office-holder and candidate should pay close attention. On Tuesday evening, the Des Moines Register and Des Moines University hosted a forum on mental health care issues with the candidates running for governor in next years election. All 13 challengers appeared; Gov. Kim Reynolds was unable to attend due to a family vacation. Roughly 400 people attended. At the same time, the state Health Department held a public hearing on its $5 billion Medicaid program. State officials listened to thoughts and concerns from roughly 200 people. The concerns with the mental health care system are not necessarily new, nor are they confined to Iowa. States across the country are attempting to determine how best to serve residents with mental health care needs. Iowa recently shifted to a regional delivery system, which some advocates believe has helped. But concerns remain over bed and physician shortages, and stress on the law enforcement community, to name a few. Concerns with Medicaid largely surround the recent shift to privately managed care. Already, some people have expressed frustration that services, especially for those with a high level of care needs, have been reduced. Then, one of the three private companies being paid by the state to monitor the program dropped out, and a second said it can take no more new patients. There will be elections for the Iowa Legislature and governor in 2018. The party primary elections are in June, and the general election is in November. It would seem the candidates would do well to discuss mental health care and low-income health care issues, if they truly want to connect with Iowa voters on a topic that's clearly important to them. Tight race in Alabama The special election for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama is headed down to the wire, according to the latest from the University of Virginias Crystal Ball from Larry Sabato. The race between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones is a toss-up going into Tuesdays election, the Crystal Ball said this week. Much national attention has been paid to the race because of Republicans narrow 52-46 advantage in the U.S. Senate (both independents caucus with the Democrats) and charges of sexual misconduct from multiple women against Moore. Normally, this would figure to be a safe seat for the GOP. The Crystal Ball notes the polls, in aggregate, show Moore with a narrow lead within a typical margin for error. As the race enters its final days, there are reasons for optimism on both sides, though because of Alabamas conservatism, we suspect the Moore team may have more reason for it, the Crystal Ball said. Special election in Minnesota Iowas northern neighbor also could soon have a special election for a U.S. Senate seat after Democrat Al Franken announced this week he plans to resign in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. If Minnesota winds up with a special election, the Crystal Ball says the race would start with a rating of leans Democratic. The Democrats have a deeper bench of talent in the state and (Gov. Mark) Dayton will have the choice of several quality candidates to appoint, the Crystal Ball said. The midterm environment, which should have a Democratic lean with President Trump in the White House, helps Democrats in Minnesota too. BRITT | While Renee Diemer sat in her swivel chair at Diemer Realty Thursday morning and reflected on her mission trip to Haiti in early November, her voice cracked and her eyes welled up with tears. I always get teary-eyed when I talk about it. The little kids, she said, pausing to collect herself. Its just unbelievable what they have to deal with ... They have nothing. Diemer, owner of Diemer Realty, in Britt, was one of about 10 individuals from North Iowa who went on a 10-day trip to Les Cayes, Haiti, to provide dental care to children and adults through GoServ Global, a non-denominational, faith-based organization that provides humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable in communities around the world. Haiti a Caribbean country that has been ravaged by multiple hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters within the past decade has been home to a GoServ Global dental clinic that, with the help of Zion Lutheran Church of Clear Lake, has provided three treatment rooms, a sterilization area and modern equipment, like a digital X-ray, to Haitians since 2015. Diemer, who was a dental hygienist for 33 years in Garner before becoming a full-time realtor, heard about GoServ Global and its dental mission trips in Haiti. It was during a one-hour continuing education class with Dr. Tom Bieber, a dentist at Lake Dental Associates in Clear Lake, less than a year ago. I jumped on board right away, she said. The reason? Diemer said it was her love of children, as well as Biebers and others experiences, that prompted her to grab a pamphlet and register for the trip. But what she experienced in Haiti was far more than shed ever imagined. Diemer shared stories about a large number of barefoot Haitians walking and working among free-roaming animals, muddy roads and piles of garbage in their neighborhoods largely comprised of Safe T Homes, made by Sukup Manufacturing Co. in Sheffield. The level of poverty that theyre in shocked me, she said. Its hard to imagine the struggles that they have because ... Ive been to Greece, Mexico, all over, and Ive never seen anything like this. The dental clinic, which is located among other GoServ Global facilities, including orphanages, had Haitians congregating outside its door before it opened each day Diemer was there. Diemer said at the beginning of each day, all the people waiting outside the clinic are examined and the ones in the worst condition are seen first. They wait in line to get in, and they wait all day long because you can only see so many, she said. Some people have appointments and some people dont get seen, and thats the sad part. Diemer said the clinic saw about 70 patients in one day, which is nearly 10 times what the average dentist sees in the U.S. in a day. She estimated her group served more than 400 people in the six days it provided dental care. Its a tip off the iceberg, she said. Diemer, who was one of two dental hygienists on the trip, said the group was able to see so many individuals during its days there because they had a really good team that worked well together. As a dental hygienist, Diemer primarily cleaned teeth. She said much of the work the dentists, like Bieber, provided to patients of all ages involved extracting teeth because many of them dont have the money to be able to have their teeth take care of regularly. The dentists are starting to do some fillings and some other work, but extractions are the most popular. Its mainly to get the people out of pain, Diemer said. She said some of the Haitians seeking dental care also came with cysts, tumors and other unusual circumstances that you dont see in the United States. According to GoServ Global, the No. 1 cause of suicide in third-world countries is tooth pain, and there are only three dentists for every 100,000 people in Haiti a country of more than 10 million. Being able to give back even if it was 10 days, you felt like you helped make an indent in their society, Diemer said. As part of the trip, Diemer and others in her group, including Bieber, a radiologist, dental assistants and office support, trained Haitians in dental care, so they can help within their communities when the mission group is not there. Right now, a dental mission group from Iowa travels to Haiti a couple times a year, but its the goal of Bieber and Dr. Jason Skinner, also a dentist at Lake Dental Associates, to have an area dentist visit the clinic in Haiti every month. The next trip is planned for January 2018, she said. You do not have to be in the dental field to go on these mission trips, she said, noting shed consider returning on another dental mission trip in the future. Now, having returned to Britt nearly a month ago, Diemer said she is grateful grateful for her family, her health and her ability to help Haitians on the mission trip. We dont know how lucky we really are to live in America and to have everything that we have provided for us and our children, she said. For more information about GoServ Global and its missions, visit www.goservglobal.org. SPRINGFIELD -- From classics like Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land to Mr. Potato Head, the Salvation Army in Springfield has thousands of toys and games ready to give to anxious families. "Now we are in the process of categorizing them into age groups and getting everything ready for clients to pick up starting Dec. 18," said Danielle LaTaille, social services director for the Salvation Army. In its 95th year, Toy for Joy is a collaborative effort by the Salvation Army, The Republican and MassLive. The goal is to raise $150,000 by Dec. 24. This year, in partnership with the Reading Success by 4th Grade program of the Irene & George Davis Foundation, Toy for Joy will ensure each child who benefits will receive a new book among their gifts. To date, the campaign has raised $20,231. The Springfield citadel received 14,226 toys and books this year, which will be gifted to nearly 3,000 families. Participants of the Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Center helped to unload hundreds of boxes last week. "We have books for ages 0 to 16 and they range from picture books to chapter books," LaTaille said. "We are excited about this new literacy focus and hope the families will be too." For the second year in a row, Pride Stores is partnering with Toy for Joy. Pride locations in Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut will rally customers in December to help contribute to Toy for Joy. Customers can go into any Pride in the area and purchase a $1, $5, $10 donation card for Toy for Joy. To make a contribution to the Toy for Joy fund, write: Toy for Joy, 1860 Main St., Springfield, MA 01101. Contributions may also be dropped off with the coupon which accompanies this story to The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield, weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. through noon on Dec. 23. Public Radio host Tom Ashbrook has been suspected over unspecified allegations. Boston University and WBUR released a statement saying they received allegations again Ashrook on Thursday and that the matter is under investigation. "Tom will be on leave from his duties at WBUR while an outside organization hired by Boston University examines these allegations," the statement read. "We will decide a course of action after getting the results of this investigation." Ashrook is the host of WBUR's "On Point," which airs on more than 290 NPR affiliates across the United States. About 10 years ago, a colleague told me he gave this country about 20 more years. "There's no morality left,'' was his succinct explanation. I thought he was being overly dramatic, and I was also surprised, because he wasn't targeting any single person, event or political side and moreover, he was hardly a religious man. I think about that statement quite often these days, not because I think the United States will disappear any time soon, but for concern over what type of society we will salvage. It's not because of Donald Trump, who is hardly the first president accused of treating women as objects of play. It's not because of Democrats who have not only championed causes with which I disagree, but dared us to challenge them for fear of being labeled close-minded, heartless or worse. It's all of them, or none of them. But mostly, it's us, a nation where more and more individuals are basing our most personal values on how it will affect the next roll-call vote. Liberals were exposed as hypocrites by casting some lines in the water, hoping to catch escape routes for John Conyers or Al Franken before giving up. They've been doing it at least since Chappaquiddick in 1969, when one of their champions was ensnared in an episode that, had it involved a redneck from the South, would have had them screaming for justice. Conservatives have been exposed as hypocrites by standing behind people such as Trump and especially Roy Moore. They've been doing it since Thomas Jefferson. In the minds of many Alabamians, the Senate vote is a Faustian bargain between Moore and his opponent, an ardent pro-choice advocate in one of America's strongest pro-life states and where organized religion is strong. To many, it's choosing between an accused child molester and a guy who endorses killing babies, and you may disagree, but don't tell it to Alabamians who are tired of being told how to think and what to believe by people outside of Alabama - especially people from the liberal Northeast. Whenever one of their own gets caught or accused, each political side lectures the rest of us about due process, but only if it applies to one of their allies. If you're keeping score at home, the liberals currently hold claim as less hypocritical because Conyers and Franken have left while a cabal of evangelicals and avowed right-wingers form a human shield around any of their own snared in the web of abhorrent behavior. That leaves the rest of us to decide our own personal versions of right versus wrong. It used to seem so much simpler than we make it today. I wonder what Gary Hart is thinking. Hart looked headed for the White House in 1988 until exposure of an extramarital affair with Donna Rice ruined his aspirations. Today he could call it fake news, his political allies would excuse it and the next juicy headline would take its place by lunch the next day. But in 1988, America judged Hart quickly, harshly and not by whether we liked his politics or not. We didn't let it slide by saying everyone is human and we all make mistakes, or that his personal life was irrelevant. We just thought that as a great nation, we had a right to expect more from a man of public responsibility. We no longer expect more. We yearn for agreement for fear that losing the next vote in Congress, or the next cultural showdown, will change history and decide America's fate. Under this all-or-nothing, no-tomorrow-for-the-loser climate, who has time for ethics? We don't pursue the future so much as fear it, which means we cannot spare a single ally - regardless of what they have done. We are at war - with ourselves. And times of war leave no room for principle, which is tragic because being a truly great nation requires it. Just bringing up the subject of right-versus-wrong meets with disapproval among people who assume the speaker is shoving his own version down their throats. It's certainly not my place to peddle mine. This is not about religion, either, unless you think basic ethics are confined to Scripture or defined only within church walls, which I don't. It's about fundamental values that cross demographic lines and allow us to look at situations objectively. It's about deciding "this is right" or "this is wrong" without waving our finger in the political winds to see what's in it for our side. A culture this large and diverse will never agree on what's right and what's wrong, and we never have, but that's no excuse for giving up on trying. I worry we are doing that in the obsession to protect our own and destroy the other side. That doesn't mean our society will vanish, but it makes me wonder how much what's left will be worth. When we can send our brave soldiers out to defend a society we have always told them is special because we expect so much of ourselves, I'd like it to be true. In their hysterical rants about the other side and empty defenses of their own, that's what left-wingers and right-wingers alike should be thinking about. That's what each of us should think about, too. Maybe that's what my colleague was thinking about, when he said our growing disregard of fundamental values might yet do us in. File photo / The Republican The Massachusetts Senate held three roll call votes during the week of Dec. 4 to 8 regarding President Stanley Rosenberg's, D-Amherst, decision to take what he called "a leave of absence" during an Ethics Committee investigation into allegations raised against his husband, Bryon Hefner. The move came in wake of a Boston Globe report in which four men accused Hefner of sexually assaulting them. The men reportedly had political business with Rosenberg and feared retaliation if they reported the assaults. Senate Ethics Committee opens investigation into Sen. Stan Rosenberg While the Senate cast ballots on issues related to Rosenberg, the House did not hold any roll call votes during the week. Here's how members from the Western part of the state voted: Don't Edit Megan Bard I MassLive.com Chandler elected Senate president The Senate, on a 31-to-6 vote, elected Sen. Harriette Chandler, of Worcester, as president. The vote, as expected, was straight along party lines with all the Democrats voting for Chandler, the majority leader and second-in-command in the Senate, and all Republicans casting their vote for Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). "Choices had to be made and today we've chosen to move on and to move forward," Chandler said. "What's most important right now is that we work towards a swift and resolute conclusion to this whole sad event." Chandler has stated that she plans only to serve as interim president and to step down when Rosenberg returns, or a new Senate president is elected." Voting for Chandler: Sen. Anne Gobi, Sen. Adam Hinds, Sen. Eric Lesser and Sen. James Welch. Voting for Tarr: Sen. Donald Humason. Did not vote: Sen. Stanley Rosenberg. Don't Edit Michelle Williams | Michelle.Williams@MassLive.com Authorize investigation The Senate, on a 37-to-0 vote, authorized the chamber's Ethics Committee to retain a special investigator to look into whether Rosenberg violated the rules of the Senate. The investigation is in response to claims that Hefner bragged he has influence over Rosenberg, speaks for him and talks about Senate business with legislators and their staffs. Voting "Yes," or for the investigation and appointment of a special investigator: Sen. Anne Gobi, Sen. Adam Hinds, Sen. Donald Humason, Sen. Eric Lesser and Sen. James Welch. Voting "No," or against the investigation and appointment of a special investigator: None. Did not vote: Sen. Stanley Rosenberg. Don't Edit Gintautas Dumcius | gdumcius@masslive.com Recuse Rosenberg and his staff The Senate, on a 37-to-0 vote, approved an order that Rosenberg and his entire Senate staff be recused from all decisions relating to investigations into his or Hefner's conduct. Voting "Yes," or for recusal: Sen. Anne Gobi, Sen. Adam Hinds, Sen. Donald Humason, Sen. Eric Lesser and Sen. James Welch. Voting "No," or against recusal: None. Did not vote: Sen. Stanley Rosenberg. Don't Edit Last week's votes: How often they voted: Senators' 2017 Beacon Hill attendance records Don't Edit Crucible is Montanas first worker-owned cooperative. The design and fabrication studio in Bozeman was established by four native Montanans wood and steel craftsman who all have a passion for creating custom-built hand-crafted furniture. In the latest "Montana Co-ops Make a Difference", Crucibles members tell their story about owning their own cooperative business in this feature video: Costner called the new series "a postcard for Montana." "What a cool state to be the governor," Costner said. "If something like Yellowstone has a way of highlighting, being somewhat of a dramatic love letter to your state, well be successful. The writing for it is superior." EVE BYRON [email protected] http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/costner-hosts-bullock-on-the-set-of-yellowstone/article_ff080091-6d71-56ed-8f28-1f60c16f5048.html?utm_content=buffer2794a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=LEEDCC#tracking-source=home-the-latest *** Montana The Ultimate Location The Montana Film Office The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and Liverpool Football Club have launched on Thursday 25 August 2022 a global competition giving away a weeks holiday for two on the island. The closing date for entries is Sunday 9 October 2022. The launch of this holiday giveaway competition follows the reactivation of the global partnership making Mauritius the clubs Official Tourism. The prize draw is open to entrants aged 18 and over from all over the world, who only have to log on to thededicated page on the Liverpool FC website and enter their details. The prize includes return flights to Mauritius from the entrants home country for two people in economy class, seven nights half board hotel accommodation, and travel to and from the international airport closest to the entrants home. The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority became Liverpool FCs official tourism partner in July 2020. The partnership sees Mauritius benefit from a range of the clubs digital, social media and marketing assets, in a massive boost to the countrys goal to become a leading global tourist destination and business hub of Africa. As English footballs most successful club and one of the best teams in the world, Liverpool FC has a huge international following, with millions of fans across the globe. Mauritius is one of the top premier luxury holiday destinations with one of the highest rates of return visitors. It is also one of the most business and investment-friendly locations in the world. The island has been an established centre for international banking and finance for at least 20 years, and plans to grow this reputation for business around the world. The Government of Mauritius is committed to enhancing and expanding the image of the country around the world and the impact of COVID-19 on the international tourism and business sector has only increased the importance of its international branding strategy, making the deal with Liverpool Football Club such a crucial and valuable one. The relationship between Mauritius and Liverpool FC, which enjoys a huge following and opened an international academy on the island three years ago, goes back many years. Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn Articles similaires CHARLES CITY | A Charles City man will serve up to half a century in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in mid-October. Antoine Williams, 36, was found guilty of killing Nathaniel Fleming, 36, just before 10 p.m. June 30 in a parking lot outside the Casa Apartments in Charles City. An appeal has been filed. According to court records, Nellie O'Mara, one of his attorneys, asked to withdraw from the case. She also asked the state to appoint someone from the State Appellate Defender's Office. Prosecutors argued during the trial that Williams planned to shoot Fleming, while Williams' attorneys argued he was acting in self defense. The jury deliberated for less than three hours over a two-day span to reach its verdict. Under Iowa law, Williams must serve a mandatory minimum of 37 years if his sentence is upheld. Steve Bohnel NORTHWOOD | The Worth County Sheriff's Office has released a description of a woman posing as a therapy nurse who may have stolen prescription drugs from Worth County residents in the last one to two weeks. The department announced on its Facebook page Friday there are several descriptions of the woman -- one with light-colored hair, the other with darker-colored hair. "This subject may have worn a wig for a disguise," the post said. The woman is estimated between 5 feet, 2 inches, to 5 feet, 5 inches, weighing between 130 to 140 pounds, according to law enforcement. She is estimated to be in her late-20s to mid-30s and may be driving a dark gray minivan, possibly a Chrysler or Dodge. The sheriff's office said Thursday it had received several reports of a woman stopping at residences near Grafton, claiming to be a Worth County Public Health or Worth County Home Care therapy nurse. People who reported the incidents were not served by either organization, Worth County Sheriff Dan Fank said. In most cases, the sheriff's office says the woman was welcomed into homes and may have taken prescription opioid pills. The exact kind of pills was not specified. "The Worth County Sheriffs Office would like to remind everyone, do not give personal information to anyone over the phone or personal devices, unless they know the person is credible," the post said. "This includes date of birth, Social Security Numbers, prescription medications, credit card info, etc." People are asked to call the sheriff's office at 641-324-2481 if a suspicious person comes to their house for any reason. SIOUX CITY | Iowa 4th District Rep. Steve King on Friday twice declared that diversity is not an American strength and endorsed a European leader's view that "mixing cultures" leads to a lower quality of life. In a tweet, King linked to a Voice of Europe story that quoted Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban as saying, 'Mixing cultures will not lead to a higher quality of life but a lower one.' " King, a conservative Republican and leading critic of U.S. immigration policies, followed with a second tweet, "Assimilation has become a dirty word to the multiculturalist Left. Assimilation, not diversity, is our American strength." The social media posts were King's latest take on the cultural shifts happening in Europe and how they intersect with U.S. culture. The Kiron Republican has long contended that immigrant groups are best served by blending in strongly, or assimilating, into American culture. It was a topic he raised again in March, during the time after he tweeted about culture again. King drew widespread criticism after a March 12 tweet in which he said America "can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies." The post was in support of a Dutch politician who opposes immigration and has spoken against Islam. King tweeted that Geert Wilders "understands that culture and demographics are our destiny." King followed the controversial Tweet with several interviews on national outlets where he defended his comments. Critics accused King of racism and condemned the support the tweet received from some white nationalist leaders. King also took to Twitter to address other immigration issues. In September, he blasted Republican President Donald Trump over reports of a potential immigration comprise with congressional Democrats. King, who represents 39 counties in Northwest and North Central Iowa, was first elected to the U.S. House in 2002. One Republican, four Democrats and one Libertarian have announced plans to challenge him in the 2018 election. Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends. Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES Pacific Rim Cobalt Corp. (the Company or Pacific Rim Cobalt) (CSE:BOLT) (FRANKFURT:NXFE) announces that it has filed an amended technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 titled Amended NI 43-101 Technical Report, TNM Cobalt Project dated December 8, 2017. The amended technical report amends the Companys July 11, 2017 technical report (filed October 24, 2017) by providing further detail and added clarity in respect of historical estimates and the authors review of same. Please refer to the full report under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com. About Pacific Rim Cobalt Pacific Rim Cobalt is a Canadian-based exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of production grade cobalt deposits, a key raw material input for the growing lithium-ion battery industry. Pacific Rim Cobalt Corp. Ranjeet Sundher President and CEO (604) 922-8272 rsundher@pacificrimcobalt.com Steve Vanry CFO & Director (604) 922-8272 steve@vanrycap.com Sean Bromley Director & Investor Contact (778) 985-8934 sean@theparmargroup.com Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias, will be in Brussels on Monday, 11 December, to participate in the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Following a relevant request from the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussion will focus on the latest developments in Iraq and the autonomous region of Kurdistan. Mr. Kotzias will also take part in the joint session of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, which will focus on issues related to the Sahel region. An assessment of the recent EU-African Union Summit Meeting will also be carried out. Finally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will attend a working breakfast of the EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs with the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Netanyahu, on EU-Israel relations and the latest developments in the Middle East. NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (KSF) and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until December 22, 2017 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Rio Tinto PLC (NYSE:RIO), if they purchased the Companys American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) between October 23, 2012 and February 15, 2013, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. What You May Do If you purchased ADRs of Rio Tinto and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit http://ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-rio/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by December 22, 2017. About the Lawsuit Rio Tinto and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On October 17, 2017, an SEC complaint charged that as early as August 2012 the Company knew that various developments had rendered its coal assets in Mozambique (RTCM) worthless (reportedly -$680 million), yet did not publicly disclose that fact, continued to publicly tout RTCMs value to investors, and continued to significantly overvalue it. Later, on February 15, 2013, the Company reported an 80% write-down, or $2.86B, for the asset. On this news, the price of Rio Tintos shares plummeted. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. Contact: Danish English The Danish Government and The Danish Peoples Party have on 8 December 2017 agreed to reduce tariffs for the passage of the Great Belt Bridge. The agreement entails that the tariffs from 1 January 2018 will be reduced by 15 per cent. Furthermore, the agreement entails that tariffs will be further reduced to a total of 25 per cent compared to the tariffs today on 1 January 2023, when the expansion of the West Funen motorway between Nrre Aaby and Odense Vest has been completed. The reduction will apply to all light vehicles using automatic payment and have entered into an agreement with A/S Storeblt. The reduction applies to all lorries and buses. As part of the agreement it has been decided that A/S Storeblt will contribute with 2.1 billon kr. to the expansion of the West Funen Motorway between Nrre Aaby and Odense Vest with a construction budget of 2.4 billion kr. The agreement has consequences for A/S Storeblts economy, as the repayment period increases by approx. 5 years to a total of 34 years. The debt in A/S Storeblt is expected to be repaid in 2032. NEW YORK, Dec. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (Omega or the Company) (NYSE:OHI) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 17-cv-09024, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Omega securities, seeking to recover compensable damages caused by defendants violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you are a shareholder who purchased Omega securities between February 8, 2017, and October 31, 2017, both dates inclusive, you have until January 16, 2018, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and amount of shares purchased. [Click here to join this class action] Omega is a self-administered real estate investment trust (REIT) that invests in income producing healthcare facilities, including long-term care facilities located in the United States and the United Kingdom. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) financial and operating results of certain of the Companys operators were deteriorating; (ii) as a result, certain of the Companys operators were experiencing worsening liquidity issues that were significantly impacting the operators ability to make timely rent payments; (iii) as a result, certain of the Companys direct financing leases were impaired and certain receivables were uncollectible; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants statements about Omegas business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and/or misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. On July 26, 2017, after the market closed, the Company issued a press release entitled Omega Announces Second Quarter 2017 Financial Results; Increased Dividend Rate for 20th Consecutive Quarter. On the next day, July 27, 2017, the Company held a conference call to discuss its second quarter results. On this news, the Companys stock price fell $1.35 per share, or 4%, to close at $32.10 per share on July 27, 2017, on unusually heavy trading volume. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP rswilloughby@pomlaw.com Michigans dry bean sector is well-regarded worldwide for our high quality and dependable supply. The expertise of our dry bean farmers and bean shippers has helped Michigan gain global market share for dry bean exports, bringing economic benefits back to Michigans Thumb and Saginaw Valley. Its success thats been built over the course of decades. But our future opportunity is under tremendous threat from efforts to dismantle trade agreements, especially the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Trade is built on relationships and logistics, and a NAFTA withdrawal would hurt both. First, the relationship between Michigans dry bean industry and our customers has never been stronger, especially in Mexico, our top black bean export destination. Since NAFTA came into effect in 1994, Michigans dry bean sector has steadily expanded exports to Mexico. We know what Mexican buyers want, need and expect and our counterparts in Mexico know that they can always count on us. In fact, every year for more than two decades, representatives of Michigans dry bean farmers and shippers have met Mexican buyers personally in Mexico City, in some cases interacting with three different generations in Mexican family-owned dry bean companies. Free trade makes it possible for our industries to work together for mutual success. Withdrawing from NAFTA would undermine progress that literally spans generations. Second, NAFTA is crucial for Michigan agriculture to get products exported to many nations. In addition to Mexico, Michigan sends many dry beans to Canada, both for direct sales and as a waypoint for exports headed to Europe and Africa. Dismantling NAFTA would slam the brakes on our ability to move products efficiently and cost effectively, hurting Michigan competitiveness on the global stage and resulting in weaker markets for Michigan farmers. While we have developed a sterling reputation for the high quality of our dry beans and our dependable supply, we still need agreements like NAFTA in place to enable trade. We simply cant afford to sever ties with our longstanding trade partners. Pulling out of NAFTA would have a devastating effect on our industry and many others. Joe Cramer is executive director of the Michigan Bean Commission. Mike Janowicz is vice president of the Co-op Elevator Co. and board chairman of the Michigan Bean Shippers. LANSING Legislation that has received final passage in the Michigan House of Representatives would lift a ban against spearing frogs by using an artificial light. And the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is all for the change. We did not stand opposed to the change in the statute removing the prohibition on the use of lights at night in the aid of artificial spearing, said Tom Goniea, of the DNRs Aquatic Species and Regulatory Affairs Division. But dont go sharpening those spears and charging up the flashlights just yet. According to Goniea, the change in statute simply transfers the decision to the experts. The same types of decisions the experts have been making on pretty much everything else regarding frogs. Basically, the DNR has the ultimate authority to regulate the take of reptiles and amphibians, Goniea said. The old statute had that one exception carved out. So it basically said, you can regulate everything except the use of artificial lights at night. Added Goniea: That doesnt make a lot of sense. Currently, hunters can spear or gig frogs during the day, and can also use a flashlight to net or hook frogs at night. Goniea said the spearing at night with a flashlight exception has been in statute since the 1920s. We have no idea where that came from, he said. So while the change removes the legislative protection on the issue and simply adds it to the broader authority of the DNR, dont expect anything to change. Goniea pointed out that according to the DNR Fisheries Order 224, which sets regulations on the take of reptiles and amphibians, frogs cannot be speared at night with the aid of an artificial light. We have talked with the Natural Resource Commission they have no interest in liberalizing the regulation, he said. From our perspective as the DNR, all this does is clean up that statutory language. Berkshire Hathaway wins honors WALLINGFORD Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England and Westchester Properties recently received two Home Builders Industry awards in the sales and marketing category from the Home Builders & Remodelers Association, according to a release. The awards are Connecticuts most prestigious housing industry program, recognizing excellence in new construction, land development, remodeling, sales and marketing and home financing, the release said. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties received the award for Best Pre-Construction Marketing For A Community, for its Essex Glen Development. The Best Promotional Video award was received for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Westchester Properties + Grasso Development Profile. The winning video was a joint strategy between both companies, the release said. Munger chosen to build new Premier Subaru facility BRANFORD Pat Munger Construction Co. Inc. has been selected by Premier Auto Group to build the new Premier Subaru dealership facility at 155 N. Main St., according to a release. The new, 33,000-square-foot facility will be located across the street from the current Premier Subaru facility, the release said, and is scheduled for completion in late summer 2018. This project is 4 years in the making and will include every element and customer design feature that Subaru desires in their newest facilities, Bob Alvine, president of Premier Auto Group, said in the release. The new facility will feature an 8-car showroom with a coffee bar, fireplace and antique car display, 30 service bays with 18 drive-thru service lanes, 3 Express Service lifts and 2 computer alignment stations, as well as a 50-seat waiting area, the release said. Mungers long-term relationship with Mr. Alvine is what means the most to us, David DeMaio, Munger president, said in the release. The new Premier Subaru facility is the second major project awarded to Munger by the Premier Auto Group. We are honored to once again have the opportunity to showcase Munger Services and Core Values through this prestigious and noteworthy project. Local author launches Tokens of Kindness Local author and columnist Catherine Galasso-Vigorito introduced Tokens of Kindness, manufactured and distributed by Gloria Duchin Inc., in select CVS stores nationwide this month. The inspirational tokens feature a poem on the back, I give you this token for your kindness to me. Now give it away and you will see how one act of kindness can change the world. According to a release, Keep this token in your pocket and pass it on to someone who was kind to you. My mother was the epitome of kindness, Galasso-Vigorito, a mother of three daughters, said in the release. Always be nice to everyone, she would tell me, Treat others with kindness. Gloria Duchin Inc., led by Gloria Duchin and her daughter, Robyn Smalletz, is a local, female-owned company specializing in high-quality keepsakes, jewelry and accessories since 1979. For information, visit www.anewyouworldwide.com. Housatonic River Job Network to meet ORANGE The Housatonic River Job Network will meet at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at Case Memorial Library, 176 Tyler City Road. Guest speaker will be Anne Graney, owner of A.G. Resume Services, who will speak on The Best Strategies in Todays Market, including how to get through the screening process and best prepare for an interview, what interviewers are looking for, how to increase your chances for getting an offer, and how to follow up after an interview. For more information, email alexy56@hotmail.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate We all know by now that the Republican tax reform is a political hatchet job on blue states and that many homeowners in Connecticut would suffer worse than just about anyplace else. But the key words there are just about. Homeowners in many New York and New Jersey suburbs would lose even more value in state and local tax deductions than wed lose in Connecticut under the Trump scheme; their state and local levies are generally higher. And so, amid the rightful rage, we might see a small but real plus for Fairfield County and the rest of Connecticut. Its possible that the migration of high-income residents from New York and New Jersey to Connecticut which is already happening could increase. Under both versions of the tax bill passed in the U.S. House and Senate, Connecticuts cost advantage over our two fellow tri-state states would widen. More Information A Connecticut State of Mind Although Connecticut lost an average of more than 17,000 people per year to other states from 2012 to 2016, thousands move in from New York and New Jersey. Figures show the average annual difference between the number of people moving to and from Connecticut and each state shown. NY 8,422 NJ 2,177 MA -2,251 CA -1,554 Total of all states -17,278 See More Collapse Predicting the effects of tax policy is notoriously dicey and unintended consequences are rampant. Overall, the Republican tax plan could prod people to move to lower-tax regions, where, by the way, the weather is typically warmer. So Connecticut is likely to be a loser overall. Still, said Kathi Mettler, an accounting professor at Fairfield University, many of the desirable jobs are in the tri-state area, so its possible that taxpayers would choose to live in Connecticut over New York and New Jersey. Were not going to see a flood by any means. But factors on the margin matter. Just ask one of the high-earning Connecticut residents who left after the top income tax rate inched up to 6.99 percent from 6.7 percent in 2015. In Rye, just over the state line along I-95, it wasnt hard to find people who thought Greenwich, or perhaps some other lower Fairfield County burg, would entice people to move in part because of the lost property tax deductions. A lot of people do already, even without the lost deduction, said Diana Cannon. She was one. Cannon recently sold a house in Rye, where she was paying $48,000 a year in property taxes, and moved to Greenwich, where she is renting. Thats not a wildly outlandish bill in the Greenhaven section of Rye, where many people pay well over $50,000. Bonnie Rosenzweig, a longtime resident, isnt about to pick up and move as a result of tax policy changes. Years ago, she and her husband, a Manhattan doctor, looked at Scarsdale, Mamaroneck and Rye. What about Connecticut? If I were starting out now I would probably consider it, she said. But she added, It depends on the commute time. Thats going to be an ever-bigger factor as Connecticut competes for a shrinking pool of upscale professionals in the New York area. Lets look at the numbers. The owners of a house in Greenhaven worth $2.5 million will pay a property tax of about $48,000. A few miles away, the owners of a Greenwich home worth the same anount will pay about $21,000. In Summit, N.J., the local levy on a house of that value is about $46,000. Other wealthy Fairfield county towns range up to about $45,000. Of course, in many places it doesnt take $2.5 million to get the same house. In Greenwich, it might take more. What does that mean under the new tax plan? If Congress and President Donald Trump adopt a measure allowing a write-off of only $10,000 in property taxes which is in both the House and Senate versions a homeowner paying that $48,000 will lose a $38,000 deduction costing her about $13,500. The Connecticut homeowner paying, say, $25,000 will lose a $15,000 deduction at a cost of about $5,500. Thats a savings of $8,000 a year. Add that to a small additional savings because the New York and New Jersey income taxes are somewhat higher, and it starts to be one consideration. Enough to sway minds? Theres not a lot of evidence that tax rates cause a lot of migrations, said Christopher Jones, senior vice president and chief of planning at the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit group in the metro area. But he added, Theres always going to be some households for which that will make the difference. Even without the added factor, the movement of people from New York and New Jersey to Connecticut is significant. Connecticut lost an average of 17,278 people to other states in the five years between 2012 and 2016 when we subtract the number leaving from the number coming in. In 2016, the figure was an astounding and scary 37,328. But in those five years, New York sent an average of 8,422 more people per year to Connecticut than we sent to the Empire State, and New Jersey sent an average of 2,177. And based on reporting by my colleague Alexander Soule, it appears that the movement to Fairfield County from New York and New Jersey suburbs is even higher. The cost pressure on the whole region will wash out any advantage Connecticut might have, said Edward Deak, a retired Fairfield University economics professor who looked at the movement of people and jobs for more than 30 years. The bright side? Connecticut will benefit from Trumps military buildup, Deak said. The competition is all the more fierce. Connecticut, like other states under siege, will have to work harder to deliver value for the tax dollar and will have to find new sources of revenue such as tolls, casinos and marijuana. Towns will be under huge pressure to cut costs. Even with a slight advantage within the region, Mettler said, Its still going to be up to Connecticut to be the more favorable location. Another busy week kicks off this morning at the chamber office with a meeting of our Executive Committee. Our chamber is very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of businesspeople serving on its top governing body. Currently under the leadership of our Chairman Rick Morin, the Executive Committee is truly representative of the business community in Middlesex County. We look forward to another productive meeting which will cover a variety of topics that are important to the business community in our region. I appreciate the support of Rick, and of all of our Executive Committee members. On Tuesday afternoon, I look forward to attending a meeting of the Connecticut Culture and Tourism Advisory Committee at the DECD offices in Hartford. As I have noted many times, the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce will always recognize that tourism is a key economic driver in our region and throughout our state. I look forward to meeting with my fellow committee members as we continue to work to make Connecticut a key tourism hub in the northeast United States. Jeff Pugliese will represent the chamber at Tuesday nights meeting of the City of Middletown Economic Development Committee. Jeff will speak in support of a number of items including the proposed tax abatement for Shelco Filters which is planning a 19,920 square foot addition to its manufacturing facility on Bradley Street. Jeff attends each meeting of this important committee of the Common Council, and will continue to in the new year. The Shelco expansion plan is just one of the many exciting economic development happenings throughout Middlesex County. I have a number of meetings over the course of the next few weeks with developers and with businesses that are either expanding or interested in relocating to our region. Just like the chamber, Middlesex County is truly on the move. The week continues on Wednesday morning with a Grand Opening celebration for Comcasts new Xfinity Store on Washington Street in Middletown. Xfinity offers a variety of services including TV, internet, voice, home security, mobile and more. I appreciate Comcasts continued support of our chamber, and look forward to the opening of this exciting new store. On the chamber division front, we look forward to two important division meetings that will be held this week in Middlefield and in Cromwell. Our Durham and Middlefield Division will meet on Wednesday at the Connecticut Forest & Park Association in Rockfall, and the Cromwell Division will meet on Thursday at Cromwell Town Hall. Both of these meetings will feature town reports and other updates that are important to the business communities in these chamber member towns. Also on Wednesday, the Business & Education Partnership Advisory Council will meet at the chamber where the 2018 High School Career Fair Expo will be discussed. We continue to value the strength of the chambers divisions and councils, and continue to appreciate the support of our chairs, co-chairs, and members who make it a point to attend. Immediately following the Cromwell Division meeting on Thursday morning, a grand opening celebration for Bridgeview Truck and Auto will be held at its Main Street location in Cromwell. I look forward to joining chamber Chairman Rick Morin and Vice Chairman Jay Polke, Cromwell Mayor Enzo Faienza and Town Manager Anthony Salvatore, and Cromwell Division Chairman Rodney Bitgood, as we welcome this new business to the chamber, and to Middlesex County. We wish them the best, and look forward to working with them as we move forward. The work week wraps up on Friday with meetings of our Legislative Committee and our Affordable Housing Committee. The Legislative Committee works hard as the chambers voice on important public policy issues in the State of Connecticut. The committee is responsible for creating the chambers Public Policy Agenda on a yearly basis, and hosts a Legislative Breakfast and a Legislative Leadership Series every year. The Affordable Housing Committee was created in 2007 to provide a voice for the business community in the important housing based conversations underway in Middlesex County. The committee will continue to work with other key stakeholders in Middlesex County, and will continue to be a resource to the chamber at large, on housing related issues. We look forward to two more productive chamber meetings. It is hard to believe, but the 32nd Annual Holiday on Main Street, presented by Pratt & Whitney, wraps up this Saturday with another full day of events and activities. This Saturdays activities include the Fun Train which will offer free rides on the sidewalk on Main Street, the opportunity to meet Santa, and free horse and wagon rides in downtown Middletown. A Petting Farm, courtesy of JDs Pony Express of Killingworth, will feature sheep, goats, a miniature donkey, and a fallow deer. At the chamber, non-perishable donations and pet food to benefit the Middletown Animal Control will be happily accepted. Ornament decorating workshops will take place at Vinnies Jump & Jive from 10:30 a.m. to Noon, and from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at The Buttonwood Tree. Attendees are also welcome to join us at the Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore where Santa Claus will lead a holiday story reading session with the Grinch. Parking for Holiday on Main Street is free in city parking lots. For all of the details on events and activities, please visit www.holidayonmain.com. I want to once again thank our sponsors, led by Pratt & Whitney, the City of Middletown, and all of our volunteers who do so much to make sure that the Holiday on Main Street activities are fun, safe, and educational for all of the kids, and for all of our visitors. In addition to Holiday on Main Street, December in Middlesex County is synonymous with the chambers Member Breakfast with the governor of the State of Connecticut. This years event, featuring Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, is scheduled for next Wednesday, Dec. 20 at the Radisson Hotel in Cromwell. Gov. Malloy, now approaching his eighth and final year in office, has appeared at our December Member Breakfast Meeting in every year of his administration, as have all of our sitting governors, going back to the administration of Governor William A. ONeill in the 1980s. We look forward to welcoming a sold-out crowd of businesspeople, public officials and other chamber supporters for the 2017 version of our annual Governors Breakfast. This event, sponsored once again by Eversource, will begin with networking at 7 a.m., breakfast buffet at 7:30 a.m., and meeting program 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. To register online, please visit www.middlesexchamber.com. We look forward to another great chamber Member Breakfast Meeting with the governor. Before closing, I want to take a moment to congratulate Eli Cannons Tap Room on being honored as a Connecticut Hospitality Hall of Fame Award Winner at the 2017 Connecticut Restaurant Association Salute to Excellence Awards Event held at the end of November. Eli Cannons is an institution that Middletown is so lucky to have. Phil Ouellette, who along with Suzanne Cannon, is co-owner of Eli Cannons which has been a staple of the NoRA district since 1994. Phil is a member of the chambers Board of Directors, has been Central Business Bureau chairman, and supports a number of community initiatives all while serving great food and beer at Elis. We congratulate Eli Cannons on this honor, and appreciate their support of our chamber and of our community. While there is so much to celebrate in Middlesex County these days, I must unfortunately end this weeks column on a sad note after the recent passing of Ann Marie DiMauro. Ann Marie was a lifelong resident of Cromwell who enjoyed a successful professional career at Pratt & Whitney, Cromwell School Systems, and Xerox Corp. Much more important than that however, she was a generous and caring person who will be missed by her family and by all who knew her. She was an active volunteer at chamber events, including Cruise Night On Main Street and Middletown Motorcycle Mania. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband John, who is the Commander of Disabled American Veterans, Chapter #7, and is active with a number of other veteran and community organizations, their three sons and their spouses, six grandchildren, and her entire family and vast network of friends at this difficult time. We appreciate Johns support of our community, and the fact that the businesses run by their sons, River Valley Oil Service and DiMauro Oil Co., LLC, are members of our chamber. Ann Marie DiMauro was a class act, and she will be missed. May her family be comforted by her memory in the coming days and weeks. HOWELL TOWNSHIP, MI - Livingston County Animal Control seized animals from a Howell Township animal rescue following complaints of unsanitary conditions and animals not receiving veterinary care. A volunteer with the organization said disgruntled former workers were behind the complaints against Last Chance Rescue and the animal seizure was unwarranted. But Aimee Orn, director of the county's animal control, said in addition to complaints against it, the rescue had too many animals and was not able to provide proper care for them. "It's really your classic case of someone who started off with good intentions and just got overwhelmed," Orn said Friday, Dec. 8. Orn said more than 120 dogs, cats and birds are in the Livingston County Animal Shelter now after the raid Wednesday of Last Chance Rescue on Highland Road in Howell Township. Animal control officers visited Last Chance Rescue, located about two miles from Livingston County Animal Control, and returned Wednesday because of what they saw at the independently-operated rescue. "Based on what we observed... we felt it was in the best interest of the animals, for their well-being and health, to remove them," Orn said. Two search warrants were executed: one on the rescue facility, which housed a majority of the animals, and one on a private residence near the facility, owned by someone Orn said was affiliated with the rescue, where some animals were also removed by animal control. Volunteers helping with the seizure reported seeing dirty rooms, with floors covered in feces and animals in visible need of medical care, Orn said. They were assisted by staff from the Michigan Humane Society and Macomb Animal Control. Last Chance volunteer Mary Ann Olms disputes the findings by animal control. She told The Ann Arbor News she was at the rescue the day before the raid and said the facility was clean and the seizures unwarranted. "It was spotless, it was very clean," said Olms, who does grant and paperwork for the rescue. The rescue has been operating for around 30 years and had just passed an inspection with the state, Olms said. Orn said more than 120 animals were seized and her department is still working on paperwork and completing individual veterinary assessments for each animal. Last Chance Rescue was not a breed-specific animal operation, so the animals seized include small Chihuahua and terrier mixes to larger breeds like Labs and shepherds, Orn said. "Now we're doing temperament testing and medical care, one by one, so we can hopefully streamline as many as possible for adoptions," Orn said. "We have a volunteer surrender on a good majority of the animals." Last Chance Rescue still owns some of the seized animals and hopes to get them back, Orn said. Olms said she believes the complaints against the rescue were made by a former employee and a volunteer. Olms alleged one of them had deleted all adoptable animal listings from the rescue's website and animal adoption website Petfinder. Last Chance Rescue Director Sharen Kizer had reached out to animal control after hearing of the complaints to try and meet with officers before the seizure occurred, Olms said. "Unfortunately, the animal control decided to run with it without talking to us," Olms said. Kizer could not be reached immediately for comment. Olms also disagreed with the number of dogs taken from the property, and said around 80 animals were seized. That includes sanctuary animals, which Olms said lived in the nearby home and are considered unadoptable. She said the rescue's limit is 45 dogs but the numbers typically fluctuate with regular adoptions and intake of abandoned or surrendered animals and that animal control was ignoring that information to seize animals in Last Chance Rescue's care. "We would like to have all the animals back. We will find placement for them, that's not an issue," Olms said. "They just wanted our adoptable animals." According to the 2016 annual report for Michigan animal shelters, Last Chance Rescue took in 225 cats and 425 dogs. The report said all of the animals were adopted and four others were transferred from the rescue. The rescue has not been charged with any wrongdoing but Orn said animal control is presenting information to the Livingston County Prosecutor's Office. In 2007, MLive spoke to Kizer, who said the nonprofit was looking for a new rescue facility as a result of an increase in animal intake and necessary facility improvements ordered by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The department oversees licensing for animal shelters, which it defines as "a municipality or a person, business or nonprofit organization that operates a housing facility for dogs, cats and other specific animals." A GoFundMe page started last year sought $50,000 to fund some of the improvements, like the replacement of a failing septic system. As of December 2017, it raised around $29,000. The description said if Last Chance Rescue was unable to reach the goal, funds would be used to transport or relocate the animals currently in the rescue's care in order to avoid euthanasia. Matt Bolang, Livingston County director of environmental health, told The Ann Arbor News that Last Chance Rescue did reach compliance and was able to tie into the public sewer system over the summer. Orn said the ultimate goal is to secure homes for the surrendered animals ahead of Christmas, especially as animal control already has more than 25 animals currently in its care. "My goal is to get as many into new homes before the holidays as possible," Orn said. Part of that effort will include the shelter's Home for the Holidays event, where interested applicants can interact with the shelter animals in hopes of making a match from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16. While Orn said there may have been no intention to mistreat the animals at Last Chance Rescue, she feels there was still unintentional harm being done. "This is what happens when you get overwhelmed. There wasn't an intention there to mistreat animals or leave animals without proper care but you have to know your limits," Orn said. "This is a shame; a group and an organization of people, who started out with the best of intentions, got overwhelmed and the animals suffer." DEARBORN -- Government agencies often reveal the cost of legal bills before litigation concludes. But not in Dearborn, say elected officials and a city attorney. Dearborn City Council, during a special meeting last week, voted unanimously to deny MLive's request for accrued attorney and litigation costs connected to two unresolved lawsuits stemming from fatal police shootings in December 2015 and January 2016. While civil lawsuits can take years to litigate -- and attorneys are paid along the way -- Dearborn officials say the public has no right to review those costs, at least until the case is resolved. Following the decision to uphold the denial of MLive's Freedom of Information Act request, Dearborn City Council members declined to comment on advice from Dearborn Deputy Corporation Counsel Laurie M. Ellerbrake. Ellerbrake said litigation costs related to active cases are exempt from public disclosure due to attorney-client privilege. She also said the invoices will be made public once the cases are resolved. Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad, Mayor John B. O'Reilly, and city council members have repeatedly declined MLive requests for comment related to the fatal police shootings of 35-year-old Kevin Matthews on Dec. 23, 2016; and 31-year-old Janet Wilson on Jan. 27, 2016, and the resulting lawsuits. After lengthy investigations, both Dearborn police officers involved in the fatal shootings of Matthews and Wilson were cleared of wrongdoing, their actions deemed self-defense. Matthews, who was wanted on suspicion of larceny of a Red Bull energy drink from a gas station the night before his death, attempted to run from Dearborn Police Cpl. Chris Hampton and engaged in a struggle with the officer before being shot, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy ruled. Wilson disobeyed officers' orders to stop her vehicle after allegedly trying to run down security guards following a disturbance at a nearby mall, and Dearborn Police Cpl. James Wade feared for his safety when he opened fire, the prosecutor found. Both Matthews and Wilson suffered from mental illness, according to family representatives. They're estates are each suing the city and officers for $10 million or more. MLive consulted Robin Luce-Herrmann, an attorney who advises Michigan Press Association members on FOIA matters, about Dearborn's claim that invoices are attorney-client privileged information. Luce-Herrmann says the state Supreme Court has defined attorney-client privilege as, "communications between attorney and client for the purposes of obtaining/providing legal advice." "While it is possible that an attorney's invoice might contain a narrative section that refers to an attorney-client privileged communication (or work product), that simply means that those portions of the narrative should be redacted," she said. "The amount of time spent or the total cost of a particular invoice does not reveal attorney client privileged information." Dearborn officials also said that revealing legal costs could interfere with lawsuit proceedings. The city attorney presented council members with two scenarios to illustrate how this could be. Here is one: Attorney Jones files a suit against city of Big Town alleging police misconduct. After the lawsuit is pending for several months, the Big Town city attorney makes public the fact that $120,000 has been spent on defense of the lawsuit. ... Attorney Jones has only spend $2,000 in preparing his lawsuit. Armed with this information, he feels the need to "catch up." Attorney Jones runs to court with a motion to extend discovery. The motion is granted (prejudicing the defendants). Dearborn resolution to deny MLive's FOIA appeal: Audio from Dearborn meeting denying MLive's FOIA appeal: When a public body denies a FOIA request and appeal, legal action is the only remaining remedy for media or citizens to pursue to the information under FOIA law. If the court finds the government should have released the public records, the government body can be forced to pay legal fees, a $1,000 fine and $1,000 in punitive damages. MLive recently won a FOIA court battle against Grand Rapids in its pursuit of phone call recordings stemming from a controversial traffic stop. The state Court of Appeals sided with MLive and ordered Grand Rapids to pay $72,216 for MLive's legal fees. in addition, Grand Rapids spent $11,340 over two months defending its position. BYRON TOWNSHIP, MI -- A few years ago, Bridget Conley suggested Flow-Rite Controls try for a "Best and Brightest" workplace award. Conley remembers her boss laughing that the award might be out of reach for the Byron Township manufacturer. But he agreed there was no harm in trying. Leaders cried when they read the 2014 results of the survey from the National Association for Business Resources, the organization that determines the Best and Brightest workplaces in Michigan. "They weren't good," said Todd Hart, Flow-Rite's executive vice president. "We knew there were things we could do better." Some employees complained about favoritism. The company responded by creating a vision, mission and values that provided guidance in improving the workplace. In addressing the criticisms, the company spent $50,000 on new perks. Those expenses includes the cost of loss wages so employees could take advantage of the extra benefits on the jobs. "Even with investment, profit is absolutely going up," Hart said. "People are feeling more respected." After a three year effort, Flow-Rite, located at 960 74th Street SW., was named one of "Best and Brightest" workplaces in the West Michigan region in 2016. It's a distinction given to only given to a small percentage of companies by the National Association for Business Resources. The awards are intended to showcase the best practices that create ideal workplaces. There is usually a 10 to 1 ratio between the number of companies interested in being a Best and Brightest company and those actually selected, says Jennifer Kluge, chief executive of the Michigan Business & Professional Association. The selection process involves surveying employees, who are randomly selected. The results are compiled, weighted and analyzed yearly by two separate market research firms for checks and balances of data analysis. "We are looking for employers that understand profits are tied to people and culture of their teams," Kluge said in an email. "We also expect that winners share their best practices and learn from each other so we can continue to raise the bar of performance year over year." Flow-Rite designs, manufactures and markets fluid control devices for lead batteries, recreational fishing boats and laboratory use. The firm launched in 1981 in the garage of Dan Campau, who is president and chief inventor. Flow-Rite is owned by CEO Robert Burnetter and Kathy Schottke, a silent investor who lives in Fort Lauderdale. Flow-Rite's 150-person workforce is split evenly between men and women, who work in either in the office or on the production floor. The root of the complaints were tied to perception, said Conley, the marketing manager, who has been with Flow-Rite more than 6 years. So the first thing the company began doing is being more transparent with employees. Regular surveys and weekly communication meetings were added to give workers an opportunity to both ask questions and give feedback. Empowerment focus groups were created so staff and leaders could meet routinely to talk about workplace issues. Workers are encouraged to volunteer to serve on the committees for 6-month terms so more people get an opportunity to participate. The company also found different new ways to show employees they were valued. Flow-Rite now holds employee appreciation meetings twice a year to honor workers for length of service. Birthdays are celebrated with breakfasts every two months, and a $50 gift certificates to a local restaurant. There's now a holiday luncheon for staff, and the company picnic grew beyond the standard hamburgers and hot dogs in the parking lot to big gathering at a local parks that is also to open employees' families. A popular perk is an opportunity to give back on the job. Workers can spend a paid work day volunteering for one of several organizations, ranging from Habitat for Humanity to Kids' Foods Basket. Employees can also donate blood at work during two blood drive held annually. Stewardship is very important to the employees, said Conley, noting the workforce logged more than 400 volunteer hours last year. Like other companies, Flow-Rite offers a match to its 401K retirement accounts. The firm gives 4 percent when employees contribute 5 percent. The firm also holds financial planning lunches to teach employees how to make the most of their retirement savings plans. Another perk is an employee assistance program that provide access to professional counseling, guidance and legal services. Vacation time starts right away with employment, ranging from two to four weeks. Production staff also receive five additional personal days because their schedules are less flexible than employees in other departments. The company recently introduced an employee reward program. Workers can earn credit based on participation in company events for prizes including company swag, gift cards and a half day of vacation. The changes have made a huge difference in morale and employee empowerment, Conley says. It wasn't that the Flow-Rite didn't care about employees previously, but the company struggled to keep up with its rapid growth. Sales quadrupled over a decade. "The focus was on getting product out the door," Hart said. "It wasn't malice at all." But the pace had taken its toll on workers. The Best and Bright survey provided a way to measure and quantify what employees were feeling. "I think the biggest change is that employees feel like they are empowered to speak up and champion our continuous improvement efforts," Conley said. GRAND HAVEN, MI - This week marks the anniversary of the last time Grand Haven's surf men used a "breeches buoy" to rescue sailors stranded aboard a drifting freighter that was caught in a gale. If you've never seen how this rope-based rescue system works, think about using a zip line during a wind storm - with a side of danger. Grand Haven's last major freighter rescue was the J. R. Sensibar on Dec. 7, 1939. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the 537-foot steel-hulled freighter grounded south of Grand Haven in Lake Michigan. It arrived the day before, after being towed from Chicago to Grand Haven. The weather was calm when it was left anchored offshore. The plan was to bring it into harbor in the morning, according to "Maritime Grand Haven: Coast Guard City USA," a book by Wallace K. Ewing and David H. Seibold. Then a gale blew up overnight and the large ship went adrift. "It foundered in the sand and local tugs were unable to budge it," according to the book. The Coast Guard rescued the crew by running a breeches buoy line out to the Sensibar. It was the Grand Haven Coast Guard's last use of the rope system for a rescue, the authors said. A breeches buoy resembled a round life ring with canvas leg harnesses that looked like a pair of shorts. Once inside this getup, a sailor used a zip line-like system to go from a ship in trouble to the safety of the shore. In the Sensibar's case, a larger tug was later able to free the freighter. She went on to change owners and work the lakes for almost another 50 years before she was scrapped in Spain in 1986. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reported the following activity from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 9: Deputies responded to 56 calls for service, conducted 84 traffic stop and made eight arrests. 6:40 a.m., Sgt. Watson responded to Spring Arbor Road for an alarm. 7 a.m., Deputy Taylor responded to Kimberly Court near Onondaga Road for a vicious dog in the area. 7:23 a.m., Deputy Truchan responded to Harris Drive for a property security check. 8:09 a.m., Sgt. Watson responded to East McDevitt Avenue for a peace officer complaint. 9 a.m., Deputy Deland responded to Morrissey Road for a suspicious situation report. 9:36 p.m., Deputy Thomas responded to South Dearing Road and assisted the Spring Arbor police with an alarm. 9:47 a.m., Deputy Thomas responded to Burr Oak Drive and assisted the Spring Arbor police with a peace officer complaint. 9:52 a.m., Deputy Taylor responded to the lobby for an identity theft report that occurred in Summit Township. 10:04 a.m., Deputy Thomas responded to I-94 near Sandstone Road to assist a motorist. 10:07 a .m., Deputy Taylor responded to the lobby for a report of a fraud in Henrietta Township. 10:52 a.m., Deputy Taylor responded to Horton Road for a fraud report. 11:21 a.m., Deputy Ruge conducted a traffic stop on Michigan Avenue near Elm Avenue. The driver was cited for driving with a suspended license. 11:21 a.m., Deputy Jenski conducted a traffic stop on Maple Grove Road near Lansing Avenue. A subject was arrested and lodged on an outstanding misdemeanor warrant. 11:39 a.m., Deputy Caroffino responded to South Brown Street for a parking complaint. 12:08 p.m., Deputy Taylor responded to Sears Road near Cross Road for an animal complaint. 12:33 p.m., Sgt. Rose responded to I-94 near Airport Road to assist a motorist. 1:59 p.m., Deputy Jacobson responded to South Main Street for a crash that did not injure anyone. 1:31 p.m., Deputy Caroffino responded to Mount Hope Road near Stephen Road for a larceny report. 1:51 p.m., Deputy Deland responded to Norvell Road for a suspicious situation. 2:44 p.m., Deputy Deland responded to Mount Hope Road near Bohne Road for a property damage crash. 3 p.m., Deputy Collins responded to Center Street for an assault report that occurred in Summit Township. 3:28 p.m., Deputy Collins responded to Twilight Street for a personal welfare check. 3:56 p.m., Deputy DeLand responded to Norvell Road for a suspicious situation report. 4:23 p.m., Deputy Deering responded to Mercury Drive for a runaway report. 4:41 p.m., Deputy Sukovich responded to Spring Arbor Road for a two-vehicle accident which became an assault. 4:56 p.m., Deputy Caroffino responded to the area of Pierce Road and Sharon Valley Road for a dispute over a tree stand. 5:21 p.m., Deputy Thomas responded to the lobby for a take a report of a suspicious situation. 5:30 p.m., Deputy Collins responded to Ravenwood Street for a fraud report. 6:13 p.m., Deputies Faouzi and Vosters responded to Oakbrook East for a domestic situation report. A subject was arrested for domestic assault. 6:20 p.m., Deputy Carter responded to Hardcastle Road near Horning Road for a car-deer accident report. 9:11 p.m., Deputy Jenski conducted a traffic stop on Falcon Street near Lansing Avenue. The driver was arrested for drugged driving. 9:12 p.m., Deputy Sawyer conducted a traffic stop near West Mansion Street. A subject was arrested for a criminal bench warrant for probation violation warrant out of Detroit. 9:13 p.m., Deputy Vosters responded to Hague Avenue for a suicidal subject report. 9:14 p.m., Deputy Carter responded to Seymour Road near Portage Lake Road for a suspicious situation report. 11:09 p.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to South Brown Street for a personal welfare check. 11:11 p.m., Deputy Carter and Sergeant Stuart responded to Springport Road for a domestic situation report. 11:39 p.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to South Brown Street for warrant pick-up. The subject was located and arrested for a failure to appear misdemeanor warrant out of Jackson County. 11:53 p.m., Deputy Carter and Sergeant Stuart responded to E. Main Street in Springport Township for a domestic situation report. A subject was located and arrested for domestic assault and a misdemeanor warrant out of Jackson County. 12:21 a.m., Deputy Ruge conducted a traffic stop on East Michigan Avenue near North Dettman Road. The driver was arrested for operating while intoxicated. 1:34 a.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to Brooklyn Road for a property security check. 2:23 a.m., Deputy Sawyer responded to West Franklin Street near Fernwood Avenue for a suspicious situation. 2:44 a.m., Deputy Hudson responded to Spring Arbor Road near Renfrew Boulevard for a traffic crash. 2:59 a.m., Deputy Vosters responded to East South Street to assist the Jackson Police Department with a warrant arrest. [December 08, 2017] Walmart and the Walmart Foundation Announce up to $250,000 for California Wildfire Relief Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have committed up to $250,000 in support of ongoing relief efforts surrounding wildfires in California. This includes funding for nonprofit grants supporting the America Red Cross and Salvation Army for shelter and feeding efforts, as well as in-kind product donations to support first responders. "We are saddened by the devastation caused by the wildfires and the impact to our associates and the communities we serve," said Julie Gehrki, vice president, programs for Walmart. "This has been an unprecedented year for disasters around the United States, and we remain committed to support relief efforts to help them through this difficult time." Walmart has a long history of providing aid in times of disasters, helping communities prepare and recover by donating emergency supplies, such as food and water, home and personal products. Since 2005, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have donated more than $60 million in cash and in-kind donations in response to disaster events. This year, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have donated more than $35 million to 2017 disaster relief efforts. About Walmart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better - anytime and anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices. The company's legal name will become Walmart Inc., effective on Feb. 1, 2018, to reflect its growing status as an omni-channel retailer. Each week, over 260 million customers and members visit our more than 11,600 stores under nearly 60 bannes in 28 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2017 revenue of $485.9 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook (News - Alert) at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter (News - Alert) at http://twitter.com/walmart. About Philanthropy at Walmart By using our strengths to help others, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation create opportunities for people to live better every day. Walmart has stores in 28 countries, employing more than 2.3 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Our philanthropy helps people live better by supporting upward job mobility and economic development for the retail workforce; addressing hunger and making healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality; and building strong communities where Walmart operates and inspiring our associates to give back. Whether it is helping to lead the fight against hunger in the United States with $2 billion in cash and in-kind donations or supporting Women's Economic Empowerment through a series of grants totaling $10 million to the Women in Factories training program in Bangladesh, China, India and Central America, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are not only working to tackle key social issues, we are also collaborating with others to inspire solutions for long-lasting systemic change. To learn more about Walmart's giving, visit http://www.foundation.walmart.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171208005691/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] iStock/Thinkstock(TRYON, N.C.) -- Meet Sqweeks, the newest member of the police department in Tryon, North Carolina. When the stray kitten wandered up to the dispatch center, an officer took her inside and away from the cold. I felt something brush up against my leg. It startled me a bit and I stepped back to see a dark fur ball looking at me, police officer Alan Corn told ABC News of his discovery. The cat followed me like a puppy walking right beside me everywhere I went. As I returned a few hours later and started to walk back inside, there was the kitty again at my feet. I thought for sure that it would leave and go home but it didn't. It had started to get cold so I brought it inside near the end of my shift. I am in no way a cat person but I honestly almost took it home myself. This kitty had the best personality of any cat I've ever seen. It was very affectionate, fluffy, soft, and acted more like a little dog than a cat. The next day when employees started to arrive for work, they noticed the new fuzzy four-legged employee on staff. I came in shortly before 7 a.m. and someone said, Heads up, there is a kitten running around, Tara Atkins, a dispatcher, told ABC News. She is a friendly kitten and really warmed up to the staff quickly. She is a very sweet kitten. She ran around from office to office making friends, said Atkins. The majority of her time was spent sleeping, playing with a small ball, and just investigating her new surroundings. The dispatchers posted her photo to the towns Facebook page in hopes of tracking down an owner, to no avail. She had no collars, no tags, and the local animal control officer came by and scanned her for a chip and found no evidence of one, said Atkins. Sqweeks is now staying with Atkins cousin and his wife, David and Tanya Morrow, and is making herself right at home, said Atkins. So far no one has stepped forward to inquire about her, but Atkins said if they can prove ownership, they will happily return her. ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. trends Capgemini Tech Challenge: Celebrating 50 years. The fourth edition of Capgemini Tech Challenge was held at the company's Airoli office located in Mumbai. This edition of the Hackathon was even more special as Capgemini celebrated 50 years of its existence. This season there were an array of challenges across multiple levels for the participants to showcase their tech skills. The GE Appliances FirstBuild on Saturday signed an agreement with T-Works, an incubator set up by the Telangana government for e-hardware startups, to establish the FirstBuild India hub. An official release said that FirstBuild, based out of Louisville, Kentucky, is a global co-creation community that harnesses the brainpower of the maker movement to change the way major home appliances are conceived, designed and manufactured. It said that FirstBuild decided to set up its India operations in Hyderabad at T-Works after evaluating options across multiple cities. It informed that FirstBuild India proposes to focus on IoT and business processes in appliances and manufacturing, and looks to engage with T-Works and the maker community in knowledge sharing, skills development and community-driven open-platform innovation. According to an official release, the agreement was signed by Sujai Karampuri, Director Electronics, and Chandramouli Vijjhala, Chief Information Officer, GE Appliances India in the presence of Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao. Zerodha Ahead of Gujarat election, the BJP is going on an overdrive. The star campaigner of BJP, who is Narendra Modi, is also the only real politician to have existed in the big name in Gujarat since 2002, seems to be at the crux of this election process. All attention is focused on him. BJP is definitely going into this election based on the popularity that Narendra Modi has seen over the last few years. There are a lot of rallies that Mr. Modi is campaigning in. By making Modi the Centre stage, BJP is clearly looking to refocus on the contest, with its principal rival, Congress at the moment. The Congress has tended to focus on anti-incumbency, especially with BJP being in power in the state for 22 years and also, caste politics. But, this doesnt seem to be working as BJP still takes the lead and we believe it will go on to take this election as well. Well, the idea to organise one public meeting for every five to six assembly constituencies was so that the prime minister is able to personally address voters of a limited area. Modi has a direct connection with the people and this is the biggest advantage for BJP. When it comes to how it affects the market and what will happen to the frontline in this indices when the news comes out -- I think most of the jubilation which could be associated with BJPs win has already been factored into the market and is in the prize. We do not expect a win by Modi to move the markets up or have too much of an upside based on this news alone but a loss and upset from BJP could take the markets lower. Because a loss for them here could mean that the next election that the majority that they hold in the center might be questioned. Overall, we believe the news from this event will be on lines of what is being expected, BJP will win and the market will not have major reactions based on this. Also, overall, looking at the market, we believe this inherent weakness in the market will continue and we expect the market to move lower into the 10,000 to 10,100 region in the coming expiry, i.e. the December expiry. We would recommend staying short or no initiating fresh long at this point in time. The author is Co-founder & Head of trading, Zerodha. The views and investment tips expressed by the investment expert on Moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com told CNBC-TV18, "One can buy Bharat Forge with a stoploss around Rs 650. It is beginning to outperform and maybe in one year, if the stock can get past Rs 750, one could even see Rs 830 coming in." Escorts has gone through a very sharp correction towards its 200-day moving average. One can keep a stoploss around Rs 610 and maybe Rs 780, a recent highs, can be achieved in the next one year," he added. Praveg Communications (India) Ltd. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Most pharma stocks recovered this week on back of renewed buying interest. Biocon continues to be the pick of the week as the company's stock gained on its partner Mylan getting US approval to market cancer biosimilar Trastuzumab in US market. Hospital stocks remained stable despite the ongoing developments related to Delhi government cancelling license of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh and Harayana government removing Gurugrams Fortis Hospital from the list of empanelled hospitals. The BSE Healthcare gained 0.29 percent in the past week, the benchmark Sensex rose 0.86 percent. Biocon saw biggest jump this week with its stock rising by 6.19 percent followed by other gainers including Cipla (1.19 percent), Torrent Pharma (1.68), Divis (0.9 percent), Lupin (0.62 percent) and Sun Pharma (0.29 percent). While Aurobindo Pharma remained flat, stocks of Dr Reddy's (-4.03 percent), Glenmark (-3.44 percent) and Cadila Healthcare (-2.9 percent) declined. Here's what kept the sector buzzing: The Delhi government on Friday cancelled the licence of Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh on alleged gross medical negligence by hospital authorities in a case related to a newborn declared dead by hospital but later found alive. Biopharmaceutical firm Biocon said it has created a new subsidiary to house all its biologic assets to enable the company to unlock value at a later date. Shilpa Medicare announced this week that it has received 10 Form 483 observations from US FDA for its SEZ formulation facility at Jadcherla, near Hyderabad. Seven out of those 10 observations were procedural in nature - the rest were a bit serious in nature related to analytical specifications, test procedures and method validation. The US drug regulator said it gave 26 first generic drug approvals in October, setting an all-time record for the most such approvals in a single month. The 26 first generic approvals represent 29.9 percent of 87 approvals issued in October. In the same month last year, US Food and Drug Administration approved 54 generic drugs. said that he is confident of a 'landslide victory' for BJP in the elections.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today termed the Congress party's Gujarat poll manifesto as 'constitutionally and financially impossible' and said the promises like quota to Patidar and farm loan waiver can never be fulfilled. On the day Gujarat went in for the first phase of polling, Jaitley said, "Having no model of development, the Congress party's manifesto is one of fiscal impossibility. The total revenue earned by the state is about Rs 90,000 crore per annum. The Congress promises a tax waiver of Rs 20,000 crore." This will bring down the effective revenue income of the state to Rs 70,000 crore, he said in a long Facebook post. 20:09 Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in Morbi district of Gujarat today as the locals, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling. While long lines were seen outside polling booths in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Assembly polls, none among the 1,000 registered voters in Gajadi turned up to cast vote, officials said. The village, though situated in Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under Kalavad constituency of Jamnagar district. The district administration said they tried their best to persuade villagers to vote. 19:54 In Mehsana, Rahul Gandhi promises free of cost medical facility in government hospitals and free medicines in government pharmacies if Congress wins. 19:30 EC says EVM tampering via bluetooth reports are false. "There is no such connection of any Bluetooth or EVM. EVMs don't have receptors or wiring to facilitate that. So such reports are false," EC said. 19:27 Prime Minister Narendra Modi today latched on to tweets by one Salman Nizami who, he said, was a Congress leader to tear into the opposition party for allegedly questioning his parentage. In a stinging attack on the Congress after former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech aadmi" (lowly sort of a person) remark, he said a leader from the opposition party, who, he claimed, is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, has sought to know who is his father and mother. At an election rally at Lunawada, the prime minister said India was his father and mother, and like a good son, he will spend his entire life serving the country. 18:55 68 percent of voting recorded in the first phase, Election Commission said. However, the voting percentage could be a little higher once the final figures come. 18:39 Jaitley is confident that BJP will have 'landslide victory' in Gujarat. "First phase of polling has ended, we are extremely grateful to EC, the officials & voters for peaceful & successful completion of voting. I'm sure, as per the reports that are coming, that BJP is going to register a landslide victory," he said. 18:30 Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the complaints of Bluetooth connection in EVM in Porbandra by Congress' Arjun Modhwadia are baseless. "When statements of these kind are given, I can't help but say that these are preparation of upcoming defeat," he said. 18:02 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of changing the agenda of the Gujarat elections as he was getting exposed on one issue after another. At a rally in Harij in Patan district, Gandhi said Modi raised the issue of suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark about him as the PM had got exposed on other issues like the Narmada water, other backward castes (OBC) and development in 22 years of the BJP rule in the state. "It is very interesting to see how the truth catches up with the people. Modiji started saying he will contest the election on the issue of Narmada water. It came to notice that the river water did not reach villages and went to the Tata Nano factory," he claimed. 17:45 At Mehsana, Modi said that he fights courageously with blessings of 'janata janardan'. He urged the voters to not let Congress win even one seat in the Assembly. BJP should win in every booth, he said. A well educated Congress leader called me Neech'. This is the mindset of Congress. They have their language and we have our work. People will answer them through the ballot box, Modi said. 17:36 Addressing a rally at Mehsana's Vadnagar, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said that 90 percent of time Modi's speeches are about him only. "Narendra Modi ne Narendra Modi ke baare mein bhashan dia, aur kuch bacha hi nahi! But this election is not about Modi Ji or me, it is about Gujarat's future," he said. 17:29 Meanwhile, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday posted his 11th question for Narendra Modi, asking why Modi has sold out education in the state. 17:21 Criticising Congress, Modi said that Congress has destroyed the country and has set a record of telling lies, he added. "Congress has worked in spreading corruption, plundering, spreading Bhai-Bhajism, high-level differences and racial prejudice in the country," he said. 17:16 "We brought Sujalam-Sufalam scheme and the water of the Mahi river took all the north Gujarat to the Banas river and the farmer took three three crops and the water level in the ground was called development," Modi said today at Mehsana rally. 17:02 Without development, there is no solution to the problem India faces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while addressing a rally in Mehsana. 16:56 Gujarat BJP chief and himself a Patidar, Jitu Vaghani said today Rahul Gandhi will fail miserably in his first test as the Congress's "de facto chief" because he and Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel are "cheating hardworking and decent people". He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, his image and BJP president Amit Shah's political acumen was the major difference between his party and the Congress and that the three factors would dismantle all challenges including the one posed by Hardik Patel. Vaghani alleged the Congress was not fighting the Gujarat polls itself and had outsourced it to others. 16:36 Voters will be able to cast votes after 5 pm using token, reports Tv9 Gujarati. 16:25 According to ANI, in the first phase, 1.90 percent of VVPATs have been replaced out of 24,689 units deployed. 0.37% out of the 26,865 Ballot Units and 0.38% out of the 24,689 Control Unites replaced too. 16:22 EC must address queries related to working of EVMs: Omar Abdullah Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asked the Election Commission to address the queries being raised on the trustworthiness of the electronic voting machines (EVMs). "I've been extremely sceptical of EVM related conspiracy theories but I'm beginning to question my unwavering faith in the machines & their infallibility," Abdullah wrote in a Twitter post. 16:15 On faulty EVMs, Yogesh Thakkar, Deputy District Electoral officer said that some EVMs have been replaced. EVMs were updated with VVPAT, which allows people to verify their vote for 7 seconds, he told ANI. While BJP is talking about development and sharing our vision for Gujarat, Congress is busy abusing me. Latest to join the list is a young Congress leader who asks me who my parents areI tell him and his party- my everything is India and 125 crore Indians. pic.twitter.com/xWrQDfcz5d Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 PM Modi addressing a rally. 15:57 The Election Commission today said that it has received several complaints of malfunctioning electronic voting machines (EVMs) and Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs). Complaints have been received from Valsad district, Surat and Rajkot East constituency. 15:52 Read more: Will markets breakout to hit record highs if BJP wins Gujarat elections? 15:40 Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today said his party would not imitate BJP leaders who "abuse" him, and asserted that he would fight over the issues which affect the people of poll-bound Gujarat. "A leader told me that whatever Mani Shankar-ji (Mani Shankar Aiyar) said about (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi was wrong, but what about Modi-ji and people from BJP saying wrong things about you, abusing you, and saying (objectionable things) about you on Internet? I told him he belongs to Congress and not the BJP, so we will not do what they do, we have a history," Gandhi said. 15:25 EVM engineer S Anand talks to media after visiting a polling booth in Porbandar's Thakkar plot following complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth, says, 'the name that you give to your Bluetooth device will be shown when it is paired to another device'. | Source: ANI 14:55 Voter turnout till 2 pm recorded at 40.47%. 14:48 A team of Election Commission has reached polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar after complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth. Congress had alleged that booth number 145, 146 and 147 EVM machines are connected to other devices through Bluetooth. 14:20 News18 reports that another Congress leader has alleged EVM being connected to Bluetooth in Jalapore constituency of Navsari district. 14:02 "Congress party has made it a practice to say EVM malfunctioned every time when they face defeat. Therefore, they are preparing ground before Dec 18 to blame their defeat on EVM," says Minister of State PMO, Jitendra Singh | Source: ANI 13:59 Voter turnout in key constituencies. Image: News18 1:20 pm Opinion polls indicate a victory for BJP, Congress will give a tough fight. 12:48 pm Voting turnout till 12 noon recorded at 31%. Meanwhile, FM Arun Jaitley said that the allegations by Congress over EVMs are "nothing new". He added that the voting trend looks fine. "Voting trends look fine. We will win by a landslide margin. The BJP has given a great model of development in Gujarat and no party can question that. EVMs are questioned in every election, it is nothing new. The Election Commission will look into it." 12:35 pm Gujarat is slightly better than the national average on most of the socio-economic parameters 12:05 pm Ive been extremely sceptical of EVM related conspiracy theories but Im beginning to question my unwavering faith in the machines & their infallibility. I hope the Election Commission can step up & address the questions that are being asked of it about the trustworthiness of voting machines: Omar Abdullah, former CM, Jammu and Kashmir on Twitter. 11:55 am Congress is claiming that booth number 145, 146 and 147 EVM machines are connected to other devices through Bluetooth, reports News18. 11:36 am There is over a week's time in the counting for the Gujarat Assembly Election, but punters are betting that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will once again form the government in the state despite a tough fight from the Congress. See report 11:25 am 20.9% voter turnout recorded till 11 am in the crucial first phase of Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017. Surat, Rajkot, Tapi and Botad have seen the highest voting so far, while Dangs, Narmada and Kutch have been the lowest. 11:13 am "Wherever there are complaints of EVM malfunctioning, it should be dealt with immediately," says Ahmed Patel, Congress Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat 11:02 am December 9 also marks Congress president Sonia Gandhi's birthday. She turns 71 today. Congress workers burst crackers outside her 10, Janpath resident. PM Narendra Modi greeted her on Twitter. 10:55 am Vipul Goti, Master Trainer, Election Commission in Surat's Varaccha said that two machines and one VVPAT have been replaced. "You cannot really call it a technical error, these are electronic items there can be some issues. Now everything is okay & voting has started." Source: ANI 10:53 am 15 percent of the netas (137 candidates) in fray in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017 have criminal cases recorded against them. Read detailed report 10:44 am More reports of faulty EVMs are coming from Porbandar, Jetpur (Rural Rajkot) and Surat. Earlier, a faulty EVM was replaced in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth in Surat's Varaccha. 10:36 am Besides CM Vijay Rupani, senior Congress leader Ahmad Patel, Cricketer Cheteswar Pujara are among the voters who have cast their votes. Patel seemed confident of winning the battle and said Congress will win more than 110 seats. The cut-off mark for forming a government in Gujarat is 92. 10:27 am In first two hours (till 10 am), the average voter turnout stands at 15 percent. If the trend continues, a high turnout could be expected. 10:14 am Why Patidars matter | Patidars form around 12-14 percent of Gujarat's total population. There are four sub-castes within Patidars Leuva, Kadva, Anjana and Satpanthi. Traditionally, the Kadva Patels used to vote for the BJP. In 2012, BJP lost out on votes from the Leuvas in Saurashtra as former chief minister Keshubhai Patel's party fought separately. In 2014, however, both sub-castes voted for the BJP. Further, Patidars in the rural and urban areas have voted differently. The opinion poll also states that Congress is likely to receive two percent Patidar votes more than the BJP across the state. Interestingly, though, Hardik Patel's own popularity had fallen from 61 percent in August to 58 percent in November | Read more detailed analysis on influence of Patidars on this election 10:00 am In the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017, as many as 198 out of total 977 candidates are crorepatis 09:50 am In an exclusive interview given to Moneycontrol, the spokesperson for Congress, Randeep Surjewala says the Gujarat model of governancewhich helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi come to power at the Centrehas failed and that the electoral result in the state will be shocking for BJP. He also accuses Modi to have destroyed the business acumen of country and said that the PM serves industrialists only | Read full interview here 09:40 am Gujarat in numbers: During Phase I of Gujarat Assembly Elections 2017, the 89 constituencies are spread out in the 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and southern regions. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Botad, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Dang and Valsad districts. 27,158 EVMs are being used in 24,689 polling stations in the first phase. Of the 2,12,31,652 voters, 1,11,05,933 are males and 1,01,25,472 females, while 247 are from the third gender. 09:30 am Better late than never: After facing attacks from the opposition over not releasing manifesto for the election, the ruling BJP finally released the document less than 24 hours before the polling began. A look at the promises: BJP releases manifesto less than 24 hours before vote What is at stake, what the opinion polls say, what has been the trend in last elections and the number gameclick for a look at deep but easy to understand analysis of the Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 09:11 am Battleground Gujarat: After a fiery round of verbal battle between leaders, the voters of Gujarat are ready to decide who is going to win the keenly contested election. Polling booths have opened and voting is underway across 89 seats in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections 2017. Prominent names among 977 candidates in the fray include Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli). Around 2.12 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in PM Narendra Modi's home state where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is vying for a fifth term and the Congress is attempting an electoral revival. File Pic: Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said a logistic hub would be developed in Narnaul in which a Dubai-based company has expressed intent to invest. The facility would be developed in an area spanning over 1,100 acres, Khattar said in Fatehabad. Meetings have been held with various industrial groups and agreements signed with about 150 big companies involving investment worth Rs 86,000 crore, he said. A new industrial policy has been implemented so that huge amount of investment is made in Haryana, he said, adding that for this the registration process has been made simple and all approvals related to establishing new projects are being granted under a single roof. "Apart from this, several rebates are given to the industrial groups to motivate them to set up ventures in Haryana to generate employment opportunities for the youth of the state," he said. Liasion officers have been deputed to assist the industrial groups, he said. Khattar, who led a delegation to Dubai earlier this week to woo investors, said some big industrialists from Dubai were keen on investing in Haryana. "On the pattern of the 'Global City' being developed over 1,200 acres in Delhi, big industrialists have shown interest in investing in similar projects in Haryana. Industrialists from Dubai would visit the state for a meeting with the state government in January 2018," he said. Unitech | Board submitted resolution proposal before Supreme Court. (Image: unitechgroup.com) The company law tribunal, NCLT today suspended all the eight directors of realty firm Unitech over allegations of mismanagement and siphoning of funds, while authorising the government to appoint its 10 nominees on the board. In a rare move, the government approached the NCLT to take over the management with a view to protecting the interest of nearly 20,000 home buyers, and 51,000 depositors to whom the company owes Rs 723 crore. The government's intervention in this case comes almost a decade after it had taken over the board of IT firm Satyam (now Tech Mahindra) and sold it to Mahindras'. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) said the government must give name of its nominees by the next date of hearing, December 20, while restraining Unitech's 8 suspended directors from selling their personal and company properties. The tribunal's order came after the government filed a petition arguing that Unitech was a fit case for winding up but considering the interest of thousands of home buyers and small depositors, it wanted to take over company management. The order by two-member NCLT bench, headed by Chairman Justice M M Kumar, said: "We are persuaded to record that the affairs of the company are not being carried in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act. "In fact, prima facie appears to us that the affairs of the Unitech are being conducted against large public interest. Therefore, a prima facie case is made out." Suspending the eight directors, including Chairman Ramesh Chandra and two MDs Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra, the NCLT ordered that the government is "permitted to appoint 10 nominee directors on the Unitech board, which shall remain subject to approval of this tribunal". While Unitech was not represented during the morning hearing, in the afternoon the firm moved the tribunal challenging its order saying that no "coercive steps for execution" can be taken in view of a November 20 order of the Supreme Court. NCLT, however, refused to keep in abeyance its order to suspend the incumbent directors of Unitech Ltd and said the government appointed directors would comply with all the orders of the Supreme Court. "In the pursuance to our direction if a new board of directors is constituted then it shall also be bound to obey the directions of the Supreme Court which are binding on all authorities in any case," it said. The tribunal directed the suspended directors of Unitech to file their replies within a week. Reacting to the development, Unitech Ltd said any interference in the working of its current management would be detrimental to the cause of all stakeholders. Despite its two managing directors in judicial custody, they have been "striving hard to secure financing so that construction can continue to complete various projects", Unitech said in a statement. The company has over Rs 6,000 crore debt with more than 16,000 undelivered units from about 70 projects. In its petition filed under section 241 of the Companies Act, 2013, the government requested the tribunal to remove the eight directors. It sought permission for "recovery of undue gains made by the respondents upon the findings of investigation into diversion and siphoning of funds as ordered by the tribunal". "In order to further prevent acts of fraud, continuous misfeasance, breach of trust to the stakeholders of Unitech persistent negligence in the obligation and discharge of duties as directors of Unitech, the tribunal may empower the central government to appoint 10 nominee directors consequent upon the removal of the respondent directors," the petition said. The Supreme Court had recently asked Unitech to deposit Rs 750 crore by December-end in bail pleas of Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra, who were arrested by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police in April for allegedly not developing a project despite receiving funds from investors. Commenting on the development, realtors apex body Credai president Jaxay Shah said: "While we are not aware of the details of the matter and reasons for the ministry of company affairs to approach the NCLT, the verdict of the NCLT, however, must be trusted." The authorities concerned must work towards a sustainable process to mitigate unscrupulous activities while maintaining a sense of stability within the system which would further work towards the betterment of the industry as a whole, he added. The Unitech stock jumped nearly 20 percent to Rs 7.29 on BSE. 21:03 That's all for today, readers. Thanks for staying on with our coverage of the day's action. Your enthusiasm encourages us to better our coverage every day. Do come back tomorrow for more news, views and insights. 20:55 Rajasthan govt gives Rs 5 lakh compensation to family of Afrazul The Rajasthan government on Saturday provided Rs labourer burnt 5 lakh compensation to the family of the Muslimfrom West Bengal who was hacked andto death by a man, who could be seen in a video of the crime ranting against "love jihad". Rajsamand SDM Rajendra Prasad Agarwal provided a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the wife of Mohammad Afrazul, 48, who was killed on Wednesday allegedly by Shambhu Lal Raigir in the district. In a video of the crime, Rajgir could be seen raving against "love jihad", a term used by sections of Hindu activists to describe marriages between Hindu women and Muslim men, who are accused of seeking to propagate Islam. Raigir was later arrested. 20:53 SBI changes names, IFSC codes of around 1,300 branches Post the merger of its five associates, State Bank of India has changed names and IFSC codes of nearly 1,300 of its branches. The country's largest lender has changed the names and IFSC codes of branches located in major cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Lucknow, among others. "Some of our old associate branches are getting merged with SBI branches. When that merger happens, the IFSC codes get changed," the bank's managing director (retail and digital banking), Praveen Gupta, said. 20:48 Logistic hub spread over 1100 acres to come up in Narnaul: Manohar Lal Khattar Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said a logistic hub would be developed in Narnaul in which a Dubai-based company has expressed intent to invest. The facility would be developed in an area spanning over 1,100 acres, Khattar said in Fatehabad. Meetings have been held with various industrial groups and agreements signed with about 150 big companies involving investment worth Rs 86,000 crore, he said. 20:44 Govt hints at reviewing rates in top GST bracket After slashing the GST rates of over 200 items last month, the government on Saturday hinted at reviewing levies on the items in the top 28 percent tax bracket. On November 10, the GST Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, had lowered Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates on over 200 items, ranging from chewing gum to chocolates, to beauty products, wigs and wrist watches. As many as 178 items of daily use were shifted from the top tax bracket of 28 percent to 18 percent, and a uniform 5 percent tax was prescribed for both air-conditioned and non-AC restaurants. 20:36 Charge sheet, jail await Lalu Prasad and his family: Sushil Modi Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday claimed the Enforcement Directorate, the CBI and the Income Tax department had "strong evidence" of benami transactions against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family members and "they will not only face charge sheet but also be sent to jail and awarded punishment". He was referring to the attachment of a piece of land allegedly belonging to family members of the RJD chief by the ED in Patna yesterday. A mall was reportedly supposed to be constructed on the plot said to be worth about Rs 45 crore. 20:32 Maharashtra CM feared council poll would have effect in Gujarat: Narayan Rane Former Congress leader Narayan Rane on Saturday claimed he was not allowed to fight for the recently held Maharashtra Council polls as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis felt it would have repercussions on Gujarat elections. The former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, who was speaking to a Marathi news channel in Sangli, also claimed he will become a minister in 2017 itself and there was no pressure on him from the Shiv Sena. "I would have won the (recently held Maharashtra) Legislative Council polls. However, the Chief Minister felt this election could have repercussions in Gujarat election. Hence I was not given a chance. Prasad Lad filed his nomination and won," Rane claimed. 20:31 Delhi govt won't hesitate to act against erring private hospitals: Arvind Kejriwal The Delhi government was not against the city's private hospitals but it would not hesitate to act sternly in cases of criminal negligence and "looting of parents", Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday. Kejriwal said it takes courage to cancel the licence of a leading healthcare facility like the Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh. His comments came a day after the Delhi government decided to cancel the licence of the hospital for alleged medical negligence on multiple instances, including one in which it wrongly declared an alive baby dead on November 30. 20:25 Congress' Gujarat manifesto 'financially impossible', says FM Arun Jaitley Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday termed the Congress party's Gujarat poll manifesto as 'constitutionally and financially impossible' and said the promises like the quota to Patidar and farm loan waiver can never be fulfilled. On the day Gujarat went in for the first phase of polling, Jaitley said, "Having no model of development, the Congress party's manifesto is one of fiscal impossibility. The total revenue earned by the state is about Rs 90,000 crore per annum. The Congress promises a tax waiver of Rs 20,000 crore." This will bring down the effective revenue income of the state to Rs 70,000 crore, he said in a long Facebook post. 20:19 To protest water woes, Gajadi village in Gujarat boycotts election Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in Morbi district of Gujarat on Saturday as the locals, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling. While long lines were seen outside polling booths in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Assembly polls, none among the 1,000 registered voters in Gajadi turned up to cast vote, officials said. The village, though situated in Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under Kalavad constituency of Jamnagar district. The district administration said they tried their best to persuade villagers to vote. 20:14 Indian economy set for higher growth trajectory: FM Arun Jaitley Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said the Indian economy is set for a higher growth trajectory on the back of a slew of structural reforms. He said the NDA government would now focus on large-scale investment in the infrastructure sector and rural areas. "I think, we should be looking forward to a much higher growth trajectory (for India) in the days to come. Our government has carried out structural reforms at the right time. Demonetisation and GST were carried out keeping in mind their long-term benefits to the economy," Jaitley said. 20:00 ITDC executes documents for transferring Hotel Jaipur Ashok to Rajasthan govt The Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) on Saturday said it has executed transfer documents for transferring Hotel Jaipur Ashok to the Rajasthan government at a negotiated price of Rs 14 crore. ".... it is hereby informed that transfer documents with respect to transfer of Hotel Jaipur Ashok to the Government of Rajasthan executed today," ITDC said in a regulatory filing. Earlier on September 5, ITDC said that a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) was being executed among ITDC, the Ministry of Tourism and the Government of Rajasthan for transfer of Hotel Jaipur Ashok to the state government at a "negotiated value of Rs 14 crore without any liabilities and encumbrances". 19:56 GE's Firstbuild signs up with T-Works to set up India hub The GE Appliances FirstBuild on Saturday signed an agreement with T-Works, an incubator set up by the Telangana government for e-hardware startups, to establish the FirstBuild India hub. An official release said that FirstBuild, based out of Louisville, Kentucky, is a global co-creation community that harnesses the brainpower of the maker movement to change the way major home appliances are conceived, designed and manufactured. It said that FirstBuild decided to set up its India operations in Hyderabad at T-Works after evaluating options across multiple cities. 19:47 Complaint of EVM tampering through bluetooth baseless: EC The Election Commission (EC) in Gujarat said on Saturday that an inquiry found that the apprehension about possible EVM tampering through bluetooth technology, raised by opposition Congress, was baseless. bluetooth EVM Team for ODI series against Sri Lanka: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Washington Sundar ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 The device which the complainant's mobile phone detected after putting onwas not an Electronic Voting Machine () but a mobile phone, carried by a polling agent, the commission said. 19:43 Muslim labourer's killing in Rajasthan criminal incident, not love jihad: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday sought to see the burning to death of a Muslim labourer in Rajasthan earlier this week as a "criminal incident" and not as a case of "love jihad" as was being alleged. The minority affairs minister also, without naming anyone, said that some "sick" people were allegedly trying to disturb the communal harmony in society. He said a crime should not be clubbed with religion. Naqvi, however, stressed people allegedly doing so will not succeed in their "nefarious designs". 19:39 Complete Kaleshwaram project on fast track, says Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday asked officials to complete all works on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) on fast-track. "All works on Kaleshwaram project should be completed on fast-track since the required permissions, funds, land acquisition and other related issues are cleared and as such there are no obstacles," an official release quoted Rao. He said that the environmental clearance for the Kaleshwaram final stage will come soon plans for designs and other construction works should be kept ready. #BREAKING -- IMA doctors to go on strike to support Max against the cancellation of Max Shalimar's licence. Delhi Government says that no notice has been given for strike. Max will first have to appeal against cancellation order with Directorate General Of Health Services (DGHS) pic.twitter.com/M4nbcsNk9s News18 (@CNNnews18) December 9, 2017 19:11 Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi declares 'end of war against IS' in Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared victory in a three-year war by Iraqi forces to expel the Islamic State jihadist group that at its height endangered Iraq's very existence. "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I, therefore, announce the end of the war against Daesh (IS)," Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. "Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time," he said. 18:57 SAD president Sukhbir Badal booked for blocking road in Ferozepur Nearly 200 SAD workers and leaders, including party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, were booked for blocking traffic during a protest in Punjab's Ferozepur district. Badal and Majithia had spent Thursday night at Manawal on the Harike-Patan road, demanding the Congress government in Punjab withdraw the "false" cases registered against SAD leaders and workers. They had alleged that the cases had been lodged at the instance of the Congress dispensation. 18:53 Indiabulls Housing sells 100% stake in Indiabulls Life Indiabulls Housing Finance on Saturday said it has sold its entire shareholding in Indiabulls Life Insurance Company for a cash consideration of Rs 5 lakh to SORIL Holdings and Ventures. The company has sold its 100 per cent shareholding in 'Indiabulls Life Insurance Company Limited', presently a non- operational company with no business or license, to SORIL Holdings and Ventures Limited ('SHVL'), at face value for an aggregate cash consideration of Rs 5 lac, Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd said in a BSE filing. 18:38 CPI(M) debates on cooperating with non-Left parties against BJP: Report The CPI(M) politburo on Saturday debated the framing of a draft political resolution on whether it should seek the cooperation of all non-Left parties, including the Congress, to fight the "communal politics of the BJP", party sources said. The major Left party, which has witnessed a "sharp decline" in its electoral strength since 2005, would chalk out the resolution in a two-day meet here keeping in mind the priority of defeating the RSS-BJP combine, they added. Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury and his predecessor Prakash Karat have presented separate notes suggesting the approach the party should follow in the coming years, the sources said. 18:30 Ram temple will be built at right time, says V K Singh Union minister V K Singh on Saturday said that Ram temple will be built at the right time and as promised in the NDA manifesto. The Union minister for external affairs was here to attend a convocation ceremony of a private university. Speaking about Mumbai terror attack mastermind and banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed's entry into Pakistan's politics, Singh said that it depended on Pakistan if it wanted to become a terrorist nation. 18:22 PM Narendra Modi changing agenda of Gujarat polls after getting exposed: Rahul Gandhi Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of changing the agenda of the Gujarat elections as he was getting exposed one issue after another. At a rally in Harij in Patan district, Gandhi said Modi raised the issue of suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark about him as the PM had got exposed on other issues like the Narmada water, other backward castes (OBC) and development in 22 years of the BJP rule in the state. "It is very interesting to see how the truth catches up with the people. Modiji started saying he will contest the election on the issue of Narmada water. It came to notice that the river water did not reach villages and went to the Tata Nano factory," he claimed. 18:10 Delhi govt's decision to cancel Max hospital's licence irrational: DMA The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Saturday termed the city government's decision to cancel the licence of Max Super Specialty Hospital in Shalimar Bagh over wrongly declaring an alive baby dead as "irrational and autocratic". The doctors' body said that the government should have waited for the report of the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on the issue which is expected in a few days. It said it will give a call for a strike if needed and will appeal to the government to revoke the licence cancellation decision. 17:34 Over 45% voter turnout recorded till 2 pm in Gujarat polls Over 45 percent voter turnout was recorded till 2 pm on Saturday in the 89 seats Gujarat Assembly seats that went to polls on Saturday. The Election Commission (EC) said that 45.61 percent voters exercised their franchise between 8 am and 2 pm. The voting will end at 5 pm. The highest turnout of 57.26 percent was recorded in the tribal-dominated Tapi district, while Porbandar district in Saurashtra region recorded the lowest turnout of 40.06 percent so far. 17:26 PM Narendra Modi uses OBC card for political gains: Nana Patole Nana Patole, who resigned yesterday from the Lok Sabha and the BJP, on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using his OBC credentials for political gains. Patole, a critic of the central and state governments' handling of agrarian issues, had resigned alleging that the BJP had failed to keep the promises it had made to the people. Speaking at a press conference here, he accused the prime minister of "double standards" and alleged that Modi was using his other backward classes (OBC) credentials for electoral and political gains, but had done nothing for the benefit of OBCs and farmers. 17:11 Rahul Gandhi will fail miserably in first test as Congress de facto chief: BJP Gujarat BJP chief and himself a Patidar, Jitu Vaghani said on Saturday Rahul Gandhi will fail miserably in his first test as the Congress's "de facto chief" because he and Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel are "cheating hardworking and decent people". He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, his image and BJP president Amit Shah's political acumen was the major difference between his party and the Congress and that the three factors would dismantle all challenges including the one posed by Hardik Patel. 16:51 Direct tax collections rise 14% to Rs 4.8 lakh crore in April-November Direct tax collections increased by 14.4 percent to Rs 4.8 lakh crore during April-November this fiscal. "The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to November 2017 show that net collections are at Rs 4.8 lakh crore, which is 14.4 percent higher than the net collections for the corresponding period of last year," Central Board of Direct Taxes said in a statement. 16:49 North Korea blames US for tensions in rare UN talks North Korea blamed US "nuclear blackmail" for soaring tensions over its weapons programme following rare meetings with a senior UN official, but agreed to regular communication with the organisation, state media said on Saturday. Jeffrey Feltman flew to Beijing today after wrapping up a five-day visit to Pyongyang aimed at defusing the crisis, just a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. 16:44 Congress complains of EVM 'tampering' via bluetooth, EC orders probe Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia on Saturday complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar claiming that some machines were found to be connecting to external devices via bluetooth. The Election Commission said that based on the Congress leader's complaint, an inquiry had been initiated. "We detected that the EVMs at three polling booths at Memanwada, a Muslim-dominated area, are connected to external devices through bluetooth. When the bluetooth of a mobile phone is turned on, a device named 'ECO 105' is shown as available," Modhwadia, the Congress candidate from Porbandar, said. 16:39 24 companies to invest Rs 60,000cr in JNPT SEZ: Nitin Gadkari Union Shipping and Ports Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said 24 companies have offered to invest over Rs 60,000 crore in a special economic zone adjoining the country's largest container port JNPT. "Twenty-four companies have already offered to come (and) set up (ventures) in JNPT SEZ who will use it for exports," Gadkari said, speaking at a seminar organised by Moneycontrol and Free Press Journal here this morning. This will entail an investment of Rs 60,000 crore and create employment for 1.25-1.50 lakh people, he said. 16:32 Winter session of Maharashtra legislature from December 11 Over a dozen new bills are likely to be tabled in the both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature in the winter session beginning here from December 11. The opposition parties are expected to corner the BJP- led government on a host of issues, including the farm loan waiver. Girish Bapat The session in Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, will go on for two weeks. State Parliamentary Affairs Ministerhas already issued the schedule for the winter session. 16:25 North Korea says UN envoy expressed willingness to ease tensions The UN political affairs chief expressed willingness to ease tension on the Korean peninsula during a visit to North Korea this week, state media said on Saturday, amid a rising war of words over the North's missile and nuclear programmes. North Korea also said in a statement carried by its official KCNA news agency that the UN envoy acknowledged the negative impact of sanctions on humanitarian aid to North Korea. Feltman Jeffrey, the highest-level UN official to visit North Korea since 2012, did not speak to reporters upon arriving back from Pyongyang at Beijing airport on Saturday morning. 16:17 PM Narendra Modi greets Sonia Gandhi on her birthday Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted Congress president Sonia Gandhi on her birthday. Extending his wishes to 71-year-old Gandhi, Modi said on Twitter that he prays for her long life and good health. BJP Modi Rahul A bitter political battle is on in Gujarat between theand the Congress, withand Congress Vice PresidentGandhi mounting attacks on each other. 16:07 EC must address queries related to working of EVMs: Omar Abdullah Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday asked the Election Commission to address the queries being raised on the trustworthiness of the electronic voting machines (EVMs). sceptical EVM "I've been extremelyofrelated conspiracy theories but I'm beginning to question my unwavering faith in the machines & their infallibility," Abdullah wrote in a Twitter post. 16:00 Depression weakens over Bay of Bengal The depression over the Bay of Bengal gradually weakened and the intensity of rainfall reduced in Odisha on Saturday, but squally winds prevailed and the sea condition remained rough along the state's coast. kmph centred Gopalpur Paradip The depression moved north-northeastwards with a speed of about 15and layover northwest Bay of Bengal about 170 km east ofand 120 km south-southwest of, the Meteorological Centre here said. 15:52 Gujarat polls: 30.31% voter turnout till noon Over 30 percent voter turnout was recorded till noon on Saturday during the polling on 89 seats of Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions in the first phase of the crucial Gujarat assembly polls. As per the latest data released by the Election Commission, 30.31 percent voters exercised their franchise between 8 am and 12 pm. The voting will end at 5 pm. Tapi The highest turnout of 38.07 percent was recorded in the tribal-dominated district of, while the Narmada, another tribal-dominated district in south Gujarat, recorded the lowest turnout of 25.67 percent. 15:45 Nitin Gadkari proposes solution for stubble burning, pollution in India Union Minister of Road and Transport Nitin Gadkari on Saturday proposed a solution for stubble burning predominant in Punjab-Haryana region that is considered the "main" reason behind severe pollution levels in Delhi. While addressing the'India's Road Ahead' conference in Mumbai, Gadkari said that rice straw could be used for manufacturing second-generation ethanol or bio-ethanol, which could be mixed with petrol, thereby, reducing fuel costs in India. 15:40 SpiceJet conducts seaplane trials in Mumbai SpiceJet on Saturday conducted seaplane trials in association with Japans Setouchi Holdings at Mumbais Girgaum Chowpatty. The seaplane trials were conducted in the presence of Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, and Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Minister of Civil Aviation. Gadkari said seaplanes will give a big push for regional connectivity. 14:55 Actor Kathryn Rossetter accuses Dustin Hoffman of sexual misconduct Actor Kathryn Rossetter has alleged Dustin Hoffman repeatedly groped her during the 1983 Broadway revival of "Death of a Salesman". In a new essay published by The Hollywood Reporter, Rossetter, who played the mistress to Hoffman's Willy Loman in the production, said she idolised Hoffman upon her initial casting opposite him and enjoyed the experience of working with him until he invited her to his hotel room. 14:17 Noida double murder case: Boy held, says he killed mother-sister The 15-year-old boy, who is the prime suspect in the murder of his mother and sister, has been apprehended, police said today, claiming that he has confessed to have killed the duo. Anjali Agarwal (42) and her 12-year-old daughter Kanika were beaten and stabbed to death at their apartment here on Monday night. The boy was missing since the incident. 12:32 Uber agrees to settle case filed by Indian rape victim Uber Technologies and an Indian woman who had accused its top executives of improperly obtaining her medical records after a company driver raped her have agreed to settle a civil US lawsuit. When contacted, Uber confirmed the filing which says a settlement has been reached between all defendants and Uber expects the case to be dismissed in January. Terms of the settlement were, however, not disclosed. In 2014, the Indian woman was raped by an Uber driver in New Delhi. She had filed a lawsuit earlier and later "voluntarily" withdrew it. In 2014, the Indian woman was raped by an Uber driver in New Delhi. She had filed a lawsuit earlier and later "voluntarily" withdrew it. Read the full report here 12:30 pm China warns citizens in Pakistan of possible terror attacks China has warned its citizens in Pakistan to be on alert after receiving intelligence reports about possible attacks targeting Chinese. The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad said on its website today it had information about a "series of terror attacks" planned against Chinese organisations and personnel, without giving details. It urged its citizens to stay inside and avoid crowded places. Nitin Gadkari at India's Road Ahead: 15 factories to come up to develop second-generation ethanol from biomass 11:17 am Nitin Gadkari at India's Road Ahead: Plans underway to reduce India's dependency on fuel imports. 10:59 am Nitin Gadkari at India's Road Ahead conference: Working hard to add 2-3% of GDP from Road and Transport ministry. 10:31 Union minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari speaks at Moneycontrols Indias Road Ahead conference. 10:24 North Korea blamed US "nuclear blackmail" for soaring tensions over its weapons programme in rare meetings with a senior UN official, but agreed to regular communication with the organisation, state media said today. Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Beijing today after wrapping up a five-day visit to Pyongyang aimed at defusing the crisis, just a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip -- the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 -- saw him meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and vice foreign minister Pak Myong-Kuk, the North's state news agency KCNA said. 9:50 am The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine the constitutional validity of a colonial era law on adultery which punishes only the man even though the woman,with whom he has had consensual sex, may be an equal partner. The top court also said if the husband gives consent for sexual intercourse between his wife and another man, then it nullifies the offence of adultery and turns the woman into a commodity, which goes against the principle of gender justice and the constitutional mandate of right to equality. Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code states that "whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery". Read the full report here. Good Morning and welcome to our live coverage of business news and other political developments. Nitin Gadkari Union Minister of Road and Transport Nitin Gadkari on Saturday proposed a solution for stubble burning predominant in Punjab-Haryana region that is considered the "main" reason behind severe pollution levels in Delhi. While addressing the Moneycontrol's 'India's Road Ahead' conference in Mumbai, Gadkari said that rice straw could be used for manufacturing second-generation ethanol or bio-ethanol, which could be mixed with petrol, thereby, reducing fuel costs in India. "The costs will go down, pollution will go down," the Union minister said, adding that he will announce a policy of blending 15 percent methanol in petrol in the upcoming Parliament session. The Union Minister added that auto manufacturing companies such as Volvo, Mercedes, Audi have already made flexible-fuel engines that can run both on fuel and ethanol. "A consumer can check the prices of fuel and ethanol at a petrol pump and choose accordingly," Gadkari said, adding that the total investment opportunity on ethanol alone would be Rs 1.50 lakh crore. In November, the Oil ministry had launched a draft bio-ethanol policy that aimed at the production of bio-ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass as against the conventional approach of molasses-based ethanol production. The draft policy mentioned about the Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) which aims at blending 20 percent ethanol in petrol by 2030. With an aim to stop the import of crude oil and bring down pollution levels, Gadkari stated that the government has been working on a new initiative of setting up an electric lane for electric trucks along the Delhi-Mumbai highway. The work has already started for this project, he added. The initiative is likely to reduce congestion on highways as well as encourage the use of electric trucks for transportation as a special electric lane would reduce travel time between these two cities. Stressing the importance of route connectivity, Gadkari listed several projects such as Sagarmala and Bharatmala that aim at improving the road, rail and port connectivity with the development of ports along rivers and coasts being the first priority. The government is also planning to open a cruise terminal with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore in Goa, which will start operating from December, Gadkari added. Gadkari also mentioned four missions of his department including an investment of over Rs 25 lakh crore in five years on the development of roads, railways, and ports; account for 2-3 percent of the GDP; create around 1 crore jobs and reduce the number of accidents. In addition, the ministry will also aim at bringing down the logistics costs to 12 percent from 18 percent. On the construction of roads and highways, Gadkari said that the government is aiming to increase the pace of construction to 40 kilometres per day from 28 kilometres per day further in the next couple of years as roads play a major role in the economic growth of the country. "With roads come prosperity, job creation, and development on either side of the road as industrial parks and smart cities come up," Gadkari said. Gadkari also aims to improve the department's performance in FY18 by increasing the total number of road projects awarding to 20,000 km from the year ago's 16,000 km. A special committee has been formed to look at the projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore located at strategically important locations such as North East, he added. The government has planned several smart cities, chemical clusters and over 14 industrial parks under the Bharatmala project, he added. Sukhbir Badal Nearly 200 SAD workers and leaders, including party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, were booked for blocking traffic during a protest in Punjab's Ferozepur district. Badal and Majithia had spent Thursday night at Manawal on the Harike-Patan road, demanding the Congress government in Punjab withdraw the "false" cases registered against SAD leaders and workers. They had alleged that the cases had been lodged at the instance of the Congress dispensation. Their protest in Ferozepur was part of a over 24-hour-long statewide agitation by the SAD that ended yesterday after the state government agreed to accept their demand. Several road blockades were put up by the party on key state and national highways, including the Harike-Patan road, during the protest that had left thousands of commuters and commercial vehicles stranded. Ferozepur SSP Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said that around 200 people belonging to the SAD were booked yesterday under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including that for damage to roads and bridges. They also face cases under the National Highways Act, the police said. Ranjit Singh Brahmpura and Kanwaljit Singh were also among those who booked by the police. The protests led by SAD leaders affected vehicular movement on the Ferozepur-Ludhiana, Amritsar-Bathinda, Bathinda-Mansa, Chandigarh-Mansa, Jalandhar-Amritsar and Kharar-Chandigarh roads. Markets regulator Sebi today ordered forensic audit of Assam Company India that figures in the list of 331 suspected shell companies after prima facie observations about misuse of funds by the firm. While calling for the forensic audit, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has lifted the trading restrictions imposed on the firm. "In view of the prima facie observations regarding misuse of books of accounts or funds by Assam Company India Ltd (ACIL) and the suspicion regarding misrepresentation of its financials, the persons who are in control of the company and the directors of the company are prima facie liable for action by Sebi...," the regulator said in an interim order. The regulator has directed the stock exchange to appoint an independent forensic auditor to verify any misrepresentation of financials and business of ACIL as well as any misuse of the funds or books of accounts. "The trading in securities of ACIL shall be reverted to the status as it stood prior to issuance of letter dated August 7, 2017, by Sebi," the regulator said. ACIL is among the firms against which Sebi initiated action on August 7 by ordering trading restrictions, following receipt of a list of 331 'suspected shell companies' from the government. The trading restrictions, allowing trade only once a month and that too for only buy transactions with a 200 percent security deposit were revoked in some cases a few days later following appeals filed by the companies with the Securities Appellate Tribunal, but Sebi was asked to continue with its probe and pass its orders expeditiously. In a separate order, the regulator lifted trading curbs on SQS India BFSI after finding that the firm did not indulge in any violations. In an order, the regulator said in the absence of prima facie evidence or suspicion of misrepresentation by SQS India BFSI, misuse of the books of accounts or funds of the company, there is no reasonable ground to further verify the financials of the firm warranting an audit. "... the actions envisaged in Sebi's letter dated August 7, 2017, against SQS are liable to be revoked," the regulator noted. business Battle for Gujarat: Will BJP face demonetisation and GST heat? Battle for Gujarat kicks off with the first phase of polling in Saurashtra and South Gujarat as voters cast their ballots across 89 seats. voting is underway and will end at 5pm. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared victory in a three-year war by Iraqi forces to expel the Islamic State jihadist group that at its height endangered Iraq's very existence. "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I, therefore, announce the end of the war against Daesh (IS)," Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. "Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time," he said. IS seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014. With Iraq's army and police retreating in disarray at the time, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, spiritual leader of the country's majority Shiites, called for a general mobilisation, leading to the formation of Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units. Iraq's fightback was also launched with the backing of an air campaign waged by a US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists in fierce urban warfare. "I announce the good news: the liberation by Iraqi forces of the whole of the Iraqi-Syrian border," the prime minister told the conference organised by the Iraqi journalists' union. Iraq's close ally Iran already declared victory over IS last month, as the jihadists clung to just a few remaining scraps of territory. But Abadi said at the time that he would not follow suit until the desert on the border with Syria had been cleared. The jihadists' defeat is a massive turnaround for an organisation 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. On Thursday, Russia's defence ministry said its mission in support of the Syrian regime to oust IS jihadists had been "accomplished" and the country was "completely liberated". In the border region, pro-government forces and US-backed Kurdish-led forces are conducting operations to clear IS fighters from the countryside north of the Euphrates valley after ousting them from all Syrian towns. The head of Iraq's Joint Operations Command set up to fight IS, General Abdel Amir Yarallah, gave an update on Saturday to announce that the desert valley of Al-Jazira was under the control of Iraqi troops and the Hashed all the way from Nineveh province in the north to Anbar in the west. Federal forces "now control the border with Syria from Al-Walid border crossing to that of Rabia", covering a distance of 435 kilometres (270 miles), he said. Despite the victory announcements, experts have warned that IS retains the capacity as an insurgency group to carry out high-casualty bomb attacks through sleeper cells. It also retains natural hideouts in the deep gorges of Wadi Hauran, Iraq's longest valley stretching from the Saudi border up to the Euphrates River and the frontiers with Syria and Jordan. The fightback in Iraq kicked off with the "liberation" of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, that had been under IS control for nearly 10 months. The operations have involved both Tehran, through Iranian-trained Shiite militias in the Hashed al-Shaabi coalition, and Washington as head of the anti-jihadist coalition. The western cities of Ramadi and Fallujah followed in 2016 before the turning point of the recapture of Iraq's second city of Mosul in July this year after a nine-month offensive led by a 30,000-strong federal force. Abadi said the battle for Mosul that left the city in ruins and thousands of its residents displaced marked the end of the jihadists' "caliphate". Victory was declared at the end of August in Tal Afar, the last major IS urban stronghold in northern Iraq, before a final military operation launched last month against IS in a vast desert region of western Iraq. December 09, 2017 Syria - ISIS Is Defeated - The U.S. Is Next In Line The Islamic State in Syrian and Iraq is officially defeated. The UN resolution which allowed other countries to fight ISIS within Syria and Iraq no longer applies. But the U.S. military, despite the lack of any legal basis, wants to continue its occupation of Syria's north-east. The attempt to do so will fail. Its Kurdish allies in the area are already moving away from it and now prefer Russian protection. Guerrilla forces to fight the U.S. "presence" are being formed. The U.S. plan is shortsighted and stupid. If the U.S. insists on staying there many of its soldiers will die. Two days ago the Syrian Arab Army closed the last gaps on the west bank of the Euphrates. Having fought all the way from Aleppo along the river towards the east the Tiger Force reached the liberated Deir Ezzor from the west. All settlements on the way are now controlled by the Syrian government. The remaining Islamic State fighters were pushed into the desert where they will be hunted down and killed. Map via Southfront - bigger Two days ago the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, declared a "complete victory" in Syria: Two hours ago, the (Russian) defense minister reported to me that the operations on the eastern and western banks of the Euphrates have been completed with the total rout of the terrorists, Putin said. Naturally, there could still be some pockets of resistance, but overall the military work at this stage and on this territory is completed with, I repeat, the total rout of the terrorists, he said. Today the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi declared victory and the 'end of the war' against ISIS on the Iraqi side: "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh (IS)," Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. North of the Euphrates the U.S. proxy force SDF had recently negotiated another agreement (42) with the remaining Islamic State fighters there. ISIS allegedly handed over a border crossing with Iraq to the SDF and in exchange was guaranteed free passage through SDF controlled areas. This agreement came after an earlier one in which the U.S. and SDF let 3,500 ISIS fighters flee from Raqqa to fight the Syrian Army in Deir Ezzor. That was a U.S. attempt to delay or prevent the victory of Syria and its allies. It failed. Shortly after the claimed new ceasefire between the U.S. SDF proxies and ISIS, Russian officers met with officials of the Kurdish YPG, the central force of the SDF. The talks completely changed the situation. In a joint press conference the Kurds and the Russians committed to work together to fight ISIS east of the Euphrates. It seems that the YPG is no longer convinced that the U.S. is willing to do so. The Russians took command and the Russian air forces has since supported the YPG in its fight against ISIS in Deir Ezzor governate on the eastern bank of the river: A joint operative staff has been created in the town of Es-Salhiya to provide direct control and organize the cooperation with the popular militia units. Apart from Russian advisors, representatives of the eastern Euphrates tribes are taken part in it, Poplavskiy said, noting that in the coming days the entire territory east of Euphrates River will be free from terrorists. Mahmoud Nuri, a representative of the Kurdish YPG, stated that the militia battled ISIS under Russian command very effectively. Kurdish forces have also expressed readiness to ensure the safety of the Russian military specialists operating on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. The U.S. is seriously miffed that the Russians are suddenly supporting the U.S. proxy in Syria's north-east. The U.S. wants to claim the area for itself. (It probably also wants to protect the rest of ISIS there to reuse it when convenient.) The U.S. claims that the Russian air support for the Kurds is violating "coalition airspace". The U.S. is not invited to Syria but now claims airspace above the country? The Russians, allied with the Syrian government, are invited to fly there. It is obvious who has a sound legal justification to be in the area and who has not. But the U.S. military hates to confront its own malice, and a competent adversary who knows how to play chicken: In one instance, two Air Force A-10 attack planes flying east of the Euphrates River nearly collided head-on with a Russian Su-24 Fencer just 300 feet away a knifes edge when all the planes were streaking at more than 350 miles per hour. The A-10s swerved to avoid the Russian aircraft, which was supposed to fly only west of the Euphrates. ... Since American and Russian commanders agreed last month to fly on opposite sides of a 45-mile stretch of the Euphrates to prevent accidents in eastern Syrias increasingly congested skies, Russian warplanes have violated that deal half a dozen times a day, according to American commanders. They say it is an effort by Moscow to test American resolve, bait Air Force pilots into reacting rashly, and help the Syrian Army solidify territorial gains ahead of diplomatic talks aimed at resolving the countrys nearly seven-year-old war. ISIS is gone. There is no justification for any "coalition airspace". Where please is the "deal" that allows the U.S. to indefinitely occupy north-east Syria as it now officially demands? The Pentagon plans to keep some U.S. forces in Syria indefinitely, even after a war against the Islamic State extremist group formally ends, to take part in what it describes as ongoing counterterrorism operations, officials said. There are approximately 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, along with an unspecified number of contractors supporting them. Last month, the U.S. military withdrew 400 Marines from Syria, which U.S. forces first entered in the fall of 2016. Officials earlier this week disclosed the plans for an open-ended commitment, known as a conditions-based presence. ... The Pentagon has said the forces will target parts of Syria that arent fully governed by either regime or rebel forces. The military says it has the legal authority to remain there. The U.S. military has lots of fantasies about "legal authority" and "deals". We had already noted that such a "presence" in Syria is obviously illegal. The fig leaf of a UN resolution 2249 to fight ISIS no longer applies. Putin intentionally emphasized the "total rout of the terrorists" and the "complete" victory to point that out. There is absolutely no justification for the U.S. to stay. Moreover - the presence there is unsustainable. The commander of the paramilitary forces which support the Syrian and Iraqi government sent a note to the U.S. to let it know that any remaining U.S. forces in Syria will be fought down: [T]he commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp Brigadier General Haj Qassem Soleimani sent a verbal letter, via Russia, to the head of the US forces commander in Syria, advising him to pull out all US forces to the last soldier or the doors of hell will open up. My message to the US military command: when the battle against ISIS (the Islamic State group) will end, no American soldier will be tolerated in Syria. I advise you to leave by your own will or you will be forced to it, said Soleimani to a Russian officer. Soleimani asked the Russian responsible to expose the Iranian intentions towards the US: that they will be considered as forces of occupation if these decide to stay in north-east Syria where Kurds and Arab tribes cohabit together. In 1983 U.S. and French military barracks in Beirut were blown up after their forces had intervened on one side of the Lebanese civil war. Several hundred soldiers died. After the attack the U.S. pulled out of Lebanon. U.S. soldiers staying in north-east Syria can now expect a similar fate. The U.S. claims that it has 2,000 soldiers in north-east Syria. This after it had claimed that the number was 500. This new number was announced after it had already pulled out 400 marines and it is still way too low: The updated figure does not reflect troops assigned to classified missions and some Special Operations personnel, Mr. Pahon said. The U.S. had for months claimed that it only had 500 soldiers in the area. It did not even mention the contractors that follow its troops everywhere. The real number of U.S. personnal must have been ten times as high as the official one. The new official number is "2,000 and some". The real new number is likely still above 3,500 plus several thousand contractors. This revelation confirms again that the U.S. military lies whenever and wherever it can. The now remaining "more than 2,000" will need tens of tons of supplies each day and the U.S. has no secured supply line into north-east Syria. It is arrogant idiocy to keep the troops there in place. A few roving guerillas can easily choke those supplies. Each of the camps those troops occupy will be a target of external and inside attacks. The YPG Kurds are already skipping out of their coalition with the U.S.. They are now making friends with the Russians who provide them with air-support where the U.S. wants to keep ISIS alive. How much longer will the U.S. soldiers in the YPG controlled areas be able to trust their "allies"? The Pentagon says that the presence in Syria is conditions-based but it does not name any condition that would have to be fulfilled for ending it. General Soleimani seems to believe that a few hundred body bags arriving at Andrews airbase near Washington, DC might be enough condition fulfillment to do the trick. The situation in other parts of Syria is largely unchanged. The various Takifiri groups in Idelb governate continue to slaughter each other. The Syrian forces will likely hold back their planned attacks into the area as long as their enemies there are devouring each other. But a year from now Idelb, and north-east Syria, will likely be back in the Syrian government's hand. Posted by b on December 9, 2017 at 16:37 UTC | Permalink Comments December 08, 2017 Trump Is Bashing The 'Salvator Saudi' - Why? The Trump administration seemed to get along very well with the Saudi tyrant and his son Mohammed bin Salman. They together admired the orb and joined up to bash Iran. But now the Trump administration scolded and embarrassed MbS three times in as many days. One wonders what is going on behind that scene. In mid November a mysterious buyer bought a probably fake Leonardo da Vinci painting of Jesus Christ for a cool $450 million. On December 6 the New York Times reported that some Saudi prince was the front-man for the purchase: He is a little-known Saudi prince from a remote branch of the royal family, with no history as a major art collector, and no publicly known source of great wealth. But the prince, Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, is the mystery buyer of Leonardo da Vincis painting Salvator Mundi, which fetched a record $450.3 million at auction last month, documents show. The revelation that Prince Bader is the purchaser, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times, links one of the most captivating mysteries of the art world with palace intrigues in Saudi Arabia that are shaking the region. Prince Bader splurged on this controversial and decidedly un-Islamic portrait of Christ at a time when most members of the Saudi elite, including some in the royal family, are cowering under a sweeping crackdown against corruption and self-enrichment. As it happens, Prince Bader is a friend and associate of the leader of the purge: the countrys 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The NYT did not explain how it had gained access to the documents it reviewed. Later that day Bloomberg reported that the painting would be shown in Abu Dhabi. This somewhat diverted from the trail to MbS: The Louvre Abu Dhabi is getting Leonardo Da Vincis Salvator Mundi, which sold last month at a Christies auction for $450 million, the most ever paid for a work of art. Christies said the artwork will be going to the museum, but declined to say whether the Louvre Abu Dhabi bought the painting. The Louvre Abu Dhabi said in a tweet Wednesday: Da Vincis Salvator Mundi is coming to #LouvreAbuDhabi. A day later, on December 7 the Trump administration gave a tip to the Wall Street Journal's Shane Harris. The real buyer, it confirmed, was the Saudi clown prince: Prince Mohammed, known by his initials MBS, was identified as the buyer of the 500-year-old painting, Salvator Mundi, in U.S. intelligence reports, according to people with direct knowledge of the information. American officials have closely watched the activities of the 32-year-old, who is trying to portray himself as a reformer determined to root out corruption in the oil-rich kingdom. The NYT had already hinted at MbS as the real buyer. But it did not say from where it had that information. The WSJ confirmed the buyer and made explicit that the Trump administration was behind the embarrassing leak. A few weeks ago MbS arrested 200 of the richest and most powerful people in his country. He locked them in a hotel and is fleecing them for their money which, he says, was gained though corruption. That claim is nonsense. He simply wants to steal that money and let them know who the boss is. The Saudis have a budget problem and are cutting on social spending in the country they rule. It does not look good to cut money from the poor, fleece other members of the wider family and to then waste a large fortune on a picture that might even be fake. On top of that owning that picture is religiously problematic for MbS. Under Wahhabi doctrine no visual portrayals of prophets like Jesus Christ are allowed. The UAE again came to the rescue. Today the museum tweeted: Louvre Abu Dhabi @LouvreAbuDhabi - 1:57 PM - 8 Dec 2017 Louvre Abu Dhabi is looking forward to displaying the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo Da Vinci. The work was acquired by the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi for the museum. The Department of Culture and Tourism seemed to confirm (ar) that, but when the museum was directly asked by the AP it went mum: Jon Gambrell @jongambrellAP - 8:07 AM - 8 Dec 2017 The Louvre Abu Dhabi refused to say whether they made the $450 million bid or if someone gave the Department of Culture and Tourism the painting when asked by the @AP. Hmmm ... this is a cover up. Why is the UAE doing this? The de-facto ruler of the UAE is the 56-year-old crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed. He is the mentor of (and brain behind) the 32-year-old crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. Did MbS buy a little Christmas gift for MbZ, but was embarrassed when the Trump administration let the world know about it? Or is MbZ running covering for an outrageous buy MbS made for himself? The buying of the picture is not the only issue at hand. Just the day before the administration leaked to the WSJ about the art deal, President Trump had publicly scolded MbS about the situation in Yemen: President Trump called on Saudi Arabia to lift its crushing blockade against its war-torn neighbor Yemen on Wednesday, hours after defying the kingdom and saying the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Trump said he had directed members of his administration to reach out to the Saudi leadership "to request that they completely allow food, fuel, water, and medicine to reach the Yemeni people who desperately need it." Today Secretary of State Tillerson again pushed that line: Speaking in Paris on Friday, Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, called on Saudi Arabia to be "measured" in its military operations in Yemen. ... Tillerson urged Saudi restraint. "With respect to Saudi Arabia's engagement with Qatar, how they're handling the Yemen war that they're engaged in, the Lebanon situation, we would encourage them to be a bit more measured and a bit more thoughtful in those actions to, I think, fully consider the consequences," he said. He once again demanded a "complete end" to the Saudi-led blockade of Yemen so that humanitarian aid and commercial supplies could be delivered. Embarrassing MbS about the art buy and publicly(!) scolding hm for the situation in Yemen, for which the U.S. is just as much responsible as the Saudis, is quite an assault. What has MbS done - or not done - to deserve such a punishment? Trump has just declared that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Did the administration expect the applause of the Saudis for its breaking of international law with regards to Jerusalem? Does it lash out to the Saudis to get their agreement? If so the miscalculation is clearly on the U.S. side. It is impossible for the Saudis to concede the Haram al-Sharif, the mosque on the so called temple mount, to the Zionists. The Saudi King would no longer be the "custodian of the two holy mosques" in Mecca and Medina but the "seller of the third holy mosque" of Islam in Jerusalem. The people would kill him and his whole family. If the issue of this public hustle it is not Jerusalem, what else might it be that the Trump administration wants and the Saudis can not, or are not willing to concede? A few hours ago the Saudi King fired his ankle biting Foreign Minster Adel al-Jubair. A relative of the king, Khaled bin Salman, will take the job. Is this related to the spat with Trump? Posted by b on December 8, 2017 at 19:52 UTC | Permalink Comments Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive. To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research. Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Small Bites returns with your area news on restaurants and food trends. Got a tip? Send it to jrlopez@mrt.com. Appetizers In case you missed it, we reported last week that Grand Buffet has reopened after suffering damage from a storm this summer. We also reported that the Planning and Zoning commission approved requests from Texas Roadhouse to expand its location on the Loop and to change the restaurant's specific-use permit for the sale of all alcoholic beverages to match its potential space. Click here for our slideshow from Tuesday's Reinbeer VII at Museum of the Southwest. See photos from First Lady Melania Trump's visit to Whataburger in Corpus Christi here. In November, Zagat posted its "7 Must-Try Restaurants in West Texas." All of them are a road trip away but likely worth the drive. Coming Soon A sign has gone up for HTeaO on Andrews Highway. The quick service shop will feature 22 flavors of tea as well as a selection of YETI products, water, ice and a selection of healthy-based snacks. The shop will also include a custom tea station to allow up to 600 gallons to be brewed per day. According to a Facebook video posted on Nov. 20, the shop is 30 days ahead of schedule. HTeaO is a sister concept to Texas Tea in Amarillo. "We've been in Amarillo since 2009 and we've refined what we do," marketing director Steven Liles said. "Midland is a fantastic market seems to be the place to be for us. We're excited about it." Liles added that as of right now, they are looking to open the doors in mid-January. Big Bites Feature Midland recently saw the opening of Higher Grounds coffee shop on Andrews Highway. Last weekend, another coffee option opened its doors -- garage doors to be exact. Christopher Benninghoff and Olaf Luna held a pop-up coffee shop at Luna's house as a soft opening to the new business. Simply using Facebook and Instagram, the two business partners spread the word out about the opening of Far West Coffee Club on Dec. 2 and more than 65 people showed up for free coffee. "Our ultimate goal is to have a brick and mortar, but we just wanted to start something to pop-up and share our love of coffee," Benninghoff said. The power of social media made their first outing a success. "Last week was awesome. We didn't know what to anticipate and we were blown away," he said. They do it all over again this week with another garage pop-up from 5-8 p.m. Sunday at Luna's house. With a bean that offers hints of strawberry, honeydew, vanilla and almond, the two will be selling and serving simple pour overs for customers. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. The two are starting off their business slow and steady. "Right now, it's just black coffee," Benninghoff said. "Were in the process of purchasing an espresso machine for more built-based drinks. Right now, we're just want to create hype about our pop-ups and have a good time." Sunday's will be their second and final for the year but expect more from the duo once 2018 starts where Benninghoff said they will be hitting it hard. In the meantime, they can be booked for parties via their Facebook page. That is where people can keep up with their public appearances because he said they could show up anywhere. Find Far West Coffee Club on Facebook (along with the pop-up location for Sunday) and online. Upcoming food, drink and restaurant events Today | Torino's seventh annual Toy Drive. The event features live music by J.R. McNutt, Jeremy Calley, Tommy Pool and DJ Daylen Keys with a silent auction, refreshments and more. The toy drive benefits High Sky Children's Ranch, CASA of West Texas and 311 Ministries. Bring a new unwrapped toy or $10 donation to Torino's for entry. 8 p.m. at The Boardroom, 3303 N. Midkiff Road. Saturday | Winter Market by the Midland Downtown Farmers Market. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Museum of the Southwest, 1705 W. Missouri Ave. Saturday | Breakfast with Santa Cow, 8:30-10:30 a.m. at Chick-fil-A, 3805 E. 42nd St., Odessa. Saturday | Milk and Cookies, 1-5 p.m. at Miss Cayce's Christmas, 1012 Andrews Hwy. Saturday | Christmas at Fountainville with games, prizes, activities and holiday flavored treats such as candy cane ice cream and hot chocolate. Toy donations accepted to benefit Safe Place. 4 p.m. at Fountainville, 1307 N. Loop 250. Tuesday | Second Tuesday Salon is a free lunchtime concert series. Brown bag lunches or purchase from the local food truck onsite beginning at 11:30 a.m. Open to the public. Noon at The Rose Building, 415 N. Grant Ave., Odessa. Free. odessaarts.org. Thursday | Christmas at the Mansion 2017: An Illustrated Christmas luncheon. noon-1 p.m. at Museum of the Southwest, 1705 W. Missouri Ave. $50 per seat, $375 per table. museumsw.org. Thursday | Ugly Sweater Christmas Mixer by Young Professionals of Midland. 6-8 p.m. at The Blue Door, 4610 N. Garfield St. Dec. 16 | Winter Market by the Midland Downtown Farmers Market. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Museum of the Southwest, 1705 W. Missouri Ave. Dec. 16 | Pancakes with Santa by the Knights of Columbus. Guests can listen to the story of Saint Lucy, make an ornament for the church and have a picture taken with Santa. 6-8 p.m. at St. Ann's Catholic Church, 1906 W. Texas Ave. Dec. 16 | Caymus Wine Dinner will feature a four-course meal paired with various Caymus Vineyard labels. 7 p.m. at Opal's Table, 223 W. Wall St. $85. opalstable.com. Dec. 16 | Field Office Christmas Party. Guests are encouraged to take a wrapped white elephant gift and snacks. 7 p.m.-1 a.m. a The Field Office, 3205 W. Industrial Ave. Dec. 17 | December Brunch Market with vendors and outdoor brunch. 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Dec. 17 at So Fly Boutique, 312 W. Colorado St. Dec. 17 | Santa, Milk and Cookies, 2-5 p.m. at Miss Cayce's Christmas, 1012 Andrews Hwy. Dec. 22 | Whiskey and Wild Game Dinner will feature four courses with whiskey pairings. 7 p.m. at Opal's Table, 223 W. Wall St. $95. opalstable.com. Dec. 23 | Cookies and Cocoa with Santa, 10 a.m.-noon at Opal's Table, 223 W. Wall St. $20. opalstable.com. Dec. 31 | New Year's party with Dennis Snyder and the Sundowners. The event will feature snacks, party favors, a cash bar and champagne and breakfast at midnight. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31 at American Legion Woods Lynch Post 19 Ballroom, 501 Veterans Airpark Lane. Advance $30-$50, door $40-$60. Call 432-682-3511 for reservations. 21 and older only. Dec. 31 | The New Year's Eve First Responders Snow Ball. The event features a live DJ, dinner, open bar, casino and truck auction with a midnight champagne toast and fireworks. 6:30 p.m. at Rolling 7s Ranch Event Center, 11700 W. County Road 122, Odessa. r7rec.com. Dec. 31 | New Year's Eve with Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, The Mastersons and more with a buffet dinner. 7:30 p.m. at Saint George Hall, Marfa. ticketstripe.com/marfanye2017. Dec. 31 | Toasting for Tails New Year's Eve Bash: A Night in Hollywood with the Plush Party Band. The event benefits the Midland Humane Coalition. Tickets include one drink ticket, hors d'oeuvres, dessert bar, photo booth, silent auction and midnight champagne toast. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. at DoubleTree By Hilton, 117 W. Wall St. $75. midlandhumane.org. Marilyn Nieves/Getty Images/Vetta A Midland woman pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to stealing more than $1.5 million from her employer. The United States Attorneys Office reported that 47-year-old bookkeeper Mary Elisa Lisa Salazar pleaded guilty to stealing from her employer, an oil-well leasing company in Midland. Joining in the announcement were U.S. Attorney Richard AJC - Logo - Main logo_ddn_tag_Site JN with Tagline logo-sns_tag_Site Our apologies, unfortunately our website is currently unavailable in most European countries due to GDPR rules. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Top injury attorney Thomas J. Henry is putting San Antonio's elite party scene on the map. Last week, the Alamo City-based lawyer threw a $4-million bash at a Stone Oak club to celebrate the 18th birthday of his son, Thomas Henry Jr. "Migos, Ashanti, Ja Rule, J Balvin and Diplo ... could be a list of Grammy performers -- or just some of the performers and guests at an 18-year-old's $4 million birthday party in San Antonio," TMZ described the shindig in an article published Thursday. Other sites, like XXL and Daily Mail, also reported on the jaw-dropping event. Shae Savin, Henry family publicist, dished on more party details. RELATED: Thomas J. Henry threw his son a star-studded 18th birthday party Now Playing: The Alamo City-based lawyer threw a $4-million bash at a Stone Oak club to celebrate the 18th birthday of his son with guest performers Migos, Ashanti, Ja Rule, J Balvin and Diplo. Video: San Antonio Express-News Aerial performers, burlesque dancers and contortionists supplemented already wow-worthy performances by Migos, J Balvin and Diplo. That night's theme was Great Gastby and the entire Henry family showed up wearing Versace's 2018 Spring Collection, Saving said. "There were performances by Migos and J Balvin, a special DJ set by Diplo and DJ Ruckus, aerial performers, burlesque dancers, contortionists and more! The entire family was dressed by Versace from the designer's 2018 Spring Collection." Other celebrity guests included Ashanti, Rumer Willis, Lance Bass, Josh Henderson, Adrienne Bailon, Joanna Krupa, Aubrey O'Day and Austin Mahone. The birthday boy got a fully loaded blue Ferrari and an IWC Portugieser Tourbillion watch. The prominent injury attorney has earned a reputation of being an extravagant entertainer he hosted an lavish quinceanera for his daughter, Maya, last February then followed up a year later by backing this year's Maxim Super Bowl party. Those bashes brought in names like Nick Jonas, DJ Khalid, Travis Scott and Pitbull. See newly released photos of the event everyone wanted to be at in the gallery above. Madalyn Mendoza is a digital reporter for MySA.com. Read more of her stories here.| mmendoza@mysa.com | Twitter: @MaddySkye Bill Hutchinson / The Chronicle The body of a man who appeared to be in his 50s was found in the brush near the Warm Springs BART station on Saturday, officials said. Jim Allison, a BART spokesman, said there were no obvious signs of criminal activity at the scene. The body was found next to an access road at the north entrance of the station. A patient who fled a San Leandro psychiatric hospital was arrested after he carjacked a 15-year-old driver, crashed into a garbage truck, made a failed attempt to steal another vehicle and ended up getting hit by a car when he ran onto Interstate 580, authorities said Friday. Dorian Mulder, 24, of San Leandro, walked away from the John George Psychiatric Hospital about 6:20 p.m. on Thursday and carjacked the teenager who was sitting in a Kia sedan parked at the nearby Fairmont Hospital, officials said. Mulder drove the car a short distance before crashing into a garbage truck in the hospital parking lot, said Sgt. Ray Kelly of the Alameda County Sheriffs Office. Following the wreck, Mulder attacked a man standing near another car, punching the victim in the face and biting him on the arm before snatching his car keys, Kelly said. Unable to get the car in drive, Mulder abandoned the second carjacking and set off on foot toward Interstate 580, Kelly said. Sheriffs deputies and police responding to the carjackings found Mulder hiding in bushes along the freeway, Kelly said. When officers confronted him, he ran into traffic and was hit by a car going about 65 mph, Kelly said. But that didnt stop him. He got up and kept running, Kelly said. Officers lost sight of him, but used a drone equipped with a thermal imager to find him hiding again in the bushes along I-580 with a broken arm and other injuries, Kelly said. He was taken to a hospital after being arrested on suspicion of carjacking, kidnapping, felony assault and resisting arrest. The victims assaulted in the carjackings were treated for injuries, police said. Kelly said Mulder will be booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin once he is released from the hospital. Annie Ma is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anniema15 TRUMBULL The Board of Education is asking Trumbull for a $5 million boost in funding for the 2018-2019 school year, a 5 percent increase from the current $100 million budget. Staffing updates and rising costs for transportation and technology are included in the new $105 million budget. The board began budget discussions on Thursday night. Staffing updates include a speech and language specialized resource program educator, a wellness teacher for Trumbull High School, tech, math and English teachers and additional security. The school board is also seeking two teachers for fifth-grade Spanish and a specialized resource program department chair. Superintendent of Trumbull Public Schools Dr. Gary Cialfi said there is an increasing number of special needs students, especially in lower grades. The increasing population does warrant an SRP teacher to be added to preschool, Cialfi said. Because of decreasing enrollment in the districts middle schools, two middle school teachers who are elementary-certified and want to teach elementary will be moved to those schools, Cialfi said. On Thursday, the Board of Education is expected to ask the Board of Finance for about $1.2 million in funding that was moved to a contingency fund earlier this year. The school board, along with other town departments, was forced to make cuts for a town contingency fund after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy proposed cuts to communities to balance the state budget as it faced a $5 billion deficit. The district moved $2.8 million in the fund. In August, the Board of Finance voted 4 to 2 to return $1.4 million in funds back to the school board. Board of Finance Chairman Elaine Hammers told the school board when the funds were released not to rely on receiving the other half of the contingency fund. If the Board of Finance votes to return the $1.2 million in funds back to the school, the year-to-year increase for next years budget would be 3.77 percent, or $3,830,207. Trumbull Public Schools includes six elementary schools, two middle schools, Trumbull High School, the Agriscience and Biotechnology Center and an early childhood education center. The school district was ranked second in the state by the Connecticut State Department of Education in its accountability report last year, and the town was ranked as a top ten community for schools by realtor.com. For those who enjoy mixing arts with dessert, Popbar will soon be able to provide a real treat of an experience. Gelato, sorbetto, yogurt and even gelato sandwiches get turned into customizable popsicles of varying colors and flavors at this trendy dessert shop that will soon open in The Woodlands. Popbar CEO Reuben Benjehuda founded the store in 2010. Originally from Italy, he and a friend wondered if it would be possible to put gelato into a popsicle form and sell it. After opening the first Popbar in the West Village area of New York in May 2010, the idea seemed to be a hit. To appeal even more to the American market, Benjehuda added various toppings customers could choose from to add to their gelato pops. "We had to create everything from scratch. We made it more fun by adding dippings and toppings," Benjehuda said. However, the business owner always stuck to the No. 1 rule: Only use natural ingredients. Benjehuda said customers would sometimes ask why there were no multi-colored sprinkles, and he would reply that greens and blues don't occur on sprinkles naturally. Brown chocolate sprinkles are available, but other colors are not because Popbar does not use any artificial flavors. Popbar opened a franchise location in Houston just one month ago, and now another franchise location is coming to The Woodlands. The space is still being built and details are getting finalized, but Popbar will open in Market Street early next year. "We're particularly excited about this one. I think it'll be great," Benjehuda said. Aside from financial management and organizational skills, one of the main factors the company looks for when selecting a franchisee is passion. "We really try to look for someone that has a connection with the brand," Benjehuda said. Vanitha Pothuri, the local Popbar franchisee, has that connection, Benjehuda said. Pothuri fell in love with the all natural ingredients as well as the look and feel of the Popbar brand. The lower calories was nice, too. She even flew to New York City twice to taste pops at the brand's headquarters. "I was looking for a new business venture. I saw the brand and fell in love with the brand, loved the product," Pothuri said. Pothuri lives in Cypress and has been a successful businesswoman for the past 12 years. A physician by trade, she owns a health care staffing business, is involved in commercial real estate and is getting into manufacturing. Now, she also owns the Houston territory for Popbar locations and plans on opening several. Pothuri grew up with a health care background. It's a great profession, but she felt drawn to business, she said. Her father owned a dental practice and her mother would take her up there to learn about the business aspect. "I felt like I've always kind of had a forte for business. I spent a lot of time in my dad's dental practice," Pothuri said. "My mom taught me a lot about how to run a small business." Along the way, Pothuri has had failures as well as successes, but she never let them deter her. She said she has pulled from her variety of business experiences to become and effective businesswoman. "I've face a lot of challenges, but I've learned a lot also from those challenges and failures," Pothuri said. She decided to open a Popbar location on Market Street because she wanted a presence in The Woodlands and loves shopping there herself. The cobblestones and old time atmosphere provide a fun and relaxing shopping environment, she added. "I love Market Street. I just love to shop there myself. Of all the retail space in Houston, Market Street is definitely one of my favorites. I think it just has that quaint, not too large of a center feel," she said. "It's just somewhere relaxing. You're not in the hustle bustle of the Galleria Mall." The store is expected to open sometime between mid-February and early March of 2018. Pothuri is confident that customers will have a fun time and overall great experience at the shop. "We hope people come out and enjoy our products and enjoy the service. We want people to come out and have a great experience," Pothuri said. - Patricia Dillon is a features reporter for The Woodlands Villager. Contact her at her office 713-362-4433 or on Twitter: @Dillon_Villager. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Dr. Benny Wang readily admits he did not know much about medical marijuana when many of his epileptic patients began asking him about cannabidiol oil, also known as CBD in the marijuana industry. "I think most doctors are like me, I was unaware of the potential benefits of this treatment," Wang said of CBD oil. "A lot of my patients have been researching this and keeping me updated. I am aware of CBD from other states and the news." Wang, a neurologist with offices in The Woodlands Township and Conroe, is one of only seven doctors in the state of Texas who has registered to prescribe CBD oil under the Texas Compassionate Use Act passed by lawmakers in 2015, which allows for patients with intractable epilepsy to use cannabidiol oil as a treatment for seizures. SIGNING UP: Texas doctors are getting on board with medical marijuana Patients who are seeking the medicinal CBD oil are required by the 2015 law to suffer from epilepsy and have been diagnosed with intractable epilepsy, a disorder in which a patient's seizures are uncontrollable. The condition is also called refractory epilepsy. CBD oil, which is derived from cannabis plants cross-bred to have very low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC or the element of marijuana that makes users high, is taken via a liquid dropper with very small amounts ingested orally. CBD is another compound found in cannabis plants and the level of CBD in a cannabis strain can be elevated by cross-breeding and other genetic modifications. "CBD has been found to be very beneficial in reducing seizures," Wang said. "It's not a cure-all, but research shows CBD can help." Patients who suffer from epileptic seizures currently take a "whole list" of medications in an effort to stop seizures from happening, Wang said. Many of the traditional pharmaceutical medications have unwanted and oftentimes severe side effects, he added. "The side effects are frequent and range from sleepiness, dizziness and nausea to sometimes [patients] get a deadly rash," Wang said. "The more medications you are on, the higher the chance of side effects." Wang said some patients travel to states such as Colorado, Michigan, Oregon and California where medicinal marijuana is legal to get the CBD oil. He also said many patients hope to stop taking traditional medications for seizures and use only CBD oil or plan to use the CBD oil as a supplement in conjunction with traditional medications. Under the Texas law, patients who have intractable epilepsy and seek a CBD oil prescription would need to be a permanent resident of Texas, have intractable epilepsy, be examined by a doctor who determines using medical marijuana would be beneficial. Patients must also get a second opinion from a different doctor. Patients who are approved for prescriptions would then obtain the CBD oil from a state-approved dispensary. At the moment, there are only two dispensaries initially licensed by the state and neither has produced CBD oil yet. The current crop of CBD-dominant strain cannabis plants being grown for medical use are only about 6 weeks old and will not be ready for several months, Wang said. "The timeline has been pushed back to spring 2018," Wang said of when the CBD oil will potentially be available to patients. While Wang is the only Houston-region doctor who registered, there are six other physicians across the state who have also registered with the Department of Public Safety to be a licensed prescriber of the CBD oil. Although only seven doctors have registered to prescribe the CBD oil so far, Dr. Robert Dickson, medical director of the Montgomery County Hospital District, said he believes the state's legalization of medical marijuana even though done in a more restrictive manner than most states is a positive development. "I think it is positive if you have more options to treat patients that are having seven, eight or 10 seizures per day," Dickson said. "The state only licensed doctors who treat seizures. There are case reports of [medical marijuana] helping patients. There is scientific literature on [medical marijuana], but it is not super robust." Dickson said one issue hampering efforts to further develop medical marijuana is the Schedule 1 classification of marijuana, which puts cannabis is the same category as more dangerous drugs such as heroin and other opioids as well as cocaine, crack and methamphetamine. "[Cannabis] Has always been a Schedule 1 drug, so there are a lot of hoops to jump through to do research," Dickson said. "We're way behind in the research. We need to do it right, examine the effects [on patient's medical conditions] and the ethics. The proper medical use of an herb would possibly be beneficial to some patients. We should do our due diligence." The plants being grown at the two state licensed facilities so far are strains of cannabis with much higher levels of CBD compared to THC, Dickson noted. "They've crossbred the plants so there is very low THC," he said. "People are both sides of the fence regarding medical marijuana, but of all the issues we're facing in the country right now, this is not the most important thing to devote energy on - obstructing research." For Wang, the reasoning behind his pursuit of being one of the first doctors to be able to prescribe the CBD oil is simple: the health and well-being of his patients. "To me, anything we can do to help patients, some who are suffering a lot mentally and physically," Wang said. "Anything we can do that helps the patient, I am in favor of." Firefighters got a better grip Saturday on the blazes scorching Southern California, but they took little comfort in that or in the governors visit to the embattled region knowing the Santa Ana winds were again poised to stoke the flames. Throughout the day as the weather gave them a temporary break, firefighters managed to increase containment on all six major fires tearing through San Diego, Ventura, Riverside and Los Angeles counties. Things went well overnight, the winds werent as bad as they had been on Thursday, a particularly bad wind day, said Lynne Tolmachoff, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. We made lots of progress, and quite a few evacuations have been lifted. But with National Weather Service forecasters predicting a quick return of stiff winds through Sunday, nobody was letting up in the firefight. This fire could not have started at a worse time, said Ventura County fire behavior analyst Brendan Ripley. Were hoping for a reprieve from the winds. Unfortunately, over the next 10 days, theres no rain or moisture in the forecast. Gov. Jerry Brown visited the region Saturday for the first time since the blazes broke out a week ago, and he said he believed long periods of drought and hotter weather mean California residents are facing a new reality threatening their lives and their homes. Its been a terrible tragedy for so many people, Brown said in Ventura at the incident command post for the Thomas Fire. This is kind of the new normal. Brown called it a time to do more, not less, when it comes to investing in infrastructure. I hope the folks in Washington realize that as theyre spending money or helping others spend it by giving various tax breaks, we need to invest in our firefighting capacity, our infrastructure, our energy, he said. The Ventura County Medical Examiners Office confirmed the first death related to the regions fires as Virginia Pesola, a 70-year-old woman from Santa Paula. Pesola died Wednesday in her car along an evacuation route, and the medical examiner said the cause of death was blunt force injuries, along with smoke inhalation and heat injuries. This tragic death is the only confirmed fire-related death in Ventura County to date, medical examiner Christoper Young said Saturday. The Thomas Fire, which ignited last Sunday night near Ventura, remained the largest blaze. By Saturday, it had consumed another few thousand acres overnight to bring its burn area to 155,000 acres bigger than San Francisco and Oakland combined. It was 15 percent contained Saturday night. Its so large now that its just following whatever fuel it can chew up, Tolmachoff said. Most of that spread is on the fires northern edge, pushing it into high-elevation, rural areas. The isolated regions, with limited roads, make access to battling it difficult, she said. The upside is that the blaze is creeping away from more populated areas. On Saturday afternoon, the fire moved into Santa Barbara County. But the movement was expected, and fire officials said they were not as concerned because the region is mountainous with very few structures. Fridays drop in wind speeds continued into Saturday. James Brotherton, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, said that Saturday was much less windy than earlier in the week. Firefighters seized on the lull to boost containment numbers, but Brotherton said that lucky break is coming to an end. Difficult firefighting conditions were predicted to return by Sunday. Tomorrow and tonight are going to be really critical, with stronger winds while its still very dry, he said Saturday. Wind gusts may reach 60 mph Sunday, Cal Fire reported, with sustained speeds of 20 to 30 mph. Temperatures are hovering 10 to 15 degrees above their seasonal average, with relative humidity levels barely tipping into the double digits. The south states six major fires have burned more than 182,000 acres and destroyed 793 structures, Cal Fire reported. As it continues to burn, the Thomas Fire threatens 15,000 homes and has prompted the evacuation of 88,000 residents. President Trump declared a federal state of emergency for the West Coast on Friday, directing federal assistance to supplement state and local emergency response for the second time since two dozen fires ripped through Northern California in October, killing 44 people and destroying thousands of homes. Firefighters have been stretched thin over the past week as one blaze pops up after another. Some have been extinguished or contained quickly, but San Diego Countys Lilac Fire shot up to 4,100 acres and leveled at least 105 structures. Three people were burned escaping the Lilac Fire, according to Cal Fire, and at least 20 homes and a mobile retirement community were among the buildings destroyed. The fire was 50 percent contained Saturday. Firefighters have managed to get the upper hand on four other blazes. The 15,619-acre Creek Fire was 85 percent contained by Saturday evening. The Liberty Fire near Murrieta in Riverside County was 100 percent contained after chewing through 300 acres. The 6,049-acre Rye Fire in Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County), which started Tuesday, was 80 percent contained. The over 400-acre Skirball Fire, which broke out Wednesday morning in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles, was 75 percent contained. Chronicle staff writer Catherine Ho contributed to this report. Annie Ma is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ama@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @anniema15 Half a century ago, they risked everything, suffering threats and beatings to win the battle for civil rights in Mississippi. But now Frankye Adams-Johnson and Flonzie Brown Wright find themselves on opposite sides of a decision about whether to attend Saturday's opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. It was President Donald Trump who divided them. Although veterans of the civil rights movement and state officials had worked for more than a decade to make the museum a reality, Trump announced just five days before its opening that he would attend the inaugural ceremony in Jackson, the state capital. On Friday, two congressmen, Jackson's mayor and a slew of movement veterans added themselves to the list of people who are refusing to attend the opening because of Trump's presence. "I'm not going to be that kind of a Negro woman sitting there while that bigot stands up there," said Adams-Johnson, who was a student at Tougaloo College in 1964 when she joined with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to conduct voter registration drives in a place where poll taxes and other barriers had prevented many blacks from voting. "We were not out there playacting, so we're not going to pretend now that we're all getting along, especially with this man who's against all of us," she said. "It's just too painful." But Wright, who became the first black woman elected to public office in Mississippi since Reconstruction, said she has decided to attend despite "terrible mixed emotions. My picture's in the museum, and I know how much hard work has gone into it. But it's hard because to have as the honored guest a gentleman who questioned the authenticity of the first African-American president is insulting." Officially, the opening ceremony for the museum, which was built with $90 million in state money, is unchanged, with the civil rights movement veterans to be arrayed in the front row, at the center of attention. But several of the veterans said Friday that they had been assured that Trump's role at the opening was being downgraded from an address to the assembled crowd on the plaza outside the museum to a few remarks delivered to a small invited group inside the building. A spokesperson for the museum said, however, that no change had been made in the program. According to a program released by the office of Gov. Phil Bryant, R, the speakers at the opening ceremony will include eight elected officials and former governors, all of them white Republican men. "We spent years brainstorming for a museum, and so much of my history is embedded there," Adams-Johnson said. "But it got co-opted by the state and a racist governor who's bringing a racist president there." Despite the museum management's efforts to portray the opening as relatively unaffected by Trump's presence, the opening program has indeed been significantly altered. The keynote speaker was to have been Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., one of the last surviving leaders of the movement, but Lewis pulled out, saying that Trump's "hurtful policies are an insult to the people portrayed in this civil rights museum." Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of assassinated civil rights leader Medgar Evers, said that she still plans to speak and that she expects to address Trump's presence in her remarks. The ceremony, which is open to the public, is also expected to draw hundreds of protesters, some of whom said they plan to take a knee or stand in silence. Several groups of Trump supporters also said they now plan to attend the opening, in tribute to the president. "I've been tear-gassed and I've had the lives of my children threatened," said Wright, who in 1968 won the position of election commissioner in Madison County, Mississippi, monitoring the votes that she once was forbidden to take part in. Mississippi is a Republican state. "So I am not happy to have a president who is trying to roll back everything we fought for. But my parents taught me to overlook the people who don't know that they don't know, and to look for the greater good. So that is what I am trying to do." When President Donald Trump announced plans to attend the grand opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum on Saturday, it quickly kicked up a political firestorm. The NAACP called for Trump to skip the event, writing that the president's "statements and policies regarding the protection and enforcement of civil rights have been abysmal, and his attendance is an affront to the veterans of the civil rights movement." Several black lawmakers who had planned to attend publicly weighed avoiding the president. One, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., announced that he would not go. The White House responded. "We think it's unfortunate that these members of Congress wouldn't join the president in honoring the incredible sacrifice rights leaders made to right the injustices in our history," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement - without recognizing that Lewis himself is a civil rights leader who led the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in the mid-1960s. The White House statement also seems to cordon off skepticism about Trump's visit to a small group of black leaders. That's almost certainly not the case. This week, Quinnipiac University released a new poll that included a question about Trump's attitudes toward people of color. Most respondents - 57 percent - said they did not believe that Trump respects people of color as much as he does white people. Among whites, 50 percent held that view. Among black Americans, the number was 86 percent. Last month, The Washington Post and ABC News asked a similar question specifically about black Americans. Half of respondents said that Trump was biased against black people. Three-quarters of black respondents held that view, as did three-quarters of Democratic respondents. Well over half of the respondents from those two groups said they strongly believed he is biased against black people. In both polls, women were more likely than men to say that Trump held a bias against black people (or that he respected people of color less). The Post's poll asked whether people thought that Trump was biased against women; a larger percentage of the total (and a larger percentage of women) said they believed he was. This is not necessarily a new attitude among Americans. The Post asked in a September 2016 poll whether people felt that Trump was biased against women and minorities. Sixty percent of respondents said they thought he was. A separate poll from Suffolk University the same month - a few weeks after he unveiled his "what do you have to lose" pitch to black voters - asked the question more starkly: Is Trump racist? A minority of Americans - 44 percent - said that he was, but 83 percent of black Americans did. Seven percent of Trump's own supporters thought he was racist. That is the broader environment surrounding Trump's planned visit to the museum in Mississippi. Trump has done little over the course of his presidency to convince those who think him biased that he is not - such as the aftermath of the rioting in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August. Showing up at the opening of a civil rights museum might understandably be seen as an attempt to simply check a box on an issue on which Trump is perceived poorly. Late on Friday night, the White House announced a change to Trump's itinerary. Instead of appearing at the public ceremony, he would speak at a private event. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama received an unlikely late-campaign boost Friday from one of his own accusers, who acknowledged that she incorrectly described Moore's inscription in her high school yearbook. Beverly Young Nelson was not among the five women who have told The Washington Post that Moore pursued them when they were teenagers. She came forward later with attorney Gloria Allred. In an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday, Nelson clarified that she had added notes to what she said was Moore's inscription to her in her yearbook. In a news conference with Allred later in the day, Nelson said she stands by her claim that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 16 years old, while she worked as a waitress at the Olde Hickory House restaurant in Gadsden, Alabama. Allred said Friday that Moore did not write several notes at the end of the inscription. That text consists of the location, the date and the initials "D.A." after the signature that Nelson says is Moore's. Allred said those notes were added later by Nelson "to remind herself of who Roy Moore was and where and when Mr. Moore signed her yearbook." President Donald Trump jumped on the development during a boisterous campaign-style rally Friday night in Pensacola, Florida - just about 20 miles from the Alabama border - asking his audience if they had seen what happened as he plugged Moore's candidacy. "There was a little mistake made. She started writing things in the yearbook," Trump told a near-capacity crowd in a 10,000-seat hockey arena, before taking a dig at Allred. "Anytime you see her, you know something is wrong," Trump said. He went on to make a now-familiar argument for electing Moore, saying the country can't afford to have a "liberal Democrat" representing Alabama in the Senate. "So get out and vote for Roy Moore," Trump said. "Do it." For the Moore campaign, which has been working to raise doubts about multiple accusations that he made sexual advances toward teenage girls when he was in his 30s, the Allred announcement was greeted as a political gift, and the campaign worked to suggest that more falsehoods would be revealed, without describing them specifically. The Moore campaign repeated its call for Nelson to release her yearbook to an independent analyst so that the handwriting attributed to Moore can be analyzed. "The truth is out there, and until she releases the yearbook, all we know is that they are not telling the truth," Phillip Jauregui, a lawyer for the Moore campaign, said at a brief news conference. The Moore campaign took no questions from reporters. Moore, who has not appeared in public since a rally Tuesday with former White House strategist Stephen Bannon, did not attend the news conference. In her initial statement, Nelson said that Moore had written the entire inscription in her yearbook. "He wrote in my yearbook as follows," Nelson said. " 'To a sweeter and more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas. Christmas 1977. Love Roy Moore, Olde Hickory House.' And he signed it 'Roy Moore D.A.' " Allred said Friday that an independent forensic handwriting analyst had examined the signature, and the handwriting preceding the signature, and concluded they were written by Moore. "We did not ask the expert to examine the printing after the cursive writing and signature," Allred said Friday. Allred did not say when Nelson wrote the additional words into the yearbook. The Moore campaign previously attacked the credibility of Nelson's account by pointing out the difference in writing styles in the inscription. Moore advisers have also noted that in the past, Moore had an assistant with the initials "D.A.," which would be printed next to Moore's signature when she signed documents on his behalf with a stamp. Those initials were used, campaign officials say, on a copy of a document related to Nelson's own divorce, which briefly came before Moore when he was a judge. Allred reiterated Nelson's willingness to testify under oath to the U.S. Senate about her experience with Moore. Nelson has said that Moore offered to drive her home when she was a 16-year-old waitress at the Olde Hickory House. She says that Moore instead parked the car and sexually assaulted her. "We are very transparent," Allred said. At the Moore campaign's news conference Friday, campaign chairman Bill Armistead pointed reporters to a report on conservative websites claiming to have uncovered coordination between The Post and Tim Miller, a Republican campaign operative. The report features a text-message exchange with Miller that conservative sites cast as evidence that he had a role in the article - a claim that Miller and The Post denied. "Tim Miller had absolutely nothing to do with our story," said Washington Post National Editor Steven Ginsberg. As disclosed previously, while reporting a separate story in Alabama, a Post reporter heard that Moore allegedly had sought relationships with teenage girls. Over the ensuing three weeks, two Post reporters contacted and interviewed the initial accusers. All were initially reluctant to speak publicly but chose to do so after multiple interviews, saying they thought it was important for people to know about their interactions with Moore. The women say they do not know one another. Six women have told The Post that Moore pursued them in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Five were teenagers at the time, and one was 22; Moore was in his early 30s. One woman, Leigh Corfman, said she was 14 and Moore was 32 when he took her to his house, gave her alcohol and touched her sexually. Nelson's account has not been independently verified by The Post. But The Post did interview another accuser, Debbie Wesson Gibson, who shared a scrapbook from her senior year in high school containing a similar inscription and signature from Moore. His campaign has not specifically contested Gibson's account. In recent weeks, Moore has said of his accusers, "I did not know any of them." This contradicts an interview Moore gave with Sean Hannity on Nov. 10, in which Moore said he knew two of the accusers when they were teenagers. He told Hannity that he did not remember dating girls between the ages of 16 and 18 but could not rule it out. "I don't remember dating any girl without the permission of her mother," Moore said. Trump waited until about 40 minutes into his remarks Friday before bringing up the Alabama Senate race before a crowd in a Florida panhandle city in the Mobile, Alabama, media market. Trump's political team scheduled the rally last week after looking at polls that showed Moore likely to win - and Trump increasingly determined to back him. Trump didn't go to Alabama, several aides said, because it would be a "distraction" and carried too much risk. So instead they got as close as they could. Additionally, Trump is not personally fond of Moore and felt little compulsion to hold a rally in his honor, aides said. Plus, one adviser said, if Moore loses, it won't be because Trump campaigned for him. The Pensacola crowd was sprinkled with voters who crossed the state line from Alabama, including Alisha Maddalena, a restaurant server from Deatsville, who came with her husband, who is president of the south Alabama chapter of Bikers for Trump. Maddalena, 51, said she was heartened by Trump's support for Moore but was backing the judge regardless. As for Moore's accusers, Maddalena said they should have come forward sooner if there were any truth to their allegations. "I have no compassion for women who wait that long, who can't come and speak out at the time, no matter how old they are," she said, adding that it's hard to believe that such allegations wouldn't have surfaced by now in a small town. "If things like that are going on, you'd definitely hear about it." - - - The Washington Post's John Wagner in Pensacola, Florida, and Josh Dawsey in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report. For not seeing snow often, San Antonians are pretty good at building snowpeople. Flurries may have caught some Alamo City residents by surprise Thursday night, but they quickly prepared their snowmen-making materials and got to to work on crafting creative and cute characters to share on social media or email in to mySA.com. I cant say I was surprised as they carried him to the ambulance once again, but this time with a sheet over his face. One day before his 65th birthday, my neighbor had become another statistic in the opioid epidemic sweeping the county. He had made dozens of trips by ambulance to different hospitals and gone through several follow-ups in rehab. During one of his stays in rehab, his brother asked that I help him locate and remove prescription drugs from his home before he returned. I noted more than a dozen medications, doctors and pharmacies. Like 12.5 million other abusers of prescription opioids in the country, my friend had learned to play the system. The manufacturing and distribution of opioid drugs began in earnest more than two decades ago when drug companies began marketing new drugs to treat moderate to severe noncancerous pain. Bloomberg Business Week reported that Purdue Pharma introduced OxyContin in 1996. It is a time-release pill containing an opium derivative called oxycodone. The sales pitch to doctors and pharmacies was not based on any peer-reviewed scientific research but instead on a letter to the editor published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The letter claimed only 1 percent of patients treated with narcotics would become addicted. OxyContin sales increased from $45 million in 1996 to $1.5 billion in 2002 and an estimated $1.3 billion in 2016. Opioid sales overall there are 20 FDA-approved formulations are estimated to have totaled $8.6 billion last year, according to QuintilesIMS Holdings Inc. In 2015, more than 20 million Americans suffered from substance abuse disorders, two-thirds of them from opioid pain relievers. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reported annual prescriptions of opioids of all kinds numbered 289 million and reached one-third of all Americans. Drug deaths also soared: 47,055 deaths in 2014 due to drug overdoses in the country, and 6 in 10 of them were the result of opioid use. By 2016, as many as 175 Americans were dying every day from excessive prescribing of opioids. Overdose deaths due to opioids have more than doubled in the past decade. The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates the cost of the crisis considering spending on health care and criminal justice, lost productivity and fatalities resulting from overdoses of prescription drugs, as well as illicit opioids like heroin was $504 billion in 2015. Given the mounting deaths, costs and public outcry, President Donald Trump in October had no choice but to address them. He declared the opioid crisis a national public health emergency. The immediate response by some on Capitol Hill was that this was too little, too late. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-San Antonio, referred to the declaration as more talk than action, noting that the president failed to request additional resources necessary to address the crisis. News reports indicate only $57,000 is in the Public Health Emergency Fund. Had Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency, said Doggett, under the Stafford Act they would have had access to FEMAs Disaster Relief Fund. The opioid crisis by its very nature is a nonpartisan issue. Its effects cut across both economic and racial boundaries. But Doggett notes that recent Republican proposals to undo the Medicaid expansion and remove the requirement that mental health and addiction services are considered essential health benefits would undermine access to treatment for people struggling with opioid abuse. Nearly 1.3 million people used behavioral health services in the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, as did another 500,000 in individual marketplace plans, also made possible by the ACA. Affordable health coverage is a key factor in overcoming addiction, Doggett points out. The Presidents Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis issued 56 recommendations for research, prevention, education and treatment. The president and Congress should move to implement as many of them as possible. But while a shotgun approach to dealing with all aspects of opioid addiction is crucial, the report fails to zero in on the main reason for the widespread availability of opioids. The manufacture, distribution and sale of large amounts of addictive prescription drugs are causing them to flood the market, and hundreds of millions of pills are making it into the black market. It has become clear that the opioid crisis was created by drug manufacturers themselves. Heres just one example of how they wielded their influence in policymaking on drugs. The Drug Enforcement Administration began a decade ago to freeze drug shipments that posed an imminent danger to the community. We learned from a joint Washington Post/60 Minutes investigation that a few members of Congress worked with major drug distributors to pass a more industry-friendly law undermining DEA efforts to stop the flow of potentially dangerous drugs. That the April 2016 law sailed through both houses of Congress on a procedural rule with unanimous consent and received President Barack Obamas signature shows the extent to which the drug companies have worked their influence inside the halls of Congress on both sides of the isle. More recently, Doggett has co-sponsored a bill to undo the law that crippled DEA. But Big Pharmas influence on drug policy also extends to the executive branch, which administers the laws that regulate drugs. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Penn., the congressman who wrote the law that removed the DEAs ability to freeze suspicious drug shipments, was nominated by Trump as his drug czar. Two days after the 60 Minutes expose about the new law aired Oct. 15, he withdrew his nomination. Trump subsequently nominated Alex Azar, president of the U.S. division of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, as health and human services secretary. As HHS secretary, he will be expected to go after drug companies on price gouging and crack down on abuses in the very industry that he has led for a decade. Doggett points out that Trump also entrusted his drug task force to a recent pharma lobbyist. The Drug Pricing and Innovation Working Group now is headed by Joe Grogan, a former lobbyist for Gilead, a company that sells its hepatitis C drug, Harvoni, for a whopping $1,000 a pill. Democrats and Republicans have benefited from millions in campaign contributions from Big Pharma over the decades. The drug industry has spent more than $900 million since 2006 to successfully lobby against any effort to even slow the rampant and deadly but very profitable proliferation of opioids in the U.S. In view of the extensive laws and regulations written by and for drug companies, Doggetts position is that no one bill will fix the problem. It will take multiple bills addressing different issues. Two years ago, he and 10 colleagues formed the Prescription Drug Pricing Task Force to stem the rising cost of pharmaceuticals. But all its members are Democrats, and a bipartisan effort is required to successfully navigate the opioid crisis, an unlikely prospect in the sharply polarized partisan politics of today. Even government efforts, while essential, will not be enough to stem the manufacture, distribution and abuse of opioids. Drug manufacturers may have to be coerced into cooperation through massive class action tort litigation such as that brought against Big Tobacco two decades ago, resulting in a $246 billion settlement used to fund smoking prevention and cessation efforts in all 50 states. The lead attorney in the tobacco claims, Mike Moore, is reported to have met with attorneys general in at least 30 states to put together such mass toxic tort claims against Big Pharma. Unfortunately, we know from experience that litigation of this sort can take years, even decades. In the meantime, action is needed by government with the cooperation of the medical profession and pressure from all of us. Robert Brischetto of Lakehills was a sociology professor at Trinity University and executive director of the San Antonio-based Southwest Voter Research Institute. Watching the Republican tax plan race through Congress, one is reminded of a big apparent difference between Donald Trumps program and other populist movements in the Western world. In America, Trump is leading something that is best described as plutocratic populism, a mixture of traditional populist causes with extreme libertarian ones. Congress own think tanks the Joint Committee on Taxation and the Congressional Budget Office calculate that in 10 years, people making between $50,000 and $75,000 (around the median income in America) would effectively pay a whopping $4 billion more in taxes, while people making $1 million or more would pay $5.8 billion less under the Senate bill. And that doesnt take into account the massive cuts in services, health care and other benefits that would likely result. The Republican Party is pursuing an economic agenda for the 0.1 percent, but it needs to win the votes of the majority. This is the issue that University of California, Berkeley, political scientist Paul Pierson discusses in a recently published essay. Writing in the British Journal of Sociology, Pierson notes that Trumps program does have strong populist aspects, especially on trade and immigration. But, he points out, On the big economic issues of taxes, spending and regulation ones that have animated conservative elites for a generation he has pursued, or supported, an agenda that is extremely friendly to large corporations, wealthy families, and well-positioned rent-seekers. His budgetary policies (and those pursued by his Republican allies in Congress) will, if enacted, be devastating to the same rural and moderate-income communities that helped him win office. Pierson argues that Trump entered the White House with a set of inchoate ideas and no real organization. Thus, his administration was ripe for takeover by the most ardent, organized and well-funded elements of the Republican Party its libertarian wing. Nurtured and built up over the years, this group of conservatives decided to ally with the Trump administration to enact its long-standing agenda. Is it that the Republican Party is cleverly and successfully hoodwinking its supporters, promising them populism and enacting plutocratic capitalism instead? This view has been a staple of liberal analysis for years, most prominently in Thomas Franks book Whats the Matter with Kansas? Frank argued that Republicans have been able to work this magic trick by dangling social issues in front of working-class voters, who fall for the bait and lose sight of the fact that they are voting against their own interests. Pierson and others believe that this trickery will prove dangerous for Republicans. But what if people are not being fooled at all? What if people are actually motivated far more deeply by issues surrounding religion, race and culture than they are by economics? There is increasing evidence that Trumps base supports him because they feel a deep emotional, cultural and class affinity for him. And while the tax bill is analyzed by economists, Trump picks fights with black athletes, retweets misleading anti-Muslim videos, and promises not to yield on immigration. Perhaps he knows his base better than we do. The most important revolution in economics in the last generation has been the rise of the behavioral scientists, trained in psychology, who are finding that people systematically make decisions that are against their own interests. This might be the tip of the iceberg in understanding human motivation. The real story might be that people see their own interests in much more emotional and tribal ways than scholars understand. What if, in the eyes of a large group of Americans, these other issues are the ones for which they will stand up, protest, support politicians and even pay an economic price? What if, for many people, in America and around the world, these are their true interests? comments@fareedzakaria.com The potential economic fallout from the escalating default rate on student loans should have us all worried. Rising college costs are forcing more students to borrow to finance their education and the number who are unable to keep up with the payment after graduation is increasing. About 11 percent of the more than $1.3 trillion federal school loans are delinquent or in default, the news agency Reuters reports. That is higher than the foreclosure rate at the height of the mortgage crisis seven years ago. The millions of borrowers in default on their student loans are finding themselves in a cycle of debt that is severely limiting their ability to get ahead. A default on a loan affects credit worthiness, making it difficult for them to purchase homes, cars or even rent an apartment. It is also affecting their ability to earn a living. Many employers do credit checks on job applicants and in 20 states, including Texas, default on a student loan could result in the suspension of professional licenses. That means nurses, teachers, engineers, accountants and other professionals who need a state-issued license could be stripped of their ability to work in their chosen profession. That further compounds their difficulty in repaying loans. This should end. Getting more students to earn their degrees in a more expedient and efficient manner, and steering them into degrees that are in high demand in the workforce is important. Four-year college graduation is no longer the norm. Many students are taking six years to finish up degrees and often end up taking more credit hours than necessary to earn their bachelors degree. And this potentially means higher debt load. Many students are not doing their homework and researching the job prospects for their preferred field of study. Sometimes they end up with limited job opportunities after graduation or in jobs that dont pay enough for them to pay back the loans they took to finance their education. A college education is not cheap and many students need loans to get them through, but there is often a lack of awareness of future impact of those loans. Indiana University and Montana State University both found that when they sent their students letters about simple facts about their their loans, the students buckled down, graduated quicker and borrowed less. The impact of Indiana Universitys letters to its students estimated their total loan debt at graduation and future monthly payments. It made such a remarkable impact on students that it prompted Indiana state officials to require all colleges that accept state aid send similar letters. Texas lawmakers should consider doing the same. A letter alone wont avert the looming student loan crisis, but it could be an eye-opener for many. College students, like many adults, are lacking in financial literacy skills that could save them from a career-crippling debt burden. Student loan debt cannot be discharged through bankruptcy. Wages, tax refunds, disability checks and even Social Security benefit payments can be garnished if there is an unpaid student loan debt. Its not only the students whose income is affected, parents and grandparents who co-signed for the loans are also subject to the rules. In 2015, there were 173,000 Social Security checks garnished as a result of unpaid student loan debt. Student borrowers should be aware of the fine print if they decide to seek deferral on their payment. In recent years, many of the companies that service the loans have come under scrutiny for not acting in the best interest of the borrowers. They are alleged to have directed students to options that cost the borrowers more and resulted in higher fees for themselves. College students in the class of 2016 graduated with an average student loan debt of about $37,000. For graduates whose freshly-minted degrees help land them jobs with a career-ladder, repayment of this amount should not pose a problem, but for the underemployed or unemployed, it could have crippling consequences. A college education is an investment of time and money and sometimes borrowing money has to be part of the equation. But students should be well-informed on what that means. PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed Ambassador Isaac Moyo to the position of Director- General of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) with immediate effect. He takes over from Retired Major-General Happyton Bonyongwe who recently became Zimbabwes shortest-serving Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister. Cde Aaron Nhepera had been Acting Director-General since Maj-Gen Bonyongwes departure. The appointment of Ambassador Moyo was confirmed by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda in a statement last night. In terms of Section 226, subsection (1) of the Constitution, His Excellency the President Cde ED Mnangagwa has appointed Ambassador Isaac Moyo to the position of Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) with immediate effect. Ambassador Moyo was serving as Zimbabwes Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa and United Kingdom of Lesotho, read the Statement. Ambassador Moyo has a glittering curriculum vitae in the intelligence services, having served as the Executive Secretary of the African Union Committee of Intelligence and Security Service in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before he was appointed Zimbabwes Ambassador to South Africa replacing Cde Phelekezela Mphoko who, until recently, was the countrys vice president. Cde Mphoko has since been expelled from zanu-pf. Breaking News via Email Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. A Tipperary man has been named theStudent of the Year at the Hibernia College Graduation. Diarmaid OMeara received Student of the Year Award along with a Research Prize from Hibernia College this month. Diarmaid, who is originally from Roscrea, received this award as he graduated with a Professional Master of Education in Primary Education from Hibernia College along with more than 800 students on Friday 24th November at the Convention Centre Dublin. Diarmaid had been working as a professional ballet dancer in London before undertaking his Master of Education but having always been interested in education, he wanted to return to Ireland to become a teacher. The blended learning style with a mix of online and face-to-face tuition that Hibernia College offers, worked for Diarmaid allowing him to remain at home and to continue working as a ballet teacher in Ireland. Attending the event was cyberpsychologist Dr Mary Aiken who spoke to the graduands, family members and guests on the risks concerning the use of social media by children and young teenagers. Dr Aiken highlighted the significant role that teachers can play in preparing children to interact with social media and technology in general. President of Hibernia College, Dr Sean Rowland commended the students for their achievements: I would like to thank the students, families, friends and Dr Mary Aiken for attending the graduation ceremony to mark this special occasion. The hard work required in completing studies, should not be overlooked and I would like to congratulate Diarmaid and all of the students for this significant achievement. The demand for teachers in Ireland is greater than ever with unqualified people filling teaching roles to meet this demand. Those graduating have a bright future with immense career opportunities ahead of them and I have no doubt that 2017 newly qualified teachers will go on to teach and inspire future generations. Hibernia College is Irelands leading provider of online education with courses in Primary Education, Post-Primary Education and Continuing Professional Development. For more information visit www.hiberniacollege.com The Environmental Protection Agency is giving Butte and Anaconda the attention many local critics of the 34-year cleanup say the nation's largest Superfund complex deserves. EPA announced Friday that both the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund and Anaconda's Superfund sites made EPA administrator Scott Pruitt's "emphasis list." Pruitt also intends to visit Butte in 2018, according to EPA's website. As part of EPA's plan for Butte, EPA has now set a date the end of January 2018 by which all parties have to agree to the legal agreement that will finalize the Butte Hill cleanup, which has languished for years. Formerly referred to as Pruitt's "Top Ten" list, the number has now grown to 21 sites across the nation that will get Pruitt's direct attention. The list will be dynamic, so the number of sites on it will change over time. The list is in direct response to a host of recommendations made by the Superfund Task Force that Pruitt set up this past summer. Pruitt charged the Task Force, chaired by former Oklahoma banker Albert Kelly, to come up with recommendations about how to improve EPA's response to Superfund and speed up the process. "By elevating these sites we are sending a message that EPA is, in fact, restoring its Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the agency's mission," Pruitt said through a release. "Getting toxic land sites cleaned up and revitalized is of the utmost importance to the communities across the country that are affected by these sites." What this means in the short term is that Pruitt will now receive regular updates on the cleanup for both towns. EPA Region 8 administrator Doug Benevento says that if a legal agreement on the Butte Hill cannot be reached by the end of January to complete the Superfund work yet to be done in Uptown and the Silver Bow Creek corridor from Texas Avenue through Slag Wall Canyon, then EPA will issue an order forcing Atlantic Richfield Company, the primary responsible party, to finish the work without an agreement in place. Benevento said the confidential talks on the agreement, or consent decree, have been productive of late and that there is "a lot of good will." Around a century of historic copper mining and smelting impacted Butte. The Berkeley Pit, the best-known and most notorious part of the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund site, will now be under Pruitt's eye. EPA is currently reviewing the Horseshoe Bend Water Treatment Plant to prepare it to be ready to pump and treat the pit's metal-laden water in perpetuity starting in 2023. Pruitt will receive updates on the plant as that review continues. Benevento said that having the plant operating sooner than 2023 which is when the pit's water is expected to reach the critical water level would be ideal. "This is something we will be talking about," Benevento told The Montana Standard in a telephone interview Friday. EPA will also begin to investigate the section known as West Side Soils, which includes the Flat and an unmapped area west of Uptown, next summer. EPA has done very little work on West Side Soils in the 34 years Butte and Silver Bow Creek have been a Superfund site. A federal report released in September said that due to the lack of a full investigation on West Side Soils, EPA does not know whether "human exposure is under control." EPA intends to implement cleanup options on West Side Soils "as soon as feasible," according to the news release. But retired Superfund state project manager Joe Griffin previously told The Montana Standard that the process could take years. The federal report cited a lack of appropriate staffing at Superfund sites including Butte's across the nation as the reason why many sites have lingered for years. Benevento said that EPA will now be making sure "regional assets are allocated appropriately to best protect human health and the environment." That could mean EPA will bring more project managers to the Butte site, Benevento said. Currently, Butte Hill project manager Nikia Greene oversees almost all of the sprawling, 30-mile-long site, which consists of seven separate sections. Butte-Silver Bow County chief executive Dave Palmer called the news of Butte's listing "a step in the right direction." Anaconda-Deer Lodge County chief executive Bill Everett said almost exactly the same thing about Anaconda's listing. "It's a huge step in the right direction, and after 34 years of being a Superfund site, we are finally getting the attention we deserve," Everett said. Anaconda's environmental damage was caused by close to a century of smelting Butte's copper. EPA intends that 1,000 homes in Anaconda will be addressed for arsenic and lead over the next three years. EPA is also committed to creating a health study for Anaconda residents to more fully understand potential health impacts of Superfund on the community. At a meeting last month with Benevento, Everett raised concerns about cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD and neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Benevento said that for Anaconda, Pruitt's attention will mean EPA will have all three of the town's schools Anaconda High School, Fred Moodry Middle School, and Lincoln Elementary tested for lead and arsenic in the air ducts and attics of the schools. This was another request Everett made during a visit Benevento paid to Anaconda last month. Benevento said he hopes to see that happen before the end of the year. Lincoln Elementary is located in east Anaconda, the neighborhood closest to the former smelter. Lead exposure lowers IQ and causes developmental delays. EPA tested the soil at the schools for arsenic years ago but never tested for lead either inside or outside the school. Benevento said being on Pruitt's list will mean that Anaconda can expect to get a program similar to Butte's Residential Metals Abatement Program, often referred to by its acronym RMAP. Butte's program allows Uptown homeowners to get their attics and yards tested for both arsenic and lead with some restrictions. But Benevento said Anaconda's proposed version of RMAP will not include lead paint. He said EPA will be looking for other federal grant programs that Anaconda can apply to for help with that issue. Anaconda Local Development Corporation executive director Jim Davidson said delisting Anaconda as a Superfund site "would be the best outcome" of being on Pruitt's emphasis list. Department of Environmental Quality director Tom Livers said Friday that the "people of Butte and Anaconda have waited long enough." Gov. Steve Bullock; Senators Steve Daines, R-Montana, and Jon Tester, D-Montana; and Congressman Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, reacted to the announcement by emphasizing their commitment to seeing Butte and Anaconda cleaned up. Benevento said Butte and Anaconda's placement on Pruitt's emphasis list is due to "the tireless and tenacious advocacy" that came from Montana's elected officials. Daines sent a letter earlier this week urging Pruitt to include Butte on the list. "This isn't a partisan thing," Benevento said. "Everybody is pulling for these communities to receive the cleanup they deserve." But long-time Superfund watchdog Fritz Daily said he is still skeptical. "If it's a band-aid cleanup like Butte's had in the past, then I'm not for it," Daily said. Restore Our Creek Coalition spokesperson Northey Tretheway called it "really good news." BSB Superfund coordinator Jon Sesso hopes this listing will mean a concrete decision on the Butte Hill coming soon, as EPA has now promised. By Agencies The first of Gujarat's two-phase assembly polls began on Saturday across 89 constituencies spread out in the 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and southern regions. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Dang, Valsad and more districts. READ | Gujarat Polls: All you need to know about first phase the Assembly elections Of the 89 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party holds 67 and the Congress 16. One seat each is held by the NCP and JD-U while independents hold the remaining two. There are a total of 24,689 polling booths. [READ HERE | First phase of polling sees enthusiastic turnout amid EVM, VVPAT glitches] Polling, which began at 8 a.m., will end at 5 p.m. [WATCH VIDEO HERE] The second phase polling is on December 14 and counting, along with that of Himachal Pradesh, will be held on December 18. LIVE UPDATES: Election Commission rejects complaints of Bluetooth being connected to EVM. Says EVMs don't have receptors or wiring to facilitate that. (ANI) Gujarat: First phase of polling ends in the state, visuals from Bhavnagar #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/KzfWp6VTVJ ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 6.30 pm - First phase of Gujarat polling ends. 5.50 pm - Few voters in polling booth 4 said their votes are going to some other candidate. Polling Officer said it'll be tested and if it's found to be false action will be taken against them. Those voters left without tests. There's no truth behind such reports: Bharuch District Collector (ANI) 5.00 pm - A total of 26865 Ballot Units and 24689 Control Units (CUs) were used, while 24689 VVPATs were used in the first phase of the Gujarat Elections. (ANI) 4.30 pm - No such issues reported till now. Some EVMs replaced due to errors. EVMs were updated with VVPAT, which allows people to verify their vote for 7 seconds: Yogesh Thakkar, Bhavnagar Deputy Electoral Officer on reports of faulty EVMs in 1st phase of polling in. (ANI) A team of Election Commission reaches polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar after complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/ETmuu73Fwk ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 3.45 pm -Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia today complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar claiming that some machines were found to be connecting to external devices via bluetooth. ( Read ) 2 pm - Over 30 per cent voter turnout recorded so far amid rising complaints of EVM, VVPAT glitches. 1:30 pm - PM Modi at a rally in Lunavada, Gujarat responds to a Youth Congress leader's remarks: "India is my everything." [READ HERE] 21.09 per cent voting recorded as of 12 pm: ANI Elderly people arrive to cast their vote in Bharuch's Ankleshwar #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/d1P6bjqJi2 ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 1:00 pm - An EVM was also tampered with in Rajkot East constituency, a complaint to the EC said. It was later restored, according to TV reports. (IANS) 12: 30 pm - Senior Congress leader from the state Ahmed Patel said: "There are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission to take necessary action immediately." The poll panel received several complaints about Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctioning in Kosamba region of Valsad district, besides several in Saurashtra and Surat. (IANS) 12:00 pm - PM Modi begins his rally in Lunavada town I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are- this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians: PM Modi #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/NFJPlFAOtw ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 11: 30 pm - Despite cold weather, the first two hours of polling saw 11 per cent voter turnout. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] 11 am - The faulty EVM in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth in Surat's Varaccha has been replaced, reported ANI. 10:30 am - Amidst reports of an EVM malfunctioning, Vipul Goti, Master Trainer, Election Commission in Surat's Varaccha told ANI: "Have replaced two machines and one VVPAT, you cannot really call it a technical error, these are electronic items there can be some issues. Now everything is okay and voting has started." READ HERE | Telugus head out to paint Gujarat towns saffron. There are close to 7 lakh Telugu speaking people in Gujarat of which over 3 lakh have voting rights; though most of them appear to be BJP supporters, both national parties are roping in leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to campaign in Gujarat. CM Vijay Rupani casts his vote in Rajkot. He is contesting against Congress Indranil Rajyaguru from Rajkot-West seat #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/d38IIAPs0v ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 The New Indian Express interviewed Hardik Patel | READ HERE: My deal with Congress for Gujarat polls only because they back our reservation demands: Hardik Patel A couple in Bharuch cast their votes before their wedding ceremony #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/TuXxKDpkK0 ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 READ: Gujarat polls: Love him or hate him, the spotlight is on PM Modi 8:30 am - BJP Gujarat Chief Jitubhai Vaghani casts his vote in Bhavnagar . (ANI) Security beefed up: The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and State Armed Police (SAP) drawn from other states have also been deployed to supplement the local police force, according to Election Commission statement. (ANI) Voting for first phase of #GujaratElection2017 begins. Visuals from Bharuch's Ankleshwar pic.twitter.com/gOduleVrRO ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 8 am: Voting begins for the first phase of the Gujarat assembly election 2017. Gujarat polling day visual from Bharuch's Ankleshwar. (Twitter Photo | ANI) BJP releases election manifesto. READ HERE Voting for first phase of #GujaratElection2017 to begin shortly. Visuals from Piraman village polling booth no.171 in Bharuch's Ankleshwar pic.twitter.com/QmjaAaFl13 ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 ALSO READ: PM Modi urges voters to exercise their franchise Over 1,74,000 police personnel have been deployed with security apparatus on highest alert to ensure smooth conduct of the voting process today. In the wake of EVM tampering allegation from various political parties, the EC has also put in place administrative safeguards and security protocols to prevent any misuse of EVM and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. The cameras have also been installed inside critical polling booths in vulnerable areas to closely monitor the proceedings without violating secrecy of voting process. In order to provide voter verifiability and auditability of every vote cast through the EVM, the Commission has deployed VVPAT machines in over 24,600 polling booths in this phase. A mock poll by casting 50 votes will also be conducted at every polling booth by the Presiding Officer, one hour before the commencement of actual polling. High stakes election Prominent candidates for today's battle include Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), and Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli). The election is viewed as a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a litmus test for the leadership of soon-to-be Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. The campaign shaped up as a duel between Modi and Gandhi, and often turned personal. The poll narrative kept changing with issues such as the Ayodhya title suit, Gandhi's imminent elevation as Congress president and his visits to temples being raised by BJP leaders. Gandhi emerged as the Congress' pivot to take on the might of the prime minister on his home turf. While Modi addressed about 15 rallies, Gandhi spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings. (With agency inputs) The first of Gujarat's two-phase assembly polls began on Saturday across 89 constituencies spread out in the 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and southern regions. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Dang, Valsad and more districts. READ | Gujarat Polls: All you need to know about first phase the Assembly elections Of the 89 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party holds 67 and the Congress 16. One seat each is held by the NCP and JD-U while independents hold the remaining two. There are a total of 24,689 polling booths. [READ HERE | First phase of polling sees enthusiastic turnout amid EVM, VVPAT glitches] Polling, which began at 8 a.m., will end at 5 p.m. [WATCH VIDEO HERE] The second phase polling is on December 14 and counting, along with that of Himachal Pradesh, will be held on December 18. LIVE UPDATES: Election Commission rejects complaints of Bluetooth being connected to EVM. Says EVMs don't have receptors or wiring to facilitate that. (ANI) Gujarat: First phase of polling ends in the state, visuals from Bhavnagar #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/KzfWp6VTVJ ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 6.30 pm - First phase of Gujarat polling ends. 5.50 pm - Few voters in polling booth 4 said their votes are going to some other candidate. Polling Officer said it'll be tested and if it's found to be false action will be taken against them. Those voters left without tests. There's no truth behind such reports: Bharuch District Collector (ANI) 5.00 pm - A total of 26865 Ballot Units and 24689 Control Units (CUs) were used, while 24689 VVPATs were used in the first phase of the Gujarat Elections. (ANI) 4.30 pm - No such issues reported till now. Some EVMs replaced due to errors. EVMs were updated with VVPAT, which allows people to verify their vote for 7 seconds: Yogesh Thakkar, Bhavnagar Deputy Electoral Officer on reports of faulty EVMs in 1st phase of polling in. (ANI) A team of Election Commission reaches polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar after complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/ETmuu73Fwk ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 3.45 pm -Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia today complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar claiming that some machines were found to be connecting to external devices via bluetooth. (Read) 2 pm - Over 30 per cent voter turnout recorded so far amid rising complaints of EVM, VVPAT glitches. 1:30 pm - PM Modi at a rally in Lunavada, Gujarat responds to a Youth Congress leader's remarks: "India is my everything." [READ HERE] 21.09 per cent voting recorded as of 12 pm: ANI Elderly people arrive to cast their vote in Bharuch's Ankleshwar #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/d1P6bjqJi2 ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 1:00 pm - An EVM was also tampered with in Rajkot East constituency, a complaint to the EC said. It was later restored, according to TV reports. (IANS) 12: 30 pm - Senior Congress leader from the state Ahmed Patel said: "There are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission to take necessary action immediately." The poll panel received several complaints about Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctioning in Kosamba region of Valsad district, besides several in Saurashtra and Surat. (IANS) 12:00 pm - PM Modi begins his rally in Lunavada town I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are- this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians: PM Modi #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/NFJPlFAOtw ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 11: 30 pm - Despite cold weather, the first two hours of polling saw 11 per cent voter turnout. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] 11 am - The faulty EVM in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth in Surat's Varaccha has been replaced, reported ANI. 10:30 am - Amidst reports of an EVM malfunctioning, Vipul Goti, Master Trainer, Election Commission in Surat's Varaccha told ANI: "Have replaced two machines and one VVPAT, you cannot really call it a technical error, these are electronic items there can be some issues. Now everything is okay and voting has started." READ HERE | Telugus head out to paint Gujarat towns saffron. There are close to 7 lakh Telugu speaking people in Gujarat of which over 3 lakh have voting rights; though most of them appear to be BJP supporters, both national parties are roping in leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to campaign in Gujarat. CM Vijay Rupani casts his vote in Rajkot. He is contesting against Congress Indranil Rajyaguru from Rajkot-West seat #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/d38IIAPs0v ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 The New Indian Express interviewed Hardik Patel | READ HERE: My deal with Congress for Gujarat polls only because they back our reservation demands: Hardik Patel A couple in Bharuch cast their votes before their wedding ceremony #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/TuXxKDpkK0 ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 READ: Gujarat polls: Love him or hate him, the spotlight is on PM Modi 8:30 am - BJP Gujarat Chief Jitubhai Vaghani casts his vote in Bhavnagar . (ANI) Security beefed up: The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and State Armed Police (SAP) drawn from other states have also been deployed to supplement the local police force, according to Election Commission statement. (ANI) Voting for first phase of #GujaratElection2017 begins. Visuals from Bharuch's Ankleshwar pic.twitter.com/gOduleVrRO ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 8 am: Voting begins for the first phase of the Gujarat assembly election 2017. Gujarat polling day visual from Bharuch's Ankleshwar. (Twitter Photo | ANI) BJP releases election manifesto. READ HERE Voting for first phase of #GujaratElection2017 to begin shortly. Visuals from Piraman village polling booth no.171 in Bharuch's Ankleshwar pic.twitter.com/QmjaAaFl13 ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 ALSO READ: PM Modi urges voters to exercise their franchise Over 1,74,000 police personnel have been deployed with security apparatus on highest alert to ensure smooth conduct of the voting process today. In the wake of EVM tampering allegation from various political parties, the EC has also put in place administrative safeguards and security protocols to prevent any misuse of EVM and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines. The cameras have also been installed inside critical polling booths in vulnerable areas to closely monitor the proceedings without violating secrecy of voting process. In order to provide voter verifiability and auditability of every vote cast through the EVM, the Commission has deployed VVPAT machines in over 24,600 polling booths in this phase. A mock poll by casting 50 votes will also be conducted at every polling booth by the Presiding Officer, one hour before the commencement of actual polling. High stakes election Prominent candidates for today's battle include Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), and Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli). The election is viewed as a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a litmus test for the leadership of soon-to-be Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. The campaign shaped up as a duel between Modi and Gandhi, and often turned personal. The poll narrative kept changing with issues such as the Ayodhya title suit, Gandhi's imminent elevation as Congress president and his visits to temples being raised by BJP leaders. Gandhi emerged as the Congress' pivot to take on the might of the prime minister on his home turf. While Modi addressed about 15 rallies, Gandhi spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings. (With agency inputs) By Online Desk Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi today visited some places hit by the Cyclone Ochki in southern Kerala that has claimed 63 lives in the state, most of them fishermen, and pitched for a better warning system to prevent recurrence of such tragedies. Thousands of fishermen and their families in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are continuously holding mass protests, demanding for search operations to continue and for relief to be provided faster. Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi continued for the 12th day today. As many as 433 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and 186 from Kerala are yet to be traced. The cyclone, earlier this week, had finally dissipated over the Arabian Sea, sparing Gujarat from destruction. ALSO READ | No tsunami says IMD as false WhatsApp alerts create panic Here are all the latest updates: The Union Home Ministry is constituting an inter ministerial central committee for the spot assessment of damage and admissibility of claims of the states hit by Cyclone Ockhi. House-to-house verification process is going on and a final figure of the missing fishermen would be known once the process was over, say officials. [READ FULL REPORT] "The farmers have a ministry that looks after their interests and I think it is time that we create a ministry for the fishermen to look after their interests and make sure they are protected," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after visiting fishermen families in affected areas in Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT] TN government hikes compensation for non-fisherman families from Rs 4 lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs. ( READ ) The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone that hit the Kerala coast mounted to 65 with more bodies being recovered. DMK petitions TN governor Banwarilal Purohit to expedite rescue work post-Ockhi. Efforts are on to identify the recovered bodies through DNA test. In a bid to set up a mechanism to ensure the safety of fishermen, Kerala CM Vijayan said a system was being planned in association with the Indian Space Research Organisation. Kerala State control room officials said three bodies were found off the coast of Kozhikode and three from Kochi. [READ FULL REPORT] The financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh for families of Kerala fishermen killed in the cyclone would be given in one go. An amount of Rs five lakh would be given to those who are seriously injured and are not able to go to work in future as an "alternative livelihood" initiative. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the Centre has agreed to continue search operations for the missing fishermen in Cyclone Ockhi that hit the state's coast on November 29 and 30. The death toll due to Ockhi cyclone, which hit the Kerala coast, rose to 52 on Tuesday as more bodies were recovered and the search for the missing fishermen in the high seas continued. The Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami on Tuesday announced Rs 20 lakh compensation for the kin of fishermen who died in the cyclone that devastated the coastal areas of the state recently. Pope Francis has enquired about the hardships and sufferings caused to Kerala's fishermen community in the Ockhi cyclone that ravaged the coastal belt on November 30. The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced 'livelihood assistance' ranging from Rs 48,500 to Rs 63,500 per hectare for horticulture farmers of cyclone Ockhi-battered Kanyakumari district. Kerala fishermen protestors took to the street by waving black flags and photos of the dead and missing fishermen walked about two km from Palayam to Raj Bhavan raising slogans, bringing the traffic to a standstill on the busy stretch. The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone in Kerala rose to 40 on Monday with the recovery of two more bodies even as the search operations to trace the missing fishermen entered the 10th day. Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of Ockhi cyclone continued for 10th day today even as 67 persons caught in the storm, returned to Kochi coast. The Goa government would provide compensation to shacks having legal validity, for the damages suffered during the Cyclone Ockhi last week. [FULL REPORT] The Indian naval ships engaged in search and rescue mission in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi today continued their operations in the high seas, searching area till the Maldives. No stranded boats , fishermen or floating bodies have been found in the sea by the naval search team during the last 72 hours, the official said. Kerala Governor P Sathasivam will contribute a month's salary to the special fund being raised for the victims of cyclone Ockhi. The Kerala government has asked the Indian Armed Forces and the Coast Guard to continue search operations for fishermen missing in high seas post-Cyclone Ockhi for 10 more days. #HADR #CycloneOckhi #OpSahayam #SAR Based on reports by IN Boeing P8 i aircraft, INS Kalpeni was sent to Off Sesostris Bank/Bassas de Pedro (a traditional fishing area off Lakshadweep island).About 17 boats with 180 plus fishermen have been located.@DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 8, 2017 Fishing vessel as seen from the aircraft. This video captures the essence of what Navy Boeing P-8i is doing - systematic search of every inch of possible/ probable area & providing hope to the stranded till they are rescued by our ships @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/1sY0VXul42 SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 6, 2017 People receive essential commodities at a relief camp following cyclone Ockhi in the Kanyakumari district on Saturday. (PTI) Given orders to Maharashtra Maritime Board and Collector, Sindhudurg Dist. to make all arrangements for the stranded fishermen. Local authorities are already with them and taking care of all arrangements, tweets Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. In all 68 fishing boats have reached, out of which 66 are from Kerala and 2 from Tamil Nadu with total 952 fisherman on board. All are safe. Maharashtra will completely look after everyone till weather permits them to go back. @nsitharaman @BJP4Keralam Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) December 2, 2017 A fresh spell of heavy rain is in store in some areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry with a low pressure area forming over south Andaman sea, which is "very likely" to become a depression over Bay of Bengal . It is very likely to become a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood during the next 36 hours. It is also very likely to intensify further and move towards north Tamil Nadu south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next 3-4 days. (IMD) Though many fishermen from Kerala were brought ashore safely and admitted to hospitals, many are yet to recover from the shock of wrestling the lashing waves and seeing death face-to-face. Stephan, a fisherman hailing from nearby Poonthura, said: "It was the first time we were experiencing such huge waves and a rough sea. Luckily, the rescue boat came back and saved us." Most of the rescued fishermen had bruises all over their bodies and were seen shivering and begging for hot water and food when brought ashore. (PTI) Stranded fisherman being brought to Kerala coast by Indain Navy personnel in Kochi on Saturday. (PTI) Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami today requested the Centre to deploy the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for the search and rescue of fishermen who have not returned so far, and that helicopters of Coast Guard and Navy should be deployed for this purpose. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the AIADMK leader that the Centre would provide the assistance required to rescue the fishermen. (PTI) Several roads that connect Kanyakumari with many interior parts have got cut or were fully damaged due to heavy rainfall following the impact of cyclone Ockhi in the district on Saturday. (PTI) A Coast Guard advisory here said the status of weather and sea conditions should be checked on television, radio, newspapers and smartphone applications before venturing out into the sea. The merchant ships should also be alert and avoid the path of Cyclone Ockhi, it said. Fishing boats should remain in groups and during distress all the crew should remain together, it said. DMK working president M K Stalin urged Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in his letter to direct the Coast Guard to search and rescue "thousands of fishermen fighting for their lives in the mid sea, so as to prevent further loss of lives due to the Ockhi cyclone". Steps have been taken to prevent any possible outbreak of epidemic in rain-hit areas of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu Health minister C Vijayabhaskar said today. A relief worker places sand bags on the banks of a beach in Kochi in wake of cyclone Ockhi on Saturday. (PTI) Leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare cyclone Ockhi as a national disaster. He also urged the Kerala government to increase the financial aid for the injured at least up to Rs 50,000 from the present Rs 15,000. Lack of coordination had affected the government's relief and rescue operations, launched post Ockhi, he alleged. (PTI) The Southern Railway announced partial and full cancellation of some trains in the Kaniyakumari-Nagercoil section. One train service was also rescheduled. (PTI Meanwhile, relatives of missing fishermen from Kaniyakumari staged a road blockade demanding the fishermen be rescued at the earliest. Scores of women also staged protest at Chinnathurai in that district. There has been a huge demand for generator sets following the devastation caused by cyclone Ockhi in the Kanyakumari region on Saturday. (PTI) In Kanyakumari, power supply had been restored even as efforts are on to resume power supply in neighbouring areas like Nagercoil and Kuzhithurai. Officials expressed confidence that the power supply would be restored in the entire district by tomorrow. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced Rs 25 crore for expediting relief and restoration work in the district . ( PTI) 261 persons rescued by @IndiaCoastGuard @adgpi and @IAF_MCC in #CycloneOckhi @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/ywhzBQLJnP Kiran_TNIE (@tniekiran1) December 2, 2017 The Coast Guard informed in a press release that on November 30, the Coast Guard District Headquarters in Kerala was informed that around 70-80 fishermen were stranded at sea due to the storm. The Coast Guard immediately sailed as many as nine ships towards Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts. Further, ships based at New Mangalore were also sailed towards Kerala coast to undertake the rescue of stranded fishermen. As the cyclone intensified, coordinated search by Coast Guard ships and aircraft continued in extremely rough weather with wind speed gusting up to 150 kmph. Ships at Mumbai and Goa were also placed on maximum alert to augment efforts as required, the press release read. (PTI) As per the last report, a total of 79 stranded fishermen have been saved by the Coast Guard in coordination with other agencies. Also, the fisheries department has intimated that about 25 boats with 250 personnel are still in distress at sea. A man watches a road that has been cut off due to floods following the heavy rainfall caused by the cyclone Ockhi which left heavy damage in the Kanyakumari district on Saturday. (PTI) 138 fishermen have been rescued from the Lakshadweep islands. (PTI) So far 393 people from Kerala have been rescued, Kerala CM Vijayan said, as the state government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of those who died in the storm, in addition to the financial assistance of Rs four lakh being given by the fisheries department.Of the rescued, 132 fishermen were from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, 66 from Kozhikode, 55 from Kollam, 40 from Thrissur, and 100 from Kanyakumari. (PTI) In Lakshadweep, 31 relief camps have been opened in the10 inhabited islands. So far, 1,047 people have been evacuated to the relief camps, official sources said. No casualties have been reported, with the worst-affected islands being Minicoy and Kalpeni. Seven people have lost their lives in Kerala in rain-related incidents over the past two days, official sources said. (PTI) Cyclone Ockhi has so far claimed 13 lives in Sri Lanka . Power supply, essential services and air traffic was disrupted in the stormy weather that left several buildings damaged and trees uprooted in its wake. READ FULL REPORT HERE #CycloneOckhi update @IndiaCoastGuard ship rescued 15 fishermen at sea off Vizhinjam/Quilon (Kerala) Coast and heading towards shore for safe disembarkation of fisher-folks @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/39gJrfI20Z Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 2, 2017 Authorities including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Coast Guard and Navy have rescued about 223 fishermen and evacuated thousands of people from cyclone hit areas, officials said, as they continued their operations on Saturday. While INS Nireekshak, INS Jamuna and INS Sagardhwani are continuing search and rescue operations in their designated areas along the coast off Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, two ships INS Shardul and INS Sharda are heading towards Lakshadweep, a defence spokesman said. (PTI) The naval ships, which left from the Southern Naval Command here yesterday, are likely to reach Lakshadweep this evening. The Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Lanba briefed me on the on-going rescue operations #CycloneOchki . More fishermen rescued this morning. Rescue work to continue.Some rescued fishermen waiting in Lakshadweep Isle to get back. Details @indiannavy @DefenceMinIndia @IndiaCoastGuard Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) December 2, 2017 The Kerala state government has announced a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to the families of the deceased. #Kerala Locals have blocked National Highway for last five hours in Trivandrum's Thumba, demand better relief measures & rescue of 6 fishermen missing from the area #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/rcTY0gyDty ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2017 Six boats and 73 fishermen that went missing in the sea have been brought back, the Fisheries Minister of Tamil Nadu, D Jayakumar, informed on Saturday. (ANI) Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan slammed rumour mongers on Saturday after it came to light that Friday's reports of a Japanese merchant ship rescuing 60 Kerala fishermen caught in the deep seas, was "fake". It was Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S.Vasuki who told the media, on Friday evening, that she wished to thank the Japanese government as one of their ships had rescued 60 fishermen and said they would arrive at the Vizhinjam coast. (IANS.) [READ FULL REPORT] Locals in Thiruvananthapuram's Poonthura came out in protest alleging rescue operations have been inadequate. (ANI) According to Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S Vasuki, 102 fishermen from the city who had gone into the sea have not been able to contact their relatives. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Kerala: Locals evacuated to rehabilitation centre in Kochi's Chellanam. #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/iAwj7Q7g94 Several houses suffered damage, trees got uprooted and communication lines were disrupted as rains accompanied by strong winds lashed the Lakshadweep Islands under the influence of Cyclone Ockhi. [ READ FULL REPORT] INS Nireekshak rescued two fishermen off Alappuzha coast. INS Sagardhwani fished out one cadaver, 30 km off Thiruvananthapuram coast. The ship had earlier found another cadaver. (PTI) PM Modi dialled Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami and enquired about the damage caused by the cyclone, which also battered parts of Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] The Tamil Nadu government has said it will soon seek central funds for the damage caused by Cyclone Ockhi in the southern parts of the state, with Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts being the worst hit. As many as 218 fishermen from various parts of southern Kerala who were missing at sea since Thursday have been rescued and brought back so far, even as Cyclone Ockhi continued its menacing north-westward path along the Arabian Sea. [READ REPORT HERE] A rescued fisherman rushed to the ambulance from the technical area of the Thiruvananthpuram airport on Friday afternoon. Express Photo | Kaviyoor Santhosh According to a CWC advisory, the west-flowing rivers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam in Kerala are likely to rise over the next 24 hours and then, slowly fall as the rains reduced. Three deaths were reported in Kerala and one in the worst-hit Kannyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, taking the toll to 12, reports UNI. A report from Lakshadweep said a red alert had been sounded as high waves posed a major threat to most of the islands in the region. (UNI) WATCH: Navy rescue fishermen off Thiruvananthapuram coast About 150 fishermen, who put out to sea from various southern districts, were rescued, Thiruvananthapuram District Commissioner K Vasuki said, adding that efforts were on to bring the rest of the stranded fishermen to the shore. The rescued fishermen included those who were saved by a Japanese cargo vessel. Kerala: Rescued fishermen brought to Trivandrim Air Force Station, later admitted to hospital for treatment #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/lB10HNPqsE ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 Heavy to extremely heavy rains are likely over Lakshadweep Islands, while light to moderate rains with a few heavy spells are expected over Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to Skymetweather's latest weather update. Two fishing boats Arokia Mary and Hermen Mary from Kanyakumari reported missing due #CycloneOckhi since 30 Nov 2017 with 08 crew each rescued by Coast Guard Ship C-427 off Vizhinjam #Kerala pic.twitter.com/nyLuxkoonk ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 Search and rescue effort progressing off Vizhinjam where approximately 40 people were stranded at sea. Indian Navy ships Sharda and Shardul sailed out to augment search effort, in final stages of embarking humanitarian assistance and disaster relief items for assistance at Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands , reports ANI. 130 families from Chellanam, 17 families from Kumbalangi and 18 families from Edavanakad rehabilitated from the coastal areas, reports ANI. [Read Report] Cyclone Ockhi is moving to the Arabian Sea. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan says steps are initiated to rescue fishermen stranded in the rough sea, reports PTI. #WATCH: High tides seen at Lakshadweep coast #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/sxUBC4geku ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 24 people stranded at sea sighted by IN assets. Efforts underway to rescue all 24:- 07 picked up by MV ENERGY ORPHEUS,04 being rescued by INS JAMUNA ,03 rescued by trawler in area,02 rescued by ALH (progressing further rescue of 06 more),02 under Rescue by MV KUN LUN SHAN SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 1, 2017 READ FULL STORY: Navy, Coast Guard save 39 Kerala fishermen ALSO READ | Cyclone Ockhi tales #Kerala: Relatives of missing fishermen mourn in Thiruvananthapuram, say they received no warnings of #CycloneOckhi from the government pic.twitter.com/gewQlJZvPI ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 - One person was killed when a tree fell on his autorickshaw at Kulathupuzha in Kollam - A couple at Kattakkada in Thiruvananthapuram was electrocuted when power cables fell over them - Trees and hoardings collapsed in the strong wind, which also blew away thatched roofs and roofing sheets of houses - The State Disaster Management Authority has issued alert to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kottayam districts Satellite image of Cyclone Ockhi across South India. (Image Courtesy: skymetweather.com) Southern Naval Command deployed 3 ships & 2 aircraft following request by District Collector, Trivandrum for assistance in search of 6 fishing boats with fisherman & 1 Marine Engineering vessel missing near Vizhinjam, due to cyclonic storm developed in Indian Ocean off Kerala. pic.twitter.com/2fShFmu1NS ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2017 SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) November 30, 2017 With a speed of 38 kmph at 8:30 Thursday morning, the cyclone lay centred about 340 km west-northwest of Galle in Sri Lanka, 60 Km south of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and 120 km southwest of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and 480 km eastsoutheast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep. It has moved west-northwestwards towards Lakshadweep Islands in the southeast Arabian Sea. Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 12 atolls, three reefs and five submerged banks lying 200 to 400 km to the West of the South-West coast (Kerala) of India. Cyclone Ockhi is approaching the Lakshadweep archipelago, a top official at the Ministry of Earth Sciences said in Delhi today. Madhavan Rajeevan, secretary in the ministry, said the archipelago in the southern part of the Arabian Sea will start experiencing heavy rainfall and strong winds from tomorrow. "It will hit the islands on December 2," Rajeevan said. (PTI) Earlier today, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) had put out an alert saying that the system could intensify further to become a severe cyclonic storm. It further said the storm could re-curve towards the Mumbai-Gujarat region on the West Coast, after being influenced by an incoming western disturbance from the opposite direction. Heavy rainfall and storms in Tamil Nadu in the first week of November this year killed at least 12 people and thousands took shelter in relief camps, triggering fears of the 2015 floods repeat. It had killed more than 400 people, displaced lakhs and damaged property worth thousands of crores. What is a tropical depression The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea into seven categories. Low pressure areas with maximum sustained surface wind speeds between 31 and 61 kmph are called tropical depressions. Once the winds around the low pressure area reach at least 62 kmph, it is called a tropical cyclone and is assigned a name. The current system is intensifying rapidly. As per the IMD wind warning, squally winds would reach 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph along and off south Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours. Another depression kicking-in The trough of low pressure over the Malay Peninsula and neighbourhood is persisting and is likely to develop into a low-pressure area over Malay Peninsula and adjoining south Andaman Sea during the next 24 hours. This system is likely to trigger a wet spell for the north coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, around December 4. (With inputs from Express News Service and agencies) Congress President-elect Rahul Gandhi today visited some places hit by the Cyclone Ochki in southern Kerala that has claimed 63 lives in the state, most of them fishermen, and pitched for a better warning system to prevent recurrence of such tragedies. Thousands of fishermen and their families in Kerala and Tamil Nadu are continuously holding mass protests, demanding for search operations to continue and for relief to be provided faster. Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi continued for the 12th day today. As many as 433 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and 186 from Kerala are yet to be traced. The cyclone, earlier this week, had finally dissipated over the Arabian Sea, sparing Gujarat from destruction. ALSO READ | No tsunami says IMD as false WhatsApp alerts create panic Here are all the latest updates: The Union Home Ministry is constituting an inter ministerial central committee for the spot assessment of damage and admissibility of claims of the states hit by Cyclone Ockhi. Today's #OpSahayam #CycloneOckhi Deployment of IN & ICG assets for #SAR of missing fishermen off Kerala & Tamil Nadu coast. @CMOKerala @CMOTamilNadu @OfficeOfOPS @ShashiTharoor @PonnaarrBJP @pibchennai @PIB_India @PIBTvpm @BJP4TamilNadu @BJP4Keralam pic.twitter.com/oTeP5QI2XP Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) December 14, 2017 House-to-house verification process is going on and a final figure of the missing fishermen would be known once the process was over, say officials. [READ FULL REPORT] "The farmers have a ministry that looks after their interests and I think it is time that we create a ministry for the fishermen to look after their interests and make sure they are protected," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after visiting fishermen families in affected areas in Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT] TN government hikes compensation for non-fisherman families from Rs 4 lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs. (READ) The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone that hit the Kerala coast mounted to 65 with more bodies being recovered. DMK petitions TN governor Banwarilal Purohit to expedite rescue work post-Ockhi. Efforts are on to identify the recovered bodies through DNA test. In a bid to set up a mechanism to ensure the safety of fishermen, Kerala CM Vijayan said a system was being planned in association with the Indian Space Research Organisation. Kerala State control room officials said three bodies were found off the coast of Kozhikode and three from Kochi. [READ FULL REPORT] The financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh for families of Kerala fishermen killed in the cyclone would be given in one go. An amount of Rs five lakh would be given to those who are seriously injured and are not able to go to work in future as an "alternative livelihood" initiative. Today's deployment on #SAR #CycloneOckhi .@CMOTamilNadu @CMOKerala @OfficeOfOPS @PonnaarrBJP @ShashiTharoor @PIB_India @pibchennai @PIBTvpm @BJP4Keralam @BJP4TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/LQedhf51eA Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) December 13, 2017 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said the Centre has agreed to continue search operations for the missing fishermen in Cyclone Ockhi that hit the state's coast on November 29 and 30. The death toll due to Ockhi cyclone, which hit the Kerala coast, rose to 52 on Tuesday as more bodies were recovered and the search for the missing fishermen in the high seas continued. The Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswami on Tuesday announced Rs 20 lakh compensation for the kin of fishermen who died in the cyclone that devastated the coastal areas of the state recently. Pope Francis has enquired about the hardships and sufferings caused to Kerala's fishermen community in the Ockhi cyclone that ravaged the coastal belt on November 30. The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced 'livelihood assistance' ranging from Rs 48,500 to Rs 63,500 per hectare for horticulture farmers of cyclone Ockhi-battered Kanyakumari district. Kerala fishermen protestors took to the street by waving black flags and photos of the dead and missing fishermen walked about two km from Palayam to Raj Bhavan raising slogans, bringing the traffic to a standstill on the busy stretch. The death toll in the Ockhi cyclone in Kerala rose to 40 on Monday with the recovery of two more bodies even as the search operations to trace the missing fishermen entered the 10th day. Search and rescue operations to trace the fishermen missing in the aftermath of Ockhi cyclone continued for 10th day today even as 67 persons caught in the storm, returned to Kochi coast. The Goa government would provide compensation to shacks having legal validity, for the damages suffered during the Cyclone Ockhi last week. [FULL REPORT] The Indian naval ships engaged in search and rescue mission in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi today continued their operations in the high seas, searching area till the Maldives. No stranded boats, fishermen or floating bodies have been found in the sea by the naval search team during the last 72 hours, the official said. Kerala Governor P Sathasivam will contribute a month's salary to the special fund being raised for the victims of cyclone Ockhi. The Kerala government has asked the Indian Armed Forces and the Coast Guard to continue search operations for fishermen missing in high seas post-Cyclone Ockhi for 10 more days. #HADR #CycloneOckhi #OpSahayam #SAR Based on reports by IN Boeing P8 i aircraft, INS Kalpeni was sent to Off Sesostris Bank/Bassas de Pedro (a traditional fishing area off Lakshadweep island).About 17 boats with 180 plus fishermen have been located.@DefenceMinIndia @nsitharaman SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 8, 2017 A decision in this regard was taken at an all-party meeting in Kerala on Friday to discuss the steps taken by the state for rescue of fishermen stranded at sea and situation in the aftermath of the cyclone that hit the coast on November 29 and 30. READ | Cyclone Ockhi: 200 people from Kerala's fisher community to be recruited to coastal police Sixty-six boats from this district were yet to be traced, while 713 fishermen were still to be rescued, in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi, a top district official said. Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan on Friday said all steps were being taken to trace and rescue missing fishermen in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi. A "false image" is being created against the central and state governments though they were taking up rescue, relief and rehabilitation works, Radhakrishnan told reporters in Kanyakumari. READ FULL STORY HERE | Tension at Adimalathura as Finance Minister meets protesting fishermen Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Thursday announced a solatium of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of fishermen who died in Cyclone Ockhi. Palaniswami also announced setting up of a high-level committee to go into the matter of missing fishermen and submit a report. He also announced Rs five lakh solatium to those fishermen who were affected by the cyclone and unable to pursue their profession. ALSO READ | Fishermen meet CM Edappadi K Palaniswami, seek intensive search operations The Tamil Nadu government said on Thursday (08-12-2017) that nearly 2,000 fishermen who had ventured into deep sea before Cyclone Ockhi crossed the coast of Kanyakumari were rescued and safely accommodated in coastal districts of various states. Principal Secretary (Information Technology) T K Ramachandran said that 1,969 fishermen on 284 boats ventured into the sea just a day before Cyclone Ockhi crossed the coast last week. READ | After Cyclone Ockhi, now its a sea of protest for 2000 fishermen families in Nagercoil Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit today assured the families of missing fishermen in the district that steps would be taken to trace all those missing after cyclone 'Ockhi' hit the state coast. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said prime minister Narendra Modi had called the Tamil Nadu chief minister and enquired about the situation, but did not call the Kerala CM. Three bodies were recovered today off the Kerala coast, taking the death toll due to Cyclone Ockhi to 36, even as defence sources said search and rescue operations will be extended to International waters around Maldives. Family members of 19 fishermen from Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, reported missing in the aftermath of cyclone Ockhi, today met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and sought help to trace them. "It was an unprecedented calamity, which claimed several lives and caused a widespread damage to properties. The Centre should declare Cyclone Ockhi a national disaster and announce a special package for the rehabilitation of the victims," Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said. Tamil Nadu government today said a total of 4,501 houses in cyclone Ockhi-hit Kanyakumari have suffered partial and full damage and relief to the tune of Rs 41 lakh has been provided in this regard so far. [READ REPORT] Nuns take out a candlelight procession for the victims of Cyclone Ockhi at the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom at Vallarpadam in Kochi on Wednesday night. (Albin Mathew | EPS) The Kerala state cabinet on Wednesday cleared a comprehensive rehabilitation package for the victims of Cyclone Ockhi, which includes Rs 20 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased fishermen and Rs 5 lakh each for fishermen who were grievously injured. [READ FULL REPORT] Boeing P8i of Indian Navy detected a fishing vessel near Kavaratti, close to Mangalore, yesterday evening. While INS Chennai has diverted for rescue, search areas are being expanded due to drift and currents in the area, said Navy spokesperson. Fishing vessel as seen from the aircraft. This video captures the essence of what Navy Boeing P-8i is doing - systematic search of every inch of possible/ probable area & providing hope to the stranded till they are rescued by our ships @nsitharaman pic.twitter.com/1sY0VXul42 SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 6, 2017 The government on Tuesday issued an advisory in view of Cyclone 'Ockhi', warning of a "rapid" rise in the water level of rivers in parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Union Health Minister J P Nadda today spoke to health ministers of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, assuring them of all help from the Centre for dealing with the possible damage caused by Cyclone Ockhi. A Coast Guard ship today located 15 boats off Lakshadweep and provided assistance to 184 fishermen on board, as part of its Cyclone Ockhi relief operations. Local fishermen will join Naval teams with INS Kabra, presently involved in search and rescue operations off Kollam port and their inputs will be taken to carry out the mission. The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu government to provide adequate basic amenities to those affected by cyclone Ockhi in Kanyakumari district. The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday said that Cyclone Ockhi was not expected to have high impact in Gujarat which is geared for the worst situation. As many as 39 people have perished and 167 fishermen were still missing after cyclone Ockhi hit Tamil Nadu and Kerala coasts while 809 others were swept away to Maharashtra, the Union Home Ministry said today. Narendra Modi today said he is constantly monitoring the situation in various states arising out of cyclone Ockhi battering parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep islands and now heading towards Gujarat. [READ FULL ARTICLE HERE] Light rains were expected at one or two places in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over the next two days. Rahul Gandhi's rallies in Gujarat's Morbi, Dhrangadhra and Surendranagar cancelled due to bad weather, reports ANI. The Kerala government today said intensified search and rescue operations are on to trace the 92 fishermen missing in high seas after Cyclone Ockhi hit the state's coast on November 29. The National Disaster Management Authority today asked fishermen in both eastern and western coasts not to venture out in the sea for the next three days as heavy rainfall is expected in many areas due to Cyclone Ockhi. The North Goa district has done a preliminary assessment of the damage caused due to Cyclone Ockhi in the coastal state. Cyclone Ockhi today moved closer to the southern coast near Surat in Gujarat and is expected to make a landfall in the state around midnight, said officials. PM Modi and Amit Shah have directed party workers to stop campaigning and instead help people in coastal regions of Gujarat move to safer places. Amit Shahs cancelled rallies were to be held in Rajula, Mahua and Shihor. (TV reports) It's likely to rain today, there will be strong winds. People have been advised not to go out at night. Those living in kachha houses will be given shelter. NDRF is on alert. Municipality & local bodies are working on their level.: Mahendra Patel, Surat DM #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/lUuIpOiauW ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 Kerala fishermen demand stringent action against erring disaster management officers. [READ FULL STORY HERE] UP CM Yogi Adityanath hands over a cheque worth Rs. 5 Cr to PM Modi from CM Distress Relief Fund towards PM's National Relief Fund, for the cyclone affected people in Lakshadweep and other States #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/vPxxQaE43A ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 The recent cyclone has brought to the fore the lack of proper mechanism to urgently communicate with fishermen at sea about an impending natural disaster. The situation is set to change once a mechanism to improve the communication with fishermen at sea is put in place by the state government in association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS). [Kerala government to better offshore communication of fishermen | READ HERE] Rs 600 per hour to use a motor generator to fill water tank? Impossible, you might think. But the power-less Nagercoil is seeing this and more, as desperate residents look at help from all quarters to bring life back to normal. They shell out the extra charges to get drinking water and to charge their already-dead mobile phone batteries. [READ FULL ARTICLE HERE] With #CycloneOckhi expected to make a landfall in Gujarat, I appeal to @BJP4Gujarat Karyakartas to focus on helping people across the state. Our Karyakartas should devote themselves to providing all possible assistance and stand shoulder to shoulder with fellow citizens. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017 In Mumbai, the Western Railways has deployed extra personnel for crowd management in case of any emergency due to the cyclone. [FULL REPORT] According to the IMD, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held an urgent meeting with senior officials to take stock of the preparedness in the state ahead of the expected landfall of the cyclone today. THE STORM OCKHI OVER ARABIAN SEA MOVED FURTHER NNE WARDS & IS NOW 480 KM SSW OF SURAT LIKELY TO CONTINUE TO MOVE NNE WARDS, WEAKEN GRADUALLY & CROSS S GUJ & N MAHA AS A DEEP DEPRESSION BY TONIGHT. HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG WINDS ALREADY STARTED. BE CAREFUL & TAKE PRECAUTIONS. pic.twitter.com/M5YymjDD7W Dr. Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) December 5, 2017 Some parts of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway experienced a hailstorm early today, police said. The traffic on Eastern and Western Express Highways in Mumbai has slowed down. There are traffic curbs in some places in view of the rush of followers of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary tomorrow. Five days after #CycloneOchki made landfall @IndiaCoastGuard continues to be at sea off #TamilNadu #Kerala & #Lakshadweep Island for Search & Rescue . Coast Guard Ship rescued 19 fishermen on board 02 stranded vessels 96 Nautical Miles off Bitra (L&M ) Islands @DefenceMinIndia pic.twitter.com/PKFBHiUkjh Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 5, 2017 All exams for Mumbai University taking place as scheduled, announced the administration. (TV reports) Mumbai police have been putting up barricades near Dadar chowpatty and Juhu chowpatty to stop people from going near the beaches, say TV reports. Cyclone Ockhi is expected to make landfall in Mumbai and coastal Gujarat on Tuesday midnight with squally winds, which may cause heavy rains in several parts of the state during the next two days. The Maharashtra government has declared a holiday for schools and colleges in Mumbai and adjoining districts. An official at the Mumbai office of India Meteorological Department said on account of the cyclone, the megapolis has started receiving rainfall due to spread of clouds. The Tamil Nadu government on Monday said a total of 2,604 fishermen out of the 2,864 caught in the cyclone Ockhi have been rescued. Women with all hopes of the return of their dear ones at the St Mary'schurch at Vizhinjam (EPS | Kaviyoor Santhosh) Several dozen shacks have reportedly been affected by Sunday night's swelling of waters along the coastline. The Central government has assured all help to cyclone-battered Lakshadweep, where there was no loss of lives, but extensive property damage in some islands: Lakshadweep Administrator Farooq Khan. Shibi, whose husband went missing Cyclone Ockhi, in all tears inside the St Mary's church at Vizhinjam. ( EPS | Kaviyoor Santhosh) The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Monday rescued another 19 fishermen from the Arabian Sea, top officials said. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today donated Rs two crore from the CM's relief fund to the PMNRF to provide relief to the victims of Cyclone Ockhi. A well-marked low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal is likely to become a depression and move towards Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh by December 6, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) said today. The National Crisis Management Committee, headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, has reviewed rescue and relief operations being carried out in high seas and coastal areas hit by cyclone Ockhi. Women members of the fisher folk community on Monday held a protest in Kanyakumari district demanding that authorities intensify rescue operations to trace fishermen caught in the deep sea in the wake of Cyclone Ockhi. Hundreds of women held protest on the roads in Neerodi village demanding the authorities trace their loved ones who are still missing. [READ FULL STORY] In a thatched house on Poonthura beach in Kerala, 21-year-old Bobby, his 42-year-old mother Jacintha and his 17-year-old sister Nimmy are hopeless about the future. Their sole breadwinner Christy, 51, a fisherman, died in the Ockhi cyclone in high seas when he ventured out into the sea last Wednesday. [READ THE FULL STORY HERE] Four days after Ockhi hit Chellanam in Kerala, Annamma Pouly, 67, is yet to recover from the troubles she went through to shift her 74-year-old immobile husband from their house as sea water gushed in during the middle of the night. [READ HER ACCOUNT HERE] Cyclone Ockhi and the frantic scramble for organising rescue efforts down south have yet again underscored the need for permanently stationing Naval and Coast Guard ships in Thiruvananthapuram. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday sent two crore rupees from the Chief Minister Fund to the Prime Minister Fund for the relief of victims. (ANI) Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met with the families of fishermen affected by the cyclone at Vizhinam in Thiruvananthapuram. She pointed out that the boats that had gone out well before the cyclone warning was issued had been found 15 days after their departure with the fishermen alive. ''If boats which went 15 days ago can come back with fishermen alive, we will make every attempt to get everybody back,'' she said. (Express News Service) [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Previously, Cyclone Ockhi had moved north-northwestwards during the past six hours and lay centered over southeast and east-central Arabian Sea , about 390 km west-northwest of Amini Divi island of Lakshadweep. Lakshadweep islands, which was hit by Cyclone Ochki, has suffered a loss of over Rs 500 crore, Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Faizal said today. Nirmala Sitharaman taking stock of Cyclone Ochki affected Kanyakumari and interacting with the locals. Very severe Cyclone Ockhi to recurve towards Gujarat, weaken gradually: Skymet Weather Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said 28 more boats, carrying 321 fishermen, which were caught in rough seas due to Cyclone Ockhi, have safely reached Maharashtra's Ratnagiri coast today. [READ FULL REPORT] A total of 357 fishermen, including 71 from Tamil Nadu, stranded in sea due to Cyclone Ockhi , were rescued this morning, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said today. What looked like an aftermath of cyclone Ockhi, three houses were damaged while the compound wall of a private resort collapsed as surging waves lashed the coast of Ullal in Dakshina Kannada in the last two days. According to official sources, damage to the property by huge waves has occurred in most of the coastal areas. KJ Alphons on Sunday also said that Cyclone Ockhi will not be termed a national disaster. [READ HERE] Even as the blame game over the lack of warning before cyclone Ockhi continues, Union Minister of State for Tourism and IT Alphons Kannanthanam said that the state had not received any warning until November 30. However, he later clarified that a warning had been issued on November 28 and 29 about a deep depression in the sea. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Four men three from Thiruvananthapuram and one from Tamil Nadu were rescued by the IAF and admitted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital. They were identified as Zacharias (55), Seva Kurishu (35), and Kristudas (48) of Adimalathura, Thiruvananthapuram; and Anthony Adima (30) of Kollencode, Tamil Nadu. Another fisherman was brought dead to the hospital. A Coastguard vessel carrying 19 rescued fishermen was expected to arrive in Kochi. Moderate rain is expected at a few places in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry during the next 24 hours, according to IMD. [READ FULL REPORT] Indian Coast Guard ship Sarthi rescued a fisherman in rough seas during Cyclone Ockhi off Kerala coast. [WATCH VIDEO] Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit Thiruvananthapuram and Kanyakumari today. She will arrive at the technical area of the IAF at Shangumugham by 3 pm and leave for Kanyakumari. Fishermen community in Thiruvananthapuram have decided to launch their own rescue operations on Sunday as 55 boats ventured into the sea to search for the missing fishermen. (IANS) TN SDMA has also warned that strong winds from North-easterly direction with speeds reaching 40-55 Kmph is likely along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast. The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TN SDMA) has issued a 24-hour warning to fishermen not to go for fishing to the Arabian sea. 68 fishing boats, out of which 66 are from Kerala and two from Tamil Nadu, have reached Maharashtra's Sindhudurg coast with total 952 fishermen on board. All are safe: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. (READ FULL REPORT HERE) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has decided to ask the Centre to declare the Ockhi cyclone as a national calamity. (ANI) Claims of thousand fishermen stranded are false. Correct figures- 97 are yet to be rescued, 71 from Tamil Nadu have been rescued till now. The Coast Guard is at it, with all its strength to rescue the rest. Hoping for good news soon: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. (ANI) People receive essential commodities at a relief camp following cyclone Ockhi in the Kanyakumari district on Saturday. (PTI) Given orders to Maharashtra Maritime Board and Collector, Sindhudurg Dist. to make all arrangements for the stranded fishermen. Local authorities are already with them and taking care of all arrangements, tweets Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. In all 68 fishing boats have reached, out of which 66 are from Kerala and 2 from Tamil Nadu with total 952 fisherman on board. All are safe. Maharashtra will completely look after everyone till weather permits them to go back. @nsitharaman @BJP4Keralam Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) December 2, 2017 A fresh spell of heavy rain is in store in some areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry with a low pressure area forming over south Andaman sea, which is "very likely" to become a depression over Bay of Bengal. It is very likely to become a depression over southeast Bay of Bengal and neighbourhood during the next 36 hours. It is also very likely to intensify further and move towards north Tamil Nadu south Andhra Pradesh coasts during the next 3-4 days. (IMD) Though many fishermen from Kerala were brought ashore safely and admitted to hospitals, many are yet to recover from the shock of wrestling the lashing waves and seeing death face-to-face. Stephan, a fisherman hailing from nearby Poonthura, said: "It was the first time we were experiencing such huge waves and a rough sea. Luckily, the rescue boat came back and saved us." Most of the rescued fishermen had bruises all over their bodies and were seen shivering and begging for hot water and food when brought ashore. (PTI) Stranded fisherman being brought to Kerala coast by Indain Navy personnel in Kochi on Saturday. (PTI) Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami today requested the Centre to deploy the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for the search and rescue of fishermen who have not returned so far, and that helicopters of Coast Guard and Navy should be deployed for this purpose. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured the AIADMK leader that the Centre would provide the assistance required to rescue the fishermen. (PTI) Several roads that connect Kanyakumari with many interior parts have got cut or were fully damaged due to heavy rainfall following the impact of cyclone Ockhi in the district on Saturday. (PTI) A Coast Guard advisory here said the status of weather and sea conditions should be checked on television, radio, newspapers and smartphone applications before venturing out into the sea. The merchant ships should also be alert and avoid the path of Cyclone Ockhi, it said. Fishing boats should remain in groups and during distress all the crew should remain together, it said. DMK working president M K Stalin urged Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in his letter to direct the Coast Guard to search and rescue "thousands of fishermen fighting for their lives in the mid sea, so as to prevent further loss of lives due to the Ockhi cyclone". Steps have been taken to prevent any possible outbreak of epidemic in rain-hit areas of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu Health minister C Vijayabhaskar said today. A relief worker places sand bags on the banks of a beach in Kochi in wake of cyclone Ockhi on Saturday. (PTI) Leader of the opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala today urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare cyclone Ockhi as a national disaster. He also urged the Kerala government to increase the financial aid for the injured at least up to Rs 50,000 from the present Rs 15,000. Lack of coordination had affected the government's relief and rescue operations, launched post Ockhi, he alleged. (PTI) The Southern Railway announced partial and full cancellation of some trains in the Kaniyakumari-Nagercoil section. One train service was also rescheduled. (PTI Meanwhile, relatives of missing fishermen from Kaniyakumari staged a road blockade demanding the fishermen be rescued at the earliest. Scores of women also staged protest at Chinnathurai in that district. There has been a huge demand for generator sets following the devastation caused by cyclone Ockhi in the Kanyakumari region on Saturday. (PTI) In Kanyakumari, power supply had been restored even as efforts are on to resume power supply in neighbouring areas like Nagercoil and Kuzhithurai. Officials expressed confidence that the power supply would be restored in the entire district by tomorrow. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced Rs 25 crore for expediting relief and restoration work in the district. (PTI) 261 persons rescued by @IndiaCoastGuard @adgpi and @IAF_MCC in #CycloneOckhi @NewIndianXpress pic.twitter.com/ywhzBQLJnP Kiran_TNIE (@tniekiran1) December 2, 2017 The Coast Guard informed in a press release that on November 30, the Coast Guard District Headquarters in Kerala was informed that around 70-80 fishermen were stranded at sea due to the storm. The Coast Guard immediately sailed as many as nine ships towards Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts. Further, ships based at New Mangalore were also sailed towards Kerala coast to undertake the rescue of stranded fishermen. As the cyclone intensified, coordinated search by Coast Guard ships and aircraft continued in extremely rough weather with wind speed gusting up to 150 kmph. Ships at Mumbai and Goa were also placed on maximum alert to augment efforts as required, the press release read. (PTI) As per the last report, a total of 79 stranded fishermen have been saved by the Coast Guard in coordination with other agencies. Also, the fisheries department has intimated that about 25 boats with 250 personnel are still in distress at sea. A man watches a road that has been cut off due to floods following the heavy rainfall caused by the cyclone Ockhi which left heavy damage in the Kanyakumari district on Saturday. (PTI) 138 fishermen have been rescued from the Lakshadweep islands. (PTI) So far 393 people from Kerala have been rescued, Kerala CM Vijayan said, as the state government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of those who died in the storm, in addition to the financial assistance of Rs four lakh being given by the fisheries department.Of the rescued, 132 fishermen were from the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, 66 from Kozhikode, 55 from Kollam, 40 from Thrissur, and 100 from Kanyakumari. (PTI) In Lakshadweep, 31 relief camps have been opened in the10 inhabited islands. So far, 1,047 people have been evacuated to the relief camps, official sources said. No casualties have been reported, with the worst-affected islands being Minicoy and Kalpeni. Seven people have lost their lives in Kerala in rain-related incidents over the past two days, official sources said. (PTI) Cyclone Ockhi has so far claimed 13 lives in Sri Lanka. Power supply, essential services and air traffic was disrupted in the stormy weather that left several buildings damaged and trees uprooted in its wake. READ FULL REPORT HERE #CycloneOckhi update @IndiaCoastGuard ship rescued 15 fishermen at sea off Vizhinjam/Quilon (Kerala) Coast and heading towards shore for safe disembarkation of fisher-folks @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD pic.twitter.com/39gJrfI20Z Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 2, 2017 Authorities including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Coast Guard and Navy have rescued about 223 fishermen and evacuated thousands of people from cyclone hit areas, officials said, as they continued their operations on Saturday. While INS Nireekshak, INS Jamuna and INS Sagardhwani are continuing search and rescue operations in their designated areas along the coast off Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, two ships INS Shardul and INS Sharda are heading towards Lakshadweep, a defence spokesman said. (PTI) The naval ships, which left from the Southern Naval Command here yesterday, are likely to reach Lakshadweep this evening. The Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Lanba briefed me on the on-going rescue operations #CycloneOchki . More fishermen rescued this morning. Rescue work to continue.Some rescued fishermen waiting in Lakshadweep Isle to get back. Details @indiannavy @DefenceMinIndia @IndiaCoastGuard Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) December 2, 2017 The Kerala state government has announced a compensation of Rs. 10 lakh to the families of the deceased. #Kerala Locals have blocked National Highway for last five hours in Trivandrum's Thumba, demand better relief measures & rescue of 6 fishermen missing from the area #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/rcTY0gyDty ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2017 Six boats and 73 fishermen that went missing in the sea have been brought back, the Fisheries Minister of Tamil Nadu, D Jayakumar, informed on Saturday. (ANI) Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan slammed rumour mongers on Saturday after it came to light that Friday's reports of a Japanese merchant ship rescuing 60 Kerala fishermen caught in the deep seas, was "fake". It was Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S.Vasuki who told the media, on Friday evening, that she wished to thank the Japanese government as one of their ships had rescued 60 fishermen and said they would arrive at the Vizhinjam coast. (IANS.) [READ FULL REPORT] Locals in Thiruvananthapuram's Poonthura came out in protest alleging rescue operations have been inadequate. (ANI) According to Thiruvananthapuram district Collector S Vasuki, 102 fishermen from the city who had gone into the sea have not been able to contact their relatives. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Kerala: Locals evacuated to rehabilitation centre in Kochi's Chellanam. #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/iAwj7Q7g94 ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2017 Several houses suffered damage, trees got uprooted and communication lines were disrupted as rains accompanied by strong winds lashed the Lakshadweep Islands under the influence of Cyclone Ockhi. [READ FULL REPORT] INS Nireekshak rescued two fishermen off Alappuzha coast. INS Sagardhwani fished out one cadaver, 30 km off Thiruvananthapuram coast. The ship had earlier found another cadaver. (PTI) PM Modi dialled Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami and enquired about the damage caused by the cyclone, which also battered parts of Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] The Tamil Nadu government has said it will soon seek central funds for the damage caused by Cyclone Ockhi in the southern parts of the state, with Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts being the worst hit. As many as 218 fishermen from various parts of southern Kerala who were missing at sea since Thursday have been rescued and brought back so far, even as Cyclone Ockhi continued its menacing north-westward path along the Arabian Sea. [READ REPORT HERE] A rescued fisherman rushed to the ambulance from the technical area of the Thiruvananthpuram airport on Friday afternoon. Express Photo | Kaviyoor Santhosh According to a CWC advisory, the west-flowing rivers in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam in Kerala are likely to rise over the next 24 hours and then, slowly fall as the rains reduced. Three deaths were reported in Kerala and one in the worst-hit Kannyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, taking the toll to 12, reports UNI. A report from Lakshadweep said a red alert had been sounded as high waves posed a major threat to most of the islands in the region. (UNI) WATCH: Navy rescue fishermen off Thiruvananthapuram coast About 150 fishermen, who put out to sea from various southern districts, were rescued, Thiruvananthapuram District Commissioner K Vasuki said, adding that efforts were on to bring the rest of the stranded fishermen to the shore. The rescued fishermen included those who were saved by a Japanese cargo vessel. Kerala: Rescued fishermen brought to Trivandrim Air Force Station, later admitted to hospital for treatment #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/lB10HNPqsE ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 Heavy to extremely heavy rains are likely over Lakshadweep Islands, while light to moderate rains with a few heavy spells are expected over Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, according to Skymetweather's latest weather update. Two fishing boats Arokia Mary and Hermen Mary from Kanyakumari reported missing due #CycloneOckhi since 30 Nov 2017 with 08 crew each rescued by Coast Guard Ship C-427 off Vizhinjam #Kerala pic.twitter.com/nyLuxkoonk ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 Search and rescue effort progressing off Vizhinjam where approximately 40 people were stranded at sea. Indian Navy ships Sharda and Shardul sailed out to augment search effort, in final stages of embarking humanitarian assistance and disaster relief items for assistance at Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands , reports ANI. 130 families from Chellanam, 17 families from Kumbalangi and 18 families from Edavanakad rehabilitated from the coastal areas, reports ANI. [Read Report] Cyclone Ockhi is moving to the Arabian Sea. Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan says steps are initiated to rescue fishermen stranded in the rough sea, reports PTI. #WATCH: High tides seen at Lakshadweep coast #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/sxUBC4geku ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 24 people stranded at sea sighted by IN assets. Efforts underway to rescue all 24:- 07 picked up by MV ENERGY ORPHEUS,04 being rescued by INS JAMUNA ,03 rescued by trawler in area,02 rescued by ALH (progressing further rescue of 06 more),02 under Rescue by MV KUN LUN SHAN SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 1, 2017 READ FULL STORY: Navy, Coast Guard save 39 Kerala fishermen ALSO READ | Cyclone Ockhi tales #Kerala: Relatives of missing fishermen mourn in Thiruvananthapuram, say they received no warnings of #CycloneOckhi from the government pic.twitter.com/gewQlJZvPI ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 - One person was killed when a tree fell on his autorickshaw at Kulathupuzha in Kollam - A couple at Kattakkada in Thiruvananthapuram was electrocuted when power cables fell over them - Trees and hoardings collapsed in the strong wind, which also blew away thatched roofs and roofing sheets of houses - The State Disaster Management Authority has issued alert to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki and Kottayam districts Satellite image of Cyclone Ockhi across South India. (Image Courtesy: skymetweather.com) Southern Naval Command deployed 3 ships & 2 aircraft following request by District Collector, Trivandrum for assistance in search of 6 fishing boats with fisherman & 1 Marine Engineering vessel missing near Vizhinjam, due to cyclonic storm developed in Indian Ocean off Kerala. pic.twitter.com/2fShFmu1NS ANI (@ANI) November 30, 2017 SkymetWeather (@SkymetWeather) November 30, 2017 Five people dead, 22 fishermen missing, 62 houses fully damaged, 240 houses partly damaged due to heavy rains, in Kanyakumari district. 16 rehabilitation centres established by government in which 1044 people are being given shelter. (ANI) Ockhi can lead to cloudy weather coupled with light rain for some parts along Maharashtra coast and Mumbai next week, reports said. The IMD has issued warning to all ports. Skymet predicted that there will be light rains in Saurashtra and Kutch region of Gujarat as well. Thiruvananthapuram saw a respite from incessant rains Friday morning. Several trains to and from Thiruvananthapuram were either delayed, cancelled or re-scheduled, say TV reports. #WATCH: Water logging in Sthanumalayan Temple in Kanyakumari's Suchindram #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/nDSjmpfXoz ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 Tamil Nadu CM K Palaniswami announces Rs 5 lakh compensation to kin of the five deceased in Kanyakumari district due to rain-related incidents. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said there were serious lapses from the side of state disaster management department. The alert from Hyderabad was not sent to the Government on time, reports ANI. [READ FULL REPORT] Indian Navys Advanced Light Helicopter has dropped a life a liferaft for 8 survivors at sea 20nm off Trivandrum and is picking up two critically injured survivors from MV Energy Orpheus. Naval Seaking helicopter being launched shortly to recover 8 survivors & additional SAR. Boeing P8I Aircraft deployed at first light from INS Rajali this morning sights 7 survivors hanging on to a capsized boat ~25 miles West of Tivandrum. A/c drops life raft in the vicinity and reported the exact position. Ships in area are being diverted to render assistance: Indian Navy Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has spoken to the DG of NDRF and reviewed the situation in areas affected by Cyclone Ockhi. NDRF teams have already been moved to the affected areas. More teams are on standby to respond to any further emergencies. The Home Affairs ministry is closely monitoring the situation, according to a the HMO, reports ANI. #Kerala: 59 people stranded due to heavy rains rescued by Navy and coastal guards in Trivandrum #CycloneOckhi pic.twitter.com/8YziNQeaeH ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2017 A cyclone alert has been issued across the coastal regions in north Kerala as MET has predicted cyclone Ockhi will reach this part of the state also. Nearly 200 fishing boats, which left Kochi coast in the last couple of days, are yet to return. Joseph Xavier, general secretary, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association, said, Usually, we used to receive advance warnings on the weather. But this time, there was no such notification." This is a matter of concern, given there were reports about the arrival of the cyclone at least two days ago, he said. Since most of the boats are co-owned by people belonging to Tamil Nadu and most of the workers are also from that state, it is also possible that the fishermen might have taken the boats to Colachel, Muttom and Thengapattanam, said Xavier. Kerala: Fishermen in Trivandrum go missing. Relatives say they received no warnings of Cyclone Ockhi from the government. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held an emergency meeting of top officials to take stock of the situation and has asked police and revenue officials to be on high alert, reports IANS. Balakrishnan Nair, scientist at INCOIS, said that the storm surge of about one metre above astronomical tides are very likely to inundate low-lying areas of Lakshadweep Islands from Thursday night and 0.5 metre surge will inundate low-lying areas of coastal districts of south Kerala (Alappuzha, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts), and adjoining districts of south Tamil Nadu (Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts). Four people were killed in Kerala on Thursday as heavy rains and strong winds lashed southern part of the state after cyclonic storm Ockhi hit the Kerala coast. (READ MORE) Four people died today in Kanyakumari as heavy rains and strong winds uprooted trees, snapped power lines and damaged settlements close to the sea in Kanyakumari-Nagercoil-Thoothukudi region in south Tamil Nadu. Schools in seven districts of the state including Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Virudhunagar were closed today. [READ MORE] Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams with 60 personnel have been sent to Kanyakumari. Another team of 47 will be on standby in Kochi in Kerala to help out in Lakshadweep if the need arises. [READ: TN CM Palaniswami: Taking precautionary steps for Cyclone Ockhi] Heavy rains have caused chaos and destruction in districts of Kerala since Wednesday. Thiruvananthapuram woke up this morning to a sustained heavy drizzle and heavily overcast skies, which hit rush hour traffic in the state's capital city. One death has been reported in the state so far. An autorickshaw driver on the outskirts of Kollam was killed today after a tree fell on his vehicle. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] Severe rainstorm &winds in Thiruvananthapuram. Here I'm struggling with my umbrella at Shankumukham Beach where #Padayorukkam is scheduled to conclude tomorrow w/ mass rally by Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/qxXvugMqHV The Southern Naval Command is also gearing up for any Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief that may be required due to the effects of the storm in the southern part of Kerala. [READ FULL REPORT HERE] S Balachandran, Director, Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai, said southern districts in Tamil Nadu such as Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Ramanathapuram, Sivaganga and Virudhunagar will get heavy to very heavy rainfall till December 1. Cyclone Ockhi is not expected to make a landfall in Tamil Nadu. ALSO READ | High wave warning sounded for south Tamil Nadu For north coastal Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, the skies would be generally cloudy and light to moderate spells of rain can be expected. Chennai received up to 6 cm of rain between 8:30 last night and 8:30 this morning. As far as fishermen are concerned, those in Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Rameswaram, have been asked not to venture out into sea till December 1, Thursday as the wind speed will be 65-70 kmph, meaning the sea will be rough along and off south Tamil Nadu, south Kerala coasts and Lakshadweep Islands. #cyclonealert: Check out the progress of the #CycloneOckhi #Cyclone #Ockhi #Weather #cyclone1 #Chennai #Chennairains #Kerala #TamilNadu @tnsdma @kerala_kaumudi @archvivekh @karthickselvaa pic.twitter.com/A0RNw8wJ90 The weather office has also predicted dense fog in places in Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. Cyclone 'Ockhi' (meaning: eye) was a name contributed by Bangladesh. With a speed of 38 kmph at 8:30 Thursday morning, the cyclone lay centred about 340 km west-northwest of Galle in Sri Lanka, 60 Km south of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and 120 km southwest of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala and 480 km eastsoutheast of Minicoy in Lakshadweep. It has moved west-northwestwards towards Lakshadweep Islands in the southeast Arabian Sea. Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 12 atolls, three reefs and five submerged banks lying 200 to 400 km to the West of the South-West coast (Kerala) of India. Cyclone Ockhi is approaching the Lakshadweep archipelago, a top official at the Ministry of Earth Sciences said in Delhi today. Madhavan Rajeevan, secretary in the ministry, said the archipelago in the southern part of the Arabian Sea will start experiencing heavy rainfall and strong winds from tomorrow. "It will hit the islands on December 2," Rajeevan said. (PTI) Earlier today, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre (JTWC) had put out an alert saying that the system could intensify further to become a severe cyclonic storm. It further said the storm could re-curve towards the Mumbai-Gujarat region on the West Coast, after being influenced by an incoming western disturbance from the opposite direction. Heavy rainfall and storms in Tamil Nadu in the first week of November this year killed at least 12 people and thousands took shelter in relief camps, triggering fears of the 2015 floods repeat. It had killed more than 400 people, displaced lakhs and damaged property worth thousands of crores. What is a tropical depression The India Meteorological Department (IMD) classifies the low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal and in the Arabian Sea into seven categories. Low pressure areas with maximum sustained surface wind speeds between 31 and 61 kmph are called tropical depressions. Once the winds around the low pressure area reach at least 62 kmph, it is called a tropical cyclone and is assigned a name. The current system is intensifying rapidly. As per the IMD wind warning, squally winds would reach 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph along and off south Tamil Nadu during the next 48 hours. Another depression kicking-in The trough of low pressure over the Malay Peninsula and neighbourhood is persisting and is likely to develop into a low-pressure area over Malay Peninsula and adjoining south Andaman Sea during the next 24 hours. This system is likely to trigger a wet spell for the north coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, around December 4. (With inputs from Express News Service and agencies) By ANI WASHINGTON: United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday said that it will take two years or longer before the U.S. Embassy can be physically relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This is not something that is going to happen this year, or probably not next year but the president does want us to move in a very concrete and steadfast way, CNN reported, citing Tillerson as saying at a news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris. Speaking with his French counterpart, Tillerson said that President Donald Trump had ordered the State Department to "start the process of making the move" but that it would take time. According to the report, he also said that Trump's decision does not "indicate any final status for Jerusalem," adding that the "final status would be left to the parties to negotiate and decide." Le Drian stated the Jerusalem decision as one of the major issues on which the French disagree with the US. WATCH | Jerusalem status: Clashes erupt north of Ramallah in Palestine Tillerson's comments came as scores of Palestinians demonstrated across the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza against President Donald Trump's unilateral decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Various Palestinian factions, including militant organisation Hamas, called for a day of rage on Friday against the US and Israeli occupation. An estimated 3,000 people marched, burned Israeli flags and stamped on posters of Trump in around 30 protests across the Palestinian territories. The participants chanted slogans against the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, calling for a revolt against Israel to "liberate Jerusalem from occupation." WASHINGTON: United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday said that it will take two years or longer before the U.S. Embassy can be physically relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This is not something that is going to happen this year, or probably not next year but the president does want us to move in a very concrete and steadfast way, CNN reported, citing Tillerson as saying at a news conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris. Speaking with his French counterpart, Tillerson said that President Donald Trump had ordered the State Department to "start the process of making the move" but that it would take time. According to the report, he also said that Trump's decision does not "indicate any final status for Jerusalem," adding that the "final status would be left to the parties to negotiate and decide." Le Drian stated the Jerusalem decision as one of the major issues on which the French disagree with the US. WATCH | Jerusalem status: Clashes erupt north of Ramallah in Palestine Tillerson's comments came as scores of Palestinians demonstrated across the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza against President Donald Trump's unilateral decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Various Palestinian factions, including militant organisation Hamas, called for a day of rage on Friday against the US and Israeli occupation. An estimated 3,000 people marched, burned Israeli flags and stamped on posters of Trump in around 30 protests across the Palestinian territories. The participants chanted slogans against the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, calling for a revolt against Israel to "liberate Jerusalem from occupation." By AFP WASHINGTON: Officials in the southwestern US state of Arizona released a graphic video Friday showing an unarmed man sobbing and begging for his life moments before he was fatally shot by a police officer who was acquitted of murder. It was the latest in a spate of killings that have prompted criminal charges against law enforcement officials. Philip Brailsford, who shot and killed Daniel Shaver in the hallway of a hotel in January 2016, was acquitted of second-degree murder as well as reckless manslaughter by a jury on Thursday, according to USA Today. Bodycam footage made public following the verdict showed Shaver, a married 26-year-old father of two, on his knees complying with the officers' instructions over the course of several minutes and saying "Please don't shoot me" and "Please don't shoot." Video of Arizona police fatally shooting unarmed at hotel released https://t.co/dBFt2rfHbJ pic.twitter.com/JcyAvQFCad FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) December 9, 2017 Shaver, who was inebriated, then appeared to reach to his back, possibly to pull up his shorts, before Brailsford fired five bullets at him with his AR-15 assault rifle. Unlike several other high-profile cases in which African Americans were killed by police, both the police officer and Shaver were white. A police report cited by local media said officers were responding to a report of a man seen holding a gun from his fifth floor hotel room. Officers arrived at Shaver's hotel room in the Mesa suburb of Phoenix and found him with a woman, whom his widow Laney Sweet later said was visiting with a male colleague who had stepped outside to call his wife. Shaver was found to be unarmed at the time he was shot, but officers discovered a pellet gun in his room, which he used for his job as a pest-control worker. His hotel stay was also due to work travel. The local police department defended Brailsford's actions, saying he had acted in accordance with his training. But Mark Geragos, Sweet's lawyer, described the killing as an "execution," according to local news outlet AZcentral. "The justice system miserably failed Daniel (Shaver) and his family," Geragos said. According to USA Today, the judge did not allow jurors to hear that Brailsford had etched the words "You're Fucked" onto his service weapon because it could be prejudicial. The verdict came the same day as former policeman Michael Slager was sentenced to 20 years for the killing of an unarmed black motorist Walter Scott -- a rare conviction in a judicial system rights activists complain often allows police to operate with impunity. WASHINGTON: Officials in the southwestern US state of Arizona released a graphic video Friday showing an unarmed man sobbing and begging for his life moments before he was fatally shot by a police officer who was acquitted of murder. It was the latest in a spate of killings that have prompted criminal charges against law enforcement officials. Philip Brailsford, who shot and killed Daniel Shaver in the hallway of a hotel in January 2016, was acquitted of second-degree murder as well as reckless manslaughter by a jury on Thursday, according to USA Today. Bodycam footage made public following the verdict showed Shaver, a married 26-year-old father of two, on his knees complying with the officers' instructions over the course of several minutes and saying "Please don't shoot me" and "Please don't shoot." Video of Arizona police fatally shooting unarmed at hotel released https://t.co/dBFt2rfHbJ pic.twitter.com/JcyAvQFCad FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) December 9, 2017 Shaver, who was inebriated, then appeared to reach to his back, possibly to pull up his shorts, before Brailsford fired five bullets at him with his AR-15 assault rifle. Unlike several other high-profile cases in which African Americans were killed by police, both the police officer and Shaver were white. A police report cited by local media said officers were responding to a report of a man seen holding a gun from his fifth floor hotel room. Officers arrived at Shaver's hotel room in the Mesa suburb of Phoenix and found him with a woman, whom his widow Laney Sweet later said was visiting with a male colleague who had stepped outside to call his wife. Shaver was found to be unarmed at the time he was shot, but officers discovered a pellet gun in his room, which he used for his job as a pest-control worker. His hotel stay was also due to work travel. The local police department defended Brailsford's actions, saying he had acted in accordance with his training. But Mark Geragos, Sweet's lawyer, described the killing as an "execution," according to local news outlet AZcentral. "The justice system miserably failed Daniel (Shaver) and his family," Geragos said. According to USA Today, the judge did not allow jurors to hear that Brailsford had etched the words "You're Fucked" onto his service weapon because it could be prejudicial. The verdict came the same day as former policeman Michael Slager was sentenced to 20 years for the killing of an unarmed black motorist Walter Scott -- a rare conviction in a judicial system rights activists complain often allows police to operate with impunity. Scott and Emily Faulkner have learned a lot lately about false hope. So they tempered their excitement on an eight-hour drive to Butte late Sunday from their home in Ellensburg, Washington, to check out a report that their long-lost cat was found. TJ, short for Tiger Jr., went missing Aug. 12 at the KOA campground in Missoula, where the Faulkners were camped for the Travelers Rest music festival. A seasoned camper and sailor after four years with the Faulkners, the cats disappearance was uncharacteristic and troubling enough that the couple stayed two fruitless days looking for him. For the next weeks and months, as smoky summer turned to autumn and late fall, Scott Faulkner scanned Craigslist and animal shelter social media pages from Spokane to Butte and from the Bitterroot to the Flathead Valley hoping to see word of his cat. We made a couple of runs over to Missoula when people had seen our flyer and said, Hey, we saw your cat over at the KOA, he said. One time I thought for sure it was TJ, but it wasnt anything like him, color-wise. So we told ourselves not to get too excited until you can physically see him and pick him up. On Monday morning, they could and they did. Faulkner had received a call Sunday afternoon from Colin Jemmings at the Butte Animal Shelter, where the cat had arrived three days earlier. He'd been live-trapped along with other cats at Fairmont Hot Springs, and was "very aggressive and wild acting when he came in," Faulkner said. "They thought he might be feral." Jemmings was cleaning kennels Sunday morning and was surprised when the cat approached him. He came out and was being friendly, watching me feed the other cats, Jemmings said. I pulled out the scanner to see if he had a chip, and he did. A call to the microchip company revealed TJs identity, and more importantly, to whom he belonged. Faulkner jumped in the car in Ellensburg, and Emily, after a quick call to her work place to clear her absence Monday, jumped in, too. Scott grew up in the Bitterroot and Whitefish. Hes the cat man of the family. Emily leaned to dogs when they met in Seattle, but now Id say shes 50-50, he said. It was probably Scott who set TJs motor running as the Faulkners entered the Butte Animal Shelter. I think he heard our voices as we were walking in, and I saw him kind of perk up, he said. When Jacki Casagranda, the shelter manager, picked the cat up and placed it in his arms, he started purring right away, and kneading my chest like cats do, Scott said. Emily posted a short video of the reunion, and a friend remarked on Scotts ability to hold back tears. I kept my cool, which I was surprised at, Faulkner said Friday on the phone. It was four months of tough emotions, trying to find him and not knowing. I think the biggest thing was never knowing what happened to him. Faulkner said TJ had been delivered to the animal shelter Nov. 30 with other cats whod been caught at the campground at Fairmont, 15 miles west of Butte. "It sounded like he'd been there pretty much since the day he disappeared, so he did hitch a ride." He travels with us all the time, and hes very predictable, Faulkner added. He behaved like a dog. When I called hed come running. Hed let TJ out of the camper at the Missoula KOA to wander around that Saturday morning. He knows now it was a mistake, as other campers were preparing to leave. My fear is he hitched a ride in an RV, Faulkner said on his Facebook page a couple of days later. So its hard to say where he is, but it could easily be several states away already. As the search wore on, the numbers of followers on Facebook increased with each update four more in August and a couple in September. Six weeks now without a credible lead, Faulkner posted on Sept. 23. Im pretty convinced, between the manner in which TJ went missing and some info weve learned, that TJ was either taken (thinking he was a stray) or accidentally hitched a ride. It was his last update until Sunday, after the long drive to Butte. The microchip, he said Friday, remained his last best hope, but even that was fading. Faulkner traces his love for cats to growing up with them on the Bitterroot Valley farm where his family lived until moving to Whitefish when he was 12. In one of the trips back to Missoula to look for TJ, hed picked up another kitten from the local Humane Society to join the older cat dog back home. The trip back to Ellensburg on Monday was a joyous one. As in days of old, TJ curled up on the back floor, passenger side, and jumped onto the console as they pulled into the driveway. Ive never seen him jump up so quickly, Scott said. He carried his cat around the house and reintroduced him to each room, just as hed done in July 2013 when TJ was a 4-week-old kitten, Faulkners pick of a litter that had arrived unexpectedly under a friends patio. I put him down and he rushed right to where we keep his food dish. By the next morning he was in all his old routines, Faulkner said. Their veterinarian checked TJ out on Wednesday. He has a cold, which I guess is common when hanging around feral cats, Faulkner said. Other than that, hes in great shape. Hes a little light. He needs to eat more. They never think twice about getting their pets chipped, he added. Microchip implants typically cost $40, but he said you can often get them for less in lots of shelters. Sometimes in Missoula theyre free, Faulkner said. He said his tracking of various animal shelter sites has hammered home how valuable they are. If anybody wants to donate to shelters, please encourage them, he said. What Ive discovered over the last four months is theyre all fairly full and money is not the most plentiful thing. We always chip in some when we can. As for TJ: I dont know, said Faulkner. We kind of always hoped wed find him. But I think were still surprised, and probably always will be. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie of Luxembourg and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg attended opening of 'Hands of Masters' (De Mains de Maitres) exhibition held at Deletaille Art Gallery in the capital of Belgium, Brussels. Opening of the exhibition took place on Thursday and works of 13 Luxembourgian and 4 Belgian artists are shown in the exhibition. Hands of Masters exhibition will also be exhibited at Embassy of Luxembourg in Brussels. Biden: Deadly missile that hit Poland 'unlikely' to have come from Russia Last Thursday, a bill breezed through the House that would allow concealed carry permits for guns be valid in any state that issues permits. But, a similar Concealed Carry Reciprocity bill headed to the Senate may not have such an easy time. Some Montana law enforcement officials are concerned that visitors with concealed weapons may not meet the states standards for a concealed carry permit. They also worry that national reciprocity could complicate how law enforcement verify out-of-state permits. Responses to the proposed bill from Montanas senators range from enthusiasm to caution. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is reviewing the legislation and gathering feedback from Montanans, said Dave Kuntz, the senators press secretary. Republican Sen. Steve Daines is one of the bills numerous co-sponsors. As a concealed carry permit holder myself, I am glad to see this legislation moving forward, Daines said in an earlier statement. Montanans Second Amendment rights dont disappear when they cross state lines. Montana requires concealed carry permit holders to have some type of firearms training, such as a hunters safety course, and to undergo a background check. Permits from 43 states are recognized in Montana, including all 10 states that do not recognize any out-of-state permits. Montana permits are not recognized by eight states, in addition to the 10 that do not accept any out-of-state concealed carry permit. There is agreement among Montana's senators that the legislation not allow a national database of permit holders, or the sharing of concealed carry information to third-party reporting systems. The Senate bills sponsor, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas calls for concealed carry permits to be treated like a drivers license. But, while there is a national data base to check drivers licenses, there isnt one for concealed carry permits. Montanas law enforcement officers have access to a state-run database called the Criminal Justice Information Network, or CJIN. A second database, the FBIs National Crime Information Center, the NCIC, can also be accessed by officers. Checking information in the two databases can take officers about 12 seconds, but often half that, said Jennifer Viets, director of CJIN. Without a national concealed carry data base, checking the validity of out-of-state permits can be tricky and time-consuming. Officers would have to find and contact one of hundreds of issuing agencies. There is a multi-state concealed carry data base in Arizona, the nonprofit International Law Enforcement and Public Safety Network. Officers can use that service to verify out-of-state permits, but only 23 states share their information with the program. Viets of CJIN said having multi-state access to concealed carry permit information helps both officers and permit holders. From our perspective, those that have a concealed weapons permit, theyre the good guys. They passed the background check and are following the law, Viets said. The ability to verify concealed carry permits also allows law enforcement to identify fraudulent documents. In Montana, permits are issued at the county level and can vary in appearance. Permits from other states dont have a uniform format either. They could be fake. People fake drivers licenses, said Park County Sheriff Scott Hamilton. Thats why its important to be able to verify their validity. Hamilton said knowing the person being stopped by police has a concealed weapons permit doesnt affect the way he handles the situation. He assumes every person or vehicle he approaches has a firearm. Thats kind of how it is in Montana, he said. Hamilton said he believes a national reciprocity law could be a good thing, but he has some concerns the current bill as its currently written allows permit holders from states like New Hampshire where no firearms training is required. He would favor a law that also sets national minimum standards. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Reporter/Columnist Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth). Reporter Tim Mitchell is a reporter at The News-Gazette. His email is tmitchel@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@mitchell6). New Delhi: The action taken against Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh, and Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram has pleased some in the union health ministry, as it signals a warning for other private hospitals. Health secretary Preeti Sudan on Saturday evening stressed on the importance of Clinical Establishment (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 - a model act enacted by the Centre to regulate private medical facilities. It has to be adopted and legislated by states and union territories. Sudan spoke of the 16 states and UTs that have adopted the Act, a day after union health minister JP Nadda wrote to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, urging him to adopt it in Delhi for effective regulation of clinical establishments to prevent recurrence of such unsavoury incidents in the interest of patients. Alternatively, read the letter, you may even consider bringing a state-specific legislation in the matter, if adoption of the act is not found suitable. Some government officials feel the Centre-state cooperation has been quick in these two cases. Soon after the Delhi government cancelled Maxs Shalimar Bagh branch license for wrongly declaring a newborn dead, the Haryana government wrote to the state urban authority seeking the cancellation of Gurgaon Fortis' land lease for overbilling the parents of a seven-year-old girl, who died of dengue. Officials said if the act is enacted, they could reach out to state governments to pull up errant hospitals in a short span of time. The furious reaction that followed the two cases brought the issue of unethical practices by private hospitals into focus. New Delhi: The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday seeking the withdrawal of its "irrational and autocratic" order cancelling the licence of Max Super Specialty Hospital in Shalimar Bagh. In its letter, marked also to Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the doctors' body said that the government should wait for the report of the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on the issue which is expected in a few days. The DMA which opposed the order said it would give a call for strike, if needed. "If our demands are not met, we will finalise on Wednesday whether to call for a strike," DMA President Vijay Malhotra said. Meanwhile, some regular patients of the hospital, besides those who were turned away by the health facility since its licence has been cancelled, today demonstrated outside the hospital. Sweepers and wardboys too raised slogans against the Delhi government for cancelling the hospital's licence, a senior police official said, adding that it was peaceful and no one was detained. According to hospital sources, many patients complained of inconvenience. They said action should be taken against the doctor and the department concerned, but why are regular patients being made to suffer. Yesterday, the Delhi government cancelled the licence of the hospital for alleged medical negligence in multiple instances including the twins case in which one of the babies was found alive after being declared dead by the doctors. Echoing the Indian Medical Association's view, the DMA said while the investigation against the doctors concerned was expected, the decision to cancel the hospital licence was harsh. "Cancelling the licence and the decision to shut the entire hospital is irrational and autocratic. Private hospitals bear 80 per cent of the patient's burden in Delhi. Investigation against the concerned doctors or staff is expected but why should all other departments and the hospital suffer," DMA's Ashwini Goyal said. In the licence cancellation order, which came after a three-member panel submitted a report to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the government has stopped the hospital from admitting any new patient and put a stop to all outpatient treatment services and laboratory testing on its premises with immediate effect. The baby boy, who was 22 weeks premature, was declared dead by the hospital on November 30 and handed over to the parents in a plastic bag, along with his still-born sister. However, the baby started moving while being taken for last rites. The baby was then admitted in North Delhi's Agarwal Nursing Home, but died on Wednesday. The IMA on Friday termed the cancellation of the licence "too harsh step". It backed the hospital and said if all hospitals start facing similar situations where patients die due to such mistakes, then healthcare will come to a halt. IMA President K K Aggarwal, a cardiologist, said the government decision was "not in the interest of the society". "I personally feel it was wrong. The government has taken a wrong decision... For a mistake that occurred at the level of a doctor, the licence of the hospital cannot be cancelled," he said. New Delhi: Four CRPF jawans were killed and one injured when a colleague opened fire in a camp in Naxal-affected Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday. The incident was reported around 5pm at a camp of the Central Reserve Police Force's 168th battalion under Basaguda police station area of Bijapur, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dantewada range) Sundarraj P told news agency PTI in Raipur. The accused, Sanant Kumar, has been taken into custody. Sources said Kumar shot at others using his AK-47 rifle after an altercation. Three of the four CRPF men killed in the fratricide were senior to Kumar. They have been identified as SIs Vikey Sharma, Megh Singh, Assistant SI Rajveer Singh and constable Sankara Rao, the DIG said er said. ASI Gajanand suffered injuries in the incident. The bodies and the injured ASI were evacuated from Basaguda to Bijapur at 6pm. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: When Independent Indias first tricolour was hoisted back in 1947, when Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead to cause the new nation to lapse into grief, it was a young Homai Vyarawallas photographs that gave vision to those classic sights for the present generation to cherish. Homai Vyarawalla, Indias first woman photojournalist was born on this day, December 9, and Google has dedicated its doodle for the day to this maverick personality, who had pioneered a profession that was perhaps unthinkable for women in back in the day. It is her 104th birth anniversary today. She was born in a Parsi family in Gujarat and in 1913 started photography during the 1930s after getting a degree from the prestigious JJ School of Art in Mumbai. Vyarawalla started out as a young photographer with The Illustrated Weekly of India in Mumbai during the Second World War era and some of her black and white photographs went on to become absolute classics. Later, she went on to capture the Indian Independence movement and the prominent personalities of the time, including Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Jawarhalal Nehru and others. She used the unique pseudonym of Dalda 13 to publish her work and she would often attribute it to her birth year, 1913, among other reasons. In 2011, a year before her death, she was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan award, the second highest civilian award. Bengaluru: Ravi Belagere the beleagured editor of Kannada tabloid Hi Bangalore arrested over allegations of hiring a hit-man to kill his former colleague is known for the melodramatic content in his tabloid, especially when it comes to crime coverage. A man with a fascinating past, one who had come up the hard way, who had struggled doing odd jobs in his youth and rose to start his own (rather colourful) paper. On Friday, he was arrested for allegedly hiring a sharp shooter to kill a former colleague. Belagere had even sent his office boy with this shooter, to show him the home of the intended target. Crime Branch Police, who arrested Belegere for attempt to murder, say that Belagere hired one Shashidhar Mundewadi, infamous for such jobs, to carry out this task. He even gave him a gun, four rounds of ammunition and a knife to carry out this errand. Police say the motive could be personal. Sunil Heggaravalli his colleague and intended target had apparently come "too close" to Belagere's second wife. However, the murder could not be carried out in its first attempt a few days ago. The hired killers had returned the gun saying they will make a second attempt after some time. Belagere, who has been granted police custody by a city magistrate, is also unwell. Six months ago, when he was summoned to the Karnataka Assembly Speakers office in a breach of privilege case, he could barely walk and had two people supporting him to stand up. "We are in touch with Heggaravalli and he is aware of the threat to his life. We will provide him with security," said a CCB official. What the CCB also says is that the sharp shooter he hired Mundewadi has a criminal record of murder and robbery cases dating back to 2006. It was gun dealer Tahir Hussain who had given the police a lead on Mundewadi and he had in turn ratted out his 'employer'. "These are illegal weapon cases that the SIT probing the killing of Gauri Lankesh has also been tracking. One leads to the other and he too could lead us to others," said Bangalore Police Commissioner T Suneel Kumar. Interestingly, Belagere had plotted the murder on August 28, a week before Lankesh was killed in front of her home. Police say the accused had even offered the killers "whatever amount they wanted" to finish off Heggaravalli and paid an advance amount of Rs 15,000. CCB raided Belageres office at 1.30pm after getting a warrant from a magistrate. They recovered a revolver with 53 live bullets, one used bullet, a deer skin, one double barrel gun with 41 live bullets, and a large tortoise skin. Jaipur: The man whose body was found hanging on the ramparts of Rajasthan's Nahargarh Fort with anti-'Padmavati' scribblings nearby was not murdered, the forensic report has confirmed. FSL officials said the final report submitted to police confirms that Chetan Saini's death on November 24 was a suicide, IANS reported. They claimed that the FSL conducted a thorough examination of the evidence and submitted five separate reports, which included viscera report, in the final submission. The death of Saini had added to the controversy over the protests over Bollywood film Padmavati, as there were "inflammatory" scribblings, written by charcoal, on many stones near the body. These scribblings also referred to the "Padmavati" movie protest. One of the slogans read Padmavati ka virodh (Opposing Padmavati), while another read Hum putle nahi jalate, latkate hain (we dont burn effigies, we kill). The police officials were not available for comments on the forensic report. The Rajput Karni Sena, which was spearheading the Padmavati protest, had said the outfit did not have anything to do with the death. This is not our way of protest. I want to tell people not to resort to such methods, a member had said. "Atrocious" is how the Chief Justice of India has now described the conduct of some senior lawyers in the last few days. Apparently disturbed by the recurrence of such incidents in his court hall, CJI Dipak Misra, on Thursday, reproached the misdemeanor by a few designated senior counsels, and observed that shouting would suggest that the counsel don't have the ability to argue in law. The CJI went on to issue a warning of sorts when he said that the judges will be constrained to act if the bar council fails to do something about it. It is the presiding officer of a court who is the master of his court room and therefore, a duty is cast upon the judges to ward off even the slightest deviation from judicial demureness in the court proceedings. The CJI, being the first among the equals in the top court, has done well to spell out his mind, and he would do better in the interest of the institution to make certain what happened in the recent past does not get repeated. But how did the situation reach to this point? Before Justice Misra took over the reins in August this year, his bench was adjudicating several matters pertaining to medical colleges and admissions. These matters, however, were not released from his bench even after he became the CJI. On the first Monday after Justice Misra came to court room number 1, his roster had more than 100 cases listed. Days to follow witnessed the same din and pandemonium in court hall number 1. It was difficult to get inside the court room or come out as lawyers crammed the hall, waiting for their matters to be called out in the long list of daily cases. Many senior lawyers, including women, complained about the commotion as some of them failed to reach to the front when their case was called out, while some of them could not hear the terms of the order. A week later, when the CJI-led bench was hearing a case filed by a bunch of aggrieved home buyers of Jaypee Group, various lawyers, including Attorney General K K Venugopal, appeared in this matter. And there it was, the first warning by no less than the top law officer. While several lawyers engaged in a verbal duel among themselves, Venugopal told the CJI: "I have practised in this court for 50 years but I have never seen six senior lawyers arguing at the same time in the first court of this country and no one is able to make out anything. I have never seen the first court like this." But this state of affairs continued. Since September 30 happens to be the court-mandated deadline for medical admissions, the clangour persisted along with the long cause lists. In September, another extraordinary incident happened outside the Court. A retired high court judge was arrested by the CBI on charges of fixing the outcome of a medical college case, reportedly pending in the apex court. Two PILs were subsequently filed in the Supreme Court, demanding a court-monitored probe by a special investigation team since judges of constitutional courts could be questioned as well. Both the PILs stand dismissed on this day but the process of adjudication consisted of a high-voltage drama inside court room number 1 as Justice Misra presided over a Constitution Bench. Last month, when one of these cases was being heard, lawyers from both the sides were seen shouting at the top of their voices, and levelling personal allegations against each other. The counsel for the petitioner even walked out of the court room after complaining that the Bench did not let him argue the case at all while every other counsel, although not connected with the PIL, was called out by the judges on the Bench to speak about general issues. By December 1, both the PILs had been dismissed with the latter one fetching a penalty of Rs 25 lakh against the petitioner NGO. Just a few days later, on December 5, the high-profile Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case was taken up by a special bench, headed by the CJI. An unprecedented drama unfolded in the next 100 minutes of hearing. One senior lawyer submitted that Justice Misra should not start hearing the case since he won't be able to finish it by the time of his retirement -- October 3. Another senior counsel from the same side said that the CJI must defer the hearing after 2019 general elections since the outcome of this sensitive case will impact the political fortune in the country. This lawyer in fact cautioned the CJI against falling in a trap. Then a third argument was made that a seven-judge bench should hear this case because of the issues relating to right to worship in a mosque. When the CJI asked these lawyers to explain on the points of law as to why a title dispute should be referred to a larger bench, three senior advocates said they don't need to argue on this aspect for the time being and that the CJI should show no haste in hearing this case. One of them even said he would alone need four to five months to prepare and read out his case. Reminding the lawyers about their assurances that the final hearing in the case would begin from December 5, the CJI requested a senior lawyer to start by telling the facts of the case but even that was not acceptable to the other side, comprising the three senior lawyers. They threatened to boycott the proceedings and walk out if the final hearing began. The bench eventually adjourned the case. On the very next, one of these three lawyers happened to be a counsel in another matter before the CJI-led bench. The lawyers attitude remained the same. Although the CJI and other judges on the bench kept requesting him not to argue the points already dealt with by other advocates from his side, he insisted he would make submissions in his own fashion. Not just this, despite being repeatedly asked, the lawyer refused to give written submissions instead of oral arguments. It was in this background that on Thursday, senior advocate Gopal Subramanium regretted the recent occurrences in the court room, prompting the CJI to express his strong displeasure. Justice Misra said that the events in his court in the last two days were atrocious and that he would not tolerate it any cost, come what may. The warning has indeed come late but it is better late than never. Shouting and high-pitched arguments by the lawyers have been unprecedented in the first court of the country where decorum and discipline have always assumed utmost importance. One would recall how the previous CJIs have handled situations while ticking off the shouting brigade in the Supreme Court. One of these lawyers had in fact walked out of the court room after a former CJI declined to entertain a request for an adjournment without a good reason. A CJI, as he then was, had also warned another lawyer from this group as has now been described by Justice Misra, against trying to browbeat judges by raising the voice. One senior advocate had to furnish an unconditional apology in writing before a CJI for levelling scandalous accusations against the judges while an advocate-on-record was suspended for a month after he yelled that the court registry had manipulated dates of hearing. Thus, all the previous chief justices have at every fitting occasion asserted the paramountcy of decorousness and propriety in the highest court of the land. Justice Misra has also now adequately indicated that his accommodative outlook cannot be construed as a sign of letting lawyers have a free run. The Supreme Court of India is the place of not just aspiration but also of reverence for lawyers and litigants alike. Unruly scenes inside court rooms will only bring down the reputation of the institution, besides sending a wrong message to the subordinate courts, which place the Supreme Court at the highest pedestal of judicial discipline. Sanctity and propriety of the court proceedings must be maintained and the CJI should lead by example by setting the record straight that unbecoming conduct of a lawyer, irrespective of his or her standing in the bar, fame or designation, will not be tolerated since it is the institutions glory and status that matter the most. Montanas congressional delegation landed two lawmakers on the farm subsidy database of the conservation watchdog Environmental Working Group. Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte made the list, along with Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who often refers to himself as the Senates only working farmer. Republican Senate candidate and current State Auditor Matt Rosendale is also in the database. EWG is a watchdog of federal policies affecting food, water, conservation and subsidies. The group found $15.3 million in subsidies flowing to 33 members of Congress or their immediate family members between 1995 and 2016. Gianforte is a tech millionaire who made a fortune by selling his Bozeman software company, RightNow Technologies, to Oracle. He isnt known for farming. He is a partner in MGRR No. 1, a limited liability company that received $58,083 in grain subsidies between 1995 and 2016, according to EWG. Gianfortes share of the subsidy was $2,149. The farm land tied to the subsidy is located between the Madison River and Gallatin Gateway, said Travis Hall, spokesman for Rep. Gianforte. Gianforte and his wife, Susan, were small investors in the property. The subsidy ended in 2006. Seated in the U.S. House of Representatives last June, Gianforte is not a member of the House Agriculture Committee, which authors farm subsidy policy. Tester, whose 1,800-acre farm near Big Sandy produces organic crops, has received $252,798 in subsidies between 1995 and 2016. He is a partner in T-Bone Farms Inc., which received $341,981, including Testers share, during that time period. Tester owns a 50 percent share of T-Bone farms, according to EWG. Crop insurance covering price losses for wheat, barley, peas and oats contributed $81,808 to the Tester sum. Payments from the Conservation Reserve Program, which pay farmers not to plow land thats erosion prone or beneficial to wildlife, also contributed to Testers payments. Its no secret that Jon and Sharla are family farmers who work the land themselves, said Marnee Banks, Testers communications director. After a devastating drought, low commodity prices and a record fire season, they are thankful that safety nets exist for the thousands of working Montana farmers who deal with Mother Nature every year. Tester doesnt serve on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which authors farm policy in the Senate. Rosendale made the database for a $1,083 subsidy payment connected to some Cascade County agricultural land the Republican bought more than a decade ago. The farmer who sold the land to Rosendale continued to farm it for about a year after the sale. As a result, Rosendale received a small portion of the subsidy, spokesman Kyle Schmauch said. More than $7.5 billion in subsidies were paid to Montana farmers between 1995 and 2016, according to EWG, which compiled its database from U.S. Department of Agriculture data. The state ranks 18th nationally for subsidies received. Slightly more than half of Montana's farms received no subsidies in the 21 years covered by the the EWG database. Wheat subsidies were the most common federal support given to Montana farmers, who received $3.2 billion during the data period. The Conservation Reserve Program was second with $2.1 billion. New Delhi: Almost half of Gujarat is voting in the first phase of Assembly elections which will decide the prestige battle between PM Narendra Modi and soon-to-be-Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. A number of images stood out within the first few hours of polling. Heres a look: Marriage Can Wait A couple reached a polling booth in Bharuch's Bahumali building to cast their votes before their wedding ceremony. The couple turned up at the polling booth in their wedding finery. Family Affair Three generations of a family stood early morning in line to cast their vote. Age No Bar Ajiben Chandravadiya, who claims to be 126-year-old, cast her vote at a polling booth in Upleta. According to the womans voter ID card, she was 116 years in 2007. EC Replaces Faulty EVMs EVM glitches were reported from Porbandar, Surat, Jetpur (Rural Rajkot) and Valsad, with the Congress claiming that those in Booth No. 145, 146 and 147 were connected via Bluetooth. Have replaced two machines and one VVPAT, you cannot really call it a technical error, these are electronic items there can be some issues. Now everything is okay & voting has started: Vipul Goti, Master Trainer, Election Commission in Surat's Varaccha #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/RVF86aW4Wh ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 An Election Commission official, however, said there was no technical error. "We have replaced two machines and one VVPAT, you cannot call it a technical error. These machines are electronic items that can have issues. All issues have been sorted out and voting has returned to normal." Rahul Gandhi Calls Upon Souls of Democracy Soon-to-be Congress President Rahul Gandhi urged voters to exercise their right and tweeted saying, "Participation of voters is the soul of democracy. My young friends who are voting for the first time in Gujarat Elections are welcome and congratulated. The people of Gujarat are appealing to make this festival of democracy successful by voting in large numbers." The Congress scion later boarded an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad, queuing up with common passengers from the bus to the aircraft. Modi Urges Youngsters To Exercise Franchise Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter as the voting began. Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise. As the voting for phase 1 progressed, Modi moved on to round 2, addressing a rally in North Gujarat's Lunavada which will vote on December 14. It may seem incredible that Britain should have nominated an Urdu language movie for the 2018 Foreign Language Oscars. A taut thriller, My Pure Land in Urdu by the British-Pakistani auteur, Sarmad Masud, will vie for the trophy along with dozens of other contenders including Amit Masurkar's Newton from India, a work that has an uncanny resemblance to Iran's Secret Ballot. My Pure Land was shot in Pakistan and has dialogues which to me sounded more Hindi than chaste Urdu. Part of the ongoing 14th Dubai International Film Festival, Masud's creation is based on a true story, a story of how three women a mother and two of her young daughters safeguard their home and land from an army of men out to grab the piece of plot. Essentially about a teenage girl, Nazo Dharejo, who picks up a gun to fight her own uncle and his goons, all armed to their teeth. Admittedly, these attackers have some kind of native chivalry that stops them from being cunning and cruel. There are a few scenes where we see Nazo walk out of her gate to argue out her case with the men. They could have easily pumped bullets into the frail girl, but no! So, as much I would read a strong message of feminism in the movie, I cannot but ignore the fact that battle was fought with some kind of remarkable ground rules in place. Though My Pure Land may appear to carry with it the flaws of a debut feature ( I can find faults with the way some of the shots have been framed and their tone and texture, even some uneven acting), Masud has wisely refrained himself from going overboard with the dramatic element. The plot could have easily lent itself to this kind of exaggeration. Nazo (Suhaee Abro) is raised by her father, Haji Khuda Buksh (Syed Tanveer Hussain), to be a man and to save the family honor at any cost, even at the cost of her life. "In this world, nothing is more important than your honor," he tells her, "not even your life." While Haji and his son are pushed into jail on a trumped up charge by the man's half brother, Nazo is left to defend her home, along with her old mother and a younger sister. When the ruthless uncle fails to persuade the three women to vacate the premises, he gets 200 men, and, with the connivance of cops and politicians, resorts to a gun battle. It may seem unbelievable, but the two girls, more so Nazo and her lover (who happens to be at the house then), keep the marauding men at bay. But the story is true, and follows the real incident. Unfortunately, the script is bit confusing and goes haywire with its flashbacks. However, some visually poetic qualities lift the film to a kind of height that will endear it to its viewers. Masud, who made a short movie called Two Dosas (yes that was the title) in 2014, said in an interview that he was sure he had to set his work in Pakistan, noting, Otherwise, it might have lost some of its authenticity. A newspaper article about how a young girl defended her family home in rural Sindh from bandits provoked his creative juices. I spoke to the journalists who wrote the article and they put us in touch with the female warrior and her husband. The couple were more than willing to share their experiences with Masud all about their one in a million reported land grab cases in Pakistan. And Masud found it thrilling to write the script about a girl who used bullets to keep the invaders at bay. The work is strongly feminist, but Masud keeps his movie subtle and soft. No songs and dances here. No heroics either. Only calm resignation. And Masud had to use every bit of persuasion to make sure that his actors did not slip into a mode closer to Pakistani television serials or Bollywood heroism of the kind we see in men like Salman Khan. The actors were used to seeing these, and they were keen to show off their acting. But Masud had to pull them to the ground to ensure that they did not fly off in a flight of fancy. Could not have been easy in the Asian subcontinent, where actors resort to exaggerated mannerisms the moment they have the grease-paint on, and the director calls out sound, action and camera! (Author, commentator and movie critic Gautaman Bhaskaran is now covering the 14th Dubai International Film Festival) Patriarchy comes in all shapes and sizes and in all cultures and religions. The gender-bias, too, doesn't need a religion, a caste or a specific household, to mount itself on, but continues to exist everywhere. Zain Anwar's short film titled Mehram brings to the fore the reality and challenges of an existing Saudi Arabian law wherein women are forbidden to perform the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, without a 'Mehram' (a male blood relative). "Despite being a practicing Muslim, I was unaware of this law. It made me research more about it and I soon realized that the law had very weak social and religious relevance in the modern world. I read a story about a certain woman from Kerala who had challenged the law in the High Court," shares Zain. Zain continued to believe in the script even though it was initially written as his diploma film and held onto it until he finally realized it in a powerful short, starring Farida Jalal, Sushma Seth and Rajit Kapoor. Mehram is the story of Aamna, played by the talented Farida, who challenges the patriarchal system to claim her right to perform the Hajj. "Well, external producers rejected the film as our diploma project. Somehow, I believed in the script and I held on to it. Later, my colleagues Shweta and Gaurav spoke about the script. I started re-working it," he says. Zain sheds light on what went behind convincing the protagonists and how everything else fell into place, saying, "It was one of those dreamy discussions that filmmakers often have. We were just imagining, Oh what if Farida Jalal did the film and this and that." His colleagues then went on to speak to thespian Farida and convinced her to hear the narration. "Initially we were so scared, but she made us comfortable in her house. We narrated the film to her and Farida aapa agreed to do it. We then narrated the film to Rajit Saab and Sushma ma'am and somehow all of them agreed without any problems." "It was just a lot of dots connecting on their own. Or Gods will as I would like to say," says the young filmmaker. Given that the three of them are stalwarts in their own rights, Zain admits that the cast and crew were intimidated in the beginning. "They were extremely supportive of our efforts, guiding us all through. There was a genuine sense of respect and admiration for them. And I guess that is what made the difference in the way we worked with them. The respect was genuinely for their art, their experience. We treated them as our seniors and I think it showed," he explained. At a time when everything is blown out of proportion and art often finds itself at the receiving end of political ideologies, one would expect a filmmaker to bear some apprehensions in mind. But Zain makes it clear that a filmmaker can only put in his best, while not controlling the reactions. "Naturally when you are making a point, that too in the current political and cultural climate of the country, you will get a reaction," he says. Zain further shares that the idea is to start a conversation and if that's achieved, half the battle is won. "The film is nowhere critical of any religion or thought process, the film is critical of patriarchy and patriarchal interpretations of religious texts and laws," he notes. The film, which has received a standing ovation at the 5th edition of the Woodpecker International Film Festival held in the capital, also closes the Delhi International Film Festival. On being asked if art ends up being a soft target for many political propagandas, Zain shares, "Artists and governments have never really been in love with each other. The godfatherly approach of the government subtly forces several communication outlets to carry out government propaganda. And in my opinion, artists must always be critical of the establishment." "Have you ever seen a government advertise the aspects where they have failed? It is our job as artists and people who have skillset and communication abilities to talk about that. However, a nation must progress, it must always have those voices of criticism that will make it better," he adds. The filmmaker is hopeful that whatever voices they are raising through the film and the opinions that other filmmakers are raising will eventually be heard. Ahmedabad: Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia on Saturday complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar claiming that some machines were found to be connecting to external devices via Bluetooth. The Election Commission said that based on the Congress leaders complaint, an inquiry had been initiated. "We detected that the EVMs at three polling booths at Memanwada, a Muslim-dominated area, are connected to external devices through Bluetooth. When the Bluetooth of a mobile phone is turned on, a device named ECO 105 is shown as available," Modhwadia, the Congress candidate from Porbandar, said. This clearly means that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be tampered with using the device via bluetooth, he alleged. #ElectionsWithNews18 | Arjun Modhwadia alleges EC wifi is available at pooling booths; says EVMs can be rigged | @MeghdootS with ground report Get all the live updates from #BattleForGujarat https://t.co/Kh7SPbyc9R pic.twitter.com/y2i9VuKAAp News18 (@CNNnews18) December 9, 2017 "The chips fitted in the EVMs appear to be programmable using Bluetooth, and this raises the possibility of tampering. The voting system should be immune to such connectivity to external devices," he said. Modhwadia said he had registered a complaint with the district election officer. The election officer visited the booth and saw the display, he added. Chief Election Officer (CEO) B B Swain said an inquiry was ordered into the matter and the collector and the observer of the Election Commission (EC) were sent to the spot. "We received a complaint regarding the connectivity of EVM through bluetooth. After discussing the matter with the Election Commission, we have sent the collector and an observer of the commission has been sent to the spot along with the senior-most engineer. An inquiry is being conducted in the presence of the complainant," Swain said. The ruling BJP, however, said the complaint made by Modhwadia shows the opposition partys "search for an excuse" as it knows that it would bite dust in the election. "Members of the Congress are saying there is a defect in the EVMs. The EC would respond to it. But we can say that the Congress is searching for an excuse even before the results are out, as it stares at a loss in the elections. They are trying to hide behind the EVMs," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said. New Delhi: Around 2.21 crore voters across 89 constituencies will decide among 977 candidates as Gujarat holds the first phase of crucial Assembly elections on Saturday. Prominent names in the fray include Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli). Heres all you need to know about the first phase of polling: The 89 constituencies are spread out in the 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and southern regions. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Botad, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Dang and Valsad districts. Of the 89 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds 67 and the Congress 16. One seat each is held by the NCP and JD-U while Independents hold the remaining two. The most striking battle on Saturday will be in Rajkot West, presently held by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. He is being challenged by Congress candidate Indraneel Rajyaguru, the outgoing MLA from Rajkot East and the richest candidate in fray. Another outgoing Congress MLA, Paresh Dhanani, from Amreli is challenged by a former Congress leader and now BJP MLA -- in Lathi constituency. The Saurashtra region will see some more high profile battles involving cabinet minister Babubhai Bokhiria, Arjun Modhwadia of Congress and former Finance and Power Minister Saurabh Patel. There are a total of 24,689 polling booths. Of the 2,12,31,652 voters, 1,11,05,933 are males and 1,01,25,472 females, while 247 are from the third gender. There are eight seats with more than 16 candidates. The maximum of 27 are in Jamnagar Rural seat. There are just three candidates each in Jhagadia and Ganadevi constituencies, both Scheduled Tribe seats. Wherever there are more than 16 candidates, two ballot units will be put up. In the run-up to the first phase of elections, PM Narendra Modi addressed 14 rallies while Rahul Gandhi campaigned in these districts for seven days, visiting temples at Somnath, Chotila and Dwarka. Sixty eight per cent polling was recorded in the first phase of Gujarat polls, senior deputy election commissioner Unmesh Sinha said on Saturday. Eighty nine seats out of the total of 182 Assembly constituencies went to polls in the first phase with prominent candidates like Chief Minister Vijay Rupani (Rajkot West), Congress Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli) in the fray. Allegations of EVM tampering also surfaced at Porbandar, Surat, Jetpur and Navsari and the Election Commission has ordered a probe. Meanwhile, the action shifted to campaigning for Phase two. PM Narendra Modi attacked the Congress for a tweet by one Salman Nizami, who he claimed was an aide of Rahul Gandhi. The Congress, meanwhile, denied knowing him. Stay tuned for LIVE updates: Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here. Rajkot: Since 2015, Gujarat has seen the emergence of three young turks who are determined to upset the BJP apple cart in the state. Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor have all tried to rally their respective communities Patidars, Dalits and Other Backward Castes (OBCs) against the ruling party. Much of the focus has been on Hardik and his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) whose activists have protested, often violently, against the BJP. From flinging chairs at an Amit Shah event to clashing with BJP workers in Surat, Patidars have been the focus of this election cycle. But their unity as a singular voting bloc is by no means guaranteed. If the Patidars fail to vote as one and dont swing from the BJP to the Congress, the election may well come down to which way the states OBC voters will go. While it is expected that Hardiks agitation will lead to a dent in the BJPs traditional support base the Patidars, it is unclear just how big a dent this will be. Several key members of Hardiks inner circle have broken away from the agitation to join the BJP. The two main sub-castes of the Patidars are the Leuvas and the Kadvas. The Leuva Patels, given their greater number, are more influential electorally, particularly in the Saurashtra region. Hardik belongs to the Kadva Patel community, whose influence is limited to a few seats in northern Gujarat. OBCs make up 51 percent of Gujarats population. Kolis alone make up around 20%, making them the largest caste group in Gujarat. This Patidars make up less than 15%. In several of Gujarats 182 seats, the split in the Patidar vote would mean OBCs would take center stage. Take for instance, the constituency of Dhoraji in Rajkot district. The seat has around 70,000 Patidar voters. While Leuva Patels are present across Gujarat in larger numbers than Kadva Patels, in Dhoraji both sub-castes are present in almost equal numbers. The battle in Dhoraji is shaping up to be a Kadva versus Leuva fight. BJP has fielded Haribhai Patel, a Kadva Patel, against Congress candidate Lalit Vasoya, a Leuva Patel. The hope in the Congress camp is that while Vasoya may be able to pull Leuva Patels towards the Congress, Hardiks agitation will make enough of a dent in the Kadva Patel community for their loyalties to shift to the Congress. But the largest voting bloc in Dhoraji is not the Patidars. Compared to 70,000 Patidars in the constituency, there are over 82,000 Non-Koli OBCs and 7,000 Kolis. In other seats, OBCs may not be the largest bloc, but they will end up being kingmakers in the event of a split in the Patidar vote. In the urban seat of Rajkot West, where Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is being challenged by Congress leader Indranil Rajyaguru, there are 28,000 Leuva Patels, 40,000 Kadva Patels and 20,000 OBCs. In Jetpur, BJP is hoping that Jayeshbhai Radadiya, son of veteran Patidar leader Vitthalbhai Radadiya, may be able to keep the 1 lakh Patidar voters with the BJP. But if the PAAS agitation makes a dent in Radadiyas base, the election will hinge on the 20,000 non-Koli OBCs and 18,000 Kolis. The Gondal seat, too, may see OBC vote may emerge as the decider with 85,000 Patidars and 60,000 OBCs. Beyond Rajkot district, however, OBCs outnumber Patidars in most places. That is, perhaps, why, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi reached out to the Koli fishing community in Porbandar during his visit last week. In other districts of Saurashtra, too, Kolis are the deciding voters. In Bhavnagar district, Kolis form around 32% of the entire electorate. While the debate around OBCs may not have been as polarising as that around Patidars, their position as kingmakers will also hinge on their ability to unite in favour of one party. The OBCs are made of several disparate caste groups, including Kolis and Thakors, spread over the entire state. Alpesh Thakors move to join the Congress may seem, at first, a victory for the Grand Old Party but given that the Thakor community has traditionally voted for the Congress means that the equation may not change much. Tim Gardipee, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, was finally able to go deer hunting this season despite being confined to a wheelchair for the last five years. An off-road tracked wheelchair donated to him by the Wounded Warrior Project allowed him to make his way through the snow and shoot a 5x5 mule deer near Roundup. Gardipee, 60, hoped to take the TrackChair, which has tank-like treads, on hikes with the Cub Scout den he helps with, but for now that wont be possible. The freedom granted to him by the TrackChair was taken away when someone stole the trailer containing the chair from outside his apartment sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Thats a low crime, stealing from a disabled veteran, he said. Thats like stealing somebodys baby. Gardipee has a motorized wheelchair, but it can't go off road. While Missoula Police Department is investigating the theft, Gardipee said he hasnt heard any good news. A Facebook post by the City of Missoula Police Department page about the theft received more than 2,000 shares and hundreds of comments as of Friday night in support of Gardipee, hoping for the return of the wheelchair and trailer. Carrie Lieb, Gardipees Wounded Warrior case manager, happened to be in town from North Carolina on Thursday visiting him when the two passed the parking lot where his trailer should have been around 11:30 a.m. All that was left was the wood that had blocked off the tires. Gardipee received the desert camo-patterned trackchair in September, and took it on its maiden voyage at the homecoming parade, wearing his cavalry Stetson as he rolled down Higgins with the Cub Scouts. Gardipee was born in Chinook, Montana, but travelled to 20 countries with the Army, he said. He served five deployments to Korea, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and finally Iraq, where he was evacuated after a paratrooping injury in 2009. The injury left him with a permanently sore neck, but it was a flu shot that paralyzed him. An extremely rare reaction to the vaccine, called transverse myelitis, caused his spinal cord to swell and become inflamed, paralyzing his legs and leaving his arms with limited mobility. After his injury, he taught military history and leadership at the Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, Kansas, until he was paralyzed. The Wounded Warrior Project is a charity that helps injured veterans of post-9/11 conflicts by providing services and programs to those in need. Layne Spence, Gardipees Wounded Warrior advocate of about three years, said his heart sank after hearing about the trailer and chair being stolen from the 32-year veteran. Although Gardipee has renters insurance that he thinks may cover the loss, he said he hasnt called the insurance company yet, in hopes the trailer will be returned, or at least the thieves be caught. Some Christmas karma would be good, he said. If they dont get caught, maybe the chair will fall and break their foot or something. Tracked wheelchairs like his cost around $14,000, he said. Even before he had the chair, he said he was aware of them being stolen after seeing a Bill OReilly segment on Fox News about that happening to disabled veterans elsewhere. The stolen trailer is a white Patriot brand 6-by-12-foot tandem axle trailer with the license plate number 491990B. The trailer held a special driver seat lift that allowed him to drive his truck, and also contained an eight-foot ramp, two hitch-mount cargo racks, extension cords and tie-downs. People with information about the whereabouts of the stolen trailer or wheelchair can contact MPD Officer Eric Weber at 552-6300 or Det. Sgt. Jim Klawitter at 552-6642. New Delhi: More than 2.12 crore voters will decide the fate of 977 candidates across 89 seats in Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions. One seat among them is most important to the BJP. Deep in the heart of Saurashtra region is an assembly segment that holds the unique distinction of being represented by two chief ministers, a state finance minister, the current governor of Karnataka and the Prime Minister of India. Gujarat Assembly Constituency number 69 Rajkot West has been a prestige seat for the BJP. In 2002, Narendra Modi contested the first-ever election of his life from Rajkot West and won. He was anointed the chief minister. This time, BJPs candidate from Rajkot West is Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Rajkot used to be a Congress stronghold once. In 1985, the newly-formed BJP wrested this seat from the Grand Old Party. Ever since, the BJP has remained unbeatable here. Yet, this time around, the Congress may well be able to put up a fight in this seat owing to the Patidar agitation. Around 75,000 voters in Rajkot West are Patidars and there is uncertainty over which way will they swing. Rajkot district, the financial hub of the Saurashtra region, is said to hold the key to the entire state. The district alone has eight assembly constituencies within it and of these Rajkot West is perhaps the most high-profile. The last time Congress won this seat was back in 1980, when Manibhai Ranpara won with 19,755 votes, while BJPs Vajubhai Vala was not far behind with 17,762 votes. In the 1985 elections, Vala finally won the seat by beating Congress candidate Harshdaba Chudasa. Vala remained the MLA from Rajkot West till 2002, when he vacated the seat for BJPs CM-designate Narendra Modi. The future Prime Minister won the election from Rajkot West after polling 45,298 votes. His opponent, Congress leader Ashwini Maheta polled 30,570 votes in the bypoll. For the 2002 Assembly polls, Modi moved to contest from the Maninagar seat and Vajubhai Vala was back to contesting from Rajkot West. He won the seat three more times in 2002, 2007 and 2012 and even served as the Finance Minister of Gujarat under Modi. When the BJP formed the government at the Centre in 2014 and Modi finally ascended the high seat in Delhi, Vala was rewarded for keeping the BJP fortress intact and was made the Governor of Karnataka. In the 2014 bypoll, the seat was then passed on to Vijay Rupani, who won with 81,092 votes. He beat his Congress opponent Jayanti Kalriya, a Patidar, by over 23,000 votes. In August 2016, when Chief Minister Anandiben Patel resigned, Rupani was elevated to the CMs post. There are around 3 lakh registered voters in Rajkot West and around 42,000 of them are Kadwa Patels, 33,000 are Leuva Patels, 25,000 Brahmins, 25,000 Lohanas, 22,000 minority voters, 20,000 Baniyas and 10,000 Kshatriyas. The Congress has fielded Indraneel Rajyaguru, a Brahmin, to topple Rupani, who is a Jain. However, the deciding factor for this seat will be the 75,000 Patidar votes. Ahmedabad: Hardik Patel's key aide and senior member of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) Dinesh Bambhania on Friday alleged that the quota agitation spearhead's support to the Congress party smacks of some kind of "fixing" between them. Bambhania said he could not understand why Patel was supporting the Congress party, despite it not clarifying how it would give reservation to the Patidar community if voted to power. "In the poll manifesto, the Congress has not clarified how it would grant us reservation under OBC quota after coming to power in Gujarat. It shows that Congress actually never wanted to give us reservation. Yet, Hardik Patel is doing rallies in Congress' favour," he told reporters here. "Though there is no clarity how we will get reservation under OBC quota, Hardik is mum about it. It seems like fixing to me. Our fight was not about bringing a party to power. At least I do not wish to be an agent of a party. Hardik should not politicise the agitation," he added. "Hardik is playing into the hands of Congress in the name of the Patidar movement. Hardik is using the agitation for political purposes and I am totally against it. I urge all the Patidars to use their wisdom when they go for voting tomorrow," Bhambania said. Bambhania's open rebellion against Patel came a day ahead of the first phase of polling in Saurashtra and south Gujarat. Commenting on Patel's purported sex tapes, Bambhania indicated that only one CD can be morphed, not all. "Hardik is seen as an icon. Patidars are having very high hopes from him. One CD can be morphed, but, when so many CDs came out, it does not suit a man who is the leader of a community. I am deeply pained by the entire episode," he said. Bambhania claimed he was still with PAAS and said he was not joining the BJP. "Neither am I against Hardik, nor I am leaving PAAS. I am also not joining BJP. My only contention is that Hardik has failed to pressure the Congress to accept our demand as agreed earlier between both PAAS and Congress," he added. Nagpur: Nana Patole, who on Friday resigned from the Lok Sabha and the BJP, on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using his OBC credentials for political gains. Patole, a critic of the central and state governments' handling of agrarian issues, had resigned alleging that the BJP had failed to keep the promises it had made to the people. Speaking at a press conference here, he accused the prime minister of "double standards" and alleged that Modi was using his other backward classes (OBC) credentials for electoral and political gains, but had done nothing for the benefit of OBCs and farmers. "Day before yesterday, the prime minister reacting to Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar's comment had said in an election rally that he was being hounded as he came from a 'neechi jaati'. This really made me furious at the double standards of PM Narendra Modi," said Patole, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Maharastra's Bhandara-Gondia constituency. "In a meeting at the PM's residence last year, I had raised the problems being faced by OBCs and demanded a separate ministry for OBCs. However, PM Modi shouted at me and questioned its need, saying OBCs don't need it," Patole claimed. Now, the prime minister is asking for votes on his OBC credentials, he said. Patole alleged that the PM also got angry on him in the meeting after he raised farmers' issues and sought a greater contribution from the union government for the agricultural sector. "The assurances made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not being fullfilled by the Centre and the state government," he said. Patole said that he had raised these issues in the Lok Sabha as well as in meetings with the prime minister. "The government is not bothered on the farmers' issue. PM Modi is deceiving the people of this country," he said. He said that he would be touring Ahmedabad on Monday and will highlight the "double standards" of Modi. "I will visit my constituency Bhandara-Gondia on December 15-16 followed by visits to Gadchiroli and Chandrapur," Patole said. Replying to a query on whether he intended to join the Congress, he said that he had not yet decided on joining any party. Ahmedabad: Zero voting was recorded at Gajadi village in Morbi district of Gujarat on Saturday as the locals, fed up with water shortage, boycotted polling. While long lines were seen outside polling booths in Saurashtra and South Gujarat in the first phase of Assembly polls, none among the 1,000 registered voters in Gajadi turned up to cast vote, officials said. The village, though situated in Tankara tehsil of Morbi, comes under Kalavad constituency of Jamnagar district. The district administration said they tried their best to persuade villagers to vote. "Villagers had announced a few months ago that they will refrain from voting. Their main grievance was about water supply. Though the village is being supplied water through a pipeline, they claimed it was not enough and demanded another pipeline," said Morbi Collector and District Election Officer I K Patel. "Even today senior officials went to the village and urged them to cast vote. But no one turned up at the polling booth," he added. "When we told them there are plans to lay a new pipeline, villagers asked us to give the assurance on paper. As the model code of conduct was in place, it was not possible to give it in writing. Such an assurance on the day of polling would also set a wrong precedent," the Collector added. In a first, Samsung India will cut the prices of some of its Galaxy smartphones ahead of Christmas as part of "Happy Hours" sale on Amazon.in on December 12. The 'Happy Hour" sale, also on Samsung e-store, will include the Rs 8,990 Galaxy On7 Pro, industry sources told IANS. The South Korean tech giant's smartphone sales recorded a double-digit increase (19.3 percent) in the third quarter, market research firm Gartner said last month. With a 22.3 percent market share, the South Korean giant pipped Apple to grab the top spot in the global smartphone sales to end users (by the vendor) in the third quarter of 2017. Apple registered a distant 11.9 percent market share while Huawei with 9.5 percent was at third spot as the global smartphone sales reached 383 million units in the third quarter. In the second quarter, Samsung registered 20.7 percent market share while Apple had 13.7 percent, indicating a drop for the Cupertino-based giant. Watch: Honor 7X First Impressions Review | Honor Has an Ace up Its Sleeve Gaza: Israel launched fresh airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to rocket fire from the enclave and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group said two of its gunmen were killed in the bombings. Militants fired at least three rockets toward Israeli towns from the Hamas-controlled strip on Friday, which was declared a "day of rage" by Palestinian factions protesting US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip: Two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse, a military compound," the Israeli military said in a statement. A Hamas source confirmed the two men killed in the strikes belonged to the group which urged Palestinians to keep up confrontation with Israeli forces. Two more Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops on the Gaza border on Friday and scores more were wounded there and in the occupied West Bank during the protests. Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters took to the streets on the Muslim holy day to express solidarity with the Palestinians and outrage at Trump's reversal of decades of US policy. Trump's announcement on Wednesday has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East War, to be occupied territory. It includes the Old City, home to sites considered holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. For decades, Washington, like most of the rest of the international community, held back from recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying its status should be determined as part of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. The Trump administration argues that the peace process has become moribund, and outdated policies need to be jettisoned for the sides in the conflict to make progress. Trump also said he would fulfil his campaign promise and begin the process of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, where no other country has an embassy. Washington: Hundreds of Muslims attended Friday prayers in front of the White House to protest President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Responding to the call of American Muslim organizations, worshippers laid out their prayer mats at a park in front of the president's residence. Wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves or the colors of the Palestinian flag, protesters also held placards denouncing Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank. On Wednesday, Trump declared that the US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- turning his back on decades of American and international diplomacy. "Trump does not own a piece of soil of Jerusalem and Palestine. He owns the Trump Tower. He can give it away to the Israelis," Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told AFP. The president is "empowering Christian religious extremism in the US," he added. Speaking alongside other prominent figures from the American Muslim community during the protest, Awad called upon Trump to "put the American interests first, not those of a foreign power and its lobbies in the US." Another protester, Zaid al-Harasheh, told AFP that Trump's decision is "not for peace" and will "create more chaos." Trump's declaration sparked anger across the Muslim world. On Friday, clashes between thousands of Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank and on the Gaza Strip left two people dead and dozens more injured. Israel seized control of Palestinian East Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967 and later annexed it, a move not recognized by the international community. The Jewish state considers Jerusalem its undivided capital, but Palestinians believe East Jerusalem is illegally occupied and see it as the capital of their future state. Kathmandu: The Left alliance has won at least 26 of the 30 parliamentary seats and is leading comfortably against the opposition NC which has won three seats in the historic parliamentary and provincial assembly polls in Nepal, officials said on Saturday. The Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) has won 18 seats while its alliance partner the CPN Maoist-Centre eight. The opposition Nepali Congress (NC) has won three seats while independent one. The CPN-UML is leading on 44 seats, the CPN-Maoist Centre on 18 and the NC on 12 seats, they said. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats while 2,819 were in the fray for the provincial assembly seats in the historic elections that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation. The polls will elect 128 members of parliament and 256 members of provincial assemblies. The house of representatives consists of 275 members, of which 165 would be elected directly under the first-past-the- post system while the remaining 110 will come through the proportional representation system. Of the 10 parliamentary seats in Kathmandu district, the CPN-UML has won three while the NC two. Senior NC leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh has won from Kathmandu-1 seat by a thin margin against his rival Ravindra Mishra, a senior journalist who was contesting from a new party Sajha Viveksheel. Popular NC youth leader Gagan Thapa won from Kathmandu-4 by defeating Rajan Bhattarai of the CPN-UML. Left alliance candidates Krishna Kumar Rai, Jeevan Ram Bhandari and Krishna Gopal Shrestha have won from Kathmandu-3, Kathmandu-8 and Kathmandu-9 seats respectively by defeating their NC opponents. In the 2013 Constituent Assembly elections, the Nepali Congress had won eight out of ten seats from Kathmandu. The heavy weights who lost include NC leader Shekhar Koirala, Communication minister and NC candidate Mohan Basnet and Rastriya Prajatantrik Party leader Pashupati Shumsher Rana. Koirala lost to Lal Babu Pandit of the CPN-UML from Morang 6 while Basnet lost to Agni Sapkota of the CPN-Maoist Centre from Sindhupalchowk 1 seat. Rana lost to Sher Bahadur Tamang of the CPN-UML on Sindhupalcowk 2 seat. In the provincial assemblies, the CPN-UML has won 12 seats while the CPN-Maoist Centre and the NC won 8 and 3 seats respectively, they said. Voting in two-phased the parliamentary and provincial assembly elections were held on November 26 and December 7. In the first phase, polling were held in 32 districts, mostly situated in the hilly and mountainous region, in which 65 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise. In the second phase, 67 per cent voter turnout was registered. The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepal's transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives. While many hope Nepal's first state elections will hasten regional development, others fear they will spark a fresh wave of violence. In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights. Following the adoption of the new Constitution, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the provinces and were also facing discrimination. The polls are seen as a major step towards implementing the new Constitution. San Antonio: A retired Catholic priest convicted of murdering a former beauty queen who came to him for confession was sentenced to life in prison by a jury in south Texas on Friday, local media reported, ending a cold case that has troubled the community for nearly 60 years. John Feit, a visiting priest in McAllen, Texas, when the second-grade teacher came to him for confession during Holy Week in 1960, was convicted on Thursday of premeditated murder in the death of Irene Garza, then 25. It was the maximum sentence possible for Feit, who was 27 at the time of the murder and is now 85, KRGV TV and The Monitor of McAllen reported. Garza's murder still haunts the communities that line the Rio Grande, across the river from Mexico. Feit was living in a retirement home in Arizona when he was indicted last year and extradited to Texas to stand trial in the case. During five days of testimony, prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses, including a retired Trappist monk from a Missouri monastery who said Feit confessed to him that he had killed Garza. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Catholic Church officials pressured local officials not to pursue Feit as a suspect in the initial investigation, partly because of fears that it could jeopardize John Kennedy's run for president at the time. Kennedy's Catholic faith was an issue in the campaign. An August 1960 letter from a Texas priest to another church official, which was entered into evidence, warned that bringing a lurid murder case against a Catholic priest "could make this a juicy scandal for the opposition to Kennedy." The defense did not place Feit on the stand, instead pointing out inconsistencies in the prosecution's case, and stressing the absence of eyewitness testimony placing the priest and the victim together on the night Garza was last seen. Ventura: California Governor Jerry Brown will survey the destruction of the state's devastating wildfires on Saturday, as firefighters rushed to contain the blazes before dry desert winds were expected to intensify. The six major wildfires that erupted throughout Southern California in the past week have killed at least one person, destroyed hundreds of buildings, forced more than 200,000 people to flee and choked the air across much of the region. Forecasters predict wind gusts to become more intense by Saturday night, challenging the 8,700 firefighters who have been battling the fast-moving blazes for five days. The winds "potentially put the fires that are currently burning at risk of spreading," said Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). Brown plans to meet at noon PST (2000 GMT) with residents and officials in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles, where officials said the largest of the blazes, the Thomas Fire, has charred 148,000 acres (59,893 hectares) and destroyed 537 structures. "We're going to recover. Have no doubt about that," the governor said on Twitter on Friday. The spreading fires prompted Brown to issue emergency proclamations earlier this week for Santa Barbara, San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties, while U.S. President Donald Trump issued a federal proclamation that enables agencies to coordinate relief efforts. The fires have put property worth billions of dollars at risk in California, where wildfires in the northern part of the state in October resulted in insured losses of more than $9 billion. Those fires, concentrated in the state's wine country, killed 43 people. The current fires, which have threatened Californians from near Santa Barbara County down the Pacific coast to Mexico, have claimed at least one human casualty. Officials determined late Friday that a 70-year-old Ventura County woman who died after a car crash along an evacuation route on Wednesday suffered smoke inhalation and burns, the Ventura County Star newspaper reported, citing medical examiner Christopher Young. Ventura County officials, who have contained 15 percent of the Thomas Fire, said they expect to increase their containment of the blaze later on Saturday. At their peak, the fires drove about 212,000 Californians from their homes. Evacuation orders now have been lifted in some areas, welcome news for many in shelters waiting to see if their homes survived. North of San Diego, the Lilac Fire destroyed 105 structures after swelling from 10 acres to 4,100 acres (1,659 hectares) in a few hours on Thursday. Fallbrook, known for its avocado orchards, burned, and homes were destroyed in its Rancho Monserate Country Club retirement community. Blazes approached the Camp Pendleton marine base. A 500-stall stable for thoroughbred race horses at San Luis Rey Downs training site burned late on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported. An estimated 25 to 30 horses died, in addition to 29 horses killed in Los Angeles earlier in the week. A trainer suffered second- and third-degree burns over half her body trying to rescue horses, the newspaper said. She was airlifted to a San Diego hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. Washington: The United States on Friday advised its citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan, saying that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a threat to them throughout the country. The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. In a travel warning - issued after a gap of seven months - the State Department warned the US citizens against all non-essential travel to the South Asian country. The fresh travel warning replaces earlier warning, issued on May 22. Pakistan continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, the State Department said, adding that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and non-governmental organisation (NGO) employees, tribal elders, and law enforcement personnel were common in the country. It said foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a danger to US citizens throughout Pakistan. Terrorists have targeted US diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past, and evidence suggests they continue to do so, the travel warning said, adding that terrorists and criminal groups have resorted to kidnapping for ransom. Sectarian violence, the State Department said, remains a serious threat throughout the country, and the Pakistani government continues to enforce blasphemy laws. Religious minority communities have been victims of targeted killings and accusations of blasphemy, it added. The State Department said insurgent and terrorist groups conducted numerous suicide bombings, hand grenade attacks, and ambushes on Pakistani security forces and civilians over the past six months in Balochistan. A suicide bomber in Quetta targeted senior police officers near Shuhada Chowk, killing 14 people and wounding 30. In Chaman, another suicide bomber attacked a police convoy, killing three police officials and injuring 20 others, it said while giving details of terrorist attacks in Pakistan's restive Balochistan and FATA. Two hand grenade attacks in Gwadar and Mastung injured 41 people. In Quetta, a suicide bomber killed 21 people and wounded 45 in an attack on the Pishin bus terminal, the State Department said. Similarly, a suicide bomber in Jhal Magsi attacked worshippers at the Sufi shrine of Pir Rakhyal Shah in the Fatehpur area, killing 19 and injuring 30. Another suicide bomber in Quetta attacked a police convoy on the Sibbi Road in the Saryab mill area, killing seven and wounding 23, it said. In Punjab province, three suicide bombings targeting police and military officials in Lahore killed at least 47 and injured more than 100 others. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and the Federally Administered Tribal areas (FATA), there have been numerous recent attacks by insurgent and terrorist groups targeting government officials, NGO and aid workers, religious minorities, and civilians. Also 148 occurrences of small arms fire, over 67 improvised explosive devices (IED) explosions, 28 known assassination attempts, and 17 kidnappings were reported, the State Department said. Assassination and kidnapping attempts are common throughout these areas, it added. The Department said terrorist organisations operating in the area have not discriminated between government officials and civilians. Since May 2017, the following significant attacks have occurred: in Parachinar, an IED targeting the Tori Market killed 67 civilians and injured 75; in Jamrud, an IED attack targeting peace committee workers killed at least five civilians; in Charsadda, at least five IEDs exploded, injuring 14 people; IEDs targeting Peshawar Hospital injured five people; and in Peshawar the detonation of a "toy bomb" killed one child and injured six persons, it said. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)chairperson Justice Rita Makarau has resigned. Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi confirmed the resignation yesterday, saying she did not give reasons for quitting. Zimbabwe holds harmonised elections next year and Justice Makarau was leading the process of coming up with a new voters roll. Said Minister Ziyambi: Yes, she sent her resignation yesterday (Thursday) and I saw it today in the morning as I spent the day in Parliament on Thursday. She just indicated she wants to resign from ZEC, but she did not give any reasons. According to the Constitution of Zimbabwe, under Section 238, the ZEC chairperson is appointed by the President. Reads Section 238: There is a commission to be known as Zimbabwe Electoral Commission consisting of (a) a chairperson appointed by the President after consultation with the Judicial Services Commission and the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders and (b) eight other members appointed by the President from a list of not fewer than twelve nominees submitted by the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders. The Constitution dictates that the chairperson of ZEC should be a judge or a former judge or a person qualified for appointment as a judge. It further states that if the appointment of a chairperson to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is not consistent with a recommendation of the Judicial Services Commission, the President must cause the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders to be informed as soon as practicable. The Constitution also states that members of ZEC should be Zimbabwean citizens and chosen for their integrity and experience and for their competence in the conduct of affairs in the public and private sector. Members of ZEC are appointed for a six-year term and maybe re-appointed for one such further term, but no person maybe appointed to or serve the commission after he or she has been a member for one or more periods, whether continuous or not, that amount to 12 years. Some political parties had in the past raised concern over Justice Makarau chairing ZEC and sitting on the bench, citing conflict of interests. Justice Makarau is a Supreme Court judge, secretary for the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) and was also ZEC chairperson before she resigned from that post on Thursday. Former Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Retired Major General Happyton Bonyongwe once said conflict of interest did not arise, as the appointments were Constitutional. If elections were to be contested in court, there is only one role which Justice Makarau will play, he said while responding to a question in Parliament last month. She will be a litigant. Since the coming into force of the 2013 Constitution and the appointment of Justice Makarau as head of ZEC in the same year, numerous election petitions and challenges have been filed in the Magistrates Courts, High Court, Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court. The issue of Justice Makarau being Secretary of the JSC and head of ZEC has not interfered with the decisional independence of judicial officers seized with such matters and neither have appointments of contact or conflict been created. Efforts to get a comment from Justice Makarau were fruitless last night. Herald Idaho Cops: Actually, There Could Be a Threat to the Community A former Massachusetts state senator was arrested Friday on charges he accepted about $1 million in bribes and kickbacks, laundered through his law firm, between 2010 and 2016, the Boston Globe reports. Part of those bribes and kickbacks? Hundreds of pounds of free Dunkin' Donuts coffee. Brian Joyce has been charged with more than 100 criminal counts, including federal charges of money laundering, corruption, mail fraud, and embezzlement. "Joyce's objective ... was to secretly profit from his position as State Senator," WBUR quotes the indictment as stating. Or, as FBI agent Harold Shaw puts it: "We believe Mr. Joyce was greedy, plain and simple." As for the coffee-related part of Joyce's alleged schemes: The former Democratic senator is accused of receiving the coffee and more than $125,000 in fake legal fees from "major" Dunkin' Donuts franchisee Carlos Andrade. Joyce allegedly got 504 pounds of coffee worth more than $4,000 on just one occasion in 2015. CBS Boston reports prosecutors say the money and coffee was in exchange for unspecified legislative action beneficial to Andrade. Joyce allegedly told Andrade to tell the Ethics Commission that the coffee was in exchange for legal services. It's reported that Joyce gave pounds of coffee to his colleagues in the Senate while gunning for a Senate leadership position. Joyce has pleaded not guilty to all charges. (Read more Dunkin Donuts stories.) Six women who served as clerks or junior staffers at the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals allege to the Washington Post that Judge Alex Kozinski subjected them to inappropriate sexual comments or conduct, including asking them to watch pornography in his chambers, the newspaper reported Friday. Heidi Bond, who clerked for the Pasadena-based judge from 2006 to 2007, told the newspaper she recalled three instances in which he asked her to look at images of naked people, per the AP. She said one set of images was of college-age students where some were "inexplicably naked while everyone else was clothed." Another set was a type of digital flip book that allowed users to mix and match heads, torsos, and legs to create an image of a naked woman. Bond said the judge asked if she thought the pornography was photo-shopped or if it aroused her sexually. "I was in a state of emotional shock," said Bond, now 41. Kozinski, who is 67 and still serving as a judge on the court, told the newspaper that he has had more than 500 employees in his chambers over a 35-year career as judge. "I would never intentionally do anything to offend anyone and it is regrettable that a handful have been offended by something I may have said or done." The Post interviewed Bond and Emily Murphy, a law professor who worked for a different judge on the 9th Circuit, in on-the-record interviews. The four other women were not named. Murphy said she was discussing training regimens with other clerks at a San Francisco hotel in 2012 when Kozinski approached her and said the gym in the 9th Circuit courthouse was seldom crowded. He then suggested she should work out naked, she said. (This isn't the first time Kozinski has made headlines over obscenity allegations.) A jury on Friday sentenced an 85-year-old former priest to life in prison for the 1960 killing of a schoolteacher and former beauty queen who was a member of the parish he served, the AP reports. The same jurors in Texas found John Feit guilty of murder Thursday night. Prosecutors asked jurors Friday for a 57-year prison termone year for each year he had walked free since killing Irene Garza after she went to him for confession at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen. The 25-year-old Garza disappeared April 16, 1960. Her bludgeoned body was found days later. An autopsy revealed she had been raped while unconscious, and beaten and suffocated. Prosecutor Michael Garza, who is not related to the victim, said at a news conference that he wished that he could take credit for the conviction and sentence, "but it was God-driven." Feit, then a priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, came under suspicion in the investigation early on. He told police that he heard Garza's confession in the church rectory rather than in the confessional, but denied he had killed her. Among the evidence that pointed to Feit as a suspect over the years: Two priests told authorities that Feit had confessed to them. One of them said he saw scratches on Feit soon after Garza's disappearance. His portable photographic slide viewer was found near Garza's body. Feit had also been accused of attacking another young woman in a church in a nearby town just weeks before Garza's death. He pleaded no contest and was fined $500. Feit left the priesthood in 1972, married, and went on to work at the Catholic charity St. Vincent de Paul. (Read more murder stories.) A senior Russian political aide was found dead in a Washington DC hotel room in 2015 withaccording to the coronerblunt force trauma to his head, neck, torso, and more. After an 11-month investigation, a federal prosecutor determined Mikhail Lesin died after falling down drunk multiple times and closed the case. Now a 58-page police report is shedding new lightand raising more questionson the death of Vladimir Putin's media czar. The report, which was released this week by DC's Metropolitan Police Department, includes a timeline from the hotel where Lesin was staying, the Washington Post reports. Apparently the founder of RT had been drinking heavily for his three-day stay, taking bottles of liquor from the hotel bar, and walking through the hotel in his underwear. He also had a visible injury to his eye on the night before his body was found. Among the details redacted from the report: Lesin's autopsy. It remains unclear how his death was ruled an accident. The report also fails to mention anything about blunt force trauma or Lesin falling down, BuzzFeed reports. And a disc containing security footage from the hallway outside his room in the hours before his death was apparently defective. Police have not said whether they were ever able to view the footage. BuzzFeed had previously reported on three FBI agents and an intelligence officer who said Lesin was beaten to death the night before he was going to be interviewed by the Department of Justice about the workings of RT. There are also reports Lesin had angered powerful figures in Russia. And US intelligence is concerned that what it believes were Russian hit jobs in the UK may have crossed the pond with Lesin's death. (Read more Russia stories.) A federal appeals court in Chicago narrowly overturned a ruling Friday that could have freed a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Making a Murderer series from prison, though one dissenting judge called the case "a profound miscarriage of justice." A federal magistrate judge overturned Brendan Dassey's conviction last year, ruling that detectives took advantage of his youthhe was 16 at the timeand learning disabilities to coerce him into confessing he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill photographer Teresa Halbach in 2005; Dassey was sentenced to life in 2007. A three-judge panel from the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the magistrate's ruling in June. But the state asked for a review by the full 7th Circuit, arguing the ruling called long-accepted police interrogation tactics into questionleading to Friday's decision. The 4-to-3 opinion conceded a ruling wasn't obvious or easy, but said it came down to whether findings by Wisconsin state courts that Dassey wasn't coerced into confessing were reasonable. The Journal Sentinel quotes from the majority opinion, which found Dassey spoke "freely"; had received Miranda warnings; was interrogated in a setting free of discomfort, intimidation, or "even raised voices"; and that "many of the most damning details [he provided] himself in response to open-ended questions." In her dissent, the AP reports Chief Judge Diane P. Wood wrote, "Without this involuntary and highly unreliable confession, the case against Dassey was almost nonexistent." Dassey's attorneys say they will seek relief from Dassey's last shot: the US Supreme Court. (Avery's lawyer has suggested a new suspect in the case.) DECATUR Decatur Christian Women's Connection will meet 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at Scovill Banquet Facility. Glenda Smith will be the speaker. Deadline for items in Church Briefs and Church Notes is noon Monday for publication in Saturdays faith section. Send information to: Jeana Matherly, Herald & Review, 601 E. William St., Decatur, IL 62523, jmatherly@herald-review.com, or fax (217) 421-7965. Please include a contact phone number for verification. The Department of Defense had a budget of $590 billion last year and will have one of nearly $700 billion next year. It has an estimated $2.4 trillion in assets. And yet the department has never been audited. That finally changes this month when the Pentagon undergoes its first-ever financial audit, NPR reports. The federal government started requiring financial reports from agencies two decades ago, but the Department of Defense put it off. In 2010, Congress set a 2017 deadline for a Pentagon audit. With that deadline here, 2,400 auditors will begin to go over everything from personnel to weapons to bases, according to a Pentagon press release. "It demonstrates our commitment to fiscal responsibility and maximizing the value of every taxpayer dollar that is entrusted to us," Department of Defense spokesperson Dana White says. It also might be far past due. It was reported last year that Pentagon officials were hiding reports of "$125 billion in administrative waste" in order to preserve their budget. And the Government Accountability Office accused the Department of Defense of "serious financial management problems" last January. Department of Defense comptroller David Norquist, who calls the audit a "great opportunity," says they will now happen yearly. "Annual audits ... ensure visibility over the quantity and quality of the equipment and supplies our troops use," the Hill quotes Norquist as saying. (Read more Department of Defense stories.) Rose McGowan lit into one of her former Charmed co-stars Friday for saying nice things about Harvey Weinstein's ex. "You make me want to vomit. You actually gave me a body flashback. Well done, fake one - People," McGowan tweeted to Alyssa Milano. "People" is a reference to an article in the magazine in which Milano speaks kindly of her friend, Georgina Chapman, who recently left Weinstein in the wake of the scandal. "Georgina is doing very well," Milano is quoted as saying. "Shes an amazing mother. Shes an amazing woman." But McGowan clearly thinks that Chapman knew of her husband's behavior all along, reports the Daily Beast. "Alyssa, maybe you and Georgina can call up Camille Cosby," McGowan added in another tweet. Meanwhile, US Weekly notes that McGowan, who accuses Weinstein of raping her, also went after none other than Meryl Streep. Referencing a comment Streep made to USA Today about Weinstein's behavior being "a gargantuan example of disrespect," McGowan tweeted, "No, Meryl, ITS A (F------) CRIME. You are such a lie." (Read more Rose McGowan stories.) In a nuclear standoff with North Korea more than two decades agolong before the reclusive government had atomic weapons that could threaten AmericaUS officials planned for war. Declassified documents published Friday show the United States believed its military and South Korea's forces would "undoubtedly win" a conflict on the divided Korean Peninsula, with the understanding it would cost many casualties. The Pentagon estimated at the time that if war broke with Korea, some 52,000 American service members would be killed or wounded in the first three months. South Korean military casualties would total 490,000 in that time. And the number of North Korean and civilian lives claimed would be enormous. Today, with North Korea almost able to directly threaten the US mainland with nuclear strikes, the possibility of conflict looms as it had in 1994. Twenty-three years ago, the stakes were different, reports the AP. At that time, President Bill Clinton's administration considered a cruise missile strike on a North Korean nuclear complex after it began defueling a reactor that could provide fissile material for bombs for the first time. Former President Jimmy Carter headed off a conflict, meeting with founding North Korean leader Kim Il Sung and helping seal an aid-for-disarmament agreement. The pact endured for nearly a decade, despite frequent disputes and periodic flare-ups on the peninsula. The AP has more. (Read more North Korea stories.) Sorry! This content is not available in your region Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or making a contribution. The Daily News-Miner is locally owned by the Helen E. Snedden Foundation, a 501(c)(3) Subscribe or donate SHELBYVILLE A group of slightly askew tombstones in a remote section of Shelbyvilles Glenwood Cemetery led one Shelbyville man on a restoration quest that has brightened more than 200 monuments. Darrell Stephens, a former city council member and president of the Glenwood Cemetery board, was concerned that the mossy tombstones, markers for Shelby County men killed during the Civil War, would be unreadable to future generations. I started doing some research, and I called people who maintain monuments in Springfield and Washington, Stephens said. After a while, I had the information of what to try. Stephens uses a mild chemical mix along with a power washer sprayer to remove years of moss and mold from the old stones. Some are in the shade most of the time and they get pretty dark," he said. "When theyre cleaned up, they really stand out in the cemetery. Examples of Stephens cleaning project include a dark stone that now shows its original white-marble grandeur and a life-size monument to a World War I soldier, whose marker had been almost hidden in the surrounding trees until it was cleaned. Mark Shanks, Shelbyville public buildings and grounds commissioner, said Stephens work enhances the beauty and historic nature of the cemetery. The cemetery attracts a lot of residents and visitors all year round, Shanks said. Whether they have a personal connection to the cemetery or are simply interested in the beauty and history, the clean stones are beautiful and easy to read. Cemetery employee Brent Shull said Stephens project has given him a new appreciation for community history. There are stones you couldnt read at all before that now list families, exact lengths of life, sometimes causes of death and personal information, he said. It gives you a much better sense of who these people were and how they lived. Stephens supplies his own equipment and cleaners for the project, and most nice days he can be found in the cemetery working on stones, a sentry battling the effects of time, serving in the hope that those who are gone won't be forgotten. I used to smoke and drink a lot, but after my heart surgery I knew I couldnt do that anymore and that I had been given a second chance at life," he said. "I dont go to a formal church, but out here Im close to God and I hope Im doing something He would be pleased with. The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574. New Delhi: People of Gujarat will decide the fate of BJP and Congress as they come out to vote for the first phase of assembly elections in the state on Saturday. Voting is being held on 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions with 977 candidates including CM Vijay Rupani in the fray. Around 2.12 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in PM Modi's home state. Security has been tightened in the state to ensure fair polling. While Modi addressed about 15 rallies, Gandhi spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings. Several surveys predicted BJP will retain the power while some claimed Congress will give neck to neck fight after Patidar leader Hardik Patels support. Here are the highlights of Gujarat Assembly elections 2017: # 68% voter turnout recorded in first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections: EC # 47.28% voter turnout recorded till 4 pm in first phase of #GujaratElection2017 # During the first phase of voting 1.90% of VVPATs replaced out of 24,689 units deployed. 0.37% out of the 26,865 Ballot Units and 0.38% out of the 24,689 Control Unites replaced too. #GujaratElection2017 # Some EVMs replaced due to errors. EVMs were updated with VVPAT, which allows people to verify their vote for 7 seconds: Yogesh Thakkar, Bhavnagar Deputy Electoral Officer on reports of faulty EVMs in 1st phase of polling in #GujaratElection2017 # 35.52% voter turnout recorded till 2 pm in first phase of Gujarat Election 2017 # Till 2 pm 45 % Polling in Surat District. #A team of Election Commission reaches polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar after complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/ETmuu73Fwk #Around 30.3 per cent voter turnout recorded till 12 pm in Phase-1 # Katargam(Surat): A bride to be, Fenny Parekh arrives from her 'haldi' ceremony to cast her vote #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/oGaW9skOYV # 21.09 per cent voting recorded till 11:30pm # Elderly people arrive to cast their vote in Bharuch's Ankleshwar #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/d1P6bjqJi2 # 11 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the initial two hours # Wherever there are complaints of EVM malfunctioning, it should be dealt with immediately: Ahmed Patel, Congress #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/CPkE8hM6cq # Have replaced two machines and one VVPAT, you cannot really call it a technical error, these are electronic items there can be some issues. Now everything is okay & voting has started: Vipul Goti, Master Trainer, Election Commission in Surat's Varaccha #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/RVF86aW4Wh # Congress' Arjun Modhwadia casts his vote at a polling booth in Porbandar, he is contesting against BJP's sitting MLA Babu Bokhiria. #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/zltmNtIkRj # Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel casts his vote in Bharuch's Ankleshwar, says 'Congress will win more than 110 seats' #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/V3CGobtwZ4 # Faulty EVM in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya booth in Surat's Varaccha has been replaced # A couple in Bharuch cast their votes before their wedding ceremony #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/TuXxKDpkK0 # Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara casts his vote in Rajkot's Ravi Vidayalaya booth. #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/NobynWfp6P # PM Modi urges voters to exercise their franchise CM Vijay Rupani casts his vote in Rajkot. He is contesting against Congress Indranil Rajyaguru from Rajkot-West seat #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/d38IIAPs0v ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 # We are going to win 150+ seats under the leadership of PM Modi ji, we face no obstacles: Jitu Vaghani,BJP Gujarat Chief and candidate from Bhavnagar West Visuals of locals after casting their vote in Surat's Majura. BJP MLA Harsh Sanghvi is contesting against Congress's Ashok Kothari. This seat was formed after the 2008 delimitation. #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/zWTV4fq7I6 ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 # 27,158 EVMs being used in 24,689 polling stations in the first phase # Voting underway on Surat's Choryasi assembly seat. BJP's Jhankhnaben Patel is up against Congress's Yogeshbhai B. Patel Voting for first phase of #GujaratElection2017 begins. Visuals from Bharuch's Ankleshwar pic.twitter.com/gOduleVrRO ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 # Voting begins for 89 seats in the first phase # People should come out in large numbers to vote. We are very confident, no question of any challenge: Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani # Maximum candidates contesting on a seat are 27 from Jamnagar Rural. Minimum are 3 from Jhagadia and Gandev. # Voting will begin at 8 AM. Also Read: PM Modi in Lunavada: Congress has misled Muslim community New Delhi: As the voting in the first phase of elections began in Gujarat, some EVMs malfunctioned in Patidar dominated Surat and other parts of the state. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia also complained that EVMs were connected to mobile devices via Bluetooth in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar. A team of Election Commission (EC) reached polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar, to investigate complaints of EVM tampering using mobile phones. aThere are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission to take necessary action immediately,a Congress leader Ahmed Patel tweeted. The Election Commission said they have reserve EVMs and all the faulty machines were being replaced. "There are 24,000 polling booths in Gujarat. The problem has occurred in seven or eight booths," NDTV quoted Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti as saying. Chief Election Officer (CEO) B B Swain said an inquiry was ordered into the matter and the collector and the observer of the Election Commission (EC) were sent to the spot. A team of Election Commission reaches polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar after complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/ETmuu73Fwk a ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 The ruling BJP, however, said the complaint made by Modhwadia shows the opposition partyas asearch for an excusea as it knows that it would bite dust in the election. The issue of EVM tampering has been making the rounds after BJPas massive victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand elections. New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Modi and asked why his speeches excluded development. Rahul Gandhi in a tweet said, I asked 10 questions from PM Modi on Gujarats report card, but he didnt answer. Rahul said, BJP could not even release it election manifesto by the end of campaigning for first phase polls and asked do only speeches mean governance for him. Rahul Gandhi also hurled 11th question at PM Modi as part of his "one-question-a-day series," and asked him to explain the miserable condition of Gujarat's educational institutions. Also Read | Reports of EVM tampering in Surat, Porbandar, EC replaces faulty machines, orders probe In a poetic tweet with tagline 22 saalo ka hisab and hastag #Gujarat Mange Jvab, Rahul said, 80 per cent engineers are jobless, Tata Nano was a gimmick, those who ask for jobs are given bullets and Modi has sold the future of Gujarats youth. Rahul Gandhi is campaigning aggressively in Gujarat for assembly elections in PM Modis home state. The voting for the first phase of assembly elections in Gujarat concluded on Saturday with massive voter turnout. The second phase of polls will take place on December 14 and the results will be declared on December 18. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked Congress party on the second day of campaigning for phase 2 in Lunavada town of Mahisagar district in north Gujarat on Saturday, as the state votes in the first phase of polls. Addressing a rally in Lunawada town of Mahisagar district, Modi said, "I want to ask the Congress party... you gave a lollipop to the Muslims in all the states of the country that you will give reservations to that community. In the second rally at Bodeli, PM Modi said that, "How can people living in palaces understand the problems of poor, those who do not know that potato grows in a farm or a factory cannot understand plight of poor." Amit Shah will address two public meetings in Dahod and as many in Kheda district. On the campaign trail, Modi had addressed about 14 rallies, while congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings. Here are Live Updates: # Rajiv Gandhi showed you sickness, but Modi would do away with this illness: PM at Anand # Congress as a supporter of corruption should forget winning Gujarat. PM Modi addresses poll rally in Anand # Congress is sinking party, make sure it does not win in even a single booth across Gujarat: PM in Bodeli #Congress leaders are unable to understand and identify with the aspirations of the tribal communities and the farmers: PM Modi in Bodeli # I have served Gujarat for 13 years. When I was CM, I have spent all my time working for the people of Gujarat and now I am serving the people of India with your blessings. Our focus is development : PM Modi in Bodeli PM Modi addresses poll rally in Bodeli # Congress leader & close aide of Rahul Gandhi, Salman Nizami asks on Twitter- Modi, who is your father, who is your mother? He calls for Azad Kashmir & says 'har ghar se Afzal nikalega'. He calls our Army rapists. Does Congress want to win election with the help of such people? PM pic.twitter.com/b0y0jnPNYs # In every part of the nation, the Congress has misled the Muslim community. They have made fake promises of reservations for Muslims but in no state have they fulfilled their promise: PM Modi #GujaratElection2017 # Salman Nizami asks on Twitter- Modi who is your father, who is your mother? Among the other things he says- he calls for Azad Kashmir. He calls our army rapists. How can the people accept such people like Salman Nizami? He also says there will be an Afzal from every home: PM Modi # There is a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami, he is even campaigning for Congress in Gujarat. He wrote on Twitter about Rahul Ji's father, grandmother. That is ok but he asks - Modi tell me who is your Mother, who is your father? Such language can't even be used for enemies: PM # Congress has been rejected comprehensively across the nation. Gujarat too will reject the Congress and will punish them for their politics: PM Modi in Lunavada PM Modi addresses poll rally in Bodeli Ahmedabad: Hardik Patels key aide and senior member of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, Dinesh Bambhania has alleged that the quota agitation spearheads support to the Congress party smacks of some kind of fixing between them. Bambhania yesterday said he could not understand why Patel was supporting the Congress party, despite it not clarifying how it would give reservation to the Patidar community if voted to power. In the poll manifesto, the Congress has not clarified how it would grant us reservation under OBC quota after coming to power in Gujarat. It shows that Congress actually never wanted to give us reservation. Yet, Hardik Patel is doing rallies in Congress favour, he told reporters here. Though there is no clarity how we will get reservation under OBC quota, Hardik is mum about it. It seems like fixing to me. Our fight was not about bringing a party to power. At least I do not wish to be an agent of a party. Hardik should not politicise the agitation, he added. Hardik is playing into the hands of Congress in the name of the Patidar movement, Bambhania said, adding, Hardik is using the agitation for political purposes and I am totally against it. I urge all the Patidars to use their wisdom when they go for voting tomorrow, he said. Bambhanias open rebellion against Patel came a day ahead of the first phase of polling in Saurashtra and south Gujarat. Commenting on Patels purported sex tapes, Bambhania indicated that only one CD can be morphed, not all. Hardik is seen as an icon. Patidars are having very high hopes from him. One CD can be morphed, but, when so many CDs came out, it does not suit a man who is the leader of a community. I am deeply pained by the entire episode, he said. Bambhania claimed he was still with Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and said he was not joining the BJP. Neither am I against Hardik, nor I am leaving PAAS. I am also not joining BJP. My only contention is that Hardik has failed to pressure the Congress to accept our demand as agreed earlier between both PAAS and Congress, he added. BLOOMINGTON The Mayors Manor family is back home in time for Christmas. Nine months after an accidental fire temporarily displaced 16 of 26 residents of Bloomington-Normal's supportive housing for formerly homeless people with disabilities, Mayors Manor once again will be filled to capacity next week, said Mayors Manor Director Senna Adjabeng. "It's nice to be back," resident Chad Cline, 43, said, sitting beside a Christmas tree in one of the 26 efficiency apartments at Mayors Manor, 504 W. Washington St., on Friday. "It's fantastic that they got back here before the bad weather sets in," said resident Starla Hays, 54. She was among residents whose apartments weren't damaged so she remained at Mayors Manor. "I'm glad to have them back," Hays said. "It was getting really lonely around here." Mayors Manor welcomed back the residents with a holiday open house on Friday. During the open house, Matt Drat, director of resource development and community engagement for Mid Central Community Action (MCCA), which operates Mayor Manor, announced that the community has donated $27,190 of the $30,000 needed by the end of the year to finish paying off fire recovery-related expenses. Drat hopes the community will donate the balance by Dec. 31. "This is about bringing family back together," Drat said of the returning residents. Mayors Manor is the part of the community's answer to homelessness and mental illness, providing, for 15 years, supportive housing for 26 formerly homeless people who also have diagnoses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, developmental disability, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and alcoholism. Services by Mayors Manor Program Coordinator Tasha Davis and three residential assistants include daily check-ins, case management and making sure residents are progressing toward their goal to become more independent by staying sober, on medications and in counseling; getting a job; and improving money management. "It's a vital service," said Karen Zangerle, executive director of PATH (Providing Access To Help). Money to run Mayors Manor comes from residents, MCCA, the federal subsidy for Section 8 low-income housing, Illinois Department of Human Services and community donations. MCCA can no longer afford to subsidize Mayors Manor to the tune of $85,000 a year and is investigating several long-term solutions, Drat said. The facility costs a total of $300,000 a year to run. Meanwhile, the fire happened and cleanup and restoration work cost MCCA $30,000. Sixteen residents had to find temporary housing elsewhere, and seven of them decided to remain there, Davis said. Nine have returned to Mayors Manor, which also has five new residents, with two more moving in next week, bringing the facility back to full capacity, Adjabeng said. "If it wasn't for Mayors Manor, I don't know where I'd be," said Cline, who has bipolar disorder and suffered from alcoholism and substance abuse. "I'd probably be dead by now. "Here, I have everything under control," said Cline, who works as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. He moved in with a friend after the fire and moved back into his apartment in mid-November. "It's a great place to live," he said. Hays, who has depression, anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder in addition to physical health diagnoses, said "To have a home again is fantastic. The grandbabies come over all the time. "We've got our own family here," Hays said. "We've got our Mayors Manor family back." Asked about the money raised, Hays said "I'm overwhelmed to see everyone come together like that and really believe in our house." Davis said "I'm grateful we raised as much as we have." She's confident the balance will be raised by Dec. 31. "I believe in miracles," she said. New Delhi: India has been known to be a country which is quite heterogeneous in its social and cultural mix, yet stands united as a nation on the underlying principle of 'Unity in Diversity'. The country has a secular fabric and a tolerant society which is empathetic towards one and all. Hence the human rights of citizens are of paramount importance in promoting the ideas of equality, liberty and among all sections of the society. However, there have been major cases of Human rights violations in India which have left a reversible scar on the minds of people. The human rights violations have been generally based on caste or religious discrimination. The weaker and marginalized sections have usually been the victims of the human rights violations. These groups are backward in nature and do not wield much power in the society. Issues related to excessive powers of the armed forces and the police is very common in India. The government gives them the power to protect the people of the society but some officers use their power to suppress the weaker sections of the society. In order to strive for an ideal balance in the society, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) gives rights to these people so that they can live life comfortably. So here is more on the National Human Rights Commission and how to file a complaint when your Human Rights are being violated - The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India is an autonomous public body constituted on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. If the alleged act is of national importance then NHRC will take suo motu action of its own. State Human Rights Commission Every state in India has got a State Human Rights Commission for protection of human rights in a particular State. If any person has a grievance that his or her human rights are being violated then he may approach the respective state commission where the alleged act has been committed. Guidelines on how to file complaint with the NHRC 1. A complaint may be made to the Commission by the victim or by any other person on his behalf. 2. Complaint should be in writing, either in English or Hindi or in any other Language included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. Only one set of complaint needs to be submitted to the Commission. 3. Complaint may be sent either by Post or Fax or even by email. 4. No fee is chargeable on such complaints. 5. The complaint shall disclose i) Violation of human rights or abetment thereof or; (ii) Negligence in the prevention of such violations, by a public servant. 6. The jurisdiction of the Commission is restricted to the violation of human rights alleged to have been committed within one year of the receipt of complaint by the Commission. 7. Documents, if any enclosed in support of the allegations in the complaint must be legible. 8. Name of the victim, his/ her age, sex, religion/ caste, State and District to which the incident relates, incident date etc. should invariably be mentioned in the complaint. 9. Please submit the complaint preferably in the format which is made available on the website of Human Rights Commissions which can be different for different states. Modes of filing a complaint with NHRC Online Complaint with NHRC First is the online Complain Registration. For this, You have to open the website of the National Human Right Commission and then go to complaints. Under complaints section, there is an option of complaint registration. By clicking that Online complain registration form will appear. Simply, fill the form and register it. Offline Complaint with NHRC The second option is the offline complain. National human right commission provide an application form for complain on their website. Link for the offline form is provided here https://nhrc.nic.in/nhrc.htm. Just print the application form under complaints. Fill the form and submit it to NHRC within the prescribed period of time. By post: National Human Rights Commission Manav Adhikar Bhawan Block-C, GPO Complex, INA, New Delhi 110023 By fax: (011) 23386521 New Delhi: Human rights have generally been chartered out for protection of human life and liberty, to preserve the dignity of people, promote brotherhood and maintain equality etc. Our very own Indian Constitution endorses the same rights for all citizens of the country. Every citizen of India has been granted six fundamental rights to live his life with full dignity and earn respect in society irrespective of caste, creed, colour, religion or sex. The fundamental rights are namely - right to equality, right to freedom, right against exploitation, right to freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights, and finally, the right to constitutional remedies. After 70 years of independence our motherland stands on the brink of being labelled a fully developed nation. We might have made giant leaps economically, rapid technological advancements but when it comes to our social progress we still are pretty backward as we havent reformed socially and the age old taboos do certainly haunt our progressive mind-set. India has witnessed some major cases of human rights violation which led to a lot of bloodshed due to violent clashes between religious groups, ethnic clans and social groups. The United Nations adopted a charter of Human Rights for the respect of people and on 1948, the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights for the protection of Human Rights. India was a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but case of human rights violations are very much prevalent. So let us recall some of the gruesome incidents of human rights violations in our country which left the country in a state of distress. MASS EXODUS OF KASHMIRI PUNDITS FROM VALLEY Terrorism forced the Hindus, a large majority of whom were Kashmiri Pandits, to flee from their homes in the Kashmir valley in the early part of 1990. According to Asia Watch, the militant organisations forced the Hindus residing in the Kashmir valley to flee and become refugees in Delhi-NCR and Jammu. Ethnic cleansing continued till a vast majority of the Kashmiri Pandits were evicted out of the valley after having suffered numerous acts of violence, including sexual assault on women, arson, mental torture and extortion of property. HINDU SIKH RIOTS IN DELHI - 1984 In the early 1980s, Sikh separatists in Punjab demanding separate state Khalistan committed serious human rights abuses, massacring civilians, attacking Hindu minorities, and carried out bomb attacks in crowded places. In June 1984, the government deployed security forces to flush out the militants who had occupied the holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The military campaign inflicted serious damage to the shrine and killed hundreds, including pilgrims, militants, and security personnel. On , Indira Gandhi was murdered in an act of revenge by two of her Sikh bodyguards. Following the assassination, mobs, reportedly instigated by political leaders, went on a rampage against Sikhs in Delhi and other cities. Over three days, over 2500 Sikhs were killed, robbed of their belongings and and destroyed. Many women were raped in the national capital. Hundreds of Sikhs were massacred elsewhere in the country. The authorities quickly blamed every incident of mass communal violence on a spontaneous public reaction. DEATH OF ROHITH VEMULA, A Dalit Phd Student The age old clashes between the so called upper class and the underprivileged lot is not something new in Indias social set up. The suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit PhD student at the Hyderabad Central University, was just one example of many such avoidable clashes which involved Dalit students. The inhumane treatment handed out to members of the Dalit community finally reached the masses. In some of these cases, Dalits were being stripped and beaten by vigilante groups, some even being urinated upon. CHILD LABOUR DEPRIVES MANY IGNITED MINDS OF A BRIGHT FUTURE Child labour is one of the biggest menaces which grips many bright children and spoils their promising futures. Children belonging to the poorer or economically weaker sections of the society often fall prey to child labour. For want of money, their parents force them to take on petty jobs at a very tender age and make huge compromise with their education. According to Human Rights Watch, two out of five children in India drop out of school before completing their eighth standard. Hence, a large number of children in our country are robbed of their fundamental right to free and compulsory education. Security forces carrying out operations against Maoist insurgents were accused of serious human rights violations like sexual harassment and killing of innocent tribal villagers. According to a report given by National Commission of Scheduled Tribe, security forces deployed in Odisha killed five tribal villagers including children and claimed that they were killed during anti-Maoist operations. New Delhi: Four CRPF personnel including two sub-inspectors were killed and one other injured after a colleague opened fire at CRPF 168th Battalion Camp in Basaguda area of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur. The fatal incident ofA fratricide took place at around 5 PM allegedly after a brawl,A Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dantewada range) Sundarraj P said. According to the initial reports, constable Sanath Kumar allegedly opened fire with his service weapon, an AK 47 rifle, leaving four personnel dead on the spot and another injured, he said. "Three of the four CRPF men killed in the fratricide were senior to Kumar. They have been identified as SIs Vikey Sharma, Megh Singh, Assistant SI Rajveer Singh and constable Sankara Rao," the IPS officer said. 4 jawans dead, 1 injured after a CRPF jawan opened fire in Bijapur's Basaguda CRPF 168 Battalion Camp: DIG Sundar RajA #Chhattisgarh a ANI (@ANI)A December 9, 2017 ASI Gajanand suffered injuries in the incident, the DIG said. The bodies and the injured ASI were evacuated from Basaguda to Bijapur at 6 PM. An MI17 helicopter was sent to airlift the injured and the bodies to Raipur, he added. Officials said Kumar was soon overpowered and apprehended by other colleagues who were present in the camp. The jawans reportedly had a brawl before the fatal incident took place, they added. The CRPF is deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the state. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted Congress president Sonia Gandhi on her birthday. Extending his wishes to 70-year-old Gandhi, Modi said on Twitter that he prays for her long life and good health. Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health. a Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 A bitter political battle is on in Gujarat between the BJP and the Congress, with Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi mounting attacks on each other. Rahul Gandhi is soon to succeed his mother Sonia Gandhi as the Congress president. Sonia Gandhi, who has been facing health issues, has not campaigned till now in the Gujarat Assembly polls.A Celebrations outside 10 Janpath on Congress President #SoniaGandhi's birthday. She turns 71 today pic.twitter.com/QmBxpiHUGh For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Jaipur: The Rajasthan government on Saturday provided Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of the Muslim labourer from West Bengal who was hacked and burnt to death by a man, who could be seen in a video of the crime ranting against "love jihad". Rajsamand SDM Rajendra Prasad Agarwal provided a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the wife of Mohammad Afrazul, 48, who was killed on Wednesday allegedly by Shambhu Lal Raigir in the district. In a video of the crime, Rajgir could be seen raving against "love jihad", a term used by sections of Hindu activists to describe marriages between Hindu women and Muslim men, who are accused of seeking to propagate Islam. Raigir was later arrested. On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee announced Rs 3 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and assured a government job for one of his family members. Earlier today, Rajasthan DGP O P Galhotra visited Rajsamand and met the victim's family. He also discussed the case elaborately with senior police officials. Also Read| Rajasthan hacking: Police rule out 'love jihad' behind West Bengal migrant labourer's killing Galhotra later told reporters that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was serious about the case and monitoring the progress of investigation in the matter. "It is a heinous crime and investigation is being done thoroughly. Scientific and forensic evidences were collected and strict action will be taken," Galhotra said. He said the police department was making efforts to present the case charge sheet in the court within a month. Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria has ordered a probe by an Special Investigation Team in the matter. Human rights groups have demanded the resignation of Raje and Kataria, accusing them of protecting those behind targeted attacks on Muslims. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Studies have shown that approximately half of the humans believe that extra-terrestrial life exists in the universe and they want to make contact with alien life. Physicist professor Stephen Hawking had said earlier that it could be dangerous for the humans if aliens discovered us, it could end life on Eartha. The published findings said that 47 per cent of more than 26,000 respondents believe in the existence of alien civilizations in the universe. Around 61 per cent of the respondents replied positively when asked if they believe in any kind of life-form on other planets. Roughly, a quarter said that they donat believe in existence of life beyond Earth. Research director, Martijn Lampert said, aThe high score on the belief in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations and the distinct profile of these people partly explains the immense popularity of space movies such as Star Wars.a aPeople who believe in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations are not a marginal minoritya, he added. According to the poll, the highest per cent of people believing in extra-terrestrial life in Russia, with a rate of 68 per cent, and the least in Dutch with 28 per cent. Also Read: Evidence of aliens? Jupiter's moon Europa has Plate Tectonics, suggest possibility of alien life The results of the survey helped the researchers understand why people loved the aStar Warsa franchise. The interviews for the poll were conducted in 15 different languages in the countries representing 62 per cent of the Earthas total population and 80 per cent of the global economy. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Instant messaging app, WhatsApp, will soon be rolling out a new standalone app called WhatsApp Business. The official website of WhatsApp has released FAQ associated with the business app in which there are answers to questions related to the business accounts. The FAQ stated, While chatting with businesses, you can check your contact's profile to see which type of account they're using. A verified account has a green checkmark badge in its profile. An account with a green checkmark badge in its profile is verified by the company as an authentic and business account. The company also said, A business account with a gray question mark badge in its profile means the account is using the WhatsApp Business app but hasn't been confirmed or verified by WhatsApp. According to the reports, the standalone app is going through various tests right now and will be launched in Asia soon. The business apps test partner, Google Play Store, stated, As a test partner for 'WhatsApp Business', you have early access to a wide range of new features that we've built with you in mind. As you experiment with what this new app has to offer, please share your experiences with us so that we can improve the product. Also Read: WhatsApp's 'Restricted Group' feature will allow administrators to take control in groups The soon-to-be launched business app is quite different from the original instant messaging WhatsApp. However, the user interface of both the apps are similar. The business app will support special features for the business users, which include business profiles and analytics. Goma (DR Congo): At least 15 United Nations peacekeepers were killed in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said on Saturday, in the deadliest attack in the organisation's recent history. The UN Security Council said the peacekeepers, who were from neighbouring Tanzania, were killed in the North Kivu province late Thursday, alongside five Congolese soldiers, with 53 personnel wounded. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime", he said in a statement. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo -- a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Read more: Pakistan allows Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet mother, wife on Christmas MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping force in DR Congo, said its operating base at Semuliki, North Kivu, was attacked by "suspected ADF elements". ADF are a Ugandan Muslim rebel group, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly", MONUSCO head Maman Sidikou said in a statement, vowing to bring the attackers to justice. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice", he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else. Some those wounded in the attack are in critical condition with the medical evacuation of casualties continuing, he added, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene. Secretary-General @antonioguterres condemned today's attack on @UNPeacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Watch his statement below. Read our story at https://t.co/jwDpDeSTvH. pic.twitter.com/y1fAwSYUeO UN News (@UN_News_Centre) December 8, 2017 For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Brussels: Britain and the EU reached a historic deal today on the terms of the Brexit divorce after Prime Minister Theresa May rushed to Brussels for early morning talks. The European Commission said it "recommends sufficient progress" had been made by Britain on separation issues including the Irish border, Britain's divorce bill, and citizens rights. The agreement paves the way for EU leaders at a summit on December 14-15 to open the second phase of Brexit negotiations, covering trade talks and a transition period. Britain voted in June 2016 to become the first state to leave the EU, after more than four decades of membership, but the talks have been slow moving and often acrimonious so far. "The Commission is satisfied that sufficient progress has been achieved in each of the three priority areas," the European Commission said in a statement. Negotiators worked through the night to seal an agreement on the terms of Britain's departure from the bloc. The EU had set a deadline of Sunday after the last talks on Monday broke down when May's Northern Irish allies objected to terms for future arrangements for the Irish border. Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker's chief of staff Martin Selmayr tweeted a picture of white smoke -- the sign used by the Vatican to signify the election of a new pope -- shortly after May's arrival. Juncker spoke first with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar then with May on Thursday night in a bid to break a deadlock over the wording of a deal on future arrangements for the Irish border. Britain agreed to pay a divorce settlement amounting to between 45 and 55 billion euros and to protect the rights of some three million European citizens living there after Brexit as part of the deal. But Ireland's demands that Brexit should not lead to the return of checkpoints on the border with Northern Ireland, which it said could jeopardise the peace process in the north, proved the biggest stumbling block at the end. "In Northern Ireland we guarantee there will be no hard border," May told a press conference with Juncker. The pro-British DUP party which props up May's government refused Monday's draft deal over a phrase suggesting there would be "regulatory alignment" with the EU after Brexit -- effectively putting Northern Ireland under EU law. DUP leader Arlene Foster told Sky News there had now been changes following talks with May. "We're pleased to see those changes because for me it means there's no red line down the Irish Sea and we have the very clear confirmation that the entirety of the United Kingdom is leaving the European union, leaving the single market, leaving the customs union," she said. On Thursday, EU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas had dismissed British newspaper reports that the Sunday deadline could be extended into next week as "not correct". Scotland's nationalist leader showed little patience, accusing the British government of being "totally and utterly incompetent" on Brexit. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said "the real lesson" of the past week was that Scotland "will always be at the mercy of reckless decisions taken by Tory governments at Westminster" unless it becomes independent. "The sooner we are in control over our own future here in Scotland the better, and this week has proved it," she added. Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem offered some calming words, saying Britain's City of London financial hub "will not fall apart" after Brexit even if it loses the right to allow banks to trade freely across the bloc. Dijsselbloem, the Netherlands finance minister who chairs meetings of his counterparts in the 19-country eurozone, said that some businesses would nevertheless have to relocate. "I don't believe that the City will fall apart and that everyone will flee. I don't think that's how it's going to work," he told a European Parliament committee. His reassurances come at a time when Britain's finance sector is anxious about losing the "passporting" rights which allow large international banks to trade throughout the EU while being based in Britain. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In an unusual move, Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has criticised the role of mushrooming madrassas, which mostly taught only Islamic theology, underlining the need to revisit the religious schools concept in the Muslim majority country. "I am not against madrassas, but we have lost the essence of madrassas," the Nation newspaper quoted the powerful General telling a youth conference in Quetta, capital of the restive Balochistan province, stressing the need to revisit the religious schools concept. Speaking at a seminar on 'Human resource development opportunities and challenges' yesterday, he noted that there were more religious seminaries established in Balochistan than the modern and quality schools during the past four decades. "Only religious education is being imparted to the students at all the seminaries and thus the students educated from the seminaries are left behind in the race for development," he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. "We need to look at and revisit the concept of madrassas...We need to give them a worldly education," he was quoted as saying. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. DECATUR Area high school students presented concerns that ranged from the lack of advanced-placement classes to high college costs to state Sen. Chapin Rose on Friday. Rose, R-Mahomet, hosted about 75 students from 27 schools as his "Youth Advisory Council" at the National Sequestration Education Center at Richland Community College. Rose said this was the first time he has hosted this event since hes been a state senator, although he held similar activities when he was a state representative. "I am really excited; these are pretty high-caliber kids, Rose said. It is interesting to see their reactions, and for me, I am their representative and I am learning what they care about too." Rose said the students confirmed a belief he already held, that Common Core academic standards have not been good for education. The standards, adopted by 42 states beginning in 2013, are designed to create a benchmark that ensures each student has the same knowledge in English and math at each grade level. Rose believes this system is failing the students because it sets the bar lower than they can achieve. For their part, several of the students said they would prefer more AP classes that would prepare them for college. AP classes look better on college transcripts, said Kyle Frazier of Warrensburg-Latham High School.When you are applying for college, having that on your transcript looks better for you. Matthew Tobeck and Alexis Hallden of Fisher High School both said they would like more AP classes, but said their school struggles to keep qualified teachers, which can be more expensive. Currently, the students only have a few options for college level courses, including English 101 which is taught by a Parkland Community College professor. The school is changing and addressing those needs; it just takes time," Hallden said. "Its a slow process." Another hot topic for Rose and the students is the large price tag on a college education. Rose spoke about the benefits of community college, not only to save money but for a quality education, he said. Education is a key topic for Rose, who along with Bloomington Republican Rep. Dan Brady proposed a wide-ranging higher education reform bill in September. Among other provisions, the measure would guarantee admittance to one of the state's public universities to any Illinois student who maintains a 'b' or better grade point average throughout high school. Students with lower grade point averages will be encouraged to attend a community college. Also under the plan, the state Board of Higher Education would rank departments at the state's 12 public universities, and the most successful could get more funding. One of the goal is trying to realign our education system so middle class people can afford it, Rose said. Its gotten way, way too expensive. Both Hallden and Tobeck said it was interesting to see how the schools compared to each other and how they differed. Hallden also said it was a great opportunity to be heard. Often people look down to high school students ... we are just becoming voters, she said. They think we dont care as much, but a lot of us really do. This was a common refrain of the event, both from Rose and the students. They both said they were glad for a chance to connect and ask questions of each other. It is a rare opportunity, especially for someone our age, to talk one-on-one with a senator, Hallden said. Laura Harms from LeRoy High School said she plans to study political science in college, so the experience was a great way to learn more about the government and policies. She said she also enjoyed meeting other students and hearing diverse opinions on education. Its fun to talk to kids from other schools, Harms said. I am just interested to hear perspectives from other parts of Illinois. DECATUR The number of Decatur public high school students pursing federal financial aid increased 17 percent over last year as of this month but time is running out for those who havent acted yet. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, filing period began Oct. 1, and high school counselors have been urging their students to take advantage of the online system and get their applications completed. Like yesterday. The process can be long if you're not really focused, said Aloni Jordan, a senior at Eisenhower High School, which had 111 students complete applications last year and 143 as of Dec. 1 for the current application cycle. It's best to get it done as soon as possible to get the most money. Aloni is one of about 20 million people to complete a FAFSA each year, according to the federal government. Some financial aid programs, such as Illinois' Monetary Award Program, award money on a first-come, first-served basis, which is why students who need financial aid should fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible, counselors say. In 2016, 134 MacArthur High School students finished paperwork; the number was 143 this month for the current cycle. Despite its name, the FAFSA also is used to determine eligibility for state financial aid, some aid from colleges and some scholarships. The $150 billion in available federal financial aid may sound like a lot, but when its spread out over millions of applications, it can go fast, counselors noted. The process is in the crosshairs of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who said last month that she wants to create a mobile app by fall 2018 for students to apply for aid, enhance cybersecurity to protect personal data on financial aid forms and finding other ways to make filling out the form easier. DeVos noted some students dont fill out the form because theyre frustrated about how to do so. But for the best chance at financial aid, Eisenhower High School counselor Amanda Duckworth encourages students to overcome those feelings and finish it up before Christmas. I tell them, finish it sooner rather than later so you're eligible for the maximum amount (of financial aid) you can get, she said. Easier on the paperwork Even without the changes DeVos wants, the FAFSA has undergone several changes in recent years that are meant to make it easier for students to get the help they need to go to school. Its a long way from the days when MacArthur High School counselor Cyndi Kraemer was a student, filling out many pages of paperwork. Recently, when she helped her own children fill it out, it was much easier with the online form at fafsa.ed.gov, she said. They've tried to streamline the process, so it's not so daunting, Kraemer said. Another change came last year, when the earliest date to submit the FAFSA form was moved up from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1. That's helpful for a couple of reasons, said Rachel Brewer, Illinois Student Assistance Commission Corps representative for the Richland Community College district. The state Monetary Award Program, which is administered by the commission, has limited funds, and those are usually gone by mid-December, she said. MAP provides grant assistance to eligible students demonstrating financial need. MAP grants are applied toward tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate students. Another reason is the tax filing deadline. Employers are not required to provide W-2 forms before Jan. 31, but financial aid forms can't be completed without tax returns. With the move to Oct. 1, families can use their previous year's tax forms. With each family's unique ID code, when filling out FAFSA for younger siblings, parents can import their already completed tax information into each of their children's forms without having to start over. The biggest challenge (to FAFSA) is it was so time-consuming, Brewer said. When you work with the online forms, it runs much more smoothly. And it's not that the FAFSA was or is complicated, Kraemer said. It's intimidating, but not difficult. Students sometimes tell her they don't need to fill out a FAFSA because they have a college fund or their parents make too much money for them to qualify for financial aid, and she always tells them, fill it out anyway. A lot of students may get merit-based scholarships, Brewer said. Institutions won't give out offers until you fill out the FAFSA. Students learn fast Heeding the advice of her counselors, Cassondra Mundy, a senior at MacArthur, got hers done the very first filing day, she said. One reason it went smoothly for her family, she said, was her parents had already been through it with her older sister. And it's thorough. You have to list every asset. They even want to know how much cash you have in your pocket, she said. Statistics provided by the FAFSA bear out students eagerness to get their applications in earlier this year. Many schools as of Dec. 1 showed a greater number of students with completed forms on file with FAFSA for the current cycle compared to the previous cycle on Dec. 1, 2016: Lutheran School Association 17 to 38 St. Teresa Catholic High School 45 to 51 Mount Zion 116 to 148 Maroa-Forsyth 58 to 63 Maaz Haji, a senior at MacArthur, wants to be a physician and would prefer to go to the University of Illinois for his pre-med major of molecular and cellular biology. He filled his FAFSA out in October and has already heard back from Bradley University with an offer, but students don't have to make a final decision until May. Once the FAFSA is filled out, students get an estimate of how much financial aid they're eligible for immediately, but final results depend on the universities to which they apply and whether they're accepted, and other factors such as merit scholarships, he said. Gayge Gaona-Willis said hes already been accepted by the University of Indianapolis and Eastern Illinois University, and he's been offered merit-based financial aid already. He's leaning toward Indianapolis because their pre-med program appeals to him, he said. The process took a little longer for his family because Gaona-Willis is the oldest child, and his parents haven't been through it before, he said. I'm sure it's a lot easier (to do) online (than on paper), he said. Plus, I was getting a lot of guidance from these two (Kraemer and Brewer). Silas Martin, who died at age 16 from brain cancer, insisted his brain be donated for research. He had a rare pediatric cancer, and his selfless donation has helped scientists make inroads into understanding how tumors operate in the brain. Four other stories you should read are the force is still strong with Decatur Star Wars fans, what we know about the Chipotle proposal, Charleston woman faces murder charge in son's death and Shelbyville cemetery's tombstones have new life. Silas Martin's selfless donation aids brain research During his decade-long battle with cancer, Silas Martin was adamant about one thing: doing whatever he could to further research into pediatric brain tumors, especially the rare kind that he had. That included donating tissue removed during brain surgery he had in 2010, and leaving instructions for his entire brain to be donated after his death in December 2014. Now, three years later, Silas contributions are helping doctors better understand how to identify and potentially treat tumors like the one that took his life at the age of 16. He has also inspired others to donate their brains to the same research. For Decatur Star Wars fans, the force is strong Growing up, Eric Trickey was categorically obsessed with "Star Wars. He brandished inflatable "Star Wars" lightsabers, cranked up "Star Wars" records and dozed on "Star Wars" linens. Forty years after "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" first flickered on movie screens, Trickey now 44 years old and a pastor of St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Decatur soon will be taking part in a cherished ritual of passionate "Star Wars" fandom worldwide: He's seeing the latest installment of the beloved intergalactic saga. And he'll have some company. AMC Classic Decatur 10 on Mount Zion Road and AMC Classic Hickory Point 12 at Hickory Point Mall are having advanced screenings of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, a day before the official opening. And the Avon Theatre in downtown Decatur has been reserved by local businesses for a closed-door screening not open to the public. Here's what we know about the Chipotle proposal A rezoning proposal set to come before the Decatur City Council in the next few months would allow development of a shopping center at U.S. Business 51 and West Ash Avenue. The center would be anchored by a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant. Neighbors are passionately opposed to the proposal, which they say will increase traffic and hurt their property values and quality of life. Charleston woman faces murder charge in son's death A woman who was arrested Wednesday for the death of her 2-year-old son is facing a first-degree murder charge after police said she admitted leaving the infant unattended for three days, leading to his death. Coles County State's Attorney Brian Bower said an autopsy found that the cause of death was dehydration, starvation, or a combination of the two. Shelbyville man brings tombstones back to life A group of slightly askew tombstones in a remote section of Shelbyvilles Glenwood Cemetery led one Shelbyville man on a restoration quest that has brightened more than 200 monuments. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEWTOWN The loss of 26 souls in the Sandy Hook massacre stunned the nation with its barbaric senselessness. Support for the victims families flooded the town, while the families themselves sought solace in their common grief and in the cherished memories of their loved ones. But one victim was left out of that healing process, because she was the mother of the Sandy Hook shooter. She was the one who introduced her son to firearms. She was the one who failed to get him treatment during his spiraling mental health crisis. As a result, Nancy Lanza is not remembered as the single mother of a son with special needs. She is not remembered for suffering domestic violence at his hands. Her name is not mentioned along with those of the innocents 20-year-old Adam Lanza murdered at the school five years ago Thursday, even though she was his first victim. But today, as the fifth anniversary approaches of that hallowed mid-December morning, and families continue their search for healing, attitudes about Nancy Lanza might be starting to change. Several parents who lost children in the massacre are speaking openly about mercy for Nancy Lanza, and sharing their experience of finding wholeness by practicing forgiveness. People think forgiveness is a gift you give to the perpetrator, but in reality it is a gift that you give to yourself, said Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse, was killed at Sandy Hook. Newtown still has a lot of healing to do, so there are a lot of courageous conversations we have to have about Nancy and Adam Lanza. Robbie Parker agrees. You have so much pain in your heart that it needs to receive something big to help start that healing process, said Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter, Emilie, was slain on Dec. 14. I wouldnt have been able to get through the healing process without forgiveness. If it wasnt for forgiveness, there would be no healing. At the same time, friends of Nancy Lanza are remembering her as a gentle and nonjudgmental woman who should not be the scapegoat for the worst crime in Connecticut history. We should certainly take lessons from this, if there are better gun safety practices or more proactive mental health treatments, but to blame somebody in hindsight and demonize them, there is no justice in that, said John Bergquist of Newtown. You can still say, There are things we can do differently next time, but she is entitled to be a victim, and she is entitled to her humanity. Privately, other families who lost loved ones at Sandy Hook said that forgiving Nancy Lanza is not a priority, given the emotions they have to manage at this time of year. Parents who have managed to do so say they understand that feeling, and would never presume to tell other grieving parents how to heal. The families all really respect each others different journeys, because we have this unconditional love for each other, said Michele Gay, who lost her 7-year-old daughter, Josephine. But we find forgiveness incredibly liberating, because it cuts this terrible tie to this awful pain and suffering by simply letting it go. Forgiving Nancy Lanza doesnt necessarily mean putting her name on a permanent memorial along with those of the 26 slain children and educators, Gay said. Instead, the hope is to help grieving parents find peace by letting go of condemnation. The towns permanent memorial committee, which includes parents who lost children in the massacre, has always distinguished between what happened at the Lanza home and what happened at Sandy Hook School. Lanza, a withdrawn young man with Aspergers syndrome, advanced anorexia and anxiety disorder, shot his mother in her bed before taking an AR-15-style rifle from an unlocked closet and shooting his way into a locked Sandy Hook School. He fired 150 bullets in 5 minutes and then killed himself. Whatever ones opinion is about the killer, he was not a victim in the sense that the children and educators were, said Kyle Lyddy, the chairman of the permanent memorial commission. And whatever ones opinion is of Nancy Lanza, she died at home, and not at the school, Lyddy added. If Nancy Lanza were to be remembered on the memorial, it would likely be in a separate feature that could provide certain historical details about the tragedy. We dont want the memorial to be about the event itself, but we also recognize there is an historical component that we might want to include, Lyddy said. The evolving attitude toward Nancy Lanza comes as Newtown prepares for a week of special events at churches and community organizations to remember the massacre victims. It also comes at a time of transition in Newtown, which has seen the recent retirements of the police chief, the schools superintendent and First Selectman Pat Llodra, who established the practice of deferring to massacre victims families about the pace and the direction recovery should take. Although the families most affected by the massacre have formed separate nonprofits and are no longer all in Sandy Hook - Parker lives in Oregon and Gay lives in Maryland, for example - they continue to constitute the moral center of Newtown. Because their grief has been so public, their recovery has taken on a wider purpose. A leading clergyman said as painful as it is to keep talking about a loss that breaks the heart, its necessary for the greater good of the nation. These children and these teachers left an indelible mark on hundreds of thousands of people, said Monsignor Robert Weiss, the pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown. They have to be remembered if we are going to do anything about the violence in this country. But even more pressing than policy, Weiss said during an interview last week, is the personal call to forgive. Forgiveness is the only way to be fully healed from this, said Weiss, his eyes glistening with tears. These children taught us to live, so we have to live. Forgiving Nancy The difficulty of forgiving Nancy Lanza starts with the difficulty of forgiveness itself, parents and clergy said. Forgiveness may seem like an offense to victims and an enemy of justice, if it means absolving the perpetrators guilt or forgetting the misery the crime caused innocent people. But the forgiveness that some parents speak of, and the forgiveness that Newtown clergy encourage, does not condone the mistakes Nancy Lanza made with her sons mental health, or free her from liability for not locking up her guns. Nor is forgiveness meant to be accomplished all in one sitting. Instead, forgiveness is more like a daily decision - some days being better than others - to reduce resentment by recognizing the humanity of the person, while still holding the person accountable for her error. That was something Gay and her family learned when members of a Pennsylvania Amish community visited Newtown in 2014 to share how they forgave the mother of a man who took 10 schoolgirls hostage and killed five of them in 2006. I learned from that meeting that forgiveness does not mean taking away the responsibility from the people who committed the awful sin, but you are letting go of your anger toward them so you can function and live in this world, said Gay, the co-founder with Parkers wife, Alissa, of a school safety resource organization called Safe and Sound Schools. And for me the other big part of it is I trust that God is just, and it is not my responsibility to judge. When it comes to Nancy Lanza, the obstacles to forgiveness are compounded for many parents in Newtown, because she did not compel her son to get treatment for his worsening mental state after he turned 18, and because she encouraged firearms as a hobby. A 2014 report by the state Office of the Child Advocate, detailing the opportunities Newtown schools and Lanzas parents missed to treat his mental health disorders, stated that no one but Adam Lanza himself was to blame for his fascination with mass murder and for the heinous crime he committed. On the other hand, the same 140-page report raised questions about Nancy Lanzas commitment to her sons well-being, noting that his emaciated state in the last days of his life was so acute that it likely affected his brain function. What other parents see in Nancy Lanza as unacceptable behavior, Lewis sees a single mom of a special-needs son, like herself, doing the best she could. Yes, her mistakes culminated in a mass murder, but There but for the grace of God go I, said Lewis, whose Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement offers a social and emotional learning curriculum that teaches forgiveness. In my mind, it was way too easy to blame her. If it was all her fault, then this (mass killing) would never have happened before. Jennifer Hubbard agreed, saying she never condemned Nancy Lanza enough to have to forgive her. Nobody walked in Nancy Lanzas shoes, and anybody who says they know what she went through is wrong, said Hubbard, who has launched an animal sanctuary in Newtown to honor her 6-year-old daughter, Catherine. She paid the ultimate price. Newtowns future Pastors here say it is hard to find a message more central to the Judeo-Christian tradition than forgiveness, and yet it is hard to think of a practice more difficult than forgiveness in post-Sandy Hook Newtown. Probably the farthest thing we are away from in this community is forgiveness, Weiss said. Some of these families cant even say that word, let alone embrace it. But some of these families have embraced forgiveness, and its enabled them to find something positive in the midst of all this negativity. Some might say it is too soon to forgive Nancy Lanza, with emotions still so volatile in Newtown, but taking the high road is what several of the homegrown nonprofits meant when they said things like, Choose Love. I dont think it is too soon, said Parker, whose story of forgiving both Nancy Lanza and Adam Lanza is included in his wife Alissas 2016 book, An Unseen Angel. I think it is imperative that we have these conversations about healing. Bergquist said friends of Nancy Lanza are not asking everyone to change their minds at once. There are a tremendous amount of people who are still very angry, and I get it, he said. I dont agree with it, but I get it. During his two-year friendship with Lanza, built on a love of folk music and friendly Sunday-night conversations at My Place, she was never bitter but was always judicious and gracious, despite her divorce and her frustrations with the challenges of raising a special-needs son by herself, Bergquist said. Its easy to say that she made mistakes, but she didnt know that she had to prevent something like this from happening, Bergquist said. I would like to see a movement to include her more, and there are people who feel the same way I do. A lot of people. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An American tourist was fatally mauled by a tiger shark while scuba diving on an island off the coast of Costa Rica, local authorities said Friday. The woman, identified by her friends as 49-year-old Rohina Bhandari, a director at a New York City private equity firm, died after an early morning attack Thursday on Cocos Island National Park, more than 340 miles off the Costa Rican coast. Costa Rica's Ministry of Environment and Energy identified her in a news release only by her last name. Bhandari was ascending to the surface at the Manuelita dive site when her 26-year-old diving guide noticed the shark, which he described as a female tiger shark. The guide, identified only by his last name Jimenez, tried to scare the shark off, but it was too late. The shark mauled Bhandari, leaving severe bites on both of her legs, the ministry said in the news release. A boater at the surface helped repel the shark as it attacked Bhandari's diving instructor. The guide sustained a shark bite on one of his legs, but survived. A team of doctors on site treated Jimenez and confirmed the death of Bhandari, the ministry said. Bhandari, a senior director at the Manhattan firm WL Ross & Co. LLC, was part of a group of 18 tourists visiting the island on a trip led by Undersea Hunter Group, a tourism company that organizes tours to Cocos Island National Park, according to Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion. Alan Steenstrup, the company's sales manager, told the newspaper they are "in shock" about what happened and are communicating with Bhandari's family and authorities. According to officials at the Cocos Marine Conservation Area, the attack was an isolated one. In 2012, researchers visiting the island tagged five tiger sharks - two males and three females. The females were the longest, measuring at more than 13 feet. The sharks are most active at the diving sites in the afternoon and early morning hours, but had not presented a threat until Thursday, the ministry said. Cocos Island National Park, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997, is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with a tropical rainforest. The remote island is world famous for its diving, during which tourists can spot rays, tuna, dolphins, and about 14 species of sharks, including the whale shark and hammerhead shark, the ministry said. Tiger sharks were not in the area for about 30 years and returned about a decade ago, La Nacion reported. Bhandari lived on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and was described by the New York Daily News as "a regular presence on the Manhattan charity circuit." She earned a Master of Science in Finance from George Washington University and had been working at the investment firm WL Ross & Co. since 2013, according to her LinkedIn page. According to the Bangalore Mirror, Bhandari's family originates from Bangalore, India. Her brother, a physician, declined to comment to the Bangalore Mirror, saying only that the family was grieving. Bhandari's friends in Bangalore told the newspaper she had been planning on visiting the city to celebrate her 50th birthday with friends later this month. On Facebook and Twitter, Bhandari's friends posted notes mourning her loss and expressing their shock at her death. "Desperately sad to hear of the tragic, untimely passing of my dear friend," Jon Benjamin wrote on Twitter. "Always generous & gregarious, she was a mainstay of my social life in NYC a decade ago, visited us in Chile and so kindly lent us her apartment in NYC in July this year." "One of a kind," he added on Facebook. "I feel her loss intensely. RIP sweet Rohina." "We lost a truly amazing woman in our business this weekend." Other friends described her as loyal, adventurous, and "tough as nails with her career goals." "Rohina was an adventurer and I had many with her," a friend wrote on Facebook. "I'm confident that the next one will be even better. It's a terrible loss for her friends of which there are many. Thinking of the good times. Lovely girl." Sunday, Dec. 3 Happy birthday, Illinois The Illinois bicentennial celebration is underway. Events were held at Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. Flags also were raised in communities across the state, including Decatur, on Monday to recognize the year-long celebration. It culminates on Dec. 3, 2018, the states 200th birthday. "On this birthday, we want to look at what has been born, built and grown in our state, and what we learn to invent and build and grown more, Gov. Bruce Rauner said. Monday, Dec. 4 Council approves $67.9 million budget The Decatur City Council has approved a 2018 budget that runs a $3.2 million deficit. The council voted 5-2 to approve the $67.9 million spending plan. Additional discussions will be about how to generate new revenue or reduce services. The city is dealing with a decline in sales tax, sluggish growth and a drop in state funding. I think its more about sending a strong message that we need to make some serious changes, and some of those changes are going to be hard, Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe said. Tuesday, Dec. 5 Driver found guilty in 2015 pedestrian crash Myles McGonigle, 51, was convicted of felony aggravated reckless driving causing great bodily harm for the November 2015 crash that left a pedestrian in a coma for a week. Witnesses during testimony said McGonigle, of Lovington, was seen weaving his van in and out of traffic. Sentencing is Feb. 1. McGonigle faces three years in prison and fines up to $25,000. Wednesday, Dec. 6 ADM to pay $100,000 to Park District The Decatur Park District is entering into an agreement with Archer Daniels Midland Co., which will pay up to $100,000 for Decatur Airport renovations. The improvements will accommodate jet service through SkyWest Airlines, according to an agreement approved by the park board. The company said it would fill 5,000 seats for each of the next two years if SkyWest is selected as the airport's commercial provider through the federal Essential Air Service program. The carrier decision is being made by the federal Department of Transportation. Thursday, Dec. 7 Controversial business project moves forward The Decatur Plan Commission voted 5-2 to recommend rezoning of 1.6 acres near West Ash Avenue and U.S. Business 51 for commercial use, in a contentious move that divided residents and critics. Deerfield-based GMX Real Estate has indicated a Chipotle Mexican Grill on the site, as well as other businesses. Some neighbors have raised concerns about increased congestion. The city council is expected to consider the project in January. Friday, Dec. 8 'Making a Murderer' appeal heard The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago overturned a ruling that could have freed a inmate featured in the "Making a Murderer" series. They reviewed Brendan Dassey's claims that authorities tricked him into saying he was part in the raping and killing of Teresa Halbach 12 years ago. Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 after telling he helped his uncle, Steven Avery. The 4-to-3 opinion said a ruling wasn't obvious or easy, but that it came down to whether findings by Wisconsin state courts that Dassey wasn't coerced into confessing were sound. "The state courts' finding that Dassey's confession was voluntary was not beyond fair debate, but we conclude it was reasonable," their 39-page ruling said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NEW HAVEN It all started with $20,000. That isthe amount City Librarian and Director Martha L. Brogan said was donated by Andrew Carnegies charitable foundation in the 1910s to help establish Fair Haven Library, which on Saturday celebrated its 100th anniversary. The foundation donated $60,000 overall to build three libraries, though Brogan said Fair Haven Library is the sole remaining beneficiary in New Haven from Andrew Carnegies charitable foundation. Despite a snowstorm, there were about 20 people in attendance during Saturdays celebration, which included a young string quartet from Music Haven performing a mix of classical music and pop songs before the cake cutting. Brogan said the library was originally dedicated on Dec. 7, 1917. The city added $8,000 to Carnegies donation to complete the library. This library was built for $28,000 in 1917, Brogan said, an amount he noted would total about $580,000 today. I would be thrilled if we can rebuild this library for half a million dollars. I think we can get that through the Alders very, very quickly. Brogan said the library will be seeking a study to determine possible costs associated with redeveloping the library. New Haven Free Public Library Board of Directors President Michael Morand said he was glad to visit his neighborhood library. Saturday marked another special milestone: Morand noted that on Dec. 9, 1793, Connecticuts own Noah Webster founded the American Minerva. The newspaper was New York Citys first daily. So its a good day for free speech, Morand said. And this library, like all of the New Haven Free Public Libraries, is a place for free speech and free inquiry. Libraries are a reminder of the importance of, free access to information, Morand said, especially in this current era. Its particularly important, as things like net neutrality come under threat, Morand said. This is a place that ensures that everyone has access to information. Connecticut Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, was among the guests. He joked that, despite his age, he was not present during the librarys first opening in 1917. Looney said he started visiting the library about 60 years ago, when he was a student at St. Rose School. There were several times, I would get so engrossed in reading something that I would forget to come home for dinner, Looney said. My mother would have to come over and drag me out of here and take me home. Looney said the library introduced him to a, great world of books. It was then, 60 years ago, and is now a wonderful place, a wonderful resource in our community for people of all ages, Looney said. He added: On this 100th anniversary of the Fair Haven Library, lets all look forward to the next 100 years. Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-991 The walls in the office of New Haven Public Defender Beth A. Merkin are covered with colorful drawings by her daughter and son (now adults) as well as artwork by grateful people Merkin has represented in the courtroom. These reminders help keep her going. Its a tough job. You can probably imagine its not easy being one of the attorney-advocates for clients such as Edward M. Grant, who was convicted in 2002 of murdering Penney Serra in a New Haven parking garage. Merkin also was on the defense team that represented Raymond Clark III, who in 2011 pleaded guilty to murder and attempted sexual assault in the death of Yale graduate student Annie Le. In late October, Merkin was named the new head of the Office of Public Defenders at New Haven Superior Court. The position became open when Thomas Ullmann retired in September. During our talk last Wednesday in her office, Merkin called Ullmann my mentor, friend, colleague and role model. But when I asked if its going to be a challenge filling Ullmanns shoes because he was so widely respected and had been there so long, Merkin showed her tough, independent spirit: I dont feel Im filling his shoes. I have to do it my own way, in my own style. I cant be him. Here is one important difference: Merkin is a woman, the first ever to hold that position. I think its wonderful a woman has taken over this office, said Assistant Public Defender Angelica Papastavros, one of the four attorneys now being supervised by Merkin. I like to see women succeed. I think her view as a female litigator will enhance this office even more. Ullmann is pleased to see Merkin named to be in his former role. She is respected by the judges and prosecutors. Shes a tenacious advocate for her clients. She has a low-key personality but I watched her over the years; you could see an abiding confidence. Merkin stands 5 feet tall, but people who for their first time see her walk into a courtroom quickly learn she is a formidable advocate for the many defendants she represents. As the court reporter for the New Haven Register over the past decade, I can attest to this. When I asked Merkin about being the first woman to lead that office Ullmann called it a big deal she said what excites her more is the large number of female attorneys who now regularly appear before judges in New Haven Superior Court for criminal cases. When I started here in 1989, very few of us were women, she noted. Now, there are many of us who do this work. Were good at it, were around, were accepted. She recalled an encounter during her first or second year on the job when she came up against male chauvinism. I was on a trial in a double-homicide case, along with my boss, Don Dakers. I was arguing a motion to suppress, in front of Judge Martin McKeever. At one point he said: Sit down, young lady. I kept trying to pursue my argument. Don was pulling at my suit, also trying to get me to sit down. He, too, was an older gentleman. But Merkin smiled as she added a follow-up to that incident. When that case went to the Connecticut Supreme Court, Justice Ellen Ash Peters, who was the first woman on our states Supreme Court, commented during oral arguments about how noticeable it was that the judge didnt allow me to make my argument. I felt vindicated by another female. Merkin is settling into overseeing a staff of five attorneys (including herself), three investigators, a social worker and two administative workers. But she said, Its tough right now because of state budget cutbacks, they have one less attorney. Another soon-to-retire attorney may or may not be replaced. At any given time, each of us is handling 25-30 cases, she said. Im trying to organize administrative operations and still manage my own cases. Merkin said she wants to bring about more collaboration between her attorneys on cases, also including the public defenders in the other Superior Court building on Elm Street, those handling juvenile clients and the public defenders in Meriden Superior Court. I want us to pool our resources and ideas, be more unified. But with all those cases to juggle, the public defenders are in their offices on weekends during trial times and sometimes for other pressing work. Merkin estimates she works about 50 hours per week. I asked her how she responds when a defendant who cannot afford a private attorney is told he or she qualifies for a public defender and says (as I have sometimes heard in court): I want a real attorney. Ive learned not to take that personally, she said. I dont get a ton of that. Usually people do their homework by the time they meet with one of us. Theyve learned we work really hard, we fight hard for our clients. The other thing Merkin and the other public defenders sometimes hear is from a member of the public, especially for the more serious alleged crimes that draw a lot of publicity: How can you represent those people? I tell them: Everybody needs a fighter. Everybody needs an advocate. All of us can find some good in every person we represent. We try to connect with the good and build upon it. Merkin added: And many of our clients are innocent. So we have to make sure we fight hard and hopefully avoid a conviction, hold the state to establishing its proof. Thats important for everybody. When I asked how she dealt with the stress of the high profile Grant-Serra case, which ended with Grant receiving a sentence of 20 years-to-life, Merkin recalled, That case lasted for months. We were working day and night and weekends. Merkin pulled out a card written to her during that time by her son, Aaron. He wrote, Dear Mommy: I love you very much. I dont see you very much because you go to your office, even on the home days. I dont like your office because you leave at night. Merkin said she and her colleagues were deeply disappointed by the jurys verdict in the Grant case but she understands the jurors decision in light of the forensic evidence. I also asked her about Clark, who decided in consultation with the attorneys to plead guilty and not go to trial because both sides worked out a negotiated sentence of 44 years rather than an even longer time if a jury had done the likely thing and convicted him. The victim, Le, was 24, a medical student. Clark was 26 when he pleaded guilty. That was a very difficult case, Merkin said. He was a nice kid, with no criminal history. There were a lot of unanswered questions. How could something like this happen? But there are also the acquittals to remember, including in murder cases. Its exciting because you feel its connected to all the hard work youve done. And then it pays off, to save somebodys life, really. Merkin said its also rewarding to work out a plea agreement with prosecutors that avoids or cuts down on prison time. When they come back and thank me and say, Im doing this, Im doing that and theyve turned their lives around, thats an exciting part of the job to see people do change and can learn from their mistakes. She showed me a holiday card from a woman who is still in prison. It reads: It was so kind of you to visit me. It was great to sit and talk with you. Ill never forget all your hard work. Have a blessed season of love. Merkin said of such appreciation: Thats what this is all about. randall.beach@hearstmediact.com Valley leaders once again hope to make the holidays brighter for local men and women serving in the military by sending them some Christmas cheer from the home front. Ansonia, Derby and Seymour officials have put out their annual call to the public, seeking the names of residents currently serving in the military so they can mail them a Christmas check. In Ansonia, Mayor David Cassetti said for more than 40 years, the Comcowich-Carver Post 597, VFW Ansonia has sent holiday greetings and a monetary gift to all Ansonia natives on active duty. The city, in 2002, at the request of the Post membership, took over the tradition so Ansonia could continue to spread cheer to military personnel unable to make it home for the holidays. Cassetti is asking residents to submit names, rank, branch of service and service address of any known active duty service personnel from Ansonia and mail to: Ansonia City Hall, c/o Mayor David Cassetti, 253 Main St., Ansonia, CT, 06401 or email Greg Martin at: gmartin@ansoniact.org In neighboring Derby, newly elected Mayor Richard Dziekan, a U.S. Air Force veteran, is continuing the citys tradition of making the holiday season a little brighter for local military families. Dziekan is asking for monetary contributions for military personnel, which will be equally distributed among Derby service members as a gift of appreciation from the community. Derbys Servicemen and Womens Fund, also supported by the Catholic War Veterans St. Michaels Post 1562, was created as a way to express appreciation for the sacrifices the communitys brave men and women in the name of freedom. Contributions may be sent to: Mayor Richard Dziekan, Servicemen and Womens Fund, Derby City Hall, 1 Elizabeth St., Derby, CT 06418. Checks should be made payable to Derby Servicemen and Womens Fund. In addition to monetary donations, Dziekan is also seeking the names of residents currently serving. The citys current list is small, according to Dziekan, and he believes there are others out there serving that the city should know about. If you are aware of a Derby serviceman or woman serving at home or abroad who can benefit from this opportunity, call Dziekans office at 203-736-1450 or email: pgagliardi@derbyct.gov. Nearby Seymour is also continuing its longstanding tradition of mailing Christmas checks to local military through its Richard R. Pearson Memorial Fund. Town Clerk Susan DeBarber is requesting that complete names and service addresses of residents on active duty, along with their home address and name and telephone number of the person submitting the request be sent to: Seymour Town Clerks Office, 1 First St., Seymour, CT 06483. DeBarber said the tradition was started more than 50 years ago by former Town Clerk Richard Pearson. It is with pride that our office is happy to carry on the tradition, DeBarber said, noting the fund was near and dear to the heart of former longtime Town Clerk Esther Rozum who passed away earlier this year. Several local organizations, like American Legion Emil Senger Post 10, the Seymour Pumpkin Festival Association, Seymour Lions Club and residents make annual contributions to the Pearson Fund to ensure the tradition continues. Seymour sent out 18 Christmas checks last year, each for $100. It means so much to the military and their parents, DeBarber said. I have learned from talking to their parents that our military are responsible for paying for their own incidentals. While $100 may not seem like a lot to us, to them it is priceless. jean.sos@snet.net NEW HAVEN The battle against cancer is increasingly being fought on the genetic level, and Dr. Samuel Katz is aiding the bodys immune system by creating safer, more effective weapons. His research is focused on treating cancers of the blood, such as multiple myeloma, Hodgkins lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia, but his technique could eventually be used against solid tumors as well, including cancers of the breast, ovary, pancreas and colon. Most gene therapy uses genetically modified DNA in the bodys T lymphocytes a type of white blood cell that is an integral part of the bodys immune system to find, attack and kill cancer cells. Because T cells have this ability to kill, people have modified the system, said Katz, an assistant professor of pathology at the Yale School of Medicine. Theyve put a gene into the T cell, which is called a CAR, for chimeric antigen receptor. The patients own T cells are modified with the new gene, then returned to the body, where they recognize a molecule on the cancer cells surface, called an antigen, and destroy the cell. Risk and benefits Using modified DNA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this year approved CAR-T therapy for B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphomas, the first gene therapies available in the United States. However, inserting a gene into a patients DNA the gene is transported into the cell by a virus changes the genome, and that can be risky. The virus is messing with your genetic code. Its changing the words in the book, Katz said. He said a gene could be inserted in such a way as to enhance the expression of another gene one that controls cellular growth, for example. There have been cases in which gene therapy has caused cancer. Instead, Katz introduces a new gene into the cell in the form of RNA, a molecule in the cells cytoplasm (the DNA that forms the bodys genome is located in the nucleus). The genome isnt altered, eliminating the potential for unrelated genes to be affected. When you use the DNA approach, that DNA gets incorporated into your genome, whereas the RNA doesnt change your genome at all, Katz said. It has some safety considerations. There are several other advantages of using RNA, Katz said. It takes far less time to modify the patients T cells: two days vs. up to several weeks. RNA degrades over time, so we really can control how much to give and for what length of time we give it, he said. CAR-T cells not only kill cancerous B cells another lymphocyte that is part of the immune system but they can and do attack the normal B cells, Katz said. Since the RNA degrades within a week, then the B cells can come back, he said. Another advantage is that the process will modify up to 90 percent of the bodys T cells there are several types of T cells in the body whereas the DNA method modifies 10 percent or less. Modifying DNA also comes with side effects. One, cytokine release syndrome, which has a variety of symptoms, from fever, fatigue, muscle and joint pain and loss of appetite, can at times be fatal. Also, RNA can be genetically modified in multiple ways so you can add in additional genes at the same time, Katz said, giving the CAR-T cells beneficial properties, like helping the T cell survive, helping the T cell to get to the right place, limit the T cell to not have off-target effects. The gene inserted into the patients T cells creates a receptor on the cell that will be attracted to an antigen on cancerous B cells. In this case, the CAR is designed to go after the C19 antigen, Katz said. Thats present on a lot of B-cell leukemias and lymphomas. While the DNA technique uses a virus to infect the T cell with the new gene, the process with RNA is different. We get it into the cells using a technique called electroporation, Katz said. It opens up the cell a little bit and then the RNA can get in and then the cell membrane repairs itself. Electroporation consists of putting two electrically charged metal plates into a solution containing T cells and RNA. A current is formed and that pushes the RNA into the patients cells, he said. Katzs research is supported by a $250,000 grant from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy of Stamford. John Walter, president and CEO, said the alliance has supported Katzs work for a couple of years. We view his work as novel and innovative and obviously are hopeful that his work will lead towards new developments in the evolution of CAR-T therapy innovations. Walter said the alliance has financially supported gene therapy research throughout the United States and Canada. Contact Ed Stannard at edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com or 203-680-9382. If you have been a victim of crime, or wondering about crime in general, here is a number for you. Right now, there are nearly 45,000 outstanding arrest warrants in the state of Connecticut for crimes ranging from failure to appear to violation of probation. More than 16,000 of them are for people who committed felonies and there is an order to incarcerate 138 of them immediately upon arrest. That is a lot of felony arrest warrants for people who are out here walking the streets. Or maybe a better way of putting it is, that is an awful lot of victims. Regardless as to whether those outstanding warrants represent serious felonies or minute misdemeanors, they tell the tale of crimes and where there is crime, there is a victim. Sometimes, there is more than one victim. The FBI reports crime is down across the board nationwide. The Malloy administration agrees, stating it has dropped so drastically in Connecticut, prisons have to be shuttered. And in terms of statistics, they are right. In 2016, property crimes fell by 1.4 percent, burglaries were down 2.3 percent and so were larcenies at 2.8 percent. But statistics dont mean anything when ordinary citizens are arming themselves against the possibility of being mugged, robbed or carjacked. They dont mean anything to people who are investing in expensive alarm systems to secure their homes, cars and personal property. Statistics are not human. They dont see people, they dont feel pain, they dont cry over loss or grieve emptiness. Most of all, they dont experience fear. I have a reader who lives in Meriden I speak with often. She tells me she doesnt leave her home without protection. The Bridgeport Police Department is cheering a grant that will put 15 more cops on the streets. I dont think they would be do cartwheels if more cops werent so desperately needed. Everybody is talking about crime, safety and security. And when it comes to crime, a lot of people here in the Nutmeg State and most Americans agree with me and my columns, Prisons? Theyre out here, not in there. and 2nd chances? Its the 3rd, 4th and 5th that are the problem and not officials that criminals are running amok on the streets. The Washington-based Pew Research Center reports that public perceptions about crime in the U.S. often dont align with the data. In 21 Gallup surveys released since 1989, a majority of Americans said there was more crime in the U.S. compared with the year before and in 2016, 57 percent of registered voters said crime had gotten worse since 2008. So, the stats are not bringing people much comfort or security. But speaking of stats, I do wonder if there are official stats on the pain, loss, grief and anger victims experience when criminals steps into their lives and disrupts it? Would that stat be declining or rising? I guess when you have been a victim of a crime, you begin to look at crime and the people who commit it a little differently. Mainly, because you are forced to because not much attention is paid to victims unless theyve been killed, kidnapped or some other horrendous act has happened. Then, its front page news before being relegated to the back pages. But all those little crimes a snatched purse, a stolen car or scooter, a home break-in, a store robbed, tips taken from the waiter or waitress jar that dont scream headline is where crime is often forgotten. In this new modern era, if a person is not shot and killed, maimed or physically harmed, the crime just doesnt rate much attention. It barely generates paperwork. And now that they have faced the consequences, many of the people who have committed these crimes want their victims and everyone else to give them a second chance. They want us to look past the hurt they caused, the damage they left behind and the money or items they stole, used and enjoyed. And not only do they want forgiveness, they expect us to smooth the road back for them by funding the services they need to, hopefully, go on to lead productive lives. Somehow, they have become the victims with a team of supporters around them including government officials, programs, social workers and counselors. And that leaves us, the real victims, on the sidelines watching as their lives are made whole while our lives are left empty with holes. The sad part is we have no choice but to support them if we are to live as a society. We have to swallow their bad decisions, and give them a break even though they didnt give one to us. But giving someone a second chance doesn't always mean it comes with love. Forgiveness is separate thing. Victims dont forget. And what criminals asking for a second chance must recognize and remember about their victims. Forgiveness is an option. It is not a requirement. James Walker is the Registers senior editor. He can be reach at 203-680-9389 or james.walker@hearstmediact.com. Follow him on Twitter @thelieonsroars Dear Dr. Roach: At a routine follow-up at my doctor's office, the nurse took my blood pressure on my left arm, and it was 143/73. This seemed high, so I asked her to check it on my right arm. It was 104/62 on that arm. She said she had never seen anything like that. Is there a logical reason or explanation for this? -- L.B. A: There are several possibilities for having different blood pressures in the arms, all with logical explanations. The first to come to mind is not the most common in adults, but one we are taught to look for, called coarctation of the aorta. This is a congenital heart defect where there is a narrowing of the aorta (the main blood vessel that comes straight out of the left ventricle). It can occur in the area between where the blood vessels for the left and right arms originate. It usually is found in children, but sometimes can be missed until adulthood. However, since the right side originates closer to the heart than the left, it's the left side that should have lower blood pressure. A blockage in the artery going to the arm (there are three: the brachiocephalic, subclavian and brachial arteries; the larger ones, listed first, divide into the smaller ones) can reduce the blood pressure in one arm. An inflammatory disease of the blood vessel, Takayasu arteritis, can preferentially affect one limb, so it's important to measure blood pressures in both arms and legs if concerned about this diagnosis. However, it is prudent to be sure about the measurements before either getting worried or embarking on a search for these conditions. Blood pressure can change suddenly. I recommend carefully measuring the blood pressure three times in each arm and comparing the average of each arm's values against the other. A difference of five to at most 10 points is normal; more than 10 is not normal. Decreased eyebrows Dear Dr. Roach: In a recent column, a 63-year-old woman complained about her eyebrows starting to disappear at the outer edges. The same thing happened to me (I am about the same age). My blood tests were normal. I think for many, it's simply aging. I disliked it so much that I tried Latisse, which many people use for eyelashes. One drop each night, and my eyebrows are back, as though I were a 20-year-old. -- A.K.M. A: As an internist, I think about what skin, nail and hair problems may mean as far as diagnosing medical problems. That's why I recommend evaluation of the thyroid gland -- loss of the outer part of the eyebrow can be a clue to this important problem. However, I recognize that it can be a cosmetic issue as well. Bimatoprost (Latisse) is a prescription medication indicated for people with decreased eyelash volume. I have found case reports and anecdotal evidence that it is effective for eyebrows as well. This is an off-label use of the medication. It is expensive, on the order of $140 per bottle at the time I write this, and might not be covered by insurance for this purpose. Any improvement in eyebrows is likely to go away when the use of the product is stopped. * * * Readers: The booklet on back problems gives an outline of the causes of and treatments for the more-common back maladies. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Roach, Book No. 303, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. Enclose a check or money order for $4.75 with the recipient's printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery. A former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has been described as a beautiful bride for the presidency who is highly sought ... A former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has been described as a beautiful bride for the presidency who is highly sought after. The Anambra State Coordinator of Atiku Care Foundation and strong supporter of Atiku's Project 2019, Hon. Ndubuisi Obijiofor stated this in Awka, on Saturday, while inaugurating Local Government Area female coordinators of Atiku Care Foundation. The ex-VP who recently decamped from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rejoin the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where he is intending to realize his presidential ambition. He said Atiku was more qualified to lead the nation and would correct the mistakes of the past administrations. Obijiofor further described President Buhari's emergence to power as a political gang up which was as a result of an unholy alliance against Atiku. "Today the conspirators are the worst hit. It is not in doubt that Atiku is highly sought after as a beautiful bride for the presidency. This time, it is divinely arranged and shall come to pass. "Our Grand Patron is out to right the wrongs of the successive administrations in Nigeria. He is more qualified to lead the nation. Let us wait and see what happens next,' he added. By Jude Ndukwe There has been an ongoing campaign by some Nigerians calling for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, ... By Jude NdukweThere has been an ongoing campaign by some Nigerians calling for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, a unit in the Nigeria Police Force. This call is being ignited by a plethora of complaints against men and officers of the special unit. Such complaints range from torture, its use by some powerful citizens to settle their scores against lesser mortals, unprovoked brutalization of innocent citizens, summary execution of suspects etc.No doubt, these allegations against men of the SARS have been confirmed by some victims, it would be totally inexpedient and counter-productive to call for the total scrapping of the anti-robbery squad. What the campaigners should be doing is to call for a holistic reform of the Nigeria Police Force and suggest other means through which we can have a friendlier and more effective police.This is because scrapping SARS, if there is any need to do so, will amount to nothing but treating the symptoms of a rapacious and malignant cancer while the causative agents are allowed to thrive. In such a situation, the cancer patient might experience some relief in the short term, but the cancer would surely reappear and even become more difficult to manage.There is nothing that the SARS is being accused of today that the parent police body is not guilty of. There is an equally plethora of complaints against the police force, and their brutish and crude nature of policing still stares us in the face. In this circumstance, calling for the abrogation of SARS can also mean calling for the abrogation of our entire police force.The case of Apo 6 is still fresh in our memories. That, to say the least, is the height of police brutality. There is no way SARS which is a creation of the police can be expected to be different from its parent body. To call for the end of SARS without reforming the police would only be an exercise in futility. SARS is only a variant of the body it represents, only a part of the policing problem we have had to contend with in this part of this world.The flip side of the issue is that SARS has also become a nightmare to armed robbers. Unfortunately, the way armed robbers seem to dread SARS is the same way ordinary citizens seem to dread them. And this is not supposed to be so. The proper narrative should be that while robbers dread SARS, the feeling of confidence and safety should envelope the ordinary citizen when they encounter men of SARS.This is what advocates of #EndSARS should be agitating for: a more effective and friendlier SARS. It is possible!We cannot cut off our nose to spite our face. To end SARS, we must first of all end armed robbery! As long as there is still armed robbery in our society, we shall continue to have a need for SARS!However, the police hierarchy must do everything they need to do to save its badly battered image from perdition. They must as a matter of urgency reform not only the SARS but also the entire police force. They must be reformed to the extent that their presence should evoke nothing but a sense of pride and confidence rather than disdain in the ordinary citizen.Starting with SARS, those factors which make them feel like gods who have the unbridled rights to torture, brutalise and decimate human lives with reckless abandon must be removed. The word Special in SARS must be changed to read something like Swift, Swift Anti-Robbery Squad. The special in their name seems to be getting into their heads and making them feel indeed special beyond the fight against armed robbery. They must learn that there is nothing more special about them beyond the mutual respect that is supposed to exist between them and the ordinary citizen.They seem to have taken this Special beyond the ordinary to the mundane. A situation where men of the SARS flagrantly abuse basic dressing codes in the name of wearing mufti shows that they believe they are above the norms of policing. It is disheartening to see men of the SARS in leather slippers menacingly wielding horsewhips, machetes, AK47s and barking out orders, threats and abuses at everyone and at no one in particular in areas that are otherwise cool and calm and no report of any incident.There is nothing special about SARS. They are just members of a police unit carved out for the main purpose of tackling armed robbery. That is all!This impunity with which they also operate has been taken a notch higher from the reports gathered from victims, and this stems from their psyche of feeling special. There is this general belief that once anyone is taken into the custody of SARS, the chance of that person being tortured, brutalized or even executed is high. Even petty thieves and common street urchins have had a bitter dose of such ill treatments.It is also believed that the SARS makes itself an easily available tool in the hands of politicians and highly placed members of the society to settle political scores or personal differences. This ought not to be so.The men and officers need to be properly kitted. There is nothing that shows them different from criminals except the bullet proof vest they wear which has the label of SARS.As it is today, SARS is a necessary unit of the police force despite all of its shortcomings. Rather than scrap it, we must take necessary and urgent steps to reform it to be at par with its counterparts in other parts of the world and to serve the people rather than trample upon them. When this is done, we would have #EndedSARS but not without creating a #NewSARS that would be the pride of all Nigerians.#DontEndSARS, #ReformSARS! One of the nine contenders for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairmanship seat Chief Bode George has withdrawn from the race. I entered the contest on the micro-zoning principle, which has been thrashed by little men who have compromised. It appears the PDP is bent on self-destruction. I cant be part of this. The chairmanship position has been sold to the highest bidder, George stated while a briefing newsmen at his campaign office in Abuja. I entere d the race due to the micro zoning arrangement. This micro zoning has been trashed, dumped on the dust bin for personal reason. It appears that PDP is bent on self destruction. It has lost its soul. I cannot be part of this criminal allegation. The PDP is now mangled. I hereby withdraw from the fraud. As a Yoruba patriot, I will stand for our people. Governor Wike must tender an unreserved apology to the Yoruba people for his unguarded utterances against the Yoruba race. I listened to my younger brother and I see it as an insult. I consider it as an insult. I Olabode George did not step down for anybody. My measure of experience is too heavy. What I am stepping down for is the process. The issue of micro zoning has been destroyed. Every position is micro zoned. I am withdrawing purely on principle. You can know the way the party use to bubble and we see it as a brotherly union. From what happened before I thought we could manage it but it is obvious that they system has been bastardized, Bode George, who is a member of PDP Board of Trustees, made this announcement during a conference in Abuja on Friday he said the South West is already cheated with the entrants of aspirants from the South-South.He stands with the micro-zoning principal of the party, which has been jettisoned George also said that, Nyesom Wike, the Governor of Rivers State abused the Yoruba people on a national Television when he said the South West has never contributed anything meaningful to the success of the PDP.He said Governor Wike must tender an unreserved apology to the Yoruba people for his unguarded utterances against the Yoruba race. I listened to my younger brother and I see it as an insult. I consider it as an insult.Read full speech below The Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Buruji Kashamu, has rejected his suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party.He said his suspension in the early hours of Saturday by members of the National Caretaker Committee of the party was illegal.Buruji said he was neither accused of committing any crime not asked to come and defend himself before any committee.He, therefore, wondered why he would just be suspended by the party without following the rules.The National Caretaker Committee of the party led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi had announced Burujis suspension, which it said would last for one month.No reason was given for the decision of the party.But our correspondent gathered that the party took the decision following the ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had on Wednesday, struck out a suit filed by Kashamu, to stop the party from taking any disciplinary action against him. Adamawa United Forum has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare armed Fulani herdsmen as a terrorist group. The organisation, which is an umbrella body for ethnic nationalities in Adamawa State, made the call while reacting to the recent killings of innocent people by suspected Fulani herdsmen in some communities in the state.Chairman of the group, Musa Jekeko, while addressing journalists on Friday in Yola, the capital, urged Buhari to quickly intervene and stop the killings.They demanded the removal of the Minister of Interior, Lt. -Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau, for his failure to arrest the situation.The group said, The Nigerian Government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, ought to have removed Dambazzau and replaced him with someone else, who will properly coordinate internal security in the country.We find it increasingly difficult to comprehend the position of the government on the Fulani militancy. Why would Danbazzau, who had implied that Fulani aggression on our people was civil, turn round to allow military air strikes on our people?The increased Fulani militia operations, under the guise of being herdsmen, especially under the leadership of this administration, raise some fundamental questions on the sincerity of its preparedness to stamp out terrorism.Meanwhile, the youth wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Plateau State has called on the governor, Simon Lalong, to immediately sign the Anti-Open Grazing Bill into law or forget about receiving any votes from them in the 2019 election.President of the body known as YOWICAN, Daniel Kadzai, in a statement said they would continue to resist all groups opposed to the implementation of the bill in the state.While reacting to unsavoury comments allegedly credited to the Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Plateau State chapter, Nura Abdullah, to resist the passage of the bill, Kadzai said they would do their best to ensure the implementation of the law.He said, If Governor Simon Lalong fails to sign the Anti-Open Grazing Bill into law, he should forget about second term in 2019; that will be the end of his political career in Plateau State as we will mobilise the youth against him.His duty as governor is to protect his people against intimidation, harassment and killings by any group or individuals.Fulani people cannot claim to be indigenes of a state as a group of people without one constituency or ward. You can be an indigene as an individual or family but not what MACBAN is claiming to be.You cannot come to my house and dictate to me how I should carry out activities in my domain. If Fulani are members of the Plateau State House of Assembly, they should vote against the bill. At the end of the day, the majority will decide with their votes because this is democracy. A failed House of Representatives aspirant, Eno Ekapong Ofem, was on Friday arraigned before Justice Valentine B. Ashi of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court Apo, Abuja for impersonating a staff in the office of the Chief of Staff to the President.Ofem, who claimed to be the special adviser to the Chief of Staff to the President, reportedly fleeced many persons to the tune of N100 million, promising them top political appointments in the Presidency before nemesis caught up with him.The suspect, who failed to clinch the House of Representatives seat in 2015, was dragged before the court to account for his crime by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, which slammed him with a six-count charge bordering on fraud and obtaining money under false pretence.His arrest and arraignment followed petitions filed by victims of his atrocities to the ICPC, which immediately swung into action to get him apprehended before he could swindle more Nigerians.According to ICPC, Mr. Ofem had been presenting himself to his unsuspecting victims as a Special Adviser to the Chief of Staff to the President, a claim that he used to defraud citizens to the tune of N100 million on the pretext that he would get them ministerial, board and other appointments.The monies had been deposited into his bank account on various dates from June 2016.The charges brought against the defendant indicated that his actions contravened Sections 324 and 322 of the Penal Code Act and Cap 352 Vol. 4 LFN 2004.The accused, who pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him, applied for bail through his lawyer, Mr. Edidion Osungurua, but was denied by the court. ICPC prosecution team, led by Mr. Elijah Akaakohol, did not oppose the application but asked for stringent conditions to be attached to the bail.But in his ruling, Justice Ashi, denied him bail and ordered his remand in Prison custody until 16th January 2018 when the bail application would be heard. An aide to Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) on Youth Matters, Mr Bashir Ahmad, has been kidnapped.Sani, who made the announcement on his Facebook post, said Ahmad, 45, was kidnapped by some gunmen in Tudun Wada Area of Kaduna South, Kaduna State on Dec. 8.He said the victim had some weeks ago reported to the police that some unknown gunmen had visited his residence in search of him.I received the news of the abduction of one of my youth leader and brother in the person of Mallam Bashir Ahmad by masked Gunmen in Tudun Wada Area of Kaduna South.Eye witness narrated that the masked Gunmen molested Mallam Bashir Ahmad before whisking him away to an unknown destination.Some weeks ago, Mallam Bashir raised alarm and reported to the Police when he was told by neigbours that some armed mask men came looking for him when he was not at home, he said.The lawmaker said, relevant security agencies had been alerted on the incidence.According to him, efforts will be put in place to secure his freedom.Sani assured Ahmads family and friends that he and other well-wishers would continue to remember him in their prayers, and that they would stand solidly by him until he returned home. Friends of former President Olusegun Obasanjo once toyed with the idea of storming the Yola Prisons with commandoes for the purpose of ... Friends of former President Olusegun Obasanjo once toyed with the idea of storming the Yola Prisons with commandoes for the purpose of liberating him from incarceration during the Sani Abacha years, it was revealed yesterday.They were however talked out of the plot by Obasanjo himself.I said no, if you do that, I will not leave the prison, he said at an event in Abuja to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of General Shehu Musa YarAdua, Obasanjos deputy when he was military head of state from 1976 to 1979.The duo were arrested in 1995 in connection with a phantom coup by the Abacha Administration.They were subsequently sentenced to death before the sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.YarAdua died in the Abakaliki Prison in 1997, Abacha a year later, and following the emergence of General Abdulsalami Abubakar as Head of State,Obasanjo was released from prison.He went on to become civilian president in 1999 and was re-elected in 2003.Going down memory lane on how he and YarAdua were arrested, tried and sentenced over the alleged coup plot, Obasanjo said: When Shehu was first arrested, I was out in South Africa, and I rushed back home and asked the man who arrested him, and the man who arrested him said to me that he did not know that Shehu had been arrested.I said, Mr. Head of State, say that to the marines. There is no way the number two man in this country at one time will be arrested without the knowledge of the current number one man. Soon after, Shehu was released, but only for a few weeks.When he was arrested a second time, I was arrested along with him and kept in separate locations. But after the verdict was given about what would happen to us, we met in Kirikiri. I believe that was his mistake because that was the last time we actually stayed together.We had about three nights and we were able to speak and work together even at the Kirikiri Maximum prison. Even in prison, we strategised together. Unfortunately, our strategy did not work.Continuing, Obasanjo said: When Shehu died in prison, my international friends decided that they would use the commando plan to get me out of prison, and they actually did make the plan, got the money and wanted to get a helicopter to get me out of Yola prison and take me to Cameroon.They sent a message to me and I told them if you do, I will not get out of prison, and that was when they dropped the idea of using commando effort to get me out of prison.That would have defeated what we stood for. We stood for Nigeria and we stood to face whatever consequences standing for Nigeria would cost us.It cost Shehu Yaradua his life. Those of us who believe in what Shehu stood for and are still alive, the only thing we can do is to allow the struggle to continue, because we are not at the end of the struggle yet.He described YarAdua as the best deputy he could ever dream of.His words: I could not have had a better deputy than Shehu Yaradua. When I was military Head of State, we had quite a number of exciting and serious times together that we shared.One day, I had cold and the doctor came to see me, and I said to him, supposed this cold decides to take my life and I slump, what will you do? He said, I will try first aid and I will do all I need to do to revive you.I said, If you try that and it doesnt work, what will you do?He said, I will call the Chief of Staff.Just then, Shehu came in and I said: Shehu, listen to what we were talking about, and I relayed to him the discussion and told him, Now that you have come in, I am here on the ground, what will you do?He said, I have no problem with that. I will kick you with my military boot and say get up, this is your job!We had such interesting times together. We also had difficult times together.We had to put our heads together and discuss how we could handle the issue of transition, how to implement our own programmers and how to move Nigeria forward.We succeeded in doing what I believed was the right thing for the country at that time and putting in place a democratically elected government.A few years after that, Shehu came to me in the farm and said he wanted to set up a grassroots party. He said from his study, he had discovered that Nigeria had never really had a truly grassroots party, not even NEPU.I asked him if there was anything he wanted us to do while in government that we did not do and he said no. I said then, I pray that this grassroots party that you want to build will succeed.I asked him, Do you want to use this grassroots party to get into power?He said, Not really. But if it turns out to be the case, will you ask me not to?I told him not really, but I will be very glad if it turns out to be the case.Many members of that party have remained loyal to the cause he set out to build; his ideals and what he stood for both when he was alive and when he departed.Obasanjo said Yaradua lived a life of service, saying, Those of us who knew Shehu very well, knew the type of man he was, the type of live he lived, his commitment to his family, to his religion, to his nation and his friends.When you asked the question, what is life, I think Shehu Yaraduas life typifies the answer to that question.He lived his life and gave us eloquent answers about what life is, and that is also evident from what we have seen here today. Twenty years after he passed on, we are here with his memory still green and fresh in all of us.Former Vice President and one of YarAduas closest political associates, Atiku Abubakar, who is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Shehu Yaradua Foundation, was conspicuously missing at the event. His wife, Titi, was however present.President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone eulogised the late Tafidan Katsina for his selfless service to the country, while one of his colleagues in the army, General Paul Tarfa, explained that the coup that toppled Yakubu Gowon was staged principally against the junta and not aimed at Gowon.Dignitaries at the event include former Minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma; former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri; former Governors Donald Duke of Cross Rivers and Peter Obi of Anambra; Mrs Titilayo Ajanaku; Ambassador Patrick Dele Cole; Gen. Paul Tarfa, among others. DECATUR During his decade-long battle with cancer, Silas Martin was adamant about one thing: doing whatever he could to further research into pediatric brain tumors, especially the rare kind that he had. That included donating tissue removed during brain surgery he had in 2010, and leaving instructions for his entire brain to be donated after his death in December 2014. Now, three years later, Silas contributions are helping doctors better understand how to identify and potentially treat tumors like the one that took his life at the age of 16. He has also inspired others to donate their brains to the same research. We rarely, if ever, get autopsy material, said Dr. Josh Rubin, a professor of pediatrics and neuroscience and co-director of the pediatric neuro-oncology program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. We don't know what happens to tumors that don't respond to treatment. (Thanks to Silas' donation) we could potentially identify the reason they don't respond, and learn to recognize them better, and change the therapy in a way that might better treat them. While it's still too early to consider any of the progress a breakthrough, Rubin is encouraged and hopes that the donations that started with Silas will help doctors discover common features and new treatments. The comeback kid Silas was was born with neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic disorder. Symptoms can include overactive growth hormones, deteriorating eyesight and tumors on the spine. He was diagnosed with brain tumors at age 6, which wrapped around his optic nerve and damaged his vision further, so that he was legally blind. He fought his health problems throughout his life, including the surgery when his right temporal lobe and hippocampus were removed in 2010 to reduce seizures, before the diagnosis of primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) in 2013. That type of tumor is much more commonly found in children than teens and adults. The fatality rate is high, with a five-year survival rate around 53 percent, according to an article published in the American Cancer Society journal in 2012. That type of tumor is almost never found in people with neurofibramatosis, like Silas. Doctors told Gloria Martin, Silas' mother, that only three other cases like his were known in 2013. Even with the multiple health issues he faced for almost his whole life, Silas had an inquiring mind and a sense of humor. On July 29, 2010, due to seizures that couldn't be controlled, Silas underwent surgery to remove a portion of his brain. He asked his mother to post on Facebook the photos taken during the procedure, before and after the brain tissue was removed. He thought they were interesting. When Silas woke up in recovery, he told his mom, with his signature humor, that he felt lightheaded. Just days later, he was home in time to walk around the carnival area at Decatur Celebration, though he had to stop at the Decatur Memorial Hospital tent to rest and get his blood pressure checked. "They couldn't believe he was walking around, days after that serious a surgery. He was eating a hot dog within three or four days of this surgery," Martin said. "I couldn't believe he could move his jaw, let alone eat a hot dog. That was so typical of him. He was a 'comeback kid.' Friends and classmates at Decatur Christian School often cite Silas' unshakeable faith as an example that inspires them, and at least one friend, Poppy Anantachai, credits his example with her own conversion to Christianity. Silas was fully aware of his prognosis and an active participant in treatment decisions, always choosing the most aggressive treatment in the hope it would lead to further knowledge for the doctors. At Silas' first brain surgery, we were told about the research being done, Martin said. They were growing brain tumors in mice, and the kids often named their mouse, even though they never saw them. From that point on, Silas, with all his curiosity and questions, wanted to visit the lab. That visit happened not long before Silas died. During it, he made a request of Rubin, who was one of his doctors. He came to visit me in the lab and we were sitting at the microscope together, and he asked me if I could do something great with his brain, Rubin said. I said I thought we could. We understood a lot about brain tumors from the surgical specimens we got at the time of (Silas') diagnosis, but we understand very little about tumors that don't respond to treatment." A legacy of progress The project that started with Silas' donation has been named The Legacy Program and now 10 brains are available to use in research, Rubin said, which he hopes will lead to real progress in learning how to treat pediatric brain tumors. The project includes several focus areas. One is with experimental imaging to determine whether clinical imaging practices give doctors an accurate picture of where the entire tumor is. That's been an extraordinary activity, Rubin said. It would appear that we routinely underestimate how much tumor is in the brains of kids doing poorly. That's very important. Much of our therapy is designed to help treat the tumor where it is, and if we're not detecting all of it, it's hard to cure it. Another promising line of research is in how to use MRIs to better identify the actual areas within the tumor that are most likely to recur, he said. An MRI image of a tumor shows areas of white, gray and black and the differences in color mean something, but medical science has very little information on what the differences mean. A third area is using DNA sequencing to look in detail at a recently recognized heterogeneity, or diverse elements within the tumor. Doctors once believed that every cell in a tumor was like the other cells, but Rubin said they have since learned that isn't true. Tumors have multiple clones and at any time, one sub-population might be responding to treatment while another is not. We're mapping that heterogeneity in terms of the three-dimensional structure of the tumor and parts that have metastasized, what population is doing what, to better design therapies, Rubin said. The team has made advances in all three areas, Rubin added, steady progress that hadn't been possible prior to having a whole brain with the tumor still in it to study. Silas' mother was invited to a presentation on Nov. 4 to hear about the progress being made. "It blew me away, when I found out the Legacy Project started with Silas' donation," Martin said. "I wish you could have seen all the slides, with the progress they are making as a result of the research." Before the surgery to remove the tumor that had come back, Martin said, she was told to talk to Silas and let him know there was a chance he wouldn't live through the procedure, due to the location of the tumor. Silas told me he didn't care, as long as his brain went to Dr. Rubin, Martin said. Eight days later, he had a stroke right before my eyes. I was the only person in the room with him. About 10 days after that is when he started telling people, 'I'll be healed this side or the other.' It turned out to be the other side, after he was sent home on hospice care when the doctors broke it to Martin and Silas' father, Brock, that there was nothing more they could do. During the weeks immediately following, while Silas was still feeling up to it, friends organized a ride in a motorcycle sidecar to fulfill one of Silas' longtime wishes, and Man Vs. Food host Adam Richman came to the house to visit, fulfilling another wish. The two chatted like old friends and Richman got to try Donnie's Homespun pizza, at Silas' urging. Richman has stayed in touch with the family since. Silas even planned his own funeral, and before he died, he told his mom he'd find a way to let her know if dogs go to heaven, as the family had lost their beloved Posh to bone cancer not long before. Martin said there was nothing in the Bible suggesting he'd be able to do that. Silas' response was typical. What? You don't want me to levitate some books? Silas asked. A former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, on Friday declared his support for Atiku Abubakar, as the former vice president intensifies c... A former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, on Friday declared his support for Atiku Abubakar, as the former vice president intensifies consultations for a presidential run in 2019.Mr. Babangida, Nigerias leader from 1985-1993, said media reports that he advised Mr. Abubakar not to run for election during a closed-door meeting Thursday was laughable because it was sponsored.Anybody who has sponsored such report was just being unfair. Babangida and Abubakar, Kassim Afegbua, a spokesperson for the former military leader, told newsmen Friday evening.Mr. Afegbua said no one knew the outcome of the meeting because it was held behind closed-doors amongst the two leaders.The comments came a day after the two leaders met at the hilltop residence of Mr. Babangida in Minna, the Niger State capital, around noon Thursday.Media accounts of the meeting said Mr. Abubakar angrily left his host because he was advised not to run against President Muhammadu Buhari.The reports further speculated that the unfriendly face Mr. Abubakar allegedly wore indicated that he was rejected by Mr. Babangida.The report is very, very untrue, Mr. Afegbua said. When I read the report, I was laughing. Because it is far from what they both discussed.Number one, IBB will not discourage anyone from seeking office. IBB will encourage anyone to seek election, the spokesperson added.Mr. Afegbua said the relationship between his principal and his host remains cordial, warning reporters to stop playing politics with peoples relationship.They had a very useful political discussion. IBB also has a good relationship with Atiku. Its not good to play politics with the relationship of people.Similarly, Paul Ibe, a spokesperson for Mr. Abubakar said since the meeting was held by only the two leaders, it would be difficult for anyone to know the details.Except those who were carrying these fake speculations were flying on the wall, theres no way anyone would have known what happened, Mr. Ibe said. The report is a figment of the imagination of people.Mr. Ibe said the two leaders have been friends for a long time, and the outcome of their meeting was positive.Both leaders have enjoyed a mutual relationship for many years and what I gathered was that the meeting was very, very fruitful, he added.On Sunday, Mr. Abubakar returned to the PDP for the third time since 2007 when he left the party after serving eight years on its platform as a vice-president.The move came a little over a week after he resigned from the All Progressives Congress.He is expected to slug it out with President Buhari in 2019, if the incumbents recent signals of a possible re-election bid take hold. Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, on Saturday called for unification of the party, ahead of 2019. Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, on Saturday called for unification of the party, ahead of 2019. He said the PDP must unite as a party to secure the trust of the Nigerian people again because under the APC, Nigeria is not working and our people are not working. Addressing delegates at the partys national elective convention at the Eagles Square in Abuja, Abubakar said he was happy to return back to PDP which he called home. According to Abubakar, Today Im proud to say I have returned home to our party. I am proud that the PDP has an unequalled record of growing our economy for the benefit of all. However, in 2015 the PDP was no longer united and Nigerians voted for change. Now we must unite as a party to secure the TRUST of the Nigerian people again because under the APC Nigeria is not working and our people are not working. The APC promised three million new jobs a year. In Government, the APC has lost us three million jobs a year. The APC promised a war on corruption but all they have delivered is a war on the opposition, with handouts for their cronies and handcuffs for their opponents. Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, says Boko Haram will be subdued when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, returns to power in 2019. ... Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, says Boko Haram will be subdued when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, returns to power in 2019. The Senator stated this while speaking at the PDP convention holding presently at the Eagle Square Abuja. The people of the north east were liberated from Boko Haram but they are now being afflicted. There will be peace in the north east when PDP returns to power, he said. Former Niger governor, Babangida Aliyu, also speaking on behalf of former governors assured Nigerians of jobs when PDP takes over in 2019. Nigerians now know that PDP has done beautifully well. They now realise that there is no alternative to PDP in Nigeria. After 2019 we will ensure qualitative and functional education. The government of PDP will create employment for the millions of graduates that have no place to work now. We will ensure that Agriculture is transformed. One of the aspirants to the office of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, has faulted the nation... One of the aspirants to the office of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, has faulted the national leadership of the party over the distribution of what is called Unity List among the delegates at the convention venue.The delegates were expected to use the list to determine who they would vote at the national convention of the party.Dokpesis name was missing on the list, which was described as the preferred candidates by the 11 governors elected on the platform of the party for various positions.Dokpesi described the process as a charade which he said might destroy the party.Dokpesi told journalists at the convention ground that the process of voting had been compromised following the distribution of thelist.He explained that the 21 names of candidates contained in the list appeared on the ballot papers as number one and in the voting boots as number one.He said complaints were lodged to the Chairman of the PDP Electoral Committee, Dr. Gabriel Susuan, who he said confirmed that he had seen the list with some delegates.Dokpesi said it was unfortunate that a party which was just getting out of a major leadership crisis would be involved in acts of impunity and election malpractice.He, however, called on the party leadership to urgently rectify what he called an anomaly and a charade before it becomes another major challenge in the party, ahead 2019 general elections. Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers says he has right just like every individual to support any aspirant of his choice to contest the Peoples Democr... Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers says he has right just like every individual to support any aspirant of his choice to contest the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairmanship position. He said this on Saturday in Abuja, at the party`s national convention. Wike was reacting to allegation that he was imposing a particular aspirant on party members. You know in politics you hear a lot of stories, I have a right to support any candidate of my choice, and I do not see how that can be said to be imposition. Making statements that some people have hijacked the party is not correct, with all due respect, we are not playing sentiments, the people know what they want, Wike said. He added that though governors may have influence, such influence was limited to their states, saying that there was nothing wrong in a governor backing an aspirant he believed in his capacities. One of the aspirants, Chief Olabode George, a member of the PDP Board of Trustee (BoT), while announcing his withdrawal from the race, accused Wike of insulting the Yoruba race on a national television. Wike said that the Yoruba people had never contributed anything meaningful to the success of the PDP, a statement he said was insultive. George maintained that Wike must tender an unreserved apology to the Yoruba people for his utterances against the race. George, who was among four other aspirants that withdrew from the race, also accused Wike of hijacking the party`s machinery and trying to impose a particular aspirant on its members. The PDP BoT member who stood for the party`s micro-zoning principal said that the South-West was already cheated with the entrant of aspirants from the South-South. He also alleged that the PDP chairmanship position had been sold to the highest bidder. It appears the PDP is bent on self-destruction, I cant be part of this, the chairmanship position has been sold to the highest bidder. It appears that PDP has lost its soul. I cannot be part of this criminal allegation, the PDP is now mangled. I hereby withdraw from the fraud as a Yoruba patriot, I will stand for our people, George said while announcing his withdrawal from the race. He added that he entered the race due to the micro zoning arrangement which he said had been trashed. He, however, explained that he did not step down from the race for anybody, but for the process and on principle, adding that his measure of experience was too heavy. Wike, while reacting to the development, said; with all due respect, George is suppose to be seen as a father, what he did yesterday was to exhibit failure. According to Wike, George cannot change the fortune of the party in his zone when the opportunity presented itself. He, however, expressed optimism that the PDP would become stronger after the convention in spite of the withdrawal of George and other aspirants from the race. He added that George was one of the leaders of the party, and one of its founding father and could not run away from it. A former Governor of Niger, Babangida Aliyu, says the party will fight corruption, to reduce poverty in the country.He made this known in a goodwill message at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Convention in Abuja on Saturday.Aliyu, who spoke on behalf of former PDP governors, said come 2019, the party would ensure that agriculture was given the kind of subsidy required.We will ensure that agriculture becomes commercialised and mechanised. Naira has depreciated. Importing any food in Nigeria will be a waste because you will not make any profit.Our importers are not importing food and therefore we must understand that it was not a deliberate plan; it was a plan by devaluation.Aliyu commended the National Caretaker Committee Chairman Ahmed Makarfi for holding forth during the partys trying moments.We will live more united, stronger and ready to take over in 2019, PDP governors have done beautifully well and there is no alternative to the PDP, he said. "Rochas Okorocha, a man who has spent more money on statues than he has on living human beings has now appointed his biological si... "Rochas Okorocha, a man who has spent more money on statues than he has on living human beings has now appointed his biological sister as Commissioner for Happiness and Couples Fulfilment. What sin did Imo people commit to deserve this embarrassment as their Governor? And this Rochas, a man that so wants his people to be happy that he creates a ministry for happiness for them nevertheless delays their salaries and pensions. And when his unpaid workers and pensioners take to keke-riding to augment their income, he bans that too. Apparently, Rochas has provided enough statues to make them happy! And the so-called commissioner for happiness is anything but a happy camper. One could even ask whether she is commissioner for happiness or commissioner for ANGER? Her public comments since her appointment project RAGE rather than joy. Perhaps she should have been made Imo States commissioner for DEFENCE? To every unhappy Nigerian, do not worry. Happiness beckons as Rochas Okorocha has announced that he will contest for President whenever President Buharis tenure of unhappiness ends. However, with this recent episode in the dramatic life of Rochas, I am left with little choice but to conclude that Rochas Okorocha is a perfect example of why all aspirants to high offices in Nigeria should submit themselves for psychiatric evaluation before being permitted to contest. But coming back to reality though, these are the types of tales you expect to see being dramatised in badly written Nollywood movies of the Idumota variety. Now I know what people mean when they say that no matter how strange fiction is, reality is often stranger than fiction. Governor Okorocha and the All Progressives Congress have shown such monumental cluelessness that even I, an opposition politician, am ashamed for them, because obviously, they have no capacity to feel shame. Coming on the heels of Okorochas joke of a government, we were regaled by the Presidency with the news that President Buhari had commissioned the release of 500 inmates of Kano Central Prison. I kid you not! In fact, the tweet by the Presidents spokesman reads as follows (and this is a direct quote): President @MBuhari commissions the release of 500 inmates pardoned by Kano State Government at the Kurmawa prison. #PMBinKano. Obviously, the spokesperson, Bashir Ahmad, does not have a heart for his job, because he deleted the tweet from his TL on @BashirAhmaad after he got pilloried by angry Nigerians. But what has Nigeria done to deserve such leaders? Leaders who major on the minor and minor on the major. Not only did it take President Muhammadu Buhari forever to respond to the atrocious treatment of Nigerians and other Sub-Saharan Africans in Libya, the President betrayed his deep ignorance of the state of affairs in Nigeria when he expressed wonder at what Nigerians were going to do in Libya. President Buhari said he is sad that Nigerians are being sold like goats in Libya. He must have forgotten that his army killed 347 Nigerian Shiite men, women, children and infants, then buried them in a mass grave like goats. Has he done anything to those who committed that act? So how is he better than the Libyans? The President asked why Nigerian go to Libya. What choice do they have? Are they safer in Nigeria than in Libya? If Boko Haram does not slaughter them, herdsmen will kill them. If SARS doesnt shoot them, the chief of army staff may send them to the great beyond for blocking his route. If APC does not finish them with joblessness, APC will finish them by increasing the cost of petrol, electric and food. And even if you guys have jobs, your APC Governor may prefer to use your salaries to erect statues for leaders of distant lands. If all of that does not happen, kidnappers are there to fulfil all righteousness. So, Mr. President, please dont ask such an obvious question! Many of those who are actually making the perilous journey to Europe through the Sahara desert via Libya belong to those described by President Buhari as the disfavoured 5%. After having been told by the man to whom they looked up to for leadership that they were not his priorities, should anyone be surprised that people from the South-south and South-east began checking out? And speaking of leadership, if you want to know the difference between a leader and a dealer, all you need to do is compare President Uhuru Kenyattas inaugural speech with that of President Buhari. To help you, I have quoted the relevant portions below: I undertake to be the keeper of the aspirations of both those who voted for me and those who did not- President Uhuru Kenyatta. Now compare it with the following, The constituents who gave me 97% cannot in all honesty be treated on some issues with constituencies that gave me 5%-President Muhammadu Buhari. Now ask yourself if you will see a future for yourself in Nigeria if you are from the constituencies that gave me 5%? And that is why they are voting with their feet. In fact, to many of them, Operations Python Dance and Crocodile Smile were the last straw. Many of these long-suffering Nigerians had noted that even where there was widespread killings and devastation by herdsmen and other criminals (in Buharis Nigeria, you are only a terrorist if you are from the 5%). In the 97% areas, no military operations were unleashed there. There is a lot I can write about the new and improved Federal Republic of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, but let me end by quoting the conclusion of George Orwells Animal Farm: The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. Renos Nuggets The only thing it should cost you to sleep with a woman is love followed by marriage. As long as it cost you money to sleep with a woman, she is a prostitute, whether or not you rebrand her girlfriend or fiancee. That is why you should never marry a Slay Queen. When distance comes between you and your Slay Queen, she will find another Wallet King. But when distance comes between you and a true Pray Queen, she will find another way to reach you #RenosNuggets. The United States and the United Kingdom have insisted that the risk of attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in the Federal Capital Territory and other states remains high throughout the festive season.The two missions in their security advice cautioned their citizens against all but essential travels to Bauchi, Zamfara, Kano; Kaduna; Jigawa; Katsina, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, and Yobe states during the Yuletide.The two countries stated that the risk of terrorist attacks was still high in the run-up to and throughout the Christmas and New Year holiday period.Terrorist groups have threatened to conduct bombings and attacks in the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) area during this period. You should avoid places where crowds gather, including religious gatherings and places of worship, markets, shopping malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, transport hubs and camps for displaced people, the UK mission said in the updated travel advisory on its website.The same security warning was also echoed by the US mission, which asked Americans to review their personal security plans and avoid the states listed in the travel advisory.The two countries had issued the security advice ahead of the December 1 Id el Maulud holiday, which passed without any eventualities. This had made some members of the public assume that the threat was over.However, the US Embassy Information Officer, Russell Brooks, said the warning would stand till the end of the year, adding that it was not limited to the last public holiday in the country.He referred one of our correspondents to the warning which says, The US Mission remains concerned about potential attacks in the states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, and Yobe; travellers are urged to avoid those states through the end of the year.If you construed the warning as referring to last Fridays holiday (December 1), you are mistaken, Brooks stated.The British mission spokesman, Joe Abuku, also referred one of our correspondents to the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices warning dated December 1, 2017, which was being updated daily to reflect the latest situation.The police had also on Friday said the plot by Boko Haram to bomb Abuja and other states was real. The FCT Commissioner of Police, Sadiq Bello, however, said the police would work with other security agencies to make sure that the threat was not actualised.It was gathered that the police had deployed undercover operatives in strategic locations in the FCT to foil any terrorist plot.Security sources stated that agencies were also stepping up intelligence gathering and surveillance of dark spots which suspected Boko Haram members might infiltrate to carry out their dastardly act.It was gathered that personnel were raiding vulnerable areas and carrying out arrests of miscreants and other hoodlums who could be used by the insurgents to carry out attacks to demonstrate that they are still a terror group to reckon with.Army places troops on alertThere are strong indications that the Nigerian Army will deploy more troops in the major highways in the FCT, anytime from now to forestall any attack during the Yuletide.Although, the army has not officially made a statement, Saturday PUNCH learnt from sources that the army had placed its troops, particularly men and officers of the Guards Brigade, Abuja, on a high alert, to forestall any breach of security.This is just as the newly established Army War College, Abuja, on Friday graduated 33 pioneer officers from the institution, who were trained in operational arts, campaign and strategic skills.A military source told Saturday PUNCH that very strong internal security measures were being put in place.He said, We cannot make any statement yet because the police have been speaking on the threat. But in any case, it is a synergy among all the security agencies.The army knows its roles and it has placed its troops on an alert. The soldiers at the various checkpoints know what to look out for. We are leaving nothing to chance.This is not the first time there will be such threats. For the army, it is a familiar terrain. We know how to deal with threats.The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, who was the special guest at the Army War College graduation, dropped a hint about the threat, saying the training came at the right time.Olonisakin said, You must justify the enormous resources that were deployed to give you such world-class training. The training is coming at the right time. You should apply the knowledge you have acquired from now till the end of your military career.The importance of training in moulding, professionalising and discipline of officers has contributed significantly in degrading the Boko Haram terrorists capabilities. I urge you all to remain loyal to constituted authorities at all times.The war college graduated 30 officers who were Lieutenant Colonels, Colonels, a Captain from Navy, a Wing Commander from the Air Force and an Assistant Commissioner of Police.The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, at the event, said the training was necessary to sharpen the officers basic strategic skills. NEW YORK -- Former Hoboken City Council President Christopher Campos, who was convicted of helping orchestrate a complex--and illegal--livery cab financing scheme that drew in his wife, his cousin, and his brother, was sentenced Friday to 30 months in prison. The scheme involved dozens of buyers who borrowed money to buy new cars they could not afford, for vehicles they claimed were for their own personal use, but were actually leased out to others and driven as cabs on the streets of New York. More than $7 million in loans were obtained from multiple banks, and most went into default, said prosecutors. Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said Campos defrauded lenders out of millions of dollars. Defense attorney Lee Vartan of West Orange said Campos maintains his innocence. "It's not over," said Vartan. "We plan on appealing." Campos, 41, an attorney and former municipal prosecutor in West New York, served on the Hoboken council until he lost a hotly contested race in 2007 to Dawn Zimmer, who ultimately became mayor. According to filings by the Southern District of New York, the plan was conceived in the fall of 2012 when Julio Alvarez, charged as a co-conspirator, came up with the idea to buy a fleet of cars that they would lease directly to livery cab drivers. The idea was that initial lease payments from the drivers would be used to pay off the loans and insurance payments. After the loans were satisfied, the continuing lease payments from the cab drivers would be divided among the group. However, Alvarez soon realized he could not come up with the financing to legitimately obtain the number of cars that were needed. Prosecutors said Alvarez and others involved in the scheme instead decided to recruit "straw buyers" with good credit histories who would pose as legitimate customers, and brought in Campos, who Vartan said had once represented Alvarez in a legal matter. They had buyers purchase multiple cars at once--all financed by different banks--while claiming they were buying the vehicles for their own personal use, according to the court filings. "The co-conspirators agreed that Campos would help recruit straw buyers and receive a 'cut from every car that we could purchase under those people's names,'" the U.S. Attorney's office said in a sentencing memo filed last week. "Campos understood that the straw buyers were expected to purchase multiple cars at a time, in their own names." According to prosecutors, the loan applications were based on bogus income claims. The straw buyers included his wife and other family members. Campos' wife, for example, had an annual income of just over $20,000 a year. But prosecutors said she signed paperwork to purchase four cars worth over $100,000--or five times what she was actually earning. His cousin, living on social security disability payments with no other income, obtained loans to purchase nine cars, said prosecutors. At trial, Campos testified that he had no knowledge of how the cars were financed nor any knowledge that lies were told to the lenders to obtain financing. Vartan said Campos was a victim in the case. But the U.S. Attorney's office said Campos not only participated in defrauding the lenders, but lied to some of them an attempt to conceal the fraud as it all began to unravel. Campos, who now lives in Palisades Park, was convicted by a jury in Manhattan in June after a week-long trial of bank and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud in connection with the plan. In seeking a prison term, prosecutors said Campos "exploited the trust and loyalty of people close to him, and often less sophisticated than him, in order to make a quick buck for himself. As a direct result, lenders lost almost half a million dollars and the people recruited by Campos were financially ruined." The U.S. Attorney's office sought a term in excess of five years, but U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni, presided over that trial, sentenced Campos to 30 months. Julio Alvarez pleaded guilty and was sentenced last month to three years in prison. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook. BAYONNE -- Joe DeMarco, the city business administrator, will step down from his role in City Hall to manage the re-election campaign of Mayor Jimmy Davis. In a statement, Phil Swibinski, a campaign spokesman for Davis, said that DeMarco will assume his new role effective Dec. 18 in order to manage the re-election campaign's day-to-day operations. DeMarco -- "one of New Jersey's most strategic and effective political operatives," Swibinski said -- told The Jersey Journal in an interview that he sees the job shift not as stepping down, but as "switching the focus to ensure the city continues to stay on its path." "It's pretty evident that the city has been going in a different direction over the past three years," he said, citing development, park improvements and infrastructure investment. "So that momentum needs to continue for the viability of the city, and the only way to really continue that is with the same council and the same mayor." Davis, who was elected to his first term in 2014 after an upset victory against incumbent Mayor Mark Smith, will face off against Jason O'Donnell in a May 2018 municipal election. O'Donnell is a former Assemblyman in the 31st Legislative District, and was the public safety director and director of municipal services under Smith. The two candidates have contrasting perceptions of their city: O'Donnell, in a campaign kick-off address, said the city and its residents are in need of rescuing from "out of control spending," ever-rising property taxes and bad development deals that threaten to hurt the educational future of the city's children. DeMarco, meanwhile, said the city is "in its early stages of a renaissance, or a rebirth" and sees the election as important "because it really takes Bayonne to the next level." "Or else we go back to the stagnation that existed for years," he added. Terrence Malloy, the city's chief financial officer, will fill in as the city's business administrator in DeMarco's absence. It is unclear if he will work both positions simultaneously. DeMarco, a Bernardsville resident, said that he does plan on returning to city hall in some capacity after the election. "But we have to win first," he added. Corey W. McDonald may be reached at cmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @coreymacc. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. JERSEY CITY -- Anger and grief boiled over in court at the sentencing of three men for their roles in the killing of a 16-year-old Jersey City boy in a hail of gunfire prosecutors say had no intended target and was aimed at "shooting up" the area. "Everything reminds me of him everywhere -- a smell, a place I pass," Dawn Witherspoon said through tears at Friday's sentencing. Her son, Ronald Witherspoon, died days after being shot in the head in the area of Monticello and Belmont Avenues early on July 22, 2015. At Friday's hearing, Dwayne Powell, 20, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter and Marquis Nicken, 23, was sentenced to 15 years for the same crime. Darius Emanuel, 24, was sentenced to six years in prison for conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. The mother said she heard the shots that claimed her son's life only a few doors from their home. "There were two guns -- the sounds were different," she said. "I said 'Where's my son?' We ran to the corner and there was my son on the ground. ... Why did you all do this? I don't understand why. I don't know. I just don't know." Powell, Nicken and Emanual are three of six people who have pleaded guilty in the senseless death. The remaining defendants will be sentenced on Monday at 9 a.m., also by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick Arre in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City. Naji McDuffy and Justin M. Nesmith, both 26, face up to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Tyriek Porch, 26 faces up to five years for hindering apprehension. The boy's father, Ronald Witherspoon Sr., also cried as he spoke in court. "They say that time heals all wounds," the father said. "I guess the person who said that never lost a child to a violent crime. Every time you have a good day, a good week, a little voice pops up on your mind that remind you you miss him. It just brings sadness to your heart." Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Lynne Seborowski noted the devastation the shooting has wreaked. She said on one side of the courtroom was a family that will visit their loved one in a cemetery. On the other were families who will visit their loved ones in prison. Emanuel's mother, Toni Emanuel, did not stand beside her son when she spoke at the hearing, crying loudly and uncontrollably. "I'm so very sorry my son had something to do with this," Toni Emanuel said. "I don't know how much it hurts to miss someone, but I cry too... I wanted to go to the funeral, but I didn't know what the family would say." As she walked back to her seat still sobbing inconsolably, she managed to say "I'm sorry" again as she passed the Witherspoon family. Of the defendants, only Nicken spoke. He said his family recently suffered a loss and he has seen the impact it has had. Nickens faced the Witherspoon family and said "I regret what I have done. ... (Witherspoon Jr.) was young and he didn't deserve it. Like I said, my family is going through the same thing." Witherspoon Sr. said he had driven his son and Darius Emanuel's little brother home from school every day and noted the defendant's prior gun conviction. "The justice system didn't fail this young man," the father said. "It gave him a chance to go back and live with other citizens and he did it again... He never said 'If it has to do with guns, I want to get away from it...' Sooner or later the message has to be sent to these people that guns are out of line." The defendants must serve 85 percent of their sentences before becoming eligible for parole. JERSEY CITY -- Some 400 kids took a seat inside Liberty Science Center this morning and were in awe of what surrounded them. The Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium will open Saturday following an 18-month renovation that saw the science center's famed IMAX dome theater converted into one of the world's largest planetariums. Students from six schools from Jersey City, North Bergen, Union City, River Edge, Neptune and Staten Island filled the seats today and experienced the wonder of the massive planetarium before anyone else. "Wow, this is so cool!" the elementary schools students repeated throughout the 45-minute show. At 89 feet wide and 60 feet tall, the new planetarium is the largest in the Western Hemisphere and fourth largest in the world, LSC said. It features 10 projectors with 88 million pixels -- 32 times the resolution of the HDTV in households and six times the resolution of new movie screens. Planetarium director Mike Shanahan presented the show to the students, asking them questions and interacting with them throughout today's show. "I am interested in finding out all the purposes for this planetarium," Shanahan said following the show. "I have worked in many planetariums and museums and I think this one has tons of potential." The planetarium, which is named after its $5 million donor, Jennifer Chalsty, is housed in the old IMAX Theater, which was gutted and renovated to fit the needs of a planetarium. The first show at the planetarium tomorrow will be about Orion's Nebula. Along with presenting live planetarium shows, Liberty Science Center will also show pre-recorded presentations and full-dome movies in the newly-renovated space. Today's show featured different constellations and planets that can be seen from the students backyard of Hudson County. The kids got to see inside Orion's Nebula, the rings of Saturn, the robot that was used during the Cassini Mission to Saturn, the Big Dipper and more. Toward the end of the show, the planetarium showed a scene of snowfall with children reaching for the virtual snowflakes before creating graphics that made the kids feel like they were on a roller-coaster. For more information or to see a schedule for shows at the planetarium, visit lsc.org. An aging, ailing former North Bergen public works director was spared jail time when sentenced on Friday, despite having admitted he aided a political campaign of Mayor Nicholas Sacco at the expense of taxpayers, state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced. Timothy Grossi, 77, of Jersey City, was given a suspended 3-year sentence by a state Superior Court judge who had previously stated she would not submit Grossi to jail time due to his failing health. Grossi had pleaded guilty on Oct. 21 to a charge of third-degree misapplication of entrusted property and property of government, before Superior Court Judge Margaret M. Foti in Hackensack, who sentenced gave him a 3-year suspended sentence on Friday. Grossi was indicted in 2012 in a state investigation launched after a slate of North Bergen township commission candidates running against an incumbent slate headed by Sacco posted YouTube video appearing to capture township employees removing campaign literature from North Bergen homes. In pleading guilty, Grossi admitted that he directed on-duty DPW workers using township vehicles to go to the county clerk's office to perform errands related to his personal political activity in the township, including picking up and dropping off challenger badges. Grossi's lawyer, Jeffrey Garrigan, said in October that his client had undergone quadruple bypass surgery and suffered from related heart problems. Garrigan said that it was the same failing health that had prompted his client to send his secretary on a campaign errand that he would have run himself had he been feeling better. On Friday, Garrigan said Grossi welcomed the sentence and the end of the nearly-six-year ordeal. "We're glad this is finally over and he can finally move on with his life," Garrigan said. Prosecutors said Grossi was one of four North Bergen DPW supervisors caught directing employees to do perform political or personal work while on duty for the township. "By arrogantly abusing the power entrusted to him and exploiting public workers for political purposes, Grossi promoted a culture of corruption within his department, a culture we exposed through our investigation," Porrino said in a statement. In September of 2012, a former DPW superintendent, James Wiley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit official misconduct, admitting he directed employees to do hundreds of hours of chores at his home and to work on campaigns while being paid by the township. Wiley is awaiting sentencing. In 2015, two former supervisors, Troy Bunero and Francis Longo, were convicted of conspiracy and official misconduct, after prosecutors said they assigned township employees to work on election campaigns and do personal work for them or Wiley. Bunero and Longo were each sentenced to five years in prison. The four DPW supervisors are the latest in string of North Bergen public officials convicted of abusing their offices while serving under or alongside Sacco, a longtime North Hudson Democratic power broker who for more than two decades has simultaneously served as mayor and state senator, while also working as a North Bergen public schools official before retiring from the district this year. Township spokesman Phil Swibinski issued a statement in response to Grossi's sentencing, asserting Sacco took decisive action to clean up the public works department after the scandal broke. "The North Bergen DPW was completely reorganized with new leadership and improved employee management practices when these issues first came to light six years ago," Swibinski stated. "And since that time there has not been any allegation of impropriety in the department whatsoever. While this was an unfortunate episode in the township's history, it's clear that these issues were isolated in nature and have since been resolved." Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook. The 1921 building that took New Orleans to new heights Lavar Marquise Butler, 20, is wanted on a charge of first-degree murder in the death of 51-year-old Adnan Alasar, who was slain Wednesday night (Dec. 6, 2017) at his Subway restaurant in the 2100 block of Caton Street. Investigators believe Butler fled to Houston and may be armed, police said Friday night (Dec. 8, 2017).(NOPD) Ma'Laysha Leblanc, 5, of Donaldsonville was not restrained when the crash occurred Thursday morning (Dec. 7, 2017) on La. 3120, south of La. 18, in Ascension Parish, state police said. The driver, a 27-year-old Donaldsonville woman, also wore no seatbelt and was seriously injured in the crash. Today Sun and clouds mixed. High 54F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Mostly clear. Low near 40F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Tomorrow Sunshine and some clouds. High 56F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close On Friday, the Iowa State Patrol post in Council Bluffs presented a check of $500 to help the family of Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Office Deputy Mark Burbridge reach Washington, D.C. for National Police Week in May. Burbridge died in the line of duty on May 1 during an attempted jailbreak. Toni Galetich-Christofferson, the Iowa chapter director for Concerns of Police Survivors, met with Iowa State Patrol Trooper Jared Kastner on Friday to accept the funds for Burbridges family. The nonprofit organization provides resources to help the surviving families and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. They also assist law enforcement agencies with coordinating and planning memorial services. Galetich-Christofferson said members of the organization become like family to those they seek to help. We help through the funeral, and then we never leave, she said. We become the family they never wanted and deserve the most. Kastner said each post across the state of Iowa gets to choose a different organization or cause to support through charity and raises funds. This year, in the aftermath of Burbridges sacrifice, the choice was easy to select COPS, he said. No hesitation, there was no decision on our part. We want to show thanks for everyone coming together to support each other through hard times, Kastner said. The funds will help pay the costs for the Burbridge family to attend National Police Week. Regardless of how much was raised, the nonprofit will make sure the family gets there and is taken care of. National Police Week draws 40,000 attendees to the U.S. Capitol to recognize and honor law enforcement who have died in the line of duty. The family will also get to visit and see Burbridges name on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in D.C. We want to show them how much gratitude we have for his sacrifice, Galetich-Christofferson said. A pair of housing efforts in southwest Iowa worth a total of just over $500,000 were among a group of projects granted this week by the Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors. On Wednesday, the Finance Authority approved a total of $7.4 million in grants to 25 local housing trust funds for affordable housing projects that will assist more than 2,600 Iowa families, the authority said in a release. The funding is provided from the State Housing Trust Funds Local Housing Trust Fund program. Among those garnering grant dollars are the Council Bluffs Housing Trust Fund, which received $168,345, and the Southwest Iowa Housing Trust Fund, which received $331,727. The southwest Iowa fund serves Pottawattamie (excluding Council Bluffs), Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page and Shelby Counties. Were always pleased to continue receiving money from the Iowa Finance Authority, said Jordan Glaser with the Council Bluffs Housing Trust Fund, noting the number is in line with the past few years. Thats always money that can be utilized in Council Bluffs, Glaser said. Theres a need for housing in general, and theres a real need for new low-income housing and the rehabilitation of existing low-income housing. Glaser said the Council Bluffs organization, formed in late 2010, works to fund new and rehabbed housing, along with emergency housing. The group has helped fund Habitat for Humanity projects and does direct grant funding as well helping existing homeowners with projects. The funding provides one-time grants for a big ticket item or project a homeowner may not be able to afford on their own, Glaser said. The group helps area residents at 80 percent or lower of the median household income in Iowa which is currently $53,889, according to the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Across Iowa, the $7.4 million in grant funds will be used for initiatives such as preserving aging housing stock, subsidizing local down payment assistance programs, providing low-interest loans or grants to assist Iowans in home rehabilitation, financing construction of new single-family housing for low-income Iowans and supporting housing for persons with disabilities and homeless assistance programs, the authority said in the release. The Local Housing Trust Fund awards are leveraging an additional $3.3 million in local contributions, which is a testament to the shared commitment to provide Iowans with a place they can be proud to call home, said Iowa Finance Authority Executive Director Dave Jamison in the release. The Iowa Finance Authority is pleased to partner with Local Housing Trust Funds by providing them with the resources they need to efficiently fulfill unique local affordable housing needs, Jamison added. The State Housing Trust Fund was created by the Iowa Legislature in 2003 and has doled out $63 million in affordable housing assistance that has benefited nearly 23,000 Iowa families, the authority said. This funding has leveraged another $152 million in other funds, or $2.42 for every dollar of State Housing Trust Fund investment. Finding a pathway from high school to the right career can be difficult, but an apprenticeship can shorten the journey. With a registered apprenticeship, a worker receives on-the-job training while completing classroom instruction and is paid during training. For people already in the workforce, it can be an opportunity to move up the ladder. Iowa is a national leader in registered apprenticeships. As of early November, Iowa had 846 active registered apprenticeship programs and 8,720 registered apprentices, according to Gov. Kim Reynolds office. Reynolds was recently appointed to serve on the Presidents Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion. Growing registered apprenticeship opportunities will help us reach our Future Ready Iowa goal of 70 percent of the workforce having education or training beyond high school by the year 2025, she said in a release. Warren Distribution, which packages private-label automotive fluids, offers one of about 10 registered apprenticeship programs in Council Bluffs. The program provides training for work as an electromechanical technician, who sets up, maintains, repairs, modifies and updates machines in the plant, said training director Shawn Wellman. Candidates apply and complete tests before they are selected, including an aptitude test administered by Iowa Workforce Development, Wellman said. Once accepted, apprentices spend part of their time working at the plant under the tutelage of a journeyman technician and part of their time attending classes at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha. The company pays for tuition and books. At the end of the three-year program (which may soon change to a two-year program), they will have everything done for an associate degree except 16 hours of general education classes. If they want to finish their degree, they are eligible for tuition reimbursement with a grade of C or higher. Its a good program, he said. The company started offering registered apprenticeships in 2009 and registered again in 2016 with a revised program, Wellman said. Weve had 13 apprentices go through the program, he said. Warren currently has four apprentices, Wellman said. These four guys have been outstanding, he said of the current group. Jorge Hernandez of Omaha was new to the field when he started as a machine operator at Warren two years ago but had worked on cars as a hobby and felt that mechanical things came easily to him. He applied and tested for an apprenticeship in fall 2016 as a way to move up and started as an apprenticeship earlier this year. He likes the work hes doing. Right now, were taking basic electricity, Hernandez said. Theyll also study math, hydraulics and pneumatics, Wellman said. At Warren, which employs about 145 people at its Council Bluffs plant, apprentices start at $17 an hour and receive an increase to $20 an hour or more upon completion, depending on their skills and experience, he said. While the program was initially only open to Warren employees, the company now accepts candidates from outside its walls, too. Its good for everybody, I think, Wellman said. We teach them what they need to know here. A lot of companies are doing apprenticeship programs. The industrys finding out more and more that a four-year degree doesnt fit everybody. Most of the citys other registered apprenticeships are with plumbing firms, including Perfect Plumbing, according to a list on the Iowa Workforce Development website. Apprenticeships are business as usual for plumbers, who must have four years of instruction and four years of job experience in order to become licensed, said Frank Bilello, co-owner of Perfect Plumbing. And, as at Warren, all candidates need to have is a high school diploma. I want to get them with zero knowledge so they havent learned any shortcuts yet, he said. A lot of us who have been doing this for a while are pretty meticulous about how we do things. As for me, everything my guys learn, I teach them. But before hiring an apprentice, Bilello, a plumber for 17 years, interviews them at length. I scrutinize them, he said. I put them to the test. Bilello looks at their record, as well as their work history. He stays away from applicants with a history of drug use or criminal activity. The one thing I would stress to these young kids ... keep their noses clean and really scrutinize who they go to work for and look at their history, he said. Bilello, who does both commercial and residential work, has his apprentices go on service calls and, in the past, has had them receive instruction from Tom Holmes at ABC Plumbing. But nothing beats learning by doing. Most of it you learn on the job, he said. I try to teach them patience, too. Youre going to make mistakes and I want you to make them. You learn from them. Bilello has his current apprentices come in at about 7:30 a.m. and visit over breakfast. The company buys breakfast, he said. It creates a good work environment. Plumbing is a good field, Bilello said. The market is great for plumbers right now but as far as being a business owner, you have to be careful who you work for, he said. If you own your own plumbing business and a customer cant (or wont) pay their bill, all you can do is take them to court and then you rack up legal fees in a hurry, Bilello said. Theres less financial risk working for an established business. For more information on registered apprenticeships, go to iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov and click on Registered Apprenticeships under the Resources heading. Jesse Skudler, an agent with NP Dodge Real Estate, was named this week as Realtor of the Year by the Southwest Iowa Association of Realtors. The announcement was made on Thursday evening at the associations annual inaugural dinner at the Council Bluffs Country Club. It was a complete, total surprise, Skudler said after receiving the award. He was selected by a committee that received recommendations on worthy candidates submitted by the public. Enthusiasm in that profession was certainly apparent in Skudler. I love this business. I love what I do, he said. Skudler was also enthusiastic about the new housing subdivision, Whispering Oaks, exclusively represented by NP Dodge Real Estate. It will not only add more than 400 new homes to the market but also free up inventory from price points below it, Skudler said. This was the 105th annual inaugural dinner that presents awards to significant contributors to the real estate industry and includes the swearing-in of high-level officers for their upcoming terms of service. This years dinner attracted 140 guests, said Jeannette Beresford, inaugural chairwoman. Last years turnout was 130 guests, she said. We were pleased with the response from the Realtors and the affiliates, Beresford said. It was a very good attendance. Sharon Stokes won the Realtors Emeritus Award, and former Pottawattamie County Assessor Jim ONeill received the H.G. McGee Meritorious Service Award. Paula Danker was selected to be the associations president for the upcoming year. I am honored to be president, she told the audience. A La Crosse man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for traveling to Texas with the intention of having sex with a 4-year-old. Benjamin David Sherwood, 42, was arrested May 12 in Houston after making arrangements through an online pedophile network with an undercover federal agent he met in 2015 when she posed as the mother of a 2-year-old. Agents searched his hotel room and found pacifiers and childrens blankets and a stuffed animal arranged on the bed, according to the criminal complaint. Prosecutors said Sherwood repeatedly acknowledged the age of the child in online chats, emails, text messages and phone conversations he had with the agent between 2015 and 2017. In one exchange he told the agent he didnt mind that the girl was small for her age and said he was turned on by it. So no weirdness at all, Sherwood wrote. Sherwood pleaded guilty in August to enticement of a minor and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. A federal judge in Texas sentenced him Thursday to 135 months in prison and lifetime supervision once released. According to prosecutors the judge took into account a sex assault case when Sherwood was a juvenile as well as the fact that he has a long-term sexual interest in children. Not feeling well? Professionals at Great Plains Health say if your doctor knows whats best, you may not leave with an antibiotic. In the last year, the antibiotics stewardship team at the hospital has worked to reduce antibiotics overuse. The team was honored for its efforts last month by the Nebraska Hospital Associations 2017 Quest for Excellence Award. The award recognizes efforts to improve hospital quality and patient care, and represents the highest level of professional acknowledgment in improvement recognition, according to a press release from the hospital. Dr. Eduardo Freitas, an infection control doctor, said antibiotics themselves arent problematic. The problem arises when people overuse or misuse them, and bacteria become resistant to the drugs. While antibiotics fight bacterial infections, theyre not effective against viral infections, despite what some may think, Freitas said. And some people misuse antibiotics a doctor will prescribe an antibiotic for seven days, but people will feel better on day three and stop taking it, Freitas said. After penicillin was discovered in 1929 the BBC reports that it became widely recognized in the 1940s antibiotics are probably the best thing medicine ever created, Freitas said. But like everything else, theres positives and negatives. As bacteria built resistance to antibiotics, it threatened a future in medicine. If we dont do this now, the drugs wont work, Freitas said. Should the trend of resistance continue, antibiotics could be ruined when you really need it. At an appointment, doctors can offer quick diagnostic tests that show a marker of bacterial infection, Freitas said. The tests are new to the hospital as of last December. If the infection turns out to be viral, a doctor will instead prescribe over-the-counter medication and lots of rest. If a patient doesnt feel better in five days, they should come back their infection may have become bacterial, or the doctor may have misdiagnosed them, Freitas said. But patient education also matters. Patients who dont feel well want to feel better, and fast. Having been convinced that an antibiotic will cure them, some patients will go from their doctors office to a different medical center until they are prescribed an antibiotic, Freitas said. The antibiotics stewardship team meets with a pharmacist and an infection-control nurse Monday through Friday. They speak with and give advice to medical professionals who prescribe medicine. So far, the efforts seem to work, Freitas said. In the year since the hospital amped its efforts, the team has seen less of one specific infection that arose due to antibiotic overuse. According to the press release, the antibiotics stewardship team consists of Barbara Petersen, chief quality officer; Jenny Lantis, infection control coordinator; Tonja Hawley, pharmacist; and Freitas. Columbia County officials want to improve online access to vehicle crash information, but the information currently available has some gaps. During the Columbia County Traffic Safety Commissions Nov. 10 meeting, members of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Columbia County Sheriffs Office explained the DOTs Community Maps program. The program offers a visual database plotting vehicle crashes throughout the state between January 2001 and now. The survey presents detailed data points, but officials cautioned that many are missing. Its not super reliable, said Department of Transportation Regional Safety Engineer Ryan Mayer. Theyre thinking that next year it will be. The program has been dependent on input from county authorities, which has been sporadic, though Columbia County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Todd Horn said Columbia County will be more reliable in uploading data to the system. The red dots do not reveal any secret dangers hidden among the countys highways, but highlight expected accident numbers along high-volume commuter routes. When you hear about an accident, there are a couple locations that are more serious because of past experience, said Columbia County Sheriffs Office Lt. Wayne Smith, like (Highways) 22, 60 and 51 and the interchanges there which are a particularly accident-prone area. Obviously when we go through those traffic accidents, we look at what occurred and how it occurred and what were the contributing or non-contributing factors, and look at what could be done with the highway to alleviate some of that, said Columbia County Highway Commissioner Chris Hardy. One such intersection that was discussed at length is where County Highway E and Highway 73 meet near the Dodge County border. During the meeting, Horn played a video of dashboard camera footage showing a drivers view as a semi-truck cruises east on County Highway E, nondescript farmland passing on either side, quickly approaching the intersection and then the audio picks up one fleeting expletive as a passenger van hits the passenger side of the truck, tipping it over. A 40-year-old woman had been driving the van with kids on board and a camper in tow. She was flown by medical helicopter from the scene, but did not survive. The cause of the crash remains undetermined. The reality is that speed and attention to driving are the major factors in crashes, Smith said. A lot of people call them accidents, but we use the word crash because an accident is something that is probably not preventable. Distracted driving is not limited to phone use, Smith said, but includes eating in the car, using a GPS, putting on makeup, or even reading a newspaper in the car. The Columbia County Highway Department received requests for something to be done about the highways E and 73 intersection, with rumble strips being installed within the past week. Obviously when we go through those traffic accidents, we look at what occurred and how it occurred and what were the contributing or non-contributing factors, and look at what could be done with the highway to alleviate some of that, said Hardy. Rumble strips are a great device, but also, for certain people in certain situations, they are a nuisance, because they are loud. And so that can become a real political issue. Another historically dangerous stretch of road surrounds the intersections of Highways 60, 22 and 51. In that case, the Department of Transportation has more dramatic plans, with a proposed roundabout. Initially there was a lot of resistance, said Mayer of the regional roundabout installations, but the more we get them out there, for the most part, people are happy with them. The roundabout changes the speed and direction of oncoming traffic to all but eliminate the possibility of devastating broadside collisions, and the simpler design the better, with a single lane setup being about fool proof, according to Mayer. It can lessen the likelihood of a major injury, said Hardy. And the way that they are designed and built, you come in at a different speed. Even if you are coming in fast, there are features there that make you slow down. The roundabout, which is funded roughly 90 percent through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program is still in the discussion phase. A public hearing is planned from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Leeds Town Hall. For nearly half a century, the family of Air Force Capt. Daniel W. Thomas searched for answers to the fate of the pilot who went down in Vietnam in 1971, haunted by the thought he may have been held captive. But in the past year came the long-sought answers. And in a private family ceremony on Nov. 27, the remains of the Danbury native were finally laid to rest in his southwest Nebraska hometown. Remarkably, Thomas was one of three men from Danbury, population just 140, who were missing in action at the close of the Vietnam war. With the recent recovery and identification of Thomas remains from a crash site in Vietnam, two of the Danbury MIAs have now been accounted for. Its a relief to know he died right there rather than being a prisoner of war, his brother, Ed Thomas of McCook, said this week. Its just too bad our parents have to be gone. They never got to know. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1969, Thomas enlisted in the Air Force and went through pilot training. On July 6, 1971, the 24-year-old Thomas was flying an OV-10 Bronco surveillance plane as part of a secret mission in central Laos. Code named Prairie Fire, it involved inserting special operations reconnaissance teams and monitoring them. It was a mission Thomas was well-suited for, his commander later wrote. The pilots had to have superb piloting, map reading, navigation and organizational skills, the commander said. Lives depended on it. Thomas radioed that day that he was over the target area but that heavy clouds and rain kept him from seeing much. That was the last anyone heard of him. Around the same time, a covert ground surveillance unit working in the same area reported hearing a loud impact and explosion, but no crash site was found. He was an inspiration to us all, and we lost him, his brother said. There was a report of an American prisoner being seen in the area around the time Thomas went missing, which always left the family to wonder if hed been captured. When the war ended, three residents of tiny Danbury were among the 2,600 service members reported as missing in action. There may not have been a community in America where the mystery, uncertainty and pain of Americas MIAs was more acutely felt. Thomas, Larry Knight and Donovan Walters all had gone to the same grade school and then grown up to be Air Force pilots. The Thomas, Knight and Walter families all knew one another, living within five miles of each other in Danbury and two surrounding farms. Knights mom and Thomas dad were first cousins. The Walters family would eventually get answers. In late 1988, 16 years after he had gone missing, his remains were found and returned. Over the years, the United States several times unsuccessfully attempted to locate Thomas crash site. Then in April 2014, a Vietnamese citizen provided a photograph of a dog tag of Major Donald Carr, the other crew member in Thomas plane. The crash site was finally located in August 2014, actually in Vietnam some 58 miles from the missions target site in Laos. In April 2016, dental remains and an ID tag were located and later positively identified to belong to Thomas. On Nov. 27, an Air Force major escorted Thomas remains from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii for a small burial service attended by Thomas immediate family, including two brothers and a step-sister. Phil Thomas, the nephew of Thomas, said that while his grandmother, Carol Helm, died just two years before the family received answers, she always had faith she would eventually learn what came of her son. As my grandmother aged, she said that she rested easy because she was going to know what happened to Daniel before all of us would, Phil said. A clinic that served uninsured and underinsured women and children in Gary for more than four decades will close at the end of the year, the city has announced. The last day of business for the Maternal Child Health Clinic at the Gary Health Department will be Dec. 31. "Over the years, we've had families come back and consistently bring their children even though they could have gone somewhere else when they got insurance," said clinic director Shirley Borom. "We've had sisters or cousins or aunts say, 'If you're pregnant, go to the clinic.'" The clinic is closing because the Indiana State Department of Health did not award it grant funding for the first time since 1979. The city of Gary had provided matching funds every year. The most recent grant was for $100,000. The staff of five will be let go: the director, program director, registered nurse, medical assistant and social worker. Megan Wade-Taxter, a spokeswoman for the state department of health, said the agency received three applications for the Early Start grant in Lake County, but "due to limited resources," only awarded one. "The applicant receiving the grant, Mental Health America of Lake County, offers a broader scope of services, including child injury prevention, smoking cessation, home visiting and safe sleep education," she said. The Gary clinic opened in the late 1970s as the Children and Youth Clinic to care for uninsured kids. The facility's focus shifted in 1991, to address Lake County's high rate of infant deaths, when it received state funding to also treat uninsured women, adopting its current name. The city's health care landscape has changed in that time. Gary now has two federally qualified health centers Community Healthnet and Marram Health Center that serve patients regardless of their ability to pay. The Hoosier Healthwise program has also expanded health insurance to numerous children across the state, and coverage has grown for adults under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Borom said the clinic has gone from seeing about 2,000 children a year when she started in the 1990s to about 300 today. She said the facility largely cares for transient residents, people who moved from out of state and lost their insurance in the process. The clinic provided physicals for children, including immunizations and screenings for hearing, vision and anemia, as well as OB-GYN services. The social worker helped enroll residents in insurance and get patients to appointments. Dr. Douge Barthelemy served as the clinic's pediatrician for 41 years, while Dr. Anthony Iwuagwu was an OB-GYN specialist at the facility for 15 years. The clinic's staff will hold a closing dedication event from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Gary Health Department, 1145 W. Fifth Ave. Borom said that between the staff and patients, the clinic had a family environment. "We have pictures all on the wall of families," she said. "When they had their babies, they bring their pictures. We had baby showers for them to make them feel more welcome." An initiative with a goal of training 5,000 people with life-saving CPR skills and a creative marketing campaign encouraging readers "to do all things Northwest Indiana" earned Times Media Co. national honors from its parent Lee Enterprises Inc. The Times also was named a finalist for Lee's 2017 Enterprise of the Year, the Davenport, Iowa-based company's top award. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch was chosen for the honor this year out of 50 divisions in 22 states. Other finalists included The Courier in Waterloo, Iowa; The Journal Times in Racine, Wisconsin; and The Times and Democrat in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The Times received an award for Exceptional Achievement in Public Service for its effort to encourage people to learn how to perform CPR. A front-page column titled, Times call to action: Make a resolution to learn CPR, written by Times Publisher Chris White asked readers to get CPR certified after learning only 7 percent of the general public knew how to administer it. The Times partnered with the American Heart Association, promoting community training events around Northwest Indiana. "I'm very proud to be recognized for our efforts as a company but I am truly proud of our readers in Northwest Indiana, who recognized a need and came together to learn CPR," White said. "When we learned from the American Heart Association that there was such a low number of people who knew how to perform CPR, we were happy to be part of the effort to educate the Region and we're truly grateful our readers responded." The Times "Summer on the Shore" campaign, which was done in partnership with the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, received an honorable mention for Innovation in Revenue. The program involved partnerships with more than 60 local businesses and municipalities, encouraging residents to do all things Northwest Indiana for a chance to win a 2017 Subaru Forester, a staycation and several other prizes. Roxanne Olejnik, classified sales manager for The Times, received an honorable mention in the Outstanding Sales and Performance Award category for demonstrating extraordinary results and creativity to close sales. The FBI arrested a 30-year-old man from Cudahy, Wisconsin, on Friday who is allegedly responsible for the robbery of an Aldi grocery store in Merrillville last month, as well as six similar robberies or attempted robberies in Wisconsin. Hiram O. Graham is charged in the U.S. District Court in Milwaukee with violation of the federal Hobbs Act and use of a firearm in a crime of violence, according to an FBI news release. Graham is accused of robbing the Aldi grocery store at 10 W. 81st Ave., in Merrillville, on Nov. 24. Graham allegedly surprised employees by jumping out of a cooler after the store closed and ordering employees to the back of the store at gunpoint before fleeing with $7,600, police said. Merrillville police suspected the case was connected to several similar Aldi robberies in Wisconsin, which were being investigated by the FBI. The suspect in those cases also hid until the store closed and then threatened employees with a handgun, the FBI said. The FBI believed their suspect had insider knowledge of the grocery store chain's operating procedure, a belief shared by Merrillville police detectives. The six stores targeted in Wisconsin were located in the Milwaukee area and Madison. The robberies or attempted robberies occurred between June 15 and Nov. 2. The FBI did not say in the news release Friday if Graham had inside knowledge of Aldi's operating procedure. The bureau also did not reveal if a $5,000 reward for information offered last month was claimed. Graham was arrested without incident around 6 a.m. Friday at his home in Cudahy, the FBI said. Federal agents and Milwaukee police also executed search warrants at residences in the 3300 block of West Bottsford Avenue in Cudahy and the 200 block of West Mitchell Street in Milwaukee. Graham was expected to appear Friday in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee, the FBI said. Two men were arrested Thursday on allegations they sold heroin linked to several non-fatal overdoses in LaPorte County, according to a police news release. Todd E. Hunsley, 29, of Michigan City, is charged in LaPorte Circuit Court with three counts of dealing in cocaine or a narcotic drug, a level 5 felony. Calvin L. Lowery, 28, of Chicago, is charged with one count of dealing in cocaine or a narcotic drug, a level 4 felony. The defendants were targeted for investigation after the LaPorte County Drug Task Force received complaints that the duo were distributing heroin in LaPorte County, the release stated. Police obtained information that led them to believe the men were dealing heroin that caused several non-fatal opioid overdoses, according to the release. The men were arrested after task force members and the Michigan City Police Department SWAT Team executed a search warrant at Hunsley's residence in the 1700 block of Elston Street in Michigan City. Police seized suspected illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia at the residence, the release states. This investigation is an excellent example of the LaPorte County Drug Task Force following up on citizen complaints and conducting a thorough investigation, Michigan City Police Chief Mark Swistek said. These investigations are one way that law enforcement proactively attempts to rid the neighborhoods of LaPorte County of heroin. Both men are held in LaPorte County Jail on a $15,000 cash bond. They are scheduled to make an initial appearance in court Dec. 12. VALPARAISO Two of the four people who claimed they had soy wax in their car during a traffic stop and not methamphetamine as charged pleaded guilty Friday to a lesser count and were sentenced to time served. Jessica Jones, 25, and Michael Mavrides, 31, pleaded guilty to a felony count of possessing a hypodermic needle. The Fort Wayne residents served 86 days behind bars, according to the court. Prosecutors had dropped two high-level felony counts of dealing in methamphetamine one carrying a potential sentence of 10 to 30 years behind bars and the other carrying a potential of three to 16 years, according to court documents. "We are pleased the more serious charges were dropped," said defense attorney Bob Harper, who represented Jones. Mavrides was represented by defense attorney Mitch Peters. The four were arrested following a traffic stop Sept. 14 in the parking lot of AJ's Pizza Co. just east of Ind. 49 near the access point to the Indiana Toll Road in Chesterton, according to the charging documents. Police said they found a scale and hypodermic needles in the vehicle, a plastic bag containing a white substance and a metal bucket containing the plastic bag with 10 pounds of a "white flaky substance." While the group claimed the white substance was soy wax, the first field test returned a positive result for methamphetamine, which led to the original charges, Porter County Prosecutor Brian Gensel said. A second, more thorough, field test returned inconclusive results, so the officers left the substance behind in the vehicle, Gensel said. The vehicle had already been reclaimed from the tow yard by the time prosecutors learned the substance was not in police custody. The remaining defendants Shawn Williams, 39, and Cassandra Rigg, 25 are scheduled to appear Friday before Porter Superior Court Judge Jeff Clymer. CROWN POINT For the second time in three years, Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington faces charges on allegations he attacked a woman. The state has filed felony charges on accusations Washington threatened his cousin with a sledgehammer during a two-hour ordeal Tuesday night at their home in Merrillville. Washington, 44, of Merrillville, was arrested at the Merrillville Police Department station Friday morning after he arrived there with attorneys to provide a statement, said sources with knowledge of the investigation. Washington is charged in Lake Criminal Court with three felony counts of criminal confinement, two felony counts of intimidation, two counts of misdemeanor battery and interference with the reporting of a crime. Washington is not afforded bail on the charges, court records state. Washington is currently on probation after he pleaded guilty in 2016 to misdemeanor battery and invasion of privacy for pushing his wife during a confrontation two years ago at his home, court records state. Sources close to the investigation said the old case could be reopened if Washington's actions violated terms of his probation. Defense attorney John Cantrell said Friday Washington would remain jailed on a 10-day hold while the prosecutor's office determines whether to file a petition to revoke his probation. He said if the prosecutor's office files the petition, his client would likely be afforded two separate bonds on the new petition and on the criminal case. Regarding the allegations, Cantrell said the criminal investigation was a complete and total witch hunt. He said Washington provided police a statement Friday morning and a video recording he made on his cellphone during Tuesday's argument. He said the video showed Washington telling his cousin to leave the house, which Washington owns, and the cousin refused. She made everything up, Cantrell said. All he did was try to get her to leave his house. Merrillville Police Detective Cmdr. Jeff Rice referred questions about the investigation to the Lake County Prosecutor's Office. Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter confirmed Friday night Washington provided police some videos, though he could not speak to the contents of the videos. He unequivocally denied the woman recanted her statements. "There was no recantation, at all." DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT The cousin reported to Merrillville police Wednesday Washington attacked her between 4 and 7 p.m. the prior night at their home in the 5600 block of Connecticut Street, according to a probable cause affidavit. She said Washington arrived home at 4 p.m. and began yelling at her for being rude during an earlier phone call, the affidavit states. She said the councilman ordered her out of the house, but when she texted someone to pick her up, he grabbed her phone, the affidavit states. The woman said they tussled over the phone before Washington became "enraged," allegedly grabbing the woman by the throat and throwing her to the ground, the affidavit states. The woman said she begged Washington to stop acting violently around his 2-year-old son, the affidavit states. Washington then retrieved a sledgehammer from another room, the affidavit states. "You better never mention a word about my son again or I'll put a hole in your head," Washington allegedly said, holding the sledgehammer over the woman, the affidavit states. The woman said Washington apologized for his actions, but stopped the woman from using his phone or a computer to call for help, the affidavit states. For more than two hours, the woman said Washington refused to allow her to leave the home, the affidavit states. She said she fled to a neighbor's house after Washington left their home, the affidavit states. The woman said she didn't report the crimes sooner because of Washington's status as an elected official, the affidavit states. She said she feared he would use his authority to have her fired as a dispatcher from Lake County Communications. Carter said Friday he would request the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Washington to avoid potential conflicts between his office and the Lake County Council, which oversees the prosecutor's office budget. SECOND TIME ACCUSED Police previously arrested Washington Dec. 3, 2015, on allegations he battered two women, one of them his wife, at the same residence where Tuesday's incident occurred. The case had to be moved out of Lake County and handled by a special prosecutor and judge because of Washington's position on the Lake County Council. In the 2015 case, the special prosecutor filed felony strangulation counts over allegations he knocked his wife down, hit her, bit her and attempted to strangle her as well as a second female, who was an employee of Washington's at the time. Washington pleaded guilty Dec. 8, 2016, to two misdemeanors in a plea bargain in that case. Washington admitted in court last year he pushed his wife, causing her pain, and contacted her after the fight, in violation of a court's protective order. The special judge sitting in Porter County dismissed the felony counts that would have resulted in his removal from office and released him on probation, on condition he attend anger management classes. MERRILLVILLE The woman at the center of a criminal case pending against Lake County Councilman Jamal Washington told The Times Friday night she made up her claims about being attacked by the councilman. Kamaria Buckley said in an interview outside her aunt's home in Merrillville that Washington, her cousin, did not grab her by the throat, threaten her with a sledgehammer or keep her from calling for help during an argument Tuesday night at their home in the 5600 block of Connecticut Street. It is The Times' policy not to name alleged victims in ongoing cases however Buckley agreed to speak with The Times on the record and consented to giving her name for this story. Buckley provided photo identification to prove she was the woman named in the complaints. She said all those things happened in a statement to authorities Wednesday, which resulted in criminal charges being filed against the councilman Friday afternoon. Washington was jailed without bond Friday night. Lake County Prosecutor Bernard A. Carter told The Times Friday night prosecutors are pushing forward with the case against Washington, believing the victim's initial accounts are credible. A search warrant was served on Washington's home after the alleged attack Tuesday night, the prosecutor said. Buckley, 23, said she moved in with Washington several months ago after being homeless in Los Angeles, where she was born and raised. She said she arrived home from work at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and got into a heated argument with Washington, but said it never turned physical. She said Washington asked her to leave his home at 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. She said she had broken her phone, which was already cracked, by gripping it too hard during the argument, but a friend she was texting beforehand showed up at the councilman's home and gave her a ride to her aunt's house. She said she went to the police station the next day and made up the story about the attack because she was upset about the whole incident. She said she has spoken to Washington since Tuesday night, and they reconciled. She denied that Washington has coerced her or bribed her into refuting her initial claims. She said she tried to retract her statement during a visit to the Merrillville police station Thursday, but police did not write down the new statement. She said she tried again Friday, but a detective was not available when she arrived at the station. Defense Attorney John Cantrell said Friday afternoon Buckley had recanted her statement to police about the alleged attack. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday added the USS Lead Superfund site in East Chicago to the list of Superfund sites that Administrator Scott Pruitt has targeted for immediate and intense action, according to a news release. The list is in direct response to the Superfund Task Force recommendations issued this summer, the release states. "By elevating these sites we are sending a message that EPA is, in fact, restoring its Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the Agency's mission," Pruitt said. "Getting toxic land sites cleaned up and revitalized is of the utmost importance to the communities across the country that are affected by these sites. I have charged the Superfund Task Force staff to immediately and intently develop plans for each of these sites to ensure they are thoughtfully addressed with urgency. By getting these sites cleaned up, EPA will continue to focus on ways we can directly improve public health and the environment for people across America. In April, Pruitt visited the USS Lead Superfund site and heard directly from residents affected by the lead and arsenic contamination in their community. According to the release, that same month EPA reached an agreement with several potentially responsible parties to provide an additional $16 million for cleanup at residential properties on the USS Lead Superfund site. In East Chicago, the EPA has been focused heavily on ridding families yards of toxic soil for the past year in the citys Calumet and East Calumet neighborhoods. EPA listed the area West Calumet, Calumet and East Calumet as a hazardous Superfund site targeted for cleanup in 2009, but residents didn't learn the full extent of the problem until East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland informed more than 1,000 West Calumet Housing Complex residents in summer 2016 they should relocate. Homeowners there filed a lawsuit earlier this year against five companies associated with severely contaminated yards and homes in the USS Lead Superfund site, citing declining property values, emotional distress and difficulty in selling their homes to leave the toxic neighborhood. The sites on the list are those "requiring timely resolution of specific issues to expedite cleanup and redevelopment efforts," the release states. Pruitt will receive regular updates on each of these sites. Sites will move on and off the list as appropriate, according to the release. "There is no commitment of additional funding associated with a site's inclusion on the list," the release states. TOWN OF OAKFIELD Former Mayville Fire Chief Lynn Cundy died Wednesday as the result of a two-vehicle crash on Highway 151 and Towne Road in Fond du Lac County. According to the Fond du Lac Sheriffs Office, the Fond du Lac County Communication Center received the report of the crash at 4:49 p.m. The preliminary investigation indicates that a pick-up truck, driven by William Bush, 19, Horicon, was pulling a trailer with farm equipment on it. The truck was crossing Highway 151 from Towne Road. A southbound vehicle driven by Cundy struck the rear of the farm equipment. Cundy, 78, of Mayville, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Fond du Lac County Medical Examiner. His passenger Dorothy McCrory, 73, of Fond du Lac, was transported to St. Agnes Hospital by the Fond du Lac Ambulance with minor injuries. Bush was not injured in the crash. All three were wearing seat belts. Deputies from the Fond du Lac County Sheriffs Office were assisted by the Oakfield Fire Department, Oakfield First Responders and city of Fond du Lac Ambulance. HAMMOND Standing outside Strack & Van Til Supermarket, Salvation Army volunteer Robert Biloche wishes passersby happy holidays as he thanks those who leave a donation in his red kettle. All I can do is hope, said Biloche, 21, a Hammond resident and welding student at Ivy Tech Community College. As much a part of the holidays as garland and eggnog, those red kettle donations support various local Salvation Army services. This is a vital time of year for us, and (red kettle donations) are a big part of our annual budget, said Lt. Leta Marin of the Salvation Armys East Chicago Corps center. People dont realize our programs run year-round. For the holidays, Joan Leech, director of development for Lake County Salvation Army, reports toy distribution to 2,444 children this season and Christmas meal food boxes for 1,502 families. In Lake County, Salvation Army has corps centers in Gary, Munster and East Chicago. Leech said the East Chicago sites weekday soup kitchen serves 18,000 hot meals annually and, together with its food pantry, the center provides 35,000 meals each year. East Chicagos Angel Tree, Marin noted, has tags for an estimated 500 children. Additionally, Leech said, Lake County Salvation Army annually provides 5,000 instances of emergency assistance, including help with utilities, rent or mortgages and medicines. Other services include visits to elderly, infirmed, and shut-ins, social services for families and childrens character development. Theyre helping people less fortunate, said Biloche, who knew someone who received medical assistance through Salvation Army. In addition, Adams Radio Group and NIPSCO are teaming to support Salvation Army with Spread the Warmth, accepting donations of new or gently used clothing through Dec. 17. For more on Salvation Army programs, call 219-838-0380 or visit www.salarmylakecounty.org or www.salvationarmyusa.org. Karen Redar, director of life enrichment at the Residences of Deer Creek, explained the importance of the visit to the seniors who call Deer Creek home. Music has no age barrier. People of all ages can connect through song. One of our goals is to not only make sure that people understand that each of our residents has a history and memories, but that they are still making new memories. This will definitely be a happy new memory for them. The energy and passion these students bring to our residents is not something you can measure, but you can see it on their faces. VALPARAISO While the arctics most well-known resident the one who brings toys makes his appearance in Northwest Indiana in just a few weeks, another arctic resident already has arrived. Snowy owls as fluffy and white as Santas beard are being sighted across the area, and one is making its temporary home in rehabilitation at Humane Indiana Wildlife Center, formerly known as Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, in rural Valparaiso. A female snowy owl was brought to the rehab center Dec. 1 after it was clipped by a semi truck at ArcelorMittal in Burns Harbor. Although the bird suffered no broken limbs, it was treated for shock and is underweight, said Stephanie Kadletz, the centers director. While the female owl is doing well and gaining weight, a second bird rescued Dec. 3 in Hanna, Indiana, was too emaciated to survive and died Tuesday, Kadletz said. We think by the time we got it, its body had already started to shut down, she said. In the arctic, snowy owls feast primarily on lemmings, which are the size of a large hamster, Kadletz said. When lemming populations increase, as they did this summer, owls respond with higher than normal breeding, more eggs, and more young birds surviving, according to the Indiana Audubon Society. Young owls tend to leave the arctic each winter, migrating to Canada and the Midwest in search of food and warmer temperatures. As a result, there is already a historic invasion called an irruption of owls in the state, said Brad Bumgardner, Indiana Audubon Society executive director. Bumgardner said more than 25 owls have been spotted in Indiana since late fall, mostly along Lake Michigan. Snowy owls can arrive in Indiana as early as November and migrate back to the arctic in March, Kadletz said. The birds, unlike most owls, are diurnal hunting both day and night and they eat mice, rabbits, and squirrels, and even ducks, gulls and other waterfowl. The 2.5-pound female snowy owl in rehab eats three extra-large mice daily, and Kadletz hopes shell reach a normal weight of 3.5 pounds to 4 pounds in three to five weeks. Once the owl has regained weight and muscle mass, she will move to the rehab centers 100-foot-long flight enclosure where shell rebuild her strength with flight time before being released. Besides the dunes, the best places to spot snowies are open farm fields and airports, where the birds often perch on top of fence posts or telephone poles, she said. Anyplace that replicates the open habitat of the arctic, Kadletz said. When viewing snowy owls, its important to stay a good distance away to avoid flushing out the owls prey and the owl itself, Kadletz said. Young owls, male and female, are barred, as their white feathers are covered with brown stripes. Males, usually smaller than females, tend to lose their bars as they age some turning pure white while females tend to retain the bars. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Most kids have at one point written a letter to Santa. Buy, hey, hes a pretty busy guy and he needs all the help he can get in making sure that those letters get answered. He loves when kids sharpen their writing, grammar, and penmanship skills by crafting him a note describing how good theyve been and listing what theyd like for Christmas. There are some ways that parents can help out the Big Guy and ensure that their kids get a letter back. The U.S. Postal Service offers an opportunity to have a return letter sent to your child from the North Pole. Here are instructions, per the USPS.com website: Have the child write a letter to Santa and place it in an envelope addressed to: Santa Claus, North Pole. Write a personalized response to the child's letter and sign it "From Santa." Insert both letters into an envelope, and address it to the child. Add the return address: SANTA, NORTH POLE, to the return envelope. Affix a First-Class stamp to it. Place the complete envelope into a larger envelope, with appropriate postage, and address it to: North Pole Postmark Postmaster 4141 Postmark Dr. Anchorage AK 99530-9998 Letters from Santa must be received by the Anchorage postmaster by Dec. 15. Santas Helpers in Anchorage will take care of the rest. The Postal Service offers these additional tips: To save paper, write on the back of your childs letter. If you keep them together, your child will also be able to recall what he or she wrote. Make Santa's response as personal as possible by highlighting your childs accomplishments over the past year. For example, helping around the house, receiving good grades at school or participating in community service activities. This is a great activity for Thanksgiving that the whole family can enjoy, including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and others. Santa Claus, Ind. Besides the North Pole, theres another post office that gets massive amounts of mail for Santa and thats in the Indiana town named for him: The Santa Claus, Ind., Post Office receives about 400,000 pieces of mail in December. A pre-written, addressed and stamped letter from Santa can get a special Santa Claus, Indiana postmark until Dec. 23. All your Christmas cards can get this special postmark. Just ship them to the Santa Claus Post Office in parcels of 50 or fewer per day. Send to: Postmaster, Santa Claus Station, Santa Claus, IN 47579-9998. The special Santa Claus, Indiana postmark changes each year and is selected via a high school art contest. Operation Santa The Postal Service began receiving letters to Santa Claus more than 100 years ago. In 1912 Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock authorized local Postmasters to allow postal employees and citizens to respond to the letters. Volume increased so much in the 1940s that the Postal Service involved charitable organizations and community groups to help respond. This year marks 105 years of the Operation Santa program, in which postal employees and volunteers respond to those letters, sometimes with gifts to fulfill requests made. Over the years the program has changed a bit to help protect the letter writers identity and safety and not overwhelm staff as post offices get busier and busier during the holiday season. At press time, the nearest post office participating is the main one in Chicago, 433 W. Harrison St. For those that do participate, strict guidelines are in place. Check with your local post office to see whether they allow members of the public to reply or grant a wish in a letter. If a letter is addressed to Santa, but not specified to go to North Pole, Alaska, the letters remain in the area where they were mailed. If youd like to grant a wish of a child, but do not have an Operation Santa program at your closest post office, you can turn to several other places in your community. Angel Trees are in place throughout Northwest Indianaat schools, churches, libraries, banks, businesses and other spots. Some of the places where you can "adopt" and provide Christmas gifts for a child in need are Dyer United Methodist Church in Dyer, St. Pauls Evangelical Lutheran Church & School in Munster, Franciscan Health locations, and Grace Church in Lansing. Ugandan culturalists have criticized a move by the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) to drop 20 subjects from the O-Level syllabus. A recent media report quoted the head of NCDC, Grace Baguma, saying that the proposed new curriculum will retain subjects that are meant to develop competencies in technology, communication, analysis, synthesis, creative thinking, problem solving and teamwork. Baguma is quoted saying that about 20 subjects, including music, art, woodwork, metal works and political education, will be dropped because their uptake is low yet it is expensive to train and maintain the teachers. But the move is criticized as anti-developmental. Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU), board member Okoth Nyalulu says young people should be encouraged and supported to pursue music and art because the world needs it, adding that instead of abolishing it, music should be examined at A-level. Children practice playing the guitar Nyalulu, also the prime minister of Tieng Adhola, the Jopadhola cultural institution says Uganda's cultural heritage must be promoted, including through the education system. She was speaking at the 7th National Heritage Competition Awarding Ceremony in Kampala. Visual Arts specialist Nuwa Nyanzi told URN that the move is misguided, lacks oversight and points to non-appreciation of 'who we are'. According to Nyanzi, it is disturbing that at a time when music and art are ruling the world, Uganda wants the core subjects scrapped from the education system. Nyanzi says anything that impacts humanity must be given attention, adding that instead of scrapping music and art, the government should invest more in it, including pumping money into research, marketing, innovation and scaling up. However, Emily Drani, the executive director of CCFU, said they had got the assurance that music, art and cultural issues would not be dropped from the syllabus but rather integrated, adding that she is still hopeful that the claim is not true. Drani says to the best of her knowledge, NCDC has not stated to them, as stakeholders involved in the formulation of the new curriculum, that music and art would be dropped. According to Drani, promoting the positive aspects of culture is the right thing to do. Prof Luutu Mukasa, the vice chancellor of the Marcus Garvey Pan Afrikan University said culture is multi-layered and touches many aspects of life and development that it must be promoted, both locally and globally. Professor Luutu said music and dance are so critical that they link different cultures, adding that culture is a footnote for any community and humanity. Sister Dominic Dipio from Makerere University said music, art and films are great conveyors of content crucial for humanity. There are chunks of Fresh Basil Farmer Cheese, jars of Sweet & Hot Pepper Relish and coolers filled with a wide selection of craft beers. The deli still has potato salad from Jacobson Bros., and handwritten signs in green and red marker advertise the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables. Brennans Cellars has been open for about a week and has the feel and look of its predecessor, Brennans Market. But the new iteration of Brennans, following the companys liquidation in September, offers some new experiences, like a larger deli, hot food and 20-seat cafe, designed to help bolster the bottom line and appeal to a broader audience. Fried fish and chicken are scheduled to be part of the mix by the end of the month. For the former Brennans customers, who have gradually returned to Brennans Cellars at 8210 Watts Road since its opening on Dec. 1, theres a sense of relief and excitement. I love it. Im so glad theyre back, said Nancy Pokorney of Madison, who had several chunks of cheese in her cart. I have three siblings out of town. Ones in Florida, ones in Arizona and ones in Iowa, and this is what theyre getting for Christmas. Brennans Cellars is about half the size of the 21,000-square-foot Brennans and is all that remains of the Brennans brand, which has been part of the grocery landscape in southern Wisconsin since 1942, when Frank Brennan opened a store in Monroe. The company expanded to Madison in 1967 with a store on University Avenue and to Madisons North Side in 1975, but that store on Northport Drive closed in 2008. A store in Brookfield was added in 1988, the Watts Road store in 2004 and an Oconomowoc location in 2009. Tim Culhane purchased the company in 2014 from Skip Brennan but announced in July that that he was closing all five stores. Thats when Tim Mulcahy, a longtime manager with Brennans who started with the company at its Monroe store when he was in high school, stepped in. He negotiated with Culhane for naming rights, purchased equipment and fixtures and secured a lease from developer Fred Rouse (who is also an investor in the store) for about half of the Watts Road building. Its unclear what will occupy the remaining space, but Mulcahy is hoping it will be a food-centric business that complements his Brennans Cellars. The opening completes a hectic couple of months for Mulcahy and his staff of 23 employees, 10 of whom worked at Brennans. The weekend was really busy. A lot of people came on Saturday, Mulcahy said during a tour of the store. Everything worked out, and everything fell into place. Brennans Cellars still features a wide range of fruits and vegetables but not as much of each. Cheese is a big focus with the Brennans Cellars line of cheeses being aged, cut and wrapped at Fairplay Packaging in Monroe. Local foods like kringle from Fosdal Home Bakery in Stoughton, preserves and jams and craft beers and wines are also prolific. The back of the store features an expansive 16-foot-long deli case packed with salads and lunch meat and a 12-foot-long hot bar where the offerings this week included fresh grilled mushroom and swiss paninis, smoked pulled pork and chicken, soup, meatballs and meatloaf. The electric smoker with eight preset temperatures can hold 120 pounds of meat or 30 to 40 pounds of sausage at one time. The kitchen area also includes a six-burner gas range and four sets of ovens. Jason Kreutzer manages the meat department, which includes a 32-foot-long counter. Kreutzer, 38, who spent 17 years with Jacobson Bros. and managed the Jacobson meat counter at the Watts Road Brennans for years, sells a large variety of his homemade brats along with a full line of beef steaks, roasts, pork chops, tenderloins and other cuts of meat, including grass-fed beef and Amish-raised chicken. Kreutzer believes the mix of products and hot food offerings at the store will be a draw for those who live in the area and beyond. Well draw from Middleton and Verona and obviously the west side of Madison, Kreutzer said. And now with a new hotel and more apartment buildings across the street, thats great for us. High court judge Margaret Mutonyi has cautioned parliamentarians against drafting and passing human rights laws or amending existing ones without considering their universal acceptability. Justice Mutonyi was speaking during a dialogue on corporate accountability and protection of human rights defenders organised by the Legal Aid Service Providers Network (Lapsnet) in Kampala this week. In her keynote address, Muntonyi made several referrals to chapter four of the Ugandan Constitution which gives citizens freedoms ranging from worship, expression to gathering. When the MPs are passing laws affecting human rights, they should pass only those laws that pass the test of international acceptability and those laws passed should not conflict the others in the Ugandan Constitution, Mutonyi said. High court judge Margaret Mutonyi makes her speech During the dialogue that brought together several human rights defenders, scholars and other stakeholders such as police, several speakers pointed out the Public Order Management Act as one of those laws that do not meet international human rights standards. This law, they said, also conflicts with sections of the Constitution. In October 2013, President Museveni assented to this contentious law, whose passing a few days before had faced stiff resistance from opposition legislators. On the day of its passing, deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah suspended legislators opposed to it. Critics of this law have said that it is meant to help the police check on or stifle opposition activities and crack down on freedom of assembly and speech and the freedom to demonstrate. Police spokesman Emilian Kayima said the force was obliged to enforce the law, even when I dont know the intention of that law. Our work is to enforce, he said. The bill has been challenged in the Constitutional court by a consortium of non-government organisations. Defending human rights defenders Most speakers emphasised the need to protect human rights defenders who have come under several attacks, arrests and intimidation mostly by security agencies, rogue government officials, private individuals and big investors. Gulu municipality legislator Lyandro Komakech told the congregation that the parliamentary human rights committee, on which he sits, had finalised the consultation and drafting of the human rights law. This law is expected to offer protection to human rights defenders and he promised that it will be on the floor of parliament next quarter. Several human rights defenders testified that the issue of human rights has been politicised by the state and that whoever comes out to speak against gruesome atrocities and rights violations committed by the state is taken to be against the ruling government. During an interview with The Observer earlier this year, Dr Livingstone Ssewanyana, the executive director of Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), said he had received several threats from state agents throughout his career. Investor and human rights Haggai Matsiko, a journalist with The Independent magazine, noted that the state should put rights of citizens first before interests of investors. He said doing otherwise risks lives of Ugandans employed by these investors. Top leadership has abdicated the role of protecting citizens and prioritised obscene obsession with investors. The massive land evections that we see, it is not investors that enforce them but government security agencies. So, if you show the investors that it is okay to abuse the rights of the people, what do you expect them to do, Matsiko said. The developments that investors bring to the country, defenders said, will not benefit people if their rights, especially the right to own land, keep being infringed on. kamogajonathan50@gmail.com Every year, the women of Peace Presbyterian Church in Elkhorn sit down and identify local, national and international missions they want to support. We pitch our favorite charities and then we vote, said LaRue Marshall, the 74-year-old secretary of the group. For the past few years, Goodfellows, The World-Heralds charity, has made the womens list. Its been a top choice because its local, and the money all goes to the needs of the people, Marshall said. Goodfellows gives one-time emergency aid to struggling area residents and distributes clothing and holiday meal certificates. The World-Herald covers all administrative costs. The group meets monthly and has about 20 active members, ranging in age from 50 to 92. With the core group getting older, Marshall said the annual salad luncheon fundraiser and other more active volunteer activities are getting more difficult to pull off. But the mission work will continue, she said the group members have compiled their favorite recipes into the Holy Chow cookbook, which they are selling to raise money for next years chosen charities. The women also help fill bags to donate to local homeless shelters and ship off hand-sewn dresses for an international charity. Well keep it up, Marshall said of the groups efforts. None of us want to let it go. WASHINGTON A key health insurance program that covers millions of low- to moderate-income children nationwide has been in limbo for months because of congressional inaction. Since the program expired at the end of September, states have been getting by using dollars left over from previous years, but some are on the verge of exhausting that money. Nebraska and Iowa expect to run out of funds sometime in the spring. For children and families who have this coverage, it is an urgent matter, said Molly McCleery, deputy director of Nebraska Appleseeds health care program. Its unprecedented that we are now months out from when this program should have been reauthorized, and saying that Well get to it at some point really isnt a good option, she said. The Childrens Health Insurance Program has traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support, yet Congress has been stuck on renewing it this year with the two parties split over proposals to offset the new spending. CHIP is a jointly funded state and federal partnership. States administer the program in accordance with federal requirements. The program is intended to cover uninsured children up to age 19 whose families make enough that they dont qualify for Medicaid but not enough that they can afford their own private insurance. About 55,000 children are covered in Nebraska, McCleery said. Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Kathie Osterman noted in a statement that Congress could still reauthorize the program and that the department is monitoring the situation. If Congress does nothing, Osterman said most children served by CHIP in Nebraska would continue receiving services through the normal Medicaid program into 2019. Taylor Gage, a spokesman for Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, said in a statement that the Republican governors team was monitoring the situation and staying in touch with the relevant officials. He anticipates that Congress will address this issue in the coming months, Gage said. In Iowa, some CHIP-funded children are enrolled in the states expanded Medicaid program and the rest are funded through Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa. There are about 16,000 children in the Medicaid expansion and 44,000 in the other program. States are prohibited from reducing eligibility levels in the short term for those in Medicaid expansion, so if CHIP funding runs out, Iowa will have to pick up the tab for the drop-off. Thats estimated to cost the state about $10 million to $15 million a year. For Healthy and Well Kids in Iowa children, the state is not obligated to continue coverage once CHIP funding runs out, leaving the problem up to state officials. These potential changes to CHIP have significant policy and fiscal implications, and the department will be working with stakeholders as more information regarding federal program changes becomes available, said Matt Highland, spokesman for Iowas Department of Human Services. In a recent short-term spending measure, Congress included provisions aimed at tiding over states about to run out of money. The House passed a reauthorization measure largely along party lines. Democrats objected to the bills offsetting of CHIP funding in part by cutting a prevention fund established through the Affordable Care Act and shortening the grace period for paying premiums through the ACA exchanges. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told The World-Herald that the House did its job by passing the reauthorization and that its now up to the Senate to pass its own version so that any differences between the two can be worked out. The Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved a CHIP reauthorization bill but did not specify budget offsets to pay for it. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, predicted that a CHIP reauthorization is likely to be included in an end-of-year spending measure. I want the bill to pass the way it came out of committee, Grassley said. I think that its a popular program and its going to continue. McCleery, of Nebraska Appleseed, said the program has had a huge impact on reducing the number of uninsured children and that it was previously viewed as must-pass legislation. Were always talking about how we need to protect our most vulnerable citizens, and this is certainly the most vulnerable its children and pregnant women and unborn children, McCleery said. And the fact that we have not made the time or prioritized getting this done is really frustrating and concerning for low-income kids and their families. COUNCIL BLUFFS Several hundred area residents and supporters were on hand Thursday as the doors were opened to show off Council Bluffs new 73,000-square-foot Charles E. Lakin YMCA facility. The road to Thursdays open house began in June 2013 with the joint announcement that the Charles E. Lakin Foundation and the Iowa West Foundation were contributing $3.5 million apiece for a new Council Bluffs YMCA. The $7 million lead gift was seen as the catalyst for the $17.5 million facility that will open Monday on a site just west of Mercy Hospital. Every time I walk in here I hear Wow! said Council Bluffs YMCA Executive Director Leo McIntosh. Council Bluffs deserves that. Our community deserves thanks for making this happen. YMCA of Greater Omaha President and CEO Chris Tointon praised the project. The Charles E. Lakin YMCA is a beautiful facility, and were sure the community will see it was well worth the wait, Tointon said in the days leading up to the open house. The new YMCA is not the first in the Council Bluffs community for the YMCA of Greater Omaha. The current facility on South Fourth Street opened in 1979, after the Council Bluffs YMCA merged with the Omaha association in 1972. Originally called the Council Bluffs/Omaha YMCA Association, it is now known as the YMCA of Greater Omaha. The Charles E. Lakin YMCA joins the nine comprehensive community branches, six early learning centers, five youth development centers and six youth outreach programs for the association. This has been a wonderful process, Tointon said. Were so blessed to be able to enjoy this. We have an incredible challenge an uphill battle to wellness. Former Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan played an integral role in the discussions that eventually resulted in the new facility and served as campaign chairman for the fundraising effort that followed announcement of the $7 million lead gift from the Lakin and Iowa West Foundations. Speaking of those early discussions, Hanafan said the sentiment was Lets really dream big. Lets make a difference in our community, in Pottawattamie County and in the metro area. This is the culmination of a community effort. Weve changed this community. Iowa West Foundation President and CEO Pete Tulipana stressed the importance of partnerships in philanthropic endeavors, calling them critical for success. I remember Charles Lakins passion for kids, Tulipana said. It was Lakins passion for kids and the Iowa West Foundations goal of making Council Bluffs a place where people want to live, work and raise their families that made the initial collaboration and the resulting lead gift possible. A general open house for the community and members of the YMCA is planned for today from 1 to 5 p.m. The Charles E. Lakin YMCA will officially open on Monday, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for Friday. Didion Milling Inc. has appealed a $1.8 million fine imposed on the company by the U.S. Department of Labor after an explosion at its Cambria facility killed five workers and injured 12 others, according to a labor department spokesman. Workplace safety inspectors from the departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the fine in November in response to what they called a preventable explosion at the mill about 40 miles north of Madison. At the time of the fines announcement, Didion spokeswoman Aisha Bachlani called the penalties too severe and said the company disagreed with the categorization of the violations. The OSHA investigation concluded that well-established industry safety precautions could have prevented the explosion. The investigation found that Didion failed to control highly combustible grain dust and didnt maintain equipment to prevent heat or sparks that could ignite the dust. In 2013, Didion paid a $3,465 fine after OSHA found the company failed to install equipment to protect workers from dust that could ignite and explode. In 2010, Didion agreed to pay $1.05 million to settle state Department of Justice lawsuits that alleged the company violated air and water pollution regulations dozens of times in the previous decade. NEW YORK (AP) Net neutrality is a simple concept but a dense and often technical issue that has been argued over for years in tech and telecom circles. Now everyday folks are talking about it. Thats because the Federal Communications Commission has scheduled a vote next week to gut Obama-era rules meant to stop broadband companies such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon from exercising more control over what people watch and see on the Internet. The protests arent likely to stop the agencys vote on Thursday, but activists hope the outcry will push Congress to intervene and will show support for stricter regulation down the road. Net-neutrality rules bar cable and phone companies from favoring certain websites and apps such as their own services and give the FCC more oversight over privacy and the activities of telecom companies. Supporters worry that repealing them would hurt startups and other companies that couldnt afford to pay a broadband company for faster access to customers. Critics of the rules say they hurt investment in Internet infrastructure and represent too much government involvement in business. Phone and cable companies say the rules arent necessary because they already support an open Internet. Everyday people have been vocal in protesting repeal of the rules. Since the FCC announced just before Thanksgiving that it was planning to gut the rules, there have been about 750,000 calls to Congress made through Battle for the Net, a website run by groups that advocate for net neutrality. Meanwhile, net-neutrality supporters protested outside 700 Verizon stores Thursday, said Tim Karr, senior director of strategy for Free Press, an advocacy group involved in Battle for the Net. Access to a free and fair Internet is necessary for a functioning democracy, said Lauren Gruber, a writer for a branding agency who joined the New York protest. If the net-neutrality rules are repealed, she said, its just another showcase of oligarchy upon America. Most people dont follow what federal agencies like the FCC are doing, even though decisions can have a lot of impact on peoples lives, said Beth Leech, political science professor at Rutgers University. Protests that draw average people out into the streets across the country are relatively rare, she said. Its the rarity that gives them some of their power. Democratic senators have called for a delay in Thursdays vote, while Democratic FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel urged backers to make a ruckus. Some Democrats hope that the gutting of Obama-era net neutrality rules will become a campaign rallying cry in 2018. The FCCs commenting system has logged 23 million comments, compared with roughly 4 million for the last blockbuster issue: when the agency approved the net-neutrality rules in 2015. An August study by a data firm backed by the telecom industry found that 60 percent of the comments made this year supported keeping the 2015 rules. But the commenting system has been messy. The FCC says millions of comments used temporary email accounts from fakemailgenerator.com, hundreds of thousands of comments came from one address in Russia and many comments were duplicates. TOLEDO, Iowa (AP) For a second time, a man has been found guilty of murder in the 2000 disappearance of his fiance. A judge on Friday found 51-year-old Tait Purk guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Cora Okonski, whose body has never been found. In May, an Iowa County jury convicted Purk of murder in the case, but a judge found the verdict wasnt backed by evidence. Okonski disappeared April 16, 2000, while she was living with Purk in Tama. For nearly a half century, the family of Air Force Capt. Daniel W. Thomas searched for answers to the fate of the pilot who went down in Vietnam in 1971, haunted by the thought he may have been held captive. But in the past year came the long-sought answers. And in a private family ceremony on Nov. 27, the remains of the Danbury native were finally laid to rest in his southwest Nebraska hometown. Remarkably, Thomas was one of three men from Danbury, population just 140, who were missing in action at the close of the Vietnam War. With the recent recovery and identification of Thomas remains from a crash site in Vietnam, two of the Danbury MIAs have now been accounted for. Its a relief to know he died right there rather than being a prisoner of war, his brother, Ed Thomas of McCook, said this week. Its just too bad our parents have to be gone. They never got to know. After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1969, Thomas enlisted in the Air Force and went through pilot training. On July 6, 1971, the 24-year-old Thomas was flying an OV-10 Bronco surveillance plane as part of a secret mission in central Laos. Code named Prairie Fire, it involved inserting special operations reconnaissance teams and monitoring them. It was a mission Thomas was well-suited for, his commander later wrote. The pilots had to have superb piloting, map reading, navigation and organizational skills, the commander said. Lives depended on it. Thomas radioed that day that he was over the target area but that heavy clouds and rain kept him from seeing much. That was the last anyone heard from him. Around the same time, a covert ground surveillance unit working in the same area reported hearing a loud impact and explosion, but no crash site was found. He was an inspiration to us all, and we lost him, his brother said. There was a report that an American prisoner was seen in the area near the time Thomas went missing, so the family always wondered whether hed been captured. When the war ended, three residents of tiny Danbury were among the 2,600 service members reported as missing in action. There may not have been a community in America where the mystery, uncertainty and pain of Americas MIAs was more acutely felt. Thomas, Larry Knight and Donovan Walters all had gone to the same grade school and then grown up to be Air Force pilots. The Thomas, Knight and Walter families all knew one another, living within 5 miles of each other in Danbury and two surrounding farms. Knights mom and Thomas dad were first cousins. The Walters family would eventually get answers. In late 1988, 16 years after he had gone missing, his remains were found and returned. Over the years, the United States several times unsuccessfully attempted to locate Thomas crash site. Then in April 2014, a Vietnamese citizen provided a photograph of a dog tag of Maj. Donald Carr, the other crew member in Thomas plane. The crash site was finally located in August 2014, actually in Vietnam some 58 miles from the missions target site in Laos. In April 2016, dental remains and an ID tag were located and later positively identified as belonging to Thomas. On Nov. 27, an Air Force major escorted Thomas remains from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii for a small burial service attended by Thomas immediate family, including two brothers and a step-sister. Phil Thomas, the nephew of Thomas, said that although his grandmother, Carol Helm, died just two years before the family received answers, she always had faith she would eventually learn what became of her son. As my grandmother aged, she said that she rested easy because she was going to know what happened to Daniel before all of us would, Phil said. LINCOLN An Omaha man locked away for sexually assaulting two boys has again been granted a court hearing to contest one of his convictions. Supreme Court Judge Stephanie Stacy wrote in Fridays opinion that Christopher M. Payne is entitled to raise a claim of ineffective legal representation. It marks the second time since 2014 that the Supreme Court has ordered an evidentiary hearing for the repeat offender. Payne, 37, is serving 40 to 50 years in prison for first-degree sexual assault in Sarpy County. He pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a 6-year-old boy in 2000 in exchange for the dismissal of two other felony charges. Payne did not file a direct appeal, but in 2012, he submitted a post-conviction motion alleging that his trial attorneys were ineffective for advising him to plead no contest. Sarpy County District Judge William Zastera, who is now retired, denied the motion. The Supreme Court reversed that ruling in 2014 and ordered the judge to hold a hearing on whether Paynes lawyers erred in advising their client to plead no contest. When the lower court judge took up the matter, however, he limited the hearing to whether the trial attorneys failed their client by not filing a direct appeal. In Fridays ruling, the Supreme Court told the lower court again to hold the hearing on questions surrounding the no contest plea. In another case, Payne was convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old Omaha boy and was sentenced to 30 to 40 years in prison. In a third case, he was convicted in 2004 of contributing to the delinquency a minor when he was caught grooming two Sarpy County children over the Internet. Payne has filed several lawsuits against the Department of Correctional Services over the years, including one seeking to keep sexually explicit drawings he made while in prison. That lawsuit was dismissed as was Paynes subsequent appeal. He is eligible for parole in 2025 and for mandatory release in 2032. For the first time in two years, Lands End is reporting a quarterly profit. And investors have responded, giving the stock of the publicly traded, Dodgeville clothing retailer a nudge up. Lands End earned $162,000, or 1 cent per share, in the third quarter that ended Oct. 27, compared with a net loss of $7.2 million, or 23 cents a share for the same period last year. Sales in the third quarter were $325.5 million compared with $311.5 million a year ago. It is Lands Ends first profit since the third quarter of 2015, and the second consecutive quarterly increase in sales, which had been dropping since the second quarter of 2014, shortly after the company split from former parent Sears Holdings Corp. Weve stabilized the business and laid the foundation for years to come, CEO Jerome Griffith told a conference call with analysts on Tuesday. Griffith said outerwear, womens sweaters and home products were among the items that proved popular with customers, and he said sales of flannel shirts and turtlenecks were phenomenal. Noting the 19-degree temperature in Madison that morning with the chill moving toward the East Coast, Griffith said, We feel great about sales prospects for the companys cold weather gear. Sales from online orders rose while store sales slipped, as the number of Lands End shops in Sears has dropped to 188, down 31 from a year ago, said Jim Gooch, chief financial officer and chief operating officer. He said 49 Sears contracts expire in January, and Lands End plans to close 14 of the locations and try to work out better terms for the remaining stores. Griffith said Lands End will open the first new store of its own in the first half of 2018, and a handful of locations throughout the year as we test our concept. He said the company will launch its uniforms for Delta Air Lines employees in January. Lands End also recently signed a two-year contract to provide apparel to on-air personnel at The Weather Channel when they are reporting from the scene of an event. Griffith, who has served as CEO of a high-end luggage company and executive of the Esprit and Tommy Hilfiger fashion brands, joined Lands End in March. Over the past several months, the company has made some additional high-level changes: Joseph Boitano, executive vice president and chief merchandising and design officer and interim CEO before Griffith took over left the company in July. In November, the position of Rebecca Gebhardt, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, was eliminated. Also in November, two new executives were added. Gill Hong, formerly an executive adviser for Gap, is executive vice president, chief merchandising officer and head of international business, and Sarah Rasmussen returned to Lands End as senior vice president of e-commerce after serving as vice president for digital merchandising at Kohls. Lands End stock, which closed Monday at $11.80 a share, rose 29 percent over the next couple of days following the earnings release, closing Thursday at $15.20 a share. The impressive renovation of the 92-year- old Dundee Theater, thanks to the vision of the Sherwood Foundation and Film Streams, provides an occasion to pause and appreciate other notable buildings around Omaha that remain in use and have undergone well-done refurbishment. Some have remained viable through new adaptive uses. Public discussion and debate on historic preservation issues are important for a community. Not all buildings are preserved. But a significant number have been. Here is just a sampling of local restoration successes. Consider the former Vinton School building at 22nd Street and Deer Park Boulevard. Built in 1908 and designed by architect Frederick Clarke, the school is noted as an early, impressively conceived example of the Tudor Revival style. The building remains in use, after being redeveloped as apartments in 1989. South Omahas Livestock Exchange Building, built in 1926, was the first million-dollar construction contract for what is now Kiewit Corp. An Omaha landmark for generations, the 10-story building now features apartments and space for public gatherings. Omahas two venerable train stations both provide great examples of appropriate renovation and reuse Union Station, built in 1931, as the Durham Museum, and Burlington Station, completed in 1898, now home to TV station KETV. The New York Life Building, at 17th and Farnam Streets, was Omahas first skyscraper, built in 1889. Now the Omaha Building, its primary tenant is the Kutak Rock law firm. A notable instance of warehouse reuse is at 10th and Jones Streets, where the Ford warehouses now house residential units and shops. Other renovation successes involve some of Omahas longtime hotels, such as the Paxton, built in 1928, and Aquila Court, with its impressive courtyard, dating from 1923. Several apartment buildings stand out for preservation of their impressive architectural character. Among them: the Barnard, at Park Avenue and Leavenworth Street, built in 1902; Drake Court, at 22nd and Jones Streets, built in 1916; St. Regis Apartments, at 37th and Jones Streets, dating from 1916. Omahas first apartment building was Sherman Apartments at 16th and Lake Streets, built in 1897. The structure, featuring a notable neoclassical style, remains in use. Other fine renovations: the 1923 Jewell Building at 24th and Grant Streets; the 1898 Prague Hotel, at 13th and William Streets; and Florence Mill, dating back to 1856. These and other preserved structures all deserve a salute as examples of commendable civic-mindedness. By David Weigel | The Washington Post Hillary Clinton was surrounded by women the moment she lost the 2016 presidential election. "Things had been going too well for too long" when, on the morning of Oct. 28, her spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri approached her and longtime aide Huma Abedin and said two words: Jim Comey. "I immediately knew it was bad," Clinton writes in her memoir "What Happened" (Simon & Schuster, 494 pages, $30). There was a moment of mournful sisterhood as Abedin learned that the FBI was probing her husband Anthony Weiner's computer, ensuring that the final week of the election was going to be about Clinton's email server. "This man is going to be the death of me," Abedin said of Weiner. Clinton gave her a hug. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first female presidential nominee of a major party -- defeated by a man who even Republicans called a sexist -- is, as she points out in the book, the frequent answer to Gallup's question of who is "most admired woman in America." Nonetheless, she was unable to break the presidential glass ceiling, and her defeat has been genuinely traumatizing for millions of women. Locked out of the White House, she offers solidarity with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and other women who are called shrill, or unlikable, because they want to climb the same ladder as men. "I wish so badly we were a country where a candidate who said, 'My story is the story of a life shaped by and devoted to the movement for women's liberation' would be cheered, not jeered," she writes. "But that's not who we are." Her book finally takes on directly what has been muttered for years: That Clinton was often treated poorly simply because she was a woman. Clinton will bring her book to Portland with a sold-out event Tuesday at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. It will be up to some other woman to carry on the battle, Clinton writes. She's done with politics. Much of "What Happened" is a meditation on powerful women, a test-run for the speeches Clinton will give for the rest of her life. "I've seen women CEOs serve coffee at meetings," she writes, "women heads of state walk tissues over to a sneezing staffer." But still Clinton cannot let that Comey moment go. She quotes Fox News clips, legal analysis and congressional testimony to conclude that she was wronged. She takes subtle pleasure in Comey being fired by Donald Trump six months later. She apologizes to the reader, who has to relive all of this. "It wasn't healthy or productive," she writes, "to dwell on the ways I felt I'd been shivved." It's a perfect word, "shivved." The Hillary Clinton of this bitter memoir resembles the shrunken, beaten Richard Nixon who told David Frost that he gave his enemies a sword and "they twisted it with relish." Again and again she blames herself for losing, apologizing for her "dumb" email management, for giving paid speeches to banks, for saying she'd put coal miners "out of business." She veers between regret and righteous anger, sometimes in the same paragraph. "I regret handing Trump a political gift with my 'deplorables' comment," she writes. Then she lays out studies on voter biases from the University of Chicago and the Voter Study Group. Data amassed, Clinton clarifies: "Too many of Trump's core supporters do hold views that I find -- there's no other word for it -- deplorable." "What Happened" is a raw and bracing book, a guide to our political arena. Clinton, who came within less than 100,000 votes of the White House, recalls how friends urged her to take Xanax (she declined), how there "are times when all I want to do is scream into a pillow," and how she had to restrain herself at snapping at a young woman who tells her after the election that she didn't vote: "Now you want me to make you feel better?" Democrats who once begged her to run for president now squirm when they're asked about her. Clinton no longer cares; exiled to her home in Chappaqua, N.Y., she is liberated from the public eye and dismissive of the media which, in her view, maintains one rule book for every other candidate and a Necronomicon for her. "Why am I seen as such a divisive figure and, say, Joe Biden and John Kerry aren't?" she asks. "They've cast votes of all kinds, including some they regret, just like me? What makes me such a lightning rod for fury? I'm really asking. I'm at a loss." There has never been a candidate memoir like this, but there has never been a defeated contender like Hillary Clinton. Since at least 1999, when she leapt into the race for one of New York's open Senate seats, the idea of a second President Clinton had loomed in our national consciousness. In 2004, superfans tried to draft her into the presidential race; in 2011, pollster Pat Caddell argued that "the Hillary moment" had come, and that Clinton could "step above partisan politics" if Barack Obama stepped aside. It didn't happen. The book is also sometimes corny, with quotes from "Hamilton" and details about the hot sauce she carries everywhere (Ninja Squirrel Sriracha), suggesting that the Clinton who told young voters to "Pokemon-go-to-the-polls" really meant it. The aphorism "What does not kill us makes us stronger" is credited to both Friedrich Nietzsche and Kelly Clarkson. It is, perhaps, the only political memoir that takes time to thank Beyonce for her support. That approach to politics is part of "what happened." The caterwauling about Clinton's loss basically takes two forms -- whether one event or gaffe could have reversed the election, and whether another candidate would have let the election even get close. Clinton is convincing on the first point, citing Trump's own strategists about how the election was lost before the Comey letter. She is all over the map on the second. It's dishonest and unfair, she writes, to suggest that she ran a my-turn campaign that ignored economic issues. She insists that the press, which she never has to deal with again, is to blame for that impression. It "often seemed bored" by the roundtables she held with voters, which she used "to guide the policies already being hammered out back in our Brooklyn headquarters." Clinton charges that coverage of her campaign was dominated by emails; coverage of Trump's, including start-to-finish live shots of his rallies, focused on the issues. She is easier on Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who she credits for "understanding the political power of big, bold ideas," than on Biden, who "campaigned for me all over the Midwest" then claimed Democrats never talked about his issues. In a point-by-point debunking of the idea that she ignored the Midwest, Clinton chides the press for ignoring the substance of the Rust Belt tour that followed the Democratic National Convention. "The very same week that Tim (Kaine) and I were driving around Pennsylvania and Ohio, Donald Trump was picking a high-profile fight with the Khans, the grieving Gold Star parents," she writes. "That sucked up all the oxygen in the media. ... But it was also part of a pattern that over the long-term ensured that my economic message never got out and let Trump control the tempo of the race." The saga of the Khan family, Muslims in Charlottesville whose son joined the Army and died in Iraq, was compelling and harmful to Trump in the short term. It was also precipitated by the Clinton campaign. It had decided to bring the Khans onstage and elevate their issue; it delighted when Trump took the bait, burning up several news cycles. Two weeks before the election, it rolled out a 60-second ad in which Khizr Khan watched Trump on television and wept at the memory of his son. Her campaign's messaging, Clinton argues, would have locked up the election had Comey not intervened and sent suburban moderates scrambling. But she made a choice with that messaging. She did talk about jobs, but until the last moments of the campaign, Clinton and most Democrats were convinced that Trump was less vulnerable on traditional issues than on his frequent, insulting gaffes. Clinton has more in common with Sanders than the book lets on. Both of them wanted to run substantive campaigns. Both of them resented a media that Trump seemed to understand intuitively, even if it was reporting on how this-or-that mistake was, finally, the end for him. Clinton spends two pages on the concept of a shared national resource fund, a concept barely discussed in the campaign -- "we would call it Alaska for America," a reference to that state's practice of cutting checks to residents from the oil industry's profits. The reader knows that this is dull; the reader, like Clinton, relies on media that prioritizes scandal and narrative over news. Trump, in the campaign and in power, never let go of the narrative; Clinton could never get her hands around it. She admits that after her loss she didn't want to go to the inauguration until George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter did. She arrived, and settled scores, making fun of a classless Rep. Jason Chaffetz (who would leave Congress after realizing it was no fun without Clinton scandals to probe). Amid the ceremony, she ran into incoming Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke who, as a congressman from Montana, had called her "the Antichrist." Now she watched him blanch as she quoted the insult back to him. "One thing I've learned over the years is how easy it is for some people to say horrible things about me when I'm not around," she writes, "but how hard it is for them to look me in the eye and say it to my face." *** Hillary Rodham Clinton When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 S.W. Broadway; sold out, check resellers; portland5.com Its become a fact of urban life that stepping outside ones home means stepping into view of one or more increasingly sophisticated and numerous surveillance cameras both publicly and privately owned. In Madison, thats especially true if you spend a lot of time Downtown, take the bus, drive on major streets, live in government-subsidized housing and, in all likelihood, attend school at UW-Madison. The city has more than 850 stationary cameras at points east, west, north and south, with an especially heavy concentration of police cameras in the State Street and Downtown areas. The Water Utility uses cameras at its wells, pump stations, water towers and other critical infrastructure. Traffic Engineering posts them at busy intersections. Drivers are watched when they pull into spots in the citys parking ramps and when they step up to the self-serve, pay on foot kiosks. The library system, by contrast, posts cameras at only three sites 14 at the Central Library Downtown, three at the Meadowridge Library in the Southwest Side Meadowood neighborhood and four at the Goodman South Madison Library on the South Side. Library Director Greg Mickells said cameras were installed at Meadowridge when it changed locations in 2014 to be able verify the identity of an individual in the building if needed. At Goodman South Madison, we had some areas that were somewhat secluded; we wanted to be able to verify an incident if needed, he said. The Metro Transit bus system is responsible for the most cameras. It has more than 1,240, with more than 1,135 of them rolling along inside Metros 215 fixed-route buses and 15 paratransit buses. But on a per-square-foot basis, Monona Terrace might be the most surveilled, non-mobile public space in Madison. It has 136 undercover cameras. The only area of public access that is not monitored are the public restrooms and administration offices, executive director Gregg McManners said. In addition to squad-car dashboard cameras, the Police Department technically oversees 145 stationary cameras around town. The citys 2018 budget includes funding to install 18 more, at locations to be determined. Practically, however, police can make use of more than 2,000 city-owned cameras, as well as what could be hundreds or thousands more privately owned cameras. Private and UW-Madison cameras The State Journal did not try to estimate how many cameras there are in stores, hotels, apartment buildings and other privately owned, publicly accessible spaces. Theres little doubt, though, that theyve grown in popularity. I see cameras everywhere, said Jim Cooper, president of Fitchburg-based Mid-Wisconsin Security, which installs surveillance equipment. Cameras are very prevalent, said Doug Fearing, co-founder and president of Fearings Audio Video Security in Madison, which installs systems at everything from small businesses to large corporations. A lot of it has to do with we watch parking lots and front doors, Cooper said. Mainly, their property is what theyre looking to protect. But theres always over-spray, Fearing said, meaning images caught on the street, sidewalks or other public spaces. At Dane Countys largest employer, UW-Madison, all cameras are under the control of the UW-Madison Police Department, which declined to disclose their number or locations. We dont need the bad guys to know where our cameras are and how many we have, said UW-Madison Police spokesman Marc Lovicott. I can tell you that the majority of our cameras are indoors and aimed at doorways, to aid in access control and building security. Better technology Cooper said private cameras are often motion-sensitive, recording only when they sense something moving within their view. Its also not as if the videos the cameras are capturing are regularly being reviewed by human beings in real time; theyre there should police or others need to go back and look at them. Lovicott said the university doesnt like to call them surveillance cameras, as theyre not actively monitored. Camera quality has improved over the last 10 years, Cooper said, and Fearing pointed to a service called appearance search by the video software and analytics company Avigilon. The company describes it as a kind of video search engine that allows users to click on an image in a section of video and search for that image in other video. The advantage is being able to find and track a person or object recorded by multiple cameras over time, like in a shopping mall, without having to look at every camera and search it ourselves, Fearing said. Jake Laperruque, senior counsel with the think tank The Constitution Project, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is increasingly relying on facial-recognition technology, by which computers scour video for face prints that can then be compared to a database including drivers license photos. Under watch Fearing guessed that a person walking around and going into stores and other businesses in a place like Downtown Madison is within camera range about 50 percent of the time. That percentage is likely to grow in the next five years to be something like the 75 percent of the time people in a typical shopping mall are on camera, he said. Laperruque said its generally true that the law allows any public or private group or individual to take video in places where there is not a reasonable expectation of privacy, like a street or a park, and without any notice to the public. State peeping tom laws prohibit images of private spaces like a bedroom from being captured from public spaces like the sidewalk. Private entities dont have to release information about their surveillance cameras or share the images they capture. For government, the state open records law applies, said UW-Madison journalism professor emeritus and First Amendment expert Bob Drechsel. The law directs government officials to presume that government records are open to public inspection, and to withhold them only if theres greater public interest in withholding than in disclosing them. With government surveillance common, the real questions now include the extent to which we are willing to give up some of our privacy and for what and what limits should be placed on the information thats collected about us, said Drechsel, who also serves as a member of the board of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. If those vital questions arent decided through public debate and constant re-examination, we could soon arrive at (a) place where reasonable expectation of privacy has little meaning, he said. By PTI: Amritsar, Dec 9 (PTI) Fifteen kg gold, pegged worth Rs 4.5 crore, was today seized from an Air India flight which arrived from Dubai at the international airport here, officials said. Two passengers have been been detained, they said. The gold was concealed under a passenger seat cushion inside the plane and recovered during a joint operation by the Customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence on a tip- off, airport officials said. advertisement The Customs department has registered a case, they said. Taranjit Singh and his wife Satinder Kaur, residents of district Tarn Taran, who arrived in the flight from Dubai have been detained in connection with the joint probe by the DRI and the Customs, the officials said. They said the seized gold was estimated to be worth around Rs 4.5 crore. PTI COR CHS SUN KIS --- ENDS --- We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 9 (PTI) Union Shipping and Ports Minister Nitin Gadkari today said 24 companies have offered to invest over Rs 60,000 crore in a special economic zone adjoining the countrys largest container port JNPT. "Twenty-four companies have already offered to come (and) set up (ventures) in JNPT SEZ who will use it for exports," Gadkari said, speaking at a seminar organised by Moneycontrol and Free Press Journal here this morning. advertisement This will entail an investment of Rs 60,000 crore and create employment for 1.25-1.50 lakh people, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation for the facility months after being sworn-in in May 2014 and the government was targeting to create 1.50 lakh jobs in the facility. Without disclosing the name of the company, Gadkari today said one of the companies has said it "on an affidavit" that it alone will invest Rs 6,000 crore and create employment for 40,000 people. The comments from the minister came in the backdrop of recent media reports that said Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn may be one of the interested companies, which will create the high number of jobs for mobile handset manufacturing at the facility. The government was also hopeful of getting Tesla, arguably one of the most respected companies in the world, to the SEZ, but Gadkari had recently said the battery and transport major is not interested. JNPT, which has also awarded an over Rs 7,900-crore project to more than double its container handling capacity, is investing Rs 4,000 crore in the SEZ which is supposed to be spread over 277 hectares. Gadkari today said works of over Rs 2 lakh crore have already started under the ambitious Sagarmala project and added that port-rail connectivity will alone witness investment of Rs 1 lakh crore under the project. He said the ministry is constructing the Indore-Manmad railway line at an investment of Rs 6,000 crore and is also looking to connect neighbouring Thane districts Kasara and JNPT directly. In order to reduce the container traffic passing through the financial capital and suburbs, it has asked for land near Vasai on the outskirts, from where the containers can be sent directly on barges to JNPT via the water route, he said. It is also investing Rs 1,000 crore to build a cruise terminal in the financial capital, Gadkari said, adding that the first of the Mumbai-Goa cruise ships will be sailing before the end of December. PTI AA RSY --- ENDS --- BLOOMINGTON After a weeklong trial in which he served as his own counsel, a Bloomington man was convicted Friday of selling drugs to a police informant. Andrew Pinkston laid his head in clasped hands as the guilty verdicts were read following 40 minutes of jury deliberation. During his closing argument Friday afternoon, the 47-year-old defendant claimed he was entrapped by a confidential source working with Bloomington police in a June 2016 drug transaction. The informant, who had purchased cocaine on a regular basis from Pinkston before the June 8, 2016, incident, agreed to help police after he was arrested in an unrelated drug possession case, authorities said. He got in a jam and he jammed me up. It isnt fair, Pinkston told the jury, leaning close to the panel as he held up the small bags of crack cocaine introduced as evidence. Assistant States Attorney Jeff Horve recounted the evidence against Pinkston, including the defendant's admission that he had been a drug user for more than three decades. "This is what he did all the time," said the prosecutor. Pinkston's decision to leave work early in order to bring $50 worth of crack cocaine to the confidential source was an example of a bad choice rather than entrapment, said Horve. Horve also discounted Pinkston's argument that the drug deal had more to do with an addiction to cocaine than financial gain. Judge Robert Freitag set a Jan. 22 sentencing for Pinkston, who faces up to 30 years on the drug charges. Hordes of glittery, neon-wearing kids crammed into a ballroom at the Eden Roc Miami Beach hotel in Miami Beach for Moschino's Art Basel bash, hosted in partnership with TIDAL, for the chance to catch a live performance by hip-hop's woman of the hour, Cardi B. The fashion brand toasted the launch of their Gold Fresh fragrance and creative director Jeremy Scott hosted an intimate dinner in the hotel's pool area for friends like Joan Smalls and Paris Hilton before it was time for Cardi to take the stage. Guests could wander around the hotel's lobby bar or head into the ballroom for Cardi's performance, which included a duet with G-Eazy and was preceded by a DJ set from Diplo. Eden Roc itself had recently undergone a transformation when the Miami Beach stalwart joined forces with famed chef/restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa to revamp and create two hotels-in-one featuring a new design by famed architect David Rockwell that blends Miami Beach vibes with Japanese zen. The hotel had previously been home to the namesake restaurant since 2015. Click through to see pics from the night below including shots of Cardi, Slick Woods, Paris Hilton, Joan Smalls, Jeremy Scott and more. Photos by Griffin Lipson/BFA.com New Spring, a project by Studio Swine and COS This year, as has been the case for many years, Miami Art Week (Art Basel Miami Beach, Design Miami and countless other satellite fairs, shows, parties, panels and more) as featured numerous projects either sponsored by, or explicitly created in conjunction with, brands alongside the booths, shows and installations by galleries or individual artists. Fashion brands, in particular, were well represented: Prada tapped Carsten Holler to create a three-day art installation-cum-pop-up club (two clubs to be exact!). Zara collaborated on a mural at the Wynwood Walls created by artist Tavar Zawacki. And COS teamed up with London-based Studio Swine on the second iteration of the art/architecture/design duo's New Spring installation (the first debuted in Milan during Salone di Mobile). Whereas generally-speaking many other examples of brand-artist collabs have a specific marketing aim or commercial motivation (think of how many brands make a splashy announcement that they've tapped a major artist to direct a campaign or release a limited-edition, artist-designed capsule collection of some sort), these partnerships at Miami Art Week managed to feel more organic and understated, focusing on creating art for the sake of it rather than pushing products. And amidst the noisy frenzy of the art fairs, the COS x Studio Swine installation especially stood out for its subtlety and the calmness it inspired in viewers. The structure, which looked like a massive weeping willow made from white metal tubes, was housed in the L. Murray Dixon-designed Temple House, an Art Deco masterpiece in South Beach whose white walls and minimalist space was a perfect complement to the piece. Once inside, guests were encouraged to put on a pair of black gloves which would allow them to interact with the installation. The structure released scent-filled bubbles that would disappear upon skin contact but would retain their shape for a few moments when encountering the gloves. The surprise of being able to play with these fragile bubbles and the five different scents they contained -- fragrances that were all inspired by Miami and featured either green, floral, wood, fruit or coconut notes -- brought a moment of wonder and stillness to the viewer. Throughout the week and especially at the opening night party, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, a response that was likely due, in no small part, to the trust that COS placed in their artist-designer collaborators and the free reign they gave them, acting more like patrons and less like corporate clients commissioning a piece. "COS gave us total freedom to do what we wanted," Studio Swine co-founder Azusa Murakami says. "We were looking into the festival of cherry blossoms in Japan and how that brings people together to create this special moment and also the beauty of impermanence. We wanted to create this special experience that won't last." But although she and partner Alexander Groves had free rein, that doesn't mean they ignored the brand completely. "What we wanted to do was look into the context that we were exhibiting in and also look into the key values for COS, which are timelessness, simplicity, modernity, tactility and how to manifest these ideas to a physical thing," Azusa says. Alongside the installation was a COS pop-up shop on the second floor of Temple House with pieces selected by the brand's creative director Karin Gustafsson to complement the installation. And while no doubt visitors were tempted to buy pieces from the shop, like the bubbles coming out of the tubes, the installation as a whole had a less commercial and more ephemeral -- yet no less important -- purpose for the fashion company. "As a team we do research on art and new design and architecture -- that's a constant thing and we get a lot out of that," Gustafsson says, explaining that it's this research that really leads to their ideas for each collection, rather than any current catwalk trends. The research process also allows them to "think as a team," she says and it's by commissioning installations like New Spring that the brand feels that they can "give back to the creatives that inspire us" as well as "share with the public what we believe is special and what we think should be talked about." And, based on the chatter this week and at their opening night party, their instincts have borne out. New Spring is located at Temple House at 1415 Euclid Ave., Miami Beach and is on view through Sunday, December 10th There are nearly 400 crorepati candidates in fray for Gujarat's 182 seats. The state goes to the poll today in a two-part election. By Press Trust of India: As many as 397 crorepati candidates are in the fray for the Gujarat assembly elections, an analysis of their election affidavits done by two NGOs has found. Of the total 1,828 candidates trying their luck in the two-phased Assembly polls, 1,098 nominees have passed class 12 or below. Also, there are only 118 women candidates in the fray, according to the report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Gujarat Election Watch (GEW). advertisement While 198 out of the total 977 candidates of the first phase have declared assets worth more than Rs 1 crore, 199 nominees out of the total 851 of second phase have emerged as crorepati as per the analysis of their affidavits conducted by the NGOs. As per the study, 131 of these 397 crorepati candidates have declared assets worth over Rs 5 crore, while 124 others have shown movable and immovable assets in the range of Rs 2 crore to Rs 5 crore. While the ruling BJP has given tickets to 142 crorepati candidates, the opposition Congress has fielded 127 such nominees. The NCP has given tickets to 17 crorepati candidates, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded 13 such candidates and the BSP to five. The report said that 56 independent candidates also fall under this category. The remaining crorepati candidates belong to lesser known parties or outfits. Congress candidate for Daskroi seat, Pankaj Patel has emerged as the wealthiest candidate with declared assets worth Rs 231.93 crore, it said. He is followed by another Congress nominee Indranil Rajyaguru of Rajkot-West seat who has declared assets worth Rs 141.22 crore. Rajyaguru is followed by BJP candidate for Botad seat Saurabh Patel. Patel, who is former Gujarat finance minister, has declared assets worth Rs 123.78 crore, the report said. BJP candidate and prominent businessman Dhanjibhai Patel of Wadhwan seat is in the fourth place with declared assets of Rs 113.47 crore. In a sharp contrast, six independent candidates have declared that they have zero movable or immovable assets. The report also suggests that as many as 13 candidates have declared that their annual income is more than Rs 1 crore, based on the last Income Tax returns filed by them. In terms of educational qualifications, the report said that as many as 1,098 nominees have either passed only 5th, 8th, 10th or 12th class. 119 candidates mentioned that they were only literate, while 23 others declared that they were illiterate. According to the report, of the 1,828 candidates, 118 were women. 658 candidates were in the age group of 25 and 40 years, 889 between ages of 41 and 60, while 193 of them were between 61 and 80. advertisement Voting for the first phase of the polls began this morning, while polling for the second phase will be held on December 14. Counting of votes for both the phases will be held on December 18. WATCH | Editors roundtable from Sabarmati riverfront: Congress conceded too many self goals? --- ENDS --- Iran Foreign Minister, Britain Foreign Secretary discuss JCPOA, economic ties in Tehran 12/09/17 Source: Press TV Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have held talks in the Iranian capital about a landmark nuclear agreement reached between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries more than two years ago. Iran's FM Javad Zarif (R) with Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson According to a statement by Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the top Iranian and British diplomats discussed on Saturday the implementation of the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and commitment of all signatories to the deal, whose future has been thrown into doubt by US President Donald Trump. Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China - plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016. Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran. UK Prime Minister Theresa May on November 30 affirmed her country's support for the nuclear agreement in the face of the US administration's harsh rhetoric and threats to "terminate" it. The US president delivered an anti-Iran speech on October 13, in which he said he would not continue to certify Iran's compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, reached under his predecessor Barack Obama, and warned that he might ultimately terminate the agreement. The statement said Zarif and Johnson also exchanged views about other matters, including economic, banking and trade relations as well as regional and international developments. Johnson said the JCPOA was of high significance to London and emphasized his country's commitment to fully implement the deal, it added. The statement noted that the top British diplomat also called for the expansion of cooperation and continued consultation with Iran. Johnson arrived in Tehran on Saturday for an official two-day visit to meet with senior Iranian officials. Prior to his talks with Zarif, the British foreign secretary sat down with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani. He is due to meet President Hassan Rouhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi. Iran's Student Movement Faces Roadblocks Under Rouhani Despite Election Campaign Promises 12/09/17 Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran Protests were held at several Iranian universities on December 7, 2017, on the occasion of Student Day. One activist told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that President Hassan Rouhani has failed to uphold his election campaign promise to end the securitization of university campuses. A Student Day protest at the University of Tehran. "On the eve of this year's Student Day, students were summoned over the phone and warned not to take part in protests," student activist Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam told CHRI. "The authorities have made it more difficult to organize unions to seek better living conditions for students. The climate for political activities now is even worse than before." Student Day marks the anniversary of the death of three students who were killed by the shah's military at the University of Tehran on December 6, 1956, while protesting against the British and US-backed coup against Iran's popularly elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. After Iran's 1979 revolution, officials tried to use Student Day to boost the image of the Islamic Republic, but the pro-revolution propaganda has been increasingly drowned out by calls for reform. This year the protests focused on the rising costs of higher education, gender, and religious discrimination, and the ongoing presence of security forces on campuses. "In recent years the demands of the student movement have shifted to economic issues, which society as a whole is grappling with," said Moghaddam. The protests began on December 4 at the University of Tehran and spread to other campuses in the capital, including the Sharif University of Technology, Allameh Tabataba'i University, and Shahid Beheshti University. Students also held rallies in other cities including at Neyshabur University in northeastern Iran. The protests were primarily organized by a confederation of more than 30 student union groups that issued a joint statement calling for an end to the privatization of student services; the reinstatement of state subsidies for students on food, housing, and transportation; the reinstatement of independent student groups and students who were expelled for political reasons; ending gender discrimination on campuses; and allowing ethnic and religious minorities to pursue higher education in Iran. "The onslaught of the government's neo-liberal policies and privatization has sharply increased students' cost of living and diminished the concept of free education," Moghaddam told CHRI. "Students are protesting because everything from the cost of food to dormitory accommodations and tuition is making it very difficult to continue pursuing education," he said. The increasing presence of security forces at universities was another major issue raised this Student Day. During a speech at Sistan and Baluchistan University in the provincial capital of Zahedan on December 3, President Rouhani boasted that campuses were no longer shrouded by the harsh security climate that was implemented during President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's terms (2005-2013). "One of the efforts made by the government in the past four years was to allow students to flourish, and if you compare that to the previous eight years, you can clearly see that today university students can express themselves with a strong voice without stammering," said Rouhani. However, Moghaddam pointed out to CHRI that the Science Ministry, which operates under Rouhani and oversees university affairs, does not allow the formation of independent student organizations, and protesters are often summoned to disciplinary and security agencies for engaging in peaceful activism. "The security climate in the universities has become more difficult and increased the cost of resistance," he said. "If students protest and try to change the situation, they will be called to answer to the disciplinary committees." At an earlier rally by female students at the University of Tehran on November 27 that lasted three days, students demonstrated against gender discrimination, excessive enforcement of the hijab, and the rising costs of student housing. "Like other sectors of society, universities treat women in a patriarchal fashion so much so that the hijab has been made mandatory even inside the female dorms, and the students feel they have less freedom because they have to be inside by 8:30 p.m. or else their families will be contacted," said Moghaddam. In a joint statement, 32 student union organizations said they had given up on asking politicians to listen to their demands. "The student movement is alive because its slogans are rooted in bitter experiences that are easy to see," said the statement. "Instead of asking for help from political factions, we seek solidarity with workers and teachers to demand the rights denied to all of us." The West Akyem Municipal Directorate of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), in collaboration with Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), has embarked on a series of community outreaches and engagements with economic groups and other identifiable groups on tax compliance in the municipality. The campaign forms part of the nationwide programme currently under way and dubbed: OUR TAXES OUR FUTURE, which is aimed at increasing national revenue through domestic tax collection. Addressing a group of artisans at the Asamankese lorry park, the Municipal Director of the NCCE, Madam Modesta Annie Sapaty, informed the citizens that paying taxes was not only a constitutional obligation but also scriptural and quoted Article 41(j) of the 1992 Constitution and Matthew 22:17-21 from the King James version of the Holy Bible respectively to buttress her claims. She said taxes enabled the government to create jobs, provide basic social amenities such as electricity, potable water, health facilities, schools and bridges. It also enabled the government to support institutions such as the police and fire fighters, among others. Categories of taxes Madam Sapaty told the target group that under the various categories of income taxes, the law provided for corporate tax, personal tax, income tax, Pay-As-You-Earn-(PAYE) and the Vehicle Income Tax (VIT) paid by commercial transport operators but not excluding the capital gains tax, gift tax, tax stamp and rent tax. The NCCE director appealed to the gathering to be patriotic enough to honour their tax obligations honestly and promptly as failure to do so attracted sanctions and intimated that it was, Taxes which build great nations and taxpayers are nation builders. If we want Ghana to become like one of the Great Nations of the world such as Dubai, the United Kingdom, America and China, then we must pay our taxes promptly and honestly, she said. Displeasure on mismanagement of tax funds During the open forum, some of the artisans expressed their displeasure about the mismanagement and diversion of state funds into private pockets by tax administrators and public office holders and, therefore, pleaded with the government to put the taxes collected to good use for the benefit of the general public. Similar campaign on tax compliance is being carried out in communities, churches, mosques, transport terminals and womens groups. Others include traditional leaders, hawkers and all taxable persons and entities within the West Akyem Municipality. Earlier at the forum, the West Akyem Municipal Finance Officer, Mr Felix Q. Quainoo, told the artisans that the Internally Generated Funds being collected by the assembly by way of fines, rates, licences, levies, among others, were used to supplement the District Assembly Common Fund(DACF) in the provision of projects and social amenities. Source: graphic online Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Host of Kokrokoo on Peace FM, Kwami Sefa Kayi has advised Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul not to descend into dirty politics. The Defence Minister, at a press meeting on Thursday, addressed the former first family demanding them to vacate their residence as it was sited on a Military land. He further decried what he termed as poor handling of matters relating to the Armed Forces, claiming the land belonging to the Military had been shared among government officials of the previous administration. "I am talking about the former President, John Mahama. I will say no more, but I am very disturbed about this. It is happening in Tamale, it is happening in Takoradi and Lands Commission is colluding to do that. People in Lands Commission were selling Armed Forces lands. Not under this watch, that cannot happen any longer, and anybody who decides to encroach on Armed Forces lands should leave. It is not in your interest. I am sorry; but that is the truth that we did not manage the Armed Forces lands very well," he said. But Mr. Sefa Kayi has cautioned Hon. Nitiwul to be careful about the way and manner he conducts himself as Minister of Defence. He advised him not to forget that power is transient. Mr. Sefa Kayi noted that Hon. Nitiwul delivered a superb speech at the press meeting but lost his admiration when he began to pick on former President John Mahama and his family concerning the Military land. "I try to be as honest as i can, i've my flaws like any other man. Please let's tell Dominic Nitiwul that power is transient, he should remember that. I listened to his press conference....beautiful press conference and then he introduced John Mahama into the element about some land issue and he messed up everything. He should cast his mind back, i don't want to talk much. If i meet Nitiwul, i'll tell him that he should have it at the back of his mind that he'll not be in power forever," the ace broadcaster stated. Meanwhile, the office of the former President has described Ministers allegations as iiresponsible and reckless, stating emphatically that Mr. Mahama and his family do not own any Military land as purported by Hon. Nitiwul. We presume that the ministers irresponsible claim is in respect of the current residence of the former first family. President Mahama has not appropriated or acquired any land or property belonging to the military and which he is currently occupying. Aide to the Former President, Joyce Bawah Mogtari revealed that the former first family currently resides in a residential estate developed by a private real estate development company. It is sad that the minister with oversight responsibility over our men and women in uniform, who risk their lives to preserve the security of our nation, would descend into the gutter and dabble in propaganda of the most undesirable kind. This behaviour falls short of the requirements of a Defence Minister whose office calls for sobriety and reflection, she added. Source: Adu Gyamfi Ameyaw/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A Nigerian man based in Italy has reportedly gotten his 65 year old father and 56 year old mum arrested for allegedly sending him pictures of a fake house they were building for him while in Italy. Facebook user, Nnamdi Victor who shared the story online wrote; 'One of us just locked his parents up in police cell. His 65 year old father and 56 year old mother slept in police cell last night with an instruction that anyone who comes close to bail them should be locked up too. I know what the parents did are wrong but I have been pleading with him since last week not to toe this path. There are many ways to solve issues like this. If your parents do same to you, would you have done exactly what he did or you would have handled it differently? Hear him : "Ben, I'm sorry I have to do what I did. You won't understand how painful it is to be hustling here only to find out that my stupid and greedy parents were just wasting all my efforts on frivolities. Like you already know, I have been in Italy doing all kinds of menial jobs just to put food on my table and make some savings. I have been here for six good years but I have never visited Nigeria. I have been sending some cash to my parents to help me buy two plots of land and start building on it for all of us because we have suffered enough as a family, paying rent always. Ben do you know that my foolish parents only bought one plot of land and nothing has been going on there apart from the initial foundation.? In fact they started the foundation recently when they knew I will be visiting Nigeria. They have been sending me fake pictures of my house. Bro I'm mad. I don't know what they used all the money for. They don't know how I managed to make these savings. Omg I just wasted six years in Italy without anything to show for it. If I can't trust my own parents, who then can I trust? I will spend the remaining money I have with me on police to make sure they remained there until I go back to start a new hustle. Please Ben if you have a trusted lady in her late thirties who can build with me, kindly hook me up to her. I can't trust these foolish parents of mine again." Source: Linda Ikejis blog Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament has chosen an unconventional way to mark one year of his partys defeat. Hon George Kofi Arthur, former MP for Amenfi Central in the Western region said he will booze to pacify his soul which wept after the gargantuan defeat of the NDC in the 2016 general elections. The motive for this, he indicated is because the outcome of the elections taught that indeed human beings are the most dangerous creatures on earth. Exactly a year today, President John Mahama lost to presidential elections to opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). Though incumbent, he managed to poll 44.40 percent of the total votes cast as against 53.85% by then opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo. Three-time lucky New Patriotic Party (NPP) leader, Nana Akufo-Addo polled 5,716,026 to beat incumbent President John Mahama who had 4,713, 277 Electoral Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei announced Friday evening. This humiliating results shook the foundation of the NDC with many notably members expressing shock. Speaking on Adom FMs Dwaso Nsem Thursday, Hon George Arthur said he now has second thoughts about the people around him. He cited how chiefs, opinion leaders, celebrities and others pledged their unflinching support for John Mahama yet did not vote for him. The former Amenfi Central MP said they including President Mahama spent all their resources to run an expensive campaign because they were certain of victory in 2016. This notwithstanding, Hon. George Arthur said the NDC is more than capable to recover from the shock and win the 2020 general elections. Source: adomonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video By PTI: (Eds: Updates with CMs reaction, details) Raipur/New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) Four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including two sub-inspectors (SIs), were today killed and another wounded in a gunfire allegedly opened by their colleague at a camp in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district, officials said. The fratricide was reported around 5 PM at the G (intelligence) company camp of the paramilitary forces 168th battalion in Basaguda, about 450 km from here, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dantewada range) Sundarraj P told PTI in Raipur. advertisement Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has condemned the the killing of the CRPF men -- deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the state. According to preliminary information, constable Sanath Kumar (35) allegedly opened fire with his service weapon, an AK 47 rifle, leaving four personnel dead on the spot and another injured, he said. Three of the four CRPF men killed in the fratricide were senior to Kumar, a resident of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh. The deceased were identified as SI Vikey Sharma (34) hailing from Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, SI Megh Singh (52) from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Assistant SI Rajveer Singh (48) from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan and constable G Sankara Rao (37) from Vijaynagram in Andhra Pradesh,Aa police official told PTI. ASI Gajanand (49), a native of Rewari in Haryana, suffered injuries in his ribs during the firing, the official said. The bodies and the injured ASI were evacuated from Basaguda to Bijapur at 6 PM. An MI17 helicopter was sent to airlift the injured and the bodies to Raipur, he added. Officials said Kumar was soon overpowered and apprehended by other colleagues who were present in the camp. The jawans reportedly had a brawl before the fatal incident took place and a probe has been ordered into the incident, they added. "The chief minister has condemned the incident which took place in Basaguda village of Bijapur around 5 PM today," an official statement here said. Expressing condolence, Chief Minister Singh extended sympathy to the family members of the victims, according to an official statement. He has also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured ASI, it said. PTI TKP/NES RSY BNM KIS --- ENDS --- Jayden Arnold embraces Derek Norris, one of two paramedics who saved her life 17 years ago. Arnold, Norris and Roy Stanley, left, reunited at the BC Ambulance station on Fairview Road Friday after a social media post helped identify the paramedics. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has condemned the the killing of the CRPF men -- deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the state. By PTI, Press Trust of India: Four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including two sub-inspectors (SIs), were today killed and another wounded in a gunfire allegedly opened by their colleague at a camp in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district, officials said. The fratricide was reported around 5 PM at the G company camp of the paramilitary forces 168th battalion in Basaguda, about 450 km from here, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dantewada range) Sundarraj P told PTI in Raipur. advertisement Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has condemned the the killing of the CRPF men -- deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the state. According to preliminary information, constable Sanath Kumar (35) allegedly opened fire with his service weapon, an AK 47 rifle, leaving four personnel dead on the spot and another injured, he said. Three of the four CRPF men killed in the fratricide were senior to Kumar, a resident of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh. The deceased were identified as SI Vikey Sharma (34) hailing from Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, SI Megh Singh (52) from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Assistant SI Rajveer Singh (48) from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan and constable G Sankara Rao (37) from Vijaynagram in Andhra Pradesh, a police official told PTI. ASI Gajanand (49), a native of Rewari in Haryana, suffered injuries in his ribs during the firing, the official said. The bodies and the injured ASI were evacuated from Basaguda to Bijapur at 6 PM. An MI17 helicopter was sent to airlift the injured and the bodies to Raipur, he added. Officials said Kumar was soon overpowered and apprehended by other colleagues who were present in the camp. The jawans reportedly had a brawl before the fatal incident took place and a probe has been ordered into the incident, they added. "The chief minister has condemned the incident which took place in Basaguda village of Bijapur around 5 PM today," an official statement here said. Expressing condolence, Chief Minister Singh extended sympathy to the family members of the victims, according to an official statement. He has also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured ASI, it said. --- ENDS --- FILE - In this Monday, July 10, 2017 file photo, Iraqis celebrate while holding a giant national flag after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory against the Islamic State group in Mosul, Iraq. Iraq said Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017 that its war on the Islamic State is over after more than three years of combat operations drove the extremists from all of the territory they once held. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Iraqi forces were in full control of the country's border with Syria. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File) FILE - In this June 21, 2017, file photo, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election, departs Capitol Hill following a closed door meeting in Washington. Mueller has produced hundreds of thousands of documents, copies of data from 36 electronic devices and gathered 2,000 "hot" documents in the government's case against Paul Manafort and Rick Gates. Mueller's investigators made copies of information on cell phones and hard drives and disclosed the existence of 15 search warrants and other requests in their investigation of Trump's former campaign chairman and his deputy, according to a new court filing made Friday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) The European Union and British Union flags fly in Westminster in London, Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. Britain and the European Union have hammered out a deal on the Northern Ireland border, paving the way for Brexit talks to finally move on to the all-important issues of trade and the future relationship between the two. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Feeling low? Pick citronella for your diffuser. Got a cold? Dab on some eucalyptus. No matter what your complaint, Abhijeet Kelkar has an aromatic remedy. A melange of aromas welcome you as you step into Kelkar Foods and Fragrances, a refreshing change from the sweaty streets of the crowded Sadashiv Peth neighbourhood. Bottles of varying sizes filled with over 90 different types of oil blends call for attention. "Each one of these is psychologically physically and emotionally beneficial because smell is the only sense that doesn't get processed; it affects your sub conscious mind," explains Kelkar. He'd know best. He is the fourth generation owner of the original 98 year-old Kelkar Foods that started its journey in the attar town of Kannauj. Armed with degrees in pharmacy and business administration, Kelkar returned to Pune in 2009 and introduced essential oils at his almost century-old family business. advertisement Pictures courtesy: Danesh Jassawala Today, he has over 90 oils, makes bespoke blends for leading hotel chains and stores across India and supplies to various spas and brands. City hotels where you can get a whiff of his work are the Hyatt, Conrad and Westin. Even as some may dismiss aromatherapy as a new trend, Kelkar explains that it's an ancient practice used in India. "From repelling mosquitoes to healing ailments, plant oils have been used for ages," he says. Every aroma, he says, impacts the mind and the mood differently. Kelkar is researching the effect of using essential oils in the workplace to improve employee cooperation and productivity. In stores, the right blend puts visitors in an upbeat mood while in spas, it instantly lulls visitors into a relaxed state. "Plants produce oils for various reasons from repelling pests to inviting bees for pollination. They work on the human mind and health similarly," he says. Among the country's leading producers of essential oils, Kelkar Foods sources the best raw materials from around the world- the lavender oil comes from France, Bulgaria or Kashmir. The geranium, he says, from India is sweeter than the one from Egypt. And the best kewda is from Orissa. --- ENDS --- Residents of a trailer park in Calgary have lost their legal fight with the city to save their homes. Some of the owners at Midfield Mobile Home Park went to court to challenge an eviction order. Lori Sperling, left, seen in a December 8, 2017, handout photo, was at court today where a judge ruled she and other residents will be evicted from their homes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-CFFR, Kendra Fowler, *MANDATORY CREDIT* Judy Munroe, founder of Munroe Creative Partners, has redecorated her condo in the Rittenhouse Hotel and Condominiums. Read more It is a white world, one of clean expanses, arresting art, and, most of all, a sense of order with style. It seems enormous but in actuality is only 1,250 square feet. The interior landscape of Judy Munroe's condominium at the Rittenhouse Hotel and Condominium in Philadelphia is an adventure of discovery: a wonderful table here, a lamp that seems meant to be just where it is, artwork that makes a statement. "I love detail as long as it's not overdone," says this Philadelphia executive, who has earned a national reputation through her branding company, Munroe Creative Partners in Philadelphia and New York. The company helps businesses define themselves through words and images. While Munroe has homes in New York City, Florida, and the Jersey Shore, her most regular address is the Rittenhouse. Recently she and Joy Brokaw of Interior Options of East Falls, longtime best friends, overhauled the same space Munroe moved into 25 years ago as one of the early condo residents. Their synergy is remarkable in that they approach design somewhat differently Judy with a love of style without a keen sense of budget and Joy pulling in the reins of practicality in both budget and function. The yin and yang "sisters" somehow make it work, and the results are evident in this striking space painstakingly created from a white ceiling paint that inspired Munroe and that she had customized. "It is the perfect balance of warm and cool hues," she says, delighted that when something doesn't exist, she is never hesitant to break boundaries herself. Munroe credits Brokaw with holding in the reins. "I do like dealing with the basics," Brokaw says, "like just how deep a sofa should be for comfort and how wide a coffee table needs to be for gracious entertaining." The earlier decor of this condo was a bit more formal and even a tad more frivolous than it is now. Munroe typically can find several key objects that inspire and delight her and somehow set a theme. In one such case, it was the painting/collage Ms. Cheetah, now above the living-room sofa as a focal point. Munroe spotted it at a Soho Gallery, and, in her words, "I knew I had to have it." And there it is a reminder of the sheer beauty of the wild. Then there are the prominently displayed books by celebrated designer Vincent Wolfe, showcasing Wolfe's keen eye for beauty and drama throughout the world. "To me, he is actually a painter, and his canvases are, to me, actually three-dimensional spaces in which I want to live!" Munroe says. An admitted minimalist, Munroe grew up modestly in Manchester, N.H. As a child, she dreamed of living in the Plaza Hotel in New York, like the fictional Eloise. She has not necessarily deliberately collected art that focuses on women who have a certain strength and look of power to them. Yet they are not unlike this condominium owner, who has specialized in work for high-level clients, from Comcast and Liberty Property Trust to Jefferson Health and Philadelphia International Airport. One of Munroe's retreats is her tailored but still luxurious bedroom with spectacular urban views, where a closet in perfect order reveals her penchant for neatness. Then there's her kitchen, which reveals yet another of the Judy/Joy design compromises. Yes, Munroe loves fine things and was about to splurge on very expensive marble kitchen countertops, but Brokaw led her to sparkling Ikea countertops that work perfectly, look terrific, and saved a bundle of money. While outsiders wonder how best friends can work together so harmoniously, both women insist that their very differences make then such a terrific team. For Brokaw, the secret is to speak up and speak out when she feels Munroe is not making wise choices. For her client, it's the gift of knowing that Joy sometimes understands Judy better than Judy understands herself. "This may not be The Plaza. It may represent some compromises," Munroe says, boasting that she once got a North Jersey caterer to reproduce a very pricey Plexiglas side table for her. "And that table and those Ikea countertops bring me joy every time I walk in the door. And I hope they always will." Philadelphias Streets Department is building three curbless instersections on South Broad Street to increase pedestrian safety. The crosswalks will be finished with stamped red asphalt in a brick pattern. Read more Traffic intersections are the estuaries of the urban ecosystem, the place where pedestrians, bicyclists, cars, and trucks all converge. That's what makes them both lively meeting places and dangerously fraught conflict zones. Even though we've been told since we were children always to cross at the corner, we've seen a spate of traffic fatalities at Philadelphia intersections, in spaces ordinarily deemed safe. Only last week, Emily Fredericks, a 24-year-old pastry chef, was hit by a turning trash truck while pedaling in the bike lane across the intersection of 11th and Spruce. Lidia Procaccino was struck down a year ago by a SEPTA bus as she wheeled her grandchild's stroller in the crosswalk at 23rd and Chestnut. Her death occurred just a few days after a drunk driver sped through a Market Street crosswalk and killed Anna Gonzalez and Catherine Cardoza. It's hard to know whether another traffic configuration or better markings would have made a difference in these cases. But Philadelphia's Streets Department has been experimenting lately with subtle design changes that cue motorists to proceed with caution across intersections. Corner bump-outs, speed cushions, midblock crosswalks, and cobbled paving stones have been installed to help turn speedways back into walkable streets. Now, the city is about to introduce the traffic engineering equivalent of a shout: the raised intersection. There will be two on South Broad Street, at Chestnut and Walnut; two others, at Sansom and Moravian, will be reconstructed to make them more handicap-accessible. Although the new crossings don't look like much yet, the project is an acknowledgment that the street dubbed the "Avenue of the Arts" two decades ago has now morphed into the Avenue of the Apartments, and its new residential population is starting to get the treatment it deserves. Sometimes called a speed table, the raised intersection is one of the latest innovations in street design. When the work is completed in the spring, the entire box crosswalks, curbs, the interior asphalt will be slightly above the level of the rest of the street. The grade change is small, just 1.5 percent, but Deputy Streets Commissioner Richard Montanez says the additional height should be just enough to force drivers to slow down. The arrangement is intended to make intersections safer for pedestrians. To signal drivers to slow down, the crosswalks will be finished in a vibrant, high-visibility red asphalt scored to look like bricks. All the corner curbs are being removed, so pedestrians can flow easily from one side of the street to the other. Eliminating the need to step off the curb is particularly helpful for people with sight issues and disabilities. I encountered a raised intersection over the summer in the center of Decatur, Ga., in front of the historic courthouse. Not only was the space elevated and curbless, it was framed with crosswalks featuring vivid, pop-art flowers. The center of the box was made of white concrete instead of black asphalt. The eye-catching design effectively turned the intersection into a plaza that could serve as a ready-made stage for community events. Given the location of the three curbless intersections on the Avenue of the Arts, they could do double duty as temporary public space. Originally, the city expected to have them completed in time for Pope Francis' 2015 visit, but Montanez says the undertaking proved more challenging than the Streets Department anticipated. Before the new surface could be installed, the underground drainage system had to be entirely reconstructed. To pay for the work, the city and the Avenue of the Arts Inc. raised $3 million from a state program funded with fines from red-light camera infractions. The Avenue of the Arts sees the project as part of a larger effort to give South Broad a more residential feel. When the Avenue of the Arts was established in 1993, it was envisioned as Philadelphia's Broadway, with a string of theaters served by parking garages for suburban patrons. Millions were invested in fancy light fixtures, planters, and cobblestone-paved crosswalks. Though the branding concept succeeded in creating a theater cluster on the avenue, the street really came alive after the opening of several apartment buildings Symphony House, 777, and Southstar Lofts. There are now eight residential and hotel projects in the works, including Pearl Properties' Cambria Hotel at Locust, the Post Bros. apartments in the Atlantic Building at Spruce, and Alterra's Lincoln Square at Washington Avenue and the recently completed Griffin at Chestnut Street. Maybe the biggest sign of change is the opening of a welcoming, all-day cafe behind the concrete walls of the Wilma Theater. The Avenue of the Arts plans to replace all its theater-themed '90s infrastructure with new designs, says Paul S. Beideman, who runs the organization. This time, the streetlights will be shorter, to serve pedestrians, rather than cars. "They throw more light on the sidewalks," says developer Carl Dranoff, who plans to build condo towers at Spruce and Pine. Focusing on pedestrians and residents is a far better way to revive the avenue than the foolish and wasteful art project installed on North Broad in 2015. Those light masts, which look like highway lights, cost the city a hefty $14 million, yet the sidewalks remain an uneven mess. Still, there is room for improvement on South Broad. The stretch lacks some important amenities, such as public green space and bike lanes. A design competition held in 2012 offered some useful suggestions, but none has been realized. Perhaps whoever buys the city's turquoise-colored health center on the corner of Lombard Street could replace its small surface parking lot with a park? One reason it cost $1 million apiece to create the raised intersections, says Montanez, is that they are prototypes. Now that the city and its consultant, Urban Engineers, have gotten the kinks out the design, he believes the price can be reduced significantly, allowing the city to extend the traffic-calming measure south along the avenue. Why limit the improvements to South Broad Street? The city is full of dangerous intersections, all waiting to be raised and made safer. Streets Department workers removed granite blocks this fall from a crosswalk on South Broad Street. The pavers were part of the original, '90s design for the Avenue of the Arts. Aamir Khan was meant to essay the role of astronaut Rakesh Sharma in his biopic, Salute. By India Today Web Desk: There had been much buzz about Aamir Khan essaying the role of astronaut Rakesh Sharma in Mahesh Mathai's directorial, Salute. The film was being co-produced by Aamir and Siddharth Roy Kapur films. However, an industry insider told India Today, that Aamir will no longer be a part of the project. Aamir is planning to dedicate the next decade of his life to a series of films, which will be part of a franchise. advertisement After wrapping up Thugs of Hindostan, Aamir was meant to start work on Salute. He has now bowed out of the biopic, and will work on his home production. Aamir was last seen in Secret Superstar, along with his Dangal co-star, Zaira Wasim. ALSO WATCH| Unforgettables: Aamir Khan and Ranveer Singh discuss their acting journey --- ENDS --- Derrick Moffett is a Philadelphia Firefighter and is assigned to Engine 33 in the Bridesburg section of the city. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in Sept. 2016. Read more When Mike Polek and Joe Olsen, both big, gregarious Philly firefighters, bumped into each other over the summer, they discovered what they thought was an astonishing coincidence. Olsen said he had just been diagnosed with what his doctor called a rare cancer, and showed off the large red splotches on his arms. "I looked at his arms," Polek said. "And the cancer on his arms looked just like the cancer on my legs." Both men have mycosis fungoides, a form of T-cell lymphoma in which white blood cells become malignant and attack the skin. Neither man had ever heard of it before being diagnosed. They wondered whether their cancers might be job-related. The men had never been assigned to the same station. But Polek often gets called to help other stations, so there's a good chance they had worked together over the years. For years, researchers have been connecting firefighters' exposure to burning materials with a higher risk of cancer. The largest study of its kind, released last year by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), examined data on 30,000 firefighters from Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. It found "modestly increased all-cancer risk compared with the general population." "These findings contribute to the evidence of a causal association between firefighting exposures and cancer," the study said. There are about 1.1 million volunteer and career firefighters in the U.S. They encounter a complex mix of chemical vapors from burning fuel and various synthetic materials. Known carcinogenics such as asbestos, arsenic, benzene, chromium, diesel fumes, carbon monoxide, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls are all common at fire scenes, especially in areas with old buildings and heavy industry. But new materials may also add to risks. "When I came on the job in 1974, we dealt with a lot of older construction," said Ed Marks, president of Philadelphia Fire Fighter and Paramedic Union Local 22. "Now, you have sofas that are sprayed with synthetics, you have PVC pipes. They burn at a higher temperature. And we're learning now that the smoke and toxins they give off are a problem." Polek, 43, has been burned while fighting a fire. He has suffered other job-related injuries like a torn rotator cuff and is on sick leave as he recovers from shoulder surgery. Now, he is faced with cancer of uncertain origins. But he says the cancer won't stop him from working. "I love my job," said Polek, of Engine 63 in East Oak Lane. "It's my second family." Olsen, 49, said that he, too is able to continue working at Engine 18 in the Northeast. Patients with mycosis fungoides have a good prognosis with the proper care. But for now, cancer treatments leave Olsen exhausted. Firefighters "really want to go to work," Olsen said. "It's a strange but true fact of a firehouse." Robert Daniels, the lead author of the NIOSH study, said that the findings "suggest firefighters are at higher risk of cancers of the digestive, oral, respiratory, and urinary systems when compared to the general population." But the connection is far from a slam-dunk he said, explaining that more studies are needed. "The effects we observed were small and therefore should be cautiously interpreted," he said. Connecting cancers to specific environmental exposures is extremely difficult for many reasons. There are hundreds of different kinds of cancer. And there are at least that many potential toxins in the environment. Timothy Rebbeck, an epidemiologist at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said studies suggest cancer clusters can occur with firefighters. But is it the job that prompted the cancer? Or did the firefighters smoke, or have chemical exposures completely unconnected with the job? And, he said, it's almost impossible to link a single event, such as a fire, to a specific cancer, because it can take years for cancer to develop. "There's a latency in the time from an exposure to when a cancer gets diagnosed," Rebbeck said. "And that can be very long." Tony Sneidar, deputy commissioner of logistics for the Philadelphia Fire Department, said he believes there is "a significant [cancer risk] increase to firefighters compared to the civilian population." "My take on the way the [NIOSH] study was written is that it gave the facts, but it minimized the cancer risk," said Sneidar, who suspects the risks actually are greater. The fire department already requires use of self-contained breathing apparatus to reduce exposure to fumes, and is installing exhaust systems in firehouses to remove diesel fumes. It is also buying $10,000 washing machines that remove chemicals, particulates and gases from clothing. "We have a huge task to educate, train and provide equipment," Sneidar said. One of the biggest safety initiatives includes buying second suits for all firefighters. In the past, firefighters would walk around in their suits long after a fire and reuse gloves and hoods that could be contaminated with chemical residue or asbestos fibers. Some firefighters would go home without showering first. Pennsylvania law says firefighters can receive workers compensation if they can prove their cancer was caused by job exposures, but such claims routinely get rejected because it's so difficult to make that connection. Meanwhile, firefighters like Derrick Moffett, 36, are left to wonder if the work they love is compromising their health. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2016. "When the doctor told me, I jokingly asked for a second opinion," Moffett said. "The doctor said, 'You don't have time for a second opinion.'" He had to have a testicle removed. The father of seven served on a special crew for Engine 33 in Bridesburg that responded to chemical fires. As part of that, he was assigned to a foam unit, which uses a chemical blanket to suppress fire. "It's physical and emotional," Moffett said of his cancer. "It's a big war to fight." Adam Xu, chairman of the Asian American Licensed Beverage Association of Philadelphia, speaks passionately Friday during an emergency meeting of the association on a Council bill that would authorize city officials to remove protective bullet-resistant windows in places that serve food and alcohol. Read more In a loud voice, the head of an association representing beer deli owners in Philadelphia told a crowd Friday at an emergency meeting and news conference with City Councilman At-Large David Oh and State Rep. Todd Stephens in support that business owners should not arm themselves with guns, but should refuse to take down their bullet-resistant safety partitions if ordered to do so by city officials. "Do not use guns. This is not the solution," said Adam Xu, chairman of the Asian American Licensed Beverage Association. "If this bill passes, nobody should remove their bulletproof glass. We will tell the entire city government and all citizens of Philadelphia: 'We love the community like everybody else. We do not want gun violence.'" Xu was speaking before a crowd of about 200 beer deli owners and their supporters in response to a City Council bill expected to be voted on Thursday that could force them to eventually remove the thick-plastic partitions that separate the owners, many of whom operate in high-crime areas, from the public. Stephens, a Republican who represents part of Montgomery County, said that next week, he plans to propose new state legislation to protect employees. "Everyone in Pennsylvania, whether you live in Erie, whether you live in Lancaster, whether you live in Lansdale or in Philadelphia, must be able to protect themselves against violence," he said. "As a state, we must do everything in our power to ensure that no local government can use innocent employees as human shields in a political battle, and we're not going to stand for that," Stephens said to applause at the Saigon Maxim restaurant on Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia. "If Philadelphia City Council has problems with certain businesses within the city, they ought to take it up with those certain businesses," he said. On Monday, City Council's Committee on Public Health and Human Services unanimously passed an amended version of a bill introduced by City Councilwoman Cindy Bass, which in part calls for the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections to come up with rules no later than Jan. 1, 2021, on "the use or removal of any physical barrier" between food servers and customers in a food establishment with 30 or more seats. Bass has worked to curb neighborhood nuisances and has said that stop-and-go stores, where people can buy single cans of beer from early morning until late at night, foster drug activity and drunkenness. She has also said that some of them don't serve food as required. She has called the bullet-resistant windows an "indignity," saying it felt as if the store owners were serving food to customers considered dangerous or in "prison." Beer deli owners and their advocates have said that without the windows, their lives would be at risk. Because beer delis need to have a "restaurant" or "eating place" license from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to sell malt liquor or beer, and state law requires such places to have seating for at least 30 people, such businesses would have to apply for a city "large establishment license" under Bass' bill if they want to continue selling beer. Potential restrictions on barrier windows would not apply to small establishments, such as takeouts or coffee shops that don't sell alcohol. Oh, who opposes the bill, urged those present at Friday's meeting to contact the other Council members and Mayor Kenney to urge them to oppose it. "The bottom line is the safety glass is not hurting anybody," he said. "It prevents bullets, knives and criminals. It is not there to insult the community." In addition to Bass, the other public-health committee members Council members Maria Quinones-Sanchez, Helen Gym, William Greenlee, Derek Green, Al Taubenberger and Blondell Reynolds Brown voted Monday to move the bill forward. City Councilman Mark Squilla indicated after Friday's meeting that he plans to vote against Bass' bill. L&I spokeswoman Karen Guss on Friday said if the bill passes, the agency would work with food establishments to see who would need to have a large versus small establishment license. The agency would then discuss the window issue with those who have a stake in it and develop rules, she said. Mayor Kenney's office, in a statement Tuesday, appeared to support Bass' bill, saying it "would allow for stronger enforcement by the state of its liquor laws, creating safer neighborhoods for our children and families." It also mentioned that "a diverse group of stakeholders" would be convened to come up with regulations. Since Bass introduced her bill Nov. 2, beer deli owners, who on a regular basis face racial insults and threats from customers in some neighborhoods, have received further threats, Xu has said. As one example, Pauline Lim, 47, who with her husband Alex, 54, own the Sunrise Deli on Allegheny Avenue in North Philadelphia, said in an interview that on Sunday, a man yelled to her from the other side of her bullet-resistant window, saying: "You're lucky. Wait until this glass comes down." "He said he's going to beat the crap out of us," Lim said. "He said, 'I can't wait until the bulletproof come down. You have no s- to say then.'" The man was angry after he tried to buy a $1.50 beer, but didn't have enough money, Lim said. "That day he just cursed at us and banged on our glass and said, 'You're lucky this s is up,'" she recalled. Lim, a U.S. citizen who is ethnically Chinese and whose family came as refugees to the U.S. from Cambodia, said if the bill passes, she will arm herself and relatives who work at her store with guns, and that her husband will renew his gun permit. "We don't want that," she said. "It's going to be a war. We have to protect ourselves." "Are you going to wait for him to shoot you first?" she asked. "We have no choice but to train ourselves [on how to use a gun] and protect ourselves and our family," she said. "Everyone's life matters. That's why we're pleading with Cindy Bass not to go through with this at all." Another beer deli owner shared a video of an incident that occurred in February. In it, a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt is seen on the other side of the bullet-resistant window yelling insults at the store owner, who did not want his name or the video released publicly out of concern for his safety. "This f glass. That's disrespectful. I will beat your Chinese ass!" the man is heard saying. The man then went outside the store and smashed the front glass window with his fist, punching a hole through it. It took 40 years, but a Catholic priest who used to be in the Ku Klux Klan finally apologized to the black couple he targeted in a cross burning. William Aitcheson told Phillip and Barbara Butler how he was "blinded by hate and ignorance" when he targeted the then-newlywed couple who had just moved to the neighborhood. He rejected those beliefs before entering the priesthood but was too ashamed to face the Butlers, he wrote. "I believe now that all people can live together in peace regardless of race," he said in a letter, dated Sept. 8. "I also know that the symbol of the most enduring love the world has even known must never be used as a weapon of terror. Its use against you was a despicable act. I seriously regret the suffering it caused you." The Butlers and their attorney, Ted Williams, spoke in a news conference Friday about Aitcheson's letter, and recent payment to the Butlers of $23,000 from an overdue civil suit judgment along with $9,600 in attorney fees. Aitcheson's attorney could not be immediately reached for comment. Although Aitcheson was no longer under any legal obligation to pay the Butlers, he felt a moral obligation and used his private funds and a personal loan to make the payment, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington in Virginia wrote in a statement. The Butlers declined a meeting with Aitcheson, so he wrote "a genuine apology through a hand-written letter," the diocese wrote. "Fr. Aitcheson acknowledges that he should have reached out to the Butler family and paid restitution decades ago, but he hopes this resolution begins a process of healing and peace," the diocese wrote. In his letter, Aitcheson explained to the Butlers that it took him so long to apologize because he was ashamed of his actions. "It's no excuse. I understand that. But it is the truth. I didn't know how to deal with it," he wrote. "You deserved an apology, but I did not demonstrate the strength needed to face you." As a Catholic, Phillip Butler said he wants to be able to forgive Aitcheson now that he has confessed his sins, but said he is not ready. "That's what they preach, but then you have to give it from your heart and say, 'Okay, I'm going to do that,' " Butler said about forgiveness, motioning to his heart. "I can't do it yet." The Butlers only recently heard from Aitcheson after he penned an essay about redemption, claiming that the violence at the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., made him think of his "despicable" actions with the Ku Klux Klan. The Butlers doubt the sincerity of his confession, saying he wrote the essay only because a freelance reporter who introduced herself as a parishioner contacted the diocese about Aitcheson's radical past. "For you to say that you're sorry? No, you're not sorry," said Barbara Butler, as if speaking directly to Aitcheson. "You're sorry that you got caught." Most recently, Aitcheson was a parochial vicar, or assistant to the pastor, at St. Leo the Great church in Fairfax City, Va., where he had been for four years before temporarily stepping down from his post. "As this matter involving the Butler family and Fr. Aitcheson has only been resolved recently, plans for his future priestly ministry are still being discerned," the diocese wrote in a statement Friday. The cross burning at the Butlers' home was not the only one Aitcheson carried out. Forty years ago, Aitcheson was a University of Maryland student and a KKK member who was eventually deemed "too radical and violent" for the main KKK branch, which threw him out, according to FBI files. He led a group called the "Klan Beret" and prepped to blow up a local NAACP branch and a power plant and communications center at Fort Meade, Md., an undercover agent testified. The group had burned five other crosses in Prince George's County, Md., including at two Jewish institutions. Aitcheson was sentenced in 1977 to 90 days in a federal medical prison with four years' probation by a judge who told him, "I don't believe you are a bad person." Aitcheson was targeted in a class-action lawsuit, filed in federal court, which was resolved in 1982 with $23,000 in damages awarded to the Butlers and $1,500 apiece to Beth Torah Congregation and B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation of College Park, Md. It was unclear whether Aitcheson also paid the Jewish groups. In October 1981, Aitcheson wrote a letter to the judge detailing how his life had changed, saying that he had held jobs as a florist driving a delivery truck, a shoe salesman and a garment factory worker, earned his teacher certificate and started teaching. "I am truly sorry for the harm I did," Aitcheson wrote to the judge. "I regret my association with that organization; my thinking has so totally changed in the last five years, it would be inconceivable for me to ever resume that part of my life." Eventually, Aitcheson decided to become a priest. He was ordained for what was then the Diocese of Reno-Las Vegas in 1988 at age 33, and in brief comments in August, Reno diocesan spokesman, the Rev. Robert Chorey, said church leaders "understood at least part of his background" when they hired Aitcheson. " I have no record of their thought process." The Butlers are still angry about the cross burning and said the letter and money mean nothing to them. Neither are sure what Aitcheson could do to earn their forgiveness. "This is going to take time," Barbara Butler said after the news conference. "For you to come into my life, 40 years, and say I'm sorry. I will pray on it. That's the only thing I can do." A former clerk for Judge Alex Kozinski said the powerful and well-known jurist, who for many years served as chief judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, called her into his office several times and pulled up pornography on his computer, asking if she thought it was Photoshopped or if it aroused her sexually. Heidi Bond, who clerked for Kozinski from 2006 to 2007, said the porn was not related to any case. One set of images she remembered was of college-age students at a party where "some people were inexplicably naked while everyone else was clothed." Another was a sort of digital flip book that allowed users to mix and match heads, torsos and legs to create an image of a naked woman. Bond is one of six women all former clerks or externs in the Ninth Circuit who alleged to the Washington Post in recent weeks that Kozinski, now 67 and still serving as a judge on the court, subjected them to a range of inappropriate sexual conduct or comments. She is one of two former clerks who said Kozinski asked them to view porn in his chambers. In a statement, Kozinski said: "I have been a judge for 35 years and during that time have had over 500 employees in my chambers. I treat all of my employees as family and work very closely with most of them. I would never intentionally do anything to offend anyone and it is regrettable that a handful have been offended by something I may have said or done." When Bond was clerking, Kozinski was on the precipice of becoming chief judge for the Ninth Circuit the largest federal appeals court circuit in the country, handling cases for a large swath of the western United States as well as Hawaii and Alaska. The other people who alleged that Kozinski behaved inappropriately toward them worked in the Ninth Circuit both before and after her, up to 2012. Bond said she knew that she was to come to the judge's office when her phone beeped twice. She said she tried to answer the judge's inquiries as succinctly and matter-of-factly as possible. Bond was then in her early 30s and is now 41. If the question was about Photoshopping, Bond said, she would focus on minor details of the image. If Kozinski asked whether the images aroused her, Bond said, she would respond: "No, this kind of stuff doesn't do anything for me. Is there anything else you need?" She said she recalled three instances when the judge showed her porn in his office. "I was in a state of emotional shock, and what I really wanted to do was be as small as possible and make as few movements as possible and to say as little as possible to get out," Bond said. Bond, who went on to clerk for the Supreme Court and now works as a romance novelist writing under the name Courtney Milan, and another clerk, Emily Murphy, who worked for a different judge on the Ninth Circuit and is now a law professor, described their experiences in on-the-record interviews. The other four women spoke on the condition that their names and some other identifying information not be published, out of fear that they might face retaliation from Kozinski or others. Kozinski, who served as the chief judge on the Ninth Circuit from 2007 to 2014, remains a prominent judge, well known in the legal community for his colorful written opinions. His clerks often win prestigious clerkships at the Supreme Court. Murphy, who clerked for Judge Richard Paez, said Kozinski approached her when she was talking with a group of other clerks at a reception at a San Francisco hotel in September 2012. The group had been discussing training regimens, and Murphy said she commented that the gym in the Ninth Circuit courthouse was nice because other people were seldom there. Kozinski, according to Murphy and two others present at the time who spoke to the Post, said that if that were the case, she should work out naked. Those in the group tried to change the subject, Murphy and the others present said, but Kozinski kept steering the conversation toward the idea of Murphy exercising without clothes. "It wasn't just clear that he was imagining me naked, he was trying to invite other people my professional colleagues to do so as well," Murphy said. "That was what was humiliating about it." Murphy, who was 30 at the time of the incident and is now 36, provided the Post with a 2012 email showing that she told a mentor about what had happened at the time. Two of Murphy's friends who were present at the time of the encounter, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also confirmed her account. Bond, similarly, provided emails showing that she told a friend what had happened at least as of 2008. The friend, fellow romance novelist Eve Ortega, provided the same emails. She confirmed that Bond had told her years ago that Kozinski made inappropriate sexual comments and showed her porn. Kozinski has previously been embroiled in controversies relating to sexually explicit material. In 2008, the Los Angeles Times revealed that Kozinski had maintained an email list that he used to distribute crude jokes, some of them sexually themed, and that he had a publicly accessible website that contained pornographic images. A judicial investigation ultimately found that Kozinski did not intend to allow the public to see the material, and that instead the judge and his son were careless in protecting a private server from being accessible on the Internet. Anthony Scirica, then the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, wrote at the time that Kozinski's "conduct exhibiting poor judgment with respect to this material created a public controversy that can reasonably be seen as having resulted in embarrassment to the institution of the federal judiciary." The other Kozinski clerk who said the judge showed her porn declined to provide specifics out of fear that Kozinski would be able to identify her. Bond said Kozinski also showed her a chart he claimed he and his friends from college had made to list the women with whom they had had sexual relations. Kozinski was born in Romania to Holocaust survivors in 1950, and the family fled the communist state when he was a boy. Decades ago, long before he was a federal judge, he appeared on the television show The Dating Game, planting a kiss on a surprised young woman who selected him for a date. He is married and has three sons. Kozinski was appointed to the Ninth Circuit by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. He is an atypical federal appeals court judge authoring irreverent opinions and not shying, as many of his colleagues do, from media appearances. He styled one opinion in 2012 not as a traditional concurrence or dissent, but instead as "disagreeing with everyone." He famously wrote during a trademark dispute between the toy company Mattel and the record company that produced the 1997 song "Barbie Girl," "The parties are advised to chill." The Post reached out to dozens of Kozinski's former clerks and externs for this story. Many of those who returned messages said they experienced no harassment of any kind, and their experience which entailed grueling work into the wee hours of the morning every day was a rewarding one. They noted Kozinski's wry sense of humor. Those who talked to the Post about negative experiences said that they felt his behavior went beyond bad jokes or that they felt personally targeted. A former Kozinski extern said the judge once made a comment about her hair and looked her body up and down "in a less-than-professional way." That extern said Kozinski also once talked with her about a female judge stripping. "I didn't want to be alone with him," the former extern said. A different former extern said she, similarly, had at least two conversations "that had sexual overtones directed at me," and she told friends about them at the time. One of the friends, also a former extern, confirmed that the woman had told her about the remarks though both declined to detail them for fear of being identified. One former Ninth Circuit clerk said she was at a dinner in Seattle, seated next to Kozinski, when he "kind of picked the tablecloth up so that he could see the bottom half of me, my legs." She said Kozinski remarked, "I wanted to see if you were wearing pants because it's cold out." The former clerk said that she was wearing pants at the time. The incident, she said, occurred in either late 2011 or early 2012. "It made me uncomfortable, and it didn't seem appropriate," said the former clerk, who worked for a different judge. All of the women the Post interviewed said they did not file formal complaints at the time. The Washington Post's Julie Tate contributed to this article. In this Sept. 1, 2015, file photo, James OKeefe, President of Project Veritas Action, waits to be introduced during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington. Read more James O'Keefe, the conservative founder of a charity that specializes in undercover videos targeting journalists and liberals, has been personally barred from seeking donations in Florida due to his criminal record, officials said. The ban is part of a wave of scrutiny by regulators in several states after New York officials threatened last week to prohibit Project Veritas from raising money in that state. The charity did not disclose O'Keefe's 2010 conviction for entering a federal building under false pretenses, as required, New York officials said. While Project Veritas's deceptive techniques and splashy videos have attracted attention and acclaim from far-right activists, as well as criticism from others, its past problems with regulators have gained little notice. The charity has previously been denied a license to seek donations in Utah, Mississippi, Wisconsin and Maine, records show, due partly to misstatements and failures to disclose O'Keefe's conviction for entering a U.S. senator's office with two men who were posing as telephone repairmen to make a secret recording. O'Keefe's group has lately drawn attention for another failed operation. A woman working with Project Veritas last month falsely claimed to two Washington Post reporters that U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore impregnated her when she was a teenager. The Post did not publish a story based on her account, but later revealed she was working with Project Veritas and had waged a months-long effort to infiltrate the The Post and other media organizations. This week, Florida officials said O'Keefe had been banned under a state law preventing those who have committed certain crimes, including fraud, from seeking donations from Floridians. "We've spoken with the organization and informed them that Mr. O'Keefe's conviction falls within the category of disqualifying offenses under Florida law," said Aaron Keller of Florida's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. It's not clear how much that might curtail Project Veritas's fundraising. The charity brought in $4.8 million in 2016 and has raised millions from large conservative donors. A spokesperson for the charity declined to comment on the Florida ban, which applies only to O'Keefe and not to the organization. But O'Keefe is the public face of the organization, is in charge of fundraising and has signed email solicitations. Project Veritas spokesperson Stephen Gordon said O'Keefe's conviction was not disclosed on registration statements in several states, including New York, because O'Keefe was not president of the organization in 2010, the time covered by many of the documents initially submitted. O'Keefe, however, testified before Utah regulators in 2013 that he had been president since the organization was founded by him in 2010. "I've been an officer of the company since 2010," O'Keefe said. "I was the president of the company . . . in its inception." In an August 2015 email, the charity's accountant told regulators in Wisconsin the same thing. "Mr. O'Keefe has been president since inception of Project Veritas," accountant Traci Pacailler wrote. Federal tax filings do not list O'Keefe as president until 2011. Gordon said Thursday that he could not determine precisely when O'Keefe became president. The timeline could become important in states that are trying to determine whether the charity properly disclosed O'Keefe's conviction and his role in the organization when seeking licenses to solicit money. Registration statements submitted to several states for the year 2010 make no mention of O'Keefe, records show. Some states, like Mississippi, Utah, and Florida, have laws barring people with certain criminal convictions, and the organizations they run, from raising money in those states. Others require disclosure so prospective donors know more about the group. Gordon said O'Keefe may have erred during the hearing with Utah regulators, who barred the charity from fundraising in 2013 after concluding that O'Keefe had been found guilty of a crime "involving moral turpitude." "Mr. O'Keefe may or may not have misspoken, but our corporate paperwork is clear: James O'Keefe was neither president nor on the board when Project Veritas was established," Gordon said. As for the accountant, he said, "It seems like Traci made a mistake." The annual event marking the night George Washington crossed the Delaware is in danger of being cancelled because the river is too shallow. Read more The Bucks County police chief who plays Gen. George Washington in the annual crossing over the Delaware River is dreaming of precipitation for Christmas. "I'll take snow, sure. Snow or rain," John Godzieba, chief of the Langhorne police department, said Friday. Washington Crossing Historic Park has canceled a crossing scheduled for Sunday due to low water levels. Unless there's significant rainfall or snow melt north of the historic spot in coming weeks, Godzieba and his troops may be landlocked on Christmas, too. "There's just not enough water for us to float these boats," said Joseph Capone, executive director of the Friends of Washington Crossing Park. Historians say Washington's decision to cross the icy river to the Delaware's eastern shore on the night of Dec. 25-26, 1776, turned the tide of Revolutionary War. All told, more than 2,400 soldiers crossed the river and marched south, where they surprised and captured most of the Hessian forces in the Battle of Trenton. Capone said water-level gauges from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the Calhoun Street bridge in Trenton are showing the Delaware with 8.3 feet of depth. To lay out the docks needed to moor and float the boats, Capone said the river needs to be at least 9 feet. "An inch of rain in the water basin usually translates into about a foot of water across the entire river," Capone said. The replica Durham boats used for the crossing are "expensive, handmade works of art," Capone said, valued at about $150,000 each. "It's a 42-foot rowboat that weighs two tons, empty," he said. This weekend's expected snowfall could help, but not in time enough for Sunday's dress rehearsal. The park will still host an event Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that will include drills, demonstrations, tours, and speeches given by Washington. Godzieba has played Washington since 2009 after auditioning for the part. Though Washington nearly called off the Christmas night crossing himself because of bad weather, Godzieba said he's never had to miss one. "It's a disappointment, not just for me, but for all the reenactors," he said. This year's Christmas Day crossing would be the 65th at the park. That day's event is from noon to 3 p.m., with a 1 p.m. crossing. Godzieba, who's been a reenactor for two decades, said he believes the Christmas crossing has been canceled in the past, due to weather. Too much rain and the river runs too fast; too much ice makes it impassable. He recalled a Washington reenactor who crossed via bridge one year, but that's not something he's eager to do. "There's always hope," he said. By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) The ASEAN-India Connectivity Summit (AICS) will be held here on December 11-12, and will be attended by senior ministers from India and ASEAN countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said today. The theme of the meeting is Powering Digital and Physical Linkages for Asia in the 21st Century. The summit would be attended by Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation; Communications Minister Manoj Sinha; Ministers of State in the External Affairs Ministry V K Singh and M J Akbar; and Preeti Saran, Secretary (East), MEA. advertisement From ASEAN, Phan Tam, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Vietnam, Tauch Chankosal, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia would be attending the summit. The AICS would be bringing together policymakers, senior officials from the government, investors, industry leaders, representatives of trade associations and entrepreneurs on the same platform, the ministry said in a statement. "The AICS aims to accelerate existing connectivity prospects, identify issues of concern, evolve suitable policy recommendations and develop strategies to enhance economic, industrial and trade relations between ASEAN and India. Its focus areas are infrastructure, roadways, shipping, digital, finance, energy and aviation," a statement by the MEA said. PTI PR SMN --- ENDS --- India Today presents the Ayodhya almanac, 25 years after the demolition of the Babri Masjid and as the Supreme Court begins hearing the case again. Securitymen at the disputed site in Ayodhya on December 8, 1992, two days after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. You could call it divine coincidence. The Supreme Court's hearings on the title suits began a day before the 25th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, which tore the nation asunder and left over 2,000 people dead in riots across the country. The memory and collective guilt of that national shame-and doing justice to both the perpetrators and the victims-must guide the courts. The Ayodhya dispute has existed almost as long as independent India itself. The legal battle between Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya began in 1949 as a title dispute. By the 1980s, the case had shot to centre stage, riding a wave of identity politics. In the early 1990s, the dispute gained popular support and took the shape of a movement, which culminated in the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. advertisement The political leadership shifted the matter into the courts' realm. But the cases have been hanging fire for 25 years. In 2010, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court delivered a judgment, but the parties involved appealed against it in the Supreme Court. While the criminal cases post-the demolition of the mosque are being heard in the CBI court in Lucknow, the civil title suits are in the Supreme Court, with the next hearing on February 8, 2018. Grappling with 90,000 pages of oral evidence and balancing archaeological fact with the faith of millions, the courts have a mammoth task ahead of them. As the country waits with bated breath for a final closure on the subject, India Today revisits the political, legal and moral dimensions of a dispute that has scarred the nation. Whose Land Is It Anyway? Origin of the Ram Janmabhoomi row The first reference to the Babri Masjid occupying the site of the Ram Janmabhoomi was by a Faizabad court official, Hafizullah, almost two centuries ago in 1822-the "mosque founded by Emperor Babur is situated at the birthplace of Ram". In the 1850s, the Nirmohi Akhara, a religious denomination of sadhus belonging to the Vaishnava sampradaya, made its first legal claim on the disputed land. Kar sevaks scaling Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. In 1885, Mahant Raghubar Das of the Nirmohi Akhara filed Suit No. 61/280 in the Faizabad court against the Secretary of State for India, seeking permission to build a Ram temple on the Ram Chabutra (raised platform), adjacent to the Babri Masjid. The court refused, fearing public disorder. The dispute took a dramatic turn in 1949 when on the night of December 22, an idol of Ram Lalla (baby Ram) appeared mysteriously under the central dome of Babri Masjid. Puja began soon after. On January 16, 1950, a long legal battle started. The first case was filed by a Hindu Mahasabha lawyer, Gopal Singh Visharad, in the Faizabad court, seeking permission to worship the idol and an injunction against shifting it. The court disallowed the removal of the idol. The next day, one Anisur Rahman, filed a petition-the first legal volley by Muslims in the dispute after independence. advertisement In 1959, the Nirmohi Akhara filed a suit claiming a temple existed at the Babri Masjid site in ancient times and the land belonged to the akhara. The suit was clubbed together with other suits filed in the past. On December 18, 1961, representatives of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board responded. Today, the Nirmohi Akhara, Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas (representing Ram Lalla) and Sunni Waqf Board are the three primary parties in the dispute. A Crisis in the Making How a series of events in the 1980s fuelled the Ayodhya agitation L.K. Advani begins his rath yatra from Somnath on Sept. 25, 1990. In the 1980s, the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute catapulted from a local issue in Faizabad to national centre stage. Politics in other parts of the country, too, was in a churn, with identity-based conflicts rearing their heads. Four major developments in the country coalesced into one, challenging the ruling Congress. Meenakshipuram, Tamil Nadu, 1981: The first ripples of social churning were felt in February 1981 with a mass conversion in Meenakshipuram, where an estimated 400-800 Dalit families adopted Islam. advertisement Anti-Sikh riots, 1984: The massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and other parts of the country following the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards. The alleged complicity of some Congress politicians in the pogrom would remain a significant blot on the party under its new PM Rajiv Gandhi. VHP 'Dharam Sansad', New Delhi, 1984: The Vishva Hindu Parishad responded to the Meenakshipuram conversion with a 'dharma sansad' in April 1984, which was attended by some 500 sadhus from across the country. Under then VHP joint general secretary Ashok Singhal's leadership, a demand was raised to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya. A Shriram-Janaki rath yatra was taken out from Sitamarhi in Bihar to Delhi on September 25, 1984. Six more yatras were taken out in UP, culminating in L.K. Advani's rath yatra in 1990, which brought the agitation to a boil. Shah Bano case, Madhya Pradesh, 1985: When the Supreme Court, in 1985, granted the right to alimony to Shah Bano, the 62-year-old mother of five from Indore whose husband had pronounced talaq, orthodox Muslim politicians mounted a campaign against the verdict. In 1986, the Congress, with its brute majority in Parliament, got the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Bill passed, effectively diluting the Supreme Court's ruling. It was seen as an overt case of minority appeasement. advertisement On February 1, 1986, on a petition filed by advocate Umesh Chandra Pandey, demanding public access to the idol for worship, the Faizabad district magistrate ordered the opening of locks at the disputed site. The Rajiv Gandhi government, out to play the Hindu card, ensured the locks were opened within an hour of the ruling. The Congress's strategy was to undercut the BJP's temple campaign, which was by now gathering steam. But the strategy boomeranged and the Congress lost the 1989 general election. Total recall: The day Babri Masjid fell Many saw the demolition as a BJP bid to scuttle V.P. Singh's push for OBC quotas It is often argued that former PM Narasimha Rao could have taken pre-emptive steps to prevent the demolition. Twenty-five years after the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, the images have remained vivid: the three domes of the mosque overrun and hammered down to rubble by unruly kar sevaks wielding iron rods and pickaxes. Lal Krishna Advani, the poster boy of the temple movement, it is reported, was crestfallen and walked away in a huff. Some others were euphoric, egging the kar sevaks on with the slogan 'Ek dhakka aur do'. According to the India Today report 'A Nation's Shame', dated December 6, 1992: "The afternoon of December 5 was the turning point. That was when it was finally announced there would be a symbolic kar seva. Ayodhya simmered with suppressed anger and frustration. Hundreds of kar sevaks stormed the Maniram Chavani, where two of the religious leaders-Mahant Ram Chandra Paramhans and Mahant Nrit Gopal Das-were subjected to a volley of angry questions. In the narrow, serpentine lanes of Ayodhya, the slogans were becoming more menacing: "Jis Hindu ka khoon na khaula, khoon nahin woh paani hai (If a Hindu's blood did not boil, then it's water, not blood)." In Karsevakpuram, thousands converged to express their wrath against the leadership. The Frankenstein's monster had been born. And its creators were now its immediate victims." Many see the Ram Janmabhoomi movement as a ploy by BJP leaders, such as L.K. Advani, to scuttle then prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh's clarion call of reservation for the other backward classes via the Mandal Commission formula. To use the logic of the Sangh parivar, the Mandal Commission formula divided Hindus across castes while the Ram Janmabhoomi movement united all Hindus across castes. Paul Brass, the doyen of Uttar Pradesh politics, points out how the Ram Janmabhoomi movement brought kar sevaks from backward and Dalit castes to the Sangh parivar fold in droves. The best evidence was the BJP's remarkable rise in the 1991 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls as a result of the OBC votes garnered by the charismatic Lodh leader Kalyan Singh. The party reaped the electoral momentum in two successive state assembly elections in 1993 and 1996. Post the demolition, however, there was a petering out of the wave, seen in the BJP's exit from power in Uttar Pradesh for 21 years, until the return in 2017. Evidently, the failure of the organisers of the movement was not merely moral and legal but also political. Will the Law Catch up? Advani, M.M. Joshi and Uma Bharti are the BJP bigwigs facing criminal conspiracy charges Kar sevaks at the disputed site in February 1992. A daily hearing is on in the Special CBI sessions court in Lucknow for the criminal cases relating to conspiracy (under section 120B of the Indian Penal Code) and other charges in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case. In the past, there were two separate criminal cases. Case no. 198/92 against Lal Krishna Advani and eight others, including BJP leaders Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti. (Two of the accused-VHP leaders Ashok Singhal and Acharya Giriraj Kishore-are dead.) The case was previously being pursued in Rae Bareli. The other criminal case (no. 197/92) was against Pawan Pandey, the UP chief of the Shiv Sena, and 23 others. There have been no convictions yet in either of the cases. According to All India Muslim Personal Law Board counsel M.M. Haq, who is the prosecution lawyer for the CBI, "About 226 witnesses have been produced in court by the CBI in Pandey's case and about 57 witnesses in Advani's case." The two criminal cases have now been merged as per a Supreme Court directive and both are being pursued in Lucknow under one case. The deadline for the final trial is within a stipulated period of two years. In its report in 1997, the M.S. Liberhan Commission, which was set up to investigate the demolition of the Babri Masjid, indicted top BJP leaders as being involved in the "meticulous planning" of the demolition of the mosque. The report holds 68 people culpable, including Advani, Joshi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and, more critically, then UP chief minister Kalyan Singh. The report also accuses the RSS of being the chief architect of the demolition. The Liberhan report says, "They (top BJP leaders) have violated the trust of the people.... There can be no greater betrayal or crime in a democracy and this commission has no hesitation in condemning these pseudo-moderates for their sins of omission." Since the Liberhan commission was merely a commission of inquiry, its recommendations are not part of the criminal cases under way in the Special CBI court in Lucknow. The high court had to balance fact and faith Yet, the court's verdict did not clearly assert that the Babri Masjid demolition was an illegal act The September 30, 2010 judgment of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, which is the basis on which the Supreme Court is hearing the grievances of rival parties in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, is itself a legal and moral paradox. A landmark judgment in some ways, the high court verdict is ominously silent on certain issues that are quintessential to a basic sense of justice, especially following the tragic events of December 6, 1992. The verdict failed to acknowledge that the demolition of Babri Masjid was an illegal act. It did not identify the collective vandalism by kar sevaks, which reduced the mosque to rubble. It did not seek any reparation for the victims of the crime and the approximately 2,000 people who died across the country in post-demolition communal violence. It did not hold the Ram Janmabhoomi movement's leadership and the legal authorities accountable for failing to protect the mosque despite a guarantee given to the Supreme Court that they will uphold the law. Yet, in terms of handling a title suit between the rival communities, the three-judge bench of the high court arrived at a landmark judgment. It ruled that the 2.77 acres of land at the disputed site in Ayodhya be divided into three equal parts between Ram Lalla Virajman, represented by the Hindu Mahasabha for the construction of the Ram temple, the Sunni Waqf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara. The court had apparently based its decision on historical accounts suggesting that for centuries, Hindus and Muslims had worshipped together at the site before being segregated during British colonial rule. Relying on principles of fair distribution legacy, the court concluded that the entire property be considered jointly held by Muslims and Hindus and distributed under relevant Indian property statutes that divide contested properties on the principle of fairness. The fact that the area of the mosque's central dome, where the statue of Ram Lalla was placed, was allotted to the representatives of Hindus (Hindu Mahasabha) has been criticised. But the truth is that either way, the judgment would have appeared favouring one party or another. While the three-judge bench was not unanimous in ruling that the disputed structure was constructed after demolishing a temple, it agreed that a temple, or a temple structure, predated the mosque at the site. Excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India were heavily used as evidence by the court. Negotiating subtly and sensitively between facts and faith, the judgment provided a semblance of balance between the two communities involved. The Allahabad High Court verdict has been challenged by all three parties and the Supreme Court has begun hearing the case from December 5. The next hearing has been fixed for February 8, 2018. --- ENDS --- Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) said on MSNBC that House Judiciary Republicans are doing Trumps bidding by working to undermine the FBI and the Russia investigation. Video: Rep. Cicilline said, I think what we saw when the Director testified before the House Judiciary Committee that they intended to begin the work to undermine the integrity of the FBI and the investigation of Robert Mueller. To see my Republican colleagues and the agency really attack the agency and the professionals who work there every day who risk their lives to keep our country safe was shameful. These are men and women who do an extraordinary job. Its an incredibly respected agency, and I this is an effort to undermine Robert Mueller, undermine the FBI, because they see whats happening. This investigation has moved into the White House now with the plea of Michael Flynn. I think that they are doing the presidents bidding on the committee. Republicans are abusing their investigatory power to protect Donald Trump. They are trying to make sure that Trump escapes justice because they are doing what the President is telling them to do. There will never be a real Congressional investigation into Trump and Russia as long as Republicans control Congress. Trumps Russia firewall could vanish overnight if Democrats win back Congress. House Republicans are trying to discredit the FBI to protect their president. The Republican Party is dead, and it has been replaced by a pro-Putin shell that exists only to keep Trump in power. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print WASHINGTON (Reuters) U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the fourth-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, on Friday told Fox News Channel that fellow Republican Representative Blake Farenthold should resign if an ethics investigation finds that sexual misconduct accusations against him have merit. If these allegations are proven to be true I would hope that he would step aside, said McMorris Rodgers, chair of the House Republican Conference. Farentholds office was not immediately available to comment on her remarks. The House Ethics Committee said on Thursday it was investigating Farenthold, 55, over allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation involving a former female staff member. It said it was also looking into whether the Corpus Christi, Texas, congressman made inappropriate statements to other members of his staff. Farenthold said on Thursday he was relieved that the ethics panel was going to look into the accusations. Once all the facts are released, Im confident this matter will once and for all be settled and resolved, he said. Politico reported last week that the congressional Office of Compliance had paid $84,000 from a public fund on behalf of Farenthold for a sexual harassment claim. In 2014, Farentholds former communications director Lauren Greene sued him, alleging a hostile work environment, gender discrimination and retaliation, court documents showed. Farenthold and Greene reached a mediated agreement in 2015 to avoid costly litigation, but the settlements details were confidential, according to a statement released at the time in which Farenthold denied engaging in any wrongdoing. A number of lawmakers have been accused of sexual misconduct. This week, Democratic Representative John Conyers and Republican Representative Trent Franks resigned, while Democratic Senator Al Franken said he would be stepping down in the coming weeks. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Tim Ahmann, Toni Reinhold) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Republican Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona announced late Friday afternoon that he would be resigning immediately after a probe was announced into allegations of his sexual harassment, which included an AP report that he tried to pay a woman $5 million to carry his child like a Handmaid. Politico quoted unnamed sources that it was not clear to the women whether he was asking about impregnating them through sexual intercourse or in vitro fertilization. The Associated Press reported that a former aide to Franks said the congressman offered her $5 million to carry his child. Reuters has thus far not confirmed either report. In addition to the troubling accusations, you might be wondering where Trent got $5 million with which to try buy a Margaret Atwoodian womb. Oil. Deregulating oil, it seems. Family oil. Yes, in 2014 Ballotpedia found that Franks net worth has increased by $25,640,241 since 2003, which was an ANNUAL percentage increase of 43%. During the time hes been in Congress, hes seen his net worth go up by 340 percent, averaging out to a 42 percent increase each year. During that same time period, the average American citizen saw their net worth decline by 0.94 percent, the Phoenix New Times pointed out. Their report continued: His (Franks) most lucrative assets are his shares in Trinity Petroleum, with a reported value in the range of $5 million to $25 million. According to Open Secrets, no other lawmaker is more heavily invested in the oil and gas industry. Trinity Petroleum is something of a family business: The Arizona Corporation Commission lists Franks brothers Lane and Travis as the companys directors. It also shares an address with Liberty Petroleum, an oil-and-gas exploration company that Franks co-founded with his brother Lane in 1997. Trent Franks served as the companys CEO before running for office, but stepped down after being elected to Congress. Trent Franks ability to profit off of industries he had the power to deregulate and assist with welfare checks is one of the main reasons why U.S. citizens dont really have representation in D.C. While both sides seem to enrich themselves, at least Democrats vote for the people on crucial issues like healthcare. It is, however, only the Republican Party trying to make Atwoods dystopian Handmaid Tale a reality. Trent Franks Handmaid money reveals more than his own personal corruption, it also reveals the toxicity of corruption in D.C. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print The attorney for Beverly Young Nelson, a woman accusing Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 and he was in his 30s, is hitting back at claims from his supporters that Nelson doctored a yearbook inscription she says Moore wrote at the time. A handwriting analysis done by a forensic expert has revealed that Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore had written in the yearbook of a woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 and he was in his 30s, the womans attorney said on Friday (December 8). Beverly Young Nelson had in November made the allegations against Moore and displayed the yearbook message at a news conference in New York. Since then Moore said he believed a message that Nelson said he had written in her high school yearbook had been tampered with. Moores campaign later demanded that Nelson turn over the yearbook to a neutral custodian so a handwriting expert could examine it. Nelsons attorney, Gloria Allred, said she hired a certified forensic handwriting and document examiner, Arthur T. Anthony, to examine the yearbook. Allred said the expert conducted an analysis and confirmed that Moore had signed the yearbook, thus disproving allegations from Moore supporters that it was a forgery. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Yuba City in California has elected the first Sikh woman mayor in United States history. Preet Didbal was sworn in on Tuesday. Didbals victory will undoubtedly be a point of pride for her Yuba City, home to one of the most populous Sikh communities in the U.S. Im speechless, I honestly am, Didbal said of her win. Its so humbling. You know, you talk about the American Dream, and here we are. The new mayor is the daughter of two immigrants who made the move to the U.S. from the Punjab region of India in 1968. They went took jobs in agriculture as farm laborers. Because of the large immigrant community there, my family could relate to the hardships as well as the joys of being an American, Didbal said. We wanted to have a better life. My parents struggled through the orchards and did what they needed to do. It was hard work but they were able to accomplish a better life. In addition to being the first woman of Sikh descent to serve as a U.S. mayor, Didbal to attend college and subsequently earn an advanced degree. Didbal says she hopes her election will be eye-opening for girls and women in particular. I hope it sends a huge message to our young women, young girls, go reach for the stars. Go get it, she said. You have an equal seat at the table with the men and you can make very big positive impacts in your community. The mayor has also tried to empower survivors of sexual violence, having been raped at the age of 19 herself. In response to when she started speaking about her own experience, Didbal emphasized the societal importance importance of having conversations on the topic in public: I did speak openly about it a little over a year ago. I did a community forum on bullying and giving a hand of kindness. We have to be able to express whats happening in the real world. Im a single mom. I have a daughter. She is now the same age, going off to college. Its tough to talk about, it still is. I hope, that if anything, just being in this position I can lend to other women who have been through it or going through it. We want to be able to empower young women. To do that in our culture its very important. We have very smart, intelligent young women who need to let it out. Didbal joins the growing list of Democrats from minority groups making history post-Trump by being the first of their communities to hold elected office. SAN FRANCISCO Google, which prides itself on developing simple, intuitive software that seems to know what you want almost before you do, is finding itself in a very different world when it comes to its own phones and other gadgets. Its new Pixel 2 phones, released in October, got high marks for their camera and design at least until some users complained about "burned in" afterimages on their screens, a bluish tint, periodic clicking sounds and occasionally unresponsive touch commands. Then the company's new Home Mini smart speaker was caught always listening. Finally, its wireless "Pixel Buds" headset received savage reviews for a cheap look and feel, mediocre sound quality and being difficult to set up and confusing to use. In short, Google is relearning an old adage in the technology business: Hardware is hard. GROWING PAINS ADVERTISEMENT Google quickly extended the warranty on the Pixel 2 and tweaked software on the devices and its Home Mini in an attempt to fix the troublesome issues. (It hasn't had much to say about the Pixel Buds.) Still, the problems served as a high-profile reminder of the company's inexperience in making consumer electronics a field where Apple has a 40-year head start. But the company insists its problems are being blown out of proportion. "I believe, quite frankly, that Google has a spotlight on it," Rick Osterloh, the executive in charge of the company's hardware division, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Things that would normally be pretty minor issues are a bit amplified in today's environment." Of course, Google actively has courted this spotlight. In 2016, Osterloh took the stage at a product event to tout the Pixel phone as "the best of hardware and software, designed and built by Google." The company also is running a major ad campaign to draw attention to its gizmos for the holiday shopping season. "Being a software company is an entirely different animal from being a hardware company," said technology analyst Jan Dawson, of Jackdaw Research. "The cultures are very different, and there are more moving parts in hardware, so you have to learn along the way." Google has to realize a "fail fast" philosophy that worked well for free software products doesn't work as well for smartphones that cost hundreds of dollars, said analyst Ross Rubin, of Reticle Research. Software "can be more forgiving of that development philosophy," he said. "You can't do that with atoms. You risk some backlash." HARDWARE FULL OF GOOGLE ADVERTISEMENT Google's push into devices, which includes its own Wi-Fi routers and an older line of web-based notebook computers, has become a key strategy for the internet giant. It sees these gadgets as a way to ensure services such as search, maps, Gmail and its voice-activated assistant remain prominent as personal computing expands on mobile devices and new smart gizmos in homes. All those Google services are baked into Android, which powers more than 2 billion devices worldwide but device makers such as Samsung that use the free software also can make adjustments to highlight their own products instead. Apple only uses Google's search engine as a built-in service on iPhones, and that's only because Google pays billions of dollars annually for the access. The Pixel phones and Home speakers also serve as a showcase and data-collection tool for the Google Assistant, its voice-activated digital concierge. The virtual assistant is key to Google's artificial-intelligence efforts, aimed at making computers that constantly learn new things and eventually seem more human than machine. SLOW START The Pixels, however, got off to a slow start. Google sold only 2.8 million of the first-generation model, accounting for about 0.1 percent of the market, according to the research firm International Data Corp. Such a low sales volume makes it more difficult to acquire the highest-quality components for hardware, particularly when suppliers make it a priority to meet the demands of market leaders Apple and Samsung. Apple is expected to sell between 230 million and 250 million iPhones during the fiscal year ending in September. Similar to the Pixel 2s, the new iPhone X features an OLED screen to display more vibrant colors. Similar to the Pixel 2 XL, the iPhone X's screen also might display a bluish tint and suffer "image retention" that makes it look as if something has burned into the screen, by Apple's own admission. ADVERTISEMENT As part of its effort to catch up to Apple and Samsung, Google recently acquired more expertise in a $1.1 billion deal with device-maker HTC that brought in 2,000 more smartphone engineers and certain hardware technologies. But Edison Investment Research analyst Richard Windsor believes many consumers will balk at paying a premium price for the Pixel 2 (prices start at $650), given its troubles. "It appears that the best way to get the most value from Google services is still to use them on another device," Windsor said. A test for MA students from BHU had questions on Triple Talaq, Halala and Allaudin Khilji. While the students have raised objections, university staff rebuffed allegations of indoctrination. By India Today Web Desk: Even as Triple Talaq, Halala and Allauddin Khilji continue to make headlines, in another turn of events students from Banaras Hindu University today alleged that the institution is imposing its ideology by using them in question papers. The students of MA alleged that an examination paper had questions on the burning issues like Triple Talaq, Alauddin Khilji and Halala. The questions for the semester exams were - what is Halala in Islam? The rate of wheat fixed by Allauddin Khilji. advertisement The same paper also had questions on triple talaq - Discuss about Teen Talaq and Halala as social evil in Islam. However, the University was quick to rebuff the allegations made by students and ruled out any efforts to impose any kind of ideology on them. Click here to Enlarge Photo: ANI Click here to Enlarge Photo: ANI "If students are not taught and asked such things, how will they know about it? When they are taught medieval history these things become a part of it. History has been distorted, we need to teach things to them to know real history," said Assistant Professor Rajiv Srivastava. Srivastava even asked why premier institutions like Aligarh Muslim University and Jawaharlal Nehru University ask questions on child marriage and Sati system. "Islam also has demerits which must be raised. When we teach history of Islam we will have to teach such things. People like Sanjay Leela Bhansali will not teach history to students," said Srivastava. Incidentally, this is not the first time that the university made headlines with its set of examination questions. Earlier this week, the students of political science in BHU were in a fix when they were asked to answer a question about nature of GST in Kautilya's Arthshastra. Students who found the question to be perplexing told media persons that their teacher had dictated them the answer earlier and instructed them that they would be asked these kind of questions in the exams. One of the questions even asked students to comment on Manu as the first Indian thinker of globalisation. --- ENDS --- DODGE CENTER Of all the places he imagined himself, Sebastien Richer never saw himself plying his trade in a pole barn outside of Dodge Center. Richer's medium is metal. His artistry is in his ability to mold and shape metal in any way he wants. As a certified master craftsman in the "Compagnon du Devoir," Richer is a member of a French guild whose roots date back to the 12th century. His finely wrought pieces, made of steel, bronze, brass, aluminum and other malleable metals, grace homes, churches and other buildings on the East Coast and West Coast. Richer's resume includes working on the second flame of the Statue of Liberty, a gold-leaf-covered replica of the original flame held by lady liberty that now is displayed in Paris. He had a hand in the restoration of the Palace of Versailles, the seat of power of French kings from the late 17th and 18th centuries. So the how the heck did he end up here? It's easy to imagine how Richer might see it. Given his four decades in metal work, it must feel like living on the edge of the artistic universe, far from his clientele on the coasts that he cultivated, working in a shed on a dead-end street, surrounded by farm fields. ADVERTISEMENT You would be right. But no, it doesn't bother him, he says. His goal is to find interesting work. And he does. Though it can be more challenging finding commissioned work based in the flatlands of southeastern Minnesota, Richer doesn't struggle. "The sad thing is more and more people lack an imagination and are afraid to express themselves in their own house," said Richer, in his rumbling, French accented English in reference to Midwestern trends. "They have to conform to architectural digest. They have to conform to what is expected." Built to last To be acquainted with his work, even superficially, is to realize that there is little in the physical world that Richer can't re-create using metallic materials. Wrought iron railings, delicately curved brass chandeliers, bronze tables and gates decorated with acorns. Richer has been living in Rochester for more than a decade, long enough for his work to make its mark in the area. His S-shaped, 10-foot long canoe installed near the Silver Lake fire station as part of the Rochester Art Center's Art4trails installation is a homage to Native American history. His human-sized safety pin has been ubiquitious, passed from house to house in Rochester. "My goal is to design something which is going to last by choosing the right material and the right design in a way that works for clients," Richer said. "The clients give me money to play." Even after four decades in metal, Richer doesn't tire of the work. That's mainly because nothing Richer does is mass produced. Each job, he said, usually presents him with a new challenge. Whether a staircase or gateway, each has to be moulded to fit in a unique environment. Sometimes, his tools have to be custom-made to do the job. No two commissions are the same. Richer, who was born in Reims, France, describes himself as the "black sheep of the herd" in his fascination with metal. One of his early memories was forging copper and making Celtic jewelry on his mom's gas stove as a child. When asked what drew him to metal, Richer pauses, "Why not? Maybe the fire. Who knows?" ADVERTISEMENT "I was happy as a clam," he said. Moving fast Bored by traditional school, Richer was encouraged by his parents to follow his interests and entered the guild at age 16. He soon was making a living. Richer traveled to England and German as part of his apprenticeship. At the end of his tutelage, Richer was sharing his knowledge and teaching the next generation of metal workers. Richer's status and resume in the metal world may be unknown to his neighbors in the U.S., but it opens doors in Europe's guild system. One time, Richer was exploring the idea of teaching in Strausberg, Germany. Within 30 minutes of telling a friend of his plans, the friend had called back with three job offers. "In France, with the training I have, it's not a problem. I have choice," he said. Richer met his wife, Evelyn, in what he describes as one of those "crazy" circumstances, thrown together by language. New to the U.S., Richer didn't speak a lick of English at the time he met her, and Evelyn was the only one person he knew who spoke French. "We started to spend time together, and we started traveling together. And we never stopped," Richer said. A tall order ADVERTISEMENT And that, in the long run, is how Richer ended up in Rochester. His wife, who graduated from Kenyon High School and is a veterinarian, wanted to return to her roots in Southeast Minnesota. Richer felt there was nothing for him in the area. Yet, a year later, after finishing a big project, he had followed her to Minnesota where they have now lived for a decade. The couple have two grown daughters. Richer said he doesn't regret the move. "I've moved a lot in my life," he said. "So basically, it was a positive. If you are going to focus on the bad side, you can focus on the bad." Richer played the role of Mr. Mom while his two daughters were growing up. Yet the social opportunities to polish his English, both with fellow artists and stay-at-home moms, were limited by what he describes as his somewhat intimidating presence. Richer is 6-foot-6 and speaks in a powerful baritone. Richer does not blend into the woodwork. "Most of the ladies were afraid of me," Richer said. "I was the guy bringing the kids to school. When I work, I work by myself. I have never been able to practice my English fully." One gets the impression that Richer's work doesn't come cheap. When asked what a Richer-made project costs, Richer declines to get into costs. It is not uncommon for first-time customers to voice concerns about the price of a project. But they soon change their tune. "In the beginning, they complain because I'm too expensive, Richer said. "Then they come back and ask me for a second project." It was 4 a.m. when I recently awoke for my last day at what I have termed "my favorite crowded place on Earth." As had been the case for the previous 13 days, I could hear the waves of the Pacific Ocean crashing on the La Jolla Shores across the street from the house I rented for fun with my children and grandchildren. I soon would be on the front deck watching as surfers and paddleboarders begin their daily ritual, showing up in the dark to catch waves in the 60-degree water before many of them go to work or school. And, after a bit of oatmeal and fruit, I also would make my way to the ocean for my daily version of surfing, riding the waves with my body as the surfboard. While it has been a great time enjoying fun on the ocean, it also has been a difficult one without the pillar of our family wife, mother and grandmother, Linda. For it was in this same place two years ago we had our final days of fun together before returning to Rochester and learning of the cancer that would dominate our lives until it took her a year ago. Finishing my recent La Jolla trip, I decided to write about another woman who indirectly influenced me and my family. I am not sure how many Nature Nut readers have heard of the name Scripps, but during the last hundred years, it has become synonymous with La Jolla. ADVERTISEMENT Ellen Browning Scripps was born in London in 1936 and, through a lifetime that spanned almost a hundred years, she would impact the lives of literally millions for decades, possibly centuries. After leaving London with her family to come to the United States, Ellen and her brother soon would move from a startup newspaper in Detroit to owning large newspapers across the country. With the wealth this brought her, Ellen devoted her time and money to making the world better, with no place probably benefiting more than the San Diego seaside village of La Jolla. For it was in La Jolla where Ellen supported many community programs and built a home for herself, which now is the Museum of Contemporary Art , a La Jolla landmark. But it was Ellen's significant support for the start of what now is the Scripps Institution of Oceanography that affected my family most. Beginning at the dawn of the 20th century, a summer research program based in a tent on the shores of the famous Del Coronado Hotel grew to become one of the top oceanography and marine biology institutions in the world. A recent family trip to the Birch Aquarium at Scripps included seeing my favorites, the leafy sea dragons, seahorses with kelp-like leaves for fins. But it also led me to reflect on taking my children to its predecessor, the Scripps Aquarium, on trips to La Jolla many decades ago. And that led to a pursuit of the history of Scripps, with a lot of Googling and a visit with Craig Klampe, a senior member of the Birch Visitors Services. Craig worked at the previous Scripps Aquarium and knew much of the Scripps history, which he kindly shared with me as we stood on the patio overlooking the Pacific. There, we could see one of the original Scripps buildings below, now a historic landmark. I once dreamed of attending Scripps for graduate school and, although that never materialized, I lived out the dream through our middle daughter, Jenna, and a son-in-law, who attended Scripps. And, although I was disappointed they did not continue their lives in La Jolla for frequent visits, they, similar to the rest in our family, enjoy trips back there. Now, after a year without Linda, I am thankful for friends and family who have helped me through the year and enabled me look forward to every day. And, with continued opportunities to explore the natural world, I am appreciative of my readers who inspire me to do so. ADVERTISEMENT President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel not only has led to heightened tensions in the Middle East, it also has reverberated across faith communities in Southeast Minnesota. Rabbi Michelle Werner, leader of B'nai Israel Synagogue in Rochester, said she worries Trump's declaration will endanger the lives of Americans who visit the region and the rest of the Middle East. Werner said she visited Jerusalem during the Second Intifada in 2000, which was sparked by Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount. The economic impact of that uprising was "devastating to people in Israel, Arabs and Israelis, trying to make a living, especially the ones that made a living in tourism." "There'll be Christians going to Israel to visit Bethlehem, and Hanukkah is just beginning. There's already been calls for violence. It's a declaration that might put a lot of people's lives in harm's way," Werner said. No one would dispute, Werner said, that Jewish people long have had a spiritual and historical connection to Israel in general and Jerusalem in particular. The government of Israel considers Jerusalem its capital. Trump's declaration doesn't make "any real difference other than to incite and put lives in danger," Werner said. ADVERTISEMENT Jerusalem's history is a tangled one. In the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel made massive territorial gains, including the annexation of East Jerusalem, which had been administered by Jordan up to that point. Israel already controlled West Jerusalem. In 1980, Israel declared Jerusalem the country's undivided capital. But embassies have stayed put in Tel Aviv. U.S. policy, up until recently, has been to avoid declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel without an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. That solution is based on the principle of land for peace, with Israel giving up land it won in the 1967 war in return for peace deals recognizing Israeli borders and its right to exist. Critics of Trump's decision, including those in Rochester, say the announcement undercuts that framework and ends hope for making East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state. "I strongly believe this kills the peace process," said Bassem Fadlia, a Muslim leader in Rochester and Mayo Clinic employee. "The whole peace process was based on the two-state solution and having final negotiations about the state of Jerusalem. And this just says, 'We don't need negotiations. We don't need anything.' We've decided that this belongs to one side, and the other side can hit their head on the wall." Fadlia was born and raised in Egypt, which was involved in the conflict for many decades. Here in the U.S., even as peace negotiations have been attempted and failed, Fadlia has participated in student groups calling for a just solution to the conflict. He also has been a part of rallies in Rochester protesting when Israel bombed and attacked Gaza. "I expect things to escalate the same way we've seen in the first and second intifadas in the '80s and 2000," Fadlia said. "I would not expect people to just be told you're losing your home, and they would just sit and do nothing." Many Jewish-American organizations long have argued the U.S. should acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, which called for the U.S. Embassy to be moved to Jerusalem, passed by a large bipartisan margin and was strongly supported by Jewish-American groups. "It's been the consensus mainline view for decades," said Nathan Diamond, executive director of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, "because Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel and the Jewish People. The United States puts its embassies in capital cities, and it's unjust and discriminatory to say we're going to single out Israel as the one country where we don't put our embassy (in the capital)." ADVERTISEMENT Trump's move has produced different reactions within Christian communities. Many in the evangelical community have applauded the move. But other Christians, including some Catholics, disagree. "President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel shows a shocking disregard for the long-held world view of Jerusalem as sacred to all faiths and belonging to none," said Darlene Coffman, a Rochester resident and member of SE MN Alliance of Peacemakers. "The Muslims, Jews, and Christians who live there are stewards with a very special responsibility entrusted to them to safeguard it as holy, to keep it peaceful and open to all." Lee Koch, the interim director of the Rochester Art Center whose departure from that position was announced Friday, was arrested a month ago for driving with an alcohol concentration of 0.21 while drinking a glass of wine. The Post Bulletin learned of the arrest and Koch's subsequent conviction Friday afternoon. According to court documents in the case, she pleaded guilty Nov. 21 to operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 within two hours, a gross misdemeanor. In exchange for the plea, additional charges of gross misdemeanor driving while impaired and misdemeanor open bottle law were dismissed. Koch, 61, immediately was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to complete chemical dependency evaluation/treatment and comply with the Ignition Interlock Program . She also was fined $565. ADVERTISEMENT The program, available to certain DUI offenders, is a device the size of a hand-held calculator and includes a blowing tube. It prevents a vehicle from starting if it detects a certain alcohol concentration level after the driver blows into the tube. The device is installed near the steering wheel and connected to the engine. Koch was given a stay of imposition, which reduces the case to a misdemeanor upon successful completion of probation. She was arrested about 6 p.m. Nov. 6, after a Minnesota State Patrol officer saw a southbound vehicle driving about 5 feet into the right shoulder, completely straddling the right fog line on U.S. Highway 52 near 85th Street Northwest. The officer got behind the car, which continued to drive down the shoulder. The officer activated his emergency lights, and the vehicle moved into the right lane, slowing to about 55 mph. After the car passed the exit ramp to 75th Street Northwest, he activated his siren. The driver later identified as Koch still didn't stop, the complaint says, so the officer flashed his spotlight on the car and yelled over his loudspeaker for the driver to pull over. The vehicle pulled to the right shoulder just north of the exit ramp to 65th Street Northwest and stopped. As the officer approached the car, he saw that Koch, who listed an address in St. Paul, had a clear glass of "a clear liquid and ice cubes that she was placing on the floor of the vehicle," court documents say. ADVERTISEMENT When the patrolman asked what was in the glass, Koch said it was wine and allegedly admitted she'd been drinking it while driving. The report notes Koch had the odor of alcohol, slurred speech and glassy eyes; as a result, the officer had her perform field sobriety tests. She failed, the complaint says, and a preliminary breath test registered a reading of 0.201. The legal limit to drive in Minnesota is 0.08. Koch was arrested; another breath test administered about an hour later at the Adult Detention Center indicated a reading of 0.21. Koch served as interim director of the embattled Rochester Art Center for the past year; she notified the board about two weeks ago of her intent to accept a job at the Bakken Museum in Minneapolis, according to a story Friday in the Post Bulletin. Several local men were criminally charged Tuesday after a prostitution sting last month. A Massachusetts man arrested after a sting Monday also was charged. Michael Okhman Jr., 20; Abdirizak Abdullahi Abdi, 32; Xavier John Davis, 32; Channing Prescott Tipton, 24; and Phonekeo Daoheuang, 32, all of Rochester, and Thomas Christopher Moccia, 32, of Zumbrota, were charged with one count of patronage of prostitution in a public place, a gross misdemeanor. Daoheuang also was charged with one count of giving a peace officer a false name, a misdemeanor. The men all are scheduled to make their first appearance Feb. 1 in Olmsted County District Court. ADVERTISEMENT Their cases all began Nov. 20, when Rochester police officers placed an ad on a website that contains a section for adult services. Members of the local street crimes unit often monitor the site and place false ads to target people involved in prostitution or respond to ads placed by others. According to the criminal complaints against them, the men all responded to the ad via text message throughout the day and arranged to come to the hotel room, where they were arrested. Okhman was arrested about 10:30 a.m.; he allegedly admitted he'd contacted the ad and was talking with someone about "having sex." Okhman told an investigator it was the second time he'd responded to an ad, the report says. Abdi responded to the ad about 7 a.m.; after his arrest, he said he came to the hotel just to "talk and have fun." He denied talking about sex with the girl and said he didn't come to the hotel to hire a prostitute. A search of his wallet revealed $127 in cash; the text messages between Abdi and the officer reportedly discussed a "date" would cost $120. Davis was arrested about noon. He declined to give a statement to police, though his text messages allegedly indicated he'd agreed to pay $180 for an hour with the officer. Tipton was arrested about 2:30 p.m. Nov. 21 as he walked into the hotel; he initially said he was just looking to "meet up with someone and hang out." When confronted with the details of his text conversation, Tipton allegedly admitted he agreed to pay the girl $200 for sex. Daoheuang was arrested about 1:15 p.m. Nov. 20; he allegedly identified himself as "Fay Daoheuan" before admitting his real name. Daoheuang was carrying $280 in cash, the report says, and "made unprovoked statements that he didn't do anything, and he was just there to meet a girl." His texts indicated he and the officer discussed a price of $180 for an hour of sex, plus more for unprotected sex, the complaint says. Moccia was arrested about 9:30 a.m. Nov. 20; he reportedly told the investigator what he did was "stupid," and he just wanted to "try it once." Moccia brought a condom and $120 in cash with him, the complaint says, and admitted he was at the hotel to pay someone for sex. ADVERTISEMENT A similar sting conducted Monday resulted in a text conversation between the undercover officer and Todd Richard Bosell, 57, of Marble Head, Mass. He was arrested about 1:15 p.m. at the hotel but declined to give a statement to police. The text conversation indicated Bosell planned to pay $160 for an hour of sex, the complaint says. Bosell made his first court appearance Tuesday, was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court Dec. 19. HAYFIELD After the sudden death of its band director, Hayfield Community Schools is determined to honor him and his legacy. Dennis Conroy, band director at Hayfield for 23 years, died unexpectedly early Wednesday. The news was a shock to many, as Conroy had just conducted the high school pep band the night before. He was 54. "Dennis was always an individual and was easy to get along with," said Gary Klennert, Hayfield High School principal. "He was a great co-worker and somebody who would think outside the box. He always had students in his best interest. Always." Amid their grief, Conroy's students began stepping forward with ideas how to best honor their teacher. Conroy had about 125 students from grades 6-12 in band. "They had so many thoughtful ideas to give tribute to Mr. Conroy and to remember him," Klennert said. "It speaks to the volume of what Mr. Conroy had done in our students' lives, and speaks volumes to who he was." ADVERTISEMENT A winter band concert already was scheduled for Monday at 7:30 p.m. Klennert said the district plans to go ahead with the performance and use the concert as a way of paying tribute to Conroy. The 6th-grade band, junior high school and high school concert band each will play a handful of musical selections. "We're going to have our concert for our kids," Klennert said. "They were thinking it's what Mr. Conroy would want. We want to honor and remember Mr. Conroy, and with the assistance and outpouring support we've received, we're going to be able to do it Monday night." More than students came forward to show their support for Conroy. About 15 school districts in Southeast Minnesota contacted Hayfield to offer their band directors for the concert. "It's that small-town mentality in helping one another in need," Klennert said. "It speaks to who Mr. Conroy was. Triton, Kenyon-Wanamingo, Blooming Prairie, Kasson-Mantorville, Southland, Pine Island, I mean everybody it was unbelievable." Blooming Prairie band director Ross Reishus and Hayfield High School choir director Megan Lynch are expected to help direct students during the concert. The district will begin a search for a long-term substitute teacher to take over the band for the remainder of the school year. The next band director would be Hayfield's third band director in about 50 years. "We're putting together pieces, and students are focused on their band concert," Klennert said. "We're doing the best possible job we can to remember and honor one of our great colleagues." It is not unusual for Jennifer Parrish to hear parents cry when she tells them there are no openings at her in-home day care. "I get multiple calls and emails every single week, and it's actually gotten to the point where it's pretty heartbreaking because it's not uncommon to hear a parent cry on the phone because they have called 50 other providers, and no one has any openings, and they have to go back to work," Parrish said. These emotional phone calls highlight the growing challenge parents face when trying to find a licensed child care provider. New data illustrates how severe the shortage has become in Southeast Minnesota. In Olmsted County, there is an estimated shortage of 1,082 licensed child care slots, according to recent information gathered by the Center for Rural Policy and Development. In Mower County, the number of licensed child care slots would need to increase by a staggering 82 percent to meet the estimated need. Fueling the shortage is a sharp decline in the number of family child care providers in the state, said Marnie Werner, interim executive director for the Center for Rural Policy and Development. "You can see that the drop off in family child care providers and the capacity that they provide is just on a steady slope downward, and that's a real problem in Greater Minnesota because so much more of the child care in Greater Minnesota is provided by family child care," Werner said. ADVERTISEMENT Capacity at child care centers is steadily growing in the state but not fast enough to solve the problem. Between 2006 and 2016, Greater Minnesota lost nearly 23,000 licensed family child care slots. The number of center care slots increased by 7,048, leaving a net loss of 15,666. Those lucky enough to find care often face steep costs. The median family income in Olmsted County is $68,000. The average annual cost to a family of having an infant and a toddler in a child care center is $30,000 well more than half of the family's net income, according to Jon Losness, executive director of Families First of Minnesota. "I know anecdotally about people who have been paying for an infant slot this year since April for a baby due in November, Losness said. So what is causing the child care shortage? Experts cite several issues. Baby boomer retirements:Family child care providers are reaching retirement age and leaving the workforce, Werner said. Low pay:Both family child care providers and child care center owners are faced with razor-thin profit margins. It's not unusual for family child care workers to work 10- to 14-hour days and then need to do additional training at night. Child care centers often have trouble finding staff. Losness said the average child care provider makes $10 per hour. In rural areas with lower incomes, it is not uncommon for providers to say they cannot raise rates because families can't afford it. Substantial startup costs:People looking to build a child care center are faced with high startup costs. Complicated regulations:Providers cite a complex web of regulations that often are difficult to understand. Getting licensed requires many inspections and fees. Simply understanding all of the regulations can be daunting for new providers. ADVERTISEMENT The lack of quality child care is no longer just a problem for families. It is becoming a major issue for communities in Greater Minnesota working to retain and attract businesses, according to Tim Penny, executive director of the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation. "Whether you are talking to chambers of commerce or local elected officials who are all focused on growing their communities, supporting businesses in their communities, attracting new businesses to their communities all of them are really wrestling with this child care question," Penny said. Empty classrooms Visitors to Discover Magical Moments Daycare Center's new location near West Circle Drive in Rochester will find six of the center's state-of-the-art classrooms empty. They are outfitted with toys, cribs and rocking chairs, but no children are using them. Center owner Renae Loth-Birch said she discovered a month after opening the center in June that it would take her a year to complete the Parent Aware rating program. Centers that earn three or four stars via the program are eligible for higher reimbursement rates through the state's Child Care Assistance Program. CCAP helps subsidize child care for low-income residents. Without the higher rates, she can't afford to take CCAP recipients because she would lose money. "My center would be full if I could have the assisted families. But I can't take them because I can't afford to," she said. Loth-Birch, who is co-president of the Southeastern Minnesota Early Childhood Directors Association, said her center will be fine financially thanks to its other location. However, she is worried about people launching new day care centers who will not be able to access the higher reimbursement rates for months. She would like to see the state allow providers to provisionally be eligible for the higher reimbursement rates as they work toward earning their Parent Aware rating. Ann McCully is executive director of Parent Aware. The nonprofit organization provides a quality rating to licensed providers who meet certain research-based requirements. She said it is possible for new centers to earn their ratings in six months, although many opt for a yearlong program to meet all the requirements. There is an expedited licensing process for centers with the same ownership, but Loth-Birch is not eligible for that program. ADVERTISEMENT She is wary of setting up a provisional system where a center could be getting higher reimbursement rates and then potentially not end up earning three or four stars. "I think we'd want to be very cautious about temporarily allowing something and then having to reverse it," she said. Time to re-examine regulations? When it comes to solving the child care shortage, those interviewed disagree what needs to be done. Some say it's time to overhaul the state's regulatory system to get rid of excessive or duplicate requirements. That's what Parrish wants to see happen. She is vice president of the Minnesota Association of Child Care Professionals a newly formed group that began lobbying lawmakers last year. Since starting her family child care business 13 years ago, she has seen regulation and training requirements increase dramatically. She said the way providers are being treated varies dramatically based on the county they operate in, with some being given correction orders for minor issues. Getting information from the Department of Human Services on regulation changes also can be difficult. "It feels very much for me like from the state there is an attempt to micromanage every aspect of my program even if I feel it's detrimental to my program," Parrish said. Adding to her frustration are additional regulations passed by lawmakers last session. One requires fingerprints be taken of children ages 13 to 17 who live in the homes of family child care providers. Minnesota Department of Human Services Deputy Commissioner Chuck Johnson said the department is working hard to improve communication with providers. He said the agency recently held more than a dozen meetings around the state to brief providers on upcoming state and federal law changes. As for calls to re-examine regulations, Johnson said the department is willing to work with lawmakers and others on possible changes. However, he said there are times when tough regulations are needed. He cited the sharp rise in child care deaths that came to light in 2012. It was largely due to infants in unsafe sleeping positions. The department stepped up enforcement, and child care deaths have dropped sharply. "I think that's an appropriate role to be playing to ensure that when a parent drops their child off at child care that they have a reasonable assurance that the provider is going to provide the right kind of care and is trained to be able to watch out for what could be the very worst of consequences," Johnson said. Calls for more funding Others say increased funding needs to be part of the discussion. Losness said child care assistance rates are based on 25 percent of 2011 child care rates. He said lawmakers who think this problem can be addressed without spending more money "are living in a dream world." "The state has invested in this industry, and it's going to have to invest some more if Minnesota wants to recruit and retain employees," he said. Getting lawmakers to approve additional funding might be a tough sell. The state is projected to have a $188 million deficit in the current two-year budget. Rep. Mary Franson is chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Childcare Access and Affordability. A former in-home provider herself, Franson said she understands providers' concerns about regulations. She is willing to author a bill to repeal the fingerprinting requirement for minors who live with family child care providers. She is skeptical of those who argue low CCAP rates are contributing to the child care shortage. "The CCAP, in my opinion, is not the problem. You can throw as much money into the CCAP system as you want, but if there are no providers to take those kids, that money doesn't do anything," said Franson, R-Alexandria. Communities taking actions Some nonprofits including the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation and First Children's Finance are working with communities to help them come up with their own solutions to child care shortage. Austin is one of four cities to receive a grant via First Children's Finance's Rural Child Care Innovation Program. "They have a great supply of family child care. They have a center in town, but they are really looking for additional options," said Jeff Andrews, a business development specialist with the nonprofit. During the next 18 to 24 months, residents will explore a wide range of options to address the shortage. Ideas being discussed include figuring out how to expand licensed providers among the non-English speaking population to whether or not to build a new center in town. Andrews said he has seen communities come together to address the problem. Fixes have included private/public partnerships and faith communities making available needed facility space. Harmony Enterprises Inc. started a child care center to meet the needs of its employees and the community. Christ United Methodist Church in Rochester is raising money with the goal of opening a child care center. Werner said she is hopeful Greater Minnesota communities can solve the child care shortage. She is heartened to see many communities taking action on it. She added, "The ones that are taking the initiative and are being thoughtful about it and realistic about it are the ones that are going to succeed." About two years ago, Todd Penz sat in a car in front of the Mill's Fleet Farm gas station and looked to the east. "I look over at this open land on hill with a retention pond and a fountain," he recalled. "I look to the left and I see all these shopping centers (at Shoppes on Maine). I look to the right and I see apartments being built." Penz immediately called his father, Dan Penz, who was a co-owner of Clements Chevrolet Cadillac Subaru. They had been looking for place to build a new Subaru dealership. Clements ended up acquiring the land. About a year later, in October 2016, Clements opened a new $8 million Subaru dealership at the corner of 48th Street and St. Bridget Road Southeast. The Subaru dealership passed another milestone on Dec. 1 of this year, when Todd and Dan Penz split from Clements and officially purchased it. ADVERTISEMENT Clements Chevrolet Cadillac now is owned David Remick, Jack Remick and John Wade. The Penzes no longer have a stake in the almost 90-year-old dealership in front of Rochester's Apache Mall. Now known as Subaru of Rochester, Todd Penz is the new general manager of the dealership that stands on the very site he spotted in 2015, after buying some snow pants. Penz, who now manages at team of more than 50 employees, said Subaru is today's hot brand, with the dealership selling more than 70 new vehicles a month. "I remember when I started selling Subarus (for Clements) in 2009. We'd sell maybe five to 10 a month. Now, look at this place," he said gesturing at his new dealership. "We never dreamed of something like this back then." In addition to busily selling and servicing vehicles, Subaru of Rochester is adding to its amenities to make its customers and their pets more comfortable. "We put in a dog park last week. We get two to three dogs in here every week," Penz said. John Wade, a co-owner of Clements, said the split between the dealership has gone as smoothly as a ride in one of his cars. "The transition has gone very well," he said. "We (Clements and Subaru of Rochester) both remain very committed to providing great service and value to our customers." ADVERTISEMENT Penz said he is thankful for his time at Clements and for a continuing good relationship with the elder dealership. "John Wade and everyone at Clements taught me everything I know about selling a car," he said. So what will customers find different at Subaru, now that it is separate from Clements? Not a lot, other than the name, at first. The staff remains the same. The vehicles are the same. The approach to selling will be similar. "We offer a stress-free, negotiation-free way to buy a car," Penz said. According to the Association for Democratic Reforms and UP Election Watch figures, 27 per cent of BJP mayors have criminal cases against them, while 80 per cent of them are millionaires. By Siraj Qureshi: In the 2017 municipal elections, UP elected 16 mayors, out of which 14 are from the BJP while 2 are from the BSP. Out of these elected mayors, 27 per cent have a criminal image, while 80 per cent of these mayors are millionaires. Of the 27 per cent criminal image mayors, all are from the BJP. advertisement The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and UP Election Watch released these figures in Agra today. Election Watch chief Sanjay Singh said that in the UP civic polls , the model code of conduct was violated with impunity. Candidates spent way above their allowed limits of expenditure and they benefited from this expense too. Naveen Jain from the BJP, who became the mayor of Agra, is the richest of all elected mayors with a property of more than Rs 409 crore. The Allahabad Mayor Abhilasha Gupta comes second by a huge margin with personal property of Rs 68 crore, while the Lucknow mayor Samyukta Bhatiya and Gorakhpur Mayor Sitaram Jayaswal have property worth Rs 8 each. According to the ADR report, the Allahabad Mayor Abilasha Gupta has 2 criminal cases pending against her, while Agra's Naveen Jain has 4 criminal cases. Kanpur Mayor Abilasha Pandey and Ayodhya Mayor Rishikesh also have several criminal cases against them. All these mayors have been elected from the BJP, while the two BSP mayors from Aligarh and Meerut have no criminal cases against them. Talking to India Today, Mohd. Yaseen, ex-president of Samajwadi Party minority wing said, "The BJP always calls itself 'neat and clean' and the senior leaders of the party spare no words in praising their candidates, but they never say a word about the criminal cases pending against these candidates. " Yaseen also said that the BJP should stop misleading the people as the people are no slowly becoming aware of the lies that the BJP has been pandering for the past several years. He said that if the BJP does not stop misleading the people, then the 2019 elections will prove very expensive to the party. He expressed surprise that as soon as the BJP won most of the mayoral seats in UP, it sent all its winning mayors to Gujarat to campaign for the party. It seems that these mayors were not elected for the people, they were elected only as party stooges and will only do what Modi tells them to do. --- ENDS --- Minnesota advocates for reducing racial disparities in school discipline took their case to Washington, D.C., this week. Meeting Friday with Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Candice Jackson, the group of five spoke in support of Obama-era guidance that aimed to reduce disparate discipline impacts on students of color. The guidance told school districts that discipline policies could be found in violation of federal civil rights law based on discriminatory effects, even if the policies are neutral on their face. Last month, a different contingent of Minnesotans made the same trek for a meeting in opposition to the document. They told federal officials some classrooms have become unsafe for teachers. School officials are watching to see how the Department of Education under President Donald Trump will handle the Obama-era discipline guidance. "We've got to make sure our school environments are safe, but that goes for our students, too. So we've got to find ways to provide funding, training and supports to teachers to effectively be able to engage students in the classroom," Educators for Excellence executive director Madaline Edison said. Educators for Excellence helped organize this week's trip. ADVERTISEMENT Edison said the guidance pushed some school districts to take action to reduce disparities. "To go back on that idea and to say that we no longer care about these disproportionalities would be a mistake that would really harm our students," she said. ST. PAUL Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's preferred appointee to fill Sen. Al Franken's Senate seat, Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, is considering also running for the seat next year, as Dayton is being pressured by top Democrats in Washington to appoint more than a mere caretaker, according to two Democrats familiar with the discussions. Franken said Thursday he would resign over allegations of sexual harassment, leaving Dayton to appoint a replacement until a special election next November to complete Franken's term, which runs through 2020. Dayton's initial inclination was to pick Smith, a longtime aide and his second-in-command since 2015, to serve as a caretaker until next year's election, a Democratic official told The Associated Press. The official requested anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss private deliberations surrounding the appointment before Dayton's announcement. Smith had been slated to participate in several meetings on affordable housing in Rochester on Monday. Those meetings have been postponed. The official said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has reached out to Dayton and pressured him to instead appoint someone who can use the opportunity as a running start for a 2018 campaign. A senior Senate Democratic aide confirmed that Senate Democrats do not want a placeholder appointee. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss private discussions. ADVERTISEMENT Amid that pushback, Smith is now considering running for the seat next year, according to the official and a separate Democratic operative familiar with the discussions surrounding the appointment. Smith had previously explored a run for Minnesota governor in 2018, when Dayton's second and final term ends, but she ruled it out this spring. Smith did not immediately reply to a text or voicemail seeking comment. Speaking to reporters earlier Friday, Dayton reiterated he plans to make the appointment "in the next couple days" but would not discuss the factors or candidates he is weighing. Smith, 59, has a bachelor's degree from Stanford and an MBA from Dartmouth. She first moved to Minnesota to work for General Mills in marketing before starting her own business. She ran former Vice President Walter Mondale's brief Senate campaign in 2002 after Sen. Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash. She also served as a top executive at Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. She is largely known for behind the scenes work, having served as Dayton's chief of staff before becoming his lieutenant governor. Dayton has long treated her as a near-equal partner in his administration, often representing him at important events, and she was widely seen as being groomed to succeed him. But she announced last spring that she wouldn't run, calling it a personal decision. She said at the time that she was comfortable in her role as Dayton's No. 2. Jinny Halverson, 73, of Shakopee, passed away at her home on Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017. Born Virginia Frances Cassidy in Rochester on Aug. 12, 1944, to Rachael (McIntire) and William Cassidy, Jinny was always brainy, often mischievous, sometimes precocious, and occasionally just plain naughty. After graduating from Rochester John Marshall High School in 1962, Jinny went on to attend the Minnesota School of Business, often the lone female in her accounting- focused classes. She spent most of her career working in the flour milling industry for Peavey Company/Con-Agra. Ultimately, Jinny retired from the IRS, but she never quit working. Many in Shakopee are familiar with her smiling face, often seen under a green cap handing out samples at Sam's Club where she has worked for several years. Jinny's kind heart was bigger than most, and she spent most of her time trying to make someone else smile and doing for others. Sharp as a tack, it was her intelligence and resourcefulness that she was known for as a career woman before there was such a term. Although she and her first husband, Steve Bolstad, weren't meant to be, they raised their daughter with the same resourcefulness and tenacity. Later, Jinny married John Halverson, who was truly the love of her lifetime. John's untimely passing shortened their time together, but Jinny never let their love story perish. At long last, they are together again. Jinny's family meant everything to her. She is survived by her daughter, Kristine Anderson, of Shakopee; and grandchildren, Rachael Isle, of New Orleans, Taylor (Emily) Isle, of Salt Lake City, Cecily (Pat) Theis, of San Diego, and Brennan Isle, of Brooklyn Park. She is also survived by three sisters, Maureen Robertson, of Mesa, Ariz., Marilyn Cassidy (Ed Crawford), of Phoenix, and, Colleen Valente (Steve Butenhoff), of Red Wing; and one brother and a niece, Jerry (Rhea) Cassidy, of the Philippines, and their daughter, Clementine. Jinny was preceded in death by her mother and beloved stepfather, Cecil Morris; her father; and Kristine's father. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, followed by a prayer service at 1 p.m., all held at McNearney-Schmidt Funeral and Cremation, 1220 3rd Ave. E., Shakopee, 952-445-2755. Presiding is the Rev. Peter Hughes. Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis. Condolences may be shared at www.mcnearneyfuneralhome.com. CNN, in its daily effort to discredit President Trump, hastily published a leak from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee that turned out to be false. CNN initially claimed that someone emailed Donald Trump, Jr. a link to a Wikileaks DNC dump on September 4, 2016. CNN said this information was based on accounts from two sources who had seen the email. Those sources obviously were Democrat committee members or staffers; Donald Jr. testified about the email before the Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. CNN attributed significance to the email because it allegedly was dated September 4, nine days before the Wikileaks documents in question were made public. Butoopsthe Democrats misinformed CNN. The email is actually dated September 14, the day after the documents were released. So a Trump supporter was simply trying to call the Trump campaigns attention to publicly-available documents. CNN has shamefacedly corrected its story, which it also trumpeted on television: Correction: This story has been corrected to say the date of the email was September 14, 2016, not September 4, 2016. The story also changed the headline and removed a tweet from Donald Trump Jr., who posted a message about WikiLeaks on September 4, 2016. *** CNN originally reported the email was released September 4 10 days earlier based on accounts from two sources who had seen the email. The new details appear to show that the sender was relying on publicly available information. The new information indicates that the communication is less significant than CNN initially reported. Actually, the new detailsi.e., the correct email datemean that the communication has no significance whatsoever. A Trump lawyer jams the error, plainly born of eagerness to get the president, down CNNs throat, as reported by the Washington Post: Alan S. Futerfas, an attorney for Trump Jr., described it as one of a ton of unsolicited emails like this on a variety of topics. Futerfas said Erickson [the sender] was unknown to Trump Jr. or the campaign. The message was one of thousands turned over to the House Intelligence Committee and others investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, emails that included spam and junk emails. Trump Jr. was asked about the email Wednesday, when he spent about seven hours behind closed doors answering questions from members of the committee. The email was never read or responded to and the House Intelligence Committee knows this, Futerbas said. It is profoundly disappointing that members of the House Intelligence Committee would deliberately leak a document, with the misleading suggestion that the information was not public, when they know that there is not a scintilla of evidence that Mr. Trump Jr. read or responded to the email. He expressed anger that details of the session leaked out before it had even concluded. We are concerned that these actions, combined with the deliberate and misleading leak of a meaningless email, undermine the credibility of the serious work the House Intelligence Committee is supposedly undertaking, he said. Its another black mark for CNN. I have said before that CNN should abandon all of its television programming, and simply fill the screen with a sign that says, We hate President Trump. That would save a lot of trouble, and avoid quite a few factual errors. UPDATE: CBS picked up CNNs fake news and couldnt bear to let go of it. Twitchy has the story. When the entire story blew up in the faces of CNN and CBS (and no doubt others), CBS couldnt bear to call it a correction. Hey, what do the facts matter when you are trying to #Resist? We went to see Darkest Hour last night. The film portrays Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) in May 1940. When Neville Chamberlain stepped down, Churchill became Prime Minister on May 10 and became Great Britains war leader. In Five Days in London: May 1940 (1999), John Lukacs focused on these events and took us into the cabinet meetings portrayed in the film. Stick with Lukacs. The film reduces Churchill to a quivering jellyfish with remarkable oratorical gifts. Here the tight historical focus of the film serves the fabricated story line. Churchill is not the man who foresaw Hitlers threat and decried the policy of appeasement. He is not the man who called on Britain to resist Hitler and rebuild its defenses. He is not the visionary statesman who saw the gathering storm. He is not, as the title of one of Martin Gilberts biographical volumes has it, The Prophet of Truth. As the film opens, he serves in a ministerial position in Chamberlains government. But who is he? On May 10, Churchill is called on to lead the government. The film gives us Churchill experiencing a dark night of the soul. He blubbers. He blusters. He shouts. He drinks. He finds resolve in the course of a fictional ride on the underground during which he communes with British commoners. Dont miss your stop, Sir Winston! The thing is so stupid it made me want to blubber. Looking around online this morning, I see that Kyle Smith called it out in this NRO column last month. I found Smiths column via John Podhoretzs Weekly Standard review taking issue with Smith. To my knowledge the best Churchill on film remains Robert Hardys in the 8-part television series The Wilderness Years. Martin Gilberts companion book appears still to be in print. Steve took a look back at Hardy in Robert Hardy, RIP together with his own compilation of speech excerpts from the shoddy video version of the series (below). Steves compilation culminates in Churchills great October 1938 speech in protest of the Munich agreement. NOTE: Taking a look at the comments, I want to urge readers not to take my word for it. See for yourself and draw your own conclusions. You may well disagree with me, as John Podhoretz does in the linked review. (John is my favorite reviewer, by the way.) Even if you were to agree with me about the movie, I think you may well find seeing it worthwhile in order to know what is being peddled out there and perhaps to inspire you to revisit the true history of one of the greatest men who ever lived. Did the Trump campaign collude with friends of Vladimir Putin in the presidential campaign of 2016? I dont think so, but the Clinton campaign certainly seems to have done so. Yet former FBI Director James Comey engineered the appointment of his good friend Robert Mueller to head a special counsel investigation in collusion with the New York Times. We have Comeys testimony under oath telling the story. There might even have been a law or two that he broke in the process, but Im pretty sure Comeys good friend wont be going there. Today the New York Times returns to the collusion beat in Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzos FBI warned Hope Hicks about emails from Russian operatives. Goldman and Apuzzo report: F.B.I. officials warned one of President Trumps top advisers, Hope Hicks, earlier this year about repeated attempts by Russian operatives to make contact with her during the presidential transition, according to people familiar with the events. But [t]here is no evidence that Ms. Hicks did anything improper. There is the usual veil of ignorance reflecting the Timess remove from the underlying facts: The contents of the emails to Ms. Hicks are unclear, as are the identities of the Russians who sent them. The people who described the briefing and the emails spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to openly discuss intelligence matters. The F.B.I. declined to comment. On Thursday and Friday, investigators working for Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, interviewed Ms. Hicks as part of his investigation into Russias efforts to influence the 2016 election and whether any of Mr. Trumps advisers assisted the Russian campaign. It is not clear whether the Russian efforts to contact Ms. Hicks were discussed during that interview. As she received additional information from the FBI, Hicks reported her meetings to White House counsel Don McGahn. One has to read nearly to the end of the story to find this (italics supplied for emphasis): In some ways, the Russian outreach to Ms. Hicks undercuts the idea that the Russian government had established deep ties to the Trump campaign before the election. If it had, Russian officials might have found a better entree to the White House than unprompted emails to Ms. Hicks. Its almost funny. We cant possibly catalog all of these incidents, but this one is rather noteworthy because it occurred aboard an aircraft carrier rather than at a university, the preferred setting for racism hoaxes. The Navy Times has the story: A sailor who claimed someone scrawled racial slurs on his bed aboard an aircraft carrier sparking a viral Facebook post in the process staged the incident himself, the Navy said Friday. Marquie Little, a 27-year-old African American seaman, posted photos to Facebook on Nov. 15 under an alias that showed his rack on the carrier George H.W. Bush covered in trash and racial slurs. I proudly serve the Navy and this is what Im receiving in return, he wrote in the post. But on Friday Cmdr. Dave Hecht, a spokesman for Naval Air Force Atlantic, said a thorough investigation conducted with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service found inconsistencies in the sailors account. A NCIS-supported command investigation following claims of racially-motivated vandalism aboard the (carrier) has determined that the alleged victim staged the incident himself, Hecht said in an email. Of course, a lie travels around the world while the truth is still lacing up its shoes: The sailors Facebook post had drawn nearly 20,500 shares as of Friday. This kind of thing has happened before, even in the military: The Navy incident follows another one this fall at the Air Force Academy preparatory school, where racial slurs were found written on the dorm message boards of five black cadet candidates. The Air Force later said that one of those five black cadet candidates had admitted to writing the slurs. No doubt someone, sometime, scrawled racist graffiti somewhere. But in the modern era, dont just about all of these incidents turn out to be hoaxes? Thats the way it seems. If racism is such a prevalent force in our society, as college students are taught and liberals fervently believe, why is it necessary to fabricate so many false instances of it? Przepraszamy! Ogoszenie na stanowisku: Test Analyst with Banking experience wygaso z dniem 2017-12-09 Ta propozycja bya zozona przez Cognizant EU Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia ogoszenia to: propozycja zamieszczona przez pracodawce zostaa wycofana z naszych zasobow zleceniodawca zakonczy proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc zgoszen rekruter zmodyfikowa tresc ogoszenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem WWW dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych zy adres url ogoszenia Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy Informatyka / Telekomunikacja, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Informatyka / Telekomunikacja Jezeli poszukujesz pracy na stanowisku Test Analyst with Banking experience, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Test Analyst with Banking experience Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w miescie: Zurich, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Zurich Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj. Inne oferty, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan: By Karishma Kuenzang: In a first, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has teamed up with Teamwork Arts to organise the debut edition of Bodhi Parva: BIMSTEC (the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Festival of Buddhist Heritage on December 9 and 10 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts in Delhi. BIMSTEC as a bridge between South and South-East Asia aims to revitalise relations among its member states. advertisement The festival will focuses on how Buddhism has travelled, morphed and evolved via an exhibition of Buddhist art and architecture, talks by scholars and practitioners, guided meditation and chanting by Delhi Monks and Maitreya Choir, a quiz, film screenings, dance performances and food stalls. Speaking about the initiative, Sanjoy Roy, MD, Teamwork Arts, says, "We wanted to create an international festival which looked at how the key philosophy of Buddhism travelled to the far east, how it found its roots there, moved away and then came back. We wanted to look at the Buddhist heritage in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan, beyond the Buddhist heritage we know in India, through conversations, music and performances." Photo: Mail Today He also believes that sprituality is what is needed in today's world. ''This isn't so much about religion as it is about spirituality. There are ghastly incidents happening every day around us, which ask the question, where have we lost our humanity and empathy?" Sanjoy adds. One of the unique performances Hemis Monastery Monks from Ladakh.While performing the dance, the dancers wear various kinds of masks, some fearful others benign and pleasing. These represent various divinities from the Buddhist pantheon. Nawang Chinba, who's representing them, says, "The original motive of this Mask Dance, also considered a form of meditation, is to symbolise the destruction of evil spirits and to perform ritual offerings to the deities of the monasteries and guardians of the faith. The process to learn this dance form begins when a child is introduced to the teachings of Buddhism." The Maitreyi Children's Choir from Bodh Gaya, which comprises a group of pre-teens who came together for their love of music in 2016, will also be performing two sutras at the festival. "The Heart Sutra reveals the truth of emptiness through a short exchange between two of the Buddha's most illustrious disciples, Avalokiteshvara and Shariputra," say Ajit, the group coordinator and students Sania and Neha. -Bodhi Parva is on at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), Janpath (Gate 1) on December 9 and 10. Entry is free --- ENDS --- Przepraszamy! Ogoszenie na stanowisku: Senior Recruiter wygaso z dniem 2018-01-06 Ta propozycja bya zozona przez ManpowerGroup Sp. z o.o. Mozliwe przyczyny wygasniecia oferty to: propozycja zozona przez pracodawce zostaa usunieta z naszych zasobow ogoszeniodawca zakonczy proces rekrutacji uzyskujac odpowiednia ilosc CV ogoszeniodawca zmodyfikowa tresc zlecenia i jest ono dostepne pod innym adresem url dostawca tresci usuna ogoszenie z bazy danych nieprawidowy adres WWW ogoszenia Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w branzy HR, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca HR Jezeli poszukujesz pracy na stanowisku Senior Recruiter, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Senior Recruiter Jezeli poszukujesz pracy w miescie: Poznan, zajrzyj tutaj: Praca Poznan Pamietaj, ze mozesz takze rozpoczac poszukiwanie pracy od strony gownej, kliknij tutaj. Inne propozycje, ktore mogy byc w kregu Twoich zainteresowan: Chabad on Campus seeks to be a home away from home for Jewish people at the college and post-graduate levels. It offers many educational, social and spiritual programs at campuses across the U.S. and worldwide. Chabad of Stockton University has the goal of ensuring students graduate with a strong Jewish identity along with preparing them for adulthood. Chadbad of Stockton University offers a kosher cooking club, Torah study classes and weekly Shabbat dinners, which are free of charge for Stockton students. From Sunday through Monday, Chabad of Stockton is hosting an online fundraiser in an effort to pay for and continue the programs that are offered to students. Three donors have pledged to help Chabad of Stockton by matching donations that are given during the 36-hour time period, which means every donation will have triple the impact. Donations can be made through the website: Match.Jewish Stockton.com PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account. HAMILTON TOWNSHIP Police seized 11 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $40,000, police said. Authorities also are looking for two men, including one from Mays Landing, following the motor vehicle stop Thursday that led to the seizure, police said. Officer Nicole Odell stopped a vehicle at 7:59 p.m. Thursday at Wrangleboro Road and the Atlantic City Expressway entrance, police said. The driver was identified as Kevin Moulden, 26, of Mays Landing, and his passenger was Timothy Spencer III, 29, of Baltimore, police said. Odell detected a strong odor of marijuana, and a subsequent investigation revealed Moulden and Spencer were in possession of more than $11,000 in cash and drug-packing material, police said. Hamilton Township searching for thief HAMILTON TOWNSHIP Police are asking for the publics assistance identifying a man suspecte The $11,000 was seized as part of the investigation, and Moulden was released from the scene, police said. Spencer was charged with possession of marijuana and released on a summons, police said. The Charger was seized and towed to the Hamilton Township Police Department. Municipal Court Judge Michelle Verno on Friday approved a warrant to search the vehicle, police said. Moulden and Spencer have since been charged with distribution of marijuana, police said. Anyone with information on Mouldens or Spencers whereabouts can call police at 609-625-2700. Four more people have been charged with filing false applications for federal Hurricane Sandy relief funds, including one Atlantic City woman, officials said Friday. Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that 104 people have been charged since March 2014, including four charged Thursday with falsely claiming a damaged home from Sandy was their primary residence. Carmen Martinez, 57, of Atlantic City, was charged after falsely claiming in her applications that a home she owned on North Iowa Avenue, damaged by Sandy, was her primary residence, according to a media release from the Attorney Generals Office. Her primary residence at the time of the storm was in Galloway Township, officials said. The home on North Iowa Avenue was a rental property. Climate change town hall to be held Saturday in Atlantic City ATLANTIC CITY A climate change and energy town hall Saturday will draw attention to enviro She was charged with filing fraudulent applications for FEMA assistance and state grants under the Homeowner Resettlement Program and the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program. She received about $34,090 in funds she wasnt entitled to, including $9,090 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, $10,000 in an RSP grant and $15,000 in SHRAP funds, officials said. Officials also say: Janyn Pettyjohn, 57, of Washington, D.C., and Palm Coast, Florida, filed fraudulent applications after Sandy. She received $243,226 in relief funds. Pettyjohn falsely claimed a home she owns on Kearny Avenue in Seaside Heights, Ocean County, was her primary residence at the time of Sandy, but she lived in Washington. She is charged with second-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification. Robert Zachok, 53, of Toms River, received $158,525 in relief funds he wasnt entitled to. He falsely claimed a home he owns on East Barnegat Way in Lavallette, Ocean County, was his primary residence, but it was a rental property. Zachok is charged with second-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification. William E. Thompson, 57, of Lavallette, received $41,448 in relief funds he was not entitled to. Thompsons primary residence at the time of the storm was in Asbury Park, Monmouth County, but he falsely claimed it was a home he owns on Sailfish Way in Lavallette. Pennsylvania man charged in Ocean City Hurricane Sandy fraud case CAMDEN A Pennsylvania man was charged Wednesday with defrauding FEMA out of more than $250 Its despicable that over 100 people saw fit to resort to fraud in the face of a historic disaster, allegedly stealing funds intended for those who were hardest hit, Porrino said in a statement. FEMA grants are provided to eligible recipients for the repair of damaged homes and replacement of personal property, according to the media release. Rental assistance grants are available for impacted homeowners. To qualify, applicants must affirm the damaged property was their primary residence at the time of the storm, officials said. The 104 people charged were allegedly responsible for diverting more than $6 million in relief funds, and the investigation is ongoing. South Jersey blazed another trail in election spending again this year as one legislative race ranked among the most expensive in United States history. Independent entities such as the New Jersey Education Association and the General Majority PAC, a group tied to Democratic power broker George Norcross, contributed to a New Jersey record of $23 million spent by outside groups trying to legally sway the election. The $23 million broke the previous New Jersey record, set in 2013, by 43 percent, according to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. As independent special interest groups rapidly expand their influence over elections, spending records seem to be falling by the wayside almost every election cycle, said Jeff Brindle, ELEC executive director. We urge both parties to adopt ELEC-recommended legislation that would require independent spenders to fully disclose their fundraising and spending in New Jersey campaigns. State Senate President Steve Sweeney, a Democrat, easily won re-election over Fran Grenier despite the New Jersey Education Association spending more than $5 million in attack ads against him. Sweeney, however, received millions in support from other independent groups, particularly from the General Majority PAC. Overall, $18.7 million was spent in the race between Sweeney and Grenier. More than $14 million of that came from independent groups. The race now ranks among the most expensive legislative elections in the history of the United States, according to ELEC. The amount spent on the 3rd Legislative District alone this year is staggering, Brindle said. It is more than most past gubernatorial candidates have spent statewide. Meanwhile, the 2nd Legislative District finished as the third-most expensive district in the state. Much of that money was spent on the race for state Senate between Chris Brown and Colin Bell. Independent spending didnt play as large a role as it has in the past, though. Just over $500,000 of the $3.8 million in the 2nd District came from independent groups. A joint financial account between Bell and Assemblymen-elect John Armato and Vince Mazzeo received over $530,000 from the New Jersey Senate Democratic Majority and $402,000 from the Atlantic County Democratic Committee. Those two groups were the major contributors to the joint account, which raised $1.5 million overall. Brown, meanwhile, raised nearly $978,000 for his campaign, with $147,000 coming from the New Jersey Republican State Committee and $243,000 coming from the Senate Republican Majority. The pricey legislative races mirrored the gubernatorial election, where Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Kim Guadagno raised and spent more than $79 million, earning a spot as the second-most expensive in gubernatorial history. Independent groups spent $24.5 million in that election, a new record for a gubernatorial race in New Jersey. The $24.5 million spent independently on the election not only sets a new record but reflects the growing dominance of these groups in national and New Jersey elections, Brindle said earlier this month when the spending figures were released. However, public-disclosure rules for these committees are woefully outdated. Environmental groups celebrated Thursday after the Senate Judiciary Committee failed to vote on the nomination of Ed McGlinchey as a governors appointee to the 15-member Pinelands Commission. Gov. Chris Christie recently nominated McGlinchey, who voted in favor of two pipelines through parts of the Pinelands, to be one of the governors seven appointees. In another matter, the commission canceled its regularly scheduled Dec. 8 meeting for lack of a quorum. The meeting will instead be held Tuesday. McGlinchey was Camden Countys representative on the commission from 2010 to this year, but he recently moved to Longport in Atlantic County. Camden County will now have to appoint a new commissioner. McGlinchey voted in favor of the South Jersey Gas pipeline the commission approved to be built along roadsides through 10 miles of protected Pinelands Forest Area, and the New Jersey Natural Gas Co. pipeline that has been approved to run through parts of the northern Pinelands. Both pipelines are being held up by lawsuits from environmental groups. Today is a small victory for the Pines and for the public who work to protect it, said New Jersey Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel. Thanks to the large public outcry and thousands of phone calls, we have managed to delay the vote for the pro-pipeline McGlinchey. McGlinchey served as Winslow Townships public works manager and zoning officer for many years. Environmental groups had speculated that Christie intended to replace environmental law expert Commissioner Edward Lloyd, who voted against both pipelines and is one of many gubernatorial appointees whose term has expired. Lloyd joined the commission as a gubernatorial appointee in 2002 and is a clinical professor of environmental law at Columbia Law School.{p class=gmail-msonormal}Christie is continuing to stack the commission with his pro-development cronies before Gov.-elect Phil Murphy has a chance to make his nominations, said Tittel, who is a member of Murphys Transition Team for Environment and Energy. We are urging Democrats to oppose this nomination so that Phil Murphy can make his own appointments in January. Its snow time! A snowstorm will rock through today and into tonight. Last winter, Atlantic City International Airport received 7.7 inches of snow. There is an outside shot of receiving more than that by Sunday. This is my first winter storm as a meteorologist here with The Press. I look forward to your questions, snow observations and pictures as we take it all in together. Snowy forecast postpones South Jersey events Saturday Due to a snowy forecast that includes as much as 4 inches of snow coming to the South Jersey To help you with the storm, here are seven answers to some common questions: What is the timing for this storm? Snow, with pockets of rain more on that later will continue throughout today. The heaviest snow looks to end between 5 and 8 p.m. However, snow showers can continue until about midnight. Will the snow mix with rain anywhere? This is complicated, because the changeover is partly based on how intense the rain is. However, central and northern Cape May County and perhaps the entire shore mixes with or changes over to all rain at times. Will this be a wet or a fluffy snow? The snow will be on the wetter side. This storm system originates in the deep South, which usually means a wet snow. On the other hand, a clipper system, from Canada, would yield a fluffy snow. Will the snow stick to the roads? During darkness, yes. Crews in South Jersey have been bringing roads since Thursday. During the day, the snow will need to be moderate to heavy to stick. I forecast moderate snow for parts of the day tomorrow. How much is expected? In general 4"-8" of snow is expected. Cape May County has seen anywhere between a coating in Upper Township to 3" near Cape May. Lesser amounts are possible in western Atlantic and Cumberland Counties. Think 2.5" - 5.0". Do I need the bread and milk? Use the time spent going to the store to get those and make something nice for yourself. French toast sounds good, right? Ill call this a 1 percent, borderline, 2 percent milk kind of storm. Anything else I should know? Coastal flooding will not be an issue with this storm. Neither will high winds or freezing rain. ATLANTIC CITY Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City has been billed as a game changer in 2018. In addition to the casino, Hard Rock International and its investors are also planning to open a gas station at the corner of Pacific and Virginia avenues. Rockstop Gas & Wash would include a convenience store, gas pumps and a car wash. In June, Hard Rock opened its first gas station in Northfield, Ohio, as part of its Hard Rock Rocksino. Staff writers Nicholas Huba and Erin Serpico discuss plans for to build a gas station near the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, new LED lights in the city and the Greater Atlantic City Chamber's recent event on the casino industry. During the second portion of the show, we talk to Mark Giannantonio, president and CEO of Resorts Casino Hotel, and Joe Kelly, president of the chamber, about what the future holds for the city. A new episode of The Atlantic City Story podcast is available every Saturday morning. This podcast and previous episodes are also available on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher. It is obvious that Atlantic City will be impacted by climate change. In fact, we know it is already happening, and its likely to get worse before it gets better. Thats why, at our Nov. 15 meeting, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the goal of 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. That resolution reminds us that the solution can and must start right here with Atlantic Citys leaders. But we also know that the climate crisis is a global challenge, and that climate change will, first and foremost, have adverse impacts on low-income communities and communities of color. Right now, Atlantic City has an opportunity to rebuild itself. Investors, builders and state political leaders have their eyes on us yet again. We want to see that future is built on a clean energy foundation that will provide good jobs and help build a regional clean energy hub. But a clean energy plan has to be truly clean. Unfortunately, many of the folks who tout renewable power actually include dirty energy in their proposals. That includes trash incinerators, energy from giant factory farms and even burning wood. And it goes deeper than that; there are cap-and-trade plans that give polluters credits to continue generating dirty energy, which can be bought and sold like a commodity. The end result is often just giving a polluting company the green light to keep dirty energy projects in place in low-income communities. A recent report from the national NAACP, Fumes Across the Fence Lines, documented how oil and gas companies have built facilities in African-American communities, delivering asthma, air pollution and other public health problems. What this all adds up to is that continuing to rely on fossil fuels will continue to adversely impact low-income communities and communities of color the very people already on the front lines of the climate crisis. We dont want to be complicit in the destruction of communities, cities and coastlines. Thats why we are taking action. By committing ourselves to a robust 100 percent clean energy vision, we are saying that Atlantic City can be the crown jewel in New Jerseys clean energy plan. To realize this bold vision, we must restore democracy back to Atlantic City. The state takeover that robbed us of local decision-making powers must be, like the Christie administration, relegated to the past. Climate action and clean energy jobs are keys to the citys future. Can Atlantic City be a model for the nation? Absolutely. We can show the whole country that meaningful community input and analysis is key in the transition to 100 percent renewable energy. We will start by educating ourselves and the community about the realities of climate change, and what we can do create a cleaner, more resilient energy system. On Dec. 9 we will have a Climate Change and Energy Town Hall at the All Wars Memorial Building, starting at 9:30 a.m. This will be a great opportunity for the residents of Atlantic City to come together and learn about how the city is uniquely threatened by climate change. But we also have enormous opportunities, especially when it comes to wind and solar power. The transition to 100 percent clean renewable energy is already happening all over the world from Costa Rica to Chile to California. Atlantic City is ready to lead the way in New Jersey. Councilman Kaleem Shabazz represents the 3rd Ward on the Atlantic City Council. By PTI: Guwahati, Dec 9 (PTI) The turbidity level in the Bramhaputra river at three places in Assam is much beyond the permissible limit for use as potable water, a state water resources department release said today. The Brahmaputra -- Assams lifeline -- has turned muddy and its water has changed colour for over a week now in the non-monsoon season causing concern among people and authorities in the state. advertisement People living along the rivers banks have said that they were not being able to drink the water as it had become muddy. There were media reports about the turbidity level of the Brahmaputra. The department had collected water samples from Mainjanghat and Bogibeelghat in Dibrugarh district, and Jahajghat in Sonitpur district, and got them tested in different laboratories, the release said. The turbidity was found to be 296 NTU, 404 NTU and 162 NTU in Mainjanghat, Bogibeelghat and Jahajghat respectively as against the Bureau of Indian Standards permissible level of 5 NTU, it said. "From the reports received so far, it is observed that the turbidity level of water is found to be much beyond the permissible limit for using as potable water," the release said. Assam Water Resources Minister Kesab Mahanta is closely monitoring the situation and has urged Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari for a detailed report on the actual cause of the "unusual development" in the river and share the quality test data of the Central Water Commission (CWV), the release said. On the directions of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the state government has sent samples taken from the Brahmaputra for testing to the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad and IIT-Guwahati, a release from the Chief Ministers Office (CMO) said. Director General of Fire Services A P Rawat has sent the samples taken from 15 locations to the institutes to zero-in on the causes behind the rivers water changing its colour, it said. The report would be submitted to the state government for remedial steps, the release said, adding the Centres attention has been drawn to the situation. The issue was discussed in a meeting chaired by Sonowal here on December 4, following which the department took the matter up with the union water resources ministry for a detailed report from the CWV on the causes behind the "unusual phenomenon", the water resources department release said. advertisement The release said that another request was sent to the union water resources secretary to share all hydro- meteorological data of the river in Tibet as obtained from China from time to time. Mahanta has requested the union water resources minister to apprise the state of the causes behind the development in the Brahmaputra and urged his ministry to protect the river in the interest of the state. Directing that constant watch be kept on the quality of water, Mahanta has instructed executive engineers of Guwahati East and West, Dhemaji, Dhakuakhana, Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Mangaldoi, Nalbari, Barpeta, Goalpara, Palasbari, Nagaon, Morigaon, Sibsagar, Neamatighat, Jorhat and other places to collect samples from the Brahmaputra twice a week and get them tested. State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had claimed that the construction of a dam or some accident in China had caused the Brahmaputras water in Assam to have the "abnormal deviations", turning it muddy and contaminating it with cement particles. "We have tested a few samples in Tezpur (at the district level laboratory of Public Health and Engineering Department). The report showed that the the water contained a lot of mineral properties," Sarma had told reporters. advertisement Brahmaputra originates in Tibet where it is called Yarlung Tsangpo and is known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh before it enters Assam and flows southwards to the sea through Bangladesh. In 2016, China had declared that it would be building a dam on a tributary of the river, sparking concerns of its potential downstream impact in India. There have also been reports of the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh turning muddy along with its water level receding rapidly. PTI ESB COR KK ANB --- ENDS --- Despite a forecast that includes as much as 4 inches of snow, the Ventnor Holiday Parade will step off as planned. There was some consideration to cancel the parade Friday afternoon, but the Board of Commissioners made the call that the parade would go on as planned. "Snow is not a problem," co-organizer Shelley D'Orazio said Thursday afternoon at the Ventnor Middle School Multicultural Fair, where she was coordinating some of the culturally-themed parade entries. "We've held the parade in snow before," co-organizer Albert Battaglia said. D'Orazio said that this year, the twilight parade will truly be a "holiday" parade with its theme, "It's a small world." "We will have all cultures represented," she said. Commissioner of Public Works Lance Landgraf said the city is excited about the parade, especially because of the snow. "Public Works is ready, and will be taking extra precautions to make sure the streets are salted and clear," he said Friday morning in a phone interview. No parking signs have already been posted along the Ventnor Avenue parade route and on New Haven Avenue where the block party will be held after the parade, he said. "There will be no cars on the street, so that will make it easier for the plows," he said. He cautioned spectators to use common sense and take extra time to get to the parade and be careful walking on sidewalks, which can be slippery, he said. "The city is ready for it. We think it will be a really awesome event, especially with the snow. It can be a really good time for everyone to have a white Christmas parade," he said. Ventnor Holiday Craft Show and Sale set for Dec. 15-16 VENTNOR The Cultural Arts Center will hold its annual Holiday Craft Show and Sale Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15-16, in the atrium of the Ventnor branch of the Atlantic County Library, 6500 Atlantic Ave. Press of Atlantic City meteorologist Joe Martucci said the heaviest part of the wet snowfall should end by 5 p.m., but snow showers will continue through the evening. "In general, 2-4 inches is expected for much of Cape May County, as well as the Atlantic County shore towns. The rest of our area is expected to see 4 inches to as much as 8 inches of snow," he said in his morning forecast. Coastal flooding will not be an issue with this storm, he said. Neither will high winds or freezing rain. The parade will be held on Ventnor Avenue from Derby to New Haven Avenue. A block party will be held at the end of the parade route from 6-8 p.m. featuring inflatables, games, concessions, carriage rides, a stilt walker and Santa Claus. NJ Assemblyman and Senator-elect Chris Brown is grand marshal. In past years, Santa Claus arrived on a Ventnor City Beach Patrol surf boat. SHANGHAI, Dec. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nowadays, China's financial technical standards have become an important impetus for the upgrading of the payments industry abroad. The payment switch networks in Serbia, Belarus and Tajikistan are being built or upgraded as per the UnionPay standards. More than ten countries including Albania, Bulgaria and Tanzania have expressed their wish to have UnionPay help them build up payment switch network. "The smooth payment and settlement serve as an essential precondition and fundamental guarantee for unblocked trades and monetary circulation worldwide," said Shi Wenchao, President of China UnionPay. UnionPay is supporting the realization of international payments interconnection through expanding its card acceptance and card issuance, promoting innovative products and services, and carrying out cooperation in payments network and payments standards, to serve the personnel exchange between China and the rest of the world. For instance, over 50 countries and regions along the Belt and Road now accept UnionPay cards, and have issued more than 25 million UnionPay cards, which is 15 times of that before China's proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative. UnionPay cards are accepted at over 4 million merchants and 400,000 ATMs in the region, tripled and doubled respectively compared with that before China's proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative. Some of these countries and regions have realized or will soon realize the barrier-free acceptance of UnionPay cards. The interconnection of payments network in the region is accelerating. Over the past few years, UnionPay upgraded business cooperation to technical standards collaboration through participation in the construction of payment infrastructure in markets outside mainland China and chip card standards licensing. For instance, the bankcard switch systems in Thailand and Laos were built based on the UnionPay standards. In July, UnionPay reached a consensus with the Bank of Tajikistan and will participate in the construction of the local bankcard switch network. In the same month, UnionPay agreed to upgrade the Belarus payments system together with Belkart. Last month, Shi Wenchao signed an agreement with President of Central Bank of Serbia, agreeing to promote the full acceptance and local issuance of UnionPay cards in the country, and to carry out chip standards licensing and collaborate in payments innovation. Shi Wenchao said, "The technology, standards, systems and rules independently developed by UnionPay have been widely recognized by the global payments industry. UnionPay is willing to share our experience to support other countries to upgrade their payments networks, enhancing their financial service capacity, and providing substantial value to our partner institutions, while accelerating the localization of the UnionPay business." In addition, many markets wish to adopt UnionPay chip card standards. UnionPay chip card standards have been chosen as the officially recommended standards of the payments industry in Thailand and Myanmar, and are also the uniform cross-border chip card standards for Asian Payment Network. Through chip standards licensing, BancNet, the switch network in the Philippines, and Rintis, the ATM switch network in Indonesia, will issue chip cards with UnionPay standards in large scale. The roll-out of UnionPay innovative products becomes a new highlight. UnionPay is making breakthroughs in card acceptance and issuance in markets outside China. UnionPay is fully accepted in the UAE, as well as at almost all POS terminals and over 70% of ATMs in Pakistan. The UnionPay acceptance coverage in Kazakhstan will reach 95% within this year. UnionPay will also be accepted in Montenegro and Albania. While its acceptance scope keeps expanding, the UnionPay card is favored by more and more customers outside China. In Laos, Mongolia and Myanmar, UnionPay is the No.1 bankcard brand in terms of card issuance. In Pakistan, UnionPay is the No. 2 international card brand in terms of card issuance. UnionPay cards are issued in all the 10 ASEAN countries too. UnionPay innovative payments services are being launched in more and more countries, supporting the realization of financial inclusion in these countries. In Russia, UnionPay mobile QuickPass is accepted at the POS terminals of more than 200,000 merchants. In Thailand, UnionPay QR Code standards will be the recommended standards of the Central Bank of Thailand. Within this year, Singapore customers will be able to use UnionPay QR Code payment locally and abroad. SOURCE UnionPay International If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Dharampur (Gujarat), Dec 4 : Continuing his scathing attacks on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday termed the party as "an empire" that can only be ruled by one single family. He also said that the Congress "disliked Gujarat and hated it" and so the people of Gujarat should "punish" the Congress. Modi, on the second day of his two-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat, addressing a massive crowd at Malanpada in Dharampur, a Congress bastion, said: "The Congress dynasty which has reigned in Uttar Pradesh since five decades, have we ever maligned them, insulted them? Insulted other states? But not a single day passes when every Congress leader curses Gujarat. What is our fault? They cursed Sardar Patel. What was his fault? That he worked for the good of the country?" Continuing in the same vein, Modi said, "Indira Gandhi had our Morarji Desai jailed for months. Why such animosity for Gujarat? Gujarat should teach them a lesson that they stop insulting Gujarat. Gujarat has never been on anybody's mercy." Speaking about the election for Congress president, the Prime Minister said, "Congress has now abandoned all shame. Such persons (Rahul) who have been charged by the court, who is on bail, such persons whom we would not entrust the president post of a district, is now being given the president's post in the party. What kind of culture prevails in Congress?" Citing a statement by senior Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar, who said "Did election exist when Aurangzeb came in place of Shah Jahan?", Modi taunted: "This is an empire where only the dynastic heir rules. Whereas for me, the people are my high command. We ask votes on the basis of development. You check out all the previous elections of 2002, 2007, 2012, where the Congress has only tried to paint a non secular picture of BJP." Referring to the temple visits of the Gandhi scion in Gujarat, Modi said: "Look at the strength of the land of Sardar and Mahatma Gandhi, that after 70 years they have started visiting places. But people won't be fooled by that. There is a conspiracy to insult Gujarat and Gujarat won't tolerate." Mentioning the recently held local body elections in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said: "The people of UP have now recognized the Congress and have wiped out them out, who ruled the state through five dynasties. Now the Congress has accepted that they cannot harm Modi in 2019 and now they don't have anywhere to go. So their target is to malign Gujarat. The Congress has always made people fight against people, tribal against tribal, educated against uneducated, communities and so on. But the people of Gujarat have rejected such a disruptive party." And in his interactive style of asking question to the audience, Modi asked, "Have you ever read in newspapers that Modi took away so much money for himself? For his brother, for his relatives? Whereas what was on the other side - scams of loot in coal deal, helicopter deal, why? Since Modi is in Delhi, he has stopped all such loot. Instead now people ask what did Modi bring in." On demonetization, Modi said, "Congress is angry with me for demonetization. Tell me are you angry with me for demonetization?" But without waiting for an answer from the crowd as he normally does, he continued, "The Congressman are worried that their scam money, corrupt money has gone. They are angry that Modi looted us. But remember all the looters of the country, Modi will extract every penny out from you and use it for the common man of the country. The money belongs to the country." Alleging the Congress of not doing anything for the Other Backward Castes (OBC), the Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), Modi said: "All the previous governments did not do anything for these communities. As soon as our government was formed, we granted constitutional status to the OBC commission. Congress had halted that bill in the Rajya Sabha. I don't have to go and learn what backward living is." Urging the gathered crowd to vote for BJP, Modi said, "I can see the target of achieving 150 seats for the BJP being fulfilled right in front of my eyes here. You will be deciding the fate of Gujarat on the 9th and you will have to punish the people who have disliked Gujarat." The constable Sanant Kumar opened fire after getting into a scuffle with jawans from 168 Battalion in Basaguda. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: In a major setback to CRPF in Naxal-hit Bijapur district in Chattisgarh, a constable turned his own service weapon - an AK-47 - at his colleagues. The constable Sanant Kumar opened fire after getting into a scuffle with jawans from 168 Battalion in Basaguda. The incident took place around 5.15pm. As the jawan sprayed bullets on five CRPF, four succumbed to fatal gunshot wounds while one personnel sustained critical bullet injury. At least two of the fatally injured were Sub Inspector (SI) rank personnel. advertisement CRPF evacuated the injured soldier by MI-17 helicopter to Raipur. CRPF top official said Sanant Kumar was overpowered and finally handed over to Chhattisgarh police. A high level enquiry has been ordered even as senior officials rushed to the remote Naxal-hit location. While Immediate reason for the fratricide was not known. Senior officer told India today "we are trying to ascertain the reason for the tragic incident." The constable was deployed in Allahabad till his transfer to Basaguda in April. Watch video | India Today Exclusive: I miss Kashmir badly, says CRPF braveheart Chetan Cheetah --- ENDS --- New Delhi, Dec 7 : It didn't take long for fake notes of 2,000 rupees to start circulating after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation in November 2016, with one of its stated aims being to kill counterfeit currency, official data show. According to the National Crime Records Bureau's (NCRB) latest report released on November 30, a total of 2,272 fake notes of Rs 2,000 denomination were seized in 2016. Since the Rs 2,000 note -- along with the new Rs 500 currency -- was introduced only after November 8, 2016, it means that those counterfeiting the notes got into the act very quickly. In just 53 days between November 8 and December 31 last year, police and other government agencies seized 2,272 fake Rs 2,000 notes -- at a time when people across the country were struggling to get hold of the new currency. The maximum number of these Rs 2,000 fake notes were seized in Gujarat (1,300), followed by Punjab (548), Karnataka (254), Telangana (114), Maharashtra (27), Madhya Pradesh (8), Rajasthan (6) and Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Haryana (3 each). Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala accounted for two fake notes each. One such note was seized in Manipur as well as in Odisha. The Rs 2,000 notes were part of the 281,839 fake notes of various denominations recovered from different locations across India. When Modi announced the note ban, he said it was being done to end black money, counter terror financing and do away with counterfeit currency. Among other fakes, 82,494 notes of Rs 1,000 and 132,227 of Rs 500 denomination were also seized last year along with 59,713 notes of Rs 100 and 2,137 notes of Rs 50, said the annual publication of NCRB released by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. In a number of raids across the country, police forces, the Income Tax department and other government agencies also recovered 184 fake notes of Rs 20, at least 615 notes and coins of Rs 10 and 2,001 notes of Rs 5. Also seized were 196 fake coins of Rupee 1 denomination -- between January to December 31 last year. According to the data, the face value of the total fake notes found in 2016 is Rs 101,222,821. In terms of value of maximum fake notes, Delhi (Rs 56,521,460) topped the list. The national capital was followed by Gujarat (Rs 23,724,050), West Bengal (Rs 23,295,800), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 9,280,000), Karnataka (Rs 8,009,136), Telangana (Rs 7,600,905), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 5,013,700), Maharashtra (Rs 4,799,700), Punjab (Rs 4,239,750), Bihar (Rs 3,736,800), Tamil Nadu (Rs 3,342,540), Kerala (Rs 2,057,200), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 1,626,890), Chandigarh (Rs 1,499,000), Rajasthan (1,035,100), Assam (Rs 800,050), Jharkhand (Rs 706,000) and Uttarakhand (Rs 666,400). At 114,751, Delhi also topped the chart in terms of maximum seizure of fake notes, followed by Gujarat (39,725), West Bengal (32,869), Andhra Pradesh (14,541), Karnataka (14,228) and Telangana (12,667). Among all the states and union territories, Goa accounted for just 21 fake notes having a face value of Rs 17,000. No fake note was recovered from Chhattisgarh, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu as well as Lakshadweep, the NCRB data says. The data said a total of 1,172 FIRs were registered and 1,107 people arrested for their involvement in the illegal trade. (Rajnish Singh can be contacted at rajnish.s@ians.in) Washington, Dec 8 : Another US Congressman has announced his resignation after being put under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for suggesting surrogacy to two of his female staffers. "I do want to take full and personal responsibility for the ways I have broached a topic that, unbeknownst to me until very recently, made certain individuals uncomfortable," Republican Trent Franks, one of the House's most ardent social conservatives, said in a statement on Thursday. "I want to first make one thing completely clear. I have absolutely never physically intimidated, coerced, or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff." Franks made this clarification "given the nature of numerous allegations and reports across America in recent weeks", reports Efe news. Representative for Arizona since 2003, Franks admitted in his statement that he and his wife "long struggled with infertility" and experienced three miscarriages; hence they have already resorted to surrogacy to conceive their two children, who are twins and were born in 2008. After that, they "continued to have a desire to have at least one additional sibling" and due to his familiarity and experience with the process of surrogacy, he "clearly became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others". Before the announcement of his resignation, which will take effect on January 31, 2018, the House Committee on Ethics had announced the launch of a probe against him for having been "engaged in conduct that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment". Also on Thursday, Democratic Senator Al Franken, accused of kissing and touching at least eight women without their consent, also announced his resignation. Earlier this week, another Democratic congressman, John Conyers, announced that he will not run for re-election in the 2018 election after more than 50 years in the Legislature due to another series of allegations of sexual abuse. With the resignations of Franks, Franken and Conyers, the wave of allegations of sexual abuse, which surfaced months ago in the US with the "Me Too" movement, has its first effects in Congress after having convulsed Hollywood. Washington, Dec 8 : The US has warned the Palestinians against cancelling talks with Vice President Mike Pence after Washington recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub earlier said Pence "would not be welcomed" during his upcoming visit to the region. He will also travel to Egypt and Israel in the second half of December, a visit that has taken on extra significance after Trump's announcement, the BBC reported. A White House official responded by saying Pence "still intends to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas along with other leaders and thinks any decision to pull out of the meeting would be counterproductive". Abbas did not personally comment on the issue. The US President's move on Jerusalem reversed decades of US policy and triggered massive protests in Palestinian territories. More demonstrations were expected in the region on Friday with Israel deploying hundreds of extra troops in the West Bank. The Hamas movement declared Friday a "day of rage". Kolkata, Dec 8 : Protesting against the brutal killing of a migrant labourer from West Bengal in Rajasthan, the youth wing of state's ruling Trinamool Congress on Friday took out a candlelight vigil in the city and accused the BJP regime in Rajasthan of total lapse in law and order situation in their state. Hundreds of party activists, led by Trinamool MP and party's youth wing chief Abhishek Banerjee, senior party leaders Firhad Hakim and Baiswanar Chatterjee among others, walked from Hazra crossing in south Kolkata to the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Esplanade. Terming the incident of killing as "heartless and unfortunate", Banerjee said such incident proves there is no law and order in Rajasthan. "The incident that happened yesterday is extremely painful, heartless and unfortunate. I doubt if the people of the country has seen something as horrific and brutal as this ever before. "This proves that there is no law and order in Rajasthan. The BJP run state government in Rajasthan and the Narendra Modi led central government cannot shy away from taking responsibility of the incident," he added. Banerjee, also the nephew of state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee further said "it is surprising that such killings are occurring in specifically in the BJP-ruled states while no such incident has been reported in Bengal during the Trinamool Congress regime in the last six years." He also demeaned the strictest possible punishment of the offenders involved in the incident. Other Trinamool leaders present in the rally said that the entire nation should protest against such brutality. "This is a brutal inhuman incident. Protest against such incident should happen across the country," state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said. Earlier in the day, a group of activists of Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist held a protest demonstration in front of Rajasthan Bhawan in south Kolkata. Protesting the incident, a section of students from Kolkata's Jadavpur University planned a march towards the RSS office here. However they were stopped midway by police. In a horrifying video gone viral on Thursday, a man, later identified as Afrajul from West Bengal's Malda district, was seen being brutally hacked to death and set on fire in Rajasamand district of Rajasthan, for allegedly committing "love jihad". Police arrested the accused, Shambunath Raigar, on Thursday. Gaza, Dec 9 : Israeli war jets began to strike the Gaza Strip on Friday night in response to earlier rockets attacks from Gaza into Israel, the media reported. Security sources and eyewitnesses said the Israeli war jets struck with two missiles a military post that belongs to Hamas militants in northern Gaza, adding that several people were injured, Xinhua news agency reported. Earlier on Friday evening, Israel fired two shells at a Hamas military site east of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza, according to the sources. The Israeli shelling was a response to six makeshift rockets fired from the coastal enclave into southern Israel. The Palestinian security sources said no injuries were reported on both sides. Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of Gaza health ministry, told reporters that during a day of tension in the Gaza Strip, one was killed and 155 others injured, three of them in critical condition. Another 65 were hit by tear gas and rubber bullets, he added. Tension between Israel and Palestine mounted Friday after US President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. United Nations, Dec 9 : Members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have criticised Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned that it would raise tensions in the area even as Washington stood alone steadfastly defending its decision. The political conflict over Jerusalem could turn into an unrelenting religious conflict, France's Permanent Representative Francois Delattre told an emergency meeting on Friday. Citing several Council resolutions, he said that any unilateral changes to the city's status would be null and void. The international community would only recognise modifications of the 1967 borders accepted by both sides, he said in a statement that reflected the broad convergence of views of both US allies and others in the Council. One of the Council resolutions adopted in 1980 specifically asks member countries not to put their diplomatic missions in the "Holy City" considered sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims. In contrast to the UN, where even Washington's allies crticised President Donald Trump's decision announced on Wednesday, there was a broad consensus in the US reflected in a law passed by Congress in 1995 move the embassy to Jerusalem. About 1,000 Palestine supporters protested in New York's Times Square on Friday evening. Separated by police barriers across the avenue, a smaller group held a counter demonstration supporting Trump. US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to a peace process and to a two-state solution. "The US has not taken a position on boundaries or borders... The specific dimensions of sovereignty over Jerusalem are still to be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations." Haley said that it was "simple common sense" to move Washington's embassy to Jerusalem because "in virtually every country in the world, US embassies are located in the host country's capital city". British Permanent Representative Matthew Ryrcroft said that Jerusalem should be the joint capital of Israeli and Palestinian states and the US decision was unhelpful. He said that the expansion of Israeli settlements, particularly in East Jerusalem, terrorism and incitement to violence were barriers to a lasting solution to the conflict there. China's Deputy Permanent Representative Wu Haitao said that any unilateral actions on Jerusalem's status could trigger new confrontations. Earlier while briefing the Council, UN's Middle East Peace Process Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov noted that Trump had said final status issues, including the boundaries, remains to be determined. "It is up to all of us in the international community, as much as it is up to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, to urgently advance a just and lasting resolution to this conflict," he said, warning of the risks of "being engulfed in the vortex of religious radicalism". (Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in) Mumbai, Dec 9 : That brilliant writer of "Delhi Belly" is at it again. The language of Akshat Verma's directorial debut "Kaalakaandi" has stunned, shocked and embarrassed many. Former chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Pahlaj Nihalani had said: "The 'gaalis' (abusive words) that you will hear in this film are what you've never heard in your life." Verma feels "Thankfully 'Kaalakaandi' has been rescued from being butchered by the censor board". "The CBFC had asked for more than 70 cuts, and that was mostly the language that Pahlajji told you about. But that's how people speak in the milieu that I have gone to. You can't gag the characters because their style of talking doesn't suit you." So was Verma trying to live up to the reputation of the colourful quirky colloquial talk that he had cultivated when he wrote "Delhi Belly" by putting more of the same in his directorial debut? He said: "It's not as if I consciously got down to doing a film that would have as many 'gaalis' as 'Delhi Belly'. When I wrote 'Delhi Belly', the characters spoke to me and thence to the audience in a certain way. Now in 'Kaalakaandi' they speak a language that we may not accept as normal. But it is perfectly normal to the milieu and context of the film." Luckily, for Verma the verbal imbalance recommended by the CBFC was restored by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT). "They restored all the cuts, and by doing so they restored my faith in the democratic process. They just asked for three nominal verbal cuts which we made happily. The tribunal understood the desperate essence of the theme," says the writer-turned director. "Kaalakaandi" is a dark comedy about a man who gets to know he has very little time to live. "It's not easy to laugh about death in our films. Would such a character be bothered with niceties pleasantries...? Desperate situations bring out the real you, I feel," said Verma. On choosing Saif Ali Khan, whose last few films like "Chef" bombed at the box office, as the leading man of "Kaalakaandi", Verma said: "I am so glad we chose Saif for the film. He is extremely effective at bringing out the confusions and the inner chaos of the character." "In real life also, Saif doesn't hesitate in expressing his inner doubts. We are a humanity stricken by uncertainties. I think it's nice to have these misgivings expressed on screen rather than to have heroes who speak in measured rhetorical tones. "Flaws are what make our heroes interesting. And since Saif plays a very flawed character, I feel his character is very interesting," he said. For a while, it was touch-and-go for "Kaalakaandi" when the producers contemplated releasing the film on the digital platform. Luckily for Verma, Saif and all the actors and technicians, the film now gets a big screen release in January next year. "You work hard on a film, and on every detail, its sound design, the music mix, the colour correctionAAfter that you cannot have your work placed on a platform that shrinks its qualities. "I am just happy that we are going to be seen on the big screen. Not to undermine the digital platform which works just fine in today's day and age," he said. Port Blair, Dec 9 : Enormous storehouses with wooden planks and logs piled up to the roof on one side and a massive single-room workshop with century-old machines on the other -- that's Andaman and Nicobar archipelago's Chatham Saw Mill, the oldest and also one of the biggest in Asia. Three kilometres north of capital Port Blair, the mill, occupying an entire island, was also named after it. The massive wooden front gate at the entrance right at the end of a 100-metre bridge, proudly announces Chatham's contribution to the history of the island. The mill, established way back in 1883, during British colonial rule, was primarily used to meet the requirement of timber for construction works in the island. The British also used the saw mill to convert huge quantities of timber for catering to the needs back in their own country. Chatham, a primary handler of the island's premium timber -- the Andaman Padauk -- has many jewels in its crown. It is said that the beautiful crimson walls of the Buckingham Palace in London are made of the Padauk wood seasoned in this very saw mill. Upon entering the mill complex, a smart museum built in 2006 by the Department of Environment and Forests catches the eye. It exhibits historically important photographs of the mill as well as the diverse natural beauty of the islands. It also contains different furniture as well as artefacts made out of the timber sawn in the mill and explains several different cross-sections of the red, white and golden Padauk wood. "Individual buyers are no longer allowed to take out wooden logs from the Andamans in order to stop deforestation. The wood is mostly used for local purposes. But here outsiders and tourists can get the feel of furniture made of Padauk. They are incredibly sturdy and never catch any kind of insects," a guide explained. The mill, originally capable of sawing 20,000 cubic metres of wooden logs annually, also handles exquisite timber like marble wood, satinwood and black chulgam -- among the 144 types of trees that are found in the Andamans. However, the mill is currently consuming around 12,000-13000 cubic metres of logs on a yearly basis, while the sawed timber from Chatham is mostly sold to the locals at a price fixed by the Andaman administration. Right outside the main workshop in Chatham stands a massive storeroom with old metal tracks to carry the logs and wooden planks. The iconic godown has been there since the inception of the mill and is said to have been built by 200 Indian freedom fighters who were exiled to the islands by the then British government. The glorious saw mill, however, went through a trying time when a large part of it was destroyed by Japanese air force bombs during World War II. After the war, the mill was revived by salvaging the old machinery to meet the islanders' continued need of sawn timber. (Milinda Ghosh Roy visited the Andaman & Nicobar Islands at the invitation of the Press Information Bureau. He can be contacted at milinda.r@ians.in) New Delhi : The 25th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition has rekindled debate: Why was it demolished, historical wrongs, Mandal Commission inviting a Mandir backlash, Hindu yearning for a Ram temple and so on. But the clinching evidence judges of the Supreme Court, steeped in the case, might find interesting is a video recording of celebrations at ground zero, the site of the demolition soon after the traumatic event. The first scene opens with a number of girls in a circle, clapping in unison and singing a song with the following refrain: "Ab yeh jhanda lehraayega saarey Pakistan pe" (Now this flag will flutter over Pakistan) The next scene shows a group of young men, delirious with excitement, wearing bandanas around their heads, carrying lances. They lunge towards the camera, shouting: "Bomb girega Pakistan pe Bomb girega Pakistan pe" (Bombs will fall on Pakistan) Third scene consists of a handsome Swami with wavy hair. In his booming voice he spells out: "Abhi hamein Lahore jana hai, Rawalpindi jana hai..." The final scene has the late Bal Thackeray predictably announcing in very matter of fact tones, from his Mumbai residence: "We are going to build the Ram Temple, and if the Muslims don't like it, they can go to Pakistan." There was no mention of Ram or a temple, only a frenetic triumphalism over Pakistan. In the context of the demolition of a mosque which carried the name of the first Moghul Emperor, the celebrations appeared to settle multiple scores against a long chain of Muslim "marauders" and Muslims who mushroomed under their auspices and who eventually walked away with an independent country. Worse, they left behind almost as many of their co-religionists in this country. No one ever disputed the primacy of Ram in the Hindu belief system, but the demolition of the mosque was an instance of faith being placed in the service of politics. L.K. Advani's 1990 Rath Yatra was designed to neutralise caste divisions aggravated by the Mandal Commission. Its purpose was to compact the Hindu caste pyramid teetering because of excessive exposure to identity politics. The mosque and, by extension, the Muslim, was to be the foil in this primary enterprise. This was the cement that would be filled into the crevices to stabilise the pyramid. In this masonry for compacting Hindu society, heavy collateral damage would have to be borne by the Muslim. This collateral damage, in other words, was to be no meager side show. The scaling down of a thousand years of civilisation associated with the "invaders" would be cathartic, even exhilarating for the majority. By that very token, it would be degrading for the largest minority ever in history. Pakistan had become a part of the country's internal politics even before the 1965 war when Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri upturned Nehruvian secularism by seeking RSS volunteers for Civil Defence Duty. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister after Shastri, felt the heat when she lost the 1967 elections in eight states. Even during electoral adversity in the north, Indira Gandhi felt reasonably secure so long as her charisma lasted in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. When these states were lost in 1982, she realised that the Congress rule could not be secured in the north without recourse to a shade of saffron. This shade she brought into play during the 1983 Jammu elections, harnessing Hindu sentiment against the Khalistan movement next door. The 404 seats in a House of 533 that Rajiv Gandhi won in 1984, after Indira Gandhi's murder, were interpreted by the Congress as Hindu consolidation against minority communalism. From the Sikh minority to the Muslim minority was an easy conceptual leap. It was a moment of reckoning for the BJP, smarting with only two seats in 1984. It could not allow the Congress to steal the Hindu platform. Congress too would not give up the advantage. In 1986 it arranged for the locks of the Ram temple to be opened, having earlier pleased the obscurantist Muslims by upturning the Shah Bano judgement which provided maintenance to a divorced woman. Then Rajiv Gandhi began the 1989 election from Ayodhya with a promise that he would usher in Ram Rajya. He allowed bricks to be laid for the temple's foundation, exactly where the VHP had planned to. To win this competition in Hindu radicalism, Advani's Rath Yatra provided the BJP with an occasion to raise the stakes beyond the Congress reach. While Rajiv stood on a saffron platform, he was careful not to overtly offend the Muslims. P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister reversed this ambidextrous approach. He slept while the Kar Sevaks pulled down the mosque. There was no ambiguity now. It was straightforward Hindu-Muslim polarisation. And now as the 2019 elections approach, what should the Muslims do? My mother, who died three years ago, had accompanied my wife, daughter and me to Ayodhya to see the 1989 Shilanyas (brick laying). She lived in Lucknow and we were there only for two days. This way, she thought, she would see more of us and also inform herself about the mosque in the news. After watching the grotesque drama this is what she said: "A mosque of 'fitna' (conflict) is not an auspicious place of worship. In any case, a Muslim can spread his prayer mat anywhere in the direction of Kaaba and say his namaz. A Hindu consecrates his idols in a temple." Muslims should, as an act of generosity, gift the disputed mosques in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura. "Hindu masses would be ecstatic." I chose not to argue. Maulana Kalbe Sadiq of the Personal Law Board, echoes the same sentiment. "Even if Muslims win the case in the Supreme Court, they should make a gift of the land to the Hindus." The Supreme Court can be the guarantor that communalism would not claim more monuments. Masses will be electrified and communalists on all sides will be defeated, he says. (Saeed Naqvi is a senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs.The views expressed are personal. Hecan be reached on saeednaqvi@hotmail.com) Gandhinagar, Dec 9 : Over 30 per cent ballotting was registered till afternoon in Gujarat's first phase Assembly elections, as enthusiastic voters queued up in large numbers amid rising complaints of malfunctioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The Election Commission also received complaints of EVMs being connected to Bluetooth or WiFi from Porbandar. By noon, over 32 per cent voting was registered. People were coming out in hordes at some places to exercise their constitutional right. Complaints against EVMs increased in various regions across the 89 constituencies for which polling is being carried out in the first phase. The voting percentage was 32 in Amreli, Bhavnagar-33, Kutch-29, Morbi-33, Rajkot-35, Jamnagar-32, Dwarka-27, Porbandar-28 and Gir Somnath- 30 till afternoon. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia complained that the media coverage of him voting was stopped by the SSB jawans when he went to cast his vote in Modhwada village in Porbandar district. He has raised question that when other leaders were being covered by media when casting their votes, why not him? Reshma Patel, former Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) convenor who later joined the BJP, was opposed by many PAAS supporters when she went to cast her vote in Jhanjharda village in Junagadh district. A complaint has been registered with the Election Commission of India (ECI) against BJP candidate Babubhai Bokhiria from Porbandar for sloganeering near a polling booth. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) candidate from Kutiyana constituency issued a statement that since he was busy with campaigning, if he finds the time then only will he exercise his voting right. In Kamrej constituency of Surat region, there were complaints of seven to eight EVMs malfunctioning since morning. People were seen complaining as they were not able to cast their votes despite standing in queues since morning. There were complaints of many EVMs malfunctioning in Mandvi constituency of Kutch. "Why is it that EVMs in polling booths especially dominated by Dalit communities are malfunctioning. And if they are not working those should be replaced immediately. One machine here was replaced after one and a half hours, some time later that too went bad," said Shaktisinh Gohil, who is contesting from Mandvi. "I suspect a conspiracy against the Dalit voters by the BJP, who have never supported the Dalit community. But we are confident that despite this, Congress will snatch all the six constituencies this time," Gohil added. "We are inquiring into complaints of EVMs being connected to Bluetooth or WiFi made from Porbandar," said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gujarat, B.B. Swain. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia had complained that three EVMs were seen connected to Bluetooth devices and he sent the complaint to the ECI along with screen shots backing his complaint. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Botad, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Dang and Valsad districts. Of the 89 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party holds 67 and the Congress 16. One seat each is held by the NCP and JD-U while independents hold the remaining two. Polling, which began at 8 a.m., will end at 5 p.m. Of the 2,12,31,652 voters, 1,11,05,933 are males and 1,01,25,472 females while 247 are from the third gender. The second phase polling is on December 14 and counting, along with that of Himachal Pradesh, will be held on December 18. The Election Commission said that based on the Congress leaders complaint, an inquiry had been initiated. By PTI, India Today Web Desk, Press Trust of India: Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia today complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar, claiming that some machines were found to be connecting to external devices via bluetooth. The Election Commission said that based on the Congress leaders complaint, an inquiry had been initiated. advertisement "We detected that the EVMs at three polling booths at Memanwada, a Muslim-dominated area, are connected to external devices through bluetooth. When the bluetooth of a mobile phone is turned on, a device named ECO 105 is shown as available," Modhwadia, the Congress candidate from Porbandar, said. This clearly means that the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) can be tampered with using the device via bluetooth, he alleged. "The chips fitted in the EVMs appear to be programmable using bluetooth, and this raises the possibility of tampering. The voting system should be immune to such connectivity to external devices," he said. Modhwadia said he had registered a complaint with the district election officer. The election officer visited the booth and saw the display, he added. Chief Election Officer (CEO) B B Swain said an inquiry was ordered into the matter and the collector and the observer of the Election Commission (EC) were sent to the spot. "We received a complaint regarding the connectivity of EVM through bluetooth. After discussing the matter with the Election Commission, we have sent the collector and an observer of the commission to the spot along with the senior-most engineer. An inquiry is being conducted in the presence of the complainant," Swain said. The ruling BJP, however, said the complaint made by Modhwadia shows the opposition partys "search for an excuse" as it knows that it would bite dust in the election. "Members of the Congress are saying there is a defect in the EVMs. The EC would respond to it. But we can say that the Congress is searching for an excuse even before the results are out, as it stares at a loss in the elections. They are trying to hide behind the EVMs," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said. Watch video | BJP, Congress cross swords on social media over Gujarat election --- ENDS --- Kolkata, Dec 9 : A number of West Bengal ministers and political leaders on Saturday visited the family of a Bengali labourer, brutally killed in Rajasthan two days ago, and offered their condolences. State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, Transport Minister Subhendu Adhikari, and senior Trinamool leaders Sougata Roy and Sudip Bandyopadhyay met the family in West Bengal's Malda district and handed over a compensation of Rs 2 lakh on behalf of the party. "Such brutality and violence is unprecedented in India or in Bengal. I strongly condemn such acts of terror. Our government would be beside the helpless family in every possible way," Hakim said. On Friday, Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned the killing. She also announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh and a government job for one of the victim's kin. State Congress President Adhir Chowdhury and Rajya Sabha member from Bengal Pradeep Bhattacharya also met the grieving family. "People have to travel to different places in search of work sometimes. That is normal. But why such violence would take place against people?" Bhattacharya questioned. Mohammad Afrajul was brutally hacked to death and set on fire by a local in Rajasamand district of Rajasthan in what has been described as a hate crime. The horrifying video footage of the incident was released by the murderer himself. Police arrested the accused, Shambulal Raigar, on Thursday. Washington, Dec 9 : As collection of space data increases, NASA is exploring the infusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into space communications networks to meet demand and increase efficiency. Software-defined radios like cognitive radio use AI to employ underutilised portions of the electromagnetic spectrum without human intervention. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permits a cognitive radio to use the frequency while unused by its primary user until the user becomes active again. "Modern space communications systems use complex software to support science and exploration missions. By applying AI and machine learning, satellites control these systems seamlessly, making real-time decisions without awaiting instruction," Janette C. Briones, Principal Investigator at NASA's Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland, Ohio, said in a statement on Saturday. The recent development of cognitive technologies is a new thrust in the architecture of communications systems. "We envision these technologies will make our communications networks more efficient and resilient for missions exploring the depths of space. By integrating AI and cognitive radios into our networks, we will increase the efficiency, autonomy and reliability of space communications systems," added Briones. For NASA, the space environment presents unique challenges that cognitive radio could mitigate. Space weather, electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun and other celestial bodies, fills space with noise that can interrupt certain frequencies. The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) provides engineers and researchers with tools to test cognitive radio in the space environment. The testbed houses three software-defined radios in addition to a variety of antennas and apparatus that can be configured from the ground or other spacecraft. "The testbed keeps us honest about the environment in orbit. While it can be simulated on the ground, there is an element of unpredictability to space. The testbed provides this environment, a setting that requires the resiliency of technology advancements like cognitive radio," explained Dave Chelmins, Project Manager for the SCaN Testbed and cognitive communications. In the future, a NASA cognitive radio could even learn to shut itself down temporarily to mitigate radiation damage during severe space weather events. Adaptive radio software could circumvent the harmful effects of space weather, increasing science and exploration data returns. A cognitive radio network could also suggest alternate data paths to the ground, said NASA. The cognitive radio's AI could also allocate ground station downlinks just hours in advance, as opposed to weeks, leading to more efficient scheduling. Additionally, cognitive radio may make communications network operations more efficient by decreasing the need for human intervention. An intelligent radio could adapt to new electromagnetic landscapes without human help and predict common operational settings for different environments, automating time-consuming processes previously handled by humans. Washington, Dec 9 : The annual Geminid meteor shower has arrived and it will put on a dazzling show for skywatchers when it peaks overnight on December 13-14, NASA has said. Meteor showers are named after the location of the radiant, usually a star or constellation close to where they appear in the night sky. The Geminid radiant is in the constellation Gemini. "With August's Perseids obscured by bright moonlight, the Geminids will be the best shower this year," said Bill Cooke with NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. "The thin, waning crescent Moon won't spoil the show," Cooke said. The Geminids can be seen with the naked eye under clear, dark skies over most of the world, though the best view is from the Northern Hemisphere. The shower will peak overnight on December 13-14 with rates around one per minute under good conditions, according to Cooke. Geminids can be seen on nights before and after the December 14 peak, although they will appear less frequently. The Geminids are active every December, when Earth passes through a massive trail of dusty debris shed by a weird, rocky object named 3200 Phaethon. The dust and grit burn up when they run into Earth's atmosphere in a flurry of "shooting stars." "Phaethon's nature is debated," said Cooke. "It's either a near-Earth asteroid or an extinct comet, sometimes called a rock comet." As an added bonus this year, astronomers will have a chance to study Phaethon up close in mid-December, when it passes nearest to Earth since its discovery in 1983. "Skywatching is easy. Just get away from bright lights and look up in any direction! Give your eyes time to adjust to the dark. Meteors appear all over the sky," NASA said. And if it is cloudy where you are, NASA will broadcast the Geminid shower live via Ustream starting at sunset on December 13 from the Automated Lunar and Meteor Observatory at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Panaji, Dec 9 : Nearly 200 protesters staged a dharna outside the Goa Archbishop's official residence in Panaji on Saturday, protesting against the Church's decision to relocate of the feast venue of recently anointed saint Joseph Vaz. The Church decided to relocate the venue from a sanctuary dedicated to the saint in Sancoale village, to the larger precincts of the Our Lady of Health Church, located a short distance away. The parishioners from Sancoale village located around 25 km from Panaji, have now threatened to boycott Christmas donations to the Church during the upcoming festive season. "If the Church does not want to take the parishioners into confidence over the relocation of the feast of St. Joseph Vaz on January 16, then we will boycott donations. We have no choice. The Church does not need our money, if it does not want to listen to us," Santan D'Souza, one of the protesters told reporters in Panaji. "We have faith in our saint. We will leave it to him to solve this issue, but we will not participate if the feast is shifted from his sanctuary to another place," he said. Born in Goa in the 1600s, Vaz was canonised in 2015 by Pope Francis in Sri Lanka for propagation of the Catholic religion in the island nation. His father hailed from the Sancoale village and as a young child St. Vaz studied elementary school in Sancoale and his home is now regarded as a sacred sanctuary. Goa's Roman Catholic Church, which positions itself as a religious and spiritual guide to the state's Catholics, who account for more than a quarter of the state's population however said, that the decision to organise a feast at a bigger site was necessary, because St. Vaz's stature had increased since his canonisation and more devotees were expected to attend the event. "The Archbishop explained to them that, after becoming a saint, Fr. Joseph Vaz had ceased to belong to Sancoale alone or even to Goa and India, but that he now belonged to the whole Catholic world," the Archbishop's office said in a statement issued here. "Even as a patron of the Archdiocese of Goa, which he was since the year 2000, Joseph Vaz belonged to the whole of Goa and as such, decisions about where and how to celebrate his feast did not vest with the parishioners of Sancoale but with the diocesan authorities," the statement also said. New Delhi, Dec 9 : The Congress on Saturday said that the Congress worker Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited to attack the party, does not hold any position in the party, while hitting out for Modi for for moving away from "real issues". Congress leader Rajeev Shukla told reporters that Salman Nizami doesn't hold any position in the party. "Salman Nizami that you are naming, we have not even heard the name. He holds no post in the party, we don't know who he is. Maybe they (BJP) got a name from somewhere. If we start speaking like this, we can name anyone and call the person a BJP worker. "They (BJP) have nothing more to say in Gujarat, they have no other subject. Who is Nizami, is he your (BJP) man," he asked. Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said the Prime Minister has moved away from the real issues. "Going by the Prime Minister's language and the allegations he is hurling, I can say that he is rattled. Defeat is staring at him and the BJP in the face. PM has moved away from the real issues. He is not talking of development, employment and economy. "He is desperately seeking sympathy and support of the people through these actions and theatrical statements," he said. "PM and BJP President Amit Shah have been responsible for lowering the dignity of the debate. They drag the political discourse to a new low. "PM should show some humility. He should apologise for the language and the words he has used about Mrs Gandhi (Sonia Gandhi) in the past, insulting his predecessors and Rahul Gandhi," he added. Addressing a campaign rally for the seats where polling will be held on the second and final phase on December 14, Modi said Congress worker Nizami had questioned his ancestry. Addressing a large gathering in Lunawada, he said: "Congress is asking who is my father and mother. I ask you brothers and sisters, do we talk in such language with even an enemy? A responsible Congress leader asked me that. Now I'll tell you about him. He is originally a person from Azad Kashmir. Would you give your vote to such Azad Kashmiris?" "Rahul Gandhi's party is asking me who are my parents. The people of my country are my parents. I am the son of this soil, this Lunawada." Nizami, who is a Congress worker in Jammu and Kashmir, said: "I had filed a police complaint in 2015 when my fake Twitter account was created. Five to six accounts in my name were created. I have never used such words." "How can the Prime Minister quote from a fake Twitter acccount with authenticating it. Somebody may have hacked my account, who knows," Nizami told IANS. He also expressed his sadness over the episode. "Today again a Kashmiri youth is being victimised. I have always raised my voice against terrorism. How can they call me Afzal Guru? It was a Congress government which executed Afzal Guru, and I support that party," he said. Asked why the Congress says he is not its member, Nizami said: "Few of them are saying, but I have already given my version to them. They have not asked anything. If I am proven guilty, I should be hanged. "I am very disappointed and hurt. I have always taken pro-India stand." New Delhi, Dec 9 : A man who pretended to be a government official and conned people by promising a job in a central government ministry's project has been arrested here, police said on Saturday. Deputy Commissioner of Police B.K. Singh said that the accused, Kumar Burman, 34, an engineer from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested from Central Secretariat Metro Station here on Friday. Police said the accused put out an advertisement in a local paper in Tripura about a vacancy in a Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation project in the state. Burman had worked in various companies in India and abroad but he was cheated of Rs 3 lakh by a company. Later, he decided to con people to recover the money, police said. Singh told IANS the accused was acting alone and no ministry official was involved in the scam. Earlier, a person from Tripura complained to Delhi Police that Burman took Rs 5.2 lakh from him by pretending as a section officer of the ministry. The accused was arrested when he came to meet the complainant at the Metro station. Police also recovered a fake letter which certified the complainant as an officer with the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation since November 2017. Ramallah, Dec 9 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not receive US Vice President Mike Pence during his scheduled visit to the region this month in response to US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a Palestinian official said on Saturday. "There will be no meeting with Pence, this is clear and the issue is bigger than just a meeting," Majdi al-Khalidi, Abbas's presidential adviser for diplomatic affairs, told Voice of Palestine radio. Al-Khalidi added that "the US in its decision on Jerusalem has crossed and passed all red lines". Pence is scheduled to arrive in the Palestinian territories on December 19 to meet Abbas as part of a tour of several countries in the region. The White House warned Friday against the cancellation of Pence's meeting. In response to the American warning, Al-Khalidi said that "no one threatens the Palestinian people and no one threatens the Palestinian leadership", Xinhua news agency reported. "The US won't be a sponsor for peace again, and it's not qualified to do so," Al-Khalidi said, adding "there are many measures that will be taken by the Palestinian leadership soon." Al-Khalidi revealed that the next few days will witness great political mobility, meetings and contacts and President Abbas is determined not to get rest until putting things in the right direction. The declaration of Tramp last Wednesday to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to sign a decree to transfer the US embassy to the city was met with a large Palestinian, Arab and international rejection. Moscow, Dec 9 : Three armed suspects were killed on Saturday in Russia's North Caucasus city of Stavropol for allegedly planning terrorist attacks in public places, the media reported. Law enforcement authorities launched an operation early in the morning, foiling terrorist attack attempts of a group of gunmen, Sputnik news agency reported, citing a Federal Security Service statement. Several streets were under lockdown during the operation. The North Caucasus region is a hotbed of insurgency with separatists and extremists frequently attacking governmental, military and police facilities as well as civilians. Chandigarh, Dec 9 : Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday made it clear that he would not stop the screening of the controversial film "Padmavati" in the state. He also reiterated his commitment to provide a level playing field to all media organisations in the state. In his inaugural address at the two-day national meet of journalists being organised by The Tribune Employees Union, Chandigarh in coordination with the Confederation of Newspaper and the News Agency Employees Organisation, the Chief Minister categorically rejected the threats against the makers of "Padmavati" as wrong. He said the state governments concerned should have acted against those issuing such threats. "Such people should have been locked up," he stressed. "It's a free country, with free business opportunity for all," he said, adding it was the responsibility of the producers to ensure that history "is projected in its correct perspective". "While different historical perspectives can be there, any attempt to completely falsify historical facts cannot be tolerated," he added. This, said the Chief Minister, becomes even more necessary in the current age when children acquire knowledge through the audio-visual medium rather than by reading. As far as Punjab was concerned, there would be no bar on the release of "Padmavati" as anything can be shown here as long as it does not hurt religious sentiments, he said. Referring to the restrictions imposed on the media by the previous government in Punjab, Amarinder Singh said his government did not believe in such censorship and would immediately clear the formalities for any media organisation wishing to operate in the state. "We want competition to grow so people get news as they should be getting it," he said. The Chief Minister urged the media, with which he said he had always shared a warm relationship, to play a far more proactive role in espousing the cause of the freedom of press for the overall development of society. Congratulating the Confederation of Journalists Associations for bringing a large number of journalists from across the country, he assured the journalists' unions that the state government was always open to their genuine demands. Tribune Employees Union President Anil Gupta said the aim to organize the national summit was to understand challenges and take up the issues relating to the media with the authorities concerned. "Vaapsi", a Hindi short film on terrorism directed by Bobby Bajwa, was screened at the summit. Jaipur, Dec 9 : Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on Saturday extended financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to the family of a Muslim man who was brutally murdered and burned by accused Shambhulal Raigar in Rajsamand. Rajsamand Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rajendra Prasad Agrawal presented the cheque to the victim's son-in-law Musharraf Khan on Saturday in the presence of Anjuman committee president Mohammad Firoz Khan and vice-president Rafeeq Mohammad and other residents of his locality. The cheque has been issued on the name of victim's wife, Gulbahar. Earlier, on the directions of Chief Minister, DIG O.P. Galhotra visited the location to take stock of the situation and discussed the present circumstances of the town with Rajsamand police officials. He also met the victim's family and collected details to know the chain of events. Speaking to media persons, he said the Chief Minister has taken the matter very seriously and is constantly taking feedback from police team. "She (Raje) has strictly instructed us to take sternest action in this case. The matter is being probed thoroughly and research is also being done at each and every stage to get into the depth of the complete issue. We are taking help from forensic officials as well," he added. He was quite satisfied with the working of Rajsamand police team and said he is confident that they will present the chargesheet in court within a month after finishing all investigation in the matter. "We are taking all efforts to ensure the accused gets strict punishment," Galhotra assured. Those present on the occasion included Additional Director General of Police, Crime, Pankaj Kumar Singh, Udaipur Range Inspector General (IG) Anand Shrivastav, District Collector P.C. Berwal and Rajsamand Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Kumar. By PTI: Guwahati, Dec 9 (PTI) Cyprus High Commissioner Demetrios Theophylactou today called on Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and discussed extending areas of mutual interests between his country and the state in northeastern India. The high commissioner, who is on a two-day tour to Assam, discussed sectors like tourism, solar energy, food processing and agriculture with Sonowal here. advertisement Hailing the tourism potential of Assam, particularly the states tea tourism, wild-life tourism and heritage tourism, Theophylactou assured his countrys interests in aligning for mutual interest. He apprised Sonowal of the expertise available in Cyprus in areas like tourism, solar energy, agriculture and food processing and offered to share it with Assam under the framework of bilateralism. He also informed about the various advances made by his country in harnessing solar energy, which offered to share it with Assam for the development of its resource base. Sonowal spoke about the Global Investors Summit in Guwahati which will be held in February 2018 and invited the Cyprus High Commissioner along with industry captains of his country for the event. Theophylactou assured Sonowal that he would do the needful to participate in the summit to strengthen his countries bilateral relations with Assam. PTI ESB KK KIS --- ENDS --- Gandhinagar, Dec 9 : Gujarat on Saturday held the first of its two-phase polling, registering 68 per cent voting, which is expected to cross 70 per cent -- similar to the 2012 figure. The election was peaceful, barring some incidents of skirmishes, while around 100 complaints of EVM malfunctioning were received. Till late in the evening, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gujarat office, B.B. Swain was still gathering data on the final polling figures for the first phase, that will decide the fate of 977 candidates for 89 Assembly seats in 19 districts of Saurashtra-Kutch and South Gujarat. Barring two or three incidents, the first phase went off peacefully. "We are very happy that despite apprehensions, everywhere the elections were carried out very peacefully, except a couple of incidents, but that too were outside the polling booths," said CEO, Gujarat, Swain. A clash occurred between two individuals outside a polling booth in Jaar village in Bhayavadar taluka of Rajkot district. While coming out from the polling booth with his wife, a person, Jann Mohammad Sora, had an altercation with Piyush Babubhai, both aged around 30. The two were rushed to the Upleta general hospital after receiving injuries in the clash. In Surendranagar's Sayla taluka's Chorvira vilage, a clash occurred between two groups outside the polling area. In another incident in Junagadh, a person named Mitbhai Arunbhai who was not a voter, accompanied a person, Amitbhai Thummar, inside the polling booth and started taking pictures, which was stopped by a woman constable on duty. An altercation followed. An FIR has been filed by both the persons against the constable, Vijetaben Parmar. In Amod near Jambusar, a voter told the Returning Officer (RO) that the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) was showing a different voting preference than the one for which he had voted. When the RO asked him to file a written complaint, he refused. The final hour of ballotting saw an increase of about 10 per cent voting. In Amreli, in the last hour it increased from 56.38 to 67 per cent, while in Rajkot at 4 p.m. it was 60.32 per cent which increased to 70 at close of polling at 5 p.m. Similarly, about 10 per cent increase was seen in Devbhoomi Dwarka where it was 53.54 per cent, and rose to 63. In Surat, it was 60.64 per cent at 4 p.m. and rose to 70 after an hour. The polling was carried out even after the declared time of 5 p.m. as people were still lined up in queues at polling booths, which went on till 6.30 p.m. The maximum polling was seen in Navsari and Morbi districts with 75 per cent, whereas the minimum was in Bhavnagar and Botad districts with 60 per cent. The polling percentage in 2012 Assembly polls stood at 70.7 per cent, while in 2007 it was around 60 per cent Both the BJP and Congress claimed to have an edge over the other at the end of the day. "The kind of analysis and information that we are receiving, BJP is slated for a big win. This will be a landslide victory for the party," Finance Minister and election in-charge for BJP in Gujarat Arun Jaitley said. Paresh Dhanani, candidate and sitting MLA from Congress from Amreli in Saurashtra, said, "I think the people have voted to free Gujarat from fear, hunger and the corrupt rule of BJP and help Congress win." Among the important places that went to polls on Saturday includes Surat, accounting for 16 seats. In the last polls in 2012, BJP had grabbed 15 of these. Surat witnessed several agitations in the past two years, first by the Patel community and then over the GST by textile traders. While the Congress is hoping to retain its Mandvi (ST) seat in Surat and make a dent in the BJP bastion, as Patels hold sway in constituencies as Varachha, Kapodara, Kamrej and Surat (North), the saffron party is hoping that the constituency profile of voters would help it manage and minimize the damage. The youngest legislator in Gujarat Assembly, 31-year-old Harsh Sanghvi, is contesting from Majura Assembly segment of Surat. The Bharuch district in South Gujarat, from where senior Congressman Ahmed Patel hails, also went to polls in the first phase. The electorate in the district voted to elect five representatives. Tribal strongman Chhotu Vasava of Bharatiya Tribal Party is fighting to retain this seat for the seventh time. In Saurashtra, it was a matter of prestige for Chief Minister Vijay Rupani to retain Rajkot (West) seat held by his party for last 32 years. He was challenged by the richest candidate in the fray and Congressman Indranil Rajyaguru, who had begun campaigning in the constituency for over a year-and-a-half and had challenged to contest Rupani from whichever constituency he contested. The profile of this constituency is such that Karnataka Governor and once legislator from this constituency, Vajubhai Vala, had flown down from Bengaluru to cast his vote. The fate of BJP chief Jitu Vaghani too was sealed from Bhavnagar (West) constituency. Though the caste equations in the seat favour him over his Congress rival Dilipsinh Gohil, the issue of anti-incumbency and anger of Patels could make his ride rough. Rajkot which is known for its 'siesta time' from 1 to 4 in the afternoon, registered high voting with people in large numbers queuing up in the afternoon to vote. Rajkot's Visavadar saw their voter, former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, exercise his rights coming all the way from his residence in Gandhinagar. Villagers of Limdi village in Surendranagar district have boycotted the elections over their various grievances. The second phase of the state assembly elections will be on December 14. Counting of votes will be on the December 18 along with that of Himachal Pradesh. In New Delhi, Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said that there were some complaints of Electronic Voting Machines being connected to Bluetooth, but it was found to be "totally false". He also said that it was the first time EVMs with VVPAT were used on such a large scale. New Delhi, Dec 9 : Paul Michael Levesque, better known by the ring name Triple H, defeated former champion Jinder Mahal in the marquee clash of the WWE Live event at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Saturday. In the final match of the event, Jinder and Triple H displayed their class and entertained the jam-packed stadium, which was rooting more for the Triple H. Initially it was all Jinder. The Indo-Canadian boxer thrashed Triple H all over the ring but soon, the 48-year-old US player bounced back and started troubling the 31-year-old Jinder. Triple H also displayed his signature moves. Jinder survived Triple H's finishing move once but at the end, the US player again came up with that move and sealed the match. Triple H grabbed and twisted Jinder's arms behind him and slammed him on to the mat to finish the match. After losing the match, when Jinder was walking, Triple H called him back to the ring and praised him. Triple H also said India is in good hands and despite criticism, the Indo-Canadian player has earned his respect. Mahal, on the other hand, thanked people in Punjabi and Hindi and promised that the next time WWE comes to India, he will be the champion. New Delhi, Dec 9 : Academics and social activists formed a silent human chain here on Saturday protesting the brutal murder of Muslim labourer Mohammed Afrazul, who was brutally murdered and burned by accused Shambhulal Raigar in Rajsamand in Rajasthan earlier in the week. Protesters stood holding hands outside the Central Park in Connaught Place during their demonstration, which was attended by politicians, academics, social activists and students. Although peaceful throughout, the demonstration was faced with a considerable deployment of police forces at the site. "The protest was against the brutal killing of Afrazul, which was captured on the video, in which we got to see the height of dehumanisation. That, and also number of previous such murders which give the feeling that Muslims are second or third rate citizens. No one is daring to do anything against it," Owais Sultan, one of the organisers of the protest and a member of Anhad, a "socio-cultural" organisation, told IANS over phone. Over 300 people took part in the demonstration, he said, and was attended by, among many others, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders Mohammed Salim and Hannan Mollah, women rights activist Kamla Bhasin, and academic and social activist Zoya Hasan. In a terrifying video which appeared on social media on December 7, Afrazul, hailing from Malda district of West Bengal, was shown being hacked to death and then set ablaze by one Shambunath Raigar. The accused -- who termed the cold-blooded murder an act of revenge against "Love Jihad" -- has since been arrested by Rajasthan Police. New Delhi, Dec 9 : Employees of Max Hospital here, whose licence was cancelled by the Delhi government, burned effigies of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendar Jain outside the hospital on Saturday afternoon, police said. Around 25 employees, mainly lower rung staff, protested outside the hospital in Shalimar Bagh of west Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police Aslam Khan told IANS The protestors claimed that they lost their jobs due to the government action, he said. Earlier in the day, patients who came for treatment also protested outside the hospital after the hospial denied them admission them. On Friday, the hospital's licence was cancelled with immediate effect, after it erroneously declared a new born dead last month. The hospital cannot admit new patients and can only continue treatment of patients who were currently admitted, according to the government order. The baby boy was declared dead by Max Hospital on November 30 and handed over to the parents in a plastic bag, along with his still-born sister. However, the newborn started moving while being taken for burial. The baby was later admitted in a clinic in Pitampura, but died on Wednesday. New Delhi, Dec 9 : The Congress said that the over 70 per cent voting in the first phase of Gujarat polls on Saturday has given it a hope of forming the government in the state, as a "high turnout of voters is a sign of change of power". "I thank the 2 crore, 12 lakh people of Gujarat for coming out in huge numbers to vote on Saturday. The high turnout of voters and heavy polling is a sign of changing hands of power from the incumbent government," said Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala. "After the first phase of elections, it is clear that winds of change is blowing. With the blessings of the people of Gujarat, Congress will form the government in the state," he added. Over 70 per cent voting was registered in Gujarat at close of polling at 5 p.m. in the first phase, though there were still long queues lined up to vote at most polling stations, state chief electoral officer B.B. Swain said. New Delhi, Dec 9 : The Indian Navy continued, for the tenth day on Saturday, its search and rescue operations over Southeast Arabian Sea and Lakshdweep and Minicoy islands in the aftermath of Cyclone Ockhi, an official statement said. Ten ships and all aircraft continued the search and rescue (SAR) operations. In the past 72 hours, the search area was increased up to the coast of Maldives. However, no stranded boats, fishermen or floating bodies have been found in this duration, the statement said. INS Kalpeni returned to Kochi after completing 96 hours of assisted search by six local fishermen. The ship carried out an exhaustive search in areas extending up to 150 miles northwest of Lakshwadeep islands to the coast of Kozhikode and thereafter Kochi, but did not find any distressed fishing vessels or floating bodies. It was observed that normal fishing activity has resumed in substantial strength especially between Kochi to Kozhikode. INS Kabra, INS Sagardhwani and maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8I were deployed off the coast of Allepey and south of Thiruvananthapuram, based on inputs received from Kerala administration of floating bodies in the area. INS Sujata equipped with portable mobile morgue boxes, sailed out from Kochi on Saturday, for enabling it to bring bodies if found during the search operations. Thiruvananthapuram Sub Collector Divya S. Iyer, along with four local fishermen, would be boarding the ship at sunrise on Sunday off Vizhinjam port for joining the deep sea search operations, while Indian Coast Guard Ship Abhinav, which arrived off Vizhinjam in the evening on Saturday, took 10 fishermen from Pozhiyoor for co-ordinated search. The search is expected to continue up to 72 hours. A total of 325,000 square miles have been searched and sanitised by Indian naval assets since Ockhi struck the Lakshdweep and Minicoy islands and Southeast Arabian Sea. INS Jamuna continued replenishment of fresh water supplying more than 14,000 litres at Kavaratti. Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief materials and medicines carried by INS Sharda were distributed in the Minicoy islands. Life is slowly becoming normal in the islands with the schools reopening and no further help other than the provisioning of daily fresh water at Kavaratti Island being sought by the civil administration from the Navy, the statement added. New Delhi, Dec 9 : Keeping with Indias initiative of connectivity with southeast Asia under its Act East Policy, New Delhi will host an Asean-India Connectivity Summit (AICS) on December 11-12 on the theme "Powering Digital and Physical Linkages for Asia in the 21st Century", the External Affairs Ministry said on Saturday. The event comes ahead of the visit of the leaders of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) here next month for the commemorative summit of 25 years of the India-Asean dialogue partnership. In a historic first, the 10 leaders will collectively be the chief guests at next year's Republic Day celebrations here. The Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. According to the External Affairs Ministry statement, Road Transport, Highways, and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, Communications Minister Manoj Sinha, and Ministers of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar and V.K. Singh will be attending the two-day event. From the Asean, Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam, and Cambodia's Secretary of State in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport Tauch Chankosal will be present. The participation of Vietnam and Cambodia assumes significance as talks are on to extend the proposed India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Malaysia as well. According to the External Affairs Ministry statement, "the AICS aims to accelerate existing connectivity prospects, identify issues of concern, evolve suitable policy recommendations and develop strategies to enhance economic, industrial and trade relations between Asean and India". "Its focus areas are infrastructure, roadways, shipping, digital, finance, energy and aviation," it said. Jaipur, Dec 9 : The BJP has planned it big to celebrate the fourth anniversary of its Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan on December 15, by boosting infrastructure and irrigation services. Union Road Transport, Highways and Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari is expected to visit the state to lay the foundation of road works to the tune of Rs 729 crore in Kota and ambitious Parwan water irrigation project worth Rs 6,489 crore in Baran, coming under Kota division. The latter project, which will be a boon for farmers, was stuck in limbo for many decades. Facing several controversies for displacement of tribals, the project will irrigate two lakh hectares of land in Kota, Jhalawad and Baran. A statement released by the Chief Minister's Office said: "The state has taken another step towards the development of roads. The Kota division will get road projects worth Rs 729.23 crore this month. In a programme scheduled at Baran Agricultural Production Market on December 15, the road works covering 294 km will be laid. As chief guest of the function, Nitin Gadkari may arrive there." To mark the celebrations, the foundation stone will be laid for strengthening the 20km long road at a cost of Rs 30 crore at National Highway-12, while Rs 431 crore will be spent on road restoration and construction of five high level bridges on rivers like Kali Sindh, Aahu, Ujad and Kalikhar. Apart from the infra project, Gadkari will lay foundation stone for ambitious Parwan irrigation project, said the statement. Both Brad and Heather had record breaking months. Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty, the top producing real estate firm on North Carolina's Outer Banks* would like to congratulate their Agents of the Month Award recipients for November 2017. The Agent of the Month Award, based on closed sales volume for the month, is presented to the top performing agent in each office. Heather VanderMyde, team leader for the VanderMyde Group is the Agent of the Month for the Kill Devil Hills office and the firm. Brad Beacham is the Agent of the Month for the Kitty Hawk office. "Currently, we're seeing that buyer profile is a second home buyer who's investing in the lifestyle and not driving their decision on rate of return. Buyers are looking for lifestyle and are much less concerned about rental income. I think buyers are taking money out of a strong stock market and diversifying, or finally feeling confident and secure in the economy. Whatever the reason, the market is hot and buyers are here." says Heather VanderMyde. "It was a fantastic month and I'm very thankful for all the great people that I have had the opportunity to work with!" says Brad Beacham. "Both Brad and the Heather VanderMyde Team had record breaking months, as did our firm. In the past our sales have been split evenly between listing and selling sales; however this year the buyer sales have been much stronger. Although inventory is down in our area, it is still a very good time to buy on the Outer Banks!" says Pamela Smith, Vice President. Coldwell Banker Seaside Realty is the top producing firm on the Outer Banks* with over 25 years of local knowledge and experience. Family owned and operated, the company offers real estate services across the entire Outer Banks as well as all of northeastern North Carolina. Combined with the Coldwell Banker brand, one of the largest and most influential residential real estate brokerage franchises in the world, Seaside Realty offers top-tier real estate services to buyers and sellers throughout the region. *As reported by the Outer Banks Association of REALTORS 1/01/2017 11/30/2017. The International Essential Tremor Foundation (IETF) is pleased to award a $1,000 scholarship to student Madison Young from Searcy, Ark., for the 2018 spring semester. Young is one of four students from across the nation to receive a scholarship award from the IETF. Young is the type of person that won't allow something like having essential tremor (ET) stop her from doing anything. During high school, Young was captain of her dance team, president of French Club, and a member of Beta Club, National Honor Society and a new club called Partners that works to unify special education kids with the rest of the students, all while maintaining a 4.375 GPA. Outside the classroom, Young volunteers with the Junior Auxiliary at the Sunshine School, teaches Sunday school at her church and swim lessons in the summer. Her passion for helping others radiates through her participation in church-supported mission trips. She's been on five mission teams since the age of 13, traveling to Haiti to help orphanages, Mongolia to help former victims of sex trafficking, and Honduras to help dig wells to obtain clean water for the community. Being diagnosed at the age of 14 with ET, she's learned to adapt to her daily challenges in ways to help her achieve her goals. "I know (my ET) will get worse, but I try to focus on the good things in my life. I have been truly blessed already in the things I have been able to see and do in my 18 years," Young said. "My tremor is a part of my life, but they don't define who I am or what I can become." As a at Arkansas Tech University, Young will major in pre-physical therapy with hopes of attending a physical therapy school after graduation and then to work with disabled children and adults in Africa. Essential tremor is a neurological condition that affects more than 10 million Americans. ET causes rhythmic shaking of the hands, head, and voice. ET is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease, although eight times more common. ET is characterized by action tremor, making everyday tasks such as eating, drinking, and writing difficult if not impossible. There is no cure for this life-altering condition. IETF scholarships are awarded to qualified students of all ages who have been diagnosed with ET, to lessen the burden of higher education. The scholarship can be used for supplies, books or tuition at licensed, accredited institutions of higher education (including trade schools) and are paid directly to the educational institution. For more information about the IETF scholarship program, please visit http://www.essentialtremor.org/about-the-ietf/scholarships. About The International Essential Tremor Foundation: Headquartered in Lenexa, KS, and founded in 1988, the International Essential Tremor Foundation is the leading organization in the world dedicated to those affected by essential tremor. The mission of the IETF is to fund research that will find the cause of essential tremor and lead to better treatments and a cure, increase awareness about ET, and provide educational materials, tools and support to healthcare providers, the public, and those directly affected by ET. The IETF has distributed more than $750,000 in research grants, to fund numerous promising studies, in the search for the cause of ET. The Foundation has hosted numerous community awareness events across the U.S. to provide those affected with the basic knowledge necessary to become their own advocate when seeking treatment. And, the IETF also provides assistance to a vast network of support groups around the world. To learn more about essential tremor and the IETF mission, visit the IETF website at http://www.essentialtremor.org. By PTI: By Lalit K Jha Washington, Dec 9 (PTI) The United States today advised its citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan, saying that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a threat to them throughout the country. The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. In a travel warning -? issued after a gap of seven months ?- the State Department warned the US citizens against all non-essential travel to the South Asian country. advertisement The fresh travel warning replaces earlier warning, issued on May 22. Pakistan continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, the State Department said, adding that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and non-governmental organisation (NGO) employees, tribal elders, and law enforcement personnel were common in the country. It said foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a danger to US citizens throughout Pakistan. Terrorists have targeted US diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past, and evidence suggests they continue to do so, the travel warning said, adding that terrorists and criminal groups have resorted to kidnapping for ransom. Sectarian violence, the State Department said, remains a serious threat throughout the country, and the Pakistani government continues to enforce blasphemy laws. Religious minority communities have been victims of targeted killings and accusations of blasphemy, it added. The State Department said insurgent and terrorist groups conducted numerous suicide bombings, hand grenade attacks, and ambushes on Pakistani security forces and civilians over the past six months in Balochistan. A suicide bomber in Quetta targeted senior police officers near Shuhada Chowk, killing 14 people and wounding 30. In Chaman, another suicide bomber attacked a police convoy, killing three police officials and injuring 20 others, it said while giving details of terrorist attacks in Pakistans restive Balochistan and FATA. Two hand grenade attacks in Gwadar and Mastung injured 41 people. In Quetta, a suicide bomber killed 21 people and wounded 45 in an attack on the Pishin bus terminal, the State Department said. Similarly, a suicide bomber in Jhal Magsi attacked worshippers at the Sufi shrine of Pir Rakhyal Shah in the Fatehpur area, killing 19 and injuring 30. Another suicide bomber in Quetta attacked a police convoy on the Sibbi Road in the Saryab mill area, killing seven and wounding 23, it said. In Punjab province, three suicide bombings targeting police and military officials in Lahore killed at least 47 and injured more than 100 others. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and the Federally Administered Tribal areas (FATA), there have been numerous recent attacks by insurgent and terrorist groups targeting government officials, NGO and aid workers, religious minorities, and civilians. Also 148 occurrences of small arms fire, over 67 improvised explosive devices (IED) explosions, 28 known assassination attempts, and 17 kidnappings were reported, the State Department said. advertisement Assassination and kidnapping attempts are common throughout these areas, it added. The Department said terrorist organisations operating in the area have not discriminated between government officials and civilians. Since May 2017, the following significant attacks have occurred: in Parachinar, an IED targeting the Tori Market killed 67 civilians and injured 75; in Jamrud, an IED attack targeting peace committee workers killed at least five civilians; in Charsadda, at least five IEDs exploded, injuring 14 people; IEDs targeting Peshawar Hospital injured five people; and in Peshawar the detonation of a "toy bomb" killed one child and injured six persons, it said. PTI LKJ AQS AQS --- ENDS --- Joe has encouraged many Chicago area businesses to become involved in the mission of RMU through providing internships, employment and serving on advisory boards. Joseph Wright of North Barrington has been elected as chairperson of the Robert Morris University Illinois (RMU) Board of Trustees. He has served as a board member for over 20 years. A graduate of Indiana Universitys School of Business, Wright is an entrepreneur and has initiated many successful start-up companies. As a marketer by trade, he is an expert in developing go-to market strategies, launching new products, and most recently has expanded into marketing technology and IoT. As a direct marketing professional for the last 26 years, he has been able to apply traditional solutions to leverage new marketing technologies. He looks upon each venture as an opportunity to reinvent himself and his companies with appropriate shifts that optimize both proven techniques and cutting edge technological methods. Joe Wrights relationship with Robert Morris has given the University a trusted sounding board in the creation, delivery and evolution of marketing practices. Additionally, he has encouraged many Chicago area businesses to become involved in the mission of RMU through providing internships, employment and serving on advisory boards. Giving back to the community through the support of non-profit organizations should be an important component of every business. Robert Morris provides opportunities through leadership, counsel and business expertise, Wright said. Its a perfect example of a win-win situation through social responsibility. And as a recognized leader in graduation rates and time to degree for its students, RMU emphasizes real world experiences, enabling graduates to approach the job market with the knowledge and hands-on approach that truly complements what they learn in the classroom. Wright succeeds long time chair Rif Finkleman of Lincolnshire, who passed away in the spring. We are happy to have Joe at the helm of our Board, added RMU President Mablene Krueger. He is a familiar face who has been so dedicated to the Robert Morris mission, particularly our emphasis on educating first generation students. His business expertise reflects the practical knowledge we instill in our students, in every major. I look forward to working with him as we refine our vision according to the future needs of our graduates and societys ever-changing job market. Robert Morris University Illinois is a not-for-profit, baccalaureate and graduate degree granting institution, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.* The University serves students interested in getting an education in business, graphic arts, nursing and health care, culinary and computer studies at its main campus at 401 S. State Street in Chicago, as well as at locations in Arlington Heights, DuPage, Elgin, Orland Park, Springfield, Peoria, Schaumburg and Lake County. In all communications, please refer to the university by its full name, Robert Morris University Illinois. For more information, call 800-RMC-5960 or visit the web site at http://www.robertmorris.edu *Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, 30 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60602, 312-263-0456. Stratford School announces expansion plans to open the first Stratford High School for the 2019/2020 academic year. Stratford School announces expansion plans to open the first Stratford High School for the 2019/2020 academic year. Currently with 23 Preschool through Middle School campuses spanning Northern and Southern California, Stratford Schools advanced and intentionally balanced curriculum challenges students, accelerates their achievement, and prepares them to become tomorrows creative problem-solvers, innovators, and confident leaders. High School marks the natural progression of Stratfords educational approach and will offer a rigorous and engaging college preparatory curriculum, with a focus on real-world applications of engineering, technology, and leadership skills while integrating artistic learning and exploration. We are so proud of our students and their many achievements. We eagerly anticipate the opening of our innovative high school program to further support their educational journey, said Sherry Adams, founder of Stratford School. We are ecstatic to commemorate our 20th anniversary with this significant milestone, and we greatly appreciate the affection and support weve received from our students, families, alumni, and faculty, which have led us to this achievement. Stratford Schools new High School will be located at 2000 Lawrence Court, Santa Clara, CA (formerly Saint Lawrence Academy High School). For more information on Stratford School, please visit http://www.stratfordschools.com. About Stratford School Established in 1999, Stratford School is a leading independent private school, founded with a vision of creating a unique, multi-dimensional, educational foundation for children. Stratford offers an accelerated yet balanced curriculum from preschool through eighth grade, with an emphasis on the areas of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) and incorporates music, physical education, foreign language, and social skills development. Stratfords goal is to prepare and mentor students for admission to competitive high schools and colleges. All students are provided the necessary tools to excel and are encouraged to participate actively in leadership, community service, and extracurricular activities. Visit http://www.stratfordschools.com for more information. Paul Kalemkiarian, President and second generaion owner of the Original Wine of the Month Club is excited to have the best guarantee in the business "you never pay for the wine you do not like". Wine of the Month Club is pleased to announce 4 brand new additions to club offerings. These additions include the Napa, Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, and Rose Series. The new offerings are in response to the growing demand for quality curated wines. These additions are available to its existing membership, as well as to new members seeking guaranteed wines at a great value. Napa: Legendary wines from the iconic makers are featured here as well as boutique start- ups with their new offerings. Pinot Noir: This is one of the more finicky grapes, and can produce a variety of styles as it takes in what the soil and growing conditions have to offer and expresses it back through the wine. Bordeaux: From the most well known wine district in the world, we select the most interesting and indicative that the area has to offer. Rose: From the Provence in the south of France to Chile, Napa and Australia, Rose is captivating the palates of wine drinkers all over and is one of the hottest categories in the wine world, All of the wines we sell are available somewhere other than just on our site; its my job to find wines of quality and value and send them to members. And, you never pay for a wine you dont like in our club, shares second generation owner, Paul Kalemkiarian. Wine of the Month Club Announces New Additions November 29, 2017 Page two Specializing in value-oriented wines, the Wine of the Month Club is open to anyone who has an appreciation of fine wine and is interested in a monthly wine club service. Each and every selection from the Wine of the Month Club is guaranteed for its character and value. A newsletter accompanies each shipment with interesting facts about each wine, storage suggestions, serving suggestions and meal pairings. Each wine also comes with a reorder guarantee of 90 days and no less than a 20% discount. Paul Kalemkiarian is the second-generation owner of the original WINE OF THE MONTH CLUB that brought wine to America's door. It is the oldest mail order wine club in the United States He personally tastes over 400 wines a month to make the club selections, and sources them across the globe. You never pay for a wine you do not like. For more information on The Wine of the Month Club or their products, please visit https://www.wineofthemonthclub.com or call 800-949-9463 Hunter Bailey believes that there is a positive correlation between workforce engagement and productivity As a sales and marketing collective focused on building the skills of the next generation of industry stars, Hunter Bailey has always been open about its mentoring and training opportunities. The firm has recently discussed why its so important for businesses to look after their workforces. Based in Sydney, sales and promotions specialists, Hunter Bailey work on behalf of their clients' brands in order to deliver truly unique and personalised direct marketing campaigns to consumers. The company believes that connecting with consumers through face-to-face marketing techniques is essential to establish and encourage long-lasting and personal business relationships between brand and consumers. This improves relationships then leads to increased customer acquisition, brand awareness and brand loyalty for their clients. About the firm - http://www.hunterbailey.com.au/about-us-2/ Due to the high demands of the sales and marketing industry, the firm are advocates for rewarding a positive work ethic and offer development opportunities to its contractors - mentoring, travel opportunities and skills workshops. Rewarding those high achievers is not just about boosting the companies growth, but it is always because the firm is absolutely committed to their young talent and care about nurturing their growth and seeing them thrive to be the absolute best they can be. Hunter Bailey wants more businesses to adopt their approach and up their investment in their workforce. The firm, however, was pleasantly surprised by research claiming that seven out of 10 Australian workers believe that their employers care for their well-being, but are disappointed that people are becoming less engaged with their workplaces. The research found that although three-quarters of workforces surveyed enjoy their work environment, 30 percent also said their job stress is increasing as their traditional work-life division blurs, to the extent they are becoming less engaged with their workplaces. Hunter Bailey believes that there is a positive correlation between workforce engagement and productivity and they are backed up by strong research to suggest the same. Magan Pritam Ray, a shareholder in the Silicon Valley office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, will participate in the Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA) Silicon Valley Women in Law Committees Women Trailblazers panel Dec. 13. Panelists will discuss how they navigated the legal and business environment to arrive at their current positions, share advice on maximizing professional development, and best practices to improve diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, both as individual attorneys and as female APA attorneys. Ray has wide-ranging experience in all facets of employee benefits and ERISA matters, including the design, implementation, and operation of retirement plans, health and welfare benefit plans, cafeteria plans, fringe benefit plans, and non-qualified deferred compensation programs. She is a specialist in counseling clients on the business impact, strategic response, plan design, and compliance with health care reform. Ray regularly advises Fortune 100 companies on issues in mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, and joint ventures. Ray also has experience in representing companies undergoing employee benefits and tax audits before the IRS and Department of Labor. About Greenberg Traurig, LLP Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. A single entity worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and is among the Top 20 on the 2017 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law. United Way of Greater Los Angeles has set up the Southern California Wildfire Fund to support long-term recovery and re-building efforts for low-income families affected by the fires. Wildfires are currently devastating regions of Southern California with hundreds of thousands of acres destroyed and people displaced from Ventura County to San Diego. United Way of Greater Los Angeles has set up the Southern California Wildfire Fund to help victims of these fires rebuild their lives. 100% of the donations collected through this designated fund will support long-term recovery and re-building efforts for low-income families affected by the fires. Donations can be made online at http://www.unitedwayla.org. Checks may be sent to the United Way office at 1150 S. Olive Street, Suite T500, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Please write SoCal Wildfire Fund in the memo line. Funds will be allocated based on need to vetted organizations throughout Southern California that will focus on rebuilding and recovery efforts for victims affected by the fires, including United Way of Ventura County and United Way of San Diego. Were devastated for the communities who have lost their homes and possessions to these wildfires and want to ensure that they get the support needed to rebuild their lives in the aftermath, said Elise Buik, President and CEO of United Way of Greater Los Angeles. Were proud to see so many business, community, and civic leaders voice their support and so many individuals provide necessary items for those in need. If you or someone you know has been effected by the fires, individuals may connect with 2-1-1, a free 24-hour emergency hotline that links you to thousands of local health and human services resources. 2-1-1 connects you with services including, but not limited to, emergency housing, food distribution, elder services, other youth and child care issues, and other physical and mental health services. Contact 2-1-1 by: Calling 2-1-1 on your phone View all 2-1-1 Los Angeles resources available to help you here: https://www.211la.org/search-resources View all 2-1-1 Ventura County resources available to help you here: http://www.211ventura.org/ United Way of Ventura County has set up an exclusive Thomas Fire fund to support those in the Ventura County community affected by the wildfire. Donations can be made to the Thomas Fire Fund by texting UWVC to 41444, online at http://www.vcunitedway.org or calling 805-485-6288. Checks may be sent to the United Way office at 702 County Square Drive, Suite 100, Ventura, CA 93003. Please write Thomas Fire Fund in the memo. During this overwhelming time, we want our friends and neighbors to know that we stand united with them now more than ever before in our 72-year history serving the people of Ventura County, said Eric Harrison, President and CEO of United Way of Ventura County. In the days and weeks ahead, we will deploy more than $1 million that has been donated already to the United Way Thomas Fire Fund to those who have experienced devastation and heartache beyond measure. About United Way Greater Los Angeles: United Way of Greater Los Angeles is a nonprofit organization fighting to end homelessness and poverty by providing students with support needed to graduate high school prepared for college and the workforce, providing housing for our homeless neighbors, and helping hard-working families become financially stable. United Way identifies the root causes of poverty and works strategically to solve them by building alliances across all sectors, funding targeted programs and advocating for change. For more information, visit http://www.unitedwayla.org. About United Way of Ventura County: In the aftermath of a disaster, United Way's Ventura County Volunteer Center will serve as an online, call, and walk-in center for spontaneous volunteers. The Volunteer Center will register volunteers and coordinate with the Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services to place them where they can do the most good for the community. 2-1-1 Ventura County will also be available 24/7 to register volunteers, answer questions, and connect those in need with the resources to help them. http://www.vcunitedway.org Contact: Devin Desjarlais Director, Communications & Content 213-808-6479 ddesjarlais(at)unitedwayla(dot)org Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East Welcome Guest! You Are Here: By PTI: DMA New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) today termed the city governments decision to cancel the licence of Max Super Specialty Hospital in Shalimar Bagh over wrongly declaring an alive baby dead as "irrational and autocratic". The doctors body said that the government should have waited for the report of the Delhi Medical Council (DMC) on the issue which is expected in a few days. advertisement It said it will give a call for a strike if needed and will appeal to the government to revoke the licence cancellation decision. Echoing the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the DMA said while the investigation against the doctors concerned was expected, the decision to cancel the hospital licence was harsh. "Cancelling the licence and the decision to shut the entire hospital is irrational and autocratic. Private hospitals bear 80 per cent of the patients burden in Delhi. Investigation against the concerned doctors or staff is expected but why should all other departments and the hospital suffer," DMAs Ashwini Goyal said. In the licence cancellation order, which came after a three-member panel submitted a report to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, the government has stopped the hospital from admitting any new patient and put a stop to all outpatient treatment services and laboratory testing on its premises with immediate effect. The baby boy, who was 22 weeks premature, was declared dead by the hospital on November 30 and handed over to the parents in a plastic bag, along with his still-born sister. However, the baby started moving while being taken for last rites. The baby was then admitted in North Delhis Agarwal Nursing Home, but died on Wednesday. The IMA yesterday termed the cancellation of the licence "too harsh a step". It backed the hospital and said if all hospitals start facing similar situations where patients die due to such mistakes, then healthcare will come to a halt. IMA President K K Aggarwal, a cardiologist, said the government decision was "not in the interest of the society". "I personally feel it was wrong. The government has taken a wrong decision... For a mistake that occurred at the level of a doctor, the licence of the hospital cannot be cancelled," he said. PTI PLB CPB SC --- ENDS --- According to an eyewitness who spoke to Pulse Ghana, the ex-common hall resident was stabbed during a row with some members of a group he was with. Apparently, he was stabbed by a student who happened to be part of the heated argument. "They were from one chief's funeral and when they reached the hall some argument started. In the course of the argument, one of them took the Khebab seller's in the hall's knife and stabbed the other". The Pontiff said the Roman Catholic Church must adopt a more appropriate translation of the phrase 'lead us not into temptation' in the Italian version of the Lord's Prayer. He said the current phrasing, which is the same in English and many other languages, suggests that it is God who has a choice to lead us into temptation or not. The pope said in a television interview on Wednesday night that is not a good translation, because it speaks of a God who induces temptation. Pope Francis has argued the Italian and indeed the English translation go against the teachings of the church. Pope Francis said: The French have modified the prayer to do not let me fall into temptation, because it is me who falls, not the Lord who tempts me to then see how I fall. Whether we agree with him or not, the Pope's argument sounds valid to many Bible believing folks. Chipotle isn't the shining star it used to be. It announced in November that its founder and CEO, Steve Ells, would be stepping down as the chain works to recover its reputation in the wake of its 2015 E.coli outbreak. Yet in spite of or, perhaps in some cases, because of its numerous failures, Chipotle lingers in the public consciousness and maintains its grip on the Tex-Mex fast-casual market. Merely two years after Chipotle was founded in Denver, Colorado, in 1993, another Tex-Mex chain, called Qdoba, sprung up in the same city. While it has labored more or less in Chipotle's shadow, Qdoba is, without a doubt, superior in nearly every way. It has a more interesting menu, less fuss, and a sterling reputation not to mention free guac. Having recently revisited Chipotle to see how the chain is doing, I decided to go back to my one true Tex-Mex chain love to compare. Qdoba is a national chain with over 700 locations a far cry from Chipotle's 2200-plus restaurants, but nothing to sniff at. It's the same idea as Chipotle: fast-casual assembly line with burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, and the like. Qdoba also has taco salads, quesadillas, and soups, though a key difference. Source: I decided to get a simple chicken burrito to compare to my recent Chipotle burrito review. Nothing fancy, and almost exactly the same ingredients: chicken, cilantro rice, black beans, pico de gallo, salsa verde, guac, queso, cheese, and lettuce. But before even tasting the burrito, I noted that Qdoba already has a huge advantage over Chipotle: the guac and queso are free add-ons. That's right, free. Chipotle's guac can cost over $2 as an add-on, and so does the queso. Tacking nearly $4 on to your burrito, just for some delicious cheese and cool, refreshing guacamole? That's heinous. So, Qdoba already has that going for it. The burrito is solidly wrapped, and I notice that there are no tears or sogginess, unlike Chipotle's. There are no salsa juices seeping through, making it easy to keep in the foil without errant and unexpected drips. It feels only a little bit smaller than Chipotle's standard burrito, which seems like a more manageable meal. It may just be my personal preference, but Chipotle's burritos are way too hefty. There are six proteins to choose from for a base: two types of chicken, pulled pork, steak, brisket, and veggies. Of the two chicken choices, I opted for the tequila lime seasoning over the grilled adobo it adds a clean, bright citrus flavor to the burrito. The chicken is juicy and extremely flavorful. Plus, the cilantro rice brings further brightness to the taste. The ratios are spot-on, with beans, rice, chicken, and add-ins all evenly spaced and properly placed. The tortilla manages to stay firmly wrapped and avoids sogginess, and while my quip with Chipotle's burrito construction lies with the ingredients I chose queso, guac, a more watery salsa verde the same ingredients were chosen here, with much cleaner results. And the queso oh, the queso. As I'll explain later, it's miles beyond Chipotle's attempt. It's perfect in a burrito without being overwhelmingly rich. When added to Chipotle's burrito, queso weighs down the flavors; in Qdoba's, it elevates and complements them. And the guac is on par with Chipotle's, easily. I'm not sure it outshines, but considering it's a free add-on to the burrito at Qdoba, that makes it the clear winner. Saving money tastes just as good as guacamole. On a taste note, however, I really appreciate the red onion that Qdoba adds. It brings a bit of a bite to the smooth avocado, as well as some textural contrast. Then there's the queso. Delicious, perfect queso. Chipotle's first iteration was... well, ghastly. The chain's second attempt is a marked improvement; however, it can't hold a candle to Qdoba's. This queso is rich, velvety, and smooth. It smells exactly as it should: a strange, yet overwhelmingly alluring, liquid cheese aroma filled with spices and savory deliciousness. There are two kinds of queso at Qdoba (Need I even go on at this point? Qdoba is clearly better): Three Cheese and "Queso Diablo." The three-cheese queso has a savory smokiness to it, and while it does pack a little punch, it's more of a flavorful spice than a fiery heat. Chipotle's main obstacle with finding the perfect queso was of its own doing: the confines of purely organic ingredients are tight. Meanwhile, do we know that everything that's in Qdoba's queso is organic? No. Do we care? I sure don't not if it means having access to such perfect queso. In my opinion, Chipotle cannot possibly be as good as Qdoba. There are too many factors in which Qdoba has the upper hand: better pricing, better queso, and a more interesting menu. According to Accra-cased Starr FM, the uncle of the deceased Dr Edwin Okoampa Boadu said they had told the school the cause of death so authorities can take precaution. We went to the school to let them know what has happened because we were told in the hospital that it is this ongoing virus, meningitis that has killed the boy so we quickly went to the institution, to inform the housemaster and the leadership that with this situation they should quickly create awareness for the students. The deceased is said to have complained of severe fever and body weakness to his friends about a week before his demise. His condition worsened as he later complained of stiff neck He was sent to the hospital by some of his classmates Thursday at the knowledge of school authorities. The uncle said he was later informed of his nephews ill-health on Friday but was met with bad news of his death upon arrival at the Hospital. Sources within the school say the students are saddened and engulfed with fear hence most couldnt attend dinning Friday but have been assured to remain calm. He further indicated that the government will foot the hospital and funerals expenses of the deceased students. READ ALSO: Bawumia consoles bereaved families The Ministry of Health in a press conference on Thursday attributed the cause of deaths at the school to Influenza A virus H1N1. The flu has claimed over 7 lives in the Kumasi Academy high school located in the Ashanti region of Ghana. The numerous deaths sparked national outrage as authorities struggled to find out what caused the unfortunate incidence. The sad incident occurred at the Kiagbodo community located in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State according to the Daily Post News. The niece of the deceased, Mrs. Edisemi Dayeibi, confirmed the incident to newsmen. Dr. Johnson Dittimi was shot dead by assassins in his house last night, she said in a statement. Sad reactions have followied the demise of the late academician whose body has already been deposited at a mortuary in Warri. The councilor of Kiagbodo DSIEC Ward 13 of the Burutu Local Government Area described the assassination as an act opposed to the teachings of God. It is barbaric, he began. Taking peoples lives in such a brutal manner is wrong and negates the principles and teachings of God. We have to settle whatever grievances we have with people instead of taking their lives. "His death remains a big blow to the entire Ijaw nation, particularly to Ngbilebiri Kingdom. ALSO READ: Assassin made a mistake The reptile was attempting to cross the road, but vehicles were also passing, hence the Sheriff devoted his time and energy to making it cross the road without being hurt. READ MORE: Fumes from a Viagra manufacturing factory is giving residents free erection Interestingly, while escorting the alligator to cross the road, Deputy Herrera of the Polk County was communicating with the reptile and encouraging it to carry on. His Office posted a video of the entire development to Twitter with the inscription, "How did the baby gator cross the road? With the assistance of Deputy Herrera of course!" He argued that supporting the private sector would help Ghana develop. Youll not overcome poverty with poverty. You need to create the wealth to overcome it. And when you have agencies like Jospong to do the work encourage them. It is not an endorsement for any private company to make undue profit, Kufuor stressed. Kufuor was speaking when he joined the staff of Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) to mark this years annual praise and thanksgiving service in Accra on Friday. This years event was also used to honour former President Kufuor as he celebrated his 79th birthday. Although it is not the right thing for companies to make unreasonable profits, we should not raise issues when some are doing so well because they end up paying taxes. The private person with his initiatives we should not envy him. We should encourage him to do more, Kufuor said. He said multinational companies in Korea and the United States, for instance, were able to get to that peak because they had the backing of the government and the people. We should do same for our own private businesses, former President Kufuor said. In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Jospong Group of Companies, Mr Joseph Siaw Agyapong, lauded former President Kufuor for the various roles he played during the early years of the company. Apart from showing gratitude to God, I personally thank former President Kufuor who did not know me from anywhere but called me and encouraged me during the early years of Zoomlion. It was his words that motivated me to do things I never thought I could do, Dr Agyapong said. He was thankful to the staff of the company for their dedication and commitment in the past years. The Nissan Patrol with registration number GE 5433-16 was heading to Namong village from Tamale. A search in the car uncovered six pump action guns and 130 cartridges. The suspects have been detained while the exhibits have been kept for evidential purpose. It is unclear the motive behind the transit but it comes at a time the Konkambas have been agitating for the capital of the yet to be created district to be sited in Namong instead of Yunyoo. A source close to the Northern Regional Security Council revealed that the suspects had targeted heightening the tension in the area ahead of the creation of the new Yunyoo district. Foreign Secretary BorisJohnson's visit was the first by a top British diplomat since 2015 and he was also due to discuss that year's landmark nuclear accord between Iran and world powers, whose future has been thrown into doubt by US President Donald Trump. "I will stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so," Johnson said ahead of the visit. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen, was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016, after visiting relatives with her young daughter. Iranian authorities accused her of links to mass protests in 2009, which she denies, and sentenced her to five years in jail for sedition. They do not recognise dual nationality. Last month, they filed additional charges of "spreading propaganda" and will present her in court again on Sunday. Her case has become highly politicised, especially after a "slip of the tongue" by Johnson last month when he stated that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been training journalists in Iran, which has been used by the Iranian authorities to help justify the new charges. Husband Richard Ratcliffe, who had lobbied to join Johnson on the visit, has raised concerns about his wife's mental health, citing the mounting toll of her prolonged incarceration in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Johnson is on a three-day trip to the region, stopping in Oman on Friday and moving on to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. It unfolds amid mass protests across the Muslim world over Trump's decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. "Iran is a significant country in a strategically important, but volatile and unstable, region which matters to the UK's security and prosperity," Johnson said. "While our relationship with Iran has improved significantly since 2011, it is not straightforward and on many issues we will not agree." Britain severed diplomatic relations in 2011 after protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran in response to sanctions over the nuclear dispute. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths zeroed in on an office premises at Bharuch in Gujarat and recovered Rs 48.91 crore of demonetised currency in 500 and 1000 denomination currency notes. By Meetu Jain: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) sleuths zeroed in on an office premises at Bharuch in Gujarat and recovered Rs 48.91 crore of demonetised currency in 500 and 1000 denomination currency notes. Acting on specific intelligence, the officers of DRI, Surat, assisted by officers of CGST Vadodara-II, raided a premises of M/s Yamuna Building Material, GIDC Panoli, Bharuch and recovered demonetized currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 of face value of Rs. 48.90 crore on 8th/9th December. advertisement Under Section 7 of the newly enacted The Specified Bank Notes (Cessation Of Liabilities) Act, 2017, whoever contravenes provisions of Section 5 of the Act shall be punishable with fine which may extend to Rs ten thousand or five times the amount of the face value of the specified bank notes involved in the contravention, whichever is higher. In this case, with the demonetised currency detected by DRI being Rs 48.91 crore, the fine is expected to touch about Rs 245 crore. The persons whose name appear in investigations will also be probed. Therefore, the ramifications can be wide and far reaching. DRI is filing a complaint in the court against the 3 persons involved. --- ENDS --- The strike on a base in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip, one of several in the early hours, came amid protests across the Palestinian territories against US President Donald Trump's controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza named the men as Mahmud al-Atal, 28 and Mohammed al-Safdi, 30. It said that their bodies were recovered only several hours after the pre-dawn strike on a base of Hamas's military wing in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip. Hamas said the two men were members of its armed wing, which has fought three wars with Israel since 2008. Thousands of people meanwhile attended the funeral of a man killed in clashes on the Gaza-Israel border on Friday, with mourners calling for revenge. The air strikes followed three rocket attacks on Friday night from Gaza into southern Israel. "Today... in response to the rockets fired at southern Israeli communities throughout yesterday, Israel air force aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in the Gaza Strip," an English-language Israeli army statement said. It said the targets were "two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound." "In each target, several components were hit," it added. Israeli strikes on Hamas facilities on Friday night wounded 14 people, among them women and children, the Hamas medical services said. They followed three rocket attacks during Friday's Palestinian "day of rage" over Trump's decision. In one of them, a rocket hit the southern Israeli city of Sderot, although Israeli public radio said it did not explode and did not cause any casualties. The Israeli military said that its Iron Dome air defence system intercepted an earlier rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave. It said it later detected a second missile launch, but had not found evidence that it had reached Israeli territory. The military retaliated on Friday with air strikes on what it said were two targets. "In response to the projectiles fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip earlier today, Israel air force aircraft targeted a Hamas training compound and an ammunition warehouse in the Gaza Strip," a statement said. Gaza security officials said that both targets were in the vicinity of Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of the strip, close to the border with Israel. A previously unknown Salafist group calling itself the Salahedin Brigades claimed responsibility for one of the attacks. "Airspace and territorial waters and the different measurements can be improved," Erdogan told Greece's Skai TV on Wednesday, ahead of what will be the first official visit by a Turkish president in 65 years. "And I think there are certain problems that can be easily surmounted, and I think if we can surmount those challenges both of the countries will be relieved," said Erdogan, who last visited Greece in 2010, when he was prime minister. Relations between Turkey and Greece have been fraught with territorial disputes in the Aegean, with the two NATO allies nearly going to war in 1996 over uninhabited islands. Greece claims sovereign airspace extending 10 miles (16 kilometres) from its coastline and islands, but Turkey recognises only six miles, arguing that under international law Greece's airspace should match its limits for territorial waters. As a result, there are often confrontations when Turkish warplanes enter airspace that Greece claims as its own, prompting Greek authorities to scramble jets in response. To Athens's annoyance, Turkey also says there are a number of Greek islets and islands whose sovereignty remains unclear. In the interview, Erdogan also repeated his view that the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, one of the defining documents in Greek-Turkish relations, should be revised. "I think during the course of time, all of the treaties need a revision, and Lausanne in the face of the recent developments needs to be spruced up, a revision if you will," Erdogan said. "This revision is not only for Turkey, but also it's for Greece, it could be mutually beneficial." Earlier this week, a Greek government spokesman said Athens was hoping for a "substantial improvement" in relations to emerge out of Erdogan's visit. But he also emphasised that the treaty of Lausanne was "binding" and "in force". In an interview with Turkey's Anadolu news agency, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said relations with Turkey had to be based on "mutual respect and international law, with full respect to the treaty of Lausanne." But Erdogan said existing territorial waters were "quite problematic" for Turkish maritime liners plying the Aegean, "and this is not something that we can live with." He did not give further detail. He also repeated a request that eight officers who fled to Greece after allegedly participating in the attempted coup against him last year should be extradited. "(Tsipras) said he was going to follow up the situation, and not later than a fortnight they shall be extradited to Turkey. That was what he said. But, unfortunately, right now, they are still in Greece," Erdogan said. The Greek Supreme Court has blocked the extradition of the officers, and Erdogan lamented that taking the legal route "takes longer". "Terrorists, when they are detained in Greece, they should be extradited to Turkey. If you leave it in the hands of the judiciary no outcome can ever be cultivated and you won't be able to cultivate any results," he said. The current wording that says "lead us not into temptation" is not a good translation because God does not lead humans to sin, he says. While speaking to an Italian Catholic TV channel, the Pope opined that the prayer should be altered to better reflect that it was not God who led humans to sin. It is not a good translation because it speaks of a God who induces temptation," he told TV2000. A father doesnt do that, a father helps you to get up immediately. Its Satan who leads us into temptation, thats his department. His suggestion is to use "do not let us fall into temptation" instead. The pontiff said France's Roman Catholic Church was now using the new wording "do not let us fall into temptation" as an alternative, and something similar should be used worldwide. Austen Ivereigh, the popes biographer, echoed his sentiments but pointed out that certain factors would have to be considered with regards to the translation. It is not God who tempts us into sin but the enemy of human nature. But tradition and familiarity are also important factors in weighing up any decision to modify a translation. The Lord's Prayer is the best-known prayer in Christianity. A series of wildfires last week scorched more than 260,000 acres in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Diego counties in Southern California. The first and largest blaze, dubbed the Thomas Fire, started December 4 in Ventura County and has moved North, becoming a threat to Santa Barbara County. Here are the numbers as of Tuesday morning, according to Los Angeles Countyofficials and Cal Fire, a state fire-safety agency: Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties: Skirball Fire in Bel Air: Lilac Fire in San Diego County: Rye Fire in Santa Clarita: Creek Fire in Sylmar: The Thomas Fire had grown to more than 65,000 acres in two days and destroyed at least 150 structures out of at least 12,000 threatened in Ventura and Ojai. The fire grew by 50,000 acres on Sunday as dry Santa Ana winds continued, triggering evacuation orders throughout Santa Barbara County. One death has been blamed on the Thomas Fire: the body of 70-year-old Virginia Pesola was discovered at a car crash site on an evacuation route in Ventura County on Wednesday night, according to NBC. As many as 200,000 people had been displaced in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and authorities closed and then reopened parts of the 405 Freeway on Wednesday last week, causing gridlock throughout the region. More than 50 schools were closed in the Los Angeles area through the end of the week. Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency, freeing up state funds to help tackle the wildfires. "This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but we'll continue to tackle it with all we've got," Brown said. "It's critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so." Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen told reporters that the fires' growth had been "absolutely exponential." Here are a few ways you can help: Thomas Fire Fund United Way of Ventura County's website The Salvation Army visiting the website The Red Cross The Red Cross of Los Angeles its social media accounts redcrossla.org The Humane Society of Ventura County The Humane Society of Ventura County on HSVC's website Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation Noah's Legacy Fund through the LACACF website GoFundMe campaigns a list of all the verified campaigns Direct Relief In Somalia, The As-Shabaab militants have been tirelessly fighting to try to establish a social structure which forbids women from engaging in some commercial and social activities including a career as a mechanic. Thus, making Nasra's achievement a ground breaking incidence and she is already creating a name for herself. Statistics have shown that as of 2016 had an unemployment rate of 66% and for women between 14-29 years old, the rate stands at 74%. Nasra Haji Hussain Ibrahim has proved that it is still possible to thrive in a Somalia where unemployment continues to force young people to join the regions terror group Al-Shabaab. Was she supported in her choice? In an interview, Nasra said "My familys feelings and reactions have been very welcoming since the start. They told me that their prayers were accepted and they knew that I am going to be very special." Despite the conservative nature of the society, Nasra is happy because her family has always supported her work, always encouraging her to continue with her good work. In terms of the support given to her by the community she said, "The community around me were very surprised when they learned that I am a female mechanic because of the environment we live in and the society didnt see something similar before, maybe it is because of the conservativeness or the civil wars our country went through." She attributes the communities surprise to her decision to become a mechanic to the societys general backwardness and the war. About her achievements so far and being a role model Nasra was selected as one of the speakers at TedxMogadishu heldin April, 2017. The conference provided talented and ambitious Somalis, like Nasra, to come together and share their inspiring stories. Ms. Ibrahim also spoke saying, "I work as a mechanic to change the life of my family and my own. I see myself as a role model to other girls in Somalia and the whole world." Her message to women in Somalia and around the world is to believe in their strength and leave behind their fears, as well as to ignore anyone who is against their development. "I tell them that they have all the energy, dreams and goals and they can achieve everything." Her dream is to become a well-known and respected person in Somalia and across the world, and hopes to play an integral part in helping her country get back on its feet. Essama launched this campaign in 2015 with the beheading of the statue of General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, a French colonial hero. The statue was erected in Douala in the colonial period. He added to this by pulling down a status of an unknown French soldier. For these acts, he was arrested and sentenced to three months in prison for destruction of public property. In 2016, Andre again beheaded the repaired statue of the French general, and this fetched him another six months in jail after he refused an offer to pay for its repair instead of a jail term. This earned Andre large supporters who praised his action. A statue for a deserving 'National Hero' Andrea erected a statue of John Ngu Foncha a pivotal figure in the unification of the British and French Cameroons, but was pulled down by local authorities. Foncha's statue was replaced with an effigy of French videographer, Sylvie Blocher. Who erected John Ngu Foncha Statue in Douala & who took it down? Sylvie Blochers effigy holds a sign with English and French inscriptions that read: Even If I Do Not Have the Right, I Apologize. Andre also pulled this down within 24 hours and he was applauded for his actions by motorists and pedestrians. He was arrested again after this. Fight to erase colonial memorial is going on across Africa Andre Essama's activism against his country's colonial heritage is not the only struggle going on in the continent. The call for an abolition of CFA franc has also received support across French-speaking West African countries. In September 2017, a similar campaign was launched by a Senegalese activist, Kemi Seba. Seba called for the abolition of CFA franc by all 14 French-speaking countries in Africa. He claimed the currency kept countries under the economic influence of France. South Africa has also had a fair share of continuous protests calling for pulling down of statues and monuments. The protesters stated that these monuments are reminders of colonialism and apartheid rule. LONDON Boris Johnson will fly into Iran on Saturday in an attempt to personally negotiate the release of the imprisoned British woman Johnson was accused last month of putting Zaghari-Ratcliffe's in jeopardy after he told a parliamentary committee that she had been "teaching people journalism" in Iran. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has always insisted that she was merely on a family holiday when she was arrested. The foreign secretary's words were described on Iranian State television as an "unintended confession"that she had been spreading propaganda in the country. It was also used by the Iranian judicial system to justify extending her detention for a further five years. Johnson initially refused to apologise or retract his comments, insisting only that they had been "misreported" before eventually making a partial apology in parliament. He later agreed to fly out to Iran to personally intervene in the case on the request of Zaghari-Ratcliffe's family. Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said on Friday that he didn't want to get his hopes up about Johnson's visit. "I'm anxious about the court case but at least he's going," he told the Evening Standard. "I don't want to get my hopes up, as it's hope that kills. It's my job to battle until she's home. Him going is a good sign." A spokesperson for Theresa May said Johnson would call for her to be released on "humanitarian grounds." "We are very concerned about the case and we have repeatedly lobbied for Miss Zaghari-Ratcliffe release on humanitarian grounds. We will continue to work tirelessly to achieve that," they said on Friday. Attacks on special counsel Robert Muellers team of investigators escalated sharply last week, culminating in a partisan haranguing of the FBI director on Thursday over the perceived missteps of his predecessor. Conservative and far-right media outlets, already skeptical of Muellers probe into President Donald Trumps ties to Russia, grew louder in their calls for FBI Director Chris Wray to either clean house or for Mueller to resign. It came after news that two special counsel investigators at one point exhibited perceived political bias. Trump again characterized the criminal justice system as "rigged" during a rally in Florida on Friday, echoing comments he made last weekend following former national security Michael Flynn's guilty plea as part of Mueller's probe. "So General Flynn lies to the FBI and his life is destroyed, while Crooked Hillary Clinton, on that now famous FBI holiday 'interrogation' with no swearing in and no recording, lies many times," Trump tweeted last Saturday. "And nothing happens to her? Rigged system, or just a double standard?" Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, implored Wray during a hearing on Thursday to "repair the damage done by" former FBI Director James Comey. And he took a shot at Mueller's investigation, questioning "the magnitude of insider bias" that exists on his team. Former FBI agents who spoke to Business Insider this week characterized the outcry as "nonsense" aimed at discrediting an investigation that has dogged Trump and the GOP more broadly for over a year. Frank Montoya, Jr., a former FBI special agent who served as the Director of t Peter Strzok, a veteran counterintelligence agent who was among those overseeing the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email server last year, was abruptly removed from Mueller's Russia probe in late July and relegated to the human resources department. Neither Mueller nor the Justice Department have commented on Strzok's sudden demotion. But he was apparently removed as part of a broader investigation into the bureau's handling of the Clinton email probe by the DOJ's inspector general. Strzok reportedly sent text messages during the presidential campaign to another member of Mueller's team, Lisa Page, that could be perceived as anti-Trump. He and Page were also having an extramarital affair that the DOJ worried could make them both subject to blackmail. Page left Mueller's team over the summer for unrelated reasons. High-profile conservative figures and Trump allies, such as the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board and Fox News host Sean Hannity, quickly weaponized another damaging report published last week. It said Strzok had been instrumental in changing Comey's final characterization of Clinton's conduct from Health insurance for millions of children is still on the line as Congress remains divided over how to fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a crucial government program that has provided healthcare to millions of Americans and helped to drastically reduce the uninsured rate of children since its implementation in 1997. Before breaking for the holiday recess month, Congress passed a short-term funding measure that allocated close to $3 billion to CHIP. It's estimated that this additional funding will allow the program to run through March. "This alleged extension until March doesnt cut it as states freeze enrollment & send out letters warning that coverage will end," former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton tweeted on Tuesday. "This is frightening to parents & wreaks havoc for states." "Enough is enough," added Clinton, who played a significant role in getting CHIP passed back in the '90s while serving as first lady. A lack of long-term funding could result in roughly 2 million children losing coverage and becoming uninsured, according to a recent report from Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. "These are families making $8, $10, or $12 an hour that don't have insurance. And they're going to get letters saying 'your insurance is canceled,'" Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said during a debate on the Senate floor November 30. "How can we let that happen?" The reauthorization deadline for CHIP passed September 30 without Congress agreeing to an extension, making it the longest lapse in funding since the program was first introduced. "The politics are ugly. This should not be a Republican or Democratic issue," Colorado Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne told Business Insider. "There's never been any talk of it not making sense." "I feel like there's a little hostage taking with kids and pregnant women in the middle," she added. Time is running out Now that Congress is back in session after the holiday recess, CHIP proponents are holding out hope that both parties can come together to secure a 5-year funding extension. Such a move would be the quickest way to end concerns families may have about the future of their coverage, said Tricia Brooks, a healthcare policy expert and former CHIP director for New Hampshire. "We are guardedly hopeful because unlike all of the other health policy initiatives Congress has tackled this year, CHIP actually has bipartisan agreement in the House and Senate," Brooks told Business Insider. "The fact that states had leftover funds and that there was emergency money distributed to states gave Congress the feeling that were wasn't as much urgency," she added. "But that cushion is getting extremely thin. Congress needs to act." The only other time Congress failed to reauthorize it was in 2007, when then-President George W. Bush vetoed reauthorization because he believed the Democrats' proposal to spend billions more on the program would encourage families to leave the private insurance market. After just five days, lawmakers compromised and funding was quickly reissued. Today's gap in funding has forced states around the country to rely on leftover funds and emergency government grants to maintain coverage for the millions of people who might otherwise be uninsured. But those temporary funds are quickly disappearing. "We're concerned about the cost to the people and the magnitude of the anxiety it is producing," Lynne said. "Imagine if you're a pregnant woman and you're going to lose your insurance?" We dont have any money anymore CHIP itself is not controversial. It has wide bipartisan support as Brooks says. But exactly how the annual $15.6 billion program should be paid for is the issue under dispute. Republicans have proposed cutting back the Affordable Care Act to pay for CHIP while Democrats have proposed tying the program's reauthorization in with measures to stabilize the law, more commonly known as Obamacare. "We're going to do CHIP. There's no doubt about it in my mind, " said Sen. Orin Hatch of Utah, who helped craft the program with Sen. Ed Kennedy of Massachusetts in the 1990s. "But the reason CHIP is having trouble is because we don't have any money anymore." CHIP currently provides health insurance for roughly 9 million children nationwide who come from families with incomes just above Medicaid eligibility levels. The program also includes coverage for more than 327,000 pregnant women through the "unborn child option." Technically, these recipients are classified as children even though the women are the ones who are actually being treated. How states can respond to a loss of federal funds depends on how they implemented CHIP in the first place. For states that used the money to expand Medicaid to insure more children, they will still have to cover those recipients, albeit with some other source of funding, even if the government no longer helps. For states that created separate CHIP programs, those recipients are likely to lose coverage completely, or at best, receive more expensive coverage through employer-sponsored or marketplace exchange alternatives if their families can afford those options. Some states have a combination of CHIP-funded Medicaid expansion and separate CHIP programs, complicating the situation even further. States plan emergency measures Late night host Jimmy Kimmel brought his newborn son on stage in December to make an emotional plea for Congress to restore CHIP funding. "Now CHIP [it] has become a bargaining chip," Kimmel said, cradling his son Billy, who received life-saving open heart surgery just hours after birth earlier this year. "It's on the back burner while they work out the new tax plans," he continued. "Parents of children with cancer, diabetes and heart problems are about to get letters saying their coverage could be cut off next month. Merry Christmas, right?" A handful of states are on the brink of running out of money, some as soon as next month. Carrie Williams, a spokesperson for Texas' Health and Human Services Commission, told Business Insider last month that without Congressional action, the Lone Star State would be forced to end CHIP coverage by February 1 for more than 450,000 children. But on December 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which administers CHIP, guaranteed Texas $135 million in funds to continue coverage until March. Under state law, HHSC must notify families that their plans are being canceled at least 30 days before termination. Texas' situation is especially dire because of the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. After the disaster struck, the government waived co-pays and enrollment fees for CHIP recipients. That meant the state would be collecting less money, which is why they're relying on the federal government for additional grants. Texas has the most CHIP recipients in the country after California. Other states continue to weigh their options in light of the roughly $3 billion in funding Congress allocated to states last month. Officials overseeing the West Virginia Children's Health Insurance Program (WVCHIP) have gone so far as to already approve a plan to close its program which covers 21,321 children by February 28. But the plan won't be finalized until the program's board members know how much of the $3 billion in funding the state will receive. For now, West Virginia's Department of Health and Human Resources will delay sending termination notifications to families and providers, according to communications director Allison Adler. Weve never had to do this before The longer Congress delays funding, the more states like West Virginia will prepare contingency plans in the event that money is not restored. But it's hard for medical officials to gauge exactly when they should take action such as sending out notice letters to families and doubling up on call center staffing for the inevitable barrage of inquiries since they have to rely on Congress to make the next move. "They [states] are trying to hold off on taking action as long as possible because they don't want to cause concern among families," Samantha Artigo, an analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told Business Insider. "But as we get further along, they are really going to be bumping up against difficult deadlines where they will need to begin taking action. It cannot be done overnight." Medical officials in Colorado have already sent notice letters to the families of the roughly 75,000 children and 800 pregnant women who might lose coverage in that state. Last month, state lawmakers approved a $9.6 million stopgap measure to allow CHIP to survive an extra month, according to The Denver Post. Previous estimates predicted coverage would end January 31. Shelisha Coleman, a spokesperson for Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, told Business Insider in December that the state had enough funding to last until the beginning of February. The healthcare of 198,605 children in Florida is on the line. On December 1, Nevada received a nearly $5.6 million grant to provide coverage through the end of the year and into the new year. Utah also warned recipients that it will exhaust funds by the end of of this month. The Department of Social Services in Connecticut announced that it has enough money to last through February 28. Officials in Virginia and Pennsylvania began notifying families last month that they could lose coverage if Congress continues to stall. "We've never had to do this before," Linda Nablo, an official with Virginia's Department of Medical Assistant Services, told Kaiser Health News. "How do you write the very best letter saying, 'Your child might lose coverage, but it's not certain yet. But in the meantime, these are some things you need to think about'?" Families are preparing, too. Myra Gregory is the mother of 11-year-old Roland, who has a rare form of lung cancer. In November, Gregory wrote an op-ed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch asking Congress to get its act together. "If Congress forces Missouri to drop Roland's coverage, our family will be in an impossible situation. I don't have the savings to pay for Roland's care out of pocket," Gregory said. "I don't have family and friends much less a bank who will loan us tens of thousands of dollars for Roland's treatment." Gregory created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her son. A lose-lose for the taxpayer The kicker is that states will still lose money even if Congress restores funding. Writing, printing, and mailing termination notices to families requires time and money. So does notifying insurance providers and other stakeholders, submitting paperwork to the CMS, and paying call center staff overtime for helping concerned parents figure out how to proceed in the absence of CHIP. A Georgetown University study estimated that ending CHIP will cost Colorado, for example, at least $300,000. "Inaction by Congress costs states time and money as officials grapple with various 'what if' scenarios," the study's authors wrote. In early November, the House passed a bill that would provide funding for CHIP for five years. That bill stalled in the Senate. Subsequent proposals, meanwhile, have been few and far between, leaving state budgets in limbo and families fearing the worst. The FBI reportedly warned White House communications director Hope Hicks earlier this year that Russian operatives attempted to contact her amid Donald Trump's transition into the presidency, The New York Times reported Friday. There was no evidence that Hicks, who was thrust further into the public spotlight after former communications director Anthony Scaramucci's tenure was abruptly cut short, had done anything improper, The Times noted. But former officials said in the report that the US intelligence and law-enforcement community out of concern that Hicks may have been part of a Russian operation became unnerved about introductory emails that were sent from Russian government addresses shortly after Trump took office. The contents of the emails and the exact identities of the Russians were not immediately clear, according to The Times. Hicks was reportedly warned by FBI counterintelligence agents at least twice during a "defensive debriefing," telling her that Russians who had contacted her were not who they said they were. Agents also advised Hicks to be cautious, The Times said. At least one other person close to the president had also been briefed by security officials, and Hicks reportedly told White House counsel Don McGahn about the meetings. Republicans are closer than ever to turning their massive tax reform dream into reality, but they have run into some early snags in the process of attempting to unify their legislation. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is headed toward a conference committee to work out differences between the House and Senate versions. But already, some potential sticking points have begun to emerge. Senators may not get what they were promised The biggest concern for Senate Republican leaders: Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Collins voted for the first iteration of the TCJA because it included an amendment she wrote as well as a guarantee that a bipartisan Affordable Care Act stabilization bill would at the least get the leadership's support. While Collins got the guarantee from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he was not included in that agreement, potentially throwing Collins' support into question. "I wasn't part of those conversations," Ryan told reporters about the agreement. "I'm not deeply familiar with those conversations." Ryan did appear to warm up to the idea of bringing the so-called Alexander-Murray bill to the House floor for a vote on Thursday. But strong opposition to the bill among House conservatives could sink the measure regardless of the leadership's support. Collins' vote may not technically be needed for the bill since only one Republican voted against it as it passed the Senate (Bob Corker of Tennessee). The GOP can afford to lose two votes and still pass the legislation. But the issue could become exacerbated if another senator has qualms with the legislation. Enter Sen. Marco Rubio. "If #TaxReform conference weakens #ChildTaxCredit OR reduce corp cut but dont make CTC refundable for working families, going to be problems," Rubio said in a Friday tweet. Rubio has been fighting to make the child tax credit more generous throughout the process. The Florida Republican tried to pass an amendment to make the credit, which was bumped up to $2,000 in the Senate bill, refundable up to a certain level. His amendment was defeated. But the House bill only increased the credit to $1,600, leaving open the possibility that the compromise legislation could make the credit less generous. GOP leaders are also considering cutting the corporate tax rate to 22% from the current 35% instead of the 20% proposed in both the House and Senate bills. The tweak would help pay for fixes to errors in the bill and other priori tes. Rubio said some of the newly raised revenue from a less generous corporate rate cut should go toward the child tax credit. The amendment Rubio introduced would have bumped up the corporate rate to 20.96% to pay for the refundable nature of the credit. Rubio did not threaten to pull his vote in favor of the original version of the TCJA, even after the vote on his amendment failed. Marc Short, the White House legislative director, told reporters after Rubio's tweet Friday: "Senator Rubio's going to be fine." Republicans in the House, meanwhile, are already staking claims on changes they want to see from the committee. A letter from 53 GOP House lawmakers urged Republican leadership to make sure that the estate tax (which conservatives call the "death tax") is totally repealed in the final bill. The Senate version of the legislation would increase the threshold at which the tax applies to roughly $11 million from the current $5.6 million, but it would not fully repeal the tax. And like all individual tax changes in the Senate bill, the threshold increase would expire after 2025. "We are concerned about the current Senate plan, which falls short of the long term Republican goal by providing only temporary relief whole leaving the death tax in place," the letter said. Also on the House side, many members are fighting for a more generous state and local tax (SALT) deduction. Both the House and Senate bills would allow people to deduct $10,000 in state and local property taxes. House Republicans from high-tax states that use the SALT deduction heavily, like California and New York, want the $10,000 limit to apply to state and local income tax, as well. Gary Cohn, the National Economic Council director and Trump's top economic adviser, said Friday White House and leaders are open to a SALT deduction change in the final bill. For Facebook's vice president of product design, Julie Zhuo, intentionality is key. That's reflected in her daily routine at Facebook, which Glassdoor just named the most desirable place to work in America Zhuo has worked at Facebook for over 11 years, having joined a team of only about 100 employees. She's worked on products like Facebook's News Feed, the "like" button, and user profiles. Now she oversees the design of many of Facebook's core user experiences and a team of more than 250 employees. "Facebook is a very mission-oriented place," she told Business Insider. "Most of the people that work here really care about building community and making tools that help bring people closer together. That's a huge part of why I've been here for so long and I think many of the people I work with are here." Zhuo recently chronicled her daily schedule, habits, and strategies for Business Insider here's what a day in the life of one Facebook exec looks like: On weekdays, Zhuo wakes up around 7 a.m. To kick off her day, she works out on an elliptical for about 10 minutes, then showers. The Facebook exec often runs while listening to a TED Talk, an audiobook, or music. "I like the idea of starting the day having accomplished something, even if it's very small," she said. Zhuo says she also starts thinking about her schedule and daily tasks first thing in the morning. Zhuo's husband, Mike Sego, Facebook's engineering director, prepares breakfast for the family that's usually eggs and coffee for Sego and Zhuo, and milk and snacks for their two young children. They get the kids dressed, and their nanny picks them up at 8:30 a.m. Zhuo and Sego are at the office by 9 a.m., and she tries to take some time to plan for her meetings. "I try to be very intentional about my time," she said. "It's easy to get into the habit of reacting to what's happening during the day." Zhuo spends much of the day meeting with teams to discuss design and product development. She keeps up with her busy schedule by establishing and sticking to a clear plan. "I go into every meeting with an idea of what I want to do or say," she said. "That makes it much, much easier when you're contact-switching between many different things." That said, the Facebook exec's workdays tend to vary. "Some days we're getting ready to launch a feature, and there's a lot more work to do," Zhuo said. "Some days it's early-stage brainstorming." Zhuo also focuses on recruiting and hiring, and making sure her team is living up to the company's culture. "The culture and health of the team are very top of mind for me," she said. For Zhuo, one of Facebook's biggest draws is its sense of community. "What we do every day is we build a product that tries to build community and bring people closer together," Zhuo said. "It's really hard for us to accomplish that if our internal community is not strong." As a result, the headquarters, in Menlo Park, California, is brimming with art including plenty of employee-created posters. "It's meant to remind us of the work we do," she said. It's meant to remind us of our own community. It's meant to give a voice." Facebook also runs a collaborative platform called Workplace to foster that sense of community. Zhuo is a member of the internal groups Women @ Facebook, Facebook Design, Moms in Tech, and Parents @ Facebook. She says they're great at "giving support, giving advice, helping people coordinate and work better." Days at Facebook can get pretty busy, so Zhuo says she strives to keep up her energy by eating snacks and refueling with a lot of tea during the afternoon. "There's a saying we have at Facebook that every day feels like a week," she said. Whether she's running a product review, solving a problem in a hackathon, or attending one of CEO Mark Zuckerberg's companywide Friday Q&As, Zhuo works to remain present. "Sometimes I catch myself when I'm in a meeting, I'll still be thinking about the last meeting," she said. "I'm going to come across as more disengaged in that current meeting." "I've loved working with all of my coworkers and the people I get to interact with every day," Zhuo said. "I think that the relationships that we build and the ways we go about solving problems, working together, and having hard conversations recognize each other as the individuals and authentic people that we are." Zhuo and Sego head home from work around 6 p.m. She says the family does a lot of cooking over the weekend and mostly eats leftovers throughout the week, supplemented with salad and delivery. Family dinner typically starts around 6:40 p.m. Afterward, Zhuo and Sego play with their kids. For those who can afford to, hiring help from assistants to nannies to chauffeurs can make life a lot easier. Business Insider spoke with David Youdovin, the founder and CEO of Hire Society, a recruitment firm that helps high-net-worth individuals and families in New York City, the Hamptons, and Palm Beach, staff their homes and businesses. "The vast majority of our clients are the .01% they have multiple homes, private aircraft, and several members of domestic staff," said Youdovin, who worked as a butler and estate manager for a billionaire family before founding Hire Society in 2012. "There's major altruism in putting good people to work with these families," Youdovin said. "These salaries can be life-changing, especially for people not originally from the United States." Below, Youdovin provided us with a list of the most common positions wealthy families are looking to hire for, and how much they pay annually. Youdovin says the salaries range based on previous experience and references. Chief of staff Salary range: Management team Estate manager Salary range: Executive house manager Salary range: $100,000 - $150,000 Assistant house manager Salary range: Butler Salary range: Assistants Executive assistant Salary range: Junior executive assistant Salary range: Salary range: Salary range: Chefs Head chef Salary range: $ Salary range: Salary range: Housekeeping Executive housekeeper Salary range: Salary range: $65,000 - $80,000 Ladies maid Salary range: Family help Baby nurse Salary range: Nanny Salary range: Governess Salary range: Chauffeur Driver Salary range: Domestic couple Salary range: Tutor Salary range: Horseman The five major blazes have scorched over 250,000 acres across Southern California. Over 9,000 firefighters have been deployed to combat the fires, and authorities have shut down major highways, closed schools, and ordered close to 100,000 people to evacuate. The first and largest blaze, the Thomas Fire, started Monday night in Ventura County. The Creek Fire near Sylmar and the Rye Fire in Santa Clarita broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and the Skirball Fire, centered in the wealthy Bel Air neighborhood in Los Angeles, started Wednesday morning. Here are the locations of all the fires, as well the most recent total acreage burned as of Monday. Thomas Fire, Ventura County The Thomas Fire is burning acres and has damaged or destroyed Firefighters have contained 15% of the blaze as high winds continue to whip the fire. Officials ordered further evacuations in Santa Barbara County as high winds pushed the fire closer to populated areas on Sunday. Creek Fire, Sylmar The Creek Fire has burned 15,619 acres, and officials estimate it has destroyed or damaged at least 89 out of at least 2,500 threatened. Firefighters had managed to contain 95% of the blaze as of Monday morning. All evacuation orders have been lifted in areas around Sylmar. Rye Fire, Santa Clarita The Rye Fire has burned 6,049 acres near Santa Clarita, and firefighters have contained 93% of the fire as of Monday. Skirball Fire, Bel Air The Skirball Fire, near the wealthy Bel Air neighborhood in Los Angeles, has burned 421 acres and is 85% contained as of Monday, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials. The fire threatened the Getty Center, one of the world's most popular art museums, though the flames moved away from it on Thursday. Six structures were destroyed and another 12 were damaged. Lilac Fire, San Diego The Lilac Fire started in San Diego County Thursday evening. It's stretching 4,100 acres and is 75% contained as of Monday. It prompted a new round of evacuations and multiple school closures throughout San Diego last week. As of Monday morning, 151 structures were destroyed and some local road closures were still in effect, but mandatory evacuation orders were lifted. These areas are under a "red flag" warning for fire risk as of Monday. The high-risk zone extends from the Mexico border to Santa Barbara. The dry winds have turned the region into a sort of tinderbox, and officials warn that even a small spark can still ignite a massive blaze. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! The party's national caretaker committee led by Ahmed Makarfi hadsuspended Kashamu for a month - no reason was given for the action. Reacting to the suspension, the lawmaker, who represents Ogun East, said the action "offends all known principles of justice and fair hearing." Kashamu further said, "The news of my purported suspension is coming on the heels of a pending appeal with a motion for injunction that has been properly entered and served on parties. "This renders the purported suspension a nullity as it offends the principle of lis pendens. "Therefore, I reject the purported suspension because it offends all known principles of justice and fair hearing. "It should be noted however that the mere fact that the Caretaker Committee could resort to this last-minute action in its dying hours and on the day of our national convention shows clearly that the battle that I and other well-meaning leaders, elders and stakeholders have waged against impunity and illegality, and for the enthronement of democracy, due process and the rule of law really got to them. "Makarfi and his cohorts, especially Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose think that they can intimidate and pocket every voice of dissent within the party. "Yet, they are quick to accuse the federal government of stifling the opposition when they are the real dictators and tyrants." He appealed to PDP leaders and members to "rescue our party from the vice grip of these delinquents by electing a new and untainted leadership that will put an end to illegality, impunity, deceit and imposition." "They arrogantly think that they can browbeat everyone into submission and buy over the conscience of our party leaders and delegates in continuation of their desperate bid to hold the party by the jugular in order to serve their selfish and egocentric ends. "What is the essence of a multiparty politics and democracy if people cannot disagree to agree and ventilate their views? I dare say that any party or organisation that does not brook dissent and plurality of ideas and opinions is on its way to self-destruct and extinction. "Today, lets elect men and women of conscience who will truly reposition our party, restore democracy and make it the envy of all. Lets show Nigerians that it is a new dawn and a new order in PDP. "Finally, notwithstanding this purported suspension, I stand by my convictions in the struggle for the enthronement of genuine democracy, due process and respect for our own constitution. I remain strong and unbowed by their antics," Kashamu added. ALSO READ: Nobody can send me out of PDP Kashamu Metuh had exchanged pleasantries with some members as he entered the Eagle Square but the security men stopped him when he attempted to enter the state box, where former president Goodluck Jonathan and other dignitaries were seated. This reportedly led to heated arguments between both parties - Metuh was gated out nonetheless. He later joined delegates from Anambra state, The Cable reports. Other dignitaries seated inside the box included, former vice-presidents Namadi Sambo and Atiku Abubakar; and the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu. Metuh had recently asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, where he is undergoing trial for alleged fraud, to compel Jonathan to testify in his case. But Jonathan refused to testify in the case, asking the court to set aside the subpoena compelling him to appear in Metuh's trial or make an order directing Metuh to deposit the sum of N1 billion with the court to cover his travel expenses and security from his hometown of Otuoke in Bayelsa State to Abuja and also for logistics to cover any period of time that he might spend appearing before the court. Speaking at the Eagle Square in Abuja, where the Peoples Democratic Party's national convention is ongoing, he said nothing is working in the country since President Muhammadu Buhari took office. Atiku, who recently dumped APC for the PDP, said the ruling party has divided Nigerian more than ever. "Under the APC Nigeria is not working, under the APC our people are not working. Let us consider what the APC has achieved versus what they promised in the last election. The APC promised us three million new jobs a year, in government the APC has lost three million jobs a year," Atiku said. The former vice-president had some years ago decamped to the APC from the PDP but returned to the opposition party presumably to secure the party's presidential ticket for the 2019 election. ALSO READ: I have no preferred candidates Jonathan He further said that "The APC promised us unity, under APC Nigeria is more divided and acrimonious since the civil war. The APC promised us restructuring, in office the APC denied restructuring. The APC promised war on corruption but all they have delivered is a war on the opposition. "Comparing the APC in government and the record of the PDP in government, we in the PDP achieved a 10-year expectancy of our people. We the PDP helped Nigeria become the largest in Africa. As members of the PDP we all have a lot to be proud of. in the 16 years that we governed we made Nigeria prosperous. We made mistakes, we are human beings but we put our nation first. "We now have an APC government which continues to blame the previous governments rather than solving the problems. The PDP is the party that will restructure Nigeria into a modern nation with working institutions." Atiku arrived the Minna International Airport in a private aircraft marked T7AAA at 12:35pm on Thursday, December 7. At the airport to receive Atiku were the Niger State Deputy Governor Alhaji Ahmed Ketso, former Niger Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu and Chairman of the PDP in Niger State Tanko Beji. Atiku exchanged pleasantries with a horde of PDP faithful at the airport before proceeding to IBBs hilltop mansion perched in the heart of Minna. Gloomy face The meeting between both men reportedly lasted two hours and neither of the parties disclosed what was discussed behind closed doors. When Atiku emerged from the meeting, he kept a straight face and disappeared into his car as journalists besieged his convoy. Vanguard reports that Atiku wore a long, if gloomy face because IBB had told him during the meeting to shelve his 2019 presidential ambition. Pulse hasnt been able to independently verify that version of events. Vanguard writes that; The ambition of the former president hit a brick wall as Gen. Babangida was said to have advised him to drop his presidential ambition. "Atiku, who was besieged by anxious journalists immediately after the long meeting, snubbed them as his security aides prevented them from even going close to him. Please pave way; he is not ready to speak with you, the body guards chorused, as their boss made straight for his waiting vehicle that drove him to the airport. At the airport, the former Vice President also shunned party supporters and journalists who had waited patiently to bid him bye-bye. Wearing a long face, the former vice president walked straight into the aircraft; a development Vanguard gathered arose from the negative nod from President Babangida to his presidential aspiration. Harmonising positions However, an aide of Atiku's told Pulse that both politicians spoke about the forthcoming PDP convention and how to forge the opposition party into a force capable of giving the PDP a run for its money. Atiku formally defected to the PDP on December 3, 2017. The aide also said both politicians compared notes and discussed throwing their weight behind a consensus PDP chairmanship aspirant. PDP delegates will elect their chairman from a list of nine contestants this weekend. They spoke about party unity and working together to beat the APC in forthcoming elections. You know Oga (Atiku) has just returned home (PDP) from the APC. Since he has just come back, it is normal that he embarks on these courtesy visits to PDP chieftains as a mark of respect. "They also spoke about the national convention of the PDP. Thats what this was all about, really. It was a stock taking meeting, a media aide of Atikus toldPulse. Atiku is gunning for the nations number one job for the umpteenth time on the platform of the PDPa party he helped found in 1999. Kathryn Rossetter, who played alongside Dustin Hoffman in a 1983 to 1985 Broadway production of Death of a Salesman, made the allegation in a guest column for a Hollywood daily. By India Today Web Desk: The past few months have been filled shocking molestation allegations against powerful men, starting with Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey. And now, it is Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman was accused of molesting an actress, who worked with him in the 1980s. Kathryn Rossetter, who played alongside the Oscar-winning actor in a 1983 to 1985 Broadway production of Death of a Salesman, made the allegation in a guest column for The Hollywood Reporter. advertisement Rossetter said it had all begun well, and Hoffman had even helped her get the role on Broadway. He aksi introduced her to his wife. However, things took a deadly turn. During a performance in Chicago, Rossetter wrote, "I felt his hand up under my slip on the inside of my thighs," the start of abuse that happened "almost every show," she said. "He kept it up and got more and more aggressive." She even provided graphic details of her ordeal, "Dustin would whisper, 'higher, higher,' trying to get me to move up his pants legs toward his genitals. I didn't do it." Previously, Anna Graham Hunter said that Hoffman had put his hands on her buttocks, and made suggestive comments when she was 17. When questioned, Hoffman said he did not remember that episode from more than 30 years ago. He added that he did not believe he had done harm, and that his conversations on the set were typical of those among members of a "family." ALSO WATCH: Harvey Weinstein to Kevin Spacey, Hollywood's dirty secret is exposed --- ENDS --- The Trump administration had made the WTO a preferred target of its "America First" policy, threatening to pull America out of the trade organization it says is hampering its ability to compete. Expectations of any kind of a breakthrough at the Buenos Aires meeting are low. "There are several subjects on the table. On any of them, we may have some convergences on certain topics, or not, I don't know," was the underwhelming assessment of WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo at a briefing at the end of November. Argentina's Susana Malcorra, who will preside over December 10-13 meeting, was more upbeat recently, saying a deal was likely to end harmful fisheries subsidies, keenly of interest to developing countries. She was also positives about the prospects of a EU-Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) trade deal finally coming to fruition 18 years after talks first began. "In a context where global trade has been called into question, it is fundamental that two such considerable markets announce they are ready" to seal a deal, she told AFP. US blamed for holdups EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom hinted on Tuesday that talks between the two sides could continue into 2018, the key stumbling blocks being beef and the ethanol trade. Washington has been blamed for blocking appointments of judges to the WTO's dispute settlement system, saying it was ineffective and insisting on a more aggressive approach to defending its interests. The dispute body arbitrates international rows over subsidies or tariffs, among other things playing an important role in the standoff between US and European plane-makers Boeing and Airbus. "The appellate body will be down to four members from its regular seven-member contingent from the middle of next month," lamented a Geneva trade official. WTO critics say it has failed to shunt forward the so-called Doha round of trade talks, despite 15 years of effort, and point to the body's apparent powerlessness in dealing with problems posed by China, which joined the WTO in 2001. Beijing wants to be seen by the WTO as a "market economy" but the Europeans and the United States -- for once on the same wavelength on trade issues -- oppose any such recognition, a distinction which would entitle it to preferential economic treatment under WTO rules. It is currently classed as a non-market economy, which allows the US and others to use a special recourse to levy anti-dumping duties against it if they decide that it is selling its goods -- chiefly steel and aluminum -- at unfairly low prices in other countries. A European diplomat in Buenos Aires said protectionist US rhetoric may have motivational effects on negotiations between the EU and Mercosur. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime," Guterres said in a statement. Guterres put the death toll at "at least 12" but a statement from the UN's peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, said later that 14 were killed. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo -- a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. MONUSCO is believed to have been targeted on Thursday by the Ugandan Muslim rebel group ADF, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region, according to Congolese military sources. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." He said at least five Congolese soldiers were also believed to have been killed in Thursday's attack. The medical evacuation of causalities is continuing, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene, he said. 500 dead since June MONUSCO, a 18,000-member force, has suffered scores of attacks since its establishment in DR Congo, a vast, mineral-rich but chronically unstable nation home to myriad warring groups and ethnic groups. The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12. The ADF has been accused by Kinshasa and the UN mission of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014. Human Rights Watch has documented more than 500 civilian deaths, at least 1,087 people kidnapped, and 11 reports of mass rape in North Kivu alone since June. The UN estimates that more than four million people are internally displaced in DR Congo, and 922,000 people were forced to flee their homes last year -- more than in any other country. Guterres warned in October against budget cuts to MONUSCO, the UN's largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission. The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said on Twitter he was "outraged" by Thursday's violence. The country has also faced violence after President Joseph Kabila, who was supposed to step down after his final term last December, pushed back a new vote until December 2018. Kabila, in power since 2001, told the UN General Assembly in September that he was moving "towards credible, transparent and peaceful elections" but concerns persist that tensions over the vote will escalate into large-scale violence. "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh (IS)," Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. "Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time," he said, hailing Iraq's "heroic armed forces". As the authorities announced a public holiday on Sunday "to celebrate the victory", Abadi said in a speech at the defence ministry that Iraq's next battle would be to defeat the scourge of corruption. IS seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014. With Iraq's army and police retreating in disarray at the time, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, spiritual leader of the country's majority Shiites, called for a general mobilisation, leading to the formation of Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units. Iraq's fightback was also launched with the backing of an air campaign waged by a US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists in fierce urban warfare. The US State Department hailed the end of the jihadists' "vile occupation" but cautioned that the fight was not over. "The United States joins the Government of Iraq in stressing that Iraq's liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against ISIS (IS), in Iraq is over," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. The coalition, meanwhile, tweeted, using an Arabic acronym for IS: "Congratulations to the government of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces on the liberation of all Daesh-held populated areas in Iraq." Hisham al-Hashemi, an expert on jihadist groups, warned that IS still posed a threat by retaining arms caches in uninhabited desert zones. Iraq's close ally Iran already declared victory over IS last month, as the jihadists clung to just a few remaining scraps of territory. But Abadi said at the time he would not follow suit until the desert on the border with Syria had been cleared. The jihadists' defeat is a massive turnaround for an organisation that in 2014 ruled over seven million people in a territory as big 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. On Thursday, Russia's defence ministry said its mission in support of the Syrian regime to oust IS had been "accomplished" and the country was "completely liberated". In the border region, pro-government forces and US-backed Kurdish-led forces are conducting operations to clear IS fighters from the countryside north of the Euphrates valley after ousting them from all Syrian towns. IS retains capacity The head of Iraq's Joint Operations Command set up to fight IS, General Abdel Amir Yarallah, gave an update on Saturday to announce that the desert valley of Al-Jazira was under the control of Iraqi troops and the Hashed all the way from Nineveh province in the north to Anbar in the west. Federal forces "now control the border with Syria from Al-Walid border crossing to that of Rabia", covering a distance of 435 kilometres (270 miles), he said. Despite the victory announcements, experts have warned that IS retains the capacity as an insurgent group to carry out high-casualty bomb attacks using sleeper cells. Abadi's victory announcement came the same day as Iraqi forces said they killed 10 IS members in a tunnel near the northern city of Kirkuk and recovered armaments. IS also retains natural hideouts in the deep gorges of Wadi Hauran, Iraq's longest valley stretching from the Saudi border up to the Euphrates River and the frontiers with Syria and Jordan. The fightback in Iraq kicked off with the "liberation" of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, that had been under IS control for nearly 10 months. The operations have involved both Tehran, through Iranian-trained Shiite militias in the Hashed al-Shaabi coalition, and Washington as head of the anti-jihadist coalition. The western cities of Ramadi and Fallujah followed in 2016 before the turning point of the recapture of Iraq's second city of Mosul in July this year after a nine-month offensive led by a 30,000-strong federal force. Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here. OK , We're sorry, this article is not currently available When the pirates noticed police movement, they opened fire at them. After a gun battle, the police nabbed four Bangladeshi terrorists. By Arindam De: In what seems like a scene straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster, teams of police and commandos under the leadership of SP Baruipur, Arijit Sinha, engaged more than half a dozen dreaded pirates into a firefight that lasted the entire night. Just one pirate managed to escape under the cover of fog and darkness. The police team recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition and a boat with Bangladesh registration number. advertisement Intelligence inputs from agencies, which came in earlier in the week, indicated that a group of Bangladeshi miscreants have camped deep inside the Sundarbans and the local police then started preparations for a planned ambush. A team was set up under the leadership of Baruipur SP Arijit Sinha. Local police from the Kultoli and Moipith Thana were roped in too. The team gathered further intel and moved in late Friday night. The pirates, noticing movements, fired indiscriminately at the police team and a nightlong firefight soon kicked off. After a few hours, police was able to nab four Bangladeshi pirates. Sources said that the arrested pirates are - Israfil Ghazi, Saidul Ghazi, Momin Ghazi and Ziaur Rehman Ghazi. At least seven guns were recovered from them and a large quantity of ammunition was found. Police sources said that the preliminary tip off was received after interrogating five pirates, nabbed from the Matla river, in late October. SP Arijit Sinha said, "Those arrested from the Benifilly are involved in running a kidnapping and extortion racket. Besides looting ships and boats, they used to kidnap cargo ships' crews and demanded ransom. They have accepted their crime." "One pirate jumped into the river and escaped on Friday night. We have launched a search operation," he added. Some 4,000 square km area of the 10,000 square km delta falls in India. With tides coming in and going out four times a day, this area is a largely uninhabited and unpoliced. Law enforcement agencies find it impossible to police what is dozens of rivers and thousands of sub channels. This has been a favourite route for smugglers and now security agencies fear that terrorist elements are using this riverine route to bring in arms, ammunition, explosive and operatives to India. --- ENDS --- Ralphie May's cause of death has been released by the Clark County Coroner's office in Nevada. ADVERTISEMENT "Our Coroner/Medical Examiner has determined that Ralph May, 45, of Nashville, Tenn., died on Oct. 6, 2017, from Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease," said the official Twitter account of Clark County alongside a photo of the comedian. "The manner of his death was natural. We extend our sincere condolences to Mr. May's family and friends," they continued. May died in a private residence in Las Vegas from cardiac arrest after battling with pneumonia. The former "Last Comic Standing" finalist had performed a stand-up set the night before despite being ill for six weeks. May, a finalist on the inaugural 2003 season of NBC's "Last Comic Standing" reality competition, had won the Casino Comedian of the Year award at the Global Gaming Expo two days before his death. He is survived by his estranged wife Lahna Turner and their two children, daughter April June, 10, and son August James, 8. Mumbai woke up to a foggy Saturday, a weather not usually seen in the city not really known for its winters. The IMD, however, predicted mainly clear skies for the city. Commuters staged a rail roko at Vasind, on the outskirts of Mumbai, after trains were delayed due to poor visibility By India Today Web Desk: Mumbai is known for its wet monsoons. Not so much for its gentle winters. A thin jacket is often enough for Mumbaikers, as citizens of the Maximum City are called, to labour through a winter that Delhi usually makes fun of. Which is why the city was surprised when it woke to something unexpected in the air - fog. Such was the surprise that Vishal Dadlani, one half of the famous music composer duo Vishal-Shekhar, wondered if anyone else was "freaking out" at the "unnatural fog" in the city. Anyone else freaking out at the unnatural fog in Bombay? Or is it just at the airport?- VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) December 9, 2017 advertisement And, freaking out they were - commuters at the Vasind railway station, located on the Central Railway suburban line, got on to the tracks and staged a 'rail roko' to protest what they assumed was railway authorities' incompetence in ensuring that trains run on time. However, officials from the Central Railway soon clarified that they delays were because of the surprise fog and the resultant low visibility that was present in the Mumbai suburban section beyond Kalyan, a small town located on the outskirts of the mega city. Photos tweeted out by users on Twitter - some unverified with regards to authenticity or timing of the photos - showed a gloomy sky and fog dense enough to soften the sun's strong rays. Mumbai: Visuals of fog from Sion and Wadala pic.twitter.com/DqBSvxYPxq- ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 Adding a sense of intrigue to the unusual skies in Mumbai was the Indian Meteorological Department's regional centre in Mumbai, which predicted "mainly clear" skies on its official website, suggesting the fog was likely a passing phenomenon. Theres a brighter side to everything. The Mumbai fog has made the Ambani monstrosity called Antilia disappear this morning. pic.twitter.com/nj68eZHlZK- Rahul Fernandes (@newspaperwallah) December 9, 2017 WATCH | Air Pollution Plunges New Delhi Under Thick Veil of Smog --- ENDS --- 'I have been a court reporter for many years and have not seen such blatant suppression of those who are fighting for human rights, suppression of freedom of expression, and linking it to terrorism.' Aakar Patel on what he saw at a terrorism trial court in Turkey. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com I am writing this in Istanbul where I am attending a terrorism trial in court as an observer. The trial is that of the chair and director of Amnesty International Turkey. Some readers may know that I am also part of the global movement, and am the executive director of Amnesty India. My colleagues, Idil Aser and Taner Kilic, are part of a group of people who are standing trial on charges of being members of a terrorist organisation. Idil was given bail a few weeks earlier and I met her outside the court, but Taner is still in prison in Izmir, which is about 500 km from Istanbul, and joined the trial by video link. He has been in jail since June. The activists were charged after a workshop on digital security that was held in a hotel. The government claims, absurdly, that this was a secret meeting that was organised to spy and participate in a coup. Two foreign nationals, a German and a Swede, are also on trial in the matter but out on bail. The case is thin on substance and the main accusation against Taner is that he had downloaded an app on his phone. This app, called Bylock, is used for encrypted communication, like WhatsApp. The Turkish government claims that Bylock was used by supporters to communicate secretly before a coup attempt last year. The claim about Taner is without foundation. Amnesty conducted two forensic examinations of Taner's phone, including one by the international technology firm SecureWorks, and found zero trace of the ByLock app on the phone. This was confirmed by an expert in the court hearing that I was present at and I'll give some more details about that. We began the day in the morning, when a group of us organised a protest outside the Justice Palace (as it is called), a large and modern circular building with many courtrooms. The protest was well attended by different civil society groups and individuals despite the fact that it was bitterly cold and windy. The foreign observers included the Amnesty chairs of Brazil and the UK, and also diplomats from the European Union and the United States. A statement was read out in support of the human rights defenders. Taner's 19-year-old daughter Gulnihal was with us and we were in good spirits. The court could hold about 120 people in it besides the lawyers and other officials and every seat was taken and there were people outside who could not get in. The court had three judges, two men and a woman, in black robes with an upturned red collar. They sat on a raised platform, as judges do in India. Interestingly, the prosecutor also sat with them, to one side. This man I heard speaking only once briefly during the entire hearing, which went on for more than six hours. Most of this time was taken up by the defence of Taner. The defence had an expert witness who spoke at length on the issue of the app Bylock. Taner's phone had been returned to him by the police after they had made a copy of the software on it. The expert concluded that there was no chance that he had ever downloaded Bylock. In his witness statement Taner said he had not even heard of the Bylock app until after the coup attempt. Despite this, during the first hearing, he had not been granted bail. After that hearing, my colleague John Dalhuisen said, ":It took the prosecutor more than three months to come up with nothing. It should not take the judge more than half an hour to dismiss the case against them." The case was not dismissed, and continued into the second hearing that I am describing. The senior judge, who sat in the centre, had a few questions of the expert, and in all of the time it seemed to us that the day had decisively gone in favour of the truth. The trial was conducted entirely in Turkish, with the exception of a very few English words (like "IP address" and, of course, "Bylock", but it was not difficult to gauge the impact the expert's testimony had made). Taner made a direct and unemotional plea to be released on bail, given that there was no evidence against him. The prosecutor spoke the one line I heard him speak the entire day. He said the State opposed bail. At the end of the six or so hours, the courtroom was emptied of all but the lawyers and the accused. We were asked to wait outside. We were informed later that bail had been denied, and the news hit all of us but it devastated young Gulnihal. I have been a court reporter for many years and have not seen such blatant suppression of those who are fighting for human rights, suppression of freedom of expression, and linking it to terrorism. I wish the Indian government had sent a representative also to the trial and I hope it does it for the next hearing. This is an issue which we must take up with Turkey. As an Indian and as a student of history, I was disappointed by what I saw in Turkey. We have close cultural ties with the Turkic people, from before that time that the Turks actually came to Turkey about 1,000 years ago. Most of the Islamic rulers of India were actually Turkish. Mahmud Ghazni was of Turkish origin, Babur was a Chaghatai Turk and Tipu of Mysore called himself 'Sultan' because he also claimed Turkish ancestry. I wish the government representing such a great and storied group of people had conducted itself better in the matter of the trial of my colleagues, who are working for the rights and the betterment of the Turkish people. Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own. 'Modi's political economy is more inspired by Indira Gandhi than Vajpayee.' 'She so wanted an Opposition-mukt Bharat.' 'Sounds familiar?' asks Shekhar Gupta. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi mocks Indira Gandhi while addressing an election rally in Morbi, Gujarat, November 29, 2017. Photograph: PTI Photo One reason I so love my job as a journalist is that I also love to tell stories. It's a regret, therefore, that I do not have many stories for my columns on Indira Gandhi's birth centenary. I was 27 when she died. Yet, given how limited VVIP security used to be, I found myself close to her on two occasions. She was out of power in the summer of 1979, and going to Srinagar on what used to be the only flight to the city, an Indian Airlines HS-748 Avro (IC-421), which did the daily Delhi-Chandigarh-Jammu-Srinagar hop. It was for a few minutes during her Chandigarh stopover. I managed to get close enough to ask her a few questions. More lasting than the story was the memory it left behind, a black and white picture of that little chat, with Giani Zail Singh and V N Tewari (former Congress minister Manish Tewari's father) listening with great attention. My second, and last, opportunity was more insightful. It had to wait for four years until February 1983. On February 18, the great massacre of Nellie took place 120 km east of Guwahati during Assam's widely unpopular election. More than 3,000 Muslims had been slaughtered that morning. The next day she came to visit the spot. She stormed out of the helicopter as soon as the rotors stopped. But the dry sand they had churned from the post-winter floodplain swirled in the air. Mrs Gandhi covered her nose with her pallu, but it didn't hide her anger. 'Teen hazar musalman mar gaye, iss ka kaun jawab dega, aap? (3,000 Muslims have been killed. Who will be held accountable?),' she scolded R V Subramanian, then chief administrator of the state (as chief advisor to the governor) under President's Rule. Then she found Inspector General of Police (law and order) K P S Gill. 'Aap sab so rahe thhe kya? (Were you all asleep?)' Both listened in silence like contrite schoolboys. Then she wiped her face with the pallu and said, 'Uff, kitna dhoola padta hai! (What godawful dust!)' I thought of a Satyajit Ray interview in which he talked about a day-in-the-life-of type of documentary he was making on Mrs Gandhi. As she went through -- or pretended to go through -- her daily chores, adjusting the odd chair in her living room or shifting a picture, she picked up a dust-coated framed portrait of her father and seemed looking for a mop. 'Why don't you dust it with your saree pallu? It will be a great shot,' suggested Ray. Mrs Gandhi said 'no'. 'Why not, Mrs Gandhi? Don't you have sentiments for your father?' Ray apparently asked. 'I do,' said Mrs Gandhi, 'but I don't have sentiments for dust.' That fraught and short morning in the dusty Brahmaputra Valley didn't mark one of Mrs Gandhi's finest moments. But the decision that led to it counts among her toughest. A popular and mostly peaceful mass movement against 'foreign nationals' had raged in Assam for four years. Such was its sway that even the supply of crude oil from its oilfields had been blocked. The state had no control. This forced election, despite popular boycott, was the Indira way to restore authority. It cost -- in my estimate -- 7,000 lives in just over a fortnight, a majority of them Muslims. How would history assess her for this? This exercise of State power was brutal, cynical, and violent. She installed an elected government even if polling was lower in many constituencies than in the Kashmir valley: A minister got 100 per cent of the votes cast, all 266. His opponent couldn't even cast his own because of protests. She wasn't one to bother. This ruthless side had become evident even during her bumbling early phase of being 'goongi gudiya' (dumb doll -- Ram Manohar Lohia's infamous description for her) in Parliament. Much like her son later, she had been catapulted to prime ministership by a sudden death, that of Lal Bahadur Shastri. India was recovering from a string of withering wars (1962 to 1965), combined with food shortages. She was weeks into her new job when Mizo rebels took over Aizawl, and were about to over-run the treasury and the Assam Rifles garrison. She did something nobody has done before or since: Use the Indian Air Force to strafe Aizawl. It is criticised now, but it saved the day then. From strafing Aizawl to the decisive war in Bangladesh, to the Assam elections of 1983 and Operation Blue Star a year later, the same unforgiving exercise of power, a belief in the supremacy of the State, defined her style. Each of these actions left its scars. But the larger threat to India was permanently removed. Pakistan will never be a two-front threat, and Bangladesh could be a reliable ally. Its social indicators are better than Pakistan's. It's doing better in sport. Even the Dhaka stock exchange beats Karachi's market cap. Mizoram is now the most peaceful tribal state in the north east. In Assam, the mass leaders who blocked oil supplies and the elections of 1983 signed an accord with her son, contested elections, won power twice over, lost it. Today, their rump is a marginal coalition partner with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Similarly, while she was assassinated for Operation Blue Star, Punjab has had normal politics for 25 years. Hers were not the gentle, skilled cuts of a surgeon's scalpel but more like a wood-cutter's scythe. These left scars. These also created her new opposition (much of it out of her own party) and today's non-Congress leadership too. In another column on the 40th anniversary of the Emergency, I had noted that almost everybody who is anybody in today's establishment was jailed as a young leader by her during the Emergency. She did brilliantly on national security through challenging years. But there are two big failures: One, her record at maintaining communal peace was embarrassing for someone who not only claimed to be secular but also was genuinely so. Some of the worst riots took place under her watch. The second, and the greatest, failure was the damage she did to our political economy. Nehru's socialism was gentler. His Left impulse reflected the idealism of his times. Mrs Gandhi's was cynical. She was no liberal romantic, but a Cold Warrior. She used socialism to split the party, and nationalised one industry after another: Banks, coal, petroleum, insurance, nothing was spared. She even blundered into nationalising grain-trade, pucca Communist style in 1973, but panicked under farm distress, the only time that she lost nerve in her lurch to the Left. Some of the damage she did to our Constitution is permanent. She added the word 'socialist' (and 'secular') in the Preamble through an entirely illegitimate and unconstitutional Parliament (in the 6th year of its extended term during the Emergency). From 1991 onwards India has been moving towards a market economy. Yet we can't see any leader with the courage to de-contaminate our Constitution of that illegitimate insertion. Even if the BJP wins a large majority someday and amends the preamble, secularism will go, socialism will stay. The evidence keeps coming. Lately the Narendra D Modi government, instead of reversing her worst economic decision -- bank nationalisation -- threw Rs 2.11 lakh crore to 'revive' banks. Modi's political economy is more inspired by Mrs Gandhi than Atal Bihari Vajpayee. And politics? The method Mrs Gandhi perfected was 'Total Politics'. The entire nation had to be conquered by her party, the Opposition destroyed -- through populism, alliances, smash-and-grab, hook-or-crook, and Article 356. She had as much time for the Opposition as for dust. She so wanted an Opposition-mukt Bharat. Sounds familiar? By special arrangement with ThePrint Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday latched on to tweets by one Salman Nizami who, he said, was a Congress leader to tear into the opposition party for allegedly questioning his parentage. In a stinging attack on the Congress after former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's 'neech aadmi' (lowly sort of a person) remark, he said a leader from the opposition party, who, he claimed, is campaigning for party vice president Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, has sought to know who is his father and mother. At an election rally at Lunawada, the prime minister said India was his father and mother, and like a good son, he will spend his entire life serving the country. "There is one Congress youth leader called Salman Nizami, who is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat. He said on Twitter that Rahul Gandhi's father (Rajiv Gandhi) and grandmother (Indira Gandhi) had sacrificed their lives, while his great grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru) was a freedom fighter. Okay, very good, we do not have a problem with that," Modi said. "Then he (a reference to Nizami) went on to ask that Modi should answer who is his father and mother," he said, quoting from the purported tweets of Nizami. The prime minister disapproved of the use of this kind of language in public discourse. "Do we use this language in public discourse? Do we ask such things, this Salman Nizami is their star campaigner?" Modi said. "What else has he tweeted, he is from Kashmir and he says he wants Aazad Kashmir. He called Indian armed forces rapists," Modi said. Lashing out at Nizami, the prime minister said he has also glorified Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was hanged for his crime. "That person has further said in his tweets that 'ghar ghar se Afzal niklega'. Afzal Guru was sentenced to death by our courts and this man wants every home to produce Afzal. "Do you want Afzal in every home? Can you allow Afzals in Gujarat?" Modi asked the crowd at the rally in Lunawada, Mahisagar district, where the second phase of polling will be held on December 14. "The person who has spoken such things is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi. Should we forgive such people? Is this not an insult to our armed forces. To call our armed forces rapist is not their insult? Should we forgive such people?" Modi asked repeatedly. Modi said he will serve the country till his last breath. "I want to tell those who are asking who is my father and who is my mother... India is my father and India is also my mother. I, the son of Bharat Mata, will serve my motherland till the last breath of my life," Modi asserted. Continuing his tirade over Aiyar's 'neech' remark against him, Modi had on Friday read out a laundry list of 'abuses' poured on him by Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and 'her family members'. At another rally today in Bodeli, Chhota Udaipur district, he asked does he become 'neech' because he was born in a backward community? "Here (at the Bodeli rally) people of OBC communities are sitting. I want to ask them, are we useless as we are born in backward class? Are we useless as we are born in backward community? Should we approve if someone says that we are 'neech'? Modi asked. "It's time to throw such a party out of Gujarat," the prime minister said, stepping up his attack on the Congress. Modi said the Congress is 'abusing' him out of desperation. "They have lost everywhere in elections. They think if they can defeat Modi, then the chair can be kept vacant for their 'yuvraj' (a veiled reference to Rahul Gandhi). As they have (repeatedly) lost elections, they have started abusing me," Modi said. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally for election in Lunawada town of Panchmahal district of Gujarat on Saturday. Photograph: PTI Photo By PTI: Panaji, Dec 09 (PTI The mining industry in Goa has asked the Union government to lower the export duty on high grade ore stating that iron ore exports from Goa are falling. Goa Mineral Ore Exporters? Association?s Secretary Glenn Kalavampara said that the buyers are seeking better grade ore which is above 58 per cent grade. "Industry is really under pressure. There is demand for high grade ore but the exports are not feasible due to the high export duty," he said, adding that export duty on high grade ore should be lowered. advertisement State Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar during his recent Delhi visit has already requested the centre to lower the export duty on the high grade ore. Figures from the State Mines and Geology department showed that for the months of October-November, the exports of iron ore from Goa has fallen by almost 75 per cent compared to the same period last year. For the year 2016, the exports for October-November were 2.84 million metric tones which has come down to 0.68 million metric tones for the same period this year, the statistics revealed. The mining industry which is trying to be back on its feet after the long mining ban was lifted in the year 2014 is now hoping on the lowering of export duty levied by union government on high grade ore. They said that when the mining activity had stopped last year before the rains, as many as 41 iron ore leases were operational, but this time, hardly around ten leases have started their activity. Industry members said that Goa was expecting a decent mining season after the monsoons, But delayed rains and falling prices for low grade ore in the international markets has made it a poor season. The consignments of iron ore from Goa are sent through Mormugao Port Trust, located in Vasco town. PTI RPS BNM --- ENDS --- Every election, PM Modi makes a fervent appeal to supporters to cast their vote first and postpone other works. But, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani preferred to visit a temple first today. Is it because of the caste equation in his constituency? By Prabhash K Dutta: It has been a general trend that Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes an appeal to people, especially young voters, to exercise their franchise in large numbers. PM Modi has used phrases such as "Pahle Matdaan Phir Jalpaan" to exhort voters to cast their ballot with enthusiasm during elections. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, however, preferred visiting a temple in his Rajkot West constituency before going to polling centre. PM Modi's appeal may not have taken away his anxiety of the stiff competition that he is said to be facing from the Congress candidate Indranil Rajyaguru. advertisement Speaking at Agenda Aaj Tak recently, Rupani claimed that he was the only practicing Jain chief minister in the country. But, on the day of voting in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly election, CM Rupani, reportedly, visited a Shiv Mandir in Rajkot before heading to his designated polling booth at the Parivartan Vidyalaya. Live updates are here Rupani cannot be faulted, however, for visiting a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva as his rival Rajyaguru is equally nervous. He organised a three-hour long Mahapuja at his office. Fifty-one Brahmin priests were especially called at his office for the purpose. WHY RUPANI, RAJYAGURU NERVOUS? THINGS TO KNOW Rajkot West is considered as the BJP's safe seat. It has been a traditional bastion of the BJP, which has been holding the seat since 1985. About half the voters of the constituency was born after 1985. Current Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala won the seat - previously known as Rajkot-II - seven times for the BJP between 1985 and 2012 vacating it for Narendra Modi in 2002. However, after Narendra Modi shifted to Maninagar constituency, Vajubhai Vala held the seat till 2012. Vijay Rupani contested from Rajkot West in the bypoll in 2014 after Vajubhai Vala was made governor of Karnataka. Largest constituency in the Saurashtra region, Rajkot West has more than 3 lakh voters. As per caste equation, there are about 42,000 Kadwa Patels, 33,000 Leuvva Patels, 25,000 Brahmins, 35,000 Kshatriyas, 25,000 Baniyas and around 10,000 Jains. Rajkot West is, otherwise, a stronghold of the RSS-BJP but the Congress has tried to exploit the caste sentiment by moving in Indranil Rajyaguru from Rajkot East to Rajkot West. Rajyaguru is a Brahmin and the second richest candidate in the Gujarat Assembly election. Patels are said to be angry with the BJP, largely due to mobilisation by Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel. Smarting under the impact of demonetisation and GST, the Baniyas are also not very happy with the BJP. And, with Rajyaguru in contention, the Congress hopes to attract Brahmin votes in greater number. Under the given circumstances, Rupani has a stiff task of overcoming angry Patidars, anguished trading community and preventing a split of Brahmin vote. Rupani seems to be confident. He insists that there is no competition to him from Rajyaguru. Coming out of the temple with his wife Anjali Ben, Rupani said, "I prayed to God and wished that Gujarat progressed at a fast pace." (With inputs from Ashok Singhal in Rajkot) --- ENDS --- This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WATERBURY Girl Scouts of Connecticut today honored Webster Banks Dawn Morris, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, for her professional achievements and contributions to the community at the 21st Annual Breakfast Badge. Morris, who leads strategic marketing and customer insights for Webster, was one of three influential women in the region to be recognized by the Girl Scouts at the event held this morning in Hartford. I am thrilled and truly humbled to accept this award, said Morris, adding, Its a very special honor and heartwarming to be named among so many accomplished women who have come before me. In todays society, it is important now more than ever to honor women who are making a difference in todays world, said Mary Barneby, CEO, Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Its important for girls to see that there is no limit in achieving their dreams, and Linda Kelly, Karen Lynch, and Dawn Morris are incredible role models for girls and young women in Connecticut. Also honored with the Breakfast Badge was Karen Lynch, president, Aetna, and Linda Kelly, former president of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving was the recipient of the first-ever Community Cares Badge. As a member of the banks Executive Management Committee, Morris oversees brand and affinity, and platform/digital marketing; segment strategy; market research and enterprise analytics; as well as communications and public affairs. In addition, she manages the banks philanthropic strategies and community affairs program across all of its markets. Morris and her two daughters were all Girl Scouts, and both daughters received the Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting. Morris also serves on the Girl Scouts of Connecticut board of directors and is the executive leader of the Webster Womens Initiative, which is dedicated to enhancing womens professional growth. In May 2017, she was honored by the Hartford Business Journal as one of eight Women in Business who are leaving a lasting legacy in Connecticut. A resident of West Hartford, Morris is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She served as a captain in the Armys 530th Supply and Service Battalion, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. For more information about the event, visit gsofct.org. Ives-Groebel named a New Leader in Banking LITCHFIELD Jennifer Ives-Groebl, Vice President and Senior Mortgage Lender with Litchfield Bancorp, has been selected as a New Leader in Banking, a privileged distinction given by the Connecticut Bankers Association and Connecticut Banking Magazine. Ives-Groebl joined Litchfield Bancorp in 1994 and was promoted to Assistant Vice President and Senior Mortgage Officer following her completion of the Connecticut School of Finance and Management in 1998. Ives-Groebl covers both the Torrington and Litchfield offices of Litchfield Bancorp and is well known within the community. JIves-Groebls community involvement includes serving as the Assistant Treasurer with the Torrington/Winsted Rotary as well as serving on the Audit and Public Relations Committees with the Litchfield County Board of Realtors. She was also a member of the Fuessenich Park Partnership and through Education Connection has participated in the Mentoring Program. In regard to Jennifer Ives-Groebl being selected as a New Leader in Banking, Thomas Villanova, President and Chief Executive Officer of Litchfield Bancorp stated, Jennifer is an influential pillar within the banking industry and we are delighted with her growth and development through her years at Litchfield Bancorp. Mambrino named to banks board TORRINGTON Torrington Savings Bank has announced the appointment of Aaron Mambrino to its Board of Trustees. Mambrino is the Global Chief Financial Officer of Dymax Corporation, headquartered in Torrington, Connecticut with additional facilities in Ireland, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore. She is also the Treasurer for the Board of Directors at the Susan B. Anthony Project in Torrington. After receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Post University, Mambrino went on to earn her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Hartford. She is a Torrington native and a lifelong resident of Connecticut. She resides in New Hartford. Edwin G. Booth, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees, said, Aarons strong business background and dedication to the community make her a wonderful addition to our Board. Our Trustees and Management team look forward to working with Aaron to help achieve the Banks financial and community goals. Draper Foundation Fund announces critical needs grants The Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation through the Draper Foundation Fund, the Marion Wm. and Alice Edwards Fund, and through gifts made by an anonymous local donor, has awarded 53 charitable organizations serving some of the areas most economically distressed residents grants totaling $60,000. Grants will help provide the most basic of necessities food, warm clothing and shelter. The following nonprofits received critical needs grants: Barkhamsted Senior Center, Batcheller Early Education Center, Bethlehem Assistance Fund, Bethlehem Food Bank, Bethlehem Fuel Bank, Bronc Callahan Community Fund, Catholic Charities, Inc., Center Congregational Church, Chore Service, Inc., Colebrook Associates, Colebrook Congregational Church, Community Kitchen of Torrington, Connecticut Food Bank, Falls Village Emergency Relief/Fuel Fund, Falls Village Senior Center, Family & Childrens Aid, FISH/Friends in Service to Humanity of Northwestern CT, Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry, Friendly Hands Food Bank, Inc., Goshen Community Care and Hospice, Goshen Good Neighbor Fund, Hands of Grace, Helping Hands Chore Service, Inc., Housatonic Youth Service Bureau, Junior Womens Club of Litchfield Hills, Litchfield Hills Chore Service, Inc., Litchfield Hills Northwest Elderly Nutrition Program, Maria Seymour Brooker Memorial, McCall Center for Behavioral Health, North Canaan Social Services, Northwest Hills Council of Governments Fuel Bank, Operation Overflow, Prime Time House, Salvation Army, Sharon Community Foundation, Sharon Day Care Center, Sharon Food Bank, Susan B. Anthony Project, Inc., The Corner Food Pantry Inc., Torrington Area Youth Service Bureau, Town of Colebrook, Town of Kent Social Services, Town of Norfolk, Town of Warren Social Services, United Church of Christ, Cornwall, Veterans Service Office & Museum, Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut, VNA Northwest, Inc., Washington Community Fund, Inc., Winchester Center Congregational Church, Winsted Area Child Care Center, Inc., Winsted United Methodist Church and Womens Support Services. Established in 1969, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation serves 20 towns in Northwest Connecticut. Its total endowment, comprised of more than 250 funds, has grown from initial assets of $15,000 to more than $94 million. Last year, combined grants and scholarships totaled more than $3 million. Contributed photo /Not for resale GOSHEN Tickets are now on sale for the 23rd annual Litchfield Jazz Festival! This summer, the Festival announces a new weekend of jazz-at-its-finest for 2018. The iconic festival will make its annual appearance on the last weekend of July for the first time rather than its traditional first weekend in August. The move was a response to the Newport Jazz Festival appearing on the same weekend as Litchfield this past summer. You thought Starbucks was waging a war on Christmas when, in 2011, the company's holiday cups featured nutcrackers that bore a coincidental resemblance to the Guy Fawkes mask, at the time a symbol of Occupy Wall Street. You thought Starbucks was taking the Christ out of Christmas when its 2015 cups were plain red to be inclusive of all holiday celebrations. You thought wrong. Its new holiday drink, the Christmas Tree Frappuccino, is here to say: The battle has only just begun. The Christmas Tree Frappuccino, which debuted Thursday, is the latest in 2017's miserable slog of Instagrammable drinks known more for the mythical creatures and flora they supposedly resembled, rather than their flavors, which were immaterial. There was the Unicorn Frappuccino, which tasted like sour birthday cake and shame, followed by the Dragon Frappuccino, the Cherry Blossom Frappuccino, the Zombie Frappuccino, Vampire Frappuccino, and, after we barely escaped pumpkin spice season alive, finally, the Christmas Tree Frappuccino. The drink is a mocha-peppermint milkshake with a matcha whipped cream topped with caramel drizzle (the garland), candied cranberry (the ornaments) and a strawberry on top (the star atop the tree). It looks like chocolate milk topped with wasabi. Or the part of a seven-layer dip where the beans touch the guacamole. It's the color of '70s bathrooms and Oscar the Grouch. It precisely matches several shades on this "guide to mold colors and what they mean." For the record: Green is "just about any type of unwelcome fungus," brown can "very rarely . . . cause brain infections." Which makes sense, because this is only one shade away from the color scheme for the Zombie Frappuccino. More for you The World's Biggest Starbucks Has Augmented Reality Once you get the flavor of broken promises out of your mouth, it's not all bad news: Despite the pukey colors, this is one of the better-tasting stunt drinks that Starbucks has pulled off. It tastes like melted mint chocolate chip ice cream. If you like Thin Mints, you will like this drink - but maybe not the 420 calories that come with a grande, or medium-sized, cup. (The first casualty in Starbucks's war on Christmas: our waistlines.) Last year, on the campaign trail, President Trump addressed the critically important issue of Starbucks's holiday cups. "That's the end of that lease," he said at a rally, referring to the Starbucks in Trump Tower, which is still operating. "If I become president, we're all going to be saying 'Merry Christmas' again, that I can tell you." It looks like he has gotten his wish - but at the expense of a drink that looks like the Grinch. --- The Christmas Tree Frappuccino is available through Dec. 11, at participating stores, as supplies last. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Share your photos and video! Send your pictures and video of snow in your area to photos@chron.com or message them to us on Facebook. Houstonians across the metro area are waking up to white yards and slick streets after an overnight dusting of snow. The first reports of light snow came late Thursday in Katy, Spring and The Woodlands as near-freezing weather blew through the region. The winter weather produced just enough for a few snowballs or maybe even a small snowman, but don't expect a prolonged winter wonderland, say forecasters. Now Playing: Snow falls at the Houston Chronicle building on Southwest Freeway on Dec. 7, 2017. Video: Houston Chronicle READ ALSO: Check out what the rest of Houston is seeing this morning "The problem is that everything is still so warm, so that anything that falls isn't likely to be measurable," said Melissa Huffman with the National Weather Service. "You could see some minor accumulations on some grassy surfaces, but there would be a better chance southwest of Houston." Icy roads Precipitation from an overnight snow combined with two days of rainy weather left Houston roads wet and slick, but largely free of ice deposits. The worst areas for ice reported by Houston TranStar were on bridges and entrance ramps to major highways, including I-10 Katy Freeway, parts of US-290, areas near the Fred Hartman Bridge over the Houston Ship Channel and various farm-to-market roads. As of 8:30 a.m. Friday, Houston TranStar reported ice on the following roads: IH-10 KATY Westbound At SH-99 GRAND PARKWAYExit RampVerified at 7:57 AM on today IH-45 GULF HOV Northbound At FM-1959 DIXIE FARM RDUnknownVerified at 6:44 AM on today IH-45 NORTH HOV Southbound At PARRAMATTA LNUnknownVerified at 6:42 AM on today IH-610 NORTH LOOP Eastbound At IH-69 EASTEXExit Ramp,Left Interchange Ramp,Right Interchange RampCleared at 8:56 AM on today IH-69 EASTEX HOV Southbound At LOOP 494/MC CLELLANUnknownVerified at 6:49 AM on today IH-69 SOUTHWEST HOV Northbound At W BELLFORT AVEUnknownVerified at 6:48 AM on today US-290 NORTHWEST Eastbound At Grand Parkway/ SH 99Exit RampVerified at 6:51 AM on today US-290 NORTHWEST HOV Eastbound At ELDRIDGE PKYUnknownVerified at 6:46 AM on today US-290 NORTHWEST Westbound At Grand Parkway/ SH 99Exit RampVerified at 7:07 AM on today FM-1489 Northbound At IH-10 in Waller CountyUnknownVerified at 12:51 AM on today FM-2978 Northbound At HUFFSMITH KOHRVILLE RDUnknownVerified at 4:13 AM on today FM-359 Northbound At IH-10 in Waller CountyUnknownVerified at 12:48 AM on todayWEST SAM HOUSTON TOLLWAY Northbound At IH-69 SOUTHWESTUnknownVerified at 7:33 AM on today WEST SAM HOUSTON TOLLWAY Southbound At IH-69 SOUTHWESTLeft Interchange Ramp,Right Interchange RampCleared at 8:31 AM on today Overnight Weather experts said freezing temperatures transformed rain into sleet and snow as colder air filtered into East Texas from the north, starting at about 11 p.m. Thursday. Snowfalls should end by about 7 a.m. Friday, according to weather service's local branch. WINTER IS HERE: Watch snowfall in North Texas Aside from the snow, NWS issued a freeze warning for areas just north of Houston including Crockett, College Station and Huntsville. Forecasters advised people to bring pets indoors or make sure they have warm shelter. Sensitive plants should be covered. The weather service forecasted a Houston-area low temperature around 33 degrees Thursday night. Huntsville could get as cold as 28 degrees while Crockett could see temperatures as low as 26 degrees. SNOW FROM YESTERYEARS: That time it snowed in Houston in 2008 and everyone was so excited Forecasters were proved right by the late-night flurries. "Starting to really believe in the likelihood of falling snow tonight," local meteorologist Eric Berger had tweeted Thursday. "Ground too warm for (any) to stick. Probably after most people have gone to bed." Other parts of the state had already seen snow. Eagle Pass and Bracketville woke up to snow on Thursday morning, while snowfall was recorded in Lubbock earlier this week. Scroll through the slideshow above to see Texans enjoying snow. Will Axford is a digital reporter for Chron.com. Read more of his stories here and follow him on Twitter. Half of Gujarat is voting today to elect 89 members to the Gujarat Assembly. Here is a look at the top contests between the BJP and the Congress. Gujarat Assembly Election 2017: A young voter after casting her vote in the first phase of polling. (Photo: Twitter) By India Today Web Desk: Polling is underway in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly election for 89 seats. The votes are being cast in Saurashtra, south Gujarat and Kutch. Of the 89 seats where polling is underway, 48 are in Saurashtra region, six in Kutch and 35 in south Gujarat, where Surat is the key battleground. Rest of the constituencies in the 182-seat Gujarat Assembly will vote on December 14. advertisement The BJP had won 63 of the 89 seats in 2012. The first phase has a many a high profile electoral battles. Read live updates here RUPANI VERSUS RAJYAGURU Rajkot West is the most high profile seat in the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly election as Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is facing tough challenge from Indranil Rajyaguru of the Congress. CM Rupani had won the seat in the 2014 bypoll. This seat has been with the BJP for past 32 years. Narendra Modi had contested election from this seat as Gujarat chief minister in 2002. The Congress has brought in Indranil Rajyaguru from neighbouring Rajkot East to exploit the caste equation in the constituency. Rajyaguru is a Brahmin. The Brahmin community has about 25,000 votes in the constituency of about 3 lakh voters. Patels constitute about 75,000 votes and are understood to be with PAAS leader Hardik Patel. JADEJA TAKES ON GOHIL It is another keenly watched contest as the Mandvi is the BJP stronghold where its candidate Virendrasinh Jadeja is being challenged by senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil. The Congress has moved in Gohil from Abdasa to breach the BJP's fortress here. Both Gohil and Jadeja are kshatriya leaders and contesting from Muslim-dominated seat in Kutch district. Gohil is a sitting MLA from Abdasa since 2014 bypoll. Earlier, he had lost election from the Bhavnagar Rural constituency in 2012 Gujarat Assembly polls. Development is a key issue at Mandvi this election. PATELS BATTLE AT AMRELI Congress's sitting MLA Paresh Dhanani is facing strong BJP contender Bavkubhai Undhad at Amreli Gujarat Assembly constituency. It is a direct fight between two Patel candidates - both claim strong support base in the community. The supporters of Paresh Dhanani have led the campaign spreading words that he would be a strong chief ministerial candidate should he win the election. Dhanani is also said to be close to Rahul Gandhi, the next Congress president. Amreli has sizeable agricultural population. The issues relating to agricultural distress and confusion about minimum support price have been exploited by the Congress here. --- ENDS --- advertisement Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi quelled rumors about the health of President Htin Kyaw on Friday in response to a post on social media indicating that the head of state will soon resign. The Facebook post said Zaw Myint Maung, chief minister of central Myanmars Mandalay region, would replace the ailing Htin Kyaw as president when he steps down. The presidents health is not of concern because he has someone to take care of him, Aung San Suu Kyi said in response to a reporters question during a meeting on the implementation of educational development in Myanmars capital Naypyidaw. It is not known who posted the rumor, and the state counselor, did not elaborate on the state of Htin Kyaws health. A few days ago, Win Htein, a member of the central executive committee of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) who serves as the partys spokesman, said the presidents health is fine, although he has lost 15 pounds. On Thursday, Htin Kyaw, 71, met with the newly-appointed ambassadors from France and Brazil at the presidential palace in Naypyidaw, the Myanmar News Agency reported. He will travel to Japan next week to attend the Universal Health Coverage Forum in Tokyo on Dec. 12-15. Not the first time This isnt the first time that unidentified people have posted unsubstantiated stories on Facebook about the health of the president who is known to suffer from heart problems. In May, the Presidents Office dismissed rumors that Htin Kyaw had submitted his resignation due to poor health while Aung San Suu Kyi was on a trip to Europe, and that he was being replaced by Shwe Mann, former speaker of the lower house of parliament. That is absolutely not true. The [president] is in good health, and it is not true that he submitted his resignation, Zaw Htay, director general of the office, said, according to a report by the online news service Democratic Voice of Burma. At the time, it was unknown who started the rumor and the intention behind it, the report said, though party officials believed it was meant to create political instability in the then 13-month old civilian-led government that had replaced one backed by the military. Police said they would prosecute those responsible for intentionally spreading the rumors which circulated quickly on social media networks amid Myanmars expanding freedoms and internet access, Reuters reported. Htin Kyaw, who was handpicked by Aung San Suu Kyi and took office on March 30, 2016, serves as a proxy president for the 72-year-old Nobel laureate who serves as Myanmars de facto leader. Though the NLD won roughly 80 percent of the votes in the November 2015 general election, Aung San Suu Kyi could not become president because of a clause in the countrys military-drafted constitution barring anyone with a foreign spouse or children from assuming the nations highest political office. The state counselors late husband was a British national as are her two sons. Aung San Suu Kyis 21 months in power have been marked by ongoing warfare between ethnic militias and the government military, a puttering peace process, and an explosion of ethnic and religious tensions in western Myanmars Rakhine state where military crackdowns have forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. Reported by Win Ko Ko Latt for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Myanmar Army soldiers inspect damage to their truck after a mine explosion in Myebon township, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Dec. 8, 2017. UPDATED at 9:11 A.M. EST on 2017-12-11 Four Myanmar army soldiers were injured on Friday when their convoy hit three mines in Myebon township in western Myanmars turbulent Rakhine state, police and state government officials said. The mines exploded as four military trucks from Army Brigade 33 passed through the township just an hour after Rakhine's Chief-Minister Nyi Pu and government officials traveled through the same area, according to a Facebook post by the Rakhine Gazette, the information service of the state government. There was no information about who may have planted the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) or a motive, though township police said they are investigating the scene. In addition to the conflict in northern Rakhine pitting Buddhists against Muslim Rohingya, the Arakan Army, a militia formed in 2009 to protect the interests of the local Rakhine ethnic group, is engaged in fighting with the government army, including in a long-running conflict in northern Myanmar's Kachin State. On Thursday, two IEDs were found in the Htammayit New Town area of Mrauk-U township, the office of Myanmars Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing announced. We dont know yet who did it, but what we can say is that people who dont want instability and peace in Rakhine state did it, said Min Aung, the state minister of municipal affairs. These people want local residents to become worried, but I want to tell locals not to worry because many mines are being found these days, he said. Many border guards and police are deployed in northern Rakhine state, although we cant say that the number is enough. Given the proliferation of IEDs in Rakhine, authorities are working on clearing mines along the Yangon-Sittwe Highway, the major thoroughfare that connects the countrys largest commercial city to Rakhine states capital, said Khin Win Aung, head of Kazukhine village. Mines and material for making explosives are also being unearthed in remote areas. On Tuesday, a group of girls found bomb-making materials near the deserted Muslim village of Kyaut Pandu in violence-wracked Maungdaw township. The Rohingya village has stood empty since its residents fled a brutal military crackdown in response to deadly attacks on police outposts by the Muslim militant group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on Aug. 25. An estimated 646,000 Rohingya have fled Maungdaw and nearby Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships across the border to Bangladesh to escape killings, arson, torture, and rape, by security forces. Thousands of ethnic Rakhine, Hindus, Mro, and other ethnic minority groups also have fled the area, fearing attacks by the Muslim militants who exploded improvised bombs, set fire to villages, and launched additional attacks on police outposts in Maungdaw after the Aug. 25 ambush. Though Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed an agreement to repatriate Rohingya refugees who want to return to northern Rakhine, rights groups have warned that the untenable situation on the ground and continued discrimination against the group may not bode well for those who go back. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday that the Myanmar government must restore peace and stability in the region, ensure full humanitarian access, and address the root causes of displacement before any Rohingya refugees can return voluntarily. On Tuesday, Htin Lynn, Myanmars permanent representative to the U.N. in Geneva, said that Myanmar would begin repatriating the Rohingya within two months. Reported by Min Thein Aung and Thinn Thiri for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Correction: An earlier version of the story erroneously referred to "neighboring" Kachin state. The state is in northern Myanmar and does not border Rakhine state. Though BJP dominated Saurashtra and Kutch regions in 2012 Gujarat Assembly election, it does not seem to be easy for the party this time. Why? By Prabhash K Dutta: In 2012, the BJP won 63 of the 89 seats polling in the first phase of the current Gujarat Assembly election. Of these seats, 33 came from Saurashtra region, which sends 48 MLAs to the Gujarat Assembly. The BJP dominated Kutch region, were it won five of six seats. But, the ruling party is facing stiffer challenge this time in both Saurashtra and Kutch region. advertisement The agitation and aggressive canvassing by PAAS leader Hardik Patel has made sizeable dent in the support base for the party among Patidars, who dominate Saurashtra. The region has been under the BJP influence for more than two decades yet the party has looked nervous this election. Patels constitute only 12 per cent of Gujarat's population but they can swing election results in Saurashtra and south Gujarat. Patidars have been agitating against the BJP government for past two years demanding reservation in government jobs and college admissions. The BJP government - both at the Centre and in Gandhinagar - denied the possibility of a separate quota for Patels citing Constitutional compulsions. On the other hand, the Congress has promised to look for ways to accommodate Patidars' demands if it is voted to power. Hardik Patel has extended his support to the Congress saying that the Patidars have better chance of getting quota if there is a Congress government in Gujarat as the BJP has rejected the same demand. In Kutch region, issues like shortage of drinking water and presence of sizeable Muslim population make the electoral battle tougher for the BJP. Four - Abdasa, Anjar, Bhuj and Mandvi - of the six seats in Kutch have influential size of Muslim voters. The Congress has fielded Adam Chaki from Bhuj to cash in on the local Muslim sentiment. However, with no Patel contesting from Bhuj, BJP MLA Nimaben Acharya hopes to retain the seat. However, the Congress has pinned its hope of doing well in the Kutch region on Muslim-Patel combination. Results will be declared on December 18 but Saurashtra and Kutch look tough nuts for the BJP to crack. --- ENDS --- UPDATE: State police reported Monday night that Elise K. Wenig has been safely located and the alert has been canceled. ORIGINAL: State police said an endangered missing child alert remains active for an Essex County teenager who was last seen Friday. Authorities are seeking the whereabouts of Elise Kristine Wenig, 14, who was last seen Friday at Essex County High School. She may be in the company of her mother, 34-year-old Jennifer Sherman-Wenig, police said. Wenig is white, 5 feet 1 inches tall and 150 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a long black coat along with a black Adidas hoodie, blue jeans and black Nike shoes. She wears pink glasses and has a nose ring. Her mother is white, 5 feet 2 inches tall and 201 pounds with green eyes and red hair. Hanover County firefighters responded to a structure fire Saturday morning at the Mexico Restaurant in Mechanicsville. Crews were dispatched at 9:04 a.m. to the 7100 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike, which is less than a mile east of Interstate 295. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the building. They entered the building and found heavy smoke throughout. After a quick search, they found no one was in the structure and proceeded to locate and extinguish the fire, which was marked under control at 9:24 a.m. There were no injuries. Mechanicsville Turnpike was closed during the incident but has since reopened. I have another important duty to perform today, but this comes before today - that is what a groom in Gujarat's Mandvi had to say after he showed up at a polling booth before going to his own wedding. By Poulomi Saha: Elections are a colourful exercise of the democratic nature of any nation. Adding some real colour to that this morning in Gujarat, which went to the poll in the first phase of its two-part election, was 24-year-old Kunal Dagga of Mandvi, who arrived in all his wedding finery at a polling station in his constituency to cast his ballot. advertisement "I am an Indian first. Voting is very important and it's our duty. Everyone should vote. I have another important duty to perform today, but this comes before today", Kunal proudly told India Today after exercising his franchise in this high-stakes election where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is facing a tough fight from the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress. We asked Kunal what weighed on his mind as his cast his vote. "Development will be the agenda. Mandvi is a beach town and tourism is big here. But more needs to be done to promote this tourism," he told us. Kunal's parents who accompanied him were very proud of him. His mother told India Today, "He has been excited since the morning. He woke up early and was waiting for the clock to strike 8am." Kunal Dagga with his family outside the polling booth in Mandvi (Photo: Poulomi Saha) Kunal Dagga with his family outside the polling booth in Mandvi (Photo: Poulomi Saha) Mandvi is witnessing a close contest between Congress's Shaktisinh Gohil and BJP's Virendrasinh Jadeja. For both candidates, Mandvi is virgin territory. Gohil was a sitting MLA from Abdasa before being pitched by the Congress from Mandvi. Jadeja, on the other hand, lost from the Rapar seat in Kutch in 2007. He will be hoping though that the BJP's winning streak from the constituency will be his lucky charm in 2017. Complete Gujarat Assembly election 2017 coverage WATCH | Modi plans Gujarat strategy in a Deewar warehouse while Rahul runs to the temple --- ENDS --- About 100 members of the Virginia Commonwealth University arts community protested Friday for better wages for adjunct professors in the universitys prestigious arts school. The mix of students, full-time professors and adjuncts met at the compass near the James Branch Cabell Library at VCUs Monroe Park campus before marching to the School of the Arts building on North Harrison Street. The adjunct professors are requesting to be paid about $25,000 a year, more than double what they earn now in an effort to make what they have rallied around as a livable wage. If we value public education, we have to pay our educators, said Kristin Reed, an associate professor in VCUs Department of Focused Inquiry, at the rally. As they marched, protesters chanted: What do we want? Fair pay. When do we want it? Yesterday and Who do we love? We love our students. Who do we love? We love our adjuncts, among others. They held signs that read, Tuition $ to educators not investors and Fair Pay for Adjuncts, the most common sign. Fridays protest capped a months-long fight from the professors, which began in October with a letter to VCU President Michael Rao, Dean of the School of the Arts, Shawn Brixey and VCUarts program chairs and interim chairs outlining their problems with the current pay scale and to request the bump to $2,000 per credit hour. In the letter, professors said pay hasnt been evaluated in the past five years and raised issue with the fact that the university has raised student tuition, but adjunct pay has remained stagnant. Over the past 10 days, the protests organizing group, VCUarts Adjuncts Organizing for Fair Pay, has circulated a petition calling on university administrators to raise their pay. The professors currently make $800 per credit hour. The schools dean has proposed an increase to $1,000 per credit hour starting next semester. Adjunct VCU arts professors currently make a $10,000 average annual salary, according to the petition. The job comes without benefits. The average annual pay for adjuncts across the U.S., according to the American Association of University Professors, is $20,508. Employment with low pay and no benefits continues to limit the adjunct applicant pool and discriminates persons with families, income instability, student loans, and those with little or no safety net, the petition says. By not seriously addressing pay inequity at VCUarts, the school will not remain a top competitive school. The petition has about 1,380 signatures, as of Friday night, and was given to VCU Board of Visitors Rector Phoebe Hall in front of the Cabell Library where the board met Friday. The board did not discuss VCU arts adjunct pay during the public portion of its meeting. Organizers of the protest said Friday that they plan to hold more rallies until they are paid more. In other news, the Board of Visitors also discussed: Fundraising VCU is about 75 percent of the way toward its $750 million fundraising goal. The university has raised $560.9 million since July 1, 2012, Rao said in his presidents report. The campaign was publicly launched last fall, but counts donations back to 2012. Rao said hes spent more time recently soliciting donors, specifically those giving more than $5 million. The target end date of the campaign is June 30, 2020. Demolitions The Board of Visitors approved the demolition of two VCU-owned buildings. The Strauss Research Laboratory Building, 527 N. 12th St., and the Virginia Treatment Center for Children, 515 N. 10th St., are both set for demolition. The demolition of the VTCC will make way for a new adult outpatient care facility and a patient/visitor parking deck. VCU is in the midst of building a new home for the VTCC off Brook Road. The Strauss Research Lab is unused and the university is considering adding an inpatient bed tower and parking deck at the location. New names Two VCU schools are getting new names. The School of Allied Health Professions will now be the College of Health Professions and the School of Engineering will be the College of Engineering. Both name changes are expected to become official next fall. The decisions were made because of nationwide trends to include college in the name. The name changes will be submitted to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia for approval. The Board of Visitors also approved a new 15-credit graduate certificate in public history, a field of history outside the classroom. The new certificate is also subject to SCHEV approval and is expected to start next fall. Master plan The draft of a new VCU master plan is expected next September. The school hired Maryland architecture firm Ayers Saint Gross in September for about $1 million to create a new master plan. The firm presented to the board Friday and said a draft is expected in September 2018 before it is approved next December. Retiring Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, mixed life lessons with a few of his trademark one-liners Saturday in addressing graduates at the fall commencement of Virginia Commonwealth University. Howell, 74, announced in February that he would not seek re-election this year, but would retire after 30 years in the House of Delegates, the last 15 as speaker. Republicans entered the Nov. 7 election with a 32-seat majority in the House but are now clinging to a 51-49 edge, pending the outcome of four recounts. On Saturday, Howell did not mention the politics of the moment. He focused on imparting lessons about the importance of being willing to take risks, give others the benefit of the doubt, get to know people from various walks of life, compromise, and show grace. I genuinely thank VCU for this honorary degree, Howell quipped at the outset, according to his prepared remarks. I frequently get letters from people telling me Im an idiot, so now I can point to my doctorate. In imparting five life lessons, Howell spoke of two Democrats, one of them a good friend, the other a national figure who set an example in the twilight of his life. The speaker related a story about his friend, former Del. Algie T. Howell, D-Norfolk, who attended Saturdays ceremony. The speaker noted that in 1956, Algie Howell tried to join the Air Force. He was one of three African-Americans who took the test in Virginia as part of a larger group. The recruiter told the three that they did not pass. The next day, Algie Howell boarded a bus for New York City, where he took the test again in a group of 70 people. He didnt just pass. He received the third-highest score. Algie says, I learned not to give up, the speaker said. The outgoing speaker also told of former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, a Democrat who was dying of cancer in December 1977 when he called former President Richard Nixon to say goodbye. Nixon, a Republican who defeated Humphrey for president in 1968, had not returned to Washington since his resignation in 1974 amid the Watergate scandal. Humphrey said he wanted his old rival to stand in a place of honor at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, when Humphrey was to lie in state. What a wonderful example of grace this was on Humphreys part, Howell said. VCU said it has a total of 2,900 graduates for August and December, many of whom attended Saturdays main commencement ceremony at the Siegel Center. HOT SPRINGS Republicans finished the November election cycle with stunning defeats. GOP U.S. Senate hopeful Corey Stewart called on party Chairman John Whitbeck to resign. About 400 Virginia party faithful gathered for the partys annual retreat this weekend to analyze what had happened. They agreed they have significant work ahead, especially in reaching out to women and younger voters. While theres no consensus yet on how to do that, the annual Advance gave Republicans a chance to share ideas and network over cocktails and meals at the Omni Homestead Resort in Bath County. Stewart, who wants to be the partys nominee next year against Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told reporters Saturday he no longer wants Whitbeck to resign. We patched things up, Stewart said. We had a heart to heart. Were OK. Im the likely nominee for the U.S. Senate. Hes going to be chairman. Its important that we have a good relationship. Del. Nicholas J. Freitas, R-Culpeper, on Friday evening formally announced his campaign for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate. Another contender, E.W. Jackson, had planned to attend the Advance but apparently got stuck out of state and could not travel because of Fridays heavy snow, said Vernon Robinson, who heads a super PAC called National Draft E. W. Jackson for Senate Committee. This years Advance lacked the enthusiasm of some of the previous retreats, according to numerous Republicans. But they accepted that as the natural result of an election that did not go their way. The point of the retreat is to improve. The Democratic ticket of Ralph Northam for governor, Justin Fairfax for lieutenant governor and Attorney General Mark Herring swept their races Nov. 7, with Northam defeating GOP nominee Ed Gillespie by 9 percentage points. Democrats gained 15 seats in the 100-member House of Delegates a gain even they had not predicted to bring the GOP advantage there to 51-49, pending the results of recounts in four contests. And Virginia Republicans are coping with an unpopular Republican president whose Virginia approval rating in October was at 33 percent, according to the Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University. Republicans have not won a statewide election in Virginia since 2009. The Republicans in Virginia are becoming like the Cleveland Browns. They just cant win a game, GOP radio host John Fredericks said during his morning show on Friday. Nobody is as pathetic as the Cleveland Browns. I just want to get that out there, GOP operative Garren Shipley later responded, sarcastically. But on a serious note, he said, Republicans know they have work and analysis to do. Carlyle Gregory, a GOP consultant, outlined the bad news at a strategy session on Saturday. Gillespie did poorly among women and younger voters, and the GOP lost such areas as Virginia Beach and Henrico and Loudoun counties, places it simply cannot lose without losing the state, he said. Northam outspent Gillespie, while Democratic state House candidates far exceeded Republicans in small donations, and activist groups like NextGen America provided crucial support for Democrats, he said. We are in a tough election cycle, and were going to fight our way through it, Gregory said. Its going to get better. David Poole, executive director of the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project, reminded Republicans during a presentation that Democrats targeted 17 GOP-held House of Delegates districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton carried in the 2016 presidential election. That strategy was not new, he said, but this time it worked. And Democratic candidates were not people who were recruited by the party in many cases. They were inspired by the presidential election, he said. In some districts, you had three and four people standing in line hoping for what is normally a suicide mission to run against an incumbent. Freitas joins GOP field Freitas, 38, said he does not plan to criticize fellow GOP contenders Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, and Jackson, who was the GOPs unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor in 2013. Jackson plans to announce his run on Monday in Chesapeake. Last month, the Richmond Times-Dispatch was the first to report Freitas expected run and Jacksons plan to run. People are not my enemies in general. Theyre just not, Freitas said in his announcement speech. The enemy I have is a world view. Its a world view that we convince people that you are something less than what you actually are. Its a world view that tells people ... that youre a random collocation of atoms, that youre here purely as a mistake of time, chance and matter. And because of that, you need wise overlords in the government to micromanage your life for you and to take care of you. Its a world view that treats free people as if we were subjects instead of citizens. And I despise that world view. Freitas, who served with Army Special Forces during two tours in Iraq, is in his second term as a state delegate. He told a crowded hotel suite of supporters that he wants government to defend liberty, not dependence. This is a movement of people that are tired of being told that they have to accept government subsistence as opposed to everything that liberty has to offer, he said. Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, reacted to Freitas announcement by saying he is part of the most extreme far-right field of Republicans in Virginia history. Stewart caused division in the state GOP during his rambunctious primary campaign for governor this year against Gillespie. Stewart campaigned on support for Confederate monuments and attacked the former Washington lobbyist as an establishment has-been. But Stewarts near-win in the primary gave him political power within the state GOP, and he announced what he said would be a vicious and ruthless campaign against Kaine just a month later. Several candidates and groups on Friday evening hosted hospitality suites where Republicans could gather for drinks and snacks. Among them was John Norton Moore, a law professor at the University of Virginia who is considering running for the U.S. Senate. Moore was principal legal adviser to Kuwaits ambassador to the U.S. from 1991 to 1993, during and after the Persian Gulf War. He was chair of the National Security Council Interagency Task Force on the Law of the Sea from 1973 to 1976. The program for the Advance said a super PAC called Bold Decisive Action was to host a suite with Ivan Raiklin, a former Army Green Beret from Fairfax County who is running for the U.S. Senate. The event did not happen, and Raiklin said he could not discuss it because hes not allowed to coordinate with the super PAC. Im going to run the most positive yet unconventional campaign that has been seen by any party, he said. Stewart said the entry of other candidates into the GOP primary puts more attention on it and helps him with fundraising. GOP in the Trump era Emily Brewer of Suffolk won election on Nov. 7 as a delegate in the 64th House District. She said the GOP should focus on local issues as it moves forward. The House of Delegates isnt D.C. Its Virginia. Its small towns and communities, and its your friends and neighbors, she said. For me, drowning out the noise of D.C. and focusing on local issues is what being a delegate is all about. Radio show host Fredericks, GOP activist Martha Boneta and Pete Snyder who was chairman of Gillespies gubernatorial campaign hosted a suite for Maga Freedom Fighters and Proud Deplorables to celebrate successes of the Trump-Pence administration. (Trumps slogan is Make America Great Again.) The room included a giant teddy bear and Trump cutout. Both wore Santa hats. Former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer introduced Tim Phillips, the president of Americans for Prosperity, who spoke Friday at an opening reception that was not open to the press. Five of Virginias seven Republican members of Congress attended. The two who did not Scott Taylor, who represents the 2nd District based in Virginia Beach, and Barbara Comstock, who represents the 10th District based in Fairfax and Loudoun counties are the two Republican members from Virginia whose districts Northam carried in the governors race. Whitbeck said their absence should not be construed as anything negative about the party. They are out working to be re-elected, he said. Reps. Dave Brat of the 7th District and Tom Garrett of the 5th criticized newspapers over coverage of the tax debate in Congress. The solution for Republicans in Virginia, Garrett said: We have to be open and loud and proud. We have a better message. We didnt come here to retreat. We came here to advance. Republicans at Saturdays luncheon gave Gillespie a standing ovation before he thanked key players in his campaign. The GOP turnout was historic, he said but the Democrats turned out more. Lets make sure that we are getting folks that we know are going to vote Republican on Election Day to register to vote, he said. How much longer will the tense situation between the United States and North Korea continue? On Wednesday, in response to a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea, Pyongyang announced that an outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula has become an established fact. A Foreign Ministry spokesman also claimed that CIA Director Mike Pompeo has made clear Americas intentions to go to war by his bellicose remarks. On Dec. 2, Pompeo said that U.S. intelligence agencies believe North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seems to be unaware of just how tenuous his situation is, both domestically and on the international stage. The spokesman for Pyongyang claims Pompeos remarks were impudent and critical of North Korean leadership. We do not wish for a war but shall not hide from it, and should the U.S. miscalculate our patience and light the fuse for a nuclear war, we will surely make the U.S. dearly pay ... the spokesman threatened. But despite Pyongyangs bluster, Pompeos comments about Kims precarious situation may be accurate. While the exact number of nuclear weapons the dictatorship possesses is unknown, North Korea does have one of the worlds largest armies. Nearly 1.2 million soldiers serve on active duty and as many as 6 million are in reserve. Every North Korean citizen, beginning at age 16 or 17, is required to serve. But North Koreas military is far inferior to American military capabilities. Much of its equipment is obsolete and unusable. And besides the inequalities in weaponry, theres another huge difference between the two military forces that is critical hunger. In 2015, a North Korean career officer who defected told authorities that the North Korean military, like its civilian population, has been hard-hit by food shortages. Promised improvements in living conditions for all North Koreans under Kims reign have never materialized. According to the defector, people no longer trust the pudgy leader. The officer says starvation is rampant. Although Pyongyang spends a quarter of the nations budget on its military, soldiers suffer constantly from hunger. Troops stationed in high-visibility units are well-fed, but for the rest of the military, daily rations often consist of nothing more than a couple potatoes or a little ground corn. His assessments appeared to be confirmed when, on Nov. 3, a 25-year-old North Korean solider defected to South Korea. Dramatic video footage shows him being chased and shot at by fellow soldiers as he crossed the demarcation line between the two nations. He was rescued by South Korean military members and quickly medevaced to a South Korean hospital where he was treated for multiple life-threatening wounds. While operating on the solider, doctors were stunned to find the young mans body riddled with giant intestinal worms and other parasites. He was also diagnosed with hepatitis B. It is likely his poor health is the norm for North Korean troops an has been for some time. In 2012, North Korea was forced to reduce the minimum height requirement for conscripts because the incoming boys who grew up during the deadly 1990s famine are so badly stunted. Military officials reduced the minimum height for males from 145 centimeters (410) to 142 cm. (48). In comparison, the average South Korean high school boy is 172 cm. (58). Perhaps because his military is on the verge of collapse, Kim is desperate to develop and tout nuclear weapons. Intelligence experts believe that North Korea has somewhere between 25 and 60 nukes. Pyongyang is also thought to have developed a miniaturized nuclear warhead capable of being fitted on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). No one is certain whether the regime has developed a warhead capable of surviving re-entry into the atmosphere. Kims attempts to develop nuclear weapons may prove to be for naught. On Dec. 7, the U.S. Air Force announced its researchers are pursuing a new weapon a countermeasure system called CHAMP (Counter-electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project). Its a high-powered microwave weapon capable of jamming an enemys electronic command-and-control signals. While CHAMP is not currently operational, one Air Force official says the system could by deployed in days. By Al Schalow Opium-use and the scourge of addiction came to the forefront after America won the Spanish-American War in 1898. Spain had a system for supplying narcotics to drug addicts in the Philippines. The U.S. War Department had to grapple with the Spanish system after officially taking over the chore of governing the islands. Rather than deal with it as a local problem, the U.S. State Department decided it would be better to address opium-use as an international problem. Britain and China had already engaged in two opium wars. India, America (to lesser extent), and others were engaged in competition for opium supply and shipping routes. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt in response to the Right Rev. Charles H. Brent, Episcopal bishop of the Philippines, and American missionaries and traders in China called for an international opium conference. The first was held in Shanghai in 1909. The second was held at The Hague in 1911. The first international opium agreement was signed in 1912. It mostly addressed opium problems in China and the Far East. *** Back in the United States, the Senate debated a narcotics act bill introduced by Rep. Francis B. Harrison of New York. President Roosevelt had previously received a report from the Holmes Commission indicating that cocaine, and other drugs, had led to loss of lives, increased violent crime, and destruction of families. Patent medicines were widespread and there were no laws governing the use or distribution of narcotics in them. Harrisons bill was designed to regulate and tax the production, importation, and distribution of opiates and coca products. The time seemed right for Congress to take action. With fervent support from Secretary of State William Jennings Bryant, the bill passed Congress. It was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914 and took effect March 1, 1915. After passage of the Harrison narcotics act, people addicted to drugs could not easily get them from physicians. Law-enforcement interpreted a clause in the law to mean that doctors could only prescribe narcotics to patients having a disease. Addiction was not then considered to be a disease. People addicted to drugs were mostly housed in jails, specialized hospitals, and sanatoriums. *** Through the years, there has been a tug of war between the medical profession and law enforcement regarding treatment vs. incarceration for those addicted to drugs. Today, the interpretation of drug laws, prescription narcotic limitations, recreational drug-use, supply and demand issues, and public safety remain topics of debate. Treatment for drug addiction is now divided basically into two camps: Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is the practice of giving those with chronic addiction slow-acting opioids to manage the disease. Abstinence-based programs emphasize social and spiritual aspects to prevent recidivism after a person gets clean of drugs. Solving the drug addiction problem is complex. Science has explained the role that certain drugs play in the release, or blockage, of dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the human brain. Drug addiction is now officially classified as a disease. Measures are being taken to prevent accidental overdoses of narcotics by having Naloxone-type drugs available and educating the public about their use. Federal and local government organizations are working with the medical community and law-enforcement agencies to address the opioid crisis. Regardless of the original purpose of the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, as it was officially called, its passage led to an international discussion of the disease of human drug addiction. When current statistics inform us that 21 million Americans have a drug or alcohol addiction, that 91 Americans die each day from opioid overdoses, that 3.3 million worldwide die each year from alcohol use, and 1.1 billion people worldwide smoke tobacco, we should heed the wake-up call. Again. Follow this live blog for all the latest updates from phase one of the Gujarat Assembly election, as 89 constituencies in Narendra Modi's home state go to polls. By India Today Web Desk: It's the biggest Assembly election of the year. Voters in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state are heading to polling booths in 89 constituencies to answer: Should the BJP, which has now governed the land of Sardar Patel for over two decades, be given another chance? Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace - Porbandar - is one of the constituencies which will elect a new lawmaker today. In Rajkot West, voters will decide if the local MLA, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, will make it back to the Assembly. advertisement Of the 89 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party holds 67 and the Congress 16. One seat each is held by the NCP and JD-U while independents hold the remaining two. There are a total of 24,689 polling booths. Of the 2,12,31,652 voters, 1,11,05,933 are males and 1,01,25,472 females while 247 are from the third gender. HERE ARE THE UPDATES: 6:48PM: Turn out of 68 per cent voters recorded. 6:10PM: "First phase of polling has ended, we are extremely grateful to EC, the officials & voters for peaceful & successful completion of voting. I'm sure, as per the reports that are coming, that BJP is going to register a landslide victory," Arun Jaitley said. 5:30PM: "Few voters in polling booth 4 said their votes are going to some other candidate. Polling Officer said it'll be tested & if it's found to be false action will be taken against them. Those voters left without tests. There's no truth behind such reports," Bharuch District Collector said. 5:06PM: Voting for first phase of Gujarat Assembly election ends, around 60 per cent voter turn out till 4 pm. 4:00PM: Over 1.90 per cent of faulty VVPATs have been replaced so far out of 24,689 units deployed. About 0.37 per cent out of the 26,865 ballot units and 0.38 per cent out of the 24,689 control unit have also been replaced. 2:45PM: Surat recorded a staggering 45 per cent voter turnout till 2pm, taking the overall polling to 45.61. 2:30PM: Some reports suggest that the deadline of voting in various constituencies has been extended till 10 pm due to EMV malfunctioning. 2:25PM: Rajkot recorded about 40 per cent voting till 2pm. 2:25PM: Nearly 51 per cent of voter turnout has been recorded so far in Navsari. 2:20PM: An entire village in Morbi district called Gajadi has boycotted the election, saying that they lack even the basic amenities like water, road and electricity. They allege that no leader or campaigner from either BJP or Congress has till now approached to help them. Not one out of the 1065 voters registered from Gajadi village has cast vote today. Photo: Ankit Tyagi Not one out of the 1065 voters registered from Gajadi village has cast vote today. Photo: Ankit Tyagi advertisement 1:30PM: Southern Gujarat tribal populated district Tapi recorded the highest voter turnout till 12 noon at 38.07 per cent, followed by Morbi in Saurashtra at 36.16 per cent. 1:00PM: #GujaratElection2017 : Voting percentage update till 12 noon.pic.twitter.com/Jjq4TGHdE2- Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) December 9, 2017 12:38PM: Overall around 31 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till now. 12:30PM: Congress leader Shaktsinh Gohil to India Today: EVMs are malfunctioning only in Dalit dense areas. 12:15PM: EVM malfunctioning has delayed the polling process in Vapi, Porbandar and Valsad among other districts. Meanwhile, EC has assured that all defective voting machines are being duly replaced. 12:05PM: According to reports, faulty EVMs are disrupting the polling process in various constituencies across the state. As many as 70 EVMs are being reported to have malfunctioned in Surat and 35 in Rajkot. 11:40AM: In an exclusive chat with India Today, former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta today said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made BJP 'bechaari' before him. Mehta who quit BJP in 2007 added, "Pity of democracy that instead of logic, BJP is aggravating Hindu-Muslim feelings..." 11:30AM: Bhavnagar records 11.91 per cent voting in the first two hours. advertisement 10:30AM: Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel casts vote in Bharuch's Ankleshwar, exuding confidence, says Congress will win more than 110 seats. 10:04AM: About 11-12 per cent voter turnout recorded overall. 10:04AM: Talking about first-time or young voters, reports of to-be weds casting their votes before the ceremony is raking a storm on social media. A bride in Baruch casts vote before heading for her wedding ceremony. Photo: ANI 10:04AM: Cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara casts his vote in Rajkot's Ravi Vidayalaya booth. 9:53 AM: Surat records 8.50 per cent voter turnout in the first hour of polling. 9:00 AM: Chief Minister Vijay Rupani casts his vote in transit Vidya Mandir of west Rajkot. 8:40 AM: Congratulating first-time voters, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "Participation of voters is the soul of democracy," hoping for Gujarat to vote in large numbers. 8:25 AM: BJP Gujarat Chief Jitubhai Vaghani casts his vote in Bhavnagar. "We face no obstacle, confident of winning all seven seats here," he said. 8:15 AM: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani offers prayers at a temple in Rajkot. Gujarat Chief Minister with wife Anjali Rupani offer prayers at a temple in Rajkot before casting vote. advertisement 8:00 AM: Voting across 89 constituencies spread out in the 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and southern regions begins. 7:40 AM: Here's Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's message. My Dear Citizens, Your vote is crucial. Please exercise your franchise and affirm your right of nation building.- Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp) December 9, 2017 7:37 AM: FUN FACT | Which seat has the maximum number of candidates? First phase: Maximum candidates contesting on a seat are 27 from Jamnagar Rural. Minimum are 3 from Jhagadia and Gandevi #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/ZHprC6x6YI- ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 6:47 AM: Gujarat voters, here's a message for you from the prime minister. Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise.- Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 6:41 AM: KEY BATTLE | Vijay Rupani, Gujarat's chief minister, will be challenged in Rajkot West by Congress candidate Indranil Rajyaguru. A businessman, Rajyaguru is the richest candidate contesting the Gujarat election. 6:40 AM: KEY BATTLE | Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil will take on the BJP's Virendrasinh Jadeja in Mandvi, a traditional BJP seat. Both are Rajputs. Many consider Gohil to the Congress party's chief ministerial choice. 6:08 AM: Kachhh, Surendranagar, Morbi, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Botad, Narmada, Bharuch, Surat, Tapi, Dangs, Navsari and Valsad: These are the districts that will go to the polls today. 6:07 AM: UNDERSTANDING GUJARAT | The BJP are favourites to win this election, but it may not be a cakewalk for the saffron party - thanks to the troika of Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani, and Alpesh Thakor. Click here to read Uday Mahurkar's piece in our magazine and learn why. WATCH | Bus Gujarat with Preeti Choudhry: Capturing the poll pulse of the state --- ENDS --- It takes a special kind of winter storm to spread a continuous path of snow from Texas to New England, but its slushy results here in Richmond fell short of any daily records. Richmond International Airport observed 2.4 inches of snow for Friday, and the preliminary storm total budged to 2.6 inches by early Saturday afternoon. Totals from backyards across the Richmond metro area ranged from 2.5 to 5.5 inches, according to the National Weather Service, with the northwestern side generally on the higher end of that range and areas to the south and east of downtown on the lower end. The liquid equivalent of Richmonds rain and snow between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon was at least 0.87 inches. If so much of the snow hadnt been lost to melting both as raindrops in the sky and slush on the ground there would have been enough moisture for a layer of snow 9 or 10 inches high. There isnt another significant snow-maker on the horizon, but flurries might return to the area later in the week. Theres a brief but strong cold snap to get through first, and that will be the main quality-of-life impact in this weeks forecast. In the short term, highs will trend warmer, and much of this areas snow cover should be gone by Monday afternoon. Expect readings near 40 on Sunday afternoon, then mid-40s for Monday and upper 40s on Tuesday under mostly clear skies. A dry cold front arriving on Tuesday will be the leading edge of another cold air mass that will be in full force on Wednesday. Richmond can look forward to lower 20s at daybreak with a northwest breeze that will make it feel like 10 to 15 degrees. Wednesdays high should only be in the lower 30s, which is closer to the average low for this time of year. The low could easily drop into the upper teens for Thursday morning. That will be our coldest spell of weather in the week, and the coldest so far this season. Thursday afternoon wont be quite so bitter, but another clipper low tracking across the Great Lakes and Northeast could bring some flurries to Virginia sometime that day or Thursday night. The better chance may miss us to the north, but there are a few days to see how the details will work out. Next weekend is shaping up to be less wintry as an upper-level trough retreats to the north and allows a southwesterly flow to warm the eastern U.S. Some highs in the 50s could return Saturday or Sunday, but rain cant be ruled out yet. State troopers had fewer crashes to work Saturday in central Virginia from the snowstorms peak on Friday, but Dominion Energy crews were kept busy throughout the day with new outages as snow-laden limbs and trees snapped and damaged power lines and poles. From 4 p.m. Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday, Virginia State Police responded to 279 crashes on major roads in the 21 counties and four cities that make up its Richmond division. But as road conditions improved, the volume of crashes slowed Saturday between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., when troopers responded to only 37. So things have slowed down significantly, police spokeswoman Sgt. Keeli Hill said at midafternoon Saturday. The majority of crashes since police began counting them at 4 p.m. Friday involved property damage. A few motorists were injured but none seriously, and no one was killed, Hill said. Although the numbers fluctuated during the day, Dominion Energy reported an uptick in outages in the Richmond-Petersburg region from 8,680 at 10:30 a.m. to 12,337 at 4:15 p.m. But the numbers began to fall again late Saturday afternoon and stood at 7,737 at 6 p.m., the utility reported. At 6 p.m., Henrico County had the most outages at 1,893, followed by Richmond with 1,611 and Chesterfield County with 1,328, the utility reported. Goochland, Hanover and Powhatan counties and Petersburg had 789, 767, 719 and 515 outages, respectively. Weve seen the number of work locations increase pretty significantly this afternoon, which means theres new damage and new outages, Dominion Energy spokesman Rob Richardson said Saturday afternoon. So we were looking at more than 900 work locations across the system, and most of those are in central Virginia, and its just from the trees. The snow is heavier and wetter than what was predicted. So thats why weve seen new outages today and new work locations. Richardson said most of the damage is from trees or branches falling on power lines. And in some cases the power lines have snapped or have been broken, and the cross arms are broken, he said. But in some cases, fixing it is as simple as removing the trees or the branches from the power line, and then getting the line energized. But in some areas, you cant get a typical bucket truck back there to do some repairs, Richardson said. So we got guys that have to climb the utility pole and make the repairs that way, and of course that takes a little bit longer for that work to occur. The Virginia Department of Transportation said it was well-prepared for the storm in terms of equipment and materials to clear or treat roads. The agency reported having on hand 1,261 pieces of equipment, 62,000 tons of salt, 23,000 tons of sand and 217,000 gallons of brine for the 14 localities in VDOTs Richmond District. Those numbers will likely change throughout the season, spokeswoman Bethanie Glover said. Crews will be replenishing salt and sand as needed. No brine was used in the Richmond District prior to this storm, since it began as a wet mix and would have washed away any pre-treating materials applied. State police said the most serious crash they handled during the storm occurred about 1 a.m. Saturday, when a tractor-trailer hauling seven cars overturned on Interstate 295 in eastern Henrico, just south of U.S. 60. Police said the driver, Larry Cruz of Miami, lost control of the truck and ran off the road. Cruz was the only person in the truck and was unharmed. He was charged with reckless driving. The storm prompted the cancellation of several major events on Saturday, including three Virginia High School League football championship games. Those games have been rescheduled for Sunday. The 25th annual James River Parade of Lights also was canceled due to what organizers said were unsafe conditions at its four viewing sites. Organizers have decided to reschedule the 25th anniversary celebration, which will now be held in July. Do you know who is Salman Nizami PM Narendra Modi named at an election rally in Gujarat? PM Modi says he is a Congress leader but the party denies the charge. By India Today Web Desk: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi today hit out at the Congress party during an election rally at Lunavada in Mahisagar district of Gujarat, he left many Google the name of Salman Nizami. PM Modi accused Salman Nizami of launching a personal attack on him by seeking to know his parentage and lineage. Modi said, "There is a youth Congress leader Salman Nizami, he is even campaigning for Congress in Gujarat. He wrote on Twitter about Rahul Ji's father, grandmother. That is ok but he asks - Modi tell me who is your Mother, who is your father. Such language can't even be used for enemies." advertisement PM Narendra Modi continued in his own style at Lunavada saying, "Salman Nizami asks on Twitter - Modi who is your father, who is your mother. Among the other things he says - he calls for Azad Kashmir. He calls our army rapists. How can the people accept such people like Salman Nizami. He also says there will be an Afzal from every home." PM Modi further said, "I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are? This nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians." Narendra Modi remarks came a couple of days after soon-to-be Congress president Rahul Gandhi publicly rebuked senior party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for calling prime minister a "neech kism ka aadmi". Rahul asked Aiyar to apologise to PM Modi. Aiyar was later suspended from the party. WHO IS SALMAN NIZAMI? But, Salman Nizami is no Aiyar. He is associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Congress and has courted controversies in the past with his comments directed at BJP leaders and even former President Pranab Mukherjee. But after Narendra Modi named him in his speech the Congress simply junked Salman Nizami saying that "we don't know who he is." Senior Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said, "Salman Nizami kaun hai hum jaante hi nahi. He does not hold any position in the party. We can also say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something. We don't know own who he is." Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi too said, "He is not even a primary member of the Congress party. I have no clue who he is." There are some photographs in public domain showing Nizami with Rahul Gandhi and also with Priyanka Chaturvedi. "Several people come and take photographs and selfies with me," Priyanka Chaturvedi said dismissing the charge that she knew Salman Nizami. NIZAMI 'S TWEETS On the other hand, Salman Nizami has blocked his Twitter account, which currently states, "This account's Tweets are protected." But, the BJP has released screengrabs of some of the tweets posted by Nizami earlier. advertisement These tweets show him lashing out at the BJP, PM Modi and supporting Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, who was later hanged for the crime. Salman Nizami with Rahul Gandhi. Screengrab of Salman Nizami's tweets. --- ENDS --- A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Authorities have arrested a woman and charged her with second-degree murder in the death of her boyfriend in Rocky Mount, the Franklin County Sheriffs Office said Saturday. Witnesses told investigators that Amanda Marie Harper, 29, stabbed Cordarious Immanuel Wright, 27, Friday at a mobile home park on Samuel Lane, then left on foot, according to the Sheriffs Office. Deputies found her walking nearby. Harper is being held in the Franklin County jail without bond, according to online jail records. In Franklin County General District Court, both Wright and Harper had a history of misdemeanor charges dating from 2008. Most of charges were traffic violations. Wright also was convicted in Franklin County Circuit Court of feloniously entering a house to commit assault and battery in 2009, according to online records. He was sentenced to six months in jail with five suspended. In March 2016, Wright was convicted in circuit court of driving while intoxicated and driving with a revoked license in March 2016. The incident that sparked those charges happened in June 2015, according to court records. The Sheriffs Office requests that anyone with additional information about the case call (540) 483-6662. Staff writer Tiffany Stevens contributed to this report. Snow touched down across Southwest Virginia on Saturday, but thanks to warm temperatures in recent weeks, didnt stick to major roads. By mid-afternoon, the storm that began in the pre-dawn hours had largely ended. Roads remained clear in most areas, with slush in some areas, but National Weather Service meteorologist Phillip Manuel said drivers should remain cautious of refreezing water as temperatures dropped into the 20s overnight and Sunday morning. No major problems had been reported along highways and interstates , a Virginia State Police dispatcher said. Roanoke and New River Valley residents should also remain wary of slick sidewalks through Sunday morning, which turn icy quickly once the sun sets, lest a slip cause serious injury or broken bones, Manuel said. People are going to be out doing their Christmas shopping, he cautioned. If the sidewalks look wet, it may not be wet. It may be ice. Manuel described Saturdays snow as a storm of the have and have-nots. At the National Weather Services Blacksburg station, 2.5 inches were recorded. But areas west of Blacksburg, such as Bluefield, West Virginia, saw no snowfall at all. Meanwhile, areas of Martinsville, Henry County and Franklin County, which received snow for much of the day Friday, totaled 5 to 7 inches, as the storm skirted the Roanoke and New River valleys. Notably, Grandfather Mountain in Linville, North Carolina, saw over a foot of powder. Around the Roanoke Valley, 1 to 2 inches was common as snow fell from just before dawn to early afternoon. Melting began once it stopped and the sun returned late in the afternoon. Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jen Ward said drivers throughout Southwest Virginia should take it slow on bridges, overpasses and other shady spots that dont typically get much sunlight. Just be careful out there, Ward said. Flights were running normally at the Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport as of Saturday evening. In the coming days, temperatures will climb, National Weather Service meteorologist Nick Fillo said. Temperatures in the upper 30s Sunday and 40s Monday likely will make Southwest Virginias first snow of the season disappear quickly. Enjoy it now, Fillo said. Because this is not going to be around for long. Staff writers Tiffany Stevens and Kevin Myatt contributed to this report. "Don't forget the atrocities, don't vote for the BJP," a line on a poster in Surat read, a day before the Assembly election. Read on to find out what that means. One of the posters that was put up in Surat ahead of the first phase of the Gujarat Assembly election By India Today Web Desk: The BJP will not be pleased. A day before Gujarat votes in the first phase of a prestige electoral battle, posters with the faces of fourteen young Patidars were put up in Surat's Varacha area. As the BJP will remember all too well, 14 Patels - members of a community that has, till now, been a reliable asset for the saffron party during elections - were killed in police firing in a pro-reservation agitation in 2014. advertisement And what do these posters say? They're asking voters not to let the Patels' martyrdom go in vain, and advises them to vote against the BJP - in the name of Patidar dignity. "Don't forget the atrocities, don't vote for the BJP," a line on a poster reads. This, at a time when the BJP isn't exactly looking at a cakewalk on Narendra Modi's home turf - thanks in part to one Hardik Patel, a Patidar who isn't even old enough to contest the polls. Hardik has addressed over 250 rallies since February last year, and is influential in his community, which has formed the saffron party's primary vote bank since as far back as 1985. Unfortunately for the Modi's party, Hardik is now the Congress' ally in Gujarat. That happened after the Grand Old Party promised reservations for the community. And that's a problem, because Patel votes matter substantially in nearly 70 of Gujarat's 182 assembly seats and perhaps less significantly in two dozen seats. For more on the impact the Hardik factor could have on the Gujarat election, read Uday Mahurkar's piece from the Magazine: Can the Hardik-Alpesh-Jignesh troika end BJP's 22-year rule? You can also get the latest updates from Phase One of the Gujarat Assembly election here, on our live blog. WATCH | Bus Gujarat with Preeti Choudhry: Capturing the poll pulse of the state --- ENDS --- The 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting is just around the corner. More than 250 pharmaceutical companies will be participating in the meeting which will be held between December 9 and December 12, 2017, at Atlanta, Georgia. Here's the second list of companies that will be presenting new data or updated analyses from their hematology clinical trials. Cellectis SA (CLLS) is down 30% from its 52-week high but has a year-to-date return of nearly 45%. Cellectis is a gene editing company focused on developing next generation immunotherapies based on gene-edited CAR T-cells. On December 9, 2017, preliminary results from two phase I trials with UCART19, dubbed CALM and PALL, will be presented at the ASH meeting. The CALM study is designed to evaluate safety, tolerability and antileukemic activity of UCART19 in patients with relapsed or refractory CD19-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). The PALL study is testing the safety and the ability of UCART19 to induce molecular remission in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory B-ALL. In 2015, Servier acquired exclusive rights from Cellectis for UCART19, which is being co-developed by Servier and Pfizer. CLLS closed Friday's (Dec.1) trading at $24.57, down 1.44%. Shares of Immune Design Corp. (IMDZ) are nearly 68% lower than their 52-week high and are down about 24% year-to-date. Immune Design is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on oncology. At the American Society of Hematology meeting, the Company will be presenting updated data from a randomized phase II study evaluating G100 and low-dose radiation (XRT), versus G100 and XRT with the systemic administration of Merck's Keytruda in follicular NHL. According to earlier data related to the phase II study, a 31% * overall response rate (ORR) was observed for patients receiving G100 and low-dose radiation plus Keytruda compared to a 15% ORR for patients receiving G100 and low-dose radiation. Moreover, the **abscopal effect was reported in 62% of patients receiving G100 and low-dose radiation plus Keytruda compared to only 46% of patients receiving G100 and low-dose radiation. **The abscopal effect is the effect of radiation therapy at a site distant to the area of irradiation resulting in a tumor in a non-irradiated area being spontaneously reduced. (Source: Journal of Medical Case Reports). *ORR is defined as the proportion of patients who have a partial or complete response to therapy. (Source: Clinical Cancer Research) IMDZ closed Friday's trading at $4.20, up 2.44%. Shares of Juno Therapeutics Inc. (JUNO) have climbed an impressive 200% so far this year. The Company's lead CAR-T therapy candidate is JCAR017, under phase I/II testing in Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia. At the ASH meeting, the Company will be presenting updated data from the ongoing phase I TRANSCEND study of JCAR017. The TRANSCEND study is a dose-finding study of JCAR017, which is administered following fludarabine/cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion in patients with aggressive B-cell NHL. Participants are treated with either of the two doses of JCAR017 - i.e., 50 million cells or 100 million cells. As of a data cutoff date of July 7, 2017, across both the doses, the best overall response was 84% and the best overall complete response rate was 61% for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. JUNO closed Friday's trading at $56.70, up 3.81%. Shares of Kadmon Holdings Inc. (KDMN) which touched a 52-week low in August have since rallied strongly, and are up 69%. Kadmon's product pipeline is focused on autoimmune and fibrotic diseases. The Company's lead drug candidate is KD025 under phase II testing in the indications of psoriasis vulgaris, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and chronic graft-versus-host disease, a serious complication following allogeneic bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. On December 10, 2017, at the ASH meeting, the Company will be presenting new data from its ongoing phase II study of KD025 in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). The study is testing three different dose levels of KD025 namely, 200 mg QD, 200 mg BID and 400 mg QD. The Company reported preliminary analysis of data from the first cohort, which is testing KD025 200 mg QD, in July of this year. According to the initial data, 71% of patients treated with KD025 200 mg QD had an overall response. KDMN closed Friday's trading at $3.60, up 0.84%. Related Reading ASH: CBIO Awaiting Next Catalyst, BLUE In The Pink, STML Keeps Growing For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Some thousand-odd voters in a tiny village in Gujarat's Morbi have decided not to vote in the state's assembly election. Why? Because of the basic of most voter wishes: Bijli, Paani, Sadak (BiPaSa). Election Commission officials confirmed nobody from Gajadi had turned up to vote since polls opened today morning (Photo: Ankit Tyagi) By Ankit Tyagi: Indian elections are a fertile ground for some extraordinary stories, stories that surprise, elate and sometimes, disappoint. And, the current Gujarat election, which began today (live updates ) with voting being held for the first phase of its two-part polls, is no different. Early in the morning, soon after the polls opened, reports came in of brides and bridegrooms choosing to exercise their franchisee before their big moment of the day. advertisement However, the story that will likely take the cake from today's Gujarat voting is that out of the western Gujarat district of Morbi. A tiny village there has decided NOT to exercise its right to vote. The reason is one of the most basic ones - BiPaSa, or, for those unfamiliar with Indian election lingo, bijli, sadak, paani (electricity, roads, water). Some thousand-odd voters of Morbi's Gajadi have decided to boycott this year's Gujarat Assembly election. The residents are upset over the lack of basic amenities in their village. Among their chief complaints is lack of water and no proper roads in their village. The villagers are also upset over irregular supply of electricity, the three utilities making a troika that often forms the basis of most parties' poll promises. Nearly half of the voters in Gajadi are women (Photo: Ankit Tyagi) Nearly half of the voters in Gajadi are women (Photo: Ankit Tyagi) Interestingly enough, the voters in Gajadi are not just upset over the lack of amenities but also because, they claim, nobody either from the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party visited the village to listen to their problems. "Suvidha nahi toh vote nahi (no votes if we don't get services," one villager said as another one challenged politicians to come to their village and show what "vikas" has happened there. The village has a total of 1065 registered voters, 506 of whom are women. Officials from the Election Commission confirmed to India Today that nobody from the village had turned up to vote, at the time of writing this report. Overall, Gujarat, where the BJP has been in power for over two decades, had seen a healthy turn out of voters by early afternoon in the first phase of election. At 1pm, the voter turnout was around 31 per cent. Gajadi's polling centre wore a deserted look as villagers decided to boycott this year's Gujarat Assembly election (Photo: Ankit Tyagi) Ironically, Morbi, the district where Gajadi is situated, had seen the second-highest turnout among the regions that went to the poll today. Meanwhile, faulty Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) too made the headline, with multiple reports coming in of the machines malfunctioning. While Election Commission suggested there was nothing to worry, reports in local press said voting time at certain polling booths had been extended to as late as 10 in the night. advertisement Complete Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 coverage WATCH | This entire village in Gujarat has decided to boycott the elections --- ENDS --- The young, charismatic leader spoke his mind in a free-wheeling interview with India Today as Gujarat voted in the first phase of polling. By Rahul Kanwal: Hardik Patel, the hero of Gujarat's Patidar community, is open to joining Rahul Gandhi's Congress party. When? Well, it's only a matter of time. The young, charismatic leader spoke his mind in a free-wheeling interview with India Today as Gujarat voted in the first phase of polling. "If there's a chance to do something good, we'll do whatever is good," Patel told India Today's Rahul Kanwal, when asked if he thought of joining the Congress. advertisement "If it's for something good, I'll definitely go there," Patel revealed, driving through the streets of Ahmedabad on his Royal Enfield. "If the people decide, then I will follow their decision. If it's be better for the people, I will definitely think about it," Patel said, prodded if he would accept an invitation from Rahul Gandhi to join his party. HARDIK DEFENDS RAHUL The leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) stoutly defended the Congress' president-elect over criticism of his political acumen, saying lampooning him as "Pappu" was as bad as Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech" remark for the prime minister."They did not like the term 'neech'. So, if they are calling him a 'Pappu', that can't be acceptable either." Patel, 24, expressed confidence that Rahul Gandhi would transform into a potential challenge for both Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. "Yes, definitely," the Patidar leader insisted when asked if Gandhi could give a tough fight to the two stalwarts of the ruling party. "If one learns, one does become capable of mounting a challenge." Patel countered the BJP and the prime minister for the scathing attacks on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her son. "What about the barbs and jibes Mr Modi aims at Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi?" he asked. "If Modi is so hurt by verbal attacks on him and wants others to apologise, why does he not apologise for brutal physical assault on Patel youths in Gujarat?" Patel said, recalling police firing on Patidar demonstrators in Gujarat two years ago. BJP'S DIVERSIONARY TACTICS The Patidar leader accused the BJP of using diversionary tactics in state elections. He alleged his opponents in the saffron party were trying to weaken in core base among Gujarat's Patidars. "The BJP pressured them (my supporters and aides) into leaving me. But you can see that it has not affected my popularity. There is no effect on the crowds coming to my rallies," Patel, not old enough to stand for elections himself, maintained. In what appeared to be a balancing act over the touchy Ayodhya issue, he said the disputed site could house both a temple and a mosque. Patel, however, was quick to get back to the development plank, saying none of them could resolve joblessness. advertisement "Build a Ram temple and a Babri mosque so that both religions are taken care of. But the question is whether a Ram temple would create jobs. Go ahead and build a Ram temple but don't fan fundamentalism in the name of it," he argued. "Why is the BJP deflecting from real issues?" ALSO WATCH: BJP rakes up Ram Mandir as it can't show any development, says Hardik Patel --- ENDS --- By SA Commercial Prop News File Photo: Izak Petersen, CEO of Dipula Income Fund announces Dipula Income Funds listing on the JSE (17 August 2011). The Competition Commission has given the green light to Dipula Income Funds acquisition of Randfontein Centre, Bushbuckridge Centre and The Plaza shopping centres for a combined investment of nearly R330 million. The transaction comprises R179,5 million for the 25,700sqm The Plaza Shopping Centre in Phuthaditjhaba, Free State; R46,2 million for the 6,000sqm Randfontein Station Shopping Centre, in Gauteng; and R104,2 million for the 14,700sqm Bushbuckridge Shopping Centre in Mpumalanga. Dipula Income Fund is a listed property loan stock company formed through the merger of Mergence Africa Property Fund and Dipula Property Fund, two majority black-owned property funds. The company announced a further transaction earlier this week. Dipula is set acquire three prime Pretoria office buildings for a combined R431 million, continuing its focus on portfolio growth. Dipula signed agreements to acquire the 5,048sqm Absa Call Centre building in Arcadia for R82,6 million, the 21,478sqm SAPS VIP building in Sunnyside for R229,86 million and the 7,699sqm SAPS IJS building in Erusmuskloof for R118,54 million, from the developer of the three properties. The transaction is subject to various conditions, including Competition Authorities approval. In the year since listing on the JSE in August 2011 Dipula has grown its assets from 176 to 185 sectoraly and geographically diverse properties. The value of its acquisitions, including those made at listing, exceeds R1.7 billion, taking Dipulas asset value to R3.1 billion. Dipula linked units are delivering sterling performance on the JSE with the A units up by more than 24% from the listing price of R8.58 per A linked unit to a trading price of R10.65 per A linked unit on 30 August 2012. Dipula B linked units up by roughly 23% from listing at R5.53 per B linked unit to trading R6.80 per B linked unit to the same date, excluding income returns. Izak Petersen, CEO of Dipula Income Fund, says: These strategic acquisitions improve the quality, diversity and average size of properties in our portfolio. We intend to continue growing our portfolio in line with our investment objectives. Dear Editor, Re: Shocking breach of human rights This kind of treatment is not unusual from Amerika Samoa towards passengers on the inter-island ferry. I recall an eight-hour ferry trip from hell, on the Queen Salamasina many years ago, as it ploughed through a storm, largely over packed with passengers, as we sailed from Apia to Pago Pago. On arrival, the customs officers waddled along, officious and looked at us with their noses in the air. They barked at the passengers in their Amerika Samoan Samoan and took pleasure in turning the pages of passports with such authority and then toying with their stamps before stamping the imperious ink eagle on the pages. Arrogance would describe their demeanour. They even threatened to throw my brother overboard as he asked a customs officer why there was only the one queue and not another to speed things up as the sun was searing hot with mothers and small children as well as elders who were complaining of the heat on the steel deck. Nothing has changed twenty years later it seems. I never could understand this attitude American Samoans had (the officials) towards us from Independent Samoa. The people themselves were very lovely but the officialdom sucked. On our return trip to Apia, the sea was calm and many familiar faces crowded the deck, mats spread, the sunset beautiful, it was the beacon of our bow. And as Tutuila crouched away in the distance, a haunting and uplifting voice crackled over the speakers and began to sing a hymn. Everyone joined in and as the sea splashed phosphorous in the shadows, the mixture of intense colours off the horizon beyond Tufutafoe, pulled our hearts closer to a more heavenly place and filled us with a sense of togetherness. S. Auimatagi One hundred and fourty-one University of the South Pacific (U.S.P.) students graduated at the E.F.K.S. Hall at Sogi yesterday the largest number of graduates recorded by the U.S.P. Alafua campus so far. Present at the auspicious occasion were Members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps, academics, families and friends, some of whom flew into Samoa to witness the achievements of their sons and daughters. Eight students graduated with Masters Degrees and 6 percent of the total graduates received Postgraduate qualifications. Students from 11 countries graduated, including students from non-regional countries Belize, Jamaica, New Zealand and Nigeria. Campus Director, Leatuaolevao Ruby Vaa, says the increase in number of graduates reflect the quality of the teaching support system in U.S.P. Alafua. Usually in the previous years, about 80 to 90 students graduate from the Campus and last year we surpassed 100, she said. That means a large number of students are opting for Alafua and are passing too, and I think thats important and to have a student learning support services system to teach the students, support them, look out for them and nurture them is important as well. The Student Learning Support Services has been greatly strengthened this year by the appointment of a student learning specialist, Niseta Buatava, who joined the campus in Apia and this is making great impact for the students of Alafua campus and Savaii Centre. Another significant highlight for U.S.P. Alafua is that of the 141 graduates, 58 percent were women. In Samoa, it is quite normal for a high percentage of women graduating, what we really need to look at is the regional categories, Leatuaolevao said. What we can see is that in this graduation, there are a high number of women from the region who are graduating and thats really good. One good thing is that the gold medalists are women from regional countries, one is from Fiji and the other is from the Solomon Islands and they both were part of the School of Agriculture and Food Technology (S.A.F.T.). Leatuaolevao said there was also an increase in number of students, especially women graduating from the School of Agriculture and Food Technology. Women are taking over, especially in the field of agriculture where more women are graduating and this is also bridging the gap between men and women and agriculture. The increasing number of students is not only because of the importance of agriculture to the region, but also the quality of our revised agriculture programme. There is continuous support from member countries to send their students to Alafua and the strong support from Samoa has made a difference from 2013 onwards. In congratulating the graduates, Leatuaolevao said the end of the graduation celebration marked the greatest chapter in their lives. After today (yesterday), you will begin another journey armed with success of your education and your experience of these past years. How you trod from this day onwards will be a testament of the ambition and dedication that is within you. You all have worked hard and persevered and you must remember to thank those who have supported you in your journey your parents and families, sponsors, lecturers and tutors without whose support, you would not have reached this far. For 2017, 523 students enrolled in the undergraduate programmes and 40 students in the postgraduate programmes. There are 23 Postgraduate Diploma, 13 Masters and four PhD students making a total of 563 students. Mary Ellen and John of Australia are lifelong adventure travelers and after speaking with them, one knows what the true meaning of taking a holiday from your holiday looks like. Mary belongs to a walking club in Sydney and after completing a walking trip in France for 1100 km; her husband surprised her with a trip to Samoa after realizing that his wife needed a holiday after an outstanding effort to complete the challenge. Two days after I got home from my walking trip in France, my husband said to me you need a holiday, Mary laughs. From that not being a holiday to this being a relaxing place has been a wonderful treat. But it wasnt just all about Mary. My husband said lets go to Samoa because he has always wanted to visit here where the people are lovely and its nice and relaxing a nice island break. So thats why weve come. The couple have island hopped before, however their travels are generally adventure driven with lots of activity that can leave them exhausted at the end of their trips. Well my wife always liked to go to the islands and we are just ticking them off, said John. This is the fifth island we have been to. The last one we went to was the Cook Islands and then weve done Fiji and Day Dream Island. We do two-three overseas trips a year and they are adventures and then occasionally we need a holiday and so this time we chose Samoa this year. Mary Ellen is originally from Canada and John is Australian. Their love for adventure travel brought them together exactly 30 years ago when they met through a rather interesting way that can only be described as what happens when the traditional meets alchemic interference. We met in 1987 when Mary Allens mum organized a tour for her through the outback and my mum organized one for me and we both ended up on the same tour, said John. So we met in 87, got married in 88, Tim was born in 89, Rachel was born in 90 and I got the snip in 91, he laughs raucously. At this point, poor John is no longer allowed to talk. I dont think she needs to know that dear, said Mary. But yes it was definitely meant to be, she smiles. Being a very active member of her walking club has taken Mary all over the world and she hopes to do some long walks here in Samoa if the weather permits. Its beautiful here, we walked into town but we underestimated the heat so we took the taxi back, she said. Id like to do some big walks here in Samoa but it all depends on the heat Im finding the humidity is slowing me down. The heat might interfere with Marys walking aspirations, but nothing will stop her from having the chance to swim with some of our wild life. I love nature; one of things Im looking forward to the most is seeing the sea turtles because I really want to swim with them, she said. If I can see them in the wild thatll be great, Ive swum with the dolphins in Florida and I would really like to do something like that here in Samoa with the turtles. If not then Ill have to go out to Savaii where everyone said there is a sanctuary and see them there. The couple is staying at the Sheraton Samoa Aggie Greys and they give the hotel high marks for their friendly and helpful staff. They plan on giving the strenuous adventures a rest this time round for a more relaxed and rejuvenating holiday. By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Huge quantity of illicit liquor has been seized from several parts of Rajasthan, that lie close to Gujarat where assembly election is underway. Bichiwada Police today confiscated illicit liquor worth Rs 13 lakh from Dungarpur area of Rajasthan and nabbed one person. "An informer had messaged SP Shankar Dutt Sharma that there was illicit liquor stocked in a house in Bokhla village," said Bichiwada police officer, Bhanu Pratap Singh. advertisement When the police visited the area, it found 200 cartons of illicit liquor which were confiscated. The house owner, Bhura Kanpia, was also arrested from the spot. Meanwhile, on Thursday night, in what has been considered as the biggest operation in the district against illicit liquor till date, Dungarpur Police had seized illicit liquor estimated to be worth Rs 2 crore by raiding two places. The police had seized 3000 cartons of illicit liquor. The smugglers were planning to take the illicit liquor to Gujarat. One of the places that were raided in Dungarpur was a soap stone factory which had been lying closed for some time. During operations, the police seized three trucks, four motorcycles and a scooty in which English liquor made in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab were found in 3000 cartons. The smugglers were planning to take the liquor which was estimated to be worth around Rs 2 crore to Gujarat, which is the bordering state of Rajasthan. The action taken is being considered as the biggest action against illicit liquor so far in Dungarpur. Mount Abu Police also confiscated liquor worth Rs 10 lakh on Thursday night which was to be illegally smuggled to Gujarat. "During checking at the crossing, we got information that a truck carrying illicit liquor is coming from Haryana, which was checked by the police at the crossing. Then, Haryana made liquor which was being taken to Gujarat inside tied clothes and tied blankets were confiscated and we have arrested two accused," Sumersingh Indra, police officer, Aburoad Sadar, said. So far, in the last one month, illicit liquor worth crore of rupees has been seized from Rajasthan. This liquor was to be taken to Gujarat, a dry state, by smugglers for supplying during the elections. --- ENDS --- Financial poverty is real and is a common cause of hardship for many families in Samoa. While food is not an issue, getting money continues to be a massive challenge for many families. So says Toetu Mataia Tuloto, 23 years old, from Matafaa. Mr. Tuloto met the Village Voice team while on his way home from work yesterday afternoon. Mr. Tuloto shared about the struggles his family faces. The place were staying in, only two families live there and there is no transportation, he said. The bus stops down the hill from us and we have to walk down to catch the bus and walk up when we return. The reality with our family is that finding money is really the issue because I am the only person who earns money for our family. I do work for one of the village members plantation and I get $50 whenever I go work there. The problem then is that I dont work every day, I only go when Im needed and thats the sad part. Mr. Tuloto mentioned that since his father passed away, he is the one who is in charge of supporting his family. My father passed away in 2014 and that was my last year in high school so I quit and started working to earn a living for my family. We always have food but then money is always an issue to pay our bills and for my youngest siblings education. Mr. Tuloto also mentioned that his family depends on the sea and the plantation for food. Food to us is not a problem because my plantation is our main source of food and my younger brother is the one who gets us food from the sea. He admitted that he wants to get a regular job so he can support his family financially. I am O.K. with what I am doing right now, but the only problem is that it is not regular work, I only go when I am needed. But I am interested in finding a regular job so that I can earn as much as I can to support my family, Mr. Tuloto said. Working hard is the life of Vili Vili. He is a single 41-year-old man from Fusi Safata. Life isnt easy anymore, the high cost of living is killing us every day and thats the truth, Vili said. I quit my job a long time ago and then I started looking into something different like what Im doing today serve my family (tautua aiga). I believe 99 percent of families in the country face the same problem with money and hardships. What Im talking about is that in Samoa, when we make a wrong decision because of the high cost of living that were facing now, our families will suffer. Theres no doubt that many are suffering today because of the cost of living and the lack of income. Vili told the Village Voice team yesterday that salaries did not match the high cost of goods in the country and that life was very difficult. Thats the reason I quit my job, Vili said. The truth now is that many cant afford to live off their wages, and yes, life is hard. But theres nothing much we can do. He believes that God has blessed Samoa with food, but the income for many is not enough to cater for daily necessities. What Im trying to say is how our people struggle in life because of low wages, the cost of goods and services is increasing and their salaries are not enough, Vili said. I think thats why many quit their jobs; some prefer staying home and helping their families. He said that was the reality many families were facing today. What should be done? The government should step in and help us and to experience what many of us are going through in life. I mean, I dont want to go in detail to explain whats happening now in my family because we are all living the same nightmare. The only time we see money is when we get paid and thats it, but when it comes to faalavelave, church and village obligations and other stuff, then thats another burden. Thats not a good thing, Vili added. He also encourages those who are working and those who are searching for jobs to look for other ways to support their families too. If we wait for the government to help us, it will take ages but what Im doing now can also be a message to those who are struggling to provide for their family. Theres always a way out, Vili said. Its that time of the year again where Samoans prepare and clean their homes to welcome relatives and visitors from abroad. Among many doing this yesterday was Maria Osofua, a mother from Faleaseela-tai. Mrs. Osofua is 61 years old and she met the Village Voice team while carrying out chores at her home. She said since Christmas was just around the corner, Samoa would no doubt be filled with relatives returning. This is the time of the year where families in Samoa host relatives from abroad coming for gatherings and family obligations, she said. Apart from our own people, few tourists will also be travelling to our country and we have to make sure that our place is clean. So for me now, I am cleaning my familys place next to the river because this is our small business, people use the river to bathe and cool down. Mrs. Osofua runs a family business right next to the banks of Liua le Vai o Sina river, and that is the source of income for her family. She also mentioned that life in Samoa was really hard, but working is the only way to cope with it. We are blessed with the natural environment and this is where we should be looking at to support our families, especially with the high cost of living. Money is everything here in Samoa and we have to work hard for our families. She also mentioned one of the issues regarding her business. The road quality is not that good so we are still waiting for relevant authorities to fix the problem. Mrs. Osofua said she was there to make sure her small business was clean so that people could come and relax there. She also mentioned that she was looking forward to having visitors there, not only local families but overseas families as well. Now I am doing my cleaning and preparations immediately because people are coming soon. I am looking forward to having people here so I can earn money to look after my family. The Associate Minister of Tourism, Amituanai Fagaivalu Kenrick, who is in Fiji for the Miss Pacific Islands, is in awe. He envies Fijis tourism sectors success and growth. He wishes Samoa was reaping the same tourism rewards as Nadi and the rest of Fijis tourism stakeholders. Fiji Airways daily international flights complemented by the world-class hotels providing needed accommodation and the quality of personal services are a few pluses he wants Samoa to follow. Our countrys tourism sector can just be as vibrant, he says. For that to happen, he believes Samoa must take the all hands on deck approach. It requires a united drive by government, the private sector, tourism operators and most importantly local residents. Our Samoa Tourism Authority is commended for maintaining a stable increase in our tourism annual revenues which averages over $300 million tala a year, he acknowledged. Tourism is the main stay of our economy. But we need more international flights to bring in more tourists and visitors. Fiji Airways is the heart of tourism in Fiji, he continued. And that is the governments aspirations for Samoa Airways to be in the same situation to fly in more tourists and visitors. Samoa Airways strategy is; think big and start small with the ultimate goal of offering affordable fares for our visitors and for our people. Of course, there will always be criticisms, some constructive, some with ulterior motives but at the end of the day, its about putting food on the table and paying school fees for our children from tourism revenues earned by taxi drivers, handicraft makers, farmers to name a few. Without a national carrier our tourism strategic development plan will never be realized. Fijis tourism did not arrive to where it is today by accident, added the Associated Minister. It took years to build and years of failures and tribulations to be where it is today. We need Fiji in tourism, if we are to attract more tourists, admits Amituanai. This is based on direct international flights from Asian countries to the Pacific, which Fiji has and Samoa doesnt. He says that for Samoa, the only way to get in Asian tourists is either through Australia, New Zealand or Fiji. Added the Associate Tourism Minister; Once Asian tourists come to Fiji, they get to feel what the Pacific is like and will convince them to come to Samoa. I marvel and envy Fijis tourism strength. He complimented the government and people of Fiji in developing a vibrant tourism sector. And he also thanked the hosts of the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant which was brainchild by Samoa 31 years ago. As for the Pageant, he echoes Fijis President Jioji Konrote message that it is the platform that enables young women who represent the countries in the region to talk about issues that affect our families, societies and nations. Nine contestants are vying for the crown this year with Miss Samoa Papalii Alexandra Iakopo. The 2017 Miss Pacific Islands will be crowned tonight. Polynesian Airlines' debt that nearly bankrupted the government has been paid off. Thats the response from Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, to questions from the Sunday Samoan. Asked about the status of old Polynesian Airlines debt, he said: It has been paid off. There is nothing (left). The Prime Minister wouldnt say how much the debt was and when it was paid. But he diverted the conversation to the governments relationship with Virgin Australia. He said Virgin owes the government some money and he has asked that it be paid. The only issue that I recall is my recent letter to Virgin Australia on the status of the money they borrowed from us when they were short of funds, Tuilaepa said. They borrowed money from us some time ago to help out with their operation when they were short of money. Again, the Prime Minister wouldnt divulge how much and under what conditions was the money lent. It was not possible to get a comment from Virgin Australia at press time last night. Samoa and Virgin Australia were partners in a joint venture to run Virgin Samoa. The relationship has ended. Asked whether Virgin Australia has responded to his letter, Tuilaepa said: no not yet. Pressed on the cost of the leasing of the Samoa Airways aircraft from Icelandic Air, Tuilaepa said he would have to get the figures from the C.E.O., Seiuli Alvin Tuala. He said those details should come from the C.E.O. as they are not the sort of figures that a Prime Minister can give off the top of his head. He said the government will issue statement about the matter. Samoa Colleges Head girl, Emily Fuean, leads by example. And when it comes to service to others and her studies, her commitment and dedication paid off on Friday when she was named the schools 2017 Dux. Her achievement has made this Christmas season and extra special one for her family, especially her father Sua Henry Fruean. The 16-year-old is the fifth child of Sua and Ruby Frueans six children. With origins in the villages of Motootua and Siusega, the young girl wants to become a Neurosurgeon. Apart from being the 2017 Dux, she managed to receive the Top Science Student Award, Mrs. Jaya Philips Memorial trophy and school prize for first in Biology and Physics. She also scooped the Best Bilingual Student and Diligence Award for Year 13, Head Girl award and trophies from the Asi and Mary Fruean, S.C.O.P.A Shield, Parents and Teachers Association Trophy, Aliimalemanu Sasa Tevita trophy, Elia Fretton trophy, Rotary Club, Waikato Alumni trophy and School Award. Speaking to the Sunday Samoan, Ms. Fruean said the feeling hadnt sunk in yet. I still cannot believe that I am the 2017 Samoa College Dux, she said. I mean when I look back at my journey, I can honestly say throughout the four years, I had never really come first in my class. I wasnt a bright student but that doesnt mean I wasnt working hard because I did, I had work so hard not to be the Dux, but to make my parents proud. Today I am a few steps closer to fulfilling my dreams and I truly thank God for the wisdom and the knowledge as well as guiding me throughout my journey. It wasnt an easy one too I can tell you that. There were so many ups and downs and a lot of challenges that I was facing in school but my parents were the ones who kept me going. They have worked so hard to ensure we are okay and all I ever wanted was to make them happy and today (Friday) I have seen that happiness on their faces. Word cannot describe the feeling but Im humble and blessed to have received these achievements today. Why a neurosurgeon? I want to help the people of Samoa and its what I have been dreaming of all my life, she said. I want to be able to treat people especially our people and for me to do that, I have to go through N.U.S. and be able to get a scholarship so I can come back and serve our people. But for now I just want to go home relax and draw some happy pictures and spend the festive season with my family. Sua Fruean was in tears when ask of how he feels. I am one proud father, he said. This is the best Christmas gift that a daughter could ever give to her father. I was just in tears when I heard my daughters name this morning but I humbled my heart and silently thanked God for this great news. Sua describes his daughter as an obedient child. Shes very humble, he said. She had made a lot of sacrifices throughout her college years and that includes hanging out with her friends. She only goes to school, church and then home to her books, and today she reaps with joy and all those sacrifices have been paid off. Its the best gift ever for me and my wife. SPECIAL AWARDS: Second to Dux Teariki Yandall DUX 2017 Emily Fruean Top Science Student: Emily Fruean Top Art Student: Venus Papalii Top Commerce: Valasi Talosaga Samoa Observer Award for Most Improved in English Year 10 Aronadia Asani Samoa Observer Award for Most Improved in English in Year 11 Aliva Seiuli Samoa Observer Prize & School Prize for Most Improved in English for Year 12 Aitasi Tuvaifale Samoa Observer Prize & School Prize for 1st in English & 1st in Geography for Year 13 Chrona Fesili Ng Lam. Dart NeuroScience, a developer of drugs to improve memory, is closing its operations in San Diego and permanently laying off about 265 employees, according to a notice filed with the state. Operations will close on Feb. 9, said the notice signed by Kenneth E. Johns Jr., Darts CEO and chairman. It was filed with the California Employment Development Department. Under California law, employers with 75 or more people must give 60 days notice of mass layoffs or closure of operations. Copies of the notice were provided by the EDD and the San Diego Workforce Partnership. Advertisement Phone and email messages to the privately owned company asking for comment were not returned. Dart NeuroScience announced the decision suddenly at a mandatory company meeting on Thursday afternoon, according to Tatiana Galvez, who said she had been at the Sabre Springs company as a temporary worker since June. We thought it was going to be about preparation for the fires, how to evacuate and what precautions to take, Galvez said. Instead, employees were told that company founder and owner Ken Dart had decided to stop funding it, effective immediately, she said. A businessman with interests including extensive operations in the Cayman Islands, Dart is worth $5.5 billion as of Dec. 7, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Employees were told they would continue to get benefits until the Feb. 9 date of closure, Galvez said. However temporary workers got no such benefits Galvez said she is in good condition to go through the layoffs, as she is living at home with her mother in Chula Vista. The reason given for the closing was that the company wasnt making enough progress, Galvez said. The reasons were detailed in a letter given to all employees, said Galvez, who emailed a copy to the Union-Tribune. Despite the continued effort of an extraordinarily capable and dedicated team of scientists and the investment into research and development of well in excess of seven hundred million dollars, the company has not generated adequate signs of any human memory improvement or motor rehabilitation, the letter stated. To continue even part of the programs would require at least several billion dollars with questionable odds of success, meaning the company isnt financially viable, the letter stated. Darts other business enterprises include real estate operations in the Cayman Islands, where he is the owner of Dart Enterprises, Dart Realty (Cayman) and Cayman Shores Development. He is a member of the family that owns Dart Container Corp, a manufacturer of foam cups and plastic foodware. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 Q:Is there any restriction on note taking while inspecting election ballots in a delegate-based election? I believe copying is not allowed, but isnt note taking considered to be different and unrestricted? T.R., Rancho Santa Margarita A:In most HOA elections, any candidate or member may witness the vote counting, under Civil Code 5120, and inspect the ballots after the election, under Civil Code 5125. However, the voting by delegates is not subject to the election procedural requirements of Civil Code 5100-5145, per Civil Code 5100(d). So, during the member voting for delegates, the members may observe the vote counting, but not the voting of the delegates. I cannot imagine the rationale of barring you from taking notes while you inspect the ballots. Q:Our management company had our board hire an outside company to mail out ballots, receive them, and count them. The ballots are to be counted at their office and if a homeowner wants to go there for the process they may do so. The company is 30 minutes away. They also put the annual election after the regular homeowner meeting and then the executive meeting so if anyone wanted to stay for the election results they could do so by waiting outside until the board had finished their executive meeting. Some homeowners feel that they are disenfranchising residents. Can you provide some insight? D.H., Newport Beach Advertisement A:The votes must be openly counted at either a membership meeting or at a board meeting convened to count the votes. A meeting at the management company may seem inconvenient, but if allowed by the association bylaws, is legally acceptable. However, opening and counting the ballots outside of a membership or board meeting violates Civil Code 5120, which requires that votes not be opened until the announced meeting. Elections should be clean and open, and member attendance should not be discouraged. Q:During our current annual elections, the president obtained the private email addresses belonging to the membership and used them to solicit votes. I was informed that the association does not maintain a list of email addresses and that such a list would have to be compiled. Now, it appears the manager has decided to include email addresses in the membership list. I am livid that the email addresses of all our members are now being distributed to any member who requests a membership list. Does this seem proper? J.R., Sun City A: While directors have access to all records of the association, if the board member is using them for their own individual purposes (such as getting re-elected), then the director is not acting as a director and is outside his or her role and therefore outside the individuals access rights. While I routinely recommend associations solicit consent to send homeowners association notices via email (under Civil Code 4040(a)(2), that list of emails is not part of the membership list that members can request under Civil Code 5200(a)(9). There is an unusual case from 2010, Worldmark v. Wyndham, in which emails were ordered given to a member, but that was a very large timeshare organization and the facts would not apply to normal homeowners associations. Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. is a Fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers and Senior Partner of Richardson Ober PC, a California law firm known for community association expertise. Submit questions to Kelly@RichardsonOber.com. Past columns at www.HOAHomefront.com. Cord-cutters and streaming TV lovers experienced a week of ups and downs with some of the industrys leading companies making up and breaking up. Beyond some rather interesting tidbits Netflix is moving forward with a Kevin Spacey-less season of House of Cards and Facebook apparently has its eyes on streaming many more sporting events what follows are a few of the top developments in the land of Internet-based TV. Amazon Prime Video app arrives on Apple TV: The long-awaited Amazon streaming app was finally made available for third generation and newer Apple TVs, marking a peace treaty between the two tech titans. The release, now available for download through the tvOS app, means Apple TV users no longer have to rely on Airplay plus the Amazon Prime Video smartphone app to get Amazon material on their big screens. Advertisement The app also makes Apples newest box, the Apple TV 4K, a bit easier to swallow. Priced at $179 on the low end, the box seemed like a tough sell given the selection of much cheaper, and more popular, streaming sticks and boxes available from competitors such as Roku and Amazon. At last tally, Apple ranked fourth behind Roku, Amazon and Google in terms of streaming media player market share in the U.S., according to Park Associates. In other Apple TV news, SiriumXM just released its own app for the fourth generation and 4K boxes, meaning subscribers to the satellite radio service can sign in to access their favorite stations on their TV sets. YouTube app will disappear from Amazon Fire TV devices: While Apple cozies up to Amazon, Google is choosing to distance itself from the e-commerce company. Earlier this week, Google started notifying folks that, come Jan. 1, they will no longer have access to the YouTube app on Amazon Fire TV sticks and boxes. The decision sounds like retaliation over Amazons unwillingness to sell Google equipment. A Google spokesperson told Variety: Amazon doesnt carry Google products like Chromecast and Google Home, doesnt make Prime Video available for Google Cast users, and last month stopped selling some of Nests latest products. Given this lack of reciprocity, we are no longer supporting YouTube on Echo Show and Fire TV. Sling TV creates specialized on-demand channels: This week, the Dish-run streaming cable alternative released three premium channels targeted at very specific viewers. The package upgrades are available as add-ons to the companys Sling Orange (30 channels for $20 a month) and Sling Blue (45 channels for $25 a month) bundles. CuriosityStream Includes access to 1,500 science, technology and history documentaries. Cost: $6 per month. UP Faith & Family Family-friendly programming from UP TV and exclusive seasons of the Canadian drama series Heartland. Cost: $5 per month. Pantaya A joint venture of Lionsgate and Hemisphere Media Group, this channel specializes in Spanish-language movies. Cost: $6 per month. DirecTV Now surpasses 1 million subscribers: AT&Ts streaming skinny bundle, DirecTV Now, joined the 1-million-member club this week, a milestone that commemorates its first year in business. Its some welcome news for the telecommunications company, which is bleeding traditional satellite customers. The development also hints at why the company is working on its own streaming box. To discuss all things streaming TV, join our Facebook group, SDUT cord-cutters. Business jennifer.vangrove@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1840 Twitter: @jbruin Seventy people were left homeless in Tijuana after a fire on Thursday evening destroyed 21 houses off the free road to Rosarito Beach in the neighborhood of Aguaje de la Tuna, city officials said. No one was injured in the fire, which was started when an area resident lit a pile of trash, Tijuana Fire Chief Carlos Gopar said at a news conference on Friday. Some 500 people had to be evacuated as firefighters fought the flames, he said. Twenty-one families lost their homes because someone had the great idea to burn trash, Gopar said Advertisement Of the 70 people left homeless by the fire, 23 were minors, Gopar said. Most were taken in by friends and relatives. Five families with nowhere to go were brought to a shelter, Levantando Corazones, where they were provided with food, blankets and mattresses. Also Thursday, a brush fire eastern Tijuana off the thoroughfare known as Bulevar 2000 threatened the Natura housing development, and we analyzed the possibility of evacuation, Gopar said. But as winds shifted, it was much safer to keep people in their houses, he said. From Tuesday through 9 a.m. Friday, firefighters responded to 311 incidents. Most were brush fires, city officials said, but there were also several dozen residential fires. sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com @sandradibble The plane was to demonstrate its capabilities on the River Ganga last month, however due to the local elections, the plan had to be dropped. By Vidya : A 12-seater Setouchi Holdings seaplane landed and took off from the sea coast off Girgaum Chowpatty in Mumbai to demonstrate what the future holds for the aviation industry in India. Seaplanes are already operational in a handful of countries in the world including Canada, Japan, South Africa, Maldives, USA and Alaska. Civil aviation minister Ashok Raju and Nitin Gadkari, minister for water resources and road transport were present in the city for the occasion. advertisement The plane was to demonstrate it's capabilities on the River Ganga last month, however due to the local elections, the plan had to be dropped. Amidst much fan fare, the seaplane was to take off around noon from Mumbai airport, but due to dense fog, the visibility in the air had reduced and the plane landed at the sea front after a couple of hours later. The ministers kept waiting for the seaplane in a boat, in the middle of the sea. Water and food supplies were provided to them at the boat itself. In spite of these gaffes, the ministers hoped that water bodies in India could soon be converted into air strips that could help in connecting smaller parts of this country through seaplanes. Although it would still take approximately an year for the sea planes to become a reality as it is only SpiceJet which has shown an interest in this project, the ministries are still hoping that this project will attract more entrepreneurs and investors to come forward. At present, viability testing of the sea planes is yet to be done. Speaking at the function, Gadkari recounted that he met SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh at least 50 times to convince him to venture into the field of seaplanes. Singh, too, said that Gadkari was so passionate about this project that he had been trying to convince him for the last one and half years. The company now plans to buy 100 sea planes to make the project viable. Seaplanes are fixed wing small aircraft that can take off and land on both water and airfields and needs only about 300 meter of runway. Gadkari went a few steps ahead to say that if the commercial viability in sea planes is found and that if seaplanes do become a part of our travel modes then he would like them to be manufactured in Nagpur area of Maharashtra. Raju too hoped that with the sea planes, the regional connectivity would only grow which had started with the formulation of UDAAN scheme. "There were 71 airports in the country where scheduled flights used to take off when the BJP formed the government. We now have 80 airports in the country. And this seaplane will only add to the regional connectivity plan that the government has," Gadkari said, further adding that the countries where the seaplanes are operating, from there the rules and regulations of operations have been called for to be studied and to see how it can be implemented in India. advertisement However, everyone present at the meet said that it would take approximately 12 months from now for the seaplanes to become a reality if it successfully passes it's viability testing. --- ENDS --- At least 46 horses were killed at a thoroughbred training facility during the Lilac wildfire in northern San Diego County, and others remain missing. Mike Marten, a spokesman for the California Horse Racing Board, said Saturday that the death toll at San Luis Rey Downs could rise. He said the thoroughbred facility in Bonsall accommodates 495 horses and that at least 450 were there when the fire struck on Thursday. Marten said a small number of horses escaped to the wilderness through a fence that was knocked down and havent been located. Advertisement Some horses refused to leave their burning stables. Some got out only to run back in. Some made it to safety on the track, only to collapse and die. Full coverage: Southern California fires Trainer Martine Bellocq suffered second- and third-degree burns over half her body as she tried to rescue six horses, according to Alan Balch, executive director of the California Thoroughbred Trainers. She was airlifted to UC San Diego Medical Center and placed in a medically induced coma, Balch said. Officials said about 360 surviving horses from San Luis Rey Downs were moved to the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and some 850 horses evacuated during the fires are stabled there. A fundraiser for the San Luis Rey Downs horses on the website GoFundMe had raised nearly $478,000 as of Saturday afternoon. Another 29 horses died at a Sylmar ranch overrun by the Creek fire Tuesday. There have also been reports of dead or missing horses and ponies from small farms and ranches throughout the region. Santa Ana winds moved the fires so quickly and so unpredictably that those fleeing had only minutes to leave. In some cases, horse owners said they had to choose between saving themselves and their animals. Some owners wont know the fate of their animals until evacuation orders are lifted and they can search their properties. andrea.castillo@latimes.com @andreamcastillo ALSO An unprecedented loss of life: The grim toll of Southland fires on animals born to run Firefighters begin to turn the tide on Southern California wildfires Dogs trained for disaster relief were displaced by the Thomas fire. Their trainers are using it as a learning experience Authorities now say a gunman who killed five people in Northern California didnt die from a police bullet but shot himself in the head. In a final report Friday, the Tehama County Sheriffs Department said an autopsy determined that 44-year-old Kevin Neal died by suicide in his car after police forced it off a road. Neal killed his wife and then went on a shooting rampage in the remote community of Rancho Tehama Reserve last month that included firing at an elementary school. Advertisement Authorities said neighbors had repeatedly complained about Neal firing hundreds of rounds from his house and engaging in other erratic and violent behavior. Family members say he suffered from delusions and other mental problems. A 25-year-old San Diego man was sentenced to 100 days in jail Friday for furnishing alcohol to his underage girlfriend at a restaurant before she struck and killed a high-school student walking along a Tierrasanta road. Lewis Cornwell was captured on surveillance tape at BJs Restaurant in La Jolla on March 9 allowing Jessica Medsker, 20, to drink from his beer at least 14 times. The sips happened when restaurant employees were not looking, the City Attorneys Office said. When the two left, Medsker got behind the wheel. She was going 65 mph when she struck Alex Funk, 16, who was walking on Santo Road. Advertisement She didnt stop, leaving Funk to die in the arms of his friend, who was walking with him, prosecutors said. San Diego police tracked down Medsker six days later and arrested her. She pleaded guilty to felony hit and run causing death and was sentenced to four years in prison, the maximum term. Cornwell pleaded guilty to furnishing alcohol to a minor, a misdemeanor. City Attorney Mara Elliott spoke at his sentencing Friday: As a mother whose sons are close in age to Alex, my heart goes out to his parents and brother. Nothing we do today can fill the hole in their lives created by Alexs death. As a prosecutor, I hope this sentence deters others from repeating the crime committed by this defendant. San Diego Superior Court Judge Peter Gallagher agreed with Elliott that this case should serve as an example to others considering providing alcohol to underage drinkers. While prosecutions under the law are rare, Elliott said it will be used when necessary. Patricia Rillera, Southern California regional director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said in a statement that she supports criminalizing such behavior. Adults have to be a part of the underage drinking solution and have to be held accountable if they play a role in providing alcohol to minors. A similar case is headed to trial. An adult and the owner of a bar are charged with giving alcohol to a minor who crashed her car on Interstate 15, killing her best friend, prosecutors said. kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @kristinadavis Firefighters continued to make progress in the grueling effort to stop the spread of the Lilac fire, even as Santa Ana winds blew through parts of San Diego County on Saturday and were expected to reach areas already ravaged by wildfire on Sunday. After days of fighting flames that cut swiftly across northern San Diego County, firefighters had the blaze 60 percent contained and holding at 4,100 acres developments that afforded a glimmer of hope in communities not yet out of danger. More sobering was news that the number of homes destroyed by the fire had risen to 182, and 23 damaged, most of them in Fallbrook and Bonsall, where the blaze began, and that 1,500 structures remain under threat. Advertisement State Route 76 remains closed in both directions from Interstate 15 to East Vista Way. Throughout the day, as some residents were able to return to their homes to see what was still standing, fire crews worked to surround the blaze, keeping close watch on hotspots and flying embers that could ignite structures and vegetation that had not burned. The potential for winds to flare up and turn those hotspots into larger blazes is the biggest concern of fire officials, John Buchanan, a North County Fire Protection District spokesman, said Saturday. Hundreds of people who likely share those concerns gathered at a town hall meeting at the Fallbrook Community Center Saturday evening, along with representatives from Cal Fire and other local agencies, and county Supervisor Bill Horn. In a standing-room-only crowd, many had worried expressions on their faces and asked officials a variety of questions, including when the evacuation orders would be lifted, when services would be restored and if they had lost their homes whats next? Of the estimated 7,500 residents forced to evacuate in North County, some continued to wait for permission to go back to their homes, with officials admitting some reluctance to let them go back because they could be forced to leave again if fires flare up. Jennifer Duren, 47, of Bonsall said at the meeting that she has not been able to go back to her home since she was evacuated Thursday. Officials are doing what they need to do, but its frustrating, Duren said. Chris Bryda, 59, of Fallbrook, said he and his wife came to the meeting to learn what they could about the fire because they had no phone, TV or internet service at home. The message is preparedness, said Nick Shuler, Cal Fire division chief in San Diego. San Diego is no stranger to disasters.... Theres an incredible amount of homes that were saved based on peoples preparedness. The Red Cross is keeping open two shelters for about 110 people affected by the fires and power outages. The shelters are at Palomar College, 1140 W. Mission Rd. in San Marcos, and Bostonia Park & Recreation Center, 1049 Bostonia St. in El Cajon. Officials on Saturday closed shelters that had been operating in Carlsbad and Escondido. The fire, which began Thursday near Bonsall, has injured at least seven people four civilians and three firefighters. One of the injured firefighters got hit by a falling tree Friday evening at the Ocean Breeze Ranch on West Lilac Road in Bonsall, a Cal Fire spokesman said. The spokesman said the injury was not critical. The other two firefighter injuries were a separated shoulder and smoke inhalation. At least 65 of the houses lost in the fire were at the Rancho Monserate Country Club, a mobile-home community near the origin of the fire. The blaze also killed 46 horses at the San Luis Rey Downs thoroughbred-training facility. The National Weather Service said Saturday the Santa Ana winds have begun to kick up again. At 1:55 p.m. Saturday the dry winds off the desert were surging in East County, gusting to 54 mph at Sill Hill near Descanso, 45 mph in Crestwood, 40 mph in Portrero and 21 mph in Alpine. Forecasters say the winds will snap through the foothills into the afternoon, then spread out across the county. The winds are expected to hit the Lilac fire area and blow along the coast from Del Mar to Camp Pendleton at 20 to 30 mph, peaking in many areas early Sunday. The relative humidity is below 15 percent across East County, adding to the wildfire danger countywide. A red flag warning will remain in effect until 8 p.m. Sunday. San Diego Gas & Electric field crews worked around the clock to restore power to more than 12,000 customers, leaving approximately 5,800 customers without power. About 4,400 of those are in the fire zone and SDG&E cant restore power to them. SDG&E has cut power off intentionally to the other 1,400 for safety purposes because they are in areas with some of the strongest wind gusts. Most of those cut-offs happened Saturday morning, the utility said in an online post. Eight SDG&E crews were scheduled to begin repairs of about 15 to 20 poles damaged in the Lilac fire. All damaged poles in the affected area will be replaced with fire-resistant steel poles with thicker, stronger wire, the utility said in its online post. SDG&E crews also safely patrolled nearly 1,200 miles of power lines in Ramona, Otay Mesa, Warner Springs, Viejas and Pala Mesa. Boil-water advisories were issued for a few areas without power: Boulevard Pines Mobile Home & RV Park, Butterfield Ranch in Julian, Cameron Corners in Campo and Campo Group. The county Environmental Health Department says the winds may spread ash, which is toxic and especially dangerous to aquatic life, over a wide area. The Lilac fire is one of six burning in Southern California. About 8,500 firefighters are battling the fires, which have collectively burned 175,000 acres. On Saturday, Gov. Jerry Brown surveyed the devastation in Ventura, the city hardest hit by this weeks firestorms. Browns visit comes four days after he declared a state of emergency. Were facing a new reality in this state, where fires threatened peoples lives, their properties, their neighborhoods and billions and billions of dollars. So we have to have the resources to combat the fires, he told reporters during a news conference at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. The governor thanked firefighters for their efforts and expressed sympathy for residents who had lost their homes and animals, calling it a horror and terrible tragedy for so many people. Brown added that climate change may exacerbate the weather conditions that caused the wildfires to explode. This is the new normal, and this could be something that happens every year or every few years, he said. Were about to have a firefighting Christmas. The Santa Ana winds are hitting during an unusually dry period in San Diego County. San Diego averages 3.22 inches of rain between October 1 and December 31. Since October 1 of this year, San Diego has only received 0.02 inches of precipitation, says the National Weather Service. Theres no rain in the forecast through December 20. The only drier period came in 1929, when San Diego received just a trace of rain between October 1 and December 31. Staff writers Sandra Dibble and Gary Robbins and the Los Angeles Times contributed to this story. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick Kurt Bardella, a former congressional spokesman who was once a rising star in the Republican Party, has had enough and announced he has become a Democrat. Bardella, 34, who grew up in Escondido and earned his chops on local campaigns and as a staffer for Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, wrote in a USA Today opinion piece that hes leaving the GOP. The party, he wrote, has been commandeered by leaders who have not only lost touch with meat-and-potato issues but pander to a lunatic fringe that subscribes to an ideology of hate and fear. Advertisement The GOPs embrace of Alabama Senate Candidate Roy Moore, a former judge who is accused of molesting a 14-year-old girl, over Democrat Doug Jones, a prosecutor free of such allegations, pushed him across party lines, Bardella wrote in Fridays op-ed. This is not a party I want to be associated with any longer, he said. This is not a party that is trustworthy enough to protect innocent children from sexual predators. Moore denies the allegation and President Donald Trump says you have to listen to him also. Jason Roe, a GOP consultant who has known Bardella for more than 15 years, said the switch is not a complete surprise given that Bardella has been an outspoken critic of Trump and his supporters. But what will be interesting, Roe said, is if there are more Republicans out there, like Bardella, who leave the party after the Alabama election on Tuesday. There are certainly other people who are more traditional Republicans who dont identify with the wing thats controlling the party now and would be upset if Moore wins, Roe said. Within the party, there are people who pursue power at all costs, and there are people who believe that the principles of the Republican Party are the right principles, Roe said by telephone. And I think that Kurt is in the latter category. Bardellas departure says something about the current state of the GOP, said Tom Shepard, a consultant who has worked with many prominent Republicans. He remembers Bardella as a hard-charging operative who was committed to not only his bosses, but the party. When you you lose Kurt Bardella, youre in trouble, Shepard said by telephone. Bardellas conversion is a departure from a political life that began as a 16-year-old junior at Escondido High School, involved campaigns and positions with elected officials, and a new career in the country music industry. He got his start as a teenager on a youth commission formed to address the mass shooting at Columbine High School. The group attended an Escondido government meeting in March 2000 that would prove formative. Ill never forget the very first City Council meeting I attended. While I was expecting an elevated exchange of ideas, what I witnessed was a political fight that culminated with the mayor banging her gavel more than 50 times to silence a fellow council member, Bardella wrote in USA Today. The acrimony got to him, and he upbraided the council members for their lack of civility. The incident was reported in The San Diego Union-Tribune alongside a picture of him. I dont disagree with them arguing about the issues, but there were personal attacks going on, Bardella was quoted as saying. The experience, Bardella wrote in Fridays column, taught him about the press and the value of speaking up. Lori Holt Pfeiler, Escondido mayor when Bardella got his start, said shes surprised he left the party since his politics seemed clear 17 years ago. I always had hopes for Kurt because hes a smart kid, said Pfeiler, a registered Republican. I was always more non-partisan, but Kurt seemed to be a confirmed Republican, a confirmed conservative. Of all the people, I would be most surprised that he would change. Bardella worked for local campaigns and in the offices of elected officials before going to Washington as a press aide for Rep. Brian Bilbray. He moved between congressional offices before he ended up with Issa during a high-profile stint as chairman of the the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Bardella was fired over a flap in which he crossed journalists by showing their emails to an author. Issa did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Bardella stayed in Washington and launched a communications consulting business, counting conservative news website Breitbart as one of his clients. He quit in 2016 after the publication fired reporter Michelle Fields after she was grabbed by Trumps campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. Bardella also launched a newsletter about country music, a move that put more distance between himself and politics. He got married to a progressive from the Bay Area. Just as the Republican party has obviously changed, so have I. And for the first time, stepping outside a role in Republican politics, I had time to explore different issues, Bardella said by telephone. Before I really didnt have the opportunity to dive into and assess what I thought about certain things. Bardella became an outspoken critic of Trump, including the presidents response to the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., and the Republican-controlled Congresss reaction to the mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas an event Bardella had planned to attend until the last minute. The Roy Moore scandal was the last straw, he said. At some point youve just got to take a stand, Bardella said. Twitter: @jptstewart joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1841 Time and again, we are reminded in the harshest terms this land of beauty and promise is also one of danger and disaster. That has defined California from the very beginning. We are warned of this constantly but we bravely, blithely carry on, as Californians always do. Advertisement From Bel-Air to Bonsall, the current wave of fires has once again shown such disasters dont discriminate, but theyre not necessarily random. Over its history, California has built near fault lines, on flood plains and in the tinder-box backcountry. In a sense, theres nothing new under the sun here. Conflagrations, earthquakes and floods predate modern society, though the frequency of super fires fueled by climate change and development patterns are likely to increase. Its who we are, the late Kevin Starr, Californias state librarian and noted historian, told the Union-Tribune as fires raged throughout Southern California in 2003. The landscape of California the land itself is volatile, alive. Its alive seismically. Its alive in its need to burn itself off every so often. Its alive in rain and mudslides. If nature ruled absolutely, some big thinkers have said, California might be more like New Zealand, with several million people living along the coast. But weve brought water to where it wasnt and put houses on terrain that once might have been unsuitable for development. Much of California is, in fact, man-made. And while that didnt create the extreme fire conditions that fanned this weeks flames, it has at times has exacerbated natural disasters. But that is what has also made California a wonder beyond its natural beauty. People came here for better things, new beginnings, to remake or re-invent themselves. Visionaries forced their will on the land, eventually creating a sort of nation-state that is now the worlds sixth-largest economy. The innovators who put California on the cutting edge of so many industries and schools of thought and built our cities and towns seem direct descendants of the go west pioneers who wouldnt turn back despite extreme challenges. So much seemed possible here. But theres always risk in lighting out for unchartered territory. The Donner Party shouldnt have tried to cross the Sierra, and we maybe we shouldnt have pushed communities deeper and deeper into prime wildfire terrain. Even on a micro level, the wonder and danger of California go hand-in-hand. The fierce devil wind that pushed the Lilac fire from Bonsall to Oceanside on Thursday, destroying homes and gorgeous animals, also groomed waves beautifully along the coast, blowing a feathering spray off the crests that sometimes created rainbows. On Oct. 17, 1989, the violent earth literally stopped time at 5:04 p.m. on the San Francisco Ferry Buildings iconic clock tower. After 15 seconds of the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake, damage was everywhere, but it was still a beautiful Bay Area day. After the fires here in 2003 and 2007 and before, San Diegans rebuilt, making things more resilient. After earthquakes dating back to San Franciscos big one in 1906, building innovations and codes gradually led to stronger structures. Following the1928 collapse of the St. Francis Dam in Los Angeles County and other deadly floods, engineers reconsidered how reservoirs and water ways were built and managed. Its terribly hard to take the long view amid this catastrophe and heartbreak. It may be impossible if youve lost a loved one, a home, a pet. On days like these, this land of splendor and opportunity seems cursed. Some people may never recover, but most will. And theyll likely get help along the way. You see, California isnt just about natural beauty and amazing works and innovation. Not long ago, I talked to a visiting Swedish journalist who has been to San Diego a dozen times. When I asked what was her favorite thing here, she answered almost before I finished the question. The people, she said. Somewhere, Neil Morgan was smiling. The late, great editor and columnist at the Tribune and Union-Tribune had forever insisted that San Diegos pretty face drew attention away from what he considered its most prized resource: its people. Americans are known for stepping up to help their neighbors in times of need and nowhere is this more so than in San Diego. Like our regularly disaster-stricken friends up the state, weve had a lot of practice. And even those most afflicted are willing to help others when they can. Its not always just the material comfort. In the aftermath of the 2003 fires, just one house was left standing in a small Scripps Ranch neighborhood. It wasnt even singed. The owner showed little joy in this, seemingly suffering from survivors guilt. When people whose houses were torched shouted cheerful congratulations, he apologized. A neighbor sizing up the situation went over and gave him the verbal equivalent of a friendly elbow nudge to the ribs. She boasted about rebuilding and said, Your place is going to look like crap once Im done, buddy. He cracked what might have been his first smile of the day. Californians occasionally take it on the chin during disasters from some commentators from elsewhere. While they laud the pluck of Midwesterners in the face of disaster who may live in flood plains and tornado alleys some voices in the past have insinuated that we somehow deserve it, as if we lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. Forget them. Were Californians. We love this place, despite the flaws and peril. When things burn or collapse or wash away, we build them up again. And make them better. We make California better. A Rancho Bernardo Starbucks was robbed early Saturday morning by an man with a silver revolver, San Diego police said. The gunman got away with an undisclosed amount of cash after threatening the Starbucks clerk with the weapon and demanding money from the cash register just after 5 a.m., police said. Police were searching for the man, who fled the scene and headed north on West Bernardo Drive from the Starbucks on Rancho Bernardo Road. Advertisement He was described as Hispanic, 5 feet 4 inches tall and about 150 pounds. He was wearing a gray hoodie, sunglasses and dark colored pants, police said. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick While the GOPs tax bill would end deductions for properties damaged in natural disasters, including ongoing Southern California wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of buildings, San Diego Countys two Republican representatives in the House are backing an effort to provide some financial relief. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, voted against the tax bill, while Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, supported it. Portions of both members districts were scorched in a wildfire that started Thursday, burning 4,100 acres and destroying 85 structures. The two are supporting another piece of legislation that would give property owners some tax relief and access to money that could help them rebuild. Advertisement The Houses tax bill eliminates a deduction for personal losses caused by wildfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters, while the Senate version keeps that type of deduction. Issa, in an email from his spokesman, said the eliminated deduction for wildfire damage is just another way the tax bill continues to pick winners and losers. He didnt support his partys tax bill because it eliminated or reduced deductions for state and local taxes and mortgages, two popular provisions. Before he supported it, Hunter said the tax bill would hurt Californians, but he believed it was important to vote for something he believed would help the country overall. He acknowledged flaws in the bill after it passed the House. In an email Friday, spokesman Michael Harrison, said Hunter recognizes the seriousness of the problem the wildfires have caused. Hunter and Issa are supporting a bill by Rep. Mimi Walters, R-Irvine, that allows California property owners to deduct wildfire damages from their taxes and to draw funds from 401(k) retirement accounts to rebuild without paying a penalty. Harrison also noted that the House and Senate tax bills are not law and people can still claim this deduction in their 2017 tax returns. Issa and Hunter, along with the rest of Californias House delegation, all signed a Dec. 1 letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Appropriations Committee asking for $4.4 billion in wildfire relief money. In November the state requested from Congress money for a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that assists states and cities with disaster relief, funds for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to rebuild destroyed homes and additional money for unemployment assistance for people who are out of work because of fire damage, as well as other disaster-related assistance. Twitter: @jptstewart joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1841 The building furor over allegations of sexual harassment and assault in the past 10 weeks has terminated careers of a growing roster of men, from Hollywood moguls and celebrities to a U.S. Senator, congressmen, news media figures and corporate executives. As one big name after another tumbles, local lawyers who work on sexual harassment cases said they are beginning to see the impact of the heightened attention on the issue and expect to see even more in the future. Our phones are ringing somewhat off the hook right now, said Jessica Pride, a San Diego lawyer who specializes in sexual harassment cases. Advertisement Since Oct. 5, when stories of former Hollywood studio head Harvey Weinsteins sexual assaults on women were first reported, scores of women have come forward with their own stories of workplace harassment, assault and inappropriate conduct at the hands literally of male bosses. Pride said that while the volume of phone calls to her law offices have increased steadily, there is little she can do for many of them. Thats because the callers are relating incidents that happened years ago far outside the two-year statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit in California. The majority of calls are people who want to have their voice heard, but they are talking about cases that occurred five years ago, or 10 years ago, she said. Though there has not been a spike in lawsuits filed in local courts, another lawyer who defends employers accused of sexual harassment said it is likely only a matter of time. This is something that going forward is going to be much more in the public eye, said Lonny Zilberman, a lawyer with the San Diego law firm Wilson Turner Kosmo. Were going to see a lot more complaints and a lot more people coming forward, he said. And that means there will be more lawsuits. Both Zilberman and Pride agreed that the momentum created by the #MeToo movement of women publicly speaking out about their experiences of being harassed has created a sea change that will likely ripple through the legal system. In the past most estimates said that between half and up to 70 percent of women who were sexually harassed at work never came forward. Societal pressures and power dynamics in the workplace that favored men kept them silent, but not any longer. Weve come to that moment when there are no free passes any more, Zilberman said. Already, Pride said, the heightened attention on sexual harassment and assault is having an effect on her cases. When news broke two weeks ago that Massage Envy, the international chain of spas, had been the subject of 180 lawsuits, police reports and regulatory complaints by women who said they were sexually assaulted, she was in the midst of litigating a case against a local spa company over similar allegations. She declined to name the firm the case was being handled in confidential mediation but she said that after the story broke in Buzzfeed on Nov. 26 the other side quickly came to a settlement. They didnt want to be all over the news, she said. The case settled very quickly. I think thats an example of how this is inspiring settlements. Not all see it that way, however. Josh Gruenberg, a top San Diego employment lawyer who has handled numerous high profile harassment, said bringing and winning cases is still difficult. While his firm has seen an increase in calls and inquiries since October, that does not mean the legal landscape has yet shifted. All this talk about this tectonic change it may be in how companies handle this, he said. But in regard to the way they are defended, I dont think there is a change at all. Defense lawyers are still going to be very aggressive in how they defend these cases. The reality is, when a women brings a claim it is still a very hard legal battle. The real effect in the legal system of the increased focus on sexual harassment wont be evident for a while. Just three weeks before the Weinstein story broke, attorney Michael Conger filed a lawsuit against the city of San Diego on behalf of Nicole Pappas, an emergency medical technician who tried to become a city firefighter in 2015. She was one of 36 candidates in the fire academy that year. Three were women. In the lawsuit she said she was subject to harassment during the academy. All recruits shared one locker room men and women and she was subjected to frequent comments about her body, the lawsuit said. Drawings of penises were taped up in the locker room, e-mailed to her by unidentified city employees and posted on social media. She was also subject to other harassment during training and drills, such as being shoved and pushed, in front of fire department supervisors, the lawsuit says. Lawyers for the city have filed a motion to dismiss the suit. Conger said he was hopeful all the attention on sexual harassment over the past two months will represent a sea change where women are treated more respectfully and equally. Yet he said said he was unsure how it would affect his case. I think it heightens awareness, and helps with juries to know this is real and it affects people, he said. Twitter: @gregmoran greg.moran@sduniontribune.com This is the second arrest in the crucial pan India terror plot by Hafiz Saeed led Lashkar E Taiba (LeT) in the country. By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested Tauseef Ahmed Malik, 25 years from Pulwama. This is the second arrest in the crucial pan India terror plot by Hafiz Saeed led Lashkar E Taiba (LeT) in the country. Ahmed was apprehended after raids were carried by special operations group (SoG) of the Jammu Kashmir police. NIA top officers confirmed that "the arrest has been done with the assistance of J&K police." advertisement Earlier, NIA had arrested Nayeem alias Sohail of Aurangabad in this case. The man now referred to by Media as Headley-2 with terror targets being identified in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Nayeem even recorded videos of Army camps, power plants and Israeli tourist in India. Nayeem, who was arrested last month, spilled beans to agency sleuths about the role of Tauseef in LeT. Tauseef according to anti terror probe agency was in touch with LeT terrorists operating in militancy prone Pulwama. Both the accused, Tauseef and Nayeem had been in touch since March 2017 with the latter visiting Tauseef in his home town of Pulwama. He further deepened his contact by staying with LeT terrorists for 3 months. Two mobile phones have been seized from Tauseef. The accused was later produced in the court of Pulwama which granted his transit remand for four days. The accused will be brought to Delhi and produced before the NIA Special Court at Patiala House. Nayeem also has been associated with Pakistan based Lashkar commander Amzad alias Rehan who ensured funds from UAE route for setting up Lashkar bases in different parts of the country. Watch video | Kashmir: LeT terrorist spills bean on ISI, Pakistan Army's terror activities in Valley --- ENDS --- Southern California Wildfire Fund United Way of San Diego County is working with United Way of Greater Los Angeles, which has set up the Southern California Wildfire Fund to help victims. For this fund, 100 percent of the donations collected will support long-term recovery and re-building efforts for low-income families affected by the fires. Donations supporting San Diego County can be made online at www.unitedwayla.org. Checks may be sent to the United Way office at 1150 S. Olive Street, Suite T500, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Please write SoCal Wildfire Fund in the memo line. Advertisement Funds will be allocated based on need to vetted organizations throughout Southern California that will focus on rebuilding and recovery efforts for victims affected by the fires, including United Way of San Diego County, United Way of Greater Los Angeles and United Way of Ventura County. San Luis Rey Downs relief Santa Anita Park, The Stronach Group, and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club have set up a GoFundMe page with donations going to Lilac Fire recovery efforts. Feed, bedding, blankets and many other everyday supplies are still needed for both human and equine evacuees, and donations towards medical bills, housing, and other essential amenities are necessary to help the hurting California horse racing community. San Diego Foundation The foundations regional disaster fund makes grants to nonprofit organizations that demonstrate impact in disaster response, recovery, rebuilding and preparedness. They are accepting donations for Lilac Fire efforts at their website. San Diego Humane Society It is asking for bedding, wire crates, dog and cat food and bowls to be dropped off at its San Diego or Escondido campuses. Monetary donations for fire recovery efforts can also be made online here. Where to take animals if youre evacuating Tips on how to prepare and evacuate If you need help evacuating: Call San Diego Humane Society dispatch at 619-243-3466 or the County Department of Animal Services at 619-236-2341. Evacuation centers accepting pets: Palomar College (1140 W. Mission Rd. in San Marcos), Bostonia Recreation Center (1049 Bostonia St. in El Cajon), East Valley Community Center (2245 E. Valley Parkway in Escondido) Evacuation centers for large animals: Del Mar Fairgrounds (2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.) How to help animals affected by the fire Supply donations: The San Diego Humane Society is asking for bedding, wire crates, dog and cat food and bowls to be dropped off at its San Diego or Escondido campuses. Monetary donations: San Diego Humane society San Luis Rey Downs Fire Relief Effort The San Diego Union-Tribunes gofundme More than 800 horses are living temporarily at Del Mar Fairgrounds after they had to flee the Lilac Fire in North County. Some are racehorses that evacuated San Luis Rey Downs horse-training facility after the fire struck there, killing at least 35 thoroughbreds. Others are show horses from jumping or dressage training stables. Still more are pleasure horses that came from families backyards. Hundreds of volunteers showed up to make sure the horses were settled with clean shavings and water. Early Friday morning, they filled buckets with donated carrots and apples to put in each aisle, walked horses and cleaned stalls. Advertisement 1 / 17 Laurie Rouse (left) from Fallbrook stayed with her two horses along with her good friend Leslie Richter at the Del Mar stables where her horses were evacuated to. Rouse describes that day as the probably the scariest day of my life. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 17 Horse stables at the Del Mar Race Track are occupied by horse from the North County where they have been evacuated from Thursdays fire. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 17 Tabitha Smith from North Vista walked her horse that she evacuated late last night with the help of a friends horse trailer during the Lilac Fire. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 17 Veterinarian Lindsay Lewis gives a treatment to a horse that was among the several horses from HiCaliber Horse Rescue that has been evacuated from Valley Center. Assisting her is Shelby McCutchen. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 17 Laurie Rouse from Fallbrook stayed with her two horses that she evacuated from her home in Fallbrook to the Del Mar Race Track. Rouse describes that day as the probably the scariest day of my life. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 17 Volunteers walk a pair of evacuated horses at the Del Mar Race Track. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 17 Horse stables at the Del Mar Race Track are occupied by horse from the north county where they have been evacuated from Thursdays fire. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 17 Volunteers at the Del Mar Race Track load a truck full with bags of horse bedding to be used for the horses that were evacuated from the fire in the North County. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 17 Sharan Merchant (left) and Kathy Mehl collect buckets filled with nutrients to feed to the horses that were evacuated from Oceanside because of the fire. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 17 Veterinarian Lindsay Lewis prepares to give a treatment to horse that was among the several horses from HiCaliber Horse Rescue that has been evacuated from Valley Center. Assisting are Shelby McCutchen (left) and Amanda Smallenberg (right). (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 17 At the Del Mar Race Track, Olivia Fazareo feeds her horse that she had evacuated from Bonsall because of the Lilac Fire. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 17 Laurie Rouse from Fallbrook stayed with her two horses that she evacuated from her home in Fallbrook to the Del Mar Race Track. Rouse describes that day as the probably the scariest day of my life. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 17 An army of volunteers arrived early morning Friday to offer help at the Del Mar Race Track were horse from the north county were evacuated because of Thursdays fire. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 17 Volunteers at the Del Mar Race Track fill buckets half way up with carrots to feed the horses that were evacuated because of the fire in the North County. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 17 Volunteers used a wheel barrel to make the rounds delivering water bottles and snacks to horse owners. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 16 / 17 Volunteers at the Del Mar Race Track load a truck full with bags of horse bedding to be used for the horses that were evacuated from the fire in the North County. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 17 Meimei Zhu stayed with one of her younger horses that was evacuated to the Del Mar Race Track to help keep him calm. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) Equine veterinarians volunteered their services as well, treating anxious and injured horses, in many cases free of charge. Melanie Biedebach, who recently moved into a house in Bonsall, said helping with the horses was taking her mind off worries about whether her home still existed. She used to work for local equine veterinarian Lisa Grim, so after taking her 12-year-old daughter to school in Solano Beach on Friday, she met up with her former boss to come to Del Mar. Its better than sitting around watching TV and trying to find out if my house is still there, Biedebach said. Might as well help the horses. Lindsey Lewis, another veterinarian at the fairgrounds, said San Diegos horse community has a history of coming together when fires strike. Everyone is helping everyone, Lewis said. Its a pretty cool thing to be a part of. Tabitha Smith, 13, said strangers helped haul her familys three horses to safety on Thursday from their northern Vista home. I was so scared, Tabitha said. I had two emotional breakdowns. When her family evacuated, they left their horses, including Tabithas gray mare, a pony named Crystal, in an open pasture with hopes that they would be able to run if fire came their way. They wrote Tabithas mothers name and cell phone number on the horses hooves and halters. Then, their neighbors called to say someone was coming to rescue the horses. They arrived at Del Mar a little after 11 p.m. Many at the fairgrounds had similar stories of strangers lending a hand. Im amazed, especially in the horse community, how people will drive their car or trailer into the fire to help people out, said Laurie Rouse, of Fallbrook, whose two older mares also made it safely to Del Mar in someone elses trailer. It was probably the scariest day of my life, Rouse added. I didnt care about my house anymore. I just wanted to get my husband and animals and be safe. A lot of the horses wore their owners contact information. Many, like Tabithas family, wrote it on their horses hooves, some had painted the horses sides and at least one had red fabric tied into its tail with the information written on the ends. Marking hooves and halters helped Chestnut Hills Equestrian Center in Bonsall track its 43 horses as they rode away in about 15 trailers, said Rebecca McNulty, who leases a horse there and was helping with care at the fairgrounds. Thats evacuation 101, get your phone numbers on your horse, McNulty said. She said the evacuation took about three hours and had been stressful. It got really smoky. It got really windy. You just didnt know we kept wondering if we were going to see flames, McNulty said. There were times when it was like, Oh my God! Are we going to get them out in time? Thirty of the Chestnut Hills horses, including three miniature horses that shared a stall, came to the fairgrounds, and the rest went to another facility. All of the horses were safe and healthy, McNulty said, though one had scratched his leg in the trailer and needed stitches because they hadnt had time to wrap the horses legs with protective bandages. They did have time to grab food and blankets for the horses, and even the barn cats made it out, she said. The fairgrounds do not need any more horse equipment, carrots or apples donated, said volunteer Janet Nelson. She encouraged those still wanting to help to bring shavings for stalls, double-end snaps for hanging buckets or hay and feed. Del Mar is also acting as an evacuation shelter for other large animals and still has plenty of open stalls if more need to relocate during the fire. Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence Follow me on Facebook for live updates about immigration news kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter The San Diego County wildfire that started in the Bonsall area on Thursday quickly spread to 4,100 acres before the day was even over, leading to the frantic evacuation of thousands of people and animals in North County. People all across the country heard about and saw viral footage on social media of the struggle to evacuate horses at the San Luis Rey Downs horse training facility and authorities urged locals in evacuation areas to take their animals with them as the fire spread, especially large animals. At least 25 horses died among the chaos Thursday. As weather conditions and the uncontained Lilac fire continue to threaten San Diego County, heres what you need to know about evacuating and caring for animals. Advertisement Where to take animals if youre evacuating Tips on how to prepare and evacuate If you need help evacuating: Call San Diego Humane Society dispatch at 619-243-3466 or the County Department of Animal Services at 619-236-2341. Evacuation centers accepting pets: Palomar College (1140 W. Mission Rd. in San Marcos), Bostonia Recreation Center (1049 Bostonia St. in El Cajon), East Valley Community Center (2245 E. Valley Parkway in Escondido) Evacuation centers for large animals: Del Mar Fairgrounds (2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.) How to help animals affected by the fire Supply donations: The San Diego Humane Society is asking for bedding, wire crates, dog and cat food and bowls to be dropped off at its San Diego or Escondido campuses. Monetary donations: San Diego Humane society San Luis Rey Downs Fire Relief Effort The San Diego Union-Tribunes gofundme This page will be updated as new information becomes available. Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @abbyhamblin ALSO About 25 horses died in Lilac fire at San Luis Rey Downs training center California fires: evacuations in San Diego County remain in place; fire conditions improve Live updates: San Diego County fires Fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds and low humidity, San Diego Countys wildfire danger was so stark this week that a new color was needed to reflect the risk on emergency officials maps purple. Fitting since the deep political differences that divide this country are irrelevant at times like this. When someone is saving your house or your horse, a persons political preference is insignificant. Advertisement Thus it was that heroes of all stripes took steps to protect people and animals theyd never met. Some rushed into danger. Others tried to lessen it. A San Diego firefighter dislocated his shoulder and popped it back into place to keep working. A woman from Hemet drove here to help get as many horses as she could out of harms way. She was one of hundreds of people who rushed to save hundreds of horses, several dozen of which perished in fast-moving fires that prompted evacuations in Bonsall and Oceanside early on. Choosing to risk the inevitable criticism instead of potential destruction, San Diego Gas & Electric made a wise decision Tuesday to cut power off to 87 people in Descanso, a remote, windswept part of the county, to protect against equipment failures that might start fires. The strategy meant the company at one point had intentionally shut off the electricity to 17,000 people countywide, drawing questions from county Supervisor Dianne Jacob, but done to protect public safety. Other stories of Samaritanism, sadness and second-guessing are sure to emerge as homes and memories go up in smoke and thousands of firefighters battle blazes that put more than 100,000 people on alert for potential evacuation the first night. The danger, there in purple on maps for all to see, threatens to pose serious problems into next week because of the countys red flag warning. Stay safe, San Diego. As we did in 2003 and 2007 and 2014 when deadly wildfires sped unchecked across so many parts of the county, well get through this together and then well examine how we did to find room for improvement the next time purple appears on a map, which it inevitably will. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Reader Ed Zell from Point Loma subscribes to a Department of Defense newsletter. He saw an item in it last month that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was going to be in town for a visit to SPAWAR and to attend a graduation ceremony at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Zell expected to read something about the visit of this top government official in the Union-Tribune, but no report appeared. Why was that? he asked. Advertisement Its simple, said U-T military affairs reporter Carl Prine. The military didnt invite the Union-Tribune to cover him and didnt respond to several messages concerning his trip. Reporters do not have unfettered access to military bases and can be arrested and banned from the grounds permanently if they enter without official escorts, Prine said. Public affairs for the Department of Defense later released multiple photos from his attendance at the graduation. Prine said it is common for high-ranking officials to come to an area and reporters will not be allowed access, the officials decline requests from the press to cover their speeches, or they dont announce their trips. Sometimes, there might be reasons for avoiding the press. Prine gave a couple of examples: When Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller visited Camp Pendleton in late April during the height of the Marines United scandal after numerous female Marines alleged that active and reserve troops, plus veterans, had bullied them online, including trading naked photos of them his public affairs officers published images of his trip but never invited the media to cover him. Navy Adm. Philip Davidson held an all hands meeting Nov. 17 with warship commanders in San Diego, but did not invite the press, Prine said. Participants, however, briefed Prine on the substance of Davidsons report about ship collisions in the Western Pacific. The report was basically the same as a document released on the crashes. Mattis attended the graduation Nov. 17. The next night he gave a speech in Los Angeles. On Nov. 17, Prine posted a story about a benefit group the SEAL Family Foundation that appeared to offer in a fundraising flyer a visit with Mattis while he was in Los Angeles in return for a substantial donation. Prine noted in his story that the offer violates rules. Federal laws and Department of Defense regulations bar employees from giving preferential treatment to any private organization, including charities, Prine wrote. Neither government agencies nor their leaders can lend official endorsement to any company or cause, except under very limited conditions for official initiatives such as the Marine Corps Reserves Toys for Tots program. On Tuesday, after nearly three years of deliberation and intense debate, the San Diego City Council will consider two proposals to regulate roughly 11,350 short-term vacation rentals mostly on Airbnb that Host Compliance, a San Francisco-based consulting firm, has identified in the city. The author of the more restrictive plan is Barbara Bry, who represents La Jolla, which has 1,080 such rental units, more than any other neighborhood except for Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and downtown. Bry would let homeowners pay for permits to rent out their primary residences only, on a short-term basis for no more than 90 days a year. In a meeting with The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, Bry said strict rules are needed because otherwise it would be open season on our town. She said that short-term rentals reduce the housing stock that could be available to residents while jacking up their rents and home prices, and she dismissed most rentals as mini-hotels that disrupt neighborhoods. She also questioned whether beefed-up city efforts to reduce disruptions and punish owners of party homes would work. Advertisement The less restrictive proposal jointly crafted by council members David Alvarez, Mark Kersey, Scott Sherman and Chris Ward would let owners with permits rent out up to three units on a short-term basis, with a three-night minimum stay required in San Diegos coastal areas. To discourage real-estate speculators, owners of newly bought homes would have to wait a year to get permits for short-term rentals if the homes werent their primary residences. Under this plan, the number of city employees responsible for monitoring short-term rentals to ensure prompt, around-the-clock responses to complaints would go from a current staffing level of generally two to 15, at an extra cost of $3.1 million a year. In a meeting with the U-T editorial board, Sherman and Ward depicted their proposal as a reasonable compromise. They said the three-property limit would discourage speculators and limit effects on the housing market and that increased city oversight along with escalating punishments in which three complaint citations within a year could lead to revocation of city permits would decrease the hassles now associated with short-term rentals. Friday, a district director of the California Coastal Commission, which is charged with ensuring public access, rapped Brys 90-day limit in a memo to the city but said the other plans three-day minimum would at least, support a long weekend visit. That only bolsters the solid case that the council quartets plan would reduce neighborhood disruptions, discourage speculation and honor constitutionally enshrined property rights. If a council majority accepts that the three-unit limit which Bry thinks will be gamed via side deals can be strongly enforced then the foursome should prevail. But there is one big concern. In San Francisco, Airbnb fought reasonable efforts to ensure that only homeowners with city permits were listed on its website. In May, the company gave in, agreeing to automatically register all hosts with the city. Airbnb has about two-thirds of the short-term rental listings in San Diego. Its time to finally regulate such listings, just in case the city needs its day in court. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion By PTI: (Eds: Updating with more details) By Shirish Pradhan Kathmandu, Dec 9 (PTI) Nepals Left alliance is leading in parliamentary polls, winning 40 of the 49 seats for which results were declared today while the ruling Nepali Congress got 6 seats in the historic elections that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the country. advertisement According to results released by Nepals Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist? Leninist (CPN-UML) has won 28 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre has bagged 12 seats. The Nepali Congress, which has close ties with India and was the largest party in the last election, won 6 seats, Naya Shakti Party, Federal Socialist Forum Nepal and independent candidate have won one each, officials said, adding that result for 49 Parliamentary seats have been declared so far. Two former Prime Ministers Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam BHattarai have also won. CPN-UMLs senior leader has emerged victorious from Kathmandu-2 while Naya Shakti Party president Baburam Bhattarai has won from Gorkha-2, they said. Upendra Yadav of the Federal Socialist Forum Nepal is the first Madhesi leader to win the election from Saptari 2. There are a total of 165 Parliament seats and 330 provincial assembly seats under the direct election system. In the provincial assembly, CPN-UML has won 27, Maoist Centre 19, Nepali Congress 6, Naya Shakti and independentAone each. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats while 2,819 were in the fray for the provincial assembly seats in the historic elections that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation. The polls will elect 128 members of parliament and 256 members of provincial assemblies. The house of representatives consists of 275 members, of which 165 would be elected directly under the first-past-the- post system while the remaining 110 will come through the proportional representation system. "The Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) succeeded with the logistical preparations as well as the operational aspects of conducting the elections in two phases, despite the date for the election set by the government just 97 days before the first election date," the European Commission Election Observation Mission has said. "There is however, lack of transparency in the work of the ECN. There is no mechanism for regular consultation with political parties, civil society and observers at the central level," the mission added. advertisement Voting in two-phased parliamentary and provincial assembly elections were held on November 26 and December 7. In the first phase, polling was held in 32 districts, mostly situated in the hilly and mountainous region, in which 65 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise. In the second phase, 67 per cent voter turnout was registered. The commission said the November 26 and December 7 elections to the House of Representatives and the provincial assemblies represented a key milestone in the implementation of the 2015 Constitution. "The legal framework offers a good basis for the conduct of elections which comply with the international standards subscribed by Nepal," it said. The European Union has deployed more than 100 observers at 633 polling centres across the country for the voting process. The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepals transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives. While many hope Nepals first state elections will hasten regional development, others fear they will spark a fresh wave of violence. In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights. advertisement Following the adoption of the new Constitution, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the provinces and were also facing discrimination. The polls are seen as a major step towards implementing the new Constitution. PTI SBP SMJ MRJ MRJ --- ENDS --- Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said PM Narendra Modi leads people away from real issues like a magician diverts audiences attention while performing tricks. By PTI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi leads people away from real issues like a magician diverts audiences attention while performing tricks. At a rally in Modi's hometown Vadnagar, Gandhi claimed the prime minister was frequently changing the planks on which the BJP wanted to contest the Gujarat polls. "A magician also tries to hide something. When he performs tricks, he tries to divert the (audiences) attention. Similarly, Narendra Modiji has in the last 10-15 days tried to divert your attention from actual issues," Gandhi alleged. advertisement "Finally, he got frustrated and yesterday he accepted defeat and said he will not talk about issues but about himself. The truth has caught up with Narendra Modiji," he added. CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS Modi, at an election rally yesterday, listed all the controversial remarks Congress leaders have made against him in the past. Gandhi alleged that Modi, who began his campaigning with the issue of Narmada water, had to abandon that plank after getting "exposed". "Modiji started saying he will contest the election on the issue of Narmada water. It came to notice that the river water did not reach villages and went to the Tata Nano factory," he claimed. "After 2-3 days he said he will contest election on the issue of OBCs. Even that did not work. Thereafter, Modi declared he will contest on the basis of 22 years of development. It, too, did not bear fruit. "After that Modiji says, Mani Sankar Aiyar said a bad thing about me, so this will be my election issue," Gandhi remarked. RS 3,700 CRORE SPENT ON ADS Referring to a report, Gandhi denounced the Modi government for spending "Rs 3,700 crore on advertisements". "Our government will use that money for your health and education," the Congress leader said. He claimed that earlier the PM talked about jobs, corruption, schools, colleges and hospitals but he had stopped doing it now. "Neither does he talk about jobs nor about depositing Rs 15 lakh in your bank accounts". "At a poll rally yesterday, the PM spent 90 per cent of the time speaking about himself but the election is not about him or myself, BJP or Congress, but about the future of Gujarat," Gandhi said. The Congress spent 3-4 months in the run-up to the polls to prepare a manifesto after consulting various stakeholders such as "anganwadi women, Patidars, Dalits, farmers, labourers, engineers, doctors", he said. "In our speeches, we do not talk about ourselves but only about two things -- what the BJP did in 22 years and what the Congress will do in the coming five years," he said. advertisement MODI'S "SILENCE" ON CORRUPTION Gandhi also questioned Modi's "silence" on the issue of corruption, especially the graft allegation against BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah. "Modiji cannot escape Rafale or Jay Shah issues, whatever he may say (at election rallies). Even if he does not talk about corruption in his 200 speeches, the PM cannot escape this. Gujarat has decided that the next government will not be of industrialists, but of the poor, farmers, labourers and small businessmen," he said at a rally at Patan. Gandhi said during campaigning he will focus on 22 years of BJP rule in the state during which the ruling party "worked for five-ten industrialists" and "snatched land from farmers to hand over to Tata Nano". "The Congress allocated Rs 35,000 crore to MNREGA, while the BJP government gave Rs 33,000 crore to the Tata Nano factory. Water from the Narmada went to that factory. The factory gets electricity for 24 hours when you get it only at night," Gandhi alleged. Land from villages in Mundra was given to (Gautam) Adani at "Rs 1 per metre" rate, which the latter sold it back to the government for "Rs 3,000 per metre", he alleged. advertisement NDA GOVT WAIVED LOANS OF 10 RICHEST PEOPLE "Last year, the NDA government waived Rs 1.30 lakh crore of loans of 10 richest people. Farmers also ask for loan waiver, and (Union Finance Minister) Arun Jaitley and the prime minister say it is not their policy," Gandhi said. He promised a complete loan waiver to farmers in the state under a Congress rule. "I promise that the Congress will get you the right price (for farm produce) and will also let you know in advance how much you are going to get," he said. A Congress government will also spend money to improve health care facilities and education in the state, he assured. Attacking the government on demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax, he alleged that the winter session of Parliament was delayed because the PM did not want to answer questions on these two issues. --- ENDS --- By PTI: Jammu, Dec 9 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir is facing narco- terrorism and a majority of drugs being smuggled into the state are from across the Line of Control (LoC), DGP S P Vaid said today. The director general of police (DGP) also sought the cooperation of people, including parents of drug addicts, to root out the menace, terming it as a "very serious issue". advertisement "We are faced with narco-terrorism. There are some elements who do not want our future generations to be physically and mentally healthy. They want to destroy the lives of our youth and make them their slaves," he told reporters at a police de-addiction centre here. The DGP claimed that only 20 to 25 per cent of the drugs being smuggled into the state are from Punjab, while the rest are being pumped from across the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border. "I feel some agencies with ill-intentions towards Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, are involved in it. They are doing it (drug trafficking) to fund terrorism. They want our future generations to be addicted to drugs so that they can succeed in their nefarious designs," he said. "It is a very serious issue... This year we had record seizure of drugs worth Rs 500 crore in the international market. In Kashmir, we seized 70 kg of pure quality heroin, while over 25 kg of the contraband was seized from Jammu," the states police chief said. He said more efforts were needed to wipe out the menace from the state. "The police, as part of its efforts, is doing its best to fight the menace. I believe it is a small effort and more needs to be done. We need the support of families and the civil society," he said. Demanding stern punishment for drug peddlers, Vaid said judges should ignore minor technical shortcomings in investigations. The DGP also urged lawyers not to defend peddlers, if they were "convinced from the heart" that the person was involved in the crime. "I am giving this example because if you do not cooperate, we cannot root out this menace. We have to remain cautious. Let us come together to fight this out," he said, calling for coordinated efforts. The DGP said that the government has provided land to the police near Eidgah in Srinagar for a full-fledged drug de- addiction centre. advertisement "I had requested the government to provide land here as well. We also plan to send a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs for a full-fledged drug de-addiction centre here," Vaid said. He said the government was mulling to set up 10-bedded de-addiction centre in every district of Jammu and Kashmir. The DGP also said that incidents of stone-pelting during anti-terrorist operations have reduced in Kashmir and security forces were not facing "much trouble now". PTI TAS ANB --- ENDS --- UofSC institute works to help vulnerable familiies Good policy is informed by evidence-based research. At the University of South Carolinas Institute for Families in Society that's almost a mantra. Thats because the recommendations made by the institute's faculty and staff are shared with policymakers and stakeholders dealing with such serious issues as mental health, trauma, abuse and neglect. We try to put all our efforts into translating research from an ivory tower setting into practice in the real world, says Cheri Shapiro, the institutes interim director. For me, if research doesnt impact the real world, personally, its not worth doing. At the heart of the institutes work is addressing the need for excellent services for children and families who are facing challenges, whether those are health issues, anxiety, trauma, depression, disruptive behavior or substance abuse. That means working with nonprofits, plus federal and state agencies, such as the departments of Social Services, Juvenile Justice and Health and Human Services. Its really important that we get all possible hands on deck delivering the best possible services. And those best services are what we call evidence-based, Shapiro says. Its a dream to have every provider have access to the training and support they need to deliver those kinds of services. It is not inexpensive to make that happen, but I think we have to take the long view." At Carolina, the multidisciplinary research institution falls under the College of Social Work. Among its focus areas is the Division of Integrated Health and Policy Research, led by Ana Lopez-De Fede, which concentrates on policy analysis on health and family issues that affect South Carolina and the nation. The work involves using geographic information systems to collect and quickly analyze health services research, particularly in the area of Medicaid policy. Information pulled together by the team has been used to develop interactive health websites, such as SCHealthViz, which provides easy-to-access data about Medicaid enrollment. The geo-coded health data developed by the institute makes it easier to visualize Medicaid or health disparity data, allowing users to see data from communities around the state in myriad ways, such as by age, Medicaid enrollment, the number of in-patient hospital visits and diagnoses. Thats especially important in South Carolina, where Medicaid covers 52 percent of all births and a large portion of long-term, nursing home care. What we do touches a large portion of our families, and it has for 27 years, Lopez-De Fede says. We continue to try to figure out how to translate research in ways that different stakeholders will understand. By using methodology that allows individuals to explore information and formulate questions, that leads to changes. At the end of the day, if it doesnt lead to policy research and impacts, then we havent done our jobs. Through the institutes Division of Children, Youth and Families and its Center of Excellence in Evidence-Based Intervention, researchers work with state agencies to help identify and support the use of evidence-based practices to improve the lives of children and families in South Carolina. The institute also works with the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice to promote family-friendly approaches to working with DJJ youth. It operates within the agency to elevate the importance of families, while the DJJ Youth and Family Environmental Scan, developed by the institute, is an example of using data to assist with policy-making and program development. The ultimate goal is to help children, youth and families thrive and be happy and healthy and safe and secure. We do anything we can do to move a policy or a practice toward that goal, Shapiro says. Its not just about eliminating suffering; I think we have to think bigger than that. Its about creating joy and happiness and fulfillment. Thats why we do what we do. Cheri Shapiro The ultimate goal is to help children, youth and families thrive and be happy and healthy and safe and secure. We do anything we can do to move a policy or a practice toward that goal. Cheri Shapiro: Evidence-based intervention Growing up as the child of physicians, Cheri Shapiro says she was raised with a strong understanding of the importance of a career grounded in service to families. She fell in love with psychology as an undergraduate and became a clinical psychologist. I saw it as a different way to carry forward a mission that has been steeped in me since I was very small, she says. Shapiro ran a statewide office for the Department of Juvenile Justice before coming to Carolina in a research role. She joined the institute in 2011, became the associate director shortly thereafter, and became interim director in October 2016. She also is the founder and principal investigator for the Center of Excellence in Evidence-Based Intervention, which helps identify and support the use of evidence-based practices for children, youth and families in South Carolina, and which is supported by the Palmetto Coordinated System of Care and the state Department of Health and Human Services. Her work involves implementing evidence-based intervention programs for children and youth with behavior and health challenges by working to create training opportunities for clinicians. The heart of it is that we have dire need for excellent services for children, youth and families who are facing behavioral and health challenges, whether it be anxiety, depression, trauma, challenging behaviors or substance use, Shapiro says. Shapiro says researchers at the institute are constantly honing their skills and techniques to stay current and relevant. If I can make the world a better place, that is my goal. That is what drives me. And when I found the institute, it was like coming home, she says. This is what Ive been striving for my whole career. And I get to pull it all together in one job. Ana Lopez-De Fede "We all have the ability to influence. Thats the motivation to see discussions taking place over an idea." Ana Lopez-De Fede: Policy in place Ana Lopez-De Fede moved to the United States when she was 10, coming from a family that was actively involved in community issues and medical issues, including pharmacy and nursing. Its the sense that you work to improve the lives of individuals, thats a strong value of mine, Lopez-De Fede says. For me, choosing health services and health policy research is about those linkages between community and place. Its also about looking at individuals holistically. Lopez-De Fede, who has a background in psychology and health policy, came to Carolina in 1987, before the institute was created. She initially worked with various departments at the university, training clinicians on treatment of abuse and neglect of children, and domestic violence. As the leader of the institutes large health policy research section, she explores the links between health, health service delivery systems and well-being. Her team's work focuses on using geographic data to understand health care issues, guide discussions and explore options. Early on, we made this connection to health and place before others were beginning to think about it. Our work always looked at the role communities play in shaping and delivering services, in looking at the ways they can foster one another, she says. Back in 1987, people were not talking about use of geography with health care data, and yet early on, we began to locate individual conditions within the context of community. For us, thats always been an important thing. Now, so much of the research and dialogue is around population research. Lopez-De Fede, who was one of Carolinas 2015 Breakthrough Leadership in Research honorees, says it is important that the applied research make connections with those in and outside of academia. Being at the University of South Carolina, the state university, we have to look at how our work improves and shapes the lives of individuals in South Carolina, she said. We all have the ability to influence. Thats the motivation to see discussions taking place over an idea. I also feel very strongly that data should be used to guide and formulate those discussions, to explore options and alternatives. While she knows these innovative and creative approaches work, Lopez-De Fede realizes that progress in these areas cant be measured in leaps and bounds. We often say, at the heart of changes is a perspective of patience. I cant think of a single day when we dont say, Yes, thats why were are doing this. We can put our finger on it and say that was our research thats changing lives in South Carolina. Kathleen Hayes "I love the fact that we have expert staff at the university who can provide results and data about families that tend to motivate policymakers in trying to inch forward in terms of progress. To me, its very exciting. And everybody I work with feels that way. Kathleen Hayes: Juvenile engagement Kathleen Hayes says she has spent her entire career trying to make sure children are well parented. If anything drives me, its trying to get children into good, loving and caring families, she says. The message I always carried is a good family is one with parents that love their children and care about that childs needs. Its not somebody who is rich, not somebody who has all the pretty things in life. Its how regular families can be excellent parents. It is a marvel that I can still watch a family that is really doing well and with joy watch whats going on. Trained as a psychologist, she has gone from working on child abuse and neglect issues in Denver to various roles in the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Social Services, where she focused on adoption and foster care issues before becoming director. She saw upclose how children who arent supported by families can develop mental health and attachment issues and end up in the juvenile justice system. That helped her understand how vulnerable families can be. That led me to the institute, because the mission of the institute is to try to help all families thrive through our research, Hayes said. Its different to talk about helping families through data-driven decisions versus talking about just helping families. Families need a lot, and how can you help them if you dont have data? At the Institute for Families in Society, she serves as associate director, focusing her research on improvements in juvenile justice that involve greater engagement of families with youth being served by DJJ. Even though I didnt intend to have a life that follows a trail, in my own mind I can draw it as somebody whos been concerned about families and parenting and helping children in one way or another for my entire life, Hayes says. I love the field. I love things that can be done to make agencies better. And I love the fact that we have expert staff at the university who can provide results and data about families that tend to motivate policymakers in trying to inch forward in terms of progress. To me, its very exciting. And everybody I work with feels that way. Kathy Mayfield-Smith Whats most satisfying is being in this university environment and really being able to be creative and innovative and really push the needle and be on the cutting edge on some of this research." Kathy Mayfield-Smith: Access and deliver Her early work helping families who have children with disabilities navigate the system started Kathy Mayfield-Smith on the path to research and advocacy for better health care delivery policies. She earned masters degrees in both psychology and business, and began her career in the universitys pediatrics department. There, she worked to help improve services for people with disabilities, with much of her work focusing on information and referral fields in South Carolina and across the country. In some ways, I fell into it. I grew up in the 60s, so Im kind of a product of that generation, Mayfield-Smith says. In my early years in psychology, I got a sense of some of the struggles that people were facing. As I began to work in creating information systems that helped people get connected to services, I began to see how cumbersome the system could be. In many ways, it was like a foreign language. It was so complex. So, a family that has a child with disabilities is thrown into that world and has no idea where to start. She saw the difference her work could make in the lives of families who would be lost if someone wasnt there to help them figure out the system. She soon began working on Medicaid issues, partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a waiver program designed to allow people who qualified for nursing home care to stay in their homes, with Medicaid helping to cover the costs. In 2004, she came to the institute to continue her work with Lopez-De Fede. Mayfield-Smith is now a research associate professor and associate director of the Division of Integrated Health and Policy Research. Her research looks at improving quality and access to health services, disability and caregiving policy development, and access to and development of community-based services to increase health outcomes, independence and support for caregivers particularly respite services. Whats most satisfying is being in this university environment and really being able to be creative and innovative and really push the needle and be on the cutting edge on some of this research, she says. Particularly with the GIS work. We know that geography matters in terms of peoples health, and geography matters in terms of the types of services accessible to them. Share this Story! Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about LAKE CITY, S.C. Blythewood High School in Richland County and Main Street Elementary School in Lake City have created a bond that administrators hope will last. As part of Blythewood High Schools 2018 Winter Service Initiative, Project Connect, the school adopted Main Street Elementary and provided supplies and support for students and faculty Thursday and Friday. The students delivered supplies, decorated the gym and classrooms at Main Street Elementary, and to wrap up this weeks activities, they hosted a special assembly Friday to celebrate the connection the two schools now have. Blythewood High and Main Street Elementary schools were matched by the Pee Dee Education Center. Fletcher Spigner, Blythewood High Schools student activities director, said the school does a winter service project each year, and every year it has been different. With more than 90 percent of students at Main Street Elementary living in poverty, Blythewood wanted to help them. The school lacks many basic supplies that we sometimes take for granted, especially items in their art and music departments, and of course traditional classroom items such as books, pencils and markers and other items needed in an elementary classroom, Spigner said. We want to give them every opportunity to succeed. Many of Blythewoods students live in relative wealth and comfort, but they have truly embraced the idea of educational equity through this process. Each class at Main Street Elementary was matched with a class, teacher or team at Blythewood High School that pitched in with supplies. The goal was to provide at least $500 worth of supplies for each classroom. At Fridays assembly, Blythewood High School steel drum band, chorus, drill teams and other students performed for the children and faculty at Main Street Elementary. Fifth-grade student Willie Pickens said Fridays assembly was all about Christmas, and everything happened so fast. Willie said he hopes Blythewood students get to visit his school again. And to sum up Fridays experience, Willie said, It was great. It was good. No, it was perfect. Blythewood student Jaden Harris said it was a blessing to be able to give back. He said the school had been preparing since last school year. Honestly, its been my goal to reach a middle school, high school or elementary, Harris said. The resources that I have, knowing that they dont have this, its just really important and Im super proud of Blythewood High School to be able to give back to the community. Allana Prosser, principal at Main Street Elementary, said she was overwhelmed with gratitude, joy and love. Just kids coming back to give to other kids, I cant tell you enough how much it means to the school, Prosser said. The kids are so excited, and I think these (Blythewood students) will be role models for our children; they will be. Theyre going to want to do the things that they do. Theyre going to want to be like them. Prosser said her students fell in love with the students from Blythewood, and vice versa. They want them to come back, Prosser said. Spigner said Friday was not the end of Blythewood High Schools relationship with Main Street Elementary. What we didnt want to do was come here, drop off a bunch of stuff and feel good for ourselves, Spigner said. We wanted to do something that really mattered. So, we feel like sort of a long-term relationship is a lot better. Spigner said the school has already talked about having Blythewood students return to Main Street Elementary, Skype or call the children in order to keep the connection. FLORENCE, S.C. The Gator Beta Club at Savannah Grove Elementary School presented more than 200 holiday greeting cards to representatives from McLeod Health on Friday morning. We want the people at McLeod to feel the way we feel on Christmas morning, said Kierra Simon, a student at Savannah Grove and secretary of the Gator Beta Club. Kate Miccichi, director of patient relations for McLeod Health, said the cards will be greatly appreciated by patients throughout the hospital. Its so sweet, Miccichi said. It will bring so much joy. Hayley Taylor, Savannah Grove teacher, said making holiday greeting cards is a Beta Club tradition, but presenting cards to McLeod is more recent. Taylor said students wanted to make cards for a variety of ages, not just one group of people as in previous years. She said students were especially excited about making cards for those their age. While students cannot directly give cards to people in the hospital, Taylor said, the Savannah Grove community heard stories of how last years batch of greeting cards made patients Christmases better. She said that sparks more excitement among her Beta Club students. The clubs next community service project will be with the Humane Society during the spring semester. By PTI: Jaipur, Dec 8 (PTI) A court here today sent a man, who allegedly hacked and burnt to death a Muslim labourer from West Bengal in Rajasthans Rajsamand district, to three days in police custody. Shambhu Lal Raigar was produced in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Rajsamand. The magistrate remanded him in three days police custody. advertisement The accused will be produced in the court on December 10 again, Station House Officer (SHO), Rajnagar, Ramsumer Meena said. Raigar had allegedly hacked and burnt Mohammand Afrazul and a video of the gruesome incident went viral on social media on Wednesday. He was arrested yesterday while his minor nephew who had allegedly made the video was detained. The boy was sent to a juvenile home by the court today, the SHO said. PTI SDA ANB --- ENDS --- Something remarkable happened in South Carolina legal and political circles on Tuesday. A sitting circuit judge running unopposed for re-election withdrew her candidacy before the Judicial Screening Commission. News reports have focused on the unfavorable comments made by lawyers regarding Judge Kristi Harrington in an anonymous survey. The surveys revealed that many lawyers who had appeared before this judge thought she was unqualified by temperament to serve. Those survey results were not the only speed bump in Judge Harringtons path. Personal interviews of lawyers in the Charleston area by the South Carolina Bar revealed dissatisfaction consistent with the anonymous surveys. Ultimately, it appears that Judge Harrington withdrew when it became clear that she had violated state law by contacting members of the General Assembly prior to the completion of the judicial screening process. One news report noted that the screening commission members are all male. We have many strong and talented female judges in South Carolina, and, in my view, the composition of the commission had nothing to do with the assessment of Judge Harringtons qualifications. I have been trying cases all over South Carolina since 1975. No judge, male or female, ever treated me as rudely and unprofessionally as Judge Harrington did when I appeared before her in Charleston earlier this year. I was in court to represent The Post and Courier in a suit against the city of Charleston. I arrived at the courtroom well before the scheduled start of the hearing. I did not know Judge Harrington, and I wanted to introduce myself to her. The court was not in session when I arrived. Judge Harrington was on the bench, and a small group of recent law school graduates was in the jury box to observe court proceedings as part of the process by which they become eligible to appear in court. In the Charleston courthouse, the spectator area is separated from the well of the court by a knee-high wall with small swinging doors for passage. When I entered the well of the court, the swinging door swung back and forth with a clunking sound. Judge Harrington said, You must not come here very often. I chose not to reply. As I moved toward the bench, Judge Harrington said, You need to ask to approach the bench. Had you been next door in General Sessions (criminal), you would have been locked up. No judge I have appeared before has ever insisted that a lawyer ask permission to approach the bench whether during trial, a hearing or a recess. Maybe they do it that way on television, but that has not been the way we do it in South Carolina. I continued toward the judges bench and set my briefcase on an unoccupied desk placed perpendicular to the judges bench. Judge Harrington said, Mr. Bender, you need to ask permission before you set anything on someones desk. I bit my tongue. As I was trying to introduce myself, Judge Harrington and I were speaking at the same time. Judge Harrington said, I just told these students to never interrupt a judge. Judge Harrington then said, Mr. Bender, you are creating a bad example for these law students in many areas today. I thought to myself that these law students were going to leave that courtroom with a skewed view of how judges in South Carolina conduct themselves. I picked up my briefcase and went back to the spectator area until my case was called for hearing. You might ask why I didnt testify against Judge Harrington at the screening hearing. I was prepared to do so and had completed an affidavit recounting the events outlined above. Then, I thought about the situation. Here is a sitting judge running unopposed for re-election. When I retire and ride into the sunset, I wont worry about Judge Harrington, but the odds were that she was going to be re-elected and might seek revenge against my clients and partners. It would be nice to pretend that this doesnt happen, but it has happened in South Carolina with judges who thankfully are no longer sitting. Had I been subpoenaed to testify, I would have done so, but unfortunately, the screening commission had no way of knowing what I would say. Should I have had more courage and spoken up? Probably. Judges in South Carolina are elected by the General Assembly. The process always involves politics, but over the past several years steps have been taken to incorporate merit-based evaluations of judicial candidates, hence the Screening Commission. The process will never be free of politics, but in this instance it worked. By PTI: London, Dec 9 (PTI) The Martian atmosphere is well protected from the effects of the solar wind, despite the absence of an Earth-like magnetic dipole, a study has found. Present-day Mars is a cold and dry planet with less than one per of Earths atmospheric pressure at the surface. However many geological features indicate the planet had an active hydrological cycle about 3-4 billion years ago. advertisement An active hydrological cycle would have required a warmer climate in the planets early history and therefore a thicker atmosphere, one capable of creating a strong greenhouse effect. A common hypothesis maintains that the solar wind over time has eroded the early Martian atmosphere, causing the greenhouse effect, and thus the hydrological cycle, to collapse. Unlike Earth, Mars has no global magnetic dipole, but the solar wind instead induces currents in the ionised upper atmosphere, creating an induced magnetosphere. "It has long been thought that this induced magnetosphere is insufficient to protect the Martian atmosphere," said Robin Ramstad from Umea University in Sweden. "However our measurements show something different," Ramstad said. Researchers using measurements from the Swedish particle instrument ASPERA-3 on the Mars Express spacecraft. The spacecraft has been measuring the ion escape from Mars since 2004. Researchers combined and compared measurements of the ion escape under varying solar wind conditions and levels of ionising solar radiation, so-called extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. The results show that the solar wind has a comparatively small effect on the ion escape rate, which instead mainly depends on the EUV radiation. This has a large effect on estimations of the total amount of atmosphere that has escaped to space. "Despite stronger solar wind and EUV-radiation levels under the early Sun, ion escape can not explain more than 0.006 bar of atmospheric pressure lost over the course of 3.9 billion years," said Ramstad. "Even our upper estimate, 0.01 bar, is an insignificant amount in comparison to the atmosphere required to maintain a sufficiently strong greenhouse effect, about one bar or more according to climate models," he said. The findings show that a stronger solar wind mainly accelerates particles already escaping the planets gravity, but does not increase the ion escape rate. Contrary to previous assumptions, the induced magnetosphere is also shown to protect the bulk of the Martian ionosphere from solar wind energy transfer. PTI MHN MHN --- ENDS --- advertisement Press Release December 10, 2017 SENATOR LEILA M. DE LIMA'S MESSAGE ON INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY (10 December 2017) Fight for Human Rights: A Call for Global Solidarity and Citizen Action The celebration this year of the International Human Rights Day comes at a time when the world faces an extraordinarily long list of crises with no or little political will to confront them. We see this in various places, such as Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, and the different parts of Central America. In two (2) countries in Southeast Asia, governments are involved in attacks against their own civilian population that undeniably amount to crimes against humanity. In Myanmar, tens of thousands from the Rohingya minority were forced to leave their homes after the military blocked humanitarian access as they burned hundreds of houses, used unnecessary or excessive force and subjected people to torture and other degrading treatment, including rape and other sexual violence against women. Here in the Philippines, acting on instructions, instigations and incitements from no less than the President, the police and vigilantes have killed more than ten thousands of alleged drug offenders in a spate of extrajudicial killings (EJKs) under the so-called war on drugs, which is actually a war against our people, especially the poor. In the face of these mass atrocities, governments and inter-government bodies appear to be either ineffective, inadequate or simply passive. In the Philippine situation, the International Criminal Court (ICC), through its prosecutor, has yet to decide whether there is basis to proceed to a preliminary examination of the cases. At the UN, we have yet to see concrete measures coming from the Security Council, the Human Rights Council, or the General Assembly, beyond what happened last September during the Universal Periodic Review of the Philippine human rights record with the joint statement of concern from 40 states led by Iceland, and similar language spoken by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Domestically, the President and his Foreign Affairs Secretary have been consistently blocking the proposal to invite the UN Special Rapporteur for extrajudicial killings to do a country visit. Worse, there are no serious investigations and prosecutions being done on the killings. Meanwhile, with the return of the police to the drug war, Duterte is boasting that there will be an increase in the body count. The killings must stop. But, how? We call on governments all over the world to make good their commitments to actualize the promise under Section 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms can be fully realized" In the Philippine situation, in particular, we urge that: a. The General Assembly to pass a resolution condemning the extrajudicial killings, urging its immediate stoppage, and recommending the prompt and effective investigation and prosecution of perpetrators and masterminds; b. The Human Rights Council to establish an independent international commission of inquiry or an investigative commission to ferret out the truth and identify accountabilities for the mass murders; c. The International Criminal Court, through the Prosecutor, to commence the preliminary examination of the cases of EJKs; and d. The Philippine government to finally extend the invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur on summary and extralegal executions. More than the government actions, however, and in light also of the growing absence of human rights leadership in this highly troubled world, there is an urgency now for international solidarity and mobilization of public support to uphold, defend and protect human rights. We cannot remain silent and depend passively on governments. We the people ourselves have to act - act with urgency and in solidarity with each other. With political leaders themselves demonizing their own people, and even instigating the widespread attacks against them, the need for all of us to stand up for the basic values of human dignity and equality of everyone everywhere has now become extremely urgent. We can take our bearing from the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, chair of the committee that drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, who said that: "Where, after all, do universal rights begin? In small places, close to home--so close and so small they cannot be seen on any maps of the world... unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world." In the Philippines, concerted citizen actions can take the form of those adopted by various multi-sectoral formations like Tindig Pilipinas, Movement Against Tyranny (MAT), Laban ng Masa, and groups like i-Defend, FLAG, Centerlaw, CBCP, and IBP. We should support and build on such initiatives like the Commission on Human Rights' idea of a consultative caucus, and Cardinal Tagle's call for a multi-sectoral dialogue. Let's speak out. Let's talk. Let's act together. Let's all stand up for human rights. Manushi Chhillar looked absolutely gorgeous in the saree ensemble that she recently wore to a party in London. By India Today Web Desk: Manushi Chhillar has been living up to her newly acquired title, Miss World 2017, in every possible way, ever since she won the crown. From her eloquence to her stunning presence at several public events, the lady has proved how she totally deserved the honour. As part of her sojourn after winning the prestigious crown, Manushi has been travelling from one destination to the other, and from one press conference to the next. What interests us further is how, each time, the diva is also taking care of leaving behind her mark through her classic sartorial sense. advertisement This time, Manushi was spotted with Julia Morley, Chairperson of the Miss World Organisation, at a special dinner in London that was held to honour Marsha Rae Ratcliff OBE, Past Master of The Worshipful Company of Carmen. What caught our eye was Manushi's conscious decision of carrying a touch of the Indian-ness to London. What made the diva stand out was her beautiful smile, and the silver and peach saree that she had draped, thus making a classy fashion statement. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Miss World Also Read:Here's how you can get fit like Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar The saree in itself was quite a spectacle, adorned with the right amount of sheen on it. While Manushi draped the saree in a regular fashion, she wrapped the long pallu around her shoulders and let the tail of it hang delicately on the other side. The floral embroidery in pink and silver, on the peach-coloured border of the saree, added a flush of colour, thus brightening up the look further. Picture courtesy: Facebook/Miss World Manushi's newfound responsibility as Miss World has just begun and even in such a short span of time, she has proved her class-apart understanding of style, time and again. This was, once again, corroborated by the sheer precision portrayed in her latest look. Evading the risk of being over-the-top, Manushi kept her look simple, with minimal makeup and a pair of danglers, while wearing her hair in a neat bun. There's a lot to learn from you, indeed, Manushi. --- ENDS --- As plumes of smoke billowed over San Luis Rey Downs and flames barreled toward eight barns at the high-end racehorse training facility in San Diego County, staff struggled to get nearly 500 thoroughbreds out of their stables and away from the flames. Eventually, they had no choice: the burning barns were deemed too dangerous for vehicles with horse trailers to enter, so workers let the usually-pampered ponies, including some prized prospects for elite races like the Kentucky Derby, run for their lives. It happened fast. The first flames of the Lilac Fire burst out at 11:15 a.m. on Thursday. Within hours it exploded into a 4,100-acre, out-of-control inferno that had rapidly burned a path to the San Luis Rey Downs facility, more than two miles from fires point of origin. Hundreds of horses made it out safely, but there wasnt enough time for others. At least 25 burned to death. Two trainers, Joe Herrick and Martine Bellocq, were severely burned trying to evacuate the horses, said Mike Willman, director of publicity for Santa Anita Park near Los Angeles, which owns San Luis Rey Downs. A third employee at the facility was injured when he was trampled by the horses attempting to herd a group of them out of harms way. These situations are crazy, Willman said. Youre in a stall with a horse and youre trying to let it loose but it doesnt want to go, and you could get killed by the horse, and meanwhile the fires at the end of the shed. Theres no good way out. Trainer Scott Hansen lost 15 horses from his stable of 30 when his barn burned down. As soon as the palm trees caught fire it was all over, he told The Chronicle. The wind blew the embers and the barns caught fire. It went from a fire a mile away to all of a sudden it was on us. All we could do was turn the horses loose. But well regroup. The California Horse Racing Board said it was still unclear Friday how many horses had died. We dont have an exact number because the area is still smoldering and unsafe to enter, said Mike Marten, a spokesman for the board. Eight barns burned at the state-of-the-art training facility, which is well-known on the horse-racing circuit. San Luis Rey is normally a peaceful oasis for the highest-end horses. It even has a regulation-sized equine swimming pool on its premises. It has housed four horses who went on to win the Kentucky Derby Fusaichi Pegasus, Sunday Silence, Gato Del Sol and Ferdinand. These are not the first horse casualties in the fires that have ravaged Southern California for five days: nearly 30 horses burned to death in Sylmar, when the Creek Fire erupted there Tuesday. Many of the horses that survived the Lilac Fire were evacuated to Del Mar, a racetrack north of San Diego. Mac McBride, a spokesman for Del Mar, said that approximately 800 horses from all over the area had been evacuated to the track. Were dealing with this as best we can, McBride said. Weve had a wonderful outpouring of help from the horse community and the local community. We have more volunteers than we need right now. People have dropped off alfalfa, hay, and other feed for the horses, some of whom are being treated for injuries. A GoFundMe page set up online to cover the cost of feed, blankets and medical supplies for the equine evacuees had raised nearly $200,000 by Friday afternoon. Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Orange County, canceled its Friday races to allow the community to mourn. This is a very horse-centered community in northern San Diego, McBride said, and horse people tend to look out for each other. That is being manifest here. Freelance writer Larry Stumes contributed to this report. Sophie Haigney is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophieHaigney This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate San Francisco is a "liberal cesspool" that must be boycotted, according to some on social media who called for a boycott of the West Coast city after a stunning acquittal of an undocumented immigrant in the killing of Kate Steinle on a San Francisco pier. Thousands tweeted #BoycottSanFrancisco in the 24 hours following the acquittal of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, a 45-year-old Mexican citizen who was released from San Francisco County Jail before the killing despite a federal request that he be held for his sixth deportation. The Steinle trial been a component of the national debate over sanctuary laws for much of the past two years. FULL STORY: Garcia Zarate acquitted in San Francisco pier killing On Friday those disturbed by the controversial verdict took to Twitter to express their disbelief. "Hell will freeze over before I ever visit SF #BoycottSanFrancisco," wrote an incensed Twitter user. One man called the city a "used needle-strewn hipster dystopia." Another seized her platform to pen a rhyming poem of sorts: "The morning fog may chill the air. We don't care. There's nothing there in San Francisco except the Liberals and the poisoned air." Many went so far as to pledge to never use another San Francisco-made product again. It's impossible to know if they were on iPhones when they used the San Francisco-based social media network to make the declaration. Story continues below. Now Playing: The Steinle family reflects on the circumstances surrounding the death of their daughter Kathryn, who was shot and killed on Pier 14 in 2015. Video: Manjula Varghese, Guy Wathen, Lea Suzuki Others seized the opportunity to air their extended list of grievances with the city and its excess sympathy for "liberal causes," like Colin Kaepernick's anthem protests and feminism; many hoped CalExit would come to fruition. Although he had yet to sound off on the boycott, President Trump condemned the verdict in a series of tweets Friday and renewed calls to build a border wall. SEE ALSO: Trump jumps on Democrats in latest Kate Steinle case tweets The calls for boycott were met with plenty of pushback from the opposite side of the political spectrum. "RT if you're jealous Trumpsters promise to #BoycottSanFrancisco," wrote @Millennial_Dems. Other users pointed out the hypocrisy of boycotting San Francisco after they remained silent following the killing of Heather Heyer during a white nationalist rally and counterprotest in Charlottesville, N.C. Outside cyberspace, many Bay Area were shocked by the surprising verdict. Speaking with The San Francisco Chronicle on Pier 14, where Steinle took her last steps, many expressed a mixture of anger and sadness for the young life taken too soon. Vivian Ho, a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer, contributed to this report. Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate In 1875, San Francisco went wild over a painting of a dead Arthurian maiden. Thousands flocked to see the artwork during its brief exhibition. When it was stolen, city residents reacted as if a beloved friend had been abducted. When it was recovered, the whole town rejoiced. A number of factors came together to produce the furor over Elaine. First, by the 1870s, San Francisco was ripe for high culture. The once-brawling frontier town had grown more civilized, in large part because it was less male. The proportion of respectable women had soared from less than 10 percent in the early 1850s to 40 percent by 1870. San Franciscans began to take an interest in cultural and educational institutions such as the San Francisco Art Association, which was organized in 1871. The fact that Elaine was painted by a native son also contributed to the mania that resulted from its theft. Toby Rosenthal was born in Strassburg, Prussia, in 1848 and moved here with his family when he was 10. As Birgitta Hjalmarson writes in Artful Players: Artistic Life in Early San Francisco, Rosenthals artistic talents were recognized early. His father, a tailor who had a shop on what is now Grant Avenue near Broadway, scraped together the money to send him to study in Munich. Rosenthals paintings there included Affections Last Offering, which depicted villagers mourning a dead child lying in a Bavarian farmhouse. It was one of the hits of the 1868 Mechanics Fair, stoking San Franciscans pride that a local boy was becoming a big name in the art world. Then came Elaine. It depicted a scene from Alfred, Lord Tennysons tragic Arthurian poem Lancelot and Elaine, the tale of how the maiden Elaine died of unrequited love for the knight of the Round Table. Rosenthals painting shows Elaines body being carried to Camelot on a funeral barge. Even before Elaine came to San Francisco, a torrent of advance publicity had whipped up interest. On March 28, 1875, The Chronicle ran a long bio piece that focused on the painters humble upbringing. After gushing that Rosenthals father is blessed above all other tailors, for his name has a well earned chance of living in history, the writer raved. It is not once in a century that so young a man rises to such a position in art. Other stories described how Elaine had been commissioned, who the models were, how a crown prince had bid for the painting, and so on. Elaine clubs were formed and an Elaine waltz was written. There were even Elaine cigars. When the painting arrived at the Snow & May gallery on Kearny Street on March 30, hundreds of people were lined up to see it. Admission was 25 cents, with the proceeds going to charity. Some viewers broke into tears at the sight of the dead Elaine, who was holding a lily in one hand and a letter to Lancelot in the other. After three days, 8,773 people had seen the painting. But the citys high-minded rapture was rudely interrupted. When the crowd entered the gallery on the morning of April 2, they were stunned to see an empty frame. Thieves had entered the gallery in the night, cut out the canvas and gotten away. Elaine was gone. The press covered it like an actual kidnapping. Alas! Elaine, the Alta moaned. Under the headline, Farewell, Sweet Sister, The Chronicle mourned, All who heard the news felt a pang as if they had lost a much-beloved friend. Hundreds gathered to look at the empty frame, tears were shed, and the hands of ancient ladies were raised in holy horror. The authorities speculated that some person of diseased imagination may have carried it off to be the constant companion of his lonely house. The paintings owner, apparently inspired by the works medieval spirit, opined that the thieves should be hanged, drawn and quartered or broken on the wheel. San Franciscos most famous detective, police Capt. Isaiah Lees, was assigned to the case. He quickly got a break. As William B. Secrest writes in Dark and Tangled Threads of Crime: San Franciscos Famous Police Detective, Isaiah W. Lees, a man came to Lees office and told him he had seen several suspicious characters in front of the gallery the evening Elaine was stolen. When Lees pulled out his book of mug shots, the man identified one of the suspicious characters as a notorious miscreant named William Donahue, known as Cut Face because of a long scar down his left cheek. At 2 a.m. on Sunday, April 4, police burst into a rooming house on Third Street and arrested three of Donahues cronies, then quickly rounded up Donahue himself. He confessed and took police to a shanty on Langton Street in the South of Market, where he pointed to a bed in the corner. Under a pile of old clothes, Lees found Elaine, undamaged, in a roll of material labeled, Custom House Official Maps. When the painting was briefly displayed to the public on a table at City Hall, so many people lined up to see it that the Bulletin newspaper wrote, The scene was suggestive of the remains of some illustrious departed lying in state. A few days later, Elaine was moved back to Snow & May. Next to it, the gallery installed a large photograph of her knight in shining armor, Capt. Lees. By the time the exhibition had ended, more than 10,000 people had viewed the painting. Rosenthal died in 1917, having lived most of his life in Munich, where he married a bankers daughter and executed large commissions for European and American patrons. It wasnt exactly cutting-edge stuff, and the art world moved on. Elaine ended up in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, but the artist hailed as a once-in-a-century genius has been almost completely forgotten. Gary Kamiya is the author of the best-selling book Cool Gray City of Love: 49 Views of San Francisco, awarded the Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. All the material in Portals of the Past is original for The San Francisco Chronicle. Email: metro@sfchronicle.com Trivia time Previous question: Who called WACO, the community organization created to protest the redevelopment of the Western Addition, a passing flurry of proletarianism? Answer: Justin Herman, head of the Redevelopment Agency. Hermans name was recently removed from the plaza across from the Ferry Building by the Recreation and Park Commission. This weeks trivia question: Where is the building used for the exterior shots of the classic cult film The Room? Editors note Every corner in San Francisco has an astonishing story to tell. Gary Kamiyas Portals of the Past tells those lost stories, using a specific location to illuminate San Franciscos extraordinary history from the days when giant mammoths wandered through what is now North Beach to the Gold Rush delirium, the dot-com madness and beyond. His column appears every other Saturday, alternating with Peter Hartlaubs OurSF. Before the Steinles, there were the Bolognas. On a cool summer day in 2008, the San Francisco family was torn apart by a senseless act that thrust the city and its immigration policies into the national spotlight. A little more than seven years before Kate Steinle was fatally shot on Pier 14, Danielle Bologna lost her husband and two of her sons in a mistaken-identity gang hit by an MS-13 member who had been shielded from deportation twice by city juvenile justice officials relying on San Franciscos sanctuary laws. The cases ended differently, with the MS-13 killer sent to prison for life and the homeless undocumented immigrant accused of shooting Steinle acquitted Nov. 30 of murder and manslaughter charges after saying he had fired accidentally. But both families had to deal with an aftermath in which the tragedies stopped being solely their own, in which their pain became a talking point in the tempestuous debate over U.S. immigration, in which they had a loud voice but in a conversation they couldnt control. I felt like my family was just nothing, Bologna, 57, told The Chronicle in a recent interview. No one even really cared, though they liked to blame each other for this or that. And I was just left trying to make the best for my two surviving children. Bologna said she cant help but wonder now what happened to all of the groups that whispered into her ear and made her the face of the citys alleged failures. Where are the politicians, she wonders, with their fake smiles and empty promises, who wrung her family for all they could before moving on to the next tragedy? I sit at times by myself and I see it all happen again, Bologna said. The Steinles echoed some of the same sentiments during the prosecution of Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, who before the Pier 14 shooting was released from San Francisco County Jail under the citys sanctuary ordinance despite a federal request to hold him for his sixth deportation. We just want to get this over with and move on with our lives, and think about Kate on our terms. Nothings been on our terms. Its been on everyone elses terms, said Jim Steinle, who was walking on the pier with his 32-year-old daughter when she was shot on July 1, 2015. Bologna said she felt she had been manipulated, first by a family member and then by anti-immigration groups, into taking stances on issues she could not fully grasp after losing half of her family. Both families took aim at city authorities and filed lawsuits over actions officials took that protected the men accused in the killings. At the same time, though, they shared nuanced views of broader sanctuary policies that are intended to breed trust between immigrants and local government agencies. KPIX In the aftermath of traumatic events, the grief of loved ones is often exploited, according to advocates for victims. The emotions are complicated, they said, and often misunderstood even by those experiencing them in the moment. Theres an abuse of the process in terms of timing, said attorney Frank Pitre, who is representing the Steinles in a lawsuit. In the immediate aftermath of a tragedy, seizing on somebodys emotions to politicize an issue thats where I think people need to take a step back and think about the impact that that has on a family. Families dont consider how they may be manipulated or misused, Pitre said. They want the loss of a loved one to stand for something, but theyre at a very vulnerable time, he said. The last thing they want is to suddenly see a loved ones name being used as a polarizing issue amongst disparate views. In the age of a 24-hour news cycle, the role of victims and survivors can be magnified, said Gena Castro Rodriguez, who heads the victim services unit for the San Francisco district attorneys office. A story that may have been local 15 years ago is now global in seconds, she said. Its on the news all the time, or its on YouTube. I had clients who would be sitting on their phones, watching themselves get shot over and over and over again. After Garcia Zarates arrest, and the revelation that he was undocumented, the Steinles appeared on talk shows and spoke at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where Jim Steinle blamed basic incompetence on many levels for his daughters death. President Trump invoked the case in his campaign. Before they knew it, their daughters name and legacy seemed to be out of their hands, even paraded by white nationalists. Bologna knew the cycle too well. On June 22, 2008, her husband, Tony Bologna, 48, and sons Michael, 20, and 16-year-old Matthew, were driving a few blocks from their home in the Excelsior neighborhood when their car was riddled with bullets. Tony and Michael were killed at the scene, with Matthew dying in a hospital two days later. A third son, now 27, survived the attack and remains haunted by the memory. Danielle Bologna also has a daughter who is 20. Edwin Ramos, who is serving three life sentences without the possibility of parole, and Wilfredo Reyes, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison, were said by police to be members of MS-13 who mistook one or more of the Bolognas for rivals. None of the Bolognas had any gang affiliations. Ramos had entered the U.S. with documentation and had temporary protected status for most of his time in the country. But his juvenile convictions had made him deportable. The contours of the case were unusually complex. Danielle Bologna knew she was angry, but at what she could not name. She said she was in a state of shock for many of her publicized appearances. For days after the shooting, she found herself reaching for the phone to call her husband, only to remember that she could not. She was dealing with this sort of profound grief and chaos and just trying to survive, and she was just completely exploited, said her friend Marti McKee. Looking back, she says the point she had been trying to make was specific, that Ramos should have been in custody or deported because he was a convicted criminal and because federal authorities building a racketeering case against MS-13 had information he may have killed before. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Lost in her embrace by anti-immigration advocates was that her father had entered the country from Mexico without legal papers and that her mothers family had emigrated from Nicaragua. I never once said anything negative about immigration, she said. I knew there were good people who were here to work. McKee met Bologna in the midst of the storm. Local law enforcement officers who have long butted heads with the citys progressive initiatives had enlisted Danielle and her children to march with them against sanctuary city policies, even though there were concerns her surviving son could be targeted as a witness to a gang shooting. The family later had to enter into witness protection after receiving a threat. These people had just lost their family, they had just been murdered by a gang, and you want to bring them on a march to the jail? McKee said. That law enforcement would use this woman to further their agenda, I just had a breakdown. Advocates said families that have suffered unexpected tragedies are vulnerable to exploitation in part because the spotlight seems to satisfy their most basic pleas: Dont forget my loved one. Please let their deaths mean something more. But Castro Rodriguez, the victim services chief, said a family should have more power to decide when and how its loss makes an impact. For some people, taking their tragedy to a bigger level can be healing, to create some sort of meaning out of their loss, she said. But that has to be at their pace and their direction, and when the outside world takes over that process for them, they dont get the luxury of being able to control that. Think about it, she said. They just had no control over the loss of their loved one and now they have no control over the story and the direction that it is going. The Steinles hope to improve public safety with a pending lawsuit against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, said Pitre, their attorney. Kate Steinle was killed by a gun that had been unsecured when it was stolen four days earlier from a rangers parked car in San Francisco. For the Bolognas, next year will mark the 10th anniversary of the killings. The mother wonders what her sons lives would have been like. Michael would have been 30. Would he have been someones husband or father? Danielle Bologna said she wanted to get in touch with the Steinle family when she heard about the Pier 14 shooting. But she stopped herself. She saw once before how her grief could be distorted, how easily an innocent gesture of support could be publicly misconstrued. Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Be it a man painted in orange to support PM Modi ahead of Gujarat Assembly election, a woman getting an Electronic Voting Machine painted in her hair to promote voting, or vehicles driving through smog in New Delhi. Here's the last week of India in pictures. By India Today Web Desk: India, a culture so big and vast that it's hard to keep up with our country, we are progressing, and we are really fast. A lot happens in mere seconds, and a week seems to be long, so long that it cannot be captured in its full glory. If one comes to backtrack a week that has gone by, one will find it really difficult to zero down on important events. However, a few can be mentioned giving a fair view of how life goes on here. advertisement INDIA LAST WEEK: IN PICTURES A woman gets an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) painted in her hair at a parlor to promote voting ahead of Gujarat state assembly election in Ahmedabad. REUTERS/Amit Dave A group of Muslim men sits outside a mosque as they observe a black day marking the 25th anniversary of the razing of a 16th century Babri mosque by a Hindu mob in the town of Ayodhya. REUTERS/Pawan Kumar A supporter carries overhead a model of lotus, the election symbol of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as he arrives to attend a campaign meeting addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of Gujarat state assembly election in Kalol on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. REUTERS/Amit Dave REUTERS/Amit Dave Indian Navy marine commandos demonstrate their skills during Navy Day celebrations in Mumbai. Danish Siddiqui Danish Siddiqui Demonstrators burn an effigy depicting US President Donald Trump during a protest against the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in Srinagar. REUTERS/Danish Ismail Kashmiri Muslim women react upon seeing a relic believed to be a hair from the beard of Prophet Mohammed, being displayed on the Friday following the festival of Eid-e-Milad-ul-Nabi, the birth anniversary of the prophet, at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar. REUTERS/Danish Ismail A member from Indian Army's Military Police performs a daredevil stunt during a Military literature festival in Chandigarh. REUTERS/Ajay Verma Another member from Indian Army's Military Police performs a breathtaking stunt during a Military literature festival in Chandigarh. REUTERS/Ajay Verma People take photographs of a large wave caused by Cyclone Ockhi in Mumbai which wreaked havoc in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshwadeep. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade Vehicles drive through smog in New Delhi which brought in troubles for the people in the city as many went breathless and felt choked. REUTERS/Saumya Khandelwal --- ENDS --- This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate There exists a cruel irony, a negative feedback loop of sorts, to the trajectory of those who enter graduate school. To commit to the highest levels of academia requires a particular disposition, a certain sense of self that has for the most part been rigorously dependent on lifelong excellence as a student. And then you go to a place where you think youre supposed to thrive as a good student, and you feel like youre failing left and right. So says Lego Grad Student, or at least the man behind the online phenomenon that sums up the graduate student experience in its own delightfully, if not depressingly, unique way. For the past year and a half, Lego (who wishes to remain anonymous) has through social media juxtaposed the whimsy of a childhood toy with themes of adult disillusionment and existential dread. Photographs, often beautifully composed, depict a recurring Lego figurine, simply dubbed the grad student, within entirely Lego-built setups replicating academic habitats, while a concise caption encapsulates some form of hyperbolized hopelessness of grad school life. The result is always darkly funny, and according to his online following Legos Twitter and Facebook combine for nearly 100,000 followers deeply relatable. In one, the recurring grad student stands in a library, while the captions reads, Sifting through the librarys basement stacks, the grad student cannot tell whether the musty smell is from the old books or his withering soul. In another, the grad student presents a PowerPoint presentation in class. Its caption: Coming to a particularly flimsy slide, the grad student nervously watches dozens of eyes stare at the work of a fraud. The somber humor originated as a clever twist on real life. The real-life Lego, now a Bay Area postdoctoral fellow, had always wanted to become a professor, only to endure an existential sledgehammer to my soul after facing the realities of graduate school. After a horrific meeting with an adviser in the spring of 2016 yielded harsh criticism of his dissertation work, Lego sought a distraction. Then I had this realization that I forgot how to have fun, which is a weird thing to say maybe. But I felt like I had lost all my hobbies, he says. He instinctively returned to his childhood hobby of building with Legos, eventually constructing a simple scene of a Lego figure hunched over a toilet in a bathroom. Then, he built three more scenes to create a familiar backstory: a grad student who was sick to his stomach after a disastrous meeting with his adviser. I realized I have this bank of memories now from the last five years of grad school that could be an interesting pool of ideas to deal with, Lego recalls. Soon after, Lego Grad Student was born. After initially posting captioned photos of these first scenes on a personal Facebook, Lego created official social media accounts in June of 2016 and quickly spawned a following. I never did this with any expectation that people would find it or care about it, he says. Lego Grad Student Yet the project has only grown alongside some 150 unique posts of its perpetually dejected yellow protagonist. Lego has provided an unexpected source of comfort and solidarity for people, especially other grad students, suffering under the weight of their stresses. The creator was even invited for his own public talks at two universities. Every week I think Im finished, says LGS in his small South Bay apartment, where thousands of Lego pieces are organized in boxes and Ziploc bags. I always think Im out of ideas. I dont have a long list of things I want to portray, but what I usually come with is just a concept of some event that happened or some feeling that you can have. Each post, always photographed by Lego himself, typically follows a formula: The grad student protagonist occupies the focus, and the caption (usually the essence of the humor, and often the hardest part to perfect) adheres to a specific, concise grammatical structure. Then the presidential election came, and Lego Grad Student underwent a change. On Election Day itself, a post showed the grad student at a voting booth in front a large Lego-built American flag backdrop, with a caption that read, Today is going down in the history books. Please vote if you have not already. The next day, Lego abandoned a caption altogether in a quietly poignant post, depicting no grad student, but the same American flag from the day before now shattered into a heap of Lego pieces. I had no interest in doing Lego Grad Student anymore, the creator says. It felt like such a dumb thing to waste my time on given how I felt about the world. Yet the project has continued, and Lego has used its distinct form as a surprisingly and often brilliantly effective voice in response to the past years whirlwind of political news. The Lego American flag has remained a recurring and powerfully expressed character, usually in posts immediately following events such as former FBI Director James Comeys firing or the white supremacist rally and protests in Charlottesville, Va. Meanwhile, other LGS posts have promoted Puerto Rico relief efforts and, most recently, illustrated the effect the new tax plan will have on grad students. I just kind of had this feeling that if I had this platform, it felt almost irresponsible for me to proceed with Lego Grad Student as if nothing had changed, he says. But the grad student character has remained the focus, even while the Lego creator himself recently completed his doctorate program. The angsty burden is still there the final steps toward graduation were only a series of anticlimactic moments and as a postdoc and beyond, catharsis will likely be hard to find. The project, Lego says, will continue for the time being, though he predicts it will run its course eventually. In the big picture he hopes it might help combat the stigma, especially in grad school programs, toward acknowledging hardship. Even if its through photos of a blocky plastic world, he says, I really hope that people feel less alone in whatever struggles they have. Brandon Yu is a Bay Area freelance writer. Check out Lego Grad Student on Twitter @LegoGradStudent and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/legogradstudent/ I have some bad news. You probably know a man whos harassed or abused women, and you probably didnt do anything to stop him. This is a harsh fact, and I know that some of you will hate me for pointing it out. Yet in light of our national reckoning with the fact that some powerful men in the workplace have gotten away with abusing and mistreating women for too long, it has to be said. The #MeToo movement has resulted in a flood of stories from women who felt compelled to keep their agony private because we live in a world that requires it. As with all fledgling social movements, its gained vocal supporters and detractors people who believe its past time for the status quo to change and those who believe it will never be the right time. But a far larger category of observers seems to be those who feel aghast but dont know how to react or what to do. This feeling of uncertainty is understandable. All of this has been happening, all around them, for most of their lives. Yet they didnt stop to think about it. They certainly didnt confront it while it was happening. Ive been on both sides of this equation. On the one hand, Ive held jobs where I was sexually harassed by men who had the power to decide my paycheck and my position. Im well acquainted with the special kind of powerlessness that comes with that situation and how that powerlessness is exacerbated by (usually male, occasionally female) colleagues who either dismiss or downplay the bad behavior of their friends, their bosses and their co-workers. The experience affected my life, my relationships, my willingness to trust and I know that I was one of the lucky ones. Ive seen other female friends be ground down by harassment and abuse in workplaces, to the point where they felt like making a career change was the only sensible choice. The fact that every woman I know has a story like this means that these men exist, well everywhere. It means we all have them in our families and our circles of friends. Its just math. But the pervasiveness of the problem doesnt make it easier to deal with. Which brings me to the other side of the equation. Occasionally, Ive had the misfortune to learn that a friend or acquaintance has behaved horribly and Ive been unsure about how to handle it. The first hurdle is believing that theres something to the accusations. If you struggle with the first hurdle, then this is where your work needs to begin. (And boy, does your work need to begin.) Once Im over the shock, I actually find it relatively easy to believe that someone I know is capable of doing something wrong. But then what? The next step is where Ive flailed in the past. Do I confront the person, or do I avoid him like the plague? Do I tell every woman who may be in contact with this guy? Do other people believe this, or has everyone else decided its just fine? Lots of difficult questions come into play when its someone you know. Things that feel obvious in the abstract suddenly feel incredibly complicated. We all want to believe the best about the people we know. In the face of evidence to the contrary, the easiest thing to do is to ignore it. No more. If theres anything Ive remembered over the past two months, its how predatory behavior thrives when no ones willing to challenge it. So I spoke to some psychotherapists and anti-assault advocates. They shared some advice about how to deal with the harassers you know. Have the courage to use it. Follow the survivors lead. Take your cues from what the survivor wants, not from what you want. Does she want to press charges? Support her. Does she want to go public with her accusations? Support her. Does she not want to endure the scrutiny that would result from a public airing? Support her. Sometimes confrontation is necessary. Sometimes an acquaintance can, and should, just be written off entirely. But sometimes you have to interact with a harasser or an abuser on a regular basis. If you know the perpetrator well and feel safe enough to speak to him, dont shrug off his behavior. Choose a moment when youre calm and the environment is safe. Then ... Address the issue sensitively, but firmly. Try saying something like, Ive seen things about your behavior with women that are unacceptable. I dont want to talk to you about it avoid being dragged into the harassers defensive arguments! but I want you to know that this is a problem, and you can talk to someone who could help you with it. Caille Millner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cmillner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @caillemillner This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Brokaw Ranch, one of the Bay Areas best-loved avocado purveyors and a constant presence on the areas restaurant menus, has sustained major damage in the Thomas Fire. As of Friday morning, the fire has burned 132,000 acres in Ventura County and is only 10 percent contained. Will Brokaw, whose parents started the Ventura County farm in the 1950s, estimates that 80 percent of the propertys 160 acres of avocado trees was burned in the fire. He says he is still assessing damage to the ranchs 30 acres of specialty citrus and tropical fruit trees. There was also damage to irrigation systems, a barn and several outlying structures. Brokaw says that it will take two years for the avocado trees to fully recover and about a year for citrus trees. He doesnt expect the ranch will be able to operate at full capacity until 2020. The family ranch was started as a backyard avocado and citrus nursery and expanded to a full-time operation in the mid-1960s. The ranch grows dozens of varieties, but Brokaws specialties are Hass, Gem, Gwen and Reed avocados. According to Brokaw, the fire made contact with the nurserys main ranch, Cheravo, which is located in Santa Paula (Ventura County) and provides about 90 percent of what Brokaw sells to Bay Area and Central Coast farmers markets. The ranch is approximately 2 to 3 miles from the fires epicenter. At the time of the fires outbreak, Brokaw was in Watsonville, and his mother, who lives on the property, was in town with his sister. The ranchs employees including several workers who lived off the property and had to hoof it across the Santa Paula Creek to make their way to the ranch battled the flames. The immediate family wasnt able to get back to the property until Tuesday afternoon. Thankfully, Brokaws mothers home, where he grew up, was not destroyed. It smells like smoke and its going to need some cleaning, but all the family photos are there, says Brokaw. The family also has a smaller farming operation in Soledad (Monterey County), which has not been impacted by the fires, though it has been a light production year there. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. The Brokaws, who normally sell their avocados at nine farmers markets around the Bay Area and Central Coast, will not be at any market for the foreseeable future. He hopes to return to some by the end of February. Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sfritsche@sfchronicle.com Twitter/Instagram: @foodcentric Rian Johnsons first three feature films the high school noir Brick, con-man movie The Brothers Bloom and time-travel crime film Looper shared with each other modest budgets, a keen sense of style and a lack of any suggestion that the guy behind them would one day direct a Star Wars film. Johnsons childhood was a greater predictor. Johnson recalls every detail of seeing Return of the Jedi on a Denver big screen at age 9, and how he first told Star Wars stories through action figures. And come to think of it, there was a sci-fi element to Looper. So it makes a certain sense that Johnson was hired to direct The Last Jedi, a continuation of Reys (Daisy Ridley) Jedi journey from 2015s The Force Awakens and the eighth episode in a story arc that began in 1977. Especially considering Johnson was not the only inspired Star Wars hire in recent years, with The Lego Movie filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller having been tapped to direct the 2018 Han Solo movie. But Ron Howard replaced Lord and Miller on that project, with Lucasfilm citing creative differences. Lucasfilm also recently parted ways with Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), who had been brought in to direct Episode IX. Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams filled that slot. Last Jedi was not screened for The Chronicle before Johnsons recent visit to San Francisco to discuss the film, which opens Friday. Few details are known about its story lines. But this should inspire confidence about its quality: Johnson, 43, not only kept the job he started 3 years ago on Jedi, but also will make a separate Wars trilogy. Q: You wrote the Last Jedi screenplay. How much autonomy did you have? Is a road map for the series laid out for you? A: No, and that was unexpected. Coming into it, one of the big questions I had was, What is the process going to be? The truth is, it was a really organic, open process. I was given the script to J.J.s movie (Force Awakens), read it, and it was literally just sitting around a table, and What happens next? Q: Who else was at the table? A: Theres Kathleen Kennedy, who runs Lucasfilm, and a small group of folks who call themselves the story group wonderful, creative folks who know Star Wars inside and out. Q: Mark Hamill made a very brief appearance in Force Awakens. How prominent is Luke in this one? A: Very, very prominent. Similar to the way Han Solo was in the last one. This is kind of Marks movie. Q: How did Carrie Fishers death affect this production, and the franchise going forward? A: It didnt really affect our film at all. We had a complete performance from her. (Fisher completed her scenes before she died in December 2016). After she passed away, we were dealing with personal loss, but we also had to start thinking, What do we do? We decided to not touch the performance. The tougher job in that regard falls to J.J., and Chris Terrio, who are writing Episode IX, and figuring out how to carry on the story. Q: What do you mean, you didnt touch the performance? A: Editing-wise. We didnt try and manipulate it, to start thinking about it What is going to happen with her character in the next episode, and how do we fake something so it leads into that? We left it alone. She gives a really beautiful performance that we didnt know was going to be her final performance as Princess Leia. Q: What will your trilogy be about? A: I dont know. Do you have any ideas? (laughs) Q: What was your reaction to those other Star Wars directors parting ways with the franchise? A: It is not a pleasant thing that happens. But I guess you just always have to be careful of judging from the outside of any process, and thinking you know. Film sets and the production of any movie is such a complicated thing. And this is to all to say I wasnt in any of those processes, so I dont really know. Q: Your previous films leaned alternative there was a funkiness to them. Were you able to bring any of that to this one? A: I think I was. First and foremost, I just wanted to make a great Star Wars movie. But inevitably, because you are the one telling it, it is going to come through with your stuff. Q: Is it also just really cool to write recognizable Star Wars lines? A: Oh my God, the first time you type Luke Skywalker into your screenwriting program, and he comes up on your character list, its absurd. Interior: Millennium Falcon. Its crazy. Carla Meyer is a Northern California freelance writer. WASHINGTON The 14 Republican members of Californias House delegation have enough votes among them to kill the $1.5 trillion tax bill now under negotiation in Congress, and GOP leaders are wrestling with possible increases in the deductions available for state and local taxes to keep them on board. Meanwhile, top California Democrats applied their own pressure this week, attacking the states 11 Republicans who voted for the House version of the tax bill that eliminated the popular deduction, a move that could cost some state taxpayers thousands of dollars and would impair the states and cities ability to raise taxes. Gov. Jerry Brown accused Republicans of acting like a bunch of Mafia thugs targeting rich, high-tax and largely Democratic states to redistribute money to Republican-leaning, low-tax states. And in a rare move, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco used her Thursday news conference to call out by name the 11 California Republicans who voted for the House bill. Eleven Republicans in California voted to do violence to the economy of our state, Pelosi said. Eleven. The exact number that if they had voted correctly would have stopped the bill. The House bill, passed last month, and the Senate version, approved Dec. 2, are being reconciled in a conference committee. Both would eliminate the deduction for state and local taxes, except for a $10,000 exemption for property taxes. Although three California Republicans Darrell Issa of Vista (San Diego County), Tom McClintock of Elk Grove (Sacramento County) and Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa (Orange County) voted against the House bill, citing its harm to state taxpayers, many California GOP lawmakers were strangely silent on the issue at the time. But now House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, and others are said to be pushing for changes that would allow taxpayers to apply the $10,000 property tax exemption to other state and local income taxes, tinkering with various combinations that would ease the burden on California taxpayers. Limiting the deduction to property taxes is of less value in California, where Proposition 13 has restrained property tax increases. Tying state and local income taxes to the $10,000 exemption may also have limited value. California has the highest state income tax rate at 13.3 percent. About a third of California taxpayers use the deduction, claiming on average more than $18,000 off their federal taxable income. Republicans trying to reconcile the bills two versions are now negotiating among themselves to find the tricky combination that can win over various GOP factions in both chambers without losing others, all the while keeping the projected increase in the deficit below $1.5 trillion. They are rushing to push a final version through both chambers before Christmas. Rep. Steve Knight, R-Lancaster (Los Angeles County), told the Los Angeles Times this week that he only voted for the first version of the bill after being promised that it would change in the final reconciled bill. Knight said hes been meeting with GOP leaders daily and has made it very clear that I could be a no on this without a problem. GOP leaders have not yet settled on how to ease the burden on taxpayers in California and other high-tax states, tax experts said. Among the ideas floated is to allow taxpayers to choose whether to deduct state income taxes, sales taxes or property taxes under the current $10,000 exemption in both bills, or allow taxpayers to deduct up to $10,000 using some combination of state, local and property taxes. These options would increase the cost of the tax bill significantly by allowing more taxpayers to use the deduction. For example, a person might deduct $6,000 in property taxes and $4,000 more in state income or sales taxes, instead of just $6,000 in property taxes. The expansion would force difficult trade-offs for GOP lawmakers, but any trade-offs are sure to meet resistance in other quarters. Tax experts said that to pay for a bigger state and local deduction, lawmakers could scale back the proposed 20 percent corporate tax rate (now at 35 percent under current law), reduce cuts in proposed income tax rates, scale back the child tax credit or other painful options. A coalition of conservative groups led by Americans for Tax Reform issued a letter Friday saying the low corporate tax rate is the main reason they support the GOP bills. Easing the burden of eliminating state and local taxes would almost certainly require changes to the proposed rates for individuals or corporations, said Jared Walczak, an analyst with the Tax Foundation, a conservative-leaning group that analyzes tax policy and supports the GOP tax bill. Walczak said the state and local deduction benefits primarily the highest-income taxpayers. He took issue with Browns charge that Republican lawmakers were out to punish successful states. The state and local tax deduction is a tax preference that favors high-income tax states, and eliminating it is not going after a state, but rather going after a preference that has overwhelmingly favored a few states, particularly their high-income residents, Walczak said. But Carl Davis, research director for the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which also analyzes tax policy and leans left, said as currently written, the bills offer a terrible deal for California. He dismissed arguments that the state and local tax deduction benefits the well-off. Even in cases where Californians would get a tax cut, whats clear is that California is getting a tax cut that is far, far smaller than one would expect based on the size of its economy, its population and the income in the state, Davis said. Somebody earning $90,000 in San Francisco is not nearly as well off as someone earning $90,000 in Arkansas, and the state and local deduction helps adjust for that. Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The man who killed five people on a shooting rampage in a small Northern California town died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound not from police gunfire sheriffs officials have concluded. Contrary to previous reports indicating the shooter, 44-year-old Kevin Janson Neal, was shot dead by law enforcement officers last month, a forensic pathologist determined Neal shot himself in the head, Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston reported. Neal killed himself after a county sheriffs deputy and an officer from the Corning Police Department engaged in a shootout with him at the end of a mass shooting near Neals home in Rancho Tehama Reserve on Nov. 14, according to a review compiled by Johnston and posted Friday. Neither officer was harmed. The Corning officer fired four rounds at Neal and the deputy fired eight rounds, according to the report. Both have since returned to work after the Sheriffs Office concluded they acted in self-defense and for the safety of the community. According to the Sheriffs Office account, the shooting spree, which began just before 8 a.m. and lasted less than an hour, stemmed from a dispute Neal had with neighbors. He had shot his wife to death the night before; as he drove around the rural community he killed four more people and injured several others. He picked some victims deliberately, others at random, and at one point fired several rounds into Rancho Tehama Elementary School, injuring some children. Neal used at least two home-built semiautomatic rifles, sheriffs officials said. He had been barred from having firearms due to a criminal protective order and separate restraining order after he allegedly attacked his neighbors in January. Toward the end of the shooting spree, Neal fired from his drivers window at a vehicle on Rancho Tehama Road driven by Francisco Cardenas, who suffered a gunshot wound in the leg and shrapnel injuries. He survived and is recovering, sheriffs officials said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The Corning police officer chased Neal as he was firing, pursuing him west on Rancho Tehama Road until he could ram Neals vehicle from behind to force it off the road. Neal fired at the officer, striking his car five times, according to the report. The sheriffs deputy soon arrived, and Neal fired at him too, hitting his car three times. The officers shot back, and then there was silence. Neal was found dead in the drivers seat with an obvious gunshot wound to the head, according to the report. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Many San Franciscans dont understand why the city we adore is so dirty these days, so full of tent camps and so rife with open-air injection drug use and the needles left behind. They also arent clear what Mayor Ed Lee the man paid $326,527 a year to run San Francisco is doing about all of that. I tagged along with him on a recent morning to get some answers. We walked the sidewalks of the Tenderloin, me wielding a reporters notebook and pen, the mayor a metal grabber and plastic bag. I was there to get the dirt. He was there to clean it. Every few weeks, Lee dons a neon yellow vest and joins his Fix-It Team. Created in May 2016, the team addresses quality-of-life issues that irritate city residents in 25 different neighborhoods. Overflowing trash cans? Dirty sidewalks? Unbearable smells? The Fix-It Team is on the case. We care about it, thats why were out here, Lee said. People want things fixed. Things people care about are getting done. Repeatedly hunching over to reach under parked cars with his grabber, Lee looked like a fisherman pulling up a string of unsavory catches: candy wrappers, a toilet paper roll, a miniature bottle of alcohol empty, of course. And cigarette butts, lots of cigarette butts. So why is this incredibly wealthy city thats so gorgeous from afar so filthy up close? People. Habits, Lee said. We need basic education. Ive seen trash cans right next to Muni stops and yet the entire bus stop is full of eaten food, trash, containers. And the trash can is empty. He said people simply need to show more respect for one another. True, but clearly the dirty streets are also linked to the citys more complicated problems, which go far deeper than just bad manners. A one-night count in January found 7,499 homeless people living in San Francisco, a number that never budges much despite increasingly large pots of money directed at it. (Currently, the city spends $305 million a year on homelessness, eviction prevention and supportive housing.) Also disturbing are the injection drug users who shoot up in broad daylight, many in view of Lees City Hall office. I get complaints nearly every day from San Franciscans who are irate when these issues turn up on their front doorsteps and say they get nowhere when they gripe to the mayors office, their supervisors office or the police. Jeff Kilmer, the recently retired dean of students for UCSFs nursing school, owns a Mid-Market condo and said hes often offered bags of white powder in the middle of the day and regularly sees people with needles in their necks within view of police. The stench of urine and feces can be overwhelming. My heart goes out to them, but I dont think its right that this should be normalized, he said. Contrary to what Mayor Ed Lee states publicly, what I see is that the problem is getting worse. Barbara Alessi, owner of Sutter Station Tavern, a bar on Market Street, said that every morning, she has to clean feces, needles and garbage from the bars entryway. She said homeless people regularly upturn full garbage cans to use them as barricades, behind which they inject drugs. They drop their pants and defecate right in front of bar patrons. She calls 311 and the police all the time. She emails the mayor. Nothing changes. I pay a lot of money, tremendous amounts, for rent, and Im losing business, she said. Its awful. Its a disgrace. Yes, the city is compassionate. Yes, housing in this city costs a fortune and there isnt enough of it. Yes, people need to relieve themselves somewhere, and its going to be the sidewalk if they have no homes or accessible public bathrooms. Yes, mental illness and substance abuse are not easy to treat. Yes, homelessness and injection drug use are national crises, and were getting little help from the state or federal government. Yes, other cities are doing even worse at managing these problems. But still, would you be happy with those answers if you were Alessi? As for the mayor, he does seem to grasp the severity of these issues and he does seem to care. But never one for eloquence or grand visions, the longtime bureaucrat is not very good at explaining his mission or ensuring San Franciscans that he understands their frustration. You get the feeling he much prefers picking up cigarette butts to orchestrating big plans. His administration can point to many efforts to ease these quality-of-life problems. He has opened Pit Stop toilets, the staffed public bathrooms in eight neighborhoods. He has placed 17 syringe disposal kiosks around the city. He upped money for street cleaning by 12 percent. His 16-month-old Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing has cleared 21 tent encampments and just five have sprung back up, said Jeff Kositsky, the departments director. He said 787 people lived in the camps, and 526 accepted offers of shelter beds, Navigation Center slots or other help. This problem was 40 years in the making, Kositsky said. Its going to take a couple of years before we see really significant progress thats visible. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Lee has directed Kositskys department to get 1,000 homeless people off the streets during the winter months. Theyll do this in part by pushing to open three new Navigation Centers. Lee opened a Navigation Center at San Francisco General Hospital for mentally ill people and is opening 40 more psych beds at St. Marys Hospital. But increased law enforcement has not been on the table. If you criminalize them, thats not going to help, the mayor said. During the cleanup, Anthony McBride, a maintenance man in Mid-Market, shouted at the mayor, who was picking up numerous cigarette butts, as he walked past. You gotta pick up something bigger than that, man! McBride said, motioning toward the sidewalk dotted with feces. Aint no bathrooms down here! The mayors staff said it would send a steam cleaner out shortly and pointed out that theres a Pit Stop toilet around the corner. The mayor kept walking, grabbing more cigarette butts. A woman wearing a blue knit hat called out, Thank you, Ed Lee! You get those cigarette butts! Im good at it! he answered. Thats what Im good at! During his first four-year term, Lee focused almost entirely on improving the citys economy and was remarkably successful, some would say too successful considering the sky-high cost of living. He said his second term would center on tackling homelessness and other concerns of the street. Hes got two years left to fulfill that promise. When the end comes and thats it, Im going to feel OK that I did everything I could to help the city, he said. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Sundays and Tuesdays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) If India wants to attract investments, it needs to develop a good institutional arbitration system with minimum interference of courts and maximum execution of arbitration awards, the Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, today said. Justice Misra stressed that the country needs to adjust without surrendering "our conceptual sovereignty". The shift has to be towards institutional arbitration while also keeping in mind the interests of the country. advertisement He was speaking at International Conference on Arbitration in the Era of Globalisation here. "There is a need and there is a purpose. When you are handling a complex economy, there has to be structural adjudication of disputes," he said. He added that "apart from the legal issue, it is an issue of getting the investment" and that "India has to inculcate faith in the global investors that it has a very good institutional arbitrator system". "It is not the human nature alone but the commercial perceptions, the clauses in the contract and swings in the business sometimes attract arbitrations," he said, adding that alternative dispute resolution system has gained priority and arbitration is one of them. Regarding international disputes, he said that they are required to be solved through international dispute resolution mechanism. "We have to adjust. But when we adjust, we dont surrender our conceptual sovereignty. And that is where is India has to grow its own arbitration system so that people from other jurisdictions get attracted to have arbitration proceedings here.... While doing business, you also have to look after the interest of the country," he said. PTI UK RT --- ENDS --- The Republicans in Congress are on the verge of enacting a historic tax reform program that will lead to radical change in California politics. The law taking shape will eliminate much of the federal deductions for state taxes and mortgage interest. California voters initially will react with fury, but when the dust settles, they will then turn on state and local governments to ask how all this tax money is being spent and who approved these programs and taxes. California taxpayers have been a sleeping giant since 1978, the year of Proposition 13, the last, great, statewide tax revolt. But the coming federal tax bill will create a national political earthquake, rumbling from California. Heres the silver lining of Republican federal tax reform. Just as Hollywood, the media and liberal Democrats are suddenly eating their own in the age of sexual harassment scandals, so too will California voters: Turn on their overspending, overtaxing state and local politicians. As federal tax deductions will no longer subsidize excessive spending by Californias state, county and city governments, millions of Californians will not get a 20 to 30 percent reduction in their federal tax bill by deducting their California tax payments. This suddenly will make their state income tax bill look much bigger. Reconsider their state and local spending when they find they have to pay the full bill. With no federal offset for local property taxes above $10,000 a year, property taxes will be higher for many Californians, making our high-priced houses even more unaffordable. Go after those who advocate spending quadruple the amount of the state budget for a mindless, single-payer health care scheme. Vilify those who conned the taxpayers into approving Proposition 1, the water bond, passed on the heels of the drought to promote water conservation. Very little of that money has been awarded to water conservation projects, and certainly not to a high-priority project such as repairs to the Oroville Dam, which almost burst, potentially losing enormous quantities of water and, ironically, flooding the state government in Sacramento. Turn out of office those who promoted its sister measure, Proposition 2, the cleverly named Rainy Day Fund an $8 billion political slush fund. Ask for more transparency from local agencies to see they are not spending to provide undocumented immigrants with health and welfare services as a part of sanctuary policies. The largest state spending item is health and human services. Look more closely at energy and environmental policies that promote highly inefficient approaches to energy generation such as solar and wind power, and lead to high taxes and high-energy bills. There is a good reason the rest of the country is not following Californias lead. The cap-and-trade program and the recently enacted gas tax offer little environmental protection but add high costs to Californians. Ask about the high-speed train to nowhere. Demand a Prop. 13 reset to begin to bring property taxes on similar properties of newly purchased and longer-term homeowners into closer parity, i.e., a second taxpayer revolt. Ask tougher questions about county and city budgets and spending and reserves (which might also be construed as a surplus), especially in high-tax counties, such as San Mateo. Look at government employee pensions that are bankrupting cities and counties. California has the nations highest state income tax rate (13.3 percent) by a large margin (the next highest is Oregon, at 9.9 percent). Also, because of the high home prices in the state, it has hundreds of thousands of voters who will be caught with mortgages above the allowed cut-off levels for federal mortgage interest deductibility. As a result of Prop. 13, which caps property tax rate increases at 1 percent, California has relatively low property taxes, but many counties still gouge their taxpayers with additional, albeit voter-approved, property tax assessments. California has the highest sales tax rate (7.25 percent) in the country, and additional local sales taxes typically raise the rate, e.g., Santa Clara Countys rate is 9.25 percent. History repeats itself. In 1978, the governor was, drumroll, Jerry Brown. After the taxpayer revolt of Prop. 13, he was followed by two center-right Republican governors (George Deukmejian and Pete Wilson), then a Democrat (Gray Davis, a Brown protege and only the second governor in U.S. history to be recalled by the voters), followed by yet another center-right Republican governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. California has a wonderfully generous and socially conscious population, but we are not the complete morons politicians take us for. Although the California Republican Party couldnt find a vote with a pack of hunting dogs and a searchlight, we are about to enter a world that should lead to the rise of traditional center-right politicians and/or a full-on taxpayer revolt that will change California politics. Grady Means of Half Moon Bay served as an assistant to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller; managed consulting companies; and has graduate degrees in economics, engineering and mangled metaphors. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at SFChronicle.com/letters. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Heres the latest measure of the resistance to President Trump in California: Oaklands 2,800-seat Fox Theater quickly sold out for an onstage episode of the political podcast Pod Save America, and tickets were scalped online for $130 more than triple face value. Yes, to watch a podcast. As in a show featuring five people sitting in a semicircle shooting the bull about politics in the same smart, snarky way you might with your pals. Yet the faithful who filled the Fox on Monday, many wearing Friends of the Pod shirts, roared like they were at a rock concert, gushing at the stars onstage: President Obamas longtime speechwriter Jon Favreau and three other Obama White House veterans Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor along with a Pod newcomer, writer Erin Gloria Ryan. In less than a year since its Trump-inspired birth, the twice-weekly Pod Save America has become one of the nations most popular podcasts, with an average of 1.5 million listeners per episode. Some context: Liberal cable network MSNBC averages about 1.3 million viewers per day and its not nearly as (intentionally) funny. Producer Crooked Media has generated enough ad revenue reported to be in the low seven figures to create six new podcasts with more on the way, build a small news site, hire 13 people, and book a national tour next year through nine states, including a stop at New Yorks Radio City Music Hall. Until now, Crooked Media has largely been about giving comfort, context and a few yuks to progressives trying to wrap their head around Trumps America. Now comes its next move. And its not just about the laughs anymore. This week the experimental mashup of a media company/political action hub announced it will take a more active role in winning elections next year, starting in California, which co-founders and Los Angeles residents Favreau, Lovett and Vietor now call home. They launched The Crooked 7, a fund to raise money for the effort to flip the seats of seven California GOP House members in districts that Hillary Clinton won in the presidential election. Working with Swing Left, one of the new generation of progressive grassroots organizing groups, Crooked Media will give the money it raises to the Democratic primary winner in each of the seven districts. The campaign answers a question that Pfeiffer, who lives in San Francisco, hears all the time: I live in a blue state. What can I do? They get excited about stuff like this because they feel that theyve been sitting on the sidelines and they want to do something to help. That said, Crooked Medias founders arent quite sure how to measure success, other than the unlikely event that Democrats flip all seven seats. Questions like that still seem odd to them. A year ago, when they told me they were about to leave their West Coast consulting jobs to launch the organization, they were unsure what it would be except that it focus less on punditry and more on advocacy. Theyre still trying to figure out what they are. Entertainers? A media company? Activists? A little bit of each? I think its something new, Favreau told me backstage at the Fox before the show, where he and his mates banter, just as they do on the podcast. Theres no one thing weve done that hasnt been done before, Lovett said. Were doing podcasts theres been a lot of people doing podcasts. Were trying to be funny about politics theres a lot of people trying to funny about politics. I think what were trying to do is a lot of things together to make us effective. We didnt come into this thinking, Whats the model? Lovett said. We didnt have a model. We didnt have a PowerPoint. We had nothing. Favreau interjected. Chief Operating Officer Sarah Wick had a PowerPoint. Lovett paused for comics beat. OK, so we hired people with PowerPoints. The only thing theyre adamant about is that theyre not pundits. They loathe pundits particularly the talking heads on cable TV who focus on horse race political coverage over substance. But there isnt much historical precedent of podcasts impacting or influencing elections. We dont go into this thinking that we have the power to help flip these seats, Favreau said. But we looked at this platform we have and all these people who are listening and said, Whats the best thing we can do to help? Vietor said what they do is more of a bank shot. What we can do is arm people with salient information and arguments so they can convince people they know and care about. I think its unlikely that Pod Save America is being blasted through coal mines in West Virginia. What is attractive to many lefties about Pod Save America is that its not reflexively waving the pom-poms for the Democrats. Honest partisanship is something they talk about a lot. As Favreau said, theyre not going to weigh in on every topic, regardless of whether they have a strong opinion or not. Thats what pundits do. But, Favreau said, if we feel strongly about something ... Like, say, Lovett does about billionaire San Francisco activist Tom Steyer spending $20 million on advertising in an attempt to impeach Trump. ... like the fact that Tom Steyer is setting money on fire to build name ID instead of actually helping us at a time in which the entire country is on the line, we may point that out, Lovett said, his voice rising as the other guys started to laugh and cheer him on. Then, Vietor interrupted him, suddenly stone-faced. Did you meet Toms daughter? Shes here. Toms daughters here? Lovett said and froze for a second before his buddies busted out laughing, giving away the gag. Lovett smiled. Thats OK. Ill say this to Tom. Vietor pointed to my recorder. I think you just did. That riff is what endears the Pod to many listeners. Funny. Pointed. Unscripted. No BS. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Before the Fox show, Vietor, Lovett and Favreau stopped at UC Berkeley. A couple of days earlier they reached out to student organizers there, offering to answer questions and encourage them to get involved in next years midterm elections, which young voters have traditionally ignored. With roughly 36 hours notice, 120 students packed a room in the student union to hear the podsters. Varsha Sarveshwar, a sophomore, likes what theyre doing because its different. We grew up on two people yelling at each other on cable news, she said. We like them because they call out Democrats, too. Theyre authentic. We dont just want another Fox News for the left. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Podcasts: www.sfchronicle.com/podcasts California, according to Kevin Harvey, has never gotten Italian-inspired wines quite right. He plans to change that. So many Cal-Ital projects have failed, the vintner says. At the low end, its not differentiated from the available cheap Italian wines. At the high end, nobodys really tried. (No doubt many California producers of Italian-style wines Massican, Idlewild, Villa Creek, Bella Luna, Giornata, Palmina and Castelli among them would take issue with this statement, but Harveys sticking to it.) Harvey is not an obvious candidate for a Cal-Ital revival. In the last decade hes become a hero to the Burgundy-worshipping set, thanks to the ethereal Pinot Noirs he makes under his Rhys Vineyards label in the Santa Cruz Mountains the result of rigorous geological study and meticulous vineyard plantings. The Rhys Pinots have attracted an eager waiting list of customers and rhapsodic reviews from critics. The wines arent just great; theyre significant, wrote former Chronicle wine editor Jon Bonne of Rhys in 2011. So Harveys launching of his new Italian-inspired wine label, Aeris (Latin for air), comes with some built-in gravitas. And the vineyard he has planted for Aeris, which hes calling Centennial Mountain Vineyard, is as ambitious as any of the Rhys sites, high on a remote coastal ridgetop west of Lake Sonoma. Like Rhys, Aeris is not a corner-cutting operation. When Harvey wants to make a new wine, he plants a new vineyard. (A successful career in Silicon Valley he founded the venture capital firm Benchmark helps to fund these developments.) He rarely lands in tried-and-true wine regions. Relentless curiosity has led Harvey to vertiginous slopes along the San Andreas Fault line, to the deep end of the Anderson Valley, to the hills above Gilroy. (The latter, called the Mt. Pajaro Vineyard, has Chenin Blanc and Riesling planted.) Harveys approach to viticulture is empirical and data-driven; the man is obsessed with spreadsheets. Hes been working on a magnum opus spreadsheet, which compares historical weather data among different wine regions informing Harveys decisions of where to plant what for 15 years. Like so many Burgundy lovers, Kevin Harvey is also a Piedmont fanatic. Thats why Nebbiolo, the grape that comprises the great red wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, is a central focus of Aeris. The other focus, perhaps improbably, is Carricante, a white grape variety from Sicily. The grapes Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Capuccio, Barbera, Primitivo and Zinfandel are also planted at Centennial Mountain. If Carricante is as successful in California as I think it could be, Harvey says, this could be a key grape for unlocking some of Californias climates that are too warm for Chardonnay. Chances are, youve never tasted a Carricante wine. Even in its home of Sicily its sparsely planted just 361 acres (out of about 312,000 on the island) as of 2013. In California, forget it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesnt even list the grape in its 2017 crop acreage report. Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle Yet Harvey believes that Carricante, if grown in the right places and vinified in the right ways, has the potential to be one of the great white wines of the world maybe the great white wine. Carricante can achieve huge flavor at low alcohol levels, detonate with aromatic complexity and taste like citrus, orange blossoms, fennel, honey. Its often relentlessly sea-salty, with the kind of searing acid youd expect from fine Riesling. It may be the best white wine youve never tasted. Harveys Carricante revelation came in a bottle of 2001 Benanti Pietramarina, from the Etna Bianco Superiore appellation, tasted on a trip to Italy. It was like grand cru white Burgundy, Harvey recalls. Or maybe more like (the Alsatian Riesling) Clos Saint Hune the aromatics, the complexity. I was fascinated by it. In addition to the Centennial Mountain plantings, Harvey also went in on a Carricante vineyard in Sicily with Salvo Foti, the winemaker behind that fateful Pietramarina. From that vineyard, too, hes making a Carricante wine under the Aeris label, to be released in 2018 the first of the Aeris wines available for purchase. As for Nebbiolo, Harveys is hardly the first attempt. California producers like Giornata, Palmina and Castelli have staked identities on the grape, often to great acclaim. But there are deep misconceptions about the appropriate growing conditions for Nebbiolo, Harvey says: specifically, that Nebbiolo thrives in Piedmont because of that regions limestone soils and its cool climate. But not all of Piedmont has limestone the Gattinara area, for instance, is all schist. And Harvey dismisses the cool-climate myth outright. Theres these assumptions that Piemonte is so cold, and all of California is like the Mojave Desert, he says. Nebbiolo actually needs heat. Nebbiolo requires just as much heat accumulation as Grenache, a famously heat-loving grape, he claims, though it requires that heat over a longer growing season. In 2007, he planted Nebbiolo vines at his Horseshoe Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and it wasnt hot enough: The grapes didnt even turn red. Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle What Nebbiolo wants, Harvey decided, is a relatively low diurnal shift: cooler days and warmer nights the opposite of what youll find in most of California. Although California wine regions are often praised precisely for their high daily temperature variations, Nebbiolo needs the lower diurnal, Harvey says, so that youre not burning off complex aromatics during the day. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. After abandoning the grape at Horseshoe, Harvey determined a set of characteristics he would need for a successful Nebbiolo site: somewhere with high heat accumulation and a low diurnal shift, schist-based soils, about 15 miles from the ocean, at an altitude of at least 2,000 feet. Centennial Mountain, perched on this ridgetop outside of Dry Creek Valley, checked all the boxes. In 2012 he planted 25 acres of grapevines here. Sitting at a picnic table overlooking the Centennial Mountain Vineyard, I taste a few cask samples of the Aeris wines with Harvey, winemaker Jeff Brinkman and vineyard manager Javier Tapia. A 2016 Nerello Capuccio a red grape used in Etna Rosso wines is velvety, fresh and dewy, concentrated but not excessively tannic. A 2016 Zinfandel (the vineyards outlier grape, maybe, though a traditionally safe bet in this part of Sonoma) is gorgeous already, but still primary structured, woodsy and floral, its strawberry-tinged fruit lifted by fresh acidity. The 2016 Nebbiolo is closed right now, reticent. Its light, the color of brick and rough with tannins not nearly as much tannin, still, as young Piedmont wines. It shows typical Nebbiolo characters of terra-cotta, sanguinity, cherry and anise. I find it promising. Harvey isnt satisfied. He wont be releasing any of these 2016s: Weve got one chance to make a first impression, he says. So if we err, well err on the side of not releasing. Paul Kuroda/Special to The Chronicle Commercially, Harvey concedes Aeris is a risky move. This whole project is probably unviable, he says, except that we might be able to succeed if just 20 percent of our Rhys customer base buys. But will they buy just one bottle of Nebbiolo and Carricante, then return to the more familiar Rhys Pinots and Chardonnays? Thats his fear. (The Aeris wines will cost between $39 and $59 per bottle.) Still, there will be one Aeris wine released in 2018: the 2014 Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore from Sicily, from the vineyard partnership with Salvo Foti. The wine is very close to 100 percent Carricante, Harvey says. Thats crucial. True Carricante as opposed to the Etna Biancos commonly diluted with simpler, blander grapes is the sort of stuff that induces revelations. It did for Harvey, and it did for me. Will the 2014 Aeris Etna Bianco Superiore be the best white wine youll ever taste? I wont go that far. Yet its an unquestionably delicious wine. Salty, yes, and explosively aromatic, it shows both a diesel oil note like youd expect from Riesling and a lanolin note like youd expect from Chenin Blanc. It will be the most unusual wine youve tasted in a long time. Depending on the week, it could easily be the best white wine you drink that week. Until, that is, you get your hands on an aged bottle of Fotis Pietramarina. Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicle's wine, beer and spirits writer. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: esther_mobley Instagram: esthermob This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate California Treasurer and Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Chiang swung through San Francisco Friday to accept an official endorsement from Supervisor Norman Yee and to unveil the outlines of his plan to tackle the states affordable housing and homelessness crises. Standing on the steps of City Hall, Yee praised what he called Chiangs enduring commitment to pragmatic political reform in the 13 years the two have known each other. Their political priorities have long overlapped, Yee said, when it comes to issues of child care, investing in education, growing jobs at every level of the workforce and supporting affordable housing throughout the state. We dont need slick politicians and empty suits we need solutions, Yee said. John does not write checks he knows he cannot cash. We deserve a progressive leader we can trust, who will continue to fight for our economy without breaking the bank. In a briskly delivered speech before a small crowd, Chiang, who has been the state treasurer since 2014, called Californias dearth of affordable housing a full-blown crisis and sketched out several solutions centered on finding new sources of funding for affordable housing, giving local governments incentives to expand permitting for more housing and encouraging increased construction of affordable units by the private sector. RELATED: More on the California gubernatorial race (story continues below) Now Playing: Forum between the Democratic candidates for California Governor - Gavin Newsom, Antonio Villaraigosa, John Chiang, Delaine Eastin. Video: KTVU Chiang has set a goal of finding stable housing for 4 million low- and moderate-income Californians over the next 10 years. This election cycle, California truly has an opportunity to change its course of action and elect a governor that not only strives for progressive policy, but one who has the experience to make responsible economic decisions, Chiang said. Across the state, Chiang said, cities are perversely incentivized to chase sales tax revenue from auto malls and big-box retail shops, rather than build housing. To change that, Chiang proposed creating a carrot-and-stick system that offers cities additional state funding for housing production. He also encouraged cities to take a hard look at zoning laws that are holding back the construction of more housing stock. Chiang said that, as governor, he would seek to spur the production of mixed-income rental housing with a variety of property tax exemptions for developers of market-rate housing that include at least 20 percent affordable-housing units. When it comes to addressing homelessness, Chiang has proposed creating what he called a statewide rapid-response housing program to mitigate situations that lead to homelessness and shelter those in immediate need. The program would provide financial assistance for security and utility deposits, rental assistance for up to 18 months, assistance paying utility bills, and moving costs and vouchers for motels and hotels. The issue of affordable housing is so important because every Californian has a right to an affordable and decent place that they can call home, Chiang said. Despite nearly 20 years in public office, Chiangs low-visibility roles he was a member of the state Board of Equalization and the state controller before becoming treasurer have made it difficult for him to keep up with his Democratic rivals in the race to replace termed-out Gov. Jerry Brown next year. Chiang has been on a yearlong campaign road trip to combat that. A Nov. 30 poll by the Public Policy Institute of California put Chiang at a distant third behind Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, whom 23 percent of voters said theyd vote for, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, with 18 percent. Just 9 percent of the polls respondents said theyd pick Chiang. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Despite its placid appearance and its reputation as a somewhat sleepy boulevard, Taraval Street has become a deadly place for pedestrians and Muni Metro riders on the L-Taraval line. Over the past five years, 46 pedestrians have been hit by motorists on the residential and commercial street that runs through the Parkside District. Nearly half of those 22 were people climbing off an L train or waiting to board. At nearly every (L train) stop on Taraval, someone has been hit, said Michael Rhodes, a Municipal Transportation Agency planner. This type of collision is entirely preventable. Because the L-Taraval line runs down the middle of the street, regular riders along the roughly 2-mile stretch know that theyve got to hesitate when exiting the train, and look to see if a cars speeding toward them. Getting off, especially at night, Im really cautious, Madison McIntire, 23, a manager at the Cavalier restaurant, said as she waited for an inbound train. The drivers dont really care. After a six-month experiment involving painted passenger boarding zones along with lights on L cars that flashed at stops and other signs warning motorists did nothing to improve rider safety, the Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors voted this week to try something new. Crews will install concrete boarding islands to protect riders at eight intersections along the L trains route between West Portal and 46th Avenue, where the line turns south toward the San Francisco Zoo. The MTA had previously planned to install the islands, but put the project on hold early last year after merchants balked at the loss of parking places. Instead, the agency tried the series of changes that were designed to get at least 90 percent of vehicles to stop passing Metro trains when the doors are open, but it didnt really work. To our surprise, we didnt see as much improvement as we needed, Rhodes said. Before the six-month test of strategies to grab drivers attention, 72 percent were stopping for L trains boarding or unloading passengers. During the experiment, the number never climbed higher than 75 percent. The boarding islands are intended to ensure we provide a safe place to get on and off trains, Rhodes said. But some of the streets merchants dont like the idea, arguing the islands will cause the loss of 36 spaces for street parking, discouraging some shoppers. Andy Chow, who owns Great Wall Hardware, said the six-month safety campaign to test less drastic options was inadequate. There was a lack of education, a lack of enforcement and a lack of design, he said. The loss of parking, he said, will make it more difficult for Taraval businesses to survive. Rachel Hyden, executive director of the San Francisco Transit Riders Union, called the decision to install boarding islands a huge win for riders and said she was grateful that none of the people hit getting off the L-Taraval was killed. Often it takes someone dying to get something done, she said. This is the city doing something proactive. The boarding islands will be installed by 2021 as part of a project to redesign Taraval Street for the first time in 40 years. As part of the project, the MTA also will attempt to speed up service on the L line with transit-only lanes and by removing stops at 17th and 35th avenues. Hyden said she understands some riders particularly older or disabled passengers wont want to lose their stops but said the changes would make the L-Taraval a better transit line. This is really a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overhaul an important Muni corridor, she said. Muni cant stop at every corner and difficult decisions must be made to get people where they need to go more quickly. Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan Now Playing: Piedmont firefighters helped to free a deer stuck in a fence. Video: KTVU Firefighters were called to perform an unusual predawn rescue at a Piedmont home on Hampton Road Friday morning when a deer got stuck in a metal fence on the property and could not wriggle herself free. A homeowner in the neighborhood heard a loud noise before sunrise and looked outside to see the deer stuck in the fence, according to KTVU. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Lil B, Bay Area rapper and #BasedGod, is known to frequently post tweets promoting positive thinking and self-confidence, but one of his most recent messages caught the attention of a number of established, prominent college universities. Lil B clarified that he wants to learn about biology and neuroscience one day, but notes that he didn't finish high school. One of the first to respond was Indiana University, a well-regarded school in terms of both academics and sports, who wrote, "Get your GED, then give us a call." Other schools followed suit, including Penn State and Washington State University, which encouraged him and his followers to check out their science programs. The University of Oregon tweeted the apply link, as did Butler, the University of South Carolina, the University of Dayton, the University of Texas at Arlington, and Louisiana State University along with encouragement for the artist to get his GED first. Then, Auburn University, DePaul University, Miami University, the University of Wisconsin, Brandeis University, Georgia Tech, Oregon State, Florida State, Mizzou, University of Colorado at Denver, Virginia Tech, Arizona State, and dozens of smaller universities chimed in with advice and application invites of their own. UC Davis got in on the action, too: He also got personal invites to sit in on classes with professors at the University of Cincinnati, Louisiana State, and in a neuroscience lab at Harvard: The Oakland A's are even offering an internship to help bulk up his college application extracurricular activities: Still needing to finish high school work, Lil B has some work to do, but it sounds like the rapper has plenty of encouragement, from both current students and college hopefuls. See the whole thread here. Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An operating manager for the private charter company whose bus overturned and injured 29 passengers said Saturday that the cause was ambiguous because trackers on the bus show it wasnt speeding. Three people remained hospitalized in fair condition Saturday after the bus owned by Charter Bros. flopped onto its side Friday on bustling Highway 101 in San Francisco. Avi Josen, operating manager for the family-run business in the East Bay, said he hopes a California Highway Patrol investigation will provide more answers, but for now, to his knowledge, everything seems to have checked out on some basic factors in the crash. Its definitely not a maintenance issue. Its not a driver issue. The reason why this happened is very ambiguous, Josen told The Chronicle. We have trackers on our units. It was not a speeding issue. Now Playing: A passenger bus overturned onto its side on southbound Highway 101 just north of Cesar Chavez Boulevard in San Francisco on Friday night, causing several serious injuries and shutting down multiple lanes, the California Highway Patrol said. Video: Stephen Lam, Special to The Chronicle CHP investigators have not ruled out speed as a potential cause. The speed limit in the area is 50 mph. The bus driver, identified by KPIX-TV as Renato Rodriguez, told the station at the scene that speed could have played a role because of a curve in the road. The bus had been headed to a holiday party in the South Bay, said Officer Vu Williams, a CHP spokesman. Josen declined to release information on the companys client or the bus destination. Renato told KPIX that he picked up a large group on Harrison Street in San Francisco and was driving to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Palo Alto. Twenty-two of the injured, all in their 20s and 30s, wound up at San Francisco General Hospital, said Brent Andrew, a hospital spokesman. Nineteen were soon discharged and sent home. Two more victims were taken to St. Francis Memorial Hospital on Friday night, and both were released Saturday morning, said a hospital spokeswoman. One passenger taken to the emergency room at St. Lukes Campus hospital was also discharged, a hospital spokeswoman said. One man who left San Francisco General on Saturday told KGO-TV that his name is Marco Zorzi, he was a passenger, and the crash came on so suddenly nobody had time to brace. His head was swathed in a bandage, and he said he forgot a lot of what had happened in the accident. The CHP took the bus for investigation, Williams said. So far, only driver impairment has been ruled out as a cause of the crash, officials said Saturday. The bus driver did not suffer major injuries, Williams said. CHP records online show that Charter Bros. earned satisfactory ratings in 2015 and 2016 on CHP inspections as well as in controlled substance and alcohol tests. Inspectors from the CHP division office in Vallejo will be looking at mechanical issues as they probe the primary collision factor, Vu said. Preliminary investigation suggests the driver was not distracted, he said. It was really dry. Traffic conditions were normal. We dont have any indication any other vehicles cut the driver off. We do not believe he was impaired, Vu said. Were looking at pretty much everything. The crash occurred just after 8 p.m. Friday in the southbound lanes of Highway 101, north of Cesar Chavez Street on a stretch of the freeway known as Hospital Curve. Witnesses told investigators that the bus suddenly began to fishtail and careen out of control while traveling in the fast lane. The bus hit the center median, tumbled onto its side and skidded across the busy freeway, injuring everyone aboard, officials said. Other drivers slammed on their brakes and swerved to avoid hitting the bus. Assistant Chief Bill Storti of the San Francisco Fire Department said 27 passengers made it out on their own or were helped by others to crawl to safety through escape hatches in the roof or out broken windows. The last two passengers trapped inside had to be rescued by firefighters who freed them with large prying tools, Storti said. The crash shut down all but one of the southbound lanes on the freeway until 2:15 a.m. Saturday, when all lanes were reopened, CHP said. Chronicle staff writer Cat Ho contributed to this report. Annie Ma and Jenna Lyons are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: ama@sfchronicle.com, jlyons@sfchronicle.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Ronald Calberts small home in West Oakland is filled with toy cars, tiny helicopters, colorful balls and various scooters. His walls are papered with a childs hand-drawn pictures of rainbows, wobbly printed notes of greeting and Raiders stickers. This is not the home of a man who has given up hope. This young mans presence in my life keeps me positive, Calbert said, looking over at his energetic 8-year-old godson, Marvell Marshall, who was driving a car across the floor. Marvell nodded with a wisdom beyond a third-graders. Hes a lot of fun, Marvell said of his godfather. Calbert, 69, has spent the past two years battling stage four metastatic prostate cancer. When he went to the hospital two years ago he told Marvell who often stays with him on weekends that hed be back soon. He wasnt. He had surgeries to remove tumors from his back, was partially paralyzed for a time, was transferred to a skilled nursing facility, and finally made it home six weeks later. They told me I have between two and five years, so I believe I have at least three years left, Calbert said with a smile. For months, Calbert traveled to the Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center in Berkeley for chemotherapy and radiation. But the treatment he received eventually stopped working. Last summer, his doctors told him they wanted to put him on Zytiga, an oral chemotherapy drug that has proved effective in treating prostate cancer. But the co-pay was going to be $2,000 for a single prescription. Calbert was prepared to do without. Finally, his social worker at the cancer center got his co-pay down to $497. I had to do this to try to prolong my life, Calbert said. Still, the decision came with the kind of choice that too many people have to make in 21st century America. Health or home? The cost of the medicine would eat into his ability to pay rent on the home where he has lived for 21 years. I knew I could be evicted, he said. But trying to save my life was the first priority. He began his medication in August, predictably falling behind on rent. Thats when Season of Sharing helped out, paying Calberts month of delinquent rent. Im very grateful about that, he said, his voice cracking. It gave me some breathing room. Allowed me to take care of myself. Calbert was born in Louisville, Ky., but grew up in Cincinnati. A friend moved to California and said it was nice, so Calbert decided to give it a try. In the mid-1990s, he moved to Oakland and quickly got a job at Kaiser, working in medical records. He worked there until his job was eliminated in 2009. At first, he didnt much like California. But he soon had a close group of friends, who became like family. One friend, who lived in his complex, asked him to come over and meet his new grandnephew. Calbert, who never married and has no children of his own, picked up tiny Marvell and was instantly smitten. A few months later, the friend asked Calbert to watch the baby for an hour. Calbert sat carefully in his chair holding the infant. He smiled at me for an entire hour, Calbert said. The great-uncle has passed away. But the bond between Marvell and Calbert remains strong. Marvell and his mother lived in Oakland until moving to Vallejo before the start of this school year, but Marvell remains a regular visitor at Calberts, with his own bed in the living room and his vast array of toys on the floor. When Calberts health would allow it, the two went everywhere together on the bus or by BART. To San Franciscos Pier 39, Jack London Square, Lake Merritt, the Oakland Library. Now Marvell helps Calbert hail the bus or find his vouchers to use for a taxi ride when he has to pick up medicine. Calbert doesnt want to take medication for his pain and has learned to live with it. But the week before Thanksgiving, the pain was too intense and he had to go to the emergency room. Doctors found an infection in the lesions on his bones. They sent him home with a prescription for antibiotics. Calbert has his own prescription: staying sanguine. He is always so positive and upbeat, said Lauren Wasteney, the Alameda caseworker who helped connect him with Season of Sharing. We wanted to keep him housed while he was having to pay out of pocket for his chemotherapy. Ive never thought that things would not work out, Calbert said. Maybe that attitude comes from the love and support I had as a child. Calbert is paying that love and support forward in his relationship with Marvell. God has give me this last task, he said, his eyes misting over. A chance to do something good in my life. Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion "Neither am I against Hardik Patel, nor am I leaving PAAS. I am also not joining BJP," said PAAS leader Dinesh Bambhania. By PTI, Press Trust of India: Senior member of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) and Hardik Patel's key aide Dinesh Bambhania, today alleged that the quota agitation spearheads support to the Congress party smacks of some kind of "fixing" between them. Bambhania said he could not understand why Patel was supporting the Congress party, despite it not clarifying how it would give reservation to the Patidar community if voted to power. advertisement "In the poll manifesto, the Congress has not clarified how it would grant us reservation under OBC quota after coming to power in Gujarat. It shows that Congress actually never wanted to give us reservation. Yet, Hardik Patel is doing rallies in Congress' favour," he said. "Though there is no clarity how we will get reservation under OBC quota, Hardik is mum about it. It seems like fixing to me. Our fight was not about bringing a party to power. At least I do not wish to be an agent of a party. Hardik should not politicise the agitation," added Dinesh Bambhania. "Hardik is playing into the hands of Congress in the name of the Patidar movement. Hardik is using the agitation for political purposes and I am totally against it. I urge all the Patidars to use their wisdom when they go for voting tomorrow," Bhambania said. Dinesh Bambhania's open rebellion against Patel came a day ahead of the first phase of polling in Saurashtra and south Gujarat. Commenting on Hardik Patel's purported sex tapes Dinesh Bambhania indicated that only one CD can be morphed, not all. "Hardik is seen as an icon. Patidars are having very high hopes from him. One CD can be morphed, but, when so many CDs came out, it does not suit a man who is the leader of a community. I am deeply pained by the entire episode," Bambhania said. Dinesh Bambhania claimed he was still with PAAS and said he was not joining the BJP. "Neither am I against Hardik Patel, nor am I leaving PAAS. I am also not joining BJP. My only contention is that Hardik has failed to pressure the Congress to accept our demand as agreed earlier between both PAAS and Congress," he added. ALSO WATCH | BJP playing temple card instead of ensuring development in Gujarat, says Hardik Patel. --- ENDS --- When Timnit Gebru was a student at Stanfords prestigious Artificial Intelligence Lab, she ran a project that used Google Street View images of cars to determine the demographic makeup of towns and cities across the U.S. While the AI algorithms did a credible job of predicting income levels and political leanings in a given area, Gebru says her work was susceptible to bias racial, gender, socioeconomic. She was also horrified by a ProPublica report that found a computer program widely used to predict whether a criminal will re-offend discriminated against people of color. So this year, Gebru, 34, joined a Microsoft Corp. team called FATE for fairness, accountability, transparency and ethics in AI. The program was set up three years ago to ferret out biases that creep into AI data and can skew results. I started to realize that I have to start thinking about things like bias, says Gebru, who co-founded Black in AI, a group set up to encourage people of color to join the artificial intelligence field. Even my own Ph.D. work suffers from whatever issues youd have with data set bias. In the popular imagination, the threat from AI tends to the alarmist: self-aware computers turning on their creators and taking over the planet. The reality (at least for now) turns out to be a lot more insidious but no less concerning to the people working in AI labs around the world. Companies, government agencies and hospitals are increasingly turning to machine learning, image recognition and other AI tools to help predict everything from the credit worthiness of a loan applicant to the preferred treatment for a person suffering from cancer. The tools have big blind spots that particularly affect women and minorities. The worry is if we dont get this right, we could be making wrong decisions that have critical consequences to someones life, health or financial stability, says Jeannette Wing, director of Columbia Universitys Data Sciences Institute. Researchers at Microsoft, IBM and the University of Toronto identified the need for fairness in AI systems back in 2011. Now in the wake of several high-profile incidents including an AI beauty contest that chose predominantly white faces as winners some of the best minds in the business are working on the bias problem. AI is only as good as the data it learns from. Lets say programmers are building a computer model to identify dog breeds from images. First they train the algorithms with photos that are each tagged with breed names. Then they put the program through its paces with untagged photos of Fido and Rover and let the algorithms name the breed based on what they learned from the training data. The programmers see what worked and what didnt and fine-tune from there. The algorithms continue to learn and improve, and with more time and data are supposed to become more accurate. Unless bias intrudes. Bias can surface in various ways. Sometimes the training data is insufficiently diverse, prompting the software to guess based on what it knows. In 2015, Googles photo software infamously tagged two black users gorillas because the data lacked enough examples of people of color. Even when the data accurately mirrors reality, the algorithms still get the answer wrong, incorrectly guessing a particular nurse in a photo or text is female, say, because the data shows fewer men are nurses. In some cases the algorithms are trained to learn from the people using the software and, over time, pick up the biases of the human users. AI also has a disconcertingly human habit of amplifying stereotypes. Doctoral students at the University of Virginia and University of Washington examined a public data set of photos and found that the images of people cooking were 33 percent more likely to picture women than men. When they ran the images through an AI model, the algorithms said women were 68 percent more likely to appear in the cooking photos. Eliminating bias isnt easy. Improving the training data is one way. Scientists at Boston University and Microsofts New England lab zeroed in on so-called word embeddings sets of data that serve as a kind of computer dictionary used by all manner of AI programs. In this case, the researchers were looking for gender bias that could lead algorithms to do things like conclude people named John would make better computer programmers than ones named Mary. In a paper called Man Is to Computer Programmer as Woman Is to Homemaker? the researchers explain how they combed through the data, keeping legitimate correlations (man is to king as woman is to queen, for one) and altering ones that were biased (man is to doctor as woman is to nurse). In doing so, they created a gender-bias-free public data set and are now working on one that removes racial biases. We have to teach our algorithms which are good associations and which are bad the same way we teach our kids, says Adam Kalai, a Microsoft researcher who co-authored the paper. He and researchers including Cynthia Dwork the academic behind the 2011 push toward AI fairness have also proposed using different algorithms to classify two groups represented in a set of data, rather than trying to measure everyone with the same yardstick. So for example, female engineering applicants can be evaluated by the criteria best suited to predicting a successful female engineer and not be excluded because they dont meet criteria that determine success for the larger group. Think of it as algorithmic affirmative action that gets the hiring manager qualified applicants without prejudice or sacrificing too much accuracy. While many researchers work on known problems, Microsofts Ece Kamar and Stanford Universitys Himabindu Lakkaraju are trying to find overlooked holes in the data. These unknown unknowns a conundrum made famous by former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld are the missing areas in a data set the engineer or researcher doesnt even realize arent there. Using a data set with photos of black dogs and white and brown cats, the software incorrectly labeled a white dog as a cat. Not only was the AI wrong, it was very sure it was right, making it harder to detect the error. Researchers are looking for places where the software had high confidence in its decision, finding mistakes and noting the features that characterize the error. That information is then provided to the system designer with examples they can use to retrain the algorithm. Researchers say it will probably take years to solve the bias problem. While they see promise in various approaches, they consider the challenge not simply technological but legal too because some of the solutions require treating protected classes differently, which isnt legal everywhere. Whats more, in many AI systems, the information goes in and the answer comes out without an explanation. Not only does that make it difficult figuring out how bias creeps in, but the opaqueness also makes it hard for the person denied parole or the teacher labeled a low performer to appeal because they have no way of knowing why that decision was reached. Google researchers are studying how adding some manual restrictions to machine learning systems can make their outputs more understandable without sacrificing output quality, an initiative nicknamed GlassBox. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is also funding a big effort called explainable AI. Dina Bass and Ellen Huet are Bloomberg writers. Email: dbass2@bloomberg.net, ehuet4@bloomberg.net WASHINGTONPresident Trump on Friday denied a report that the federal consumer financial watchdog might drop sanctions against Wells Fargo & Co. for alleged mortgage lending abuses and said the bank could face even tougher penalties. Trumps response was to a Reuters report that Mick Mulvaney installed last month as acting director of the independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was reviewing whether the San Francisco bank should pay tens of millions of dollars in penalties for charging fees to certain home buyers to secure low mortgage rates. On Twitter, Trump said fines and penalties against Wells Fargo Bank for their bad acts against their customers and others will not be dropped and declared the Reuters report incorrect. If anything, he said, fines and penalties will be substantially increased. He renewed his promise to cut regulations, which he and congressional Republicans have been doing in recent months, but said he would make penalties severe when companies are caught cheating. Representative of Mulvaney and Wells Fargo did not respond to requests for comment. The consumer bureau was created in 2010 by the Dodd-Frank Act and is designed to be an independent agency free from presidential interference. The president appoints the director, who also needs confirmation from the Senate and then cannot be removed except for cause during a five-year term. The bureaus first director, Richard Cordray, resigned Nov. 24. He promoted his chief of staff, Leandra English, to deputy director and said she would be acting director under a Dodd-Frank provision. Within hours of Cordrays resignation announcement, Trump appointed Mulvaney to fill the post under the Federal Vacancies Act of 1998. That set off a legal battle. On Wednesday, English asked a federal judge for an injunction to install her as the agencys acting chief instead of Mulvaney. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly denied Englishs request last week for a temporary restraining order to remove Mulvaney. Wells Fargo has been under fire for a series of scandals, including creating millions of accounts in customers names without those customers knowledge or consent. It also has been accused of forcing auto-loan customers into unneeded insurance policies and charging improper fees to some mortgage borrowers. Reuters reported Thursday that the consumer bureau had accepted an internal review from Wells Fargo and set settlement terms in early November. But that matter and about a dozen others were now in question, it said, because Mulvaney said he was reviewing the bureaus work. Jim Puzzanghera is a Los Angeles Times writer. A former clerk for Judge Alex Kozinski said the powerful and well-known jurist, who for many years served as chief judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, called her into his office several times and pulled up pornography on his computer, asking if she thought it was photoshopped or if it aroused her sexually. Heidi Bond, who clerked for Kozinski from 2006 to 2007, said the porn was not related to any case. One set of images she remembered was of college-age students at a party where some people were inexplicably naked while everyone else was clothed. Another was a sort of digital flip book that allowed users to mix and match heads, torsos and legs to create an image of a naked woman. Bond is one of six women all former clerks or externs in the 9th Circuit who alleged to the Washington Post in recent weeks that Kozinski, now 67 and still serving as a judge on the court, subjected them to a range of inappropriate sexual conduct or comments. She is one of two former clerks who said Kozinski asked them to view porn in his chambers. In a statement, Kozinski said: I have been a judge for 35 years and during that time have had over 500 employees in my chambers. I treat all of my employees as family and work very closely with most of them. I would never intentionally do anything to offend anyone and it is regrettable that a handful have been offended by something I may have said or done. Bond and another clerk, Emily Murphy, who worked for a different judge on the 9th Circuit, described their experiences in on-the-record interviews. The four other women spoke on the condition that their names and some other identifying information not be published out of fear that they might face retaliation. Murphy said Kozinski approached her when she was talking with clerks at a reception in 2012. The group had been discussing training regimens, and Murphy said she commented that the gym in the 9th Circuit courthouse was nice because other people were seldom there. Kozinski, according to Murphy and two others present, said that if that were the case, she should work out naked. It wasnt just clear that he was imagining me naked, he was trying to invite other people my professional colleagues to do so as well, Murphy said. That was what was humiliating about it. Kozinski was appointed to the 9th Circuit, based in San Francisco, by President Ronald Reagan in 1985. Matt Zapotosky is a Washington Post writer. By PTI: on Jerusalem By Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Dec 7 (PTI) Pakistans parliament today passed a unanimous resolution condemning US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In a highly controversial decision, Trump also decided to shift the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv. The Treasury and opposition benches in the National Assembly joined hands to pass the resolution which termed Trumps decision as a direct attack on Muslims at a time when the Middle East is already beset with wars and conflicts. advertisement It said the US move violates the international law, several resolutions of UN Security Council over the matter, and Global consensus on how to resolve the Palestine conflict. The National Assembly also demanded the United States to immediately revoke its decision. Earlier, the Foreign Office in a statement condemned President Trumps decision. "Pakistan joins the international community in expressing its strong opposition and condemnation at the decision of the US Administration to recognise the occupied city of Al Quds Al Sharif (Jerusalem) as the so-called capital of Israel and the plan to relocate its Embassy there," the Foreign Office said. Pakistan said that it was deeply regrettable that pleas from countries across the globe not to alter the legal and historical status of Jerusalem have been ignored, "more out of choice than necessity". It said the decision represents a serious violation of international law and applicable UN Security Council resolutions, particularly UNSCR 478. Pakistan said it was a serious setback to the rule of law and international norms and signals a severe blow to the Middle East peace process as well. Pakistan shares the international outrage and is deeply concerned over the implications of this decision for international peace and security, especially in the Middle East and calls upon the UN Security Council to take cognizance of this situation and take steps in accordance with the UN Charter. The FO also urged the United Sates to revisit its decision as soon as possible in order to avoid the potentially grave repercussions in the region and beyond. PTI SH ZH --- ENDS --- The man who killed five people on a shooting rampage in a small Northern California town died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound not from police gunfire sheriffs officials have concluded. Contrary to previous reports indicating the shooter, 44-year-old Kevin Janson Neal, was shot dead by law enforcement officers last month, a forensic pathologist determined Neal shot himself in the head, Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston reported. Neal killed himself after a county sheriffs deputy and an officer from the Corning Police Department engaged in a shootout with him at the end of a mass shooting near Neals home in Rancho Tehama Reserve on Nov. 14, according to a review compiled by Johnston and posted Friday. Neither officer was harmed. The Corning officer fired four rounds at Neal and the deputy fired eight rounds, according to the report. Both have since returned to work after the Sheriffs Office concluded they acted in self-defense and for the safety of the community. According to the Sheriffs Office account, the shooting spree, which began just before 8 a.m. and lasted less than an hour, stemmed from a dispute Neal had with neighbors. He had shot his wife to death the night before; as he drove around the rural community he killed four more people and injured several others. He picked some victims deliberately, others at random, and at one point fired several rounds into Rancho Tehama Elementary School, injuring some children. Neal used at least two home-built semiautomatic rifles, sheriffs officials said. He had been barred from having firearms due to a criminal protective order and separate restraining order after he allegedly attacked his neighbors in January. Toward the end of the shooting spree, Neal fired from his drivers window at a vehicle on Rancho Tehama Road driven by Francisco Cardenas, who suffered a gunshot wound in the leg and shrapnel injuries. He survived and is recovering, sheriffs officials said. The Corning police officer chased Neal as he was firing, pursuing him west on Rancho Tehama Road until he could ram Neals vehicle from behind to force it off the road. Neal fired at the officer, striking his car five times, according to the report. The sheriffs deputy soon arrived, and Neal fired at him too, hitting his car three times. The officers shot back, and then there was silence. Neal was found dead in the drivers seat with an obvious gunshot wound to the head, according to the report. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno Jane Tyska/Associated Press A man moving a piano out of a trailer on a Fremont street was struck and killed Friday by a driver allegedly high on drugs, police said. The victim, a 44-year-old man from Huntington Beach (Orange County), was trying to move the piano into a home when a 2013 Nissan Rogue smashed into the trailer just before 10 a.m. at Argonaut Way and Mowry Avenue, police said. By PTI: By Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Dec 9 (PTI) Pakistan has decided to allow rupee depreciation after crucial talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a media report said today. The Pakistan government and an IMF delegation yesterday concluded the first round of discussions on the countrys economy and the sides are on a two-day break to prepare for the policy-level wrap-up by December 13-14. advertisement A senior official told the Dawn that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) would now let the currency exchange rate adjust to market conditions after years of resisting expectations. The timing of the move was planned to ensure materialisation of USD 2.5 billion worth of receipts from two international bonds launched last month. This calculated move allowed the currency rate to touch Rs 110 to a dollar yesterday before settling down at around Rs 107 and did not go beyond official estimates. The two weekend holidays would give breathing space instead of over-steaming the exchange rate. Sources said the IMF had concerns over the health of Pakistans external sector, but government authorities had a different opinion. As the two sides concluded technical talks, the IMF team will prepare a report of its assessment over the weekend and share it with Pakistani officials on Monday for the feedback and discussions. While the government team, led by Secretary of Finance Shahid Mehmood will review the assessment, the IMF mission to Pakistan, led by Harald Finger, will visit Lahore next week for talks with provincial authorities including Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and independent observers and researchers from the business community and representatives of a private-sector university. The authorities believe the currency adjustment would help shift foreign currency holdings from commercial banks currently standing at a higher level of around USD 6 billion back to official reserves and help divert remittances to official channels with declining gap among the official, banking and open market rates. For the first time in many months, the central bank is reported to have noticed exporters offloading their positions. In the long run, the recent imposition or increase in the import duties and regulatory duties would make unnecessary imports expensive. An official said that projections for CPEC-related repayments were within the range already discussed by the two sides in connection with debt sustainability analysis as USD 23 billion worth of projects were currently under various stages of implementation, including USD 17 billion in the energy sector by the private sector while about USD 6 billion worth of projects are in the road sector, under the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. advertisement While a clean certificate of economic health from the IMF is useful for international financial institutions and investment sentiment, the two sides are reported to have noted that recent bond results were very positive for the fact that this was the first fund raising from international capital market without the IMF programme after many years and it attracted a favourable response and rates despite high twin deficits, showing confidence of international investors and good reflection of fundamentals. IMF director for Middle East and Central Asian Department (MCD) and Lebanons former finance minister Jihad Azour will also join the final round of talks next week. While the Pakistani side will continue to be led by Mehmood, a meeting of the IMF mission could also be arranged with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi who holds the finance portfolio, depending on the gaps in policy positions, a source said. Pakistan would continue to remain under the IMFs post- programme monitoring (PPM) until about 2023 for borrowing significantly higher than its quota. The threshold for Pakistan to move out of the PPM is estimated at 1.4 billion special drawing rights (SDRs) of the IMF that now stands at around 4.3 billion SDRs. advertisement Mahmood said the two sides held various rounds of technical discussions over the last week and covered a host of areas including the macroeconomic situation, developments in energy, financial, monetary and social sectors. He said he shared with the IMF delegation an overview of the economy which was on track and key economic indicators were moving in a positive direction. He said significant growth had been achieved in revenue generation in the current fiscal year. Pakistan has achieved fiscal consolidation without compromising on expenditures on development and social protection and the government had set its eyes on achieving 6 per cent GDP growth which was inclusive, pro-poor and sustainable, he said. PTI SH KUN --- ENDS --- Neither police officer involved in the chase and killing of a carjacking suspect in San Franciscos Bayview neighborhood last week activated his body-worn camera before the fatal shot was fired, officials said Friday, even though department policy requires officers to turn on the devices during vehicle chases. The failure of law enforcement officers to turn on their wearable cameras during critical situations has been a recurring issue in the Bay Area and around the country, eroding the value of technology that has pervaded police forces in the past decade. The Dec. 1 shooting of 42-year-old Keita ONeil in San Francisco was captured on video despite the breakdown. Thats because the rookie officer who fired while riding in a cruiser with a training officer behind the wheel activated his camera immediately after the shooting. The devices used in San Francisco have a buffering feature that captures the previous 30 seconds like a television DVR. However, no audio is captured in these 30 seconds. The video was released Thursday by police. Police did not say whether the two officers had violated policy, citing an ongoing investigation by the department as well as the district attorneys office and the civilian Department of Police Accountability into the shooting at the intersection of Griffith Street and Fitzgerald Avenue in the Alice Griffith public housing complex. Our body worn camera policy provides protocols for the use of these devices, Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement Friday. There are several investigations under way and it is important to have all the evidence and facts before making a judgment at this time. According to police, ONeil stole a state lottery van on Potrero Hill from a worker, shoving her and injuring her in the morning attack, before leading officers on a chase into the Bayview. Pursued onto a dead-end street, ONeil jumped out of the van, unarmed, and moved toward the officers as they sat in their vehicle behind him, video footage shows. Within moments he was shot at close range by the rookie officer, who was on his fourth day on the force. The officer, sitting in the passenger seat, fired through his own side window. He has not been identified, and efforts to reach his appointed attorney were unsuccessful Friday. Because no audio was recorded, its unclear what the officers said to each other during the chase, depriving investigators of potentially valuable information. Department officials released the 25-second body camera video, along with footage from security cameras near the scene of the shooting, during an emotional town hall meeting at True Hope Church in the Bayview on Thursday night. Some community members who attended expressed outrage over the killing, shouting at Scott and other department officials conducting the meeting. The training officer driving the patrol vehicle, who has also not been identified, never activated his body-worn camera, police Capt. Valerie Matthews said during the town hall. Department general orders mandate that officers equipped with body-worn cameras shall activate them in a wide variety of situations, including vehicle pursuits, use-of-force incidents and ordinary traffic stops. Consistently activating body-worn cameras has been a challenging policy issue around the country. Because cameras dont have the battery life or data storage capacity to record an officers entire shift, officers are required to turn them on during encounters. When officers are engaged in potentially deadly scenarios, though, turning on a camera may not be an immediate instinct, said Sid Heal, a retired commander for the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department and a police tactics expert. Forgetting to turn the camera on is very common, Heal said. When you have a violent encounter, turning a camera on is just one more thing you have to worry about. Its not because of poor judgment or attempts to conceal or deceive. In most cases, it was just not high enough on the officers list of priorities to survive the encounter. In 2012 in Oakland, Officer Miguel Masso did not have his camera running when he shot and killed 18-year-old Alan Blueford after chasing him through a darkened neighborhood. Masso said Blueford had a gun and that he fired in self-defense when Blueford made a threatening move, an account disputed by the teenagers family. In 2014, the tragic accidental shooting of BART police Sgt. Tom Smith by a colleague, during an apartment search in Dublin, was also not caught on video. Sources told The Chronicle that the five officers who entered the apartment either werent wearing the devices or didnt activate them. Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate OAKLAND (BCN) A 60-year-old man who was previously convicted of rape was sentenced today to 60 years to life in state prison for abducting an intoxicated University of California at Berkeley student in May. Whittier Buchanan, who acted as his own lawyer in his case, was convicted last month of kidnapping to commit a sex crime, assault with the intent to commit a sex crime and failing to register as a sex offender after a change of address as well as an enhancement clause alleging that he's a habitual sexual offender. Buchanan, a 6-foot, 250-pound man who was convicted of six felony sexual assault charges in 1996, claimed on the witness stand that the young woman actually propositioned him and that he was afraid of her. Buchanan testified in his trial in Alameda County Superior Court that he was driving around Berkeley after 2:30 a.m. on May 2 when he saw the woman crying as she sat on a curb near the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Berkeley Way. Now Playing: Comparison of 2016's violent crime stats from major Bay Area cities Video: Ted Andersen, SFGATE The UC Berkeley student, who's name wasn't disclosed, testified that she lived at that location and was crying because she couldn't find the keys to her apartment after she got a ride home from an Uber driver following a night of drinking at a friend's birthday party and a nearby restaurant. Buchanan said he told the woman that it wasn't safe for her to be alone outside at that hour and that she should get into his red Chevy Astro mini van and he would drive her wherever he wanted. The woman testified that she had called her father, who lives in San Jose, and he told her to wait at a safe location, such as a 24-hour Safeway grocery store, for him to bring her an extra set of keys to her apartment. Buchanan testified that he drove "aimlessly" for a while because the woman didn't tell him where she wanted to go. He said, "The conversation was flowing beautifully" but alleged that the woman then pulled out a glass pipe and started smoking methamphetamine. But prosecutor Alex Hernandez said there's no evidence that's the case. Buchanan said the woman made a series of phone calls to various people while she was riding in his van and he started wondering if she was trying to set him up in a situation where he would be robbed at gunpoint. Buchanan said he told the Cal student, "You're scaring me, you're frightening me" and wondered to himself, "What should I do with this person?" But the woman said Buchanan refused to grant her request to stop and let her out of his van, told her that she would not be going anywhere and covered her mouth after she screamed. The woman said they struggled but she eventually was able to escape to the backseat of the van and then jump out of a window in the 1000 block of Monterey Avenue, where she was able to get help. Berkeley police were able to arrest Buchanan a short time later because the woman's cellphone was still in his van and they were able to track it. Buchanan was convicted in 1996 of three counts of rape by force or fear and three counts of forced oral copulation. The victim in that case testified in Buchanan's trial involving the UC Berkeley student because the prosecution was permitted to try to show that he has a propensity for planning sexual assaults. In his most recent trial, Buchanan denied that he raped the victim in the 1996 case and claimed that she invited him to her apartment in Oakland and coaxed him into having sex with her. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) A shooting on Friday in San Francisco's Excelsior District send a 19-year-old man to the hospital and prompted a lockdown at a nearby high school, according to police. At 3:14 p.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting near Sunnydale and Persia avenues. At the intersection, which is located inside John McLaren Park, officers found evidence of a crime scene. A suspect fled the area and was not apprehended, according to police. June Jordan School for Equity, located across the street from the intersection, was placed on lockdown. After officers secured the scene and deemed it safe, students were dismissed from class and directed to exit away from the area where the shooting is believed to have occurred. Now Playing: We broke down San Francisco crime data by neighborhood based on 2017 data. Video: Ted Andersen / SFGATE Officers learned that a victim was taken to a hospital in a private car, police said. Information about his injuries was not immediately available. According to police, the victim is not a student at the school and at this time investigators do not believe the shooting was connected to the school. SF police are asking anyone with information about the incident is asked to call (415) 575-4444 or to text TIP411 with "SFPD" at the beginning of the message. Tipsters have the option to remain anonymous. The Prime Minister is pulling out all the stops to save the BJP in what has become a tight situation in Gujarat. But will it be enough, could there be an upset? As news about the BJP's triumph in Uttar Pradesh's civic elections started trickling in on December 1, some of the dim faces at the BJP media centre on Ahmedabad's busy S-G highway started brightening. The average BJP worker in Gujarat has not had too much to cheer about of late, fighting anti-incumbency and charges of arrogance levelled by the opposition Congress and the troika of Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani. A day later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi too looked more upbeat. Of course, south Gujarat is home base, one of the party's strongest regions while it is precariously placed in Saurashtra, north and central Gujarat except in some urban pockets. Cries of 'Modi, Modi' rend the air as he recites familiar themes-the Congress playing divisive politics, development figures under BJP rule, the bullet train brouhaha, local issues of the Bharuch district. There is even an attempt to placate the Muslims: "Two districts that have seen the maximum development are Kutch and Bharuch which have the highest Muslim populations in Gujarat," he says. Clearly, Modi looks in full control of his election spiel as the last round of the Gujarat poll campaign heats up. advertisement Significantly, he never even indirectly attacks Hardik, the leader of the pro-Patel reservation party PAAS who continues to make the BJP ranks nervous with the adulation he is getting everywhere-from Saurashtra to north and central Gujarat-among the Patels. That hatchet job is left to state leaders like deputy chief minister Nitin Patel who warns "against falling into the Congress trap... they are using Hardik; reservation over 49 per cent is impossible under the Constitution". The BJP is facing rough weather on multiple fronts-mishandling of the Patel reservation agitation, the state's failure in assuring adequate support prices for the bumper groundnut and cotton crop, even in the implementation of the crop insurance scheme. In the case of Patels, it's a double whammy as they also form a major chunk of the farming community. Then, of course, there's the crossover effect of the GST rollout (which has subsided a bit after the lowering of rates) and the anti-incumbency that has built over the past 22 years. But the biggest worry is the discontent among a section of the voters over the BJP's tanashahi (arrogance in power). It's being blamed for almost everything, from the underhand moves against Hardik, the desperate ways in which the party tried to defeat Congress leader Ahmed Patel in the recent Rajya Sabha polls and even the implementation of GST without enough consultation. Many political analysts still believe, though, that PM Modi has it in him to overcome the public anger and fashion a BJP win. Political analyst Vidyut Thakar even says: "The support one sees for the Congress is only superficial, and even if it is real, the party has no network to convert support into votes. I see a comfortable victory for the BJP." However, Thakar hasn't covered ground in regions like Saurashtra, where anger against the BJP is simmering in many parts. The Patels have turned against the BJP in large numbers here while the OBCs, whom the BJP has been trying to woo, have not been as receptive as the party would have liked. But Modi has admirers among the lower classes, a phenomenon seen across the nation after demonetisation. Sanaji Thakor, an OBC Kshatriya from the same caste as Congress's Alpesh, is a driver in a private firm from a village near Bahucharaji in Mehsana district, heartland of the Thakor community. "Modi will win this election," he says. "There is no one to match him. He is the only one concerned about the poor." advertisement The poll figures pose an interesting scenario. The BJP won 115 seats in 2012, securing 47.9 per cent or around 13.1 million votes, as against 38.9 per cent or around 10.6 million votes for the Congress-a difference of 8.9 per cent. However, of the 115 seats the BJP won, it won 15 by less than 5,000 votes and lost 23 by the same margin. Both parties are concentrating on these 38 seats, which could be game-changers. Independent candidates and those from smaller parties also played a big role in 2012, securing a whopping 8.11 per cent or around 2.2 million votes. Also, in 2012 the saffron party's lead was slender in the rural and semi-rural seats despite Modi's high-pressure campaign as issues of caste overtook issues of development in these pockets. In the votes cast in 125 such seats, the Congress secured just 3.7 per cent less votes than the BJP. The one factor working for the BJP here will be the success of the Seva-Setu scheme of the Vijay Rupani government, where governance was taken to the lowest unit of 10 villages. It gave benefits of several public schemes to beneficiaries virtually at their doorstep. About one crore people were covered under the scheme in just over a year. advertisement Still, Congress leader Himanshu Vyas asks, "How can it win? No one will deny that 2017 is a herculean task for the BJP, compared with 2012. All the traditional vote banks have turned against it this time." This might reflect a certain overconfidence in the Congress when it knows that on the other side stand Modi and that master tactician, Amit Shah. To bridge the loss of Patel votes, Shah is wooing small OBC groups like Prajapatis, Luhars and Gajjars, who together form a good chunk of the 52 per cent OBC votes in the state. Booth workers have been asked to focus on these groups. Booth management strategy is Shah's main strength, an area where the Congress is poor. Shah has asked the state BJP to ensure that at least three members from each party worker's family cast their vote before 12 noon. The BJP is also counting on the 750,000 'voting page in-charges' it has. Gujarat has over 45,000 polling booths and every booth has an average voters' list spread over 16 pages. For each page of voters, BJP has a page in-charge who concentrates on the voters listed on that page. This level of micro-management is a technique Shah has mastered over time and it gives the BJP a big advantage in converting even its shrinking base into votes. State Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi is dismissive of all this. "Anger against a government can defeat any strategy," he feels. advertisement However, BJP general secretary in-charge of Gujarat, Bhupendra Yadav, says, "Booth management is what matters on the final day. This strength is also due to our force of ideologically committed party workers." Clearly, the BJP is pinning its hopes on this, besides star performer PM Modi and his emotional appeals, to get it across the line. --- ENDS --- Pictures of Rahul Gandhi standing in a queue at the Delhi airport are making people wonder if he is really going the extra mile to fit in with the masses. By India Today Web Desk: Going viral now are a couple of pictures of Rahul Gandhi standing in a queue at an airport apron along with common passengers. Reacting to them, social media users are wondering out loud if this is Gandhi's candid effort at being an Aam Aadmi, or if the Congress vice president is just going for a good photo-op for the election season. advertisement Rahul Gandhi had flown in to Delhi from Vadodara late last night to spend some quality time with mother Sonia Gandhi on her 71st birthday, which is today. These photos were most likely taken at the Delhi airport as Gandhi was heading back to Ahmedabad earlier today. Thing is, this isn't the first time Rahul Gandhi ditched the private jet and went common flight way. Back in July, Congressman Gaurav Pandhi tweeted a picture of Rahul Gandhi standing in line at an airport apron. Rahul Gandhi, at Delhi airport, while traveling to Bengaluru earlier today. pic.twitter.com/oPWaWp4AhJ- Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) July 21, 2017 Rahul Gandhi, who is expected to soon take over as Congress president, is scheduled to begin a tour of north Gujarat today, which will be voting in the second phase on December 14. Meanwhile, phase 1 of voting began in Gujarat today morning. Click here to get its live feed. --- ENDS --- Will he, won't he? After keeping the Congress as well as the country guessing for the past 13 years, Rahul Gandhi finally put that uncertainty to rest on December 4. He will now become the sixth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to take charge of the 132-year-old Grand Old Party of India. On paper, at least, the Nehru-Gandhi scion is well-placed to lead the party: at 47, he has interned under his mother, Sonia Gandhi, for 13 years, four years as No. 2 in the organisation. Sonia herself was a political novice when she became Congress president at 52; father Rajiv was younger at 41 when he was forced to take charge of the country and the Congress after the assassination of his mother Indira Gandhi in 1984. advertisement However, Rahul inherits the Congress mantle at a time when the party is plumbing the depths of political fortunes. It has a miserable 44 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha, its vote share having plummeted to a historic 19.5 per cent low in 2014. In the past three years, the Congress has faced defeat or failed to make any impact in 15 assembly elections, and in the process lost several of its strongholds such as Maharashtra, Haryana, Assam and Kerala. Currently, it is in power in just eight of India's 29 states, retaining a mere 766 seats in the 4,120 assembly constituencies across the country. Congress-mukt Bharat has never seemed a more distinct possibility. With Sonia Gandhi on father Rajiv's death anniversary. With Sonia Gandhi on father Rajiv's death anniversary. Until recently, Rahul himself had not done much to inspire confidence. Despite choosing the electoral route to the top post in the party, there is little he can do to shake off the tag of an entitled dynast, something the BJP never misses a chance to bring up against him, whether it is party president Amit Shah calling him 'shehzada' or Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing his current ascension as the beginning of 'Aurangzeb raj'. His sudden, prolonged absences, string of public gaffes and indecisiveness have only helped the BJP's social media machine establish him as a 'Pappu' in public perception. He is accused of being inconsistent, and lacking any political or economic vision, leading Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to call his elevation "promotion without performance". Yet, bit by bit, Rahul is learning to inch back into the political reckoning. From being The Reluctant Prince, he now seems more willing to take charge, making his presence felt and heard-on foreign university campuses, social media or campaign trail. He is sharpening his discourse, as he demonstrated at UC, Berkeley. His tweets on social media have become sharper and wittier too, and his coinages smarter-the recent quip on GST as 'Gabbar Singh Tax' elicited as much attention as his "suit-boot ki sarkar" jibe in 2015. Gone also is the aloofness, with Rahul becoming more touchy-feely in his interactions with people. He continues to espouse the cause of the marginalised, be it farmers, small traders or Dalits. "His first speech in Parliament," says Union minister Jitin Prasada, "was about farmers in Muzaffarpur. A decade later, he is still talking about them and other marginalised sections of society." But rather than resorting to the cliches of a bleeding heart socialist, he is sharpening his discourse, starting a conversation around jobs, price rise and economic growth. "He has realised that idealism must be tempered with pragmatism, and it must catch public attention," says Congress Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Adds former Union minister Pallam Raju, "Rahul is a socialist at his core. But he has realised that a socialistic approach is not the only answer for an aspirational generation and an expanding economy." advertisement Meeting the Modi challenge However, he is up against the formidable political charisma of Narendra Modi and the brutal, result-oriented election machine of Amit Shah, powered by the engine of the RSS cadre. "The Congress must become fighting fit to take on the challenge of the RSS-BJP," says former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram. With four big states-Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka-and four northeastern ones-Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland-going to polls next year, results in these will be crucial for Rahul's leadership, as they will set the tone for the general election of 2019. For the moment, however, rather than set his eyes on the grand prize, Rahul is choosing to fight one battle at a time. Currently, he is concentrating all his energies in Gujarat, where he is backing the young trio of Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakor and Jignesh Mevani. Of all his electoral campaigns in the past five years, this has got the most positive response. In the longer run, Rahul is hoping to forge an alliance of Opposition parties against the BJP. "The Bihar (assembly election) experiment proved that the BJP can be defeated. Rahul has been accepted as a leader by the SP's Akhilesh Yadav, DMK's Stalin and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav," says Congress general secretary C.P. Joshi. In 2014, the Congress vote share was 19.5 per cent and the BJP's 31.3 per cent. In 2019, Rahul will need to improve not just the Congress tally, but build alliances in a manner that the combined vote share of the opposition parties can bridge the gap between them and the saffron party. advertisement Rahul has already made several pragmatic moves in that direction. After Nitish left the Bihar mahagathbandhan in a lurch this July, he extended support to Lalu who had been absent from electoral politics because of Rahul's opposition to the UPA ordinance giving convicted politicians a reprieve from disqualification. The big test for Rahul, though, will be to bring together bitter rivals such as the TMC and Left in West Bengal and the BSP and SP in Uttar Pradesh. Though he has great rapport with Left leaders such as Sitaram Yechury and D. Raja, their dominance is currently restricted to Kerala, where they are the traditional rivals of the Congress. advertisement Spot the Difference? As Rahul Gandhi takes charge of the Congress (finally!), India Today's latest Cover on his ascension echoes the iconic 1981 cover we did of Rajiv Gandhi - with a twist to the headline and picture. On stands now. pic.twitter.com/oSwGrgWOKC - Raj Chengappa (@rajchengappa) December 9, 2017 It's still not clear if BSP chief Mayawati and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee will accept Rahul as the leader of a rainbow coalition. At the India Today Conclave East in Kolkata, Mamata categorically announced: "I have great respect for Rajivji, Soniaji. Rahul has started and let him work. Allow him to work first. You cannot impose (on me) or bulldoze me on what would be my opinion. It depends on (the future) situation," she said. Leaders like Naveen Patnaik of the BJD and K. Chandrasekhar Rao of TRS have preferred to remain equidistant from both the Congress and the BJP. Though Rahul has an excellent personal equation with NCP head Sharad Pawar, he could not prevent the party from contesting the Gujarat elections independently. A lot will also depend on the electoral performance of these parties. Apart from the TMC, all other parties have seen massive defeats in the recent past-all non-NDA parties together have less than 175 seats, including parties such as the AAP and YSR Congress. The only electorally significant rival is the DMK, which may see a turnaround in 2019 as bitter rival AIADMK is in disarray after Jayalalitha's death. The challenge in states Rahul also has the daunting task of restructuring the party at the top and building strong leadership in the states. In the last three years, his strategy has been to utilise veterans who are electoral assets where they are most needed, and place his favourites in significant positions in the states. "The big challenge would be to put our team in place soon," says Rajeev Gowda, who heads the research wing of the party. "There is already a subtle change in the Congress now. Several youngsters have been promoted within the organisational hierarchy, and they are working closely with senior leaders." Criticised in recent years for ignoring the old guard, Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel says, "He has no problem working with any Congress leader, old or young." In Gujarat, Rahul has made former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot secretary in charge and given him four young deputies in Lok Sabha MP Rajeev Satav, Maharashtra MLAs Harshvardhan Sapkal and Varsha Gaikwad and Madhya Pradesh MLA Jeetu Patwari. In Karnataka, 55-year-old Kerala MP K.C. Venugopal, who is often seen sitting next to Rahul in Parliament, has been appointed general secretary in charge and Rahul has indicated that Siddarmaiah will be the chief ministerial candidate. In Punjab, Rahul allowed Amarinder Singh to take control of the Congress-a lesson he learnt from the defection of Himanta Biswa Sarma to the BJP, which cost the Congress the Assam election in 2016. Rahul will have to display sharp political acumen to manage infighting in other states. In Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath wanted to be the chief ministerial candidate, but Rahul wanted Jyotiraditya Scindia for the job. Finally, Nath will be made the state Congress president and Scindia will head the campaign committee. The announcement hasn't been made yet, as the party is waiting for Digvijaya Singh to return from his Narmada parikrama. Meanwhile, Rahul has appointed his confidant Deepak Babaria as the general secretary in-charge of the state. In Rajasthan, 40-year-old Sachin Pilot helms the party but Gehlot is in no mood to cede space. Whether the Congress will be riven by infighting or put up a united challenge to Vasundhara Raje in 2018 will need some deft maoeuvring. The party is in a big mess in Chhattisgarh where it has a good chance to topple the BJP government headed by Raman Singh. Though Rahul appointed P.L. Puniya as the general secretary in-charge of the state in July, the central leadership has done little to rebuild the party following the exit of former chief minister Ajit Jogi. "The organisational improvement has not been uniform across all states. Our election machinery needs to be activated much earlier," says Singhvi. In Jharkhand, while the party appointed Ajoy Kumar, who had joined the Congress from the JVM in 2014, as president, it made veteran Subodh Kant Sahay the campaign committee chief. Union minister R.P.N. Singh, perceived to have a good working relationship with Rahul, has been made the general secretary in-charge of Jharkhand. But even as he has put veterans in charge, Rahul has not succumbed to pressure by Shankersinh Vaghela in Gujarat, Ajit Jogi in Chhattisgarh and Narayan Rane in Maharashtra. "He has been very clear about one thing. No matter how senior you are in the party, you cannot dictate terms and hold the party hostage," says Randeep Singh Surjewala, communication in-charge of the Congress. The new narrative Rahul's greatest challenge is to emerge as a credible alternative to Narendra Modi. In 2015, he had the prime minister on the back foot when he challenged his suit-boot ki sarkar. But then the Modi government turned pro-farmer and pro-poor, launching a series of initiatives, such as Jan Dhan, Ujjwala, crop insurance for farmers, and Rahul lost that battle. This time round, Rahul has tweaked the narrative, prescribing growth with jobs as the agenda for economic revival. Accordingly, the "hard truth" about jobs is what he brought up in his speeches during the US tour in September and found an unusually positive response. "In the US, we had a neutral audience unlike what we have faced in India in the past few years. That made a psychological difference," says Milind Deora, who had organised Rahul's speeches at the universities. According to Chidambaram, one of Rahul's key economic advisors, the Nehru-Gandhi scion is a firm believer in a liberal, open and competitive economy, and socialism for him is a goal. "The Congress has discovered that socialism is not the means to achieve our goals. There are better means-private enterprise, entrepreneurship and competition-yet the state will play an important role," says Chidambaram. K. Raju, head of the SC cell of the Congress and one of Rahul's close aides, believes he will be echoing the economic vision of UK labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. "He'll support economic reforms, but allowing access of the country's limited resources to all, not just a few industrialists, will be non-negotiable," says Raju. Rahul offered a glimpse of his economic model in Delhi recently. "No amount of growth is enough for India if it's not accompanied by the creation of jobs," he said, adding that at the centre of the job creation will be the small and medium business enterprises, which alone can help India generate jobs at the rate that China does. "It is this reservoir of skill and innovation that needs to be unlocked and freed from the oppressive and unpredictable bureaucratic red tape." With the implementation of GST and the November 2016 demonetisation of currency taking some sheen off the Modi government, Rahul's critique of jobless growth has helped the Congress find some resonance with the public. Yet the party doesn't want to stick to Modi-bashing, it wants to come up with an alternative economic vision. "We know which are the job-creating sectors-agriculture, agriculture-related rural industries, small and medium businesses, exports and the services sector. We will pay attention to these sectors. When they grow, they'll create jobs," says Chidambaram. The Congress and Rahul's intent is to create core constituencies beyond Dalits, farmers, tribals and minorities. There has been a systematic effort to widen the party's appeal among certain groups that the Congress thinks have been ignored or usurped by rival parties. Rahul has, for instance, set up a separate wing in the party for unorganised workers, mostly migrants in cities and rural areas. "Most of these migrants don't have any voice in any political set-up. The lateral flow into the party from these sections is not happening. Such departments will create platforms for leaders from these sections," says Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken, whom Rahul has recently gifted The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto to help him understand the challenge of wealth creation for the urban poor. To reach out to the professional middle class, a constituency seen to be a preserve of the BJP, Rahul has created the All India Professionals Congress, under the leadership of Shashi Tharoor. Other weapons in the arsenal Above all, Rahul is trying to project an inclusive agenda to counter BJP's divisive one. He turned the BJP taunt of Congress-mukt Bharat on its head when he said he wouldn't wish the same on the BJP. And though several Congress leaders dismiss it as a media fancy, there has been a shift in the Congress's approach to minority issues. An increasing number of partymen maintain its perceived minority appeasement has alienated the larger Hindu voters. "The opposition parties have been successful in creating the perception of appeasement by the Congress. While staying committed to the support of minorities and the cause of their welfare, it is equally important to undo the perception," says Pallam Raju. So, it's no coincidence that Rahul was seen at Somnath temple this year, trekked to Kedarnath in 2015, visited numerous temples during the UP election and now in Gujarat and declared himself a Shiva bhakt. In June, he invited ridicule when he said he was studying the Gita and the Upanishads for a debate with the RSS which to his mind has usurped the religion. "Why do you give Modi undue credit?" he asked in a public meeting in Delhi in July. "He is just a byproduct. It's no longer about Modi but whether this country can have RSS ideology in its daily governance." Social media too forms an integral part of the Congress gameplan to take on the BJP, which has utilised the digital media quite effectively against the grand old party. It also serves as a handy, effective tool to project Rahul as a "common citizen" rather than a dynast. So there are selfies of him travelling in budget airlines, a video of his pet dog Piddy on Twitter and an update on mother Sonia's illness. "With respect to 2019, we'll have to rely more on social media and tie up with people's movements to take our message to the masses," says Gowda. "The change is already visible on social media, and you see how we have dovetailed it with people's movements in Gujarat and, in a sense, amplified their message." Will all this be enough for Rahul to manage the Congress and perhaps one day the country? There are still concerns over his delayed decision-making. "I'm happy at his elevation," says veteran party leader Digvijaya Singh, once considered Rahul's political mentor. "But now he must take decisions." Jyotiraditya Scindia agrees: "He needs to create strong leadership in the states. And we need to hit the ground running as several states are going to polls next year and we have a general election in next 18 months." Having assumed the reins of the party, Rahul now cannot be inconsistent, mercurial or aloof. He will also have to lay down an alternative roadmap for development and evolve a distinct style of leadership. Asked once by Joshi about his leadership vision, Rahul quoted Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: "A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves." But coming from the first family of Indian politics, invisibility isn't a privilege Rahul can afford. Having resisted power for so long, calling it a poison, he will now have to be decisive, and deliver quick and tangible results on two fronts-a revamped party structure and electoral victories. Any further delay may grant him invisibility, though not in the way Lao Tzu recommended. --- ENDS --- Questioning why the BJP waited until the end to release its party manifesto, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's questioned whether PM Modi's "bhaashan hi shaasan hai". By India Today Web Desk: As Gujarat votes in the first phase of its two-part Assembly election, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has some questions for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. Posting a message on Twitter, Rahul wondered why "vikas" was "missing" from PM Modi's election speeches in Gujarat. He also asked why the Prime Minister had not responded to any of the ten questions Rahul has asked so far as part of his one-question-a-day campaign. advertisement The Congress vice-president, who will be in PM Modi's hometown of Vadnagar today, then went on to note how late the BJP had released its election manifesto, or 'vision document', as the party likes to call it. "You did not release the manifesto until after campaigning for the first phase of election ended," Rahul said, before ending with a stinging, "Toh kya, bhaashan hi shaasan hai? (So now, is your word the only law?)" ?????? ??? 22 ????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???? ???????-???? ???? ?? ?? ??? ???????????? ?? ?? ?????? ??? '?????' ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ?? 10 ???? ????, ???? ?? ???? ????????? ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ?? ????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? '???? ?? ????' ???- Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 9, 2017 Rahul has been regularly using Twitter to attack the BJP and PM Modi, especially as campagining for the Gujarat election, the results of which are less than a fortnight away, kicked into high gear. Over the past week-and-a-half, the Gandhi scion has been using the medium for his 'one-question-a-day' campaign. Rahul has posed uneasy questions on issues ranging from use of public money and education to women empowerment and state debt. For Rahul Gandhi, the Gujarat election is a crucial one. The election comes just as the Congress party gets ready for a major transition at the top - long-time party president Sonia Gandhi is set to soon make way for her son to take over as Congress chief. The transition is expected to be formally announced on December 19, just a day after results for the Gujarat election are announced. Complete Gujarat Assembly Election 2017 coverage WATCH | Battleground Gujarat 2017: All eyes on Gujarat as state votes in high-stakes election --- ENDS --- TEHRAN British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson arrived in Tehran on Saturday, where he is was expected to discuss the fate of detained dual nationals, including a woman serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow Irans government. Irans semi-official ISNA news agency reported that Johnson met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and they discussed boosting economic ties and Irans nuclear deal with world powers. Johnson said the U.K. would keep its commitment for full implementation of the landmark nuclear deal, the agency reported. The British Foreign Office said earlier that Johnson would meet with Zarif on Saturday to discuss a number of consular cases involving dual nationals. Johnson added that he would press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so. After Zarif, Johnson met Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani but no details of the talks were released. The state-run IRNA news agency said he would meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other top officials during his visit. Johnson is in Tehran as part of a three-nation Gulf tour, which the Foreign Office said was focused on the Iran nuclear deal and how to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen. Efforts to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker who has been held since April 2016, are believed to top Johnsons agenda. Her husband says she faces trial on new charges Sunday that carry the possibility of an additional 16-years imprisonment, but Iranian judiciary spokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi said last month that her verdict has been finalized. Just ahead of Johnsons visit, Irans state-run English broadcaster PressTV re-aired a documentary accusing Zaghari-Ratcliffe of planning the soft toppling of Irans government. Her family has denied the allegations. London is considering paying Tehran some 400 million pounds from a pre-1979 arms deal. Both sides say the money isnt related to Zaghari-Ratcliffe, though the United States made a similar payment as Iran released four U.S. citizens in 2016. Amir Vahdat is an Associated Press writer. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BAGHDAD Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State on Saturday, announcing the end of more than three years of battles to regain control over nearly one-third of the country that had been under the terrorist groups dominion. Abadis carefully calibrated statement came months after armed forces had wrested back control over Iraqs major urban areas, notably its second-largest city, Mosul, and had shifted focus to mopping up remnants of the militants who had escaped or gone underground in the vast desert border areas between Iraq and Syria. Our forces fully control the Iraqi-Syrian border, and thus we can announce the end of the war against Daesh, Abadi said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. The prime ministers announcement heralded a significant turnaround for the nations armed forces and political leadership from the summer of 2014, when the military, hollowed out by years of corruption and inept political decisions, crumbled under the juggernaut of the Islamic States once-formidable fighting force. By June that year, the terrorist group had seized control of Iraqs Sunni-dominated north and west, putting more than 4 million Iraqis under its control. At first, some of those Iraqis were willing supporters of the insurgent force, in large part because of the years of sectarian violence and abuse they had experienced from Iraqs Shiite-majority politicians. But the puritanical punishments and cruelties of the militants soon made the group a feared and unwelcome overlord. Still, security analysts and military commanders warned that the end of large-scale military maneuvers did not mean the end of the Islamic State threat. Among the urgent challenges officials now face to ensure security and stability are reconstruction plans for cities like Mosul, which was destroyed by the fighting, as well as reconciliation programs for the countrys Sunni and Shiite communities, said Hussein Allawi, a professor of national security at Al Nahrain University in Baghdad. Some 3 million Iraqis remain displaced by the war, and municipal services have yet to be restored in many liberated areas. Margaret Coker and Falih Hassan are New York Times writers. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Israeli air strikes killed two Hamas members Saturday following a rocket attack on Israel, in the latest fallout from President Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital a development that has roiled the region and the larger Muslim world. The Israeli military said it targeted four Hamas facilities in response to rockets fired the previous night, including one that landed in the town of Sderot without causing casualties or major damage. The military said it struck warehouses and weapons manufacturing sites, after which Hamas said it had recovered the bodies of two of its men. Israel considers Hamas responsible for all rocket fire emanating from Gaza, which is home to other armed groups. Some residents of Sderot and other border towns spent the night in shelters, fearful of a resumption of rocket attacks from Gaza that have led to three Israel-Hamas wars over the past decade. Protests and demonstrations continued across the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday on the third and final Palestinian day of rage following Trumps announcement. The military said there were clashes in some 20 locations. In Bethlehem, Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades. The Israeli military said 600 Palestinians were throwing firebombs and rolling burning tires toward Israeli forces. It said it dispersed the crowds and arrested six rioters. Along the border with the Gaza Strip, about 450 Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops at eight main locations. About 20 were lightly wounded. Some 4,000 demonstrators gathered in Gaza City and demonstrations resumed in Pakistan, Turkey and elsewhere across the Muslim world as well. President Trump cannot take what he doesnt have, said Zuheir Dana, one of the protesters from east Jerusalem. Saturday saw a drop in the scope of the protests after clashes erupted Friday between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops in dozens of West Bank hotspots and along the Gaza border. Two Palestinians were shot dead in Gaza and dozens were wounded in the West Bank. Trumps announcement on Jerusalem, and his intention to move the U.S. Embassy there, triggered denunciations from around the world, with even close allies suggesting he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. Fares Akram and Aron Heller are Associated Press writers. KIEV, Ukraine From his jail cell in Ukraines capital, opposition leader Mikheil Saakashvili is calling on supporters to rally for the impeachment of the president and has declared a hunger strike. Saakashvili, the former governor of the Odessa region who was stripped of his citizenship this summer, was arrested Friday night. He hasnt been formally charged, but prosecutors say he colluded with Ukrainian businessmen tied to Russia to topple President Petro Poroshenko. The Rajasthan government will use the image of Deendayal Upadhyaya on the letterheads. The Congress criticised the move and according to its state president, it comes as an offence to democracy. By Rohit Parihar: Rajasthan government and BJP's elected representatives will use the image of RSS ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya on the letterheads in their personal, official and semi-official communications from December 13, the day when BJP government completes its four years in power in Rajasthan. A decision to use the image by BJP's elected representatives was taken three months ago and is being extended to official communications now. advertisement Although the design of the letterheads is not yet revealed, some apprehend that Upadhyaya may figure along with the image of the State Emblem of India, which is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, preserved in the Varanasi Sarnath Museum. BJP insists that this is a way to honour Upadhyaya on his 100th birth anniversary and at the Centre too, some ministers have been using his image. A committee set up for the centenary celebrations took this decision which may be implemented at the Centre as well. Congress has criticised the move and its state President Sachin Pilot called it an affront to democracy and questions if such a step is correct morally and legally. According to Pilot, Upadhyaya could not have been equated with Gandhi and he feels it was an attempt to raise him to the level of the father of the nation and undermine the importance of the emblem simultaneously. Gulab Chand Kataria, home minister and BJP leader says Upadhyaya's work and his dedication to society are an inspiration to everyone. --- ENDS --- BEIRUT A powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militant commander has visited the Lebanon-Israel border expressing support for the Lebanese and Palestinians against the Jewish state and sparking harsh criticism from Lebanons prime minister who ordered him banned from entering the country. Qais al-Khazali is commander of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, a group that staged spectacular attacks against U.S. troops before their withdrawal from Iraq in 2011. He appeared in military uniform in a video while touring the border along with members of Lebanons militant Hezbollah group. In an interview with India Today, the family of Shambulal Raigar, who murdered a Muslim man for 'love jihad' on video, express their thoughts on his deed. By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Shambulal Raigar - the name needs no introduction in Rajsamand's Raigar colony these days. The irony behind those who believe that he has brought infamy to the area and yet taken this remote region in one of Rajasthan's lesser known districts to national consciousness can hardly get lost. But be prepared to encounter smirks and curious looks in equal measure, irrespective of whether you are a journalist or otherwise and on the lookout for his residence. advertisement Everyone now knows where his family stays and what he has done. In this age of WhatsApp and social media, his barbaric videos, that can bring revulsion, spout venom and viciousness, have gone viral quickly. A young civil contractor, who works close to the area where Shambulal hacked his victim to death, would mention that every young kid in this area had the video in his phone, soon after it was uploaded. The district administration had to clamp down an area wide internet ban over fear that the situation can go out of control, if the community specific hatred espoused in the videos, reach more eyes and ears. The colony residents surreptitiously point out the narrow lanes which lead to his first floor home. But any questions about the nature or antecedents of the man at the centre of national outrage is met with responses that range from stoic silence, we hardly knew him to who could have seen this coming. Soon after trying to wade way through the first few dingy lanes, a middle aged man, with a loose bag hanging to his shoulder, offers to accompany. "I know the place where he stays," he says. Outside the house, there is a stench that emanates from open sewer lines and unclean alley. A young boy does not want us to come inside until he has got permission to let anymore visitors inside. But his refusal to let us in is incomprehensible. He is one of the two kids in the joint family, we are told, who are mentally unstable. The other, a young girl, is Shambulal's daughter. Apart from her, he has two more children, a daughter and a son. Shambulal's brother needs some convincing before he lets us in. "We want to know your perspective," we told him. And the team was allowed inside. Through the alley onto the first floor. And silence too finds its way as an unlikely companion. The one that follows till long after a storm has come and left. A sense of gloom and despondency and of dejection is palpable. One of the brothers offers us to sit on a black and red dari covering the naked floor. Shambunath has two more brothers. Him, at 35, is the eldest of the trio. advertisement "No, did not have any idea he could do something like this. May be, he (Afrazul) would have threatened (my) brother. So, everyone would want to save one's life before dying," says Lokesh, one of the two brothers. Raigar's spine-chilling videos had sent shockwaves across the nations. It has him brutally hitting another man with a machete and thereafter setting him on fire after pouring an inflammable liquid on him. Thereafter, his hate - filled speech has him claiming that anyone who indulges in 'love jehad' will be met with same fate. His home, however, has a sordid saga to tell of its own. Shambulal had been out of work, under influence of drugs and unable to think straight for the past sometime, his brothers say. He was in marble business but had to leave it about a year ago after suffering unexpected losses. India Today asked them the truth behind claims of 'love jihad'. That makes one of the brothers, Lokesh, allege his brother was led into this (killing) by a woman and her daughter. He says his brother had gone to West Bengal to save a girl, who he considered as his sister, from the tentacles of those who were practicing 'love jihad'. Thereafter he, the brother alleges, was getting threats about wiping out his family. advertisement "Whatever he said (in the videos) he saw that in Bengal when he stayed for eight - ten days. Her mother also mentioned that her daughter was being tortured. This remained in his mind and he felt that they treated women like animals after taking there," he said. That incident, they claim, happened almost a decade ago. So, why did he target Mohammed Afroz, a man they admit had little to do with that case? Did Afroz become an unsuspecting victim of his angst against a community, so palpable in his hate speech that he spouts in the videos and remains remorseless about later? The brothers have no clear answers claiming that he (Afroz) may have been related to the man (who took the girl to West Bengal) and could have been the one threatening their brother for bringing the girl back. However, they are quick to add that their brother had started consuming drugs for the last year or so and being out of job and financial losses had also been weighing on him. advertisement "He told us, give me sometime. I am leaving drugs. After leaving drugs, I will work calmly," adds Nirmal. He is Shambulal's other brother. His wife is nowhere to be seen. She, we are informed, is inconsolable, has fallen unconscious several times and is yet to come terms with what has happened. "Before going, he told us he is leaving for Delhi and if we knew that this is what was going through his mind, we would not have allowed him to go.", says Nirmal, ruefully. Watch video | Man burnt to death to 'save girl from love jihad' in Rajasthan --- ENDS --- By India Today Web Desk: Legendary actor Shashi Kapoor's demise on Monday, at the age of 79, left Bollywood shaken. On Thursday evening, at the prayer meet, the Kapoor fraternity paid their respects to Shashi Kapoor by lighting candles around a picture of the actor at the historic Prithvi Theatre, and montage of his popular film-scenes played on screen. advertisement Many members of the Kapoor family and Shashi Kapoor's colleagues like Rekha, and Hema Malini, Waheeda Rahman, Poonam Dhillon and Simi Garewal were present. However, Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor were not present, as they had to leave for prior work commitments. Ranbir left for Capetown, South Africa, a few hours after the funeral, for his Sanjay Dutt biopic. and Kareena was in the city, but had to be a part of an ad shoot. The youngest son of Prithviraj Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor's death marked the end of a glorious era, the second generation of the Kapoor clan, that is often referred to the first family of Hindi Cinema. Shashi Kapoor died after a prolonged illness. ALSO WATCH | Shashi Kapoor no more: A tribute to Bollywood's handsome actor --- ENDS --- Page Content GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects both humans and animals. Humans become infected through direct contact with the urine of infected animals or with a urine-contaminated environment. The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), as part of its responsibility to increase knowledge within society, would like to use this opportunity to inform the Sint Maarten community about this infectious disease. Outbreaks of leptospirosis have been reported following natural disasters such as flooding. The risk of infection depends on exposure. Some humans have a high risk of exposure because of their occupation, their surrounding and environment, and their lifestyle. CPS says Sint Maarten post-hurricanes Irma and Maria does not have any cases of leptospirosis, and there have been no reports of the disease in the country. Measures to prevent transmission of leptospirosis include the following: Wearing protective clothing (boots, gloves, spectacles, aprons, masks); Covering skin lesions with waterproof dressings. Preventing access to, or giving adequate warning about water bodies known or suspected to be contaminated (pools, ponds, rivers). Try to avoid wading or swimming in potentially contaminated water. Washing or showering after exposure to urine splashes or contaminated soil or water; Washing and cleaning wounds; Avoiding or preventing urine splashes and aerosols, avoiding touching ill or dead animals, or assisting animals in giving birth. Strictly maintaining hygienic measures during care or handling all animals; Where feasible, disinfecting contaminated areas (scrubbing floors in stables, butcheries, abattoirs, etc.); keep your surroundings in and around your home clean to avoid rodents becoming a pests; and consuming clean drinking-water. Leptospirosis occurs worldwide, but is most prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. A wide variety of animal species, both wild and domestic, can serve as sources of infection for humans. The species that are considered to be the most important include feral and peri-domestic rodents (rats, mice, voles, etc.) and domestic animals (cattle, pigs, dogs and horses). Leptospirosis can occasionally also be transmitted through the drinking of water or ingestion of food contaminated with urine of infected animals, often rats. The bacteria enter the body through cuts and abrasions on the skin, or through the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and eyes. Person-to-person transmission is rare. The incubation period of leptospirosis is usually 514 days, with a range of 230 days. The symptoms following infection with leptospira can vary from a mild 'flu'-like illness to a serious and sometimes fatal disease. Leptospirosis is often difficult to diagnose clinically, as it can appear to be very similar to many other diseases such as dengue, typhoid and viral hepatitis. Although the disease is a self-limiting and often clinically inapparent illness in the majority of cases, 5-15% of untreated cases can progress to a more severe and potentially fatal stage. In the early stages of the disease, symptoms include high fever, severe headache, muscle pain, chills, redness of the eyes, abdominal pain, jaundice, haemorrhages in the skin and mucous membranes, vomiting, diarrhoea, and rash. By India Today Web Desk: Tamil actor Siddharth woke up and seemingly found himself in a bit of a pickle. His Twitter account was apparently hacked, and the hackers tweeted a photo of the release date of his film. Not just this, on the poster, it was written that his film, TP2point0, would release on Tamil Rockers, (a piracy network), the very next day. advertisement First, Y Studios tweeted saying, "We have a scary announcement to make, so we thought it would be appropriate it if @Actor_Siddharth does it.,"Stay tuned," which the hackers retweeted. Everyone expected it to be an announcement of Siddharth's film, Aval. Then the imposters apparently wrote, "Ellame inimey oru maadhiriya dhaan nadakkum! (Everything will now happen in a certain way only) Happy to launch the release poster of #TP2point0 No theory. Only practical. A @csamudhan classic. Starring Akila Ulaga Superstar @actorshiva Puratchi producer @sash041075 Joooot!!!" Ellame inimey oru maadhiriya dhaan nadakkum! Happy to launch the release poster of #TP2point0 No theory. Only practical. A @csamudhan classic. Starring Akila Ulaga Superstar @actorshiva Puratchi producer @sash041075 Joooot!!! pic.twitter.com/q4BDw9ZcjH- Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) December 9, 2017 Siddharth clarified a few minutes later, saying that his account was hacked. "Sorry my account has been hacked last 6 minutes. I have reported to cyber crime and they solved it. Hackers have released some objectionable tweets. It's not me. Thank you. #TP2point0," he tweeted. Sorry my account has been hacked last 6 minutes. I have reported to cyber crime and they solved it. Hackers have released some objectionable tweets. It's not me. Thank you. #TP2point0- Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) December 9, 2017 Director CS Amudhan seemed equally shocked and tweeted, "I am extremely shocked! @sash041075 @StudiosYNot how could you do this?!!" However, it turns out, it was all a spoof and a promotional strategy on the part of the team. Thamiz Padam 2 is a spoof on other films, so it's no surprise why the makers chose to confuse everyone. The film TP2point0 or Thamiz Padam 2, is all set to release on May 25, 2018. The film stars Santhana Bharathi, , Manobala, Disha Pandey and Shiva. Siddharth will star in a guest role in the film. ALSO WATCH: After Mersal, another Tamil film Kee mocks GST --- ENDS --- By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree Unidentified men had allegedly abducted the girl when she was sleeping with her sister and mother in their home in a slum area. By India Today Web Desk: A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed in Haryana's Uklana area. According to police, the incident came to light when passersby noticed the girl on a deserted street this mornin. They said unidentified men had allegedly abducted the girl when she was sleeping with her sister and mother in their home in a slum area. The men then raped and killed her. advertisement The girl's mother identified the body and it has been sent to the civil hospital for a postmortem examination. A case has been registered at Uklana police station. SP Manisha Chaudhary has formed an SIT to investigate the case. Irked over the incident, local residents took out a protest march against the police department, alleging poor law and order situation. Some owners closed their shop in support of the protest. (With agency inputs) --- ENDS --- Slowtwitchers shared their opinions upwards of 200 times on whether its appropriate for a budding pro triathlete to defray the costs of her hobby-career through a GoFundMe campaign. The strong feelings spawned an opinion piece in Triathlete Magazine defending the person in question. Boy was this a big deal! Its good to have strong feelings on a subject. No problem. Bless your opinionated hearts. Can we marshal those strong feelings toward things that will matter to us and will matter a month, and a year, and a decade from now? Can I talk about something I feel strongly about? And that our triathlon forum has been mum on so far? Its our presidents decision to return 2 million acres of public land to the list of places available for drilling and mining. As a Californian Im blessed and grateful that my state contains Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Death Valley National Parks. Making these lands public isnt the government taking your private lands. Its your government husbanding your land, for you, for your children and for theirs. See that map above? These are the areas held in the public trust. Lands that we all agree to hold for ourselves, for each other, for the generations that come after us. I relocated, 15 years ago, for the sole purpose of living adjacent to a national forest. I run or ride my bike in the Angeles National Forest almost every day. Were this tract of public land removed from the prohibition of industry, do you think loggers, miners, drillers would treat this land with the same care as our National Forest Service? Are you confident you and I would remain free to run and ride here? Or that we would want to after they finished with it? Do you think wed be able to gain permits to produce events here, as we now can and do? While my state is home to the most spectacular (according to me) aggregation of public lands in our country, Utahns beg to differ and I take their point: Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument captures my imagination like no other place does. Its the land of Zane Grey. Its the West at its most iconic. Two years ago when my wife and I took a trip through Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capital Reef and Canyonlands, we passed right through both these monuments. I thought to myself, This southern half of Utah could pry me from California. Half of this grand place is about to be turned over to the whims of local politicians whose campaigns are funded by whom? Do you really think that turning this monument over to Utah politicians means returning it to local Utahns? History and common sense say no. Local Utahns can appreciate their public lands now, just like I appreciate the National Forest next to me. Do you think Utahns will like it more if there is a uranium mine in the middle of it? This appears to be one chief interest of our president, his Interior secretary, and several of Utah's prominent congressmen: Uranium mining in Bears Ears and fossil fuel extraction in Grand Staircase Escalante. Above, thats my favorite map from the USGS Protected Areas Viewer. See all that green? Green in this map view means public access! Does that sound like the government taking away your lands from you? You know better, dont you? (I'm not particular about whether this land is set aside by your city, county, state or the federal government; I'm only interested in its protection, preservation, and public access.) Once you sell public lands off, or lease them to heavy industry, it's very hard to pry them back into the publics hands (your hands, and my hands). Watch The National Parks: America's Best Idea, the great documentary by Ken Burns. See how difficult it was to create these parks. Contemplate the forces against their creation, at every step along the way, for the last century and more, and contemplate how closely this mirrors the forces that today wish to hand these public lands to the private industry that lines the pockets of politicians. This isnt partisan (or it shouldnt be). Republican president, hunter, outdoorsman Teddy Roosevelts face is on Mt. Rushmore, and is the figure most closely associated with the preservation of our public lands. When public lands, and the access to them, are gone, theyre pretty much gone (consider how little green there is East of the Rockies). The gravity, momentum, inertia is toward the greedy use of lands for private enterprise, and the insidious cycle is for industry to pay lawmakers, who prey on your fears and convince you that its only your land if it can be leased to miners or drillers. Search the history, and the legacy, of uranium mining in southern Utah, which you can read about from the L. A. Times to the Deseret News. Research how the price of uranium has been falling since 2007; how few jobs these new mines would generate; and the vast damage uranium mining does to the land, the air, the water. Ask yourself whether you really want to turn these two monuments over to uranium, potash and oil companies. You and I may well disagree on immigration, tax policy, how to solve health care and that's as it should be. I have no special claim on wisdom. When it comes to our lands, how we treat them, protecting our access to them and above all their ownership by all Americans, you and I who traverse the land under human powered locomotion should be of one mind. If you feel as I do, and are willing to work to make sure those "green" areas in the map above remain green, you can fund your pro triathlon career with a chain letter for all I care. Best Canadian Blog 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 About Kate Why this blog? Until this moment I have been forced to listen while media and politicians alike have told me "what Canadians think". In all that time they never once asked. This is just the voice of an ordinary Canadian yelling back at the radio - "You don't speak for me." (goes to a private mailserver in Europe) I can't answer or use every tip, but all are appreciated! Katewerk Art Support SDA I am not a registered charity. I cannot issue tax receipts. Want lies? Hire a regular consultant. Want truth? Hire an asshole. The Proper Procedure Poor Richard's Retirement Polar Bear Facts & Myths Polar Bears: Outstanding Survivors of Climate Change. Pilgrim's Progress Trump The Establishment Weather Shop Click to inquire about rates. Dow Jones What They Say About SDA "Smalldeadanimals doesn't speak for the people of Saskatchewan" Former Sask Premier Lorne Calvert "I got so much traffic after your post my web host asked me to buy a larger traffic allowance." Dr.Ross McKitrick Holy hell, woman. When you send someone traffic, you send someone TRAFFIC. My hosting provider thought I was being DDoSed. - Sean McCormick "The New York Times link to me yesterday [...] generated one-fifth of the traffic I normally get from a link from Small Dead Animals." Kathy Shaidle "Thank you for your link. A wave of your Canadian readers came to my blog! Really impressive." Juan Giner - INNOVATION International Media Consulting Group I got links from the Weekly Standard, Hot Air and Instapundit yesterday - but SDA was running at least equal to those in visitors clicking through to my blog. Jeff Dobbs "You may be a nasty right winger, but you're not nasty all the time!" Warren Kinsella "Go back to collecting your welfare livelihood."Michael E. Zilkowsky Intelliweather Seismic Map Comments Policy Read this Best Of SDA Hide The Decline The Bottle Genie (ClimateGate links) You Might Be A Liberal Uncrossing The Line Bob Fife: Knuckledragger A Modest Proposal (NP) Settled Science Series Y2Kyoto Series SDA: Reader Occupation Survey Brett Lamb Sheltered Workshop Flakes On A Plane All Your Weather Are Belong To Us Song Of The Sled The Raise A Flag Debacle (Now on Youtube!) (.mwv Video) Abuse Ruins Life Of Girl Trudeaupiate Kleptocrat Jeans Child Labour I Concede Small Dead Feminist Protein Hoser: THK Interview The Werewolf Extinction Dear Laura (VRWC) We Wait Blogging The Oscars Jackson Converts To Islam Just Shut The HELL Up Manipulating Condi Gay Equality Rights Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal. Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account. We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription. A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much! Sirius building, 2-60 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, is being sold by Savills Credit:Jessica Hromas The sale of the brutalist-designed Sirius building at The Rocks, Sydney has begun in earnest with potential investors looking at redeveloping the site into a hotel or apartments. Savills has been appointed by the NSW government to start a public sales campaign, with funds raised used to invest in new social housing across the state. The Sirius sale is the latest initiative under the NSW governments strategy to fund new social housing close to jobs, education and transport through the sale of former social housing dwellings in Millers Point and The Rocks. It has attracted significant public comment which has prompted the NSW government to placate concerns by issuing height restrictions. Canberra's chief magistrate, Lorraine Walker, has fuelled the fire of an old debate on the age of criminal responsibility for children. Children as young as 10 can be prosecuted for crimes in all jurisdictions in Australia, but being incarcerated at such a young age would change anyone's life forever. Experts have long called for the age to be increased by at least two years. Ms Walker's intervention was sparked by an 11-year-old girl who appeared before in the ACT Children's Court on Monday. The girl had been arrested three times in three weeks for alleged violence against her carers. She was detained last weekend before facing court. Last week we passed the 25th anniversary of the first ever text message. It was sent by a 22-year-old Vodafone engineer in Britain, Neil Papworth, to his boss, and simply said: "Merry Christmas." There was not an emoji or an "LOL" in sight. Those atrocities would come later. The new technology was slow to take off. According to an online research tool called Google, in 1995 the average text-enabled phone user sent an SMS about once every two months. Now, globally, there are more than 500 million text messages pumped out each month. That's a lot of people wanting to know if they should get milk on the way home. Papworth sent his ultimately world-changing seasonal greeting on December 3, 1992. Please bear with me while I mention a few other significant, but apparently unrelated, dates. Kevin Rudd was executed by Labor faction and union bosses on June 23, 2010. It was the day Australian public life entered the parallel reality we still inhabit today. The suddenness and speed of the move on Rudd disoriented even those who watch politics for a living. Kaitara Kautu, a net fisherman whose home flooded during a 2015 king tide in Betio, a town in Kiribati. Credit:New York Times And as 2017 draws towards a close, Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg is putting the final touches to a review of Australia's climate policies due for release by month's end. Frydenberg offers no hint of any major surprise, repeating familiar lines that Australia's pledge to the Paris climate accord - to cut 2005 level emissions 26-28 per cent by 2030 - "is one of the largest reductions on a per capita basis and is a commitment we plan on honouring". Brianna Fruean, a Pacific Climate Warrior and environmental activist from Samoa. Scrutiny While festive seasonal distractions may dim the chance of an immediate and close scrutiny of his climate review, the challenges for the Turnbull government will still be waiting when politicians reconvene in the new year. International attention will also remain, whether at this week's One Planet Summit in France to assess the progress on the Paris climate deal two years on, or late in 2018, when all nations will be pressed to increase their ambition to curb the greenhouse gas emissions driving global warming. Kianteata Bwaurerei lost his taro pits to inundation on Abaiang, an atoll in Kiribati. Credit:New York Times On the emissions front, Frydenberg has already had his options significantly reduced. The government's signature National Energy Guarantee aimed at providing a more reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity supply locks the power sector into the same 26-28 per cent pollution reduction that the whole economy is supposed to track. Sailosi Ramatu looks over the sea at his old village Vunidogoloa in Fiji. Each time the ocean surged through their coastal Fijian village, residents would use rafts to move from house to house. Credit:AP Even if Frydenberg can convince the states to sign up - a huge ask unless there is a major power outage over the summer - such an approach won't be the best. "Electricity production in OECD countries is always part of the cheapest options to decarbonise the economy, and it's also a big source of emissions," said Yann Robiou du Pont, a researcher at Melbourne University's Australian-German Climate & Energy College. "There are fewer assets to transform and they're usually closer related to governmental decision-making." In Australia's case, the electricity sector is the largest source of emissions, accounting for about a third of the total, and home to many ageing and relatively dirty coal-fired power plants. Another big source, land clearing, is again on the increase in states such as Queensland and NSW. "Energy efficiency and productivity will play an important role as we transition to a lower emissions future," Frydenberg said. "We already have in place the National Energy Productivity Plan for a 40 per cent improvement by 2030 and we are always looking at ways to improve in this area while delivering an affordable and reliable energy system." Mr Robiou du Pont notes the Climate Change Authority's own recommendation that Australia's fair contribution to emission cuts would be much higher than the Abbott-Turnbull government's offer, given the country's high per capita pollution and also relative wealth - if not political will - to transform its economy. The authority - which the Coalition government tried but failed to abolish - called for a 25 per cent cut of 2005-level emissions by 2020, and 54 per cent by 2030. That's roughly double the government's ambition. 'Not serious' Mark Butler, Labor's climate spokesman, said his party is sticking with a 45 per cent emissions reduction goal that "is consistent with the Paris Accord goal of limiting global warming to below two degrees". "It is clear that the government's approach of a pro rata allocation of abatement between sectors will ensure the costs of meeting any emission reduction target will be higher than they need to be," Butler said. "The electricity sector has a lower cost of abatement than most other sectors in the form of renewable energy, and renewable energy is already the cheapest option to replace ageing coal-fired power stations that will inevitably retire," he said. (Energy giant AGL is expected to announce details within days of what its plans are post-2022, when it closes the ailing Liddell coal-fired power station in the Hunter Valley.) Sectors like manufacturing and livestock agriculture have a much larger cost of abatement and few ready-to-deploy abatement technologies. "The government's insistence each sector meets targets based on a pro rata division of the national emission reduction target just confirms they do not take climate change seriously," Butler said. Business shift Companies, meanwhile, are beginning to look beyond the political cycle. Sarah Barker, a special counsel for Minter Ellison Lawyers, said there had been "a noticeable shift in the approach of the business community to climate risk in the past 18 months". "Historically, the issue was largely viewed as a singularly 'environmental', ethical, non-financial issue - perhaps relevant to corporate social responsibility, but nothing more," she said. "Increasingly, Australian businesses are realising that climate change presents significant financial risks - and opportunities - and that they need to strategise around this issue in the same way as they would any other industry trend or economic risk factor." "Business has far less tolerance for climate change denialism than it did even a few years ago," Barker added. "Their investors are concerned about it. Their insurers are concerned about it. Their customers are concerned about it." 'New denialism' Submissions to recent and ongoing Senate inquiries also indicate that whichever parties take government at the next election, many agencies already have preparations underway to adapt to climate change. Peter Whish-Wilson - the Greens' spokesperson for Healthy Oceans who led a Senate inquiry into the impact of climate change on the marine environment that last week released its report - said policy delay was "the new form of climate denialism". "Whether you stick your head under the water up on the Great Barrier Reef and see the devastation first-hand or you talk to the defence force personnel involved in planning for natural disasters in the Pacific, you know that the effects of global warming are upon us and that without action the future is looking grim," Whish-Wilson said. "We now need to think about the increase of marine heatwaves as part of the range of climate impacts we need to prepare for, like we do with bushfires and droughts," he said. 'Threat-multiplier' For its part, the Defence Department's report to a separate Senate inquiry into the implications of climate change for Australia's national security detailed how it expects the "threat-multiplier" effect will hinder its "warfighting role". "The national security threats that may emerge include inter-group rivalries, water, food and resource shortages and irregular migration," it said. "Many of the states in Australia's region face some or all of these challenges, in addition to being vulnerable to climate change impacts such as temperature and sea level rise." Defence noted how it deployed 1000 staff to help Fiji recover from its $2.5 billion hit from Cyclone Winston, a category-5 storm in 2016. The HMAS Canberra was part of the deployment, along with planes that delivered 520 tonnes of humanitarian aid. In its submission, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection said "climate change effects could permanently alter normal business, including the accessibility of assets and capability". Interestingly, it noted that "there is no internationally agreed position on expanding the current definition of a refugee or impetus to create a new international protection obligation to encompass people displaced by climate change". Organisations such as the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at the Univerity of NSW downplay the threat of a flood of refugees crossing borders because of climate change, saying in its submission to the Senate that "there is scant evidence" so far. "Internal displacement may, however, generate low-level social tensions and potential conflict over key resources such as land, housing, food, water and employment, and increase the human insecurity of the poor," said Jane McAdam, the centre's director. 'Climate debt' Such a view of local disruption dovetails with those of both Helen Clark and Brianna Fruean. Clark said climate displacement is already affecting African subsistence farmers forced off their land by rainfall patterns that are becoming harder to predict: "If you plant and the rain doesn't come, you've blown your credit and you're poverty stricken." "We don't want our people to move," Fruean said. "We want to put that as the very, very last resort." That said, Pacific nations are watching with concern the Australian and Queensland governments' efforts to promote the huge Adani-owned Carmichael mine, which threatens to open up a massive new coal province. For Charlie Veron, the veteran marine biologist, new evidence of the prospect of "super corals" offers the prospect of more time for the world's coral reefs hard-hit by climate change. Dr Veron, who earned the moniker of the "godfather of coral" for naming about one-fifth of the world's corals, has just returned from a mission funded by donations to locate corals unusually resilient to the past two summers of severe bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef. Sea mission: (from left) John Rumney, Managing Director of GBR Legacy, Dr Charlie Veron with new coral species, and Dr Dean Miller, Director of Science and Media GBR Legacy. "There were endless hectares of what used to be luxurious corals, which are now totally dead," Dr Veron said in Port Douglas at the end of a three-week expedition by the Great Barrier Reef Legacy. However, in some outer reefs off far north Queensland, corals were found by the scientists to have fared relatively well, offering signs that critical biodiversity had survived. A Supreme Court bench told the Uttar Pradesh government said "a detailed and comprehensive vision document and plan with a futuristic perspective" should be prepared. The Taj Mahal needs to be protected for not only one generation, but 300 to 400 years, a Supreme Court bench said. (Photo: @IndiaInUkraine/Twitter) By Indo-Asian News Service: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to prepare a comprehensive vision document and plan for the protection and preservation of the Taj Mahal and the environment around it so that historic monument could be there for another 400 years and not just for a generation. "In our opinion, a detailed and comprehensive vision document and plan with a futuristic perspective which can protect and preserve the Taj and its environs and indeed the Taj Trapezium Zone spread over six districts of Uttar Pradesh and district Bharatput in Rajasthan for a few hundred years at least should be prepared," said the bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta. advertisement "This exercise will require expertise from all stake holders including those concerned with cultural heritage, historical heritage, environment and wild life, etc. etc. and, of course, prevention of pollution", the court said in its order. The bench termed as "ad hoc" the measures spelt out by the state government that are being taken or will be taken for the protection of the Taj Mahal and a clean environment around it. The state government said that it had asked the School of Planning and Architecture to prepare the plan, but the court said this plan should involve experts in the field of culture, history, archaeology and other spheres. "How can you keep out the people the country (in the preparation of the plan). This (plan making) can't be closed door affair," Justice Lokur said as Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta urged the bench that instead of experts, the court could ask for consultation with petitioner M.C. Mehta and advocate A.D.N.Rao, noting that that petitioner Mehta has 33 years experience in dealing with environment matters. This monument has to be protected not for just one generation but for 300 to 400 years to come, the bench said. HOLISTIC PLAN As ASG Mehta told the court that November 27 communication by the Uttar Pradesh government says that the School of Planning and Architecture would prepare the plan in consultation with the stake holder, Justice Lokur quipped if stakeholder meant the "commissioner of Agra Division" and told him the court doesn't want a bureaucratic plan but a holistic plan addressing the diverse aspects relating to the monument's preservation and protection and the environment around it. "They must consult the experts. There is no shortage of them. There is no hurry. No need for a bureaucratic response. We have seen what it (bureaucratic response) means from time to time," the bench said. "You can have an interim report. Don't be in hurry. You are looking for something that has to last for 400 years," said Justice Lokur. Holding that "we have to look at it in a pragmatic way", he said: "What is required is a larger look at the picture. Earlier we had five year plans with some objectives and goals." Referring to the Narendra Modi government's goal of a new India by 2022, Justice Lokur said: "You can't have a new India with your hands in pocket...." advertisement Pointing out that 70 per cent of the trees being planted were perishing, the court said: "When you don't have a plan and take ad hoc measures, then such things happen." Giving liberty to the School of Planning and Architecture to approach it for any clarification, the court directed the listing of the matter after eight weeks. WATCH | Taj Mahal was originally a temple called Tejo Mahal dedicated to Lord Shiva, says BJP MP Vinay Katiyar --- ENDS --- When you start taking meth at 15, life falls apart. Fast. By the time Chea Gardiner spent time in youth detention, he had racked up over 200 criminal charges. To fund his drug addiction, he stole cars, broke into properties, assaulted people and, eventually, started dealing. Chea Gardiner had racked up over 200 criminal charges before he landed in youth detention. Credit:Eddie Jim Having dropped out of school and been kicked out of home, he eventually wound up at Victoria's Parkville detention centre "a pretty shit place" and decided he wanted to change. "I was looking at four years if I didn't go to rehab," Gardiner, now 19, told Fairfax Media. The United Nations has issued a scathing report on racism in Australia, warning discrimination is "on the rise", including in the political sphere and in the media. But the assessment and its recommendations have drawn a fierce response from the Turnbull government's Multicultural Affairs Minister, Zed Seselja, who lashed out at its "bizarre criticism". Anti-racism protesters in Melbourne attended the court appearance of a far-right group leader in September. Credit:AAP The periodic review documented 16 areas of concern including the welfare and status of Indigenous Australians, asylum seekers and migrant workers. The UN committee proposed a range of radical changes to combat racism, including beefing up section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and effectively censoring aspects of the media and public commentary. The ATAR stands for Australian Tertiary Admission Rank. It is not a mark; it is a rank. It's a number between 0 and 99.95, increasing by 0.05 increments. The highest possible ATAR is 99.95, while the lowest is 30. Any rank below that is referred to as "30 or less". The ATAR system is now used by all Australian states and territories, although Queensland is still transitioning from its Overall Position (OP) to the ATAR system. The ATAR is a measure of a student's overall academic achievement in relation to other students. It helps universities rank applicants for selection into their courses. It's designed to predict how well you will perform in your first year at university. If You Want to Blitz Your Year 12 Exams ... Read this Book, by Alexandra Smith. Your result is a percentile position out of all students who started Year 7 with you. So an ATAR of 80 doesn't mean you got 80 per cent, rather, it means that you're in the top 20 per cent of your year group. The average ATAR is usually around 70, not 50 as you may think. It would only be 50 if everyone from Year 7 went on to get an ATAR - and they won't. Scaling is the first step in calculating the ATAR. This is important because students take all sorts of different courses, so scaling allows courses to be compared fairly. The same marks in different courses are not necessarily equal, just as the same amounts of money in different countries are not equal. Scaling is done using raw marks to ensure apples are compared with apples, so a scaled mark of 50 means the same - you were in the middle of those who took the course. Scaled marks are then used to rank students. Universities make admission offers based on the number of places available for a course, the number of students who have applied and their ATARs. All universities publish their ATARs for each course, based on the previous year's admissions. This gives a good indication of the minimum ATAR you will need. Advice for parents Judith Carlisle, headmistress at top British independent girls' school the Oxford High School, has a blunt message for her students: No one will give a damn about your final school results a couple of years down the track. So forget about being perfect, she says. Instead, learn how to cope with failure. Sounds harsh - but it is good advice. Since 2014, Carlisle has been running a program called the Death of Little Miss Perfect. She wants to get rid of the idea that girls need to be perfect, so she uses the phrase '"unhelpful perfectionism" to explain what she means. "In a high-achieving school such as Oxford High School, there is now a recognition amongst pupils that the further you go in academia there is less likely to be an answer that can be verified as correct or perfect. Girls are encouraged to just go for it, and that it is OK to learn from failure," Carlisle says. "Importantly, they are all encouraged to be kinder and more positive towards themselves." In Australia, Jenny Allum, head of the Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School in Darlinghurst, has a similar message for teenagers and their parents: Parents have a role in helping their teenagers (girls or boys) to avoid "catastrophising" when things do not go as planned. "If you think getting 12 out of 20 in an essay, or even 8 out of 20, is the worst thing in the world, then you have a pretty good life," Allum says. "Every tiny little milestone that happens in your last two years of school is not the be-all and end-all. Nothing is the end of the world." "Teenagers have highs and lows about all sorts of things." says Allum. "I think it is important for the adults around young people to be the stable ones, to be the calm and rational ones with reality checks. When parents ride waves of emotions with their teenagers - whether they are elated when something good happens [or] angry when things are not so good - [it] only amplifies those ups and downs." When the results are not what you were expecting The lead-up to the release of exam results can be as stressful as the exams themselves. When the day arrives, there can be jubilation. Or devastation. And plenty of emotions in between. All may not go well. Disappointing scores? An ATAR that will probably fall short of the mark? The not-for-profit organisation Youth Beyond Blue, which works to address issues around depression and anxiety, urges parents not to be fooled by their teenagers if they appear too dismissive of their results - particularly if they were lower than what everyone expected. Chances are they really do care about how they went, and especially about what their parents and friends think. Don't make negative comments or point out what they could have done differently. It's too late to criticise now. Remind them that all is not lost if they do not get into their first choice of uni course or miss out on their traineeship. There are many pathways to get to their ultimate career destination. Their exams will be a distant memory before they know it, and their marks will not damage their future. A driver died after his car crashed into a tree after a police chase in the Blue Mountains on Saturday night. Police began to chase the car about 10.10pm after the 35-year-old driver failed to stop for a random breath test on the Great Western Highway at Lapstone, about 62 kilometres west of Sydney. The pursuit lasted a few minutes and involved "a limited number of highway patrol vehicles", Assistant Commissioner Mark Jones said. "A short time later it's believed the vehicle collided with the median strip and then a tree," he told reporters outside Sutherland police station on Sunday. When Prime Minister Paul Keating took to a podium in Redfern Park on a warm December day in 1992, those present had no idea they would be witnessing history. Twenty-five years ago to the day, Keating's address, now simply known as the "Redfern Speech" delivered a profound message on Aboriginal injustice. Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating delivers the emotional speech in Redfern, Sydney, to mark the International Year of the Worlds Indigenous People, 10 December 1992. Credit:Kylie Pickett "We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the diseases. The alcohol. We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers," he said. "With some noble exceptions, we failed to make the most basic human response and enter into their hearts and minds. We failed to ask, how would I feel if this were done to me?" For almost two months the body of a disabled teenager has remained with the State coroner in Newcastle while his family has waged a bitter war over what to do with his remains. Pono Aperahama died in tragic circumstances at Lambton swimming pool in Newcastle on October 17. Pono Aperahama died in Newcastle on October 17. Credit:Facebook The 17-year-old had sustained severe head injuries in 2013 when he was hit by a car while riding his bike. He spent nine months in hospital and suffered ongoing health issues as a result of his injuries. On his release from hospital Pono, who had been living with his grandmother, was placed into care with Challenge Community Services. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will put forward Curtis Pitt as Labor's nominee for Speaker in the 56th Queensland Parliament. There was speculation the Treasurer would leave his current role, although on Friday Ms Palaszczuk refused to comment on whether Deputy Premier Jackie Trad would take his position. Labor will nominate Treasurer Curtis Pitt for the job of Speaker in the 56th Queensland Parliament. Credit:AAP/Glenn Hunt Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Pitt would bring his diligence, fairness and attention to detail to the role of Speaker. "Curtis Pitt is well-versed in the Parliamentary and legislative process. They will be crucial qualities in the new Parliament," she said. There was also a 10th death the youngest on the list, a woman aged 23. Although her toxicology results did not test positive to heroin, fentanyl-laced heroin was found at the scene, supporting the theory she had taken the tainted powder. There was no evidence that any of those who died knew they were consuming fentanyl. Assistant Adjunct Professor Rodda, now chief forensic toxicologist with San Francisco's Chief Medical Examiner, said the fentanyl used in the heroin could have been extracted from legal prescription medication, but was more likely illegally produced in clandestine laboratories in China or Mexico and smuggled into the country. Commonly prescribed by doctors and used by anaesthetists, fentanyl is about 10 times stronger than heroin, meaning you need far less to create a fatal dose. In the US, it has even begun appearing in methamphetamine, cocaine and pills purporting to be painkiller oxycodone, where it is sold to unsuspecting users and consumed with often fatal results. Fake oxycodone pills that are actually fentanyl that were seized by Tennessee police. Credit:Tommy Farmer/Tennessee Bureau of Investigation via AP Fentanyl is here, it's coming and it's killing. Fiona Patten, MP. The dark web is awash with dealers willing to sell the drug to worldwide buyers. A number of Australian-based sellers also claim to have powder fentanyl in stock and they pepper their descriptions of the product with stern warnings about its strength. One dealer offering to sell 100 milligram of pure fentanyl for $435 said the drug was only appropriate for the experienced and highly tolerant "fent" user. "This is no joke," the seller wrote. "So even opiate tolerant people are on another playing field." Fentanyl for sale on the dark web. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection says it has detected fentanyl in international mail on 30 occasions in the past 18 months. Alarmingly, there are also emerging substances that begin to blur the line between illegal street drugs and what might be better described as chemical weapons. Australian border officials have made two detections of mammal tranquilliser carfentanil in the past year, and said although the amounts were small, a department spokeswoman said one gram equalled 50,000 lethal doses. A substance being sold as carfentanil on the dark web. Shane Neilson, head of high risk and emerging drugs with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, said the although the market for the ultra-potent drug was "very small", they were monitoring it closely due to its lethal potential. "Given its primarily legitimate purpose is to tranquillise elephants and other large animals, you can imagine the potency in the human body," he said. "Effectively there is no safe level of use of carfentanil." Mr Neilson said you didn't see "container loads or boat loads of illicit drugs" in potent opioid trafficking because "the quantities of fentanyl and carfentanil that can be lethal are measured in grams and fractions of grams". "It's a new way of looking at a potential threat." The drugs are so strong there is fear officials and emergency service workers could be put in danger simply by coming into contact with seized packages containing the deadly powder, and a safety alert has been issued to all Australian Border Force officers. In August this year the US Drug Enforcement Administration said it found enough fentanyl in a New York apartment to kill 32 million people. The amount? Just 64 kilograms. Although the level of illegal fentanyl imports in Australia pale in comparison to the US, similarities exist between their drug markets that have experts watchful. Mr Neilson said rising prescription opioid use in Australia was a warning sign, although factors such as Australia's lack of land borders and more stringent drug prescribing practices would mean a local fentanyl problem was unlikely to reach the lethal scale seen in the US. He said that he was aware of the cluster of deaths in Melbourne, but was cautious about commenting as there was evidence that the people who died also other had drugs in their system. Those drugs included methadone, valium, cocaine and GHB. Dr Monica Barratt from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre said because fentanyl was so much stronger than other opioids, users needed far less to get high, which could appeal to local drug dealers. "You might only purchase a very small amount, but it can go a long way if you were a distributor adding it to heroin or [mixing it with] an inert powder and selling it off as heroin. "It would be quite a profitable enterprise." It is also easier to smuggle in postage, she said. In Richmond, community workers say it is important that information about drug trends is shared quickly to save lives, as a drug like fentanyl could have disastrous effects, with little warning. "Our colleagues in Canada and the US are certainly warning us to prepare ourselves for illicit fentanyl to reach our markets," said Kasey Elmore, manager of the drug program at North Richmond Community Health. "Given recent border seizures, some would argue it's not a case of if, but when." A delegation including senior Victorian police and state MP Fiona Patten recently visited cities in Canada and the US to learn about the opioid crisis. Ms Patten said many of those overdosing in those communities were not injecting drug users, but legal pain medication addicts supplied with oxycodone laced with fentanyl or carfentanil. WA conservation groups say the State Government's decision to axe an agreement with fracking companies in the state's north-west could be the catalyst for an "east coast-to-west coast gas pipeline." The original Canning Basin State Agreement was made in order to secure the future of five exploration permits in the area. The potential total cost of the pipeline has varied, with estimates as high as $5 billion, with a price of between $8 and $13 per gigajoule of gas. Mitsubishi and Buru Energy were originally set to develop a joint domestic gas project, but earlier this year the companies restructured their exploration permit ownership and decided to go ahead separately with different projects. Last week, the government said it had ended the 2012 agreement until an independent inquiry into gas fracking wrapped up. Budapest: A lawmaker from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling party posted a photo of a dead pig on Facebook with a partially veiled reference to billionaire George Soros, who said the government was using Nazi-era propaganda tools to spew hate. The photo, which Fidesz lawmaker Janos Pocs said was sent to him by someone from his electoral district, shows people standing over a slain and charred pig, with "O VOLT A SOROS!!!" inscribed on the animal. The phrase could translate either as "It was his turn" or as "This was Soros." Activists stand in front of an anti-George Soros billboard. Soros said oppression of the opposition by Orban's government is greater than when Hungary was under Soviet domination. Credit:AP "One pig less over there," Pocs commented on Facebook Friday. "Bon appetit!" He later told Budapest-based news website 444.hu that the inscription has nothing to do with the billionaire, saying that he's offended by the suggestion as the text merely refers to the pig being selected for slaughter. The Open Society Foundation, Soros's main conduit for aid to Hungarian non-government organisations, said that the post was a "shocking attack" against the financier. The photo fits into "a long and dark tradition of anti-Semitic imagery dating back to the Middle Ages," it said in an emailed statement. The two used to bunk classes, as the situation went out of control, it is said that a teacher instructed them to bring their parents to school for a meeting yesterday. Jayarani was declared brought dead, while Kavisri is still under critical treatment. (Photo: Pramod Madhav) By Pramod Madhav: In Salem, Tamil Nadu, two school children were found in an abandoned building where they have said to have jumped from the third floor; one died on spot while another is under critical condition. Jayarani and Kavisri were residents of Sevvaipettai in Salem. They were studying in a Christian aided school in Arisipalayam. Jayarani and Kavisri were very close friends and spent a lot of time together. advertisement School teachers allege that both used to bunk classes often despite being warned several times. As the situation went out of control, it is said that a teacher instructed them to bring their parents to school for a meeting yesterday. The kids had left their bags at school and didn't return home. Concerned parents field a complaint with Pallapatti Police, blaming the school for the children to have gone missing. A case was filed and search parties began to lookout for the girls. Later, cops were informed that bodies of two girls were found near an abandoned hostel. As they went to the scene, they saw Jayarani and Kavisri on the ground with multiple fractures. Both were immediately rushed to the hospital but unfortunately Jayarani was declared brought dead, while Kavisri is still under critical treatment. Cops determined that the children had jumped from the third floor in an attempt to kill themselves . "Jayarani and Kavisri didn't go back home and roamed the whole night. They saw the open door to the hostel and climbed to the third floor. Their fall shows that they had jumped together holding hands", stated a cop. Such incident of students deciding to kill themselves for resolvable situations are on a rise in the state. Last week, four children jumped into a well near Villupuram after an alleged altercation with a teacher. Watch | Chennai: Violence breaks out at Sathyabama University as student commits suicide --- ENDS --- Ramallah: Israeli warplanes struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, killing at least two people, in response to rockets fired by Palestinian protesters into Israel. The clashes came as Muslims took to the streets from the West Bank to Jakarta on Friday to protest US President Donald Trump's move to recognise contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Violence associated with the "Day of Rage" called for in Palestinian territories intensified as the day wore on. Palestinian protesters stand on a hill during clashes on the Israeli border following a protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, east of Gaza City. Credit:AP Dozens of Palestinians were injured in the day's skirmishes in the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said. Israeli planes targeted a Hamas training compound and an ammunition warehouse in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Defence Forces said in a statement. Israel earlier said it intercepted a rocket lobbed by Gaza militants at southern Israel. Another rocket hit the Israeli city of Sderot, just across the border, damaging cars. PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will sit in a plenary public session on December 11, 2017. The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor will be present. The plenary public meeting which has been rescheduled for Monday, December 11, 2017 at 10.00 hrs in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The agenda points are: Ontwerp van Landsverordening tot wijziging van het Burgerlijk Wetboek en enkele andere landsverordeningen in verband met de vervanging van de zevende titel A van Boek 7A door een nieuwe titel 10 van Boek 7 regelende voorschriften voor arbeidsovereenkomsten. (Draft of National Ordinance amending the Civil Code and some other national ordinances in connection with the replacement of the seventh title A of Book 7A with a new title 10 of Book 7 regulations for employment contracts). Amendment of article 69 and addition several new articles to the Rules of Order Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, SXMGOV Radio 107.9 FM, video live stream via the internet www.pearlfmradio.sx, www.sxmparliament.org and also Parliament FB page: Parliament of Sint Maarten. SANTA CLARA, CA.:--- Sint Maarten telephone company TELEM GROUP, represented by CEO Kendall Dupersoy and Senior IT Administrator Edgardo Lynch, were at DELL EMC Executive Briefing Center in Santa Clara California this week. The briefing was focused on Digital Transformation, specifically the challenges and opportunities resulting from technology innovation. The visit was facilitated by DELL EMC Regional Manager Jose Torres and Computech NV represented by its Managing Partners Jean Arnell, Alain Roper and Senior Systems Engineer Johann Charlery. The DELL EMC Executive Briefing Center offers a hands-on environment for businesses and governments to discover the value of DELL EMC portfolio of products and services, specifically for next-generation Software-Defined Datacenters based on Hyper-Converged Infrastructures. The state-of-the-art facility offers customized briefings on DELL EMC and partner technologies, and key design strategies relating to IT Transformation, Workforce Transformation, and required Security Transformation to better meet the specific needs. The 2-day Strategy Briefing focused on DELL EMC current and future line of Networking, Servers, Storage and Disaster Recovery technologies as well as DELL EMC solution for Microsoft Azure Stack which delivers Azure functions and services on-premise. TELEM GROUP is embarking on major Digital Transformation initiative both internally and to support new customer needs. We are moving from a traditional server farm to a high-density, low TCO Hyper-Converged IT Infrastructure to support business applications and new user cases like Bring your own device (BYOD), mobility and big data. For the local business community, well be able to offer a new portfolio of software-based services which leverage existing cloud apps and the development of new apps, said Mr. Dupersoy Computechs Jean Arnell said: Our customers are challenged with transforming their data centers to adapt to technology evolution, improve service delivery and customer experience. Building on our experience with Converged Infrastructures and the deployment of Private cloud solutions based on DELL MEC and Microsoft Hyper V, Computech is determined to successfully accompany the Sint Maarten telephone company on their datacenter transformation journey. PRESS RELEASE PROVIDED BY COMPUTECH NV. PHILIPSBURG:--- Bush Road lane going into Philipsburg will be closed all day on December 10, 2017 for roadworks. The lane from Philipsburg to St. Peters/Cole Bay will be open to the traffic. The works will be from Sunday morning 6 AM to Monday morning 6 AM. The Ministry of VROMI apologizes for the inconvenience. No reason was given for why the firm withdrew their application for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) application from the agenda. In the viral video, it can be seen that the perpetrator almost kills the man by brutally hitting him then burning him alive by pouring inflammable liquid on him and setting his body ablaze. By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Since the horrific Rajsamand killing came to light, Rajasthan's top cop, Director General of Police (DGP) OP Gahlotra, paid his maiden visit to the area to take stock of the situation. During the visit, several senior police officials, including ADG Crime P K Singh, Udaipur Range IG Anand Srivastava, SP Manoj Kumar were also present. After a brief interaction, the DGP inspected the brutal killing case details and also met family members of the victim, Afrozuddin. advertisement The DGP applauded the district police's efforts in nabbing the accused, Shambulal Raigar , promptly. He also mentioned that a campaign will be undertaken to ensure that there is no encore. "I have been sent here by the Chief Minister, to assure the community that she is with them. From the Government's side, an assistance amount of five lakh rupees has been given to the victim's family. I have inspected the place of incident here. Have also supervised the investigation that is underway. This incident is a big nuisance and serious. Good investigation is being done in this case. The accused was also soon arrested in it and we will file the charge-sheet as well in the court in a month's time. I am fully satisfied with the action that has been taken by the police over here in this case," said, OP Galhotra, Rajsathan DGP. Shambulal was produced in Rajsamand Court on Friday and was sent to three days' police custody. He was produced in the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Shailendra Jangid. The police, after producing all evidence in the case, had sought remand for five days. However, the court granted a remand of only three days. The police brought the accused inside the court through back gate and left immediately after getting him on remand. The representative committee of Anjuman Anawarul Islam had met the District Collector and handed over a memorandum addressed to the president, seeking strong action against the accused. In the video that surfaced online, it can be seen that initially the perpetrator almost kills the man by brutally hitting him with an agricultural equipment, then he burns in alive by pouring inflammable liquid on him and setting his body ablaze. In the video, Raigar can be seen mentioning that those who indulge in 'love jihad' will be met with same fate. Watch | Viral Video: Man burnt to death to 'save girl from love jihad' in Rajasthan --- ENDS --- This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Christmas cheer can be a dangerous and backbreaking endeavor, especially in Philomath, Oregon. Philomath is home to Holiday Tree Farms, the largest grower of holiday trees in the U.S. Photos from the tree farm reveal a carefully choreographed harvesting process that results in more than 1 million trees shipped around the country, according to Justin Sullivan in captions appended to a series of photos he took from the farm. GET IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT: Nostalgic photos show the evolution of Texas' Santa's Wonderland In 2016, more than 27 million real Christmas trees were purchased in the U.S. totaling more than $2 billion, the National Christmas Tree association reported. The average real tree costs $74. Now Playing: Photos from an Oregon tree farm reveal a carefully choreographed harvesting process that results in more than one million Christmas trees shipped around the country. Video: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Swipe through the gallery above to see the men and women of Holiday Tree Farms at work. Fernando Alfonso III is a digital reporter at Chron.com. You can read more of his stories here and follow him on twitter at @fernalfonso. If you also like surreal GIFs and Polaroids, go here and here. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD In the five years since the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Stamford Public Schools has taken the required steps to adhere to state laws, though questions remain on the extent of security throughout the district. Stamford Public Schools (SPS) spokesperson Sharon Beadle said that the district has submitted all required Security and Safety Plans as well as its Fire & Crisis Response plans. After the Sandy Hook tragedy, the district applied for a $655,416 security grant for which the city would be reimbursed at 30.71 percent, according to John Perrotta, director of safety and security for the district, though he cited safety reasons in declining to disclose specifics on the changes made with that grant. The grants were made available following the tragedy in Newtown as the state passed legislation in April 2013 banning the sale of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines and began requiring a license to purchase ammunition. Local and regional boards of education must also annually review and update their School Safety and Security Plan Standards, as part of the 2013 gun law, according to the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. No one has quite been able to replicate our gun laws in the nation, said Ron Pinciaro, executive director of CT Against Gun Violence. Connecticut was among the 10 states with the lowest number of gun-related deaths in the country in 2015, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pinciaro said that of the 10 states with the strongest gun laws, seven of those are among the states with the lowest gun deaths. Among those laws were changes to school security, Pinciaro noted. After Sandy Hook, the bill that passed included a focus on school architecture to ensure that doors could be locked, and that teachers were sufficiently trained in how to react in an active-shooter situation. Perrotta said via email that following Sandy Hook, a School Safety and Security Task Force, led by Assistant Police Chief James Matheny, conducted evaluations of each of the districts schools. The task force identified areas for improvement for which the district applied for [the] Security reimbursement grant, Perrotta said. Since then we have added security at elementary schools; upgraded and/or repaired PA systems, intercom systems and CCTV cameras; outside doors were replaced at several schools. Matheny did not respond to multiple requests for comment. When asked whether classroom doors can be locked from the inside, Perrotta said via email, We work closely with our facilities organization, building administrators and custodians to ensure the locks and doors internally and externally in our building are in good working order at all times and to immediately report any issues. He noted that with 21 buildings within Stamford Public Schools, he was unaware of the exact contents of doors and locks in each. Asked in an email whether school teachers have a way to alert police of an active-shooter situation, Perrotta responded: We currently have a security system in place at the elementary level. Perrotta said the schools work closely with the Stamford Police Department, all school security guards are trained and certified in many aspects of security - such as restraint techniques - and that there are regularly scheduled emergency lockdown and evacuation drills, as well as safety committee meetings. Tending to trauma The school district also has a program to help treat the emotional toll of gun violence in schools. Joe OCallaghan, department head of social work for SPS, said the district utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), a group intervention program for students who experience traumatic stress. OCallaghan said that after Sandy Hook the district social workers spent a lot of time helping students (and teachers) deal with the anxiety that produced. The obvious anxiety is that it was close to home in a lot of ways - literally - and you work or are a student in a school, he said. We have students who in their own life have experienced traumatic issues around violence. When they see stuff on the news about shootings, those can be triggers. Often, they are unaware of the connections between their anxiety and the trauma. As an example, if a student were to see the Las Vegas shooting on TV and displayed signs of anxiety, OCallaghan would assess whether the case was an ongoing mental health concern or a direct reaction to what they saw. If it is the latter, he would work with them to assess how heightened the anxiety is and whether they can get through the day, and would teach the student coping mechanisms. If the child has more complex issues in their life and anxiety cant be relieved, well make a referral to an outside provider to get more intensive support, and Ill work with the child in school during that time, OCallaghan said. He added that social workers and guidance counselors have taken part in intensive training for crisis intervention, both on an individual level and a more complex school wide crisis level. One of the primary reactions to violence, whether its on the TV or in your neighborhood, is an uptick in your feelings of fear that youre not safe, OCallaghan said. Theres a range in responses to it, but the most important thing for people is to feel safe. tclark@stamfordadvocate.com; 203-964-2265; @TravClark2 Banks are feeling it. Builders are falling behind because of it. Manufacturers can't get enough as a result of it. And in the information technology (IT) world, it is making employers desperate. It is the skilled worker shortage, which is now affecting almost all industries, from the highest of high-tech to the basic blue collar, to jobs in industry and agriculture, but especially IT. Experts agree: There have never been more available jobs in the industry, and never has it been more difficult to find skilled workers to fill those positions. If there aren't enough skilled workers to fill jobs, employers will, I believe, have to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) systems for help. That's a good thing; as AI is deployed and productivity increases, companies will be able to leverage their human talent where it's needed -- to grow the organization with a human-AI partnership providing more and better opportunities. Intelligent systems will do the drudge work, like data mining and analytics, freeing up employees for more creative and company-growing tasks. As we shall see, current technologies work best when combined with human feedback. The robot does the repetitive work, even on a large scale, while the human is focused on contextualization and reasoning. It's an almost perfect partnership. Related: Here's How This Company Is Adding Robots But Also Keeping Its Workers Until that happens, though, business in the U.S., and the whole world, continues to try and cope with a massive employee shortage. The shortage is especially acute in jobs that require advanced skills. Forty percent of global employers report talent shortages, according to a report by the Manpower Group; 65 percent of tech industry leaders said that shortages were hurting the industry, KPMG says; and according to Indeed.com, one of the world's largest staffing firms, There are many more jobs calling for software skills than there are job seekers to fill them. Why is this happening? Where did all the workers go? There are several reasons, from slow response by educational institutions to changing industry needs, to an aging workforce that has not been sufficiently replaced, to a plethora of new jobs in advanced tech industries. As a result, companies find themselves competing for top talent; an army of recruiters raid, poach and outright steal employees from other firms. This competition has fueled a price war, with the price constantly going up for good talent. According to a study by PayScale, salaries for IT workers average from about $60,000 for a systems administrator, to over $100,000 for a senior software engineer. Related: Addressing the Cybersecurity Skills Gap Like in the other kind of price war that drives the cost of products down, the price war that is driving up the cost of talent is a no-win situation. Middle-tier firms can't compete, and the biggest tech firms find themselves spending precious resources on talent that, according to another study by PayScale, are likely to look for a new job after just a year or so, as the employee turnover rate for Fortune 500 companies in the IT industry is the highest among all industries surveyed. Important tasks go wanting because there are just not enough people to do them. The biggest losers are middle-tier companies, and especially startups, which cannot compete with the Apples and Googles of the world. This impedes their ability to innovate, and could hold back advanced developments in tech fields, which are usually pioneered by startups. As this labor shortage affects a wide range of industries, from construction and manufacturing to information technology, it's clear that this is a systemic issue. So, the solution must go beyond specific changes in specific industries. Obviously universities and training groups will have to accelerate their efforts to train tech workers to fill industry needs. However, that may not be as feasible as it was in the past as student debt has become a major problem that is preventing talented students from committing to advanced university programs. Therefore, industries may have no choice but to embrace the robot revolution as a solution to labor shortages. This truth is slowly starting to dawn on industry. Peter Sondergaard, Gartner's EVP of Research, said at a recent conference, If we look to 2018 and beyond, we believe AI will be critical to solving both digital security and the IoT challenges. In cybersecurity, for example, AI-powered systems can assist with much of the administrative work such as asset collection, asset verification, auditing, regulatory compliance checks, incident response, tracking -- all paperwork that needs to be done and is often overlooked because there are not enough workers and not enough time to do the critical work of patching, strengthening systems and figuring out effective defenses for threats. That kind of menial work is what machines were designed to do. If AI can help the machines get it done themselves, especially since the work is largely not getting done anyway (if it were, hacking would be a lot less prevalent than it is now), cybersecurity is an area that could greatly benefit from AI assistance. Related: Learning to Work With Robots Is How You Can Save Your Job Data mining and analytics is another hot IT area where AI is a no-brainer. Suffice it to say that by the end of this year, there will be more than 8 billion connected devices slurping up data and uploading it to a server (where it mostly sits and languishes) -- a number that will grow to 20 billion within just two years. There are already not enough big data analysts and scientists; by 2020 there will be a far bigger demand. Without AI, there is no way companies will be able to take advantage of the analytics they already run on customer behavior, commitment, response, etc., much less develop new applications to better understand their customers and their industries. That lack of personnel is the same in all the other areas where IT is set to expand, such as natural language generation, speech recognition, virtual agents (bots), machine learning platforms and much more. Without help from AI, none of these areas will take off as hoped. The sophisticated AI tech we have today provides an opportunity for companies to grow much more than they could if they relied solely on human talent. With workers utilizing their AI partners, they can be more productive and more creative, leading to more business and profits for their employers. Related: 7 Ways to Create a Killer Marketing Video (Infographic) Is Talent Crunch a Spoiler for India's AI Industry? Top 2017 Technology Trends That Will Continue in 2018 Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com NORWALK The former chairman of the Norwalk Zoning Commission will have a seat at the table as Connecticut explores driverless vehicles. Attorney Adam Blank, a Norwalk resident and partner at the Stamford-based law firm Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin & Kuriansky, has been appointed to serve on the newly-formed State of Connecticut Task Force to Study Fully Autonomous Vehicles. He will be one of 11 appointed members sitting on the task force, which was established by public act. Various statement department heads will join the team, according to a statement released by Blanks law firm. Im pleased to be part of this group of individuals as we embark on a study that will without doubt impact the lives of many residents in Connecticut, Blank said in the statement. Its exciting to think about bringing this type of futuristic technology to our state, but it comes with great responsibility. We must ensure the safety of everyone on or near our roadways. The legislation establishing the task force sets forth a pilot program for up to four municipalities to test fully autonomous vehicles. The task force will evaluate National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards regarding state responsibilities for regulating fully autonomous vehicles; look at laws, legislation and regulations proposed or enacted by other states to regulate such vehicles; offer recommendations on how the state should regulate driverless vehicles through legislation and regulation; and evaluate the pilot program. After completing its study, the task force will submit a final report to the state. Im confident that Adams experience and knowledge will be of great value to the task force, said state Sen. Martin Looney, D-New Haven. Steven Frederick, co-managing partner of Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin & Kuriansky, said Blank brings a unique perspective to the task force given his experience representing people injured by motor vehicles. He understands how important it is that we ascertain whether self-driving cars are safe for passengers, motorists and pedestrians before we open the floodgates, Frederick said. A civil litigator, Blank practices law in the areas of personal injury, commercial litigation and real estate-based litigation. He served for nearly 10 years on the Norwalk Zoning Commission and is well versed in municipal planning and zoning concerns, which pose critical issues to the question of self-driving cars, according to his law firm. Blank graduated cum laude from Syracuse University in 1999 and with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2004. He served as an associate editor of the Connecticut Law Review and as executive director of the Connecticut Moot Court Board. He has served on the Norwalk Aquifer Protection Agency and the Monroe Board of Finance. He was vice-chairman of the Monroe Democratic Town Committee, and worked as a mentor in the Champions Mentoring Program and Family and Childrens Agency Mentoring Program, according to his law firm. Blank now resides in Norwalk with his wife, Melissa, and daughter Emma. Home is supposed to be a place where you feel safe and protected ... but of course that doesn't mean it's completely danger-free. Far from it! For instance, did you know that your shower door can explode? Or your pantry? This really happens, folksand although such calamities are rare, there are things you can do to try to stop the worst from happening. Probably the first step is just knowing where these ticking domestic time bombs can be found. So allow us to fill you in on six things in your home that can put on their own surprise, fireworks-worthy show. Sure, if you slam a glass shower door shut, it can crack or shatter into a million pieces. You already knew that, right? But the Consumer Product Safety Commission receives dozens of complaints each year about glass shower doors that spontaneously explode for no obvious reason. In one complaint, a consumer said, Nobody was in the bathroom at the time, and nobody had used the shower since 9 a.m. that morning." Weird, huh? Turns out there's a very good reason this happens: Tempered glass, created by applying high heat followed by intense cold, creates the equivalent of a tightly wound spring under a lot of pressure. When the pressure is suddenly released, either because of a tiny crack or faulty manufacturing, the glass explodes. It might seem spontaneous, but it's really the result of a long, wearing process. "If your shower door starts to sag and catches the tile on a bottom corner, it can blow up," says Tommy Patterson, director of product development and technical services for Glass Doctor, a nationwide glass servicing company headquartered in Waco, TX. To prevent it: Eyeball the glass for dips or sags that make the door rub against something. Alternatively, hire a professional glass company to inspect the door twice a year, for $30 to $125 a visit, Patterson says. 2. Light bulbs Although any type of light bulb can explode, halogen bulbs are the most common type to burst, because they get substantially hotter than most other bulbs. Any oil on the bulb can make it heat irregularly and explode, which is why it's also bad news to touch any bulb with your bare hands. To prevent it: Use gloves or a paper towel when screwing a bulb in. Also remember that water can cause any bulb to burst, so its best to wipe a dirty bulb clean with a microfiber cloth, rather than to douse it with water or cleaning fluids. 3. Pumpkins No, we're not talking about those annoying neighborhood delinquents who slip firecrackers under your holiday gourdspumpkins stored or displayed outdoors can detonate all on their own. The water content in them can freeze on a cold Halloween night, push through the flesh, and explode. To prevent it: Carve it! Carved pumpkins have natural pressure release valves, so they dont burst. 4. Hot water heaters Most of the time, they just heat water. But if gas leaks in and around your heateror if the tanks safety mechanism fails and pressure buildsthe tank can become an extremely dangerous rocket that could even shoot up through your roof. Its not common, but it does happen, as one unfortunate Arizona man discovered when his water heater exploded and soared 135 yards out of the garage, landing across the road at a bus stop. To prevent it: Hire a plumber annually to inspect your hot water tank. Plumbers will check for gas leaks, including carbon monoxide, and test the units temperature and pressure valve (T&P) to make sure it properly releases excess pressure. You may be tempted to inspect the tank yourself, but with life and limb at stake, its better to hire a pro, which will cost $45 to $150 per hour. 5. Pantries Common powdered pantry items like flour, sugar, cocoa, powdered milk, and even coffee, can explode when they are disturbed, sending a cloud of particles into the air that can be ignited by static electricity, friction, or any little spark. If your flour bin suddenly pops and burns, this is why. To prevent it: The good news is that it takes a high concentration of these airborne particles to create an explosionnot to mention some static electricity at just the right time. So just keep your pantry undisturbed and cloud-free, and you should be fine. 6. Beer bottles Think back to elementary school science, when you learned that water expands when it freezes and becomes ice. Since beer is up to 95% water, when you forget about the bottle of Bud youre chilling in the freezer, before too long, the frozen liquid can increase in volume and shatter the bottle, sending glass everywhere. To prevent it: If you want to chill beer quickly, place the bottle or can in a cold water bath with a 2:1 ratio of water to ice. Your beer will be cold in about five minutes. Surely you can wait that long, right? The post 6 Surprising Things in Your Home That Can Explode Out of the Blue appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Shah defended Trumps decision on Jerusalem, saying "We think that the decision to recognise reality, and recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is the right decision". By PTI, India Today Web Desk, Press Trust of India: US President Donald Trump has called for calm and moderation in the Middle East, the White House said today, amid reports of clashes in the region following his decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "The president has called for calm and moderation and we are hoping that the voices of tolerance prevail over purveyors of hate. advertisement The president does remain committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians," the White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters. Shah defended Trumps decision on Jerusalem, saying "We think that the decision to recognise reality, and recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is the right decision". When asked if the President was warned that his decision on Jerusalem would lead to violence, Shah said: "Hes fully aware of potential ramifications but we believe strongly that if you are going to be an honest broker in the Middle East, you need to be honest, and recognising reality is the first part of that." On Wednesday, Trump in a major policy address had announced to recognise Jerusalem as the Israels capital. The decision was immediately welcomed by Israel, but has resulted in outrage in the Middle East and opposition from many American partners and allies. One by one, 14 members of the UN Security Council spoke out against President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at an emergency meeting on Friday, some with regret and some with anger at the 15th member, the United States. It wasn't the first time that the US stood alone in defending its close ally, Israel, in the UN's most powerful body. Over decades, it has vetoed many council resolutions it viewed as harmful to Israel. But this was a rare rebuke for an action the United States took that in the eyes of the rest of the council and most of the world clearly violates UN resolutions and decisions that Jerusalem is an issue to be resolved by Israel and the Palestinians in peace negotiations on a two-state solution. The Trump administration has been working on a new Mideast peace proposal and US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council that the US is more committed to peace "than we've ever been before - and we believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before." (With agency inputs) VIDEO: Here's what Donald Trump recently told the United Nations about North Korea --- ENDS --- advertisement By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) Aditya Birla group firm UltraTech Cement today said it will set up a new plant in Rajasthan with a proposed investment of Rs 1,850 crore. The plant, which will have a capacity of 3.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA), is expected to commence commercial production by June, 2020. "The board of directors at its meeting held today have approved setting up a 3.5 MTPA integrated plant at Pali, Rajasthan at an investment of Rs 1,850 crore," said UltraTech in a regulatory updates. advertisement With this expansion UltraTech will have a foot print across the country with 50 plant locations, it added. This plant is being set up in one of the fastest growing markets in the country and the highest cement consuming states in the North Zone. "It will cater to the markets in Western Rajasthan where Ultratech does not have significant presence," it added. Meanwhile, UltraTech also informed that its board has also approved a proposal "to increase in the investment limits by RPFI, including FIIs, from the existing limit of 30 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital to up to 40 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital of the company". This would make availability of more space for registered foreign portfolio investors (RPFI) to invest into the equity of the company. However, the decision will be subject to approval from the share holders and other regulatory clearances. PTI KRH BAL --- ENDS --- Ventura County Wildfire: Billy Graham Rapid Response Team Chaplains Deploy to Offer Hope in Midst of Disaster Contact: Erik Ogren, 704-401-2117, eogren@bgea.org CHARLOTTE, N.C., Dec. 8, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team has deployed crisis-trained chaplains to California as the Thomas wildfire in Ventura County continues to grow, spreading with frightening speed. According to news reports, the blazewhich began on Monday night, Dec. 4has grown to over 132,000 acres, fed by strong Santa Ana winds. The fire has already caused untold property damage and has forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes. "This wildfire season has already been so heartbreaking for the many who have been affected, and now California is dealing with several more deadly and destructive infernos," said Jack Munday, international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. "Many will be in evacuation shelters, looking for some small shred of hope but fearing the worst. Others will find that everything they've worked for has been reduced to ash. In the midst of it all, our chaplains will share the comfort and peace of Jesus to those who are hurting." Initial efforts will include ministry in shelters and alongside churches in the impacted areas. In addition to the Thomas fire, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is monitoring the other Southern California wildfires with a plan to respond if needed. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team recently completed its efforts in Texas and Florida following Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Combined, 451 chaplains ministered across multiple devastated communities in the two states, praying with and comforting more than 31,000 people. The organization also sent 35 chaplains to California to assist with recovery following the Santa Rosa wildfire. Additionally, chaplains offered emotional and spiritual care following the deadly attacks in Las Vegas, Nev., New York City and Sutherland Springs, Texas. For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit www.billygraham.org/rrt. Updates can also be found at www.facebook.com/RRTChaplains. About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team: The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into an international network of chaplains in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to more than 270 disaster sites, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes. ABC News(OMAHA, Neb.) -- A breast cancer survivor organized a breast milk donation drive that has so far netted more than 4,000 ounces of breast milk for a woman diagnosed with breast cancer just weeks after giving birth. Ashli Brehm, of Omaha, Nebraska, put out a call to her Facebook followers last month for women who wanted to donate breast milk. Within one week, Brehm had collected 4,500 ounces of breast milk. Brehm, a mother of three who underwent a double mastectomy last year, donated the milk to Jackie Holscher, a mother of three who underwent a double mastectomy on Nov. 3. Holscher, 33, of Ankeny, Iowa, was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in May, just weeks after she gave birth to her daughter, Genevieve. Holscher breastfed Genevieve until her cancer was diagnosed and it was no longer an option. Breastfeeding was something that I had done with my other two kids for two years each, Holscher told ABC News. I felt devastated that that was being taken away from me. I had to basically mourn a loss of not being able to nurse. Holscher's best friend and other local women stepped up to donate breast milk, but the supply quickly ran low. When Holscher, who met Brehm through a mutual friend, confided to Brehm her disappointment in not being able to breastfeed Genevieve, Brehm stepped into action. "I just figured I can ask [on Facebook] and maybe Ill get her a few hundred ounces," said Brehm, a blogger. "I was so overwhelmed within the first 24 hours by what people were offering and doing, I just was crying. It was like some sort of miracle. Brehm figured out locations to store the breast milk and picked up the donations, including from one woman who was undergoing cancer treatment herself and drove two hours from Kansas to drop off 1,300 ounces of her daughters breast milk. I had people offering to send it on dry ice from Canada and people offering freezer space at different dropoff points, said Brehm. "Its overwhelmingly beautiful to me what humans will do for other humans." Brehm has stopped accepting donations for Holscher for now due to storage but plans to put out another call in the New Year. She emphasized her motivation was less about making sure Genevieve had breast milk and more about making sure Holscher saw her wish fulfilled. "I knew she could use formula. [Jackie] knew she could use formula. It was her wish to give Genevieve breast milk," she said. "Cancer does enough to take away from people, so I wanted to give her this wish." Holscher, who got approval from Genevieve's pediatrician to use donor breast milk, said knowing that she always had a supply on hand was a huge stress relief. "It made me feel like cancer isnt winning completely," she said. "And the donor milk has alleviated financial stress because I dont have to think about how I am going to pay for formula and my medical bills at the same time." Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. 14 members of the UN Security Council spoke out against President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at an emergency meeting on Friday. United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nikolay Mladenov, on screen, addresses the Security Council, from Jerusalem, at United Nations headquarters, on Friday. (Source: AP) By AP: One by one, 14 members of the UN Security Council spoke out against President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at an emergency meeting on Friday, some with regret and some with anger at the 15th member, the United States. It wasn't the first time that the US stood alone in defending its close ally, Israel, in the UN's most powerful body. Over decades, it has vetoed many council resolutions it viewed as harmful to Israel. advertisement But this was a rare rebuke for an action the United States took that in the eyes of the rest of the council and most of the world clearly violates UN resolutions and decisions that Jerusalem is an issue to be resolved by Israel and the Palestinians in peace negotiations on a two-state solution. The Trump administration has been working on a new Mideast peace proposal and US Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council that the US is more committed to peace "than we've ever been before - and we believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before." She gave no details but noted that past Israeli-Palestinian agreements have been signed on the White House lawn, and if there is a new agreement there is "a good likelihood" it will be signed there as well "because the United States has credibility of both sides." But Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour who spoke after council members said the Trump administration's decision on recognition "undermines and essentially disqualifies its leadership role to seek peace in the region." He said "one party cannot continue to monopolize the peace process," especially one that is biased in favor of "the occupying power," Israel. Mansour urged the Security Council to denounce what he called the "irresponsible" US decision and reaffirm its position on the status of Jerusalem __ that the holy city's status must be decided during Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. And it must "affirm its rejection of all violations of that status," he said. Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon, speaking immediately afterward, praised Trump's courage and urged all nations to follow the United States by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving their embassies to the holy city. "There will never be peace without Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel," he said. "And that will never change." Traditional US allies in the Security Council, including Britain, France, Sweden, Italy and Japan, criticized Trump's decision, all insisting that Jerusalem's status must remain unresolved until final Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. advertisement In a joint statement, ambassadors from France, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Britain disagreed with Trump's decision, saying "it is not in line with Security Council resolutions and is unhelpful in terms of prospects for peace in the region." France's UN Ambassador Francois Delattre expressed regret at the US decision, citing legal grounds, its impact on efforts to reach a two-state solution, and the potential escalation of violence. He said the United States must explain how Trump's action aligns with the legal foundation "on which all peace efforts are based." Egypt's UN Ambassador Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta called the US recognition "a dangerous precedent," saying "Jerusalem is a city under occupation and it is not permissible legally to take any action." The statement from the five ambassadors, echoing many speakers, called for calm "given the volatile situation on the ground." The UN's Mideast envoy Nikolay Mladenov, who briefed the council, called for urgent international efforts to advance Israeli-Palestinian peace, warning that if the conflict isn't resolved "it risks being engulfed in the vortex of religious radicalism throughout the Middle East." advertisement He said there is a risk of escalating violence following Trump's decision and "a serious risk" of "a chain of unilateral actions" that would push the goal of peace further away. Bolivia's UN Ambassador Sasha Llorenty Soliz said the US leader's unilateral action affects the multi-cultural and multi-religious identity of Jerusalem and "is extremely damaging - it's irresponsible because it further exacerbates the already unstable situation in the Middle East." ALSO WATCH | Jerusalem Goes Underground to Solve Cemetery Crisis --- ENDS --- December 7, 2017 Lincoln, Neb. The 14th annual Nebraska Youth Beef Leadership Symposium was held Nov. 17 - 19 at the University of NebraskaLincoln Animal Science Complex in Lincoln. High school students from Nebraska and Kentucky participated in this years event. The symposium is designed to introduce youth to career opportunities and current issues in the beef industry, as well as offer education and practice leadership skills in a community setting. Six $500 scholarships from the College of Agriculture Sciences and Natural Resources were presented, with the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources matching them with another $500. Scholarship recipients include: Malina Lindstrom, Elm Creek; Kelsay Schlichtman, Beatrice; Amanda Most, Ogallala; Jacy Hafer, Dunning; Wyatt Banks, Cynthiana, KY; and TaraLee Hudson, Belvidere. This year, the symposium started with a session geared toward freshman and sophomore high school students as well juniors who had never attended NYBLS in the past. They received an introduction to the beef industry from Galen Erickson, professor and beef feedlot extension specialist at Nebraska, and also got to ultrasound beef reproductive tracts and learn more about animal handling and welfare. This group of youth put their leadership skills to work by creating an infographic about the beef industry as well as hosting a Facebook Live interview with the NYBLS participants who were doing the culinary challenge. The symposium continued with the more traditional part of NYBLS, geared toward junior and senior high school students. This provided more in-depth information about the beef industry, meat science, marketing and gave participants the opportunity to work with a professional chef. It was a privilege to meet the outstanding young people from across Nebraska and Kentucky who participated in the symposium, said Alli Raymond, animal science admissions coordinator and NYBLS planning committee member. Nebraska is the beef state and we are pleased to partner with all our sponsors to participate in the development of the future leaders of the beef cattle industry. The symposium featured hands-on production activities and leadership development. Junior and senior students were guided by assistant professor of animal science, Gary Sullivan and Chef John Kennedy to develop a new product using one of the following cuts of meat; ground beef, the heart clod, or the flat iron steak. Participants created a marketing plan for their product and presented it to two judges who got to try their product and ask them questions about their marketing plans. According to Raymond, the symposium is a unique opportunity for young people interested in the beef industry. It gives them skills and experiences that are not available from any other university in the country. The Department of Animal Science is committed to helping develop the human capital needed to make Nebraska the epicenter of the beef industry. For more information, contact Alli Raymond at araymond2@unl.edu. Alli Raymond Admissions Coordinator Animal Science 402-472-0204 araymond2@unl.edu This article originally appeared on IANRnews.unl.edu: Justin Haag takes a look through a spotting scope while Amanda Filipi consults a bird book during Fridays bird-watching event at Lake Minatare. Both work for Nebraska Game and Parks. Although birds were plentiful, visitors were few during the lakes only exception to its winter-long closure, which ends Jan. 15. The bears are almost ready for their closeup. Two grizzly bear cubs arrived at Riverside Discovery Center a few months ago and staff has been working overtime to reinforce an existing enclosure for them. The cubs mother was killed and it was determined the bears would be unable to survive in the wild. The zoo was asked if they could take the brothers in, which they readily agreed. Our staff is still tidying up their area, said Anthony Mason, zoo director. The back holding is done and reinforced and we will be moving them in (from the medical area) in the next few days. Their new home is nearly ready. Mason said the bears will be viewable by the public when the zoo opens for its regular hours on Dec. 16. There will also be special bear talks throughout the day for visitors to learn about grizzlies. The talks will be with a member of staff out in front (of their display) to speak with the public about the bears, he said. It will be talks about bears and their history in general as well as our bears and how they came to be here. Current members and donors to Riverside Discovery Center have been invited to a special Breakfast with the Bears event on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7:30 a.m. Mason said the event is his and his staffs way of thanking members and donors for supporting the zoo over the years. The opening of the bear enclosure kicks off Phase 1 of a new capital campaign aimed at building a large, new home at the zoo for the lifetime of the bears. The first phase will cost $500,000, which will be raised by individuals as well as businesses and organizations throughout the valley. Mason is anxious to have the bears move into their homes so the public can see them. Im thrilled that after so much hard work to get this place ready for them (bears), were finally able to share them with the world, he said. Their debut to the public will be a big welcome to the community. Those interested in donating can do so at http://www.riversidediscoverycenter.org/bears or by mail at Riverside Discovery Center, 1600 S. Beltline Hwy W., Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69361. If your business is interested in a sponsoring plaque in the new exhibit, contact Zoo Director Anthony Mason. GERING - There may be a new state record among bighorn sheep harvested in Nebraska. Archery hunter Jason Bruce of Lockeford, California, claimed success during Nebraskas bighorn sheep season with a massive ram taken on private property in the rocky Wildcat Hills near Gering on Saturday, Dec. 2. Todd Nordeen, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologist who manages Nebraskas bighorn sheep program, said the mature ram, estimated to be 10 years old, had a gross score of 195 1/8 and netted 193 5/8 on the Boone and Crockett scale. The record will become official if the score still surpasses the current record when the horns are measured again after a 60-day drying period. Nebraskas current record bighorn, harvested by Lincoln hunter Terry Bogle with a rifle in December 2015, scored 190 5/8. The Boone and Crockett system derives scores with measurements of the horns length, their spread and four points of circumference on each side. Bruce, who won his permit by auction, is one of just two hunters awarded a Nebraska bighorn sheep permit this season Nov. 28-Dec. 22. Jack Nemeth of Chadron won the other permit by lottery. Hunters may choose to use rifle, muzzleloader or archery equipment, as long as the weapon meets requirements for caliber, power or draw weight. Bruces ram is only the second taken by archery since Nebraskas hunting program began. Proceeds from the hunts help fund bighorn sheep management and reintroduction efforts in the state. This marked the Nebraska Game and Parks Commissions 22nd bighorn sheep hunt since the first one in 1998. The Audubons subspecies of bighorn sheep was native to the butte country of the Nebraska Panhandle but was extirpated from the state because of disease, unregulated hunting and habitat loss in the early 1900s. The subspecies became extinct in 1925. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep from Custer State Park in South Dakota were reintroduced to Nebraska in an enclosure at Fort Robinson State Park in 1981. Those sheep were released to the wild in 1988 and 1993 and additional release efforts of sheep from Montana, Canada and Colorado in 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2012 have resulted in about 300 sheep that reside in areas of the Pine Ridge between Harrison and Chadron, and the Wildcat Hills south of Gering and east to McGrew. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are expected to get married in Tuscany, Italy, in the next few days. By India Today Web Desk: If you haven't been living under a rock, you have read the innumerable reports doing the rounds about Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's big fat Italian wedding. The two have already flown off to Italy with their families.They're expected to tie the knot in the next few days. And now, we have exclusive pictures of their wedding destination in Tuscany, Italy. The wedding location seems surreal! The estate is completely booked. Click here to Enlarge This narrow road leads to the villas in this vineyard in Tuscany Click here to Enlarge A view of an old castle turned into modern villa that will host guests and has various amenities Click here to Enlarge A view from the open dining area overlooking the vineyard Click here to Enlarge This is just splendid. Rolling vineyards just outside the main villa where Virat and Anushka are likley to stay Click here to Enlarge Looks like Virat has made sure that there's a gym for him too! Click here to Enlarge The swimming pool. There are two of them. advertisement Now this is what you call a romantic setting. Click here to Enlarge The wedding planners can add this because this is a popular adventure in this area Click here to Enlarge The narrow road leads to the biggest wedding of the year. Click here to Enlarge A villa for guests Click here to Enlarge One of the stunning locations where the functions will be held Click here to Enlarge An aerial view of the wedding location Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma fell for each other while shooting a commercial for a shampoo. While there were many rumours about the two dating each other, none of them revealed anything about their relationship status. However, they couldn't keep it a secret for long, and it was out in the open by 2014. The two have always made their fan's hearts melt with their adorable pictures on Instagram, and their affectionate PDA towards each other in public gatherings.EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma's stunning Tuscan wedding venue in Italy --- ENDS --- A uranium company launched a concerted lobbying campaign to scale back Bears Ears National Monument, saying such action would give it easier access to the area's uranium deposits and help it operate a nearby processing mill, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and top Utah Republicans have said repeatedly that questions of mining or drilling played no role in President Donald Trump's announcement Monday that he was cutting the site by more than 1.1 million acres, or 85 percent. Trump also signed a proclamation nearly halving the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is also in southern Utah and has significant coal deposits. "This is not about energy," Zinke told reporters Tuesday. "There is no mine within Bears Ears." But the nation's sole uranium processing mill sits directly next to the boundaries that President Barack Obama designated a year ago when he established Bears Ears. The documents show that Energy Fuels Resources (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of a Canadian firm, urged the Trump administration to limit the monument to the smallest size needed to protect key objects and areas, such as archeological sites, to make it easier to access the radioactive ore. In a May 25 letter to the Interior Department, Chief Operating Officer Mark Chalmers wrote that the 1.35 million-acre expanse Obama created "could affect existing and future mill operations." He later noted, "There are also many other known uranium and vanadium deposits located within the [original boundaries] that could provide valuable energy and mineral resources in the future." Trump instructed Zinke in April to assess 27 monuments designated under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives presidents wide latitude to protect federal lands and waters under threat. Conservationists, tribal officials, ranching groups and other interests sought to influence the review's outcome, unsuccessfully in the case of the two Utah sites. Gov. Gary Herbert, R-Utah, addressed the energy considerations in an interview Monday. "The only thing that smacks of energy is the uranium," he said. "The uranium deposits are outside the monument now." Energy Fuels Resources did not just weigh in on national monuments through public-comment letters. It hired a team of lobbyists at Faegre Baker Daniels led by Andrew Wheeler, who is awaiting Senate confirmation as the Environmental Protection Agency's deputy secretary to work on the matter and other federal policies affecting the company. It paid the firm $30,000 between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, according to federal lobbying records, for work on this and other priorities. The company's vice president of operations, William Paul Goranson, joined Wheeler and two other lobbyists, including former congresswoman Mary Bono, R-Calif., to discuss Bears Ears in a July 17 meeting with two top Zinke advisers. Goranson said Friday that the session with Downey Magallanes, who oversaw the monuments review and serves as Zinke's deputy chief of staff for policy, and Vincent De Vito, his energy policy counselor, was focused on fairly narrow issues. Company officials "were trying to get a sense of what was going on" with the review because some of their air and water quality monitoring stations and a road leading to the now-dormant Daneros mine all lay within the original monument, Goranson explained. "The goal of the meeting was not to go and advocate on the boundaries," he said, adding that the lobbying for that was "on a separate track." Still, the officials proposed small boundary adjustments to accommodate the monitoring stations as well as the mine, he acknowledged. And they emphasized that the company had cut its workforce by more than half since 2015 because of low uranium prices. "They heard what we had to say about the job losses, etc.," he said. Zinke's deputies "were pretty positively disposed to" the idea of spurring future domestic uranium production. The Interior Department did not respond to a request for comment Friday. The price of uranium has recently hovered between $20 and $25 per pound. To justify mining activity, it needs to approach $40 to $50. Michael Heim, a securities research analyst at Noble Capital Markets, said Friday that the current amount "is not a sustainable price" for firms such as Energy Fuels Resources. Given today's price, Heim said, "the idea of creating more areas to mine wouldn't have much impact." But Goranson said he and other company officials are "confident" that the construction of nuclear plants in Asia and elsewhere, along with other factors, will eventually push prices higher and justify reopening the Daneros mine. Greg Zimmerman, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation and advocacy group, said the Energy Fuels Resources effort shows the extent to which industry interests influenced the monuments review. "You listen to the rhetoric about how this was all really about taking special interests out of the equation," Zimmerman said. "They're doing this on behalf of special interests. When you look in terms of public access to recreation areas, there's not a hunter or angler or outdoor recreationist who wants to be out and around an uranium mine." The idea of uranium mining is particularly sensitive among members of the Navajo Nation, who have a reservation near Bears Ears and played a key role in pressing for its creation. More than 500 uranium mines have been left near or on their lands, and most of these designated Superfund sites have not been cleaned up. Contamination still affects drinking-water wells, springs and storage tanks. Navajo Nation Council delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, who represents several communities near Bears Ears, said Friday that the nation opposes any additional uranium development. "We felt the full brunt of uranium contamination and lost a whole generation of men who were mining or milling uranium," she said. The Navajo Nation and other tribes are challenging Trump's Bears Ears proclamation in federal court, and Navajo President Russell Begaye expressed confidence in an interview that the move will be overturned. Yet "there is a definite door that's been opened" with its signing, he said. "With this proclamation, it's an open invitation for mining companies to come in and start mining uranium and other minerals in the area." Its a Christmas concert, but dont expect to hear Jingle Bells. The St. Louis Chamber Chorus is known for introducing audiences to some of the areas most interesting (and acoustically felicitous) buildings for performances. For its annual Christmas concert, artistic director Philip Barnes chose a historic church whose patron saint has a connection to the programs primary composer. St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church in St. Charles is a new venue for the regions finest a cappella chorus. Its our second time in St. Charles, Barnes says. Its such a growing part of our home city, I thought it was important to take the choir there and present a program in one of their most historic churches. St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) was archbishop of Milan an important figure in the Counterreformation and the Council of Trent. He was also an advocate for the great composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) and the polyphonic style of music, Barnes says. They had an important friendship, and I thought it was time to celebrate it. That made the choice of works for this program both appropriate and irresistible. Palestrina wrote a six-part motet Christmas using the text O Magnum Mysterium (O Great Mystery) and then reworked the music into a mass setting. The program begins with the motet and intersperses the movements of the mass with other works. The text of O Magnum has had so many amazingly different treatments, which conjure up different aspects of mystery, Barnes says. I went to find settings of those same words, which addressed different aspects of what life was like around the birth. British composer Judith Bingham created an amazing setting, which really talks about the turmoil around the birth, that Herods trying to find the child so that he can kill him. Then we have Poulencs version, which is more about the awe, the hushed wonder of the miracle. Spanish composer Raquel Cristobals brief setting is quite different from all of them, a soundscape with the men speaking the words and the women coming in on ecstatic chords. Its a very impressive piece to hear. Bob Chilcotts (SLCC commission) Before the Ice combines the O Magnum prayer with a poem by Emily Dickinson. The best-loved work on the program is Morten Lauridsens transcendent setting, which closes the concert. Thats about the joy, the rich joy, of Christs birth, Barnes says. Also on the program is Andrew Carters arrangement of the Appalachian folk song I Wonder as I Wander and a world premiere, Dum Medium Silentium, a new commission by German composer Wolfram Buchenberg. The choir has done other works by Buchenberg. Barnes says he had been in touch with the composer for a while, trying to persuade him to write for SLCC. Last summer, Buchenberg agreed, but he said, I dont want to set O Magnum Mysterium. I want to set something that speaks to that, that complements it. So he found something out of the Book of Wisdom, and it really does work in the context of the concert. The text of Dum Medium Silentium translates to, While all things were in quiet silence, and the night was in the midst of her course, Thy Almighty word, O Lord, came down from heaven from thy royal throne. Written for double choir, its really quite breathtaking. Its a really impressive piece of writing by somebody who really knows how to handle the choral instrument. In Bhavnagar, people are considering the issue of Vikas while casting their vote as they feel development has taken place in this part of state. By Mayuresh Ganapatye: First phase of voting is ongoing in Sourashtra, Kutch and South Gujarat. Though Bhavnagar is concerned as bastion of BJP where they won 6 seats last time, but this time they are aiming to win all 7 seats. "We will get good numbers again in Bhavnagar and in other parts of state too. We will certainly score more than 150. Wait till 18th, you will get answers for all your questions." said Jitu Vaghani Gujarat BJP state president. advertisement In Bhavnagar, people are considering the issue of Vikas while casting their vote as they feel development has taken place in this part of state. But anonymously, few also told us that finding a job is a concerning problem here as there are no industries in Bhavnagar. Only two major industries are there; one is Diamond and another is ship breaking. Many have to migrate to other cities or states for jobs. There is also a Patidar factor here in Bhavanagar but it's not at large scale like south Gujarat and Rajkot. The seven assembly constituencies of Bhavnagar district have around 16.26 lakh voters. The largest caste group in Bhavnagar is the Koli Patels, an OBC community with nearly 3.91 lakh voters. With 1.61 lakh voters, Patidars form the second largest caste group, followed by non-Rajput Kshatriyas with 1.05 lakh voters. Karadiya Rajputs, the community that head earlier expressed displeasure with Vaghani, has 45,000 voters. Patidars, Kshatriyas and Karadiya Rajputs together form 3.11 lakh voters, nearly as much as Koli voters, who are considered to be BJP supporters. --- ENDS --- Bill McClellan Bill McClellan is a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Bill McClellan Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today You are probably familiar with the reactive theory of history. Forget the Great Man notion. History is simply a series of reactions. According to the reactive theory, the election of Barack Obama mobilized the White Nationalist crowd. The White Nats, a tiny sliver of the electorate, were previously a constituency without a party. No one would have them. But under Steve Bannons guidance, Donald Trump, who had once suggested Oprah Winfrey as a potential running mate, reached out to them. How happy they were to be wanted. In a close election, they were the difference. So the reaction to Obama begat Trump. Already, you can see the reaction to Trump. Its the Me, too movement. The spark was the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump boasted of being able to grope women. If youre a celebrity, you can do what you want, he said. Apparently, he was right. From Alabama to Lake Wobegon, celebrities have fallen. (That is, of course, the weakness of the movement. If a woman is sexually harassed by a non-celebrity, shes pretty much out of luck.) Not surprisingly, ideological affiliation has no bearing on propensity to harass. The accused range from the religious right to the secular left. In fact, the left, which supposedly supports feminism, has supplied more than its share of accused. The bottom line: All men are suspect. Understanding the reactive theory of history, the Democrats would be well advised to nominate a woman for president in 2020. That shouldnt be hard. There are no obvious front-runners among men. Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are too old. So a woman it is. But who? Forget Hillary Clinton. Not only is she married to one of the most notorious harassers, but her previous quests for the White House carried a whiff of the banana republic. Her husband could not run for a third term, so she would run. If that is breaking the glass ceiling, it is doing so with an asterisk. Perhaps the most prominent woman in the Democratic party is Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Unfortunately, she is tarnished by her claim of Native American heritage. Because of this claim, she was considered a minority when she was hired by the law schools at the University of Pennsylvania and then Harvard. Her status as a woman of color was challenged during her U.S. Senate campaign in 2012. She argued that her great-great-great grandmother was of Cherokee descent, but no records were ever found to document the claim. That story would be a huge distraction if she were to run against President Trump. With Warren and Clinton out of play, the nation could well turn its lonely eyes to our own Sen. Claire McCaskill. She has never claimed to be a Native American. The biggest scandal in her career involved not paying taxes on an airplane. You think Trump is going to go after somebody for not paying taxes? When Hillary Clinton suggested during one of the debates that Trump had not released his taxes because he probably hadnt paid anything, he responded that that would only mean he was smart. Of course, the road is not smooth. McCaskill has to win re-election in 2018 to be a viable candidate in 2020. Despite being an incumbent, she is an underdog in a bright red state. But it could have been worse. It appeared for a while that shed have to face U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, the former co-chair of the Republican National Committee and the former ambassador to Luxembourg. Wagner also chaired Roy Blunts successful senatorial campaign in 2010. She wanted to make America Great Again before MAGA was cool. I once called her June Cleaver with ambition. Shed have been a strong candidate. But if the Republicans have a choice between a woman and a white guy, theyre taking the white guy. At Jack Danforths urging, Wagner was pushed aside for Josh Hawley, who is now the front-runner in the Republican primary. Hawley was elected attorney general in 2016. He ran as an outsider. He railed against career politicians who use one office as a stepping stone for another. He was in office for about three months before the Senate talk started. So while any Republican not named Todd Akin has to be considered the favorite in 2018, Hawley is not without flaws. Before you put any money on McCaskill as president in 2020 you could get pretty good odds right now bear in mind that I once wrote that Dick Gephardt was going to be president. A few years later, I touted John Ashcrofts chances. A couple of years ago, I made the case for Jay Nixon. Admittedly, my track record isnt so hot. Then again, this time I have a theory of history to back me up. History or herstory? Well see. A police chase in Brooklyn ended when the suspects' vehicle crashed into a police car early Saturday. Three people inside the vehicle were taken to a hospital suffering from non-life threatening injuries, according to Illinois State Police. The driver refused medical care and was taken into custody by Brooklyn police. The crash happened at 4:32 a.m. at Illinois Route 3 and Sixth Street. Brooklyn Police requested the assistance of Illinois State Police to help with the crash. The identities of the four people in the vehicle and the reason why police pursued them has not been released. No officers were injured in the crash. A man was attacked and carjacked at gunpoint at Mid Rivers Mall on Saturday morning, police said. A suspect was eventually arrested after a similar crime at the Ameristar Casino. St. Peters police were called to an area near the Dillard's at Mid River Mall about 11:15 a.m. The 59-year-old victim told police he was getting in his Chevrolet Trailblazer when a man approached the passenger side and asked for a cigarette. While the victim was distracted, the man got in the Trailblazer, showed a gun and demanded the vehicle, police said. The victim was injured in the face during a struggle before getting out of the Trailblazer, police said. The carjacker sped off eastbound on Interstate 70. A short time later, a tire apparently blew on the Trailblazer, and the carjacker abandoned it on I-70 near Highway 370. Witnesses saw the man get into a white Hyundai Sonata that then drove off. About 20 minutes later, St. Charles police were called to a similar incident with similar suspects at Ameristar Casino, St. Peters police said. A vehicle believed taken in the St. Charles crime was eventually stopped in North County and a suspect was arrested, St. Peters police said. A gun was found in the car. Police did not give a location for that stop. The victim in the Mid Rivers Mall carjacking was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries. His Trailblazer was recovered by police and was being processed for evidence. Authorities asked anyone with information to call the St. Peters Crime Solvers hotline at 636-278-1000. EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this story gave incorrect information about the car stopped in North County. The car was taken in the St. Charles case. This version has been corrected. ST. LOUIS With 196 homicides so far this year, St. Louis is on track to pass the 200 murder mark in a single year for the first time in more than two decades, city leaders say. St. Louis police investigated 188 murders last year, and the same number in 2015. The last time homicides in the city exceeded 188 was in 1995, when the total reached 204. But the citys population was nearly 20 percent higher then than it is now. Describing a region awash in guns, Mayor Lyda Krewson, other elected officials, law enforcement and clergy members gathered at City Hall Friday to urge city residents to report crimes. The level of violence in our city is at a crisis level, Krewson said. St. Louis Police Commissioner Lawrence OToole said many of the guns on the streets right now had been stolen. We know that cars are broken into throughout the area, not just in the city, and often because of concealed carry in Missouri ... a number of these firearms are left in the cars, he said. City police have already seized more than 2,000 guns this year, but Krewson argues that its not nearly enough. The city will be implementing a gun buyback program, expected to begin next week, to help get some firearms off the streets, she said. At a location to be announced, residents can exchange guns for gift certificates to an area business such as Schnucks. I dont expect the criminals and the crooks to come in and bring in their gun. I expect the good people will tell us where the guns are, St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards said. A Missouri state law passed in 2013 dictates that gun buyback programs are unlawful unless the county, municipal or governmental body has adopted a resolution, ordinance or rule authorizing it. The same law dictates that the guns must be sold to a licensed arms dealer, with the proceeds going back to the city, or destroyed if a sale cannot be made. Koran Addo, a spokesman for Krewson, said that law wouldnt restrict this program, because it would be funded by the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis and the St. Louis Police Foundation. Were the conveners, he said. But were not spending any city money on this. Aldermanic President Lewis Reed already sponsored a resolution authorizing such programs in St. Louis, when he sought to organize a crowd-funded gun buyback program. It passed in 2014. Researchers have found that gun buyback programs, while popular, are not necessarily effective at reducing gun violence. Krewson contends its just one piece of a comprehensive approach. Frankly, if we get one, or two, or 10 guns off the street that would have been used in a serious crime, I will consider that a success, Krewson said Friday. There is not one thing that we can do that will solve this. We have to do a lot of different things on a lot of different levels. Gun buyback is just one of those things. A pioneer in the field of molecular virology, Maurice Greens dedication to science and St. Louis University spanned six decades of work on virus and cancer research. Mr. Green died Tuesday (Dec. 5, 2017), of natural causes. He was 91. Every week in recent years, SLU scientists would go to Mr. Greens home in Wildwood two or three times a week to discuss and plan their latest experiments. Mr. Green published more than 300 articles over his career, including one accepted for publication a week before his death. He was working right up until the day he died, said William Wold, SLUs chairman of molecular microbiology and immunology. He was an exceptional scientist, very dedicated, very hard working, who wanted to make a difference. Mr. Greens lab developed the first working model of the adenovirus, which causes symptoms of the common cold, and discovered that two of the virus genes can turn normal cells into cancerous cells. The research attracted the attention of President Richard Nixon, who invited Mr. Green to Washington in 1971 for the signing of the National Cancer Act. Ultimately his dream would have been to discover some sort of a cure for cancer, and I think he probably did get science closer to that goal, Wold said. Mr. Green was born in New York City and served in the Navy in World War II. It was during his service in the Philippines that he started to read medical books. After returning stateside, Mr. Green earned a bachelors degree in chemistry from the University of Michigan and masters and doctoral degrees in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin. He came to SLU in 1956 as an assistant professor of microbiology and founded the universitys Institute for Molecular Virology in 1964. Mr. Greens colleagues said he had two main passions in life science and what has been called St. Louis first family of science. He married Marilyn Glick in 1950, and all three of their children earned medical degrees. My fathers legacy is reflected by a combination of his children who are all professionals in the biomedical world, and the scientists hes trained, said Dr. Eric Green, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute in Washington. My father was unbelievably driven professionally. In some ways that made him a role model. But there was zero pressure (to become doctors or scientists). Mr. Greens wife died in 2010. In addition to his son, he is survived by a daughter, pediatrician Dr. Wendy Green Lee of St. Louis, and son Dr. Michael Green, director of the University of Massachusetts Cancer Center; and five grandchildren. Burial will be private. BELLERIVE The University of Missouris governing board will soon be under new leadership. David Steelman a Republican, former state legislator and a lawyer from Rolla was elected Friday to be the next chairman of the Board of Curators. We have a remarkable opportunity to remake this institution, Steelman said. To do that, were going to have to be bold, but we cant be brash. When nominating Steelman for the role, curator Jamie Farmer said his ability to build consensus and keep the board on pace makes him the right person to guide us through difficult budget times. Its no secret that the university system and its four campuses have struggled with money. Declining state dollars for higher education compounded by declining tuition revenue on multiple campuses forced administrators to take a look at the budget earlier this year and ultimately eliminate about 500 positions across the campuses. Half of those jobs were filled at the time, leading to layoffs. But the budget stress isnt quite over. Campus leaders across Missouri are realistic that state dollars are unlikely to return to the funding levels of the early 2000s and could shrink even more. The curators and administrators heard from PricewaterhouseCoopers consultants Friday about ways to streamline, eliminate and replace that could save the university system and the flagship campus, Mizzou, millions of dollars. The consultants were hired to review administrative functions of the Columbia-based operations, focusing on human resources, information technology, finance, supply chain and facilities. According to the consultants, the independence of the campuses has produced some inefficiencies one consultant described it as waste because of duplication. Remedies could also include layoffs. The consultants offered suggestions, but university leaders are tasked with taking the next few months to review systems and make changes that could save upwards of $44 million over the next three years. Multiple times during the meeting, leaders like University of Missouri System President Mun Choi and his CFO Ryan Rapp stressed that the point of this effort was to find savings they could kick back to the core mission of education and research. Similarly, a portion of the savings from the more than $60 million in cuts earlier this year at Mizzou went toward funding a new need-based scholarship. Steelman said it was too early to talk about what he wants to focus on as board chairman, other than supporting leaders as they tackle ongoing budget issues. Joining him in a new leadership roll is newly elected vice chairman Darryl Chatman. Chatman, a Democrat and St. Charles County native, is general counsel for the Department of Agriculture, starting under then-Gov. Jay Nixon. He has four degrees from Mizzou and was appointed to the board in February. The Board of Curators has changed in the past year, participating in more public dialogue than in the past. Though the curators almost always vote unanimously, Steelman often acts as a dissenter in discussion. Chatman has been active, too, openly questioning funding priorities. Steelman said hes open to some disruption during the coming year, calling it healthy. If were making these decisions right, we may have a few split votes, he said, adding that the best answers oftentimes come from competing, strong opinions. The two incoming leaders officially take their roles over Jan. 1. JEFFERSON CITY Gov. Eric Greitens version of a statewide prescription drug monitoring program is now in use. The state recently began receiving data on dispensing records of controlled substances by doctors and pharmacists throughout the state. Its an attempt to identify prescribers who help fuel the abuse of prescription painkillers. State officials said they have already used the data to immediately open investigations although they would not comment on the investigations. Frustrated by the Legislatures failure to pass a statewide prescription drug monitoring program, the only state to lack one, Greitens signed an executive order this summer to form his own. On Nov. 20, the state signed a deal with Express Scripts to obtain prescribing data voluntarily and free, according to a copy of the contract obtained by the Post-Dispatch. This program is a big step in addressing this crisis allowing us to monitor prescribers and dispensers, eliminate bad actors and keep more Missourians safe, Greitens spokesman Parker Briden said in a statement to the Post-Dispatch. Express Scripts is one of the nations largest pharmacy benefit management firms, serving as a middleman between drug makers and employers. Under the contract, the state is to receive a batch of records from Jan. 1 through the end of October and every month after that. Express Scripts is supposed to provide monthly data reports to the Department of Health and Senior Services, according to the contract. The information does not include patient names or information. That data sent to the state includes: the prescribers name, pharmacy name, drug name and strength, quantity, days supply, date drug was dispensed, information on the pharmacy and prescriber and how many refills are available. Express Scripts stands by our efforts to help modernize the states opioid monitoring system. Rather than continuing to let unscrupulous pharmacists and doctors profit from opioid addiction, we are voluntarily sharing our expertise to help end this crisis. Maintaining the status quo is not an option, Express Scripts said in a statement to the Post-Dispatch. Initially, the contract between the state and Express Scripts was expected to cost $250,000. Lawmakers criticized the governor for awarding Express Scripts a Greitens donor a no-bid contract. Language in the executive order and the Nov. 20 contract makes it appear there is nothing preventing the state from entering into data-sharing agreements with other providers and competitors of Express Scripts. Greitens prescription drug monitoring program differs significantly from what has been debated in the Legislature and what is in place in other states and in more than 26 counties and jurisdictions across Missouri. While most monitoring programs track when patients are prescribed an opioid painkiller, this effort focuses on those who prescribe and distribute addictive drugs such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Percocet. Greitens said he wants the program to target pill mills that pump out prescription drugs at dangerous and unlawful levels. Its unclear what criteria the state will use to determine what pharmacy qualifies as a pill mill or whether a doctor is overprescribing. PARK HILLS Though it winds through a watershed thats about as hilly and forested as any in Missouris Ozark region, the Big River is not exactly a destination for float trips or other recreational pursuits. People who do take to its water are met with advisories not to eat the fish. And long gone are the days when its freshwater mussels were collected and made into buttons, with populations of those and other bottom-dwelling species, such as crayfish, dwindling over the years. Thats because the Big River cuts through the heart of Missouris Lead Belt, which once supported the globes most prolific concentration of lead mines an industry that experts say has left parts of the region contaminated with heavy metals. This area provided a good chunk of the worlds lead production for many, many years, and we are still dealing with effects from that legacy, said Eric Gramlich, a Missouri Department of Natural Resources official who helps manage restoration efforts in the area. During an informational meeting Tuesday at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Gramlich and other officials from the DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and additional agencies gathered to talk with area residents about restoration goals for the waterway. The DNR and USFWS are trying to determine how best to spend a pot of at least $24 million stemming from an environmental damage settlement reached with the American Smelting and Refining Co., or Asarco. Lead accumulated in sediments within and along 90 miles of the Big River has become a growing concern as floods have struck the area in recent years, remobilizing the contaminants as theyre swept up and redeposited even threatening the Meramec River, where the Big River empties. Its slowly moving downstream, Gramlich said. He used a picture of one of the areas severely eroded riverbanks to vividly illustrate the issue. That thing is releasing tons of lead-contaminated material in the river each year, Gramlich said. Combating erosion to stop the downstream progression of contaminated sediments is a primary goal of the restoration projects discussed Tuesday. While lead dominates the watersheds pollution concerns, cadmium and zinc are other metals present in the river system. Past work has been done to cover large piles of mine tailings in the area that were key sources of the contaminants. Officials believe that once the watersheds rogue contaminants are immobilized, they may later be more fully remediated. But to first reach that point, officials are looking at projects that would add trees and other vegetation to the river floodplain in an effort to anchor the soil. Alternative projects being evaluated would install logs or other material to stabilize the riverbanks and double as fish habitat during high river stages. In some other areas, erosion is fueled by boreholes small openings cut down into old mines. With those mines now defunct, some boreholes have been reclaimed by groundwater and now gush water. About 3,000 area boreholes have been filled in recent years, but many more remain scattered through the area. Agency representatives are looking to partner with private landowners along the Big River to implement targeted projects many of whom were in attendance Tuesday. Other collaborative efforts would focus on instituting practices on livestock pastures and other agricultural land in the area that cut down on erosion around riparian areas and tributaries. Land management causes erosion. Flooding is going to occur, said Chris Kennedy, a Cape Girardeau-based fisheries regional supervisor for the Missouri Department of Conservation who attended the meeting. We really need to start looking at our streams more in a community fashion. There is no sunset date for the agencies to spend the Asarco money, but Gramlich said he hoped to have some more formal restoration project proposals assembled within the next six months. Tuesdays meeting was simply billed as the first of several to outline plans and possibilities. We want to get with the communities and find out what projects are out there and what ones fit, Gramlich said. In total, the restoration projects being considered will take some time to be completed. Some of these processes are going to take four, five, 10 years, said Dave Mosby, an environmental contaminants specialist with USFWS, based in Columbia. We probably wont have that money spent for another 10, 15 years. Some area residents hope its worth the wait expressing a desire for the Big River to, at last, become more of a recreational or even economic centerpiece for the area. We got nothing in this county, said Joe Barton, a resident of the Frankclay area in western St. Francois County, and one of several camo-clad outdoor enthusiasts in attendance. We need something in the center of this state that will help the local people out. Youd probably be surprised to hear someone living with cancer say they consider themselves lucky. But, that is how I feel. For one, just a few years ago, that statement, living with cancer wasnt something you heard very often. But, its more than just luck that is keeping me and thousands of other patients cancer at bay; its science. Its access to breakthrough medications that have changed the ways we each treat our individual diseases. Im also lucky that Ive had affordable access to these life-saving medications, but thats not the case for everyone. Thats why Im supporting legislation pending in Congress that will build on recent state efforts help to make these critical anti-cancer treatments accessible and affordable to more Americans. Ive been battling my cancer for five years. It came on suddenly and unexpectedly. I thought I had the flu, and the next thing I knew I was in acute renal failure, and soon after diagnosed with multiple myeloma. After an aggressive treatment plan of steroids, chemotherapy shots, IV chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in 2013, my cancer is now in remission. To keep it from recurring, I will be on maintenance chemotherapy for the rest of my life. Originally this meant a shot taken every two weeks that required travel to the clinic, time and the discomfort of the injection. Since 2016, I have been able to take an oral version of this medicine a tablet once every two weeks rather than shots in the belly. This I can take at home with no other medical professional intervention. My family has been lucky that weve had good insurance coverage through my husbands job over the years. But many cancer patients arent so fortunate. Thats because unlike my plan, many plans regulated at the federal level have lagged behind, inflicting greater cost-sharing requirements on patients who are being treated with oral anti-cancer treatments than they do those who are being treated with tradition IV chemotherapy. The result? Many patients prescribed oral medications by their oncologists are faced with a decision to pay for their care, or pay for the rest of lifes necessities. Cancer patients, physicians and oncologists and our advocates have been working hard to change that. Forty-three states, including Missouri and the District of Columbia, have passed legislation in recent years to provide cost-sharing equity to all available anti-cancer medications for patients on insurance plans regulated at the state level. In Congress, HR 1409 the Cancer Drug Parity Act of 2017 will bring that same cost-sharing equity to all anti-cancer treatments for patients who have plans that are federally regulated. The bill ensures that any health plan that provides coverage for cancer chemotherapy treatment does not charge higher cost-sharing for a cancer medication just because it is orally administered. This legislation is important to me and so many others. We have made such strides in combating this disease, we need to make sure every patient has affordable access to the treatment option their doctor prescribes regardless of whether it is an IV or oral medication. The need for this equity will only continue to grow, as the science continues to evolve and more and more of the new treatments being brought to market are in pill form. Think about that: Its really amazing. Cancer, which was once a death sentence for many, can now be managed with a pill. Patients can now live long, full lives while either in remission like me or treating their illness like a chronic condition. While each cancer journey is unique, we all share one thing: the hope for a cure, for ourselves and the disease in general. Until that happens, all treatments must be available at a reasonable cost, to all of us. Im thrilled that Missouri already has these protections in place for patients, and I commend our state leaders, like Sen. Ryan Silvey and House Speaker Todd Richardson, who worked to make that happen in 2014. And I am likewise thrilled to see that U.S. Reps. Billy Long and Vicky Hartzler have signed on to the federal legislation. I am hopeful that more of the Missouri delegation will learn about and support HR 1409 and make cancer care fair for all Americans. Gov. Eric Greitens fools himself into thinking hes a thorn in the side of journalists. Hes so proud of his ability to skirt accountability, Disrupting the Mainstream Media was his panel-discussion presentation at the Republican Governors Association meeting in Texas last month. If Missourians think thats an admirable leadership quality, they should think again. The news media can and will find a way around the governors evasive tactics, as demonstrated in a Post-Dispatch series starting Sunday shining light on the many sordid ways the governor hides his activities from public view. Greitens is playing all Missourians for patsies. When he stashes away millions in dark money campaign contributions and avoids answering tough policy questions from reporters, he gambles that voters simply dont care or arent paying attention. Unlike his carefully cultivated, macho image as a former Navy SEAL, Greitens reflects a more cowardly demeanor someone who slinks behind the scenes and hides behind bodyguards to avoid reporters questions. Real leaders do not behave this way. Real leaders stand up for their actions before the public they serve. Appearing before carefully selected audiences of loyal followers, where orchestrated applause and praise is assured, must never be confused with accountability. In Sundays first series installment, the Post-Dispatchs Kevin McDermott contrasts the promises of candidate Eric Greitens against the actions of the now-governor. Greitens promised a departure from the corrupt practices of past politicians. He condemned these secretive super PACs where anonymous donors dont take any responsibility for what theyre funding. As governor, Greitens is the king of secretive super PAC money. He refused to release his tax records and avoided divulging who paid for his inaugural festivities. Items as mundane as the governors daily schedule and travel logs are state secrets under Greitens. Maybe because they reveal the extent of his extracurricular, non-gubernatorial activities? When the veil of secrecy is lifted, Greitens discomfort level rises. Greitens failed to report that his campaign used the donor list of his charity to raise political funds, which is unlawful. If he thought he could hide these actions to avoid accountability, it didnt work. Greitens is especially protective of the sources of his funding and the amounts individual donors give. That information is relevant because it could show whose interests the governor is serving and where conflicts of interest might exist. When Greitens secretly works to fire the state education commissioner or uses surreptitious methods to serve the interests of, say, industrial hog farms, is he motivated by political conviction? Or is this payback for a hefty dark-money donation? People need to know where their support is coming from and what kind of support it is, said state Sen. Doug Libla, R-Poplar Bluff. This isnt about disrupting the media, its about holding the governor to his own promises of transparency. Editor's note: This editorial has been updated to correct the title of state Sen. Doug Libla. Whoever the new chief of the city police department turns out to be, he or she should know this department has troubles, both inside and outside, that will take a strong and politically savvy leader to fix. This will be a big week for the winnowing process. Eight candidates remain, five of them from outside the department. Up to six of the finalists will meet the public at a town hall meeting Thursday evening at St. Louis University Law School. The next day theyll meet with Mayor Lyda Krewson and retired Judge Jimmie Edwards, the citys public safety director. Some of the challenges the new chief will face are obvious. Homicides already have exceeded the total of 188 reached in each of the past two years. Officers have fatally shot nine people this year, up from five last year, and wounded eight others. Guns, legal and illegal, are all over the streets, making the job increasingly dangerous. Among its 311,000 residents, St. Louis counts a disproportionate share of the criminal population of a region with 2.8 million people. Since Sept. 15, when a judge acquitted former St. Louis Officer Jason Stockley of murder in the 2011 death of motorist Anthony Lamar Smith, the region has seen sporadic protests. Some of the earliest protests got ugly, with bricks and bottles thrown at cops who responded with heavy-handed tactics later ruled by a federal judge to have been excessive. Interim Police Chief Lawrence OToole defended the tactics, boasting at one point that police owned the night. In many minority neighborhoods, residents accuse police of both overly aggressive tactics and insufficient patrol presence. A vicious cycle ensues as distrustful residents wont cooperate with police investigations. Other, less obvious but still disturbing problems point to a troubled department with culture and command discipline issues. African-American officers complain of unequal standards for discipline and promotion. Cases have been thrown out because officers lied to obtain warrants. Last week, a St. Louis chiropractor and his wife pleaded guilty in federal court to bribing at least four city police officers to provide them confidential information from traffic accident reports. Also last week, a report done for Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley implicated many agents likely top police officers of the former state-controlled Board of Police Commissioners in failing to turn over DNA evidence in a 2013 civil case brought for Anthony Lamar Smiths daughter. Also accused were former assistant attorneys general who worked for Hawleys predecessor, Chris Koster. Most cops do a difficult job with pride and courage. St. Louis voters rewarded them last month by raising taxes to increase their pay. They deserve to work for a department that treats them and the public they serve fairly, and insists on absolute integrity. The new chief should bring a broom. Blue bottle jellyfish have been making an appearance on the Papamoa beach this week, sparking an alert for swimmers. The warmer temperatures are bringing the jellyfish to the area, which can leave people and dogs in pain if stung by them. Also known as the Portuguese man o war or the floating terror, the jellyfish can leave people with stings and welts after tentacles have wrapped over the skin. Despite its outward appearance, the Portuguese man o war is not a jellyfish but a siphonophore, which, unlike jellyfish, is not a single multicellular organism, but a colonial organism made up of specialized individual animals (of the same species) called polyps. These polyps are attached to one another and are unable to survive independently, having to work together and function like an individual animal. The name man o war comes from the man-of-war, an 18th-century armed sailing ship, and its supposed resemblance to the Portuguese version at full sail. The Portuguese man o war colony has a bilaterally symmetrical sail shaped bladder filled with gas, with tentacles at one end. It is translucent, and is tinged blue, purple, pink, or mauve. The sail may be 9 to 30 cm long and may extend as much as 15 cm above the water. The gas bladder has up to 14 per cent carbon monoxide. The remainder is nitrogen, oxygen, and argonatmospheric gases that diffuse into the gas bladder. In the event of a surface attack, the sail can be deflated, allowing the organism to briefly submerge. The stinging, venom-filled tentacles of the Portuguese man o war can paralyze small fish and other prey. Detached tentacles and dead specimens, including those that wash up on shore, can sting just as painfully as the live organism in the water and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the organism or the detachment of the tentacle. Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like, red welts on the skin that normally last two or three days after the initial sting, though the pain should subside after about 1 to 3 hours, depending on the biology of the person stung. However, the venom can travel to the lymph nodes and may cause symptoms that mimic an allergic reaction including swelling of the larynx, airway blockage, cardiac distress, and an inability to breathe. Vinegar applied to the stings is not recommended, as this can make the blue bottle stings more painful. Instead, washing the affected area with saltwater, removing any tentacles or sting attached to the skin without touching them, and then placed the affected skin in warm water -45 degree Celsius - is encouraged. Relief can also be experienced by the application of shaving cream to the wound for 30 seconds, followed by shaving the area with a razor and rinsing the razor thoroughly between each stroke. This removes any remaining unfired nematocysts which hold the stinging venon. After this, heat in the form of hot salt water or hot packs may be applied, as heat speeds the breakdown of the toxins already in the skin. If the reaction is severe or symptoms worsen, antihistamines and hydrocortisone creams may help. If a person develops reduced consciousness or difficulty breathing call 111. When youve lost a loved one, Christmas can be one of the most difficult times of the year. The Tree of Remembrance provides an opportunity to remember someone special during the festive season, and to make a donation to support your local hospice service. Last year the Tree of Remembrance raised almost $30,000 for Waipuna Hospice in the Western Bay of Plenty. The majority of trees are hosted in Farmers stores, including those in Downtown Tauranga and Bayfair. Customers make a donation at the counter to receive a decoration to write a message on and hang on the tree. You can also purchase a special bauble for your own Christmas tree for $10. In the Western Bay of Plenty you can also find remembrance trees at the following locations: Countdown Cameron Road, Pakn Save Tauranga Crossing and Brookfield New World until Sunday, December 10; Harvey Norman Mount Maunganui, Saturday-Sunday, December 9-10; Pakn Save Papamoa, Countdown Bureta and Palmers Bethlehem from Thursday-Sunday, December 14-17; Taurangas Christmas in the Park on Saturday, December 9; Tauranga Farmers Market Saturday, December 16 and Mount Main Street Market Sunday, December 17. Waipuna Hospice provides specialist medical care for Western Bay of Plenty people living with a life-limiting illness, as well as providing support services for their families. This year it has cared for about 1000 patients. A very wet spring followed by a hot, dry start to summer has put pressure on summer feed supply for dairy farmers in Waikato and Bay of Plenty. With the unusual start to summer, DairyNZ is encouraging dairy farmers to have a plan in case dry conditions continue. "Pasture is open after pugging damage, quantity of silage harvested is down and in many cases crops havent been planted or were planted two to three weeks late," says DairyNZ North Waikato regional leader Phil Irvine. "With PKE $80-$90/t more expensive than this time last year, its important to start thinking about targets and options if the summer is a dry one. Having said that, there has been a lot of late maize planted on non-dairy land." Data also shows current soil conditions are drier than normal in parts of Northland, Taranaki, Lower North Island and Southland. "Its apparent that in many regions silage yields are down and summer crops have been sown late," says DairyNZ extension general manager Andrew Reid. "Farmers always factor variable weather into their seasonal plans, so many, if not all, across the country will be pretty well prepared for the conditions were experiencing. "However, it is timely to revisit the summer plan and talk through different scenarios with the farm team. For example, supplementary feed usage, culling policies, once-a-day milking, irrigation priorities and what the target dates and trigger points for dry-off decisions are. "Its easier to have these in place now rather than trying to work through them during a stressful dry period. "Dairy farmers will be monitoring the condition of their cows - and their feed supply. For many, winter and spring pasture damage and subsequent weed burdens may mean changing expectations about how these pastures will perform over summer." Many of DairyNZs Tiller Talk farmers, who are working to improve their pasture management and are sharing their progress online, talk about how they are responding to dry conditions. Many are extending rotation length and some farmers have started 16-hour milking intervals. To see their updates - including average pasture growth rates, pasture cover and rotation lengths, visit dairynz.co.nz/tillertalk. For guidance on how to prepare for summer weather, or to check your options, visit www.dairynz.co.nz/summer In supercalifragilisticexpialidocious news, humanitarian Chloe Wright has been named Patron of the New Zealand Spelling Bee. Now in its 13th year, the New Zealand Spelling Bee is a competitive spelling event aimed at encouraging Year 0-to-10 students to gain a love of the English language. The programme improves spelling capabilities, comprehension and communication skills. Spelling Bee founder Janet Lucas says the not-for-profit organisation is honoured that Tauranga resident and CEO of the Wright Family Foundation, Chloe, has agreed to become its patron. Chloe is a huge advocate for literacy in New Zealand, and we couldnt run the Spelling Bee without the support of her and the Wright Family Foundation, says Janet. The foundation is our sole sponsor and has actively grown the Bee to be one of the most recognised scholastic events in New Zealand since coming on board in 2014. That was the turning point for the event and secured its future, resourcing it so that the programme could be expanded into primary and intermediate schools. About 800 primary and intermediate schools now sign up for the programme every year. Janet says Chloe is hands-on with her support and loves attending Spelling Bee events and interacting with contestants whenever possible. Chloe who is also Patron of the Kids Lit Quiz - says she is humbled and honoured to be asked to be the Patron of an event she is so passionate about. The New Zealand Spelling Bee is a fantastic initiative that supports students to expand their vocabulary and celebrates their success, says Chloe. The fantastic work by Janet and the team resonates with the Wright Family Foundations vision to enable individuals to achieve their full potential through education. The foundation wants to create articulate readers and writers who may go on to higher education with confidence. The Spelling Bee is a perfect fit with that goal. Supporting the New Zealand Spelling Bee is just one of the avenues Chloe is using via the Wright Family Foundation to support individuals to achieve their full potential through education, health and environmental initiatives. Other organisations to benefit from the foundations generosity include Birthing Centre, Plunket, Brainwave Trust Aotearoa, Parenting Place, SuperGrans, Graeme Dingle Foundation and House of Science. This year the foundation launched Love Grows Brains, an initiative to support New Zealand families and communicate the critical importance of talking, reading, singing and interacting with babies and young children. Education is at the heart of everything we do, says Chloe. We want to actively encourage others to unleash their potential through education in various forms. Literacy is something I am passionate about, and am always keen to support. Our objective is to improve the wellbeing of all Kiwis and their communities through education. BY MILLIE ROTHROCK Staff When Wythe County Sheriff Keith Dunagan heard that a double homicide had been committed on the eastern end of the county, he prayed it wasnt true. After all, homicide is rare here and double homicide unheard of in his nearly four decades of police work. Dunagan quickly dispatched officers to where the tipster said the crime occurred: a lot on Reed Creek Drive with an empty house and white outbuilding. Deputies investigated and soon called the sheriff back. Its true, the chief deputy said. What began as a missing persons report at the end of November turned into Wythe Countys first double homicide in as long as anyone can remember. Two young men lay dead behind the outbuilding, shot in the head; three teenagers charged in the deadly crime. Five lives, five families and countless friends shattered in the time it took to fire two shots from a handgun. The story began to unfold Nov. 30, the last time anyone saw 17-year-old Aidan Dawson, who had been reported missing. An avid user of social media, Dawson posted on his Instagram account about that same time. In the photo, he is standing on a small porch of a brick house, wearing jeans and a black Louis Vuitton belt. The location tag which may or may not have been accurate - said Atlanta, Georgia. Then the account went dark. No posts. Nothing. Five days later, during the early evening hours Tuesday, someone called the sheriffs office to report two men were dead near a house on the 1800 block of Reed Creek Drive, the same road where, in 1996, police found the body of another 17-year-old slaying victim. When investigators arrived this time, they found the remains of Dawson and his 24-year-old friend, Ray Rodriguez. Within six hours, deputies had three suspects in custody: Dylan Alexander McGlothlin, 18, of Max Meadows; Jared Stephens, 19, of Austinville; and Hunter Armbrister, 18, also of Max Meadows. Investigators believe the homicides happened either Thursday, Nov. 30, the day Dawson was last seen, or Friday, Dec. 1. Officials believe McGlothlin was the triggerman, killing Dawson and Rogriguez with one shot to each mans head while the five men sat in a red Jeep at the Reed Creek property. Stephens was at the wheel, Rodriguez was in the passengers seat and McGlothlin, Dawson and Ambrister were in the back of the Jeep. The suspects then dragged or carried the bodies to behind the outbuilding, Dunagan said. And until Tuesday night, lived their lives. In early December, an online account that appears to belong to McGlothlin shows McGlothlin smiling and wearing a black Louis Vuitton belt like Dawsons. Stephens retweeted Twitter posts pleading for help finding Dawson. Rodriguez also had a black Louis Vuitton belt like Dawsons belt. In a social media post about a week before his death, Rodriquez is seen wearing it. The caption to that post reads: Couple niggaz plotting on killing me Do it look like Im worried. Investigators issued search warrants for the Jeep and a second vehicle, McGlothlins white Camaro, where they found a handgun they believe to be the murder weapon, Dunagan said. It looked like someone had tried to clean the Jeep, he added. The sheriff said the five men knew each other, but the strength of the friendships is not known at the time. Nor is a motive for the killings, although Dunagan thinks drugs were somehow involved. There is no evidence that the men argued before the homicide occurred, he said. None of the suspects has criminal records. Rodriguez, though, was convicted in October 2014 in Carroll County Circuit court on three counts of carnal knowledge of a 13- to 14-year-old female. According to court records, he received three 10-year sentences, with nine years suspended from each, to run consecutively. Its a big case for a small county. Dunagan has 26 employees working on it and is getting help from the Wytheville Police Department and the Virginia State Police, which has given him access to a task force. On Thursday, divers were busy searching for evidence in some body of water, but Dunagan wouldnt reveal the location. The case involves so many people with so many stories that it will take two weeks or longer to put together a narrative of what happened, the sheriff said. He said more search warrants and charges will probably be filed in the case; however, there are no more suspects. McGlothlin is facing two capital murder charges, two use of a firearm in the commission of murder charges and two disposal of a body charges. The punishment for capital murder is life without parole or the death penalty. It is the first capital murder case in the county in recent memory. As a defendant in a capital murder case, McGlothlin must have a lawyer with experience in trying a capital case. The court appointed attorney Steve Milani with the Office of the Capital Defender for Southwest Virginia and Jimmy Turk to represent him. The sheriff said deputies were familiar with McGlothlin. About two months ago, another online photo of McGlothlin shows him holding a handgun against his face. Stephens was charged with two counts of being an accessory after the fact to capital murder. His attorney is Michael Sobey. Unemployed and supported financially by his parents, Stephens had a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge dismissed in March, according to court documents. LEO advises the accused is polite and cooperative, a magistrate wrote in Stephens paperwork. Accused is polite and respectful during the hearing. Armbrister, who works at a milk barn, was charged with two counts of being an accessory after the fact to capital murder, one count of attempted disposal or altering of a dead body and one count of attempted disposal of a dead body. He is represented by Christopher Munique. In court documents, Armbrister was subpoenaed as a witness in the criminal case against a 16-year-old Max Meadows boy, Caleb Spencer, accused of shooting at juveniles after they met up for a fight. Spencer is being tried as an adult and McGlothlin has reposted at least one of Spencers songs on his own online song-sharing page. The latest crime has rocked the county, especially since everyone involved is so young. Local high schools may be rivals, but the students all know each other or know of one another. Dawson was a senior at George Wythe High School. McGlothlin, who attended Wytheville Community College, graduated from Fort Chiswell High School in 2017. Ambrister also graduated from FCHS in 2017; Stephens graduated from there in 2016. Rodriguez attended FCHS, where he was a gifted athlete. All of the suspects and victims were high school athletes. Wednesday night, friends and families of the victims gathered in Withers Park to honor Dawson and Rodriguez. After hearing kind words and memories about the two men, people in attendance held up candles as two red, heart-shaped balloons were released into the chilly night air. All over social media, students and community members alike have expressed their shock and sadness over the crime. Many write glowingly of Dawson and Rodriguez. Ray was such a young, talented, bright spirit and someone who I will always call my brother, one friend said of Rodriguez, who enjoyed music and dreamed of becoming a professional rapper. Many said he showed promise. The father of a young daughter, he has recorded videos under the name Young Trill that appear on YouTube. R.I.P. bro you are and will be missed until we meet again, a viewer wrote. Cant wait to hear this guy on the radio, another wrote two years ago. He WILL be there. Also a rapper, McGlothlin has several songs on SoundCloud with 190 followers. His profile says he is a musician who fell in love with the art that music offers. A GWHS student said the school was eerily quiet Wednesday as everyone there absorbed the loss of the popular Dawson. Many students checked out of school. On Thursday, students at Wythe County high schools and at Bland County High School wore Dawsons favorite color, red. Friends said Dawson had a smile that could light up a room and people were naturally drawn to him. He was the type of kid that could walk in a room full of people and just make everybody happy, one friend said. He was always happy and always smiling. He was such a happy dude, he was always happy. The murders hit students and teachers at GWHS and FCHS hard. Never in my life have I walked through a hallway at the beginning of the day and there is nothing but silence. It was just quiet, one student said Wednesday after news of the deaths were announced. I think everybody is just trying to take it in. Wythe County Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Perry said the school system is saddened by the loss of its students and that crisis counselors have been in place to help those struggling with the deaths and arrests. As a father, it is hard to imagine the loss of a child. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the parents and family members impacted by this loss. We also realize that there will be a number of friends, relatives, and staff members connected with this situation who will be impacted. We have additional counselors and crisis management teams in place to effectively deal with those who are struggling, Perry said. We have been in constant communication with building level administrators and they are doing a wonderful job dealing with the students and the issues created by the situation. We are so appreciative of the administration and staff who possess such a caring and compassionate spirit toward the wellbeing of students. We will keep the family and friends in our thoughts and prayers. We stand ready to do all that we can to help our students and community through this process. Sheriff Dunagan said the community is taking the crime and the arrests hard, adding that he cant go out without being asked about it. He said people wonder how such a senseless act of violence could happen here. Dunagan wonders, too, but he is confident in his teams case. I think weve got plenty to convict this kid of capital, he said. To reach Millie Rothrock, call 228-6611, ext. 35, or email mrothrock@wythenews.com. Managing Editor Jeffrey Simmons also contributed to this report. Tazewell County emergency responders may soon find it easier and quicker to locate hard-to-find, hidden or poorly lighted driveways for households with disabled and at-risk senior citizens. The Tazewell County TRIAD is taking applications for reflective address signs that will be provided and installed free of charge for 250 eligible households. Many Tazewell County households do not have easy and well identified access to driveways and many do not have any type of addressing visible on the home. This makes it very difficult for emergency responders to locate many households in an emergency when seconds count! The funding for these signs was secured through grant funding from Virginia TRIAD and the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. Tazewell County TRIAD is a cooperative effort of law enforcement agencies (police/fire/sheriff), senior citizens, and senior organizations, focused on reducing crimes against our most vulnerable citizens: our seniors. Tazewell County Sheriffs Deputy, Patricia Belcher, currently serves as Chairperson of Tazewell County TRIAD. Deputy Belcher has worked tirelessly to invite and secure additional Tazewell County organizations and law enforcement representation for TRIAD and has also been successful in helping TRIAD better serve Tazewell County senior citizens. Examples of TRIAD programs for Tazewell County seniors include sponsorship of the annual TRIAD Senior Safety Day in October and the reflective address road sign project. Applications for the road signs will be available at Clinch Valley Community Action, across from the N. Tazewell Post Office, online at www.clinchvalleycaa.org and by email at swhite@clinchvalleycaa.org. Completed applications can be dropped off at Clinch Valley Community Action or mailed to CVCA, P.O. Box 188, N. Tazewell, VA, 24630-0188. Approve applicants will be notified following an eligibility review. TRIAD will be working with area first responders, scout troops, church groups, and other area organizations to install the signs at eligible addresses. Anyone with questions about the reflective address signs or Tazewell County TRIAD can contact Susan White at 276-988-5583 or Patricia Belcher at 276-988-5966. Update: The Syracuse Fire Department says the 64-year-old woman carried out of the burning house died Saturday night. Two firefighters also were injured while battling the fire. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A woman was in bed Saturday morning when she noticed smoke inside her Syracuse home. The 64-year-old woman has a back problem, said Syracuse Fire Chief Paul Linnertz, and couldn't get out of her home. A friend headed to the woman's 1134 Wadsworth St. home to look for the source of the smoke. When he arrived, he opened a door and discovered the home was filled with so much smoke that he couldn't step inside, Linnertz said. The friend called 911 at 10:12 a.m. When firefighters arrived minutes later, Linnertz said the home was "fully charged with smoke." Firefighters entered the smoke-filled home to rescue the woman from the second floor. "Unfortunately, the occupants have a lot of clutter," Linnertz said. "There's a foot or two of stuff on every floor in the house, so it was very difficult for the fireman to move through there." Due to the clutter, Linnertz said it took firefighters about 15 minutes to get the woman out of the home. Paramedics and firefighters placed the woman on a stretcher and tucked a white blanket around her. She was placed in an American Medical Response Ambulance and rushed to Upstate University Hospital. As of late Saturday morning, the woman was in critical condition, Linnertz said. A firefighter injured his ankle while fighting the fire, Linnertz said. Watching neighbors clapped in support of the firefighter as he was wheeled away from the smoky home on a stretcher. When the smoke dissipated, Syracuse police officers strung yellow tape across both sides of Wadsworth Street. Firefighters then began to investigate what started the fire. There were no smoke detectors in the home, Linnertz said. He wasn't sure if the residence was livable. In addition to searching for the cause of the fire, Linnertz said investigators would try to pinpoint where the fire started. There was nothing burning inside the rooms, so it appeared the fire was burning in the walls of the home, the chief said. "It's hard to find the fire and open the walls in the midst of all the clutter," Linnertz said. "It's a difficult situation." SYRACUSE, N.Y.-- A man is in critical condition after being shot and crashing his sedan into a light pole on the Near West Side, according to Syracuse police. At the scene, a dark-colored sedan is crumpled against a light pole and surrouded by police tape at Gifford and South Geddes streets. A police surveillance camera is affixed to the pole. The Syracuse Police Department's mobile crime scene van was at the scene, in addition to firefighters and at least a dozen police officers. Across the steeet from the damaged vehicle, a section of a black fence lining the sidewalk is destroyed. Police got a call regarding shots fired and a car crash on the 600 block of S. Geddes Street around 7:20 p.m., spokesman Sgt. Richard Helterline said. They discovered that a man in the vehicle appeared to have been shot. The victim was rushed to Upstate University Hospital and is in critical condition. "Detectives and officers are currently at scene and this investigation is in the early stages. Additional information will be released as it becomes available, Helterline said. Helterline said there is no information about a possible suspect at the moment. South Geddes Street between Seymour and Otisco streets is closed while police investigate. --This is a developing story and will be updated. Debris from a vehicle is left at the scene on the Near West Side after a shooting Friday vending. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A Syracuse University student was robbed at gunpoint on Friday night while he was walking on the 900 block of Comstock Avenue, according to SU police. The student told police that a dark-colored sedan containing four young men drove up to him. One of the suspects had a gun and demanded the student's money. The student gave over his cash, and the vehicle then drove away heading north toward campus. No one was injured. The university police are asking the public for help identifying the suspects. Department officials described the suspects as being aged between 16 and 20 and driving in a dark-colored, four-door sedan. Police ask anyone with information to call the Department of Public Safety at (315)443-2224. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A teenager who crashed his car after being shot Friday in Syracuse has died, police said. The Syracuse Police Department rushed to the 600 block of South Geddes Street around 7:20 p.m. after callers reported hearing gunshots. A car crash was also reported in the area, said Sgt. Richard Helterline, a police spokesman. When police arrived, they found a crumpled car that had crashed into a light pole at South Geddes and Gifford streets. The 18-year-old driver was found wounded inside the car, Helterline said. The teenager had been shot in his upper body, he said. The teenager was rushed to Upstate University Hospital by American Medical Response. He died shortly after at the hospital, Helterline said. The victim's name will be released after his family is notified, Helterline said. His death marks Syracuse's 18th homicide in 2017. Debris from a vehicle is left at the scene on the Near West Side after a shooting Friday evening. Investigators have determined the teenager was stopped at a traffic light when he was shot, Helterline said. At the time, the teen's car was facing north on South Geddes Street near Seymour Street, he said. After the shooting, the car traveled north on South Geddes Street, Helterline said. The car then drove off the east side of the roadway before hitting a building and a pole, he said. "This investigation is continuing, but at this time, there is no additional information or suspect description available," Helterline said. Police shut down South Geddes Street between Seymour and Otisco streets Friday evening while they investigated the deadly shooting. Crime scene tape fenced in the teenager's damaged, dark-colored sedan -- which came to stop against a pole. A police surveillance camera was on top of the pole. Police asked anyone with information about the homicide to call (315) 442-5222. Police said anonymous tips can be submitted through the SPD Tips app or by calling the department's homicide tip line at (315) 442-5223. A Mattoon Police Department press release reported that Cheryl L. Moore, 37, of Mattoon was arrested at 1:43 p.m. Friday on a charge of theft by deception. The charge alleges that Moore used social media to raise money for a medical condition for which she was fraudulently purporting to be actively receiving medically treatment. She allegedly spent the money that she raised on other personal matters. Update: The Syracuse Fire Department says the 64-year-old woman carried out of the burning house died Saturday night. Two city firefighters also were injured while battling the fire. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A woman who was rescued by firefighters from her burning Syracuse home is in critical condition, the fire chief said. The Syracuse Fire Department rushed to 1134 Wadsworth St. at 10:12 a.m. on Saturday. When firefighters arrived minutes later, the home was filled with smoke, said Fire Chief Paul Linnertz. Firefighters entered the burning home to rescue a 64-year-old woman, Linnertz said. The woman has a back problem and couldn't leave her bed, he said. It took firefighters about 15 minutes to carry the woman out of the cluttered home, Linnertz said. The woman was rushed to Upstate University Hospital by American Medical Response. She is in critical condition, Linnertz said. A firefighter was also taken to Upstate. The firefighter suffered an ankle injury, Linnertz said. Firefighters are now working to determine what caused the fire, Linnertz said. A woman from New York is suing a surgeon after he allegedly held a phone conversation while conducting an operation on her. As a result of the overheard conversations, in one of which he was heard stating that he had blurred vision, the patient experienced emotional distress and panic. Smartphone Lawsuit A 70-year-old woman from New York filed a lawsuit against her surgeon after a strange set of events, which evidently caused her emotional distress. It all began when Mary Edwards developed a varicose vein in one leg and consulted her regular physician who referred her to the surgeon Dr. Eric Fishman, a licensed physician specializing in vascular surgery. According to the lawsuit, Edwards was administered with a local anesthesia and was conscious during the duration of the first operation wherein Dr. Fishman openly conversed with another individual in the operating room about another patient's condition. During the second operation in September, Dr. Fishman allegedly held several conversations using his own personal phone, which was not sanitized before brought into the operating room. During the said conversations, Dr. Fishman spoke in both English and Spanish, and mentioned having diabetes, experiencing night sweats, and having blurred vision among other topics. As a result, Edwards experienced panic and distress. After the procedure, Dr. Fishman explained to Edwards that he was actually completing a Spanish language proficiency exam as he had many Spanish speaking patients, and that the time of Edwards' operation was the only time he had to complete the examination. After meeting with Dr. Fishman and several Westmed Medical Group officials, they concluded that the actions were inappropriate and not respectful to the patient. As a result, Edwards has filed a lawsuit against Dr. Fishman and Westmed, Dr. Fishman's employer. Phones In The Operating Room According to a statement by the American College of Surgeons on distractions in the operating room, they state that the use of smartphones in the room by the surgeon or other members of the operating team may pose as a distraction to patient care. What's more, members of the operating team must only engage in emergency and urgent outside calls, and that personal communication during an operation must be minimized and kept brief. As much as possible, mobile phones must be placed on silent mode and phone calls must be forwarded to the OR desk or directed to voice mail. It is also mentioned in the statement that mobile phones or any accessories must not compromise the sterile state of the operating room. Dr. Fishman has since admitted to his mistake, stating that he could neither defend nor excuse his behavior during the said operation. What's more, he has also stated that he was glad that Edwards made a complaint to Westmed about what he did. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. An Omaha man has filed a six-figure lawsuit against American Airlines for injuries he alleges were caused by extreme turbulence on a flight in 2015. According to the suit filed earlier this week in U.S. District Court, Ronald Hansen sustained a severe back injury as a result of turbulence on a flight from Dallas to Omaha on Dec. 13, 2015. The suit says that after the plane reached its cruising altitude, it encountered, "unannounced, sudden and severe turbulence, resulting in large, abrupt changes in altitude for a lengthy duration." Hansen's lawsuit said he was "forced violently against his seat belt several times, which resulted in significant and severe back injury." The suit seeks more than $134,000 in damages for medical bills and related costs as well as an undetermined amount of damages for pain and suffering and lost wages due to permanent disability. An American Airlines spokesman said the company hadn't seen the lawsuit and couldn't comment on it. On Dec. 8, the United States' first black astronaut was given full honors on the 50th anniversary of his death. Though he did not get a chance to go to space, he was instrumental in opening the door for a more diverse astronaut corps. 50th Death Anniversary Hundreds of people gathered at the Kennedy Space Center to commemorate Major Robert H. Lawrence Jr., America's first black astronaut. The guests who came to celebrate his life included astronauts, fellow fraternity members, NASA dignitaries, school children, and Lawrence's family members. Lawrence was a member of a classified military space program in the 1960s which was intended to spy on the Soviet Union. However, before he even got to space, he was killed in an aircraft training exercise in 1967 when his F-104 Starfighter crashed at Edwards Air Force Base. He was 32 years of age at the time of his death. Lawrence was given full honors at the ceremony where the astronauts who spoke stated that he would likely have gone to space had he not died in the accident. 'The Fast Track' According to Robert Crippen who was also a member of the military space program, when the Air Force's space program was canceled in 1969, he and the other astronauts moved on to NASA where he became the pilot of the first space shuttle flight. With Lawrence's doctoral degree in physical chemistry and having graduated college at just 20 years of age, Crippen said that Lawrence was on "the fast track" and would have had a great future. Lawrence was unknown for many years after his death but in 1997, exactly 30 years after his death, the Astronauts Memorial Foundation acknowledged him as the first African-American astronaut in NASA history and added his name to the foundation's Space Mirror at the Kennedy Space Center. Paving The Way For Diversity In the 1970s, NASA opened their doors to selecting African-American candidates to become astronauts. In 1978, NASA's astronaut class included Guion Bluford who was the first African-American to go to space in 1983, Ron McNair who unfortunately perished in the Challenger accident in 1984, and Fred Gregory who, among his other achievements at NASA, eventually became its first African-American deputy administrator. Many more African-Americans went on to become notable figures at NASA and continue to do so until today. Although Lawrence did not go into space himself, his achievements paved the way for diversity in the astronaut corps and allowed those after him to make their own mark in space flight history. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Black holes are known to gobble up stars voraciously, due to their intense gravitational pull, and emit streams of matter at nearly the speed of light. A new study has, however, dispelled this long-believed notion. A team of astronomers from the University of Florida has published a paper, in the journal Science, which indicates the magnetic fields of black holes are not that powerful. Black Hole V404 Cygni The scientists conducted the study after getting a rare opportunity to measure the magnetic field of a black hole referred to as V404 Cygni. It is located 8,000 light years away from Earth and has a width of 40 miles. The measurements were developed from data collected in 2015 when V404 Cygnis had a rare outburst of jets. The lens mirror of the 34-foot Gran Telescopio Canarias in Canary Islands, Spain was used to observe the event. The research team found that V404 Cygnis magnetic energy is around 400 times less than it was crudely estimated before. V404 Cygnis measurements have enabled scientists to know more about how black holes magnetism works. The measurements will also enable researchers to solve the puzzle of how jets of particles traveling at approximately the speed of light are emitted out of the magnetic fields of black holes, while every other thing gets vacuumed into their abysses. "Our surprisingly low measurements will force new constraints on theoretical models that previously focused on strong magnetic fields accelerating and directing the jet flows, said Stephen Eikenberry, co-author of the study. We weren't expecting this, so it changes much of what we thought we knew." Smaller black holes, like the V404 Cygni which produce jets, are the rock stars of galaxies. Their outburst is sudden and short-lived, for instance, V404 Cygnis outburst lasted for only a few weeks and before that, its last outburst was in 1989. The study findings have deepened the knowledge of how matter behaves in the most extreme conditions. The knowledge can also widen the limits of GPS systems and nuclear fusion power in the future. Black Hole Size Scientists believe that black holes come in various sizes. Supermassive black holes are the ones that have a mass million to billion times more than the sun, measuring about the Solar Systems size. They are present in the center of all massive galaxies and possibly play a decisive part in its formation and evolution. Then, there are black holes that are only about slightly more massive than the sun. The merger of dense remains of stars like neutron stars, the collision of a neutron star with another stellar black hole or the cataclysmic death throes of massive stars form them. Gravitational waves are produced when they merge. However, even the closest supermassive black hole is nearly 30,000 light years away from Earth, so it is challenging for scientists to study their magnetic fields. Fortunately, the V404 Cygni is comparatively closer and can help scientists study the feeding of black holes and cosmic indigestion. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Clutch is heading into the studio in January. That means those who turn up at the Bourbon Theatre Wednesday for the Maryland hard rockers' show are going to hear some new songs. How many? Well, that, drummer Jean-Paul Gaster said, is a question that cant be answered until showtime. We change the setlist every night, Gaster said Tuesday from a tour stop in St. Augustine, Florida. We take turns writing it. So what were playing tonight will be completely different than what we play in Nebraska. That keeps us engaged in the show and I think the audience appreciates it. The Clutch audience, the people who know us and come to see us, they know when they come to the show, were going to try stuff. We have some classics. But we dont play all the same classics every night. After 25 years, we have a pretty massive collection of tunes we can draw from. But it also means that, depending on which member of the hard rock quartet writes the list, as many as five or as few as two new songs could turn up in Wednesdays set. Regardless of the number, Gaster said, its important for the band to play the songs that theyll start recording next month in Nashville live. For us, to play the new songs in front of an audience is critical, he said. Its where the songs come to life. Before we play them live, its sort of hypothetical. The songs sort of have to fend for themselves live. They have to be great and you can tell right away if they are. Playing the new songs on stage also lets the band tweak the compositions. It might be an arrangement, Gaster said. Or it might be personal, the way Im feeling the groove in a particular passage. What Gaster plays Wednesday may not be all that close to how he plays the song when it is being recorded. At the beginning of a song's development, Gaster said, he will play less and listen to what the guitars and bass are playing and to Neil Fallons vocals. That lets him build in the drums, fitting in the percussion in service of the overall song. That sounds very much like a jazz approach, is that where its rooted? Ive definitely spent a lot of time listening to jazz, Gaster said. I studied with a big-band drummer. The drum kit we play is a brand-new instrument. Drums have been played for thousands of years. The drum kit is less than 100 years old. This is a jazz instrument. Its important to be aware of that. Its really about listening to guys who came before you. Before Mitch Mitchell and John Bonham, there was Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey and it goes on and on. Everybody learns something from somebody else. Very little of what we play is brand, brand new. Its an amalgam of what youve heard, whatve listened to on record, what you bring. Formed by four high school friends in Germantown, Maryland, and still based in Frederick, Maryland, where they write and rehearse each album, Clutch has been bringing its Southern-rock-tinged hard rock since 1991. Signed to East West Records, a Warner Brothers subsidiary, then major labels Columbia and Atlantic, Clutch had its biggest breakthrough with 2004s Blast Tyrant on DRT, powered by the single The Mob Goes Wild. Releasing its music on its own Weathermaker label since 2009, Clutch has released 11 studio albums, most recently 2015s Psychic Warfare, and six live discs. So what keeps the quartet together for more than a quarter century? The main thing is we dont want to get real jobs, Gaster said. Were all in the same boat as far as that goes. When we started the band, we didnt go in it to make a career out of it. It was to play good shows and to make recordings wed want to share with our friends. Thats how its been all along. When you focus on the music like we did, it cuts out a lot of the extraneous nonsense of being in a band. That focus on the music, good shows and songs to play for friends and fans will be in effect at the Bourbon, especially on the new songs, regardless of how many of them get played. The (new) songs, were very proud of them, Gaster said. "They seem to play themselves live in some way. Weve gotten better at that. Were better songwriters than we were 25 years ago. We play better than we did 25 years ago. Two Lincoln teenagers are set to go to jail this week and must stay off social media for the next 18 months after they recorded and shared video of themselves engaging in sex acts with a 17-year-old girl. Neither of the 18-year-old men, who pleaded no contest to intruding on a person without consent, a misdemeanor, said anything at their back-to-back sentencing hearings Thursday in Lancaster County Court. The Journal Star does not generally name people convicted of misdemeanors. In a letter to the judge, one man said he can't be in the military now because of the conviction, calling it a "life sentence." But that life sentence is self-imposed, Judge Laurie Yardley said, because the teen made a choice: Had he asked the girl in the video before sharing it, this wouldn't have happened. What the two did changed the girl's life, the judge said. "You imposed that life sentence on her," Yardley said, before giving them each 60 days in jail. They must serve half beginning Thursday and the rest a year from now. She also ordered them to take a victim-empathy class and to stay off social media, including Snapchat, the smartphone app the teens used to share the video. The two could have faced much rougher penalties. Police originally arrested them in August and accused them of manufacturing child pornography, a felony. The girl told investigators Aug. 5 that a video of her and the two men engaging in sex acts was being shared on Snapchat and other social media, according to an arrest affidavit. She had caught them recording with their cellphones when she was with them late July 28. She asked them to delete the videos, she said, and they promised they would. But a week later, she learned one of them had shared a video with a Snapchat group of 10 to 15 people, she told investigators. Two people in the chain cooperated with investigators and confirmed the girl's account. One of the greatest challenges for law enforcement is stopping the spread of illicit photos and videos on social media or through texting, Lancaster County prosecutors said this week. Controlling the distribution is the fundamental starting point for many child pornography investigations, Chief Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Bruce Prenda said. If investigators can get to the end of the distribution line quickly, then prosecutors can look at alternatives to prosecution in the case, he said. Often, cases involving minors don't rise to the prosecution level. Before 2009, juveniles younger than 19 who voluntarily exchanged nude photos of themselves could be found guilty of possessing child pornography. Nebraska lawmakers have since changed state law to protect those young people as long as they don't share the images with anyone else. Since then, Lancaster County prosecutors have pursued about a dozen child pornography cases each year 10 in adult court and two in juvenile court, Prenda said. And police tend to focus on cases where the images are shared without permission. School resource officers in Lincoln's high schools are often the first to know when minors spread the images themselves, Prenda said. Many cases emerging from high schools and even middle schools involve so-called revenge porn, where a couple exchanges nude images (called "sexting") while they dated, and one of them shares the images with others after a breakup. At Lincoln Public Schools, staffers immediately inform Lincoln police about such cases, and take their own disciplinary action after the resolution of the police's case, said Joe Wright, the district's director of security. "We do the school-related discipline and support afterward so as not to inadvertently impact an investigation," Wright said. An entry in the LPS handbook advises those who come into possession of child pornography to contact a trusted adult and the police, and cautions parents and students that anyone who sends or receives nude photos could face felony child pornography charges and significant penalties. Such photos could also end up on the Internet, the handbook warns. Minors in juvenile court that are found responsible for possession of child pornography don't have to register as sex offenders under Nebraska law. But 18-year-olds and 19-year-olds whose cases are adjudicated in adult court do, Prenda said. "This is a problem thats a lot bigger than an exchange of photos among teenagers, and I dont think the kids are thinking through the potential ramifications," Prenda said. Pat Condon, who is also a chief deputy Lancaster County attorney, said that's why parental involvement in these cases can be crucial. Parents don't always understand that they also face risks, he said. Some phones back up images from the teenager's phone onto online storage that belongs to the parent. If those images feature a nude teenager, it would make the parent in possession of child pornography, he said. The reality that most teens have cellphones and access to instant messaging explains the proliferation of sexting among teenagers, Condon said. "Youre not handing something to somebody, he said. "Its less personal." It's the library for me from now on As a 65-year-old with a limited budget, my one indulgence was to buy The Sunday Age. No More. The Beauty Beat and fashion articles would only only appeal to high-income earners. Not to mention the queries on how to avoid tax when people have accumulated millions of dollars. The articles that are interesting will now be read at the local library. Virginia Stelzer Jan Juc THE FORUM We need more carers I had always believed that being made a ward of the state was more for being offended against than criminal offending ("Breaking the records", 3/12). Police and others should never have been able to use wardship as a conviction. However, there is an even more serious point. Given that there are some circumstances where removal from home is warranted, the system is then unable to provide the promised "care and protection" in many cases. Children become cases to be managed rather than children to be nurtured. Too few people in the community are willing and able to take on the responsibility of improving the life chances of challenging children. Many people are willing to report children who are in harm's way but then see it as "the department's" responsibility to follow through and do the hard yards. People who are willing need to nurture an extra child or family group need strong support if "the department" is to carry out its responsibility effectively. Robert Semmens, Queenscliff How will they know? How are these bakers, etc going to know if the people they are serving are gay? To my knowledge, there is yet to be invented a detector that will buzz when a gay person walks through the door of an establishment. But seriously, the mighty dollar will prevail in the end, it is bigger than any god they might believe in. John Cain, McCrae No to inherited privilege It seems the only alternative to the monarchy Richard Hughes can imagine ("Can we poach Prince Harry?", Comment, 3/12) is to transport Harry and Meghan Markle to the colonies and have fresh generations tug their forelocks while they reign all over us. Flippant commentary of a similar tone saw the groundswell of republican sentiment splintered by John Winston Howard and we must not be duped again. Back then, a monarchist scare campaign about competing heads of government muddied the waters. Fast forward and Vote Compass reports Harry's and Meghan Markle's celebrity status is blunting republican sentiment among younger voters. Fluffy pieces only distract from the principle that an Australian should be our head of state. American psychology professor Frank Farley observed that "the value of individual initiative, hard work and motivation get distorted when we genuflect to royalty and inherited privilege". And there's the rub. Those who live vicariously through vacuous tabloid coverage should reflect upon the values of inherited privilege and elitism that royalty represents. Are we really so short of genuine Australian role models that we must look to overseas embodiments of inherited privilege to fill the job? Grow a pair, Australia. But not this pair. Paul Upperton, Ivanhoe What's with the photos? Every day I read the letters to the editor and construct my own in my head to send in. Maybe today I will write about how terrible the Adani coal mine would be for the climate or should I write about what a con the West Gate Tunnel project is for Melbourne? But what got me incensed last Sunday was the photo of Karlie Kloss in the Sunday Life. This supplement must appeal to a small audience as it is so belittling of women. The Kloss photo, typical of so many in this lift-out, went to the extreme. She is wearing nothing underneath her jacket, her left hand is down around her crotch and her mouth is open in an all too suggestive manner. My words might be censored but the picture won't be. The pose of the wholesome mother of three on the front cover whose family advertise clothes for a full five pages is only marginally less suggestive. What are the messages are you trying to send us with these images? Mary Jo Kelly, Footscray Out of his depth I am almost at the stage of feeling sorry for US President Donald Trump. ("Those in Flynn's orbit should be terrified", 3/12). Mr Trump appears to be an empty-headed, narcissistic man-child who may be street smart, but lacks intellect, stumbling around the White House, phone in hand attacking anyone who dares oppose him. He has no clue about the basic tenets of democracy, such as the importance of the separation of the executive and the judiciary, a free and investigative press, truth in government, elimination of vested interests in the White House, etc. Many hoped that General John Kelly's appointment as Chief of Staff may be of assistance in bringing some stability to the office but he appears to be missing in action. Mr Trump is so far out of his depth it is frightening. On an optimistic note, the system of checks and balances, so important to the democracies such as the US, may be starting to work. Tony Devereux, Nunawading The height of hypocrisy It is surely the height of hypocrisy for Malcolm Turnbull to say (The Age, 3/12) that Senator Sam Dastyari "betrayed Australia". Has not the Liberal Party also taken monies from Chinese donors, the intention of whom seems to be to always take an each way bet in relation to the two main parties? However, are not Malcolm Turnbull and the LNP the real betrayers of Australia for their complete abrogation of responsibility over Australia's future? There are many areas where this abrogation applies, but their antipathy towards any measures to mitigate the effects of climate change and the promotion of renewable energy is one extreme case. Another is their poor long-term grasp of the needs of an economy that promotes equity and ultimately social cohesion. Speculation on housing and widespread tax avoidance has allowed a small group of already wealthy people to become still more wealthy. This has resulted in a whole generation of young people being virtually excluded from the housing market and the widespread creation of social and economic insecurity. Instead of condemning a small fry like Senator Dastyari, the PM should consider whether he himself is the real betrayer of Australia's future. Greg Bailey, St Andrews Where's the apology? Barnaby Joyce may "rejoice over a landslide win" (3/12), but I would like to know what did his carelessness cost our community? He was not the only careless politician who did not do due diligence when he put himself forward for election to Federal Parliament. The same carelessness by an applicant for a pension or unemployment benefit would have serious repercussions. Their incompetence in this matter has been costly for us and they have diminished our view of them in many ways. They have caused delays and created a great distraction to the process of government. Not a one of them has apologised for their incompetence, which has had such impact on our society. Betty Teltscher, South Yarra One down, two to go Like most Australians I celebrate the victory of equality in marriage and the end of legal discrimination against fellow human beings. I look forward to the righting of two other historical wrongs: the recognition of Indigenous people as the first Australians and to be heard in their own right, and for equality in citizenship, so that more than half of Australian citizens who legally have or found to have a dual citizenship are not denied the right to stand for Federal Parliament. George Zangalis, Hawthorn Solar made difficult Thank you for your article about the positive aspects of installing solar panels on residential properties (The Sunday Age, 3/12) not only to reduce power bills but for the climate. However what was missing was the fact that power companies are being obstructive in assisting home owners to progress this. I have just completed a solar installation and am looking forward to being able to generate my own power. The last piece of the installation is the required calibration of the meter by the power company. The power companies feign busy when asked to complete this (simple) last stage. I suspect regulatory authorities will need to work to address this obstruction. Yes, I understand that the economics of the power companies may be under threat, but given the positives of residential solar as outlined in your article, this obstruction cannot be allowed to go on. In the meantime I have an expensive white elephant on my roof! Anne McLean, Heathmont The 23-year-old woman told a Lancaster County jury she had no idea how she ended up naked in Wilder Alvarado's bed. "I just remember five steps on the sidewalk," she testified at Alvarado's trial this week on charges of first-degree sexual assault and false imprisonment. It was St. Patrick's Day, and the woman, then a University of Nebraska-Lincoln student, had a couple of drinks at a work party, then had one or two more afterward with someone from the office. Things got fuzzy from there, she said. She took an Uber home, but didn't have her keys to get inside. From her front porch, she called friends. When they couldn't come get her, she said she decided to go to meet them at a bar downtown. But when she looked at her phone to get another Uber, the words on her phone suddenly looked Japanese, she said. She got frustrated and just started walking. Her next memories come in snapshots. A kitchen table at a house she didn't know. Then lying on her back, a bare-chested man on top of her. "Do you know who?" Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Charlie Byrd asked her. "Yeah, him," she said, pointing to Alvarado. She said she felt numb, like she couldn't feel anything. The next morning, she woke up confused and naked in Alvarado's bed, with him touching her. After she was able to get her phone and find her clothes, she left as quickly as she could and ran home barefoot. She was just up the block from her home, a block from the police station. DNA evidence confirmed they'd had intercourse. In closing arguments Thursday, Alvarado's attorney, Brett McArthur, said: "If it was against the law to have sex with someone who is drunk, we'd need a lot more people and a lot more jails and a lot more lawyers." There's a difference, he said, between someone being intoxicated and someone being passed out and unaware of what's going on. The latter is sexual assault. McArthur said the crux of the case for the jury was whether the woman was blacked out at the time or presenting in a way that Alvarado could've thought she knew what was going on and wanted to participate. He pointed out that Alvarado lived in a second-floor apartment she had gotten upstairs somehow, without anyone else in the building hearing a struggle. Byrd countered that the woman couldn't remember what happened because she was black-out drunk. When she got home she was disheveled, crying, confused. For a week afterward, she sat in a dark room and cried. "If she's making this up, she's one heck of an actor," he argued. The jury reached a verdict Thursday afternoon: guilty of first-degree sexual assault but not guilty of false imprisonment. Alvarado will face up to 50 years when he's sentenced next month. A disused car park in Brisbanes inner south-east will be transformed into a BYO food truck hub, catering to foodies seven days a week. The Woolloongabba Truckin' Hungry venue, which sits opposite the Princess Alexandra hospital, will kick off on Saturday and will host up to eight food trucks per day, venue co-director Ihab Iman said. Food trucks will be on a daily rotation at the site. He said the site was picked for its high volumes of foot traffic in the area. We have been looking for a space where food trucks and food vendors can operate during the week ... something that is beneficial to the larger community, he said. A fight for control of the Victorian Liberal Party is raging at grassroots level across the state as religious and hardline conservatives push to strengthen their grip on the party. It's a fight linked to rising young powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan, who is close to Liberal state president Michael Kroger. Young Liberal powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan. Mr Bastiaan has sought to re-energise the party with a vigorous recruitment drive for new members, raising concerns it is being thrust to the hard right. It is now annual general meeting season for the Liberal Party and Mr Bastiaan's allies are making their presence felt in meetings across the state. Splashing in the waves at St Kilda foreshore is a quintessentially Melbourne activity. For Amanda Lawrie-Jones, however, this weekend was the first time in 11 years she's had access to the beach so many of us take for granted. She's lived in St Kilda for nearly two decades but since becoming a double amputee 11 years ago, Ms Lawrie-Jones has found it all but impossible to swim in the sea. Amanda Lawrie-Jones enjoys a dip in a floating wheelchair with the help of St Kilda life saver Simon Lewis. Credit:Chris Hopkins "I'd come down to watch the waves, but I couldn't go in. It made me really sad. I was such a water baby when I was a kid. Dad and I used to go to the beach all the time." Port Philip Council launched floating beach wheelchairs and wheelchair-friendly beach matting at St Kilda Lifesaving Club on Saturday and Ms Lawrie-Jones was the first one in the water after the launch. A 27-year-old Monbulk man has been charged after he allegedly struck two pedestrians in the Yarra Ranges on Saturday, killing one man and leaving a woman fighting for life. The couple were walking their dog in Seville shortly after 1pm when they were struck by a Holden Commodore after the driver lost control of his vehicle on a bend, rolling the car several times before it landed on its roof. The driver lost control of his vehicle rounding a bend on Monbulk-Seville Road in the Yarra Ranges on Saturday. Credit:Channel 7 News A 58-year-old Steels Creek man died at the scene of the crash. His partner, a 68-year-old Seville woman, was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with leg, arm and abdominal injuries. On Sunday morning she remained in a serious condition. Blood stains on the footpath where a man was run down by a car and attacked by a gang in Braybrook on Saturday night. Credit:Darrian Traynor Police believe the two men were struck by a car, then assaulted by the occupants, who fled the scene in a silver hatchback. A machete was used in the attack, according to radio station 3AW. Homicide Squad detectives are investigating the incident in Braybrook which left one man dead and another fighting for life. Credit:Channel 9 News Paul, 40, was taken to hospital where he later died. Sean, 44, underwent surgery on Sunday and remains at The Alfred in a serious but stable condition. Residents woke on Sunday morning to find blood splattered across their quiet suburban street, pooled in puddles on their lawns and splashed onto their fences. Police and paramedics at the scene of a vicious brawl in Castley Crescent, Braybrook. Credit:Channel 9 News One homeowner, Vi who asked not have his surname published was using a high-pressure hose and industrial detergent to clean blood stains splashed on his garage and driveway. The builder was home with his wife and 13-month-old daughter on Saturday night when he heard swearing and shouting coming from the street outside and called police. "It was too dark," he said. "They were swearing at each other first, and then fighting. [The fighting] was quick. Five minutes, if that." Joy, 78, also heard the commotion and woke to find puddles of drying blood outside her house. "I heard the noise, I could hear the argument and then the next minute I could hear, after about, say, five or 10 minutes, I could hear this voice saying, 'help me, please help me'," she said. "It sounded like they were angry, there was a lot of strong words going on. "I just thought it was a natural argument, that they'd had an argument in the car and they come out or they threw him or her out the car." Joy said she was going to call for an ambulance, but heard sirens in the street when she picked up the phone. She saw police interviewing a girl sitting outside her house afterwards but didn't see the fight. "I didn't want to come out, because I didn't know if someone else was around," she said. "I didn't know if someone else was going to jump out and grab me. I'm on my own. "I was too scared, I was honestly too scared." There have been conflicting accounts of the ethnicity of those involved, with at least two men on BMX bikes who claim to have witnessed the events telling media the offenders were of African decent. But one homeowner and witness, who didn't want to be named, refuted that claim. "They were all white guys," he said. "It was clear." The resident, who lives several houses down the street from where the incident occurred, said he came outside on Saturday night when he heard a "massive altercation". "There was a car parked in the centre of the road with its lights still on," he said. "I only saw three attackers and one guy that was getting pulverised." The witness said he was too afraid to get closer but he didn't see any weapons being used in the attack. Instead, he heard the sounds of flesh being struck. "You could hear the dense thuds," he said. "With the amount of time that the three of them had, you knew that it was going to be serious, cause it went on for about five, seven minutes, and that's a long time for someone to take that. "I knew last night that whoever was there, they were going to kill him. You could hear it." Ms Duncanson said her sons lived together in a unit in Braybrook and were close. "When Sean comes out of the coma alright, I have got to break the news that Paul died last night," she said. Ms Duncanson said she had already lost two children: a son to an accident and a daughter, who took her own life. Inspector Kelly Lawson said police were still trying to determine how many people were involved in the brawl and what weapons may have been used. A man has died after a couple walking their dog were hit by a car at Seville in the Yarra Ranges on Saturday. The Steels Creek man, 58, and Seville woman, 68, were walking along Monbulk-Seville Road near Wandin Creek Road when they were struck shortly after 1pm, police say. Police arrested the driver, a man in his 20s, at the scene. Credit:Rohan Thomson The male driver of a Holden Commodore lost control on a bend and his car rolled several times before landing on its roof. Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said the struck man could not be revived and the woman was flown to hospital with serious injuries. The Canning Vale woman accused of driving through a group of teenagers, killing one, has sobbed uncontrollably as she faced court on Saturday morning, charged with murder. Aya Hishmeh, 20, is accused of running down Jacob Cummins and his group of friends on Thursday afternoon as they walked along Eucalyptus Boulevard shortly after a youth brawl outside McDonald's Livingston which left two people stabbed. Aya Hishmeh has been charged with murder. Credit:9 News Perth She appeared in the dock at Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday, escorted by two prison officers. Her father wept in the back of the court room as she appeared and called out, "we love you bubba, we all love you" and said "I want to see my daughter" as he left. Ms Hishmeh was distraught and sobbing as she looked to her father. Two people brought back to Nebraska last week as persons of interest in Sydney Loofe's disappearance now face federal charges related to stolen property. In documents unsealed Friday afternoon, Aubrey Trail, 51, and Bailey Boswell, 23, are accused of transporting stolen goods from Hiawatha, Kansas, to Beatrice on or about Oct. 20. An affidavit with details about the allegations remained sealed at the request of Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Russell. Both Boswell and Trail made their first court appearances in the case Friday. They could get up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl Zwart appointed the Federal Public Defender's Office to represent Boswell. Trail told the judge he would like to represent himself. He did not object to the government's request that he be held in jail while he awaits trial. Zwart said she found, based on the criminal complaint and a "parallel matter," that he is a flight risk and a potential danger to the community. At a separate hearing for Boswell, the same judge found that she also posed a serious flight risk if released. In an order, Zwart found that Boswell used aliases to conceal her identity, traveled outside of Nebraska while law enforcement was attempting to find her and provided false information to law enforcement. Trail and Boswell have been in jail since late last week, when law enforcement tracked them down to the Branson, Missouri, area and brought them back to Saline County. Loofe, a 24-year-old Lincoln woman, was reported missing Nov. 16, after not showing up for work. She is believed to have gone on a date with Boswell a day earlier and was last seen in the Wilber area. She was found dead this week in rural Clay County. "I see this as an opportunity to continue to serve," Leman said in a press release. "When I was elected as County Judge, I laid out a platform that was simple, direct and to the point -- support local economic growth, fight for rural Texas, oppose illegal immigration and stand for traditional family values. The people in my County and in the region know that I've done just that. Those same principles are much needed in the Texas Legislature, and that will be my focus if the people send me to Austin to represent them." The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services revoked the license of a home child care provider Friday afternoon after an inspection revealed unsafe conditions. Debra Bodfield can no longer care for children other than her own at her home at 6734 Platte Avenue. A report from the DHHS said Bodfield's home was unsanitary and posed a serious safety threat to the three children under her supervision. Bodfield was cited by Animal Control for having too many animals in her home and selling them without required approval from the health department. The citation also indicated there were high levels of ammonia in the home. According to the emergency order, the citation prompted DHHS to launch an inspection of the day care. The carpets in Bodfield's home reportedly were stained with cat urine, and animals were present in child care and food preparation areas. Inspectors discovered seven cats, seven kittens and four dogs during the inspection Thursday. A test for ammonia revealed high levels, the report said. Bodfield's license was suspended in 2015 for sanitation violations. It was reinstated when she took corrective action. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Connecticut State Police Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Connecticut State Police Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Connecticut State Police Show More Show Less 5 of 5 SOUTHBURY The answer to the question Why did the chicken cross the road? may not be clear, but Connecticut State Police may now know how they got there in the first place. A tractor trailer carrying 5,164 live chickens and ducks overturned on I-84 East near Exit 13 in Southbury around 6 a.m. Saturday morning, according to state police reports. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK Last year, David Gomez sat in the audience for the first time at Norwalk High Schools annual Candlelight performance. He was impressed by the size and scope of the long-running show, and enjoyed the holiday performance. But it wasnt until this year now on the other side of the curtain that he really understood what the show meant to the students and the community. You dont know it until you live it, said Gomez, the shows new vocal director. Though hes directed choirs in New York and Connecticut for 17 years, Gomez is in his first year at Norwalk High School, taking over for Susan Pettibone, who directed the Candlelight performance for more than two decades and retired at the end of last year. The Candlelight concert has become one of the most anticipated events of the year at the high school, drawing community members for three nights of holiday music, dancing and skits, and has been performed annually since the 1930s. Now, Norwalk High Schools longest running tradition is in a year of transition. But with an incredibly talented senior class and a handful of students performing for the fourth time, its a transition that seems to be going smoothly. More than 300 students participate in the show, which includes performances by the choir, orchestra and band, as well as dances, skits, and solo features. This years performances are at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18, 19 and 20 at the school. Tickets are $7 and can be bought through the main office. Students have been preparing for the show since school began, first by brushing up on their skills. In early October, they began rehearsing Christmas music. Each student puts in nearly 70 hours of rehearsal time throughout the semester to make the show a success. Its a lot of work but the payoff is really big, said Katerina Karaiskos, a senior who will make her fourth Candlelight appearance in both the Chambers Choir and the principal orchestra. Karaiskos has been watching the Candlelight performance since she was little, and said she looks forward to it every year. Its a lot bigger and a lot better this year, and its a great way to get into the holiday spirit. Karaiskos will be running back and forth between the orchestra pit and the stage alongside Zachary Anderson, a senior whos also been involved in both musical groups for four years. It really is a holiday show, Anderson said. Yes, there is a lot of Christmas music, but there is something for everyone, and no matter what we enjoy it and think other people do to. Jennifer Burkhalter, Music Department chairwoman and director of orchestras, has been involved with the program as a teacher for eight years. She also participated as a student in the Class of 2003 and understands better than anyone the significance of the show. Its a big responsibility and as an alumna I definitely feel the pressure to make sure it keeps up to the standard of previous years, said Burkhalter, who is in her first year as chair of the Music Department. Even in a transition year, we, we know its important to the Norwalk community to keep it going strong. We have an incredibly talented senior class this year, and we have a lot of varied talent ... its going to be a great show. kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt STRAWBERRY HILL Do you hold reservations about the proposed reformation of the U.S. tax code? Are you concerned that your voice isnt being heard on the matter? Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., will be in Norwalk this Sunday to hold an open town hall meeting on the tax bill currently being discussed in the House and Senate. The bill will give massive tax breaks to large corporations and the rich, while raising taxes on many working families. The bill was drafted without any input from Democrats, Murphy said in a statement. Murphy who is making rounds around the state to hear what Connecticut residents have to say about the plan will discuss the contents of the bill and how it may impact Connecticut residents. Dont miss an opportunity to voice your opinion on the bill, or ask your questions, when Murphy comes to Norwalk High School on Dec. 10, starting at 3 p.m. EAST NORWALK Get ready to deck the halls with tons of donations, as the Third Taxing District collects food and toys as a part of their annual collection drive. As a part of the drive, the Third Taxing District will be accepting non-perishable food and unwrapped toy donations until Dec. 15. Cash contributions for the purchase of toys and food will also be accepted at the district office at 2 Second St. Those in the giving spirit can drop off donations at locations throughout East Norwalk, including the Third Taxing District Office, 2 Second St.; the East Norwalk Library, 51 Van Zant St.; Partners Cafe, 1 Cove Ave.; Harbor Harvest, 7 Cove Ave.; Jimmy's Mediterranean Deli, 65 Van Zant St.; Winfield Street Italian Deli, 69 Winfield St.; Chesters Chicken, 227 East Ave.; and Giant Laundry, 233 East Ave. NORWALK CENTER Dont miss your last chance to see local ballerinas perform live and up close before they head off to compete in the worlds largest student scholarship ballet competition in Philadelphia. Ahead of the Regional Semi Finals of Youth America Grand Prix, the Norwalk Metropolitan Youth Ballet will perform their pieces locally as part of the company Stars of Tomorrow, Youth America Grand Prix Send Off Performance on Dec. 17, starting at 5 p.m. at The Wall Street Theater. The showcase will feature 37 dancers in 39 different pieces of choreography, including contemporary and classical solo variations, duets, as well as small and large ensembles. To purchase tickets, visit www.ticketfly.com/event/1595706-nmybs-stars-tomorrow-yagp-norwalk/. For more information about the youth ballet, please visit www.nmyb.org and follow us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/norwalkmetropolitanyouthballet/. EAST NORWALK According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in 25 adults live with a serious mental health condition while one in five adults suffer from some sort of mental health condition. To raise awareness, Norwalks Human Relations Commission is partnering with Keystone House to host its annual International Human Rights Day event from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12 in Norwalk City Halls Community Room. This years topic will focus on mental illness. Katie Mattias, of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will be on hand with Kathy Flaherty of the CT Legal Rights Project and Valerie Williams of Keystone House to facilitate a community conversation to help lift the silence and raise awareness about mental health. Understanding mental health and the challenges faced by our residents with hidden disabilities is vital to the overall health and well-being of our community, Mayor Harry Rilling said. Share your neighborhood news To share your community and neighborhood news with The Norwalk Hour, contact Pat Tomlinson at 203-842-2570, or at ptomlinson@hearstmediact.com. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD Lime, lavender, cobalt blue buildings of exuberant hues serve as both backdrop and subject in Tom Kretschs photography exhibit, The Colors of Nica. The exhibit has roots in Kretschs days as a Norwalk Public Schools teacher. One day, the parent of a student mentioned the Norwalk/Nagarote Sister City Project, which began 31 years ago during the Contra War. As tens of thousands of people in Nicaragua were killed, Norwalk became the sister city to Nagarote, building a program that provides tutoring and after-school programs, an organic farm and a community center there to this day. Kretsch became involved, and began traveling to Nagarote once a year with a Norwalk delegation. When I get down there, I get up every morning to walk around and take pictures of the people and the architecture, he said. The resulting work, which will have a reception from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, at the Gordon Fine Arts Gallery in the Stamford Town Center, shares some of the places and people he met along the way. On Friday morning as he set up for the show, Kretsch described a market in Granada, Nicaragua. Mangos, frying pans, chickens, live animals I love going down and watching it, frantic, full of life. His photo of a market on display was empty the only visible traces of the frenzy lie in the weathered walls. Sometimes, I like the simple beauty of the spaces, he said. You can kind of use your imagination. This isnt Kretschs first time showing at Gordon Fine Arts. Some of his other work can be found elsewhere in the gallery. Toms one of our best-selling artists, said gallery owner Sue Brown Gordon, whose own father used to teach in Norwalk. Hes a local hero and if they dont know him from his art, they know him as a teacher hes influenced generations. In fact, a former students work can be found in the gallery Meredith W. Vickerys collages of poetry and bark are on the wall near Kretschs photograph of an abandoned schoolhouse from a series shot in North Dakota. At one point, that was a place filled with people and sounds, Kretsch said, reflecting on the empty building. Kretsch hopes that those who feel similarly transported by his scenes of Nicaragua will become involved, possibly even literally traveling to the country with the Norwalk/Nagarote Sister City Project. A portion of the proceeds from all sales of his work will go to the project, and brochures about the members work will be available. This year, Nagarote has running for mayor two people who went through this project, Kretsch said. He believes the organization that introduced him to Nicaragua has influenced not only in his photography but his outlook as well. Ive learned to appreciate our own country for what we have and also that you can change lives by providing opportunities. rschuetz@hearstmediact.com; @raschuetz An organization identified by three state senators as a resource to review free speech policies and practices at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln asked university leaders to reinstate a graduate student fired from her teaching duties last month. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, wrote to UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green on Friday requesting the university immediately reverse its unwise error when it ended the employment of Courtney Lawton on Nov. 17. Lawton, a lecturer in the English Department, was told her contract would be ending three months after she was filmed protesting a recruiting event held by undergraduate student Kaitlyn Mullen for Turning Point USA, a conservative student group. Although UNL initially said it removed Lawton from her teaching duties as a safety precaution, Green and Donde Plowman, UNLs executive vice chancellor, later informed Lawton she would no longer teach at the university. That meeting came a day after university administrators met with state Sens. Steve Erdman of Bayard, Tom Brewer of Gordon and Steve Halloran of Hastings at the Capitol. Brewer told the Journal Star the senators recommended to the administrators they end Lawton's employment at UNL. Days after the meeting, Erdman told a Lincoln radio show the senators planned to invite FIRE, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group, to conduct a review of political climate at UNL, including its policies surrounding free speech and free expression on campus. FIRE is an organization that looks at all the policies of the universities that they do business with, Erdman told 1400 KLIN on Nov. 20. Theyre very objective and theyre very thorough in their examination of the policies to make sure everybody is treated fairly and equally." Brewer told the Journal Star in an interview that FIRE would have been more appropriate to review UNL's political climate than Gallup, the polling firm the university has already been working with. "We asked them to have an outside organization like FIRE do an impartial review of the procedures and policies to make sure it's not the university doing an assessment of itself," Brewer said. "Gallup is used by universities for a number of things, so to let them be the voice is wrongheaded. "Hopefully, (UNL) will find an outside source to give a fair approach to it," he added. Halloran called FIRE "far more objective" in measuring free speech policies of universities than other organizations. But this week, FIRE admonished Green and NU President Hank Bounds not for fostering a campus climate unwelcoming to students with conservative political views as the state senators have alleged in editorials and interviews but for violating Lawtons rights to free speech and expression, as well as her academic freedom in denying her a contract renewal. Punishing a faculty member for public political expression on the basis that it lacks civility is unconstitutional, wrote Adam B. Steinbaugh, a senior program officer in FIREs Individual Rights Defense Program. Free speech case law has held that First Amendment protections extend to faculty members who engage in political speech, the letter states, while an 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling which holds jurisdiction over UNL has held university officials liable for censoring speech of faculty members. Steinbaugh also said courts have found that non-renewal of an untenured faculty members contract on the basis of constitutionally protected expression constitutes impermissible retaliation. Thursday, the American Association of University Professors also said it will investigate whether or not UNL violated Lawtons academic due process after she was informed her contract would not be renewed. Although universities may set standards for faculty members' professionalism in an educational setting such as a classroom, UNLs power to penalize Lawton did not apply to the Aug. 25 incident at the Nebraska Union Plaza, FIRE said in the letter. This is particularly so where the lecturer and student do not otherwise have any professional relationship, Steinbaugh wrote. When engaged in political speech on the quad, or off campus, students and faculty engaged in political expression are properly regarded as equals, afforded the same First Amendment rights as one another and all citizens. Steinbaugh added that punishing a lecturer for making an inappropriate gesture toward a student they might one day have a class together, gave the university nearly limitless power to punish speech administrators or others found objectionable. Furthermore, he said, courts have ruled the emotive power of speech was equally as important as the message being communicated. For example, the university could not punish a pro-life student for responding with the middle finger upon encountering pro-choice advocates, Steinbaugh wrote. For the same reasons, it cannot penalize a constituent for responding strongly to advocacy she perceives to be in support of facism. FIRE acknowledged UNL faces significant pressure from legislators with oversight of the universitys funding, as well as others, but cautioned administrators from allowing that pressure to curtail the rights of its faculty members to free speech and expression. Steinbaugh implored UNL to reinstate Lawton by Dec. 22 and to clarify to the campus community that constitutionally protected speech would not be punished in the future, nor would it be confined to specific spaces on campus. While a university may call upon its constituents to be polite and courteous in their political discourse, a public university is prohibited by the First Amendment from punishing protected political expression that administrators, legislators, or media find subjectively offensive, he wrote. WESTPORT The town has six years to submit a legal challenge to the Federal Railroad Administrations plans to expand the Greens Farms Train Station according to First Selectman Jim Marpe. The Federal Railroad Administration approved a modified Greens Farms station in July in its Northeast Corridor Reason of Decision outlining the Northeast Corridor rail plan. The NEC project, which would connect Washington, D.C., to Boston with high-speed train infrastructure, plans to expand the Greens Farms train station in an effort to equip the station to serve as a transfer point along the rail-line. I have been very concerned about the development of this plan and its consequences for Westport. I have been meeting with elected leaders from Fairfield County and representatives from Sen. (Richard) Blumenthals office in an effort to coordinate a strong and united approach that we can take to the Federal Railroad Administration regarding our concerns, Marpe said. Following up on his concerns, Marpe requested Town Attorney Ira Bloom of the law firm Berchem Moses PC of Milford review the statute of limitations for appealing the ROD. In turn, Bloom reached out to the law firm Aikin Gump, which is knowledgeable in matters concerning federal regulation. Gump researched the issue and recently announced the opinion that legal challenge to the ROD must be filed within six years, which is a statute of limitations much longer than the previously assumed Dec. 7, 2017 appeal deadline based on the 150 days from the ROD Federal Record listing. Nonetheless, Bloom said he and Marpe hope to move forward in challenging the station plan. He wants to move on this. We want to get some sort of clarification as to this suggestion that Greens Farms might be appropriate for an expanded station, Bloom said. Marpe expressed similar sentiments as Bloom. This gives the the town ample time to continue to negotiate with the Federal Railroad Administration, but it is certainly not an invitation to let the issue take a back seat. We are committed to getting the FRA to remove any reference to a modified Greens Farms Station and engage them on focusing on achieving a state of good repairs for the Northeast Corridor, Marpe said. In addition to improving Amtraks Northeast Corridor, Marpe called for Government investment in the Metro-North system to increase train speeds from Westport to New York City. District 5 Representative Town Meeting member Greg Kraut, who represents Greens Farms, said hes pleased by the increased timeline for challenging the modified station. The Greens Farms trains station is iconic and in my opinion needs to be preserved, Kraut said. Similar to Marpe, Kraut wants to turn focus to quickening the commute to NYC. I am all for a faster and safer commute time to NYC, since I am a frequent user. There are a significant amount of residents who relocate from NYC and its also one of the main reasons why people dont move here, Kraut said. Jeff Broadwaters biography of James Madison reminds readers of the necessity of a free people to keep their rulers inside the limits of their authority as determined by the people, who are the ultimate sovereigns. Letting leaders roam outside the borders of the consent given by the governed will only end in tyranny. James Madison: A Son of Virginia and a Founder of the Nation by Jeff Broadwater (288 pages, University of North Carolina Press, 2012) Speaking at the celebration of the completion of the restoration of Montpelier, Chief Justice John Roberts said, Montpelier restored is certainly beautiful but is in no sense the most fitting memorial to James Madison. If youre looking for Madisons memorial, look around look around at a free country governed by the rule of law. There is no monument to James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, in Washington, D.C. In contrast, the monument to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the man who arguably did the most to dismantle the delicate balance of powers in that document takes up about an acre. Guess what. James Madison wouldnt care. Jeff Broadwaters recent Madison biographyJames Madison: A Son of Virginia and a Founder of the Nationunderstands that. Dr. Broadwater, a professor of history at Barton College, appreciates the unassuming nature of the man they called Little Jemmy (he stood about five feet four inches tall and never weighed more than 140 pounds). To understand why this seeming slight wouldnt bother the diminutive Madison, take a visit to his grave on the grounds of his Orange County, Virginia. Youll instantly recognize the humility that was a hallmark of his life. The monument is a small, understated obelisk that mentions none of Madisons impressive achievements. In his commendable contribution to the corpus of Madison biographies, one of Dr. Broadwaters primary focuses is on Mr. Madisons tireless efforts to promote and protect the natural right of men to worship according to the dictates of their own consciences. Madisons dedication to preserving religious liberty was demonstrated during his years as a state legislator. On June 20, 1785, Madison penned an essay putting forth fifteen reasons for opposing a bill in Virginia authorizing the use of public funds to pay teachers of the Christian religion. This famous letter is called Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments. Madison took great pains to keep his authorship of the Memorial and Remonstrance secret. He worried that his involvement in the fight to end state-subsidized religion could bring him unwanted confrontation from those with whom he was personally friendly and who believed deeply in the continuation of churches funded by the state government. Thousands of copies of Madisons Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments were printed and distributed in Richmond. Several others opponents of the bill published similar petitions and a bill that seemed certain to pass just a year earlier, was defeated and in fact never made it to the floor of the General Assembly for debate. So persuasive and well-reasoned was Madisons Memorial and Remonstrance that one author described the document as one of the truly epoch-making documents in American history. As for the contents of the petition, the pious and prayerful nature of James Madison shines through. In the first paragraph, Madison lays out what he believes to be the proper boundaries of civil and religious and authority, as well as the proper prioritizing of the duties and obligation owed to both: The Religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man; and it is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate. This right is in its nature an unalienable right. It is unalienable, because the opinions of men, depending only on the evidence contemplated by their own minds cannot follow the dictates of other men: It is unalienable also, because what is here a right towards men, is a duty towards the Creator. It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage and such only as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Next, Madison reminds readers of the necessity of a free people to keep their rulers inside the limits of their authority as determined by the people who are the ultimate sovereigns. Letting leaders roam outside the borders of the consent given by the governed will only end in tyranny, Madison warns: The preservation of a free Government requires not merely, that the metes and bounds which separate each department of power be invariably maintained; but more especially that neither of them be suffered to overleap the great Barrier which defends the rights of the people. The Rulers who are guilty of such an encroachment, exceed the commission from which they derive their authority, and are Tyrants. The People who submit to it are governed by laws made neither by themselves nor by an authority derived from them, and are slaves. When the bill safeguarding the right of men in Virginia to define the dictates of their religious devotion, Dr. Broadwater records the words written from Madison to his friend and frequent collaborator, Thomas Jefferson: I flatter myself [that we] have in this country extinguished for ever the ambitious hope of making laws for the human mind. Madisons experience in the battle in the Old Dominion to protect religious freedom convinced him, Dr. Broadwater writes, that conscience is the most sacred of all property. Property was another of Madisons main concerns and Dr. Broadwater mentions the flurry of essays authored by Madison and published in the National Gazette from November 1791 to December 1792. The last of these essays, written anonymously by Madison, he masterfully made the case for the necessity of holding property rights sacrosanct in a society claiming to be self-governing. In his treatment of this subject, Madison portrays it as one which embraces everything to which a man may attach a value and have a right; and which leaves to every one else the like advantage. Property, Madison explains in finer detail includes a mans land, or merchandize, or money, as well as his opinions and the free communication of them. That is a very expansive definition of property and shines a bright light not only on the Founders profound desire to protect property, but on exactly what they meant when they said property. Madison proceeds in this vein to go on to enumerate the various forms of property that a man may be said to possess: He has a property of peculiar value in his religious opinions, and in the profession and practice dictated by them. He has a property very dear to him in the safety and liberty of his person. He has an equal property in the free use of his faculties and free choice of the objects on which to employ them. In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights. With this conception of property provided by James Madison, one more fully appreciates the protections afforded by the Bill of Rights. When the Founders listed life, liberty, and property as the three great rights of mankind, with the last of those words they were not speaking simply of the physical terrain a man might possess or plow. They were speaking of the full spectrum of rights a man possesses, as well as his unfettered right to use them as he may see fit, provided he does not thereby infringe on those same rights as possessed by another man. To James Madison and the men of the Founding Generation, a mans freedom, then, was no less his property than his farm. As for how the government of the United States should treat the property rights of its citizens, Madison declares that the government would be unjust if it permitted property to be violated by arbitrary seizures of one class of citizens for the service of the rest. In other words, that government is unjust which establishes a system wherein the laws are manipulated to redistribute wealth from those who work to those who do not. An effect of the near-constant denigration by cultural Marxists and manipulative mockers of the men who in 1861 tried to declare independence from a tyrannical central government is the forcing down the memory hole of the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, the latter of which was written by James Madison, a Southerner, a republican, and a steadfast supporter of self-government. The text and tone of the Virginia Resolution is typical of the moderate mien of James Madison. He is sharp, but sincere; courageous, but considerate. More than anything, the resolution recites Madisons concept of the correct constitutional relationship between the states and the federal government. Madisons opinion on the subject carries more weight than even that of his cohort, Jefferson, as Madison was present every day in Philadelphia and was an active advocate of many of its provisions, both at the Constitutional Convention and in the Federalist. And, as fitting for the Father of the Constitution, the Virginia Resolution doth unequivocably [sic] express a firm resolution to maintain and defend the Constitution of the United States and most solemnly declares a warm attachment to the Union of the States, to maintain which it pledges all its powers. Then, Madison begins his concise rehearsal of the creation of the Constitution by the states, including the establishment of a federal government in that document, a general government which would serve as the agent of the states. In this regard, the Virginia Resolution reads: That this Assembly doth explicitly and peremptorily declare, that it views the powers of the federal government, as resulting from the compact, to which the states are parties; as limited by the plain sense and intention of the instrument constituting the compact; as no further valid that they are authorized by the grants enumerated in that compact; and that in case of a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the states who are parties thereto, have the right, and are in duty bound, to interpose for arresting the progress of the evil, and for maintaining within their respective limits, the authorities, rights and liberties appertaining to them. States, explains Madison, have a responsibility to restrain the government of the United States, to keep the federal beast inside its constitutional cage, so to speak. This responsibility is not to be taken lightly as it is only through the vigilance of the states that the federal government can be kept within the boundaries drawn around its powers by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Madisons proposal then goes on to express deep regret, that a spirit has in sundry instances, been manifested by the federal government, to enlarge its powers by forced constructions of the constitutional charter which defines them. It is worth noting of the Virginia Resolution that once again, we find the Founders (in this case, one of the Founding Fathers Varsity team!) providing a key to solving a contemporary problem, the problem of a federal government that has grown too large and too powerful. In the end, the state governments of both Virginia and Kentucky passed their respective resolutions, but other states did not follow suit, leaving the lasting solution to the problem of federal overreach for a later generation to face. The solution to which was the absolute reversal of the constitutional roles for the general and state governments established by Madison and his colleagues at the Convention in Philadelphia. Finally, Dr. Broadwaters biography of the fourth president of the United States and Father of the Constitution laudably attempts to lasso the entirety of the life of James Madison within its 266 pages. Obviously, to deconstruct the philosophy and life of a man as historically relevant as James Madison is a task beyond most any mortal. Where Dr. Broadwater is to be commended is in his apparent aim of illuminating enough of Madisons mind as to motivate the reader to pursue a deeper dive into the ocean of intellectual, philosophical, and political preeminence of one of the least enigmatic and least celebrated of Virginias vaunted sons. Republished with gracious permission from the Abbeville Review (November 2017). The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now. Nebraska has exported more than half of the U.S. beef sent to China this year, the U.S. Department of Agricultures Foreign Agricultural Service reported Friday. Nebraskas beef exports to China totaled $8.7 million, 50.5 percent of the U.S. total of $17.2 million. Growing agriculture through trade continues to be a top priority for my administration, said Gov. Pete Ricketts. Ricketts has worked with federal officials to reopen the Chinese beef market. His administration visited China in 2015 and 2016. When China agreed for the first time since 2003 to open its beef market to the United States, Nebraska was ready and shipped the first beef to China within days of the announcement, Ricketts said. In June, Ricketts and former Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Greg Ibach joined Greater Omaha Packing (GOP) President Henry Davis to load the first box of beef from Nebraska destined for China. Nebraska is the countrys top beef processor as well as beef exporter, and China is the second largest importer of beef in the world, Ricketts said at the time. Chinese officials had toured the Omaha plant last fall to learn about high international animal health standards and food safety standards and traceability and labeling protocols. Ricketts said beef exports complement Nebraskas current successes in the Chinese marketplaces with soybeans, distillers products and pork. Since 2005, Nebraskas share of international U.S. beef sales has increased from 3.6 percent to more than 18 percent. Nebraskas market share in Europe has increased from 5 percent to 50 percent of total sales. When the June shipment of Nebraska beef arrived in China, it was the first arrival of U.S. beef into China in 14 years. Ibach was in China for the arrival of the beef. Ricketts said Nebraska is home to four of the six eligible suppliers approved to ship beef to China. Nebraska stands to benefit greatly by capturing a share of Chinas beef import market, which was estimated to be $2.5 billion in 2016, he said at the time. In September, Ricketts said, Nebraska had a similar opportunity to maintain and build trade relations with Japan. He said Nebraskas beef exports to Japan are up 18 percent from 2016 over the same period. Beef exports to Japan totaled $309.9 million for the first 10 months of 2017. Ricketts said Nebraska is on track to have the largest year of beef exports to Japan since the country reopened its market to U.S. beef. He said trade demand for state agriculture commodities generates more than $6 billion each year for Nebraska. Representatives from local nonprofit organizations were able to learn more about how the federal tax reform proposals would impact their organizations at a forum Friday morning at The Chocolate Bar in Grand Island. Anne Hindery, CEO of the Non-Profit Association of the Midlands (NAM), and Tiffany Seibert Joekel, policy director at OpenSky Policy Institute, gave a presentation that featured an overview of the federal tax reform bills and the state budget, and how they affect nonprofits. With all the changes going on, we are moving so quickly, especially in the areas of federal tax reform and how it affects nonprofits and state governments, Hindery said. We are just really trying to get ahead of the curve or increase awareness for nonprofits and citizens across the state of how important this is and that it will impact everyones lives. Hindery said both the House and Senate versions of the federal tax reform bill double the standard deduction, which is something NAM is opposed to. It sounds great, but in practicality, its really not, she said. What that does is it really reduces the number of people who itemize and are really able to deduct their charitable donations. Currently, 30 percent of tax filers are able to itemize their charitable donations. However, Hindery said if this change is implemented, only 5 percent of taxpayers will itemize their deductions. She said that under the current system, one either has to take a standard deduction or itemize deductions. Hindery added NAM is concerned because this could result in an estimated loss of $13 billion annually in charitable giving. She said this would mean a loss of at least 220,000 nonprofit jobs. Hindery said there is a proposed solution in both the House and the Senate with the Universal Charitable Giving Act. This is an above-the-line deduction that people can take, she said. It was sponsored by Congressman (Mark) Walker from South Carolina (in the House) and Sen. (James) Lankford of Oklahoma (in the Senate). It is not in the current incentive bill, but we are hopeful this will get added back in. The way a line deduction works today, Hindery said, is that an individual can take a maximum deduction of $2,100, while joint filers can take a deduction of up to $4,200. Under the proposed House bill, this would increase to $4,000 for individuals and $8,000 for joint filers. It is capped at one-third of the current rate, Hindery said. This is something we would love to see added back in. Hindery said NAM is also opposed to the repeal of the Johnson Amendment as part of the House and Senate tax reform bills. The Johnson Amendment, which has existed since 1954, prevents charitable nonprofits from getting involved in partisan politics. Can you imagine if a funder says, Im going to give you this money, but you have to support this candidate? Hindery asked. We can do a lot as nonprofits, including advocating, lobbying, making our voices heard and sharing our positions on specific bills, but we dont want the partisan nature of politics. She added that more than 5,500 organizations nationwide, consisting of thousands of religious leaders, have signed onto a bill opposing the repeal of the Johnson Amendment. Hindery also discussed private activity bonds. She said the House bill would eliminate all tax-exempt private activity bonds, including qualified 501(c)(3) bonds. This is a concern, especially for those nonprofits that are doing construction and capital campaigns, she said. This would eliminate the tax-exempt bonds. When we are doing our renovation projects, this is a source of revenue to go after those tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds. At the state level, Hindery discussed state contracting issues and how this affects nonprofits. She said NAM issued a survey to its members and found that half of the 84 nonprofits that responded had state contracts to provide services. According to the survey numbers provided by Hindery, 44 percent reported delinquent payments, 19 percent reported payments being 30 to 60 days late and 22 percent reported payments being late 90 days or more. When asked by NAM to rank the problems they experience with state contracting, 70 percent of nonprofits ranked the complexity of the reporting process as the biggest issue. The next highest rated issue was payments that do not cover the full cost of providing services. In an interview following her presentation, Hindery said she hopes those in attendance walked away with a better understanding of the issues the federal tax reform bill and state contracting present. Maybe they are excited to take a deeper dive into the stuff we enjoy, she said. Most importantly, I hope they pick up the phone and call their congressional delegation and let them know this is important work. Plans are underway to issue a Nebraska State Fair license plate. Lindsey Koepke, Nebraska State Fair 1868 Foundation executive director, discussed the license plate Friday at the fairs board meeting in Grand Island. The 1868 Foundation is a charitable 501(c)(3) organization. It raises funds and resources for the fair. Last year, it was successful in raising funds for the Thompson Open Air Arena project. Koepke said the foundation board has discussed a Nebraska State Fair license plate. A lot of organizations have license plates representing their organizations, so why not the State Fair, she said. The 1868 Foundation is expanding its State Fair fundraising efforts statewide. Koepke said the program is helping to grow the foundation. There are 302 members, 70 of which are new. Koepke said they talked to a local vendor in Grand Island. The vendor designed some license plate prototypes for the foundation. Its a statewide public relations campaign for a license plate that celebrates the Nebraska State Fair, she said. Koepke said the State Fair license plate can be a fundraising effort or a way to generate publicity. It is a great way to broadcast your message, she said. The foundation board decided to develop the license plate for public relations. Koepke asked the board to endorse the license plate idea and to join the foundation in the effort. Application to the states Department of Motor Vehicles for the license plate is on a quarterly basis. The requirement is that we have to have 250 committed, she said. Efforts are well underway to get people to commit to purchasing the license plate, Koepke said. We are on the right track, she told the board. Koepke said she will be working with Jace Robinson, State Fair marketing and sponsorship assistant, on the project. It is not our project but something our foundation thought of, she said. She asked the State Fair board to approve the license plate project, which they did. Its a great message for the State Fair throughout the state, Koepke said. It would be incredible to see the plates from all over Nebraska coming together during the largest statewide celebration. Last year, the State Fair drew more than 370,000 people. The license plate would cost $70. The money for the plate would go to the states DMV and the states highway trust fund. The DMV must approve the license plate design. Koepke said they are working to pick a design that emphasizes various elements of the fair. The fair has so many great things, she said. We tried not to come up with just one thing but a generalization of the fair. Koepke said she believes there will be a great public response to the State Fair license plate. It is a great initiative, said Chris Kircher, State Fair board chairman. Information on how to buy a Nebraska State Fair license plate will be posted on the State Fairs website at www.statefair.org. Board members also learned that the Nebraska State Fair was the recipient of 12 awards during the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) convention in Las Vegas. The State Fair won first place in five categories, as well as five second-place awards, and two third-place awards. The IAFE awards are highly competitive every year, said Joseph McDermott, State Fair executive director. Its a true testament to how hard working our staff and superintendents are to win these awards against tough competition from around the world. First-place awards came in the agriculture, communications and competitive exhibits divisions. The entries included the Living Soil Exhibit at Raising Nebraska, the new historical timeline in the foyer of the Nebraska Building, two awards for new or unique competitive exhibits in the Domestics Education Department, as well as a radio ad for fair food. The big winner for the State Fair this year was the Domestics Education Department, with six total awards. Our domestics superintendents spend so much time each year not only organizing their departments, but really embracing each years theme. They really have fun with it and its always exciting to see what they come up with in new competitions and how they refresh existing competitions, McDermott said. The 2018 Nebraska State Fair will run from Aug. 24 to Sept. 3. An Omaha attorney will represent condemned killer Jose Sandoval in his bid to fight the state's attempt to execute him via lethal injection. Attorney Stu Dornan filed a motion in Madison County District Court this week arguing that Sandoval, 38, should be resentenced to life in prison or have another capital sentencing hearing. The Legislature repealed the death penalty in May 2015, then nullified the governor's veto of the bill (LB268) with another vote. The repeal, Dornan said, went into effect Aug. 30 before it was suspended again because of an initiative referendum vote. "Mr. Sandoval is subject to a uniquely cruel and unprecedented form of psychological suffering through alternating periods of relief and terror as he has been told that his life would be spared, and then told again that he would be executed," the motion said. That raises constitutional issues that must be addressed, Dornan said Friday. It's possibly the first time that something like this has happened. Among other issues, the motion argues the repeal of the Legislature's bill was unconstitutional because it imposed a new death sentence on condemned inmates without an additional court hearing or trial. Madison County Attorney Joe Smith, who prosecuted Sandoval, Erick Vela, Jorge Galindo and Gabriel Rodriguez for killing five people at a Norfolk bank in 2002, said it was his view the death penalty repeal never went into effect, and so there was never a lapse in the death sentences. That's what he would argue, he said. Attorney General Doug Peterson declined to comment Friday on the Sandoval motion. Both he and Solicitor General James Smith have filed with the court as attorneys to represent the state in the case. No request to the Nebraska Supreme Court for an execution warrant for Sandoval has been made, but Corrections Director Scott Frakes served notice to Sandoval of the lethal injection drugs that would be administered to cause his death if an execution takes place. The combination of drugs chosen has never been used in an execution. Medical research highlights the psychological and emotional pain felt by those who face impending death, and how that anxiety is aggravated when uncertainty does not allow a person to prepare adequately. The motion compared it to a form of torture. "The state has ping-ponged Mr. Sandoval from death to life and to death again," the motion said. "His individual fate became hostage to an ongoing political contest between the Legislature, the governor and the voters." Sandoval has been in prison since 2003, sentenced for 14 crimes, including five death sentences for murders of five men and women in a U.S. Bank branch in Norfolk, and two life sentences for murders of two other men in Madison County. Dornan took on Sandoval's case after he was asked by ACLU of Nebraska to file the motion in Madison County. He also agreed to a different request to accept an appointment in federal court as the local attorney for any lawsuits or appeals that would be filed there. As the previous Douglas County Attorney, Dornan has prosecuted cases that sought the death penalty. He has represented people in capital cases, but has not represented a condemned prisoner fighting execution, he said. The death penalty is important to all Nebraskans, Dornan said. "I believe there is no higher calling for a lawyer than to represent an indigent person on an important question of constitutional law, especially when the stakes are as high as they are in death penalty cases," he said. In the motion, Dornan said those who led the execution reinstatement petition drive went beyond campaigning for the state to keep the death penalty, by focusing on the execution of Sandoval, and others on death row. Television advertisements showed pictures of the men and described their crimes while ominous music played in the background, the motion said. An ad linked to the Nebraskans for the Death Penalty website opened with a photo of Sandoval and talked about how the men on death row terrified communities and devastated families, and how the death penalty protects the public, acts as a strong deterrent and gives justice to families. Dornan said other lawsuits on behalf of death row inmates are pending, including ACLU litigation regarding the legality of the ballot initiative, a separation of powers issue involving Gov. Pete Ricketts, and the secrecy of lethal injection drug suppliers. A motion similar to Sandoval's request for post-conviction relief was filed this week on behalf of Vela. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, December 9, 2017 11:08 1804 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cb8654 1 Science & Tech dogs,cats,animals,intelligence Free Science has the answer to one of the most contentious debates of all-time: Between cats and dogs, which are smarter? In a new study, a team of researchers from six different universities in Brazil, Denmark, South Africa and the United States examined for the first time ever not only the brain sizes but also the number of neurons in the cerebral cortices of cats and dogs. Neurons are specialized cells that transmit messages within the body in the form of electrical impulses. So why study neurons specifically in the cerebral cortex? Notable neurologist and one of the researchers, Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel, told National Geographic: I believe the absolute number of neurons an animal has, especially in the cerebral cortex, determines the richness of their internal mental state and their ability to predict what is about to happen in their environment based on past experience. While the many different parts of the brain are involved in processing external stimuli such as sight, smell and touch, the cerebral cortex makes sense of all these stimuli to drive decision-making and problem-solving, among other functions. The study found that dogs have twice the number of neurons in their cerebral cortices than cats, suggesting that they are twice as intelligent. Dogs have about 530 million cortical neurons while cats have about 250 million. To put it in perspective, humans have around 16 billion. A follow-up study analyzed the brain sizes of carnivores, including ferrets, mongoose, raccoons, cats, dogs, hyenas, lions and brown bears. The order Carnivora, which refers to mammals that have appropriate teeth and/or claws to shred meat, was chosen because it includes both wild and domesticated species with a wide range of brain sizes. Read also: Humans more sympathetic to dogs than people, study claims It was revealed that many animals with large brain sizes have few neurons. For instance, the brain of a golden retriever has more neurons than a hyena, lion or brown bear, despite those animals having brains up to three times as large. Surprisingly, the study demonstrates that a brown bear has a similar number of neurons to a cat, even though it has a brain that is 10 times as large, suggesting that cats and brown bears are almost equally intelligent. Renowned cat behaviorist Celia Haddon suggested that cats may have fewer neurons than dogs because they are not as social. One reason why dogs may have more neurons in their brains than cats may be because they are social animals, she said. They descended from wolves that hunt in a pack and therefore need complex behaviors to cooperate with each other behaviors like appeasement and reconciliation. This helps them cooperate with humans too, so we have guide dogs, medical detection dogs and so forth. [] Cats dont have these behaviors because they hunt alone and can, and often do, live alone. Mind you, you could say that they are cleverer than dogs because they just eat cat food and dont have to do anything in return. Whats so stupid about that? According to Kennel Club secretary Caroline Kisko, These findings could well explain the fantastic versatility of dogs. Dogs thrive in many roles in society from police and assistance dogs, to companion and search and rescue dogs and they seem to have a biological ability to do much more than cats. The methodology and results of the study were published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. (afr/kes) Topics : dogs cats animals intelligence Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, December 9, 2017 09:05 1804 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cb61ff 1 Lifestyle workplace,communication,psychology,office,work,business Free Weve all had those workplace conversations where we thought we got the point across and that everyone was on the same page, only to find out that our understanding of our message differed from what was understood by others. In most cases, the unfortunate discovery doesnt happen until a missed deadline, a hot sales opportunity that falls through the cracks or a coworker feeling insulted stokes a major sense of resentment. The list that follows, compiled by Forbes, details how to make yourself better heard and understood in the workplace. Never assume you have everyone's attention Even if the message youre conveying is important and may directly affect your audience, dont assume you have everyones undivided attention. No matter how much eye contact theyre making, their thoughts may be drifting towards thinking about which public figure is the latest to be outed for sexual harassment; the unrelenting pain in one of their molars; or the fact that their kindergartener has been sent home with a teachers note for the third week in a row. Keep your message succinct, and reiterate critical points several times before wrapping up the discussion. Read also: How to be more productive at work Deliver a relevant message Its not only in an economics class that you can make the presumption of humans acting in rational self-interest. Whether wed like to admit it or not, were always trying to connect the knowledge we receive to ourselves. A piece of information arouses our interest and engagement if it affects us. When communicating in the workplace, draw on how your message is relevant to your audience and the priorities they may have. Include a potential benefit to them, such as increasing revenue year-over-year or not having to work their shift on Christmas Eve. When they establish the link between their assigned tasks and their personal interests, they are more likely to remember and care about the message you imparted. Be as clear as possible In the workplace, no one can afford the time or tolerance for lack of clarity. Want something? Ask for it. Dont beat around the bush; make your expectations clear by not leaving room for inference. Discussing all of your accomplishments over the past year and their colossal impact on the company, and sitting back and waiting for your boss to figure he or she should offer you a raise, does not work. Want to lead a new project? Say so. Not sure how your supervisor feels about your performance? Ask for feedback. As clear as you think youre being, remember you could always be clearer. Read also: Four reasons millennials remain at workplaces Don't leave things open-ended When identifying a problem, propose a course of action that your colleagues can follow in order to rectify it. Allowing a discussion to be open-ended, or worst, end up becoming an endless circular discussions is a big no-no. Demonstrate your problem-solving ability by suggesting a viable solution to the issue you have raised, instead of letting the rest take their time to arrive at one. If someone disagrees with something, they are at liberty to propose an alternate solution. Always come with initiatives Employees are typically comfortable discussing their ideas to their subordinates, but not to their bosses, because of fear of criticism. Try not to put the onus on others to come up with ideas. Develop ideas of your own and present them. Sometimes your idea might be met with pushback or vehement rejection, but it will serve to deepen to your relationships in the workplace and increase your colleagues and bosss respect towards you. It wont kill you to be the victim of constructive criticism. Perhaps you can begin by suggesting an lunch place for all to go to, then work your way from there. (afr/kes) Topics : workplace communication psychology office work business Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, December 9, 2017 13:34 1804 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cbb0e6 1 City #diphtheria,#outbreak,#Jakarta,#vaccines Free Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has said the city needs at least 2.9 million vaccines to overcome the diphtheria outbreak. We will get 1.2 million vaccines from the Health Ministry, whereas we need 2.9 million vaccines, Anies said Friday, as quoted by kompas.com. The vaccines from the central government would be used to cover the needs in North and West Jakarta, he explained. The Jakarta administration will procure the remaining vaccines itself. We will need Rp 70 billion (US$5.1 million) of our own funds, he said. Jakarta Health Agency head Koesmedi Priharto called the current diphtheria outbreak in the capital an extraordinary occurrence, as the number of reported cases had more than doubled from 17 infections and one fatality in 2016 to 25 infections with two casualties so far this year. We will conduct outbreak response immunization (ORI) in five mayoralties and in the Thousand Islands regency, he said, adding that ORI meant that all people in the neighborhood of infected individuals are vaccinated. (dpk) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, December 9, 2017 16:29 1804 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cbdf8e 1 National #TNI,#MilitaryCommand,#GatotNurmantyo Free Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto has officially begun his tenure as the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander, replacing Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, after a handover ceremony at the military headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Saturday. At the ceremony, Gatot thanked all military personnel who had supported him during his term as commander. He also expressed his support that his successor could meet the nations expectations in leading the TNI. Good luck on carrying out a not-so-easy mandate, Gatot said as quoted by Antara news agency. Hadi reasserted his determination to develop the militarys professional capabilities to win the publics trust, as well as working under the designated minimum essential force (MEF) corridor. The TNI will continue the programs initiated by Pak Gatot, Hadi said, referring to his predecessor. The handover ceremony took place only a day after Hadi was sworn in as TNI commander on Friday at the Presidential Palace. The former Air Force chief of staff replaced Gatot, who was dismissed with honor by President Joko Jokowi Widodo earlier this week. Hadi will lead the TNI until his retirement in 2020. (kuk) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, December 9, 2017 19:09 1804 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cbfe7e 1 Politics terrorism,surabaya,Densus-88,arrest Free The National Polices antiterror squad, Densus 88, arrested a suspected terrorist in Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday morning. The man, identified only by his initials MM, also known by his alias DE, was apprehended at his residence on Jl. Ampel Kembang 25 in Semampir area. We arrested him at around 5 a.m., Tanjung Perak Harbor Police Chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Ronny Suseno said as quoted in a statement released by the National Police. Ronny stopped short of providing further information about DE, including the name of the terror group he is allegedly affiliated with. At least 50 police officers stood guard around DEs house, the statement said. Antara reported that DE was well known by his neighbors. He and his family had lived in the neighborhood for four years. I never thought that he would be involved in a terrorist network, Noval Salim, one of the neighbors, said. (vla/ahw) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (AFP) Amman Sat, December 9, 2017 07:46 1804 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cb47b5 2 World protest,trump,Jerusalem,Israel Free Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Muslim and Arab countries across the world Friday to protest against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. Demonstrators at the protests which followed the weekly prayers in mosques vented their anger at the unilateral decision which has sparked widespread international criticism. In the Palestinian territories at least one Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops. Trump's announcement on Wednesday prompted an almost universal diplomatic backlash, including warnings from Turkey, the European Union and Russia over the risks of new violence in the Middle East. "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine," chanted crowds in Jordan, one of only two Arab states to have made peace with Israel, with an estimated 20,000 people pouring into the streets of Amman and other cities, AFP correspondents said. They carried banners reading "Go to Hell!" directed at Israel and the United States, and set ablaze the two countries' flags. Hundreds of demonstrators, circled by anti-riot police, also gathered outside Al-Azhar mosque in the capital of Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state. "We will sacrifice our soul, our blood for you, Al-Aqsa," they pledged, referring to the mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem that is the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. - War-torn countries - Thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians demonstrated in Lebanon and its refugee camps, while similar joint protests were staged in Syria despite the country's brutal war. In another war-torn country, thousands of Yemeni rebel supporters rallied in Sanaa under the banner "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine". "This case belongs to all Muslims and no one has the right to sell it out," Mohammed Ali al-Huthi, a Huthi rebel leader, shouted to the crowd. "Jerusalem is ours and Jerusalem belongs to the Arabs," hundreds of Iraqi demonstrators chanted in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, where Israeli and American flags were also torched. "Death to America! Death to Israel!" was the rallying cry as thousands demonstrated in Tehran and other Iranian cities. Thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters marched after prayers at the Ottoman Fatih mosque in the centre of Istanbul. "We consider Jerusalem as the bastion of the Muslim community... We are here to show our unity and our strength," said protester Doguhan, 17. In North Africa, thousands demonstrated in central Tunis, calling for the expulsion of the US ambassador, while a small crowd of around 300 gathered in the Libyan capital's Martyr's Square to vent their anger at Trump's decision. - Protests in Asia - In Asia, thousands of protesters demonstrated outside the American embassy in Malaysia, condemning Trump's decision as a "slap in the face" for Muslims worldwide. They carried banners that read: "Hands off Jerusalem" and "Down USA President Trump". In neighbouring Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, several hundred people demonstrated outside the US embassy in Jakarta, unfurling a large Palestinian flag. In Afghanistan, more than 1,000 protesters hit the streets after Friday prayers in Kabul. They burned effigies of Trump as well as American and Israeli flags. A few dozen tried to reach the heavily barricaded US embassy, but were pushed back by local security forces. Around 2,500 demonstrators also protested in the western city of Herat, an AFP correspondent reported. Hundreds took to the streets in Pakistan, including in the capital Islamabad. The protesters chanted "Death to Trump" and "Trump is mad". Topics : protest trump Jerusalem Israel Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, December 9, 2017 10:06 1804 1f87594453bb792833e1ece3a2cb7373 1 Activities Eiffel-Tower,destination,copyright,Paris,France Free If youve ever browsed through tourist guides on France, you mightve wondered why you can almost never find photos or videos of the Eiffel Tower taken at night. It turns out that documenting and sharing what the Eiffel Tower looks like at night is illegal. The reason behind this is French copyright law, which gives the original creator of an object exclusive rights to its sale and distribution for as long as they live, plus some number of years. In Pakistan, copyright law holds 50 years after the creator has passed away. In Jamaica, this period is 95 years, while in member countries of the European Union, it is 70 years. For the purposes of copyright, buildings are classified as artistic works. As of 2016, in France, anyone is allowed to take photos and videos of copyrighted buildings for personal use, but not commercial use. Read also: Eiffel Tower turns into thrill-seeking ride at 90km an hour Wondering why you can take photos of the Eiffel Tower in the day time but not at night? Gustave Eiffel, who had purchased the copyright for the tower, died in 1923. This means that the copyright lapsed in 1993, after which the likeness and design of the tower entered the public domain. However, the lights on the Eiffel Tower were only installed by Pierre Bideau in 1985. Since they are considered an artistic work and are thus well within the copyright term at the moment, any photo or video taken when the lights are visiblethat is, at night when they are switched onis a violation of copyright law. According to Snopes, anything shared on social media platforms also counts as distributionand this is where unknowing tourists can get into trouble. It is interesting to note that the copyright of the tower has never been enforced in court, but as is often said, theres a first time for everything! (afr/kes) There will come a time, hopefully before long, when it won't be legal to discriminate against gay people any more than it would be to deny goods or services to African-Americans, women or the disabled. But we're not at that point yet. Hence the need for Tuesday's food fight at the Supreme Court. On the justices' plates: whether a baker can refuse on First Amendment grounds to make a cake for a gay wedding because it offends his Christian beliefs. Layered throughout the oral argument: Is food speech? Or is it, well, food? Kristen Waggoner, arguing for Masterpiece Cakeshop of Colorado, made the creative argument that the Christian confectioner "intended to speak through that cake" and that, when the cake maker bakes, "he is creating a painting on that canvas that expresses messages" -- and is therefore covered by the First Amendment. Trump administration Solicitor General Noel Francisco, also arguing for the cake maker, said that the first question was whether "the cake rises to the level of speech." He gave no indication that his pun was intended. To the casual consumer of cakes, it's obvious that cake does not rise to the level of protected speech. Cake is dessert. Or possibly breakfast, if in muffin form. But for a Supreme Court that has determined that corporations are people, it is not settled law that cake is food. This raises the possibility of other goods and services being denied to gay people by those who cite their free-speech and free-expression-of-religion rights -- just as Jim Crow merchants did when refusing to serve African-Americans a half-century ago. "The person who does floral arranging," asked Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. "Would that person also be speaking at the wedding?" Yes, Waggoner answered, "if they are custom-designed arrangements." "How about the person who designs the invitation to the wedding or the menu for the wedding dinner?" "Certainly." Justice Elena Kagan decided to play. "The jeweler?" Possibly, Waggoner reasoned. "Hairstylist?" "Absolutely not." "The makeup artist?" Kagan persisted. Waggoner said that the makeup artist would not be speaking -- neither, she replied to Kagan's further questions, would the wedding tailor or the chef. "Whoa!" Kagan pounced. "The baker is engaged in speech, but the chef is not engaged in speech?" And let's not even get into the butcher and the candlestick maker. The case could go either way, with four justices apparently on the cake-is-speech side, four on the cake-is-food side and the inscrutable Anthony M. Kennedy in between. But Kennedy did tell Francisco that his side in the case has a "problem," because "there's basically an ability to boycott gay marriages. If you prevail, could the baker put a sign in his window: 'We do not bake cakes for gay weddings'?" Francisco allowed that the baker could. "And you would not think that an affront to the gay community?" Of course it would be. But lawyers for the cake baker argued that discrimination on the basis of race or disability is different because it is based on "who the person is" -- as if being gay isn't who the person is. The high court has enshrined the right to same-sex marriage, but neither the court nor Congress has protected sexual orientation the way they protect race, religion, gender and disability. Several states and localities have such laws -- including Colorado, whose law is being questioned in the cake case -- but those will have little effect if the justices decide that anti-gay discrimination is protected as free speech. Hence the slippery-slope questions. If the custom-cake guy, the florist and the people who design invitations and menus can discriminate, "I don't see a line that can be drawn that would exclude the makeup artist or the hairstylist," Ginsburg pointed out. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. asked about architects. "Generally that would not be protected," Waggoner ventured. Justice Stephen G. Breyer interjected. "So," he said, "Mies or Michelangelo or someone is not protected when he creates the Laurentian Steps, but this cake baker is protected when he creates the cake without any message on it for a wedding?" This is important, Breyer said, because "we want some kind of distinction that will not undermine every civil rights law from the year to -- including the African-Americans, including the Hispanic Americans, including everybody who has been discriminated against in very basic things of life, food, design of furniture, homes and buildings." Piece of cake: If you can't do it to racial and religious minorities, women and the disabled, you shouldn't be able to do it to gay people. (front page) Million plus in Puerto Rico still left without electricity US colonial rule at heart of social crisis More than two and a half months after Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico, half of the U.S. colonys inhabitants are still without electricity. And tens of thousands of people in homes whose roofs were blown off by the storm still havent received plastic tarps, much less aid to repair their homes. We have running water, but its not drinkable, we still have to boil it first, retired hospital worker Luis Epardo told the Militant from Aguadilla, on the northwest tip of the island, Dec. 4. And the mosquitos! Its incredible, garbage and rubble from the damaged homes hasnt been picked up. The city government has sprayed insecticide from vehicles, he said, but they say that only kills 5 percent. Nonetheless, Health Department officials insist there has been no increase in mosquito-born diseases like Zika, dengue and chikungunya. The government claims that only 58 people died from the storm, despite figures showing that in September alone 472 more people died than the year before. There was a similar jump in October. The govt figures dont include deaths from lack of adequate medical care, not enough insulin or oxygen or being unable to get dialysis. The governor said that we would have electricity by Dec. 15, but we havent seen anybody working, Luis Aristud, an insurance adjuster in Canovanas, east of San Juan, said by phone. Many people in the U.S. who went through Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy still havent gotten help, Aristud said. Imagine us! Theyre like a landlord. When you need something fixed, forget about it, but miss a rent payment, they call the cops. Weve been a colony ever since the U.S. invaded, Aristud said. Even though were U.S. citizens, we just have to take the dish they serve us, good, bad or so-so. And people didnt realize that the only part of their house that is insured, if they have insurance, is the part the bank owns, he said, not their belongings inside. There is no electricity at all on the island of Vieques, off Puerto Ricos eastern shore, said Ismael Guadalupe, a retired school teacher and veteran leader of the successful fight to oust the U.S. Navy bombing range there. So many people have installed generators that it just sounds like one big car at night, he said. El Nuevo Dia reported that 1,200 poles for power lines out of a promised 65,000 needed to get electricity back up arrived at the San Juan port Nov. 30. Justo Gonzalez, acting executive director of the Electric Energy Authority, said Dec. 1 that 2,000 electrical workers from the U.S. will arrive in the coming weeks to speed up restoring power. On Nov. 29, Federal Emergency Management Agency reported it had canceled a contract with Bronze Star company three weeks earlier, because they didnt deliver a half million light tarps for hurricane victims. In addition, some 60,000 blue tarps are needed to put up on homes that lost their roofs, but FEMA says it is only able to install 350 a day due to lack of supplies. Its facts like these little reported in the big-business press in the U.S. that show that the people in the U.S. colony of Puerto Rico are suffering not from a natural disaster, but a man-made capitalist catastrophe. Eliminating the Christmas bonus William Hernandez, a mechanical engineer, told the Militant electricity was restored three weeks ago at the pharmaceutical factory where he works in Guayama, on the southeast part of the island. Puerto Rico is a major center for medicine and medical supplies. The Puerto Rican government exempted bosses at hundreds of private companies from paying the legally mandated annual Christmas bonuses that are a big part of workers yearly pay, because the storm cost them income. At the company where I work, they paid it, Hernandez said. But where my friends work, theyre not going to pay. The pharmaceutical companies make big profits. They are using the tragedy of the hurricane to benefit themselves and it cant be justified. Working people in Puerto Rico have been hit hard over the last decade by the worldwide capitalist economic crisis, exacerbated by the islands colonial oppression. Dozens of factories have been shuttered and gross domestic product declined there every year since 2006. The government took out new loans to pay off earlier ones, and now the colonial governments debt has soared to $74 billion. To keep paying the bondholders, the government closed schools, laid off thousands of public employees, reduced pensions, raised sales taxes and cut maintenance on the electrical grid. The effects of the hurricane deepened the crisis. According to the islands Labor and Human Resources Department, in October the number of people with a job or actively looking for one was 38.6 percent, the lowest level in 27 years. There were at least 54,000 fewer workers in October compared to last year. In 2016 President Barack Obama appointed a Fiscal Responsibility and Oversight Board to press the colonial regime to cut back more on jobs, social services and other government expenses. The board has veto power over all of the governments financial decisions to ensure the maximum payment possible on the debt. Board members chastised Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello Nov. 27, saying his decision to pay the annual Christmas bonus to public employees this year demonstrates a lack of fiscal discipline. With the typical arrogance of the imperialist rulers, the board told Rossello that they expect to be consulted on all such decisions in the future. Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (lead article) Join fight to overturn ban against Militant! By refusing to allow prisoners to read the, the Literature Review Committee is depriving individuals of their constitutional right to read material of their choosing, says a Dec. 1 letter from PEN America, backing thes fight against the decision of Florida prison officials to repeatedly impound thethis year. Although every issue of the Militant covers public protests and encourages workers to back protests that advance their interests, the Militant does not suggest or incite rebellion against prison institutions or the government. The impoundment of the Nov. 6 issue of the paper is the ninth time this year the paper has been prevented from reaching its dozens of subscribers in Floridas 16 prisons. Any time authorities at any Florida prison seizes a copy of the Militant, they are removed from subscribers at all state institutions. The Militant has appealed every act of censorship and the Literature Review Committee overturned four of the first seven impoundments and upheld three. The committee will review the impoundment of the Nov. 6 issue, as well as the seizure of the Oct. 30 issue. Prison officials impounded the Oct. 30 issue because it reported on the Militants appeal of Florida prison censorship of yet another issue of the paper, even though the Literature Review Committee has overturned the impoundment of previous issues banned on the same basis. The impoundment of the Nov. 6 issue is even more serious. Unlike previous impoundment notices, this one makes the outrageous claim that the entire paper is dangerously inflammatory in that it advocates or encourages riot, insurrection and may lead to the use of physical violence. Florida authorities give no reason for this belief, merely listing four pages in the issue. The nine impoundments this year are at least twice as many as in the prior decade in Florida, and twice as many as in the rest of the nation, state and federal combined, David Goldstein, the Militants lawyer, of the well-known civil liberties law firm Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman, states in his Dec. 4 appeal of the ban. The censoring of the latest issues is difficult to understand as anything other than a highly improper intensifying effort by the Florida Department of Corrections, Goldstein wrote, to target the Militant for unconstitutional and arbitrary content-based and viewpoint-based censorship. Jefferson Correctional Institution prison officials also charged that the Militant encourages protesting and group disruption. One article on the pages cited is headlined, Protest US Economic War Against Cuban Revolution! and the other pages feature ads promoting a Rally and march for silver miners on strike in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, and a Rally to defend Cuban Revolution at the United Nations in New York. Goldstein points out that the Literature Review Committee overturned the impoundment of the Sept. 11 issue, which prison officials had singled out because of a front-page article that reported and advocated protests against racism. He also noted that in 2013 and 2016 the Literature Review Committee overturned attempts to censor the paper for reporting on prisoner hunger strikes and protests in California. In addition to PEN America, Amnesty International USA, New Yorks Riverside Church Prison Ministry and Miami-based Alianza Martiana, a coalition of Cuban-American groups, have sent letters to the Literature Review Committee, and more are on their way. Alianza Martiana said that the prison authorities have violated the letter and spirit of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Amnesty International points out that the impoundment violates not only the Constitution, but also the United Nations Minimum Rules on the Treatment of Prisoners, commonly known as the Mandela Rules, after South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. Prisoners are fellow workers behind bars, said Militant editor John Studer. They have a right to read about the world we live in, to consider different views, to form their own opinions. Prison authorities have no right to ban views they disagree with. We are not going to stop supporting the struggles of working people around the world and urging readers, including those behind bars, to take a stand, Studer said. Our fight against arbitrary and unconstitutional censorship in Florida strengthens everyones right to free speech and for freedom of the press. Related articles: Guantanamo prisoners art brings threats from US govt Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (front page) US govt to keep troops in Syria to defend its imperialist interests Washington remains the foremost military power in the Middle East, despite inroads being made by Tehran in asserting its military and political role in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, and the growing influence of Moscow in the region. The Pentagon announced Dec. 5 that the U.S. rulers plan to keep their bases and troops in Syria for the foreseeable future, determined to defend their imperialist interests there and throughout the region. The U.S. will sustain a conditions-based military presence in Syria to combat the threat of a terrorist-led insurgency, prevent the resurgence of ISIS [Islamic State], and to stabilize liberated areas, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon told Agence France-Presse Dec. 5. Washington must deal with Tehrans growing capability, their use of militias, proxies and terrorist organizations, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Dec. 3. About 80 percent of [Syrian dictator Bashar al-]Assads fighters are Iranian proxies in Syria to establish a land bridge over into the Mediterranean. But U.S. rulers face a dilemma. They cannot deploy massive numbers of ground forces to the area because of political opposition by working people at home. With the exception of Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, backed by Washington, the Pentagon has been unable to put in place an effective fighting force on the ground in the region. While not widely publicized by Washington, the number of U.S. forces in the Middle East is in the tens of thousands and slowly rising. Some 10,000 military personnel are stationed in Qatar at the Al Udeid Air Base, which coordinates U.S. airstrikes throughout the region; another 7,000 are in Bahrain, from where the 5th Navy Fleet operates; and 15,000 are in Kuwait. The U.S. military has 10 bases and outposts in northern Syria, several of them with airfields, and two other outposts in southern Syria near the Iraqi border, with no plans to leave anytime soon. U.S. forces have 11 regular and temporary bases in Iraq. The biggest winner in the war against Islamic State has been the regime in Tehran. They have moved to fill the void in Iraq and Syria, McMaster said, calling them weak states Tehran can take advantage of. Moscow, whose airstrikes over the past couple of years together with ground troops from Iran, Hezbollah and related Tehran-backed militias, has resurrected the Assad dictatorship in Syria, and is expanding its military presence there. A decadeslong agreement with the regime reinforces Russias Tartus naval base on the Mediterranean, its air base in the Latakia area, and a new one built near Damascus, Syrias capital. Saudi rulers push modernization To counter Tehrans growing influence, Washington is backing the al-Saud monarchy in Saudi Arabia and its drive to clear away aspects of the countrys tribal-based social, religious and political relations that pose obstacles to capitalist modernization there. There are 5,000 third-generation princes in Saudi Arabia whose families and entourages eat up $30 to $50 billion per year. These royals have accumulated vast economic power through special access to government contracts and control over imported labor. The Saudi regime is now offering freedom to some of the over 200 people princes, current and former cabinet ministers and oil-monopoly billionaires arrested Nov. 4 on charges of corruption if they put large amounts of their wealth into government coffers. This would place some $100 billion in capital in the hands of the state for investments to expand infrastructure, industry and manufacturing to diversify the economy away from over-dependency on oil. Over three-quarters of Saudi citizens work for the state, with generous social benefits. Thats not the case for the 9 million foreign-born workers about 30 percent of the total population who comprise nearly 80 percent of the workforce. Many are brought into the country on fixed-term contracts and face dangerous working conditions and low pay. This drive led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman includes eliminating many restrictions on women, including the right to drive and attend public events. These steps are popular among the vast majority of the Saudi population, 65 percent of whom are under age 30. Steps have also been taken to reign in the powers of the Wahhabi Muslim ministry over political and social life. To further its impact in the region, the Saudi government has initiated a Muslim Military Alliance of some 40 countries that includes Turkey and excludes Iraq, Syria and Iran. With Washingtons support, the Saudi air force has been bombarding Yemen in a nearly three-year-long war aimed at defeating Tehran-backed Houthi rebels who have taken control over large parts of the country. At Riyadhs insistence, the U.N. Security Council imposed a total blockade on the country Nov. 6. According to the U.N., some 7 million of the countrys 28 million people are on the brink of starvation, nearly 1 million have contracted cholera and over 2,000 have died from it. Former Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed in Sanaa Dec. 4. Saleh made billions for himself ruling Yemen with an iron fist for 33 years before being forced to resign in 2011 because of mass Arab Spring protests. He sided with the Houthis against the Saudi-led coalition, but broke with them two days before being killed. Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home (special feature) 1961 literacy drive in Cuba transformed working people CHICAGO Without the literacy campaign, none of the success weve had would have been possible. Its the base of Cubas development, Griselda Aguilera Cabrera, a veteran of revolutionary Cubas mass literacy drive in 1961 that taught workers and peasants across the island how to read and write, told an audience of 65 at a meeting here Dec. 2. It was held at the SEIU Healthcare union hall and sponsored by the Chicago Cuba Coalition. The event included a showing of the documentary Maestra (teacher) by Catherine Murphy, which describes how a quarter of a million volunteers worked with more than 700,000 fellow Cubans, wiping out illiteracy in one year. Some 100,000 of these volunteers were under the age 18, the majority female. The film interviews several women who participated in this historic effort, including Aguilera, who at age 7 was the youngest volunteer. In January 1959 the workers and peasants of Cuba, led by the July 26 Movement headed by Fidel Castro, overthrew the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and began to reorganize society based on the needs of the toiling majority opening the road to the first socialist revolution in the Americas. The literacy campaign was one of the major steps in the transformation of Cuban working people, which enabled them to run their own country. It was a very intense year, with the whole population involved in one way or another, Aguilera said. Many of the young literacy teachers went to the countryside, living and working with peasant families and teaching classes at night. Many rural workers lived in huts with dirt floors and no electricity or running water, she said, a new experience for youth from the urban areas. In the cities, classes were organized in existing schools, workplaces and union halls, Aguilera said. My student was a street cleaner, 58 years old and completely illiterate. The themes of the lessons were about the world, about the right to health care and to land. At the same time students were learning to read, we were gaining consciousness about our country and about the world. This accomplishment required both action by the government and a desire of the people to do it, Aguilera said. No one got a vacation that year, but no one complained. We caught up our courses the next year, she said. In response to a question, she described how the Cuban government has taken the initiative since 2001 to help expand literacy in other countries, particularly in Latin America. More than 10 million people have learned to read with this program, with the help of Cuban volunteers in some 30 countries, Aguilera said. Washington accuses Cuba of trying to interfere in other countries, she added, but our only goal is to allow people to help in the development of their own countries. The meeting included brief presentations on conditions facing working people in Puerto Rico today. Miguel Alvelo Rivera of Chicago Boricua Resistance described how the Junta the fiscal control board imposed by Washington on the islands colonial government is forcing the closure of 184 schools in rural areas. Jose Lopez, executive director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, talked about fundraising efforts to help people recover from Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico in September. The social catastrophe in the wake of that storm brought to light the unnatural problem of Puerto Rico caused by U.S. colonial rule, Lopez said. What happened in Puerto Rico showed the lack of preparation of people to confront a natural phenomena, Aguilera said. She described how the government in Cuba leads in creating the conditions and educating the people to face the inevitable hurricanes that hit the islands in the Caribbean. In every school students learn the plan, and in the workplaces. The way the Cuban Revolution mobilizes working people to prepare for, meet and rebuild after hurricanes like Maria and Irma and the literacy campaign Aguilera described vividly in her talk are striking examples of what difference a socialist revolution the working class in power can make. Related articles: European Cuba solidarity conference held in Bulgaria Hart: We joined revolutionary movement led by Fidel Castro Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home A US police force in a suburban town in Utah is attempting to thwart parcel thefts over the festive period with what appears to be a foolproof solution: allowing residents to use the stations address for deliveries. The Woods Cross Police Department near Salt Lake City is operating what it calls the Santa Squad programme, where police will secure packages for safe collection, throughout December. Packages sent to the department are directed to the Santa Squad and can later be picked up by the residents with matching IDs. Woods Cross Citizens. In an effort to make your Christmas safer and more enjoyable we are offering for the month of Dec Posted by Woods Cross PD on Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Police chief Greg Butler told KUTV-TV that package thefts can be difficult to solve, so the department decided to take a different approach. Officers can deliver packages to residents who are elderly or have special needs. For those sneakily looking to fake their identity to steal packages, Butler said it wont work. He said: I would be very surprised if somebody tried to pull a fast one on the police department and tried to get a package here that wasnt for them. CALEDONIA Everyone at Gifford Elementary School got to celebrate Alex Hart-Upendos success on Friday. Alex, Racines bow-tie kid, was named the grand prize winner of the American Egg Boards national Youre Incredible Because ... contest. When you meet him, you know hes going to be an incredible young man because hes such an incredible kid, said Anne Alonzo, president and CEO of the Egg Board, which represents the interests of egg producers in such matters as research, education, promotion and regulatory matters. Alex was honored at a presentation at Gifford Elementary School, 8332 Northwestern Ave., on Friday morning, which included Olympic gymnastics gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars winner Laurie Hernandez. She competed as a member of the U.S. womens gymnastics team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning gold in the team event and silver on the balance beam. Hernandez said she got involved in the Egg Boards contest because she liked the competitions message. As a little kid, my parents always supported everything I did as an athlete, she said. Now we get to look at other kids and their parents who are explaining why their kid is incredible. Hernandez was particularly impressed with Alex and his story. He is such a smart kid, said Hernandez. Seeing his composure and how ambitious he is for the future, thats something Ive never seen in such a young kid. Stylish beginnings In 2016, at 9 years old, Alex created Build-a-Bow, a company which started as a bow-tie design outfit but grew to include special events, where Alex provides materials and instructions for guests to make their own bow tie. Last year, Alex and his company, Build-a-Bow, received a $750 grant from the Racine Arts Council to teach the art of making a bow tie with part of the proceeds and all bow ties going to a charitable cause. He also received an Apollo Award for a New and Innovative Business by Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce, which included a $2,000 cash prize. The Egg Board awarded Alex a $2,500 scholarship and provided another $2,500 to Gifford. Gifford Principal Mary Cline said the school would put the money toward purchasing books, including copies of Alexs book, Bullies, Bowties and Brilliant Alex, for all the schools classrooms. Alex said his business is going great these days and hes set to sell more than 5,000 bow ties in less than a year. He also said he plans on turning his company into a franchise and seeing my product in schools. True to form, Alex wore a sunny-side-up egg bow tie hed made for the event. Hes already marketing for us, said Alonzo about the tie. We have an eye on him. With having his family, classmates and an Olympian at his school to celebrate his success, Alex was nearly speechless. Its an honor, he said, just flat-out an honor. Its only when you return from your travels and are struggling with post-holiday blues that you can truly reflect on the moments that made your trip to the East Coast of Australia Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays travelling alone Here are some of the quirks and the perks that I experienced during my time, which I am sure many of you will already be able to relate to, or have yet to encounter Trying to get SOME sleep during your 24-hour flight Greenwich Mean Time Its 11pm, you left London Heathrow three hours ago and have just finished watching your first blockbuster movie of the flight. You have seven more hours until you reach Hong Kong and youre feeling rather sleepy as your body clock is still well-attuned to However, you werent lucky enough to bag the window seat and so you are now sandwiched between two businessmen who certainly do not want you snuggling up to them and resting your head on their shoulder. Instead you open the dinner tray in front of you and attempt to use this as a form of head rest eughh this is a great start to the journey NOT! Your first night in Aus alcohol induced Ok, so you have arrived in OZ, you have just checked in and settled yourself into your first point of call in Brisbane. The room is empty and there is not a soul in sight. Of course, its a Saturday night; everyone is downstairs at the bar doing tequila shots, preparing themselves to sing and dance until their hearts content to Justin Biebers latest love song in the cheesy back packers night club next door. You think to yourself, Am I really up for this tonight?. However, its best to get your body clock well in tune with Aus time by staying up a little bit longer, make some friends and have a bev or two (but not too many, as youre on your own now and your travel insurance does not coverissues!). Ok, so now you have made this decision, its time to loosen up, to put on your best smile and fully your embrace your extrovert self you dont want to come across as that lonesome local perched at the end of the bar, staring aimlessly whilst nursing a pint. Setting out on your big adventure You wake up the next day feeling much more revived and fresh as your body has recovered well from jet lag. You set off with your mini rucksack on your back and your map wide open, in hand, navigating yourself down the streets of Brisbane like Dora the Explorer. Updating your Facebook fans as to your whereabouts You have been walking for ages and have finally stumbled across the iconic Brisbane sign, complemented by the backdrop of the chic, modern city. Perfect, nows your chance to upload a photo to Facebook, showing all your fans that youre still alive and have indeed made it to the other side of the world! Everyone around you is having group photos taken in front and on top of the sign and here you are, looking for someone to take a picture of just you. This might be the first moment where you suddenly think, Aww, I wish my mates were with me. City scenes to surfers sands After spending a day or two in the city of Brisbane, you travel a few hours down the coast to the surfers paradise of Byron Bay. Its renowned for being THE place to visit if you want to ride some of the worlds narliest waves. Of course, you have spent many a summer conquering the waves of Fistral beach and so would now consider yourself an intermediate surfer. unfortunately translates as being a beginner in Aus! However, being an intermediate surfer in the UKYou confidently enter the water, strapping the board to your ankle, yet the strong current suddenly whips around your legs, causing you to stumble and sway side to side. If you can barely even stand in shallow waters, then how on earth are you even going to attempt to surf?! Fully embracing that beach bum life soaking up the sun After spending two weeks ofand embracing the chilled Aussie way of life, your Levi shorts and your Haviana flip-flops might as well be the only things you brought with you. Your skin is radiating a golden glow and you no longer feel a slave to the daily ritual of applying your make-up. You have truly embraced the au naturel appearance and youre absolutely loving it this is your real self and no one who meets you has anything to compare you against. Modelling at Lake Mckenzie you must be 21 to drive You rock up to Rainbow Beach ready for your three-day trip around Fraser Island and you are placed in a truck with only one other girl your age, a middle aged German couple and a group of four lads who have just graduated from Leeds University. Unfortunately, although you hold a UK driver licence, you are only 19, and in Aus. Oh well, looks like youre being chauffeured around for the weekend! Lake McKenzie is your first stop or should I say, your first Instagram snap of many to come! Now to become a scuba diver After visiting Fraser Island, you simply cannot believe that anything will ever be as beautiful as the warm, turquoise waters of Lake McKenzie and the sparkling champagne pools. However, you are proven to be considerably wrong as each new place that you visit reveals even more of the unique beauty that is intrinsic to the East coast of Australia. You spend the following weekend on a boat sailing around the Whitsunday Islands and visiting Whitehaven Beach comprised of the purest sand in the world diving into the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. introductory scuba dive This is where you attempt your first, where you see some of Australias most incredible marine life. After initially feeling panicked about wearing such a heavy tank on your back whilst having to breathe correctly through the mouth piece, you finally get used to the whole process and realise just how calming an experience scuba diving really is. Back to the city and back to the club You have been travelling for a long time now; you have surfed the East Coast, seen over ten kangaroos, and consumed one too many a Tim Tam slam. Its now time to return to the city for your last stop in Cairns. Although, you are slightly reluctant to do so as you have become well accustomed to the beach bum way of life. However, youve got to make the most of the final few days of your trip, you cant just sit in your room at night whilst the club bangers violently shake your bed. You force yourself to go out, wearing your favourite pair of shorts and your Havaiana flip flops which cling to the sticky floor as your feet unwillingly tap to the beat. Yet, after a while, you get back into the party spirit as Gilligans night club becomes a massive place of reunion; everyone that you met earlier on in your travels suddenly reappears for that one last time. I spent my last night jamming to Cotton Eyed Joe with the lads from Leeds who became like brothers to me during my journey, and who I renamed The In-betweeners. One more time flight back to the UK Your times now up: youre on your, listening to Daft Punks One More Time, whilst flicking through the millions of photos which are now the only physical evidence of your journey along the East Coast. If youre away on a long trip you can really start to crave a taste of home and thats exactly what happened to astronaut Paolo Nespoli. The Italian is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and found himself, very relatably, missing the comforting taste of pizza. So ISS chief Kirk Shireman did the only caring thing a good boss could, and sent the crew the ingredients to make their own pizzas. Certainly getting the base spinning seems a little easier in microgravity, but we have questions. Like is it really a pizza without cheese? Whats going on with all that pepperoni? And how did they actually taste? Well, according to Nespoli, not too bad. When you really, really miss pizza you CASUALLY mention it to the International @Space_Station Boss during a live public event Thank you Kirk for surprising us with unexpectedly delicious pizzas! #VITAmission pic.twitter.com/WstvG3IKr1 Paolo Nespoli (@astro_paolo) December 2, 2017 Its not the first time astronauts have enjoyed a pizza aboard the space station. Back in 2001, Pizza Hut announced it had delivered pizza to Russian cosmonaut Yuri Usachov as part of a promotional stunt. Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page Tentang Situs Slot Online Resmi MGS88 Nama Situs MGS88 Minimal Deposit Rp. 10.000,- (Sepuluh Ribu Rupiah) Proses Deposit 2 Menit Metode Deposit Bank Transfer, Pulsa, E-Wallet Judi Online Terbaik Slot Online, Judi Bola, Casino Online, Togel Online, Tembak Ikan Provider Slot Gacor Mudah Maxwin Pragmatic Play, PGSoft, MicroGaming, Habanero Slot Gacor Gampang Menang Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza, Wild West Gold, Starlight Princess Win Rate 98% RTP Live Slot Gacor Tertinggi Hari Ini Terbaru Terlengkap Selamat datang di halaman RTP live dan informasi soal slot gacor hari ini dari situs MGS88 yang setiap hari selalu update. Berdasarkan RTP Live MGS88, Anda bisa mendapatkan informasi tentang slot online yang saat ini yang sedang Gacor atau onfire dengan persentase yang terbukti akurat, ini bisa menjadi rekomendasi anda sebelum memilih permainan slot online di situs MGS88. Cek RTP Slot sekarang juga bosku Klik Provider Slot Untuk Mengetahui RTP Slot Secara Real Time Selamat datang bagi kalian yang sedang mencari situs RTP Live terlengkap dan terkini hari ini. Sangat sesuai jika Anda mengunjungi website MGS88 RTP live untuk informasi tentang permainan slot yang lagi gacor dengan slot RTP yang terupdate. Persentase kemenangan yang kami berikan tentunya diambil dengan data yang sangat valid dan hanya untuk permainan slot yang tersedia di situs MGS88. RTP yang tersedia juga akan selalu diperbarui setiap hari berdasarkan level kemenangan yang diberikan kepada member kami. Memang sih untuk bermain slot itu tergantung hoki dari setiap pemain, Namun RTP live atau bocoran slot dari yang kami sediakan ini adalah data autentik dari banyaknya pemain yang telah bermain dan mencapai kemenangan tinggi. Sederhananya, kalau banyak pemain yang menang di dalam 1 permainan slot, karena itu permainan slot tersebut akan mempunyai persentase RTP yang sangat tinggi. Namun kami tegaskan sekali lagi, ini bukan sebuah paksaan kami situs MGS88 untuk anda bermain di game slot yang mana. Ini bisa dijadikan sebagai referensi atau tolok ukur, boleh dicoba kalau anda mempunyai feel yang kuat dalam memainkan permainan game slot. Anda dapat mengakses kapan saja dan di mana saja selama anda siap bermain. Jangan ragu untuk bertanya ya seputar pola putaran terhadap kami, sebab kami juga menyediakannya loh. Apa itu RTP Live? RTP Live ialah informasi mengenai persentase tertinggi saat ini dari hasil RTP Live dengan bocoran kemenangan pemain saat ini. RTP Live merupakan singkatan dari Return To Play atau bisa juga diartikan sebagai Return to Player. Karena itu, para pemain slot sekarang jika ingin mengetahui seberapa besar kemenangannya, bisa dengan memainkan permainan yang akan dimainkannya dan bisa untung dengan mudah dan tentunya maksimal. Apa itu RTP Slot? RTP Slot juga dikenal sebagai return to player atau pengembalian ke Pemain. RTP slot ialah persentase dari nilai pengembalian semua uang yang dipertaruhkan pemain dari waktu ke waktu. Dengan kata lain, RTP juga dianggap sebagai salah satu fitur slot yang mengembalikan uang pemain saat pemain kalah. Persentase digunakan untuk menghitung RTP dalam permainan slot. Misalnya, jika slot memiliki RTP 97%, itu berarti untuk setiap 100.000 koin yang hilang di slot, slot dapat mengembalikan 97.000. Jika Anda mengetahui RTP sebuah permainan slot, Anda dapat memutuskan permainan slot mana yang akan dimainkan tanpa kerugian besar. Apakah Angka Persentase RTP Slot Itu Penting? Biasanya pemain slot itu tidak memperhatikan RTP dalam permainan yang akan dimainkan, biasanya setelah anda mengisi saldo utama anda akan langsung buru-buru memainkannya. Yang terakhir 90-96% mempengaruhi jumlah kemenangan. Semakin tinggi jumlah RTP yang digunakan, semakin luas peluang untuk mendapatkan keuntungan. Akan namun itu segala tak secara 100% menjamin kemenangan kau dalam bermain, RTP itu cuma sebagai kalkulasi pengeluaran anda saja selama bermain slot.Dengan adanya RTP, kau dapat mengerjakan pengaturan atas uang yang akan kau pertaruhkan nanti pada ketika bermain.Untuk itu pada ketika kau bermain slot dan telah mengalami banyak kekalahan di satu permainan, direkomendasikan kau pindah ke permainan slot lainnya yang RTP nya lebih tinggi dari permainan yang tadi kau mainkan. Keuntungan Menggunakan Bocoran RTP Slot Hari Ini Situs MGS88 Akan dengan senang hati akan beberapa keuntungan yang didapatkan jika anda bermain slot dengan menggunakan RTP Live yang telah disediakan. Berikut Keuntungannya : Peluang Kemenangan Meningkat Tentu saja, saat bermain slot online, menang adalah hal yang paling penting. Di sinilah RTP berperan sebagai metode atau metode baru yang akan membantu Anda memilih permainan slot persentase tinggi. Mendapat variasi dalam Memainkan Game Slot Pastinya banyak pemain slot online yang hanya memainkan 3-5 permainan slot saja. Namun dengan RTP Live slot akan memberikan banyak game slot lain yang bisa anda coba. Tentunya semua permainan slot memiliki potensi kemenangan yang besar, jadi jangan hanya mengandalkan beberapa permainan saja. Menambah Pengalaman Dalam Bermain Slot Keuntungan terakhir adalah Anda tentu saja menambah pengalaman dan keahlian dalam permainan slot online. Dengan berbagai macam permainan slot yang dimainkan, Anda pasti mengetahui karakteristik dari setiap permainan slot yang Anda mainkan. Akibatnya, Anda pasti bisa dianggap sebagai pemain slot yang andal, yang pasti akan meningkatkan peluang Anda untuk menang besar menggunakan RTP. Daftar 8 Situs Dengan RTP Slot Live Tertinggi Hari Ini Ada banyak penyedia mesin slot online di internet. Tetapi tidak semuanya memiliki peluang tinggi atau RTP Live Slot yang sangat tinggi. Tapi jangan khawatir, berikut ini adalah situs slot gacor yang akan memberikan bocoran slot dengan RTP Live Tertinggi: RTP Live Slot Pragmatic Play (RTP Slot 97.85%) RTP Live Slot PG Soft (RTP Live 96.15%) RTP Live Slot Habanero (RTP Slot 95.89%) RTP Live Slot CQ9 (RTP Live 98.83%) RTP Live Slot Spade Gaming (RTP Live 94.99%) RTP Live Slot Micro Gaming (RTP Slot 95.39%) RTP Slot Live Top Trend Gaming (RTP Live 96.14%) RTP Slot Live JOKER123 (RTP Live 97.45%) Itulah Daftar 8 Provider Slot Gacor dengan RTP Live teratas diatas tentunya kami analisa terlebih dahulu. Anda bisa membuktikannya langsung dengan mengklik banner atau meprovider game slot yang sudah tersedia di atas. Saran kami yaitu Anda harus memainkan semua penyedia slot di atas untuk mencapai peluang kemenangan terbaik. Daftar Slot RTP Live Tertinggi Sering Kasih Jackpot Selain mempertimbangkan RTP Slot Gacor yang ada, sebenarnya ada banyak faktor penting untuk menang dalam permainan judi online. Sebab ada banyak game yang memiliki fitur dan mekanisme unik dan bisa membantu anda meraih Jackpot yang sangat besar. Berikut ini akan kami ulas daftar 5 game slot paling populer karena sering memberikan jackpot: RTP Live Gates of Olympus Gates of Olympus adalah game slot teraneh dan terbaik di Indonesia. Karena permainan mesin slot ini paling populer karena kakek Zeus dapat mengizinkan pengganda x500. Selain itu, fitur dan mekanik Gates of Olympus juga sangat menguntungkan untuk memenangkan Grand Jackpot. Secara teoritis, RTP slot langsung Gates of Olympus bernilai 96,50%, yang berarti peluang Anda untuk memenangkan MaxWin cukup tinggi. RTP live Sweet Bonanza Sweet Bonanza adalah permainan slot terpopuler kedua. Game slot bertema buah dan permen yang lezat ini sepertinya akan menarik banyak perhatian karena tergolong slot gacor yang mudah menang. Secara teoritis, slot Sweet Bonanza RTP bernilai 96,48%, yang berarti peluang Anda cukup tinggi untuk memenangkan jackpot. RTP Live Wild West Gold Wild West Gold adalah permainan slot bertema koboi yang juga populer di kalangan penggemar konspirasi. Permainan slot Wild West Gold sendiri kerap menawarkan kejutan jackpot bagi para pemainnya. Selain itu, nilai RTP Live Slot menunjukkan indeks tertinggi hari ini, yang berarti sangat layak dan sangat direkomendasikan. RTP Live Starlight Princess Slot Starlight Princess ini memiliki gaya dan fitur yang mirip dengan Gates of Olympus. Perbedaannya hanya pada desain dan karakter gamenya saja, karena memiliki fitur dan mekanik yang sama tentunya RTP slot teoritis pada game slot ini sama yaitu 96,50%. RTP Live Cash Elevator Mungkin sebagian dari Anda baru mengenal slot Cash Elevator. Namun dari data benchmark yang diungkap, ternyata banyak sekali yang menikmati permainan slot ini. Dengan fitur dan mekanisme unik seperti Lift up and down asli, slot ini juga memiliki slot RTP Live dasar 96,64% yang juga memiliki mekanisme yang sangat menguntungkan untuk memperlancar tingkat kemenangan besar. Bocoran Jam Main Slot Gacor Hari Ini Dalam bermain permainan slot online itu tidak bisa dilakukan dengan sembarangan yah. Jadi, Jika anda bermain pada waktu tertentu seperti yang akan kita bahas sesaat lagi, ada kemungkinan anda untuk mendapatkan kemenangan lebih tinggi. Jam RTP Slot Gacor merupakan bocoran jam main slot yang akan memberikan anda kapan waktu yang pas dalam bermain game slot. Tentu saja seluruh provider slot online memiliki jam tertentu dalam memberikan peluang kepada para pemainnya untuk mendapatkan kemenangan. Disini kami akan memberikan anda Bocoran Jam Slot Gacor yang Paling Akurat Hari ini: Jam Slot Gacor Pragmatic Play 02:30 WIB - Jam 05:25 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Habanero 14:26 WIB - Jam 17:38 WIB Jam Slot Gacor CQ9 00:45 WIB - Jam 05:53 WIB Jam Slot Gacor PG SOFT 14:25 WIB - Jam 17:35 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Joker123 17:41 WIB - Jam 20:42 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Microgaming 22:30 WIB - Jam 00:35 WIB MGS88: Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Pay4D Resmi dan Terpercaya MGS88 adalah situs game slot online Gacor terbaru yang bermitra dengan Pay4D, Pay4D sendiri merupakan daftar situs game slot online terpercaya dengan berbagai macam permainan judi yang mudah dimenangkan seperti Game Bola, Casino Online, Slot Pay4D, Tembak Ikan dan Pay4D Online Permainan togel seperti Singapura, Hongkong, Sydney dan lain-lain. Tujuan utama kami adalah menjadi situs judi online Pay4D yang menyediakan layanan judi online terbaik di Indonesia. Kami juga salah satu situs resmi PAY4D di Indonesia yang pasti akan membayarkan semua kemenangan kepada semua member kami, karena kepercayaan dari semua member kami adalah prioritas utama kami sebagai mesin slot 4d Asia terbaik di Asia, khususnya di Indonesia. Dalam melakukan sistem transaksi sistem simpanan dapat dilakukan dengan mudah melalui mobile banking dan electronic banking berupa bank BCA, BSI, BRI, BNI, Cimb Niaga, Permata dan Mandiri. Selain itu, transaksi e-wallet juga tersedia melalui Dana, Gopay, LinkAja dan Ovo serta dapat digunakan untuk pulsa tanpa dipotong. Untuk mempermudah dan kenyamanan dalam melakukan registrasi atau melakukan setiap transaksi, MGS88 menyediakan layanan live chat dan Whatsapp terhubung langsung dengan customer service online 24 jam. Mengenal Istilah Dalam RTP SLOT Di slot RTP Live Anda akan melihat berbagai fitur yang mungkin tidak Anda pahami masing-masing. Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini. RACINE COUNTY While many motorists may be frustrated by the heavy construction throughout the area including at some of Racine Countys busiest intersections work on another major intersection is underway. Utility work is being completed ahead of a county and Wisconsin Department of Transportation construction project along highways MM and 38, which is slated to begin in the spring, according to Julie Anderson, public works and development services director for Racine County. This has resulted in single-lane closures along Highway 38 and MM, causing backups at the busy intersection that borders Mount Pleasant and Racine. Utility relocation begins Various utilities, including We Energies, are starting to relocate their facilities along 38 and MM ahead of the state and county construction project. Weve begun relocating some natural gas lines and expect to finish that work by the end of February, said Cathy Schulze, a We Energies spokeswoman. Electrical work also is planned in the area but has not yet begun. That work is also slated to wrap up in early February, Schulze said. Anderson said utility relocation projects are expected to continue through the spring. Schulze said the existing natural gas main We Energies is working on is in the middle of the road, which means lane closures. Were installing the new line primarily on the west of the road, Schulze said. The Highway MM reconstruction project and rebuilding of the intersection at Highway 38 is set to begin in March or April, Anderson said, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 1, pending weather delays. The project is receiving 80 percent federal funding, Anderson said. The state DOT is overseeing the design and construction of the project with the county. The DOT will have a bid letting on Jan. 9 and select a contractor soon after that. This book is timely; it coincides with the hundredth anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. Kumaraswamy is the leading Indian specialist on Israel and a robust advocate of that nation. He has done great service in this book by positioning the Zionist struggle in the relevant Indian political context, and by exposing Gandhis inconsistencies in his approach to the creation of Israel and the related issue of non-violence. A serious charge against Gandhi is one of cover-up: there are omissions about Israel in the Gandhi Collected Works and evidence points to Pyarelal as the culprit. In his writings, Gandhi made more references to Jews than their small number in India would justify; he made fewer references to Sikhs and Buddhists. But he opposed the Zionist objective of a Jewish national home in Palestine, and could not accept Jewish use of violence in seeking that home. He also disproved of Jewish collaboration with British imperialism to achieve Zionist goals, but his knowledge was incomplete and heavily influenced by the domestic situation, which explains Gandhis acceptance of the Khilafat cause and his continuous appeasement of Muslims, whom he hoped to enlist for the freedom movement. During the Khilafat phase of the 1920s, Gandhi accepted Palestine as part of the Jazirat ulArab (undefined but interpreted by Gandhi as the Arab peninsula) which had to remain under Islamic sovereignty according to the injunction of Prophet Mohammed, an assertion that ignored the Jewish and Christian holy sites in Palestine. He viewed Judaism through Christian anti-Semitic lens, and Zionism through a Muslim prism. Indian Muslims were then the largest such community in the world and Gandhi sheltered behind them to avoid a positive stand on Israel. His appeal for Jewish-Arab cooperation and for the Jews to rely on the goodwill of the Arabs, though no exception can possibly be taken to the natural desire of the Jews to found a home in Palestine, was as unavailing as his hopes of Congress-Muslim League (ML) cooperation. In his gloss over Jewish suffering in World War II he set a bad example for Nehru and Bose. In the 1930s Palestine became a contested question between the Congress and the ML. Congress sought to wrest the leadership of the Muslims from Jinnah, who opposed British imperialism while depending on the British against the Congress. Riposting to MLs marking Palestine Day since 1930, Congress followed suit in 1936. Gandhis offer to assist in bringing about a settlement through Arab-Jewish accommodation, of which no details are forthcoming other than the Zionist refusal to seek accommodation with the Palestinian Arabs, failed. He viewed Zionism as a spiritual aspiration not germane for the reoccupation of Palestine, and least of all for the Jewish return to be achieved through force or collaboration with the British. The Zionists reached out to Gandhi in the 1930s to separate the homeland issue from Indian domestic politics and gain his favourable opinion, but they were unable to empathise with his liberation movement from the British since they were dependent on the goodwill of the Palestine Mandate authorities. In later life, in 1946, Gandhi accepted that the Jews had a good case, and even a prior claim on Palestine, but echoing the Balfour declaration, he hoped that the Arabs would not be wronged. His most sympathetic opinion was in April 1947, but it was too little too late, when all sides ignored the nuanced shift. Even this shift was linked to the Jews adopting non-violence an attitude he never urged on the Arabs or Khilafat leaders and his appeal to Indians not to volunteer for the British army was ignored. Gandhis stance created a predisposed anti-Israeli position. In 1903, 1932 and 1938 he drew parallels between the European treatment of Jews and the untouchables plight in India. His sympathy for the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany was visible, but insufficient to link it to the Jewish desire for self-determination, and his Harijan article of 1938 on the Jews led to a breakdown of contact with the Zionists. Gandhis understanding of Judaism was more limited and prejudiced than his understanding of the other Abrahamic faiths of Islam and Christianity. For him, Zionist claims to Palestine were a Biblical conception and not geographical, though he did not use the same yardstick of a spiritual or abstract space for Palestinian Muslims. As the author writes, Zionism was un-Gandhian in the sense that it was not utopian. Gandhi failed to note that Zionism transformed Jews into a community in the national sense, a distinct nation like the distinct Muslim nationalist consciousness that paved the way to Pakistan. Both Zionism and the ML stood for religious nationalism and the Jewish demand for a homeland was no different from the MLs demand for Pakistan. Gandhi was perhaps consistent in opposing the religion-based nationalism of both the ML and the Zionists, which ran counter to Congress territorial secular nationalism. It is not churlish to mention that this otherwise penetrating book suffers from deficiencies. Due to the thematic format beloved of academics, there are innumerable repetitions, though a chronological, primarily historical, account would have served better. Another vexation is the needless numbering of arguments, reminiscent of pedagogical lecture notes. There are nine such points in chapter 10 and 12 in chapter 11. The author is prone to rhetorically use multiple descriptors; thus, controversial, problematic, hypocritical and even selective, and just two lines further down, politically naive, morally inadequate and even simplistic. It is not clear, when Kumaraswamy discusses Gandhis Jewish friendships, why he should expect anyone to share the views of his/her friends. There are misleading statements such as The Holy Land, especially Jerusalem was now promised to the Jews through the Balfour declaration, and hyperbole, namely When it comes to Israel, Palestine or the wider Middle East, Mahatma Gandhi enjoys near universal veneration. The Jews text covers four and half pages and should have been given as an annexure. So too should the Balfour Declaration. Gandhi cannot be wholly blamed for lack of knowledge and comprehension; the same applies to all in public life who can bestow limited attention to complex international issues. But he is rightly accused of deviousness, pontificating and assumption of moral superiority my opinion is based on ethical considerationsindependent of results. Saints are consistent; politicians are not. Gandhi was an astute political leader anxious to incorporate Indian Muslims in his movement. He plunged the Congress into the Khilafat cause to out-Islamize the Muslims thereby involving Indian Islam in the Middle East. Gandhis advice to Jews not to collaborate with imperialists did not apply to Boses alliance with the Nazis and Japan, and he later concurred that force was needed by the Indian state to repel Pakistani infiltration in Kashmir. Kumaraswamy subjects the sainted Gandhi to valid criticism for the opinions he expounds despite insufficient understanding, and lack of transparency. Gandhis plea for non-violence against the Nazis was nonsensical, and he did not urge this on the Arabs. Available documents throw no light on Gandhis views on Indias federal, as opposed to the UNs partition, plan of 1947. Adverting to the title of this book, is it possible to reconcile Gandhis opposition to Jewish nationalism with Indias new-minted friendship with Israel? Indias belated decision was motivated by several factors, none of which had anything to do with Gandhi. Consequently, as Kumaraswamy correctly states, squaring the circle is a futile exercise. The reviewer is Indias former Foreign Secretary Boasting about his shooting skills nearly cost a man his life as he was shot at by his friend in southeast Delhis Jamia Nagar, police said on Saturday. Naushad, in his twenties, was having drinks with his two other friends last night. He was bragging about how good he was at shooting and flaunted a gun to his friends, the police said. Suddenly, one of them, Aqeed, took the gun and pointed it at Naushads temple and pulled the trigger, they said. Soon Naushad collapsed and his friends fled the spot, the police said. He was rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre where his condition was stated to be critical. Both the men, who are also in their twenties, are yet to be arrested, they said. The hill state of Himachal Pradesh has proved to be a hotspot of bio-diversity for researchers looking for snakes for study on venom variation and diversity of species. A team headed by Anita Malhotra, a molecular ecologist and evolutionary geneticist from Bangor University in UK, claims to have got the first genetic and even pictorial evidence of venomous Central Asian Cobra (Naja oxiana) in India in Chamba area of HP. Malhotra shared it with the forest officials in a presentation earlier this week. The Central Asian Cobra is said to be found in India, but there is no published genetic or photographic evidence on this, so far. We have shared the pictures of the snake found in Chamba recently on social media and are getting more information and response from different corners. We are following that, Malhotra said. Two Central Asian Cobras were sighted by Vishal Santra, a Reptile Consultant and Herpetologist from West Bengal and his colleague Melvin Selvan from Tamil Nadu in Chamba in September, 2017. According to researchers, a publication by Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) scientists in 1976 stated the occurrence of this species in HP, but it was not supported by genetic data or photographic evidence. We are also in touch with Wolfgang Wuster in UK on this issue, who is an expert on Asian and African Cobras, they said. Santra supports Malhotra in field work for this research (in different regions) which would help in-depth taxonomic studies and would give leads for specific snakebite treatment. The study is being done as a part of a collaborative programme with European Union (EU) grants. Malhotra and Santra carried out the tough task of finding and collecting samples from snakes from HP jungles and villages for venom, blood and scales for genetic analysis, before quickly releasing them back in the same locations, with the permission of forest department. The team has tie-ups with different institutes in India for genetic studies and venom studies on snakes. We gathered more than 30 samples from ten snake species, venomous and non-venomous from Solan, Palampur and Chamba. While it is perhaps the first genetic work done on snakes from these locations in Himachal, we found that the Western Himalayan pitvipers here are different from the same species in other parts of India. The green pitvipers are more of less same, said Santra. The team also photographed some geckos (lizards) from HP, which have so far not been reported in the state. In a separate interaction with doctors, Malhotra spoke of doubts on efficacy of Anti Snake Venom produced in India from a single source of venom (a co-operative society in Madras). This may work against bites by the big four Cobra, Common Krait, Russells viper and Saw scale viper. More work needs to be done as even same species of snakes cause different symptoms in different regions. And thats the purpose of our study, she said. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. The separatists have called for a shutdown and blackout in the Kashmir Valley on the Human Rights Day on Sunday to protest against the human rights violations in the valley. The call was given on Saturday by the top separatists Syed Alishah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. Their call came after the separatists were not allowed by the police to hold a conference in Srinagar on human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement, they said that a protest rally will also be taken out from the Lal Chowk towards the United Nations Observers Office at Sonawar in Srinagar. Blaming UNO for chaos and uncertainty in Palestine, Jammu and Kashmir, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and other parts of world, the separatist leaders said that in order to regain its credibility the institution has to review its policies, fulfill its obligations and resolve all issues pertaining to subjugated nations. The two-day-old railway and road blockade called by a section of 10,323 Tripura government school teachers, who are set to lose their jobs on December 31 following a Supreme Court verdict, was withdrawn on Saturday. According to police, braving rains, around 150 teachers demanding the continuation of their jobs beyond December 31, since Friday started a blockade of the national highway and the railway line for an indefinite period in Sindhukumar Para in Tripuras Dhalai district. Dhalai District Magistrate Vikas Singh, district police chief Smriti Ranjan Das, Tripura State Rifles (TSR) third battalion commandant Prabir Majumder jointly requested the agitators to withdraw their blockade considering the problems faced by the people. Following our persuasion, they voluntarily called off their blockades, Das told IANS over the phone. The blockade caused huge hardships to hundreds of passengers and hit the supply of essentials since Friday. The district authorities on Saturday promulgated prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code banning the assembly of five or more persons. A large number of police and TSR personnel led by senior officials have been deployed in the blockaded areas. Many goods-laden vehicles and some Agartala-bound trains including Rajdhani Express on Friday were stranded at various locations. The agitating teachers spokesman Uttam Kumar Dey had told IANS over the phone on Friday night they would continue the road and rail blockade until their jobs are confirmed by the government. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) on Saturday cancelled all trains running between Tripura and rest of the country due to blockades. The agitating government teachers, however, threatened to launch agitations if their jobs were not regularised or confirmed after December 31. On Thursday, around 1,000 teachers held a demonstration in front of the state secretariat and later met Education and Law Minister Tapan Chakraborty, demanding a halt to the termination of their jobs. Chakraborty, during the 90-minute meeting, told the delegation that the state government had filed a petition before the Supreme Court, urging it to extend the termination deadline for one more year. The government is sympathetic towards the agony of these government teachers. We are exploring various legal options and considering suggestions of the legal experts including senior lawyers of the apex court to save the jobs of these teachers, Chakraborty told IANS. He said the Supreme Court will hear the state governments pleas on December 11. As suggested by some opposition legislators, there is no question of convening a special session of the Tripura Assembly to enact any law to protect the services of the 10,323 teachers since, according to legal experts, it would constitute contempt of the Supreme Court, the minister said. The Supreme Court in an order on March 29 had upheld the Tripura High Court verdict, terminating the jobs of 10,323 government teachers citing some indiscretion. In an apparent move to circumvent the apex court order, the Tripura government in May announced the recruitment of 12,000 non-teaching staff in the Education Department. This was to ostensibly accommodate the 10,323 teachers facing the axe following the court verdict. Actor Adhyayan Suman is launching his debut single in the tenth year since his father Shekhar Suman unveiled his pop songs album Kuch Khwaab Aise in 2007. The video for the song, composed by Harshit Chauhan, was shot in Goa for a week. Italian model Jeniffer Piccinato features with Adhyayan in the music video. It will be launched here on December 20. I was very nervous to make dad hear the first draft of my song. He is very very critical about my work. And when he heard it, he said, I think you have a winner Mr. Suman. And that, to be very honest, gave me a lot of strength and courage to move ahead with this, Adhyayan said in a statement. Its totally an ittefaq (coincidence) that my professionally sung debut single is coming exactly in the 10th year after my dads. The actor says it took him about four months to make the song. West Bengal ministers and political leaders on Saturday visited the family of a Bengali labourer, who was brutally killed in Rajasthan two days ago, and offered their condolences. Senior Trinamool leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Sougata Roy, State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, Transport Minister Subhendu Adhikari met the family in West Bengals Malda district and handed over a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh on behalf of the party. Such brutality and violence is unprecedented in India or in Bengal. I strongly condemn such acts of terror. Our government would be beside the helpless family in every possible way, Hakim said. Earlier in the day, Rajasthan government announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the family of the migrant labourer. On Friday, Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee strongly condemned the killing. She also announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh and a government job for one of the victims kin. State Congress President Adhir Chowdhury and Rajya Sabha member from Bengal Pradeep Bhattacharya also met the grieving family. People have to travel to different places in search of work sometimes. That is normal. But why such violence would take place against people? Bhattacharya questioned. West Bengal Trinamool Youth Congress leaders on Friday organised a candle light vigil to protest against the murder of an Bengali labourer in Rajasthan. Trinamool Youth Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee wrote on Twitter saying that No words are strong enough to condemn the barbaric crime. Today West Bengal Trinamool Youth Congress organised a candle light vigil to protest against the heinous murder of an innocent Bengali labourer in #Rajasthan. No words are strong enough to condemn this grave and barbaric crime. pic.twitter.com/X2sV4iPsan Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) December 8, 2017 ALSO READ: Man hacks, burns labourer; makes anti love jihad video Mohammad Afrajul was brutally hacked to death and set on fire by a local in Rajasamand district of Rajasthan in what has been described as a hate crime. The horrifying video footage of the incident was released by the murderer himself. Police arrested the accused, Shambulal Raigar, on Thursday. (With agency inputs) The Congress party on Saturday urged the Election Commission to look into the malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines as Gujarat began its first phase polling. Senior party leader from the state Ahmed Patel requested quick action. There are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission to take necessary action immediately, Patel said in a tweet. The poll panel received several complaints about Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunctioning in Kosamba region of Valsad district, besides several in Saurashtra and Surat. An EVM was also tampered with in Rajkot East constituency, a complaint to the EC said. After casting his vote in Ankleshwar in Bharuch, Patel said that he voted for change, and urged the people of Gujarat to do the same. I have cast my vote today. I have voted for change. Urge all fellow Gujaratis to turn out in large numbers and bring around the change that the entire nation is waiting for, he said in another tweet. Talking to reporters, Patel slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not fulfilling its promises made in previous polls. People from all social groups have gathered to vote because in three years, the BJP government has not done anything at the Centre, nor have they done anything in Gujarat in the last 22 years. They did not fulfil any of the promises made in their manifestos of previous elections, Patel said. The first phase of polling in the two-phase Gujarat assembly election is underway on Saturday. Polling, which began at 8 a.m., will end at 5 p.m. The second phase of polling is on December 14. Counting of votes, along with that of Himachal Pradesh, will be held on December 18. As the first phase of polling got underway in Gujarat on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi urged voters especially youngsters to turnout in large numbers. Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise, tweeted Modi. Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 The Gandhi scion, in a tweet in Hindi said: Participation of voters is the soul of democracy. I welcome all youngsters who will be voting for the first time in Gujarat polls. I appeal to the people of Gujarat to come out in large numbers and practice their franchise and make this festival of democracy a success, he said. The first of Gujarats two-phase assembly polls began is being held across 89 constituencies spread out in the 19 districts of Kutch, Saurashtra and southern regions. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Botad, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Dang and Valsad districts. Of the 89 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party holds 67 and the Congress 16. One seat each is held by the NCP and JD-U while independents hold the remaining two. Polling, which began at 8 a.m., will end at 5 p.m. There are a total of 24,689 polling booths. Of the 2,12,31,652 voters, 1,11,05,933 are males and 1,01,25,472 females while 247 are from the third gender. The second phase polling is on December 14 and counting, along with that of Himachal Pradesh, will be held on December 18. The excellent march past by gentleman cadets, walking on the tunes of Sare Jahan Se Achha left the audience spellbound at the passing-out-parade of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun on Saturday. A total of 487 officers graduated from the academy to join the Indian Army. With the army choppers showering flower petals, the gentlemen cadets walked the Antim Pag or the ceremonial final step. Besides this, 78 foreign gentlemen cadets from seven friendly foreign countries passed out of the IMA. Bangladesh Army Chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq was the review officer and addressing the cadets, he complimented them for the excellent parade, immaculate turnout as well as the crisp and energetic drill movements, indicating the high standards of training and discipline imbibed by the young gentlemen cadets. Uttar Pradesh with 76 officers topped the list of producing maximum number of officers among all other states in this batch. Haryana with 58 and Uttarakhand with 38 finished second and third, respectively, in the tally of states. Gentlemen cadets were presented individual awards for their performance. Sword of honour and gold medal for the gentleman cadet for standing first in the overall order of merit was presented to Chandrakant Acharya, silver medal to Amarpreet Singh and bronze medal to Sourav Das. Bangladesh Army Chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq praised the Indian Military Academy for earning world class reputation and acknowledged the commitment of the instructors and staff of the academy for their dedication to the gentlemen cadets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her 71st birthday and prayed for her long life and good health. In a tweet, Modi said: Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health. Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 Gandhi was born on December 9, 1946. Sonias birthday is coinciding with the first phase of Gujarat Assembly Polls which got underway on Saturday. The Congress is giving a tough fight to the incumbent BJP in power for the last 22 years courtesy an aggressive campaign by Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi who on Friday night flew into Delhi to wish mother Sonia on her birthday. He spent a few hours in Delhi before heading back to election campaigning in Gujarat. Stupid people tend to overestimate their competence, while smart people tend to sell themselves short. As Shakespeare put it in As You Like It,The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.That conventional wisdom is backed up by a Cornell University study conducted by David Dunning and Justin Kruger. The phenomenon is now known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. So, if youre not too sure about your own intellect, it actually might be a indication that youre pretty intelligent thoughtful enough to realise your limitations, at least. Here are some signs that you are considerably smarter than you think. You took music lessons Research suggests that music helps kids minds develop in a few ways: A 2011 study found that scores on a test of verbal intelligence among 4- to 6-year-olds rose after only a month of music lessons. A 2004 study led by Glenn Schellenberg found that 6-year-olds who took nine months of keyboard or voice lessons had an IQ boost compared with kids who took drama lessons or no classes at all. Meanwhile, a 2013 study, also led by Schellenberg, suggested that high-achieving kids were the ones most likely to take music lessons. In other words, in the real world, musical training may only enhance cognitive differences that already exist. Youre the oldest Oldest siblings are usually smarter, but its not because of genetics, one study found. The New York Times reports, The new findings, from a landmark study published [in June 2007], showed that eldest children had a slight but significant edge in IQ an average of three points over the closest sibling. And it found that the difference was not because of biological factors but the psychological interplay of parents and children. Youre thin For a 2006 study, scientists gave roughly 2,200 adults intelligence tests over a five-year period and results suggested that the bigger the waistline, the lower the cognitive ability. Another study published that same year found that 11-year-olds who scored lower on verbal and nonverbal tests were more likely to be obese in their 40s. The study authors say that smarter kids might have pursued better educational opportunities, landed higher-status and higher-paying jobs, and therefore ended up in a better position to take care of their health than their less intelligent peers. Meanwhile, a more recent study found that, among preschoolers, a lower IQ was linked to a higher BMI. Those researchers also say environmental factors are at play, since the relationship between BMI and smarts was mediated by socioeconomic status. You have a cat A 2014 study of 600 college students found that individuals who identified as dog people were more outgoing than those who identified as cat people, according to a test that measures personality and intelligence. But guess what? Those same cat people scored higher on the part of the test that measures cognitive ability. You were breastfed 2007 research suggests that babies who are breastfed might grow up to be smarter kids. In two studies, the researchers looked at more than 3,000 children in Britain and New Zealand. Those children who had been breastfed scored nearly seven points higher on an IQ test but only if they had a particular version of the FADS2 gene. Figuring out the exact mechanism of this relationship between FADS2, breastfeeding, and IQ will require further study, the scientists noted in their paper on the finding. Youre tall A 2008 Princeton study of thousands of people found that taller individuals scored higher on IQ tests as kids and earned more money as adults. The researchers write, As early as age 3 before schooling has had a chance to play a role and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests. Youre left-handed Left-handedness used to be associated with criminality, and researchers are still unclear as to whether and why there are slightly more lefties among criminal populations. More recent research associates left-handedness with divergent thinking, a form of creativity that allows you to come up with novel ideas from a prompt at least among men. In her review of a 1995 paper, New Yorker reporter Maria Konnikova writes: The more marked the left-handed preference in a group of males, the better they were at tests of divergent thought. Left-handers were more adept, for instance, at combining two common objects in novel ways to form a third for example, using a pole and a tin can to make a birdhouse. You learned to read early In 2012, researchers looked at nearly 2,000 pairs of identical twins in the UK and found that the sibling who had learned to read earlier tended to score higher on tests of cognitive ability. The study authors suggest that reading from an early age increases both verbal and nonverbal (e.g. reasoning) ability, as opposed to the other way around. You worry a lot A growing body of research suggests that anxious individuals may be smarter than others in certain ways, according to Slates coverage of several different studies on anxiety. In one study, researchers asked 126 undergrads to fill out questionnaires in which they indicated how often they experienced worry. They also indicated how often they engaged in rumination, or thinking continuously about the aspects of situations that upset them, as psychologist Dr. Edward Selby reported in Psychology Today. Results showed that people who tended to worry and ruminate a lot scored higher on measures of verbal intelligence, while people who didnt do much worrying or ruminating scored higher on tests of nonverbal intelligence. Youre funny In one study, 400 psychology students took intelligence tests that measured abstract reasoning abilities and verbal intelligence. Then they were asked to come up with captions for several New Yorker cartoons, and those captions were reviewed by independent raters. As predicted, smarter students were rated as funnier. Youre curious In University of London business psychology professor Tomas Chamorro-Premuzis post for Harvard Business Review, he discussed how the curiosity quotient and having a hungry mind makes one more inquisitive. Regarding the importance of CQ, he wrote that, It has not been as deeply studied as EQ and IQ, but theres some evidence to suggest it is just as important when it comes to managing complexity in two major ways. First, individuals with higher CQ are generally more tolerant of ambiguity. This nuanced, sophisticated, subtle thinking style defines the very essence of complexity. Second, CQ leads to higher levels of intellectual investment and knowledge acquisition over time, especially in formal domains of education, such as science and art (note: this is of course different from IQs measurement of raw intellectual horsepower). Youre messy A study published in Psychological Scienceby the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Managements Dr Kathleen Vohs revealed that working in an untidy room actually fuels creativity. In the study, 48 participants were asked to come up with unusual uses for a pingpong ball. The 24 individuals working in neat rooms came up with substantially less creative responses than the individuals working in cluttered rooms. So if you are a pack rat, tell everyone youre just fueling your sense of creativity and innovation the next time someone tells you to clean up your act. Youre a night owl One study published in the The Official Journal of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences found that, when all other variables are factored out, night owls tend to beat out early birds in terms of intellect. It concluded that ethnographic evidence indicates that nocturnal activities were rarer in the ancestral environment. That means that more intelligent individuals are more likely to stay up late because smarter people are more likely to espouse evolutionarily novel values. You dont always have to try hard This isnt to say that laziness is a sign of being smart. But it is fair to say that smart people simply dont always have to try as hard as strivers who fight to build up their skills at least in certain fields. In an opinions piece for The New York Times, psychologists David Z. Hambrick and Elizabeth J. Meinz cited a Vanderbilt University study of highly intelligent young people. The study tracked 2,000 people who scored in the top one per cent of the SAT by the age of 13. Hambrick and Meinz wrote that, The remarkable finding of their study is that, compared with the participants who were only in the 99.1 percentile for intellectual ability at age 12, those who were in the 99.9 percentile the profoundly gifted were between three and five timesmore likely to go on to earn a doctorate, secure a patent, publish an article in a scientific journal or publish a literary work. A high level of intellectual ability gives you an enormous real-world advantage. They concluded that while striving to be smarter is commendable, there are certain innate abilities that cant always be learned. The Independent 20 stranded citizens in Kuwait to be sent home in first phase The government has started the rescue mission to bring home an estimated 300 citizens who are said to be stranded in Kuwait. President Donald Trumps decision to shift the US diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has caused, on expected lines, huge furore amongst Palestinians and the entire Muslim world opposed to Israel. Israelis are naturally very upbeat with the announcement as it not only endorses their stand but also vindicates the decades-old Israel policy of legitimising Jerusalem as the hub of diplomatic activity. The fact that Jerusalem-linked reverberations would ever irk Bangladesh was perhaps not really anticipated by security analysts. On 8 December, after Friday prayers, Hefazat e Islam, the outfit comprising violent zealots, held a demonstration in front of the famous Baitul Muqarram mosque, Dhaka, protesting against the US diplomatic mission being moved to Jerusalem. There were massive crowds and the protest, organised by a fundamentalist organisation, speaks volumes about bigots ire in Bangladesh. Hefazat e Islam has now given a call to lay siege to the US embassy in Dhaka on December 13 signalling that the Muslims in this part of the world want to be in the forefront of an agitation on the issue of Jerusalem and exploit this development for domestic advantage and for political gains. The anti-Israel and anti-US initiative also sends out a warning to the thousands of liberals in Bangladesh that Hefazat is still a force to reckon with. The question now arises as to why Hefazat of all groups decided to organise the demonstrations and siege. This ten-year-old fundamentalist organisation has been looking for opportunities to exploit. It was hardly three years old when Bangladesh liberals took to street protests in 2013 against the wanton killings of bloggers, academics and liberals . Hefazat played a crucial role in clashing with the establishment, implying its support to the killers and intensifying its demand for imposition of Sharia law in Bangladesh. By such a step, it made its presence felt in mainstream Bangladesh. It succeeded or seemed to occupy a political space as the old Jamaat e Islami (JeI) stands banned and Hefazat possibly wants to emerge as an alternative to the JeI as a counterweight to Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League. Clearly, the plan is to ensure that Hasina does not get secular, liberal or for that matter pro-India. Not very long ago, Hefazat was in focus when it successfully launched a movement to remove the statue of the Greek goddess adorned in front of the Dhaka Supreme Court, describing it as a symbol of Hindu culture as the goddess was depicted wearing a saree. Also, an idol was thought to be anti Islam. Through these machinations, Hefazat asserted itself as a force to reckon with. By such actions, it earned the support of international fundamentalist Muslim organisations and drew close to Al Qaida and possibly ISIS. Also , it could register its presence in the South Asia and South East Asia region in an apparent bid to unite the Muslim populace in the vicinity. Many in Malaysia, Indonesia, Southern Thailand and parts of Philippines are easily won over by such gesticulations in a country like Bangladesh. Coming back to the Hefazat threat to lay siege to the US embassy in Dhaka, and even if its a veiled threat, it should be taken with all seriousness as it speaks about an outfit posing a direct challenge to the secular Bangladesh government and to the Trump administration. The attempt could be foiled by the authorities. The political calculation clearly is to get reactionary and fundamentalist forces in Bangladesh to unite for the Jerusalem cause, divide society along and keep the Hasina government on tenterhooks. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) would love to use this development to its advantage as the party is going through a really bad patch these days. The Global Intelligence Media network, a Canadian news channel plus Saudi authorities have recently alleged that BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, already battling for her political survival due to several graft charges, is involved in cases of money laundering, bribery and other nefarious deals with a humungous investment of $12 million in Saudi malls and other infrastructure in some middle-eastern countries. Reeling under such severe charges abroad, and facing graft allegations in Bangladesh Khaleda is on the back foot. They also dent the battered image of her exiled son Tareq Rahman, now sheltered in the UK. Hence to retrieve her and her partys sullied image, Khaleda may now opt to join the Hefazat bandwagon whether through street protests or by joining a siege. For a beleaguered politician who was twice Prime Minister and with known links to religious and anti-India zealots, it is difficult to survive as a recluse for long. More so, when she is ageing and has no clear successor in sight. Thus Khaleda may clutch on to anything that brings her out of political wilderness, regardless of the relative merits of the cause. After all, she had governed her country in partnership with the Jamaat for two spells. This collaboration saw a visible growth in fundamentalism in Bangladesh . The threat of laying siege to the US mission in Dhaka and intermittent violent protests are ominous signs reminding us of the rise of the Jamaat in Pakistan in the early years after its independence. The situation, therefore, calls for unity among the secular forces in Bangladesh to thwart the growth of fundamentalism on the pretext of Jerusalem or any other issue. The coming months look critical for Dhaka. The writer is a retired IPS officer and a security analyst who was posted in Dhaka. The views are personal. It is an enigmatic city perched on a lagoon with a constant threat of flooding. Defiant residents have befriended the forces of the nature and have been living there for centuries. The intricate network of canals and bridges stand as a testimony to the masterly engineering and architecture on these water-locked islands of the Adriatic Sea. It is a place boasting of that romantic boat ride of a lifetime. For those still in the dark, one is referring to the hypnotic charms of the man-made delights of the magnificent ancient city of Venice and the indefatigable spirit of Venetians. It is hard to imagine that a city thrives even though it is surrounded by the constant existential threat of water inundation and tidal waves. But Venice was erected with aplomb and its survival is a testimony to local engineering skills and using natures forces to its advantage. As you arrive into Venice by train it shouldnt surprise you to be greeted with boats and steamers jetting in the canal waters right at the very entrance of the Santa Lucia station on the Grand Canal. Venice doesnt allow you anytime; it soaks you in right away, both metaphorically and literally. The charms of this city pull foreign tourists from distances near and far. Oversized cruise ships, barges delivering supplies and waterbuses (called vaporetto) ferrying passengers dominate the views and at times seem too imposing on a rather fragile city like Venice. One can imagine the excessive toll it would take on the locals to be living in a famous centuries-old city, which is a cynosure of the worlds elite, rich and the famous, and a tourist hotspot. Venice stands in sharp contrast from the rest of the Italy. Lying in the extreme northeast of the country, it is not just geographically distinct but also the local arts, culture, cuisine and architecture are uniquely different. During the 12th to 14th centuries, the city was a world power. Its influence was spread throughout the Mediterranean to Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). The wealth and power that came with exclusive maritime trade links with the East was celebrated in art and architecture throughout the city. The fabric of Venice has not changed and remains the same despite the centuries that have gone by. The citys sounds are filled with tourists footsteps and calls of the boatmen. It is hard not to notice the innumerable gondolas, many of them ferrying people and a few moored along the canal. The gondolas have a slim hull and flat underside, which are so designed to negotiate narrow canals. You may not notice it at the first glance, but they are slightly tilted with a leftward curve to the prow and that prevents the gondola from circling. They were decreed to be black in 1562 and that was done to prevent Venetians from ostentatious displays of their wealth. Only on certain special occasions are they decorated with flowers. The citys love for ornate decorations, pointed arches and bulbous onion-shaped domes are all there for visitors to admire. The city created its own unique style of architecture blending Gothic, Byzantine and Oriental. Every inch of land is precious for Venice and therefore, designing weightless buildings turned out to be of paramount necessity. The architecture never allowed more weight and hence we see the beautiful lightness and grace in structure, which outwardly looks robust and heavy. One place where you can see such a splendid display is Piazza San Marco and Basilica historic square of Venice where countless carnivals, festivities and processions took place. In ancient times, by law, all ships returning from abroad had to bring back a precious gift to adorn the House of St Mark. Until 1807, St Marks was the Doges (Venices rulers) private chapel, used for ceremonies of State, and later became the cathedral of Venice. It contains hordes of silver, gold and glassware in its treasury. Located in the same square is the Doges Palace, built in the ninth century. This was the official residence of Venices rulers. The distinct pink colour of the palace comes from the usage of the Veronese marble. Visitors can see the richly decorated chambers and halls of this three-storied structure. According to folklore, Casanova was once imprisoned here and made a daring escape through a hole in the roof. The complex consists of Doges private apartments, large council chambers, courts and prisons. The square is surrounded by numerous souvenir shops. Particularly, you would be awestruck with shops selling carnival face masks and Murano glass a centuries-old technique of creating specialised fancy glassware. You will find a vast display of tourist souvenirs including crystalline glass, enameled glass, golden glass, multicoloured glass, chandeliers and figurines. At the beginning of the Grand Canal, a 17th century domed church can be seen commissioned by Venices plague survivors as a gesture for their rescue. The grand galleries of the Gallerie dellAccademia house Venetian art from the 14th to18th centuries with collections from Bellini, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese and Canaletto. La Fenice is Venices opulent and historic opera house with a marvellous theatrical and immersive experience. The venue was where Verdis Rigoletto and La Traviata premiered. Venice is also home to the great Baroque composer Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, who was also a virtuoso violinist. His best-known work is a series of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons. An impossible and audacious city with incredible wealth, Venice offers travellers overwhelming bliss, carnivals and aquatic fanfare. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat The loss-making Air Indias privatisation effort is on full swing except one crucial hitch: lack of buyers. The government, however, is showing no signs of worry. It has roped in investment bank SBI Caps to advise on the future course of disinvestment, and Air India is constituting as many as five teams to work on various aspects of the stake sale process. The national air carrier has a debt burden of more than Rs 50,000 crore. The debt is almost the size of the governments recent growth stimulus package to boost small and medium scale companies. As of now, Indigo Airlines has shown interest to acquire Air Indias international operations, and the Tatas have conveyed to the ministry of civil aviation and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) that they were keen to acquire stake in the beleaguered airline. Indigo has made its intentions clear, the Tatas havent. And there are mere rumours in the corridors of the civil aviation ministry that two separate entities want Air Indias ground handling business. The government cannot seek an auction because it would require at least two to three competing players to discover the true value. Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaranin his last public interactionhas made it clear that the groups willingness will depend purely on hardcore business factors, and not on emotional connect the Tatas have always had with the aviation business. Air India was originally a Tata company, launched by the legendary JRD Tata in 1923 and helmed by him for years before the governments abrupt nationalisation in 1953. The Tatas were again the frontrunners along with the Singapore Airlines when the government first tried to privatise the airlines in 2001. However, dirty politicking in the Indian capital had stalled the process then. Now, Air India is wholly owned by the government and, the Tatas are careful. Mandarins of Bombay Housethe headquarters of the Tatashave made it clear that their decision will depend on the governments stance on lifting the foreign direct investment (FDI) caps in the sector, whether such an acquisition will provide scale to the Tatas in aviation and the future growth potential in the sector after this buy. Tatas have two separate airline ventures in India, one in partnership with Singapore Airlines (Vistara, in which SIA holds 49 per cent stake) and Air Asia India (the Malaysian partner again holds 49 per cent stake). If Air India comes to the Tata fold, the company could gain instant market leadership. There are other issues. The NDA government has not specified how much stake would be on the table, whether foreign airlines will at all be allowed to participate in the sale process. And more importantly, if all of Air Indias Rs 50,000-crore debt will have to be borne by the buyer. Worse, a few cabinet ministers in the NDA have already indicated they would like Air India to remain in Indian hands. In the latest consolidated FDI circular in August, the government maintained a 49-per cent cap for foreign airlines wanting to invest in the capital of Indian carriers but clarified that this part of the policy is not applicable to Air India. Unless the exemption is removed, the bidders can be only Indian companies. And then, Tatas cannot partner with Singapore Airlines for a potential bid, though the same can be made via Vistara. The governments decision of not allowing foreign carriers to bid for Air India stems from the fear of adverse political opposition the government might face from unions if the countrys crown jewel is sold to a foreign carrier. This government cannot ignore that, ostensibly because the Lok Sabha elections are due in 2019. The issue of debt is also an important one and perhaps the toughest for the government to settle before it puts Air India on the block. The NDA, rather the PMO, must decide how much to write off before asking the bidders to pick up the bid documents. Air India chairman and managing director Rajiv Bansal said the teams constituted will help government sell the airline within a stipulated time frame. Though Bansal did not specify the time limit, it is reliably learnt that the civil aviation ministry hopes to seal the deal by the fall of 2018. SBI Caps would prepare 3-5-year business plans for five subsidiary companies of Air India to be divested, help obtain approvals from the consortium of banks for the transfer of real estate properties and other securities. A previous UPA turnaround planactually a decade-long bailout package starting from 2012had guaranteed Rs 30,231 crore subject to Air India meeting certain performance thresholds. The Air India group has operations in 42 international destinations and over 70 domestic stations. It has an operating fleet of 142 aircraft. The government hopes to get Rs 20,000 crore of loan secured against assets (the aircraft). And then, the valuation of the company, which includes, apart from the planes, its international slots and routes, should total it Rs 30,000 crore. That means, in a nutshell, the government still needs to write off at least Rs 20,000 crore of loans to make the bid sweet and attractive. Now, the billion-dollar question remains: will there be a single buyer ready to take over about Rs 30,000 crore of debt, and an estimated 20,000 employees of Air India? It is a herculean taskespecially at a time when the trade unions are up in arms against the proposed saleand eventually, it all revolves around who comes first to pick up the bid documents. An agitated NC mulling over quiet introspection Though it may be too early to write off the Nepali Congress (NC), preliminary results of the House of Representatives (HoR) and Provincial Assembly (PA) elections are not encouraging for the old guard. Infosys former chief financial officer V. Balakrishnan today sought the discontinuance of certain board members in light of the company filing a settlement plea with market regulator SEBI on corporate governance lapses relating to severance payment to its former CFO Rajiv Bansal. "I think the continuation of certain board members like the erstwhile co-chairman (Ravi Venkatesan) and the audit committee chairman (Roopa Kudva) looks highly untenable in light of the current development of the company filing consent agreement with SEBI over Bansal's severance payment case," said Balakrishnan. In view of the current development, it is all the more important to restructure the board and fill it with people of high integrity and stature, he added. The scathing communication to the stock exchanges blaming Infosys Co-Founder N.R. Narayana Murthy for all of the board's lapses was 'unprecedented,' Balakrishnan, who is a known supporter of Murthy, said. He also said all along, the board had consistently denied any wrong-doing and in fact, blamed Murthy terming his questioning as a "misguided campaign." Earlier, Murthy had accused Infosys and its board of failing in disclosure and corporate governance norms. The board of Infosys owes an apology to Murthy and should take steps to retract that statement, he said. "Murthy always stood for high level of corporate governance and only acted in the interest of protecting a great institution like Infosys," Balakrishnan said. On December 6, Infosys said it had approached SEBI with an application to settle the issues arising out of alleged disclosure lapses on the severance package paid to Bansal. India's second-largest IT firm, in a regulatory filing to the BSE, had said the settlement application made to SEBI was neither admission of guilt nor a denial. It, however, did not disclose what it had proposed in the settlement application. Infosys, under new Chairman Nandan Nilekani, moved the application as part of its attempt to settle the issues that had cropped up during the tenure of former CEO Vishal Sikka. Murthy had first raised the issue of failure in corporate governance at Infosys soon after the company gave a huge severance pay to Bansal after the acquisition of Israeli technology firm Panaya. The founder continued to put pressure on Infosys to come clean, including seeking the resignation of then Infosys Chairman Seshasayee. The recent settlement application to the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) by Indian IT services major Infosys on severance pay package to its former chief financial officer Rajiv Bansal might be an attempt to avoid future confrontation with company founder N.R. Murthy. Apparently, market regulator SEBI had made an inquiry into the alleged inadequate disclosures and lapses of corporate governance when Infosys announced the severance package to Bansal. Industry experts feel that the new CEO-appointee Salil Parekh might have asked the company to do this so that there is no further allegations from Murthy on the subject after the former joins the company. By filing a settlement application with the market regulator SEBI, Infosys wants to make it clear that it stands by high standards of values and corporate governance which its founders Murthy and Nilekani had laid for the company. I feel that the company also wants to ensure that Murthy does not raise any further allegations on the severance package by showing that it is keeping SEBI apprised of the developments about the severance package. Bansal, who had approached the arbitration tribunal with regard to the sudden suspension of the severance package by Infosys, is bound to emerge successful and Infosys, in most probability, will have to pay the balance amount of Rs 12 crore, that too with interest. It was a settlement between the two and Infosys cannot deny Bansal the balance money. Though former CFO Mohandas Pai is strongly against this severance package because he did not get it, but he had stock options of Infosys shares, explained Kris Lakshmikanth, founder and CEO of recruiting firm Head Hunters India Limited. With the settlement application, Infosys wants to show that they are following all the procedures by keeping market regulator informed on the severance package. I feel that till the time Murthy is alive, he will keep raising objections in case he finds that there are any lapses of corporate governance on part of Infosys. However, Bansal is sure to get the balance severance money as the company of a stature of Infosys cannot breach the agreement it has had with Bansal. Infosys will pay the balance amount to Bansal soon, remarked Alok Shende of Mumbai-based Ascentius Consulting. Broadly, the company wants to resolve the allegations against it on its failure to seek prior and separate approval of the nomination and remuneration committee and the audit committee in relation to the severance agreement signed with Bansal. The application can also be aimed at clearing all regulatory hurdles with regard to the severance package to Bansal in the future. A candlelight vigil in memory of victims of cyclone Okhi marked the inaugural ceremony of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. The 22nd edition began with the screening of the French-Lebanese movie The Insult, which explores the lives of refugees in Arab countries. The rather sombre inaugural ceremony, however, was marked by a fiery speech by actor Prakash Raj who was a guest of honour at the function. In a speech that sent out a powerful message to 'fascist forces', the prominent actor urged the film fraternity to speak up. "Yes, we are passing through difficult times. It is not just creative voice, any form of dissent is being silenced," he said. "I have started talking because I want to tell that when they muzzle dissent, a louder voice will evolve. I raise my voice as an artist because I feel responsible. They have been threatening me, I laugh at them. They have been trying to silence me, I started singing," he said. Prakash Raj has been very vocal in recent times where he has took a stand in matters of intolerance, and censorship. He had courted recently when he shot an open letter at Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde, questioning why the minister brought religion into nationalism. Are you guys reincarnation of Hitler, he had asked. In a word of praise for Kerala, he said : When I come to Kerala I dont come with a script to talk because there is no censor here. As many as 190 films from 65 countries would be screened at the week-long festival this year. Films will be exhibited in 20 various categories like 'Indian Cinema Today', 'Malayalam Films Today', 'Contemporary Masters in Focus', 'Retrospective and Identity and Space.' Meanwhile, in protest against their films not getting entry into the IFFK, a parallel film festival Kazhcha is being organised by a group of filmmakers led by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan, whose controversial Malayalam film S Durga was not screened at the International Film Festival of India, recently concluded in Goa. The state government has made it clear that 'S Durga' will be screened at IFFK only if it gets clearance from the court. (with inputs from agencies) Does this relegate her to the level of a commodity? asked Justice D Y Chandrachud, as the Supreme Court bench he was part of agreed to examine the constitutionality of Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code, which is popularly known as the adultery law. On the face of it, the lawa vestige of the Victorian code that India has held on toappears to look at the woman as the victim of adultery, and seems to discriminate against the man. According to the law, the wife shall not be punishable even as an abettor based on the reasoning that she is the victim and not the author of the crime. However, a closer analysis of the legal provision reveals, as Justice Chandrachud observed, that it derives from a highly patriarchal view of the woman in society. It is indeed discriminatory in holding only the man as responsible. The aggrieved husband can bring to book the man his wife has had an extramarital affair with, but not the wife. However, the law also completely disempowers the woman in the entire legal dynamic and ignores her wishes and rights, perhaps reducing her to the 'level of a commodity.' Section 497 of the IPC reads, Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery, and shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with both. In such case, the wife shall not be punishable as an abettor. The law draws from the patriarchal sentiment that since the woman is a property of the husband, the man she has a relationship with outside her marriage is guilty of 'stealing the property.' Also, the inference to be drawn from the section is that if the sexual relation were to be established with the consent of connivance of the husband, then it would not amount to adultery. The Supreme Court said that the provision really creates a dent in the individual independent identity of a woman when the emphasis is laid on the connivance or consent of the husband. This is tantamount to subordination of a woman where the Constitution confers (women) equal status, the court said. "A time has come when the society must realise that a woman is equal to a man in every field. This provision, prima facie, appears to be quite archaic. When the society progresses and the rights are conferred, the new generation of thoughts spring, and that is why, we are inclined to issue notice," the bench said. The wife cannot be brought to book under the law, which the court said assumes a patronising attitude towards women, even as it noted that it defies the concept of gender neutrality of laws and discriminates against men. It is to be seen when there is conferment of any affirmative rights on women, can it go to the extent of treating them as the victim, in all circumstances, to the peril of the husband, the court said. Also, the wife cannot accuse her husband of adultery. Only an aggrieved husband can taken legal recourse. So if a woman's husband has cheated on her, she cannot bring him to book for adultery. Her husband can be accused of adultery by the husband, if any, of the woman he has established an extramarital relation with. So the law, while it discriminates against the man, gives the woman no say at all and even objectifies her. Advocates Kaleeswaram Raj and Suvidutt M.S., appearing for petitioner Joseph Shine, an Indian citizen but residing in Italy, said section 497 was "prima facie unconstitutional on the ground that it discriminates against men and violates Article 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of. The Supreme Court said it would examine the constitutional validity of the 157-year-old provision and issued notice to the Centre, seeking its response in four weeks. While the Supreme Court examines the constitutionality of Section 497, the National Commission for Women had way back in 2006 recommended decriminalising it. The NCW had said that adultery should be viewed as a breach of trust and be treated as a civil wrong rather than a criminal offence. (With agency inputs) Hospitals usually do not form the backdrop of jubilation. On one of the wintery nights in December, while temperatures were dipping in Hyderabad, a number of hardcore supporters of Telangana rushed to the state-run Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). Outside the five-decade-old hospital gate, young men and women danced wildly and hooted while a few distributed sweets. It looked like nobody was camera shy, as more and more people competed with each other to give amusing and celebratory expressions to the large number of media personnel stationed outside. On December 9, 2009, the first positive step towards the formation of a separate Telangana state came in the form of a statement read out by then union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on behalf of the government of India: The process of forming the state of Telangana will be initiated. This one statement was enough for K. Chandrashekar Rao to end his 11-day fast at NIMS hospital and for people of Telangana to accept with love the valuable gift from Sonia Gandhi on her birthday. The developments that unfolded got etched deeply in the minds of many. Some rejoiced, while supporters of a united Andhra Pradesh reeled under shock. I was at home watching news that night. After I saw Chidambaram's statement, I could not contain my excitement and cried out. I took out my bike and met my group of friends who were already on the streets. We went to NIMS hospital and celebrated the victory of Telangana till the early hours of the next day. The feeling was great, said N. Raj Kumar, a resident of Mehdipatnam, who was a B.Com student that time. Cut to eight years later, is this day slowly losing its significance? It was like the day of independence for people active in the movement. I do not think the younger generation will even remember this day as the focus is on celebrating other occasions associated with the bifurcation, he said. Looks like what Raj said is true. The ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) wants to downplay the importance attached to December 9 as it will glorify the Congress party. It is June 2, the official Telangana Formation Day that is celebrated on a large-scale with complete support from the party. There are hardly any events or programmes that happen on this day to mark remembrance. Historically, it is an important day for Telangana, feels M. Kodandaram, Chairman of Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) who was in the forefront of many agitations prior to the bifurcation. The statement was made under compulsion by Chidambaram after KCR undertook fasting, which was followed by agitations in Osmania Univeristy and Kakatiya University. There was also pressure on the central government to prevent any bloodshed during the student protests. In a way, it is significant and a pre-cursor to important events like the formation of JAC and the launch of a number of mass agitation programmes. He said that there is also some misinformation related to the December 9 statement. S. Ramakrishna, who runs his own tea stall near Osmania University, which was the epicentre of large-scale protests for Telangana, has a different take on why this day does not need attention. We were happy on December 9. In the next few days, darkness and uncertainty came back to haunt Telangana people. The public representatives from Andhra and Rayalaseema resigned from their posts and lobbied hard for Congress party to change its stand. The tone of Congress sounded different and it looked like they wanted to delay the process. This was the reason why agitations continued for the next few years even as political consultations were underway. For me, the day when Telangana was officially bifurcated is the most important. Meanwhile, the state Congress party is looking to celebrate the occasion in a big way this year. We will celebrate December 9 as a thanksgiving day in return for Sonia Gandhis gesture on her birthday, said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Uttam Kumar Reddy. Programmes will be organised across the state. We also want to highlight on this day that the ideal Telangana which we aimed for has not been achieved under the rule of TRS party. Views on the significance of December 9 can differ, but one cannot deny that one statement that night changed the future of the Telugu speaking states. The first phase of elections to 89 seats for the Gujarat State Assembly finished on Saturday without any untoward incident. The Election Commission said in New Delhi that till the latest figures trickled in, the voting percentage was 68 per cent. In 2012, Gujarat in two phases of elections, had reported 71.32 per cent voter turnout. The Commission said that the figures could touch the last year's level when the final figures come in. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi addressed rallies at places where the voting is to take place on December 14 in the second phase. Results will be out on December 18. Gujarat has 182 seats in total. For the first time, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) were used along with the EVMs in Gujarat. There were complaints of faulty EVMs from several parts of the state. According to the Election Commission, the complaints were attended to. However, just as the polling had begun, the biggest complaint had come from Congress candidate in Porbandar, Arjun Modhwadia. He had alleged that the EVMs were connected with bluetooth. An inquiry was launched, following which the EC said that the complaint was false. The fate of several top BJP and Congress leaders have been sealed. Among those in the fray in the first phase were Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, state BJP president Jitubhai Vaghani, former state BJP president R.C. Faldu and Congress leaders Shaktisinh Gohil, Paresh Dhanani and Modhwadia. Modi tweeted to thank the masses and said that the BJP would get a historic win. Patidar stir leader Hardik Patel said that the results would be encouraging. The first phase of elections were crucial for the Congress which is expected to improve its performance in Kutch and Saurashtra region. In 2012, out of the six seats in Kutch, the BJP had won five and the Congress one. In Saurashtra region, out of the 48 seats, the BJP had won 30, the Congress 15, Gujarat Parivartan Party 2 and the NCP 1. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel voted in Rajkot. Vala represented the Rajkot (West) seat till he was appointed Karnataka Governor. Rupani is now the BJP's candidate from this seat against Indranil Rajyaguru of the Congress. On Friday night, before leaving Vadodara for New Delhi, Gandhi had expressed confidence that the Congerss would win the elections. Two done, one in the wings, and one still a distant dreamthis is the status report of India's aspirations to join the four coveted nuclear clubs in the world. India joined the Wassenar Arrangement on December 8, becoming the 42nd nation to join this club. India's entry into the Arrangement would be mutually beneficial and further contribute to international security and non-proliferation objectives,'' said an elated Minsitry of External Affairs (MEA) announcing the membership. India thanked Japan and France, the co-rapporteurs, for facilitating its entry into the Arrangement as well as ambassador Jean Louis Falconi of France, the plenary chair of the WA for 2017, and Philip Griffiths, head of the WA Secretariat. The Wassenar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual Use Goods and Technologies is a multilateral export control regime. The other four are: Nuclear Suppliers Grouop (NSG), Australia Group and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTRC). India got membership into the MTRC in June 2016. India has applied to the Australia Group, an application that appears to be approved soon enough. The NSG membership, however, continues to elude India. The biggest stonewall for India's entry into the NSG is China, which is, significantly, not a member of the other three nuclear clubs. China insists that India, a non signatory to the non proliferation treaty, be kept out. The more China digs in its heels, the more India has got adamant to get in. At the last rejection of membership in 2016, it became clear that India's diplomatic outreach had not been adequate, with several other countries like New Zealand, Turkey, Austria and South Africa, too, opposing India's request. Has India really suffered with being out of these clubs? Not with the NSG, for sure, because India was already given a generous exemption (which has not been removed yet). This clean waiver allows India to trade in nuclear material with NSG countries (that control the trade). The waiver was given with India pledging that it would not share sensitive nuclear technology and material and would uphold its voluntary moratorium on testing nuclear materials. Indeed, India has already forged robust civil nuclear deals with the US and Japan. But as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj once said, India wants to be inside the room, not standing outside the door. India's coveting of these club memberships is often said to be the same as the aspiration for a gymkhana club membership. It gives you a certain exclusivity, though nothing much more. That exclusivity is what India craves at a time it is assuming a role in the global order, positioning itself as an important regional, even if not global, player. So what does the Wassenar Arrangement do for India? The group's main agenda is to ensure that transfers of nuclear material do not contribute to development or enhancement of military capabilities. Every six months, member nations share information on deliveries of conventional arms to non members under the following categories: battle tanks, armoured flying vehicles, large caliber artillery, military aircraft, military helicopter, warships, missiles and missile systems, small arms and light weapons. With this agenda in the backdrop, India's membership largely provides one big benefit. It boosts India's non-proliferation record and positions it as a responsible player, though it is not an NPT signatory. This membership, and the image that goes with it, allows India to proceed with procuring nuclear material, crucial to India's development. India, incidentally, has pledged to reduce its dependence on carbon fuels in the long run, with a bouquet of renewables and clean energy sources. Nuclear energy is one big source. Once India gets the three membership cards, its position as an NSG aspirant will get stronger. The Australia Group membership, which controls spread of chemical and biological weapons, appears to be in an advanced stage of consideration. If India succeeds in getting every other member nation to support its bid at the next NSG outing, it would be a huge diplomatic win, as China would be isolated and appear as peevish. But there is much diplomatic parleying to be done in the meanwhile. Are we there yet? First of all let us congratulate our government for successfully holding our local, provincial and parliamentary elections. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that met at an emergency session on Friday (December 8), to review the Trump decision related to Jerusalem, saw a rare diplomatic development; the US was isolated and rebuked by some of its oldest and closest allies. Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, indicated that he would seek another meeting of the UNSC later next week after the Arab League and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) meet and arrive at a consensus, thereby enabling Palestine to seek a UNSC resolution urging the US to rescind its December 6 announcement. The OIC is scheduled to meet in Istanbul on Dec 13. The UNSC comprises five permanent membersthe US, Russia, China, France, and UK. They have already voiced their individual reservations about the Trump announcement. The UNSC also has ten non-permanent members who serve a two-year-term; five new members are elected every year, and assume office on January 1. (File) C. Uday Bhaskar The Friday meeting of the UNSC was followed by an unusual development; the four European members of the UNSC (France, UK, Sweden and Italy) and Germany (a non-UNSC member) read out a joint statement to the media, reiterating their disagreement with the Trump announcement, and noting that the latest US move is against existing UN resolutions on the issue of Jerusalem. The most determined position against the US was adopted by Sweden (currently a non-permanent member of the UNSC), which asserted that the Trump announcement was in violation of international law. Reference was also made to the 1947 UN determination that accorded a special status to Jerusalem under the legal provision of corpus separatumas a separated bodygiven its status as a highly revered holy site for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Swedish envoy to the UN, Ambassador Olok Skoog, highlighted the December 6 announcement: "It contradicts international law and UNSC resolutions. Jerusalem is a final status issue, and can therefore only be resolved through negotiations agreed between the parties." The UK, France, Egypt and Japanall UNSC members and closely aligned with the UShave voiced their opposition to the Trump announcement unambiguously and some of their statements are instructive. The global consensus is that the decision about Jerusalem as the capital ought to follow the final negotiations over the long-festering Palestine issue and this was emphasised at the UNSC meeting on Friday. The UK noted: "We disagree with the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and unilaterally to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel before a final status agreement. These decisions are unhelpful to the prospects for peace in the region. The French envoy cautioned that "This (announcement ) carries the risk of taking a political conflictwhich in and of itself carries riskcausing it to morph into an insurmountable religious conflict." The Egyptian ambassador warned : "This is a dangerous precedent that needs reflection." Even Japan, that rarely opposes the US in public, stated that its position remains unchanged, and that Tokyo supported a two-state solution to the Palestine conflict, based on international law and UN resolutions. Within the UNSC, the critical political weight lies with the permanent members and it will be instructive to note how the European members (France, UK ) harmonize their positions over Jerusalem with Russia and China. An anomalous politico-diplomatic situation is evolving, wherein the USA, which projects itself as the being committed to international law and the liberal order, is being charged with the violation of these very principles in relation to Jerusalem. However, the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, fiercely defended Trumps Jerusalem announcement at the UNSC. She invoked the will of the American people and asserted that Trump was merely recognising this reality. To my mind this is a potentially dangerous formulationthe will of the peoplewhich is being advanced to flout international law and UN resolutions. What if Russia and China use the same principle to rationalise their transgressions ? Welcome to a tempestuous 2018. Bhaskar is director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the publication Guy Hands has amassed a personal fortune of 256m - but there have been a few hiccups along the way Confronted with the not inconsiderable figure of Guy Hands, one does not immediately feel in the presence of a financial titan. A dishevelled six-footer with an unkempt bouffant and tombstone teeth, shirt buttons straining at the navel, he looks the sort of fellow whod struggle to count the correct change at the check-out desk. But with a personal fortune put at 256million, we must assume there is more going on upstairs than his shambolic appearance would suggest. Hands is chairman and founder of Terra Firma, the private equity vehicle which specialises in leveraged buyouts of under- performing businesses. To those hes made rich, hes a financial visionary with a talent for spotting value where others see only decay. To his detractors and there are plenty of those he is a ruthless deal maker, a cold-blooded numbers man with little care for the companies he takes over or the people it employs. Successful investments have included Odeon cinemas, Threshers wine shops and William Hill bookmaker. But there have been stinkers, too. In 2003 he was forced to write off an investment in Le Meridien hotel chain to the tune of 1.9billion. He also stumped up money for a movie project involving a publican who discovers a giant shrimp washed up on a beach which he trains to be a heavyweight boxer. Disappointingly, it never made it to the multiplexes. Most famous of all was his 3.2billion purchase of music label EMI, described as the worst private equity deal of all time which left Hands personally 200million poorer. He looks likely to take another bath on care homes Four Seasons, which was this week teetering on the brink of collapse, putting 17,000 elderly residents at risk. Born in London to South African parents, Hands was written off early in life as a no-hoper. As a child, he underwent speech therapy. He was useless at sport. Terrible at reading and writing. The only self-esteem he got at school was from maths and playing chess. Somehow he scraped into Oxford, where he set up an arts supply business. He lived for a while with William Hague, the future Tory leader who was later best man at Handss wedding to childhood sweetheart Julia, with whom he has four grown-up children. Saddled with 40,000 of debts upon graduation, Handss careers adviser suggested that he declare bankruptcy. Instead, Hands asked what the highest paid graduate job was that would help pay off the debt. Hands's 3.2billion purchase of music label EMI, described as the worst private equity deal of all time which left Hands personally 200million poorer The job was at Goldman Sachs, which paid 13,000 plus bonuses. Decent corn for a graduate in 1982. Within four years hed risen to head of bond trading in London before joining Japanese bank Nomura, where he made a killing buying pubs. Newly minted, he set up Terra Firma in 2002. When it snapped up EMI in 2008, the label had 14,000 artists on its books, barely a third of which had ever made a record. Tales of corporate excess abound. There were reports of a 200,000-a-year slush fund for fruit and flowers (trade speak for illicit substances), a 5million house in Mayfair for executive use and, most bizarrely, a 20,000 bill for candles. Hands set about extracting the rotten teeth. The backlash from the artistic community was considerable. Miserablist rockers Radiohead departed, as did the Rolling Stones. Robbie Williamss manager, whose client had been the beneficiary of a ludicrous 80million recording contract, queenily compared Hands to a plantation owner. When the credit crunch hit, EMI fell into the hands of Citibank after failing to meet the terms of its loans. These days, Hands runs Terra Firma from tax-friendly Guernsey. Julia pops over at weekends, but otherwise remains at their timbered mansion in Sevenoaks. Described as a workaholic, Hands frequently works 15-hour days, though friends say he enjoys nothing more than putting on black tie or performing on his karaoke machine. He has a taste for lifes pleasures, keeping an excellent cellar and adores fine dining. So jollier than his vulture-like reputation would suggest. That said, when Guy Hands swoops on a company, the pungent whiff of controversy usually follows. Berkeley said it expects to make profits of 3.3bn over the five years to April 2021 Shares in Berkeley Group hit a record high after it said profits will be even higher than expected in the coming years. The housebuilder, which specialises in luxury homes in London, said it expects to make profits of 3.3billion over the five years to April 2021. That is 10 per cent higher than the previous target of 3billion, and shares at one stage yesterday jumped 9 per cent or 350p to an all-time high of 4196p valuing the company at 5.7billion. Berkeley Group founder and chairman Tony Pidgley saw the value of his shares rise by 16million to 195million. The 70-year-old, who was adopted from Barnardo's by travellers when he was four and left home and school at 15, was paid 29million last year and has sold more than 50million of Berkeley shares in recent months. Pidgley said that this year's results will represent the peak for Berkeley. He added: 'It is crucial that new housing policies support the London market, not least because the capital is so important to prosperity throughout the rest of the country.' The housebuilder has faced headwinds including an 18 per cent slump in sales in London in the past year as increases to stamp duty on expensive homes, a tax raid on landlords and economic uncertainty surrounding Brexit take their toll. But it sold 2,117 new homes in the six months to the end of October, earning it half-year profits of 533.3million, up 36 per cent on the same period last year. Revenues rose 14 per cent to 1.6billion. Shares closed up 7 per cent, or 267p, at 4113p. The future of Poundland was in doubt last night amid a deepening scandal at its South African owner. Shares in the budget stores parent company Steinhoff plunged another 20 per cent yesterday after ratings agency Moodys slashed its credit rating and raised doubts over how it is run. That took losses at its primary listing in Germany to 84 per cent this week with more than 9.7billion wiped off its value as it faces further probes into accounting irregularities. Shares in Poundlands parent company Steinhoff plunged another 20 per cent yesterday after ratings agency Moodys slashed its credit rating and raised doubts over how it is run South African retail tycoon Christo Wiese, 76, who owns 23 per cent of the company, has lost more than 2.2billion in the share price slump. He is no longer a billionaire, having seen his fortune shrink to an estimated 552million. The crisis raises questions over the future of Poundland and Steinhoffs other UK businesses, including furniture stores Harveys, Bensons For Beds and budget clothing firm Pep & Co, as they battle for customers in the crucial Christmas trading period. Fears are mounting for the High Street this Christmas as shoppers go online. Steinhoff has racked up debts of around 16billion. It is thought that some of the worlds biggest banks, including HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Nomura and BNP Paribas, face hefty losses in the fallout from the crisis. Malusi Gigaba, South Africas finance minister, said the scandal was a grave concern. Poundland, which has 896 stores in the UK employing 18,000 people, was bought last year by Steinhoff for 610million from private equity firm Warburg Pincus. But the South African company was plunged into crisis on Wednesday when chief executive Markus Jooste, 56, quit as it delayed its financial results, announced a probe into its accounts, and said it may restate previous financial statements. It is already under investigation in Germany over accounting irregularities but has denied any wrongdoing Last night experts warned that Steinhoff may not survive the crisis possibly triggering the sale of its UK businesses. Steinhoff, which has grown rapidly from a furniture chain into an international retail empire, has said that it is considering selling assets worth around 896million. Simon Brown, a trader at South African investment website Just One Lap, said: Whats happened to Steinhoff has been unprecedented in my years of market-watching. It was our seventh biggest company and now its around 50th. I do think its incredibly hard to come back from this. If you look at the individual assets Conforma in France, Poundland in the UK these might get sold and continue operations with new buyers. I think Poundland would find a buyer quickly its a good business. UK retail analyst Nick Bubb said: Poundland is about the only UK business that Steinhoff can sell reasonably easily, so private equity funds will be crawling all over it after Christmas. Retail analyst Richard Hyman said: Poundland would be one of the more attractive opportunities out there. Following the announcement on Wednesday, Moodys downgraded the firm by three notches. A lower credit rating means a company usually has to pay more to borrow from investors and can reduce the value of its existing debt, forcing some holders to sell. A spokesman for Poundland said: Its business as usual for us. We are focused on serving our customers over Christmas. Steinhoff said it had postponed a meeting with bankers in London to December 18, but made no further comment. Ex-DIG Nawaraj Silwal elected from Lalitpur-1 Former Nepal Police DIG and CPN-UML candidate Nawaraj Silwal has been elected to Federal Parliament from Lalitpur-1. He defeated his closest rival Udaya Shumsher Rana of Nepali Congress (NC) by a margin of 6217 votes. MBABANE - An employee of Ndallahwa and Company is alleged to have prepared falsified financial statements using the companys stamp, letterhead and stationery. Ndallahwa and Company is one of the countrys reputable audit firms Futhi Vilane, who has since been suspended from work, is also alleged to have enriched herself by collecting fees for unlawful jobs on behalf of the company. She is now facing charges of misconduct. Vilane has filed an urgent application at the Industrial Court, where she is seeking an order staying and/or suspending her ongoing disciplinary hearing chaired by Alice Tembe, pending finalisation of her application. She is further seeking an order directing Joseph Ndallahwa (majority shareholder in the company) and Ellen Kirk to attend the disciplinary hearing for purposes of testifying. The applicant told the court that Kirk and Joseph, who was her boss, were competent and compellable witnesses in her disciplinary hearing. She highlighted that the main allegations and evidence of the employer against her, was that she fraudulently prepared financial statements for NATFIO Trust. Vilane averred that she had evidence to prove that the said financial statements were not fraudulently prepared. According to the applicant (Vilane), the financial statements were prepared under the strict instruction of Joseph Ndallahwa, after he was instructed by client Ellen Kirk. MBABANE The latest Asian to be arrested in connection with forging the Kings signature for kukhonta purposes, Dilawar Hussain, has pointed an accusing finger at the late Timothy TV Mthethwa. Hussain is the fourth Asian to be arrested for allegedly misrepresenting to the Swaziland Citizenship Board when he allegedly applied for the Swazi citizenship, which was granted. The Pakistanis arrest came after three Indian nationals, Quarratulain Mohmed Faruq Goga (33) of Nhlangano, her husband, Goga Mohmed Faruq Yaqoob (44) and Fiyyaz Ahmad (47), were rounded up last Saturday for similar offences. The suspects were arrested by Counter Terrorism and Organized Crime Unit officers (Tingculungculu) who charged them with fraud, forgery, uttering forged documents and contravening the Immigration Act in that they were allegedly in the country illegally. Hussain, who is facing four counts, appeared before Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi and moved his application for bail in the High Court. The suspects bail is opposed by the Crown, which is represented by Brian Magagula. In his application, the Pakistani, who is represented by Ntobeko Piliso of Piliso Simelane and Partners, alleged that he khontaed at Zombodze through TV Mtetwa. He described himself as a subject of Zombodze Royal Kraal. Like his co-accused, Hussain told the court that he arrived in the country in February 2003 after acquiring an entry permit. I immediately fell in love with the country and had the desire to be a permanent citizen. Upon enquiries, I was advised that in order to succeed, one had to subject himself to the authority of a chief in terms of Swazi Law and Custom (khonta). Indeed I khontaed through the late T.V. Mtetwa and thereby became a subject of Zombodze Royal Umphatkatsi, he said. 2nd phase of ring road expansion: Field study report to be submitted within a mth A high-level Chinese team, which is currently making a field study for the second phase of the Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project, is scheduled to present its report to the Nepal government within a month. MAHLALINI What was probably a joke by boys who pelted imbali with stones has cost a Khumalo family almost half of its total cattle as fine to Royal authorities. The Khumalo family of Mahlalini had to part with a herd of eight cattle worth an estimated E70 000, and this is just only the beginning. The family is still to be fined by the Mahlalini Royal Kraal, which was also fined three cattle as the family came from its area. The three cattle are estimated to be worth E24 000. All this is in respect of an incident that occurred in September this year during the Reed Dance held at Mbangweni Royal Residence. During the three-day event, some Khumalo boys allegedly chose to be naughty and started pelting imbali with stones and also assaulted police officers who watched over hundreds of maidens who were on camp at Galilee Primary School. Sources revealed that the boys, who were suspected to be under the influence of alcohol, attacked the police and demanded to see their girlfriends who were also participating in the ceremony. They went there in the evening and started making noise outside the school premises. When the police officers reacted to the noise, the boys pelted them with stones and further hacked one officer with a bush knife, said a resident. During the commotion, the boys demanded to be allowed access to their girlfriends. Some of the maidens, on hearing the commotion, are said to have come out of their resting rooms to find out what was happening and that is when they were also pelted with stones. The Khumalo family was last week forced to pay for the boys deeds when a truck pulled up into their yard and demanded the fine. An elderly woman, who was found at the Khumalo homestead, said even though his eldest sons were not there, she was aware that a fine of eight cows has been paid. Left alliance takes early lead in Valley As vote counting gets underway across the country, two constituencies of Kathmandu1 and 4have caught widespread attention with Rabindra Mishra of the Bibeksheel Sajha Party and Gagan Thapa of the Nepali Congress giving tough fights to their opponents. Claire Foy is wistful when asked how she would describe her "The Crown" co-star Matt Smith to other actors who may work with him in the future. "I don't know, you're never going to work with anybody ever again," joked Foy of Smith. "You promised you wouldn't!" Smith responded with this advice: "I'd say she loves chocolate and for god's sake, whatever you do, do not get on the wrong side of her." The actors play a young Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, in the Netflix series. Season two is now up on the streaming site. Foy and Smith have essentially aged out of their roles and will be replaced by new actors going forward. Foy's reign will be handed to Olivia Colman (of "Broadchurch" and "The Night Manager.") The next Prince Philip has yet to be announced. Q: Would you say it's fair that Americans tend to be more excited or interested in the actual royal family than the British? For instance about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's engagement, perhaps? Foy: I think that they have very different ways of expressing themselves. Americans are far more likely to be effusive and excited. Smith: And celebratory. Foy: You celebrate success in this country in a way that we just don't do. Q: You were starring in a period piece. Where did you hide your mobile phone on set? Foy: A handbag quite often. Or one of my little pots of things. Smith: There were lots of drawers in the bedroom and then I'd forget it. Foy: Behind a cushion was always a good one. Smith: It's gone off a couple of times. Foy: Once (Smith's) went off when I was doing a speech. Smith: I was like, 'Sorry, darling. Carry on.' Foy: It was in front of 200 extras and a band! We didn't know each other that well then. I judged you. Youth forum Guilderland High School senior Layla Yousef attended the World Youth Forum, a conference designed to extend a "message of peace, prosperity, harmony and progress" to citizens of the globe on Nov. 4 to 10 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Leaders from almost every nation gathered to discuss and recommend initiatives to influential leaders and top policymakers. Yousef was the representative for the delegation of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. "I specifically emphasized that we must direct our endeavours to establishing preventive measures to ultimately eradicate terrorism, and that such a process will best be accomplished by creating research centers, and reinforcing capacity building to generate a system of transparent information sharing," Yousef said. Mini terms Union College students traveling during the holiday break for mini terms include: Emma Sprotbery of Burnt Hills, Anna Mahony of Niskayuna, Mallory Epstein of Niskayuna, and Alaina Thaxter of Cobleskill, completing the New Zealand mini term; Emily Coello of Albany, civil rights mini term; Sean Glennon of Pattersonville, Mexican-American Border mini term; Erendira Garcia Pallares of Schenectady community service mini term. Research travel Sydney Hurley of Averill Park, majoring in biomedical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts was a member of a student team that completed a research project in Santa Fe titled "Plaza Revitalization Plan with The Jemez Pueblo." The college also announced: Carl Turnquist of Sloansville, majoring in mechanical engineering, was a member of a completed project in Boston, "Assessment of MA Waste-Sites for Photovoltaic Development." Austen Crawford of Delmar, majoring in civil engineering, completed a project in Boston, "Evaluating the Vulnerability of Boston's Inner Harbor." Jacob Kaplan of Schenectady, majoring in computer science, completed a project in Santa Fe, "Protecting Art and Increasing Awareness of Transportation." Visual arts exhibition SUNY New Paltz student Gwendolyn van den Heever of Malta is exhibiting visual arts thesis at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art on campus. Student exhibitions will be on view until Dec. 12. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate ALBANY At least 28 students will be suspended after a spate of fights at Albany High School Thursday that started in the halls and eventually spilled into the street. The brawls prompted a large police response and resulted in the arrest of 10 students, who were charged with unlawful assembly Thursday night. Six of them will be charged as juveniles and four will be charged as adults, based on their age, police said. School was closed Friday so district officials and police could further investigate the incident and identify other students involved. The identified students are now facing suspension and won't be allowed in school all next week while a disciplinary review process gets under way, said district spokesman Ron Lesko. That process may result in more suspensions of anywhere from five days to the rest of the school year, he said, depending on the student's role in the fights. "Police are still investigating, as are we," he said Friday afternoon. "We're still looking at a lot of the video and we could have a few more (suspensions) even on top of this." A student who pulled a fire alarm during Thursday's melee has also been identified, though Lesko said that action appeared to have been "a completely random coincidence" not related to the fights, which were occurring in several spots around the school among mostly female students. Its effect, though, only exacerbated the chaos by sending droves of students and staff out the doors, where another large fight soon broke out and attracted spectators. Lesko said police are currently weighing charges for the student who pulled the alarm. It's an offense that can land someone a felony charge of falsely reporting an incident under state law. As of Friday afternoon, it remained unclear what had prompted so many different fights to break out the day before. Lesko said it's possible some of the fighting was connected. One student, he said, was assaulted on their walk to school before the school day even started that Thursday, he said. That student was on the way to the Tony Clement Center for Education on Elk Street, the district's alternative programming site for students with serious academic or disciplinary issues. "There's a lot of investigating we still have to do," he said. The district will partner with police to provided added security on campus Monday, he said. Albany police did not respond Friday to a request for updates on the case. TROY The alleged ringleader in a 2016 double homicide case was indicted again by a Rensselaer County grand jury Friday after all the original charges were dismissed against him in September due to insufficient evidence. Cresencio Chucho Salazar, 27, was the only one of the four defendants to remain silent when questioned by police about the killing of two roommates. Also re-indicted Friday were Luis Alfredo Monge Guevara, 21, also known as Alfredo or El Gordo and Salomon Najera-Hernandez, 22, also known as Salo, The Player or Tocador. Now Playing: Take a tour of the interior of HGTV's 2018 Dream Home in Gig Harbor, Wash. Video: Seattle Post-Intelligencer The Pacific Northwest is a hotbed for gorgeous homes in equally gorgeous locations, and it looks like the rest of the country is about to discover our secret. HGTV's annual Dream Home sweepstakes features an elegantly remodeled home in Gig Harbor, Washington. Located on the shores of Henderson Bay, the 3,500-square-foot home received a massive makeover down to the studs. The home features stunning views from nearly every room, a soothing, gray color palette that mimics the surrounding territory and a strong emphasis on natural materials throughout. NHRC concerned over countrys poor human rights track record The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concern over the state of impunity the government and political actors are giving credence by delaying the transitional justice process. Any EU deal on beef with Brazil in the Mercosur negotiations is toxic, according to IFA president Joe Healy. He called on the EU Trade Commissioner Celia Maelstrom to come clean and reject the environmental destruction, failures on food safety and animal welfare, and slave labour associated with Brazilian beef. Mr Healy was speaking following meetings with senior EU Commission officials in Brussels this week, including with the Chief EU negotiator on the deal, Sandra Gallina, DG Trade, as Mercosur and EU negotiators meet for the next number of days in Brussels. He said Irish and European beef farmers were very angry at the way they were being sacrificed in Mercosur and there was bad blood over the excessive offer of an additional 70,000t TRQ offered by the EU. It is a total contradiction of European policy that Commissioner Maelstrom is now willing to cut a deal for more beef imports from Brazil and sacrifice sustainable production in Europe, he said. Mr Healy said that Irish beef production was four times more carbon efficient than Brazil where growth was driven on the back of destruction of the rainforests. [December 08, 2017] TRIANGLE CAPITAL SHAREHOLDER ALERT by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Reminds Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit against Triangle Capital Corporation - (TCAP) Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until January 22, 2018 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Triangle Capital Corporation (NYSE: TCAP), if they purchased the Company's shares between May 7, 2014 and November 1, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. What You May Do If you purchased shares of Triangle Capital and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit http://ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-tcap/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by January 22, 2018. About the Lawsuit Triangle Capital and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. On November 1, 2017, Triangle revealed a decline in the fair value of its investment portfolio of nearly 7%, $8.9 million in net realized losses and $65.8 million in net unrealized depreciation for the quarter. Further, seven investments were moved to full non-accrual status and investments on non-accrual had ballooned to 13.4% and 4.7% of Triangle's total portfolio at cost and fair value, respectively. On this news, the price of Triangle shares plummeted nearly 21%, or $2.57 per share. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171208005534/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] TRANSCRIPT As we approach the Midterm election season, we notice that alleged "core principles" touted among denizens of the political discourse are quickly discarded amid the quest for partisan slap fight supremacy.The latest example . . . Candidateoffers his perspective on a recent meetup where so-called progressives failed to live up to their talk promises of inclusion.He shares his story better than anyone else could:. . .Hello, everyone.This is Chris Haulmark, running for the US House of Representatives in Kansass Third Congressional District.*rolling his sleeves back*This is the Kansas way of doing HARD WORK.I, Chris Haulmark, am prepared to do this difficult job.Why is this so?Well, I noticed today on the Kansas Democratic Partys Facebook page, five Democratic Kansas candidates at a KC Star sponsored forum, hosting their gubernatorial debate yesterday on a Facebook Live stream.The Kansas Democratic Partys post included a partial quote: ...a great showing..! posted for all to read.No, it wasn't.It should be noted that I had written a letter and mailed it to the Kansas City Star editors requesting accommodations under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), stating that we needed an American Sign Language interpreting team and needed captions provided via their Facebook Live stream.The Deaf Community and I would have ADA-protected access to watch and learn about those five candidates and their platforms during the debate.Fair enough?Also, I sent a copy of the letter to the Kansas Democratic Party with the specified accommodations.Unbelievably, at the forum, there were no FB Live captions provided.NO American Sign Language interpreting team provided!None whatsoever!!!Now I am seeing that the Kansas Democratic Party is dismissing the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population.This is setting an example for the ENTIRE COUNTRY of WE the PEOPLE to accept that it is OKAY for a political party to disregard ANY group of people!That is NOT upholding the values of Democrats.I expect the Kansas Democratic Party to take action and FIGHT for those people who are being disregarded.Hmmm.YES, I am mad! ABSOLUTELY!It is because I am running for Congress as a Democrat.And this is what MY STATE'S party is doing.This is absolutely not acceptable.This has absolutely nothing to do with the party trying to be neutral for all different candidates until the primary election.Absolutely not!All of us Deaf people were excluded from that event's accessibility!Remember, Kansas City Star has a LONG HISTORY of oppression.They NEVER caption their live videos.They NEVER did write an article on OUR campaign.That's because I am Deaf.The KC Star already wrote articles on the FOUR other 3rd District candidates.Where is mine?See the Kansas Democratic Party is doing nothing about it.I've repeatedly notified the KS Democratic Party that I am being discriminated and oppressed.They are doing NOTHING.They've just encouraged me to make contacts.However, NONE EXIST!They are not fighting for us at all.This is why I am standing up and saying to WE THE PEOPLE that it is TIME to pressure the Kansas Democratic Party to start FIGHTING instead of endlessly waiting until all of the strong people are left standing, while the vulnerable are being DISMISSED.That is NOT acceptable!ENOUGH!!Now I ask my supporters, please share your views, your feedback, and weigh in on this.We would like to learn from all of you about what we should be doing about this horrible issue.Thank you.Its time to be TRUE Democrats.########### Pilachhens resolve to create model from rubble My husband died of shock during the earthquake, says middle-aged Sanu Maya Maharjan, as her eyes begin to brim. Beside her, Thulo Sanu Maya, whose eyes are also welling up, Congressman Cleaver: Passing the Federal Budget While it may not be the flashiest, it is perhaps the most important thing that Members of Congress do while in office. This may seem like a complex and arcane set of numbers and figures, but the federal funding process touches on numerous aspects of our lives. It covers programs such as housing assistance and Medicaid, provides money to our schools, provides medical research dollars, and funds veterans programs. The budget process has gotten more and more complex, and now more than ever we need to return to regular order to fund the government.The federal budget process begins with a recommendation from the President, usually delivered on the first Monday in February. After taking this recommendation into account, the House and Senate pass a concurrent resolution which sets the amount the federal government can spend for the fiscal year. The fiscal year goes from October 1st to September 30th of the following year. This serves as a guide during the next step where the twelve appropriations subcommittees decide how they will allocate this money. The process operates on tight deadlines but the most important one is October 1st. That is when the government runs out of money from last years appropriations.It has been over 20 years since congress passed all of its funding bills by this deadline. For the past twenty years we have been incapable of funding the government on time. Not a single funding bill has been passed on time since 2009. This year, none of the appropriations bills were completed by the October 1st deadline. We have, instead, passed multiple continuing resolutions, which provide stopgap funding for the government.In all, 435 Representatives and 100 Senators have at least 535 priorities they want included in 12 pieces of legislation. We used to be able to get this done. We used to be able to work together. We used to be able to compromise. As this world gets more polarized, congress needs to remember how we used to work across the aisle and through the regular order process. We are not here to score political points or ram an agenda through behind closed doors, we are here to run a government for the American people.Warmly,Emanuel Cleaver, IIMember of Congress########## Horrific KCMO Holiday Crash 8-year-old struck, killed by trash truck in area of 100th, Drury A boy has died after being struck by a trash truck in the area of 100th and Drury. The boy was 8 years old and his best friend witnessed it. It was trash day in the neighborhood and the boy was hit by a trash truck. Suspected Local Catholic Disgrace KCK priest accused of inappropriately touching young girl to stand trial KANSAS CITY, Kan. - A district judge ordered a KCK priest who is accused of inappropriately touching a young girl to stand trial. Father Scott Kallal was in his mid-30s when prosecutors say he inappropriately touched a then 11-year-old girl. The alleged incident happened in 2015 in the gym at St. Naming The Kansas City Dead Police identify 2 men killed in double homicide near 24th and Cypress in KCMO KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police have identified the two men who were killed in a double homicide Thursday in Kansas City. Two KCMO men -- 57-year-old Darryl Singleton and 36-year-old Reginald Jones -- were killed in a shooting Thursday night near 24th Street and Cypress Avenue, police said Friday. Dead-Tree Media Vs. KCPD KCPD took 2 years to investigate its failed child crimes unit - but what did it find? After two years, the Kansas City Police Department is reviewing a recently completed internal affairs investigation into its failed Crimes Against Children unit. The Police Department has not said when its review will be finished or if any more information will be released. Kansas City Police Ask For Help With This Week's Westport Murder Case Police looking for SUV seen at Westport homicide at 40th, Walnut Police are asking for the public's help locating a vehicle seen at the homicide that happened in Westport on Monday. Just a quick collection of mostly horrible news links for late night KCMO readers. Checkit:And this is thefor right now . . . KANSAS CITY LGBT ACTIVISTS RAISE CONCERN THAT THE MIDTOWN MURDER WAS MORE THAN ROBBERY BUT INSTEAD ANOTHER HATE CRIME AGAINST AN OPENLY GAY RESIDENT!!! "This wasn't about robbery, it was not a robbery gone wrong. The killers knew he was gay and killed him for it. He cooperated with their demands, he gave tried to calm them down but they still shot him. This was nothing less than a targeted attack. Only a couple of news sources have reported that he was a gay man and that keeps the very real threat of violence against our LGBT community a secret. Unacceptable . . ." The killing ofshocked Kansas City residents who mistakenly believed that gentrification would reduce urban core crime. Moreover, amid the search for suspects there are questions regarding the repeated robbery of the young man and increasing suspicions that he was targeted because of his sexual identity.To wit . . .Here's the early word as police still look for suspects:This word sent our wayand mistakenly believed he could reason with his attackers.Over the past few years,and have earnedMany activists believe the questions about hate crime motives are important in helping to understand the violence which confronts so many Kansas City communities.Developing . . . BEHIND THE SCENES, THE STRONGEST SUPPORTERS OF TEAM SLY HAVE NOW DIVED RIGHT INTO THE COUNCIL LADY JOLIE JUSTUS MAYORAL CAMPAIGN!!! the Dover Group setting up shop in a little dump in Waldo Special thanks to some of the best and brightest from ourfor watching the KCMO 2019 Mayoral race unfold long before local plebs approach the polls under the misguided illusion of choice.To wit . . .Let's not get bogged down in financial transcription because insiders already understand thatis gearing up to support Council Lady Jolie along with some of the Mayor's biggest proponents who areAnd this tipster tidbit doesn't even take into account the dweebs from Polsinelli who are yelling at one another as they take sides betwixt Council Dude Scott Taylor vs. Council Lady Jolie.Meanwhile, more contenders won't have the far-reaching corporate, legal and consulting expertise that is now being galvanized behind this local political lady.Developing . . . Greece is a member of the NATO Alliance and one of the safest countries in the world Greece's National Defence Minister Panos Kammenos participated in the "Gordian Knot" military exercise of the NATO Rapid Deployable Corps-Greece in Assiros, north of Thessaloniki, on Thursday. "I am especially pleased about the Hellenic Armed Forces which carried out a large part of this exercise," Kammenos said, pointing out that "of 1,200 armed forces members involved in the exercise, which is the largest executed in Athens on NATO level - 950 were members of the Greek armed forces." Asked to comment on the visit in Athens of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he said, "I am pleased with the presence of Turkish allied officers in the NATO exercise." 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-MPA Story of a M-others grief A child who loses a parent is called an orphan, but when parents lose their child there isnt a word to describe them. May be rightly so, as there cannot be a word to describe such a loss and the pain that comes with it. Whodunit? Who cares? The danger of becoming used to seeing a certain actor play an iconic character for a considerable stretch of timemore so if that actor is particularly skilled and has made the part his ownis that you risk never truly being able to accept anyone else in a given role. Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 9 A direct flight between Chandigarh and Bangkok will be introduced from December 11, which will take only 4.30 hours to reach the destination. Stating this, Thailand Tourism Authority director Isra Stanapaseth said the direct flight would provide easy connectivity to tourists from Chandigarh and its nearby cities like Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and others to fly to Thailand and be back. Punjab is a lucrative market for us as we have seen a lot of growth like holding weddings, family get togethers and other functions, he said. The purpose of the visit here is to meet first-time traveller, create awareness and network with travel agents and update them about destinations available in Thailand. He added that cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh and Ludhiana could be a good market for tourism in his country. Indians have emerged as the most prominent group of tourists to visit Thailand due to their growing numbers, said the visiting Thailand Tourism Authority director. He said 1.043 million Indian tourists went to Thailand in 2017 (Jan to Sep), showing 16 per cent growth. India is an emerging market for Thailand, considering that the outlook for outbound tourists from India is set to grow by leaps and bounds. Tribune News Service Bathinda, December 9 Despite a rise in the incidents of ATM robbery at various places, officials of various banks have not bothered to deploy security guards outside various ATMs. After the incident of attempt to loot an ATM of Oriental Bank of Commerce on the Bibi Wala road, Bathinda, on December 3, the police conducted security review of various ATMs and it was mentioned by the police that most of the ATMs in the city and rural areas had no security guards. It was also mentioned that only 10 to 15 per cent ATMs operated in the city where security guards had been deployed, but it was also found that these ATMs were situated in the branches of banks. A police official, requesting anonymity, said that bank officials behaviour showed that the responsibility of security was only of the police. It was discussed many times by police officials with bankers to deploy security guards, but they took it lightly. It was also found that no security guard had been deployed even during the daytime at various ATMs. According to sources, when such kinds of incidents of attempt to loot ATMs happened, the police beefed up security near ATMs for some time, but after a few days the situation turned same. On the other hand, the police failed to find those accused of recent attempt to loot ATMs and failed to make security arrangements for ATMs. In the last two years, various incidents of attempt to loot ATMs took place. Besides, miscreants made a bid to break an ATM belonging to the State Bank of India (SBI) and steal cash from the machine at Lehra Mohabbat a few months ago. In another incident, thieves uprooted an ATM installed at the State Bank of Patiala (SBoP) branch located at College Road. While the Rama police held two accused in bid to loot an ATM at Rama. Naveen Singla, SSP, Bathinda, said they had raised the issue many times in meeting with bank officials and it was their job to deploy the security guards. If we found something sensitive point on night or fog season , we could not allow to open that ATM, he added Bhartesh Singh Thakur Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 8 As far as 1965 war is concerned, we made little territorial gains. Pakistan occupied some area in Kutch and we made some gains in north Punjab. It was a draw. We didnt have ammunition to last beyond a week. After that we would have been throwing stones at each other. It was even, said Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at the Military Lit Fest today. He was replying to a question in a session with military historians on whether India won the 1965 war with Pakistan. Islamabad claims victory in the war and commemorates it as defence day every September 6. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) However, Lt Gen TS Shergill, who was also part of the session, said the Indian military did not allow Pakistan to achieve its war objectives. India secured Kashmir and destroyed their war machines, which they acquired from the US. India didnt allow them to acquire any territory. They wanted to reach up to the Beas, he said and described the war as victory for India. On not making the Henderson-Brooks report on the Indo-China 1962 war public, Capt Amarinder said: The Henderson-Brooks report is being hidden to save political skin. It is a bad decision. Commenting on Indias forward policy that led to war with China, he added: We provoked Chinese. Forward policy was wrong. What was the system? Then defence minister Krishna Menon was shifting battalions. Corps Commander was just obeying orders... 4 Div was building houses in Ambala before going for the war. They didnt have training. It was unfortunate. On writing military history, the Punjab CM said when he wrote about the battle of Rezang La, which took place during the Indo-China war in 1962, he took seven survivors to the actual battlefield and asked them to narrate the story. I asked them to take their positions and narrate about it. Different version came out... I even took my 2 Sikh to Poonch... History has a habit of changing. Things are added by interested parties. Capt Amarinder has authored seven books on military history so far. Pavneet Singh Chadha Tribune News Service Mohali, December 9 The Chandigarh International Airport will remain closed for operations from February 12 to 26 next year due to runway repairs. The public relations officer (PRO) of Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL), Deepesh Joshi, in a statement, said: Due to runway resurfacing work by the Indian Air Force (IAF), the runway shall remain closed from February 12 to 26, 2018. During this period, no civil and military flight will operate from Chandigarh. The statement further said it was mandatory to close the runway for the completion of repairs. Repairs include re-carpeting and resurfacing of the runway. The length of runway is being extended from the present 9,000 feet to 10,400 feet to accommodate wide-bodied aircraft (Boeing 777, 787 and 747), which would facilitate long haul flights from Chandigarh to popular destinations in Europe, the USA, Canada and the UK. Besides, the CAT III instrument landing system would be installed to assist in landing when visibility is low. The CHIAL CEO, Suneel Dutt, said: The upgraded runway will be a gift for the region as it will facilitate wide-bodied aircraft and will help the passengers of five adjoining states. As per the open skies policy of the Government of India, it will attract several airlines operators to operate flights from Chandigarh to countries beyond 5,000 km, which would not have been possible on the existing runway. In the recent hearing of the airport case at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Division Bench was informed that the airport would remain shut for 15 days each on two occasions. At present, the runway remains closed from 4 pm to 5 am from Monday to Saturday. There are no flights on Sundays. Maiden Bangkok flight fare shoots up With one day to go for the maiden Air India flight from Chandigarh to Bangkok, airport officials said the flight had received 120 bookings, leaving 30 seats vacant in the economy class. Starting from December 11, the flight to the tourist destination will operate thrice a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The duration of flight is 5 hours and 30 minutes and the aircraft, Airbus 320 Neo, has a maximum capacity of 162 passengers, including 12 seats in the business class and 150 seats in the economy class. The local station manager, Air India, RK Negi, said: The response to the flight has been encouraging, considering it is the maiden flight. Bookings are expected to pick up as the festive season (Christmas, New Year) approaches. Meanwhile, the fare for a return flight has surged to Rs 22,000-23,000. With demand picking up, the fare is expected to further rise as the year draws to a close. Till last week, the tickets were available at a price of Rs 16,000-17,000. Award for airport The Chandigarh International Airport has been conferred the award of Smartest building in the Mid-sized Airport Building category during an award ceremony organised by Network 18 and Honeywell Smart Building Awards 2017 at Taj Diplomatic Enclave in New Delhi. It is a proud moment for the Chandigarh Airport to bag such a prestigious award. With continuous innovation, we are treading the path to make it more user friendly through dedicated radio service, high speed Wi-Fi and an automotive system being installed in the building, said Suneel Dutt, CEO, Chandigarh International Airport Limited. A gift for region "The upgraded runway will be a gift for the region as it will facilitate wide-bodied aircraft and will help the passengers of five adjoining states. As per the open skies policy of the Government of India, it will attract several airlines operators to operate flights from Chandigarh to countries beyond 5,000 km, which would not have been possible on the existing runway." Suneel Dutt, CEO of CHIAL Vijay Mohan Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 8 As the confrontation with China at Doklam in the Northeast began to unfold earlier this year, an Indian Brigade Commander, accompanied only by his buddy, had walked across the border and warned Chinese troops to step back. China did not advance an inch thereafter. Revealing this here today, Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi (retd), the then General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command, and the senior-most commander in the theater, claimed the Doklam (or Doka La) episode had been anticipated by the Indian establishment. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Though China upped the ante through media and diplomatic channels, the spectre of war was very low, he said. There, however, was a possibility of China opening another front or a skirmish breaking out, Lt Gen Bakshi said at the two-day Military Literature Festival being organised by the Punjab Government. Interactions with the Chinese commander in Tibet during his earlier visit to India had indicated his operational interest in that region, and heightened Sino activity in the sector was observed too, he said. In June-August, Indian and Chinese troops had been locked in a 73-day confrontation at Doklam, a pass situated on the tri-junction of Sikkim, China and Bhutan, over the construction of a new road by China in the vicinity of a territory disputed by China and Bhutan. On August 28, it was announced that the confronting troops had disengaged, though reports were still emerging that the two sides continued to maintain troop formations in the sector. Complete operational autonomy had been delegated to the commanders on ground and we were geared up for a long haul. There were clear-cut operational directions, requisite coordination among government agencies and the wherewithal was made available. As we saw Doklam coming, additional formations had been moved to the area beforehand and the troops were well acclimatised, said Lt Gen Bakshi. The engagement with the Chinese government was only through the Ministry of External Affairs. At the same time, serious internal disturbances in neighbouring Darjeeling region resulted in New Delhi sending a firm message to the West Bengal government. Maintaining that psychological advantage lay with India, he said troops, while forming human chains, refused to back down and not even once did they break ranks. The area was under constant surveillance and a few instances of Chinese troops, who were mostly conscripts and regularly resorted to propaganda and playing loud music, breaking ranks at night were observed, he claimed. Calling for an analysis as to who or what prompted Chinese action at Doklam and at what level were the decisions taken, Lt Gen Bakshi said China now viewed India as a threat and the standoff had forced Sino troop deployment along the Line of Actual Control. Earlier, they only used to patrol the area. But now they have started building defences, he added. Another lesson from Doklam was that the border management of disputed boundaries needed a complete re-look and there could not be multiple agencies for a single border. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 9 About 65-year-old retired peon of the local Municipal Corporation died after a fire broke out at her house at EWS Colony in Sector 40 early in the morning today. The cause of the fire could not be established. Identified as Raj Kaur, the victim was putting up alone at her house. Neighbours saw smoke billowing out of her house and raised the alarm. Firemen said when they reached the house, they found the woman lying on the side of a bed which was engulfed in fire. She was taken to a local hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. She suffered around 65 per cent burns. According to fire officials, they received a call at 5:54 am. A fire engine reached the spot within a few minutes. Two fire engines were pressed into service, one each from Sector 17 and Sector 35. Her daughter Babli, who lives in the same colony, told the firemen that a bed, a dressing table, a ceiling fan and an AC were destroyed in the fire. The cause of fire is unknown as of now. The police are investigating the matter, said a fireman. The deceaseds relatives said it could be possible that the sacred flame lit at the place of worship caused the fire. Her husband died many years ago and she worked at the corporation in his place. Her son works out of the city while her three daughters are married. Tribune News Service Mohali, December 9 It was nothing less than a daring act on the part of the station house officer and a head constable of the Gharuan police station, who accepted bribe from a vehicle owner at a function where Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was the chief guest. Vigilance sleuths arrested Sub-inspector Sahib Singh, Gharuan SHO, and Head Constable Rashpal Singh, posted at the same police station, from Chandigarh University at Gharuan for allegedly accepting Rs 3,000 from a tipper owner, whose vehicle was impounded by the policemen last night. Both policemen were on VIP duty at the venue (where Captain Amarinder Singh was coming) where Ropar Range DIG BL Meena, Mohali SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal, Mohali DC Gurpreet Kaur Sapra and other senior functionaries of the district administration and police were also present. The amount they accepted was the remaining part of Rs-10,000 bribe. The Vigilance sleuths, who laid a trap there, nabbed the policemen just a couple of minutes before the Chief Minister arrived there. According to sources, the policemen had caught two tippers of a resident of Sector 71, Jarnail Singh, last night. They had demanded Rs 10,000 to settle the case, following which Jarnail handed them Rs 7,000 and promised to pay the rest of the amount the next day. Today, Jarnail Singh was asked to turn up at the venue to give the rest of the amount. As Jarnail has made a complaint to the Vigilance Department, a trap was laid there. As soon as the bribe was accepted, the sleuths nabbed the duo there, said the sources. The duo has been arrested after registration of a case of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, said Vigilance Inspector Satwant Singh Sidhu. The police are also verifying the fact whether or not the tippers were containing material related to illegal mining, said the police. Earlier, to avoid the media, Vigilance SSP Paramjit Singh Virk directed the officials to lock the gate of the Vigilance Police Station at Sector 68. A woman constable was deputed at the gate. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 9 A local court has convicted a 41-year-old woman for murdering her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter in 2016. The convict, Manju Devi, was held guilty under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced by the court on Monday. According to the police, in April 2016, a mutilated body was found dumped in a gunny bag in the Industrial Area, Phase II. The girls body was partially eaten by dogs. She was identified as Pihu, a resident of Sarangpur village, who had gone missing. Manju Devi had been arrested and she told the police that she killed her daughter at home then hired a three-wheeler to dump the body in the industrial area. The police claimed that Manju killed her daughter as she was finding it hard to run her house and raise her four children. She banged her head against the wall several times and then strangled her to ensure that she was dead. She told the police that she had two daughters and was always under pressure how to bear expenses of their studies and marriage. The crime branch officials had recovered a sack from her residence in Sarangpur in which the victim was packed before dumping. Tribune News Service Fatehabad, December 9 Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced that a centre for agro-based industry would be set up in Fatehabad and Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd would purchase land for the project. Besides, the polytechnic at Dhangar village would be upgraded to an engineering college. He made these announcements while addressing a gathering at a welcome function organised by the Panchnad Memorial Trust here. He said the proposed industrial hub would lead to increase in capital investments and provide jobs to the area youth. Khattar said on the demand of city residents, open gyms would be set up in two parks. Besides, a new park would be developed and a gym installed there. On the Panchnad Memorial Trusts demand for land, he directed officials to identify land and assured the Trust of all possible help. He added there was no dearth of funds for development works. Haryana has a budget of over Rs 1 lakh crore and development works are being carried out throughout the state by following the principles of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas and Haryana Ek-Haryanvi Ek, he said. Mahamandleshwar Swami Dharma Dev Ji, national president of the trust, also spoke on the occasion. Earlier, the CM along with state BJP president Subhash Barala visited the residence of former MLA Balbir Singh Chaudhary here to inquire after his health. The CM also interacted with people during morning walk in the Swarna Jayanti Heritage Park. He visited the park to take stock of the works being done on the Chilli Lake premises. Khattar yesterday suspended a staff nurse for forcing an expectant mother to visit a private hospital for delivery. He ordered a Vigilance probe against the general manager of the Cooperative Bank for approving a loan to a defaulter while denying it to genuine customers. Khattar, who reached Fatehabad yesterday on a two-day tour of the district, listened to public grievances and launched development projects worth Rs 75.88 crore and addressed a meeting of the district officials at the Mini-Secretariat. Logistics hub to be developed in Narnaul The Chief Minister, while addressing mediapersons later, said that a logistics hub would be developed over 1,100 acres in Narnaul in which a Dubai-based company has expressed intent to invest. Khattar said the state government had taken several positive steps to attract investment in Haryana. Meetings had been held with various industrial groups and MoUs had been signed with around 150 big companies involving investment to the tune of Rs 86,000 crore. "A new industrial policy has been implemented so that huge amount of investment is made in Haryana. For this, the registration process has been made simple and all approvals related to establishing new projects are being granted under single roof," he said. The Chief Minister said some big industrialists from Dubai were keen on investing in Haryana. On the pattern of Global City being developed on over 1,200 acres in Delhi, big industrialists have shown interest in investing in similar projects in Haryana. Industrialists from Dubai would visit the state for a meeting with the government in January, 2018. Asked about the protest of the National Health Mission employees, Khattar said it was a Central Government project in which Haryana has 40 per cent share. Therefore, the Centre would take the final decision in this regard. Panipat, December 9 The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Ved Prakash Sirohi has awarded life imprisonment to a convict for the murder committed on June 4 last year. A fine of Rs 25,500 has also been imposed. In case of non-payment of fine, the convict will have to undergo imprisonment for two years more. Dalip Singh of Shera village submitted to the police that he took agricultural land on lease from Gulab Singh of the same village. Vijender of Shera village and Mukesh, hailing from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, worked on the fields, he further stated. He reported that an unidentified person attacked Vijender and Mukesh on June 4 last year while they were in the fields. Mukesh fled while Vijender died on the spot. The police arrested Surender of Shera village on the charge of murdering Vijender. It was revealed that Surender had committed the murder after coming to know that his wife had an illicit relationship with Vijender. TNS Tribune News Service Karnal, December 9 State Congress president Ashok Tanwar accompanied by party workers today reached the dharna site of NHM employees in front of the Civil Surgeons office here. He extended his support and assured them that the Congress would regularise their services on coming to power. Condemning the state government for snatching their jobs, he said that the government must keep its words and regularise their services. Earlier, Tanwar presided over Sarvjatiya Sadbhawna Sammelan organised by youth Congress leader Ashish Sharma to celebrate the birthday of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He blamed the state government for poor law and order situation. Tanwar criticised the government for causing disharmony among people and said that the Congress was working to strength cordial relations in society. Tanwar said that the Congress would form the governments in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. After two days, Rahul Gandhi would be appointed as president of the Congress, he added. Srinagar, December 9 The police today stopped the seminar to be hosted by three key separatist leaders to commemorate Human Rights Day by sealing off the venue of the event in the city. The seminar was scheduled by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, who refer to themselves as joint resistance leadership. A police officer said the seminar was prevented from taking place and nobody was allowed to go inside the venue the office of Geelanis Tehreek-e-Hurriyat. The foiling of the seminar drew strong-worded condemnation from the three separatist leaders, who in a joint statement termed the governments action as state terrorism. At a time when the world was observing Human Rights Day, the administration is reluctant to allow peaceful programme and (security) forces in Kashmir are committing massive violations of human rights, the three separatists said in the statement. The separatists said all roads leading to the venue were blocked by the police and the separatists were asked to return. They said Geelani and Mirwaiz were under house arrest while the police had raided the residence of Malik. The three separatists have also called for a complete shutdown and blackout on Sunday in view of the International Human Rights Day. Kashmiris will observe a complete shutdown and blackout against gross human rights violations in the Valley, they added. TNS Shift Kashmiri inmates to J&K jails Srinagar: Speakers at the Bar Association seminar on Saturday resolved that Kashmiri prisoners lodged outside the state should be shifted to jails in J&K. Speaking at a seminar held to mark International Human Rights Day, academicians, human rights activists, and lawyers deliberated upon human rights violations in J&K. They also discussed the plight of prisoners. The plight of the prisoners was described as seriously alarming as the jail authorities subject the prisoners to inhuman treatment, the Bar said in a statement, adding that the participants expressed concern over the arrests and lodging of Kashmiri leaders in Tihar Jail. TNS Gaya, December 9 A total of 166 Gentleman Cadets were on Saturday commissioned as officers in the Army during the 12th passing-out parade at the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Gaya. Of the 166 newly inducted officers, four are foreigners while 14 belong to Assam Rifles. Lieutenant General Mohammad Sharif Yaftali, Chief of Staff, Afghan National Army, was the reviewing officer of the passing-out parade, while Lieutenant General B S Negi, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central command, was the chief host. Yaftali was welcomed in customary Armys buggy by Lieutenant General B S Negi and OTA and Gayas Commandant Lieutenant General V S Srinivas. The reviewing officer gave away the awards to Cadets who performed well during the training. Dharmesh Kumar was awarded Sword of Honour for his best performance in the TES-30 course. Addressing the function, Afghanistans Army Chief of Staff congratulated Gentleman Cadets for their fine drill show and gave them best wishes for the future. Cadets should imbibe the qualities of being a disciplined soldier to be successful in career, Yaftali admonished them. The OTA, Gaya is the third pre-commissioning military academy in the country and was raised on July 2011 apart from Dehradun and Chennai. The OTA was established, near Paharpur village on the Gaya-Dobhi main road, to train both new entrants and serving Army personnel in different modes of conventional as well as non-conventional warfare. PTI Manas Dasgupta Ahmedabad, December 9 An estimated 68 per cent of the 2.12 crore electorate cast their vote in 89 constituencies in 19 districts in the Kutch-Saurashtra and south Gujarat regions today, sealing the fate of 977 candidates in the first phase of the two-phased polling in the Assembly elections. The second phase of polling in the central and north Gujarat regions will be held on December 14. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Todays polling was about 2 per cent less than that in the 19 districts in the 2012 elections. Kutch, which has six Assembly seats, recorded the lowest turnout at 63 per cent, while Morvi in Saurashtra and Navsari in south Gujarat clocked a high of 75 per cent, Election Commission sources said. Of the 89 seats, Saurashtra accounted for 48 seats, Kutch six and south Gujarat 35. Of these, the BJP had won 63, Congress 24, and NCP and JD(U) one each in 2012. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala specially flew in from Bengaluru to cast his vote in the Rajkot West constituency. It was Valas seat from where Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is re-contesting. Vala had won the seat seven times before he assumed the gubernatorial post and on his resignation Rupani had won the seat in a byelection two years ago. On the contentious issue of EVMs and VVPATs, several complaints were made about the alleged malfunctioning of the machines. Sources said at nearly 200 polling booths or stations, the EVMs or VVPAT machines had to be replaced because of malfunctioning. At one booth in Kalyanpura under the Jamnagar rural constituency, 168 voters reportedly refused to cast votes after allegations that every vote cast for the Congress candidate was going to the BJP. Official sources, however, said they had no information. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhvadia, contesting in Porbandar, lodged a complaint with the Election Commission with a copy of a screen shot claiming that the EVM was connected with WiFi enabling anyone to cast vote from outside the booth. However, the Election Commission later rubbished the allegation. The inquiry has been carried out and there is no reason to believe that the machine was hacked, BB Swain, Chief Election Officer, said. BJP spokesman Sambit Patra attributed the Congress complaints against the EVM or VVPAT machines as nothing but finding excuses for certain defeat in the elections when the results are declared on December 18. Both the contesting rivals claimed upper hand after the polling. While Ahmed Patel, political adviser to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, claimed the Congress was certain to get 110 to 120 seats in the 182-member Assembly, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the BJP incharge of the state elections, predicted a landslide victory. The kind of analysis and information that we are receiving, the BJP is slated for a big win, Jaitley claimed. Anand (Guj), December 9 Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has accused the BJP of turning leaders such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose into "product". Gandhi addressed a campaign meeting in Anand town in central Gujarat, which is historically associated with Patel, a stalwart of freedom struggle and the country's first home minister. Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) You (state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki) said that Sardar Patel was a Congress leader. You named (V D) Savarkar and others, and said that Sardar Patel did not belong to the BJP but to the Congress, he said. "This is a fact that he was part of Congress party. But if we go deeper to understand Sardar Patel, we will find that he is a voice in the heart of Gujarat," Gandhi said. "Sardar Patel does not belong to either Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi or Solanki, or to Gujarat or India, but he belongs to the world," the Congress leader said. "He was not a small man who will belong to anyone. He was a great man, a voice in the heart of Gujarat who fought for the state. Nothing can be bigger than this," Gandhi said. "The Congress will always respect him, but I would like to tell you that sometimes it appears that whether it is Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, it sometimes appears that they (BJP) have turned them into a product," Gandhi said. He also criticised the BJP over its manifesto, saying it was made in a hurry at Union finance minister Arun Jaitley's office, without talking to the people of Gujarat. PTI Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 9 Adept in Indo-British history, two leading historians today differed on what could have been the British Empires future after the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1846, but both agreed that the East India Company-led army had almost lost the war had the Sikhs surprisingly or prompted by the treachery of two Generals not surrendered. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Speaking on Anglo-Sikh wars at the Military Literature Festival here, London-based historian Amar Pal Sidhu argued: The British lacked ammunition, had no water and were, thus, incapable of fighting. Then Governor General Lord Henry Hardinge was in the battlefield and he would have had to surrender. The entire British Raj could have collapsed. Sidhu, who has authored separate books on the first and the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49), said: Had the Sikh army not surrendered, the British Empires history in India would have been different. It would have been a seminal moment resembling the one at Waterloo (where Napoleon Bonaparte of France lost). The treachery by Generals Tej Singh and Lal Singh changed the course of history. The two owed their positions to Maharani Jindan, one of the queens of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Punjab probably would have been united and would still be united, said Sidhu. William Dalrymple, author of Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, accepted that the military edge in the First Anglo-Sikh War was with the Sikhs. He, however, differed on the outcome of the British Empire had they (Sikhs) won the first war. At that point, it was easy to defeat the Company-led army, though they could have used their backup of vast resources and men, he averred. They had resources much bigger than Punjabs. Between 1790 and the early 1800s, the company was earning hugely from Bengal. The private army of the East India Company was twice the size of the British army. Mandeep Rai, who was moderating the session, said: Historians have not realised that had the Sikh army not surrendered, the Lahore durbar would have survived and the state of Pakistan would not have come into being. Dr Sukhmani Riar, Professor of history at PU, asserted that the creation of the Dogra state (now J&K) after the First Anglo-Sikh War was still a mystery. How the Sikh kingdom collapsed within a few years of the death of Ranjit Singh (in 1839) is a matter of study. The First Anglo-Sikh War led to signing of the Treaty of Umritsar (Amritsar) and carving out a separate Dogra kingdom. It meant partial subjugation. Three years later, the Second Anglo-Sikh War led to total defeat of the Sikh army and the subsequent collapse of the Sikh kingdom. Ahmedabad, December 9 The Election Commission (EC) in Gujarat said on Saturday that an inquiry found Congress allegations of EVM tampering through Bluetooth technology baseless. The device that the complainant's mobile phone detected after putting on Bluetooth was not an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) but a mobile phone, carried by a polling agent, the commission said. Earlier, as voting for 89 seats in the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections was underway, senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia complained of possible EVM tampering at three polling booths in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar, a seat he is contesting. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Some EVMs were found to be connecting with external devices such as mobile phones through bluetooth, he had claimed. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) BB Swain told reporters this evening that as per the report of an inquiry it ordered, the mobile phone of the complainant was detecting when its Bluetooth was activated another device identified as 'ECO 105'. "ECO 105 was feared to be the EVM at the polling booth, giving rise to the fear of possible tampering through bluetooth technology," Swain said. The collector and observer were sent to the booths from where complaints were received, and the complainant was also called. An inquiry was conducted in front of local media, and the report submitted by the District Election Officer (DEO) is that a polling agent was carrying a mobile phone of Intex company, bearing model number ECO 105, he said. "A polling agent named Manoj Singrakhiya was carrying the mobile phone. He was in the close vicinity of the phone of the complainant. The complainant might have thought that 'EC' in ECO stands for Election Commission," Swain said. Modhwadia had said that complainants found that EVMs at three polling booths in Memanwada, a Muslim-dominated area, connected with external devices through Bluetooth. This meant EVMs can be tampered with through bluetooth, he had said. "The chips fitted in EVMs appear to be programmable using Bluetooth, and this raises the possibility of tampering. The voting system should be immune to such connectivity to external devices," he had said. The ruling BJP had dismissed Modhwadia's complaint saying it showed the Congress was looking for an excuse. "Congress is searching for an excuse even before the results are out, as it stares at a loss in the elections," said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra. PTI Ruchika M Khanna Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 9 Punjabs farm loan waiver could be much less than the estimated Rs 9,500 crore, it is learnt. And that would mean a much lesser number than the projected 10 lakh farmers would benefit in the state. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Officers in the state Agriculture and Finance Departments have confirmed to The Tribune that small farmers (having landholding of less than 5 acres) who have availed of over Rs 2 lakh as crop loan will not be given any relief under the scheme. The notification on debt waiver clearly mentions that ... in case of small farmers, the entire eligible amount of those farmers who have a total outstanding crop loan liability up to Rs 2 lakh, shall be provided as debt relief.... All marginal farmers (having landholding of less than 2.5 acres), however, will get the debt waiver of Rs 2 lakh, even in cases where the loan amount is over Rs 2 lakh. It may be mentioned that majority of small farmers have got crop loans of over Rs 2 lakh. Though a farmer can get up to Rs 40,000 per acre as crop loan or a maximum of Rs 2 lakh for 5 acres, farmers often avail loans from multiple banks. These farmers, having a crop loan of over Rs 2 lakh, will not be eligible for the debt waiver. Also, in many cases, the mutation of land has not been done despite the division of land in the family. The individual landholdings in such cases may be less than 5 acres, but these farmers too will be ineligible for the waiver/ relief. The notification says even those farmers who have pledged agriculture produce other than standing crop are excluded from the scheme, as are farmer societies/partnership firms who have got crop loans (from other than cooperative credit institutions). Even as the Revenue (for verification of cultivators ownership) and the Cooperative Departments compile the list of marginal farmers who have availed crop loans from cooperative banks (these will be the first beneficiaries), the Punjab Mandi Board is raising a loan of over Rs 4,600 crore from six banks. This amount will be used by the Punjab government to repay the crop loan. The loan is being raised from six nationalised banks, led by Indian Bank, which is giving Rs 1,000 crore to the Mandi Board. The recent imposition of additional 1 per cent market fee and rural development fund (which would yield Rs 900 crore per annum), would be escrowed to pay the interest on this loan. Sources say while the marginal farmers who have availed loans from cooperative banks will be given around Rs 1,200 crore in the first phase, the small farmers (cooperative bank loanees) will get the relief in the second phase. Those having availed loans from nationalised and private banks will be given the relief later. Six banks to aid Six banks have agreed to finance the crop loan waiver scheme at 8.1 per cent interest. Loan is being raised by the Punjab Mandi Board and Punjab Government is the guarantor of the loan Indian Bank Rs 1,000 cr Allahabad Bank Rs 800 cr Syndicate Bank Rs 800 cr Canara Bank Rs 800 cr Bank of India Rs 800 cr Central Bank of India Rs 450 cr Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 9 India and Pakistan both surprised each other during the 1965 war and the developments in India, Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir were possibly responsible for the clash that occurred in August-September that year. Speaking at a session Indo-Pak War 1965, Lt Gen TS Shergill (retd) said: Pakistans Operation Grand Slam in Chammb (J&K) was a surprise and Indias response was a surprise too. Pakistan decided to send its armoured (tank) troops through Khemkaran (near Amritsar) instead of Suleiman-ke (just west of Fazilka), which worked in Indias favour. Suleiman-ke was the shortest route to Delhi with no major water body on way to check the advancing troops, he said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Had Pakistan simultaneously coordinated the armoured attack through both the fronts, it could have dealt India a bigger surprise, said Lt Gen Shergill who, as a young officer, was a troop leader of the Indian Armys Deccan Horse Regiment at Khemkaran during the war. Lt Gen JS Cheema, who retired as the Armys Deputy Chief on November 30 this year, cited developments in India and Pakistan as plausible reasons for the war and described these as turning points. Within Jammu and Kashmir, fissures were there for the adversary to exploit, he said, citing the theft of the holy relic from the Hazratbal Shrine in 1963 and the release of Sheikh Abdullah from prison in 1964 and his subsequent speeches seeking self-determination for J&K. In India, he said, Article 356 of the Constitution was extended to Jammu and Kashmir on December 1, 1964. Article 356 gives the Centre the power to dismiss a state government. The Government of India then changed the names of Sadar-e-Riyasat and Prime Minister to Governor and Chief Minister, respectively. In 1960, the jurisdiction of the Indian Supreme Court was extended to the state of J&K. On the military front, India was raising new units in 1963 and those could not be launched into war. On the political side, Jawaharlal Nehru died in May 1964. In Pakistan, Iskander Mirza, the then president, abrogated the Constitution in 1958 and declared martial law only to be deposed by Gen Ayub Khan. In early 1965, Ayub Khan defeated Fatima Jinnah, sister of Mohd Ali Jinnah, in an unfairly conducted election. Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, who was among the speakers, narrated an interesting anecdote: General Ayub Khan (Pakistan army chief who went on to become the president), as a child, was taught the mool mantra (of Sikhism) by an elderly Sikh. And at the Army house when he became the chief, he had the mool mantra written in Urdu. Gen Ayub Khan was suspended and almost court-martialled for cowardice during the Burma campaign under General William Slims. The now Army house in Rawalpindi was owned by an Indian, Gurbachan Singh. One of Ayub Khans sons-in-law, Aurangzeb, also an Army officer, was a pass-out of the Doon School and he often visited India. New Delhi, December 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her 70th birthday. "Birthday greetings to Congress President... I pray for her long life and good health," Modi said in a tweet. The Congress party also wished Gandhi. "Compassionate, hardworking, selfless. Calm and composed, yet dignified and strong. A force for empowerment against all odds." "A mother, a leader, a friend. Wishing Congress President Sonia Gandhi a very happy birthday," a tweet from Congress' official account said. She was born Sonia Maino to Stefano and Paola Maino on this day in 1946 in a small village near Vicenza, Italy. She married Rajiv Gandhi in 1968. She took up Indian citizenship and began living with her mother-in-law, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, at the latter's New Delhi residence. She stepped in as the party President in 1998, seven years after her husband's assassination. She has remained in office since. IANS. Jaipur, December 9 The Rajasthan government on Saturday provided Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of the Muslim labourer from West Bengal who was hacked and burnt to death by a man, who could be seen in a video of the crime ranting against love jihad. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Rajsamand SDM Rajendra Prasad Agarwal handed over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the wife of Mohammad Afrazul, 48, who was killed on Wednesday allegedly by Shambhu Lal Raigir in the district. In a video of the crime, Rajgir could be seen raving against love jihad, a term used by sections of Hindu activists to describe marriages between Hindu women and Muslim men, who are accused of seeking to propagate Islam. Raigir was later arrested. Yesterday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee announced Rs 3 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and assured a government job for one of his family members. Earlier today, Rajasthan DGP O P Galhotra visited Rajsamand and met the victims family. He also discussed the case elaborately with senior police officials. Galhotra later told reporters that Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was serious about the case and monitoring the progress of investigation in the matter. It is a heinous crime and investigation is being done thoroughly. Scientific and forensic evidences were collected and strict action will be taken, Galhotra said. He said the police department was making efforts to present the case chargesheet in the court within a month. Rajasthan Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria has ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team in the matter. Human rights groups have demanded the resignation of Raje and Kataria, accusing them of protecting those behind targeted attacks on Muslims. PTI Nikhila Pant Dhawan Tribune News service Bathinda, December 9 Several candidates from Bathinda and adjoining districts missed their recruitment exam in Amritsar yesterday due to the blocking of traffic by protesting SAD leaders. The candidates were to appear for English and Hindi examinations conducted by the Education Recruitment Board to fill posts of master cadre in government schools. Neelam Rani of Bathinda said: The English exam was to begin at 9.30 am. We had left Bathinda at 4 am. We encountered road blockades at Harike, Zira and Patti. We showed our admit cards to the protesters and requested them to let us pass, but in vain. We finally turned back from Patti. This is the last year when I could have appeared for the exam as per the age criteria. Lovely, another candidate from Bathinda, had to appear for Hindi examination which was to begin at 2.30 pm. We started from Bathinda at 7 am. At Moga, we were stopped by the police and diverted towards Jalandhar. From there, the police diverted us further towards Sultanpur Lodhi where a police naka was set up and despite repeated requests, they didnt allow us to go further. They didnt even let us travel back citing security concerns, she said. She said there were almost 15 candidates stuck at Sultanpur Lodhi. They stayed at a gurdwara and then left for Amritsar in the morning. When the candidates contacted the board helpline number, they were asked to submit a representation to the board. The recruitment board officials, however, conveyed that there was a slim chance that the examination be conducted again. The protesters had announced their plans in advance. The candidates could have reached the centres a day in advance. Despite the protests, we registered close to 80 per cent attendance. The affected candidates may approach the board, the officials said. Hoshiarpur, December 9 The police today booked three persons, including Chabbewal SHO Harbans Singh and Congress councillor Karamjeet Kamma, for allegedly conspiring to implicate BJP councillor Ashok Kumar Shokis cousin Vikramjeet Ballu in a false case of drug peddling. SSP J. Elanchezhian said SHO Harbans Singh had been suspended. On November 27, the SHO had gone to arrest Vikramjeet at New Model Town, but he faced resistance from locals, who had even detained him. The SSP then formed an SIT to probe the matter. He said the FIR had been registered on the SITs recommendation. OC Aman Sood Tribune News Service Patiala, December 9 Thousands of benches installed by Shiromani Akali Dal leaders in various constituencies of Punjab promoting their party slogan, party symbol and name of their party leaders are in for trouble as the Opposition parties say that such benches provide free-of-cost publicity to SAD candidates before the December 17 municipal polls. Even sewa kendras across the state are still bearing the Raj Nahi Sewa slogan that is related to the SAD and was painted using government money. The benches were installed at public places across the district by SAD leaders almost a decade ago and the respective returning officers and the district administration have no idea where the funds for the same came from. The benches, installed by various SAD leaders, have added to the woes of the district electoral officer as thousands of benches have been installed in various parts of the district and the process to identify, repaint or cover the election violation-related symbol will surely take time. Meanwhile, leaders from across the political parties have already demanded action by the Election Commission. On December 17, three Municipal Corporations (Amritsar, Patiala and Jalandhar) and 32 Nagar Councils/Nagar Panchayats will go to polls. Cabinet minister Brahm Mohindra said such benches were placed in many districts and even some sewa kendras were still painted with Raj Nahi Sewa slogans. I will take up the matter with the EC and urge the authorities to cover these slogans and party symbols, he said. Patiala District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Kumar Amit said the process was on to paint all such benches and cover any slogan or symbol that violated the model code of conduct. The matter has been brought to my notice just now and I will seek an opinion on it, he stated. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 9 After almost the entire top leadership of the Akali Dal was booked for blocking national highways during their protest, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal today dared the police to arrest him and others booked in various districts. The party has also called a meeting of its core committee on Sunday, where they will discus the next course of action in wake of the cases registered against its leaders and the elimination of their party candidates during scrutiny of nomination papers for the civic polls. The party is already a compiling list of candidates whose papers were rejected and those who were allegedly not allowed to file nominations. Till the cases were registered against them, party leaders were jubilant at their political rising from the slumber with the statewide agitation they had launched, irrespective of the peoples protest against their dharnas. Their demands were met and the Akalis lifted the dharnas last evening. However, the Congress government struck them hard by registering cases against all those leaders who had led the protests and blocked national highways and other roads across the state. Sukhbir, meanwhile, said Akalis were not afraid of being arrested. We were protesting against the excesses on our party workers and leaders. There is complete lawlessness in the state. While we were on the dharna, we were ready to be arrested. But isnt it strange that we were booked after the dharnas were lifted? The Akali Dal has a history of its leaders getting arrested, while they protested against atrocities. These cases will not deter us from fighting for the democratic rights, he said. Nanaki Kaur Have you ever wondered about how Indians fare in the USA? Many Indian Americans travel abroad in pursuit of knowledge and financial success. However, they deal with misconceptions about their capabilities and even their tastes in food and music. While this creates difficulties in the short term, in the long run, the challenges that Indian Americans face abroad encourage them to reconnect with their roots. This gives them a firmer grounding in their history and identity. In the fictional interaction below, a South Indian couple, an IT technician, and a college student disclose how they rise above negative stereotyping to accept their Indianness. Alina sits down in the waiting area of the DMV in Houston to renew her drivers licence. Sunil and Deepa, an Indian couple, take seats next to her. So does Ishdeep Singh, an IT technician with United Airlines. Alina turns to Ishdeep to break the ice, and asks Did you have acchar for lunch? Ishdeep: No (smiles). Alina: I avoid acchar. The smell can linger on your clothes and Americans assume that Indian have a bad hygiene. So, Im always cautious about smelling nice. I dont hesitate indulging in the Indian food my mom cooks though, because I think its a great way of keeping our culture alive. Ishdeep: How else do you stay in touch with our culture? Alina: I enjoy watching Bollywood movies with my parents. Ishdeep: Americans have misconceptions about Bollywood. They think that people in India break into song and dance while walking in the streets.The reality in India is a far cry from the fairy tale romances depicted in Bollywood flicks. Alina: What do you mean? Ishdeep: I thought that all Punjabis drive around in fancy cars with a girl on the passenger seat, because that is what Punjabi music videos are about. But one summer, I attended an Indian classical music class where a guru was instructing his students thoughtfully. It had a completely different tenor from the flashy culture of Bollywood or Punjabi videos. Alina: I agree. An American once came up to me and asked Do you speak Indian. I was amused to hear that. I told him that India has over 700 languages, none of which is called Indian. Suddenly, a voice from behind interrupts, Unfortunately, if were not careful, our kids can fall prey to the same ignorance about our language and culture. Alina turned, startled, to find herself face-to-face with a South Indian couple. Sunil: Im Sunil and this is Deepa. Your conversation reminds me of an incident. I was talking to my mother in Malayalam over Skype. My daughter asked me, Dada are you speaking Spanish? It was the only language she was aware of besides English. Whats worse is when Americans assume that because Im an Indian, I wont be able to speak English. When I pointed out a grammatical error in an entrance exam to my colleagues, they expressed disbelief that an Indian immigrant could be better equipped than them to correct English grammar. Ishdeep: My grandmother would always tell me to be twice as good as everyone else in the room, because I would be judged twice as hard. If we challenge the stereotypes, we can be equally successful. Evening odds Indian Americans deal with negative stereotyping on a day-to-day basis. However, rather than crumbling underneath its weight, they instead choose to stay connected to their roots through food, music and tradition and work twice as hard as their counter-parts to prove their worth and value in the land of dreams. The story of the Indian-American immigrant is a unique tale, not only of struggle but also of self-discovery and triumph. B.N.Goswamy Take the following ingredients; goats milk, ginger, vacha (acorus calamus), sigru (moringa pterygosperma), chebulic myrobalan, long pepper, black pepper, patha (stepaniaher nandifolia), rock salt and clarified butter take one pala each and boil these in one preastha of clarified butter, together with four times as much of the milk. By the use of this preparation a man attains memory and intelligence. Extract from the Bower Manuscript Sanskrit, 4th-6th century, Bodleian Library, Oxford What the above prescription says might, initially, sound like a recipe for a witches brew, but the Indian text from which it comes, and the ingredients it lists, elicited universal respect at one time. The collection of texts which goes under the name the Bower Manuscript were written on birch bark which we know generally as bhurja patra, dates back to the Gupta period, and was discovered as long ago as 1890, under a ruined Buddhist monastery near Kuchar in Chinese Turkestan. It is regarded as a benchmark for ancient literary tradition in India, and the evidence of the spread and sharing of ideas in ancient times between India, China and Central Asia. What is more, it points towards things that India was known for throughout the pre-modern world once, and was instrumental in spreading them far and wide. I was led to these thoughts, and texts like these, by an old friend, Annamma Spudich Kerala-born scholar of Cell and Molecular Biology who trained at the Stanford University and now lives in the Silicon Valley whom I met recently in San Francisco. Until the early modern era, she had written in an article of which she kindly gave me a copy, India was a nexus of international trade and travel. A vast network of land and sea trade routes extending from South East Asia and China to the Persian Gulf, Alexandria, and to Europe, were well established by the 1st century CE. Maritime trade routes between India, Africa, and the Middle East, and inter-Asia trade between India and South East Asia and China converged on Muziris, Kochi, and Calicut Regional merchants dominated each segment of the trade routes, many of which came together in Alexandria. From there Venetian and Genoese merchants took Asian merchandise to European markets. And what was this merchandise, one might ask? Spices, medicines, dyes, and mordants, manufactured goods that required complex understanding of the properties of materials such as dyed cotton textiles, metal mirrors, superior glass and artificially coloured stones, and luxury items such as diamonds and pearls was the confident answer. Part of the cultural landscape of India were Jews, Arabs, and Christians from the Middle East, and Moors from Africa who settled along the west coast of India. Foreign traders, one learns, were under the protection of regional rulers in India. In one sense, Indian trade had, in those early days, become the backbone of international economy. Alongside of that it was the Indian knowledge systems much neglected in our own times that had excited the imagination of the pre-modern world. Part of the evidence of all this comes from sources outside India; and some of it is well-known. Like, for instance, the passage in the 1st century text of his Natural History by Roman author Pliny the Elder. To those who are bound for India, Ocelus (on the Red Sea), he recorded, is the best place for embarkation. If the wind, called Hippalus (south-west Monsoon) happens to be blowing it is possible to arrive in forty days at the nearest mart in India, Muziris by name. Not equally well-known, however, is a remarkable document, now called the Muziris Papyrus, dating back to 2nd century CE, written in Greek, discovered in Egypt, and now in the National Library of Austria at Vienna. For all the difficulty of reading it for it is in a fragmentary state the Papyrus is singularly detailed. It is a legal document which contains cargo details from a ship called the Hermapollon which had just returned from the Indian trade port of Muziris, and the cargo of which, weighing over a staggering 220 tons of Indian merchandise, was being valued by Roman customs agents. There are in it details of an agreement of a loan taken by a businessman, but these are of no immediate interest in our context. What is of interest is the value of the Indian cargo which was put at nearly seven million sesterces in Imperial money, and the contents of the cargo: 60 containers of Gangetic nard nard being an essential ingredient of perfumes and unguents, 7,478 pounds of ivory and 1,214 pounds of fabric. It has been estimated that the cargo would have required over a thousand camels to transport across the desert! There is no mention, incidentally, of Indian medicinal herbs and spices in the Muziris Papyrus, but one knows that those herbs and spices continued to be of deepest interest to people outside of our land. There is evidence to the effect some visual, some of it verbal that Indian medical and botanical knowledge kept steadily spreading, whether through overseas trade, or through the caravanserais of central Asian trade routes. Century after century this went on, but what do we remember of it now? In the article that I have referred to, Anna Spudich emphasises, with great conviction, the need to do it. For there is much of value to learn. Parbina Rashid Dr Dhrubajyoti Borah, President of the Asom Sahitya Sabha, is the man of the moment. His latest Assamese novel Azar, based on the black fever epidemic that broke out in Assam during the British Raj, has been received well. His first novel in English, A Sleepwalkers Dream, has been receiving rave reviews. Dr Borah, who is also principal of a Government Medical College, has rich repertoire of works that includes 10 novels, five novellas, one historical monograph, two analytical books on nationalism, four books on popular history and a book on travel writing. He has been recently nominated for the Distinguished Writer Award at the TOI Litfest, 2017, the first Assamese writer to get the award. In recent times, Assamese writers are enjoying a place of prominence, thanks to the trend of translations and even original works. How do you feel about it? Assam has an ancient and rich literary tradition. The first Ramayana in Indian language written by Madhab Kandali appeared in Assamese. Saint Sankardeva and Madhabdeva enriched Assamese with their Bhakti literature, and translation of the Bhagavata Purana. In modern times, it developed a strong tradition of writing short stories, poetry and novels blossomed. Two of our finest writers Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya and Mamoni Roisom (Indira) Goswami received the Jnanpith Award for their novels. Assamese literature reflects, apart from contemporary reality, human idealism and refined sensibilities and we have a number of talented writers. Things happen slowly in Assam and like everything else awareness of its rich literary tradition spread outside the state a little late. But its gratifying that the awareness has come. Translations have helped. Bridges are being built. In term of publication, since Assamese literature is not performance oriented, it still has miles to go when it comes to capturing the fancy of the masses. What needs to be done? True, Assamese literature is not performance oriented. But it is generally true of all Indian language literature, more or less. We need committed translators and efficient editors in all languages. There are many who can translate to English correctly but the language they use is not always the language of modern fiction. We also need more publishers who would publish translations. The English readership is growing all over the world. We must be able to be a part of this movement. At the same time we must learn to appreciate more the Indian writers who write in English. There seems to be lack of communication as well as a mental block on both sides. This needs to be bridged by more interaction, appreciation and sharing. In The Sleepwalkers Dream, your story starts after a surgical attack. With the sense of nationalism now attached to surgical strikes, had you focused on the valour of the armed forces, do you think your book would have sold more? Any kind of war is inhuman though humankind has been engaged in war for most of its existence. The Sleepwalkers Dream is essentially a counter-statement on war and violence and speaks of humankinds universal yearning for peace. Extolling valour in war sometimes serve to mask its brutality and hide war crimes. We must not forget it. In this case the truth was different. Neither the Indian government or the Army had issued any statement about Indian forces blasting an insurgent headquarter in the foreign soil of Bhutan. But it happened, and the story had to start from there. Even in fiction you can not deviate from the truth too much. As president of Asom Sahitya Sabha what are your plans for Assamese literature? One dreams about doing so many things when one first acquires this prestigious position, but reality does not allow you to do much with a literary organisation that has respect and responsibility but no money or power. On an immediate level, I am more concerned about the future of our language. Like most Indian languages, Assamese also is under increased threat from English. The shift of the middle-class children from Indian languages as the medium of education to English, coupled with commercialisation of school education, has magnified this threat. We have to strengthen our language, develop and modernise its usage and adopt language-friendly policies simultaneously. We must also strengthen teaching English to all students who are educated in Indian language mediums schools so as to improve their communication skills and equip them for the present world. This is what we are doing at Tezpur University (a Central University) by introducing diploma course for communicative English and Assamese. Literature does not grow well in closed waters. It needs infusion of newer ideas, thoughts, contending philosophies etc. We endeavour to enrich Assamese literature through translations of modern work from around the world and India into Assamese and translation of Assamese works into English. For this purpose Asom Sahitya Sabha has established a permanent translation institute at Guwahati. Tell us about your latest book on kalazar? It is called Azar, which means affliction or disease. Its based on the repeated kalazar (black fever) epidemics that ravaged and depopulated Assam from 1886 to 1940. Through the lives of four generations of a feudal family this period is explored. The criminal disregard of the colonial administration towards the lives of the general population but its discriminatory concern in protecting the indentured labours of the European tea planters, the hopeless condition of common people form the narrative of the novel. You have written a lot about insurgency in Assam. Is it because it makes for a popular subject? I believe that the insurgency in Assam is unlike many other insurgencies in the Northeast. It is not an ethics insurgency of a tribal society, but is an insurgency in the mainstream in the caste-driven Hindu heartland. It needs special understanding. I also believe the insurgencies bring into sharp focus the unfinished task of nation building in India and the problem of accommodation of various people into it. These are serious matters which need serious search and solutions. I believe my writing is part of such a search. It is heart breaking to see the tragedy, the wasted flow of blood, the smashing of impossible romantic dreams, the loss of practically an entire generation. Shelly Bhoil Have you ever sipped words? Seems like an implausible idea until you hold a cup of tea and listen to poetry. You wont even realise when words do a sugar in your cup. You keep refilling it wherever you go with poetry. Poet-diplomat Abhay K, this time, poured some for himself and a few others in Brazil. After Poetry at Monuments in Delhi and Poemandu in Kathmandu, Abhay has founded yet another literary space Cha com Letras (Tea with Words) in Brazil where he is currently posted as Indias Deputy Chief of Mission. The 19th edition of Cha com Letras had renditions by three Indian poets who were invited to Brazil as a part of the Festival of India recently. It was a befitting arrangement after the recent revival of the poetry link between India and Brazil through the homage paid to Cecilia Meireles by the Indian Embassy. The poetry of Meireles, a Brazilian with an Indian soul, is replete with references to Indian cities, culture and philosophies of Gandhi and Tagore. In her Elegy for Gandhi, she wrote: You were, in fact, the only without guns, without pockets, without lies/ unarmed up to the veins, free from the eve and the next day. Meireles has to her credit one of the finest translations of Tagores poetry into Portuguese. Rabindranath Tagore is the first known poetry connection between India and Brazil. He had travelled in Latin America in 1924 on the behest of the Peruvian government. While he could never make it to Lima on account of ill health, he had an eventful rendezvous in Argentina with his host, Victoria Ocampo. She became his long distant muse. He gave her the name Vijaya and dedicated to her his collection Purabi. As a Noble laureate, Tagore had become a non-European model to the literati in Latin America who were emerging from the cultural dominance of Europe. He, along with Gandhi, had a significant bearing on several Latin writers including Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, and Octave Paz. There is even a school named after Tagore in Rio de Janerio. It was no coincidence during the Festival of India that the Telugu poet Shiva Reddy opened his speech with a recitation of Tagores poem, Where The Mind is Without Fear. Besides Reddy from Andhra Pradesh, Sahitya Akademi had also handpicked Monalisa Jenna from Odisha, and Shafi Shauq from Kashmir to represent the rich linguistic and regional diversity of India in Brazil. Jenna, who read out several legend-based poems, reflected on the importance of regional languages in sustaining the spirit of Indian literature. Shauq, giving an overview of Indian literature in past and present, harped on the importance of inter-lingual translations in connecting the subcontinent. And Reddy spoke from his first-hand experience of the concomitant rise of literary and political movements in India in its recent history. Organised by the Embassy of India in association with the Ministry of Culture of India to commemorate 70 years of Indian independence, the Festival of India was a travelling festival. The invited poets and artists presented their works in three cities of Brazil Brasilia, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. In Brazil, where Indian immigrants are just a few hundred, it is difficult to come across an Indian writer.The only possible exceptions are Nimmi Ramanathan, who is the author of The Name Game: A Romantic Comedy, and Joana Julia Mascarenhas, one of the earliest Indian immigrants in Brazil, who wrote a collection of short stories titled Arco Iris. R Venugopal, the head of Chancery, considers the gathering of Indian poets during the Festival of India in Brazil a historic moment, which must propel a vibrant exchange between the two countries in the literary field. Significant steps have been initiated in promoting Indian literature by Regiane Ramosfrom BRINDARC (the Brazilian Association of Indian Studies) and Helder Garmess from Thinking Goa, an archival research project that is dedicated to Indian literature in Portuguese, English, Konkani, and Marathi. A glimpse at the inventory of Goas literary heritage of Indo-Portuguese origin can be seen in the forthcoming anthology, A House of Many Mansions, edited by Paul Melo E Castro and Cielo G Festino. Contemporary Indian poets like Manglesh Dabral have been made known in Brazil through translations by Prof Dilip Loundo.The forthcoming Portuguese edition of 100 Great Indian Poems, edited by Abha., and translated by prolific writers and academics in Brazil such as John Milton, Virna Teixeira and Luci Collins would act as a historic continuum to the momentum of Indian literary spirit that was first brought to Brazil through the poems of Tagore. Sudha Mahalingam Alice Springs has much in common with other frontier towns like Kalmykia, the Buddhist outpost in the Siberian steppe, Yazd, the caravanserai town in the Iranian desert, Bhuj, our very own star of the salt pans in Kutch. Despite their remote location, all these towns are magnets for travellers in search of interesting settlements in the boondocks. All these offer 360 degree horizons, starry night skies, and particulate-free air but Alice Springs offers much more a surprisingly vibrant cultural and sporting scene for a town located on seemingly endless stretches of spinifex a type of outback grass that clings to your clothes and footwear. Alice Springs may be thousands of miles from anywhere on the vast Australian continent, but that doesnt stop hundreds of fancy cars all retrofitted, souped up and painted over in the most flamboyant colours vrooming against the gorgeous backdrop of Macdonnell ranges. The occasion is the annual flagship racing event called Red Centre NATS. The Harris couple live in Broome on the west coast, but make it a point to participate in the NATS event in their Volvo convertible, which they have lovingly repainted and decorated in different designs each year. Where else do you get 400 miles of fine road without seeing a single other car? laughs Joe. Haulers, plumbers, mechanics everyone gets to enter his or her vehicle in the race. For three days, the town is a beehive of activity and a feast for automobile lovers. But even outside of this colourful racing event, Alice Springs has much to make the journey worthwhile. There is a lovely telegraph station built in the 19th century, now a delightful museum. It was built to provide telegraphic connectivity from Adelaide to London through a 3000-km-long telegraph cable supported by 36,000 timber poles. Alice Springs has also evolved its own brand of unique institutions such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, run largely on voluntary donations and catering to those far-flung communities with little access to medical care. Doctors are flown in in aircraft which are equipped with ICU facilities to patients who need them. Till date, three lakh patients have benefited from this facility. Similarly, aboriginal and settler children spread over 1.3 million kilometres of scrubland in the outback receive schooling through satellite. School of the Air provides real-time classrooms for children up to 14 years, again an innovative and imaginative way to reach education to distant communities. Alice Springs is a wildlife enthusiasts delight. Driving through the spinifex, you can encounter every dangerous animal and venomous creature for which Australia is known. Vicious emus, feral camels, deadly dingos, dreaded taipan snakes, colourful monitor lizards and bugs of every digit and denomination, all live peaceably alongside Alice Springss 12,000-odd residents. Harish Khare From the very beginning of our journey as a nation-state, we have called upon our armed forces to defend our territorial integrity and national interests. Within a few weeks after Independence in August 1947, our brave soldiers were sent to Kashmir to clear the place of the marauding raiders from Pakistan. The new nation was literally consecrated in their sacrifice, under those tryingly adverse conditions. From the first Kashmir war to the recent Doklam standoff, India has had to fight many wars or near-wars. Each time, soldiers jawans and officers rose to the occasion, making the supreme sacrifice in defence of mother India. Indeed, that, from time immemorial, has been the soldiers sacred duty. Each nation finds ways of honouring and remembering its soldiers and warriors; each nation also devises a history, centred round its soldiers valour and bravery. Each nation also encourages and nurses historians, chroniclers, novelists, poets, bards, essayists, screenwriters to preserve the soldiers sacrifice, and to create a drama, myths, mysteries and aura around the battlefield gallantry. Leo Tolstoys War and Peace shall remain the greatest specimen of military literature. We in India have been somewhat slow to recognise the importance of this genre. It is difficult to recall any work by an Indian general or historian that stands out in our popular literary imagination. Perhaps, the only exception remains that wonderfully moving song Aiy mere vatan ke logo, zara aankh mein bhar lo paani rendered so evocatively and poignantly by Lata Mangeshkar. It was, therefore, an inspired idea of the Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, to organise a military-literature festival in Chandigarh. But, then, Captain Sahib, is perhaps the only political leader in India who has smelled the gunpowder on the battlefield; not only that, he is also a respected military historian in own right, as we know from a number of books he has authored. The Chief Ministers interest, participation and patronage were equally matched by those of the Punjab Governor, VP Singh Badnore. We at The Tribune were happy to partner the enterprise. The event saw a gathering of some of our thoughtful officers, talking knowledgably about complex issues of defence and national security. There was civilised conversation, rather than screaming bouts that pass for debate on our so-called national channels. This was not a commercial enterprise, as most of the lit festivals have become, where books and authors are hawked, a controversy deliberately created and intolerance displayed. The Lake Club on the scenic Sukhna Lake provided the perfect setting. While it was good to see so many retired officers who have made the Tricity their home, it was even more heartening to see that an effort had been made to involve the public, especially the school kids. And, then, there were bookstalls, well stocked with military history books. Friday night, the Chief Ministers dinner was an agreeable evening, and it was good to see so many friends from outside Chandigarh. We do not have the happiest of civil-military relationships in our country. The uniformed brass nurses a cultivated surliness, bordering on distrust, of the political leadership. I believe that the relationship got soured from the early years after Independence because of an American intellectual intervention. Those were the days of an intense Cold War and both the American and the Soviet blocks were keen to create zone of influence in India. That was the time the American State Department was spending enormous amount of research funds and grants to influence priorities and prejudices in our academic and journalistic fraternities. Throughout the newly liberated countries in Asia and Africa, the American preference was for strong men as rulers and, only the armed forces could provide such men on the horseback. That preferred model of leadership ran aground in India. Under the Mahatmas inspiring leadership, the Indian democratic discourse had acquired a moral authenticity and there was simply no scope for an Ayub Khan. Nonetheless, the American lobby was able to introduce a sinister narrative: Jawaharlal Nehru was hostile to the armed forces; (b) and, that he was afraid of General Cariappa; and, (c) that he feared that the soldiers would do a coup, and (d) therefore, the armed forces were denied their due share in national resources and importance. This Nehru-hostile-to-Army leitmotif acquired a life of its own after the 1962 war with China. And, in the new India, it is the part of our official theology. Perhaps, we shall do well to take a deep breath and ponder the fate that has befallen Pakistan where the faujis call all the shots. The death early this week of Shashi Kapoor was felt personally and deeply mourned by my family. He and his wife Jennifer were very good friends with my in-laws. In fact, whenever I met him, he would mock deference due to a son-in-law to me. Starting with The Householder, Shashi acted in many films produced by Ismail Merchant and directed by James Ivory based on my mother-in-laws novels. She used to recall that when she first met Shashi as a possible choice for the lead role of The Householder, she thought he would just not do, he was simply too handsome. But, under the gentle ministration of director James Ivory, Shashi turned out to be fine, indeed perfect, personifying the anxieties and insecurities of a middle-class teacher in the early years after Independence. He was a wonderful company over dinner; unfailingly cheerful and courteous. And, he was a truly international artiste. Unlike most popular heroes from Bollywood who are content to work with mediocre scripts and mediocre directors, Shashi was unafraid to pit himself against a cast of accomplished global actors and actresses. Perhaps, it mattered that he was married to an English woman, an accomplished theatre personality, and that partnership gave him a new confidence. Before he introduced the neech word into our national discourse, Mani Shankar Aiyar can claim the intellectual satisfaction of having injected two other abusive words in the Indian political lexicon -- cretin and limpet. He had used these unkind words against ageing Opposition leaders like Chaudhary Charan Singh and Babu Jagjivan Ram, among others. He was an aide to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was young, handsome and had all the arrogance that accrues to anyone who commands a majority in the Lok Sabha; and, Rajiv had more than 400 seats and Mani had the licence to belittle and vilify the Opposition. Mani has always had a foul mouth. During the Rajiv years, he was made to feel encouraged and empowered to berate anyone who dared to question the stupidities and follies of the young Prime Minister. Since then, it has become his USP and has only asset. He would gladly badmouth anyone and everyone who did not accommodate him. He has a gift of making a nuisance of himself. Once when he was out of favour, I heard him use the choicest of expletives about Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Soon, he was out of the doghouse. He had made a terrible union minister during the UPA-I days and had to be dropped from the Manmohan Singh Cabinet. In UPA-II, he went about belittling and ridiculing the government till he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in March, 2010. That was appeasement and among the first mistakes the UPA-II was to make. He has had his uses to the Congress First Family. The leadership can now repent at leisure for giving this essentially disagreeable man such a long rope. Mani has now met his match in Modi. Surely, Mani is never going to get an invitation to come and have a cup of coffee. But, you, ladies and gentlemen, are most welcome. Join me. kaffeeklatsch@tribuneindia.com In so many ways, the Aam Aadmi Party is like us only: huffing, puffing and carping. Also, like us, its national convener Arvind Kejriwal does not have many parallels in contemporary politics the nascent star on the French horizon, President Emmanuel Macron (39), could be a shade better or worse, the French would tell. The remarkableness in the seemingly odious comparison is the rise of the two, the churn they have brought about, and in the suddenness of the demolition of their powerful opponents at least once. The AAP emerged as a giant killer in Delhi in 2015 polls, and aspires for a national party status. The AAP has discovered the art of political theatrics: the louder you speak, the better are you heard, five years after it noisily graduated from Delhis Ramlila Ground to the national mainstream politics. Today, its achievements are unimpressive, yet, noteworthy: overall, it has four MPs, 86 MLAs and 52 councillors. It is in power in Delhi and in Punjab, it is the principal opposition party with 20 MLAs. This Nov 26, when AAPs top leaders strode to the same Ramlila Ground for the partys 5th year of adulthood, the voices were as loud, yet jangling. One of the partys founders, poet-politician Kumar Vishwas, did some plain-speak. We have deviated from the vision that we set ourselves five years ago, Vishwas said. We need to introspect, he said in his 30-minute speech as he alluded to some leaders who have forgotten Anna Hazare, the creator of the anti-corruption movement spearheaded by Kejriwal, among others, in 2011. Vishwas also said he was not given a chance to speak in the last few months. The street-fight A pulverized BJP in the Delhi assembly (with three MLAs) and Congress with zero presence in 70-member House were quick to hit out at AAP. BJPs Vijender Gupta said the celebration should be termed as five years of misconception, and not revolution. He sought to remind AAP of its birth-time shrill slogans of eradicating corruption and clean politics. Instead of removing corruption, their leaders, ministers and MLAs are vivid examples of being involved in corruption. Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken was blunt. AAP had promised that they would not take government bungalows, vehicles and security and would not indulge in corruption. They had also promised public participation in decision-making, inter-party democracy and transparency. But after coming to power, they have systematically broken all these promises, Maken said. He said the Jan Lokpal Bill passed by the AAP government in the Assembly was a complete sham, compared to the one enacted by the then Congress-led UPA government at the Centre. Kejriwal had to fall back on the oft-repeated charge of calling BJP-wallas as fake patriots and told party workers from 22 states to do anything to defeat the communal party in Gujarat. That was a street-fight, we all know. Within AAP there seems a sense of urgency to regain the high moral ground the party had taken in 2012-13. That was the time when AAP, immediately after its formation, had tasted power in the Delhi Assembly and quickly exited over the Jan Lokpal Bill as the Congress, a half-ally and in power at the Centre, refused to cooperate. Then came its frequent showdowns with the Delhi Lieutenant Governor over powers that the AAP thought, and still believes, are vested in its government. These included appointments of anti-corruption branchs head, acting chief secretary, home secretary, Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commissions chairman, the power to handle the police, and top-level transfers. Internal churning The fact is that crusaders as AAP has sought to project itself ever since the heydays of its association with Hazare are not street-smart politicians. This is something many of Kejriwal former co-travelers realized, though in a very secretive way. Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan the architects behind sewing together a ragtag group were expelled from the party in 2015. So were senior leaders Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha. They had formed Swaraj Abhiyan a parallel group of AAP leaders and volunteers. The kangaroo trials (the partys disciplinary committee), expulsions, witch-hunts, character assassination, rumour campaigns and emotional theatre to justify such macabre acts -- all this is so true of the Stalinist regime, Yadav had said. The expulsions and acrimony were taken as a natural sequel for a party that had defied Hazares insistence on keeping off politicizing India Against Corruption. Kejriwal had let it be known that the failure of the agitation route necessitated a direct political involvement. The two parted ways. The senior crusader is now an occasional visitor to Delhi and seeks to sharpen his anti-corruption claws by his barbs against the Centre or a state government, AAPs Delhi dispensation included. Punjab experiment At a time when AAP was embroiled in its own politics of denunciation and self-aggrandizement, it set its sights on Punjab elections. There was a huge possibility as the party saw a wave in its favour because of perceived incompetence of the SAD-BJP government. And the result was nowhere near its expectations though it kept waiting for a miracle until the last vote was counted. There were several factors that worked against the fledgling party: it had peaked too early; it failed to reach a pact with BJPs Navjot Singh Sidhu and Pargat Singh; the outsider tag, and too much of remote-controlling. The best it has managed to show off was is its ability to expand its footprint beyond Delhi. Punjab is the only state in the country from where AAP had won four Lok Sabha seats garnering a 24.4% vote share by nibbling into Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal vote banks. Yet the party was unable to project a credible Jat Sikh face for the CMs post. The voters were unclear who would head Punjab in case they voted AAP. Rival parties had a field day in suggesting that Kejriwal, a Haryanvi Hindu, was himself positioning for the post. Worse, the partys local leadership and that in New Delhi were seen divided. First, it sacked its state convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, and then it had to face charges of corruption and sale of party tickets. Future perfect? AAP refuses to accept that it has drifted from its principles of transparency, accountability and decentralised governance. It argues there are many takers of the AAP as witnessed from the recent local body polls in UP. Senior party leader Ashutosh believes AAP continues to be a party of ethics. The AAP growth has been phenomenal. The party doesnt have vast resources and has not promoted politics based on caste, money and muscle-power. We are evolving and learning, says Ashutosh. The five years have been very satisfying. We have given a tough challenge to the established political parties, won elections in Delhi twice and gone on to emerge as the principal opposition in Punjab. The AAP has been working in a very hostile environment in Delhi and Punjab, says the journalist-turned politician. Politics is no longer the elites cup of tea, thats our biggest achievement. By Prashant Saxena with inputs from Ananya Panda Sushil Manav in Chandigarh Sushil Manav in Chandigarh It has taken thousands of years for the Aravallis to become what they are today. The mountain range is spread across 692 km, starting from Delhi and passing through southern Haryana and of Rajasthan. It was in around 1560 AD that Akbar's famed minister Todar Mal introduced a land survey and settlement system: the Aravalis were called 'Gair Mumkin Pahar' (uncultivable hill). The 'Gair Mumkin Pahar' can be described as an uncultivable wasteland which cannot be held, occupied or used for agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and poultry farming, among others. In Haryana, the Aravallis pass through Gurugram and Faridabad as also through Mahendragarh and Rewari, with most of the land being thick in vegetation, a rare in a state that otherwise has the second lowest forest cover in the country. Almost 450 years later, the Haryana government is confused over what Aravallis range is. It has decided to take up a ground verification exercise so that the revenue records and satellite maps of 2014 may identify natural conservation zones (NCZ) in the national capital region (NCR). During a recent meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board, the state government departed from a stand taken at two different occasions, saying it wants to know the truth. The confusion about the Aravallis was sorted out in the meeting. Areas that fall under the NCZ as per assessed comparison will be conserved, said Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar. Environmentalists, however, feel that this is an attempt to benefit builders, many of whom have managed to get licences to develop projects in the past. Only recently, the Khattar government had allowed felling of trees in the Aravallis to a big builder leading to resentment among environmentalists as well as forest officers. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently summoned revenue records from the government in that case. The state government's confusion can gauged from the fact that on June 15, it wrote to the NCR Planning Board saying that there are no Aravalli hills in Haryana outside Gurgaon district for inclusion in the conservation zones. This amounted to excluding over 17,000 acres in Faridabad from the belt, as also in other districts. The Regional Plan 2021 for the Delhi NCR region puts environmentally sensitive areas in a protective Natural Conservation Zone (NCZ) and also includes a map of the proposed land use that shows the entire Aravalli areas of the NCR, as depicted in satellite imagery, as NCZ. All Aravalli areas, including forests, water bodies, rivers, groundwater recharge areas are zoned as NCZ in the regional plan. The importance of the NCZ is that it is earmarked for conservation, rather than real estate. Accordingly, construction is allowed only for 0.5 per cent of the area, and that too for purposes that are pursuant to regional recreational activities such as parks and sanctuaries. This precludes construction of commercial complexes, residential buildings and other real estate work. But in the recent NCRPB meeting, the state government abandoned both these stands, the one taken in its June 15 letter and the other shown in the Regional Plan. If the "ground-truthing" exercise excludes certain areas from the Aravallis, the builders will surely be benefited as there would be no restrictions on them in that case. Environmental experts maintain that even if the state government wants to go for ground verification, it should refer to 2005 satellite maps since major construction activities in the Aravallis have happened after that year. "Otherwise, the exercise will benefit builders only while the people living in Gurugram and Faridabad will be the losers," says Chetan Agarwal, an environmental analyst from Gurugram. . Sources say that the Haryana government had not published its sub-regional Plan 2021 till 2014. In the interim, it published two master plans for Gurugram that ignored the NCZ zoning category completely the Gurgaon Manesar Urban Complex (GMUC) Final Development Plan 2021, and GMUC 2025 plan. Finally after much objections, the GMUC 2031 plan designed to show the Aravallis as NCZ in the map, slipped in an exception clause in the text that the Aravallis are a part of the NCZ, except in the some urban area. Sources say from 2005 to 2014, the state government issued numerous licences in areas already earmarked as NCZ in the RP 2021, such as Aravalli areas, or areas which met the definitional criteria for NCZ such as water bodies, but were to be identified. Permissions issued included one for 350 acres of largely Aravalli areas in Wazirabad hills in Gurgaon, which included the best forest cover of the city. Another licence was issued for residential construction work on 52 acres of the hill-range in SaraiKhwaja area of Faridabad in May 2013. Several licences, were given in the Aravalli hills of Mangar, Gwalpahari and other villages in the periphery of Delhi. In June 2014, the state government notified its Sub Regional Plan (SRP) 2021 and the Aravallis were put in the NCZ category in the land-use map. However, an exception clause was also inserted in the text of the plan, not in the Regional Land Use chapter which dealt with the zoning, but in the Environment Chapter. The Aravallis are our valuable ecological cover and should be protected for that reason, says environmentalist Agarwal. But Haryana Forest Minister Rao Narbir Singh says the land in the Aravallis belongs to private persons who have invested money on it. Though the issue pertains to the Town and County Department, our government is of the view that let the ground situation be verified first so that people who have invested money do not have to suffer losses, the minister said. Tribune News Service Dehradun, December 9 Bangladesh Army Chief Gen Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq has hoped for an amicable solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis, asserting that his country has good relations with Myanmar. Yes there is an issue, which we will resolve amicably, he told journalists when asked about the Rohingyas refugee influx. Gen Belal was interacting with the mediapersons on the sidelines of the passing-out parade at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, which he attended in the capacity of a Reviewing Officer today. The Bangladeshi Generals statement comes at a time when a large population of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar have taken refuge in Bangladesh. He said it was a special day for both India and Bangladesh as he had been given the honour of reviewing the IMAs passing-out parade and said the two nations shared strong ties and had even gone for joint military exercises in the past. The Bangladesh Army Chief also held that the his country had a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism reaffirming his countrys commitment to fighting terrorism. Earlier, addressing the Gentlemen Cadets at the Drill Square in front of the Chetwode building, the Bangladesh Army Chief expressed his gratitude to the Indian Army men for their role in the 1971 Bangladesh war of liberation. He said Indian Army officers and soldiers worked shoulder to shoulder with freedom fighters for the liberation of Bangladesh. He also remembered Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the movement for the liberation of Bangladesh. He said both India and Bangladesh not only shared borders but kept long cultural and historical ties and described his presence at the parade as a momentous occasion for both countries. LOS ANGELES, December 9 Wildfires raging across Southern California are taking a toll on the regions iconic film industry, forcing producers of commercials, television shows and even student films to pause or seek alternate shooting locations. The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday suspended permitted filming in zones near the fires as well as other areas deemed to be at severe risk of burning. Applications for filming in the Angeles National Forest were also halted this week. Movie studios set up in California in part because of great weather and varied scenery, from rugged mountains to manicured mansions. More than 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate Southern California fires which poured smoke into neighborhoods miles away. The mountain neighbourhoods impacted by the fires are highly desirable locations for filming because they often have large houses with distinctive architecture, said Phil Sokoloski, a spokesman for Film LA, which coordinates film permits for the city of Los Angeles and other governments in the region. Reuters Baghdad, December 9 Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday that Iraqi forces had driven the last remnants of Islamic State from the country, three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraqs territory. The Iraqi forces recaptured the last areas still under IS control along the border with Syria, state television quoted Abadi as telling an Arab media conference in Baghdad. Commander-in-Chief @Ha iderAlAbadi announces that Iraqs armed forces have secured the western desert & the entire Iraq Syria border, says this marks the end of the war against Daesh terrorists who have been completely defeated and evicted from Iraq, the federal governments official account tweeted. In a separate tweet later, Abadi said: Our heroic armed forces have now secured the entire length of the Iraq-Syria border. We defeated Daesh through our unity and sacrifice for the nation. Long live Iraq and its people. The US-led coalition that has been supporting Iraqi force against Islamic State tweeted its congratulations. The Coalition congratulate the people of Iraq on their significant victory against #Daesh. We stand by them as they set the conditions for a secure and prosperous #futureiraq, said the tweet. Daesh is the Arabic name for Islamic State. Last month Iraqi forces captured Rawa, the last remaining town under Islamic State control, near the Syrian border. Mosul, the groups de facto capital in Iraq, fell in July after a gruelling nine-month campaign backed by a US-led coalition that saw much of the northern Iraqi city destroyed. Islamic States Syrian capital Raqqa also fell to a US-backed Kurdish-led coalition in September. The forces fighting Islamic State in both countries now expect a new phase of guerrilla warfare, a tactic the militants have already shown themselves capable of. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in 2014 had declared in Mosul the founding of a new Islamic caliphate, released an audio recording on September 28 that indicated he was alive, after several reports he had been killed. He urged his followers to keep up the fight despite setbacks. He is believed to be hiding in the stretch of desert in the border area. Driven from its two de facto capitals, the IS was progressively squeezed this year into an ever-shrinking pocket of desert, straddling the frontier between the two countries, by enemies that include regional states and global powers. Reuters GAZA, December 9 Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed two Palestinian gunmen on Saturday after rockets were fired from the enclave, in violence that erupted over President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. Gaza militants launched at least three rockets towards Israeli towns from the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamist group Hamas - after dark on Friday. The day had been declared a day of rage by Palestinian factions protesting against Trumps announcement on Wednesday. IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organisation in the Gaza Strip: two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse, a military compound, the Israeli military said in a statement. A Hamas source confirmed the two men killed in the pre-dawn air strikes belonged to the group, which has urged Palestinians to keep up the confrontation with Israeli forces. In the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Palestinians set fire to tyres and threw stones at Israeli troops, who used tear gas. In East Jerusalem about 60 people demonstrated near the walled Old City, where paramilitary border police and officers on horseback tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas. A senior UAE official said on Saturday that Trumps move was a boon to radicals. These issues are a gift to radicalism. Radicals and extremists will use that to fan the language of hate, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said in Bahrain. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations. Reuters Colombo, December 9 Sri Lanka today formally handed over the strategic southern port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease, in a deal dubbed by the opposition as a sell-out. Two Chinese firms Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS) managed by the China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority will own the port and the investment zone around it, officials said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during a visit to China in April had agreed to swap equity in Chinese infrastructure projects launched by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his home district. Sri Lanka owed China $8 billion, then finance minister Ravi Karunanayake had said last year. With this agreement we have started to pay back the loans. Hambantota will be converted to a major port in the Indian Ocean, Wickremesinghe said while addressing the handing over ceremony held in parliament. There will be an economic zone and industrialisation in the area which will lead to economic development and promote tourism, the prime minister said. The governments grant of large tax concessions to Chinese firms have also been questioned by the opposition. The opposition and trade unions have dubbed the deal as a sell out of the countrys national assets to China. The Sri Lankan government had signed a $1.1 billion deal in July to sell a 70 per cent stake in the Hambantota port to China. Sri Lanka received $300 million as the initial payment under the 99-year lease agreement which the opposition had described as a sell out. In order to allay Indias security concerns over the Chinese navys presence in Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe had earlier ruled out the possibility of the strategic port being used as a military base by any foreign country. PTI Kathmandu, December 9 Nepals Left alliance has won 27 while the ruling Nepali Congress bagged five parliamentary seats in the countrys historic polls that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation. According to results released by Nepals Election Commission, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) has won 21 seats while its alliance partner CPN Maoist-Centre has emerged victorious in 6 seats. The Nepali Congress, which was the largest party in the last election, has won 5 seats and the independent 1 out of the total 33 parliamentary seats whose results have been declared, officials said said. There are a total of 165 Parliament seats and 330 provincial assembly seats under the direct election system. In the provincial assembly, CPN-UML has won 27, Maoist Centre 19, Nepali Congress 6, Naya Shakti and independent one each. A total of 1,663 candidates contested polls for parliamentary seats while 2,819 were in the fray for the provincial assembly seats in the historic elections that many hope will bring the much-needed political stability to the Himalayan nation. The polls will elect 128 members of parliament and 256 members of provincial assemblies. The house of representatives consists of 275 members, of which 165 would be elected directly under the first-past-the- post system while the remaining 110 will come through the proportional representation system. The Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) succeeded with the logistical preparations as well as the operational aspects of conducting the elections in two phases, despite the date for the election set by the government just 97 days before the first election date, the European Commission Election Observation Mission has said. There is however, lack of transparency in the work of the ECN. There is no mechanism for regular consultation with political parties, civil society and observers at the central level, the mission added. Voting in two-phased parliamentary and provincial assembly elections were held on November 26 and December 7. In the first phase, polling was held in 32 districts, mostly situated in the hilly and mountainous region, in which 65 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise. In the second phase, 67 per cent voter turnout was registered. The commission said the November 26 and December 7 elections to the House of Representatives and the provincial assemblies represented a key milestone in the implementation of the 2015 Constitution. The legal framework offers a good basis for the conduct of elections which comply with the international standards subscribed by Nepal, it said. The European Union has deployed more than 100 observers at 633 polling centres across the country for the voting process. The elections are being seen as the final step in Nepals transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives. While many hope Nepals first state elections will hasten regional development, others fear they will spark a fresh wave of violence. In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights. Following the adoption of the new Constitution, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the provinces and were also facing discrimination. The polls are seen as a major step towards implementing the new Constitution. PTI 1. Yes. The ordinance goes against state law and is not in the best interest of the cities. 2. Yes. At the very least, it should be amended to give police officers some discretion. 3. No. Voters approved the ordinance by large majorities; the councils cant ignore that fact. 4. No. The petition process has to be given a chance to work. Leave the ordinance alone. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the cities should move forward regarding the ordinance. Vote View Results Seoul, December 9 North Korea blamed US nuclear blackmail for soaring tensions over its weapons programme in rare meetings with a senior UN official, but agreed to regular communication with the organisation, state media said on Saturday. Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Beijing on Saturday after wrapping up a five-day visit to Pyongyang aimed at defusing the crisis, just a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip--the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010--saw him meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and vice foreign minister Pak Myong-Kuk, the Norths state news agency KCNA said. At these meetings, our side said the US policy of hostility towards the DPRK (North Korea) and its nuclear blackmail are to blame for the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula, the report said. It added that the North had agreed with the UN to regularise communications through visits at various levels. The report did not mention any meetings with leader Kim Jong-Un, who has ramped up his impoverished nations missile and nuclear programme in recent years in order to achieve Pyongyangs stated goal of developing a warhead capable of hitting the US mainland. Feltman, the UNs under secretary general for political affairs, visited the country just after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Pyongyang reiterated its view that these manoeuvres were a provocation, accusing the drills of revealing its intention to mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike against the DPRK, using the acronym for the countrys official name. The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan. Early on Saturday, Feltman flew to Beijing, a key transit point with the North, and left the citys airport without speaking to reporters. China, which is Pyongyangs sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and North Korea to halt weapons tests to calm tensions. AFP Colombo, December 9 Sri Lanka on Saturday formally handed over the strategic southern port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease, in a deal dubbed by the Opposition as a sell-out. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Two Chinese firms Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS) managed by the China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority will own the port and the investment zone around it, officials said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during a visit to China in April had agreed to swap equity in Chinese infrastructure projects launched by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his home district. Sri Lanka owed China USD 8 billion then finance minister Ravi Karunanayake had said last year. With this agreement we have started to pay back the loans. Hambantota will be converted to a major port in the Indian Ocean, Wickremesinghe said while addressing the handing over ceremony held in parliament. There will be an economic zone and industrialisation in the area which will lead to economic development and promote tourism, the prime minister said. The governments grant of large tax concessions to Chinese firms have also been questioned by the opposition. The Opposition and trade unions have dubbed the deal as a sell out of the countrys national assets to China. The Sri Lankan government had signed a USD 1.1 billion deal in July to sell a 70 per cent stake in the Hambantota port to China. Sri Lanka received USD 300 million as the initial payment under the 99-year lease agreement which the opposition had described as a sell out. The port, overlooking the Indian Ocean, is expected to play a key role in Chinas Belt and Road initiative, which will link ports and roads between China and Europe. In order to allay Indias security concerns over the Chinese navys presence in Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe had earlier ruled out the possibility of the strategic port being used as a military base by any foreign country. PTI United Nations, December 9 Members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have criticised Washington's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and warned that it would raise tensions in the area even as Washington stood alone steadfastly defending its decision. The political conflict over Jerusalem could turn into an unrelenting religious conflict, France's Permanent Representative Francois Delattre told an emergency meeting on Friday. Citing several Council resolutions, he said that any unilateral changes to the city's status would be null and void. The international community would only recognise modifications of the 1967 borders accepted by both sides, he said in a statement that reflected the broad convergence of views of both US allies and others in the Council. One of the Council resolutions adopted in 1980 specifically asks member countries not to put their diplomatic missions in the "Holy City" considered sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims. In contrast to the UN, where even Washington's allies crticised President Donald Trump's decision announced on Wednesday, there was a broad consensus in the US reflected in a law passed by Congress in 1995 move the embassy to Jerusalem. About 1,000 Palestine supporters protested in New York's Times Square on Friday evening. Separated by police barriers across the avenue, a smaller group held a counter demonstration supporting Trump. US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley reiterated the Trump administration's commitment to a peace process and to a two-state solution. "The US has not taken a position on boundaries or borders... The specific dimensions of sovereignty over Jerusalem are still to be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations." Haley said that it was "simple common sense" to move Washington's embassy to Jerusalem because "in virtually every country in the world, US embassies are located in the host country's capital city". British Permanent Representative Matthew Ryrcroft said that Jerusalem should be the joint capital of Israeli and Palestinian states and the US decision was unhelpful. He said that the expansion of Israeli settlements, particularly in East Jerusalem, terrorism and incitement to violence were barriers to a lasting solution to the conflict there. China's Deputy Permanent Representative Wu Haitao said that any unilateral actions on Jerusalem's status could trigger new confrontations. Earlier while briefing the Council, UN's Middle East Peace Process Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov noted that Trump had said final status issues, including the boundaries, remains to be determined. "It is up to all of us in the international community, as much as it is up to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, to urgently advance a just and lasting resolution to this conflict," he said, warning of the risks of "being engulfed in the vortex of religious radicalism". IANS Wagoner Police are investigating an alleged incident involving a student and administrator at Wagoner High School. Police Chief Bob Haley confirmed Friday evening that his agency was contacted by school officials earlier in the week. There was an incident involving a student and administrator and we are trying to get to the bottom of it. At this point, it is still an open investigation, Haley said. I cannot say it was sexual in nature. A Tulsa television station reported that parents said an administrator was escorted off campus by police. Haley said that did not happen, adding there have been no arrests and no reports have been turned over to the District Attorneys Office at this time. The police chief said a report on the investigation has not yet been completed. Efforts to reach Wagoner Superintendent Randy Harris have been unsuccessful. Haley said if anyone has information they believe can help authorities in their investigation, please contact the Wagoner Police Department at 918-485-5511. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. OKLAHOMA CITY An Oklahoma City police officer who fatally shot a deaf man in September was acting in self-defense, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said Friday. The district attorney cleared Sgt. Christopher Barnes, an eight-year veteran, of any wrongdoing in the deadly Sept. 19 shooting of Magdiel Sanchez, who was deaf and developmentally disabled. At the moment Officer Barnes discharged his pistol, he was acting in self-defense and, in my opinion, had no other reasonable option to prevent Mr. Sanchez from seriously injuring or killing him, Prater told reporters during a news conference. Sanchez was shot after failing to comply with officers commands to drop a 2-foot metal pipe he was aggressively swinging while approaching the officers, Prater said. Sanchezs family has characterized the pipe as his trusted walking stick. The charges that caused Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken to announce his resignation on Thursday are more serious than those made against Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe said Thursday. There is a big difference you guys are going to have to acknowledge, Inhofe told reporters in a hallway interview Thursday. Roy Moore has denied these things, and there is no evidence in fact the people of Alabama, most of them, agree with him. When told Franken has also denied the allegations against him, Inhofe replied: No he didnt. There are pictures. Are you kidding? Franken announced his resignation Thursday after several women alleged he had touched them inappropriately over the past decade. The reports began after a Los Angeles broadcaster said Franken was overly aggressive while rehearsing a skit during a 2006 USO tour. Later on the tour, Franken posed for a photo of him leering as he apparently touched the womans breasts through her body armor. Franken said the picture was intended as a gag. Moore is accused of dating and in at least one case groping underage teen girls while he was in his 30s. Moore has admitted he dated minors, but he denies any impropriety. Moore is the Republican candidate in a Tuesday special election to succeed Jeff Sessions, now the U.S. attorney general. President Donald Trump on Dec. 6 unveiled a new policy regarding Israels capital city, stating that it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In his remarks, Trump said he would be designating Jerusalem as the officially recognized capital of Israel and directing the State Department to begin preparation to move the American embassy from its current location in Tel Aviv. In his remarks, Trump noted that the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 had "passed Congress by an overwhelming bipartisan majority and was reaffirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senate only six months ago." Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., appeared on CNN moments later to laud Trumps announcement as about time, repeating the president's point about wide Senate support in 1995 and again in 2017. The 1995 law Trump cited mandated that the embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by 1999. However, Palestinians also consider Jerusalem to be their capital, and the city has long been considered one of the stickiest points of contention for final-status negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Most other nations that have diplomatic relations with Israel have continued to locate their embassies in Tel Aviv. For these reasons, past U.S. presidents from both parties have regularly signed waivers to suspend the move, amid fears it would destabilize peace talks. So is Trump correct in describing the legislative history of the law? We took a closer look. The Jerusalem Embassy Act "passed Congress by an overwhelming bipartisan majority For this portion of his statement, Trump is on solid ground. In the Senate, the bill passed on Oct. 24, 1995, by a 93-5 margin. Later that day, the House followed suit, passing it by a 374-37 margin. The law was reaffirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senate only six months ago." This part requires more explanation. The non-binding resolution this year involved commemorating the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem during the Six Day War in 1967. One of its provisions specifically referenced the 1995 law. A portion of the 2017 resolution reaffirms the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 (Public Law 10445) as United States law, and calls upon the President and all United States officials to abide by its provisions. On June 5, 2017, the measure passed the Senate by a 90-0 margin. Heres the caveat: The same resolution that passed the Senate 90-0 also included this provision: The Senate reaffirms that it is the longstanding, bipartisan policy of the United States government that the permanent status of Jerusalem remains a matter to be decided between the parties through final status negotiations towards a two-state solution. Did Trump do or say anything contrary to that provision? Theres some disagreement on that. Trump's remarks offered some language reaffirming the substance of this provision. Specifically, he said, In making these announcements, I also want to make one point very clear: This decision is not intended, in any way, to reflect a departure from our strong commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement. We want an agreement that is a great deal for the Israelis and a great deal for the Palestinians. We are not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem, or the resolution of contested borders. Those questions are up to the parties involved. To Michael Koplow, policy director of the Israel Policy Forum, this made clear that his decision doesnt prejudice final status issues, so it seems to still be consistent with the Senate resolution. Others, however, contend that an embassy move may imperil future Israeli-Palestinian negotiations over Jerusalem. Not only is this a reasonable caveat, it is a critical one, said Samer S. Shehata, a professor and acting director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma. If you've been following the British, French and many of the other reactions to President Trump's move, almost all note this critical point. In their public remarks, both French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May made a point of reaffirming the need for future final-status negotiations about Jerusalem, which suggests that they are worried about the impact of Trumps move in that context. Macron, in a phone call to Trump before the announcement, expressed his concern with the possibility that the United States might unilaterally recognize Jerusalem as capital of the state of Israel, the French government said. Mr. Macron reaffirmed that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved through peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and particularly those relating to the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Jerusalem as their capital. May said that shes intending to speak to President Trump about this matter. The status of Jerusalem should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Jerusalem should ultimately form a shared capital between the Israeli and Palestinian states. Our ruling Trump said that the Jerusalem Embassy Act "passed Congress by an overwhelming bipartisan majority and was reaffirmed by a unanimous vote of the Senate only six months ago." Hes right about both pieces of legislation and the margins by which they passed. However, its worth noting that the 2017 Senate resolution also reaffirmed that the permanent status of Jerusalem remains a matter to be decided between the parties through final status negotiations towards a two-state solution a position that Trump rhetorically backed in his speech, but that some believe could be endangered by his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and move the embassy. We rate President Trump's statement Mostly True. Contact the reporter: ljacobson@politifact.com. PolitiFact Oklahoma is a partnership between the Tulsa World and PolitiFact, a 10-year-old, Pulitzer Prize-winning organization that fact-checks statements of political leaders, public officials and pundits. To send comments and suggestions for fact-checks to PolitiFact, email truthometer@politifact.com OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma State Department of Health laid off 37 people on Friday and announced 161 others likely will lose their jobs in March. Those laid off Friday were unclassified employees, meaning they didnt have state civil service protections. Some worked at county health departments as advanced practice registered nurses, local emergency response coordinators and partnership consultants. Others worked in the central offices in records, minority health, performance management and the Center for Health Innovation and Effectiveness. The department faces a budget gap, allegedly due to misuse of federal funds, which Interim Health Commissioner Preston Doerflinger said officials tried to cover with accounting tricks. Former Health Commissioner Terry Cline left the agency as its financial troubles boiled over, as did his top deputy, Julie Cox-Kain; the departments business planning director, Felesha Scanlan; and general counsel Don Maisch. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). Dinh La Thang, a member of the Party Central Committee and deputy chairman of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission On the same day, the Politburo issued a decision on suspending Thangs Party-related activities from December 8, 2017, and the 14th National Assemblys Standing Committee adopted a resolution suspending Thangs status as a congressman. Dinh La Thang is suspected of involvement in deliberate violations of state regulations on economic management, causing serious economic damages (Article 165 of the Penal Code), and abusing his position and authority to appropriate state property (Article 280 of the Penal Code), causing a loss of VND800 billion ($35.16 million) in PetroVietnams investment in OceanBank. He is also accused of having a role in the economic mismanagement and embezzlement at PetroVietnam Construction Corporation related to the Thai Binh 2 thermal power project. In April this year, the Party Central Committees Inspection Commission started considering taking disciplinary action against seven former top executives of PetroVietnam, including Dinh La Thang who was the secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of PetroVietnam during 2009-2011. The commission found that the groups Party Committee Standing Board has been negligent in advising the PetroVietnam Party Committee on a 2009 resolution that approved illegal contract packages, and a 2011 resolution on investing in OceanBank, contrary to the Law on Credit Institutions, which resulted in a loss of VND900 billion ($39.56 million), including VND800 billion ($35.16 million) for OceanBank. The commission requested to take quick disciplinary action against the PetroVietnam Party Committee Standing Board. It found that Thang bore the prime responsibility for the Party Committee Standing Board and the Member Councils illegal resolutions and wrongdoings in the 2009-2011 period. Thang was found to have violated regulations of the groups board of directors by signing an agreement on contributing 20 per cent and more of OceanBanks capital before getting approval from the board of directors. Thang was also held responsible for the Member Councils resolutions authorising bidding packages in violation of government decrees and advising the prime minister to approve many bidding packages that failed to meet legal regulations. Besides, he has to bear responsibility for violations of the Law on Bidding after the bio-ethanol Dung Quat plants engineering, procurement, and construction contract, as well as low investment efficiency in a number of projects, including the Dinh Vu polyester manufacturing plant and several bio-fuel projects. Previously in February 2016, Thang, then working as Minister of Transport, was appointed as Secretary of the Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. On May 7, the 12th Party Central Committee decided to give warning to and remove Thang from the Politburo due to past mismanagement of PetroVietnam. Two days later, he received the decision to be transferred from his current post as the Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee to the deputy chairman of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission. PVN Deputy General Director arrested HA NOI Deputy General Director of Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN) Ninh Van Quynh was detained on Friday for deliberately violating State regulations and causing serious consequences for PVN. Deposed Politburo member now Party Central Committee advisor Dinh La Thang, who was voted out of the Politburo on May 7 due to past mismanagement of state-owned Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), has been appointed as a deputy chairman of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission. Major communist party official charged with SOE mismanagement The Central Inspection Commission has just proposed that the Politburo and the Party Central Committee consider disciplinary actions against Dinh La Thang, currently Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee. The exhibition features the influence of French culture on Vietnam, particualrly Hanoi, in many fields. (Credit: hanoimoi.com.vn) The event is held by the Vietnam State Archives and Records Department in collaboration with the National Archives of France. On display are 150 documents, photos and artefacts which are imbued with Frances cultural identity and show the influence of French culture on Vietnam, particularly in the capital of Hanoi, in many fields. The exhibition is divided into three themes: From an East Asian city to a European-styled capital, Reception of Western education, and The mission to preserve memories of the archives. The imprint on planning and architecture during the special historical period has created both an ancient and modern capital which has become an attractive destination for Vietnamese and foreign visitors. Many works have become Hanois heritages, such as French Governor-General of Indochina, the Hanoi Opera House, the Post Office, Hang Co Railway Station and Long Bien Bridge. In addition, visitors to the exhibition can learn more about the introduction of Western education to Vietnam during the late 19th century. Schools which were built during this period are still an integral part of the capitals school system, including Chu Van An High School, Dong Khanh Trung Vuong Secondary School, Tran Phu High School, Hanoi University of Pharmacy and Vietnam University of Fine Arts. With the mission of preserving the memory and the archives, the Archives and Library Service of Indochina was formed in 1917, which marked the turning point of Vietnamese archives sector. The exhibition will run until March 7, 2018. US Ambassador Nikki Haley (right) speaks to the Security Council at the United Nations headquarters on Dec 8, 2017. (Photo source: AP/Richard Drew) US Ambassador Nikki Haley (right) speaks to the Security Council at the United Nations headquarters on Dec 8, 2017. (Photo source: AP/Richard Drew) The debate unfolded at a largely symbolic emergency meeting of the council - no vote on a resolution was planned, as the US has veto power - two days after President Donald Trump reversed two decades of US policy on the holy city. The meeting was convened by no fewer than eight of the 14 non-US members of the council. This seemd a vivid show of the discord triggered by Trump's announcement, which included plans to move the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Asked what he expected to come from the UN meeting, one diplomat said: "Nothing." Another said the session would show US "isolation" on the issue. The UN coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Nikolay Mladenov, warned that the US decision could lead to a spiral of violence among the Palestinians and others angered by what Trump has done. Indeed, clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces on Friday left two people dead after calls for a "day of rage" from the Islamist movement Hamas. The British ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, said flat out that Britain disagrees with Trump's move on Jerusalem and the embassy location. "These decisions are unhelpful for the prospects for peace in the region," Rycroft said. He urged Trump to now come up with detailed proposals for an Israel-Palestinian peace accord, a goal which has eluded the US and the international community for decades. The status of Jerusalem is one of the most hotly contested issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel seized control of the east of the city in 1967 and later annexed it in moves never recognised by the international community. Israel considers the city its undivided capital, but Palestinians believe the east is illegally occupied and see it as the capital of their future state. Five European countries on the council insisted the new US policy is not in line with UN resolutions including one that considers east Jerusalem to be Israeli-occupied. At Friday's meeting, US ambassador Nikki Haley defended Trump as remaining committed to the peace process and a two state solution if the Israelis and Palestinians choose this. Haley said that in his reversal of US foreign policy, Trump was simply recognising reality, since the Israeli government and parliament are located in Jerusalem. And she recalled that Trump insists his decision has no impact on whatever Israelis and Palestinians ultimately decide on boundaries and borders of the city, which is holy to Muslims, Christians and Jews. "I understand the concerns that members have in calling this session," Haley said. "Change is hard." Animal organs are popular foods in Vietnam The ministry and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly held a meeting to gather opinions about the new Husbandry Law on December 7 in HCM City. Nguyen Van Ngoc, vice head of the Animal Husbandry Association in south-eastern Vietnam, supported the ban on imported animal organs, saying that exported products must meet difficult requirements while Vietnam is far too lax on the meat it imports. "Why must domestically-made products have traceable origins while imported products don't have to follow the regulations in HCM City? In other countries, frozen products have a six-month expiry while rules about labels and origins in Vietnam are lax. We need some kind of mechanism to hold foreign slaughterhouses responsible for their imported products," he said. According to Hoang Thanh Van, director of the Department of Livestock Production, there are many problems in the management of livestock. He proposed to tighten management over imported agriculture products including issuing bans on importing animal organs, and old and culled poultry. In the past years, old cows and culled chickens as well as a large amount of cheap pig and chicken offal have been imported and sold at restaurants. Not only such products have low quality, but they may also carry toxic substances. He went on to say that the new law will help reform the administrative system and meet requirements for global integration. Following a request by the US-ASEAN Business Council, the ministry held a meeting with representatives from the council and Uber on October 18 to discuss the extra tax collection and how the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Vietnam and the Netherlands can be applied in the case. After inspecting the tax payments of Uber Vietnam, the HCM City Department of Taxation verified that the taxi firm has generated income in Vietnam from its ride-hailing services on a network of local partner drivers. It matches drivers of private vehicles to those seeking taxi rides, makes decisions on rates and promotional offers and receives payments of fares from the passengers. Uber earned revenues through transportation services provided by its partner drivers, counted as permanent establishments, in Vietnam for a period of 6 to 12 consecutive months. Therefore, it is subject to the foreign contractor taxes in compliance with the current regulations and the Vietnam-Netherlands Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, the ministry said in the statement. Uber entered Vietnam in June 2014. Since then, tax collection for the ride-hailing service application has remained controversial as this was the first service of its kind in the country, triggering worries about the efficiency in collecting taxes as well as the unfairness to other transport firms in the country. According to Dang Duy Khanh from the General Department of Taxation, Ubers total revenue from 2014 to June 30 this year was estimated at more than 2.77 trillion VND (122.1 billion USD) and the firm has paid approximately 76.9 billion VND (3.38 million USD) in taxes. Cruises along the Mekong River are picking up in popularity The two five-star cruises offering special excursions, such as an eight-day and seven-night cruise from Saigon to Siem Reap at the cost of $5,000 per a suite for two, including a fine dining experience, recreational activities, and cruise tours at berths alongside Mekong River. The Mekong Princess cruiser was designed with a length of 61.5 metres, a breadth of 9.5m, two 480-horsepower main engines, and was furnished with imported cutting-edge equipment. The construction of Mekong Princess was thoroughly supervised by Vietnam Register and representatives of foreign shipping and chartering corporations. The Avalon Siem Reap cruise was chartered for five years by US-based Avalon Waterways, the US' leading river cruise firm, for 40-52 weeks per year. Giang Hoang Hai, managing director of Viet Princess, shared, What tells our river cruises and the commonly seen extravagant five-star voyages packed with thousands of passengers apart is our commitment to provide a true five star experience condensed into a smaller scale. Whilst a standardised en suite cabin offered by five-star voyages usually comes at the cost of $1,500-2,000 for two, river cruise tours tend to charge customers twice or three times as much. Hai added, The Mekong River has always been in the spotlight for its tourism potential. The relaxing pace of the river flow at the border area between Vietnam and Cambodia, the rushing torrents passing over rocky reefs into Laos and Thailand are all a sight to see. Foreign cruise lines tend to pour a fair amount of investment into Vietnam thanks to this distinctive feature of the river stream. Mekong Princess cruises offer true five-star experience Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said, This programme is the latest tourism product that the department has paid tremendous attention to in order to promote the development of river tourism. Additionally, Viet Princess has recently launched Saigon Princess, the first deluxe dinner cruise on the Saigon River. Departing at the early evenings, the cruise is scheduled to carry passengers alongside the Saigon River from Dragon Wharf, Saigons commercial port, to Thanh Da-Binh Quoi Peninsula and circle back. To date, the Saigon-Siem Reap waterway has only been exploited by five or six cruise lines. About ten lines set up pickup locations alongside the river, at My Tho and Tien Giang provinces, en route to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. The serene Mekong River bridging the Vietnamese-Cambodian border has been one of the most desired tourist attractions, especially to foreign visitors. With around 15-20 cruises rating three to five stars, Vietnams shipping firms and cruise lines have been making tremendous headway in promoting and conserving the rivers cultural and historic values. Armie Hammer. Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage In a recent profile of Armie Hammer for The Hollywood Reporter, the actor bemoaned inconsistent treatment for famous men accused of sexual misconduct. Hammer co-starred in Nate Parkers Birth of a Nation, which took a huge publicity hit when Parkers college rape case resurfaced, and the actor asserted that the bad press was orchestrated for sure by people behind a competing film. Nate had the stuff in his past, which is heinous and tough to get beyond. I get that, he said at the time. But that was when he was 18, and now hes in directors jail. At the same time, the guy who went and won an Academy Award has three cases of sexual assault against him. And yes, he told THR, he was talking specifically about Casey Affleck, [Parker] had one incident which was heinous and atrocious but his entire life is affected in the worst possible way. And the other guy won the highest award you can get as an actor. It just doesnt make sense. However, Casey Affleck has been involved in zero sexual-assault cases; what he has been accused of is sexual harassment, by two women who worked with him on the documentary Im Still Here. Now, Armie Hammer would like Casey Affleck to know he is very sorry for not parsing the legal distinctions between the cases before commenting on them. I would like to sincerely apologize to Casey and his family for my recent comments about him in my THR interview, Hammer said in a statement to THR. Without knowing the facts about the civil lawsuits at issue (which I now understand were settled), I misspoke. I conflated sexual harassment cases with a criminal case involving sexual assault charges. The civil suits against Affleck were settled out of court and dismissed. Nate Parker was tried and acquitted. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images Last month, writer, actor, director, and veteran apologizer Lena Dunham and Girls showrunner Jenni Konner were widely criticized after issuing a statement of support for Murray Miller, a Girls writer who was accused of sexually assaulting actress Aurora Perrineau when she was 17. Dunham and Konner apologized for their statement the next day, writing, We regret this decision with every fiber of our being. Now, Judd Apatow, who was an executive producer on Girls, is coming to Dunhams defense. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at an event on December 3, the director said: Len is the greatest person I have ever met. She fights so hard for so many important causes. She really sticks her neck out. She cares about people. She started this amazing Lenny newsletter, which has created a platform for all sorts of different women to speak and be heard. Were all kind of trying to figure out how to navigate this best. It affects all of our lives and touches all of our lives in all different ways. She apologized for speaking too quickly, but I think many of us are in that situation. And I think overall she is one of the great people in our business fighting for very important causes. And I appreciate that. In November, Perrineau filed a police report against Miller, alleging that after a night of drinking she went to his house with friends and that At some point, I woke up in Murrays bed naked. He was on top of me having sexual intercourse with me. At no time did I consent to any sexual contact with Murray. Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images In early November, the National Enquirer published a story in which actor Dominick Brascia, an alleged friend of the late Corey Haim, accused Charlie Sheen of having sex with then-13-year-old Haim on the set of their 1986 film Lucas. Sheen quickly pushed back against the claim, telling The Hollywood Reporter that he categorically denies these allegations. Now, the Anger Management actor is reportedly suing the Enquirer and its parent company for defamation for publishing the allegation, which ran with the headline Charlie Sheen Raped 13-Year-Old Corey Haim Shocking Claim. According to Sheen, the National Enquirer didnt published the accusation simply in service of a story. The editorial decision, the actor alleges, stems from Sheens decision to scoop an impending Enquirer story about his being HIV positive, which the actor disclosed himself in an interview with Todays Matt Lauer in November 2015. According to the complaint filed by Sheens attorney, Shane Bernard, [T]he editor of National Enquirer, Defendant Dylan Howard, is running the story against Mr. Sheen because of a personal vendetta that arose after he was unable to be the first to break the story that Mr. Sheen was HIV positive. Sheen told TMZ with regards to the lawsuit, In my nearly 35 years as a celebrated entertainer, I have been nothing shy of a forthright, noble and valiant courier of the truth. Consistently admitting and owning a laundry list of shortcomings, wrongdoings and indiscretions this traveler hath traveled however, every man has a breaking point. United Way of Central Texas Healthcare Marketplace Navigators are able to assist Bell and McLennan county residents with questions regarding health insurance and options for coverage for 2018. In addition to providing information, Navigators are available to assist residents with enrollment into a Marketplace health plan, and applying for lower-cost options, or an exemption from the shared responsibility payment, should they qualify. Open Enrollment for 2018 coverage ends December 15, 2017. To make an appointment to meet with a Navigator, please call the United Way of Central Texas office at 254-778-8616 or email info@uwct.org. Magnolia blood drive Carter BloodCare hosts a blood drive Saturday at Magnolia Market at the Silos from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to schedule an appointment time, call 366-9822. NAACP Waco NAACP will holds its annual meeting Dec. 11 in the education center at the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, 100 Texas Ranger Trail. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and will include the organizations annual report to members. For more information, call 733-5261. Rotary Club meeting Teri Holtkamp, executive director, will present a program on The Cove at the Monday meeting of the Waco Rotary Club. The Cove helps homeless students in the Waco area. The meeting begins at noon at Waco Lions den, 1716 N. 42nd St. Lunch costs $12. Call 776-2115 for more information. Moody HS blood drive Moody High School will hold a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at 11862 South Lone Star Parkway in the parking lot on the Carter BloodCare bus. For more information or to schedule an appointment time, contact Sherri Moody at 853-3622. At least two Waco massage parlors were raided this week, and the woman who operated the businesses was arrested Friday on a felony organized crime charge, court documents state. McLennan County Sheriff's Office detectives received search warrants and raided massage parlors at 2625 W. Waco Drive and 2509 Washington Ave. on Monday. Detectives posed undercover as clients of the businesses in October and November, the search warrants state. Women working at each business offered detectives massages and offered them sexual acts for an additional fee, according to the warrants. Each of the investigators refused the offers, the warrants state. The women working at the businesses were immigrants, according to the warrants. "Through debriefs with victims, I have learned that they are not told what they will be doing until they arrive at the establishment," an investigator wrote. "They are routinely housed in the establishment by traffickers to save money." During the investigation, authorities learned Chun Yang Zhang, 47, of Austin, was the tenant of both locations, according to an arrest affidavit. While conducting surveillance, investigators learned Zhang had at least three women working for her, the affidavit states. "It was learned that they provide the boss with $300 a month to be able to reside within the parlor," the affidavit states. "They indicated that they keep 20 percent of all earnings, however the boss makes them give their whole first week as a deposit." Detectives also obtained video evidence from cameras set up in the parlor by Zhang and a man known to be her husband, the affidavit states. Zhang was arrested Friday in Waco and taken to McLennan County Jail on a second-degree felony charge of engaging in organized criminal activity. She remained in jail Friday evening. No bond information was immediately available. Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing. A visiting judge denied a request Friday to remove 54th State District Judge Matt Johnson from hearing a request to disqualify McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna from prosecuting Twin Peaks shootout defendant George Bergman. Retired State District Judge Joe Carroll, of Bell County, was appointed to hear the matter and signed the denial Wednesday before it was filed Friday. Dallas attorney Clint Broden, who represents Bergman, sought to recuse Johnson from presiding over a hearing in which he will seek to disqualify Reyna and his office from handling the case. Johnson declined to voluntarily step down from hearing the disqualification motion. Bergman, 50, a Dallas truck driver, is a former member of the Desgraciados motorcycle group and is among 154 bikers indicted in the May 17, 2015, shootout in Waco that left nine dead and 20 injured. A jury panel is scheduled to report to the McLennan County Courthouse on Jan. 12 to fill out a questionnaire ahead of a tentative trial date of Jan. 22. A mistrial was declared in the first Twin Bikers biker trial after the jury told Johnson they were hopelessly deadlocked. The defendant in the first trial, Jacob Carrizal, president of the Dallas Bandidos chapter, is charged with directing the activities of a criminal street gang and two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity with the underlying offenses of murder and aggravated assault. He was the chapters vice president at the time of the shootout. Bergman is the first defendant scheduled for trial next year. Broden said he was not seeking to recuse Johnson from hearing Bergmans case at this time, only from hearing the motion seeking to disqualify Reyna. I think it puts Judge Johnson in a difficult position when he is not really entitled to rule in the motion, but he is going to have to now, Broden said. Abel Reyna is his former law partner. Johnson recused himself from overseeing the case of former biker Matthew Clendennen, another of Brodens clients. Reyna also recused himself from prosecuting Clendennen. Reyna had testified in a pretrial hearing in Clendennens case. Senior Judge Doug Shaver, of Houston, was appointed to hear Clendennens case, and three private attorneys practicing in the Houston area were appointed to prosecute the case. No upcoming trial date has been announced for Clendennen. Clara Poehl Sept. 8, 1924 - Dec. 5, 2017 Clara Kocurek Poehl went to be with the Lord on December 5, 2017, at St. Catherine's Center in Waco, Texas. Ed Poehl, husband of 72 years, was at her side. Services with be held at 1 p.m., Monday, December 11, at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Waco, Texas, with the Rev. Paul Krupicka officiating. A luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m., prior to the service. Clara was born on September 8, 1924, in Deanville, Texas, where she grew up and graduated from Caldwell High School. She attended nursing school and worked at Consolidated Aircraft Co. during WW II. She married Ed while he was serving in the Navy and moved to New London, Connecticut until after the war. Clara and Ed lived in the Houston area until 1952 when the family moved to Waco. Clara was a homemaker for her family and a good cook. She enjoyed working with ceramics and received awards on them; there were hundreds of pieces of her handiwork on display in her home. Some of her best times and memories were fishing, particularly on Lake Somerville and on trips to Stone Cellar in Colorado. Clara was preceded in death by her daughter, Terri Poehl Leskoven, and brother, Calvin Kocurek. She is survived by her husband, Ed; daughter, Barbara Poehl Johnson and husband, Rodger; son, Keith Poehl and wife, Dinka; son-in-law, Les Leskoven and wife, Karen; sisters, Lucille Dockery and Maxine Boedeker; brother, John Kocurek; eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A graveside service will be held at Oakwood Cemetery following the church service. Clara will be laid to rest near her beloved daughter, Terri. In lieu of flowers, memorials are requested to St. Matthew Lutheran Church or the charity of your choice. Serving as pallbearers are Scott Miller, Brad Miller, Jack Miller, Nick Poehl, Lance Yager, and Andrew Leskoven. A year removed from our newspapers endorsement of Donald Trump for president, the most frequent question I get in emails and letters are from Trump critics asking whether I regret the endorsement. I find it an odd question. Its reflective of a similar theme often directed at Trump supporters in columns from many of our nations leading op-ed writers, especially after a presidential tweet-storm or inflammatory comment or action. Will President Trumps supporters finally desert him? they ask. Through the years, it became an accepted tenet of American politics that promises made and personas adopted by presidential candidates to win votes would be abandoned or ignored in the Oval Office. By contrast, the argument could easily be made that few presidential-level politicians have been as indistinguishable as Trump, the candidate, from Trump, the president. Trump has remained as constant as the northern star. Has Trump really behaved in some new manner that wasnt on full display during the campaign? The outrageous tweets, the bluster, the self-aggrandizement, the insults Trump the commander in chief is virtually identical to Trump the neophyte candidate. But in addition to consistently exhibiting what many see as negative attributes, Trump has also tried to keep his biggest campaign promises on repealing Obamacare, securing the border and cutting taxes, and he stayed true to his word with his pick of Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court. Now his declaration of U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital fulfills another pledge. No one who backed Trump as a candidate has been given much reason to abandon him. Liberals seem to think the tax bill and other administration priorities will wake Trump country to the phony populism of its champion, but Trumps voters always understood that business was going to benefit from having such an avowedly pro-business president. Really, the only supporters who might have cause for disillusionment are those who argued, or hoped, that once he assumed the presidency Trump would pivot, becoming more presidential. But that would probably be the one act that would cost Trump his base. Among all of candidate Trumps missteps and outrages, the one that was thought to most assuredly guarantee his demise was the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape and the ensuing allegations of numerous women claiming Trump sexually assaulted them. Those instances are the most frequently enumerated in the correspondence I receive suggesting the need for endorsement regret. But apparently lost on many is that, in the 1990s, the left won the argument that these stories dont matter, and that peoples private lives and attitudes, as sordid and problematic as they may be, do not determine their effectiveness as a public servant. So convincingly did President Bill Clintons defenders win that debate that even many on the right came to accept it, which is in part why Trump is immune on the topic and Roy Moores Senate candidacy remains viable in Alabama. During the campaign, Trump famously boasted that he could shoot someone and not lose support. That is not literally true, although one could be forgiven for wondering about it. But the point he was making to the media was to quit wasting their time trying to discredit him with lurid details of his private life and times. Even now, though, the left, along with Never Trumpers on the middle and right, keep waiting for Trump supporters to wake up, to realize their horrendous mistake, perhaps even rending their garments in an act of self-flagellation. But the voters who coalesced around Trump understood that everyones closet has skeletons, a belief proved truer with each passing day. Through a lifetime of celebrity, laid bare in the media, Trumps closet door has long stood wide open. No new revelations about his personal life were going to shock or shake his supporters. The lefts sudden post-Clinton awakening on issues of boorish behavior and sexual harassment has been fascinating to watch. The recent claims against Democratic Party stalwarts such as Sen. Al Franken and Rep. John Conyers Jr. have had Democrats pushing for political death sentences in hopes of maintaining the moral high ground. There apparently is no need for courts, judges or juries, and evidence is optional, as long as a claim is determined to be credible by a panel of hastily assembled media pundits. But in light of the recently exposed feet of clay of so many of Trumps fiercest critics in Hollywood, Washington and the media, making examples of Franken and Conyers is a case of too little, too late. The hypocrisy has been exposed, the high ground surrendered. It turns out that the calls for Trumps supporters to wake up were coming from a lot of people who were blissfully snoozing away. US 60 open after Salem fire, but may be icy By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 08, 2017 | 08:42 PM | PADUCAH, KY Five more people have been arrested, and Paducah police are seeking the publics help in locating five others in connection with a drug investigation in the area of South 8th Street and Oscar Cross Boulevard.The investigation started several months ago after numerous complaints came in to the Paducah Police Department. Police Detective Sgt. Ryan Conn said officers were dispatched to the area for wrecks, shots fired, prostitution, and reports of people with guns.We had complaints of public drinking, loud music, drug use and sales, fights, and of children being around these activities, said Conn.The mostly residential area has a vacant lot that many were complaining about, so surveillance was set up.It was an open-air drug market in the vacant lot there, Conn said. People would show up routinely, both customers and sellers, to conduct their business. The quality of life was on a downhill slide with the increase in crime, drugs, various disturbances and violence. The purpose of this investigation and clean-up was to give the entire neighborhood back to the residents who actually live there.hillFourteen people were arrested or cited on November 29, and since then, five more have been arrested on warrants.Forty-nine year-old Brian Williams, 25 year-old Mynesser Hill, 54-year-old Arthur Lee, all of Paducah, were arrested for trafficking in a controlled substance (cocaine).Police also arrested 39-year-old Regina Floyd of Paducah for possession of a controlled substance (cocaine), and 47-year-old William Bolen of Paducah for trafficking in a synthetic drug. When Bolen was arrested on the warrant, he was in possession of synthetic drugs and cash, so he faces an additional trafficking charge as well.According to police, there are warrants for the arrest of five more people, listed below:Thirty-five-year-old Mauricus Haynes of Paducah, charged in a warrant with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (previous arrests have been on charges of murder, trafficking in a controlled substance, fleeing and assault).Twenty-eight-year-old Devonta O. Woods of Paducah, charged in a warrant with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (previously arrested on charges of trafficking in a controlled substance and assault).Fifty-five-year-old Marcus Bowen of Paducah, charged in a warrant with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (previously arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance, fleeing, resisting arrest and trafficking in a controlled substance).Forty-three-year-old Charles Pittman of Paducah, charged in a warrant with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (previously arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance, driving under the influence and trafficking in a controlled substance).Fifty-year-old Tony McClellan of Paducah, charged in a warrant with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance (previous arrested on charges of resisting arrest and unlawful possession of a weapon).Anyone with information on these suspects should call Paducah Police at 270-444-8550 or call Crime Stoppers at 270-443-TELL.Conn said as of Friday, the area around South 8th Street and Oscar Cross Boulevard is quite a bit calmer.The area has quieted down considerably, he said. This is a good example how corruption of the community, drug activity and criminal acts will not be tolerated in Paducah. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 08, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 08, 2017 | 03:18 PM | PADUCAH, KY Fitch Ratings has revised its outlook for Paducah Power Systems utility bonds from Stable to Positive while affirming the BBB rating given in 2014. In making the change, Fitch cited stronger cash flows that have led to Paducah Powers stable financial performance, forward contractual sales and the improved operating performance of the Prairie State Generating Plant. Fitch also noted the utilitys 156 days of cash on hand. This is evidence of the slow and steady progress weve made in the past three years, said Paducah Power System General Manager Dave Carroll. They recognized our improvements and gave us hope for an upgrade in our bond rating in the future. In its decision, Fitch stated that PPSs ability to maintain a financial performance in line with its forecast could lead to a one-notch rating upgrade. We believe an upgrade is possible with continued diligence toward improving our finances and finding a way to maximize our generating assets, said PPS Board Chair Hardy Roberts. Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required. Your Full Name: (optional) Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 06, 2017 | PADUCAH, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 06, 2017 | 10:43 PM | PADUCAH, KY West Kentucky Community and Technical College will honor more than 1,200 candidates for graduation during a 7 pm commencement ceremony on Monday, December 11 at the Luther F. Carson Four Rivers Center. For the first time, nursing students will also receive their nursing pins as part of the commencement ceremony. Featured commencement speaker Allen North is an assistant vice president in the Banking Supervision Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. He oversees the Safety and Soundness field supervision for banks and bank holding companies in the states of Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi and coordinates the District's IT and Trust supervision activities. During his 24-year career at the Fed, he has held a number of leadership roles within other functions within the Division including Consumer Compliance supervision, Community Development, Supervisory Risk and Policy Analysis, and Rapid Communications. North graduated with an associate in arts degree from Paducah Community College in 1991, and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Murray State University in 1993. WKCTC student and United States Air Force veteran Kathy Barnett will be one of two student commencement speakers during the ceremony. "I am excited, nervous, happy, proud and honored that Kristen (Amaya, WKCTC Veterans Services director) asked me to speak," said Barnett. After graduating from Hickman County High School in 1984, Barnett went to work to help her parents and siblings. Two years later, she joined the Air Force where she served four years before deciding it was time to leave the military to raise her own children. She worked in numerous factory jobs for nearly three decades, and when her children were grown, Barnett knew it was time to fulfill her lifelong dream of going to college and to make a fresh start. "I have worked in a factory all my life but no more. I am ready to start my new career and live life to the fullest. I waited for my time and it happened. If I can do it at my age, anyone can do it" said the 51-year-old Barnett, who is graduating with an associate degree in medical information technology. "I have two grandsons and I want them to know that it is never too late to go to college....and this is a great place to start." Marshall County's Caitlin Bradley will also be a student commencement speaker. "I feel excited and anxious about speaking at the commencement. It is truly an honor and I am grateful to be asked," said the 24-year-old Bradley. Before graduating from Murray's Eastwood Christian Academy in May 2011, Bradley already had her future mapped out. She wanted to complete degrees in radiography and sonography for a career that would support herself and a family. After graduation, she began her educational journey at WKCTC in fall 2011. Bradley achieved her first goal by earning an associate in applied science degree in radiography in May 2016, and will complete her journey on December 11 by earning an associate in applied science degree in sonography. She currently works at Murray Calloway-County Hospital as a radiologic technologist. "My little boy, Wesley, who was born in 2014, has change my life for the better and has made obtaining my degrees mean so much more," said Bradley. "I hope he will see one day how hard I worked to provide a good life for him. I want him to see that even though life gets hard don't let that stop you from achieved the things in life you want to achieve." The holiday tradition of giving simple gifts to children continued Thursday at the Rollingstone Community School. Volunteers from the St. Nicholas group of the local Luxembourg Society prepared gift bags containing apples, oranges and candies. They also displayed various images of St. Nicholas exemplifying how depictions of the kindly saint (born in Turkey and honored around the world, including Luxembourg, home of many 19th-century immigrants to the Rollingstone area). His image can be found in church windows, rugs, books and carved statues (like the one done by local artist Leo Smith); and on posters and on websites, including a modern St. Nick on roller blades. Each student was handed a goodie bag, and the teachers and staff received a selection of fruit, nuts and candies as well. Ginny Rivers Lehnertz, owner of Ginnys Supper Club, spearheaded the event, working with a diverse group of volunteers, including board members of the Luxembourg Society and the Luxembourg Heritage Museum, as well as school staff and principal Dawn Lueck, and others interested in honoring local history and holiday customs. As the event began, Tom Hartert delivered the boxes of gifts. The children sat down in neat rows, eagerly awaiting their presents. Ginny thanked Lueck and all teachers, interns and staff for their support of this tradition. And she recalled how in her childhood St. Nicholas would open the door, throw sacks of fruit and candy into the house, and rush away. Mary Nilles spoke about the tradition in some countries of leaving out wooden shoes for St. Nick to fill; Sally Rinn Lettner, Linda Stoos Kreidermacher, Diane Stoos Bronk and Dorothy Leison Stoos handed out gifts. Sheila Cunninghom, Barbara Rahn and Joanne Herber Daley took photos. Buffalo County Court actions: Shawna M. Lupton, 44, of Buffalo City, pleaded guilty to felony drug possession of methamphetamine. Charges of second offense possession of THC and possession of drug paraphernalia were read into Luptons court record and dismissed. Judge Joseph D. Boles sentenced Lupton to 180 days in jail with work release privileges. Jail time was scheduled to begin on Dec. 28. Andrew H. Andersen, 27, of Winona stay of 10-day jail sentence lifted for failure to comply with court orders to complete 24 hours of community service work by Nov. 1 and pay $443 in court costs. The sentence was imposed in June on a disorderly conduct offense. Andersen must begin serving 10 days in jail on Dec. 11 unless he completes his community service work by then and pays his court bill in full. Robert F. Streif, 46, of Dubuque, Iowa, was bound over for trial and scheduled to have an arraignment hearing Jan. 3 on felony charges accusing him of fifth offense operating while intoxicated and second offense possession of THC. A sheriffs deputy arrested Streif in Buffalo County on Aug. 8. Streif also is accused of drinking while driving and operating with his lights off. Gene L. Swenson, 34, of Buffalo City, case status hearing scheduled Dec. 21 on charges accusing him of domestic abuse disorderly conduct, possession of methamphetamine, second offense possession of THC, possession of drug paraphernalia and bail jumping. Swenson has pleaded not guilty to charges. Emily N. Yeiter, 20, of La Crescent, Minn., pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge accusing her of disorderly conduct in connection with an alleged bar fight incident in the town of Buffalo last January. Yeiter was scheduled to have a case status conference on Feb. 2. Breanna M. Seekamp, 21, of Nelson, pleaded not guilty to charges accusing her of possession with intent to deliver more than 50 grams of amphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. A case status hearing was set for Jan. 17. Marianne P. Dosier, 35, of Cochrane, pleaded not guilty to drug charges accusing her of possession with intent to deliver amphetamines and possession of drug paraphernalia. The Winona Catholic Worker celebrated its 25th anniversary last summer. Its a local community, of an international movement with 216 communities in the United States and another 33 across the world. The core principle of the Catholic Worker Movement is to directly create change in the community by feeding the hungry and giving shelter to the homeless, said Claire Boeke, a live-in volunteer with Winona Catholic Worker. That has always been the basic principle of Catholic Workers, she said. Were an intentional community and provide an open space where people can come and hang out, she said, striving to create an environment that fosters community. The Catholic Worker house, 832 W. Broadway, provides daily meals open to the public Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. They open their doors from 4 to 7 p.m. to welcome people to come shower, do laundry, use the phone, and connect with other members of the community. Its a good place to build relationships that can last a long time, Boeke said. Volunteering with Winona Catholic Workers is an enriching and beneficial experience. Abby Teed, another live-in volunteer at the house on West Broadway, said shes enjoyed building new relationships with people from all different kinds of backgrounds. Many that engage with the Winona Catholic Worker community seek refuge in people there because its often the only place for them to get human interaction. I think for a lot of our guests their real family isnt an option, Teed said. But they can make family and find family here, and thats important to them and us. This can be especially hard for those estranged from or out of communication with their families during the holiday season. Many who utilize services of the Winona Catholic Worker often just want human interaction, Boeke said. For us the holidays is a time to be with these people and share a meal with them, she said. Anyone can volunteer with the Winona Catholic Workers, but people can also just attend the community meals to meet people and have conversation. Ive learned so much from the stories people have shared with me, Boeke said. Ive shared both sorrow and joy with people who stop by the house. Teed said anyone can attend the community meals and open periods at the house, not just people struggling to find their next meal or a place to sleep. I think thats overlooked a lot ... you dont have to come from a certain socio-economic class, she said. Anyone who wants to have a meal with another human being can come here. Winona Area Public Schools will ask taxpayers to chip in a little more next spring if the district approves its proposed tax levy. Sarah Slaby, the districts director of finance, proposed a 2.45 percent increase to last years levy during Thursdays school board meeting. Among other things, Slaby cited the need for additional health and safety funding in the district. The increase would total $314,000 for district homeowners, and will be voted on Dec. 21. If the levy increases, that may not mean an increase in total revenue for the district, said Slaby, explaining the states process for allocating both state dollars and local tax dollars to school districts. It may just mean the state is picking up less of that particular category of revenue. WAPS is facing $1.7 million in budget cuts next spring and must continue cutting over the next few years. The district cant simply hike up its tax levy in hopes of remedying its budget shortfall, however, since the state determines how much school districts can tax their residents. Voters would have to approve an increase to the districts operating levy for such a hike to happen. I cannot just go into the levy and add $1 million worth of revenue to make all of our problems go away, Slaby said. It doesnt work that way. Board member Steve Schild noted that the district only receives $1.7 million annually for deferred maintenance costs, including both state and local dollars. Since a few of the districts elementary schools are 80 years old, and since the district has roughly $62 million in deferred maintenance needs, that money doesnt go far. Seeking Plan B after failed referendum, Winona school board remains split Winona Area Public Schools board members disagree on how they should address the districts The school board has been accused of neglecting facilities and neglecting to spend money, Schild said. Its not neglect if you dont spend money that you dont have. Member Jeanne Nelson said it might be time to ask voters to increase the districts operating levy, adding that board members would need to be thoughtful in how they approach the public. The districts most recent referendum in November united many Winonans against the boards vision to close and consolidate elementary schools. As a taxpayer, I always ask myself: How much extra do I want to kick in? Whats reasonable? Whats responsible? Nelson said. We want to be very prudent and lean in our spending, but we need to be lean in a wise way. We could ask for the moon, but is that the best use of our taxpayer money? Without specific notice to the public, a committee last week approved a new policy that establishes how Sauk County government employees should address complaints and report fraud. The Sauk County Boards Personnel Committee voted 3-0, with two members absent, to approve the policy during a Dec. 1 meeting. It happened during a portion of the meeting set aside for Department Updates. County leaders say they believe that action was properly noticed under the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law. An attorney and open government advocate disagrees. The updates appear monthly at the end of each personnel committee meeting agenda, after more specific discussion or action items. They typically include information from Personnel Director Michelle Posewitz, such as her monthly report, a recruitment update and a policy or ordinance update, during which the committee may discuss issues on the horizon. Posewitz who prepared the Dec. 1 meeting agenda said she believes the item Policies/Ordinance Update was an adequate description of what was going to occur at the meeting. She has included policy updates in the Department Updates section of previous agendas as well, but no action has been taken in those instances. The newly approved policy establishes a series of steps for resolving employee complaints. It also says the county will contract with an outside firm to accept anonymous reports of fraud and ethical issues. Sauk County believes in as much openness as possible, Posewitz wrote in an email. While I believe the agenda item was appropriate, we will try to be more specific in the future. Its not clear what the discussion at the meeting entailed. The county has a system for recording meetings, but the personnel committee is one of several bodies that does not use the system. A Madison attorney with expertise in open government law said she does not believe the agenda item met legal requirements. Case law is pretty clear that when you have a new item that the public wouldnt likely anticipate, then the notice should be especially specific to signal to the public that there is something that may be of interest that will be discussed or voted on, said attorney Christa Westerberg, co-vice president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council. Westerberg represented the Baraboo News Republic in a 2011 records lawsuit against the county. A Wisconsin Open Meetings Law compliance guide produced by the Wisconsin Department of Justice sets forth guidelines for agenda items on which a committee may take action. The guide says information in the notice must be sufficient to alert the public to the importance of the meeting, so that they can make an informed decision whether to attend. Supervisor David Moore of Wisconsin Dells, a member of the personnel committee, said he thinks the Dec. 1 agenda was sufficient. And if members of the public want to know whats happening in government, he said, they need to get involved. Its one thing to sit back and scream about our right to know, Moore said. Its another thing to exercise our responsibility to find out. Moore said if agenda items are too specific, that can limit discussion, and broad discussions lead to better ideas. I would disagree with that, Westerberg said. The idea of the Open Meetings Law is you dont post a notice that is so broad that its possible for anything to be discussed. Posewitz said the county has not yet contracted with an outside firm to handle anonymous fraud reports. Administrative Coordinator Alene Kleczek Bolin is working on those specifics, she said. Medical missionaries to Haiti have delivered more than health care over the past two decades: Theyve provided hope. This year, the Haiti Medical Mission of Wisconsin is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Each year, several teams of volunteers from the Baraboo area visit a remote part of the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere to offer much-needed medical care. They also prove to the people of Thiotte their plight is recognized and worthy of response. Thats all we want as human beings, to know that we matter, nurse Kathy Roberg said. Shes among several volunteers who have made more than 10 mission trips to Haiti. Teams of doctors, nurses and other volunteers perform surgeries, offer preventive care and provide health education. The Haiti Medical Mission grew out of a parish twinning program that paired St. Cecilias of Wisconsin Dells with a church in Thiotte. St. Josephs in Baraboo later joined in the effort to provide basic medical care. At the time, the community 50 miles from the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince was served by a doctor who visited monthly and charged exorbitant rates. Missionaries from the Dells, Baraboo and the Sauk Prairie area began taking medical supplies, spending weeks at a time providing care. Its a miracle to them, said Dr. John Tony DeGiovanni, a Sauk Prairie area surgeon who has made 17 trips to Haiti. Over time, the mission added eye and dental care. In 2001, it won a grant to buy land for a clinic across the street from the church, and later added a secondary facility housing an obstetrics unit, pharmacy and eye clinic. The main clinic operates year-round, employing 25 Haitian staff. Were the only significant medical facility in that portion of Haiti, DeGiovanni said. Each year, the nonprofit generates $300,000 in cash and in-kind donations. Medical volunteers have donated care valued at more than $2 million. Theyve done so at considerable cost. Most missionaries use vacation time to make the trip, and spend nearly $2,000 on travel and personal expenses. Its a very expensive gift, Roberg said. Everybodys commitment is huge. The mission provides medication and supplies, and also pays for Jeep rental and interpreters fees. It costs a lot of money to send a team, Dr. Maureen Murphy of Baraboo said. The mission helps support the clinic financially, and welcomes donations for that purpose. But providing hands-on help means more to the giver and receiver than sending a check. The Haitians really treasure our presence there, Murphy said. Clinic staff and missionaries treat 8,000 patients and deliver 300 babies annually. Thanks to clinic staff making house calls, the 160,000 people living around Thiotte have a higher vaccination rate than some parts of the U.S. They have so little, and they are such happy and grateful people, Roberg said. There are still needs to be met. The area has inadequate sanitation and limited access to clean water. Driving the 50 miles from the capital to Thiotte along riverbeds takes four hours. If we get to the point we run out of money, its been a good run, Murphy said. Well do it as long as we can. Anyone looking to help can send a check or sign up for the next trip to Haiti. Weve had different people step up and give more than you thought anyone would be able to, Murphy said. Weve given people hope. After earning the Baraboo School Districts Excellence in Education Award in May, Damion Beth sought to use his $1,300 stipend in a way that would benefit his current and future students. Previous award winners have spent the money on field trips, conferences and seminars, but the high school math teacher wanted to use the award for something different. I wanted to do something that wasnt just a one-time thing for my kids, he said. Beth said he heard about new programming technology that had been developed by Texas Instruments and thought it would be a good use of the money. He purchased 12 TI-Innovator Hubs and wiring kits for his classroom, as well as two TI-Innovator Rovers that can be programmed to complete various functions using the hub and a TI calculator. The Innovator Hub is similar to a lot of the stuff they use in computer science, Beth said. Theyre trying to make it more accessible to more students without necessarily having to know all of the ins and outs of the tech behind it. By plugging command codes into the calculator, students can program the rover to flash LED lights in different colors, play sounds, move in various directions and complete a host of other functions. The rover also has an ultrasonic sensor in front, so it can be programmed to avoid obstructions. Beth said the educational activities using the rovers already have gotten his students thinking about real-world applications for the technology. I put this out for the kids, and they were talking about Roombas or the whole autonomous car business, he said. This is a really bare-bones version, but its the idea of all of the sensors that need to be available. The Excellence in Education Award is given annually to a secondary teacher in the district who has distinguished themselves as exemplary teacher and has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and dedication to the young people of the Baraboo community. The award is provided by the Baraboo High School class of 1956 through an endowment fund with the Greater Sauk County Community Foundation. Robin Whyte, associate director of the Community Foundation, said Beth used his stipend in a way that is consistent with the awards purpose, which is to provide professional development or an educational enrichment activity. It was original, exciting and innovative, she said. Its wonderful to see the different directions that teachers take with the gift every year, and were happy to have been here to manage the fund that makes the award possible. Beth said he plans to use the new technologies in his advanced placement calculus and geometry courses in the future. He said the equipment could give students a head start at learning the concepts that drive modern technologies. With the way society is moving and where technology is going, you have to figure this out, Beth said. When your phone doesnt send or receive a text message immediately, theres a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes thats making this work. To have that appreciation and exposure means a lot to the kids. If theres one thing that will unite all age groups, its cookies. Portage High School students and preschoolers from The Little School seemed equally enthused about the holiday treats Wednesday the 17th year the schools decorated cookies before Christmas. Im pretty sure everyone likes cookies, junior Max Monfort said. In Jane Hemmings Baking and Pastries classroom, Monfort is one of several students who had participated in the activity as a preschooler. It sets the bar for who you want to be when you grow up, he said, remembering his experience. When youre little, the only thing you want to become is older, explained sophomore Katleyn Belleau, another former student of the preschool. Belleau and her 25 peers on Wednesday worked alongside 18 Little School students in the classroom kitchen making the cookies, frosting them and topping them with rainbow sprinkles and sugar crystals. Her favorite part of the days activity was seeing the preschool students overcome their shyness. Its fun to help them but its especially fun to watch them do this, Belleau said. You get to see their different personalities come out. Little School student Ellie Zacek enjoyed the field trip because we baked cookies. A snowman-shaped cookie was Lucy Johnsons favorite because it just is. My favorite holiday is Christmas, Zacek added. And Halloween. Little School teacher Tana Olsen typically wont tell her students about the activity until two days beforehand, she said, since the excitement for the activity gets so high. Earlier that day, Little School teachers overheard one student comment, These kids are 800 pounds. For some of them, its their first time in the high school, Olsen said. They come in here pretty quiet, but they leave with lots of confidence. They make new friends, saying goodbye and hugging them. Hemming has been part of the activity from its beginning the first when her daughter, Addison, went to Little School. Addison is now in college, studying to be a teacher, she said. Its a circle, said Olsen, whose grandson, Landon Ostrowski, is a Little School student this year. Many parents of current Little School students went to the school established in Portage about 30 years ago when they were kids, Olsen noted. For the big kids, the activity is about doing something for someone else, Hemming said. It brings them back to when they were young the fascination of being little. For the little kids, It brings out a whole new side of them. Its fun to see them get creative, Monfort said. Belleau said, It seems like theyll always look up to you. Sprinkles, Olsen said. It works every time. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page The capital city of Tajikistan is called Dushanbe. The name means Monday in the local Tajik dialect. Traditionally, every Monday the locals met to conduct trade in the region. Gradually the town developed into the capital city and officially retained the name. It is located near Rivers Varzob and Kafenion. History of Dushanbe Dushanbe has evolved from a small village market to a capital city in the last century. Initially known as Dyushambe, the city was the home of the Khanate of Bukhara before fleeing to Afghanistan to avoid the Red Army. After the Red Forces took over the area, civilization began with railway construction by the Soviet. Farming activities, among them cotton and silk growing, was introduced by the Soviet Union, attracting many immigrants to the city. There was a conducive atmosphere for trade, though this was interrupted in 1990 after word spread that Russia was planning to bring in some refugees from Armenia. Riots and protests led to the destruction of the infrastructure between 1992 and 1997 during the civil war. The riots dwarfed the growth of the city. Economy and Demographics The city is in one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet countries. The five-year war between 1992 and 1997 led to the destruction of property and scared away investors. Revenue from the agricultural sector encouraged rural-urban migration leading to congestion and poverty in the city. Industrialization is not well established since there is no reliable power. The government is trying to promote tourism through the construction of modern malls, theatres, and hotels. Commuting across the city is by unreliable public transport. Nevertheless, the streets have no traffic jams and available parking is plenty. Population growth has been rapid in the last twenty years due to peace and investments made by Russia. The city has over 800,000 people of which the Tajiks make up to 75%. Other than Tajik, Russian is also used a major language. Islam is the dominant religion. The city is home to people of different nationalities due to the humanitarian organizations that camped there during the war. Administration in Dushanbe The city is managed by the mayor. Dushanbe is also the administrative center of the country. It hosts the state house, the parliament, and offices of international bodies. The head office of the ruling party (Peoples Democratic Party) is located in the city. This building is called the Vahdat Palace. Places to Visit in Tajikistan's Capital City There are places that are a must visit when traveling to this growing city. These places include the National Museum, The Dushanbe Zoo, and attractive physical features such as Lake Alexander, the Fann Mountains, the Rudaki Statue, and the Boghi Poytakht Park. The Future of Dushanbe The city has been the focus of the government since independence in 1991. Many investments have been done, especially infrastructural developments including roads, airport, and hotels. The government has improved security and reduced the corporate tax to encourage investors. The city's mayor is focusing on job creation through empowering small and micro enterprises. The city is also host to modern electronics and textile making corporations. Thailands Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-o-cha visited President Trump at the White House on Monday night. The meeting marked the first time the Thai junta leader has been welcomed to the United States since the 2014 coup, indicating an open embrace of the repressive military regime. Their conversations centered on strengthening military and trade relationships. Commenting before the private meeting, Prayuth stated the need for security defense cooperation, referring both to the juntas expansion of the domestic military apparatus and Washingtons need for regional alliances. Thailand officials reaffirmed their support for Washingtons aggressive confrontation with North Korea, including the crippling UN sanctions. The Trump administration has been pressing the Thai regime to end all financial and trade relations involving North Korea. The mounting confrontation with North Korea is part of broader efforts throughout the region to undermine the influence of China, including in Thailand. US officials have called for boosting economic relations with Thailand. Thai diplomats and corporate representatives have presented investment plans aimed at expanding financial ties and trade. In line with America First protectionism, Trump called for Thailand to import more US goods, extracting a promise from Prayuth to boost annual purchases of coal to 50,00060,000 tonnes. Trump and Prayuth barely touched issues of democratic rights, including the juntas ongoing political repression and the militarys ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya minority in neighbouring Burma (Myanmar). In its three years of power, the Thai junta has imposed its own constitutional rule which undermines the rights to assembly and free speech, limits access to information criticizing the government, and hands unlimited powers to the cabinet. Prayuths government has continued to delay promised national elections, while suppressing opposition and dissent. Since the coup, at least 80 people have been tried for peaceful assembly, 27 have charged with criticizing the regime and another 56 for criticizing the royal monarchy. Over the past month, the pro-junta courts have protected those responsible for the 2010 military crackdown on protesters while imposing a five-year jail term on former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on trumped up corruption charges. Yingluck fled overseas before the guilty verdict was handed down. Trumps dropping of any, even nominal, criticism of the Thai juntas repressive methods and his welcoming of Prayuth to the White House will only encourage the regime to intensify its crackdown on critics and opponents. Defending Trumps actions, the right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation declared, We need to be concerned about human rights and democracy, but it cant dictate our relationships with our allies. Trump described Washingtons relationship with Thailand as very strong... [and] getting stronger in the last nine months. The White House regards Thailand as a critical element in pulling Southeast Asian nations away from China and more firmly into the US camp. In August, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia to initiate the discussions on military and economic alliances. Trump plans to attend the Association of South East Asian Nations summit in November. Trumps strengthening of ties with the Thai junta is a continuation of the policy of the previous Obama administration. During the political turmoil in 2014, the US government maintained its support of the military even as it prepared to oust Yingluck Shinawatra and her elected government. When General Prayuth seized power and cracked down on all opposition, the Obama administration issued limited criticisms and reduced but did not cut off military ties. The US announced an immediate suspension of $3.5 million in military aid and a reduction in military exercises, but left the most vital programs intact. Economic relations remained untouched, and, in fact, were strengthened over the last two years of Obamas time in office. Although the former administration never invited the junta leaders to the White House, it aimed to maintain and develop military relations in all possible ways. The Obama administrations expressions of concern for democratic rights and calls for a new election were utterly cynical. As part of the pivot to Asia against China, Obama was above all concerned to assert US geostrategic, political, and economic interests in a counter-offensive against Chinas growing economic and military influence. Like other countries in the region, Thailand has sought to balance between the US and China. The Thai military, however, has longstanding connections with the US. In the wake of the reduction in American military aid, Thailand increased its military ties with China, causing concern in the United States, Japan, and ASEAN. Trump has dropped the cosmetic facade of human rights and cautious language as he seeks to strengthen relations with the Thai military regime. His welcoming of the coup leader Prayuth to the White House underscores the administrations embrace of authoritarianism and militarism both at home and abroad. Jason Kenney, a former top minister in Stephen Harpers federal Conservative government, has emerged at the head of a new formation in Alberta which unites traditional conservatives and far-right forces drawn from the religious and libertarian right. The United Conservative Party (UCP) represents a further shift to the right in Alberta politics and is a sign of mounting regional tensions within the Canadian bourgeoisie. The UCP emerged out of the fusion of the Progressive Conservatives (PC), which until 2015 had ruled the province uninterrupted for four decades, and the ultra-rightwing Wildrose Party. Wildrose was established in 2008, bringing together former Reform Party elements, social conservatives, and disgruntled PC members. Under conditions of the global economic crisis, Wildrose campaigned for even harsher austerity measures than those adopted by the PCs, including deep cuts to government spending and even lower corporate and income taxes for the wealthy to enhance the so-called Alberta advantage. Wildrose also expressed the regionalist current within sections of big business in Western Canada. It denounced equalization, the system under which the federal government transfers money to provinces with lower per capita incomes so as to ensure basic equivalence in health care and other public services across the country. In practice, Alberta, due to its vibrant oil and natural gas sector, has long been a net contributor to equalization, while Quebec, the Atlantic provinces and in recent years Ontario have benefited from the federal transfers. Kenney beat former Wildrose leader Brian Jean in the UCP leadership race. But on all essential points, they were equally right-wing. All the candidates running for the UCP leadership made it perfectly clear that, in the name of reviving Albertas economy, which since 2014 has been battered by the collapse in world oil prices, they would further slash taxes for big business and gore social spending, including by cutting health and education jobs. Kenney has promised to implement a 20 percent cross-the-board cut in public spending, and has said that a UCP government would freeze or partially roll back the provincial minimum wage which is slated to rise to $15 per hour by October 2018. Jean likewise called for massive social spending cuts and a minimum wage freeze, while third-place finisher, Calgary lawyer Doug Schweitzer, advocated rolling the minimum wage back to $12.20 per hour. Out of Albertas working-age population of 2.9 million, currently 300,000 people, or more than 10 percent, earn less than $15 an hour. Kenney has made no secret of his intention to whip up Alberta First regionalism and to make Anglo-chauvinist, anti-Quebec appeals, akin to those of the former Reform Party, as part of a crusade to advance Western Canadian corporate interests, especially Big Oil. He has denounced the current equalization formula as unfair to Alberta; pledged to defy the federal governments carbon tax program and to otherwise stand up to Justin Trudeau; and said a UCP government will take aggressive measures to force the building of pipelines to bring Alberta oil to tidewater, including possibly withholding energy shipments to British Columbia. Kenneys stance is reminiscent of that of the Peter Lougheed-led Progressive Conservative government, which in the early 1980s fought against Justin Trudeaus father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and his Liberal governments National Energy Program to secure the world-oil price for Albertas oil barons and exclusive provincial control over oil royalties. The one key difference is that today economic conditions are even more unstable, within Canada and around the world, meaning that the frictions between the various regional factions of Canadas ruling elite are even more explosive. The emergence of new right-wing parties and political figuresdriven by the deepening global capitalist crisis, and exploiting popular anger with both the traditional conservative parties and the pro-war, pro-austerity establishment left is an international phenomenon. It finds its most prominent expression in Donald Trumps ascendancy to the US presidency, but also in the strengthening of neo-fascist parties in Europe like Frances Front National and the Alternative for Germany. Kenneys own political record and trajectory make him an ideal candidate to lead such a right-wing formation. A social conservative, he opposes abortion rights and makes targeted appeals to anti-gay bigotry. He was a pillar of Harpers decade-long government, which slashed public spending and pursued an aggressive militarist foreign policy. He was Harpers parliamentary secretary, then from 2008 to 2013 Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. He used the latter post to clamp down on refugee rights and stir up Islamophobia. He also had a brief spell in 2015 as Defence Minister, which saw him advocate a hardline approach to Russia over Ukraine and a ruthless waging of the Mideast war in Iraq and Syria in the name of combatting terrorism. Notwithstanding the provincial New Democratic Party (NDP) governments total subservience to big business, the dominant sections of the ruling elite in Alberta, including Big Oil and agribusiness interests, are determined to bring a UCP government to power in 2019. The merger of the PCs and Wildrose, a process often interrupted by internal bickering, was encouraged by pressure from big business for the right to get its act together and overwhelmingly favourable media coverage. That such a reactionary, anti-working class party is now the prohibitive favourite to come to power at the next Alberta election is entirely due to the NDPs rotten right-wing record. The hundreds of thousands of workers and youth who took the NDP at its word when it promised in 2015 to provide a genuine alternative to decades of conservative rule have been sorely disappointed. Prior to the last election, NDP leader Rachel Notley vowed to conduct a review on the royalty rates of the big oil companies, increase taxes on the wealthy, create new jobs for the working class and curb the environmentally destructive exploitation of the Alberta tar sands. As soon as the NDP took power, Notley abandoned any talk of opposition to pipelines and established a panel stuffed with oil industry executives on royalties which decided to leave them untouched. Conservative columnist Don Braid once aptly observed, Premier Rachel Notley didnt just extend an olive branch to oil and gas leaders ... she brought the whole tree and shook it, raining down petals of praise and friendship. Successive NDP budgets slashed spending on critical public and social services, even as the provinces economy was reeling from the oil price collapse and tens of thousands of workers found themselves unemployed. On November 28, NDP Finance Minister Joe Ceci delivered a budget update in which he demanded that the unions representing provincial civil servants, teachers, hospital and other public sector workers accept a pay freeze and a job-cutting hiring freeze until September 2019. The emergence of Kenney at the head of the UCP has only encouraged the NDP to move even further to the right so as to demonstrate its loyalty to the corporate elite. In a speech given to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on November 24, Notley opened with the remark, allegedly delivered in jest, I spent the earlier part of the week out in Ontario. You know, the home of those eastern bastards. She went on to pledge to do all she could to ensure the energy sector can get its products to market, a message which won her a standing ovation. Even the former interim leader of the United Conservative Party Ric McIver, noted that Notley sounded a lot like Jason Kenney or like a UCP member and she actually talked about the overreach of the National Energy Board, something she has taken from Jason Kenney and the United Conservative Party's playbook. Under these conditions, the maintenance of the NDPs authority depends increasingly on the duplicitous role being played by pseudo-left groups like Fightback, which despite its professions to be a Marxist tendency functions as a loyal NDP faction. The Fightback editorial board issued a statement shortly after Kenneys election to the UCP leadership which laughably declared that the NDP, a right-wing pro-capitalist party is organically tied to the working class! Grassroots mobilization of the Alberta NDP rank-and-file, the trade unions and community organizations of the working class should be initiated immediately, proclaimed Fightback. Rank-and-file members of the Alberta NDP should not just be mobilized during the election for phone arounds and door knocking, as is often the case, but involved in organizing meetings and forums to oppose the right wing Workers and youth need to be mobilized now, and called on to organize around bold socialist policies and the need to break decisively with capitalism. There is more chance of a frost-free winter in Alberta than there is of the NDP ever leading a working-class challenge to austerity , let alone fighting for socialist policies. Fightbacks function is to employ radical-sounding rhetoric to prevent what it, together with its NDP allies, most fears: the emergence of an independent political movement of the working class. It is only through the construction of such a movement, in irreconcilable struggle against the NDP and all of its left hangers-on, that the rise of Kenney and the far right more broadly can be defeated. Late last month, it was revealed that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos personal wealth had exceeded the $100 billion mark after Black Friday shopping sales drove Amazon stock to new heights. Bezos is now the richest man on Earth, surpassing the former-richest man, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, by over $10 billion. When reporters for the International Amazon Workers Voice interviewed part-time Amazon associates (a cheap euphemism for employees used to disguise the exploitative relationship between workers and management at the company) in Baltimore to discuss their attitude toward Bezos fortune, they were met with a torrent of disgust, calls for sharing the wealth, and social anger. Tell Mr. Bezos and the rest of management to come out of their offices and get on the shop floor said one worker who identified herself as a single mother of two. At the end of the day, they never feel what we go through in a day for $12 an hour. They get to sit down in their offices and get paid more than we will see in a year, she said. Bezos wealth typifies the way an increasingly small number of multi-billionaire CEOs and finance operatives extract ever more obscene sums from the international workforce. This process of ever-increasing wealth for the few and exploitation for the majority is reaching a political breaking point. Explaining her work environment during the holidays, the working mother said, they just had us move 100,000 packages in 5 hours, and at the end we arent even paid enough to take care of our kids. Im a single mother, I dont receive food stamps. My rent is $850 a month. I have to pay for gas, electricity, bus passes, plus raise two kids. If we decided to quit, who would move these packages out of the door? she said, noting the social power of the workers employed by the company. We are the ones making you rich. A worker named S. in Baltimore readily agreed with the IAWVs call for expropriating Bezos wealth, stating that she and her fellow workers were overworked and underpaid. S. found the WSWS figures showing that world hunger could be eliminated with a mere fraction of Bezos fortune particularly sickening. Dozens of other workers stopped to take leaflets, many rhetorically asking wheres our cut? as they passed by. Bezos is not alone in the super-exploitation of the working population. According to a study published by the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) last month, more than half the wealth in the United States is monopolized by just three individuals, an unprecedented demonstration of the USs oligarchic character. Amazon has selected Baltimore as a shipping hub for its merchandise. Last month, reports surfaced showing that Amazon was looking to build its fourth distribution center in the Baltimore region, this time on the site of the old Bethlehem Steel mill, at one point the largest steel manufacturing plant in the world. Utilizing Baltimore for its history in the shipping and manufacturing industries, Amazon is taking advantage of the depressed citys population in order to create a low-paid and hyper-exploited workforce. Its very, very tough. Were treated like a robot in that place, said another worker, who did not want to give his name for fear of retribution. The worker stated that he opposed many of Amazons policies, such as needing to have time, if you want to get off. If I have zero hours left to take sick leave, and I get sick, they will not let me go home. I will be fired, he stated, adding that hed seen people get really sick while working and still not be allowed to leave. Glen, a worker for a temp agency that has a contract with Amazon, said he felt lucky to be one of the few people able to work full time through his temp agency. Other workers are taken on in seasonal cycles and most can only hope for full time work. Glen was shocked at the news of Bezos $100 billion: Workers out here are robbing Peter to pay Paul, but hes got all that money. Glen felt that workers needed to do something but felt that unionizing makes no difference. They always serve the employers, help them use and abuse the workers, or shut them up when they want change. An IAWV reporter explained that workers needed to build new organizations of workers to replace the old unions in order to prosecute their interests, in addition to a complete political break with both parties. As it was recently noted by the World Socialist Web Site in a perspective about Bezos ill-gotten wealth, The accumulation of such immense wealth is proof that the conditions for the socialist transformation of the world are pregnant in the present situation. The International Amazon Workers Voice calls on all Amazon workers to write in to the site in order form rank and file workers committees to take forward the struggle against the exploitation at their company as well as work to unite the entire working class internationally against the capitalist system as a whole. The European Union (EU) will likely allow the UK to move on to the next stage of discussion on the terms of Brexit, focusing on a future trading relationship. President Jean-Claude Juncker signed a 15-page progress report yesterday, allowing EU negotiators to recommend negotiations proceed next week. This followed UK Prime Minister Theresa Mays decision to accept all the central conditions demanded by the EU. Fridays early morning meeting between May and Juncker took place after hours of horse-trading with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the main unionist party in Northern Ireland, to arrive at a formulation also acceptable to the Republic of Irelandan EU member state. In the process, May fudged the question of relations between Northern Ireland and the Republic in a way that gives the Democratic Unionist Party the ability to determine the viability of any final agreement reached. May first went to Brussels on Monday, but could not secure an agreement with Juncker because the DUPon whose 10 MPs the Conservatives rely for a majority--rejected a formulation designed to prevent the establishment of a hard customs border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. The DUP regarded Mays proposed negotiating position--that there would be regulatory alignment with the EU post-Brexitas a threat to Northern Irelands unity with the rest of the UK. A subsequent declaration by Brexit Secretary David Davis that this formula would apply to the whole of the EU, did not satisfy DUP leader Arlene Foster, who insisted on six substantive amendments to the proposed agreement. The most important are contained in paragraphs 49 and 50, which seek to satisfy all negotiating partiesDublin, Belfast and Brusselsalong with hard-line Brexiteers and former Remainers in the Tory Party. Paragraph 49 now explains that the UK is committed to leaving the Single European Market and the Customs Union, while "avoiding a hard border." Even if no agreement can be reached, the UK will maintain full alignment with those rules of the Internal Market and the Customs Union which, now or in the future, support North-South cooperation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 [Good Friday] Agreement." Paragraph 50, insisted on by the DUP, states that there will be no new regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK and that the UK will continue to ensure the same unfettered access to Northern Ireland's businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market." This is effectively a pledge for a soft Brexit, i.e., the UK leaving the single market and customs union while securing a deal that gives unfettered access to European markets. Paragraph 49 might speak of specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland, but regulatory alignment, as Davis made clear, is a policy for the entire UK--even in the absence of agreed solutions. May has essentially agreed that this means accepting EU trade rules--with all that this implies for other aspects of EU legislation. The hard-Brexit wing of the Tories, including Davis, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, have nevertheless welcomed the deal. This is in tacit recognition that European trade is vital to the UK and is a primary concern of finance and business circles, who would respond ruthlessly to any political brinksmanship at this dangerous stage. For the same reason they have made no substantive criticism of Mays other concessions to the EU which have crossed every red line they once proclaimed as the reason for Brexit. The progress report puts paid to nationalist Brexit pledges that the UK would free itself from EU judicial authority and halt EU immigration. The authority of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) is upheld--firstly over preserving the rights of EU citizens now living in the UK who are guaranteed the right to stay, along with their partners and children. However, the ECJ is accepted as the ultimate arbiter of the interpretation of union law, so that UK courts must have due regard to relevant decisions of the ECJ after departure from the EU for at least another eight years. According to EU council president Donald Tusk, this also includes all ECJ rulings made during the specified two-year transition phase after departure. Even after the eight years, he added, future participation in EU programmes will require the UK to respect all relevant union legal provision. According to British officials involved in the talks, the divorce settlement agreed with the EU is estimated to be between 40 and 45 billion. The UK is committed to honouring outstanding EU liabilities over at least a decade, as if it remained a member state. Writing in the Financial Times, Philip Stephens was scathing, describing a humiliating and yet wholly predictable rendezvous with reality. He predicted that in phase two the discussions on a framework for the future relationship will be more brutal still. Stephens attributes this to fundamental asymmetry between the UK and the EU that has emptied of all meaning any description of the process as a balanced negotiation. This is the scenario feared by the most powerful sections of the British bourgeoisie, which opposed Brexit in the June 2016 referendum. Many in ruling circles hope that Brexit can be stopped, or at least that the EU will agree terms that are not punitive due to mutual economic and political interests. Prior to the renewal of talks, Juncker made it known that he would do all he could to secure an agreement as he feared May would not survive. Germany was made more anxious by its own political crisis, with Chancellor Angela Merkel seeking a renewed grand coalition with the Social Democrats to form a government. But the EU is setting an agenda in its own interests and not those of the UK. Tensions between the imperialist powers will inevitably deepen, particularly if the government continues efforts to play off its alliance with the Trump administration in the US against Berlin and Paris. The speech this month by Germanys acting foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel, urging European nations to define our own position and, if necessary, draw red lines in relation to the US, underscores the dilemma facing British imperialism. With Gabriel warning that as a matter of course the EU will be seen as a competitor by Washington, the UKs efforts to straddle the Atlantic cannot be met favourably. The EU will insist that Britain decide where its political, economic and ultimately its military loyalties lie. In such conditions, no one should believe that the pro-Brexit wing of the Tories has surrendered to the inevitable collapse of their perspective. Foster has expressed the DUPs continued reservations about the final text, stressing how she had cautioned the Prime Minister about proceeding with this agreement in its present form given the issues which still need to be resolved and the views expressed to us by many of her own party colleagues [emphasis added]. She pledged to work with like-mind colleagues across the House of Commons and said, Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed The leading figures in the far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP), all with close relations to President Donald Trump and his fascistic adviser, Steven Bannon, were scathing. Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has urged the Tories to move against May. His co-thinker and financial backer, Arron Banks, urged, If anyone in the Conservative party has any integrity or sense of duty left, we call on them now to save Brexit by triggering a leadership contest. Tory backbenchers, get writing to the 1922 Committee and help save your country. She has got to go. President Donald Trump has picked Anne Marie Buerkle, a Republican from the state of New York, to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Buerkle, a former nurse, congresswoman and attorney, has an extensive record of siding with corporations on product safety issues. The CPSC is tasked with ensuring that consumer products are not unsafe or hazardous to peoples health. The agency is charged with monitoring over 15,000 types of products, from childrens clothing to toys, lawn mowers and all-terrain vehicles. The CPSC is responsible for enforcing safety regulations on products and ordering fines or recalls when necessary. Buerkle was appointed as a commissioner to the agency in 2013 by President Barack Obama and became acting chairman in February 2017. Nominated by Trump in July, it is likely that Buerkle will be confirmed as CPSC chair by the Senate. Just as Donald Trump and many in his administration, Buerkle is a proponent of voluntary regulations. She spouts the corporate line that collaborating with manufacturers is the best way to regulate dangerous products, in lieu of fines or recalls. Buerkle maintains that safety is her top priority, but argues that the CPSC became too emotionally reactive under Obama. In her time on the commission, Buerkle opposed limiting carbon monoxide emissions for portable generators, opposed requiring safety technology on table saws, and rejected imposing fines on companies that delayed reporting hazards to the CPSC, as required by law. She has close ties to the industries over which she would have jurisdiction. She hired Patricia Hanz, an attorney for Briggs & Stratton Corp., as the CPSCs general counsel. Briggs & Stratton is the worlds largest producer of gasoline engines for power equipment and a leading maker of power generators. The corporation has been fighting the CPSCs requirement to reduce carbon monoxide emissions in portable generators. Buerkle was the only commissioner who rejected a proposal to force manufacturers to cut carbon monoxide emissions, which are responsible for 849 non-fire deaths from 2005 through 2016, according to the CPSC. She also voted against regulating the use of flame retardants--known to interfere with fetal development, alter brain function and raise the risk of cancer and reproductive problems--in clothing, furniture, electronics and other goods. At a September meeting where the commission was asked to limit the use of flame retardants, Buerkle voted no. In October, Buerkle was the only commissioner to vote against recalling all Zen Magnets--small magnets that, if swallowed by children, can cling together in the intestines and cut off blood flow. Buerkle indicated that she would support only a limited recall. Along with Buerkle, Dana Baiocco is a nominee for a position on the CPSC. Baiocco, a former attorney, helped settle cases involving toys with lead paint, and represented Yamaha in lawsuits regarding rollovers of some of its off-road vehicles. The consumer agency reported nearly 60 fatalities, along with amputations and other injuries, involving three models of one of the companys vehicles. Refugees from Afghanistan were herded onto a plane December 6 and flown from the German airport in Frankfurt-Main to Kabul. Several hundred demonstrators had assembled at the airport to protest against people being deported back to a war zone. The protesters numbering over 800 demanded a right to remain for all. No border, no nation! Stop deportation! echoed throughout Terminal 1 of the airport, followed by: Say it loud, say it clear: refugees are welcome here! A few hours earlier, the German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere (CDU) declared the government was sticking to its policy of deportations to Afghanistan. The German government has been organising these inhumane deportations for one year. Since December 2016, Germany has deported 128 men to Afghanistan in seven separate actions. Another deportation flight to Pakistan was scheduled for the same day and the government is now even permitting deportations to Syria. Responsibility for the deportations from Frankfurt lies with the government of the state of Hesse, a coalition of parties which includes the Greens. A large banner with the text: The Greens in Hesse are deporting was carried through the airport hall. Sarmina Stuman from the Afghan Refugee Movement had issued the appeal for the demonstration. We have been protesting against these deportations for a year now. Deportation to Afghanistan means deportation to death, she said, pointing out that even Kabul Airport was bombed recently. The US Army is increasing its troop numbers, and the German army has been involved in the war for over 15 years. The US alone dropped an average of eleven bombs a day in Afghanistan from January to September this year. That]s a total of 3,238 bombs in just nine months, not to mention dropping the MOAB, the largest non-nuclear bomb ever, Sarmina said. Does this sound like a peace mission? This does not even include the bombs of other armies, nor the attacks, kidnappings, killings, beheadings, etc., etc... At present deportations are limited to alleged criminal offenders and perpetrators and people who refuse to reveal their identity. Such criminal offences, however, could include riding public transport without a ticket or leaving the region assigned to refugees. In addition, there are always people on the plane who are guilty of nothing, declared Sina Mierendorf of Noborder Frankfurt. To applause, Ramin Mohabat told demonstrators: The lives of people who have committed crimes are also worth protecting. Why do you have to deport them to Afghanistan? It's been at war for 16 years. He reports that an acquaintance of his, who had returned from Europe, was dragged off a bus and beheaded by Taliban fighters on his way from Kabul to Herat because he had no beard and wore western clothes. Ramin is a journalist and had brought along a great deal of material about the conditions in Afghanistan, but, he said the deportation authorities were not interested. He himself had also received notice of deportation. All young refugees from Afghanistan are now getting deportation orders, Ramin said. He was only able to resist his order through a public campaign. The loud demonstration continued to crisscross the airport. Many protesters bore hand-written posters with slogans highlighting the absurdity of the situation, such as, Afghanistan is safe, and the earth is flat. Not many travelers responded. One younger man, sitting on several suitcases, looked interested and said, Im on your side. The deportations are wrong. Others were told in English what was taking place. A number of pilots stop to observe the demonstration. According to the WDR radio and television station, many pilots have refused to carry out deportation flights. Up until September there were 222 cases of pilots refusing to deport refugees. The demonstration made a number of stops and short reports were given by young Afghans via microphone confirming what Ramin said: At the moment, young men seem to be receiving indiscriminate deportation orders. An 18-year-old reported that he had been living in Hesse for two years, had found work and taken both language and driving lessons. Two months ago I received a letter stating my application to stay had been rejected, he said. His world had collapsed. Hassan, another speaker, says he was able to first receive schooling in Germany. It was only here that I got a future. If I am deported to Afghanistan it is a totally foreign country for me. Jeremias, a monk representing the Bavarian Refugee Council, grabbed the microphone. The Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hermann (CSU) has accused the Refugee Council of advising refugees to go underground. On its web site, the Council states that it strictly rejects deportations to Afghanistan and considers its task to be to warn and advise affected refugees against deportation. Jeremias talks about a young man, an Afghan from Bayreuth, who was summoned at nine in the morning to the Central Immigration Office. He was arrested immediately to be deported the same night. He was neither a criminal or a danger. He was not even allowed to take with him documents to which he was entitled. Jeremias also told of a Syrian family that was not deported solely because a Hungarian pilot refused to take them. According to the family, police arrived at dawn, at six oclock, to pick them up. All this, Jeremias stated, reminded him of the Third Reich. What happened to the Jews back then? They were picked up early in the morning. He did not want to make exaggerated comparisons, but: It was said back then something like that should never happen again. And yet it is happening again today. Responsibility lies with all the governing parties, including those with Christian in their titles. When a handful of Young Socialists (jusos) commenced unrolling the flag of the Social Democratic Party youth organisation, one of the protest organisers approached and asked them, with assenting comments from those around, to roll up their banner because it belongs to a party that organises the deportations. Mareike, with family and friends, carried a sign she wrote: Nobody has the right to obey when it comes to inhumane deportations! She told us she was participating in a demonstration against deportations for the fourth time. It is a shame that people living among us must fear deportation at any time. She was worried about the growing moves towards militarisation, German army missions abroad, the corrupt EU and government policy in Africa. I think the violence used abroad always reinforces internal violence. We can not isolate ourselves from that, she says. We have a responsibility. Some let refugees freeze to death in misery on the borders and others drown in the Mediterranean. They pay other governments to lock up people and sell them to slave traders. This is our so-called asylum system. No normal person profits from any of this, Mareike continued. The only ones who benefit are the security industry and right-wing politicians. That has to change, she emphasised. She demanded: We have to dissolve the artificial borders that separate us from other peoplewhether that refers to nationality or residency status. All people have the same right to a self-determined, dignified life, to education, health and participation in society. Therefore, every deportation is one deportation too many. The Southern California wildfires raged for a fifth straight day Friday, with firefighters working round the clock in an attempt to keep them contained. There are six major fires. The Liberty Fire in Murietta, north of San Diego, has burned through 300 acres and is now 60 percent contained. The Lilac Fire, also north of San Diego, burned through 4,100 acres and was at zero percent containment on Friday. Fires also continued in the Sylmar and Lake View Terrace suburbs of Los Angeles, along with blazes in Bel Air in West Los Angeles and in Santa Clarita. Crews made significant advances on fires in the San Bernardino area east of Los Angeles, and those are now believed to be completely contained. The largest of the remaining fires, the Thomas Fire in the coastal city of Ventura, grew to 132,000 acres and is at only 10 percent contained as of this writing. The fires have collectively burned through 158,000 acres and driven more than 200,000 people from their homes. While firefighters are making progress, the fires continue to spread. The Thomas Fire has destroyed 400 structures and threatens 15,000 more. Wildlife officials say the Thomas Fire threatens the critically endangered California Condor population, including the handful of birds living in the Los Padres National Forests Sespe Condor Sanctuary. The first fatality attributable to the Thomas Fire was confirmed on Friday. Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, a suburb of Ventura, was found dead in her car after crashing along an evacuation route near the fire. According to emergency officials, Pesolas cause of death was blunt force trauma, along with terminal smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. The Lilac Fire near San Diego is the most recent of the large fires and continues to grow. Some 85 structures have been lost and 5,000 more are threatened. Three people have been hospitalized with burns and 25 horses have been killed at a thoroughbred training center. The threat is still high, said John Choi of the North County Fire Protection District. Unfortunately, we have a small window due to the fact that this fire is going to do what its going to do today and afterwards. If we cant catch it in this short period of time, we have bigger winds expected on Sunday. According to Southern California Edison, more than 11,000 of its customers in the region were without power on Friday. In Ventura, the Santa Paula Hospital and Ventura County Medical Center had to rely on backup generators due to fire-caused blackouts this week. Although there have been minimal injuries and little loss of life as a result of the fires, smoke inhalation and respiratory issues have caused an increase in emergency room visits throughout the week. Los Angeles health officials have warned residents to limit all outdoor activity, close windows and use air conditioning to recirculate inside air. They have also advised residents to wear N95 masks to protect from harmful particles when going outside. The fires also introduce severe risks to the regions water supplies. To cite only one example, a fire-related power outage shut down pumps moving water to reservoirs in Ventura County. According to reports, at least one of the reservoirs went dry, which, in turn, caused severe drops in water pressure. This raises the possibility of negative pressure in the regions antiquated water system, causing polluted water to flow back into the system. Any time you depressurize the water system, there are contamination concerns, said Jeff Densmore, a senior engineer for the Division of Drinking Water of the states Water Resources Control Board. Tens of thousands of Ventura residents are in a boil water advisory. Tests are currently being conducted by the water resources board to detect any presence of E. Coli or other contaminants in the water. At the nearby Casitas Municipal Water District water treatment facility, staff were forced to evacuate due to fire danger and had to turn off water chlorination treatment for the duration of their absence. If chlorination had been kept on, intense heat or flames could have caused a chlorine gas leak, leading to a severe civil emergency. The water crisis is also exacerbated by the needs of fire fighters, who require extremely high hydrant pressure to effectively combat flames. By September of this year, US wildfires had already consumed 8.5 million acres, 40 more than the yearly average for the previous decade. This is due primarily to human causes, including global warming and systematic under-funding of fire prevention efforts, including brush clearing. The fire services themselves are being starved of funds, leaving them with too few engines, too few planes and helicopters, and insufficient personnel to fight fires of this magnitude. This is looking like the type of year that might occur more often in the future, said A. Park Williams, a climate scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York. Alex Hall, a climate scientist at the University of California Los Angeles, remarked, For fires, sequencing is really important. The sequence weve seen over the past five or six years is certainly very similar to the changes that we project as climate change continues to unfold. Years of drought in California have led to dry and dying vegetation. This, coupled with high winds and record low humidity, produce perfect conditions for the growth of wildfires. The rainfall experienced in the state last winter, far from ending the states six-year drought, served to provide acres of new kindling for fires to consume. On Friday, after a four-day delay, the Trump administration issued an emergency declaration for the California wildfires. The action requires the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to aid in-state and local fire response. The White Houses statement reads: This action will help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency may inflict on the local population, and provide appropriate assistance for required emergency services to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The Trump administration, however, is planning to severely cut the federal firefighting budget for 2018 to help pay for its tax give-away to the ultra-rich. It is proposed that $300 million be cut from the US Forest Services firefighting budget, and $50 million from its fire prevention programs. The federal budget for volunteer fire departments will also experience a 23 percent budget cut. The tax plans currently passing through Congress include particularly cruel provisions directed against wildfire victims. Under the proposed plans being reconciled between the House and the Senate, owners of uninsured or underinsured properties will no longer be able to deduct losses from fire destruction in their tax filings. To make up for this loss, Republican Representative Mimi Walters of Laguna Beach is sponsoring a bill allowing homeowners to make penalty-free withdrawals from their retirement accounts in lieu of tax benefits. In the midst of the fire disaster that is economically devastating thousands of California families, Democratic Governor Jerry Brown has placed CalFire employees in the crosshairs of his pension reform. He previously signed the Public Employees Pension Reform Act, restricting benefits for all state workers hired after January 1, 2013. The governor has now filed a brief with the California Supreme Court calling for the gutting of pension guarantees for all existing public workers. The brief, dripping with cynicism, says in regard to Browns initial support for the Pension Reform Act: At stake was the publics trust in the governments prudent use of taxpayer funds. There can be no doubt that in the aftermath of the current fires, the administration and its backers in the Democratic and Republican parties will try to offset losses by imposing cuts on CalFire and other firefighters, 4,000 of whom are now working 12- to 16-hour shifts each day to save homes and lives. Over 200 Palestinians were injured and at least two killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Friday. The protests came in the wake of US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital and pledge to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv, in a move that upended decades of US policy toward the region. Israeli soldiers opened fire on hundreds of protesters advancing on Army posts from the Gaza Strip, killing a 30-year-old and injuring dozens more. In Jerusalem itself, police scuffled with demonstrators trying to enter the Old City. Palestinian medics reported at least 217 injuries in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This followed the wounding of 31 Palestinians in violent clashes Thursday. Al-Jazeera reported that there have been close to 800 injuries since protests began. The wave of protests spread internationally, from Indonesia in Southeast Asia to Tunisia in North Africa. In Amman, the capital of Jordan, tens of thousands marched. Large crowds in Tehran, the Iranian capital, chanted death to Israel and death to America and burned pictures of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Trumps decision wrong, illegitimate, provocative and very dangerous. Citing alleged rocket fire, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes in the Gaza Strip late Friday, injuring 25 Palestinians, including six children. Haaretz reported that a rocket had exploded in the Israeli town of Sderot, causing no casualties. The Trump administrations recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital was a deliberate provocation. It is a breach of international law, which has long maintained that the status of the city can be resolved only in peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and has never recognized Israels illegal annexation of East Jerusalem. The move represents the definitive end of the charade of the peace process and two-state solution promoted for decades by the US and its imperialist allies. The recognition of Jerusalem, coming less than two months after Trump refused to certify Irans compliance with the 2015 agreement on its nuclear activity, is part of US imperialisms broader incitement of conflicts throughout the Middle East and preparation for a regional war with Tehran. The announcement came the same day the Pentagon admitted that 2,000 US troops are in Syria, four times the number previously acknowledged, and that the US forces will remain indefinitely. This underscores the hypocrisy of the claims that the Syrian conflict has been aimed at ISIS terrorists, whose forces have been militarily routed in the country. In truth, Washington is determined to push back Iranian and Russian influence so as to consolidate unchallenged US dominance over the energy-rich Middle East. Washingtons strategy involves the forging of a coalition made up of Israel and the Sunni Gulf monarchies, above all Saudi Arabia. Trumps move grants the far-right Israeli regime of Benjamin Netanyahu carte blanche not only to crack down on protests and continue its expansionist settlement policy in the West Bank, but also to escalate its confrontation with its regional foes, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Iranian regime. In September, the Israeli armed forces carried out their largest exercises in 20 years, simulating the defense of Israel against a Hezbollah invasion. Tel Aviv has also regularly struck weapons shipments and targets in Syria with the aim of thwarting Iranian expansion, and has vowed to launch military action if pro-Iranian forces establish themselves close to the Israeli border. Israel has also encouraged Saudi Arabias hardline anti-Iran stance, including by endorsing Riyadhs destabilization campaign in Lebanon. The Saudi monarchy is concerned not with the fate of the Palestinians, but with confronting Tehran with Israeli support and the blessings of the Trump administration. Trumps policy shift has already brought tensions in the region to the boiling point. Both Hezbollah and Gaza-based Hamas have called for Palestinians to launch a third intifada. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the decision as deplorable, and Jibril Rajoub, a senior PA official, stated that US Vice President Mike Pence would not be welcome in Palestinian territory during a planned visit to Israel and Palestine later this month. Rajoub added that a scheduled meeting with Pence would be cancelled. Riyad Mansour, Palestines ambassador to the United Nations, declared that Trumps announcement should disqualify the US from playing any leadership role in peace talks to resolve the conflict. In fact, both the PA and Hamas leadership are increasingly discredited in the eyes of the Palestinian and Arab masses. Abbas and the PA function as a security force for Israel and the US against the Palestinian population, representing a wealthy elite that lives largely off of stipends from the CIA. Their entire perspective of maneuvering between the various great powers to push for the creation of a Palestinian statelet within the imperialist- and Zionist-dominated framework of the Middle East has been exposed as bankrupt. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is to host an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Countries December 13 to discuss Jerusalem, warned that Trumps speech had plunged the entire region into a ring of fire. But all of the bourgeois regimes in the region, including Turkey, are complicit in the decades of oppression of the Palestinians. Trumps brusque dispensing with the fraud of the so-called peace process and the two-state solution has underscored the fundamentally reactionary character of bourgeois nationalism and posed the need for a socialist and internationalist alternative, uniting the Arab and Jewish working class in a common struggle for a socialist Middle East. Trumps policy shift has also intensified the rift between Washington and its nominal European allies. Britain, France and Germany all condemned Trumps announcement. Canada is the only close ally of the US to avoid direct criticism of the White House announcement. Britain and France led six other members of the UN Security Council in calling for an emergency session Friday. Unsurprisingly, the US was not one of the eight states requesting the meeting. At the Security Council, US Ambassador Nikki Haley arrogantly dismissed any criticism of the Trump administrations position, directing her fire instead at the UN for its alleged anti-Israel bias. She claimed that Washington would still accept a two-state solution if both sides agreed to it. The European imperialist powers are no more concerned with the oppression of the Palestinian people than is Trump. They view the current crisis as an opportunity to strengthen their position in the Middle East at Washingtons expense. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini summed up the thinking in Berlin and Paris when she declared Thursday that the US approach has the potential to send us backwards to even darker times, and that what happens in Jerusalem concerns the entire region and the entire world. She said Washingtons role in the peace process would be diminished as a result of Trumps announcement--meaning that the EU had to renew its focus and play a more active role in the region. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian stated that Washington had excluded itself from being a mediator in the Middle East. Germanys Suddeutsche Zeitung noted in an article that unlike Trumps provocations over North Korea, in the Middle East the EU is directly called upon. It continued: Due to the geographical proximity, and the historical, political and economic ties, [the EU] sees itself as bearing a responsibility to which it certainly was not able to do justice in the past. These comments follow on the heels of German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriels keynote foreign policy address, which urged Germany to stand up more forcefully against the United States and define its own foreign policy ambitions. The European reaction underscores that the deepening crisis over Jerusalem poses the threat not only of a regional conflict, but could serve as the trigger for an intensification of great power rivalries across the Middle East, with both American and European imperialism striving to assert their preeminence. Asia India: Bihar provincial government orders sacking of 80,000 health workers The Bihar state government on Wednesday ordered the termination of 80,000 striking workers hired under contract at the National Health Mission (NHM). The workers, including district programme managers, monitoring and evaluation officers, data entry officers, accountants and paramedical staff walked out on Tuesday to demand job permanency and a salary increase. A Contractual Health Workers Association spokesman said the terminations were draconian and threatened to intensify the protests to include a hunger strike. The strike follows a decision last month by the Patna High Court ruling that 40,000 public school contract teachers across Bihar were eligible for pay and other benefits on a par with their regular state counterparts. The state government has appealed the decision. Haryana NHM contract workers strike Thousands of National Health Mission (NHM) workers in Indias northern state of Haryana struck work for 48 hours on Tuesday to demand a pay increase and job permanency. There are 12,500 NHM workers in the state employed on contract. They include medical officers, pharmacists, lab technicians, clerks, data entry operators, and auxiliary nurse midwives. The strikers main demand is for job permanency and, until they become permanent, a salary increase to match regular health workers, under the slogan of equal work, equal pay. Haryanas NHM workers have been holding demonstrations over their demands since 2015. They ended a 13-day strike in September last year after the government falsely promised to immediately begin the process of permanency. Punjab midday meal workers demonstrate Mid-day Meal Workers Union members who work on contract to provide meals for children at Punjab state public schools met in Bathinda on Sunday and plan to protest today. They have been demanding an increase in salary and job permanency for several years. Punjab midday meal workers want equal pay with fellow workers in other states. They are paid a meagre 1,700 rupees ($US26.35) a month while workers in Kerala receive 6,000 rupees and in Pondicherry 9,000 a month. Workers are demanding that monthly salaries be set at 8,403 rupees, insurance cover extended, job permanency, salaries for 12 months in the year instead of 10 months, dearness and uniform allowances and leave at par with what is given to the permanent employees of the state education department. They announced that if the government continued to ignore them, they would strike and hold sit-in protests at schools until demands were met. Punjab industrial estate workers protest following deaths Workers and union representatives from various factories in the Ludhiana industrial estate demonstrated outside the Ludhiana mini-secretariat on Tuesday to demand stringent labour laws and registration of factories under the Factories Act. The protest followed a recent fire at a plastic factory where 16 people lost their lives. The five-storey factory employed 100 people mostly on daily contracts. Protesting workers said they feared more workers could be buried in the rubble. Bathinda public transport workers protest Punjab Road Transport Corporation workers in Bathinda rallied at the Bathinda bus stand on Tuesday over changes to the bus time table which they claimed favoured the private bus operator Jhunir Bus Service. The PRTC Workers Union handed a memorandum to the depot manager. Government public transport workers in all states across India are constantly fighting against attempts by transport authorities to handover work to private bus operators in preparation for full privatisation. Pakistan: Police baton charge protesting Sindh teachers again Sindh government school teachers involved in a long-running campaign for unpaid wages were attacked by police as they marched from the Karachi Press Club to the Sindh assembly on November 23. The baton-charge left at least 10 injured while 25 were arrested. Karachi police used water cannon and batons against these same workers when they demonstrated in September over the issue. Two protesters were injured and three arrested. The Sindh government, following protests in March and July, promised to pay overdue wages before the September Eid holidays. Around 7,000 teachers appointed in 2012 have been affected. Many teachers said they received their appointments in 2012 but salary payments ceased after 16 months. The teachers, who are still working, alleged that they were told by the treasury department that there were discrepancies in their appointments that had to be resolved before salary payments were resumed. The teachers are organised by the New Teachers Action Committee. Sindh community health workers strike over unpaid wages Lady Health Workers (LHW), who provide health services for women in communities and rural areas, boycotted duties in Badin and Jacobabad on November 22 to demand six months of unpaid wages. Their strike followed a protest in Karachi on November 16, which they ended after a false assurance was given by the district health officer that wages would be paid within two days. Punjab government clerks strike again Tens of thousands of All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA)-Punjab members stopped work across the province on November 29 over several outstanding demands. Their action followed a province-wide strike and demonstrations on November 15 over the same issues. Government clerks are demanding a salary increase and payment of a utility allowance, increase in housing and marriage allowances and job permanency for contract workers among other demands. Other demands were restoration of abolished posts in the departments of health, education and local government Punjab visually impaired workers protest Visually impaired workers from government departments in Lahore demonstrated outside the Lahore Press Club on Monday demanding their jobs be made permanent The government has continued to keep these workers on daily wage basis despite continued demands over three years for permanent jobs. Protesters were joined by unemployed visually impaired workers demanding that the government implement its quota system that 5 percent of government jobs be allocated to handicapped people. A large number of visually impaired workers from across the province demonstrated in Lahore on October 15 over the same issues. Sindh primary schoolteachers oppose re-testing for job confirmation Teachers of government-run primary schools in Sindh province protested against the imposition of another round of tests before their jobs are confirmed by the government. Teachers held sit-in demonstrations and a hunger strike on Tuesday and Wednesday. Teachers accused the government of using ad-hoc testing for delaying tactics over their appointment. They pointed out that all of them were eligible for appointment after passing tests conducted by University of Sindh and National Testing Service. Sri Lankan train drivers on strike Sri Lanka Railways train drivers walked off the job Wednesday midnight protesting that management had disregarded recruitment policies and procedures when recruiting trainees. All rail services have come to a standstill. Workers said they would continue the strike until the issue was resolved. Rail workers went on strike in October over the same issue. The railway unions called off a planned 48-hour strike in early November after the government falsely said it would meet with them and resolve the recruitment issue and pay anomalies. South Korea: Hyundai Motor workers strike for wage increase Unionised workers at Hyundai Motors five plants in Ulsan, 400km south of Seoul, struck for up to six hours each day Tuesday through to Friday in their dispute for a new wage deal following 36 rounds of negotiations without reaching agreement. Members of the 51,000-strong union want the basic monthly wage to be increased by 154,883 won ($US142.50) and a bonus of 30 percent. The companys 2016 full-year net profit for 2016 was 5.72 trillion won. Workers rejected Hyundais offer to raise basic salaries by 42,879 won per month and bonuses worth 200 percent of basic pay plus 1 million won. After workers rejected this offer, the company suggested bonuses of 250 percent of basic pay plus 1.5 million won in a revised offer. Seoul subway workers strike Union members at the privately operated Seoul Subway Line No. 9 walked off the job on November 30 and demonstrated near Seoul City Hall to protest against long work hours and short staffing. Union leaders announced at the demonstration that the walkout was the beginning of a six-day strike. The union alleges that management of Seoul Line 9 Operation Company was stalling on reaching an agreement after 12 months of negotiations using the excuse that they were waiting for a decision from the parent companies Transdev and RATP. Taiwan workers and students oppose new industrial laws Over 100 workers and students rallied outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei on Sunday protesting against the governments latest amendment to the Labor Standards Act. Protesters condemned the draft amendment for relaxing overtime rules which would allow some industries to raise the maximum number of consecutive working days from six to 12 and lower rest time between shifts from 11 hours to eight hours. The proposed changes would increase the maximum number of overtime hours from 46 to 54 per month, but cap it at 138 hours over three months. While the draft amendment requires businesses to obtain the consent of unions or employees when asking employees to work overtime, only 7 percent of the nations workers are represented by a union. A survey conducted by the 1111 Online Job Bank, released in November, found that 75 percent of workers were against the labour amendments, with many fearing they would become physically and mentally exhausted if employers were allowed to set longer overtime hours. Burmese factory workers demand minimum wage rise About 1,000 workers from factories in the Mandalay Industrial Zone demonstrated in Mandalay on Sunday demanding that the new minimum daily wage to be set at 5,600 kyat ($US4.1). The current daily wage is 3,600 kyat for an eight-hour day. Workers are concerned that the National Committee for the Minimum Wage is discussing lifting the minimum wage to only 4,000 or 4,800 kyat. Cambodian garment workers strike More than 200 workers from the Nantai garment factory in Phnom Penh walked off the job on Wednesday to demand legal rights such as advance notice when their contracts are to be terminated, termination compensation, deductible annual leave and other demands. Workers agreed to end their protest outside the factory and return to work the following day after representatives from the labour ministry and local authorities said they would meet with the factory owner and resolve their grievances. Australia and the Pacific Catholic school teachers walk out Thousands of teachers and support staff from 350 Catholic schools throughout New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) walked out for four hours on Monday and Tuesday, protesting the attempts by the Catholic schools to impose an enterprise agreement without the unions endorsement. Independent Education Union (IEU) members walked off the job in October after the Fair Work Commission (FWC) ruled that the wording in the proposed enterprise agreement would restrict the unions ability to refer a dispute to the commission. The IEU said the dispute was not about pay. A 2.5 percent pay rise was settled nearly a year ago, but has yet to be paid. Teachers and support staff want their conditions protected by their enterprise agreement and by the FWC. The Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER) has refused to negotiate on the clause in the proposed agreement that allows it to veto the unions access to the FWC. The CCER told teachers that if they vote yes for the agreement they would receive their 2.5 percent pay increase, back dated to January 1 by Christmas. Tip Top owner-drivers protest against pay and conditions Truck owner-drivers for bread manufacturer Tip Top travelled to Australias capital Canberra on Wednesday to demand that the Turnbull federal government reinstate the independent road safety tribunal which drivers claim monitored excessive exploitation and safety risks in transport supply chains. The Transport Workers Union wants federally-binding rules that would ensure standards across the industry. Drivers claimed that Tip Top, which operates in the Aldi supply chain, pays low contract rates, which were compromising safety as drivers were being pushed to work fatigued and with trucks not being maintained. Fatal crashes involving articulated trucks have increased by 9.4 percent this year, according to the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. Safe Work Australia data shows that almost 40 percent of all workplace deaths involved transport workers this year. This is up from one in four in 2015. New Zealand: Auckland commuter rail workers strike Rail and Maritime Union (RMU) members at Transdev, which operates commuter train services on contract for Auckland Transport, planned to stop work for 24 hours from 2 a.m. Friday. Some 84 percent of workers voted for strike action to protest against Transdevs cost cutting proposal to introduce driver only services. Workers fear that passengers and drivers would be at risk by dividing drivers attention and increasing the chances of an accident. The RMU estimated that more than 200 jobs will be lost when Auckland Transport and Transdev push ahead with plans to remove train managers and rely on ad-hoc use of transport officers to supervise passengers and monitor safety. Tahiti: Air France flight attendants end strike Air France flight attendants stationed at Tahiti in French Polynesia ended their three-week strike on Sunday after reaching an agreement with the airline. Flight attendants walked out on November 11 after the breakdown of talks between the carrier and the UFSA-UNSA, the flight attendants union, on a collective agreement and changes to the distribution of wages, and other issues. Media reported that 90 percent of union members ratified the agreement, however details of the agreement were not made public. A media report on Wednesday said the flight attendants were considering resuming industrial action after hearing that local management was considering reneging on the agreement. Tahiti newspaper strike ends Workers at French Polynesias La Depeche de Tahiti newspaper ended a week-long strike on December 2 after management agreed to abandon plans to move the printing of the paper to another company, Pacific Press. Workers feared they would lose their jobs after hearing that Pacific Press said it had no intention of hiring displaced staff from La Depeche. New Caledonia music teachers strike Music teachers in the South Pacific French territory of New Caledonia began unlimited strike action on Monday to oppose a $US1.5 million budget cut to culture and arts education. Workers said at least 12 teachers would have to be dismissed and dozens more jobs in the culture sector will have to go. Teachers demonstrated in front of Congress in Noumea on Tuesday. The School of Music has cancelled exams while the heads of various culture institutions have written to the French president who is currently visiting New Caledonia. In another indication of the advanced US preparations for war against North Korea, the Trump administration has suggested that US athletes might not participate in the Winter Olympics in South Korea in February for security reasons. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told Fox News on Wednesday that the US teams participation was an open question. While Haley denied she had heard anything concrete, she intimated that conversations are happening daily about the protection of US citizens, whether its about Jerusalem or North Korea. Far from clarifying the issue, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that no official decision has been made about whether the US will compete in the Winter Olympics. She said a decision would not be made until later and would involve multiple agencies, but I think ultimately the president would certainly weigh in. Minutes later, Sanders sought to downplay the issue, tweeting that the US looks forward to participating in the Winter Olympics. Of course, prior to Haleys remarks, no one had suggested that the US would not compete, and Sanders tweet hardly answered the question raised definitely. Taken by themselves, the comments could appear innocuous. However, amid the extreme tensions on the Korean Peninsula generated by the Trump administrations reckless and provocative threats against North Korea, the remarks point to a hothouse in the White House as war is being discussed daily. Trump has repeatedly declared that he will not allow North Korea to build a nuclear missile capable of reaching the continental United States. Pyongyang has now tested long-range ballistic missiles that could potentially have that range. Despite the many questions that remain about the viability of North Koreas limited nuclear arsenal, Trump has created the conditions where to back down would damage his political standing and that of the US in the world. An article in the Guardian on Tuesday by Mark Seddon, a speechwriter for former UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, was headlined Have we got just three months to avert a US attack on North Korea? Seddon warned that the drumbeat for a potentially devastating war on the Korean Peninsula, and one that could quickly spread with calamitous consequences, has grown louder following North Koreas most recent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week. The article noted that John Bolton, former US ambassador to the UN, had visited Britain last week, saying: His mission, whether official or not: to relay that CIA chiefs have told Donald Trump that he has a three-month window in which to act to halt the Norths ICBM program. Seddon continued: This apparent March deadline, for what can only be considered a pre-emptive strike, was also mentioned to a former European parliamentarian by a senior US commander a few days ago at Panmunjom on Koreas demilitarised zone, which separates the North from the South. US ambassador Nikki Haley last week responded to North Koreas ICBM test by warning that if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed. Such a threat can only mean that the US is preparing a monstrous crime that will involve the leveling of North Koreas military, industry and infrastructure and the killing of millions of people through conventional or nuclear weapons or both. The US military have just completed another major joint war games with South Korea and Japan involving around 230 war planes and 12,000 military personnel. The presence of the latest American stealth fightersthe F-22 Raptorsas well as other hi-tech aircraft such as the F-35 underscore the purpose of the drillsa rehearsal for all-out war against North Korea. The exercisethe largest of its kindfeatured flights by B-1B supersonic strategic bombers on Wednesday and Thursday. Two of the B-1Bs that can carry a payload of more than 30 tonnes flew from the US Air Force base in Guam on Thursday to take part in simulated bombing runs in South Korea. Japanese and South Korean fighter jets have taken part in the exercises. During a meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Vienna on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that US military exercises were raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and undermining any move towards negotiations. He indicated that Pyongyang was willing to hold direct talks with Washington as long as the US provided security guarantees. Lavrov noted that Russia had condemned the latest North Korean missile launch, but blamed the US for creating the tense situation and suggested that the Trump administration wanted to goad Pyongyang into taking rash action. Following North Koreas nuclear test in September, he said, [T]he United States acted as if they wanted to provoke them [Pyongyang] for a new risky venture. And so they did. To restart talks, Russia and China have both urged a so-called freeze-for-freezea halt to US-South Korean war games in return for a North Korean freeze on missile and nuclear testing. Washington has repeatedly rejected the proposal. Far from easing tensions, South Korean Defence Minister Song Young-moo this week said the joint drills would be conducted two to three times a month. The Trump administration has deliberately created a powder keg on the Korean Peninsula in which a relatively minor incident or miscalculation could trigger a conflict that spirals out of control and drags in other powers. China and Russia are both deeply concerned that the US will provoke a devastating war on their doorstep. Amid the joint US exercises in South Korea, the Chinese navy and air force has been conducting its own military drills. On Monday air force spokesman Shen Jinke announced that Chinese aircraft recently conducted exercises over the Yellow and East China seas near the Korean Peninsula using routes and areas it has never flown before. The South China Morning Post reported that more than 40 warships from Chinas navy took part in a major exercise in the East China Sea on Thursday. The vessels, from Chinas North Sea, East Sea and South Sea fleets, demonstrated the navys growing anti-missile and emergency response capabilities in all-weather conditions. Former officer Philip Mitch Brailsford, who shot and killed 26-year-old Daniel Shaver in 2016 as he was crawling on his hands and knees pleading for his life, was acquitted of second-degree murder on Thursday by a Mesa, Arizona court. Video of the horrific police killing was released following the verdict. The nightmare happened on January 18, 2016. Shaver, who lived in Granbury, Texas and worked in pest-control, travelled to the La Quinta Inn in Mesa, Arizona for business. After inviting an acquaintance to his room for drinks, Shaver showed her his scoped air rifle used for pest control. Allegedly, Shaver pointed the air rifle out his fifth-floor hotel window alarming a nearby passerby. The police were subsequently called by hotel management. With military grade AR-15 rifles in hand, the police confronted Shaver exiting his room. Footage from Brailsfords body-cam video of the incident shows both Shaver and the woman immediately putting their hands up and obeying the shouting orders of the officers. Shaver, sobbing and terrified, is ordered to crawl towards the officers. Please dont shoot, he begs. The video shows Shaver making a hand motion in the direction his waist, possibly to adjust his pants. A police officer yells, You do that again, were shooting you, do you understand? After being commanded to crawl towards them again, Shavers arm moves near his waist once more. Brailsford is heard shouting Dont! before shooting Shaver five times and killing him. Video shows police killing of Daniel Shaver in Mesa, Arizona (viewer discretion advised) State prosecutors charged Brailsford with second-degree murder in March 2016. In the same month, the Mesa Police Department fired Brailsford because he violated several policies including having the words Youre F***ed etched into his AR-15 rifle. Brailsfords trial began on October 23. He faced up to 25 years in prison if found guilty of second degree murder. The not guilty verdict delivered on December 7 also cleared him of the other charge of manslaughter. Video of Brailsfords body-cam footage of the shooting was shown in court, but was only released to the public on Thursday. The defense attorneys for Brailsford argued that he had the right to shoot Shaver out of fear for his life. Shavers hand motion toward his waist could have been interpreted as him reaching for a weapon, they claimed. In trial, Brailsford said, If this situation happened exactly as it did that time, I would have done the same thing. I believed 100 percent that he was reaching for a gun. This has been the argument for almost all police killings in the United States. Police can terminate the life of anyone they choose if they claim to sense any kind of threat towards them. Such open-ended, unmeasured and intentionally vague parameters effectively legalize police executions. As of December 8, police have killed 1,119 people in the United States according to killedbypolice.net. This is higher than the same time last year and will likely lead to a record number of police killings this year. Former South Carolina cop Michael Slager received a sentence of 20 years in prison Thursday for the April, 2015 murder of Walter Scott. The sentence handed down is one of very few instances of US police officers ordered to serve jail time, despite more than a thousand police killings each year. Slager almost certainly would have escaped prison, like the rest of his cohort, had the shooting and cover-up not been recorded by a bystander. The North Charleston police officer claimed he acted in self-defense, supposedly fearing for his life amidst a struggle for his taser. In the immediate aftermath, the press dutifully carried the officers story and sought to smear the victim by dredging up past legal infractions. Three days later, however, a cell phone video surfaced documenting nothing less than murder. Slager unloaded eight shots to the back of the unarmed 50-year-old, who was fleeing from him. After cuffing the dying man, Slager jogged back, picked up his stun gun and dropped it alongside the body. Scott, a father of four, had been pulled over for a busted car taillight. The damning video was viewed by millions. It sparked a wave of protests nationwide, following in the wake of demonstrations against other high-profile police killings, most notably the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri the previous August. In the ruling handed down Thursday, US District Judge David Norton sentenced the former officer for second degree murder and obstruction of justice. Judge Norton noted in his decision the malice and recklessness of Slager and the false testimony he gave to investigators following the killing. In May, the ex-cop pleaded guilty to federal civil rights offenses, settling with prosecutors in exchange for the dropping of a first degree murder charge at the state level. Conviction for the latter could have meant life in prison. This is the second trial for Slager. In 2016, the state case ended in a mistrial, with a hung jury. Attorneys for Slager continued to argue that he felt his life was in danger, despite the video unambiguously demonstrating otherwise. Following Thursdays sentencing, the Scott family expressed satisfaction with the ruling. One of the victims brothers, Anthony Scott, thanked Feiden Santana, who had the courage to record the killing and its aftermath. Dr Stephen Sewell is head of Writing for Performance at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Sydney. The well-known screen writer, playwright, novelist and former chair of the Australian National Playwrights Centre is one of the few figures in the Australian film and movie industry who have publicly defended Geoffrey Rush. Sewell has won numerous awards for his film and theatre work. His plays include The Blind Giant is Dancing, It Just Stopped and the highly awarded Myth, Propaganda and Disaster in Nazi Germany and Contemporary America: A Drama in 30 Scenes. He was a script editor for the film Chopper and won an Australian Film Industry award for his screen adaptation of The Boys. Sewell was outraged over the unsubstantiated inappropriate behaviour allegations against Rush and posted a comment on his Facebook page last week. He spoke with the WSWS yesterday, after reading Acclaimed Australian actor Geoffrey Rush becomes the latest witch-hunt victim, published by the WSWS on December 2. *** Stephen Sewell: I totally agree with your article. What has happened to Geoffrey is a frightening affront to any kind of idea of simple justice. To be put in a position where youre not sure what the accusation is, and your life and your livelihood are under threat as a direct result, is appalling. Assuming that there was a complaint made [against Rush], there should be processes in place for it to be dealt with. The people Im most suspicious of is the Murdoch press. Im concerned that they have identified a really simple way of getting rid of some of the most progressive people in Australia. It is a very, very easy thing to whip up anonymous sources to make these kinds of claims. And I know from the experience of one of my students that journalists are phoning people to ask if theyve got a personal experience they would like to share. This is a very, very dangerous situation. Im amazed and appalled. Richard Phillips: The context of the attack on Rush is important. Its an international campaign and one that is being used to eviscerate basic democratic rights. The cultural atmosphere is being poisoned. Weve compared the operation against Rush and others to the McCarthy anti-communist witch-hunts in the US during the 1950s. SS: I was trying to think my way through the analogy with the McCarthy commission and their interrogation method. At least at that time people could defy the interrogation and refuse to answer. But in this case theres no capacity for this. Who do you tell to get stuffed? Rumour has been given free reign. I wrote on my Facebook page about how angry I am about all this and the majority of people who responded were supportive. I was just articulating what appears to me to be an elementary understanding of justice. But there were a few people who were bitterly, bitterly opposed and regarded it as a piece of patriarchal, sexist bullshit and that I wasnt prepared to believe the so-called accusation. It is not the case that I dont believe it. My question is what is actually being said? What is actually inappropriate behaviour? RP: As soon as you accept accusations as definite proof, then theres no legal process. SS: Thats right, its all over. RP: And this opens the door for anyone to be pilloried. SS: There is another element in all of this and which has a kind of prudish or anti-sex side to it. If men and women cant be trusted together, or men cant be trusted with women, the logical conclusion is you may as well have apartheid. Men on one side of the fence and women on the other, and when they want it they can whistle. All the joy of love and sex, the pleasure of company, seems to be under threat. It would be a terrible thing if the end result of this debate and argument brings us voluntarily into the world of the Handmaids Tale. This would be a horrible outcome. The author also recommends: Australian actor Geoffrey Rush fights back, suing Daily Telegraph for defamation [9 December 2017] Five people accused by Thailands military junta of hoarding military weapons were charged on Thursday. The charges are a thinly veiled attempt to suppress political opposition and potentially to create a pretext for delaying or calling off elections promised for next year. A legal official from the militarys National Committee for Peace and Order (NCPO) filed a police report last week with the Crime Suppression Division, the government agency that handles allegations of criminal activity and corruption. Police General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul alleged that 32 grenades and ammunition had been discovered the previous week in a rice field in Chachoengsao Province near Bangkok. Without providing a shred of evidence, he immediately linked the arms to the political unrest that preceded the 2014 military coup that ousted the elected prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra. The five people face charges of conspiring to possess firearms, ammunition, or war-grade explosives. They include Jakrapob Penkair, who served as a minister in the Yingluck government, and retired Major General Manas Paolik, who was Third Army Deputy Chief under Yinglucks brother Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006. Both men already have outstanding arrest warrants following the 2014 coup, as part of the militarys crackdown on Yinglucks Pheu Thai Party. Manas Paolik has handed himself over to Thai authorities. The other three accused are political activists in the so-called Red Shirt movement associated with the Shinawatras that was bitterly opposed by the Bangkok elites including the military. The billionaire Thaksin built a social base of support among the rural and urban poor with a series of limited handouts. Watana Sapwichien, Somjet Kongwatana, and Chaiwat Polpho (also known as Peak Kalamae) have all denied any connection to the arms cache. They were all arrested and charged with supplying weapons during the Bangkok demonstrations in 2014, despite a lack of evidence. Watana turned himself into authorities immediately after the accusations were made last week. Police General Srivara initially claimed that the investigation pointed towards a different group of Red Shirts led by Wuthipong Ko Tee, allegedly a more hard-line member of the Thaksin-affiliated United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD). In 2014 he fled the country over lese-majeste charges after an interview he gave for a VICE documentary. In its three years of power, the junta has imposed its own constitution which undermines the rights to assembly and free speech, limits access to information critical of the government, and hands unlimited powers to the cabinet. Prayuth and his cronies continue to delay the promised national election, while stifling political opposition groups. Since the 2014 coup, at least 80 people have been tried for peaceful assembly, 27 people have been charged for criticizing the regime and another 56 for criticizing the royal family. The junta has exploited the arms cache as yet another justification to continue the suppression of political rights for parties and individuals. After considering the overall situation, and not just the recent discovery of war weapons, it was not deemed appropriate to lift the ban on political activities, a NCPO statement declared on Monday. The statement continued by saying the loosening of restrictions on political activity and movement could bring about other problems, and that the government needed to draw a line to contain the conflict in order to avoid damage to the country. Opposition politicians have criticised the juntas actions. A key UDD leader Weng Tojirakarn said that the NCPO should stop looking for scapegoats and fulfil its promise to hold new national elections. He said it was questionable why weapons were found every time the government faced difficulties. People had been demanding a lifting of the political ban and out of the blue an arms cache was found. The junta is clearly fearful of rising social and political tensions, and the eruption of another round of mass protests. It exploited the year-long period of mourning over the death of former King Bhumibol, who served somewhat as a linchpin for the ruling class factions, to block political opposition. However, the period of mourning is over and King Vajiralongkorn who ascended the throne at the end of October, is widely disliked. Many consider him to be another disgraceful member of the ruling elite who has no concern for the well-being of the population. Despite some previous connection to the Shinawatras, he is now as tightly bound to the military as his father was. Despite optimistic reports about Thailands economic growth, unemployment is growing and the gulf between rich and poor is widening. The Nation reported this week that the official figures that grossly underestimate unemployment rose by 1.3 percent, which, it commented, was unprecedented amid economic recovery. Employment fell in all sectors, with the industrial and manufacturing sectors recording a 4 percent drop. The opposition political parties are seeking to defuse the rising levels of discontent and alienation by steering it into electionsas they did in 2010 after months of mass protests against the Democrat government that had been installed by the military. Now the Democrats are seeking to salvage their political reputation by distancing themselves from the junta. The Democrat and Pheu Thai parties are now reportedly considering a coalition for the national election that is due to place next November. A picket organised by the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) is continuing to prevent operations at the Webb Dock East container terminal in the Port of Melbourne. While the MUA claims the action is to defend workers conditions, its chief aim is to maintain its role an industrial police force for the company. The picket began at 5 a.m. on November 27 in response to the sacking of a casual worker, who is also an MUA representative. The workers application for a government-provided Maritime Security Identification Card, which is legally required to work in the restricted landside zone, had been rejected, allegedly due to a 22-year-old criminal conviction. The employer, Victorian International Container Terminal (VICT), claims it could not continue to employ him in breach of federal laws. A statement issued by the MUA deputy national secretary, Will Tracey, on November 28 said that 22 workers had similarly been refused government security cards. However, he said, the only worker targeted was a member of the MUA, and had recently taken court action against a plant manager accused of bullying and victimising workers. It appears that few if any of the approximately 120 workers are on strike or participating in the action. All the employees work under an agreement with a rival union, the Australian Maritime Officers Union, which is not participating and has not released any statement. The MUAs real concern is to gain a position for itself on the bargaining table with VICT, a local subsidiary of the Philippine-based port terminal operator giant, International Container Terminal Services, which earned a global revenue of over $US1.1 billion in 2016. The company won the tender for the construction and operation of the port in 2014 from the Port of Melbourne through a public-private partnership. The companys website claims that the terminal is now the most advanced in the world and Australias first fully-automated terminal. Rather than reaching an agreement with the MUA, which covers workers at rival stevedoring companies, including nearby Patricks Stevedoring and DP World, VICT made a deal with the Australian Maritime Officers Union, threatening the position and flow of dues to the MUA apparatus. On December 1, the company successfully obtained a seven-day legal injunction from the Supreme Court to prevent the MUA from organising or participating in any picketing within 100 metres of the terminal. The picket has therefore been officially continued under the name of a community protest, and is being conducted by other unions, including the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). When World Socialist Web Site reporters went to the site yesterday, the picket was being maintained by a handful of union officials, with no workers to be found. For the MUA and its allies, the picket is nothing but a cynical stunt aimed at putting pressure on the company and reviving their own standing in workers eyes. This is under conditions where official union membership is as low as 45 percent among young workers, and millions of workers view the unions as corrupt pro-business outfits. After the expiry of the Supreme Court injunction, the unions organised a rally outside the company gates yesterday at 10 a.m. Approximately 1,000 workers from nearby ports operated by Patricks Stevedoring and DP World attended the event. While Patricks issued a statement condemning the work stoppage, a spokesman for the company confirmed to the Daily Cargo News on November 30 that it has already benefitted from the disruption caused to its competitor. It gained business on a weekly cargo shipment from the south-East Asian OOCL Texas on December 3 that would normally have been handled by VICT. Speaking at the rally, CFMEU head John Setka declared that the union was deternined to oppose the restrictive and anti-democratic anti-strike laws under Fair Work Australia. Everything we have today, every single thing we have today was won by breaking the law and taking industrial action. He said that while the union may get fined a few hundreds of thousands of dollars for striking, thats what all the money the unions have got, thats what its there for. Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus also told the rally that workers needed stronger, better rights. Do the union officials expect workers to forget that the anti-strike laws currently in place under Fair Work Australia, which they now posture against, were written into law by the Rudd Labor government in 2008 with the support of the unions themselves? These laws make it virtually impossible for workers to strike, even within a narrow so-called enterprise bargaining period every three to five years, and criminalise workers who seek to strike in defence of workers at other companies. Moreover, it is instructive to compare such comments to the unions actions when workers seek to fight against employers offensives and defend or improve their conditions. Then, the unions insist that their hands are tied by the industrial laws, as they work hand-in-hand with employers to reach sell-out agreements, which they browbeat workers into accepting in order to remain internationally competitive. The CFMEU is currently overseeing a joint offensive with mining and manufacturing employers nationally, together with state and federal governments, driven by the deepening economic crisis of Australian capitalism. This month the CFMEU imposed an outright pay cut of 25 percent on workers at Griffin Coal in the Western Australian town of Collie. The MUAs real attitude to the workers was made clear when it betrayed a strike by Hutchison stevedoring workers in Sydney and Brisbane in 2015. The workers had maintained a week-long stoppage from August 7 against the sacking of 97 waterside workers. The union, whose only real demand was that the company use the unions services in imposing the attacks on its members, eventually shut down the strike, imposing an agreement which destroyed over 60 jobs, reduced overtime, and introduced new casual positions. The agreement was praised by Hutchison for facilitating the conversion of full-time employees to casuals and helping the company with greatly enhanced flexibility. In that dispute, the MUA physically threatened members of the Socialist Equality Party, who exposed its preparations for a sellout, and sought to prevent workers from reading articles from the World Socialist Web Site. (See: Australian Maritime Union Betrays Hutchison workers ) This was a continuation of the unions role over decades in working with governments and employers to destroy thousands of maritime jobs, including though the Hawke Labor governments Waterfront Industry Reform of 19871991 (4,500 jobs) and the Patricks dispute in 1998 (1,400 jobs). Under conditions of growing alienation from their membership, the unions, and the MUA and CFMEU in particular, have turned to new mechanisms for raising funds through direct payments from employers, including through the creation of their own health insurance companies and training corporations (see: What the royal commission into Australias trade unions revealed). It is symptomatic of the unions role that the current human resources and industrial relations director of VICT is Michael OLeary, who from 1984 to 2007 was the MUAs deputy national secretary. OLeary followed the same path as countless other union officials who seamlessly transition from union offices to corporate boardrooms without changing their essential roleboosting company profits. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Florida State plans to build a brand new student union. Florida State's Oglesby Union was originally built in the 1950's and has been in need of a face lift. Plans are underway for the new and improved Oglesby Union. Florida state university plans to start demolition in phases after spring commencement. According to Matthew Ducatt, director of Oglesby Union, the university is in the schematic design stage. After a year-long series of meetings and workshops, the university has determined what will be added and what will be in the renovated portion of the existing union. The current lay-out is a series of buildings connected by breeze ways. The new 3 story facility will be a continuous building with a student life center, campus bookstore, and modern food venues. "All of that together, along with Art Center, Crenshaw Lanes, Club Downunder, all of the great things that we have, will really create a student center," said Ducatt. There will be an expansion in square footage, and Ducatt stresses that the design will encompass Florida State's campus, while adding a modern facility with hurricane-proof windows looking out over outdoor green spaces. Moore auditorium and a portion of Davis will be renovated, but approximately 75 percent of the current structure will be torn down by summer. The budget is $120 million and Ajax Construction was hired for the project. The university is planning for the grand opening of the new union to be in fall of 2020. Submit An Obituary Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Go to form Kinda scary, but it seems the Fair Nebraska plan to adequately fund our excellent public schools in a manner that is fair to everybody is starting to bear fruit. We are still in our infancy but as we grow in numbers and income, Fair Nebraska is becoming more relevant to opening a new discussion on how to fund education at this time in history. Finally! This is a fun job. I get to visit with fellow farmer Barry Heitbrink. I get to visit with Larry Stuckey (father of Dr. Stuckey in York whom I favor with frequent visits). Larry is a landowner from Plattsmouth. And I recently visited with York county commissioner Randy Obermier at his business in York. Full disclosure is required here. Randys dad La Verne Obermier and I were classmates at Utica High School a few decades ago and we may have tipped a few bottles of the barley corn in our misspent youth. Congratulations to Jerry Stahr, delegate from York County and Merlyn Nielsen, delegate from Seward County for their work at the annual Nebraska Farm Bureau convention recently. They successfully promoted the Fair Nebraska proposal on school funding to become the policy of the Nebraska Farm Bureau. Quite an impressive feat by two of our founding members! Hopefully, our plan for simplicity and fairness is beginning to take root and grow. We are still in our infancy, but we are growing in numbers of adherents and income, both of which are needed for us to become relevant. To enable people to participate in this endeavor we now have an address so supporters can send us thoughts and ideas or contributions. So far people have contributed whatever they feel would be helpful. Our request would be that business owners (yes, owners of businesses and facilities will benefit also) and agland owners would offer 1 percent of their property tax bill. Our address is: Fair Nebraska, Box 171, York, Ne. 68467 We appreciate any discussions or participation from anyone. Thanks. SATURDAY 12/9 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. MONDAY 12/11 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Monday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. >> OB Enrollment is Monday, Dec. 11 at 8 a.m. in the Lower Level of the Medical Office Building. Please attend class as soon as possible after your positive pregnancy test. For more information or to enroll in the online Childbirth Preparation class, contact OB Director Nancy Hengelfelt, RNC, at 402.362.04573. TUESDAY 12/12 >> Sexaholics Anonymous, a 12 Step recovery group for those dealing with addiction to pornography, sex, and other forms of lust, meets Tuesday nights at 5:45 p.m. For more information please call our toll free number 1-877-889-8071 or visit sanebraska.org. >> Al-Anon meets Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in York. Please use the west door. >> Alcoholics Anonymous meets Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in York. Please use the west door. >> Cancer Support Group will meet Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Willow Brook Assisted Living. For more information call 402.362.4662. WEDNESDAY 12/13 >> Immunization Clinic: The Polk County Health Department will hold immunization clinics at the Polk County Health Department in Osceola on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., THURSDAY 12/14 >> Weight Watchers meets in the basement of the York Towne House, 5th & Grant Ave., each Thursday. Weigh in 5:15 - 5:45 p.m.; Member meeting 5:45 - 6:15 p.m. >> AL-ANON meets Thursday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. >> Narcotics Anonymous meets Thursday at 8 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in the Annex building. FRIDAY 12/15 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Friday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. SATURDAY 12/16 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. MONDAY 12/18 >> Immunization Clinic: The Polk County Health Department will hold immunization clinics at the Polk County Health Department in Osceola on Monday, Dec. 18 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. >> A Red Cross Bloodmobile will be held at the York City Auditorium on Monday, Dec. 18 from noon until 6 p.m. TUESDAY 12/19 >> Immunization Clinic: The Polk County Health Department will hold immunization clinics at the Polk County Health Department in Osceola on Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. >> A Red Cross Bloodmobile will be held at the York City Auditorium on Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. >> La Leche League of York will meet Tuesday, December 19, at 7 p.m. in the Lower Level Conference Room of the Medical Office Building, 2222 North Lincoln Avenue.No pre-registration or fee necessary. During pregnancy is the ideal time to seek birth and breastfeeding education though all women and babies are welcome at any stage. Contact accredited leader, Gloria at 402-362-6875 or turnbull@inebraska.com WEDNESDAY 12/20 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Wednesday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. >> The Nebraska Senior Health Insurance Information Program will be presenting an update on Medicare for the new year on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 12:30 p.m. at the York Senior Center. They will also be offering fraud bingo after the meeting. Everyone is welcome. THURSDAY 12/21 >> Weight Watchers meets in the basement of the York Towne House, 5th & Grant Ave., each Thursday. Weigh in 5:15 - 5:45 p.m.; Member meeting 5:45 - 6:15 p.m. >> AL-ANON meets Thursday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. >> Narcotics Anonymous meets Thursday at 8 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in the Annex building. FRIDAY 12/22 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Friday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. SATURDAY 12/23 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. MONDAY 12/25 >> Immunization Clinic: The Polk County Health Department will hold immunization clinics at the Polk County Health Department in Osceola on Monday, Dec. 18 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. TUESDAY 12/26 >> Immunization Clinic: The Polk County Health Department will hold immunization clinics at the Polk County Health Department in Osceola on Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY 12/27 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Wednesday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. THURSDAY 12/28 >> Weight Watchers meets in the basement of the York Towne House, 5th & Grant Ave., each Thursday. Weigh in 5:15 - 5:45 p.m.; Member meeting 5:45 - 6:15 p.m. >> AL-ANON meets Thursday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. >> Narcotics Anonymous meets Thursday at 8 p.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in the Annex building. >> A Red Cross Bloodmobile will be at the American Legion in Fairmont on Thursday, Dec. 28 from 12:30 - 6 p.m. FRIDAY 12/29 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Friday at 12 noon at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. >> A Red Cross Bloodmobile will be at York General Hospital on Friday, Dec. 29 from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. SATURDAY 12/30 >> Alcoholics Anonymous - Fresh Start Group meets Saturday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church located at 414 Delaware Ave. in York. News Washington, DC - Please accept my best wishes as you and the people of Burkina Faso celebrate your 57th anniversary of independence on December 11. Three years after the 2014 popular uprising opened the door to democratic transition, Burkina Faso has an opportunity to act as a regional leader by promoting democratic values and good governance. The United States strongly supports Burkina Fasos efforts to bolster its security and development by joining G5 Sahel countries and making the Joint Force operational. We will continue to work together to promote democratic principles, security, economic opportunities, and social development. On behalf of the American people, I offer congratulations on your anniversary of independence. We remain committed to building upon our partnership in the coming year. Latest News Washington, DC - The United States strongly condemns last nights attack against MONUSCO, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which killed at least 14 Tanzanian peacekeepers and wounded more than 50 others, in addition to at least five members of the DRC armed forces. We express our deepest condolences to the families of those killed, to the Government of Tanzania, the Government of the DRC and to MONUSCO. We wish those wounded a full and swift recovery. The United Nations has reported that this is one of the deadliest attacks on UN peacekeepers in recent history. The United States reiterates that peacekeepers are not targets, and that these deliberate attacks against them are unacceptable. We call on the Government of the DRC to investigate this attack and to ensure the perpetrators of such attacks are swiftly brought to justice. The United States further emphasizes its full commitment to supporting MONUSCO in its efforts to protect civilians from violence, prevent atrocities, and support peace and stability in the DRC. We are grateful to the brave men and women serving in the mission. Washington: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres today welcomed the holding of the two-phased state and federal elections in Nepal and congratulated the people for the peaceful conduct of the polls. "He (Guterres) hopes that all parties will maintain the same spirit in the next stages of the electoral process," said St phane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General. These elections mark a historic moment for Nepal in implementing its federal structure as enshrined in the 2015 Constitution, Guterres said. The Secretary General encourages the government, political parties and civil society leaders to continue their efforts towards furthering inclusive and representative governance, the spokesperson said, adding that the United Nations stands ready to support such efforts. The election in Nepal is being seen as the final step in country's transition to a federal democracy following a decade-long civil war till 2006 that claimed more than 16,000 lives. In 2015, when Nepal adopted a new Constitution that split it into seven states, dozens of people were killed in ethnic clashes over territory and rights. Following the adoption of the new Constitution, the ethnic Madhesi group, mostly of Indian-origin, protested for months, saying they were not getting enough territory in one of the provinces and were also facing discrimination. The polls are seen as a major step towards implementing the new Constitution. NEW DELHI: Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain on Saturday slammed Shalimar Bagh's Max Hospital terming it 'habitual offender'. "Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh had become a habitual offender, we had no option but to cancel their license," Jain told ANI. This comes a day after the hospital's license was cancelled as it falsely declared a newborn dead and gave it away to the parents in a packet. Following the cancellation, Jain had said, "we have cancelled the license of the hospital. The negligence in the newborn death case was unacceptable." The hospital had handed over the twins to the family after pronouncing them dead. However, on the way back home, the parents realised that one of the twins showed movements. When the baby was taken to a nearby hospital, it was found that one of the infants was alive. The baby was admitted to a hospital in Pitampura but later died during treatment. "After being declared dead, babies were given to us in packets, when we left for cremation ground we noticed movement and on checking found one was breathing. We immediately rushed to nearby hospital," the father of the twins had said. FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar: Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi, stars likely to play their last WC Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday accused former Defence Minister AK Antony of creating a "logjam" over the Rafale fighter jet deal and asserted that the acquisition of the French aircraft has given India a superiority over Pakistan in terms of air power. Parrikar, who succeeded UPA's Antony as Defence Minister when NDA came to power in 2014, was speaking at the Goa Arts and Literature Festival here after launching a book 'Securing India The Modi Way', penned by Nitin Gokhale. Parrikar said a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed the Rafale jet deal with the French government, he (Parrikar) had addressed a meeting of officials from the Air Force to work out a solution to the "logjam" created by the Congress leader. "Antony had put strange noting on the file dealing with Rafale purchase. He mentioned on the file 'start discussion, finalise price and after everything is finished please come back to me' with all the documentary evidence of how the Rafale company was the lowest (bidder). "Now the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) guideline says you can't negotiate with anyone other than the lowest (bidder). The files were going in circles and circles," he said. Parrikar, who left the Union ministry to become Goa chief minister in March this year, said for two and a half years the file was "doing rounds in circle, we broke the circle by deciding that we will have to go for different approach". Referring to the Congress's allegation about the "high price" of Rafale jets, he said "a fighter aircraft is not only an aircraft, the aircraft is probably a smaller part of the total cost. The real cost comes in purchasing special equipment." The deal covered a particular kind of helmet worn by the pilot, Parrikar said. "... The target is locked by watching at it. It is virtually 360 degrees visibility. Here he (pilot) has to just watch opponent's target and press the button, the computer does the rest. That cost of development of helmet is included in the deal," he said. The former defence minister said that in 1999, the Indian Air Force succeeded in pushing out its Pakistani counterpart out of the Kargil conflict zone, because India had Beyond Visual Range?(BVR) missiles with a range of 30 km on SU30 and MiG 29 aircrafts. "Pakistan had only about 20 km range ... Due to which they remained away," he said. However, between 1999 and 2014, Pakistan acquired a capacity of 100 km range whereas India had upgraded its BVR up to 60 km on SU30, he said. "We were now in danger of being shot down by Pakistani fighters staying 100 km away and not being able to retaliate and Rafale deal took care of this with a missile with a range of 150 km fitted on aircraft," Parrikar said. "An aircraft may cost 90 million euros but other components will cost you 150 million euros because you have to make it fighting-fit," the former union minister said. "Unfortunately we deal with the purchases of fighters as if we are buying toor dal and mung dal" he said, claiming the Congress leaders "do not know anything" about Defence. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday thanked the people of Gujarat for turning out in record numbers for voting in the first phase of the state polls. "Thank you Gujarat. Gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Gujarat for voting in record numbers today. I am seeing that BJP is headed towards a historic victory, powered by the affection and support of every Gujarati," he tweeted. Thank you Gujarat! Gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Gujarat for voting in record numbers today. I am seeing that BJP is headed towards a historic victory, powered by the affection and support of every Gujarati. pic.twitter.com/FF6hwzfOi3 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 Earlier in the day, he had urged the youth to turn out in large numbers to cast their vote. Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 Eighty-nine seats went to polls on Saturday in phase one of the election. The second phase is on December 14, when voting will be held in the remaining 93 seats. Sixty-eight percent polling was recorded in the first phase, senior Deputy Election Commissioner Unmesh Sinha said. Prominent candidates in first phase battle include Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli). The election is crucial for the Congress and the BJP before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and is seen as a prestige battle for PM Modi, who was the CM of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014, and a litmus test for the leadership of soon-to-be Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Meanwhile, questioning Congress' assurance of reservation to Patidar community in Gujarat, the PM Modi on Saturday said it will either have to "snatch" the share of SCs, STs and OBCs or is making a "false promise" like it did on Muslim quota issue in several states. "Either they (Congress) have to snatch it from others or they are spreading lies," PM Modi said in his first major direct attack on Patidar quota issue. In his earlier campaign speeches, PM Modi had urged the people not to be taken in by false promises. Addressing a rally in Lunawada town of Mahisagar district, he said, "I want to ask the Congress party... You gave a lollipop to the Muslims in all the states of the country that you will give reservations to that community. I want to ask my Muslim friends, have they given you reservations anywhere in the country? Has this not proved to be a false promise." "Now, they have made a similar promise to another community here (in Gujarat). From where will they provide reservations. With they snatch it from the OBC, adivasi (tribal) or SCs?" PM Modi asked. (With PTI inputs) Rajkot: The oldest voter in Rajkot, 126-year-old Chandravadiya Ajiben Sidabhai, cast her vote on Saturday during the first phase of Gujarat elections. According to her voter ID card, her date of birth is 1 January 1891. She has voted in every election in Gujarat since 1960, as per media reports. Chandravadiya hails from Upleta town is a mother of six daughters and a son. A special arrangement is said to have been made in the booth for her so that she didn't have to stand in long queue. Sixty-eight percent polling was recorded in the first phase of polls in 89 Assembly seats in Gujarat where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress' soon-to-be president Rahul Gandhi are locked in a bitter, high-stakes political battle after a 22-year BJP reign. The final figure was likely to go up since people were still standing in queues outside polling centres after the close of voting at 5 pm, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said in Delhi. Even as the polling passed off peacefully, Opposition leaders raised apprehensions about electronic voting machine (EVM) tampering, a charge rejected by the EC. Sixty-eight percent of the 2.1 crore voters exercised their franchise, Sinha said. Responding to a series of questions on reports of EVM tampering, Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Jain said one complaint filed by a Congress candidate in Porbandar regarding his cell phone getting connected to an EVM through 'bluetooth' was found to be incorrect. The complaint was lodged by senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia. Jain said experts found that the cell phone was actually connected to the bluetooth of a polling agent's mobile. The EVM has "no receptors" and cannot be connected to any other device except the control unit and the paper trail machine, he said, adding it has no bluetooth or USB (pen drive in common parlance) port. The second phase of polling in 93 seats will be held on December 14 while the counting of votes is scheduled on December 18. (With PTI inputs) Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address four rallies in poll-bound Gujarat on Sunday. He will address rallies in Palanpur, Sanand, Kalol and Vadodara. Meanwhile, over 68 percent turnout was recorded on Saturday in the first phase of polling for 89 Assembly seats in Gujarat. The final voting figure was set to go up as people stood in queues outside polling centres even after the closing time of 5 pm, senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha said in Delhi. On the other hand, PM Modi thanked the people of the state for turning out in record numbers for voting in the first phase. "Thank you, Gujarat. Gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Gujarat for voting in record numbers today. I am seeing that BJP is headed towards a historic victory, powered by the affection and support of every Gujarati," he tweeted. The second phase is on December 14, when voting will be held in the remaining 93 seats. (With PTI inputs) The battle for Gujarat has been hotting up India's political weather in recent weeks. After countless rallies and unprecedented levels of verbal attacks on each other, both BJP and Congress have come out of the dust predicting strong victories. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been the star campaigner for BJP and urged Gujaratis to come out in 'record numbers' to vote, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi too held numerous rallies and said no one can stop his party from being triumphant. The state went into polling in the first of two phases on Saturday. With 89 constituencies seeing polling action, both BJP and Congress are keeping fingers crossed. Pollsters have mostly predicted a closer race than was first thought. PM Modi though remained confident that people of the state will continue to repose their faith in him and his party. "Development over dynasty is what Gujarartis want and I am sure voters will help us emerge victorious in the upcoming elections. I urge all of you to come out in record numbers," he said at a poll rally on Friday. He also took to Twitter on polling day to urge voters to exercise their mandate. Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 The BJP may have been in power in the state for the last 22 years but Congress remains as confident as it usually always is before any election. "Congress party is going to win elections in Gujarat and no one can stop it. There is a wave (Aandhi aa rahi hai)," Rahul had said while addressing a rally in Chotta Udaipur. The two stalwarts of their respective parties have also traded barbs throughout campaigning. War of words has touched extreme lows with even some other party members getting involved. Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had called PM Modi 'neech' which had eventually led to his suspension. Before this, PM Modi himself had termed Rahul Gandhi's nomination for the post of Congress President as 'Aurangzeb Raj'. The political discourse may have largely - and dramatically - degraded. However in this degradation, say many, lies the sign of just how much the Gujarat elections mean for both national parties. Gujarat votes in the first phase on Saturday while the second phase voting will take place on Thursday (December 14). AHMEDABAD: The Palitana constituency in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district has recorded 15% polling till 11 am in the first phase of assembly polls on Saturday. The polls are being in two phases on December 9 and 14, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle between the ruling BJP and the Congress. Palitana is one of the 182 assembly constituencies in the state. A total of 240 polling stations were set up for the election. In 2012 polls, Congress candidate Pravinbhai Jinabhai Rathod won the seat with 69396 votes. However, in 2007 assembly elections, the seat went to BJP's Sarvaiya Mahendrasinh Parakramsinh. He won it by a margin of 50,939 votes. The first phase will cover 19 of the 33 districts, while the second phase for the remaining 93 seats in 14 districts will be held on December 14. The votes will be counted on December 18, the same day as Himachal Pradesh, where the elections were held on November 9. Voting for the first phase of the much-talked-about Gujarat elections is underway on Saturday. Being the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the elections are a prestige battle for the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is also a litmus test for Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi who has led the election campaign and will soon be taking over the reigns of the party. Here are 10 facts you must know about the first phase of voting in Gujarat: - Voting is being held in 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions. - 977 candidates are in the fray in this phase with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli) being the prominent candidates. - 2.12 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise today. - For the first time, the Election Commission is deploying the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines in all the 50,128 polling stations in the state to "inject greater transparency and credibility" to the voting process. In this phase, VVPAT machines have been deployed at over 24,600 polling booths. - The sequence of candidates' names is in alphabetical order, first for the national and state recognised parties, followed by other state registered parties, and then by independents. - Over 1,74,000 police personnel have been deployed with security apparatus on highest alert to ensure smooth conduct of the voting process today. The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and State Armed Police (SAP) drawn from other states have also been deployed to supplement the local police force. - Modi has addressed about 15 rallies, while Rahul Gandhi has spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings. BJP president Amit Shah, the chief poll strategist of the party, also addressed a number of rallies. - Amid Congress allegations, the BJP released its poll manifesto on Friday, a day before the first phase of polling in Gujarat. It came out with a slew of promises for various sections of society, which included a resolve to "double" farmers' income. - Voting for the second phase comprising 93 seats in north and central Gujarat will take place on December 14 and counting of votes will be done December 18. - The EC is using 81,860 Ballot Units, 66,358 Control Units and 71,564 VVPATs, including the surplus units, in the Gujarat polls. Lunawada/Bodeli: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday latched on to tweets by one Salman Nizami who, he said, was a Congress leader to tear into the Opposition party for allegedly questioning his parentage. In a stinging attack on the Congress after former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar's "neech aadmi" (lowly sort of a person) remark, he said a leader from the Opposition party, who, he claimed, is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat, has sought to know who is his father and mother. At an election rally at Lunawada, the PM said India was his father and mother, and like a good son, he will spend his entire life serving the country. Following are his top quotes: - There is one Congress youth leader called Salman Nizami, who is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat. He said on Twitter that Rahul Gandhi's father (Rajiv Gandhi) and grandmother (Indira Gandhi) had sacrificed their lives, while his great-grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru) was a freedom fighter. Okay, very good, we do not have a problem with that. Then he (a reference to Nizami) went on to ask that Modi should answer who is his father and mother. - Do we use this language in public discourse? Do we ask such things, this Salman Nizami is their star campaigner? What else has he tweeted, he is from Kashmir and he says he wants Aazad Kashmir. He called Indian armed forces rapists. - That person has further said in his tweets that 'ghar ghar se Afzal niklega'. Afzal Guru was sentenced to death by our courts and this man wants every home to produce Afzal. Do you want Afzal in every home? Can you allow Afzals in Gujarat? - The person who has spoken such things is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi. Should we forgive such people? Is this not an insult to our armed forces. To call our armed forces rapist is not their insult? Should we forgive such people? - I want to tell those who are asking who is my father and who is my mother... India is my father and India is also my mother. I, the son of Bharat Mata, will serve my motherland till the last breath of my life. Meanwhile, the Congress on Saturday said that the party worker PM Modi cited to attack the party, does not hold any position in the party while hitting out for Modi for moving away from "real issues". Congress leader Rajeev Shukla told reporters that Nizami doesn`t hold any position in the party. "Salman Nizami that you are naming, we have not even heard the name. He holds no post in the party, we don`t know who he is. Maybe they (BJP) got a name from somewhere. If we start speaking like this, we can name anyone and call the person a BJP worker. They (BJP) have nothing more to say in Gujarat, they have no other subject. Who is Nizami, is he your (BJP) man," he asked. On the other hand, Nizami, said, "I had filed a police complaint in 2015 when my fake Twitter account was created. Five to six accounts in my name were created. I have never used such words." "How can the Prime Minister quote from a fake Twitter account with authenticating it. Somebody may have hacked my account, who knows," Nizami told IANS. "Today again a Kashmiri youth is being victimised. I have always raised my voice against terrorism. How can they call me Afzal Guru? It was a Congress government which executed Afzal Guru, and I support that party," he added. Asked why the Congress says he is not its member, Nizami said, "Few of them are saying, but I have already given my version to them. They have not asked anything. If I am proven guilty, I should be hanged. I am very disappointed and hurt. I have always taken pr a -India stand." (With PTI inputs) NEW DELHI: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's sixth question to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on the seventh pay commission and its implementation. Saatve vetan aayog mein Rs 18, 000 maasik hone ke bawajood fixed aur contract pagaar Rs 5,500 aur Rs 10, 000 kyun? (Despite 7th pay commission recommendations suggesting Rs 18,000 per month as minimum pay, why is the pay for fixed and contract workers at Rs 5,500 and Rs 10,000?) he wrote on Twitter. The Congress leader also tweeted a video of an elderly lady speaking about the poor pay scale of teachers. Rahul has been launching a series of questions at Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run-up to the assembly elections in Gujarat. On Sunday, he questioned the PM over safety, education and health of women in the state. He alleged that women of Gujarat have no security nor have access to proper education or nutrition in their state. PM Modi, who's currently on a two-day visit to his home state Gujarat, launched a scathing attack on the Congress and it's second-in-command. He accused the Congress of using divisive politics and rigging (organisational) elections. The Congress leader, who is expected to file nomination for party chief's position on Monday, has been asking a question on Twitter daily to corner the ruling BJP in the poll-bound Gujarat. The first phase of assembly elections in Gujarat will be held on December 9, the second phase on December 14. The counting of votes will take place on December 18, along with that of Himachal Pradesh elections results. New Delhi: As the voting for the first phase of Gujarat assembly polls took-off this morning, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been canvassing for the public`s mandate by berating every attack made by the Congress Party, especially over Prime Minister Modi's humble beginning. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi latched on to tweets by one Salman Nizami who, he said, was a Congress leader to tear into the opposition party for allegedly questioning his parentage. "There is one Congress youth leader called Salman Nizami, who is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat. He said on Twitter that Rahul Gandhi's father (Rajiv Gandhi) and grandmother (Indira Gandhi) had sacrificed their lives, while his great grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru) was a freedom fighter. Okay, very good, we do not have a problem with that," Modi said. "Then he (a reference to Nizami) went on to ask that Modi should answer who is his father and mother," he said, quoting from the purported tweets of Nizami. "The person who has spoken such things is campaigning for Rahul Gandhi. Should we forgive such people? Is this not an insult to our armed forces. To call our armed forces rapist is not their insult? Should we forgive such people?" Modi asked repeatedly. Interestingly, as the controversy comes to the fore, the Congress sought to distance itself from Nizami, with several party leaders coming forward to deny his association with the party. Responding to PM Modi's remarks on Nizami, Congress leader Rajiv Shukla said that he didn't know any individual in the party by this name. In fact, he added saying that this could be a plant by BJP in the wake of assembly elections. On Saturday, Nizami had tweeted: "Rahul Gandhi, son of Rajiv Gandhi. Sacrificed his life for India. Rahul Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi. Sacrificed her life for India. Rahul Gandhi, grand son of Jawaharlal Nehru, fought for India`s independence. Narendra Modi, son of ...? Grand son of ...?" Another senior Congress leader, Anand Sharma retorted back saying that the Prime Minister has moved away from the real issues. "Going by the Prime Minister`s language and the allegations he is hurling, I can say that he is rattled. Defeat is staring at him and the BJP in the face. PM has moved away from the real issues. He is not talking of development, employment and economy. "He is desperately seeking sympathy and support of the people through these actions and theatrical statements," he said. On the other hand, Nizami, who calls himself to be a Congress worker in Jammu and Kashmir, claimed his innocence and said that Twitter account was hacked. "I had filed a police complaint in 2015 when my fake Twitter account was created. Five to six accounts in my name were created. I have never used such words," he said. "How can the Prime Minister quote from a fake Twitter account with authenticating it. Somebody may have hacked my account, who knows," Nizami added. Social media reaction: After Rajeev Shukla's statement on Nizami, several photos of the J&K leader emerged on the social media that shows him sharing a stage with senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. In the second photo, Nizami is seen posing with none other but Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Another photo that has been doing round on the social media is a press release that shows that in 2014, Nizami was appointed as the spokesperson for the J&K State Campaign Committee in view of Lok Sabha polls. NEW DELHI: A day after the license of Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh was cancelled over a case of medical negligence, the OPD of the health centre has been shut down. The patients who have come to the hospital for dialysis are being sent back. The affected patients are been complaining that alternative arrangements should be made if the hospital is being shut. The Delhi government on Friday cancelled the license of Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh with immediate effect for alleged medical negligence after one of the twins born in the hospital was found alive after being declared dead by the doctors. The move came after a three-member inquiry panel of the government submitted its final report to Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who described the incident as "not acceptable". According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Delhi government's heath department, the licence has been cancelled till further order. The hospital has been directed to "refrain from admitting any new indoor patient and stop all outdoor treatment service in the premises with immediate effect". Reacting to the case of medical negligence, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "open loot or criminal negligence" by any hospital will not be tolerated. "Whereas we don't wish to interfere in day to day functioning of pvt hospitals, however, open loot or criminal negligence by any hospital won't be tolerated. We won't hesitate to take strongest action in such cases (sic)," he tweeted. Jain had also said that the hospital is a "habitual offender". Indian democracy is more vibrant than perhaps any other anywhere in the world - a fact on ample display as Gujarat came out to vote in the first phase of state elections on Saturday. From a 115-year-old woman to newly-weds, citizens celebrated exercising their mandate with vigour. For Aji Behen from Upleta in Rajkot district, age appeared just a number as the 115-year-old defied physical limitations to make her way to the polling booth. Helped by family members and polling booth officials, she exercised her mandate in what is an inspiration to all voters. While PM Narendra Modi had urged people to come out and vote in record numbers, he had especially requested the young to participate. Aji Behen may well be considered young - young at heart - as she beamed after casting her vote. There were several highlights in polling stations elsewhere across the state. In Bharuch for instance, a couple prioritised voting over their marriage - postponing the ceremony till after they had cast their vote. "It is the duty of every citizen to cast his or her vote and that is exactly what we are here to do. We will make our way to the wedding venue from the polling station," said the fully decked-up groom. Voting is being held in 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions where there are 2.12 crore voters. Katargam(Surat): A bride to be, Fenny Parekh arrives from her 'haldi' ceremony to cast her vote #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/oGaW9skOYV ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 Over 1,74,000 police personnel have been deployed with security apparatus on highest alert to ensure smooth conduct of the voting process today. The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and State Armed Police (SAP) drawn from other states have also been deployed to supplement the local police force. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took shots at the Congress over its reported promises of reservation to the Patidar community. Addressing an election rally in Gujarat even as part of the state voted in the first phase, he accused the Congress of failing to keep similar promises to communities in other states. "Congress promised reservation to Muslims in various states. Has it been able to fulfil the promise?" PM Modi asked at a campaign rally, PTI reported. The BJP has persistently targeted the promises reportedly made by the Congress to the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), the community organisation led by Hardik Patel. The details of an alleged reservation deal between the Congress and PAAS have not been made public. Modi also sought to undermine the Congress's attempts to consolidate the OBC vote in its favour by aligning with community youth leader Alpesh Thakor. What does the Congress do with their numbers in the Rajya Sabha? Stall the OBC Commission from getting a Constitutional status," he said in his speech. Congress's has attempted to consolidate an anti-BJP sentiment among some sections in Gujarat by bringing three youth leaders under its umbrella - Patidar leader Hardik Patel, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani. All three have taken stridently anti-BJP stances in the run-up to the elections. Earlier in the day, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley too had attacked the reservation promise as 'Constitutionally impossible'. In a Facebook post lashing out at the Congress's poll platform, Jaitley recounted Supreme Court judgements that have underlined that reservations cannot exceed 50 percent. "A promise of reservations beyond 50 percent has been made by the Congress and the PAAS to the people of Gujarat. This act of self-deception is a constitutional impossibility - which will never be judicially permissible," Jaitley said. Chandigarh: Even when death is certain while facing enemy, personal safety is the last on a soldier's mind and security of the nation and its citizens remains paramount, Kargil war hero and Param Vir Chakra awardee Y S Yadav said. Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav was recruited to 18 Grenadiers nearly two decades back and was just 19-year-old when he fought the Kargil war in 1999. Yadav, who was in Chandigarh to attend country's first Military Literature Festival, said he was part of the commando platoon 'Ghatak', tasked to capture strategic bunkers on Tiger Hill. "We were group of seven to climb Tiger hill on July 4 (1999). It was a 90 degree climb. We were surrounded by death from all sides, we knew we were going to die, but we were determined to inflict maximum casualties and we kept moving forward with this spirit," he said. Despite having taken 12 bullet shots from the enemy fire, Yadav said he bluffed them and killing their five soldiers despite being seriously wounded. "I had sustained 12 bullet wounds on my arm, legs. An enemy soldier also took an aim at my chest and fired a bullet, but it ricocheted off the Rs 5 coins I had kept in my pocket," Yadav said. "The God kept me alive so that I could share the tales of valour of six of my fellow colleagues who martyred," he said. Sharing details of the fierce battle, Yadav said, "When I lay wounded, the enemy took me as dead, they also fired couple of bullets to check whether I was alive or not. But I made them realise that I was no more." "When their another team came, I took out a grenade and lobbed it on their jawan and killed him. Then I took his rifle and opened fire killing five more. "I rolled over and opened fire from 3-4 sides to make the enemy think that reinforcements (of the Indian troops) had come. Had they known I was alone, they would have killed me," Yadav said. "The enemy thought reinforcement had come after presuming that they had killed us all. But Pakistan Army has such a low morale that they gave up at that point," he said, adding his team had killed 25-30 enemy soldiers in all. Asked at a time when death is almost certain, what is the motivation for the soldiers to march on, Yadav said, "It is your nation, your colleagues who are fighting alongside you that keep you going. Our concern at that time remains that our country and its citizens should be safe and secure irrespective of whether we survive or not." Another Param Vir Chakra (PVC) awardee, the country's highest gallantry award, Naib Subedar Sanjay Kumar also shared his experiences of the Kargil war. Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain Bana Singh, known for his acts of gallantry in the Siachen sector in 1987, was also present at the military literature festival. Nagpur: Nana Patole, who resigned on Friday from the Lok Sabha and the BJP, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday of using his OBC credentials for political gains. Patole, a critic of the central and state governments' handling of agrarian issues, had resigned alleging that the BJP had failed to keep the promises it had made to the people. Speaking at a press conference here, he accused the prime minister of "double standards" and alleged that Modi was using his other backward classes (OBC) credentials for electoral and political gains, but had done nothing for the benefit of OBCs and farmers. "Day before yesterday, the prime minister reacting to Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar's comment had said in an election rally that he was being hounded as he came from a 'neechi jaati'. This really made me furious at the double standards of PM Narendra Modi," said Patole, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Maharastra's Bhandara-Gondia constituency. "In a meeting at the PM's residence last year, I had raised the problems being faced by OBCs and demanded a separate ministry for OBCs. However, PM Modi shouted at me and questioned its need, saying OBCs don't need it," Patole claimed. Now, the prime minister is asking for votes on his OBC credentials, he said. Patole alleged that the PM also got angry on him in the meeting after he raised farmers' issues and sought a greater contribution from the union government for the agricultural sector. "The assurances made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not being fullfilled by the Centre and the state government," he said. Patole said that he had raised these issues in the Lok Sabha as well as in meetings with the prime minister. "The government is not bothered on the farmers' issue. PM Modi is deceiving the people of this country," he said. He said that he would be touring Ahmedabad on Monday and will highlight the "double standards" of Modi. "I will visit my constituency Bhandara-Gondia on December 15-16 followed by visits to Gadchiroli and Chandrapur," Patole said. Replying to a query on whether he intended to join the Congress, he said that he had not yet decided on joining any party. ETAWAH: Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar should be expelled from the party for his "neech" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav said on Saturday. "The word 'neech' used for the prime minister by a Congress leader is certainly wrong...A person who has uttered such a statement should not just be suspended, but expelled from the party," Yadav told reporters here. He said that positive politics has virtually vanished, and "politics of mud-slinging" has become a common phenomena. "There has been a paradigm shift in the country's politics. Sakaratmak rajniti (positive politics) has virtually vanished, and politics of mud-slinging (keechad uchaalne ki rajniti) has become a common phenomena," Yadav said. Aiyar was suspended from the Congress earlier this week after he called the prime minister a "neech kism ka aadmi" (vile sort of man). "The prevailing circumstances in the country, and the way the government is functioning, there is a need for a big movement, and in coming time a movement will be launched," he said. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said almost all sections of the society were worried. "During our regime, we had given priority to roads, education, health, drinking water and electricity. This gave employment to youngsters, and also developed the state," he said. NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was on Saturday seen standing in a boarding queue to take a flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad. Rahul had flown in to Delhi early in the morning to wish her mother Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her birthday. The picture, that has now gone viral, was taken while he was flying back to Ahmedabad from Delhi to campaign for the second phase of Gujarat elections. Tweeting the photo, Indigo had welcomed the leader on board. Welcome onboard Mr Rahul Gandhi. Have a good flight _ @OfficeOfRG pic.twitter.com/899TYRolG8 IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) December 9, 2017 Sonia Gandhi turned 71 on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took to Twitter to wish Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her 71st birthday. Congress VP Rahul Gandhi flew to Delhi early in the morning, to wish his mother on her birthday and seek blessings and flew back to Ahmedabad. Here, in the pic while boarding at Delhi airport for Ahmedabad. https://t.co/xOEB3sGWTg Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) December 9, 2017 Soon after the picture was posted by Indigo, Twitter had its share of laugh. Some even trolled Indigo and reminded them of the cases where the airlines have allegedly misbehaved with the passengers. I hope @IndiGo6E crew maintains calm at least this time. Indian Chomsky (@IndianChomsky) December 9, 2017 Crown prince sadak pe aaya! Yeh ache din nahi to kya hai? #MeraDeshBadalGayaHai Carrot Halwa (@nomadic_soul) December 9, 2017 #Pappu seems to be taking nautaki lessons from Kejriwal. _ Party Villager (@PartyVillage017) December 9, 2017 Will be interesting to see if he will be doing the same after Gujarat elections. Nitin Chandoskar (@nbnidhi) December 9, 2017 Lol...reminds me of Sau chuhe kha billi chali haj!! These are the photo-ops provided by demonetization & elections that has jet-setter nautanki Rahul baba stand in queues or flash torn kurtas:)) December 9, 2017 Probably would've seen the thrashing a passenger got a few weeks back___ Rajanandhan (@TerryBluesz) December 9, 2017 mat marao Rahul ji ko_ nhi isbar paka licence cancel hoyega. Happy journey! NiharMohanty (@niharrmohanty) December 9, 2017 Warn ur ground staff in tarmac that Rahul ins SPG protectee. Any funny behavior by ur ground staff will be immediately eliminated or arrested.@OfficeOfRG is it d same torn kurta that ur wore for photo ops during note bandhi. RANGARAJANJI (@grrajan3) December 9, 2017 Rahul: be careful, don't argue with indigo staff else SPG may also not work against indigo staff, BTW would be great if this become the way of life and not just a photo-op, Indigo: Pl don't treat him the way you do rest of us.. shabbily December 9, 2017 Indigo is being reminded of a recent incident where the airline staff manhandled a passenger on the tarmac of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The video of the incident had gone viral. VARANASI: Students at Banaras Hindu University were left bewildered after they faced questions on topics such as triple talaq, halala, and Alauddin Khilji in the examination of MA History semester - I recently. Questions on Sikander-e-Sani, Bhakti movement and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also find a place in the examination paper. As per reports, most of these questions carried 2 marks each. "Discuss about Teen Talaq and Halala as a social evil in Islam" and "The rate of wheat fixed by Allauddin Khilji" were the questions that carried 2 marks each. Varanasi: Questions on Triple Talaq, Halala and Alauddin Khilji asked in BHU's History paper for MA, students allege University administration is trying to impose ideology on students in the pretext of such questions, says such things must first be taught. pic.twitter.com/d4jTTJbPX1 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 9, 2017 An uproar was witnessed at the university by a section of student who alleged that the University administration is trying to impose ideology on students in the pretext of such questions. The students also alleged that those topics were never taught to them at first place. Meanwhile, Rajiv Srivastava, Asst Professor, BHU came out in defence of the questions saying how will students come to know about it otherwise? "If students aren't taught and asked such things how will they know about it? When they're taught medieval history these things automatically become a part of it. History has been distorted, we need to teach things to them to know real history," Srivastava said. "Why do Aligarh Muslim University and Jawaharlal Nehru University ask questions on child marriage and Sati system? Islam also has demerits which must be raised. When we teach history of Islam we will have to teach such things. People like Sanjay Leela Bhansali won't teach history to students," he added. On December 5, Question on BJP and other political parties in the examination of MA political science semester-I in BHU had raised many eyebrows at the campus. Ahmedabad: Gujarat BJP chief and himself a Patidar, Jitu Vaghani said on Saturday Rahul Gandhi will fail miserably in his first test as the Congress's "de facto chief" because he and Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel are "cheating hardworking and decent people". He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, his image and BJP president Amit Shah's political acumen was the major difference between his party and the Congress and that the three factors would dismantle all challenges including the one posed by Hardik Patel. Vaghani alleged the Congress was not fighting the Gujarat polls itself and had outsourced it to others. The Congress was nowhere in the state and had no organisation and base. Rahul Gandhi had no knowledge or idea about the people's problem and challenges in the state, the BJP leader said. "Where is the Congress in these elections. They are not fighting it, they have outsourced it to others. Let me tell you one thing and you mark my words. Rahul Gandhi will fail miserably in his first test as the Congress's de facto chief," he said. Vaghani, who is contesting from Bhavnagar West, termed Hardik Patel a "temporary phenomenon" and questioned his contribution to the entire Gujarati society. "Both Gandhi and he (Hardik) are cheating these hardworking and decent people (Patels). They should refrain from doing so," he said. Hardik Patel had in 2015 started an agitation demanding that the Patidars be included in the OBC category so that they could get reservation in government jobs and institutions. Replying to a question whether the party will achieve its target of bagging 150 seats in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly, Vaghani said the party was working and would go extra mile to achieve its target. The polls are being termed as Rahul Gandhi's first test as the Congress chief. Rahul Gandhi is all set to be elevated as the next party president in place of his mother Sonia Gandhi after his nomination papers for the post went uncontested on Tuesday. SURAT: Reports of faulty Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) are emerging from some parts of Gujarat in the first phase of polling in the state. There were complaints of errors in 35 machines in Rajkot in the morning but later the technical glitches were rectified. It has been reported that all EVMs are working fine now. The Election Commission said that the faulty EVMs have been replaced. "Have replaced two machines and one VVPAT, you cannot really call it a technical error, these are electronic items there can be some issues. Now everything is okay and voting has started," Master Trainer Election Commission Vipul Goti said in Varaccha in Surat. The poll panel also received several complaints of EVM malfunctioning in Kosamba region of Valsad district. A Congress candidate from Pardi also filed a complaint with the EC for a Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) not showing the paper slip while voting. Senior Congress leader from Porbandar, Arjun Modhwadia has complained of one EVM machine connected with a WiFi. Reacting to the reports, Congress said that any malfunction must must be immediately rectified. "Wherever there are complaints of EVM malfunctioning, it should be dealt with immediately," Congress leader Ahmed Patel said. Large queues lined up outside 24,689 polling booths as voting began in the first phase on Saturday. People showed an unprecedented response in Rajkot and Amreli as nearly 16 per cent polling since 8 am. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray from Kutch, Morbi, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, Botad, Porbandar, Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Bharuch, Narmada, Surat, Tapi, Navsari, Dang and Valsad districts. Of the 89 seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party holds 67 and the Congress 16. One seat each is held by the NCP and JD-U while independents hold the remaining two. NEW DELHI: Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar's controversial 'neech' remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have been a conspiracy hatched with Pakistan, two BJP leaders have alleged. The allegation is based on a meeting that supposedly took place at Aiyar's residence the evening before the remark, and included Pakistan High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood, former PM Manmohan Singh and former vice president Hamid Ansari. BJP maverick leader Subramanian Swamy raised the matter in a tweet. "Did Pak Ambassador meet MS Aiyar and three other Congi leaders at MSA residence five days ago on Gujarat strategy? Palace coup in offing?" he tweeted. Did Pak Ambassador meet MS Aiyar and three other Congi leaders at MSA residence five days ago on Gujarat strategy? Palace coup in offing? Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) December 9, 2017 However, it was BJP leader Ajay Aggarwal, who put more meat on the supposed skeleton. "On the (December) 6th evening, a meeting took place at Mani Shankar Aiyar's residence, where Pakistan envoy (Sohail Mahmood), former PM Manmohan Singh, Former VP Hamid Ansari and some Congress leaders were present. Heavy police deployment was there and the road was blocked," Aggarwal was quoted as saying, by news agency ANI. "What transpired I don't know but the very next day he made the 'neech aadmi' comment for PM Narendra Modi. It may be for the polarisation of votes, their strategy, what conspired, the nation must come to know about it," he added. Aggarwal is a senior lawyer who unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on a BJP ticket from Rae Bareli, against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. The Congress is yet to respond to the allegations or clarify why its leaders were meeting with the Pakistani envoy. Mani Shankar Aiyar set off a storm when he called PM Modi 'neech aadmi'. The word 'neech', or lowly, in Hindi has caste connotations. Aiyar said he may have misspoken as Hindi is not his mother tongue. He delivered an apology, and was suspended from the Congress the next day. Coming as it did in the election season, the BJP and PM Modi have gone to town with the controversy, accusing the Congress of having little respect for Modi, because of his humble background, or for the Gujarati people. This is not the first time Aiyar has spoken himself into raging controversy. Ahead of the 2014 election, he had asked Modi to come sell tea outside the Congress office, since he had said he sold tea at a railway station as a child. HANDWARA: A Over Ground Worker (OGW) of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was arrested in Handwara of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The police recovered AK 56 rifle, two magazines, 25 rounds of AK 56 and one wire cutter from his possession. The security forces also destroyed his hideout. On a specific input, police, 30 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and 92 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in a joint operation arrested him. #JammuAndKashmir: One over ground worker of Lashkar-e-Taiba arrested in a joint operation of Police, 30 RR and 92 CRPF in Handwara. 1 AK 56 rifle, 2 magazines, 25 rounds of AK 56 and one wire cutter recovered. pic.twitter.com/OmwR4pX0Dt December 9, 2017 The arrested terrorist has been identified as Rayaz Ahmed Khan. In another development, an exchange of fire took place between Army and terrorists in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. 44 RR had laid an ambush between Ganawpora and Barthipora villages after receiving inputs on terrorist movement in the area. No further details could be discovered till the filing of the report. Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Saturday attacked the Central Government over the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill (FRDI). Shiv Sena in its editorial mouth piece accused the Centre of looting people. "After the Central Government proposed FRDI bill, it has launched a big scare among people as it purportedly allows failing banks to use depositors money to cut losses," the editorial read. The Shiv Sena further said, "This bill has given power to a government entity to use depositors` money to save a bank on the verge of bankruptcy. This government entity can declare the bank doesn`t owe you any money though you have deposited your hard earned money with it." The government tabled the FRDI Bill, 2017, in August in the Lok Sabha, which was referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament. It will be discussed in the Winter Session of Parliament. At a time when fog is quite common in several north Indian cities, Mumbai basks under bright sunshine. Saturday was a grim tale however as the Maximum City too was engulfed in dense fog with visibility dropping in several areas of the city. Dense fog was reported from several areas like Wadala and Sion, and temperatures too registered a dip. While airport authorities had to put special measures in place to assist landing, several local trains were running behind schedule. "There is dense fog in suburban section beyond Kalyan, visibility is poor hence the delay in trains," said Sunil Udasi, CPRO, Central Railways. Entire Mumbai enjoying fog ....... pic.twitter.com/fKar9vqalT Amit Dalsania (@AmitDalsania1) December 9, 2017 Several trains are running behind schedule by as much as 40 minutes. There have been reports of some commuters resorting to protests which have forced authorities to appeal for patience. (Also read: Mumbai debates why it turned into Delhi) Several areas in the city also registered high pollution levels. Bandra, for instance, had an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 178 which falls in the 'Very Unhealthy' category. awaiting Sri Lankan cricketers here in Mumbai to clear the confusion of #fog or #smog pic.twitter.com/F3IUvFYmdn Md Hizbullah (@bombaynight) December 9, 2017 Many local residents questioned the falling air quality and compared the conditions to Delhi where high pollution levels had darkened the skyline for most of last month. Dont romanticise the Mumbai weather this morning by calling it mist or fog. The right word for it is smog. Ask your throat, it wont lie. Apurva Asrani (@Apurvasrani) December 9, 2017 Bombay were f*cked. Adding Delhi and Mumbai air quality levels side by side to compare. Smog not fog pic.twitter.com/BK64ni4p1y Pearl Shah (@PearlShah) December 9, 2017 Weather monitoring stations though predicted that the sky would clear up by early afternoon leading to better visibility. PATNA: Main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Saturday announced that it would stage a protest march here on Monday against "faulty" sand mining policy of the Bihar government which it said has caused crisis of sand and concrete and rendered lakhs of labourers jobless. "RJD has decided to organise a march on Monday in the state capital which will begin from party's state headquarters to Kargil chowk (in Gandhi Maidan) to protest against Bihar government's faulty mining policy that has rendered labourers engaged in construction sector jobless," its National Vice President Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told reporters here. Singh, a former Union Rural Development minister, said that the "faulty" mining policy of the Nitish Kumar government has resulted in crisis of sand and concrete thus seriously affecting the construction sector including the government's projects. The RJD leader did not highlight ills of the sand mining policy brought by the Bihar government recently to qualify his dubbing it as "faulty." The JD(U), BJP coalition government after coming to power in July last came up with new policy to end illegal sand mining and regulate its trade in the state. The RJD leader alleged the mining policy has rendered labourers engaged in the construction sector jobless. The state govenrment should get all the labourers registered under Social Security Act failing which RJD will intensify its agitation, said Singh, a close associate of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. Singh was accompanied by party's Bihar unit president Ram Chandra Purbey, ex MP Mangani Lal Mandal and former state minister Shivchandra Ram at the press meet. "The crisis of sand and concrete has been prevailing in the state for over five months in the state due to mines and geology department's faulty mining policy and rules", Singh said. It has not only affected the construction work in private sector but it has also hampered government's big projects such as Khagaul-Digha road, marine drive being built along river Ganga in Patna from Digha to Didarganj, he alleged. The mining policy has resulted into rate of sand rising from Rs 2500 per tractor earlier to Rs 5000-Rs 10,000 per tractor now, Singh claimed. In reply to a query on BJP's prospect in Gujarat where voting of first phase was completed, the senior RJD leader claimed that "people will bid adieu to BJP this time and it will any chance of making a comeback in future and will be wiped out from the country too". New Delhi: Lately, there has bee so much craze around Bitcoins that even search engine giant Google seems to have taken note of it. We tried searching Bitcoin in Google's search bar, thinking it would throw up some explanatory page. To our surprise, the first search result that popped up when we typed Bitcoin in Google's search bar was a currency conversion tool that showed the real time value of bitcoin vis-a-vis the Indian Rupee. Since the start of October, bitcoin has more than tripled in price. So far this year it has soared about 15 fold, stoking concerns that the bubble would burst in dramatic fashion. Its rapid rise has drawn in millions of new investors. So far this week, more than half a million new users have opened wallets with retail-focused bitcoin wallet provider Blockchain, the firm said, doubling the total number of users to 20 million since last year. Further, if you click on the Disclaimer button, Google is actually showing Bitcoin in the Currency sectio. Bitcoin lost almost a fifth of its value in 10 hours on Friday, having surged more than 40 percent in the preceding 48 hours, sparking fears the market may be heading for a price collapse. In a hectic day on Thursday, bitcoin leapt from below $16,000 to $19,500 in less than an hour on the U.S.-based GDAX, one of the biggest exchanges globally, while it was still changing hands at about $15,900 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp. Some market watchers attributed the lurch higher to the coming launch of bitcoin futures on major exchanges. Having then climbed to $16,666 on Bitstamp at around 0200 GMT on Friday, it tumbled to $13,482 by around 1200 GMT - a slide of more than 19 percent. It was last down 8.2 percent at $15,232.32 on BitStamp. CHANDIGARH: Punjab police on Saturday registered a case against an ex-army man and his friend after they shot a dog to death at a point-blank range. The incident took place at Badbar village of Dhanaula area in Barnala district. The development comes following complaints lodged by animal rights activists to the Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi. Punjab: Dog tied and shot dead at point blank range by its owner & his ex-army man friend in Barnala, they later uploaded the incident's video on social media. Case registered, both accused absconding. pic.twitter.com/p82s9Xgbcx ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 The activists spotted a video of the brutal incident that was doing its rounds on social media. Both the accused are, at present, absconding. Reports suggest that the one-minute clip was shot two days back. The video reportedly showed that the former army man identified as Ajit Singh and his neighbour Satvir Singh killed the chained dog firing two shots. The owner of the dog, Satvir Singh, defended himself saying that the dog was unstable and imbalanced since the last two days. JAIPUR: Seven people were killed and three others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger vehicle and a tanker on Saturday in Rajasthan's Dausa district, a police official said. The accident took place in Kherli village, under Sadar police station area, where road-construction work was underway, Sub-Inspector Ram Singh said. Four people died on the spot and six others were rushed to a nearby hospital, Singh said, adding that three of them were referred to a hospital in Jaipur. Doctors at the SMS Hospital in Jaipur declared one of them "dead on arrival" while two others succumbed to injuries during treatment, the SI said. The deceased were identified as Mukesh Sharma (40), Puni Devi (65), Ramesh Sharma (50), Raghuveer Singh (20), Ram Karan (50) and Vikram (23). Another victim was yet to be identified. Postmortem would be conducted tomorrow, police said. JAIPUR: Rajasthan government on Saturday announced a Rs 5 lakh compensation to the family of a migrant labourer from West Bengal who was hacked to death in Rajasthan. A day earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared a compensation of Rs 3 lakh to the victim's family and offered a job to one of his family members. Following the incident, Banerjee sent a team of Ministers and party MPs to visit the family in Malda district. A Special Investigation Team was set up by the Rajasthan government to investigate the killing and to find out if there was any communal angle linked to it. On Thursday, a horrifying video emerged showing a man, later identified as Afrajul from West Bengal, being brutally hacked to death and set on fire in Rajasamand district of Rajasthan, for allegedly committing "love jihad". Police arrested the accused, Shambunath Raigar. New Delhi: As collection of space data increases, NASA is exploring the infusion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into space communications networks to meet demand and increase efficiency. Software-defined radios like cognitive radio use AI to employ underutilised portions of the electromagnetic spectrum without human intervention. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permits a cognitive radio to use the frequency while unused by its primary user until the user becomes active again. "Modern space communications systems use complex software to support science and exploration missions. By applying AI and machine learning, satellites control these systems seamlessly, making real-time decisions without awaiting instruction," Janette C. Briones, Principal Investigator at NASA's Glenn Research Centre in Cleveland, Ohio, said in a statement on Saturday. The recent development of cognitive technologies is a new thrust in the architecture of communications systems. "We envision these technologies will make our communications networks more efficient and resilient for missions exploring the depths of space. By integrating AI and cognitive radios into our networks, we will increase the efficiency, autonomy and reliability of space communications systems," added Briones. For NASA, the space environment presents unique challenges that cognitive radio could mitigate. Space weather, electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun and other celestial bodies, fills space with noise that can interrupt certain frequencies. The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) provides engineers and researchers with tools to test cognitive radio in the space environment. The testbed houses three software-defined radios in addition to a variety of antennas and apparatus that can be configured from the ground or other spacecraft. "The testbed keeps us honest about the environment in orbit. While it can be simulated on the ground, there is an element of unpredictability to space. The testbed provides this environment, a setting that requires the resiliency of technology advancements like cognitive radio," explained Dave Chelmins, Project Manager for the SCaN Testbed and cognitive communications. In the future, a NASA cognitive radio could even learn to shut itself down temporarily to mitigate radiation damage during severe space weather events. Adaptive radio software could circumvent the harmful effects of space weather, increasing science and exploration data returns. A cognitive radio network could also suggest alternate data paths to the ground, said NASA. The cognitive radio's AI could also allocate ground station downlinks just hours in advance, as opposed to weeks, leading to more efficient scheduling. Additionally, cognitive radio may make communications network operations more efficient by decreasing the need for human intervention. An intelligent radio could adapt to new electromagnetic landscapes without human help and predict common operational settings for different environments, automating time-consuming processes previously handled by humans. (With Agency inputs) SALEM: A teenage girl student died while another was injured when they allegedly jumped from a fourth floor of a restaurant here in Tamil Nadu, police said on Saturday. The students, studying in the eighth standard at a private school, did not return home on Friday after school hours. The parents had lodged a complaint with Pallapatti police, who are investigating. Meanwhile, police received information that two girls jumped down from the fourth floor of a restaurant at Agrahara second street this morning, in which one student died on the spot, they said. The other seriously injured student has been admitted to the government hospital here, police said. Investigations are on to ascertain the reason for the students' action, they added. SAN ANTONIO: A retired Catholic priest convicted of murdering a former beauty queen who came to him for confession was sentenced to life in prison by a jury in south Texas on Friday, local media reported, ending a cold case that has troubled the community for nearly 60 years. John Feit, a visiting priest in McAllen, Texas, when the second-grade teacher came to him for confession during Holy Week in 1960, was convicted on Thursday of premeditated murder in the death of Irene Garza, then 25. It was the maximum sentence possible for Feit, who was 27 at the time of the murder and is now 85, KRGV TV and The Monitor of McAllen reported. Garza`s murder still haunts the communities that line the Rio Grande, across the river from Mexico. Feit was living in a retirement home in Arizona when he was indicted last year and extradited to Texas to stand trial in the case. During five days of testimony, prosecutors called nearly two dozen witnesses, including a retired Trappist monk from a Missouri monastery who said Feit confessed to him that he had killed Garza. Prosecutors also presented evidence that Catholic Church officials pressured local officials not to pursue Feit as a suspect in the initial investigation, partly because of fears that it could jeopardize John Kennedy`s run for president at the time. Kennedy`s Catholic faith was an issue in the campaign.An August 1960 letter from a Texas priest to another church official, which was entered into evidence, warned that bringing a lurid murder case against a Catholic priest "could make this a juicy scandal for the opposition to Kennedy." The defense did not place Feit on the stand, instead pointing out inconsistencies in the prosecution`s case, and stressing the absence of eyewitness testimony placing the priest and the victim together on the night Garza was last seen. WASHINGTON: Two minor tremors were detected on Saturday from near North Korea's nuclear test site and were probably aftershocks from the country`s massive nuclear test in early September, a U.S. Geological Survey official said. The aftershocks, of magnitude 2.9 and 2.4, were detected at 0613 and 0640 GMT (1:13 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. EST) respectively, said the USGS and Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. A tweet from Zerbo said analysts had confirmed that the activity was "tectonic" in origin. The USGS official said the tremors had been in the vicinity of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where North Korea conducted its sixth and largest underground nuclear test on Sept. 3. "They`re probably relaxation events from the sixth nuclear test," the official said. "When you have a large nuclear test, it moves the earth`s crust around the area, and it takes a while for it to fully subside. We`ve had a few of them since the sixth nuclear test." Pyongyang said the September test was of an H-bomb, and experts have estimated it was 10 times more powerful than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. A series of quakes since then has prompted experts and observers to suspect the test might have damaged the mountainous location of its site in the northwest tip of North Korea, where all of the country`s nuclear tests have been conducted. South Korea`s spy agency told South Korean lawmakers in October that North Korea might be readying two more tunnels at the site. North Korea hinted its next nuclear test could be above ground after U.S. President Donald Trump warned in September that the United States would "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatened America. Another possible obstacle to North Korea`s use of Punggye-ri for tests is the nearby active volcano of Mount Paektu, which North Koreans consider a sacred site. Its last eruption was in 1903, and experts have debated whether nuclear testing could trigger another. North Korea's official media reported on Saturday that national leader Kim Jong Un had scaled Mount Paektu with senior military officials to "emphasize his military vision" after completion of the country`s nuclear force. Kim declared the nuclear force complete after the test of North Korea`s largest ever intercontinental ballistic missile last month, which experts said puts all of America within range. NEW DELHI: China's decision to stop funding for three road projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan is not because of corruption as Chinese officials claimed, said a Europe-based think tank. It added that the real reason for the stop to funding is because Beijing wants to assert more control over CPEC project. A commentary published by Amsterdam-based European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) said China's pressure tactics are also aimed at taking the responsibilities for CPEC from the civilian government and hand it over to the Pakistan Army. And Pakistan's double snub to Chinese officials - turning down Chinese funding for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam and refusing to allow trade in yuan at Gwadar Port - may have had a key role on Beijing's decision to tighten the screws on Islamabad. "The Chinese are not used to such harsh disagreements which evidently would have made people in Beijing nervous over the future of its vital projects," the commentary said. "Although Pakistan badly needs Chinese money, Beijing is in no mood to let such withdrawals set a precedent. The current deferral to release funds is temporary and China's way of conveying a diplomatic, yet strong, message to the Pakistanis; 'We will pay, but only on our terms'." The think tank also interpreted the events as Beijing keenness to give the Pakistan Army the lead role in the CPEC projects. The involvement of the Pakistani Army would also satisfy some of the security concerns which China has, the commentary added. "... a closer involvement of the Military on political issues would have desirable impacts for China as the Chinese consider the Pakistan Army as the epicentre of power in Pakistan and view its involvement with this project as a guarantee of its success." The EFSAS commentary outright debunked the claim that corruption in the civilian government was the reason China stopped the funding. "This argumentation is very weak, to say the least, as corruption is not a new phenomenon in Pakistani politics... Had corruption been the reason behind the Chinese step, it would, or perhaps should, have happened in July, when in the context of the Panama Papers, the former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his relatives were charged with financial irregularities and corruption," the commentary said. "The decision to halt funding has, therefore, all the ingredients of being a temporary punitive step to affirm control over the situation," the piece concluded. WASHINGTON: Continuing his tirade against the CNN, United States President Donald Trump on Saturday accused the news channel of making a "vicious and intentional mistake" when the network was forced to correct an erroneous report related to the Trump-Russia probe. President Trump took to Twitter and called on the news network to fire "those responsible." "Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday. They were caught red handed, just like lonely Brian Ross at ABC News (who should be immediately fired for his "mistake"). Watch to see if @CNN fires those responsible, or was it just gross incompetence?" Trump tweeted. In a second tweet, President Trump said the network should change their slogan after the report to "the least trusted name in news." "CNN'S slogan is CNN, THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS. Everyone knows this is not true, that this could, in fact, be a fraud on the American Public. There are many outlets that are far more trusted than Fake News CNN. Their slogan should be CNN, THE LEAST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS!" he tweeted. Last week, President Trump heaped praises on ABC News for suspending the chief investigative journalist over an erroneous report about former national security advisor Michael Flynn. Jerusalem: A rocket fired from the Palestinian Gaza Strip enclave hit the southern Israel town of Sderot, the Israeli army said today, but refused to comment on possible casualties. Public radio said the rocket failed to explode and caused no injuries. Israel's national ambulance service said its paramedics treated a woman in her 50s for shock. It was today's third rocket attack and the second night of rocket fire since US President Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In Gaza, two Palestinians were killed in border clashes sparked by the deeply controversial Trump declaration. A third man was in "very critical" condition after being shot in the head during the clashes, the Gaza health ministry said. It said that 14 people were injured in Israeli air strikes launched in response to rocket fire. The Israeli army said around 4,500 Palestinians "participated in violent riots at six locations along the border with the Gaza Strip". It said troops shot at "dozens" of people along the Gaza border, but did not specify how many were wounded. The Israeli military said earlier that its Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted a rocket fired from the Palestinian enclave. It said it later detected a second missile launch, but had so far not found evidence that it had fallen inside Israeli territory. The military retaliated with air strikes on what it said were two targets. "In response to the projectiles fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip earlier today, Israel Air Force aircraft targeted a Hamas training compound and an ammunition warehouse in the Gaza Strip," an English-language statement said. Gaza security officials said that both targets were in the vicinity of Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of the strip, close to the border with Israel. A previously unknown Salafist group calling itself the Salahedin Brigades claimed responsibility for the first attempted attack. But the Israeli army said it held Hamas responsible for all attacks originating from the territory under its control. Yesterday, Israel responded with air strikes and tank fire into Gaza after what a military statement described as "a projectile" was fired into southern Israel. Palestinian security officials in the enclave said the sites hit were two Hamas posts. The Israeli military said the targets were "two terror posts", without identifying them. Baghdad: Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday declared victory in a three-year war by Iraqi forces to expel the Islamic State jihadist group that at its height endangered Iraq's very existence. "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh (IS)," Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. "Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time," he said. IS seized vast areas north and west of Baghdad in a lightning offensive in 2014. With Iraq's army and police retreating in disarray at the time, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, spiritual leader of the country's majority Shiites, called for a general mobilisation, leading to the formation of Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units. Iraq's fightback was also launched with the backing of an air campaign waged by a US-led coalition, recapturing town after town from the clutches of the jihadists in fierce urban warfare. "I announce the good news: the liberation by Iraqi forces of the whole of the Iraqi-Syrian border," the PM told the conference organised by the Iraqi journalists' union. Iraq's close ally Iran already declared victory over IS last month, as the jihadists clung to just a few remaining scraps of territory. But Abadi said at the time that he would not follow suit until the desert on the border with Syria had been cleared. The jihadists' defeat is a massive turnaround for an organisation 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. On Thursday, Russia's defence ministry said its mission in support of the Syrian regime to oust IS jihadists had been "accomplished" and the country was "completely liberated". In the border region, pro-government forces and US-backed Kurdish-led forces are conducting operations to clear IS fighters from the countryside north of the Euphrates valley after ousting them from all Syrian towns. The head of Iraq's Joint Operations Command set up to fight IS, General Abdel Amir Yarallah, gave an update on Saturday to announce that the desert valley of Al-Jazira was under the control of Iraqi troops and the Hashed all the way from Nineveh province in the north to Anbar in the west. Federal forces "now control the border with Syria from Al-Walid border crossing to that of Rabia", covering a distance of 435 kilometres (270 miles), he said. Despite the victory announcements, experts have warned that IS retains the capacity as an insurgency group to carry out high-casualty bomb attacks through sleeper cells. It also retains natural hideouts in the deep gorges of Wadi Hauran, Iraq's longest valley stretching from the Saudi border up to the Euphrates River and the frontiers with Syria and Jordan. The fightback in Iraq kicked off with the "liberation" of Tikrit, north of Baghdad, that had been under IS control for nearly 10 months. The operations have involved both Tehran, through Iranian-trained Shiite militias in the Hashed al-Shaabi coalition, and Washington as head of the anti-jihadist coalition. The western cities of Ramadi and Fallujah followed in 2016 before the turning point of the recapture of Iraq's second city of Mosul in July this year after a nine-month offensive led by a 30,000-strong federal force. Abadi said the battle for Mosul that left the city in ruins and thousands of its residents displaced marked the end of the jihadists' "caliphate". Victory was declared at the end of August in Tal Afar, the last major IS urban stronghold in northern Iraq, before a final military operation launched last month against IS in a vast desert region of western Iraq. SEOUL: North Korea blamed US "nuclear blackmail" for soaring tensions over its weapons programme following rare meetings with a senior UN official, but agreed to regular communication with the organisation, state media said Saturday. Jeffrey Feltman flew to Beijing Saturday after wrapping up a five-day visit to Pyongyang aimed at defusing the crisis, just a week after North Korea said it test-fired a new ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States. His trip -- the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 -- saw him meet Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho and vice foreign minister Pak Myong-Kuk, and visit medical facilities supported by the UN, the North`s state news agency KCNA said. "At these meetings, our side said the US policy of hostility toward the DPRK (North Korea) and its nuclear blackmail are to blame for the current tense situation on the Korean peninsula," the report said. It added that the North had agreed with the UN "to regularize communications through visits at various levels". The report did not mention any meetings with leader Kim Jong-Un, who has ramped up his impoverished nation`s missile and nuclear programme in recent years in order to achieve Pyongyang`s stated goal of developing a warhead capable of hitting the US mainland. Feltman, the UN`s under-secretary-general for political affairs, visited the country just after the United States and South Korea launched their biggest-ever joint air exercise. Pyongyang reiterated its view that these manoeuvres were a provocation on Saturday, accusing the drills of "revealing its intention to mount a surprise nuclear pre-emptive strike against the DPRK", using the initials of the country`s official name. The UN Security Council has hit the isolated and impoverished North with a package of sanctions over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests, which have rattled Washington and its regional allies South Korea and Japan. Feltman arrived in Beijing, a key transit point with the North, and left the airport without speaking to reporters. China, Pyongyang`s sole major diplomatic and military ally, has called on the United States to freeze military drills and on North Korea to halt weapons tests. The Chinese foreign ministry on Saturday published a speech from four days ago by foreign minister Wang Yi in which he warned that the Korean Peninsula "remains deeply entrenched in a vicious cycle of demonstrations of strength and confrontation." "The outlook is not optimistic," Beijing`s top diplomat added.Pyongyang ramped up already high tensions on the Korean Peninsula at the end of November when it announced it had successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it says brings the whole of the continental United States within range. Analysts say it is unclear whether the missile survived re-entry into the earth`s atmosphere or could successfully deliver a warhead to its target -- key technological hurdles for Pyongyang. US President Donald Trump has engaged in months of tit-for-tat rhetoric with Kim, pejoratively dubbing him "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy". Kim has called the 71-year-old president a "dotard", meaning a weak or senile old man -- an insult that was renewed Saturday as the North condemned Trump for recognising Jerusalem as Israel`s capital. "Considering the fact that the mentally deranged dotard openly called for a total destruction of a sovereign state at the UN, this action is not so surprising", KCNA quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying. "The US will be held accountable for all consequences from this reckless, wicked act." The North on Saturday released photographs of Kim on the summit of the country`s highest peak, the fabled 2,750-metre (9,020-foot) Mount Paektu, which he climbed to ponder recent successes in his drive for nuclear statehood. KCNA said the young leader, who was pictured strolling across the snow-covered peak sporting a heavy black coat, fur hat and buffed leather shoes, had climbed the "sublime mountain of revolution", which is on the border with China. Kim, described in the fulsome language of Pyongyang`s mouthpiece as "the peerlessly illustrious commander who controls the nature", used the opportunity to dwell on the "emotion-charged days when he realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force without yielding even a moment". Mount Paektu is considered a sacred place in Korean folklore and plays a central role in the propaganda glorifying the Kim family. Officially, Kim`s father Kim Jong-Il was born on its slopes in 1942, though independent historians say he was actually born a year earlier and in the Soviet Union, where his own father was in exile. GOMA: Suspected Ugandan rebels killed at least 15 Tanzanian U.N. peacekeepers and wounded 53 others in a raid on a base in Congo that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called the worst attack on the organisation in recent history. Tanzania`s President John Magufuli said he was "shocked and saddened" by the deaths, which come amid rising violence against civilians, the army and U.N. troops in Democratic Republic of Congo`s eastern borderlands. The U.N. chief said the attack constituted a war crime and called on Congolese authorities to investigate and "swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice". "I want to express my outrage and utter heartbreak at last night`s attack," Guterres told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." The United Nations Security Council condemned the attack on Friday and held a moment of silence for the victims. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert wrote on Twitter that the United States was "appalled by the horrific attack". U.N. troops were still searching for three peacekeepers who went missing during the more than three-hour firefight that broke out at dusk on Thursday evening, Ian Sinclair, the director of the U.N. Operations and Crisis Centre, said. U.N. officials said they suspected militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) staged the assault on the base in the town of Semuliki in North Kivu`s Beni territory. The ADF is an Islamist rebel group that has been active in the area. Congo`s U.N. mission, MONUSCO, said it was coordinating a joint response with the Congolese army and evacuating wounded from the base. Five Congolese soldiers were also killed in the raid, MONUSCO said in a statement. Congo`s army said only one of its soldiers was missing, however, while another had been injured, adding that 72 militants had been killed. `THEY DON`T WANT US THERE` Rival militia groups control parts of mineral-rich eastern Congo nearly a decade and a half after the official end of a 1998-2003 war in which millions of people died, mostly from hunger and disease. The area has been the scene of repeated massacres and at least 26 people died in an ambush in October. The government and U.N. mission have blamed almost all the violence on the ADF but U.N. experts and independent analysts say other militia and elements of Congo`s own army have also been involved. In response to the growing unrest, and in an effort to protect civilians, the U.N.`s Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix said MONUSCO had stepped up its activities in the area. "They don`t want us there. And I think this attack is a response ... to our increasingly robust posture in that region," he told reporters. Thursday`s raid was the third attack on a U.N. base in eastern Congo in recent months. Increased militia activity in the east and centre of the country has added to insecurity in Congo this year amid political tensions linked to President Joseph Kabila`s refusal to step down when his mandate expired last December. An election to replace Kabila, who has ruled Congo since his father`s assassination in 2001, has been repeatedly delayed and is now scheduled for December 2018. Established in 2010, MONUSCO is the United Nations` largest peacekeeping mission and had recorded 93 fatalities of military, police and civilian personnel. Kiev: Ukrainian police on Friday rearrested former Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili after a similar attempt to detain the foe of President Petro Poroshenko had failed. Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko said the 49-year-old anti-corruption campaigner was arrested on charges of trying to stage a coup sponsored by Russia. "We are planning to conduct an investigation and ask the court to set a bail hearing," Lutsenko wrote on Facebook. Around 100 supporters of Saakashvili, the man who pulled Georgia out of Russia`s orbit in a 2003 revolution before becoming a governor in Ukraine, gathered outside a police detention centre shouting "shame". Interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko said a Kiev court had 72 hours to decide whether to place Saakashvili in pretrial detention. A judge also has the option of placing him under house arrest or releasing him on bail. Saakashvili dramatically escaped from a security service van on Tuesday after it was swarmed by hundreds of supporters angered at his detention. He has since continued leading protests outside parliament demanding Poroshenko`s impeachment over his failure to fight high-level corruption. Saakashvili denies committing any crimes and says his actions have been peaceful and legal.Tuesday`s drama marked the latest chapter in the dizzying career of a man who spearheaded a pro-Western "Rose Revolution" in Georgia in 2003 and fought a disastrous war with Russia five years later that eventually prompted him to flee the small Caucasus country. Saakashvili returned to the spotlight as a vocal champion of the three-month street uprising in Kiev that toppled a Moscow-backed government in 2014 and turned Ukraine on a pro-EU course. Poroshenko rewarded Saakashvili for his efforts by appointing him governor of the important Black Sea region of Odessa in 2015. But an ugly falling out between the two men saw Saakashvili stripped of his Ukrainian passport -- only for him to defy the authorities and force his way back into the conflict-riven country with the help of supporters in September. Poroshenko vowed Friday to grant Saakashvili a fair investigation and trial. "I don`t exclude that the inquiry may ask for extra expertise, including from international organisations, to enhance trust," Poroshenko told reporters in Vilnius at a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. "He (Saakashvili) has to answer to investigators and to society regarding the accusations against him," Poroshenko said. "If he doesn`t answer, it only means that these accusations are well-founded." PLEASE NOTE! Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate! All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited! (One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!) STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan sent a congratulatory address in connection with the Artsakh State Independence Referendum and Constitution Day, press service of the Presidential Office told Armenpress. The address runs as follows: Dear Artsakh people, On behalf of the republics authorities and personally myself I extend my cordial congratulations in connection with the NKR State Independence Referendum and Constitution Day. The December 10 referendums of 1991 and 2006 have played a crucial role in the life of our republic, announcing the firm will and unshakable spirit of our people having embarked on the path of democracy. During all these years together with our brothers and sisters in Mother Armenia and the Diaspora we have managed to overcome all the difficulties and hardship, defend our state independence and continue to undertake necessary measures to strengthen and develop it on a consistent basis. The Referendum of Constitutional Reforms held on February 20 of the current year and the adoption of the New Constitution of the Artsakh Republic became a vivid manifestation of that. The New Basic Law is an objective result of subsequent cementing and strengthening constitutionalism and democratic institutions in our state that once again demonstrated the commitment of our people to building a free and civilized country. Dear compatriots, I once again congratulate all of you on this significant holiday wishing peace, happiness and welfare to every family of Artsakh. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The defense ministry of the Artsakh Republic released a statement denying another lie of the Azerbaijani propaganda, the ministry told Armenpress. The statement says: The monotonous reports released every day by official Baku on the ceasefire violation by the Armenian Army, as well as the report on December 8 according to which the Artsakh Army fired shots from large-caliber machine guns and mortars at the Orta-Karvend village of the Aghdam region, have nothing to do with the reality. The defense ministry of the Republic of Artsakh announces that the Defense Army forces strictly adhere to the ceasefire regime and never target civilian settlements, and in case of further provocations of the adversary in the frontline the entire responsibility will fall on the Azerbaijani side. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Former Georgian President and former Ukrainian regional governor Mikheil Saakashvili, who is detained in Ukraine, has declared a hunger strike, his attorney Ruslan Chernolutskiy said, RIA Novosti reports. He declared a hunger strike for an indefinite period of time. He also will object to force-feeding. If a court decides to keep him under custody for 60 days, he will continue the hunger strike, the attorney said. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Relative calm was maintained in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact during the period from December 3 to 9, the Artsakh defense ministry told Armenpress. During the abovementioned period the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime nearly 150 times by firing more than 1500 shots from firearms at the Armenian positions. In addition, the Azerbaijani forces also fired anti-tank grenade launcher (1 grenade) at the north-eastern direction of the line of contact. The Defense Army forces refrained from taking countermeasures and took necessary steps to organize the reliable protection of military posts. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian issued a statement on the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime, the foreign ministry told Armenpress. The statement says: As we mark today the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Genocide we join our voice with all those who strive to ensure that never again is a solemn promise that is universally respected and kept. As a people that passed through the horrors of Genocide, Armenians feel moral obligation to contribute to the international efforts for prevention of genocides, crimes against humanity. In 2015 due to the efforts of Armenia the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a unanimous Resolution on the Genocide Prevention while again on our initiative the UN General Assembly assigned December 9th as an International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Genocide. Since 2015, 9 December has become a solid platform for manifestation of our collective resolve against the recurrence of this crime. It also bears an important mission of raising awareness and promoting education about the crimes against humanity. On the next December 9th the International Commemoration Day will gain even more significance since it will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It will provide an opportunity to once again reaffirm the importance of the Convention. However, 70 years passed the world is not immune from this odious scourge. It is imperative to redouble the international efforts aimed at reinvigoration of the prevention agenda. We hope that the 70th anniversary of the Convention will give a new impetus to the international efforts in this regard. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Ambassador to Lebanon Samvel Mkrtchyan on December 7 had a meeting with minister of economy and trade Raed Khoury, the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress. At the meeting the Ambassador presented the Armenian governments comprehensive steps taken over the last year aimed at improving the investment environment and making it more attractive and easy for the businessmen. The meeting also touched upon the opportunities of the EAEU single market, as well as the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership agreement signed between Armenia and the EU on November 24 of this year, the privileged trade regime and the free economic zone with Iran. The Lebanese minister introduced the overall economic situation of the country to the Ambassador, the existing domestic and regional threats, the upcoming positive trends and prospects. He expressed readiness to assist in boosting the Lebanese-Armenian economic ties. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The elections in Armenia are not perfect, but each election diffes from the previous one by its quality, justice minister Davit Harutyunyan told reporters commenting on the OSCE/ODIHR final report on the parliamentary elections in Armenia, reports Armenpress. If you are careful, you will see that each election grealt differs from the previous one by its quality. They are not ideal. I cannot mention a country where elections are being held in an ideal way, the minister said. He stated that the authorities concentrate their efforts to eliminate the shortcomings mentioned in the report. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The BBT (Buying Business Travel) Russia & CIS awarding ceremony was held in Moscow on December 7. Armenia presented OK Armenia project at the competition with the assistance of the Armenian Embassy in Russia, the foreign ministry told Armenpress. As a result of the jury voting Armenia won in the Best Foreign MICE Destination 2017 nomination. Georgia, Italy, France and UAE were also nominated in this category. MICE is a business tourism field engaged in organization of different kinds of events. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia will provide financial tools for the implementation of a new concept of community development based on the bottom-up model, Martin Galstyan head of the CBA Dilijan Training and Research Center, told reporters, adding that by this concept the communities assume a greater responsibility, reports Armenpress. Our partners of the government have submitted a new concept according to which the community development, actually, is linked with a new model which supposes a bottom-up movement. We are going to introduce new financial tools and opportunities of new approaches by the Central Bank which will enable the government, our community leaders and the communities in general to implement their tasks more effectively, he said, adding that the talk is about the change in philosophy, rather than in privileges. According to the CBA representative, the proposed financial tools will allow to ensure a progressive growth rates. This supposes formation of joint funds, financial tools in case of which the community also assumes responsibilities. It will be possible to attract greater resources for the community development thanks to the private-public sector combination, the CBA official said. He said if previously the community was provided with financial resources within the frames of which it distributed and spent those funds, now the community must present initiatives and search for the financial resources, therefore, the projects must be competitive so that the investor will be interested in entering it. The private enters such places which are attractive, and the first element of attractiveness is the communitys engagement level. The change in approach will automatically lead to greater engagement of the community in these processes, the CBA official noted. The conference of Armenian communities is being held in Dilijan on December 8-9 which is attended by governors, community leaders and representatives of concerned organizations. The conference focuses on the discussion of economic development programs. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on December 9 participated in the final session of the conference dedicated to the local self-government and territorial administration authorities, press service of the Presidential Office told Armenpress. The conference has been organized by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development and the Union of Communities of Armenia in Dilijan. The conference was attended by governors, community leaders, representatives of the Central Bank, the Armenian Territorial Development Fund, the Covenant of Mayors East project, Mayors for Economic Development, as well as other projects. During the conference the issues of Armenias local self-governance and territorial administration, the economic development programs in provinces and communities, the process of ongoing administrative-territorial reforms, as well as the community enlargement process were discussed. In their remarks the CBA officials presented the opportunities of community development, financial involvement and alternative financing ways. Minister of territorial administration and development Davit Lokyan summed up the results of the conference, talked about the issues of the field after which leaders of several enlarged communities presented the achievements reached within a year, the existing problems and the proposed solutions. President Serzh Sargsyan delivered speech at the final session of the conference, answered to the questions of the event participants. 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. The last few days have seemed like a winter prelude. A cold chilling rain has fallen for the last few days-today, all the day long. Lamps burn in odd day time hours and "winter clothes" have been retrieved from closets. It is the time to build a fire-and tend it for long periods of time. The trees are all but bare and look black in the dim light of day. The landscape has changed and no longer bids us to spend the afternoon outside, but for a winter walk. Now, more than ever home and hearth seem to mean more, than they do in months like June.Wednesday, was the annual, grand shopping spree for us. Mama. my sisters, my niece and I spent a day together, for Christmas. This was our seventeenth venture. It is the only day of the year, that I shop all day. I do not have the heart of a shopper. In fact, I am more inclined to make do with what I have and live as simply as I can. . . but it is Christmas, after all, and that changes everything. I do shop a bit all year long for the holiday and therefore avoid many worrisome details. My own children and I, also have always kept Christmas small and personal. Our gifts are things like bars of fancy soaps, fine coffees, books, art and writing supplies-and always guitar strings for Christian. When I go to Wilmington, I am always noting what is NOT in the kitchens, and ought to be. I take stock of linens and towels too, for my children will never ask for anything. They are a grateful lot and that for me means more than anything under the tree. We do indulge ourselves with lavish meals that take all day to cook and all sorts of holiday fare. In that way, we are extravagant.Connie always drives Mama and I to the destination, that day. Connie is a much more capable driver, than me and she has the vehicles to support our purchases. We left not long after eight and met Delores, who drives from Raleigh, at a midway city. At the first store, I found exactly what I had wanted to get Tres . At another store, I found exactly what I had wanted for Will. Since, my family is loyal to the "Rabbit Patch Diary", I can not go in to further detail, but "suffice it to say" I was quite satisfied at the end of the day.Just before noon, that day ,we had been to several stores. My niece, Hayley and I had been hungry a good while, as we neither had the good sense to eat breakfast. When Connie called it "lunch time", we did not complain. Lunch provided us all the fortitude we needed for the "second shift". I must applaud Mama for her gallant effort. I knew her knees had to be bothering her, but she did not complain one iota. Delores, who could be a professional shopper, and I am quite serious -had discount cards for every store we went to, and allowed all of us to take advantage of that. Mama and Delores like to look at clothes, and did so wherever we landed. Connie and I like dishes, though I remained stalwart and did not bring another pretty dish back to the rabbit patch. (I have not yet forgotten the weeks of decluttering in July.) Hayley and I like books and art supplies. Hayley loves make up, too-I can barely apply cold cream. I bought chocolate as I always do, around mid afternoon. We pass it around and find the will to finish.It had been dark a while, when we got home. Everybody has to call Mama when they walk in their back door, to let her know, we all arrived safely. I thought it must have been time to go to bed, but come to find out, it was just past six pm!The "Christmas closet" in the farmhouse, holds more secrets now, than it did, before Wednesday. . .and I have another memory to add to my collection of things I want to remember . . .and it happened on Wednesday. Trump FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is a former top Verizon executive and now he's about to hand Verizon billions of dollars in public subsidy by striking down net neutrality rules, which is a really funny coincidence! Pai apparently agrees. He gave a presentation at the Federal Communications Bar Association (the "telecom prom") which featured a funny, funny video which Pai described as a "leaked, 14-year-old video" in which he appears in Verizon's DC office where another exec describes a "Manchurian candidate" plan to take over the FCC by "brainwashing and grooming a Verizon puppet to install as FCC chairman." Even funnier! The person who played the sinister Verizon executive was Kathy Grillo, a real-life sinister Verizon exec the company's current deputy general counsel and senior vice president. The whole thing was backed by a hip-hop soundtrack built around 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and was liberally sprinkled with corny, rich lawyers using hip-hop slang like "Hey, 'G,' what up?" One of the more egregious of Pai's jokes, which reflects the frequent accusations that he's a corporate shill, comes at the 20:00 mark. "In collusionI mean, in conclusion, sorry, my badmany people are still shell-shocked that I'm up here tonight," he says. "They ask themselves, how on earth did this happen?" Pai then rolls what he describes as a "leaked, 14-year-old video," saying he can "no longer hide from the truth." The video is a skit that opens to 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and takes place at "Verizon's DC Office" in 2003, where Pai worked as an attorney before joining the FCC a few years later. A random Verizon executive tells him: "As you know, the FCC is captured by the industry, but we think it's not captured enough, so we have a plan." "What plan?" Pai asks. "We want to brainwash and groom a Verizon puppet to install as FCC chairman," the executive says. "Think 'Manchurian Candidate.'" "That sounds awesome," Pai responds. Leaked Video Shows FCC Chair Ajit Pai Roasting Himself With 'Jokes' About Being a Verizon Shill [Dell Cameron and Rhett Jones/Gizmodo] Students, faculty, supporters and Yosif Al-Hasnawi's family gathered at Brock University on Friday to remember the young man who lost his life to a gunshot last Saturday in Hamilton. The vigil began shortly after 3 p.m. ET in the Pond Inlet, a hall at the university in St. Catherines, Ont. Speakers one after another spoke kindly of Al-Hasnawi, from the president of the university to his mother. "He had a beautiful life ahead of him, it was just taken away like this," said Amal Alzurufi, his mother. She was joined by her two younger sons, Ahmed Al-Hasnawi and Mahdi Al-Hasnawi. As she spoke, she made frequent pauses to hold back her tears. Alzurufi's first-born son was 19 when he was shot and killed, close to a downtown Islamic centre, after becoming involved in a confrontation between an older man and two people. Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with his death. Dale Burningsky King appeared in court on Friday morning on a charge of second-degree murder. He was not granted bail. 'Be kind to each other' Not everyone at the vigil knew Al-Hasnawi personally. A mother who also lost her son while he was attending Brock was also there to support the family. "I just felt his mother's pain and wanted to support the family," Ray Ring said. Her son died nine years ago. "Keep your friends around you, they'll help you," were Ring's words for Al-Hasnawi's family. Kinesiology student Chance Mutuku went to the vigil with his friends, despite not knowing Al-Hasnawi personally. "When things like this happen, it's a reminder to us to be kind to each other, and to always stand up for other people as well." The university said it is accepting donations for a memorial fund, which will be used to establish a scholarship in Al-Hasnawi's name. 'A whole bright life' The paramedics who treated Al-Hasnawi have been criticized for how long it took them to take the young man to hospital. His mother is now looking for answers. Story continues "I'm very disappointed. It should not happen, especially here in Canada. It shouldn't happen," Alzurufi told reporters after the vigil. She said she had filed a formal complaint with the Hamilton Paramedic Service. "He had a whole bright life in front of him, and it was taken due to some neglect," she said. Hosam Helal, the associate Muslim chaplain at Brock University, said the Islamic centre and Hamilton's Mountain Mosque, the de facto heart of the local Muslim community, will be involved with the complaint. He said he hopes by asking questions about how people in situations like the one Al-Hasnawi was in are treated, there will be an improvement of "the future dealings in terms of emergency care." Alzurufi said she appreciates the co-operation from paramedics. "I just want justice for my son." Caleb Grove built an eight-by-12 foot house - a micro home - in six months, for $10,000. But it's not to showcase his building skills. It's to shine a light on his scalable, and cheap, power set-up. Powered by solar, 12 volt batteries store enough power to run lights, a laptop, and a fan in the home. Grove has installed 40 similar systems on a small island in Africa called Mbissa. The first place to get electric light was a health clinic. Grove says it was greeted with a hushed awe. For almost a decade, Grove grew up on that island, when his missionary parents decided to settle their family there in 2000. To get to Mbissa, you pass through the mainland that has a spotty electrical grid that most people can't afford to tap into. Then you get to the end of the road, take a boat, and arrive at the 3000 person island of subsistence farmers and fishers. Grove was eight then. At 17, he decided to get an electrical engineering degree from the University of New Brunswick. While completing his degree, he convinced various UNB funding agencies to donate more than $30,000 dollars as he went back and forth to Africa to perfect his power system. "The people in Cameroon, have, through our technology, a plug and play system," says Grove, holding up something about twice the size of an insulated coffee mug. "So someone who wants to put in their solar electricity, it's extremely simple. They don't need a background in electrical engineering to come up with this product." "And so to be able to take that and do that here would be the same idea." 'Munong Micra': Fire of the Foreigner When developing the system, Grove said he had to make something that was cheap, could be made with local materials, and would be easy to install.. "I have to make sure that it's done so that when I leave, if I leave it will continue. So that means is that it is not the white man coming in to do work. That makes it sustainable. It is theirs," says Grove. Story continues "And that has been a long and difficult battle. The word for electricity in their language is 'munong micra', it means 'the fire of the foreigner'. And I've been trying to tell them you need to call this 'munong Mbissa':'the fire of Mbissa,' Grove adds: "Something that even if a foreigner is not there to give it to you, you can still do it, because you have the power, you have the tools and you have the knowledge and education you need to do it." Passing on knowledge On the day before he left Africa, a shopkeeper with a failed electrical system, insisted Caleb Grove had to be the one to repair it. Instead, Grove left the three local men he had been training, to do it. The shopkeeper was skeptical . When Grove returned, he saw they had re-wired everything, and were waiting for him to flip the switch. It all worked perfectly. "And one guy turned and he said, 'truly now this is Mulo Mbissa'. It is ours." Caleb Grove, his new wife, and his family will return to Africa in January to continue their work, hoping what they perfect there, can also be used back in Canada. Gunshots rang out in the halls of Aztec High School in Aztec, N.M., early Thursday morning, leaving two students and the shooter dead. But it could have been much worse if not for the heroic actions of a teacher and a custodian. Substitute teacher Katie Potter was in her classroom when she first heard the shots. Out in the hallways, custodian Thomas Hill was calling out to teachers to lock down their classrooms. They [the students] knew they were in serious danger and some of them said, I dont want to die. And I said, You know what? Youre going to be OK,' Potter told Fox News in an interview. She quickly ushered her students into the classrooms office and barricaded the door with a sofa. The shooter, William Atchison, entered the classroom and tried to force his way into the office. When he failed to do so he shot through the walls in an attempt to kill those who were hiding. No one in Potters class was injured. Atchison took his own life moments later as responding police officers stormed the building. In the wake of his rampage two students, Francisco Fernandez and Casey Marquez, lay dead. According to police, they were victims of a random attack and were not specifically targeted. Details about the shooter are beginning to emerge and paint the picture of an unstable loner. Atchison, 21, was a former student at Aztec High and worked at a local gas station. A note found in a trashcan at his home suggests he planned the attack. A thumb drive found on his body contained more notes. One reads, If things go according to plan, today would be when I die. I wait until the school buses are detected, then head out on foot disguised as a student. I go somewhere and gear up, then hold a class hostage and go apes***, then blow my brains out. He goes on to write, Work sucks, school sucks, life sucks. I just want out of this s***. F*** this state, it really is bad. Think Im insane? Im actually more rational, peaceful and less loony than a majority of the citizenry of this entire region. Story continues Sheriff showing a small portion of what the shooter wrote #AztecSchoolShooting pic.twitter.com/qaSl2YEvx1 Kai Porter (@KaiPorterKOB) December 8, 2017 It was revealed by authorities that Atchison was interviewed by the FBI last year following a post he made to a video game forum. In the post, he allegedly asked for advice on a cheap rifle to buy to use in a school shooting. No charges were filed at the time and Atchison apparently told federal agents that he had been joking. Atchison bought the Glock 9mm handgun he used in the shooting lawfully last month, say authorities. As for Potter, she is grieving but says she will be at work on Monday if they need her. I told the secretary who called me this morning, I said, If you need somebody Monday, Ill be there. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. The mother of an 18-year-old man killed in two-alarm fire at a Toronto Community Housing complex Monday night has died, her brother has told CBC Toronto. Abdul Wahid Whahedi says his sister, Fakhria Whahedi, 47, and her 18-year-old child who had lived with autism had been trying to wake up the younger son when flames broke out around 9:30 p.m. in the building near Flemington Road near Allen Road and Lawrence Avenue West. The 18-year-old died in hospital Tuesday, while his mother and brother remained in critical condition. The 16-year-old, who has Down Syndrome, was sleeping at the time, Whahedi says on a GoFundMe page set up for the family. "As a mother, the only important thing to her in that moment of life or death was to save her child," he wrote on the page, adding that the 47-year-old struggled to pull her son from the apartment. Emergency crews would find all three family members without vital signs. "The doctors caring for the victims expressed that they believe Fakhria was a hero," the page goes on to say. Whahedi says that the 16-year-old remains in critical condition on life support, with extensive damage to his lungs and internal organs. Meanwhile, the boy's father, who had immigrated to Canada from Afghanistan, and the rest of the family are "heartbroken, devastated, and in a state which words cannot describe," the page says. TCH has said the fire was contained to an apartment on the first floor. Earlier, Toronto Fire Services Capt. David Eckerman stated it started in the basement. Chief Matthew Pegg had noted it was on the third floor. "Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the person who perished in this tragic fire," a TCH spokesperson wrote in a statement to CBC Toronto Tuesday. It added its team members were on the site in the Lawrence Heights area to assist tenants. For now, the fire remains under investigation. There's no word yet on the cause, but police have said it is not believed to be suspicious. By Alex Dobuzinskis VENTURA, Calif. (Reuters) - Growing wildfires chewing through parts of Southern California on Friday ravaged avocado farms, racehorse stables and a retirement community, even as milder weather aided firefighters in their efforts to slow the progress of six major blazes. Forecasters predicted weather would continue to challenge the 8,700 firefighters who have been battling fast-moving blazes for five days from the San Diego area up the Pacific Coast to Santa Barbara County. The fires killed at least one person, destroyed 500 structures, hurt six people and injured four firefighters. At the peak, about 212,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Evacuation orders were lifted in some areas, welcome news for many in shelters waiting to see if their homes survived. "The weather moderated today and the milder winds allowed for an increase in the number of both helicopters and air tankers that could safely complete mission dropping water and fire retardant, as well as conducting reconnaissance tasks," the Ventura County Fire Department said on its website Friday evening. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday issued a federal emergency declaration for California, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security to coordinate relief efforts. A 70-year-old woman died in a car crash on Wednesday with smoke inhalation and burns along an evacuation route in Santa Paula, the Ventura County Star newspaper reported, citing medical examiner Christopher Young. Two of the most dangerous fires, in Ventura County and San Diego County, were zero to 10 percent contained, the CAL FIRE agency reported. Billions of dollars in property is at risk. A joint weather forecast by firefighting agencies said temperatures would remain "well above normal for the foreseeable future." Winds were expected to continue, peaking in strength on Sunday then becoming much lighter on Monday. "Ongoing fires may see significant growth on Sunday," it said. North of San Diego, the Lilac Fire swelled from 10 acres to 4,100 acres (1,659 hectares) in a few hours on Thursday, prompting Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for San Diego County. The fire destroyed 65 structures. Fallbrook, known for its avocado orchards, burned, and homes were destroyed in its Rancho Monserate Country Club retirement community. Blazes approached the Camp Pendleton marine base. A 500-stall stable for thoroughbred race horses at San Luis Rey Downs training site burned late on Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported. An estimated 25 to 30 horses died, in addition to 29 horses killed in Los Angeles earlier in the week. A trainer suffered second- and third-degree burns over half her body trying to rescue horses, the newspaper said. She was airlifted to a San Diego hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, a racetrack in a beachside community north of San Diego, said it was providing refuge for more than 900 animals, mostly horses as well as some goats and pigs. A horse hospital was being opened on Friday. On Twitter, animal lovers sought to reunite lost dogs with their owners and posted pleas for residents in the Los Angeles area to put out water for wild animals fleeing the fires. The wildfires forced producers of commercials, television shows and even student films to pause or seek alternate shooting locations. The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday suspended permitted filming in zones near the fires as well as other areas deemed to be at severe risk of burning. Applications for filming in the Angeles National Forest were also halted this week. SMOKE VISIBLE FROM SPACE The largest of the blazes, known as the Thomas Fire, was in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, and has charred 143,000 acres (57,870 hectares) and destroyed 439 structures, officials said. More than 2,600 firefighters from as far away as Portland, Oregon, and Nevada, made progress against the blaze with 10 percent contained, up from 5 percent on Thursday. A huge plume of smoke flared from the fire in the Ventura County mountains on Friday and was visible on satellite images, the National Weather Service said. Astronauts have captured images showing the wildfires' smoke visible from space, and the National Weather Service said visibility was being affected in the San Francisco area. The Santa Ana winds, which blow hot and dry across Southern California to the Pacific, eased up on Friday, ranging from 5 miles per hour (8 km per hour) to 35 mph (56 kph). That turned out to be a mixed blessing for firefighters because the lingering smoke limited the use of water-dropping aircraft. "No wind is good because it decreases the fire activity but if its too smoky to drive and see where youre going, its too smoky to fly," Clark said. Some 86,000 homes were at risk in the three large fires in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to CoreLogic Inc a California-based risk analysis firm, with reconstruction possibly totaling $27.7 billion. California is still recovering from wildfires in the northern part of the state that resulted in insured losses of more than $9 billion in October. Those fires, which were concentrated in California's wine country, killed 43 people. (Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; writing by Bill Trott and Cynthia Osterman; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Lisa Shumaker) Receiving racially charged hate mail is nothing journalist Sharon Reed hasnt experienced before. But after getting one this week, she decided shed had enough. Live during her 9 p.m. CBS46 show, Reed shared an email from viewer Kathyrae1962, who used the N word to describe the anchor. You need to be fired for the race-baiting comment you made tonight, Its o.k. to discuss certain subjects, but not whites Really??? You are what I call a Niger. Not a black person. You are a racist Niger. You are whats wrong with the world, the email read, the slur spelled wrong. In a video she shared to her professional Facebook page, Reed showed the world what journalists of color deal with on a daily basis and responded directly to Kathy Rae herself. Number one, you mischaracterized what I said, Reed said. I didnt say that white people couldnt talk about race. Quite the contrary; we think race is an authentic discussion to have its one thats clearly entered Atlantas mayors race. Thats why my colleagues and I, white and black, said lets go for it. We keep it real here. Photo: Facebook/Sharon Reed Reed is referring to the recent mayoral race in Atlanta between city council members Mary Norwood and Keisha Lance Bottoms. But Bottoms is black and Norwood is white. If Norwood won, shed be the first white female mayor of Atlanta, according to ABC News. On the other hand, a Bottoms win would continue a run of African-American mayors that began with Maynard Jackson in the mid-1970s. Kathie Rae didnt want Reed talking about race, but Reed wasnt backing down. When arguing with someone, you have to be careful not to miscategorize their viewpoint, so I wont miscategorize your viewpoint, Reed continued. I get it, on Dec. 5, 2017, you think its OK to call this journalist a n*****. I dont. I could clap back and say a few things to you. Instead, Ill let your words, Kathie Rae, speak for themselves. Her video has gone viral and has been shared more than 84,000 times in less than 24 hours, with the majority of people applauding Reeds monologue. Story continues Them: "You can't be petty as a professional" Me: pic.twitter.com/mbLmZnMpB0 Altif Brown (@altifbrown) December 6, 2017 She @SharonReedCBS46 made the email her header on Facebook. An icon. A queen pic.twitter.com/EW3tOhIcKh lah-juh (@fabuLaja) December 6, 2017 . @SharonReedCBS46's face is every woman of color dealing with the Kathy Rae's of the world. pic.twitter.com/izNkYMBqDw Cyn Diesel (@Cynstyle) December 6, 2017 Yes! Her station really deserves a lot of credit for letting her speak out. Horrible social media comments rarely see the light of day and if people were held up like Kathy Rae is here,maybe theyd think twice before putting out hate. JennS (@jelisa12) December 6, 2017 Reed explains to Yahoo Lifestyle that her show is different from other news broadcasts because the anchors interact with their viewers more about whats happening in the world. The racial identities of the mayoral candidates constituted as such. Reed has worked at CBS46 for more than two years and says that she and other black journalists are familiar with these types of critiques. Its not the first, second, third, or hundredth voicemails, emails not necessarily to my face [but] over the phone, she says. When black journalists get together, weve all had these similar horror stories. But she felt like this one in particular needed to be addressed. She went to her manager, who gave her the green light to share the email without a problem. Do I care to shine a spotlight on a racist? Not really. Lets move on. That said, theres too many people getting too comfortable that were postracial, she says. She notes that she also responded to Kathie Raes email personally, reiterating her on-air comment and to tell her she made the show. Kathie Rae emailed back, taking issue with Reeds implying she was stupid. But Reed has no regrets, except not telling her crew to show the full email. I dont have to have an army of supporters. Its inherently wrong, she says. To me, it was an easy decision. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Even in the era of regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, single shop exclusives remain an integral part of the cigar industry. If there is one person who revolutionized the shop exclusive market in premium cigars, it is Pete Johnson of Tatuaje Cigars. Johnson is known for creating some of the most high-profile shop exclusive releases over the past decade. One can make the case that one of the cigars that belongs in the upper echelon of Tatuaje shop exclusives is the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin. The Pork Tenderloin was originally a 2010 shop exclusive to former Boston, Massachusetts retailer Gloucester Street Cigars (which has since shut its doors). Since that initial release, the Pork Tenderloin remains one of the most sought-after shop exclusives ever. In 2016, Johnson brought back the Pork Tenderloin. He reconstructed the blend to get it as close to the original as possible and then used it as an event-only cigar. Today, we take a closer look at the reconstructed Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin. The Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin was actually the second exclusive cigar that Johnson did for Gloucester Street Cigars. He released the Pork Chop, a 4 x 46 Nicaraguan puro corona, in 2009. However, as popular the Pork Chop remains, the Pork Tenderloin is even more special. Over the years, the blend is said to have been the basis for other Tautaje limited releases including the Tatuaje Barclay Rex and is the blend used for most of the Tatuaje TAA releases. Without further ado, lets take a look at this 2016 reincarnation of the Pork Tenderloin. The cigars for this assessment have been resting for about 10 months in the Cigar Coop humidor. Blend Profile The Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin features a Nicaraguan blend wrapped with a Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper. The cigars are produced at the My Father Cigars factory located in Esteli, Nicaragua. Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Binder: Nicaraguan Filler: Nicaraguan Country of Origin: Nicaragua (My Father Cigars SA) Vitolas Available The Pork Tenderloin is a Robusto-sized cigar. It is packaged in 25-count bundles. The packaging utilizes actual butcher paper complete with a meat label. Robusto: 5 1/8 x 52 Appearance Like the original Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin, the 2016 iteration of the Pork Tenderloin remains unbanded. The Broadleaf wrapper has a dark espresso color. Even with the wrappers darker color, upon close examination darker mottling can be seen. The surface of the wrapper also had some oil on it. For a Broadleaf wrapper, I found it relatively smooth with only some thin visible veins and thin wrapper seams. The cap is finished with a short fan-tail. Preparation for the Cigar Experience As opposed to pulling off the tail off of the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin, I decided to use a straight cut to remove both the cap and the pig-tail simultaneously. I then proceeded with the pre-light draw. The dry draw delivered a mix of coffee, earth, and a slight amount of black pepper. While this was a relatively simple flavor profile for a pre-light draw, I still found it quite enjoyable. At this point, I was ready to light up my Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin and see what the smoking experience would have in store. Flavor Profile The start to the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin delivered notes of coffee, earth, and black pepper. As the cigar moved through the first half, the coffee expanded into a mocha note basically a combination of coffee and chocolate flavor. This mocha note had a slightly creamy texture, delivering a little smoothness into the equation. Meanwhile, the earth and black pepper notes settled in the background and mostly could be felt at the back of the throat. The black pepper was also prominent on the retro-hale. Later in the first third, the earth notes started to surface from time to time in the forefront. By the start of the second third, there was also a slight increase in the black pepper. Once the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin passed the halfway point, I found the earth notes increased in intensity. As the Pork Tenderloin reached the end of the second third, the pepper notes also increased. The mocha motes remained grounded in the forefront, but the creamy texture these notes had would slowly dissipate. The last third of the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin saw the earth notes in the forefront with the mocha notes. Meanwhile, the black pepper was a close secondary note. While there was more spice here, it didnt assault the palate. This is the way the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin came to a close. The resulting nub was firm to the touch and cool in temperature. Burn and Draw The burn line of the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin had a slight amount of unevenness. This was corrected with a few touch-ups and in the end, the cigar maintained a relatively even burn path. The ash had a silver-gray color with some dark streaks in it. This was an ash that was slightly on the loose side. The burn rate and burn temperature were ideal. The draw performed quite well on the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin. It was very much in a sweet spot for me namely not too tight, nor too loose. Strength and Body The Pork Tenderloin does have some kick to it. I found this cigar started out as medium to full in both strength and body. For the most part, I didnt find much variance in the strength level from start to finish. The body was a different story as I found it to gradually increase from start to finish. By the second half, the Pork Tenderloin was in full-bodied territory. In terms of strength versus body with the Pork Tenderloin, I found the body to have the edge throughout the smoking experience. Final Thoughts My recent experiences of the Tatuaje Pork Tenderloin are my first. I never smoked the original version that went to Gloucester Street Cigars. I was quite impressed with this cigar and I can understand why this cigar has been highly sought after. I found the Pork Tenderloin to excel in the area that matters most flavor. Much like the market being flooded with shop exclusives, to a lesser extent I think there are too many event cigars. With the Pork Tenderloin (currently) now an event cigar, I can honestly say it is one of the better ones. This is a cigar I would recommend to a more seasoned cigar enthusiast as it does have some kick. As for myself, this is a great cigar. I would definitely not only purchase a box of it given the opportunity, but I would challenge Chuck Norris for a Pork Tenderloin. Summary Key Flavors: Mocha, Black Pepper, Earth Burn: Very Good Draw: Excellent Complexity: Medium Minus Strength: Medium to Full Body: Medium to Full (1st Half), Full (2nd Half) Finish: Very Good Rating Value: Fight Chuck Norris for Them Score: 93 References News: n/a Price: $12.00 Source: Tatuaje Brand Reference: Tatuaje Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted A students day gathering and ceremony in a university in central Iran, meant to honor a soldier killed by the Islamic State group in Syria, turned into a dancing event, enraging the close advisor of Irans Supreme Leader. Ali Akbar Velayati, ayatollah Ali Khameneis senior advisor, who also heads the network of Free Islamic University in the country, wrote a harsh letter to the dean of Najafabads campus, calling the ceremony an utmost vulgarity. Thursday, December 7 was official Students Day in Iran and the university in Najafabad, near Esfahan, organized a ceremony to honor the memory of Mohsen Hojaji, a native of the city, who was captured and beheaded by ISIS in Syria, last August. The Islamic Republic used Hojajis death as a big promotional opportunity to gain public support for its policies in Syria. Many gatherings and ceremonies were held to elevate Hojaji as a martyr and even the notorious commander, Qassaem Soleimani weighed in, issuing a threat of revenge against ISIS. Velayati sent his letter after a short video clip emerged showing male students dancing after the first part of the ceremony, where Hojajis family was also present. Female students are seen looking on and taking photos and videos on their phone. Dancing is officially regarded as a social vice by conservative religious leaders and their followers, but people often disregard the dogma and even dance in the streets, to show their happiness about something. This is not the first time that dancing takes place at a university student event, but this is the first instance in which a high ranking official writes a lengthy letter condemning it. This year, Students Day triggered protests on many campuses against a variety of Islamic Republic policies and the way it treats student needs and demands. Gender inequality, rising tuition and the repressive measures of security and intelligence organs against university students and professors were the main reasons for the protests. In his letter, Velayati tells the Najafabad campus dean that Student Day ceremonies are meant to make sure we dont lose our path, a reference to Islamic Republics ideology. But he goes on to express his dismay that only part of the ceremony in Najafabad was consistent with the values of the revolution, followed by vulgarity. DUBAI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - British foreign minister Boris Johnson arrived on Saturday in Iran, where he is expected to lobby his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for the release of jailed Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The visit is only the third by a British foreign minister to Iran in the last 14 years, and takes place against a complex backdrop of historical, regional and bilateral tensions. Johnson will also meet President Hassan Rouhani, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and other officials, the state news agency IRNA said on Saturday in its report on the visit. Johnson and Iranian officials will discuss bilateral relations, including banking and economic ties, as well as regional issues and international developments, IRNA added. Johnson has vowed to leave "no stone unturned" in Britain's efforts to free Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, who was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted by an Iranian court of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. She denies the charges. "The Foreign Secretary will urge the Iranians to release dual nationals where there are humanitarian grounds to do so," a foreign office spokesman said earlier. Zaghari-Ratcliffe is not the only dual national being held in Iran, but has become the most high-profile case. Johnson said on Nov. 1 that she had been teaching people journalism before her arrest in April 2016, in remarks critics said could have prompted Iran to extend her sentence. The Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity organization that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News, said Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been on holiday and had not been teaching journalism in Iran. Johnson has since apologized for any distress his comments may have caused and said that she was in Iran on holiday. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been told she will appear in court on Dec. 10, her husband Richard has said. The visit will test Johnson's ability to navigate a political landscape littered with potential pitfalls. Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution turned it into a pariah state for most of the West and many Middle Eastern neighbors. International sanctions have only recently been lifted as part of a multilateral nuclear deal to curb Iran's disputed uranium enrichment program. That deal is under threat after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to decertify Iran's compliance with the terms of the agreement. Britain has voiced its continued support for the nuclear deal but is one of a number of Western powers voicing concerns about Tehran's "destabilizing" influence in the region. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 By Gulgiz Muradova - Trend: The historical, cultural and natural heritage of Azerbaijan should be shared with the rest of the world, UN World Tourism Organization Secretary General Zurab Pololikashvili said in an exclusive interview with Trend. "Azerbaijan is full of treasures, both of tangible and intangible nature. I believe that there is a strong potential in tourism development by marketing the authenticity, traditions and multiculturalism of the country together with its unique landscapes. The historical, cultural and natural heritage of Azerbaijan should be shared with the rest of the world," he said. Pololikashvili noted that tourism development is about continuous innovation but also about identifying and marketing the uniqueness of a destination. "In that regard, I believe that promoting those values that Azerbaijan has, particularly in those emerging markets that are not that familiar with the Caucasus and the Caspian region, can bring many opportunities," he said. Touching upon improving the position of the countries tourism destinations, he said there are different mechanisms and dynamics and each destination should identify the most suitable ones. "In general, improving competitiveness through quality and service, defending the authenticity of the destination and developing promotional strategies in different markets are used in positioning a destination. Tourism today is about experiences and this product development should be oriented to experiences, such as gastronomy, culture, arts and others," Pololikashvili said. He further stressed that rail tourism is receiving increasing interest everywhere, because the traveler sees him/herself as an adventurer and also because the train is a perfect sustainable means of transport linking transnational routes, a growing phenomenon in the tourism sector. "Eurorail, for instance, has been a great opportunity and has contributed not only to open possibilities but also to change the mindset of many travelers. The particular geostrategic location of Azerbaijan would add value to further development of train tourism in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey through Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway that was opened on October 30, 2017," he said, stressing that this will be an additional opportunity to attract long-haul and high-yield visitors from source markets. Asked about prospects of marine tourism in the Caspian, he said the Caspian links five countries, many cultures and traditions, and therefore holds a tremendous potential for tourism development and product innovation, which is not possible without regional cooperation, "especially when we speak about cruise tourism as a catalyst to further transform the tourism assets in the region." -- Follow the author on Twitter: @GulgizD Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 Trend: Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made a phone call to Azerbaijan's leader Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani presidential press service reported on Dec. 9. President Erdogan invited President Aliyev to attend an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the Jerusalem issue. President Aliyev accepted the invitation. The heads of state emphasized that US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem is wrong, saying these steps are contrary to international law and could lead to serious consequences in the Middle East. The heads of state also noted that Turkey and Azerbaijan would continue to defend the interests of the Muslim world, noting that the countries have contributed to the Islamic solidarity. President Aliyev expressed his gratitude on behalf of Azerbaijans people for the mission undertaken by Turkish president to support the Islamic solidarity. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 Trend: The new Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation (AGF) was appointed during the 30th meeting of the Executive Committee of the federation, AGF told Trend Dec. 9. At the beginning of the meeting, the heads of the Baku School of Gymnastics and the club "Ojag sport" informed about the activities of the structures headed by them. Then, Farid Gayibov's statement on resigning from the post of the AGF Secretary General with a view to prevent a future collision of interests between the AGF and the European Union of Gymnastics (UEG) was accepted and approved. Following this, Nurlana Mammadzadeh was appointed the new Secretary General of the federation. In 2007-2009, she was an assistant to the Secretary General of the federation, from 2009 until today she held the post of Deputy Secretary General. Farid Gayibov was elected as the President of the UEG on Dec. 2. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 10 Trend: One million 556 thousand Azerbaijanis visited Georgia in January-November 2017, the National Tourism Administration of Georgia reported. This is the highest rate among the countries that visited Georgia. According to the ministry, the number of Russian citizens who visited Georgia during this period is 1 million 309 thousand 900. This is more than for the whole last year, when almost 1.04 million tourists from Russia visited Georgia. It is noted that the number of Turkish citizens who visited Georgia was 1 million 136 thousand. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 By Ali Mustafayev Trend: Representatives of the Azerbaijani-Kazakh working group on the organization of deliveries of Kazakh agricultural products to the Azerbaijani market concluded agreements on development of the cooperation. In particular, the parties agreed to conduct joint research work on the mutual exchange of selection seed material, resistant to drought, diseases, pests, as well as to exchange experience in the selection, styding of varieties and production of agricultural plants (wheat, corn, barley, rape, soybean and etc.). The protocol, signed by the working group, also provides for joint study of the experience of using soil-saving and resource-saving technologies. The parties agreed on the development of joint cooperation in the field of variety testing of agricultural crops. Representatives of the agricultural sector of the two countries also discussed the possibilities of exporting meat, eggs and honey. Azerbaijan also expressed interest in studying the experience of Kazakhstan in the field of personnel training in various branches of agriculture, including horse breeding. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 9 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistans GDP grew by 6.5 percent in January-November 2017, the countrys Deputy Prime Minister Gochmyrat Myradov said at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, Turkmenistan State News Agency reported Dec. 9. Turkmenistans GDP rose in industry by 5.8 percent, in construction by 1.4 percent, in transport and communications sector by 10.9 percent, in trade by 9.6 percent, in agriculture by 5.1 percent, and in services sector by 8.9 percent. In January-November 2017, the growth rate of production reached 6.4 percent, as compared to the same period of 2016. According to BP, Turkmenistan ranks fourth in the world for its natural gas reserves. The country supplies gas to China and Iran. Turkmenistan is diversifying its economy, developing the textile and oil products industry, actively developing oil and gas chemical industries and the industry for the production of construction materials. Details added (first version posted on 10:43) Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 By Huseyn Valiyev Trend: Azercell LLC, Azerbaijans mobile communications operator, will disable the MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) delivery starting from January 10, 2018, the company said in a message Dec. 9. MMS is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from a mobile phone over a cellular network. The total size of an MMS message may reach up to 300 KB and is dependent on the capacity of the phone. The cost of 1 MMS message varies within 0.05-0.1 manats and depends on the operator's tariff package. (1.7 manats = 1 USD on Dec. 9) Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 By Nigar Guliyeva Trend: Uzbekistan's Cabinet of Ministers approved a decree "On making amendments and additions to certain decisions of the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan", and thus lifted restrictions on eco-tourism and auto-tourism. The State Committee for Tourism reported that the approved changes stipulate the following: - the consular bureau of the Foreign Ministry of Uzbekistan was granted the right to make appropriate changes to tourist visas at checkpoints on the state border of Uzbekistan in case foreign citizen arrive in the republic before the time specified in the tourist visa. Also the electronic lists of tourists provided by tour operators and specifying the passport data, schemes of traffic routes, places of stops (overnights) during trips are equaled to the temporary registration: - in case the tour organized by the tour operator outside the settlements does not exceed 10 days and is accompanied by guides/instructors; - in case the foreigner purchased an auto-tour and travels on a private car, motorcycle, bicycle, on foot or in a group bus. Currently, Uzbekistan is carrying out a large-scale campaign to attract foreign tourists. In October, Uzbekistan reduced the time for issuing visas for tourists from Turkey to three working days. Turkish citizens were allowed to get 30-day visas without presentation of tourist vouchers and invitations from Uzbek organizations. Earlier, the same simplified procedure was introduced for citizens of Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Malaysia, France, Switzerland and Japan. From January 1, 2018, Poland will be included in this list. The number of visas issued to foreign tourists to visit Uzbekistan in the first half of 2017 increased by 12 percent compared to the same period in 2016, to 51,179. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 By Nigar Guliyeva Trend: UNESCO has included Uzbekistans atlas and adras-making technologies in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision was made at the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place in Jeju Island in South Korea Dec. 4-9. The history of ikat atlas and adras-making technologies in the territory of modern-day Uzbekistan dates back to the Late Antique Period, UNESCO said. Historically, Margilan was the center for making atlas and adras vivid and fine traditional fabrics. Due to the acute need to revive and safeguard traditions at risk of disappearing, the local community came up with an initiative to launch the Crafts Development Centre (CDC) in 2007. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 9 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has signed a decree pardoning convicted persons in connection with the International Day of Neutrality, celebrated on December 12, the Turkmen government said in a message Dec. 9. Under the document, 697 Turkmen citizens will be exempt from serving their main and additional punishments. Turkmen president ordered to soon provide the pardoned persons with the opportunity to be with their families and take all necessary steps for their employment. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 9 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has signed a decree granting citizenship to 1,690 people in connection with the International Day of Neutrality, celebrated on December 12, Turkmenistan State News Agency reports. On Dec. 8, at a government meeting, Rashid Meredov, Turkmen deputy prime minister and foreign minister, noted that these people are of 21 nationalities (1,165 adults and 525 persons under the age of 18). It was noted at the government meeting that in accordance with the current legislation, norms of international law and humanism principles, the country consistently takes measures to ensure the rights and freedoms of people, including those who had to leave their homeland for certain reasons and circumstances. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 9 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has signed a decree establishing the State Commission for Food Security. The commission is established to further increase the countrys food abundance, provide the domestic market with a wide range of high-quality products, according to the document. Turkmenistan was awarded a special prize by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for achievements in the field of food security. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 9 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Kerim Durdymyradov has been appointed minister of industry of Turkmenistan, according to a decree of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Previously, Durdymyradov served as chairman of the Major State Service Turkmenstandartlary. In accordance with another decree, Amanberdi Tuyliev, who headed the ministry of industry since February 2017, was dismissed from his post for serious shortcomings in his work. It was earlier reported that the Turkmen Industry Ministry, along with the Academy of Sciences, Energy Ministry and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, are entrusted with creating a number of enterprises by 2020 in line with the Turkmen state program on the development of domestic electronics industry and implementation of measures on import substitution. This involves creation of capacities for the production of semiconductors, units for processing solar energy, photovoltaic equipment, various kinds of electronic automatic equipment, light fixtures, including LED lamps, electric meters, etc. for the population. Work is being carried out to create a joint venture for the production of energy-saving LED lamps and light fixtures. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 9 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has made a number of personnel appointments, the Turkmen government said in a message. Muhammetseyit Sylarov has been appointed acting minister of labor and social protection of population and chairman of the board of the pension fund. Azat Atamyradov has been appointed acting minister of railway transport. Amanmuhammet Myradov has been appointed acting minister of agriculture and water resources. Previously, all of them worked as deputy ministers in the abovementioned ministries. Former heads of these ministries, respectively, Seyitmamed Akmamedov, Deryaguly Bashimov and Nursakhed Sapardurdyev were dismissed from their posts for serious shortcomings in their work. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 7 By Fatih Karimov Trend: South Korea is among the countries which has take serious steps to enter Iran's market following the removal of international sanctions on the Islamic Republic. South Korea ranked fourth among Iran's top trade partners in non-oil sector during the first seven months of the current Iranian fiscal year (started March 20, 2017). The mutual trade (including gas condensates) accounted to $4,288 million in the period. South Korean companies also have signed various contracts with Iranian counterparts for joint venture investment in energy, auto manufacturing, railway, shipbuilding and maritime sectors. The latest deal was signed by a South Korean firm for investment in Irans Noshahr port, in Caspian Sea. According to Irans Roads and Urban Development ministry, South Koreas JJ Consulting Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ports and Maritime Organization(PMO) of Mazandaran Province to make an investment, worth $500 million for the ports development. Under the MoU, signed by Ju Yeon park, the Asian companys managing director and Mohammad Taghi Anzanpour, head of Mazandaran of PMO, the South Korean company expressed its interest for investing in the implementation of the land development plan of Noshahr port, in order to carry out maritime and port-related activities based on the plans approved by the PMO and in compliance with the regulations of the Islamic Republic. The Korean company will apply for investment permits from the Organization for Investment and Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran within a month. The sides also agreed to sign a contract in the near future which will include the executive details related to the design, implementation and costs of the project as well as the period of investment repayment and running the project. Iranian firms have already signed deals with South Korean companies for cooperation in maritime and shipbuilding sector. Last December, the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), finalized a contract with the South Korean industry giant, Hyundai to buy 10 ships worth $650 million, Irans first contract to purchase ships from a foreign shipbuilder after removal of the international sanctions in January 2016. the vessels including container ships and oil tankers will be delivered to IRISL from 2018. Later in December 2016, the Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO), one of largest organizations involved in the country's development and industrialization process, signed a document with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Company (DSME) for cooperation in developing Irans shipbuilding industry and overhauling the large and medium-size ships in the country. Under the deal, the two sides will form a joint company and the South Korean firm in addition to providing financial resources will transfer technical and engineering knowledge as well as basic materials and equipment for the joint venture. Last year, South Korea and Iran also signed a maritime pact covering shipping and fisheries that would give Korean companies greater access to Iranian markets. The signed understanding would allow ships from both the countries to pass more easily through each others territorial waters and would help them get equal support in case of emergencies. The two countries had unsuccessfully tried to implement a similar pact in 1998. Following the removal of the embargoes, it is expected that the Islamic Republic will pay more attention to transport sector, in particular the maritime projects to restore its sanctions-hit economy and the South Korean firms alongside with certain European companies, are among the entrepreneurs have taken serious steps to get involved in the sector, to enjoy the huge-markets opportunities. According to PMO, in total, some 101 million tons of various goods were loaded/unloaded at Iranian ports during the current fiscal year (started March 20, 2017). The volume is 1 percent more than the loaded/unloaded products in the same period of preceding year (March 20-Dec. 6, 2016). Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 6 By Fatih Karimov Trend: Mutual trade turnover between Iran and the US stood at $159.7 million during the first ten months of 2017, 23 percent less compared to the same period of the preceding year. The US exports to Iran reached $109.8 million in the 10-month period, which is 18 percent less year-on-year, according to the statistics of the United States Census Bureau. Irans export to US decreased by about 3 percent (to $49.9 million) in the same time span, according to the report. In October, Iran and the US had a trade turnover worth $19.8 million, $16.6 million of which accounted for US exports to Iran. During last October, the figure was $52.7 million, $15.2 million of which accounted for Irans export to US. Irans exports to the US registered a fall by 79 percent in October year on year, meanwhile the countrys imports from the United States decreased by 56 percent. During the last year, the US exported $172 million worth of goods to Iran, mostly agriculture products and medical equipment, and imported $87.7 million worth of goods from Iran, mostly pistachios and carpets. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 By Azer Ahmadbayli Trend: The peoples of the Soviet Union treated policy of support for the progressive forces in their struggle for liberation from shackles of imperialism in Angola, Mozambique, Nicaragua, etc. with a mixed sense of sarcasm and black humor. People cared really little if communism triumphs in some African or Latin American country or not, despite the daily brainwashing on TV and in press. Most people clearly realized that support of the Soviet leadership for those regimes was not sincere, but was just a means of propaganda and political confrontation between the USSR and the USA. Many people were discontented that they had to buy basic foodstuffs by means of special restrictive coupons, while the Soviet government spent billions of dollars to support those revolutionary regimes. But they could not express their dissatisfaction aloud. This would mean going against the policy of the ruling Communist party, and could have serious consequences, for example, loss of a job at best. About 50 years have passed. Thanks to the internet and social networks in most cases it has become possible to quickly obtain necessary information about a particular event. The leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported Palestine and the Palestinians in their conflict with Israel. The support is sometimes stronger than that of the Arab countries. President Trumps recent Jerusalem decision caused a storm of criticism and discontent in many countries. In Iran, popular outcry took place calling for the Palestinians to launch a third Intifada against Israel. The memories of historical developments in the Soviet Union and present-day events stirred my curiosity: what do ordinary Iranians think about the Palestinian issue? Do they share the views of their leadership? America played the role of a mediator between Israel and Palestine in all eras. [President Donald Trump] frankly says America is Israel. There is no real peace, Ataollah Mohajerani, a former Iranian minister of culture and Islamic guidance, who now lives in exile in London, said in a Twitter post. You tweet against the racists and sexists. But you have no problems with the apartheid regime of Israel, why? a Twitter user criticized those who refrain from criticizing Israel over the Palestine issue. They are older than the history of Israel. They have kept the keys of their homes with the hope that one day they will return home in the occupied territories. Sadegh Zibakalam, a well-known Iranian reformist-mind scholar, has described the existing discord among the Muslim nations as a main reason behind the failure of Palestine to protect its rights. He also criticized the Islamic Republics approach to the issue, saying Iranians are more interested in overcoming Saudi Arabia in political arena instead of resolving the issue of Palestine. While user @soldier12th expressed support for Palestine saying Muslims have two Qiblah [directions]. Kaaba for worship and Quds [Jerusalem] for martyrdom, another user asked so why you do not head to Quds to become a martyr? Following the 2009 post-election unrests in Iran, protestors criticized the Islamic Republics regional policies toward Palestine and Lebanon. No to Gaza, no to Lebanon, my life for Iran was a famous slogan chanted by people in the streets during the rallies. Iranian society is diverse. As it comes from the posts, and as it became clear after conversations with Iranian tourists, who are now far more here in Baku than it was several years ago, there is a bouquet of opinions there. There is a large group of people supporting, perhaps sincerely, Palestinians in the struggle for their rights. There is also another group that believes the Palestinian issue is nothing more than a tool of propaganda for Tehran to advance its political interests. There are also people saying Iranians should be first and after them all the rest may come. It is noticeable that the Iranian leadership, as can be seen from this brief review, is more tolerant to views opposing its policy, rather than the Soviet leadership was. I don't know whether to attribute this progress to the internet and social networks once again, or to the loyalty of the Iranian authorities. Tehran, Iran, December 9 By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend: As British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is visiting Iran the two countries can pave way for mutual gain from relations if respectful and benevolent approach is adopted as the basis, a political analyst says. The history of Iran and UK ties has been full of ups and downs, to the closure of diplomatic missions, Kamal Sajjadi, spokesman of the Line of Imam and Leadership Front told Trend December 9. Britain is a country whose diplomacy is of high influence in the world, Sajjadi noted, adding however that if Johnson would try to pressurize Iran on grounds such as human rights, hopes of successful relations will diminish. As for [Nazanin Zaghari], there is on one side the kindness that the Islamic system and the Judiciary could dispense regarding the case. However, there is as much sensitivity when it comes to espionage, and the Judiciary is not going to let a right be violated. Many Western sources say Johnson is expected to lobby the release of jailed Iranian-British Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The visit is only the third by a British foreign minister to Iran in the last 14 years, and takes place against a complex backdrop of historical, regional and bilateral tensions. In a meeting with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Johnson called for expanding bilateral cooperation and stressed Britains support for Irans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. However, in a meeting with Johnson later the day, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, chastised the European powers for failing to help uphold the deal, saying the United States approach to the deal is a catastrophe. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Unlike Arab countries, which have manipulated the Palestinian-Israeli problem for many years, US President Donald Trump outlined a clear stance on the issue. There is an opinion that having recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the US has lost its neutrality on the Palestinian-Israeli problem, but it is worth asking whether the Muslim countries recognized the neutrality of the US. Of course they didnt. Statements that Jerusalems recognition as the capital of Israel is allegedly directed against Iran, as well as against the entire Islamic world, are erroneous, since not only Jews and Muslim Arabs, but also Christian Arabs live in Jerusalem. About 52 percent of the Arabs living in Israel are Greek Orthodox. As is known, after the US recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, protest rallies are taking place in a number of Muslim countries. In connection with all these events, representatives of Muslim countries will meet Dec. 13 in Istanbul, where an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will take place. Hamas calls for Intifada, Mahmoud Abbas for armed resistance As is known, after Jerusalem was recognized as the capital of Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, the Palestinian militant Islamist organization, called on the Palestinians for a new Intifada. We have given instruction to all Hamas members and to all its wings to be fully ready for any new instructions or orders that may be given to confront this strategic danger that threatens Jerusalem and threatens Palestine, said Haniyeh. At the same time, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the people to fight for liberation of Jerusalem. But neither the Intifada nor armed resistance will do Palestine good, since, whatever the policy of Israel may be, any country has the right to ensure security of its citizens. Any armed resistance will be suppressed, and wont be accepted by the world community. But at the same time, with full confidence, one can say that the Intifada and armed resistance are serious threats to Israel, since there are no strong leaders like Yasser Arafat left, with whom one could have negotiated. It would be also wrong to say that Jerusalems recognition as the capital of Israel would have no consequences. One should remember Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that there are intelligence reports that the terrorists who left Syria with the support of some countries are penetrating Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. Since September 2013, the Egyptian security forces have been carrying out anti-terrorist operations in the Sinai Peninsula which borders the Gaza Strip against the Wilayat Sinai (Sinai Province) terrorist organization, which is known to be affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. A part of the IS terrorists, who left Syria, after uniting with the Wilayat Sinai terrorists may penetrate the Gaza Strip controlled by the Hamas. It would be wrong to say that there are no radical Islamists in the Gaza Strip. Back in 2009, clashes took place there between the Hamas and the Jund Ansar Allah radical Islamist group, which proclaimed its Islamic Emirate on the territory of the Gaza Strip. The Hamas partially killed supporters of the Jund Ansar Allah, who still exists in the Gaza Strip. If the Wilayat Sinai and the IS penetrate the Gaza Strip, a military conflict will start there, and the IS terrorists, who are ideologically different from the Hamas, may get control over the Gaza Strip. This will give Israel a reason to launch military operations in the Gaza Strip to ensure the countrys security, after which Israel will be able to provide its own control there. And the world community will fully support Israel in this issue. --- Rufiz Hafizoglu is the head of Trend Agency's Arabic news service, follow him on Twitter: @rhafizoglu US Defense Secretary James Mattis in a statement said the White House national security team was losing an invaluable member with the departure of Deputy National Security Adviser, Sputnik reported. Dina Powell made the decision to leave her post after Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and instructed the State Department to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "With the pending departure of Dina Powell, we are losing an invaluable member of the Presidents national security team," James Mattis said on Friday. "I personally appreciate Dinas partnership and contributions to the mission of the Department of Defense." National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster wrote in a statement that Powell helped to promote the president's agenda through her strong relations with actors across the United States. White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Friday. "Dina Powell has been a key, trusted adviser in this administration. She has always planned to serve one year before returning home to New York," the statement said. "She will serve in the administration until early next year." Dina Powell advised Trump on Middle East policy and was a member the Israeli-Palestinian peace team. The White House noted Powell would continue to support the US president's agenda after her departure. The UN political affairs chief expressed willingness to ease tension on the Korean peninsula during a visit to North Korea this week, state media said on Saturday, amid a rising war of words over the Norths missile and nuclear programs, Reuters reports. North Korea also said in a statement carried by its official KCNA news agency that the UN envoy acknowledged the negative impact of sanctions on humanitarian aid to North Korea. Jeffrey Feltman, the highest-level UN official to visit North Korea since 2012, did not speak to reporters upon arriving back from Pyongyang at Beijing airport on Saturday morning. The United Nations expressed concerns over the heightened situation on the Korean peninsula and expressed willingness to work on easing tensions on the Korean peninsula in accordance with the UN Charter which is based on international peace and security, KCNA said. North Korea is pursuing nuclear and missile weapons programs in defiance of UN sanctions and international condemnation. On Nov. 29, it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile which it said was its most advanced yet, capable of reaching the mainland United States. The United States and South Korea conducted large-scale military drills this week, which the North said have made the outbreak of war an established fact. KCNA said North Korean officials and Feltman agreed that his visit helped deepen understanding and that they agreed to communicate regularly. At least 14 people were killed and others seriously injured on Saturday after a police truck rolled over along Marigat-Loruk road in Baringo county in west Kenya, Xinhua reported. Baringo Administration Police Commandant Robinson Ndiwa confirmed the incident saying the truck was returning to Kapedo from Marigat town where the police officers and residents had gone for shopping. "The driver lost control of the vehicle and it veered off the road. There were five police officers aboard the vehicle and an unknown number of civilians," Ndiwa said. The police commander confirmed that a child was among those killed in the incident which left three police officers seriously injured. "We have rushed the injured to the hospital. The police officers had gone to Marigat town to buy foodstuffs and were involved in the accident on their way back to Kapedo," Ndiwa said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 9 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkey and Iran will discuss security issues within the visit of Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu to Tehran, the Turkish media reported Dec. 9. Today, Soylu will meet with Iranian Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli. The sides will also discuss joint fight against terrorism in the region. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization. Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu KYODO NEWS - Dec 9, 2017 - 17:07 | World, All The U.N. political affairs chief on Saturday ended a rare visit to North Korea after holding talks with senior diplomats, but apparently with a lack of major progress in stopping the country's accelerating nuclear weapons and missile programs. Shortly after Jeffrey Feltman, undersecretary general for political affairs, departed from Pyongyang, North Korea's official news agency put out a report summarizing his visit saying the country told him the United States is totally responsible for the current tense situation on the Korean Peninsula. Feltman later arrived in Beijing but did not make any comments to a horde of journalists waiting for him. The United Nations has not given any details about what the two sides discussed. On Thursday, Feltman, the most senior U.N. official to have visited Pyongyang in more than six years, met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, who told reporters in New York in September that his country could test a powerful hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean. During the discussions, the Korean Central News Agency said, the diplomats noted that "the present tense situation of the peninsula is entirely ascribable to the U.S. hostile policy and nuclear threat." The U.N. side, meanwhile, voiced "its readiness to make a contribution to the relaxation of the tension on the peninsula under the U.N. Charter" and both sides agreed to communicate through visits at various levels on a regular basis, according to KCNA. Feltman had a separate meeting with Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Guk on Wednesday. Feltman also visited a factory and several hospitals sponsored by U.N. agencies while he was in the North Korean capital, with KCNA saying he recognized that a series of sanctions imposed by the international community on Pyongyang are "negatively affecting" its humanitarian assistance. The report may suggest that inviting him to North Korea had an ulterior purpose of highlighting the plight of its ordinary citizens affected by the sanctions. North Korea has faced multiple rounds of U.N. sanctions over its tests of nuclear and ballistic missile technologies. The United Nations has no plans to provide information about the outcome of Feltman's trip until he returns to New York. According to diplomatic sources, he is scheduled to brief the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday afternoon in a possibly closed-door meeting. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the political chief had not met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as of Friday. Guterres disclosed this in a group interview with the Japanese media in New York ahead of his visit to Tokyo next week, his first since taking office in January. North Korea asked the United Nations in September to send a senior official for a "policy dialogue." The rare trip came after the country test-fired late last month a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that it says is capable of striking anywhere in the United States. On Saturday, North Korea through its official media released photographs of Kim on the summit of snowy Mt. Paektu, the country's highest peak on the border with China long regarded as the mythological birthplace of the Korean people. KCNA said Kim, who "controls the nature," was pleased to see fine weather unprecedented in December and recalled "the emotion-charged days when he realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force without yielding even a moment." On Nov. 29, North Korea declared the completion after the launch of the long-range missile, which flew to an altitude of 4,475 kilometers, a distance regarded as more than sufficient to reach any part of the continental United States if launched on a standard angle instead of its steep "lofted" trajectory. KYODO NEWS - Dec 9, 2017 - 20:19 | World, Urgent, All Police in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's main islands, said Saturday they had arrested three of the crew members of a North Korean fishing boat on suspicion of plundering a remote fishing hut. On Friday the crew cut ropes tethering their boat to a Japanese coast guard vessel near Hakodate port and tried to flee, but the vessel was recaptured later that day. The boat with 10 crew members had been impounded on Nov. 30, two days after being spotted washed ashore on an uninhabited island off the town of Matsumae. The Hokkaido police have been questioning the crew. The three were arrested on suspicion of stealing a power generator, which was found on their boat, police sources said. The Immigration Bureau has taken custody of six other crew members while one has been hospitalized after complaining of ill health. The police believe the ship's crew also caused damage to and stole other property, such as electronic appliances, from the fishing hut on the island. Another power generator and a boiler were found destroyed. A crew member said in questioning before the arrest that they took home appliances from the island. Total damage is estimated at 8 million yen ($70,500), according to the fishery cooperative in Matsumae which owns the hut. The fishermen have told Japan Coast Guard officials that they left the port of Chongjin in northeastern North Korea in September to go squid fishing in the Sea of Japan before their steering wheel failed about a month ago. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Saturday that the police, the Japan Coast Guard and the Self-Defense Forces will work together in dealing with the recently increasing number of North Korean boats arriving along the coast of Japan. Japan has no diplomatic relations with North Korea. N. Korean boat recaptured after escaping from Japanese custody North Korean crew turns silent on theft allegations N. Korean crew admits to stealing appliances from uninhabited isle KYODO NEWS - Dec 8, 2017 - 18:04 | World, All Activist groups in Hong Kong on Friday urged China for the release of Liu Xia, wife of late Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, from illegal house arrest, as they mourned Liu's death and commemorated the ninth anniversary of the release of his democratic reform initiative, Charter 08. Led by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the group pushing for democracy in China and holding annual memorials for the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, some 30 people rallied outside the Central Government Liaison Office, Beijing's representative here, calling for Liu Xia's freedom. "As of now, Liu Xia remained under house arrest and incommunicado," Alliance chairman Albert Ho said. "Liu Xia is absolutely innocent. The abuse and persecution against Liu Xia is unlawful and ruthless. We demand the Chinese government release Liu Xia unconditionally." He said China has taken a path in the opposite direction from what Liu has advocated in the Charter 08. "The way Chinese authorities are chasing away the underclass people from the Beijing capital does not show a bit of affection for the people. We believe the authorities will further tighten persecution of the rights advocates and dissidents. Continuing on this path will not bring the country prosperity or stability," Ho said. The group's secretary general Lee Cheuk-yan said they have been seeking endorsement from legislators locally and in foreign countries, including the European Union, the United States, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, to petition Chinese President Xi Jinping for Liu's release. "Ms Liu Xia has already been under house arrest for seven long years, even though she has committed no crime whatsoever, nor has she ever been sentenced by any Chinese court. (Liu) should not be punished for simply associating with Liu Xiaobo. It is high time that the Chinese government gives back Mr. Liu Xiaobo the recognition and respect he deserved, which the rest of the world already has and to stop suppressing his memory," the petition letter for Xi reads. Lee said they specifically want Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and victim of suppression herself, to speak up for Liu Xia. "Since Aung San Suu Kyi has endorsed (Xi's ruling of China), she has particularly more responsibility to speak up for Liu, who's simply the wife of a fellow Nobel prize winner and detained for some seven years without being charged of any wrongdoing," Lee said. The group will release the list of co-signatories of the petition letter next month, while it will also mail some 2,000 Christmas cards with condolences from Hong Kong to Liu, the bereaved families in the Tiananmen crackdown and jailed dissidents in two weeks' time. Liu Xiaobo, an outspoken critic of China's Communist Party and democracy advocate, was hospitalized in June following a diagnosis of terminal liver cancer, while still serving an 11-year prison sentence for his involvement in drafting the Charter 08, a manifesto calling for an end to one-party rule and a peaceful democratic reform in China. His wife Liu Xia has been put under house arrest without trial after he won the Nobel Prize in 2010 "for his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." China has claimed that Liu Xia's freedom of movement has not been impeded. She appeared in two video footage posted online in August shortly after her husband's death, in which she appealed for "time to heal" and showed the viewers that she has been recovering well. But her supporters remained worried about her condition and believed she made the video under duress. 'Tis the holiday season and it seems homes are festively trimmed at every turn. Ornaments of all shapes and sizes embellish everything from trees to windows and yards. While tinsel originated in 17th century German decorating and modern day Christmas lights can be traced to the Victorian era, the idea of decorating is not an exclusively human trait. Majoid crabs -- known as decorator crabs -- are well-known among marine scientists for adorning their surface with items secured from their surroundings. About 75 percent of majoid crab species are notorious for decorating with sponges, algae and other marine debris. Scientists are uncertain what physical and environmental factors drive this decorating behavior, though it appears to be used as a means to hide from, or deter, predators. University of Delaware marine scientist Danielle Dixson and a team of researchers that included undergraduate students studied the majoid species Camposcia retusa to identify the factors that determine patterns of, and investment in, decorating. "The decorator crab is a perfect study example because the IndoPacific species has velcro-like substances on its shell and hooks on its appendages that enable it to secure items on its exterior," Dixson said. The researchers ran a series of experiments with decorator crabs that were placed in individual containers and provided with craft pom-poms that had been soaked in water so they would sink to the bottom. Half of the crabs were given a shelter for habitat to see whether having somewhere to hide affected how much or how fast the crab decorated. Over a 24-hour period, the team photographed the crabs every hour for the first 12 hours, and at hour 24, and analyzed the images to determine where the crabs decorated, whether they rearranged things and what parts they decorated first. Arms and legs first In the study, all of the crabs were fully decorated within 24 hours. Most of the crabs were decorated within six hours of having access to the pom-poms. According to Dixson, this shows that decorating is an important predator adaptation because the crabs do it very quickly. While other species of decorator crabs adorn their body first, the UD research team's study showed that Camposcia retusa decorated their appendages (arms/legs) first when a habitat was present. This was different than other crabs that typically protect their vital organs first, but according to Dixson, still made sense because when they hide, a little bit of Camposcia retusa's arms remained outside their enclosure. "This tells us they decorate the parts that stick out," Dixson says. A perfect project for undergraduates According to Dixson, this is a perfect project for undergraduates because the approach is straightforward and the students can have results in just a couple days, making it easy to add layers to the project as they go along. It's also good way for undergrads to develop the skills to design an experiment and to refine their design based on the data collected. For example, when no habitat was present the crabs decorated everywhere. "The students were able to say, 'now that we know habitat matters, let's take the habitat away and see how quickly they decorate,' " Dixson said. But just like in the holiday classic National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, more decoration is not necessarily better. For the decorator crab, more decoration means the animal requires more energy to move around, and the slower they will be to escape predators. Visual vs. chemical camouflage Through ongoing research, Dixson and her students are investigating whether the crabs can actually see and choose items based on color -- meaning they are visually hiding themselves -- or whether their decorating habits are motivated by smell, known as chemical camouflage. Sea sponges, for example, emit a scent that the crab may be using to chemically mask or camouflage itself from predators like eels, which have terrible eyesight but are known to hunt through smell. They also plan to explore what could make the crabs decorate faster, such as if it could see an eel in the next tank or if the predator smell suddenly was introduced into their environment and the stakes were higher. ### About the research team Danielle Dixson is an assistant professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment's School of Marine Science and Policy. Co-authors include: Rohan Brooker, a UD post-doctoral researcher (now at University of Saskatchewan) and the paper lead author; Enid Munoz Ruis, an undergraduate student from University of Puerto Rico who was conducting research at UD during the study period through the college's 10-week marine sciences Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which is funded by the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program; and Tiffany Sih, a doctoral candidate at James Cook University and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies in Queensland, Australia. The researchers published the study findings in the peer-reviewed journal Behavioral Ecology. I was very late to the bitcoin party. But Howard Lindzon, probably one of the best-known investors anywhere on the internet, was right on time. Ive been a follower of Lindzons for years. First, because of Wallstrip, an irreverent take on the hottest stocks of the day, which was sold to CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS) in 2007. Then, through StockTwits, which he founded in 2008. Its the investors version of tweeting. And now I primarily just read his daily thoughts on the markets emailed to me each morning. Needless to say, hes a really bright guy who provides a ton of valuable insights for free. Thats how you create a following. Anyway, Lindzons been a big believer in bitcoin for as long as I can remember at least back to March 2013, probably earlier than that, but a lot longer than anyone I know. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The bitcoin, or something like it, is now here to stay, Lindzons March 13, 2013, blog post stated. Trust has truly jumped the shark and combined with the cloud, our lunatic monetary global policies, mobile phones and explosion in startups and apps without business models, barter is back. On Oct. 12, I predicted that it would hit $10,000 within a year it did it ten-and-a-half months early. It seems Im either late or early to the bitcoin party but never on time. Look, my biggest reason for believing in bitcoin is that if it makes the banks squirm, its got to have some redeeming features. I might not fully comprehend what those are, but if I keep reading Lindzons thoughts on the subject, Im sure Ill eventually figure it out. However, not everyone is as sure about bitcoin as Lindzon is; others are downright terrified. If youre on the fence about bitcoin, these opinions from some of the brightest and best Wall Street has to offer could sway your stance. Story continues Reasons to Avoid Bitcoin: Jack Bogle The Bitcoin Bubble: Its Not Different This Time Source: Shutterstock When the champion of low-cost investing speaks, investors listen. Vanguard Group founder Jack Bogle recently railed against the cryptocurrency suggesting its baseless and possessing no underlying rate of return. Speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations event in late November, Bogle made it clear where he stood. You know bonds have an interest coupon, stocks have earnings and dividends, gold has nothing, Bogle said. There is nothing to support Bitcoin except the hope that you will sell it to someone for more than you paid for it. I dont know about you but should North Korea fire off a few nukes starting a World War, gold and bitcoin might be two of the most valuable assets anywhere. Reasons to Avoid Bitcoin: Jamie Dimon Source: Shutterstock Speaking of gold, apparently, JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon thinks bitcoin is the next great precious metal, and not in a good way. People are very good at manipulating the press these days and getting news out. Every day, you have CNBC, nonstop bitcoin Who cares about bitcoin? Dimon said in September. The world economys so big, JPMorgan alone, $6 trillion, we move all this money, and bitcoin in total, all these currencies, $50 billion dollars, maybe a billion dollars trades a day. Almost as much as Dimons annual compensation. Seriously, all seven of these naysayers have one thing in common: they all view bitcoin as something in the ether that doesnt exist. Except, if you think back to what Lindzon wrote about it in 2012, its really a form of barter. If I want to sell my car and believe that its worth $20,000 and you offer me two bitcoin as payment for the car and I think a bitcoin is worth $10,000, how is that not a real transaction? The banks hate the fact that theyre being cut out of any potential business. Dimons opposition has little to do with concern for the average bitcoin owner and everything to do with controlling customers. Reasons to Avoid Bitcoin: Howard Marks Bet on a Rising Bitcoin Price Chart, Not on a Hardfork Freebie Source: Shutterstock The value investor who co-founded Oaktree Capital Group LLC (NYSE:OAK) and understands a thing or two about currencies, has a difficult time getting behind bitcoin. He even committed several paragraphs to his September 7 memo. Serious investing consists of buying things because the price is attractive relative to intrinsic value, wrote Marks in his previous July 26 memo. Speculation, on the other hand, occurs when people buy something without any consideration of its underlying value or the appropriateness of its price, solely because they think others will pay more for it in the future. Well, I dont want to argue with an investment guru, but one could make a strong case that the intrinsic value of a stock doesnt exist. Sure, you can come close, but its impossible to pin down to the exact penny. In Marks September 7 memo he begrudgingly accepts that it is a digital currency but then proceeds to argue why it might fail. Finally, bitcoin isnt alone. There are hundreds of digital currencies already including eleven with market capitalizations over a billion dollars and no limits on the creation of new ones, he wrote. So even if digital currencies are here to stay, who knows which one will turn out to be the winner? He sounds like a naysayer that can be turned into a supporter. At least hes not a hater. Reasons to Avoid Bitcoin: Joseph Stiglitz Bitcoin Source: Shutterstock The last economist that I remember being any good at investing is John Meynard Keynes who oversaw the Kings College (Cambridge University) bursar for 22 years until his death in 1946. Averaging 12% compounded annually over more than two decades, 200 basis points better than the markets as a whole, economists generally should stay out of discussions involving investments. John Kenneth Galbraith famously stated, The function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable. So, the fact that Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz is bashing bitcoin is a huge reason why the digital currency is real and has staying power. So it seems to me it ought to be outlawed, Stiglitz said in late November. It doesnt serve any useful function. Theres a big difference between saying the crypto asset is overvalued and suggesting it should be outlawed. Again, it all comes down to control. People like Stiglitz cant understand something thats not regulated by governments. If Adam Smith were alive, I suspect he would be a bitcoin fan. Reasons to Avoid Bitcoin: Warren Buffett Warren Buffett Source: Pete Souza via Wikimedia (Modified) Im going to go easy on the Oracle of Omaha because the famous investor is known to say one thing and do another opting to keep his true intentions to himself. Back in 2014, Buffett warned investors that bitcoin was merely a method for transmitting money much like a check or a money order and possessing no intrinsic value, not much different than Howard Marks take on the digital currency. As far as I can tell, Buffetts only new statements about bitcoin since then were in October while speaking to university students in Omaha. People get excited from big price movements, and Wall Street accommodates, Buffett said. You cant value bitcoin because its not a value-producing asset. To me, thats Buffett-speak for I dont understand bitcoin enough to pass judgment on it, but since Im Warren Buffett, everyone expects me to have a position on anything of a financial nature, so there, you have my opinion. In other words, hes not too concerned about it, and its definitely not keeping him up at night. Reasons to Avoid Bitcoin: Prince Alwaleed Source: Shutterstock Although theres no official confirmation from the Saudi Arabian government, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, whose holdings include investments in American companies such as Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) and Lyft, is still being held in a five-star jail in Riyadh. Before Alwaleeds arrest in early November, the billionaire appeared in a CNBC interview in which he discredited the digital currency. It just doesnt make sense. This thing is not regulated, its not under control, its not under the supervision [of any central bank], Alwaleed said Oct. 23 on CNBC. I just dont believe in this bitcoin thing. I think its just going to implode one day. I think this is Enron in the making. Here, again, is another wealthy individual questioning the regulatory oversight and control of bitcoin. If I had a dollar for everytime a detractor uttered the word control while speaking about the cryptocurrency, I might not be a rich man, but I think I could buy myself a nice lunch. What do you expect a billionaire who owns a piece of a big American bank to say about something that threatens his very livelihood? Alwaleed depends on the banks to help carry out his global ambitions. The last person in the world to go to for a primer on bitcoin is the Saudi prince. Reasons to Avoid Bitcoin: Steam 7 Reasons to Avoid Bitcoin Like the Plague Source: Shutterstock It appears that the video-gaming community is backing off its support of bitcoin with the announcement by Steam that it will no longer accept the digital currency as a method of payment. In the past few months, weve seen an increase in the volatility in the value of bitcoin and a significant increase in the fees to process transactions on the bitcoin network, the company wrote in a recent blog post. The value of bitcoin is only guaranteed for a certain period, so, if the transaction doesnt complete within that window of time, then the amount of bitcoin needed to cover the transaction can change. The amount it can change has been increasing recently to a point where it can be significantly different. According to Steam, transaction fees a year ago to process bitcoin payments were 20 cents. Today, theyre 200 times that with no ceiling in sight. While this is something that ultimately will get fixed, it highlights the newness of bitcoin relative to traditional currencies. I understand Steam putting the brakes on these payments until it can reign in costs, but anyone who thinks this is a reason to just say no to bitcoin is missing the point. Steams not so much a detractor as it is a frustrated participant. Theres a big difference. As of this writing, Will Ashworth did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. The post 7 Major Investors That Are Terrified of Bitcoin appeared first on InvestorPlace. By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's weekend remark about a scaled-back tax cut for corporations sparked behind-the-scenes debate in the U.S. Congress, with a White House aide trying on Thursday to minimize the impact of the president's comment. Two rival tax bills, passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives, propose cutting the U.S. corporate tax rate to 20 percent, but they differ in other areas that Republicans are trying to merge into final legislation. Speaking to reporters after the Senate approved its tax bill on Saturday, Trump said the corporate tax rate in the final legislation, expected soon from lawmakers, "could be 22 (percent) ... it could also be 20 (percent)." The remark whetted the interest of some Republicans who see a slight upward bump in the proposed corporate tax rate as capturing needed federal revenue that would help solve other problems with the legislation, according to lobbyists. "The 20 percent rate ought to be our goal," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, who is expected to head a bicameral House-Senate negotiating committee. "My view is the president is giving us flexibility in that area if it's needed. No decision's been made on if that's needed," the Texas Republican told reporters. But White House legislative affairs director Marc Short told Reuters on Thursday that Trump was not voicing support for a higher proposed corporate rate. Instead, he may have been only expressing views conveyed to him by Republican senators. "I think he was just reflecting what conversations he had heard from them, but that ... wasn't intended to signal: this is an endorsement of raising the corporate rate," Short said. "We believe that 20 percent is the right number ... 20 percent is about as high as we feel comfortable going," he said in an interview. Trump and his Republican allies have plenty riding on what happens over the next few weeks. A sweeping U.S. tax overhaul, which has not been achieved since 1986, would give Republicans their first major legislative victory of 2017, after their failure to overturn former President Barack Obama's healthcare law. Without a win, Republicans fear they could lose their control of the House and Senate in the 2018 congressional elections. But it may be too late to avoid confusion over priorities as the tax debate moves forward in Congress. Lobbyists said many perceive that Trump and his advisers would accept a corporate rate higher than 20 percent. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Thursday that a 22 percent corporate rate would not undermine the economic boost that Republicans say tax cuts will create. Analysts say the corporate income tax rate could be a ready source of revenue for lawmakers, as they move toward a final bill that can lose no more than $1.5 trillion in revenue over the next decade under Senate rules. Republicans are considering a more costly deduction for state and local taxes than the $10,000 property tax deduction contained in the House and Senate bills. One version would allow taxpayers to choose a $10,000 deduction for either property or income taxes. House lawmakers also want to adopt the House bill's repeal of the corporate alternative minimum tax, which would cost about $40 billion in revenue over a decade, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Senate retained the tax. A House limit on the amount of debt interest payments that businesses can deduct from their income would also cost about $136 billion more than the Senate version, the JCT said. Analysts say a one percentage point change in the corporate rate equals about $100 billion in revenues over a decade. (Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and James Dalgleish) Shazam was founded in 1999 and prior to becoming an app, started as an SMS service Apple is nearing a deal to buy London-based music recognition app Shazam, and could announce its purchase as early as next week, according to reports on Friday evening. TechCrunch said the deal, which is likely to be signed this week, could value Shazam at around 300m, citing sources. This is much lower than the $1.02bn (760m) valuation Shazam received in its last funding round in 2015, making it one of the UK's few tech "unicorns", and would come as a heavy blow to its investors which include venture capitalist Kleiner Perkins and Institutional Venture Partners. Shazam was founded in 1999 and prior to becoming an app, in 2002 launched as an SMS service, via which users could call a number, play the music through the phone and receive an SMS with the song name and artist. Now it uses smartphone's microphones to identify music and, in 2015, expanded its service to be able to identify books, magazines and packaged goods. Notable UK 'unicorns' It was among the first apps to join Apple's App Store in 2008, and has since worked closely with Apple, recently being integrated into the US firm's Siri virtual assistant device. It has traditionally made revenue from sending users through to music download services such as iTunes so they can purchase the song, with Shazam taking a referral fee. However, in September, Shazam revealed it had made just 40.3m in revenues last year, raising doubts about its billion-dollar valuation. Neither Apple nor Shazam immediately responded to requests for comment. Rich Riley Shazam Apple is buying Shazam, a music recognition app. Apple will pay $400 million for the company, which was last valued at $1 billion. Apple is close to acquiring music recognition app Shazam for $400 million, a source familiar with the matter told Business Insider on Friday. The deal could allow Apple to integrate a popular consumer feature directly into its iPhones at a time when Apple's innovation crown is under threat from Google and Samsung. The Shazam app allows users to identify the music that's playing nearby, such as a song in a restaurant or cafe. The app quickly became one of the most popular smartphone apps when it launched in 2009 and has been downloaded more than one billion times by consumers. Google recently incorporated similar technology into its high-end Pixel 2 smartphone. Google's version of the technology constantly monitors nearby music, displaying each song title on the phone's screen a handy feature that may have led Apple to conclude it needed to offer a similar function in its iPhones in order to not appear behind the curve. Shazam CEO Rich Riley previously told Business Insider that the company would make sense insider a larger company looking for a foothold in music or advertising. Representatives for Apple and Shazam did not respond to a request for comment about the acquisition. News of the deal was first reported Friday by TechCrunch, which said the deal was expected to be signed this week. Reports of Apple's interest in Shazam surfaced on the same day that Apple announced that longtime executive Jony Ive will resume day-to-day management of the company's design team. Acoustic fingerprints and augmented reality The $400 million price that Apple is offering for Shazam is lower than the most recent post-money valuation of $1.02 billion, according to Pitchbook. However, that valuation is "a bit artificial," the person close to the deal told Business Insider. Later investors received a liquidation preference and will get their invested money back first before other shareholders, including employee options. Story continues Shazam, which was founded in 1999, made $50 million in revenue last year, according to another person familiar with the company. The company is based in London and has created a database of more than 11 million "acoustic fingerprints" that it uses to identify songs. More recently Shazam has developed augmented reality technology that allows users to point their phones at a special label to see additional information. A partnership with gin maker Bombay Saphire makes the bottle appear to undergo various transformations when consumers point their phones at it. Shares of Apple were unchanged in after hours trading on Friday. Email the author at kleswing@businessinsider.com. NOW WATCH: I've been an iPhone user for 10 years here's what happened when I switched to the Google Pixel 2 for a week See Also: SEE ALSO: REVIEW: If I were to buy an Android phone, it would be the Pixel 2 XL By Richard Cowan and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress moved rapidly on Thursday to send President Donald Trump a short-term funding bill to avert a government shutdown this weekend, leaving fights over budget priorities and a range of other controversial issues for the coming weeks. The House of Representatives, working against a Friday midnight deadline, approved legislation in a 235-193 vote to fund a wide range of federal programs through Dec. 22. The Senate followed up by approving the bill 81-14. The White House has said Trump will sign it into law. The measure creates more time for a reckoning between Republicans and Democrats about budget differences, which Trump discussed in a meeting with leading lawmakers at the White House earlier in the day. "We hope that we're going to make some great progress for our country. I think that will happen," Trump said. The White House said negotiations would resume on Friday. Leaders now have about two weeks to find common ground on a host of thorny issues for the next government funding bill in order to prevent a partial government shutdown on Dec. 23. Both sides want to avoid having parts of the government close, particularly during the holidays, for fear of a public backlash, and leaders from both parties have preemptively blamed the other for such a potential outcome. That political blame game is likely to continue in the next two weeks while, behind the scenes, leaders hammer out a compromise. Republicans mainly want a big increase in defense spending for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2018. But Democrats are insisting that any added Pentagon funding be accompanied by increases to other domestic programs. Democrats also want to enact into law protections for nearly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who were children when they were brought into the United States. Republicans want a much wider series of immigration law changes to further clamp down on foreign arrivals, and they want immigration negotiations to be held on a separate track from the government funding bill. Democrats also want to shore up the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, by reviving federal subsidies for low-income people in the program. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer joined Trump and Republican congressional leaders for the talks after canceling a similarly planned meeting last week when the president posted a note on Twitter attacking their policy positions. The two Democrats said in a statement that the meeting on Thursday was productive but nothing specific had been agreed. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis joined the group to discuss military matters. The White House foresees a compromise with lawmakers that will include increases in defense and non-defense spending, White House legislative affairs director Marc Short told Reuters. He said the White House wants a deal that covers spending for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Earlier on Thursday, Schumer said Trump seemed to be rooting for a shutdown and warned that, if one occurs, "it will fall on his shoulders." "His party controls the Senate, the House and the presidency," he said. "Nobody here wants to see a shutdown. We Democrats are not interested in one." Pelosi said Democrats were not willing to shut down the government over the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) immigration program, but she also said "we will not leave here without a DACA fix." (Reporting by Richard Cowan and Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell and Steve Holland; Editing by Peter Cooney, Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker) By Patrick Rucker and Pete Schroeder WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new acting head of the U.S. consumer finance watchdog is reviewing whether Wells Fargo & Co should pay tens of millions of dollars over alleged mortgage lending abuse, according to three sources familiar with the dispute. The San Francisco-based bank said in October that it would refund homebuyers who were wrongly charged fees to secure low mortgage rates - a black mark against a lender which has already been roiled by scandal over its treatment of customers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) had been investigating the mortgage issue since early this year, said one current and two former officials. The agency accepted an internal review from Wells Fargo and set settlement terms in early November, said the sources, who were not authorized to speak about internal discussions. But that matter and roughly a dozen others are in question now that Mick Mulvaney, the agency chief tapped by President Donald Trump, has said he is reviewing the CFPB's prior work. Richard Cordray, the former CFPB director who initiated the Wells Fargo action, approved the terms of a possible settlement before stepping down, said the sources. That proposal envisions a Wells Fargo payout of tens of millions of dollars but likely short of the record, $100 million payout the bank made to the CFPB last year over a phony accounts scandal, sources said. More than 100,000 borrowers paid the fee to lock in a fixed-rate loan between September 2013 and February 2017, the bank has said, adding it believes a "substantial number" of those charges were appropriate. A Wells Fargo spokesman on Thursday declined to comment on the CFPB actions but said the bank was committed to returning any fees that were wrongly levied. "Over the next few months we will be contacting other customers who paid those fees and will provide refunds," said spokesman Tom Goyda. Mulvaney has pledged to examine enforcement work that Cordray had left unfinished, which includes the potential Wells Fargo sanctions. In an interview with the Washington Times newspaper last week, Mulvaney said he is reviewing 14 open enforcement matters that Cordray left on his desk. A CFPB official said that review should not taint any eventual settlements. "Acting Director Mulvaney made it clear to staff that any pause should not and will not impact any ongoing negotiations," said John Czwartacki, an adviser to Mulvaney. Mulvaney has moved swiftly to change course at the CFPB, which was created during President Barack Obama's administration and has forced financial services companies to pay out $12 billion in fines and consumer relief. No new staff will be hired and no new rules will be written for industry until a review of the agency is completed, Mulvaney has said. Before he took charge of the CFPB, Mulvaney had been one of its vocal critics and called the bureau a "joke." Mulvaney is now in a legal fight with Leandra English, another senior CFPB official, over who should lead the agency until a permanent chief can be appointed. English has vowed to defend the bureau's existing consumer protections while Mulvaney has pledged to have the agency step out of the way of business. A federal court has so far endorsed Mulvaney's position at the top of the bureau, but English is continuing a legal fight. One of the CFPB's major achievements was the $100 million fine it levied on Wells Fargo last year after it was revealed that staff were opening bank accounts without customer consent. In September, Republican staff for the U.S. House of Representatives' Financial Services Committee asked whether that settlement was too paltry. In a report titled "Did the CFPB let Wells Fargo 'Beat the Rap'?" Republican staff wrote that the CFPB might have had room to seek a penalty of $10 billion or more against Wells Fargo. The committee's policy director, Brian Johnson, joined Mulvaney last week as a senior adviser to the CFPB. (Reporting by Patrick Rucker and Pete Schroeder; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) When it comes to unexpected skywatching opportunities, fireballs are one of the most exciting. Pieces of various types of space debris flying through Earths atmosphere in a blaze of glory can be an eye-catching sight, and Florida residents were treated to just such a sight in the early evening hours of Tuesday night. According to NASA, over 60 reports of a strange flash in the dark night sky came flooding into their tip lines, and the group has since confirmed that it was indeed a fireball. According to scientists, the object was likely a tiny asteroid, about the size of a bowling ball, and they were even able to plot its eventually landing zone, though nobody will likely ever be able to find what remains of it. Don't Miss: Amazons All-New Fire TV and Fire TV Stick were just discounted for the last time in 2017 The asteroid, which was caught on several security cameras and dash cams around Florida, appeared first as a bright streak on the horizon, followed by an incredibly bright flash as the object incinerated and subsequently burnt out. Its unclear what, if anything, is left of the small asteroid after its suicidal journey through the friction of Earths atmosphere, but NASA has an idea of where the leftovers likely landed. NASA believes the small chunk of asteroid spotted by Floridians was actually a piece of a larger asteroid which broke up over the Gulf of Mexico. Given the objects trajectory, researchers think whatever bits of rock which may have survived the journey landed in the ocean roughly 45 miles off the coast of Florida. Fireballs which are often small asteroids or other space debris that is too small to be detected by large telescopes can be quite a sight, and NASA is always keeping an eye out for them. The group has a database dedicated to tracking and archiving all reported fireball sightings, along with a map of where each one was spotted. BGR Top Deals: Story continues Trending Right Now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com * U.N. officials blame Ugandan Islamist rebels * Five Congolese soldiers also killed, U.N. says * Raid on U.N. base comes amid rising wave of violence (Updates toll) By Fiston Mahamba GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec 8 (Reuters) - S uspected Ugandan rebels killed at least 15 Tanzanian U.N. peacekeepers and wounded 53 others in a raid on a base in Congo that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called the worst attack on the organisation in recent history. Tanzania's President John Magufuli said he was "shocked and saddened" by the deaths, which come amid rising violence against civilians, the army and U.N. troops in Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern borderlands. The U.N. chief said the attack constituted a war crime and called on Congolese authorities to investigate and "swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice". "I want to express my outrage and utter heartbreak at last night's attack," Guterres told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." The United Nations Security Council condemned the attack on Friday and held a moment of silence for the victims. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert wrote on Twitter that the United States was "appalled by the horrific attack". U.N. troops were still searching for three peacekeepers who went missing during the more than three-hour firefight that broke out at dusk on Thursday evening, Ian Sinclair, the director of the U.N. Operations and Crisis Centre, said. U.N. officials said they suspected militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) staged the assault on the base in the town of Semuliki in North Kivu's Beni territory. The ADF is an Islamist rebel group that has been active in the area. Congo's U.N. mission, MONUSCO, said it was coordinating a joint response with the Congolese army and evacuating wounded from the base. Five Congolese soldiers were also killed in the raid, MONUSCO said in a statement. Congo's army said only one of its soldiers was missing, however, while another had been injured, adding that 72 militants had been killed. Story continues 'THEY DON'T WANT US THERE' Rival militia groups control parts of mineral-rich eastern Congo nearly a decade and a half after the official end of a 1998-2003 war in which millions of people died, mostly from hunger and disease. The area has been the scene of repeated massacres and at least 26 people died in an ambush in October. The government and U.N. mission have blamed almost all the violence on the ADF but U.N. experts and independent analysts say other militia and elements of Congo's own army have also been involved. In response to the growing unrest, and in an effort to protect civilians, the U.N.'s Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix said MONUSCO had stepped up its activities in the area. "They don't want us there. And I think this attack is a response ... to our increasingly robust posture in that region," he told reporters. Thursday's raid was the third attack on a U.N. base in eastern Congo in recent months. Increased militia activity in the east and centre of the country has added to insecurity in Congo this year amid political tensions linked to President Joseph Kabila's refusal to step down when his mandate expired last December. An election to replace Kabila, who has ruled Congo since his father's assassination in 2001, has been repeatedly delayed and is now scheduled for December 2018. Established in 2010, MONUSCO is the United Nations' largest peacekeeping mission and had recorded 93 fatalities of military, police and civilian personnel. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Aaron Ross in Dakar and Fumbuka Ng'wanakilala in Dar es Salaam; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Catherine Evans and James Dalgleish) Critics of the GOP tax plan have blasted the bill as disadvantageous to Americans in blue states, and as historic wildfires continue to blaze in Southern California, Democratic lawmakers there are decrying one reform in particular that seems to single out Californians. The bill proposes eliminatingor at last dramatically modifyingthe tax deduction for personal losses due to natural disasters, including fire. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (DCali.) on Thursday took aim at Republican members of Californias congressional delegation who voted for the House bill that eliminated the measure for fire victims but kept in place a break for Americans affected by this years hurricanes. They actually voted for that bill, Pelosi said at a press conference. [The members] voted to discriminate against victims of fire. We certainly want to have the deduction for victims of hurricanes and the rest, but why are they doing this to our state? A resident hoses down his burning property during the Creek Fire on December 5, 2017. Pelosi delivered her criticism as six major wildfires are sweeping through the southern part of the state, engulfing homes and forcing residents to evacuate. Authorities on Friday said the wildfires have destroyed or damaged at least 500 structures as theyve consumed nearly 160,000 acres in recent days. The ongoing fires in California come just weeks after blazes ripped through the Napa Valley region of the state, destroying an estimated 8,400 homes and buildings. Insurance claims due to the wildfires in wine country are pegged at some $9.4 billionthe costliest in state history. Read More: California Wildfires by the Numbers Those fires took place in October, and in November, the House passed a version of the tax plan that repeals the deduction for personal casualty losses due to fire. Some California representatives said they supported that bill after receiving assurances that their concerns about the loss of the tax break would be addressed in the final version of the legislation, according to the Los Angeles Times. Story continues Residents watch as the Creek Fire burns a hillside in the Shadow Hills neighborhood of L.A. on December 5, 2017. The version of the bill passed by the Senate earlier this month doesnt eliminate the deduction entirely, but modifies it so it can only be claimed in a federally-declared disastera designation many wildfires dont receive. (The on-going fires are an exception. President Donald Trump deemed them an emergency on Friday.) The reforms are in line with Republicans effort to streamline the tax code and generate more revenue to offset cuts elsewhere. Read More: As Fires Burn Near Los Angeles, Destroyed Lots Go Up for Sale in Napa Its important to note that no matter the outcome of the GOP tax plan, eligible victims of this years fires can still claim a tax deductionso long as theyre able to assess their losses in time for their 2017 tax returns. Should Republicans eliminate the deduction in the joint bill theyre currently drafting, future victims of wildfires and other natural disasters could still receive tax breaks through special legislation passed by Congress after individual disasters. But Democratic lawmakers in California arent satisfied with that approach. In a joint statement released in November in response to the House tax bill, California Senators Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris blasted the effort to eliminate the deduction. Asking victims of wildfires or earthquakes to suffer in order to pay for tax cuts for the rich, they said, is the height of cruelty. Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOGL) are among companies that have expressed private concerns to Qualcomm (QCOM) about a Broadcom (AVGO) takeover, according to people familiar with the matter. The companies are wary of Apple's potential influence over a deal, said the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. They're also worried about Broadcom's reputation of cutting costs rather than investing in new technology, the people said. Qualcomm rejected a hostile $105 billion bid last month, leading to Broadcom nominating a new slate of board directors for the San Diego-based company earlier this week. Regulators frequently ask for industry input when making a judgment on whether or not to approve a deal. Qualcomm has said it has antitrust concerns about a potential Broadcom takeover. Qualcomm has told Microsoft, Google and other companies not to make any public statements opposing a deal, said the sources. Qualcomm wants to find out if Broadcom will significantly increase its $70-per-share offer before taking a firmer stance against a possible deal, said the people. A Broadcom transaction for Qualcomm may improve Apple's relationship with the chipmaker, which currently provides chips used in the iPhone and iPad. Qualcomm is suing Apple for patent infringement after Apple in January sued Qualcomm for roughly $1 billion , claiming Qualcomm charged royalties improperly. Qualcomm has issued and applied more than 130,000 patents covering, among other things, smartphone technology. The litigation could result in Apple abandoning Qualcomm for future products. But Broadcom Chief Executive Hock Tan has privately expressed optimism about settling an ongoing litigation with Apple if Broadcom were to acquire Qualcomm, according to a person familiar with the matter. Why Microsoft and Google would object Apple's gain could be its competition's loss. In Google's case, many of the phone and tablet makers who build phones on its market-leading Android operating system use Qualcomm processors. Android and its derivatives make up 85 percent of the smartphone market, according to IDC. Microsoft just announced the first Windows 10 PCs using Qualcomm chips, and it may continue to push these types of tablet and hybrid PCs, which use less power than traditional Intel-based PCs, as it seeks to compete with Apple's iPad. While Microsoft and Google are two of the largest companies in the world, neither rival Apple or Samsung in terms of sales volume from either Qualcomm or Broadcom. Still, both Microsoft and Google perceive an independent Qualcomm as being more closely aligned with their interests than a Broadcom-owned Qualcomm that is tighter with Apple. The companies have also privately expressed concerns with Tan's reputation of cutting costs at the expense of increasing spending on innovation, two of the people said. Complaints from these third parties could play a role in scuppering the deal. In the press release announcing the proposed buyout, Tan said "We would not make this offer if we were not confident that our common global customers would embrace the proposed combination." Spokespeople for Qualcomm, Broadcom, and Google declined to comment. A spokesperson for Microsoft couldn't be reached for comment. More From CNBC A notice announcing that service is unavailable is displayed on the website of Slovenian cryptocurrency mining firm NiceHash, which said it had suffered a hack of its Bitcoin wallet, in photo illustration December 7, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren By Marja Novak LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - A Slovenian cryptocurrency mining marketplace, NiceHash, which lost about $64 million worth of bitcoin in a hack on its payment system on Wednesday, said the attack was probably made from a non-EU IP address. NiceHash matches people looking to sell processing time on computers in exchange for bitcoin. "It is very probable that the attack was made from an IP address outside the EU," head of marketing Andrej Skraba told Reuters on Friday. He declined to give any more details but said NiceHash investors came from "all over the world". Head of NiceHash Marko Kobal said in a Facebook video recording, whose authenticity was confirmed to Reuters by the company, that the hack was made by using the credentials of a NiceHash engineer. The incident highlighted security risks to booming digital currencies. There have been at least three dozen heists on exchanges that buy and sell digital currencies since 2011, including one that led to the 2014 collapse of Mt. Gox, once the world's largest bitcoin market. Earlier on Friday Bitcoin fell more than 12 percent on the Bitstamp exchange to about $14,500. The Slovenian police told Reuters on Friday the investigation into the attack continued, adding no further details could be given at present. Separately, NiceHash also confirmed to Reuters that its chief technical officer is Matjaz Skorjanc. Skorjanc had been imprisoned in Slovenia for creating the Mariposa virus that infected millions of computers around the world around 2010. (Reporting By Marja Novak) Shares of DJ Basin-focused driller Bill Barrett Corporation (NYSE: BBG) got pummeled this week, plunging more than 19% after the company announced a merger agreement and a stock sale. However, these moves will strengthen its position in the promising DJ Basin and its balance sheet, which should enable it to drill high-return wells and grow production even if oil remains low. That returns-driven growth positions it for success in the coming years, which is why oil investors might want to think about scooping up shares after this week's drubbing. Drilling down into what pulled the stock down this week On Tuesday Bill Barrett Corporation unveiled a series of moves that sent shares tanking. The headliner was the announcement of a strategic business combination with private-equity-backed Fifth Creek Energy. Under the terms of the $649 million deal, Bill Barrett investors will exchange their stock on a 1-for-1 basis for shares of a newly formed holding company, and Fifth Creek's owner will receive 100 million shares of the new company. An oil pump with the sun setting in the background. Image source: Getty Images. In addition, Bill Barrett agreed to exchange newly issued shares for $50 million of its 7% notes due in 2022. It also completed the sale of another 21 million shares, raising $102 million in cash, which it plans to use to drill more wells. Those newly minted shares significantly dilute the value of existing investors' holdings -- Bill Barrett had roughly 75 million shares outstanding at the end of last quarter -- which is why the stock got walloped this week. That said, the combined company promises to be a much stronger entity. For starters, it will hold a large-scale acreage position in the core of the oil-rich DJ Basin. The company will have decades of drilling inventory, including an estimated 2,865 undeveloped locations that can earn an average return of 65% at current oil prices. Meanwhile, it will sport a significantly improved balance sheet since Fifth Creek has minimal debt and Bill Barrett's debt level will be 62% below end-of-2015 levels, as a result of the debt exchange and stock offering. That sets the combined company up to excel in the coming years. Story continues A drilling rig with the mountains in the background. Image source: Getty Images. An emerging oil ATM The company's increased focus on the DJ Basin of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming is worth noting. While it isn't as widely known as the Eagle Ford shale and the Permian Basin, it is quietly developing into an excellent location for oil companies that control land in the heart of the play. One of those companies is shale giant EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG). It currently holds about 81,000 net acres in Laramie County, Wyoming. EOG's land is just to the northwest of Fifth Creek's property in Weld County, Colorado, and some of Bill Barrett's legacy acreage in Laramie County. That position is turning out to be a prime spot for EOG Resources, which has identified 200 drilling locations that can earn it a premium return of at least 30%, after tax, at $40 oil. While that's a much-smaller inventory than the company's assets in the Eagle Ford and Permian Basin, the returns are lucrative enough that EOG continues allocating capital to the region to keep drilling. Meanwhile, SandRidge Energy (NYSE: SD) recently made an offer to acquire Bonanza Creek Energy (NYSE: BCEI), which owns land directly adjacent to Bill Barrett's acreage in the southern part of Weld County. While SandRidge controls property in Colorado, it's farther to the west, so Bonanza Creek doesn't offer quite as good a strategic fit as Fifth Creek does for Bill Barrett (which is why several well-known investors oppose that deal). That said, both positions can deliver drilling returns above 40% at current oil prices, which shows just how promising this region is for oil companies. Returns are the primary motivator behind Bill Barrett's decision to combine with Fifth Creek, since its land can earn an average return of 80% at current oil prices. Bill Barrett anticipates that the combined company can grow production at a healthy rate next year and in 2019 while living within its current means. A hidden gem in the oil patch Bill Barrett's strategic combination with Fifth Creek and initiatives to improve its balance sheet position the company for success in the coming years. The company now controls a much-bigger portion of the high-return DJ Basin, which should fuel healthy production and cash flow growth even if oil prices remain low. Meanwhile, it has significant upside to higher oil prices since its returns and cash flow would accelerate. That's a compelling combination for oil bulls to consider, especially in light of this week's sell-off. More From The Motley Fool Matthew DiLallo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. JERUSALEM (AP) -- Large crowds of worshippers across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches Friday, some stomping on posters of Donald Trump or burning American flags in the largest outpouring of anger yet at the U.S. president's recognition of bitterly contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital. In the holy city itself, prayers at Islam's third-holiest site dispersed largely without incident, but Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in several dozen West Bank hotspots and on the border with the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes struck Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip Friday in response to a rocket fired from the zone that Israel's military said was intercepted by its Iron Dome missile-defense system. The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people were injured in Friday's air strikes. Earlier, a 30-year-old Gaza man was killed by Israeli gunfire, the first death of a protester since Trump's dramatic midweek announcement. Two Palestinians were seriously wounded, health officials said. Dozens of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza were hit by live rounds or rubber-coated steel or inhaled tear gas, the officials said. Trump's pivot on Jerusalem triggered warnings from America's friends and foes alike that he is needlessly stirring more conflict in an already volatile region. The religious and political dispute over Jerusalem forms the emotional core of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The ancient city is home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian shrines and looms large in the competing national narratives of Israelis and Palestinians. Trump's decision on Jerusalem is widely seen in the region as a blatant expression of pro-Israel bias, but it was unclear if protests and confrontations would maintain momentum after Friday. More extensive violence has erupted in the Palestinian areas in the past, including deadly bloodshed triggered by disputes over Jerusalem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and other groups had called for three "days of rage" this week. However, Abbas remains an opponent of violence, saying it's counterproductive and that he might at some point order his security forces to contain protests. Story continues Separately, Fatah's rival, the Gaza-based Islamic militant Hamas, called this week for a third uprising against Israel, but such appeals have fizzled as Palestinians become more disillusioned with their leaders. On Friday, demonstrators in the West Bank torched heaps of tires, sending columns of thick black smoke rising over the cities of Ramallah and Bethlehem. Palestinian stone-throwers traded volleys in the streets with soldiers firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Along the Gaza-Israel border fence, Israeli troops fired at stone-throwers. Across the region from Asia's Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan to North Africa's Algeria and Lebanon in the Levant thousands of worshippers poured into the streets after midday prayers to voice their anger. Some protesters burned U.S. and Israeli flags or stomped Trump posters that showed the president alongside a Nazi swastika. In Jordan's capital of Amman, thousands marched through the center of town, chanting "America is the head of the snake." Pro-Western Jordan is a crucial U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic extremists, but King Abdullah II cannot afford to be seen as soft on Jerusalem. His Hashemite dynasty derives its legitimacy from its role as guardian of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Islam's third-holiest site. Trump's decision has also strained U.S. foreign relations. U.N. Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov told an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Friday that Trump's announcement created a "serious risk" of a chain of unilateral actions that would push the goal of peace further away. Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour warned of the danger of "a never-ending religious war that will only be exploited by extremists, fueling more radicalism, violence and strife in the region and elsewhere." Even traditional U.S. allies sharply criticized Trump's decision. Sweden's U.N. Ambassador Olof Skoog said the U.S. action "contradicts international law and Security Council resolutions." Britain's Ambassador Matthew Rycroft called the U.S. decision "unhelpful to peace," the French envoy expressed regret and Italy's Sebastiano Cardi warned of "the risk of unrest and tensions in the region." The U.S. ambassador, Nikki Haley, told the council that the Trump administration is more committed to peace "than we've ever been before and we believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before." Haley did not explain. In Europe, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday played down the impact of Trump's policy shift, which also included a pledge to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Tillerson said it will likely take years for the U.S. to open an embassy in Jerusalem. In a news conference with the French foreign minister, Tillerson said Trump's recognition of the city as Israel's capital "did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem." The United States is making clear that Jerusalem's borders will be left to Israelis and Palestinians to "negotiate and decide," he said. Most countries around the world have not recognized Israel's 1967 annexation of east Jerusalem and maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv. Under a longstanding international consensus, the fate of the city is to be determined in negotiations. Trump's announcement delivered a blow to Abbas, a supporter of the idea of reaching Palestinian statehood through U.S.-led negotiations with Israel. In siding with Israel on Jerusalem, he has said, the Trump administration effectively disqualified itself as a mediator. However, Abbas has not decided how to move forward, including whether he will rule out future U.S.-brokered negotiations. Trump has said he still intends to propose a Mideast peace deal. More than two decades of intermittent Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have failed to bring the Palestinians closer to statehood. Some in Abbas' inner circle say the old paradigm, with the U.S. serving as mediator, is no longer relevant. On Thursday, a senior Fatah official said the Palestinians would not receive Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the West Bank later this month, but it was not immediately clear if the official spoke for Abbas. The Arab League, an umbrella group of close to two dozen states, is to meet Saturday to try to forge a joint position, followed next week by a gathering in Turkey of the 57-state Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Turkish officials said Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Turkey next week for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Jerusalem's status and other issues. ___ Laub reported from Jericho, West Bank. Associated Press writers Fares Akram in Gaza City, Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, Alice Su in Amman, Jordan, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations also contributed to this report. President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders are on the brink of achieving their top priority, centerpiece tax legislation, but only after a series of inaccurate claims and broken promises. Lawmakers have made and then retracted pledges that their planned overhaul bill wouldnt raise taxes on any middle-class families. Trump and his top aides have said the changes wont cut taxes for the highest earners, statements that are demonstrably false. And all of them argue that the proposed tax cuts, estimated to reduce federal revenue by more than $1.4 trillion, wont increase federal deficits, an assertion thats been contradicted by Congresss official tax scorekeeper. The challenge is that there were a lot of promises made that cant live comfortably with each other, said Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. The biggest loser in all this was their commitment to fiscal discipline, which went away as fast as you can blink. The White House didnt respond to a request for comment for this story. House and Senate GOP leaders are trying to hammer out compromise legislation for Trump to sign before the end of the year. If they succeed, their tax overhaul will immediately become the top policy issue in the 2018 congressional elections. Here are a few statements they might expect to see in opponents campaign ads: No Tax Cuts for the Rich WHAT THEY SAID: Wealthy Americans are not getting a tax cut, Gary Cohn, Trumps top economic adviser, said Sept. 28 on ABCs Good Morning America. Any reductions we have in upper-income taxes will be offset by less deductions so that there will be no absolute tax cut for the upper class, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Nov. 30, 2016, in an interview on CNBCs Squawk Box. WHAT THEY DID: While the Senate bill would cut tax rates for all income groups, on average, higher earners would receive the largest benefits, according to the Tax Policy Center, an independent Washington Policy group. Story continues The top 5 percent of taxpayers roughly, those who make more than $215,000 a year, based on recent U.S. Census data would do well, the analysis shows. In 2019, those who rank in the 95th through 99th percentiles would see their after-tax incomes rise by more than 3 percent after receiving the largest cuts as a share of income, according to the study. By comparison, the bottom 60 percent of taxpayers would see after-tax income growth of roughly 1.5 percent or less, according to the study. Over time, benefits for the highest earners would outstrip others. By 2027, after a menu of temporary individual tax cuts would expire, the top 0.1 percent of earners those who make far in excess of $1 million a year would still see after-tax income growth of about 1.5 percent, dwarfing that for any other group. The House bill would reduce taxes for taxpayers making $1 million and more by roughly 6.7 percent in 2019, according to Congresss official scorekeeper, the Joint Committee on Taxation. By 2027, that group would still be getting a 4.3 percent tax cut, JCT found. Trump Wont Benefit WHAT THEY SAID: This is going to cost me a fortune, this thing, Trump said last week during a speech in St. Charles, Missouri. Believe me. WHAT THEY DID: Both bills include provisions that would have the potential to cut Trumps taxes. The House bill lowers the rate for pass-through income, which could cut taxes on Trumps real-estate and other businesses. The Senate bill provides a new deduction for such income. Both measures contain language that would limit the use of those benefits, however. The Senate bill would cut the top individual income tax rate to 38.5 percent a measure that would benefit Trump, who has disclosed multimillion-dollar annual earnings. The House bill would repeal a tax that has cost Trump in the past: the individual alternative minimum tax, which operates as a kind of parallel tax calculation that originally designed as a way to prevent high earners from using too many deductions or other breaks to zero out their tax bills. A copy of Trumps 2005 tax return that was leaked earlier this year showed that he had to pay $31 million in AMT that year, accounting for about 80 percent of his total tax bill. Beyond that instance, its difficult to assess the impact of any tax changes on Trumps personal taxes: He has not followed his predecessors precedent by releasing any tax returns. Asked to name which proposed tax provisions would cause the president to pay more, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wouldnt offer any specifics. She said only that a lot of the deductions that would be eliminated might affect Trump. No Middle Class Tax Increase WHAT THEY SAID: Nobody in the middle class is going to get a tax increase, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on MSNBC on Nov. 4. McConnell later retracted his statement, acknowledging it wasnt correct. Describing the bill to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh on Nov. 7, House Speaker Paul Ryan called it a tax cut for everybody and said every single person would see a reduction in tax rates. He dismissed claims that the bill would raise taxes on millions of Americans as misinformation from the left. He later corrected himself as well. Vice President Mike Pence championed the proposal as an across-the-board tax cut. Trump said the middle class would be the biggest beneficiary in the tax overhaul. WHAT THEY DID: While most income groups would see cuts on average, studies have shown that many individuals would not, depending on their specific situations. In fact, millions of people stand to see higher tax bills because of the elimination or curtailment of deductions such as one for state and local taxes, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the nonpartisan official scorekeeper for Congress. And because most of the Senate bills individual tax breaks expire by 2027, more than 20 million households with income below $200,000 would face tax increases by then. Weve said all along that our tax reform bill would create more jobs, fairer taxes, and bigger paychecks for the American people, said Doug Andres, a spokesman for Ryan, said this week. No New Deficits WHAT THEY SAID: It will have to be revenue-neutral, McConnell told Bloomberg News about any tax overhaul in May. It will be revenue-neutral when you add growth, Trump echoed in September. WHAT THEY DID: An earlier version of the Senate plan would increase deficits by roughly $1 trillion over 10 years, even when taking into account additional economic growth forecast with the tax cuts, the Joint Committee on Taxation said last week. Since then, senators revised the bill in ways that would only add to its cost, according to the JCT. Moreover, those changes would stymie some of the bills economic-growth provisions, business groups said. Republican senators who had previously assailed the nations debt burden including Senators Jeff Flake of Arizona and James Lankford of Oklahoma eventually fell in line to support the bill after efforts to include a backstop against growing deficits failed. In the end, Bob Corker of Tennessee was on the only Republican senator to oppose the Senate measure due to his concerns about the debt. Asked if his stand against adding to budget shortfalls made him feel like one of a dying breed, Corker answered: I do. Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm, said the tie-up with rival Dutch chipmaker NXP won't happen as a result of failure to win approval in China (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski) (AFP/File) Washington (AFP) - Qualcomm chief executive Steve Mollenkopf on Thursday reaffirmed his opposition to a hostile takeover bid from computer chip rival Broadcom, saying the deal offers "no real path to value." The comments came days after Singapore-based Broadcom escalated its efforts on a $130 billion bid by proposing a slate of directors to unseat the Qualcomm board of directors. Mollenkopf, speaking at an event hosted by The Economic Club of Washington, said that "we always have discussions" on potential tie-ups but that Qualcomm's future is well-positioned as an independent company. He added that "we didn't think the offer was in the ballpark of value," and that "there is a lot of uncertainty" on whether the merger -- which would be the largest ever in the technology sector -- could pass regulatory muster. "There's no real path to value that we see in terms of offers now in terms of an alternative" to remaining independent, he said. Mollenkopf maintained that Qualcomm, the leading global supplier of smartphone chips, is well-positioned for emerging technologies for connected devices and 5G, or the fifth generation of wireless networks. "We're probably the best positioned company for 5G and the connected world," he said. He noted that the company is "in a momentary spot where our revenue is a little difficult to model" because of a series of legal disputes, including with Apple, but predicted that "those will get resolved." Mollenkopf also said he expects Qualcomm to finalize later the year or early in 2018 a $47 billion acquisition of Dutch rival NXP, a deal that is the subject of a European Union anti-trust probe. Broadcom's announcement on Monday sets the stage for a fight at the Qualcomm shareholder's meeting in March, by proposing a slate of directors likely to press for the merger or replace management. If completed the deal would be the largest-ever in the tech sector and create a powerful player in the booming sector fueled by growth in smartphones and an array of connected devices from cars to wearables. Any merger deal would need to pass muster with Qualcomm shareholders and could face regulatory scrutiny in the United States and other markets. Broadcom's November 6 proposal followed a visit by its CEO Hock Tan to the White House, where he met President Donald Trump and announced plans to move the tech company back to the United States from Singapore. Both US-backed fighters and Russia-supported regime forces are carrying out separate operations against the Islamic State group in the wartorn Syrian province of Deir Ezzor (AFP Photo/STRINGER) (AFP) Beirut (AFP) - Russian air strikes killed 24 civilians Wednesday in a village held by the Islamic State group near the Euphrates River in eastern Syria, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bombing raids hit the village of Al-Jerzi on the eastern bank of the river, which cuts across Deir Ezzor province. After reporting earlier Wednesday that the strikes killed 21 civilians, the Britain-based monitor said the toll had risen. "More people died and more bodies were found," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. "Ten children and four women are among the dead in the Russian air strikes targeting residential buildings in Al-Jerzi," he told AFP. The monitor relies on a network of sources inside Syria and says it determines whose planes carry out raids according to type, location, flight patterns and munitions used. It says IS, which used to control swathes of Deir Ezzor province, has been ousted from all but eight percent of the oil-rich region. The jihadists have lost vast swathes of it to separate offensives by Russian-backed Syrian troops and an alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF has long been backed by US-led coalition bombing of IS in Iraq and Syria, but its Kurdish component recently said it had also received support from Moscow. Russian warplanes had given air cover to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) as they fought against jihadists in Deir Ezzor, according to the YPG and Moscow's defence ministry. Russia first launched bombing raids in 2015 in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's beleaguered forces. Those strikes have helped Assad regain control over much of war-ravaged Syria. More than 340,000 people have been killed since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against Assad, who launched a brutal crackdown. IS has also lost most of the territory it held in neighbouring Iraq. (Reuters) - China has warned its nationals in Pakistan of plans for a series of imminent "terrorist attacks" on Chinese targets there, an unusual alert as it pours funds into infrastructure projects into a country plagued by militancy. Thousands of Chinese workers have gone to Pakistan following Beijing's pledge to spend $57 billion there on projects in President Xi Jinping's signature "Belt and Road" development plan, which aims to link China with the Middle East and Europe. Protecting employees of Chinese companies, as well as individual entrepreneurs who have followed the investment wave along what is known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has been a concern for Chinese officials. "It is understood that terrorists plan in the near term to launch a series of attacks against Chinese organizations and personnel in Pakistan," the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said in a December 8 statement on its website. The embassy warned all "Chinese-invested organizations and Chinese citizens to increase security awareness, strengthen internal precautions, reduce trips outside as much as possible, and avoid crowded public spaces". It also asked Chinese nationals to cooperate with Pakistan's police and the military, and to alert the embassy in the event of an emergency. It did not give any further details. Pakistan's foreign ministry could not be reached immediately for comment. China has long worried about disaffected members of its Uighur Muslim minority in its far western region of Xinjiang linking up with militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan. At the same time, violence in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province has fuelled concern about security for planned transport and energy links from western China to Pakistan's deepwater port of Gwadar. The Taliban, sectarian groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State all operate in Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan and is at the center of the "Belt and Road" initiative. In addition, separatists there have long battled the government for a greater share of gas and mineral resources, and have a long record of attacking energy and other infrastructure projects. Islamic State claimed responsibility for killing two kidnapped Chinese teachers in Balochistan in June, prompting the government in Islamabad to pledge to beef up security for Chinese nationals. It had already promised a 15,000-strong army division to safeguard projects along the economic corridor. China's security concerns abroad have grown along with its global commercial footprint. In 2016, a suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, killing the attacker and wounding at least three people. Dutch English Papendrecht, 5 December 2017 Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has been awarded a 5-year contract by the Comision Administradora del Rio de la Plata (CARP), for the capital and maintenance dredging of the Martin Garcia channel, located between Uruguay and Argentina in the northern part of the 50-kilometer-wide Rio de la Plata estuary. The contract carries a total value for the 50/50 joint venture with DEME of approximately EUR 110 million and signing is expected to take place in the coming weeks. The Martin Garcia channel is the main access channel to Uruguay's second largest port, Nueva Palmira, as well as to the Rio Uruguay. The main objective of the dredging program is to deepen the canal and subsequently maintain a depth of 34 feet over the contract period. The capital dredging work will be performed in 2018, when approximately 6 million cubic meters of mainly sand and silt will be removed with two trailing suction hopper dredgers as well as approximately 500,000 cubic meters of clay and rock with a large backhoe. The maintenance contract requires the annual removal of approximately 5 million cubic meters of mainly sand and silt, over a subsequent period of four years and will be carried out with a trailing suction hopper dredger. The Boskalis strategy is designed to benefit from the key macro-economic drivers that fuel global demand in our selected markets: global trade, increasing energy consumption, population growth and the challenges of changing climate conditions. This project is driven by the growth in global trade. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Investor relations: Martijn L.D. Schuttevaer ir@boskalis.com Press: Arno Schikker press@boskalis.com T +31 78 6969310 Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a leading global services provider operating in the dredging, maritime infrastructure and maritime services sectors. The company provides creative and innovative all-round solutions to infrastructural challenges in the maritime, coastal and delta regions of the world with services including the construction and maintenance of ports and waterways, land reclamation, coastal defense and riverbank protection. In addition, Boskalis offers a wide variety of marine services and contracting for the oil and gas sector and offshore wind industry as well as salvage solutions (SMIT Salvage). Furthermore, Boskalis has a number of strategic partnerships in harbor towage and terminal services (Kotug Smit Towage, Keppel Smit Towage, Saam Smit Towage and Smit Lamnalco). With a versatile fleet of more than 900 vessels and floating equipment and 11,700 employees, including associated companies, Boskalis operates in 90 countries across six continents. This press release can also be found on our website www.boskalis.com. Atlanta, GA, Dec. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ScottMadden, Inc., one of North Americas leading energy consulting firms, recently released its Fall Energy Industry Update. Themed Generation to Generation: An Energy Evolution, this report will give you bottom-line insights, distill recent events, and help you as you prepare to anticipate and respond to emerging trends, including pumped hydroelectric storage (PHS). There is growing interest in utility-scale energy storage as the amount of variable energy resources on the grid increases. While much of the focus in energy storage is on lithium-ion batteries for short- to medium-duration energy storage, PHS accounts for more than 90% of installed energy storage capacity in the United States. And a number of new projectsand new PHS conceptshave been proposed. Indeed, some of the proposed PHS projects in the United States would have a capacity comparable to all currently installed U.S. utility-scale battery storage. Dive into the latest Update to learn more about this overlooked, but dominant (in terms of current installed base), technology for the utility-scale market. While not every region has the water resource for pumped storage, and it can be expensive to install, it does represent a mature and scalable technology at which the industry is taking a fresh look, explained Greg Litra, partner and energy, clean tech, and sustainability research leader at ScottMadden. While batteries look to be the future of short- to medium-duration energy storage, we expect a diversity of storage technologies, including pumped storage, to gain attraction as technologies evolve and long-duration and capacity needs dictate, added Kevin Hernandez, director and energy storage expert at ScottMadden. If you were unable to join our Energy Industry Update webcast, the final recording is now available. Hear what our industry experts have to say about changes to, and potential solutions for, FERC-regulated wholesale markets, the future of utility solar, and grid investment in this new session. About ScottMaddens Energy Practice We know energy from the ground up. Since 1983, we have been energy consultants. We have served more than 400 clients, including 20 of the top 20 energy utilities. We have performed more than 3,000 projects across every energy utility business unit and every function. We have helped our clients develop strategies, improve operations, reorganize companies, and implement initiatives. Our broad and deep energy utility expertise is not theoreticalit is experience based. About ScottMadden, Inc. ScottMadden is the management consulting firm that does what it takes to get it done right. Our practice areas include Energy, Clean Tech & Sustainability, Corporate & Shared Services, Grid Transformation, and Rates, Regulation, & Planning. We deliver a broad array of consulting services ranging from strategic planning through implementation across many industries, business units, and functions. To learn more, visit www.scottmadden.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn Attachments: A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1afa5a75-50e9-4602-8c0d-7747c9b1eab5 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 07, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- East Africa Metals Inc. (TSX-V:EAM) (East Africa or the Company) is pleased to announce the Company has received government approval of East Africas Mining Licence Agreement for the Terakimti Oxide Gold Project (the Terakimti Project) at the Companys 70% owned Harvest Project located in the Tigray National Regional State of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (Ethiopia). The Mining Licence Agreement has been formally approved by the Ministry of Mines, Petroleum, and Natural Gas (the Ministry of Mines), the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. The Company will now focus on finalizing its previously announced Project Financing (refer to the Companys news release dated November 10, 2017) and proceed with engineering and development of the Terakimti Project. Andrew Lee Smith, East Africas C.E.O. stated, This is an extremely important achievement for East Africa, and we appreciate the efforts of the Government and Ministry of Mines in the development of the Mining Licence Agreement for Terakimti. We plan to move forward as soon as possible with engineering and development of the project. The Terakimti Project will provide East Africa the opportunity to benefit from establishing the first commercial heap leach operation in the country, and provide the basis for additional exploration and development to grow the Companys mineral resources in Ethiopia. Terakimti Oxide Gold Project Profile: Mineral Resource: Indicated Resource of 1,110,000 tonnes grading 3.20 grams gold and 23.6 grams silver per tonne containing 114,000 ounces of gold and 841,000 ounces of silver; Indicated Resource of 1,110,000 tonnes grading 3.20 grams gold and 23.6 grams silver per tonne containing 114,000 ounces of gold and 841,000 ounces of silver; Heap Leach Recoveries from Column Testwork 1 : up to 74.8 % gold and 39.4% silver; up to 74.8 % gold and 39.4% silver; Proposed Mining Method: Conventional open pit; Conventional open pit; Proposed Processing Technology: Heap leaching to produce goldsilver dore. (1) see East Africa Metals News Release dated January 23, 2017 for summary of metallurgical test work results. Proposed Mining Operation: The Terakimti Project is proposed as an open pit mining operation followed by heap leaching and on site processing to produce gold-silver dore. The combination of near surface oxide gold and silver mineralization, hosted in soft rock when compared to other deposits, high and rapid extraction of gold at coarse crush sizes in metallurgical testwork, along with satisfactory percolation rates all support this strategy for the development of the Terakimti Project. Project Infrastructure: The Terakimti Project is located approximately 600 kilometres north of the Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The region has daily, commercial air service from Addis Ababa. The existing transportation and power infrastructure is located close to the project site and enhances the development potential of the proposed operation. The proposed mining operation would utilize grid power for the project, for which the nearest high tension power line is approximately 7 kilometres away. Primary road access to the site is by paved highway from the town of Shire, 40 kilometres south of the project. Shire has a population of approximately 60,000 people and sufficient services to serve as a base for off-site project activities. Environmental Impact and Socio-Economic Assessment: An independent Environmental Impact and Socio-Economic Assessment (EISA) study has been completed by Beles Engineering Pvt. Ltd. Co. of Ethiopia, and forms an integral part of the Mining Licence Agreement. This EISA examined the beneficial and adverse aspects of the proposed mining operation and concluded that the local population is in favor of the project, and the anticipated benefits would be positive and very important to the local community and to the local and regional governments. The EISA further concluded that the adverse impacts identified can be mitigated through implementation of the proposed management and monitoring plans, and therefore recommended project implementation. Mineral Resources: Terakimti Updated Oxide Mineral Resources2 Mineralization Class Mineralization Type NSR Cut-Off ($/t) Tonnes ('000s) Grade Contained Metals Au g/t Ag g/t Cu % Au ('000 oz) Ag ('000 oz) Cu ('000 lb) Indicated Oxide 15.74 1,110 3.20 23.6 0.08 114 841 - Inferred Oxide 15.74 15 1.94 13.5 0.04 1 7 - 2Terakimti Oxide Resource update disclosed October 27, 2015; effective date October 18, 2015. Full mineral resource estimate disclosure can be found in the companys press release dated October 27, 2015, available at www.eastafricametals.com or at www.sedar.com. Subsequent to the release of the Oxide Resource update, a review by the resource QP identified an error in the tabulation of mineral resources. The error was not material and the corrected resource information was disclosed via East Africa Metals press release on January 11, 2016. Metal prices for gold and silver are $1,300/oz and $17.50/oz, respectively. Terakimti Sulphide Mineral Resources Additional gold copper resources underlie the Terakimti oxide resource and the Company plans to continue its assessment of these resources for future development. Terakimti Mineral Resources3 Mineralization Class Mineralization Type NSR Cut-Off ($/t) Tonnes ('000s) Grade Contained Metals Au g/t Ag g/t Cu % Zn % CuEq % Au ('000 oz) Ag ('000 oz) Cu ('000 lb) Zn ('000 lb) CuEq (000 lb) Indicated Sulphide 23.9 1,841 1.1 17.5 2.20 1.65 3.98 63 1,033 89,477 66,871 146,645 Inferred Sulphide 23.9 2,583 1.0 20.6 1.09 1.42 2.60 80 1,712 62,187 77,101 134,337 Primary 63.9 939 0.8 15.2 0.69 2.92 2.66 25 459 14,198 60,358 49,862 Sub-Total Inferred 3,522 0.9 19.2 0.98 1.82 2.61 105 2,171 76,385 137,459 184,199 3Terakimti Initial Resource Estimate as disclosed in the 43-101 Technical Report dated February 14, 2014; effective date January 17, 2014. Full mineral resource estimate disclosure can be found on the companys website or at www.sedar.com. Metal prices for gold, silver, copper, and zinc are $1,400/oz, $25.00/oz, $3.50/lb, and $0.90/lb, respectively. More information on the Company can be viewed at the Companys website: www.eastafricametals.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors: Andrew Lee Smith, P.Geo., CEO For further information contact: Nick Watters, Business Development Telephone +1 (604) 488-0822 Email investors@eastafricametals.com Website www.eastafricametals.com Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "forecast", "project", "budget", "schedule", "may", "will", "could", "might", "should", indicate or variations of such words or similar words or expressions. Forward-looking information is based on reasonable assumptions that have been made by East Africa as at the date of such information and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of East Africa to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: timing of receipt of mining permit; timing of mining development; projected heap leach recoveries ; early exploration; the closing of the agreement with the exploration and development company to advance the Magambazi Project or identify any other corporate opportunities for the Company; mineral exploration and development; metal and mineral prices; availability of capital; accuracy of East Africa's projections and estimates, including the initial mineral resource for the Adyabo, Harvest and Magambazi Projects; interest and exchange rates; competition; stock price fluctuations; availability of drilling equipment and access; actual results of current exploration activities; government regulation; political or economic developments; foreign taxation risks; environmental risks; insurance risks; capital expenditures; operating or technical difficulties in connection with development activities; personnel relations; the speculative nature of strategic metal exploration and development including the risks of diminishing quantities of grades of reserves; contests over title to properties; and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, as well as those risk factors set out in in East Africas managements discussion and analysis for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2017 and for the year ended December 31, 2016, and East Africas listing application dated July 8, 2013 Mineral Resources which are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The contained gold, copper and silver figures shown are in situ. No assurance can be given that the estimated quantities will be produced. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the timely closing of the financing; the timely closing of the Handeni Property definitive agreement; the price of gold, silver, copper and zinc; the demand for gold, silver, copper and zinc; the ability to carry on exploration and development activities; the timely receipt of any required approvals; the ability to obtain qualified personnel, equipment and services in a timely and cost-efficient manner; the ability to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner; the renewal or extension of exploration Licences; the regulatory framework regarding environmental matters, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although East Africa has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. The Company does not update or revise forward looking information even if new information becomes available unless legislation requires the Company do so. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. HAMILTON, Bermuda, Dec. 08, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bermuda delegation meetings with several international law firms in Miami this week will help forge the islands playlist to develop new Latin American business from the region, according to the Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA). Photos accompanying this announcement are available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9017b44-7028-4fef-8f98-21ba42653f78 http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9bef4928-7edb-459e-8f96-61f4852e19aa http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/64f223ed-ea61-4bd7-8d04-77bca7d73c52 The meetings were part of a three-day visit to Miami led by the BDA that included a full slate of discussions with civic and business leaders to explore mutual synergies and business interests between Bermuda and the region. The itinerary saw Premier the Hon David Burt and delegation members sit down with the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, as well as Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber. Those talks were followed by further meetings over the next two days between the BDA and representatives for the superyacht and high-net-worth services industries, including the Miami offices of law firms Greenberg Traurig LLP, Holland & Knight, and Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel. Were seeing a lot more work coming from Latin America, and Miami is clearly a conduit for Latin and South America in the way capital is deployed and how international transactions are structured, said BDA CEO Ross Webber. Law firms are gatekeepers on jurisdictional decision-making, so getting on the radar of influential firms is important, and their input helps us shape a more effective business-development playlist. Among participants with Webber were BDA Board member Lydia Dickens, Senior Manager of the Business Development Unit (BDU) of the Ministry of Economic Development, Michelle Wolfe, Managing Director of Bermuda-based Meritus Trust Company, and Lynesha Lightbourne, BDA Business Development Coordinator. Meetings featured firm partners with specialties in a broad range of relevant industry practicesfrom insurance to private equity and family officesat firms with international reach, that expressed interest in working with Bermuda. Greenberg Traurig had the absolute privilege of hosting the economic development delegation from Bermuda, said Jaret Davis, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurigs Miami office. Bermuda is doing some amazing things, which have strong synergistic possibilities with developments in Miami-Dade County. We look forward to following up on topics of mutual benefit, and to meeting again next time the Bermuda representatives are back in Miami. The BDA was able to detail the depth and breadth of industry sectors on the island, Bermudas top regulatory reputation and cooperative environment, as well as recent legislative products and sectors, such as the 2016 launch of Limited Liability Company (LLC) structures, and developing initiatives in the areas of fintech and cryptocurrency. If promoting our brand and products is our goal, then this is a great road to get that job done, noted Dickens, who drives policy development and legislative reform at the BDU. Clients depend on law firms advice on products and services. Firms can also inform us about what their clients are looking for, which helps make Bermuda more competitive. We need to respond to market demands and conditions through innovation, and its an ever-changing landscape. Miami, whose tax base increased an estimated 37 percent over the past three years, according to Mayor Suarez, is the acknowledged US hub for introductions to high-net-worth Latin American families and individuals from the Caribbean and Central and South America. Bermuda is well placed to capitalise on our trust legislation and infrastructure that can assist these families and their future generations, said Wolfe, whose company serves significant LatAm clientele. It is critical we continue to foster relationships with introducers and advisors who are courted by our Caribbean counterparts on a regular basis. We were made to feel extremely welcome and encouraged with the potential for future business opportunities. Such opportunities could run the gamut from business across many different sectors, to tourism and other cultural hospitality initiatives, participants agreed. Miami and Bermuda share similar storiesstories in our histories and in our ties to who we are as a people, said Marlon Hill, a partner at Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel, who also invited representatives of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, and technology conference organisers Emerge Americas to his firms meeting. The synergies of these business ties are key for us, he added. I believe there are extraordinary opportunities for us to look at ways in which people might have a menu of options to manage the income they have, whether through tax planning, or issues related to philanthropy or familiesand we also have strong ties to linking our maritime and hospitality industries, whereby people are not only traveling for pleasure, but for business as well. Bermuda enjoyed a similarly warm welcome earlier in the week, when Mayor Suarez promised to explore naming Bermuda as a sister community of the City of Miami, while Mayor Gelber presented Premier Burt with a ceremonial key to Miami Beach. Said Webber: The civic meetings provided an excellent way for the Premier to deliver his message as the new leader of the country to government peers. As Miamis economy takes off, it helps Bermuda to forge these connections and leverage relationships to fuel job growth in both jurisdictions. MEDIA CONTACT: Rosemary Jones Communications Manager rosemary@bda.bm 441 278-6558 441 337-4696 CONNECTING BUSINESS The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up, re-locate or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing business here smooth and beneficial. JonAdmissionado wrote: Hi there! Great to hear from you! And thanks for stopping by. So overall I think you have a nice profile. A good solid GMAT. Good work experience. And it's also great that you have studied already abroad in the UK. But you do have weaknesses as you know, your GPA and also your GMAT are probably a bit low for the schools you propose, and I would suggest you look into other schools as well. In terms of when to apply - forget R3. It's very very very challenging and even moreso for Chinese applicants. And if you are waiting anyhow, then it will make sense for you to give the GMAT another go. Even 20/30 points more can make a real difference. Good luck!!! Thank you very much for your advice!As you mentioned Haas and INSEAD were a kind of "stretch schools for me, would you please suggest any "realistic " or "safe schools in US, if I decide to apply in R2 this year?Thanks again! New York, Dec 9(Just Earth News): Wednesdays decision by United States President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been widely welcomed in Israel but it has also caused much anger among Palestinians and anxiety across the Middle East and beyond, the United Nations envoy on the regions peace process told ta special Security Council meeting on Friday. I am particularly concerned about the potential risk of a violent escalation, said Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov, briefing the 15-member Council via video-link. He told the Council that for both Israelis and Palestinians, Jerusalem is and will always remain an integral part of their national identity. Moreover, for billions of people, it serves as a symbol and a cornerstone of their Christian, Jewish or Muslim faith. That is why it remains one of the most sensitive places in the world. [Yet] there is a serious risk [] that this will spark a chain of unilateral actions, which can only undermine the achievement of our shared goal, Mladenov warned. Since the US announcement, widespread demonstrations and violent clashes have occurred between Palestinian protestors and Israel Security Forces throughout the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza. According to the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UNs relief wing, at least one Palestinian was killed and more than 140 injured. Protests have also been reported in other Arab cities and villages within Israel, as well in cities around the region and beyond, from Lebanon and Jordan to Malaysia and Bangladesh. Noting the symbolic, religious and emotional charge that Jerusalem holds for people across the world, Mladenov called on all political, religious and community leaders to refrain from provocative action and rhetoric that could lead to escalation; and I call on all to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue. On 7 December, six rockets were reportedly fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. All but one landed short, without causing damage or injury. Israel Defense Forces responded by shelling a Hamas military installation in the Strip and bombing another from the air, causing damage but no injuries. It is now more important than ever that we preserve the prospects for peace. It will be ordinary Israelis and Palestinians their families, their children who will ultimately have to live with the human costs and the suffering caused by further violence, stated the UN Special Coordinator, noting that will be critical in the coming days that leaders demonstrate their wisdom and make all efforts to reduce the rhetoric, prevent incitement and rein in radical elements. Also in his briefing, Mladenov stressed that the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN are committed to supporting Israeli and Palestinian leaders to return to meaningful negotiations to achieve a lasting and just peace for both peoples. This is the only way to achieve the legitimate national aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians, he noted, recalling the statement made by the Secretary-General on Wednesday following the announcement concerning Jerusalem by President Trump. In this moment of great anxiety, I want to make it clear: there is no alternative to the two-state solution. There is no Plan B, said Guterres, speaking to the press at UN Headquarters in New York. Photo/Manuel Elias Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Dec 9(Just Earth News): United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for $1 billion in donor contributions to the Organizations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) a pool of funding that supports critical relief operations in crises around the world as humanitarian needs have increased from $5.2 billion in 2005 to over $24 billion on Friday. Over the past twelve years, CERF has been at the forefront of humanitarian response, UN Secretary-General said at a pledging conference in New York, thanking the 126 Member States and Observers, and the other donors who have generously contributed to the fund since its creation in 2005. CERF is without question one of our most important tools to reach people quickly and save lives, he added. This year, CERF, managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has funded life-saving work, allocating nearly $130 million to help prevent famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. The fund also supported relief responses in other places, including for Palestine refugees in Gaza, for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and those affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean. Guterres then announced a CERF allocation of $100 million to meet critical needs in nine underfunded emergencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mali, Philippines, Eritrea, Haiti and Pakistan. Protracted conflict and the impact of natural disasters, compounded by structural fragility and chronic vulnerability, mean that more people than ever before survive on the brink of disaster. In 2019, protracted crises are likely to continue, while the impact of climate change is likely to grow and intensify. There is no sign of a let-up in humanitarian needs, the UN chief said, noting that this is why the General Assembly adopted a resolution a year ago that calls for an expansion of CERFs annual funding target from $450 million to $1 billion. Noting that the global humanitarian funding gap stands at $11 billion as of 30 November and humanitarian response plans are funded at an average of just 60 per cent, the Secretary-General stressed that a $1 billion CERF will help to bolster contingency financing. $1 billion is an ambitious but achievable goal, he said. A strong United Nations needs a strong CERF. Photo: UNDAC Source: www.justearthnews.com In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask you enter in the text you see in the image below so we can confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Cities all across the United States are dressing up for the Christmas season with trees, lights and holiday magic. Today, we look at a few of them. New York City In New York City, one of the best-known holiday attractions is Rockefeller Centers Christmas tree in Manhattan. The tree is lit during a public ceremony in late November. The city has displayed a large Christmas tree here since 1933. This years tree is 23 meters tall and covered with 50,000 lights. A Swarovski crystal sits on top. Ornate window displays are another New York Christmas tradition. Large department stores along the famous shopping area of Fifth Avenue create imaginative displays during the holiday season. Stores choose different themes every year. This year, for example, Saks Fifth Avenues windows celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Another famed department store, Bergdorf Goodman, celebrates New York's diverse museums and cultural sites, such as the Philharmonic and the New York Historical Society. The Fifth Avenue windows are so popular that police use long ropes to set up controlled lines for the window viewing. Baltimore, Maryland Miracle on 34th Street is a well-known and beloved American Christmas movie. And there is actually a real Miracle on 34th Street in Baltimore, Maryland. Every year, Baltimore residents along a block of 34th street put up an almost blindingly bright display of Christmas lights and decorations. Thousands of people visit the block to see the bright and colorful display of Christmas cheer, now in its 71st year. The event opened with an official lighting ceremony on November 25 and will continue through the holidays. New Orleans, Louisiana Every December, City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, becomes a winter wonderland. It features more than 10 hectares of light displays, it's famous old oak trees wrapped in thousands of twinkling lights. More than 165,000 people visit the so-called Celebration in the Oaks each year. New Orleans also celebrates its French Creole connection each holiday season with Reveillon dinners. Reveillon comes from the French word for awakening. The 19th-century French Creole tradition began as a large meal eaten after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. The reveillon tradition is still alive in New Orleans French Quarter. Restaurants there offer special Reveillon meals that include oysters and other seafood, meat, soup, dessert and more. North Pole, Alaska The icy North Pole is said to be the home of Santa Claus. So it is no surprise that the small Alaskan town with the same name is home to the worlds largest Santa statue. It stands in front of Santa Claus House, the center of the towns Christmas activities. While the town displays Christmas decorations all year round, it really comes alive in December. The North Pole Christmas in Ice contest brings ice artists from around the world to the town of 2,000 people. Visitors can slide down frozen slides and work their way through complex ice mazes. Indianapolis, Indiana The central U.S. city of Indianapolis, Indiana is famous for its yearly Indy 500 automobile race. During the winter holiday season, the world-famous race track fills up with more than two million Christmas lights, 500 light displays and 40 holiday scenes. Visitors are permitted to drive their own cars on the speedway. Los Angeles, California A traditional Mexican festival takes place in Los Angeles, California. The nine-day Las Posadas celebration is one of the citys oldest Christmas events. Las Posadas can be found on Olvera Street, considered the first street of the city. The celebration commemorates the story of Mary and Joseph traveling from Nazareth to Bethlehem to prepare for Jesus birth. Celebrations are held nightly from December 16 through December 24. The events include a candlelight parade. Children clothed to look like shepherds, angels, and Mary and Joseph lead the march, followed by worshipers. The public can also join the parade or just watch from the side. The group sings songs in English and Spanish as they walk. Posada means inn or shelter in Spanish. During the parade, the marchers stop at stores along Olvera Street that pretend to be inns. They ask the business owners for shelter. The stores usually deny the request, often in song. Finally, one will say yes, and the marchers are admitted. Free hot drinks and sweet bread are served. Grand Canyon Railway, Arizona Many scenic railways around the country offer train rides that center on Santa Claus and Christmas. In Arizona, the Grand Canyon Railway brings to life the classic childrens book Polar Express, written by Chris Van Allsburg. The train sets off from Williams, Arizona and travels for 90 minutes until it arrives at Santas Village, where Santa and his elves welcome the passengers. Santa and his helpers ride the train back to Williams with the children. Each child receives one a small bell as a gift. Does your city, town or village do something special for the holiday season? I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Ashley Thompson. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story magic - n. a very pleasant, attractive, or exciting quality attraction- n. something interesting or enjoyable that people want to visit, see, or do ornate - adj. covered with decorations : covered with fancy patterns and shapes theme- n.the main subject that is being discussed or described in a piece of writing, a movie, etc. twinkling- adj. shining brightly and then faintly. soup- n. a food made by cooking vegetables, meat, or fish in a large amount of liquid dessert- n. sweet food eaten after the main part of a meal slide- v. to move smoothly along a surface maze - n. a complicated and confusing system of connected passages commemorate- v. to exist or be done in order to remind people of (an important event or person from the past) classic- adj. to exist or be done in order to remind people of (an important event or person from the past) A new study suggests that dark markings on the planet Mars represent sand not water. Research in 2015 had suggested that lines on some Martian hills were evidence of water. Yet American scientists now say these lines appear more like dry, steep flows of sand. If water is present, they said, it is likely to be a small amount. Water in liquid form would be necessary for microbial life. NASA, the American space agency, said more research is needed. Michael Meyer is the lead scientist for NASA's Mars exploration program. He noted that the latest study does not reject the presence of water. But he admitted, "It just may not be as exciting as the idea of rivers going down the sides of cliffs." NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter provided the images of dark lines. Thousands have been reported on the Red Planet. The new findings come from a team led by Colin Dundas of the United States Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona. His team measured 151 of these lines in 10 areas. Most of the lines end with slopes between 28 degrees and 35 degrees. These measurements are similar to active sand dunes on both Mars and Earth, the researchers noted. They said a small covering of dust that moves and sometimes becomes lighter might help explain the markings. They usually appear in the Martian summertime, then disappear until the next year. If these lines are dry, "this suggests that recent Mars has not had considerable [large] volumes of liquid water," the researchers wrote. Dundas and his research team say that many questions remain. To Meyer, the large number of questions is what makes Mars so fun. Scientists have long gone changed their thinking about the planet depending on the findings of the most recent studies. I still think that Mars poses a great potential for having had life early on in its history, Meyer said. As long as thats true, we also have a reasonable possibility of life still being on Mars. It just happens to be cryptic or well hidden. NASA currently has no robotic vehicle either on Mars or in development with the ability to climb steep slopes. The lack of such equipment has engineers coming up with ideas like Martian helicopters or drones. But going from a clever idea that works in your sandbox to something that goes to Mars takes a fair amount of engineering development, Meyer said. I'm John Russell. Marcia Dunn reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted his report for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story steep adj. dropping or falling sharply; extremely high microbial adj. of or relating to microbes or bacteria cliff n. a high, steep surface of rock, earth, or ice degree n. a form of measurement for the size of angles, the shape formed by two lines extending from the same point slope n. ground that slowly drops downward or upward; ground that slopes volume n. an amount of something cryptic adj. difficult to understand; having or seeming to have a hidden meaning Yvonne Kevia is an 18-year-old high school student in Rwanda. She wants to become a chemical engineer. She enjoys doing experiments and taking careful notes in her high school laboratory in Kigali, Rwandas capital city. Kevias interest in science is important to her. But it is also part of a larger goal for the Rwandan government: to prepare more girls for science and technology related careers. The hope is to also create a model for other African governments to follow. Yes we can as girls Many girls in Kevias class are also interested in careers in science and technology. Keza Marie Aimee is one of them. She plans to become a pilot. Her backup plan is to be a pharmacist, she says. "The first thing which came into my mind before choosing this school is that I wanted to live with girls who know what they want. The reason I want to become the pilot is that we're having few girls who are pilots and I want to show people that yes, we can as girls." Aimee and Kevia both attend the FAWE Girls' School. It is one of many STEM-centered schools in Rwanda that have opened in the past ten years. STEM is an education program that specializes in learning science, technology, engineering, and math. FAWE is considered one of the countrys best STEM schools. The boarding school admits girls from poor families. On national exams, the FAWEs students often score in the top percentile. Pascale Dukuzi is a chemistry teacher at FAWE Girls school. He says it is important to encourage girls to study STEM fields. Believing that they have that potential of doing sciences as well as boys, I think it's very good for them because with sciences, one can do many things." Developing Rwanda with STEM The Rwandan Ministry of Education reports that the number of girls studying STEM in school is on the rise. The number of girls in secondary schools taking science classes grew from 48.7 percent in 2011 to over 55 percent in 2015. This is all part of the Rwandan governments plan to transform the economy by 2020. It hopes to do this in part by increasing the number of people with careers in STEM fields. The World Bank says Rwanda is one of a small number of African countries leading the way in expanding STEM education. A 2017 report that measured the ability of African governments to develop science and technology fields placed Rwanda third, behind Morocco and Tanzania. The report said Rwandas efforts to expand STEM education include establishing a science ministry, creating research programs, partnering with private groups and awarding scholarships. The Ministry of Educations budget increased nearly 10 percent from last year. Fourteen percent of its $280-million budget is for STEM projects. This includes developing "smart classrooms" with computers and internet connectivity and building a center for theoretical physics. The Rwandan government wants to double the current budget for STEM education at the university level. Learning despite barriers Jeannette Gahunga graduated from university three years ago with a degree in computer programming. Now she is a volunteer teacher at a public primary school in Kigali. She teaches her students how to create interactive animations using a free programming software called Skratch. Half of the students in her class are girls. Gahunga says she tries to support them, because mentorship is important to keeping girls on the STEM track. "They're able to make innovation, and they are not shy as before, now they are really learning very hard. The girls in my class, they are being the same as boys. They are hardworking as others and they are following very well." But girls still face cultural barriers, says Josephine Kobusingye, an education activist. She takes part in a support group where female science students get together to talk about their professional goals. "Culturally, African girls and women were the people to stay in the backdoors and never on the front line, she said. Kobusingye added that another difficulty Rwandan women and girls deal with is the after-effects of genocide. Some of these girls are orphans. Some of them are living with step-parents who do not support their education Some of the girls have HIV-infected parents. These girls are dealing with so much, Kobusingye said. However, she believes that with STEM, there is hope for them. Im Phil Dierking. Chika Oduah reported this story for VOANews.com. Phil Dierking adapted her report for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Are STEM subjects important in schools in your home? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story boarding school - n. school where students can live during the school term double - adj. made of two parts that are similar or exactly the same encourage - v. to make (someone) more determined, hopeful, or confident innovation - n. a new idea, device, or method interactive - adj. designed to respond to the actions, commands, etc., of a user mentor - n. someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person programming - n. the act or job of creating computer programs orphan - n. a child whose parents are dead scholarship - n. an amount of money that is given by a school, an organization, etc., to a student to help pay for the student's education track - n. the course along which someone or something moves or proceeds transform - v. to change (something) completely and usually in a good way This week, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO announced new members to its list of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity." The 12 new members included Neapolitan pizza-making, among others. "Congratulations #Italy!" UNESCO said in a tweet after a meeting in Jeju, South Korea. Italy argued the practice of the "pizzaiuolo" was part of the country's cultural tradition. "Pizzaiuolo" relates to preparing and baking pizza in a wood-fired oven. In Rome, pizzeria owner Roman Fiore celebrated the decision. "I am honored, like all Italians and Neapolitans are pizza has centuries of history," he said. Neapolitan pizza has a thin crust. The edge of the crust, when baked, grows larger. It looks like a bicycle tire. Perhaps the most famous kind of Neapolitan pizza is called the Margherita. It has tomato, mozzarella, oil, and basil. These ingredients give the pizza red, white, and green colors the colors of the Italian flag. According to tradition, a local chef created the Margherita in 1889 to honor Queen Margherita. She was visiting Naples, south of Rome on Italy's coast. Some Italians do not like how foreigners have made changes to the traditional pizza. Before UNESCO's announcement, Matteo Martino, a customer at Fiore's pizzeria, said "I think, and I hope, that this could be the chance to make foreigners understand how pizza is made, without Nutella or pineapple." In its list of cultural heritage, UNESCO also accepted Chogan, an Iranian horse riding game, and Nsima, a cooking tradition from Malawi. The existing UNESCO list already includes Turkish coffee culture and tradition, Croatian gingerbread-crafting, and Georgian wine-making. I'm John Russell. John Russell adapted this story for Learning English based on Reuters news report. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story intangible adj. not made of physical substance : not able to be touched : not tangible wood-fired oven n. a piece of cooking equipment that is used for baking or roasting food. It uses wood to fuel the fire. crust n. the bread that is used to make a pizza Nutella n. a brand of sweet cocoa spread pineapple n. a large fruit that grows on a tropical tree and that has thick skin and very sweet, juicy, yellow flesh gingerbread n. a cake or cookie made with molasses and ginger often used before another noun Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. Ltd, Abbott Vascular Limitada, Abbott Vascular Netherlands B.V., Abbott Vascular Solutions Inc., Abbott Ventures Inc., Abbott West Indies Limited, Abbott drustvo sa ogranicenom odgovornoscu za trgovinu i usluge, Advanced Neuromodulation Systems Inc., Alere, Alere (Shanghai) Diagnostics Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Healthcare Management Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Medical Sales Co. Ltd., Alere (Shanghai) Technology Co. Ltd., Alere A/S, Alere AB, Alere AS, Alere AS Holdings Limited, Alere BBI Holdings Limited, Alere Bangladesh Limited, Alere China Co. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., St. Jude Medical Puerto Rico LLC, St. Jude Medical S.C. Inc., St. Jude Medical Systems AB, St. Jude Medical Turkey Medikal Urunler Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Standard Diagnostics Inc., Standing Stone LLC, Swan-Myers Incorporated, TC1 LLC, Tendyne Holdings Inc., Tendyne Medical Inc., Thoratec Delaware LLC, Thoratec Europe Limited, Thoratec LLC, Thoratec Switzerland GmbH, Tobal Products Incorporated, Topera GmbH in Liquidation, Topera Inc., Tremora S.A., Tuenir S.A., TwistDx, UAB Abbott Laboratories, UAB Abbott Medical Lithuania, Union-Madison Realty Company Inc., Unipath Limited (dba Alere International/aka Cranfield), Unipath Management Limited, Unipath Pension Trustee Limited, Veropharm, Veropharm Limited Liability Partnership, Vida Cell Inversiones S.A., Vida Cell S.A., Vivalsol, W&R Pharma Handels GmbH, Western Pharmaceuticals S.A., X Technologies Inc., Yissum Holding Limited, ZonePerfect Nutrition Company, eScreen Canada ULC, eScreen Inc., ( ), and Abbott Laboratories Baltics. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Arrow Electronics: A.E. Petsche Belgium BVBA, A.E. Petsche Canada Inc., A.E. Petsche Company, A.E. Petsche Company Inc., A.E. Petsche Company S De RL, A.E. Petsche SAS, A.E. Petsche UK Limited, ACI Technology, AKS Group Nordic AB, ARROWECS Portugal Sociedade Unipessoal, ARROWECS Sociedade Unipessoal LDA, ARW Electronics Ltd., ARW Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., ARW Portugal Unipessoal LDA, ASI Dedicated Services LLC, ASI Electrical Services LLC, ASI Managed Services LLC, ATM Electronic, ATM Electronic Corp., ATM Electronic Corporation (HK) Limited, ATM Electronics Hong Kong Limited, ATM Electronics Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Addex Distribution AS, Adilam Pty. Ltd, Aiqi Xinxing (Beijing) Information Technology Co. Ltd., Altimate Belgium BVBA, Altimate Group, Altimate ND Belgium BVBA, Altimate Netherlands B.V., Annuity Systems Pty Ltd, Arrow (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Altech Distribution (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Altech Holdings (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Argentina S.A., Arrow Asia Distribution Limited, Arrow Asia Pac Ltd., Arrow Brasil S.A., Arrow Capital Solution BVBA, Arrow Capital Solutions Inc., Arrow Capital Solutions Nederlands BV, Arrow Capital Solutions SAS, Arrow Capital Solutions UK Ltd, Arrow Central Europe GmbH, Arrow Central Europe Holding Munich GmbH, Arrow Chip One Stop Holdings GK, Arrow Componentes ACCR S.R.L., Arrow Components (M) Sdn Bhd, Arrow Components (NZ), Arrow Components Mexico S.A. de C.V., Arrow Components Sweden AB, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow ECS (Ireland) Limited, Arrow ECS (NI) Limited, Arrow ECS AG, Arrow ECS ANZ Limited, Arrow ECS ANZ Pty Ltd, Arrow ECS Asia PTE. Ltd, Arrow ECS Australia, Arrow ECS B.V., Arrow ECS Baltic OU, Arrow ECS Brasil Distribuidora Ltda., Arrow ECS Canada Ltd., Arrow ECS Central GmbH, Arrow ECS Denmark A/S, Arrow ECS FZCO, Arrow ECS Finland OY, Arrow ECS GmbH, Arrow ECS Internet Security AG, Arrow ECS Internet Security S.L., Arrow ECS Kft., Arrow ECS Ltd., Arrow ECS New Zealand Limited, Arrow ECS Nordic A/S, Arrow ECS Norway AS, Arrow ECS Pty Ltd., Arrow ECS SA/NV, Arrow ECS SAS, Arrow ECS SPA, Arrow ECS Sarl, Arrow ECS Services Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Singapore Pte. Limited, Arrow ECS Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Support Center Ltd., Arrow ECS Support Center Morocco S.A.R.L.A.U, Arrow ECS Sweden AB, Arrow ECS a.s., Arrow ECS d.o.o., Arrow Eastern Europe GmbH, Arrow Electronice S.R.L., Arrow Electronics (CI) Ltd., Arrow Electronics (China) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Jersey) Limited, Arrow Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Sweden) KB, Arrow Electronics (Thailand) Limited, Arrow Electronics (U.K.) Inc., Arrow Electronics (UK) Ltd., Arrow Electronics ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia (S) Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia Limited, Arrow Electronics Australia Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics B.V., Arrow Electronics Canada Ltd., Arrow Electronics China Ltd., Arrow Electronics Components (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics Czech Republic s.r.o., Arrow Electronics D.O.O., Arrow Electronics Danish Holdings ApS, Arrow Electronics EMEA Group GmbH, Arrow Electronics EMEASA S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Estonia OU, Arrow Electronics FC B.V., Arrow Electronics Funding Corporation, Arrow Electronics GmbH & Co. KG, Arrow Electronics Hellas S.A., Arrow Electronics Holdings Vagyonkezelo Kft, Arrow Electronics Hungary Kereskedelmi Bt, Arrow Electronics India Ltd., Arrow Electronics India Private Limited, Arrow Electronics International Holdings LLC, Arrow Electronics International Inc., Arrow Electronics Italia S.r.l, Arrow Electronics Japan GK, Arrow Electronics Korea Limited, Arrow Electronics Labuan Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ltd., Arrow Electronics Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Arrow Electronics Norwegian Holdings AS, Arrow Electronics Poland Sp.z.o.o., Arrow Electronics Russ OOO, Arrow Electronics Services S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Slovakia s.r.o., Arrow Electronics South Africa LLP, Arrow Electronics Taiwan Ltd., Arrow Electronics UK Holding Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ukraine LLC, Arrow Elektronik Ticaret A.S., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Inc., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions India Private Limited, Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Ltd., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., Arrow Finland OY, Arrow France S.A., Arrow Global Asset Disposition Inc., Arrow Global Supply Chain Services Inc., Arrow Holdings (Delaware) LLC, Arrow Iberia Electronica Lda., Arrow Iberia Electronica S.L.U., Arrow International Holdings L.P., Arrow International Holdings Limited, Arrow Nordic Components AB, Arrow Norway A/S, Arrow S-Tech Norway AS, Arrow SEED (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow Systems Integration Inc., Arrow UEC Japan KK, Arrow United Holdings LLC, Arrow United International Holdings LP, Arrow Value Recovery ApS (fka Greentech Denmark ApS), Arrow Value Recovery Belgium BVBA, Arrow Value Recovery Czech Republic sro, Arrow Value Recovery Denmark ApS, Arrow Value Recovery EMEA BV, Arrow Value Recovery Finland Oy (fka Greentech Finland OY), Arrow Value Recovery France SAS, Arrow Value Recovery Germany GmbH, Arrow Value Recovery Netherlands BV, Arrow Value Recovery Norway AS (fka Greentech AS), Arrow Value Recovery Sweden AB (fka Greentech Sweden AB), Arrow Value Recovery UK LTD, Arrow eCommerce B.V., Arrow/Artlink Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow/Components (Agent) Ltd., Arrow/Rapac Ltd., Artlink Technology Co. Ltd., Aspen Labs LLC, Aspencore China Investment LLC, Aspencore LLC, Aspencore Media GmbH, Aspencore/IDG China Investment LLC, Asplenium SA, Asset Recovery Corporation, B.V. Arrow Electronics DLC, Beijing AIQI Technology, Beijing Arrow SEED Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing Canon Advertising Co. Ltd., Broomco (4184) Limited, COMPUTERLINKS, COMPUTERLINKS (UK) Ltd., COMPUTERLINKS Belgium BVBA, COMPUTERLINKS Denmark A/S, COMPUTERLINKS Nederland B.V., COMPUTERLINKS S.A., CSS Computer Security Solutions Erwerbs GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Holding GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Ltd., CT3 Europe Limited, Centia Group Ltd, Centia Ltd., Channel Support Pty Ltd, ChiWan Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Chip One Stop, Chip One Stop (Hong Kong) Ltd., Chip One Stop (Shenzhen) Ltd., Chip One Stop Inc., Commtech Solutions (UK) Limited, Components Agent (Cayman) Limited, Components Agent Asia Holdings Ltd., Components Distribution Business - Achieva, Conrac Asia Display Products Pte. Ltd., Conrac MENA FZE, Converge, Converge (Shanghai) International Trading Co. Ltd., Converge Asia Pte Ltd., Converge Electronics Trading (India) Private Ltd., Converge France SAS, Converge Netherlands BV, Converge Scandinavia AB, Cross Telecom, Data Modul, Data Modul AG, Data Modul Electronics Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Data Modul FZE, Data Modul France S.a r.l, Data Modul Hong Kong Ltd., Data Modul Iberia S.L., Data Modul Inc., Data Modul Italia S.r.l., Data Modul Ltd., Data Modul Shanghai Ltd., Data Modul Suisse GmbH, Data Modul Weikersheim GmbH, Diasa Informatica, Dicopel Inc., Distribution Business - Seed International, Distribution Central (MY) Sdn. Bhd., Distribution Central HK Pty Limited, Distribution Central Limited (NZ), Distribution Central Pte Limited (SG), Distribution Central Pty Limited, E-InfoChips KK, EC America, EDN Asia Advertising Pte Ltd., ETEQ Components Pte Ltd., Electronics Products Technology Co. Ltd., Embedded Developer LLC, Erf 211 Hughes (Pty) Limited, Eshel Technology Group Inc., Eurocomponentes S.A., Excel Tech, Excel Tech Inc., Firewall Systems Pty Limited, Fusion Distribution FZCO, Gates - Arrow Distributing, Gates - FA Distributing, Global Link Technology, Greentech Holding AS, Gross Telecom, ICC Global Media GmbH, IP Vista A/S, IPVista A/S, ITM USA Enterprises Inc., Intechra Holdings, Intex-semi Ltd., KeyLink Systems Group, LED Franchise LLC, LED Source Holdco LLC, LED Source LLC, LOGIX S.A., License Central Pty Ltd, Lite-On Korea Ltd., Marubun Arrow (HK) Limited, Marubun Arrow (S) Pte Ltd., Marubun Arrow (Thailand) Co Limited, Marubun Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun Arrow Europe Kft., Marubun Corporation, Marubun USA Corporation, Marubun-Arrow Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Marubun/Arrow (HK) Limited, Marubun/Arrow (M) Sdn. Bhd (Malaysia), Marubun/Arrow (Philippines) Inc., Marubun/Arrow (S) Pte Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shenzhen) Electronic Product Consulting Company Limited, Marubun/Arrow (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun/Arrow USA II LLC, Marubun/Arrow USA LLC, NIC Components Asia PTE Ltd., NIC Components Corp., NIC Components Europe Limited, NIC Eurotech Limited, NUH Electronics India Private Limted, Networld Systems Pty Ltd, Nextworth Solutions Inc., Nu Horizons Electronics, Nu Horizons Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Asia PTE Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Hong Kong Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Malaysia SDN BHD, NuHo Singapore Holdings LLC, Observatory Crest, Openway Group SA, Openway SAS, PCG Parent Corp., PCG Trading LLC, PT Marubun Arrow Indonesia, Pansystem S.r.l., Pax8 Inc., Power and Signal Group GmbH, R.D. Trading Limited, RDC, RF Wireless & Power - Richardson Electronics, Rack Systems Pty Ltd, Red Education Pty Ltd, Redemtech, Renewal Systems Pty Ltd, Richardson RFPD (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Richardson RFPD (Thailand) Limited, Richardson RFPD Australia Pty. Ltd., Richardson RFPD Canada Inc., Richardson RFPD Electronics Trading (China) Co. Ltd., Richardson RFPD France SAS, Richardson RFPD Germany GmbH, Richardson RFPD Hong Kong, Richardson RFPD Inc., Richardson RFPD Israel Ltd., Richardson RFPD Italy Srl, Richardson RFPD Japan KK, Richardson RFPD Korea Ltd., Richardson RFPD Netherlands BV, Richardson RFPD Singapore, Richardson RFPD Spain SL, Richardson RFPD Sweden AB, Richardson RFPD Taiwan, Richardson RFPD UK Ltd., Richey Electronics, San Systems Pty Ltd, Schuylkill Metals of Plant City Inc., Seneca Data, Seneca Data Distributors Inc., Shared Technologies, Silicon Frameworks LLC, SiliconEgypt Technologies LLC, SiliconExpert Holdings LLC, SiliconExpert Technologies, SiliconExpert Technologies Inc., Sphinx CST Limited, Sphinx CST Networks Limited, Sphinx Group, Sphinx Group Limited, Sphinx Professional Services Limited, Spoerle Hungary Kereskedelmi Kft, Sun Chain Technology Corp., TLW Electronics Ltd., TechTurn, Titan Supply Chain Services Limited, Titan Supply Chain Services Pte Ltd., Trafomo AB, Trafomo ApS, Transim Technology, Transim Technology Corporation, U.S. Micro Operating Company LLC, UBM Tech Electronics Network, Ultra Source Electronics (SZ) Co LTD, Ultra Source Technology Corp., Ultra Source Trading Hong Kong Limited, United Technical Publishing Division - Hearst Business Media, Universe Electron Corporation, Verical, Verwaltungsgesellschaft Arrow Electronics GmbH, Wireless and Infrastructure Business Unit - Waching Company, Yongming Xincheng (Beijing) Technology Co., e-InfoChips, e-Infochips Private Limited, eInfochips, eMedia Asia Limited, immixGovernment Inc., immixGroup, immixGroup Inc., immixSolutions Inc., and immixTechnology. Read More Deutsche Post AG operates as a mail and logistics company in Germany, rest of Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates through five segments: Express; Global Forwarding, Freight; Supply Chain; eCommerce Solutions; and Post & Parcel Germany. The Express segment offers time-definite courier and express services to business and private customers. The Global Forwarding, Freight segment provides air, ocean, and overland freight forwarding services; and offers multimodal and sector-specific solutions. This segment's business model is based on brokering transport services between customers and freight carriers. The Supply Chain segment delivers customized supply chain solutions to its customers based on modular components, including warehousing and transport services; and value-added services, such as e-fulfilment and returns management, lead logistics partner, real estate solutions, service logistics, and packaging solutions for various industrial sectors. The eCommerce Solutions segment provides parcel delivery and cross-border non-time definite international services. The Post & Parcel Germany segment transports and delivers mail communication, parcels, physical and hybrid letters, and special products for the delivery of goods; and offers additional services, such as registered mail, cash on delivery, and insured items. This segment also provides digital products, including stamps with data matrix codes and various postal services. Deutsche Post AG was founded in 1490 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany. The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 13125882 Canada Inc., 211 E. Russell Road LLC, 4458664 Canada Inc., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES ASIA PTE. LTD., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES BORROWER S.C.A., ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES LLC, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES MIDDLE EAST FZE, ACCUDYNE INDUSTRIES SERVICES LIMITED, ASTRUM IT GmbH, Accudyne Industries Acquisition S.A r.l, Accudyne Industries Canada Inc., Accudyne Industries S.A r.l., Air Dimensions, Air Dimensions Inc., Albin Pump SAS, BOC Edwards Global Low pressure Air business, CISA S.p.A., Cameron-Centrifugal Compression, Comercial Ingersoll-Rand (Chile) Limitada, Comingersoll-Comercio E Industria De Equipamentos S.A., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Dosatron International SAS, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Proprietary Limited, FlexEnergy Holdings LLC, Frigoblock Grosskopf Gmbh, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First (UK) Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings II Inc., GD Global Holdings Inc., GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., GPS Industries, Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp (Canada), Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Limited, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica SL, Gardner Denver Inc., Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver International Inc., Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Investments Inc., Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan Ltd., Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte. Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia s.r.o., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH (f/k/a ILMVAC GmbH), Gardner Denver Thomas Inc., Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Ghh-Rand Schraubenkompressoren Gmbh, HASKEL EUROPE LTD., HASKEL HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, HASKEL INTERNATIONAL LLC, Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, Haskel France SAS, Haskel Sistemas de Fluidos Espana S.R.L., Hibon Inc., Highspeed Newco LLC, Hingerose Limited, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, INGERSOLL RAND ITS JAPAN LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHANG ZHOU) TOOLS CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND (CHINA) INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING CO. LTD., INGERSOLL-RAND CHINA LLC, INGERSOLL-RAND COMERCIO E SERVICOS DE MAQUINAS E EQUIPAMENTOS INDUSTRIAIS LTDA., INGERSOLL-RAND DE PUERTO RICO INC., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL COMPANY B.V., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL SP. Z O.O., INGERSOLL-RAND INDUSTRIAL U.S. INC., INGERSOLL-RAND PHILIPPINES INC., INGERSOLL-RAND SPAIN S.A., INGERSOLL-RAND U.S. HOLDCO INC., IR HPS Holdco. Inc., ITO Emniyet, Ingersoll Rand Cyprus Investments Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Finance LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Investments LLC, Ingersoll Rand Global Ventures LLC, Ingersoll Rand Hong Kong Investments Limited, Ingersoll Rand Inc., Ingersoll Rand Investments (SG) Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll Rand Investments B.V., Ingersoll Rand Schweiz Investments Gmbh, Ingersoll Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (Australia) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand (China) Investment Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Guilin) Tools Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (Hong Kong) Holding Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand (India) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Ab, Ingersoll-Rand Air Solutions Hibon Sarl, Ingersoll-Rand Beteiligungs Und Grundstucksverwaltungs Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Colombia S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Company Limited (Uk), Ingersoll-Rand Company South Africa (Pty) Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Cz S.R.O., Ingersoll-Rand De Mexico S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Equipements De Production S.A.S., Ingersoll-Rand Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Industrial Ireland Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International (India) Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand International Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Italia S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Italiana Manufacturing S.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Korea Holding Llc, Ingersoll-Rand Korea Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments II S.A R.I., Ingersoll-Rand Lux Investments S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Luxembourg Industrial Company S.A R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Machinery (Shanghai) Company Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Malaysia Co. Sdn. Bhd., Ingersoll-Rand S.A. De C.V., Ingersoll-Rand Services And Trading Limited Liability Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Company, Ingersoll-Rand Services Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Singapore Enterprises Pte. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand South East Asia (Pte.) Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Superay Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technical And Services S.A.R.L., Ingersoll-Rand Technologies And Services Private Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Technology R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ingersoll-Rand Tool Holdings Limited, Ingersoll-Rand Trading Gmbh, Ingersoll-Rand Vietnam Company Limited, Instrum Rand JSC, Interflex Datensysteme, Ir Canada Holdings Ulc, Ir Canada Sales & Service Ulc, Ir France Sas, Kryptonite corp, Lawrence Factor Inc., LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MILTON ROY (HONG KONG) LIMITED, MILTON ROY (UK) LIMITED, MILTON ROY EUROPA B.V., MILTON ROY EUROPE SAS, MILTON ROY INDUSTRIAL (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD., MILTON ROY LLC, MILTON ROY US PURCHASER INC., MP Pumps Inc., Maximum AG Technologies Inc., Maximus Solutions, Mb Air Systems Limited, Nash Elmo, Officina Meccaniche Industriali Srl, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Plurifilter D.O.O., Pt Ingersoll-Rand Indonesia, Robuschi, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, SEEPEX, Seepex (M) SDN, Seepex Australia Pty Ltd, Seepex Beteiligungs-Gesellschaft mit Beschrankter Haftung, Seepex France S.a.r.l., Seepex GmbH, Seepex Inc., Seepex India Private Ltd., Seepex Italia SRL, Seepex Japan Co. Ltd., Seepex Nordic A/S, Seepex OOO, Seepex Pumps (Shanghia) Co. Ltd., Seepex UK Ltd., Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Shanghai Ingersoll-Rand Compressor Limited, Shenzhen Bocom System Engineering Co., Superay, Syltone, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, Tamrotor Marine Comp AS Norway, Tecno Matic Europe s.r.o., Thomas Industries Inc., Trane Technologies, Tri-Continent Scientific Inc., Vacuum and Blower Systems division, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zaxe Technologies Inc., Zeks Compressed Air Solutions Llc, Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, Zinsser NA Inc., and crayon interface. Read More 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. The following companies are subsidiares of NRG Energy: 3279405 Nova Scotia Company, 3283764 Nova Scotia Company, 7549709 Canada Inc., 7644868 Canada Inc., 7711565 Canada Inc., AC Solar Holdings LLC, Ace Energy Inc., Agua Caliente Borrower 1 LLC, Agua Caliente Solar Holdings LLC, Agua Caliente Solar LLC, Allied Home Warranty GP LLC, Allied Warranty LLC, Arthur Kill Gas Turbines LLC, Arthur Kill Power LLC, Astoria Gas Turbine Power LLC, Bayou Cove Peaking Power LLC, Beheer-en Beleggingsmaatschappij Plogema B.V., Berrians I Gas Turbine Power LLC, BidURenergy Inc., Big Cajun I Peaking Power LLC, Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC, Bluewater Wind Maryland LLC, Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy LLC, Boquillas Wind LLC, Cabrillo Power I LLC, Cabrillo Power II LLC, Camino Energy LLC, Carbon Management Solutions LLC, Carlsbad Energy Center LLC, Carlsbad Energy Holdings LLC, Chester Energy LLC, Chickahominy River Energy Corp., Cirro Energy Services Inc., Cirro Group Inc., Citizens Power Holdings One LLC, Commonwealth Atlantic Power LLC, Connecticut Jet Power LLC, Cottonwood Development LLC, Cottonwood Energy Company LP, Cottonwood Generating Partners I LLC, Cottonwood Generating Partners II LLC, Cottonwood Generating Partners III LLC, Cottonwood Technology Partners LP, Delaware Power Development LLC, Devon Power LLC, Doga Enerji Uretim Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Doga Isi Satis Hizmetleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Doga Isletme ve Bakim Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Dunkirk Gas Corporation, Dunkirk Power LLC, EHI Development Fund LLC, EME Eastern Holdings LLC, EVgo Services LLC, Eastern Sierra Energy Company LLC, Ecokap Power LLC, El Segundo Energy Center II LLC, El Segundo Power II LLC, El Segundo Power LLC, Elkhorn Ridge Wind II LLC, Energy Alternatives Wholesale LLC, Energy Choice Solutions LLC, Energy Curtailment Specialists, Energy Plus Holdings LLC, Energy Plus Natural Gas LLC, Energy Protection Insurance Company, Everything Energy LLC, Forward Home Security LLC, GCP Funding Company LLC, GenOn Energy, Geostellar Inc., Gladstone Power Station Joint Venture, Goal Zero, Goal Zero Europe GmbH, Goal Zero LLC, Granite II Holding LLC, Granite Power Partners II L.P., Green Mountain Energy, Green Mountain Energy Company, Green Mountain Energy Sun Club, Gregory Partners LLC, Gregory Power Partners LLC, Hanover Energy Company, Huntley IGCC LLC, Huntley Power LLC, Independence Energy Alliance LLC, Independence Energy Group LLC, Independence Energy Natural Gas LLC, Indian River Operations Inc., Indian River Power LLC, Intellastar LLC, Ivanpah Master Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project I Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project II Holdings LLC, Ivanpah Project III Holdings LLC, James River Power LLC, Kaufman Cogen LP, LSP-Nelson Energy LLC, Long Beach Generation LLC, Long Beach Peakers LLC, Long Beach Power LLC, Louisiana Generating LLC, MEC Esenyurt B.V., MEC San Pascual B.V., Maplekey UK Finance Limited, Maplekey UK Limited, Meriden Gas Turbines LLC, Middletown Power LLC, Midway-Sunset Cogeneration Company, Midwest Finance Company LLC, Midwest Generation EME LLC, Midwest Generation Holdings I LLC, Midwest Generation Holdings II LLC, Midwest Generation LLC, Midwest Generation Procurement Services LLC, Midwest Peaker Holdings LLC, Mission Bingham Lake Wind LLC, Mission Del Cielo LLC, Mission Energy Construction Services LLC, Mission Energy Holdings International LLC, Mission Energy Wales LLC, Mission Funding Zeta LLC, Mission Midway-Sunset Holdings LLC, Mission Midwest Coal LLC, Mission Minnesota Wind LLC, Mission Watson Holdings LLC, Mission Wind Boquillas LLC, Mission Wind New Mexico II LLC, Mission Wind Owaissa LLC, Mission Wind Pinnacle LLC, Mission del Sol LLC, Montville IGCC LLC, Montville Power LLC, NEO Chester-Gen LLC, NEO Corporation, NRG Acquisition Holdings Inc., NRG Advisory Services LLC, NRG Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Alexandria LLC, NRG Arroyo Nogales LLC, NRG Arthur Kill Operations Inc., NRG Asia-Pacific Ltd., NRG Astoria Gas Turbine Operations Inc., NRG Astoria Power LLC, NRG Audrain Generating LLC, NRG Audrain Holding LLC, NRG Bayou Cove LLC, NRG Berrians East Development LLC, NRG Bluewater Holdings LLC, NRG Bluewater Wind Massachusetts LLC, NRG Bourbonnais Equipment LLC, NRG Bourbonnais LLC, NRG Brazoria Energy LLC, NRG Business Services LLC, NRG CTA Holdings LLC, NRG Cabrillo Power Operations Inc., NRG Cadillac Inc., NRG Cadillac Operations Inc., NRG California Peaker Operations LLC, NRG Capital II LLC, NRG Carbon 360 LLC, NRG Cedar Bayou Development Company LLC, NRG Chalk Point CT LLC, NRG CleanTech Investments LLC, NRG Coal Development Company LLC, NRG ComLease LLC, NRG Common Stock Finance I LLC, NRG Common Stock Finance II LLC, NRG Connected Home LLC, NRG Connecticut Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Connecticut Peaking Development LLC, NRG Construction LLC, NRG Cottonwood Tenant LLC, NRG Curtailment Solutions Canada Inc., NRG Curtailment Solutions Inc., NRG DG Development LLC, NRG Development Company Inc., NRG Devon Operations Inc., NRG Dispatch Services LLC, NRG Distributed Energy Resources Holdings LLC, NRG Distributed Generation PR LLC, NRG Dunkirk Operations Inc., NRG ECOKAP Holdings LLC, NRG ESA Joint Development LLC, NRG El Segundo Operations Inc., NRG Energy Center Eagles LLC, NRG Energy Center Oxnard LLC, NRG Energy Fuel LLC, NRG Energy Fuel Services LLC, NRG Energy Gas & Wind Holdings Inc., NRG Energy Holdings II Inc., NRG Energy Holdings Inc., NRG Energy Inc., NRG Energy Labor Services LLC, NRG Energy Petroleum LLC, NRG Energy Services Group LLC, NRG Energy Services International Inc., NRG Energy Services LLC, NRG Equipment Company LLC, NRG Fuel Cell CA1 LLC, NRG Fuel Resources LLC, NRG Fuel Transportation LLC, NRG GTL Holdings LLC, NRG Gas Development Company LLC, NRG Generation Holdings Inc., NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd, NRG Granite Acquisition LLC, NRG Greenco LLC, NRG HQ DG LLC, NRG Holding Leasing Vehicle 7 LLC, NRG Home & Business Solutions LLC, NRG Home Services LLC, NRG Home Solutions LLC, NRG Home Solutions Product LLC, NRG Homer City Services LLC, NRG Huntley Operations Inc., NRG Identity Protect LLC, NRG Ilion LP LLC, NRG Ilion Limited Partnership, NRG Independence Solar LLC, NRG International LLC, NRG Kaufman LLC, NRG Latin America Inc., NRG Lease Co LLC, NRG Lease Development LLC, NRG Limestone 3 LLC, NRG Maintenance Services LLC, NRG Mesquite LLC, NRG Mextrans Inc., NRG MidAtlantic Affiliate Services Inc., NRG MidCon Development LLC, NRG Middletown Operations Inc., NRG Middletown Repowering LLC, NRG Midwest Holdings LLC, NRG Midwest II LLC, NRG Montville Operations Inc., NRG NE Development LLC, NRG Nelson Turbines LLC, NRG New Roads Holdings LLC, NRG NewGen LLC, NRG North Central Operations Inc., NRG Northeast Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Norwalk Harbor Operations Inc., NRG Ohio Pipeline Company LLC, NRG Operating Services Inc., NRG Oswego Harbor Power Operations Inc., NRG Oxbow Holdings LLC, NRG PacGen Inc., NRG Peaker Finance Company LLC, NRG Portable Power LLC, NRG Potrero Development LLC, NRG Power Marketing LLC, NRG Procurement Company LLC, NRG Project Company LLC, NRG Reliability Solutions LLC, NRG Renter's Protection LLC, NRG Repowering Holdings LLC, NRG Residential Solar Solutions LLC, NRG Residential Solar Solutions Leasing II LLC, NRG Retail LLC, NRG Retail Northeast LLC, NRG Rockford Acquisition LLC, NRG Rockford Equipment II LLC, NRG Rockford Equipment LLC, NRG Saguaro Operations Inc., NRG Security LLC, NRG Services Corporation, NRG Sherbino LLC, NRG SimplySmart Solutions LLC, NRG Solar Arrowhead LLC, NRG Solar CVSR Holdings 2 LLC, NRG Solar Dandan LLC, NRG Solar Guam LLC, NRG Solar Ivanpah LLC, NRG Solar Ring LLC, NRG Solar SC Stadium LLC, NRG Solar Sunrise LLC, NRG South Central Affiliate Services Inc., NRG South Central Generating LLC, NRG South Central Operations Inc., NRG South Texas LP, NRG Sterlington Power LLC, NRG Storage Fabrication & Delivery LLC, NRG Storage on Demand NY LLC, NRG SunCap Leasing I LLC, NRG Telogia Power LLC, NRG Texas C&I Supply LLC, NRG Texas Gregory LLC, NRG Texas Holding Inc., NRG Texas LLC, NRG Texas Power LLC, NRG Texas Retail LLC, NRG Trading Advisors LLC, NRG Transmission Holdings LLC, NRG ULC Parent Inc., NRG Victoria I Pty Ltd, NRG Warranty Services LLC, NRG West Coast LLC, NRG Western Affiliate Services Inc., NRG Wind Development Company LLC, NRG Wind Force LLC, NRG Wind LLC, NRG dGen Advisory Services LLC, NRGenerating German Holdings GmbH, NRGenerating International B.V., NRGenerating Luxembourg (No. 1) S.a.r.l., NRGenerating Luxembourg (No. 2) S.a.r.l., New Genco GP LLC, New Jersey Power Development LLC, Norwalk Power LLC, O'Brien Cogeneration Inc. II, ONSITE Energy Inc., One Block Off The Grid Inc., Oswego Harbor Power LLC, Pacific Generation Company, Petra Nova CCS I LLC, Petra Nova Holdings LLC, Petra Nova LLC, Petra Nova Parish Holdings LLC, Petra Nova Power I LLC, Pure Energies Group, Pure Energies Group ULC, Pure Energies Installation Inc., Pure Energies Solar Services Inc., Pure Group Inc., RDI Consulting LLC, RERH Holdings LLC, Reliant Charitable Foundation, Reliant Energy, Reliant Energy Northeast LLC, Reliant Energy Power Supply LLC, Reliant Energy Retail Holdings LLC, Reliant Energy Retail Services LLC, Restoration Design LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar Holdings LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar and Electric LLC, Roof Diagnostics Solar and Electric of NY LLC, Saguaro Power Company a Limited Partnership, Saguaro Power LLC, San Gabriel Energy LLC, San Joaquin Energy LLC, San Juan Energy LLC, San Pascual Cogeneration Company International B.V., Sherbino I Wind Farm LLC, Solar Partners I LLC, Solar Partners II LLC, Solar Partners VIII LLC, Solar Power Partners, Solar Pure Energies ULC, Somerset Operations Inc., Somerset Power LLC, South Texas Wind LLC, Station A LLC, Sunrise Power Company LLC, Sunshine State Power (No. 2) B.V., Sunshine State Power B.V., TCV Pipeline LLC, Tacoma Energy Recovery Company, Taloga Wind II LLC, Texas Coastal Ventures LLC, Texas Genco GP LLC, Texas Genco Holdings, Texas Genco Holdings Inc., Texas Genco LP LLC, Texas Genco Services LP, US Retailers LLC, Valle Del Sol Energy LLC, Vienna Operations Inc., Vienna Power LLC, WCP (Generation) Holdings LLC, Watson Cogeneration Company, West Coast Power LLC, XOOM Alberta Holdings LLC, XOOM British Columbia Holdings LLC, XOOM Energy BC ULC, XOOM Energy California LLC, XOOM Energy Canada ULC, XOOM Energy Connecticut LLC, XOOM Energy Delaware LLC, XOOM Energy Georgia LLC, XOOM Energy Global Holdings LLC, XOOM Energy Illinois LLC, XOOM Energy Indiana LLC, XOOM Energy Kentucky LLC, XOOM Energy LLC, XOOM Energy Maine LLC, XOOM Energy Maryland LLC, XOOM Energy Massachusetts LLC, XOOM Energy Michigan LLC, XOOM Energy New Hampshire LLC, XOOM Energy New Jersey LLC, XOOM Energy New York LLC, XOOM Energy ONT ULC, XOOM Energy Ohio LLC, XOOM Energy Pennsylvania LLC, XOOM Energy Rhode Island LLC, XOOM Energy Texas LLC, XOOM Energy Virginia LLC, XOOM Energy Washington D.C. LLC, XOOM Ontario Holdings LLC, XOOM Solar LLC, and eV2g LLC. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. C.V., Productos SAS Management B.V., Punch N.V., Punica Getranke GmbH, Q O Puerto Rico Inc., QFL OHQ Sdn. Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Thermo Fisher Scientific: 236 Perinton Parkway LLC, 27 Forge Parkway LLC, ABR--Affinity BioReagents, ACI Holdings Inc., ARG Services LLC, ASPEX Corporation, Abgene Inc., Abgene Limited, Acoustic Cytometry Systems Inc., AcroMetrix LLC, Acros Organics B.V.B.A., Advanced Biotechnologies Limited, Advanced Scientifics (ASI), Advanced Scientifics Inc., Advanced Scientifics International Inc., Affymetrix Biotech Participacoes Ltda., Affymetrix Biotech Shanghai Ltd, Affymetrix Inc, Affymetrix Japan K.K., Affymetrix Pte Ltd, Affymetrix UK Ltd, Afora S.A.U., Ahura Scientific, Alchematrix Inc., Alchematrix LLC, Alfa Aesar, Alfa Aesar (China) Chemical Co. Ltd., Alfa Aesar (Hong Kong) Limited, Allergon AB, Alphine Mountain Limited, Ambion Inc., Apogent Denmark ApS, Apogent Finance Company, Apogent Holding Company, Apogent Technologies Inc., Apogent Transition Corp., Apogent U.K. Limited, App-Tek International Pty Ltd, Applied Biosystems B.V., Applied Biosystems Finance B.V., Applied Biosystems International Inc., Applied Biosystems LLC, Applied Biosystems Taiwan LLC, Applied Biosystems Trading (Shanghai) Company Ltd., Applied Biosystems de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Applied Scientific Corporation, Avances Cientificos de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Avocado Research Chemicals Limited, B.R.A.H.M.S. Biotech GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. GmbH, B.R.A.H.M.S. UK Ltd, BAC BV, BAC IP BV, Barnstead Thermolyne LLC, Beijing Phadia Diagnostics Co Ltd, Bender MedSystems GmbH, BioTrove Corporation, BioTrove International Inc., Bioanalysis Labsystems S.A., Biochemical Sciences LLC, Biolab, BmT GmbH Laborprodukte, Bonsai Tecnologies - Sistemas para Biotecnologia e Industria Unipessoal Lda, Brammer Bio, Bumi-Sans Sendirian Berhad, CAC Limited, CB Diagnostics AB, CB Diagnostics Holding AB, CEPH International Corporation, CHK Holdings Inc., CRS Robotics, CTPS LLC, Capitol Scientific Products Inc., Capitol Vial Inc., Cellomics Inc., CellzDirect Inc., Cenduit GmbH, Cenduit LLC, Cezanne S.A.S., Chase Scientific Glass Inc., Chromacol Limited, Clintrak, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services LLC, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services LLC, Cohesive Technologies (UK) Limited, Cohesive Technologies Inc., Columbia Diagnostics Inc., Compendia Bioscience Inc., Comtest Limited, Consolidated Technologies Inc., Consultores Fisher Scientific Chile Ltd, Core Informatics, Core Informatics LLC, Core Informatics UK Ltd., D-finitive Technologies Inc., DCG Systems B.V., DCG Systems C.V., DCG Systems G.K., DCG Systems GmbH, DCG Systems Korea Ltd., DCG Systems LLC, DPI Newco LLC, DSM Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Dharmacon, Diagnostix Ltd., Dionex (China) Analytical Ltd, Dionex (Switzerland) AG, Dionex (UK) Limited, Dionex Austria GmbH, Dionex Benelux B.V., Dionex Brasil Instrumentos Cientificos Ltda, Dionex Canada Ltd., Dionex China Limited, Dionex Corporation, Dionex Denmark A/S, Dionex Holding GmbH, Dionex I LLC, Dionex Pty Ltd., Dionex S.A., Dionex S.p.A., Dionex Singapore Pte Ltd., Dionex Softron GmbH, Dionex Sweden AB, Distribution Solutions International Inc., Doe & Ingalls Investors Inc., Doe & Ingalls Limited, Doe & Ingalls Management LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties II LLC, Doe & Ingalls Properties LLC, Doe & Ingalls of California Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Florida Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Maryland Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of Massachusetts Operating LLC, Doe & Ingalls of North Carolina Operating LLC, Doublecape Holding Limited, Doublecape Limited, Drakeside Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Duke Scientific Corporation, Dynal Biotech Beijing Limited, EGS Gauging Ltd., EGS Gauging Technical Services Company, EP Scientific Products LLC, Ecochem N.V., EnviroEquip Pty Ltd, Epsom Glass Industries Limited, Equibio Limited, Erie Electroverre S.A., Erie Finance Limited, Erie LP Holding LLC, Erie Scientific Company of Puerto Rico, Erie Scientific Hungary Kft, Erie Scientific LLC, Erie U.K. Limited, Erie UK 1 Limited, Erie UK 2 Limited, Erie UK Holding Company, Erie UK Senior Holding Limited, European Laboratory Holdings Limited, Eutech Instruments Europe B.V., Eutech Instruments Pte Ltd., Eutech Instruments Sdn Bhd, Ever Ready Thermometer Co. Inc., FEI Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., FEI Australia Pty Ltd, FEI CPD B.V., FEI Company, FEI Company Japan Ltd., FEI Company of USA (S.E.A.) Pte Ltd., FEI Czech Republic s.r.o., FEI Deutschland GmbH, FEI EFA Inc., FEI EFA International Pte. Ltd., FEI Electron Optics B.V., FEI Electron Optics International B.V., FEI Europe B.V., FEI France SAS, FEI Global Holdings C.V., FEI Hong Kong Company Limited, FEI Houston Inc., FEI Italia Srl, FEI Korea Ltd., FEI Melbourne Pty Ltd., FEI Microscopy Solutions Ltd, FEI Munich GmbH, FEI Norway Holding AS, FEI SAS, FEI Saudi Arabia LLC, FEI Servicos de Nanotecnologia Ltda., FEI Technologies Inc., FEI Technology de Mexico S.A. de C.V., FEI Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., FEI Trondheim AS, FEI UK Ltd., FHP LLC, FRC Holding Inc. V, FS (Barbados) Capital Holdings Ltd., FS Casa Rocas Holdings LLC, FS Mexicana Holdings LLC, FSI Receivables Company LLC, FSII Sweden Holdings AB, FSII Sweden Holdings I AB, FSIR Holdings (UK) Limited, FSIR Holdings (US) Inc., FSUK Holdings Limited, FSWH Company LLC, FSWH II C.V., FSWH International Holdings LLC, Fermentas China Co. Ltd, Fermentas Inc., Fermentas International, Fermentas Sweden AB, Fermentas UK Limited, Fiberlite Centrifuge LLC, Finesse Scientific Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Finesse Solutions AG, Finesse Solutions Inc., Finnzymes Oy, Fisher Alder S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Asia Manufacturing Ventures Inc., Fisher Bermuda Holdings Limited, Fisher BioImage ApS, Fisher BioPharma Services (India) Private Limited, Fisher BioSciences Japan G.K., Fisher BioServices Inc., Fisher Bioblock Holding II SNC, Fisher CLP Holding Limited Partnership, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 1, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 2, Fisher Canada Holding ULC 3, Fisher Canada Limited Partnership, Fisher Chimica BVBA, Fisher Clinical Logistics LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services (Bristol) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Colombia) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Korea) Co. Ltd, Fisher Clinical Services (Mexico) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Peru) LLC, Fisher Clinical Services (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services Colombia S.A.S., Fisher Clinical Services GmbH, Fisher Clinical Services Inc., Fisher Clinical Services Japan K.K., Fisher Clinical Services Latin America S.R.L., Fisher Clinical Services Limited Liability Company, Fisher Clinical Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Clinical Services Peru S.R.L, Fisher Clinical Services Pte Ltd., Fisher Clinical Services U.K. Limited, Fisher Emergo B.V., Fisher Germany Holdings GmbH, Fisher Hamilton China Inc., Fisher Hamilton Mexico LLC, Fisher Holdings ApS, Fisher Internet Minority Holdings L.L.C., Fisher Laboratory Products Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Fisher Luxembourg Danish Holdings SARL, Fisher Manufacturing (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Maybridge Holdings Limited, Fisher Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific (Austria) GmbH, Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Fisher Scientific (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific (SEA) Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific A/S, Fisher Scientific AG, Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Limited, Fisher Scientific Biotech Line ApS, Fisher Scientific Brazil Inc., Fisher Scientific Central America Inc., Fisher Scientific Chile Inc., Fisher Scientific Colombia Inc., Fisher Scientific Company, Fisher Scientific Company L.L.C., Fisher Scientific Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Fisher Scientific Europe Holdings B.V., Fisher Scientific GTF AB, Fisher Scientific Germany Beteiligungs GmbH, Fisher Scientific GmbH, Fisher Scientific Holding Company LLC, Fisher Scientific Holding HK Limited, Fisher Scientific Holding U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific Holdings (M) Sdn Bhd, Fisher Scientific Holdings (S) Pte Ltd, Fisher Scientific International LLC, Fisher Scientific Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Fisher Scientific Ireland Investments Unlimited, Fisher Scientific Ireland Limited, Fisher Scientific Japan Ltd., Fisher Scientific Jersey Island Limited, Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd, Fisher Scientific Latin America Inc., Fisher Scientific Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Fisher Scientific Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Fisher Scientific Mexico Inc., Fisher Scientific Middle East and Africa Inc., Fisher Scientific Norway AS, Fisher Scientific Operating Company, Fisher Scientific Oxoid Holdings Ltd., Fisher Scientific Oy, Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Fisher Scientific S.A.S., Fisher Scientific S.L., Fisher Scientific SPRL, Fisher Scientific The Hague I B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague II B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague III B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague IV B.V., Fisher Scientific The Hague V B.V., Fisher Scientific U.K. Limited, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company 2, Fisher Scientific UK Holding Company Limited, Fisher Scientific Unipessoal Lda., Fisher Scientific Venezuela Inc., Fisher Scientific Worldwide (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Holdings I C.V., Fisher Scientific Worldwide Inc., Fisher Scientific de Mexico S.A., Fisher Scientific of the Netherlands B.V., Fisher Scientific spol. S.r.o, Fisher Servicios Clinicos (Chile) LLC, Fisher Servicios Clinicos Chile Ltda, Fisher WWD Holding L.L.C., Fisher Worldwide Distribution SPV, Fisher Worldwide Gene Distribution SPV, Flux Instruments, Fuji Partnership, G & M Procter Limited, G V Instruments Limited, GV Instruments Canada Ltd., GV Instruments Inc, Gatan Inc, General Scientific Company Sdn Bhd (M), Genomed molekularbiologische und diagnostische Produkte GmbH, Gerhard Menzel B.V. & Co. KG, Gold Cattle Standard Testing Labs Inc., Golden West Indemnity Company Limited, Goring Kerr Detection Limited, Greenville Service Company Inc., HENO GmbH i.L., Hangar 215 Inc., Helmet Securities Limited, Henogen, HighChem, HyClone International Trade (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Hybaid Limited, I.Q. (BIO) Limited, IDnostics AG, ILS Laboratories Scandinavia AB, Inel Inc., Inel SAS, InnaPhase Inc., InnaPhase Limited, IntegenX, Intrinsic BioProbes Inc., Intrinsic Bioprobes Inc., Invitrogen (Shanghai) Investment Co. Ltd., Invitrogen Argentina SA, Invitrogen BioServices India Private Limited, Invitrogen Europe Limited, Invitrogen Finance Corp., Invitrogen Holdings LLC, Invitrogen Holdings Ltd., Invitrogen Hong Kong Limited, Invitrogen IP Holdings Inc., Invitrogen Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Ion Torrent Systems Inc., Ionalytics Corporation, JSC Thermo Fisher Scientific, Jouan LLC, Jouan Limited, Jouan SA, Kendro Containment & Services Limited, Kendro Laboratory Products Ltd, Kettlebrook Insurance Co. ltd., Keystone Scientific, KonTEM GmbH, Kyle Jordan Investments LLC, LIFE TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, LTC Tech South Africa PTY Ltd., La-Pha-Pack GmbH, Lab Vision (UK) Limited, Lab Vision Corporation, Lab-Chrom-Pack LLC, Lab-Line Instruments Inc., Labomex MBP S. de R. L. De C.V., Laboratoire Service International - L.S.I, Laboratory Management Systems Inc., Laboratory Specialties Proprietary Ltd., LambTrack Limited, Laser Analytical Systems Inc., Liberty Lane Investment LLC, Liberty Lane Real Estate Holding Company LLC, Life Sciences International (Poland) SP z O.O, Life Sciences International Holdings BV, Life Sciences International LLC, Life Sciences International Limited, Life Technologies AS, Life Technologies Australia PTY Ltd., Life Technologies BPD AB, Life Technologies BPD UK Limited, Life Technologies Brasil Comercio e Industria de Produtos para Biotecnologia Ltda, Life Technologies Chile SpA, Life Technologies Clinical Services Lab Inc., Life Technologies Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Czech Republic s.r.o., Life Technologies DaAn Diagnostic (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd., Life Technologies Europe B.V., Life Technologies Finance Ltd., Life Technologies Finland Oy, Life Technologies GmbH, Life Technologies Holdings PTE Ltd., Life Technologies Inc., Life Technologies International B.V., Life Technologies Japan Ltd., Life Technologies Korea LLC, Life Technologies Limited, Life Technologies Magyarorszag Kft, Life Technologies New Zealand Ltd., Life Technologies Norway Investments US LLC, Life Technologies Polska Sp z.o.o., Life Technologies SA, Life Technologies SAS, Life Technologies s.r.o, Linkage Biosciences Inc., Linkage Biosciences S.a.r.l., Loftus Furnace Company, Lomb Scientific, Lomb Scientific (Aust) Pty Limited, MTI-GlobalStem, Marketbase International Limited, Matrix MicroScience Inc., Matrix MicroScience Ltd., Matrix Technologies Corporation Limited, Matrix Technologies LLC, Maybridge Chemical Company Limited, Maybridge Chemical Holdings Limited, Maybridge Limited, Medical Analysis Systems Inc., Medical Analysis Systems International Inc., Medical Diagnostics Systems Inc., Metavac LLC, Microgenics Corporation, Microgenics Diagnostics Pty Limited, Microgenics GmbH, Microm International GmbH, Microm Laborgerate S.L.U, Molecular BioProducts Inc., Molecular Probes Inc., Molecular Transfer Inc., NAPCO Inc., NERL Diagnostics LLC, NOVODIRECT GmbH Labor- und Industrie- Megerate, Nalge (Europe) Limited, Nalge Nunc International (Monterrey) LLC, Nalge Nunc International Corporation, Nanjing WeiKangLe Trading Industrial Co Ltd, NanoDrop Technologies LLC, National Scientific Company, Navaho Acquisition Corp., Neomarkers Inc., New FS Holdings Inc., NewcoGen PE LLC, Nihon Dynal K.K., Niton Asia Limited, NovaWave Technologies Inc., Nunc A/S, ONIX Systems Inc., OXOID CZ s.r.o., Odyssey Holdings Corporation, Odyssey Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 1 S.a r.l., Odyssey Luxembourg IP Holdings 2 S.a r.l., Odyssey Venture Corporation, Omega Data Systems, One Lambda Inc, Onix Holdings Limited, Orme Scientific Limited, Owl Separation Systems LLC, Oxoid (ELY) Limited, Oxoid 2000 Limited, Oxoid AS, Oxoid Australia Pty. Limited, Oxoid Company, Oxoid Deutschland GmbH, Oxoid Holding SAS, Oxoid Holdings Limited, Oxoid Inc., Oxoid International Limited, Oxoid Investments GmbH, Oxoid Limited, Oxoid N.V., Oxoid New Zealand Limited, Oxoid Pension Trustees Limited, Oxoid Senior Holdings Limited, Oxoid UKH LLC, PAX - DSI Acquisition LLC, PE AG, Pacific Rim Far East Industries LLC, Pacific Rim Investment LLC, Panomics L.L.C., Panomics S.R.L., Patheon, Patheon API Inc., Patheon API Manufacturing Inc., Patheon API Services Inc., Patheon Austria GmbH & Co KG, Patheon B.V., Patheon Banner U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon Biologics (NJ) LLC, Patheon Biologics Australia Pty Ltd, Patheon Biologics B.V., Patheon Biologics LLC, Patheon Calculus Merger LLC, Patheon Cooperatief U.A., Patheon Development Services Inc., Patheon Finance LLC, Patheon France SAS, Patheon Holdings B.V., Patheon Holdings I B.V., Patheon Holdings II B.V., Patheon Holdings SAS, Patheon I B.V., Patheon I Holding GmbH, Patheon Inc., Patheon International AG, Patheon Italia S.p.A., Patheon KK, Patheon Life Science Products International GmbH, Patheon Manufacturing Services LLC, Patheon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Patheon Pharmaceuticals Services Inc., Patheon Puerto Rico Acquisitions Corporation, Patheon Puerto Rico Inc., Patheon Regensburg GmbH, Patheon Softgels B.V., Patheon Softgels Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings Inc., Patheon U.S. Holdings LLC, Patheon UK Limited, Patheon UK Pension Trustees Limited, Pelican Acquisition Corporation, Perbio Science (Canada) Company, Perbio Science AB, Perbio Science BVBA, Perbio Science France SAS, Perbio Science Inc., Perbio Science International Netherlands B.V., Perbio Science Invest AB, Perbio Science Nederland B.V., Perbio Science Projekt AB, Perbio Science Sweden Holdings AB, Perbio Science Switzerland SA, Perbio Science UK Limited, Phadia AB, Phadia Diagnosticos Ltda, Phadia GmbH, Phadia Holding AB, Phadia International Holdings C.V., Phadia Korea Co. Ltd, Phadia Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Phadia Malta Holdings Limited, Phadia Oy, Phadia Real Property AB, Phadia Sweden AB, Phadia Taiwan Inc., Phadia US Inc., Phadia s.r.o., Pharmacaps Mexicana SA de CV, Phenom-World B.V., Phenom-World Holding B.V, Phenom-World Innovations B.V., Phinotex, Pierce Biotechnology Inc., Pierce Milwaukee Holding Corp., Pierce Milwaukee Inc., Polychromix, Power Sweden Holdings I AB, Power Sweden Holdings II AB, Power Sweden Holdings III Aktiebolag, Princeton Gamma-Tech Instruments LLC, Princeton Security Technologies, Prionics AG, Prionics Asia Ltd., Prionics Deutschland GmbH, Prionics France SAS, Prionics Italia S.r.l., Prionics Lelystad B.V., Prionics USA Inc., Priority Air Express LLC, Priority Air Express Pte. Ltd., Priority Air Express UK Limited, Priority Air Holdings Corp, Priority Solutions International, Promedica Pty Limited, Proxeon, Proxeon Biosystems ApS, Qiagen, REP GBP I-B Blocker Inc., Raymond A Lamb Limited, Remel Europe Limited, Remel Inc., Richard-Allan Scientific Company, Robbins Scientific LLC, Robocon Labor- und Industrieroboter Gesellschaft m.b.H, Rupprecht and Patashnick, Rupprecht and Patashnick (R&P), Russell pH Limited, S.C.I. du 10 rue Dugay Trouin, SCI Inno 92, STC Bio Manufacturing Inc., Samco Scientific (Monterrey) LLC, Samco Scientific LLC, Saroph Sweden AB, Schantz Road LLC, Seradyn Inc., Shanghai Life Technologies Biotechnology Co. Limited, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (C-I) Trading Co. Ltd, Shanghai Thermo Fisher (S) Trading Co. Ltd, Southern Trials (Pty) Ltd., Specialty (SMI) Inc., Spectra-Physics AB, Spectra-Physics Holdings Limited, Spectra-Physics Holdings USA LLC, Spectronex, Staten Island Cogeneration Corporation, Sterilin Limited, Stokes Bio Ltd., Sweden DIA (Sweden) AB, SwissAnalytic Group GmbH, Systems Manufacturing Corporation, TFLP LLC, TFS Breda B.V., TFS LLC, TFS Singapore HK Limited, TFSL Financing GP LLC, TFSL Senior GP Holdings 2 LLC, TK Partnership, TKA Wasseraufbereitungssysteme, TMOI Inc., TPI Real Estate Holdings LLC, TSP Holdings I LLC, TWX LLC, Technology Design Solutions Pty Ltd, Thermedics Detection de Argentina S.R.L, Thermo Allen Coding Limited, Thermo Asset Management Services Inc., Thermo BioAnalysis LLC, Thermo BioAnalysis Limited, Thermo BioSciences Holdings LLC, Thermo CIDTEC, Thermo CRS Holdings Ltd., Thermo CRS Ltd., Thermo Cambridge Limited, Thermo Cayman Holdings Ltd., Thermo Corporation, Thermo DMA Inc., Thermo Detection de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Dutch Holdings Limited Partnership, Thermo EGS Gauging LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings I LLC, Thermo Eberline Holdings II LLC, Thermo Eberline LLC, Thermo Electron (Calgary) Limited, Thermo Electron (Chile) S.p.A., Thermo Electron (Karlsruhe) GmbH, Thermo Electron (Management Services) Limited, Thermo Electron (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Electron A/S, Thermo Electron Australia Pty Limited, Thermo Electron Export Inc., Thermo Electron Holdings SAS, Thermo Electron Industries, Thermo Electron LED GmbH, Thermo Electron LED S.A.S., Thermo Electron Limited, Thermo Electron Manufacturing Limited, Thermo Electron Metallurgical Services Inc., Thermo Electron North America LLC, Thermo Electron Pension Trust GmbH, Thermo Electron Puerto Rico Inc., Thermo Electron SAS, Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments LLC, Thermo Electron Sweden AB, Thermo Electron Sweden Forvaltning AB, Thermo Electron Weighing & Inspection Limited, Thermo Elemental Limited, Thermo Environmental Instruments LLC, Thermo Fast U.K. Limited, Thermo Finland Holdings LLC, Thermo Finland Holdings MT1 B.V., Thermo Finland Holdings MT2 B.V., Thermo Finnigan LLC, Thermo Finnigan Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher (CN) Malta Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher (CN-I) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (CN-II) Luxembourg LLC, Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings I Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Cayman) Holdings II Ltd., Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings 2) LLC, Thermo Fisher (Finland Holdings) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) II Limited, Thermo Fisher (Gibraltar) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Heysham) Limited, Thermo Fisher (Kandel) GmbH, Thermo Fisher CHK Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust, Thermo Fisher China Business Trust II, Thermo Fisher Costa Rica Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Thermo Fisher Cyprus Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Detection Mexico LLC, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics (Ireland) Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AB, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AG, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics AS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Aps, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Austria GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics B.V., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics GmbH, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics K.K., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Limited, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics NV, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.L.U., Thermo Fisher Diagnostics S.p.A. , Thermo Fisher Diagnostics SAS, Thermo Fisher Diagnostics Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Thermo Fisher Eurobonds Ltd., Thermo Fisher Financial Services Inc., Thermo Fisher GP LLC, Thermo Fisher German Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Germany B.V., Thermo Fisher India Divestco Private Limited, Thermo Fisher India Holding B.V., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Insurance Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Investments (Cayman) Ltd., Thermo Fisher Israel Ltd., Thermo Fisher Production et Services SAS, Thermo Fisher Project Cyprus LLC, Thermo Fisher Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Asheville) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Australia) C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Barbados) Holdings Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Breda) Holding BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (CN) Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (China) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (China-HK) Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (DE) Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Ecublens) SARL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance I) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance II) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Finance III) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Fuji) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Holding II) B.V. & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Hong Kong) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (IVGN) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Johannesburg) (Proprietary) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mexico City) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Milwaukee) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Mississauga) Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Monterrey) S. De R.L. De C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (NK) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) Austria Holding GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN) UK Limited Partnership, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-I) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN-II) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific (PN1) UK Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Panama) Dutch LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Praha) s.r.o., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) GmbH & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Real Estate 1) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Schweiz) AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Instruments Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific (Suzhou) Instruments Co. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific AL-1 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific AU II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific AU Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Aquasensors LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia Pty Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific B.V.B.A., Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (I) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific BHK (II) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics UAB, Thermo Fisher Scientific Beteiligungsverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Biosciences Corp., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brahms LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Instrumentos de Processo Ltda., Thermo Fisher Scientific Brasil Servicos de Logistica Ltda, Thermo Fisher Scientific C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cayman Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chemicals Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific China (C-I) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China (S) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific China Holdings IV B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings Aps, Thermo Fisher Scientific Chromatography Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus I Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus II Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus III Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus IV C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Cyprus V C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Denmark Senior Holdings ApS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie 1 Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Erie Financing S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Europe GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC Finance C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific FLC LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSIR Financing S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific FSUKHCO Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Falcon Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Finance Company BV, Thermo Fisher Scientific GENEART GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Germany BV & Co. KG, Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific HR Services Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) I, Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings (Cayman) II , Thermo Fisher Scientific Holdings Europe Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific IT Services GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Pvt Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Malta) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments (Sweden) S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Investments Malta (Sweden Financing) Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Invitrogen Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings I B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings II B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Japan Holdings III B.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific K.K., Thermo Fisher Scientific Korea Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific LSI Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life CV GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Enterprises GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Financing Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings III C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings I C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life International Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments III S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments IV S.a.r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta Holding II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments Malta II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Investments US Financing II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life NL Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Netherlands Holding C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior GP Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings II C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Senior Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Switzerland Holdings GP LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Tech Korea Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Enterprise Holding Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment I LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment II LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investment UK II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Investments Holding LP, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment I Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Israel Investment II Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Life Technologies Luxembourg Holding LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Enterprise Holdings S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg German Holdings S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Life Technologies UK Holding S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings I S.a r.l, Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Sweden Holdings II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings I S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Luxembourg Venture Holdings II S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Malta Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Messtechnik GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Mexico City S. de R.L. de C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific Middle East Holdings Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Milano Srl, Thermo Fisher Scientific NHK Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Holdings, Thermo Fisher Scientific New Zealand Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway Holdings AS, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway US Investments LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Financing (Barbados) SRL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Odyssey Holdings Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Operating Company LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 C.V, Thermo Fisher Scientific PN2 LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific PRB S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Panama I Cayman Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific Peru S.R.L., Thermo Fisher Scientific Pte. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Re Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific SL, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Financing LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Senior Holdings Australia LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific South Africa Proprietary Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific SpA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra S.a.r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg I S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Holdings Luxembourg II S.a r.l., Thermo Fisher Scientific Spectra-Physics Investments Malta Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Switzerland Holdings C.V., Thermo Fisher Scientific TR Limited, Thermo Fisher Scientific Taiwan Co. Ltd., Thermo Fisher Scientific Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific West Palm Holdings LLC, Thermo Fisher Scientific Wissenschaftliche Gerate GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Worldwide Investments (Cayman), Thermo Fisher Scientific eCommerce Solutions LLC , Thermo Fisher Senior Canada Holdings LLC, Thermo Foundation Inc., Thermo Gamma-Metrics Holdings Pty Ltd., Thermo Gamma-Metrics LLC, Thermo Gamma-Metrics Pty Ltd, Thermo Holding European Operations LLC, Thermo Hypersil Ltd, Thermo Hypersil-Keystone LLC, Thermo Informatics Asia Pacific Pty Ltd., Thermo Instrument Controls de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Thermo Kevex X-Ray LLC, Thermo Keytek LLC, Thermo LabSystems Inc., Thermo LabSystems S.A., Thermo Life Science International Trading (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Thermo Life Sciences AB, Thermo Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Thermo Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Thermo MF Physics LLC, Thermo Measurement Ltd, Thermo Measuretech Canada Inc., Thermo Neslab LLC, Thermo Nicolet Limited, Thermo Onix Limited, Thermo Optek (Australia) Pty Ltd., Thermo Optek Limited, Thermo Optek S.A., Thermo Orion Inc., Thermo Portable Holdings LLC, Thermo Power Corporation, Thermo Process Instruments GP LLC, Thermo Process Instruments L.P., Thermo Projects Limited, Thermo Quest S.A., Thermo Radiometrie Limited, Thermo Ramsey Italia S.r.l., Thermo Ramsey LLC, Thermo Ramsey S.A., Thermo Re Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Pte Ltd., Thermo Scientific Microbiology Sdn Bhd, Thermo Scientific Portable Analytical Instruments Inc., Thermo Scientific Services Inc., Thermo Securities Corporation, Thermo Sentron Canada Inc., Thermo Sentron Limited, Thermo Shandon Inc., Thermo Shandon Limited, Thermo Suomi Holding B.V., Thermo TLH (UK) Limited, Thermo TLH L.P., Thermo Trace Pty Ltd., Thermo-Fisher Biochemical Product (Beijing) Co. Ltd., ThermoLase LLC, ThermoSpectra Limited, Trek Diagnostic Systems LLC, Trek Diagnostic Systems Ltd., Trek Holding Company II Ltd., Trek Holding Company Ltd., Trex Medical Corporation, USB Corporation, Union Lab Supplies Limited, United Diagnostics Inc., VG Systems Limited, Westover Scientific Inc., ZAO PE Biosystems, eBioscience GmbH, eBioscience Ltd, eBioscience SAS, and picoSpin LLC. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Caterpillar: Advanced Tri-Gen Power Systems LLC, Anchor Coupling Inc., Asia Power Systems (Tianjin) Ltd., AsiaTrak (Tianjin) Ltd., Banco Caterpillar S.A., Berg Propulsion International Pte Ltd., Bucyrus, Bucyrus Australia Surface Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Holdings Ltd., Bucyrus Europe Limited, Bucyrus International (Chile) Limitada, Bucyrus International (Peru) S.A., Bucyrus Mining Australia Pty. Ltd., Bucyrus Mining China LLC, Bucyrus UK Limited, Cat Rental Kyushu LLC, Caterpillar (Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar (China) Financial Leasing Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Investment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (China) Machinery Components Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (HK) Limited, Caterpillar (Huainan) Machinery Service Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Langfang) Mining Equipment Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Luxembourg) Investment Co. S.a r.l., Caterpillar (NI) Limited, Caterpillar (Newberry) LLC, Caterpillar (Qingzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Suzhou) Logistics Co. Ltd., Caterpillar (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar (U.K.) Limited, Caterpillar (Wujiang) Ltd., Caterpillar (Xuzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar (Zhengzhou) Ltd., Caterpillar Acquisition Holding Corp., Caterpillar Americas C.V., Caterpillar Americas Co., Caterpillar Americas Funding Inc., Caterpillar Americas Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Asia Limited, Caterpillar Asia Pacific L.P., Caterpillar Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Asset Intelligence LLC, Caterpillar Belgium S.A., Caterpillar Brasil Comercio de Maquinas e Pecas Ltda., Caterpillar Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Brazil LLC, Caterpillar Castings Kiel GmbH, Caterpillar Centro de Formacion S.L., Caterpillar China Limited, Caterpillar Commercial Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Commercial LLC, Caterpillar Commercial Northern Europe Limited, Caterpillar Commercial S.A., Caterpillar Commercial S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Commercial Services S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Communications LLC, Caterpillar Corporativo Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Cote DIvoire, Caterpillar Credito S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., Caterpillar DC Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Digital Services & Solutions SARL, Caterpillar Distribution International LLC, Caterpillar Distribution Services Europe B.V.B.A., Caterpillar East Real Estate Holding Ltd., Caterpillar Emissions Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Energy Solutions GmbH, Caterpillar Energy Solutions Inc., Caterpillar Energy Solutions S.A., Caterpillar Energy System Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Engine Systems Inc., Caterpillar Equipos Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Eurasia LLC, Caterpillar FS (QFC) LLC, Caterpillar Finance France S.A., Caterpillar Finance Kabushiki Kaisha, Caterpillar Financial Acquisition Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Aftermarket Solutions Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Australia Leasing Pty Limited, Caterpillar Financial Australia Limited, Caterpillar Financial Commercial Account Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Corporacion Financiera S.A. E.F.C., Caterpillar Financial Dealer Funding LLC, Caterpillar Financial Funding Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Caterpillar Financial Leasing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial New Zealand Limited, Caterpillar Financial Nordic Services AB, Caterpillar Financial Nova Scotia Corporation, Caterpillar Financial OOO, Caterpillar Financial Receivables Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Renting S.A., Caterpillar Financial SARL, Caterpillar Financial Services (Dubai) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services (Ireland) plc, Caterpillar Financial Services (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Argentina S.A., Caterpillar Financial Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Financial Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Financial Services CR s.r.o., Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation, Caterpillar Financial Services GmbH, Caterpillar Financial Services India Private Limited, Caterpillar Financial Services Leasing ULC, Caterpillar Financial Services Limited Les Services Financiers Caterpillar Limitee, Caterpillar Financial Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Caterpillar Financial Services Netherlands B.V., Caterpillar Financial Services Norway AS, Caterpillar Financial Services Philippines Inc., Caterpillar Financial Services Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Financial Services South Africa (Pty) Limited, Caterpillar Financial UK Acquisition Funding Partners, Caterpillar Financial Ukraine LLC, Caterpillar Fluid Systems S.r.l., Caterpillar Fomento Comercial Ltda., Caterpillar Forest Products Inc., Caterpillar France S.A.S., Caterpillar GB L.L.C., Caterpillar Global Investments S.a r.l., Caterpillar Global Mining America LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Equipamentos De Mineracao do Brasil Ltda., Caterpillar Global Mining Equipment LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Europe GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Expanded Products Pty Ltd, Caterpillar Global Mining Germany Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining HMS GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Holdings GmbH, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong AFC Manufacturing Holding Co. Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining Hong Kong Limited, Caterpillar Global Mining LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Global Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Global Mining SARL, Caterpillar Global Mining U.S. Parts LLC, Caterpillar Global Services LLC, Caterpillar Group Services S.A., Caterpillar Holding (France) S.A.S., Caterpillar Holding Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Holdings Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Hungary Components Manufacturing Ltd., Caterpillar Hydraulics Italia S.r.l., Caterpillar IPX LLC, Caterpillar IRB LLC, Caterpillar Impact Products Limited, Caterpillar India Private Limited, Caterpillar Industrial Inc., Caterpillar Industrias Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Industries (Pty) Ltd, Caterpillar Insurance Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Insurance Company, Caterpillar Insurance Holdings Inc., Caterpillar Insurance Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Finance Designated Activity Company, Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Finance Luxembourg S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Holding S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg I S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Luxembourg II S. a r.l., Caterpillar International Product SARL, Caterpillar International Services Corporation, Caterpillar International Services del Peru S.A., Caterpillar Investment Limited, Caterpillar Investment One SARL, Caterpillar Investment Two SARL, Caterpillar Investments, Caterpillar Japan LLC, Caterpillar Latin America Services S.R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Latin America Services de Panama S. de R.L., Caterpillar Latin America Servicios de Chile Limitada, Caterpillar Latin America Support Services S. DE R.L., Caterpillar Leasing (Thailand) Limited, Caterpillar Leasing Chile S.A., Caterpillar Leasing GmbH (Leipzig), Caterpillar Leasing Operativo Limitada, Caterpillar Life Insurance Company, Caterpillar Logistics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Logistics (UK) Limited, Caterpillar Logistics Inc., Caterpillar Logistics ML Services France S.A.S., Caterpillar Logistics Services China Limited, Caterpillar Luxembourg Group S.ar.l., Caterpillar Luxembourg LLC, Caterpillar Luxembourg S.a r.l., Caterpillar Machinery Nantong Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence, Caterpillar Marine Power UK Limited, Caterpillar Marine Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Maroc SARL, Caterpillar Materiels Routiers SAS, Caterpillar Mexico LLC, Caterpillar Mexico S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Mining Canada ULC, Caterpillar Mining Chile Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Motoren (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Motoren GmbH & Co. KG, Caterpillar Motoren Henstedt-Ulzburg GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Rostock GmbH, Caterpillar Motoren Verwaltungs-GmbH, Caterpillar Netherlands Holding B.V., Caterpillar North America C.V., Caterpillar Operator Training Ltd., Caterpillar Overseas Credit Corporation SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Investment Holding SARL, Caterpillar Overseas Limited, Caterpillar Overseas SARL, Caterpillar Panama Services S.A., Caterpillar Paving Products Inc., Caterpillar Paving Products Xuzhou Ltd., Caterpillar Pension Trust Limited, Caterpillar Poland Sp. z o.o., Caterpillar Power Generation Systems (Bangladesh) Limited, Caterpillar Power Generation Systems L.L.C., Caterpillar Power Systems Inc., Caterpillar Power Ventures International Ltd., Caterpillar Precision Seals Korea, Caterpillar Prodotti Stradali S.r.l., Caterpillar Product Services Corporation, Caterpillar Propulsion AB, Caterpillar Propulsion International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Italy S.R.L., Caterpillar Propulsion Namibia (Proprietary) Limited, Caterpillar Propulsion Production AB, Caterpillar Propulsion Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar Propulsion Singapore Pte. Ltd., Caterpillar R&D Center (China) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe LLC, Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Ramos Arizpe Servicios S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar Reman Powertrain Indiana LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Drivetrain LLC, Caterpillar Remanufacturing Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Renting France S.A.S., Caterpillar Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Caterpillar SARL, Caterpillar Services Germany GmbH, Caterpillar Servicios Limitada, Caterpillar Servicios Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Servizi Italia Srl, Caterpillar Shrewsbury Limited, Caterpillar Skinningrove Limited, Caterpillar Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd., Caterpillar Special Services Belgium S.P.R.L., Caterpillar Switchgear Americas LLC, Caterpillar Switchgear Holding Inc., Caterpillar Tianjin Ltd., Caterpillar Torreon S. de R.L. de C.V., Caterpillar Tosno L.L.C., Caterpillar Transmissions France S.A.R.L., Caterpillar Tunneling Canada Holdings Ltd., Caterpillar Tunnelling Canada Corporation, Caterpillar Tunnelling Europe Limited, Caterpillar UK Employee Trust Limited, Caterpillar UK Engines Company Limited, Caterpillar UK Group Limited, Caterpillar UK Holdings Limited, Caterpillar Undercarriage (Xuzhou) Co. Ltd., Caterpillar Underground Mining Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar Used Equipment Services Inc., Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., Caterpillar Work Tools B.V., Caterpillar Work Tools Inc., Caterpillar World Trading Corporation, Caterpillar Xuzhou, Caterpillar of Australia Pty. Ltd., Caterpillar of Canada Corporation, Caterpillar of Delaware Inc., Centre de Distribution de Wallonie SPRL, CleanAir Systems, Downer Freight Rail, ECM Railway Evolution Romania s.r.l., ECM S.p.A., EDC European Excavator Design Center GmbH, EMC Holding Corp., EMD International Holdings Inc., ERA Information & Entertainment (BVI) Limited, ERA Mining Machinery Limited, Electro-Motive Diesel Limited, Electro-Motive Locomotive Technologies LLC, Electro-Motive Technical Consulting Co. (Beijing) Ltd., Energy Services International Limited, Equipos de Acuna S.A. de C.V., Eurenov S.A.S., F. G. Wilson (Proprietary) Limited, F. Perkins Limited, FG Wilson (Engineering) Limited, GB Holdco (China) Inc., GFCM Comercial Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.N.R., GFCM Servicios S.A. de C.V., Gremada Industries - Assets, Hong Kong Siwei Holdings Limited, Inmobiliaria Conek S.A. de C.V., JCS Co., Kemper Valve & Fittings Corp., Leo Inc., Locomotive Demand Power Pty Ltd., Locomotoras Progress Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Lovat, M2M Data Corporation, MGE Equipamentos & Servicos Ferroviarios, MWM, MWM Austria GmbH, MWM Benelux B.V., MWM Energy Australia Pty Ltd, MWM France S.A.S, MWM Real Estate GmbH, MaK Americas Inc., MaK Americas Inc. (Canada), Magnum Power Products LLC, Marble, Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH, Mec-Track S.r.l., Metalmark Financial Services Limited, Motoren Steffens GmbH, Nippon Caterpillar LLC, P. T. Solar Services Indonesia, PT Caterpillar Finance Indonesia, PT. Bucyrus Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia, PT. Caterpillar Indonesia Batam, PT. Caterpillar Remanufacturing Indonesia, Perkins Engines, Perkins Engines (Asia Pacific) Pte Ltd, Perkins Engines Group Limited, Perkins Engines Inc., Perkins Group Limited, Perkins Holdings Limited LLC, Perkins India Private Limited, Perkins International Inc., Perkins Japan LLC, Perkins Limited, Perkins Machinery (Changshu) Co. Ltd., Perkins Motores do Brasil Ltda., Perkins Power Systems Technology (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Perkins Small Engines LLC, Perkins Small Engines Limited, Perkins Technology Inc., Progress Metal Reclamation Company, Progress Rail Arabia Limited Company, Progress Rail Australia Pty Ltd, Progress Rail Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Equipamentos e Servicos Ferroviarios do Brasil Ltda., Progress Rail Equipment Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Holdings Inc., Progress Rail Innovations Private Limited, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems GmbH, Progress Rail Inspection & Information Systems S.r.l., Progress Rail International Corp., Progress Rail Leasing Canada Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing Corporation, Progress Rail Leasing de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Progress Rail Locomotivas (do Brasil) Ltda., Progress Rail Locomotive Canada Co., Progress Rail Locomotive Chile SpA, Progress Rail Locomotive Inc., Progress Rail Maintenance de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Progress Rail Manufacturing Corporation, Progress Rail Raceland Corporation, Progress Rail Rocklin Corporation, Progress Rail SA Proprietary Limited, Progress Rail Services Corporation, Progress Rail Services Holdings Corp., Progress Rail Services LLC, Progress Rail Services UK Limited, Progress Rail Switching Services LLC, Progress Rail Transcanada Corporation, Progress Rail Welding Corporation, Progress Rail Wildwood LLC, Progress Rail de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pyroban Group, Pyroban Group, Pyrrha Investments B.V., Pyrrha Investments Limited, S&L Railroad LLC, SCM Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., SPL Software Alliance LLC, Sabre Engines, Servicios de Turbinas Solar S. de R.L. de C.V., Shandong SEM Machinery Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines, Solar Turbines (Beijing) Trading Services Co. Ltd., Solar Turbines (Thailand) Ltd., Solar Turbines CIS Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Canada Ltd./Ltee., Solar Turbines Central Asia Limited Liability Partnership, Solar Turbines EAME s.r.o., Solar Turbines Egypt Limited Liability Company, Solar Turbines Europe S.A., Solar Turbines India Private Limited, Solar Turbines International Company, Solar Turbines Italy S.R.L., Solar Turbines Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Solar Turbines Middle East Limited, Solar Turbines New Zealand Limited, Solar Turbines Saudi Arabia Limited, Solar Turbines Services Company, Solar Turbines Services Nigeria Limited, Solar Turbines Services of Argentina S.R.L., Solar Turbines Switzerland Sagl, Solar Turbines Trinidad & Tobago Limited, Solar Turbines West-Africa SARL, Tangshan DBT Machinery Co. Ltd., Tecnologia Modificada S.A. de C.V., Towmotor Corporation, Traction & Mining Motor Repairs Pty Ltd, Turbinas Solar S.A. de C.V., Turbinas Solar de Colombia S.A., Turbinas Solar de Venezuela C.A., Turbo Tecnologia de Reparaciones S.A. de C.V., Turbomach, Turbomach Endustriyel Gaz Turbinleri Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited, Turbomach France SARL, Turbomach GmbH, Turbomach Netherlands B.V., Turbomach Pakistan (Private) Limited, Turbomach S.A. Unipersonal, Turbomach Sp. Z o.o., Turner Powertrain Systems Limited, UK Hose Assembly Limited, Underground Imaging Technologies Inc, United Industries LLC, VALA Inc., Vasky Energy Ltd., Wealdstone Engineering, Weir - Oil & Gas Division, West Virginia Auto Shredding Inc., Western Gear Machinery LLC, Wetland Sustainability Fund I LLC, Williams Technologies, Yard Club, Zhengzhou Siwei Mechanical and Electrical Equipment Sales Co. Ltd., and okyo Rental Ltd.. Read More December 9, 2017 18:22 Gum disease increases women's risk of breast cancer up to three times, research reveals. This is thought to be due to the bacteria that causes inflammation in the mouth entering the circulation via the gums and going into breast tissue, which can result in cancer. Speaking of the study's findings, Dr Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, said: 'Interestingly, this research shows that there is evidence to support the theory that gum disease can have a much larger impact on the health of our whole body.' Severe gum disease, known as periodontitis, can affect the bones in people's jaws and cause teeth to fall out. Previous research reveals up to 54 per cent of adults in the UK have gum disease to some extent. How the research was carried out Researchers from the University of Santa Maria in Brazil analysed 201 women visiting the department of gynecology at the study university's hospital between April 2013 and June 2015. Of the study's participants, 67 had breast cancer. The cases and controls were matched according to smoking status and alcohol intake. All of the participants were assessed for gum inflammation at six sites per tooth. Gum disease increases the risk of breast cancer by up to three times Results reveal women with severe gum disease are up to three times more likely to have breast cancer. There is no link between tooth loss and developing the disease. Dr Carter said: 'Interestingly, this research shows that there is evidence to support the theory that gum disease can have a much larger impact on the health of our whole body. 'It suggests that severe gum disease is associated with instances of breast cancer and this may be through spread of infection and inflammation starting in the mouth. 'The research mentions that more research is required in order to identify the specific relationship, something we very much welcome.' The findings were published in the journal of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter (HealthDay)Obesity may be associated with an increased risk for rosacea, according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. Suyun Li, Ph.D., from Guangzhou Medical University in China, and colleagues used data from 89,886 participants in the Nurses' Health Study II (1991 to 2005) to assess the relationship between obesity and rosacea. The researchers found that over 14 years of follow-up there were 5,249 incident cases of rosacea. The risk for rosacea was higher among those with increased body mass index (BMI; P trend < 0.0001). For BMI 35.0 kg/m, the hazard ratio of rosacea was 1.48, compared to those with a BMI of 21.0 to 22.9 kg/m. A significantly increased risk for rosacea was seen with higher waist circumference and hip circumference (P trend < 0.0001), independent of BMI. "The study contributes to the understanding of rosacea etiology and informs clinical practice related to rosacea prevention and patient care," the authors write. Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. (HealthDay)If you or a family member develops scabies, you need to take immediate action, a dermatologist advises. Scabies is a common skin condition caused by the human itch mite. Symptoms include an itchy rash, sores and a thick crust on the skin. "Most people get scabies from direct skin-to-skin contact, although it's possible to get scabies from infested bedding, clothes and furniture," said Dr. Joshua Zeichner, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. "Since scabies is contagious, it tends to spread easily among children, mothers with young children and residents of nursing homes and extended care facilities," he explained in an American Academy of Dermatology news release. If you suspect you or someone in your family has scabies, see a doctor. Medicine to treat scabies is only available with a prescription. Because scabies is highly contagious, it's also important to notify people around you. If you get treatment, people you live with or have close contact with also need treatment. Otherwise, they can get the mites, and you can get them again, Zeichner said. The day that you begin treatment, wash all bedding, clothes and towels in hot water and dry everything in a hot dryer. If you can't wash something in a washing machine, take it to a dry cleaner or seal it in a plastic bag for at least one week to kill the mites, which can't survive longer than three to four days without being on a human. It's also important to vacuum your entire home on the day you start treatment. After you're done, throw away the vacuum bag or wash the vacuum canister with hot, soapy water. You don't need to treat your pets because the human itch mite cannot survive on animals, Zeichner said. More information: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on scabies Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Intensive surveillance including a dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) exam every six months was far more effective in detecting breast cancer in younger women with a high-risk genetic profile than an annual mammogram, according to a research team based at the University of Chicago Medicine and the University of Washington, Seattle. The results, presented Dec. 8, 2017 at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, suggest that for this population, intensive efforts to "downstage" aggressive breast cancer by finding small early lesions in women with high-risk mutations are crucial to improving outcomes. "This study demonstrates, for the first time, that aggressive breast cancers can be caught early, without excessive recalls or biopsies," said Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, a distinguished service professor of medicine and human genetics and director of the University of Chicago's Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics. "Because of intensive surveillance and high quality care the majority of high-risk women in this studymost of whom had highly penetrant genetic mutationshave not developed breast cancer." The study was designed to evaluate psychosocial distress levels and quality of life in women undergoing intensive surveillance. Between 2004 and December 2016, the researchers recruited 305 women into a clinical trial. Volunteers had to have a lifetime breast cancer risk greater than 20 percent. More than half of the women enrolled (53%) had mutations in breast cancer related genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2 or CDH1. Ten volunteers dropped out before the first round of screening. The women who enrolled had to have mutations in one of 11 known breast cancer-related genes, or a diagnosis of breast cancer or carcinoma in situ before age 35, or a mother or sister diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 (before age 40 for those of African ancestry). The mean age at entry was 43.3 years. After evaluation by a physician and a genetic counselor, participants were scheduled to undergo a clinical breast examination and a DCE-MRI scan every six months, and a digital mammogram every 12 months. Study subjects also had BROCA panel genetic tests looking for 12 genes associated with a predisposition to breast cancer. Those with high genetic risk mutations who completed five years of the study protocol were offered continued screening. (Enrollment closed in December 2016.) Over the course of the study, the researchers performed 2,111 DCE-MRIs (on average, about seven per participant) and 1,223 mammograms (four per participant). All cancers detected during the study were smaller than a centimeter. The researchers found 17 cancers: four ductal carcinoma in situ and 13 early stage breast cancers. Fifteen of those cancers occurred in participants with pathogenic mutations. Eleven involved BRCA1, three involved BRCA2, and one involved CDH1. None of the cancers had spread to the lymph nodes. The mean tumor size was 0.61 centimeter. The 17 patients who developed a cancer were followed continuously for a median of 5.3 years (range 0.5 to 11 years). All remain alive and free of systemic disease. Anxiety levels decreased over time and quality of life for the participants improved. The study authors recommend "further interventional studies evaluating this novel screening approach to personalize breast cancer risk assessment and prevention." In this study, DCE-MRI every 6 months "performed well for early detection of invasive breast cancer in high-risk women, accomplishing the ultimate goal of breast cancer screeningdetecting node-negative, invasive tumors less than 1 centimeter," said Olopade, an American Cancer Society Clinical Research professor. "These scans performed especially well in BRCA1 mutation carriers, who are at risk for aggressive subtypes of breast cancer." "Mammograms remain important for most women," Olopade said. "But for women at high risk who are getting a DCE-MRI every six months, annual mammograms could probably be eliminated." For this group of younger women at significantly elevated risk, especially those with a BRCA1 mutation, we strongly support getting a DCE-MRI every six months." "The central goal of our study was to understand the needs of the highest risk women," said study co-author Mary Claire King, PhD, professor of genome sciences and of medicine at the University of Washington and the Walt Disney-American Cancer Society Research Professor for Breast Cancer. King has advocated for all women to be offered testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 at about age 30, regardless of personal or family history of cancer, so that women with mutations can take action to prevent cancer in their futures. "My concern is that mammography and MRI be used in ways that make sense given a woman's personal genetics," she said. "Women with mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 have very different needs for surveillance for breast disease than do women with no mutations in these genes. This is particularly true for healthy young women with mutations. It's truly critical to offer intensive surveillance to still-healthy women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations." YEREVAN. The condition of military serviceman Narek Hoveyan, who was wounded in a landmine explosion in the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR), has stabilized. The Ministry of Defense Central Clinical Military Hospital in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, told the aforementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am. They added that even though Hoveyan is able to speak, he is still at the intensive care unit of this hospital. Soon he will be transferred to an ophthalmology center to treat his eye. One of the soldiers eyes was removed at the military hospital in Stepanakert, the capital city of the NKR; but there is hope that his other eye will be saved. As reported earlier, Gegham Zakaryan (born in 1995), Sargis Abrahamyan (born in 1998), and Sargis Melikyan (born in 1997) died on November 21, in a landmine explosion at the protection area of an NKR Defense Army unit. And serviceman Narek Hoveyan (born in 1998) was wounded in the explosion. YEREVAN.- Spokesperson for the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Eduard Sharmazanov commented on three co-chairing states statement, made after the meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and his Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Vienna. "The statement by the foreign ministers of the three co-chairing countries that Karabakh conflict should be settled exclusively through peaceful means, on the basis of the Minsk principles is very important. This is very important, this is what the Armenian side claims for more than a year. We note that it is impossible to expect any substantial progress in our negotiation process without the implementation of these agreements. We exclude the military solution of the problem, we are exclusively for the preservation of peace in the region, he told reporters after the RPA Executive Body session Friday. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, who is on a working visit to Vienna, met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov on December 6. Turkey sentences sect founder to 8,658 years in prison Xi Jinping urges world to abandon any Cold War mentality Aliyev rules out talks with Artsakh State Minister FP: Ukraine's appetite for weapons depletes Western stocks Putin and Aliyev discuss energy cooperation Armenian financial technologies to enter international market: VISA and Idram sign memorandum in Yerevan Incident in Poland causes disagreement between Kyiv and West Mark Milley urges Kyiv and Moscow to find political solution: Chances of military victory are unlikely New NATO Secretary General to be announced at Vilnius summit in 2023 Finnish Defense Ministry announces largest batch of military aid to Ukraine Pashinyan receives Ukrainian businessmen of Armenian origin Armenian soldier wounded in Azerbaijani shooting Erdogan: Turkey-Israel relations entered a new phase of development Mishustin: Cooperation between Moscow and Baku has become truly strategic and allied Igor Khovaev to visit Baku Mishustin arrives in Baku Russian Foreign Ministry: South Caucasus is a strategic transport hub for Eurasia U.S. general lays flowers at eternal flame at Armenian Genocide memorial Republicans stand for same-sex marriage rights Pallone says US State Department should not hesitate to speak about Azerbaijani aggression Aliyev refuses to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh and threatens Armenia with new aggression Greek minister doesn't get off plane to meet head of Libya's presidential council Sergey Lavrov to visit Yerevan Lebanese parliament fails to elect president of country Kremlin on Zelenskyy's proposal to hold 'public' talks National Assembly Speaker: Armenia is extremely interested in establishing strategic relations with Georgia Canada provides additional military aid to Ukraine Representatives of defense agencies of CSTO countries discuss crisis response issues Armenian Defense Minister and American General discuss defense cooperation Tehran accuses Israel and West of trying to organize civil war in Iran Oppositionist: No guarantees that war with Azerbaijan can be avoided Issue of biometric passports to Armenian citizens is temporarily suspended Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement to be signed till end of year? Pashinyan's associate voices conditions Erdogan says Russia and US agreed to refrain from using nuclear weapons Azerbaijani oppositionist complains of torture by police Kyaram Sloyan and Andranik Zohrabyan posthumously bestowed 'Hero of Artsakh' title UN Secretary General Guterres welcomes parties' agreement on renewal of food deal Eurasian Development Bank: Armenia is the leader among EEU countries in terms of economic growth Greece promises to continue military support to Ukraine Number of appeals from Azerbaijan to ECHR is growing Pashinyan: The wheel of processes related to confiscation of illegal property is spinning Fire hits Baghdad airport North Korea fires ballistic missile towards Sea of Japan Istanbul agrees to extend 'grain initiative' for another 120 days 'Hayastan' Fund to build 6 residential houses in Nerkin Khndzoresk village Vocal as Russophobic propaganda: Azerbaijani singer sings about 'disgusting peacekeepers' Biden congratulates Republicans on winning majority in House of Representatives 14 freight cars derailed in Kazakhstan, train traffic suspended Newspaper: Ruben Vardanyan does not hurry to make changes in composition of Karabakh government Russia attacks Ukraine with missiles in morning: Explosions heard in Dnieper, air defense works in Kyiv region U.S. National Security Council: It is clear that the party ultimately responsible for this tragic incident is Russia Gold prices decline Russian Trade Representative to Armenia: Situation at Upper Lars checkpoint is not related to geopolitical issues Trade Representative of Russia: Trade turnover with Armenia sets new record Copper falls in price Gas explodes in Fatih district of Istanbul, 10 people injured Oil prices go down Meteorite that fell in Britain contains key information about how oceans and life formed on Earth Gamer drinks 12 energy drinks in ten minutes and ends up in hospital Chinese customs officers accidentally find cockroach unknown to science Man removes cobra's teeth with manicure pliers and gets arrested Sweden to provide Ukraine with new military aid worth $287 million Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania meet conditions for joining Schengen zone 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 Donfried says Armenia and Azerbaijan have historic opportunity to establish lasting peace Bob Menendez: How on earth can we justify sending any support, security or otherwise, to the regime in Baku? 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 The four Turkish intellectuals, who visited Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in September, have issued a joint statement in connection with the recent remarks by the foreign minister of Turkey. Former MP Ufuk Uras, writer Sait Cetinoglu, journalist Ali Bayramoglu, and academician Erol Katrcoglu have stated that what FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said about them several days ago is untrue, according to Demokrathaber website of Turkey. There are no apology, regret, or thoughts that express such a meaning in our letter addressed to Azerbaijan, the said statement reads, in particular. Furthermore, no investigation into us has begun in Turkey. We told Mevlut Cavusoglu that we are intellectuals, journalists, and are visiting the conflict zones, and that our visit has nothing to do with legal statuses. We are against Cavusoglu presenting what we said in a distorted way. After these Turkish intellectuals visit to Artsakh, Azerbaijan issued an international search for, and filed a criminal case against, them, and demanded from Turkey to hand them over to it. Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu recently claimed that these intellectuals had apologized to Azerbaijan for visiting Nagorno-Karabakh. Garo Paylan, Istanbul Armenian MP from the opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) of Turkey, reflected on the Turkish response to US President Donald Trumps statement on recognizing Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel. The AKP [the ruling Justice and Development Party of Turkey] has signed under the agreement that recognizes Jerusalem as the capital [city of Israel before Trump]! he wrote on his Twitter account. They are attempting to change the corruption agenda with cheap valor. In this connection, Paylan pointed to the agreement between the AKP and the Israeli authorities with respect to the Mavi Marmara operation, and where it is noted that this document is signed between Ankara and Jerusalem. In June 2016, this agreement was signed in order to normalize Turkey-Israel relations that were strained due to the military operation by Israel against six civilian ships, including Turkish ship MV Mavi Marmara. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday stated that he recognizes Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel, and said the US Department of State has been ordered to start transferring the US embassy in Israel, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But this decision brought about worldwide reaction. The Chinese authorities and the government of Panama signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of railway transport. The agreement suggests that the People's Republic of China will start working on the project of building communication lines for the transportation of passengers and goods in the territory of this Latin American country, Tass reports. As reported by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, this project is planned to be implemented in accordance with One belt, one road initiative. In a statement published on the official website of the department, it is noted that the relevant document was signed in the Panamanian capital by the Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China Zhong Shan and the acting Foreign Minister of Panama, Louis Miguel Hincapie, in the presence of President Juan Carlos Varela. According to Zhong Shan, during the recent meeting of the leaders of the two states, a number of important agreements were reached, according to which it was possible to draw up a roadmap for the development of bilateral relations, clearly outline directions for cooperation. Zhong Shan added that the main task of his current visit is the implementation of these plans, strengthening contacts with Panama, establishing ties in accordance with the initiative One belt, one road. YEREVAN. President Serzh Sargsyan on Saturday participated in the final session of the conference devoted to the local self-government and territorial administration bodies of Armenia, in Dilijan town. Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, Davit Lokyan, summed up the results of this conference, and spoke about the key issues of this domain, press office of the President informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. Subsequently, the leaders of several enlarged communities presented the one-year accomplishments of this process, the existing challenges, and the respective solutions being offered. President Sargsyan, in turn, delivered an address, and responded to the queries posed by those in attendance. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held discussions with the French President Emmanuel Macronto discuss Washington's decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thus recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This is reported by TASS with reference to NTV television channel. According to NTV, in a telephone conversation with Macron, Erdogan said that the protection of the historical status of Jerusalem is an obligation of all mankind. The parties also agreed to work together to convince the U.S. to reconsider its decision. The Turkish leader also held discussions on the same topic with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, head of the Kazakh state Nursultan Nazarbayev and Lebanese leader Michel Aoun. Hundreds of Palestinians are taking part in protests on the West bank of the river Jordan and the Gaza Strip against the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel by the U.S. President Donald Trump, TASS reports quoting Israeli defense army. The document says that several hundred Palestinians continue to participate in protests in five main hearths of activity in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The border police and army in all these regions keep the sources of unrest under control. The level of confrontation is shrinking. The army clarified that protests involving several dozens of people are now in particular at the entrances to the cities of Ramallah, Tulkarm and Bethlehem in the West Bank. Police said they dispersed a demonstration in one of the districts of East Jerusalem after attempts by several dozen protesters to block the road. The Israeli police are on duty in Salah-ad-Din Street, where in the morning of December 9 clashes led to wounding of 12 people. The ambulance crews take out the victims as a result of conflicts. A group of young people are throwing stones on Israeli soldiers. In response, the military throws them grenades with tear gas. Collisions are captured by numerous journalists dressed in body armor and gas masks. Several protesters were injured and were taken from the place by ambulance crews. At the same time, Ramallah continues to live an ordinary life - cars are driving past skirmishes, many of which are signaling as a token of support for the actions of young people. In the Gaza Strip, the army estimates that some 4,500 Palestinians participated in violent riots in six different regions along the border. According to the army press service, during the riots the soldiers selectively shot at some instigators in the Gaza Strip and some shots were confirmed. At the same time, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, two Palestinians were shot in the sector during the protests, three others received gunshot wounds. According to the Ministry of Autonomy, during the Friday protest actions, nearly 1.1 thousand Arabs suffered, including from gas poisoning. By his decision on Jerusalem President Donald Trump violated all international norms, and his country will no longer play any role in the peace process in the region. This was stated at a press conference in Cairo by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki. Palestine official was speaking at the margins of an emergency meeting on Jerusalem convened by the League of Arab States at the level of the foreign ministers, Tass reports. According to him, by his decision which the Palestinians, and all countries of the world categorically reject, Trump deprived the U.S. of their role in the peace process, his country has now become a party to the conflict. By this step, which is apolitical and has no legitimacy, Washington violated all international laws. According to al-Maliki, the Arab bloc in the UN Security Council is tasked with preparing a draft resolution urging the United States to abolish the decision to move the embassy. Why is anyone watching this show? Reply Thread Link LMAO Reply Parent Thread Link lmao me Reply Parent Thread Link omg Reply Parent Thread Link Lmao, basically. Edited at 2017-12-09 03:39 am (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link I felt that way about s1. I binged on Netflix and got super into it. Reply Parent Thread Link For Cheryl Reply Parent Thread Expand Link the real questions Reply Parent Thread Link its hilariously bad, you have to watch it as a comedy Reply Parent Thread Link I was so shocked watching this that my body decided to start laughing. The combination of her singing Mad World and then stripping was something else. Reply Thread Link Lmao like why did she decide that that was the best song to strip to? Reply Parent Thread Link Veronica and Archie were singing it for kareoke but ran off so she just decided to step in and finish the song Really, the showrunner has always wanted to use the song because I remember it getting namedropped in the pilot script Reply Parent Thread Link I stopping watching this show half-way through s1, why did she start stripping? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I couldn't deal with her disembodied voice still singing while she started stripping then the camera cutting TO HER MOTHER. This show really took a shit fast. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I couldn't believe what I was watching, and then filmed it for my instagram story as a way to process what I was watching was actually real. Reply Parent Thread Link THANK YOU!!! What the fuck was that?!!! Reply Thread Link Isn't that one of the main reasons they use actors well into adulthood? Like, how many shows portray things like teachers raping students as romantic or passionate flings, including Riverdale? There's A LOT of normalizing teenagers in sexual adult situations. Edited at 2017-12-09 03:15 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link Yeahhhhhh everything about this episode was too much for me, I think I'm done with Riverdale tbh. Reply Parent Thread Link also didn't this exact scenario happen on Gossip Girl? I don't know the plot of this one but it involves a teenager stripping, so.. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Yeah it feels like American teen shows are more about creating a fantasy world with actors who are actually in their early 20's, it's rarely aiming to be a realistic depiction of being an awkward and spotty 15/16 year old Reply Parent Thread Link I was behind on this show and was going to catch up on Netflix, but yiiiiiikesss... Reply Thread Link This show is garbage but I can't stop watching. Reply Thread Link The tag line tbh Reply Parent Thread Link true lmao Reply Parent Thread Link These shows have been sexualizing teenagers since day 1. Reply Thread Link Mte its stupid but also not that surprising Reply Parent Thread Link yes. that's literally their whole point. Reply Parent Thread Link it was such a useless scene too! unless they're going to make betty a serpent, which they seemed to cut-off before it even started, it served no narrative purpose other than to humiliate betty?? there are other ways to point out that betty is OTT and misguided like i honestly forget they're all supposed to even be in high school most of the time because none of them look under 18 but regardless it was completely absurd and gross situation. FP getting a room full of grown gang members to clap for his teenage son's girlfriend's strip/pole dance is just... yikes Reply Thread Link Yep, as soon as Toni said that she has to do this ~misogynistic ritual to just to be Serpent-adjacent, I was like heeeeere we fucking go. How convenient. Reply Parent Thread Link I couldn't believe how many times they had to say it. "Do the serpent dance!" (Cuts to stripper on pole) "What's the serpent dance?" (Cuts back to stripper) "A gross misogynistic ritual." (Cuts to stripper again) "I don't get it!" (Shows stripper AGAIN) "You don't wanna know." (Oop she's still on the pole!!!) "Yeah I do! What is it??!" Jesus. Fucking. Christ. We get it. We all fucking get it. Reply Parent Thread Link lol, that's such classic male writing tho. 'look, we admitted it was misogynistic, we're not dinosaurs! now when you watch her on the pole, you don't need to feel guilty!' Reply Parent Thread Link I think it was just their way of giving Jughead a ~legit reason to leave Betty after he was just told he broke his father's heart because he wanted out of the Serpent life and now he was dragged back into it to keep his son safe. Why they couldn't just have him leave Betty because she was getting too close is beyond me but. Reply Parent Thread Link riverdale sexualizing teenagers? color me shocked. Reply Thread Link I was so horrified. I kept shouting "why?!" at the screen. Reply Thread Link The second-hand embarrassment was real. Reply Thread Link I tried to give Season 2 of the show a chance but after this episode A BIG NOPE. Every character is unlikable now (except maybe Kevin and Josie). I loved Betty in S1 but everything about her now is revolving around her being a good girlfriend (except for when she's being blackmailed). Reply Thread Link Semi hoping for Josie and Kevin to be stepsiblings in season 3 because I just want the show to keep throwing things at the wall Reply Parent Thread Link wait so all of these teens randomly sing? badly? Reply Thread Link Andrew Rannells.......god I always forget he was a voice actor and ADR director. Reply Parent Thread Link I loved this show. Reply Parent Thread Link i am still salty that moose fucking reached out to kevin in the hospital and kevin just straight up ditched him Reply Parent Thread Link i remember the episode about the evil alien potatoes and i was so ~spooked~ by it lmaoooo Reply Parent Thread Link YASSSSS Reply Parent Thread Link I still do wish this is what the show had been Reply Parent Thread Link ok this song tho why Reply Thread Link veronica and archie were singing it and just walked off stage so she just took over Reply Parent Thread Link Charlie Sheen sues National Enquirer for defamation over Corey Haim allegation https://t.co/qXgGPfVs3K pic.twitter.com/Chd9CU4mZT Hollywood Reporter (@THR) December 9, 2017 Charlie Sheen filed a lawsuit against the tabloid, itsand "Breaking the Cycle" actorfor alleging that he raped Corey HaimSheen's lawyer claimed that Howard wrote the story as a revenge because he was not the first one to break the story that the "Lucas" star is HIV positive"The statements are categorically false and in the article, Defendant NEI outright states that the individual who claimed that the abuse occurred, Defendant Dominick Brascia, is himself accused of having molested Corey Haim." "Thus, Defendant Howard and Defendants NEI and AMI entertained serious doubt as to the truth of the publication and/or acted with a high degree of awareness of probably falsity."Corey's mom, Judy Haim, denied the rape allegations involving her son and Charlie SheenNational Enquirer editor-in-chiefhas been accused by numerous former American Media employees of sexual harassment Im going to stan her from now on Reply Thread Link That's great of her but she looks so out of place in the middle of a protest, it's weird lol Reply Thread Link she aint shit but this is amazing. kudos to her. Reply Thread Link Protesting in a dress and coat is a lewk tbh. I was seeing videos on my timeline last night from NYC. Looks like a lot of people showed up. Reply Thread Link I wonder if Gal Gadot joined them Reply Parent Thread Link I'd guess a hard no Reply Parent Thread Link This is so awesome of her. <3 I know her dad has been really emotional over this (considering he got forcibly removed from his home at the age of 2) so I'm sure he's really proud of her. I find it really convenient that some celebs who have commented on every big political story are mute on this. LOL, performative activism strikes again. Reply Thread Link WOW. I'm kinda shocked by this. Celebs are always so afraid to be so publicly pro-Palestine. I still remember Zayn deleting his free Palestine tweet Reply Thread Link I remember. That was so wild. Of course, none of his band mates stood up for him. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I think Rihanna deleted an insta post back then tho? He didn't delete it https://twitter.com/zaynmalik/status/493554275071836160 I think Rihanna deleted an insta post back then tho? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link MTE. Celebrities and public figures in general will never publicly defend Palestine because the second they do they are smeared as anti-semite. That's also what happen with politicians who dare to voice their support too (see what Dems did to Keith Ellison and what Corbyn went through in the UK). Of course, most of them don't care about Palestine either way, because that's the general stance among the US wealthy. Edited at 2017-12-09 08:00 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Well she is Palestinian Reply Parent Thread Link I remember Selena Gomez got a ton of shit for her post about Gaza. Ironic since when she finally opened her mouth about something she got attacked. Wonder if that's why she went into "you don't know what I do." "The universe works in mysterious ways" mentality Reply Parent Thread Link Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz were both very vocally pro-Palestine during the 2014 seige on Gaza Reply Parent Thread Link I dont know I feel like since the attacks on the gaza strip back in the summer of 2014, people are being more brave to speak out agains the Israeli government including jewish celebs. Finally people are getting it Reply Parent Thread Link the hadids have always been very politically vocal it seems, despite their fuck-ups (im talking to you, gigi) Reply Parent Thread Link The random hands on her waist is kind of killing me bc you can't see a person behind her. Reply Thread Link Edited at 2017-12-09 04:00 pm (UTC) i'm laughing so hard at this photo, his face lmaoooo Reply Parent Thread Expand Link omg lmao Reply Parent Thread Link omg Reply Parent Thread Link oh my god lmao is he alright Reply Parent Thread Link I just yelped Reply Parent Thread Link HE LOOKS TERRIFIED LOL Reply Parent Thread Link i love how she randomly saw it and decided to join and the paparazzi just casually happened to be there lol this cool tho Reply Thread Link Likely that people were already there to photograph the protest itself and noticed her. Reply Parent Thread Link i'd be a lot more inclined to believe that if she didn't call the paps every where she goes and i love ur icon! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link this is one instance where i am glad if she called them Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I love her for this. She's risking a lot but still standing for what is right. Reply Thread Link i think that's amazing. ngl this makes me want to stan her. Reply Thread Link I thought Gigi would be doing the same thing, where is she? And Zayn? Reply Parent Thread Link She got a man? Whose hands are those? And shes serving me old white lady watching Ivankas DC house being protested teas Reply Thread Link That's exactly who I thought of as well. Just show up in furs smiling. Reply Parent Thread Link can this become a lewk? even if i'm poor and wearing a faux coat. I'm feeling it. Feels very roaring 20s lol Reply Parent Thread Link Bodyguard, I think Reply Parent Thread Link Hahah this is who she reminded me of Reply Parent Thread Link lmao i love this Reply Parent Thread Link I cant even walk in stilettos, much less attend a protest in them. Bless Reply Thread Link LMAO Reply Parent Thread Link lol Reply Parent Thread Link wendy williams of marxism is killing me Reply Parent Thread Link lol Reply Parent Thread Link have no idea which part of "Wendy Williams of marxism" is worse lol Reply Parent Thread Link lmao Reply Parent Thread Link YAS LMAO Reply Parent Thread Link Yep, she's like got it. Edited at 2017-12-09 09:34 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link yass Reply Parent Thread Link Good for her. Americans, how much more must Trump destabilise the world and your own damn country before your government intervenes... Reply Thread Link Nothing is gonna happen as long as the Republicans have the majority. Reply Parent Thread Link Republicans don't give a fuck. Reply Parent Thread Link Most Americans can't even point to Israel/Jerusalem/Palestine on a map, so doubt they understand why it was massively fucking stupid to do what Trump did. Also, aren't most Christians like ecstatic about this cause they think it'll bring about the end of the world and god or whoever the fuck will come back and put on a concert or whatever they fucking believe in? Edited at 2017-12-09 04:16 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link Yes, they think if they move the capital to Jerusalem then it will speed the process of the rapture lmao fucking idiots. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link literally a lot of americans have zero concept of the world, they don't know what's going on or what any of this means - they just want coal back! will jerusalem BRING BACK COAL?!?!?! Reply Parent Thread Link I would say 'most Christians' is def an overestimate but most crazy Christians. Reply Parent Thread Link i think you mean evangelical christians tho, i don't think the rest share those same views Reply Parent Thread Link The whole thing is so tragic. People's lives are in the hands of a handfull of nacisistic assholes -- one of whom could not point to Israel on a map (even if he wanted to). Reply Parent Thread Link Unfortunately, Trump is the government. Reply Parent Thread Link Republicans are amping up the anti-investigation rhetoric, so...it's unlikely anything will happen while they hold power. :\ Reply Parent Thread Link I mean unless we go into civil war again, the FBI gets rid of Trump a la Kennedy, or you'll have to wait till the rest of the states get the opportunity to vote for Congress leaders. I believe that's next year. Reply Parent Thread Link MTE. How has the White House not been stormed? How has civil war not started? Reply Parent Thread Link A solar instrument package known as TSIS designed and built by CU Boulder to help monitor the planet's climate is set for launch aboard a SpaceX rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: NASA A solar instrument package designed and built by the University of Colorado Boulder to help monitor the planet's climate is now set for launch Dec. 12 aboard a SpaceX rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The instrument suite is called the Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor (TSIS-1) and was designed and built by CU Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The contract value to LASP is $90 million and includes the instrument suite and an associated mission ground system on the CU Boulder campus. TSIS-1 will launch on a commercial SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo container for delivery to the International Space Station (ISS). It will monitor the total amount of sunlight hitting Earth, as well as how the light is distributed among the ultraviolet, visible and infrared wavelengths. CU Boulder Professor Peter Pilewskie of LASP, lead mission scientist on the project, said TSIS will continue a 40-year record of measuring total solar radiation by CU Boulder, the longest continuous climate record from space. "The sun drives all of Earth's processes, from atmospheric and oceanic circulation to chemical and biological activity," said Pilewskie, also a professor in the Department of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences. "Trying to understand Earth's climate without measuring the sun is like trying to balance your checkbook without knowing your income. How the atmosphere responds to subtle changes in the sun's output helps us distinguish between natural and human influences on climate." Overall satellite measurements of the sun from space have shown that changes in its radiation over time - during periods of both high and low solar activity - is only about 0.1 percent. While scientists believe changes in solar output cannot explain Earth's recent warming, a longer dataset could reveal greater swings in solar radiation. TSIS consists of two instruments: The Total Irradiance Monitor that measures the total light coming from the sun at all wavelengths, and the Spectral Irradiance Monitor to measure how sunlight is distributed by wavelength. The latter is important because light at different wavelengths is absorbed by different parts of the planet's atmosphere and surface, helping to determine how the Earth system responds to solar variability. At its peak, the project involved about 30 scientists and engineers at LASP as well as another 300 people from Colorado and around the country, said TSIS-1 Project Manager Brian Boyle of LASP. All told, more than 1,000 people worked on TSIS in the past two decades. The mission, slated to run at least five years, also has involved about 15 to 20 CU Boulder students to date. In addition, hardware designed and built by CU Boulder's BioServe Space Technologies, headquartered in CU Boulder's Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences department, will be launched on the same SpaceX Dragon to facilitate two biomedical experiments on ISS. One, designed by LaunchPad Medical LLC in Lowell, Massachusetts, will carry high-tech BioServe culture plates to grow bone cells with a commercially used bone adhesive and a second, newly developed bone adhesive, said BioServe Associate Director Stefanie Countryman. Scientists know that astronauts living and working in the low gravity of space undergo the loss of bone mass over time. The bone cell experiments will be imaged on board ISS and then returned to Earth for analysis and comparison to ground control experiments. BioServe hardware also will be used to test a drug delivery system on ISS for combating muscular breakdown, an experiment that has implications for both astronauts in space and for people with muscle disorders on Earth. Designed by the Houston Methodist Research Institute, the experiment will include two groups of mice: One implanted with a placebo, and the other a drug-delivery chip meant to help maintain muscle mass. BioServe has flown experiments or hardware on each of the 14 SpaceX cargo resupply missions to ISS since they began in 2012, said BioServe Director Louis Stodieck. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for the rights of the Turkish-speaking Muslim minority in Thrace, northeastern Greece to be respected during a visit on Friday. "We (Turkey) continue to work hard to improve the quality of life of our Greek origin citizens, like our citizens. And we believe it is our right to expect the same approach from Greece," Erdogan said during a speech in the town of Komotini. Nearly 1,000 members of the minority group -- which numbers between 120,000 and 150,000 in total -- warmly welcomed the Turkish president to the region which borders Turkey, an AFP journalist said. Erdogan's official visit to Greece on Thursday was the first by a Turkish president in 65 years. He denounced the "discrimination" of the Muslim minority during talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, citing terms in the 1923 Lausanne Treaty which he said had not been "respected". The treaty, which defined the borders of the Turkish state at the end of the Ottoman Empire, includes a Greco-Turkish chapter devoted to minority rights. Contrary to its terms, Athens appoints religious jurists known as muftis instead of allowing the local community to do so, Erdogan said in Athens. "You are the bridge between Turkey and Greece, we see you like this," Erdogan told the crowd as he called for "unity" and "solidarity". "Right now, in the Greek parliament, four MPs represent you. These lawmakers must work hard." Tsipras on Thursday countered Erdogan's claims by urging him to speed up social reforms in Turkey, where many are still imprisoned after a crackdown by his government that followed the attempted army coup last year. By Alessandra Prentice and Natalia Zinets KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian police recaptured the former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday, prompting further protests in central Kiev by his supporters who freed him from police custody earlier this week. The development is the latest twist in a long feud between Ukrainian authorities and Saakashvili, who has turned on his one-time patron President Petro Poroshenko, accusing him of corruption and calling for his removal from office. General Prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko, who says Saakashvili is suspected of assisting a criminal organisation, said the opposition leader had been detained by police and was in a temporary detention facility. "As promised, security officers did everything to avoid extreme violence and bloodshed," he said in a post on Facebook. Saakashvili's recapture follows a surreal game of hide-and-seek that saw him clamber on a roof to avoid law enforcement, before being broken out of a police van by protesters amid clashes with hundreds of riot police on Tuesday. Ally and fellow Georgian, Davit Sakvarelidze, who was fired in March from his post as a senior prosecutor for Ukraine, called on Kiev residents to take to the streets to protest Saakashvili's recapture. "Today Poroshenko broke all records and went down in history as a dictator who does this to political opponents," he told channel NewsOne near the detention centre in central Kiev. As of 2200 GMT, a few hundred protesters had gathered near the facility not far from the parliament, shouting 'Shame!' and 'Kiev, get up!' while a large number of police in riot gear stood guard. Saakashvili became a regional governor in Ukraine in 2015 at Poroshenko's invitation but they later fell out. Saakashvili denies the allegations against him. The saga threatens to embarrass the pro-Western authorities at a time when they face a chorus of criticism from reformers and foreign donors over perceived backtracking on reforms and attacks on anti-corruption institutions. Story continues On Friday, Poroshenko said the case against Saakashvili was legitimate and that he should cooperate with investigators. "If he flees from the investigation, this undermines his credibility," he said. After escaping police custody, Saakashvili called for a rally against Poroshenko in Kiev to be held on Sunday, although he has kept a low profile in recent days after reportedly catching a cold while sleeping in makeshift protest camp outside parliament. The politician's latest detention followed a failed attempt by police to recapture him in a raid on the camp on Wednesday, which led to violent clashes with protesters. While Saakashvili has a core base of supporters, he enjoys limited support across Ukraine. Only 1.7 percent of voters would support his party, the Movement of New Forces, in elections, according to an October survey by the Kiev-based Razumkov Centre think-tank. His backers see him as a fearless crusader against corruption but critics have said that there is little substance behind his rhetoric. (Reporting by Alessandra Prentice and Natalia Zinets; editing by Andrew Roche) Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili has gone on hunger strike to protest his arrest in Ukraine on charges of trying to stage a coup sponsored by Russia, his lawyer and supporters said Saturday. Kiev police rearrested the foe of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday after an attempt to detain him earlier in the week dramatically failed when supporters swarmed the van where he was being held. "Saakashvili has announced an indefinite hunger strike," journalist and close ally Vladimir Fedorin wrote on Facebook, in comments echoed by the former leader's lawyer Ruslan Chornolutskyi to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. The 49-year-old denounced the "false accusations" against him, Chornolutskyi added. Around 100 supporters of Saakashvili, the man who pulled Georgia out of Russia's orbit in a 2003 revolution before becoming a governor in Ukraine, gathered outside a security service detention centre shouting "shame" on Friday following his arrest. A court hearing on the case is expected be held in Kiev on Monday. Prosecutors would ask for Saakashvili to be held under pretrial house arrest, prosecutor General spokeswoman Larysa Sargan said. Since Saakashvili escaped detention on Tuesday he has continued leading protests outside parliament demanding Poroshenko's impeachment over his failure to fight high-level corruption. Saakashvili denies committing any crimes and says his actions have been peaceful and legal. Tuesday's drama marked the latest chapter in the dizzying career of a man who spearheaded a pro-Western "Rose Revolution" in Georgia in 2003 and fought a disastrous war with Russia five years later that eventually prompted him to flee the Caucasus country. Saakashvili returned to the spotlight as a vocal champion of the three-month street uprising in Kiev that toppled a Moscow-backed government in 2014 and turned Ukraine on a pro-EU course. Poroshenko rewarded Saakashvili for his efforts by appointing him governor of the important Black Sea region of Odessa in 2015. But an ugly falling out between the two men saw Saakashvili stripped of his Ukrainian passport -- only for him to defy the authorities and force his way back into the conflict-riven country with the help of supporters in September. Italy and Libya will set up a joint commission in a bid to fight back against people traffickers and tackle the problem of illegal migration, the Tripoli government said Saturday. The announcement was made after talks in the Libyan capital between Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti and Libya's Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Intelligence agents, coastguard and judicial officials from both countries will sit on the commission, Sarraj's office said in a statement. Human-trafficking networks have flourished in the chaos that followed a NATO-backed uprising which toppled long-time Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Sarraj said on Thursday the number of migrants stranded in his country was "staggering... we are talking about 500,000 migrants outside holding centres and 20,000 in the 42 centres run by the interior ministry". But speaking after talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Libyan premier vowed to take action to ease the plight of these migrants, most of whom come from sub-Saharan Africa. Minniti praised Libya's efforts to rescue migrants abandoned at sea by unscrupulous people traffickers, but said more cooperation was needed to monitor the country's southern borders. He said central European countries will be providing Libya with 35 million euros ($40 million) within a week to help the North African country in its anti-immigration efforts, the statement added. French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian speaks during an address to the media at the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE) in Mexico City, Mexico, November 1, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/Files (Reuters) By John Irish and Robin Emmott PARIS/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - France said on Friday the United States had sidelined itself in the Middle East by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, but the EU's top diplomat insisted Washington remains a mediator as Europe struggled for unity in its diplomacy. U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem revived old tensions between EU governments that want to see peace in the Middle East but have varying degrees of sympathy towards Israel and the Palestinians. "I hear some, including Mr Tillerson, say things will happen in time and the hour is for negotiations. Until now (the U.S.) could have had a mediation role in this conflict, but it has excluded itself a little," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, referring to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is in Paris for talks after visiting Brussels and Vienna. "The reality is they are alone and isolated on this issue," he told France Inter radio. With Britain distracted by its planned exit from the European Union, France is trying to lead Europe in Middle East negotiations, organising a peace conference last January. But it is EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini who represents the bloc in the Middle East Quartet of the United States, United Nations, the EU and Russia. On Thursday, Mogherini pledged to reinvigorate diplomacy with Russia, the United States, Jordan and others to ensure Palestinians have a capital in Jerusalem too. She said Washington was still a pivotal peacemaker. But Hungary blocked a statement planned by all EU 28 governments in response to Trump's announcement of Wednesday, leaving it to Mogherini to deliver a rejection of it. "There is no change in Hungary's Middle East policy compared with the recent past. We have made it clear previously that we urge a negotiated solution," the foreign ministry said in response to a Reuters request, declining to comment on the U.S. decision. Story continues "We do not consider a joint statement by the 28 member states of the European Union necessary on the matter." On Wednesday evening, the Czech foreign ministry said it would begin considering moving the Czech Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem "only based on results of negotiations with key partners in the region and in the world". Many in Israel saw the Czech ministry's statement as an endorsement of Trump's move. But Mogherini said on Friday Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek had reassured her the statement was "definitely not an act of support for the U.S. administration's decision." "He guaranteed to me that the Czech Republic stays firmly with the common European consolidated position," Mogherini told a news conference with Jordan's foreign minister. Prague accepts Israel's sovereignty only over West Jerusalem, diplomats say. Palestinians want the capital of a future state they seek to be in East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed in a move not recognised internationally. EU SEEKS UNITY IN MEETING WITH ISRAELI PM Mogherini stressed that all EU governments were united on the issue of Jerusalem and in seeking a solution envisaging a Palestinian state in territory - the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem - that Israel took 50 years ago. The EU believes it has a duty to make its voice heard as the Palestinians' biggest aid donor and Israel's biggest trade partner, but policy divisions within the bloc have weakened its influence. EU foreign ministers will aim to present a unified front to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting in Brussels on Monday. A senior French diplomat said it was crucial that EU governments had a clear message for the Israeli premier. "What we are going to try and do is convince our European partners when we meet Netanyahu ...to tell him that what is happening with the United States is a serious issue for him, Israel and any peace prospect," the diplomat said. Netanyahu will first stop off in Paris on Sunday to hold talks with President Emmanuel Macron. EU governments have a range of positions, from the Czech Republic's strong support for Israel, also shared by Germany, to Sweden's 2014 decision to recognise a future state of Palestine. The EU is also perceived by some in Israel as being too pro-Palestinian, partly because of the EU's long-held opposition to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. (Additional reporting by Robert Muller and Jan Lopatka in Prague and Gergely Szakacs in Budapest; writing by Robin Emmott; editing by Mark Heinrich and Richard Balmforth) Britain's foreign minister visited Iran on Saturday to press for the release of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe amid accusations at home that one of his gaffes has seriously harmed her case. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson held two hours of "frank" talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, which also touched on the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, the future of which has been thrown into doubt by US President Donald Trump. "They both spoke frankly about the obstacles that remain in the relationship, including the foreign secretary's concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian nationals," the British Foreign Office said in a statement. Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen, was arrested at Tehran airport in April 2016 after visiting relatives. She was given five years in prison over her alleged role in mass protests in 2009, which she denies, and will face additional charges in court on Sunday of "spreading propaganda". Husband Richard Ratcliffe, who had lobbied to join Johnson on the visit, says his wife has been used as a pawn in Iran's efforts to extract some 450 million pounds ($600 million) owed to Iran since before the 1979 Islamic revolution. He has raised concerns about his wife's mental health, citing the mounting toll of her prolonged incarceration in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. The case has become highly politicised, especially after a "slip of the tongue" by Johnson last month when he stated that Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been training journalists in Iran, which has been used by the Iranian authorities to help justify the new charges. Johnson also met with parliament speaker Ali Larijani and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, who said Britain needed to do more to open trade and banking ties with Iran. "Since the JCPOA (nuclear deal), trade and economic cooperation between the two countries have been unsatisfactory and the facilitation of banking relations can be a start for expanding cooperation in other sectors," Shamkhani said after the meeting, according to official news agency IRNA. Johnson, who is due to meet President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday, did not speak to reporters. - 'Harassment and prosecution' - Meanwhile, the BBC urged Johnson to raise their complaints about the "harassment and prosecution" of their Persian-language staff living abroad. "While he is in Iran, we urge Boris Johnson to raise the case of BBC Persian staff, who have had a criminal investigation launched against them simply because they work for the BBC," the broadcaster said on Twitter. BBC Persian staff have had their Iranian bank accounts frozen, and complain of threatening phone calls and interrogations of family members in Iran. Johnson is on a three-day trip to the region, stopping in Oman on Friday and moving on to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. It is the first visit of a foreign secretary to Iran since 2015 when the nuclear deal was signed. It unfolds amid mass protests across the Muslim world over Trump's decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. "While our relationship with Iran has improved significantly since 2011, it is not straightforward and on many issues we will not agree," Johnson said ahead of the trip. Britain severed diplomatic relations in 2011 after protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran in response to sanctions over the nuclear dispute. The embassy was reopened in 2015 and full relations restored last year. An attack which killed 15 United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo late Thursday is one of the worst in the history of the organisation. The following is a look at previous deadly attacks on the so-called Blue Berets: - Democratic Republic of Congo - - December 7, 2017: At least 15 United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania are killed, in what is the deadliest attack on its forces in the central African country since they were deployed in 1999. At least 53 are wounded, including several critically. The UN peacekeeping mission blames the attack on ADF, a Ugandan Muslim armed group with a presence in the country. - January 23, 2006: Eight Guatemalan peacekeepers are killed in a clash with armed men in the Garamba park in far eastern DRC. They were carrying out reconnaissance missions in the region which is suspected of harbouring fighters from Uganda's deadly Lord's Resistance Army. - February 25, 2005: Nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers are killed in an ambush as they patrol an area in Ituri in northern eastern DRC. - Mali - - May 29, 2016: Five Togolese peacekeepers are killed in Mali's central region of Mopti, in an attack which is not claimed. - May 18, 2016: Five Chadian peacekeepers are killed in an ambush near Aguelhoc in north eastern Mali. The attack is claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine, which controlled Mali's vast north for nearly 10 months between 2012 and January 2013. - February 12, 2016: Seven peacekeepers from Guinea are killed in a jihadist attack on their base in Kidal, also claimed by Ansar Dine. - July 2, 2015: Six peacekeepers from Burkina Faso are killed in an attack in northern Mali, south west of Timbuktu, claimed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). - October 3, 2014: Nine Nigerian peacekeepers are killed as they travel in the northeastern region of Gao. The attack is claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked MUJAO, one of the groups that controlled northern Mali between 2012 and early 2013. - Central African Republic - - May 9, 2017: Four Cambodians and one Moroccan peacekeeper are killed during an attack on their convoy in the south east of the Central African Republic. - Sudan - - July 13, 2013: Seven Tanzanian peacekeepers in the joint UN-African Union force in Darfur, Minuad, are killed in an ambush to near Nyala, one of Darfur's main towns. - July 8, 2008: Seven Minuad soldiers are killed in northern Darfur. - Ivory Coast - - June 8, 2012: Seven Nigerian peacekeepers working for the UN operation in Ivory Coast, ONUCI, are killed in an ambush near to the western town of Tai, near to the border with Liberia. - Lebanon - - June 24, 2007: Six members of the Spanish contingent of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force are killed in a car bomb in south Lebanon. - Rwanda - - April 7, 1994: Ten Belgian Blue Berets charged with protecting Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana are lynched in the first hours of the country's genocide. - Somalia - - June 5, 1993: 24 peacekeepers from Pakistan are killed in Mogadishu during clashes with warlord General Mohamed Farah Aidid's militia. CarMax, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a retailer of used vehicles in the United States. The company operates through two segments, CarMax Sales Operations and CarMax Auto Finance. It offers customers a range of makes and models of used vehicles, including domestic, imported, and luxury vehicles, as well as hybrid and electric vehicles; and extended protection plans to customers at the time of sale, as well as sells vehicles that are approximately 10 years old and has more than 100,000 miles through wholesale auctions. The company also provides reconditioning and vehicle repair services; and financing alternatives for retail customers across a range of credit spectrum through its CarMax Auto Finance and arrangements with various financial institutions. As of February 28, 2022, it operated approximately 230 used car stores. CarMax, Inc. was founded in 1993 and is based in Richmond, Virginia. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, neuroscience, and covid-19 diseases. The company's products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis. It also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a protein-bound chemotherapy product; Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia; and Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, the company offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Inrebic, an oral kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis; and Onureg for the treatment of adult patients with AML. It sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York. The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. Ltd, Buell Industries Inc., CCI Realty Company, CFC Europe GmbH, CS Australia Pty Limited, CS Mexico Holding Company S DE RL DE CV, Calvia Spolka z Ograniczona Odpowiedzialnosci, Capital Ventures Australasia S.a r.l, Capmax Logistica S.A. de C.V., Celeste Industries Corporation, Coeur, Coeur Asia Limited, Coeur Holding Company, Coeur Inc., Coeur Shanghai Medical Appliance Trading Co. Ltd, Compagnie Hobart, Compagnie de Materiel et d'Equipements Techniques-Comet, Constructions Isothermiques Bontami C.I.B., Crane Carrier Company, Denison Mayes Group Limited, Despatch Industries, Diagraph Corporation Sdn. Bhd, Diagraph ITW Mexico S. de R.L. De C.V., Diagraph Mexico S.A. DE C.V., Dongguan Ark-Les Electric Components Co. Ltd., Dongguan CK Branding Co. Ltd., Duo Fast de Espana S.A.U., Duo-Fast Korea Co. Ltd., Duo-Fast LLC, E.C.S. d.o.o., E2M Production B.V.., E2M Technologies B.V.., E2M Technologies Inc.., ECS Cable Protection Sp. Zoo, ELRO Grosskuchen GmbH, ELRO Holding AG, ELRO-WERKE AG, Elro Group, Eltex-Elektrostatik-Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Envases Multipac S.A. de C.V., Eurotec Srl, Exhibit 21, FEG Investments L.L.C., Filtertek De Mexico Holding Inc., Filtertek De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Filtertek SAS, GC Financement SA, Gamko B.V., Gun Hwa Platech Taicang Co. Ltd., HOBART Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Hartness International, Hobart Andina S.A.S., Hobart Belgium B.V., Hobart Brothers International Chile Limitada, Hobart Brothers LLC, Hobart Dayton Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Hobart Food Equipment Co. Ltd., Hobart International Singapore Pte. Ltd., Hobart Japan K.K., Hobart Korea LLC, Hobart LLC, Hobart Nederland B.V., Hobart Sales & Service Inc., Hobart Scandinavia ApS, Hobart Techniek B.V., Horis, ILC Investments Holdings Inc., ITW AEP LLC, ITW AOC LLC, ITW Aircraft Investments Inc., ITW Ampang Industries Philippines Inc., ITW Appliance Components EOOD, ITW Appliance Components S.A. de C.V., ITW Appliance Components S.r.l.a, ITW Appliance Components d.o.o., ITW Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, ITW Australia Property Holdings Pty Ltd., ITW Australia Pty Ltd, ITW Automotive Components Chongqing Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Components Langfang Co. Ltd., ITW Automotive Japan K.K., ITW Automotive Korea LLC, ITW Automotive Parts Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Automotive Products GmbH, ITW Automotive Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Bailly Comte, ITW Befestigungssysteme GmbH, ITW Belgium B.V., ITW Brazilian Nominee L.L.C., ITW Building Components Group Inc., ITW CER, ITW CP Distribution Center Holland BV, ITW CS UK Ltd., ITW Canada Inc., ITW Celeste Inc., ITW Chemical Products Ltda, ITW Chemical Products Scandinavia ApS, ITW China Investment Company Limited, ITW Colombia S.A.S., ITW Construction Products AB, ITW Construction Products AS, ITW Construction Products ApS, ITW Construction Products CZ s.r.o., ITW Construction Products Italy Srl, ITW Construction Products OU, ITW Construction Products OY, ITW Construction Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Construction Products Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW Construction Services Manila Inc., ITW Contamination Control B.V., ITW Contamination Control Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Covid Security Group Inc., ITW DS Investments Inc., ITW DelFast do Brasil Ltda., ITW Denmark ApS, ITW Deutschland GmbH, ITW Diagraph GmbH, ITW Dynatec, ITW Dynatec Adhesive Equipment Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Dynatec GmbH, ITW Dynatec Kabushiki Kaisha, ITW EAE B.V., ITW EAE Mexico S de RL de CV, ITW EF&C France SAS, ITW EF&C Selb GmbH, ITW EU Holdings Ltd., ITW Electronic Business Asia Co. Limited, ITW Electronic Components/Products Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Electronics Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Epsilon Sarl, ITW Espana S.L., ITW European Finance Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance II Co. Ltd., ITW European Finance III Co. Ltd., ITW FEG Hong Kong Limited, ITW FEG do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW Fastener Products GmbH, ITW Fluids and Hygiene Solutions Ltda., ITW Food Equipment Group LLC, ITW GH LLC, ITW GSE ApS, ITW GSE Inc., ITW Gamma Sarl, ITW German Management LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings LLC, ITW Global Investments Holdings Y Compania Sociedad en Comandita por Acciones, ITW Global Investments Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Europe GmbH, ITW Global Tire Repair Inc., ITW Global Tire Repair Japan K.K., ITW Graphics Asia Limited, ITW Graphics Thailand Ltd., ITW Great Britain Investment & Licensing Holding Company, ITW Group France Luxembourg S.ar.l., ITW HLP Thailand Co. Ltd., ITW Holding Quimica B.C. S.L. Sole Shareholder Company, ITW Holdings Australia L.P., ITW Holdings I Limited, ITW Holdings II Limited, ITW Holdings III Limited, ITW Holdings IV Limited, ITW Holdings IX Limited, ITW Holdings Inc., ITW Holdings V Limited, ITW Holdings VI Limited, ITW Holdings VII Limited, ITW Holdings VIII Limited, ITW Holdings X Limited, ITW Holdings XI Limited, ITW ILC Holdings I Inc., ITW IPG Investments LLC, ITW Imaden Industria e Comercio Ltda., ITW India Private Limited, ITW International Holdings LLC, ITW Invest Holding GmbH, ITW Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, ITW Ireland Unlimited Company, ITW Italy Holding Srl, ITW Japan Ltd., ITW Korea LLC, ITW LLC & Co. KG, ITW Limited, ITW Lys Fusion S.r.l., ITW Materials Technology Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW Meritex Sdn. Bhd., ITW Metal Fasteners S.L., ITW Mexico Holding Company S. De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V.. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of Lloyds Banking Group: A G Finance Ltd, A.C.L. Ltd, ACL Autolease Holdings Ltd, ADF No.1 Pty Ltd, Addison Social Housing Holdings Ltd, Alex Lawrie Factors Ltd, Alex. Lawrie Receivables Financing Ltd, Amberdate Ltd, Anglo Scottish Utilities Partnership 1, Aquilus Ltd, Automobile Association Personal Finance Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services 2 Ltd, BOS (Ireland) Property Services Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 2) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland) No. 3) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages (Scotland)) Ltd, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 1 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 2 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 3 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 4 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 5 plc, BOS (Shared Appreciation Mortgages) No. 6 plc, BOS (USA) Fund Investments Inc., BOS (USA) Inc., BOS Edinburgh No 1 Ltd, BOS Mistral Ltd, BOS Personal Lending Ltd, BOSSAF Rail Ltd, Bank of Scotland (B G S) Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland (Stanlife) London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Branch Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Central Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Equipment Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Foundation, Bank of Scotland LNG Leasing (No 1) Ltd, Bank of Scotland London Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Nominees (Unit Trusts) Ltd, Bank of Scotland P.E.P. Nominees Ltd, Bank of Scotland Structured Asset Finance Ltd, Bank of Scotland Transport Finance 1 Ltd, Bank of Scotland plc, Bank of Wales Ltd, Barents Leasing Ltd, Barnwood Mortgages Ltd, Birchcrown Finance Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Financial Services Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Land Development Ltd, Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Services Ltd, Black Horse (TRF) Ltd, Black Horse Executive Mortgages Ltd, Black Horse Finance Holdings Ltd, Black Horse Finance Management Ltd, Black Horse Group Ltd, Black Horse Ltd, Black Horse Offshore Ltd, Black Horse Property Services Ltd, Boltro Nominees Ltd, British Linen Leasing (London) Ltd, British Linen Leasing Ltd, British Linen Shipping Ltd, C.T.S.B. Leasing Ltd, CBRail S.A.R.L., CF Asset Finance Ltd, CF1 Ltd, CM Venture Investments Ltd, Cancara Asset Securitisation Ltd, Capital 1945 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 12 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 3 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 5 Ltd, Capital Bank Leasing 9 Ltd, Capital Bank Property Investments (3) Ltd, Capital Personal Finance Ltd, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2018-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation 2019-1 Plc, Cardiff Auto Receivables Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Cardnet Merchant Services Ltd, Cashfriday Ltd, Cashpoint Ltd, Caveminster Ltd, Cedar Holdings Ltd, Celsius European Lux 2 S.A.R.L., Central Mortgage Finance Ltd, Chariot Finance Ltd, Cheltenham & Gloucester plc, Cheltenham II Securities 2020 DAC, Cheltenham Securities 2017 Ltd, Chepstow Blue Holdings Ltd, Chepstow Blue plc, Chester Asset Options No.2 Ltd, Chester Asset Options No.3 Ltd, Chester Asset Receivables Dealings Issuer Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Chester Asset Securitisation Holdings No.2 Ltd, Chiswell Stockbrokers Ltd, Clerical Medical Finance plc, Clerical Medical Financial Services Ltd, Clerical Medical International Holdings B.V., Clerical Medical Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Clerical Medical Managed Funds Ltd, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Guadalix Spanish Prop Co SL, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Hold Co BV, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Megapark Prop Co SA, Clerical Medical Non Sterling Property Company S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Funding S.A.R.L., Cloak Lane Investments S.A.R.L., Conquest Securities Ltd, Corbiere Asset Investments Ltd, Create Services Ltd, Credit Card Securitisation Europe Ltd, Dalkeith Corporation, Deva Financing Holdings Ltd, Deva Financing plc, Deva One Ltd, Deva Three Ltd, Deva Two Ltd, Dunstan Investments (UK) Ltd, Edgbaston RMBS 2010-1 plc, Edgbaston RMBS Holdings Ltd, Elland RMBS 2018 plc, Elland RMBS Holdings Ltd, Eurolead Services Holdings Ltd, First Retail Finance (Chester) Ltd, Fontwell Securities 2016 Ltd, Forthright Finance Ltd, France Industrial Premises Holding Company, General Leasing (No. 12) Ltd, General Reversionary and Investment Company, Gresham Nominee 1 Ltd, Gresham Nominee 2 Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 1) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 10) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 11) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 12) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 13) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 14) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 15) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 16) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 19) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 20) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 21) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 22) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 23) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 24) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 25) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 26) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 27) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 28) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 29) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 3) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 30) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 31) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 32) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 33) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 34) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 35) Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 36) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 37) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 38) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 39) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 40) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 41) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 44) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 45) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 46) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 47) UK Ltd, Gresham Receivables (No. 48) UK Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No 3) Ltd, Guildhall Asset Purchasing Company (No.11) UK Ltd, HBOS Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS Final Salary Trust Ltd, HBOS Financial Services Ltd, HBOS Insurance & Investment Group Ltd, HBOS International Financial Services Holdings Ltd, HBOS Investment Fund Managers Ltd, HBOS Social Housing Covered Bonds LLP, HBOS UK Ltd, HBOS plc, HSDL Nominees Ltd, HVF Ltd, Halifax Credit Card Ltd, Halifax Financial Brokers Ltd, Halifax Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Halifax Financial Services Ltd, Halifax General Insurance Services Ltd, Halifax Group Ltd, Halifax Investment Services Ltd, Halifax Leasing (June) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (March No.2) Ltd, Halifax Leasing (September) Ltd, Halifax Life Ltd, Halifax Loans Ltd, Halifax Ltd, Halifax Mortgage Services Ltd, Halifax Nominees Ltd, Halifax Pension Nominees Ltd, Halifax Premises Ltd, Halifax Share Dealing Ltd, Halifax Vehicle Leasing (1998) Ltd, Heidi Finance Holdings (UK) Ltd, Hill Samuel Bank Ltd, Hill Samuel Finance Ltd, Hill Samuel Leasing Co. Ltd, Home Shopping Personal Finance Ltd, Horizon Capital 2000 Ltd, Housing Association Risk Transfer 2019 DAC, Housing Growth Partnership GP LLP, Housing Growth Partnership LP, Housing Growth Partnership Ltd, Housing Growth Partnership Manager Ltd, Hyundai Car Finance Ltd, IBOS Finance Ltd, ICC Enterprise Partners Ltd, ICC Equity Partners Ltd, ICC Holdings Unlimited Company, Inchcape Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Financial Services Ltd, Intelligent Finance Software Ltd, International Motors Finance Ltd, Kanaalstraat Funding C.V., Katrine Leasing Ltd, LB Healthcare Trustee Ltd, LB Motorent Ltd, LB Quest Ltd, LB Share Schemes Trustees Ltd, LBCF Ltd, LBG Brasil Administracao LTDA, LBG Capital Holdings Ltd, LBG Equity Investments Ltd, LBI Leasing Ltd, LDC (General Partner) Ltd, LDC (Managers) Ltd, LDC (Nominees) Ltd, LDC GP LLP, LDC I LP, LDC II LP, LDC III LP, LDC IV LP, LDC Parallel (Nominees) Ltd, LDC V LP, LDC VI LP, LDC VII LP, LDC VIII LP, LTGP Limited Partnership Incorporated, Legacy Renewal Company Ltd, Leicester Securities 2014 Ltd, Lex Autolease (CH) Ltd, Lex Autolease (VC) Ltd, Lex Autolease Carselect Ltd, Lex Autolease Ltd, Lex Vehicle Finance 2 Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing (Holdings) Ltd, Lex Vehicle Leasing Ltd, Lime Street (Funding) Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I Holdings Ltd, Lingfield 2014 I plc, Lloyds (Gresham) Ltd, Lloyds (Gresham) No. 1 Ltd, Lloyds (Nimrod) Specialist Finance Ltd, Lloyds America Securities Corporation1, Lloyds Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Branches) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Colonial & Foreign) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Fountainbridge 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (I.D.) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank (International Services) Ltd, Lloyds Bank (Stock Exchange Branch) Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Asset Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Ltd, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Scotland Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (HP) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Asset Finance (No.4) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Wertpapierhandelsbank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets plc, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds (LM) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Covered Bonds LLP, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 7) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Equipment Leasing (No. 9) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Financial Services (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Holdings Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Insurance Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 11) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 20) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 3) Ltd, Lloyds Bank General Leasing (No. 5) Ltd, Lloyds Bank GmbH, Lloyds Bank Hill Samuel Holding Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank Insurance Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank International Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 6) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing (No. 8) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Bank MTCH Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 10) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 13) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No. 17) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Maritime Leasing (No.16) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Offshore Pension Trust Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 1) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension ABCS (No. 2) LLP, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 1) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pension Trust (No. 2) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Pensions Property (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Bank Properties Ltd, Lloyds Bank Property Company Ltd, Lloyds Bank S.F. Nominees Ltd, Lloyds Bank Subsidiaries Ltd, Lloyds Bank Trustee Services Ltd, Lloyds Bank plc, Lloyds Banking Group Pensions Trustees Ltd, Lloyds Capital GP Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Properties Ltd, Lloyds Commercial Property Investments Ltd, Lloyds Corporate Services (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Development Capital (Holdings) Ltd, Lloyds Engine Capital (No.1) U.S LLC, Lloyds Far East S.A.R.L., Lloyds General Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Group Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Holdings (Jersey) Ltd, Lloyds Hypotheken B.V., Lloyds Industrial Leasing Ltd, Lloyds International Pty Ltd, Lloyds Investment Bonds Ltd, Lloyds Investment Fund Managers Ltd, Lloyds Investment Securities No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Leasing (North Sea Transport) Ltd1, Lloyds Leasing Developments Ltd, Lloyds Nominees (Guernsey) Ltd, Lloyds Offshore Global Services Private Ltd, Lloyds Plant Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Portfolio Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Premises Investments Ltd, Lloyds Project Leasing Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 3 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No. 4 Ltd, Lloyds Property Investment Company No.5 Ltd, Lloyds Secretaries Ltd, Lloyds Securities Inc., Lloyds TSB Pacific Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Asset Rentals Ltd, Lloyds UDT Hiring Ltd, Lloyds UDT Leasing Ltd, Lloyds UDT Ltd, Lloyds Your Tomorrow Trustee Ltd, Loans.co.uk Ltd, London Taxi Finance Ltd, London Uberior (L.A.S. Group) Nominees Ltd, Lotus Finance Ltd, MBNA, MBNA Direct Ltd, MBNA Europe Finance Ltd, MBNA Europe Holdings Ltd, MBNA General Foundation, MBNA Global Services Ltd, MBNA Indian Services Private Ltd, MBNA Ltd, MBNA R & L S.A.R.L., MBNA Receivables Ltd, Mainsearch Company Ltd, Maritime Leasing (No. 19) Ltd, Membership Services Finance Ltd, Mitre Street Funding S.A.R.L., Molineux RMBS 2016-1 plc, Molineux RMBS Holdings Ltd, Moor Lane Holdings Ltd, NFU Mutual Finance Ltd, NWS Trust Ltd, Nominees (Jersey) Ltd, Nordic Leasing Ltd, Ocean Leasing (July) Ltd, Oystercatcher Nominees Ltd, Oystercatcher Residential Ltd, PIPS Asset Investments Ltd, Pacific Leasing Ltd, Penarth Asset Securitisation Holdings Ltd, Penarth Funding 1 Ltd, Penarth Funding 2 Ltd, Penarth Master Issuer plc, Penarth Receivables Trustee Ltd, Pensions Management (S.W.F.) Ltd, Peony Eastern Leasing Ltd, Peony Leasing Ltd, Peony Western Leasing Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 1) Ltd, Permanent Funding (No. 2) Ltd, Permanent Holdings Ltd, Permanent Master Issuer plc, Permanent Mortgages Trustee Ltd, Permanent PECOH Holdings Ltd, Permanent PECOH Ltd, Perry Nominees Ltd, Prestonfield Investments Ltd, Proton Finance Ltd, R.F. Spencer And Company Ltd, Ranelagh Nominees Ltd, Retail Revival (Burgess Hill) Investments Ltd, SARL Coliseum, SARL Hiram, SAS Compagnie Fonciere De France, SCI Astoria Invest, SCI De LHorloge, SCI Equinoxe, SCI Rambuteau CFF, SW Funding plc, SW No.1 Ltd, SWAMF (GP) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (1) Ltd, SWAMF Nominee (2) Ltd, Saint Michel Holding Company No1, Saint Michel Investment Property, Saint Witz 2 Holding Company No1, Saint Witz 2 Investment Property, Salisbury II Securities 2016 Ltd, Salisbury II-A Securities 2017 Ltd, Salisbury III Securities 2019 DAC, Salisbury Securities 2015 Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 Holdings Ltd, Sandown 2012-2 plc, Sandown Gold 2012-1 Holdings Ltd, Sandown Gold 2012-1 plc, Savban Leasing Ltd, Scotland International Finance B.V., Scottish Widows Administration Services (Nominees) Ltd, Scottish Widows Administration Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Annuities Ltd, Scottish Widows Auto Enrolment Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Europe, Scottish Widows Financial Services Holdings, Scottish Widows Group Ltd, Scottish Widows Industrial Properties Europe B.V., Scottish Widows Ltd, Scottish Widows Pension Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Property Management Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth (ACD) Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Personal Wealth Ltd, Scottish Widows Schroder Wealth Holdings Ltd, Scottish Widows Services Ltd, Scottish Widows Trustees Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Funds Ltd, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers Ltd, Scottish Widows Fund and Life Assurance Society, Seabreeze Leasing Ltd, Seaspirit Leasing Ltd, Share Dealing Nominees Ltd, Shogun Finance Ltd, Silentdale Ltd, St Andrews Group Ltd, St Andrews Insurance plc, St Andrews Life Assurance plc, St. Marys Court Investments, Standard Property Investment (1987) Ltd, Standard Property Investment Ltd, Sussex County Homes Ltd, Suzuki Financial Services Ltd, Swan Funding 2 Ltd, Syon Securities 2019 DAC, The Agricultural Mortgage Corporation Plc, The British Linen Company Ltd, The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, The Mortgage Business plc, Thistle Financing Holdings Ltd, Thistle Investments (AMC) Ltd, Thistle Investments (ERM) Ltd, Thistle Leasing, Three Copthall Avenue Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (10) Ltd, Tower Hill Property Investments (7) Ltd, Tranquility Leasing Ltd, Trinity Financing plc, UDT Budget Leasing Ltd, UDT Sales Finance Ltd, Uberior (Moorfield) Ltd, Uberior Co-Investments Ltd, Uberior ENA Ltd, Uberior Equity Ltd, Uberior Europe Ltd, Uberior Fund Investments Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments (No.2) Ltd, Uberior Infrastructure Investments Ltd, Uberior Investments Ltd, Uberior Nominees Ltd, Uberior Trading Ltd, Uberior Trustees Ltd, Uberior Ventures Australia Pty Ltd, Uberior Ventures Ltd, United Dominions Leasing Ltd, United Dominions Trust Ltd, Universe The CMI Global Network Fund, Upsaala Ltd, Vine Street IX LP, WCS Ltd, Ward Nominees (Abingdon) Ltd, Ward Nominees (Birmingham) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees (Bristol) Ltd 1, Ward Nominees Ltd 1, Waverley Fund II Investor LLC, Waverley Fund III Investor LLC, Waymark Asset Investments Ltd, West Craigs Ltd, Wetherby II Securities 2018 DAC, Wetherby III Securities 2019 DAC, Wetherby Securities 2017 Ltd, Wood Street Leasing Ltd, and Zurich Insurance Group - UK Workplace Pensions and Savings Business. Read More Varian Medical Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, sells, and services medical devices and software products for treating cancer and other medical conditions worldwide. It operates through Oncology Systems and Proton Solutions segments. The Oncology Systems segment offers hardware and software products for treating cancer with radiotherapy, fixed field intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy, artificial intelligence based adaptive radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, as well as quality assurance equipment. Its products include linear accelerators, brachytherapy afterloaders, treatment accessories, and quality assurance software; and information management, treatment planning, image processing, clinical knowledge exchange, patient care management, decision-making support, and practice management software. This segment serves university research and community hospitals, private and governmental institutions, healthcare agencies, physicians' offices, medical oncology practices, radiotherapy centers, and cancer care clinics. The Proton Solutions segment designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and services products and systems for delivering proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. The company has a strategic agreement with McKesson Corp. to supply treatment delivery systems and planning, services, and radiotherapy information system solutions to its U.S. Oncology Network and Vantage Oncology affiliated sites of care; and a strategic partnership with Siemens AG to represent Siemens diagnostic imaging products to radiation oncology clinics in the United States and other select markets. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. was formerly known as Varian Associates, Inc. and changed its name to Varian Medical Systems, Inc. in April 1999. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a working visit to Turkey on December 11, TASS reported citing a statement released by the Kremlin press service. December 9, 2017, 09:43 Russias Putin to visit Turkey on December 11 STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 9, ARTSAKHPRESS:"During talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, pressing issues concerning bilateral cooperation are planned to be discussed, particularly the implementation of big joint energy projects," the statement reads. The Kremlin press service added that "there will also be an exchange of views on key global issues, including the situation in the Middle East and the Syrian crisis." Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, and internationally. The company offers sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in various dosage forms, including tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams. It also develops, manufactures, and sells active pharmaceutical ingredients. In addition, it focuses on the central nervous system, pain, respiratory, and oncology areas. Its products in the central nervous system include Copaxone for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; AJOVY for the preventive treatment of migraine; and AUSTEDO for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia and chorea associated with Huntington disease. The company's products in the respiratory market comprise ProAir, QVAR, ProAir Digihaler, AirDuo Digihaler, and ArmonAir Digihaler, BRALTUS, CINQAIR/CINQAERO, DuoResp Spiromax, and AirDuo RespiClick/ArmonAir RespiClick for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its products in the oncology market include Bendeka, Treanda, Granix, Trisenox, Lonquex, and Tevagrastim/Ratiograstim. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has a collaboration MedinCell for the development and commercialization of multiple long-acting injectable products, a risperidone suspension for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. A Ho Chi Minh City-based woman who sells cosmetic via Facebook has been asked to pay VND9.1 billion (US$400,881) in tax arrears, the municipal taxman has said. The Facebook seller registered her business in Phu Nhuan District, according to the Ho Chi Minh City tax department. Local tax authorities have inspected the womans tax payment after receiving a tip-off that she did not declared her income honestly enough. Following the inspection, the Phu Nhuan taxman found a difference of VND400 billion ($17.62 million) between the revenue she declared for tax payment and the real income. The cosmetic seller has agreed to clear the payment, according to an official from the citys tax department. She therefore did not face charges of tax evasion, but was only asked to pay a total of VND9.1 billion, including fines for wrong tax declaration and late payment, and the tax arrears. Tax authorities in District 9 have also asked another cosmetic seller to pay VND1.7 billion ($74,890) in fines and back taxes for similar violation. The Ho Chi Minh City tax department said it has also asked two businesses that have income from selling stuff online to pay back taxes collectively worth VND8.7 billion ($383,260), including VND7.5 billion ($330,396) worth of value-added tax and VND1.2 billion ($52,863) in corporate income tax. The decisions have been made during the departments campaign to have individuals and businesses selling goods via Facebook and the Internet to fulfill their tax obligations. The tax department has processed 13,757 suspected cases and booked 3,776 individuals and organizations with violations in tax declaration and payment. Many Facebook sellers tend to make insufficient declaration or attempt to evade taxes by accepting payment in cash for their business, one official from the Ho Chi Minh City tax department said. Vietnamese police on Friday arrested and launched legal proceedings against Dinh La Thang, former chairman of the board of members of state-run oil and gas giant PetroVietnam (PVN). Thang has been taken into custody to serve the investigation of two serious economic cases, according to the investigation police department under the Ministry of Public Security. The 57-year-old is currently a member of the Party Central Committee and deputy head of the Party Central Committees Economic Commission. Thang is suspected of involvement in the case of deliberately violating the states regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences, and abusing position and authority to arrogate property, causing losses of VND800 billion (US$35.24 million) in PVNs investment in OceanBank, according to the Vietnam News Agency. It is believed that Thang also has a role in the case of deliberately violating the states regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences and committing embezzlement in PetroVietnam Construction Corporation, a PVN subsidiary, related to the Thai Binh 2 thermal power project. Earlier the same day, Vietnams Politburo also suspended Thangs Party-related activities, while the Standing Committee of the lawmaking National Assembly adopted a resolution suspending his status of a legislator, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Besides Thang, another ex-PVN official, Nguyen Quoc Khanh, was also arrested on Friday to serve the investigation into the same two serious economic cases. Khanh, former deputy general director of PetroVietnam, faces charges of deliberately violating state regulations on economic management causing serious consequences. File photo of Dinh La Thang. Photo: Tuoi Tre Economic wrongdoings Thangs wrongdoings were conducted during his time serving as chairman of the board of members of PVN in the 2009-2011 period. As of March 2014, PVN was one of the four biggest shareholders of OceanBank. According to investigation documents, in late 2008, Thang, as the then chairman of the PVN Board of directors, signed an agreement for the state-run oil and gas behemoth to become a shareholder and strategic partner of OceanBank with a 20 percent stake. PVN has channeled VND800 billion into the lender, an investment the company would never be able to retrieve. Following the investment, PVN recommended one of its officials, Nguyen Xuan Son, to be member of the board of directors and general director of OceanBank. Son was later prosecuted and taken to court on charges of deliberately violating the states regulations on economic management, causing serious consequences in a high-profile loss case at OceanBank. He was sentenced to death in September. In May, Thang was warned and dismissed from the Politburo of the Party Central Committee for those financial wrongdoings. Perth-based presenter Basil Zempilas is emerging as the hot favourite for a plum vacancy at Sunrise / Weekend Sunrise. Industry chatter has him earmarked to fill Fridays on Sunrise as David Koch pulls back to a 4 day week, and replace Andrew OKeefe on Weekend Sunrise. Zempilas, who has already made hosting shifts on the breakfast show, is best known for sporting coverage with Seven, hosting Perths Telethon, and radio 6PR duties. He is well-regarded by Seven management. But a 3 day week on the East Coast is likely to impact on his weekday duties at 6PR in the West. One source told TV Tonight his appointment is already signed, sealed and delivered. On Friday Andrew OKeefe announced his departure from Weekend Sunrise after 12 years. On Monday Sophie McNeills Foreign Correspondent story Machine Man profiles former Iraqi refugee, now a world-leading surgeon, as he returns to Baghdad. He fled Saddam Husseins brutality to become detainee #982 in an Australian refugee camp. Now Munjed al-Muderis is a world-leading surgeon giving amputees a second chance at life. Sophie McNeill tells his inspiring story. It happened without warning. At his Baghdad hospital in 1999, a young doctor was presented with dozens of army deserters. Then came the chilling order to mutilate their ears. Would I obey and live with guilt for the rest of my life? Would I refuse and end up with a bullet in my head? Or would I run away? Dr Munjed al-Muderis He ran away, took a smugglers boat and wound up in Curtin detention centre in Western Australias far north west. I was stripped of my identity. Curtin detention centre, in simple words, was hell on earth Munjed al-Muderis Fast forward 17 years. Australian citizen Munjed al-Muderis is a pioneering orthopaedic specialist who transforms lives with a surgical technique called osseo-integration merging a human being with a machine, as he explains it. I had this chill feeling what have I done? Im back to the place I escaped from Munjed Now he returns to Baghdad on a whirlwind 10-day mission to attach implants and robotic legs to amputees who thought they would never walk again. Middle East Correspondent Sophie McNeill follows him as he scurries between operating theatres, doing several surgeries at once. He is a machine. We never catch him Iraqi surgeon Wars have left untold numbers of Iraqi soldiers and civilians as amputees. Patients flock to see Munjed patients like Ghadban, 22, who lost both legs after a mortar strike. Robotic legs might allow him to marry the girl he loves She told me that when I walk again her parents will agree Ghadban And Ali, an ex-soldier whose leg was amputated after he was shot in battle with ISIS. His wife then walked out and left him to care for their little boy Hussein. He used to bring me my shoes and slippers. Now he just brings me one shoe Ali Munjed cant always help everyone, no matter how deserving. Amane was 10 when both her legs were amputated after a fire. Now 19, she is a para-athlete who represents her country. Munjed would operate for free, but the robotic legs cost around $100,000. I dont have the money for this operation. I want to walk Amane Munjed returns to Baghdad this week to complete his work on Ali, Ghadban and scores of other patients. At the climax of this medical and emotional journey, his hope is that all of them will walk. A Foreign Correspondent crew will be with him to see how it all goes. 8.30 pm Monday December 11 on ABC. At their recent Upfronts Seven confirmed My Kitchen Rules would return on Monday January 29th. No surprises there given its the night after the Australian Open Mens Final. But a promo currently screening also indicates The Good Doctor will return the same night, effectively shifting from Tuesdays to Mondays. Two weeks out from the return of ratings, its unlikely to be given away twice a week. But it will be a powerhouse double for Im A Celebrity and Married at First Sight to compete with. The hit show returns on January 8th in the US. f 35b Lockheed Martin Preliminary tests and defense insiders indicate that the F-35 could use air-to-air missiles to intercept ballistic missiles like the ones being tested by North Korea. The US's current missile defenses don't really work, and air-to-air intercept appears much more promising. The Pentagon seems reluctant to institute new technologies, but the current crisis with North Korea may call for it. But using the F-35 to shoot down a missile could be seen as an act of war by North Korea. The F-35, the most expensive weapons system in the history of the world that boosters claim can do just about anything in aerial combat, has a new potential mission shooting down intercontinental ballistic missiles. Ballistic missiles, like the kind North Korea has been perfecting to drop nuclear weapons on the US, pose a huge threat to the US as they reenter the atmosphere at over a dozen times the speed of sound. Currently, the US uses advanced radars and missile interceptors without explosive charges to "hit-to-kill" incoming missiles. This method has been compared to hitting a bullet with a bullet, and has only really been successful against unsophisticated, short range targets, or test dummies. In reality, nobody knows if the US's missile defenses against North Korea would actually work, and there's plenty of reason to doubt it. And advanced ICBMs with multiple warheads or decoy warheads can most likely totally confuse and render missile defenses useless. But before a ICBM accelerates to Mach 13, it takes off the launchpad and lurches up to speed and the entire missile, warhead, and all is together in a single target. At that point, why not shoot it down with an air-to-air missile from an F-35? The F-35 as a missile interceptor F 35A US Department of Defense The US Air Force has had air-to-air missiles that lock on to hot, flying targets for decades, and an ICBM is essentially that in its first stage. And it's not just a theory. In 2007, Lockheed Martin got $3 million to look into an air-to-air hit-to-kill missile system. In 2014, a test seemed to prove the concept. Story continues But the F-35 program, usually not one to shy away from boasting about their achievements, has been hushed about the prospect of defeating one of the gravest threats to the US. "I can tell you that the F-35 is a multi-mission fighter," Commander Patrick Evans of the Office of the Secretary of Defense told Business Insider when asked about the program. "It would be inappropriate to speculate on future capabilities or missions of the weapon system." Rep. Duncan Hunter, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, was more open to speculating about why the Pentagon hadn't gone through with missile intercepting planes. Very simple, what we're trying to do is shoot [air-to-air missiles] off F-35s in the first 300 seconds it takes for the missile to go up in the air, Hunter said during a November meeting on Capitol Hill with the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, Inside Defense noted. Hunter also pointed out that in some places, North Korea is just 75 miles across, well within the F-35's missile range, Aviation Week notes. Hunter blamed a broken defense industrial complex for not picking up the air-to-air intercept sooner. "There's not a retired general that works for company A that says, 'I would like to do that thing that costs no money and it doesn't get me a contract.' No one says that," Hunter said, as Inside Defense noted. Indeed, the US has spent $40 billion on ground-based missile interception with a hardly functioning system to show for it. An F-35 missile intercept over North Korea may be an act of war usmc f-35 AIM-120 Courtesy of the Joint Program Office The F-35, and the present crisis with North Korea, may demand some expediency from the Pentagon. The F-35, with its all-aspect stealth, is ideal for breaking into North Korea's protected airspace. It can already use the missile in question, and its sensor fusion makes it the ideal plane for the job. The only drawback is that the F-35 needs to get close to the missile as it's leaving the launchpad, which means firing missiles over enemy territory, something North Korea could see as an act of war. But if North Korea's missile is not a test, and an actual threat to the US or its allies, F-35s intercepts could be a game changer. The US reportedly knew about North Korea's last launch three days in advance despite its efforts to hide the preparations which would give the US plenty of time to get the F-35s in place. There's also the issue of North Korea finding out that F-35s could effectively neuter its nuclear force, and then how Pyongyang would react to the virtually undetectable plane going anywhere near its borders. The F-35 was already a nightmare for North Korean defenses before the missile intercept prospect came up. For now, at least one member of the House Armed Services Committee seems to think the F-35 is the best bet for giving the US an asymmetrical advantage against North Korea's nukes. NOW WATCH: A Navy SEAL explains how to make your home more secure See Also: By Michelle Martin BERLIN (Reuters) - Senior members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives on Saturday rejected the vision for a "United States of Europe" put forward by the Social Democrats (SPD), with whom they are hoping to form a governing coalition. SPD leader Martin Schulz said on Thursday his party, which suffered its worst post-war election result in September, would only gain support by providing a clear vision of Europe, and called for a United States of Europe by 2025. Merkel's conservatives, who lost voters to the far-right due to their liberal migrant policy, want the SPD to agree to a last-ditch alliance with them after talks on a tie-up with two smaller parties collapsed. Discussions on maintaining the conservative-SPD coalition, which has governed Germany since 2013, are due to start on Wednesday but the two parties look set to clash over the issue of Europe, which is likely to play a key role in talks. Senior conservative Volker Kauder said Schulz's European proposal posed "a danger to the EU and citizens' approval of Europe" and Peter Altmaier, Merkel's chancellery chief, said the idea, and especially the timeframe, was unrealistic. An Emnid poll for Bild newspaper found less than a third of Germans (30 percent) supported Schulz's idea while almost half (48 percent) rejected it. Kauder told the Tagesspiegel newspaper it was necessary to strengthen Europe but also important to recognise that at the moment people longed for the "reliability that they believe they can find in national states". He added: "The proposal would also jeopardise the work of unification that is unique in the history of the world because the majority of member states certainly wouldn't participate in creating a united states." ANOTHER GRAND COALITION? Altmaier told the Rheinische Post newspaper that Schulz's proposal had surprised him and it would be better to tackle specific problems in Europe such as unemployment, the protection of external borders and coordination of economic policy. Story continues "The discussion about whether Europe should be a federal state, confederation or a united states is one for academics and journalists - not for German foreign policy," Altmaier said. "A United States of Europe would transfer member states' sovereignty to Brussels and there would not be a majority for that in many EU states," he added. Merkel has also been sceptical, saying on Thursday she would rather concentrate on more cooperation in defence by 2025, on employment and on innovation. The Christian Social Union (CSU) - the Bavarian sister party to Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) - also rejected Schulz's plan. Senior CSU member Markus Soeder told Welt am Sonntag his party did not want Germany becoming an "administrative unit" of the European Commission in a "European superstate". But the SPD defended Schulz's plan, with Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel telling Deutschlandfunk radio it would ensure Europe's voice is heard on the global stage at a time when the influence of Asia, Latin America and Africa is growing. The SPD is stressing that the outcome of talks with the conservatives is still open but Schulz said on Saturday if the SPD had the chance to prevent old-age poverty, improve nursing care and affordable housing, it needed to take that opportunity. Other options are a Merkel-led minority government or new elections. The SPD has not ruled out either possibility, and newly elected SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil told Bild newspaper he would immediately start preparing for a possible election campaign. The SPD had initially planned to revamp itself in opposition after its poor election showing but agreed to talk to the conservatives when other coalition talks collapsed. An Emnid poll showed 61 percent of Germans thought joining another 'grand coalition' would weaken the SPD further. Kauder said the conservatives would go into talks prepared to make compromises but added his party had some "absolutely key demands" like capping migration and suspending the right to family reunions for some asylum seekers. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Andrew Bolton and Peter Graff) FILE PHOTO: Amazon.com's logo is seen at Amazon Japan's office building in Tokyo, Japan, August 8, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Thomson Reuters ROME (Reuters) - Italy's labor ministry sent officials to e-commerce giant Amazon on Thursday to check on working conditions there, the department's team of inspectors said in a statement. Eleven inspectors went to Amazon's site near the northern financial capital Milan, two weeks after unions representing its workers called a strike on so-called Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Amazon said in a statement, "The safety and wellbeing of our employees is our number one priority and we are happy to work closely with authorities to provide insight into our working conditions and safety standards." The inspectors were checking on whether Italian labor and welfare rules were being observed, focusing on logistical and handling operations, the ministry said. "National Labour Inspectorate officials are gathering statements from workers to 'photograph' their working conditions," the statement said. Trade unions said they called the strike in November, the first at an Amazon site in Italy, because negotiations with the company over bonuses and distribution of shifts had broken down. Amazon said at the time that salaries paid to its workers were among the highest in the logistics sector and that it also provided benefits including private medical insurance or money to pay for training programs. Separately, on Wednesday an Italian watchdog said two logistics companies in the Amazon group should be considered providers of postal services, and gave them a 15-day deadline to change their contracts with employees accordingly. (Reporting by Isla Binnie and Valentina Za; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle) See Also: Boris Johnson lands in Tehran later for his first visit to the Iranian capital hoping to make progress towards securing the release of jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The focus of the trip is to build stronger relations with Iran, strained since 2011 when an Iranian mob ransacked the British Embassy in Tehran. But it has personal importance for the Foreign Secretary's career after a mistake he made regarding Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe in front of MPs last month. The UK government has always insisted the dual national British-Iranian was on holiday in the country when she was arrested in April 2016. She had gone there to introduce her 21-month-old baby daughter to her Iranian parents. The Foreign Secretary mistakenly said she had been there training journalists. Iranian state media leapt on the gaffe and presented it as evidence she had been lying about the true nature of her visit. Mr Johnson eventually apologised for the blunder and promised to use a long-planned visit to Iran to make amends. He now has his opportunity. There is though little sign of a breakthrough in efforts to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release and concerns continue to mount about her condition in jail. She has suffered chronic depression since her incarceration. En route to Iran, Mr Johnson said he will be pressing her case and others like her being held in Iranian jails, promising to "stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so". He indicated though that the visit will be dominated by more geopolitical issues, "including how we can find a political solution to the devastating conflict in Yemen and secure greater humanitarian access to ease the immense suffering there. I will also underline the UK's continued support for the nuclear deal while making clear our concerns about some of Iran's activity in the region". Story continues The UK government says there is no reason for Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's detention. The evidence presented in court has been obscure and sketchy. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from Hampstead, has been charged with trying to topple the Iranian government. The Foreign Secretary's visit coincides with a new report presenting shocking new evidence of the widespread use of torture in Iranian jails. Campaign group Freedom From Torture catalogues what it calls "appalling physical abuses, from beatings and stress positions to electric shocks and cutting with knives, as well as high levels of sexual violence perpetrated against men and women, including rape". Discussions with Mr Johnson's Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif are also likely to include Iranian concerns about the legacy of sanctions on the country, lifted since the Iranian nuclear deal was signed with the West, but not leading they say to adequate relief on the country's economy. Iran also wants progress on the repayment of more than 300m owed for a pre-Iranian revolution order for Chieftain tanks from the UK, still held up in an interminable legal process. And Britain seeks a broader diplomatic relationship with Iran after the normalisation of relations following the nuclear deal. The plight of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe remains a festering sore in Iranian British relations as do the cases of others being held in Iranian jails. By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has warned Saudi Arabia that concern in Congress over the humanitarian situation in Yemen could constrain U.S. assistance, as it pushed Riyadh to allow greater access for humanitarian aid, a U.S. official said on Friday. The Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Iran-aligned armed Houthi movement in Yemen's civil war started a blockade of ports a month ago after Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile fired towards its capital Riyadh from Yemen. Although the blockade later eased, Yemen's situation has remained dire. About 8 million people are on the brink of famine with outbreaks of cholera and diphtheria. That has led the White House to take the rare step of issuing two written statements in a week on Yemen, including one on Friday calling on the Saudi-led coalition to help facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid and critical goods, like fuel. "I think there has just been mounting concern over the continued humanitarian conditions in Yemen, and while we have seen progress, we havent seen enough," said a senior Trump administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "We want to see more in the coming weeks." The White House also called on the Houthis to allow food, medicine and fuel to be distributed and accused them of political repression and brutality. The Yemen war's heavy toll on civilians has long been a sore point with members of Congress, triggering threats to block U.S. assistance to the Saudi-led coalition. That includes U.S. refuelling of coalition jets and the provision of limited U.S. intelligence support. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut and longtime critic of U.S. support for the Yemen campaign, cheered Trump's push for humanitarian aid this week. But in the same breath, he warned about U.S. assistance to the Saudis. "The Trump administration must continue to make clear to Saudi Arabia that the U.S. will not support a campaign that intentionally starves civilians into submission," Murphy said. Story continues Trump administration officials have underscored those concerns in Congress to Riyadh. "We wanted to be very clear with Saudi officials that the political environment here could constrain us if steps arent taken to ease humanitarian conditions in Yemen," the official said. EYES ON IRAN, "BRUTAL" HOUTHIS Publicly, Trump, his top aides and senior Saudi officials have hailed what they say is a major improvement in U.S.-Saudi ties compared with relations under former President Barack Obama, who upset the Saudis by sealing a nuclear deal with their arch-foe Iran. Even as ties improve, however, U.S. diplomats and intelligence analysts privately have expressed anxiety over some of the more hawkish actions by Saudi Arabia's crown prince, especially towards Yemen and Lebanon, as Saudi Arabia seeks to contain Iranian influence. In turn, Saudi Arabia has been unusually public about its concerns over President Donald Trump's move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The Trump administration shares Saudi Arabia's concerns over Iran and emphasized that point on Friday. In its statement, the White House squarely blamed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its partners for "arming, advising, and enabling the Houthis' violent actions." "We condemn the Houthis' brutal repression of political opponents in Sanaa," Friday's statement by White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. That includes the Houthis' killing last weekend of Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's former president, to punish him for switching sides in Yemen's three-year civil war. The killing was a setback for Riyadh, which had hoped the backing of Saleh and his loyalist army units in northern Yemen - would help close a war that has killed 10,000 people and caused one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises. The White House said political negotiations were necessary to end violence in the country, "free of the malign influence of Iranian-backed militias." "The Iranian-backed Houthi militias must allow food, medicine, and fuel to be distributed throughout the areas they control, rather than diverted to sustain their military campaign against the Yemeni people," Sanders added. (Additional reporting by Eric Walsh and Arshad Mohammed; editing by Andrew Hay and Mary Milliken) FILE PHOTO: Freed hostages, Amanda Lindhout (L), a Canadian freelance reporter, and Nigel Brennan, a freelance Australian photojournalist smile to photographers in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on November 26, 2009. Courtesy Government of Somalia/Handout via REUTERS Thomson Reuters (Reuters) - A Somali national has been convicted in an Ontario court for his role in the 2008 kidnapping of Canadian Amanda Lindhout, who was held captive in Somalia for 460 days and released only after her family paid a ransom, Canadian media reported on Wednesday. Ali Omar Ader, 40, was found guilty of one charge of hostage-taking for his role as negotiator for the kidnappers, in a decision handed down on Wednesday in Ontario Superior Court in Ottawa. Lindhout, a freelance journalist, was taken hostage in Somalia on Aug. 23, 2008, along with Australian photographer Nigel Brennan, while working on a story. They were released for ransom in November 2009. Ader was lured to Canada from Somalia in 2015 and arrested in Ottawa as part of a sting operation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in which an officer posed as a publisher interested in a book Ader was writing on Somalia, according to court documents. Prosecutors argued that Ader had been the main spokesman for the hostage-takers, negotiating first with Lindhout's mother and later with a private consultant hired by the families of Lindhout and Brennan. According to court documents, he referred to himself as "a commander" and repeatedly threatened that the hostages would be harmed or killed unless the ransom was paid. During his trial, Ader said that he too had been kidnapped by the group holding Lindhout captive, and was forced to act as their spokesman, as he spoke some English. In his ruling, Justice Robert Smith said Ader's claims were "completely unbelievable," numerous Canadian media outlets reported. Reuters has not read the ruling. Ader faces up to life in prison. Sentencing in the case is not expected until next year. Lindhout has said she was repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted during her captivity, and both she and Brennan have said they were tortured and starved. In 2013, Lindhout recounted her experience in the book "A House in the Sky." Story continues (Reporting by Julie Gordon in Vancouver; Editing by Peter Cooney) See Also: By Lefteris Papadimas KOMOTINI, Greece (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gave out toy cars and dolls to children on the final leg of a visit to Greece on Friday, a trip meant to boost ties but which has exposed the deep rifts between the two neighbours. Erdogan visited the Muslim community in Komotini, a town in northern Greece which once belonged to the Ottoman Empire. A day earlier, he riled his Greek hosts by suggesting the 130,000 Muslims in the region were discriminated against by Athens. "We have made very important decisions to meet the needs of our ethnically Greek citizens, and it is our right to expect similar behaviour from Greece," he told cheering crowds outside a school in the region. Turkey has frequently found fault with the appointment by Athens of local Muslim clerics - known as Muftis - instead of recognising those elected by the local population. Erdogan is the first Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years, but he has put Athens on the defensive by remarking that a decades-old treaty needs revision. The treaty, among other things, defines the boundaries between the two countries. None of that controversy was apparent on Friday, as hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside a mosque in Komotini to welcome Erdogan. Aides carried bags stuffed with toys, which Erdogan gave out to children. Some supporters shouted "Leader" as he made his way through the crowds. Greek police snipers were stationed on nearby buildings and security was tight. "Erdogan is very popular among the Muslim community in the area. He is an ordinary person close to the people," said Ahmet Hoca, 57, a farmer. Closer to Istanbul than to Athens, this community in northern Greece sometimes feels uneasy with the disputes between the two countries, which range from airspace in the Aegean Sea to minority rights. "When someone asks you whom you love more, your mother or your father, what are you supposed to answer? You love them both," said resident Hussein Kara, 64. Story continues After World War One and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne pushed modern Turkey's borders eastwards. About 1.3 million ethnic Greeks, and 356,000 Turks, moved between Turkey and Greece in a population exchange. The deal excluded Muslim inhabitants of Western Thrace, which includes Komotini, and more than 200,000 Greeks then living in Istanbul. Fewer than 3,000 ethnic Greeks now live in Istanbul. (Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara; Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Andrew Roche) Pets at Home: HSBC reiterates buy with a target price of 295p. BT: UBS maintains neutral with a 425p target. Aviva: Exane BNP Paribas reiterates underperform with a 400p target. Inmarsat: HSBC stays at hold with a 940p target. Cairn Energy: UBS upgrades to buy with a target price of 220p. London Stock Exchange: Exane BNP Paribas reiterates outperform with a target price of 2700p. Randgold: Numis keeps at hold with a 9000p target. Next: HSBC reiterates hold with a target of 4485p. Tullow Oil: Numis stays at hold with a 200p target. Sainsbury: Exane BNP Paribas reiterates outperform, 260p target. Old Mutual: UBS stays at buy with a 230p target. Suncor Energy Inc. operates as an integrated energy company. The company primarily focuses on developing petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; explores, acquires, develops, produces, transports, refines, and markets crude oil in Canada and internationally; markets petroleum and petrochemical products under the Petro-Canada name primarily in Canada. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Corporate and Eliminations segments. The Oil Sands segment recovers bitumen from mining and in situ operations, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock and diesel fuel, or blends the bitumen with diluent for direct sale to market. The Exploration and Production segment is involved in offshore operations off the east coast of Canada and in the North Sea; and operating onshore assets in Libya and Syria. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and intermediate feedstock into various petroleum and petrochemical products; and markets refined petroleum products to retail, commercial, and industrial customers through its other retail sellers. The Corporate and Eliminations segment operates four wind farms in Ontario and Western Canada. The company also markets and trades in crude oil, natural gas, byproducts, refined products, and power. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Celanese Corporation, a technology and specialty materials company, manufactures and sells high performance engineered polymers in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Engineered Materials, Acetate Tow, and Acetyl Chain. The Engineered Materials segment develops, produces, and supplies specialty polymers for automotive and medical applications, as well as for use in industrial products and consumer electronics. It also offers acesulfame potassium, a sweetener for use in various beverages, confections, and dairy products; and food protection ingredients, such as potassium sorbate and sorbic acid for use in foods, beverages, and personal care products. The Acetate Tow segment provides acetate tows and flakes for use in filter products applications. The Acetyl Chain segment produces and supplies acetyl products, including acetic acid, vinyl acetate monomers, acetic anhydride, and acetate esters that are used as starting materials for colorants, paints, adhesives, coatings, and pharmaceuticals; and organic solvents and intermediates for pharmaceutical, agricultural, and chemical products. It also offers vinyl acetate-based emulsions for use in paints and coatings, adhesives, construction, glass fiber, textiles, and paper applications; and ethylene vinyl acetate resins and compounds, as well as low-density polyethylene for use in flexible packaging films, lamination film products, hot melt adhesives, automotive parts, and carpeting applications. In addition, it manufactures ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. Celanese Corporation was founded in 1918 and is headquartered in Irving, Texas. 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. SACRAMENTO, Calif. Pharmaceutical companies on Friday sued to block a new California law that would require them to give advance notice before big price increases. The law was approved this year in response to consumer outrage over a rise in drug spending and high costs for some prescription treatments, including new Hepatitis C medications and EpiPens to control allergic reactions. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group for drugmakers, said in its lawsuit that Californias law illegally tries to dictate national health policy. Because the law is tied to a national measure of drug prices, PhRMA argues that Californias advance notification requirement could restrict drugmakers ability to raise prices in other states. The group also argued the law is unconstitutionally vague and violates the First Amendment by forcing drug companies to justify price increases. The law, set to take effect Jan. 1, passed over fierce objections from PhRMA and Californias thriving medical research industry. It requires 60 days notice to raise national wholesale prices above a certain threshold. The law creates bureaucracy, thwarts private market competition, and ignores the role of insurers, pharmacy benefit managers and hospitals in what patients pay for their medicines, James Stansel, PhRMAs executive vice president and chief counsel, said in a statement Friday. The law does not reflect the actual costs paid by major purchasers including insurers and the government, which negotiate prices and receive discounts, drug companies said. They also warn that advance notice will lead pharmacies and other drug purchasers to stockpile, creating shortages of medications. Sen. Ed Hernandez, a Democrat from West Covina, who wrote the bill, said when it passed the Legislature that it would set national health care policy a statement PhRMA uses as evidence the bill is unconstitutional. Californias Legislature sent a crystal-clear message that it is time for a change, said Charles Bacchi, president of and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans, which supported the drug pricing law. This action proves pharma doesnt care what Californias voters and elected representatives think. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Sacramento. It names Gov. Jerry Brown and Robert David, head of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the agency responsible for enforcing the transparency law. Representatives for Brown, David and the California Department of Justice declined to comment. Copyright 2017 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE Lobbyist Vanessa Alarid says she figured he was joking. A Democratic lawmaker who had already voted in committee to support her bill told her late one night that she shouldnt assume he would support the legislation when it reached the House floor, she says. Then the representative made it clear he wasnt joking, Alarid alleges. Thomas A. Garcia, then a state representative from Ocate, wanted sex in exchange for voting in favor of the bill and getting his colleagues to support it, Alarid said. He said, If you (have sex with) me, I will vote yes for your bill and whip your votes on the floor, Alarid said in a Journal interview Friday. The incident, she said, happened late in the 2009 legislative session as she lobbied for a bill sought by her employer, a development company. Alarid shared the story with The New York Times this week putting the national spotlight on New Mexico as allegations of sexual harassment shake up capitols and campaigns across the country. Garcia flatly denies the allegation. Its a total fabrication, Garcia told the Journal. Im not going to hide from the truth. This didnt happen. He said the allegations are aimed at keeping him from running for the state House again, which hed been considering. This is politically motivated, Garcia said, and aimed at damaging my reputation. Two former legislators reached by the Journal on Friday Democratic Rep. Sandra Jeff and Republican Sen. Rod Adair said Alarid told them at the time that Garcia had asked for sex in exchange for a vote. They said they had no reason to doubt her story. She was pretty much shaken up, Jeff said, recalling that Alarid had approached her in 2009. She was in tears. A few predators Alarid told the Journal that she decided to come forward this week because of the national conversation on sexual harassment in workplaces. In New Mexico, state Rep. Kelly Fajardo, R-Belen, has said female lobbyists are frequent targets of harassment, and she and other legislators are working to revise the Legislatures no-harassment policy. Women who work in the Roundhouse have described it as a minefield of inappropriate comments, unwanted touching, leering looks and sexual propositions. There are a lot of good men in Santa Fe who act honorably and with integrity, Alarid said, but there are a few predators. We need to shine a light on them and hold them accountable. Filing a formal complaint in 2009 wasnt a realistic option, she said. The reality is, there is not a mechanism for somebody to report, Alarid said. My livelihood is based on my relationships and my integrity. There was so much more to lose by reporting. Hotel meeting The story, she said, began with a telephone call late in the 2009 legislative session. Garcia, she said, called and offered to help her develop a strategy to win support for legislation authorizing a new tax district on the West Side of Albuquerque. It was a bill shed been working on for two years. Alarid, 32 at the time, said she was staying at the Inn and Spa at Loretto, a boutique hotel in Santa Fe. She met Garcia downstairs in the lounge. But eventually they wanted to order food, and the kitchen was closed. The staff said food could be delivered to her room. Alarids lobbying team had rented a workspace, suite and several rooms at the hotel, so she and Garcia went up to the work area. At some point, Garcia started walking toward an interior door that led to Alarids hotel room. Thats when he said he wanted sex in exchange for his vote, Alarid said. She didnt respond, she said, but he opened the door leading to her room, eventually pushing her onto the bed and forcibly kissing and groping her. Alarid said she pushed him off and told him to leave, which he did. And when her bill came up for a vote the next night, Alarid said, she saw Garcia talking to other legislators as the debate unfolded. The bill died on a tie vote, with Garcia opposed. His opposition came after he had repeatedly supported the legislation, or something similar, in previous votes. Legislative records show that Garcia voted in favor of similar legislation in 2008 on the House floor, and Garcia acknowledges he supported it in committee in 2009. Alarid said Garcia also supported a version of it in committee in 2008, though legislative records dont specifically record each committee members vote. Time line disputed Garcia, in turn, said he never met Alarid at the hotel. He said he didnt have enough seniority in the Legislature to attract attention for strategy sessions. A lobbyist wouldnt rely on a third-year guy to get their bills passed, Garcia said. He disputed her time line of events and accused Alarid of changing her story, based on the descriptions hed heard from reporters whod called him about her allegations. He said he voted for the bill in committee only as a way to help move it to the floor for a final vote, not as a sign that would support it for final passage. Theres no rule against legislators changing their votes. High-profile bill The bill in question was one of the most high-profile pieces of legislation in the 2009 session. It called for the creation of a tax development district for a giant development on the West Side. Under the bill, $408 million in future tax money would have been pledged for the project. The bill failed on two tie votes in the House, despite a massive lobbying effort and the backing of several top lawmakers. Garcia voted no both times. Garcia, a Democrat, represented a northern New Mexico House district from 2007 through 2012. His district was merged with another in redistricting, and he ran for the Senate, losing to incumbent Sen. Pete Campos, D-Las Vegas, in the 2012 primary. Prominent lobbyist Alarids story broke on The New York Times website late Friday. In response to Alarids allegations, Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, issued a statement calling Garcias alleged behavior disgusting and completely unacceptable. Alarid is a prominent lobbyist. She has 10 clients, including several corporations and governmental agencies, according to reports filed with the Secretary of States Office. She said she hopes her male friends wont treat me with kid gloves now that she has shared her story. She is married to state Rep. Antonio Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque. As a society, we have come a long way towards equality, Alarid said. I fear that the conversation about sexual harassment will alter the manner in which good men treat women. I hope that my male friends will continue to greet me with hugs and not treat me with kid gloves. As a society, we need to determine clear lines of sexual harassment and not muddy the waters with discussion of harassment because of someones tone of voice or for political or personal gain. Several Albuquerque Public Schools board members lashed out at state public education chief Christopher Ruszkowski this week, accusing him of insulting the district during a surprise press conference announcing failing elementary schools. APS administration also insisted it had been told it would be given 24 hours notice so it could notify parents of the affected schools. But Ruszkowski expressed in an interview with the Journal an urgency for APS to turn low-performing schools around and not accept any excuses. He said that if the schools do not improve within the next few years, lawmakers should consider drastic actions regarding the states largest school district. On Tuesday, Ruszkowski held a press conference in Albuquerque to announce a list of failing elementary schools targeted for more rigorous interventions. Three of the four schools are within the Albuquerque school system. Hawthorne Elementary School, at 420 General Somervell SE, and Whittier Elementary School, at 1110 Quincy SE, landed on the list for receiving six consecutive F grades since 2012. Los Padillas Elementary School at 2525 Los Padillas SW has earned five consecutive Fs. Dulce Elementary School, near the Colorado border, was also listed for earning five Fs. Board member Yolanda Montoya-Cordova, the recently appointed representative for the South Valley, said she was very upset about the way PED handled the announcement. None of us should ever lead like that to create any kind of drama or upset the families who already feel marginalized, who already feel like they are left out of the process or uncertain about things, said Montoya-Cordova, who represents Los Padillas Elementary. But Ruszkowski also was not mincing words. This has been flirted with for decades a different structure for APS, a different governance structure, the ability for the state to take over a district, the ability for the state to appoint a different superintendent for a district, he said. There are a lot of options that the Legislature could explore if Albuquerque does not choose to do something different. As for the four schools identified during the news conference, the district can choose from four options outlined in the states Every Student Succeeds Act plan: close the school, relaunch it as a charter school, reorganize it or champion parents option to transfer students to other schools. A letter of intent is due to PED by Jan. 9, and a full plan outlining the turnaround steps is due by Feb. 12. For those schools, they are going to have to make a series of choices, and it is on their plate it is for them to decide, Ruszkowski said during the Tuesday news conference. They have to own it. We say at the Public Education Department, school improvement is a choice. These schools, from where I stand, should already be doing things dramatically differently after one F or two Fs or three Fs, or four Fs, he said. We get to this point of five, six Fs, this summer maybe seven Fs in a row. We want our school boards and our districts to take control of the situation and to actually break down the barriers. Thats the question that has to be asked: Why havent they already taken action? APS board member Barbara Petersen, who represents Hawthorne and Whittier, said she was so infuriated by Ruskowskis comments that she could barely speak. I know at Hawthorne and Whittier, teachers walk in every day to serve their students, she said. And thats the most insulting thing from the PED to act like we dont already care, and that we are not already paying attention to what we do for students. POOR TIMING? Superintendent Raquel Reedy stressed that the district has spent the summer and fall considering new ways to help its struggling schools through initiatives like the academic master plan, data reviews, summer program ideas, tiered support to schools and other steps. We have had straightforward discussions with our schools, especially schools we thought might be identified as MRI, (more rigorous interventions) etc., by the PED, Reedy told the board on Wednesday. Those difficult conversations have already taken place theyve been ongoing. Schools were made aware of this possibility, and schools are moving forward in this process as I speak. While APS knew a number of its schools would end up on the list, Ruszkowskis official announcement came as a surprise. District spokeswoman Johanna King told the Journal that PED had assured APS administrators that they would receive 24-hour notice before any press conference about low-performing schools. Principals were working on letters to send home to families, explaining the situation, King said. But APS never heard from PED, and parents learned that their schools could face closure on the news. Reedy told the Journal she thought PED and APS had been partnering well and encouraged the secretary to communicate with us. There has to be collaboration, she said. We have to talk to each other. The Jan. 9 deadline is also an issue, Reedy said. Months ago, APS administrators had heard that PED would announce the list of low-performing schools in October, and the delay means schools have little time for community meetings to discuss the four options. Winter break begins on Dec. 18, making the timeline even tighter, Reedy said. When the Journal asked PED about the promise for a 24-hour notice and communication issues with APS, PED spokeswoman Lida Alikhani said the states ESSA plan has been public for most of 2017 and meetings between PED and APS have been ongoing, so the district should have been prepared. This weeks announcement is five years in the making thats how much time the district had to galvanize their schools, parents, families, and stakeholders around a more ambitious vision of school performance and student success, she said in a statement. Its hard to hear that the announcement was in any way surprising when there have been students who have attended grades 1st through 6th in a failing school. To APS board member Lorenzo Garcia, PED staff are disconnected bureaucrats who treated the district with incredible disrespect. The fact of the matter is we have been accountable, he said. These guys (PED) must be watching too many Tombstone movies because they call for days of reckoning, all this media crap. But Ruszkowski said the proof is in the numbers: the four MRI elementary schools have dismal math and reading proficiency rates. For Albuquerque this is a gut check moment, Ruszkowski said. They know what they need to do. I fundamentally believe that Albuquerque knows what it needs to do. APS associate superintendent Gabriella Blakey said its not so simple, and that she was surprised by Ruszkowskis suggestion that even more drastic measures should occur if APS doesnt show improvement. If these schools knew what the magic answer was, we would have implemented that a long time ago, said Blakey, who leads APS Learning Zone 1, the southeast quadrant of the district. Hawthorne and Whittier have both made progress on attendance a cornerstone of the district academic master plan. Principals are also sharing ideas during instruction rounds, a concept borrowed from doctors hospital rounds that includes classroom observation and student discussions. Blakey invited Ruszkowski to visit Hawthorne, Whittier and Los Padillas to see the work for himself. We continue to look for ways to increase achievement, she said. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Periods of light snow. Temps nearly steady around 30. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 70%.. Tonight Partly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 22F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. PENSACOLA, Florida President Donald Trump on Friday urged voters to elect a Republican Senate candidate in Alabama who has been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct, warning that America cannot afford to have a Democrat win the hard-fought campaign instead. Trump gave a boost to the campaign of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore during a raucous campaign rally in the Florida panhandle, near the state line with Alabama. Get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it, Trump told the crowd. We cannot afford, the future of this country cannot afford to lose the seat, Trump said, referring to his partys razor-thin 52-48 advantage in that chamber of Congress. Trump said Moores opponent, Doug Jones, is a liberal Democrat who would be completely controlled by Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi in the House and Chuck Schumer in the Senate. Hes their total puppet and everybody knows it, Trump said during a wide-ranging speech that included riffs on the U.S. immigration system and the nations economic performance since he took office. He touched briefly on the closely watched Senate race that will be decided when voters in next-door Alabama go to the polls Tuesday. We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda, which involves tough on crime, strong on borders, strong on immigration, Trump continued. As Trump spoke about Moore, Moore tweeted Trumps comments to his own followers. Trump also taunted Beverly Nelson, one of Moores accusers, who had presented a yearbook inscription by Moore as a key piece of evidence that the candidate knew his accuser. Nelson said Friday she had added a notation marking the date and place where it was signed. Did you see what happened today? You know, the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made, Trump said, shifting to a sing-songy voice. She started writing things in the yearbook. Trump then mentioned Nelsons lawyer, Gloria Allred, and said, Anytime you see her, you know somethings gone wrong. Trump had reinforced his support for Moore earlier Friday by tweeting a similar message. Moore, who is 70, has been dogged by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including accusations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s. Moore has denied the allegations. During the rally, Trump also crowed about stock market gains and other upbeat economic indicators. He said he was confident hed win re-election in 2020, despite his dismal approval rating. I think its going to be very hard for somebody to beat us in a few years, Trump said, pointing to the impact on 401(k) investments. All you have to say is: With us it goes up, with them it goes down. And thats the end of the election, right? The White House said the rally was a campaign event for Trump. But the location so close to the Alabama state line and feeding its television markets stoked speculation that it was a backdoor way for the president to boost Moores campaign without actually setting foot in the state. Its not that hes not going to Alabama. Its that he is going to Pensacola, White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters on board Air Force One as Trump flew to Florida. Pensacola is Trump country. This is a part of the state that voted overwhelmingly for the president in 2016. Hell be traveling back to Florida from time to time, and its a key state. Shah said the president and White House have made clear that the Moore allegations are troubling and concerning and should be taken seriously. He also noted that Moore has maintained his innocence, and said that should be considered as well. Ultimately his endorsement is about the issues, Shah said. Trump tweeted earlier Friday that the LAST thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already. Republicans currently have a 52-48 GOP edge in the Senate. He also criticized Jones as being bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military Moore tweeted that he agreed with Trump. Youre right Mr. President! We cant Make America Great Again with another radical liberal in the US Senate, he said. I look forward to working with you to pass the America First Agenda! Trump, who overcame allegations of sexual misconduct to win last years presidential election, looked past the charges against Moore and formally endorsed the former Alabama judge this week for the seat once held by Jeff Sessions, now the U.S. attorney general. Top Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, had called on Moore to step aside after the allegations were made public. Fridays campaign rally was Trumps first since September, when he went to Alabama to campaign for Sen. Luther Strange, who lost the GOP runoff election to Moore. Trumps visit to the Florida panhandle comes in the final days of the Alabama Senate special election campaign to fill the seat formerly held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The crowd included some Alabama voters who traveled across the border for the rally. These are lies, just malicious lies, said John Maddalena, head of the south Alabama chapter of Bikers for Trump. Maddalena and his wife, Alisha, rode to the Trump rally from their home near Montgomery, Alabama. Alisha Maddalena described herself as a strong woman who still doesnt believe Moores accusers. You let him sit there and pass judgment on people as a jurist for 40 years and dont say anything? she asked. You wait until hes running for the Senate to come up with this? That makes you suspicious. Im a strong female, she continued. If things like that happen to you, you need to come out immediately. Others were Trump supporters eager to see the president in person. Forrest Holt, 71, came to Pensacola from neighboring Gulf Breeze with his Marine buddies for the rally. We love Trump, because he doesnt back down from anybody, said Holt, who said a tax cut is his top priority. Holt gave Trump credit for Republicans on Capitol Hill advancing competing bills through the process, but said hes not worried about the details. Theyre on the right track, he said. I pay my fair share, and I just want everyone else to pay theirs too. ___ Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap Laws are a necessary evil in civilized society. You obey the laws, and the government will do its best to protect you and yours. But what happens when theres a conflict between a state and a federal law? That is the situation across America today. So far, six states California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont, along with multiple dozens of cities and counties are on record as being safe spaces places of sanctuary for those who have entered the country illegally. They are all ignoring federal immigration laws. Those in favor of the sanctuary city idea seem to have turned to and old adage on its head so that two wrongs make a right. They have been upset with the countrys immigration policies for years now. They feel the Trump administrations recent declaration that sanctuary cities are violating the law is wrongheaded and, therefore, justifies their own disregard of existing immigration law. They believe America should open its arms to immigrants, not slam the door in their faces. It is time to acknowledge, however, that not all illegal immigrants are created equal. Yes, there are those who came here desperately seeking a better, safer future for their family and have lived exemplary lives. And then there are others who entered the U.S. illegally and committed heinous crimes against American citizens. Lets focus on this latter group. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE) want to keep track of those whove been arrested on local criminal charges. They frequently issue whats called an immigration detainer, a formal request to be alerted when a criminal alien, as the White House calls them, is about to be released from custody. Then they can move in and decide about possible deportation. But officials in sanctuary cities are ignoring the detainer requests and allowing these non-citizen convicts to simply walk out the jailhouse door. Look, its obvious we need major immigration reform, and I support several ideas for change, like adoption of the Dream Act allowing the undocumented who were brought here as children a path to citizenship. But it is not time to change the idea behind getting rid of the criminal element that enters our country illegally. Those locations that ignore federal detainer orders do so at their peril. And they put all of us in harms way. By now, youve likely heard about Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, deported from the U.S. five times. He illegally re-entered again, and shot and killed a woman in San Francisco a sanctuary city back in 2015. He declared it was an accidental shooting and was recently found not guilty of that murder. Federal authorities have now stepped in and charged Garcia Zarate with both immigration and gun violations. Too little, too late for the family of Kate Steinle, 32, who was simply out for a stroll with her father when she was gunned down. And I have written in this space about the situation in Connecticut, a state where a growing number of localities are currently considering laws to protect undocumented immigrants or have already passed such laws. Perhaps they forget that back in 2015 Haitian Jean Jacques was released from a Connecticut prison after hed served a 17-year sentence on attempted murder charges. He was not deported, as convicts are supposed to be, and six months later he murdered 24-year-old Casey Chadwick. These are only two examples of immigrants who have committed felony crimes while on U.S. soil. Space does not permit the entire long list. So, remind me again how sanctuary cities are helping Americans stay safe? I understand those in favor of defying federal immigration actions do so with altruistic motives. They offer heartfelt pleas on behalf of those who have been living peacefully in the U.S. for years and the families that might be torn apart by application of the law. They remind us that America was built on the backs of hard-working immigrants who came from every corner of the globe. Lets also remember that those who helped build America came here through an orderly and legal process. And it has been this countrys long-standing policy to deport those immigrants who are convicted of serious crimes like rape, murder, aggravated assault and drug or sex trafficking. President Obama supported this idea, as well. Truth be told, we have ignored our immigration policy problems for so long that weve backed ourselves into a legal corner. By some counts, there are now more than 600 jurisdictions across the country that have approved some sort of sanctuary policy, yet that term has no technical or legal definition and isnt mentioned in any section of the U.S. Code. Its long past time for politicians to revamp and update our immigration policies, but Im not holding my breath. At the very least, every jurisdiction needs to recognize those immigration detainer requests as necessary to keep Americans safe. Its time to put every one of those who have proven to be unworthy to live here on a plane back to their home country. www.DianeDimond.com; email to Diane@DianeDimond.com. President Trumps son-in-law and designated Middle East peace envoy, Jared Kushner, told the Brookings Institutions Saban Forum last weekend that a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians is key to solving larger goals, such as stopping Iranian aggression and Islamic extremism. If he believes that, he has fallen into the trap numerous and more seasoned diplomats have experienced. The most obvious impediment to peace in the region is a religious one. A visceral hatred of Jews is promoted in Palestinian media and many mosques and schools throughout the region. The destruction of Israel and elimination of Jews from land that has been historically and legitimately theirs for thousands of years is their goal. Radical Islamists believe Allah has ordered it. Why would they risk perdition by violating his command? Duplicity and deception are the coin of the realm in the Middle East. It is why many Palestinian leaders say one thing to the West and another to their own people. Here is one of many examples, which contradicts what Palestinian leaders say to Western ears. In a 2013 interview on Syrian TV, Abbas Zaki, a close associate of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the Palestinian Authority would not enter into any peace agreement with Israel unless it includes Israels withdrawal to indefensible 1967 borders. Zaki stated: Even the most extreme among us, Hamas, or the fighting forces, want a state within the 67 borders. Afterward, we (will) have something to say, because the inspiring idea cannot be achieved all at once. (Rather) in stages. In other words, incremental steps toward a shared goal: the elimination of the Jewish state, which Iranian mullahs have described as a cancer in the Middle East. Does this sound like the language of people who wish to live in a peaceful state adjacent to Israel? A person not deceived by the mirage of a Middle East peace agreement should consider the numerous and unreciprocated concessions Israel has already made to advance the peace process, which seems more like a war process from the Arab and Palestinian perspective. This is all about increasing pressure on Israel to do more, as if Israel were the one advocating genocide. Many Palestinian and Arab leaders hate Israel and Jews not for what they do or dont do, but because they exist. If Kushner believes he can be a peace broker without understanding and accepting this basic fact, he is bound to end up like all the others who have inserted themselves into the region. What is the answer, if there is one? Writing in the Israeli publication, Al-Monitor, following President Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia in May, columnist Akia Eldar says: (an) American president may be able to bring the sides to the table, if he is lucky, but they will only eat what is on it if they are dying of hunger. He would have realized that the hunger for peace only comes after the thirst for blood is quenched. Isnt that what happened when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat decided enough blood had been spilt and made peace with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin? As unlikely as it might seem, perhaps the road to settlement and stability might go through Riyadh. While Saudi Arabia has been a principal exporter of an extremist view of Islam through its media, funding mosques in Western countries and textbooks for school children that promote anti-Semitism, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has said he wants a return to a more moderate Islam that allows for peaceful co-existence with other religions and the world. One eagerly awaits such a transforming message within Islam, but will other Islamic countries who also hate Jews and Israel accept this move toward peaceful co-existence when, and if, it comes? Does Jared Kushner fully understand what he has gotten himself into? Email: tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Copyright, Tribune Content Agency LLC. WASHINGTON Just how disordered have our politics become? And how off-the-rails is the Republican Party? The good people of Alabama will help answer these questions in next Tuesdays special election for the U. S. Senate. The whole world will be watching them decide whether party and ideology trump decency and moderation; whether there is simply no end to the extremism Republican voters are willing to tolerate in their ranks; and whether a majority in their state believe that being a credibly accused sexual predator is better than being a Democrat. They will also be telling us what they think the word Christian means. The outcome is likely to be determined by the consciences of conservatives, and of a specific kind: Those who see Mitt Romney and Republicans like him as far more reflective of their moral sense than is Judge Roy Moore, the GOPs ethically defective nominee whose indifference to the law led him to be removed from Alabamas Supreme Court twice. Steve Bannon, the former Trump Svengali who proudly peddles the ideological wares of the extreme right, inadvertently clarified the stakes at a Moore rally in south Alabama on Tuesday night with a malicious and spiteful attack on Romney. The former Massachusetts governor tweeted this week that having Moore in the Senate would be a stain on the GOP and on the nation. Bannons response? Judge Roy Moore has more honor and integrity in that pinky finger than your entire family has in its whole DNA. Yes, he really said that. For good measure, Bannon not only accused Romney of avoiding service in Vietnam. He also trafficked in the anti-Mormon sentiments common among some evangelicals. You hid behind your religion, Bannon said of Romney. You went to France to be a missionary while guys were dying in rice paddies in Vietnam. Do not talk to me about honor and integrity. And never mind that while guys were dying in rice paddies in Vietnam, the president whom Bannon served also avoided the war, courtesy of five draft deferments. Bannon is many things, but a fool he is not. Its no accident he linked his Vietnam attack to Romneys missionary work, which underscored the 2012 Republican nominees deep commitment to Mormonism. Thanks to Bannon, we now know that this is no longer just a race between Moore and Democrat Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney who, depending on the poll, is either slightly behind or slightly ahead. It is, in very large part, a decision by Republicans about who they are. It is also an important choice for devoted Christians. Do they really want their faith defined by those who tried to justify Moores alleged relationships with young teenagers by invoking the Holy Family and saying that Joseph was older than Mary which, besides being absurd, is Biblically unfounded? Or by arguing that an interest in young girls might be explained by a desire for a large family, as a professor at Ouachita Baptist University wrote? Do those saying such things not realize that they are helping to discredit the very tradition they claim to be defending? No atheist could inflict this much damage to the faith. This is how haywire politics has gone in the Age of Trump. Party loyalty can, its true, be honorable if it is about the defense of principles, and Moores backers say they are sticking with him to oppose abortion and multiply conservative judges. But these rationales ring hollow given Moores utterly unconservative claims as a judge that his theological predilections overrode the law and his lies about not profiting from his private charity, which suggest he is a charlatan exploiting the beliefs of his supporters for his own purposes. Both Moore and Trump play on the feelings of marginalization experienced by many cultural conservatives. It would be salutary for such voters to declare that there are limits to how much they will allow themselves to be used by politicians whose words and deeds are so often at odds. If Moore is not the limiting case, there are no limits. Moores promoters, including Bannon, want to persuade Alabama Republicans that since a Jones triumph will be taken as a rebuke to Trump, they have an obligation to fall into line. But the long-term harm to the GOP from a Moore victory will be far greater than from one lost Senate seat. Bannon is right to cast the election as being about honor and integrity. When it comes to these virtues, it is not a close call. Dionnes columns, including those not published in the Journal, can be read at abqjournal.com/opinion look for the syndicated columnist link. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group; e-mail: ejdionne@washpost.com. Twitter: @EJDionne. SANTA FE Entering the final year of her tenure, Gov. Susana Martinez has stepped up her criticism of Senate Democrats for stalling her appointments, especially when it comes to university regents. However, the chairwoman of the Senate panel that handles confirmations said the committee plans to meet next week before the full Legislature convenes for a 30-day session to hold hearings on some low-profile nominees. Tension between the Republican governor and the Democratic-controlled Senate over a lingering backlog of nominees has been building for several years. There are currently 74 gubernatorial nominees awaiting Senate confirmation including 11 university regent nominees and the Senate Rules Committee has not met since this years 60-day session ended in March. The Governors Office has accused Senate Democrats of being untruthful about its confirmation plans, as Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, said in August that she thought the panel would convene before the end of summer. At this point, its pretty clear why they are never able to get anything done theyre more interested in playing petty political games than fulfilling their constitutional role, Martinez spokeswoman Emilee Cantrell told the Journal. But Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, said this week that the committee is following its traditional schedule. She said confirmation hearings for higher-profile nominees are typically held only during regular legislative sessions. An agenda for next weeks meeting includes five nominees, including appointees to the state Human Rights Commission and Commission for the Blind. Lopez also said the committee will likely discuss at its meeting the governors decision in March to withdraw at least temporarily the nominations for more than 50 appointees to various boards and commissions in an attempt to make the Senate act more quickly on higher-profile appointees. The individuals continue to exercise the powers and duties of their appointment, even though they have been withdrawn by the governor, Lopez told the Journal. New Mexicos confirmation system is based on the federal model and requires that high-level officials be appointed by the governor, with the consent of the Senate. Those subject to Senate confirmation include Cabinet secretaries, university regents and appointees to a wide range of boards and commissions. Appointees who are not confirmed can, in most cases, continue serving. However, any nominee who is voted down by the full Senate is immediately removed from the appointed position. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Israeli airstrikes killed two Hamas members early Saturday following a rocket attack on Israel, in the latest fallout from President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital a development that has roiled the region and the larger Muslim world. The Israeli military said it targeted four Hamas facilities in response to rockets fired the previous night, including one that landed in the town of Sderot without causing casualties or major damage. The military said it struck warehouses and weapons manufacturing sites, after which Hamas said it had recovered the bodies of two of its men. Israel considers Hamas responsible for all rocket fire emanating from Gaza, which is home to other armed groups. Some residents of Sderot and other border towns spent the night in shelters, fearful of a resumption of rocket attacks from Gaza that have led to three Israel-Hamas wars over the past decade. Protests and demonstrations continued across the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday on the third and final so-called Palestinian day of rage following Trumps announcement. The military said there were clashes in some 20 locations. In Bethlehem, Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades. The Israeli military said some 600 Palestinians were throwing firebombs and rolling burning tires toward Israeli forces. It said it dispersed the crowds and arrested six rioters. Along the border with the Gaza Strip, some 450 Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops at eight main locations. About 20 were lightly wounded. Some 4,000 demonstrators gathered in Gaza City and demonstrations resumed in Pakistan, Turkey and elsewhere across the Muslim world as well. In Jerusalem, police forces some on horseback scuffled with protesters near the Old City and arrested 13 people who were involved in what they called an illegal protest. Four policemen were slightly injured. President Trump cannot take what he doesnt have, said Zuheir Dana, one of the protesters from east Jerusalem. In a first, violence spilled into Israel itself, with Arab protesters blocking a major highway in the northern part of the country and hurling rocks at a bus and motorcycle rider, injuring two slightly. Israel has mobilized troops in case further violence breaks out. However, the clashes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem have yet to claim lives or spiral into the level of violence some had feared following Trumps move. Saturday saw a drop in the scope of the protests after clashes erupted Friday between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops in dozens of West Bank hotspots and along the Gaza border. Two Palestinians were shot dead in Gaza and dozens were wounded in the West Bank. In Jerusalem, Friday prayers at Islams third-holiest site dispersed largely without incident. Large crowds of worshippers across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches Friday, some stomping on posters of Trump or burning American flags. Trumps announcement on Jerusalem, and his intention to move the U.S. Embassy there, triggered denunciations from around the world, with even close allies suggesting he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. The status of the city lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinians conflict, and Trumps move was widely perceived as siding with Israel. Even small crises over Jerusalems status and that of the holy sites in its ancient Old City have sparked deadly bloodshed in the past. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah movement and other groups have called for mass protests while its rival, the Gaza-based Islamic militant group Hamas, is calling for a third violent uprising against Israel, though such appeals have largely fizzled as Palestinians have become disillusioned with their leaders. Arab foreign ministers, meanwhile, gathered in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for an emergency meeting to formulate a unified response to Trumps decision. It was not immediately clear what concrete measures might be taken to counter Trumps decision, but Arab diplomats have spoken of submitting a draft resolution condemning the move to the U.N. Security Council and unspecified measures regarding bilateral ties between Arab League member states and Washington. Hamas, which seeks Israels destruction, killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s. Most countries have not recognized Israels 1967 annexation of east Jerusalem and maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv. Under a longstanding international consensus, the fate of the city is to be determined in final status peace negotiations. Israel says it hopes others will follow Trumps lead, but the United States found itself alone in the U.N. Security Council on Friday, fielding criticism from the other 14 members over the proposed move. Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said the council took a strong stance against American violations of international law. They have no mandate to give away Jerusalem to an occupying power or to violate international law in such a blatant and egregious manner, she said. While Trumps announcement was warmly welcomed in Israel as an acknowledgement of its longtime seat of government and the ancient capital of the Jewish people, it was greeted with outrage from Palestinians who considered it a slap in the face and an abandonment of the longtime American role as mediator in the conflict. After two decades of halting peace negotiations that have failed to bring Palestinians closer to statehood, some in Abbas inner circle have begun to speak openly about abandoning the two-state formula in favor of a single binational state. In a sign of Palestinian frustration with the Americans, Abbas political adviser Majdi Khaldi said the Palestinian president will not meet with Vice President Mike Pence when he visits the region later this month. The U.S. crossed the red line in its decision about Jerusalem, he told The Associated Press. ____ Associated Press writer Hamza Hendawi reported from Cairo. Heller reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas Authorities in North Texas are investigating the shooting deaths of a man and his two small children as an apparent murder-suicide. Police in North Richland Hills say the shooting took place on Saturday. The children killed were a 5-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy. Investigators say the childrens mother, who was home at the time, called 911 after the shooting. She was not injured. Police are still determining what events lead up to the shooting. North Richland Hills is located about 12 miles northeast of Fort Worth. ANGOLA Angola was honored this week with an award from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch for the Hometown Collaboration Initiative. The award said it is for HCI, which works to strengthen existing economic assets and offer placemaking strategies that improve quality of life and attractiveness for investment. Downtown Services Coordinator Maria Davis received the award on behalf of the city. HCI partners with OCRA, Purdue University and Ball State University for communities committed to building on existing assets and is only available to communities with a total population of 25,000 or fewer people. Angola was in the most recent set of towns named to HCI and has a goal set of seeking engagement, investment and participation from government, community, economic development organizations and individual citizens to maintain and grow a thriving and vibrant community. One of the ways Angola hopes to achieve its goal is through a public survey, with collected data going back to the state to be analyzed to see what is most important to area residents. The survey is for residents of Angola and Steuben County or people that live elsewhere but are employed in Angola or Steuben County and is seeking input on placemaking features of the community, local economy and local leadership opportunities. Placemaking is all about investing in ways to improve quality of place. Placemaking opportunities can include arts and cultural integration, community design and city revitalization, community well-being, educational excellence, municipal governance and readiness for change. Key ingredients to economic stability and growth include connecting cities and towns to build a coordinated development plan, discovering key assets already in place in towns, such as small businesses or industries and incorporating diverse economic development strategies, such as entrepreneurship and retaining and growing existing enterprise. Leadership gives a community the ability to shape its own future and create positive change. It is more than just elected leadership. HCI focuses on building community leadership capacity, broadening the view of leadership and getting the knowledge of how to lead throughout the entire community. One of these three building blocks, placemaking, economy or leadership, will be selected based off of survey data and will be the project Angola proceeds with. Tentatively, the survey is open through January 26. Once it closes, Purdue will analyze the data, with hopes that Angola will receive the data prior to a public forum scheduled for March 15 at Angola High School. Davis said the forum in March will be led by the state HCI team and involves many group discussions for community members. Food will be provided and crafts for children will be available. The general idea is to gather data through existing sources, a public survey and a public forum, then analyze the data to help pick a project in one of 3 building blocks Leadership, Placemaking, Economy, said Davis. Were hoping to get plenty of input from Angolas Community. Once determined, the project will be awarded $5,000-$10,000 from the city and an additional $5,000 from OCRA. The survey is available at indianahci.org/communities/angola. December 8, 2017 Working as a professional journalist is subject to obtaining a journalists license from the Media Governance Organization [MGO] of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This sentence is part of Article 52 of the [MGO] Bill, which is currently being reviewed by the administrations Cultural Commission. The bill, which has six chapters and 66 articles, was introduced and drafted in October 2013 by the press deputy of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, which works under the administration of President Hassan Rouhani. On Oct. 25, the administrations official website reported that certain parts of the bill had been reviewed and approved at a meeting of its members, headed by Rouhani himself. Six days later, the full text of the bill was published on the same website. Much criticism followed as many Iranian journalists lamented that the passage of the measure will result in the death of independent journalism in Iran. On Nov. 6, ILNA reported that according to a poll of 160 journalists conducted through its website, 81% opposed the bill. These criticisms finally resulted in the government backing off. On Nov. 5, Seyyed Abbas Salehi, the minister of culture and Islamic guidance, tweeted, The Media Governance Bill has been returned to the Cultural Commission of the administration for review of certain articles. On Nov. 8, in an interview with the ISNA news agency, he also declared that the reason for the return of the bill to the commission is the criticism it received due to its top-down nature and tone, promising, In subsequent reviews and steps, this approach will certainly be toned down. An independent journalist living in Iran and identifying herself only as Mina talked to Al-Monitor regarding this issue. She said, We can say that in all aspects, the [MGO] currently has all the power and can allow or deny journalists the possibility of doing their jobs. Any journalist who has not obtained a license from this organization will not be allowed to even cover regular news. This is one of many problems with this bill. This bill reminds me of what we have heard about the conditions surrounding the political factions, journalist committees and writers under the Stalin regime in the Soviet Union. Mina, who only spoke on condition of anonymity due to limitations that are imposed inside Iran, said that after working for a couple of years for various publications, she is now trying to continue her work as a journalist independently. She believes that the bill will result in more censorship and further elimination of independent journalism from the mainstream of Iranian media. She said, Conditions concerning journalists and media outlets in Iran are problematic enough as it is, and there is no job security. Media chiefs are either government appointees who are naturally in line with the governments actions or are private owners who are willing to cooperate with the government in order to increase their own revenues and receive more advertisements. According to the MGO bill, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance will be in charge of electing the board of directors for this organization. Also, in each province, a committee made up of the director general of the provincial office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, the director general of the regional judicial administration, the director general of the provincial office of broadcasting, a representative from the provinces office of inspection as well as the representatives of the managing directors of the provinces publications are tasked with determining the qualifications of the candidates and monitoring the elections for the board of directors. Mina points to issues mentioned in the text of the bill, saying, Almost all sections of this bill are being criticized because they represent purely an official view of the press, which is unacceptable. Media outlets have reacted to the bill by publishing articles, editorials, interviews and editorial cartoons. For example, Kambiz Norouzi, a journalist and lawyer, wrote in an editorial for the Reformist Shargh daily, This bill has at least 47 basic media and legal problems. These problems are indicative of the fact that this bill is widely dismissive of the basic rules of media and press, such as having a free press, security for media and independent journalism. Hossein Entezami, the deputy minister of culture and Islamic guidance in charge of media affairs, was the first person to announce back in 2013 that the Rouhani administration was trying to put together a media guild. Since 2004, as a representative of the managing directors of Iranian publication houses, Entezami has been a member of the Press Supervisory Board that was formed in 2000 under the provisions of the press law and is headed by the minister of culture and Islamic guidance himself. On Nov. 3, in response to the wave of criticisms, Entezami wrote an editorial that was published on the administrations website. It read: An administration whose goal is to promote the freedom of speech and particularly the freedom of the press and which believes that media, next to food and arms, is the third pillar of national security will, logically, not violate its own goals and will not pass bills that damage the very thing that functions as an impetus for national progress. Every year, Reporters Without Borders publishes an annual ranking of press freedom around the world. This year, Iran was ranked 165 among 180 countries in the world. This was an improvement by four points compared to the previous year. Yet, the organization noted, this better ranking for Iran does not mean that the country has experienced any serious improvement when it comes to press freedom. Instead, it is the result of other countries degenerating. Iran has continued to be one of the worlds five biggest prisons for media activists. In its third chapter, the MGO bill clarifies the process of membership in the organization and the rights that come with it. According to articles 61 and 62 of the bill, only journalists who are members of this organization have the right to look for stories, carry media equipment, participate in press conferences and receive equipment and financial support from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Additionally, only licensed journalists are entitled to a jury of their peers and a public hearing. Mina believes that if this bill passes, even the limited amount of press freedom that currently exists in Iran will be taken away. She said, These past few years, as journalists were being arrested and imprisoned, there never was any committee responsible for following up on these arrests. If this bill is passed, the situation will become a hundred times worse. All independent voices will be shut down. The promise of reopening the Press Association, a campaign pledge of Rouhani during his 2013 campaign, is yet to be realized. During the aftermath of the disputed 2009 presidential election, on Aug. 3 that year, the associations office was shut down by the orders of then-Tehran prosecutor general Saeed Mortazavi. Mina says that considering the current situation, Rouhanis administration does not have a strong will to reopen the media guild. Numerous times during the past 40 years, we were told that the press situation would improve, but the establishment always wanted more power in censoring and limiting the freedom of information. I think that Hassan Rouhani will end his second term as president without delivering on the promises that he has made, Mina added. December 8, 2017 The proposal for the so-called recommendations law preventing Israel's police from recommending indictment and the ongoing police investigations into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Likud party seniors have raised public indignation in recent days and generated protests. The chairman of Kulanu, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, is sure to closely follow the demonstration against government corruption scheduled for Dec. 9 in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square. Kahlon has reason to worry about this demonstration. Ironically, it is Kahlon who is paying a price at the polls for the proposed recommendations law, which was advanced by the Likud to help Netanyahu survive public scrutiny over the criminal investigations and is now on hold. On Dec. 2, Kahlon still believed that the crisis surrounding the bill would not hurt him. Kahlon's party had supported the law, which was approved in the Knesset's first hearing. Kahlon was giving a relatively easy interview in the studio of Channel 10's HaMateh HaMerkazi, rejecting the accusation that he had given in and explaining that the law was not intended to benefit one individual, but a good idea he has supported for the past 15 years. But at the same time, thousands of people began gathering on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv. In less than an hour, the demonstration, called the "March of Shame" by its organizers, had drawn tens of thousands of people. There were bold signs calling for Netanyahu's arrest and imprisonment, but the protesters also vented their anger at the finance minister, who supported the law when he could have stopped it. By the next morning, while the media was reporting on the interrogation of coalition chairman David Bitan as well as the demonstration, Kahlon began to realize how badly trapped he has become since the recommendations law became a symbol of government corruption. He tried to minimize the damage by demanding that the law wait three months to go into effect, so that it would not affect Netanyahu. At the same time, he announced that the members of his own party were free to vote according to their conscience. When HaBayit HaYehudi announced soon after that its members were also encouraged to vote as they pleased, the Knesset legislative process of three hearings before passing a law ground to a halt. However, Kahlon's effort to minimize the damage did not succeed. A poll released by Channel 2 News Dec. 4 found that Kulanu was paying a political price for the proposed legislation. According to the poll, the Likud, which was behind the law, remains the largest party, with 24 seats, if voters chose that day, while Netanyahu remains strong in his position as the person most fit to be prime minister. The other parties also more or less maintained their numbers, but Kahlon's Kulanu lost two seats compared to a previous poll. According to this poll, if elections were held today, Kulanu would win just six seats, a loss of about 40%. More bad news was in store for Kahlon. The Israel Institute for Democracy's Monthly Peace Index, which examines public attitudes toward major issues, offered an explanation for Kahlon's loss of seats. According to this poll, most Israelis oppose the recommendations law. These figures could eventually threaten the integrity of the coalition in the next few months, once the police recommend Netanyahu's indictment, as they are expected to do. The organizers of the government corruption protest realize that this issue is Kahlon's weak spot, so they will continue to use his supporters to pressure him to take action and demand Netanyahu's resignation. Kahlon, who is already paying a steep price, will have to maneuver between his desire to remain in the government as finance minister and his desire to keep his voter base intact. The young party without many seats faces a real existential dilemma, and even a political wizard like Kahlon will have a hard time surviving it. Netanyahu is well aware that in these circumstances, Kahlon is once again the weak link in his coalition. The right is feeling at ease after President Donald Trump's statement concerning Jerusalem and with the diplomatic gridlock. The coalition crisis with the ultra-Orthodox has also been contained. The anticipated recommendation of an indictment for Netanyahu is the biggest threat facing the future of his government right now. There are no questions about the ultra-Orthodox, HaBayit HaYehudi and Yisrael Beitenu parties, all of whom are expected to provide Netanyahu with a political safety net. Kahlon, on the other hand, is considered a problem. Given this background, the long meeting between Netanyahu and Kahlon on Dec. 5 has special significance. At the end of the meeting, it was reported that the two men discussed moving ahead with the 2019 budget. It testified to their belief that the government would last. As far as Netanyahu was concerned, it was an act of maintenance, intended to keep Kahlon close and to alleviate his fears. Nevertheless, after last week, it is no longer clear how much control Kahlon has over his party members. Some of them showed their independence by going public with their opposition to the recommendations law and even taking it to the media. It is unclear how much Netanyahu can rely on Kahlon and his party. Talking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, a senior coalition member stated that Kahlon does not want elections now. He needs more time to substantiate and leverage his achievements in housing prices. Nevertheless, Kahlon could still be dragged into agreeing to early elections due to public pressure, "and sometimes no one can control these processes." The senior coalition member added, "If Kahlon continues to pay the price for the corruption crisis, he will be under considerable pressure, and people in situations like that tend to take extreme steps." So far, Kahlon has managed to ignore the elephant in the room. The finance minister is busy on Facebook promoting his economic policies, his achievements in housing and his visits throughout the country. There is a slew of photos of him with soldiers with no families in Israel and an emotional response to Trump's statement regarding Jerusalem. There's not a single word on the issues that could put his political future in jeopardy: the recommendations law and the Netanyahu investigations. This strategy could work for him until the police recommend Netanyahu's indictment, but at that point public and political pressure will focus on him. December 8, 2017 Gunshots continue to be fired across the West Bank and Gaza Strip as it enters the second day of resistance against US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Though it is just a recognition, by one of the most powerful states nonetheless, Palestinians across the country are fueled with anger by the thought they are losing their capital and religious home. The Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed on Dec. 8 that during the first day of protests on Dec. 7, one person had been killed in Gaza. Across the West Bank and Gaza, 13 protesters were injured from live fire and 47 from rubber bullets. Protest numbers were expected to be bigger on the second day of the resistance, as Dec. 8 was a declared a day of rage by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In the West Bank city of Ramallah, imams could be heard calling everyone to gather in the larger mosques of the city, so there would be solidarity in numbers. The message the imams delivered at midday prayers called for everyone to protest the US decision and defend their country. If people were able to and they werent restricted by Israeli permit limitations, they were told to travel to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for Friday prayers and demonstrations. In the end, at protests and clashes in Ramallah, specifically at the Beit El checkpoint in the north, fewer people turned out than yesterday; an estimate can be made of 300 people rather than the 1,000 the day before. Even so, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) displayed more force than on Dec. 7, this time pushing the Palestinian youth back from their positions, making ground of at least 50 meters. The soldiers used live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas on around 100 young men and women, who were slinging stones and lighting fires as defense against the approaching army. Tear gas rockets made it as far as the nearby apartment buildings, as youth ran to hide behind the walls. Glass fridges outside the nearby petrol station were shattered by rubber bullets, rendering them no longer a safe place to hide behind. In Jerusalem itself, demonstrations began directly after midday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Worshippers emerged from the mosque and circled the Dome of the Rock, chanting slogans against the US decision before raising the Palestinian flag. They then made their way to Damascus Gate, where the IDF attacked the protesters, pushing several women to the ground. There was no difference between men, women and children in the force the soldiers used. The IDF soon after closed Damascus Gate, restricting entrance into the Old City, and pushed everyone out of the area. No injuries were sustained, nor were any arrests made. Many youth in Ramallah demonstrating against Jerusalem as the recognized capital of Israel had never been able to visit the holy city, due to permit restrictions issued. Ali, 21, said it was especially difficult to go there for young people. The children, 20, 30 years old, they cant go to Jerusalem or Al-Aqsa Mosque because the Israelis dont see any good in the Palestinians, Ali said, pointing to the terrorist profile given to younger men. Ali said he would continue to protest until Israels occupation and restrictions were lifted. Jerusalem, its in my heart. I will keep coming back every day until we have freed Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, Ali said. Many youth within Ramallah echoed Alis struggle, some saying they wouldnt return to university until the occupation forces withdrew from Palestinian land. Issa, 21, who studies engineering at nearby Birzeit University, said he would not return to classes. Im going to keep resisting. We need to defend our country. We have to kick out the occupation from Palestine, Issa said passionately. The young student had also never been to Jerusalem, though mentioned it had always been his dream to go. Silwa, an East Jerusalem resident, believes the Palestinians would win this battle with the United States and Israel. She referred to their past success in Israel taking down metal detectors at the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque earlier this year. Mass protests broke out over the change to such an important religious landmark and the hindrance placed on worshippers entering the compound. We are here again today [to] show all the world our struggle. When they put electronic gates in Al-Aqsa we broke them, and we won, Silwa said, optimistic in her defense of Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Palestinians across Ramallah, particularly youth involved in clashes at Beit El, said they are fed up with the Palestinian Authority (PA). Protesters said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas should have directly cut ties with Israel after Trumps announcement. Samir, 22, said he rejects the PA and Abbas as his leader. Abbas is selling Al-Aqsa to Israel, Samir said angrily. Some of the youth in Beit El said they would rather support Hamas because they have called for an uprising. As Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stated shortly after Trumps official announcement, We should call for and we should work on launching an intifada in the face of the Zionist enemy. Even with numbers seemingly waning at demonstrations across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, those at the forefront of clashes with the IDF are expressing this battle as the start of an intifada. This is important, this is the third intifada, Samir said. Depending on whether numbers at protests dwindle even more on Dec. 9, we will see if an intifada has truly emerged. The manual of the Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) has appeared today on the manufacturers website, providing important information about the design and the software features of the handset. The diagram included with the manual seems to confirm the leaked renders of the smartphone that were released recently. It seems that the smartphone will sport a display with an aspect ratio of 16:9. Directly below the display are the home button, back key, and the recent apps key while above the screen are the front-facing camera, earpiece, proximity sensor, and LED flash. The manual notes that people may long press the home button in order to open the Google app. On the right, the user will find the power button while the volume keys are located on the opposite side. Also according to the manual, the handset will include a backfiring loudspeaker that is located directly beside the rear shooter and the LED flash. The rear panel can be detached from the rest of the device in order for individuals to install or remove the handsets battery, the SIM card, and the microSD card. The launcher that comes with the Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) is similar to what is found on the Galaxy S8, which means that the users may swipe up on the home screen in order to reveal the all apps screen. It also seems that the device will launch with Android Nougat pre-installed, so the owners of the device may use features like the multi-window mode. In order to trigger this feature, users will only need to tap on a button found on the upper left-hand side of the recent app windows. The Samsung Health app, on the other hand, allows users to count their steps and set their daily fitness goals. The smartphone includes a blue light filter, which should help in reducing eye strain, although Samsung notes that this feature cannot be activated when watching HDR video. Earlier reports state that the Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) will be powered by the Snapdragon 425 chipset. which is comprised of an octa-core ARM Cortex A53 CPU that is clocked at up to 1.4GHz and the Adreno 308 GPU. It is expected to include 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal flash storage that could be expanded by a microSD card. The report also states that the rear camera of the device will be equipped with an 8-megapixel sensor while the front-facing snapper will have a 5-megapixel shooter. A touchscreen Google Home seems to be hinted at by a new Google job post. Google is now searching for someone to fill the role of Touchscreen Hardware Engineer for the Google Home team and the company has recently listed the job opening over on LinkedIn, detailing what the job will be and what the responsibilities of the person in that role will be. That said, none of the details that Google has pasted in with the listing actually confirm what the product is that is going to be worked on by this person and the team that they will be working with. Since there arent any details that confirm the product specifically, everything is left up to a little bit of speculation at this point, but Google has been rumored to be working on a Google Home unit with a touchscreen for a little while now so it could launch a product that would be able to compete with Amazons Echo Show. While the existence of this job alone doesnt confirm that a touchscreen Google Home is in development, some information about the role mentions that the touchscreen hardware engineer would be working on next-generation Google hardware and that the person would need to help enable the best multi-touch user experience. Further reading points to things like selecting controllers and manufacturing vendors for the sensors as well as defining sensor patterns. Taking these responsibilities into consideration its a safe bet that this job is in direct reference to the development work on a Google Home product that will have a touchscreen attached to it. The job posting also says that the role will include leading the touch module development from concept to mass production, which means that development on such a product hasnt started yet and its likely to be a while before Google launches a competitor to the Echo Show. That is unless Google has plans to launch more than one product of this kind and there is another thats already in development. With the job posting now out there it looks like Google really is on its way to developing a new Google Home product that comes with a display, but theres no indication of when it might be ready. BarcelonaOne of the policemen involved in a brawl in Barcelonas trendy Born neighborhood on the night of October 24th, where a group of off-duty Spanish Police officers were involved, is a chief inspector for the riot police for one of the units deployed to Catalonia in the days before and after October 1st. According to Barcelona daily El Periodico, the chief inspector, whose initials are J.A.F., was in charge of the fifth police intervention unit (UIP), and had a total of 250 riot officers under his command. In addition, the 39 year-old inspector, who was in Catalonia from September through the end of November, attended one of the police coordination meetings at the HQ of Spanish Governments Delegation called by Diego Perez de los Cobos, Director of the Office of Coordination and Studies in Spains Secretary of State for Security and a colonel in the Guardia Civil, according to the same newspaper. Josep Lluis Trapero, then Major of Catalonias Mossos, did not attend the meeting. J.A.F. was one of the 6,000 Spanish Police and Guardia Civil officers sent to Catalonia with the aim of impeding the October 1st referendum, and who were housed in one of the vessels rented by Madrids Interior Ministry and docked at the Port of Barcelona-- specifically, the one popularly known as "Tweety Bird". Conflicting accusations On the night of October 24th, a group of off-duty Spanish police were involved in a brawl at a bar in the Born district with a waiter and the bar owner. They thought that the owner and employee were speaking Catalan, although they were speaking to each other in Italian. "Speak Spanish here or don't speak at all", they told them, according to the owner's version as reported by ARA. After many rounds of beer, the policemen, increasingly under the influence, reacted badly to being told the bar was closing, especially the chief inspector, who had a prominent role in the incident. According to the owner's story, the inspector came around to the other side of the bar counter to grab the waiter by the neck. The owner jumped in to separate them and they all fell to the ground, after which the other policemen joined the brawl armed with barstools. The Catalan police arrived on the premises to take a report and one of the Spanish police, who were all in plainclothes, accused the waiters of having stolen his mobile phone, though it was found behind the counter of the bar soon thereafter. At the moment there are two reports filed: one by the police against the waiters for trying to steal the same inspector's mobile phone, and another by the waiters against the police. According to El Periodico, the internal investigation of the incident is pending a resolution of the conflicting accusations, and no action will be taken against those involved until then. Best Electric Toothbrushes Game-Changing Toothbrushes That'll Seriously Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Routine 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. Product photos from retailer sites. The oral care market seems to be an ever expanding playground of plaque-fighting fun, but there's one major area of interest for brands and consumers alike: toothbrushes. Not just any old toothbrushes, however, but specifically electric toothbrushes. In fact, according to a 2019 MRI-Simmons; Statista study, the number of people using electric toothbrushes regularly has increased from about 94 million in 2012 to 118 million in 2019. RELATED: Best Teeth Whitening Products If you' haven't yet been converted to this church of ultra-clean chompers, you might be wondering if they're worth the investment. Well, unless you can brush your teeth 2,500 to 30,000 strokes per minute, the answer is emphatically "yes." Even disposable motorized toothbrushes are proven to be better at removing plaque and cleaning hard-to-reach molars than a standard toothbrush, although we prefer less waste rather than more. Point is, you don't have to spend hundreds to upgrade your oral care routine. There are some hefty models out there with all the bells and whistles, but plenty of humbler iterations that will get your mouth feeling ultra-clean for less cash, too. What to Consider When Shopping for an Electric Toothbrush Picking an electric toothbrush is sort of like flossing its a strenuous process that requires some digging around and patience. To help narrow things down, here is a list of factors one should consider when purchasing an electric toothbrush: Brushstroke rate: A quality model should deliver anywhere from 3,000 to 7,500 vibrating rotations per minute. A quality model should deliver anywhere from 3,000 to 7,500 vibrating rotations per minute. Brush settings: Depending on the damage or sensitivity of your teeth and gums, it helps to have an electric toothbrush with several brushing modes available for whitening, gentle brushing, and gum care. Depending on the damage or sensitivity of your teeth and gums, it helps to have an electric toothbrush with several brushing modes available for whitening, gentle brushing, and gum care. Battery life: Unless youre comfortable going manual from time to time, select something that lasts several days (but preferably weeks) before needing to be recharged. Or, if you'd prefer not to deal with a rechargeable battery, there are plenty of battery-powered options just be sure to keep your stash of AAAs or AAs well-stocked. Unless youre comfortable going manual from time to time, select something that lasts several days (but preferably weeks) before needing to be recharged. Or, if you'd prefer not to deal with a rechargeable battery, there are plenty of battery-powered options just be sure to keep your stash of AAAs or AAs well-stocked. Durability: Flimsy never works, so find a model with a little heft and sturdy design to sustain the abuse youll put it through in the dopp kit or medicine cabinet. Flimsy never works, so find a model with a little heft and sturdy design to sustain the abuse youll put it through in the dopp kit or medicine cabinet. Smart features: Toothbrushes are now connecting to our mobile devices, encouraging optimal oral hygiene based on the data collected from your personal brushing habits. Toothbrushes are now connecting to our mobile devices, encouraging optimal oral hygiene based on the data collected from your personal brushing habits. Travel accessories: Extra brush heads and a travel case compliment any package. You eat right, you exercise, and now its just as important to have good oral hygiene as ever. So open wide as we list the top electric toothbrushes to achieve a smooth set of gnashers. Best Electric Toothbrushes Best Overall Oral-B 10000 Genius X Luxe Not only is this our favorite electric toothbrush, but its the preferred brand of power toothbrush for folks across the entire U.S.! Its Bluetooth-enabled and comes supercharged with six brushing modes Daily Clean, Deep Clean, Gum Care, Sensitive, Tongue Cleaner, and Whitening to remove up to 100% more plaque than any basic manual toothbrush. This Oral-B electric toothbrush is designed to communicate while it cleans, utilizing the Oral-B app to provide guidance for ideal cleaning by delivering real-time feedback to enhance brushing practices. The signature CrossAction brush heads boast bristles that are perfectly angled at 16 degrees to deliver what dentists have praised as superior cleaning performance. Pros: Seven brush heads included AI tech recognizes your brushing style and coaches you to better results Included travel case can charge toothbrush and smartphone No water can get in around power button Cons: Expensive (but not the most expensive) App only allows one user profile Somewhat loud $236.04 at Amazon.com Best on a Budget AquaSonic Black Series Ultra Whitening Toothbrush This AquaSonic electric toothbrush generates a whopping 40,000 vibrations per minute (a first in the industry) and boasts four distinct modes of operation for cleaning, gum health, and whitening all in a sleek, ultra-slim and lightweight package that has earned the prestigious ADA seal of approval. The electric toothbrush creates flossing micro-bubbles to better clean between teeth and along the gum line, and it has smart timers to ensure you brush your whole mouth. Its DuPont-engineered brush heads and bristles last up to four months, while most other brands tap out after three. Plus, it has an IPX7 waterproof rating so you can multitask and brush your teeth while you shower. Pros: Ultra-fast wireless charging Includes eight long-lasting brush heads, and a travel case Industry-leading vibrations per minute Very affordable, considering the premium features Cons: May be a little too powerful, even on "soft" mode No low-battery indicator; just charged or not charged $39.95 at Amazon.com Most Splurge-Worthy Philips Sonicare DiamondClean Smart 9500 Simply put, this Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush is sleek, sexy, and delivers great teeth-whitening results. Lighter and smarter than previous Sonicare models, it utilizes sonic plaque-removing and whitening technology to purge your pearly whites of coffee stains and other discoloration. For a custom cleaning experience, this bad boy is equipped with five brushing modes Clean, White, Gum Health, DeepClean, and TongueCare each with three levels of intensity. Corresponding brush heads provide super-gentle brushing action and manage delicate gums and teeth with care. Quadpacer and Smartimer features remind you to brush each quadrant of your mouth for the proper brushing time, and everything connects to the Sonicare app to keep you on top of cleaning and show you how you can improve. Pros: Gold standard when it comes to electric toothbrushes Comes with three brush heads and a TongueCare+ tongue brush Head replacement indicator Two charging options included: travel case and mouth-rinsing glass Up to three weeks of use on a single charge Cons: Far more expensive than most other options Power button is prone to letting in moisture, which can lessen the units longevity $269.96 at Amazon.com Best Value Burst Sonic Toothbrush This is a great option if you are not looking to drop as much cash as you would for a major competitor. It has a similar vibration and feel, but a price tag that falls far below that of its higher-end counterparts. This electric toothbrush boasts soft, charcoal-infused nylon bristles and a powerful motor to deep clean, whiten and brighten. Using the two minute timer and a 30-second reminder to switch oral quadrants, you'll be coached through a whole-mouth clean. You also have the choice of three brushing modes: whitening, sensitive, and massage. Pros: Battery lasts a month on one charge Interdental bristles clean tough-to-reach places Includes USB charging base and wall adapter Cons: Bristles may be a little too soft for your preference Unprotected power button can let in water and gunk $69.99 at Amazon.com Best for Gum Health Quip Electric Toothbrush Quips brush heads create a truly unique brushing sensation thanks to 1,200 soft nylon bristles surrounded by a row of silicone bristles a plaque-busting choice thats gentler on gums and offers better protection against gingivitis. The sonic vibrations of this sleek, simple and smart electric toothbrush run on a two-minute timer to ensure you brush for the proper amount of time, and the brush pulses every 30 seconds to remind you to move onto the next quadrant of chompers. It syncs via Bluetooth to the Quip app to track your brushing skills and support your improvement. Powered by one AAA battery (included), you don't need to worry about any wires or chargers. Plus, it comes with a convenient travel cover that doubles as a mount that can attach to mirrors, glass and tile. Pros: 3-month battery life Multi-use travel cover Nylon and silicone bristles combine for a thorough clean thats gentle on gums Cons: Not rechargeable; need to replace AAA battery $59.97 at Amazon.com Best with Charcoal Bristles Boka Brush The elegant, simple design of Bokas magnetic charging dock features a removable cord to reduce counter clutter. Add to that the soft activated-charcoal bristles and you have yourself a streamlined toothbrush that looks good and cleans great. This Boka electric toothbrush kit includes the toothbrush, a charging base and two brush heads, both of which feature charcoal-infused nylon bristles to promote the natural whitening of teeth. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that powers up to 30,000 vibrations per minute and three customizable settings for your brushing power preferences. Like many other electric toothbrushes, it has a two-minute timer with reminders to switch to a new section of teeth every 30 seconds. Pros: Month of battery life between charges Sleek magnetic charging dock has a small footprint Very quiet operation Cons: Bristles are nylon, not biodegradable material like most non-electric charcoal bristle toothbrushes Automatically shuts off after two minutes, so you need to turn it back on if you feel you weren't done $64.99 at Amazon.com Best for Travel GLEEM Electric Toothbrush The GLEEM Electric Toothbrush might be the perfect toothbrush to keep with you no matter where you go. Its the lightest of the bunch, yet still manages to give a clean result. Powered by one AAA battery, this sonic toothbrush features a two-minute timer that pulses at 30-second intervals, just as youd find in more expensive models. Its good enough to be your main toothbrush, for sure, but we could see having a couple of these strategically placed office, car, gym bag in their slim travel case to make sure youre always rocking the freshest breath. (And, fortunately, the price is right so your wallet wont take too much of a hit if you purchase multiples.) Pros: Slim, lightweight design; great for on-the-go Includes slim travel case Superb choice for travel, camping, etc. Cons: Battery life isnt the best maybe about a month $19.98 at Amazon.com Best for Aligners Smile Direct Club Toothbrush with Aligner Brush If you have ever used Invisalign (or, maybe even better, Smile Direct Club), this battery-powered electric toothbrush is a good addition to the routine. This easy, affordable toothbrush is great on its own, but what really sets it apart from the pack is the additional aligner-cleaning brush head designed especially for those gnarly nooks and crannies of your invisible wearables. Whether youre wearing the aligners now or have finished up and are using a retainer, you know there can be some serious gunk that gets stuck in them, so the special brush thoroughly cleans and removes debris that other cleaners might miss. Pros: Must-have for cleaning plastic aligners and retainers Case acts as a counter stand, magnetic mirror mount, and travel cover all in one The regular brush head is angled on one side, with a tongue scraper on the other Quiet sonic vibrations Cons: Only claims to clean 50% better than manual brushing Vibrations are relatively weak, compared to competitors $19.98 at Amazon.com Best with a Flosser Waterpik Sonic-Fusion 2.0 Flossing Toothbrush Does this replace floss all together? Well, no, but clinical research published by Waterpik about effectiveness, plaque removal, and gum health suggests that if youre lazy about flossing to begin with this smart combo will make you feel a little less guilty when you tell your dentist you floss almost every night. Even the most stringent of flossers forgets to floss from time to time (hello, Friday nights), which makes this ADA-approved Waterpik Flossing Toothbrush a true game changer. The Sonic-Fusion uses a patented water flossing brush head and a trusty two-minute timer with 30-second pacer to make sure youre brushing and blasting debris with max efficiency. The sonic electric toothbrush also boasts advanced pressure control and three modes (Brush, Floss, and you guessed it Brush Floss), plus 10 water flosser pressure settings. Pros: Convenient, efficient combo of toothbrush and water flosser in one Includes one compact brush head, one full-size brush head, and two brush head covers Quiet operation Cons: Water reservoir runs out before you finish two minutes of brushing You might prefer to just use a Waterpik separately $155.99 at Amazon.com How to Optimally Use an Electric Toothbrush We spoke to Dr. Matt Nejad, a Beverly Hills cosmetic dentist, to find out the true benefits of electric toothbrushes and how to use them properly. "Many studies have looked at the effectiveness in terms of plaque removal and gingival (gum) inflammation and found that powered toothbrushes performed better than manual brushes," he tells AskMen. "This should come as no surprise when you see how patients use manual toothbrushes incorrectly, scrubbing them and missing the most important areas." However, you can use an electric toothbrush incorrectly as well. Dr. Nejad points out that the vibration or oscillation replaces any manual circular motion you may be used to performing with a manual toothbrush. Here is how he recommends maximizing the effectiveness of any electric toothbrush you choose: Begin by holding the brush lightly and not applying too much pressure, as this will make it less effective. You want to angle the brush at a 45-degree angle to the gumline, so that the bristles are pointing towards the gumline. Slowly glide the brush from tooth to tooth, using only light pressure and letting the brush do the work. Spend 30 seconds (minimum) per quarter of the mouth and don't forget to clean the inner surfaces of the teeth facing the tongue and the palate. For more on brushing better, read Dr, Nejad's tips about avoiding bad breath. You Might Also Dig: AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use. ONALASKA/ARCADIA Florence M. Suchla, 95, of Onalaska and formerly of Arcadia, died Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, at Onalaska Care Center. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 11. Burial will follow in St. Stanislaus cemetery. Friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at Wozney-Killian Funeral Home in Arcadia, and one hour prior to Mass. Email Newsletters Get the best of The Aspen Daily News in your inbox. Our newsletters are free, and you can unsubscribe at any time. With 332 kW and 1,234 Nm of torque and an Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission, the latest addition to the General Motors lineup in Australia is capable of towing from 3.5 to 6.1 tonnes. Payload capacity, on the other hand, varies between 1,140 and 1,848 kilograms.In total, the golden bowtie will import one 3500HD and four variants of the 2500HD. The lineup ranges from the work-oriented WT and is topped by the LTZ, Midnight Edition, and Custom Sport Edition. But wait, arent these trucks manufactured in left-hand drive? They are, but Holden Special Vehicles will convert them to right-hand drive from April 2018.Whether it be the farming or mining sectors, those who need to pull a large caravan or horse float or simply those who want awesome towing and load carrying capability, Silverado is the pinnacle of the GM range, declared Tim Jackson, managing director of Holden Special Vehicles.Regardless of capacities and trim lines, the Silverado HD coming to Australia will ship with 4x4 as standard (including an automatic locking rear differential) and in Crew Cab format. The 3500HD LTZ, which is the utmost capable of the lot, will become available from June 2018 onwards.Up to this point, the only choice Australia and New Zealand had above the one-tonne utes that sell so well in this part of the world was the Ram pickup, which is converted to right-hand drive by American Special Vehicles. The full-size segment will get even more crowded as Nissan recently expressed interest in bringing the Titan there.In addition to the Silverado and SportsCat, Holden Special Vehicles also targets the Ford Motor Company with the Chevrolet Camaro. Confirmed to arrive in Australia and New Zealand in mid-2018, the pony car will take on the Mustang in one well-equipped configuration: 2SS Coupe with the eight-speed automatic transmission. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA As the automaker has recently informed the) the issue is related to a potential welding issue.Nevertheless, the problems aren't as severe as it might sound and that's because we're talking about the welds regarding the seat recliner brackets.If a failure occurs, the sudden change of the driver's seating position is likely to cause an accident. And, given the kind of G forces the quad-turbo, all-wheel-drive machine can generate, the seats need to be up to the task.The welds will be closely inspected and the affected vehicles will see their entire seating assemblies being replaced. Given this detail, we can't help but wonder if the faulty seats wouldn't be fit for decorating one's home, but this is another story for another time.Out of the 47 Chirons built so far, 12 are found on North American soil. Keep in mind that the French automaker is only bringing 500 units of the 1,500 hp hypercar to the world.The Volkswagen Group's crown jewel has informed owners via mail, while its concierge specialists have personally called each owner to inform him or her about the process.The hypercars will be transported to the automotive producer's detalers in enclosed trucks.No incidents related to the said problem have been reported so far, while the campaign is scheduled to kick off early next week.Once Bugatti is done with this minor problem, it can continue to work towards the goal of unleashing the true velocity of the Chiron. You see, while the hypercar is currently electronically limited to 261 mph due to the lack of tires that can handle higher speeds, the carmaker announced an update for next year. 6x6 Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the Flying HuntsmanSoft Top by Afzal Kahn. Teased on the companys Facebook page with the canvas top half retracted, its easy to see that the Soft Top is little more than a conversion from sport utility truck to landaulet.The Cooper Discoverer all-terrain tires are complemented by black-painted wheels with contrasting orange lip, which echoes the color of the soft top. The double cab 6x6 Soft Top is more menacing than the luxury-oriented Mercedes-Maybach G650 Landaulet , partly thanks to the black paint, riveted body panels, and aggressive wheel arch flares. And it's longer too.Just like the 6x6 Flying Huntsman SUT and 4x4 Flying Huntsman, the open-top model hides an LS3 V8 under the hood. The 6.2-liter engine coming courtesy of General Motor is expected to develop more than free-breathing 500 horsepower. With that kind of suck-squeeze-bang-blow, Kahn will work its magic on the brakes and suspension to ensure drivability is up to snuff.The company founded by Afzal Kahn didnt release any more details on the 6x6 Soft Top, though more information will be made public in the coming months. Given the timing, the world premiere for the newest 6x6 on the lot is anticipated to take place in March at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.If thats too much waiting for your liking and the G650 Landaulet is too expensive, then Hennessey Performance Engineering has the perfect alternative for you in the guise of the F-150 Raptor-based VelociRaptor 6x6 Iraq's Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, announced the end of Iraq's war on the Islamic State on Saturday, the Telegraph reports. ""Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh [Isil]...Our enemy wanted to kill our civilization, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We have triumphed in little time." Why it matters: Iraq's military, along with U.S. forces, has been fighting ISIS since its invasion from Syria in 2014. The U.S.-led military coalition tweeted a congratulations "to the people of Iraq on their significant victory against #Daesh. We stand by them as they set the conditions for a secure and prosperous #futureiraq." Go Deeper: Timeline the rise and fall of ISIS in Iraq and Syria Affirm, the personal credit startup led by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin, has filed a stock authorization form in Delaware that would allow it to raise up to $210 million in new funding at a pre-money valuation north of $1.4 billion. That would be about twice what the San Francisco-based company was worth when it last raised equity funding, in early 2016. Why it matters: Levchin has a track record for successfully turning established finance models on their heads. Affirm is aimed at changing the point-of-sale credit market for mid-ticket items, by providing loan payback transparency (e.g., no compunding interest) and incorporating a consumer's income into its decision-making process (as opposed to just a credit score). Bloomberg had previously reported that the company was seeking to raise around $150 million. To date, Affirm has banked over $400 million from firms like Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Spark Capital. It is unclear who is leading the new round. [Update: Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC led the round.] Qualifier: Stock authorization filings allow for a company to fundraise, but do not necessarily reflect a completed fundraise. Below is the Delaware filing, which was provided to Axios by Lagniappe Labs (creator of the Prime Unicorn Index) The fires in Southern California have caused at least one death, according to CNN, a 70-year-old woman who was involved in a car accident during evacuations. Six fires are raging in the region, burning hundreds of thousands of acres in total. The largest of the six, the Thomas Fire, was only 15% contained as of Saturday morning, CNN reports, and is being fought by at least 4,000 people. President Trump declared a state of emergency on Friday. President Trump said on Friday night that Chicago has "weak, ineffective political Democrats" that won't force gun restrictions, which leads to their crime rate, comparing it to the violence in Afghanistan. Go deeper: This is an old line of Trump's, and DNAChicago covered it back in 2016. President Trump went after the "fake news" media on Friday night at his rally in Pensacola, Florida, saying ABC's Bryan Ross should be fired for his incorrect report regarding the Russia invesigation last week. They took this fraudster from ABC, they suspended him for a month. They should've fired him for what he wrote. He drove the stock market down 350 points in minutesI said to everybody get yourself a lawyer and sue ABC." President Trump traveled to Mississippi on Saturday morning to speak at the opening of a new civil rights museum. "Today we pay solemn tribute to our heroes of the past and dedicate ourselves to building a future of freedom, equality, justice and peace," he said. "These buildings embody the hope that has lived in the hearts of every American for generations -- the hope and the future that is more just and more free," President Trump says https://t.co/tLoG01ERC6 pic.twitter.com/zKF5BicFtP CBS News (@CBSNews) December 9, 2017 The backdrop: John Lewis, the congressman and civil rights hero, declined to attend in protest of Trump's presence. A uranium company sent a letter to the Interior Department earlier this year urging the Trump administration to shrink Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, the Washington Post reports. The backdrop: President Trump announced on Monday that he would shrink Bears Ears by 85%, cutting more than 1 million acres. Energy Fuels Resources, the uranium company, said the creation of the national monument under Obama could impact "existing and future" projects. Interior Secretary Zinke has said the decision was "not about energy," though critics have raised the possibility that Trump's move will open the area up for mining. A boy waits for his turn to fill buckets with water from a public tap amid an acute shortage of water, on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen. Photo: Hani Mohammed / AP The White House on Friday urged "all parties to immediately cease hostilities, reenergize political talks, and end the suffering of the Yemeni people." "We call on the Saudi-led coalition to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid ... The Iranian-backed Houthi militias must allow food, medicine, and fuel to be distributed throughout the areas they control ... This humanitarian aid must be allowed to immediately reach all points of need." White House statement Why it matters: The Trump administration has been ratcheting up its talk on the Yemen crisis and Saudi Arabia's involvement, yesterday calling for an end to the blockade of Yemen while today Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called on Saudi Arabia to be "measured" in its military efforts, per Al Jazeera. Twenty-three civilians, including women and children, were killed in a Saudi-led coalition air raid on Friday. Go deeper: The U.S. involvement in Yemen's humanitarian crisis. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan held late on Wednesday what they both described as positive negotiations on the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov met in Vienna in a bid to build on progress that was reportedly made at a recent Armenian-Azerbaijani summit. The meeting apparently lasted for several hours. According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the two men began the talks in the presence of the U.S., Russian and French mediators and then spoke in a tete-a-tete format. A ministry statement said they discussed ways of implementing agreements reached by the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents at their last three meetings. Yesterdays meeting with my Azerbaijani counterpart took place in a generally positive mood, Nalbandian told on Thursday an annual session of the OSCEs Ministerial Council also held in the Austrian capital. Lets see what developments will follow it. An Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman said, for his part, that Mammadyarov and Nalbandian engaged in intensive and concrete discussions on existing proposals to resolve the Karabakh conflict. Elmar Mammadyarov said that the meeting was positive and constructive, the official, Hikmet Hajiyev, was quoted by Azerbaijani news agencies as saying. Hajiyev also said that Mammadyarov and Nalbandian agreed to meet again in the second half of January 2018. The Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise reported that their next talks will take place early next year. Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev most recently met in Geneva on October 16. They pledged to intensify the Karabakh peace process and bolster the ceasefire regime in the conflict zone. The U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group held separate follow-up talks with Mammadyarov and Nalbandian in Moscow on November 16. In a joint statement, they said they discussed concrete steps to implement the agreements reached at the Geneva summit. They added that the chief Armenian and Azerbaijani diplomats will meet in early December to look into substantive issues of the political settlement as well as specific measures to reduce tensions on the Line of Contact around Karabakh. In what appeared to be a related development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Baku and Yerevan later in November. Speaking in the Armenian capital, Lavrov sounded encouraged by Aliyevs and Sarkisians positive mood. But he also cautioned against excessive optimism about a Karabakh settlement, saying that the long-running Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations will not end quickly. Lavrov said in March that the conflicting sides are still far apart on two or three elements of a framework peace accord that has been advanced by the mediating powers for the past decade. Still, he said they broadly agree on the peace formula envisaging Armenian withdrawal from districts around Karabakh and a decision on Karabakhs status which would take into account the opinion of the people living there. Aliyev and Sarkisian came close to cutting a peace deal along these lines at a 2011 summit in Kazan, Russia. Nalbandian reiterated that the proposed settlement is largely acceptable to Yerevan when he addressed the OSCE meeting in Vienna on Thursday. We are convinced that there is no alternative to peace talks and that it is necessary to conduct intensive negotiations based on the proposals of the co-chair countries, he said. Nalbandian claimed that Baku rejects those proposals in line with its intransigent and maximalist position. The mediators have specifically advocated a future referendum in which Karabakhs predominantly ethnic Armenian population would determine the disputed territorys internationally recognized status. Yerevan and Baku are thought to have disagreed, at least until now, on practical modalities of such a vote as well as a timetable for the liberation of formerly Azerbaijani-populated districts around Karabakh. Sarkisian said in late October that a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh dispute could only be painful to both sides. The remark prompted concern from some of his hardline critics opposed to territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. The Armenian leader, whose final presidential term ends in April 2018, has repeatedly ruled out any settlement that would restore Azerbaijani control over Karabakh itself. By contrast, Aliyev has stated that Baku will never recognize the territorys de facto secession from Azerbaijan. 9 December 2017 11:14 (UTC+04:00) By Trend Azerbaijans Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev has invited Kazakh entrepreneurs to become residents of agricultural and industrial parks, Azerbaijans Economy Ministry said in a message Dec. 8. Mustafayev made the proposal at a meeting with Kazakh Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev in Baku. Azerbaijans economy minister said that there are great opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the fields of transport, transit and cargo transportation. Both countries could also expand ties between their ports, he added. The minister noted that the existing potential of trade cooperation between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan exceeds the current figure a lot. For today, there are more than 70 companies with Kazakh capital in Azerbaijan, and over 800 companies with Azerbaijani capital in Kazakhstan, Mustafayev added. His Kazakh colleague, minister Kanat Bozumbayev, agreed that there is great potential for the development of trade relations. At the same time, he noted the possibility of cooperation in the spheres of transit, cargo transportation, investments and agriculture, and stressed the importance of organizing a meeting in the engineering sphere among businessmen of both countries. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 9 December 2017 13:56 (UTC+04:00) Trend: An Iranian startup firm says it has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Baku-based international company on cooperation in the sphere of information technology concerning transportation and logistics. Irans Asanbar and the Baku-based Avirtel inked the MoU on the sidelines of Bakutel-2017, the 23rd Azerbaijan International Exhibition and Conference on Telecommunications and Information Technologies, in the Azerbaijani capital city, the Iranian firm told Trend. "The MoU is capable of facilitating trade ties between the two neighboring counties in particular the issue of North-South Transportation Corridor," Mohammad Hosseini, the CEO of Asanbar, said. "In the first phase of cooperation, the sides will join efforts aimed at transferring the technical know-how and concept developed by the Iranian startup firm to Azerbaijan and other countries in the CIS region," he added. The International North-South Transportation Corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. At the initial stage, it is planned to transport 5 million tons of cargo per year through the corridor and over 10 million tons of cargo in the future. Mohammad Hosseini who exhibited his mobile application, Asanbar, during the Bakutel-2017 expressed hope that the technology developed by his firm would contribute to expansion of trade ties between the two countries in the field of transportation. Elaborating on the capabilities of Asanbar, Hosseini noted that the online application provides a unique and advanced platform for better and faster communication between shippers and truck drivers. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Physicians in Idaho are working together to build a new medical facility Cardio Renal Centers of America, according to the Post-Register. Here are four things to know: 1. The new facility, located in Idaho Falls, is modeled after the Mayo Clinic to provide a one-stop-shop medical facility. The 25,000-square-foot building will house cardiology, nephrology, interventional pain management and peritoneal dialysis in addition to orthopedic services, according to East Idaho News. 2. With an expected completion date of Oct. 1, 2018, the facility will likely cost around $15 million. If all goes as planned, the physicians hope to better coordinate care at the location and potentially lower healthcare costs. 3. The facility will include medical office space and allow for office-based procedures, including colonoscopies, which are less expensive than in the hospital setting. 4. The collaboration will include 15 to 20 physicians as well as Blackfoot, Idaho-based Bingham Memorial Hospital, which will provide support for the project. Ojai (Calif.) Valley Community Hospital saw no damage to the interior or exterior of the building as largely untamed wildfires ripped through the city Wednesday night into Thursday morning, the Los Angeles Times reports. Several fires "skirted both sides of the community" along the northern and southern edges of Ojai's limits Wednesday night, the report states. Fire department officials expanded mandatory evacuation zones in the eastern part of town. While Ojai Valley Community Hospital did not need to evacuate patients, the hospital moved some nonambulatory patients to Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, Calif., as a precautionary measure. The Ojai emergency department and hospital continued operations as usual. Officials said the fires raged on throughout the night and into Thursday morning. Slower wind speeds prevented the fires from blowing into the main part of the city, though a voluntary evacuation order was still in effect for the area Thursday morning, according to the report. Rudy Livingston, finance director for the city of Ojai, told the Los Angeles Times "fire crews with bulldozers and fire engines were able to reduce fuel, calm the flames [north of town] and keep them from coming downhill into town." "It was truly a miracle that the predicted fierce winds failed to materialize we were waiting for them, but they didn't come. All I can say is, 'Thank God.' If they had come, it would have been very ugly here," he added. In total, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said six large wildfires have burned 141,000 acres of land across the state this week, forcing roughly 190,000 people out of their homes, according to CNN. At least 5,700 firefighters have been working to contain the flames. While the Ojai Valley Community Hospital has remained unscathed, several other outpatient facilities belonging to Ventura, Calif.-based Community Memorial Health System which owns Ojai Valley hospital have been closed as a safety precaution. Ventura-based Community Memorial Hospital is fully functional and accepting patients as of 3 p.m. Dec. 7, according to ongoing updates released by the health system. Editor's note: This article was updated Dec. 9 at 2:46 p.m. The following hospital and health system credit rating and outlook changes and affirmations took place in the last week, beginning with the most recent. 1. Fitch affirms 'BBB' rating on Miami Jewish Health System Fitch Ratings affirmed its "BBB" rating on Miami Jewish Health System's series 2017 bonds, affecting $43.7 million of debt. 2. Fitch assigns 'BB+' to Palomar Health's bonds Fitch Ratings assigned its "BB+" rating to Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health's proposed $153.3 million series 2017 refunding revenue bonds 3. Moody's assigns 'A2' to Concord Hospital Moody's Investors Service assigned its "A2" rating to Concord (N.H.) Hospital's proposed $55 million series 2017 revenue bonds. 4. Moody's assigns 'A2' rating to Mercy Health's bonds Moody's Investors Service assigned its "A2" rating to Cincinnati-based Mercy Health's proposed $494.5 million series 2017A, $90.3 million series 2017B and $139.6 series 2017C. 5. Moody's revises Shands Teaching Hospital & Clinic's outlook to positive Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A3" rating on Gainesville, Fla.-based Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics' outstanding debt, affecting $610 million of debt. 6. S&P revises AnMed Health's outlook to negative S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "A+" rating on Anderson, S.C.-based AnMed Health's series 2009A, 2009D, 2010 and 2016 bonds. 7. Moody's assigns 'Aa3' to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's bonds Moody's Investors Service assigned its "Aa3" rating to New York City-based Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's proposed $304.9 million series 2017-1. 8. Moody's downgrades Houston Healthcare to 'Baa1', revises outlook to negative Moody's Investors Service downgraded Warner Robins, Ga.-based Houston Healthcare's rating to "Baa1" from "A3," affecting $73 million of debt. 9. Moody's revises Willis Knighton Medical Center's outlook to negative Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A1" rating on Shreveport, La.-based Willis Knighton Medical Center's outstanding rated revenue bonds, affecting $122.4 million of debt. 10. S&P downgrades King's Daughters Medical Center to 'BBB-' S&P Global Ratings downgraded Ashland, Ky.-based King's Daughters Medical Center's rating to "BBB-" from "BBB." 11. S&P assigns 'BBB-' rating to Trinity Health's bonds S&P Global Ratings assigned its "BBB-" rating to Minot, N.D.-based Trinity Health's proposed $363 million series 2017C revenue bonds. 12. Moody's assigns 'A3' to Mount Sinai Hospital's bonds Moody's Investors Service assigned its "A3" rating to New York City-based Mount Sinai Hospital's proposed $356 million series 2017. As Congress debates whether to eliminate tax exemptions on private-activity bonds beginning Jan. 1, borrowers, including health systems, are hurrying to issue tax-free bonds before borrowing costs rise. Here are four things to know about recent hospital bond issuance. 1. Nonprofit hospitals and health systems issue tax-exempt bonds to finance capital projects. Under the House Republicans' tax plan, interest on newly issued private-activity bonds would no longer be tax-exempt. The move to eliminate tax exemptions for new private-activity bonds is not included in a bill passed by Senate Republicans on Dec. 2. 2. Some health systems are trying to mitigate the risk of being shut out of the tax-exempt markets. For example, Livonia Mich.-based Trinity Health moved up the sale of about $889 million of new and refunding bonds, which were originally to be sold in January 2018. 3. Mercy Health in Cincinnati also moved up a planned $585 million bond issuance, the proceeds of which will be used to refinance existing debt and invested in outpatient care. The bonds are expected to be priced next week instead of in the first quarter of 2018, Jerome Judd, Mercy's senior vice president of treasury and investment, told The Wall Street Journal. 4. Brad Spielman, a healthcare sector analyst at Moody's Investors Service, told The Wall Street Journal the debt rating agency will issue credit ratings for about $8 billion in nonprofit healthcare bonds this month. "This may very well be the biggest month of issuance since 2008," he said. More articles on healthcare finance: North Philadelphia Health System CEO to resign as part of cost-cutting plan Fitch issues negative outlook for nonprofit hospitals: 4 things to know 27 healthcare bankruptcies so far in 2017 Boston-based Partners HealthCare reversed the worst financial loss in its history to post a profit in fiscal year 2017, according to the Boston Globe. In the latest fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, Partners saw its revenue climb 7 percent to $13.4 billion and reported a gain of $53 million from operations. Including investments, Partners reported a net gain of $659 million. This compares to a $108 million operating loss on $12.5 billion of revenue in fiscal year 2016, which Partner's attributed to problems with its insurance business, Neighborhood Health Plan. "We feel things are in better shape," Peter Markell, CFO at Partners told the Boston Globe. "We think we're in a decent position." A turnaround for Partners' insurance arm was a main driver for profit this year. According to the Boston Business Journal, Neighborhood Health Plan reported an operating gain of $46 million in fiscal year 2017, in comparison to an operating loss of $104 million in fiscal year 2016. Mr. Markell attributed the growth to an expansion of the plan's commercial side paired with not accepting new Medicaid members, who are often more expensive in the first year. Serge Rasskazoff, MD, recently submitted his letter of resignation to Watertown, N.Y.-based Samaritan Medical Center officials. Dr. Rasskazoff was the hospital's only neurosurgeon on staff, the Watertown Daily Times reports. A spokesperson for the 290-bed hospital told the Watertown Daily Times she could not say why Dr. Rasskazoff who began working at the hospital in April 2016 tendered his resignation, but said he plans to "[pursue] another opportunity." The hospital began expanding its neurosurgery department in 2013 with an initial investment of more than $1 million. The spokesperson said officials planned to hire a second neurosurgeon to the department, but negotiations ultimately fell through. Dr. Rasskazoff's resignation, which goes into effect at the end of February 2018, also leaves the city of Watertown with only one practicing neurosurgeon, the report states. From a Florida health system counter-suing its former CEO to prosecutors charging four physicians in a $146 million healthcare fraud scheme, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines. 1. Prosecutors charge 4 physicians in $146M healthcare fraud scheme Brooklyn prosecutors charged 20 people, including four physicians, and 14 corporations in a $146 million healthcare fraud scheme. 2. Broward Health counter-sues former CEO: 5 things to know Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Broward Health's ex-CEO Pauline Grant sued her former employer in December 2016. The health system fired back in a counter-suit filed Dec. 1, alleging Ms. Grant violated the Anti-Kickback Statute. 3. Leapfrog: Chicago hospital's lawsuit is '11th hour gambit' to change safety grade Saint Anthony Hospital in Chicago sued Leapfrog for defamation Oct. 30, alleging the hospital ratings agency knowingly used incorrect information to lower the hospital's letter grade for patient safety. In its response to the lawsuit filed this week, Leapfrog claims the hospital had months to review its safety grade and chose to do nothing until less than a week before the grades were to be published. 4. Montana files opioid lawsuit against Purdue Pharma Montana Attorney General Tim Fox filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, alleging the drugmaker engaged in a deceptive opioid marketing campaign, which contributed to rising rates of opioid overdoses in the state. 5. Former head of IT accused of stealing $800k from California health clinics The former head of IT for North County Health Services, which offers healthcare services at clinics in San Diego County, is accused of stealing nearly $800,000 from the nonprofit organization over an eight-month period. 6. Dallas hospital will pay $7.5M to settle physician kickback allegations Pine Creek Medical Center, a physician-owned hospital in Dallas, agreed to pay $7.5 million to resolve claims it violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute. 7. Whistle-blower: California managed-care company improperly denied care to thousands SynerMed, a Monterey Park, Calif.-based company that manages physician practices and administers managed-care contracts, improperly denied care to thousands of patients and falsified documents to hide the scheme, according to a confidential report sent to California health officials. 8. Patient claims St. Charles Health nurse illegally shared PHI, sues system for $500k A former patient is suing Bend, Ore.-based St. Charles Health System for $500,000, claiming a nurse illegally accessed and shared his protected health information with a friend they both knew. 9. Opponents file lawsuit over Illinois law expanding abortion coverage Opponents of an Illinois abortion coverage expansion law filed a lawsuit seeking to block state funding for the legislation. 10. West Virginia man alleges ex-wife accessed his medical records without permission A West Virginia man filed a complaint against Charleston (W.Va.) Area Medical Center and Angela Varney, a former employee of the facility and his ex-wife, for allegedly accessing his medical records without permission. 11. Teladoc dismisses Texas lawsuit Teladoc dismissed a longstanding lawsuit in Texas involving telemedicine rights and services in the state. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Ex-DOJ attorney admits trying to sell secret whistle-blower lawsuits 69 Indiana hospitals accused of retaining $324M in fraudulent EHR incentive payments Physician used fake identity to treat patients at Maryland hospital United Nurses and Allied Professionals, the union that represents nurses at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, R.I., sued the hospital's parent company and the state to halt the closure of the facility, according to WPRI. Providence, R.I.-based Care New England, which took over ownership of Memorial Hospital in 2013, announced plans in October to close the hospital after a deal fell through to sell the facility to Prime Healthcare Foundation, the Ontario, Calif.-based nonprofit arm of Prime Healthcare Services. Care New England almost immediately began scaling back services at the hospital. On Nov. 30, the Rhode Island Department of Health ordered Memorial Hospital to stop admitting patients, performing surgeries and accepting emergency patients, citing patient safety concerns. In its lawsuit, the union alleges Care New England failed to get approval before eliminating certain services and violated state law in its attempt to transfer some services to Kent Hospital in Warwick, R.I. "The Department of Health has allowed Care New England to circumvent the Hospital Conversions Act and now we are asking the court to restore integrity to the regulatory process," Chris Callaci, general counsel for United Nurses and Allied Professionals, said in a statement to WPRI. The union is seeking to block any further attempts by Care New England to reduce services at Memorial Hospital without formal approval from regulators. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Prosecutors charge 4 physicians in $146M healthcare fraud scheme Former head of IT accused of stealing $800k from California health clinics Whistle-blower: California managed-care company improperly denied care to thousands Federal prosecutors claim Salomon Melgen, MD, a Florida ophthalmologist who was convicted on 67 counts of healthcare fraud earlier this year, submitted more than $100 million in false claims to Medicare. However, an expert hired by defense counsel challenged the government's method for calculating the false claims at a sentencing hearing Wednesday. The government said it examined a random sample of 310 patients to determine Dr. Melgen submitted more than $100 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. At the hearing this week, Donna Mohr, PhD, a statistician and former University of North Florida professor, testified that the sample of claims wasn't random, making the extrapolation inaccurate, according to the Palm Beach Post. During Dr. Melgen's trial, one of the most egregious cases cited by prosecutors involved Dr. Melgen billing Medicare for treating a patient's prosthetic eye. According to Dr. Mohr's testimony this week, it appears the government added that patient to the group that was supposed to be a random sample. Based on Dr. Mohr's testimony, Dr. Melgen's attorneys argued the government has only proven the physician stole $64,269 from Medicare, according to the report. Although Dr. Melgen has already been convicted on all counts, the amount he stole will be used to determine the length of his sentence. Dr. Melgen was originally scheduled to be sentenced this week, but the judge has now ordered both sides to return to court again before he is sentenced, according to the report. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Prosecutors charge 4 physicians in $146M healthcare fraud scheme Former head of IT accused of stealing $800k from California health clinics Whistle-blower: California managed-care company improperly denied care to thousands A woman fired for falling asleep on the job twice at Staten Island (N.Y.) University Hospital is suing the facility, claiming the incidents happened due to her apnea medical condition, according to a Staten Island Advance report. Here are nine things to know. 1. The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court, came from Helen Whitehurst, who worked as an EMT dispatcher at SIUH. 2. Defendants cited by the Staten Island Advance include North Shore-LIJ Health System, now part of New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, George Gresham of the Service Employees International Union, and Ms. Whitehurst's former supervisor, Melissa Hamm of United Healthcare Workers East. 3. In the lawsuit, Ms. Whitehurst claims she has Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and was wrongfully terminated for falling asleep twice on the job, according to the report. 4. The lawsuit stems from incidents in 2014. The complaint states at that time, Ms. Whitehurst had taken a telecommunications operator position, and Ms. Hamm on two occasions saw Ms. Whitehurst fall asleep for a brief period, according to the report. 5. Following the incidents, the suit contends Ms. Whitehurst was told she would be fired for not following the conditions of her 90-day probation. The probation was negotiated by SEIU when the hospital moved work to Long Island and offered Ms. Whitehurst the telecommunications operator role. 6. According to the report, the lawsuit claims the union later refused a request from Ms. Whitehurst to file a grievance on her behalf. 7. The complaint contends Ms. Whitehurst challenged the union's decision with the National Labor Relations Board, and a grievance was ultimately filed, although the hospital allegedly denied it due to Ms. Whitehurst's "probationary" status, reports the Staten Island Advance. The suit reportedly goes on to contend Ms. Whitehurst was refused arbitration when she appealed the decision. 8. Ms. Whitehurst ultimately seeks $10 million, back pay and front pay, as well as her job back, the report states. 9. Ms. Whitehurst's attorney did not return the Staten Island Advance's request for comment. Becker's reached out to Northwell Health and will post additional details as they become available. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call(WASHINGTON) -- After Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed a senior FBI agent from his team for allegedly expressing potentially anti-Trump views, a veteran FBI official briefly involved in the launch of the agency's probe into Hillary Clinton's private email server has stepped in to join Muellers ranks, ABC News has learned. Agent David Archey is described by colleagues as a utility man of sorts within the FBI. The FBI later told ABC News he played a fleeting administrative role in the initial opening of the Clinton-related probe. He quietly joined Muellers team over the summer, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. While Archeys exact role within the Special Counsels office remains unclear, some in FBI circles believe he was sent there to replace Peter Strzok, who was brought onboard by Mueller to help manage the far-reaching investigation but removed in early summer. Others questioned whether Archeys enlistment had anything to do with Strzok. The Justice Departments inspector general, looking into an array of FBI actions tied to last years election, found text messages from last year sent by Strzok that could be interpreted as critical of Donald Trump, sources told ABC News. Immediately upon learning of the allegations, the Special Counsels Office removed Peter Strzok from the investigation, Mueller spokesman Peter Carr said in a recent statement. Trump seized on the news, saying in a tweet on Sunday that the FBIs reputation is in tatters. During a House hearing on Thursday with FBI Director Chris Wray, Republicans similarly used Strzoks situation to question the integrity of federal investigations, including the probe being led by Mueller -- a Republican himself who was appointed special counsel by a Trump nominee. Strzok has spent much of his law enforcement career working counterintelligence cases, and he has been widely praised by federal law enforcement officials who spoke with ABC News. He reportedly left Muellers team in late July and is now working for the FBI's human resources division. At the time of Strzoks departure, Archey was serving as the acting head of the FBIs field office in Birmingham, Alabama. Archey is very seasoned and smart, one source whos worked alongside Archey told ABC News. The limited public profile offered of Archey reflects a low-key man who has repeatedly been asked to temporarily step into vacancies within his own agency. For a brief period in 2015, he served as the acting deputy assistant director of the FBIs counterintelligence division at headquarters in Washington. According to documents released by the FBI, he was one of a small group of senior FBI officials who -- on the day that the FBI launched its criminal probe into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state -- approved the move. He was not otherwise involved in the FBIs investigation related to Clinton. Whether they are elected or appointed, public officials are servants of the public's interest, Archey said in a press release, unrelated to Clinton, during his time in Alabama. While the vast majority of public officials are honest, those who are not should know that there is no acceptable level of corruption, and my office is dedicated to rooting out corruption at every level. Even amid the public spectacle that has engulfed Muellers investigation -- with reporters and photographers chasing prosecutors and others around the nations capital -- the FBI agents behind the sprawling probe have largely remained unseen and unsung. But with every charge brought by Mueller, an FBI agent working on the case is identified in open court, offering the public another peek at the team of FBI agents working for the special counsel. When former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, appeared in court for the first time to face money-laundering charges, prosecutors were accompanied by FBI agent Omer Meisel. Meisel has known Muellers top prosecutor, Andrew Weissmann, for several years. In 2002, after focusing on fraud, insider trading and money laundering from the FBIs San Francisco field office, Meisel was assigned to the FBI task force created to investigate the collapse of energy giant Enron. Weissmann was the lead prosecutor on the case. Each member of the Enron Task Force was uniquely skilled at drilling deep into balance sheets and following the money, the FBI said in a 2006 summary of the investigation, which lasted five years. It added that their job was to learn how company officials perpetrated fraud on such a grand scale, build a strong criminal case, and hold accountable those responsible. Ultimately, top Enron officials were convicted of federal fraud charges and 16 others pleaded guilty to their roles in what the FBI called a sham accounting scheme. At the time, it was the largest and most complex white-collar investigation in FBI history, according to the FBI. When Trumps former national security, Michael Flynn, admitted in court last week that he lied to FBI agents about his contacts with the Russian government, prosecutors in that case were accompanied by FBI agent William Barnett. Little is publicly known about Barnett. Before leaving Muellers team, however, Strzok had become well-known among reporters covering the FBI. As chief of the FBI's counterespionage section last year, he helped oversee the FBI's investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, and he took part in the bureau's interview of her. Within weeks of the end of the Clinton probe, Strzok found his office facing a new challenge: investigating Russia's alleged efforts to influence last year's presidential election, including hacking of Democratic National Committee computers. During the congressional hearing Thursday, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee repeatedly pressed FBI Director Wray about Strzok and questioned whether Muellers investigators could be fair and impartial. We do not know the magnitude of this insider bias on Mr. Muellers team, the committees chairman, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, said. One thing is clear though: It is absolutely unacceptable for FBI employees to permit their own political predilections to contaminate any investigation. Wray balked at such comments. Congressman, there is no shortage of opinions out there, Wray said. What I can tell you is that the FBI that I see is tens of thousands of agents and analysts and staff working their tails off to keep Americans safe from the next terrorist attack, gang violence, child predators, spies from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. The FBI that I see is tens of thousands of brave men and women who are working as hard as they can to keep people that they will never know safe from harm." Wray noted that the Justice Departments outside and independent inspector general is currently looking into allegations related to Strzok and others. And when that independent fact-finding is complete, we will hold our folks accountable if thats appropriate, he said. At the hearing Thursday, Republicans also raised concern that Strzok played a key role in then-FBI Director James Comeys remarks last year announcing that Hillary Clinton would not face charges for her use of a private email server as secretary of state. After coming to the conclusion that Clinton bore no criminal responsibility, Comey had planned to describe Clintons actions as grossly negligent, but based on Strzoks recommendation, he changed the phrase to extremely careless, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. U.S. law makes such gross negligence a federal crime, but I believe also that almost anybody who grabbed a thesaurus would say that gross negligence and extremely careless are pretty darn close to each other, Wray told lawmakers. A spokesman for the Special Counsels office declined to comment for this article. An FBI spokesman also declined comment. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. The Managalas Conservation Area was officially declared at Itokama village on 29 November 29 by Environment and Climate Minister John Pundari and Oro Governor Gary Juffa. The move is being celebrated by conservation organisations and local communities that have been working for 32 years to establish more protections for the region. SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA - Papua New Guinea has established its largest-ever protected conservation area: the 3,600-sq km Managalas Conservation Area in the southeast of the country stretching from near the ocean into the mountains. Without environment, and without you and I, we will never enjoy the blessings of life, said Mr Pundari, as reported in the PNG Post-Courier. If we lose [the environment], we lose ourselves and that is also a global message. Local communities held a party following the announcement to celebrate the declaration, the culmination of their decades of work towards protection of their forests. The region, called the Managalas Plateau, still has expansive tracts of primary forest. But it has been increasingly eyed by extractive industries like logging and mining, according to Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN), which is supporting conservation activities in the region. Industrial agriculture is also a big threat with several areas of the plateau suitable for oil palm plantations. The Managalas Conservation Area will protect the plateau from most large-scale encroachment while safeguarding sustainable use of forest resources by the 21,000 people who call it home. These uses are described in the projects long-term management plan, drawn up by the communities residing in the Conservation Area and including both subsistence and livelihood activities like coffee cultivation. According to RFN, the development of the Conservation Area has already aided preservation of the region by deflecting mining and logging operations. RFN says that when it became known that mining exploration licenses were being issued, conservation organizations and local communities sent letters of protest to authorities arguing that mining should not be allowed in an area earmarked for conservation. As a result, the boundaries for the licenses were amended, and the mining company withdrew, RFN representatives told Mongabay. And with the establishment of the Conservation Area, the areas marked for logging was also eradicated. Managalas Conservation Area encompasses 3,600 square kilometers and particularly large, connected tracts of primary forest called Intact Forest Landscapes. Satellite data from the University of Maryland show tree cover loss and degradation in IFLs in the region; conservationists hope official protections granted to the area will help reduce deforestation and safeguard the areas remaining forest cover. However, some stakeholders are still concerned about mining, which is not specifically excluded from the Managalas Conservation Areas management plan. The decision from the National Executive Council . states that activities like logging and large scale agriculture are to be excluded from the conservation area, said Kenn Mondial of Partners with Melanesians, a non-profit that has been supporting establishment of the Managalas Conservation Area. However, it does not mention mining, so that is a concern to us and the people of Managalas. While declaration of PNGs newest and biggest conservation area represents a huge step forward in the protection of the regions forests, much still needs to be done to get Managalas up and running. Next steps include government endorsement of the management committee, which is comprised of tribal leaders, community-based organisations, churches and local governments supported by outside organisations. After this is done, the committee will finalise the management plan for the area and rangers will be deployed to monitor its implementation in the Conservation Areas different zones. Stakeholders would also like to see improvement of the regions roads so that crops grown by local communities, such as coffee, can reach outlying markets. The condition of the roads here is not good. And the bridges are sometimes washed away in heavy rainfalls. So market access for the local produce is a big challenge, Mondial said. We need support from the government to improve this. We are also looking for any partner interested in promoting fair trade and organic coffee. But for now, local residents and international supporters are focusing on celebrating their pivotal victory in protecting Papua New Guineas rainforests. For me personally, after working on this project for 14 years, I am satisfied, Mondial said, and would like to thank the 21,000 people of Managalas, RFN and the people and government of Norway. Don Berwick, MD, lauded patient safety expert and former CMS administrator, described the current generation of physicians as "the most challenged by moral choices in perhaps a century" in an opinion piece published in JAMA Tuesday. In the article, Dr. Berwick, one of the original architects of the Triple Aim, described a healthcare environment complicated by inequitable drug prices and a fragmented payment system. He also called on physicians to take the role of healer beyond the scope of the healthcare setting and speak out against social injustice. Here are three quotes from the article. 1. On playing the role of hero: "[There's] the choice between being a hero and being a citizen. The white coat, stethoscope and prescription rights tempt some physicians into hero mode. Physicians have the power to look and act like we know what to do, even when we do not. We have the power to assert prerogatives denied to others: 'my schedule,' 'my OR time,' 'my air time,' 'my excellence.' But healthcare is an exercise in interdependency, not personal heroism. Physicians simply cannot do the right job alone. This produces a clash between the time-honored, romantic image of the great physician and the greater need for teamwork, generosity and deference." 2. On modern ethical challenges: "As a newly minted physician, I held unquestioned the belief that the organizations I worked in and for were, at their core, ethical; that healthcare institutions usually, if not always, put the interests of those they served ahead of their own. This may or may not have been true then, but it is not true now For example, the drugs patients depend on are experiencing price increases that cannot withstand the scrutiny of public interest or moral compass. New biologics of undeniable value are being priced at levels that are not just like extortion they areextortion, holding patients hostage. 3. On speaking out: "The work of a physician as healer cannot stop at the door of an office, the threshold of an operating room, or the front gate of a hospital Professional silence in the face of social injustice is wrong. It is chilling to see the great institutions of healthcare, hospitals, physician groups, scientific bodies assume that the seat of bystander is available. That seat is gone. To try to avoid the political fray through silence is impossible, because silence is now political. Either engage, or assist the harm. There is no third choice." To read the full article, click here. More articles on healthcare quality: 32 quality measures CMS is considering for 2018 pre-rulemaking Rhode Island orders Memorial Hospital to halt admissions, citing patient safety concerns Suspending weekend hospital services does not hurt patient outcomes, study finds The American Hospital Association penned a letter to the FDA's Dockets Management staff Dec. 7 encouraging the agency to increase its oversight on medical device security. "Recent ransomware attacks have highlighted the vulnerability of medical devices and hospital information systems to cyberattack," the letter reads, highlighting the worldwide WannaCry ransomware attack that infected 200,000-plus computers in more than 150 countries in May. The U.K. National Health Service marked one of the ransomware's most prominent victims, as WannaCry brought down operations for at least 16 facilities. The attack demonstrated the healthcare industry's susceptibility to cyberattacks on medical devices and information systems, according to the letter. The AHA called on the FDA to heighten its oversight on updating and patching medical devices as new cyberthreats emerge. The AHA also asked the agency to set "measurable expectations" for device manufacturers to play a more active role in supporting customers during a cyberattack. "Manufacturers must be held accountable to proactively minimize risk," the letter reads. "They share responsibility for safeguarding confidentiality of patient data, maintaining data integrity and assuring the continued availability of the device itself." To access the AHA's letter, click here. A joint commitment to the retention of a free-flowing Irish border post-Brexit by the UK and the EU is "rock solid and cast iron", the Taoiseach has said. Leo Varadkar described assurances outlined in the agreed text as "politically bulletproof". "We have protected what we sought to protect and we achieved what we sought to achieve," he said. Reacting to the breakthrough at Government Buildings in Dublin, the Fine Gael leader downplayed changes in the wording of the text from Monday's ill-fated draft, which was scuppered by the DUP. He said the amendments were "stylistic changes in language" or "just statements of fact" that his government had "no difficulty with". The Taoiseach acknowledged relations between the UK and Ireland had become strained during the phase one negotiations but he predicted that now his government has achieved the desired guarantees on the border it would become one of London's "closest friends" in the next stage of the Brexit talks. In regard to the ratification of a potential final Brexit deal, Mr Varadkar said he did not think it would require a referendum in Ireland. The Taoiseach said yesterday's phase one agreement marked a "very significant day" for Ireland. "This is not the end, but it is the end of the beginning," he added. "And we will remain fully engaged and vigilant throughout phase two, the drafting and ratification of the new treaties that will be required between the EU and UK and their implementation." The Taoiseach added that the deal was good news for all the people of Northern Ireland, and tried to assure unionists that he and his government did not have a "hidden agenda". "There is no question of us exploiting Brexit as a means of moving to a united Ireland without consent," he said. "We do not want to see a border in the Irish Sea, any more than we want to see a border between Newry and Dundalk or between Letterkenny and Derry. "We want to build bridges, not borders. "We want free travel and free trade to continue as it does now. We want reconciliation and respect to grow. "Our guiding light has been to ensure that the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement continue to operate in full after Brexit." He told nationalists in Northern Ireland that the Irish government had ensured their rights had been protected. "There will be no hard border on our island," he told them. "You will never again be left behind by an Irish government." Police in Belfast have recovered an air rifle after receiving a report of a concern for safety. Police in Belfast have recovered an air rifle after receiving a report of a concern for safety. The report was received on Friday evening, and a 29-year-old male was arrested for possession of a firearm in suspicion circumstances. An air rifle was recovered by police during the incident. The man was interviewed and subsequently released on police bail pending further enquiries. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tanaiste Simon Coveney and Minister for European Affairs Helen McEntee speak to media in Dublin after news of the last-minute deal British Prime Minister Theresa May, Brexit Minister David Davis (left) and EU President Jean-Claude Juncker (second right) having a working breakfast at the EU Commission in Brussels Ambiguity surrounds the government's last-minute deal with the EU as the DUP claimed it had secured vital concessions but others insisted the door was still open for special status for Northern Ireland. Supporters of the deal hailed its vague language as its greatest strength and said it allowed movement to phase two trade talks by offering "something for everyone". Business leaders welcomed the commitment to no hard border but called for the details to be swiftly hammered out. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said his government had achieved all its goals and described the border assurances as "politically bullet-proof". Writing in today's Belfast Telegraph, DUP leader Arlene Foster said the concessions the DUP had secured from Theresa May left "Northern Ireland in a stronger position than it was five days ago". "It is now clear in the EU-UK agreement that we will leave the EU along with the rest of the UK and there will be no border in the Irish Sea," she writes, and explains that Northern Ireland would leave the single market and the customs union and wouldn't be "separated constitutionally, politically, economically or regulatory" from Britain. However, yesterday European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker cautioned that there is still much work to be done. "The UK has made significant commitments on the avoidance of a hard border after its withdrawal from the European Union," he said. "All of the EU 27 stand firmly behind Ireland and behind the peace process. Let me be clear, we still have a lot of work to do. The joint report is not the withdrawal agreement, that agreement still needs to be drafted by the negotiators on the basis we have agreed yesterday and today and then approved by the (European) Council and ratified by the UK Parliament and European Parliament." Mrs Foster also insisted: "There will be no so-called 'special status' for Northern Ireland as demanded by Sinn Fein." But, TUV leader Jim Allister said: "This deal leaves the door open for special status and that is its weakness. There is a pledge of unfettered access for Northern Ireland business to Great Britain but the reverse isn't explicitly stated. The agreement's default position, if there was no trade deal, leaves Northern Ireland entrapped within the EU's single market and customs union on an unspecified, but clearly extensive, range of issues." The compromise on the Border hammered out early yesterday states that if no trade deal is reached with Brussels, the UK will maintain "full alignment" with elements of the EU single market and customs union which support the economy of the island of Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement The deal, which will see London pay a divorce bill of up to 39 million to the EU, offers a breathing space to under-pressure Prime Minister Theresa May who described it as "a hard-won agreement in all our interests". The leaders of the 27 other EU nations will meet at a summit next week to decide whether to allow the negotiations to move forward to stage two. Mr Juncker said he was "confident" they would do so. Mrs Foster told the Belfast Telegraph the draft text proposed last Monday had been unacceptable. "It did not safeguard Northern Ireland's post-Brexit access to the UK's single market. Indeed, it was politically, economically and constitutionally unacceptable. It was not the path to a sensible Brexit for Northern Ireland or the UK," she said. "We made the right decision last Monday. It was right not go with the flow but stand up for Northern Ireland. By using our mandate, we were able to secure significant improvements." But the DUP leader fired a shot across the bow warning that her party's support for Mrs May at Westminster would depend on the government delivering its pledges to Northern Ireland. "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and how we vote on the final deal will depend on its contents. Along with like-minded colleagues across the House of Commons, we will ensure there is no backsliding on the promises made about the integrity of the Union." The key points: Here are the key points of the joint report agreed between the UK and EU on the expected content of Britain's Withdrawal Agreement. Citizens' rights Reciprocal protection for EU citizens in UK and Britons living in the remaining 27 member-states who are resident at time of the UK's withdrawal, along with their family. Right to bring in spouses, civil partners and children forming part of the family at time of Brexit, and any children born or adopted after that date. The UK and EU can require one another's nationals to apply for residence status and obtain documents to prove their right to stay, through a "transparent, smooth and streamlined" process. Irish border Both sides agree to protect the Good Friday Agreement and avoid a "hard border" between NI and Republic. If there is no trade deal, the UK will maintain "full alignment" with single market and customs union rules that "support North-South co-operation, all-island economy and protection of 1998 Agreement". If there is no deal, UK will ensure no new regulatory barriers develop between Northern Ireland and the mainland and that businesses in province continue to enjoy "unfettered access" to UK internal market. Right for all Northern Irish people to take British or Irish nationality is preserved. Common Travel Area to continue to operate. Financial settlement UK to contribute to the EU budget up to the end of 2020 "as if it had remained in the Union". UK to pay its share of outstanding unpaid EU commitments - known as the Reste A Liquider (RAL) - and to the financing of EU liabilities at December 31, 2020. Britain to receive a share of financial benefits that would have fallen to it as a member of the EU before 2020. Capital in European Investment Bank to be returned to the UK in 12 annual instalments starting at the end of 2019. Police have appealed for witnesses after a burglary in Belfast in which, along with a number of other items, a quantity of Hong Kong dollars were stolen. The incident happened at a property in Ballylenaghan Park area of Belfast. It was reported that at some time between 2pm and 11.30pm entry was gained to the house. Items stolen included a Michael Kors watch, a DKNY watch, a quantity of Hong Kong dollars, a gold necklace, a silver diamond ring and two gold bracelets. Detective Constable Perks is appealing for anyone who witnessed this incident or anyone who is offered this type of jewellery in suspicious circumstances to contact Detectives in Lisburn on 101 quoting reference number 1963 of 08/12/17. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime. Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: After speaking to the media on Brexit and current political developments at the Kennedy Centre in West Belfast. Gerry Adams signs a new book Inspired by the mantra of his friend and colleague, the late Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams has released a new book, Never Give Up: Selected Writings, a compilation of selected pieces Gerry has written since 2009. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Gerry Adams to speak to media. Gerry Adams pictured speaking to the media on Brexit and current political developments at the Kennedy Centre in West Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker. Pacemaker Press Belfast 08-12-2017: Gerry Adams to speak to media. Gerry Adams pictured speaking to the media on Brexit and current political developments at the Kennedy Centre in West Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker. Presseye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 9th December 2017 Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein talks to media before his book launch in west Belfast this afternoon. Mandatory Credit Matt Mackey / Presseye.com Presseye - Belfast - Northern Ireland - 9th December 2017 Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Fein talks to media before his book launch in west Belfast this afternoon. Mandatory Credit Matt Mackey / Presseye.com Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has stated his party will continue to push for special status for Northern Ireland. He made the comments in response to the agreement reached between the EU and the UK which allows Brexit talks to move onto trade negotiations. Speaking at an event for the launch of his book Never Give up in west Belfast on Saturday, he said: "Sinn Fein has given a very cautious and qualified welcome to the communique [on Friday] from EU negotiators. "It is not the conclusion of the process or final deal on Brexit. "It sets out broad principles and represents some progress but there are many unanswered questions around key issues and the Irish government must remain focused and vigilant. "The communique does recognise the unique and special circumstances of the north, on the peace process, and the border and that the Good Friday Agreement is fundamental to this deal and to any eventual agreement." He added that the deal fails to address "some of the key concerns of citizens, particularly those living in the north and in the border region". These included the insistence that the United Kingdom will leave the single Customs Union and Single Market, and the future role of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland. "Our experience through years of agreements with Britain is that the devil is in the detail," he said. "Sinn Fein will continue to make the case for special status for the north, we will continue to articulate that our society needs to remain in the customs union and the single market because that is the best way to protect north/south east/west trade, citizens rights and ensure no reintroduction of any kind of border." Writing in Saturday's Belfast Telegraph, Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill said the paper "sets out principles" and it is now a question "around how we turn those principles into reality". Also writing in the Belfast Telegraph, DUP leader Arlene Foster said Northern Ireland was in a "stronger position today than it was five days ago" and it was clear "there will be no border in the Irish Sea". The La Crosse Bell Choir will travel to Munich, Paris and the La Crosse sister cities of Friedberg, Germany, and Epinal, France, July 17-27. The group will play four concerts and see the sites, including Strasbourg, France. The group will stay with host families in the two sister cities. Some have been wondering where Secretary of State James Brokenshire was during negotiations but it has emerged his low profile in Northern Ireland was because he was immersed behind the scenes. James Brokenshire's last public engagement in Northern Ireland was on November 30 when he met Belfast traders ahead of Small Business Saturday; the following day he attended a meeting with his own constituents in London. Despite a turbulent week - which saw the Prime Minister Theresa May forced to delay agreement with the EU following DUP objections and strained relations with the Irish Government - Mr Brokenshire had not made any official public appearances or made any statements on the matter until yesterday. A representative for Mr Brokenshire confirmed the Secretary of State had been involved in intensive negotiations behind the scenes at Downing Street. A spokesman for Mr Brokenshire told The Belfast Telegraph: "He was crucial to the positive outcome of the talks and worked diligently into the wee hours of the morning on Thursday to do everything possible to get the positive result for the people of Northern Ireland, and the wider UK, as we leave the European Union. "Once again, Mr Brokenshire demonstrated his huge commitment to the people of Northern Ireland. "The outcome protects Northern Ireland's integral place in the internal market of the UK with full, unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses. It avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and protects the Belfast Agreement." "We remain determined to negotiate a Brexit that works for everyone, in all parts of the United Kingdom." The Belfast Telegraph understands Lord (Jonathan) Caine, the Secretary of State's Special Adviser, was also key to the successful outcome of the negotiations. Early yesterday morning, a last-minute 'breakthrough' deal was announced, allowing the Brexit negotiations to progress to the second phase of trade talks. Theresa May said there would be no "hard border" with Ireland and that the rights of EU citizens in the UK and vice-versa would be protected. British sources also confirmed the UK's 'divorce bill' from the EU will be an estimated 35-39bn. Although hidden from view this week, Mr Brokenshire has had to navigate a series of crises throughout 2017. When the RHI scandal brought the Stormont Assembly crashing down in February, he set multiple deadlines for the DUP and Sinn Fein to reach agreement and restore the Executive. All of them appeared to pass without consequence, adding pressure on the NI Secretary to impose direct rule in Northern Ireland. In November, Mr Brokenshire was forced to allocate funding to stop public services running out of money. A further 660m was added in the Chancellor's budget. Further headaches throughout the year included demands for him to stop MLA pay (for which he commissioned an independent review in November), claims by Irish rights activists he refused to meet them over an Irish Language Act, as well as pressure to publish plans to deal with the legacy of the Troubles in the absence of a Stormont deal. Northern Ireland is in a stronger position today than it was five days ago. It is now clear in the EU-UK agreement that we will leave the EU along with the rest of the United Kingdom and there will be no border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Our traders will always have unfettered access to the UK market. The draft text proposed last Monday morning was not acceptable. It did not safeguard Northern Ireland's post-Brexit access to the United Kingdom's single market. Indeed, it was politically, economically and constitutionally unacceptable. It was not the path to a sensible Brexit for Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom. It was right and proper that an agreement was not concluded on that basis on Monday. Following a conversation with the Prime Minster we agreed to work intensively to address our concerns, and indeed those of unionists from throughout the United Kingdom. The DUP received support from Conservative and Labour MPs, as well as in the Scottish and Welsh administrations. Even the Chief Minister of Gibraltar called me to offer his support. Our objective was to secure changes that would ensure the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom was not compromised as we exited the EU. These discussions were detailed and painstakingly slow and concluded in the early hours of Friday morning. We secured six clear commitments that: 1. Northern Ireland will leave the European Union along with the rest of the United Kingdom. 2. Northern Ireland will leave the single market and the customs union along with the rest of the United Kingdom. 3. There will be no customs or trade border down the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. 4. Northern Ireland will not be separated constitutionally, politically, economically or regulatory from the rest of the United Kingdom, and the joint UK-EU report at the conclusion of phase one makes clear that in all circumstances the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the whole of the UK internal market. 5. There will be no so-called 'special status' for Northern Ireland, as demanded by Sinn Fein. 6. The report makes it clear that the UK remains committed to preserving the integrity of its internal market and Northern Ireland's place within it, as it leaves the EU's internal market and Customs Union. As we have indicated in the aftermath of yesterday, much work is required and we will continue to work in Westminster during the next round of discussions. We made the right decision last Monday. It was right not to go with the flow but stand up for Northern Ireland. By using our mandate, we were able to secure significant improvements. We were only able to do so because almost 300,000 people voted DUP last June. Last Monday the DUP called a halt because we want to deliver a sensible Brexit which will help the next generation in Northern Ireland. I want our children to be able to gain employment on these shores. I want to ensure sectors such as agri-food and manufacturing continue to have unfettered access to the United Kingdom single market. The real work starts now as the UK enters phase two of the Brexit negotiations with the EU27. Our common goal must now be to achieve a comprehensive free trade agreement. Whilst some reduce their analysis of Brexit to words like 'hard' and 'soft', I will work for everyone, whether they voted leave or remain, to deliver a sensible Brexit that is practical. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and how we vote on the final deal will depend on its contents. Along with like-minded colleagues across the House of Commons we will ensure there is no backsliding on the promises made about the integrity of the Union. We will also work to ensure that as we exit the European Union we do so in a way that is of greatest benefit to our prosperity and freedom. Arlene Foster is leader of the DUP This is how the night and morning played out as a Brexit deal was finally hammered out (all times UK). THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7 7.30pm: Mrs May speaks with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in separate phone calls. 9pm: PM phone call with DUP leader Arlene Foster. 11pm: Second phone call with Mrs Foster, during which it was agreed that the Northern Irish party's objections had been resolved. 11.53pm: Government chief whip Julian Smith tweets: "Theresa has worked tirelessly this week to try to move EU negotiations onto the next stage in the National Interest", apparently signalling the moment when Number 10 put the final touches to a deal which all sides could agree. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 3.45am: After a couple of hours' sleep, Mrs May leaves Number 10 to be driven by official car to RAF Northolt in west London. 4.30am: An RAF BAe146 jet of the Royal Flight takes off for Brussels with Mrs May and Mr Davis on board. 5.54am: Mrs May and Mr Davis arrive at the European Commission's Berlaymont HQ, to be greeted by Mr Juncker. 5.55am: Mrs Foster says "substantive changes" have been made to the text which she blocked on Monday, ensuring "no red line down the Irish Sea". 6.06am: Mr Juncker's chief of staff Martin Selmayr signals that a deal has been concluded. 6.40am: After finalising their agreement over breakfast, Mrs May and Mr Juncker hold a press conference, in which the Commission president says that "sufficient progress" has been made to move on to trade talks. 7.06am: Mrs May arrives at the European Council and is greeted by president Donald Tusk. 7.33am: Mr Tusk confirms he has sent proposals to the EU27 leaders for a new negotiating mandate, covering transition and trade. 8.18am: Ireland's Taoiseach Leo Varadkar says the Brexit deal had "achieved all we set out to achieve", adding: "This is not the end, it is the end of the beginning." 8.47am: The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier sets out full details of the agreement in a press conference. 10.21am: British sources confirm the UK's financial settlement will be an estimated 35-39bn. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has held frank talks with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran over the case of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The two-hour meeting with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif covered a number of areas, including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes situation. A Foreign Office spokesman said: They discussed the full range of bilateral issues and they both spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship, including the Foreign Secretarys concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals. In what is being seen as a positive move, Mr Johnson will meet Iranian president Hassan Rouhani on Sunday. The Foreign Secretary has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Expand Close Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband and their daughter Gabriella (Family handout/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband and their daughter Gabriella (Family handout/PA) Reports suggest she could appear in court again on Sunday, following threats to increase her sentence by five years following Mr Johnsons gaffe of telling a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. He later acknowledged this was not the case. It is understood Mr Johnsons comments to MPs did not come up in the meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. The imprisoned womans husband, Richard Ratcliffe, told the Press Association: An honest discussion about Nazanins case can only be good for us. Obviously, for us the weekend is big because of his visit, but it is also big because she has got the scheduled court case tomorrow. Expand Close Boris Johnson met Richard Ratcliffe in London before his trip (Stefan Rousseau/PA ) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Boris Johnson met Richard Ratcliffe in London before his trip (Stefan Rousseau/PA ) Mr Ratcliffe said he will not know for sure whether his wifes case has gone ahead as planned until he has spoken to her over the phone on Sunday. I am obviously watching closely with hope, fingers crossed and excitement I couldnt sleep at all last night, he said of the situation. Mr Ratcliffe said he was pleased the Foreign Secretary was in Iran. If he comes back and says this could be done in six months time, that is not going to be a great feeling. We are hoping for Christmas still. Hopefully, he will be persuasive and charming, and build a good relationship with the Iranian foreign minister it is definitely good that he is there, but lets wait and see what happens. Expand Close The British and Iranian teams discuss the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe situation. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The British and Iranian teams discuss the Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe situation. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP) Tehran does not recognise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes dual UK-Iranian nationality, and refuses access to her for representatives of the British authorities, making a prison visit for the Foreign Secretary unlikely during the trip. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffes case is one of a small number of cases of dual nationals whose release Britain is seeking on humanitarian grounds on which Mr Johnson will push for progress. Mr Johnsons trip to Tehran is only the third by a UK foreign secretary since 2003 and comes at a time of tension in the Middle East over Donald Trumps announcement that he is recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A Foreign Office spokesman added that Mr Johnsons meeting with his counterpart had been constructive and covered issues such as the Iran nuclear deal. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnsons frank discussions with his Iranian counterpart over the case of imprisoned Briton Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe can only be good, her husband has said. Mr Johnson has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe as he held top-level talks in Tehran with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. A Foreign Office spokesman said that during a two-hour meeting the pair discussed a full range of issues and spoke frankly, but that the meeting had been constructive. Expand Close Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard and their daughter Gabriella (Family handout/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard and their daughter Gabriella (Family handout/PA) Richard Ratcliffe told the Press Association that he is expecting to have a full briefing from Mr Johnson and the Foreign Office once he returns to the UK. The father-of-one said constructive is certainly good and frank is not bad. He added: An honest discussion about Nazanins case can only be good for us. I am glad he is there and is meeting as many people as he can he undertook to raise her case, to call for her humanitarian release, lets hope that has positive consequences. Obviously for us the weekend is big because of his visit, but it is also big because she has got the scheduled court case tomorrow. Mr Ratcliffe said he will not know for sure whether his wifes court case has gone ahead as planned until he has spoken to her over the phone on Sunday. I am obviously watching closely with hope, fingers crossed and excitement I couldnt sleep at all last night, Mr Ratcliffe said of the situation. (I am) just trying to read the runes, look to see what is happening and what it means. And of course it is easy to misinterpret things. He said he is hopeful that the debrief from the Foreign Secretary about how the meetings went will be positive. And we are sitting here hopeful that it could be over soon, Mr Ratcliffe added. If he comes back and says this could be done in six months time, that is not going to be a great feeling. We are hoping for Christmas still. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference We will be looking to see how the conservation has gone as to how feasible and realistic that is. But I wanted him to get to Iran and try and raise her case, and to do it before her court case and he has done that. Hopefully he will be persuasive and charming, and build a good relationship with the Iranian foreign minister it is definitely good that he is there, but lets wait and see what happens. Mr Johnson has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is serving a five-year sentence over allegations, which she denies, of plotting to overthrow the Tehran government. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Theresa May has hailed an historic moment for Iraq as the country insisted it had driven out Islamic State. The Prime Minister cautioned, however, that while the extremist group also known as Daesh no longer held significant territory in Iraq or Syria, it had not yet been fully defeated. The comments came after the PMs Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi said Iraq had been liberated. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference Mrs May said: I congratulate prime minister Abadi and all Iraqis on this historic moment. I pay tribute to the Iraqi security forces for their courage and sacrifice. Daesh no longer hold significant territory in Iraq or Syria. This signals a new chapter towards a more peaceful, prosperous country. I am proud that the UK, as a leading member of the global coalition, has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Iraq to help them open that chapter. I saw the effects of this first hand when I visited last week. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference The UK, as a coalition member, has played a leading role in supporting the Iraqi security forces, including the armed forces and the Peshmerga, in the fight against Daesh. UK aircraft have launched over 1,350 air strikes in Iraq and have trained over 60,000 members of the Iraqi security forces. UK aid provides a vital lifeline to millions of Iraqis with emergency food, shelter, medical care and clean water. We are now supporting the government of Iraq to lay the foundations for an economy that meets the aspirations of all Iraqis. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference We must be clear however, that whilst Daesh is failing, they are not yet defeated. They still pose a threat to Iraq, including from over the Syrian border. This is why, during my visit, I announced that the UK will invest 30 million in stabilisation support, 20 million in humanitarian assistance and 10 million to support counter-terrorist capacity building in Iraq. We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference Mr al-Abadi formally announced victory over Islamic State in a TV address. He said: Honourable Iraqis, your land has been completely liberated. The liberation dream has become a reality. We achieved victory in difficult circumstances and with Gods help, the steadfastness of our people and the bravery of our heroic forces we prevailed. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson praised Iraqi achievements but said Islamic State remained a threat. The fight though isnt over, as the group continue to pose a threat from across the Syrian border. They can plan and inspire terrorist attacks, which rally their branches worldwide and continue to inspire others at home and abroad to do us harm. We must continue to support the government of Iraq to ensure their long term security, the lives of the Iraqi and Syrian people, regional stability, and ultimately the security of our own country. ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern. neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke. Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. The Wisconsin Ethics Commission and the former special prosecutor in a now-shuttered secret investigation into Gov. Scott Walkers 2012 recall campaign are disputing Attorney General Brad Schimels leak investigation report. We are going to be issuing significant factual clarifications to the attorney generals report, chairman David Halbrooks said in an interview after the commission met Friday on short notice. Halbrooks said the commission is taking issue with Schimels characterization that a search warrant had to be executed due to a lack of cooperation, saying our people cooperated every step of the way. The report details how ethics administrator Brian Bell and lawyer David Buerger, who were not part of the John Doe investigation, invoked their Fifth Amendment right to counsel before they were questioned by Justice Department agents earlier this year. Schimel doesnt recommend Bell or Buerger be disciplined, but Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, is calling for their dismissal. Nass spokesman Mike Mikalsen said the fact that both individuals lawyered up very early means they had concerns with regard to their handling of the materials. But Halbrooks said the commission requested the appointment of a special counsel for Bell and Buerger because DOJ wanted to interview them individually rather than together. He also said a warrant was necessary to search the Ethics Commission offices because the commission maintains secret material for other investigations that DOJ isnt allowed to access. Schimel spokesman Johnny Koremenos said in response the year-long investigation involved dozens of interviews and the review of thousands of pages of documents. The Attorney Generals report records the facts as reported by witnesses and documents; these are not matters open to the Ethics Commissions opinion or interpretation, Koremenos said. If the Commission and its members had been more open and forthcoming, DOJ would have welcomed their partnership and input on the investigation. It is a sad day for Wisconsin when the appointees designated by the legislature to oversee the Ethics Commission spend more time defending government employees who created opposition research files on Republicans than actually overseeing the agency they were tasked with leading, he added. Schimels office earlier on Twitter said it was evaluating whether the commission violated the open meetings law by convening in closed session without posting notice 24 hours in advance. Halbrooks said he and vice-chairwoman Katie McCallum agreed to call an emergency meeting because one of the members was to be on vacation starting at noon Friday for two weeks. Former John Doe special prosecutor Francis Schmitz in an interview Friday disputed Schimels characterization that he violated a judges January 2014 order quashing the John Doe subpoenas when in February 2014 he gave permission for staff to review documents that had been previously subpoenaed. He said those documents were part of subpoenas the judge didnt quash until later. I wish the DOJ investigators had taken me up on my offer to provide additional information, Schmitz said. One of the things I believe I could have shown is I never gave anyone permission directly or implicitly to review materials in violation of court orders. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, which still employs one of the former GAB employees recommended for contempt of court charges, plans to meet Tuesday to discuss the report and will issue a statement afterward, spokesman Reid Magney said. Meanwhile, the judge now overseeing the investigation and possible contempt-of-court charges against nine officials whom Schimel recommended be disciplined, including Schmitz, has stepped down from the case. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Patience Roggensack announced the move Friday afternoon. It comes after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported the judge, William Hue of the Jefferson County Circuit, made Twitter posts about the case before he was assigned the case earlier this year. Roggensack said in her statement that although I have no doubt that Judge Hue would continue to fairly and impartially preside over the John Doe as he has in the past, today I have accepted Judge Hues decision to withdraw from the case. Hue has raised the concern to me that his continued participation in the John Doe matter over which he has presided could become a distraction from legal issues that may arise in that matter. I agree with his concern, Roggensack wrote. It was not immediately known who the director of state courts would name to replace Hue. Schimel, a Republican, said in a report made public Wednesday that hes recommending contempt-of-court charges against six former employees of the now-defunct Government Accountability Board, including its former chief, Kevin Kennedy, and three Milwaukee County district attorney employees who were involved with the John Doe investigation. Schimel said the employees violated court orders and grossly mishandled secret John Doe evidence and related materials and then failed to turn over all evidence as ordered by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Schimel also recommended in the report that former GAB lawyer Shane Falk be referred to the Wisconsin Court Systems Office of Lawyer Regulation for discipline. Falk told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he acted appropriately and that Schimel had misrepresented what happened. The report, commissioned to investigate a 2016 leak of John Doe records to the U.S. arm of the British newspaper The Guardian, blasted officials involved with the investigation for what Schimel described as its excessive scope and bias against Wisconsin Republicans, who were its targets. The state Supreme Court ended the John Doe investigation in 2015, saying the investigations legal theory was invalid. The investigation looked at coordination between Walkers campaign and outside conservative groups in the run-up to the 2011 and 2012 recall elections. The Guardian ran an article based on the leaked documents in September 2016, just before the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to review the state Supreme Courts decision to end the investigation. The Associated Press contributed to this report. [Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect a correction. The original version misstated the year a judge quashed the John Doe subpoenas and the year special prosecutor Francis Schmitz gave permission for staff to review documents that had been previously subpoenaed.] In just one year, a team of volunteers in Civic have helped to prevent 157 instances of sexual assault and have intervened 176 times in potential fights between late-night revellers. Twelve months after the service began, the Canberra Night Crew is still going strong and is set to continue over the coming summer party season. Members of Canberra's Night Crew helping keep late-night revellers safe Credit:St John's Ambulance Running out of a tent on Mort Street near the bus interchange every Friday and Saturday night, a group of 10 volunteers help partygoers by providing a safe space to sober up with water bottles and lollies, and a place to charge their phone. They also help provide first aid, de-escalate potential fights and stop potential instances of sexual assaults on the streets. Five ringleaders of an alleged drug syndicate that supplied "hundreds" of people across Sydney with cocaine will face court, following a series of arrests on Friday in Sydney's north. Police arrested four men and one woman on Friday in Ryde, following a 10-month investigation into the "large-scale" cocaine supply network across Sydney. Five people allegedly involved in a "sophisticated" drug syndicate have been arrested. Credit:Rohan Thompson The group used an unknown number of "runners" to supply cocaine to "hundreds of customers" across the Sydney region, police allege. However, no drugs were seized during the arrests on Friday. The NSW government's solution to a looming shortfall of burial plots has been described as "disrespectful" by respondents to an internal government study. The August 2016 study by Woolcott Research and commissioned by the NSW Department of Industry delved into attitudes towards interment and death, specifically looking at the level of knowledge around "renewable rights". Sydney cemeteries are running out of burial space. Credit:Woronora Cemetery Renewable rights offer families the option to use a burial site for a renewable tenure of 25-years to a maximum of 99 years. It is hoped the introduction of a renewable rights option would free up space in Sydney's overcrowded cemeteries by allowing for a higher turnover of plots, as well as offering a cheaper alternative to "perpetual rights" where remains are left undisturbed forever. Areas south of Brisbane are being battered by dangerous storms, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning similar severe weather could reach Brisbane during Saturday evening. Hail, strong wind gusts, lightning, thunder and significant rainfall hit the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim regions on Saturday afternoon after several weather warnings from the weather bureau. The severe storm hit the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim, but was expected to fall short of Brisbane. Credit:Michelle Smith BoM forecaster Andrew Bufalino said hail had been reported in the Scenic Rim in the hour to 4pm, with localised damaging winds also thought to have hit the area. Binna Burra received 48 millimetres in an hour and Rathdowney saw 42 millimetres fall over a similar period. Annastacia Palaszczuks second Labor government is part of a 93-seat Parliament of firsts. In summary, the Electoral Commission of Queensland on Friday declared all 93 seats - 48 for Labor, giving it a two-seat majority, 39 for the LNP, three for Katter's Australian Party, one independent, one One Nation and one Greens. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at a meeting with the Local Government Association of Queensland on Monday. Credit:AAP Image/ Bradley Kanaris It will be the first to finally begin Brisbanes underground rail project, Cross River Rail, which has been mired in politics for a decade. It includes Queensland's first Torres Strait Islander MP, Cynthia Lui from Thursday Island, who will represent the electorate of Cook, as Billy Cook resigned. United Nations: The United Nations said that at least 15 peacekeepers, all from Tanzania, were killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by militant extremists. It was the deadliest assault on the organisation's peacekeeping forces in nearly a quarter-century. Five Congolese soldiers also died, and at least 40 other people were injured when the militants attacked a UN base in the North Kivu region Thursday evening, the organisation said in a statement from its mission in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital. The peacekeeping mission in the Congo is the United Nations' largest. Credit:AP UN peacekeeping officials attributed the attack to a militant group known as the Allied Democratic Forces, which has its origins in neighbouring Uganda and is accused of killing hundreds of people over the past three years. The Ugandan government has sought to link the group al-Qaeda and al-Shabab, the Islamic militants that have terrorised Somalia. Washington: US Special Counsel Robert Mueller late on Friday unveiled a trove of evidence against President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort to convince a judge that he violated a gag order by ghost-writing an article to bolster his public image. The evidence Mueller revealed in a filing, which is a fraction of what he said earlier on Friday he has collected, is the first clear indication of the depth of his investigation and the nature of what his investigators have found. Former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort. Credit:AP In the 41-page filing, prosecutors in Mueller's office produced emails, drafts with tracked edits and records showing that a computer user named "paul manafort" created a version of the op-ed and made numerous changes on November 29 "between 8.41pm and 9.11pm", and "last saved at 9.12pm". They also produced records indicating that the op-ed, published on Thursday in the English-language Kyiv Post over Mueller's objections, tracked talking points Manafort and his business associate Richard Gates wrote in August 2016. That was after Manafort was forced to resign from Trump's campaign because of political work he had done for pro-Russian figures including former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Kim Philby and Jim Angleton first met at Bletchley Park, in early 1944. A precociously literate 26-year-old Yale graduate, Angleton had been spotted as a promising spy by his professors and sent to the British intelligence centre for espionage training. There, Philby, chief of MI6 intelligence operations in Spain and Portugal, taught him the black arts of counter-intelligence. The two formed a friendship. Philby, then aged 32, preferred Angleton's quiet good manners to the fawning Anglophilia of his more provincial countrymen. A year later, when Angleton was assigned to run the US counter-intelligence office in Rome, Philby dropped in from his posting in Turkey. They compared notes on marriage and the growing threat of the Soviet Union. James Jesus Angleton in later life, May 1980. Credit:Camera Press The men renewed their friendship in Washington in 1949, when Philby took over the MI6 station here. Angleton, a rising star at the newly created CIA who would go on to become its counter-intelligence chief, never guessed that his friend was a communist spy, who was passing on his every confidence to Moscow. Philby's epic treachery is now the stuff of legend, as is the futile mole hunt by Angleton that followed. Donald Trump touches the Western Wall in the Israeli-occupied Old City of Jerusalem during his visit in May. Like his Jerusalem policy, that trip broke decades of diplomatic precedent. Credit:AP Yediot Ahronot, one of Israel's leading daily newspapers, ran a photograph of Trump touching the ancient stones of the Western Wall, the Jewish holy site in the Israeli-occupied Old City, under the blaring headline "Trump Alert". The article warned of a possible outbreak of violence as Israeli forces readied for protests in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The decision reaffirmed Trump's image as the disrupter-in-chief, a sobriquet he's earned after dismissing delicate diplomatic constructs forged over decades - such as when he questioned the wisdom of the "One-China policy" shortly before he was sworn into office. US President Donald Trump signs a proclamation on the status of Jerusalem as Vice-President Mike Pence looks on. Credit:Bloomberg So what did the President actually get in return for his decision? Trump and his staff described the move as a recognition of reality on the ground. Israeli government institutions are based in Jerusalem and the country's leaders would almost certainly insist as part of any deal that the city be the country's capital. US and Israeli flags are projected on the walls of Jerusalem's occupied Old City in celebration on Wednesday. Credit:AP "When I came into office, I promised to look at the world's challenges, with open eyes and very fresh thinking," Trump said. "We cannot solve our problems by making the same failed assumptions and repeating the same failed strategies of the past." Campaign promise If nothing else, Trump has fulfilled a campaign vow, one that presidential candidates before him have long promised but never carried out. Protesters chant anti-US slogans near the US consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday night. Credit:AP "The reason he wanted to do this in the first place was symbolism in fulfilment of a campaign pledge to his evangelical base," said Tamara Cofman Wittes, a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. But she warned the move could backfire well beyond the current global outcry, as images began to circulate online of demonstrations breaking out throughout the region. Partisan players: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left and David Friedman, right, the Trump administration's ambassador to Israel, attend a celebration of the "liberation" of east Jerusalem in 1967. Credit:AP An important outside voice advising Trump to make the leap was major Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, a key supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At a White House dinner in the northern spring, Adelson made the issue a main topic, one person said. In the months that followed, Adelson periodically asked others close to Trump what was causing the delay and expressed frustration. At the same time, other Trump advisers were making their case against the move. Most prominent among them were Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary Jim Mattis. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner at the Western Wall in May. Kushner has been charged with developing an Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal. Credit:AP "It's insane. We're all resistant," said one Trump confidant who spoke to the President recently about it. "The decision wasn't driven by the peace process," one senior official said. "The decision was driven by his campaign promise." Israeli police officers on patrol in Jerusalem's occupied Old City. Credit:New York Times "We're profoundly grateful for the President for his courageous and just decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to prepare for the opening of the US embassy here," Netanyahu said, urging all countries to follow the US move and transfer their own embassies there from Tel Aviv. Avi Gabbay, the leader of Israel's opposition Labour Party, congratulated Trump while hoping for "confidence-building measures which will reignite hope in the Middle East, and hope for a peace agreement between us and the Palestinians". Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu with Jared Kushner at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in May. Credit:Israeli Government Press Office But Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Jewish Home party, said the move "shows that Israel's strategic patience has paid off". "We have been told again and again that if we want more acceptance, we have to cut off parts of Israel and hand them over to our enemies," he said. "What we are learning is the contrary: The world respects strong countries who believe in themselves and looks down on countries willing to give up their homeland." Palestinians pray during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, near the Dome of the Rock in the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's occupied Old City. Credit:AP "I do agree with recognition, but this should have been done with a wide and clear understanding between all the sides," said Alon Levi, 44, a manager for a chain of health food stores. "I am sorry to say I feel that a bomb is being thrown in order to divert from the real issues. I feel like this is an act resulting from the political interests of the leaders and is not in the interest of the two nations here, and peace." Trump said he would send Vice-President Mike Pence to the region in the coming days "to reaffirm our commitment to work with partners throughout the Middle East to defeat radicalism that threatens the hopes and dreams of future generations". Israeli police officers threaten Palestinians near the Dome of the Rock in July this year. Credit:AP "Everything about Jerusalem is symbolic, every square inch," Wittes said. "We've seen this over and over again in Jerusalem, it's very easy for one individual act to spin up a crisis that nobody intended." Arab leaders' commitment questioned For decades, the idea of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital served as a rare and powerful rallying cry that united the Arab world. Kings and dictators stumped for it, priests and imams prayed for it, jihadists and protesters died for it, militant groups and political parties campaigned for it - naming their television stations, boulevards and even themselves, after al-Quds, the Arabic name for the holy city. But as Arab and Muslim leaders raised their voices to condemn the move, many across the Middle East wondered if so much had changed in recent years that the real Arab response would amount to little more than a whimper. "'Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine' joins 'Palestinian refugees are going back home one day' in the let's-hope-it-will-happen-but-it-never-will department," Mustapha Hamoui, a Lebanese blogger, wrote in a rueful tweet. While Arab leaders have continued to pay lip service to the Palestinian cause, it has slipped in importance, displaced by the Arab Spring uprisings, the wars in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the threat of Islamic State, and the contest between Saudi Arabia and Iran for regional dominance. Persian Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, more concerned about their rivalry with Iran, have found their interests increasingly overlapping with those of Israel. Arab leaders have often counted on declarations of support for the Palestinian cause as a reliable way to appeal to their people, and sometimes as a distraction from domestic problems, including lack of political freedoms and economic opportunities. But while the passion for the Palestinian cause among Arabs was genuine, those in power often exploited it for their own aims. When Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia and political party formed to fight Israel, sent fighters to help save Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, claimed in a speech that "the road to Jerusalem" went through a list of Syrian cities, including Aleppo. Critics posted maps on social media showing that was only true if you took a particularly circuitous route. Many note that the Arab world has done little more than issue notes of protest as the Israeli government has extended its de facto control over the eastern part of Jerusalem since seizing it from Jordan in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexing it in a move still not recognised by most of the world. Egypt, for instance, was once a reliable source of pro-Palestinian anger, where protests against Israel regularly erupted in the 1990s and 2000s. But years of harsh repression under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, combined with broader anxiety over regional stability, have curtailed public protests. "People still care about the Palestine issue," said Hossam Bahgat, a prominent journalist. "But the proverbial Arab Street has been forcibly disappeared," he added, referring to a rash of illegal abductions of government critics since the military brought Sisi to power in 2013. As Damascus, Cairo and Baghdad - three traditional centres of Arab power - have weakened, Saudi Arabia has sought to assert itself. While its royals and monarchs once spoke frequently of the Palestinian cause, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32, who effectively rules the country, has barely addressed the issue in public. He confided to foreign visitors this year that he does not consider the conflict a priority compared with confronting Iran and pursuing domestic reforms. Donald Trump with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, centre, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Riyadh in May. Credit:AP In September, Sisi met for the first time in public with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, lending smiling optics to a relationship that had been quietly blossoming, largely over security issues, for several years. And Saudi Arabia is widely believed to be expanding covert intelligence cooperation with Israel. But Trump's decision on Jerusalem has put his allies in the uncomfortable position of having to turn on him, at least verbally. King Salman called the US move "a dangerous step likely to inflame the passions of Muslims around the world". Sisi's office said that he had spoken with Mahmoud Abbas, and that both men lamented a decision that "overlooks the special position of Jerusalem for Arabs and Muslims". Egypt's state-controlled al-Ahram website went with the headline: "Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state despite Trump's decision." It was still possible that Trump's declaration could have the effect of moving the Palestinian issue to the front burner, but initial emotions were as much of sadness and resignation as of anger and threats. People in the region have long been seen the United States as deeply biased toward Israel and the hopes for a viable Palestinian state as fading. Calling Jerusalem the Israeli capital without acknowledging its significance to Arabs comes off to them as a denial of the Muslim and Arab perspective, analysts said. "For Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims, it has the same effect that denial of Jewish claims to Jerusalem has to Jews," said Barnett Rubin, a former senior State Department adviser. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, left, with General Qasem Suleimani of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force. Credit:AP Moreover, he said, the move "confirms the narrative that the US is at war with Islam and has no respect for Muslim and Arab perspectives". That perception is likely to damage the standing of the United States in the region. The move could also strengthen Iran, giving it back the mantle of resistance it lost when it sided with Syria's government against an uprising. The elite force of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, led by Qasim Suleimani, is called the Quds Force after Jerusalem. "We just handed him a claim to lead the cause," Rubin said. Illustration: Jim Pavlidis Parliament is Australia's ultimate problem-solving mechanism. When it's broken, problems accumulate. In this case, it's proved woefully slow and inadequate to the task of fixing itself. Once again, the parties have put partisan jousting ahead of problem solving. And, in the culminating disgrace for 2017, the Parliament adjourned with Sam Dastyari remaining a sitting Australian senator. Malcolm Turnbull's government is leaving Canberra under a citizenship cloud. Credit:Lukas Coch Most people had the impression that Bill Shorten got rid of Dastyari already. Last year, in fact, after Fairfax Media revealed that his donor and sponsor, billionaire Huang Xiangmo, had paid his bills while Dastyari was asserting the policies of the Chinese Communist Party over those of his own party and his own country. So Australians were surprised to hear that, when Dastyari latest outrage was exposed last week, he was still a senator. This time, Fairfax Media revealed he'd advised Huang on how to avoid surveillance by Australia's intelligence agencies. And that he'd lied about a speech he'd given in support of China's territorial claims to maritime areas also claimed by China's neighbours. Each time Dastyari has been caught out, the Labor leader has had the same response. He chastises Dastyari, he removes him from his extra positions and appointments, announces that he's "sacked" him, and then allows him to remain a senator representing the Labor Party. "He has put me in a position where I have to sack him again," Shorten said last week. Only because you keep promoting him, Bill, when you should have disendorsed him. So Shorten last week removed him as deputy opposition Senate whip and as chair of a committee, but kept him on as a Labor senator. Malcolm Turnbull has called on Shorten to strip him of Labor endorsement: "This is a senator who has made it abundantly clear that his first allegiance is not to Australia." But Shorten's rejoinder is: "What law has he actually broken?" And here's the rub. As far as anyone has been able to tell us, Dastyari's disgraceful and disloyal sellout is perfectly legal. How can that be so? Because the laws are inadequate. . A reasonable person might be astonished to learn this, but it's true. Dastyari broke no law. His sellout to a donor was contemptible. It was a betrayal of his party, his people, his country. But unless he has the honour to resign, or Shorten has the decency to disendorse him, he can remain a senator, complete with all the powers and privileges that bestows. Why won't Shorten sack him? Because Shorten is terrified of alienating Dastyari's faction, the NSW Labor Right faction, lest it turn against him. He fears for his job. The government has referred Dastyari to the privileges committee of the Senate, which has the power to punish senators who break the Senate's rules. It can hand out a $5000 fine or six months in jail. This is an attempt to pressure Dastyari out. But the committee is composed of other senators, including Labor ones. They might punish him, or not, depending on the political deals of the day. Like a US congressional impeachment, it's not a judicial mechanism but a political one. And even here, nothing can happen until Parliament resumes in February. The solution? Australia needs to toughen its legal protections against corruption. Including corruption by foreign powers. To its credit, the government is well advanced on this agenda. Only about an hour after the same-sex marriage bill had passed and the House emptied, Turnbull went to the dispatch box and announced to the bare handful of MPs who had remained to keep the chamber running: "Today I'm introducing legislation to counter the threat of foreign states exerting improper influence over our system of government and our political landscape. When "Duncan Lewis says the threat from espionage and foreign interference is 'unprecedented' then we know that we must act. The director-general is telling us that the threat we face today is greater than when Soviet agents penetrated the federal government during World War II and the early years of the Cold War." He presented some of the legislation that the government is using to achieve three things. First, it's moving to ban foreign political donations. ASIO told the political parties that Huang had close ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The party has a department, the United Front Work Department, specifically tasked with influencing foreign countries to accept the party's viewpoint and to serve China's interests. It works quietly, primarily through Chinese citizens living abroad, like Huang. Australia's political parties proved too greedy and venal to act on ASIO's warning. Even after the specific warning from the intelligence agency's chief, Duncan Lewis, the parties continued eagerly taking Huang's money, and not only the Labor Party - Labor took $141,000 from Huang affiliates, the Liberals $122,960 and the Nationals $15,000. And we know Huang wasn't donating in support of lofty democratic ideals. "The Australian Chinese community is inexperienced in using political donations to satisfy political requests," he wrote in a Chinese language newspaper last year. He called for "a more efficient combination between political requests and political donations." Huang, who lives in Sydney's Mosman, is a permanent resident but not a citizen. The government's proposed ban on foreign donations will outlaw any more Huang money for the political parties. Second, the government is updating Australia's laws on espionage and sabotage, including acts of cyber sabotage. Turnbull again: "Our espionage laws are so unwieldy they have not supported a single conviction in decades, even as the threat reaches unprecedented levels." Current laws cover only acts of sabotage against defence facilities. The proposed laws would make it illegal to, for instance, plant a piece of computer code designed to crash the electricity grid or the banking system, punishable by up to 15 years in jail. Third, the new law would force into the open anyone trying to do the bidding of a foreign power. Or go to jail. Or as Turnbull put it, "if a person or entity engages with the Australian political landscape on behalf of a foreign state or principal then they must register accordingly." This isn't designed to shut down debate, he said, but to "apply the basic principles of disclosure". Just as they apply to domestic lobbyists. This requirement to register could cover former politicians who hold positions with foreign firms if they advocate on the behalf of those firms' home countries, including the former Liberal trade Andrew Robb and former Labor prime minister Paul Keating. This is all vitally important. But while the government is advancing this effort to protect Australia against foreigners, it needs to go further - it needs to protect Australia against its own Parliament. The Parliament has just demonstrated anew its own dismal inability to manage itself. Every Australian state has an anti-corruption commission. The federal level of government needs one too, urgently. A federal anti-corruption commission should be modelled more closely on Victoria's Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission than NSW's Independent Commission Against Corruption, and can learn from the mistakes of the state-level bodies. But at the level of government where the stakes are highest, the sums of money biggest, and the risks greatest, the protections are the weakest. Such a commission would have power to investigate the politicians but also the vast federal bureaucracy. Some 80 per cent of the people want an independent, federal anti-corruption commission. The Greens, Nick Xenophon Team and Derryn Hinch strongly support one too. Labor says it would agree if the government were to support it. Chinas economic growth for 2017 appears poised to beat the governments 6.5% target set in March, despite analysts expecting that the fast 6.9% pace of the first three quarters will slow in the final lap of the year. Photo: Visual China China will continue to strike a balance among stable growth and risk control while pushing forward structural reforms next year, the top decision-making body of the Communist Party said Friday ahead of a key policy-setting conference. The Politburo, chaired by President Xi Jinping, looked at Chinas economic conditions and needed policies for the coming year. Later this month, the Politburo and other senior officials will set the 2018 economic agenda at the annual Central Economic Work Conference. The Politburos vision for 2018 is a combination of ongoing efforts to transform the economy while controlling risks, and improving peoples livelihoods and curbing pollution. Promoting high-quality development will be the fundamental requirement for determining the thinking on development, formulating economic policies and implementing macro-control measures, the Politburo said in a statement after the meeting, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The meeting was held at a time Chinas economic growth appears set to beat the governments target of around 6.5% set in March. Economic growth in the first three quarters hit 6.9%, boosted by stronger exportsexports rose in November at the strongest pace in eight monthsand a rebounding manufacturing sector. Analysts expect the pace to moderate in the final three months of the year. The slowdown is likely to continue into 2018 as the government moves forward with its supply-side structural reforms that include curbs on capacity in many industrial sectors. Amid these challenges, China also has some of the worst air pollution in the world, as well as soaring housing prices, wide disparities in wealth and uncertain job prospects for its youth. The Politburo vowed to take on such challenges, even as they may slow economic growth. The government will adopt more sophisticated measures to target poverty groups and provide support, combine poverty lifting efforts with education and inspiration measures to encourage the poor populations internal motivation to enhance the quality of poverty alleviation efforts, the Politburo said, according to Xinhua. On the economy, the Politburo pledged to continue efforts to reduce excessive macroeconomic leverage ratios and direct the financial sector to better serve the real economythe part actually producing goods and servicesin order to prevent major risks. Last year, the countrys regulators initiated a sweeping campaign to cut excessive leverage, rein in risky investments and root out misdeeds in the financial markets. A slew of policies have been issued to tackle risks related to lightly regulated lending and other financial activities known as shadow banking, as well as local government borrowing and online financial activity. Policy makers vowed to further open up the economy, push forward balanced development among regions and boost rural development. Policy makers also vowed to speed up reforms in the countrys housing market and establish a long-term mechanism to promote healthy development of the property sector. Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org In Kathmandu, Jonathan Stonestreet, jonathan.stonestreet@cartercenter.org Read full statement (PDF) > KATHMANDU In a preliminary statement released today, The Carter Center said that despite political tensions and logistical and operational challenges, the voting process in Nepals 2017 federal and provincial elections has generally been well-conducted. Todays statement is a preliminary one. Counting is still ongoing, and the final tabulation and publication of results will not be completed for several days. Because of this, The Carter Center cannot yet provide an assessment of several key processes or make an assessment of the conduct of the electoral process as a whole. The Center will continue to observe counting and vote tabulation and will remain in Nepal to observe the post-election environment, releasing its final report only after the entire electoral process is complete. If the remaining stages of the process are completed successfully and transparently, the election will be a positive step in implementing the countrys new constitution and consolidating its political transition. The Carter Center observed both phases of Nepals election. On Phase 1 election day, on Nov. 26, 16 observers visited 68 polling centers in the six provinces where voting took place. For Phase 2 polling on Dec. 7, a total of 64 observers from 34 countries were mobilized across all seven provinces, visiting 214 polling centers. In total, the Center observed election-day procedures in 32 districts and 282 polling centers. Carter Center observers assessed the conduct of voting on both election days as positive in 97 percent of polling centers visited. Voting was conducted in a peaceful, orderly manner, although ongoing violence occasioned a heavy security presence at all polling locations. Some issues were observed in assuring the secrecy of the vote, family voting, and improper assisted voting, but these cases were relatively isolated. Observers reported that party and candidate agents were present in 97 percent of polling centers visited, and domestic observers were active in 32 percent of those centers. Counting for both phases of elections began after polling closed on Dec. 7. At the time of this statement, many counting centers, especially in Phase 2 districts, had just begun their work. Carter Center teams are observing the counting of ballot papers in 24 of the 77 counting centers. It is important to note that observers access to the counting process has been restricted in several locations, which hinders the effectiveness of election observers. The Center urges the Election Commission of Nepal to ensure that all aspects of counting and tabulation of votes, including at the central level, are fully open to international and domestic citizen observers. The Carter Center commended the authorities, particularly the ECN, for organizing the elections within the constitutional deadline despite political tensions, logistical and operational challenges, and tight timelines. It further commended the ECN for its efforts to ensure that as many citizens as possible were registered before the elections were called, allowing close to 1.4 million additional registrations. To ensure maximum participation, the ECN allowed registered voters without a voter ID to vote with any other ID. However, the Center said, the fact that hundreds of thousands of polling staff and security personnel were unable to exercise their right to vote is a significant issue and not in accordance with previous Nepali practice or with international standards. In addition, the Center expressed concern about the lack of representation for women and minorities and noted that voter education efforts were insufficient. View the complete report > Translation Background The Carter Center election observation mission has been in Nepal since October 2017, following an invitation from the Elections Commission of Nepal. The elections were held simultaneously but in two phases: on Nov. 26 and Dec. 7. The Carter Center mission was led by former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai and former U.S. Ambassador Peter Burleigh. Following the arrival of five core team experts, 14 long-term observers were deployed throughout the country in November to assess the electoral preparations. They were joined by a short-term delegation for Phase 2, bringing the total number of observers on the ground on Phase 2 election day to 64. The Carter Center mission will continue to observe counting and vote tabulation and will remain in Nepal to observe the post-election environment. The Carter Center assesses elections against the national legal framework and international standards for democratic elections and conducts its observation missions in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation. ### "Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope." A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide. How Abortion Covers a Multitude of Sins, Even Condoning a Pedophile Once again, abortion is being used to justify supporting a political candidate that deserves nothing but condemnation by Christians. Once again, abortion is being used to justify supporting a political candidate that deserves nothing but condemnation by Christians. Repeatedly, we find that opposition to abortion "covers a multitude of sins." More specifically, it is support for a legal ban on abortion that justifies backing politicians and policies that don't remotely resemble the Way of Jesus. Roy Moore has made himself famous with his Ten Commandment monument stunts. Twice he has been removed as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court for ethics violations. He has not built his reputation by actually following Jesus. His grandstanding behaviors most certainly do not reflect the priorities of our Lord. He is not known for doing anything that would be rightly regarded as bringing "good news to the poor" (Luke 4:16-21). Moore has shown no love for the agenda of Jesus. Nevertheless, many conservative Christians regard him as a hero of sorts, because of his symbolic actions that really have nothing to do with discipleship. Now even though it is well-known that he molested underage girls years ago, some Christians are standing by him. The accusations of the women who are all conservatives are far more credible than his denials. But his supporters don't care. So-called "values voters" in Alabama appear to be abandoning all values worth having in order to support Moore. Some have gone so far as to straightforwardly state they would rather vote for a child molester than a Democrat. Churches have even posted signs comparing criticism of Moore with the false accusations Jesus endured. Where is the integrity? Writing for The Federalist, Tully Borland made it crystal clear why conservative Christians continue to stand by Moore. It isn't about Jesus. It is about abortion. Specifically, it is about Moore's support for banning abortions. Despite the fact that nations that have banned abortion do not have lower abortion rates than nations with legal abortion, Moore's supporters cling to the misguided idea that a ban will end abortion in America. Borland accuses Moore's opponent of "supporting killing babies in utero" and declares him "a moral monster." He insists that a vote for Moore's opponent is "a vote for the greater of two evils by a wide margin. It's hard to imagine much worse than the mass murder of innocents." This language is all too typical of those who justify extreme partisanism in the name of "saving unborn lives." But such talk is deceptive. Equating opposition to banning legal abortions with actual performance of abortion is a manipulative political ploy. To make matters much worse, however, is that people like Moore are the ones more justifiably accused of being implicated in "the mass murder of innocents." Why? Because Moore and other conservatives like him oppose policies that actually have reduced abortions! As I argued in an earlier article, abundant evidence shows that abortion is far more effectively reduced by insuring easy access to contraceptives, sex education, and strengthening the social safety net. Yet these are things that conservatives undercut, even as they give lip service to opposing abortion. Banning abortion as a means of ending abortion is fruitless. But it is politically useful to claim otherwise in order to get people to vote for candidates who push policies that are detrimental to the poor and middle class while helping enrich the wealthy elite. Among the tragic outcomes of the inequality that result from conservative economic policies is more abortions. So a vote for Moore is a disgrace both because it is a vote for a man who has a background of molesting underage girls and because the sorts of inequality-exacerbating policies he supports in fact lead to more abortions. If anyone is a "moral monster," it is not his opponent but Moore himself. And Christians who give him support are reflecting that monstrosity as the whole nation watches. Originally posted at Red Letter Christians. Support Grows for Air Force Colonel Suspended Over Religious Beliefs on Marriage When Heather Wilson was picked to be secretary of the Air Force, she told the Senate: "Air Force policy must continue to ensure that all airmen are able to choose to practice their particular religion." When Heather Wilson was picked to be secretary of the Air Force, she told the Senate: "Air Force policy must continue to ensure that all airmen are able to choose to practice their particular religion." Now, she has a chance to prove it. On Wednesday, the Family Research Council's Lt. General Jerry Boykin and Travis Weber gave Wilson 77,024 reasons to reconsider the action taken against Col. Leland Bohannon. A distinguished combat pilot, Bohannon has served his country for more than 20 years. In May, the reputation he'd built in the Air Force came crashing down when his superiors decided that the colonel's decision not to sign a "certificate of appreciation" for a same-sex spouse was enough to suspend him from duty. Never mind that Bohannon had requested a religious accommodation. Or that he'd consulted the command chaplain and a staff judge advocate. Leaders seemed determined to make an example of the dad of five, grounding him and snuffing out any chance of promotion. Eight senators were outraged, demanding that Air Force leaders intervene. Then, more than 77,000 of you piled on, urging justice for Bohannon and others like him. Americans need an alternative to the mainstream media. But this can't be done alone. Find out more >> Wednesday, Boykin and Weber delivered those petitions on behalf of the Family Research Council and our friends at the American Family Associationalong with a letter signed by 31 religious advocacy groups. "In his Executive Order Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty issued earlier this year," the organizations write, "President Trump stated that 'it shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce Federal law's robust protections for religious freedom,' and that people should be 'free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or retaliation by the Federal Government.' Yet despite his impressive decades-long career with the Air Force, Col. Bohannon's life and service are about to be derailed by the violation of this fundamental principle." Not only is there no right to a certificate of spousal appreciation, an accommodation should easily have been granted here ... If the Air Force policy reflected the view of [Department of Justice] on this issue, those in Col. Bohannon's situation would have no need to be concerned for their religious liberty in the first place, and we urge the Air Force to bring its policies into line with the understanding of the DOJ in this area ... In addition to correcting Air Force policy to ensure this does not happen again, we respectfully request that you reverse the complaint against Col. Bohannon and remove any unfavorable materials related to this complaint from his record. As far as Boykin is concerned, "We not only delivered petitions, we delivered a message: We will not back down from defending the religious liberty of those in the military. The action taken against Colonel Bohannon is unacceptable, and Air Force policy must be corrected to ensure this does not happen again." Thanks to tens of thousands of you, Secretary Wilson may be motivated to do just that. This was originally published in Tony Perkins' Washington Update, which is written with the aid of Family Research Council senior writers. Tony Perkins is president of the Family Research Council. Billy Graham's daughter thanks God for Donald Trump after divisive Jerusalem announcement Billy Graham's daughter Anne Graham Lotz is worried about the world's political climate. She said the evil of the world is "unrestrained," and "nations are unraveling, wars are raging, arms deals are being struck behind the closed doors of our enemies." However, Lotz said there was "an explosion of light" amidst the darkness. In a prayer posted in Charisma News, the founder of AnGel Ministries expressed gratitude to God that President Donald Trump affirmed America's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "He has vowed to move our embassy there! Thank You for all the work You have done behind the scenes to bring this to a decision," she said in her prayer. "While the enemies of Your people may rage, we rejoice, because we understand that in our blessing of Israel, we will be blessed! We suddenly find ourselves on Your side once again, aligned with the nation and the city on which You have placed Your name." However, Lotz shared concerns about upheaval and prayed that God would bless Trump and turn his enemies - both in America and in other countries - into allies. She also prayed that the fear of the one true and living God would prevail. "We ask that You bless The Beautiful Land and all those who live there, both Jews and Arabs, with Your peace," she continued. "We ask especially that You woo Your people to Yourself. Draw them to put their trust in You, so that they experience peace without - and within." Trump declared Jerusalem Israel's capital in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House on Wednesday. "I've judged this course of action to be in the best interests of the United States of America and the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This is a long-overdue step to advance the peace process and to work towards a lasting agreement," the president said. "Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every other sovereign nation to determine its own capital," he added. "Acknowledging this as a fact is a necessary condition for achieving peace." 'Days of Our Lives' spoilers for Dec. 11-15: Sami talks to Will before leaving Salem, Sonny wants another chance with Will Long-running soap opera "Days of Our Lives" offers second chances, as well as conflicts and drama, next week. "Days of Our Lives" spoilers for the week of Dec. 11-15 reveal that Will (Chandler Massey) might give his mother Sami (Alison Sweeney) a chance. Meanwhile, there will be more conflicts involving different characters, while Hope (Kristian Alfonso) and Rafe (Galen Gering) will be back in each other's arms. After a conversation with Eric (Greg Vaughan), Will will have a change of heart toward Sami. He will tell her that he is open to get to know more about her. Sami will be happy about this news. The two will have a heartfelt chat and will work on their recent issues. Sami will admit her flaws as a mother and as a person, but she will do her best to show her love for Will. The mother and son will share a warm embrace, and Sami will express her gratitude for their reunion. She will inform Will about her plan to leave Salem to visit his siblings, Allie, Sydney, and Johnny. Before leaving, Sami will buy a gift for Will, which is a journal since she wants Will to write about his life in it. Sami will also say good-bye to Marlena (Deidre Hall), John (Drake Hogestyn), and to the rest of her family. Eric and Roman (Josh Taylor) will send her to the airport. However, fans need not worry since Sami will be back. In the same episode, Sami will return the engagement ring of Hope to Rafe. Apparently, Rafe dropped this in Sami's house when he slept with her. Sami will be stuck in an awkward situation with Hope when she meets Rafe. Meanwhile, Hope and Rafe will overcome their problems and rekindle their romance. On the other hand, Sonny (Freddie Smith) will learn about Paul (Christopher Sean) and Will's kiss. Despite that information, he will still ask Will to give their relationship a chance. Also, there will be a conflict between Hope and Ciara (Victoria Konefal). Fans will know the reason behind their argument next week when the series returns. Aside from that, Kate (Lauren Koslow) will have a fight with Steve (Stephen Nichols) and Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) regarding her involvement in Theo's (Kyler Pettis) shooting and in blackmailing Tripp (Lucas Adams). Although an opportunity will arise for Kayla to expose Kate to Eli (Lamon Archey), Kayla will not do it. Hence, Steve will look for another way for Kate to involve herself. "Days of Our Lives" airs Mondays to Fridays at 1:00 p.m. EST on NBC. 'The Batman' cast rumors: Is Jon Hamm replacing Ben Affleck as DCEU's Dark Knight? Don Draper could make his way to Gotham City. A new report claims former "Mad Men" star Jon Hamm wants to be Batman, a role which his good friend, Ben Affleck, has been portraying, but seems hesitant in reprising. Citing a source close to the production of Matt Reeve's "The Batman," Radar Online reports Hamm, 46, is "gunning hard" to replace Affleck, 45, as DC Extended Universe's Caped Crusader. Hamm has reportedly started courting Reeves who, in turn, thinks of him as a stellar candidate. While the director has been eyeing Jake Gyllenhaal for the role, Hamm would apparently make a smoother replacement as his age is closer to that of Affleck's. That means his film does not have to undergo major changes and would still feature an older, seasoned version of Batman. This is quite a surprise for some, considering Affleck and Hamm have been close friends for quite some time. They starred together in the 2010 Affleck-helmed film "The Town" and were drinking buddies until Hamm started his journey to sobriety in 2015. According to the insider, their friendship is still solid, and Hamm is very much aware of the criticisms his friend has faced since debuting in "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice." However, for the "Mad Men" alum, his campaign for the role is reportedly purely business. Of course, the role is still in Affleck's hands for now, but his future as the Caped Crusader has been a topic discussion among DC fans ever since rumors broke in July that he is stepping down from the role after "Justice League." The actor initially denied the allegations, stressing to the San Diego Comic-Con audience of more than 10,000 people that he is "the luckiest guy" for having the opportunity to play Batman, which he called "is the coolest f**king part in any universe, DC Marvel." However, the actor has since started showing reluctance in reprising his role. He previously revealed he does not want to play Batman forever and is looking for a cool and graceful way to leave the DCEU. When asked about his future in the DCEU, he also said he does not actually know how many more times he will portray Batman after "Justice League." Neither Hamm nor Reeves has confirmed the claims yet, so this is best taken with a grain of salt for now. It would be interesting, though, if Hamm ends up slipping in Affleck's Batsuit since he once said superhero roles do not fit his career preferences. In a 2014 interview, he revealed he has been in contention for a few superhero roles before, but made the right choice of saying no because he does not want to be locked into playing the same character for years. Two dead in 'Day of Rage' over Jerusalem, Palestinian president defiant At least two people were killed in clashes with Israeli troops on Friday when thousands of Palestinians demonstrated against US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and the Palestinian president said Washington could no longer be a peace broker. Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters took to the streets on the Muslim holy day to express solidarity with the Palestinians and outrage at Trump's reversal of decades of US policy. Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian man near the Gaza border, the first confirmed death in two days of unrest. Scores of people were wounded on the 'Day of Rage'. A second person later died of their wounds, a Gaza hospital official said. The Israeli army said hundreds of Palestinians were rolling burning tyres and throwing rocks at soldiers across the border. 'During the riots IDF soldiers fired selectively towards two main instigators and hits were confirmed,' it said. More than 80 Palestinians were wounded in the occupied West Bank and Gaza by Israeli live fire and rubber bullets, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. Dozens more suffered from tear gas inhalation. Thirty-one were wounded on Thursday. As Friday prayers ended at the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, worshippers made their way toward the walled Old City gates, chanting 'Jerusalem is ours, Jerusalem is our capital' and 'We don't need empty words, we need stones and Kalashnikovs'. Scuffles broke out between protesters and police. In Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus, dozens of Palestinians threw stones at Israeli soldiers who fired back with tear gas. In Gaza, controlled by the Islamist group Hamas, calls for worshippers to protest sounded over mosque loudspeakers. Hamas has called for a new Palestinian uprising like the 'intifadas' of 1987-1993 and 2000-2005, which together saw thousands of Palestinians and more than 1,000 Israelis killed. 'Whoever moves his embassy to occupied Jerusalem will become an enemy of the Palestinians and a target of Palestinian factions,' said Hamas leader Fathy Hammad as protesters in Gaza burned posters of Trump. 'We declare an intifada until the liberation of Jerusalem and all of Palestine.' Protests largely died down as night fell. Rocket sirens sounded in southern Israeli towns near the Gaza border, and the Israeli military said it had intercepted one of at least two projectiles fired from Gaza. No casualties were reported. Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militant group linked to Abbas's Fatah party, claimed responsibility for firing one of the rockets, and said it was in protest against Trump's decision. The military said another rocket hit the Israeli town of Sderot. No casualties were reported. Israel's military said that in response to the rocket fire, its aircraft bombed militant targets in Gaza and the Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 25 people were wounded in the strikes, including six children. The Israeli military said it had carried out the strikes on a militant training camp and on a weapons depot. Witnesses said most of the wounded were residents of a building near the camp. At the United Nations, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Washington still had credibility as a mediator. 'The United States has credibility with both sides. Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations, or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel's security,' Haley told the UN Security Council. But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appeared defiant. 'We reject the American decision over Jerusalem. With this position the United States has become no longer qualified to sponsor the peace process,' Abbas said in a statement. He did not elaborate further. France, Italy, Germany, Britain and Sweden called on the United States to 'bring forward detailed proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement'. 'Promise Fulfilled' Trump's announcement on Wednesday has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East War, to be occupied territory. It includes the Old City, home to sites considered holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. For decades, Washington, like most of the rest of the international community, held back from recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying its status should be determined as part of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. No other country has an embassy there. The Trump administration argues that the peace process has become moribund, and outdated policies need to be jettisoned for the sides in the conflict to make progress. Trump has also noted that Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton all promised as candidates to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. 'I fulfilled my campaign promise - others didn't!' Trump tweeted on Friday with a video montage of campaign speeches on the issue by his three predecessors. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday it would still be up to the Israelis and Palestinians to hammer out all other issues surrounding the city in future talks. 'With respect to the rest of Jerusalem, the president ... did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. He was very clear that the final status, including the borders, would be left to the two parties to negotiate and decide.' Still, some Muslim countries view the Trump administration's motives with particular suspicion. As a candidate he proposed banning all Muslims from entering the United States, and in office he has tried to block entry by citizens of several Muslim-majority states. 'Death to the Devil' In Ramallah, the seat of Abbas's Palestinian Authority, the leader's religious affairs adviser said Trump's stance was an affront to Islam and Christianity alike. 'America has chosen to elect a president who has put it in enmity with all Muslims and Christians,' said Mahmoud al-Habbash. In Iran, which has never recognised Israel and supports anti-Israel militants, demonstrators burned pictures of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while chanting 'Death to the Devil'. In Cairo, capital of Egypt, a US ally which has a peace treaty with Israel, hundreds of protesters who had gathered in Al-Azhar mosque and outside in its courtyard chanted 'Jerusalem is Arab! O Trump, you madman, the Arab people are everywhere!' Al Azhar's Imam, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, rejected an invitation to meet US Vice President Mike Pence. Large demonstrations also took place in Jordan, Tunisia, Somalia, Yemen, Malaysia and Indonesia, and hundreds protested outside the US embassy in Berlin. France said the United States had sidelined itself in the Middle East. 'The reality is they are alone and isolated on this issue,' Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. Oil drilling activity continues to pick up with rigs added to both the Permian Basin and South Texas' Eagle Ford shale this week. Those gains offset losses in other states, contributing to a net gain of two oil drilling rigs nationwide. The number of rigs drilling for natural gas stayed flat, according to weekly data collected by Baker Hughes. The Permian and Eagle Ford added three new rigs apiece, contributing to a net gain of five rigs for Texas. New Mexico, which has a portion of the Permian, tacked on three rigs. However, Oklahoma, Colorado, North Dakota, Kansas and Ohio all counted losses in their rig counts, potentially because of seasonably colder weather farther north. The total U.S. rig count is now up to 931 rigs, down from a July peak of 958. The rig count has dipped for much of the fall, but rebounded somewhat in recent weeks. Still, the total U.S. rig count is well up from an all-time low of 404 rigs in May 2016. Oil drilling currently accounts for 751 rigs of the total. U.S. oil was selling above $57 a barrel in early afternoon trading in New York. West Texas' Permian Basin now accounts for 400 rigs, which is more than half of all the nation's oil rigs. The next most active area is Oklahoma's Cana-Woodford shale with 73 rigs, recently surpassing Texas' Eagle Ford shale with 70 rigs. Texas is home to 459 rigs overall, while Oklahoma is second with 121 rigs. New Mexico is next with 73 rigs, having passed Louisiana for third. Despite this week's jump, the oil rig count is down 53 percent from its peak of 1,609 in October 2014, before oil prices began plummeting. With avocado crop losses mounting in the California wildfires and harvest near, we could see pricing impacts, an industry official said. Wildfires continued to rage across Southern California on Friday, and initial assessments showed significant amounts of avocado groves were already lost in the so-called Thomas fire in Ventura County and at least one grove scorched in another blaze further south in San Diego County. "The fires stayed up in the foothills and that's where a lot of our avocado production occurs," John Krist, CEO of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, told CNBC in an interview Friday. "So there's clearly damage or destruction of I'd say, conservatively, several hundred acres of avocado groves, and I'm sure that number will go up as we get better information about what's going on further back in those canyons." Experts say avocado trees may have suffered internal damage due to heat from nearby wildfires, especially if they were adjacent to trees on the perimeter of groves. They say the wildfires can sometimes produce heat reaching 125 degrees or more and potentially cause permanent vascular damage to the trees. "Those are the kind of things we won't know for a few weeks," said Ken Melban, vice president of industry affairs for the California Avocado Commission, which represents growers in the state. He added that the damage also could show up later even when groves may initially appear to be unhurt. Either way, Melban said the avocado growers were impacted from Ventura to San Diego counties by the current wildfires. He said the worst of the crop damage so far appears to be from the Ventura fire. "We are in close contact with our industry members in the areas, and we know that there have been a significant number of them affected by the fires," he said. Still, Melban said it was "premature to give any kind of indication about the impact on next year's large crop." A decade ago, California represented about half of the total U.S. consumption of avocados. The state now represents only roughly one-fifth of the total supply for the U.S., with the main source now imports from Mexico. California's avocado harvest tends to run from late March through September, so there is small fruit on trees but it's generally not considered ready for picking this time of year. With the wildfire losses and avocado harvest nearing, Melban said it's possible we might see pricing impacts to consumers. Then again, he stressed it's still "way way premature to know" since the harvest is still several months away. A check of several produce wholesalers, though, found they expect the pricing to get stronger in the next several weeks. However, most indicated it was due largely to tighter supplies coming from Mexico and not California's fires. "These last few months have been kind of too cheap on avocado prices, so the growers stopped picking them in Mexico," said a California produce wholesaler who didn't want to be identified. "That made them harder to get and so we're already seeing prices move up again." Overall, there are currently at least five major wildfires burning in Southern California. On Friday, President Donald Trump declared a federal emergency for the devastating blazes, which frees up federal funding for aid. The largest of the blazes is the Thomas fire, which started Monday in Ventura County and as of Friday evening had burned more than 143,000 acres and was 10 percent contained. More than 480 homes have been destroyed or damaged, according to Cal Fire. The Thomas fire also affected the air quality in areas of Ventura County, where row crops such as strawberries and vegetables are ready for harvest. Health experts were advising people to stay indoors and avoid breathing smoke and the ash, although some farm workers who went to work received special masks to help protect them from the smoke in the fields, officials said. Ventura County's huge citrus operations also suffered impacts, and some wine grape production near Ojai was in the path of the fires, officials said. Also, the gusty Santa Ana winds that have fed the Thomas fire might have caused additional losses in avocados and citrus as a result of fruit dropping from trees. On Tuesday, the Thomas fire destroyed a dozen structures at Limoneria, a Santa Paula-based lemon and avocado grower. It also led to a brief power outage at the company's lemon packinghouse. Limoneira's stock price fell more than 11 percent this week. The company didn't return calls for comment. Krist toured the Limoneria facility Thursday and said "fire burned right down to the edges of groves. But there doesn't appear to have been much direct or indirect damage to the orchards themselves." Another Ventura County agribusiness, Calavo Growers , was down about 6 percent this week. The fires were near some of the company's groves but it was still unclear whether there was any damage. Calavo declined comment. Meantime, the California Cut Flowers Commission on Thursday said growers of cut flowers were being threatened by Southern California fires. It said the Thomas fire was burning close to nearly two dozen flower farms in the Carpinteria Valley, which it referred to as "the flower basket of the United States." Also, it said smaller fires have also been reported near flower farms in San Diego and Lompoc. CNBC's Jim Cramer is always on the hunt for strong secular growth trends, and lately, he's been eyeing one that he just can't seem to brush off: protein and millennials' obsession with it. "I know this sounds silly. They made fun of me on 'Squawk on the Street' when I said it. 'They like protein.' I know, it's been kind of a staple for millions of years," the "Mad Money" host said. "More important, aren't millennials supposed to be going vegan or vegetarian at alarming rates?" "As it turns out, the younger generation does love protein, and the one they really love is chicken," Cramer continued. "I think millennials are so image-conscious well, of course, they're Instagramming each other that they'll do anything to avoid eating carbs, including going full carnivore." Cramer believed in this trend so much that he attributed two high-profile deals Roark Capital taking Buffalo Wild Wings private and Burger King parent Restaurant Brands buying Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen to its dominance. "One chicken chain getting acquired [might be an] isolated incident, but two? I think two's the beginning of a pattern," Cramer said, pointing to an Axios story that reported Roark subsidiary Arby's has more acquisitions planned. The "Mad Money" host added that the "poultry bull market" has more players in it than just restaurants. Shares of Tyson Foods , a Cramer-fave food distributor specializing in chicken, beef and pork, have been running thanks to the company's poultry business, he said. Tyson's management has helped by adopting millennial-friendly initiatives like selling antibiotic-free chicken and embracing sustainability. In turn, the company has been seeing increased demand for chicken with no signs that it will stem in 2018. Cramer didn't want investors to overthink investing in the protein bull market, though. He still liked the stock of Tyson because the company's fundamentals are still improving. On the restaurant side, Cramer liked the stock of Wingstop , a chicken-wing-focused chain that, in a rare move for restaurant chains, is still putting up new stores. But the stock's strength couldn't be denied. Wingstop trades at 50 times next year's earnings estimates, a pricey multiple compared to its 17 percent long-term growth rate. "And I don't expect it to be taken private," Cramer said. "After all, Wingstop used to be private. Guess who owned it? Roark Capital, the same guys who just bought Buffalo Wild Wings, until the IPO in 2015." The other big public player in protein is Yum! Brands , the parent company of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC. With a stock up over 30 percent for 2017, Cramer pointed to Taco Bell and KFC as its main drivers. "What can I say? People can't get enough protein. But Yum trades now at 26 times next year's numbers," he said. "This one isn't cheap anymore." Still, even though it wasn't his favorite, the "Mad Money" host gave investors his blessing to buy shares of Yum, particularly on a pullback, because of its savvy management. "Here's my bottom line: it may sound like a silly thesis and people laughed initially, but protein is red-hot, I think because image-conscious millennials are desperate to avoid eating carbohydrates," Cramer said. "The best way to play it? Stick with Tyson Foods. Yum's worth holding. Wingstop could be attractive into weakness. Tyson is a buy, buy, buy." Bitcoin investor Cameron Winklevoss one half of the twins reported to have just become the world's first bitcoin billionaires says the skyrocketing cryptocurrency is primed to head higher. Winklevoss and his brother Tyler famously settled with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2008 over the claim that he stole the idea for the social network. But it's what the brothers have done in the cryptocurrency realm that has been making headlines of late and they don't think it's run its course. "We've always felt that bitcoin, given its properties, is gold 2.0 it disrupts gold. Gold is scarce, bitcoin is actually fixed. Bitcoin is way more portable and way more divisible. At a $300 billion market cap, it's certainly seen a lot of price appreciation, but gold is at $6 trillion and if bitcoin disrupting gold is true and it plays out ... then you can see 10 to 20 times appreciation because there is a significant delta still," Cameron Winklevoss told CNBC on Friday. "Long term, directionally, it is a multitrillion-dollar asset I don't know how long it takes to get there," he added. While the bitcoin investor predicted success ahead, many financial luminaries have told CNBC they believe the cryptocurrency is a bubble of historical proportions. But Winklevoss, for his part, disputed that characterization. "We've seen the bubble term thrown around and it's just not the right way to look at this," he said. "Social networks grow in value exponentially based on the number of users and participants. The difference between one and 100 is dramatic 100 and a million is that much more dramatic and exciting. As more people join it gains more value." And even though some of those people getting involved with the platform may not understand the advanced technology behind it, Winklevoss said he's not worried, explaining that "most people don't know how the internet works but they are comfortable using it." The investor declined to say just how many bitcoin he has, but said he's "directionally long" on the most popular cryptocurrency and also invested in rivals ether and filecoin. While some analysts have cautioned that the sheer number of different crypto assets could dilute the gains of the ecosystem, Winklevoss told CNBC he didn't share those concerns. "Bitcoin is not competing with those other currencies. It is competing with gold. Bitcoin is the oldest, it has the first mover advantage and there's tremendous liquidity," he said, adding that the problem ether is trying to solve is different than bitcoin's payment application. "I think it's great if there are a number of cryptos." Looking ahead, the next major catalyst for bitcoin will be the CBOE bitcoin futures contract, which uses the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange co-founded by the Winklevoss twins. "We are the price mechanism for the contracts when they settle," Winklevoss said. Some experts say the CBOE and CME futures launch over the coming two weeks will help pave the way for bitcoin ETFs. In March, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rejected the Winklevoss ETF, which the twins have been working to get on the market. "We think derivatives set the stage for other products and is the next logical evolution of this market," Winklevoss said. The SEC is said to be reviewing bitcoin ETFs, but a decision is not anticipated this year. In general, regulators have been paying more attention to the cryptocurrency market, and Winklevoss said more oversight is actually a good thing. "When Silk Road got busted, the price of bitcoin appreciated considerably and transaction volume did not decrease. In fact the number of transactions on blockchain only increased from that point forward. So this idea that bitcoin is powered by dark market or money launderers is simply false." Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and his wife are still in trouble with the FBI. But it's the American people who are really in trouble. A new report from a local Vermont publication, which has been all over the story, suggests that the FBI's probe of Jane Sanders for her role in alleged bank fraud is far from over. Witnesses are still being interviewed and a grand jury may soon be impaneled. Sanders is in the middle of accusations that while she was president of Burlington College, she and other administrators misled bank loan officers about the real number of donations pledged to the college. Those false figures were used to secure a loan for a major campus expansion that flopped and led to the college's closing in 2016. It first came to light back in May of this year that the FBI was looking into the matter, and had begun to do so while Barack Obama was still president. At the time, it was the first sign of trouble for Sanders' brand as an above-reproach progressive. His political fortunes are now still in jeopardy. But beyond Bernie's future, this story is the latest example of the serious threat to the credibility of America's federal law enforcement system. Back when this story first emerged, it was already something attorney Alan Dershowitz called a dangerous example of a tit-for-tat political use of the FBI to criminalize politics. At that point, it seemed like Dershowitz might be getting ahead of himself: It looks more like that assessment was on the money. Now we know this probe is still going on, as is the widening and expanding scope of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election. It's not that the crimes or alleged crimes in these cases aren't important. But only the most naive observer would maintain these probes aren't at least somewhat politically motivated. And you'd have to be similarly naive not to notice that something has changed in American politics and federal law enforcement in the last several years. What's changed is that an old deal that helped America avoid this kind of banana republic nonsense has been broken. Essentially, that deal went like this: Every four years, the voters got to choose the winners and losers in the national political arena. The winners got the spoils of power, and in return for the losers going away relatively quietly, they were mostly spared from politically-motivated legal punishment. But then we learned in 2013 that the IRS was wrongly targeting conservative and Tea Party groups with audits and other bureaucratic red tape. Then we had Hillary Clinton's refusal to go quietly after her election loss in 2016. She's spent much of the year since the election in full outcry mode, and even pushed out a new book complete with a national tour. Her refusal to slink off more quietly as John Kerry, Michael Dukakis, Mitt Romney and others did has led to a number of unique results. One of them is that new FBI Director Chris Wray hinted Thursday that Clinton could still be charged for her email scandal. That certainly looks like more tit-for-tat. This was exactly the kind of broken deal that brought down President Richard Nixon. His attempted use of federal tools to punish his enemies and cover up his own crimes not only forced his resignation, but it came with overwhelming bipartisan approval at the time. But with the growing perception at least by non-Democrats that the Mueller probe is tainted, it seems less likely any conclusion his team comes to will be accepted by any solid majority. The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows that just 35 percent of Republicans and just 46 percent of independents believe Mueller is conducting an impartial investigation. Those numbers seem likely to get a lot worse now that more stories about the partisan political activities of members of his team are leaking out. And polls like this are a brutal commentary on the current political climate as a whole. Now none of us should shed any tears for Clinton, Jane Sanders or even Trump if they are found guilty of any real crimes. That's not the point. But it is worth crying over an entire set of federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies that are becoming less and less credible every day. In the Sanders case, it's not that the probe should be dropped. But it is problematic that this relatively simple case involving just one small erstwhile college and a small bank is taking so long to resolve. It seems to have begun just as Senator Sanders was challenging then-President Obama's chosen successor, Hillary Clinton. It continues just as Sanders is becoming an enduring thorn in the current president's side. This appears to make the probe's extended shelf life clearly more about politics than anything else. Love or hate Bernie Sanders, that's simply not right. At some point in this dangerous game of chicken, someone needs to quit the political vendettas and put things right. That moment seems less likely to happen than ever right now. Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny. For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter. Starbucks and Amazon -owned Whole Foods are the latest victims of retail landlords pushing back against companies shuttering stores and trying to bypass contractual agreements. Recently, the largest U.S. mall owner, Simon Property Group , claimed a high-profile victory in court over Starbucks, which was planning to close 77 of its Teavana stores across Simon's properties. Starbucks previously announced this summer it was planning to shutter all Teavana locations by the spring of 2018, as they were dragging down Starbucks' overall financial performance. However, an Indiana judge has ruled in Simon's favor, preventing the coffee giant from closing 77 doors or facilitating any "going out of business" or similar sales, court documents reviewed by CNBC showed. The lease agreements Starbucks originally signed with Simon for the Teavana brand require the tenant to be "open and operating during normal business hours." Some of those 77 leases still extend for up to another decade. "We are disappointed in the judge's ruling," a Starbucks spokeswoman told CNBC. "Our focus continues to be on finding a resolution." Then, on Thursday, a Washington court issued a similar ruling against grocery chain Whole Foods, which recently shuttered one of its 365-branded locations in a Bellevue, Washington shopping center, giving that landlord and other surrounding tenants little-to-no notice. The lease that Whole Foods signed with "Bellevue Square LLC" in 2015 required the grocery chain to carry on business "without interruption" for the first 10 years of the contract. But Whole Foods moved quickly in October to close down that 365 store, neglecting its obligations and citing "site challenges" and underperformance. Southern California's largest wildfire, a devastating blaze that has already destroyed hundreds of homes in Ventura County, continued to grow Sunday and was threatening seaside communities in Santa Barbara County and prompting new evacuation orders. Officials say the largest, most destructive wildfire burning in Southern California is expected to grow as it enters its second week. The Thomas Fire north of Los Angeles has burned more than 270 square miles, prompted tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed nearly 800 structures. The National Weather Service says gusts up to 40 mph are expected through Monday. The 230,000-acre Thomas fire, now in its seventh day, is threatening an estimated 18,000 structures, according to Cal Fire. "Over the last 12 to 14 hours, we've experienced some extreme fire behavior on the fire," Mark Brown, operations section chief of Cal Fire told reporters at a Sunday evening briefing. He said the fast-moving blaze had moved some 7 miles to the west in a 12 to 14-hour period, burning about 56,000 acres in the process. As a result, officials revised containment downward, from 15 percent to only 10 percent. Officials ordered mandatory evacuations for at least 1,000 residents in southern Santa Barbara County, including portions of Carpinteria. Also, evacuation warnings were issued for parts of Montecito and Summerland, two communities known for multimillion-dollar homes and celebrity estates. Oprah Winfrey and actor Rob Lowe are among the famous with homes in the Montecito area. They both tweeted Sunday about the fire approaching the town and offering prayers. https://twitter.com/Oprah/status/940058257141391362 Lowe tweeted Sunday morning that he was "packing to evacuate now." https://twitter.com/RobLowe/status/939896964807770112 Also, TMZ reported that Ellen DeGeneres' new home was under threat. She purchased a home in Carpinteria back in October. https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/status/939945041467867136 As of Sunday, fire officials estimated the cost to date of fighting the Thomas fire at approximately $34 million. California Gov. Jerry Brown visited fire areas Saturday and told reporters, "We're facing a new reality in the state where fires threaten people's lives, their property, their neighborhood, and of course billions and billions of dollars. So we have to have the resources to combat the fires." US troops patrol village in Afghanistan's Logar Province. Getty Images U.S. defense modernization efforts are "failing to keep pace" when compared with its two big adversaries, and American forces are "poorly postured to meet key challenges in Europe and East Asia," according to a starkly worded new report from think-tank Rand. As tensions with North Korea heighten, Rand's 190-page report, entitled "U.S. Military Capabilities and Forces for a Dangerous World," also discussed war scenarios with NATO-Russia involving the Baltic states. It also broke down a possible U.S.-China clash over Taiwan and gaps in existing U.S. capabilities. With those factors in mind, the Rand report's authors said that the nation's armed forces are "insufficiently trained and ready" when looking at the active service components. That assessment comes despite the U.S. military presence in several regions of the world, and ongoing anti-terrorism missions and the war in Afghanistan, which is nearing its 20th year. "In short, providing the military power called for by the United States' ambitious national security strategy, which has never been easy, has recently become considerably more challenging," said the report. "The coincidence of this new reality with a period of constrained defense budgets has led to a situation in which it is now far from clear that our military forces are adequate for the tasks being placed before them," the authors wrote. More tellingly, Rand's analysis also noted that the capabilities of China and Russia have advanced so far they could potentially beat American forces in certain situations. "Put more starkly, assessments in this report will show that U.S. forces could, under plausible assumptions, lose the next war they are called upon to fight, despite the United States outspending China military forces by a ratio of 2.7:1 and Russia by 6:1," read the report. "The nation needs to do better than this." CNBC reached out to the Defense Department for comment on Saturday, but did not receive an immediate reply. However, Rand's study was funded in part by the department, suggesting they are aware of its contents. Fighting Complacency David Ochmanek, a senior international defense researcher at Rand and one of the authors of the report, said that from members of Congress to others, "there's a sense of complacency about the U.S. military capabilities." He said the priority shouldn't be to build more aircraft carriers, submarines and airplanes, but to start equipping those things better. Also other investments are needed that let the U.S. armed forces operate to their fullest potential. For example, Ochmanek said spending on advanced cruise missiles, jam-resistant tactical and theater communication systems, satellite defense technology, and even hardening American military bases from attacks are just some of the things that should be done to enhance the nation's forces. "We're talking something on the order of an added $20 billion to $30 billion a year on a sustained basis could allow us to pretty smartly move the needle back where it needs to be, vis-a-vis both Russia and China," Ochmanek told CNBC in an interview on Friday. According to the report, the U.S. spends about 3.4 percent of its GDP on defense, while it estimates Russia spends some 4.5 percent. NATO has a target for members to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense but only five of the 28 member countries are meeting the alliance goal. ... we concluded that, as currently postured, NATO cannot defend the Baltic states against a determined, short-warning Russian attack. Rand analysis Rand analysts wrote that even the combined forces of NATO might have a tough time if the Russian military were to make a move into some Baltic states, which regained independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin might use the same military playbook he used during Moscow's aggression against Ukraine, and the annexation of Crimea. The report said Putin in making the moves against Ukraine showed he's willing to take "a more confrontational policy" with the West and European security matters to achieve his political aims. Previously, Rand developed a Russia-NATO war scenario that depicted Russian military aggression in the Baltics in 2020, which included Moscow sending forces to the borders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. One of the things it found was Russian forces could invade by using armed and motorized units heavily supported by artillery pieces and other military equipment. Meanwhile, NATO would rely on light infantry and essentially have its ground forces "badly outgunned." The question is whether the U.S. could use its air forces quickly to give NATO "relative advantage" in a war. Russia's advanced surface-to-air missile systems could prove formidable in a conflict against U.S. combat aircraft and potentially limit NATO's air access, Rand's study estimated. "In short, we concluded that, as currently postured, NATO cannot defend the Baltic states against a determined, short-warning Russian attack," the authors said. "Until rectified, the capability shortfalls that account for this vulnerability mean that the Baltic states live under the threat of a swift, low-cost coup de main by Russian conventional forces." Defending Taiwan Similarly, Rand said China now has weapons and capabilities that would make it tougher for the U.S. to prevail in a battle to defend Taiwan against Beijing potentially retaking the breakaway island republic. It also said China has improved training and readiness of its forces and studied past American military campaigns, so it can develop strategies of its own that counter the U.S. power-projection capabilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead a bilateral meeting at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, 14 May 2017 Rand said China's military spending grew at double-digit rates every year from 2000-2014, resulting in a total increase during the stretch of more than 480 percent in real terms. China has invested heavily in modernizing its air force and air defenses as well as developing advanced land-based ballistic and cruise missiles that can be launched from mobile vehicles that make them harder to find. In fact, Beijing has an anti-ship ballistic missile with a range of up to 2,500 miles that is sometimes known as the "carrier-killer" missile, which could potentially threaten a U.S. aircraft carrier deployed to protect Taiwan. "For example, in a war with China set in 2020, if U.S. forces were to use the same operations concept for power projection that they have used since Operation Desert Storm [in 1991] and employed currently programmed weapons and munitions, those forces would likely face great difficulties in achieving air superiority over the Taiwan Strait," the report said. North Korean threat The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form CORNWALL, Ontario Syed Shah is asking bus drivers to be careful when letting children in their care off the bus after his daughter had a close call on Friday, Nov. 30. Shahs daughter Aishah, 9, was getting off the bus after school that day. Aishah says that she had the bag over one of her shoulders when the door closed on her book bag and the bus driver drove away. Aishahs school bus is owned and operated by Delaney Bus Lines Ltd. Aishah says that she was able to get her arm loose from her bag and was unharmed. Syed Shah says that he and one of his neighbours witnessed the incident. He says that he later called Delaney who told him that the bag was back at their depot and he could come by and pick it up. I dont care about the bag, he said. If she didnt let the bag go what would have happened? I want to make sure that this doesnt happen to another kid. He says that the bus driver in question has been moved to a different route and his daughter has returned to taking the bus. My message is that they should take care of their responsibility, Shah said. This is a patient job. Delaney Bus Lines confirmed that an incident had taken place, but refused any further comment. Contributed Photo / Westport Police Department / Contributed Photo The chiefs of the Westport and Fairfield police departments together signed their opposition Friday to the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act a bill currently being considered in Congress. Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas and Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara signed a letter written by law enforcement personnel urging that the bill not become law. If passed, the bill would force Connecticut police departments to honor concealed-carry weapons permits from every state. Nancy Pelosi's legacy: From passing Obamacare to impeaching Trump Congressional scholars and modern politicians rate Speaker Nancy Pelosi as one of the most consequential legislative leaders in U.S. and House history. As negotiations on a final tax bill begin, U.S. Rep. John Katko is urging congressional Republican leaders to preserve a key tax credit and a benefit for graduate students who receive tuition waivers. Katko, R-Camillus, was one of 30 Republicans who signed a letter to GOP leadership and the chairs of the tax-writing committees in opposition to a provision in the tax plan that would consider tuition waivers for graduate students as taxable income. Students in Katko's district at Syracuse University and other institutions have expressed concern about the proposal, which could increase their tax bills by thousands of dollars. Graduate students who work as research or teaching assistants typically receive tuition waivers to cover the costs of their education. In the letter sent Thursday, the members of Congress estimated that repealing the income exclusion would increase taxable income for graduate students by at least $12,000 and as much as $50,000. "Repeal of the income exclusion for graduate tuition waivers would subject thousands of graduate students to a major tax increase at a time in their lives when they likely lack the ability to pay," Katko and his colleagues wrote. The income exclusion repeal was included in the House tax bill passed in mid-November that Katko supported. He was one of four New York Republicans who voted for the legislation. Another provision in the bill would repeal the Historic Tax Credit, a federal program that supports the rehabilitation of older structures. In a separate letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, 28 House members, including Katko, called for the preservation of the tax credit program. While the Senate would eliminate the tax credits, the Senate bill would keep the program in place. However, the Senate's plan would alter how the credits are distributed. Under the current format, the 20 percent tax credit is paid in one year. The Senate would pay out the credit over a four-year period. Katko and his colleagues said they support maintaining the program in its current form or adopting the Senate proposal. The GOP members touted the benefits of the historic tax credit. Since the program's creation, $25.2 billion in tax credits have been distributed. The investment has produced $29.8 billion in federal tax receipts, according to the representatives. Those receiving the credits have invested approximately $131.8 billion on the restoration of historic properties. More than 42,000 structures have been restored and the projects have created more than 2.4 million jobs. "Clearly, the positive economic impact of the (historic tax credit) far outweighs its costs to the federal government," the members wrote. Republicans in Congress want to finalize an agreement on taxes by the end of the year. The $1.5 trillion plan is a top priority for the GOP and would be their first legislative achievement since President Donald Trump took office in January. Kendra McIntosh is watching her father deteriorate from Alzheimers disease, and knows his diagnosis means she is more likely to get the memory-wasting condition. As an Air Force veteran, McIntosh has another risk factor. Veterans are thought to be more susceptible to Alzheimers, largely because they have higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries and depression. Now, a study at UW Health and Madisons Veterans Hospital is seeing if veterans with a parental history of Alzheimers might be helped by a high-dose, prescription variety of a common supplement: fish oil. Ive had a really charmed life health-wise, and I would like to continue that, said McIntosh, 53, of Madison, who is taking part in the study. Alzheimers is such a tough disease to live through. She is among 10 veterans so far in the study, which seeks to enroll 150 veterans ages 50 to 75. Participants undergo MRI brain scans, get spinal taps and do cognitive tests three times over 18 months, during which they take fish oil or a fake pill used as a comparison. The study will look for changes in blood flow in the brain, Alzheimers-related proteins in spinal fluid, and memory, said Dr. Cindy Carlsson, a geriatrician at UW Health and the VA hospital. Six million Americans have Alzheimers disease or mild cognitive impairment from the condition, a number expected to grow to 15 million by 2060, researchers reported this week. More than 560,000 veterans have Alzheimers, with 423,000 more cases expected by 2020. Some of the things we see more in veterans are risk factors for Alzheimers, Carlsson said. The study uses icosapent ethyl, a purified form of eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and shellfish. It is similar to but different from docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, another omega-3 fatty acid in some fish oil pills. Fish oil can lower triglycerides and cholesterol and improve blood vessel function, so it might help prevent or delay Alzheimers, Carlsson said. A study of people with Alzheimers found DHA didnt improve their cognition, Carlsson said. Her study is using EPA in healthy people at risk for Alzheimers. In another study at UW and the VA, 29 healthy people whose brains show signs of risk for Alzheimers are receiving infusions of the drug solanezumab or a placebo to see if it can prevent symptoms. McIntosh, who is chaplain supervisor at UW Hospital and serves as a chaplain in the Air National Guard, hasnt experienced any signs of Alzheimers. During active duty in the Air Force from 1988 to 1999, she was deployed to Saudi Arabia to enforce no-fly zones after the Persian Gulf War. With her fathers diagnosis of dementia early last year, she is at higher risk for Alzheimers. To stay healthy, she bicycles and works out regularly. I want to keep my body active and working correctly, she said. McIntosh and her sisters recently moved their parents into a nursing home near Kansas City, her hometown. Her mother, 82, had a stroke a few years ago. Her father, 87, has stopped talking and uses a wheelchair. But he still appears to recognize his daughters. Hes not able to communicate with us, but it seems like hes still in there, she said. US President Donald Trump's decision to shift US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has, quite expectedly, caused a huge furore among the Palestinians as well as the entire Muslim world opposed to Israel. While Israelis are naturally very upbeat with the announcement as it not only endorses the Israeli stand, but also vindicates its 60-decade-old policy of legitimising Jerusalem as the western hub of diplomatic activities. However, security analysts never really anticipated the fact that reverberations linked to Jerusalem would ever irk Bangladesh. On December 8 , after the Friday prayers, Hefazat-e-Islam - an outfit comprising violent zealots - held a protest demonstration in front of the famous Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, protesting against Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. The massive crowd gathered and the fact that the protest was organised by a fundamentalist organisation, speak volumes about the bigots' ire prevailing in Bangladesh. Such demonstrations do not stop here. Hefazat-e-Islam, has now given a call to lay siege to the US embassy in Dhaka on December 13, signalling that the Muslims in this part of the world want to be in the forefront of an agitation on the issue of Jerusalem and exploit the developments for domestic political advantage. Hefajat-e-Islam supporters at a rally in Dhaka (Credit: Reuters file photo). Announcing an anti-Israel and anti-US initiative also spells out warning to the thousands of liberals in Bangladesh that Hefazat-e-Islam is still a force to reckon with and will stay afloat expressing solidarity with the Islamic fraternity in general and Palestine in particular. But why did Hefazat-e-Islam of all groups decide to organise the protest demonstrations? This 10-year-old fundamentalist organisation has been looking for opportunities to exploit. It was hardly three-year-old when Bangladesh liberals took to street protests in 2013 against the wanton killings of bloggers, academics and liberals. Hefazat-e-Islam played a crucial role in clashing with the establishment, implying its support to the killers and intensifying its demand for imposition of Sharia law across Bangladesh. By such a step, it made its presence felt in mainstream Bangladesh. It succeeded in occupying a political space even as Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) stands banned. Hefazat-e-Islam possibly wants to emerge as an alternative to the JeI to counterweight pro- India Hasina and her party as and when the outfit feels the government is tilting too much towards secular or liberal forces. Or for that matter, Hasina tilting towards India. Not very long ago, Hefazat-e-Islam was in focus when it successfully launched a movement to remove the statue of the Greek goddess of justice, Themis, that stood in the compound of Bangladesh Supreme Court, describing it a symbol of Hindu culture as the statue wore a sari. Also, an idol is considered to be anti-Islam. Through these machinations, Hefazat-e-Islama sserted itself a force to reckon with. By such actions, it earned the support of international fundamentalist Muslim organisations, and managed to get close to al Qaeda and, in all likelihood, to ISIS. Also, it could make its presence felt in the South Asia and South East Asia region in an apparent bid to unite the Muslim populace in the vicinity. Countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Southern Thailand, parts of Philippines are easily won over by such gesticulations in a country like Bangladesh. Coming back to the Hefazat-e-Islam threat to lay siege to US embassy in Dhaka, even if it's a veiled threat, it should be taken seriously as it speaks about an outfit posing direct challenge to the secular government in Bangladesh as well as the Trump administration. This could be an attempt by the Hefazat-e-Islam to unite all fundamentalist reactionary forces in Bangladesh for the "Jerusalem cause" and convert it into a bigger issue, dividing the society on communal lines and keeping the Hasina government on tenterhooks. The opposition anti-India and pro-Pakistan, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), would love to soak in this development, especially at a time when the party is going through a really bad patch. The Global Intelligence Media network, a Canadian news channel, as well as Saudi authorities have very recently alleged that BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, already battling for political survival due to several graft charges, is involved in cases of money-laundering, bribery and other nefarious deals with a humungous investment of $12 million in Saudi malls and other infrastructural projects. Reeling under such grave charges abroad, and facing graft allegations in Bangladesh itself, Khaleda Zia is on the back foot. The recent developments will also hit the already battered image of her exiled son Tareq Rahman, now living in the UK. Khaleda Zia is likely to cling on to anything which will bail her out from political wilderness. She ruled Bangaldesh in partnership with the Jamaat for two terms. This collaboration saw a visible growth in fundamentalism in Bangladesh. The threat of laying siege to US embassy in Dhaka and intermittent violent protests are ominous signs reminding us of the rise of Jamaat in Pakistan in the early years of its independence. The rest is history. On December 7, minutes after Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi chided Mani Shankar Aiyar to apologise for his "neech aadmi" remark against PM Narendra Modi, the now-suspended Congress leader issued a carefully crafted apology through the media. Of course, that didn't settle the storm and various media channels continue to report, analyse, defend and attack Aiyar's remark - basically keeping the controversy alive. But there are some overzealous media outlets which believe in creating new controversies out of any ongoing "breaking news" to win the battle of TRP. And this is exactly what happened, behind the scenes, while Aiyar was issuing his apology. So, just after Aiyar landed himself in the fresh trouble with yet another loose remark against the PM, I got a phone call to come to a seminar where he was one of the speakers. I rushed to the spot in the hope of catching up with the leader before the seminar starts. Since the discussion hadn't started, I asked him whether we could do an interview and this was his reply: "Even though I know you are going to heckle me, I will speak, but only after the seminar." As journalists we are expected to smell the coffee, have a nose for news and an eye for humour. But getting Aiyar on camera is usually not a great experience, and let me be frank, because of his extremely temperamental nature and his typically loose language. All my colleagues who were earlier sane,I 'pity' them,now possessed with some kind of spirit to sabotage news according to their channels PR 'a'genda...Their coverage marked with repeated theatrics,drama and literally physical push shove,How do u expect anyone 2 react? pic.twitter.com/cdYwFy0HSd Mausami Singh (@mausamii2u) December 7, 2017 Shocked at the level some channels stoop to get their TRPs rocking !Shoving Mike on the face of an old leader to get their sensationally sick coverage ! Sad worst kind of 'item' journalism! Mausami Singh (@mausamii2u) December 7, 2017 Aiyar appeared to be in a foul mood on that day and, in his trademark style, publicly cursed the media for distorting his earlier "chaiwala" remarks as well. Anyhow, I, along with other mediapersons, waited in the seminar room even as we discussed how Aiyar was being so high-handed and that his behaviour was uncalled for. However, we all agreed that we should wait for him to speak to us, as he promised. Little did I realise that hours later I would be "encircled in red ink" by a certain media outlet for standing my ground. As the seminar concluded, we approached Aiyar. All of a sudden another reporter, who clearly landed much later, started pushing and shoving us to reach Aiyar first. Even Aiyar was taken aback by this tearing hurry, especially when he was ready to speak to everybody. (Now, here was a leader in the eye of the storm ready to speak to the media.) He even told us to organise ourselves. Despite that, this particularly ambitious reporter continued to pursue Aiyar, shoving the microphone in his face. We repeatedly told him that Aiyar is ready to talk to all of us, but the reporter appeared to be "possessed by the breaking news devil". He was on live camera mode and was clearly parachuted onto the venue by his studio to "sensationalise" the coverage. We could faintly hear voices coming out of his earpiece, perhaps instructions and questions being dictated to him. As he reluctantly struggled to carry forward the barrage of orders, he paused, then ran right and left around Aiyar. I realised that he was acting as a soldier remote-controlled in a war zone. He was under tremendous pressure to perform for the "general" who otherwise would issue a "marching order". The rest of us were trying to get Aiyar to sit at one place to talk. We were not trying to protect him, we were trying to do our duty and get him to answer. Finally when my pleas didn't work, I told that particular reporter to stop misbehaving and also to stop forcing his channel's agenda on everybody else. This is not the first time when such reporters have run a "preset" agenda of their channel that includes sabotaging others' work and vocally discrediting the rest. (Think about it, the same reporter had contacted me for an exclusive story earlier during the day that we had aired. I had obliged then, but by evening, I earned his and his channel's ire so much so that several efforts were made to discredit me.) There are some who said that "they are your own tribesmen, you shouldn't have behaved this way". To that I would say: Yes, I shouldn't have raised my voice. I had no business to stop him from doing what he did, but the question is how can we allow such "tamasha" at the cost of our duty? How can we allow somebody to force their agenda on us? How can we compromise with our work? How can we stand for those who are continuously discrediting us? Anyone present there would agree that this reporter seemed to be completely possessed, demonstrating his "holier than thou" attitude. He, however, was tense during the entire live telecast with his superiors watching over him every second. He needed to either perform (the theatrics) or perish. The fact of the matter is that had he asked questions in a civilised manner, he would have got a better reply and coverage, but then without drama, Aiyar's apology made no "TRP" sense to some. (The drama I'm talking about is Aiyar finally yanking and throwing the mic that was repeatedly shoved in his face.) And anyone who dared to question these unethical ways - for the sole reason that it was interfering with their work - is being labelled as "paid media" by that TV channel. I completely condemn the way Aiyar misbehaved with the reporter and threw his mic, but why are you even expecting us, the "Lutyens' media", to stand up for you? I ask my readers, would you support an absolute maniac who is constantly abusing you just to "manufacture" a breaking news for his channel? There may be disagreement over the way I defended myself and my work, but I am sure there is no doubt about the fact that a journalist is bound by professional ethics and principles to cover any news story in a fair and objective manner. Everest Re Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Bermuda, and internationally. The company operates through Reinsurance Operations and Insurance Operations segments. The Reinsurance Operations segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The Insurance Operations segment writes property and casualty insurance directly, as well as through brokers, surplus lines brokers, and general agents in Bermuda, Canada, Europe, South America, Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The company also provides treaty and facultative reinsurance products; admitted and non-admitted insurance products; and property and casualty reinsurance and insurance coverages, including marine, aviation, surety, errors and omissions liability, directors' and officers' liability, medical malpractice, mortgage reinsurance, other specialty lines, accident and health, and workers' compensation products. In addition, it offers commercial property and casualty insurance products through wholesale and retail brokers, surplus lines brokers, and program administrators. Everest Re Group, Ltd. was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. The following companies are subsidiares of Hyatt Hotels: CHANCELLOR STREET CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION INC., GLENDALE HOTEL PROPERTIES L.L.C., HT-SEATTLE HOLDINGS LLC, 1379919 ALBERTA INC., 319168 ONTARIO LIMITED, 3385434 CANADA INC., ADMINISTRACION DE PERSONAL ANDARES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., AIC HOLDING CO., AIRPORT PLAZA ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AIRPORT PLAZA HOTEL LLC, AIRPORT PLAZA OFFICE BUILDING LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AMERISUITES FRANCHISING L.L.C., ARANCIA LIMITED, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, ARUBA BEACHFRONT RESORTS N.V., ASIA HOSPITALITY INC., ASIA HOSPITALITY INVESTORS B.V., ASIAN HOTEL N.V., ATRIUM HOTEL L.L.C., AUSTIN RESORT BEVERAGE LLC, AmeriSuites Hotel, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - AZERI, BAKU HOTEL COMPANY - CAYMAN, BASTROP MARKETING L.L.C., BAY II INVESTOR INC., BELLEVUE ASSOCIATES, BH PLAZA LLC, BRE/AMERISUITES PROPERTIES L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC GP L.L.C., BRE/AMERISUITES TXNC PROPERTIES L.P., BURVAN HOTEL ASSOCIATES, CAL-HARBOR SO. PIER URBAN RENEWAL ASSOCIATES L.P., CELAYA RESORTS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES LLC, CHESAPEAKE RESORT LLC, CIUDAD DEL CARMEN DIAMANTE RESORT S. DE R.L. DE C.V, COAST BEACH L.L.C., COMPAGNIE HOTELIERE DE LAGON BLEU, CPM SEATTLE HOTELS L.L.C., CRW INVESTMENT LLC, CTR INTEREST HOLDCO INC., DALLAS REGENCY LLC, DENVER DOWNTOWN HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, DESARROLLADORA HOTELERA ACUEDUCTO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DH BEVERAGE LLC, DIAMANTE RESORT LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., DISTRICT HOTEL PARTNERS LLC, EXHALE ENTERPRISES GIFT SERVICES COMPANY, EXHALE ENTERPRISES II L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES III INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES IV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES V L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES VIII INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES X INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XIX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XV TCI LTD., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XX L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXI INC., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXIV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXV L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXVIII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXI L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXII L.L.C., EXHALE ENTERPRISES XXXIII INC., FAN PIER L.L.C., FAR EAST HOTELS INC., G.E.H. PROPERTIES LIMITED, GAINEY DRIVE ASSOCIATES, GALAXY AEROSPACE COMPANY LLC, GHE HOLDINGS LIMITED, GRAND HYATT BERLIN GMBH, GRAND HYATT DFW BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND HYATT SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., GRAND HYATT SF L.L.C., GRAND RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, GRAND TORONTO CORP., GRAND TORONTO VENTURE L.P., GREENWICH HOTEL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, H.E. ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. AUSTIN L.L.C., H.E. BERMUDA L.L.C., H.E. CAP CANA L.L.C., H.E. DRISKILL LLC, H.E. GRAND CYPRESS L.L.C., H.E. IRVINE L.L.C., H.E. KANSAS CITY L.L.C., H.E. LENOX L.L.C., H.E. NASHVILLE L.L.C., H.E. NEWPORT L.L.C., H.E. ORLANDO L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC HOTEL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC PARKING L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA HC RETAIL L.L.C., H.E. PHILADELPHIA SANSOM L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND HC L.L.C., H.E. PORTLAND L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES HOLDING L.L.C., H.E. PROPERTIES L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO I L.L.C., H.E. SAN ANTONIO L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON JV L.L.C., H.E. TUCSON OWNER L.L.C., HAPP INVESTOR LTD., HARBORSIDE HOTEL LLC, HARBORSIDE LAND LLC, HC PORTLAND JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HC ROYAL PALMS L.L.C., HCV CINCINNATI HOTEL L.L.C., HE ORLANDO HOTEL LLC, HGP (TRAVEL) LIMITED, HH NASHVILLE HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH NASHVILLE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HH PORTLAND L.L.C., HHMA BURLINGTON BEVERAGE L.L.C., HI HOLDINGS (SWITZERLAND) GMBH, HI HOLDINGS BAJA B.V., HI HOLDINGS BRAZIL S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS CELAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS CIUDAD DEL CARMEN B.V., HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS CYPRUS-INDIA LIMITED, HI HOLDINGS GUADALAJARA B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP CABO B.V., HI HOLDINGS HP TIJUANA HOTEL B.V., HI HOLDINGS KYOTO CO., HI HOLDINGS LA PAZ B.V., HI HOLDINGS LATIN AMERICA B.V., HI HOLDINGS NETHERLANDS B.V., HI HOLDINGS PLAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS RIO S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS RIVIERA MAYA B.V., HI HOLDINGS VIENNA S.A.R.L., HI HOLDINGS ZURICH S.A.R.L., HI HOTEL ADVISORY SERVICES GMBH, HI HOTEL INVESTORS CYPRUS LIMITED, HIHCL AMSTERDAM B.V., HIHCL HP AMSTERDAM AIRPORT B.V., HIHCL HR AMSTERDAM B.V., HILP HOTEL SERVICE PROVIDER LLC, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH, HOTEL AM BELVEDERE HOLDING GMBH & CO KG, HOTEL INVESTMENTS HOLDING CO LLC, HOTEL INVESTMENTS L.L.C., HOTEL INVESTORS I INC., HOTEL INVESTORS II INC., HOTEL PROJECT SYSTEMS PTE LTD, HOTEL SERVICES CIUDAD DEL CARMEN S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HOTELS CS CELAYA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HP ATLANTA CENTENNIAL PARK JV LLC, HP AUSTIN L.L.C., HP BEVERAGE DALLAS DFW AIRPORT LLC, HP BEVERAGE SUGAR LAND LLC, HP BOSTON HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HP GLENDALE L.L.C., HP INDIA HOLDINGS LIMITED, HP LAS VEGAS BEVERAGE L.L.C., HP M STREET L.L.C., HP ROUTE 46 TEXAS LLC, HP SAN FRANCISCO L.L.C., HP SAN JUAN L.L.C., HP TEN TEXAS LLC, HPHH ATLANTA L.L.C., HPHH DENVER L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HPHH SAN JOSE L.L.C., HQ CHESAPEAKE LLC, HR LOST PINES RESORT LLC, HR MC HOTEL COMPANY S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES II S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HR MC SERVICES S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HRHC LLC, HT- WAILEA LLC, HT-AVENDRA GROUP HOLDINGS L.L.C., HT-AVENDRA L.L.C., HT-CHESAPEAKE COMMUNITIES INC., HT-CHESAPEAKE RESORT INC., HT-HOTEL EQUITIES INC., HT-HUNTINGTON BEACH INC., HT-JERSEY PIER INC., HT-JERSEY PIER L.P., HT-JERSEY PIER LLC, HT-LONG BEACH L.L.C., HT-MIAMI BEACH L.L.C., HT-PARK 57 INC., HT-SEATTLE LLC, HT-SIERRA L.L.C., HT-VANCOUVER INC., HTLB L.L.C., HTS - NS L.L.C., HTS - NY L.L.C., HTS-ASPEN L.L.C., HTS-BC INC., HTS-INVESTMENT L L.C., HTSF L.L.C., HTW BEVERAGE LLC, HY LONG BEACH HOTEL LLC, HYATT (BARBADOS) CORPORATION, HYATT (JAPAN) CO. LTD., HYATT (THAILAND) LIMITED, HYATT ARUBA N.V., HYATT ASIA PACIFIC HOLDINGS LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRALIA HOTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LIMITED, HYATT AUSTRIA GMBH, HYATT BEACH FRONT N.V., HYATT BORNEO MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT BRITANNIA CORPORATION LTD., HYATT CC OFFICE CORP., HYATT CHAIN SERVICES LIMITED, HYATT CRYSTAL CITY LLC., HYATT CURACAO N.V., HYATT DISASTER RELIEF FUND, HYATT DO BRASIL PARTICIPACOES LTDA, HYATT EQUITIES L.L.C., HYATT FOREIGN EMPLOYMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT FRANCHISING CANADA CORP., HYATT FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT FRANCHISING LATIN AMERICA L.L.C., HYATT FULFILLMENT OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT GLOBAL SERVICES INC., HYATT GTLD L.L.C., HYATT HOC INC., HYATT HOLDINGS (UK) LIMITED, HYATT HOSPITALITY SERVICES L.L.C., HYATT HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CONSULTANCY SERVICES ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF KANSAS, HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION OF MARYLAND, HYATT HOTELS FOUNDATION, HYATT HOTELS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION, HYATT HOTELS OF CANADA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF FLORIDA INC., HYATT HOTELS OF PUERTO RICO INC., HYATT HOUSE CANADA INC., HYATT HOUSE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT HOUSE HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY L.L.C., HYATT INDIA CONSULTANCY PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (ASIA) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL (EUROPE AFRICA MIDDLE EAST) LLC, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - JAPAN LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL - SOUTHWEST ASIA LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -ASIA PACIFIC LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL -SEA (PTE) LIMITED, HYATT INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION, HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS CO., HYATT INTERNATIONAL HOTEL MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL MILAN L.L.C., HYATT INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (BEIJING) CO. LTD., HYATT INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL SERVICES INC., HYATT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., HYATT LACSA SERVICES INC., HYATT LOUISIANA L.L.C., HYATT MAINZ GMBH, HYATT MARKETING SERVICES INC., HYATT MARKETING SERVICES NIGERIA COMPANY LIMITED, HYATT MINNEAPOLIS LLC, HYATT MINORITY INVESTMENTS INC., HYATT MSS L.L.C., HYATT NORTH AMERICA MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC., HYATT OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, HYATT OF BAJA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., HYATT OF CHINA LIMITED, HYATT OF FRANCE S.A.R.L., HYATT OF GUAM LIMITED, HYATT OF ITALY S.R.L., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT OF LATIN AMERICA S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF MACAU LIMITED, HYATT OF MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., HYATT OF PHILIPPINES LIMITED, HYATT PARTNERSHIP INTERESTS L.L.C., HYATT PLACE ANNE ARUNDEL BEVERAGE INC., HYATT PLACE CANADA CORPORATION, HYATT PLACE FRANCHISING L.L.C., HYATT PLACE OF MARYLAND INC., HYATT REGENCY COLOGNE GMBH, HYATT REGENCY CORPORATION PTY. LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED, HYATT SERVICES CANADA INC., HYATT SERVICES CARIBBEAN L.L.C., HYATT SERVICES GMBH, HYATT SERVICES INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, HYATT SHARED SERVICE CENTER L.L.C., HYATT TRINIDAD LIMITED, HYCANADA INC., HYCARD INC., HYSTAR L.L.C., Hyatt Corporation, INFORMATION SERVICES LIMITED, INTERNATIONAL RESERVATIONS LIMITED, JOINT VENTURE ITALKYR CLOSED JOINT STOCK COMPANY, JUNIPER HOTELS PRIVATE LIMITED, KSA MANAGEMENT INC., KYOTO HOLDING CO., LHR-PARTNERS LTD., LORING PARK ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, LOST PINES BEVERAGE LLC, MACAE PARTNERS S.A.R.L., MAHIMA HOLDINGS PRIVATE LIMITED, MARION RESERVATION CENTER L.L.C., MEXICO CITY HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MILAN HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V., MIRAVAL ARIZONA GUARANTOR LLC, MIRAVAL GROUP LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA HOLDINGS LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA LLC, MIRAVAL RESORT ARIZONA OPERATING CO. INC., MIRAVAL RESORT TUCSON LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS I LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS II LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS III LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS LLC, MONROE MR HOLDINGS TRUST, MRG ATX BEVERAGE HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS II LLC, MRG ATX HOLDINGS LLC, MRG ATX INVESTMENT LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG ATX MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG ATX OPERATIONS LLC, MRG CRW HOLDINGS LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT I LLC, MRG CRW MANAGEMENT II LLC, MRG CRW OPERATIONS LLC, MUNICH OPCO GMBH, Miraval Resort, OASIS LUXURY RENTALS INCORPORATED, PARIS HOTEL COMPANY B.V., PARK HYATT HAMBURG GMBH, PARK HYATT HOTEL GMBH, PARK HYATT WATER TOWER ASSOCIATES L.L.C., PH NEW YORK L.L.C., PHMC RESIDENCIAS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., POLK SMITH REGENCY LLC, PT HYATT INDONESIA, PVD INVESTMENT COMPANY S.A.R.L., Peabody Hotels & Resort, RCG PROPERTIES LLC, REGENCY BEVERAGE COMPANY LLC, REGENCY RIVERWALK BEVERAGE LLC, RESERVATIONS CENTER L.L.C., RIO JV PARTNERS PARTICIPACOES LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA., RIO PRETO PARTNERS S.A.R.L., ROSEMONT PROJECT MANAGEMENT L.L.C., ROUTE 46 MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATES CORP., RUNWAY HOLDING L.L.C., RUNWAY L.L.C., SAO PAULO INVESTMENT COMPANY INC., SAO PAULO INVESTORS LIMITED, SASIH, SDI EQUITIES INVESTOR L.L.C., SDI INC., SDI SECURITIES 11 LLC, SDI SECURITIES 6 LLC, SELECT HOTELS GROUP L.L.C., SELECT JV HOLDINGS L.L.C., SEOUL MIRAMAR CORPORATION, SERVICIOS DE HOTELERIA SAN JOSE S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SERVICIOS HOTELEROS LA PAZ S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SETTLEMENT INVESTORS INC., SHG PUERTO RICO INC., SIERRA HEALTHSTYLES LLC, SJC DESARROLLOS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., SKS CORP. N.V., SMC HOTELS B.V., SOROCABA PARTNERS HOTEIS LTDA, SOROCABA PARTNERS S.A.R.L., STANHOPE L.L.C., STARHILL LORING PARK L.L.C., SUGAR LAND/HP LLC, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL COMPANY LIMITED, THE GREAT EASTERN HOTEL HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, TIJUANA PARTNERS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., TR MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT LLC, TUCSON VILLAS HOLDINGS LLC, TUCSON VILLAS LLC, TWO SEAS HOLDINGS LIMITED, Two Roads Hospitality, WAILEA HOTEL & BEACH RESORT L.L.C., WAILEA HOTEL HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS HOLDINGS L.L.C., WAILEA RESORT VILLAS L.L.C., WEST END RESIDENCES L.L.C., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY INC., XENIA ASSURANCE COMPANY OF ILLINOIS, ZURICH ESCHERWIESE HOTEL GMBH, and ZURICH HOTEL INVESTMENTS B.V.. Read More Ingredion Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, produces and sells starches and sweeteners for various industries. It operates through four segments: North America; South America; Asia-Pacific; and Europe, Middle East and Africa. The company offers sweetener products comprising glucose syrups, high maltose syrups, high fructose corn syrups, caramel colors, dextrose, polyols, maltodextrins, and glucose syrup solids, as well as food-grade and industrial starches, biomaterials, and nutrition ingredients. It also provides edible corn oil; refined corn oil to packers of cooking oil and to producers of margarine, salad dressings, shortening, mayonnaise, and other foods; and corn gluten feed used as protein feed for chickens, pet food, and aquaculture, as well as fruit and vegetable products, such as concentrates, purees and essences, pulse proteins, and hydrocolloids systems and blends. The company's products are derived primarily from processing corn and other starch-based materials, such as tapioca, potato, and rice. It serves food, beverage, brewing, and animal nutrition industries. The company was formerly known as Corn Products International, Inc. and changed its name to Ingredion Incorporated in June 2012. Ingredion Incorporated was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Westchester, Illinois. TransUnion provides risk and information solutions. The company operates in three segments: U.S. Markets, International, and Consumer Interactive. The U.S. Markets segment provides consumer reports, actionable insights, and analytics to businesses. These businesses use its services to acquire new customers; assess consumer ability to pay for services; identify cross-selling opportunities; measure and manage debt portfolio risk; collect debt; verify consumer identities; and mitigate fraud risk. This segment serves various industry vertical markets, including financial services, insurance, tenant and employment, collections and services, technology, commerce and communication, public sector, media, and other markets. The International segment offers credit reports, analytics, technology solutions, and other value-added risk management services; and consumer services, which help consumers to manage their personal finances and consumer credit reporting, insurance and auto information solutions, and commercial credit information services. This segment serves customers in financial services, retail credit, insurance, automotive, collections, public sector, and communications industries through direct and indirect channels. The Consumer Interactive segment provides credit reports and scores, credit monitoring, identity protection and resolution, and financial management solutions that enable consumers to manage their personal finances and take precautions against identity theft. This segment offers its products through online and mobile interfaces, as well as through direct and indirect channels. The company serves customers in approximately 30 countries and territories, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, India, and the Asia Pacific. The company was formerly known as TransUnion Holding Company, Inc. and changed its name to TransUnion in March 2015. TransUnion was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The following companies are subsidiares of Lithia Motors: 797 Valley Street LLC, Albany CJD Fiat, Baierl Auto Group, Baierl Auto Parts LLC, Baierl Automotive Corporation, Baierl Chevrolet Inc., Baierl Holding LLC, Broadway Ford, Buhler Ford Inc, Cadillac of Portland Lloyd Center LLC, Camp Automotive Inc., Carbone Auto Body LLC, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Fiat of Morgantown, Cranberry Automotive Inc., Crater Lake Ford Lincoln, Crater Lake Mazda, DCH (Oxnard) Inc., DCH Auto Group, DCH Bloomfield LLC, DCH CA LLC, DCH Calabasas-A LLC, DCH California Investments LLC, DCH California Motors Inc., DCH DMS NJ LLC, DCH Del Norte Inc., DCH Essex Inc., DCH Financial NJ LLC, DCH Freehold - V LLC, DCH Freehold LLC, DCH Holdings LLC, DCH Investments Inc. (New Jersey), DCH Investments Inc. (New York), DCH Korean Imports LLC, DCH Mamaroneck LLC, DCH Mission Valley LLC, DCH Monmouth LLC, DCH Montclair LLC, DCH Motors LLC, DCH NY Motors LLC, DCH Nanuet LLC, DCH North America Inc., DCH Oxnard 1521 Imports Inc., DCH Riverside-S Inc., DCH Simi Valley Inc., DCH Support Services LLC, DCH TL Holdings LLC, DCH TL NY Holdings LLC, DCH Temecula Imports LLC, DCH Temecula Motors LLC, DCH Thousand Oaks-F Inc., DCH Torrance Imports Inc., Dah Chong Hong CA Trading LLC, Dah Chong Hong Trading Corporation, Daron Motors LLC, Day Auto Group, Downtown LA, Driveway Motors LLC, Elizabeth Collision LLC, Florida SS LLC, Ford Lincoln of Morgantown, Freehold Nissan LLC, Fuse Auto Sales LLC, Hamilton Honda, Hazleton Honda, Hutchins Eugene Nissan Inc., Hutchins Imported Motors Inc., Jaguar Landrover Mission Viejo, LA Motors Holding LLC, LAD Advertising Inc., LAD Carson-N LLC, LAD Mission Viejo-JLR Inc., LAD Mobu Inc., LAD-AU LLC, LAD-MB LLC, LAD-N LLC, LAD-P LLC, LAD-T LLC, LAD-V LLC, LBMP LLC, LFKF LLC, LGPAC Inc., LLL Sales Co LLC, LMBB LLC, LMBP LLC, LMOP LLC, LSTAR LLC, Lithia AcDM Inc., Lithia Aircraft Inc., Lithia Anchorage-C LLC, Lithia Anchorage-H LLC, Lithia Armory Garage LLC, Lithia Auction & Recon LLC, Lithia Auto Services Inc., Lithia Automotive Inc., Lithia BA Holding Inc., Lithia BNM Inc. (nonoperating), Lithia Baierl-S LLC, Lithia Bryan Texas Inc., Lithia Buffalo-A LLC, Lithia CCTF Inc., Lithia CDH Inc., Lithia CIMR Inc., Lithia CJDO Inc., Lithia CJDSA Inc., Lithia CJDSF Inc., Lithia CM Inc., Lithia CO Inc., Lithia CSA Inc., Lithia Community Development Company Inc., Lithia Crater Lake-F Inc., Lithia Crater Lake-M Inc., Lithia DE Inc., Lithia DM Inc., Lithia DMID Inc., Lithia Des Moines-VW LLC, Lithia Dodge of Tri-Cities Inc., Lithia Eatontown-F LLC, Lithia FLCC LLC, Lithia FMF Inc., Lithia Financial Corporation (previously Lithia Leasing Inc. and Lithia Credit Inc.), Lithia Florida Holding Inc., Lithia Ford of Boise Inc., Lithia Fresno Inc., Lithia HDM Inc., Lithia HGF Inc., Lithia HMID Inc., Lithia HPI Inc. (nonoperating), Lithia Hamilton-H LLC, Lithia Hazleton-H LLC, Lithia Idaho Falls-F Inc., Lithia Imports of Anchorage Inc., Lithia JEF Inc., Lithia Klamath Inc., Lithia Klamath-T Inc., Lithia LBGGF Inc., Lithia LHGF Inc., Lithia LSGF Inc., Lithia MBDM Inc., Lithia MMF Inc., Lithia MTLM Inc., Lithia McMurray-C LLC, Lithia Medford HON Inc., Lithia Middletown-L LLC, Lithia Monroeville-A LLC, Lithia Monroeville-C LLC, Lithia Monroeville-F LLC, Lithia Monroeville-V LLC, Lithia Moon-S LLC, Lithia Moon-V LLC, Lithia Morgantown-CJD LLC, Lithia Morgantown-F LLC, Lithia Morgantown-S LLC, Lithia Motors Support Services Inc., Lithia NA Inc., Lithia NC Inc., Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #1, Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #3, Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #4, Lithia NDM Inc., Lithia NF Inc., Lithia NSA Inc., Lithia Northeast Real Estate LLC, Lithia Orchard Park-H LLC, Lithia Paramus-M LLC, Lithia Pittsburgh-S LLC, Lithia Ramsey-B LLC, Lithia Ramsey-L LLC, Lithia Ramsey-M LLC, Lithia Ramsey-T LLC, Lithia Real Estate Inc., Lithia Reno Sub-HYUN Inc., Lithia Reno-CJ LLC, Lithia Reno-VW LLC, Lithia Rose-FT Inc., Lithia SOC Inc., Lithia SSP LLC, Lithia Salmir Inc., Lithia Sea P Inc., Lithia Seaside Inc., Lithia Spokane-B LLC, Lithia Spokane-S LLC, Lithia TA Inc., Lithia TO Inc., Lithia TR Inc., Lithia Uniontown-C LLC, Lithia VAuDM Inc., Lithia VF Inc., Lithia Wexford-H LLC, Lithia of Abilene Inc., Lithia of Anchorage Inc., Lithia of Bend #1 LLC, Lithia of Bend #2 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 1 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 2 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 3 LLC, Lithia of Bennington - 4 LLC, Lithia of Billings II LLC, Lithia of Billings Inc., Lithia of Casper LLC, Lithia of Clear Lake LLC, Lithia of Concord I Inc., Lithia of Concord II Inc., Lithia of Corpus Christi Inc., Lithia of Des Moines Inc., Lithia of Eureka Inc., Lithia of Fairbanks Inc., Lithia of Great Falls Inc., Lithia of Helena Inc., Lithia of Honolulu-A Inc., Lithia of Honolulu-BGMCC LLC, Lithia of Honolulu-F LLC, Lithia of Honolulu-V LLC, Lithia of Killeen LLC, Lithia of Lodi Inc., Lithia of Maui-H LLC, Lithia of Missoula II LLC, Lithia of Missoula III Inc., Lithia of Missoula Inc., Lithia of Pocatello Inc., Lithia of Portland I LLC, Lithia of Portland LLC, Lithia of Robstown LLC, Lithia of Roseburg Inc., Lithia of Santa Rosa Inc., Lithia of Seattle Inc., Lithia of South Central AK Inc., Lithia of Spokane II Inc., Lithia of Spokane Inc., Lithia of Stockton Inc., Lithia of Stockton-V Inc., Lithia of TF Inc., Lithia of Troy LLC, Lithia of Utica - 1 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 2 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 3 LLC, Lithia of Utica - 4 LLC, Lithia of Walnut Creek Inc., Lithia of Wasilla LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 1 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 2 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 3 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 4 LLC, Lithia of Yorkville - 5 LLC, Medford Insurance LLC, Milford DCH Inc., Northland Ford Inc., PA Real Estate LLC, PA Support Services LLC, Paramus Collision LLC, Paramus World Motors LLC, Personalized Marketing LLC, Prestige Auto Group, RFA Holdings LLC, Ray Laks Acura, Ray Laks Honda, Sacramento-L Inc., Salem-B LLC, Salem-H LLC, Salem-V LLC, Sharlene Realty LLC, Shift Portland LLC, Southern Cascades Finance Corporation, Subaru of Morgantown, Tampa-H LLC, Tustin Motors Inc., Wesley Chapel-H LLC, Wesley Chapel-T LLC, Zelienople Real Estate I L.P., and Zelienople Real Estate L.L.C.. Read More Thomson Reuters Corporation provides business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments. The Corporates segment provides a suite of content-enabled technology solutions for legal, tax, regulatory, compliance, and IT professionals. The Tax & Accounting Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on tax offerings and automating tax workflows to tax, accounting, and audit professionals in accounting firms. The Reuters News segment provides business, financial, and international news to media organizations, professional, and news consumers through news agency and industry events. The Global Print segment offers legal and tax information primarily in print format to legal and tax professionals, governments, law schools, and corporations. The company was formerly known as The Thomson Corporation and changed its name to Thomson Reuters Corporation in April 2008. The company was founded in 1851 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Thomson Reuters Corporation operates a subsidiary of The Woodbridge Company Limited. Public Storage is a REIT focused on acquiring, developing, owning, and operating self-storage facilities in the US and Europe. The company is a member of the S&P 500 and the FT Global 500 and is the worlds 4th largest REIT by market cap. Along with its holdings of self-storage facilities, the company owns a 42% stake in business park company PS Business Parks and is also in business selling packing and storage supplies. The company is headquartered in Glendale California. The company was founded in 1972 by B. Wayne Hughes and Kenneth Polk who used the leverage of investments from RELPs to grow the business. The original plan was to use the storage warehouses as a means of generating income until the properties were more valuable. The surprise is that demand for storage space was high and led to unexpected profitability. The company has more than 1,000 locations by 1989 and then, in 1995, it transformed itself into a publicly traded REIT. The transformation was spurred by tax changes that made RELPs obsolete. The transformation was done via a merger with Storage Equities which gave up its name in favor of Public Storage. The company grew again with the acquisition of Shurgard in 2006 but it has since been spun off as its own publicly traded company. Public Storage retains 36% ownership in Shurgard. As of September 2022, the company owned and operated 2,807 self-storage facilities in 39 states. The total area of rental space exceeded 2 million square feet serving nearly 2 million customers and generating close to $3.5 billion in annual revenues. Shurgard lays claim to another 239 facilities in the EU which amounts to another 13 minion square feet of storage space. PS Business Parks, Inc, which trades under the ticker (NYSE: PSB) owns and operates 28 million square feet of commercial space. Advantages of Public Storage include scale, leverage, and the balance sheet. The companys size and scale mean that more than half the US population lives within driving distance of a Public Storage facility. The company gives leverage through its three-pronged acquisition, development, and redevelopment strategy which are all supported by the balance sheet. The companys balance sheet is set up for growth and is able to self-fund most new projects. WABCO Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, supplies electronic, mechanical, electro-mechanical, and aerodynamic products worldwide. The company engineers, develops, manufactures, and sells braking, stability, suspension, steering, transmission automation, and air management systems primarily for commercial vehicles. The company's products include pneumatic anti-lock braking systems, electronic braking systems, electronic stability control systems, brake controls, automated manual transmission systems, and air disc brakes; and various conventional mechanical products, such as actuators, air compressors, and air control valves for medium and heavy-duty trucks, buses, and trailers. It also offers pneumatic and hydraulic braking and control systems for off-highway vehicles; conventional braking systems; electronic and conventional air suspension systems; steering technologies; and vehicle electronic stability control and roll stability support products, and advanced driver assistance systems. In addition, the company supplies electronic suspension controls and vacuum pumps to the passenger car and SUV markets, as well as provides remanufacturing services. Further, it offers replacement parts, fleet management solutions, diagnostic tools, training, and other expert services for commercial vehicle aftermarket distributors and service partners, and fleet operators. The company sells its products primarily to truck and bus original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), trailer OEMs, and car manufacturers; and manufacturers of heavy duty and off-highway vehicles in agriculture, construction, mining, and other industries. WABCO Holdings Inc. was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Trilogy International Partners Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides wireless voice and data communications services in New Zealand, Bolivia, and internationally. It offers prepaid and postpaid payment plans, including local, international long distance, and roaming services to customers and international visitors roaming on its networks. The company also provides fixed broadband communications to residential and enterprise customers, as well as a range of mobile and fixed line services in New Zealand and Australia; and fixed public telephony and wireless broadband services in Bolivia. As of December 31, 2021, it had a distribution network of approximately 13 company owned stores, 170 dealers, and 8,300 other dealer points of presence in Bolivia; and a distribution network of approximately 20 company owned retail stores, 40 independent dealers, and 2,500 points of sale through national retail chains and grocery stores in New Zealand. The company's services cover an aggregate population of 16.8 million users. It also provides services through its online self-service store in New Zealand; and operates under the Viva brand name in Bolivia. Trilogy International Partners Inc. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. The Sherwin-Williams Company develops, manufactures, distributes, and sells paints, coatings, and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers. It operates through three segments: The Americas Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coatings Group. The Americas Group segment offers architectural paints and coatings, and protective and marine products, as well as OEM product finishes and related products for architectural and industrial paint contractors, and do-it-yourself homeowners. The Consumer Brands Group segment supplies a portfolio of branded and private-label architectural paints, stains, varnishes, industrial products, wood finishes products, wood preservatives, applicators, corrosion inhibitors, aerosols, caulks, and adhesives to retailers and distributors. The Performance Coatings Group segment develops and sells industrial coatings for wood finishing and general industrial applications, automotive refinish products, protective and marine coatings, coil coatings, packaging coatings, and performance-based resins and colorants. It serves retailers, dealers, jobbers, licensees, and other third-party distributors through its branches and direct sales staff, as well as through outside sales representatives. The company has operations primarily in the North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, and Australia. As of February 17, 2022, it operated approximately 5,000 company-operated stores and facilities. The Sherwin-Williams Company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. HARPERS FERRY, Iowa On a blue-skied August afternoon, I lost all sense of time aboard a strangers flat-bottom boat on the Mississippi River. We were about 150 miles upstream of the Quad-Cities in Jon Stravers 17-footer. "I don't keep track of stuff very well, unless it's a bird," he said, only half joking. A well-known ornithologist in the Hawkeye State, Stravers boat was cluttered with notes about the migratory birds he records along miles of meandering waterways. When I told renowned river rat, Chad Pregracke, about the Quad-City Times hunt for Mississippi River stories, he suggested I contact Stravers, whom Pregracke referred to as Hawk. Most people call him that or "Hawkman" nicknames he earned for his considerable research on red-shouldered hawks in the region known as the Driftless Area. The ruggedly scenic stretch encompasses parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. Its rolling hills, steep-sided valleys and high bluffs were spared when others were flattened by glaciers. This is my domain, Stravers said of the waters dividing northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. As a Madison, Wisconsin, native who has been living for eight years in the Quad-Cities, I knew that many people feel a personal connection to the Mississippi River. And now I have mine. Intimately connected We had our assignment: Comb the 400-mile section of the Upper Mississippi River Valley that spans the entire eastern border of Iowa and neighboring towns in southwest Wisconsin and northwest Illinois. We were to go mining for interesting people and their stories and bring them, along with thousands of photographs, back to the Quad-Cities to share with readers. We found riverboat captains, wildlife biologists, commercial fishermen and women, artists, bikers, campground hosts and dozens of others who have been drawn to the river. Our journeys now are documented in The Great River: 400 miles of the Mississippi, a 152-page coffee table book that takes readers along to the places we discovered. The book is sponsored by the Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau and contains 10 of my stories and hundreds of photos by Quad-City Times photo editor Kevin Schmidt and photographer Andy Abeyta. For three months, Schmidt covered the area from New Albin, Iowa, to Keokuk. Abeyta took the other side of the river from Victory, Wisconsin, to Hamilton, Illinois. The potential was endless, said Schmidt. For a river town, it just is a natural thing to go and cover, whether its the river itself or the people drawn to it. Joe Taylor, president and CEO of the Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, hopes the book will help slow us down and encourage people to do their own exploring. The river is so intimately connected to the Quad-Cities and vice versa, he said. It made the book seem like a natural marketing mechanism for the Quad-Cities. The experience produced several firsts for our trio, including an understanding and appreciation for the Mississippi River and those who connected with it before us. The river chooses you As we approached the Allamakee County boat landing, Stravers was pleased to spot his friend and fellow river rat, Robert Vavra. A burly man with a mustache, Vavra operates the Maiden Voyage. He described it as the last working eco-tourism (for-profit) boat on the Mississippi between St. Louis and Winona, Minnesota. I do everything from bachelorette parties to nursing facilities, he said. In Allamakee County, the Mississippi River borders to the east, and Minnesota borders north. The population of the whole county is about 14,000, and Vavra said he got hooked on the area 40 years ago. The river chooses you, he said. Thats a fact. Some people come out here their whole life and think, Nah, its a place to drink beer, and they dont really make that huge connection. And then other people like Hawk came over here to do a bird survey and never left. After graduating from Prairie High School in Cedar Rapids, Vavra worked as a fisherman, primarily catching and selling buffalo, carp and catfish. He also worked as a clammer, diving and digging for mussels between the river towns of Lansing, Iowa, and Dubuque. But that career didnt last. I knew I had to eat, he said. It wasnt going to be something that you could hitch your wagon to as a young guy and be able to have a family. Vavras story is representative of many we encountered resilient folks who have made it their mission to earn a living on the river. Tens of thousands of men did it, he said, referring to the peak of the commercial fishing and clamming industry on the Mississippi. And today, its down to virtually nothing. Since 1987, the number of Mississippi River commercial fishing licenses issued by Iowa has declined 53 percent, the Department of Natural Resources reports. Thirty years ago, there were 193 people catching fish for a living; this year, there were 91. Relying on the river The Mohn family has been running a fish market on Great River Road in Harpers Ferry for 35 years. Asked about female figures in the area, Vavra mentioned Vickie Jones, the daughter of Ralph and Diane Mohn. She (Jones) can skin a catfish faster than you can breathe, he said. We stopped by Mohn Fish Market about 3 miles upriver from Vavras place just in time to watch Jones unload her fresh haul from the Mississippi. Once a week, the family delivers about 5,000 pounds of fish, alive and processed, to Asian food stores in the Minneapolis area. They sell to grocers and restaurants closer to home, too. In 1987, Iowa's commercial fishermen reported harvesting slightly more than 3.1 million pounds of fish from the Mississippi. Last year, that number dropped by nearly a third to 1.2 million pounds. But fish remain a central character in some Iowa river towns. The week before we met Vavra, thousands of cyclists on the final day of the Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, RAGRAI, stopped at Harpers Ferry for the first time. Volunteers in the stoplight-free town prepared about 1,600 pounds of fried catfish and 800 pies, he said. We showcased our little community to planet earth, he said. Paying homage to history In June, photographers Schmidt and Abeyta paddled a 17-foot wooden canoe from the Wisconsin River into the Mississippi, the same route French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet traveled in June of 1673. To navigate the confluence, Schmidt, an experienced paddler, positioned himself in the stern (the rear), and Abeyta manned the bow. As they approached a buoy marking the main channel of the Mississippi, Schmidt instructed Abeyta to stop paddling and swap his oar for his camera. Schmidt, whose late uncle built the canoe and taught him how to use it, wanted to own the moment a historical reenactment. I literally felt the current of the Mississippi take over, he said. I mean, it hit my paddle, and I was like, Oh, this is it; were in the Mississippi now. On that voyage 344 years ago, Marquette and Joliet became the first Europeans to step foot in what now is Iowa. Off the beaten path Over the summer, Abeyta, a native of Oregon, came to appreciate the Upper Midwest landscape. I expected to find beauty in the people and the stories, he said. But I didnt expect as much physical beauty as I found. After a hike at Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry, Abeyta posted a photo to Snapchat to prove to his friends on the West Coast that not all of Iowa is flat. The National Park Service manages the 2,500-plus-acre preserve, which contains nearly 200 American Indian mounds. While parks and other natural areas in northeast Iowa get a lot of attention, the river towns south of the Quad-Cities are worth exploring, too. One of the prettier, less-celebrated sections is the 12-plus miles of riverfront between the Illinois towns of Nauvoo and Hamilton, across the Mississippi from Montrose, Iowa, and Keokuk, respectively. The book project introduced us to several particularly special places within two to three hours of the Quad-Cities that we might otherwise have never visited. In Guttenberg, Iowa, for example, Schmidt turned off Great River Road onto Hideaway Lane. Down a steep and narrow gravel road, he happened upon a secluded riverfront campground called Camp Hide-Away. Lee Fischer, the grizzly bearded property owner, soon approached. I turned around and there was this scraggly guy just staring at me, said Schmidt, who introduced himself and eventually interviewed the former fisherman and clammer. You know when you meet some people youre not sure about at first and then they turn out to be the most interesting characters? Schmidt said. Well, he was one of those guys. I later stopped by, too, learning that Fischer intends to spend the rest of his life right where he is. Standing on the sandy shoreline at Camp Hide-Away on an 80-degree day in August, I couldn't resist taking a quick dip in the Mississippi. Across from Dubuque, Schmidt came upon another treasure: Eagle Point Fishing Barge, just south of Lock & Dam No. 11 near Hazel Green, Wisconsin. The 24-hour floating hangout is popular among anglers, beer drinkers and card players. He took pictures, later urging Abeyta and I to check it out, too. We learned that barkeeper Carlton Hanson has for 25 years been charging anglers $3 a day or $25 per year to fish off the barge. Beer costs $2.25 and soda, water, chips and candy bars go for a buck. Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, the fishing fees will jump to $5 and $50, respectively, to help pay for a replacement barge that was delivered in early November. During Abeyta's visit, the regulars acknowledged him, but they mostly kept to themselves, allowing the photojournalist to go to work. The farther you get from the city, the more you stand out with a bunch of cameras, Abeyta said. But, at Eagle Point Fishing Barge, They forgot that I didnt necessarily belong there, which is exactly what I want. The result was that Abeyta was free to observe and photograph river culture at its best. They cared more about fishing than they did seeing what I was doing, he said. It just felt really genuine. More than a passing glance Some Quad-City commuters regard the Mississippi River a hassle and a hurdle. When driving one of the area's five busy bridges, it's easy to take for granted the mighty resource that rushes below. When you live in the city, you need to get away to really appreciate it, said Bruce Blair, a forester for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources at Yellow River State Forest, 150 miles upriver from Davenport. In fact, taking pictures here at home was the biggest challenge for Abeyta. For one, I know the area, so nothing stood out to me, he said. There are exceptions to this, but overall, people dont pay attention to the river here. Taylor, of the Quad-Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau, agreed, saying, We really dont look or take the time to see what we have right here in our own region. The river takes a certain level of engagement to understand." For Schmidt, our project was an opportunity to re-engage. A lot of times, you dismiss whats right next to you, he said. You dont have to go far to see something thats really historical, natural and interesting. For me, personal perspective already was beginning to change as the summer arrived. I moved in the spring to the shores of the Rock River, less than 10 miles from its confluence with the Mississippi. I instantly felt invited to mount my stand-up paddleboard at sunset and bike along the riverfront path. I don't doubt the boat captain, Vavra, had it right when he said, "The river chooses you." SUPERVALU INC., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a grocery wholesaler and retailer in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Wholesale and Retail. The Wholesale segment engages in the wholesale distribution of various food and non-food products to independent retail customers, such as single and multiple grocery store operators, regional chains, and the military. It also provides professional services, such as pass-through programs; and various services comprising retail store support, advertising, couponing, e-commerce, network and data hosting, training and certifications classes, and administrative back-office solutions. The Retail segment operates retail stores that provide groceries and various additional products that include general merchandise, home, health and beauty care, and pharmacy products. It provides its products under the Cub Foods, Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, and Hornbacher's names, as well as 1 Rainbow stores. The company's stores offer a range of branded and private-label products comprising perishable and nonperishable grocery products. As of February 24, 2018, it operated a network of 3,437 stores, including 3,323 wholesale primary stores; and 114 retail grocery stores. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. operates as a specialty retailer that provides clothing, accessories, and personal care products under the American Eagle and Aerie brands. The company provides jeans, and specialty apparel and accessories for women and men; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections, as well as personal care products for women. It also offers graphic tees and other clothing products under the Tailgate brand name; and menswear products under the Todd Snyder New York brand name. As of January 29, 2022, the company operated 880 American Eagle stores, 244 Aerie brand stand-alone stores, and five Todd Snyder stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Hong Kong. It also ships to 81 countries through its Websites; and offers its merchandise at 260 locations operated by licensees in 28 countries, as well as provides products through its Websites ae.com, aerie.com, and toddsnyder.com. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Credit Management LLC, AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe Holdings S.a.r.l, AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp., AIG Global Operations Inc., AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., AIG Global Reinsurance Operations, AIG Holdings Europe Limited, AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, AIG Insurance Company China Limited, AIG Insurance Company JSC, AIG Insurance Company of Canada, AIG Insurance Company-Puerto Rico, AIG Insurance Hong Kong Limited, AIG Insurance Management Services Inc., AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited, AIG International Holdings GmbH, AIG Investments UK Limited, AIG Israel Insurance Company Ltd, AIG Japan Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha, AIG Kenya Insurance Company Limited, AIG Korea Inc., AIG Latin America I.I., AIG Latin America Investments S.L., AIG Lebanon SAL, AIG Life Holdings Inc., AIG Life Limited, AIG Life South Africa Limited, AIG Life of Bermuda Ltd., AIG MEA Holdings Limited, AIG MEA Limited, AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, AIG Markets Inc., AIG Matched Funding Corp., AIG PC Global Services Inc., AIG Philippines Insurance Inc., AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Property Casualty Inc., AIG Property Casualty International LLC, AIG Property Casualty U.S. Inc., AIG Re-Takaful (L) Berhad, AIG Resseguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., AIG South Africa Limited, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, AIG Technologies Inc., AIG Travel Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., AIG Travel Assist Inc., AIG Travel Assist Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., AIG Travel EMEA Limited, AIG Travel Inc., AIG Uganda Limited, AIG Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, AIG WarrantyGuard Inc., AIG-FP Pinestead Holdings Corp., AIG-Metropolitana Cia. de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A., AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund I GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund II GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund II GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund III GP LP, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund IV GP LLC, AIU Insurance Company, AM Holdings LLC, Ageas Protect, AlphaCat Managers Ltd., American General Corporation, American General Life Insurance Company, American Home Assurance Co. Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American International Group UK Limited, American International Realty LLC, American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A. en Liquidacion S.A., Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., C.A. de Seguros American International, Commerce and Industry Insurance Company, Crop Risk Services Inc., Eaglestone Reinsurance Company, Ellipse, Franklin Life Insurance Company, Fuji Fire and Marine, Glatfelter Insurance Group, Glatfelter Underwriting Services Inc., Globe and Rutgers Insurance Group, Grand Isle SAC Limited, Granite State Insurance Company, Illinois National Insurance Co., Inversiones Segucasai C.A., Johannesburg Insurance Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Laya Healthcare Limited, Lexington Insurance Company, Lexington Specialty Insurance Agency Inc., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pa., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Vermont, New Hampshire Insurance Company, PCG 2019 Corporate Member Limited, PT AIG Insurance Indonesia, Pine Street Real Estate Holdings Corp., Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency Inc., SAFG Capital LLC, SAFG Retirement Services Inc., Service Net Warranty LLC, Stratford Insurance Company, SunAmerica Asset Management LLC, Talbot Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Ltd., The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Travel Guard, Travel Guard Group Canada Inc./Groupe Garde Voyage du Canada Inc., Travel Guard Group Inc., Tudor Insurance Company, VALIC Financial Advisors Inc., Valic Retirement Services Company, Validus Holdings, Validus Holdings (UK) Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd, Validus Reinsurance Ltd., Validus Ventures Ltd., Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Inc., and Western World Insurance Company. Read More Snap Inc. is a social media company operating globally. The company was founded in September 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy. Originally known as Snapchat, the company changed its name to Snap in order to represent its offerings better as it grew over the years. The companys headquarters are in Santa Monica, California and it is a very tightly held company. The original founders, Evan Speigel and Bobby Murphy own a combined 45% of non-dilutable shares with ownership transferable to the other upon death. The two remain active in the company today serving on the board and acting as CEO (Speigel) and CTO (Murphy). The company was formerly known as Snapchat, Inc. and changed its name to Snap Inc. in September 2016. Snap Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Over the years it has been courted by most of the big tech companies including Facebook and Google but has always opted to remain a standalone company. The business went public in 2017 and raised $30 billion on its opening day which is about 10 times the expected amount. Today, Snap operates as a camera company internationally. The companys main revenue streams are Snapchat, a mobile app for cameras and communications, and Spectacles, a wearable augmented reality device. Snapchat is a camera app that allows users to take pictures and tell stories, the platform also permits ad sales which is an integral part of the revenue and earnings. The companys mission? To empower people to express themselves in todays digital world. Spectacles is a hardware device that can connect with Snapchat to deliver pictures and video from a point-of-view perspective. The company has since made three upgrades to the original version and has a Next Generation model available too. The Next Generation of Spectacles are not intended for sale but will be made available to creators who wish to push the boundaries of video and digital communications. In October 2022 the company reported it had more than 347milion daily active users with more than 250 million engaging with AR each day. The platform had more than 250,000 Lens creators (Lenses are AR experiences) with more than 2.5 million lenses created. There were more than 6 billion lens plays each day and more than 75% of 13-34-year-olds in 20 countries were users. Conagra Brands, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer packaged goods food company in North America. The company operates in four segments: Grocery & Snacks, Refrigerated & Frozen, International, and Foodservice. The Grocery & Snacks segment primarily offers shelf stable food products through various retail channels in the United States. The Refrigerated & Frozen segment provides temperature-controlled food products through various retail channels in the United States. The International segment offers food products in various temperature states through retail and foodservice channels outside of the United States. The Foodservice segment offers branded and customized food products, including meals, entrees, sauces, and various custom-manufactured culinary products packaged for restaurants and other foodservice establishments in the United States. The company sells its products under the Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, Duke's, Earth Balance, Gardein, and Frontera brands. The company was formerly known as ConAgra Foods, Inc. and changed its name to Conagra Brands, Inc. in November 2016. Conagra Brands, Inc. was founded in 1919 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Validus Holdings, Ltd. provides reinsurance coverage, insurance coverage, and insurance linked securities management services worldwide. It operates through three segments: Reinsurance, Insurance, and Asset Management. The Reinsurance segment underwrites property reinsurance products on a catastrophe excess of loss, per risk excess of loss and proportional basis; and aerospace and aviation, agriculture, composite, marine, technical lines, terrorism, trade credit, workers' compensation, and other specialty lines, as well as casualty and financial lines. The Insurance segment underwrites property, accident and health, agriculture, aviation, contingency, marine, and political lines insurance products; bankers blanket bond, commercial crime, computer crime, cyber- crime, professional indemnity, and directors' and officers' insurance products for various financial institutions and other companies; and commercial and institutional risks comprising general, professional, and product liability, as well as miscellaneous malpractice insurance products. This segment also underwrites marine and energy liability, and political risk insurance products, as well as insurance products for repair, maintenance, and upkeep of aircrafts and premises for small companies. The Asset Management segment manages capital for third parties through insurance-linked securities, and other property catastrophe and specialty reinsurance investments. Validus Holdings, Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Pembroke, Bermuda. Community Bank System, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for Community Bank, N.A. that provides various banking and other financial services to retail, commercial, and municipal customers. It operates through three segments: Banking, Employee Benefit Services, and All Other. The company offers various deposits products, such as checking, savings, and money market deposit accounts, as well as time deposits. It also provides loans, including consumer mortgages; general purpose commercial and industrial loans, and mortgages on commercial properties; paycheck protection program loans; installment loans that are originated through selected dealerships and are secured by automobiles, marine, and other recreational vehicles; personal installment loans and lines of credit for consumers; and home equity products. In addition, the company offers broker-dealer and investment advisory; cash management, investment, and treasury services; asset management; and employee benefit services, as well as operates as a full-service insurance agency that offers personal and commercial lines of insurance, and other risk management products and services. Further, it provides contribution plan administration, employee benefit trust, collective investment fund, retirement plan administration, fund administration, transfer agency, actuarial and benefit consulting, VEBA/HRA, and health and welfare consulting services. Additionally, the company offers wealth management, retirement planning, higher educational planning, fiduciary, risk management, trust, and personal financial planning services; and investment alternatives, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and advisory products, as well as master recordkeeping services. As of January 24, 2022, it operated approximately 215 customer facilities across Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Western Massachusetts. Community Bank System, Inc. was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in DeWitt, New York. Synchrony Financial, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a consumer financial services company in the United States. It provides credit products, such as credit cards, commercial credit products, and consumer installment loans. The company also offers private label credit cards, dual cards, co-brand and general purpose credit cards, short- and long-term installment loans, and consumer banking products; and deposit products, including certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, money market accounts, and savings accounts to retail and commercial customers, as well as accepts deposits through third-party securities brokerage firms. In addition, it provides debt cancellation products to its credit card customers through online, mobile, and direct mail; healthcare payments and financing solutions under the CareCredit, Pets Best, and Walgreens brands; payments and financing solutions in the apparel, specialty retail, outdoor, music, and luxury industries; and point-of-sale consumer financing for audiology products and dental services. The company offers its credit products through programs established with a group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations, and healthcare service providers; and deposit products through various channels, such as digital and print. It serves digital, health and wellness, retail, home, auto, powersports, jewelry, pets, and other industries. Synchrony Financial was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. 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. OMAHA The Lexington Volunteer Fire Department celebrated 125 years of service with a "Waffleman" breakfast and free will offering on Oct 1, 2017 which raised $3,500 for Childrens Hospital & Medical Centers Project Austin program. Fire Chief Dahlas Holbein presented the check for $3,500 to Childrens Hospital & Medical Center. Project Austin is an advocacy and outreach program, launched in December, 2015; it bridges the gap between hospital and home - providing continuity of care to children with special health care needs by creating community awareness and education to local EMS. "We are grateful to the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department and Lexington residents for raising funds for Children's," said Beth Greiner, Executive Director of Children's Hospital & Medical Center Foundation. "All of the funds raised will support emergency response services for families with medically complex needs." About Childrens Hospital & Medical Center Childrens Hospital & Medical Center is the only full-service, pediatric health care center in Nebraska, providing expertise in more than 50 pediatric specialty services to children across a five-state region and beyond. Childrens is home to Nebraskas only Level IV regional Newborn Intensive Care Unit and the states only Level II Pediatric Trauma Center. A regional heart center, it also offers expertise in pediatric heart transplantation. Childrens is recognized as a 2017-18 Best Childrens Hospital by U.S. News & World Report in cardiology & heart surgery. Visit ChildrensOmaha.org for more information. About Lexington Volunteer Fire Department The Lexington Volunteer Fire Department, established in 1892, is a volunteer based organization, providing emergency fire suppression and emergency basic life support for the City of Lexington and the Lexington Rural Fire District, a service area of more than 455 square miles. The Lexington Volunteer Fire Departments mission is service to the community and fire district and they are dedicated to protecting life and property in the community and fire district through professionally delivered fire prevention and emergency services. This year the Lexington Volunteer Fire Department is celebrating 125 years of service to the community and surrounding fire district. Find more online at http://www.lexfiredept.com. The following companies are subsidiares of General Motors: 2140879 Ontario Inc., ACAR Leasing Ltd., ACF Investment Corp., AFS SenSub Corp., APGO Trust, Adam Opel GmbH, AmeriCredit, AmeriCredit Financial Services Inc., Annunciata Corporation, Argonaut Holdings LLC, Astyx Inc., BOCO (Proprietary) Limited, Banco GM S.A., Boco Trust, BrightDrop LLC, BrightDrop Solutions LLC, BrightDrop Vehicle Distribution LLC, CHEVYPLAN S.A. Sociedad Administradora de Planes de Autofinanciamiento Comercial, Cadillac, Cadillac Europe GmbH, Carve-Out Ownership Cooperative LLC, Chevrolet Deutschland GmbH, Chevrolet Otomotiv Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited, Chevrolet Sales India Private Ltd., Chevrolet Sociedad Anonima de Ahorro para Fines Determinados, Controladora General Motors S. de R.L. de C.V., Cruise, Cruise LLC, Cruise Munich GmbH, DCJ1 LLC, DMAX Ltd., Dealership Liquidations Inc., Delphi Energy and Engine Management Systems UK Overseas Corporation, EDS (Electronic Data Systems), GCAR Titling Ltd., GM (UK) Pension Trustees Limited, GM Administradora de Bens Ltda., GM Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters Ltd., GM Components Holdings LLC, GM Corretora de Seguros Ltda., GM Cruise Holdings LLC, GM Defense LLC, GM Eurometals Inc., GM Finance Co. Holdings LLC, GM Financial, GM Financial Bank, GM Financial Canada Leasing Ltd., GM Financial Colombia Holdings LLC, GM Financial Colombia S.A. Compania de Financiamiento, GM Financial Consumer Discount Company, GM Financial Holdings LLC, GM Financial Insurance Company, GM Financial Mexico Holdings LLC, GM Financial de Mexico S.A. de C.V. SOFOM E.R., GM Financial del Peru S.A.C, GM Global Technology Operations LLC, GM Global Tooling Company LLC, GM Global Treasury Centre Limited, GM Holdings Australia Pty Ltd, GM Holdings U.K. No.1 Limited, GM Inversiones Santiago Limitada, GM Investment Trustees Limited, GM Korea Company, GM LAAM Holdings LLC, GM Mobility Europe GmbH, GM Personnel Services Inc., GM Philippines Inc., GM Protections LLC, GM Regional Holdings LLC, GM Retirees Pension Trustees Limited, GM Speciality Vehicles UK Limited, GM Subsystems Manufacturing LLC, GM Technical Center Korea Ltd., GM-DI Leasing LLC, GMAC Administradora de Consorcios Ltda., GMAC Prestadora de Servicios de Mao de Obra Ltda., GMCH&SP Private Equity II L.P., GMF Funding Corp., GMF Global Assignment LLC, GMF International LLC, GMF Leasing LLC, GMF Wholesale Receivables LLC, General Motors (China) Investment Company Limited, General Motors - Colmotores S.A., General Motors Advisory Services LLC, General Motors Africa and Middle East FZE, General Motors Asia LLC, General Motors Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, General Motors Asset Management Corporation, General Motors Australia Pty Ltd., General Motors Australia and New Zealand Pty Ltd., General Motors Auto LLC, General Motors Automobiles Philippines Inc., General Motors Automotive Holdings S.L., General Motors Belgique Automobile NV, General Motors Chile Industria Automotriz Limitada, General Motors China LLC, General Motors Daewoo Auto and Technology CIS LLC, General Motors Egypt S.A.E., General Motors Europe Limited, General Motors Financial Chile Limitada, General Motors Financial Chile S.A., General Motors Financial Company Inc., General Motors Financial of Canada Ltd., General Motors Global Service Operations Inc., General Motors Holden Australia NSC Pty Ltd., General Motors Holdings LLC, General Motors IT Services (Ireland) Limited, General Motors India Private Limited, General Motors International Holdings LLC, General Motors International Operations Pte. Ltd., General Motors International Services Company SAS, General Motors International Services LLC, General Motors Investment Limited, General Motors Investment Management Corporation, General Motors Investment Participacoes Ltda., General Motors Investments Pty. Ltd., General Motors Israel Ltd., General Motors Japan Limited, General Motors LLC, General Motors Limited, General Motors New Zealand Limited, General Motors New Zealand Pensions Limited, General Motors Overseas Commercial Vehicle Corporation, General Motors Overseas Corporation, General Motors Overseas Distribution LLC, General Motors Peru S.A., General Motors Research Corporation, General Motors South Africa (Pty) Limited, General Motors Taiwan Ltd., General Motors Technical Centre India Private Limited, General Motors Treasury Center LLC, General Motors Uruguay S.A., General Motors Ventures LLC, General Motors Warehousing and Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., General Motors de Argentina S.r.l., General Motors de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., General Motors del Ecuador S.A., General Motors do Brasil Ltda., General Motors of Canada Company, General Motors-Holden's Sales Pty. Limited, Global Services Detroit LLC, Grand Pointe Holdings Inc., Grand Pointe Park Condominium Association, IBC Pension Trustees Limited, Lease Ownership Cooperative LLC, Lidlington Engineering Company Ltd., Limited Liability Company "General Motors CIS", Maven Drive LLC, Millbrook Pension Management Limited, Monetization of Carve-Out LLC, Motors Holding LLC, Multi-Use Lease Entity Trust, North American New Cars LLC, Omnibus BB Transportes S. A., OnStar Connected Services Srl, OnStar Egypt Limited, OnStar Europe Ltd., OnStar Global Services Corporation, OnStar LLC, OnStar de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., P.T. G M AutoWorld Indonesia, P.T. General Motors Indonesia, PIMS Co., PT. General Motors Indonesia Manufacturing, Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center Company Ltd., Prestadora de Servicios GMF Colombia S.A.S., Rapid Motor Vehicle Company, Reliance Motor Car Company, Riverfront Holdings III Inc., Riverfront Holdings Inc., Riverfront Holdings Phase II Inc., SAIC GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors Co. Ltd., SAIC GM Dong Yue Motors Company Limited, SAIC GM Dong Yue Powertrain Company Limited, SAIC GM Wuling Automobile Company Limited, SAIC General Motors Corporation Limited, SAIC General Motors Sales Company Limited, SAIC-GMAC Automotive Finance Company Limited, SAIC-GMF Leasing Co. Ltd., Servicios GMAC S.A. de C.V., Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd., Sidecar Technologies, Ultium Cells LLC, Vehicle Asset Universal Leasing Trust, WRE Inc., and Zona Franca Industrial Colmotores SAS. Read More Granite Construction Incorporated operates as an infrastructure contractor and a construction materials producer in the United States. It operates through two segments, Construction and Materials segments. The Construction segment engages in the construction and rehabilitation of roads, pavement preservation, bridges, rail lines, airports, marine ports, dams, reservoirs, aqueducts, infrastructure, and site development for use by the public. It also focuses on water-related construction for municipal agencies, commercial water suppliers, industrial facilities, and energy companies. The company also constructs various complex projects, including infrastructure/site development, mining, public safety, tunnel, solar, and power projects. The Materials segment is involved in the production of aggregates and asphalt for internal use, as well as for sale to third parties. In addition, it offers site preparation, mining, and infrastructure services for residential development, energy development, commercial and industrial sites, and other facilities; and provides construction management professional services. The company serves federal agencies, state departments of transportation, local transit authorities, county and city public works departments, school districts and developers, utilities, contractors, landscapers, manufacturers of products requiring aggregate materials, retailers, homeowners, farmers, brokers, and private owners of industrial, commercial, and residential sites. Granite Construction Incorporated was founded in 1922 and is headquartered in Watsonville, California. South Jersey Industries, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides energy-related products and services. The company engages in the purchase, transmission, and sale of natural gas. It also sells natural gas and pipeline transportation capacity on a wholesale basis to residential, commercial, and industrial customers on the interstate pipeline system, as well as transports natural gas purchased directly from producers or suppliers to customers. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 147 miles of mains in the transmission system and 6,815 miles of mains in the distribution system; and served 384,062 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southern New Jersey. In addition, it markets natural gas storage, commodity, and transportation assets on a wholesale basis for energy marketers, electric and gas utilities, power plants, and natural gas producers in the mid-Atlantic, Appalachian, and southern regions of the United States. Further, the company owns and operates rooftop solar-generation sites. Additionally, it owns oil, gas, and mineral rights in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania; acquires and markets natural gas and electricity to retail end users, as well as provides total energy management, fuel management, and energy procurement and cost reduction services. The company was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Folsom, New Jersey. Oshkosh Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies worldwide. The company's Access Equipment segment provides aerial work platforms and telehandlers for use in various construction, industrial, institutional, and general maintenance applications. This segment also offers rental fleet loans and leases, and floor plan and retail financing through third-party funding arrangements; towing and recovery equipment; carriers and wreckers; equipment installation services; and chassis and service parts sales. Its Defense segment provides heavy, medium, and light tactical wheeled vehicles and related services for the department of defense. The company's Fire & Emergency segment offers custom and commercial firefighting vehicles and equipment; and commercial fire apparatus and emergency vehicles, such as pumpers, aerial platform, ladder and tiller trucks, tankers, rescue vehicles, wild land rough terrain response vehicles, mobile command and control centers, bomb squad vehicles, hazardous materials control vehicles, and other emergency response vehicles. This segment also provides aircraft rescue and firefighting, snow removal, and broadcast vehicles, as well as command trucks, and military simulator shelters and trailers. Its Commercial segment offers front-and rear-discharge concrete mixers for the concrete ready-mix industry; refuse collection vehicles and related components to commercial and municipal waste haulers; and field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes for the construction, equipment dealer, building supply, utility, tire service, railroad, and mining industries. Oshkosh Corporation provides its products through direct sales representatives, dealers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Oshkosh Truck Corporation and changed its name to Oshkosh Corporation in February 2008. Oshkosh Corporation was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Citigroup Inc. is one of the worlds largest financial institutions. It is the 13th largest bank globally by assets and 8th by market cap with operations in consumer and institutional banking. In the US, Citigroup is the 3rd largest bank by assets and one of the Big Four deemed systemically important and too big to fail. Citigroup Inc. was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York. The bank was run by Samuel Osgood who led the company with success for many years, even throughout the War of 1812. The bank was later renamed the National City Bank of New York in 1865 and by 1895 is the largest bank in the US. In 1913 it was the first contributor to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a few years later it began to expand into overseas territories. The bank became the First National City Bank of New York after another merger in 1955 and then later, the New York part was dropped off as part of the 150th-anniversary celebration. By 1974 the company is known as Citicorp which is still the operational branch of the business and a global banking powerhouse. A merger with Travelers insurance group in 1998 resulted in the name Citigroup but the joint venture did not last. By 2002 Travelers was publicly traded once again but Citigroup retained the new name. Today, the company is headquartered in New York, New York but boasts more than 200 million customer accounts in 160 countries worldwide. As of mid-2022, it operated 2,649 branches in the United States, Mexico, and Asia. The company reports nearly 725 branches in the US and 1499 in Mexico with the rest scattered throughout its territory. Total annual revenue topped $75 billion in 2022. Citigroup is a diversified financial services holding company that owns Citicorp among other assets. The companys mission is to serve as a trusted partner providing responsible financial solutions to its clients. Citigroup provides financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. The company operates in two segments, Global Consumer Banking (GCB) and Institutional Clients Group (ICG). The GCB segment offers traditional banking services including deposit and saving accounts, credit cards, personal loans, home loans, and investment services. This segment operates through local branches and digital means. The ICG segment offers wholesale banking products and services to corporate, institutional, public sector, and high-net-worth clients. GoDaddy Inc. engages in the design and development of cloud-based technology products in the United States and internationally. The company provides domain name registration product that enables to engage customers at the initial stage of establishing a digital identity. It also offers shared Website hosting products that provide various applications and products, such as web analytics, Secure Sockets Layer certificates, and WordPress; Website hosting on virtual private servers and virtual dedicated servers products, which allows customers to select the server configuration suited for their applications, requirements, and growth; managed hosting products to set up, monitor, maintain, secure, and patch software and servers for customers; and security products, a suite of tools designed to help secure customers' online presence. In addition, the company provides presence products, such as Websites + Marketing, a do-it-yourself mobile-optimized online tool that enables customers to build websites and e-commerce enabled online stores; a range of marketing tools and services designed to help businesses acquire and engage customers, and create content, as well as search engine optimization that helps customers get their websites found on search sites; and social media management services. Further, it offers business application products, such as Microsoft Office 365, email accounts, email marketing, and Internet-based telephony services; online store capabilities that allows customers to transact business directly on their websites; GoDaddy Payments, a payment facilitator; and point-of-sale (POS) devices, as well as software for POS. The company serves small businesses, individuals, organizations, developers, designers, and domain investors. GoDaddy Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The following companies are subsidiares of Stanley Black & Decker: 2315708 Ontario Inc., 3-V Fastener Co. Inc., 3xLOGIC Dalian Technology Company Limited, 3xLogic Florida LLC, 3xLogic Inc., 3xLogic Indiana LLC, 8 Commerce Drive LLC, ADT France, ASIA FASTENING (US) INC., Advanced Turf Technologies LTD, AeroFit LLC, AeroScout (US) LLC, AeroScout Industrial, AeroScout LLC, AeroScout Ltd., Aeroscout (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Al Khaja Pimex LLC, Allan Brothers, Automatic Doors Systems, Automatic Entrances of Colorado, Avdel Holding Limited, Avdel Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, Avdel UK Limited, Aven Tools Limited, B&D Holdings Inc., B.B.W. BAYRISCHE BOHRERWERKE GmbH, BD Precision (Hong Kong) Limited, BD Suzhou (Hong Kong) Limited, BD Suzhou Power Tools (Hong Kong) Limited, BD Xiamen (Hong Kong) Limited, BDB Ferramentas do Brasil Ltda, BDC International Limited, BDK FAUCET HOLDINGS INC., BLACK & DECKER (SUZHOU) CO. LTD., BLACK & DECKER (SUZHOU) POWER TOOLS CO. LTD., BLACK & DECKER (SUZHOU) PRECISION MANUFACTURING CO. LTD., BLACK & DECKER ASIA MANUFACTURING HOLDINGS 1 S.a.r.l., BLACK & DECKER ASIA MANUFACTURING HOLDINGS 2 S.a.r.l., BLACK & DECKER DE REYNOSA S. DE R.L. DE C.V., BLACK & DECKER GLOBAL HOLDINGS S.a.r.l., BLACK & DECKER GROUP LLC, BLACK & DECKER HOLDINGS LLC, BLACK & DECKER INC, BLACK & DECKER INDIA INC., BLACK & DECKER INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS S.A.R.L., BLACK & DECKER INVESTMENT COMPANY LLC, BLACK & DECKER SHELBYVILLE LLC, BLACK & DECKER SSC CO. LTD., BLACK & DECKER TRANSASIA S.a.r.l., BLACK AND DECKER S.A. de C.V., Bagley Road LLC, Baltimore Financial Services Company Unlimited Company, Baltimore Insurance Designated Activity Company, Bandhart, Bandhart Overseas, Bed-Check, Belco Investments Company Unlimited Company, Besco Investment Group Co. Ltd., Besco Investment Holdings Ltd., Besco Pneumatic Corporation, Besco Pneumatic Corporation, Best Lock Corporation, Black & Decker, Black & Decker (Czech) s.r.o., Black & Decker (Ireland) Inc., Black & Decker (OVERSEAS) GmbH, Black & Decker (Thailand) Limited, Black & Decker (U.S.) Inc., Black & Decker Argentina S.A., Black & Decker Asia Pacific (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Black & Decker Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Black & Decker Distribution Pty. Ltd, Black & Decker Europe, Black & Decker Far East Holdings B.V., Black & Decker Finance, Black & Decker Finance (Australia) Ltd., Black & Decker Finance SAS, Black & Decker Funding Corporation, Black & Decker Hardware Holdings B.V., Black & Decker Healthcare Management Inc., Black & Decker Holdings (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Black & Decker Holdings B.V., Black & Decker Inc., Black & Decker International, Black & Decker International Finance (UK) Limited, Black & Decker International Finance 1 Unlimited Company, Black & Decker International Finance 3 Designated Activity Company, Black & Decker International Finance Holdings (UK) Limited, Black & Decker International Holdings B.V. & CO. KG, Black & Decker Investments (Australia) Limited, Black & Decker Investments LLC, Black & Decker Limited BV, Black & Decker Luxembourg S.A.R.L., Black & Decker Mexfin LLC, Black & Decker No. 4 Pty. Ltd., Black & Decker Puerto Rico Inc., Black & Decker de Colombia S.A.S., Black & Decker de Panama LLC, Black & Decker del Ecuador S.A., Black & Decker del Peru S.A., Black & Decker do Brasil Ltda., Black and Decker de Costa Rica Limitada, Blick Plc, Bostitch-Holding L.L.C., Bristol Industries LLC, Bulldog Barrels LLC, C&C Enterprise Co. Ltd., CAM International Holdings Inc., CAMACC Systems Inc., CONNEXCENTER SA, CPE Acquisition Co., CRC-EVANS INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS INC., CRC-EVANS INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, CRC-EVANS WELDING SERVICES INC., CRC-Evans B.V., CRC-Evans Canada LTD., CRC-Evans International LLC, CRC-Evans Offshore Limited, CRC-Evans PIH Servios De Tubulao do Brasil Ltda, CRC-Evans Pipeline International Inc., CRC-Evans Pipeline International Sdn Bhd, CWS Industries (Mfg.) Corp., Chesapeake Falls Holdings Company Unlimited Company, Chesapeake Investments Company S.A.R.L., Chicago Steel Tape, Chiro Tools Holdings B.V., Christie Intruder Alarms Limited, Clarke Security Services Incorporated, Columbia Manufacturing Company Incorporated, Compass Corporation, Compass II Co. Ltd., Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing, Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing LLC, Constellation (Luxembourg) Holdings S.a r.l., Contact East, Craftman, Cub Cadet LLC, DADO Inc., DEVILBISS AIR POWER COMPANY, DIYZ LLC, DeWalt Industrial Tools S.p.A., Dewalt Industrial Power Tool Company LTD., Doncasters US Holdings Inc., Dubuis et Cie SAS, E.A. Patten Co. LLC, ELU B.V., ELU Power Tools LTD, EMHART TEKNOLOGIES LLC, Eastern Vault & Security, Emhart Guangzhou (Hong Kong) Limited, Emhart Harttung A/S, Emhart Harttung Inc., Emhart International Holdings Limited, Emhart International Limited, Emhart Teknologies (Thailand) LTD., Excel Industries, Excel Industries Inc., F. Robotics Acquisitions Ltd., Facom, Facom Belgie BV, Fastener Jamher Taiwan Inc., First National AlarmCap LP/Premiere Societe en Commandite Nationale Alarmcap, First National AlarmCap. Trust, Frisco Bay Industries, GDX Technologies, GMT China, GRUPO BLACK & DECKER MEXICO S. DE R.L. DE C.V., GUANGZHOU EMHART FASTENING SYSTEM CO. LTD., Gamrie Designated Activity Company, Garden Way LLC, Generale de Protection, HSM Electronic Protection Systems, Hangtech Limited, Hardware City Associates Limited Partnership, Hefei INTACA Science & Technology Development Co. Ltd., Herramientas Stanley S.A. de c.v., Horst Sprenger GmbH Recycling-tools, Hustler Turf Equipment Inc., I.D.L. Techni-Edge LLC, INFASTECH CAMCAR MALAYSIA SDN BHD, INFASTECH DECORAH LLC, ISR Solutions, IguanaFix, Infastech (China) Limited, Infastech (Korea) Limited, Infastech (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Infastech (Mauritius) Limited, Infastech (Shenzhen) Limited, Infastech (Singapore) Pte. Ltd, Infastech Company Limited, Infastech Fastening Systems (Wuxi) Limited, Infastech Holdings (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Infastech Intellectual Properties Pte. Ltd., Infastech Receivables Company Pte. Ltd., Infastech/Tri-Star Limited, InfoLogix, InfoLogix Systems Corporation, Infologix - DDMS Inc., Infologix Inc., Innerspace Products, Interfast B.V., Irwin Industrial Tool Ferramentas do Brasil Ltda., JAFFORD LLC, JRB Attachments LLC, JennCo1 Inc., Jewel Attachments LLC, Jiangsu Guoqiang Tools Co., Jiangus Guopiang Tools Co. Ltd., Jointech Corporation LTD., K.And.M. Holdco Products Ltd., Kodiak Mfg. Inc., Lista International Corporation, Lux Star International S.a r.l., M. HART DO BRASIL LTDA., M.P.N. HOLDINGS LIMITED, M.T.D. France SAS, MTD Asia Hong Kong Limited, MTD Austria Handelsgesellschaft m.b.H., MTD Consumer Group Inc., MTD Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, MTD Deutschland Verwaltungsgeschellschaft mbH, MTD Europe Holding GmbH, MTD Holdings, MTD Hungaria Kft., MTD International Operations Inc., MTD Investments Australia Pty Ltd., MTD LLC, MTD PRODUCTS ITALIA S.R.L., MTD Poland Sp. z.o.o., MTD Products AG, MTD Products Australia Party LTD, MTD Products Benelux B.V., MTD Products Company, MTD Products Czech Spol. s.r.o., MTD Products Denmark ApS, MTD Products Inc., MTD Products India Private India Limited, MTD Products Limited, MTD Products New Zealand Limited, MTD Products Nordic AB, MTD Products S.A. de C.V., MTD Products Singapore, MTD Schweiz AG, MTD Southwest Inc., Mac Tools Canada Inc., Maquinas y Herramientas Black & Decker de Chile S.A., Microalloying International Inc., Microtec Enterprises, Moeller Manufacturing & Supply LLC, Monarch Mirror Door Co., NEWFREY LLC, NFASTECH COMPANY LIMITED, NIscayah, NSW Fabristeel Netherlands B.V., National Manufacturing, Nelson Bolzenschwei-Technik GmbH & Co. KG, Nelson Bolzenschwei-Technik GmbH Verwaltungs GmbH, Nelson Fastener Systems, Nelson Fastener Systems de Mexico SA de CV, Nelson Saldatura Perni S.r.l., Nelson Soudage de Goujons SAS, Nelson Stud Welding (Tianjin) Company Ltd., Nelson Stud Welding Canada Inc., Nelson Stud Welding Inc., Nelson Stud Welding India Private Limited, Nelson Stud Welding International LLC, New FEP Co. LLC, Newell Brands - Tools Business, Nippon Pop Rivets & Fasteners LTD., Niscayah Asia Limited, Niscayah Group AB, Niscayah Holdings Limited, Niscayah Investments Limited, Niscayah Teknik AB, Novia SWK SAS, OSI Security Devices, Onglin International Limited, P I H Holdings Limited, P&B Re Holdings LLC, PIH Services Limited, PIH Services ME LLC, PIH Services ME Ltd., PIH Services ME W.L.L., PIH U.S. LLC, PIPELINE EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES SARL, PORTER-CABLE ARGENTINA LLC, PT Stanley Black & Decker, Pacom Group AB, Pacom Systems (North America) Inc., Pacom Systems Espana S.L., Pacom Systems Pty Limited, Paladin Brands Group Inc., Paladin Brands Holdings Inc., Paladin Brands International Holdings Inc., Panalok Limited, Pengo Corporation, Pillo Health, Pinnacle Electronic Systems, Pipeline Induction Heat Limited, Pipeline Induction Heat Limited, Powers Fasteners Australasia Pty Limited, Powers Fasteners Inc., Powers Fasteners Inc. (Panama), Powers Rawl Pty. Ltd., Powers Shanghai Trading Ltd., Precision Hardware, Prikos & Becker LLC, Pro One Finance SAS, QRP Inc, RCTENN LLC, RIGHTCO II LLC, Rawl Australasia Pty. Ltd., Rawlplug Unit Trust, Refal Industria e Comercio de Rebites e Rebitadeiras Ltda., Remington LLC, SBD Cayman LLC, SBD European Investment Unlimited Company, SBD European Security Holdings S.a r.l., SBD European Security International Unlimited Company, SBD European Security Investment Unlimited Company, SBD Holding AB, SBD Insurance Inc., SBD MDGP Partnership Holdings LLC, SBD MDGP Partnership Holdings S.a r.l., SBD Manufacturing Distribution & Global Purchasing Holdings L.P., SBD Niscayah S.a r.l., SBD Property Holdings LLC, SBD UK Canada Holdings Inc., SPIRALOCK GLOBAL VENTURES LIMITED, STANLEY BLACK & DECKER HUNGARY KORALTOLT FELELOSSEGU TARSASAG, STANLEY BLACK & DECKER IBERICA S.L., STANLEY BLACK & DECKER MOROCCO SARL, STANLEY BLACK AND DECKER CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LTD, STANLEY BLACK AND DECKER CYPRUS ONE HOLDINGS LTD, STANLEY BLACK AND DECKER CYPRUS S1 HOLDINGS LTD, STANLEY BLACK AND DECKER CYPRUS S2 HOLDINGS LTD, STANLEY ENGINEERED FASTENING EASTERN EUROPE SP.Z O.O., SWK (U.K.) Holding Limited, SWK (UK) Limited, SWK Utensilerie S.r.l., Scan Modul, Security Group, SecurityCo Solutions Inc., Shanghai Emhart Fastening System Co. Ltd., Sidchrome Tool, Sielox Security Systems, Societe Miniere et Commerciale SAS, Sonitrol, Sonitrol Distribution Canada Inc., Sonitrol Security Systems of Buffalo Inc., Southern Monitoring Services Limited, Specialty Bar Products Company, Spiegelberg Manufacturing Inc., Spiralock Corporation, Stanley Access Technologies LLC, Stanley Atlantic Inc., Stanley Black & Decker (Barbados) SRL, Stanley Black & Decker (Hellas) EPE, Stanley Black & Decker Asia Holdings LLC, Stanley Black & Decker Asian Holdings B.V., Stanley Black & Decker Australia Pty Ltd., Stanley Black & Decker Austria GmbH, Stanley Black & Decker Belgium BV, Stanley Black & Decker CCA S. de R.L., Stanley Black & Decker Canada Corporation, Stanley Black & Decker Cayman Holdings Inc., Stanley Black & Decker Cayman International Financing LLC, Stanley Black & Decker Centroamerica S. de R.L., Stanley Black & Decker Chile L.L.C., Stanley Black & Decker Colombia Services S.A.S., Stanley Black & Decker Czech Republic s.r.o., Stanley Black & Decker Deutschland GmbH, Stanley Black & Decker Distribution SAS, Stanley Black & Decker Finance 1 LLC, Stanley Black & Decker Finance 2 LLC, Stanley Black & Decker Finance Limited, Stanley Black & Decker Finance Unlimited Company, Stanley Black & Decker Finland Oy, Stanley Black & Decker France SAS, Stanley Black & Decker France Services SAS, Stanley Black & Decker Hermosillo S. de R.L. de C.V., Stanley Black & Decker Holdings Australia Pty Ltd, Stanley Black & Decker Holdings S.a r.l., Stanley Black & Decker IP Holdings Limited, Stanley Black & Decker India Private Limited, Stanley Black & Decker International FZE, Stanley Black & Decker International Fiance 2 Unlimited Company, Stanley Black & Decker International Finance 1 Limited, Stanley Black & Decker International Finance 2 Limited, Stanley Black & Decker International Finance 3 Limited, Stanley Black & Decker International Finance 3 Unlimited Company, Stanley Black & Decker International Finance 4 Limited, Stanley Black & Decker International Finance 4 Unlimited Company, Stanley Black & Decker International Finance 5 Unlimited Company, Stanley Black & Decker International Finance L.P., Stanley Black & Decker Ireland Unlimited Company, Stanley Black & Decker Italia S.r.l., Stanley Black & Decker Latin American Holding BV, Stanley Black & Decker Latin American Investment Unlimited Company, Stanley Black & Decker Limited, Stanley Black & Decker Limited Liability Company, Stanley Black & Decker Logistics BV, Stanley Black & Decker MEA FZE, Stanley Black & Decker Manufacturing SAS, Stanley Black & Decker Middle East Trading FZE, Stanley Black & Decker NZ Limited, Stanley Black & Decker Netherlands B.V., Stanley Black & Decker Norway AS, Stanley Black & Decker Partnership Japan, Stanley Black & Decker Partnership Japan Holdings S.a r.l., Stanley Black & Decker Polska Sp. z o.o., Stanley Black & Decker Precision Manufacturing (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Stanley Black & Decker Romania SRL, Stanley Black & Decker Slovakia s.r.o., Stanley Black & Decker Sweden AB, Stanley Black & Decker Turkey Alet Uretim Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Stanley Black & Decker UK Group Limited, Stanley Black & Decker UK Limited, Stanley Black & Decker de Monterrey S. de R.L. de C.V., Stanley Black and Decker Commercial Private India, Stanley Black and Decker Security Solutions Mexico S.A. de C.V. (fka DEWALT INDUSTRIAL TOOLS S.A. DE C.V.), Stanley CLP3, Stanley Canada Holdings L.L.C., Stanley Chiro International Ltd, Stanley Convergent Security Solutions Inc., Stanley Engineered Fastening Benelux B.V., Stanley Engineered Fastening France SAS, Stanley Engineered Fastening India Private Limited, Stanley Engineered Fastening Industrial Deutschland GmbH, Stanley Engineered Fastening Italy S.r.l., Stanley Engineered Fastening Spain S.L.U., Stanley Europe BV, Stanley European Holdings B.V., Stanley European Holdings II B.V., Stanley Fastening Systems Investment (Taiwan) Co., Stanley Fastening Systems L.P., Stanley Fastening Systems Poland Sp. z o.o., Stanley Feinwerktechnik GmbH, Stanley Grundstuecksverwaltungs GmbH, Stanley Healthcare Solutions France Sarl, Stanley Housing Fund Inc., Stanley Industrial & Automotive LLC, Stanley Infrastructure LLC Formerly f/k/a International Equipment Solutions ("IES"), Stanley Inspection L.L.C., Stanley Inspection US L.L.C., Stanley International Holdings Inc., Stanley Israel Investments B.V., Stanley Logistics L.L.C., Stanley Pipeline Inspection L.L.C., Stanley Safety Corporation LLC, Stanley Security AS, Stanley Security Alarmcentrale B.V., Stanley Security B.V., Stanley Security Belgium BV, Stanley Security Canada ULC (fka 3xLogic Holdings Inc.), Stanley Security Denmark ApS, Stanley Security Europe BV, Stanley Security Federal Systema LLC, Stanley Security Holding AS, Stanley Security Limited, Stanley Security Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Stanley Security Nederland B.V., Stanley Security Oy, Stanley Security Singapore Pte. Ltd., Stanley Security Solutions (NI) Limited, Stanley Security Solutions - Europe Limited, Stanley Security Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Stanley Security Solutions Inc., Stanley Security Solutions India Private Limited, Stanley Security Solutions Limited, Stanley Security Sverige AB, Stanley Technical Services Ltd., Stanley Tools SAS, Stanley U.K. Holdings Ltd., Stanley UK Acquisition Company Limited, Stanley UK Services Limited, Stanley Works (Europe) GmbH, Stanley Works (India) Private Limited, Stanley Works (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Stanley Works (Wendeng) Tools Co. Ltd., Stanley Works Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Stanley Works China Investments Limited, Stanley Works Holdings B.V., Stanley Works Limited, Stanley-Bostitch S.A. de c.v., Stanley-Bostitch Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Stichting Beheer Intellectuele Eigendomsrechten Blick Benelux B.V., SureHand Inc. f.k.a. SBD Aura Inc., Sweepster Attachments LLC, THE BLACK & DECKER CORPORATION, TOG Holdings Inc., TOG Manufacturing Company Inc., TSI Monitoring LLC, TSI Sales & Installation LLC, The EAP Acquisition Co. LLC, The Farmington River Power Company, The Ferry Cap & Set Screw Company, The Stanley Works (Langfang) Fastening Systems Co. Ltd., The Stanley Works (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., The Stanley Works (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., The Stanley Works (Zhongshan) Tool Co. Ltd., The Stanley Works Israel Ltd., The Stanley Works Limited, The Stanley Works Pty. Ltd., Tong Lung Metal Industry, Troy-Bilt LLC, Tucker Fasteners Limited, Tucker GmbH, Tucker S.R.O., Universal Inspection Systems Limited, Venus Enterprise Co. Ltd., Visiocom International Pte Ltd, Voss Industries Inc., Wintech Corporation Limited, XMARK Corporation, XMARK Corporation., Yong Ru Plastics Industry (Suzhou) Co. Ltd, and Zag USA Inc.. Read More 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 following companies are subsidiares of Pfizer: AH Robins LLC, AHP Holdings B.V., AHP Manufacturing B.V., Agouron Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alacer, Alpharma Holdings LLC, Alpharma Pharmaceuticals LLC, Alpharma Specialty Pharma LLC, Alpharma USHP LLC, American Food Industries LLC, Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc., Angiosyn, Array BioPharma, Ayerst-Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, BIND Therapeutics Inc., BINESA 2002 S.L., Bamboo Therapeutics, Bamboo Therapeutics Inc., Baxter International - Marketed Vaccines, BioRexis, Bioren, Bioren LLC, Blue Whale Re Ltd., C.E. Commercial Holdings C.V., C.E. Commercial Investments C.V., C.P. Pharmaceuticals International C.V., CICL Corporation, COC I Corporation, Catapult Genetics, Coley Pharmaceutical GmbH, Coley Pharmaceutical Group, Coley Pharmaceutical Group Inc., Continental Pharma Inc., Covx, Covx Technologies Ireland Limited, Cyanamid Inter-American Corporation, Cyanamid de Argentina S.A., Cyanamid de Colombia S.A., Distribuidora Mercantil Centro Americana S.A., Encysive Pharmaceuticals, Encysive Pharmaceuticals Inc., Esperion LUV Development Inc., Esperion Therapeutics, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals, Excaliard Pharmaceuticals Inc., Farminova Produtos Farmaceuticos de Inovacao Lda., Farmogene Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Ferrosan A/S, Ferrosan International A/S, Ferrosan S.R.L., FoldRx Pharmaceuticals Inc., Foldrx Pharmaceuticals, Fort Dodge Manufatura Ltda., G. D. Searle & Co. Limited, G. D. Searle International Capital LLC, G. D. Searle LLC, GI Europe Inc., GI Japan Inc., GenTrac Inc., Genetics Institute LLC, Greenstone LLC, Haptogen Limited, Hospira, Hospira (China) Enterprise Management Co. Ltd., Hospira Adelaide Pty Ltd, Hospira Aseptic Services Limited, Hospira Australia Pty Ltd, Hospira Benelux BVBA, Hospira Chile Limitada, Hospira Deutschland GmbH, Hospira Enterprises B.V., Hospira France SAS, Hospira Healthcare B.V., Hospira Healthcare Corporation, Hospira Healthcare India Private Limited, Hospira Holdings (S.A.) Pty Ltd, Hospira Inc., Hospira Invicta S.A., Hospira Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, Hospira Ireland Sales Limited, Hospira Japan G.K., Hospira Limited, Hospira Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Hospira NZ Limited, Hospira Nordic AB, Hospira Philippines Inc., Hospira Portugal LDA, Hospira Produtos Hospitalares Ltda., Hospira Pte. Ltd., Hospira Pty Limited, Hospira Puerto Rico LLC, Hospira Singapore Pte Ltd, Hospira UK Limited, Hospira Worldwide LLC, Hospira Zagreb d.o.o., ICAgen, Idun Pharmaceuticals, Industrial Santa Agape S.A., InnoPharma, InnoPharma Inc., International Affiliated Corporation LLC, JMI-Daniels Pharmaceuticals Inc., John Wyeth & Brother Limited, Kiinteisto oy Espoon Pellavaniementie 14, King Pharmaceuticals Holdings LLC, King Pharmaceuticals LLC, King Pharmaceuticals Research and Development LLC, Korea Pharma Holding Company Limited, Laboratoires Pfizer S.A., Laboratorios Parke Davis S.L., Laboratorios Pfizer Ltda., Laboratorios Wyeth LLC, Laboratorios Wyeth S.A., Laboratorios Pfizer Lda., MTG Divestitures LLC, Mayne Pharma IP Holdings (Euro) Pty Ltd, Medivation, Medivation Field Solutions LLC, Medivation LLC, Medivation Neurology LLC, Medivation Prostate Therapeutics LLC, Medivation Services LLC, Medivation Technologies LLC, Meridian Medical Technologies Inc., Meridian Medical Technologies Limited, Monarch Pharmaceuticals LLC, Neusentis Limited, NextWave Pharmaceuticals, NextWave Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, P-D Co. LLC, PAH USA IN8 LLC, PF Americas Holding C.V., PF Asia Manufacturing B.V., PF PR Holdings C.V., PF PRISM C.V., PF PRISM Holdings S.a.r.l., PF Prism S.a.r.l., PFE Holdings G.K., PFE PHAC Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Pfizer Holdings 1 LLC, PFE Wyeth Holdings LLC, PFE Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) LLC, PHILCO Holdings S.a r.l., PHIVCO Corp., PHIVCO Holdco S.a r.l., PHIVCO Luxembourg S.a r.l., PN Mexico LLC, PT. Pfizer Parke Davis, Parke Davis & Company LLC, Parke Davis Limited, Parke Davis Productos Farmaceuticos Lda, Parke-Davis Manufacturing Corp., Parkedale Pharmaceuticals Inc., Peak Enterprises LLC, Pfizer, Pfizer (China) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Pfizer (Perth) Pty Limited, Pfizer (Thailand) Limited, Pfizer (Wuhan) Research and Development Co. Ltd., Pfizer AB, Pfizer AG, Pfizer AS, Pfizer Africa & Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Veterinarian Products & Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer Anti-Infectives AB, Pfizer ApS, Pfizer Asia Manufacturing Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Pfizer Atlantic Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Australia Holdings B.V., Pfizer Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Pfizer Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., Pfizer Australia Pty Limited, Pfizer B.V., Pfizer BH D.o.o., Pfizer Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer Biofarmaceutica Sociedade Unipessoal Lda, Pfizer Biologics (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Pfizer Biologics Ireland Holdings Limited, Pfizer Biotech Corporation, Pfizer Bolivia S.A., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pfizer CentreSource Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Chile S.A., Pfizer Cia. Ltda., Pfizer Colombia Spinco I LLC, Pfizer Commercial Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Commercial Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Commercial TRAE Trading Kft., Pfizer Consumer Healthcare AB, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare GmbH, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Ltd., Pfizer Consumer Manufacturing Italy S.r.l., Pfizer Corporation, Pfizer Corporation Austria Gesellschaft m.b.H., Pfizer Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Pfizer Croatia d.o.o., Pfizer Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Development LP, Pfizer Development Services (UK) Limited, Pfizer Domestic Ventures Limited, Pfizer Dominicana S.R.L, Pfizer ESP Pty Ltd, Pfizer East India B.V., Pfizer Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer Egypt S.A.E., Pfizer Enterprise Holdings B.V., Pfizer Enterprises LLC, Pfizer Enterprises SARL, Pfizer Europe Finance B.V., Pfizer Export B.V., Pfizer Export Company, Pfizer Export Holding Company B.V, Pfizer Finance Share Service (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Financial Services N.V./S.A., Pfizer France International Investments, Pfizer Free Zone Panama S. de R.L., Pfizer GEP S.L., Pfizer Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer Global Supply Japan Inc., Pfizer Global Trading, Pfizer Group Luxembourg Sarl, Pfizer Gulf FZ-LLC, Pfizer H.C.P. Corporation, Pfizer HK Service Company Limited, Pfizer Health AB, Pfizer Health Solutions Inc., Pfizer Healthcare Ireland, Pfizer Hellas A.E., Pfizer Himalaya Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Holding France, Pfizer Holding Ventures, Pfizer Holdings Corporation, Pfizer Holdings Europe Unlimited Company, Pfizer Holdings G.K., Pfizer Holdings International Corporation, Pfizer Holdings International Luxembourg (PHIL) Sarl, Pfizer Holdings North America SARL, Pfizer Hungary Holdings TRAE Kft., Pfizer Inc., Pfizer Innovations AB, Pfizer Innovations LLC, Pfizer Innovative Supply Point International BVBA, Pfizer International LLC, Pfizer International Markets Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer International Operations, Pfizer International S. de R.L., Pfizer International Trading (Shanghai) Limited, Pfizer Investment Capital Unlimited Company, Pfizer Investment Co. Ltd., Pfizer Investment Holdings S.a.r.l., Pfizer Ireland Investments Limited, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 1 LLC, Pfizer Ireland PFE Holding 2 LLC, Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Ireland Ventures Unlimited Company, Pfizer Italia S.r.l., Pfizer Italy Group Holding S.r.l., Pfizer Japan Inc., Pfizer LLC, Pfizer Laboratories (Pty) Limited, Pfizer Laboratories Limited, Pfizer Laboratories PFE (Pty) Ltd, Pfizer Leasing Ireland Limited, Pfizer Leasing UK Limited, Pfizer Limitada, Pfizer Limited, Pfizer Luxco Holdings SARL, Pfizer Luxembourg Global Holdings S.a r.l., Pfizer Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer MAP Holding Inc., Pfizer Manufacturing Austria G.m.b.H., Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, Pfizer Manufacturing Deutschland Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG, Pfizer Manufacturing Holdings LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Manufacturing LLC, Pfizer Manufacturing Services, Pfizer Medical Technology Group (Belgium) N.V., Pfizer Medicamentos Genericos e Participacoes Ltda., Pfizer Mexico Luxco SARL, Pfizer Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pfizer Middle East for Pharmaceuticals Animal Health and Chemicals S.A.E., Pfizer New Zealand Limited, Pfizer Norge AS, Pfizer North American Holdings Inc., Pfizer OTC B.V., Pfizer Overseas LLC, Pfizer Oy, Pfizer PFE ApS, Pfizer PFE AsiaPac Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Australia Pty Ltd, Pfizer PFE B.V., Pfizer PFE Baltic Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Belgium SPRL, Pfizer PFE Brazil Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE CIA. Ltda., Pfizer PFE Chile Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Colombia Holding Corp., Pfizer PFE Colombia S.A.S, Pfizer PFE Commercial Holdings LLC, Pfizer PFE Croatia Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Eastern Investments B.V., Pfizer PFE Finland Oy, Pfizer PFE France, Pfizer PFE Global Holdings B.V., Pfizer PFE Ireland Pharmaceuticals Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco 2 S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Italy Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Pfizer PFE Limited, Pfizer PFE Luxembourg S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Mexico Holding 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE Netherlands Holding 1 C.V., Pfizer PFE New Zealand, Pfizer PFE New Zealand Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Norway Holding S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE PILSA Holdco S.a r.l., Pfizer PFE Peru Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Peru S.R.L., Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Holding LLC, Pfizer PFE Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer PFE Private Limited, Pfizer PFE S.R.L, Pfizer PFE Service Company Holding Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer PFE Singapore Holding B.V., Pfizer PFE Singapore Pte. Ltd., Pfizer PFE Spain B.V., Pfizer PFE Spain Holding S.L., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding 2 S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Sweden Holding S.a.r.l., Pfizer PFE Switzerland GmbH, Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 1 B.V., Pfizer PFE Turkey Holding 2 B.V., Pfizer PFE UK Holding 4 LP, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 1 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 2 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 3 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 4 LLC, Pfizer PFE US Holdings 5 LLC, Pfizer PFE spol. s r.o., Pfizer PFE Ilaclar Anonim Sirketi, Pfizer Pakistan Limited, Pfizer Parke Davis (Thailand) Ltd., Pfizer Parke Davis Inc., Pfizer Parke Davis Sdn. Bhd., Pfizer Pharm Algerie, Pfizer Pharma GmbH, Pfizer Pharma PFE GmbH, Pfizer Pharmaceutical (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceutical Trading Limited Liability Company (a/k/a Pfizer Kft. or Pfizer LLC), Pfizer Pharmaceuticals B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Global B.V., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Israel Ltd., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Korea Limited, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals LLC, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Pfizer Pigments Inc., Pfizer Polska Sp. z.o.o., Pfizer Private Limited, Pfizer Production LLC, Pfizer Products Inc., Pfizer Products India Private Limited, Pfizer Research (NC) Inc., Pfizer Romania SRL, Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A., Pfizer S.A. (Belgium), Pfizer S.A. de C.V., Pfizer S.A.S., Pfizer S.G.P.S. Lda., Pfizer S.L., Pfizer S.R.L., Pfizer SRB d.o.o., Pfizer Saidal Manufacturing, Pfizer Sante Familiale, Pfizer Saudi Limited, Pfizer Seiyaku K.K., Pfizer Service Company BVBA, Pfizer Service Company Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Services 1, Pfizer Services LLC, Pfizer Shared Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Shareholdings Intermediate SARL, Pfizer Singapore Holding Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Singapore Trading Pte. Ltd., Pfizer Spain Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Pfizer Specialties Limited, Pfizer Strategic Investment Holdings LLC, Pfizer Sweden Partnership KB, Pfizer TRAE Holdings Kft., Pfizer Trading Polska sp.z.o.o., Pfizer Transactions Ireland Unlimited Company, Pfizer Transactions LLC, Pfizer Transactions Luxembourg SARL, Pfizer Transport LLC, Pfizer Ukraine LLC, Pfizer Vaccines LLC, Pfizer Venezuela S.A., Pfizer Venture Investments LLC, Pfizer Ventures LLC, Pfizer Worldwide Services Unlimited Company, Pfizer Zona Franca S.A., Pfizer spol. s r.o., Pharmacia, Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn S.A. de C.V., Pharmacia Brasil Ltda., Pharmacia Hepar LLC, Pharmacia Holding AB, Pharmacia Inter-American LLC, Pharmacia International B.V., Pharmacia LLC, Pharmacia Limited, Pharmacia Nostrum S.A., Pharmacia South Africa (Pty) Ltd, PowderJect Research Limited, PowderMed, Purepac Pharmaceutical Holdings LLC, Redvax, Renrall LLC, Rinat Neuroscience, Rinat Neuroscience Corp., Roerig Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Roerig S.A., Sao Cristovao Participacoes Ltda., Searle Laboratorios Lda., Serenex, Servicios P&U S. de R.L. de C.V., Shiley LLC, Sinergis Farma-Produtos Farmaceuticos Lda., Site Realty Inc., Solinor LLC, Sugen LLC, Tabor LLC, The Pfizer Incubator LLC, Therachon, Thiakis Limited, Treerly Health Co. Ltd, US Oral Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd, Upjohn Laboratorios Lda., Vesteralens Naturprodukter A/S, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AB, Vesteralens Naturprodukter AS, Vesteralens Naturprodukter OY, Vicuron Holdings LLC, Vinci Farma S.A., W-L LLC, Warner Lambert, Warner Lambert Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Warner Lambert del Uruguay S.A., Warner-Lambert (Thailand) Limited, Warner-Lambert Company AG, Warner-Lambert Company LLC, Warner-Lambert Guatemala Sociedad Anonima, Warner-Lambert S.A., Whitehall International Inc., Whitehall Laboratories Inc., Wyeth (Thailand) Ltd., Wyeth AB, Wyeth Australia Pty. Limited, Wyeth Ayerst Inc., Wyeth Ayerst S.a r.l., Wyeth Biopharma, Wyeth Canada ULC, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare LLC, Wyeth Europa Limited, Wyeth Farma S.A., Wyeth Holdings LLC, Wyeth Industria Farmaceutica Ltda., Wyeth KFT., Wyeth LLC, Wyeth Lederle S.r.l., Wyeth Lederle Vaccines S.A., Wyeth Pakistan Limited, Wyeth Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Company, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals FZ-LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals LLC, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Limited, Wyeth Puerto Rico Inc., Wyeth S.A.S, Wyeth Subsidiary Illinois Corporation, Wyeth Whitehall Export GmbH, Wyeth Whitehall SARL, Wyeth-Ayerst (Asia) Limited, Wyeth-Ayerst International LLC, and Wyeth-Ayerst Promotions Limited. Read More National Bank of Canada provides various financial products and services to retail, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. It operates through four segments: Personal and Commercial, Wealth Management, Financial Markets, and U.S. Specialty Finance and International. The Personal and Commercial segment offers personal banking services, including transaction solutions, mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit, consumer loans, payment solutions, and savings and investment solutions; various insurance products; and commercial banking services comprise credit, and deposit and investment solutions, as well as international trade, foreign exchange transactions, payroll, cash management, insurance, electronic transactions, and complimentary services. The Wealth Management segment comprises investment solutions, trust services, banking services, lending services, and other wealth management solutions. The Financial Markets segment offers corporate banking, advisory, and capital markets services; and project financing, debt, and equity underwriting; advisory services in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, and financing. The U.S. Specialty Finance and International segment provides specialty finance products; financial products and services to individuals and businesses in Cambodia; and investment solutions, guaranteed investment certificates, mutual funds, notes, structured products, and monetization. It provides its services through a network of 384 branches and 927 banking machines. National Bank of Canada was founded in 1859 and is based in Montreal, Canada. Since the Christmas shopping season is in full swing, I thought I would take a look at what shopping in Port Byron use to be like. Like most of our smaller villages, there was a time when you could find whatever you wanted locally from clothes and toys to groceries and even cars. I asked Ted Wilt, our Green Street centurion, to help me along. I also had some help by the way of the papers of the 1930s, which are full of one- and two-page ads asking people to buy local. Sound familiar? The big store was Lowe Brothers. Lowe Brothers was actually Robert Lowe, but the business started in 1900 with both Robert and Frank, and after Frank left, Robert kept the name. It was a mix of mens and boys wear, plus a jeweler. The store had grown through the years, starting in the enterprise building that is now gone and moving to where the hardware store is next to Blakes Drugstore, and then crossing the street to the Lowe Building, where the auto parts store is today. Although it was a large store, Ted only recalls Bob Lowe and Chauncey Henry working there. Chauncey was the jeweler, but also helped with the store sales. Ted said Bob was a soft-spoken man with a low-pressure sales technique. If he didnt have what you wanted, you were measured and the clothes were ordered. Ted recalls that he purchased his wedding ring there, and was a frequent customer for boots. I cant find a closing date, but we think it was early 1960s, or maybe the late '50s. Down the street in the enterprise building was Cranes, where you could buy your furniture and your insurance, quite the combination. He was more into insurance. Across the street was the Stilwell store, which Ted said sold womens clothing and, for those who made their own clothes, you could find the bolts of cloth and other sewing supplies. Next door was Blakes Drugstore, which in addition to drugs also offered a great deal of small merchandise. Next to this was Carrs Hardware. One large ad from the early '30s shows that you could grocery-shop at the Grand Union, the H.E. Wethey market, The People's Cash Market, Guy Parson's LGA Store, Wynns Home Town Bakery and The Market Basket Store. Ted recalls that Saturday nights were especially busy. The village was full of people coming to shop. The stores all stayed open late, all catering to the farmers who stopped work and took the night off. The Lock 52 Historical Society got some really nice news this past month. A man from Colorado was searching the internet to see what was available on Port Byron, and ran across our YouTube channel. He started going through the Bruce Carter home movies, and on the screen was his father as a teenage boy. He called and asked for more information, which led to me finding people locally who are in his extended family. This is the third time where someone has called to say they saw themselves or a family member in the movies. For all the nonsense out there on the web, it is nice to know that sometimes, something good comes from it. As you gather with the family this season, please pull out the old photo albums and take a look at what you have. Over the course of the year, I have heard about many family collections that would help to fill the holes in our historical landscape. As a "for instance," I was looking through our collection of images to find one of Lowe Brothers. I realized that we have none showing the last Lowe Brothers store, or any of what was there prior to 1912, when the Lowe block building was built. Its a fantastic hole in our visual landscape of the downtown, and I hope that someday we can fill it in. The one thing that scares the heck out of all historical societies is hearing that grandpa had shoeboxes full of photos, and the family tossed them. We realize that families can be wary of how relatives are handled. Maybe grandpa wasnt the nicest person, and the family wants to forget him. But there is a value in every image, and as with the man in Colorado, sharing can bring families together. And if you want to donate photos, but dont want them shared, we can do that. Just come talk with us that is all I ask. Altice USA, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides broadband communications and video services in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It offers broadband, video, telephony, and mobile services to approximately five million residential and business customers. The company's video services include delivery of broadcast stations and cable networks; over the top services; video-on-demand, high-definition channels, digital video recorder, and pay-per-view services; and platforms for video programming through mobile applications. It also provides voice over Internet protocol telephone services; and mobile services, such as data, talk, and text. In addition, the company offers Ethernet, data transport, IP-based virtual private networks, Internet access, and telephony services; hosted telephony services, managed Wi-Fi, managed desktop and server backup, and collaboration services comprising audio and web conferencing; fiber-to-the-tower services to wireless carriers; data services consisting of wide area networking and dedicated data access, as well as wireless mesh networks; and enterprise class telephone services that include traditional multi-line phone service. Further, it provides business e-mail, hosted private branch exchange, web space storage, and network security monitoring; and international calling and toll free numbers. Additionally, the company offers audience-based and IP-authenticated cross-screen advertising solutions; and television and digital advertising services, as well as operates news channels under the News 12 Networks, Cheddar, and i24NEWS names. It also provides broadband communications and video services under the Optimum and Suddenlink brands. The company was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Long Island City, New York. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. provides government-sponsored managed care services. The company operates in three segments: Medicaid Health Plans, Medicare Health Plans, and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (PDPs). The Medicaid Health Plans segment offers plans for beneficiaries of temporary assistance for needy families, supplemental security income, and aged blind and disabled residents; and other state-based programs, such as children's health insurance programs and long-term services and supports programs for qualifying families who are not eligible for Medicaid. The Medicare Health Plans segment provides Medicare, a federal program that provides eligible persons aged 65 and over, as well as some disabled persons with a range of hospital, medical, and prescription drug benefits; Medicare Advantage, a Medicare's managed care alternative to the original Medicare program, which offers individuals standard Medicare benefits directly through Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; and coordinated care plans that are administered through health maintenance organizations and require members to seek health care services and select a primary care physician from a network of health care providers. The Medicare PDPs segment provides Medicare part D PDP plans to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. Its PDP plans offer national in-network prescription drug coverage, including a preferred pharmacy network. As of December 31, 2018, the company served approximately 5.5 million members in the United States. WellCare Health Plans, Inc. was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. 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. Terex Corporation manufactures and sells aerial work platforms and materials processing machinery worldwide. It operates in two segments, Aerial Work Platforms (AWP) and Materials Processing (MP). The AWP segment designs, manufactures, services, and markets aerial work platform equipment, utility equipment, and telehandlers under the Terex and Genie brands. Its products include portable material lifts, portable aerial work platforms, trailer-mounted articulating booms, self-propelled articulating and telescopic booms, scissor lifts, utility equipment, and telehandlers, as well as related components and replacement parts for construction and maintenance of industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential buildings and facilities, utility and telecommunication lines, construction and foundation drilling applications, and other commercial operations, as well as in tree trimming and various infrastructure projects. The MP segment's materials processing and specialty equipment includes crushers, washing systems, screens, trommels, apron feeders, material handlers, pick and carry cranes, rough terrain cranes, tower cranes, wood processing, biomass and recycling equipment, concrete mixer trucks and concrete pavers, conveyors, and related components and replacement parts under the Terex, Powerscreen, Fuchs, EvoQuip, Canica, Cedarapids, CBI, Simplicity, Franna, Terex Ecotec, Finlay, Terex Washing Systems, Terex MPS, Terex Jaques, Terex Advance, ProStack, Terex Bid-Well, MDS, and Terex Recycling Systems brands and business lines. Its products are used in construction, infrastructure, and recycling projects; quarrying and mining, and material handling applications; maintenance applications to lift equipment or material; and landscaping and biomass production industries. The company offers financing solutions to assist customers in the rental, leasing, and acquisition of its products. Terex Corporation was incorporated in 1986 and is based in Norwalk, Connecticut. The following companies are subsidiares of Textron: AAI Corporation, AAI Services Corporation, ALSTOM Gears, Able Aerospace, Able Aerospace Services Inc., Able Engineering & Component Services, Aeronautical Accessories LLC, Airborne Tactical Advantage Company LLC, Arctic Cat, Arctic Cat ACE Holding GmbH, Arctic Cat France SARL, Arctic Cat GmbH, Arctic Cat Inc., Arctic Cat Production LLC, Arctic Cat Production Support LLC, Arctic Cat Sales Inc., Arctic Cat Shared Services LLC, Arctic Cat UK Ltd., Arkansas Aerospace Inc., Avco Corporation, Aviation Service servis letal doo Ljubljana, Aylesbury Automation, B/K Navigational Equipment sro, BELL TEXTRON ASIA (PTE.) LTD., Beech Aircraft Corporation, Beech Holdings, Beechcraft Defense Support Holding LLC, Beechcraft Domestic Service Company, Beechcraft Germany GmbH, Beechcraft International Holding LLC, Beechcraft International Service Company, Beechcraft New Zealand, Bell Textron Canada International Inc., Bell Textron Canada Limited/Limitee, Bell Textron Co. Ltd, Bell Textron Inc., Bell Textron Korea Inc., Bell Textron LLC, Bell Textron Miami Inc., Bell Textron Prague a.s., Bell Textron Rhode Island Inc., Bell Textron Services Inc., Bell Textron Supply Center BV, Bell Textron Technical Services Inc., Benzlers, Brazaco Mapri Industrias, Burkland, Cessna Aircraft Company, Cessna Citation European Service Center SAS (99.9%; 1 share Textron France SAS), Cessna Dusseldorf Citation Service Center GmbH, Cessna Finance Corporation, Cessna Finance Export Corporation, Cessna Mexico S de RL de CV, Cessna Spanish Citation Service Center SLU, Cessna Zurich Citation Service Center GmbH, Citation Parts Distribution International Inc., Cushman Inc., Datacom Technologies, David Brown Group, Doncaster Citation Service Centre Limited, E-Z-GO Canada Limited, Energy Manufacturing, Flexalloy, HBC LLC, Hawker Beech de Mexico S de RL de CV, Hawker Beechcraft Argentina SA , Howe & Howe Inc., Howe and Howe Technologies, Industrial Technology Inc., InteSys Technologies, International Product Support Inc., KSB Annecy SAS, Kautex (Changchun) Plastics Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Chongqing) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Guangzhou) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Pinghu) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Shanghai) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex (Wuhan) Plastic Technology Co. Ltd., Kautex Corporation, Kautex Craiova srl, Kautex Germany Holding GmbH, Kautex Inc., Kautex Japan KK, Kautex Shanghai GmbH, Kautex Textron (UK) Limited, Kautex Textron Benelux BVBA, Kautex Textron Bohemia spol sro, Kautex Textron CVS Limited, Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG, Kautex Textron Iberica SL, Kautex Textron Management Services Company de Puebla S. de RL de CV, Kautex Textron Portugal Produtos Plasticos Sociedade Unipessoal Lda., Kautex Textron de Mexico S de RL de CV, Kautex Textron do Brasil Ltda., Kautex of Georgia Inc., Kaywood Products Corp., Klauke, LCI Corporation International, LLC Textron RUS, Maag, McCord Corporation, Mechtronix, Medical Numerics Inc., Midland Industrial Plastics, MillenWorks, MillenWorks Themed Technologies, MotorFist LLC, OPINICUS Simulation and Training Services LLC, OmniQuip International, Opinicus, Optical Boring Co., Opto-Electronics, Opto-Electronics Inc., Overwatch Systems, PEINER Umformtechnik, Pipistrel, Pirelli Tyres - General Rubber Goods (GRG) division, Premiair Aviation Maintenance Pty Ltd, Progressive Electronics, Ransomes, Ransomes Inc., Ransomes Investment LLC, Ransomes Jacobsen France SAS, Ransomes Jacobsen Limited, Ransomes Limited, Ransomes Pensions Trustee Company Limited, Replacement Part Solutions LLC, Response Technologies LLC, Rotor Blades Limited, Sukosim Verbindungselemente, TRU Simulation & Training Spain SL, TRU Simulation + Training Inc., TRU Simulation + Training LLC, TekGPS Engineering Srl, Textron Airland LLC, Textron Atlantic LLC, Textron Aviation Australia Pty. Ltd., Textron Aviation Canada Ltd., Textron Aviation Defense LLC, Textron Aviation Finance Corporation, Textron Aviation Inc., Textron Aviation Prague Service Center sro, Textron Aviation Rhode Island Inc., Textron Aviation Services de Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Capital BV, Textron Communications Inc., Textron Far East Pte. Ltd., Textron Finance Holding Company, Textron Financial Corporation, Textron Financial Corporation Receivables Trust 2002-CP-2, Textron Fluid and Power Inc., Textron France Holding SAS, Textron France SAS, Textron Global Services Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment Inc., Textron Ground Support Equipment UK Limited, Textron IPMP Inc., Textron India Private Limited , Textron Innovations Inc., Textron International Inc., Textron International Mexico S de RL de CV, Textron Limited, Textron Management Services Inc., Textron Motors GmbH, Textron Motors North America Inc., Textron Outdoor Power Equipment Inc., Textron Realty Corporation, Textron Shared Service Centre (Canada) Inc., Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc., Textron Sweden AB, Textron Systems Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Australia Pty Ltd, Textron Systems Canada Inc., Textron Systems Corporation, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK (Holdings) Limited, Textron Systems Electronic Systems UK Limited, Textron Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Textron UK Pension Trustee Limited, Textron Verwaltungs-GmbH, Turbine Engine Components Textron (Newington Operations) Inc., United Industrial Corporation, Westminster Insurance Company, Williams Machine & Tool, and Zhenjiang Bell Textron Aviation Services Limited. Read More The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, prime brokerage, and data analytics. This segment also provides trustee, paying agency, fiduciary, escrow and other financial, issuer, and support services for brokers and investors. The Market and Wealth Services segment offers clearing and custody, investment, wealth and retirement solutions, technology and enterprise data management, trading, and prime brokerage services; and clearance and collateral management services. This segment also provides integrated cash management solutions, including payments, foreign exchange, liquidity management, receivables processing and payables management, and trade finance and processing services. The Investment and Wealth Management segment offers investment management strategies and distribution of investment products, investment management, custody, wealth and estate planning, private banking, investment, and information management services. The Other segment engages in the provision of leasing, corporate treasury, derivative and other trading, corporate and bank-owned life insurance, renewable energy investment, and business exit services. It serves central banks and sovereigns, financial institutions, asset managers, insurance companies, corporations, local authorities and high net-worth individuals, and family offices. The company was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in New York, New York. WestRock Company, together with its subsidiaries, provides fiber-based paper and packaging solutions in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It operates through two segments, Corrugated Packaging and Consumer Packaging. The Corrugated Packaging segment produces containerboards, corrugated sheets, corrugated packaging, and preprinted linerboards to consumer and industrial products manufacturers, and corrugated box manufacturers. It also provides structural and graphic design, engineering services and custom, and proprietary and standard automated packaging machines, as well as turn-key installation, automation, line integration, and packaging solutions; distributes corrugated packaging materials and other specialty packaging products, including stretch films, void fills, carton sealing tapes, and other specialty tapes; operates recycling facilities that collect, sort, grade, and bale recovered paper; and provides lithographic laminated packaging products, as well as contract packing services. The Consumer Packaging segment manufactures and sells folding cartons that are used to package food, paper, beverages, dairy products, tobacco, confectionery, health and beauty, other household consumer, and commercial and industrial products; and express mail packages for the overnight courier industry. It also offers inserts and labels, as well as rigid packaging and other printed packaging products, such as transaction cards, brochures, product literature, marketing materials, and grower tags and plant stakes for the horticultural market; and secondary packages and paperboard packaging for over-the-counter and prescription drugs. In addition, this segment manufactures and sells solid fiber and corrugated partitions, and die-cut paperboard components principally to glass container manufacturers and the automotive industry, as well as producers of beer, food, wine, spirits, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. WestRock Company is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Ayoub Qanir enjoyed a lot of success for his film Artificio Conceal, a psychological thriller he wrote in 2014. But it was important to him not to be pigeonholed in a niche or filmic genre. So he found another, smaller method, in his words, to tell an emotional and original story with minimum resources. And made a film called The World of Which We Dream Doesnt Exist, which featured in the 22nd International Film Festival of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, in the competition category. An American filmmaker, Ayoub appears to not leave any marks to trace his works back to him. Before both these films, he made his award-winning experimental series Human After All, featuring the French electronic band Daft Punk. A filmmaker must constantly search for many artistic grounds and styles for his craft to keep improving, he says in an interview. So, to learn new ways and explore new parts of himself, he uncovered a new method for The World of Which We Dream Doesnt Exist. It represents an interesting expansion of my cinematic expression. As a filmmaker and artiste, I find it critical to constantly challenge myself into new artistic languages and universes constantly seeking new mediums and ways of making films. The movie visits generations of a family living in Mongolia, connecting the lives of a grandfather and his grandson, to the events taking place in another plane, connecting one to the past. This film quenches my personal thirst and curiosity for the shamanic world in Mongolia and its consequential spirituality. Mongolia has fascinated my imagination for years now, and finding the right story to experience and tell was only a matter of time. Setting this film in Mongolia against the Khuvsgul Valley as a backdrop was of grand splendor and a major challenge in itself, Ayoub says. As if all his many experimentations with movie-making were not enough, Ayoub also turns at times to graphic novels and music videos. This is how he explains it: Many great filmmakers are artistic chameleons or polymaths, James Cameron (Oceanography), Joseph Kosinski (Architecture) or even Steve Jobs, when he produced the first ever animated feature film, Toy Story. Film directors are expected to conceive of and inhabit the universes they place their films in and for that they are expected to be masters of many trades. Inspired by such a feat and pursuing my passion for all of the above, I embarked on a journey (which I am still on) of exploring, processing and digesting as many artistic languages as possible to potentially craft my own cachet and filmic signature. Chennai: Even as another special team from Chennai was on its way to Mumbai to secure murder suspect S. Dhashwanth, he was nabbed from a motel in Andheri on Friday by the city police with help from Mumbai police. Dhashwanth, a suspect in the murder of his mother, was secured by the city police near Chembur in Mumbai on Wednesday, five days after his mother was found bludgeoned to death at their residence in Kundrathur. However, Dhashwanth, with his hands cuffed, managed to give police a slip on Thursday from a hotel in Mumbai a few hours before he was to be taken to the airport to be bought to the city. Chennai police however managed to salvage some pride by managing to trace him again. A CCTV footage of him escaping from the hotel was circulated to police stations in Mumbai and he was traced within 24 hours at a motel in Andheri, police sources said. Meanwhile, bringing him to the city would be delayed further, city police officers said. He has been handed over to the Mumbai police as he escaped from police custody there. After producing before a magistrate there, we would seek a transit warrant again, according to a senior police officer. Last Saturday, Dhashwanths mother, Sarala was bludgeoned to death in her house in Kundrathur. Jewellery worth 200 grams and her son, who was out on bail went missing from the house pointing the needle of suspicion towards Dashwanth. Dhashwanths inclination to bet on race horses, a hobby he acquired from his father, Sekar is said to have helped police in narrowing down the places where he would have left to after absconding. After scanning through the racecourses within the state, a team was sent to Chembur in Maharashtra and Dhashwant was found there on Wednesday. Chennai: The jailor of Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara, Bangaluru on Friday appeared before the Madras high court and produced in a sealed cover, the prison register which contained the signature of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and also the soft copy of her thumb impression recorded in the E-Prison electronic device when she was in the prison following her conviction in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate wealth case. Cant share Jayas prints due to statutory bar, says UIDAI Originally, the defeated DMK candidate Dr P. Saravanan filed an election petition, challenging the election of AIADMK candidate A.K. Bose in the Tirupparangundram byelection held in November last year. Contending that the left thumb impression of Jayalalithaa was obtained in Form A and B without her consent and knowledge while she was unconscious in the Apollo Hospital and with the connivance of the doctors who had attended on her, Saravanans counsel V. Arun filed the current affidavit. Saravanan contended that the decision of the Election Commission to accept the nomination papers of Bose had materially affected his election prospects. When the case came up for hearing on November 24, Justice P. Velmurugan had directed the Superintendent of central prison, Parappana Agrahara, Bangaluru and the Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to produce the thumb impression of Jayalalithaa, if any available with them, before the court on December 8. Accordingly, when the case came up for hearing on Friday, Mohana Kumar, the Jailor of Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara, Bangaluru produced in a sealed cover the prison register which contained the signature of Jayalalithaa and the soft copy of her thumb impression which was obtained when she was admitted in the prison through the E-Prison electronic device. He also informed the court that normally, the literate convicts affix their signature in the prison register and only the illiterate puts their thumb impression in the prison register. However, all the convicts thumb impression will be recorded in the E-Prison electronic device, he added. When the judge asked him whether the soft copy was certified as per section 65 B of the Evidence Act granting authenticity to it, the Jailor replied that he would get the certificate. Y.L.P. Rao, Deputy Director General of UIDAI was also present in the court. His counsel from New Delhi informed the court that there was a bar under section 29 of the Aadhar Act from disclosing bio-metric details or information about the persons who obtained the Aadhar card. Under section 33, there can be identification of limited disclosure of five fields, i.e name, age, date of birth, sex and place of birth. When the judge asked him whether Jayalalithaa had applied and got Aadhar card, he said she applied and got the Aadhar card. Asraf Ali, counsel for Bose, intervened and informed the court that the Supreme Court has stayed the proceedings this afternoon. The judge asked him what was the particular order and on which order, Bose has filed the SLP. Asraf Ali said the order dated November 24 summoning the thumb impression of Jayalalithaa from prison authorities and UIDAI has been challenged in the SLP. Recording the production of documents, the judge posted to December 15, further hearing of the case. Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao inspected work at irrigation projects, including the Medaram dam in Peddapalli district and Ramadugu in Karimnagar district and examined the underground work being undertaken at the Kaleswaram project. Mr Rao examined tunnels, pump houses, surge pools, sub-stations and switchyards. Water lifted from Medigadda will reach Yellampally via Annaram and Sundilla. From Yellampally the water will be sent to an underground surge pool on the outskirts of Medaram village through a 9.53-km tunnel. Transco CMD D Prabhakar Rao informed the CM that to pump water from the underground surge pool to Medaram tank, seven pump sets of 124.5 MW capacity each will be installed. Since the terrain is hilly and forested, the 400 MW sub-station will be constructed underground. Two of the seven pumps will be installed by June and the rest by December 2018, BHEL general manager Sundarajan said. The Chief Minister said that the crucial phase will be when water is lifted 105 metres from Kannepally to Medaram through Sundilla. He wanted all the work to be completed by the summer. Mr Rao examined work at the Medaram-Ramadugu project. He examined the 15-km tunnel and the 5.7 km canal from Medaram to Ramadugu (Lakshmipur). Mr Prabhakar Rao told him that arrangements had been made to supply 973 MW required to run seven pumps having the capacity of 129 MW to lift water from Lakshmipur. The Chief Minister instructed that the water lifted from Medaram and Lakshmipur should flow into the flood canal at the 99 km mark. He wanted arrangements to be made to pump 2 TMC of water every day. Mr Rao also wanted 1 TMC to be supplied to SRSP and another 1 TMC to Mid Mannair He said that the crucial phase of work in the Kaleswaram project is the process of the water reaching the flood canal from the Medigadda Barrage and Kannepally pump house and the quality of the work should be good. The work should be done simultaneously, he said. The CM will chair a full-length review meeting on the Kaleswaram project at Pragati Bhavan in Hyderabad on Saturday, when he will review the issues he had observed during this visit. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami is seen reviewing the pace of rescue of Tamil Nadu fishermen and relief operation in Kanyakumari district and also the efforts to bring home safely the men stranded in various States due to Cyclone Ockhi, along with Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar and senior IAS officials, at his camp office in the city on Thursday. (Photo: DC The rainy season is all but over. There may be forecasts of more rain to come, which may or not materialise because the chances of forecasting accuracy are bafflingly low as ever. But the Chennai and Tamil Nadu jinx of at least one extreme weather event per year stays. It was the turn of the cyclone named Ockhi to keep up the record after the floods of 2015 and Cyclone Vardah of 2016. Mercifully, Ockhi did not strike at the heart of the capital as the previous calamities but was nevertheless become a name to remember after Vardah and Thane (2011). Truth to tell, we have learnt a bit from the successive calamities of 2015 and 2016. At the disaster management centre in Chennai, the response to Ockhi was far more focused. For the first time it appeared as if preparedness had paid although the weather watchers took their time to study the gathering of the storm before confirming it, by when it was probably too late for those who had set sail to the high seas. What the Met office could not predict was when Ockhi became a real storm and where would he / she go after gaining the danger status. The operations in the air missions over the seas to rescue fishermen were spectacular. The story of divers dropping down into the water in order to assist fishermen who were too tired to even clip themselves to the harness was really touching. This called for bravery beyond the call of duty in seas that were rougher than what the best graphics of Hollywood can portray. The fishermen who came back safely said they had never seen anything like this. The seas seemed impossibly angry. The Navy, the Coast Guard and the Air Force did their best even though they were told to look for needles in a haystack. Every life is precious, be it that of a Minister or the fisherman out on his hardly seaworthy boat. Unfortunately we don't see it that clearly. The fishermen are invariably left to fend for themselves although sometimes it does seem they prefer it that way. Try telling them to go by the best navigational and GPS gadgets of the day and they would probably say their instincts were better at predicting than the tech. It may take years for them to learn, which is frustrating for those trying to set up a system by which tracking of boats is possible since individual radars are not something our fishermen can afford on boats that are just about seaworthy. But those who go deep sea fishing in big trawlers must be encouraged tpo equip themselves with the best navigational aids. The burden of enforcing safety is the burden of India, an eternal maelstrom with very few to lead and none to follow. The money invariably paid out after every calamity is no compensation for the lives lost. And Ockhi has been particularly severe as over 300 fishermen from Kerala (about 264) and Tamil Nadu are now missing and time is running out on daring sea rescues as it is more than 12 days since many of the fishermen left for deep sea fishing. Arguments raged over when the MET put out the cyclone warning and whether they were passed on in time to the seafarers. While there is no reason to doubt that MET put out the warning on the day before the storm hit, it is moot whether the message was passed on in real time. It would appear a logical way would be to create a directory and WhatsApp groups of fishermen so that weather bulletins can be transmitted constantly even in days when the sun is invariably beating down in most parts of the year. The bulletins will be very important in the monsoon season as south India gets both the southwest and the northeast and tropical storms are not uncommon during the monsoons. The remarkable work being done by the amateur weather bloggers, including Keaweather, whose weather report and forecasts are featured in the Deccan Chronicle every day, can also be tied to the bulletins for local weather reports and storm warnings. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. The fishermen have to be sensitised to believe in the dictum rather than just swear by their instincts. Chennai: Leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin and PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Friday demanded the resignation of deputy chief minister O. Panneerselvam and several of his cabinet colleagues after their name allegedly figured in a diary purportedly recovered by I-T officials from sand baron Shekhar Reddy. Quoting media reports, Stalin said the diary allegedly mentions payments of kickbacks by Shekhar Reddy to Panneerselvam, ministers P. Thangamani, C .Vijayabhaskar, M.C. Sampath, R.B. Uthayakumar, Dindigul C. Srinivasan, M.R. Vijayabhaskar and K C Karupannan. Media reports have come that ministers were on the payroll of Shekhar Reddy. A detailed inquiry should be instituted into the issue. And moreover all ministers who have been related to Shekhar Reddy should quit their posts immediately. Governor Banwarilal Purohit should intervene in this issue, Stalin told reporters. He also demanded that a CBI inquiry be instituted to get to the bottom of the allegations. The diary, pages of which were published in a weekly magazine and telecast on a popular English news channel, reportedly has details of payouts given to ministers and other political functionaries. However, the mining baron said he does not have the habit of writing a diary. I never wrote diary in my life and this is not my handwriting, Reddy said. In a statement, Ramadoss demanded that the Edappadi K Palaniswami cabinet resign immediately to pave the wave for an impartial probe into the allegations made against top brass of the government. The State Government should recommend a CBI probe into the issue. To facilitate the CBI inquiry, the chief minister and ministers should quit en masse immediately,he said in the statement. Typically, indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air, Indian consumers must find an immediate remedy with the help of superior technology available in the market. (representative image: Philips) Sharp, the global leader in innovative air purification devices and Ingram Micro, the world's largest wholesale technology distributor, today announced their India specific strategic alliance to further extend exclusive benefits of Sharps Plasmacluster technology to the vast Indian populace suffering from the perils of respiratory problems. This alliance brings together Sharps high-end air purification technology with Ingram Micros extensive network of 16000 channel partners to address the latent need of certified and proved air purifiers in India. Despite air pollution becoming a yearlong menace, the adoption of air purifiers is still lacking the desired pace. With 1.2 million deaths being linked to the air pollution every year in India, it has become pertinent that people are made aware of the demons of indoor and outdoor bad air quality. Also, many misconceptions, such as air purifiers with only HEPA filters being the ideal solution, is plaguing the buying decision of the consumer. The alliance with Ingram Micro allows Sharp to educate masses about the prolonged impact of air pollution and how Sharp Air Purifiers equipped with patented Plasmacluster Technology and True HEPA are the ideal solution to fight this menace. Sharps Plasmacluster technology has already earned accolades when it announced the global sales of 70 million units, the highest in air purifications. The strategic alliance for the air purifier business will help enable consumers to receive the best that the Indian air purifier industry has to offer. Under this agreement, Ingram Micro will offer the entire range of Sharps Air Purifiers, including popular models such as worlds first air purifier with mosquito catcher(FP-FM50E), dehumidifier(DW-E16FA- W), car air purifier(IG-GC2) and portable room purifier (FU-A28E). Mr Kishalay Ray, President - Sharp Consumer Business said, Our alliance brings two of the worlds trusted technology brands together to bring world-class products to consumers across India. Customers will receive Air Purifying solutions certified by 28 global labs and that no Indian suffering from air pollution will remain devoid from accessing our quality products. Together, Sharp and Ingram Micro intend to achieve accelerated adoption of air purifiers with high-end purification technology with improved air quality for the entire family. Also, with extensive network of Ingram Micro, Sharp is confident of achieving its target turnover of INR 500cr from its air purifier business by 2020 Mr Jaishankar Krishnan, Sr. Vice President and Chief Executive Ingram Micro India said, Its a perfect synergy between the two brands in terms of business philosophy and market leadership. Most air purifiers in the market restrict themselves to HEPA, missing the holistic approach needed for indoor air quality. Our partnership with Sharp will bring global standards of air purification to the Indian consumers. Typically, indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air, Indian consumers must find an immediate remedy with the help of superior technology available in the market. Plasmacluster Technology is the most effective means of getting impeccable air quality that works by using an electrical discharge to create both Positive and Negative ions, which are then surrounded in water and then released into the air. This process can clean the air and surface from irritants including dust, fungi, viruses, pollen, smell, gases and mould apart from improving skin texture. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Tokyo: Japan plans to purchase offensive air-to-surface missiles to counter North Koreas rising military threat, its defence minister said on Friday a move likely to stir debate over its decades-long pacifist policy. Itsunori Onodera said the ministry intends to request a special budget for the fiscal year starting April 2018 to purchase long-range cruise missiles deployed on fighter jets. According to local media, the ministry plans to buy JASSM and LRASM long-range, air-to-ground missiles with a range of some 900 km from US firms. It also plans to buy Joint Strike Missiles with a range of some 500 km from Norways Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, news reports said. The move will likely draw controversy as Tokyo has long maintained an exclusively defence-oriented policy under its pacifist constitution, which bans the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. But Mr Onodera insisted his ministry will continue to uphold the policy, telling reporters: We will introduce them as standoff missiles that allow us to deal with our opponents from outside the range of threats. Japans military policy has been restricted to self- defence and relies heavily on the US to attack enemy territory under the Japan-US security alliance. US President Donald Trump had caused consternation during his White House campaign by suggesting allies such as Japan need to do more to defend themselves, although since taking office Mr Trump and his diplomats have offered reassurances of support. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Parliament that North Koreas missile tests were an imminent threat to Japan and talking to the reclusive state was meaningless. We often talk about hybrid cloud business models, but virtually always in the context of traditional processor-bound applications. What if deep learning developers and service operators could run their GPU-accelerated model training or inference delivery service anywhere they wanted? What if they could do so without having to worry about which Nvidia graphics processor unit they were using, whether their software development environment was complete, or whether their development environment had all the latest updates? To make that happen, Nvidias GPU Cloud, aka NGC, pre-integrates all the software pieces into a modern container architecture and certifies a specific configuration for Amazon Web Services. Nvidia will certify configurations for other public clouds in the future. Nvidia built NGC to address several deep learning challenges. Foremost is that deep learning developers have been having trouble staying current with the latest frameworks and optimizing their frameworks for the GPU hardware they have deployed. Nvidia has the added challenge of transparently upgrading its current deep learning customers to use Voltas Tensor Core capability as new Volta-based GPU products enter the market. Tensor Cores gives deep learning developers significantly more performance for matrix math than Nvidias stock GPU pipelines provide, but developers must know to target Tensor Cores when they are running on Volta GPUs. NGC does that automatically. Integration and Tuning NGC just makes sense. It is a logical extension of Nvidias GPU-accelerated cloud images, which the company developed for internal use in much the same way that AWS and other cloud giants have deployed new services. Nvidias own developers were challenged in creating process flows for Nvidias internal projects. They needed to cope with the complexity of maintaining optimized versions of multiple deep learning frameworks. Different frameworks serve different applications and markets including drones, autonomous cars and trucks, internal chip development simulations, etc. NGC is not a simple aggregation of deep learning software development tools and frameworks in a container. There are several key components to NGC Nvidia GPU drivers, the container, development tools, CUDA runtimes, Nvidia libraries, configuration files, environment variables, configuration management and certification. All of these components are important for Nvidia to deliver NGC as a turnkey service on multiple public clouds. Plus, given the rapidly evolving state of deep learning tools, Nvidia has committed to upgrade and recertify its NGC container images on a monthly schedule.Nvidia initially will tune, test and certify NGC to work with Amazon EC2 P3 instances using Nvidia Tesla V100 GPUs, and with Nvidias DGX Systems using Nvidia Tesla P100 and V100 GPUs. Nvidias certification provides a guarantee that all the solution components are integrated properly and tuned for the best possible performance. There are other deep learning instances available in the AWS Marketplace, but they are not tuned, tested, updated or certified by Nvidia. NGCs simpleWeb interface shows its supported deep learning frameworks. (Click imageto enlarge.) Nvidia-Docker Project Two years ago, Nvidia open-sourced its development project to containerize its CUDA software development environment plus runtime OS, executables and libraries for Nvidia GPUs. The result is the GitHub project named Nvidia-docker (version 1.0.1 was released in March 2017 and version 2.0 is now in alpha test). Nvidia sometimes refers to Nvidia-docker as nv-docker, but they are the same thing. Scaling from an on-prem PC or workstation to an on-prem Nvidia DGX-Station or DGX-1 server (from a single GPU card to clusters of eight NVLink-connected Pascal or Volta GPUs chips) is possible by starting with the open source Nvidia-docker distribution and then moving to a certified NGC instance. Scaling from on-prem to public cloud can be done in the same manner. The biggest change in moving from Nvidia-docker to NGC is that Nvidia maintains NGC docker images for developers instead of developers having to update their own Nvidia-docker images. Microsoft may be next in supporting NGC on Azure. There is an Azure deployment thread in the Nvidia-docker repository. The deployment thread is based on Azures N-Series virtual machine. Given that Nvidia already has positioned NGC as multicloud, well well see what the future holds. First, Microsoft would have to announce a new N-Series VM based on Nvidias Volta products. Microsoft previewed Azures NCv2 instance using Nvidias P100 GPUs. Further, Azure is mentioned in its NGC Users FAQ, so its not a stretch to expect V100 VMs in the not-too-distant future. Nvidia then would have to certify a known good configuration of Nvidia-docker for Azure. The Nvidia-docker project also provides limited build support for IBMs Power architecture. Given IBMs work in scaling Nvidia GPU cluster performance, Nvidia-docker support might create interesting options for GPU containers in the OpenPOWER ecosystem in 2018. DIY Developer-Friendly The Nvidia-docker container runs on x86 host instances using Ubuntu 16.04 and CentOS 7 OSes. Nvidia developed host OS drivers that can run multiple virtual GPU images, so that a single-host OS can manage multiple containers virtually, accessing multiple GPU chips across many GPU sockets or add-in cards. NGC startswith Nvidia Docker and then adds everything needed to run a largeselection of deep learning frameworks. (Click image to enlarge.) NGC initially supports most major deep learning training frameworks: Caffe/Caffe2, CNTK, MXNet, Torch, PyTorch, TensorFlow and Theano. Trained models can be loaded into Nvidias TensorRT for inferencing. The open source version of NGCs underlying containers and the developer tools are available to anyone running at least an Nvidia Titan-level GPU card and a Linux host operating system. This allows do-it-yourself developers with large local datasets, security or compliance concerns to begin developing deep learning models on prem, with the pre-integrated open source version on PCs and workstations. These DIY developers then can migrate to Nvidias certified instances on major public clouds as their needs grow. The opposite migration also can happen. Some deep learning developers may start by using public cloud instances, but as their utilization rates and cloud service costs rise, they might invest in dedicated infrastructure to bring their workload on prem. NGCs optimized containers cannot be redistributed by other system vendors (outside of Nvidias DGX, AWS and future public cloud partners), but end-users can register for NGC and then download NGC containers to each Nvidia-accelerated system or cluster they use, without support. However, HPC customers are much more likely to customize Nvidia-docker instances for their specific hardware architectures. NGC is intended to streamline deep learning development on widely available Nvidia-accelerated system configurations spanning desktop to public cloud. Few structures are as synonymous with modern civilization as the skyscraper. The grandeur of these tall structures comes at a costbuildings account for close to 40 percent of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions. While our tallest buildings take a heavy toll on the environment, they also offer opportunities for improvement. Today, green skyscrapers are transforming how cities worldwide address their ecological footprint. In many ways, they show our collective capability to adjust modern life for a more sustainable future. Heres a closer look at what makes a green skyscraper and why that matters in the world today. What Makes a Skyscraper Green? Skyscrapers are typically defined as buildings with multiple levels that reach at least 100-150 meters tall (usually with a minimum of 40-50 stories). At first glance, green and skyscraper seem like an oxymoron. These gargantuan glass-sided buildings require immense amounts of resources for both construction and daily operation. The environmental cost of keeping them comfortable is significant alone, as air conditioning accounts for 14 percent of global energy use. Green skyscrapers, in contrast, make environmental sustainability a defining priority. Theres no set standard for what makes skyscrapers green, but rather dozens of steps architects and building managers can take to make the structure as resource-efficient as possible. In this way, green skyscrapers utilize sustainable design, construction, and operation principles to produce a better indoor space for both people and the broader world. Many generate their own renewable energy through solar panels or wind turbines, while others focus on reducing water usage with ultra-efficient fixtures. Some even transform the buildings exterior into a verdant green space filled with plants that pull in CO2 from the air and convert it into oxygen. Are Green Skyscrapers Better Than Green Buildings? Considering how resource-intensive skyscrapers are to begin with, is attempting to make them more eco-friendly a waste of effort? After all, it will always take tremendous amounts of energy to get hot water up 80 stories to a penthouse apartment. Some may argue societys time would be better spent investing in smaller-scale structures instead. However, comparing a green skyscraper to other forms of green buildings is flawed logic. Living in an environmentally efficient single-family home may be a sustainable choice, but only at the scale of the individual. When it comes to housing millions of people, a city of skyscrapers wins out over smaller dwellings. Thats because skyscrapers offer some of the most energy-efficient spaces in cities by concentrating people and resources in one place. Not only does this reduce transportation distances and encourage people to walk or take public transit instead of drive, but it slows down suburban sprawl and keeps untouched land out of development. What are the Benefits of Green Skyscrapers? Far beyond generating positive press for their architects, green skyscrapers offer real benefits for humans and the natural world. Heres what they offer. May Increase Greenspace Skyscrapers typically exist in places with minimal greenspace. An emerging trend is to bring the natural world back to the city by creating vertical forests on the sides of buildings. Today, some structures are home to hundreds of plant species that grow along the exterior, supporting biodiversity by providing homes for birds and insects. Reduces CO2 Emissions Buildings generate a disproportionate amount of the worlds greenhouse gasses, and sustainable construction and operation can reduce emissions considerably. The UNEP Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative predicts that the building sector has the potential to more than halve these emissions in skyscrapers by 2050 through greater energy efficiency and the switch to renewable energy. For example, Australian buildings that achieve Green Star certification produce 62 percent fewer emissions and require 51 percent less potable water than comparable structures. Similarly certified buildings in India, South Africa, and the United States also achieve emissions reductions approaching 25-50 percent by investing in green technologies for skyscrapers. Lowers Energy Expenditure for Tenants Living or working in a green skyscraper can reduce your personal energy expenditure. One Chicago-based study found that those living in suburban areas close to commuter rail lines and the subway system used 27 percent more energy per person than those who lived in green architecture high-rise buildings in a walkable downtown environment. Reduces Need for Heating and Cooling The EPA states that heating and cooling accounts for over 43 percent of all energy use in America, which makes maintaining comfortable temperatures in indoor spaces a serious cause of climate change. By utilizing more energy-efficient windows, optimizing cooling systems, and even planting shade plants along the exterior and around windows, green skyscrapers can bring their heating and air conditioning use down to a minimum. Provides Physical and Mental Health Benefits for Tenants Living and working in green buildings can have real impacts on your health, thanks to better air quality. Research shows that green buildings reduce asthma, respiratory allergies, stress, and even depression among employees and lead to improvements in productivity. Further data indicates that better indoor air quality can lead to performance improvements up to eight percent and that workers in well-ventilated apartments received better scores on cognitive tests. Lower Maintenance Costs Building a green skyscraper might cost more upfront, but the sustainability measures usually pay for themselves. LEED-certified buildings tend to achieve 20 percent lower maintenance costs than comparable buildings. These green retrofits usually decrease operating costs by ten percent each year and pay for themselves within seven. Thats even better news for landlords, as rents in LEED-certified buildings often average 30 percent higher. Less Use of Natural Resources Green buildings are efficient by design. This means they use less water, energy, and other resources than comparable buildings. These savings add up fast, as buildings account for 12 percent of the total water consumed in the United States. Research shows that LEED-certified facilities use 25 percent less energy on average and divert more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills every year. Are Green Skyscrapers Too Good To Be True? Despite these benefits, green skyscrapers arent a panacea for our planets environmental crisis. Even the best-designed structures today still have drawbacks. To start, clusters of tall towers produce enormous shadows that shade out the streets below and trap heat and pollution at ground level. Not only does this reduce the quality of life for those living below the top suites, but it can increase the amount of air conditioning and electric lighting used at lower levels. Likewise, some reports indicate that green building certifications arent as stellar as they seem. For example, many argue that LEED criteria over-emphasizes construction choices and fails to fully account for how a building is used in the long run. This can reward flashier projects without putting the spotlight on the structures that make more of a difference for the planet on a day-to-day basis. Even so, the benefits of learning how to make skyscrapers green seem to far outweigh the drawbacks, and they remain a smart solution for building more sustainable cities. Green Skyscrapers Worldwide Globally, green skyscrapers are taking off. Heres a closer look at some of the standout sustainable structures around the world today. Green Skyscrapers in China In past decades, China wouldnt come to mind as an emblem of sustainability. The country burns close to half the worlds coal supply and is home to some of the most polluted air on the planet. By some estimates, it kills up to 4,000 citizens a day. Today, the country is transforming this legacy and constructing some of the worlds greenest skyscrapers. The International Commerce Centre in Hong Kong is one worthy of attention. Constructed in 2010, the 108-story tall structure has LEED gold certification, earning it a place in the top 3 percent of green buildings worldwide. The building boasts a network of sensors that wirelessly monitor the buildings lighting, elevators, air conditioning units, and more to provide massive amounts of data for optimizing its energy use in real-time. This makes it possible to shut down unused facilities at a moments notice to prevent any unnecessary energy expenditures. From a construction standpoint, the ICC is oriented to maximize natural light retention while minimizing solar heat gain and lowering noise levels for occupants. By some estimates, the green building tower has conserved 15 million kWh of energy since 2012, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 4,500 three-member households in China. The Jin Mao Tower of Shanghai is another green skyscraper thats achieved LEED Gold certification. It has committed to reusing or recycling at least 70 percent of all the waste generated over its 88 stories. Likewise, the Kingkey 100 Tower of Shenzhen reclaims its resource use by halving the amount of wastewater it generates and by using 100 percent of its used potable water for landscaping. Not to be forgotten is the Shanghai Tower, which boasts being both the tallest building in China (the second tallest worldwide) and of achieving LEED Platinum status, the highest green building certification level possible. Bosco Verticale of Milan Perhaps no building better emulates the ideal of a green skyscraper than the Bosco Verticale of Milan. Translating to vertical forest in Italian, these twin buildings exteriors are home to more than 800 trees and 14,000 plants growing along their balconies to create a vertical forest. Not only are these plants beautiful to look at, but they consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen in its place while acting as a natural temperature regulator and noise buffer for those within the building. In total, the skyscrapers provide ten times the plant habitat space that would be possible at ground level. Today, the Bosco Verticale is fast becoming the poster child for green buildings and has inspired numerous imitations worldwide. Vertical Farming and Green Skyscrapers Beyond better resource use, some of the most significant potential for sustainable skyscrapers is through food production. As things stand now, the worlds farmers have over seven billion mouths to feed. The UN estimates that the planets population will approach ten billion by 2050, close to 80 percent of whom will live in urban areas. To keep up with these caloric needs, global food production must increase by an estimated 70 percent. One way to meet this deficit is by growing food where the people arein the middle of cities. Vertical farming is the practice of growing food indoors in vertically stacked layers, rather than in fields. Most utilize a hydroponic system where plants grow soil-less and within a continuously circulating nutrient-rich water. These indoor growing systems make it possible to control every variable for plant growth, including temperature, light exposure, moisture level, and more. By optimizing growing conditions, producers can generate large yields with less water, minimal amounts of amendments, and in far less space than traditional growing systems. The goal is to grow as much food as possible within a small space, ideally keeping it close to the people who will consume it. This eliminates the risk that erratic weather poses for traditional farmers, makes it possible to grow out of season, and can reduce fuel use for transportation. However, vertical farms are costly to develop and dont account for some agriculture factors like pollination. Likewise, the food they produce requires 24/7 access to technologyan unexpected power outage can spell disaster. Despite these drawbacks, the vertical farming industry is starting to take off in the United States. Many skyscrapers incorporate these farms into their overall green scheme, as food production pairs well with renewable energy generation and water conservation measures. Takeaway In 2009, the world reached a critical milestone. For the first time in history, more people made a city their home than a rural space. This trend towards urbanization shows no sign of slowing down, so its never been more critical to increase the sustainability of our cities. Green skyscrapers are poised to address an important component of this equation. When set up correctly, they offer one of the lowest per-capita carbon footprints possible for a large population. Looking ahead, theres more reason than ever to invest in sustainable housing and office space within dense urban environments. By finding ways to make the places we live and work lighter on the environment, we are more likely to maintain a planet worth passing down to future generations. Lydia Noyes is a freelance writer specializing in health and wellness, food and farming, and environmental topics. When not working against a writing deadline, you can find Lydia outdoors where she attempts to bring order to her 33-acre hobby farm filled with fruit trees, heritage breed pigs, too many chickens to count, and an organic garden that somehow gets bigger every year. By Eric Biber, Nicholas Bryner, Sean B. Hecht and Mark Squillace On Dec. 4, President Trump traveled to Utah to sign proclamations downsizing Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by nearly 50 percent. [S]ome people think that the natural resources of Utah should be controlled by a small handful of very distant bureaucrats located in Washington, Trump said. And guess what? Theyre wrong. Native American tribes and environmental organizations have already filed lawsuits challenging Trumps action. In our analysis as environmental and natural resources law scholars, the presidents action is illegal and will likely be overturned in court. Contests Over Land Use Since 1906 the Antiquities Act has given presidents the authority to set aside federal lands in order to protect historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest. When a president creates a national monument, the area is reserved for the protection of sites and objects there, and may also be withdrawn, or exempted, from laws that would allow for mining, logging or oil and gas development. Frequently, monument designations grandfather in existing uses of the land, but prohibit new activities such as mineral leases or mining claims. Because monument designations reorient land use away from resource extraction and toward conservation, some monuments have faced opposition from local officials and members of Congress. In the past two decades, Utah has been a flashpoint for this debate. In 1996 President Clinton designated the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a region of incredible slot canyons and remote plateaus. Twenty years later, President Obama designated Bears Ears National Monument, an area of scenic rock formations and sites sacred to Native American tribes. Utahs governor and congressional delegation have long argued that these monuments are larger than necessary and that presidents should defer to the state about whether to use the Antiquities Act. Zinkes Review In April, President Trump ordered a review of national monuments designated in the past two decades. Trump directed Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke to recommend steps to eliminate or shrink these monuments or realign their management with Trump administration priorities. Secretary Zinkes review was an arbitrary and opaque process. During a rushed four-month period, Zinke visited only eight of the 27 monuments under review. At the end of the review, the Interior Department released to the public only a two-page summary of Zinkes report. In September, the Washington Post published a leaked copy of Zinkes detailed recommendations. They included downsizing, changing management plans, or loosening restrictions at a total of 10 monuments, including three ocean monuments. Trumps Proclamations Trumps proclamations on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante note the long list of objects that the monuments were created to protect, but claim that many of these objects are not unique, not of significant scientific or historic interest or not under threat of damage or destruction. As a result, Trumps orders split each monument into smaller units, excluding large tracts that are deemed unnecessary. Areas cut from the monuments, including coal-rich portions of the Kaiparowits Plateau, will be reopened to mineral leasing, mining, and other uses. In our view, Trumps justification for these changes mischaracterizes the law and the history of national monument designations. What the Law Says The key question at issue is whether the Antiquities Act empowers presidents to alter or revoke decisions by past administrations. The Property Clause of the Constitution gives Congress the power to decide what happens on territory or other property belonging to the United States. When Congress passed the Antiquities Act, it delegated a portion of that authority to the president so that administrations could act quickly to protect resources or sites that are threatened. Critics of recent national monuments argue that if a president can create a national monument, the next one can undo it. However, the Antiquities Act speaks only of designating monuments. It says nothing about abolishing or shrinking them. Two other early land management statutesthe Pickett Act of 1910 and the Forest Service Organic Act of 1897authorized the president to withdraw other types of land, and specifically stated that the president could modify or revoke those actions. In contrast, the Antiquities Act is silent on reversing past decisions. In 1938, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt considered abolishing the Castle-Pinckney National Monumenta deteriorating fort in Charleston, South CarolinaAttorney General Homer Cummings advised that the president did not have the power to take this step. (Congress abolished the monument in 1951). Congress enacted a major overhaul of public lands law in 1976, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, repealing many earlier laws. However, it did not repeal the Antiquities Act. The House Committee that drafted the 1976 law also made clear in legislative reports that it intended to prohibit the president from modifying or abolishing a national monument, stating that the law would specifically reserve to the Congress the authority to modify and revoke withdrawals for national monuments created under the Antiquities Act. Since that time, no president until Trump has attempted to revoke or downsize any national monument. Trumps changes to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante depend on an argument that presidential declarations about what a national monument protects are subject to second-guessing by subsequent presidents. These claims run counter to every court decision that has examined the Antiquities Act. Courts have always been deferential to presidents use of the law, and no court has ever struck down a monument based on its size or the types of objects it is designed to protect. Congress, rather than the President, has the authority to alter monuments, should it decide that changes are appropriate. The Value of Preservation This summer 118 other law professors, as well as California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and a number of conservation organizations, cited our analysis in letters to Sec. Zinke concluding that the president does not have authority to downsize or revoke national monuments. Although many national monuments faced vociferous local opposition when they were declared, including Jackson Hole National Monument (now part of Grand Teton National Park), over time, Americans have come to appreciate them. Indeed, Congress has converted many into national parks, including Acadia, the Grand Canyon, Arches and Joshua Tree. These four parks alone attracted more than 13 million visitors in 2016. The aesthetic, cultural, scientific, spiritual and economic value of preserving them has long exceeded whatever short-term benefit could have been derived without legal protection. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante are home to many natural and archaeological wonders, including scenic bluffs, petroglyphs, burial grounds and other sacred sites, and a rich diversity of plant and animal life. The five Native American tribes that supported protecting Bears Ears, led by the Navajo Nation, have vowed to defend the monuments in court. President Trumps effort to scale back these monuments oversteps his authority and is unlikely to stand. This is an updated version of an article originally published on April 27 by The Conversation. It has been edited for YES! Magazine. Reposted with permission from our media associate YES! Magazine. ATLANTA -- A group of investigators from Mayo Clinic and multiple academic research centers in Italy have identified a genetic model for predicting outcomes in patients with primary myelofibrosis who are 70 years or younger and candidates for stem cell transplant to treat their disease. The group's findings were presented today at the 59th American Society of Hematology annual meeting in Atlanta by lead authors Alessandro Vannucchi, M.D. from the University of Florence and Ayalew Tefferi, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic. "Myelofibrosis is a rare type of chronic leukemia that disrupts the body's normal production of blood cells," says Dr. Tefferi. "Prior to this study, the most comprehensive predictive model for outcomes in myelofibrosis, utilized mostly clinical variables, such as age, hemoglobin level, symptoms, white blood cell count and the percentage of immature cells in the peripheral blood." Dr. Tefferi says he and his colleagues incorporated new genetic tests in the model for gene mutations including JAK2, CALR, and MPL, which are known to drive myelofibrosis. He says the new model also tests for the presence or absence of high-risk mutations such as ASXL1 and SRSF2. "Our model is also unique in that we developed it for patients who are age 70 years or younger who may still be candidates for a stem cell transplant to treat their disease," Dr. Tefferi says. Researchers studied 805 patients with primary myelofibrosis who were 70 years of age or younger. Patients were recruited from multiple centers in Italy and from Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The Italian and Minnesota groups formed two independent learning and validation cohorts. "We were surprised by how similar the predictive models performed in two completely separate patient databases," Dr. Tefferi says. Dr. Tefferi says that genetic information is increasingly being used as a prognostic biomarker in patients with primary myelofibrosis and he anticipates the potential use of such an approach along with relevant clinical, cytogenetic and mutational data for other hematologic and non-hematologic cancers. ### About Mayo Clinic Cancer Center As a leading institution funded by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center conducts basic, clinical and population science research, translating discoveries into improved methods for prevention, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. For information on cancer clinical trials, call the Clinical Trial Referral Office at 1-855-776-0015 (toll-free). About Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, education and research, providing expert, comprehensive care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visit mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic or newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org. SEATTLE - Dec. 9, 2017 - Results from a phase 2 clinical trial, presented by Seattle Children's Research Institute at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, show that the drug Abatacept (Orencia) nearly eliminated life-threatening severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) in patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplants. Abatacept, when added to the standard drug regimen used to prevent GvHD, reduced the occurrence of acute, grade III-IV GvHD from 32 to 3 percent in pediatric and adult patients who underwent mismatched unrelated donor stem cell transplants to treat advanced cancer and other blood disorders. As a result, patients receiving the post-transplant regimen with abatacept experienced improved disease-free and overall survival compared to those who did not. Acute GvHD is the most deadly complication that can arise after stem cell transplantation. Graft-versus-host disease occurs when the donated T cells, white blood cells in the immune system that fight infection, launch a vigorous attack on a patient's organs, including the skin, liver, kidneys, lung, and the gastrointestinal tract. For patients receiving cells from an unrelated donor, the rate of mild-to-severe forms of acute GvHD can reach as high as 80 percent, with up to half of patients dying from the most severe forms. "Given the serious threat of graft-versus-host disease, new approaches to make stem cell transplants safer for patients remain a critical unmet need," said Dr. Leslie Kean, the trial's principal investigator and associate director of the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Seattle Children's. "To see such striking results in patients at extremely high risk for graft-versus-disease is incredibly encouraging." Kean first became interested in using abatacept to prevent GvHD based on the immunotherapy drug's success in treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis, abatacept inhibits T-cell activation and prevents the chain of events that lead to debilitating joint inflammation. Similarly, feasibility studies conducted by Kean found that abatacept blocks the activation of certain T cells after transplant. In their models, abatacept reduced the proliferation and activation of effector T cells. Effector T cells incite GvHD when they become overactive as the patient's immune system starts to rebuild itself from the donor stem cells. "Preventing graft-versus-host disease and relapse after transplant requires a difficult balance of eliminating the bad, overactive effector T cells, without suppressing the good, regulatory T cells," said Kean, who is also an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "As we make improvements to our toolbox of agents capable of achieving this Holy Grail of stem cell transplant, it's essential to include targeted approaches like abatacept." The multicenter data presented included two patients cohorts who were enrolled across 18 sites. In the cohort of patients who received transplants from mismatched unrelated donors, all 43 patients received four doses of abatacept with a calcineurin inhibitor and methotrexate. To serve as the control, researchers looked at data from a national database of matched patients receiving two commonly used regimens to prevent GvHD - a calcineurin inhibitor and methotrexate (CNI/MTX) or a calcineurin inhibitor and methotrexate plus anti-thymocyte globulin (+ATG). At 100 days post-transplant, the cumulative incidence of grade III-IV acute GvHD occurred in 3 percent of patients receiving abatacept compared to 32 percent receiving CNI/MTX and 22 percent receiving +ATG. Patients receiving abatacept had intact immune reconstitution, significant improvement in transplantation-related mortality, no major uncontrolled infection and no increase in disease relapse. Significant survival advantages for the abatacept group were demonstrated at one year post-transplant. Overall survival improved to 85 percent (vs. 57 percent in CNI/MTX and 68 percent in +ATG controls); 79 percent of patients experienced disease-free survival (vs. 50 percent in CNI/MTX and 63 percent in +ATG controls). The second cohort of 140 patients with human leukocyte antigen-matched unrelated donor transplants completed enrollment in November 2017, with data expected from this randomized double-blind arm of the study in the next six months. "As a transplant physician, it's beyond heartbreaking to witness a patient develop severe acute graft-versus-host disease after having their leukemia cured through bone marrow transplant," said Kean. "To have a therapy at our disposal that safely targets just the T cells causing graft-versus-host disease would represent a major step forward in stem cell transplantation. It not only offers new hope that we can prevent graft-versus-host disease upfront, but that we can also significantly improve outcomes for patients requiring high-risk transplants." In addition to her work with abatacept, Kean is leading several research projects at Seattle Children's to develop novel approaches to predicting and preventing GvHD. ### About Seattle Children's Seattle Children's mission is to provide hope, care and cures to help every child live the healthiest and most fulfilling life possible. Together, Seattle Children's Hospital, Research Institute and Foundation deliver superior patient care, identify new discoveries and treatments through pediatric research, and raise funds to create better futures for patients. Ranked as one of the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Seattle Children's serves as the pediatric and adolescent academic medical center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho - the largest region of any children's hospital in the country. As one of the nation's top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children's Research Institute is internationally recognized for its work in neurosciences, immunology, cancer, infectious disease, injury prevention and much more. Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Foundation works with the Seattle Children's Guild Association, the largest all-volunteer fundraising network for any hospital in the country, to gather community support and raise funds for uncompensated care and research. Join Seattle Children's bold initiative - It Starts With Yes: The Campaign for Seattle Children's - to transform children's health for generations to come. For more information, visit seattlechildrens.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or on our On the Pulse blog. Intensive surveillance including a dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) exam every six months was far more effective in detecting breast cancer in younger women with a high-risk genetic profile than an annual mammogram, according to a research team based at the University of Chicago Medicine and the University of Washington, Seattle. The results, presented Dec. 8, 2017 at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, suggest that for this population, intensive efforts to "downstage" aggressive breast cancer by finding small early lesions in women with high-risk mutations are crucial to improving outcomes. "This study demonstrates, for the first time, that aggressive breast cancers can be caught early, without excessive recalls or biopsies," said Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, a distinguished service professor of medicine and human genetics and director of the University of Chicago's Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics. "Because of intensive surveillance and high quality care the majority of high-risk women in this study--most of whom had highly penetrant genetic mutations--have not developed breast cancer." The study was designed to evaluate psychosocial distress levels and quality of life in women undergoing intensive surveillance. Between 2004 and December 2016, the researchers recruited 305 women into a clinical trial. Volunteers had to have a lifetime breast cancer risk greater than 20 percent. More than half of the women enrolled (53%) had mutations in breast cancer related genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2 or CDH1. Ten volunteers dropped out before the first round of screening. The women who enrolled had to have mutations in one of 11 known breast cancer-related genes, or a diagnosis of breast cancer or carcinoma in situ before age 35, or a mother or sister diagnosed with breast cancer before age 50 (before age 40 for those of African ancestry). The mean age at entry was 43.3 years. After evaluation by a physician and a genetic counselor, participants were scheduled to undergo a clinical breast examination and a DCE-MRI scan every six months, and a digital mammogram every 12 months. Study subjects also had BROCA panel genetic tests looking for 12 genes associated with a predisposition to breast cancer. Those with high genetic risk mutations who completed five years of the study protocol were offered continued screening. (Enrollment closed in December 2016.) Over the course of the study, the researchers performed 2,111 DCE-MRIs (on average, about seven per participant) and 1,223 mammograms (four per participant). All cancers detected during the study were smaller than a centimeter. The researchers found 17 cancers: four ductal carcinoma in situ and 13 early stage breast cancers. Fifteen of those cancers occurred in participants with pathogenic mutations. Eleven involved BRCA1, three involved BRCA2, and one involved CDH1. None of the cancers had spread to the lymph nodes. The mean tumor size was 0.61 centimeter. The 17 patients who developed a cancer were followed continuously for a median of 5.3 years (range 0.5 to 11 years). All remain alive and free of systemic disease. Anxiety levels decreased over time and quality of life for the participants improved. The study authors recommend "further interventional studies evaluating this novel screening approach to personalize breast cancer risk assessment and prevention." In this study, DCE-MRI every 6 months "performed well for early detection of invasive breast cancer in high-risk women, accomplishing the ultimate goal of breast cancer screening--detecting node-negative, invasive tumors less than 1 centimeter," said Olopade, an American Cancer Society Clinical Research professor. "These scans performed especially well in BRCA1 mutation carriers, who are at risk for aggressive subtypes of breast cancer." "Mammograms remain important for most women," Olopade said. "But for women at high risk who are getting a DCE-MRI every six months, annual mammograms could probably be eliminated." For this group of younger women at significantly elevated risk, especially those with a BRCA1 mutation, we strongly support getting a DCE-MRI every six months." "The central goal of our study was to understand the needs of the highest risk women," said study co-author Mary Claire King, PhD, professor of genome sciences and of medicine at the University of Washington and the Walt Disney-American Cancer Society Research Professor for Breast Cancer. King has advocated for all women to be offered testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 at about age 30, regardless of personal or family history of cancer, so that women with mutations can take action to prevent cancer in their futures. "My concern is that mammography and MRI be used in ways that make sense given a woman's personal genetics," she said. "Women with mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 have very different needs for surveillance for breast disease than do women with no mutations in these genes. This is particularly true for healthy young women with mutations. It's truly critical to offer intensive surveillance to still-healthy women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations." ### The American Cancer Society (ACS) currently recommends an annual DCE-MRI as well as an annual mammogram for women who are at high risk, typically starting at age 30. The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute, the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust, Susan G. Komen, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Housewares Charity Foundation. Additional authors include Rodrigo S. Guindalini, Yonglan Zheng, Hiroyuki Abe, Kristen Whitaker, Toshio F. Yoshimatsu, David Schacht, Kirti Kulkarni, Deepa Sheth, Marion S. Verp, Jane Churpek, Jeffrey Mueller, Galina Khramtsova, Fang Liu, Akila Raoul, Hongyuan Cao, Iris L. Romero, Susan Hong, Nora Jaskowiak, Xiaoming Wang, Gregory Karczmar, Gillian M. Newstead and Dezheng Huo from the University of Chicago; Tom Walsh, Colin Pritchard, Robert Livingston and Mary-Claire King from the University of Washington; Angela R. Bradbury from the University of Pennsylvania; Elias Obeid from Fox Chase Cancer Center; and Marcio Debiasi from the PUCRS School of Medicine, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It's 15 December, Folks! As per a New 18 report, Virat could have getting married to his lady love Anushka Sharma on 15th December and not 12th December as earlier reported. We Are Damn Excited While there is no official confirmation coming in either from Virat or Anushka's side, a top functionary from ashram of Maharaj Anant Baba (their family priest) in Haridwar told News 18, "Anushka was here a few days back. She came to meet guru ji. A team of three people then left the Dham on November 28 to do preparation for some functions. On December 2, baba ji flew out of Haridwar. He won't be back here until 15th as her wedding will be in Italy on that day." Is It Really Happening? Maharaj Anant Baba is the guru at Anant Dham in Pathri, Haridwar and was spotted at the Mumbai airport on Thursday evening leaving along with Anushka, which added more fuel to the marriage rumours. The Latest Developments If rumours are to be believed then the pre-wedding celebrations will be starting in Tuscany from today. Further, a luxurious hotel has been booked in Milan, Italy where the nuptials will take place before a grand reception will be held in Mumbai later in the month of December. A Private Affair While details of the wedding have been closely guarded, one hears that the couple will exchange their vows in an intimate ceremony, surrounded by their family, closest friends and a few neighbours. Shares of DJ Basin-focused driller Bill Barrett Corporation (HPR) got pummeled this week, plunging more than 19% after the company announced a merger agreement and a stock sale. However, these moves will strengthen its position in the promising DJ Basin and its balance sheet, which should enable it to drill high-return wells and grow production even if oil remains low. That returns-driven growth positions it for success in the coming years, which is why oil investors might want to think about scooping up shares after this week's drubbing. Drilling down into what pulled the stock down this week On Tuesday Bill Barrett Corporation unveiled a series of moves that sent shares tanking. The headliner was the announcement of a strategic business combination with private-equity-backed Fifth Creek Energy. Under the terms of the $649 million deal, Bill Barrett investors will exchange their stock on a 1-for-1 basis for shares of a newly formed holding company, and Fifth Creek's owner will receive 100 million shares of the new company. In addition, Bill Barrett agreed to exchange newly issued shares for $50 million of its 7% notes due in 2022. It also completed the sale of another 21 million shares, raising $102 million in cash, which it plans to use to drill more wells. Those newly minted shares significantly dilute the value of existing investors' holdings -- Bill Barrett had roughly 75 million shares outstanding at the end of last quarter -- which is why the stock got walloped this week. That said, the combined company promises to be a much stronger entity. For starters, it will hold a large-scale acreage position in the core of the oil-rich DJ Basin. The company will have decades of drilling inventory, including an estimated 2,865 undeveloped locations that can earn an average return of 65% at current oil prices. Meanwhile, it will sport a significantly improved balance sheet since Fifth Creek has minimal debt and Bill Barrett's debt level will be 62% below end-of-2015 levels, as a result of the debt exchange and stock offering. That sets the combined company up to excel in the coming years. An emerging oil ATM The company's increased focus on the DJ Basin of northern Colorado and southern Wyoming is worth noting. While it isn't as widely known as the Eagle Ford shale and the Permian Basin, it is quietly developing into an excellent location for oil companies that control land in the heart of the play. One of those companies is shale giant EOG Resources (EOG -0.68%). It currently holds about 81,000 net acres in Laramie County, Wyoming. EOG's land is just to the northwest of Fifth Creek's property in Weld County, Colorado, and some of Bill Barrett's legacy acreage in Laramie County. That position is turning out to be a prime spot for EOG Resources, which has identified 200 drilling locations that can earn it a premium return of at least 30%, after tax, at $40 oil. While that's a much-smaller inventory than the company's assets in the Eagle Ford and Permian Basin, the returns are lucrative enough that EOG continues allocating capital to the region to keep drilling. Meanwhile, SandRidge Energy (SD -1.30%) recently made an offer to acquire Bonanza Creek Energy (BCEI -3.48%), which owns land directly adjacent to Bill Barrett's acreage in the southern part of Weld County. While SandRidge controls property in Colorado, it's farther to the west, so Bonanza Creek doesn't offer quite as good a strategic fit as Fifth Creek does for Bill Barrett (which is why several well-known investors oppose that deal). That said, both positions can deliver drilling returns above 40% at current oil prices, which shows just how promising this region is for oil companies. Returns are the primary motivator behind Bill Barrett's decision to combine with Fifth Creek, since its land can earn an average return of 80% at current oil prices. Bill Barrett anticipates that the combined company can grow production at a healthy rate next year and in 2019 while living within its current means. A hidden gem in the oil patch Bill Barrett's strategic combination with Fifth Creek and initiatives to improve its balance sheet position the company for success in the coming years. The company now controls a much-bigger portion of the high-return DJ Basin, which should fuel healthy production and cash flow growth even if oil prices remain low. Meanwhile, it has significant upside to higher oil prices since its returns and cash flow would accelerate. That's a compelling combination for oil bulls to consider, especially in light of this week's sell-off. 6 most expensive and unique types of Georgian cheese - GeorgianJournal Mikheil Saakashvili goes on hunger strike after being arrested in Kiev - GeorgianJournal Apple continues to dominate the Premium segment : Counterpoint News oi -Priyanka The firm also pointed out that sell-through volume was strong in markets like India due to Diwali sales. According to a new report by research firm Counterpoint, Market Pulse mobile handset market sales in the month of October 2017, Cupertino based tech giant Apple is gaining momentum with iPhone 8 as both the iPhone 8 Series models captured the top two positions in the list of bestselling smartphones. Meanwhile, the performance of the Samsung Note 8 was good and the Galaxy S8 series was also decent sequentially, thanks to strategic price moves from Samsung. Samsung did well with A and J series in the lower mid-tier price bands, the report said. Counterpoint said that premium models started eating share from mid-tier models and Apple continues to dominate the Premium segment ($400+), while the mid-tier is still dominated by Vivo and Oppo, Counterpoint added. SEE ALSO: India to become a full-grown 4G power in 2018, Jio may raise price: Opensignal The firm also pointed out that sell-through volume was strong in markets like India due to Diwali sales. Developed markets also picked up, thanks to a push from operators on the back of new product introductions from the top OEMs. The feature phone push with 4G LTE models continues in India, the firm added. To recall, the research firm recently said that Chinese market shipments slowed in Q3 2017 compared to a strong quarter last year, while Q3 2016 was marked by robust growth by a number of brands including OPPO and Vivo. However, this year shipment growth was strong in the second quarter, resulting in many brands ending Q2 2017 with high inventory levels and leading to softer shipments in the third quarter. The report said that OPPO, Huawei, Vivo, and Xiaomi have succeeded lately and all eyes are on Apple. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Nokia Android smartphones will not get Project Treble, confirms HMD News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu HMD Global has confirmed that the existing Nokia Android smartphones will get the Android Oreo update soon. While the users await the rollout of the update, the company has confirmed that Google's Project Treble will not be supported by any of the available Nokia phones and this includes the entry-level Nokia 2 and the flagship Nokia 8. Google announced Project Treble back in May at the Google I/O 2017 conference. It will enable faster Android updates by minimizing the hassles faced by the device manufacturers. The Project Treble is available on Android Oreo as an architectural change. With the increasing number of queries regarding the rollout of Project Treble, an HMD moderator took to Nokia's community forums to state that the latest development will not make its way to the Android smartphones those were launched with Android Nougat. The moderator wrote, "HMD is fully committed to implementing Project Treble on all new Android Oreo products in the near future, and we apologise for any disappointment this may cause." Also, clarifying on this, Juho Sarvikas, the Chief Product Officer at HMD tweeted that the company has not provided a separate vendor partition in the internal storage space and this is needed to enable Project Treble on the devices that run Android Oreo. Sarvikas also mentioned that the absence of the Treble support will leave no impact on the end users and assured that they are committed to rolling out future updates. Notably, HMD rolled out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Nokia 8 units across the world sometime in November. This adheres to the company's commitment to rolling out the latest iteration of the mobile OS by the end of this year. Eventually, the Nokia 6, Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 smartphones are all set to get the Android Oreo update soon. We even came across a report that the company plans to skip the Android 7.1.2 Nougat to Nokia 3 and update it directly to Android Oreo. For those concerned on the lack of support for Project Treble on Nokia smartphones, HMD is not the only vendor to not bring this feature to its existing devices. Even OnePlus announced that the existing devices including OnePlus 5T and its predecessors will not receive Project Treble. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Xiaomi Mi Note 3: The highest-scored Xiaomi smartphone ever in DxOMark News oi -Samden Sherpa DxOMark has taken thousands of photos and several hours of video using the Xiaomi Mi Note 3. Google Pixel 2 is the highest rated camera smartphone according to DxOMark. For those unaware, DxOMark is the leading source of independent image quality measurements and ratings for smartphone, camera, and lens. However, the latest device to be tested by the website is Xiaomi Mi Note 3. Just to recall Mi Note 3 is the Chinese company's flagship phablet and was launched in the month of September. The handset boasts a dual-camera setup, with processing powered by the Qualcomm SDM660 chipset. The main camera is equipped with dual 12 MP (f/1.8, 27mm, 4-axis OIS) + 12 MP (f/2.6, 52mm) lens while up front there is a 16 MP sensor with 27mm f/1.8 aperture and it also features a 4-axis optical image stabilization system, which basically helps improve image quality and record stable videos. In any case, DxOMark has taken thousands of photos and several hours of video using the Mi Note 3 running Firmware version 7.11.16 (MIUI9). You can check the comprehensive review here but what's interesting is the result of the test. The website has unveiled its "verified" results and quite surprisingly Mi Note 3 has become the highest-scored Xiaomi smartphone ever. The device has got an overall score of 90, which puts it right alongside the HTC U11. As for individual scores, Mi Note 3 has got 94 for photo and 82 for video. All in all, Xiaomi Mi Note 3 has received praise for delivering detailed images in both outdoor and indoor scenes, reliable and fast autofocus, the zoom ability and the good simulated bokeh effect but lost points for noise in the images. The video was criticized for poor detail in all conditions. As for our thoughts, what we can say from this reports is that Xiaomi seems to have upped its game for photography with the Mi Note 3. Best Mobiles in India Military Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 8, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 18 strikes consisting of 40 engagements against ISIS terrorists in Syria between Dec. 4 and yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the most recent strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Yesterday in Syria, coalition military forces conducted five strikes against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal, engaging four ISIS tactical units and destroying an ISIS headquarters, two fighting positions and an ISIS vehicle. On Dec. 6, coalition military forces conducted four strikes against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal, engaging two ISIS tactical units and destroying three ISIS vehicles, 13 ISIS watercraft and two ISIS-held buildings. On Dec. 5, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal, engaging eight ISIS tactical units and destroying 17 ISIS watercraft, an improvised explosive device, an ISIS line of communication, an ISIS headquarters, a heavy weapon, an ISIS vehicle and an ISIS motorcycle. On Dec. 4, coalition military forces conducted a strike against ISIS targets near Abu Kamal, engaging an ISIS tactical unit and destroying an ISIS fighting position. Strikes in Iraq There were no strikes reported in Iraq Dec. 4-7. Part of Operation Inherent Resolve These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said. The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said. The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Airstrikes Kill 5 al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula Members in Yemen From a U.S. Central Command News Release WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2017 U.S. airstrikes killed five al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula operatives in Yemen's al-Bayda governorate Nov. 20, in an effort to disrupt the terrorist's attack networks, according to a U.S. Central Command news release issued today. Mujahid al-Adani, an al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula Shabwah leader, was killed in the strikes, along with al-Bayda-based facilitator Abu Layth al-Sanaani and three terrorist network associates, the release said. Planned, Conducted Terrorist Attacks Al-Adani, also known as Mohammad Shukri, previously served as an al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula military leader in Aden and remained responsible for planning and conducting terrorist attacks against Yemeni and coalition forces. Al-Adani maintained a significant influence within al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula as well as close ties to other terrorist network senior leaders, according to the release. The Shabwah offensive has forced al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to consolidate within the northern and eastern portions of the Abyan and eastern al-Bayda governorates, respectively, the release said. The removal of key al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula leaders and associates in this region, the release said, will further degrade the terrorist network's freedom of movement and operation, limiting their ability to challenge Yemeni security forces and coalition advances. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Deputy Secretary General inaugurates new NATO Liaison Office in Moldova NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 08 Dec. 2017 NATO Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller, inaugurated the new NATO Liaison Office in Moldova today (Friday 8 December 2017). Speaking at a joint press conference with Moldovan Prime Minister Pavel Filip, in Chisinau, Moldova the Deputy Secretary General said: "Today is the culmination of almost 25 years of partnership between NATO and Moldova. The partnership we have benefits NATO, and it benefits Moldova." The office will be staffed by civilians and will help support dialogue and cooperation between NATO and Moldova. The partnership between NATO and Moldova focusses on improving the lives of the Moldovan people. In recent years, at the invitation of the Moldovan government, NATO has worked to safely dispose of land mines and hazardous chemicals, to develop advanced medical technologies, to strengthen Moldova's defences against cyber-attack, and to improve governance and combat corruption. "We have been impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the Moldovan armed forces, as well as the civilian members of the Ministry of Defence," Ms. Gottemoeller stressed. "NATO fully respects Moldova's neutrality, independence and sovereignty, but neutrality does not mean that we cannot be strong partners," the NATO Deputy Secretary General said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Navy Prepares to Search for C-2A Aircraft Navy News Service Story Number: NNS171208-10 Release Date: 12/8/2017 8:43:00 AM From U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy will deploy a team of deep water salvage experts to search for the C-2A Greyhound aircraft that crashed in the Philippine Sea on the way to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Nov. 22. While the aircraft's last position on the surface of the water is known, the depth of water in that area exceeds 16,000 feet, beyond the capabilities of salvage assets in theater. In the coming days, a team of deep water salvage experts led by United States Navy's Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV) will deploy from Washington, D.C. The salvage team will embark a U.S. Navy-contracted salvage vessel in Japan and proceed to the crash site at sea. Once on station, highly skilled operators will search for the aircraft's emergency relocation pinger with a U.S. Navy-owned towed pinger locator (TPL-25) system. If the search is successful, additional deep water salvage assets will deploy to survey and recover the aircraft. Every effort will be made to recover the fallen Sailors. Assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC 30) forward deployed to Japan, the C-2A aircraft was carrying 11 crew and passengers when it crashed. Eight personnel were recovered immediately by U.S. Navy Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC 12). For the next three days, Ronald Reagan led combined search and rescue for three Sailors with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF), covering nearly 1,000 square nautical miles before ending the search. An investigation is in progress. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli air strike, artillery shells hit Gaza, 25 injured Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 06:42PM Over two dozen Palestinians have been injured in Israeli artillery and air strikes against the besieged Gaza Strip, amid escalating tensions in the occupied territories in the wake of the US president's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as the Israeli capital. Israeli forces fired artillery shells at a checkpoint belonging to Palestinian resistance forces in the northeast of the town of Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, on Friday night. An Israeli jet also targeted a group of resistance fighters in the east of Beit Hanoun, the Palestinian Information Center said, adding that they survived the air strike. Palestinian sources said Israel also carried out an air strike on the town of Beit Lahia. Three Israeli rockets were fired at Shaikh Zayed area in northern Gaza. Reuters cited the Palestinian Health Ministry a saying that 25 Palestinians, including six children, were injured in the attacks. Tel Aviv claimed that Palestinian resistance forces had fired a number of rockets at an Israeli military position. On Friday, clashes broke out between Israeli forces and Palestinians protesting against the recent decision by US President Donald Trump to recognize the occupied Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel despite widespread international opposition to the measure. Trump announced his decision on Wednesday. He said Washington would relocate the US embassy in the occupied lands from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds. In reaction to the announcement, Palestinians staged rallies across the West Bank, Jerusalem al-Quds, and Gaza. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Mahmoud al-Masri, 30, was shot to death by Israeli forces in Gaza's southern city of Khan Yunis on Friday. On Thursday, the Israeli military said an aircraft and a tank had targeted two security posts in Gaza. The attack in the late hours of the day had no casualties. Jerusalem al-Quds remains at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 14 UN peacekeepers killed, over 40 wounded in DR Congo attack Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 05:08PM An armed group has attacked a base of the United Nations peacekeepers in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least 14 peacekeepers and wounding 40 others. The UN peacekeepers, who were mostly from Tanzania with at least five Congolese soldiers, blamed the Friday attack on a rebel group based in neighboring Uganda. "It's a very huge attack, certainly the worst in recent memory," said UN deputy-spokesman Farhan Haq from New York. The base, which is located about 45 kilometers from the town of Beni, has been repeatedly attacked by rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group. It is home to the peacekeeping mission's rapid intervention force, which has a rare mandate to go on the offensive, according to Radio Okapi, which is backed by the UN mission. The UN has described the attack in Congo as the worst in the recent UN history as well as a war crime. The radio station, citing military sources, said fighting had lasted four hours. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had one of the most brutal colonial rules before undergoing decades of corrupt dictatorship and back-to-back civil wars that left the mineral-rich country poor and politically unstable. In 2006, the UN mission helped carry out Congo's first free and fair elections in 46 years, paving the way for President Joseph Kabila to be elected for a five-year term. His second term in office ended in 2016. Under the DR Congo's constitution, Kabila is banned from seeking a third term. However, Kabila is authorized to stay in office until his successor is elected but he decided to remain in power. This prompted the UN to urge the Congolese authorities "to respect the fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Congolese Constitution." The delay in holding an election has flared up violence in the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US al-Quds move to pose new security challenges to Mideast: Lebanese PM Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 01:16PM Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has warned that US recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital will pose new challenges to the security of the Middle East. "It complicates the peace process even more (between Israel and the Palestinians) and creates a new challenge to regional security," AFP quoted Hariri as saying at the Lebanon International Support Group meeting in Paris on Friday. "In the name of the Lebanese people, I can only repeat our rejection of this decision," he added. Hariri's remarks come as protests are underway across Palestinian territories and around the world against Washington's decision with regard to Jerusalem al-Quds. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defied global warnings and said the US formally recognizes Jerusalem al-Quds as the "capital" of Israel, and will begin the process of moving its embassy to the occupied city, breaking with decades of American policy. Washington's al-Qud move has raised a chorus of outcry across the international community. The Muslim world, the United Nations and even US allies in the West have criticized the bid, saying it would plunge the already tumultuous region into new upheaval. Palestinian leaders have declared Friday as the "day of rage" against Israel and the US. Clashes broke out between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters after Friday prayers in Jerusalem al-Qud's Old City, Hebron, Bethlehem and the Nablus area in the West Bank as well as Gaza Strip. Israeli forces fired rubber bullets and tear gas at the Palestinian protesters, injuring nearly 40 people. The UN Security Council is set to hold an urgent meeting on Washington's announcement later in the day. Late on Wednesday, Deputy Palestinian UN envoy Feda Abdelhady-Nasser said in a letter to the UN Security Council that Trump's move violates numerous resolutions that prohibit changes to the status of Jerusalem al-Quds. The entire Jerusalem al-Quds is currently under Israel's control, while the regime also claims the city's eastern part, which hosts the third holiest Muslim site. The city has been designated as "occupied" under international law since the 1967 Arab War, which Palestinians want as the capital of their future state. Trump had vowed during his presidential campaign that he would relocate the US embassy in order to court pro-Israel voters. Palestinians have repeatedly warned Trump against such an action, saying it would deliver a death blow to any prospects of the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and fuel extremism in the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel to build 14,000 settler units in Jerusalem al-Quds Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 02:54AM Emboldened by US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital, the Israeli regime is reportedly planning to push ahead with plans to build around 14,000 new settler units in the city. Under the plan, pursued by Israeli housing minister Yoav Galant, 5,000 units would be built in the northern parts of the city and just outside Ramallah, Israeli media reported Thursday night. There would be 1,000 units built in East Jerusalem al-Quds, while the remaining 8,000 units were to be built in the city's western parts. The plan is expected to draw fire from Palestinians, who want the occupied West Bank as part of their future independent state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital. Israel, on the other hand, lays claim over the whole city as its capital. Trump declared the city as Israel's capital on Wednesday and said that he would relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds. "Following President Trump's historic declaration, I intend to advance and strengthen building in Jerusalem," Galant was quoted as saying. If true, this would be the first major construction in the occupied city in more than two decades. Apparently, Galant's plan enjoys strong support in the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet. "There are no more excuses. There are no more reasons why we should not build in the city, when the president of the United States views it as the undisputed capital of Israel," other cabinet members were quoted as saying by Israeli media. Much of the international community regards the Israeli settlements as illegal because the territories were captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and are hence subject to the Geneva Conventions, which forbid construction on occupied lands. Last month, the European Union urged the Israeli regime to stop plans for the construction of new settler units in the occupied West Bank, warning that such moves undermine peace efforts. The last round of talks between Israelis and Palestinians collapsed in 2014. Tel Aviv's illegal settlement activities and its refusal to release senior Palestinian prisoners were among major reasons behind the failure of the negotiations. More than half a million Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US to regret Trump's 'foolish' embassy decision: Velayati Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 01:27AM US President Donald Trump's "foolish" move to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as the Israeli capital has dealt "the last blow" to the American "political life" in the Islamic world, says a senior Iranian official. In a statement delivered at the closing ceremony of the 31st International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran on Thursday night, Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said the US would regret Trump's "foolish" decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds -- Islam's third holiest city. "Trump must beware that this move is the last blow to the US political life in the Islamic world and Western Asia, and it will not be long before the American establishment regrets it. Because it would ignite the wrath of over one-and-a-half billion Muslims," read part of the statement. Since the US Congress ruled in 1995 that the embassy be relocated from Tel Aviv, every president has deferred the troublesome measure by signing a six-month waiver included in the bill. Trump signed his own first waiver in June, drawing fire from Israel by backtracking on one of his key campaign promises. On Wednesday, however, the 45th US president ordered the relocation work to begin, asking other countries to follow in his footsteps. Noting that none of Trump's predecessors had the courage to make the move, Velayati said Trump's move had made Palestine the first priority of the Islamic world, especially in the aftermath of the Daesh terror group's defeat. "All of the plots, sedition and warmongering against the Islamic world are, from a certain point of view, aimed at marginalizing the issue of Palestine," he said. "Today, Daesh no longer exists," Velayati added, noting that Islamic nations had overcome the "bloodiest" and the "most unprecedented" Israeli-US plot to date. The "rapacious, imprudent and aggressive" American head of state was mad over the fall of Daesh, Velayati said. The move by Trump received negative reaction from almost all of Washington's allies, namely the European Union, the UK, Germany and France. Even Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two of America's closest allies in the region, could not hide their opposition. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Tells UN It Is Still Committed To Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process RFE/RL December 08, 2017 The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says President Donald Trump remains committed to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, as the backlash continued against the controversial U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "Let me again assure you, the president and this administration remain committed to the peace process," Ambassador Nikki Haley said on December 8 during an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council called to discuss the matter. The meeting came as thousands of Palestinians protested in a "day of rage" in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip, and in East Jerusalem against the decision, which broke long-standing U.S. policy in the Middle East. U.S. allies from Germany and Saudi Arabia to Britain and the European Union have condemned Trump's decision and said it would make negotiating peace in the region more difficult. Haley insisted that the United States remains a credible mediator with both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, and instead suggested it was the United Nations that was hampering peace negotiations. "The United States has credibility with both sides. Israel will never be, and should never be, bullied into an agreement by the United Nations, or by any collection of countries that have proven their disregard for Israel's security," Haley told the Security Council. 'Serious Risk' Of Escalation Nevertheless, Security Council members pushed back against the December 6 decision by Trump, which also included a vow to shift the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a process that could take three to four years to complete. Britain described the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as "unhelpful" for the peace process and said it "encouraged" the United States to put forward "detailed proposals" for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Egypt's UN ambassador, Amr Aboulatta, said the U.S. decision would have "a grave, negative impact" on peace efforts. UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov said there was a "serious risk" of an escalation of violence in the region in reaction to the decision, which "can only push us further away from achieving our shared goal of peace." In the region and elsewhere, protests continued for a second straight day. Hundreds of Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces along the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, leaving at least two protesters dead and dozens injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military said in a statement that soldiers "fired selectively at two main instigators" and confirmed hitting them. These were the first deaths since clashes erupted across the Palestinian territories after Trump's announcement. Thousands of Palestinians also battled with Israeli security forces in the West Bank cities of Hebron, Bethlehem, and Ramallah after the main weekly Muslim prayers, with protesters throwing stones at Israeli soldiers who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Hamas Calls For New 'Intifada' Israel had deployed hundreds of additional police in Jerusalem as the Islamist group Hamas urged Palestinians to abandon peace efforts and launch a new uprising or "intifada" to protest Trump's move. Demonstrations of solidarity with the Palestinians were staged in other Muslim-majority nations as well, including Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt. According to a report by Al-Jazeera TV, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said he would no longer talk to the United States until Trump reversed the decision on Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Ankara said Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey next week for talks with his counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on a range of issues, including the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. U.S., Israeli Flags Burned In Iran, tens of thousands of people rallied nationwide after Friday Prayers, with protesters in Tehran chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" and burning U.S. and Israeli flags. Tehran's Friday Prayers leader, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, said Trump's move proved that the "only solution to the Palestinian issue is an intifada." "Inflict as much damage as you can on this occupying and criminal regime," Khatami said, referring to Israel. Two previous intifadas -- in 1987-1993 and 2000-2005 -- claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians and over 1,000 Israelis. Thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians marched in the streets of Beirut and thousands of others gathered near the Palestinian refugee camp of Chatilla in southern Lebanon. In Turkey, thousands of people gathered outside a mosque in Istanbul's conservative Fatih district after Friday Prayers, waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. Hundreds of Egyptians held protests at the famous Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo following Friday Prayers amid tightened security. In Pakistan, rallies took place in the cities of Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi, with protesters burning effigies of Trump and chanting "Down with America" and "Down with Israel." More than 1,000 Afghans staged protests in central Kabul, with demonstrators holding banners reading "Death to Israel" and "Death to America" and burning effigies of Trump as well as American and Israeli flags. The status of Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians regard it as the capital of their future state. Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and declared all of the city as its capital, a move never recognized by the international community. Most countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv. With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, the BBC, The New York Times, and RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/israel-palestinians-protest- us-trump-jerusalem-capital/28904929.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Accused Of Harassing Moldovan Politicians With 'Fabricated' Lawsuits RFE/RL December 08, 2017 The head of Moldova's ruling party has accused Russian authorities of harassing him and other party officials with bogus lawsuits. Vlad Plahotniuc was charged in absentia by Russian investigators this week with orchestrating the attempted murder of a banker in London in 2012, according to Russian media outlets. In comments to Reuters on December 7, Plahotniuc said that Russian officials are trying to frame him to put him on international law enforcement watch lists. Plahotniuc said he expected further retaliation after the Moldovan parliament on December 7 passed a law to prevent the dissemination of foreign "fake news" on Russian-language and other channels. Russian security services are "falsely accusing us of ethnic, political, and ideological hatred, murder, theft, virtually anything they could think of," Plahotniuc said by e-mail to Reuters through a representative. "They have seen their attempts failing so far, thus, they already went on with tougher and more explicit abuses," he said. The Russian news agency Interfax reported that Moldova's ruling party issued a statement on December 6 condemning Russia's "politically motivated persecution" of party members with "fabricated" lawsuits, and calling on the Moldovan Foreign Ministry to protest the "abuses." The Russian Foreign Ministry and Prosecutor-General's Office did not immediately respond to the accusations. Maria Zakharova, the ministry's spokeswoman, at a briefing last month accused the Moldovan government and lawmakers of "some openly anti-Russian actions," including hampering attempts by Moldova's president to forge closer ties with Moscow. "Nevertheless, Russia is open to long-term development of friendly, partner relations with a neutral Moldova, relations based on long-standing historical ties between our peoples," she said. Ex-Soviet Moldova is politically divided between a pro-Western government, which favors closer integration with the European Union, and pro-Russian President Igor Dodon. Tensions have been growing between Moldova and Russia this year. The Chisinau government in March accused Russia's security apparatus of seeking to derail a Moldovan probe into a Russian-led money-laundering operation by harassing Moldovan officials as they traveled to or through Russia. Plahotniuc told Reuters that behavior continued in recent months because of ongoing investigations into the case known locally as the "Russian Laundromat." Russia's behavior "toward my colleagues and me is an explicit act of blackmail and political harassment...abusive and illegal behavior, which will not change our commitment to the democratic and European development of Moldova," he told Reuters. The Moldovan parliament adopted a bill on December 7 aimed at combating foreign propaganda, banning television channels from airing news and analytical programs from countries that have not signed a European broadcasting agreement, including Russia. "Nobody is banning any channels from any particular country. This is not a question of banning channels from broadcasting, but about banning specific programs whose purpose is manipulation, propaganda, and disinformation," the author of the bill, Serdjiu Sirbu, told parliament. Dodon said he would not sign the bill into law. "Under no circumstances will I sign a bill limiting the broadcasting of Russian TV channels in the republic. This document contradicts all the European norms of freedom of speech, as well as the Constitution of Moldova," he said. With reporting by Reuters, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service, and Interfax Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-accused-harassing- moldovan-politicans-fabricated-lawsuits- plahotniuc/28904411.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Argentinian Ex-President Charged With Treason For Deal With Iran On 1994 Bombing RFE/RL December 08, 2017 A federal judge in Argentina has indicted former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner for treason and called for her arrest for allegedly covering up Iran's involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center that killed 85 people. Judge Claudio Bonadio on December 7 in his 491-page ruling called on Argentina's Senate to strip Fernandez of her immunity from arrest, which she gained upon being elected a senator this fall. The bombing of the Argentinian Israelite Mutual Association (AIMA) community center in Buenos Aires, which killed and wounded more than 300 people, was Argentina's worst terror attack. Argentinian investigators accused five former Iranian officials -- including former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is now deceased, former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, and ex-Revolutionary Guards commander Mohsen Rezaie -- of ordering Tehran's Lebanese Shi'ite ally Hizballah to carry out the bombing. Iran denies any involvement. The attack -- which followed a 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires that killed 29 people -- devastated Argentina's Jewish population, the largest in Latin America at about 300,000 people. Fernandez, 64, who negotiated a deal with Iran in 2013 that enabled the accused to avoid prosecution, on December 7 denied any wrongdoing and accused Bonadio and President Mauricio Macri of politicizing the judiciary. "It is an invented case about facts that did not exist," said the former president, who governed from 2007 to 2015. The crime of treason is punishable by 10 to 25 years in prison, Argentina's maximum sentence. Several aides and allies of Fernandez were arrested on the same charges on December 7, and the judge ordered former Foreign Minister Hector Timerman to be held under house arrest. The cover-up allegations against Fernandez gained international attention in January 2015, when the prosecutor who initially leveled the charges, Alberto Nisman, was found shot dead in his Buenos Aires home. An Argentinian appeals court a year ago ordered the reopening of the investigation. Nisman's death was classified as a suicide, though an official investigating the case has said the shooting appeared to be a homicide. Nisman's body was discovered hours before he was scheduled to brief Congress on the community-center bombing. Nisman had prepared a case charging Fernandez with working behind the scenes to clear Iran of any culpability in the bombing attack and normalize relations to clinch a grain-for-oil deal with Tehran that was signed in 2013. The agreement created a joint commission to investigate the AMIA bombing that critics said was really a means to absolve Iran. Fernandez said in court earlier this year that the deal with Tehran -- which was passed by the Argentinian parliament but not by Iran's legislature -- "had one aim: to allow an investigation into the Iranians accused in the AMIA attack, so that the case could move forward." She argued that since Iran and Argentina had no extradition agreement, and Argentina does not carry out trials in absentia, there was no other way to proceed with the investigation. Fernandez said on December 7 that the deal with Iran "was an act of foreign policy that cannot be prosecuted.... From the legal point of view, it is nonsense" to suggest signing the deal amounted to "treason," she said. "The case was absolutely paralyzed because Iran does not extradite its compatriots. What we did was to act within the framework of international law," she said. Bonadio wrote in his ruling that evidence showed the deal was part of "an orchestrated criminal plan" to cover up the alleged involvement of Iranian officials in the attack in return for lucrative trade deals with the Islamic republic. Moreover, he said, Iran through the agreement appeared to achieve its goal of avoiding being declared a "terrorist" state by Argentina. Fernandez now faces a battle over her immunity to prosecution in Congress. She was sworn in as a member of the Senate upper house last week. For Fernandez to be arrested, two-thirds of the Senate would have to vote to remove her immunity. The Senate usually avoids votes to allow the arrest of colleagues until they have been found guilty, but Senate leaders have said they will closely examine the judge's ruling. Even if Fernandez retains immunity, the judge could continue investigating because the protection is only from arrest. Fernandez and the other defendants have several options to appeal, which could drag the case out for years. With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, and Reuters Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/argentine-ex-president- fernandez-de-kirchner-charged-treason-2013-deal- iran-role-1994-bombing-aima-jewish-center- buenos-aires-rafsanjani-/28904322.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump's Jerusalem Move to Hinder Return of Palestinian Refugees - Lebanese PM Sputnik News 20:47 08.12.2017(updated 21:26 08.12.2017) The ministerial meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon, currently being hosted by France, is aimed at rallying support for Lebanon and Hariri, whose resignation last month, from which he later stepped back, has sparked fears of renewed turmoil in the crisis-ridden region. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Following the international ministerial meeting in Paris, Lebanon's Prime Minister stated that US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital will complicate the process of returning Palestinian refugees to their homes. "Our constitution clearly says that Palestinian refugees are not allowed to permanently settle in Lebanon. The US decision [to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital] only deteriorates the situation and compromises both a two-state solution and the peace process as a whole," Saad Hariri said at a press conference streamed on Periscope by the French Foreign Ministry. On Wednesday, Trump announced his decision to officially recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. The move was hailed by Israel but condemned by the rest of the international community as one which undermines the peace talks. Lebanon, due to its geographical position, has consistently claimed to be under the pressure of regional tensions, including the influx of Palestinian and Syrian refugees. Israel seized Jerusalem from Jordan during the Six-Day War in 1967. The international community does not recognize the annexation of East Jerusalem, a holy site for three religions, and believes its status should be determined based on an agreement with the Palestinians, who seek to create their own state in territories occupied by Israel. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Attack in Eastern Congo Kills 14 Peacekeepers, Injures Over 40 - UN Sputnik News 17:59 08.12.2017(updated 21:50 08.12.2017) A UN peacekeeping mission base in Congo has repelled an attack by insurgents of the Allied Democratic Forces, according to radio station Okapi, which is linked to peacekeepers. UN Spokesperson Stephan Dujarric has reported that fourteen UN peacekeepers had been killed and more than forty wounded in the attack on the peacekeeper's base in the North Kivu province, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The targeted peacekeepers are mainly from Tanzanian, according to the UN officials. Deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said that the deadly attack also claimed lives of at least five Congolese soldiers. "It's a very huge attack, certainly the worst in recent memory," Haq added. Armed militants from the Allied Democratic Forces carried out a brutal attack on the base of the UN peacekeeping mission late on Thursday. The base is located 45 kilometers (27 miles) from Congo's Beni, town repeatedly hit by rebels. Radio station Okapi, which is linked to the UN peacekeepers' mission, reported that fighting lasted for four hours. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the assault and called for the attackers to be brought to justice. "This is the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the Organization's recent history. It's another indication of the enormous sacrifices made by troop-contributing countries in the service of global peace. These brave women and men are putting their lives on the line every day across the world to serve peace and to protect civilians," Guterres added. Under-Secretary-General for the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix wrote on Twitter that he was "outraged" by the attack. The United Nations has sent technical experts to assist in the criminal investigation of the attack on UN peacekeepers, UN Spokesperson Dujarric said during a press briefing on Friday. The DRC has been mired in conflict since the mid-1990s. While the so-called Second Congo War ended in 2003, clashes have continued in the eastern parts of the country, where various rebel groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces, continue to operate. The province of North Kivu remains one of the DRC's most unstable regions. The UN Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) took over from an earlier UN peacekeeping operation on July 1, 2010. The mission's mandate includes protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights activists threatened with violence, as well as support for the government of the DRC. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN chief calls for $1 billion in donor contributions to emergency response fund 8 December 2017 United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for $1 billion in donor contributions to the Organization's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) a pool of funding that supports critical relief operations in crises around the world as humanitarian needs have increased from $5.2 billion in 2005 to over $24 billion today. "Over the past twelve years, CERF has been at the forefront of humanitarian response," UN Secretary-General said at a pledging conference in New York, thanking the 126 Member States and Observers, and the other donors who have generously contributed to the fund since its creation in 2005. "CERF is without question one of our most important tools to reach people quickly and save lives," he added. This year, CERF, managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), has funded life-saving work, allocating nearly $130 million to help prevent famine in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. The fund also supported relief responses in other places, including for Palestine refugees in Gaza, for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and those affected by hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean. Mr. Guterres then announced a CERF allocation of $100 million to meet critical needs in nine underfunded emergencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mali, Philippines, Eritrea, Haiti and Pakistan. Protracted conflict and the impact of natural disasters, compounded by structural fragility and chronic vulnerability, mean that more people than ever before survive on the brink of disaster. In 2018, protracted crises are likely to continue, while the impact of climate change is likely to grow and intensify. "There is no sign of a let-up in humanitarian needs," the UN chief said, noting that this is why the General Assembly adopted a resolution a year ago that calls for an expansion of CERF's annual funding target from $450 million to $1 billion. Noting that the global humanitarian funding gap stands at $11 billion as of 30 November and humanitarian response plans are funded at an average of just 60 per cent, the Secretary-General stressed that a $1 billion CERF will help to bolster contingency financing. "$1 billion is an ambitious but achievable goal," he said. "A strong United Nations needs a strong CERF." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address DR Congo: Over a dozen UN peacekeepers killed in worst attack on 'blue helmets' in recent history 8 December 2017 At least 15 United Nations 'blue helmets' in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been killed and many more injured, in what the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as the "worst attack" on UN peacekeepers in recent history. Late Thursday, a MONUSCO (the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC) Company Operating Base at Semuliki in Beni territory, North Kivu, was attacked by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) elements, resulting in a protracted fighting between the suspected armed group elements and MONUSCO and Armed Forces of the DRC, known by the French acronym, FARDC. "These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime" said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, adding: "I condemn this attack unequivocally." Further, calling on the DRC authorities to investigate the incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice, the UN chief stressed: "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." In his remarks, he also said that the attack is another indication of the challenges faced by UN peacekeeping operations around the world and acknowledged the sacrifices made by troop contributing countries in the service of global peace. "These brave women and men are putting their lives on the line every day across the world to serve peace and to protect civilians," he noted, offering condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and a speedy recovery to those injured. All of the peacekeeping troops killed in the brutal attack which reportedly lasted some three hours were from Tanzania. In addition, three members of the contingent are reported to be missing in action. According to Ian Sinclair, the Director of the UN Operations and Crisis Centre (UNOCC), initial figures indicate that 53 peacekeepers been injured, of whom three critically, but the numbers could rise. Members of the FARDC have also been killed and injured in the attack but numbers are yet to be confirmed, Mr. Sinclair told reporters at a news briefing at the UN Headquarters, in New York. "Our reinforcements have arrived on the scene and a search is ongoing for the missing soldiers," he said, noted that the wounded have been evacuated from the area, among whom some have been further evacuated to more advanced medical facilities in Goma, DRC. "Further medical evacuation is possible for seriously injured," he added. Also today, in a strongly worded statement, the UN Security Council condemned the attack. "There can be no impunity for such acts," stressed the 15-member Council, calling upon the Government of the DRC to ensure that the perpetrators of such attacks are swiftly brought to justice. In the statement, the Security Council also reiterated their full support to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC and to MONUSCO to fully implement their mandate. The volatile North Kivu region, located in eastern DRC, has witnessed a number of attacks on UN peacekeeping forces. In October, two UN 'blue helmets' were killed and another 18 were injured their base was attacked by the ADF armed group. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gaza: UN official releases funds to enable life-saving aid programmes in enclave 8 December 2017 A senior United Nations aid and development official in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) today released $2.2 million to support health, food and livelihood programmes in the Gaza Strip. According to a news release by the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the allocation authorized Friday by Robert Piper, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities, will also enable essential and life-saving child and maternal health interventions, including the provision of incubators and phototherapy equipment to neonatal intensive care units and intensive care units in Gaza hospitals. "With each day that passes without improvement, hopes diminish and frustrations rise. We must summon the resources and political will to bring change to Gaza," said Mr. Piper in the news release. "In spite of political movement towards Palestinian reconciliation in recent months, most of the measures adopted by the Palestinian Authority since March 2017, which triggered the latest deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, are yet to be reversed," he added. The resources from the oPt Humanitarian Fund, will enable the most vulnerable families in the Gaza Strip to immediately access fresh and nutritious local food through the provision of six-month fresh food vouchers for families falling below the deep poverty line, with insufficient or no access to means of assistance and with limited capacity to meet their households' basic food needs. It will also support livelihoods and improved food security of farmers to overcome the electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip, through provision of solar power systems and agricultural supplies. The allocation comes in the context of an overall deterioration in conditions in the Gaza Strip this year following the worsening of an electricity crisis that has left Gaza's nearly two million already suffering from 10 years of Israeli blockade and internal Palestinian divisions with an average of only four to six hours of electricity per day, severely disrupting daily life and the provision of basic services, the news release added. The oPt Humanitarian Fund is an emergency pooled fund that supports the delivery of strategic humanitarian assistance to address priority needs, while retaining the flexibility to respond unforeseen emergencies or events. It is a pooled funding mechanism, operated from donations from the Governments of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tillerson Urges Saudi Arabia to Curb Military Role in Yemen By VOA News December 08, 2017 U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Saudi Arabia Friday to curb its military intervention in Yemen, a country in the throes of a humanitarian crisis triggered by a two-year civil war. "We would encourage them to be a bit more measured and a bit more thoughtful," Tillerson said of Saudi Arabia after the Arab kingdom imposed a blockade on Yemen last month. The secretary's comments in Paris came two days after President Donald Trump directed his administration to pressure Saudi Arabia to lift the blockade to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and commercial shipments. Also Friday, the White House issued a new statement calling on "all parties to immediately cease hostilities, reenergize political talks and end the suffering of the Yemeni people." The White House also condemned "the Houthis' brutal repression of political opponents" in Sanaa, including the slaying of former ally, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and "their reckless missile attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates," the press secretary said in a statement. The White House also urged the Saudi-led coalition to "facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid and critical commercial goods, including fuel, through all Yemeni ports and to restore commercial flights through Sanaa Airport." Trump's tougher position on Saudi Arabia over its role in Yemen follows criticism from humanitarian groups that his administration has largely ignored the escalating humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Tillerson discussed the Yemeni civil war and other Middle East issues Friday at a meeting in Paris of the International Lebanon Support Group, which includes the U.N. Security Council member nations of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The group also discussed ways to stabilize Lebanon by pushing Saudi Arabia and Iran to stop meddling in its politics and urging the Lebanon-based Hezbollah political party and militant group to restrict its regional activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Raises DRC Death Toll to 15 Peacekeepers, 5 Congolese Soldiers By Margaret Besheer December 08, 2017 The United Nations says the death toll in an attack Thursday on U.N. peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo has climbed to 15, and the U.N. will fly its flags at half-staff Monday in tribute. The peacekeepers, all from Tanzania, were working at a U.N. mission in DRC's troubled North Kivu province, home to the Ugandan rebel group the Allied Democratic forces (ADF). A U.N. official told VOA that the group, which has attacked the mission in the past month, is suspected to be behind Thursday's attack. Reports say at least two more peacekeepers are missing. The U.N. mission, MONUSCO, said at least five Congolese soldiers were also killed in the protracted fighting between suspected ADF elements and MONUSCO and Congolese forces. Tanzanian President John Magufuli has expressed shock over the attack. He addressed his constituents Friday, the day the attack was reported by the United Nations and the day before Tanzania celebrates its independence day. The U.S. State Department has said it is "horrified" by the attack, in a statement coming out of the department's Bureau of African Affairs. The statement extended "deepest condolences" to the peacekeeping mission, the Congolese military and the families of those killed. At the United Nations on Friday, the U.N. Security Council held a moment of silence for the victims, followed by closed consultations on how to respond. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the attack a war crime. Guterres expressed his "outrage" after Thursday's attack, which also left about 40 people injured. "I condemn this attack unequivocally," Guterres said earlier Friday. "These deliberate attacks against U.N. peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime." "This is the worst attack on peacekeepers in the organization's recent history," Guterres said. The peacekeepers were part of a special intervention force based in eastern Congo. "Military reinforcements have arrived on the scene, the force commander is there as well, coordinating the mission's response, and the medical evacuation of casualties is ongoing," Guterres added. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly and constitute serious violations," said MONUSCO chief Maman Sidikou in a statement. "MONUSCO will take all actions to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable and brought to justice." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opposition Forces Accused of Killing S. Sudan Lawmaker By Daniel Martin Friday December 08, 2017 Officials in South Sudan's Yei River state have accused fighters loyal to rebel leader Riek Machar of killing a state assembly lawmaker. A spokesman for the rebels denied the allegation. Jacob Kwiyansuk was shot dead by unknown gunmen Wednesday in the Ugandan town of Mijale, according to Yei officials. He was killed while meeting with South Sudanese refugees who crossed the border to escape fighting in the Kajokeji area in July 2016. Last month, members of parliament representing the counties of Kajokeji, Liwolo, Nyepo and Kangapo went to northern Uganda to consult with refugees about establishing a grassroots-led peace initiative. When his colleagues returned to Yei, Kwiyansuk remained in Mijale. Yei River State Information Minister Alfred Kennedy Duku accused Machar's opposition forces of killing Kwiyansuk. "The late [lawmaker] was shot by anti-peace elements loyal to Riek Machar in Mijale Sub County. The Government of Yei River State strongly condemns this criminal and terrorism act carried out by the anti-peace elements," Duku told VOA's South Sudan in Focus. Wayi Goodwill, a spokesman for rebels loyal to Machar in Yei River State, denied his group had anything to do with Kwiyansuk's death, and told South Sudan in Focus that the group's forces are not in Uganda. Noel Malish Scopas, who represents Mugwo County in the Yei River state assembly, believes lawmakers' lives are at risk, and called on Ugandan authorities to launch an investigation into Kwiyansuk's death. Lawmaker Celina Pita from the Kajokeji area condemned Kwiyansuk's killing and urged both the South Sudanese government and rebels to end human rights violations. "We are very sad because we have lost Jacob and we urge the warring parties to ensure that this war stops so that peace returns and not to continue losing lives in this way," Pita told VOA. South Sudan has been mired in a war between government and rebel forces since December 2013. Last week Yei River state officials also accused rebels loyal to Machar of beheading two civilians in Jale village near the South Sudan-Uganda border, an accusation the rebels have also denied. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Palestinian Killed in Middle East 'Day of Rage' Reaction to Trump's Jerusalem Move By Robert Berger December 08, 2017 A Palestinian man was killed by Israeli soldiers in Gaza Friday during clashes in a "Day of Rage" called for by Palestinians after the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The health ministry confirmed Mahmoud al-Masri, 30, was killed in clashes along the Israel-Gaza border. The Israeli military confirmed that it shot two people in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, accusing them of being "main instigators" of "violent riots." Israeli police fired tear gas at Palestinian protesters in Bethlehem Friday as the "Day of Rage" called for by Palestinian factions got underway. Additional security forces were called into Jerusalem following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement Wednesday that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the U.S. plans to move its embassy there. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. The Palestinians want the eastern part of Jerusalem for its capital of a future independent state. In the past, Israel has imposed age restrictions at Jerusalem's Temple Mount compound where violence often erupts during tense times. Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said, "We have no indication there will be disturbances on the mount, therefore there is no age restriction. If there will be disturbances, then we will respond immediately." The site is known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. It is the holiest Jewish site and the third holiest in Islam. Protests are also being held Friday across the region and in Muslim-majority countries. Demonstrations were reported in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, on Friday. The Islamist group Hamas, meanwhile, has called for an uprising against Israel. Trump's announcement defies decades of diplomacy in the quest to bring peace to Israel. Jerusalem has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the quest and it was widely believed that a solution would be hammered in the peace process negotiations. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. The Palestinians want the eastern part of Jerusalem for its capital of a future independent state. The White House on Thursday denied that the president's announcement on moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem means his administration is pulling out of the Middle East peace process. "In fact, in the president's remarks, he said that we are as committed to the peace process as ever, and we want to continue to push forward in those conversations and those discussions," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. "And hopefully the ultimate goal, I think, of all those parties is to reach a peace deal. And that's something that the United States is very much committed to." No other country has immediately followed President Trump's lead in planning to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something the White House has acknowledged. "I'm not aware of any countries that we anticipate that happening at any point soon," said Huckabee Sanders. "I'm not saying that they aren't, but I'm not aware of them." The Russian ambassador in Israel, Alexander Shein, said Moscow could move its embassy to West Jerusalem "after the Palestinians and the Israelis agree on all issues of the final status of the Palestinian territories." The Russian foreign ministry, in a statement viewed as a surprise by Israelis, said it considers "East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state. At the same time, we must state that in this context we view West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel." Trump, on Wednesday, said he was directing the State Department to immediately begin drawing up architectural plans for a U.S. embassy in the holy city. But the actual relocation of the U.S. embassy, however, would take years, according to White House officials. "We have to acquire a site, we have to develop building plans, construction plans, as you point out, ensure we get the authorizations - although I do not anticipate any difficulties getting those authorizations. And then actually build an embassy," U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday at a joint press conference with his French counterpart in Paris. "So this is not something that is going to happen this year, probably not next year," Tillerson added, also noting that Trump was careful to say in his speech Wednesday that recognition and moving the embassy do not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. Both Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have expressed concern about the timing of Trump's announcement, according to U.S. officials. Asked by VOA whether the president's declaration had been delayed at the request of the two Cabinet members in order to put into place adequate security at U.S. embassies, Huckabee Sanders replied the decision was made only after "a thoughtful and responsible process" and that "components of the decision went through the full inter-agency process." Palestinian officials say Trump's decision has disqualified the U.S. as an honest broker in the peace process. Many U.S. allies are also disagreeing with the move. The United Nations Security Council and the Arab League plan to meet soon to discuss the action. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Isolated at United Nations Over Jerusalem Decision By Margaret Besheer December 08, 2017 Some of the United States' oldest allies turned their backs on Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and relocate its embassy there, during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Friday. "It contradicts international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions," Swedish Ambassador Olof Skoog told the council. "Jerusalem is a final status issue and can therefore only be resolved through negotiations agreed between the parties." Skoog noted that in 1947, the year before the state of Israel was established, the United Nations attributed special legal status as corpus separatum or a "separated body" to the city, which is holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. 1980 decision Until now, states have respected a 1980 council decision declaring attempts to change the status of Jerusalem as "null and void" and calling on all states to withdraw their diplomatic missions from the city. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states after a negotiated settlement. "We therefore disagree with the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and unilaterally to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel before a final status agreement," Rycroft said. "These decisions are unhelpful to the prospects for peace in the region, an aim I know all of us in the council remain committed to." More than half the council's 15 members requested the open meeting, and delegations from other member states packed the chamber, indicating the importance Jerusalem's status holds across the globe. Security Council members criticized the Trump administration decision, saying it risks prejudging the outcome of final status issues and threatens the entire peace process. They also expressed concerns it could be exploited by extremists and radicals, fueling tensions in an already turbulent region. "This carries the risk of taking a political conflict which in and of itself carries risks causing it to morph into an insurmountable religious conflict," warned French envoy Francois Delattre. Egypt, under the leadership of Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has developed a close relationship with the Trump administration, but the two have diverging views on this issue. "This is a dangerous precedent that needs reflection," cautioned Egyptian envoy Amr Aboulatta. "Such a unilateral decision is a violation of international legitimacy and thus, it has no impact on the legal status of the city of Jerusalem, since it is a city under occupation," he added. Israel annexed East Jerusalem after the 1967 war. Rare rebuke In a rare rebuke of the United States, the four European council members Britain, France, Italy and Sweden with Germany, read a joint statement to reporters after the meeting, reinforcing their disagreement with the Trump administration position and stating the move runs counter to security council resolutions and is unhelpful to the pursuit of peace. During Friday's council meeting, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley was defiant. A staunch ally of Israel, she first took aim at the U.N. "Over many years, the United Nations has outrageously been [one] of the world's foremost centers of hostility toward Israel," Haley said. "The U.N. has done much more to damage the prospects for Middle East peace than to advance them. We will not be a party to that." She defended the president's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying it is the "will of the American people" and is merely recognizing the reality on the ground. "The United States has not taken a position on boundaries or borders," she said. "The specific dimensions of sovereignty over Jerusalem are still to be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations." She said the president supports maintaining the status quo at holy sites. "We remain committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement," Haley added. "We support a two-state solution if agreed to by the parties." 'Reality check' Israel's envoy Danny Danon welcomed the U.S. announcement saying it should serve as a "reality check" for the Palestinians and other nations. "They can realize what's always been true: that recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a critical and necessary step for peace," Danon said. "They can learn that there will never be peace without Jerusalem as the capital of Israel." Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the U.S. announcement was "extremely regrettable," has heightened tensions and risks completely destabilizing the situation. He referred to several U.N. resolutions protecting Jerusalem's status. "No policy announcement can change that reality, nor can it negate the rights of the Palestinian people, per international law and the relevant U.N. resolutions," he said. Mansour told reporters that following meetings of the Arab League ministers Saturday in Cairo and next Wednesday of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Istanbul, he would return to the Security Council to ask members to adopt a resolution asking the U.S. to rescind its decision and to reaffirm the special status of Jerusalem. The United States would certainly veto such a resolution, but politically the move could further internationally isolate the Trump administration. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tillerson: US Embassy Move Does Not Affect Jerusalem's Final Status By Lisa Bryant December 08, 2017 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it is up to Palestinian and Israeli negotiators to determine Jerusalem's ultimate status despite the Trump administration's decision this week to recognize the city as Israel's capital and move the U.S. embassy there. Tillerson, who joined an international meeting to shore up support for Lebanon, spoke amid ongoing clashes and protests following President Donald Trump's statement. Tillerson told reporters the move, likely to take months, does not change the city's disputed status. "The president indicated in his statement that his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and his direction to the State Department to begin the process of moving the embassy did not indicate any final status for Jerusalem," he said. "And I think he was very clear that the final status of Jerusalem including the borders would be left to the parties to negotiate and decide." French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian suggested in a radio interview that Washington's decision on Jerusalem leaves it sidelined in Middle East peace negotiations, although the European Union's foreign envoy said the United States remains a key player. Concern over the Trump administration's Jerusalem move colored discussions among international envoys in Paris, even though the topic of Friday's meeting was actually Lebanon. French President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to foreign meddling in Lebanon, where Iran and Saudi Arabia have vied for influence. He also warned against further instability in the region following the U.S. announcement on Jerusalem. For his part, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri appealed for more international support so his country can cope with a flood of Syrian refugees. There now are plans for another international conference on that topic in Brussels. On another front, Tillerson called on Saudi Arabia to be more measured toward Yemen. He reiterated appeals for the Saudis to end a blockade preventing food deliveries to the war-torn country, which is threatened with famine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Somalia, Djibouti Say Trump's Recognition of Jerusalem is 'Dangerous' By Mohamed Olad Hassan December 08, 2017 Two East African countries say U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is "dangerous" and could spark an international crisis. "We are urging the U.S. government to seriously reconsider the risks that its decision could have on the future of the Middle East and the world in general," said a statement Friday from Somalia's foreign ministry. "We call for Arab, Muslim and other nations to redouble their efforts to find a solution to the Palestinian issue in order to end the crisis in the region," said the ministry. The government said it and the Somali people are prepared to support Palestinians' struggle for their rights. Neighboring Djibouti says it rejects the U.S. decision on Jerusalem. "This grave decision, contrary to international law and United Nations resolutions, is potentially dangerous insofar as it fears an escalation of tensions in the Middle East and beyond." "The Republic of Djibouti reiterates its commitment to the two-state solution, living side by side in peace and security with East Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Palestinian state." The statements came as hundreds of residents protested in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, against President Trump's decision. "We have gathered here to express our reaction and show our solidarity with Palestinians who are suffering from Israeli aggression," protester Abdullahi Dabar said. "This is unacceptable, and Trump's decision, as Muslims, only unites our hearts and minds." Another protester, Garad Hassan, said "Trump cannot give a historic Islamic city to Israel, and we will fight against any such move to the last drop of our blood". The protesters, led by several imams of the city's major mosques, rallied at the bustling K4 junction, where they chanted anti-Israel and anti-Trump slogans including "Down, Trump!" NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Opponents Vanquished, Cambodia PM Hun Sen Eyes Peace By David Boyle, Khan Sokummono December 08, 2017 In front of the largest religious monument on Earth, the world's longest-ruling prime minister Cambodia's Hun Sen prayed for peace and happiness in front of 5,000 monks Sunday. As loudspeakers invoked the kings of Cambodia's once glorious empire, a grandiose spectacle full of royal symbolism unfolded in front of Angkor Wat to mark a new chapter in the country's political history. With his opponents from the now dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party vanquished, Hun Sen basked in the glory of this spectacular extravaganza captured by a team of drones broadcasting live onto giant screens. It was a scene that marked something of a departure from the cult of personality Hun Sen traditionally has cultivated as a self-made rebel rather than an entitled member of the ruling class, observers told VOA. Political scientist Astrid Noren-Nilsson, who authored Cambodia's Second Kingdom: Nation, Imagination, and Democracy, said in an email that any claim to legitimate power vested in tradition in Cambodia inevitably fell back on the historical model of kingship. "Still, there appears to be a shift in how Hun Sen relates his brand of leadership to kingship. Until now, he has mainly made himself known as Sdech Kan a rebel on the throne who uproots the genealogical line of the Angkorean kings," she said. The tale of Sdech Kan a 16th-century peasant who rose to usurp the throne before he was overthrown and beheaded is a fixation of the premier's and recently was immortalized in the most expensive Cambodian film ever made. "The recent ceremony suggests a shift to loudly project continuity with the Angkorean kings. I believe that this duality is here to stay, and that the second theme will become increasingly prominent." A pamphlet distributed at the ceremony drew parallels between the ceremony and the struggle of Jayavarman II, who united the upper and lower kingdoms of Chenla, founded the Khmer empire and deified the monarchy after rising to the throne in the late 7th century. Peace prayer ceremony Minister of Culture Phoeung Sakona said the same ceremony had been employed by kings of yesteryear to celebrate the sacrifices of great national heroes, but she stressed it could only be held during peace. "Once we got independence from French, King Norodom [Sihanouk] also celebrated the praying [ceremony]," she said. "When three provinces were given back to Cambodia [from Thailand], King Sisowath also celebrated the same praying, so it is not about the question of what is the motive behind this celebration." After crushing his political opponents during a wave of political violence in 1997, Hun Sen held the same peace prayer ceremony at Angkor Wat in the name of national reconciliation. Noren-Nilsson said the difference that time was Hun Sen's defeated political opponents then Sam Rainsy and Prince Norodom Ranariddh actually were invited to make peace. On Sunday, not only were opposition members absent but, despite the overtones of divine authority, Cambodia's actual king, Norodom Sihamoni, and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath were nowhere to be seen. Neither Kong Sam Ol, Minister for the Royal Palace, nor Oum Daravuddh, an adviser to the royal cabinet, could be reached to explain the absence and sources close to the royal family declined to speak on the record. Family roles Also apparently absent were all of Hun Sen's progeny, except for a modestly dressed Hun Many, the youngest of Hun Sen's three sons, who was highly visible greeting an ensemble of dignitaries dominated by party officials and ministers. Political Analyst Ou Virak said he believed Hun Sen was likely looking to legitimize an imminent succession in the eyes of both his party and the Cambodian people. "That change will take place. That generation shift to the next leadership who were actually born after the war days that's going to be very interesting to see. It will take, my prediction is it will take place in the next five years," he said. Though Hun Sen's eldest son, Hun Maneth, had long been considered the "chosen one," Virak suggested the premier might be leaning toward pushing Many already a parliamentarian out as the political face of his dynasty. Maneth, who occupies senior positions in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, could then help retain tight control over the real base of power while his daughter Hun Mana solidified the economic foundations through her powerful business holdings, he said. Many, 35, has significantly increased his public engagement in his role as head of the ruling party's youth association in recent years while cultivating a positive public image through his naturally friendly temperament. Noren-Nilsson said she also believed Many's visibility at the event gave "one more indication that he might be groomed to succeed his father." "In this context, it is noteworthy that the Ribbon ceremony [pithi ambas chang dai] was held, a blessing ceremony normally held at weddings for the prosperity of the couple suggesting that the Angkor praying ceremony gave real centrality to the family and the bloodline of Hun Sen," she wrote. Personal legacy In terms of Hun Sen's own personal legacy though, Virak said if Hun Sen was seeking to deify himself he would struggle to convince a public who were only receptive to one figure of such heroic magnitude at a time. "The biggest frustration for someone like Hun Sen would be that while he has led the country for many, many years, in terms of reverence, in terms of whether he's revered as much as the late King Sihanouk used to be, for example, I don't think that is something he will be able to achieve," Virak said. If not, it won't be for a lack of trying. About 10 kilometers north of Phnom Penh, a giant monument celebrating Hun Sen's "win-win" strategy of defeating or co-opting political opponents is being built by one of his richest beneficiaries. The colossal structure has its own bas reliefs just like Cambodia's ancient temples depicting the premiere's great deeds, though the embossed scenes are cut into freshly poured concrete, not almost 1,000-year-old stone. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address State Department: US Travel Ban Fully Implemented By VOA News December 08, 2017 The U.S. State Department said Friday that it had begun implementing President Donald Trump's order limiting travel into the country. The order, which was given the go-ahead by the Supreme Court on Monday, restricts travelers to varying degrees from eight countries, six of them with Muslim-majority populations. The countries are Chad, Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Venezuela and North Korea. The State Department said in a statement that no visas would be revoked under the new vetting procedures. It also said the restrictions were not intended to be permanent. They "may be lifted as countries work with the U.S. government to ensure the safety of Americans." Meanwhile, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia assailed a Trump administration lawyer on Friday with questions about the president's travel order. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hashim Mooppan said the travel restrictions differed from earlier versions because they reflect "a multiagency, worldwide review, engagement and recommendation process." Mooppan also told the 13 judges that the Supreme Court had sent a "strong signal" by ruling that the travel order could be implemented. The high court granted an administration request to implement the order after two appeals courts, including the 4th Circuit, had limited it. The appellate judges' questions indicated they weren't so sure that the review settled matters. Questions about tweets Noting that the review is classified and the judges had not seen it, Judge James Wynn Jr. asked about information that has been made publicly available, Trump's tweets: "Do we just ignore reality and look at the legality in how to determine this case?" Wynn was not the only judge to ask about the tweets. "So you're suggesting, counsel, while the president may be showing anti-Muslim bias in his tweets, that cannot be taken over into the content of the proclamation?" Judge Barbara Milano Keenan asked. "And the president's tweets, you've already conceded, are official statements of the president of the United States and that they should be subject to charitable interpretation. There was a tweet a month before the proclamation was signed by the president, tweeting a statement that shooting Muslims with bullets dipped in pig's blood should be used to deter future terrorism. How am I to interpret that charitably?" Judge Stephanie Thacker asked. Along with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the West Coast, the Virginia court is considering the legality of the travel order. In its ruling Monday, the Supreme Court said the lower courts should continue to consider the matter. The 4th Circuit has been asked to overturn a decision by a Maryland judge whose injunction in October barred the administration from enforcing the ban against those travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen who have bona fide relationships with people or organizations in the U.S. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's foreign minister censures Washington's provocation in Korean Peninsula Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 03:09PM Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has censured the joint military exercises conducted by the United States and South Korea, saying the drills could provoke North Korea to carry out more missile tests. Lavrov made the remarks on the sidelines of the 24th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria, on Friday. He said Washington had told Moscow in September that "before spring there are no planned military drills near the Korean Peninsula." The Russian foreign minister said the information was understood by Moscow as Washington's readiness "to create some conditions for a dialogue." "We transmitted that signal to Pyongyang. They did not say no." "But in just two days unscheduled, unplanned large-scale drills in October were announced which no one expected. After the drills Pyongyang again did not make any sudden movements. And wishing this sudden movement to happen, one more exercise in December was announced at the end of November." The US military has been conducting joint exercises with South Korea since December 4, drilling mock attacks on North Korea in different war scenarios. North Korea on Wednesday said that those drills made war with the US inevitable. Lavrov said Pyongyang test-launched a missile, "which by all accounts is an intercontinental one" following the announcement about the US-South Korea drills. North Korea successfully launched a new type of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week, following which the country declared that it had "realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force." "I am not trying to excuse this (North Korean) launch," Lavrov said, stressing that Moscow had denounced the North's missile launch, but "the United States acted as if they wanted to provoke them for a new risky venture." The Russian official said that "now it will get more difficult to create conditions for renewing the dialogue," adding, "But we are certain - the North Koreans told us that repeatedly - that they need security guarantees." The US has been at odds with North Korea over its rapidly-advancing weapons program. Pyongyang, in turn, says it is developing its missiles and nuclear program to guard against potential hostility by the US, which has substantial military presence in the region. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China calls on US, North Korea to tone down rhetoric Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 06:55AM China has urged the United States and North Korea to exercise restraint, reminding the sides that war would not resolve the long-standing issues between them. The US military has been conducting joint exercises with South Korea since Monday, drilling mock attacks on North Korea in different war scenarios. North Korea said on Wednesday that those drills made war with the US inevitable. An unnamed spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Washington's threats against the North have made the outbreak of war in the Korean Peninsula an "established fact." "The remaining question now is: when will the war break out?" the source said. Amid the heated rhetoric, China, which is North Korea's main ally, called for restraint. "We hope all relevant parties can maintain calm and restraint and take steps to alleviate tensions and not provoke each other," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a press briefing on Thursday. "The outbreak of war is not in any side's interest. The ones that will suffer the most are ordinary people." The US has been at odds with North Korea over its rapidly-advancing weapons program. Pyongyang, in turn, says it is developing its missiles and nuclear program to guard against potential hostility against the US, which has substantial military presence in the region. Russia says North would like to talk to US Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he has told US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on the sidelines of a conference in Vienna that Pyongyang would take part in direct talks with the Washington. Lavrov said that Moscow was prepared to facilitate and act as a mediator in the potential talks between the two countries. He said Pyongyang wanted to seek guarantees on its security. "We know that North Korea wants above all to talk to the United States about guarantees for its security. We are ready to support that, we are ready to take part in facilitating such negotiations," Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as saying. Lavrov also said that the US military exercises and aggressive rhetoric were causing an unacceptable escalation in the tensions with North Korea. Japan to buy long-range missiles from US, Norway Japan said on Friday that it was going to purchase long-range missiles from the US in an apparent countermeasure against the North. Japan's Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said on Friday the ministry intended to request a special budget to purchase long-range cruise missiles deployed on fighter jets. According to local media, the ministry plans to buy JASSM and LRASM long-range, air-to-ground missiles with a range of some 900 kilometers from US firms. It also plans to buy Joint Strike Missiles with a range of some 500 kilometers from Norway's Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace, news reports said. Japan's military has been constitutionally restricted to self-defense, relying heavily on the US to protect itself. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to change the constitution to bring the military greater powers. Earlier this week, Abe told parliament that North Korea's missile tests were an "imminent threat" to Japan, claiming that negotiating with Pyongyang was meaningless. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China and Russia Urge Restraint, Diplomacy as Korean Crisis Worsens Sputnik News 22:00 08.12.2017(updated 21:51 08.12.2017) Leaders from the foreign ministries of both China and Russia have called on North Korea and the United States to end the cycle of provocation that the DPRK recently claimed was making war on the Korean Peninsula inevitable. North Korea accused the US of "confrontational warmongering" that made inevitable a resumption of hostilities in Korea after 64 years of a shaky detente. "The remaining question now is: when will the war break out?" the Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement. "We do not wish for a war but shall not hide from it." The comments came in response to one of the Korean Peninsula's largest military exercises of 2017, which is saying something: the US-South Korean "Vigilant Ace" air exercises that have involved 230 aircraft, including stealth fighters and B-1B strategic bombers that can be equipped with nuclear bombs. It's the same old story, but every week it seems to become just a little less about posturing and a little more about real preparation for calamitous warfare. China, who would likely would prefer not to have war on their borders, has pushed for cooler heads to prevail. "We hope all relevant parties can maintain calm and restraint and take steps to alleviate tensions and not provoke each other," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a Wednesday statement. "The outbreak of war is not in any side's interest. The ones that will suffer the most are ordinary people." Russia, which also borders North Korea, echoed this stance by way of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov telling US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during the Vienna meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that the large-scale military exercises and aggressive rhetoric of US President Donald Trump were contributing to a rise in tension. "I am not trying to excuse this [North Korean] launch," Lavrov said during his speech before the OSCE. "We condemned it and demanded that North Korea fully complied with the resolution of the UN Security Council. But the United States acted as if they wanted to provoke them for a new risky venture. And so they did. Of course now it will get more difficult to create conditions for renewing the dialogue. "But we are certain the North Koreans told us that repeatedly that they need security guarantees," Lavrov pleaded. Indeed, if one were to ask Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, he would reply that his country's nuclear weapons program was driven by just such a need, in the absence of a permanent peace on paper. Lavrov also told the Interfax news agency that he had passed a message from Tillerson to Pyongyang: a desire to sit down at the negotiating table and try to end the crisis. "We know that North Korea wants above all to talk to the United States about guarantees for its security. We are ready to support that, we are ready to take part in facilitating such negotiations," he said. But the State Department's demand for negotiations may not be one with which North Korea is willing to agree. Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that Washington will not bother with talks unless North Korea is "willing to denuclearize." "It is something that Russia says it agrees with; it is something China has said it agrees with, and many other nations around the world as well," Nauert said during a press briefing. But North Korea has not shown "any interest in sitting down and having any kind of serious conversations when they continue to fire off ballistic missiles." After ten weeks of silence, North Korea tested a new missile in the last days of November: the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). While the test failed as the missile broke up upon re-entry, an operational Hwasong-15 could strike anywhere in the US, and almost anywhere in the world. A few days later, Vigilant Ace began it has generally been the pattern of Washington to respond to North Korean missile tests with shows of naked force, although the annual exercise had been planned far in advance and was not a direct response to the Hwasong-15 test. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China, S. Korea Look to Sync Approach on Pyongyang By Bill Ide, Brian Padden December 08, 2017 Analysts say issues surrounding North Korea and tensions on the peninsula will be a top priority when South Korean President Moon Jae-in visits China next week. Pyongyang recently tested what is believed to be its largest and most powerful ballistic missile, an ICBM experts estimate is capable of reaching as far as the east coast of the United States. The threat of a possible nuclear war is casting a cloud over South Korea's hosting of the Winter Olympics and the United Nations is debating a new round of sanctions. For China and South Korea, the meetings between the two countries' leaders will also be an opportunity to give the relationship a fresh start. Relations soured earlier this year after South Korea deployed a U.S.-made missile defense system to help shield itself from a possible attack from the North. China believes the system is a threat to its own security and rolled out punishing economic sanctions on Seoul in response. Those sanctions impacted trade and tourism and some of South Korea's biggest companies, including Lotte, which owned land that was used for the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system. Shen Dingli, a political science professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, said that while meetings will seek to smooth over that lingering dispute, finding ways to bring stability to Northeast Asia will take priority. "The North Korea nuclear issue is a threat to both South Korean and China. Any disagreement between China and South Korea would be playing into North Korea's hands," Shen said. Shen said Beijing would be looking to Seoul to do more to keep Washington in check, particularly when it comes to the possibility of the use of military force. Shen said that China is not opposed to the use of force in response to an attack, but opposes any pre-emptive action. "Chairman Xi will definitely tell Moon Jae-in that South Korea plays a key role in stopping the U.S. from making the first move. South Korea, not China, plays that key role," Shen said. Bong Young-shik, a political analyst with the Yonsei University's Institute for North Korean Studies in Seoul, said there's a great sense of urgency about a possible war triggered by unilateral military action by the United States or by accident. "In that regard, China and South Korea are on the same page, to give a diplomatic solution a last chance," Bong said. During his visit, which begins next Wednesday, President Moon may reconsider South Korea's strategic position between China and the United States to deal with the growing North Korean nuclear and ICBM threat. The liberal South Korean leader has advocated dialogue and engagement polices to reduce regional tensions that Beijing supports, while also aligning closely with the United States' hard-line position on strong economic sanctions and military deterrence. Bong said Moon could express a degree of support for China's and Russia's freeze-for-freeze proposal to suspend both the U.S./South Korea joint military exercises and North Korea's nuclear and missile tests. "I think there is growing preference inside the Moon Jae-in government to give it a try to (support) China's proposal to have the simultaneous suspensions," said Bong. Cheng Xiaohe, an associate professor at Renmin University's School of International Studies, said that given that the South Korean government is very close to Beijing, the two are likely to focus on ways to avoid the use of military force and restart talks during meetings next week. "This is a very important meeting. An opportunity (for both countries) to get more in sync," Cheng said. The meeting will be a chance to understand "if there are talks (with North Korea), what should be discussed, sanctions and what should come next. And if there is a military strike what kind of strike would be considered." A new round of sanctions is currently being discussed at the United Nations and if it has not passed before Moon visits, Cheng said China will be looking to coordinate with South Korea on that as well. In the wake of North Korea's most recent ICBM launch, the United States has been calling on China to cut off oil exports to Pyongyang. But that is a move Beijing worries could lead to social and political instability or even military conflict. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wassenaar Arrangement Admits India as 42nd Member Sputnik News 14:38 08.12.2017(updated 14:50 08.12.2017) On Thursday, Wassenaar Arrangement, an export control regime, admitted India as its new member, which would enhance its credentials in the field of non-proliferation. New Delhi (Sputnik) The Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) on export control for conventional arms, dual-use goods and technologies has admitted India as its 42nd member. The decision was taken during the WA's two-day plenary meeting in Vienna. This has raised India's status among governments promoting non-proliferation and is expected to help the country acquire critical technologies. It could also pave way for India's admission to the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group. "Confirming that the WA's existing membership criteria continue to apply, the WA's participating states reviewed the progress of a number of current membership applications and agreed at the plenary meeting to admit India, which will become the Arrangement's 42nd participating state as soon as the necessary procedural arrangements for joining the WA are completed," the statement issued on Friday said. The twenty-third Wassenaar Arrangement plenary meeting, chaired by Ambassador Jean-Louis Falconi of France, was held in Vienna on December 6-7, 2017. The Wassenaar Arrangement on export controls for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies was established on the basis of initial elements adopted in July 1996. The WA is based in Vienna, Austria. France has congratulated India on its admission to Wassenaar Arrangement. "As president of the Wassenaar Arrangement this year and co-rapporteur of India's candidacy, France warmly congratulates India for joining the Arrangement. One more recognition, after MTCR, of the growing role India plays in today's world," Alexandre Ziegler, France's ambassador to India said in a tweet. Russia has played a key role in facilitating India's membership in the WA. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who visited India recently for foreign office consultations, had assured India of his country's support for India's membership bid. Russia is also lobbying hard for India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Russia is likely to raise the issue with China during the India-Russia-China Foreign Ministers meet to be held in India on December 11. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iraq starts 2nd phase of ops to clear desert areas of Daesh Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 11:23AM Iraqi forces have begun a new push to clear the last areas in the country's arid west of pockets of Takfiri Daesh terrorists. Troops and Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Sha'abi) "launched a major drive to clear areas of the al-Jazeera region between Nineveh and Anbar [Provinces] in the second phase of operations," the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement on Friday. The first phase, which had begun on November 23, cleared 50 percent of the total desert area of around 29,000 square kilometers. Daesh began a terror campaign in Iraq in 2014, overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks. Iraqi forces then launched operations to eliminate Daesh and retake lost territory, and last month, Iraqi forces liberated Rawa, the last remaining town in the grip of the outfit. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has, however, reserved announcing an ultimate victory over the terrorist group until after those last small concentrations are cleansed. During a visit to the Middle East on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he expected Iraq to declare victory over Daesh by the end of this month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan plans to provide its fighters with long-range missiles, in defense Saudi Press Agency Friday 1439/3/20 - 2017/12/08 Tokyo, Rabi'I 20, 1439 H., December 08, 2017, SPA -- Japan today announced it was planning to provide its fighter planes with long-range cruise missiles. Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera said in a statement to reporters that his country needs to enhance its defense ability in view of the security situation which is getting dangerous, noting that his ministry is reviewing three kinds of missiles that could work outside the range of enemy defense systems. He signaled that introducing cruise missiles will not contradict the Japanese security policy which is based on the principle of defense. --SPA 15:37 LOCAL TIME 12:37 GMT NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN: Conditions Not Ripe for Return of Rohingya Refugees to Myanmar By Lisa Schlein December 08, 2017 The United Nations refugee agency says conditions are not ripe for the safe and stable return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar, a country they recently fled to escape violence and persecution. Some 645,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, since the end of August, the United Nations reports. Although the number of new arrivals has slowed, aid officials say this does not indicate the situation in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state has improved. Two weeks ago, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement on the voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees. The U.N. refugee agency, which was not party to the agreement, says it is prepared to discuss arrangements for the free, safe, voluntary and dignified return of the refugees. But UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards says it is premature to repatriate the refugees, as the conditions for a stable and sustainable return do not exist. "Many refugees, as you know, have suffered severe violence and trauma," Edwards said. "Many have lost family members, relatives and friends. Many have seen their homes, their villages torched and destroyed. Deep divisions between the communities in Rakhine state remain unaddressed and humanitarian access, at this time, is not there. It is critical that the returns are not rushed or premature." Peace and stability must be restored, humanitarian agencies must have access to the area, and the root causes of the displacement must be dealt with in order to create an environment conducive to safe and dignified returns, Edwards said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Seoul Reportedly Approves Budget for Kim Jong-un 'Decapitation Unit' Sputnik News 16:22 08.12.2017 The first tranche of funding has been approved to South Korea's recently created special forces 'decapitation unit', charged with liquidating the North Korean leadership and destroying key military facilities in the country in the event of war, local media report. South Korea's Ministry of National Defense has announced spending of 340 million won (about $310,000 US) to equip the brigade-sized team of special forces soldiers training to eliminate enemy officials, including North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The money has been allocated for the purchase of suicide and surveillance drones and grenade machine guns, among other equipment, an anonymous Defense Ministry official told the Korean Herald. Additional funding of up to $23.7 million has been set aside for the unit. Experts speaking to the newspaper said it would take some time for the unit to become fully operational, given that it presently lacks advanced transport helicopters which could carry infiltrators into North Korean territory. Analysts say that until South Korea achieves this capability, they will remain unable to breach Pyongyang's dense air defense network. It's feared that the financing decision, coming amid continued WMD testing by Pyongyang and US and South Korean drills near North Korea's borders, will serve to further escalate tensions in the region. South Korea's military has been awarded a budget of nearly $40 billion for 2018, up nearly 7% since 2016 amid the tensions. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un is seen as the newly developed intercontinental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15's test was successfully launched, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang November 30, 2017 South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a meeting Friday with top military officials, calling on them to boost the country's defense capabilities in order to deter Pyongyang, and stressing that the military is the country's "last line of defense against North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile threats." Moon, elected earlier this year following the impeachment of his predecessor, has been known to support a diplomatic solution to the region's crisis, and has publically opposed any possibility of pre-emptive strikes against Pyongyang. The 'decapitation unit', the existence of which was announced in September, was officially formed on December 1, and consists of 1,000 troops from the army's special forces command. Retired three star general Shin Wong-sik told US media in September that the unit, designed to "make Kim Jong-un fear for his life," would be "the best deterrence we can have, next to having our own nukes" In this photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber, right top, flies over the Korean Peninsula with South Korean fighter jets and U.S. fighter jets during the combined aerial exercise, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017 However, security analysts have questioned the wisdom of any further provocative moves in a situation where both sides have already concentrated considerable military power in a very small area. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged both sides to stop "the spiral of confrontation, gambling and provocations" surrounding the North Korean nuclear program, adding that Moscow was willing to mediate negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington. The diplomat said that North Korea was prepared to open a dialogue with the US over possible security guarantees. Moscow and Beijing, who share a common border with North Korea, have urged restraint amid the ongoing standoff in the region. Last week, North Korea tested a new long range missile which it said could reach anywhere inside the US. This week, meanwhile, the US and South Korea are conducting massive drills in the region involving some 230 aircraft, including B-1B nuclear-capable stealth bombers, and 12,000 US personnel. Three North Korean soldiers look at the South side at the spot where a North Korean soldier crossed the border at the Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address S Korean President Urges Military to Enhance Defense Capabilities to Deter DPRK Sputnik News 14:02 08.12.2017(updated 14:23 08.12.2017) Seoul fears that in the event of a new war, South Korea's armed forces will not be able to exert an independent influence on the situation. TOKYO (Sputnik) South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a meeting on Friday with the country's top military officers and called on them to boost national defense capabilities to deter North Korea. "Right now, our military faces a very serious situation where North Korea's nuclear and missile threats are fast becoming more real and advanced. The military's role is more important than ever. The military is our last line of defense against North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile threats," Moon said, as quoted by Yonhap News Agency. According to the media outlet, about 150 military commanders took part in the meeting, which is the second such event since Moon assumed office in May. Moon Jae-in stressed the need to "push the DPRK to stop provocative actions using nuclear and missile technologies and move to a dialogue on denuclearization." The head of South Korea also said that "the goal of reforming the defense system is to create a powerful army." In late November, North Korea conducted a new ballistic missile launch. The missile flew 950 kilometers (590 miles) and reached an altitude of 4,475 kilometers. The flight lasted for 53 minutes, after which the missile fell into the Sea of Japan. DPRK later announced that this was an intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-15, capable of reaching targets in the United States. North Korea has been conducting its missile and nuclear tests in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. Sets New Economic, Military Measures Against Russia For INF Missile Dispute Mike Eckel December 08, 2017 WASHINGTON -- The United States said it was taking military and economic measures against Moscow in response to a festering, and increasingly tense, dispute over a Russian missile that Washington says violates an important Cold War treaty. The December 8 announcement by the State Department was the first of its sort by President Donald Trump's administration, signaling a more deliberate approach to the dispute over the 30-year-old Intermediate Nuclear-Forces Treaty. Last week, a White House official for the first time confirmed long-standing suspicions about the type of missile Washington alleges has already been deployed in at least two Russian regions. Moscow has denied the U.S. allegations, demanded more information from Washington, and imposed its own accusations about U.S. missile defense systems in Europe. In its statement, the State Department repeated earlier remarks that treaty, known as the INF, was under threat, and said Washington would pursue diplomatic, economic, and military steps to push Moscow back into compliance. Though no specifics were given, the announcement is the first concrete step taken by President Donald Trump's administration on the issue. "This step will not violate our INF Treaty obligations," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in the statement. "We are also prepared to cease such research and development activities if the Russian Federation returns to full and verifiable compliance with its INF Treaty obligations," she said. Landmark Deal The treaty is considered a landmark deal between the United States and the Soviet Union, eliminating for the first time an entire class of cruise and ballistic missiles in Europe. It also established a verification framework to ensure compliance. The United States first formally accused Russia of developing a missile in violation of the INF back in 2014, though intelligence experts said the system had been under development for several years prior to that. Earlier this year, Washington said the missile was operational and had been deployed. The repeated U.S. accusations and the Russian denials have all but led to an impasse on the issue, leaving U.S. officials struggling to find a way to resolve the dispute. The U.S. announcement came just hours after the release of a statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry, saying Moscow remained in "firm" compliance and criticized what it called "the language of ultimatums" by Washington. The ministry also said it was prepared to hold talks over the treaty dispute. Concerns Over Missile Identification Next week, U.S. and Russian technical experts and officials are scheduled to meet as part of the Special Verification Commission process. Past meetings have been seen as accomplishing little. On November 29, Christopher Ford, a White House National Security Council official involved in arms control, for the first time identified the missile designation -- 9M729 -- which outside arms-control experts have been focusing on for some time now. That has led to concerns that the new missile could be indistinguishable from an existing system that is not covered by the INF treaty: the highly sophisticated Iskander-M. That would pose a challenge for inspecting and verifying the weapon is in compliance. In his remarks at Washington's Wilson Center for International Scholars, Ford also criticized the administration of President Barack Obama, who had first leveled the accusations against Moscow. "The United States is now determined, at long last, to give Russia concrete reasons to change course -- to finally come back into compliance -- and we hope that it will do so, because we remain committed to the INF Treaty," Ford said, according to prepared remarks. "The Russians now need to choose whether they share our steadfast desire to preserve the treaty, or whether they will continue on their current path, which leads to the treaty's collapse. They no longer have the option of having their cake and eating it, too," he said. Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador who is a longtime arms-control expert at the Brookings Institution, said the danger if the INF collapses is that it could lead to the collapse of another important Russian-U.S. arms-control treaty, New START, which expires in 2021. "The [INF] treaty is in trouble," Pifer said at a December 8 event marking the anniversary of the treaty. Some Republicans in Congress have called for a stronger response and have appropriated money to develop a new ground-launched cruise missile to be deployed if Russia persists. Pifer argued against that, saying instead that the United States should consider basing B-1 long-range bombers at British airfields and sending more ballistic-missile submarines and surface ships armed with cruise missiles on patrols of Russia's coast. That would not violate the INF, he said, and it would demonstrate U.S. resolve to Moscow. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, a Washington research group, also criticized the more aggressive stance by the United States, and the push to develop a new cruise missile. "Rather than persuading Russia to return to compliance, this action is more likely to give Moscow an excuse to continue on its current course, " he said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/us-inf-missile-dispute- new-measures-economic-military/28905675.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tillerson warns Saudi about its actions in Mideast Iran Press TV Fri Dec 8, 2017 09:27PM US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has warned Saudi Arabia about "the consequences" of its actions in the Middle East. His warning came Friday during his brief visit to Paris, France where he commented on Riyadh's behavior toward Yemen, Qatar and other neighbors. "With respect to Saudi Arabia's engagement with Qatar, how they're handling the Yemen war that they're engaged in, the Lebanon situation, we would encourage them to be a bit more measured and a bit more thoughtful in those actions to, I think, fully consider the consequences," Tillerson said. In Yemen, Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a bloody military campaign early in 2015 and have, ever since, been ceaselessly pounding the country in an attempt to reinstall a former regime allied to Riyadh. The Saudi-led coalition has also maintained an embargo on the country where, so far, over 12,000 civilians have been reportedly killed. Riyadh tightened that embargo after a retaliatory missile attack from Yemen early in November. The Saudi regime has claimed that it has partially loosened that embargo in the face of massive international outcry. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump directed aides to urge Saudi leaders to immediately end the kingdom's blockade on Yemen, a demand Tillerson renewed Friday by calling for its "complete end." The White House also issued a statement on the same day, urging the Saudis to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid to all of Yemen's ports and through Sana'a airport. In Qatar, Saudi Arabia has led the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and other neighbors in enforcing a blockade of the tiny nation on allegations that Doha supports terrorism and is too close to Iran. Qatar has vehemently rejected the claims. In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia is widely believed to have coerced Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri into stepping down and put him under house arrest. Hariri stunned Lebanon and the region by announcing his resignation in a live television broadcast from Saudi Arabia on November 4. After a nearly three-week absence, he returned to Lebanon on November 22 and put his resignation on hold at Lebanese President Michel Aoun's request to allow for more consultations on the issue. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Bellingcat Report Alleges Senior Russian General 'Figure Of Interest' In MH17 Downing RFE/RL's Russian Service December 08, 2017 A respected international investigative group says it has identified a senior Russian general as a figure of interest in the downing of a civilian airliner over eastern Ukraine in 2014. The Bellingcat investigative group -- which uses sophisticated digital techniques to analyze open-source audio and visual data -- issued a report on December 8 alleging that a man identified on intercepted communications as "Delfin" (Dolphin) is retired Russian Colonel General Nikolai Tkachyov, who is currently serving as the chief inspector of Russia's Central Military District. The Dutch-led Joint Investigative Team (JIT), which investigated the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine and issued its findings in September 2016, previously published audio files of five intercepted communications between individuals identified by the pseudonyms Delfin and Orion. The JIT is seeking additional information about the men, though it remains unclear what possible role they may have played in the downing of the airliner. The JIT said in a December 8 statement that it "has taken note" of the Bellingcat report, but declined further comment. MH17 was shot down over the conflict zone in Ukraine's Donetsk region on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 people on board. The JIT concluded the plane was shot down from territory controlled by Russia-backed separatists with a Buk antiaircraft system that had been brought into Ukraine from Russia and was spirited back across the border shortly afterward. The Russian government and the separatists deny responsibility and have offered several other theories about the tragedy. In July 2015, Russia vetoed a UN resolution that would have established an international tribunal to prosecute those deemed responsible. Russia further denies any involvement in Ukraine's internal affairs despite compelling evidence that Moscow has provided military, economic, and political support to separatists fighting Ukrainian forces in a war that has killed more than 10,000 since April 2014. The Bellingcat investigation, conducted jointly with the independent Russian website The Insider, enlisted two independent research institutes to compare the intercepted communications, in which Delfin is referred to by the same first name and patronymic as Tkachyov, to recorded phone calls with Tkachyov made under the pretext of interviewing him for another story. Both institutes -- one in the United States and one in Lithuania -- independently determined that it was "highly probable" that the same man was speaking on both recordings. It remains unclear exactly what role Delfin may have played in connection with the conflict in eastern Ukraine or the downing of MH17. According to interviews with former separatist commander Igor Girkin, who is known by the nom de guerre Strelkov, Delfin was a high-ranking Russian commander stationed in the Ukrainian town of Krasnodon. Girkin said Delfin was in charge of organizing disparate separatist militia units in parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The 2016 JIT findings stated that the Buk antiaircraft system that shot down MH17 crossed the border into Ukraine near Krasnodon. Girkin said that he met with Delfin in Krasnodon in the middle of July 2014, around the time when MH17 was shot down. Contacted in connection with the Bellingcat/Insider report, Girkin confirmed that a base was established in Krasnodon in early July 2014 and that there were "senior, retired [Russian] General Staff, experienced generals" there. Girkin said that Delfin was "some kind of general" who is no longer involved in the conflict in Ukraine. Tkachyov told Bellingcat/Insider that he was not in Ukraine in 2014 and had not left the Urals city of Yekaterinburg since 2012. Tkachyov, 68, is a decorated veteran of both Russian campaigns in Chechnya. He was released from military service in 2010. After his retirement, however, he served in 2011-12 as a military adviser to the government of Syria. After his return, he was assigned to the Central Military District and based in Yekaterinburg. In May 2014, he attended the Victory Day parade in Yekaterinburg. He appeared again in public in August 2014 at an event celebrating Orenburg Cossacks. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia -mh17-bellingcat-report-senior-general- figure-of-interest/28904893.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Agents Detain Saakashvili, Hours After He Called For March RFE/RL December 08, 2017 KYIV -- Law enforcement officers have detained Mikheil Saakashvili, hours after the firebrand Ukrainian opposition activist and former Georgian president called on Ukrainians to demonstrate in the capital against the government. Three associates of Saakashvili told RFE/RL that he was taken from an apartment of one of his friends, where he was visiting. Close ally David Sakvarelidze said the agents were from the state security agency, the SBU, and that Saakashvili was now being taken to an SBU detention center. Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko later confirmed his detention in a post to his Facebook page. Hours earlier, Saakashvili, who was detained briefly this week after authorities raided his Kyiv apartment, called on Ukrainians to demonstrate in the capital on December 10. In a Facebook post, Saakashvili told supporters he had lost his voice and was running a temperature but would "be by your side again" at a midday march to Kyiv's Independence Square. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-saakashvili-detained- kyiv-sbu-lutsenko/28905845.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Saakashvili Vows To March To Kyiv's Maidan RFE/RL December 08, 2017 Mikheil Saakashvili, who was freed from police custody shortly after law enforcement authorities raided his apartment in Kyiv earlier this week, is calling on Ukrainians to demonstrate in the center of the capital on December 10. In a Facebook post late on December 7, Saakashvili told supporters he had lost his voice and was running a temperature but would "be by your side again" at a midday march to Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti, or Independence Square, on Sunday. Saakashvili -- the former Georgian president who became governor of Ukraine's Odesa region in 2015 but quit a year later and is now a vocal opponent of President Petro Poroshenko -- thanked backers for their support in the tumult of recent days. Law enforcement officers searched Saakashvili's apartment in Kyiv on December 5, dragged him off the roof, and bundled him into a car. But supporters blocked the streets and pulled him from the vehicle, and he led a march to parliament. Police raided a protest tent camp near parliament early on December 6, but Saakashvili was not detained and a 24-hour deadline for him to turn himself in passed without visible action by the authorities. Ukrainian officials have accused Saakashvili of abetting an alleged "criminal group" led by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukoych -- who was pushed from power in 2014 by protests on Independence Square and fled to Russia -- and have suggested that his protests are part of a Russian plot against Ukraine. Saakashvili -- a Kremlin foe whom Russian leaders accuse of provoking the five-day war between Moscow and Tbilisi in 2008, when he was Georgian president -- has dismissed the claims. The search of Saakashvili's home was conducted two days after his Movement of New Forces party organized a rally in Kyiv calling for Poroshenko's impeachment and for legislation that would allow it to take place. Poroshenko late on December 8 said international experts may help justice officials investigate the charges against Saakashvili, adding that he was sure Saakashvili would get a fair trial in Ukraine. "I don't exclude that the inquiry may ask for extra expertise, including from international organizations, to enhance trust," Poroshenko told reporters during a visit to Vilnius to meet with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. Saakashvili "has to answer to investigators and to society regarding the accusations against him," Poroshenko said. "If he doesn't answer, it only means that these accusations are well-founded." With reporting by AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine- saakashvili-vows-march-to-kyiv-maidan- december-10/28904968.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mogherini Defends Ukraine's Territorial Integrity As EU Weighs Russia Sanctions Extension RFE/RL December 08, 2017 BRUSSELS -- The European Union's foreign policy chief reiterated the EU's "unwavering" support for Ukraine's territorial integrity as the bloc considered moves to extend economic sanctions on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine. Federica Mogherini, speaking in Brussels on December 8 after meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman, condemned Russia's continued militarization of the Crimea region, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. She also assailed Russia for the deterioration of human rights in the region and restated the EU's "call for the immediate release of all Ukrainian citizens illegally detained in illegally annexed Crimea and in Russia." The EU, along with the United States, has imposed economic sanctions on Moscow for its actions in Ukraine, where it also backs separatists fighting Kyiv's forces in the eastern part of the country in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people since it began in April 2014. The EU sanctions, which mainly target the Russian banking and energy sectors, were imposed in the summer of 2014 and have been extended every six months since then. EU diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL on the sidelines of the meeting that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will recommend at the December 14 EU summit that the sanctions be extended a further six months through July 2018. The decision on sanctions will likely be made by EU diplomats just before the Christmas break, officials said. With reporting by RFE/RL's Rikard Jozwiak Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-mogherini -territorial-integrity-russia- sanctions-extension/28905719.html Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump Administration INF Treaty Integrated Strategy Press Statement Heather Nauert Department Spokesperson Washington, DC December 8, 2017 Today, we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and what was then the Soviet Union. This landmark arms control agreement has been a pillar of international security and stability since its inception. By eliminating an entire class of the most destabilizing weapon systems, the INF Treaty served as a key component to building and reinforcing strategic stability in the later days of the Cold War. It played a key role in securing the Euro-Atlantic region and set in motion the negotiations for a series of agreements to stabilize the post-Cold War relationship between the United States and our allies and the former Soviet Union. Unfortunately, this pivotal agreement is under threat today. The Russian Federation has taken steps to develop, test, and deploy a ground-launched cruise missile system that can fly to ranges prohibited by the INF Treaty. In 2014, the United States declared the Russian Federation in violation of its obligations under the INF Treaty. Despite repeated U.S. efforts to engage the Russian Federation on this issue, Russian officials have so far refused to discuss the violation in any meaningful way or refute the information provided by the United States. The United States remains firmly committed to the INF Treaty and continues to seek the Russian Federation's return to compliance. The Administration firmly believes, however, that the United States cannot stand still while the Russian Federation continues to develop military systems in violation of the Treaty. While the United States will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution, we are now pursuing economic and military measures intended to induce the Russian Federation to return to compliance. This includes a review of military concepts and options, including options for conventional, ground-launched, intermediate-range missile systems, which would enable the United States to defend ourselves and our allies, should the Russian Federation not return to compliance. This step will not violate our INF Treaty obligations. We are also prepared to cease such research and development activities if the Russian Federation returns to full and verifiable compliance with its INF Treaty obligations. The United States does and will continue to abide by its INF Treaty obligations. We call on the Russian Federation to take concrete steps to return to compliance, preserve the INF Treaty, and restore confidence in the role of arms control to manage strategic stability. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HMD Global has begun rolling out a new update to the Nokia 3 smartphone. Weighing in at around 345MB, it's mainly a security update that brings along Android fixes for the month of December. This makes the Nokia 3 the first Nokia-branded HMD smartphone to get the December patch. The low-end phone currently runs Android 7.1.1. Although the company had initially said it'd get the Android 7.1.2 update, it was recently confirmed the device will directly jump to Oreo, something which should happen this month. Via Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news Login Sign Up New Ad-free Subscriber Login Email Password Password Username Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password. Stay logged in Help Published on 2017/12/09 | Source Added episode 6 captures for the Korean drama "Prison Playbook" (2017) Advertisement Directed by Sin Won-ho Written by Jeong Bo-hoon-I, Lee Woo-jeong-I Network : tvN With Park Hae-soo, Jung Kyung-ho, Sung Dong-il, Kim Sung-cheol, Jung Jae-sung, Lee Ho-cheol,... 16 episodes - Wed, Thu 21:30 Also known as "Wise Prison Life" Synopsis Set in a prison, this is a drama about the lives of the prisoners and prison staff. Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/11/22 More Published on 2017/12/09 | Source Added episode 2 captures for the Korean drama "Black Knight" (2017) Advertisement Directed by Han Sang-woo Written by Kim In-yeong Network : KBS With Kim Rae-won, Shin Se-kyung, Seo Ji-hye, Chang Mi-hee, Kim Hyun-joon, Hwang Jung-min-I,... 16 episodes - Wed, Thu 22:00 Synopsis In this supernatural romance drama, a businessman with a pure heart braves danger for his love, a travel agent who has never traveled abroad. It is a love story that spans over two hundred years. Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/12/06 More Time, location changed for funeral of former Flat Rock mayor Because of the snowstorm, the funeral service for Terry Hicks, the former mayor of Flat Rock, has been moved from the United Universalist Fellowship church to the Grand Old Hall at Highland Lake Inn and postponed until noon. Related Stories Hicks, a key leader in the formation and development of the Village of Flat Rock from the mid-1990s through the creation of its popular park, died Nov. 10 at age 81. Hicks, who retired to Flat Rock in 1992 after a career as a book publisher and seller, served as mayor from 1999 to 2003 but his time serving his retirement home spanned almost 25 years. Hicks became involved in Flat Rocks civic affairs as soon as he arrived and before the village incorporated in 1995. He worked on the project to bring water and sewer to the Flat Rock Playhouse and other parts of town and helped draft the first zoning ordinance. As the second mayor, he led us through the process of moving from the Singleton Centre to where we are today, said Judy Boleman, who served with Hicks on the village council and is now the village administrator. He was also instrumental in finding people to run for council who had special areas of expertise. When the village was writing the first land-use code, someone mentioned a Hendersonville native who had spent a career in real estate law in Northern Virginia. The village founders recruited Bob Staton to serve on the Planning Board. A couple of year later, Staton found himself on the receiving end of Hickss famously effective one-on-one sales pitches. Hicks wanted Staton to serve on the village council. I didnt want to do that but after he asked me about six times I finally agreed that I would, Staton said. After Ray Shaw signaled his retirement as mayor in 2007, Hicks recruited Staton to run for mayor. I absolutely didnt want to do that, he said. Then he had a heart attack and I went to visit him. He was sitting up in the hospital bed and Christine was sitting at his side and he pointed his finger at me and said, Will you run for mayor? I said, well, Id have to think about it, and he said how long would I need. I said, About 10 seconds and he sat there and counted to 10. Hickss wife, Christine, was not surprised. He was soft spoken and very kind and very gentle but he always got his way in the kindest way possible, she said. He was a very loving man. He loved his family, he loved Flat Rock. Besides his wife, Hicks is survived by three daugters, two of whom live overseas. Funeral arrangements have not been announced. After he gave up the mayors gavel, Hicks agreed to run for a seat on the council in his district, serving four more years. Most recently, Hicks has been a passionate supporter of the Park at Flat Rock, helping to form its fundraising arm and recruiting an old friend from the Children and Family Resource Center, Maurean Adams, to run it. He was one of the founding members of the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundation, Staton said. It was his idea to establish that and he was one of the first directors. He was carrying the major load before they hired Maurean and found Myra (Grant), a grant writer, Boleman said. Im not sure the foundation would have developed as quickly as it did and it might not have developed at all without him. A native of Texas, Hicks grew up in Louisiana and graduated from Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. There he met a younger underclassman, Albert Gooch, who worked on the student newspaper. The two would meet in a coffee shop, where Hicks would critique Goochs column and tell me how it could have been better and what he ageed with and disagreed with. As student manager of the book store, Hicks showed an early aptitude for selling. He got a good start, Gooch said. If you went in there to try to buy a used textbook, hed try like the devil to sell you a new one. Gooch and Hicks went their separate ways, only to run into one another one summer day at the Flat Rock Ice Cream Social. Hicks had another mark. He recruited Gooch to serve on the council. Gooch, a retired successful fundraiser himself, admires Hickss devotion to the Park at Flat Rock and the foundation, which has raised about $1 million for park improvements. After serving for years on the Planning Board, as mayor and on the village council, Hicks still visited village hall and worked with Adams on park fundraising. He never ever forgot Flat Rock, Gooch said. He was always available. He was a good friend. Im certainly going to miss him. He always had a smile. In addition to his work with the village, Hicks served for many years on the board of the Children and Family Resource Center, where he established a scholarship for young single moms; and on the Board of Health, where he served as chair. He loves to hear jokes and he loves to send them around, said Staton, who called his friend an all-around good guy. Im sorry that will end Terry had Flat Rock in his heart. Gareth Chubb is believed to be a senior figure in Kinahan gang Close associates of Kinahan cartel enforcer Gareth Chubb were among a number of people targeted in a major operation by the Criminal Assets Bureau. While no arrests were made, nine searches were carried out yesterday in a series of planned raids in the Crumlin, Drimnagh, Inchicore, Finglas, Ranelagh and Dundrum areas of the capital while another raid was carried out in Co Wicklow. In the course of the searches, properties connected to two extremely close male associates of Chubb were targeted in the Crumlin area, including a veteran criminal who has a previous manslaughter conviction. CAB officers were backed up by specialist armed gardai as they attempted to increase pressure on Chubb and his associates, who form a nucleus of the cartel's day-to-day operations in the capital Gems Among one of the most interesting items seized in the raids was a Presidium diamond-testing kit, which is used to verify the quality of gems. The searches were at homes and at three offices. Three cars - an Audi A4, a BMW X5 and a Volkswagen Passat - were seized along with more than 20 Rolex and Tag Heur watches worth around 28,500 and 700 in cash. Documents and phones were also seized. Among the prime targets of the raids was a 33-year-old man who lives in a south inner-city flats complex and is suspected of "selling and buying cars" for Chubb and his associates. "This 33-year-old individual, who now has a very important role within the organisation, recently bought a house for 350,000 in the north Kildare area," a source said. "He is also suspected of being a major player in the heroin trade and has multiple previous convictions but mostly for driving offences. "This is all about keeping the pressure on the cartel and their associates. You can expect more operations like this in the coming weeks." It is understood that CAB has built up a detailed file on the financial affairs of Chubb and his associates going back to even before the cartel's bloody gang war with the Hutch mob kicked off more than two years ago. Chubb (30) is a convicted drug dealer and a long-term target for gardai and rival mobsters. Last July, he was cleared by a Dutch court of the attempted manslaughter of a drug dealer who tried to sell him baking soda. However, Chubb was jailed for six months for possession of a loaded gun that he pulled out at an Amsterdam cafe during the incident last February. Chubb was a close friend of David Byrne, the Kinahan gang associate whose murder in the Regency Hotel escalated into the deadly gangland war that has resulted in a spate of killings. A senior source said the cartel is now dealing in gems and even watches because of the millions of euro worth of cash that has been seized from them since the deadly feud kicked off. "This is why they had a diamond testing kit," a senior source said. Crackdown Chubb was quizzed last year as part of the garda crackdown on the Kinahan mob's operations in Ireland. After being cleared of a manslaughter charge in Amsterdam, Chubb returned to Ireland and was then pictured in Belfast. There has been speculation that his rivals in the Hutch mob had intended to murder him in the North, but gardai foiled this when they arrested a man armed with a loaded handgun as he tried to travel on a Belfast-bound train at Connolly Station. Close associates of Chubb were also targeted by gardai in a series of raids in Dublin's south inner city in March last year in which around 10,000 in cash and five GPS tracking devices were seized by officers. CAB has been very active in recent weeks. Last week in a separate probe, they targeted a 46-year-old taxi man who is suspected of being heavily involved in drugs distribution in the capital. EU citizens are "still in the dark" about their right to remain in the UK after Brexit, despite protections promised in the government's deal with the union, according to campaigners. British prime minister Theresa May hailed the guarantees for the more than three million EU citizens living in the UK, saying they could carry on as normal, and David Davis, Britain's Brexit Secretary, said they could be "confident" of their rights. Confidence However, this confidence was questioned by some campaigners, who called the deal a "flawed compromise". The situation is likely to be different for Irish citizens due to an agreement that the long-standing Common Travel Area (CTA) will be maintained. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar referenced the commitment that the CTA will be continued as he welcomed the broader terms of the deal relating to Ireland. "British and Irish citizens will continue to have the freedom to live, work, study, access housing, healthcare, pensions and welfare in each other's countries as though we are citizens of both," he said. But campaign group the3million, which represents EU nationals in the UK, said the agreement between negotiators from the British government and the EU was a "flawed compromise", and many people were uncertain as to whether they would qualify for the new "special status" to be implemented post- Brexit. They said there were concerns about the "special status" provision and the limited oversight of the European Court of Justice, whose authority UK courts can consult with over rights disputes for eight years after Britain's withdrawal. A Dublin man allegedly caught with a sub-machine gun, ammunition and an estimated 500,000 worth of drugs has been sent for trial. Brendan Ward (38) was served with the book of evidence when he appeared on bail before Blanchardstown District Court. He was arrested as part of Operation Thor by gardai and plain-clothes detectives attached to Finglas Garda Station. The accused, of Barry Drive, Finglas, is charged with the unlawful possession of a sub- machine gun. The incident allegedly took place at Barry Drive on August 17 last year. Mr Ward is also accused of the unlawful possession of 49 rounds of Parabellum Sellier and Bellot ammunition and 28 rounds of 9mm Parabellum CBC mark ammunition. He is further charged with possession of cocaine, cannabis, ecstasy and heroin, as well as having the drugs for sale or supply at the same time and place. Joke Mr Ward is also charged under Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act, where the value of the drugs is greater than 13,000. Gardai previously estimated the street value of the drugs in this seizure was close to 500,000. When charged with the off- ences, the court heard previously that Mr Ward replied: "The law system is a joke." A state solicitor said the book of evidence had been served on the accused, who goes forward to the next sittings of Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Judge David McHugh gave Mr Ward the formal alibi caution. Defence solicitor Simon Fleming as well as one junior and one senior counsel were assigned on free legal aid. Mr Ward has not yet indicated how he is pleading to the charges. She's gearing up to take to the stage in Belfast's Aladdin panto, but Nadia Forde has admitted she feels she's had to work harder to be taken seriously as an actress after starting out as a model. The Dubliner (28) has appeared in several theatre productions in the past few years and will be making her film debut in Once Upon A Time In London, which is set to be released next spring. While Nadia still dips her toes into modelling every now and again, she's glad she can now focus on an acting career. "I have my calendar out and I still do that. We shot that over two days and it was lovely," she said. "It's going back into your old skin a little bit. I love modelling, but it doesn't challenge me like the other stuff does. "Also, having come from the background that I come from, I've kind of had to persevere a little bit to have people actually take me seriously, to an extent. Expand Close Nadia Forde during her time on Im A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Nadia Forde during her time on Im A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Amazing "Barriers are there to be broken, so I don't really mind, it just makes me work harder." Nadia, who found wider fame after appearing on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! In 2014, has relished being able to work on her first film, a crime drama set in 1940s London. It follows notorious gangsters Billy Hill and Jack Comer, with Nadia playing Jack's wife Rita. "It was a pretty amazing experience. It's based on a true story and a real court case that happened," said Nadia. "Film and theatre are very different. I've learned that in the last couple of years. With film you're living in a bubble and working creatively with the team around you. "You can retake it 10 or 15 times until you and the director are happy, whereas in theatre it's live and you get that reaction straight away. It's nice to be able to go from one to the other." Nadia will star as Princess Jasmine in the Belfast panto. "I love pantos - it's a great way to spend Christmas," the Clontarf woman told the Herald. "It's two weeks of shows and I get to be in Ireland for Christmas and go down to my nana and my brother, so that was another big incentive for me to want to be involved. "Panto was my introduction to theatre when I was a little girl. I love that there's all these little girls and boys that come and believe in it." Aladdin runs at the SSE Arena Belfast from December 14 to 27. Tickets are available on ticketmaster.ie. Gardai investigating a foiled attempt on the life of feud murder victim Kane McCormack have arrested a 39-year-old man. The development comes as the funeral of the latest victim of the bloody Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud takes place this morning, in the same church in which his murdered father's funeral Mass was held in January. Kane McCormack (24), who was also known as Caine McCormack Kirwan, was a prominent mourner at his father Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan's funeral. He was gunned down last Friday night as part of a gangland double-cross. Meanwhile, detectives from the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) continued to question a 39-year old Cabra criminal about a foiled attempt on McCormack's life in south Dublin last September. He was arrested in the capital on Wednesday night and taken to Blanchardstown Garda Station where he was questioned about the foiled hit, which took place more than three months before McCormack was eventually killed by separate criminals. Expand Close Gardai at the scene where his body was found / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gardai at the scene where his body was found Convictions The suspect is expected to be released without charge, and a file will be prepared for the DPP. He is a low-level criminal who has multiple convictions, but mainly for driving offences. Gardai believe the suspect escaped after officers carried out a dramatic intervention to save McCormack's life. A discreet armed garda presence is expected at his funeral today, which begins at 11am in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Dublin's north inner city. There have been no arrests so far in the foiled hit, but off-icers have taken a number of statements and raided at least two properties. While one of the targeted properties was the home of notorious gangland figure Jason 'Jay' O'Connor, officers also carried out searches at the home of a close female associate of McCormack. Even though this woman is not considered a suspect in the case, detectives seized phones, a car and other items from her Dublin home earlier in the week. Sources said arrests in the case could happen within the next few days. It emerged last night that the involvement of a feared criminal, who is currently behind bars, has also not been ruled out. "While this individual was in jail when the murder happened, it has not been dismissed that he may have something to do with it," a source said. "The murder victim trusted this man completely and suspicions have been raised because some of the criminal's closest associates suddenly fled the country just days before the murder." The murder was the 13th in the Hutch-Kinahan feud. How good are these two guys, Penn State fans? It may surprise you ... Boosie Badazz has been rolling out a shit ton of new music over these past couples weeks in support of his Boopac album, and thankfully hes not letting up before next Fridays release. After hitting us with tracks like America Most Wanted, Cocaine Fever and Im Bad recently, the Louisiana veteran decides to come through today and offer up another song called Webbie I Remember which too is accompanied by another video. Just as the title depicts, the piano-driven track finds the Baton Rouge rapper reminiscing on his past times and crimes with his homie, Webbie. Cancer hit I got scars on my stomach I remember all the nights you was stressing bout ya mamma/It made me pick my phone up and call my motherfucking mamma and say I love you mamma, he raps. Check out the new song & video, and share your thoughts on it below. Boopac available now for pre-order on iTunes. Quotable Lyrics: Remember we first got a deal niggas And you dropped Bad Bitch get me that shit was real niggas I was still in the field with him You was telling me to quit I was telling you to rap In mid-November, the devastating news broke of Lil Peeps death. At the time, the cause of death wasnt exactly clear but many speculated it was from an overdose from drugs, specifically Xanax. Since then, theres been investigations from police and the conversation surrounding the glorification of drugs in hip hop heightened. Today, the toxicology report has come in and confirmed the exact cause of his death. Lil Peeps death has officially been ruled as an accidental overdose of Xanax and Fentanyl, according to TMZ. The Pima County Medical Examiner said his overdose was from a combination of the toxic effects of fentanyl and alprazolam. Alprazolam is the generic form of Xanax. In addition to that, they found many other drugs in his system including marijuana, cocaine and Tramadol in his bloodstream. His urine test also had traces of Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Oxycodone and Oxymorphone. Lil Peep was found dead on his tour bus on the night of November 16th. The rapper was scheduled to play in Arizona that evening and had met up with a fan who sold him what she said was Xanax. The rapper later took the pills and didnt end up waking up from his pre-show nap. Many rappers and artists offered their condolences on social media. Lil Uzi Vert even tried sobriety in the days following his death and Post Malone got a tattoo of Lil Peeps face tattooed on his arm. His family later hosted a memorial, which was streamed live, which included speeches from Peeps grandmother and his mother. Good Charlotte also performed at the funeral and did a cover of his single, Awful Things. With Gucci Gang tearing up the charts, currently sitting with over 250 million views on YT, it looks like 17-year old rap sensation Lil Pump is about to move onto his next single soon. On Friday, Pump took to his Instagram Stories to share another preview of his upcoming Zaytoven-produced single tentatively titled Designer, and from his caption the song should be dropping this week sometime. Over the Zaytoven-production, Pump can be heard rappingI got fast cars, bad bitches and designer clothes/ Couple thousand on my wrists, and my neck is on froze/ Spanish bitches butt naked and they twerking on the stove, Too much racks in my pocket that my wallet cant fold. The preview is the second time Pump has given us a strong listen to the song. Back in October, he previewed the song, which is possible called Designer, on his Instagram while in the backseat of his car (see here). This latest preview from Pump comes just hours after he made headlines for pissing off the Archdiocese of L.A. after he shot his drug-friendly video for Gucci Gang at a Catholic school. Apparently the Archdiocese had no clue that Lil Pump would be tormenting his catholic school for the video shoot, something he wouldnt have allowed or approved otherwise. Check out the clip of Pump jamming out to his new single (below) & let us know what think. Sounding hot or nah? Lil Pump Meek Mills lengthy prison sentence has been the talk of the internet for the past month and a half. While he was sentenced to two to four years in prison, his fans, supports and peers have gathered together to campaign against it. A lot of news has flooded about the shady dealings of his judge, Genece Brinkley, and the strange requests shes offered Meek for leniency. However, a new report has come out saying that he was actually the one who pressed for the FBI investigation by her. In a report from Philly.com, they say the FBI asked Meek Mill to secretly record conversations with Judge Genece Brinkley as part of their investigation. However, Meek himself decided against it and refused to do so. In the report, they say Meek Mill was the one who urged the FBI to probe the judge behind his case. Their sources claim theres no active investigation on the judge as of right now and Meeks decision to not cooperate with the FBI played a much bigger factor in why theres allegedly no longer an investigation behind her. As of right now, many are urging for an investigation behind Judge Genece Brinkley. Most recently, social justice organizations #Cut50 and Color of Change have publicly campaigned for the judge to undergo an ethics investigation. They say Meek Mill isnt the only person shes handed over unjust sentences to over probation violation and are citing a recent review of her Statement of Financial Interests show that she hasnt fully disclosed all of her income. Rick Ross manager, Black Bo, has died, according to multiple social media posts from those close to him. XXL reports that Ross shared news of Bos passing during a Friday night performance at Art Basel in Miami. I know my dog Black wouldve loved to be here. Come on let me rap for my dog Black one time, he said prior to performing Hustlin' at the event. The cause of his death has not been made public at this time. Wale shared a particularly personal message about Bo on Instagram Friday night. As the tears begin to chase each other down my face, he wrote. I try to combat the sadness of this new reality with the indelible memories u gave us. It still doesnt seem real.. it cant be real! WHY is it real? Absolutely None of us have to try to think of the selflessness the genuine compassion and absolute loyalty for your friends you demonstrated daily.. no sir, because those things are synonymous with your face. Those things are synonymous with your name. Those things synonymous wit the very thought of you comrade. French Montana shared a photo of himself, Bo and Drake in memoriam. My prayers go out to my brother @richforever and the rest of the family I know this one hurt Im really hurt, shed a tear for u brother ! We going miss you black, he wrote. Updates to come as information arrives. View more posts from Bruno Mali and Bos daughter below. The Cabinet is now set to discuss the UK's "end state" relationship with the EU at a meeting on December 19 Leading Cabinet Brexiteer Michael Gove has said voters will be able to force changes to an EU withdrawal deal at the next election if they do not like it. The Environment Secretary's comments came as Prime Minister Theresa May won public backing from both wings of the Tory Party after securing an agreement with Brussels to start post-Brexit trade negotiations. Under the deal, Britain will pay a "divorce settlement" of between 35 billion and 39 billion, allow the European Court of Justice (ECJ) a legal role for eight years after withdrawal, and ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Gove said: "The British people will be in control. If the British people dislike the agreement that we have negotiated with the EU, the agreement will allow a future government to diverge." The Environment Secretary said that after a transition period, the UK would have "full freedom to diverge from EU law on the single market and customs union". Sources close to Mr Gove said the article had been encouraged and signed-off on by Downing Street. Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom said Mr Gove's remarks were a "statement of the obvious". Ms Leadsom told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is the case in a sovereign parliament that the voters can choose to take a country in a different direction." The comments came as it emerged the Cabinet is set to finally discuss what the UK's post-Brexit "end state" relationship with the EU should be at a meeting on December 19. The gathering is expected to see prominent Leave campaigners such as Mr Gove and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson argue their Brexit version of withdrawal against the softer stance taken by Chancellor Philip Hammond and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said this week's events proved the EU wanted a free trade deal with the UK. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The EU recognises that they really do need and want a free trade arrangement with the UK and they were prepared to do what was necessary to get it." Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage predicted that Tory anger at Mrs May's agreement with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker would emerge over the weekend. He told the BBC: "I think that within the next 48 hours you will hear a lot more Conservative voices... saying, actually, they are not happy with what's happened today." Proposals allowing the ECJ a role in overseeing EU citizens' rights in Britain for eight years after Brexit have caused concern to some Tories, as well as a compromise on the Irish border issue which stated that if no trade deal is reached, the UK as a whole will maintain "full alignment" with elements of the EU single market and customs union which support the economy of the island of Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. Tory former Brexit minister David Jones warned this could "severely handicap" Britain's ability to enter free trade agreements covering areas such as agriculture with countries outside the EU, such as the US. But Justice Minister Dominic Raab said the details of how to deal with the issue of the Irish border had still to be worked out in full. He told BBC 2's Newsnight: "You can call it strategic ambiguity, you can call it constructive ambiguity... what I am admitting to you, very openly, and honestly, is that we have agreed principles, but that the details still need to be ironed out on this very bespoke set of issues around Northern Ireland which can't be dealt with properly and responsibly outside of the context of the broader negotiation on customs and trade and all of those other things we have said all along." Labour's shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said the agreement on the Irish border issue was a "fudge". He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Quite frankly, it is difficult to see that this is anything other than a fudge." Asked if the Irish agreement meant Britain could end up mirroring the single market on alignment issues in certain circumstances, Ms Leadsom said: "The entire United Kingdom will be leaving the single market and the customs union and the European Union together, and will have the same ability to make our own rules and regulations. "But there are certain parts of the island of Ireland where it will be important that they continue to have alignment." The British and European Union negotiating teams at a working breakfast in Brussels yesterday before the announcement of the deal December 8, 2017, will be remembered as a significant milestone along the road to the UK's ultimate departure from the European Union. Coming almost 18 months after the people of the UK voted to leave, it was time to conclude the first phase of the negotiations and move on to the second phase, which will present significant challenges both to the EU and the UK. The agreement reached and reflected in the comprehensive joint report from the EU and UK negotiators shows that significant progress has been made on the priority issues identified by the EU - the protection of citizens' right, the financial settlement and the issues relating to the island of Ireland. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and my colleagues in the College of Commissioners are now in a position to recommend to the European Council that sufficient progress has been made to move to the next phase. The agreement also shows the wisdom of the appointment of Michel Barnier as the EU's chief negotiator. He has proven not alone to be a very effective negotiator, but also somebody who understands Ireland and, as the joint report says, "the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland". In all of my many dealings with him, he has shown a tremendous awareness of the specific issues relating to Ireland and, in particular, to the Border. The negotiations have also shown the value of EU solidarity and the unwavering support for Ireland shown by the other 26 member states. Those who questioned the unity of the remaining member states or their support for Ireland have got their answer. Ireland is a respected member of the European Union and Ireland's best interest is undoubtedly served in that continued membership. It is very welcome that the UK government has committed itself to guarantee the avoidance of a hard Border on the island of Ireland, which would have been disastrous for the economy and the people of the North and south. As Mr Barnier said yesterday morning: "Unless another solution is found, the UK firmly agreed that Northern Ireland will maintain full alignment with EU internal market and customs union rules, which support North-south co-operation, the all-island economy and the protection of the Good Friday Agreement." It should also be acknowledged that, despite the pressures on her, British Prime Minister Theresa May delivered a pragmatic outcome that paves the way for future relationship with the EU acknowledged. Indeed, one wonders if some of those around her would not have failed a long time ago! The challenge now is to move the negotiations forward to the next phase and the determination of the future relationship between the EU and the UK, including an agreement as early as possible in 2018 on transitional arrangements. In the context of the next phase, Mr Barnier also confirmed that "we agreed to maintain a distinct strand of negotiations on Ireland and Northern Ireland". While there has been a widespread welcome for the progress made in the first phase of the negotiations, nobody should be under any illusion about the challenges that lie ahead. The extent of that challenge is illustrated by the fact that a final version of the Withdrawal Agreement will be needed within a year. Irish businesses and citizens can be assured that the European Union negotiators will continue to negotiate for a future EU-UK relationship that is in the union's best interest and, by extension, in Ireland's best interest. I am certain too that Ireland's EU partners will continue to stand by Ireland in full solidarity, recognising the unique exposure to Ireland of the UK's decision to leave the EU. What these negotiations and those to come have and will show is that, as I said last January, "we have the opportunity to redefine and reassert Ireland's position as both committed Europeans and good next-door neighbours". Prime Minister Theresa May said it right when she described phase one of the Brexit talks as being about the UK building a "deep and special partnership with the EU" while implementing the "decision of the British public" to leave. This deal allows the UK say it is leaving the single market and the customs union but also allows remainers rest assured they can retain close ties with Britain's neighbours and chief allies. Credit goes to Irish officials who, alongside the EU and UK task forces, brought us to this place. However, it was the DUP and the Good Friday Agreement that mapped the final postive conclusion. The demand by the DUP to ensure Northern Ireland was not set apart from the rest of the UK forced the British government to agree to regulatory alignment for all of Britain. This solution soothed the cries of Scotland and Wales who, unlike the DUP, wanted their jurisdictions treated as special cases. The insistence of the DUP that the UK be treated as whole also triggered a more favourable outcome for Ireland. Problematic for the UK but invaluable to Ireland is the fact that the closer it remains with Brussels and EU regulations, the further away it moves from striking deals with third countries whose standards are adrift from Europe. The prospects of importing the much-maligned or much vaunted chlorinated chicken - depending on what side you're on - is dramatically reduced under regulatory alignment. So the scope of conducting different deals is much smaller, which will not please hard-Brexiteers who believe Britain could do better on its own. Tanaiste Simon Coveney said Irish citizens could "breathe a sigh of relief". The agreement by the UK - of its own volition - to apply the same EU rules to the whole of its territory, and not just Northern Ireland, safeguards not only the Good Friday agreement, but bi-lateral trade. By committing to regulatory alignment as a backstop measure of the UK crashing out of a deal, the UK has also reduced the likelihood of such a scenario ever happening. Guiding the talks will be the reality that the UK has signed up to effectively retaining the status quo where the UK will apply all of the same rules and regulations as it does now. Having made this commitment, it opens up the possibility that any trade deal will be more comprehensive and theoretically less complicated. The impermeable nature of the Irish peace deal acted as lodestar from which all sides could not divert. An iron-cast proposal to avoid a Border in the name of peace, prosperity and stability finally materialised. Anxiety over a hard Brexit has for now been settled. As things stand, a soft-Brexit in on the horizon. Reading last week's edition of the Farming Independent, I was struck by a comment made by my colleague in the sheep management section, John Large. It is only when you read of the intention to invest tens of thousands of hard-earned euro to install a slurry-based manure storage system to combat the loss of straw, that you finally realise how much the wheels have come off the wagon in the tillage sector. While incomes rise and fall in any sector at any given time, there are two overarching risks in Irish agriculture that we can't ignore: Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; and improvement in water quality. The current 'death by neglect' that the tillage industry is undergoing will have a hugely negative role on addressing these risks. First the emissions. We are constantly being preached at that concentrates fed to animals will have the same emissions regardless of where that concentrate emanates from. So feeding rolled barley that was grown across ditch has exactly the same emissions as feeding soya hulls that was shipped from halfway across the world. Fair enough, we'll accept the figures. What I can't accept is that by replacing a manure storage system based upon a carbon neutral, locally produced, recycled material such as straw, with digging great big holes to fill with concrete and steel, is also 'emissions neutral'. Especially as the biggest emitters of emissions are, coincidentally, cement and steel production. Decrease the straw, increase the concrete and steel. As for water quality, the nonsense is even more apparent. In the 1700s, food production in England was revolutionised with the practice of crop rotations and with the development of the 'Norfolk four' rotation and the like. Crop rotations led to a huge increase in productivity and output and more importantly a huge increase in productivity per labour unit. This agricultural revolution provided more food for labour and more available labour which in turn filled the factories and formed the basis of the industrial revolution that followed, but I digress. The basis of the Norfolk four rotation is the balance between livestock and crop production. By growing fodder crops such as turnips in the rotation, more livestock could be overwintered and were far healthier. More and healthier livestock produced more and healthier manure, which in turn could be used to fertilise more crops. So more crops, and more animal and animal products, could be sold off a given area. Crop rotation is based on the building up of soil reserves with livestock, to deplete again with crops, and the system 'rotates'. So how does this affect the current conundrum we are experiencing in crop production? Of course we are far too modern now to depend on such archaic notions for our fancy production systems. Agronomy is now based around a few bright sparks with logos on their jackets, not reusing old animal poo. The current direction Irish agriculture is heading, where we are developing a one-trick pony of transforming Brazilian and American plant protein into pizza topping and protein shakes, for re-export somewhere else, is going to dangerously skew this cycle way off-kilter. If we continue to build up soil reserves with ever-increasing applications of animal manures, while at the same time ceasing the production of reserve-depleting crops, eventually we are going to fill the pot and eventually the pot is going to overfill. This overfill will be measured in terms of more nutrients ending up in our rivers, lakes, bays and estuaries. Basic common sense would suggest a mix of agricultural production is a more sustainable model to pursue. No one is disagreeing with this. No one wants to pour money into slurry tanks when straw bedding is readily available. Intuitively everyone would like to see a situation where crops are grown locally, grain and straw is sold for livestock use, and the subsequent manure is spread back on the cropping land. Environmentally, logistically, and economically it's a sustainable model. Unfortunately we are letting the potential for this model wither away in a morass of indifference and prevarication. If we are to pursue this model, it will have to be actively managed and developed. It will have to be designed, and road tested and implemented correctly. The first thing to do is to stop the rot. Tillage farmers need to know that their efforts are at least being acknowledged, if not rewarded. Their role in the development of the dairy industry is not simply a one-off source of large land blocks. They are an essential part of the development of a sustainable animal product export industry and this role should be developed. At the very least, they should provide enough straw to bed the sheep. Richard Hackett is an Agronomist based in North County Dublin and is a member of the ITCA and ACA Illusionist Keith Barry performed a death-defying illusion in Waterford over the weekend, with a little help from A-list actor Woody Harrelson. Around 6,000 people lined the streets of Waterford to see Barry free himself from a strait jacket while suspended 100 feet by his feet with cling film covering his face. It took the magician around two minutes and 30 seconds to successfully free himself from the jacket and cling film. Before taking part he had his Hollywood pal Woody to ensure that there were no holes in the cling film before it was wrapped around his face. This was without doubt, the most dangerous act that Ive performed to date, but I wanted to do something really, really special and memorable to honour Winterval which takes place in my hometown said Barry. Needless to say, my stunts take years to perfect and are closely monitored by a team of trained professionals at all times, so no-one should ever think about trying to re-create them he said. Now in its third year and attracting record crowds, the organisers of Winterval said that a performance such as Keiths was the perfect way to thank the people of Waterford and visitors from all over the country for their support in making Winterval Irelands biggest Christmas. We promised visitors a magical, once in a lifetime experience and we believe that we have delivered said Winterval Chairman Barry Monaghan. Keith was magnificent this evening and it was a very fitting performance to highlight the magnitude of Winterval as Irelands biggest Christmas Festival and not just a market," he said. "Waterford Citys Winterval now offers families more variety and events to enjoy, many free, than any other Christmas festival in Ireland. We look forward to welcoming lots more visitors to Winterval in the coming weeks where they can enjoy all the festivities associated with the perfect family Christmas. In the language of television talent shows, its been a rollercoaster week for Alexandra Burke. Last Saturday, she was flying high at the top of the Strictly Come Dancing leaderboard, only to poll so few public votes that she was relegated to the dance-off for the second week running. The judges saved her. A day later, she read the latest in a string of negative tabloid stories about her diva behaviour on set, an article that ended with: Alex the great British public clearly dont want you to win. It was a cruel line. The vitriol that has come her way in recent weeks would be hard for any contestant to take. It got to a point where I cant take any more mentally, she says. It comes at a time when Burke is already fighting to keep her head above water. At the launch of the series, when she shimmied down the red carpet, beaming to the crowd, she was hiding the fact that her mother, Melissa Bell, had died earlier that day. Expand Close Alexandra Burke in Radio Times / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alexandra Burke in Radio Times Bell, the guiding influence in Burkes life, had been ill for a decade with kidney failure and had spent the last year and four months in hospital. The night before the Strictly launch, Burke was in Blackpool touring with the musical Sister Act when she got a call telling her to come back to London. She died at four in the morning. She waited for me to drive home from Blackpool. I started playing her music and just held her hand. And she went, Burke says softly. We are at the Strictly rehearsal studios in a north London suburb, and she is talking in-depth for the first time about what she has been through. Expand Close Alexandra Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alexandra Burke Her first instinct was to quit the show. I said to myself, I cant do this, she recalls through tears. And it was my auntie, my mums sister she turned to me and said: I have to be your mum now and tell you that if you dont go for your dream, its never going to come back. I was sitting outside. The sun came up. Then I went home, showered and went straight down to the recording. The only person that knew out of all the contestants was Aston [Merrygold], who I told because he knows my mum. And I tell you something, that was the hardest day of my f------ life. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Strictly Come Dancing 2017 Strictly Come Dancing 2017 / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Strictly Come Dancing 2017 Burke is sobbing her heart out as she says this. Im not going to lie: Im so angry that shes gone. I cant understand it why shes 53 and gone. The pair had a complex relationship, and there were suggestions a few years ago that Bell felt eclipsed by her daughter. A single mother to four children, she was part of the 80s band Soul II Soul, but as their biggest hits came several years before Bell joined, her career did not bring riches. She channelled her ambitions into her daughter. But by the time of her death, they were close. It was Bell who encouraged Burke to appear on Strictly, although encouraged might be too soft a word. From the age of five, she had me not playing out, in a room learning Whitney Houston albums and performing them back to her and my teddy bears, says Burke. By nine, the schoolgirl was performing in pubs and clubs. Expand Close Melissa Bell and Alexandra Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Melissa Bell and Alexandra Burke Video of the Day If there are shades of Gypsys Mama Rose about this, Burke is unaware of it. My mum was my biggest supporter, she says. I have so many great memories hard ones, too of her pushing me and saying: If you want to sing, this is what you need to do. Aged 16, Burke entered The X Factor and was devastated not to make it through. Three years later, the producers were back in town. Bell hauled her reluctant daughter out of bed and packed her off to the queue. Only the group auditions were left. Burke walked into the auditorium to find her mother had signed them up as a duo. But Bell had a plan. We auditioned for two producers, and my mum said to me: Im going to sound like a dying cat, and youre going to sound amazing. So she starts, and at the end they say: No to the mum, yes to the daughter. She went: Thats exactly what I wanted, clicked her finger, walked out. And thats how I got my career. I cant believe to this day she put herself out there like that. Its a memory that has her laughing uproariously. She is determined not to be consumed by grief. In 2008, Burke was 19 when she won The X Factor, in the days when the final could attract 14 million viewers, and eight million votes from the public. She was criticised on that show, too, for being fake and gushy, all that talk of feeling blessed. But here was a teenage girl from a north London council estate, duetting with Beyonce and winning a 1 million record contract; of course, she felt blessed. Now shes on the BBCs most popular Saturday night show, and she feels the same. Expand Close Alexandra Burke pictured in her dressing room prior to taking to the stage for the VIP opening night of the musical "The Bodyguard" at The Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alexandra Burke pictured in her dressing room prior to taking to the stage for the VIP opening night of the musical "The Bodyguard" at The Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin Burke is emotional, theatrical, with a rocket-fuelled desire to succeed, and the great British public isnt so comfortable with that. People also like a journey for Strictly contestants, but 29-year-old Burke has been consistently good all the way through. It has led to the usual grumbles about previous dance experience, but Burke is not stage-school trained and, after a spell in musical theatre, has no more experience than some of the others. She watches her performances back and you would never know that I was shaking back in the wings, knees knocking, sweaty palms. The second she walks on stage, she goes into a bubble. I have this professional face, one that Ive been taught since the age of five that, when the cameras are on, you smile and you be gracious. My mum always said to me, Youre as good as your last performance, so you bloody perform. Some have accused Burke of lacking warmth, but they should meet her. She turns up to the studio with tonsilitis, nursing a hip injury, two days after the negative press became so overwhelming that she issued a plea on Twitter for it to stop. There are hours of rehearsals ahead of her, and after a 10-hour day in the Strictly studio, shell goes home to Hertfordshire and work into the night on her new album. Yet here she is with her mega-watt smile, hugging everyone in sight, trying to turn everything into a positive. Her tweet elicited an outpouring of messages from fans, urging her to keep going. It got to a point where I was like, I cant take any more mentally. It felt like a personal attack, she says of the press stories that claimed that has hissy fits backstage, yells at her Spanish dance partner Gorka Marquez, and is engaged in a bitter feud with fellow contestant Debbie McGee. She dismisses them all as ridiculous (McGee also described it as codswallop). To her many supporters, the attitude towards Burke has felt like bullying. Is there also a whiff of racism? Strong black women dont have an easy ride just ask Serena Williams or Michelle Obama. Of course, if Burke were to agree with this, she would be accused of playing the race card. Ive seen all of that and read it. I disagree. I never bring race into things, and I think when people do it kind of makes things very negative. So, for me, I stay away from that, she says evenly. Expand Close Alexandra was first signed to Sony's Syco record label after winning 'The X Factor' in 2008, but moved to RCA in 2011. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alexandra was first signed to Sony's Syco record label after winning 'The X Factor' in 2008, but moved to RCA in 2011. Her dance partner, Gorka, who ambles in mid-way through our chat, is a very supportive presence, she says; there is no jealousy from her boyfriend, Josh Ginnelly, a stage manager whom she has been dating for the past 18 months. Despite Burke spending 10 hours a day in handsome Gorkas arms, the Curse of Strictly has not struck: The thing is, when I met Josh, I was kissing another guy on stage in The Bodyguard, she laughs. I ask if Burke has her future mapped out, and of course she has. Couple more years of working really hard and then we can settle. Ive got the five-year plan going on. Kids. Absolutely kids. She once claimed to want nine children, but has scaled that back a little. Four is a good number. I think I just want four. Like my mum did. Strictly Come Dancing semi-final begins tonight on BBC One, 6.45pm Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] Fugitive solicitor Michael Lynn could be extradited from Brazil "within weeks". The disgraced businessman's appeals have been exhausted and his case was passed to the country's Federal Police. Brazil's Foreign Ministry will now negotiate the logistics of his 7,200km transfer from Pernambuco to Dublin with Irish authorities. Lynn was due to be extradited in December 2014, but a series of delaying tactics by Lynn's lawyers drew out the legal process. Now judge Marco Aurelio has ruled the process over. His ruling was published by the court last week. Lynn faces 33 charges at Dublin's High Court relating to an alleged 80m mortgage fraud, although some will be dropped as part of the extradition deal. The more serious charges of theft were crucial to his extradition and will remain in place. At the time he fled in 2007, he had debts of 80m and his company was said to have 148 properties, 154 bank accounts and assets worth more than 50m. In Brazil, he lived in a villa near a beach while teaching English to the locals, joined a country club and dabbled in the property market. But his comfortable new life came to an end in August 2013 when Brazilian federal police, acting on behalf of Interpol, swooped. His wife Brid Murphy has stayed in Brazil and has given birth to four children, now aged six, four, two and one. A man has been arrested over a terrifying incident in which an armed gang broke into to a house in Dublin and held a gun to the head of a seven-year-old child. The traumatic incident took place in Castleknock earlier this week. A gang of armed men, some of whom reportedly wore fake Garda hi-vis jackets and a Garda fleece and hat, gained entry to the home of a couple with a young family who also had some friends in the house. During the raid, one of the armed men held a gun to the head of a seven-year-old in the house as they searched for cash. One of the victims managed to get away and raise the alarm, causing the gang to flee. The gang were looking for cash and a safe, but reportedly got away with a number of items, including some watches. However, one of the men, believed to be the leader of the gang, has been arrested and is being held in a Dublin Garda station for questioning. Gardai in Blanchardstown have examined CCTV footage to try to to identify the raiders. Meanwhile, an 18-year-old man suspected of shooting a garda during a drugs raid on a Ballymun, Dublin, house has been arrested. The teenager was arrested yesterday morning by detectives in relation to possession of firearms offences. He was still being questioned in Ballymun garda station last night. Two women, aged 47 and 24, who were arrested at the scene of the incident at Barnwell Drive, Ballymun, on Thursday morning were released without charge yesterday. Both were also questioned about the shooting, and a file will now be prepared for the DPP. A 44-year-old man who lived in the property where the incident happened was still being questioned last night. He is a well-known local drug addict and criminal who was previously jailed for a brutal knife attack on two women. The property in which he lives has been a cause of major concern for gardai, who suspect it has been used as a crack den in recent months. "There have been a lot of problems there, and crack cocaine has been sold out of the property," a senior source said last night. A member of the Garda Emergency Response Unit is lucky to be alive after he was hit in the arm when the suspect opened fire during Thursday's raid. Waiting-list patients who are travelling to Northern Ireland hospitals in growing numbers for treatment under the EU cross-Border scheme may lose out in the future, despite the new Brexit agreement. Health officials were unable to give any guarantee the scheme will apply to hospitals in the North and the UK once Brexit finally triggers. The scheme, which will remain in place until then, involves the patient paying a fee upfront, which is later reimbursed by the HSE. Once Brexit is in place, patients from the Republic may have to travel farther to mainland Europe. The warning comes as hospital waiting list figures for November reached record levels, with more than 684,940 patients in some form of queue. There was more bad news for people on outpatient waiting lists as the numbers rose to nearly 500,000. There are now 66,640 public patients facing delays of at least 18 months to see a consultant - up from 62,925 in October. More children are also enduring longer delays. Some 7,551 young patients are waiting at least a year-and-a-half to be seen - a jump of nearly 500 in a month. Another 97,400 adults and children are waiting for surgery. It emerged earlier this week the original pledge to have no children with scoliosis waiting longer than four months for surgery at the end of this month will not be met, although all will be given an appointment. The figures show a drop in the numbers waiting for an endoscopy, an invasive diagnostic test. It fell to 18,184 from 19,341 in October, according to the National Treatment Purchase Fund. Some 63,657 people who have already received treatment are waiting for follow-up care. The pressures are set to increase further in the coming months as more operations are cancelled due to the rise in patients on trolleys in A&E departments, who will have to be placed in surgical beds. The failure to make any major dent into the figures comes despite the allocation of 20m to buy additional procedures in public and private hospitals. Budget 2018 allocated funding in the region of 10m for the remainder of 2017. Health Minister Simon Harris said the number of people waiting for an operation fell for the fourth month. "This is the lowest number of people waiting for an operation or procedure in the last 12 months," he said. The first major snowfall of the year hit much of the country last night as Met Eireann issued a Status Orange snow and ice alert for 17 counties. The alert remains in place until 11pm tomorrow as temperatures are expected to get worse on Sunday night. Met Eireann forecaster Joanna Donnelly told RTE's Morning Ireland that "treacherous" conditions are expected over the coming days. "It will begin to cloud over in the south-west later today with some widespread rain and that is when things will get tricky. It's going to bring local spot flooding into the south and south-west but as it moves northwards into that cold air it is going to turn to snow and we're expecting large accumulations over Connacht, the midlands and much of Leinster too. Temperatures tonight in that snowy weather is going to be between -1 and -5 degrees." Ms Donnelly said that winds will become strong before tomorrow morning. "Most of the country can expect a snowy white blanket on Sunday morning. That snow will continue on Sunday. There will be some heavy rain in Munster too. Temperatures on Sunday evening will struggle to rise above freezing. On Sunday temperatures will be as low as -8C, possibly lower still. Expand Close Snowfall expected for most parts of the country this weekend / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Snowfall expected for most parts of the country this weekend "There will be widespread severe frost on Sunday night and that is going to bring treacherous driving conditions to the whole country with all areas at risk on Sunday night and Monday morning. There will be sleet and snow for a while until it gradually dies out. "Conditions are going to get dangerous tonight as the rain turns to snow and moves widespread over the country. If you have any journeys on Monday morning do take care because conditions are going to be treacherous." 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 Claremorris, Co Mayo Mount Temple in Moate, Co Westmeath Mount Temple in Moate, Co Westmeath Moylough, Co. Galway Brothers Ger Laverty, 10, and Finn Lavertty, 6, play in the snow on the Mourne Mountains near the village of Hilltown, Northern Ireland, December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Monivea, Galway Charlie enjoying the snow in Knocknacarra, Galway Snow in Bohola, Co Mayo Photo: Avril Byrne Cnoc Ban, Spink, Co. Laois living up to its name this morning Photo: John Fitzpatrick Dublin city and Howth from Cruagh, Dublin Mountains Wexford covered in snow on Sunday morning Photo: Michael Jordan Snow in Carlow on Sunday morning Photo: Shane Kenny Daniel Taylor aka Inn Keeper, escaping through the snow after his Nursery Nativity show at Enniskillen Integrated Nursery School. Photo: Dawn McCosker Snow in Roscommon on Sunday morning Snow in Roscommon on Sunday morning Snow in Roscommon on Sunday morning Galway on Sunday morning Photo: Dolores O'Shea Mullingar, Co Westmeath Snow in Ballymacallen Ballymore, Westmeath A child walks up a lane in the snow on the Mourne Mountains near the village of Hilltown, Northern Ireland, December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Glenravel, Co Antrim this morning. Photo: Siobhan McMullan People go sledding on the grounds of Stormont Estate, Belfast, as parts of the UK and Ireland woke up to a blanket of snow caused by an Arctic airflow in the wake of Storm Caroline. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Snow on Djouce mountain in Co Wicklow today Photo John O'Hehir Cyclists climb the Buttertubs pass between Wensleydale and Swaledale as parts of the UK and Ireland woke up to a blanket of snow caused by an Arctic airflow in the wake of Storm Caroline. Photo: John Giles/PA Wire Glenravel, Co Antrim this morning. Photo: Siobhan McMullan Snow this morning in Athlone. Photo: Akash Bhattacharya, Westport, Mayo Ballickmoyler, Laois Billy, Paul and Niall having snow much fun in Carlow Natalie Trotter and her son Logan, 9, try sledding on the grounds of Stormont Estate, Belfast, as parts of the UK and Ireland woke up to a blanket of snow caused by an Arctic airflow in the wake of Storm Caroline. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire People go sledding on the grounds of Stormont Estate, Belfast, as parts of the UK and Ireland woke up to a blanket of snow caused by an Arctic airflow in the wake of Storm Caroline. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Angela, Padraig and Ava Breslin in Monivea, Galway A dog walks in the snow on the Mourne Mountains near the village of Hilltown, Northern Ireland, December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Athenry, Co Galway Mount Errigal covered in Snow at Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Photo: Colin O'Riordan Snow covered hills at Glenveigh National Park, Donegal today. Photo: Colin O'Riordan A person runs through the snow in a field on the Mourne Mountains near the village of Hilltown, Northern Ireland, December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Horses in a field in Cloughoge, Newry, as parts of the UK and Ireland woke up to a blanket of snow caused by an Arctic airflow in the wake of Storm Caroline. Picture date: Friday December 8, 2017. See PA story WEATHER Caroline. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Counties Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath and Meath and the five counties in Connacht could see accumulations of between 4cm and 8cms of snow with drifting likely due to strong northerly winds by tomorrow morning and throughout the day on Sunday. Met Eireann have issued status Orange and Yellow weather warnings for scattered snow showers & icy conditions this weekend. Pls plan your journeys, bsafe & heed the following advice https://t.co/Cx4UIpYG1k Pls RT pic.twitter.com/3vltC9SluB An Garda Siochana (@GardaTraffic) December 8, 2017 This was due to the clash of cold air with heavy rain moving northwards from the south-west overnight and another rain system moving southwards during the day today. The National Emergency Coordination Group met yesterday to discuss measures to deal with any potential issues arising from the severe snow and ice conditions. It said that in addition to road salting, local authorities would be activating assessment teams to review conditions. Mainly dry today with sunny spells. Isolated showers in the north. Temperatures just 1 to 4 degrees generally but higher in the south and southwest. Met Eireann (@MetEireann) December 9, 2017 Expand Close Dublin will shiver as temperatures drop / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Dublin will shiver as temperatures drop Meanwhile, the Road Safety Authority last night urged all road users and pedestrians to take extreme caution over the next few days and be on the look-out for treacherous black ice appearing as glossy patches, especially in sheltered areas. Slippery paths and treacherous roads are also expected due to snow accumulation and ice. Lower temperatures will mean roads may be icy, beware of black ice, the RSA said, adding that drivers must drive slower than normal on icy or snowy roads. AA Roadwatch is advising motorists to slow down due to the icy conditions. "Allow extra time to defrost your car before your journey and keep in mind that stopping distances are up to 10 times longer in icy conditions." A family who lost their lives in a tragic car accident have been remembered as "generous, loving and fun." Lily and Doug Alexander and their two sons Doug Jr and Stephen were killed in the two-vehicle collision on the main New Ross to Wexford at around 6.30pm on Monday evening. The family had travelled from Illinois to Shannon Airport earlier that day for the funeral of Lily's sister Winnie Keevey in Co Wexford. Their heartbroken family has released a statement paying tribute to them. They said: "It is with great sorrow that our family and friends unite across the Atlantic to mourn the passing of Doug, Lily, Doug Jr. and Steven Alexander. "They were generous, loving and fun. As well as their love for family in America, they opened their hearts and homes to all who travelled to them. "They greatly enjoyed their regular trips to Ireland, with their final trip here to say farewell to Lily' s sister, Winnie. "They will be greatly missed but we have been left with wonderful memories of great times spent together, both in Ireland and Oak Lawn." Read More They added that they appreciate "all the kind words and support we have received" as they appealed for privacy as they grieve. Expand Close Wexford road crash victims Doug Alexander and Lily Alexander / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Wexford road crash victims Doug Alexander and Lily Alexander Lily and Doug Snr (who were both aged in their seventies) are survived by their daughter Debbie, Lilys brother Matt Ryan Snr and her sister Rita, Dougs brother Sandy and sister Daisy, as well as their children and grandchildren and extended family who live in Ireland and the US. Stephen 'Steve' Alexander (49) was an award-winning police officer and leaves behind two daughters, aged 11 and 10. Meanwhile, Doug Jr (40s) was a dad of two young daughters, aged six and seven, and had played in a rock band for the past 20 years. Their funerals will take place at St. Marys Church in Cushinstown, Co Meath on Monday. Hackers have made off with millions of dollars of bitcoin from a leading mining service. The Slovenian cryptocurrency mining marketplace NiceHash lost about $70m (59m) of bitcoin in a hack on its payment system on Wednesday. The company said the attack was probably made from a non-EU IP address and said it was working hard to recover the bitcoin for its users, adding: "Someone really wanted to bring us down." The theft came just before bitcoin lost almost a fifth of its value in 10 hours yesterday. The cryptocurrency surged more than 40pc earlier on in the week, sparking fears the market may be heading for a price collapse. In a hectic day on Thursday, bitcoin leapt from below $16,000 (13,600) to $19,500 (16,500) in less than an hour on the US-based Gdax, one of the biggest exchanges globally. The high-stake attack on Wednesday is not uncommon, with several large breaches and thefts hitting bitcoin and other related services over the past year. NiceHash is a mining service, a company that pairs up people with spare computing power with those willing to pay to use it to mine for new bitcoin. Head of marketing Andrej Skraba said NiceHash investors came from "all over the world". Head of NiceHash Marko Kobal said in a Facebook video recording, whose authenticity was confirmed to Reuters by the company, that the hack was made by using the credentials of a NiceHash engineer. The incident highlighted security risks to booming digital currencies. There have been at least three dozen heists on exchanges that buy and sell digital currencies since 2011, including one that led to the 2014 collapse of Mt. Gox, once the world's largest bitcoin market. NiceHash advised users to change online passwords in a statement. "We ask for patience and understanding while we investigate the causes and find the appropriate solutions for the future of the service," it said in the statement. The Slovenian police said that the investigation was continuing. Separately, NiceHash also confirmed that its chief technical officer is Matjaz Skorjanc, who had been imprisoned in Slovenia for creating the Mariposa virus that infected millions of computers around the world around 2010. Mother-of-two Emma Murphy says she has "absolutely no regrets" about posting a video online on her experience with domestic violence. Ms Murphy said sharing the video on Facebook, which has been viewed by millions, was her means of "escape". Speaking on The Late Late Show tonight, she opened up about her decision to go public after being assaulted by her then-partner. "It was massive and probably one of the hardest decisions Ive ever had to make in my life," she said. "Straight away I was in agony. It was a punch to the face. My eye was obviously very swollen. I jumped in the car and I drove frantically" - @enmmamurphy recounts the horrific assault on her by her then-partner #latelate pic.twitter.com/wopD5fS8vu RTE One (@RTEOne) December 8, 2017 "I was putting myself out there in such a vulnerable position. I was putting myself out there looking a state. I had a black eye, I was emotional, I was very, very weak at the time. I was just a mess so putting yourself out there on social media was a huge thing but I did it because I wanted to be happy. "I just wanted to be happy. I knew that I would never go back there. I knew that was it, that was the final door for me. Posting this video was my escape, I knew from the moment I pressed post that that was it." She described the day she was punched in the face following an argument with her partner, saying her son saw the assault from the back of her car. "Straight away I was in agony. It was a punch to the face. My eye was obviously very swollen. I jumped in the car and I drove frantically. It happened so quick, I was afraid, I just jumped into the car. The first reaction I had was just: get away, get away. I was afraid, the look in his eye, I was terrified," she said. Expand Close Francis Usanga outside Dublin District Court . Photo: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Francis Usanga outside Dublin District Court . Photo: Collins Courts Francis Usanga (31) was ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service to avoid a five-month prison sentence after he was found guilty of assault causing harm. Ms Murphy said she is grateful the justice system acknowledged violence against women is wrong. "It was never about the punishment, I just wanted that guilty verdict," she said. While she was thankful for the decision, she criticised the slow progress of domestic violence cases through the courts was a "disgrace". "My mental health, up and down, up and down, walking in and out of courtrooms. I never want to see a courtroom ever again, she said, adding that she had not received a lot of support from the system. "If it wasnt for the detective dealing with my case, I probably wouldnt have got through this. The Guards were amazing and I cant thank them enough," she said. She also called for an end to victim-blaming in Ireland. "Victim blaming in Ireland is really, really bad. Constantly we are blaming victims: why didnt she leave? Why did she accept that? Why didnt she walk away the first time? Why dont we change that around and start asking the question: why did he hit her? Why did he do this? Because thats a choice," she said. Women's Aid Freephone Helpline - tel: 1800 341 900, or see womensaid.ie AMEN confidential helpline for men - tel: 046 9023718 or see amen.ie Employees should be levied with a new tax to support the growing needs of Ireland's ageing population, a new report has recommended. The new "social insurance" payment would be similar to the system used to collect PRSI, according to the Citizens' Assembly. It also called on the Government to introduce some form of mandatory pension scheme that would supplement the State pension. The recommendations are among a broad range of proposals in the final report of the assembly of 100 citizens who heard from a variety of experts. The assembly - which previously produced controversial recommendations on abortion - was asked to examine "how best to respond to the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population." It comes against a background of major concerns about the ability of pensioners and the State to properly fund health and social care needs in areas of huge demand such as homecare. Judge Mary Laffoy, chair of the assembly, said: "This topic is incredibly broad, wide-ranging and affects us all in one way or another. "I considered it of the utmost importance that the assembly focused its efforts on the areas where real value could be added by advancing policy discourse. "I am conscious that developments have occurred in respect of a number of issues which the members considered since the deliberations in June and July 2017. "These include the announcement of plans to introduce an auto-enrolment pension scheme for private sector workers by 2021." The recommendations also include a demand to backdate the Homemakers Scheme to 1973. The scheme meant that time spent caring for children, the elderly or ill was disregarded when calculating contributory pensions. The assembly considered a previous financial analysis suggesting that a social insurance scheme, which would involve employee and employer contributions, could generate more than 725m. Read More Referring to plans to make enrolment in private pensions mandatory, the report said coverage tended to be at or above 70pc of the working age population when these policies had been implemented. However, one of the concerns with introducing mandatory pensions is that it may force those on low incomes to become more indebted. They may end up having to divert funds from necessary expenses, such as childcare, education and housing, it said. An alternative may involve a worker being automatically enrolled in a scheme and then being allowed to opt out within a certain time limit. The report, which is not costed, also called for the speeding up of the plan to put homecare on a statutory footing. It said while the family should be principally responsible for providing care for older people, the State should have at least some responsibility. The current anomaly, which arises when a person who must retire at 65 is not entitled to the State pension until 66, should be removed. The mandatory retirement based on age should be abolished, the committee said. As I sat in the hospital room and held my stillborn son in my arms I never imagined that this would be my life. I never imagined that at 35 years old a part of me would die, creating a hole in my heart that could never be filled. Instead of celebrating the birth of my son I would be arranging his funeral. Instead of contacting loved ones and telling them he had finally arrived, I had to tell them instead that he had died. Life as I knew it had changed forever. I was never one of those people who always wanted kids. My husband and I left Ireland in 2008. We travelled the world and ended up in Australia. We planned to stay for a year before returning home but one year turned into two, three, four and then we eventually stopped counting and started calling Australia our home. We had a great lifestyle. We could do what we wanted, when we wanted. Kids, much like returning to Ireland, kept on getting pushed out. My biological clock, however, wouldnt allow us to do this forever. As I hit my mid-30s we decided to take the plunge and start trying for a family. Like most people I expected to get pregnant straight away. When I didnt, I wasnt that worried at first. It allowed us to sneak in another childfree holiday and maintain the freedoms that came with being childless for a little bit longer. It was when the symptoms of my endometriosis came back that it started to dawn on me that this might not be as straight forward as I had first thought. A few months and a laparoscopy later I was diagnosed with severe, extensive endometriosis. IVF was now our best chance at getting pregnant. The baby-making honeymoon was over. As we reluctantly stepped onto the emotional rollercoaster that is IVF, our heads were spinning. In the space of a year we had gone from not being sure we wanted children, to doing one of the most invasive and traumatic fertility treatments out there. Surprisingly we were successful after only three cycles. By some peoples standards we were lucky. For us, however, by the time we got the news that we were finally pregnant everything had taken its toll. As a result it took a little while for us to get excited about the pregnancy. It had taken so much to get to this point and we were still really only at the starting line. Given that nothing felt like it had gone right to this point we were both convinced that the pregnancy would not hold in the first 12 weeks. As we approached the clinic to get our 12-week ultrasound we were both very nervous. A couple passed us who had obviously just lost their baby. She was in floods of tears, her partner completely shocked. Ill never forget the look of devastation on that poor girls face. This did nothing to quell our fears. 20 minutes later and it was our turn. As the sonographer moved the machine over my tummy we got to see him properly for the first time, our baby son. With a strong heart beat and a clean bill of health we left the clinic on cloud nine. We could finally start getting excited. The pregnancy progressed without a hitch. We were over the moon - so happy, so excited. My husband was obsessed. He was fascinated with the kicks that by now visibly protruded from my belly. Any chance he could get he would be rubbing my belly and talking away to his mini me, now nicknamed Little Merv after his Daddy. Everything in our lives was perfect. It was too good to be true. By the time the Easter weekend rolled around I was 35 weeks pregnant, and we were well and truly on countdown. I had just finished work and was looking forward to a few weeks to myself before Little Merv arrived. I woke up that Sunday morning and lay in bed waiting for my husband to get home from his run. Little Merv would always wake up 30-45 minutes after me, announcing his arrival with an unceremonious kick in the ribs. This morning was different. There was no kick in the ribs, in fact there was no movement at all. I thought I was just being paranoid but when my husband got home we decided to call the hospital. They told us to come straight in. We were both nervous on the drive there but were trying not to get worked up. After all my pregnancy had been healthy and uncomplicated. The most likely scenario was that they would check Little Merv, say everything was ok and send us home. Little did we know our world was about to come crashing down around us. At the labour ward they took us straight into a room and hooked me up to a monitor. That familiar sound of a heartbeat started straight away. I felt a massive flood of relief but this would be short lived. Thats your heart beat, I cant find the babys yet, the midwife said. She moved me to another machine. Same thing. No heartbeat. At this point I knew there was something seriously wrong. My body started to shake uncontrollably and I was finding it hard to speak. They phoned the on-call obstetrician to perform an ultrasound as our obstetrician was on holidays. We waited mostly in silence. The inevitability of what the ultrasound would show remained unspoken between us. It felt like forever before the obstetrician arrived at the hospital. He sat down beside us with the ultrasound machine and put the gel on my belly for what would be the last time. There was Little Merv up on the screen, still and silent. Im sorry, its not good news, he said. They were all the words I needed to hear. I crumbled into my husbands arms. Our gorgeous little boy had no heartbeat. Our gorgeous little boy had died. I couldnt breathe. How could this happen after a normal and healthy pregnancy? It felt like our lives had just ended. Expand Close Catherine Travers. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Catherine Travers. My husband called our parents back in Ireland to let them know. Catherine has lost the baby, he said. I dont know how he got the words out. I lay numb on the hospital bed, unable to look at my big belly as they prepared me for my c-section. I had been so nervous about giving birth and now here I was about to do it, all the while knowing that my beloved baby had already died. By 4.46pm our beautiful baby boy, Benjamin, was born sleeping. I really did not know how I was going to cope with seeing him. I had been so excited to meet him for so long and now here I was and it was so heartbreakingly different to what I had imagined. As soon as I saw him it all became so real. The midwife rolled his bassinet into our room. I started wailing crying, completely inconsolable. The midwife tried to calm me before handing him to me. I took Benjamin gently from her and as I held him in my arms all the anxiety and fear melted away. It felt so right to hold him. For the first time since this nightmare began I felt calm. Its the hardest thing in the world to describe, holding your stillborn child. Your heart is bursting with the most incredible love and happiness yet the immense sadness and loss is unbearable. The next few days in the hospital were a whirlwind. I would wake up each morning and for a split second would forget what had happened. The realisation that followed was like reliving his death again each morning. Just as devastating each time. There were so many decisions to make, so many memories to try and create. We would spend each day pouring over Benjamins every detail but we knew we would eventually have to let him go, at least until the funeral. We both held our little boy one last time and told him how much we loved him and how much we would miss him. It is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. After saying goodbye to Benjamin I desperately wanted to go home. I had been badgering the midwives to let me go early but I had no idea how difficult it was going to be to leave. As I walked out of those hospital doors I was shocked by the feelings of emptiness. I had entered them only a few days before with a big pregnant belly and now I was leaving with no big belly and no baby, just a memory box to last me a lifetime. Its three months on now and some days I dont know how Ive survived this nightmare. People say to me that Im so brave, that Im so strong. They say that if it was them they wouldnt be able to survive. For a long time I didnt think I would be able to survive either. I dont feel brave and I certainly dont feel strong. I feel broken. My perfectly healthy baby has died and no cause of death has been found. I am surviving this because I have to. I am surviving this because I still have a husband who loves me and a little boy in heaven, who doesnt want for him having left this earth to have destroyed his Mummy. I guess what it all comes down to is that Im choosing hope. Im refusing to let the death of my son define me. Instead I want his life to inspire me, and to inspire others. Benjamin has taught me to love with an intensity that I never knew existed. He has taught me to be kinder and more patient. He has taught me of the amazing beauty that there is in this world, a beauty that I had been missing because I was too busy being busy. He has inspired me to help others. I have started to write again, something that I have always loved but havent done in years. I am writing to create awareness for stillbirth, something that is much more common than people think. I am writing to stop the awful silence that is associated with it so that others know that they are not alone. I have started volunteering with an amazing charity, Bears of Hope, to try and improve information and support for bereaved parents. They have helped me to see that people, who have been broken just like me, can still do amazing things. So, day by day, I am trying to feed my soul. I am trying to live life again. I am choosing hope over darkness. I have the love of Benjamin in my heart, guiding me through each day and that, for now, is all I can hope for. Read Catherines blog at www.benjaminslight.com Part of the large attendance at the 25th Anniversary of the Holy Family Church. Picture: Ken Finegan The first couple to be married in the Holy Family Church Des and Patricia Clarke pictured with their daughter Amy and their Matron of Honour Ann Hagan at the 25th Anniversary of the Holy Family Church Archbishop Eamon Martin poses for his portrait at the 25th Anniversary of the Holy Family Church The Holy Family parish celebrated the 25th anniversary of the opening of the new church with a special mass last Sunday. The mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Eamon Martin, and honoured those who led the extraordinary efforts to build the Holy Family Church, which cost one million old Irish punts. The joint church and community effort saw a remarkable fundraising effort to secure the monies needed for the building which opened in December 1992. Prior to that, mass had been held in a temporary church for eleven years. The construction of the church was also a local success, with Dundalk builder Patrick Martin engaged to create the new building. A quarter century later, and the Holy Family Church has been the focal point for many community celebrations, and indeed tragedies. This Sunday, a special carol service will be led by Dundalk Brass Band and members of the Men's Sheds. Three Bus Eireann employees who between them had clocked up 104 years' service are leaving the smell of diesel behind them as they celebrate a new era of their lives. All three had followed their fathers into the job and indeed one was the third generation of her family to have worked in the town's transport industry. Dundalk woman Margaret Slavin followed her father Paddy into CIE as it was known at the time, and her grandfather Owen, a survivor of the Lusitania which was torpedoed by the German's during the First World Ward, had worked as a level crossing keeper in Dromiskin. 'I joined CIE in 1980 and started working at the depot in the Ardee Road before transferring to the Long Walk when the new bus station opened in 1999,' says Margaret, who worked in the schools transport section. This, she says, was a busy section as there are up to 14,000 children from the Louth, Monaghan and Cavan area availing of the school transport service every year. 'I'm a bit sad about leaving but also looking forward to having more free time.' Fellow clerical worker Una McFadden from Legion Avenue joined the company 36 years ago. 'I started when the office was down in Barrack Street and the goods yard was very busy handling kegs for the Harp and Macardle Moore breweries,' she recalls. In recent years, she was attached to the road passenger section at the Long Walk. Una's father James Coburn worked as an engine driver and her she met her husband Brendan, a bus driver who retired a few years ago, through work. 'I'm looking forward to retiring but also a bit apprehensive,' she admits. Paddy Begley from Bay Estate has already retired after working for the company for 32 years. He worked as a busy driver before being serving as schools transport inspector and depot inspector at the Long Walk. 'My Da was an inspector too and I ended up doing exactly what he did,' he recalls. His father, a native of Kilfenora, Co Clare, came to Dundalk in 1962, having previously worked in Limerick and Dublin. And even though Paddy has retired, the family tradition is continuing as his eldest son Peter met his future wife Evelyn, who works at the Long Walk depot, at a Bus Eireann party. 'Years ago, working in Bus Eireann was a real family tradition although like so much else in life, that is changing.' Paddy is planning to take it easy now that he has left the smell of diesel behind him but quips that his wife has plenty of jobs for him to do around the house. Una, Margaret and Paddy will be joined by colleagues at a party to mark their retirement in Byrne's of Hill Street this weekend. The popular Carlingford-Omeath Greenway could be extended to Greenore, after Louth County Council committed to carrying out a feasibility study for a new section to the route, the Argus has learned. Following last week's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) meeting between Louth County Council (LCC) and Newry, Mourne and Down Council, it was agreed that Chief Executive Joan Martin will initiate a feasibility study for the Greenway to be extended from Carlingford to Greenore. Cllr Antoin Watters welcomed the news, saying 'This will link the Greenway up to the new ferry service. The existing Greenway from Omeath to Carlingford has been a huge success and the benefits for local tourism and the promotion of health and well-being is immense.' 'To date over 53,000 people have used the Greenway and this news is a welcome boost to increase foot fall and will hopefully boost numbers for the new ferry service.' The latest development is a further progression for the Greenway which was first constructed by Louth County Council in 2013. The trail was developed along the disused railway line against the majestic backdrop of the Cooley and Mourne Mountains and promotes a more sustainable mobility pattern and significantly enhances the trail network in this part of Ireland. It has been extremely popular with the public ever since it opened, with over 53,000 Greenway users in 2016, of which up to 25% are cyclists. The recently constructed walk and cycleway is part of an overall Great Eastern Greenway that will result in high quality off-road cycle and walking route along the East Coast. Along with partners in Newry, Mourne and Down, District Council and East Border Region, Louth County Council are also involved in the current development of a cross-border Greenway from the centre of Newry to Omeath and improving the Greenway into Carlingford. This Carlingford Lough Greenway Project has recently secured EU Interreg funding and should be completed by 2019. The smuggling of illegal solid fuel, tobacco and alcohol is still a huge problem robbing valuable income from the state, it emerged this week. Louth TD Declan Breathnach called for a tougher crackdown on the smuggling of illegal goods into Ireland which he said is 'depriving local retailers of valuable business and depriving our state of millions of Euro in lost revenue. 'Only recently, driving down south from Belfast airport, I was behind a huge truck hauling a very large cargo of solid fuel. Solid fuel is being imported illegally from north to south on a daily basis and robbing our State of millions in lost revenue. This has become an increasingly serious problem, especially for small businesses operating in close proximity to the border. Family businesses in the trade of solid fuels are suffering greatly and are clinging on to their business by a thread. Between the problem of the big price differential between north and south and illegal smuggling of fuel, thereby avoiding the carbon tax which the supplier is liable to pay to our state, legitimate businesses are finding it impossible to compete', said Breathnach. 'We need a tougher crackdown on rogue traders, more co-ordination between the Gardai and the PSNI to do everything possible to apprehend these illegal smugglers.' 'I have heard also, through Retail Excellence Ireland that there could be health consequences for consumers, through the use of coal bags containing unsafe product with a higher sulphur content which is sold in counterfeit coal bags. The Louth TD said he will push for the enactment of 'The Sale of Illicit Goods Bill, 2017' which makes it an offence to purchase illegal goods, such as alcohol, tobacco and solid fuels.' Charities in Greystones and Blessington are now receiving free food donations from their local Aldi stores as part of Aldi Ireland's expanded partnership with FoodCloud. Surplus food from Aldi's Greystones and Blessington stores is being redistributed to charities and community groups including Lakers Social and Recreation Club daily through FoodCloud, the not-for-profit social enterprise founded by Iseult Ward and Aoibheann O'Brien, Aldi's Greystones and Blessington stores are the latest Aldi stores to participate in the FoodCloud programme. Aldi has significantly scaled up its operations with FoodCloud, with 128 Aldi stores now donating surplus food, increasing Aldi's overall donations to Foodcloud by 60 per cent. This week Aldi reached the significant milestone of donating 1,000,000 meals to charities through FoodCloud since the partnership began in 2014. This equates to a saving of almost 1.5 million for the charity partners involved. 'We are delighted to announce that we are now working with FoodCloud to support local charities in Greystones and Blessington. Groups such as Lakers Social and Recreation Club play such an important role in their community and we are very proud to be able to support them and the vital work they do,' said Finbar McCarthy, Aldi's group buying director 'Our research tells us that 87 per cent of people prefer to shop with a retailer that redistributes its unsold food to those in need. We also know that many of our customers want options to help reduce their own household waste, and we're responding to meet those needs. We have already introduced smaller pack sizes and made perishables, like bananas, apples, oranges and avocados available for individual sale.' FoodCloud co-founder and CEO Iseult Ward said, 'Our partnership with Aldi has already enabled us to redistribute 510 tonnes of consumable food to hundreds of charities nationwide. We are excited that more Aldi stores are now part of the FoodCloud mission to help tackle food waste and food poverty. While consumer awareness of the issue is growing, consumer behaviour still needs to change. In Ireland alone we generate over one million tonnes of food waste annually while one in eight people are experiencing food poverty.' Charity groups and community groups can register for the service at http://food.cloud/ An Bord Pleanala has refused permission for a major development at Fassaroe. Wicklow County Council granted permission for the development earlier this year. Cosgrave Property Group sought to build a mixed use development at Fassaroe and Monastery, comprising of 390 apartments, 269 houses, a neighbourhood centre, creche, district park, parking and new road. This was to be the first phase in a development of around 1,800 units. Fifty acres within the site is proposed to be zoned separately as active open space. An inspector from An Bord Pleanala looked at the site on September 17. He said that the basic form, layout and design of the development were generally acceptable but there were a number of issues that couldn't be addressed by conditions. Specifically, the potential impact on the carrying capacity and strategic function of the N11/M11 and the requirement that parts of the site would be the subject of authorisation from the Environmental Protection Agency, the outcome of which is not clear. This involved three historic landfills on the site. 'The Board cannot clearly determine that the proposed development would not have an adverse effect on the integrity of the Ballyman Gen SAC to allow development to proceed would therefore be premature, could lead to works that would seriously injure the amenities of future residents of the development,' read the inspector's report. It's believed the plans would have a negative impact on Bray town, and it was also found that residents would not have access to important amenities, such as social and education facilities. The inspector said that he had significant concerns with regard to the extent of retail floorspace proposed. He said that it was 'excessive relative to the scale of development proposed and relative to the retail functions envisaged in the Masterplan for the site'. The inspector said that the extent of office accommodation proposed and its relationship to and impact on the national road network would also be of concern. The refusal was also due to the absence of a high capacity public transport mode serving the site, or plans for the provision of such a service, and the car-based nature of the development. The report indicated that the development would generate a large volume of traffic, much of that likely to use the N11/M11 route. The route is already congested and. A trend of increasing traffic volumes is evidenced by the submission made by Transport Infrastructure Ireland. The report said that the proposed development would have a significant adverse impact on the carrying capacity of the N11/M11 and would represent an unsustainable form of development, excessively dependent on the private car. Appelents to the development include Bray Clay Pigeon Club, William B. Somerville-Large, Stephen Byrne, Frank and Noreen Keane, Denis Sherlock and others, Barry and Tracy MacDevitt and others. Bray Clay Pigeon Club said that the development could spell the end of their club, which has had its grounds at Berryfield for 40 years. This, however, was not considered a factor by An Bord Pleanala. Other appellants cited traffic, public transport and environmental concern. Senior executive planner Edel Bermingham recommended refusal, in a report dated May 12, 2017, based on the absence of a Certificate of Authorisation from the EPA, and the scale of the retail development. Director of Services Des O'Brien recommended conditions to address her concerns and permission was granted by the council. Twin Falls Methodists hold Festival of Carols TWIN FALLS The fourth annual Festival of Carols will be celebrated at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Twin Falls First United Methodist Church, 360 Shoshone St. E. The public is invited to enjoy holiday music from local musicians and to join in the singing of Christmas carols. The event is a collaboration of the churches of United Methodist Magic Valley Ministries. No admission will be charged. Twin Falls Methodist Church is handicapped-accessible, with an elevator at the Fourth Ave. N. entrance. More information: call 208-733-5872 or go to www.tffumc.com. Steve Thompson visits Unitarian Universalists TWIN FALLS The Unitarian Universalists will host Steve Thompson as guest speaker at 10:30 Sunday at the Vendor Blender and Event Center, 588 Addison Ave. W. near the old hospital, Twin Falls. Thompson is the political director of Marsys Law for Idaho, a victims advocacy organization. He recently moved to Idaho from northern California where he worked in legislative-placement assistance for foster youths transitioning to adulthood. He is also experienced in public relations campaigns, including developing a $90 million bond measure for Butte Community College. Thompson is a U.S. Army veteran, serving as a drill sergeant. He is married with three children. Thompson has authored the childrens book series The Daughters Daring, which was written for his own daughters to assist them in finding the courage they need to excel in their lives. Unitarian Universalism honors the differing paths we each travel. Our congregations are places where we celebrate, support and challenge one another as we continue on our spiritual journeys. Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote: the inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equality and compassion in human relations; and acceptance of one another. Newcomers of all religious paths, or none at all, are always welcome. Child care is available. We are handicapped-accessible. Parking is in the rear of the building. More information: call Ken Whiting at 208-734-9161 or email mvuuf83301@yahoo.com. Kimberly Nazarenes host Liberty Gospel Quartet KIMBERLY The Church of the Nazarene will host the Liberty Gospel Quartet at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 at the church, 3550 E. 3750 N. (Polk Street), Kimberly. The quartet is a gospel group based in the west with a full-time concert schedule. The members of Liberty are Royce Mitchell, bass; Paul W. Ellis, lead; Derek Simonis, baritone; and Philip Barton, tenor. The group performs for church services, nursing homes, prisons and other ministries. They also sing at conventions including Southwest Gospel Music Festival, Great Western Fan Festival and Canads Gospel Music Fan Festival. While featuring everything from high-energy performances to moments of contemplation, Liberty always leads the congregation in an incredible concert of worship. Their ministry bridges all generations, at traditional and contemporary venues. Liberty has shared the platform with the Gaither Vocal Brand, Legacy Five, Greater Vision, the Booth Family and many others. Whether or not you are a fan of southern gospel music, you will enjoy the enthusiasm these men exhibit while serving and singing to the Lord. The concert is free, but a contribution will be taken in support of their ministry. More information: contact Liberty Ministries Inc., 55 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 100, Meridian; call 208-938-9364; or go to www.libertyquartet.com. Call the Church of the Nazarene at 208-423-5290. Concerns about the future of the train station in Greystones were raised at Monday's meeting of Wicklow County Council. Cllr Grainne McLoughlin called for a suspension of standing orders to discuss the matter saying it would have a major effect on the town if the main station building were closed. She said that Irish Rail had proposed to close the main station building to commuters in Greystones and to change its use for retail. The proposal also includes a provision for alternative access routes at the station including another area not on the main street. 'In other words the Greystones Station Building will no longer be a public station but rather another retail unit to the detriment of public transport users', she said. 'The importance of the train station to the residents of North Wicklow and commuters coming as far as Arklow cannot be under-estimated. 'From a disability access perspective, despite reassurances from Irish Rail that the Greystones Station was not about to become unmanned - all signs point to the distinct possibility of that happening. Irrelevant of the fact that assisted service is been reduced from 24 hours to four hours, it still would not replace staff. 'In addition the planned access and egress to the station without any covering would plainly not be able to facilitate the huge number of commuters - who would be left with no waiting room during the long winter months. There is also the issue of safety at peak times as to whether the planned new exits would be able to accommodate such volume of commuters. 'We must also be cognisant that the station is an iconic building in the heart of the town and there is no justification of allowing for its change of use. The community of Greystones and the community of commuters are all against this plan and it is imperative that it cannot be allowed to be developed in any manner to the detriment of the town. I am urging Wicklow County Council members to support this notice of motion and to write to Irish Rail to ask them to revert this decision.' She was supported by Cllr Derek Mitchell who said that the station currently has a well lit and sheltered waiting area which is needed. He said that the Greystones station is the fifth busiest suburban station and with limited services it has heavy peak loads. 'People must queue to get off the platform, out of the station and out of the Park n' Ride. Each of these needs increased throughput. A simple change is to install a second street door. Use of a shuttle train in the longer term will require altering the track and platform layout to allow convenient changes. 'Waiting numbers are much greater than other DART stations and an enclosed, lit area is needed. The Bray Greystones track is less reliable than the rest of the DART which means extra waiting.' Cllr Mitchell also said that the park and ride car park needed to be enlarged to deal with the volume of commuters. Green Party Councillor Steven Matthews however said that while he didn't want to see the building closed he felt that Fine Gael 'were speaking from two sides of their mouths'. 'I think this is just spin and speaking from both sides of the mouth. Annual funding to Irish Rail is down 90million. Those decisions are made at the cabinet table. Before we make a fool of ourselves writing to Irish Rail we should talk to our five TD's. These decisions are made by them.' The members agreed to write to Irish Rail and also the five TDs about the matter. Bryan McMahon who spoke on Captain Flora Sandes: An Irishwoman in the Serbian Army in WW1 with Rosemary Raughter, Zivko Jaksic and Joan Jones Serbian Honorary Consul Zivko Jaksic came to a recent meeting of Greystones Archeological Society to hear a talk by Bryan MacMahon entitled 'Captain Flora Sandes: an Irishwoman in the Serbian army in the Great War'. Flora Sandes (1876-1956) was the only woman to serve as a soldier in WW1. Having travelled to Serbia as a Red Cross volunteer, she went on to enrol in the Serbian army, where she had a distinguished career, and her exploits and subsequent lecture tours made her a media sensation. Bryan MacMahon is one of the society's regular and very popular speakers. There was a full attendance, and a very lively discussion afterwards. Although Flora Sandes was born in England, her family was originally from County Kerry. When war broke out in 1914, she travelled to Serbia as a nurse, but went on to formally enrol in the Serbian army and fought with it throughout the war. She was wounded and decorated for valour, and rose to the rank of Captain, and her story won her widespread celebrity during and immediately after the war. When World War II broke out she returned to Serbia, where she was briefly imprisoned by the Nazis. She died in 1956. In his response to Bryan's talk, Mr Jaksic spoke of Serbians' continuing gratitude and admiration for Flora's contribution, and gave a short account of the traumatic Serbian experience of World War I, which resulted in the loss of almost 30 per cent of the total population and 60 per cent of the male population. GAHS has had a particularly active autumn season, which began in September with the La Touche Legacy seminar, and included involvement in the Local History Day recently organised by Wicklow Council Heritage Department, as well as their usual monthly meetings. The society's next talk, by Michael Fewer on 'The life and times of J B Malone, founder of the Wicklow Way', will be on Thursday, January 18. For more information go to greystonesahs.org. Breda Murphy and Maureen OToole with the Purple House tree The Christmas tree festival, 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland', at Christ Church in Bray has been extended. The festival started last Thursday and was originally meant to continue until Tuesday, December 5. The event will now run until this Thursday, December 7. The festival is open at Christ Church from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. Visitors can stroll through a forest of trees, decorated by the community with clever and artistic designs. A festival committee and army of volunteers worked very hard to create the beautiful display at the church. The church is filled with over 50 Christmas trees decorated by local schools, community groups and businesses. Focusing on the hymns and carols of Advent and Christmas the festival reflects the surrounding community. Join the parish on a journey through a Winter Wonderland to the very heart of the joy of the Incarnation. From eight foot high natural fir trees to trees sculpted and created from tyres, recycled materials, books and even socks, the Christmas tree festival sets a festive mood and creates a wonderful magical setting to begin the Christmas season. Families and those young and old have been enthralled at the different designs as they wander among the twinkling lights of the trees. Each tree reflects a Christmas hymn or song and the festival was opened last Thursday evening with 'Sing a Song of Christmas' with the parish choirs and Archdeacon Gordon Linney. The music continued on Tuesday evening with 'Classics by Candlelight'/ A cafe and craft shop are open daily throughout the festival. Greystones Community National School will be able to take two junior infant classes in 2018, as the Department of Education has approved funding for temporary accommodation. The school board had decided to limit its intake of junior infants because they had not been getting their prefabs quickly enough. They had announced that they would take just one new class in the coming year. Cllr Jennifer Whitmore told members of Greystones Municipal District last Tuesday that the board made the decision to take in one class rather than two because 'essentially we don't have the facility to take on two streams of children'. She said on the night that they need the Department of Education to authorise the purchase of portacabins to enable the board to proceed to planning permission. 'We can't enrol a second class in the absence of the Department signing off,' said Cllr Whitmore, who is chair of the Board of Management. The school currently occupies prefabs at Greystones Rugby Club, with a new school building planned for Charlesland in 2019. There is currently one first class, two senior infants and two junior infants. Extra portacabins have been delayed each year with children having been taught in rooms within the rugby club. A request to the Department of Education made by KWETB in November 2016 was approved in June of this year. Work has not started yet, and teachers gave up their staff room and office to accommodate this year's new pupils. Principal Rory Kinane had aid that there would only be 27 places available. However, he did indicate that if the Department granted funding and Wicklow County Council granted the subsequent required planning permission at the current site at Mill Road in a timely manner to allow completion before Sept 2018, the school would then review the cap on Junior Infant places. The Department announced on Thursday of last week that funding for accommodation was approved. At the reopening of Kilmurray Church in Newtownmountkennedy after stabilisation works were Huw OToole, supervising architect; Fr John Daly; Fr Sean Smith; Cllr Daire Nolan; Sylvia OToole; Robert Byrne; Therese Hicks, historical researcher; Deirdre Burns, Wicklow Heritage Officer; Cllr Shay Cullen; Marie ONeill; and Paul Kavanagh The historic Kilmurray Church in Newtownmountkennedy has reopened to the public again after two years of painstaking stabilisation and conservation work. The project was finally realised after five years of sustained local fundraising by Newtownmountkennedy and District Tidy Towns Association. Vital support also came from Wicklow County Council's 'Buildings at Risk' fund, directed by County Heritage Officer, Deirdre Burns. Additional funds were awarded under the 'Built Heritage Investment Scheme' operated by the Department of the Environment. Robert Byrne was involved in the project from the start and says: 'We would like to thank the many local people, who supported the project, and in particular local Tenor Darren Mooney, who hosted his memorable sell-out concert last year in St. Matthews to boost funds. A word of thanks is also due to our biggest parish donor, who wishes to remain anonymous.' Local architect, and Tidy Towns member, Huw O'Toole, oversaw the works, which were specified by Dermot Nolan Conservation Engineers, and carried out under instruction by Rainey's conservation masons. The works included rebuilding the Gothic arches, removing killing organic growth, resetting the bell cote, removing vegetation, crowning adjacent trees, resetting collapsing vault arches and flaunching the top of the perimeter walls. There is also a planned Phase 3 to roof the small sacristy to provide shelter for visitors. Kilmurray Church, dedicated to St Catherine, was built in the 1760s on a serene site, overlooking Newtownmountkennedy and the Wicklow Coast. The church served Newtownmountkennedy, Kilpedder, Delgany, Roundwood and surrounding areas. It is of rubble construction and was built in two phases. Its design is quite similar to the church at Kilquade, and may date from the same period. On August 23, 1799, the crown forces and militia set fire to Kilmurray church in retaliation for the uprising in the town. Local tradition has it that Thady Byrne from Kilmurray, to the astonishment of the Cork militia, dashed into the burning church, broke open the tabernacle, took the chalice and escaped through the fire and smoke. This historic c360 year old chalice is still in use in St Joseph's Church, on Newtown's Main Street, today. Almost immediately after the burning the local people started the process of rebuilding the church. In the 1820s, Lord Rossmore of Mountkennedy House, who was thought to be distancing himself from the atrocities of the Crown Forces, towards the people, helped greatly in sourcing funding from Government redress schemes, to rebuild the church. Kilmurray church, however, started to lose members, with the building of new churches in Newtownmountkennedy and Roundwood, in the 1860s. Local lore cites another reason for the ultimate decline of the church. At that time local farmers gave the priest barrels of oats (14 stone ) or cocks of hay for his horse instead of money. These donations were read out from the altar for all to hear, 'Farmer A one cock of hay, Farmer B one barrel of oats' etc. On one occasion a rather undiplomatic priest was being sarcastic and read out: 'Farmer A one cock of rushes, Farmer B two cocks of rushes, Farmer C one cock of nettles and one cock of thistles', and so on. The parishioners were insulted, and many never came back, resulting in the eventual closure of the church. The contents were sold or given to other churches, and the church fell into disuse. It is thought the bell went to Greystones. The impressive cross, presently over the high altar in St Joseph's church, came from Kilmurray. Its figure of Christ had a secret cavity in which the Blessed Sacrament was hidden during Penal Times. Over the years the church fell into ruin and was completely covered with ivy. Around 1970 Fr. Finn organized local people to remove the ivy, and Oliver Martin built an altar. An annual mass was celebrated on this altar, for many years, and the Martin Family continued to look after the church, until the ruin was deemed unsafe for the public, and was fenced off. Five years ago the Newtownmountkennedy and District Tidy Towns Association, entered the scene and took on the challenge of stabilizing the ruin and making it safe for public assembly once again. The graveyard nearest the church, has many interesting old grave stones. On the far side of the church, there is, surprisingly, just one stone, but there are very many people buried here in unmarked graves. Now focus moves to the roof-works required to the small sacristy. Contact any member of Newtownmountkennedy Tidy Towns if you would like to be associated with this ongoing project. Robert add: 'We will now be able to hold the blessing of the grave inside the walls of Kilmurray Church after so many years. We offer our thanks to all who helped, in the past, as well as in recent times, to preserve this unique place for the people of Newtownmountkennedy, and of County Wicklow.' Denis, Andrew and Michael Hourigan, nephews of Michael OSullivan; Aideen Carroll, granddaughter of Sean Moylan and Fr JJ O Riordain, son of Jim ORiordan at last Saturdays seminar in Mallow Following on from a historic event in Mallow last weekend, another unique moment in time will be captured through the camera lens at the Crawford Gallery in Cork next Saturday. At a seminar in Mallow Library last Saturday oral historian Maurice O'Keeffe aired never before heard recordings of the experiences of two north Cork men who fought through both the War of Independence and the Civil War. Recorded in the early 1970's by Kiskeam native Fr JJ O'Riordan, the tapes featured conversations with his late father Jim, one of the men depicted in Sean Keating's famous painting 'Men of the South', and Sean Healy from Kilcorney. "The seminar was a really special occasion offering those present the chance to hear first hand accounts of life at a key turning point in Irish history," said Maurice. "These tapes are an important link to our past and as an oral historian myself it has been a huge privilege to be able to share them with the public," he added. The seminar was also attended by relatives of some of the men depicted in Keating's famous painting including three of Michael O'Sullivan's nephews, Sean Moylan's granddaughter Aideen Carroll, Fr O'Riordan and his sister Mary Moriarty. The recordings will be included in The Men of the South Oral History Collection, which will be officially launched by Maurice O'Keeffe next Saturday at 2.30pm in Cork's Crawford Gallery. Maurice said it was fitting that the launch was being held in the Crawford, as 'Men of the South' hangs proudly on the walls of the gallery. "In addition to the launch the descendants of the men depicted in 'Men of the South' will gather beneath the iconic painting to pose for a photograph," said Maurice. "This will be a truly historic image and I hope that members of the public will come along to the event and join with us in celebrating the lives of the men and women of north Cork who dedicated themselves to the cause of Irish freedom," he added. For a quarter of a century the Cork Person of the Year Awards, founded by Mallow-man Manus O'Callaghan, has been honouring Corkonians across diverse fields for their outstanding successes and achievements. Since it was established in 1993 the scheme has recognised more than 300 'Cork Heroes' each year with monthly awards, with one of those going on to receive the prestigious 'Cork Person of the Year' award - one of the highest accolades the Rebel county can bestow upon one of its own. From humble beginnings the awards have gone from strength to strength with each passing year, with the unveiling of the Cork Person of the Year at a gala bash each January becoming one of the highlights of Cork's social calendar. Once again more than 300 invited guests will attend the gala awards lunch at the Rochestown Park Hotel on Friday, January 19 when the winner of the 2017 Cork Person of the Year gong will be unveiled. Recognising the importance of the awards, RTE will once again be heavily involved on the day with presenters Miriam O'Callaghan and David McCullagh set to be the joint MCs for the ceremony. The city and county mayors will present the 2017 Cork Person of the Year award, with many local and national celebrities and politicians, including soprano Cara O'Sullivan who will entertain the audience on the day, also set to attend the glittering bash. Prior to that, the influence the awards have had on promoting all that is good about the Rebel County will be recognised at a civic reception being hosted by Lord Mayor Cllr Tony Fitzgerald and the city council at City Hall on the evening of Thursday, January 11. Cllr Fitzgerald said it was fitting that the awards themselves be honoured on the occasion of their 25th anniversary. "This scheme is unique in Ireland in that it covers all sectors including community, charities, sports, business and the arts. In fact, it would be fair to say they encompass all aspects of Cork life," said Cllr Fitzgerald. "Over the years honorary Corkperson awards have been given to people who have promoted Cork abroad including Jeremy Irons, David Puttnam and Michael Flatley. Money could not buy the word-of-mouth promotion these people have given to Cork and the boost that has undoubtedly given the local tourism sector," he added. Manus O'Callaghan said he was delighted the success of the awards was being recognised through the civic reception. "Many people don't realise the important role that swards schemes such as this play. By honouring achievement and success, others may be inspired to follow," he said. "The writer Alex Haley lived his life by six words: 'find the good and praise it'. I also had these words in my head back in 1993 when we established these awards," added Mr O'Callaghan. Starry returns TWIN FALLS Elder Jacob Starry has returned from serving for two years in the England Birmingham Mission. He will be speaking at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Hankins Road Building, 623 Hankins Road N., Twin Falls. He is the son of Connie Holyoak and Mike Starry. The latest in a series of engagements between the two Cork Councils and the Implementation Oversight Group (IOG) took place on Monday this week with political and executive representatives from both sides meeting with the IOG. The elected members of both Councils were subsequently briefed in relation to progress made on agreeing a boundary alteration. It is understood that the Chair of the IOG, John O'Connor, will this week deliver his report defining a revised city boundary to the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy who established the IOG. County Mayor, Cllr Declan Hurley, expressed his satisfaction that both sides have achieved considerable progress. He said that both council have "invested significant time and effort" in recent weeks in reaching a solution. "And the fact that a proposal has been identified is testament to the desire on the part of both Councils to conclude the matter locally." he said. "Everyone involved has adopted the approach that any boundary alteration must deliver what is best for Cork, its people, its communities, its future." said Cllr Hurley. He said that while Cork County Council is "ceding significant territory to the city," it will continue to retain responsibility for a large portion of its overall strategic employment areas." By way of explanation, he pointed to the surrounding regions such as Cork Harbour, LIttle Island and East Cork - which will now remain in the county. "Both Councils acknowledged that it was unlikely that they would each achieve all that they individually sought to achieve. Today's developments provide a solid basis to move forward - on a joint collaborative basis - to drive the entire city and county of Cork as the leading economic region outside of Dublin, and that is great news for Cork," he said. In addition, Lord Mayor, Cllr Tony Fitzgerald described the outcome of engagement as being positive. "The scale of the boundary extension discussed represents a significant reduction in the boundary originally proposed by Cork City Council to the Cork Local Government Review Group. However the City Council has engaged fully with the IOG in its efforts to deliver a deal that could form the basis of the expansion of the city," he said. However, he did note that the entire process has been "protracted and complex" the proposal hasn't met all their expectations. "However it represents a historic opportunity for Cork - both for the City and County, and indeed the wider Cork region. Working together, both Councils can grow Cork to be a true counter-balance to Dublin and help to drive the economy." Concerns have been raised about traffic safety at the newly redesigned Annabella Roundabout in Mallow, with the speed at which cars now approach it from the Cork side being chief among them. Raising the topic at the December Kanturk/Mallow district committee meeting Cllr Gerard Murphy (FG) said the issue of speeding had been brought to his attention by locally based driving instructors. "The new layout means that both lanes coming from Cork can now be used to access the Limerick Road and as a result cars seem to be approaching the roundabout at higher speeds. One driving instructor I spoke to said that young and inexperienced drivers using the roundabout are finding this to be a serious problem," he said. He also said the driving instructor was concerned that some of the lettering on the Mallow sign in the centre of the roundabout, in particular on the approach from the Killarney Road, was partly obscuring the view of oncoming traffic using it. "There have been a number of minor accidents at the roundabout in recent weeks and the driving instructors are concerned there could be a serious accident here if these issues are not addressed," said Cllr Murphy. "While the changes at the roundabout are by and large welcome, I would like to see them reassessed from a traffic safety point of view," he said. Cllr Timmy Collins (Ind) said there was "no doubt" but that many vehicles approaching the roundabout from the Cork side were travelling too fast. "If you're are coming onto the roundabout from the Killarney side you could get caught out fierce quick. This problem has only arisen since the new layout was put in place," he said. Cllr Gearoid Murphy (FF) said that part of the problem may be down to unclear road markings, adding that it was his understanding some of the signs leading into the roundabout had yet to be updated. "In general the changes have been positive, particularly in terms of reducing tailbacks approaching the roundabout. However, there are always teething problems in a project on this scale, so it might be prudent for us to write to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) requesting a review of road markings and signage," he said. Senior council engineer Jim Moloney said he had already raised the issue of signage at the roundabout with TII. "I will talk to both TII and the Gardai in relation to the other observations raised today, although I would point out that the speed limit approaching the roundabout is due to go from 50kph to 60kph next year," he said. Speaking to The Corkman a locally based diving instructor said they were glad the issues had been raised. "These issues are of very real concern to us. As has been pointed out a number of minor accidents have happened at the roundabout in recent weeks and these is a growing concern that if not addressed, these issues could result in a far more serious incident happening there," they said. The winners of the IPB Pride of Place Awards in association with Co-operation Ireland were announced last night at a gala awards ceremony in Letterkenny. The awards acknowledge the achievements and the invaluable work undertaken by volunteers and those involved in local community development. Dunleer achieved a runner up award in category four, which is a Population Category of between 2000 and 5000. During the ceremony 49 awards were announced in the main competition, the cities competition and special awards, ranging from groups supporting small rural communities to those involved in large inner city housing estates. Donegal County Council hosted the evening and celebrated Irish musicians Donal Lunney and Paddy Glackin entertained the audience before the winners were announced. RTE presenter Aengus MacGrianna was MC for the ceremony, which was attended by over 800 people Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork, won the top award in Dunleer's section. A change to the national Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme has come around thanks to one TD's visit to a local special school. 'I paid a visit to St Ita's school recently as FF Education spokesperson and local east Meath TD,' Deputy Thomas Byrne stated. 'The school complained to me that if they wanted to avail of tax relief for buying a disabled bus, over half the kids had to be wheelchair users. Very few organisations would benefit and I'm pleased to say the government agreed to change the rules and I want to thank St Ita's for bringing it to my attention.' Now as long as there is one wheelchair user, they can get the relief. 'Ellen Harrison and the principal raised it with me and they've been fundraising for a minibus, so this is going to help big time,' he added. The Party's Finance Spokesperson, Michael McGrath TD, said that the changes will enable more special schools and service providers to avail of relief from VAT and VRT when purchasing adapted vehicles. "There are many special schools caring for children with disabilities that currently cannot avail of the scheme because the qualifying conditions are overly restrictive. "As well as being available to individuals who hold a Primary Medical Certificate, the Disabled Drivers and Passengers Scheme enables certain charitable organisations who care for, and transport, people with severe and permanent disabilities to obtain a relief from VAT and VRT when purchasing specially adapted vehicles. "At present, only organisations where a majority of service users or pupils qualify for the Primary Medical Certificate can avail of the scheme. "Schools that care for children with severe and permanent disabilities offer vital supports to their pupils and their families. My colleague, Thomas Byrne, our Education Spokesperson, brought this issue to my attention, and we proposed an amendment to the Finance Bill. Following a positive reaction at the Committee, the Minister for Finance has now agreed to make the relevant changes to the Statutory Instrument.' There were plenty of smiling faces at The Riverside Park Hotel recently as Enniscorthy Vocational College of Further Education (EVCFE) hosted its annual graduation ceremony. The event was attended by over 350 people, which included proud family and friends there to witness the graduates collect their certificates. Dr Iain Wickham, principal, got things underway by congratulating the graduates on their excellent achievements and wishing them the very best for the future. He stressed the value of doing a Further Education course prior to starting in Higher Education and praised the Erasmus Plus exchange programme to Vasteras in Sweden. Chairman of the Board of Management Conor Dempsey thanked board members and staff for all their efforts throughout a busy year and Cllr Jim Moore spoke of the excellent progression routes that exist in EVCFE, particularly within Waterford IT, Carlow IT and Aberystwyth University. The final speaker James Browne TD emphasised the importance of lifelong learning and not being afraid to take risks and change careers or academic focus if one feels they would be better suited to something else. Students received their certificates in a variety of different areas such as business, early childhood education, tourism and business, legal studies, sport, recreation and exercise, physiology and health science, pre-science, engineering technology, beauty therapy, hairdressing, performing arts music, media studies, nursing studies and healthcare support. There was a wonderful atmosphere on the day as learners donned their hats and gowns and the celebrations were set to last long into the night with family and friends EVCFE will host an open night for 2018/19 tomorrow Wednesday, December 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. and all sixth year and mature students are welcome. For more information, call 0539236969 or visit www.evcfurthereducation.ie. Following the apparent collapse of a deal which was to see a new IT Carlow Campus built on the Newtown Road in Wexford, Enniscorthy has once again been put forward as the most viable option to house the new facility, with at least four sites rumoured to be up for consideration. Land close to the old St Senan's Hospital has been suggested as the ideal location to construct a new campus and calls have been made for the governing body of the Carlow institute to consider moving the whole project further north. Previously, a local group had made representations to the college suggesting St Senan's itself as the ideal site for their new campus. This later fell through when IT Carlow settled on the Wexford town site, and paperwork is currently in the process of being finalised for the sale of St Senan's to a private investor. However, with a major fall-out now taking place between IT Carlow and those selling the Wexford town site, it is believed the college is now looking at different options once more. Local councillor Paddy Kavanagh was one of those who had previously called for Enniscorthy to be considered for the new campus and he firmly believes that Wexford's difficulty could prove to be Enniscorthy's opportunity. The Fine Gael councillor says that he has sounded out some landowners and established that land Killagoley would be available should the Institute wish to proceed. It is reported that at least three other sites in the Enniscorthy area have also been offered for consideration. 'There's a lot of land adjacent to St Senan's there that would be available,' said Cllr Kavanagh. 'I'd be happy if the campus was built anywhere in Enniscorthy, but really near St Senan's is a perfect location, particularly with the new Business and Technology Park going on that stretch too. It's also walking distance to town and it would be ideal when the new bridge goes in as part of the flood relief scheme.' 'There are a lot of reasons why Enniscorthy would be a good choice,' he continued. 'Access is a big issue and when the new M11 is finished the road networks would be there to link students from Dublin, Carlow, Waterford and all over Wexford. There's also plenty of accommodation available in Enniscorthy and a lot of space for the campus to grow over the coming years. I would challenge anyone to find a better, more accessible site in such a centred area. Where else will they find 40 to 50 acres near a provincial town centre? We have a Junior Minister and another TD here in Enniscorthy and I would be calling on both of them to act on this and secure it for the Enniscorthy area.' It is understood that the governing body of IT Carlow will now take some time to evaluate all of the options before making a final decision. Teachers and students from Bunclody Vocational College swapped the classroom for the catwalk recently as the Parent's Association hosted a fundraising fashion show at The Millrace Hotel. The Parent's Association have been extremely active in raising funds for the school in recent years and this event proved to be one of the biggest yet with a capacity crowd in attendance on the night. All the latest winter fashions were on show with clothes from Finesse Boutique in Carnew, Ken Rothwell Bunclody, Elegance Bunclody, Put a Bow on It in Enniscorthy and Mary Elizabeth Boutique also in Enniscorthy. There was doubts as to whether some of the teachers would make it into school again on Monday morning or whether they would be snapped up by a big modelling agency for the catwalks of Paris and Milan. Principal James Murphy, who himself took a turn on the catwalk, said that it was a great night. 'It went really well,' he said. 'We had a massive crowd and we had to bring in more chairs and everything. A lot of work went in on the part of the Parent's Association and I'd like to thank them along with the businesses who took part. Without them it wouldn't have happened and I'd encourage everybody to shop local this Christmas and support these businesses that are supporting us and their local community.' With the funds raised, the school hope to launch an in-school radio station over the coming weeks. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Anything that reduces rural isolation and provides increased services to countryside dwellers should be welcomed but the reality is that a few local bus services is not enough Calls have been made on the Minister for Transport Shane Ross to release 1m in a bid to ease rural isolation in the wake of stricter drink-driving laws. A new proposal to extend Local Link bus services has been drawn up which if funded, would see 15 rural community bus routes extended. Anything that reduces rural isolation and provides increased services to countryside dwellers should be welcomed but the reality is that a few local bus services is not enough. These services are limited and often don't allow users enough time at their destination before they must return. This is not the fault of the service provider because they have to run on an ever tightening budget and on the basis of supply and demand but for many people living miles away from the nearest town or village, this doesn't meet their needs. There is so much talk about the impact that drink-driving laws has had on rural Ireland - complete rubbish for the most part. Anyone who wants to use lack of rural services to endorse the merits of being able to drink and then happily drive home does not have the best interests of small Irish communities at heart. If they did, they would surely understand that damage that a death caused by a drunk driver would have on any small community in the country. The problem is not about providing a taxi for people to go to the pub. If anything, this is the easiest form of transport to arrange. What is lacking, is a regular link for people to access public transport systems, which recognises the timetables for national train and bus services. Every pensioner in the country has a free travel pass but how are they supposed to use it if they can't get into town to catch said transport? What they end up doing is paying private taxi companies to bring them into town, a fee which the likely could do without having to pay. While it is not viable to run community transport services as often as perhaps people would like, there would be merit in the introduction of a subsidised scheme where rural dwellers, older people in particular could hire a local taxi but have a portion of the cost covered. This would serve the communities well, while also providing business for local taxi operators. Local students have been awarded a JP McManus All Ireland Scholarship toward their third level education. The awards ceremony took place at the University of Limerick where Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell-O'Connor presented the awards. The local recipients included Sophie Okpara who attended Loreto secondary school in Swords and who is now in UCD. Former Skerries Community College student Adam Cruise, who now attends UCD, and Eanna MacDomhnaill, who attended Gaelcholaiste Reachrann and is now at TCD, also received a scholarship. Special guest at this year's Awards Ceremony was Irish President, Michael D. Higgins. This is the 10th year of the Scholarships, which are sponsored by JP McManus. A total of 125 students from both North and South of Ireland were presented with a third level scholarship certificate. The scheme provides financial assistance to many high achieving students who completed their Leaving Certificate in 2017. A man who has pleaded not guilty to five counts of animal cruelty is to have his case heard next year. Patrick Whelan is facing five summons of animal cruelty allegedly against a black male Rottweiler dog. Swords District Court heard the case is being brought against the defendant by the Minister for Agriculture Food & The Marine. It is alleged the defendant failed to safeguard the health and welfare of the dog at his home address at Glasmore Park in Swords on March 22nd. It is further alleged the defendant caused unnecessary suffering to the dog, failing to provide uncontaminated water and food for the dog and reckless neglect of the dog. Outlining the alleged facts of the case, DSPCA Inspector Liam Kinsella said he visited the house but no-one was home. He said he stepped onto an adjacent wall to look over the side entrance and allegedly saw a dog tied up, soaking and shivering. He said it had been raining all through the night and the area the dog was in was allegedly covered in dog faeces. 'The dog had no access to shelter, no fresh water and there was faeces in the water and food,' Mr Kinsella alleged. He said he took photographs and gardai agreed to remove the dog and brought it to the DSPCA shelter. 'A vet assessed the dog,' said Mr Kinsella, adding he left a calling card at the house. He said he allegedly received a phone call from the dog owner who allegedly signed the dog over to the organisation to have it re-homed. He said the defendant is alleged to have said he was too busy with work to mind the dog. The penalties for the summons the defendant is facing, if found liable is a Class A fine not exceeding 5,000 and/or a prison term not exceeding six months. On hearing the alleged facts of the case, Judge John Cheatle accepted jurisdiction meaning the case can be heard at district court level. After the defendant indicated a not guilty plea, Judge Cheatle remanded the case to February 5. From left, Philip OKelly, Andrew Forembski, Maksim Jacenko and Professor Enda McGlynn, Head of the School of Physical Sciences, DCU A Skerries student is one of just two in Dublin that have been honoured by Dublin City University for their academic excellence. Philip O'Kelly (Skerries) and Maksim Jacenko (Clondalkin), Applied Physics students at Dublin City University were acknowledged by the School of Physical Sciences for their work during the academic year. The undergraduate academic achievement awards are presented on an annual basis by the School of Physical Sciences to students who rank highest in their respective year. Undergraduate academic achievement acknowledgements were also given to students from Malahide and Balbriggan. Joachim Bosschaert (Balbriggan) and Luis Canizares (Malahide) were acknowledged by the university for their outstanding results in the subject of physics with astronomy. The impressive results from all three Fingal students continue a proud record of achievement at DCU from students from the region. A Rush native has been conferred with an honorary degree from NUI Galway for his services to medicine and for his co-founding of a charity that helps children in Albania. In recognition of his public contribution and charity work, a Doctor of Laws degree has been conferred on Rush-born, Jack McCann. Jack is a retired Plastic Surgeon at Galway University Hospital, 1989-2010. In 2005 he co-founded the charity, Irish Friends of Albania and he travels there twice a year with teams of medical volunteers to work in hospitals there. Since 2002 he has operated on hundreds of children and adults to improve and correct hand deformities and burn injuries. Jack also leads free annual microsurgical training workshops in Albania, training their surgeons to provide better outcomes for their patients. He fundraises year round, culminating in the annual Irish Friends of Albania Ball. He is a former Chair of the Irish Association of Plastic Surgeons. He is a published author with four plays, short stories and two collections of poetry. Jack McCann was born in Rush, and grew up in Malahide. He qualified in Medicine in UCD in 1975 and Surgery RCSI in 1980 before training in Plastic Surgery in Dublin, Cork, UK, Australia and settling in Galway in 1989 as the first Consultant Plastic Surgeon in UCHG and in the West of Ireland. Jack has always been involved in voluntary work and community development. Whilst a student in UCD, he was founder and Chairman of the Malahide Youth Club and was on the local Red Cross team which won a number of All-Ireland competitions. In Galway, he was Chairperson of the Community Health Response Group seeking upgrading of University Hospital during the 'nineties. He was Chairperson of the Fundraising Committee of Galway RNLI for over ten years and was voluntary medical officer to the crew for this period. Jack is currently Chairperson of the Voluntary Management Committee of Clann Family Resource Centre in Oughterard. In 2003, Jack received the Galway Rehab Person of the Year Award. A man has been sent forward for trial by judge and jury accused of dangerous driving causing the death of a 20-year-old woman. Lee Peacock (25), with an address at Seafield Court in Rush, was charged earlier this year with dangerous driving causing the death of Jane Dardis in October 2016. He appeared before Judge Gerard Jones at Balbriggan District Court on Thursday and was served with a book of evidence. The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that Mr Peacock is to be tried on indictment and Judge Jones told him he was being returned for trial to Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he will face his next hearing on December 21. Judge Jones gave the defendant the formal alibi warning that he must provide to the prosecution within 14 days details of any alibis he intends to rely on in the course of his trial. He assigned one junior counsel and one senior counsel due to the seriousness of the charge and directed disclosure to the defence by the prosecution of copies of the video of the defendant's garda interview. There was no objection to bail and Mr Peacock was remanded on his own bond of 100. A Fingal TD has hit out at the Government's handling of cuts to Aer Lingus and airport workers' pensions which has seen retirees' income hit. Local TD, Darragh O'Brien has said that the substantial cuts imposed on the 15,000 Dublin airport pension scheme members is an example of the Minister's 'reluctance to fairly protect those who have made huge contributions to their pensions over time'. The Deputy was commenting on information received through a series of Parliamentary Questions which he says: 'Indicates that the Government continue to ignore the implications of the Government legislation on the pensions scheme and its 15,000 members nationwide.' Deputy O'Brien said: 'Over the past number of years, the members of the IASS pension scheme have been subject to unjust and severe reductions to their pension benefits. 'Unfortunately, the Government has done nothing to reverse the unfair removal of people's pension's rights or to prevent the impact that these reductions have had on pension scheme members and their families. 'In fact, Government policy has facilitated and brought about severe reductions in members' benefits.' Deputy O'Brien added: 'I am at a complete loss as to why the Minster for Employment Affairs and Social Protection would introduce legislation to reduce the benefits in the IASS scheme and on the hand in the correspondence to me has said that she 'cannot intervene in the pension arrangements applying to a particular pension scheme'. 'The responses I have received from the Minister regarding the scheme are deeply disappointing and simply just not good enough. I cannot accept that this approach has been applied across the board.' Deputy O'Brien concluded: 'Having worked in the pensions sector for 15 years before entering politics, 'I intend to continue on this course of trying to protect workers' and push for a redress for people such as the airport workers who lost up to 60% of their pension benefits. 'In response to the continued neglect of IASS scheme members; I will be tabling amendments to the Social Welfare & Pensions Bill which will be before the Dail in the coming weeks,' Mayor of Fingal, Cllr. Mary McCamley and Cllr. Joe Newman of the Swords Woodlands Association (centre) joined the Enterprise Rent-A-Car volunteers at the Scahill family farm in Balheary where the team planted the last of 20,000 trees which the company pledged to plant across Ireland this year to mark 20 years of business in the country A Swords-based family farm was the venue for a major tree planting initiative to mark the milestone of a well-known car hire firm. The Scahill family in Balheary hosted a group of employees from Enterprise Rent-A-Car who planted the last batch of a 20,000 tree-planting pledge to celebrate 20 years of operations in Ireland. The initiative is part of the company's global pledge to plant 50 million trees in 50 years across Europe and North America. In Ireland, Enterprise has partnered with the charity project, Trees on the Land (formerly One Million Trees in One Day), to deliver the Irish element of its global tree planting project. Earlier this year, Enterprise and Trees on the Land arranged for tree-planting projects at a number of sites across Ireland encompassing new native woodland and coppice, hedgerows, orchards, shelter belts and agroforestry. The tree-planting initiative at the Scahill family farm in Swords saw some 20 Enterprise employees, led by Managing Director, George O'Connor, plant a range of new native hedgerow trees and heritage Irish apple varieties. George O'Connor, said: 'We are delighted to have achieved our target of planting 20,000 trees as part of our celebrations of 20 years in Ireland. As a company that cares about the communities where we operate, we are immensely proud of this achievement and we sincerely thank Aidan Scahill and his family for the opportunity to plant these Irish hedgerow trees. 'Hedgerows are hugely important for adding to the diversity of Ireland's flora and fauna and we are only too happy that our efforts are helping to extend Ireland's rich hedgerows here in Swords, County Dublin. 'I would like to sincerely thank all of the Enterprise employees who gave up their Saturday to help out and, of course, our partners at Trees on the Land for their expert co-operation on this project. I encourage other businesses across Ireland to get involved with the charity and help protect our country's environment,' Mr O'Connor said. BUHL A Buhl mother says her 9-year-old son was upset after being confronted about a bullying incident and left school the morning of Dec. 8, but no one noticed he was gone. The boys mother and the Buhl School District Superintendent have different accounts of what happened. Elizabeth McDonald said her son, a third-grader at Popplewell Elementary School, was confronted by the school principal. Kids were bullying him. He was upset and scared. He left the elementary school. Her son walked to a local chiropractic office and called his father, McDonald said. He called the school, asked where his son was and was told he was in class. My husband said no, actually, hes not, McDonald said. They didnt even know for 30 minutes he was gone. The child got into trouble and was sent back to class, but chose to leave the schoolgrounds, Superintendent Ron Anthony said, and made it about two blocks away. He was in a trouble for a major discipline issue and didnt want to be at school anymore. The child was safe and nobody was harmed, Anthony said. No report was filed with the Buhl Police Department and it wasnt a law enforcement matter, Buhl Police Cpl. Benny Torres said. A police officer was at the elementary school during a meeting between the parents and school officials in order to keep the peace, he said. McDonald said theres an issue with bullying at the school and a friends child has also been affected. She said a couple of children gave her son a bloody nose Tuesday. I didnt think too much of it. Kids will be kids. I let it go. But then, it happened again Thursday, she said. He got in trouble today. McDonald said she didnt hear anything from the school about it. She said she and her husband went to the school asking to speak with the principal, who allegedly started yelling at them. They were told they couldnt leave because the school district superintendent was on the way, McDonald said, but they left anyway and went to the police station. They contacted a police officer on duty, she said, who told them the superintendent and school principal wanted them to come back to discuss the issue. During the meeting, the superintendent tries to turn the entire story around and tries to make it my sons fault, McDonald said. She said she and her husband told the superintendent their son will no longer attend the Buhl School District. A steady stream of visitors called to the Gorey Methodist Hall recently for the Cups Against Cancer coffee day. The event in aid of the Irish Cancer Society was organised by the congregation of Gorey Methodist Church, and they were delighted to welcome so many people to the hall on the day. The event ran on a Saturday morning from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so the town was busy with shoppers and the hall stayed comfortably full throughout. The coffee was free, but donations were most welcome. Supporters also donated cakes for, or bought cakes from the cake sale. Such was the generosity of those who attended, that a very impressive 1,200 was raised for the Irish Cancer Society. Money raised for the national fundraiser will go specifically towards breast cancer research, and for the society's breast cancer nurse service. A sincere thank you went to all who made the event such a success, including those who helped on the day, and all who donated so generously. Transition year and LCA students at Colaiste an Atha Kilmuckridge have been busy for the past few months preparing for the annual Christmas market at the school. The LCA students tempted visitors with hot chocolates and home made festive goodies such as shortbread and gingerbread. The transition year students formed mini companies and made a wide variety of crafts and seasonal gifts. Vendors from other schools and other traders also took stalls at the event, and representatives for the Irish Cancer Society and Sue Ryder also had fundraising stalls. Students organised Christmas games in the gym such as 'Soak Santa', an elf shooting gallery, and a candy cane game. Music teacher Orla Kirwan and her school choir were in fine voice, while students also sold raffle tickets for school funds and transition year and LCA activities. Sincere thanks went to the local community for such great support; the students and teachers for their hard work; the business that gave prizes; the Parents' Association; and especially caretaker Donal Doran for all his work before and after. The Green Party has called on the government to stop granting licences for oil and gas exploration off the coast of Co Wexford. An exploration licence was granted in July 2016 for an area offshore to the south east of Rosslare. The local branch of the Green Party called for no further exploration for fossil fuels off the county's coastline. The party recently presented a Prohibition of Fossil Fuels Bill in the Dail, seeking an end to further oil and gas exploration in Irish territory. Wexford Green Party spokesperson Ann Walsh, said that she found it 'incredibly worrying' that the Government continues to grant licenses to explore for fossil fuels, 'knowing the challenges Ireland faces in meeting our climate change targets, and the negative environmental and health impacts fossil fuels have'. 'We're calling on the Government to stop the granting of licenses,' she said. 'County Wexford has a number of licences for offshore drilling - this must be stopped.' 'Day by day, we are learning more of the damage that offshore oil and gas exploration is doing to our marine environment - disrupting and destroying vital and delicate habitats and threatening areas crucial to our fisheries, tourism and leisure sectors,' she added. 'We need to protect our oceans and keep these polluting fossil fuels in the ground.' Party leader Eamon Ryan said the Dail has already banned fracking for onshore gas. 'It is now time to take the next step and stop all exploration for oil and gas in our offshore waters,' he said. Ireland was recently ranked Europe's worst performer in tackling climate change and reducing emissions. Negotiations are taking place in an attempt to rescue a land deal at Newtown Road for a new Wexford Campus of Carlow IT, after the sale fell through The Institute, who paid a deposit on the 30-acre site over a year ago, confirmed the sale had been cancelled by the vendor. 'Institute of Technology Carlow regrets to advise that we have received a letter from the vendor's solicitors informing the institute that they have cancelled the sale and were in the process of returning the Institute's deposit which was paid in December 2016', said a spokeswoman. She said the move was 'surprising', adding that the site was the subject of a NAMA taxpayer bailout.' 'Recently, as part of a larger portfolio, this site's loans were transferred to an American private equity company.' Labour leader Brendan Howlin also expressed his 'profound disappointment' at the news that the land deal will no longer go ahead. 'This site remains, in my view, the most suitable location for a Wexford Campus. I will continue to do what I can to ensure that a new third level campus for Wexford will be developed on this site,' said Deputy Howlin. 'I remain absolutely committed to the establishment of a multi-campus Technological University for the South East, including a Wexford campus, and all our efforts need to be reunited in the pursuit of that goal', he added. The Wexford Campus spokeswoman said the Institute of Technology acknowledged the continued support of the Department of Education and Skills, the Minister and all Wexford elected representatives. 'We will be working hard with all influencers to resolve this situation in the coming days', she said. 'Procurement of a new green field site is the first phase of a significant and long-term strategic plan for Wexford Campus which includes a seven phase long-term capital investment programme in Wexford. Our resolve and ambition in this regard remains undiminished', she said. College president Dr. Patricia Mulcahy told the Institute's annual graduation ceremony in the National Opera House last Friday that she was confident the situation would be resolved. The college announced in early November that the purchase of a greenfield site at Newtown Road was 'imminent'. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) gave Carlow IT permission in 2015 to acquire a site in a prime location in Wexford after the college made a convincing case to the Department of Education and Skills and the HEA for a new purpose-built campus to eplace existing buildings in use at St. Peter's College and the old County Hall in Spawell Road. It is understood that the funding level for the site purchase approved by the HEA was in the region of 2 million. A pre-Christmas exhibition of biblical scenes by the Uzbekistan-born artist Dimitry Avtin has opened in historic St Iberius Church on Wexford's Main Street. The exhibition, entitled A Diamond Christmas (Dimitry's middle name is Diamond), features 16 paintings in watercolour, oil and acrylic on MDF and plyboard, which were inspired mostly by the New Testament and include Nativity scenes of the entrance into Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus. Dimitry who has lived in Wexford with his family for the past 15 years, has a degree in art design from Uzebekistan and diplomas in architecture and architectural design from Waterford and Carlow IT. He likes to paint biblical, historical and sporting characters and scenes and is particularly interested in capturing that moment when an individual is intent on using their physical, mental and spiritual capacity towards the achievement of a goal. 'That is what I try to express, when a person values their own time and effort and utilises them for the benefit of others,' said Dimitry, who is a member of Wexford Christian Community Church, where Pat Murphy, formerly of Scissors Empire, is a leader. The church is based in 41 Westpoint, Clonard, which has the Open Gate art studio where he and other artists hold free art classes for the public every Wednesday from 5pm to 7pm. Dimitry said he is very honoured to be showing his work in 'the beautiful, historic building' of St Iberius Church and is grateful to Rev Arthur Minion, an amateur artist, for arranging the exhibition which will continue up to December 8. All the paintings are for sale and 20% of the proceeds will go to the St Iberius Church Restoration Fund. 'Rev Minion paints himself and is very supportive of artists. We had been talking about this since last year, having an exhibition for Christmas.' Dimitry develops his compositions on plywood and MDF background as it gives him an opportunity to add texture and depth to the paintings. The exhibition was opened by the artist and Wexford Plein Air Festival founder Tony Robinson. Owen McGarry and members of the Sea Shanty group sang songs at the launch. Thugs using lurcher dogs to illegally course hares are intimidating and threatening farmers as they brazenly trespass on their lands to conduct their blood 'sport' in an escalating problem in North Kerry. Farmers are now poised to fight back following a recent meeting with the county's top gardai, however. Chief Superintendent Tom Myers and Crime Prevention Officer Jim Foley met with a special IFA delegation - comprised of Kerry IFA Chairman Pat O'Driscoll, Regional Development Officer Denis Griffin and Rural Crime Officer Barry Carey - as fears heightened in recent weeks. "I have been getting a lot of reports of illegal coursing with lurcher dogs on farmland in recent months. These incidents are very intimidating for farm families, who fear the intentions of trespassers as well as the damage they can cause to fencing and land," Mr O'Driscoll told The Kerryman following the meeting. The IFA was receiving calls every other day into recent weeks as the gangs - believed to be from the Tralee area - roamed widely from Ardfert to Kilflynn and further afield. In at least one instance, a farmer who confronted the thugs was told they would come back and 'shoot' his livestock. Elsewhere farmers were laughed at and even filmed by gangs of up to ten. "Our advice is firmly in line with that of the gardai," Denis Griffin said: "Be very, very careful. Don't confront them and report any activity immediately to gardai. If you are far enough away take photographs that could help gardai in their investigations." The IFA said they were very pleased with the gardai's assurances to investigate all incidents reported to them and believe farmers will utilise the force to the full now wherever the gangs are encountered. "Unfortunately the gardai are still under-resourced so we will be meeting with politicians on this matter, including Kerry's five TDs, to highlight the problem in an effort to get more gardai for the county," Mr O'Driscoll told The Kerryman following the 'constructive' meeting. A man busking on the streets of tourist town Killarney had his much-loved guitar grabbed and smashed around him and his throat gashed with a bottle in an incident in which he was lucky not to have been murdered. 44-year-old musician, Marijo Brkan, a father of one, who works in a fish processing factory and who played to help alleviate depression has not played on the street since, the court was told. 27-year-old Shane Fitzgerald who has 59 previous convictions "of all kinds" and with what judge Thomas E O'Donnell said was "an alarming propensity for violence" has been handed down a three-year jail term for the attack at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee. Garda and an ambulance crew were on the scene within minutes and Fitzgerald of Tullorum, Spa, Killarney, was identified by two "off-duty" American policemen who were holidaying in Killarney and were on Main Street at the time of the unprovoked attack. Shane Fitzgerald is already in custody having been jailed for five years at the Central Criminal Court for a sexual assault on a vulnerable woman, Tom Rice, counsel outlined. That offence was committed prior to the attack on the busker. He pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to Marijo Brkan, to criminal damage and to two counts under the public order act on the night of September 21st, 2016. His previous convictions "were for everything and anything", ranging from theft to drugs to road traffic, Sgt Leo Randles, said at the sentencing hearing. On the night in question, Fitzgerald smashed Mr Brkan's guitar, then struck him with a bottle on the throat, and the bottle broke gashing the musician's throat, Sgt Randles said. He received stitches and it took him two weeks before he could eat properly. In his victim impact statement, read to the court by Sgt Randles, Mr Brkan told how he was from Croatia originally but was in Ireland with three years and had been working in Kenmare for two years. He had a guitar that he loved and would go to Killarney on dry nights to play on the street. On the night in question a man with a grey hoodie approached him where he was playing outside TK Maxx on Killarney's Main Street and "just grabbed my guitar off me and raised it high above his head as if he was going to hit me with it asked where is my free drink!" One of two others with Fitzgerald told him not to do this. "But he smashed my guitar on the ground breaking it in front of me," Mr Brkan said. The attack on his neck left him think he was choking and bleeding. In the ambulance he gave the crew his phone number of his ex-wife and daughter in case he was going to die. In the past he has suffered from depression and music was a great therapy for him. "Since this incident, I have not been busking," he said. He had tried in Kenmare but was simply not able and had to give up and sit in the park and smoke a cigarette. Richard Liston, counsel for Fitzgerald said the incident arose out of substance abuse including prescription medicine and alcohol on the night. His client had been extremely relieved he was not facing a murder charge. Fitzgerald apologized to the busker and he offered to pay for a new guitar. "Addiction is at the root of all his problems," Mr Liston said. Judge Thomas E O'Donnell said this was a completely unprovoked attack and while Mr Brkan had recovered from his physical injuries it had led to "a psychological fall out". "He has not returned to busk and that is a great pity," Judge O'Donnell said. "This was an appalling act which could have had fatal consequences," the judge said. He imposed a total of three years on Fitzgerald backdated to October. Institute of Technology Tralee is to introduce Ireland's first ever dedicated third level course on event management. The new three year BA course will accept its first students in September 2018. Designed with experts from the event management sector, the course will be the first and only one of its kind in Ireland. Head of ITT's Department of Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism Ray O'Connor Desmond explained the aims of the course. "Events are a vibrant and innovative growth sector in Ireland. With tourism numbers buoyant, and continued growth predicted, the new tourist is seeking experiences and moments, which are often met by the huge range of events available across Ireland," he said. "This degree programme aims to provide graduates with a comprehensive knowledge into event organisation, management and evaluation making them highly employable across the sector both in Ireland and abroad," said Mr O'Connor Desmond. Mary Rose Stafford, Head of ITT's School of Business, Computing and Humanities, said the course will benefit the entire south west region. "Events have grown in both number and scale across the country and are extremely significant for County Kerry and the wider South West region," she said. "These events help generate significant employment, both direct and indirect in the region. ITT is meeting a regional and national demand for graduates with event management skillsets and the benefit of completing the degree in three years means graduates are work ready in a timely manner having made multiple industry connections through the work placement aspect of the course," she said. The Rose of Tralee Festival has been honoured by the Government of the United Arab Emirates for its role in fostering greater links between Ireland and the middle eastern nation. Last week the Rose of Tralee was awarded the Spirit of the Emirates, an accolade that is presented to people and organizations who are recognised for undertaking outstanding work to forge strong links with the UAE. The United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency Dr Saeed Mohammad Al-Shamsi, presented the Spirit of the Emirates to the Rose of Tralee, Jennifer Byrne and the Managing Director of the Rose of Tralee International Festival, Anthony O'Gara at a gala dinner in Dublin. "The Rose of Tralee Festival has played a key role in bringing Ireland and the UAE closer together through its Centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai," said Dr Al-Shamsi. "We are immensely proud that the UAE people are held in such high esteem by the Rose of Tralee, thanks to the links created by the Irish community and Rose Centres in our country. The Rose of Tralee is a wonderful event that deserves to be recognised and appreciated for its role in connecting nations around the world," said the ambassador. Dr Al-Shamsi and his wife attended the 2017 Rose of Tralee and he has made a commitment to continue to support the Festival. Rose of Tralee Managing Director Anthony O'Gara thanked the UAE for the award on behalf of the entire festival team. "The Rose of Tralee Festival was inaugurated to recognise and celebrate the International Irish community and the great benefits that they continue to bring to this small island of Ireland. It's lovely to hear that it is appreciated and we thank his Excellency the Ambassador of the UAE for presenting us with the Spirit of the Emirates," he said. HAGERMAN The oldest graves around here are 165 years old, under a cairn along the Old Oregon Trail near Salmon Falls. Others graves are closer to town. Johnny Smalley was bitten by a rattlesnake. And Harry Cline, aka outlaw Bronco Pete, was killed by a posse in 1898 when he crossed the river to say goodbye to his girlfriend at Kanaka Flats. Smalley and Cline and some 90 or so others are buried in Hagermans Pioneer Cemetery, among the dozen graveyards in Gooding County. The Pioneer Cemetery, with only a few dozen marked graves, has been all but forgotten. I bet half the town doesnt even know its here, said Tom Smith, Hagerman Cemetery District sexton. But one man has taken it upon himself to change that. My goal is to get it cleaned up and presentable, said Hagerman resident Stan Bartlett. Those interred here deserve more respect than they are getting. Why now? Bartlett has spinal cancer, and he wants to devote the rest of his life to doing something meaningful. The graveyard hasnt been used in decades. Some of the graves may never have had markers; others were made of wood and have disintegrated over the years. Few pioneers could afford etched headstones. I got out of treatment in the middle of July and started working on it, the 78-year-old Bartlett said Thursday. I just went down there and went to work. Thomas Jasper Ayres drowned in the Snake River in 1900 at the age of 23. Billy Wilson and Samuel Baker were murdered in 1892 by James Cross. Some of those buried in the Pioneer Cemetery were moved from a cemetery in Bliss decades ago when the interstate came through the area. Jimmy Rickert and T.J. Allison are also buried here. Rickert was gathering coal along the railroad tracks in 1908 and was hit by a train. Allison, a 75-year-old gold miner, died in his camp wagon in 1910. Finding out who lies where has been a challenge. Id like to find a map of all the plots, Bartlett said. As of Thursday, he didnt know a map existed. Hes going to be thrilled to know I found a map, Smith said. Bartlett has cut down encroaching trees and repaired broken headstones. The work is slow and never ending, he said, as he demonstrated how he makes 7-foot swaths through pin grass and crested wheat with his weed-eater. He carefully traversed the rough cemetery ground, resting occasionally against the broken branch of a tree. This place, he said, has given me a purpose. I bet half the town doesnt even know its here. Tom Smith, Hagerman Cemetery District sexton. The first edition of Irelands Own from 1902 Ireland's Own, the country's longest-running weekly family magazine, celebrated its 115th birthday last week. Irish society has witnessed seismic changes since John Mellifont Walsh sent the first edition of Ireland's Own to press in Wexford in the winter of 1902. The subsequent century of technological advances in all walks of life have been spectacular, yet the popularity of Walsh's magazine has remained steadfast. 'Mr. Walsh introduced Ireland's Own to combat the influence of literature that was flowing into Ireland from Britain at the turn of the last century,' said current editor Sean Nolan. 'I suppose one of the secrets to its enduring success is that the mix of content has remained the same down the years - it's a magazine by Irish people, for Irish people. 'You don't need a degree from a journalism university to have something published in Ireland's Own. All you need is experience from the University of Life and the ability to tell a good story. That's what our readers look for. 'A lot of things may have changed around us since 1902, but the needs and interests of people have remained ostensibly the same.' To mark their special birthday, the Ireland's Own team are launching this year's Christmas Annual which features a moving family tribute from Christie Hennessy's children on the tenth anniversary of his death. Irish authors Michael Harding and Alice Taylor are also on board sharing their memories of Christmas. And Ireland's Own characters Kitty The Hare, Miss Flanagan, Cassidy and Dan Conway are back with festive stories and tales alongside regular features such as Stranger Than Fiction, Catch the Criminal, songs, jokes, pen pals and much more. 'We have a number of events planned to mark our 115th year throughout 2018 including the third instalment of our Birth of A Nation series in the spring,' said Sean. 'Here's hoping that Ireland's Own remains as popular as it is today with future generations, and that a different editor will be here to celebrate its continued success in another 115 years. Ireland's Own is published by People Newspapers, publishers of this newspaper, and has its headquarters in Channing House on Wexford's Rowe Street. The Ireland's Own Christmas Annual 2017 is on sale now. For further information contact Shea Tomkins on 05391 40140 or email info@irelandsown.ie The Council has voted against the Chief Executive's advice to increase funding to the Arts by 12,000 next year. Councillor Dara Mulvey proposed funding the Contribution to the other Bodies Arts Programme by taking 412,000 out of the allocation put aside to pay the Council's fees to ICBAN (Irish Central Border Area Network). The Chief Executive Ciaran Hayes had proposed increasing funding to the Arts Programme by 8,000 anyway, to 260,000 in 2018. Cllr Mulvey, seconded by Cllr Keith Henry, proposed to raise that by the 12,000 to 272,000. Head of Finance Marie Whelan was strongly against the idea, telling members that she had numerous calls from ICBAN looking for their money for 2017. "They have an expectation to get that money. It's a statutory expectation on us. I'm going to be in a difficult position to have to say 'the Council will not meet your demand'," she told members. Ciaran Hayes pointed out that it was a Statutory bill levied on all local authorities: "It is your obligation to pay this," he told members. He said it was set in legislation that the funds for ICBAN would come from its members, including Sligo County Council. Cllr Declan Bree said he would challenge that and said it was his understanding that the Regulating Authority couldn't force councils to pay. Councillor Hubert Keaney told the meeting that it wasn't that they were refusing to pay the ICBAN fees but that an increase of 50 per cent in the ICBAN fee from last year was "too much". "I don't know what the outcome will be, I have to oppose it," replied the Chief Executive. Cllr Mulvey's motion was passed. Separately, Cllr Rosaleen O'Grady's motion to raise the Library Book fund budget by 5,000 to 70,000 was also unanimously agreed. In 2016, according to a survey by Mediacon the average Irish shopper shelled out 493 on Christmas presents, while a separate survey conducted by Retail Ireland found that Irish households spend an average of 2,587 on Christmas shopping, this represented an increase of 26 on the average spend of Christmas 2015. This is a lot of money. So this year, Oxfam want to prove that you can spend less on your Christmas shopping, while also helping people in need. With 30 in my hand, and with the aim of picking up at least three Christmas presents for family and friends, I went to the Oxfam shop on Grattan Street. "We're confident that with our year-round range of clothes and books, plus our special Christmas range of products that you'll be able to buy 3-4 really good presents which you'll be happy to give someone this Christmas," the words of Oxfam prior to the challenge. Oxfam have a full range of Christmas gifts, with lots of them Fair Trade or made from recyclable materials. People may think of Oxfam as offering only second-hand goods, they also boast a huge selection of brand new items such as jewellery, scarves and hats. You can pick up your Christmas essentials such as Christmas cards, crackers, wrapping paper and more in the Oxfam shop - with the proceeds going to help others. There is a huge selection of books, clothes, shoes and bric-a-brac - all in perfect condition. You can help families directly by purchasing gifts such as goats, soap, care for a baby, and much more. Upon my arrival at the Grattan Street store, I was greeted by volunteer Margaret McCaffrey. "We have a big selection of Christmas cards, crackers, wrapping paper and it's all made from sustainable materials," Margaret told me. "We have a special range of Fair Trade items, and that's all supporting Oxfam projects. A lot of them are handmade too," she added. Margaret continued: "There is also a lot of unused jewellery, scarves and more." Having volunteered at the shop for some time, Margaret says she would encourage people to come in and check out what can be purchased at Oxfam for Christmas, and indeed for Christmas gifts. "I would encourage people to call in and have a look for themselves. We have loads of books, CDs, Christmas jumpers, Christmas decorations. We also have a lovely selection of classic books, and we have a deal on those," she added. Mary Flanagan says that working in the shop has allowed her to meet lots of different people. "With volunteering you meet loads of different people, and make loads of friends. "If you're in here on different days you get to make new friends so it's great," she added. Oxfam is a global movement of people who won't live with the injustice of poverty. Together they save lives and rebuild communities when disaster strikes. Oxfam help people build better lives for themselves. We speak out on the big issues that keep people poor, like inequality and discrimination against women. The money raised by Oxfam shops is used in three ways: emergency responses like the current hunger crisis, long-term development projects that lift people out of poverty, and campaigning that gives a voice to the vulnerable. Oxfam works in more than 90 countries around the world. Here's how your money can impact the lives of other people: The sale of a T-shirt for 6 could pay for agricultural tools, such as a hoe or spade, allowing farmers in South Sudan to re-plant and harvest crops for much-needed food The sale of two books for 8 could help purify around 2,000 litres of water, making it safe to drink for South Sudanese families living in makeshift camps The sale of a dress for 9 could pay for a mosquito net to protect a family threatened by malaria, helping them to sleep safely and soundly at night The sale of a jacket for 15 could give a family in the Democratic Republic of Congo an eco-friendly efficient stove, designed to be hotter than traditional cooking methods while using only half the wood. Oxfam Sligo's Christmas range is available, and a whole range of new stock is now available, including designer wear. For all the details check out oxfamireland.org. For decades, Teresa Flaherty has been walking around the world to raise money for charity. And this year's excursion took her to Croatia and Medjugorje as she took part in her 17th Cystic Fibrosis International Walk. This year, a group of 30 people travelled to Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina in September, with the group raising 85, 327. Teresa thanked all the local people and businesses who help her fundraise for the event, generously helping her to reach her fundraising target of 2, 980. She is already getting ready for her 2018 walk, which will take her to Romania for the Paddy Kierans International Walk in aid of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. Teresa has travelled to places such as Cuba, South Africa, Mexico, The United States and many more as part of her charity walks. As one of Sligo's most prolific fundraisers, there is no time to rest, and she will soon be out fundraising for her next walk. For more information on the Paddy Kierans International Walk, or to donate to Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, check out cfireland.ie. The late Eamonn Barnes who passed away on November 1st last Eamonn Barnes was a serious man and a happy man. Born in Ballymote in1934, the son of two schoolteachers, following his schooldays he studied law at King's Inns Dublin, and history University College Dublin, where he studied history. There he met his beloved Dolores (Do), who was born on the same day as Eamonn. They were married in 1961.He delighted in her company, almost like a teenager, and they remained deeply in love until her death some years ago. That sorrow that never left him, but he bore it with characteristic courage. He was called to the bar in 1958, and practiced on the Midland circuit until he joined the Attorney General's office in 1966. In early 1975 Eamonn became the first Director of Public Prosecutions, beating some formidable competitors for the post. He served as Director until his retirement in September in 1999. It was not an easy job. The mid-1970s were turbulent times. There were those who were opposed to the very establishment of his office. There were others who wanted a DPP who might be malleable,or even subject to manipulation. These were sorely disappointed. Eamonn fought from the outset to defend the statutory independence of his office. That independence was critically important to the function of the DPP and it is a measure of his integrity and courage that it remained unquestioned at the time of his retirement. For this, the country owes him a debt of gratitude. He took his work seriously, and all his decisions were made after careful and independent consideration and with respect for the rights of all. In his work, his finely honed professional legal judgement was tempered with a generous humanity; he had a deep understanding of the human condition. Those that knew him were not surprised that he visited a young neighbour who was in prison in the U.K. Integrity was the hallmark of his professional career. Eamonn Barnes helped found the International Association of Prosecutors in 1995, and he served as its president from 1996 until his retirement. The Association now has members in 171 countries around the world. Eamonn was an enthusiastic Francophile, and the Barnes family holidays were exuberant adventures that embodied his unending curiosity in cultural and historical matters, his huge devotion to his family, and his unbeatable capacity for sheer good fun. When Eamonn cooked a boeuf bourguignon, it was a day long process, combining commentary, improvisation and experimentation. It was performance art at its most enjoyable. There was never any danger that either the beef itself, or those privileged to witness the performance, would ever run short of wine. The Barnes home has always been a place of welcome, laughter, and good conversation. Topics could range from Jeeves and Wooster to the south Sligo style of fiddle playing, and a lack of knowledge was not regarded as a bar to participation. The unwary neighbour, casually stopping by, could often find himself still there hours later, as Eamonn's warmth and hospitality transformed a fleeting visit into a party. Eamonn was a profoundly spiritual man and attended Mass daily in Sandyford. His joy in life and love of his family were an expression of that spirituality. He was a proud father to Joe, Paul, John, Mary Jane, and Ruth; he took enormous pleasure in them, and he gave them great happiness in return. He was also a loving father-in-law. He took the task of being 'Bopa' to Natalie, Rebecca, Alexander, Emily, Daniel, Sean and Ross with the same energy and seriousness as he did any professional work. I knew him as a neighbour and a friend. These are things that do not always go hand in hand, but as in the case of Eamonn Barnes it was hard to be one without being the other. He was most kind and he was great company; he had a powerful mind and a dangerous instinct for fun; he had a strong sense of duty showed deep commitment to his work; he got great pleasure out of life generally but especially in the company of his own family . Eamonn Mary Barnes was the salt of the earth! - -K.C. O'H A Sligo book binder who has produced poetry books for the former US President Barack Obama is among the local craftspeople who will showcase their work at the Gifted Design Fair in Dublin's RDS this week. The Ox Bindery, a family-run bookbinding and conservation business set up by Benjamin and Ineke van de Wetering will be unveiling their creations at Gifted. Master Bookbinder Benjamin is originally from the Netherlands but the couple are now settled in the Ox Mountains in Sligo. His client list is impressive and he has been commissioned to make special bindings for Barack Obama and Michael D Higgins among others. Benjamin says: "We bound a collection of Yeats' poems that were gifted to Barack Obama, his daughters and our President, Michael D Higgins. Mayo County Council also gifted a bespoke piece to the then-Taoiseach, Enda Kenny." Fellow South Sligo designer, Susan Basler from Curry will also attend the contemporary crafts showcase at the RDS. The textile print designer behind Subadesigns, will exhibit her hand-made, haute couture designs at Gifted. Clutch bags and headbands are all statement accessories this season and Susan will be displaying her take on this year's fashion 'must-haves'. "The headbands are hand-felted and dyed using super soft merino wool and silk," said Susan. "I love these because they are so cosy and soft and the contemporary stitching is a real statement. "The clutch bags are embroidered with the blossom design and fit all your little bits neatly." Materials that she uses include organic cotton for her range and silk, linen and wool for felt. "I was privileged to get a commission from The Knockranny House Hotel in Westport this year. They have a collection of six of my wall hangings in the La Fougere Restaurant." Jeweller Martina Hamilton has been creating unique collections for over 25 years and works exclusively in precious metals inspired by the land and seascape of the North West. She will also be among the Sligo contingent at Gifted this year. High-profile clients for Martina include champion athlete Sonia O'Sullivan and surf champion Ashleigh Smith. Martina says: "The most popular pieces on our website are the rose gold and silver shell. My jewellery collections reflect the very special place I come from." Gifted celebrates the best of over 600 Irish designers and makers from fashion to jewellery and beyond. The fair from the 5th to 10th of December celebrates the best Irish designers and makers - people who are truly gifted. Expect top cutting-edge designers in Irish fashion, ceramics, glass, jewellery, art and photography, children's gifts and presents inspired by nature." For more see www.giftedfair.ie Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan paid a short visit to Sligo Garda Station last Friday afternoon and is seen leaving the building with the new Chief Superintendent for Sligo/Leitrim, Aidan Glackin. Pic:Carl Brennan Gardai have returned to work at Sligo Garda Station on Pearse Road after staying out of the building for just over a week. Garda management directed members of the GRA to return to the station on Tuesday night last after stating the building was declared safe to work in after inspections by the Fire Authority, Health and Safety Authority and the OPW. GRA spokesman, Garda Raymond Wims said: "We are a disciplined organisation and we complied with the direction given to return." The GRA has sought copies of reports from the bodies who carried out the most recent inspections. The organisation's own engineer's report highlighted serious breaches of health and safety regulations, in particular fire regulations. The GRA is interested to know if the building is exempt from fire regulations. It is understood that in the eight days in which the Gardai were out of the building that some minor works were carried out. These included electrical and plumbing along with a rubbish clear out. The GRA is understood to be anxious to recommence talks with management on plans for the upgrading of the building in advance of the announcement of a location for a new station and a start date for same. He's not sure but he thinks he was returning from a dental appointment in the middle of London when his attention, like millions around the World was suddenly drawn to the television screen as two planes hit the Twin Towers in New York. Like so many this astonishing atrocity which killed over 3,000 people including one Sligoman, left an indelible mark on John Paul Jordan. The Maugherow native felt he wanted to do something in response. He wanted to join the new fight against terrorism but also that long held sense of adventure had struck him once more. By that stage in September 2001, John Paul had been four years living and working in London. After completing his Leaving Certificate in 1997 at 18, the former Grange Vocational School student didn't wait too long around Sligo. "There wasn't much work around at the time and my father was in London at the time working in construction and I knew I'd get a job there so off I went. He was on his way home for good and I was heading over and I got a job with a fairly big company, O'Rourke's. The money was great but the working day was long," he recalls. He had become a skilled stone worker and had taken up an apprenticeship. But 9/11 changed everything for this young Sligoman. "I had this feeling that I just wanted more from my life. I had seen the older Irish generation in England and it was just work and pub, work and pub. I felt there was more to life than this. "I had looked into joining the Irish Army when I was doing my Junior Certificate but to be honest there didn't seem to be a whole lot of action involved. It was a peacekeeping role the Irish Army fulfilled and I wanted more," he says. And so, John Paul Jordan went from building blocks and mixing cement in London to the French Foreign Legion, fighting the Taliban in Iraq with the British Army and working as a security consultant/protection officer in war zones across the globe including Lybia and Syria, for various organisations including many US media outlets. "I looked to join the French Foreign Legion. I was filled with a sense of adventure and going to fight. I picked up my belongings and headed off after work on my holidays. I took the Channel tunnel to France and went to the Legion's recruitment centre at Fort de Nogent in Paris. It was an old fort. I just joined up. Whatever I had was taken from me. "I was sent down south for basic training which lasted for several months. It was ruthless altogether. It was brutal in the winter. All the basics was cold. Cold food, cold water, everything including your uniform was washed in cold water. "I remember being out in the freezing cold doing press ups with my fists for an hour. That was what the Legion was about. And, there were plenty of beatings from the Corporals. "But the Irish were well regarded in the Legion. The Irish have an excellent reputation," he says. John Paul was put into the Legion's engineers' regiment rather than the paratroopers and this disappointed him. "It was probably due to my background in construction that I was put into the engineers," he says. It was busy and he learned new skills too such as dealing with explosives. "You received lots of good training but it was like you were shown once and you do it once and you better not mess it up," he recalls. After two years he was posted to French Guiana. John Paul was getting itchy feet however, He had signed up for five years but he says: "Iraq was kicking off around this time and I felt I wanted to be more involved. "I decided I wanted to leave the Legion which isn't that easy. There's a lot of paper work involved and I didn't think they would let me go. In the end I just walked out and I left sorting out the paper work until later," he says. New adventures beckoned immediately. He completed a close protection course in Portugal with a South African company and got his first job as a security advisor for a company located just outside Baghdad. "I was basically looking after engineers working on various installations in the aftermath of the fall of Saddam Hussain. We were working all over the country," he says. There were plenty of close shaves. Once, an rocket propelled grenade went flying past him as he drove along with workers in a jeep which would be in three to four vehicle convoys. "I went a foot past my head and hit a wall on the far side. There were always attempted ambushes. It was a fact of life in Iraq," he says. Again, a sense of frustration was building up in the Sligoman, The money was good but there was no insurance. "You were basically on your own. The ambushes were constant and there were a lot of killings. There were many improvised explosive devices too resulting in life altering injuries. "I felt I was limited in what I could do. I wanted to be able to do more. I used to return fire as best I could and I would fancy taking them on more with better fire power," he says. On returning to the UK he joined the British Army. It didn't bother him at all. There were many Irish in the force at the time... not just in the Irish Guards regiment. His first posting was Afghanistan. "I did a few tours. It was over and back. Very hectic. There was no end to the fighting. The Taliban are proper scrappers. They are right up for it, a great foe in many ways. Once more he came face to face with death. "I was blown clear of one blast....it was a night operation in Helmand .....others weren't so lucky. I saw colleagues die and others lose limbs. Some are alive with you but they don't make it back to the helicopters to take them to Camp Bastion where the main medical facility is located." That brush with death in Helmand resulted in an injury to his arm and despite the fact he had soldiered on for awhile afterwards, he finally had to succumb to it. "I underwent surgery but it didn't go according to plan and rehabilitation was tricky," he recalls. He left military life but he was soon back in war zones, once more as a security consultant, this time for international media organisation in war zones clandestinely moving journalists in and out of some of the world most dangerous hotspots, He was a team leader for major US media networks such as ABC, CBS and NBC. Libya and North Africa was home for some 18 months. John Paul was with CBS when they first reported to the World about the attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. | The attack resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith. In 2013 he was taking journalists covertly in and out of Syria. "It was interesting times. You were dealing with smugglers all the time but your life was in the hands of God. We would be seen as cash cows really and you'd have to be on your toes all time, going from safe house to safe house. "My work was getting more dangerous, Hostages were being taken and I had had a good run of luck," he says. He had also done work for many charities abroad. A top security man with his experience would always mean he was in demand. But, it all came a price in his personal life. After returning from disaster relief work on the ground in the aftermath of the garment Rana Plaza factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the walls of his own life came tumbling down. "I had gone into negative thinking. I was drinking heavily and this happened a lot to me each time I returned to England," he said. His marriage collapsed but the dad of two didn't know what the root cause of his problem was. In 2013 he sought treatment through Combat Stress. He wanted to be proactive in his treatment and spent several weeks away. He was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He didn't see eye to eye with his original therapist and so he found himself in lone survival mode once more. "I just sneaked out in the middle of the night. I remember heading off through a forest. It was like being a soldier again," he recalls. For the next two years it was downward spiral with drink and drugs. There was even a suicide attempt. In 2016 he struck up a relationship with the Royal British Legion and soon a road to recovery was clear in his head. He went on to pay for private treatment and now at 39, he can say he's very much in recovery. This journey took in writing a self-help guide inspired by his own incredible experiences - How To Stop Taking Drugs in 30 Days: A Simple and Daring Plan - launched in September 2017 as an eBook. Living in Leeds, John Paul still works with various charities and media outlets as an advisor and he has also wrote another book, 'The Joys of War' an account of his extraordinary journey to date and which is due for release on February 1st next. John Paul gets back to Ireland about tow to three times a year. "It has changed a lot in the past 20 years. It's like there is a black cloud hanging over the country. When I go back I notice the difference. The Irish psyche has probably changed as a result of the recession and the austerity that followed. "People don't seem to be as bubbly as they used to be," he says. Life, for the foreseeable future is Leeds given he has two small children there. He's remains active, up at 5am for a run. Life is good but he states that life was good too in the West of Ireland. In war, John-Paul was the first to batter down the door or was first around the corner. Lots of bullets ricocheted off him or beside him. Fear, he says, never came into it. "I had a feeling my luck might be running out as I had so many close calls and I said that perhaps it's time to use all that experience on the other side of the fence. A year ago was my last trip to a war zone. "I don't wish to say where. I went on a quiet job but I don't do it anymore. I said this life is just not for me anymore. I had worked hard to get peace in my life and I'm not going back to do that. "It's more rewarding to help people. I can do more here in the UK or US. That's more beneficial to me now and more productive. "Having said that I wouldn't change a millisecond of my life to date. It's got me to where I am today." TWIN FALLS Bumpin Bernies is once again facing the prospect of the citys Planning and Zoning Commission forcing it to close earlier. At an Oct. 24 meeting, police asked commissioners to make the bar close earlier because of a high number of calls for service at that location including for fights and other disturbances in the back parking lot in the wee hours of the morning. But after hearing from Bumpin Bernies about what it brings to downtown and its efforts to improve the situation, the commission decided to give the bar a little more time to get things under control. On Tuesday, the issue will come up for a second consideration, and police havent changed their stance. The commission has been asked to either revoke the bars special use permit, or amend it so the bar has to close at 1:30 a.m. Staff is very supportive for what their concerns are and feels its appropriate, said Renee Carraway-Johnson, zoning and development manager for the city of Twin Falls. The bars special use permit allows it to be open past 10 p.m., with permitted hours until 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Bumpin Bernies turns into a dance/hangout after 1:30 a.m. on these days. Co-owner Burhan Hetemi said that since October, things couldnt have gone any better. I hired more security guards, he said. I talk to my customers that come in. Everybody has respect for us. Hetemi said his seven security guards have watched the back parking lot for trouble, and pick up debris around the business. There has been no trouble at the bar, he said. Police, however, have documented 15 calls for service at Bumpin Bernies since the last public hearing though some of those could have been traffic reports. I dont know how thats possible, Hetemi said. Theres legitimately been nothing in our parking lot whatsoever. Police records state that on Oct. 27, a man said he was punched in the face at Bumpin Bernies. Police arrested a suspect after finding his car at another downtown business. At 2:46 a.m. Nov. 12, a caller reported a group of men talking junk and throwing items at their car. They were also harassing women and tried to start fights with other men, the caller reported. Other calls involved noise complaints. According to police records, there have been 122 calls for service associated with 139 Shoshone St. N. between Jan. 1 and Dec. 8 of this year. Those numbers, again, also include things like traffic stops, which may not be related to activities at the business. Of the calls this year, there were 26 reports generated where a crime occurred. At the previous hearing, Hetemi had explained that most issues were occurring in the Urban Renewal Agency parking lot behind his business. He since reached out to the URA. We placed a No Loitering sign in there, which allows police to enforce at a different level, URA Executive Director Nathan Murray said. The URA will revisit a need for better lighting in the parking lot and alley but not until the end of 2018 and first part of 2019, Murray said, in conjunction with utility upgrades. Meanwhile, Hetemi is facing a misdemeanor charge in court after being cited in August for failure to destroy the state stamp on emptied liquor containers. The state requires bars to destroy the Idaho Liquor Dispensary stamp by crossing or rubbing it off after a bottle is emptied. In October, the bar had been let off with this warning by chairman Tom Frank: You guys got to get control. Theyre your customers, whether they go in the building or not. The Planning and Zoning Commission considers the request at its meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The commissioners could revoke the bars special use permit, deny the request to revoke it, or amend it to force the bar to close earlier. Also at the meeting, the commission will have public hearings for the following: A request to revoke a special use permit granted to Acorn Learning Center to operate a private school offering pre-school through fifth grade in a portion of a professional office building at 493 Eastland Drive. A request for a zoning title amendment that would allow a wedding chapel and event center as a permitted use in some parts of the area of impact. A request for a zoning change on a small parcel of land at Canyon Falls Road and Harrison Street. The owner would also like to vacate a public utility easement in order to develop the parcel for a Papa Murphys Take and Bake Pizza and two retail buildings. A request to amend a planned unit development agreement at the College of Southern Idaho to allow residence halls and rooming houses as a permitted use; and to raise the maximum building height from 35 feet to 50 feet. A spectacular public light show officially marked the end of Sligo's year as European Volunteering Capital and the handover of the 2018 title to the Danish city of Aarhus. Up to a hundred members of the public gathered outside City Hall to watch the 'Spirit of Sligo' light show, organised by the same company that illuminates Dublin's New Year's Eve Festival, took place at Sligo City Hall in Quay Street at 6pm last Friday. Soaring dolphins, sprouting trees and birds were some of the fabulous illuminations that tell the stories of Sligo's history, landscape and the volunteer community. Official Media Partner The Sligo Champion also got a special mention. Bright lights and inspiring music combined to create a dazzling display of clever optical illusions which transformed the building into a giant screen. The light show, organised by light and motion graphics specialist Avtek, has been continuing each night for 7 nights on the hour for 10 minutes. Avtek is the company responsible for illuminating Dublin's New Years Eve Festival. Earlier, at 5.50pm, DJ Scruffy Duffy led the count down to the turning on of the City Hall Christmas tree lights, switched on by Cathaoirleach Councillor Seamus Kilgannon. The Light Show at City Hall runs each evening at 6pm until Thursday. Sligo handed over its title as European Volunteer Capital to Aarhus in Denmark last Friday. At a civic ceremony in City Hall that bookended Sligo's Volunteer Capital year, dignitaries from near and far gathered to witness the handover of the European Volunteer Capital 2018 title to the Danish city of Aarhus. In addition, the three candidate cities for the 2019 EVC competition were announced with the City of Kosice in Slovakia receiving the 2019 award as European Volunteering Capital. Justice Minister Charles Flanagan attended the civic ceremony with 150 guests including invited European dignitaries and Sligo County Council Cathaoirleach Sligo Cllr Seamus Kilgannon. Minister Flanagan was late after paying a visit to Sligo Garda Station to see the conditions of the building for himself. He's promised to get short-term refurbishment works prioritised and said he wanted to see movement on a decision for a new site for the promised new Garda Station by January. Guests watch a video presentation by Sligo Volunteer Centre Manager Ciara Herity called 'Sligo EVC 2017: The Story. MEP Marian Harkin gave an overview of the legacy of Sligo's year as EVC and the European perspective. Mr Richard Rasi, Mayor of Kosice gave an acceptance speech and all visitors signed the distinguished Visitors Book. The official hand over of EVC 2018 to Aarhus, Denmark, was presided over by Cathaoirleach Cllr Seamus Kilgannon who made a presentation to Aarhus. Member of Aarhus City Council Hans Schou then gave his acceptance speech. Guests enjoyed a musical performance directed by Michael Rooney entitled 'Sligeach:As Lamha a Cheile' to a backdrop of Volunteer images. The European Visitors later attend Volunteer Ireland Awards in the Radisson Hotel, Sligo. The Sligo Champion sponsored the Arts, Culture and Media Volunteer Award which was presented by Sorcha Crowley to Treasa Martin of Ballymun Community. Treasa has been volunteering in various capacities all her life and shows no sign of slowing down at 90 years of age. She won for bringing the joy of music to many around her through singing, guitar and piano, notably at the local nursing home and her weekly singing with Ballygall church choir. In a nice twist of fate, Treasa was born and reared near Glencar, County Sligo and many members of her extended family, including daughter Eileen, were there to see her winning the Award. "I spent the first 25 years of my life in Sligo," she told this newspaper. "I worked in Denneys for five years, it's a hotel now. "I grew up near Glencar, my parents were teachers there in Knocknagall school. We went to school in the pony and trap. She still comes back to Sligo regularly to see her nieces and nephews. "My daughter gets me The Sligo Champion every week. I keep in touch all the time. "It's wonderful to win this award, I didn't expect it at all. I don't expect it for what I do. I just like to bring pleasure to people and I can see them opening up when they hear the music," she added. Next week Network Ireland Wicklow will host their first annual private Christmas Party for professional women across the county at the Parkview Hotel, Newtownmountkennedy. The party, taking place on Tuesday, December 12, will include a festive two-course meal and mulled wine. There will also be a Christmas craft fair where members of Network Ireland who are artists and designers will bring along samples of their products making perfect Christmas gifts. Louisa Meehan, President of Network Ireland Wicklow, said: 'I am delighted that one year from opening the Wicklow branch we are celebrating in style for the first of many Christmas parties, this is a great opportunity to celebrate our success as professional women through 2018. 'For those considering joining Network Ireland Wicklow, we would be delighted to have them join us on the evening for a relaxed social event where they can get to know the current members and have some festive fun.' At the event Jill Blanc will show people how to 'wow' their guests this Christmas with stunning table styling and decorating ideas. She will also be demonstrating how to create beautiful table settings in different themes and colour schemes. Jill Blanc, regularly hosts workshops in Style Confidence and Table Styling with a view to helping everyone gain confidence in their own style choices. It was with great sadness that the family and friends of the late Julia Kearney came together recently to celebrate her life. Julia was born in 1922 in Studfield, Donard, Co Wicklow, to parents Michael and Mary Kearney. She had one older brother John who was born in 1919. Julia described her mother as a true lady and loved by all. Her father Michael was a pioneer and popular within the local community. He was a small farmer, an excellent stone mason, and built many walls in Donard still in existence today. These include Donard graveyard and the walls of 'Hell Kettle' bridge, where his signature can still be seen on both. Her brother John was into cars and Julia recounted many nights of engine repairs on the kitchen floor. Julia started school aged seven and finished at 14 in 7th class. Her junior teacher was Mrs Reilly and the senior teacher at the time was Master Moynihan, who started in Donard School on the same day as Julia. She enjoyed school and described her best friend as her neighbour Molly Tyrrell. Julia often talked about life growing up and working on a small farm. She described a typical dinner of potatoes, cabbage, and salty rashers. She was always amazed by the modern day obsession with too much salt based on watching her Aunt Liz, who added salt to already salty rashers and lived to be over 100 years. Julia highlighted that people were a lot more active in previous times due to the lack of cars. She described an outing as going to a dance or a trip in the 'Pony and Trap' to Ballinroan near Baltinglass to visit her grandmother. Her favourite dog was Jess who she could ask to 'go call the men for dinner' and the dog would go to the fields where the men were working and start barking. Julia said in a collection of stories compiled in the book 'Stone on the Pier': 'Looking back you could say there was nothing in our time compared with today. And yet there was. We had great friendliness. We had great neighbourliness. We had great support for each other.' Julia talked of neighbours working together in making hay, spreading manure, and thrashing of corn. She talked of gathering in a neighbour's house to play cards, where talk of ghost stories would make her too afraid to walk home alone. Julia talked about the hardship during the Emergency which started in 1939. This was the beginning of a rationing system that continued until December 1951. Items rationed included tea, flour, and sugar. Julia loved her cup of tea. However, the tea ration in Ireland was only a quarter of that in Britain. Julia also described a coarse type of flour which was used to make Black Bread and which Julia described as inedible. Julia was very active in the local community and received a certificate for her life-long membership of the ICA. She was always present on the stage for the annual sale of work. She collected and helped organise the monthly parish non-stop draw. She attended the friendship club and described the rural transport scheme as the best thing to happen in the country since rural electrification. Julia had a long history of caring and minding children. Julia has influenced the next generation of Kearneys, helping to raise a number of them and offering advice with a smile and sense of humour. She was totally non-materialistic in terms of worldly goods and never forgot a birthday. Her nieces and nephews, to whom she known as 'Jude', described her as the most positive, humorous and optimistic person that they had the privilege of knowing. She would often say: 'If we cannot laugh about it, where would we be'. She was a modern lady who kept up to date with current affairs and never expressed much nostalgia for the past. Religion was integrated into Julia's life and she had great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. She slept great and said it was due to a clear conscience. She was a leader at community events, such as funerals, with rosaries and prayers. She did have an unbiased view and once stated that 'one mass per day is sufficient for anyone'. Julia read without glasses all her life. She was fortunate with good health and did everything possible to avoid going to hospital. She ate good hearty food and cooked a dinner most days of her life. She never complained about pain. Like the Queen, she had her own personal physician in Dr Mary Kearney, who advised her with love. Last December she fell and cracked her pelvis. She was taken under protest to Naas hospital to get it examined. They completed an x-ray, after which the doctor started pressing on her pelvis. The doctor asked 'Do you feel pain?" to which Jude replied 'no'. The doctor was confused and re-examined the x-ray, eventually saying, 'I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that you have cracked your pelvis. The good news is that I can do nothing about it other than some strapping and you can go home.' Julia laughed with delight and made a high speed wheelchair escape from Naas Hospital. Julia had great affection for her neighbour and friend Paddy Tyrrell. He collected her pension, opened kitchen presses and the fridge to review the food she had in the house, and created the shopping list. He often brought her to Mass and included her in the family Sunday dinner. They often shared the Sunday newspaper with Paddy reading first and then passing it onto Julia. Her favourite local restaurant was Bia Blasta in Baltinglass. She had excellent rapport with Mary Rose and Tom. She would place her order as the 'usual with a glass of milk'. She believed in shopping local in 'John's shop' and fundamentally understood the value of having this facility in the community. She made the best apple tarts in Ireland but never did any measuring of ingredients. It was like an artist knowing their craft. She enjoyed the wireless (radio) during the day and would only turn on the TV in the evening. If you planned to visit Julia for an hour, you needed to begin your departure after 30 minutes. She would always insist on putting on the kettle and having a cup of tea. The family are grateful for the wonderful neighbours that Julia had; Tyrrell's, Doyle's, Allen's, and Lynch's. Julia received home help for many years and the family are especially thankful for the care and love shown by Pauline during this time. In January 2017, Julia moved to the nursing home in Dunlavin. It was here that Sinead and all the staff, especially Nurse Jackie who was one of those with Julia as she passed away and took amazing care of her during her final months. The family are particularly appreciative of this. The Kearney family want to express thanks and sincere gratitude for the support they have received. Special thanks to Father Eamon, Father Willie, Halligans Undertakers, Majella Walsh and Terri Conron. The extended Kearney family always referred to Julia as Jude who was their special Aunt, friend, and advisor and by whom is dearly missed. May Julia rest in peace. Deputy Pat Casey said he has received a commitment from the Government over a clause included in the draft National Planning Framework (NPF) which would have made planning for one-off housing in rural areas even more restrictive. The Fianna Fail spokesperson on Urban Renewal and housing highlighted how the proposed changes would prevent many people in rural Ireland from building homes in their own communities. One of the national objectives contained within the NPF draft stated that someone looking for single housing in the countryside would have to prove a 'demonstrable economic need' to live in a rural area in order to get planning permission. 'People living in rural communities in Wicklow know only too well how hard it is to secure planning permission to build a home,' said Deputy Casey. 'For years as a Councillor I worked for countless families in helping them to live in rural areas that they are from. As Vice-Chairman of the Dail Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government, I continually raised the issue of how difficult it has become for people from rural Ireland to remain living in rural Ireland due to the severe restrictions on planning. 'Wicklow is one of the hardest counties in Ireland to get planning permission for one-off rural housing. Other counties aren't as strict. This policy objective would have seen national policy enforced on a county who behaved itself.' The restrictions on planning in the draft NPF document would also have clashed with 13 out of the 16 qualification criteria for rural housing contained within the Wicklow County Development Plan 2016-2022, including letting someone build in a rural area if they are a resident of the area for ten years or if they are a son, daughter, niece or nephew of a permanent native of the area. 'I was shocked and angry that the changes the Government were attempting to force through would have spelled the end for community life in rural Ireland as we know it,' said Deputy Casey. 'Currently, a person from a rural community can apply for planning to build a home under a social clause which includes them wanting to live close to their own family members. The government wanted to bring an end to this by insisting that applicants had specific economic needs to live in a rural area in order for permission to be granted. 'This would have been a disaster for rural Ireland. I was the first TD to highlight this in the Dail and called on the Government to back down on its plan. The proposed changes would have meant that someone working in a town or city, but who wanted to live in a rural area with their family, would have been unable to do so as they could not identify an economic need to live in the area.' While discussing the situation with senior officials in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Casey said he raised a recent Judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union in a case brought against a Flemish Government decree which stated that the construction of social housing should include a percentage clause for local need only. This was rejected by the court on the basis of freedom of movement. Deputy Casey said: 'I have discussed the matter with senior department officials and I am pleased to confirm that they have taken on board my concerns and will leave the social clause in place for the new NPF. This is a major U-turn from the Government, which I welcome. It means that community life can be sustained in rural areas in the years ahead. 'This is something I will be monitoring in the weeks ahead to ensure Minister Murphy sticks to his commitment. I will continue to place the legitimate needs of rural Wicklow front centre and I want to thank the Department officials for engaging with me on this crucial issue,' he said. A Wicklow town-based fundraiser for the Irish Guide Dogs expects this Christmas to be one of the best yet when it comes to collecting for the charity. Denis Lambert has been securing funds for the Irish Guide Dogs for the past ten years and each year, during the run-up to the festive season, he sets about selling Christmas cards and Calendars. He also arranges fundraising raffles, with the winners receiving a well stocked-up Christmas hamper care of Irish Guide Dogs. 'This year is already lining up to be one of the best years ever. We managed to raise 6,500 last year but I think we could do even better this year. 'People are great. They have been coming up to me asking when the cards and calendars will be available. 'Most shops in Wicklow are selling them and people seem to love doing something for the Guide Dogs,' said Denis. The Christmas cards and calendars cost 5, while members of the public can also enter the ever-popular raffles organised by Denis. He also carries out bucket-collections on behalf of the charity and will be visiting local schools in January, hopefully with a Guide Dog in tow. 'I love it,' readily admits Denis. 'The schools are very good to us and the pupils usually raise quite a bit of money for us. We will visit national and secondary schools in Wicklow town and Rathnew, basically anywhere that wants us to visit. 'I'm visually impaired myself but I can get around without a guide dog. It brings me joy to see someone visually impaired or an autistic child with their dog and witness what it does for them. This is my little way of giving something back.' All the monies raised in Wicklow will go toward the cost of implementing the Guide Dog and Assistance Dog Programmes as well as a full range of services for people who are vision impaired and families of children with autism. 'All the guide dogs are trained in Cork. It usually takes about two years. 'There are two blind dogs in Wicklow town but the Irish Guide Dogs also help with assistance dogs and companion dogs. 'There is a lot of training involved, like how to react in busy areas, at traffic lights or a level crossing. It's amazing to see the bond the dog forms with its owner and the wonderful way the dog improves their life,' added Denis. Two people from Wicklow appeared on the latest list of tax defaulters which was published yesterday (Tuesday). Michael Nicholson of 2, Templerainey Heights, Dublin Road, Arklow who is described as a landlord must make a settlement of 146,620.99. The amount which comprises tax of 79,526.58, interest of 35,283.78 and penalties of 31,810.64 arises following a Revenue Audit Case into the under-declaration of income tax and tax. According to the Revenue Commissioners the full amount remained unpaid on September 30, 2017. Tadhg Cowhig of Coill Dubh, Lacken, Blessington who is described as a promotional consultant made a settlement of 69,267.79. The amount which comprises tax of 42,141.33, interest of 14,484.06 and penalties of 12,642.40 arose following a Revenue Audit Case into the under-declaration of income tax and tax. The list which is in respect of July to September 2017 details the people from whom the Revenue Commissioners has accepted a settlement offer instead of initiating court proceedings, or a settlement has been paid. 81 people were on the list with a total settlement of 17,430,699.03. Princess Martha Louise and Ari Behn arrive for the wedding of Sweden's Crown Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist at Stockholm Palace on June 13, 2015. AFP PHOTO / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (Photo credit should read JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images) A member of the Norwegian royal family has accused Kevin Spacey of groping him. Ari Behn, the former son-in-law of the King of Norway, made the allegation on Norwegian radio station P4. He said that Spacey, who already faces a raft of allegations, groped him after a Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo a decade ago. We had a great talk, he sat right next to me. After five minutes he said, Hey, lets go out and have a cigarette.'" he told P4. Expand Close Kevin Spacey has faced numerous allegations / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kevin Spacey has faced numerous allegations "Then he puts his hands under the table and grabs me by the balls. Behn said he turned him down with a polite, "Er, maybe later." I am a generous person but this was a bit more than I had in mind. My hair was dark at the time, I was ten years younger and right up his alley," he added. Several accusations have been levelled at Spacey in the wake of actor Anthony Rapp alleging he sexually assaulted him when he was just 14. The son of actor Richard Dreyfuss claims Spacey groped him while his father was in the same room. Rapp's allegation prompted Spacey to come out as gay. He said he did not remember the incident and apologized for what he said "would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour". An investigation at the Old Vic where Spacey was Artistic Director for a number of years revealed 20 accusers made allegations between the 58-year-old between 1995 and 2013. Expand Close Kevin Spacey with co-star Robin Wright in House of Cards / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kevin Spacey with co-star Robin Wright in House of Cards Video of the Day The actor, who starred in five seasons of Netflix hit House of Cards will not return for the sixth season. He has also been replaced by Christopher Plummer in upcoming movie All the Money in the World. Spaceys representatives have said he is currently seeking treatment. Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan. LOS ANGELES - FEBRUARY 1: (from left to right) Actresses Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan celebrate the WB's 'Charmed' 150th episode cake cutting on the set at Paramount Studios on February 1, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) Rose McGowan has lashed out at Alyssa Milano and Meryl Streep over comments they have made about Hollywood's wave of sexual misconduct allegations. The self-appointed leader of #rosearmy, as she captions many of her fiery social media posts, took aim at her former Charmed co-star Alyssa after she recently gave an update about her pal Georgina Chapman, the estranged wife of disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein. You make me want to vomit," raged Rose, furious that Alyssa had decided to speak out publicly on Georgina's behalf. In another angry post, she added: "Alyssa, maybe you and Georgina can call up Camille Cosby," referencing the wife of The Cosby Show star Bill Cosby, who has been accused of drugging and sexually assaulting scores of women in the past three years. Expand Close Isaac Mizrahi, Alyssa Milano, Zanna Roberts Rassi, Georgina Chapman / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Isaac Mizrahi, Alyssa Milano, Zanna Roberts Rassi, Georgina Chapman Camille has famously remained supportive of her husband. Speaking on U.S. breakfast show Megyn Kelly Today on Thursday, Alyssa told viewers her Project Runaway: All Stars co-star, Marchesa designer Georgina, is "doing very well" after announcing her marriage to Harvey was over in October. Shes an amazing mother, shes an amazing woman," Alyssa shared. "I think her priority right now is focusing on how to raise those two children to the best of her capacity, given the situation. She goes through very dark times. Shes very sad, Milano continued. This is not easy for her, but I have no doubt that not only will she come out on the other side of this, but she deserves to. Shes a good woman. Georgina left Harvey days after the first allegations of sexual assault and rape against her husband were published in The New York Times and The New Yorker exposes. The fashion designer has yet to comment on the allegations levelled against him. Rose, who was one of Harvey's most high-profile victims, also took aim at Meryl Streep on Friday, in response to a comment the Oscar winner made at The Massachusetts Conference for Women in Boston, Massachusetts the day before. Video of the Day Streep described the accusations against Weinstein as "the most gargantuan example of disrespect," prompting Rose to share the comments, captioning them, No, Meryl, ITS A FU**ING CRIME. You are such a lie # ROSEARMY" Neither Alyssa nor Meryl has yet responded to Rose's comments. Canyon Ridge senior thanks community Thank you, thank you, thank you. For my senior project, I hosted a fun run event at CSI to collect shoes for suffering children in Malawi, Africa. I also went to local businesses asking them for donations to help with the cost of shipping. I was amazed to see how giving our community is. Id like to thank all of you. I couldnt have made this event possible without the help and encouragement of my mentor Lorinda Horner. Thank you to our neighbors at the Twin Falls Reformed Church; to the sponsors who gave us donations; and to the people and businesses who donated gift certificates and items for the event. Thank you to the following contributors: Drew Simmons; Falls Orthodontics; Sharis; Chick-Fil-A; Immanuel Luthern Church; Twin Falls Reformed Church; and KEZJ. I especially want to thank Brad Wieser at KEZJ he was very supportive and helped me get the word out about my event; he was also very generous and donated many gift cards and certificates. I used them as incentives to have people come participate in the run. The success of this important event for the children in Malawi, Africa, is shared by many, so thank you everyone. Mackenzie McBride Twin Falls Thank you for Festival of Lights Parade Travis Quast and team at the Times-News Wow, what a wonderful Festival of Lights Parade. All that I have heard for the past few days is how incredible a kickoff to the holiday season the parade was. After three years on the Project Advisory Committee for the Main Avenue Redevelopment Project, we could not have picked a better way to welcome the community back to beautiful downtown Twin. I cant speak for the entire committee, but I am sure they would agree it was great seeing the smiling faces lining Main Avenue again. This weeks Big Story by Heather Kennison on the project was great. Yes, we had tough days; but throughout the project, business survived and thrived with the excitement. We have seen renewed community gatherings, additional shops and businesses and very happy people. Looking ahead to summer, we look forward to the return of the Twin Falls Tonight Concerts, to the Downtown Commons, to wonderful nights of outdoor dining and to early morning walks through downtown Twin. Thank you for supporting downtown Twin. Tony Prater Twin Falls Thank you from Minidoka Health Care Foundation As the 19th annual Caring & Sharing Tree Festival came to a close, I was reminded of the tremendous amount of generosity that this wonderful community has to offer. I am humbled and deeply grateful to each of you who has touched my life and the lives of many others by giving of yourself for the good of Mini-Cassia. The talented people who live here and take their time to prepare trees and Christmas items and then donate them to the festival are such an inspiration to me. Each of you who come and share your musical talents at the festival is always a very special treat to see. The amazing people who continue to support our cause by purchasing the items donated often times sending the items purchased to total strangers tells me that we live in a great place. Of course, events like this cant happen without the many volunteers who take their time to help us set up and decorate the civic building for all too enjoy. The task of delivering the trees and Christmas items is not easy in itself; the Rupert Rotary Club and the Kiwanis Club of Rupert have made this task seem simple. Much credit given to Rick and Pat Bollar for the countless hours they spent coordinating the deliveries. The local business community that sponsors each of the events during our four-day celebration is truly appreciated for what it is always so willing to give; even during times of financial burden, our local businesses step up to the plate and help make events like this happen for all of us to enjoy. The money raised at Caring & Sharing is used for health related causes in Mini-Cassia. Your donations and participation in this event have helped in many different areas all of which helped make a difference in someones life. I admire each of you for what you do for others, and I commend you for making health in Mini-Cassia a priority. I thank you so much for helping to make the Caring & Sharing Tree Festival a successful event for all to enjoy. Thank you again to each and every one of you who makes The Caring & Sharing Tree Festival a true community event. Merry Christmas to each of you and a very Happy New Year. Tammy Hanks Executive director, Minidoka Health Care Foundation Ageless Senior Center thanks St. Luke's The Ageless Senior Center in Kimberly is very thankful for recent grant funds awarded by St. Lukes Community Health Improvement Fund, whose goal is to improve the health of communities it serves. Due to decreased federal funds, rising food costs and regulatory requirements, it would be more difficult for us to fulfill our mission of nourishing body and soul in the Kimberly-Hansen communities without the assistance of this outstanding partner. The center also expresses sincere gratitude for the recent award of a community block grant aimed at making much-needed building improvements. Thanks go to Dennis Porter with the Department of Commerce; John Craner for taking time to make a site visit; and Kathy Utley and Drew McGuire with Region IV Development for guiding and submitting the grant application. The City of Kimberly was the sponsoring agency special mention goes to Craig Eckles and Roxanne Bynum for their time and effort. Recognition for a job well done to: Roberts Roofing for the new roof; BS&R and Jeramy for the superior work done to upgrade the kitchen and walk-in cooler with required stainless steel walls and cabinets; Sweets Plumbing; and Goetzen Electric for going the extra mile on our behalf. As always, the Rock Creek Fire District demonstrated their commitment to community by volunteering on a Sunday to replace water-damaged ceiling tiles. These building improvements mean the Ageless Senior Center can continue to serve seniors in the Kimberly-Hansen area or many years to come. On behalf of site manager Bonnie Peter, kitchen manager Lisa Haggan, the entire board of directors and all participants many thanks. Nancy Duncan Board president, Ageless Senior Center President Donald Trump has paid tribute to the leaders and foot soldiers of the civil rights movement whose sacrifices helped make the United States a fairer and more just country. But protests surrounding his visit to Mississippi laid bare the stark divisions among Americans about his commitment to that legacy. As Mr Trump gazed at an exhibit on Freedom Riders at the new Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, demonstrators near the site held up signs that said "Make America Civil Again" and "Lock Him Up". Some shouted "No Trump, no hate, no KKK in the USA." Mr Trump spent about 30 minutes at the museums, gave a 10-minute speech to selected guests inside and then flew back to his Florida estate, skipping the public schedule of the dedication ceremony held outside on a chilly day. He spent more time getting to Jackson than he did on the ground.H His remarks steered clear of addressing the anger that his participation had sparked leading up to the dedication. In a deliberate voice and rarely diverting from his prepared words, the president sought to honour the famous and the anonymous for their efforts on behalf of freedom for all. "The civil rights museum records the oppression, cruelty and injustice inflicted on the African-American community, the fight to bring down Jim Crow and end segregation, to gain the right to vote and to achieve the sacred birthright of equality. And it's big stuff. That's big stuff," he said. "Those are very big phrases, very big words. Here we memorialise the brave men and women who struggled to sacrifice and sacrifice so much so that others might live in freedom," he said. The national president of the NAACP and the mayor of Mississippi's capital city said they kept their distance from Mr Trump because of his "pompous disregard" for the values embodied by the civil rights movement. Derrick Johnson, head of the nation's oldest civil rights organisation, and Mayor Chokwe Lumumba said at a news conference that they looked forward to a "grander opening" of the museum that they can attend. Mr Johnson, a Mississippian, said that Mr Trump opposes labour rights, education, healthcare and voting rights for all Americans. "We will never cede the stage to an individual who will fight against us," Mr Johnson said. "We will not allow the history of those who sacrificed to be tarnished for political expediency." Mr Johnson and Mr Lumumba spoke to about 100 supporters, including some who participated in the civil rights demonstrations of the 1960s, at Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, which was once the first public school built for African-Americans in Jackson. Now it is a museum to black history and culture. Mr Lumumba called Mr Trump to task for "his pompous disregard for all of those factors that will not enable us to stand with him today". AP Leading Cabinet Brexiteer Michael Gove has said voters will be able to force changes to an EU withdrawal deal at the next election if they do not like it. The Environment Secretary's comments came as Prime Minister Theresa May won public backing from both wings of the Tory Party after securing an agreement with Brussels to start post-Brexit trade negotiations. Under the deal, Britain will pay a "divorce settlement" of between 35 billion and 39 billion, allow the European Court of Justice (ECJ) a legal role for eight years after withdrawal, and ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Gove said: "The British people will be in control. If the British people dislike the agreement that we have negotiated with the EU, the agreement will allow a future government to diverge." The Environment Secretary said that after a transition period, the UK would have "full freedom to diverge from EU law on the single market and customs union". Sources close to Mr Gove said the article had been encouraged and signed-off on by Downing Street. Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom said Mr Gove's remarks were a "statement of the obvious". Ms Leadsom told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is the case in a sovereign parliament that the voters can choose to take a country in a different direction." The comments came as it emerged the Cabinet is set to finally discuss what the UK's post-Brexit "end state" relationship with the EU should be at a meeting on December 19. The gathering is expected to see prominent Leave campaigners such as Mr Gove and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson argue their Brexit version of withdrawal against the softer stance taken by Chancellor Philip Hammond and Home Secretary Amber Rudd. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said this week's events proved the EU wanted a free trade deal with the UK. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The EU recognises that they really do need and want a free trade arrangement with the UK and they were prepared to do what was necessary to get it." Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage predicted that Tory anger at Mrs May's agreement with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker would emerge over the weekend. He told the BBC: "I think that within the next 48 hours you will hear a lot more Conservative voices... saying, actually, they are not happy with what's happened today." Proposals allowing the ECJ a role in overseeing EU citizens' rights in Britain for eight years after Brexit have caused concern to some Tories, as well as a compromise on the Irish border issue which stated that if no trade deal is reached, the UK as a whole will maintain "full alignment" with elements of the EU single market and customs union which support the economy of the island of Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement. Tory former Brexit minister David Jones warned this could "severely handicap" Britain's ability to enter free trade agreements covering areas such as agriculture with countries outside the EU, such as the US. But Justice Minister Dominic Raab said the details of how to deal with the issue of the Irish border had still to be worked out in full. He told BBC 2's Newsnight: "You can call it strategic ambiguity, you can call it constructive ambiguity... what I am admitting to you, very openly, and honestly, is that we have agreed principles, but that the details still need to be ironed out on this very bespoke set of issues around Northern Ireland which can't be dealt with properly and responsibly outside of the context of the broader negotiation on customs and trade and all of those other things we have said all along." Labour's shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said the agreement on the Irish border issue was a "fudge". He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Quite frankly, it is difficult to see that this is anything other than a fudge." Asked if the Irish agreement meant Britain could end up mirroring the single market on alignment issues in certain circumstances, Ms Leadsom said: "The entire United Kingdom will be leaving the single market and the customs union and the European Union together, and will have the same ability to make our own rules and regulations. "But there are certain parts of the island of Ireland where it will be important that they continue to have alignment." I was called by an Irish radio station in Dublin to respond to US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. What did I think was going on inside the US president's mind, I was asked? And I replied immediately: "I don't have the key to the lunatic asylum." What might once have seemed an outrageously over-the-top remark was simply accepted as a normal journalistic reaction to the leader of the world's greatest superpower. And re-listening to the speech that Trump made in the White House, I realised I should have been far less restrained. The very text of the document is insane, preposterous, shameful. Goodbye Palestine. Goodbye the two-state solution. Goodbye the Palestinians. For this new Israeli "capital" is not for them. Trump did not even use the word "Palestine". He talked about "Israel and the Palestinians" - in other words, of a state and of those who do not deserve - and can no longer aspire to - a state. No wonder I received a call in Beirut last night from a Palestinian woman who had just listened to the Trump destruction of the "peace process". "Remember 'Kingdom of Heaven'?" she asked me, referring to Ridley Scott's great movie of the 1187 fall of Jerusalem. "Well it's now the Kingdom of Hell." The Palestinians have been living in a kind of hell for 100 years, ever since the Balfour Declaration declared Britain's support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine, when a single sentence - in which our beloved Theresa May takes such "pride" - became a textbook for refugeedom and the future dispossession of the Palestinian Arabs from their lands. As usual, the Arab response this week was sickening, warning of the "dangers" of Trump's decision, which was "unjustified and irresponsible" - this piece of fluff produced by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, the so-called protector of Islam's two holiest places (the third being Jerusalem, although he didn't quite manage to point that out) - and we can be sure that in the coming days many an "emergency committee" will be formed by Arab and Muslim institutions to deal with this "danger". They will, as we all know, be worthless. Read More But it was the linguistic analysis of Noam Chomsky when I was at university - he later became a good friend - which I applied to the Trump speech. The first thing I spotted was, as I mentioned above, the absence of 'Palestine'. I always put the word in quotation marks because I don't believe it will ever exist as a state. Go and look at the Jewish colonies in the West Bank and it's clear that Israel has no intention that it should exist in the future. But that's no excuse for Trump. In the spirit of the Balfour Declaration - which referred to Jews but to the Arabs as "existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine" - Trump downgrades the Arabs of Palestine to "Palestinians". Yet even at the start, the chicanery begins. Trump talks about "very fresh thinking" and "new approaches". But there is nothing new about Jerusalem as Israel's capital, since the Israelis have been banging on about this for decades. What is "new" is that Trump has simply turned away from any notion of fairness in peace negotiations. Past presidents have issued waivers against the 1995 Jerusalem Congress Act, not because "delaying the recognition of Jerusalem would advance the cause of peace" but because that recognition should be given to the city as a capital for two peoples and two states - not one. Then Trump tells us that his decision "is in the best interests" of the US. But he can't explain how - by effectively taking America out of future "peace" negotiations and destroying any claim (admittedly dubious by now) that the US is an "honest broker" in these talks - this will benefit Washington. It clearly won't - though it might help Trump's party funding - since it further lowers American power, prestige and standing across the Middle East. Then he claims that "like every other sovereign nation", Israel has the right to determine its own capital. Up to a point, Lord Copper. For when another people - the Arabs rather than just the Jews - also want to claim that city as a capital (or at least the east of it), then that right is suspended until a final peace comes into existence. Israel may claim all of Jerusalem as its eternal and undivided capital, but America's recognition of this claim means that Jerusalem can never be the capital of another nation. And here's the rub. We don't have the slightest idea of the real borders of this "capital". Trump actually acknowledged this. In fact, we don't have the slightest idea of just where Israel's eastern border is. Does it lie along the old front line that divided Jerusalem? Does it lie a mile or so to the east of east Jerusalem? Or does it lie along the Jordan river? In which case, goodbye Palestine. Trump has awarded Israel the right to a whole city as its capital, but hasn't the slightest idea where the eastern border of this country is, let alone the frontier of Jerusalem. The world was happy to accept Tel Aviv as a temporary capital - as it was to pretend that Jericho or Ramallah was the "capital" of the Palestine Authority. But Jerusalem was not to be recognised as the Israeli capital even though Israel claimed it was. Then we have Trump stating that in this "most successful" democracy, "people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience". I trust he won't be telling that to the more than two-and-a-half million Palestinians in the West Bank who are not free to worship in Jerusalem without a special pass, or the population of besieged Gaza who cannot hope to reach the city. And this new embassy, when it is eventually completed, will become "a magnificent tribute to peace", according to Trump. Given the bunkers into which most US embassies in the Middle East have turned, it's going to be a place with armoured gates and pre-stressed concrete walls and lots of inner bunkers for its diplomatic staff. But by then, I suppose, Trump will be gone. Or will he? As usual, we had the Trump waffle. He wants "a great deal" for the Israelis and Palestinians, a peace agreement that is "acceptable to both sides" - even though this is not possible when he's recognised all of Jerusalem as Israeli before the so-called "final status" talks, which the world still fondly expects to take place between "both sides". But if Jerusalem is "one of the most sensitive issues" in these talks, if there was going to be "disagreement and dissent" about his announcement - all of which he said - then why on earth did he make the decision at all? Only when he descended into Blair-like verbosity - that the future of the region was held back by "bloodshed, ignorance and terror" - did it really become too much to stomach. If people are supposed to respond to "disagreement" with "reasoned debate, not violence", what is the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital supposed to produce? A "debate", for heaven's sake? Is that what to "rethink old assumptions" means? Enough of this twaddle. What more folly can this wretched man dream up and lie about? So what was going on in his befuddled mind when he made this decision? Sure, he wants to follow up on his campaign promises. But how come he decided to honour this promise but could not bring himself to say last April that the mass murder of a million-and-a-half Armenians in 1915 constituted an act of genocide? He was obviously frightened of upsetting the Turks, who deny the first industrial holocaust of the 20th century. Well, he's sure upset the Turks now. I'd like to think he'd taken that into account. But forget it. The guy is crackers. And it will take many years for his country to recover from this latest act of folly. ( Independent News Service) As if the Middle East wasn't already experiencing enough turmoil. Weeks after a dramatic purge in Saudi Arabia and days after the killing of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh at the hands of Iran-aligned Houthi militiamen, US President Donald Trump decided to push ahead with a highly controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Trump's move not only unravelled longstanding US policy and ruptured international consensus, it also threatens to trigger all sorts of consequences beyond the region. Considered sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims, Jerusalem is both storied and divided. Palestinians envision the eastern part of the city - annexed by Israel in 1967 - as the capital of any future Palestinian state, while Israelis see Jerusalem as their own capital. The city is home to Israel's president, parliament and most government ministries. Until now, the US - like most countries, including Ireland - has kept its embassy in Tel Aviv, pending a final peace agreement that would determine Jerusalem's status. Trump's unilateral recognition of Israel's claim to the city is one of the most serious setbacks ever to efforts to forge a sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which would allow for Palestinian aspirations for an independent state. The move continues to draw denunciations from leaders across the Middle East - including close US allies - and Europe, but also threatens to unleash violence as protests gain ground not just across the Middle East but also in Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia and Pakistan. Jerusalem - or Al-Quds, as it is known in Arabic - occupies a particular place in the Muslim imagination due to its role in Islamic history. This has, in recent decades, overlapped with pro-Palestinian sentiment to produce a powerful rallying cry used by activists from Cairo to Jakarta and Lahore to Khartoum and Istanbul. Such is the resonance of the name Al-Quds, there are media outlets and streets plus numerous restaurants and cafes named after it across the Middle East and beyond. The elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard is called the Quds Force and militant groups in other countries have also appropriated iterations of the name. In the six years that have followed the series of uprisings and revolutions of 2011 that some dubbed the Arab Spring, the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process - once the most reported story in the region - disappeared from world headlines. With wars raging in Syria, Libya, Iraq and Yemen, and the rise of Isil, plus increasingly fierce regional rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Israeli-Palestinian question faded into the background even if Arab leaders continued to use it as a way to appeal to popular sentiment. Trump's high-risk move comes as Palestinians mark the 30th anniversary this month of the start of the first intifada, an uprising against Israeli occupation that began in Gaza and rapidly spread to the West Bank, resulting in hundreds of deaths, most of them Palestinian. The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniya, has called for a new intifada in response to Trump's declaration. Read More Protests took place across the Middle East - but also as far afield as Indonesia and Malaysia - after Friday prayers yesterday. In the Lebanon the day before, Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, called on Arabs and Muslims to respond any way they could. US allies in the region also reacted negatively. Saudi Arabia's King Salman called the move "a dangerous step likely to inflame the passions of Muslims around the world". Egypt's President Sisi deplored Trump's decision while King Abdullah II of Jordan, another American ally which is home to a large Palestinian population, said it would have "dangerous repercussions on the stability and security of the region". President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey called Jerusalem "a red line for Muslims" and threatened to cut off relations with Israel. American institutions and organisations in the region are braced for possible violent fallout. The State Department restricted travel for US government employees in Jerusalem and the West Bank, warning American citizens to avoid crowded areas. In the Jordanian capital Amman, protesters gathered near the fortress-like US embassy. Meanwhile in Israel, the mood was triumphant, with government ministers declaring a diplomatic victory even as the UN Security Council organised an emergency meeting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump's decision as "historic" and went on to compare the US president to Lord Balfour, whose eponymous declaration as British foreign secretary 100 years ago paved the way for the creation of Israel. Now the question is how the ailing Israeli-Palestinian peace process can recover from this week's blow. Few are hopeful, many are fearful. Fire crews work among destroyed homes at the Rancho Monserate Country Club community in Fallbrook, California. The wind-swept blazes have forced tens of thousands of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes in southern California. Photo: AP/Gregory Bull Almost 200,000 people have been forced from their homes by wildfires rampaging through California as firefighters raced to tackle another new blaze. The number of evacuees almost quadrupled as a fifth fire broke out north of San Diego. Fire crews are struggling to contain the blazes which are being fanned by the region's Santa Ana winds, which could yet reach hurricane force. The hot, dry winds blow in from the California desert, and the state Cal Fire agency warned gusty conditions and low humidity would exacerbate the danger over the weekend. Flames skipped over highways and railroad tracks, and residents rushed to evacuate their homes with only minutes' warning. People feared for the safety of animals amid reports that dozens of horses had been killed. North of San Diego, the Lilac Fire grew from 10 to 2,500 acres in a few hours on Thursday, prompting California Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for San Diego County. The blaze destroyed 20 structures and prompted evacuations and road closures. Propane tanks under several houses exploded from the heat. The other fires, which broke out on Monday and Tuesday, have reached into the wealthy enclave of Bel Air on Los Angeles' west side. Some major highways in the densely populated area were intermittently closed. Firefighters and helicopters sprayed and dumped bucketloads of water to try to contain the flames against a hellish backdrop of flaming mountains and walls of smoke. One death has been reported so far, although authorities said they could not be sure whether the female body found in a car in Ventura County was the result of an accident or the fire. Three firefighters have also been injured, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. In the seaside enclave of Faria Beach, caught between burning mountains and the Pacific Ocean, northwest of Ventura, fires spread down the smoking hills. Flames jumped the heavily used US 101 highway and headed toward clusters of beach houses. Heavy smoke made breathing hazardous in some areas, and residents were urged to stay inside. Ventura County authorities said air pollution measures in the Ojai Valley were "off the charts". The Los Angeles County animal shelter said it was hosting 184 pets including llamas, donkeys and horses while reports said 29 horses were burned to death on Tuesday at a ranch in the Sylmar neighbourhood of Los Angeles. The Skirball fire threatened media magnate Rupert Murdoch's Moraga Estate winery. ( Daily Telegraph London) Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022] California's governor has warned that deadly and destructive wildfires in winter are "the new normal". Jerry Brown toured Ventura County neighbourhoods ravaged by a week-long wildfire that killed at least one person and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings. At a news conference, Mr Brown said drought and climate change mean California faces a "new reality" where lives and property are continually threatened by fire, at a cost of billions of dollars. He added that gusty winds and low humidity are continuing and warned that there is a good chance of seeing "firefighting at Christmas". He said it will take "heroic" efforts in the US and abroad to stem climate change and urged US lawmakers to pay more attention to dealing with natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes. Authorities said they have counted some 800 homes and other buildings destroyed by the wildfires ravaging southern California. Six fires driven by gusty Santa Ana winds have torched neighborhoods and rural communities from Ventura County north of Los Angeles, all the way south to San Diego County. One person died in a car crash on Wednesday trying to escape the largest fire in Ventura County. The fire is also burning towards a sanctuary for the endangered California condors in Los Padres National Forest. AP US president Donald Trump has touted his efforts to secure the homeland, saying his administration is "taking care of our citizens at home" by defeating the Islamic State abroad. Speaking to a raucous rally crowd in Florida, Mr Trump said the US military is dealing the Islamic State "one brutal defeat after another". "Not only are we defeating these killers, these savage killers, horrible, horrible," Mr Trump told hundreds of supports at a rally in Pensacola, a region a White House spokesman called "Trump country". "You don't even want to say people," Mr Trump said. "These are savage killers over there, but we sure as hell don't want them to come over here." Mr Trump also said he is expelling members of the violent street gang known as MS-13, which has its origins in Central America. "America is being respected again abroad and we are taking care of our citizens at home and we're going to have safety and we have a lot more now," said the president, who appeared buoyed as he headlined his first campaign rally in more than two months. "America is more than just a place on a map," he said. "America is a nation. America is a family. America is ours to love and to cherish and to protect and to take care of." Before arriving in Florida panhandle, Mr Trump reinforced his support for embattled Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore. Mr Trump told voters four days before they go to the polls that the "LAST thing" he needs in the closely divided Republican-controlled Senate is a "Liberal Democrat" who opposes his agenda. "Get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it," Mr Trump told the crowd. "We cannot afford, the future of this country cannot afford to lose the seat," Mr Trump said, referring to his party's razor-thin 52-48 advantage in that chamber of Congress. Mr Trump said Mr Moore's opponent, Doug Jones, is a "liberal Democrat" who would be "completely controlled" by Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi in the House and Chuck Schumer in the Senate. "He's their total puppet and everybody knows it," Mr Trump said. He touched briefly on the closely watched Senate race that will be decided when voters in next-door Alabama go to the polls on Tuesday. "We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda, which involves tough on crime, strong on borders, strong on immigration," Mr Trump continued. Mr Moore, who is 70, has been dogged by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including accusations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s. Mr Moore has denied the allegations. The White House said the rally was a campaign event for Mr Trump. But the location - so close to the Alabama state line and feeding its television markets - stoked speculation that it was a backdoor way for the president to boost Mr Moore's campaign without actually setting foot in the state. "It's not that he's not going to Alabama. It's that he is going to Pensacola," White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters on board Air Force One as Mr Trump flew to Florida. "Pensacola is Trump country. This is a part of the state that voted overwhelmingly for the president in 2016. He'll be travelling back to Florida from time to time, and it's a key state." Mr Shah said the president and White House have made clear that the Moore allegations are "troubling and concerning" and "should be taken seriously". He also noted that Mr Moore has maintained his innocence, and said that should be considered as well. "Ultimately his endorsement is about the issues," Mr Shah said. Friday's campaign rally was Trump's first since September, when he went to Alabama to campaign for Senator Luther Strange, who lost the Republican run-off election to Mr Moore. AP Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Ramallah (Nasser Nasser/AP) Traditional US allies in the UN Security Council including Britain, France, Sweden, Italy and Japan have criticised President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. At an emergency council meeting on Friday on the impact of Mr Trump's announcement, Britain's UN ambassador Matthew Rycroft called the US decision "unhelpful to peace". Sweden's UN ambassador Olof Skoog said the US action "contradicts international law and Security Council resolutions", stressing that Jerusalem's status is to be decided in direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. French ambassador Francois Delattre expressed regret at the US decision, citing legal grounds, its impact on efforts to reach a two-state solution and the potential escalation of violence. He said the United States must explain how Mr Trump's action aligns with the legal foundation "on which all peace efforts are based". Sebastiano Cardi, from Italy, said Jerusalem's status must be negotiated and expressed serious concern at "the risk of unrest and tensions in the region" while Japan's ambassador Koro Bessho said his government opposes "any unilateral measures" and feared the heightened tensions on the ground, saying violence "can easily snowball into larger crises". The council meeting was held after a man was killed and dozens more were wounded in skirmishes between Israeli forces and protesters along Gaza's border with Israel. Mohammed Al-Masri, 30, died after being struck by live fire east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, the Palestinian health ministry said. More than 35 Palestinians were injured, two seriously, it added. It was the first death since clashes erupted across the Palestinian territories after Mr Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Israeli military said in a statement that during clashes along the border fence, soldiers "fired selectively at two main instigators" and confirmed hitting them. The US ambassador to the UN said Mr Trump knew his decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital would raise "questions and concerns" but took it to advance peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Nikki Haley told the meeting that the US is more committed to peace "than we've ever been before - and we believe we might be closer to that goal than ever before". The Trump administration has been working on a new peace plan but Ms Haley gave no details. She noted that past Israeli-Palestinian agreements have been signed on the White House lawn, and if there is a new agreement there is "a good likelihood" it will be signed there as well "because the United States has credibility of both sides". She urged all countries "to temper statements and actions in the days ahead," saying anyone who used Mr Trump's announcement as a pretext for violence would show that they were "unfit partners for peace". But Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour said that "one party cannot continue to monopolise the peace process," especially one that is biased in favour of "the occupying power," Israel. He urged the Security Council to denounce what he called the "irresponsible" US decision and reaffirm its position on the status of Jerusalem - that the holy city's status is unresolved and must be decided during Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations on a two-state solution. He said the council must "affirm its rejection of all violations of that status". Mr Mansour said the Security Council must also act to avert "further exacerbation of religious sensitivities". He said they threaten to turn the conflict "into a never-ending religious war that will only be exploited by extremists, fuelling more radicalism, violence and strife in the region and elsewhere". Israeli warplanes struck Hamas military targets in the Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fired rockets into Israel. The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people were injured in Friday's air strikes while another Palestinian was killed in skirmishes with Israeli troops in the West Bank and Gaza. The Israeli military said that aircraft bombed a Hamas military training compound and an ammunition warehouse in response to two rocket launches at Israel. Neither caused injuries or damage. Shortly after the air strikes, a third rocket hit the Israeli town of Sderot, damaging vehicles. New Delhi, Dec 9 (IBNS): Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh said that India is second largest fish producer in the world. Overall fish production has increased from 0.75 million tonne of 1950-51 to 11.41 million tonne in 2016-17. Besides, this sector provides employment and livelihood support to more than 15 million people of in the country. He said it today at the Aqua Goa Mega Fish Festival, 2017, organized at SAG Campal Ground, Panaji, Goa. Vinod Palyekar, Minister for Fisheries, Government of Goa, was also present during this occasion. The Agriculture Minister said that fisheries is a fast growing sector in India, which provides nutrition and food security to a large population of the country as well as providing income and employment to fishermen and fish farmers. Fisheries development in India is not only meeting the protein requirements of the country, but it is also making significant contribution of about 6.2 percent in the fish production of the world. Singh further said that if we compare the fish production of three years viz, 2014-15, 2015-16 & 2016-17 with last three years i.e., 2011-12, 2012-13 & 2013-14, it is observed that the overall fish production has achieved about 19 percent growth rate. Growth rate in marine fisheries was about 6.65 percent, whereas the growth rate of 26.07 percent has been achieved in inland fisheries in country. The Minister was pleased to inform that the country has earned more than 5.78 billion US dollars foreign exchange (i.e., Rs.37,871 crore) in 2016-17 through, exports of fish and fishery products. The Agriculture Minister also informed that India is first in prawn production and it is the largest exporter of prawns in the world too. The average annual growth rate of fish and fish products in the world was 7.5% during the last decade, whereas India has attained first position with 14.8% average annual growth in the export of fish & fishery products. Singh said that foreseeing the vast resource, potential and possibilities in the fisheries sector, Honble Prime Minister has called for a Blue Revolution. Accordingly, the Government has merged all the schemes of fisheries sector into an umbrella scheme of Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries and approved with the outlay of Rs. 3000 crores. The Union Agriculture Minister said that the Prime Minister of India has given a slogan of Doubling the Farmers Income with a vision to ensure overall development of the country. Blue Revolution is focusing to foster use of new and modern technology, training and capacity building of fishers and fish farmers, adoption of scientific advises & methods, species diversification and proper fish health management etc. The main aim of Government is to double the income of fishers and fish-farmers by 2022 through implementation of Blue Revolution" Mariculture has been taken up under Blue Revolution to further enhance production from marine sector. Coastal States are provided with financial and technical support including training and capacity building. On this occasion, the Singh informed that the financial assistance for housing of fishermen has been increased from Rs. 0.75 lakh to Rs.1.20 lakh in General States and Rs.1.30 lakh for the North Eastern and Hilly States under the Welfare Scheme for Fishermen. Fishermen Housing Scheme has been merged with the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) Scheme and its financial pattern and guidelines are making uniform. Government of India has taken an important step on 9th March, 2017 by adding a new component under the Blue Revolution to promote tradition fishers in the Deep Sea Fishing0. Under the said component, the Government of India is providing 50% financial assistance i.e., upto Rs.40 lakh to the traditional fishers, their Self Help Groups, Societies and Organizations in acquisition of deep sea fishing vessels equipped with modern technology, which costs approximately, Rs.80 lakh per vessel. New Delhi, Dec 9 (IBNS): Discrimination not only harms the health and well-being of the victim, but the victims romantic partner as well, indicates new research led by a Michigan State University scholar. The work, which analyzed a nationally representative sample of nearly 2,000 couples, is the first study to consider how the discrimination experiences of both people in a relationship are associated with their health, read the Michigan State University website. The findings are published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. We found that when an individual experiences discrimination, they report worse health and depression. However, that's not the full story this stress spills over and affects the health of their partner as well, said William Chopik, an assistant professor of psychology who conducted the study with current and former MSU students. The researchers studied the survey data of 1,949 couples ranging in age from 50 to 94. Survey participants reported on incidents of discrimination, as well as on their health, depression and relationship strain and closeness. Chopik said the study found that it didnt matter where the discrimination came from (e.g., because of race, age, gender or other factors). What matters is that they felt that they were unfairly treated. That's what had the biggest impact on the persons health. And that discrimination had a spillover affect on the persons spouse or partner. Because people are embedded in relationships, what happens in those relationships affects our health and well-being, Chopik said. We found that a lot of the harmful effects of discrimination on health occurs because it's so damaging to our relationships, he said. When one partner experiences discrimination, they bring that stress home with them and it strains the relationship. So this stress not only negatively affects their own health, but their partners as well. UN Photo/Marcia Weistein As collection of space data increases, NASA looks to cognitive radio, the infusion of artificial intelligence into space communications networks, to meet demand and increase efficiency. Modern space communications systems use complex software to support science and exploration missions, said Janette C. Briones, principal investigator in the cognitive communication project at NASAs Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. By applying artificial intelligence and machine learning, satellites control these systems seamlessly, making real-time decisions without awaiting instruction. To understand cognitive radio, its easiest to start with ground-based applications. In the U.S., the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allocates portions of the electromagnetic spectrum used for communications to various users. For example, the FCC allocates spectrum to cell service, satellite radio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc. Imagine the spectrum divided into a limited number of taps connected to a water main. What happens when no faucets are left? How could a device access the electromagnetic spectrum when all the taps are taken? Software-defined radios like cognitive radio use artificial intelligence to employ underutilized portions of the electromagnetic spectrum without human intervention. These white spaces are currently unused, but already licensed, segments of the spectrum. The FCC permits a cognitive radio to use the frequency while unused by its primary user until the user becomes active again. In terms of our metaphorical watering hole, cognitive radio draws on water that would otherwise be wasted. The cognitive radio can use many faucets, no matter the frequency of that faucet. When a licensed device stops using its frequency, cognitive radio draws from that customers faucet until the primary user needs it again. Cognitive radio switches from one white space to another, using electromagnetic spigots as they become available. The recent development of cognitive technologies is a new thrust in the architecture of communications systems, said Briones. We envision these technologies will make our communications networks more efficient and resilient for missions exploring the depths of space. By integrating artificial intelligence and cognitive radios into our networks, we will increase the efficiency, autonomy and reliability of space communications systems. For NASA, the space environment presents unique challenges that cognitive radio could mitigate. Space weather, electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun and other celestial bodies, fills space with noise that can interrupt certain frequencies. Glenn Research Center is experimenting in creating cognitive radio applications capable of identifying and adapting to space weather, said Rigoberto Roche, a NASA cognitive engine development lead at Glenn. They would transmit outside the range of the interference or cancel distortions within the range using machine learning. In the future, a NASA cognitive radio could even learn to shut itself down temporarily to mitigate radiation damage during severe space weather events. Adaptive radio software could circumvent the harmful effects of space weather, increasing science and exploration data returns. A cognitive radio network could also suggest alternate data paths to the ground. These processes could prioritize and route data through multiple paths simultaneously to avoid interference. The cognitive radios artificial intelligence could also allocate ground station downlinks just hours in advance, as opposed to weeks, leading to more efficient scheduling. Additionally, cognitive radio may make communications network operations more efficient by decreasing the need for human intervention. An intelligent radio could adapt to new electromagnetic landscapes without human help and predict common operational settings for different environments, automating time-consuming processes previously handled by humans. The Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Testbed aboard the International Space Station provides engineers and researchers with tools to test cognitive radio in the space environment. The testbed houses three software-defined radios in addition to a variety of antennas and apparatus that can be configured from the ground or other spacecraft. The testbed keeps us honest about the environment in orbit, said Dave Chelmins, project manager for the SCaN Testbed and cognitive communications at Glenn. While it can be simulated on the ground, there is an element of unpredictability to space. The testbed provides this environment, a setting that requires the resiliency of technology advancements like cognitive radio. Chelmins, Rioche and Briones are just a few of many NASA engineers adapting cognitive radio technologies to space. As with most terrestrial technologies, cognitive techniques can be more challenging to implement in space due to orbital mechanics, the electromagnetic environment and interactions with legacy instruments. In spite of these challenges, integrating machine learning into existing space communications infrastructure will increase the efficiency, autonomy and reliability of these systems. The SCaN program office at NASA Headquarters in Washington provides strategic and programmatic oversight for communications infrastructure and development. Its research provides critical improvements in connectivity from spacecraft to ground. New York, Dec 9 (IBNS): Since the early days of humanity people are fascinated by the mysteries of the universe and the possibility of life on other planets. Space opera movies such as Star Wars, Star Trek and Avatar are immensely popular and Star Wars is one of the highest grossing films of all time. Early this year NASA announced the discovery of seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting a star in the constellation of Aquarius. These worlds are possibly warm enough for water sustaining life. Now the worldwide Glocalities survey reveals that the majority of people around the world believe in the existence of life on other planets. The survey results are released at the eve of the new Star Wars saga The Last Jedi. The Glocalities study on the existence of alien life was completed among 26,492 people from 24 countries (see appendix for details) and reveals that: 61% of people believe that there is some form of life on other planets. 17% rule this out and only 22% say that they dont know. 47% of people believe in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations in the universe. 26% rule this out and 28% say that they dont know. 25% believe that the first form of life on earth arrived here from another place in the universe. 39% do not believe this and 36% say they dont know. Of the 47% people who believe that advanced alien civilizations exists, 60% say that humans should try to get in contact with these civilizations. 21% say that we should not try and seek contact and 19% say that they dont know. People who believe in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations have a typical values profile: They are highly interested in science and have faith in technological progress They are open minded, tolerant, value freedom and have an anti-authoritarian mindset They are holistic thinkers who believe that all things and phenomena are interconnected They believe that our dreams and imaginations create the reality we live in They are interested in politics and plea for political transparency Martijn Lampert, Research Director Glocalities says: "People who believe in the existence of intelligent alien civilizations are not a marginal minority, but constitute a large (47%) and distinct segment of unconventional and anti-authoritarian thinkers with a passion for science, technology, culture, politics and the arts. Based on their fascination for science, arts and life in the universe, we characterize them with the term Homo Universalis." "The recent discovery of exoplanets is likely to fuel the interest of people in learning about the mysteries of the universe and possible life forms on other planets. If and when the discovery of life on other planets is confirmed by the scientific community in the coming years, it is likely that this group will become more and more engaged in the debate about the future of humanity and the place of planet Earth in the universe." "The high score on the belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life and the typical values profile of believers in intelligent alien civilizations partly explains the immense popularity of space opera movies such as Star Wars. The fascination with the mysteries of the universe offers mankind a never ending story to research, develop and experience." Image: Wallpaper of Koi Mil Gaya movie Gandhinagar, Dec 9 (IBNS): As the first phase of polling started in Gujarat on Saturday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the voters to turn up in large numbers and exercise their rights. "Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise," the Prime Minister's tweet read. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has already cast his vote, reports said. The state election is viewed as a stern test for both Prime Minister Modi and Congress vice president and would-be-president Rahul Gandhi. Tweeting in Hindi, Gandhi asked young voters to vote in large numbers. The second phase of polling is scheduled for Dec 14. Surat, Dec 9 (IBNS): Voting in 89 constituencies are underway in the first phase of Gujarat election, began on Saturday, media reports said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the voters to turn up in large numbers and exercise their rights. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has already cast his vote, reports said. The state election is viewed as a stern test for both Narendra Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting hard to retain their strong hold in the state, the Congress is trying to return to power after 22 years. The Congress is fighting the election in an alliance with Hardik Patel-led Patidar Ananmat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Like the Prime Minister, Rahul too urged all Gujarat voters to turn out in large numbers along with a special reference to the young generation. As per some latest news reports, around 70 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have malfunctioned in Surat. The state has 182 consituencies. The second phase of the poll will take place on Dec. 14. The counting of votes will be held on Dec. 18. The saffron-brigade is ruling the state since 1995. Salem, Dec 9 (IBNS): Days after leaving father's custody, Hadiya Jehan, whose marriage with Shafin Jehan was annulled earlier by lower court, met her husband in Salem college on Friday, media reports said. Hadiya met Shafin for the first time after their marriage was annulled by a lower court following the girl's father complained that she had been indoctrinated into Islam religion. A college official told The Indian Express: "They met her around 2 pm. They spent about 45 minutes with her in a room under CCTV surveillance." The couple met at Tamil Nadu's Sivaraj Homeopathy Medical College after the authority granted permission to them. A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justices A M Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud passed the interim order to let Haidya free in an open court in late November. She had also insisted that her husband should be made her guardian so that he can fund for her studies. Hadiya had told the apex court that she wants to be with her husband even as her parents are opposed to it. The Supreme Court had directed the university concerned to re-admit Hadiya and grant her hostel facility. It had also asked Kerala police to provide the woman with security. Surat, Dec 9 (IBNS) : More than 20 per cent votes were cast till noon as polling in 89 constituencies are underway in the first phase of Gujarat election is underway on Saturday, reports said. According to reports Surat recorded maximum polling at 26 percent followed by Bharuch at 22 percent, Narmada (21), Dang (20), Tapi (19) and Navsari (16), the overall polling percentage being 20.5. Polling was disrupted for the time being in a number of booths in Surat following glitches in voting machines. Reports said around 70 Electronic Voting Machines were reported to be malfunctioning in Gujarat. However, the elections today. The Election Commission said the faulty machines have been replaced. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his wife Anjali Rupani were among the first to cast their votes from Rajkot. The Chief Minister is contesting from Saurashtra's Rajkot-West constituency, making the affairs most high profile. His main challenger is Indranil Rajyaguru, the richest man in the state assembly. The state election is being viewed as an acid test for both Narendra Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting hard to retain their stronghold in the state, the Congress is trying to return to power after 22 years. The Congress is fighting the election in an alliance with Hardik Patel-led Patidar Ananmat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Like the Prime Minister, Rahul too urged all Gujarat voters to turn out in large numbers along with a special reference to the young generation. Gandhinagar, Dec 9 (IBNS): Taking the Gujarat poll campaign to a new low, Congress politician and writer Salman Nizami raised question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's family background only to be countered by PM himself on Saturday. Seeking to redeem another political point after the windfall score he gained following Manishankar Aiyer's 'Neech' comment, Modi shared a screenshot of Nizami's tweet on the micro-blogging site where the latter compared Gandhi's family legacy with Modi's background. Hitting out at Nizami, the Prime Minister tweeted: "I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are- this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians." I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are- this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians: PM @narendramodi pic.twitter.com/JGYxfiBPjA narendramodi_in (@narendramodi_in) December 9, 2017 Shirking of responsibility, Congress spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi, with whom Nizami was seen in several pictures, told India Today that she cannot be held responsible for anyone's activity who clicks picture with her. Priyanka even said Modi's reply to every individual further shows the Bharatiya Janata Party's desperation to win the Gujarat election. This is the second time in the same week when the BJP has accused the Congress of using "derogatory" remarks against the Prime Minister. Two days ago, Congress' senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar called the PM a "neech aadmi" or "low aadmi" that had not gone down well with the saffron party. Though the Congress had suspended Aiyar from the party's primary membership, Union minister and BJP leader, Ravi Shankar Prasad, said: "Humour is a part of politics but not abuses." "It is the feudal, arrogant thinking that only they (Congress) can rule India and no one else," Prasad said immediately after Aiyar's comment on Thursday. Images: twitter.com/narendramodi, twitter.com/narendramodi_in New Delhi, Dec 9 (IBNS) : In a scathing attack on Narendra Modi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said there is no mention of development in the speeches of the Prime Minister during his during the Gujarat election campaign. "BJP has been running its Government in Gujarat for 22 years. I will only ask, what is the reason development is missing in the prime ministers speeches," he said in a series of tweets. . "There was no manifesto till the campaigning for the first phase ended. Is rhetoric the new government in Gujarat?" Gandhi, who has started a question a day series on social networking site with the tagline "22 saal ka hisab, Gujarat maange jawab, said the PM has also not answered any of his last questions. "I asked him ten questions on the Gujarat report cards, he did not reply." Gandhi, who is tipped for the post of Congress President, also urged the people of Gujarat to vote in large numbers. "Participation of voters is the soul of democracy. I welcome the first time voters in Gujarat. I appeal to the people of Gujarat to vote in huge numbers and make this celebration of democracy successful," he said. The first phase of polling in the two-phase Gujarat assembly election is underway in 89 out of the the state's 182 Assembly constituencies on Saturday. Surat, Dec 9 (IBNS) : About 37 per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise till 2 pm on Saturday as polling in 89 constituencies are underway in the first phase of Gujarat election amid a heightened political tussle involving the ruling BJP and the Congress. However electronic voting machines went wrong to play the spoilsport in a number of places. Media reports suggest that the deadline of voting in various constituencies was extended till 10 pm due to EMVs malfunctioning. A total of 977 candidates are in the fray and around 2.12 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise. The ruling BJP, making a bid for a fifth term, and the Congress, attempting an electoral revival, are the main contenders. The second phase for the remaining 93 seats of the high-stakes election will be held on December 14. Gujarat has 182 assembly constituencies. The counting of votes will take place on December 18. Taking the Gujarat poll campaign to a new low, Congress politician and writer Salman Nizami raised question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's family background only to be countered by PM himself on Saturday.. Seeking to redeem another political point after the windfall score he gained following Manishankar Aiyer's 'Neech' comment, Modi shared a screenshot of Nizami's tweet on the micro-blogging site where the latter compared Gandhi's family legacy with Modi's background. Hitting out at Nizami, the Prime Minister tweeted: "I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are- this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians." The state election is being viewed as an acid test for both Narendra Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting hard to retain their stronghold in the state, the Congress is trying to return to power after 22 years. The Congress is fighting the election in an alliance with Hardik Patel-led Patidar Ananmat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Like the Prime Minister, Rahul too urged all Gujarat voters to turn out in large numbers along with a special reference to the young generation. Noida, Dec 9 (IBNS): A teen has confessed killing his mother and sister with Greater Noida West, the police said on Saturday. The mother and her daughter were found murdered in their residence on Tuesday, reports said. The boy, who has confessed committing the crime, is a class 11 student. He has reportedly committed the murder as he was scolded over a minor issue, reports said. He was traced to Varanasi based on a call he made to his father recently, the police said. The boy has confessed to the crime. He said his mother had scolded him on December 4 afternoon for studying on the sofa, Love Kumar, Gautam Budh Nagar senior superintendent of police, was quoted as saying to Hindustan Times. New Delhi, Dec 9 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he could sense that his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will script victory in the Gujarat Assembly polls. After the ending of the first phase of polling, Modi thanked people for exercising their franchise. "Thank you Gujarat! Gratitude to my sisters and brothers of Gujarat for voting in record numbers today. I am seeing that BJP is headed towards a historic victory, powered by the affection and support of every Gujarati," Modi tweeted. Around 68 percent voters cast their votes as the first phase of the Gujarat elections ended on Saturday. Gujarat voted to elect a new Assembly on Saturday. Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat went to polls for 89 of the 182 seats in this phase of voting. Polling was disrupted for the time being in a number of booths in Surat following glitches in voting machines. Reports said around 70 Electronic Voting Machines were reported to be malfunctioning in Gujarat. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his wife Anjali Rupani were among the first to cast their votes from Rajkot. The Chief Minister is contesting from Saurashtra's Rajkot-West constituency, making the affairs most high profile. His main challenger is Indranil Rajyaguru, the richest man in the state assembly. The state election is being viewed as an acid test for both Narendra Modi and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting hard to retain their stronghold in the state, the Congress is trying to return to power after 22 years. The Congress is fighting the election in an alliance with Hardik Patel-led Patidar Ananmat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Like the Prime Minister, Rahul too urged all Gujarat voters to turn out in large numbers along with a special reference to the young generation. Oslo, Dec 9 (IBNS): He has already been shamed after a string of startling revelation showed Kevin Spacey as a sexual predator, but his plight is far from over. Ari Behn, former son-in-law of King Harald, the monarch of Nowway, has accused Spacey of 'grabbing him by the balls' during the Noble Prize Concert in 2007. Behn was married at that time to Princess Martha Louise, daughter of King Harald. Sharing his ordeal, Behn told a Norwegian radio station, "I am a generous person, but this was a bit more than I had in mind." He shared that the Oscar winning actor asked him to join outside for a cigarette where the alleged incident took place. "We had a great talk, he sat right beside me," he shared. "After five minutes he said, 'hey, let's go out and have a cigarette'. Then he puts his hand under the table and grabs me by the balls." Behn said that he brushed off the advances with "maybe later". Spacey, an immensely popular actor, fell from the grace after actor Anthony Rapp narrated an incident that took place almost 30 years ago involving himself and the Academy Award winning actor. Rapp, then just 14 years old was allegedly exposed to sexual behaviour by Spacey. The former also accused the latter of trying to seduce him. Spacey however issued a formal apology on Twitter and called it 'drunken behaviour'. "I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour," Spacey's statement read. It is then that he chose to reveal himself as a Gay man as in an ensuing paragraph the thespian wrote, "This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life... I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose to now live as a gay man." However, as it turned out, Spacey's apology of it being a 'drunken behaviour' held no water as later numerous men, mostly young theatre actors, accused the former of predatory behavoiur on more than one occassions. The revelations have also caused his career to plummet, as Spacey has now been chucked out of popular television show House of Cards, where he played the lead role. Renowned director Ridley Scott too has replaced him with Christopher Plummer in the film All the Money in the World. Interestingly, Spacey had completed all his scenes in the film and the rumour mills had it that he was in the race for another Oscar. Since the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1949, human rights have been one of the three pillars of the United Nations, along with peace and development, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message for Human Rights Day, annually observed on 10 December. As one of the worlds most profound and far-reaching international agreements, the Universal Declaration proclaimed the inalienable rights of every human being regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It is the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages. Guterres noted that while human rights abuses did not end when the Universal Declaration was adopted, the instrument has helped countless people to gain greater freedom and security, and has also helped to prevent violations, obtain justice for wrongs, and strengthen national and international human rights laws and safeguards. Despite these advances, the fundamental principles of the Universal Declaration are being tested in all regions, he said, citing rising hostility towards human rights and those who defend them by people who want to profit from exploitation and division. We see hatred, intolerance, atrocities and other crimes. These actions imperil us all, he said, urging people and leaders everywhere to stand up for all human rights civil, political, economic, social and cultural and for the values that underpin hopes for a fairer, safer and better world for all. The year-long campaign will start at Palais de Chaillot in Paris on Sunday, with an event also to be held on Monday at UN Headquarters in New York. UN Information Centres around the world will also launch commemorative activities. For his part, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said that thanks to the Universal Declaration, the daily life of millions has been improved, untold human suffering has been prevented and the foundations for a more just world have been laid. "While its promise is yet to be fulfilled, the very fact that it has stood the test of time is testament to the enduring universality of its perennial values of equality, justice and human dignity, he said. The period leading up to 10 December 2019, the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration, will be a year of intense and profound reflection on the continuing and vital importance of each and every one of the 30 articles contained in this extraordinary document. On Friday, as World War II and the Holocaust grow distant, that awareness appears to be evaporating at an alarming rate, and the enormous progress that has been achieved through progressive enactment of human rights principles, as laid out in the Universal Declaration, is being increasingly forgotten or willfully ignored, Zeid said. He said it is right to honour its achievements and pay tribute to its inspired architects on the 70th anniversary year, but we should be under no illusions: the legacy of the Universal Declaration is facing threats on many fronts. We must organize and mobilize in defence of human decency, in defence of a better common future We must take a robust and determined stand: by resolutely supporting the human rights of others, we also stand up for our own rights and those of generations to come, he said. UN Photo Source: www.justearthnews.com New York, Dec 9 (Just Earth News): The United Nations migration agency and the Government of Niger welcomed the first 504 people from Libya to Niger, kicking off a voluntary mass evacuation of nearly 4,000 migrants. After the discussions at the [African Union-European Union] summit in Abidjan, the government has demonstrated its commitment to making this evacuation a priority and a reality, Alberto Preato, the International Organization for Migrations (IOM) Migrant Resource and Response Mechanism (MRRM) Programme Manager, declared on Friday. Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Niger with the Embassy of Niger in Libya, and under the initiative of President of Niger Mahamadou Issoufou and Prime Minister Brigi Rafini, the migrants registered for voluntary return at Niger Embassy in Tripoli. On Wednesday, the first of eight charter flights carrying 504 migrants, including women and young children, arrived at the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey. IOM is providing technical and logistic support for the registration, profiling, reception and onward transportation of the returning migrants, under the MRRM financed by the European Union. The success of the operation is a stepping stone in strengthening the partnership between IOM and the Government of Niger, said Preato. The migrants were received by the Ministers of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Health and Humanitarian Action, along with more than 50 IOM staff including from operations, protection, medical, logistics, finance, reintegration and communication and other senior officials. In addition to welcoming the returnees, IOM registered, profiled, provided them with food and water, and facilitated transportation to their villages of origin. The UN migration agency and Niger are also exploring possibilities for the socio-economic reintegration of migrants arriving in the weeks ahead. After the successful reception of the first charter last night, Nigers Foreign Minister officially confirmed plans for seven additional charters carrying 500 migrants each, one per day, from Wednesday onwards to transport the total 3,850 Nigerian migrants now registered in Tripoli. Mohamed Bazoum, Nigers Minister of Interior praised in his speech the fruitful partnership with IOM, and complimented the Organization for making possible the dignified return of Nigerien migrants under the best possible conditions. The teams left the airport early Thursday morning, ensuring that all 504 returning migrants were on their way home. IOM staff is fully prepared to welcome the second charter due Friday. Moreover, in close collaboration with IOM staff in Libya, the mission in Niger is preparing to receive additional groups of migrants now in detention centres across Libya. Meanwhile, IOM staff in Agadez are now assisting the 10th convoy of migrants arriving from Algeria as they prepare themselves for possible mass evacuations of stranded migrants from its northern borders. IOM is proud to be part of this operation and to be able to bring back hope to those who had long lost it, Preato concluded. Photo: UN Migration Agency (IOM) Source: www.justearthnews.com Toronto, Dec 9 (IBNS): A Toronto police officer on Thursday pleaded guilty for having a sexual relationship with a youth group member, media reports said. Const. Kevin Ward activity came to light after he attended 22 Division Rovers, a programme by the Toronto Police Service, Humber College and Scouts Canada. Ward, who was one of the founding members of the programme, stated to have a sexual relationship with one of the members of the group. He pleaded guilty for carrying out an inappropriate relationship with a participant who has been referred to as "CH" in the police document. The agreed statement of facts stated Ward went into a tent where "CH" was present along with another female participant who has been referred to as "LQ". "LQ" needed to change and Ward had turned his back to her. Later he slept with the women and also developed a sexual relationship with "CH". Though Service prosecutor Insp. Domenic Sinopoli said the sexual relationship was "consensual", he believes it to be a power balance too. "To me, this is a case of trust, professionalism and moral integrity" he said, as he was quoted by Toronto Star. Defence lawyer Gary Lewly highlighted Ward's good work history at the tribunal. Ward has also pleaded guilty for showing videos of activities by police to the female participants of the group. According to the media report, regretting for bringing "negative attention" on police force and scouts, Ward said: "I can assure you that I wont be back here." (Reporting by Suman Das) Image: Creative Commons. Ottawa, Dec 9 (IBNS): Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing heat from US President Donald Trump, who acclaimed the former saying "a nice guy" but also has hit out at his counterpart over their differences on "trade deficit" discussions, media reports said. Referring to Trudeau, Trump on Thursday said:"I like the prime minister very much. Prime Minister Trudeau. Nice guy. Good guy. No, I like him. But we had a meeting... He said, 'No, no, you have a trade surplus.' I said, 'No we don't.' He said, 'No, no you have a trade surplus." "(Trudeau) said, 'I'm telling you that Canada has a deficit with the United States.' I told my people in front of a lot of people I said, 'Go out and check" the Canada PM added. Giving Trudeau a chance to be tensed, Trump repeated his earlier promise of either cancelling or negotiating North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Canada is presently negotiating with the US regarding the NAFTA, an agreement which came into force from January 1994 by Canada, Mexico and United States creating a trilateral trade bloc in North America. For almost two years, US President Trump criticised the agreement and also hinted to take some serious steps being in the administration or at least send some ultimatums. Both Canada and the US differ in the climate change. The US has already announced their withdrawal from the Paris Climate and the process of coming out from it is underway. On the other hand, Canada wants a new NAFTA with a reference to the global climate issues and make necessary steps to tackle them. In the negotiations, Canada is working for a better labour and environmental provisions. Both Canada and the US are in favour of making an environment agreement in the new NAFTA instead of designing a separate deal. The two nations also want to make certain provisions to prevent NAFTA nations from violating the rules for the sake of drawing investments. Amid the ongoing negotiations in the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, in the week of November, said the country can't agree to extreme proposals put forward by the US, media reports said. After the fifth round of talk in Mexico city, Freeland told media: "There are some areas where some extreme proposals have been put forward, and these are proposals that we simply cannot agree to." Freeland even said certain proposals could become detrimental to the Canadian auto-industry. When asked about whether the country should look forward to have a future without NAFTA, Freeland told media, "..hope for the best and prepare for the worst and Canada is prepared for every eventuality". (Reporting by Suman Das) Seven-year-old Navya Singh recently won a case against the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in High Court. For days, the young girl prayed that she would be able to play in her favourite park again in Rohinis Sector 8. The DDA had chosen the park as a site to construct a community centre. But after High Courts decision, the DDA will move their plans to a different site. representative image/jan sevaa The Hanuman Mandir park is used by residents of pockets A-2 and F-17. Apart from moving High Court, the Class II student had also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save her park. Also read: Hyderabad To Open World's First IT Park For People With Disability It was Navyas father Dheeraj Singh, an advocate who had filed a petition that cited the incident poor planning on part of the DDA especially when a community hall stood just 50 metres from the park, reports The Indian Express. pti A bench of acting Chief Justice Geeta Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued a notice to DDA asking it to answer why the park was required. The bench added that parks were not meant to be converted into community halls. Also read: Kerala's Jatayu Nature Park, Built Where The Mythical Bird Died Fighting Ravana, Now Open For Visitors After winning the case, Navya was ecstatic. Her father said, Singh said, Navya always asked me for updates on the court hearing. I told her we won. She screamed with joy The DDA had put barricades in the park; the court has now asked that the park be restored to its original shape. A status report filed by the DDA said that after the decision, the site is to be kept and developed as green. 1. Salman Khan Bashes Bigg Boss 11 Contestant Arshi Khan, She Alleges Him Of Overlooking Shilpa's Actions .@Beingsalmankhan questions Arshi Khan about her comment to Shilpa Shinde. Tune in to #WeekendKaVaar tomorrow at 9 PM to find out what happens! pic.twitter.com/f9XImm4vh5 COLORS (@ColorsTV) December 8, 2017 Of course, Salman Khan couldnt ignore this. In todays episode, he will be seen lashing out at her, but Arshi wont accept her mistake. In fact, she would tell Salman Khan that he is turning a blind eye towards Shilpa Shinde, as shown in the promo. Will Salman be left fuming at this? Well only know when the episode airs tonight. 2. Virat Kohli And Anushka Sharmas Wedding Functions Begin Today, Adelaide Oval's CEO Says He Wants To Be The Host We would be thrilled to host Virat and Anushkas wedding at Adelaide Oval. How fantastic would it be for Virat to create more happy memories here, considering his outstanding playing history at the Oval? With 26 purpose-built function spaces to choose from, combined with a showcase of South Australias finest food and wine it would be an unforgettable day for the future Mr and Mrs Kohli and their guests, Spotboye.com quoted him as saying. 3. World's Richest Youtuber Dan Midddleton Earns 12 Million Pounds And Is A Former Tesco Worker With 17 million followers in his Youtube account and a world tour that includes four sold out nights in Sydney's Opera House, the man earned $16.5 millionthe highest of any YouTube star since Forbes started keeping track in 2015. 4. Shah Rukh Khan Has The Perfect Excuse On How To Avoid Scolding From Your Parents For kids and their parents... Ideas are currency for everyone! #TEDTalksIndiaNayiSoch, Starts 10th Dec, 7pm @StarPlus @TEDTalks pic.twitter.com/gvvqO8ys1Y Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) December 8, 2017 The excitement of the fans is at its peak, and Star TV has revealed a new promo for the show, in which Shah Rukh Khan can be seen giving a great excuse to kids to tell it to their parents if they ever stop them from watching TV. 5. Irrfan Khan Gets Honoured At Dubai International Film Festival, Elated To Meet Cate Blanchett Being a great fan of Cate for her stellar performances in films like Blue Jasmine, Carol and Notes on a Scandal, Irrfan Khan quite happy to meet the "incredibly talented actress." He said being honoured with her was a "truly a great moment" for him. Like sleeping in a cosy environment? Well, dont get too cosy; especially if you sleep boxed in an environment without much or any ventilation. Pixabay/Representational Image Leaving a bedroom door or window open may help people sleep better, confirms a recent a study from the Netherlands. Why you ask? Open windows and doors help reduce carbon dioxide levels and improve ventilation and air flow, which is related to better sleep quality for the healthy young adults. herbadrinknatural.com We spend nearly a third of our life in the bedroom environment, but the air quality in our sleeping environment is often overlooked, said study author Dr. Asit Mishra of Eindhoven University of Technology. Imagine thisyou are in a confined space and have limited ability to adjust the situation (since you are asleep) while you are possibly surrounded by pollutants, he told Reuters Health by phone. This is how things are in bed, covered under duvets or a blanket. shutterstock/Representational Image For measuring sleep quality, participants of the study wore an armband that measures skin temperature, heat flux, bed temperature and skin moisture levels. They also wore a sensor that tracked their movements at night, including indications of restlessness. The study revealed published in the journal Indoor Air revealed: -Closed environments tended to have less background noisebut they also had significantly higher carbon dioxide levels, which indicated lower ventilation levels. stockimages/Representational Image -Open conditions were slightly cooler than closed, although humidity levels were similar across settings -Notably, carbon dioxide levels were lower when windows or doors were open. -Overall, skin temperature and the bed temperature were higher in closed conditions than open conditions. The number of awakenings and sleep efficiency improved as carbon dioxide levels decreased. Facebook/Representational Image Sleep quality is affected by many factors, such as health and emotional states, bedding conditions and different environmental conditions, including noise levels and temperature, said Dr. Nuno Canha of the University of Lisbon in Portugal. Canha, who wasnt involved with this study, researches indoor air quality and sleep during different ventilation patterns. He is also part of LIFE Index-Air, a European research group that focuses on human exposure to pollutants. In a recent study, Canha and colleagues found that closed doors and windows led to higher levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other substances such as formaldehyde. a2zfact.com Sleep is essential to our life in several areas: health, well-being and productivity, Canha told Reuters Health by email. The exposure we are under while asleep is continuous . . . and we should play it safe in order to breathe better air during sleep. When three Muslim girls from Kerala's Malappuram took part in a flash mob during an AIDS awareness programme on December 1, they could not have imagined the consequences. The three girls were attacked on the cyberspace by self-appointed 'moralists' who trolled them mercilessly for their noble act. Will flash mob prevent Aids? How can Muslim girls do this? Did you take the permission of your family to do this? This is the sign of apocalypse! These were some of the cliched and most 'popular' questions the cyber fundamentalists had for the girls. But how did the students respond? In an epic reply, led by a leftist students organization, youths from across the state came together on Friday to shut down the trolls, with a bigger, better flash mob across all fourteen districts of Kerala. Indiatimes Under the banner of Students Federation of India (SFI) both 'hijab wearing' Muslim girls and non-Muslims, along with boys took part in the flash mobs. Indiatimes In Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital the Kerala University College campus was the venue, for the flash mob where hijab-clad girl students danced as hundreds of onlookers cheered them. Indiatimes In Malappuram, where the flash mob last week triggered the controversy, dozens joined the protest, on the exact same venue the three girls danced last week. Indiatimes The three girls were massively trolled for days by Islamic conservatives and even some Islamic preachers in the state for taking part in the flash mob. The cyber-bullying was so bad that a Doha-based Malayali RJ who criticised the fanatics had to issue an apology for hurting religious sentiments after he received multiple death threats. Meanwhile the Kerala Women's Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of the bullying of the three girls and asked the authorities to file cases against those involved. It was an unusual sight to many Mumbaikars as they woke up on Saturday morning. Just days after the Cyclone Ockhi gave Mumbai its cleanest air in December, the quality has now dipped to dangerous levels. Just a couple of days back the AQI in Mumbai was 43, which fell under good category, making it the cleanest air day in December in years. Read more Scolding Led To Noida Twin Murder, Teen Admits Of Killing Mother, Sister With Pizza Cutter, Bat A 16-year-old boy who was arrested by police in connection with the twin murder of his mother and sister has admitted of committing the crime, the cops have said. The boy, who was weak in studies and was addicted to video game got agitated after his mother asked him to go and study. She had asked him not to sit on the sofa and move to the dining table to study. The boy claimed his mother had beaten him for not studying that day and he felt angry and suffocated, Love Kumar, SSP Gautam Budh Nagar said. Read more Muslim Man From Bengal Was Burnt Alive In Rajasthan Due To Hate, Not 'Love Jihad', Say Cops Police in Rajasthan probing the brutal murder of a 45-year-old daily wage worker from Bengal over alleged 'Love Jihad' has said that initial probe has failed to substantiate the claims made by the accused. 33-year-old Shambhu Lal Raigar, who was arrested for the murder of Mohammand Afrazul, was seen in a video saying that he was acting against alleged "love jihadis". Read more These People Are Cleaning Every Bit Of 80K Tonne Garbage Brought To Mumbai By Cyclone Ockhi Cyclone Ockhi created havoc in almost all of the southern coastal parts of India and grew weaker by the time it moves northwards to Mumbai. Hence, the city was saved from much damage. However, the mighty Ockhi brought along 80,000 tonnes of garbage to the shores. The damage may not have been great materially, but Ockhi ended up ruining one of the most talked about and cleanest beaches of Mumbai. Read more Arunachal Pradesh's Picturesque Siang River Which Was Once Blue Is Mysteriously Turning Black Once known to have blue and clear waters with a picturesque view, the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh has now changed its colour to black. The reason is still not clearly known, reported NDTV. About two months ago, the water of the started turning black, muddy and turbid, and with the aquatic life count gone close to nil, the citizens around the river have been quite shocked. Known as the Yarlung Tsangpo River in China, the river enters India at Shuomatan Point, becoming the Siang. Read more 157 -YO Law That Punishes Only Married Men For Adultery Will Be Reviewed By Legal Experts The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to examine the constitutional validity of a 157-year-old 'gender discriminatory' provision in Indian Penal Code which punishes a married man for adultery for consensual sexual relations with another man's wife. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud sought the Centre's response in four weeks to a PIL by Joseph Shine from Kerala who is employed at Trento in Italy on why a married man alone and not the consenting wife of another should be hauled up. Read more The head of the Irish wing of Swedish furniture giant, Ikea, remained silent on its plans for a second store in Cork, but said that the firm has a very strong growth agenda in Ireland. It is enjoying a 10% rise in annual sales. Claudia Marshall was speaking as Ikea Ireland reported 167.1m in sales this year, a 10% increase on 2016. The firm said its store in Ballymun and its order-and-collection point in Carrickmines received four million visits. Ms Marshall said the Ballymun store is performing strongly against its global counterparts, with the home decoration department ranked at number two in the Ikea Group, based on sales this year, and the lighting department ranked at number three. Well-placed sources have insisted Carrigtwohill, in east Cork, will be announced as Ikea Irelands newest location, but Ms Marshall said the firm had nothing to confirm, and only said that it was committed to growth in the country. We are always looking at opportunities in Ireland and we have a very strong growth agenda here. We are very happy to see the excitement of people in Ireland towards Ikea. There has been a very positive response to the new online store. We are looking forward to seeing this digital part of our business grow over the coming years, she said. Cork has made a strong pitch to Ikea as a viable destination for a new store, with business, political, and local government figures actively promoting the region. Local business groups across the county have stated the case for their various towns, with Mitchelstown, Charleville, Mallow, Fermoy, Ballincollig, and Little Island all mentioned as possible locations, before Carrigtwohill won the day. Ikea held talks with Cork County Council at least twice, including meeting the councils chief executive, Tim Lucey. In September, 2016, it opened an order-and-collection point in Carrickmines, adding to its store in Ballymun, which opened in 2009. Before that, it opened a store in east Belfast. The company now employs more than 700 in the Republic, having added 42 employees this year. In May this year, Ikea announced it would create 1,300 new jobs in the UK, opening new stores in Sheffield, in northern England, in Exeter, in the south-west, and in Greenwich, in London, in 2018. Key points of deal on Irish border * Both sides agree to protect the Good Friday Agreement and avoid a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic. * If there is no trade deal, the UK will maintain "full alignment" with single market and customs union rules that "support North-South co-operation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 Agreement". * If there is no deal, the UK will ensure that no new regulatory barriers develop between Northern Ireland and the mainland and that businesses in the province continue to enjoy "unfettered access" to the UK internal market. * Right for all Northern Irish people to take British or Irish nationality is preserved. * Common Travel Area to continue to operate. Update 3.30pm: Sinn Fein has given a "cautious and qualified" welcome to the agreement on the Irish border post-Brexit. Party president Gerry Adams said many questions remained without answer. "Brexit is the greatest threat to the economies of this island in generations," he said in Dublin. "Today's communique does not set the final deal on Brexit. "The communique sets out broad principles. These have been assessed by the Irish government as sufficient progress to allow the Brexit process to move into the next phase of negotiations on trade. "While the communique recognises the unique and special circumstances surrounding the issue of the Irish peace process, the Good Friday Agreement and the border, it does not address key areas of concern for many citizens - especially nationalists living in the north and citizens in the border region. "The insistence by the British that Britain and the north must leave the customs union and the single market presents a real and live danger which cannot be understated. "This also contradicts the British Prime Minister's claim that there will not be a hard economic border. Mr Adams said he had concern at the suggestion Northern Ireland would no longer be subject the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. He added: "While today's communique represents some progress there are many unanswered questions around key issues and the Irish government must remain focused and vigilant. "Sinn Fein is also very mindful that this Brexit process is a work in progress. "Our experience through years of agreements with Britain is that the devil is in the detail." Update 1.40pm: Cautious optimism from people living in border region Fermanagh farmer John Sheridan, who had planned to close his family farms amid concerns of a hard Brexit border, said they have now been granted "a stay of execution" by Friday's deal between the European Union and the UK. "We had a lot riding on this. I was planning to advise the company, which is run by my children, to sell the stock and pull out. We have a stay of execution now. "We had full intentions of starting the process of pulling the farms out. But now, I will certainly be saying I am happy to battle on," said Mr Sheridan, whose farms are on the south-west Fermanagh border. "The border is all around me at a 90 degree angle. We wouldn't appreciate being held at a 90 degree angle when all our lives have been used to 360 degrees freedom. Pro-Brexit farmer Robert Moore, who owns a beef and cereal farm on the border between Derry and Donegal, said it would have been "crazy" to put barriers up to hinder cross-border trade. "There's a huge amount of trade that goes backwards and forwards across the border. "Although I voted to leave, and that was primarily because I don't think the Common Agricultural Policy is delivering for agriculture, at the same time we still need to continue to trade. It is in everyone's best interests to continue to do that," said Mr Moore. He added: "There is a huge amount of beef sold from southern Ireland into British supermarkets and we have a big market for our lamb in France for instance. Both sides would want that to continue, therefore there was always going to be a deal." Coleraine farmer William Taylor, co-ordinator of Farmers For Action (FFA) NI group, said while he welcomed the announcement, a lot of work remained to be done. He said that while the FFA would have preferred to have stayed in the EU, or within the customs union and single market regulatory alignment, Friday's statement of no borders "will be a good third option until we see how events play out between now and March 2019". "Meanwhile, we expect to see Northern Ireland's politicians stepping up to the plate and getting back into Stormont immediately as there is work to be done including legislation on farm gate prices for the sake of Northern Ireland's prosperity and the certainty and sustainability for all of Northern Ireland's farming families and related industries," added Mr Taylor. Paragraphs 49 & 50 from Brexit Deal are key for NI pic.twitter.com/ZSkDImo6xK Mark Devenport (@markdevenport) December 8, 2017 The business community has also welcomed the the Brexit deal. "It is definitely positive news. I must say I am relieved," said Sinead McLaughlin, Chief Executive of Derry Chamber of Commerce. "There are a lot of guarantees in (the deal) for businesses here in Northern Ireland regarding North/South business and East/West business, so as a business community we are relieved that we have got through phase one," said Ms McLaughlin. She added: "I am sure the next phase will be tricky enough, but the best case scenario for us at the moment is the guarantee there will be no hard border on the island or between Ireland and the UK and that's a guarantee if all else fails." Toni Forrester, chief executive of Letterkenny Chamber, said she "cautiously welcomed" the border commitments, but warned a lot of detail remained to be sorted. "We welcome that it is now in writing that there will be no border, but we really need to see the detail in the next year and a half in terms of trade deals. "I just hope the next round of negotiations works out for our border counties. The next bit around trade tariffs is probably even more important because that's how businesses will figure out what their goods will cost," she added. The British Irish Chamber of Commerce director general John McGrane, said businesses "will be relieved by the commitment of the UK to avoid a hard border with Northern Ireland by maintaining full regulatory alignment with EU single market and customs union rules". He warned however that to provide certainty for business, the specific details of what constituted "alignment" would need to be confirmed swiftly. Update 1pm: Circles must still be squared: ICTU Responding to the joint report on the progress of Brexit negotiations the General Secretary of ICTU, Patricia King, said the many circles were still left to be squared and that workers must not pay the price of Brexit. "The Irish Congress of Trade Unions notes the publication of the joint report from the negotiators of the EU and the UK on progress during Phase 1 of the negotiations for Brexit. This comprehensive report requires detailed analysis and consideration. "Given there is now agreement to proceed to Phase 2, we acknowledge the clear commitments from all - in particular the UK - to avoiding any possible hard border on the island of Ireland. Ms King went on to say the ocuntry's largest trade union body has consistently called for the full maintenance and implementation of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, including its commitments to human rights and equality, and have reiterated on every possible occasion that this agreement must be central to any negotiations. "It remains an enabler not an inhibiter to a final agreement. It was important that the all parties to the text reaffirmed their support for this agreement. "The view of Congress is, and remains, that the best and most logical way to avoid such a hard border is for the UK as a whole to remain in both the single market and customs union. Our colleagues in the TUC fully concur with this view, as indeed do the majority of the business community on these islands. "We do not want a harder border on the island of Ireland, nor an economic border with the UK east and west, nor between these islands. It seems to us that the text of this joint report also commits to this and Phase 2 of the negotiations can now commence. It is in this phase that the parties will have to square this circle," she pointed out. Congress Assistant General Secrerary Owen Reidy went on to say it was essential that the Irish government continued to listen to the voice of the trade union movement on this matter and that the UK government starts to listen to the voice of the trade union movement, both through the ICTU in Northern Ireland and the TUC in the rest of the UK. "We have stated from outset that workers must not pay the price of Brexit. There is some way to go in these negotiations and there will be many hurdles to cross. However, we insist that the voice of workers and their interests are heard and heeded." Border guarantees are 'politically bullet proof' and 'cast iron' @campaignforleo on #Brexit pic.twitter.com/lNH5mHhCUN RTE News (@rtenews) December 8, 2017 Update 11am: Free flowing border is 'rock solid and cast iron', says Taoiseach The UK and the EU's joint commitment to the retention of a free-flowing Irish border post-Brexit is "rock solid and cast iron", the Taoiseach has said. Leo Varadkar described assurances outlined in the agreed text as "politically bulletproof". "We have protected what we sought to protect and we achieved what we sought to achieve," he said. Reacting to the breakthrough at Government Buildings in Dublin, the Fine Gael leader downplayed changes in the wording of the text from Monday's ill-fated draft, which was scuppered by the Democratic Unionists. He said the amendments were "stylistic changes in language" or "just statements of fact" that his government had "no difficulty with". The Taoiseach acknowledged relations between the UK and Ireland had become strained during the phase one negotiations but he predicted that now his government has achieved the desired guarantees on the border it would become one of London's "closest friends" in the next stage of the Brexit talks. In regard to the ratification of a potential final Brexit deal, Mr Varadkar said he did not think it would require a referendum in Ireland. The Taoiseach said Friday's phase one agreement marked a "very significant day" for Ireland. "This is not the end, but it is the end of the beginning," he added. "And we will remain fully engaged and vigilant throughout phase two, the drafting and ratification of the new treaties that will be required between the EU and UK and their implementation." Mr Varadkar said the UK's commitment to maintain regulatory alignment with the EU on cross-border issues was welcome, but he stressed that was a "backstop" position and the desire of London, Dublin and Brussels was a wide-ranging trade deal that would enable free access between Ireland and the whole of the UK. Mr Varadkar hailed the commitment to avoid any controls, checkpoints or infrastructure on the border. He said the deal had protected the Good Friday Agreement and the rights of people in Northern Ireland to be Irish, and therefore EU, citizens. Mr Varadkar said the century-old Common Travel Area would be maintained and citizens of each nation would continue to have "freedom to live, work, study, access housing, healthcare, pensions and welfare" in each country. We have achieved all that we set out to achieve in phase one - campaignforleo #Brexit pic.twitter.com/AGKUNlSG1c RTE News (@rtenews) December 8, 2017 He also welcomed the continuance of EU peace funding for communities on both sides of the border until at least 2021. The Taoiseach said the deal was good news for all the people of Northern Ireland, and tried to assure unionists that he and his government did not have a "hidden agenda". "There is no question of us exploiting Brexit as a means of moving to a united Ireland without consent," he said. "We do not want to see a border in the Irish Sea, any more than we want to see a border between Newry and Dundalk or between Letterkenny and Derry. "We want to build bridges, not borders. "We want free travel and free trade to continue as it does now and has done for 20 years. We want reconciliation and respect to grow. "Our guiding light - and our only ambition throughout - has been to ensure that the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement continue to operate in full after Brexit, and that people can go about their normal lives and business as before." He told nationalists living north of the border that the Irish government had ensured their rights had been protected. "There will be no hard border on our island," he told them. "You will never again be left behind by an Irish government." Mr Varadkar thanked fellow EU states for the solidarity shown to Ireland in the talks. "It is the clearest possible illustration of the values of the European Union and why small countries are better off in a big union," he said. "It puts beyond any doubt that our future lies in the European Union at the heart of the common European home that we helped to build." Tanaiste Simon Coveney said the retention of a specific Irish stream in phase two of the negotiations was a recognition that Ireland was the "most exposed and most vulnerable" of the remaining EU nation states to Brexit. "I suppose there's an irony in the fact that the result that we want after all of these negotiations is as close to the status quo as possible, but that is what we want," he said. Update 10am: DUP welcomes progress but says more work needed on managing Irish border The Democratic Unionists have welcomed the "substantial progress" achieved in the agreement between the UK and EU, but cautioned that much more work was needed on managing the Irish border post-Brexit. DUP leader Arlene Foster said her party worked with the Government into the early hours of Friday to secure changes to the original text it rejected on Monday. Mrs Foster said the North would now leave the single market and customs union and insisted there would be no border down the Irish sea, dividing Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. "There will be no so-called 'special status' for Northern Ireland as demanded by Sinn Fein," she said. Mrs Foster added: "Northern Ireland will not be separated constitutionally, politically, economically or regulatory from the rest of the United Kingdom, and the joint UK-EU report at the conclusion of phase one makes clear that in all circumstances the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the whole of the UK internal market." The DUP leader made clear there was "still more work to be done". Update 8.30: Read More: Taoiseach says it is a 'very significant day' for Ireland Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it was a "significant day" for Ireland. "We have achieved all that we set out to achieve in phase one of these negotiations," he told a press conference in Government Buildings in Dublin. "I am satisfied that sufficient progress has now been made on Irish issues, the parameters have now been set and they are good." He said Ireland's focus would now move to phase two of the negotiations. Mr Varadkar said his government would remain "fully engaged and vigilant" throughout the process. "This is not the end but it is the end of the beginning," he said. Mr Varadkar said he wanted to assure unionists of his motivations. "There is no question of us trying to exploit Brexit to move toward Irish unity without consent," he said. Update 7.30am: Taoiseach says it is a 'very significant day' Tanaiste Simon Coveney said 'we have secured assurances' for all on the island of Ireland, ensuring no hard border, post-Brexit. Deal Confirmed! Ireland supports Brexit negotiations moving to Phase 2 now that we have secured assurances for all on the island of Ireland - fully protecting GFA, peace process, all-Island economy and ensuring that there can be NO HARD BORDER on the Island of Ireland post Brexit Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) December 8, 2017 Speaking on RTE's Morning Ireland, Tanaiste Simon Coveney says "There is no scenario now in the context of Brexit that will result in a hard border". "We want to assure people, north and south, that there will not be the re-emergence of border on the island of Ireland as an unintended consequence of Brexit," he said. 'There is no scenario now in the context of Brexit that will result in a hard border' @simoncoveney pic.twitter.com/kthaxzE8Ab RTE News (@rtenews) December 8, 2017 He said that they know now what the default position is and in absence of agreed solutions in Phase 2 there is a "fallback position". He said: "What is being said is there is commitment in the absence of agreed solutions - in other words if there is no deal on a bigger deal that solves all these issues, well then there is commitment to maintain full alignment with the rules of the internal market and customs union. "In other words that would be an arrangement accepted by the UK and the EU in this wording that will prevent any need for border checks, which is exactly what we are looking for. "The default position is that the island of Ireland will maintain full alignment with Northern Ireland. There will be in no circumstances a need to introduce border checks on the border of Ireland." Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Tanaiste are due to give an update shortly. Update 6.50am: Deal will guarantee 'no hard border' as 'sufficient progress' made in first phase Brexit talks The European Commission has announced that "sufficient progress" has been made in the first phase of Brexit talks. The announcement came after Theresa May and David Davis made an early-hours journey to Brussels to meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. It followed talks which continued into the early hours between the Prime Minister and Democratic Unionist Party, Arlene Foster, whose party scuppered a deal at the eleventh hour on Monday. Mrs Foster said that "substantial changes" to the text rejected on Monday would mean there was "no red line down the Irish Sea" in the form of a customs barrier between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Mr Juncker said that the decision on whether to move forward to talks on trade and the transition to a post-Brexit relationship was in the hands of the leaders of the 27 other EU nations, meeting in Brussels at a European Council summit on Thursday, but said he was "confident" they would do so. The Commission president said: "I will always be sad about this development, but now we must start looking to the future, a future in which the UK will remain a close friend and ally." Mrs May said that intensive talks over the past few days had delivered "a hard-won agreement in all our interests". The British Prime Minister said that the agreement would guarantee the rights of three million EU citizens in the UK "enshrined in UK law and enforced by British courts". She said that it included a financial settlement which was "fair to the British taxpayer" and a guarantee that there will be "no hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic, preserving the "constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom". She said that the agreement between the UK and the Commission, being published in a joint report, would offer "welcome certainty" to businesses. Under the terms of the negotiations being carried out under Article 50 of the EU treaties, the European Council must agree that sufficient progress has been made on the divorce issues of citizens' rights, the Irish border and the UK's financial settlement before talks can move on to the issues of trade and transition. The publication of the joint report makes it all but certain that EU27 leaders will approve this step on Thursday, marking a significant step forward in the process leading towards UK withdrawal in March 2019. It eases pressure on Mrs May, who was facing the prospect of businesses activating contingency plans to move staff and activities out of the UK if no progress had been made by the end of the year. Mr Juncker cautioned: "The joint report is not the withdrawal agreement. That agreement needs to be drafted by the negotiators on the basis we have agreed yesterday and today and then approved by the Council and ratified by the UK Parliament and European Parliament." He said that he and Mrs May had discussed the need for a transition period following the formal date of Brexit, and shared "a joint vision of a deep and close partnership". "It is crucial for us all that we continue working closely together on issues such as trade, research, security and others," he said. "We will take things one step at a time, starting with next week's European Council, but today I am hopeful that we are all moving towards the second phase of these challenging negotiations and we can do this jointly on the basis of renewed trust, determination and with the perspective of a renewed friendship." Mrs May said that the negotiation process "hasn't been easy for either side". "When we met on Monday, we said a deal was within reach," said the PM. "What we have arrived at today represents a significant improvement." Here is Theresa May's full statement on "six commitments to Northern Ireland". "Today I agreed a joint report between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Union on the progress of our negotiations. This covered the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and UK citizens in the EU; our financial settlement with the EU; and ruling out a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. This progress now enables the UK Government to move to the next phase of negotiations. This next phase will focus on securing the deep and special partnership between the United Kingdom and European Union that we all want to see. As a Prime Minister who hugely values Northern Ireland's position within our United Kingdom - and believes passionately that the United Kingdom is stronger and better together - I want to set out six key commitments to Northern Ireland, principles that have guided me in the negotiations with the EU. These commitments are consistent with our steadfast support for the Belfast Agreement and its successors; the principles that underpin them; the institutions they establish; and, the rights and opportunities they guarantee for everyone. This Government will continue to govern in the interests of the whole community in Northern Ireland and uphold the Agreements that have underpinned the huge progress that has been made over the past two decades. First, we will always uphold and support Northern Ireland's status as an integral part of the United Kingdom, consistent with the principle of consent. The Government I lead will never be neutral when it comes to expressing our support for the Union. Second, we will fully protect and maintain Northern Ireland's position within the single market of the United Kingdom. This is by far the most important market for Northern Ireland's goods and services and you will continue to have full and unfettered access to it. Third, there will be no new borders within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In addition to no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, we will maintain the Common Travel Area throughout these islands. Fourth, the whole of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, will leave the EU customs union and the EU single market. Nothing in the agreement I have reached alters that fundamental fact. Fifth, we will uphold the commitments and safeguards set out in the Belfast Agreement regarding North-South Co-operation. This will continue to require cross-community support. Sixth, the whole of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, will no longer be subject to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. These negotiations are crucial for the future of Northern Ireland and the whole United Kingdom. Whether you voted Leave or Remain, I am determined to deliver an outcome that works in the best interests of everyone across the United Kingdom." Earlier: Theresa May and David Davis have arrived in Brussels to meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier. The Prime Minister and her Brexit Secretary arrived at the Berlaymont shortly before 7am Brussels time (6am GMT) on Friday morning. The meeting follows a flurry of diplomacy by Mrs May late on Thursday that fuelled speculation that an agreement on plans to maintain a soft Irish border was edging closer. A press conference is due to be held after the leaders meet. In an apparent sign that a Brexit deal has been done, Mr Juncker's head of cabinet Martin Selmayr tweeted a photograph of white smoke gushing from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel - the traditional way of signalling that a new Pope has been chosen. DUP leader Arlene Foster told Sky News her party had been "negotiating directly with the Prime Minister" into the early hours of Friday morning and received "very clear confirmation that the entirety of the UK is leaving the EU, leaving the single market, leaving the customs union". Mrs Foster said that the PM "now has a text she feels she wants to take back to Europe", adding that it included "substantial changes" to the proposals which were rejected by the DUP on Monday. "We think that there have been substantial changes made to that text since Monday," said Mrs Foster. "As you know, on Monday we were unhappy with the text when we received it in late morning. We felt there wasn't enough clarity, particularly round the very important issue of access to the GB market. "There have been changes right throughout the text and we believe there have been six substantive changes. "For me it means there's no red line down the Irish Sea. Technology companies normally occupy the top ranks in many areas of business, including dodging taxes, but this time they appear to have been beaten by the oil company ExxonMobil. The petroleum giant has been revealed as the worst corporate tax dodger in Australia, having made $24.7 billion in revenue over three years and not paid a cent in tax. The Tax Justice Network Australia provided the information about ExxonMobil, based on data issued for 2015-16 by the Australian Taxation Office on Friday. Among the technology companies that avoided contributing to the public purse were IBM, Atlassian, Acer, BAe Systems, FoxConn, Citrix and Unisys. Two Samsung entities earned $5.3 billion in revenue and only paid $3.6 million in tax. Other oil majors that paid no tax in 2015-16 were Shell Energy ($4.2 billion revenue), Chevron ($2.1 billion revenue), and Viva Energy ($16.8 billion revenue). The data released covered Australian public and foreign-owned entities with total income of $100 million or more, Australian-owned resident private entities with total income of $200 million or more and entities that have to pay the petroleum resource rent tax. More than 700 of the total of 200+ companies listed paid no tax for the year 2015-16. Tax Justice Network Australia report author Jason Ward said: What this research shows is that ExxonMobil has exploited Australias natural resources, made a ton of money and siphoned it all off overseas. By using notorious tax havens, high-interest internal loans and related party transactions theyve sucked the taxpayer dry. ExxonMobil has $54 billion sitting in offshore bank accounts. Our research shows that much of that money has been funnelled from Australia through Exxons Dutch outfit, and ultimately through their Bahamas subsidiary. But the very idea of Exxon Australia being owned in the Bahamas raises more questions than answers. Ward said Exxon had misled the Senate Inquiry into Corporate Tax Avoidance in 2015 by failing to declare the company's Dutch-Bahamas structure. Reddit Email 144 Shares By Baher Kamal | (Inter Press Ervice) | ROME, (IPS) US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital does not represent only a kiss of death to the two-State solution, but also a strong blow in the face of 57 Muslim countries, let alone igniting fire in this easily inflammable region, providing more false arguments to criminal terrorist groups to escalate their brutal attacks, in addition to taking a step further in Washingtons new conflict with Iran and the restructuring of the Middle East. Southern aerial view of the Temple Mount, Al-Aqsa in the Old City of Jerusalem. Al-Aqsa Mosque is considered to be the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. Credit: Godot13. Attribution: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. These are the main conclusions both Middle East analysts and international policy experts reached as soon as Trump announced on 6 December 2017 his decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thus recognising as capital of Israel this Holy City, home to essential shrines of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Old City of Jerusalem has been steadily considered by Palestinians to become the capital of their future State, should all international agreements including the United Nations General Assemblyimplement their commitment for the two-State solution, one Israeli and one Palestinian. Israeli captured Arab East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and since then has gradually annexed against all international protests and non-recognition. The Old City in Jerusalem hosts Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. Palestinian leaders have already warned that Trumps move could have dangerous consequences, calling for massive popular mobilisations that are feared to lead to new bloodshed in the occupied West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. This is much more than a kiss of death to the longstanding international consensus to establish two-States as the sole feasible solution, a former Egyptian high-ranking military official told IPS under condition of anonymity. [Trumps] decision will add more dangerous fuel to the current rekindled flame over hegemony dispute between Shias lead by Iran and Sunnis lead by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, which fire President Trump has now contributed to strongly blow on. Donald Trump. Photo: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. According to the retired high military official who participated in secret regional negotiations over the Middle East conflict, The US has visibly shown its strategy to support the Sunni States in the Arab Gulf Just see president Trumps new weapons sale deal worth 100 billion dollarswith the Saudi regime, and its tacit support and even physical involvementin the ongoing genocidal war against Yemen. Gulf Sunni Arab countries are home to a high percentage of Shias who have been systematically ruled by Sunni regimes. In some of them, like Bahrain, it is estimated that the Shias represent up to 60 per cent of the total population in spite of which they are considered minorities. Oil, that Black Gold The Egyptian analyst would not exclude a new armed conflict between the Gulf Arab Sunni states and Shia Iran. Such an armed conflict would break the already fragile stability in the region, leading to a strong rise in oil prices. This eventually would clearly benefit the US fossil energy sector, would weaken the oil-dependent European economies, let alone striking a strong blow to the also foreign oil-dependent China. Hatred, Terrorism Another immediate, dangerous consequence of President Trumps decision is a feared new wave of terrorist attacks against US, Israel and Western interests worldwide. In fact, the Palestinian radical movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, has already urged Arabs and Muslims worldwide to undermine U.S. interests in the region and to shun Israel. On this, Lebanese Muslim Shia cleric A. Khalil, expressed to IPS his deep fear that the [Trumps] decision will help criminal terrorist groups, falsely acting in the name of Islam, to exploit the furious anger of lay people against the US-led aggression against Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen to commit more and more brutal, inhumane attacks. This will tragically and dangerously unleash a new wave of hatred and Islamophobia that will only add fuel to popular anger, to the benefit of terrorist groups, added the cleric. For his part, Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Egypts Al-Azhar which is considered the worlds highest institution of Sunni Islamic learning announced on 5 December 2017 that Al-Azhar rejects Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The US presidents decision denies the rights of Palestinians and Arabs to their holy city; it ignores the feelings of one-and-a-half-billion Muslims as well as millions of Arab Christians who have a connection to Jerusalems churches and monasteries, he said in a statement issued following Trumps announcement. Egypts Coptic Orthodox Church and Al-Azhar issued statements warning of the serious potential consequences of Trumps plan to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital and to relocate the US embassy there. Politically Correct Words Meanwhile, politicians have reacted to president Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. Here some examples: Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestinian Authority, alerted of its dangerous consequences, while Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas chief, talked about igniting the sparks of rage. Egypts President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed his countrys firm stance on preserving the legal status of Jerusalem within the framework of international references and relevant UN resolutions, stressing the need to ensure that the situation in the region is not complicated by measures that undermine the chances of peace in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia expressed grave and deep concern, while King Abdullah II of Jordan warned of dangerous repercussions. Haider al-Abadi, Iraqi prime minister expressed utmost concern, and Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, secretary general of the Arab League, which groups all 22 Arab countries, characterised Trumps decision as a dangerous measure. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims, threatening cutting relations with Israel. And Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, opposed Trumps unilateral action, while Frederica Mogherini, the European Unions foreign policy representative, called for resolving Jerusalems status through negotiations. Will words and politically correct statements reverse this new situation? Most likely they will not, at least if you judge by whats happened over the last 98 years, i.e. since the then British Empire released its 1919 Balfour Declaration granting Israel a national home in Palestine. Licensed from Inter Press Service 574 Shares Share You sign in, and there it is, your third request for your password just to open your electronic health record (EHR). Again? you think to yourself in frustration as your patient waits silently for you to log in and start the visit. It seems physicians are becoming increasingly frustrated with EHRs, and in most surveys, EHRs are noted as a main contributing factor to physician burnout. Two recent studies have shown that many physicians are spending over half of their time interacting with the EHR rather than direct patient care. In fact, the lattery study found physicians from four different specialties in family medicine, internal medicine, cardiology and orthopedics spent nearly two hours in the EHR and on other desk work for every one hour of direct patient care. Unsurprisingly, a 2017 study in primary care residents in training showed that those physicians with the most EHR time, particularly after hours, experience more burnout. Depending on the EHR used, password prompts may show up to log in, before signing a note, before placing an order or before finalizing an addendum to a note among other sundry uses. These prompts are in addition to other mandatory hard stops that prevent physicians to continue what they were working on until the prompt is addressed. Such repeated alerts in the EHR have been shown to lead to cognitive weariness and physical fatigue in primary care physicians. On top of it all, medical personnel are expected to change passwords as often as every 90 days to ensure cybersecurity. Clearly, we need comprehensive changes to improve EHR use patterns and decrease burnout, but these prompts and passwords are not going away soon. So, how can we make our current user experience less painful? Are there unharnessed positive aspects of repetitive password entry? One simple step that physicians can try to reduce EHR-associated burnout is turning their passwords into a positive affirmation or statement. One method is by repeating a self-affirmation a statement used to focus on ones most important values, for example: I am focused, I am awesome or I have solved something like this before. A 2013 study in PLoS One demonstrated that while perceived high stress over the last month led to decreased problem-solving performance, these effects were significantly reversed if assigned to the self-affirmation group compared to the control group. In effect, merely repeating a self-affirmation can lead overworked, stressed physicians and medical personnel to perform better. More recently, it was posited that the beneficial effects of self-affirmation have to do with activation of a reward pathway, specifically the ventral striatum in fMRI studies. There can be definite pitfalls to sticking only to self-affirmations, however. An article in Psychology Today points out that researchers at the University of Waterloo demonstrated that repeating the self-affirmation I am a lovable person did increase the self-esteem in those who already had high self-esteem, but the method backfired in those with low self-esteem, causing them to feel worse. Rather than repeat a self-affirmation, many people would be better served with a more general positive affirmation or gratitude statement not directly related to the self, such as I am grateful for this opportunity or my patients matter. Another option is a more mindfulness-based statement such as I will observe my emotions. Releasing statements such as I forgive myself for feeling upset or interrogative phrases rather than statements, such as Do I have what it takes? can also be effective. Personally, I have found that such an approach to my passwords has been transformative. I previously used to create passwords that were either without meaning or reflected my frustration over the need for constant input into the EHR and required intervals for changing the password. Now, I find my password entry to be mini-break in my day, allowing me to recalibrate by coming back to the meaning behind the password. It is important to point out that simply repeating a password is a reductionist approach that should not be used as a substitute for more comprehensive wellness plans to combat burnout. Incorporating institutional changes, political changes, longitudinal mindfulness-based training, resiliency training and provider autonomy are likely overall more important strategies. I am not advocating for positive passwords as a magic bullet, but rather as a tool we physicians and all members of the health care team who use the EHR have accessible to all. Using passwords in this way is easy, cheap and potentially very effective, which is more than we can say about most medical interventions in our toolbox. In addition to creating these positive passwords, remember to have a password manager (there are many free apps available for this) for all of your different passwords as they change so frequently and we now have so many passwords in our lives. You can play with lettering and spacing to make the passwords less burdensome and you can incorporate numbers, capitalization of letters, and symbols such as @ for a, $ for s, 3 for E, etc., to make them more secure. If this approach to passwords speaks to you, you might also find that engaging in other mindfulness-based activities help. This study found that mindfulness educational program for primary care physicians resulted in short-term and sustained improvements in well-being in attitudes. So give it a try, change your password to a positive password. You might just be surprised by how a simple change to your password can change your whole outlook for the day. Michael Spertus is an integrative medicine physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com Hanyang University students gathered in front of City Hall in September to demand that the Seoul Metropolitan Government approve more dormitories. The city government approved the project, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon Seoul City sides with students, not landlords, on dorm construction By Jung Min-ho Korea's college students have always had trouble with landlords. In a country where most of the best-performing students flock to Seoul to go to the top schools, many end up living in miserable and expensive dwellings. The government recognized the problem long ago. But for many years, it made little progress in solving it because landlords in college towns fiercely protested any construction projects that could disrupt their businesses. A tiny, smelly room in the Sinchon area, where many universities are situated, costs about 500,000 won ($460) a month with a deposit of 10 million won. Some landlords own multiple illegally renovated "houses," where there are more rooms than allowed. The situation near Hanyang University is no different. When the school revealed plans to build new facilities to accommodate 1,990 students in 2015, landlords protested, saying the plan would infringe on their property rights. Politically pressured, the school didn't push ahead with its plans. Frustrated, thousands of students signed a petition against the landlords, which its student union sent to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. On Thursday, after months of debate, the city government approved the construction plan a decision that could affect other college students and landlords across Seoul. Students were happy. "We welcome this reasonable decision," a student at Hanyang University said. "We will continue to fight for improvements." According to Higher Education in Korea, a website that provides information about colleges, the school's dormitories can accommodate 12.5 percent of its students (the student union claims it is 11.5 percent). Many students, parents and professors have raised their voices to criticize landlords, calling them "selfish people" who don't work but live off the poor. Once Seongdong-gu Office approves the construction, the school is expected to set about the work. But a group of landlords said they will take the issue to court. Following the decision, 70 of them gathered near City Hall in protest. They said the school is simply trying to win government subsidies using the plan as an excuse. They also claimed, once completed, dormitories will cause environmental damage and traffic jams for people living nearby. Hanyang University is hardly alone in dealing with the issue. In 2013, Korea University also announced plans to build dormitories to accommodate 1,100 students but has not been able to start the work yet. Seongbuk-gu Office has refused to approve it, saying the school should protect parkland in the area. But many believe it is nothing more than a flimsy excuse to keep the project on hold. The city government also approved Chongshin University's dormitory construction project but it too could not implement its plan because of opposition. Many others, including Yonsei, Hongik and Ewha Womans universities, also faced the same problem when they tried to build dormitories. Landlords are at the forefront of the opposition campaign, pressuring council members and local government officials and encouraging other people to join in by evoking fears about the possible decline in rent such projects could bring to their areas. According to the Ministry of Education, the dormitories of 70 universities in and near the capital can accommodate only 16.1 percent of their students. PRESS RELEASE ISIS Fleeing Iraq and Syria for North Africa Dec. 7, 2017 (EIRNS)Following military defeats in both Iraq and Syria, ISIS is withdrawing to Egypt and North Africa, reports Al Masdar News Australian analyst Andrew Illingworth. Drawing on both Turkish and Kurdish sources, which otherwise tend to contradict each other, Illingworth reports that the terrorists are making their way across Syria with the aim of reaching North Africa. "North Africa would appear to be the most logical regrouping point for Middle East-based ISIS militants who wish to continue fighting, considering its proximity to their current battlegrounds, the geopolitical climate of the region which is highly susceptible to exploitation by non-state armed groups, and the existence of long-standing underground infrastructures that can assist them getting there," writes Illingworth. Turkey is likely a transit route for most such militants. Hurriyet Daily is reporting that dozens of ISIS militants have crossed into Turkey since the their loss of territory in both Syria and Iraq. Ankaras Public Prosecutor, Adem Akinci, warned in an indictment of one ISIS militant who was apprehended, that ISIS militants in Turkey pose a serious threat. The Beirne family from Mohill have overcome all obstacles in Irelands Fittest Family to date. Their opening event in Magher in County Cork saw a brilliant performance in the underground tunnels led by Jonathan who led his team to a winning time of 2.02 beating all 12 families as they progressed to the next round avoiding the eliminator. The Beirne family then took on the famous Hell and Back course in the next round. They started off wonderfully leading their race from the offset taking on the gruelling log run, the Forrest of Doom, tunnels, cargo nets but on the home stretch with twenty meters to go father Michael tripped allowing the Guilfoyles to nab them at the line, leaving the Beirnes ending up in second place. However they showed brilliant resilience and bounced back in the time trial where they had a record breaking time until they met 10ft Tessie. They had all members on the wall apart from younger brother Keith who. after sprinting through the muddy ground and swimming through rat tunnels, was wet, tired and slippery. The family didnt give up and brother Jonathan got a good grip on his shorts and hauled him up by his jocks and shorts in the nick of time and in doing so they avoided the eliminator again. The Beirne family took on the Quater Finals last Sunday in the Port of Cork where a gruelling two kilometre row and rope climb left them no where closer to qualifying as none of the three familes completed the task. They had to take on the dreaded hanging tough; after a good performance their accumulated time was 7 minutes leaving them in second place behind the OConnors from Wedford. The competition took on a serious twist when they made all the female contestants hang for a second time. The hanging did not go well for Dearbhaile as she hit the water first which meant they were facing the eliminator against the Naylors from Mayo. This ellimiator was the toughest seen on national television yet with an individual 2.5 tonne Jeep pull where eldest brother Jonathan shone showing serious strength and power. The Beirne family made easy work of the four ten foot containers, cargo nets, balance beams and found themselves facing a fourteen foot ramp which sent them home two years ago when father Michael couldnt get up. They showed serious speed and agility when they all scaled the ramp and secured their place in the semi final on Sunday, December 9 . The show will be aired at 6.30pm on Sunday and the Beirne family will be taking on Killary Adventure Centre. Its great to see Mohill and County Leitrim being represented so well in a national competition and they are doing their home town so proud. Fundraiser in aid of Carmel Cunningham Meanwhile Irelands Fittest Family compeitiors will be hosting a fundraiser in aid of Carmel Cunningham and her family in Beirnes Bar and Restaurant car park on Sunday, December 17. You can meet the Beirne family and compete in three gruelling events similar to the national competition. There are three competitions, - The Fittest Family, Fittest Man and Fittest Women. There will be three events for you to take on and your combined score will decide on who the champion will be. There will also be a raffle on the evening and live music by Bobby Shanley. The fundraiser will start at 2.30pm and will be a family fun day for all ages. Make sure and come along to support this very worthy cause. There has been a dramatic rise in the number of burglaries across the county this year according to figures released to the Leitrim Joint Policing Committee on Monday last. While no formal figures were released, Leitrim District Superintendent, Kevin English, noted there was a 91 percent increase in the number of reported burglaries in the county when compared to the same period last year. Addressing the meeting, Superintendent English said that while the number of burglaries was up significantly for the 47 weeks to date this year, "a number of arrests have been made" and there are already people appearing before the courts in relation to these crimes. Assaults Unfortunately the number of assaults were up by 24 percent across the county in the first 27 weeks of 2017. However Superintendent English pointed out that in Carrick-on-Shannon, the number of assaults reported has actually fallen from the same period last year. Public Order and Criminal Damage There was good news on public order offences which saw a drop of 8 percent on figures for last year across the county. Most significantly, these type of offences were down in our largest urban area, Carrick-on-Shannon. Unfortunately the number of criminal damage offences were also up in 2017 with an increase noted in the Carrick-on-Shannon area however, Superintendent English said despite the increase for the county, overall the figures for these type of offences was low in Co Leitrim. Thefts from shops Thefts from shops were relatively unchanged with only a small increase reported on figures from 2016. This type of offences is typically concentrated in the county's largest urban area, Carrick-on-Shannon. Drug seizures Locally gardai have invested a significant amount of resources into the detection of drugs and shutting down growhouse operations. This has been extremely successful this year with a large number of growhouses detected and drugs seized. In January alone there were two significant growhouses discovered in the Aughavas and Carrigallen areas, netting plants to the value of over 320,000. Further drug seizures were also made in February and over the summer with the latest finds occurring in October and November in the Carrick-on-Shannon area. Road safety Road safety remains a priority for gardai, said Superintendent English, especially in the lead-up to Christmas. To date this year there has been one fatality on the county's roads . Swipe right on genetic brilliance or unparalleled grooming routines, and chances are, you'd find a match in Nitin Chauhan. As one of India's top male models and face of a premier menswear brand, he's clearly living a dude's dream life, you see. And while he's at it, he's been whipping up a big, fat beard of envy. Something, a certain camera lens discovered a long time ago. But how does he do it and what brings our patchy beards to shame? Fortunately for us, he's not taking any of these secrets to his grave. So, for our second edition of '30 Days 30 Beards', he does us a social service and recites his tale of bearding excellence. Do you think beards are overrated? Of course not! Beards are unique to one self, and add a lot of gravitas to your appearance. It's almost like, you shouldn't be overrating themthey're that important. How has growing beard changed your life? I've had this beard for a few years now. And growing it has really boosted my self-confidence. Plus, since I'm a model, it allows me to experiment with various looks and styles (without restrain). What made you grow it in the first place? Grooming trends are constantly evolving, and the beard is my way of blending in. Having said that, I'm always up for experimentslong hair, man buns or even just stubbles; I've tried them all. Over time, that has led to me growing this big, fat beard. Nitin Chauhan Do women dig the beard or clean shaven men? It's more about how one carries it off, and what suits them. In general, however, women look for confidence in men and as I said earlier, growing a beard helps you attain that. So clearly, bearded men it is! Razor or trimmer? And how often... Trimmer, every fortnight. Nitin Chauhan Beards need care. What's your regime like? Well, I oil my beard every alternate day, and shampoo/condition daily. Your best and worst beard phase? I wake up with my beard everyday and honestly, it feels great. And since I care for it dearly, it's bound to love me back. So of course, I'm always running a great beard phase! According to you, the most iconic celebrity beard in the world? Aiden Brady! Your next big beard move? Big move? Isn't mine big enough already? The Samsung Galaxy S9 should be one of the first flagship phones we see in 2018, and we've already heard a healthy dollop of rumours about what's in store for Samsung's next phone. A render was posted online on a Korean message board that shows us what the Samsung Galaxy S9+ could look like. (c) Clien.net At first sight, the design looks very similar to that of S8+, but this time Samsung will be further cutting down on bezels. The Galaxy S9 is getting a bigger looking screen compared to the Galaxy S8, but it won't actually have a bigger display. Galaxy Club has reported citing sources that the upcoming Samsung flagship may have a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio. It is expected to release two flagships just like this year the Galaxy S9 with a 5.77-inch display, and the Galaxy S9+ with a 6.22-inch display. One significant change concerns the phone's rear panel. The camera would have a vertical orientation like we've seen in the iPhone X, with the fingerprint sensor rumoured to be re-positioned in a central location. The Galaxy S9+ is expected to feature a dual-lens camera as well, while the Galaxy S9 will feature a single-lens camera. (c) Youtube The Samsung Galaxy S9 series will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor in the US, while the international variant will be powered by the Exynos 9810 processor from Samsung itself. This week Samsung announced that it had started mass production of the first 512 GB flash storage which could mean that the upcoming flagships could have a behemoth 512GB variant as well. Rumors had suggested that the upcoming flagship will be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show 2018 (CES 2018), which will commence on January 9. Samsung, in a statement to The Korea Herald, has now dismissed the speculation, saying, It is unlikely. Instead, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will likely launch at the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February. The Korean technology giant could even host its own launch event in March to announce the two phones. Samsung could follow its 2017 timeline and open pre-orders by the end of March and make the phone widely available a few weeks into April. Officials say the device was known as an "unexploded ordnance," or an explosive weapon that did not explode and still posed a... Sig Sauer, the maker of the U.S. Army's Modular Handgun System, intends to sell a special, commercial version of the full-size MHS 9mm pistol. "We are planning to do a limited release of about 5,000 of the Army variant of the M17 for the commercial market," Tom Taylor, Sig Sauer's chief marketing officer and executive vice president for commercial sales, told Military.com. "The timing is not finalized yet, but it looks to be late spring." The Army awarded Sig Sauer the MHS contract worth up to $580 million in January. The service launched its long-awaited MHS competition in late August 2015 to replace its Cold War-era M9 9mm pistol. The selection of Sig Sauer formally ended Beretta's 30-year hold on the Army's sidearm market. Related content: The 10-year agreement calls for Sig to supply the Army with full-size XM17 and compact XM18 versions of its 9mm pistol. The pistols will become the M17 and M18 after they are type-classified. Each commercial MHS will be serialized and have serialized matching coin as well as a letter of authenticity from the CEO of Sig Sauer, Taylor said. Sig Sauer would likely be able to sell more than 5,000 of these pistols, but Taylor said, "we just wanted to make it really special. ... And once they are out there, the owners will be privileged to own the actual gun." The commercial version will be almost identical to the Army-issue, full-size MHS, except it will not have the anti-tamper mechanism for the striker action, nor will it have the special coatings on some of the internal parts that help it maintain lubricity under harsh conditions, Taylor said. The Army MHS comes standard with a frame-mounted thumb safety. The commercial version will be available with or without the thumb safety, depending on customer preference, Taylor said. Sig Sauer has not yet decided on a price tag for the endeavor. "It's high in demand, but if we price it too high, they will say 'I really want it, but it is just too expensive.'" In addition to Sig Sauer, Glock Inc. told a German publisher in August that it plans on selling its MHS variant on the commercial market as well. Glock, FN America and Beretta USA, makers of the current M9 9mm pistol, all lost to Sig Sauer, but selling their versions of the MHS may allow them to recoup the money they invested in the high-profile endeavor. Richard Flur, head of international sales for Glock GmbH, based in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, told Stephan Dorler, managing director of European Security and Defence, a publication based in Bonn, Germany, about Glock's plans to sell its version of MHS on the commercial market. A Glock official in the U.S. said, however, there is no timeline yet for such a plan. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. The Twins have reached agreement on a deal with former Braves prospect Yunior Severino, as MLB.coms Jesse Sanchez was first to report on Twitter. Severino will receive a $2.5MM bonus, so long as his physical checks out. Severino was one of the prospects that was stripped from the Atlanta organization for its international signing violations. Unlike the others, hell now receive more in bonus money than he did initially. (Hell get to keep his initial $1.9MM payout, too.) It seems the Twins will be dipping into next years pool money for the signing. The ad hoc rules put in place for this group of players allow for teams to use either their current pool or next years pool, but not both. Minnesota shipped out a big chunk of its remaining 2017-18 availability on Wednesday in a pair of deals (here and here), leaving insufficient funds to accommodate Severino. Severino, a switch-hitting middle infielder who recently turned 18, slashed .286/.345/.444 in his 206 plate appearances in the Gulf Coast League in 2017. Hes known more for his bat, as that showing suggests, but seems to have quite some promise. Indeed, hell end up scoring a larger second signing bonus than did the more heralded Kevin Maitan, who signed recently with the Angels for $2.2MM. Businesses should aim at reducing the negative impact of their activities on the environment. This was one of the key messages that emerged from a Green Business Forum organised by the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) and SNV Ghana. The forum, held within the context of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) project, aimed to discuss the potential for green businesses in Ghana; determine the challenges they face; and explore the required interventions to address the challenges. The discussions at the forum focused on the importance for businesses to adopt principles and practices that protect the environment and lives. The forum discussions strongly emphasized the need for businesses to reduce resource inputs and increase efficiency in their production processes, minimize waste and strengthen their infrastructure to reduce environmental impacts whiles providing environmental goods and services. Doing business in an environmentally friendly manner, will help promote responsible production, address climate change effects and generate wealth for inclusive growth, remarked Dr Eric Twum, Policy Fellow for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at UNU-INRA. Dr Twum added that such practices are essential for enterprises to be considered green businesses. Cross section of the forum participants Speaking at the panel discussion on Green Business Opportunities: Challenges and Policy Interventions, Mrs Levina Owusu, the Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) urged industries and the public to help protect the environment from degradation and deforestation. She admonished individuals that cut down trees to do well to replant for restoration. She stated that issues of the environment should be everyones business because these issues affect us all. If our environment is impoverished, we will all be impoverished. The panelists at the forum acknowledged the contributions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) towards economic growth and recognised the need for comprehensive policies to help mainstream the activities of these enterprises in Ghana. One of the panelists, Mr Papa Bartels, Team Leader of Industrial Sub-Contract and Partnership Exchange at the Ministry of Trade and Industry indicated that about 90% of businesses in Ghana are small to medium size enterprises and policies targeting SMEs will help build their capacities and minimize environmental challenges that confront the sector. He added that the Government of Ghana is in the process of developing a policy on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to regulate and sanitise the sector. Joseph Komey (3rd from left) of Synergy Recycle and Waste Management, Winner of the Green Pitch, with GCIC team Similarly, in addressing a question on the challenges that small businesses face in getting financial assistance for their activities, Mr Ebenezer Arthur, the Chief Executive Officer of Wangara Capital stressed on the need for SMEs to ensure that they have competitive and go-to-market services / products, competent teams and should operate in a more transparent and accountable manner, so as to attract funding. He observed that money goes to where there are opportunities and there is the need for agro-businesses and other small green enterprises to present their businesses in ways that attract investors. The importance of collaboration and partnership among green businesses also emerged strongly at a second-panel discussion dubbed Time with Successful Entrepreneurs . Sharing his business experience in the waste management sector, Mr Immanuel B. Nartey-Tokoli, the Managing Director of Jekora Ventures encouraged the participants to have the courage and trust to form partnerships to promote the growth of their businesses. He noted that trust is key to business partnership and we need to collaborate to ensure the sustainability of our business activities. An interesting session of the forum involved selected participants of a pre-advertised competition, pitching their green business concepts to a panel. Synergy Recycle and Waste Management company emerged as the overall winner, and will get the opportunity to enter the concept presentation stage for the upcoming GCIC selection process for the third cohort of businesses. Synergy Recycle and Waste Management uses sawdust and wood shaving to produce wood pellets for cooking in special cook stoves; helping to reduce carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emission from the use of firewood and other unsafe cooking methods, and deforestation, especially by rural communities. Participants interacting with exhibitors The Green Business Forum also included an exhibition, where some entrepreneurs showcased their businesses in various areas including energy efficiency, waste management, water purification, and agricultural machinery. The event brought together 200 participants including policy makers, development partners, business and financial experts, and entrepreneurs. It was held as part of UNU-INRA and SNVs contributions to the GCIC project to help address the policy and regulatory challenges of the clean technology sector in Ghana. The GCIC project is providing business advisory services, business mentoring, capacity building services and financial grants to qualifying SMEs in Ghana. It is being implemented by Ashesi University, SNV, Enst &Young, and the United Nations University (UNU-INRA). Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com The McDan Group has picked two high profile mementos in separate Awards ceremonies recently. Last Thursday, McDan Shipping, a subsidiary of the McDan Group emerged as Ghana Club 100, Number 36 company; the only shipping firm in the prestigious Awards ceremony. The renowned company's works attracted the attention of the United Kingdom Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) maiden Business Excellence Awards as logistics company of the year; shrugging off stiff opposition from giants in the industry. Mrs Abigail McKorley(L) receiving the Ghana club 100, 36th company award from Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta Group chairman, Dr Daniel Mckorley described the feats as recognition of some investments and sacrifices the company has made. Dr Mckorley mentioned The company has made great strides over the years. We would continue to work towards meeting our clients and stakeholders requirements and needs in a timely and competitive manner. Story by Myjoyonline.com Six suspected arms smugglers are in the custody of the Gambaga Divisional Police Command for attempting to smuggle sophisticated weapons into the Yunyoo Constituency of the Northern Region. The Police, upon a tip-off, impounded the vehicle carrying six pump action guns and 130 cartridges. The suspects will be transferred to the Northern Regional Police Command for further investigations. A source close to the Northern Regional Security Council revealed to Citi News that the suspects had targeted heightening the tension in the area ahead of the creation of the new Yunyoo district. Recently, there were reported sporadic gunshots in the constituency believed to have been related to the location of the capital of the yet-to-be-created Yunyoo district. Whilst some residents there have proposed Yunyoo as the capital, others prefer Namong, one of the densely-populated Konkomba communities. Some chiefs, in collaboration with the Konkomba Students Union recently renewed calls for Namong to be named the district capital. They said their demand was non-negotiable and also served notice that they will resist any attempt to ignore their proposal. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his Thank You tour of the Northern Region announced the upgrading of six districts in the Northern Region. He also revealed government's intention to separate Yunyoo from the current Bunkprugu-Yunyoo district and also Nantong from the Savelugu-Nantong district. By: citifmonline.com Beta Malt, Accra Brewery Limiteds (ABL) non-alcoholic brand, has launched a new Returnable Glass Bottle (RGB). The RGB, which complements Beta Malts existing 330ml PET pack forms part of the companys unrelenting efforts to provide its Brands in a variety of packs to satisfy their cherished consumers in different consumption occasions. The launch, which saw the unveiling of the 330ml Returnable Glass bottle (RGB) version of Beta Malt, was held at Swiss Spirit Hotel & Suites- Alisa with attendees ranging from Retailers, the Media, Management and Staff of the Company, and MzVee, Beta Malts brand ambassador. Jam-packed with vitamins, minerals and nutrients, Beta Malt has, since its official launch in 2015, proven its mettle in the non-alcoholic Malt market, enjoying enviable patronage among many Ghanaians. Besides its functional and nutritional benefits of being a nourishing true malt, the Beta Malt brand has assumed a symbolic importance, carving a niche as a brand that inspires, encourages and empowers enterprising, vibrant young Ghanaians to reach for greater heights in their various fields of endeavour in line with its The Only Way is UP campaign. Speaking at the unveiling event, Mr. Philip Redman, ABLs Country Director, emphasised how the new extension of the Beta Malt brand enhances ABLs overall principles, noting, To us as a company, and as an extension of the Beta Malt Brand, Beta Malt in RGB lends gravitas to our claim of creating extraordinary moments by brewing quality, great-tasting beverages. Its introduction is also a positive step towards achieving our Dream of becoming the recognized market leader in the beverage sector by accelerating our growth as a trusted business partner. And as a brand committed to being trusted for our diverse portfolio of high quality brands to suit every palate, we will continue to delight you, our cherished consumers, with exciting new offerings, Mr. Redman concluded. For her part, ABLs Marketing Head, Ms. Ewurafua Addo-Atuah, expressed delight over the level of innovation and creativity that went into the repackaging process, noting that as a consumer-centred and innovation-driven brand, ABL has, over the years championed and spearheaded innovations in our production process and consumer-engagement efforts . Beta Malt in RGB has come to complement its Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) version giving consumers choice to enjoy Beta Malt both on-the-go, and at home in outlets or at events for the same rich, tasty, replenishment, she added. Ms. Addo-Atuah further noted that, both the PET and RGB come in a 330ml bottle, and bear the same vibrant labeling and red caps. The RGB pack features a sprig of malted barley embossed on the glass bottle a subtle but constant reminder of Beta Malt as a true malt brewed with the finest ingredients . Both packs offer the same vitamin-packed nourishment that Beta Malt has become known for, she maintained. Beta Malt was the first malt brand introduced in a convenient 330ml PET bottle. The newly launched Beta Malt Returnable Glass Bottle will be retailed at GHC 2.50 and has a 9-month shelf life. Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com 09.12.2017 LISTEN Twenty-two teaching and non-teaching staff have been awarded for their selflessness and dedication to the promotion of quality education in the Assin South District of the Central Region. The awards were aimed at promoting excellence in teaching, professionalism, and dedication of both teachers and non-teaching staff and high performing schools under the Ghana Education Service (GES) to give off their best. The 22 award winners who were selected from Basic Schools and Senior High Schools (SHS) in the district were presented with refrigerators, cooking utensils, gas cylinders, pieces of clothes, citations and an undisclosed amount of monies. The event was also used to recognize some schools for their outstanding performances and innovative methods of teaching that had improved teaching and learning. Addressing a durbar of teachers, chiefs and people across the District in Assin Darmang on Tuesday, Mrs. Sally Nelly Coleman, the District Director of Education said her outfit was inspired by the fact that teachers must be encouraged to do more to support the District's determination to uplift educational standards. She noted that teachers trained the skilled manpower needs of the country and must be recognised as such. The Director said the impressive results of schools in the area underscored the need for further encouragement of teachers in view of the tremendous improvement in the standards of education lately. Mrs. Coleman said the Directorate recognized that well-trained and motivated teachers played a crucial role in building sustainable societies through the provision of high-quality education hence the introduction of the maiden teachers' award to appreciate their contributions. She, therefore, called on teachers and other stakeholders to reflect on the theme for the occasion: " Ensuring equity, inclusive and quality education for all: The role of teacher motivation" and see it as a key factor to making the Government's free education policy a success. Mrs. Coleman counselled the teeming teachers to commit their resources to complement Government while empowering themselves through knowledge acquisition and adoption of new and innovative approaches that make the difference in schools. She expressed the desire of her office to continually confer with the Assembly and interest groups to identify outstanding teachers and honour them with some incentive packages to substantially encourage and boost their morale. Mr. Derrick Owusu Ambrose, the District Chief Executive (DCE), asked the teachers to ensure that they develop the children under their care to be disciplined, honest, dedicated, and also inculcate the country's cultural values in them. He, therefore, asked them to keep up the mantle of quality education to enhance high educational standards Negotiations are far advanced with investors to make the defunct Saltpond Ceramic Company (SCC) operational in 2018, Mr Kenneth Kelly Essuman, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Mfantseman has hinted. He indicated that the Assembly was poised to resuscitate the factory as part of its grand integrated strategy to make the Municipality one of the largest industrial hub in Ghana to create employment for the youth. The factory, currently known as Ghana Ceramics Company, was a major source of employment in the area but had been defunct for years after its divestiture in the 1990s. He cited unreliable energy supply as the core reason for the shutdown of the factory but assured that the Assembly in collaboration with some investors would soon begin the construction of an 800 megawatt solar energy to guarantee constant and reliable supply of efficient energy at all times to boost production. He said the current stable power supply was sufficient reason to boosted investors' confidence to resuscitate the company which had been down for years. Mr Essuman said this at a town hall meeting held at Mankessim on Tuesday to account to the people as well as seek their opinions on the execution of projects, policies and programmes to accelerate national development. The MCE observed that the factory would enable the Assembly to rake in more revenue to provide the numerous infrastructure and socio-economic needs of the people. Touching on raw materials for the company, he pointed out that the quantities of kaolin deposits in the Municipality further reassured the confidence of the investors to give life to the defunct Saltpond Ceramic Factory. He said "we have large quantities of possible commercial quality of feldspar at Abonko, Amoada, Saltpond, Otsir and Akorbadze to be used as enamel for making household utensils, tiles, porcelain, sanitary ware and minor ceramic uses". It is also used for building and making of ceramic materials like tiles and is important in glass manufacturing, in scouring soaps, abrasives, pottery and false teeth. The Municipality also has essential source of raw material for electrical, paints, paper, plastic and other industrial use. The MCE pledged Government's commitment to ensure that the ceramics company bounced back to life to complement its effort to industrialise the nation through the One District one factory. Similarly, he said with support from an Israeli partner, the Assembly had also secured about 220 acres of arable lands for the cultivation of vegetables through the use of greenhouse technology. That would ensure all year food production to add to the country's food buffer stock to improve the lives of the over 500 skilled and unskilled labour to be engaged. Besides that, in Kwesi Ansa, Anomabo and Abeadzie Akyease, he revealed that hundreds of people would be employed to work on the 300 acre- land earmarked for the cultivation of oil palm to be supplied to Uniliver and other users. He advised the citizenry to take full advantage of the strategic positioned of the Municipality in addition to its arable lands and take commanding lead in vegetable cultivation through the Government's 'Planting for Food and Jobs' programme to better their lot. Mr Ekow Kwansah Hayford, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area said the Nana Akufo-Addo led-Government was determined to implement prudent policies that will stimulate economic growth to create jobs. He however rallied the support and constructive criticism from all to transform the nation. GNA By Isaac Arkoh, GNA The Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPC) has pledged its continuous support to businesses willing to invest in Ghana. Mr Edward Benjamin Ashong-Lartey, Director Investor Services GIPC, said the Centre would provide the necessary support to companies that invest as the country expanded its economy. He was speaking at the opening of an exhibition by Brazilian Manufacturing firm Canada Containers in Accra to introduce Ghanaians to its products. The company was part of a delegation of Brazilian investors who visited Accra in August this year on a Trade and Investment Mission organised by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Ashong-Lartey said the company's return to the country within four months was an indication of the confidence that the Brazilian businesses have in Ghana. He said the GIPC would do all it could to ensure that businesses investing in the country were firmly established and thrived. Head of International Division at Canada Containers, Wilson Mendonca Jr said the Brazilian manufacturing company would make Ghana the hub of its operations in the West Africa sub-region. He said the company planned in the medium term to start manufacturing locally using raw materials as well as labour from Ghana thus adding value to the local economy. 'Canada Containers will not only be exporting finished products from Brazil, but also manufacture locally,' he said. Canada Container's wide-ranging infrastructure products can be used by a multiplicity of industries and sectors which include Construction, Mining, Health, Education, Agribusiness, Commercial activities (Trading/Shops), Urban/Rural housing and also for the Hospitality sector. 'Based on the demands we have identified, we intend to offer products and projects that will cater for low-income sectors in rural and urban housing, warehouses for the storage of grain and other commodities, customized modules for health posts, schools, churches, offices, vocational training centres, washrooms and toilets, security guards posts and other products,' management of the Company said. With over 19 years' experience, Canada Containers is a key reference point and an industry standard for modular structures. With its own manufacturing system, the company stands out by offering complete and customized solutions. The occasion was graced by Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana Ms Maria Elisa Teofilo de Luna. GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN The Jasikan District Assembly has secured 20,000 acres of land for the industrial cultivation of cassava, Mr Lawrence Aziale, the District Chief Executive has said. He said the Assembly was also working on a 100 acre planting material field next year with support of chiefs in the District. Mr Aziale who was addressing a Town Hall Meeting at Jasikan organised by the Information Services Department said investors had advanced plans to set up processing plants for cassava and ginger, the latter's cultivation of which the Assembly was liaising with chiefs of Eastern Buem to avail 15,000 acres of land. He said Central Buem had been earmarked to produce tiles, and raw materials for paint manufacturers, and mentioned the discovery of 'suitable' clay at Bodada which had also attracted a couple of investors. Mr Aziale said good road network was crucial to the industrialisation agenda and prayed that the Hohoe-Jasikan-Kadjebi section of the Eastern Corridor road be fixed in time because the stretch was gradually becoming an 'albatross' especially with the closure of some bridges in the northern parts of the country. He said the Assembly was working with the Department of Feeder Roads to expand and reshape some roads that connect communities and farms. Mr Aziale said the District had 'fully embraced' the Free Senior High School policy which had seen a total of 2,495 students admitted into first year in its four Senior High schools. He reiterated the District's commitment to sustain the policy and promised to work towards expanding facilities in the schools. Mr Aziale said the District owed over GH 500,000,000 as a result of uncompleted projects awarded under the stalled District Development Facility (DDF). He said the DDF would be resourced under the District Assembly Common Fund and that a Farmers' Hall at Okadzakrom, an emergency centre, ambulance and morgue for the District Hospital as well as a planned beautification of the district would be executed in 2018. Mr Bismark Nyadzi, the District Information Officer commended government for reviving the town hall meeting concept to bring the citizenry closer to the governance process. He said town hall meetings facilitate information flows between government and the people and help government in policy redirection and implementation. GNA By Samuel Akumatey, GNA At least 15 United Nations peacekeepers were killed in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Friday, in the deadliest attack in the organisation's recent history. The UN Security Council said the peacekeepers, who were from neighbouring Tanzania, were killed in the North Kivu province late Thursday, alongside five Congolese soldiers, with 53 personnel wounded. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime," he said in a statement. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo -- a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping force in DR Congo, said its operating base at Semuliki, North Kivu, was attacked by "suspected ADF elements". ADF are a Ugandan Muslim rebel group, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly," MONUSCO head Maman Sidikou said in a statement, vowing to bring the attackers to justice. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." Some those wounded in the attack are in critical condition with the medical evacuation of casualties continuing, he added, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene. 500 dead since June MONUSCO, a 18,000-member force, has suffered scores of attacks since its establishment in DR Congo, a vast, mineral-rich but chronically unstable nation home to myriad warring groups and ethnic groups. The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12. The ADF has been accused by Kinshasa and the UN mission of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014. Violence plagues North Kivu on a daily basis, with civilians caught between a coterie of vicious armed groups. Human Rights Watch has documented more than 500 civilian deaths, at least 1,087 people kidnapped, and 11 reports of mass rape in North Kivu alone since June. The UN estimates that more than four million people are internally displaced in DR Congo, and 922,000 people were forced to flee their homes last year -- more than in any other country. Guterres warned in October against budget cuts to MONUSCO, the UN's largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission. The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said on Twitter he was "outraged" by Thursday's violence. The country has also faced violence after President Joseph Kabila, who refused to step down after his final term last December, pushed back a new vote until December 2018. Kabila, in power since 2001, told the UN General Assembly in September that he was moving "towards credible, transparent and peaceful elections" but concerns persist that tensions over the vote will escalate into large-scale violence. "This latest attack highlights the urgency of helping people in need and addressing the volatile situation," Guterres said. The United Nations suffered its worst attack on a peacekeeping mission in nearly a quarter of a century on Friday when suspected Ugandan rebels attacked a base in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 15 peacekeepers. The UN Security Council said the peacekeepers, who were all from neighbouring Tanzania, were killed in the North Kivu province late Thursday, alongside five Congolese soldiers, with 53 personnel wounded. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime," he said in a statement. Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the State Department, said Washington was "appalled by the horrific act". The attack is the worst loss of life to a UN peacekeeping force since 1993 when 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Somalia during clashes with a local warlord. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo -- a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping force in DR Congo, said its operating base at Semuliki, North Kivu, was attacked by "suspected ADF elements". ADF are a Ugandan Muslim rebel group, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly," MONUSCO head Maman Sidikou said in a statement, vowing to bring the attackers to justice. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." Some those wounded in the attack are in critical condition with the medical evacuation of casualties continuing, he added, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene. 500 dead since June MONUSCO, a 18,000-member force, has suffered scores of attacks since its establishment in DR Congo, a vast, mineral-rich but chronically unstable nation home to myriad warring groups and ethnic groups. The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12. The ADF has been accused by Kinshasa and the UN mission of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014. Violence plagues North Kivu on a daily basis, with civilians caught between a coterie of vicious armed groups. Human Rights Watch has documented more than 500 civilian deaths, at least 1,087 people kidnapped, and 11 reports of mass rape in North Kivu alone since June. The UN estimates that more than four million people are internally displaced in DR Congo, and 922,000 people were forced to flee their homes last year -- more than in any other country. Guterres warned in October against budget cuts to MONUSCO, the UN's largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission. The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said on Twitter he was "outraged" by Thursday's violence. The country has also faced violence after President Joseph Kabila, who refused to step down after his final term last December, pushed back a new vote until December 2018. Kabila, in power since 2001, told the UN General Assembly in September that he was moving "towards credible, transparent and peaceful elections" but concerns persist that tensions over the vote will escalate into large-scale violence. "This latest attack highlights the urgency of helping people in need and addressing the volatile situation," Guterres said. 09.12.2017 LISTEN A cross-section of students from the Nkroful Agricultural Secondary School (NASS), have called on the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah in Parliament house in Accra. This is the second time the MP has funded a trip of students from NASS to witness Parliamentary proceedings in Accra. The students who are reading Government and General Arts, were briefed by Mr.Buah on how Parliament conducts its business in the chamber with special reference to how motions are moved, seconded and how statements are made and how debates are carried out on the floor of the house. The students were later educated on the importance and uses of the Order Paper, the Hansard, the Votes and Proceedings. Mr Buah advised the students to study hard, remain focused and determined but never allow anything to distract their dreams and pledged his unflinching support towards the students to further their education to institutions of higher learning. He gave the assurance that the Parliamentary visit would be an annual ritual for all SHS students in his constituency notably General Arts and Government students to enable them have a practical feel of the theory that is taught in class. For their part, the accompanied teachers and student leaders expressed their gratitude to the MP for the warm reception accorded them and assured him of their continued support and prayers. GNA The SOS Children Villages Ghana (SOSCV) through the 'Quality Education Now' (QEN) project has organised eye screening exercise for 580 pupils in public schools at Osino and Adukrom as part of activities to ensure effective learning in the schools. The programme, on the theme 'See Well Eye Care' was expected to cover about 650 pupils from the kindergarten, primary and the Junior High Schools (JHS). Mr Samuel Abrokwa- Boye, the Project Coordinator of QEN-Asiakwa- location, said SOSCV-Ghana in delivering a safe environment for all, facilitated the exercise to help create awareness of possible eye defects through a comprehensive eye screening and ocular health education in various schools across the country. He added that the eye screening exercise was chosen by the QEN project because of the high prevalence of eye abnormalities among school children in the Ghanaian society. He explained that the QEN project chose the Adukrom M/A Basic and the Osino Presbyterian Primary and Junior High schools for the eye screening activity because most of the children came from deprived homes and could not afford to do the screening on their own. Mr.Abrokwa- Boye said the SOSCV-Ghana also made available refraction and dispensing of optical aids for those with refractive errors for treatment. He hinted that to sustain the programme, the SOSCV-Ghana would liaise with other health institutions to replicate the eye screening programme in all the various governmental and non-governmental institutions in the East Akim Municipality. He noted that the SOSCV-Ghana would also encompass other related areas like ENT and Dental due to the critical role they play in a child's learning and education. Dr Zita Ohenewaa Gyasi, the Outreach Director said the most common conditions among large number of the students were disc, glaucoma, allergies of the eye and few cases of refractive errors. She said the students with the suspected glaucoma would be referred to government Hospitals in the locality for further treatments and medication. Dr Ohenewaa Gyasi urged Ghanaians to take good care of their sight because the eye is the opening to the body and advised Ghanaians to make it a habit to wash their faces regularly every morning and to visit the obstetric regularly. Madam Harriet Agyei, the Headmistress of Adukrom M/A Basic School commended the SOSCV- QEN for the gesture and appealed to other NGOs to emulate the kind gesture. GNA Accra, Dec.08 - (dpa/GNA) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to launch talks next Wednesday aimed at forging a new coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), an SPD leader confirmed on Friday. The exploratory talks between the SPD, Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the CDU's Bavarian-based ally, the Christian Social Union (CSU), bring Europe's biggest economy closer to ending months of political deadlock following September's inconclusive national election. "No matter what comes now or how it turns out, I believe that we need both more political argument but also more alignment between the CDU-CSU and SPD," SPD parliamentary leader Andreas Nahles told German radio. She confirmed that Wednesday had been set aside for the launch of coalition talks after SPD members attending a party congress on Thursday reluctantly voted to meet with Merkel. SPD chief Martin Schulz told the 600 or so delegates attending the conference in Berlin that the party would ensure that key elements of its programme form part of any new coalition pact with Merkel. Those elements include a new immigration law and a reimagining of the European Union as well as education and health reform. In addition to Schulz and Merkel, Wednesday's talks are to be attended by CSU chief Horst Seehofer, SPD leader Nahles, leading CDU parliamentarian Volker Kauder and the CSU's Alexander Dobrindt, party officials told dpa. GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, President of the Upper West Region House of Chiefs has pledged their support to the government's initiative to create new districts in the region and elevate some existing ones to Municipalities. He said some of the districts operated on difficult terrain and if split would facilitate effective and efficient service delivery especially in the areas of health and education. Kuoro Kanton VI who said this during the general meeting of the House in Wa expressed gratitude to President Akufo-Addo for the initiative, adding that the gesture was a reassuring way of demonstrating to the Ghanaian people government's commitment to the development of the country through the decentralisation concept. Kuoro Kanton VI who is also the Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area and Upper West Regional Representative to the Council of State also lauded government for implementing the 'Planting for Food and Jobs' (PFJs) and the fertilizer subsidy programmes and hoped that the 'One-Village-One-Dam' programme would materialize to stem the North-South drift of the youth. 'I will take this chance to appeal to Chiefs to create land banks in their respective traditional areas to make land accessible to the youth and investors', he said and added that if farmers were not given good prices the gains made would be short-lived because there would be no motivation to increase food production in the future. The President of the Upper West Region House of Chiefs therefore appealed to government to put in place appropriate measures to buy the produce from farmers to create buffer stock, export and eliminate middle men by rewarding farmers with good prices. Kuoro Kanton VI noted that in recent times, they witnessed significant concerns from civil society organisations and concerned Ghanaians over the indiscriminate burning of bush and its negative effects on climate change. He therefore urged his colleague Paramount Chiefs to liaise with their respective District Assemblies to enact and enforce by-laws to end the practice which according to him was gradually drifting their God gifted arable land into a desert. 'As traditional Leaders, it is important for us to support government policies particularly the PFJs and this can only be achieved by ending bush fires', he said. 'Now that you have been inducted into the House, note that your position is unique. Your life must be exemplary and worthy of emulation. Your dress code action and behaviour should be regulated as a result. You necessarily have to adhere to the laws of Ghana, the 1992 Constitution, the Chieftaincy Act and other laws of the land', he advised. Kuoro Kanton VI also commended the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs for availabling to the House, sufficient Handbooks on Chieftaincy and urged members of the House to endeavour to study and be abreast with the laws governing the chieftaincy institution. GNA By Prosper K. Kuorsoh, GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN The government is on course and delivering on the election promises it made to Ghanaians, Mrs. Susan Akomea, the Asante-Akim Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has asserted. She said 11 months into government, it had demonstrated that it was in for serious business. She cited the implementation of the free senior high school (SHS) policy, planting for food and jobs and restoration of nurses and teachers allowances. The MCE was contributing to discussions at a town hall meeting held at Odumase. The programme was organized by the Information Ministry not only to keep the people adequately informed about government's policies and programmes but to also gauge their felt needs and concerns. It brought together chiefs, assembly members and identified groups in the municipality. Officials took turns to throw more light on the free SHS, planting for food and jobs, national entrepreneurship and innovative programme and the infrastructure for poverty eradication programme. The MCE said there could be no doubt that the economy was on the right track and expressed optimism that the quality of life of the people would improve. She pledged to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of the finances of the assembly. Mr. Robert Yaw Kwakye, the Presiding Member (PM), called for stronger support and the cooperation of the people in the assembly's revenue mobilization drive. They should accept to pay their taxes to enable the assembly raise more revenue to fund its development programmes. GNA By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA Accra, Dec.08 - (dpa/GNA) - Delhi's local government on Friday cancelled the licence of a hospital that mistakenly declared a live infant dead a week ago. "We have cancelled with immediate effect the licence of Max Hospital Shalimarbag," Delhi's Health Minister Satyendra Jain said. Jain said the hospital had been told that it could not admit any new patients but the treatment of those already there could continue. The minister said a probe had found the hospital guilty of criminal negligence in the case of the infant declared dead. "This is also the third case where the hospital has been found at fault in the past three months," Jain said. Hospitals in India require several regulatory licences linked to their buildings and operations. Jain did not specify which licence or licences were being revoked. The newborn at the centre of the case died in a Delhi nursing home on Wednesday a week after he was declared dead by doctors at Max Hospital Shalimarbag. The Kumar family had been informed after the premature birth of twins on November 30 that the girl had died and the boy was critical. Soon after they were told that the boy too had died. But the baby boy started moving in the body bag as family members made their way to the funeral. The infant was rushed to another hospital. Max Healthcare, which runs a chain of hospitals including the one in Shalimarbag, has sacked two doctors involved in the case but said its internal investigation was not yet complete. GNA Accra, Dec.08 - (dpa/GNA) - French President Emmanuel Macron has won the prestigious Charlemagne Prize for his services to European unity in what the organizers described as turbulent times for the continent. The prize committee and the German city of Aachen, where the prize was founded, hailed Macron on Friday as "a courageous pioneer for the revitalization of the European dream," but also acknowledged that this was a time of "crisis" and a "crucial crossroads." "His passion for and commitment to Europe, his advocacy of cohesion and commonality, and his decisive stance against all forms of nationalism and isolationism set the right example ... and promote the right kind of contagious enthusiasm needed to overcome the European crisis," the Charlemagne Prize Society said. Juergen Linden, as spokesman for the prize board of directors, said Macron stood out from the other contenders by putting the European Union at the centre of his election campaign, and by calling strongly for European reform. The society praised Macron's desire to work with Germany on a "new cooperation treaty" to achieve his ambitions for Europe. Macron's election had been a high point for Europe, the society argued, during what had been "a tense year of European elections dominated by confrontation with populists, radicals and nationalists." The Charlemagne Prize was established by citizens of Aachen in 1950 to award the most valuable contribution to West European understanding. GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Accra, Dec.08 - (dpa/GNA) - The Vatican has made progress in combating money laundering but needs to make more efforts to bring prosecutions, a Council of Europe committee said on Friday. Moneyval, the council's committee on money laundering and the financing of terrorism, said that the Vatican's Financial Information Authority, set up in 2010, seemed to be working efficiently as both a financial intelligence unit and the supervisor of the Vatican Bank. The Vatican had established a reporting system in the last two years and its authorities were exchanging information with those in other countries, Moneyval said. But, it noted, while Vatican authorities had frozen considerable amounts of money, no criminal cases had resulted in a confiscation order and no prosecutions had been brought for money laundering. The overall effectiveness of the Vatican's actions against money laundering "depends on the results that are achieved by the prosecution and the courts," Moneyval said. The Vatican has, in recent years, been trying to improve its record on financial transparency after decades in which its bank, the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), was suspected of sheltering the funds of Italian mobsters, money launderers and tax cheats. GNA Mr. Kwesi Jonah, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), has described as unrealistic the provisions that enjoin political parties to have offices in all the regions. Article 55 of the 1992 Constitution and Political Parties' Law 2000, (Act 574) mandates political parties to have branches in all the regions of Ghana and, in addition, be organised in not less than two-thirds of the districts in each region. According to him, the requirement was intended to discourage the growth and development of ethno-regional political parties, drawing support and membership from a particular region or ethnic group. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a two- day project evaluation workshop on Small Political Parties and Multiparty Democracy in Ghana (SPMDG) project, Mr Jonah said the provisions had become impractical, repressive and misinterpreted. He said those inclined to use the provision as repressive instrument had construed the provision to mean that parties should operate actual offices in two-thirds of the country's administrative districts. Mr Jonah said the number of districts had expanded exponentially from 110 in 1993 to 216 in 2016 with 38 more districts to be created soon, and that the small parties could not open offices in all districts anytime the number shot up. He said IDEG and Radikale Venstre of Denmark with support of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy designed and implemented the SPMDG project as a pilot phase between February 2016 and December 2017. The project was to build the capacity of small political parties, help them to enhance the mobilisation of more members in particular women and youth and support them to win more seats in Parliament. He said the Institute was of the view that the rise of small political parties would reduce the monopoly of the duopolistic parties and strengthen the multiparty governance system. Mr Jonah noted that though many parties had registered with the EC, two political parties-the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have become the main dominant parties in the country. Touching on the achievement of the project, he said the project provided platform for small parties to voice their concerns about crucial national issues, build a sense of solidarity and defend the cause of democratic values. Mr Ewald Garr, Project Officer, IDEG, said as part of the activities for the project, the institute had organised programmes such as agenda setting meeting, workshop on manifesto preparation for the smaller parties, advocacy and public education support for small parties to disseminate information about their manifestoes. He said the Institute also organised parliamentary candidate debates for small parties in selected regions to reach out to and engage the voters on their manifesto, and workshop on credible elections and peace building activities to contribute to peaceful elections in 2016. The small parties commended IDEG and its partners for supporting them to build their capacity to effectively play their public service role in influencing political opinion in the country's democratic governance system. Mr Aziz Gomda, the Deputy Communication Director for Convention People's Party, urged the media to give a fair representation of political discussions to the smaller parties and not only limit it to NDC and NPP parties. Mr John Ameka, the Vice Presidential Candidate for the Great Consolidated Popular Party urged the smaller parties to form an alliance to speak as one voice on issues of national interest. GNA By Kodjo Adams/ William Fiabu, GNA Nana Kwame Arhin IV, the Mankrado of Gomoa Manso has appealed to the Government for the provision of modern health centre in the area to give the people adequate healthcare. He said Gomoa Manso has a population of 49,000 people and surrounded by 12 communities, but only had a Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound with only one hospital bed. Nana Arhin made the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Gomoa Manso in the Gomoa Central District of the Central Region. Mr Isaac Kobina Baidoo, the assembly member for Gomoa Manso Electoral Area said the community had built a four-bedroom attached to the CHPS compound which could be used for a clinic. He pleaded with the health authorities to prevail on the managers of the CHPS compound to accept patients with the National Health Insurance cards to alleviate their financial difficulties. 09.12.2017 LISTEN Accra, Dec 8, GNA - Ibrahim Awal, Minister for Business Development, says the government as part of its initiative to support the private sector had budgeted 10 million dollars to support young entrepreneurs. He said the Ministry was also working on loans and grants for these entrepreneurs at low rates. The Minister said this when he launched the Ahoom Retail Centre at La-Palmwine Junction in Accra on Friday. Mr Awal said creating an atmosphere that was conducive to the growth of the private sector was one of government's key aims of solving the problem of unemployment in the country. He said despite the challenges in entrepreneurship, one could also encounter great opportunities. Mr Awal urged young entrepreneurs to brave the difficulties of their field by being daring and passionate about what they did. 'Show more passion and confidence, and government would support you,' he said. Mr. Gregory Kankoh, Chief Executive officer of Group Nallem STM, parent company of Ahoom, said the Ahoom Retail Centre, was to serve as a sales point for on and off line African products such as clothing, wood carving and food, as well as skin products, among others. 'Ahoom is a shopping mall for African products, be it clothing, skin care products, food, etc,' he said. Mr. Kankoh said the idea was to ease the difficulty that local entrepreneurs faced in marketing their products. He urged the government to support local artisans, because these artisans were naturally gifted people, who only needed a little support to contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country. Mr. Kankoh said there was the need to have systems that supported the growth of entrepreneurial initiatives, adding that these initiatives held solution to the country's high rate of unemployment. Ms Gifty Klenam, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), said in a speech read on her behalf, acknowledged the fact that Ahoom had come at a point when the global market was fast rising. The GEPA boss said she was well aware that the products sold at Ahoom were of good quality. Ms Kleman said since Ahoom was an online outlet to sell quality products, it would help consumers to save time, fuel and also give them the opportunity to compare prizes with much more ease. She urged Ahoom to register with GEPA, in order to enhance their credibility, because with online buying, consumers looked for accredited sources. Mr. Dominic Sam, UNDP Country Director to Ghana, said currently, doing business was no longer as it used to be. 'You need to be dedicated, hard working and well motivated to succeed,' he said. Mr. Sam urged the leadership of Ahoom to believe in themselves and be strong, in order to succeed in a highly competitive business environment. GNA The Federation of Muslim Councils (FMC) says it is in no doubt, that homosexuality and same sex marriage remains an abominable subject (Haram). It has therefore called on Parliament to enact a law to make it an offence punishable by law in Ghana, whether practiced publicly or privately. A statement signed by Hajj Muhammad Kpakpo Addo, the General Secretary of the FMC and copied to the Ghana news Agency in Accra, emphasized that the Council was solidly behind an earlier call by Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, the National Chief Imam on all moral minded Ghanaians, faith-based organisations and political parties to support and sustain the crusade to wean society off all morally abominable practices. It said the call was made by Executives of the FMC during a courtesy call by his Eminence the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Usman Nuhu Sharubutu on the National Coordinator of FMC, Hajj Abdullah S. Williams in Accra, on Friday December, 1, 2017. The statement said the FMC noted that, the practice of homosexuality was filthy, indecent, immoral and unhealthy in the minds of respectable Ghanaians and well-mannered children of God. It reminded all Ghanaians that homosexuality, same sex marriage and transgender activities were an affront to God and history was replete with how God Almighty destroyed similar way-ward societies in the past such as the infamous Sodom and Gomorrah community in ancient times. The statement said, the Qur'an cites the story of the "people of Lot" (Qur'an Chapter 26 verses 160-174) and how they were destroyed by the wrath of God, for they indulged in one lustful unnatural carnal acts among men. According to the statement, the FMC said that homosexuality was opposed to God's plan and could lead to extinction of humanity and pointed out that Allah in his wisdom created not Adam and Hussein (Male and Male) but Adam and Hawa (Male and Female) to reproduce, procreate and fill the earth and, therefore anything that opposes Allah's order stood the risk of attracting His wrath annihilation. It said the FMC charged Ghanaian Muslims to be vigilant against any pressures, to covert, to coerce them into condoning homosexuality or same sex marriage, and be guided by Allah's dictum in Qur'an Chapter three verses 110 thus: 'Ye are the best of people, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong and believing in Allah.' GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Mr Kwasi Boateng Adjei, a Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said government attached importance to the creation of spatial database, numbering of properties and naming of streets for easy direction and location of businesses. He said it was in that direction that President Akufo-Addo launched the National Digital and Property Addressing and the Ghana Post GPS Application. Mr Adjei was addressing Regional Directors of Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) and their Officers in an orientation conference organised by the Urban Development Unit of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLG&RD) in collaboration with the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region. The two-day orientation conference is part of government's renewed effort to ensure the completion of the Street Naming and Property Addressing, especially the Digitizing of Properties towards effectively opening up the economy and supporting Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to improve revenue generation. The orientation is to enable participants understand the expected activities and outcomes to roll-out the Street Naming and Property Addressing exercise and facilitate deployment of the Ghana Post GPS application. It is also to prepare the participants towards ensuring that all MMDAs within their respective regions continued and successfully deploy the Ghana Post GPS and completed the Street Naming exercise. He said it was important that institutions responsible for ensuring that these milestones are achieved re-focus and direct their energies towards the exercise of Naming Streets and digitizing Properties. Mr Adjei, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for New Juaben North, said it was instructive to note that the vision of the initiative was to achieve a nationwide use of Spatial Data Information for good governance and socio-economic development. This, he said, will be done through the development, management and dissemination of a Property Addressing system linked with Postal Codes to ensure total access to high-quality geographic information and related services for all organizations and individuals' in the country. The Deputy Minister said this was aimed at improving quality and reducing cost related to geographic information, reducing duplication of effort among agencies and to make geographic data more accessible to the public. 'It would eventually do away with the informal means of identifying properties and build a database that is relevant for revenue generation for MMDAs and also expect that the process will facilitate efficient service deliveries in areas such as mail delivery, emergencies services, fire service, and directions to properties and businesses.' He urged all Regional Coordinating Councils to support the Regional LUSPA Directorates to effectively assist the MMDAs in executing the agenda. The New Juaben North MP said it was important that MMDAs budget adequately for the exercise, bearing in mind the positive outcomes of improved revenue generation; service delivery and overall accountability and improvement in the Ghanaian economy. He said the MLG&RD will organize a nation-wide regional orientation and awareness creation for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Coordinating Directors and key staff on the National Digital Property Addressing System and the street naming. He expressed gratitude to the various partners for their contribution towards achieving a successful organization of the conference. Officials of the Ghana Post were present to make some presentations and answer questions and give clarifications to some concerns raised by the participants on the GPS system manage by the Ghana Post. Participants after the conference are expected to develop a regional programme towards supporting the complete roll-out of the Street Naming exercise and the Ghana Post GPS in their respective regions and MMDAs. GNA By Amadu Kamil Sanah, GNA Mr. Carlos Ahenkorah, a Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, has underscored the importance of the packaging industry saying it is a critical component of industrialisation. He said packaging, as an integral part of product marketing, was a supply chain function that could not be played out, indicating that it did not only improve the product appeal but also helped to promote the product identity. Mr Ahenkorah, who was speaking at the commissioning of Fon Packaging Venture, a subsidiary of the Fon Group, in Accra, said packaging was the world's third largest manufacturing sector next to food and pharmaceuticals. Fon Packaging is a wholly Ghanaian company that employs innovation and technology in its operation to deliver exceptional packaging solutions to clients. Mr Ahenkorah said packaging was a key component of government's export-led industrialisation agenda, which forms a key thematic area in the National Export Strategy. He said government was, therefore, committed to providing the necessary support for the industry to improve export. He said packaging was critical to industrialisation, which was the world's third largest manufacturing sector next to food and pharmaceuticals. Mr Ahenkorah, therefore, implored the management to keep expanding in readiness for the Government's One District, One Factory initiative to create jobs for the people. He said government had, therefore, embarked on a comprehensive industrial transformation and private sector development by implementing a 10-point development agenda, adding that packaging played the central role in all these initiatives. Mr Emmanuel Ntim, the General Manager of Fon Packaging Venture, said the company provided its clients with high-quality products that offered real value for money. 'We believe that technology and innovation is key to our achievements,' he said. Mr Ntim said the company was consistently upgrading its packaging equipment and sourcing high quality raw materials, which would help scale up its market share to better serve its growing clientele. Mr Fredrick Ntim, the Chairman of Fon Group, commended his business partners for the continuous engagement and support to move the packaging industry forward. GNA By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Sumburungu, Dec. 08, GNA - Mrs Gifty Twum-Ampofo, Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (GCSP) on Thursday announced that her Ministry will expand the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme next year to include children with special needs. The Deputy Minister announced this at Sumburungu, a suburb of Bolgatanga during her working visit to the Upper East Region. According to her, the expansion was aimed at alleviating the poverty levels of parents of children with special needs go through. 'Even if a household is well to do or they have a child who is cerebral palsy or highly autistic, such a child needs to be on LEAP. At least the mother will have a little money to buy diapers, because mothers like that could hardly leave their homes for 24 hours because of the child's condition' The Deputy Minister who doubles as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Abuakwa North also announced some changes LEAP was embarking on and said some beneficiaries who had been on LEAP for some number of years would be weaned off. She clarified the decision and said 'not because a new government has come, so we want to take their names out. No, it is because they may not be as needy as they used to be'. LEAP since its inception in 2008 has supported the aged and vulnerable in society through cash and entrepreneurial support. In the Bolga Municipality, a total of 292 beneficiaries from Dachio, Dubila, Kolbia and Aguusi communities are benefiting from the programme. Mrs Twum-Ampofo entreated the beneficiaries to prudently utilise the money given to them in order to help improve their livelihoods. 'You should use the money for some investments. Those who are into craft works can buy materials to boost their business to improve their standards of living' A beneficiary, Aduko Atogetege said the programme had aided her in taking care of her son's education up to the JHS level. Another beneficiary, Ayin-ita Ayarika thanked government for absorbing the cost of registering and renewing their health insurance under the programme. GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Two persons, an electrician and a farmer have been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court for alleged possession and use of narcotics without lawful authority. The two, Gideon Akanbey, the electrician has been charged with use of narcotic drug without lawful authority, While his accomplice Daniel Soku, farmer, has also been charged with possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges before the court presided over by Mr Aboagye Tandoh. They are expected to reappear on January 18, 2018. The facts of the case as narrated by Superintendent of Police, Patience Mario was that, complainants in the case are Police Officers stationed at Adenta in Accra. She said on December 3, at about 1800 hours, one Dominic Akandoli of Nmai Dzorn came to the charge office and reported dishonest appropriation of his mobile phones against one Gideon Akanbey of Mantey farms, Adenta. The prosecution said, Police proceeded to the scene and apprehended Gideon, who was found with dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp in his hands about to light and smoke. A search conducted in his room revealed another six wraps of the dried leaves suspected to be India hemp. Superintendent Mario told the court that, when Gideon was interrogated, he mentioned Daniel as the supplier and Police proceeded to arrest him at Adenta. A search conducted in his room also revealed six hundred and sixty-eight (668) wraps of dried leaves, a quantity of dried leaves and dried seeds, all suspected to be cannabis, pieces of papers, three pair of scissors, s hammer, a screw driver, iron pincher and other rolling papers. She said the accused persons were brought to the Police station together with the exhibits. She told the court that, in their cautioned statement they admitted the offences. GNA By Hafsa Obeng, GNA Mr. Alan Kyeremanten, the Minister of Trade and Industry has announced that government would from next year organize annual presidential business summit to dialogue with the private sector on important national issues. The summit will afford private sector the opportunity to interact with the President and key executives on their concerns and to agree on strategic performance indicators and obligations to be met by both government and the private sector. Mr Kyeremanten, who made the announcement in Accra at the launch of government Business Regulatory Reform Strategy, said the summit would be preceded by inclusive regional business encounters to be organized by regional public private dialogue working committee, which would feed into the agenda for the summit. The programme was on the theme: 'The Road to Sustainable Reforms: Government's Business Regulatory Strategy'. The reform is a three-year initiative of government coordinated by the Ministry of Trade and Industry and implemented in collaboration with various stakeholders aimed at making the country the most transparent and efficient regulated business environment in Africa. The Minister said the reform consisted of seven components which included targeted reform initiatives, inventory and secure e-registry of business regulations, centralized public consultation portal, and rolling review of business regulations. The rest of the components were regulatory impact assessment, targeted regulatory relief and permanent public private dialogue. Mr Kyeremanten said the first component focused on ease of doing business reform initiative, which was a coordinated national programme to improve the country's performance in key indicators and annual ranking on the World Bank's ease of doing business index. He explained that the initiative was important because it focused on selected regulations relevant to the life cycle of domestic small and medium sized businesses, saying the indicators measured in the index included starting a business, dealing with construction permit, resolving insolvency among others. The Minister said the second component: inventory and secure e-registry of business regulations sought to build a secure centralized electronic registry of all legal documents and related forms to provide businesses with an easily accessible, one-stop repository of up-to-date information on all business regulations. He said the centralized public consultation portal of the strategy was an interactive platform for the public to engage government on business-related policy, legal and regulatory changes. Mr Kyeremanten explained that the regulatory relief component of the strategy focused on government giving grant targeted relief for small and medium enterprises from regulatory requirements at early stages of development to stimulate higher levels of entrepreneurship and job creation. He said government had established an inter-ministerial facilitation committee to ensure effective implementation of the strategy. Mr Henry Godfrey Rupiny Kerali, the Country Director of World Bank Group, commended government for the initiative, saying it would help move the country's ranking on the World Bank's ease of doing business index. He said the World Bank remained committed to supporting Ghana in the business regulatory reform agenda to improve the business environment. Mr Philip Smith, Country Director, Department for International Development Ghana, lauded government agenda of building Ghana beyond aid and pledge their assistance to build a robust regulatory policy for businesses to thrive. GNA By Kodjo Adams/William Fiabu, GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Polls across the country to elect Presiding Members for the various Assemblies this year have generally been smooth and peaceful, Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, President of the National Association of Local Government Authorities (NALAG) has said. Although the elections of some few assemblies in the country were still pending, the NALAG President said it was a step in the right direction to congratulate all of them for the progress so far. 'As an Association, we have cause to be proud that democracy at the local level is really maturing; this year's elections have been absolutely peaceful and devoid of rancour. This is a testament to the fact that Local governance, of which we are custodians, is indeed maturing,' he said in Tema. Nii Annang-La said this after witnessing, yet another peaceful election at his own Assembly, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly, where Mr Patrick Laweh Atitiati, Assembly Member for the Railways Electoral Area, was elected Presiding Member. He polled 34 out of 47 votes cast. The NALAG President who is also the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, thanked all Assembly Members, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives for the show of character that had ensured a peaceful electioneering process. The Tema Mayor also attributed the peaceful turnout to the confidence that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had injected into local governance. 'His Excellency the President gave us the impetus when he reiterated the campaign promise to make Local Governance more competitive with the institution of the election of DCEs and I believe it is that impetus that has inspired so much maturity in all of us,' he said. His main competitor Joseph Korto, who is the Assembly Member for Low Cost Electoral Area managed 13 votes, while the third contestant, Kwesi Poku Bosompem, Assembly Member for Halcrow Electoral Area withdrew his candidature before the polls. The Tema Mayor, in his capacity as the President of NALAG, congratulated Laweh Atitiati for his election as the Presiding Member and urged him to use his new role to help spur President Akufo-Addo's agenda to transform Ghana. Mr Atitiati was however not sworn-in as the Judge who was to carry out the activity did not turn up. The MCE called on all PMs elected nationwide to position themselves as agents of development at the various Assemblies to enable President Akufo-Addo channel development to the ordinary Ghanaian. 'We have all seen that this President is a transformational leader who does not have the word 'impossible' in his set of lexicon. Ghana is picking itself up to run again because of President Akufo-Addo and all Assembly Members must position themselves to be a part of the progress. 'I call on all NALAG members in Assemblies, where the elections are complete, to close our ranks, now that the elections are over, so that we can deliver on our mandate as Local Government Authorities to the benefit of our people.' He urged the few Assemblies who were yet to elect their PMs to take cue from the peaceful processes in the rest of the country so far. GNA The Melcom Group of Companies has supported the Ghana News Agency (GNA) with two HP Printers and four office chairs, as part of activities marking the Agency's 60th Anniversary Celebration. In addition, the Group donated a 40' digital satellite LED television and a NASCO DVD player each to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ). The donation to the GJA was in support of its 2016 (22nd) Awards slated for Wednesday, December 20, while that of IFEJ was in support of its 2017 Flamingo Awards for Business and Financial Journalists, scheduled for Friday, January 26, 2018. Mr Godwin Avenorgbo, the Director of Communications, Melcom Group of Companies, on Friday made the presentation to the three organisations in Accra. Mrs Beatrice Akua Asamani-Savage, the News Editor of GNA, received the items on behalf of the Agency, whereas that of IFEJ was received by Mr Rayborn Bulley, IFEJ President. The package for the GJA was jointly received by Mrs Audrey Dekalu, Treasurer, and Mr Albert Dwumfor, Organising Secretary. Mr Avenorgbo said the Media, as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, must unite to become a voice of the voiceless, strong enough to ask for justice in case of denial, interrogative enough to expose ills in society and help find remedies and ethical enough to play it fair, all the time, by getting it right. He said media practitioners work under very difficult conditions in the country in spite of the comprehensive media landscape featuring numerous radio, television, print, online and magazines among other media outlets. 'They lack security of tenure, majority are paid slave wages while quite a large number are not paid at all, so have to fend for themselves,' he said. 'Very few practitioners belong to the umbrella associations, which by the nature of their structure are unable to discipline members who do not apply ethics in the conduct of the practices,' he added. Mr Avenorgbo said a vibrant media created awareness, adding that professional media practice ensured good governance and in consequence business growth and investor confidence. He said: 'We are hopeful that in the next year, positive measures will be taken to improve media practice to engender media freedom and access to information, improved conditions of service not just for key staff but for the generality of journalists, because it is team work that gives birth to the publications we read, listen to and watch on the various media platforms.' Mr Avenorgbo said the Melcom Group was committed to improving quality service through the implementation of environmentally friendly business standards, including safety procedures at the work place, training of staff and provision of incentive packages to boost the morale of their hard working staff. 'We are grateful for the support Ghanaians have given us from all fronts and in all sectors of our business and we pledge to continue to improve on our services to make shopping a pleasurable experience at all Melcom shops nationwide,' he said. Mr Avenorgbo lauded the GNA for fair, balanced and truthful reportage, especially on online media and news dissemination. Mrs Asamani-Savage, on behalf of the Management and staff of the GNA, expressed gratitude to the Melcom Group for supporting the Agency's 60th Anniversary celebration. She said the GNA would continue to champion dissemination of truthful unbiased news to facilitate the development of Ghana to prosecute the African agenda. Mrs Dekalu, on behalf of the GJA Executives and the members, expressed gratitude to Melcom Group for the kind gesture and urged other corporate entities to emulate its shining example. Mr Bulley, on his part, thanked the Group for supporting IFEJ's 2017 Awards slated for January 26, 2018. GNA By Iddi Yire, GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Penal Reform Ghana (PRG), Friday said the punishment regime in the country's criminal system need to be broadened and expanded to include a probation period. PRG said the probation period allows a convicted person to serve part of the sentence in the community than the entire sentence in the prison. A statement signed by Mr Evans Oheneba-Mensah, the Executive Director of PRG and copied to the GNA on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day called on government to as a matter of urgency, initiate steps to comprehensively reform the country's prison system. The World Human Rights Day which falls on Sunday, December 10. "We should consider using alternative sanctions for low-level, non-violent offenders. In this way, the prison would be reserved for dangerous or violent prisoners who must be securely confined. Our position is that if prison populations were reduced there would be fewer persons behind bars and more resources available for those who necessarily must be incarcerated'. "Our penal reform policies and laws have traditionally focused on confining convicts within the walls of prison. Unfortunately, for the period that those prisoners remain within the prison walls, our legislation have woefully failed to effectively safeguard their human rights which are flagrantly abused. "It is common knowledge that prisoners in custodial facilities across the country are often exposed to inhuman and degrading treatment. They are packed in small cells originally built to accommodate lesser number of inmates. With reference to 2016 figures, Ghana's prisons were overcrowded by 3,810 prisoners. Although the 43 prisons in the country were to hold a total of 9,875 prisoners, they were at the period in reference holding 13,685 prisoners. According to the Prison Service records, the convict population was 11,390, while those on remand were 2,295", the statement said. 'A visit to prisons across the country, on any day, will reveal that persons on remand and convicts live in filthy conditions, lacking suitable clothes, clean water, adequate food, and proper bedding or hygiene facilities. In the light of the above, we strongly recommend regular and periodic visits to our prisons by independent monitoring organizations such as Penal Reform Ghana and the media. This is critical to protecting the rights of detainees. "Our position is that in the absence of outside pressure, human rights abuses in prison can go unchecked. It does appear to us as an advocacy organization that Civil Society or NGO monitoring remains one major source of independent information on prisons in the country. This underlines the purpose for creating Penal Reform Ghana. "The argument of Penal Reform Ghana is that if people have to be put away in prison, they still deserve to be treated as human beings. Many are inappropriately admitted to remand facilities and denied access to redress. They are denied human rights and dignity and do not take part in decisions made in their own interest. "Thankfully, the new Chief Justice Madam Sophia Akuffo, since her assumption of office on June 19, has, among other things, shown demonstrable keenness towards reforming the country's penal system. For instance, she has underlined her support for the 'Justice for All Programme' (JFAP). "There is no gainsaying that the problem of remand prisoners has bedevilled the administration of the country's justice delivery for far too long, and it is now time for us to be decisive towards the suggestion to introduce non-custodial sentencing which will seek to institutionalize community service programs for certain petty offences. "In the opinion of PRG, non-custodial sentencing and the community service would serve triple purposes: First, it will provide the appropriate punishment for an offence; second, it will get some public good out of the service that would be required of the convict; and third, it will contribute to de-congestion in our prisons. "This is why we in Penal Reform Ghana to applaud the Chief Justice for having recently put together a team to look into how non-custodial sentencing can be introduced into the penal system in Ghana. This is a move that PRG completely supports as a human rights and advocacy organization. PRG's advice is that the team that has been put together must consult broadly with key stakeholders in the criminal justice system and go about its work with the seriousness or urgency it deserves. Also, the team is advised to look elsewhere, around the world, for best practices in non-custodial sentencing to inform their work. "On our part, Penal Reform Ghana will closely follow this laudable initiative by the Chief Justice and we call on the media to also show an interest in this program. "We use this global occasion to call on government to resource the Chief Justice's team to enable it discharge this all-important national assignment with the dispatch it deserves. Additionally, we call on the government to increase investment in prison administration. Besides, the prison workforce needs to be developed and motivated, ensuring that prison officials and warders receive sufficient training on human rights at all levels. "In conclusion, we call on government to fashion out a policy framework that will lead to the complete overhaul and reformation of the country's criminal justice system. GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), a company mandated to dispatch and transmit electric energy to wholesale suppliers, in 2016 made a net profit of GHC69.132 million compared to GHE44.797 million in 2015 representing 54 per cent increment. The Company generated a total of GHE673.835 million in revenues in 2016 as against GHE472.345 in 2015 and, thus, transmitted 13,699,893,722.23 KWh volumes of power to its customers. It was also adjudged the Best Transmission Company in the West African Sub-region in 2015 and 2016. Mr Jonathan Amoako-Baah, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GRIDCo, said this at the Company's Eight Annual General Meeting in Accra on Friday to take stock of the year under-review and strategise for the way forward. He said the success chalked so far demonstrated the Company's determination to observe excellence as one of its core values and would strive to be consistent and outstanding in all its endeavours. Mr Amoako-Baah said despite the Company's impressive profit margin, its financial position was severely impacted by the huge indebtedness of two of its major customers-the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Volta Aluminum Company (VALCo) that owed GHE540,396,706.37 and GHE30,728,205.78 respectively. He gave the assurance that management would pursue the defaulting customers to recover the monies, adding that austerity measures introduced by the Company to manage the liquidity challenges were aimed at ensuring judicious use of funds for effective and efficient running of the firm. Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere, the Board Chairman of GRIDCo, said electricity remained a critical aspect of the country's development efforts. 'Therefore the role of GRIDCo as the System Operator and sole Transmission Utility is crucial for the expansion of the country's economy,' he said. He said the board would continue to direct the affairs of the Company to maximize its resources in order to achieve its objectives. Ambassador Blay-Amihere said the Board would continue to seek the support of government and all the stakeholders to resolve the financial crisis currently facing the company. He expressed optimism that government would roll out plans to assist the energy sector, particularly the minimisation of the indebtedness of companies wholly-owned by the Government and injection of capital to aid the achievement of power sector objectives. Mr Joseph Cudjoe, a Deputy Minister of Energy, urged the board and management of GRIDCo to ensure resilient, reliable, efficient and cost-effective transmission system. 'We should see transmission and power environment with a sense of business because there is money to be made there so GRIDCo revenue sources, transmission charges and telecommunications would boost revenues,' he said. The Deputy Minister said when the transmission lines at Bolga and Ouagadougou were completed they would increase the Company's revenues because more electric power would be transmitted to customers outside the country, which would rake-in more revenue to the GRIDCo. He said government had good plans of enhancing the capacity of GRIDCo as outlined in the 2018 Budget Statement, therefore it would work to create more transmission systems to prevent the recurrence of the power crisis, saying; 'We must work on the generating, transmission and distribution levels''. Mr Cudjoe said government was implementing a liquidity policy of ensuring fair sharing of proceeds that came through power distribution and was taking medium and long term solvency in the energy sector. He said the energy bond that was issued this year raked-in GHE4.7 billion, which would help ECG and other defaulting companies to pay off their debts. GRIDCo undertakes economic dispatch and transmission of electricity from wholesale suppliers (power generating companies) to bulk customers such as the Electricity Company of Ghana and Northern Electricity Distribution Company and the mines. The power transmission firm was established in accordance with the Energy Commission Act, 1997 (Act 541) and incorporated on December 15, 2006 as a private limited company. GRIDCo started operations on August 1, 2008 following the transfer of the Volta River Authority's transmission assets to it. GNA By Godwill Arthur-Mensah/Julius K. Satsi, GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu on Friday commended Mr Kwasi Amoako Atta, the Minister for Roads and Highways, on his regular appearance before Parliament on issues related to that sector. He, however, raised alarm over the absence of several ministers, who failed to respond to the invitation of the House and delegated their deputies to respond to the invitation. Making a point on the approval of the 2018 Budget Estimates soon to be done by the House, the Minority Leader commended the Roads and Highways Minister, for his regular attendance upon the House, adding that the House would not encourage the absence of sector ministers during the consideration of the estimates. Mr Iddrisu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, said there was the need to take the business of the House very seriously, and ministers would have to appear themselves to justify the policies of the Government. In the morning of Thursday, December 7, 2017, during sittings, five ministers failed to appear before the House to answer questions related to their respective ministries. Per the Order Paper, the programme scheduled for the House, five ministers were supposed to show up in Parliament to answer questions. They were the Minister for Railways Development, Minister of Labour and Employment, Minister for Works and Housing, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Minister of Regional Re-organisation and Development; but were absent when proceedings started. Mr Moses Anim, the Second Deputy Majority Chief whip, said the five ministers had written to Parliament to explain why they were unable to attend Thursday's sitting, though he did not give the reasons they gave. 'I hold in my hand responses from the ministers to the table office that the table office just submitted to me. So the ministers have responded. 'If you look at the Order Paper we can vary the order paper [and] suspend sitting,' he said. However, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, the Deputy Minority Chief Whip, expressed dismay about the conduct of the five ministers and said: 'I can't take the response given by the Deputy Whip serious.' He said it was about time ministers took the business of the House 'very seriously'. Mr Alban Sumana Bagbin, the Second Deputy Speaker, who chaired Thursday's sitting, said the five ministers could not use unilateral fiat to justify their non appearance before the House. He asked the Business Committee of the House to reschedule the five Ministers to appear to answer the various questions that had been asked. Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensa-Bonsu, however, indicated that some members of the Leadership of the House were attending the funeral of the late Asantehemaa, hence their absence from proceedings on Thursday. GNA By Benjamin Mensah, GNA 09.12.2017 LISTEN Mr. Jonathan Amoako-Baah, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Grid Company Limited, says the Company would soon dispatch its staff to sleep on the premises of the Electricity Company of Ghana to demand payment of debt. He said two major customers of the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo), namely the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCo), owed the Company GHE540,396,706.37 and GHE30,728,205.78 respectively. 'The strategy we are adopting now is that, we'll ask our people to go to ECG every day to see the Managing Director and the Director of Finance, and drum it home to them that we need this money to finance our projects,' he said. He complained that in view of the indebtedness of those companies, GRIDCo could not carry out a lot of activities, saying; 'We have suppliers, vendors and compensation to pay, but because we don't have money it has stalled our projects'. Mr Amoako-Baah gave the warning on the sidelines of the Company's Eighth Annual General Meeting in Accra, on Friday, to take stock of the year under review and strategise for the way forward. He, however, ruled out cutting supply of electric power to ECG or going to court with the matter, saying; 'We are all government companies and they're our brothers so we'll not fight this legally. I believe that through negotiations we should be able to take our monies from them'. 'The defaulting companies were not fulfilling their indebtedness regularly as agreed, therefore, the debts piled up and the ECG were paying eight million Ghana cedis a week so we asked them to up the payment to 12 million a week,'' he said. He suggested to the Management of ECG to use proceeds from the Energy Bond to defray the debts, adding 'We would have been glad if government gives money from the Energy Bond directly to us, instead of giving it to the ECG before paying us'. Meanwhile, Mr Joseph Cudjoe, a Deputy Minister of Energy, in an earlier address, urged the Board and Management of GRIDCo to ensure resilient, reliable, efficient and cost-effective transmission system. He said when the transmission lines at Bolga and Ouagadougou were completed, it would increase the Company's revenue because more electric power would be transmitted to customers outside the country, which would rake-in more revenue to GRIDCo. He said government had good plans of enhancing the capacity of GRIDCo as outlined in the 2018 Budget Statement, therefore it would work on the generation, transmission and distribution levels to create more transmission systems to prevent the recurrence of the power crisis. Mr Cudjoe said government was implementing a liquidity policy of ensuring immediate fair sharing of proceeds that came through power distribution and was taking medium and long term solvency in the energy sector. The Energy Bond that was issued this year raked-in GHE4.7 billion, which would help ECG and other defaulting companies to pay off their debts. GRIDCo undertakes economic dispatch and transmission of electricity from wholesale suppliers (power generating companies) to bulk customers such as the ECG, Northern Electricity Distribution Company, and the mines. It was established in accordance with the Energy Commission Act, 1997, (Act 541) and incorporated on December 15, 2006 as a private limited company. GRIDCo started operations on August 1, 2008 following the transfer of the Volta River Authority's transmission assets to it. GNA By Godwill Arthur-Mensah/ Julius K. Satsi, GNA An attack which killed 15 United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo late Thursday is one of the worst in the history of the organisation. The following is a look at previous deadly attacks on the so-called Blue Berets: Democratic Republic of Congo - December 7, 2017: At least 15 United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania are killed, in what is the deadliest attack on its forces in the central African country since they were deployed in 1999. At least 53 are wounded, including several critically. The UN peacekeeping mission blames the attack on ADF, a Ugandan Muslim armed group with a presence in the country. - January 23, 2006: Eight Guatemalan peacekeepers are killed in a clash with armed men in the Garamba park in far eastern DRC. They were carrying out reconnaissance missions in the region which is suspected of harbouring fighters from Uganda's deadly Lord's Resistance Army. - February 25, 2005: Nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers are killed in an ambush as they patrol an area in Ituri in northern eastern DRC. Mali - May 29, 2016: Five Togolese peacekeepers are killed in Mali's central region of Mopti, in an attack which is not claimed. - May 18, 2016: Five Chadian peacekeepers are killed in an ambush near Aguelhoc in north eastern Mali. The attack is claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine, which controlled Mali's vast north for nearly 10 months between 2012 and January 2013. - February 12, 2016: Seven peacekeepers from Guinea are killed in a jihadist attack on their base in Kidal, also claimed by Ansar Dine. - July 2, 2015: Six peacekeepers from Burkina Faso are killed in an attack in northern Mali, south west of Timbuktu, claimed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). - October 3, 2014: Nine Nigerian peacekeepers are killed as they travel in the northeastern region of Gao. The attack is claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked MUJAO, one of the groups that controlled northern Mali between 2012 and early 2013. Central African Republic - May 9, 2017: Four Cambodians and one Moroccan peacekeeper are killed during an attack on their convoy in the south east of the Central African Republic. Sudan - July 13, 2013: Seven Tanzanian peacekeepers in the joint UN-African Union force in Darfur, Minuad, are killed in an ambush to near Nyala, one of Darfur's main towns. - July 8, 2008: Seven Minuad soldiers are killed in northern Darfur. Ivory Coast - June 8, 2012: Seven Nigerian peacekeepers working for the UN operation in Ivory Coast, ONUCI, are killed in an ambush near to the western town of Tai, near to the border with Liberia. Lebanon - June 24, 2007: Six members of the Spanish contingent of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force are killed in a car bomb in south Lebanon. Rwanda - April 7, 1994: Ten Belgian Blue Berets charged with protecting Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana are lynched in the first hours of the country's genocide. Somalia - June 5, 1993: 24 peacekeepers from Pakistan are killed in Mogadishu during clashes with warlord General Mohamed Farah Aidid's militia. The United Nations suffered its worst attack on a peacekeeping mission in nearly a quarter of a century on Friday when suspected Ugandan rebels attacked a base in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 15 peacekeepers. The UN Security Council said the peacekeepers, who were all from neighbouring Tanzania, were killed in the North Kivu province late Thursday, alongside five Congolese soldiers, with 53 personnel wounded. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime," he said in a statement. Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the State Department, said Washington was "appalled by the horrific act". The attack is the worst loss of life to a UN peacekeeping force since 1993 when 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Somalia during clashes with a local warlord. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. Graphic on UN peacekeeping operations in Africa. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo -- a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping force in DR Congo, said its operating base at Semuliki, North Kivu, was attacked by "suspected ADF elements". ADF are a Ugandan Muslim rebel group, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly," MONUSCO head Maman Sidikou said in a statement, vowing to bring the attackers to justice. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." Some those wounded in the attack are in critical condition with the medical evacuation of casualties continuing, he added, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene. 500 dead since June MONUSCO, a 18,000-member force, has suffered scores of attacks since its establishment in DR Congo, a vast, mineral-rich but chronically unstable nation home to myriad warring groups and ethnic groups. The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12. The ADF has been accused by Kinshasa and the UN mission of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014. Violence plagues North Kivu on a daily basis, with civilians caught between a coterie of vicious armed groups. Human Rights Watch has documented more than 500 civilian deaths, at least 1,087 people kidnapped, and 11 reports of mass rape in North Kivu alone since June. The UN estimates that more than four million people are internally displaced in DR Congo, and 922,000 people were forced to flee their homes last year -- more than in any other country. Guterres warned in October against budget cuts to MONUSCO, the UN's largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission. The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said on Twitter he was "outraged" by Thursday's violence. The country has also faced violence after President Joseph Kabila, who refused to step down after his final term last December, pushed back a new vote until December 2018. Kabila, in power since 2001, told the UN General Assembly in September that he was moving "towards credible, transparent and peaceful elections" but concerns persist that tensions over the vote will escalate into large-scale violence. "This latest attack highlights the urgency of helping people in need and addressing the volatile situation," Guterres said. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has praised President Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration for performing to expectation. That, he said, had caught not only the attention of Ghanaians or foreigners in Ghana, but high-profile world leaders. The former president was speaking to the media yesterday, December 8, in Accra on the occasion of his 79th birthday celebration. He celebrated the day with 20 children made up of orphans, abandoned and vulnerable kids from the Asiakwa SOS Village in the Eastern Region, to whom he donated learning materials through his JAK Foundation. According to Mr. Kufuor, the number of foreign leaders who had visited Ghana this year alone was unprecedented, adding that that had not happened before in the history of the country. Such visits, the ex-president noted, were clear indications that the current government is doing the right thing as far as managing the affairs of the state is concerned. Visitors' List French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Accra on Thursday, November 30, for a days official visit. His visit was the first by a French President, and formed part of Mr Macrons three-nation tour of Africa which took him to Burkina Faso and Cote dIvoire. Earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had visited Ghana for a two-day visit. His visit, which was the first of a Dutch PM to Ghana, coincided with that of Mr Macron's, making Accra host two powerful world leaders in a day. Before the visits of the French President and the Dutch Prime Minister, the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, had also arrived in Ghana for a two-day state visit. President Outtara of Cote d'Ivoire did same. Also in the country were the Estonian President, Khersty Kaljulaid and the Italian Prime Minister, Paolo Gentiloni. President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, is also expected in Ghana on Monday, 11 December, 2017, for a three-day visit. President Kufuor explained that President Akufo-Addo's administration is doing something great which is catching the attention of such leaders. Potentials Mr. Kufuor further pointed out that Ghana has a lot of potentials for development and urged Ghanaians to exercise patience with the government as it works to make the country better. Revisiting his 'Akufo-Addo government is not cassava to mature in six months' comment, Mr Kufuor explained that government has done a lot in its first-year and underscored that just as it can even take cassava sometime to mature, it will also take the government sometime to get everything right as the citizens want. Remain Vigilant He pleaded with the media to appreciate government's policies and initiatives and analyze them from objective rather than 'bias' viewpoints. The former president again urged the media to continue to play their watchdog role effectively over the government to ensure that it does not lose track in delivering its mandate to the citizens. You don't take your eyes off the performance of government so the government will not forget itself; government will not allow power to get into its head to begin to behave like it's the end of wisdom, it's the end of power, he said. According to him, You have to keep the government on its toes to do the right thing. The responsibility is not only on government, it's also on the people. Osafo-Maafo Confesses Earlier, Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo, who served as Finance Minister under ex-President Kufuor, had confessed that no government had really managed the economy of Ghana as the Akufo-Addo administration has done within just a period of one year. Delivering a keynote address at the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC's) Club 100 Awards on November 30, this year, the senior minister recounted that during his tenure as finance minister, he and his colleague finance ministers from across Africa had to resort to begging to book appointment with their counterparts from the western world at international economic summits organized by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in New York and other cities overseas. However, he said, this year when a delegation from Ghana's economic management team headed by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta visited New York for IMF summit, it was rather finance ministers from Europe and other parts of the world that were begging to book appointment with Mr Ofori-Atta. According to him, that was a testimony that world leaders had seen great potentials in the country's economic management team. By Melvin Tarlue EX-PRESIDENT JOHN Agyekum Kufuor marked his 79th birthday yesterday, December 8, in a charitable fashion, as he donated learning materials through his John Agyekum Kufuor (JAK) Foundation, to children in the SOS Village at Asiakwa in the Eastern Region. Mr. Kufuor, in the company of his wife, Theresa Kufuor, and officials of the JAK Foundation, received 20 children from the Village at his residence at the Airport Residential Area, Accra, where the presentation of the items was made. Aside the donation, the former president treated the kids who were accompanied by their teachers to sumptuous meals and melodious songs rendered by the Winneba Youth Choir. It's your grandfather's birthday, he told the children in an emotional tone while presenting the bags and the books which have his picture on them, to the kids. As a grandfather wishing his grandchildren to grow up to become great citizens, Mr. Kufuor urged the kids to take education seriously, fear God and respect their fellow humans. You should be your brother's keeper. What you do not like to be done to you, don't do it to your brother, he admonished them. He stressed the need for them to embrace the ideals of fellow feeling and live in harmony with one another. Director of the SOS Village, Emmanuel Effirim, thanked the former president for his kind gesture and wished him long life and good health. 09.12.2017 LISTEN He may not personally be occupying lands officially owned by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) presently, but if it is true that he allowed such lands to be snapped up under his tenure as Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, then Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul is perfectly within his rights to caustically carp former President John Dramani Mahama for so irresponsibly allowing some members of his administration to occupy state lands officially allocated to the highest security organization in the country. Warning Mr. Nitiwul to be mindful of the transient nature of power, as Peacefms radio program host Mr. KwamiSefaKayi is widely reported to have done, amounted to raw intimidation. And Mr. SefaKayi ought to be asked to explain himself (See Mahamas Land Issue: Power Is Transient SefaKayi Tells Defense Minister Peacefmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 12/9/17). He ought to further explain himself because life itself, as we all know, is inescapably transient. Does this therefore imply that people in high positions of public trust must condone the irresponsible acts of their predecessors? And just what does Mr. SefaKayi suppose makes the former President a unique exception to the rules of responsible leadership? I raise these questions because Mr. Mahama has more than amply demonstrated in the recent past that he has absolutely no regard for the laws of the land. First, it was the same Mr. Mahama who, having been resoundingly trounced at the polls by the now-President Addo DankwaAkufo-Addo, adamantly refused to vacate the official residence of the Vice-President of Ghana which, by the way, he had earlier on refused to vacate and fully move into the Flagstaff House,in order for the newly named Vice-President Kwesi BekoeAmissah-Arthur to move into the house that had once been occupied by the late Vice-President Aliu Mahama. At this juncture, the most logical question to ask here is as follows: If Vice-President Aliu Mahama had refused to vacate his official residence at the end of his 8-year tenure as the second-most-powerful Ghanaian politician, would Mr. Dramani Mahama have gotten the chance and the privilege to occupy the same residence when he and the late President John Evans Atta-Mills were voted into power? This patent and lurid act of political and leadership irresponsibility is what prominent and highly respected journalists like Mr. SefaKayi ought to be talking about, rather than bizarrely, curiously and cynically attempting to make a convenient scapegoat out of Mr. Nitiwul, who is darn righteous in his dutiful cause and course of restoring official respectability to the statutory institutions and the laws of the land. At any rate, isnt it rather ironic for a man nauseatingly given to wearing military uniforms to be behaving as if he were a law unto himself? The last time that we heard from the man, shortly after his sound butt-kicking by Nana Akufo-Addo in last Decembers polls, Mr. Mahama claimed that he had acquired a sizable tract of arable land in his Gonja homeland on which he intended to spend his retirement from active politics farming. So whatever happened to his contribution to President Akufo-Addos Planting for Food and Jobs policy initiative? Indeed, Mr. Nitiwul is not merely taking a personal issue with the former President; rather, he is taking a far larger issue entailing the gross leadership irresponsibility of Mr. Mahama at the national level. For instance, we are told that military lands in nearly every part of the country have been illegally ceded to known officials of the Mahama regime. Now, tell us, Mr. SefaKayi, what is so abominably wrong with reclaiming these stolen lands? Or are you saying that, somehow, Mr. Mahama, as President of Ghana, reserved an inalienable democratic and constitutional right to have his minions and political associates grab state-owned lands like cookies in a jar, without any regard to what the law actually says? Come on, Brother SefaKayi, explain yourself! *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs On this special occasion of your Birthday, I, Rev Alex Acheampong, National Chairman of the Germany Branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on behalf of the leadership and members of the Germany Branch want to wish you H.E. John Agyekum Kuffour, Former President of the Republic of Ghana a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. We want to join the Millions of Ghanaians and well-wishers around the world to celebrate you on your remarkable contribution to the development of the Republic of Ghana. Exactly seventeen years ago you took the challenge to offer a selfless service to the good people of Ghana to bring socio-economic transformation to the political history of Ghana at a period where the nations economic fortunes were in shambles. Your contribution to the development of the Republic of Ghana will forever stand tall among your compatriots. You served Ghanaians with an unquestionable dedication inspired by your unwavering desire to soften the lives of Ghanaians who had suffered untold economic hardship from successive governments since independence. Although you led a government that was touted as a government with Capitalist ideology; nonetheless, your government against all odds introduce flagship socialist policies; notably the laconic introduction of the life saving National Health Insurance Scheme to provide assessable healthcare delivery to Ghanaians. This was a period where unsuspecting Ghanaians who could not pay for their healthcare had to go to their early grave due to the killer Cash and carry system. Again, millions of Ghanaian mothers enjoyed a sound and safe child-birth as a result of the Free Maternal Healthcare system implemented by your government. The introduction of the Livelihood Empowerment Program (LEAP) in March 2008 brought heavy economic relief to thousands of poor households mostly living in deprived communities across the country. Also, your government in its quest to actualize the Free compulsory Basic Education (FCUBE) as enshrined in the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana affirmed the Free Basic Education and crowned it with the popular School Feeding Program to provide free lunch to Junior High School pupils; a policy which has drastically increased school enrolment in Ghana to a record high. Moreover, your government drastically tackled youth unemployment by executing the National Youth Employment Program to provide employment to thousands of Ghanaian youth. Time will not permit me to talk about the numerous infrastructural Projects your government raised all across the country. Inarguably, your achievements in your eight years as the President of the Republic of Ghana from January 7, 2001, to January 7, 2009, will forever remain in Ghanas political archives and will forever project you as one of the most outstanding Statesmen ever served as the President of the Republic of Ghana. May your legacy live on. HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOUR EXCELLENCY! FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA H.E. JOHN AGYEKUM KUFFOUR Rev Alex Acheampong National Chairman NPP Germany Saudi Arabias harsh policies towards Yemen, Lebanon and Qatar received severe criticism from the Trumps Administration, which urged Riyadh to temper its regional action. With respect to Saudi Arabias engagement with Qatar, how theyre handling the Yemen war that theyre engaged in, the Lebanon situation, we would encourage them to be a bit more measured and a bit more thoughtful in those actions to, I think, fully consider the consequences, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the press in Paris. The United States is gravely concerned by the recent escalation in violence and continued dire humanitarian conditions in Yemen, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Friday. We urge all parties to immediately cease hostilities, reenergize political talks and end the suffering of the Yemeni people, the statement adds. The Trump administrations increased engagement on the Yemen civil war comes after humanitarian groups criticized the administration for ignoring the increasingly dire situation there. US support for the campaign includes selling the Saudis weapons, providing limited intelligence and helping with logistics such as air refueling. The US also stressed that the Iranian-backed Houthi militias must allow food, medicine and fuel to be distributed throughout the areas they control, rather than diverted to sustain their military campaign against the Yemeni people. This humanitarian aid must be allowed to immediately reach all points of need. The war in Yemen has killed more than 10,000 civilians and driven the Arab worlds poorest country towards a humanitarian disaster. 09.12.2017 LISTEN If you facilely grant that Mr. Francis Kofi-Nwia Kwame Nkrumah is the founder of Modern Ghana, then, of course, you equally need to grant that Mr. Jerry John Rawlings, the former Ghana Airforces flight-lieutenant, is the Founding-Father of Ghanas Fourth Republic (See Dont Credit Dictator Rawlings with 4th Republic Okudzeto [sic] Classfmonline.com / Ghanaweb.com 11/9/17). Fortunately, like most of us political pragmatists of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition, Mr. Sam Okudjeto does not subscribe to such ahistorical poppycock. Indeed, the foundation of great nations like Modern Ghana is invariably and inevitably constructed by a team, although there may be one figure, or personality, made by circumstances to stand out from the rest of the pack. This process is often either by deft and mischievous scheming on the part of the protagonist, or it may be a pure act of destiny in the form of the protagonists being unanimously recognized and accepted for his/her sterling leadership qualities. Such were the cases of Americas General George Washington, South Africas Nelson Rolihlala Mandela and Ghanas Kwame Nkrumah. The latters assumption of the mantle of leadership of the erstwhile Colonial Gold Coast was forged as a result of the scandalous complacency of the leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the first serious political movement and quasi-political party to agitate for the reassertion of African sovereignty from European imperialism. I have written and published quite extensively about this phase of Ghanas independence struggle, so I do not intend to unnecessarily belabor the same in this column. In sum, in deciding to appoint a hopelessly ambitious young Mr. Kwame Nkrumah, what the smug and morbidly confident, if also politically conservative and programmatically deliberate leaders of the UGCC had not readily recognized was that this decision also effectively marked the epochal changing of the guard, both practically and proverbially speaking. Dr. J. B. Danquah, the philosophical and theoretical wit behind the UGCC might have eerily recognized this inevitable and, in retrospect, unstoppable flux of history, thus his alleged reluctance to the executive decision to indefinitely suspend the only salaried operative of the UGCC. Nkrumah was, of course, the movements General-Secretary. The rest, as we say, is history. In the case of Chairman Jerry John Rawlings as well, the brief taste of power, as leader of the so-called Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), in the three-month period between June and September 1979, had emboldened this otherwise largely unknown half-Scottish pilot of the Ghana Airforce. Legend has it that Flt.-Lt. Rawlings had even piloted then Head-of-State or junta leader General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, the man who had overthrown the democratically and constitutionally elected Progress Party (PP) government of Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia on several trips, both internally and abroad. He had gotten dangerously close to power and found it to be extremely tempting, if also because he found the players to be disdainfully all too mortal and pathologically corrupt like most of us ordinary humans. And they were irredeemably full-blooded Black as well, which made them all the more despicable. That was when the irresistible call for Revolution began to beckon. Eighty-two-year-old Mr. Okudjeto is perfectly correct that absolutely no military dictator relinquishes power because he has suddenly been enlightened by the splendorous beauty of democratic culture. Indeed, even as the legendary African-American leader, former slave and human and civil rights activist and abolitionist Mr. Frederick Douglass pointedly observed more than a century ago, Power concedes absolutely nothing except on demand. It never did; and it never will. In other words, even as the former President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) recently observed, it was pressure from both internal and external forces that compelled Chairman Rawlings to consent to playing by the rules of democratic engagement and governance, not vice versa. But clearly, most of all, it was the revolutionary winds of change that swept through much of the Eastern World and the erstwhile Eastern-Bloc countries in the late 1980s and the early 90s that inexorably determined that the left-leaning and swashbuckling Chairman Rawlings would end his bloody political career on a civilized democratic note. Reliable legend has it that it was then-President William Bill Jefferson Blye Clinton, prevailed upon by Ghanas most famous diplomat and then-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Mr. Kofi Annan, who ensured that the brutal Butcher-of-Sogakope and Godfather of the Trokosi Mafia Nationalists would shoehorn himself into an acceptable political culture of engagement. Here again, as they say, the rest is the prime grist of history. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs The Nyinahin District police in the Ashanti Region has arrested a 13-year-old boy for allegedly defiling a one-and-a-half-year-old girl at Nyinahin, capital of the Atwima Mponua District. The suspect (name withheld) will be charged with defilement, according to the police. ASP Ambrose Aboagye, Nyinahin District Police Commander, told Hello Fm in Kumasi that the victim was on admission at the Nyinahin Government Hospital, while the suspect had been detained by the police. He said the 13-year-old boy sexually abused a toddler in the community previously. The police chief disclosed that the case had been forwarded to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, which would arraign the suspect before court and give the victim psychological treatment. The toddler needs psychological therapy to deal with the trauma, and the boy will also have to undergo counselling after his trial, ASP Aboagye declared. He admonished members of the public against settling rape cases at home in order not to embolden prospective defilers to indulge in the crime. Members of Parliament (MPs), who attended the 60th anniversary of the Kumasi Academy Senior High School (KUMACA), have expressed fear that they could be infected with the Influenza Type A H1N1, an acute respiratory disease that has killed 11 students of KUMACA. Minority Chief Whip and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mubarak Muntaka said he and other MPs, as well as President Akufo-Addo and some ministers took part in the event at KUMACA, which is located in the constituency. He said it would be prudent for all of them to be vaccinated against the disease. The minority chief whip expressed the concern when the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu yesterday confirmed to Members of Parliament on the floor of the House that the 11 students of KUMACA died from Influenza Type A H1N1 or Swine Flu. The Asawase MP said all of them could also be infected after staying on campus for more than four hours in the school for the anniversary. Since the disease is airborne, it could be contracted through breathing, shaking hands and any physical contact with an infected person, all the MPs, the Ministers and the President could easily be exposed, according to him. He therefore appealed to the health authorities to vaccinate all students, MPs and Ministers, who visited the school for the 60th anniversary. Mr Speaker, personally I have visited the school several times and shook hands with headmasters and other teachers. After coming back, I shook hands with the speaker, the majority and minority leaders, as well as other MPs, he said. The Asawase MP said it would be prudent for the vaccination to be fast-tracked by the authorities to prevent more deaths. The incubation period of the disease is four days and so if that period, there are no signs of headache, fever, cough and bodily pains then one has not contracted the disease, the Minister said. He said the ministry is working fervently with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to bring in the vaccines. According to him, procurement process for the importation of the vaccines had been completed and that any moment from now they would be administered. He said that the health and education authorities have decided to vaccinate the students on campus in order to prevent an epidemic. 09.12.2017 LISTEN Lome, Togo, December 8, 2017--Cameroonian authorities detained Patrice Nganang, a Cameroonian-American academic and columnist, as he attempted to fly to Zimbabwe from Douala on December 6, according to his lawyer and media reports. The lawyer, Emmanuel Simh, told CPJ that Nganang is being held in Yaounde on accusations of offending the president in a Facebook post. Authorities confiscated the journalist's phone and he was not granted access to legal counsel until today, Simh said. "The detention of Patrice Nganang is an outrage and Cameroonian authorities must immediately release him without charge and allow him to travel," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal from South Africa. "Cameroon seems intent on violating the right to freedom of expression to silence critical voices, including in the press." Nganang's arrest came a day after he published a critical column in the France-based news magazine Jeune Afrique, that criticized President Paul Biya's handling of unrest in Cameroon's Anglophone regions. Nganang, a professor at the U.S. Stony Brook University and contributing columnist for Jeune Afrique, visited the regions affected by protests, according to a statement by the African Literature Association and media reports. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has appealed to Ghanaians to be patience in the Nana Addos led NPP government as they are putting pragmatic and sustainable measures in place to transform the country. According to Mr Kufour governance is not easy, is the most difficult job on this earth so it takes time to institute measures to build the nation. Speaking in an interview with OTEC FMS Piesie Lardi on December 8, 2017 to mark his 79th birthday celebration, the Former President Kufuor stated that now that NPP programmes have been rolled out, the benefits would be experienced by the Ghanaian people soon stressing that Ghana is now in the safe hands of Nana Akufo-Addo as the president. He observed that the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) mismanaged state funds and left huge debt in the national coffers for the NPP to inherit and therefore entreated Ghanaians to exercise patience, as the government put in place pragmatic measures to transform the battered economy and change the lives of citizens. Mr. Kufuor pointed out that the fulfilment of Nana Akufo-Addos campaign promises would ensure the rapid development of the country, and urged the citizenry to exercise patience and support the government. He said some bold decision was taken by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo towards the implementation of poverty intervention strategies, as well as good and realistic economic policies and programmes had set good perimeters for long-term socio-economic growth that would facilitate accelerated national development. He said if Ghanaians remained supportive, the implementation of the one-district-one-factory, and the one-district-one-warehouse projects, as well as the planting for food and jobs programme free SHS, reviving of NHIS and other policies of the Nana Addo led NPP government could propel the country into a realistic middle-income bracket by 2020. These laudable policies can create thousands of jobs for majority of the unemployed young men and women in the formal and informal sectors, he indicated. My appeal to Ghanaians is that they should exercise patience because governance is not easy; I can say that no job is difficult than governance and every Ghanaians can testify that NPP government inherited a weak economy but the pragmatic measures putting in place by this government will transform the country, Mr. Kufuor assured. Accra, 8th December, 2017Businesses should aim at reducing the negative impact of their activities on the environment.This was one of the key messages that emerged from a Green Business Forum organised by the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) and SNV Ghana. The forum, held within the context of the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) project, aimed to discuss the potential for green businesses in Ghana; determine the challenges they face; and explore the required interventions to address the challenges. The discussions at the forum focused on the importance for businesses to adopt principles and practices that protect the environment and lives. The forum discussions strongly emphasized the need for businesses toreduce resource inputs and increase efficiency in their production processes, minimize waste and strengthen their infrastructure to reduce environmental impacts whiles providing environmental goods and services.Doing businessin an environmentally friendly manner, will help promote responsible production, address climate change effects and generate wealth for inclusive growth, remarked Dr Eric Twum, Policy Fellow for Climate Change and Sustainable Development at UNU-INRA. Dr Twum added that such practices are essential for enterprises to be considered green businesses. Speaking at the panel discussion on Green Business Opportunities: Challenges and Policy Interventions, Mrs LevinaOwusu, the Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI)urged industries and the public to help protect the environment from degradation and deforestation. She admonished individuals that cut down trees to do well to replant for restoration. She statedthat issues of the environment should be everyones business because these issues affect us all. If our environment is impoverished, we will all be impoverished. The panellists at the forum acknowledged the contributions of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) towards economic growth and recognised the need for comprehensive policies to help mainstream the activities of these enterprises in Ghana. One of the panellists, Mr Papa Bartels, Team Leader of Industrial Sub-Contract and Partnership Exchange at the Ministry of Trade and Industry indicatedthat about 90% of businesses in Ghana are small to medium size enterprises andpolicies targeting SMEs will help build their capacities and minimize environmental challenges that confront the sector. He addedthat the Government of Ghana is in the process of developing apolicy on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to regulate and sanitise the sector. Similarly, in addressing a question onthe challenges that small businesses facein getting financial assistance for their activities, Mr Ebenezer Arthur, the Chief Executive Officer of Wangara Capital stressed on the need for SMEs to ensure that they have competitive and go-to-market services/ products, competent teams and should operate in a more transparent and accountable manner, so as to attract funding. He observed that money goes to where there are opportunities and there is the need for agro-businesses and other small green enterprises to present their businesses in ways that attract investors. The importance of collaboration and partnership among green businesses also emerged strongly at a secondpanel discussion dubbed Time with Successful Entrepreneurs. Sharing his business experience in the waste management sector, Mr Immanuel B. Nartey-Tokoli, the Managing Director of Jekora Ventures encouraged the participants to have the courage and trust to form partnerships to promote the growth of their businesses. He noted that trust is key to business partnership and we need to collaborate to ensure the sustainability of our business activities. Aninteresting session of the forum involved selected participants of a pre-advertised competition, pitching their green business concepts to a panel.Synergy Recycle and Waste Management companyemerged as the overall winner, andwill get the opportunity to enter the concept presentation stage for the upcoming GCIC selection process for the third cohort of businesses. Synergy Recycle and Waste Management uses saw dust and wood shaving to produce wood pellets for cooking in special cook stoves; helping to reducecarbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emission from the use of fire wood and other unsafe cooking methods,and deforestation, especially by rural communities. The Green Business Forum also included an exhibition, where some entrepreneurs showcased their businesses in various areas including energy efficiency, waste management, water purification, and agricultural machineries. The event brought together 200 participants including policy makers, development partners, business and financial experts, and entrepreneurs. It was held as part of UNU-INRA and SNVs contributions to the GCIC project to help address the policy and regulatory challenges of the clean technology sector in Ghana. The GCIC projectis providing business advisory services, business mentoring, capacity building services and financial grants to qualifying SMEs in Ghana. It is being implemented by Ashesi University, SNV, Enst&Young, and the United Nations University (UNU-INRA). About UNU-INRA UNU-INRAs mandate is to contribute to the sustainable management of Africas natural resources through research, capacity development, policy advice and dissemination. For further information, please visit: www.inra.unu.edu About GCIC The Ghana Climate Innovation Center (GCIC) is an incubation hub that is providing financing, mentoring, training and business advisory services to support emerging entrepreneurs and new ventures involved in developing locally appropriate solutions to climate change mitigation and adaptation in Ghana. Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the Centre is being managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College and including Ernst & Young, SNV Ghana, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA). For further information, kindly visit: www.ghanacic.org 09.12.2017 LISTEN A healthy mind lives in a healthy body, likewise health is the wealth of every nation. The outbreak of Swine flu at the Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti Region has necessitated the need for each and every one to be abreast with what swine flu is and what to do to avoid or treat it! My condolence to the bereaved families; may the souls of our departed brethren be accepted into the heavenly home of the Almighty. WHAT IS SWINE FLU OR H1NI FLU? H1N1 is also known as swine flu.It is caused by a virus. The name swine flu emerged as a result of the fact that people contracted this kind of flu after coming in contact with infected pigs. Over time, people contracted this disease without necessarily haven to get a direct contact with a piggy. This became a new virus known as the H1NI Virus. MODE OF TRANSMISSION: It is airborne, hence can easily be contracted even when standing next to an infected person who sneezes or coughs on you without covering the mouth and nose. If an infected person coughs or sneezes and produces these viral droplets on any surface, you can also contract it when you touch those surfaces as well. So you can imagine what will happen when you kiss an infected person. It is worthy to discard the erroneous impression, that one can contract it from eating pork or any piggy well prepared products. Feel free to eat your well cooked pork! SYMPTOMS: Fever, cough, runny nose, Sore throat,chills, fatigue, Body aches and Headache are some of the symptoms of the H1NI flu. COMPLICATIONS; Complications can include pneumonia, lung infection, and acute respiratory infections. Diabetic and asthmatic conditions could also deteriorate. PREVENTION: -Obtain a flu vaccineannually. - Wash your hands thoroughly under running water after handshake or simply use hand sanitizers. -Avoid overcrowded places. -Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth after coming in direct contact (with your hands) with people. -observe infection prevention practices at all times and most particularly when around sick people. -Constantly observe personal hygiene. This should be seen as a standard way of a healthy life. TREATMENT: For the tendency of people to self-medicate and abuse medicines, I am not going to go into any specific treatment. The best practice is for infected persons to visit the nearest health facility for treatment. However, some antiviral drugs used in the treatment seasonal flu can also be used for the H1N1 flu. The efficacy of the drugs is better when taken within 48 hours of the first flu symptoms, that notwithstanding, drugs can still be used when a diagnosis is made. H1NI is caused by a virus hence, no need in wasting your time on antibiotics for the treatment of only flu! Pain, medications could be added to relief aches, pains, and fever. Don't give aspirin to children under age 18 because of the risk of Reyes syndrome and know which pain relief is appropriate for persons with peptic ulcer disease. Lest I forget, wash your hands with soap under running water now, and always! Senior journalist, Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako has condemned spiritualists who have linked a fatal health crisis in Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) to spiritual causes. The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper said such intepretations only add to public panic following the death of four students of Kumasi Academy(KUMACA) in the Ashanti region. They died from what has been confirmed as Influenza Type A (H1N1) known as swine flu. But while the cause of death took at least one week to confirm, panicking parents besieged the school to demand for the release of their wards. Some in Kumasi attributed the myterious deaths to a river deity in the area who may have been angered by some of the students. A popular pastor Isaac Owusu Bempah also blamed evil spirits. "The spirit is hovering around the dining hall and when the children are eating, the spirit invokes death through their meals. What is happening is in the dining hall". Some other pastors went to the school with their members to pray for students and teachers. But Mr Baako has asked Ghanaians to ignore osofo mokos" (fake pastors and prophets), he believes are worsening the situation. He said the space for identifying the cause of the health crisis has to be left for the health experts. Related Article: Confirmed! KUMACA students died of Swine Flu The veteran journalists expressed worry at what he perceives is an increasing emergence of pastors who surface to explain tragedies or claim to have seen some such tragedy in the spiritual realms before it occurred. "It is becoming too rampant", he said. We are quite a superstitious people[but this] is not good [because] it adds to the panic, he told Samson Lardy Anyenini, host of Joy FM/MultiTVs news analysis programme Newsfile Saturday. Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Emmanuel Akwetey has lauded the Health Ministry for crisis-intervention efforts. The intervention has been swift and assuring, he said, charging health officers to sustain public education about the disease. Related Article: Govt to absorb funeral expenses of KUMACA victims; gives families 5,000 Meanwhile, the government has promised to bear the full funeral expenses of the four Kumasi Academy (KUMACA) students who died after they contracted the swine flu virus. An initial sum of 5,000 has each been given to the families of the deceased persons, to start the burial arrangements. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | M: [email protected] | Instagram: @realbrakopowers Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a front-runner for the leadership of South Africa's ruling ANC party, called during a campaign speech in Durban Saturday for a peaceful contest instead of a "fight amongst enemies". Dlamini-Zuma made the call in what was likely to be her final major appearance ahead of the African National Congress' elective conference to select President Jacob Zuma's successor as party leader in Johannesburg between December 16 and 20. Zuma's ex-wife and former African Union Commission chair has been locked in an increasingly bitter fight with fellow frontrunner Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa -- but called for party unity and a peaceful conference. "This is a democratic process -- it is not a fight amongst enemies... it's a festival of ideas, so you must be prepared to argue your case," she said, adding that the eventual winner would need to go on to unite the party and the country ahead of general elections due in 2019. Dlamini-Zuma, 68, who spoke largely in Zulu, wore her trademark green head-wrap and shawl and was buffeted by high winds as she addressed the large, enthusiastic crowd at the Sugar Ray Xulu stadium. She will go into the conference trailing Ramaphosa, 65, who has a lead among regional party delegates whose votes make up 90 percent of the final ballot for the new leader. He currently has 1,859 pledges to her 1,330 according to a provisional toll of regional ANC party branch members published on Tuesday. Other leadership hopefuls include parliament speaker Baleka Mbete and presidency minister Jeff Radebe -- although they are seen as outsiders. 'Emancipation of women' There are 4,731 branch delegates in all who will make up roughly 90 percent of the votes that will be cast at the elective conference to pick a new leader. Branch delegates can change their votes up until the conference. The remaining votes are reserved for delegates from the ANC's Women's, Youth and Veteran's branches as well as provincial executive committee members. The women's and youth leagues are seen as fierce Dlamini-Zuma supporters and she praised them enthusiastically during her speech. She also called for a radical reshaping of the country's ailing economy. "The financial sector must be transformed... Industrialisation is the key -- along with manufacturing," she said, calling for major investment in infrastructure, including spending on high speed rail. Dlamini-Zuma also pledged action on unemployment which has remained stubbornly high -- more than 26 percent. She also complained that the majority of the country's economy remains in the hands of "the minority" -- a reference to the country's white population who make up nine percent of South Africans -- 23 years after the end of white-minority rule. In her most enthusiastically received comments, Dlamini-Zuma appealed to female members of the ANC to back her run for the party's presidency. "National democratic transformation cannot triumph without the emancipation of women," she told the crowds in a speech that was more lively and confident than some of her recent campaign appearances. "We won't be ruled and we don't expect anyone to be ruled." Italy and Libya will set up a joint commission in a bid to fight back against people traffickers and tackle the problem of illegal migration, the Tripoli government said Saturday. The announcement was made after talks in the Libyan capital between Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti and Libya's Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Intelligence agents, coastguard and judicial officials from both countries will sit on the commission, Sarraj's office said in a statement. Human-trafficking networks have flourished in the chaos that followed a NATO-backed uprising which toppled long-time Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. Illegal migrants at a detention centre in Zawiyah west of the Libyan capital Tripoli, on December 8, 2017 Sarraj said on Thursday the number of migrants stranded in his country was "staggering... we are talking about 500,000 migrants outside holding centres and 20,000 in the 42 centres run by the interior ministry". But speaking after talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Libyan premier vowed to take action to ease the plight of these migrants, most of whom come from sub-Saharan Africa. Minniti praised Libya's efforts to rescue migrants abandoned at sea by unscrupulous people traffickers, but said more cooperation was needed to monitor the country's southern borders. He said central European countries will be providing Libya with 35 million euros ($40 million) within a week to help the North African country in its anti-immigration efforts, the statement added. The US coordinator for counterterrorism, Nathan A. Sales, underscored Moroccos core contribution to international anti-terrorism efforts through its leading role as co-chair of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF). The US official said at a hearing before the US senate foreign relations subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and counterterrorism, that Morocco, which co-chairs with the USA the Initiative to Address Homegrown Terrorism, has undertaken efforts domestically and in the region to combat radical ideologies and violent extremism. He commended the leadership of Morocco during the hearing held under the theme: Beyond the Islamic State: the fight against terrorism, radicalization and the promotion of stability in North Africa. Morocco and the Netherlands had been re-elected as chair of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum for a new two-year term, on the occasion of the 8th ministerial meeting of this body, held last September in New York. The United States and Morocco officially launched the Initiative to Address Homegrown Terrorism on November 16 in Malta, convening over 70 government officials, law enforcement officers, and non-governmental representatives from 25 countries. In April 2016, Morocco took over the GCTF co-chair role from Turkey. Morocco and the Netherlands serve as GCTF co-chairs and the co-chairs of the GCTF Foreign Terrorist Fighters Working Group. In addition to serving as Co-Chair of the GCTF, Morocco participates in the State Department Antiterrorism Assistance Program, cooperates with US Customs and Border Protection and DHS to address watch-listed travelers. Morocco also has a framework agreement with the US to develop mutual expertise in the areas of crisis management, border security, and terrorism investigations to strengthen regional counterterrorism capability and to deny space to terrorism and terrorist networks. Likewise, Morocco is at the forefront of efforts to counter the appeal of violent extremism within its own borders and in the broader region. One of Moroccos key programs to provide religious training by the Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, Morchidines, and Morchidates, which aims to prepare the next generation of Muslim religious leaders from across the region to counter extremist interpretations of Islam continues to be in high demand, and in 2018 will welcome a record 1,240 foreign Islamic preacher trainees from Mali, Guinea, Cote dIvoire, Senegal, Chad, Nigeria, and France. Students of the Koforidua Secondary Technical School, (SECTEC) in the Eastern region have embarked on a special clean up exercise of the dormitories upon advice from health officials who were in the school Saturday morning. The health officials who were in school met the students at the assembly hall and took them through some preventive measures against the disease. This comes after a student died Friday morning at the Regional Government Hospital, of meningitis. Sources in the school indicate that, the deceased continued to complain to his friends of severe fever and body weakness about a week ago after he took part in the Schools 50th anniversary float last week but his condition worsened and later complained of stiff neck. He was sent to the hospital by some of his classmates Thursday at the knowledge of school authorities. Uncle of the deceased, identified as Dr. Edwin Okoampa Boadu, in an interview with Starr News said he got to know of the ill health condition of his nephew on Friday but was met with bad news of his death upon arrival at the Hospital. Some of the students accused school authorities for the death of their colleagues because they claim he was refused exeat to visit the hospital early. School Authorities are have so far not been available to speak on the matter. Bedtime comes early for residents in Ashanti regional capital Kumasi where a curfew is invoked as part of the final funeral rites of the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem. The late queenmother,Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem This is one of the highlights of the funeral rites that lasts 15 days and that bars any other funeral within the kingdom. The deceased queenmother is getting the mother of all funerals treatment in the region where culture and tradition has shrugged off the influence of westernization. This evening no one is to be seen on the streets of Kumasi, shops and bars are closed in a move where compliance is certain and guaranteed. The curfew lasts from 9pm to 5am. Explaining what happens during the curfew, historian at the Manhyia Palace Nana Osei Bonsu Sarfo Kantanka said, the king and queen would go the where the queen who has passed away was buried. The ancestral home at Breman is about eight kilometers from Manhyia, the royal palace It will be a midnight gathering at the tomb where an effigy will be presented to the deceased royal. Also part of this evening's funeral rites, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the Asantehemaa, Nana Ama Konadu will go the burial site with the clan pot or abusua kuruwa. The hairs and finger nails of royals are collected and deposited in it as a sign of cleansing and matrilineal unity, and for the ancestors to maintain a spiritual bond with their families. After the journey to Breman, the royalty will drop the black and red mourning attire, which they have worn since they started going to the village of the Asantehemaa, and put on white apparels. This journey through the streets to Breman is a royal burial tradition that is not without mystery and rumours. It is believed heads are chopped off to accompany the late queenmother has she makes an invisible journey to join her ancestors. It is a taboo to encounter the company that makes its way to the burial site and consequences is believed to be fatal But the historian kicked away this perception back to where he said it belonged - 100 years ago. "We live under a constitution and Ashantis are not above the constitutionnobody will chop anybody's head" he was emphatic. He explained that in the days where traditional authority was the supreme law of the land, chiefs could hand down death penalties on a criminal. But the sentence hangs on the person like sword of Damocles until a king or queen dies. Immediately, a person under sentence is arrested and the pronouncement is executed - literally. "If you are lucky and a death penalty has been passed on you and for 30years a king or queen has not died, you live your normal life. But when a king or queen dies that is when you are called upon to offer your head", the historian made the death sound like a diplomatic invitation. Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com| additional files from Graphic President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the 93-year-old former guerilla-war leader, has finally kissed the reins of governance goodbye. But, of course, he did not go quietly. Like many a dyed-in-the-wool African dictator, this democratically elected equivalent of a military dictator had to be literally pushed off the scene by that countrys military commanders. I was pleasantly surprised to learn just the other day that, in fact, at least a couple of democratically elected African leaders have been calling for the longtime leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (or ZANU-PF) to step down, after having dominated his countrys political firmaments for some 37 years (See Mugabe Must Go: Botswanas Khama and Ivory Coasts Ouattara Back Exit Calls AfricaNews.com / Reuters.com 11/17/17). The two leaders in question are Messrs. Ian Khama, of Botswana, and AlassaneOuattara, of La Cote dIvoire. The latter just emerged from a brutal war in which he was staunchly backed by France, the former colonial power. His wife is also a French woman. As well, his main political opponent and the man whose government he finally unseated in a bloody civil war a veritable misnomer, of course Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, is currently being tried for war crimes, together with his wife; and so the jury may still be out on President AlassaneDramaneOuattara. In the past, President Ouattara served as the appointed Prime Minister to that countrys seminal postcolonial president, Dr. Felix HouphouetteBoigny, who also ruled his country for some three decades. And so whether Mr. Ouattarasavvily breaks with the dictatorial or monarchical past remains to be seen. The routine practice, as witnessed in places like Uganda and Rwanda, has been for leaders who fiercely and brutally fought their way into the seat of governance to perennially entrench themselves. This is what the leaders of the African Union (AU) ought to be concerning themselves with, rather than the patently irrelevant question of whether the generals who intervened in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital, to prevent President Mugabe from transferring power to his wife, Grace, had done so in flagrant breach of that countrys constitution. The fact of the matter is thatformer Prime Minister Mugabe had morphed from the Westminster-style of political accountability into an executive president and has been rigging his countrys election since at least 1987 or thereabouts. And the AU had sat mum as if all was hunky-dory. And so it is a bit farcical to hear AU President, Mr. Alpha Conde, describe the military action in Harare as a coup detat. The generals who intervened, to forestall the certain possibility of the establishment of a Mugabe Dynasty, have said that they do not intend to hang onto power, and that they only intervened to clear off the criminals who have surrounded Mr. Mugabe and are choking the healthy ministration of democratic governance with abject and rank corruption. They intend to get back to the barracks, once they have assured themselves that their country is, once again, back in legitimate hands. Indeed, even as I write, the former Vice-President of Zimbabwe, Mr. Emmerson Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe lieutenant in the brutal liberation struggle years in the late 1960s and early 1970s, who was sacked by Mr. Mugabe a couple of weeks ago, has just been sworn in as the substantive leader of ZANU-PF and President of Zimbabwe. Mr. Mnangagwa has pledged to hold general elections, as was already widely expected, next year. The removal of Mr. Mugabe was the neatest of its kind on the African continent. But like most dictators who successfully negotiated their way out of power, the former President and his wife, family and several close associates have been granted immunity from prosecution. Other former Mugabe associates may not be so lucky. The deposed dictator gets to keep a sizable chunk of his loot. As well, Mr. Mugabe will get to live out the rest of his days in the land of his birth, rather than the initial mention of the possibility of life in exile in either Singapore or Malaysia, where the Mugabe family is widely reported to own considerable amounts of properties. But President Mugabes inglorious, albeit bloodless exit, does not effectively pull the curtain over the paleolithic era of entrenched dictatorships on the African continent. There are at least six countries where democratic governance and culture direly need to work, namely, Uganda, Cameroon, Togo, Congo-Zaire (or the cynically named Democratic Republic of Congo), Burundi and Rwanda. There may be a few more; and then we have those lands in the proverbial Horn of Africa, where stateless terror is the veritable political fare. Zimbabwe may only mark the beginning of a very long process. And there is the rub. *Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs Dr Maxwell Opoku Afari, the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, has launched the GHL Bank with the call on management to introduce good corporate governance structures into their operations. He said the Bank of Ghana would from early next year introduce a new corporate governance structure guides for the industry and it is expected that this would save the corporate governance structures in the Banking industry. Ghana Home Loans (GHL), the nation's market leader in mortgage financing, received the universal bank license from the Bank of Ghana on June 23, this year to operate as a bank. The First Deputy Governor said the collapse of many institutions elsewhere and the current collapse of the two Banks in the country had a lot to do with bad corporate governance structures. He said the BoG would intensify its supervisory and regulatory activities of the financial industry to ensure its integrity and efficiency and the benefit of liberalisation and competitiveness in the industry are realised. Dr Opoku Afari expressed the hope that Banks would complement these efforts by introducing good corporate governance practices that ensures its long-term viability. He said as a regulatory body, it was their prime responsibility to ensure that newly established financial institutions and existing ones have adequate capital to march the risk profile for the business and the capacity to manage risk. Dr Opoku Afari said now was the time for banks and other non-financial institutions to play a critical role in supporting growth and job creation. He said a programme to improve on the lending rate computation would be introduced by the BoG soon and it is expected that it would be a true reflection of the market conditions and this should serve as a strong input in Bank decision process of bettering lending rates. 'Looking ahead, Banks must assume proactive roles in their efforts to deepen their financial intermediation through the introduction of a well planned and innovative instruments and products to suite the interest of the public,' he added. Mr Dominic Adu, CEO of GHL Bank, said: 'As a universal bank, they were working with government and building partnerships to make mortgages affordable and creating the environment to making home ownership much easier.' Mr Adu said the processes to transform the mortgage market leader into a universal bank have already begun, saying: 'we have hired a world class team and invested in systems and processes ready to provide a one-stop bank for financial services at every stage of your life, anchored by our core vision to be the foremost bank for wealth creation. He said management sought to modernize the process of home building and acquisition by introducing its unique suite of products including Home Purchase, Home Construction, and Land Purchase mortgages. He said gradually they have introduced and entrenched into the Ghanaian psyche the concept of getting a mortgage to purchase a house and living in it and paying for it over 30 years instead of taking 30 years to build a house before moving into it. 'We are transforming into a universal bank in order to grow and expand on our existing offering, to help the average Ghanaian fulfill their dream of acquiring their own home, coupled with the option to buy land as well. As a universal bank, we believe we would have the added advantage to operate in the housing market,' he added He said as a universal bank their strategy was to build on the impressive foundation to deliver a truly unique experience to our clients, including a comprehensive range of personal, private, and business banking products. Mr Albert Essien, the Board Chairman, GHL Bank, said the Bank's entry into the universal banking space has been long awaited and that they have taken time to develop very strong and effective corporate governance structure. He said the Bank was poised to execute unflinchingly on the many expectations of their clients, shareholders and regulators. 'The Bank of Ghana minimum capital requirement of GH400 million will be met and deployed prudently,' he said. Mr Essien said building on the impressive foundation of Ghana Home Loans, GHL Bank would deliver unique experience to clients, with a comprehensive range of personal, private and business banking products. 09.12.2017 LISTEN The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs will on Saturday December 9 hold a Governance and leadership seminar for Members of Parliament and Chief Executives of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Southern Belt. The seminar, being held in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, will discuss the challenges of conflicts between Members of Parliament (MPs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCE) which might impede on development of their localities. A statement signed by Azu Sam-Aziakor, Director at the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, said the programme will among others aim to promote consensus building among the political class in a purposed, transparent and accountable manner. It is also to enhance the synergy of roles and responsibilities among sub-district structures on the attainment of peace and stability towards socio-economic development at the local level as stated in the Ministry's strategic plan. The session is intended to create a forum for MPs and MMDCEs to identify areas of conflict and possible ways to resolve them, and also identify complimentary roles and areas of collaboration. It said Members of Parliament (MPs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) must avoid eccentric ways to promote their political agenda to the disadvantage of the development of the country. The forum will also discuss ways to enhance efficient distribution and utilisation of state resources and also promote the national development agenda. Resource persons for the session will be drawn from civil society think tanks, with wealth of experience in governance and leadership enhancement. The seminar is the first of three workshops scheduled for the Southern Belt which involves the Eastern, Greater Accra, Volta and Central Regions, the other two will be for the Middle and Northern belts. Dr Koryoe Anim-Wright, President of the African University College for Communication (AUCC), has urged the graduands of the University to make good use of their knowledge acquired and make a difference in their field of work. 'Your degree should be viewed as an opportunity for you to do better, to change lives, to make a difference and as well find solutions to today's pressing issues,' Mrs Anim-Wright said. Mrs Anim-Wright said this in Accra on Saturday when she addressed graduands of the University at the 14th graduation ceremony of which 409 students graduated in Bachelor of Arts in communication studies and Bachelor of Science in business administration. She urged them to use their knowledge to serve the society saying ' give voice to the voiceless, volunteer to read in your communities, do your part to combat illiteracy, offer talks on women's empowerment and civil rights to curb abuse of all forms'. Mrs Anim-Wright urged the the graduands to remember that knowledge was not only acquired in the classroom, but by experiencing life, learning from their life experiences and using their experience to improve lives. She said the University launched the Richard Jonah Entrepreneurship and Academic Enhancement Programme to provide students in the Jonah School of Business with access to leading Ghanaian entrepreneurs for mentorship. She said the programme is expected to create opportunities for self-employment ventures, facilitate team-building skills and ignite creativity and entrepreneurship traits in students. The President of the University said their outfit had partnered with Jekpra Ventures, a waste management company to engage in yearly clean-up activities in the Adabraka community. She said the Communication students of the University had also partnered with the Adabraka Chief to conduct research on social vices in the area especially unemployment among the youth. Dr Nii Kotei Dzani, Group President of Ideal Finance has called on graduands to be innovative and develop entrepreneurial ideas to be relevant in the global market. 'The engine of growth is through entrepreneurship. I urged you to think outside the box and come out with a realistic ideas for your personal development', he added. Dr Dzani advised them to exhibit high sense of integrity in their field of disciplines to attract people to them since the success of a business venture is hinged on honesty and trust. He called on government to develop an entrepreneurship policy for its indigenes to create job opportunities for the citizenry and reduce the rate of unemployment. Mrs Emelia Okyerebea Odame, graduate student, Sam Jonah School of Business-Accounting option, won the most outstanding student, Ms Sahadatu Suraj won the best student in banking and finance, Ms Rosemary Lartey won the best student in Human Resource Management, while Mr Emmanuel Adotey Annan won the best student in marketing. Mr Stephen Dela Attuh won the best student strategic communication, Mr Isaac Ayisi Asare won the best student in development communication, Nkansah Obeng emerged the best student in Visual Communication while Mr Charles Boateng Acheampong won the best student in journalism. Corruption is not far from us, we experience it in our social spaces-through influence peddling, facilitating transactions and petty bribery, Mr Amidu Ibrahim-Tanko, STAR-Ghana Programme Director, has said. 'By 'abusing entrusted power for private gain', both the giver and the receiver are guilty of wilfully depraving Ghanaians high levels of service delivery we deserve, regardless of our geographic location, gender attribution, social status or political affiliation,' Mr Ibrahim-Tanko said in a speech read on his behalf during the International Anti-Corruption Day. 'It is said that 'the worse disease in the world today is corruption.. but there is a cure, and that cure is transparency'' he said. 'This means that tackling corruption must corruption must be done collectively, we must all put our shoulders to the wheel and challenge the structures and systems that continue to perpetuate this,' he added. The National Anti-Corruption Week Celebration dubbed 'ACT 6/0' from Monday, December 4 to Saturday, December 9, is under the theme: 'National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP): Strengthening Public, Private, and Civil Society Partnership in the Fight Against Corruption'. It is being organised by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in collaboration with other partners such as STAR-Ghana, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, the Attorney General's Department, the National Commission for Civic Education, the Economic and Organised Crime Office, the United States Embassy and the European Union. It would be recalled that on July 3, 2014, Parliament adopted the NACAP as a non-partisan strategic plan to combat corruption in the country. The NACAP envisions a sustainable democratic Ghanaian society founded on good governance and imbued with high ethics and integrity. The week sought to review the state of corruption and the progress made in the implementation of NACAP and anti-corruption measures generally. Mr Ibrahim-Tanko said STAR-Ghana, continues to support the fight against corruption in many ways, stating that 'With funding from the UK Aid, the DANIDA and the European Union and through work at local and national level with partners, we have committed an amount of GH14,402,000.00 which is equivalent to 2,717,433 to ongoing and future work on anti-corruption across Ghana'. 'Further, our current anti-corruption call recognises that it is not enough to do business as usual and that whilst we must build on what has been successful in the past, we must also have the courage to try out new ways of working,' he said. He said the NACAP continues to be an integral part of the overall strategy to combat corruption in Ghana; stating that 'the successes that the NACAP has achieved since its inception in 2014 must be commended but there is room for progress'. Mr Richard Quayson, the Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, said whenever corruption flourishes, human rights could not flourish. He explained that whenever corruption flourishes it had adverse effects on the flourishing of human rights; stating that 'so if we really want to enjoy rights and to enjoy them in full measure then we have to do everything to fight corruption and to build integrity in our society'. He urged traditional rulers, the law enforcement agencies and the media to play their part in the fight against corruption in society. Ms Maria-Luisa Troncoso, the Head of Governance Section, EU Delegation to Ghana, said commended CHRAJ for bringing together many players in the fight against corruption. She said the EU - Ghana Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and Accountability programme was a five-year programme aimed at supporting the NACAP. She said the objective of the programme was to strengthen law enforcement agencies - this includes building the capacity of prosecutors to prosecute corruption and related offences. She noted that it also sought to build the capacity of the Judiciary to hear and decide corruption cases and related offences, as the best means of enhancing accountability standards in the country. A three-day International conference entitled: Moving Beyond Paternalism: Supplicants, Saviors and the Politics of Anti-Slavery and Anti-Trafficking inAfrica has ended. The Conference which took place at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa brought together more than 35 scholars from over 19 Universities across the globe and Civil society Organisations. The main goal of the conference is to explore how and why models of paternalistic protection have shaped the formulation and implementation of anti-slavery, anti-trafficking and other humanitarian projects in Africa. It was organised by Beyond Trafficking and Slavery and supported by UK Economic and Social Research Council. The Head of the Department of Political Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Professor Joel Quirk presented a paper on the topic: The Politics and History of Slavery: Competing Visions of Rescue and Repairs. Governments and activists in Europe and America he said regularly invoke the immediacy of modern -day slavery in order to sidestep challenging questions regarding the ethical and political case for reparations for historical slave systems. According to Prof Quirk, rather than seeking to repair harm, they instead prefer to promise rescue. He was of the view that the insertion of modern-day slavery into the equation has the effect of shifting the focus of debate away from the history and legacies of slavery, A theme that most people in Europe and America do not want to talk about -by introducing a competing vision of slavery which is at least tacitly framed as far more important: modern-day slavery and human trafficking in the world today he added. Campaigns for reparations he noted present a challenge to the self-image of most Europeans and their global descendants as both civilized and morally superior, since the basic argument is about the need to repair the lasting effects of many centuries of exploitation, abuse and unjust enrichment. This, according to Prof Quirk, sharply contrasts with parallel campaigns against modern-day slavery which typically involve the moral validation of this very same civilized self-image. Despite ostensibly sharing a common concern with slavery, these competing visions of rescue and repair provide different conceptions of the nature of the wrong to be combated, the political and ethical standing of key protagonists and the type of remedies and approaches required, he concluded. Dr. Sam Okyere, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Nottingham presented a paper on the topic: Child Rights Advocacy as a Deregulation Mechanism: Critical Reflections on the Fight Against Child Labor and Child Trafficking. His paper took a critical reflection on the politics and practices spawned by international development and humanitarian concern on child labor, child trafficking and child rights advocacy in Africa. Dr. Okyere argue that beyond explanations such as the paternalistic white mans burden, white saviorism and Christian saviorism, mainstream narratives on exploitation, violence, discrimination, redemption and vulnerability relating to child labour and child trafficking in Africa are also fueled by deep-seated economic interests. The problematization and delegitimization of virtuous African ideologies and practices on the family unit, on childhood and child upbringing through the work of various international institutions, which in turn influence discourses practices such as the presentation of African children as pathetic objects to be rescued, he noted. Dr Okyere in paper said the dominant child rights advocacy and practices spawned by international development and humanitarian concern thus inadvertently entrench historic and persistent patterns of systemic injustice endured by Africa. The paper therefore suggests that promotion of childrens rights on the Africa continent cannot be separated from the broader battle for equality in trade and other exchanges between African countries and Western nations in particular. Mozambican government will slash benefits for some top officials of the government to save a total of $120m next year, Finance Minister Adriano Malaeiana said. According to Malaeiana, official vehicles and free housing will be the main target areas. The government was opting to rent accommodation for officials and also give them allowances to spend on other key resources they may need. In June, the Mozambican parliament has purchased brand-new cars for its leadership at an estimated cost of $3.8 million. The 18 luxury Mercedes Benz saloon cars are for the top ruling party and opposition MPs who make up the parliaments governing board, known as the Standing Commission, according to the BBC. The purchase has, however, sparked online outrage within the country. Mozambiques public debt has gone from 40% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2013 to around 120% now, the Governor of the Bank of Mozambique said. Earlier this year Mozambican officials have launched an investigation after an audit raised questions over $500m of secret government loans. The audit, by forensic accountants Kroll, revealed the $500m gap from a total of $2bn in loans. The audit found that three firms linked to Mozambiques defense and intelligence services had borrowed $2bn to buy maritime surveillance equipment and vessels, in 2013 and 2014. I stuck to what the coaches ... Mark Twain Medical Center View Photos San Andreas, CA Mark Twain Medical Center officials have announced that Dignity Health has signed an agreement to form a new Catholic health system with Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI). As for how this move might impact the pending decision of Mark Twain Health Care District (MTHCD) to either sign a new lease with Dignity with whom it is still negotiating or choose to run the hospital independently, as reported here remains to be seen. Next week, district officials are holding two public meetings at the Calaveras County Library in San Andreas to discuss and gather input that they say will inform their final choice. Well have comments about the Dignity-CHI merger at the Monday and Wednesday study sessions, shares MTHCD Executive Director Dr. Randy Smart. He adds, We expect the terms of the current negotiations to be made public at those meetings. I cant speculate about what decision the board will make, and they wont individually know until they hear more public comment. Leaders Share New Systems Projected Priorities In a joint statement, Dignity and CHI chief executives describe that their definitive agreement combines ministries, is focused on creating healthier communities and will preserve and expand access to quality care at facilities in communities across 28 states. According to CHI CEO Kevin Lofton, the new system will be positioned to accelerate the change from sick-care to well-care across the United States. Our new organization will have the talent, depth, breadth, and passion to improve the health of every person and community we serve, he states. By combining our ministries and building upon our shared mission, we will expand our commitment to meeting the needs of all people with compassion, regardless of income, ethnicity, or language, Dignity Health President/CEO Lloyd Dean adds, additionally calling the merger an incredible opportunity to expand each organizations best practices in response to the evolving health care environment in order to deliver high-quality, cost-effective care. Per the official announcement, key strategic and reinvestment priorities for the new system are lined out as follows: The expansion of community-based care, offering access to services in a variety of outpatient and virtual care settings closer to home; Clinical programs focused on special populations and those suffering from chronic illnesses to keep people and communities healthier for longer; and Further advancement of digital technologies and innovations like stroke robots and Google Glass, which create a more personalized and efficient care experience. Other Noteworthy Details The new health system will include more than 700 care sites; 139 hospitals; approximately 159,000 employees and more than 25,000 physicians and other advanced practice clinicians. It will be led by an office of the CEO with Dean and Lofton both serving as side-by-side CEOs, each with specific and independent responsibilities and decision-making authority. Together with their executive team they will jointly oversee strategy and integration planning. They indicate that Lofton will have authority for mission, advocacy, sponsorship and governance, system partnerships, and information technology while Dean will lead all of operations, including clinical, financial, and human resources. Both leaders say the organization will continue a commitment to supporting communities through charity care, grants, and loans, which, in fiscal year 2017 collectively provided approximately $4.7 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unpaid cost of government programs. The new system seeks to become a national platform for innovation and research. Dignity Healths Board of Directors and Sponsorship Council and CHIs Board of Stewardship Trustees have approved the deal, which is anticipated to close in the second half of 2018 and is subject to federal, state, and church approvals. Plans are to establish corporate headquarters in Chicago and a new, still to be chosen name. Local facilities will continue operating under their current names. Burnt out vehicle near Sonora High School View Photos Sonora, CA A vehicle was set ablaze in a parking lot of a business near Sonora High School early this morning. Upon arriving on the scene around 1 a.m., officers found a white 2002 Chevy Impala fully engulfed in flames in the parking lot of the Northtown building located at 427 North Washington Street/Highway 49 near the Columbia Way intersection. The flames were put out by Sonora City firefighters that arrived just after police. Finding no one in the vehicle or an owner at the scene, Acting Sonora Police Chief Turu VanderWeil detailed, The arson investigator was able to determine a source and that it was intentionally set based on the evidence left at the scene with the vehicle. Chief VanderWeil would not disclose to Clarke Broadcasting what that evidence was as the investigation is ongoing. The owner of the vehicle lived nearby, according to the Chief, who shares it is still unclear as to why the car was parked there. He adds that detectives are still canvasing the area to see if there are any witnesses to the fire or surveillance cameras nearby. Police are asking for anyone who may have been in the area around the time of the fire to call the department at 209-532-8141. Drug bust Milton Road in Valley Springs View Photos Valley Springs, CA In one day Calaveras County Sheriffs Marijuana Enforcement Team discovered two Valley Springs homes fully converted into pot grows with a total of nearly 3,500 plants seized. The latest bust from the sheriffs office details a raid on an illegal unregistered grow Thursday at a home in the 10000 block of Milton Road, which was stuff from floor to ceiling with 2,025 plants. Sheriffs officials indicate that the plants varied in size from small seedlings to tall mature marijuana plants. A man at the home, 28-year-old Sian Huang who spoke with broken English and had a New York Identification card, was taken into custody. He faces charges of illegal marijuana cultivation and operating a drug house. His bail is set at $30,000. Although sheriffs officials say the two busts are not related, earlier that day, another house on Delin Way was found filled with 1,220 plants in all but one room of the home, as reported here. No arrests were made in this incident. Yves here. The supposed division in the Democratic Party is a feature, not a bug. The Establishment Democrats want the Sanders backers out. They think they can win if they get women and suburban Republicans. But this Real News Network interview with Norman Solomon gives some interesting detail on the infighting. SHARMINI PERIES: Its the Real News Network. Im Sharmini Peries coming to you from Baltimore. The Democratic National Committees Unity Reform Commission held its final meeting in Washington, D.C. Friday, and it will continue on Saturday. One of the main issues being discussed on the unity front is the issue of superdelegates. Here is one of the DNCs delegates to the 2016 DNC convention, from California, Norman Solomon, trying to participate in the meeting on Friday. NORMAN SOLOMON: We signed up. We were never told the time or the room for this meeting. You know this is a tainted meeting and yet when a few people figure out how to participate by just sitting here, you want to take a sign away. I think that is a mistake. SPEAKER: So can I just NORMAN SOLOMON: the problem with how the DNC has not learned the lessons of the past if its so threatening to have a sign that simply asks, Democratic Party or Undemocratic Party? SHARMINI PERIES: Norman is the co-founder of RootsAction.org. He is co-author of a new report, Autopsy: The Democratic Party in Crisis. Thanks for joining us, Norman. NORMAN SOLOMON: Thanks, Sharmini. SHARMINI PERIES: So Norman, I understand that the chair of the Unity Reform Commission, Jennifer OMalley Dillon, the person trying to throw you out of these meetings, is a co-founder of Precision Strategies. Give us a sense of what happened. Why did they try to kick you out of these meetings and who is the chair anyway? NORMAN SOLOMON: Sort of a side note, but a metaphor, just asking a question with a sign, which was the same question that is on the banner behind me here in a fairly small poster Democratic Party or Undemocratic Party? That question on a sign was apparently too threatening for the chair of the so-called Unity Reform Commission of the Democratic Party. Jennifer OMalley Dillon is someone who co-founded Precision Strategies, a consulting firm that in the years 2015 and 2016 received more than half a million dollars from the Democratic Party. After the incident that you referred to, later in the afternoon on Friday, it was a sort of surreal discussion where Chairwoman Dillon, holding a gavel, oversaw a discussion about a series of proposals to basically cut back on what one Bernie Sanders supporter on the commission referred to as outright corruption of the Democratic Party, involving consultants. So, the very measures that were aimed to eliminate financial conflicts of interest between the party and high-rolling consultants, those proposals were being overseen by a chairperson who had received a great deal of money, including in the four-month period between February and June of 2016, 230,000 dollars to the consultant firm that she co-founded. You look at the big picture, and you see that theres a lot of money that keeps flowing to Clinton-aligned political consultants from the Democratic Party, and the majority on this commission clearly does not want to shake up that game, much less end it. SHARMINI PERIES: This week, both chairman of the party Perez and Keith Ellison joined forces for a reduction of superdelegates. Give us a sense of what the discussion was about superdelegates. What are the issues theyre trying to deal with and then why didnt Keith Ellison push for a complete elimination of superdelegates from the decision-making process at the DNC? NORMAN SOLOMON: Your last question first, I would say in response that Keith Ellison is in a bind and a box, really, when he lost a close election nine months ago to be chair of the Democratic National Committee to Tom Perez. Then Perez immediately invited him to be deputy chair. In that role, Ellison is supposed to be a team player, but when it comes down to these nitty gritty power issues, hes pretty much in a hamstrung position. So, we know that in 2016 at the national convention, 712 of the delegates were superdelegates. Thats 15 percent of the total. Theres a proposal on the table, and it looks like its now being recommended by the Unity Reform Commission, to cut that number back to perhaps about 250 or 300 superdelegates. Just to sort of recap, superdelegates means that people get to vote for the nominee for president at the national convention without any accountability or relationship to what voters or caucus members have voted for. A good example is that 11 weeks before a single vote was cast in a caucus or primary in the Bernie Sanders/Hillary Clinton battle, Hillary Clinton had already lined up half of all the superdelegates. Its as though in a race, the starting gun goes off and immediately one of the candidates, one of the people in the race in an instant is far ahead of the other. Thats the way the corporate forces like it. Naturally, the superdelegates being made up largely of members of Congress who are Democrats, Democratic governors, not that there are many of those anymore, others who are on the Democratic National Committee, including a lot of lobbyists and elite insiders. They love being able to put their money down literally and figuratively with endorsement quickly for their preferred candidate. It puts them ahead as media frontrunner immediately. Theyre part of the delegate count as superdelegate and also gives enormous fundraising advantage. It likes to or is aimed to put forward the image that perception as reality idea that hey, theres a frontrunner. Theres a sort of inevitability. Another way to put it is the superdelegate battle is the question of whether corporate power in the party is going to continue to dominate. As we say in the Autopsy report, Autopsy: The Democratic Party in Crisis, its really not possible for the leaders at the national level of the Democratic Party to have a close working relationship with the base when its afraid of the base. I think whats happened here at this final meeting of the Unity Reform Commission is a further indication that those in control of the DNC by a small but significant margin are afraid of the grass-roots. They did everything they could for this ostensibly open meeting to prevent access by the public to even show up at the meeting. SHARMINI PERIES: Norman, give us a greater sense of what are the interests that are represented on this committee and where are the chips falling? In other words, what are the decisions that are about to come forth as a result of these meetings? NORMAN SOLOMON: As we speak, theres another half day to go. It wraps up on Saturday, December 9. I would say that the interests represented are the contending forces within the Democratic Party. Frankly, if Bernie Sanders hadnt done so well and gotten so many delegates, approximately 45 percent of the total, there wouldnt even need to be, there could not have been forced into existence this Unity Reform Commission but because of pressure from the grassroots and an understanding that the momentum is within the left around the country in terms of the Democratic Party, this was seen as a necessity to supposedly bring about a unified reform position. But more than half, and we saw this on a number of votes today, more than half of the commission is composed of people who, when push comes to shove, when the chips fall, they make the chips fall in a way that protects corporate interests that prevent transparency or accountability about the hundreds of millions of dollars that are spent by the Democratic Party. It reminds me of something that Bernie Sanders said more than six months ago in speaking to a reporter from The New York Times Magazine when he put it this way, there are people in the Democratic Party who dont mind being on the Titanic as long as they have a first-class cabin. There are vested interests, both personal interests of lucrative contracts and power and so forth in and in relation to the DNC as well as the big Wall Street and big bank firms and so forth. And they want their party. Its sort of a tacit division of labor. Theres an unspoken sense that yeah, you have African Americans and Latinos and lower, working class people. You want them to turn out and vote but when it comes to the policies, those policies that will be pursued by the Democratic Party are largely circumscribed by the donor class. So, its talk about you support the working class. Have the ship steered by the donor class, by Wall Street. This is so corrosive because when you get real about politics and power and the future of the country, there is no way to split the difference and say were going to help the big bankers. Were going to help the multimillionaires and billionaires and were going to help the working class. This Democratic Party has a split identity. Theres the rhetoric that says were for the working people. Theres the overarching policy and control the DNC thats vested in those who feel a direct kinship, a connection with and often are of the banker and donor and Wall Street class. Thats a part of the battle that I think is being fought and must be fought. SHARMINI PERIES: Now, Norman, the Democratic National Committee recently claimed, and I quote here, We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to all. The Democratic Party Autopsy task force that you are heading up, Norman, released on Friday saying that the DNC gave less than 48 hours notice, waiting until late in the day on December 6th to publicly disclose the times when the final meetings of the Unity Reform Commission would take place. Tell us about how accessible these meetings are, and are the people in Our Revolution and the people that supported Bernie Sanders during the presidential nomination campaign, are they getting a fair say and a hearing at these meetings? NORMAN SOLOMON: I have to say from the outset in answering to your question that the conclusions drawn by Autopsy: the Democratic Party in Crisis have unfortunately been reinforced by what has occurred with this Unity Reform Commission. When Karen Bernal, the chair of the Progressive Caucus of the California Democratic Party; Pia Gallegos, who is a civil rights attorney based in Albuquerque; Sam McCann, a researcher in New York; and myself as the task force of the Autopsy put it together, we really saw, I think, in crystal form and its conveyed in Autopsy, which is at democraticautopsy.org on the web that this party gives lip service from the top to inclusion, to being open, to wanting to involve people from the grassroots and around the country. But in point of fact, this commission both reinforces the problem and reflects the problem that in this case, Ive rarely seen anything as frankly weird and disingenuous from an institutional standpoint from a political organization, where its sort of like Tom Perez, the chair of the DNC, saying in effect to the Democratic Party base, Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes? If we believe what Tom Perez says, then its an open and transparent party that is so inclusive. Its a big tent. It wants everybody to be involved, but our own eyes tell us, and this last week underscored it, that it wasnt until a week before this long-planned commission meeting that the DNC even announced the dates or more precisely, and this was really the problem, people knew, the word seeped out that it was going to be December 8th and 9th but learned only a week ago what huge hotel the meeting would be in. Posting the invitation to RSVP, the DNC invited people to, as members of the public, click in and say I am interested in attending. People who did that never heard another word. Its like being invited to go somewhere not being told the time of when you can actually participate, being asked to RSVP and then thats end of it. It would be hard to think of a way in which a political party could organize an event and do more to discourage actual public attendance even while going out of its way to say that its a public meeting. So, they essentially went through the motions of a public event and got what they wanted, which was a sparsely attended one. I think when you look at the totality of it and you add up the fact that the commission is dominated by the Clinton wing of the party lets face it, Clintonism is surviving Bill or Hillary Clinton having a formal role in the party, then the corporate power is dominant. I think this struggle within the party is absolutely essential, and we have a very uphill climb. One other thing I want to be sure and say, Sharmini, is that surely there are some viewers of The Real News who perhaps understandably are thinking Well, to hell with that party. Why bother? Its screwed up. We dont like it. I would ask this question: Next year, if we dont want to retain a Republican majority in the House or the Senate, if you dont want to have in 2019, the year beginning with a Republican speaker or a Republican Senate majority leader, then what is the possible vehicle, party vehicle of any sort to end Republican rule of the House and Senate? Theres only one answer, which is to use the Democratic Party as a tool or to be more imminent, if you dont want to stop a neo-fascist, and Im not sure about the neo part, like Roy Moore in Alabama from being elected to the Senate, like it or not, and I dont particularly like it, the only vehicle for doing that is through the Democratic Party candidate. I think it speaks to something that we wrote about in the Autopsy and that is that we as progressives have a dual responsibility and we cant shirk either one of them. One is to fight the right, the racists, the misogynists, the xenophobes and at the same time to fight for a truly progressive agenda and platform and implement it. The mass media and the hierarchy of the Democratic Party for that matter try continually to tell us directly and indirectly that you shouldnt do both and actually try to deceive people into thinking if you want to fight the right, you have to moderate your politics and move toward the so-called center, what C. Wright Mills called the crackpot centrist position. But actually the only way to effectively defeat the right wing is to have genuine progressive populism. In a real way, thats what the struggle within the Democratic Party now is all about. SHARMINI PERIES: All right Norman, I thank you so much for joining us today, and all the best as the meeting moves to tomorrow. NORMAN SOLOMON: Thank you, Sharmini. SHARMINI PERIES: Thank you for joining us here on The Real News Network. By David Zetland, who worked on water policy for 10+ years and is an assistant professor of economics at Leiden University College in the Netherlands. Originally published at Aquanomics Circle of Blue published this long, aggravating article of the efforts of activists, water managers and (far too many consultants) to find a compromise on the price of water that will cover system costs without burdening the poor. Let me solve this puzzle. First, theres no point in making water cheap to help poor people. Cheap water will not make them rich. If you want to help poor people, then give them money. Second, water utilities are neither charities nor social innovators. Their job is to deliver safe and adequate quantities of water at prices that cover their costs of operations, maintenance and expansion. Utilities that are underfunded (like those in India that lose money on every cubic meter delivered) cannot provide good service.* Utilities that are asked to take care of poor people (like those in England where the government is too stingy to help poor people [pdf]) lose track of their primary mission (good service) as they struggle to identify who is poor.** Third, any politician who claims that water needs to be cheap to help poor people is a lying, lazy incompetent. Its the politicians job to tax the rich to help the poor, but US politicians work for the rich. Sad. Bottom line: Water utilities need money to operate and deliver safe, adequate water to customers who should pay for it. If those customers are too poor, then the government should give them money, not undermine utility finances with counterproductive affordable water mandates. * * * *FYI, I pay about 50 ($60) per month for water, sewer and water security (protecting Amsterdam, and thus my house, from flooding). I provide this figure NOT to show how its less than my TV bill (I dont have a TV) or mobile phone bill (thats 25/month), but to show how world-class service can be quite cheap. Why is that? Dutch professionals are pro-active and their utilities compete to provide the best value for money, so they avoid many mistakes common in under-funded locations. ** According to Donoso (2017), the government of Chile pays for some share of the cost of water in poorer households, i.e.: Uganda has begun the withdrawal of its troops serving in the African Union mission (Amisom) in Somalia. The withdrawal of 281 army personnel comes as part of a UN plan that will see African Union (AU) soldiers numbers reduced by 1,000 by the end of this year, military officials in Kampala said. Uganda provides the biggest contingent of 6,000 soldiers to the AU force, Amisom. At the moment there are more than 20,000 soldiers serving in the mission. Amisom has helped push al-Shabab out of most of Somalias major towns. Kenya, Burundi, Djibouti and Ethiopia are also expected to reduce their numbers by December 31. In August 2017, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of AMISOM until May 31, 2018, and approved a reduction of its uniformed personnel. Countries, including the US, UK and Turkey, have been training Somali soldiers and police officers. The African union has also said it will deploy an extra 500 police officers to strengthen training and mentoring for the Somali police. Al-Shabab aims to topple Somalias government, drive out African Union peacekeeping troops and impose its own harsh interpretation of Islamic law. (Natural News) As we have regularly documented on this site, the so-called mainstream media is replete with hucksters, frauds, liars, and phonies. In fact, truth be told, the vast majority of establishment media types are little more than far-Left hacks and shills for the Democratic Party. That helps explain a rather remarkable finding in a recently-conducted survey by one of the very purveyors of misleading, false, and fake news: CBS News. [That wasnt always the case, by the way, because CBS News used to employ crack investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson who has reported the truth about the dangers of vaccines.] The network conducted a poll claiming that Americans were split on the so-called Russia investigation being conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller (with a very Democrat-heavy, anti-Trump staff, by the way). The poll found that most Republicans believe the Russian probe is nothing more than a politically-motivated witch hunt. But 91 percent of Democrats say that its a serious matter that ought to worry President Donald J. Trump. This 91 percent of Democrats, by the way, most likely get 100 percent of their news from mainstream media sources that are working hand-in-hand with the Deep State and political establishment to undermine and even oust Trump. Americans divide in their views on the Russia investigation: eight in 10 Republicans call it politically motivated, while three in four Democrats say it is justified, CBS News reported. There you go. Knowing that Democrats watch Left-wing, anti-Trump media makes it easy to understand how they can be duped into thinking this Trump-Russia collusion to steal the election from Hillary thing is real, when clearly it isnt. But that hasnt stopped the mainstream media from continuing to look for proof that it happened, as evidenced recently by CNN. Those fools intentionally misreported a story last week claiming Donald Trump Jr. was offered dirt on Clinton from someone allegedly tied to Wikileaks, with the insinuation that it was really a Russia connection because everyone knows Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign (except that they didnt). The Fake News Network reported that on Sept. 4, an email offering the dirt was sent to Don Jr. from a person named Mike Erickson. In reality, Erickson sent Don Jr. an email on September 14, not the 4th. That is significant because on September 13 Wikileaks published that very same trove of data, so the organization could not have possibly offered it exclusively to the Trump campaign. Whats more, the email from Erickson makes it clear that Erickson is only directing Don Jr. to a website where the data is stored because the trove is more than 400 megabytes and far too large to send as an email attachment. The email is clearly dated Sept. 14. A tweet from Wikileaks is clearly dated Sept. 13. 678.4 MB of new "DNC documents" from @Guccifer_2https://t.co/zJhERxABiv use 7zip to unpack password: GuCCif3r_2.0 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) September 13, 2016 Why would the initial report claim the tweet was sent Sept. 4? The only explanation for CNN purposely misreporting the timeline is to leave its easily duped viewers and readers with the impression that the smoking gun of collusion had been found! When it hadnt. Its this kind of routine fabrication of details that has led to nine of 10 Democrats still believing in the Trump-Russia collusion hoax. Thats distressing not only because its false, but because the one person in last years campaign season who really did collude with the Russians wasHillary Clinton. (Related: Trump calls for investigation into Clinton ties to Russia dossier.) Her campaign, along with the DNC, bought and paid for the bogus Trump dossier used by the FBI to justify a FISA court surveillance warrant on Team Trump. The man who wrote the BS dossier, former British spy Christopher Steele, got information for the document from Russian operatives. Its not clear why anyone would continue to believe anything the so-called mainstream media reports that has anything at all to do with the Trump administration and last years campaign. Virtually none of it is true, but for Democrats, virtually all of it is believed. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources include: NaturalNews.com CBSNews.com TheNationalSentinel.com DailyCaller.com (Natural News) Beverly Nelson, who claimed that Alabama Republican Senate candidate Judge Roy Moore made sexual advances towards her as a teenager, has now admitted that she forged at least part of an entry into a yearbook she used to substantiate her initial claims. And whats more, ABC News, that disgrace of a network, is doing all it can to help Nelson cover up her lie with more fake news. As noted by Breitbart, Nelson admitted during an interview with the network that she added to an inscription in the yearbook that she still claims Moore signed. But ABC News Good Morning America program covered it up by saying that Nelson admits she did make notes to the inscription in other words, it was never signed by Moore in the way she claimed. Worse, the networks reporter, Tom Llamas, was leading Nelson through the entire interview. Beverly, he signed your yearbook, he said. He did sign it, she answered. And you made notes underneath, Llamas responded. Yes, she said. Notes Breitbart: And then, after a woman admits to forging a document used in a campaign to destroy the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, ABC News quickly moves on as though it is not news of extraordinary consequence. At issue regarding the signature, as noted by The National Sentinel, was the way in which it was signed: Roy Moore, D.A. Moore, a district attorney at the time Nelson claims he signed her yearbook and was making sexual advances, along with his attorneys, have claimed that he never put the letters D.A. after his signatures. Ever. Thats what led his campaign attorney, Phillip L. Jauregui, to demand that Nelsons attorney, Gloria Allred, release the yearbook so it could be forensically examined. We demand that you immediately release the yearbook to a neutral custodian so that our expert and, you can send your expert as well, so that our expert can look at it, not a copy on the internet, Jauregui said last month. The actual document so we can see the lettering. We can see the ink on the page. We can see the indentations and we can see how old is that ink. Is it 40 years old or is it a week old? Im thinking now its closer to a week after Nelson admitted that she added to Moores alleged inscription, an admission that destroys the credibility of her entire story (and others stories about Moore as well). As for ABC News, Llamas didnt bother to ask Nelson any follow-up questions like, If the explanation is this simple, why wait all these weeks to offer it? Or, Why did you lie? (Related: Cruz hits Dems for hypocrisy over Roy Moore, Franken sex allegations.) Nelson has accused Moore of attempting to sexually assault her when she was 16 years old. And now, with the special election just a few days away, her admission could not come at a better time for Moore, who has had a difficult time fending off the allegations, which include kissing and inappropriately touching a 14-year-old girl, Leigh Corfman, when he was 32. But Nelson always had a motive to lie about Moore: As a circuit judge in 1999, he ruled against her in a divorce case. As for Corfman, she may be the most credible of all the accusers, yet even her story is riddled with question marks. For example, she claims that because of Moores alleged abuse, she lived a troubled life of drinking, drugs, boyfriends and a suicide attempt. Those claims are directly refuted by contemporaneous court records. Regarding ABC, this is the second time in as many weeks that the network has either churned out fake news or has otherwise harmed its credibility. Earlier this month the network suspended a star reporter, Brian Ross, after he reported that former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn was asked by his boss to contact Russian officials during last years campaign. Lie. In actuality, Flynn was asked to contact Russian officials, but that was only after Trump won the November election. And since its normal for transition teams to make contact with foreign governments, no Russian collusion proof, which is what Ross was going for. Little by little, the believability of Moores accusers and the disgusting media supporting them is vanishing. J.D. Heyes is a senior writer for NaturalNews.com and NewsTarget.com, as well as editor of The National Sentinel. Sources include: Breitbart.com TheNationalSentinel.com Four former tech executives were charged last week in an alleged scheme to steal trade secrets from a Silicon Valley semiconductor chip equipment manufacturer, federal prosecutors said. Liang Chen, Donald Olgado, Wei-Yung Hsu and Robert Ewald were charged in an indictment handed down Nov. 30 for allegedly stealing secrets from Santa Clara-based Applied Materials. The four men allegedly started conspiring in Sept. 2012, while they were employed by Applied Materials, to steal some of the company's trade secrets and use them in a new company, which would compete with Applied Materials. The indictment says that the secrets the men allegedly stole were related to the high-volume manufacturing of semiconductor wafers. The wafers would be used in lighting and electronics such as flat-screen TVs and smart phones. The technology was developed through years of research and testing and the investment of millions of dollars, according to prosecutors. According to the indictment, production of the wafers is sophisticated and must occur in "clean room" conditions in a fully automated process controlled by computers. Prosecutors said the defendants allegedly downloaded information related to the secret technology from a confidential Applied Materials engineering database. The information allegedly included more than 16,000 drawings. The four men allegedly shared emails describing their plans to use the technology in a startup company, which would operate in the U.S. and China. Prosecutors said the men also allegedly tried to recruit investors to fund their new company. Each of the men was charged with one count of conspiracy to steal trade secrets and eleven counts of possessing stolen trade secrets. At Applied Materials, Chen, 52, a Saratoga resident, was corporate vice president and general manager of the alternative energy products division. Olgado, 54, of Palo Alto, was managing director of engineering in the product business group, while Hsu, 57, of San Jose, was vice president and general manager in the semiconductor LED division and Ewald, 60, of Aptos, was a director of the energy and environmental systems in the alternative energy products division. None of the men are still working at Applied Materials. Their arraignment is set for Dec. 15. Attempts to reach the defendants were unsuccessful. A spokesman for Applied Materials was not immediately available for comment. Negotiators for the city of Oakland and the larger of two striking unions have agreed to try to settle the strike in mediation starting Monday, the two sides said Saturday night. The strike is in its fifth day. City leaders said they expect the strike to continue Sunday, Monday and "until further notice." "This continued strike is harming our most vulnerable residents," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement. Schaaf said, "We will continue to work with SEIU in good faith, and remain responsible and fair to 'both' our workers as well as our residents. We cannot spend money we do not have, particularly as we know our pension costs are escalating at least 49 percent over the next five years." Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said Friday that if members of city workers' two unions didn't accept the city's final contract offer, she hoped they would agree to enter mediation. Hours later, Rob Szykowny, chief negotiator for the Service Employees International Union Local 1021, announced that City of Oakland workers had contacted the city to identify a mediator to assist the union and the city in reaching an agreement. City employees are also represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21. "We reached out to city negotiators to select a mutually agreeable mediator, despite the Mayor's decision to prematurely declare impasse in negotiations," Szykowny said in a statement. He was referring to the fact that City of Oakland leaders declared an impasse earlier Friday in their talks with the unions. "City workers are committed to pursuing every avenue to ensure that Mayor Schaaf addresses the challenges facing Oakland workers and families," Szykowny said. On Friday, Schaaf said that if the unions don't accept the city's offer to work with a state mediator it's possible that they might request fact-finding, a non-binding process where an impartial third party listens to both sides and recommends a solution. But Schaaf said that process would be lengthy and could take a year. Schaaf also said Friday that it's unclear whether union employees would remain on strike during mediation or fact-finding. The mayor said the unions rejected the city's final offer early Friday morning and made a counter-offer that she claimed is "too financially risky" for the city to accept. Schaaf said the unions already have had an 8 percent raise over the previous two years and the city is offering a 4 percent wage increase retroactive to July 1 and a possible second 2 percent wage increase in June 2019, depending on growth in city revenue. Union leaders say they called the strike to protest unfair labor practices by the city, workplace conditions, understaffing levels and cost of living concerns. SEIU Local 1021 represents more than 2,000 public works employees, parking enforcement officers, Head Start instructors and early education teachers. IFPTE Local 21 represents about 1,000 professional and technical employees, including engineers, building inspectors and planners. Union employees held a large rally in front of City Hall during the lunch hour Friday at which several local and state elected officials said they support the employees and urged the city to meet their demands. The city's contract talks with the unions are now in their seventh month and Schaaf said the city has been meeting with them an average of four times a week in an effort to reach an agreement. The California Department of Public Health has opened an investigation into an escape Thursday evening by a patient at John George Psychiatric Pavilion in San Leandro, state health officials confirmed. Dorian Mulder, 24, escaped at about 6:20 p.m. from the hospital at 2060 Fairmont Drive. Before he was stopped, Mulder allegedly carjacked one car and tried to carjack another before leading deputies on a foot-chase across Interstate 580, Alameda County sheriff's Sgt. Ray Kelly said. Officials with Alameda Health System, which manages the psychiatric hospital, issued a statement saying, "We regret an incident that occurred on Thursday night, which led to a JGPH patient making an unauthorized departure through a secure gate in a locked patient patio, and subsequently attempting to highjack a car and assaulting a member of the Fairmont Hospital staff." Alameda Health System officials said once hospital staff was made aware of the escape they notified law enforcement. "Alameda Health System is taking this incident extremely seriously and is working with local and state authorities while launching a full internal investigation into the circumstances that enabled the patient to leave the premises," according to the statement. Officials are investigating whether a mechanical malfunction allowed Mulder to escape or whether something else allowed Mulder to get out of the gated and secure area. Hospital staff members are now making sure all doors are monitored and securely locked. An investigation by the state department of public health usually involves on-site interviews, observation and a review of medical records and policies at the hospital. The hospital could be fined if the investigation finds that the hospital was in non-compliance and that led to serious injury, harm, impairment or death. When Mulder initially left the hospital, he went to the parking lot of nearby Fairmont Hospital and allegedly got inside a car as a teen boy was in a passenger seat. Mulder allegedly struck the boy and tried to flee in the car but crashed into a garbage truck several hundred feet away, according to Kelly. Mulder got out of the car and allegedly tried to carjack another car with an elderly man inside. Mulder allegedly bit the man to try to get the keys to the car but when he failed he instead ran toward Interstate 580. On I-580 a car struck Mulder, however, he got up and kept running all the way across the highway. Deputies eventually found him hiding in bushes along the highway and arrested him on suspicion of carjacking, kidnapping and felony assault. The victims of the carjacking and attempted carjacking were treated for their injuries. The driver of the car that struck Mulder on Highway 580 was not injured and stopped at the scene. According to Kelly, Mulder had been at the hospital for a psychiatric hold and was not in custody prior to his escape. The Trump administration's primary North Korea strategy would do little to curb the country's nuclear program and could trigger a famine, according to experts. After spearheading several rounds of sanctions, the White House is now urging China to turn off oil supplies to Kim Jong Un's regime and the 25 million people he rules, NBC News reported. Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, President Donald Trump's national security adviser, summed up Washington's thinking Sunday: "You cannot shoot a missile without fuel." Many analysts say such a move would have minimal impact on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and would instead hit the country's agricultural sector, potentially leading to mass starvation. The former husband of Norwegian King Harald's daughter is alleging that actor Kevin Spacey groped him during the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo. Ari Behn, Princess Martha Louise's husband for 14 years, told Norwegian radio that Spacey, who sat next to him, suddenly said "'hey, let's go out and have a cigarette,'" before "he touched me" on the genitals. He said Wednesday that he declined Spacey's approach by saying "maybe later." Behn, 45, married Martha Louise, fourth in line to the Norwegian throne, in 2002. Last year, they decided to split but share custody over their three daughters. Spacey, who was co-hosting the Dec. 11, 2007 event, has faced numerous sexual misconduct and assault allegations, but he has remained mostly silent. Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool resigned Friday from his post as head of the city's embattled school district. Earlier this week, Claypool admitted that he made a mistake in a legal contract amid an ethics probe that claimed he was part of a "full-blown cover up," according to the Chicago Tribune, which first reported news of his resignation. Sources told the publication Claypool no longer had the backing of the mayor's appointed school board. Still, Mayor Rahm Emanuel supported Claypool this week, including during a press conference Friday, noting he admitted he made a mistake. Emanuel called Claypool "selfless" and said he would "always be my friend." "He did a great job," Emanuel said. Claypool briefly spoke at the press conference, confirming his resignation after the report said he lied during an ethics breach investigation. "Even good men can make stupid mistakes," adding that he hopes his 30-year career stands with integrity. Claypool was named head of CPS in 2015 following the resignation of former CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who had been the subject of a federal investigation. Claypool, who was born in Vandalia, has been one of Emanuel's most trusted advisors. After running the Chicago Transit Authority in Emanuel's first term, Claypool was asked to become the mayor's Chief of Staff, but three months later, he was named the CEO of CPS. Claypool's resignation is effective Dec. 31. A tractor-trailer carrying live chickens crashed on Interstate 84 in Southbury Saturday. Connecticut State Police said the truck was traveling on I-84 east near exit 11 when it merged into the right shoulder and struck the cement barrier, causing the truck to roll over. Minor injuries and a fuel leak were reported. The truck was carrying over 5,000 live chickens and ducks, police said. The Department of Agriculture was called to the scene. The driver was issued a citation for failure to maintain lane. The right lane of the highway was closed during the investigation but has since reopened. EDITOR'S NOTE: Under the final tax bill, agreed to after this article was published, losses from wildfires and other natural disasters are no longer deductible absent a federal disaster declaration. With wildfires destroying hundreds of homes as they rampage across Southern California this week, Democrats are again chastising Republicans for eliminating a natural disaster deduction from the tax reform bill that the House passed last month. The House bill, approved on Nov. 16, removes the deduction for personal losses from wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters not covered by insurance or other assistance. Victims of major disasters could still get tax breaks provided Congress passes special legislation particular to the disaster. Several fires have been raging in the greater Los Angeles area down to San Diego, threatening lives, homes and businesses. They are being driven by dry conditions and the Santa Ana winds, forcing 190,000 to evacuate, shutting down highways and suspending Amtrak service. Overall, the state has faced one of its most destructive and deadly fire seasons in history. The situation is unpredictable and stressful, and safety is the foremost concern, said Democratic Rep. Grace Napolitano of Norwalk. It is unreasonable to think those suffering losses from these natural disasters might not be compensated should the Republican tax bill become law. This is absolutely heartless and must be fixed. The new fires are blazing just as insurance claims from the states wine country fires in the fall reached more than $9 billion, the bulk of it from hard-hit Santa Rosa, making those fires the costliest in Californias history. Forty-four people died and thousands of homes were destroyed. The mayor of Santa Rosa, Chris Coursey, called the elimination of the natural disaster deduction unfathomably bad. Santa Rosa continues to deal with the states worst fire disaster, he said. Weve got a serious humanitarian disaster, a serious infrastructure disaster, a serious economic disaster that were facing over the next several years, Coursey said. Earlier, the states two Democratic senators, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, noted in a statement that the elimination of the tax deductions in the House bill among many to make up for cuts in corporate rates and other changes comes during the worst fire season in the states history. Asking victims of wildfires or earthquakes to suffer in order to pay for tax cuts for the rich is the height of cruelty, they said. Democrats questioned whether residents would to be able to determine their losses in time for this years taxes, though they would be able to file for an extension or file an amended return. And Democrats were crying foul over tax benefits that victims of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria received but not those trying to rebuild from the recent wildfires. Our tax code shouldnt pick winners and losers in natural disasters, Feinstein and Harris said. This is just another example of the extraordinary lengths Republicans will go to cut taxes for wealthy corporations and individuals at the expense of middle-class families. Coursey criticized Republicans for singling out California, a blue state unlike Florida, Texas and other states hard hit by the hurricanes. I dont know how anyone in Congress can justify taking on the victims of a disaster at a time like this, he said. Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, the Republican chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has said that he plans to introduce legislation offering special tax relief for wildfire victims, too. I am focused on securing funding for those impacted by this years devastating storms and wildfires while also working to wrap up the most transformational tax reform bill in a generation, he said in a statement on Thursday. Current law allows deductions for uncovered losses if the amount exceeds 10 percent of ones income. Congress earlier this year waived the 10 percent requirement for the hurricane victims and allowed them to withdraw money from their 401K retirement funds without penalty, among other benefits. The Senate tax reform bill retains a deduction but only for federally declared natural disasters. President Donald Trump on Friday declared a state of emergency over the fires, which allows for federal money to fight the fires. That is separate from a major disaster declaration, which would required under the proposed Senate bill and which would provide assistance for emergency and permanent recovery work. Because wildfires often are smaller than other natural disasters and do not receive a federal designation, the elimination of the deduction would hurt California in particular. Feinstein's office points out that of the 57,981 wildfires in the United States this year, only the October fires in California have received a federal disaster declaration so far, according to data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Interagency Fire Center. But the other fires are just as devastating to those affected, lawmakers noted. Republicans have said that Americans should not be concerned about this change because if there is a major disaster, then Congress might pass a special bill to provide tax breaks, Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman, of Sherman Oaks, said. If your home burns down without it being part of a major disaster Congress wont act. And if there is a major disaster Congress might not act. Americans deducted $1.6 billion in 2015 for natural disaster losses, according to the IRS. The Treasury Department estimated that taxpayers would deduct $4.83 billion in losses beginning next year through 2027. LA County has over 11 million residents, and we have recently experienced the worst years of wildfires in our history, Napolitano said. My district includes the Foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, where three major fires over the past eight years have displaced residents, destroyed properties, and disrupted life in our communities. Financial relief has been vital for the recovery efforts of my constituents and the millions who have suffered from natural disasters nationwide. The House and Senate must reconcile their two tax bills before a final version is sent to President Donald Trump. Republicans have said they want a bill by the end of the year. An army general, who is also a relative of President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo, has been put under house arrest over an alleged coup plot. General Norbert Dabira, 68, was arrested on Thursday by the General Directorate for Territorial Surveillance (DGST), local media reported. President Denis Sassou Nguesso has extended his long rule in the oil-producing nation last year after defeating eight opponents, including retired General Jean-Marie Mokoko. Sassou Nguesso, a former paratrooper, served as president from 1979 to 1992, returning to power in 1997 following a civil war. He won two successive terms in elections in 2002 and 2009, both of which were disputed by opposition parties. The long-serving leader is accused by critics of rampant corruption and nepotism and of stifling democracy. Some of the opponents have been arrested and charged. Okombi Salissa, who lost the 2016 election to Denis Sassou Nguesso, but accused the longtime leader of rigging the poll, had an arrest warrant out against him for holding weapons. A former general and ally turned political opponent, Jean Marie Michel Mokoko, remains in detention after calling for a revolt in the wake of Sassous electoral victory in the 2016 polls. He was charged last June with illegally holding ammunition and arms. Prosecutors asked a jury Friday to send a former priest convicted of murder to prison for 57 years, reflecting how long he has walked free since he killed a 25-year-old beauty queen who went to him for confession at a Texas church in 1960. John Bernard Feit, 85, was found guilty Thursday in the killing of schoolteacher Irene Garza in McAllen, Texas. Irene Garza disappeared April 16, 1960. Her bludgeoned body was found days later. An autopsy revealed she had been raped while unconscious, beaten and suffocated. Prosecutor Michael Garza, who is not related to the victim, asked the jury not to view the now elderly and weak Feit as he is today, but to try to imagine him as a 28-year-old man capable of subduing the woman. The jury was deliberating. Feit, then a priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen, came under suspicion in the investigation early on. He told police that he heard Garza's confession in the church rectory rather than in the confessional, but denied he had killed her. Among the evidence that pointed to Feit as a suspect over the years: Two priests told authorities that Feit had confessed to them. One of them said he saw scratches on Feit soon after Garza's disappearance. His portable photographic slide viewer was found near Garza's body. Feit had also been accused of attacking another young woman in a church in a nearby town just weeks before Garza's death. He pleaded no contest and was fined $500. Prosecutors presented evidence earlier in the week that church and elected officials suspected Feit but didn't want to prosecute him. They feared it could harm the reputations of the church and Hidalgo County elected officials, most of whom were Catholic. Sen. John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, was running for president that year. Feit was sent to a treatment center for troubled priests in New Mexico, later becoming a supervisor with responsibility in the clearing of priests for parish assignments. Among the men Feit helped keep in ministry was child molester James Porter, who assaulted more than 100 victims before he was defrocked and sent to prison. Feit left the priesthood in 1972, married and went on to work at the Catholic charity St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix, training and recruiting volunteers and helping oversee the charity's network of food pantries. Garza's family members and friends had long pushed authorities to reopen the case, and it became an issue in the 2014 district attorney's race. Ricardo Rodriguez had promised that if elected, he would re-examine the case. Two children are dead along with an adult male in what police in North Richland Hills described as an apparent murder-suicide. North Richland Hills police said they were called by the mother of the children at about 7:15 a.m. Saturday to a home in the 7400 block of College Circle South. Police said the children involved were a five-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy. The adult male who was dead on the scene is believed to be the father of the children. "And it's just crushing to us. It really hits us. It really does," said North Richland Hills Police public information officer Carissa Katekaru. Police said the deaths were due to a shooting. The mother of the children was at the home at the time, but was not injured. "Losing two kids right here at Christmas time, that's tough," said neighbor Karen Banner. Neighbors said the family recently moved into the home. Investigators tell NBC 5 they have no record of any prior calls to the home involving the family. Leer en Espanol. A New Jersey couple who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico three decades ago was deported Friday, leaving behind their three American-born children. In an emotional and religious farewell Friday morning, Oscar and Humberta Campos said goodbye to their children, ages 24, 22, and 16, before boarding a flight back to their native country. "There is no distance. I will always have them in my heart," Oscar Campos said through tears. They boarded a 6:30 a.m. flight at Newark International Airport bound for Mexico City. Campos said he fled violence in his hometown, Tamaulipas, and crossed the border into Texas in 1989. In their nearly 30 years of living in the U.S., the couple purchased a home in Bridgeton and had a landscaping business, the Courier Post reported. Their two oldest children are college graduates. On Thursday, federal immigration officials denied the couple's last ditch effort to appeal a deportation order and told them they had to leave the country. The couple was forced to sign over a power of attorney to their oldest son so that he can care for his 16-year-old sibling, who is a sophomore in high school, and take over the home's mortgage. NBC10 Sen. Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey who tried to help the Campos family in their status battle, said he is "extremely disappointed" that their stay of removal was denied, according to a statement from his office. Mr. and Mrs. Campos case reinforces the urgent need for us to stand united in seeking common sense solutions to our broken immigration system that are consistent with our core American principles," said Thomas A. Pietrykoski, Booker's state press secretary. "While Senator Bookers office worked for months with the Campos family and federal officials on this case, we are extremely disappointed that [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has denied the request for a stay of removal and saddened to see another family needlessly torn apart. Deacon Arnaldo Santos of the Parish of the Holy Cross in Bridgeton, who has been assisting the family, called the Campos couple "good parents" and noted they didn't have a criminal record, according to the Post. "I want criminals out of this country. I want them to get locked up," Santos told the Post. "But I have known this family for over 20 years. They are respectful, spiritual ... they are a good, good family and that's why I'm petitioning." Moments before getting on the flight, Oscar Campos gave his children some parting advice to adhere in his absence. The words seemed to be a motto he lived by in striving for a better life for his family over the last three decades. "Fight for your dreams because life continues and you will always find good people that support you," he told them before boarding the plane. "There are a lot of good people. Don't give your hopes up." This article is no longer being updated. For the latest information on the Lilac Fire, click here. A wildfire that sparked amid extreme fire weather conditions in San Diego's North County, destroying homes and forcing thousands of evacuations, is now 50 percent contained. Cal Fire San Diego officials said Saturday morning that the so-called Lilac Fire -- which first sparked Thursday at around 11:15 a.m. off State Route 76 and the Interstate 15 interchange in Bonsall -- was holding at 4,100 acres. Firefighters made progress overnight, reaching a 5 percent increase in containment. A unique partnership here in Southern California is working to provide young people with disabilities the skills they need to enter the workforce and stay there. At last count, officials said the blaze had torched 182 structures and damaged and 23 others. As of Saturday evening, approximately 100 of the structures destroyed were reported to be residences, and there are still 1,500 structures threatened, per Cal Fire. Full containment is expected to be reached on Dec. 21, meaning a long road ahead for fire crews who have been working tirelessly to prevent more homes from burning. [NATL-SD] Lilac Fire Burns Near SR-76 and I-15 in North San Diego County The fire was driven by strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity plaguing Southern California this week. The conditions created a recipe for extreme fire weather danger, sweeping Los Angeles County at the top of the week and, by mid-week, zoning in on San Diego County. In all, the Southern California fire "siege" sparked six wildfires, all still actively burning. Combined, the fires scorched 175,000 acres in the region, prompting the evacuation of at least 212,000 residents statewide as the flames threatened 25,000 homes. On Friday, Cal Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said 8,700 firefighters were on the lines. #LilacFire [update] The fire remains 4,100 acres & is now 20% contained. pic.twitter.com/AlBGOpKLxR CAL FIRE/SAN DIEGO COUNTY FIRE (@CALFIRESANDIEGO) December 9, 2017 Cal Fire said more favorable weather conditions -- including a decrease in gusts -- helped crews make progress with containment lines Friday and overnight. On Friday evening, some evacuees from Bonsall, Oceanside and Vista were allowed to return to their homes as officials lowered mandatory evacuation orders to warnings. In the three-day firefight, dozens of homes have burned to the ground in the quiet, rural communities known for their farms and ranches. Animals have been killed. The retirement community of Rancho Monserate Mobile Home Park at the center of where the fire first began was hard hit, with dozens of units destroyed. NBC 7s news chopper captured haunting images of those mobile homes being scorched beyond recognition. San Diego County Sheriff's Department As the sun came up Friday, NBC 7 returned to the mobile home park, much of which had been reduced to ashes. Charred homes filled street after street; some of the frames still stood, but not much else. NBC 7 counted at least 40 homes destroyed in that area. So far, three civilians have suffered burn injuries, while another was hospitalized due to smoke inhalation. Two of those victims suffered burns while trying to save elite training horses stabled at San Luis Rey Downs in Bonsall. Three firefighters have suffered injuries in the ongoing battle to knock out the Lilac Fire. One of those firefighters dislocated his shoulder, put it back in place and went back to work. Another firefighter was hurt Friday when a tree fell on him as he battled the blaze. Cal Fire Capt. Kendal Bortisser said Friday that more than 1,000 personnel were committed to fighting the Lilac Fire. This included over 100 engines, seven air tankers, and 15 helicopters. In addition, two U.S. Marines helicopters and two U.S. Navy choppers were helping. Some road closures remain in place in the Lilac Fire zone. Multiple evacuation centers remain open across the county, taking in evacuees and providing meals and a place to rest. San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore estimated at least 10,000 people had evacuated their homes due to the Lilac Fire. By Friday night, the number of evacuees still unable to return home was at 7,700. Gore said deputies were patrolling evacuated neighborhoods to prevent looting or other crimes while homeowners were away. As of Saturday morning, evacuation shelters included: Bostonia Park & Recreation Center in El Cajon (1049 Bostonia St.) East Valley Community Center in Escondido (2245 E. Valley Parkway) New Venture Christian Fellowship in Oceanside (4000 Mystra Dr.) Oceanside High School in Oceanside (reached capacity Thursday night) (1 Pirates Cove Way) Palomar College in San Marcos (1140 West Mission Rd.) The Forum at Carlsbad in Carlsbad (established as a temporary evacuation resource) (1923 Calle Barcelona) Stagecoach Community Park in Carlsbad (reached capacity Thursday night) (3420 Camino De Los Coches) California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency for San Diego County, freeing up federal resources as crews battle the blaze. The county has also declared a state of emergency. Many schools in impacted areas were closed. San Diego Gas & Electric was monitoring power outages, posting updates on this online outage map. On Friday, county officials said approximately 20,000 people across the county were without power. By 11:30 p.m. Friday, county officials said the number of residents without power was at 9,400. Weather Conditions San Diego County is under a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), in effect through 8 p.m. Sunday. This warning means any fires that may develop will spread quickly under fire-prone conditions that include ongoing strong, gusty winds and low humidity. A high wind warning is in effect until 4 p.m. Sunday. The wind is what led the Lilac Fire to grow by 500 acres in just 20 minutes Thursday, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mike Mohler said. Winds decreased Friday, allowing for a slight uptick in humidity levels and helping firefighters gain some ground on the Lilac Fire. But, the fire zone is not out of the woods just yet. Steven Harris, a forecaster with NWS San Diego, posted a video on Twitter looking at the conditions San Diego could expect going into the weekend. Amapola Market is seeking redemption from its customers after a masa mishap last year. Jane Yamamoto reports for the NBC4 News at 8 on Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017. He said the region could see another burst of Santa Ana winds Saturday night and Sunday when we could have another pretty bad day in terms of fire weather threat. Video weather briefing for an update on the #SantaAna winds. Still a critical #FireWeather threat through Sunday. https://t.co/tIjhCUEggh #cawx NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) December 8, 2017 Harris said Sundays forecast includes 25 to 40 mph gusts in the Lilac Fire zone, as well as northeast winds of 20 to 35 mph in San Diegos passes and foothills and northeast winds of 15 to 25 mpg with up to 40 mph for the inland valleys and some coastal areas. The winds wont be as strong as they were on Thursday, but Harris said the threat is there. "Well still have very low relative humidity Sunday, so any fires that are active or start will be susceptible to growing extremely rapidly especially Sunday," he explained. By Monday, Harris said the winds will be much weaker and the fire weather threat will decrease to a "minor" level. Mohler said there are a lot of open fire lines that have not been tested by erratic Santa Ana winds and, even though there is no smoke, the threat is not gone. "We have what we call sleepers hidden embers that can be increased by just a slight wind," Mohler said. As of Saturday evening, Cal Fire said 1409 fire personnel remained on the lines of the Lilac Fire. Just days after he was accused of masturbating in front of a female lobbyist during a Las Vegas party, Assemblyman Matt Dababneh said Friday he will resign at the end of the month. Dababneh, D-Woodland Hills, told the Los Angeles Times he continues to deny the allegations against him, and his decision to resign "isn't out of guilt or out of fear." "It's out of an idea that I think it's time for me to move on to new opportunities," he told The Times. He said given the allegations and accompanying investigation, "it'd be very hard for me to represent my district and be able to pass the type of legislation that would be meaningful." Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, called Dababneh's decision to resign "yet another sign that the culture is changing." "The Assembly will continue to work to hasten that change, to make the Legislature an institution where people are safe, survivors are helped and perpetrators are held accountable." On Monday, Sacramento lobbyist Pamela Lopez filed a complaint with the Assembly Rules Committee detailing her accusation, which she said occurred during a January 2016 party in Las Vegas attended by a variety of "political professionals." After filing her complaint, Lopez held a news conference alongside another woman, Jessica Yas Barker, who worked under Dababneh when he was a district chief of staff for Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, in 2009-10. Barker said Dababneh was known for his sexually charged comments in the office and inappropriate conduct. "It was pretty much an open secret in the San Fernando Valley that this is how Matt behaved," Barker said. "Unfortunately, it was largely brushed off. "Just this last weekend, I met a woman who told me that her daughter is interning in Matt's office," she said. "All I could think to tell her was to get her out of there as quickly as possible." The most damaging accusations, however, came from Lopez, who had previously discussed the alleged encounter but did not name the legislator involved. She said she went public following a call by the Assembly Rules Committee for alleged victims to come forward and name names. "There are other women who have been sexually harassed by Matt Dababneh," Lopez told reporters. "And I can't have it on my conscious that this may happen again." In her complaint letter, Lopez says she and Dababneh both attended an engagement party for mutual friends at a Las Vegas hotel. She said the crowd included political professionals, many of whom she knew. "When I went to the bathroom after being at the party for a few hours, I felt the weight of a body push me into the restroom," she wrote. "I heard the door slam behind us. When I turned around, I saw Matt Dababneh. He stood blocking the door and began to masturbate and move toward me, urging me to touch him. "It was a terrifying experience," she wrote. "During the time he blocked me in that room, my instincts were focused on escaping without any physical contact and in a way that would not cause a scene. Before the ordeal ended, he told me not to tell anyone." On Monday, Dababneh, 36, strongly denied the allegations. "I affirmatively deny that this event ever happened -- at any time," he said. "I am saddened by this lobbyist's effort to create this falsehood and make these inflammatory statements, apparently for her own self-promotion and without regard to the reputation of others. I look forward to clearing my name." A friend of Dababneh, Ken Maxey, told The Times he was with the assemblyman at the party for a "majority" of the night, and does not recall him ever using the bathroom. He noted that the layout of the room where the party was held would make it difficult for any such incident to go unnoticed. Lopez's business partner, however, told the paper that Lopez told him about the encounter within days of her return to Sacramento after the Las Vegas party. A friend of Lopez's also told The Times that Lopez described the encounter to her several weeks after the party. Dababneh is the second Assembly member to resign in recent weeks over harassment allegations. Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, D-Pacoima, resigned in response to harassment allegations by a series of women. Sen. Tony Mendoza, D-Artesia, was stripped of his legislative leadership positions pending an investigation into harassment allegations against him. Dababneh has been in the Assembly since 2013. A Miami-Dade Fire Rescue helicopter crew rescued two hikers who were lost for several days and out of water from the Big Cypress National Preserve on Friday. The hikers were rescued in a joint effort between MDFR, the National Park Service and the Collier County Sheriff's Office. "The men became lost after several days of trying to navigate a waterlogged section of the Florida Trail," the CCSO said in a statement. "They were standing in shin-deep water and were low on food and out of water when first responders arrived." The men were found four miles south of the 63 Mile Marker on Interstate 75. What to Know The FBI is questioning the Cuomo administration about its practice of hiring employees on other agencies' payrolls The governor's office pushed back hard, calling the FBI investigation "absurd" The practice, which has been used by past administrations, makes Cuomo's budget look smaller than it really is Governor Andrew Cuomos office said Friday it received subpoenas as part of an FBI criminal investigation into its hiring of staff and how they are paid. But a spokeman for Cuomo pushed back hard calling the inquiry absurd and a charade. Investigators are looking into whether dozens of state workers hired on paper to fill specific jobs at various state agencies were instead tasked to work directly for the Democratic governor. The governors spokesman said this is a mere head count and placement issue. But the feds want to know if there is any wrongdoing in using money meant for agencies like transportation or childrens services when in reality those workers may be serving as political appointees to the governor. The Albany Times Union first reported many of these workers are former Hillary Clinton campaign staffers and other Democratic operatives hired as Cuomo may be exploring a possible presidential run. FBI spokespeople in Albany and Washington declined comment as did a spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys office in Brooklyn, which apparently is helping lead the inquiry. Cuomos office said the subpoena was received months ago. In this environment, anyone can ask about anything, Cuomo spokesman Anthony Azzopardi said. The fact is the longstanding practice of detailing staff from Agenices to work in the Executive Chamber dates back over 50 years to at least the Rockefeller administration and extends to the White House and the federal Department of Justice. The state GOP issued a statement saying Cuomo is abusing taxpayer dollars to fund his presidential ambitions. Hes taking away money staff and resources from agencies that are dedicated to help needy New Yorkers, the GOP said in the statement, adding Cuomo is a corrupt hypocrite. Cuomo spokesman said former Gov. George Pataki, a Republican, hired 40 staffers this way and said it is not unusual for governors to use creative ways to hold onto staff. This investigation is separate from the so-called Buffalo billions case and the bribery charges involving one-time Cuomo aide Joe Percoco. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with this investigation focusing on staffing in the Executive Chamber. A large crowd of people descended on Times Square Friday night to protest a decision by the U.S. to recognize Israels capital as Jerusalem. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters filled the sidewalks of Seventh Avenue, between 41st and 42nd streets. Down the block, a handful of pro-Israeli counter-protesters gathered to support a decision announced by President Trump earlier this week. Passions were high and some shoving and pushing was reported as the two groups faced off at various points along the street. One person was detained by police, although its unclear if he or she was arrested. The whole world knows that Jerusalem is divided. Some part is for Israelis and the other part is Palestinian. So I cant all of the sudden come and say, Okay, Im going to give New York to so and so, Amal Al-Shrouf, a supporter of Palestine, said. Meanwhile, Dennis Mitchell showed his support for Israel across the street. I believe in a shared state and they want the whole thing for themselves, he said. They just want to get rid of Israel. That doesnt work. Another pro-Israel demonstrator, Karen Lichtbraun of the Jewish Defense League, said "We applaud President Trump and his announcement." The Times Square protest followed deadly clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces on Friday, two days after President Trump announced the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital. A 30-year-old man was killed and more than 100 injured along Gazas border with Israel, Palestinian officials said. Israels military said soldiers fired selectively at two main instigators. Trump's pivot on Jerusalem triggered warnings from America's friends and foes alike that he is needlessly stirring more conflict in an already volatile region. The religious and political dispute over Jerusalem forms the emotional core of the Israeli-Arab conflict. The ancient city is home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian shrines and looms large in the competing national narratives of Israelis and Palestinians. The top U.S. diplomat urged Saudi Arabia on Friday to temper its actions toward Yemen, Qatar and other neighbors, gently turning up the pressure as Saudi's powerful crown prince asserts power both at home and overseas, as the White House raised new alarms about the situation in Yemen. During a brief visit to France, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson drew a distinction between Saudi Arabia's recent domestic moves and its behavior elsewhere in the Middle East. He declared strong American support for the kingdom's internal reforms, which include Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's corruption crackdown against powerful princes, businessmen and military officers. Opponents see it as a power grab. Internationally, Tillerson encouraged Saudi restraint. "With respect to Saudi Arabia's engagement with Qatar, how they're handling the Yemen war that they're engaged in, the Lebanon situation, we would encourage them to be a bit more measured and a bit more thoughtful in those actions to, I think, fully consider the consequences," Tillerson said. Tillerson's comments signaled America's increasing perception the Saudis may be overreaching on the global stage. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump directed aides to call Saudi leaders to demand an immediate end to the kingdom's blockade on war-ravaged Yemen, where the Saudis have led a military intervention against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who control much of the country. In a statement Friday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the U.S. is "gravely concerned by the recent escalation in violence and continued dire humanitarian conditions in Yemen" and urged "all parties to immediately cease hostilities, reenergize political talks, and end the suffering of the Yemeni people." She also called on the Saudi-led coalition to allow the free flow of humanitarian aid, fuel and other goods through all Yemeni ports and called on Houthi militias to allow the distribution of food, medicine and fuel in the areas they control. "The United States continues to believe that the devastating conflict in Yemen, and the suffering it causes, must be brought to an end through political negotiations in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions," she said. Tillerson renewed the call for the blockade's "complete end." Saudi Arabia argues it hasn't blockaded Yemen entirely, but merely seeks to stop Iranian weapons from being smuggled into Yemen for use against the kingdom and its allies. The U.S. has joined Saudi Arabia in alleging that Iran supplied the Houthis with missiles that have been launched at the Saudi capital from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. On Friday, Yemeni officials said Saudi-led coalition airstrikes killed at least 23 civilians, including women and children, in the country's north. The Saudi-led coalition backs Yemen's internationally recognized government and has battled the Houthis since March 2015.The stalemated war has killed more than 10,000 civilians and pushed the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine. The Trump administration has sought to strengthen Sunni-led Saudi Arabia's role as a regional counterweight to Iran, the Shiite powerhouse the U.S. blames for fomenting unrest in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere. But Saudi Arabia's critics worry that Trump's support is emboldening a country with its own history of helping militant groups with questionable records, such as in Syria. They question if Saudi Arabia is enhancing stability in the volatile Middle East. In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia is widely believed to have orchestrated the shock resignation last month of Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a Saudi citizen, who was in Riyadh at the time. After leaving Saudi Arabia, Hariri rescinded his resignation as world leaders committed to limiting Iranian-backed Hezbollah's control over Lebanon. In Qatar, Saudi Arabia has led several neighbors in enforcing a blockade of the tiny, gas-rich nation. It accuses Qatar of funding terrorism and supporting opposition movements throughout the region. The United States has oscillated between supporting the Saudi and Qatari sides of the dispute. Recently, Tillerson has suggested the Saudis are preventing a resolution. Associated Press writers Angela Charlton in Paris and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report. The Flagstaff City Council took the first steps to approving a series of changes to the citys transect zoning code Tuesday night. The amendments were developed in the hopes they would prohibit a future development like The Hub, which residents and elected officials have criticized for being too massive and out of place in the neighborhood where it is being built. The most significant change in the first round of amendments the council has deliberated is removing the commercial block building type from T4 zones. The Hub, a commercial block building, is being constructed in both a T4 zone and a T5 zone. Much of The Hubs controversy stemmed from an inconsistency in the zoning code about whether commercial block was allowed in all T4 zones or only in specific subzones within the T4 zone. In the code, commercial block is not included in the list of allowed building types for the subzone where The Hub is being built. However, a table later in the code lists commercial block as allowed in T4. The Flagstaff Board of Adjustment ruled in a 3-2 vote that because commercial block was included in the later table, The Hub is allowed to be built. A visiting Pima County Superior Court judge confirmed the boards decision when the case was appealed. Commercial block will still be allowed in T5 zones, which the zoning code describes as a main street type zone, which serves as the transition between the lower numbered residential zones, and T6, the downtown zone. Because The Hub spans both a T4 and T5 zone, the portion in the T5 zone could still be a commercial block building. In order to continue to allow commercial use buildings in T4 zones, the council also chose to modify another building type, called live/work. Previously, the live/work building required both uses to be completed by the same occupant, meaning if someone built a live/work building and wanted to use the bottom floor for commercial uses, like a shop, the upper floor, or the area behind the shop, must be used for residential by the same occupant. The amendments allow the building to provide a mix of uses and remove the requirement for one of the units to be a dwelling unit. At Tuesdays meeting, Councilman Jim McCarthy proposed that the amendments include requiring a separation between live/work buildings that are placed on the same lot. McCarthy said if the separation was not required, even though each live/work building would have a separate entrance, a developer could create a series of buildings with the same continuous width as The Hub. The council agreed to requiring space between each live/work building, and also to limit the width of a live/work building to 50 feet in all zones. The council said if a developer wants to make a larger commercial building in a zone that allows it, T5 or T6, the developer can still make a commercial block building. The council also opted to require larger commercial block buildings to have architectural breaks, like using a different type or color of material on the facade of a building. Even with the amendments, some councilmembers said the underlying problem could be that the zoning maps that define each transect were not done correctly. Some areas are zoned T4, which is designed to reinforce established neighborhoods and to maintain neighborhood stability in walkable urban areas, while allowing such areas to evolve with the integration of small building footprints and medium density building types. Some councilmembers pointed out even if some places are zoned to allow the medium density buildings, the area may be more suited for T3 zoning, which does not have a commercial building type allowed, based on the amendments to the code. Dawn Tucker, the executive director of Friends of Flagstaffs Future, said in a letter that by reconciling the zoning assignments with what exists in the neighborhoods, rather than what could exist in the future, sensitive areas like the Southside could be protected from some of the overdevelopment. Tucker suggested the city go into neighborhoods and ask what property owners want to see done in their communities and make the changes based on owners feedback. If one owner does not want to buy into the change, that person can get a waiver for their property to protect it from down zoning, which is required by Arizonas Prop. 207. The law prohibits a city from taking away property rights from an owner without compensating owners who oppose the change for the loss of value. However, Prop. 207, which was passed by the voters in 2006, only applies to those who own the properties when the change is enacted. Reviewing the maps and discussing possible rezoning could come in later stages of the transect zoning amendments. The second reading of the amendments will be at the councils Dec. 19 meeting. The United Nations Security Council on Thursday voiced grave concern about modern slavery in Libya, warning that the sale of migrants into slavery in the North African nation may amount to crimes against humanity. The 15-member council unanimously adopted a formal statement calling on Libyan authorities to investigate the reports of migrants being sold at auctions. The Security Council decision comes weeks after CNN reports of migrants being traded as slaves in Libya sent shockwaves through the world. The CNN footage showed buyers bidding for the migrants, who were sold off for as little as $400 each. Faced with poverty and unemployment, tens of thousands of migrants, many of them from sub-Saharan Africa, left to seek a better life abroad. Hoping to reach Europe, some of them were captured by traffickers and held in camps and warehouses on the Libyan coast Morocco has offered to facilitate air transport to evacuate the migrants to their home countries. Rwandan government has announced earlier this month that it could host up to 30,000 African immigrants currently stuck in the North African nation. The AU, which appealed to its member states to provide logistical support to enable the evacuation of the stranded migrants, announced it brought up the number of migrants it intends to bring back home from Libya from 15,000 to 20,000. The AU said that it will proceed to airlifting the migrants within six-weeks, adding that works are underway to organize consular services for stranded migrants and landing rights for airlines that can fly migrants out of Libya. A person who called 911 about a disorderly man inside a tire shop near a Sheetz gas station in Leesburg, Virginia, shot the man before police arrived, police say. Leesburg police said shortly before 3:30 p.m. a caller reported a disorderly man was inside the Sheetz on Edwards Ferry Road. A short time later, the caller said the man was inside the tire shop behind the Sheetz. At some point there was an altercation between the man and an employee at the tire shop and during the fight, the 911 caller shot the man, police said. The man was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, police said. The 911 caller is cooperating with detectives, police said. A 50-year-old shuttle bus driver shot and killed a co-worker in a fight on the former Walter Reed Medical Center campus, police said. The gunman and the 45-year-old victim, Brian Andre Gibson of northwest D.C., had a bad history with one another and got into an argument which escalated into a fight Friday morning, police said. At some point, the 50-year-old man pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the 6900 block of Georgia Avenue NW, police say. "They got into a physical altercation," D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said. "It was a pretty serious assault that was going on. One of them ended up producing a handgun, shot the other, and he has been pronounced on the scene." Both men were drivers for a construction company taking construction workers to various job sites. Police have not identified the 50-year-old man or the construction company. They are questioning the 50-year-old man. No charges have been filed as of 6 p.m. Friday. People in the area heard the shots and ducked for cover. Erlah Vardikos was there with her three children. I heard some gunshots, she said. I told my kids immediately run across the street. We zigzagged because we were afraid to fall down on the ground because it was an open area. Its frightening because I live right across the street and my kids are afraid to catch the bus now, Vardikos said. Walter Reed Medical Center left its home in Northwest Washington in 2011 and relocated to Bethesda, Maryland. Last year, the District signed a deal with the U.S. Army to take over 66 acres of the Georgia Avenue site. CORRECTION (4:15 p.m., Dec. 8, 2017) Sources previously told News4 the victim was 20 years old, not 45. The Boston Herald has been sold to GateHouse Media, Publisher Patrick J. Purcell announced to the newspaper's staff at a meeting Friday. Multiple reporters from the newspaper tweeted the news on Friday, and the newspaper published a story on its website detailing the pending sale. "I am very proud of the spectacular management team with whom I have worked hand in hand over the years," Purcell said in letter to employees. "And I am equally as proud of the excellent staff in all areas of our company who have worked tirelessly to make the Boston Herald a relevant and respected provider of local and regional news for Boston and the area." The Herald employs about 240 people, down from 900 at its peak. Purcell has owned the paper since the mid-1990s, when he purchased it from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The newspaper filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday in order to maximize its value. Purcell said the newspaper will continue to operate, and employees were told no buyouts will be offered. GateHouse publishes the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, the Cape Cod Times, The Patriot Ledger and more than 100 other newspapers. Speculation is swirling about Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) potentially changing her vote to "no" on the GOP tax plan. The Senators spokesperson says Collins remains uncommitted and is waiting to see how the bill changes in committee. The possibility that Collins could end up opposing the bill is giving some protesters hope. "Theres always a little bit of hope thats why were here," said Isabella McCann, a Bowdoin college student protesting the tax bill at Collins Portland office Friday. Twice this week, protesters staged a sit-in at one of Collins' offices. A group of five were arrested and charged for refusing to leave the Senator's office in Bangor. Thursday night, nine clergy members staged a similar protest and were arrested. "We all have a lot of poor people in our congregation, so we feel its our duty to speak on behalf of them," said Rev. Christina Sillari, of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist church. Collins initially supported the Senate plan because she received a promise from party leaders that her amendments would be included, and that the party would vote on two additional pieces of legislation to mitigate the effects of the tax bill. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) reportedly said this week that he never committed to the Collins deal, raising some questions about the future of her conditions. Annie Clark, a spokesperson for the Senator, said Collins remains confident that her amendments will be included. She said the Senator is waiting to see the full picture of the bill that emerges from committee before declaring how she will vote. A startup based on an Indiana University innovation could help federal and international organizations conduct more-efficient quantitative risk assessments of chemicals in food, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and other products. Traditional methods to conduct quantitative risk assessments have drawbacks, according to Kan Shao, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health in IU's School of Public Health. "Regulatory agencies face two major challenges," Shao said. "The first is the gap between the speed of conducting assessments and the speed of new chemicals being developed. The second is determining how regulatory risk-assessment results can better support benefit-cost analysis-based decision-making." Shao has launched Dream Tech LLC, a high-tech startup that uses a Bayesian estimation system for the dose-response assessment phase, which addresses a chemical's toxicity. "Dream Tech can improve the dose-response modeling approaches to make the assessment more efficient and effective," he said. "The Bayesian method incorporates historical and other types of data to reduce animal use in toxicological studies, which enhances the efficiency of risk assessment. "Dream Tech's online dose-response modeling system also provides probabilistic estimates for the most important quantities, which cannot be achieved by current dose-response modeling systems." Shao said Dream Tech's focus on the dose-response step of quantitative risk assessment sets it apart from other companies. "Few businesses provide quantitative and analytical support for risk assessment, and almost none focus solely on dose-response modeling. The two current most-used systems were developed by U.S. and Dutch government agencies," he said. "Dream Tech is relatively unique in its focus." Shao disclosed his innovation to the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office, which protects, markets and licenses intellectual property developed at Indiana University so it can be commercialized by industry. Shao licensed the innovation and launched Dream Tech to commercialize it. Shao said Dream Tech continues to develop the Bayesian system to build novel functionalities and is seeking funding to support the company's financial and personal growth. "The next milestones include the acceptance of our system as an alternative dose-response modeling system to support regulatory risk assessments and to engage external sources for financial support," he said. By no means are only elderly people at risk from heart diseases. Physically active individuals can also be affected, for example if a seemingly harmless flu bug spreads to the heart muscle. Should this remain undetected and if, for example, a builder continues with his strenuous job or an athlete carries on training, this can lead to chronic inflammation and in the worst case even to sudden death. The latest issue of the Forschung Frankfurt journal describes how modern non-invasive examinations using state-of-the-art imaging technology can reduce such risks. Professor Eike Nagel and his 12 coworkers at the Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardio Vascular Imaging of Goethe University Frankfurt are developing better ways to predict and diagnose heart diseases. In recent years, the researchers have taken the lead in the development of a procedure that is still very new in heart scans. Nagel explains the advantages: "With the help of magnetic resonance imaging, we can look right inside the heart muscle." Blood flow to the heart muscle is visualized and shows whether there are any constrictions of the arteries supplying the heart. Experts can also spot whether the heart muscle is scarred, inflamed or displays any other anomalies. The comparatively fast method makes it possible to examine patients at an early stage and may prevent cardiac insufficiency or even a heart attack. "Diseases such as HIV, kidney damage, rheumatic diseases or tumors often affect the heart either directly or as a side effect of therapy," says Nagel, describing groups potentially at risk. The cardiologist is convinced: "Nowadays we can treat or even cure so many diseases, but the heart suffers too and this should be carefully monitored as it mostly remains undetected." MRI is a non-invasive and gentle examination technique, which is less risky but just as efficient as an examination using a conventional heart catheter, where a thin tube is pushed in the direction of the heart through an artery. Nagel's research group was recently able to demonstrate this in a large international multi-center study that was met with international acclaim. The Institute for Experimental and Translational Cardio Vascular Imaging also has state-of-the-art computer tomography equipment at its disposal that can produce three-dimensional images of the heart. These especially reveal calcium deposits and plaques in the artery walls which could rupture and trigger a sudden heart attack. "This allows us to determine the risk of a heart attack and the need for therapy fast and at an early stage, which can then be non-invasive," says Nagel. Which technique is best for which patient is one of the research topics Nagel's group is evaluating. In some patients, both may be needed and the Institute is optimally equipped to answer most aspects of heart disease thanks to its deep insight into the heart. Nagel finds these rapid advances in imaging over the last decades fascinating: "Nowadays we can spot the slightest changes and literally get a clear picture of the heart's condition." A novel compound may restore immune response in patients with melanoma, according to a study presented at the ESMO Immuno Oncology Congress 2017. "Checkpoint inhibitors are a standard of care immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma," said lead author Dr Sapna Patel, Assistant Professor, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, US. "However, many patients do not respond because myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), a type of inhibitory cell, are present in the tumor microenvironment." "In animal studies, omaveloxolone inhibited MDSCs and restored immune activity," she continued. "Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) produce reactive nitrogen radicals that alter the receptors on the surface of the tumor to hide it from cytotoxic lymphocytes that kill tumor cells. Omaveloxolone inhibits MDSC activity, suppresses reactive nitrogen radicals, and restores anti-tumor immune responses. Administering omaveloxolone with checkpoint inhibitors may improve the antitumor response of these immunotherapies." This open label, multicenter, phase 1B trial investigated the safety and efficacy of omaveloxolone in combination with the checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab or nivolumab. The study included 30 patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, of whom seven were naive to checkpoint inhibitors and 23 had prior checkpoint inhibitor treatment. The overall response rate was 57% in checkpoint inhibitor naive patients and 17% in those with prior exposure. Median time to response was 19 weeks. There were no serious adverse events related to omaveloxolone and it was well tolerated in combination with ipilimumab or nivolumab. Dr Patel said: "Our findings suggest that omaveloxolone may overcome resistance to checkpoint inhibitors. Omaveloxolone in combination with checkpoint blockade had activity in both naive and checkpoint inhibitor refractory melanoma patients." She added: "This is one of the first studies to demonstrate a meaningful response rate in the checkpoint inhibitor refractory melanoma population. Further dose escalation and dose expansion studies are underway as well as translational tissue-based experiments to clarify the impact of this treatment combination." Commenting on the study for ESMO, Dr Olivier Michielin, head of Personalised Analytical Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland, said: "Omaveloxolone's novel mechanism of action is to block MDSCs, cells known to suppress the immune response. This study tested a new combination therapy in immuno oncology and found encouraging response rates with omaveloxolone plus ipilimumab or nivolumab in patients who were checkpoint inhibitor naive or resistant. The combination was well tolerated and may address some of the immune escape mechanisms that limit the activity of current checkpoint blockade therapies." Michielin added: "More data is needed before we can make a final call on whether there is a place, and where would the place be, for this combination in the current treatment portfolio. The next step should be a randomized trial to investigate whether omaveloxolone provides additional benefit when combined with the checkpoint blockade backbone, for example, comparing the efficacy of PD-1 blockade alone versus PD-1 blockade plus omaveloxolone." Researchers have discovered a mechanism of resistance to checkpoint inhibitors and how to reverse it. The biomarker results from the IMvigor210 study are reported at the ESMO Immuno Oncology Congress 2017. Therapeutic antibodies that block the programmed death ligand 1(PD-L1) / programmed death 1 (PD-1) pathway, such as atezolizumab, can induce robust and durable responses in patients with various cancers, including metastatic bladder cancer. However, such responses occur only in a subset of patients. "Understanding why the remaining 70-80% are resistant would enable us to target the mechanism with an additional drug and extend the benefits of checkpoint inhibitors to more patients," said lead author Dr Sanjeev Mariathasan, Senior Scientist, Oncology Biomarker Department, Genentech, South San Francisco, US. The IMvigor210 biomarker study investigated the drivers of efficacy and primary resistance to the anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab in 300 patients with bladder cancer. They used a combination of methods including immunohistochemistry, genome sequencing, and RNA expression. The researchers found two drivers of efficacy and one driver of resistance. In terms of efficacy, tumors with the highest number of mutations - called a high mutation burden - were the most amenable to immunotherapy. Tumours that had T cells present in the tumor microenvironment were also more responsive to immunotherapy. Regarding resistance, tumors with high expression of the cytokine TGF- tended to be unresponsive to immunotherapy. When the researchers dug deeper into the mechanisms of resistance, they found three types of tumour microenvironment: 1) "immune desert" with few T cells (25% of bladder cancers); 2) "T cell excluded tumours" in which T cells are stuck in the stromal microenvironment and do not penetrate the tumor (50%); 3) "T cell inflamed tumours" where T cells have penetrated into the tumor (25%). Mariathasan said that in "T cell excluded tumors", the tumor may secrete a factor that builds a collagen-rich fortified wall around the tumors. The stromal microenvironment is like a Velcro that T cells stick to and do not enter the tumor. High expression of TGF- and TGF--induced stromal genes in these excluded tumors were associated with non-responders, suggesting that these may help to fortify the tumor against T cell penetration. The researchers then examined whether inhibiting TGF- activity could improve the efficacy of atezolizumab. A mouse model with the "T cell excluded a tumor" phenotype was used to compare four treatments: isotype antibody (control group), anti-PD-L1 alone, anti-TGF- alone, and the combination of anti-TGF- plus anti-PD-L1. In the combination group, TGF- activity in stromal cells was reduced, T cells penetrated into the center of the tumor, and the tumor reduced in size. Mariathasan said: "This suggests that giving anti-TGF- and anti-PD-L1 together can remodel the stromal microenvironment and allow T cells into the tumor. The 'T cell excluded' phenotype is common in other cancers such as lung, pancreatic and colorectal, so this combination therapy could be tested in a wider group." Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Commenting on the research, Professor Ignacio Melero, Senior Researcher, Centre for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), Pamplona, Spain, said: "Immunotherapy with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade is effective in a fraction of patients while it remains ineffective or suboptimal in most patients. It is key to identify the factors that impede more generalised benefit." "TGF- is a soluble protein that is known to suppress immune responses through a variety of mechanisms," continued Melero. "In this work, analysis of gene expression in clinical trial biopsies indicated that the gene signature of active TGF- is in action in a fraction of bladder carcinoma patients who do not respond to PD-L1 blockade. In fact this seems to correlate with the inability of T killer lymphocytes to penetrate into the cancerous tissue. Moreover, experiments were undertaken in a transplantable breast cancer mouse model to see if TGF- blockade is synergistic with PD-1/PD-L1 and it seems to be the case at least in that model." Regarding the potential clinical implications of the findings, Melero said: "TGF- has been pursued as a pharmacological target in cancer therapy research for some time. Inhibitors come in the form of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies and signaling inhibitors (SMAD inhibitors). These molecules are in clinical trials but have not yielded remarkable success because of efficacy and safety constraints. It is interesting to know that perhaps we can identify, by means of gene signatures, a fraction of patients in whom TGF- is the dominant mechanism and focus on synergistic combinations blocking PD-1 and TGF- simultaneously." When it comes to the need for further research, Melero said: "In bladder cancer it makes sense to design and implement a clinical trial that would select patients based on a TGF- signature and treat them with an anti-TGF- agent plus PD-1 or PD-L1 blockade. Better anti-TGF- agents need to be developed for use combination with immunotherapy agents." George Coukos, Congress Co-Chair, Professor and Director, Department of Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland, said the research had two main implications: "First of all it explains why T cells are perhaps retained in the stroma and are not able to move into a tumour. Most importantly, it opens the door for improving therapeutic responses to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade by simultaneously targeting the TGF- pathway." Coukos said a clinical study was needed combining PD-1 or PD-L1 blockade with TGF- blockade in bladder cancer patients with the "T cell excluded tumor" phenotype, and then in other cancers with the same phenotype. "The T cell excluded tumors are the low hanging fruit in terms of clinical opportunity," he said. "At the basic research level, we need to better understand why tumors establish this barrier to T cell infiltration, how it is mediated, what role the stromal fibroblasts play, and how the immune excluded phenotype gets orchestrated at the tumor site in order to escape immune recognition." GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us. Error 404 Not Found You may have mis-typed the URL. Or the page has been removed. Actually, there is nothing to see here... Click on the links below to do something, Thanks! Take Me our of here The best time to take out the North Korean ICBMs are before launch during the 3-4 minutes of the boost phase when they are first launched. Taking out the ICBMs when they are about to hit their target is a far harder problem. The ICBMs can deploy decoys and they can alter course. Hitting the North Korean ICBM during boost phase is still very hard. We will need faster missiles or we have quickly flood North Korean airspace with drones and fighters during the early stage of a conflict. It appears that US Mach 15 interceptor missiles stationed in the waters just off the coast of North Korea could hit a North Korean ICBM in boost phase. But this requires no time or at most ten seconds to decide if the detected missile is a threat or worth shooting down. This would also require the US to provide the training for the navy crews to shoot SM-3 missiles against ICBMs. Currently the US ships have to board special civilian specialists for each SM-3 anti-ICBM test. There are 90 to 120 seconds for an intercept after detection of a missile launch Above is national missile defense breakdown of the timeline in the critical boost phase. ICBMs would need to be engaged on a very compressed timeline. The upper half of the figure shows the stages of the intercept process for both solid- and liquid-propellant ICBMs launched from Iran. The right hand end of the solid bars indicates when the ICBM stops burning. The last chance for intercepting the ICBM is five seconds before that, as indicated. In the lower half of the figure, the lengths of the solid bars show how long the interceptors have to reach the ICBM, from interceptor launch to intercept. The left hand end shows the earliest possible launch of the interceptor after the ICBM launch taking into account the time needed for tracking the ICBM, determining a firing solution, and deciding whether to intercept. These figures show where an interceptor would need to be based to successfully reach a solid-propellant ICBM launched from North Korea. Missile trajectories for different targets in the United States are shown. The left hand figures show basing areas if the interceptors are capable of achieving speeds of 6.5 km/s. The right hand figures correspond to a hypothetical interceptor capable of 10 km/s, which is beyond current capabilities. The solid inner circles indicate the required basing area if 30 seconds of decision time is allowed. The outer dashed circles show the basing area if interceptors are fired as soon as a firing solution is obtained, with no decision time. The crosses show the position of the last chance to intercept, in Chinese airspace in all cases. 6.5 km per second is Mach 19 10 km per second is Mach 29. It does not appear in unclassified information that US has 6.5 km per second let alone 10 km per second interceptor missiles. The newest SM-3 Block II missiles are 4.5 km/second Mach 15 missiles. The THAAD missiles that are based in South Korea do not have the speed or range to cover North Korea to hit ICBMs as they launch. North Korean Missiles launched toward the USA would fly over China. In several tests, the U.S. military have demonstrated the feasibility of destroying long and short range ballistic missiles. Combat effectiveness of newer systems against 1950s tactical ballistic missiles seems very high, as the MIM-104 Patriot (PAC-1 and PAC-2) had a 100% success rate in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The U.S. Navy Aegis combat system uses RIM-161 Standard Missile 3, which hit a target going faster than ICBM warheads. Hypothetical Mach 29 interceptor missiles could be placed on US Navy ships on either side of North Korea and in South Korea. They should have 300-500+ mile range. High speed interceptors with mid-range placed onto stealth drones should also be developed. Operational ranges of SM3 missiles 700 km (378 miles) Block IA/B 2,500 km (1,350 miles) Block IIA Speeds of SM3 missiles 3 km/s (Mach 10.2) Block IA/B 4.5 km/s (Mach 15.25) Block II These systems, as opposed to U.S. GMD system, are not capable of a mid-course intercept of an ICBM. Stealth Drones with shorter range and slower missiles would need to be in North Korea airspace The Avenger and other MQ-X class drones could be used to constantly fly near North Korea territory or even over North Korea to fire missiles at any ICBM that in the first 3-4 minutes when they are most vulnerable. The US has 160 MQ-9 drones which can carries a variety of weapons including the GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, the AGM-114 Hellfire II air-to-ground missiles, the AIM-9 Sidewinder, and the GBU-38 JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition). Tests are underway to allow for the addition of the AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missile. The missiles have short range. However, fewer than a dozen Avenger drones have been purchased since the product first flew in 2009. There is talk of a 90 Avenger purchase by India over the next few years. Unlike the previous MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B) drones, the Avenger is powered by a turbofan engine, and its design includes stealth features such as internal weapons storage, and an S-shaped exhaust for reduced infrared and radar signatures. The Avenger will support the same weapons as the MQ-9, and carry the Lynx synthetic aperture radar and a version of the F-35 Lightning IIs electro-optical targeting system (EOTS), called the Advanced Low-observable Embedded Reconnaissance Targeting (ALERT) system. The Avenger will use the same ground support infrastructure as the MQ-1 and MQ-9, including the ground control station and existing communications networks. The Avenger besides being bigger has some stealth capability. The US has research for larger, faster and more stealthier drones and incrementally improved models are technologically possible for deployment over the next few years. The US with current weapons (drones and fighters) and slower interceptors would need to take over North Korean airspace and place a couple hundred drones and fighters spread over the country to spot and shoot any ICBM as it is set up to launch or as it launches. With current US weapons before fighting starts the ideal location to put the interceptor missiles would be in China. This of course is a tough political problem. Basing on satellites 400 miles up Nextbigfuture has previously written that basing missiles and kinetic weapons on satellites 400 miles over North Korea could also intercept weapons during the boost phase. The weapons could be designed for a speed of Mach 29 and those would cover the 400 miles in about 70 seconds. Mach 10 straight kinectic interceptors would take 200 seconds to reach a land target. However, the ICBMs would flying upwards. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomos hiring practices are under investigation, as F.B.I. agents and federal prosecutors have begun examining how staff members working in the governors office are being paid by other New York State authorities and agencies. The governors office received a document subpoena months ago, according to Richard Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesman. We have cooperated, providing necessary documents, he said. Mr. Azzopardi called the line of inquiry absurd. The agencies are all part of the same executive branch, and this administration follows the exact same lawful hiring process we inherited from previous administrations stretching back decades, he said. If there are questions about it, call George Pataki, referring to the three-term former Republican governor. The F.B.I. inquiry was first reported by The Times-Union in Albany, which said that agents had interviewed a number of people who work in the governors office, even though their salaries are carried on the budgets of other state agencies and authorities. @NewsbySmiley Democratic congressional candidate and Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez says she and her Republican campaign manager quietly parted ways after he trolled liberals on social media and continued working for a man whom she accused of unwanted sexual advances. Citing philosophical differences, Rosen Gonzalez, who is running for the 27th Congressional District seat held by retiring Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, says Pedro Diaz resigned last month from her campaign. She said they split because he would not step down from the Miami Beach Commission campaign of Rafael Velasquez, though Diaz said their dispute was over campaign strategy. The only reason we parted ways was really strategic differences. I dont think it had anything to do with Rafael or anything else, Diaz said. Rosen Gonzalez accused Velasquez in late October of exposing his penis to her, and said Diaz resigned about a week later, just before Velasquez lost his election. But she says she was also aware of Diazs inflammatory social media use, including a tweet where he responded to a story about activists hanging clown effigies in KKK robes by asking why so much hate, racism and violence from the left? Someone sent me that tweet and I realized that he might not be the best choice for a Democratic primary, so his resignation was timely, she texted. Although his firm is bipartisan. He works with Democrats and Republicans. Click here to read more. Each night of Hanukkah, I proudly light a Hanukkiah (aka menorah) on my front porch in an improvised aquarium menorah, a glass aquarium with a lid, that prevents the candles from blowing out in the wind. I learned this strategy in Jerusalem, where Jewish residents install Hanukkiahs built into special glass and metal boxes, some gloriously ornate, on the exterior walls of their houses. For me, Hanukkah candles are a triumphant manifestation of hope and love, a visual reminder of Divine beneficence. I am always grateful for the magic of Hanukkah light. Last year at this time, Missoulians gathered at Har Shalom to express solidarity, countering the malicious sentiments of anti-Semitic leaflets that appeared around town for five weeks. Our public officials joined the rally-like news conference. The Missoulian printed a striking, single-page pullout of a menorah superimposed on a silhouette of Montana, and the Missoula Ministerial Association a group of local Christian, Jewish and Buddhist clergy and spiritual leaders announced a campaign to display the menorah in Missoula homes and businesses. Missoulas Jewish community deeply appreciated the outpouring of support, and it strengthened bonds among Missoulas communities of faith and practice. For example, the Missoula Deanery, led by Father Ed Hislop of Blessed Trinity Catholic Community, published a Christmas Day message in the Missoulian, saying, The Catholic pastors, priests, deacons, sister, pastoral administrators and parish staffs of the Missoula Deanery stand with out Jewish neighbors and friends in solidarity, support, mutual caring, faith, and hope. We choose, with them, not to be silent but to be the Word of God echoing in the night, as a promise of light, liberation, and mutual respect. Where are we now, one year later? What are the challenges to our spirit? And as my wise spiritual director, Rabbi Sarah Cohen, regularly asks me, Where is God in this? The past year brought us vicious anti-Semitic trolling in Whitefish, the Charlottesville White Nationalist rally that resulted in death, violence and virulent expression of racist and anti-Semitic sentiment, and as reported by the FBI, a sharp rise in acts of violence on the basis of race and religion. Last fall and early winter, when I reacted to the rise of neo-Nazi ideology and white nationalism, I realized I could not wake up every day being angry; it was toxic to my spirit. Instead, I realized that I could be thankful each day to rise and be ready to do the work of bringing peace, respect, love into the world, focusing on the path forward. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, There are moments when we all stand together and see our faces in the mirror: the anguish of humanity and its helplessness; the perplexity of the individual and the need of divine guidance, being called to praise and to do what is required. In this moment, we are called to divine service. It is up to each one of us to respond to this call. As my teacher, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, said, God is always present. The question is, How present are we? A University of Montana official recommended dissolving his own unit Friday as the flagship evaluates its priorities. Mario Schulzke, associate vice president of integrated communications and chief marketing officer, said he took a three-week hike earlier this year on the John Muir Trail. When he returned to UM, everything was still running as it should be. "This is a very highly functional unit, and maybe I'm not quite as needed as I thought I was going to be," Schulzke said. He is accepting a severance offer and recommends dissolving his position and the executive director of marketing and operations position, with former executive director Jed Liston moving to a different role at UM. Schulzke recommended the other unit heads report to communications director Paula Short in the president's office. The recommendation returns the communications team to an earlier structure. Schulzke said some employees are taking voluntary buyouts, so the move makes sense because fewer staff require fewer managers. He also believes it makes sense to have recruitment and marketing efforts under the same umbrella. Plus, incoming President Seth Bodnar is savvy in marketing and branding, and he will be able to design his communications team as he sees fit, Schulzke said. "I really want him to have a clean slate," he said. Schulzke made the announcement Friday at a UM cabinet meeting to review recommendations from the prioritization process. President Sheila Stearns said she did not anticipate any bombshells at the meeting, and she will seek more advice as she begins to make her own conclusions. The timeline notes the president will make decisions by Dec. 15. Stearns recently has been referring to the report she will produce as "an essay," and community member Lewis Schneller asked at the meeting if the expectations of the process for decisive results had been curtailed. "That's an interesting observation, and we'll be talking that over," Stearns said. At the same time, she said she would have been disappointed if the process wasn't iterative. She said more analysis is needed, and she also said UM needs to be clear about how it builds a bridge between the completion of the current phase of prioritization and the expectation for units. However, Stearns said the timeline for the process was rushed: "I've been told that, and I'm feeling it myself quite a bit." As part of the process, a task force evaluated and ranked some 400 academic and administrative units at UM. As UM moves ahead, student Beverly Sitton asked the president to consider the direct needs of students when allocating resources. Sitton said she doesn't believe UM's drop in enrollment is an administrative failing to recruit as much as it is a lack of attention to students' priorities and subsequent retention problem. Students want to hear UM's strong response against sexual assault allegations on campus, she said. She also said it's hard for students to feel like they are getting good advising, and they have a high demand for health services but not enough supply. "You can't get into Curry counseling more than three or four weeks out," Sitton said. Jenny McNulty, associate dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences, also said it was no secret that the process was recommending changes to many areas in her college. She said UM must restructure while keeping the humanities strong, and she noted some units, such as languages, might not have many majors, but do fulfill general education requirements. "To have a strong liberal arts curriculum, we need to have strong humanities programs," McNulty said. *** UM launched the process to set priorities partly as a way to address budget challenges, and campus officials touched on other strategies Friday and at other meetings this week. Earlier in the week, Stearns said an estimated 90 staff members plan to accept voluntary severance offers. The figure represents an estimated 3 percent of employees paid out of the general fund, and an estimated 4.7 percent decrease in campus staff, according to UM officials. In response to a question at a Faculty Senate meeting, Stearns agreed the large number of staff departures meant the administration was rethinking its approach to lecturers. The administration had notified some 30 lecturers, who do not have tenure, that they would not be rehired next year, but then rescinded the notice after the faculty union raised a concern about a contract violation. The status of lecturers wasn't resolved this week, but Stearns said the administration was in discussion with union representatives. Although the high number of staff departures might buffer lecturers, they mean some departments will be left shorthanded. In an email, communications director Short said so far, sectors with multiple employees accepting buyouts include Business Services, Facilities Services and IT. At the meeting Friday, Renae Scott, assistant chief information officer for IT, said her department was likely losing eight to 10 staff through the severance offers, a significant number. "We are anticipating quite a hit," Scott said. Nonetheless, she addressed one of the themes that came out of the prioritization process, which was a lack of metrics from IT. She said the department going forward will work harder to collect more metrics. Other details that came out of the prioritization meeting Friday include the following: Vice president for enrollment and student affairs Tom Crady said the enrollment budget is operating mostly from one-time money from auxiliaries and funds from the state. "That means we don't have a budget going forward, and that's very, very important to me as you might imagine." Stearns said she sees opportunities to be more efficient in units the president's office oversees. And some staff in her units, which include equal opportunity and affirmative action, internal audit, the president's office, and the Diversity Advisory Council have accepted buyouts. "Whether we had wanted to reorganize or not, it is upon us," Stearns said. She also said some reviewers have recommended more resources for legal counsel, and the staff is beleaguered. "Their jobs are very full in recent years, reflecting what is happening in our entire society." Athletic director Kent Haslam explained the constraints UM is under in order to be in regulatory compliance. It's a Division I school, and therefore must sponsor 14 sports at minimum. In order to be in compliance with Title IX, it offers softball, so it sponsors 15 sports in all. He said UM receives the lowest institutional support in the conference at some 34 percent; by comparison, he said Sacramento State receives 85 percent. He said some 340 student athletes are enrolled at UM full time. Stearns added that the choice to be a Division I school was made by the Montana Board of Regents. Schulzke noted printing and graphics isn't a feasible operation to continue running at UM. "As an institution, we simply don't print enough anymore." And he said state law rightly forbids UM from seeking private contracts. He recommended finding a community business partner to provide services to the campus while continuing to employ printing and graphics staff. Provost Beverly Edmond made several recommendations, including that UM broaden its investments in biological sciences in general. She said some units have potential, such as Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, but they need restructuring. Edmond, who chaired the prioritization effort, also reminded people of the overarching rationale for the initiative: "To again be blunt, if there are programs in our academic portfolio with few students and few graduates, the question of sustaining these must be addressed or others not so configured will have fewer resources." She also said UM has limited time to align itself with standards other institutions are already meeting. Bears Ears, first and foremost, is indigenous land. It is a place essential to the physical, spiritual and cultural identity of the Hopi, Zuni, Ute and Navajo Nations. Before the advent of European settlers in the West, these peoples were here. They lived and flourished in the curvilinear canyons of red and orange labyrinthine rock in what is now Utah. People made their homes and offered their prayers around the green areas of the high elevations near the twin buttes that lend the area its name. This is also land for which hard-fought protections were won just recently. It was designated a national monument in 2016 after a long campaign of indigenous leadership, advocacy and the assertion of tribal sovereignty. But on Monday, the Trump administration announced it would slash the size of that monument by 85 percent. UTAH Lockhart Basin Bears Ears Canyonlands national park Indian Creek Corridor Beef Basin Natural Bridges National Monument Bears Ears Buttes Cedar Mesa Comb Ridge Grand Gulch Valley of the Gods Navajo nation Lockhart Basin UTAH Bears Ears Canyonlands national park Indian Creek Corridor Beef Basin Natural Bridges National Monument Bears Ears Buttes Cedar Mesa Comb Ridge Grand Gulch Valley of the Gods Navajo nation By The New York Times | Source: Department of Interior This announcement strikes at the heart of a concerted effort to protect the ancestral land of these tribes and others whose histories permeate this land. My grandmothers grandmother lived near the ears and passed important ceremonial information down to us. Others in the community have their own connections to this place, its sacred sites, and the life that grows here, forming an important part of our traditions. If you come here and ask, they will tell you how. In 2015, five indigenous nations formed the Bears Ears Coalition to work to protect this place. Tribes that historically fought and argued with one another set aside their differences to defend a sacred land that they know and love. They began nation-to-nation discussions with the Obama administration on a proposal to protect Bears Ears as a national monument. The coalition was determined to protect a living cultural landscape that, if left to outside interests, would be exploited for financial gain just like the many other areas around Bears Ears in San Juan County that are now wrecked by pollution from oil drilling and the pollution-intensive mining of other resources. The tribes wanted future generations, regardless of their background and culture, to enjoy this places gifts. Once this advocacy led to the monument designation, the tribes took on an important role in the collaborative management of the area. Bears Ears is the only national monument where traditional knowledge has been explicitly integrated into land management planning, placing the tribes, the original stewards of the land, alongside federal agencies. It was a signal that the United States would finally listen and respond to indigenous peoples. We are confident that this reduction of the national monument by a shortsighted president is ultimately illegal (because only Congress has the authority to make such a change under the Antiquities Act), and will not survive a court challenge. Some of those who oppose protecting this land try to make their own narrative the primary story, attempting to drown out the oral traditions that have nourished and undergirded the landscape since long before the arrival of white settlers. The indigenous relationships with animals, plants, people and other-than-human beings forged over immense stretches of time here represent a deeper and richer connection than that of those who are newcomers to this area, and who claim to be stewards of the land in the name of their own interests. As a Navajo resident of San Juan County, I believe that people in the indigenous community generally want to protect Bears Ears, though not everyone necessarily agrees on how. So we listened to the direction that tribal leaders and elders provided. After weighing many options, they decided to pursue the national monument designation, which prohibits resource exploitation of these sacred lands while explicitly allowing us to continue our many traditional uses of this living cultural landscape that needs us as much as we need it. The monument designation sends a clear message that damaging, disturbing and looting our heritage is unacceptable, unethical and illegal to those nonnative residents who have always believed it to be allowable. The thousands of ancient cultural sites in Bears Ears represent an anchor for tribes to understand and share with todays generation who they are, and helps show us the way to a more hopeful future. The designation is also a recognition that indigenous and nonnative people alike are all responsible for the health and future of this place. If the monument shrinks, the extraction of oil, gas, potash, uranium, and other natural resources would be on the menu for those who would despoil a priceless landscape for short-term profit. Its true that in the long view of millenniums, borders and official designations can mean very little for indigenous people. The land is still here. The people will still be here. Bears Ears will always be indigenous land, and nothing will change that. But Bears Ears, as a national monument, is also about respect. The designation is a long-overdue acknowledgment the need for tribal input on policies affecting this land, and of the fact that previous treaties should have ensured the right of indigenous communities to govern and maintain that which is theirs. It is not right to go back on these promises now. Bears Ears has been since time immemorial a place of peace and rest, a sanctuary undisturbed by the kind of colonial violence many other places faced. A revitalization and renewal of spirit prevails here and, like the monument, must be kept intact so that healing, of wounds past and present, can take root and grow. This message, we hope, will get through to every person who has ever experienced the power and the gift of a place: Bears Ears speaks. Listen. Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth? Assembly polls: 'Pretty sure Congress will win, Ill never forget the love of Gujarat', says Rahul India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Gandhinagar, Dec 9: Just hours before the first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections 2017, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was oozing with confidence. The soon-to-be Congress president on Friday evening in Vadodara stated that his party "will win" Gujarat Assembly polls. He also thanked the people of Gujarat for their "love". The first phase of Gujarat Assembly elections will take place on Saturday. The second and final phase of elections is scheduled on December 14. The results for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly elections will be declared on December 18. "Pretty sure Congress will win. There's definitely an undercurrent here. They (the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)) may have muscle and money power, but it's not going to work," Rahul was quoted as saying by ANI. "I'll never forget the love of Gujarat which I have received in the last three-four months. I'm always at their service," the 47-year-old added. Pretty sure Congress will win. There's definitely an undercurrent here. They may muscle & money it's not going to work. I'll never forget the love of Gujarat which I received in last 3-4 months. I'm always at their service: Rahul Gandhi in Vadodara #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/foqT62c202 ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017 Rahul has been working hard to ouster the ruling BJP in Gujarat. Since September he has been frequently visiting and campaigning in Gujarat for the all-important elections in the home turf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the last few days, we have witnessed a high-pitched campaigning in Gujarat led by both the PM (for the BJP) and Rahul (for the Congress). The leaders of both the main parties--the BJP and the Congress--have been engaged in a bitter verbal duel in the run-up to the elections which have further downgraded the political discourse in the country. After Mani Shankar Aiyar called the PM a "neech aadmi" (a lowly man), Modi has been raking up the issue in all his rallies to target the Congress for their "Mughlai mentality". The Congress, on its part, has suspended its senior leader Aiyar for addressing the PM with crass language. The Congress has also issued a show-cause notice against Aiyar. During the initial phase of campaigning, the Congress raised various issues including the Patidar agitation, atrocities against the Dalits and failure of the demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST), to name a few, to target the BJP, however, now the tone of campaigning has completely changed and both the parties are busy exchanging barbs against each other. It has to be seen whether the Congress will be able to end the 22-year-old BJP regime in Gujarat. OneIndia News Congress celebrates Sonias 71st birthday as Rahul sets to take over partys reins India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia New Delhi, Dec 9: On Saturday, when the entire focus was on the first phase of polling for the Gujarat Assembly elections, Congress president Sonia Gandhi turned 71. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of Congress leaders wished Sonia good health and a long life on her birthday. "Birthday greetings to Congress President... I pray for her long life and good health," Modi said in a tweet. The Congress party also wished Gandhi. "Compassionate, hardworking, selfless. Calm and composed, yet dignified and strong. A force for empowerment against all odds. "A mother, a leader, a friend. Wishing Congress President Sonia Gandhi a very happy birthday," a tweet from Congress' official account said. She was born Sonia Maino to Stefano and Paola Maino on this day in 1946 in a small village near Vicenza, Italy. She married late Rajiv Gandhi, who was India's former PM, in 1968. She took up Indian citizenship and began living with her mother-in-law, the then PM Indira Gandhi, at the latter's New Delhi residence. She became the party president in 1998, seven years after her husband's assassination. Since then she is the boss of the Congress. However, her 19 years of presidentship is about to end as her son and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is all set to take over the reins of the Congress soon. In fact, Sonia is the longest-serving president of the Congress. After the Congress swept the Lok Sabha polls in 2004, the party decided to make Sonia the PM of the country but she refused to take up the post and instead crowned Manmohan Singh as the head of India. Her 'renunciation of power' was hailed by one and all. However, over the years during the two terms of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, Sonia was accused by her critics of "remote controlling" Singh in all government-related matters. For the last few years, because of her bad health, Sonia most often remains away from the public domain and it is her son who is unofficially leading the party. OneIndia News In pics: Together, PM Modi with other G20 leaders plant mangrove saplings in Bali PM Modi gifts Biden Kangra painting: What is the significance of this art from Himachal From Kangara painting for Biden to Pithora for Australia, here's what PM Modi gifted leaders at G20 Summit PM to deliver inaugural address at third No Money for Terror Ministerial conference To boost connectivity in North-East, PM Modi to inaugurate first greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh Gujarat Assembly polls: 'Go vote, Modi, Rahuls special message for youngsters India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Gandhinagar, Dec 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi are two of the most prominent political rivals in the Gujarat Assembly elections 2017. Although they are not contesting the polls, the entire election machinery of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in Gujarat is being driven by PM Modi and Rahul. On Saturday, as polling started for the first phase of the Gujarat elections, the PM and the soon-to-be Congress president urged voters to exercise their franchise in record numbers and make the entire election process successful. Both the rivals also have special messages for young and first-time voters to go out and vote. "Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise," tweeted Modi. Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 Rahul also tweeted and appealed to janata (public) of Gujarat to vote in a massive manner. He also welcomed the first-time voters of Gujarat to participate in the elections. Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 9, 2017 The second and final phase of Gujarat polls is scheduled on December 14. The election results of the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be declared on December 18. The first phase of polling will see voting in 89 constituencies of the state. According to the Gujarat Election Commission, 27,158 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used in 24,689 polling stations in the first phase of elections on Saturday. Incumbent chief minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani, expressed confidence of winning the polls without any contest on Saturday. On Friday, even Rahul told reporters that the Congress is going to unseat the BJP from Gujarat. OneIndia News Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth? Gujarat elections: Bluetooth linked to EVM, alleges Congress India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar After Election Commission officials replaced faulty EVMs five districts of Gujarat, a team of EC officials reached polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar to check EVM being connected to Bluetooth. Earlier, Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission alleging that Porbandar's Sharda Mandir booth number 145, 146 and 147 EVM machines are connected to other devices through Bluetooth. According to reports, another Congress leader has alleged EVM being connected to Bluetooth in Jalapore constituency of Navsari district. EVM engineer S Anand spoke to the media after visiting a polling booth in Porbandar's Thakkar plot. He said, 'The name that you give to your Bluetooth device will be shown when it is paired to another device." #WATCH EVM engineer S.Anand talks to media after visiting a polling booth in Porbandar's Thakkar plot following complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth, says, 'the name that you give to your Bluetooth device will be shown when it is paired to another device' #Gujarat pic.twitter.com/TivLjQXEOW ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 More details are awaited. OneIndia News Gujarat polls: All eyes on Patidar swing, OBCs will play kingmaker India oi-Vicky By Vicky All eyes are on the Patidar swing as polling in the first phase of the Gujarat assembly elections got underway. The BJP had a tough campaign on hand as Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani and Alpesh Thakor tried to rally their respective communities- Patidars, Dalits and OBCs against the ruling party. The agitation by the Patidars did appear strong. Many analysts said that they would be a deciding factor and if en-masse they vote against the BJP, then the ruling party could be in trouble. However, from what has been witnessed in the past, it is clear that the Patidars would remain united is not a guarantee. Many within the BJP say that the issue has been hyped up and in reality, most of them are still with the BJP. For Hardik Patel, the run-up to the elections was not exactly a smooth one. Many insiders had broken away from him at key moments. This itself was a signal that the Patidars may not be able to create such a big dent in the BJP's prospects. With the split in the Patidar votes more or less certain, the focus would shift to the OBCs who make up for the 51 percent of the population of the state. While in many seats the Patidars are the largest bloc, the OBCS would still count. Despite not being the largest bloc they will continue to play kingmaker in several seats. The move by Alpesh Thakor towards the Congress may have appeared to be a major boost for the party. However, the BJP does not see this as a major factor as the Thakors are traditionally Congress voters. OneIndia News New letter by conman Sukesh says, 'if I am a big thug, then Kejriwal is a maha thug' Max Hospital was a 'habitual offender': Delhi Health Minister India oi-Vikas By Vikas A day after the Delhi Government cancelled the license of Max Hospital for wrongly declaring an infant dead, state Health Minister Satyendra Jain said that the hospital had become a "habitual offender". "Max Hospital Shalimar Bagh had become a habitual offender, we had no option but to cancel their license," news agency ANI quoted Jain as saying. The case is about the birth of twins (a boy and a girl) on November 30. The parents alleged the babies were declared dead by the Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh but they later discovered that the boy was alive. The parents said they were told by the hospital that both the babies were stillborn. The infants were handed over to them in a polythene bag, they said. Just before their last rites, the family discovered that the baby boy was breathing, the police said. Subsequently, a panel was formed by the Delhi government to look into the case found Max Hospital guilty of not following prescribed medical norms in dealing with newborn infants. Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain had yesterday told media persons that license of Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh has been cancelled for their negligence in the newborn death case. OneIndia News Transgender community to host nationwide protest against regressive bill on Dec 17 India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia New Delhi, Dec 9: The transgender community--fighting for its rights to lead a normal life--has been mighty miffed with the Narendra Modi government. As the Centre is planning to reintroduce its original, Transgender Persons Bill, in the upcoming winter session of Parliament, members of the socially ostracised community, is all set to host a nationwide protest on December 17 against the bill. According to the members of the transgender community, the bill is "trans-exclusionary and regressive" and hence they have decided to protest. As a part of the December 17 protest, members of the community are already preparing to lodge their voices against the bill through social media campaigns, letters to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the ministry of social justice. The community members, who were hopeful about positive changes in their lives including the end of criminalisation of same-sex marriage after a series of progressive recommendations were made by a Parliamentary committee report, are upset that the Union government is planning to reintroduce its original Transgender Persons Bill as it is. "Our ministry feels that the bill made by us is good and there is no need to change it," social justice minister Thaawarchand Gehlot was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. "The very definition of transgender in the bill as neither male nor female etc. is scientifically inaccurate and undignified. It is wrongly based on the concept of Ardhanaari in Hindu mythology. "Also, by mandating physical screening by district level panels, it does a great disservice to our right of self-identification as upheld in the landmark Supreme Court NALSA judgement (2014)," Gee Imaan Semmalar of Sampoorna, the country's largest network of trans and intersex persons, told The Indian Express. Karthik Bittu, an associate professor at Ashoka University, said the bill is not only silent on the right to marriage, adoption or alternate family structures, but also fails to give commensurate punishment in cases of sexual violence. "The bill mentions a punishment of only six months to two years for sexual violence against trans people whereas the usual punishment is up to seven years. We demand that the Bill in its present form be withdrawn and a national consultation with members of our community be held before reintroducing it," he said. The community members have launched a signature campaign against the proposed move to reintroduce the original bill on November 23. Till now, the campaign has got the support of 73 rights organisations from India and 43 from across the world. OneIndia News Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth? Who is your mother, father?,Congress worker asks PM Modi India oi-Chennabasaveshwar By Chennabasaveshwar Recommended Video Gujarat Assembly polls : Congress leader raises question about PM Modi parents | Oneindia News Amid polling in the first phase of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is campaigning in Lunavada, alleged that a Youth Congress leader raised objectionable questions about his parents. PM Modi invoked this incident in his election rally, "A youth Congress leader Salman Nizami, campaigning for Congress in Gujarat asked on Twitter - Modi tell me who is your Mother, who is your father? Such language can't even be used for enemies." Further, PM said, Among the other things he says- he calls for Azad Kashmir. He calls our army rapists. How can the people accept such people like Salman Nizami? He also says there will be an Afzal from every home, " ANI quoted PM Modi as saying. PM Modi did not miss the chance to turn the Congress worker's diatribe into a political attack against the Congress. He said, "I want to tell all Congress leaders who are abusing me, mocking my poor family, asking who my parents are- this nation is my everything. Every moment of my time is devoted to India and 125 crore Indians." Nizami had questioned the prime minister's background, saying: "Rahul Gandhi, son of Rajiv Gandhi. Sacrificed his life for India. Rahul Gandhi, grandson of Indira Gandhi. Sacrificed her life for India. Rahul Gandhi, grand son of Jawaharlal Nehru, fought for India's independence. Narendra Modi, son of ...? Grand son of ...?" Even before Congress came to terms after Mani Shankar Aiyar called PM Modi Neech Aadmi', another political storm is ready to dent Congress' image in the poll-bound Gujarat. However, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla denied Salman Nizami's association with the party. "He (Salman Nizami) does not hold any position in the party. We can also say that there is some random person Ram Lal in BJP who said something," said Rajeev Shukla. OneIndia News Cong for Muslims, BJP for Hindus: Did Rahuls temple visits in Guj help to bust the myth? Will BJP be able to break Congress record by winning 150 seats in Gujarat elections? India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Recommended Video Gujarat Assembly polls : BJP eyes to break Congress's record of maximum seats won | Oneindia News Gandhinagar, Dec 9: The Gujarat Assembly elections are a closely watched contest between the rivals Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress to take control over the politically important state, which is also the "motherland" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The polling for the first phase of Gujarat elections began on Saturday morning. The second and final leg of polling will take place on December 18. The results of 182-member Assembly elections in the state will be declared by the Election Commission on December 18. Months before the elections, BJP president Amit Shah asked his party cadres to ensure that the incumbent saffron party wins the polls with 150 seats, this time. If the BJP manages to win 150 seats in the Assembly elections it would be a record. Actually, it was the Congress which holds the record of winning the maximum seats in any Assembly elections in the state. In 1985, the Congress won 149 seats in the Assembly elections. Till date, no party has managed to break the record. However, the BJP is confident that this time under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the party could break the Congress' record. In the last Assembly elections in Gujarat in 2012, the BJP won 116 seats as against 60 seats by the Congress. The saffron party is in power in the state for the last 22 years. "We are going to win 150-plus seats under the leadership of PM Modi ji, we face no obstacles," Jitu Vaghani, BJP Gujarat chief and candidate from Bhavnagar west, was quoted as saying by ANI. While appealing to the people to vote, incumbent chief minister Vijay Rupani exuded the confidence of winning the polls without any challenge. "People should come out in large numbers to vote. We are very confident, no question of any challenge," said Rupani. OneIndia News UP govt to conduct survey of unrecognized madrassas on curriculum, number of teachers No objection to madrassas survey, but don't vilify system if a few evade rules: Darul Uloom to UP govt Karnataka to survey all Arabic schools to check if on same page as state board Madrassas need to move past teaching only Islamic ideology: Pak army chief International oi-Vicky By Vicky Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has criticised the role of madrassas which only taught Islamic ideology. He also underlined the need to revisit the religious schools' concept. "I am not against madrassas, but we have lost the essence of madrassas," the Nation newspaper quoted the powerful general telling a youth conference in Quetta, capital of the restive Balochistan province, stressing the need to revisit the religious schools' concept. Speaking at a seminar on 'Human resource development - opportunities and challenges' yesterday, he noted that there were more religious seminaries established in Balochistan than the modern and quality schools during the past four decades. "Only religious education is being imparted to the students at all the seminaries and thus the students educated from the seminaries are left behind in the race for development," he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. "We need to look at and revisit the concept of madrassas...We need to give them a worldly education," he was quoted as saying. However, a brief press release by the military's media wing did not contain much of his comments on madrassas, a sensitive subject. Bajwa also commented on the Army's role in Pakistan. The Army enjoys considerable influence over major policy decisions in Pakistan. He said the Army is a state institution meant to serve the nation. "The army shall continue to perform its role while national security and development remains a national obligation for all state institutions," theInter-Services Public Relations quoted him as saying. He also said that he believes in democracy and even more so in the democratic values of selfless service and supremacy of moral authority. "All of us have a duty to the nation," he emphasised. The Army chief's comments are considered significant as Pakistan, which has seen many military coups and apprehensions have been expressed by different quarters about his intentions, especially after the disqualification of ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who believes that army is behind his ouster by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case. OneIndia News With the number of anonymous rogues from Pak rising, here's how BSF is beating down the drones Pak sets up Dhaka module to honey trap Indian Army officials International oi-Vicky By Vicky The horror of honey traps is back. This time Pakistan has gone ahead and set up a module in Dhaka, Bangladesh which will specifically target Indian Army officials. The 20 member module was set up a couple of months back and has been told to keep a close watch on the activities of the Armed forces. The module is meant to work both ways, Intelligence Bureau officials explain. It is aimed at setting a trap and eliciting information. It also is aimed at embarrassing the Army which has given Pakistan a body blow on the border as well as in Kashmir. Following this development, the IB has issued an advisory to the Army to ensure that none of its personnel falls trap to such tactics. A thorough check of the activities of the personnel and securing their systems are also part of the advisory that has been issued. With the Kashmir strategy failing for Pakistan, the ISI has gone into overdrive mode to increase subversive activities against India. The National Investigation Agency which is probing the death of an RSS worker in Punjab has found a well-oiled machinery that is in place to incite communal tension. It has found that the ISI and Khalistani forces are plotting the killing of Hindu leaders in a bid to incite communal tension in the state. Funds have come in for this operation from Italy, France, UK, Canada and Pakistan. OneIndia News 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. Rumble 12 Jan 2022 Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick thanks her supporters and vows to fight for her district after being elected to Congress. Sports Illustrated 19 Oct 2022 The New York Yankees are moving on to the American League Championship Series thanks to huge home runs from Giancarlo Stanton and.. WASHINGTON (AP) There was no violence in the midterm elections last week, and many election deniers lost and quietly conceded. Few listened when former President Donald Trump tried to stoke baseless allegations of electoral fraud. For a moment, at least, a familiar sense of normalcy fell over a nation on edge as the extremism that consumed U.S. politics for much of the last two years was replaced by democratic order. The post-election narrative has instead been focused on each partys electoral fate. Republicans are disappointed that a red wave did not materialize, while Democrats are bracing for the likelihood of a House Republican takeover. At least for now, the serious threats that loomed over democracy heading into Election Day have not materialized. You voted: Lawmakers in D.C. have until Dec. 22 to reconcile both versions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That self-imposed deadline is supposed to represent their gift to the American people. As if finals weren't the most stressful way to end the semester. It's true, the Senate version is kinder in some ways to students of all levels, their families, their teachers and those former students whose loan debt follows them around like a creepy pair of painted eyes. But as the two versions get mashed together into a final product, there's no guarantee that provisions from the House will be left behind. Besides, the Senate hits all of those groups hard in other areas. Between both versions, there's plenty that will affect students and educators. Taxing university endowments, counting as income tuition waivers that don't actually give students money, eliminating deductions for loan interest and classroom supplies spending, hitting lower tax brackets with a higher tax burden; on their own each of these is scary. But the way they may end up working together is even worse. If the bill passes with these provisions intact, it goes into effect Jan. 1. You, and the students and educators you know, will see the tax hike shortly after. By 2027, everyone making less than $75,000 will see a tax increase. Most educators and students make less than that; many graduate and undergraduate students, like myself, live near or below the federal poverty line. It's especially bad with taxing tuition waivers; those simply tell us we don't have to pay a bill. They don't put money in our pockets. That's what stipends do (barely) to help us pay our other bills. If grad students nationwide had an extra $540 million a year laying around to hand over in taxes, believe me, we'd tell you. Urge your representatives U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte to oppose H.R.1. Write, call, email and chat up them and their staff to make it clear that Montanans, current and former students alike, cannot afford this bill. Toryn Rogers, Missoula Gujarat is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about 1,600 km (990 mi) is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some 196,024 km2 (75,685 sq mi); and the ninth-most populous state, with a population of 60.4 million. It is bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the south, Maharashtra to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west. Gujarat's capital city is Gandhinagar, while its largest city is Ahmedabad. The Gujaratis are indigenous to the state and their language, Gujarati, is the state's official language. Mississippi is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mississippi's western boundary is largely defined by the Mississippi River. Mississippi is the 32nd largest and 35th-most populous of the 50 U.S. states and has the lowest per-capita income in the United States. Jackson is both the state's capital and largest city. Greater Jackson is the state's most populous metropolitan area, with a population of 591,978 in 2020. Rumble 10 Nov 2022 Patrick Remington and friends take a short helicopter ride above Pensacola, Florida then hang off the copter for a moment before.. FOXNews.com 17 Nov 2022 The Nike Community Store in Portland, Oregon, has been closed for weeks after an increase in crime, according to local media, with.. Gothamist 22 Dec 2021 At-Home Test kits located by the author at an undisclosed location. They might as well name the omicron the Santacon.. USATODAY.com 16 Nov 2022 Tens of thousands of sexual misconduct reports filed across dozens of colleges led to just 1,094 students suspended and 594.. Rumble 17 Nov 2022 Did Disney sneak another Rogue One cameo into Star Wars: Andor? This familiar looking alien could be none other than Jyn.. Vermont is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Admitted to the union in 1791 as the 14th state, it is the only state in New England not bordered by the Atlantic Ocean. According to the 2020 U.S. census, the state has a population of 643,503, ranking it the second least-populated in the U.S. after Wyoming. It is also the nation's sixth-smallest state in area. The state's capital Montpelier is the least-populous state capital in the U.S., while its most-populous city, Burlington, is the least-populous to be a state's largest. I and many others are just sick that this presidency and Congress crammed through this horrible tax bill that will hurt all of us but the very wealthy. In the middle of the night they tweaked the bill, the only part we heard about, and scribbled illegible changes in the margins. Then they gave it to the senators for a vote with just minutes to vote on a large package called the tax bill. What has this government come to when they deceive the American taxpayers, sneak bills behind closed doors, refuse to answer questions and totally disrespect the working class? This administration and its spineless Congress have all the markings of a dictatorship: anti-real news, anti-CIA, anti-public education, anti-public health care, will not raise the minimum wage, building a massive military that this president knows nothing about, supporting Nazi nationalists. Build a wall which the taxpayers, those who actually show their taxes, will be paying for. Support pedophiles and basically admit himself to be a sexual predator. We recently had to go to a doctor on the base in Nevada; they are afraid of their jobs being cut. Building a massive military and cutting doctors from the military hospitals. Now they are talking about the president having his own spy unit to spy on the CIA and most likely us. This is not fake news; this is downright scary. While we were sleeping or busy with our daily tasks, our government has made a huge change that all of us, other than the wealthy, will be paying for dearly. You had better get out there and let everyone know you are not OK with this. We have to do something before all our rights are taken away. Kate Gervais, Corvallis Donald Trump has a propensity for making disrespectful comments, Erv Lischke (online-only letter to the editor) writes in justifying or minimizing President Trumps galling assault on John McCain. Nifty understatement. Essentially, he disrespects everyone. Initially, only those not groveling at his feet, but eventually even those who do (Chris Christy anyone?). Is it so hard to see that choosing a commander-in-chief who dodged the draft and then denigrated a real hero probably would offend those who did serve, who did come home disabled, who do still wake to haunting dreams? Or that insulting a Gold Star family re-wounds others who lost a child or sibling? Members of racial minorities serve disproportionately in our military, yet serve a president who wont disavow violent white nationalism. Is it possible that using Pocahontus as a slur during a ceremony meant to honor Code Talkers is degrading? The Army was riven with divisions after Vietnam, but renewed itself by building cohesiveness and inclusiveness. Trumps behavior undermines that hard-won cultural change. No doubt there are veterans who are not offended by Trumps attacks on better men and women; plenty of us do feel dishonored that anyone would vote for a man who doesnt honor everyones service. Suz Parson, St. Ignatius From The Hill Dear Alabama voters, in a few days you will cast one of the most consequential votes of your lifetime that will change the course of history and greatly impact your lives. Please consider the following. You have read much about the tax bill that most analysts agree will impose a tax increase on many Alabamians and Americans with incomes under $75,000 a year. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2016 Alabama ranked 47th of all 50 states in per capital income, with an average income of under $39,000 a year. The many Americans with incomes under $75,000 who will be slammed by tax increases under this bill include many Alabamians. Ask your tax preparer if you are one of them. If Doug Jones is elected to the Senate, he would fight against every tax increase, in every bill, that Washington would impose on middle-class or poor Alabamians. He would fight for larger tax cuts for every Alabamian who needs it. When Roy Moore suggests otherwise, he is violating the Ten Commandments, which teach "thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." If Moore is elected to the Senate the Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), will gain one more vote for tax bills similar to the highly unpopular tax cut for the rich that is pending today. This is why McConnell, who first said that Moore is unfit for the Senate, now says the voters of Alabama will decide. A carpetbagger named Stephen Bannon can visit Alabama and tell you the tale that Moore opposes the Washington Republican establishment. Ask him why the Republican National Committee, the pillar of the Washington Republican establishment, pours big money into the Moore campaign. If Jones wins, middle-class Alabamians will have a fighter on their side. Poor Alabamians will have a champion for their cause. If Moore wins, the big winners will be wealthy billionaires, multinational conglomerates and giant Wall Street banks who receive the most lavish benefits from the policies Moore and McConnell promote. Today Alabamians pay some of the highest insurance premiums in America. Health-care analysts warn the tax bill will raise premiums even higher for tens of millions of Americans, including many in Alabama. Jones will oppose these policies that will raise your premiums. He will support a public option to guarantee every Alabamian at least one good insurance option to lower your premiums dramatically. If Moore is elected, McConnell will win one more vote for policies that will raise your cost for insurance. As a leading Alabama newspaper wrote endorsing Jones, decency itself is on the ballot next week. Moore slanders every one of the nine women who came forward by claiming they are all lying. He insults every shopping mall employee who has told of having to protect teenagers from Moore while he cruised the malls at night by claiming they are lying, too. Moore victimizes the women again by attacking their honor now, after he abused them when they were young with his predatory behavior. If Moore wins, sexual predators will feel vindicated and emboldened. I plead with you, Alabama voters. Do not do this to your daughters, wives, sisters and mothers and the daughters, wives, sisters and mothers of your neighbors and friends. They deserve to be safe and protected from predators, not represented by a predator in the Senate. If Alabama becomes known as the place where predators can prowl in pursuit of girls in the malls at night and be sent to the Senate, businesses that are thinking of coming to Alabama will not come, some may leave, boycotts could begin and your economy will pay a price. Doug Jones is a good man with a stellar reputation in the community, a former prosecutor who believes in fighting crime and advancing justice, a champion of lower taxes and insurance premiums for those who need them, and a leader who will make Alabamians proud if he serves you in the Senate. From Paul Craig Roberts Website Harvard Researchers Conclude That Margaret Mead Was Right: It Only Takes A Few To Change The World Margaret Mead Quote (Image by nan palmero) Details DMCA According to the latest fake news from the US government and presstitute media, the US unemployment rate is the lowest in 17 years, but there is no growth in wages. What explains full, or overfull, employment without wage pressure? Obviously, the full employment figure is the orchestrated product of not counting the millions of discouraged workers who, unable to find a job, have ceased looking. If you are unemployed but not looking for a job, you are not counted as unemployed. As it is costly to look for a job, and after a while looking becomes very depressing, the unemployed just disappear out of the government's statistics. Will this fake news be something that Google censors out of the Internet? Don't bet your life that Google hired 10,000 people to weed off the Internet the fake US employment reports. Who asked Google to transform itself from search engine to gatekeeper? Is there a conspiracy here against the First Amendment? What are Google's qualifications for determining what is fake news and extremist views? Is what are we witnessing here the elite's use of a private company to control explanations in behalf of the One Percent? How does a private company get to overrule the First Amendment of the US Constitution? Is this another example of the arrogance embodied in the trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific partnerships that set up corporate tribunals to dictate environmental and other policy to sovereign governments? The elites and globalists are still determined to resurrect these agreements that destroy the sovereignty of peoples. Why do people use Google, Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter when the companies are in a conspiracy against freedom of the press? Is the answer that Americans would rather be entertained than to be free? Young Americans have already set themselves up for tyranny by using only digital means of payment. Digital money means that government knows every purchase, a person's holdings, and where their money is. Digital money gives government complete control. Government can freeze, confiscate, turn off your digital money at will, leaving the person totally helpless. Go protest and suddenly you can't pay your rent, your car payment, your credit card bill. People in such a plight are incapable of resistance. They are far worse off than 19th century slaves, about which there is so much protest. Are the false war criminal charges brought against former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic an example of the fake news that google is going to suppress? Every Western presstitute, the corrupt Clinton regime, and Washington's servile European puppet states demonized the innocent Milosevic as a war criminal and sent him off to The Hague to be tried by the War Crimes Tribunal. Milosevic died, or was murdered, in his cell while awaiting the verdict. The Tribunal pronounced him "not guilty," and now 11 years after his death has again found him not guilty. Are the despicable presstitutes and politicians responsible for ruining Milosevic's life, and Serbia, examples of the extremist fake news that Google is going to censor? Are Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, Assad's use of chemical weapons, and Russian invasion of Ukraine examples of the fake news that Google is going to censor? Don't bet a nickel on it. Google, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter are going to censor truth so that only the elite's lies are heard. Already those who tell the truth are slandered as "conspiracy theorists," "Russian agents," and "anti-semites," and this is prior to Google and social media going into action for the One Percent. Ironically, the only way anyone interested in truth will be able to find it is to use Russian and Chinese search engines. They exist already, and if those governments can see the opportunity, the Russian and Chinese search engines will displace Google. Let's look at Google's censoring of the Internet from a different point of view. Let's assume that I am being unfair to Google and that Google is sincere and has in mind some workable definition of "extremism." What is extreme depends on one's point of view. For example, what extremism means to a Palestinian is very different from what an Israeli Zionist regards as extremism. How will Google monitor 10,000 people censoring the Internet for extremism? An employee affected by the Russia-gate hoax will regard any fair statement toward Russia as extremism. A Zionist will regard any criticism of Israel as extremism. Identity Politics will regard any defense of white males or "Civil War" memorials as extremism. You can come up with your own examples. What Google is doing is hiring 10,000 people whose personal agendas and biases will determine what "extremism" is. The US Constitution protects free speech in order to protect truth. If a majority or a minority or "national security" or whatever can censor, in place of truth there will be self-serving agendas and explanations. Truth emerges from open discourse, not from censorship. Charles Hugh Smith tells us that our rulers intend to control us "with officially generated and sanctioned fake news and 'approved' dissent." In other words, even dissent will be concocted. My website has large readership and dedicated supporters. Nevertheless, many readers think that an individual website can't have much impact, so why contribute to it. They are wrong. Harvard University researchers in a recent study published in Science conclude that "even small independent news outlets can have a dramatic effect on the content of national conversation." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). From Reader Supported News Senator Al Franken (Image by Lorie Shaull) Details DMCA AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those who want to see Sen. Franken remain in office at least until the Ethics Committee process has run its course, there's a "We support Al Franken" petition at change.org with over 60,000 signatures as of December 8. "Another woman says Franken tried to forcibly kiss her" That was the headline on a Politico story dated 9:08 a.m. on December 6. The story had no element of alleged touching, making the use of "forcibly" an example of yellow journalism. The accuser, Franken's seventh, said Franken tried to kiss her as she was leaving a radio studio in 2006. She was then a "Democratic congressional aide," according to Politico, which withheld her name. Franken told Politico, "This allegation is categorically not true... I look forward to fully cooperating with the ongoing [Senate] ethics committee investigation." The story could have ended there, reasonably enough. Within hours, however, around 11 a.m., Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, posted a lengthy piece on her Facebook page with the headline, "Senator Franken Should Step Aside." This is more than the seventh accuser has asked for. Gillibrand does not explain why she is making this call now, nor does she refer to the seventh accuser or Politico. There is no suggestion of collusion, but with Politico pushing the story, a stampede of Democrats rushed to join Gillibrand's call. In two separate stories, Politico highlighted this next-to-last paragraph of Gillibrand's much longer statement (which was not even alluded to, much less quoted): "While Senator Franken is entitled to have the Ethics Committee conclude its review, I believe it would be better for our country if he sent a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isn't acceptable by stepping aside to let someone else serve." This excerpt from Senator Gillibrand's post seems designed to appear reasonable, even statesmanlike (by day's end it had 5.1K Likes and 864 Shares). Her full post is far more nuanced and at some variance from this, her conclusion on the matter. Surely even she must understand that this conclusion is an act of cowardice rooted in hypocrisy, perhaps masked by an unprincipled sense of political expedience. Belying her own headline, she offers lip service to Franken's right to due process of law (in this case what is likely to be something of a circus of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation, deliberation, and judgment). But then she says he should forego any due process of law, suggesting he's somehow undeserving of every citizen's right, a not so subtle rendition of Red Queen justice: sentence first, verdict afterwards. Before breaking down the Gillibrand gesture, let's be clear: This is not a defense of Al Franken, nor is it a final judgment on him. For now it is enough to acknowledge, Gillibrand says on Facebook, that such "behavior towards women is unacceptable." Franken's behavior, as sketched in allegations and admissions, is enough for a probable cause finding that Franken has been an Inappropriate Man. The full dimensions of his behavior have yet to be determined, nor has there been any considered decision as to how best to respond to Inappropriate Men everywhere. This piece is a defense of due process, a call for proportionality in judging, and most of all a defense of honest, calm deliberation of a cultural sex-storm that has long needed open and decent airing. Gillebrand renders judgment prematurely, sort of an obstruction of justice In effect, Gillibrand justifies scuttling due process for some higher good. Gillibrand writes, "I believe it would be better for our country" to have this just go away, essentially to sweep it under the rug, effectively a cover-up. She argues that this would send "a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isn't acceptable," which is wishful thinking hiding an unwillingness to consider the reality of a country with a sexual predator as President and another sexual predator on the verge of being elected in Alabama. Those are much clearer messages than any Franken resignation could ever be. Gillibrand's approach to Franken is a form of scapegoating in a Democratic Party that has yet to come to meaningful terms with Bill Clinton's sexual predation. That, too, is a clear message. Gillibrand would have us believe it's better for the country to have Franken be a sacrificial lamb, rather than our struggling to come to serious terms with the full range, depth, and history of a culture that allows Inappropriate Men everywhere to feel entitled to their inappropriateness, thanks in part to the clear messages of predatory presidential scofflaws. "Gillibrand argues that Franken's stepping aside would send a clear message, but she must know that's sophistry, given all the others who have stepped aside over the years for infractions far worse than Inappropriate Man, and still the 'message' has not been received." So what could Gillibrand have said if she wished to truly lead, if she wished to be truly just, if she wished to be and not just seem to be "presidential"? She could have said something like: Whether Al Franken resigns or not is a matter of conscience for him to decide. The allegations against him to date do not come close to the charges against others, charges which are going unaddressed. Franken's is a tough case, balancing inappropriate behavior that he has apologized for against a career in which, both in show business and the Senate, he has been a strong advocate and actor for women's rights. What would be the real message of pillorying a man of such mixed degrees? The country will be better served, I think, by thoughtful deliberation -- insofar as that is possible -- by proceeding with the due process provided by the Senate Ethics Committee and coming to a considered, proportional judgment that is more nuanced than a ritual auto da fe. The country has long needed to consider the way it has lived, the behavior it tolerates from some and not from others, the honesty with which it approaches and embraces sexual issues. This case with Inappropriate Man is an opportunity to have such a conversation, an opportunity to consider ambiguity and nuance, an opportunity to try to find some proportionality in assessing behavior, rather than a one-size-fits-all sexual guillotine applied at the first whisper of accusation. This is a conversation intended to promote rationality, sanity, and understanding, this is about tolerance, not bigotry, this is about turning away from the way we are and trying once again to find our better angels. Gillibrand knows better, even as she seeks to rid the world of that troublesome Franken. As she also writes in the same anti-Franken Facebook post: "But this moment of reckoning about our friends and colleagues who have been accused of sexual misconduct is necessary, and it is painful. We must not lose sight that this watershed moment is bigger than any one industry, any one party, or any one person. "The pervasiveness of sexual harassment and the experience women face every day across America within the existing power structure of society has finally come out of the shadows. It is a moment that we as a country cannot afford to ignore." Unwanted sexual attention is unacceptable, but it is not monochromatic. Or is a missed kiss really equivalent to forced sodomy rape? Surely not, but the trickier problem is how and where to draw lines. And having drawn the lines, is it then only a question of punishment and retribution? Is there no middle ground? Is there no opportunity for real atonement? This is not about contrition (which can be easily faked) or forgiveness (who is the forgiver?), it's about actual atonement. So which, hypothetically, serves justice better: Franken gone and soon forgotten? Or Franken in the Senate, accepting whatever guilt and responsibility he deserves, and carrying on publicly in full support of the articulated values of Gillibrand and others? Assuming he would perform that way (as yet uncertain), who would lose? He's up for re-election in 2020. Can we not trust our processes to make some progress sorting this out? Or have we come to believe we live in an America where there is no difference between Minnesota and Alabama? Gillibrand sensibly writes: "We have to rise to the occasion, and not shrink away from it, even when it's hard, especially when it's hard. That is what this larger moment is about." But then she goes on to pre-judge the Franken case and call for the metaphorical guillotine. But to do what? Except for Franken's immediate banishment, she has no serious answer. Maybe there is none. Or maybe the answer is the process of searching for an answer. Gillibrand expresses the confusion neatly and ungrammatically: Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121 "We need a more Open digital world -- that's good for business, the economy and the future of humanity. To get there is going to take "bottom-up" effort and Rob Kall's book is an exciting roadmap for how that can happen." Rufus Pollock, author of "The Open Revolution", Founder of Open Knowledge, and formerly Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge The Jerusalem story is the centerpiece of news this week. Donald Trump and Mike Pence, an evangelical, in favor of moving the embassy and Rex Tillerson and John Mattis opposed in their discussion prior to the announcement. That State and Defense departments both found the move detrimental to U.S. interests underlines how politics trump sound policy. Mr. Trump is trying to wrap up his evangelical constituency ahead of the 2018 and 2020 elections. Of course it was an unconditional gift for Netanyahu, in desperate need of any success as his criminal investigation for financial corruption approaches a climax. Domestic concerns remain in the present while deliverables for Palestinians are in the future ... a distant future. It was also a gift for the Iranians and a slap for the Saudis, who have been moving closer to Israel. Turkey has now stepped up to take the leadership role for the Muslim community. Mr. Erdogan has threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with Israel; he has also called for a meeting of Muslim leaders next week in Istanbul. Not just the Saudis, other staunch mideast U.S. allies like Jordan and Egypt have been undermined. Al-Azhar, the claimed arbiter of Sunni Moslem teachings, said the action will open the gates of hell. Even the Orthodox church in Egypt condemned it as violating international laws and agreements. A final word: The highly successful former editor of Vanity Fair, Tina Brown, has written an autobiography (reviewed in The New Yorker, November 20, 2017). Trump is mentioned here and there ... at a 1987 dinner party given by Ann Getty, he can be seen promoting himself. But the best is Brown's read of "The Art of the Deal", a book she had decided to excerpt in Vanity Fair. "It feels, when you have finished it, as if you've been nose to nose for four hours with an entertaining con man." She adds, "I suspect the American public will like nothing better." Now we just have to wait until they begin feel the eventual bite of the tax bill, the missing "great" healthcare plan, and the absent flood of good jobs before his voters figure the con. So the shoring up of evangelicals. In the meantime, ask yourself this question: When the U.S. embassy moves to Jerusalem, what will happen to the one in Tel Aviv ... another Trump Tower? The Mount News Center Featuring the extraordinary people, stories and news of Mount St. Mary's University, America's oldest independent Catholic university. Members of the media looking for information about setting up interviews, finding faculty experts or gaining access to campus for stories should contact Executive Director of Communications Donna Klinger at 301-447-5657 or d.j.klinger@msmary.edu. Have a question, comment to share or want to find a photo from this week's big event? Check out the Mount on our social media channels! Standing in the MIDDLE of the road at Mile Marker 30 (Image by dmuth) Details DMCA On the trains on narrow tracks And stuck in chains of panting cars Stretched straight as far as their eyes Can see, the weary men roll home, Heading back with a heavy sentence They know will not be commuted. The governor is no help in such matters, Though at rare times he pardons others Committed to another deadly waiting game For having failed to catch the only train allowed Whose price is suicide by slow ingestion Of the poisoned values of a mad society. The men themselves have long lost hope That they could change their self-made graves Into anything resembling human lives. So north and west, south and east They crawl, newspapers held like crutches Under their hangdog office boy arms, Attache cases swinging in lieu of life They obediently resigned for love of wife And the cold comfort of a modest ranch House, identical to their neighbor's in every way With the sole exception the degree of desperation With which they style their lovely languid lawns. What do they think, these men devoid Of souls? What do they tell their gods When they genuflect before their checkbooks In daily acts of avid adoration? Do they Say their mothers always wanted it For them, or daddy taught me to be a man And shoulder the wheel of corporate responsibility? What do they say, these men, what do they pray? As usual, I suppose, they repeat what they've Been told. They say, "Oh God, I trust In thee, I must I trust, I read it on The bill today, and guide me, please, I'm almost home, almost home and dead And need a drink, or two, or three. Oh how the men roll wearily home From a hard hard-headed day's work At nothing. As they wipe their feet Of the day's sh*t, they read the rug That's slowly slipping out from under Them: Welcome Home, Welcome Home, Big Daddy. As multiple fires burned out of control throughout Southern California, including the Rye Fire in Santa Clarita, Congressman Steve Knight used his Twitter feed to provide his constituents with vital information. However, the help needed by the victims of these disasters cannot be delivered on social media; they will need their governments to provide them with an actual safety net. Unfortunately, the tax bill voted on by Knight last month eliminates one way that this assistance is already provided as it "would phase out the ability to deduct personal-casualty losses from wildfires and earthquakes... but keep the deduction for damage from hurricanes and floods like those in Florida and Texas this year." Knight's "yes" vote helped to pass the bill. The elimination of the ability to deduct losses from wildfires and earthquakes was not the only way the Republican tax bill would harm Californians. Unlike 39 other states who receive more from the federal government than they pay in taxes, California only "receives $0.99 in federal expenditures per dollar of taxes paid". The bill passed by the House would make this worse by eliminating the "deductions for state and local income taxes". It would also cap property-tax deductions at $10,000 a year and cut the mortgage-interest deduction cap in half. While these provisions were enough to convince three California Republicans to vote against the bill, Knight still voted "yes." The bill passed by the Republicans has enough toxic provisions to ensure that Californians are not the only ones who would be negatively affected. It has been estimated "that half the benefits of the bill go to the top 1 percent by 2027" while "many of the people facing tax hikes are solidly middle class ($40,000 to $75,000) or else in the "upper upper" middle class ($200,000 to $400,000)". Middle-income Americans will lose the ability to deduct student-loan interest while graduate students would face a new taxation if they receive a tuition waiver. In a move that will greatly affect the elderly, medical expenses can no longer be deducted under the bill passed by the GOP. Employees would be taxed if their employers provided them with education assistance or reimbursed them for dependent-care expenses. Were these the "special-interest loopholes" that Knight was referring to in his statement announcing that he had voted for this measure? "The House Republican tax writers' plan is estimated to add $1.49 trillion to the deficit over a decade." On his campaign page, Knight declares that "the unsustainable debt currently being passed on to our children is morally wrong and is a blatant act of generational theft." Putting corporate tax cuts above the children of his district, Knight voted to approve the GOP tax plan. Is there a question as to whom he is actually representing? ____________________________________________ Carl Petersen is a parent and special education advocate, elected member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and was a Green Party candidate in LAUSD's District 2 School Board race. During the campaign, he was endorsed by Network for Public Education (NPE) Action and Dr. Diane Ravitch called him a "strong supporter of public schools." His past blogs can be found at www.ChangeTheLAUSD.com. (Article changed on December 9, 2017 at 18:38) This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source. Canada's terrorist proxies in Syria -- all of them al Qaeda, or al Qaeda affiliated, including Daesh -- murder civilians as policy. During their reign of terror in Aleppo, for example, NATO terrorists murdered about 11,000 civilians.[1] More recently, terrorists murdered about 8 civilians, including these university students. This is part of the disappeared reality.[2] (Image by GLobal Research) Details DMCA The dark reality of what is really happening in Syria is suppressed beneath the lies of the Qaeda-affiliated "White Helmets"[3], the fake tweets from Bana Alabed's al Qaeda parents[4], and a myriad other deceptions -- all war propaganda. But the reality exists nonetheless. Yet after seven years of the dirty war on Syria, even as the NATO terrorists are being destroyed, the "accepted truth", which is a Big Lie, prevails. Despite the abundance of empirical evidence that contradicts the mainstream stories, Canadians still think that we are fighting terrorism, they still think that "Bana's tweets" represent reality, and they still think that the White Helmets are saviours. Canadians still think that these wars are waged for "humanitarian" purposes,despite the proven lies that paved the way for the destruction of Libya, Iraq, and countless other countries, and the fact that "Assad must go!" regime change wars are entirely illegal. Canadians still think that Assad is the monster and that we and our al Qaeda proxies are the saviors. This is the "accepted truth", and it must not be violated. Strange world that we live in. The truth can be turned upside down time and time again, and the war lies are accepted again and again, as if the historical record and critical thinking didn't exist. As we prepare for another Christmas and congratulate ourselves for our generosity of spirit and deed and the "accepted truth" that we are a civilized country and wouldn't it be wonderful if other peoples were as civilized as us, there still lingers the dark reality. Our terrorists commit genocide. They target and murder Christians and countless others, as policy. Our governments are entirely responsible for this barbarity, and our "accepted truths" are black lies. Notes [1] "UK taxpayers hand 200mn to Syrian opposition & White Helmets, journalist tells RT (VIDEO)." RT. 17 October, 2017. (https://www.rt.com/uk/406974-syria-white-helmet-taxpayer/) Accessed December 6, 2017. [2] "Update-Death toll of Ekrema terrorist explosion rise to 8 people in addition to 18 others injured -- VIDEO." SANA News. 5 December, 2017. (http://sana.sy/en/?p=120151) Accessed 7 December, 2017. [3] "Vanessa Beeley Presents Expose' on White Helmets at Swiss Press Club in Geneva." 21st Century Wire. 28 November, 2017. (http://21stcenturywire.com/2017/11/28/vanessa-beeley-presents-new-white-helmets-expose-to-swiss-press-club-geneva/) Accessed 7 December, 2017. [4] Press TV's interview with Carla Ortiz." 6 December, 2017. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=890XAqJ0A3Y). Accessed 7 December, 2017. All of the post-9/11 wars were sold to Western audiences through a sophisticated network of interlocking governing agencies that disseminate propaganda to both domestic and foreign audiences. But the dirty war on Syria is different. The degree of war propaganda levelled at Syria and contaminating humanity at this moment is likely unprecedented. I had studied and written about Syria for years, so I was not entirely surprised by what I saw. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). From Consortium News Journalist James Foley shortly before he was executed by an Islamic State operative in August 2014. (Image by (YouTube Screengrab)) Details DMCA When a Department of Defense intelligence report about the Syrian rebel movement became public in May 2015, lots of people didn't know what to make of it. After all, what the report said was unthinkable -- not only that Al Qaeda had dominated the so-called democratic revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for years, but that the West continued to support the jihadis regardless, even to the point of backing their goal of creating a Sunni Salafist principality in the eastern deserts. The United States lining up behind Sunni terrorism -- how could this be? How could a nice liberal like Barack Obama team up with the same people who had brought down the World Trade Center? It was impossible, which perhaps explains why the report remained a non-story long after it was released courtesy of a Judicial Watch freedom-of-information lawsuit. The New York Times didn't mention it until six months later while the Washington Post waited more than a year before dismissing it as "loopy" and "relatively unimportant." With ISIS rampaging across much of Syria and Iraq, no one wanted to admit that U.S. attitudes were ever anything other than hostile. But three years earlier, when the Defense Intelligence Agency was compiling the report, attitudes were different. Jihadis were heroes rather than terrorists, and all the experts agreed that they were a low-risk, high-yield way of removing Assad from office. After spending five days with a Syrian rebel unit, for instance, New York Times reporter C.J. Chivers wrote that the group "mixes paramilitary discipline, civilian policing, Islamic law, and the harsh demands of necessity with battlefield coldness and outright cunning." Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, assured the Washington Post that "al Qaeda is a fringe element" among the rebels, while, not to be outdone, the gossip site Buzzfeed published a pin-up of a "ridiculously photogenic" jihadi toting an RPG. "Hey girl," said the subhead. "Nothing sexier than fighting the oppression of tyranny." And then there was Foreign Policy, the magazine founded by neocon guru Samuel P. Huntington, which was most enthusiastic of all. Gary Gambill's "Two Cheers for Syrian Islamists," which ran on the FP web site just a couple of weeks after the DIA report was completed, didn't distort the facts or make stuff up in any obvious way. Nonetheless, it is a classic of U.S. propaganda. Its subhead glibly observed: "So the rebels aren't secular Jeffersonians. As far as America is concerned, it doesn't much matter." Assessing the Damage Five years later, it's worth a second look to see how Washington uses self-serving logic to reduce an entire nation to rubble. Prince Bandar bin Sultan, then Saudi ambassador to the United States, meeting with President George W. Bush in Crawford, Texas, on Aug. 27, 2002. (Image by (White House photo)) Details DMCA First a bit of background. After displacing France and Britain as the region's prime imperial overlord during the 1956 Suez Crisis and then breaking with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser a few years later, the United States committed itself to the goal of defeating Arab nationalism and Soviet Communism, two sides of the same coin as far as Washington was concerned. Over the next half-century, this would mean steering Egypt to the right with assistance from the Saudis, isolating Libyan strong man Muammar Gaddafi, and doing what it could to undermine the Syrian Baathist regime as well. William Roebuck, the American embassy's charge' d'affaires in Damascus, thus urged Washington in 2006 to coordinate with Egypt and Saudi Arabia to encourage Sunni Syrian fears of Shi'ite Iranian proselytizing even though such concerns are "often exaggerated." It was akin to playing up fears of Jewish dominance in the 1930s in coordination with Nazi Germany. A year later, former NATO commander Wesley Clark learned of a classified Defense Department memo stating that U.S. policy was now to "attack and destroy the governments in seven countries in five years," first Iraq, then Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Iran. (Quote starts at 2:07.) Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). From Consortium News One of Islam's holiest sites the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, seen through barbed wire. (Image by Imaiges) Details DMCA President Trump's decision to begin moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to the disputed city of Jerusalem -- and disclosure that first-son-in-law Jared Kushner failed to disclose his role in a foundation funding Israeli settlements and lobbied against a United Nations' resolution critical of those settlements during the transition -- are reminders that the foreign government with truly broad influence over U.S. politics is Israel. Trump's Jerusalem announcement also threatened to touch off more disorder in the Middle East, which Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada, says reflected the Trump administration's determination to demand a full capitulation by the Palestinians. I spoke with Abunimah on Dec. 5. Dennis Bernstein: We turn our attention back to occupied Palestine. We have now seen the kind of policy we are going to get from the Trump administration. Jared Kushner has described bringing peace to the region as his dream. We are going to talk about that in the context of his investment in settlements there. I suppose the central issue in Palestine this week is whether the embassy is going to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and what will the timing be, as in, will it happen some time soon? Ali Abunimah: Actually, it will not be moved any time soon. Trump will announce tomorrow [Dec. 6] that the US is recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital but he will also sign a waiver delaying the move for another six months and the whole process will likely take years. Dennis Bernstein: How bad is the situation now? We know that settlements are being built apace, that the repression continues in the Gaza Strip, where life is barely livable. Ali Abunimah: It is interesting that no one is actually talking about what is happening on the ground in Jerusalem, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians there are facing systematic ethnic cleansing by Israel. This includes home demolitions, revocation of residency rights, land confiscations. In the words of B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights group, since the occupation of East Jerusalem began in 1967, Israel has treated Palestinians in the city as "unwanted immigrants" and worked systematically to drive them out of the area. Whatever Trump announces tomorrow will not change the situation. The so-called international community is doing nothing about it and is letting Israel get away with it. Dennis Bernstein: Jared Kushner is a broker for illegal settlements. Ali Abunimah: He is a donor to illegal settlements, a philanthropist for illegal settlements. How many headlines have been devoted to Kushner failing to disclose important information in his government ethics filings? The latest is that he failed to disclose the fact that he was a director of his family's foundation, which has donated to building settlements in the occupied West Bank, particularly the settlement of Beit El, the same settlement that receives philanthropic donations from David Friedman, Trump's ambassador in Tel Aviv. Kushner, who is supposedly charged with coming up with a peace plan, is actually busy funding settlements. Kushner's family are close friends of Benjamin Netanyahu. It is just farcical to pretend that anyone like Jared Kushner could ever be an honest broker. Dennis Bernstein: Is all of this legal? Ali Abunimah: That's questionable. Actually, in the past year there were lawsuits filed challenging this massive multi-billion dollar flow of tax-deductible, so-called charitable funds for illegal purposes, including the construction of settlements and massive donations to groups like Friends of the IDF. Another issue is this whole business of what Jared Kushner was doing during the transition, when he was trying to undermine the policy of the sitting Obama administration and stop the UN Security Council resolution passed last December condemning Israeli settlements. This all came out in the context of the Mueller investigation and Michael Flynn's guilty plea, which revealed not so much a collusion with Russia as a very close collusion between the Trump transition and Israel. Dennis Bernstein: You would think then that MSNBC, which makes a living on pumping up Russia-gate, would want to jump into this case of collusion. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). From Wallwritings Avi Shlaim, a Jewish scholar now based at Oxford's St. Anthony's College, was interviewed on BBC after President Donald Trump's announcement that he was designating Jerusalem as Israel's capital city. Shlaim, who left Israel for a more open academic environment, calls the announcement by the President, "irresponsible and reckless." (See full interview below.) Trump has no right to set himself up as The Namer of capitals. But to him, he can do whatever he wants. Bibi Netanyahu knows that. Bibi got the Gift he has long coveted, his very own special electric train he can now send running around the floor, as he shouts, "Mine, mine, my precious Jerusalem is My capital." Standing in front of a Christmas tree as he gave Israel its capital, the President gave no indication he had considered, or cared, that Jerusalem is packed with meaning to Christians and Muslims, as well as Jews. Palestinian American scholar Rashid Khalidi described this common connection to Jerusalem in The Guardian: "Jerusalem is undoubtedly the most important aspect of the entire Palestine question. It has been central to the identity of Palestinian Muslims and Christians as far back as the founding moments of both religions, and has become even more so as the conflict over Palestine has become fiercer. "The rivalry over this holy city is exacerbated by the fact that the same site -- the Haram al-Sharif to Muslims, the Temple Mount to Jews -- is sacred to both. Because of its explosive nature, this is an issue that no Palestinian politician, and few Arab leaders, would dare to trifle with. "For someone such as me, whose family has lived in Jerusalem for hundreds of years, Trump's announcement does not just mean that the US has adopted the Israeli position that Jerusalem belongs exclusively to Israel. "He has also retroactively legitimised Israel's seizure and military occupation of Arab East Jerusalem during the 1967 war, and its imposition of discriminatory laws on hundreds of thousands of Palestinians living there. The damage he has done will be permanent: the US cannot undo this recognition. "This act completely disqualifies the US from its longstanding role as broker, a position that Washington has monopolised for itself. So much for the pitiful 'peace plan' that Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner was cooking up and hoping to impose on the Palestinians." Khaladi is right, the "pitiful peace plan" was never serious. It was a holding pattern of pretension. The Prime Minister and his predecessors, have had their way for decades with the city Trump thinks he just gave to Israel. Balderdash! Israel has treated Jerusalem as its kept capital since 1967. For six decades, IDF soldiers have roamed the city at will, arresting citizens like so many wayward children who skipped school to throw rocks. Netanyahu and his right-wing government got what they wanted, a recognition that covers crimes of oppression. What Trump has just done is far more significant than Naming. He has announced that Jerusalem is not open to negotiations. It is not a "contested" city in which Muslims, Christians and Jews live by an agreed-upon understanding. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Global Cleanroom Technology Market Report 2017 by major players such as Taiki Sha, Shanghai Oujie, Clean Air Technology, Company D, Festo, ABNAnalysis etc. https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=190770 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=190770 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=190770 www.researchnreports.com The market for Cleanroom Technology has been analyzed in a comprehensive market report recently added to the portfolio of Research N Reports. The report, titled Global Cleanroom Technology Market Report 2017, covers crucial details and developments pertaining to the market and presents vast quantitative and qualitative information related to the past and present state of the markets crucial elements.Take a look to the Sample Pages @The global cleanroom technology market report gives an in-depth analysis of capacity, technical data & manufacturing plants, manufacturing cost structure, and production. It also offers insights into upstream investments, raw materials and equipment, and downstream consumer analysis. The information regarding various distribution and marketing channels and scope of new investment projects has also been presented in the report. The report also contains information such as product specification and picture, production capacity, cost, revenue, and gross profit margin.Market segments:The Report features the market segment by regions such as United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China, sorts with creation, income, value, piece of the pie and development rate, utilization. By different measures, the report segments the market and studies them independently, giving data, for example, the main segment or sub segment and slowest developing segment and sub segment of the market. The income and development forecasts for each of these segments is additionally given. Diagrams, graphs, tables and insights have been incorporated wherever required to show the data in an unmistakable way.Any Queries? Ask to Our Industry Expert @Significant Market Drivers:Key Players profiled in the Global Cleanroom Technology Market Report include Taiki Sha, Shanghai Oujie, Clean Air Technology, Company D, Festo, ABN etc. provides essential information about leading companies, such as product specification, financial overview, business overview, contact information, and recent developments. The challenges faced by the companies, the factors helping them to reach the top level in the global cleanroom technology market, and the strategies implemented by each of the market players to market their products have been given. With the help of such data, a stakeholder or an emerging player in the market is armed to make strategic decisions leading to their benefit or profit.Key Deliverables:- Recognizable proof and investigation of the large scale and small scale factors that influence the market.- Market investigation, with area particular appraisals and rivalry examination.- Market definition alongside the distinguishing proof of key drivers, limitations, openings, and difficulties.- Experiences of the market in the areas that have the most elevated potential for development and furthermore recognize the business sectors that are as yet undiscovered.- ID of components instrumental in the changing the market situation, rising imminent open doors, and recognizable proof of key organizations that impact the market on the worldwide and territorial scale.- Broadly inquired about focused scene segment with organization profiles of the key players, with the examination of their current vital interests and key money related data.Demand for Table of Contents @ Click HereThe research report profiles the players and offers a detailed report about the competitive landscape present in the global cleanroom technology market. Additionally, the report also includes a Porters five forces analysis, which examines the threat of the new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, and the intensity of the competitive rivalry. The report also discusses the business and marketing strategies likely to be implemented by these in the coming few years.Get full report with discount @About Research N Reports:Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems.Contact:Sunny Denis10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com , Business Intelligence Market Overview, Size, Growth, Top Key Players, Analysis and Trends by Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2299 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/business-intelligence-market-2299 Market Highlights:Business intelligence is process which is driven by data analysis and presentation of prosecutable information to help corporate executives to make more expert business decisions. Business intelligence encircled around a wide range of tools, applications and techniques that empower organizations to collect data from both internal and external sources, arrange it for analysis, develop and run queries against the data. The BI accommodate operational data and analytical tool that presents captious information to business users within the organization. The potentiality of business intelligence solution is to helping organization in producing improved business decision over accurate and more absolute analysis of vacant corporate data assets.Business Intelligence programs potential benefits includes advanced and improving decision making in the organizations. The BI system provides past present and future view of business operations.it optimize internal business processes, it could also be an important asset for a companys sales force as it provides access up to the minute reports to identify sales trends and product improvements. Business intelligence helps organization in increasing operational efficiency and gaining competitive advantage over the competitors. BI provides more accurate resource allocation and inventory management. The rapid changes in business environment and the integration of information for better performance management are some of the major driving factors for the growth of the business intelligence market.The global Business Intelligence Market is expected to grow from US ~$16.3 Billion in 2016 to USD 34.3 Billion by 2022 at the CAGR of ~11.03%. The lack of skilled and proficient workforce is one of biggest challenge faced by most of the organization while implementing this tool hence acts as a major constraints in the growth of this market.Major Key Players: Verizon wireless (U.S.) Rackspace (U.S.) AT&T (U.S) Cisco Systems (U.S.) IBM Corp. (U.S.) Juniper Networks (U.S.) VMware (U.S.) SAP SE (Germany) Microsoft Corp (U.S) SAS Institute (U.S)Request a Sample Report @Study Objectives of Global Business Intelligence Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the global business intelligence market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the global business intelligence market based porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by technology, service, deployment, component, organization, and industry. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market.Segments:The Global business intelligence market has been segmented on the basis of, technology, service, component, deployment, organization, and industry. By technology involves mobile BI, Cloud BI, Social BI and others. By Service includes managed service, hosted service and others. By Deployment includes On-Cloud and On-Premises. Whereas, by organization it includes small business units, by component it include hardware and software and large business units and by industry it is segmented into Telecom & IT, education, manufacturing, retail, banking and others.Regional AnalysisNorth America is expected to propel the market due to the intense research and development in the field of technology industry. North America is holding highest market share of the overall universal business intelligence market due to evolving trend such as data proliferation, increasing competition, cloud deployment.The overall market in expected to grow at CAGR of around 9.50% during the year 2016-2022 and also increase more revenue by 2022. Asia Pacific is expected to manifest high-growth by the end of the forecasted period due to the rapid industrialization in the region and growing number of start-ups focusing on mobile application development.Intended Audience: Cloud Service provider Saas providers Network service providers Storage providers Research Institutes Hardware providers Software DevelopersBrowse Full Report Details @Table of Contents1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope Of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market StructureContinuedList of TablesTable 1 Global Business Intelligence Market, TechnologyTable 2 Global Business Intelligence Market, By ServiceTable 3 Global Business Intelligence Market, By DeploymentContinuedList of FiguresFigure 1 Research Network Solution (%)Figure 2 Global Business Intelligence Market: By Technology (%)Figure 3 Global Business Intelligence Market: By Service (%)ContinuedAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Solutions, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Ethernet Switch Market 2017 Segmentation, Application, Technology and Analysis Forecast to 2023 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4576 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ethernet-switch-market-4576 Market Highlights:The global ethernet switch market is highly competitive. Various established international brands, domestic brands and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. The key players are nonstop increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio. The ethernet switch market is highly competitive due to the presence of several large vendors. The competition among the vendors will intensify due to the increase in product extensions and various above-mentioned factors.The players in the ethernet switch market compete on the basis of the factors such as technology, features, design and compatibility. The vendors or the manufacturers are continuously coming up with new ideas and technologies to gain competitive advantage over their competitors.Regionally, Asia Pacific accounted for the largest market share from countries such China, Japan, and India among others. The reason is attributed to growing number of data centers in the region. Increasing application of big data analytics and cloud-based services in various end-user segments such as automotive, healthcare, colleges or schools is expected to grow the market at fast pace. However, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing over the forecast period, 2017-2023.The global ethernet switch market can be segmented on the basis of product type, switching ports, end-user and region.Request a Sample report @Major Key PlayersCisco Systems, Inc.,Huawei, Hewlett-Packard,Arista,Juniper Networks,H3C,Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.,D-Link Corporation,Allied Telesis, Inc.,Alcatel-Lucent,TRENDnet, Inc.,DellRegional AnalysisAsia Pacific region hold the largest market share (in terms of revenue) of the total ethernet switch market. It is due to the presence of high technology adoption, number of data centers and adoption of cloud technology in the region. China, India and Japan are the countries mainly contributing in the Asia Pacific ethernet switch market. Booming electronics and automotive industry in China is contributing the major share in the Asia Pacific ethernet market. Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at fast speed over the forecast period due to the emerging IT and telecommunication industry in countries like India and Japan. The rapid industrialization in Asia Pacific, particularly in China and India helps to grow the ethernet switch market in Asia Pacific.Asia Pacific was closely followed by North America and Europe in past few years. The new trends such as cloud computing and wireless networking are the primary factors driving the ethernet switch market in the region. Established the IT infrastructure and automotive industry in North America are the primary factors drives the demand of Ethernet switch market in region. The presence of the major industry players such as Redback Networks, Cisco Systems, Inc., Hewlett-Packard, and Arista among others is expected to continue to growth of the ethernet switch market during the forecast period. Recently, on October 2017, Antaira Technologies introduced the LNP-C500G series (5-port industrial gigabit PoE+ unmanaged Ethernet switch embedded with 4*10/100/1000Tx PoE+ (30W/Port) ports and 1*10/100/1000Tx RJ45 port.)Browse Full Report Details @Intended Audience Device manufacturers Network Operators Mobile manufacturer Government Agencies Security Agencies End-user sectors Communication operators DefenseAbout 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 Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Body Worn Camera Market is expected to grow a USD 990 Million and 17% of CAGR by Forecast to 2023 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2972 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/body-worn-camera-market-2972 Market Highlights:Body worn cameras are basically used to capture audio and video data digitally. It typically comprises of a camera, microphone, battery and data storage unit which is either on board or connected to a camera unit via a cable. Depending on the model, they can be head mounted or can be worn anywhere on the body. There are various types of body worn cameras which include the ability to record a video and play later or it can perform live streaming, depending on the system being used.Body Worn Camera Market is primarily used for surveillance purposes by police and special law enforcement agencies. It helps in capturing evidence and recording the real time data. The major driving factor for the growth of body worn camera market is increasing need for accountability and maintenance of a transparent approach during police conduct.Another major driving factor is that it can be used by military forces for training purposes and also can be used by special law enforcement agencies. Body worn cameras helps to provide evidence in cases of domestic violence. During accidents, it helps in improving evidence collection.The body worn camera market is expected to grow at approx. USD 990 Million by 2023, at 17% of CAGR between 2017 and 2023.Major Key Players: Pinnacle Response Ltd. (U.K.) PRO-VISION (U.S.) Shenzhen AEE Technology Co. Ltd. (China) Safety Vision LLC (U.S.) GoPro-Intrensic (U.S.) Transcend Information, Inc. (Taiwan) Wolfcom Enterprises (U.S.) Veho (MUVI) (U.K.) 10-8 Video Systems LLC (U.S.) Shenzhen Eeyelog Technology Co. Ltd. (China) Pannin Technologies (U.S.)Request a Sample Report @Body Worn Camera Market Segmentation:The body worn camera market has been segmented on the basis of type, solutions and industry. The type segment comprises of recording type and recording and live streaming type.Major driving factor in this market is that it can be used by military forces for training purposes and can also be used by special law enforcement agencies.Market Research Analysis:The regional analysis of body worn camera market is being studied for regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World.It has been observed that, Europe region is growing at the fastest rate and will soon overtake the North America region which is leading the market presently. Asia-Pacific region is growing at a fast pace in the body worn camera market.Unlike other cameras, body worn cameras can provide accurate information of the crime scene as they are not fixed at one place. Due to this reason, the adoption of body worn cameras by the police officers in Europe region is growing. As this accounts to mass adoption by police officers and other governments, Europe region is soaring high in the body worn cameras market compared to other regions.Segments:Body worn camera market can be segmented on the basis of following:By Type Recording Type Recording and Live Streaming TypeBy Solutions Smart Redaction Smart Scene 360 Smart Shot 360By Industry Police Local Authorities And Council Special Industry Retail And Leisure Transportation Emergency ServicesRegional Analysis:The body worn camera market is basically focused globally. The regional analysis of body worn camera market is being studied for regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World.It has been observed that presently North America accounts for the largest share of the market, whereas Asia-Pacific is projected to show growth during the forecast period. Europe region is estimated to exhibit significant market share of body worn camera market which is estimated to overtake the North America region by the end of this year.Intended Audience Technology investors Consumer wearable manufacturers Integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) Wearable electronics technology platform developers Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) Smart grid integrators Surface mount component device distributors and providers Research/Consultancy firmsBrowse Full Report Details @Table of Contents1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market Structure2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Type2.2 Primary Research2.3 Secondary Research2.4 Forecast Model2.4.1 Market Data Collection, Analysis & Forecast2.4.2 Market Size EstimationContinuedList of TablesTable 1 Body Worn Camera Market, By TypeTable 2 Body Worn Camera Market, By SolutionsContinuedList of FiguresFigure 1 Research TypeFigure 2 Body Worn Camera Market, By Type (%)ContinuedAbout 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 The Environmental Protection Agency is giving Butte and Anaconda the attention many local critics of the 34-year cleanup say the nation's largest Superfund complex deserves. EPA announced Friday that both the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund and Anaconda's Superfund sites made EPA administrator Scott Pruitt's "emphasis list." Pruitt also intends to visit Butte in 2018, according to EPA's website. As part of EPA's plan for Butte, EPA has now set a date the end of January 2018 by which all parties have to agree to the legal agreement that will finalize the Butte Hill cleanup, which has languished for years. Formerly referred to as Pruitt's "Top Ten" list, the number has now grown to 21 sites across the nation that will get Pruitt's direct attention. The list will be dynamic, so the number of sites on it will change over time. The list is in direct response to a host of recommendations made by the Superfund Task Force that Pruitt set up this past summer. Pruitt charged the Task Force, chaired by former Oklahoma banker Albert Kelly, to come up with recommendations about how to improve EPA's response to Superfund and speed up the process. "By elevating these sites we are sending a message that EPA is, in fact, restoring its Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the agency's mission," Pruitt said through a release. "Getting toxic land sites cleaned up and revitalized is of the utmost importance to the communities across the country that are affected by these sites." What this means in the short term is that Pruitt will now receive regular updates on the cleanup for both towns. EPA Region 8 administrator Doug Benevento says that if a legal agreement on the Butte Hill cannot be reached by the end of January to complete the Superfund work yet to be done in Uptown and the Silver Bow Creek corridor from Texas Avenue through Slag Wall Canyon, then EPA will issue an order forcing Atlantic Richfield Company, the primary responsible party, to finish the work without an agreement in place. Benevento said the confidential talks on the agreement, or consent decree, have been productive of late and that there is "a lot of good will." Around a century of historic copper mining and smelting impacted Butte. The Berkeley Pit, the best-known and most notorious part of the Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund site, will now be under Pruitt's eye. EPA is currently reviewing the Horseshoe Bend Water Treatment Plant to prepare it to be ready to pump and treat the pit's metal-laden water in perpetuity starting in 2023. Pruitt will receive updates on the plant as that review continues. Benevento said that having the plant operating sooner than 2023 which is when the pit's water is expected to reach the critical water level would be ideal. "This is something we will be talking about," Benevento told The Montana Standard in a telephone interview Friday. EPA will also begin to investigate the section known as West Side Soils, which includes the Flat and an unmapped area west of Uptown, next summer. EPA has done very little work on West Side Soils in the 34 years Butte and Silver Bow Creek have been a Superfund site. A federal report released in September said that due to the lack of a full investigation on West Side Soils, EPA does not know whether "human exposure is under control." EPA intends to implement cleanup options on West Side Soils "as soon as feasible," according to the news release. But retired Superfund state project manager Joe Griffin previously told The Montana Standard that the process could take years. The federal report cited a lack of appropriate staffing at Superfund sites including Butte's across the nation as the reason why many sites have lingered for years. Benevento said that EPA will now be making sure "regional assets are allocated appropriately to best protect human health and the environment." That could mean EPA will bring more project managers to the Butte site, Benevento said. Currently, Butte Hill project manager Nikia Greene oversees almost all of the sprawling, 30-mile-long site, which consists of seven separate sections. Butte-Silver Bow County chief executive Dave Palmer called the news of Butte's listing "a step in the right direction." Anaconda-Deer Lodge County chief executive Bill Everett said almost exactly the same thing about Anaconda's listing. "It's a huge step in the right direction, and after 34 years of being a Superfund site, we are finally getting the attention we deserve," Everett said. Anaconda's environmental damage was caused by close to a century of smelting Butte's copper. EPA intends that 1,000 homes in Anaconda will be addressed for arsenic and lead over the next three years. EPA is also committed to creating a health study for Anaconda residents to more fully understand potential health impacts of Superfund on the community. At a meeting last month with Benevento, Everett raised concerns about cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD and neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Benevento said that for Anaconda, Pruitt's attention will mean EPA will have all three of the town's schools Anaconda High School, Fred Moodry Middle School, and Lincoln Elementary tested for lead and arsenic in the air ducts and attics of the schools. This was another request Everett made during a visit Benevento paid to Anaconda last month. Benevento said he hopes to see that happen before the end of the year. Lincoln Elementary is located in east Anaconda, the neighborhood closest to the former smelter. Lead exposure lowers IQ and causes developmental delays. EPA tested the soil at the schools for arsenic years ago but never tested for lead either inside or outside the school. Benevento said being on Pruitt's list will mean that Anaconda can expect to get a program similar to Butte's Residential Metals Abatement Program, often referred to by its acronym RMAP. Butte's program allows Uptown homeowners to get their attics and yards tested for both arsenic and lead with some restrictions. But Benevento said Anaconda's proposed version of RMAP will not include lead paint. He said EPA will be looking for other federal grant programs that Anaconda can apply to for help with that issue. Anaconda Local Development Corporation executive director Jim Davidson said delisting Anaconda as a Superfund site "would be the best outcome" of being on Pruitt's emphasis list. Department of Environmental Quality director Tom Livers said Friday that the "people of Butte and Anaconda have waited long enough." Gov. Steve Bullock; Senators Steve Daines, R-Montana, and Jon Tester, D-Montana; and Congressman Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, reacted to the announcement by emphasizing their commitment to seeing Butte and Anaconda cleaned up. Benevento said Butte and Anaconda's placement on Pruitt's emphasis list is due to "the tireless and tenacious advocacy" that came from Montana's elected officials. Daines sent a letter earlier this week urging Pruitt to include Butte on the list. "This isn't a partisan thing," Benevento said. "Everybody is pulling for these communities to receive the cleanup they deserve." But long-time Superfund watchdog Fritz Daily said he is still skeptical. "If it's a band-aid cleanup like Butte's had in the past, then I'm not for it," Daily said. Restore Our Creek Coalition spokesperson Northey Tretheway called it "really good news." BSB Superfund coordinator Jon Sesso hopes this listing will mean a concrete decision on the Butte Hill coming soon, as EPA has now promised. "I think it's great to have both the Butte and Anaconda sites on the list. It shows that we have gotten the attention at the highest levels of the agency. It's a testament to the amount of citizen input that has come through over the course of the last year." Cloud ERP Market Size, Segments, Growth and Trends by Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2756 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cloud-erp-market-2756 Market Scenario:The cloud enterprise resource planning market is increasing at a fast pace due to advancement in technology and internet of things. The cloud ERP market has numerous advantages which includes cloud ERP being cheaper up front, stable and easy to use. The cloud software is hosted on the vendors servers and accessed through a web browser. Growing organizations that want to use ERP as a multi-tiered strategy, cloud ERP is now a compelling option. Two key reasons to consider the cloud as a vital solution include: lower capital expenditures and a significant decrease on IT cost.The Cloud ERP Market is segmented on the basis of deployment type, vertical and organization size. By deployment type segment consists of public, private and hybrid. A public cloud is one based on the standard cloud computing model, in which a service provider makes resources, such as applications and storage, available to the general public over the Internet. Public cloud services may be free or offered on a pay-per-usage model.The global Cloud ERP market is expected to grow approximately at USD 28 Billion by 2022, at approx. 8% of CAGR between 2016 and 2022.Key Players: Microsoft Corporation (U.S.) Oracle Corporation (U.S.) SAP SE (Germany) Infor (U.S.) Ramco Systems (India) IBM Corporation (U.S.) Sage Group Plc. (U.K.) Netsuite Inc. (U.S.) otvs S.A. (Brazil) Syspro (South Africa)Request a Copy of Sample Report @Study Objectives of Cloud ERP Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the cloud ERP market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the cloud ERP market based porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment on the basis of deployment type, organization size and vertical. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the cloud ERP market.Segments:Cloud ERP Market for segment on the basis of deployment type, organization size and vertical.Cloud ERP Market by Deployment Type: Public Private HybridCloud ERP Market by Organization Size: Small and Medium Enterprises Large EnterprisesCloud ERP Market by Vertical: Manufacturing BFSI Healthcare Retail Government Aerospace & Defense IT and TelecommunicationsRegional Analysis:The regional analysis of transport predictive analytics market is being studied for region such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World. North America is expected to have the largest market share and dominate the cloud ERP market, due to the presence of large number of cloud ERP solution vendors and early innovative technology adopters across the U.S. and Canada. Asia-Pacific includes emerging economies, such as China, Japan, and India, which are rapidly transforming into business hubs with the regional expansion of global enterprises and the emergence of large number of small and medium enterprises.Access Report Details @Intended Audience Cloud service providers Investors and consultants Government Organizations Research/Consultancy firms Technology solution providers Automotive SectorTable of Contents1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market Structure2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Network Deployment Type2.2 Primary Research2.3 Secondary Research2.4 Forecast Model2.4.1 Market Data Collection, Analysis & Forecast2.4.2 Market Size EstimationContinuedList of TablesTable 1 Cloud Erp Market, By Deployment TypeTable 2 Cloud Erp Market, By Organization SizeTable 3 Cloud Erp Market, By VerticalContinuedList of FiguresFigure 1 Research Network SolutionFigure 2 Cloud Erp Market: By Deployment Type (%)Figure 3 Cloud Erp Market: By Organization Size (%)ContinuedAbout 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. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Flexible Display Technology Market is expected to grow at USD 36 Billion by Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2302 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/flexible-display-technology-market-2302 Market Highlights:Flexible display technology is a advanced display technology which are flexible in nature, it can be folded, twisted without any alteration. Flexible display is thin and unbreakable in nature. Flexible display technology can be differentiated on the basis of technology as Liquid crystal display (LCD), Organic light emitting diode (OLED) and Electronic paper display (EPD). Organic light emitting diode is a layer of emissive electroluminescent film of organic compounds which emit light when connected to an electric current. Electronic paper display reflects light like a real paper.In todays developing environment innovation of new technologies is a trend. The flexible display technology has many benefits as lightweight, flexible, brighter, less power and shatter-proof which evolve as the major driving factors in flexible display technology. Flexible Display Market offers many advantages over traditional display technology. The materials used for flexible display technology are organic compound, these material show low resistance to high temperature. This is one of the restraining factor in flexible display technology. But the study indicates that improvements are in process to overcome it. Increased demand of miniaturization has increased the flexible display technology market. Innovation is a key driver in the flexible display technology market. The rise in the popularity of smartphones, tablets, TVs and others have contributed to the flexible technology market.The global Flexible display technology market is expected to grow at USD 36 Billion by 2022, at 21% of CAGR between 2016 and 2022.Major Key Players: Samsung Display (Korea) LG Display Co. Ltd. (South Korea) Hewlett-Packard Company (U.S.) Sony Corporation (Japan) Atmel Corporation (U.S.) Kent Displays Inc. (U.S.) Universal Display Corporation (U.S.) Novaled AG (Germany) Dupont Display (U.S.) Corning Inc. (U.S.) Philips Electronics (Netherlands) Materion Corporation (U.S.) AU Optronics (Taiwan), E Ink Holdings Inc. (Taiwan)Request a Sample Report @Study Objectives of Flexible display technology Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the Flexible display technology market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the Flexible display technology market based porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment on the basis of technology, application, component, material, end-user and region. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Flexible display technologySegments:The global flexible display technology market has been segmented on the basis of technology, application, component, material, end-user and region.Flexible display technology Market by Technology: Liquid crystal display (LCD) Organic light emitting diode (OLED) Electronic paper display (EPD)Flexible display technology Market by Application: Smartphone Tablet Laptop Smartcard TV Wearable DisplayFlexible display technology Market by Component: Emissive ReflectiveFlexible display technology Market by Material: Polymer (amorphous and crystalline) Glass Glass-reinforced plastic (GRP)Flexible display technology Market by end-user: Consumer Electronics Healthcare Automotive OthersRegional Analysis:The regional analysis of Flexible display technology market is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, Americas, Europe and Rest of the World. Rapid developments in IT has driven the market of flexible display technology in North America. It has been observed that North America region is the leading in flexible display technology market it is followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific region. The study reveals that Asia-Pacific region is going to grow significantly over the forecast period. Asia-Pacific countries like Taiwan, South Korea have a fair share in the flexible display technology market.Browse Full Report Details @Intended Audience Technology investors Flexible display manufacturers System Integrators Research/Consultancy firmsTable of Contents1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope Of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market StructureContinuedAbout 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. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Wireless Smart Scales Market Analysis 2017 by Prime Contenders - Taylor, Salter, Health O Meter, Seca, Brecknell, Detecto etc. https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=191210 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=191210 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=191210 www.researchnreports.com The market for Wireless Smart Scales has been analyzed in a comprehensive market research report recently added to the portfolio of Research N Reports. The report, titled Global Wireless Smart Scales Market Report 2017, covers crucial details and developments pertaining to the market and presents vast quantitative and qualitative information related to the past and present state of the markets crucial elementsTake a look to the Sample Pages @The Wireless Smart Scales report gives an in-depth analysis of capacity, technical data & manufacturing plants, manufacturing cost structure, and production. It also offers insights into upstream investments, raw materials and equipment, and downstream consumer analysis. The information regarding various distribution and marketing channels and scope of new investment projects has also been presented in the report. The report also contains information such as product specification and picture, production capacity, cost, revenue, and gross profit margin.Market segments:The Smart Scales market Report features the market segment by regions such as United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China, sorts with creation, income, value, piece of the pie and development rate, utilization. By different measures, the report segments the market and studies them independently, giving data, for example, the main segment or sub segment and slowest developing segment and sub segment of the market. The income and development forecasts for each of these segments is additionally given. Diagrams, graphs, tables and insights have been incorporated wherever required to show the data in an unmistakable way.Key Deliverables:- Recognizable proof and investigation of the large scale and small scale factors that influence the market.- Market investigation, with area particular appraisals and rivalry examination.- Market definition alongside the distinguishing proof of key drivers, limitations, openings, and difficulties.- Experiences of the market in the areas that have the most elevated potential for development and furthermore recognize the business sectors that are as yet undiscovered.- ID of components instrumental in the changing the market situation, rising imminent open doors, and recognizable proof of key organizations that impact the market on the worldwide and territorial scale.- Broadly inquired about focused scene segment with organization profiles of the key players, with the examination of their current vital interests and key money related data.Client Satisfaction Is Our First Goal! Do enquiry before buying @Significant Market Drivers:Key Players profiled in the Global Wireless Smart Scales Market Report include, Taylor, Detecto, Health O Meter, Tanita, Seca, Salter Brecknell, Blue Anatomy etc. provides essential information about leading companies, such as product specification, financial overview, business overview, contact information, and recent developments. The challenges faced by the companies, the factors helping them to reach the top level in the global wireless smart scales market, and the strategies implemented by each of the market players to market their products have been given. With the help of such data, a stakeholder or an emerging player in the market is armed to make strategic decisions leading to their benefit or profit.Demand for Table of Contents @ Click HereThe research report profiles the players and offers a detailed report about the competitive landscape present in the global wireless smart scales market. Additionally, the report also includes a Porters five forces analysis, which examines the threat of the new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, and the intensity of the competitive rivalry. The report also discusses the business and marketing strategies likely to be implemented by these in the coming few years.Get full report with discount @About Research N Reports:Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems.Contact:Sunny Denis10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com , Embedded Hypervisor Software Market Global Analysis, Segments, Top Key Players, Drivers and Trends by Forecast to 2023 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4067 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/embedded-hypervisor-software-market-4067 Market Highlights:An embedded hypervisor is a type of virtual machine, which can support the necessities of embedded systems. Embedded systems consist of two components, one of which, real-time component is critical to performing specific tasks in a particular period of time while non-real time component, helps process real time information, manage and configure data. An embedded hypervisor is a hypervisor that is programmed through a processor or a computer.The global embedded hypervisor software market is highly competitive. Various established international brands, domestic brands and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. The key players are nonstop increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio. The embedded hypervisor software market is highly competitive due to the presence of several large vendors.For instance, In July, 2015, Pike OS a product of SYSGO AG captures the automotive market. Through the usage of PikeOS hypervisor in the automotive industry the company is delivering safety and security functions.The factors contributing to the growth of the Embedded Hypervisor Software Market are growth in the industrial automation sector since industrial application needs real time operating system, increasing concerns about cyber-attacks, rapid adoption of industrial automation across the globe and the growing usage of hypervisor in transportation sector. However, factors such as high power consumption and memory consumption, high infrastructure and maintenance cost are hindering the growth of the embedded hypervisor software market.The market can be bifurcated on the basis of component, technology, tools, application and region. On the basis of component the market can be segmented into software and services. Out of the software, the market can be divided into android, linux and windows among others.The global embedded hypervisor technology market is expected to grow at USD 2,887.21 million by the end of year 2023 with 6.46% CAGR during forecast period 2017-2023.Request a Sample Report @Major Key Players: Blackberry Ltd (QNX) (Canada) Integrity (U.K.) Mentor Graphics Corporation (U.S.) SYSGO AG (Germany) Wind River(U.S.) SCIOPTA Systems (Germany) High Integrity Systems (U.S.) Silicon Labs (Micrium) (U.S) Kronosafe (France) Lynx software (U.S.) Open Kernel Labs (U.S.) OpenSynergy (Germany)Regional Analysis:The global embedded hypervisor software market is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period, 2017-2023. Automotive and aerospace segment of embedded hypervisor software market globally drives the market majorly due to increasing demand for better solutions for security and safety measures. The market is expected to have higher growth rate as compared to the previous years.The global embedded hypervisor software market segmented into four main regions such as North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Rest of the World. Automotive segment hold a largest share in the Asia-Pacific region. The reason is attributed to presence of large number of automobile manufacturers. Also, the automobile sector are looking for better high end technological solutions in this region. Therefore, automotive segment of embedded hypervisor software market accounted for the largest market share.Asia-Pacific region accounted for the largest market share in 2017. Countries such as Japan, China and India contributes largely to the overall market share. The reason is attributed to the increasing number of manufacturers, stringent government regulations, growing advancement and increasing adoption of high end technology in the field of automation are boosting the growth of card connector market in this region.North-America accounted for the largest market share. Countries such as U.S. and Canada contributes largely to the overall market share. The reason is attributed to standard regulation, advanced infrastructure, presence of large number of vendors and presence of technical expertise.Segments:For the purpose of this study, Market Research Future has segmented the market of embedded hypervisor software into device software, tools, application and region.Device Software RTOS Linux Android Graphics & Ui Safety & Security OthersTools Compile Design Debug Virtual Platforms Automotive Networking OthersApplications Aerospace Defense Industrial Automotive Transportation OthersRegion North-America Europe Asia-Pacific RoWIntended Audience: Device manufacturers Network Operators Distributors Suppliers Research firms Software Developers Commercial Banks Vendors Semiconductor Manufacturers End-user sectors Technology InvestorsBrowse Full Report Details @Embedded Hypervisor Software Market (MRFR) Research Analysis:On the basis of device software, the market can be segmented in to RTOS, Android, Linux, Graphics & UI and Safety & Security among others. Out of these, RTOS accounted for the largest market share majorly due to increasing demand for high end technologies, need access for real time data and increasing adoption of industrial automation. Furthermore, Linux is expected to grow at a fast pace over the forecast period, since it helps to reuse the existing property and protecting intellectual property while using these device softwares.On the basis of deployment, the market can be compile, design, debug virtual platform and automotive networking among others. Out of these, compile accounted for the largest market share. The reasons attributed are increasing need for data security and safety.Table of Contents1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market StructureContinuedList of TablesTable 1 Embedded Hypervisor Software Market, By Device SoftwareTable 2 Embedded Hypervisor Software Market, By ToolsTable 3 Embedded Hypervisor Software Market, By ApplicationContinuedList of FiguresFigure 1 Research MethodologyFigure 2 Embedded Hypervisor Software Market, By Device Software (%)Figure 3 Embedded Hypervisor Software Market, By Tools (%)ContinuedAbout Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Solutions, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) Market Size, Share, Growth, Analysis Forecast to 2022 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1828 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/high-performance-data-analytics-hpda-market Segments for High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) Market:Global High performance data analytics (HPDA) Market can be segmented as follows:Segmentation by Component: Hardware and software.Segmentation by Technologies: Structured, semi-structured and unstructured.Segmentation by Application: manufacturing, financial, telecommunications, healthcare, retailers and energy among others.We are thankful for the support and assistance High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) Market Research Report- Global Forecast to 2022 related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.Request a Sample Report @Key Players of Market: Cisco system, Inc. (U.S.), Red hat, Inc. (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S.), Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (U.S.), Oracle Corporation (U.S.), Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), Cray Inc. (U.S.), Intel Corporation (U.S.), Juniper Networks (U.S.), ATOS SE (France)Globally the market for High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) Market is expected to grow at the rate of more than 18% from 2016 to 2022.Commenting on the report, an analyst from Market Research Future (MRFR)s team said:High Perforce Data Analytics has already contributed immensely for the better development in the areas such as innovation, security, industrial and economic competitiveness and the quality of human life and as the explosion of data is increasing and demand for big data analytics is growing, it is fueling the growth of high performance data analytics market. The features such as running data-intensive M&S problems at very large scale with the higher resolution in helping in wide adoptability of HPDA in sectors such as defense, government agencies and among others.The study was conducted using an objective combination of primary and secondary information including inputs from key participants in the industry. The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to a SWOT analysis of the key vendors.Regional Analysis of High Performance Data Analytics (HPDA) Market:North-America is dominating the global high performance data analytics (HPDA) market with the largest market share due to high demand of HPDA by large enterprises and therefore is expected to grow with highest revenue by 2022. Europe is expected to be the second largest market for high performance data analytics (HPDA) followed by Asia-Pacific region during forecast period.Browse Full Report @Target Audience: Software vendors Software developers System integrators Research & consultants IT and Cloud service providers GovernmentAbout 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 Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Concentrating Solar Power Market: Top Key Players Business Strategies Boosting the Growth of Global Market https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2104 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/concentrating-solar-power-market-2104 Market HighlightsConcentrating Solar Power use mirrors to focus suns light energy and convert it into heat. The plants consist of two parts, one that collects solar energy and converts it to heat or converts the heat energy to electricity.The Global Market of Concentrating Solar Power around the world is growing rapidly due to factors such as heat stored and used even if sun is not shining as well as most cost-effective solar option for large-scale electricity generation are booming the market of concentrating solar power market. Advances in system design have made power plants more efficient at producing electricity. Moreover, factors like low maintenance cost of these panels and growing investments in clean energy are driving the concentrated solar power market. Geographically, Europe Concentrating Solar Power market share witness considerable growth on account of Increasing environmental concern and government supportive initiatives which drives the market in this region.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 50 market data tables and figures spread in 110 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on Global Concentrating Solar Power Market Research Report- Forecast 2022Key PlayersThe major player operating in the market of Global Concentrating Solar Power are Areva Solar, Abengoa Solar S.A., SkyFuel Inc., eSolar Inc., BrightSource Energy Inc., Acciona S.A., SolarReserve LLC, Solar Millennium AG, SCHOTT Solar AG, TSK FlagsolRequest a Sample Copy @Market Research Future Analysis:Market Research Future analysis show that the global market of Concentrating Solar Power market is estimated to grow at US $XX billion by the end of year 2022.Geographically, Europe dominates the global Concentrating Solar Power market due to development for R&D projects with an aim to drive down the cost of solar energy as well as technological development in order to bring innovative ideas to the market more quickly. Supporting. Moreover, government also helps by investing more in solar power systems. It is estimated to rise in demand due to growth in demand for inverter. The global Concentrating Solar Power is expected to grow at CAGR of XX% between years 2016 to 2022.Target Audience Organizations Manufacturer Research Institute / Education Institute Potential InvestorsTable of Content1 Market Introduction1.1 Introduction1.2 Scope Of Study1.2.1 Research Objective1.2.2 Assumptions1.2.3 Limitations1.3 Market Structure:1.3.1 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market: By Product1.3.2 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market: By Application1.3.3 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market: By Region2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Type2.2 Primary Researchpt2.3 Secondary Research2.4 Forecast Model2.4.1 Market Data Collection, Analysis & Forecast2.4.2 Market Size Estimation2.4.3 Market Crackdown & Data Triangulation3 Market Dynamics3.1 Introduction3.2 Market Drivers3.3 Market Challenges3.4 Market OpportunitiesContinue..List Of TablesTable 1 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market, By ProductTable 2 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market, By ApplicationTable 3 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market, By RegionsTable 4 North America Concentrating Solar Power Market, By CountryTable 5 North America Concentrating Solar Power Market, By ProductTable 6 North America Concentrating Solar Power Market, By ApplicationTable 7 U.S. Concentrating Solar Power Market, By ProductTable 8 U.S. Concentrating Solar Power Market, By ApplicationTable 9 Canada Concentrating Solar Power Market, By ProductTable 10 Canada Concentrating Solar Power Market, By ApplicationContinueList of FiguresFigure 1 Research TypeFigure 2 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market: By Product (%)Figure 3 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market: By Application (%)Figure 4 Global Concentrating Solar Power Market: By RegionFigure 5 North America Concentrating Solar Power Market, By Product (%)Figure 6 North America Concentrating Solar Power Market, By Application (%)Figure 7 North America Concentrating Solar Power Market, By Countries (%)Figure 8 Europe Concentrating Solar Power Market, By Product (%)Figure 9 Europe Concentrating Solar Power Market, By Application (%)Figure 10 Europe Concentrating Solar Power Market, By Countries (%)Continue.Browse Full Report Details @About USAt 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.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Protective Relay Market- Trends, Drivers, Strategies, Applications and Competitive Landscape to 2027 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/918 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/protective-relay-market Market Synopsis of Protective RelaysMarket ScenarioThe Protective Relay Market is expected to register a CAGR of around 6% during the forecast period. Ongoing Substation Automation projects are expected to induce growth in the Protective Relay market. The growing need of Electric Power in developed as well as developing nations will result in an imminent growth in the Protective relay market.Key PlayersSome of the key players in the Protective Relay Market are General Electric (U.S.), Littelfuse Inc.(U.S.), Eaton Corporation Plc (U.S.), Beckwith Electric Co. Inc.(Ireland), ZIV Inc. (U.S.), Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (U.S.), Schneider Electric (France), Alstom Group (France), NR Electric (China), Cooper Industries (Ireland), ERL Phase Power Technologies Ltd. (Canada) Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan).Request a Sample Copy @SegmentsThe Protective Relay Market can be categorized on the basis of Voltage as: High, Medium and Low. On the basis of Protection Mechanism it can be categorized as: Feeder, Transmission Line, Motor, Transformer, Generator, and Busbar. On the basis of End User it can be segmented as: Marine, Renewable, Utilities. On the basis of regions it can be segmented as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and AfricaRegional Analysis of Protective RelaysThe growing transmission & distribution network across the globe, is one of the main reasons which is expected to contribute toward the growth of the Protective Relay Market. Asia-Pacific is currently housing the maximum number of transmission and distribution projects as a result of which it is one of the leading markets in this segment. Europe and North America are other regions which are expected to be highly lucrative for the players in the Protective Relay Market.Study Objectives of Protective Relays Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 10 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Protective Relay market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To Analyze the Protective Relay market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Middle East & Africa To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by Type, EndUsers, Voltage Range and Regions To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and new product developments in the global Protective Relay marketBrowse Full Report Details @About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.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.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Global CT-PET Scanners Market Industry Analysis Forecast 2022 https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=191341 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=191341 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=191341 www.researchnreports.com Global CT-PET Scanners Market Research Report 2017, to its vast depository. The report serves as a professional study, which provides a detailed analysis of production and demand/supply of the global market. It offers insights into all the vital aspects of the market, including its dynamics, application and geographical segmentation, and competitive landscape.Fill the form to gain deeper insights on this market @Global CT-PET Scanners Market Key Players Like: Significant organizations working in this market receive product dispatch as their key advancement system. Organizations profiled in this market incorporate Toshiba Corporation, General Electric Co., Hitachi, Ltd., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Shimadzu Corporation, Siemens AG, PerkinElmer, Inc., Positron Corporation, Yangzhou Kindsway Biotech Co. Ltd, and Mediso Ltd.Is a nuclear medicine technique which combines, in a single gantry, a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner and an x-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner, to acquire sequential images from both devices in the same session, which are combined into a single superposed (co-registered) image. Thus, functional imaging obtained by PET, which depicts the spatial distribution of metabolic or biochemical activity in the body can be more precisely aligned or correlated with anatomic imaging obtained by CT scanning. Two- and three-dimensional image reconstruction may be rendered as a function of a common software and control system.The Global CT-PET Scanners Market is characterized by the presence of a large number of global & local players and is highly competitive. These companies are increasingly focusing on expanding their geographical presence and they have huge production facilities located across the world. Quite a few vendors are progressively contending against each other on the basis of factors such as inventions, price, and superiority of the product. Merchants with better monetary and technological resources can bear changes in different market circumstances when contrasted to their opponents.For enquiry before buying visit:One of the foremost aspects of this statistical surveying research report is that the significance and reach of the market has been displayed. Moreover, procurement criteria and detached market dynamics have been enumerated. Thus, this market research report is a great contribution in recognizing new speculation projects and how to deal with the Global CT-PET Scanners Market trends.Market segments:The Report features the market segment by regions such as Global CT-PET Scanners Market, sorts with creation, income, value, piece of the pie and development rate, utilization. By different measures, the report segments the market and studies them independently, giving data, for example, the main segment or sub segment and slowest developing segment and sub segment of the market. The income and development forecasts for each of these segments is additionally given. Diagrams, graphs, tables and insights have been incorporated wherever required to show the data in an unmistakable way.Table of ContentsGlobal CT-PET Scanners Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1 Global CT-PET Scanners Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Global Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Global CT-PET Scanners Market Effect Factors AnalysisGet full report with Discount @About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Sunny Denis10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com , Future of Connected Home Security System Market Size 2022 Honeywell, ADT, Securitas, Panasonic, Samsung, Vivint https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/699600/?utm_source=OPR-AN https://www.marketstudyreport.com/check-for-discount/699600/ https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south-america-middle-east-and-africa-connected-home-security-system-market-2017-forecast-to-2022 https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/world-platform-screen-doors-psd-market-research-report-2022-covering-usa-europe-china-japan-india-south-east-asia-and-etc?utm_source=RR-AN https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/category/news-releases/ MarketStudyReport.com Add New Report Global (North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa) Connected Home Security System Market 2017 Forecast to 2022 to its research database. The report presents a deep study of the market growth factors and drivers. The report spread across 121 pages with table and figures in it.Global Connected Home Security System Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022 provides Market information about Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application. This Industry report also states Company Profile, sales, Connected Home Security System Market revenue and price, market share, market growth and gross margin by regions.Connected home security system Market is a set of integrated systems connects to your home Wi-Fi network so you can monitor and control your security devices using your smartphone and an app. Entry-level systems typically include a couple of door and window sensors, a motion detector, and a hub that communicates with these devices using one or more wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, Z-Wave, ZigBee, or a proprietary mesh network. You can add extra door, motion, and window sensors to provide coverage for your entire house and build a comprehensive system that includes door locks, garage door openers, indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras, lights, sirens, smoke/CO detectors, water sensors, and more.Request a Free sample PDF of this research to evaluate more:Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Connected Home Security System 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 covers Honeywell, ADT, Securitas, Panasonic, Samsung, VivintMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers North 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, covers Monitor System, Alarm SystemMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided into Villa, Apartment, OtherRequest Discount for Global Connected Home Security System Market Research Report @There are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Connected Home Security System market.Chapter 1, to describe Connected Home Security System Market Size Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Connected Home Security System Market Size, with sales, revenue, and price of Connected Home Security System, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Connected Home Security System, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the Connected Home Security System Market Size by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Connected Home Security System market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Connected Home Security System sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceFor More Info on Market Research @Related Reports: -World Platform Screen Doors (PSD) Market Research Report 2022 (covering USA, Europe, China, Japan, India, South East Asia and etc)Platform Screen Doors (PSD) market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News: Pumped Hydro Storage Market Soaring at xx% CAGR During the Period 2017-2024 https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/568796/?utm_source=OPR-SK https://www.marketstudyreport.com/enquiry-before-buying/616494/?utm_source=opr-SK https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/pumped-hydro-storage-market/?utm_source=FR-SK https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-and-chinese-pumped-hydro-storage-industry-2017-market-research-report/?utm_source=RR-SK https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/category/news-releases/ MarketStudyReport.com adds a new Pumped Hydro Storage Market research report that provides a detailed market overview as well as industry analysis for / of companies, manufacturers and distributors covering data on gross margin, cost structure, consumption value, sale price and more.Favorable regulatory framework pertaining to the upgradation and expansion of electrical infrastructure coupled with growing adoption of sustainable energy will drive the Pumped Hydro Storage Market size. Lack of efficient monitoring system and frequent supply outages across the developing economies will further stimulate the product demand. The China National Energy Administration in 2017 declared a funding of USD 326.4 billion toward the expansion of renewable electrical network by 2020.Request a sample copy of Pumped Hydro Storage Market Research Report @Pumped Hydro Storage Market size will exceed USD 350 billion by 2024; according to a new research report.Ongoing expansion of micro-grid networks favored by rapid development of distributed generation technology will propel the pumped hydro storage market size. Growing concerns toward reduction of carbon footprint along with upgradation and expansion of existing PHS system to enhance the operational flexibility will propel the business outlook. In 2016, the Government of Canada pledged to reduce emissions by 80% below 2005 levels until 2050.Japan pumped hydro storage market size is set to exceed 30 GW by 2024. Growing concerns toward energy security along with increasing investments toward deployment of grid network will propel the product landscape. Upsurge across the integration of renewable energy technologies will further stimulate the business outlook. The Japan Ministry of Economy, have announced investments worth USD 700 million in line with the integration of sustainable energy storage technology across the country.High storage capacity, energy efficiency and grid stability are some of the key parameters that will drive the pumped hydro storage market. According to EASE, the PHS plants have an average efficiency of 70% - 80% when compared with other technologies. Increasing energy demand across emerging economies will further foster the business outlook.Enquire about this report @U.S. pumped hydro storage market size will grow owing to upgradation and refurbishment of existing grid infrastructure along with rising adoption of advanced grid support system. Integration of clean energy technologies and expansion of micro grid networks will further embellish the product landscape. China under its sovereign wealth fund has proposed an investment of USD 800 billion across the U.S. infrastructure sector.Open loop in 2016, accounted for over 90% of pumped hydro storage market share. Availability of free-flowing water source along with effective compatibility with a hydroelectric plant will embellish the product penetration. According to Department of Energy, there are three open-loop projects announced and in under construction phase in the U.S.Growing energy consumption along with ongoing investments toward modernization of electric grid infrastructure will embellish the South Korea pumped hydro storage market. Favorable government initiatives pertaining to sustainable energy mix will further stimulate the industry outlook. In 2017, The South Korea government has approved a plan to invest USD 1.67 billion toward development of renewable energy in the country.Key industry players in pumped hydro storage market includes Voith Hydro, EDF, Absaroka, Genex, Toshiba, Schluchseewerk AG, Dongfang Electric, Snowdonia, SinoHydro, Eskom, Enel, Northland Power and J-Power.Read full report description @Related Reports: -Global and Chinese Pumped Hydro Storage Industry, 2017 Market Research ReportThe 'Global and Chinese Pumped Hydro Storage Industry, 2012-2022 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Pumped Hydro Storage industry with a fo...About Us:Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place.Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News: Ring Main Unit Market Rising at xx% CAGR to 2024: Analysis of Key Players, Trends, Drivers, & Challenges https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/568788/?utm_source=OPR-SK https://www.marketstudyreport.com/enquiry-before-buying/568788/?utm_source=opr-SK https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/ring-main-unit-market/?utm_source=FR-SK https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-ring-main-units-market-research-report-2017/?utm_source=RR-SK https://www.marketstudyreport.com https://www.marketstudyreport.com/category/news-releases/ MarketStudyReport.com adds a new Ring Main Unit Market research report for the period of 2017-2024 focuses on the major drivers and restraints for the global key players providing analysis of the market share, segmentation, revenue forecasts and geographic regions of the market.Rising investments toward infrastructural development subject to pervasive residential and commercial establishments across developing regions will stimulate the Ring Main Unit Market size. Refurbishment of aging grid networks coupled with increasing demand for advanced control and monitoring distribution units will further embellish the business outlook. Government of Serbia in partnership with the government of China have proposed plans in line with modernization of the conventional electrical infrastructure across Serbia. Regulators in 2017 have further proclaimed, investments to value over USD 6.14 billion across the countrys infrastructure sector.Request a sample copy of Ring Main Unit Market Research Report @Ring main unit market size will exceed USD 3 billion by 2024; according to a new research report.China ring main unit market is projected to value over USD 300 million by 2024. Favorable government norms pertaining to the replacement of conventional fuels with sustainable energy resources favored by national renewable integration targets will fuel the industry landscape. In 2017, National Energy Administration (NEA) declared an investment worth USD 326 billion apropos the expansion of renewable energy networks across China by 2020.Paradigm shift towards energy security along with rising environmental constraints will embellish the ring main unit market potential. Increasing focus on account of energy efficiency favored by briskly advancing smart grid networks will further foster the industry landscape. In 2017, Western European countries including France, Italy, Germany, Sweden and UK, have collaboratively announced an investment worth USD 133.7 billion towards the expansion of smart grid networks across the region.Gas insulation in 2016, accounted for over 50% of the ring main unit market share owing to rapid expansion of industrial High-Tension T&D networks. Effective insulation and di-electric strength favored by long term cost benefits in comparison to its competitive counterparts will further stimulate the product demand. In 2017, Toshiba announced an investment worth USD 30 million subject to the expansion of its switchgear and transformer manufacturing units across India.Enquire about this report @Favorable government policies pertaining to rural electrification across Africa and Asia Pacific supported by rising investments from public and private financial institutions will foster the ring main unit market share. The World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) across the years have perpetually funded rural electrification drives across the regions. Growing electricity demand coupled with rapid expansion of micro-grid networks across the globe will further embellish the industry outlook. In 2017, the World Bank declared an investment worth USD 4 million subject to the expansion of electrical networks across the Pacific Island.The U.S. ring main unit market will grow owing to rising investments toward the refurbishment of aging grid infrastructure coupled with integration of advance distribution control technologies. Expeditious development across the railroad infrastructure projects supported by the peninsula corridor electrification program will augment the industry size. In 2017, Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. proposed an investment worth USD 100 million subject to the expansion of rail networks across California under the San Carlos Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project.Rapid industrialization coupled with instantaneous expansion of micro-grid networks will foster the Germany ring main unit market share. Rising investments toward diversification of existing manufacturing units coupled with ongoing new establishments will further complement the industry landscape. In 2017, regulators across Germany announced a state funding worth over USD 120 billion in context to German based automakers and suppliers.Eminent players across the ring main unit market include General Electric, ABB, EATON, Schneider Electric, Crompton Greaves, Siemens, Larsen & Toubro, Lucy Electric, Entec Electric & Electronic, C&S Electric, Ormazabal, TIEPCO, and LSIS.Read full report description @Related Reports: -Global Ring Main Units Market Research Report 2017In this report, the global Ring Main Units market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022. Geo...About Us:Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place. Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Market Study ReportThe Green Suite #4594,Dover, DE 19901United StatesPhone: 1-201-355-0868US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:News: Embedded Software Market 2017 Historical Analysis and Key Players: IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Microchip Technology, Mitsubishi Electric, STMicroelectronics https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2103 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/embedded-software-market-2103 Market Research Future published a research report on Global Embedded Software Market Research Report- Forecast 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market Scenario:Embedded software is the special programming done on a chip in an embedded device to control its functions. The global market for embedded software will be driven by the steady growth of consumer electronic devices and the increased investments in the automation technologies adopted by the manufacturing sector. The market is also driven by the increasing demand for multimedia products and portable computing devices such as laptops. The rise in machine to machine (M2M) communication is leading to a parallel growth in demand of machine to machine embedded software. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an important driver, as all connected things contain embedded software. Increased adoption of embedded software in semiconductor industry is also driving the growth of this market. Increasing demand for smart electricity meters is anticipated to boost the embedded software market over the forecast period. The requirement for smart meters is expected to grow with the introduction of energy efficiency policies. The market is expected to grow substantially with the rising trend of wireless technology across various industry verticals such as healthcare and automotive among others.The global Embedded Software Market is expected to grow from US ~$10 Billion in 2016 to US~$ 19 Billion by 2022, at an estimated CAGR of ~9%. The growth of this market can be constrained by the increased safety and security concerns along with the real time constraints. Embedded software possesses memory and processing constraints because of limited computing capabilities of devices. Design constraints pertaining to real time embedded system are also hindering the progress of embedded software market.Key PlayersThe prominent players in the market of Embedded software market are Enea Software AB ( Sweden), Green Hills Software (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S.), Intel Corporation (U.S.), Microsoft Corporation(U.S.), Advantech Industrial Computing India Pvt. Ltd (Taiwan), Emerson Network Power(U.S.), Microchip Technology Inc. (U.S.), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation(Japan) and STMicroelectronics(Switzerland) among others.Get Sample of Report @Market Research Analysis:Market Research Future Analysis shows that the low level programming languages such as C or assembly languages are being extensively used by the programmers of embedded software to cope up with the constraints of performance and cost. The C language has a quick run time as compared to other languages such as java which facilitates its use in embedded software. C language supports easy access to input and output and facilitates the use of embedded software by the management. C combines the functionality of assembly languages and features of high level languages such as java and .net which makes it suitable for embedded software. The embedded software developed in C language are easy to understand, maintain and change according to the needs of the hardware. The object oriented languages such as C++ are not widely used as compared to the traditional C programming language.Geographically, North America is expected to grow with the existence of large number of industries for consumer electronic goods and automobile manufacturers in the region. The region also has major vendors for embedded software such as IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation among others. Europe region is spending tremendously on commercial embedded software solutions such as operating systems, development tools, modeling and testing tools among others. Asia pacific region is expected to grow with existence of large number of fabrication plants in the nations such as India and China.Study Objectives of Global Embedded Software Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Embedded Software market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the global embedded software market based porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by programming languages and applications. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Smartphone screen protector market.Segments:The Global Embedded software market has been segmented on the basis of programming languages and applications. Programming language consists of C, C++, Assembly Language, Java, .Net and others. The applications can be segmented as Consumer Electronics, Healthcare, Automotive and Radio & Satellite Devices among others.Get Complete Report @Intended Audience Software providers System integrators IT service providers Automobile manufacturers Third party suppliers Hardware manufacturer End usersAbout 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 Smart Factory Market 2017- Design Competition Strategies and Key Players: Siemens AG, ABB, Emerson Electric, General Electric, IBM, Oracle, Rockwell Automation https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2317 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-factory-market-2317 Market Research Future published a research report on Smart Factory Market Research Report- Forecast to 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market HighlightsIn this rapidly changing environment, companies are expanding their scale of operations by increasing investments industrial internet of things (IoT) and innovation. In smart factory market innovation is a key driver. Internet of things (IoT) is considered as a major component with respect to Smart Factory therefore industries adopting Internet of Things has increased the demand for Smart Factory.The smart factory contributes to numerous advantages over the conventional manufacturing and production methods. It includes Cyber physical systems (CPS) and Flexible production system. The Cyber physical systems (CPS) enables to determine the activities, production conditions and communicate wirelessly with other units. The flexible production system enables to respond in real-time conditions and allow in-house production processes to be completely optimized.Smart Factory Market is growing rapidly over 9% of CAGR and is expected to reach at USD 73 Billion by the end of forecast period.Key Players:The prominent players in the Smart Factory Market are - Siemens AG (Germany), ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), Emerson Electric Company (U.S.), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), General Electric Company (U.S.), Honeywell International, Inc. (U.S.), Cognex Corporation, Oracle Corporation (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S.), Yokogawa Electric (Japan), Ametek, Inc. (U.S.), Rockwell Automation, Inc. (U.S.) and Fanuc (Japan) among others.Get Sample of Report @Segments:Smart Factory by Components: Industrial robotics (Articulated, Cylindrical, Scara & Cartesian robot) Control devices Sensors and actuatorsSmart Factory by Technology: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Distributed Control System (DCS) Human Machine Interface (HMI)Smart Factory by End-user: Machine manufacturing Oil & gas Aerospace & defense Electrical & electronics Automotive & transportation Chemical Pharmaceuticals Mining & metals Food & beverages Electric power generationMarket Research Analysis:Market Research Future Analysis shows that there are many organizations which are lagging but the study indicates huge opportunities for smart factory market in the forecast period. It has been observed government is taking initiatives, providing investments for developments in smart factory. The major benefits of Smart Factory are efficient production, quality and lower power consumptions. These factors would definitely increase the smart factory market.Regional analysis for Smart Factory market is studied in different geographic regions as Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of world. The study reveals that Asia-Pacific region would evolve as a leader in smart factory market. The study indicates large investments by Asia-Pacific countries towards smart factory which is responsible for the rapid growth in smart factory market by the forecast period.In recent news, Midea reveals that they have invested 5 Billion yuan in building smart factories in several Chinese cities using approximately 1,500 robots. The vice president also mentioned that their goal is to build more intelligent smart factories.Get Complete Report @Intended Audience: Process Automation and Instrumentation Manufacturers Industrial Robot Manufacturers Semiconductor product designers and fabricators Automation product manufacturers Technology investors Hardware & software manufacturers MES (Manufacturing Execution System) MOM (Manufacturing Operations Management) System Integrators Government Organizations 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 products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Industrial Access Control Market 2017 Regional Trends and Key Players: Morpho SA, NEC, ASSA ABLOY AB, 3M Company, Allegion Plc, Honeywell Security, Napco Security, Keyscan, https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/3515 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/industrial-access-control-market-3515 Market Research Future published a research report on Global Industrial Access Control Market Research Report- Forecast 2023 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2023.Market HighlightsThe study reveals that Industrial Access Control is trending in North America region. The rising need for a high level of data and identity security in corporate firms will lead to the growth of this market. In recent times, the need for access control solutions like biometrics and smart cards has increased owing to the recent rise in the number of terrorist attacks and criminal activities. The most corporate employees use their mobile devices to access company data, the demand for access control solutions will increase significantly as these devices are highly vulnerable to attacks.The study indicates that electronic access control systems offer smart ways to access various commercial and industrial facilities, which are further provided as a solutions which is integrated as a range of electronic access control devices, locks and systems. The various management tools also help to control the access of offices, facilities and operations. Industrial access control market offers the complete support in the layout, installation and assessment of these systems.The Industrial Access Control Market is growing rapidly over 10.8% of CAGR and is expected to reach at USD $~1.03 Billion by the end of forecast period.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 30 market data tables and figures spread over 100 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on The Industrial Access Control Market Research Report -Forecast to 2023.Get Sample of Report @Key Players: Morpho SA (France) NEC Corporation (Japan) ASSA ABLOY AB (Sweden) dorma+kaba Holding AG (Switzerland) 3M Company (US) Allegion Plc (Ireland) Honeywell Security Group (U.S) Napco Security Technologies Inc.(U.S) Keyscan Inc. (U.S) Johnson Controls International Plc (Ireland)Market Research Analysis:On geographic basis, Industrial Access Control 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 with largest market share growth in the Industrial Access Control market. In this market, Europe is to be estimated to be the largest market for Industrial Access Control solutions during the forecast period. The increasing security concerns will lead to the high demand for Industrial Access Control among the government and BFSI sectors. Moreover, with the increasing implementation of stringent regulations by the government to ensure security access, the market for Industrial Access Control solution will have a positive outlook in APAC region.Segments:The global Industrial Access Control system market has been segmented on the basis of Access type, end -users and region.Industrial Access Control system Market by Access Type: Physical Access Electronic Access Logical Access Network Access OthersIndustrial Access Control system Market by Service: Installation & Integration Access Control as a Service Maintenance & Support OthersIndustrial Access Control system Market by End-User: Automotive and aerospace Pulp & Paper Steel & Metal Hospitals Utilities Machinery & Electronics Chemical & Synthetics OthersIndustrial Access Control system Market by Regions: North America Europe APAC Rest of the WorldGet Complete Report @Intended Audience Raw material providers Cards and readers manufacturers Lock manufacturers Entrance systems manufacturers Security equipment manufacturers Biometric devices manufacturers Access control panels manufacturers Assembly, testing, and packaging vendors Solution providers Intellectual property core and licensing providers Technology standards organizations Technology investors Research institutes, 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 products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Fog Computing Market 2017 Growth Rate Analysis and Key Players: Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Dell, Toshiba, Intel, ARM, LLC, PrismTech, Nebbiolo https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2578 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/fog-computing-market-2578 Market Research Future published a research report on Fog Computing Market Research Report- Forecast to 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market ScenarioFog computing is the middle layer between the cloud computing datacenters and the hardware, supporting the management of services at edge of the network than in the cloud. The Fog computing enables efficient data management, processing, analysis, and storage before the data is transported to the cloud which is achieved with the smart devices. The application verticals of Fog Computing Market comprises of smart energy, smart homes, smart manufacturing, and connected healthcare among others. The increasing number of connected devices in the smart applications and data transfer to the cloud generates in large amount of data. The fog computing supports in managing the data efficiently at network edge than processing the data in the cloud. It helps integrating both process and intelligence at data level thereby solving the problem and in decision making, transferring only the valuable data to the cloud.The factors driving the growth of the fog computing market are increasing applications of internet of things in smart energy, smart homes, smart manufacturing, and connected healthcare among others. Other factors supporting the high adoption of fog computing are high response time, high network bandwidth, minimizes network latency, and problem solving at data level among other. Some of the factors limiting the growth of fog computing are security and privacy issues, and authentication issues among others.Get Sample of Report @Key Players:The prominent players in the fog computing market are Cisco Systems Inc. (U.S.), Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), Dell Inc. (U.S.), Toshiba Corporation (Japan), Intel Corporation (U.S.), Fujitsu (Japan), ARM Ltd. (U.K.), Schneider Electric Software, LLC (Japan), PrismTech Corporation (U.S.), and Nebbiolo Technologies (U.S.) among others.Regional Analysis:The regional analysis of fog computing is being studied for region such as Asia pacific, North America, Europe and Rest of the World. It has been observed that North America would dominate the fog computing market owing to factors such as increasing adoption of internet of things in applications such as smart homes and connected healthcare. The various players contributing in the development of fog computing market are located in North America such as Cisco Systems Inc. (U.S.), Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), and Dell Inc. (U.S.) among others.Asia Pacific fog computing market is expected to show a positive growth over the forecast period owing to factors such as growing interest of the government, cloud and data centre companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations towards cloud computing and digital economy.Segments:Fog Computing market is segmented on the basis of type and applications.Fog Computing Market by Type: Hardware SoftwareFog Computing Market by Application: Smart Energy Smart Buildings and Home Automation Transportation Healthcare Smart Industries/Manufacturing OthersStudy Objectives of Fog Computing Market: To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the fog computing market. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the fog computing market based porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW). To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment on the basis of components of processed materials and sources of equipment processed. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the fog computingGet Complete Report @Intended Audience Small & Large Enterprises Government Bodies IT & Telecommunications Companies Healthcare organizations Utilities Companies Smart Energy Organizations Financial organizations Data center Companies IT infrastructure providers Software providers System integrators Network service providers Cloud providersAbout 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 Fiber Optic Sensor Market 2017 with Focus on Future Scope and Key Players: ABB, Yokogawa Electric, Finisar, Sumitomo Electric, AFL Group, Luna Innovations https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2514 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/fiber-optic-sensor-market-2514 Market Research Future published a research report on Fiber Optic Sensor Market Research Report- Forecast to 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market Scenario:The fiber optic sensor consist of fiber optic cable connected to a remote sensor or an amplifier and has the ability to convert light energy into electrical signal. It is used to sense temperature, pressure, rotation, vibrations, and concentration of chemical species. The fiber optic sensor have various applications in the field of remote sensing as it reduces electrical power and is small in size thereby can be easily fit in small areas. It is bad conductor of electricity and possess immune characteristics for electromagnetic interference thereby can be used in places which is having high voltage electricity or any flammable material. Further, the major advantages of fiber optic sensor over conventional sensors are: ideal for microwave, and harsh & hostile environment, can monitor wide range of physical & chemical parameters and consist of thin, low-less glass wire having higher refractive index than its surrounding region which allows light to propagate through single or multimode fiber.The high demand of fiber optic sensors in Oil & gas and construction industry are the major growth drivers of Fiber Optic Sensor Market during 2016-2022. Fiber optic sensor has high tolerance capacity and well suited for extreme temperature conditions thereby propelling its market growth in industrial as well as in energy & power sector. Also, growing deployment of fiber optic sensors in smart buildings, defense service operations, and in medical sector is expected to drive the market growth in the upcoming future. However, high installation cost and high sensing capability might hamper the growth of fiber optic sensor market during forecast period 2016-2022.Globally the Fiber Optic Sensor Market is expected to grow at the rate of more than ~11% from 2016 to 2022.Get Sample of Report @Key Players ABB Ltd. (Switzerland) Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Japan) OmniSens S.A. (Switzerland) Deltex Medical Group PLC (UK) Finisar Corporation (U.S.) AP Sensing GmbH (Germany) Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (Japan) AFL Group (U.S.) Luna Innovations Incorporated (U.S.)Segments for Fiber Optic Sensor Market:Global Fiber Optic Sensor Market can be segmented as follows: Segmentation by Type: Intrinsic and extrinsic fiber optic sensors. Segmentation by Component: Transmitters, receivers, optical amplifiers, fiber optic cable and others. Segmentation by End-Users: Defense, energy & power, medical, transportation, industrial and others.Regional Analysis:Geographically, North America is expected to dominate the fiber optic sensor market during the forecast period 2016-2022 followed by Europe. The North America market further classified into its major countries U.S., Canada and Mexico. The companies in the region is focusing in increasing their production and improving their distribution network. Also, increasing demand of handheld devices in smart control system of factory automation is expected to propel the market growth of fiber optic sensor in the region. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market in fiber optic sensor market due to growing demand of fiber optic sensors in oil& gas and construction industry in the region. Also, rising need of handheld devices and electronic systems is expected to fuel the growth of fiber optic sensor market in the region by the end of 2022.Get complete Report @Target Audience: Device manufacturers Component manufacturers and suppliers Maintenance and service providers Technology investors Suppliers & distributors Research & consultancy End-usersAbout 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 Diabetes Drug Market 2023 Analysis of Key Vendors - Daiichi Sankyo, Boehringer Ingelheim, Akros Pharma, Amgen https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1160 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/diabetes-drug-market-1160 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1160 Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which the body glucose level is elevated. There are two type of diabetes namely type-1 diabetes and type-2 diabetes. During last decade there is a tremendous increase in the number of diabetic population. According to International Diabetes Federation, in 2016, it was estimated that 420 million adult population were suffering from diabetes which is increasing at the rate of 8.4% and is expected to reach 625 million by 2040. A number of different types of drugs are available in the market however, no available treatment can cure diabetes totally. The global Diabetic Drug Market is majorly driven by increasing number of diabetic population. The global diabetes drug market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.38% during forecasted period.Get a Sample Report @According to research, smoking increases the possibility of diabetes; more than 60% of the global population smokes, this has increased the risk of diabetes and contributed to the growth of the market. Moreover, increasing obese population, increasing healthcare expenditure, and strong encouragement from the government have also contributed to the growth of the market. To meet the increasing demand for the drugs government of different countries are providing support to manufacturers. Increasing government support will help to boost the market in coming future. However, cost issues, strict regulatory rules and long approval time for drugs may led to restrain the growth of the market.Top Key Player of Diabetes Drug Market:he major player in the global diabetic drug market are Eli Lilly (US), Novo Nordisk (Denmark), Abbott (US), AstraZeneca (UK), Biocon (US), Sunpharma (India), Sanofi (France), Novartis (Switzerland), Merck & Co. (US), Pfizer (US), Daiichi Sankyo (Japan), Boehringer Ingelheim (Germany), Akros Pharma (US), Amgen (US), Adocia (France), Peptron (South Korea), Takeda (Japan)Regional Analysis:America dominates the global diabetes drug market owing to large diabetic patient population. According to the WHO, in 2016, 9.6% of total America population were suffering from diabetes. In addition to this, increasing number of obese people, changing lifestyle and increasing healthcare expenditure have boosted the growth of the market in America. Increasing cholesterol level and smoking increases the possibility of causing diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014), 73.5 million adults in the US had diagnosed with high cholesterol level. Furthermore, increasing awareness among the people regarding different monitoring procedures, rising awareness and well-developed technology have also contributed to the growth of the market.Order Single User License Copy of 80 Premium Pages is Available @Europe accounts for the second largest Diabetes Drug Industry, which is followed by Asia Pacific. Huge smoking population, availability of funds for research, and government support for research & development will drive the market in Europe.Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for the market due to the presence of a huge patient population, continuously developing economies, and increasing need for the better treatment.On the other hand, the Middle East & Africa has the least share in the global diabetes drug market due to presence of poor economy especially in Africa region. Middle East holds the major share in the Middle East & Africa diabetes drug market owing to well-developed healthcare sector and huge healthcare expenditure.Brief TOCReport PrologueMarket IntroductionResearch MethodologyMarket DynamicsMarket Factor AnalysisGlobal Diabetes Drug Market, by TypeGlobal Diabetes Drug Market, by AdministrationGlobal Diabetes Drug Market, by End UserGlobal Diabetes Drug Market, by End UserGlobal Diabetes Drug Market, by RegionCompany LandscapeCompany ProfilesMRFR ConclusionAppendixAsk to Expert @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Neurorehabilitation Devices Market 2022 Top Key Player - Helius Medical Technologies, Hocoma AG, MagVenture A/S, Medtronic, Neuro Style https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2210 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/2210 The Neurorehabilitation Devices Market is expected register an exponential growth by reaching ~ 2.25 Billion in 2022 with a striking CAGR.The Global Neurorehabilitation Devices Market is growing with the rapid pace; mainly due the burgeoning Healthcare Sector and the rising prevalence of neurological disorders.According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future, The global Neurorehabilitation Devices Market is booming and expected to gain prominence over the forecasted period. The Market is estimated to demonstrate a huge growth by 2023, surpassing its previous growth records in terms of value & volume.The global Neurorehabilitation Devices Market is predominantly driven by increasing prevalence of neurological disorders and government funding. Heavy investments transpired in to the field of R&D by the manufacturers to develop advent devices provides impetus to the market growth.Get a Sample Report @Rehabilitation of cognitive function involves methods for recalibrating neural pathways or training new neural pathways to improve cognitive functioning that has been weakened by trauma or other neurological disorders. The recent advancements in the technology can make a significant improvement in the recovery of the patients suffered from the head injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and some neurological conditions such as Parkinsons disease. Some of the big companies in the business are employing robotics in the rehabilitation technologies in order to enhance the scope of the rehab process.Neuro-rehabilitation services are essential in reducing post-stroke impairments, enhancing independence, and improving recovery in hospital and post-discharge. However these services are therapist-dependent and resource intensive. Patients disengagement and boredom in stroke units are common which adversely affect functional and psychological outcomes. Novel techniques such as use of iPads are increasingly researched to overcome such challenges.In January 2017, a student research team conducted a study to determine the feasibility, effectiveness, acceptability, and barriers to the use of iPads in stroke neuro-rehabilitation. Studies were included in accordance with the review selection criteria. The majority of the studies focused on iPads use in speech and language therapy. Although of small scale, the studies highlighted that iPads are feasible, have the potential to improve rehabilitation outcomes, and can improve patients social isolation. Patients stroke severity and financial limitations are some of the barriers highlighted in this review. This review presents preliminary data supportive for the use of iPad technology in stroke neuro-rehabilitation. However, further research is needed to determine impact on rehabilitation goals acquisition, clinical efficacy, and cost-efficiency.Competitive Analysis:Some of the key players in this market are: Bioness, Inc., Bionik Labs, Bioxtreme, Denecor, Ectron Ltd., Ekso Bionics, Helius Medical Technologies, Hocoma AG, MagVenture A/S, Medtronic, Neuro Style, Rehab-Robotics Company Limited, Rehabtronics Inc., St Jude Medical Inc., Tyromotion, and others.Neurorehabilitation Devices Market Regional AnalysisGlobally America is the largest market for Neurorehabilitation Devices Industry eventually contributing to the growth of North America Market. Europe is the second-largest market. Furthermore Asia-Pacific market is expected to be the fastest growing market for neurorehabilitation devices. However high cost associated with the purchase and implementation of these devices is impeding the adoption of Neurorehabilitation Devices in APAC Market.MRFR Analysis indicates that the grand growth of North America and Europe Market is attributed to the augmented prevalence of neurological disorders, Technological advancement, increasing awareness of populace towards neurorehabilitation devices and centers, and the accessibility to the state of art healthcare infrastructure.Brief TOCIntroductionResearch MethodologyMarket DynamicsMarket Factor AnalysisGlobal Neurorehabilitation Devices Market, By Product TypeGlobal Neurorehabilitation Devices Market, By ApplicationGlobal Neurorehabilitation Devices Market, By End UserGlobal Neurorehabilitation Devices Market, By RegionCompetitive LandscapeCompany ProfileAsk to Expert @About US:Market Research Future (MRFR), enable customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Embedded Hypervisor Software Market 2017: Oracle, Microsoft, IBM, Mentor Graphics, Blackberry, SYSGO AG, Sierraware, Citrix Systems, Red Hat https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4067 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/embedded-hypervisor-software-market-4067 Embedded Hypervisor Software Market - OverviewThe Global Embedded Hypervisor Software Market is growing with the rapid pace; mainly due to the embryonic industrial automation. According to a recent study report published by the Market Research Future, The global market of Embedded Hypervisor Software is booming and expected to gain prominence over the forecast period. The global Embedded Hypervisor Software market is projected to accrual to USD 2,887.21 million by the end of year 2023, at a staggering CAGR of 6.46 % between 2017 and 2023.The Global Embedded Hypervisor Software Market is predominantly driven by the industrial automation sector since industrial application needs real time operating system. Rapid adoption of industrial automation across the globe and the growing usage of Hypervisor in transportation sector is fostering the market growth up to a large extent. Increasing concerns about cyber-attacks are leading to increasing number of embedded hypervisor installations as it provides an ideal way to maintain security. Moreover, the use of hypervisor in emerging application areas such as automotive and medical are propelling the market growth majorly.However, factors such as high-power consumption and memory consumption, high infrastructure and maintenance cost are hindering the growth of the embedded hypervisor software market.Virtualization is fast becoming a key enabling technology for embedded designs, offering the potential opportunity to consolidate multi-processor designs into a single processor multi-core design, legacy and proprietary embedded software migration and separation for performance and safety critical applications.Hypervisor selection can be a tricky problem, especially when considering the design needs of an embedded virtualized platform. The challenge that is unique in the embedded space is how to maintain the deterministic behaviour that characterizes an embedded application while hosting rich applications that may not demand a time sensitive response from the system. But the non-response-time-sensitive applications could be running alongside the response sensitive embedded applications and thus consume some of the processor, memory and other platform resources. Therefore, having virtualization software that recognizes this need in embedded platforms is critical for the successful implementation of virtualization technology in embedded designs.Oracle Corporation (U.S.), Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S.), Mentor Graphics Corporation (U.S.), Blackberry (Canada), SYSGO AG (Germany), Sierraware LLC (U.S.), Citrix Systems, Inc (U.S.) and Red Hat, Inc (U.S.) are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the Global Embedded Hypervisor Software Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.Request a Sample Report @Embedded Hypervisor Software Market - Competitive AnalysisCharacterized by the presence of several major well-established players, the global Market of Embedded Hypervisor Software appears to be highly competitive. Various established international brands, domestic brands and as well as new entrants form a competitive landscape. Players operating in the global Embedded Hypervisor Software markets are focusing upon optimized situational awareness for customers and ensure their mission success. Well established players increasingly seeking market expansion through various strategic mergers and acquisitions, innovation, increasing investments in research and development and cost-effective product portfolio. Strategic partnerships between Key players support the growth and expansion plans of the key players during the forecast period.For instance,In January, 2017, OpenSynergy announced that it is developing the industry's first software hypervisor for the ARM technology (a computing and connectivity company) To address increasing software complexity in devices such as autonomous vehicles and industrial control systems, this approach allows for the isolation of safety-critical functions from those that require less stringent control. In addition, it enables the consolidation of applications onto fewer electronic control units (ECUs) to both manage complexity and reduce cost.In July, 2015, Pike OS a product of SYSGO AG captures the automotive market. Through the usage of PikeOS hypervisor in the automotive industry the company is delivering safety and security functions.Embedded Hypervisor Software Market - SegmentationThe Embedded Hypervisor Software Market can be segmented in to 4 key dynamics for the convenience of the report and enhanced understanding;Segmentation by Component: Comprises Software and Services.Segmentation by Application: Comprises Aerospace, Defence, Aerospace, IT/Telecommunications, Industrial, Automotive, Transportation and other.Segmentation by Technology: Comprises Desktop Virtualization, Desktop Virtualization. Server Virtualization, Data Centre Virtualization among others.Segmentation by Tools: Comprises Compile, Design, Debug Virtual Platforms among others.Browse Report @Embedded Hypervisor Software Market - Regional AnalysisThe global embedded hypervisor market is dived into four major geographies, namely America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa. The embedded hypervisor technology market was valued at USD 1,825.60 million in the year 2017. North America accounted for the largest market share with USD 629.89 million in 2016 owing to the adoption of advent technologies and increasing threat of cyber-attacks. The Asian region offers a huge growth potential for embedded hypervisor technology due to rapid technological development and existence of a large number of industries. Asian countries are slated to register the highest CAGR of 7.88% over the forecast period, 2017-2023, owing to increase demand in technology and investments by various manufacturers in the region.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.ContactAkash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com IoT Managed Services Market 2017 Analytical Overview and Key Players: Accenture, Cisco System, Google, Apple, Intel, Microsoft, HP, IBM, Qualcomm https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2333 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/iot-managed-services-2333 Market Research Future published a research report on Global IoT Managed Services Market Research Report- Forecast 2022 Market Analysis, Scope, Stake, Progress, Trends and Forecast to 2022.Market HighlightsInnovation and the numerous benefits such as flexibility, disaster recovery, automatic software updates and others; provided by the cloud technology has boosted the adoption of cloud services. The enterprises and industries are adopting cloud services on a large scale as it is cost efficient and provides high performance. According to the analysis, to sustain the technological advancements of cloud technology and the penetration of IoT, there has been a great demand for IoT managed services. Cloud services are coupled with cyber security threats. Rising adoption of cloud services is also leading to the requirement of data security services. There has been a recent news dated February 26, 2017; about Avnet, the leading global technology distributor partnered with AT&T to integrate IoT managed services with cloud applications and deliver it impeccably into their IoT solution stack. The IoT managed services are industry specific therefore many organizations prefer IoT managed services for their specified requirements. However, security has been a major concern in all the sectors and the IoT managed service for IoT security assessments is the best solution available in the market.The Global Iot Managed Services Market is expected to reach at USD 84.12 billion with 24.48% of CAGR from 2016 to 2022.Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 60 market data tables and figures spread over 85 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on IoT Managed Services Market Research Report -Forecast to 2022.Get Sample of Report @Key Players:The prominent players in the market of IoT Managed Services market are Accenture Plc. (Ireland), Cisco System Inc. (U.S), Google Inc. (U.S), Apple Inc. (U.S), AT & T Inc. (U.S), Intel Corporation (U.S), Microsoft Corporation (U.S), HP Inc. - (U.S), - International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) (U.S), Qualcomm Inc. (U.S) and among othersSegments:Global IoT Managed Services Market, By Services Network Management Security Management Device Management Infrastructure Management OthersGlobal IoT Managed Services Market, By End Users Automotive and Transport IT and Telecom Healthcare BFSI Manufacturing OthersGlobal IoT Managed Services Market, By Organization Size SMEs Large EnterpriseMarket Research Future AnalysisThe global IoT Managed Services market is expected to grow significantly. The market is highly application basis. IT & Telecom and Automotive & Transport segment of IOT Managed Services market globally drives the market. The market is expected to have higher growth rate as compared to the previous years.Get Complete Report @Intended Audience IoT Managed Services Manufacturers Distributors Research firms Consultancy firms Software Developers Vendors Semiconductor Manufacturers Stakeholders End-user sectors Technology 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.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com The Southwest Montana Community Health Center and Copper Ridge Health and Rehabilitation Center have announced a new partnership, with SWMTCHCs medical director Dr. Shawna Yates also becoming the medical director of the skilled nursing facility at 3251 Nettie St. We are excited about this partnership, said Brenna Anderson, administrator for Copper Ridge. We are very fortunate to have Dr. Yates providing care and overseeing the quality of care here. Copper Ridge offers both skilled rehab and long-term care at its 186-bed, five-star facility. Anderson estimates that Yates will be providing care for at least half of the facility's population as well as assisting with policy and procedures and quality assurance. The Southwest Montana Community Health Center is pleased with this new partnership and (upholds) our mission by supporting other healthcare facilities, said Jennifer Malone, CEO of the federally qualified healthcare clinic. We look forward to building more partnerships with other groups and agencies that ultimately strengthen our community. Global Herbal Medicinal Products 2017 Market Size, Status and Forecast to 2023 Herbal Medicinal Industry https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4787 https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/herbal-medicinal-products-market-4787 Market Synopsis of Herbal Medicinal Products Market:Market Definition:Herbal medicinal products are the products are prepared exclusively from the plant source. Herbal plants consist of numerous natural ingredients like polysaccharides, alkaloids, phenols, glycosides, terpenoids, and resins, which are used in herbal medicine formulations owing to its medicinal property. For example, polyphenolic compounds like flavonoids, tannins, and curcumin extracted from herbal plants, which have a good anti-cancer property. Commonly available herbal medicinal products are in the form of capsules, tablets, powder, oils/ointments, and others.Market Scenario:The amount of ill-effects caused by the consumption of allopathic medicines is increasing rapidly, which is a great concern among the growing population. This has intensified the application of herbal medicinal preparations from the several industries such as pharmaceuticals, supplements, and others. Also, increased preference for naturally prepared medicines from the literature of Ayurveda and Unani is likely to uplift the market of herbal medicinal products owing to non-toxic and fewer side effects.Furthermore, increasing demand for an economical cure for medical illnesses like as digestive problems, kidney disorders, and flu is projected to expand the global herbal medicinal products market over the review period. Also, herbal supplement products are likely to uplift the market growth. However, lack of attention from the regulatory authorities and lack of awareness of herbal therapeutics in consumers are expected to hamper the market growth over the forecast period.Request Sample report@Key Findings:Regulatory authorities such as European herbal & traditional medicine practitioners association and British herbal medicine association are promoting the use of herbal medicines in European regionHerbal medicinal products have a massive opportunity in the global marketSegments:Herbal medicinal products are segmented on the basis of product type, which includes traditional Chinese medicines, homeopathic medicines, aromatherapy medicines, ayurvedic medicines, and others. Among all, ayurvedic medicines hold the major market share of the market followed by Chinese medicines. The foremost reason for the growth of the ayurvedic medicines is the easy approval for ayurvedic formulations in medicines by the regulatory authorities.On the basis of the medicine function, the herbal medicinal products market is segmented into general wellness, cardiovascular health, gut & digestive health, cognitive health, and others. In this segment, the gut and digestive health segment is dominating the market. Increasing the consumption of herbal medicines for illnesses like indigestion and dyspepsia is majorly driving the growth of this segment. However, use of herbal medicines for cardiovascular health is showing popularity among the consumers due to growing incidences of hypertension.On the basis of the form, herbal medicinal products market is segmented into powder, syrups, ointments, oils, capsules, tablets, and others. The tablet form is dominating in this segment followed by capsules owing to dose accuracy. Also, tablets are handy, which is an added benefit over other formulations.Browse Full Report Details @In Market Research Future we enable our customers to unravel complexity of various industry through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half Cooked Research Report (HCRR), Raw Research Report (3R), Continuous-Feed-Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team has a supreme objective of providing optimum quality of market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by product, services, technology, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, do more which help to answer all their most important questions.Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India Cognitive Systems, Content Analytics And Discovery Software Market Report 2017: Rising Impressive Business Opportunities Analysis Forecast by 2022 Research N Reports https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=199664 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=199664 Cognitive computing alludes to the innovation stage that depends on logical orders of flag preparing and manmade brainpower. These stages envelop robotized thinking, machine learning, discourse acknowledgment, and characteristic dialect preparing. Making and surveying the confirmation in light of the speculation made on human correspondence and characteristic dialect, alongside additionally taking in and adaption from client reactions and choices is the standard form of a cognitive framework.Content analytics is a wide arrangement of PC helped methods for contextualized understandings of reports. It is the amalgamation of mining and content analytics, which has the ability to outwardly investigate and distinguish examples, patterns, and other statically accessible certainties accessible in different sorts of content over a few sources. Content analytics programming is for the most part used to give greater detectable quality to the measure of content that is being created.Top Key Players:Microsoft Corporation (U.S.), International Business Machines Corporation (U.S.), Google Inc. (U.S.), Symantec corporation (U.S.), SAP SE (Germany), Adobe Systems Inc.(U.S.), Palantir Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), Oracle Corporation (U.S.), OpenText Corporation (Canada), and SAS Institute, Inc. (U.S.)Get Sample Copy of this ReportIt explains a detailed outline of the Cognitive Systems, Content Analytics And Discovery Software Market depending on the important parameters. End users, products, regions, and many other segments are studied and explained. A brief idea of the driving forces which help make the market more flourishing is discussed in order to help the client understand the future market position. Estimated revenue growth in terms of volume with respect to the market for the upcoming years has been mentioned in depth.According to the research report, the Global market for Cognitive Systems, Content Analytics And Discovery Software Market is witnessing a continual rise in its valuation with the advancement in technologies, which is impacting the consumer behavior and, accordingly, their purchasing patterns to a great extent. In addition to this, the rising penetration of internet and the surge in mobile surfing are anticipated to boost the demand for network management software across the world, states the research report.Know more about this Premium Report:On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Cognitive Systems, Content Analytics And Discovery Software Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Global, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The Global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Global are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.This statistical surveying research study presents an all-inclusive evaluation of the worldwide market for network management software, taking various industry parameters, such as the capacity of production, product pricing, demand, supply, and sales dynamics, returns on investments, and the growth rate of the overall market into consideration.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Cognitive Systems, Content Analytics And Discovery Software Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Cognitive Systems, Content Analytics And Discovery Software Market Research Report 2017-2025Chapter 1 Cognitive Systems, Content Analytics And Discovery Software Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2017-2025)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2017-2025)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12 Market Forecast (2017-2025)Chapter 13 AppendixAbout Research n Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact us:Mr. Sunny DenisContact No. +1-888-631-6977sales@researchnreports.com(ResearchnReports) Global Construction Estimation Software Market Report 2017-2022: Production, Consumption, Revenue (Volume) and Market Share Details https://www.researchnreports.com/request_sample.php?id=166562 https://www.researchnreports.com/ask_for_discount.php?id=166562 https://www.researchnreports.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=166562 www.researchnreports.com Global Construction Estimation Software Market Professional Survey Report 2017-2022 Purchase This Report by calling ResearchnReports.com at +1-888-631-6977.Construction cost estimating software is computer software designed for contractors to estimate construction costs for a specific project. Some architects, engineers, construction managers, and others may also use cost estimating software to prepare cost estimates for purposes other than bidding.Construction Estimation Software Market Estimated to Grow at a CAGR of +12% During The Forecast PeriodThe report is titled Global Construction Estimation Software Market Research Report 2017 and accelerates a boundless and centered investigate into Construction Estimation Software market. The market size is determined through comprehensive study and examination through subordinate research. The report has been hoarded using primary and secondary research methodologies. Both these methods are intended towards collaborating accurate and exact data relating the market dynamics, historical events, and the current market scenario.The research report tries to understand the inventive approaches taken by vendors in the global Construction Estimation Software market to offer product differentiation through Porters five forces analysis. By various standards, the report segments the market and studies them individually, providing information such as the most prominent segment, sluggishly growing segment and sub segment of Construction Estimation Software market. The income and growth projections for each of these segments are also given.Download PDF Sample Copy:Company Profiled: The Key Players operating in the Construction Estimation Software market includes Causeway Technologies, Cordell Information, ProEst Estimating Software (ProEst), Sage Software., Viewpoint, Bid4Build, BluBridge, B2W Software, Corecon Technologies, PrioSoft, Textura PlanSwift, CoConstruct, ConEst Software Systems, Clear Estimates, Total Project Logistics, 4Clicks Solutions, Xactware Solutions, On Center Software, PrebuiltML, Stack Construction Technologies.This report emphases on the global Construction Estimation Software market and answers many of the critical questions, which an involved or potential shareholder of Construction Estimation Software market may have. There is and has been a greedy demand for the market in a lot of global activities, so several market players have dedicated their time and motivation to go to the source of the pattern and see what the preference of this substantial market performance is.The report contours the foremost market players which are leading in Construction Estimation Software market. Similarly, it provides significant information about prominent companies, such as, business overview, financial overview, recent developments, product specification, and contact information. The challenges faced by the companies, the dynamics helping them to reach the highest level in the market, and the tactics implemented by each of the market players to market their products have been given.To Get Reasonable Discount:The research report includes an in-depth assessment of competitive landscape of the global Construction Estimation Software market. It studies the business and marketing approaches of the overall market and presents an understanding of their trajectory for the forthcoming years. Furthermore, the research report also includes an analysis of the recent developments and future plans of the companies in order to understand the course of the players in the near future.Table of ContentsGlobal Construction Estimation Software Market Research Report 2017Chapter 1 Construction Estimation Software Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic Impact on IndustryChapter 3 Global Market Competition by ManufacturersChapter 4 Global Production, Revenue (Value) by RegionChapter 5 Global Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by RegionsChapter 6 Global Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Global Market Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12 Global Market ForecastFor More Information:About Research N Reports:Research N Reports is a new age market research firm where we focus on providing information that can be effectively applied. Today being a consumer driven market, companies require information to deal with the complex and dynamic world of choices. Where relying on a sound board firm for your decisions becomes crucial. Research N Reports specializes in industry analysis, market forecasts and as a result getting quality reports covering all verticals, whether be it gaining perspective on current market conditions or being ahead in the cut throat Global competition. Since we excel at business research to help businesses grow, we also offer consulting as an extended arm to our services which only helps us gain more insight into current trends and problems. Consequently we keep evolving as an all-rounder provider of viable information under one roof.Contact:Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr,Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com, Bystanders rescue man from truck driven into Charlevoix's Round Lake Several bystanders helped save the life of the driver who ended up in Round Lake in a Nov. 11 incident. Are you scared of eMTB's eroding your trails? You should be, because this is the damage they cause.... oh sorry, this is commercial logging killing your trails. The 50to01 crew generally operate a seek and destroy procedure, but they also put in the hard graft themselves to build trails, does this even out their trail karma? Pay ya' money, shred ya' turns. Revolution Bike Park in Wales does a great job of building and maintaining trails that are often ripped to pieces by pinners in the worst conditions weekend after weekend. Downhill racers rip the trails to shreds, but does it matter? Is it simply dirt moving around hillsides in the same the way that rain drags it from the mountains to the sea? Do you care for the trails, or do you seek and destroy? When you ride, do you consider the impact you have on the trail for the next rider? I am always conscious of any trail when I ride, and try to do the least damage I seek and destroy any dirt in sight I ride consciously depending on the type or location of the trail I only ride when it's dry to cause less damage I wait for the rain to pour and get driftyyyyy anywhere I can Responses: 15286 Faves: 0 Comments: 4 Moving on from my previous poll about sustainability in the bike industry, the next question focuses on trail sustainability, another turbulent talking topic, especially recently as eMTB's are often accused of having the potential to wreak more dirty destruction than a normal bike.Generalizing my experience in Europe, trail sustainability isn't a huge concern, here on the continent, when riders head to the woods. Bike-specific trails are often viewed as places to seek and destroy, and this is partly true because we have had it so good over the last decade or two. Since I have been riding, commercial or publicly-funded tracks and trails have been popping up everywhere and there are fantastic teams of spade-wielding pixies that come along when the parks are closed and clean up the mess after a darn-good-shredding has taken place.Across the Atlantic, my view of US trails is that they are generally viewed as something that should be respected, cared for, and never skidded upon. This is due to many things, such as land access and user-segregation. It could simply be a culture thing; Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard, often references the way European alpinists viewed the mountains as something to be conquered; the pioneers would leave their bolts and hooks in the rock for the next ascenders. In America, by contrast, the mountains were seen as something to be respected; the view was that climbers should leave no trace and each experience should not be tainted by previous protagonists.The 50to01 crew received some behind the scenes bad-mouthing this summer when they took on one of Pleney's (in Morzine, France) freshly-built loam sanctuaries and gave it a good hiding. The trail builders contacted me as they were unhappy with the crew rocking up, filming their shred (arguably for financial gain as they are sponsored riders) and then promptly getting out of there and on the way to their next destination. My response was that the locals may be annoyed about losing their fresh and loamy-looseness, but many of the trails here are unofficial and on private land. Secondly, everyone is a local somewhere. If we all take care of a spot, then trail karma will spread and all spots will improve and extend. Right? Maybe.So if we head over to Revolution Bike Park in North Wales, we can all sample the hard-shoveled graft of some 50to01 members year round. We could shred the proverbial shit out of it and then head home for dinner while somebody else cleans up our mess. Does the 'mess' even matter? I like the way trails evolve, starting with a freshly cut line and ending in a root and rock filled rut-fest, then being shaped and cared for into a long-lasting and characterful trail.There are a few other factors at play around the world. Many of our trails are in forests that are harvested for timber (and commercial bike parks are doing a good job of generating money from the land and saving these from the chop). In the UK and Alps, rain likes to play its part in the erosion game. There is oftentimes so much precipitation that there is no option to let the trails to dry out. As a result, they receive a good rutting. Does any of this small-scale damage even register on the scale when you consider an autobahn carved out and paved in black through the countryside?Do you consider trail erosion when you head out on the trails? Off the Felt: Bromance, Fitness, and Holiday Cheer December 09, 2017 Pamela Maldonado Things were pretty quiet on the social front this week. No one is on the beach this week and life is back in order. With WPT5D going on and folks traveling to Prague for the PokerStars events, we can't blame them. So let's take a look at who did stay active. Well if this isn't the cutest thing you'll see all day. Bromance at its finest. Mike keeping it chill Idk what's going on but it's almost resembling an album cover. Wow. Muscles and strength for days. Pistol Patrik. Goals. So what do WSOP ME final tablists buy? A damn Delorean, that's what. Oh, and this belongs to John Hesp. What a legend. Looks like I need to Crossfit. Gainz. Aww. Adorbs. Puppy love. This. Is. Gold. Surely, we can relate. Wow Im a joke. Someone comes up to me and says hey man, mind if we get a picture? Alex Keating (@HeadsUpGoalie) Theres no rule that filmmakers need to have served in the military to make movies about war. Some of the greatest war movies were by directors who never spent a minute in basic (Coppola, Malick). Still, a little knowledge of the terrain helps. A filmmaker who has spent time hugging a rifle on watch understands things the civilian never can, no matter how much research they might do. With a director like Samuel Maoz, who was a tank gunner in the Israeli army and has only made two movies in eight years, his experience is critical. A black comic Greek tragedy of pride, historical trauma, and happenstance, Foxtrot opens with no preamble in an apartment in Tel Aviv. The furnishings are tasteful and spare, the view spectacular, and the sadness devastating. A military team has just arrived to tell the couple who lives in this rarefied aerie that their son, a soldier, has died in the line of duty. The mother Dafna (Sarah Adler) faints dead away and is carried off to her bedroom. The father, Michael (Lior Ashkenazi) is too stunned to collapse. Nothing makes sense about what he has just learned. The more that the men from the army talk to him, the less sense it makes. Maoz, who wrote and directed, shoots this sequence in tight closeup. Nearly all we see is Michaels face, continually trembling on the verge of annihilating sadness before lurching back into disbelief and rage. A former soldier himself, he knows enough of the militarys unique ability to strangle logic with bureaucracy, not to immediately trust what hes being told. The team moves through their protocols with the calm serenity that comes with routine. Michael hears them go on about the funeral arrangements and insist that he drink water each hour to not go into shock, but all he can think is that his son is dead for some certainly ridiculous reason. Lior Ashkenazi in Fox Trot (IMDB) Maoz keeps the tone flat and cool with Beckett-like rhythms until a surprise revelation undoes everything. The movie then pivots to where Michael and Dafnas son Jonathan (Yonaton Shiray) has been doing his military service. He and a few other dead-tired IDF regulars wearing wrinkled fatigues and an air of terminal boredom are manning a checkpoint in the middle of a desert nowhere. If anything, this middle sequence is even more unreal than what preceded. There is almost no dialogue as the soldiers march back and forth from the roadblock to their miniature barrack, a rusted shipping container that is slowly sinking into the mud. Occasionally a car comes by and they make desultory checks before letting it through. Once, in a single shot held with admirably comical patience, a camel is allowed through unmolested. Theres a heavy layer of irony here. Maoz contrasts the dirty and seemingly pointless reality of Jonathans daily duty and the higher calls to national service and patriotism proffered to Michael back in Tel Aviv. Maoz shoots the daily time-killing routine with a Jarmusch-like deadpan, the soldier dancing with his rifle, the nightly game of rolling a can in the barrack to see how much more it has subsided. But theres an uglier substrata beneath that simple-seeming commentary. Just witness the itchiness of the soldiers as each car approaches, the sleep-deprived emptiness in their eyes, the frozen terror of the civilians as they wait for the twitchy and bored boys with guns to send them on their way. Or not. By the time the middle sequence is ripped apart with violence, the eventual explosion that rends this movie apart again just as Dafnas collapse and Michaels disbelieving fury ripped it open at the start, feels all too foreseeable. That intractable nature of tragedy and historical agony courses through Foxtrot like a minor but insistent chord. One generations pain passes down to the next, from Michaels mother with her scars from the Holocaust to his own ugly memories of military service to Jonathans own desultory duty. Nobody escapes unscathed. Yet Maoz is also attuned to the farcical nature of how life during wartime can be as unexpectedly funny and shatteringly pointless as it is terror-prone. Many scenes, like the sloth-slow camel in the crossing to the army bulldozer burying evidence of a possible war crime, echo Catch-22 in how they unfold like dark daydreams that shatter into reality. This mortality-shivered awareness is a common thread in movies from Israel, whose universal conscription laws and intimate contact with conflict zones have kept much of the public well-versed in the language of warfare. Witness the rambling dead-end comedy of Talya Lavies Zero Motivation, the dreamy surrealism of Ari Folmans Waltz with Bashir, or the Sam Fuller-like scorched battlescape of Maozs debut Lebanon. There arent a lot of Private Ryans to be saved in these movies. In Foxtrot, the war-chased characters are just trying to survive with at least a sliver of their humanity intact. Watchdog and Public Service reporter Thad Moore is a reporter on The Post and Couriers Watchdog and Public Service team and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. To share tips securely, reach Moore via ProtonMail at thadmoore@protonmail.com or on Signal at 843-214-6576. Straight No Chaser is celebrating its silver anniversary with a three-month tour that would exact a physical toll on any performer vocalists especially. Yet despite the grueling schedule (they are almost exactly in the middle of more than 60 performances), SNC performed an outstanding show Nov. 13 at the Charleston Gaillard Center. Read moreReview: Straight No Chaser delights young and old on a cappella tour Dr. James L. Patterson has established an endowed scholarship on Montana Techs campus, according to a news release. The Dr. James L. Jr. and Meryl C. Patterson Endowed Scholarship benefits nursing students. Dr. Patterson fully appreciates the difference that nurses make and sees them playing an even more critical role in the coming years as front-line health care providers, the release said. When he made the gift, Dr. Patterson wanted to do so in honor of a group of nurses he worked with and depended on over the many years he practiced internal medicine here in Butte. Those nurses are Maureen Yelenich, Sara Godbout, Marg Kunz, Agnes Aggie Casick, Roberta Dapp, Wilma Wilkerson, and Julie Bushmaker. It was an honor to work with Dr. Patterson on this gift and in setting up the scholarship, said Michael Barth, executive director of the Montana Tech Foundation. Dr. Patterson is a humble man who understands that these nurses he worked with over the years enabled him to be successful in his practice and provided excellent care to his patients. When it came time to make the gift, his first thought was to use it as an opportunity to say thank you to them. Nurses are the glue that hold the health care system together and will be even more important as providers in the years ahead, said Tech director of nursing Karen VanDaveer. The nurses honored through this scholarship made a huge difference in Butte, and the scholarship will impact the lives of future nurses and improve the health of our community, our state, and beyond. Its been a joy to get to know Dr. Patterson and have him visit our department and meet our students. A plaque will be placed in the Health Sciences Building on Techs campus recognizing this scholarship and these nurses. The amount of the endowment was not disclosed. Thomas and Badger were among the final witnesses called by the government in the federal trial of Laffitte, the former chief executive of Hampton-based Palmetto State Bank. Over five days, jurors heard testimony from 15 witnesses, including employees of Murdaughs former law firm, the banks board members, FBI investigators and clients of Murdaugh and Laffittes. Read moreFormer Alex Murdaugh clients say they didn't know Russell Laffitte controlled funds The trial for Russell Laffitte, a former top executive for Palmetto State Bank, continues this week in Charleston's U.S. District Court. He stands accused of helping Alex Murdaugh defraud his former law clients, while using money from his family's bank to prop up the disbarred attorney's shaky finances. Read moreBank official reported Russell Laffitte's handling of Murdaugh client checks as suspicious Research Trades has team of experts who works on providing exhaustive analysis pertaining to market research on a global basis. PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-09 07:05:03 Press Information Research Trades Office No.10, Wing C, Rajhans, Baner, Pune-45, India email http://www.researchtrades.com Published by Pranjal Mehta +91 7507349866 e-mail http://www.researchtrades.com/ # 496 Words Office No.10, Wing C, Rajhans, Baner, Pune-45, IndiaPranjal Mehta+91 7507349866 - YEAR END BONANZA -Flat 20% discount on purchase of reports from 1st December to 31st December.* Terms & Conditions apply!!Contact No. : +16269994607 (US), /+91 7507349866 (IND)Email: sales@ researchtrades.com Report Overview:"Asia-Pacific Aloe Vera Extract Market Research Report" is an extensive assessment on the basis of primary and secondary research incorporating views from industry experts. An analysis of changing industry status in terms of key drivers and restraints, impact analyses, market challenges, prominent strategies of market players along with key segmentation and forecast is covered in this study.Geographically, this report split Asia-Pacific into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Aloe Vera Extract for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Southeast Asia, AustraliaGet sample Copy of this report @ https://www.researchtrades.com/request-sample/1345275 Asia-Pacific Aloe Vera Extract market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Aloe Vera Extract sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including GCL, Wacker, Hemlock, OCI, TBEA, REC, SunEdision, Yongxiang CoOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K Units), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Liquid, PowderOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume (K Units), market share and growth rate of Aloe Vera Extract for each application, including Pharmaceutical, Food, Beverages, OthersTable of Contents1 Aloe Vera Extract Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Aloe Vera Extract1.2 Classification of Aloe Vera Extract by Product Category1.2.1 Asia-Pacific Aloe Vera Extract Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Types (2012-2022)1.2.2 Asia-Pacific Aloe Vera Extract Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20162 Asia-Pacific Aloe Vera Extract Competition by Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application2.1 Asia-Pacific Aloe Vera Extract Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Asia-Pacific Aloe Vera Extract Sales Volume and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Asia-Pacific Aloe Vera Extract Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)3 China Aloe Vera Extract (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 China Aloe Vera Extract Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 China Aloe Vera Extract Sales Volume and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 China Aloe Vera Extract Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 China Aloe Vera Extract Sales Price Trend (2012-2017).Brows this report @ https://www.researchtrades.com/report/asia-pacific-aloe-vera-extract-market-report-2017/1345275 Who we areResearch Trades has team of experts who works on providing exhaustive analysis pertaining to market research on a global basis. This comprehensive analysis is obtained by a thorough research and study of the ongoing trends and provides predictive data regarding the future estimations, which can be utilized by various organizations for growth purposes.We distribute customized reports that focus on meeting the clients specific requirement. Our database consists of a large collection of high-quality reports, obtained using a customer-centric approach, thus providing valuable research insights. Bah, humbug! A quick alert from a credit card company and response by Butte police Thursday afternoon spoiled a Butte womans Christmas present to herself. Police said a man came to the police department Thursday around 4:20 p.m. to report his wallet had been stolen. The man said hed been at the Vu Villa bar and restaurant on Park Street, had stepped outside to make a phone call, and had returned to find his wallet missing. He said the only other customer at the Vu Villa had been a middle-aged woman wearing a University of Montana Grizzlies hat. While at the police department, the man received a call from his credit card company, reporting his card had just been used at the gift shop at St. James Healthcare. Both he and a police officer traveled to the hospital. Police said a woman wearing a Grizzlies hat was located with a recent purchase from the gift shop. Police said Windi L. Cunningham, 50, told them shed received the credit card from a friend who thought she could use it to buy herself a Christmas present. Cunningham had both the credit card and the victims ID in her possession, police said, along with a pipe allegedly designed for smoking marijuana. Charges against Cunningham included theft, deceptive practices, and possession of drug paraphernalia, all misdemeanors. PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-09 03:00:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 396 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for CIBT Education Group Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - CIBT Education Group Inc. (TSX:MBA). has issued a press release with the following headline:CIBT Subsidiary Takes Legal Action Against Trademark ViolatorTo 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 CIBT Education Group 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/CIBT Education Group Inc.Source: CIBT Education Group Inc. (TSX: MBA, OTCQX: MBAIF, ISIN: CA17163Y1025)Date: December 08, 2017Time: 9:00 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of CIBT Education Group 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.) Hydro Chlorofluorocarbon Market PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-09 07:25:44 Press Information Coherent Market Insights 1001 4th Ave, #3200 Seattle, WA 98154 Mr. Shah CEO +1-206-701-6702 email https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/hydro-chlorofluorocarbon-market-476 # 692 Words 1001 4th Ave,#3200 Seattle,WA 98154CEO+1-206-701-6702 Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) is a manmade compound used as refrigerants, aerosols, and in foam manufacture. They are chemically similar to chlorofluorocarbons and exhibit similar properties, having low boiling points which make them ideal in the foam blowing and refrigeration industry. Unlike CFCs, HCFCs are volatile and have a lower global warming potential. They are classified as VOCs and rise up to stratosphere damaging the ozone layer, though are less potent than CFCs. HCFCs have replaced CFCs in many applications and are in the process of being phased out themselves. They are used in commercial refrigeration, foam blowing and residential air conditioning, and are gradually being replaced by hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs).Request Sample of Hydro Chlorofluorocarbon Market: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/insight/request-sample/476 Under the Montreal Protocol complete phase out of HCFCs is slated for 2020 in developed countries and 2030 in emerging economies. Developed countries have already adopted or are in the process of adopting natural or less harmful artificial alternatives on a large scale, resulting in the phasing out of HCFC market in North America and Europe.HCFC Market TaxonomyOn basis of type of HCFCHCFC 22HCFC 141bHCFC 142bHCFC 123HCFC 124HCFC 225caHCFC 225cbHCFC 21OthersOn basis of ApplicationRefrigerationDomesticCommercialTransportLarge Scale RefrigeratorsSupermarketsIndustrialChillersDisplacementCentrifugalAir ConditioningPortableSingle SplitMulti SplitMobileFoam BlowingAerosol PropellantsOn basis of foamPolyurethane Foam (PU)AppliancesApparel AutomotiveBuilding & ConstructionElectronicsFlooringFurnishingMarineMedicalPackagingPolystyrene Foam (PS)Building & ConstructionFood PackagingTransportationOther ApplicationPhenolic FoamBuilding & ConstructionInsulationOther ApplicationsOthersAutomotiveBuilding & ConstructionPackagingOther ApplicationsHCFC-22 was the most commonly used refrigerant, though it is being phased out in favor of HFC-134b. Similarly, in the foam industry, HCFC 141b and HCFC 142b are being replaced by HFC-245fa. HCFC 123 are used in centrifugal chillers and fire extinguishers, HCFC 124 in air conditioning equipment. HCFC 225ca and HCFC 225cb are used as aerosol solvents.The largest end user is refrigeration, though due to their adverse environmental effects, the market is rapidly shifting to HFC refrigerated systems, especially in the U.S. The stationary air-conditioning includes commercial and residential spaces, while mobile air-conditioning is employed in automotive and aviation industry. The rise in disposable incomes in developing markets has led to growth in automotive market which in turn has driven the air-conditioning market.Foam blowing market is also undergoing a shift to HFO, though large scale use is expected to take many years due to lack of large-scale manufacturing infrastructure.HCFC Market OutlookThe foam, refrigeration and air-conditioning market has a scope for market growth in Asia Pacific and African markets due to high demand from end use industries. Blowing agents are required in construction, packaging and manufacture of appliances. Yet the environmental concerns of ozone layer depletion and global warming has led to restriction of HCFC as refrigerant and blowing agent. Hence, Asian and African markets face a challenge of meeting market needs and reducing climate change at the same time. A shift from fluorocarbons to alternatives is expected during the forecast period.European Union has adopted measures, which go way beyond the requirements of the Montreal Protocol, and has actively promoted R&D for alternatives. HCFC use in many industrial sectors has been completely phased out. Similarly, in North America, the refrigeration market has seen a shift in CO2based refrigeration systems resulting in a withering market for HCFCs.Latin American countries have also reduced HCFC and other ozone depleting substances by 60% according to UN Industrial Development Organization, despite burgeoning growth in refrigeration markets of Brazil and Chile. The region aims at a phase-out by 2030 meeting the Montreal Protocol requirements.To Check the Trending Report of Hydro Chlorofluorocarbon Market: https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/ongoing-insight/hydro-chlorofluorocarbon-market-476 Major players in the blowing agents market include Honeywell International Inc, Exxon Mobil Corporation, E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Harp International Ltd, Daikin Industries, Ltd., Arkema S.A., Sinochem Group, Solvay S.A., and ZEON Corporation. Furthermore, major players in the refrigeration market are The Danfoss Group, Emerson Electric Co., GEA Group AG, Johnson Controls Inc. and United Technologies Corporation. PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-09 09:54:26 Press Information Published by ACN Newswire +65 6304 8926 e-mail https://www.acnnewswire.com/ # 941 Words ACN Newswire+65 6304 8926 Concurrent International Franchising Show to Explore Business OpportunitiesHONG KONG, Dec 6, 2017 - (ACN Newswire) - Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the inaugural SmartBiz Expo and the Hong Kong International Franchising Show opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Together, the twin events, which run from 6-8 December, generate synergy and showcase value-adding and versatile business solutions for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to grasp the latest business opportunities."With the challenges and opportunities posed by the changing economic landscape and evolving digital era, the HKTDC is pleased to launch the SmartBiz Expo to provide companies with timely insights, inspiration and a platform for interaction," said HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong at the opening ceremony. She added, "SmartBiz Expo is a unique cross-industry platform spotlighting innovative business solutions, creative ideas and cutting-edge technologies." - One-stop platform to upgrade and transformFeaturing more than 500 exhibitors from 43 countries and regions, SmartBiz Expo aims to enhance SMEs' competitiveness and encourage them to explore technology and innovations. The fair is divided into several theme zones: Techtopia, Envision Lot, Boosters, Hatchery, Pathfinder and Muses. Techtopia zone displays an array of technologies, including augmented reality, virtual reality, robotics and Internet of Things (IoT) applications from established companies, such as VTM Digital Ltd (Booth No: 1D-E16), Win Win Industrial Co Ltd (Booth No: 1D-E10), and Alibaba Group Services Ltd (Booth No: 1D-D02).For companies seeking to sharpen their competitive edge, Boosters zone offers the latest technology, from cloud and e-commerce systems, to branding and financial services. Meanwhile, Envision Lot zone exhibits inventions and research findings from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Europe and Asia. In addition, Hatchery zone serves as a promotion platform for local and overseas start-ups to pitch their businesses to potential business partners. Another highlight is the Pathfinder zone, which gathers exhibitors from countries and regions including Saudi Arabia, Canada and Indonesia, to foster opportunities in investment partnership among Belt and Road countries and regions, particularly within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area.- Industry experts unveil latest AI and tech trends and opportunities under Industry 4.0During the three-day event, more than 20 seminars will be held to cater to the needs of SMEs. The series will systematically help companies explore the latest global market trends, identify challenges and introduce various innovative solutions through real case-sharing sessions, as well as unveil the latest industry technologies. Industry experts will examine global market conditions, business opportunities in AI, technological innovation and marketing strategies, as well as the latest trends in online shopping and social media. Speakers include Herbert Chia, Venture Partner of Sequoia Capital China; Leo Liu, Alibaba Cloud General Manager (HK, Macau, Taiwan & Korea Region); Andrew Young, IBM China/Hong Kong Ltd Commercial Sales Unit Executive; Gerardo Salandra, CEO and founder of Rocketbots; and David Tang, CEO of BeeHive Network Information Technology Ltd. To help businesses harness new opportunities and inspiration, the HKTDC is also hosting a three-day "FitBiz Rendezvous" programme, featuring a series of thematic forums and seminars, multiple pitching sessions and inventors, as well as tech-savvy demonstrations.In addition, with the rising trend in product and service customisation, a seminar, co-organised by the HKTDC and the Hong Kong Productivity Council, will explore how manufactures can adopt smart production with 'Industry 4.0' by integrating their business and production processes. In addition, the seminar series "InnoTech for Branding - From Surviving to Growing," co-organised by the HKTDC and the Trade and Industry Department, will spotlight cost-effective marketing strategies for companies to grow in a competitive business setting. Topics to be covered include branding with virtual reality, online marketing and big data, with the aim of helping SMEs formulate efficient branding strategies. A series of business-matching and networking events are also being held to expand business connections with potential partners from around the world.- Franchising - an alternative for new business opportunitiesThe booming franchising sector in recent years has inspired young entrepreneurs and SMEs to adopt the business model. With its strategic geographic location and diversity, Hong Kong has developed into a regional franchising hub for many international brands expanding to Asia.The Hong Kong International Franchising Show returns in its third edition for companies and entrepreneurs looking for franchising brands to identify business partners and gain franchising tips. The event gathers 130 exhibitors from such places as Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia and the United States, with zones covering catering, retail, education and various services industries. Well-known brands, including popular local music institute, Parkland (Booth No: 1E-A07); the health-food brand, bless (Booth No: 1E-A08); local pet training institute, Dogaroo (Booth No: 1E-B15); intelligent vending machine, iAPP (Booth No: 1E-B17), and Korea's popular Nolboo (Booth No: 1E-E09) will be among the participating exhibitors.The "Franchising and Wealth Building" seminar series features industry experts and leaders from around the world to share franchising success cases and the latest trends. In particular, a seminar featuring prominent industry representatives from Tai Hing Worldwide Development Ltd, Tao Heung Group, and Maxim's Group will share the latest innovations and developments in Hong Kong's competitive F&B sector. The seminar series will also spotlight such topics as franchising business management from afar, innovative business concepts for catering, and franchising opportunities in the Chinese mainland. A series of networking and business-matching activities will be held to assist companies to expand their business networks and foster cooperation.The HKTDC is concurrently staging the Asian E-tailing Summit (6 December), the Business of IP Asia Forum (7-8 December), and DesignInspire (7-9 December), at the HKCEC for companies to get the latest market information and foster cross-industry cooperation. PR-Inside.com: 2017-12-09 01:00:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 404 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for New Age Farm Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - New Age Farm Inc. (CSE:NF). has issued a press release with the following headline:New Age Farm Signs LOI to Sell Washington State FacilityTo 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 New Age Farm 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/New Age Farm Inc.Source: New Age Farm Inc. (CSE: NF, FWB: ONF, OTC Pink: NWGFF, WKN: A12C9F, ISIN: CA64157D1087)Date: December 08, 2017Time: 7:00 PM EST--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of New Age Farm 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.) The UN political affairs chief expressed willingness to ease tension on the Korean peninsula during a visit to North Korea on Wednesday, state media said on Saturday, amid a rising war of words over the Norths missile and nuclear programmes. North Korea also said in a statement carried by its official KCNA news agency that the UN envoy acknowledged the negative impact of sanctions on humanitarian aid to North Korea. Jeffrey Feltman, the highest-level UN official to visit North Korea since 2012, did not speak to newsmen upon arriving back from Pyongyang at Beijing airport on Saturday. The UN expressed concerns over the heightened situation on the Korean peninsula. UN also expressed willingness to work on easing tensions on the Korean peninsula in accordance with the UN Charter which is based on international peace and security, KCNA said. Speaking at an academic forum, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the situation on the Korean peninsula had entered a vicious circle of shows of strength and confrontation. Chinas Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the outlook was not optimistic. But at the same time it can be seen that hopes for peace have yet to extinguish. The prospects for negotiations still exist, and the option of resorting to force cannot be accepted, Wang was quoted as saying. North Korea is pursuing nuclear and missile weapons programs in defiance of UN sanctions and international condemnation. On Nov. 29, it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile which it said was its most advanced yet, capable of reaching the mainland U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. and South Korea have conducted large-scale military drills this week, which the North said have made the outbreak of war an established fact. KCNA said North Korean officials and Feltman agreed that his visit helped deepen understanding and that they agreed to communicate regularly. The Novembers missile test prompted a U.S. warning that North Koreas leadership would be utterly destroyed if war were to break out. The Pentagon has mounted repeated shows of force after North Korean tests. North Korea regularly threatens to destroy South Korea and the U.S. and says its weapons programmes are necessary to counter U.S. aggression. (Reuters/NAN) Following President Muhammadu Buharis presentation of the N8.6 trillion Budget of Consolidation in November to the National Assembly for approval and appropriation, Nigerians have criticised the government for again proposing an allocation to the education sector lower than 26 per cent of national budget recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. Many Nigerians argue that the N605.8 billion budgeted for education which stands at 7.04 per cent of the total budget is far below expectation for a country with about 10.5 million out-of-school children, the worlds highest number. Prominent in these voices is that of Barau Jibrin, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND, who faulted the abysmal allocation of funds to education contrary to the UNESCO standard. Mr. Jibrin added that only N4 billion was spent (on education) in 2017. MINISTER FAULTS UNESCO CLAIM Giving a breakdown of the budget for the sector, Minister of Education, Adamu, on November 14, while addressing journalists described as a lie, the common reference in reports that the UNESCO, set a benchmark percentage funding for the education sector in national budgets at 26 per cent. Mr. Adamu said the UN agency told him recently that it never established the controversial benchmark. Three weeks ago, I led the Nigerian delegation to UNESCO, and the issue came up, and UNESCO said they never, at any fora and UNDER any circumstances, ever suggested 26 per cent as the optimal level of funding for education for any nation. They said they just dont know where this lie originated from and why. Therefore, there is not stipulation of 26 per cent for funding of education in the budget by UNESCO, he said. Meanwhile the Minister urged the President Muhammadu Buhari to invest about N1 trillion yearly in education for the nations interest. Mr Adamu noted that since 1999 when democratic governance returned, the annual budgetary allocation to education in Nigeria has been between four per cent and 10 per cent. None of the E9 (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan) or D8 countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey) other than Nigeria, allocates less than 20 per cent of its annual budget to education. Indeed even among sub-Saharan Africa countries, we are trailing far behind smaller and less endowed nations in terms of our investment in education, Mr. Adamu said. Mr. Adamu also noted that the recent government retreat on education, which was attended by Nigerian ministers, ended by asking the president to increase revenue allocation to the education sector to about 15 per cent of the 2018 budget. But how accurate is the statement that UNESCO set a (26 per cent) benchmark for education budgets for developing countries? Aside the minister of education who said the 26 per cent allocation to education is a lie, the former executive secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Peter Okebukola in an interview with the Guardian on January 14, 2015 also referred to the 26 per cent allocation to education as mythical. Mr. Okebukola, who is also the president of Global University Network for Innovation, GUNI, Africa in the report said the recommendation arose out of a recommendation of a localised UNESCO meeting which held in Nigeria sometime in the past. I have had to ask two Directors-General of UNESCO about this figure and they claim not to be aware of it For Nigeria, I believe we should strive for a minimum of 30 per cent for the next 20 years to clear the mess in the sector, Mr. Okebukola said. CHECKING FACTS To authenticate the education ministers claim and also ascertain if UNESCO made such a recommendation, PREMIUM TIMES contacted the UNESCO regional office in Abuja. In its response, the spokespersons of UNESCO, Shola Macaulay and Alice Ateh-Abang, provided some documents titled Education for All, EFA, 2000-2015: achievement and challenges and World Education Forum 2015 final report for PREMIUM TIMES study. Mrs. Ateh-Abang said the document established that there was a recommendation close to that effect, noting that, 15 per cent to 20 per cent is the international benchmark. In the forward page of the EFA global monitoring report signed by the Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, it says, many governments have increased spending but few have prioritised education in national budget. The report, released for 2000-2015 tagged, a Dakar framework for action, called for significant increase in financial commitment by national governments and donors to the education sector to accelerate progress toward the EFA goals. According to the document, the Dakar framework recommended governments to take lead in increasing financial commitments to EFA, with the EFA high level steering committee proposing that 15 per cent to 20 per cent of annual budgets be earmarked for education. In 2006, the High level Group on EFA proposed that governments should spend between 4 per cent and 6 per cent of GNP on education and that, within government budgets, between 15 per cent and 20 per cent should be earmarked for education, Chapter 8, page 241 of the EFA report said. The EFA document also indicates that at least 20 per cent of a nations national income must be raised in tax revenue for such countries to finance the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, now Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs. Some countries including Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Nigeria and Pakistan collect 10 per cent or less of their national income in tax, the report stated. Similarly, the World Education Forum 2015 final report which is also referred to as The lncheon Declaration in Chapter 4, page 26 titled, Beyond the lncheon: rising up to the challenges of implementation said most governments fall short of allocating the recommended international benchmark of 20 per cent of public expenditure needed to bridge education funding gaps. UNESCO initiated the EFA global monitoring reports to monitor progress, highlight remaining gaps and provide recommendation for the global sustainable development agenda to follow in 2015. Meanwhile, Stephen Onyekwelu, a programme officer in UNESCOs education sector told PREMIUM TIMES in an interview that UNESCO recommended that government should, at least allocate 15 to 20 per cent of their budgets to education. This should not generate controversies at all. It needs to be propagated so that people will not be in doubt. For someone to say that the minister went to the UN house and at the UN house, the UN representative told him there was nothing like that, it is an embarrassment to us. The former DG herself, Irina Bokova endorsed the recommendation, Mr. Onyekwelu said. According to him, UNESCO has had many references to this (recommendation) from eminent scholars in the universities and they (UNESCO) never rejected these references. Timothy Odiaka, (used this) in his article in 2013, when he was talking about university budget and in his reference to the World bank, where 20 countries were used for study and how much they budgeted for education. If those references were not right, UNESCO would have rejected it. An organisation called Budgit information Technology Limited in Abuja also wrote a letter asking for clarification on the 26 per cent recommendation by UNESCO, Mr Onyekwelu said. I am now telling you this. In 2006, a high level group under EFA met and recommended that 4 per cent to 6 per cent of the GDP or 15 per cent to 20 per cent of their (government) budget should be allocated to education. The authoritative source to confirm this recommendation for education is the EFA global report, he said. CONCLUSION Based on the UNESCOs official records from the EFA global report and World Education Forum 2015, Mr. Adamus claim that UNESCO NEVER made any recommendations let alone recommend 26 per cent allocation of a countrys budget to education is not entirely true. While the minister is right, going by the documents given to PREMIUM TIMES by the global body, that 26 per cent allocation was never recommended by UNESCO, he failed to give the accurate figure (15-20 per cent) in his submission. However, the EFA document has confirmed as inaccurate the pervasive claim that UNESCO set a 26 per cent benchmark. The recommendation it actually gave is 15-20 per cent; far higher than the 7 per cent proposed in Nigerias 2018 budget. Notwithstanding the revelation, the appeals by the participants during the last education retreat to the president to allocate up to 15 per cent of the 2018 budgetary allocation to education is apt and similar to the UNESCO recommendation. Share this: Twitter Facebook The National Assembly on Friday said security personnel were compounding the hardship being faced by motorists in getting petrol in the prevailing scarcity of the product across the country. The Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) made the allegation during the committees inspection tour of filling stations in the Federal Capital Territory. The chairman of the joint committee, Kabiru Marafa, urged heads of security agencies, including the military, to caution their personnel against shunting and aiding illegalities in filling stations in the territory. Mr. Marafa said as organisations that held discipline in high esteem, it was disturbing to find that security agents were contributing to the problems associated with the current fuel problems in parts of the country. I have told NNPC management to write all the security chiefs on the activities of their men. The military as we know is the highest responsible organisation. Everybody respects the military. So, I am appealing to military and para-military agencies to call their men to order because what we saw today is unpleasant and not good for their image. They could have their filling stations for supplies because the idea of going to the filling stations to obstruct traffic and to cause long queues is not good at all. The ones we met and talked to respected themselves and left but that is not to say they will not come back when we leave. Unfortunately, with this development, even the civilians take a cue from them and further contribute to the obstruction, he said. The lawmaker said that there was ordinarily no cause for the present situation, and urged all Nigerians irrespective of position to contribute their quota towards finding solution to the artificial scarcity. The President has given instructions that the NNPC should ensure adequate supply, but it is one thing to give instruction. If there are problems associated with either the supply, distribution or dispensing, there will still be problems. Since we started oversight, we have turned into a task force, controlling traffic, among others. The causative factors for the current situation boil down to indiscipline and selfishness which is summed up to corruption. The rumour by just a few about planned increase in the pump price of petroleum products in the country is what has led to the current situation. It is glaring that the information that led to this present situation is the handiwork of enemies of government and the people, he said. The lawmaker further said that another problem was hoarding by marketers just to maximise profit. Even some of the filling stations with large storage facilities hoard the commodity he added. Interestingly, Nigeria is a very religious country with the two major religions preaching love. But, here we are, with everybody trying to take advantage of the other person, yet we blame government. From our assessment, most of the filling stations have enough fuel but it takes so long for motorists to get into the stations because of those shunting. Mr. Marafa assured Nigerians that information available to the committee from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) indicated that that more supplies would be made across the country. According to him, about 160 trucks service Abuja on a good day but because of the current situation, 227 trucks will be entering Abuja now. He added that daily consumption of fuel across the country was in the range of 40 million litres. I have on good authority from NNPC that we have over a billion litres of the commodity in our strategic reserve that should last the country for about 18 days. Also, we have been told that 21 vessels will be arriving before the end of the year and one vessel has 50 million litres capacity, he said. The chairman assured Nigerians that the committee would continue to interface with relevant stakeholders in ensuring that the situation eased off in few days. He also assured that the committee would continue its oversight of filling stations to check some sharp practices that had led to the hardship. A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and a statutory delegate to the national convention, Vincent Ogbulafor, has made it clear that his vote will be going to former Ogun state governor, Gbenga Daniel, as new party chairman. Mr. Ogbulafor made this declaration at his country home of Olokoro in Umuahia, Abia State, on Wednesday when Mr. Daniel paid him a courtesy call. According to Mr. Ogbulafor, Gbenga Daniel is the right person for the position (National Chairman) if PDP is to take over power. I was the National Chairman of the party for three years and I know the demands. Daniel, you are a real party man, please keep the flag flying. You know where the mistake of PDP is and you can provide solution. I support you on this quest and I am sure you will get it. You have my vote, you have my vote. I will give you my vote, he said. Meanwhile, the Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers, Cletus Ilomuanya, has described Mr. Daniel as a portrait of humility and the most competent individual to lead the Peoples Democratic Party. Mr. Ilomuanya made this remark while praying for Mr. Daniel to succeed in his quest to become the mational chairman of the PDP. In his words, Otunba Daniel is a true son of the soil and a Chief in this Palace. We have no choice but to support him. I have known him for several years and I can assure you that he is more than qualified to provide the leadership the PDP needs now. He has my blessing and that of the entire Kingdom. Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson has dismissed claims that there is a vast conspiracy against the Yoruba at the ongoing national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party. Theres no conspiracy against the southwest, Mr. Dickson told PREMIUM TIMES Saturday afternoon. The 2017 national convention of the PDP kicked of this morning in Abuja. The governor spoke with PREMIUM TIMES on the sidelines of the event at Eagle Square. Olabode George, a PDP chieftain who was in the race for the partys chairmanship, had alleged conspiracy against the Yoruba when he withdrew his interest last night. Mr. George, 72, said a gentlemans agreement that was entered into by the partys leaders for the next chairman to emerge from the South-west had been jettisoned, describing those responsible as men whose sun would soon set. Seven out of the nine candidates for the chairmanship are Yoruba. But five of them have reportedly followed Mr. George to step down, leaving only Tunde Adeniran from the region. Mr. Adeniran is expected to face an arduous challenge in the person of Uche Secondus, a former senator from Rivers State who once led the party in an acting capacity. Although he clarified that he had not read Mr. Georges statement, Mr. Dickson said the South-South and the South-west are not fighting. The governor said all the South-South governors had once rallied behind a Yoruba candidate in the past. Dont forget that at the last convention, all the governors wanted an aspirant from the southwest, Mr. Dickson said of the 2016 botched convention. There was even an endorsement of Jimi Agbaje. Segun Adekoya, a PDP member of the House of Representatives, agreed with the governor, saying its too bad that Yoruba aspirants failed to reach a consensus early. We advised them to settle on one person for several weeks but they didnt listen, this is politics at play, not conspiracy, Mr. Adekoya said. Moreover, Mr. Dickson said, the South-west still stand a better chance of clinching victory since their candidate will now go head-to-head with the South-Souths. If, based on what were hearing, six aspirants from the southwest have stepped down, then the remaining aspirant has a chance to be our chairman, Mr. Dickson said. He said the political calculation has changed since then. So if in the calculation of people, certain things have changed, then its a question of political calculation, he said. Its not conspiracy. The governor declined to specifically tell PREMIUM TIMES his preferred candidate for the chairmanship, saying it is more prudent to wait for the outcome. The voting is yet to commence, so theres no need to prejudge the outcome of the process, he said. The governor said he holds Mr. George in highest esteem, urging the Board of Trustees member to look beyond the leadership tussle and set his eye on the bigger price. I think that all lovers of our party, aspirants and lovers of democracy should rather place more emphasis on the work ahead, especially the next general election coming, Mr. Dickson said. We know that the election of the leadership of our party is important. But what is more important is the general election, which would kick-start from next year. He added that if theres a need to set up a reconciliation committee like the last one he held in the wake of the disputed Port-Harcourt convention, then the party would explore such measures. Buruji Kashamu, the senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, who was suspended by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said his suspension might lead the party to self-destruct and extinction. The National Caretaker Committee of the party had earlier on Saturday tweeted from the partys official Twitter account (@OfficialPDPNig) that the senator would stay suspended for one month. The party did not, however, give reasons for its action. Mr. Kashamu, who in spite of his suspension, is currently attending the national convention in Abuja, said in a statement that the action was illegal. I dare say that any party or organisation that does not brook dissent and plurality of ideas and opinions is on its way to self-destruct and extinction, he said in a statement made available to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday. The lawmaker explained that he got knowledge of his suspension at about 3.30 a.m. while preparing to be part of the party national convention. He lamented that his suspension was coming on the heels of a pending appeal with a motion for injunction that had been properly entered and served on parties. He said the suspension would not stand because of the pending suit. At about 3:30 a.m. today, Saturday, the 9th of December, 2017, my attention was drawn to reports of my purported suspension for one month by an interim soon-to-be forgotten National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of our great party, he said. This renders the purported suspension a nullity as it offends the principle of lis pendens. Therefore, I reject the purported suspension because it offends all known principles of justice and fair hearing. Mr. Kashamu said his suspension by the NCC as it prepared to leave office after the convention, showed that the battle that he and other leaders, elders and other members of the PDP had waged against impunity and illegality, and for the enthronement of democracy, due process and the rule of law had not been appreciated. According to him, Makarfi and his cohorts, especially Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose think that they can intimidate and pocket every voice of dissent within the party. Yet, they are quick to accuse the federal government of stifling the opposition when they are the real dictators and tyrants, he added. They arrogantly think that they can browbeat everyone into submission and buy over the conscience of our party leaders and delegates in continuation of their desperate bid to hold the party by the jugular in order to serve their selfish and egocentric ends. He called on delegates, party leaders and elders to rise up and join in the struggle to rescue the party from the vice grip of those he described as delinquents by electing a new and untainted leadership that will put an end to illegality, impunity, deceit and imposition. Today, lets elect men and women of conscience who will truly reposition our party, restore democracy and make it the envy of all. Lets show Nigerians that it is a new dawn and a new order in PDP, he added. The embattled federal lawmaker said he stood by his convictions in the struggle for the enthronement of genuine democracy, due process and respect for the country constitution. I remain strong and unbowed by their antics. Insha Allah, together, we shall outlive and outshine these agents of darkness. I thank the Almighty Allah who has brought me this far and made me a factor in the national politics of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). I wish all our respectable leaders, elders, contestants and delegates the best of luck. Long live PDP! Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he said. SUNDAY, DEC. 10 OGT RADIO PLAY The Orphan Girl Children's Theatre presents an Orphan Girl Community Theatre production of "A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play," directed by Jackie Freeman, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $10 for kids 10 and under. KC BREAKFAST Butte Knights of Columbus Butte Council 668 will have its monthly fundraiser breakfast from 8 a.m. to noon at 224 W. Park St. Proceeds from this month's breakfast will go to the Mining City Christmas. The menu includes French toast, bacon, sausage, hash browns, eggs, coffee, and juice. The cost is $8 per person or $20 per family. Details: 406-782-2891 (after 3 p.m.). HOLIDAY TEA Anaconda's Friends of the Library Christmas tea is from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m in the Hearst Free Library, 401 Main St. 'A CHRISTMAS STORY' "A Christmas Story" will be staged at the Cutler Theatre in Deer Lodge through Dec. 17. The holiday classic will run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 general admission and may be reserved by calling the Cutler box office at 406-846-4096. CHRISTMAS BAZAAR A "Butte-iful Christmas" craft show and christmas festival continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Front Street Station, 800 E. Front St., Butte. Admission is free. SANTA PAWS Butte Spay Neuter Task Force will have its Santa Paws fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Butte Plaza Mall. Photos may be with pets and Santa Paws or with people, pets, and Santa Paws. Pets large and small must be on leashes or in cages. Pet owners will receive two 5x7-inch photos for $16. HOLIDAY CONCERT Ken Willson and Kim McKee will give a "Wintertide" concert at 7 p.m. at the Elling House Arts & Humanities Center, 404 E. Idaho St., Virginia City.The concert is a mixture of traditional Celtic and seasonal songs and tunes. Tickets are $15. Call to make your reservation at 406-843-5454. ELKS DANCE A dance will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Butte Elks Lodge, Montana and Galena. Music will be by The John Fox Sound, who plays dance and listening music on his keyboard. Cover charge is $10. The bar will also be open. Details: Frank Snyder at 406-494-6614 or 406-490-3329. PLAY CANCELED The Beaverhead County Museum has canceled its plans to present "The Confounding of Dillon" at 3 p.m. in the Old Depot Theatre in Dillon. A newly-born baby has drowned, few minutes after it was delivered in a canoe on River Kaduna. The river passes through the village of Kwata and Wushishi town, headquarters of Wushishi Local Government Area in Niger state. The incident occurred around 2 a.m. last Tuesday, when the babys mother was being taken across the river to Wushishi town to access maternal healthcare at the Primary Healthcare Center in the town. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the woman, who was accompanied by her husband and his younger brother, went into labour and delivered the baby in the canoe midway into the journey. Seeing that his wife had already safely delivered, the husband of the woman asked the canoe operator to turn back the boat. Tragedy, however, struck when strong tides made it impossible for the canoe operator to manoeuvre the canoe back to base. His efforts were further hampered by a motorcycle which was being conveyed in the canoe which made it eventually lose balance and capsize. An eyewitness said the newly born baby and its uncle died. The couple were however, rescued by an unidentified fisherman. They are presently receiving medical attention in Wushishi. The bodies were yet to be recovered as at the time of publishing the story. The village head of Kwata, who spoke through his son, Mohammed Chadu, confirmed the incident and expressed regret. He said the tragedy could have been averted if safety jackets were provided and maritime laws enforced by the government. The government of Niger state recently announced it would set up a safety agency to monitor and regulate water transportation following a series of boat mishaps that occurred across the state. The spokesperson to Governor Abubakar Bello, Jibrin Ndace, told PREMIUM TIMES that a bill to that effect would soon be sent to the State House of Assembly for enactment into law. He said when the law becomes operational, the state government will upgrade and modernise boat and ferry services and enforce the use of safety jackets to protect rural communities plying the waterways. Two months ago, a boat mishap at Kiri village near Zumba in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state killed at least 12 people, mostly women and children. The Director General on Media and Publicity to the Kogi State Governor, Kingsley Fanwo has reacted to reports condemning his boss for owning a multi-million naira house in his native Okene town. Mr. Fanwo referred the agitators against the Governor as , a confused community of crumbling critics. Addressing journalists in Kaduna, Mr. Fanwo also said Governor Bello did not violate any known law for having a house in his hometown. Mr. Bello was criticised for building the mansion and organising a house warming event despite being unable to pay civil servants backlog of salary arrears. Mr. Fanwo on Saturday said I didnt say anything because they are a confused community of crumbling critics who have lost focus and direction. They know the Governor was a successful businessman before his foray into politics. There is no correlation between the salary payment situation in the state and the Governors recently completed house at Okene. We have spoken severally about the salary situation in the state. We have paid genuine workers up to July 2017 and we are working on the arrears. It is also true that those who were recently pardoned and returned to the payrolls are being owed more number of months. We will pay what our Paris Club refund and allocations can pay to make the Yuletide an enjoyable one for our civil servants. They deserve their pay after all their contributions to the development of the state, he said. Mr. Fanwo said the Kogi State government will continue to strengthen its relationship with the organised labour, insisting that comparison of the state with oil producing and highly viable states was unfair. Anambra State was governed by a forward-thinking Governor who left a fortune for the incumbent. The present administration in Kogi inherited debts and unproductive loans. The Governor is working hard to build institutions that can sustain the gains of his reforms in the civil service, he said. Passengers were left stranded for the second day on Saturday at the Aminu Kano Airport, as poor weather conditions forced airline operators to cancel scheduled flights in and out of the city. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the affected routes were the Abuja and Lagos-bound flights mainly operated by Azman, Arik and Med-View. Airline operators announced the flight cancellations following weather advisory from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. Wale Dauda, a passenger who was booked to travel on Azman airline, lamented that the airline did not send any text message or email informing passengers of the situation. My flight with Azman was for noon on Friday to Lagos, it was later rescheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., later on, was rescheduled to 10 p.m., As you can see I am still here this morning waiting. Even when other airlines canceled their flight, Azman kept giving passengers hope that the weather is being monitored and it would get better. They made us sleep at the airport, except for passengers who voluntarily requested for their luggage and left. There should be a policy guiding the Airlines in situations like this, to compensate the passenger not just leaving them stranded, Mr. Dauda said. Ruth Ogala, a Medview passenger to Lagos said that since Thursday, Kano has been experiencing bad weather condition stating that just a flight came into Kano on that day at night. She said that passengers should have been notified early enough to enable them use other means of transportation to their destination. According to her, passengers from Lagos and Abuja to Kano were also stranded because flight couldnt come in and out of Kano making it difficult for so many Nigerians. Another Azman airline passenger, Joel Abraham decried the poor service rendered by the airline stating that the way the situation was handled led to passenger sleeping at the airport. He said that inspite of the cancellation announcement made by Arik and Medview, Azman kept giving passengers hope that the flight would leave Kano even at midnight. Other airline operators announced their flight cancellations following weather advisory from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency but Azman did not cancel their flight. They kept on selling tickets even at night, giving passengers hope that even at midnight they can still fly, which led to passengers sleeping at the airport. They have not sent text messages to passengers informing them of the cancellation till now, the government need to come in to set a standard for these operators, he said. Mr. Abraham, however said that standards should be set by government for airline operators in Nigeria for better service delivery. An official of Azman airline, who did not want his name mentioned, said they were unable to send out messages on the flight cancellations due to bad network. The official said the airline did not announce the cancellation of flight because they were hopeful that the weather condition will get clearer and they can still fly. He said that passengers would likely experience delays in flight or cancellation this December due to bad weather conditions .(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. HAMILTON, Bermuda, Dec. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin announced Vancouver based artist, Vanessa Lam, as the Grand Prize Winner of the 8th Annual BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Artisan Series. Online global arts platform, Artsy, curated the star-studded grand finale event at Villa Casa Casuarina while writer, producer, and actress Issa Rae served as special host of the evening. Now in its eighth year, the Artisan Series once again embarked on a search to discover the best emerging visual artists from across North America, bringing 16 finalists to SCOPE Miami Beach to showcase their works at one of the world's most prestigious international art fairs. After careful consideration by this year's esteemed panel of judges -- including Curator of Artsy Projects Elena Soboleva, SCOPE Vice President Daria Brit Greene, and Artisan Series International Curator Andre Guichard, -- Lam was crowned as the 2017 champion. As part of her title, Lam will now go on to collaborate with Artsy on an immersive public arts installation in New York City next Spring. Founded in 2010, the BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Artisan Series is an annual arts competition committed to fostering up-and-coming visual artists by providing a national platform to showcase their works. This summer, thousands of artists entered the 2017 Artisan Series by submitting a piece of original art. From that pool, the remarkable works of 16 extraordinary artists were selected to move on to the finale in Miami. Each of the 16 finalists' winning works were featured within a special exhibition at SCOPE Miami Beach, drawing invaluable exposure for the artists, before the finale celebration on Friday, December 8th. Held at the Villa Casa Casuarina, the exclusive fete was curated by Artsy and hosted by Rae where an illustrious mix of artists, celebrities, musicians, and industry innovators including Eva Longoria, Mark Ronson, and Olivia Culpo came together to toast to the program's outstanding creative talent. The evening featured a variety of artfully crafted BOMBAY SAPPHIRE cocktails including an extravagant cocktail creation served to guests from a fountain. As the evening winded down, Rae took the stage to congratulate the 16 finalists before announcing Lam as the 2017 Grand Prize Winner. In addition, two other artists were recognized among the 16 finalists: Second Place Winner Ariel Vargassal (Los Angeles) and People's Choice Winner Charity White (Chicago). Following their wins, the Los Angeles and Chicago -based artists will create a collection of work to debut next spring at gallery exhibits in their hometowns. Lam reveled in her victory stating, "It's been an incredible journey since being a part of the Artisan Series earlier this year. Exhibiting my work and getting to know so many inspiring artists during this year's Artisan finale is something I will never forget, and I am grateful to have been offered this remarkable platform to share my art with the world." Following the announcement of Lam's win, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Senior Brand Manager Stacy Saltiel looked back at the program's history stating, "Over the past eight years, the Artisan Series program has committed to supporting the industry's top emerging visual artists. It has been inspiring to see these artists go on to create a lasting impact in the creative community and we're excited to see how Lam will continue to push boundaries and take her talent to new heights." ABOUT THE BOMBAY SAPPHIRE ARTISAN SERIES The BOMBAY SAPPHIRE ARTISAN SERIES fosters the talents of emerging artists through a North American search for the best up-and-coming names in visual arts. Each year, a handful of finalists are selected from thousands of online submissions and local gallery events to showcase their work at SCOPE MIAMI BEACH, the premier showcase for international emerging contemporary art. Since its inception in 2010, the Artisan Series has received more thirty thousand submissions from visual artists across the U.S. and Canada and has precipitated the sale of artwork to musicians, collectors, and film moguls a testament to the exceptional caliber of talent receiving exposure from this annual emerging arts competition. ABOUT ARTSY Artsy is the global platform for discovering and collecting art. Artsy partners with leading museums, international galleries, auction houses, and art fairs to create the world's largest marketplace for art. Artsy's technology enables the growth of the entire art market by effectively connecting supply and demand at a global scale. With 2,000+ partners across 90+ countries and the most-read art publication online, Artsy empowers a global audience to learn about, discover, and collect art. Launched in 2012, Artsy is headquartered in New York City with offices in London and Berlin. ABOUT BOMBAY SAPPHIRE BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is the world's fastest growing premium Gin and number one premium Gin by value. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is created with a unique combination of ten sustainably sourced botanicals from around the globe. The brand's signature distillation process known as vapour infusion is showcased at the BREEAM award-winning Laverstoke Mill Distillery in Hampshire, England. The vapour infusion process skillfully captures the natural flavors of the botanicals which results in the Gin's smooth, complex taste. Awarded a double gold medal in the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is consistently recognized for crafting the finest quality gin. For more information, please explore www.bombaysapphire.com. The BOMBAY SAPPHIRE brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. BE BRILLIANT AND INSPIRED. DRINK RESPONSIBLY! Facebook.com / bombaysapphire Instagram.com/bombaysapphireus SOURCE BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Related Links http://www.bombaysapphire.com Artprice Exclusive - Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi at the Louvre Abu Dhabi is likely the result of a geopolitical mediation, involving Anglo-Saxon investment funds, financial firewalls and Mohammad Bin Salman (the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia), who actually bridled the final price paid. The artwork is apparently being insured for around 700 million dollars. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160228/338238LOGO ) (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/617742/Salvator_Mundi.jpg ) In June 2017, Saudi Arabia and its allies, including the United Arab Emirates, broke off all diplomatic ties with Qatar, which in recents years has established itself as a leading force on the global art market via the Qatar Museum Authority (Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani). Meanwhile, in accordance with standard practice, the Vatican Museums (12 in total) extensively studied the Salvator Mundi opportunity and particularly how to interpret Da Vinci's Christ iconography. The series of differents communiques on the subject by the different protagonists in the sale - each contradicting the previous one - suggests that the painting is theologically explosive, and it is clear that, in the end, the different protagonists preferred to avoid the topic, considering the theological "hotness" as potentially damaging to the success of the sale. The Salvator Mundi painting may also offend Saudi sensibilities: human portraits and especially portraits of religious figures are forbidden under the strict Saudi brand of Islam, and this one raises particular issues because it depicts Jesus as "Savior of the World" (dixit The New York Times). In the past, the Vatican Museums always had a clear right to examine, validate and, where appropriate, acquire historical artworks that played a significant role in the propagation of the Christian faith. Although this RC monopoly has gradually receded, it remains valid in the 21st century for all major work of art that depict the symbols of the Christian faith; and the Jesus Christ painted by Leonardo Da Vinci as "Savior of the World" is naturally one such representation. Artprice can therefore confirm that the sale of the Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi did indeed involve geo-political mediation as well as diplomatic management of its religious and theological implications. The final outcome, with the painting being exhibited at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, is therefore the result of all these factors and the insured value of the artwork at 700 million dollars most likely corresponds perfectly to the painting's value in a Museum Industry context. For further information, read our 7 Dec. 2017 release https://www.actusnews.com/fr/ARTPRICE/cp/2017/12/07/news-of-da-vinci_s-salvator-mundi-being-exhibited-at-the-abu-dhabi-louvre-and-soon-at-the-paris-louvre-entirely-endorses News of Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi being exhibited at the Abu Dhabi Louvre -and soon at the Paris Louvre- entirely endorses Artprice's Museum Industry Having provided an exclusive explanation of the sophisticated financial arrangements behind the recent acquisition of Leonardo Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi -an explanation that was picked up by Agence France Presse today-, Artprice has highlighted a highly sophisticated economic model. The arrangements for the acquisition of the Da Vinci masterpiece correspond perfectly to the Museum Industry model that Artprice conceptualized in 2005 and has taught ever since. According to thierry Ehrmann, All the of the world's major museums hold accounts with Artprice, including of course the Louvre. The United Arab Emirates, with its capital Abu Dhabi, is one of the top 10 most active countries accessing Artprice's databases..." Here's the deal: the Paris Louvre sells a "Louvre" franchise to Abu Dhabi until 2037. The latter pays a total of 400 million euros to the Paris Louvre for the right to use the Louvre name. The latter, accompanied by 13 French museums, convenants to lend artworks to Abu Dhabi - 10 museums have already lent more than 350 artworks. These arrangements shows the Museum Industry collaborating within a network, using investment vehicles and complex legal structures. They unambiguously prove the emergence in the twenty-first century of a new economic sector - the Museum Industry - exactly as Artprice described it back in 2005. In short, we have a classic business model with inflows (ticketing and derivative income) and outflows - operating license costs plus acquisition costs in this case, the price of Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, a price predicted by Artprice three months prior to its sale. The 450 million dollars paid for the painting is the result of an intelligent investment decision based on the Louvre museum's annual operating income (ebitda) and not on some wild extravagance. Those who believe it is the latter have failed to understand that the Museum Industry is now the principal structure of the global art market. This structure is driving art prices up by creating scarcity on the three principal segments of the Art Market: Old Masters, Modern Art and Contemporary Art, and we see that within this industry configuration, the resale of a "major tangible asset" can have an immediate impact on ticket revenue. Artprice - which will be launching its own museum ranking index (Artmuseum100) in early 2018 - highlights the transformation of museums, whose clientele has grown tenfold in the last 30 years. Artprice and its econometrics department has been collaborating with Twitter for two years on a giant sample of 39 million identified followers with links to the world's 100 principal Fine Art museums. According to thierry Ehrmann, This massive expansion of the global Museum Industry goes hand-in-hand with a major soft-power competition between the world's nations, particularly its major powers (China / US) and the Gulf States. Indeed, soft-power rivalry is leading the art market inexorably towards spectacular new auction results. In our well-documented view, we are likely to see results around the billion dollar threshold by 2020. As the world leader in Art Market information, Artprice can only benefit from this growth of the Art Market, driven essentially by the increasing power of the Museum Industry. For a reminder of the Museum Industry conceptualized by Artprice, please read this press release: https://www.actusnews.com/fr/ARTPRICE/cp/2017/11/19/artprice-the-auction-record-for-salvator-mundi-by-leonardo-da-vinci-proves-that-the-museum-industry-reg-is-completely http://www.artprice.com Copyright thierry Ehrmann 1987/2017 About Artprice: Artprice celebrates its 20th birthday, editorial by thierry Ehrmann, founder and CEO of Artprice. https://www.actusnews.com/fr/ARTPRICE/cp/2017/10/04/artprice-celebrates-its-20th-birthday-editorial-by-thierry-ehrmann-founder-and-ceo-of-artprice Artprice is listed on the Eurolist by Euronext Paris, SRD long only and Euroclear: 7478 - Bloomberg: PRC - Reuters: ARTF. Artprice is the global leader in art price and art index databanks. It has over 30 million indices and auction results covering more than 700,000 artists. Artprice Images(R) gives unlimited access to the largest Art Market resource in the world: a library of 126 million images or prints of artworks from the year 1700 to the present day, along with comments by Artprice's art historians. Artprice permanently enriches its databanks with information from 6,300 auctioneers and it publishes a constant flow of art market trends for the world's principal news agencies and approximately 7,200 international press publications. For its 4,500,000 members, Artprice gives access to the world's leading Standardised Marketplace for buying and selling art. Artprice is preparing its blockchain for the Art Market. It is BPI-labelled (scientific national French label). Artprice's Global Art Market Annual Report for 2016 published last March 2017: http://imgpublic.artprice.com/pdf/rama2016_en.pdf Artprice's Contemporary Art Market Annual Report for 2016 - free access at https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-art-market-in-2016 The text presented hereafter is a translation of Arte Creative's online presentation: ARTE: A gigantic Christmas tree in the guise of a butt plug, a machine that defecates five-star meals, an icon immersed in urine and staged corpses - subversive, trash, provocative or insulting? Thierry Ehrmann, the man behind The Abode of Chaos dixit "The New York Times", an artist and the founder of Artprice, is the mouthpiece for scandal and discloses the workings of the most striking controversies in contemporary art. And scandal sells. 9 episodes are online: http://www.arte.tv/guide/en/weekly-highlight Artprice's press releases: http://serveur.serveur.com/Press_Release/pressreleaseen.htm and https://twitter.com/artpricedotcom News Artmarket: http://twitter.com/artpricedotcom https://www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom https://www.facebook.com/artpricedotcom https://plus.google.com/+Artpricedotcom/posts http://artmarketinsight.wordpress.com/ Discover the Alchemy and the universe of Artprice http://web.artprice.com/video, which headquarters are the famous Museum of Contemporary Art, the Abode of Chaos http://goo.gl/zJssdhttps http://vimeo.com/124643720 The Contemporary Art Museum The Abode of Chaos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/la.demeure.du.chaos.theabodeofchaos999 The Abode of Chaos/Demeure du Chaos Contemporary Art Museum by thierry Ehrmann,author, sculptor, artist, photograph https://www.flickr.com/photos/home_of_chaos/sets/72157 Contact: thierry Ehrmann, e-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Artprice.com CSE: MDM FSE: 2M0 OTCQB: MRPHF KELOWNA, BC, Dec. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Marapharm Ventures Inc. (the "Company") announces that it has entered into an agreement with Emerging Equities Inc. (the "Agent") pursuant to which the company will offer, on a private placement basis, up to 20,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.86 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for proceeds of up to $17,200,000 (the "Offering"). Each unit will consist of one common share of the company (each a "Share") and one share purchase warrant of the company (each, a "Warrant"). Each warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one share at an exercise price of $1.25 at any time up to 12 months following the closing date (as defined below). The expiry date of the warrants is subject to acceleration such that, if following the closing date, the volume weighted average closing price of the shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") for 20 consecutive trading days is at least $1.72, the company may accelerate the expiry date of the warrants. The offering will be completed pursuant to the terms of an agency agreement to be entered into between the company and the agent. Net proceeds from the offering are intended to be used for general corporate purposes. On closing of the offering, the company will pay to the agent a cash commission (the "Agent's Fee") equal to 10% of the gross proceeds of the offering placed by the agent, in cash; provided, however, that the agent's fee will be reduced to 4% of the gross proceeds from subscriptions by certain subscribers from a president's list of subscribers arranged by the company (the "President List"). In addition, the company will issue to the agent as compensation for its services such number of agent's warrants (the "Agent's Warrants") as is equal to 10% of the number of units placed by the agent; provided, however, that the agent's warrants will be reduced to an amount equal to 4% of the gross proceeds from subscriptions on the president list. Each agent's warrant is exercisable to acquire one share at $0.87 per share for a period of 14 months from the closing date. Closing of the offering, which is subject to customary conditions, including CSE approval, are expected to occur on or about January 30, 2018 (the "Closing Date"). The offering will be offered to accredited investors (as such term is defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemption) in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities issued, or to be issued, under the offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. ABOUT MARAPHARM VENTURES INC. www.marapharm.com Marapharm is a publicly traded company primarily investing in the medical and recreational cannabis space, with corporate operations based in British Columbia, Canada. Since 2016 they have rapidly expanded their footprint to include production locations in the key North American states of Washington, Nevada, and California. They actively seek expansion opportunities worldwide. SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: facebook.com/marapharm Twitter: twitter.com/marapharm STOCK EXCHANGES: Marapharm trades in Canada, ticker symbol MDM on the CSE, in the United States, ticker symbol MRPHF on the OTCQB, and in Europe, ticker symbol 2Mo on the FSE. Marapharm also trades on other recognized platforms in Europe including Stuttgart, Tradegate, L & S, Quotnx, Dusseldorf, Munich, and Berlin. Neither the CSE, the FSE nor the OTCQB has approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the CSE, the FSE nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. MARIJUANA INDUSTRY INVOLVEMENT: Canadian listings (CSE) will remain in good standing as long as they provide the disclosure that is rightly required by regulators and complying with applicable licensing requirements and the regulatory framework enacted by the applicable state in which they operate. Marapharm owns marijuana licenses in California and Nevada. Marijuana is legal in each state however marijuana remains illegal under US federal law and the approach to enforcement of US federal law against marijuana is subject to change. Shareholders and investors need to be aware that adverse enforcement actions could affect their investments and that Marapharm's ability to access private and public capital could be affected and or could not be available to support continuing operations. Marapharm's business is conducted in a manner consistent with state law and is in compliance with licensing requirements. Copies of licenses are posted on Marapharm's website. Marapharm has internal compliance procedures in place and has compliance focused attorneys engaged in jurisdictions to monitor changes in laws for compliance with US federal and state law on an ongoing basis. These law firms inform any necessary changes to our policies and procedures for compliance in Canada and the US. FORWARD - LOOKING STATEMENTS: Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", 'may", "will", "project", "should", 'believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumption but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and the forward-looking statements included in this news release should not be unduly relied upon. SOURCE Marapharm Ventures Inc. Related Links www.marapharm.com More than 50 graduated from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy Friday morning, making them the next generation of officers to hit the state's highways and streets. Friday's graduating class was the 163rd to graduate from the academy. Each class runs for 12 weeks, as trainees go through academic, physical and practical training in order to become Montana law officers. In a packed house at the Helena Regional Airport, the graduates heard from various state officials, with Chief Deputy Attorney General Jon Bennion giving the keynote address. Bennion focused on the work that Montana officers do for the public, as well as the dangers that will greet new police officers on the job. You are lucky to live in a state that values law enforcement so highly, Bennion said. But he was less sanguine about Montanas drug problem, citing a statistic that says there has been a 403 percent increase in drug-related felonies in Montana since 2010. Its a public health epidemic, Bennion said. With that in mind, officers walked to the podium and received their diplomas, cleaned up and beaming for the ceremony. Thirty-one Montana agencies will be working the graduates into their rotations. The Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs Office and the Helena Police Department both have new recruits that will be learning more about policing on the job. Sheriff Leo Dutton was at the graduation ceremony, after being off work for the past week following a heart attack. Dutton was excited to see new deputies because its always refreshing to see the enthusiasm and dedication to do the job in a professional manner. The new Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs Office deputies are Neil Marks and Christopher Norris. Chief Troy McGee said the Helena Police Department has three really good candidates coming into the fold. Theyll be with training officers for the first 14 to 16 weeks, McGee said, which is part of their training so they can later patrol alone. Helenas new officers are Kaitlin Jones, Mandi Peterson and Jacob Scavone. One change McGee has noticed in recent years is an influx in female candidates, something he is happy to see. Two of the Helena Police Departments three new officers are women. New officer Kaitlin Jones is excited to start in Helena. Originally from Washington, she fell in love with the city and wanted to work with what she said was a very professional department. Jones starts field training this Monday. I love Helena, its a great community, Jones said. Im excited to gain some experience and get into my career. CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Dec. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pharmaceutical and medical device companies are increasingly using digital engagement channels to more effectively communicate with their customers. Unlike many other operational areas of pharma and medical device organizations, the performance of digital marketing can be measured to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of each digital channel. According to a new study by Best Practices, LLC, various reach and conversion metrics were frequently rated to be the most effective measures to assess performance in many digital channels. While overall volume metrics are best suited to measuring SEO performance, many companies prefer actual conversion metrics for bottom-of-the-funnel channels such as branded and non-branded websites and mobile apps. Middle-of-the-funnel activities such as email marketing campaigns are often measured by simple reach metrics, the study found. "Forge Top-Tier Biopharma Digital Strategy & Experience" is a new report that examines how leading pharma and medical device firms use evolving tools and tactics to educate key customers, enhance reach, raise sales force effectiveness, measure and increase customer satisfaction, and offset declining HCP access. This 72-page study will serve as a resource for driving digital marketing performance in the healthcare industry. Topics addressed in the study include: Digital Marketing Service Structure Digital Marketing Staffing & Investment Digital Operations Digitizing NPP, Launch & High-growth Products Performance Measurement Mobile Engagement & Digital Health Innovative Channels, Programs & Activities For this research, Best Practices, LLC engaged 21 digital marketing leaders at 19 companies through a benchmarking survey instrument. Nearly 70% of participants serve at the level of director or above. Download a complimentary report summary at: http://www.best-in-class.com/rr1476.htm. ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, LLC Best Practices, LLC is a leading benchmarking, consulting and advisory services firm serving biopharmaceutical and medical device companies worldwide. Best Practices, LLC's clients include all the top 10 and 48 of the top 50 global healthcare companies. The firm conducts primary research and consulting using its comprehensive proprietary benchmarking tools and analysis. The operational insights, findings and analysis form the basis for our Benchmarking Reports, databases and advisory services to support executives in commercial and R&D operations. SOURCE Best Practices, LLC Related Links http://www.best-in-class.com BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Dec. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Blake's Nut Free is a nut-free snack brand started by two Indiana MBA students, Blake Sorensen and Alex Marijan. They launched on Kickstarter on Dec. 6 and raised over $20,000 in 48 hours. The company offers incredible tasting, seed-based snack bars, a much-needed solution for the millions of people suffering from nut allergies. Besides being 100% nut free and gluten free, the bars are packed with 10 grams of protein, contain no more than 8 grams of sugar, and are only 160 calories. Blake's Nut Free bars are made using real ingredients you can pronounce. Blake's Nut Free The inspiration for the brand came from Blake having a deathly nut allergy. He knows first-hand the struggles of finding healthy, on-the-go snacks that taste great and don't contain nuts. This frustration with the current options on the market prompted him to begin making bars in his kitchen. Once the recipe was perfected, Blake knew that people with and without nut allergies would love this product. After partnering with the best nut-free manufacturer in the world to make the product, the company was born. Press Contacts: Name: Blake Sorensen Mobile: (952) 913-8698 Email: [email protected] Name: Alex Marijan Mobile: (773) 383-7078 Email: [email protected] Related Links: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/431412993/blakes-nut-free www.blakesnutfree.com Press Kit Link Related Images image1.png The Blake's Nut Free Founders image2.jpg Dark Chocolate Banana Snack Bar image3.jpg Apple Ginger Snack Bar image4.jpg Lemon Berry Snack Bar Related Links Kickstarter Campaign Blake's Nut Free Website Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqDq37cJeK8 SOURCE Blake's Nut Free Related Links http://www.blakesnutfree.com SAVANNAH, Ga., Dec. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) today announced "Chroma" by Carlos Cruz-Diez was named the premier exhibition in Interior Design's 12th annual Best of Year (BoY) awards. Award winners were selected from nearly 2,300 submissions in 113 design categories. "Chroma" was the centerpiece exhibition for SCAD's 2017 deFINE ART event, where Cruz-Diez served as the keynote honoree. A selection of new works specifically conceived for the SCAD Museum of Art, "Chroma" featured indoor and outdoor installations. The exhibition invited museum guests to engage with Cruz-Diez's language of color theory, its application to his work in color and light, and learn about his career. ArtiCruz, a contemporary atelier founded by Cruz-Diez's son, Jorge Cruz, produced the works. "Chroma" also exhibited Dec. 6 through 10 at SCAD AT MIAMI, presented by SCAD and Untitled, Miami Beach, alongside work by SCAD alumni Christopher Paul Dean, Cory Imig and Britt Spencer. "The prestigious Best of Year award for exhibition design recognizes SCAD's superlative presentation of all exhibits in three SCAD museums," said SCAD president and founder Paula Wallace. "SCAD knows art. SCAD knows interior design. We are truly honored to be selected as Best of this Year." Interior Design's Best of Year is the design industry's premier awards program, honoring the most significant work of the year and recognizing designers, architects and manufacturers from around the globe. The BoY Awards ceremony was held Dec. 1 at the IAC Building in New York City and attracted more than 1,000 design professionals. Winners and honorees are featured in the December issue of Interior Design magazine, and on InteriorDesign.net. SCAD undergraduate and graduate interior design programs were ranked No. 1 by DesignIntelligence earlier this year. Over the past 10 years, SCAD interior design programs have achieved a No. 1 standing an unprecedented 12 times. About the exhibition "Chroma" considers Cruz-Diez's fundamental concerns regarding the transformative possibility that color is diachronic and unstable, dependent on individual perception, space and context. Cruz-Diez's works are aside from their aesthetic uniqueness provocations completed by the viewers' movement in the artist's chromatic environments, where objects deliver a profound viewer experience. In the words of Cruz-Diez himself: "The world of color is the world of emotion." An outdoor intervention in the form of a large, altered shipping container extends the dialogue from the inside of the exhibition venue to the outside public space, a strategy in which the artist invites viewers to integrate an experience of color into their daily routines. These public gestures encourage viewers to reformulate their relationship to the urban landscape as a space that can be inhabited both critically and joyfully. About the SCAD Museum of Art Housed in the oldest surviving antebellum railroad depot in the country, the SCAD Museum of Art is a teaching museum that features emerging and established voices in the contemporary art world through commissioned artworks and temporary exhibitions. In 2016-2017, the SCAD Museum of Art welcomed nearly 44,000 visitors and hosted an ambitious roster of 32 exhibitions. The museum has presented world-renowned artists including Jane Alexander, Radcliffe Bailey, Subodh Gupta, Alfredo Jaar, Sigalit Landau, Liza Lou, Ebony G. Patterson, Robin Rhode, Bill Viola, Carrie Mae Weems, Kehinde Wiley and Fred Wilson, as well as site-specific installations by artists such as Daniel Arsham, Kendall Buster, Jose Davila, Michael Joo and Odili Donald Odita. The SCAD Museum of Art features the work of prominent artists in fashion and design like Oscar de la Renta, Vivienne Westwood, Dakota Jackson and Steven and William Ladd. Permanent collections at the museum include the Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art, the Modern and Contemporary Art Collection, the Earle W. Newton Collection of British and American Art, the 19th- and 20th-century Photography Collection and the SCAD Costume Collection. The university offers, free of charge, award-winning curriculum guides aligned to National Core Arts Standards and other standards for K-12 teachers and students. About SCAD Museums SCAD is the only university to host three museums: SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA; SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, Atlanta, GA; and SCAD Lacoste History Center, Lacoste, France. In 2017, the economic impact associated with SCAD museum visitors totaled more than $1.5 million in the state of Georgia. Situated within the SCAD Atlanta campus, SCAD FASH focuses on the future of fashion design, connecting conceptual to historical principles of dress whether ceremonial, celebratory or informal and welcomes visitors of all ages to engage with dynamic exhibitions, captivating films and educationally enriching events. Within nearly 10,000 square feet of elegant and adaptable exhibition space, SCAD FASH brings a distinct schedule of fashion-focused exhibitions and compelling films to the heart of Midtown Atlanta. The SCAD Lacoste History Center preserves timeless artifacts from the depth of Lacoste's medieval structures. SCAD Lacoste facilities and artifacts date from the Ninth to the 19th centuries. SCAD: The University for Creative Careers The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 majors, as well as minors in more than 75 disciplines across its locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning. With more than 35,000 alumni worldwide, SCAD demonstrates an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. The diverse student body, consisting of nearly 14,000, comes from across the U.S. and more than 100 countries worldwide. In 2017, the prestigious Red Dot Design Rankings placed SCAD as the top university in the United States and in the top two universities in the Americas and Europe. Career preparation is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni placement rate. In a study of Spring 2016 SCAD graduates, 98 percent were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 10 months of graduation. For more information, visit the official SCAD blog. SOURCE The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) Related Links http://www.scad.edu NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Banc of California, Inc. ("Banc of California" or the "Company") (NYSE: BANC). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980. The investigation concerns whether Banc of California and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices. [Click here to join a class action] On December 8, 2017, Bloomberg reported that a former Banc of California employee had filed a lawsuit against the bank alleging, in part, that: (1) revenue generated by the Company in 2016 was improperly carried over to the following year in order to inflate 2017 profits; and (2) the Company had ignored its former Chief Financial Officer's use of Company funds to patronize strip clubs. On this news, Banc of California's share price fell $0.60, or 2.76%, to close at $21.15 on December 8, 2017. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com. CONTACT: Robert S. Willoughby Pomerantz LLP [email protected] SOURCE Pomerantz LLP Related Links http://www.pomerantzlaw.com LOS ANGELES, Dec. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), today announced it will donate more than $100,000 to assist victims of the four wildfires that continue to destroy homes and property across the region. Sempra Energy, a Fortune 500 energy services holding company that includes San Diego Gas & Electric and SoCalGas, will contribute another $50,000, for a total of more than $150,000 in donations. SoCalGas and Sempra Energy have pledged $100,000 to the United Way Thomas Fire Fund, a partnership effort with the American Red Cross of Ventura County and the Ventura County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services. SoCalGas has also pledged donations in support of the following relief funds and organizations: Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation Fire Department Foundation United Way of Greater Los Angeles' Southern California Wildfire Fund Southern California Wildfire Fund Santa Clarita Disaster Coalition Ventura County Animal Services Ventura County Humane Society and Gentle Barn animal shelter in Santa Clarita "SoCalGas wants to do our part to help our neighbors who have lost so much and are enduring the hardships these fires have dealt," said Lisa Alexander, SoCalGas vice president of customer solutions and communications. "We have thousands of employees who all live in, and are an active part of, the communities that SoCalGas servesso we are happy to be part of the relief efforts." "During this overwhelming time, we want our friends and neighbors to know that we stand united with them now more than ever before in our 72-year history serving the people of Ventura County," said Eric Harrison, President and CEO of United Way of Ventura County. "In the days and weeks ahead, we will deploy more than $1 million that has been donated already to the United Way Thomas Fire Fund to those who have experienced devastation and heartache beyond measure." SoCalGas has more than 350 field representatives working alongside fire fighters in support of public safety and first responders, and in some very localized areas we have isolated our system at individual homes or in neighborhoods impacted by the fires. The company stands ready to quickly restore service to homes directly affected by the fires. About SoCalGas Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States, providing clean, safe, affordable and reliable natural gas service to 21.7 million customers in Central and Southern California. Its service territory spans 22,000 square miles from Fresno to the Mexican border, reaching more than 550 communities through 5.9 million meters and 101,000 miles of pipeline. More than 90 percent of Southern California single-family home residents use natural gas for home heat and hot water. In addition, natural gas plays a key role in providing electricity to Californiansabout 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants. SoCalGas has served communities in California for 150 years and is committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future. The company has committed to spending $6 billion over the next five years to modernize and upgrade its gas infrastructure, while also reducing methane emissions. SoCalGas is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas, a carbon-neutral or carbon-negative fuel created by capturing and conditioning greenhouse gas emissions from farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. The company is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook. About The United Way of Ventura County In the aftermath of a disaster, United Way's Ventura County Volunteer Center will serve as an online, call, and walk-in center for spontaneous volunteers. The Volunteer Center will register volunteers and coordinate with the Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services to place them where they can do the most good for the community. 2-1-1 Ventura County will also be available 24/7 to register volunteers, answer questions, and connect those in need with the resources to help them. www.vcunitedway.org SOURCE Southern California Gas Company SANYA, China, Dec. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Themed on "Green Energy and Low Carbon Economy", the 2017 Sanya Energy International Forum (SEIF) was held in Sanya, Hainan on December 7-8. The experts present at the forum expected that China's energy industry would develop towards organic integration of various energy sources as well as integrated and complementary distributed energy sources. Nearly 300 domestic and foreign leading experts and scholars specializing in energy gathered together to discuss energy transformation. The International Energy Agency predicted that China's demand for energy will reach 5 billion tons of standard coal by 2020, and by 2035, China will surpass the US to become the world's largest energy consumer. Li Shousheng, President of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, said that today China has become the fastest growing producer of crude oil, refined oil and natural gas in the world. China's crude output in 2016 was 200 million tons, and domestic crude output has stabilized at more than 200 million tons for 6 consecutive years since 2010. At present, China's crude output ranks the fifth in the world, accounting for about 4.7% of the world's crude output. The experts denoted that China's energy transformation is confronted with many challenges. In view of current energy structure and atmospheric pollution, we should focus on optimizing energy structure and enlarging the proportion of renewable energy. Zheng Xinli, Executive President of China Association of Policy Science, thought that it was necessary to accelerate the construction of infrastructure and ships for the import of natural gas, strengthen the exploration and development of domestic natural gas, especially shale gas, including the exploration and development of marine combustible ice, speed up the clean and efficient utilization of coal-to-natural gas and coal, and accelerate the development and utilization of biomass and renewable energy. Zheng Xinli said, "In the Ordos Basin, the annual output of coal is 900 million tons. If we can extract the small molecules of natural gas and oil from within the coal by using the relatively mature low-temperature pyrolysis method, we can provide about 100 million tons of oil and natural gas each year, which could replace a considerable part of imported natural gas and oil." Lin Huajun, President and CEO of Changfeng Energy Inc., pointed out that the key to adjust industrial structure and transform the mode of economic growth is to adjust the utilization structure of primary energy. Lin Huajun said, "The active development of new energy, continuous improvement of energy conversion technology, enhancement of energy utilization efficiency, innovation of energy utilization technology and supply service business model, as well as the achievement of energy conservation and emission reduction, all have a long-term strategic significance to promote China's rapid economic development, and realize industrial upgrading and environmental protection." SOURCE The Organizing Committee of the 2017 Sanya Energy International Forum (SEIF) One of Elaine Weisss most remarkable achievements in her new book, The Womans Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote (Viking, Mar. 2018), is that she has written a historical narrative with the furious urgency of a thriller. Even readers well versed in American history will likely be surprised to learn that the ratification of the 19th Amendment came down to a single vote in the Tennessee state legislature in the summer of 1920. Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the amendment, giving it the three-fourths total necessary to become law. Had one more representative voted no, women might have had to wait decades longer to get the right to vote. The suffs sensed that the pendulum was swinging, Weiss explains, using the contemporary nickname for suffragists (their opponents were called antis). In the months before the Tennessee vote, ratification had stalled with a high-profile defeat in Delaware and more predictable losses in Deep South states. They knew that if they didnt get it now it might have been delayed quite a bit. Women didnt get the vote in Switzerland until 1971. Weisss vivid account shows the suffs twisting arms, dangling favors, and making compromises like true politicians. These women had to learn to pull the levers of power, she says. They were stymied in Congress for 40 years; woman suffrage was introduced every year for 40 years. They had to learn how to chip away so an idea that seemed totally impossible would come to seem inevitable. Toward the end, thats what they were able to do. Congressmen and state legislators who may not have been truly in favor of womens suffrage were convinced that the train was leaving the stationthats what the suffs were saying. The loss in Tennessee was not the end for the antis, Weiss notes. After 1920, the antis get stronger and move on to issues we see hinted at in Tennesseethey become rabid anticommunists, superpatriots, against immigration, against public health; they are against a maternal health bill that comes up in Congress shortly after 1920 because its big government. These themes of big government and states rights are voiced today. Im not sure its possible to connect the dots all the way to Phyllis Schlafly [the constitutional lawyer and conservative activist], but there is a legacy of socially and politically conservative women who still wield power. Anti leader Josephine Pearson, mainstream suff Carrie Chapman Catt, and the more militant Sue White are the books main characters. It was just one of those gifts to writers, Weiss comments. I was reading the local Tennessee press, and I saw that these three arrived in Nashville on the same day from different parts of the country, and that they represented different sides of the argument. They allowed me to explore the tensions in Nashville and the larger questions of suffrage and anti-suffrage. Contemporary newspapers were among Weisss most important sources. This was a time when newspapers reported everything, she says, with professional appreciation; she is herself a veteran journalist. That was also a great gift, because they would report conversations, what the reporter heard in the hallways, and the floor debate over ratification. For me, this was like interviewing; I had the quotations that really give you character, its just that my sources were dead. Journalism is the first draft of history, and I had a great opportunity to write the second draft. Suffragist archives in Tennessee and the Library of Congress also helped Weiss bring that second draft to life. I had receipts, telegrams, letters, handwritten notes that gave me a sense of what was going on day by day, she says. I wanted readers to understand what these people were like, because change isnt done in a vacuum by anonymous people; its done by flawed human beings. These people werent automatons acting out roles; they were scared, they were hot, they were vain. It didnt make it into the final draft, but Carrie Catt wrote to her secretary, If sweat could do it, I would come home thin! Editor Wendy Wolf blue-penciled that comment, along with some other details Weiss regrets losing, even though she acknowledges the necessity. Wendys favorite marginal comment was, We need to move on, Weiss says, laughing. I am so fortunate to have her. And I cant say enough about my agent, Dorian Karchmar at William Morris Endeavor: smart, passionate, an excellent writer herself. Dorian has a very discerning eyea very clear idea of how she wants something developed. We worked for over a year on this proposal; she pushed me and pushed me. She kept bringing it back and saying, Lets sharpen this, lets deepen this. The final proposal was something like 90 pages: two sample chapters and a complete chapter breakdown, with character analysis and an overview of themes; basically, I had to know the whole book and how I was going to tell it. My friends would say, Youre still writing this proposal? But Dorian knew exactly what she was doing, and I trusted her judgment completely. When it was ready, it was like thatWeiss snaps her fingers. Twelve publishers were interested. Nobody wanted my first book, and now people were explaining to me why they should publish this. Weisss first book-length effort, an oral history of an elderly female storyteller, remains unpublished. It won a Pushcart Prize for a neglected manuscriptbut not a contract, she remembers ruefully. But one of the stories she told was about coming from Massachusetts to Vermont as a young woman to join the Womans Land Army. That stray detail eventually led to Fruits of Victory: The Womans Land Army in the Great War, a history of the farmerettes, who, during World War I, worked on Americas farms in place of the men serving overseas. Weiss speaks highly of her editor on that project, Elizabeth Demers, whose commitment to the manuscript survived several job changes. Elizabeth bought that book three times! She signed me at the University of Nebraska Press, which does wonderful crossover books, and just as I was handing in the manuscript, she said, Im leaving. I followed her because she loved that book and knew that book. Finally published in 2008 by Potomac Books, Fruits of Victory remains in print, and Weiss still gets occasional invitations to speak about this neglected byway of history. But shes glad to be at Viking with Wolf this time around. Dorian wanted Wendy to get the book, Weiss says. Theyd worked together before, and she said, Wendys going to be tough and shes going to get the best out of you, and she absolutely did. Wendy is wonderful, she has this wry sense of humor, and shes very detail oriented and supportive. She and Dorian continue to be deeply involved in all aspects of The Womans Hour. We feel like were the suffs here: we have this cause and this story, and were going to tell it. Instant Gratification This years must-have kitchen item? Same as last years: the Instant Pot, which continues to spawn related cookbooks, including two self-pub titles debuting on our trade paperback list: Instant Pot Cookbook by Roy Fisher, at #4, and The Complete Instant Pot Cookbook by Tricia Brown, #23. A third title, HMHs Instant Pot Miracle, is up two notches to #3 in trade paper, with print unit sales up 67% from the previous week. Other titles also showed good gains, including 2016s The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Laurel Randolph, the #4 book in the country. Heres a look at how much print-unit sales for these books have increased from the week before. The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Lauren Randolph Up 262% The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook by Coco Morante Up 197% Indian Instant Pot Cookbook by Urvashi Pitre Up 193% Dinner in an Instant by Melissa Clark Up 96% (See all of this week's bestselling books.) Movie Watch The film adaptation of Madeleine LEngles A Wrinkle in Time, whose adult stars include Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, and Reese Witherspoon, opens March 8. The book has been continuously in print since its 1962 publication, with thousands of copies of the 2007 trade paperback sold weekly. The new movie tie-in edition debuts at #19 in childrens frontlist fiction, and the older conventional edition did even better14K print copies sold, up 42% from the week before. Party On, Garth BookScan recorded 37K units sold of Garth Brookss latest hit The Anthology: Part 1, five CDs packaged in a 240-page compendium of photos and recollections (four more volumes are in the works). His Pearl Records label released the limited-edition slipcased package, which did most of its sales in mass merchandise channels. The nonslipcased version sold another 5,369 units. New & Notable Darker E.L. James #1 Trade Paperback Is the thrill gone? The second 50 Shades novel told from Christians perspective sold about a fifth as many print units in its first week as Grey, its predecessor, did, though 74K print units should be enough to silence even the most punishing critic. Beneath a Scarlet Sky Mark Sullivan #17 Trade Paperback Sullivans WWII adventure, which Amazon imprint Lake Union published in May, debuts on our list with its best weekly print-unit sales to date. Its headed to the big screen with Spider-Man: Homecomings Tom Holland set to star. Top 10 Overall Rank Title Author Imprint Units 1 The Getaway (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #12) Jeff Kinney Amulet 108,243 2 Wonder R.J. Palacio Knopf 75,921 3 Darker E.L. James Vintage 74,063 4 The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook Laurel Randolph Rockridge 49,705 5 The Rooster Bar John Grisham Doubleday 45,334 6 The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! Ree Drummond Morrow 44,905 7 Giraffes Cant Dance Andreae/Parker-Rees Cartwheel 42,782 8 Origin Dan Brown Doubleday 41,798 9 The Sun and Her Flowers Rupi Kaur Andrews McMeel 38,696 10 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Rowling/Kay Scholastic/Levine 37,504 All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted. At outlets that report to NPD BookScan, unit sales of print books were down 1% in the week ended Dec. 3, 2017, from the similar week in 2016. This was the second consecutive week in the holiday season that sales were lower than at the same time last year; the previous week saw a 2% decline from the similar week in 2016. The only major category in which sales rose was juvenile nonfiction: units were 5% higher than in the week ended Dec. 4, 2016. Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of Magic by the British Library remained the categorys top seller, with more than 28,000 copies sold in the week. Among books that posted solid gains in the week were Laugh-Out-Loud Jokes by Rob Elliott, which sold more than 13,000 copies to land in fifth place on the category bestsellers list, and How to Draw 101 Animals by Dan Green, which was in sixth place with almost 13,000 copies sold. Both the adult categories had lower sales than in the similar week in 2016. Adult fiction unit sales were down 1% from this time last year, despite two debuts: Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian selling more than 74,000 copies in its first week, putting it #1 on the adult fiction bestsellers list, and Danielle Steels Past Perfect landed in the sixth spot on the list, selling almost 28,000 copies. Adult nonfiction units fell less than 1% from the comparable week in 2016. The Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook by Laurel Randolph jumped to the top of the adult nonfiction bestseller list, selling nearly 50,000 copies. Units fell 2% in juvenile fiction. Jeff Kinneys The Getaway remained the top-selling book in the country last week, selling more than 108,000 copies. Giraffes Cant Dance by Giles Andreae moved into third place on the category list, selling more than 42,000 copies. Unit Sales of Print Books by Channel (in thousands) Dec. 4, 2016 Dec. 3, 2017 Chge Week Chge YTD Total 20,278 20,043 -1% 2% Retail & Club 17,631 17,579 -0.3% 3% Mass Merch./Others 2,647 2,464 -7% -8% Unit Sales of Print Books by Category (in thousands) Dec. 4, 2016 Dec. 3, 2017 Chge Week Chge YTD Adult Nonfiction 7,458 7,392 -0.9% 3% Adult Fiction 3,246 3,214 -1% -0.6% Juvenile Nonfiction 2,050 2,154 5% 6% Juvenile Fiction 6,411 6,257 -2% 2% Unit Sales of Print Books by Format (in thousands) Globe Pequot, Rowman & Littlefields trade group, is wrapping up its 70th year of publishing by naming a new publisher, Judith Schnell, to succeed Jim Childs following his retirement earlier this fall. Schnell is the publisher of three Globe Pequot imprints: Stackpole Books (which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year), Down East Books (which is celebrating 50 years of publishing), and Two Dot. Founded in Essex, Ct., in 1947, Globe Pequot releases more than 400 books per year, in a publishing program focused on regional interests, history, lifestyle, and local culture and folklore. Originally named after the local native people, the Pequot (Globe was added to the name after the publisher was acquired by the Boston Globe in 1981), the company remains in Connecticut and is now based in Guilford. Jed Lyons, CEO of Rowman & Littlefield, said sales at GP have been around $21 million per year for the past few years. He added, We seek to occupy niches such as angling and military history by offering a wide selection of books both narrow and broad, for newbies as well as experts. The flagship Globe Pequot list focuses on topics in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. The Stackpole Books imprint specializes in military history and fishing titles, Down East Books concentrates on books on Maine, and Two Dot Books focuses on the Rocky Mountain region. GPs other major imprints are Taylor Trade Publishing and Lone Star Books, both focused on Texas; the Falcon Guides imprint, which does regional hiking titles; and Lyons Press, which publishes general fiction and nonfiction books. Texas and Maine are great publishing states, Lyons said. The people want to know to know everything about their history, their food, everything. Growth areas, Lyons noted, include the aforementioned subjects of Texas and Maine, in addition to hiking and fishing, subjects on which GP imprints publish hundreds of titles. Lyons also cited the addition of new titles to Globe Pequot Presss Discovering Vintage series, which highlights quirky landmarks in cities around the country. Our game plan is to be the largest regional publisher in the industry, Lyons said of Globe Pequot. To achieve that goal, a number of the more than 40 houses R&L has acquired over the years are aligned under Globe Pequot. Were always looking at different companies to acquire, Lyons added. Our trade group has grown by focusing on regional markets and niches where others are less engaged. To spur organic growth, Globe Pequot has partnered with national brands and media outlets such as the Active Interest Media, History Channel, and Outside magazine to develop books based on their subject areas. Its all about relationships, long-standing relationships, Lyons said. Were not a flash in the pan. MUSCATINE Paul Carroll is a self-described "big picture" guy. By that, he means he has his fingers in a lot of projects around town: Bringing in a carousel, a horse trail and a zip line. As far apart as things seem, he maintains that they have one important connection: Muscatine. Of all his projects, there is one that has him conducting video interviews and dives into archives. Come the new year, he is hoping to put these together to help tell the story of Muscatine. "I feel like our history isn't accessible," Carroll said. "We've got a lot of people that don't know our history." For Carroll, the organizing principle for his projects is this local history. And he's got a plan for telling it. Since 2014, the Muscatine Independent Film Festival has honored the work of local film producers. Carroll said that he wants there to be a documentary section, and taking the lead, he was going to document stories from the region's history. Although he insists that the drive is to make use of what he calls "a talent for storytelling," his proposal ambles its way into talking about the impact these stories could have on tourism. He talks about how the incoming hotel is a "game changer." "I'm just trying to make sure that when guests do come, we get them interested," Carroll said. "Particularly with these Chinese guests. We really want to do that first wave really well so that when they go home, they say, 'You know I had a really great experience. You ever heard of Muscatine, Iowa?'" He hopes that getting these stories out will bring more people to enjoy the place he holds in such high regard. "They tell their friends and the next wave comes," Carroll said. He wants to fill in a number of what he sees as gaps in Muscatine's written history. How is the Weed Family (think Weed Park) tied to a fortune, viricide and ultimately philanthropy? How does the story of the Heinz factory relate to the Muscatine migrant worker story? It's a large undertaking, but Carroll said he is working with others to help bring the projects together. "I don't really know what I'm doing," Carroll said. "But I'm a storyteller. I needed some technical expertise." He partnered with a Chad Bishop, who is himself working on a Muscatine story for film, and Laura Liegois to help produce these videos. "I filmed a little bit of that to help him with the project," Bishop said. "And he is using MCC resource to help make that happen in our studio." Bishop has received grant funding for his own projects. He's hoping that with Carroll's history emphasis that some funding will come through for the project. "It's important to make these films because they are one of the more compelling ways to document and preserve our history for future generations," Bishop said. "By involving historical, real situations and people in projects, all of a sudden there is grant money. All of a sudden there is this wider audience." "We are doing some grant writing and we are asking people if they want to donate to these projects, Liegois said. "We are looking for people who are very interested in one of these stories and wants to bring them to life." Getting this funding secured, Carroll explained is part of the work they are doing this winter. "We are really working to be organized enough to convince potential funders that we are going to this high quality project," Carroll said. Currently, Carroll said that he is in the process of editing footage for trailers to send to potential funders. "The next step is to get these trailers done," Carroll said. "They are still a month away. When they have those to show the different funders, that's when we'll hit it hard." The first anniversary of Donald Trumps inauguration is coming up, and this springs politics books focus on Americas destructive political climate, income inequality, systemic issues within our democracy, and Russia. Top 10 The Death of Truth Michiko Kakutani. Crown/Duggan, July 17 The former New York Times book critic offers a provocative diagnosis of our fractured, truth-challenged times. Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn Chris Hughes. St. Martins, Feb. 20 Facebook cofounder Hughes argues that the wealthy should pay their fortune forward in a radically simple way: give working people money, no strings attached. From Cold War to Hot Peace: The Inside Story of Russia and America Michael McFaul. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 8 A leading scholar and U.S. ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration delivers an inside account of U.S.Russia relations. The Poisoned City: Flints Water and the American Urban Tragedy Anna Clark. Metropolitan, May 22 The first full account of the Flint, Mich., water scandal, from an award-winning Michigan journalist who covered the story from the beginning. Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations Amy Chua. Penguin Press, Feb. 20 The bestselling author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother presents her prescription for overcoming destructive political tribalism. The Russian Connection: The Inside Story of How Vladimir Putin Attacked a U.S. Election and Shaped the Trump Presidency Michael Isikoff and David Corn. Hachette/Twelve, Mar. 6 The veteran journalists recount how Putin hacked an American election as part of a covert operation to subvert U.S. democracy. Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America Alissa Quart. Ecco, June 1 Quart examines the lives of middle-class Americans who can now barely afford to raise children in an economy that holds too few options. The Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy Jonah Goldberg. Crown/Forum, Apr. 24 The National Review senior editor argues that America and other democracies must actively fight a resurgence of the nationalist ideologies of the past. Uncensored: Life and Uncomfortable Conversations at the Intersection of Black and White America Zachary Wood. Dutton, June 19 Wood, president of the student group Uncomfortable Learning at Williams College, shares his perspective on free speech, race, and dissenting opinions. The Unmaking of the President 2016: The Case Against FBI Director James Comey and How He Cost Hillary Clinton the Presidency Lanny J. Davis. Scribner, Feb. 6 Davis, a longtime Washington insider, argues there was one determining factor that threw the election to Donald Trump: FBI director James Comeys October 28 letter to Congress. Politics & Current Events Abrams The New Farm: Our Ten Years on the Front Lines of the Good Food Revolution by Brent Preston (Mar. 13, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-4197-3108-2). In this memoir, Preston reveals how his small, sustainable, organic farm became an engine for change and a model for a more just and sustainable food system. Arcade The Terrorist Factory: Isis, the Yazidi Genocide, and Exporting Terror by Patrick Desbois and Costel Nastasie (Apr. 3, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-62872-946-7) is a behind-the-scenes look at the Yazidi genocide and the terrorist threat it holds, based on work first shown on 60 Minutes. Atlantic Monthly Collapsing Freedom by Michael Chertoff (July 3, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-8021-2793-8). The former U.S. Homeland Security chief argues that data collection and dissemination today are a threat, and that new privacy protections are needed to better balance the needs of government, business, and individuals. How to Fix the Future by Andrew Keen (Feb. 6, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-8021-2664-1) posits that the social problems caused by digital upheaval are solvable, and that the future may yet become something that we can look forward to. Atria The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity by Byron Reese (Apr. 24, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1-5011-5856-8) explores the next stage of humanitys evolutionthe age of artificial intelligence and its potentially species-changing implications. Basic To End a Presidency: The Power of Impeachment by Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz (May 22, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-5416-4488-5). Two prominent legal minds present an authoritative and timely guide for Americans seeking to understand how the power of impeachment should be exercised. Beacon We Are All Fast-Food Workers Now: The Global Uprising Against Poverty Wages by Annelise Orleck (Feb. 27, trade paper, $18, ISBN 978-0-8070-8177-8). The Dartmouth history professor traces the evolution of a new global labor movement sparked and sustained by low-wage workers. Broadside Gaslighting America: Why We Love It When Trump Lies to Us by Amanda Carpenter (May 1, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-274800-3). Trump and his wild accusations have stirred something deep among his supporters, this former staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz writes: a sense of commitment so strong that there is practically nothing Trump could say that would ever drive them away. 25,000-copy announced first printing. City Lights American Nightmare: The Challenge of U.S. Authoritarianism by Henry A. Giroux (May 15, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-0-87286-753-6). According to cultural critic Giroux, the only hope to push back the ominous convergence of white nationalism and elite economic interests is through increased civic investment in multicultural democracy, education, and resistance. Crown False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong (Feb. 6, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-5247-5993-3). Two Pulitzer Prizewinning journalists tell the riveting story of Marie, a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped, and the detectives who followed a winding path to arrive at the truth. Give People Money by Annie Lowrey (July 24, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-5247-5876-9). Imagine if every month the government deposited $1,000 into your checking account, no strings attached. Journalist Lowrey says that such a policyknown as the Universal Basic Income movementis the way to go. 75,000-copy announced first printing. Crown/Duggan The Death of Truth by Michiko Kakutani (July 17, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-0-525-57482-8). The former New York Times book critic offers a provocative diagnosis of our current condition and presents a path forward for our truth-challenged times. 75,000-copy announced first printing. The Origins of Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, and America by Timothy Snyder (Apr. 10, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-525-57446-0). The author of On Tyrannyoffers a fascinating new chronicle of the rise of authoritarianism in Russia, Europe, and the U.S. Crown Forum The Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy by Jonah Goldberg (Apr. 24, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-101-90493-0). The National Review senior editor and syndicated columnist makes the case that America and other democracies must actively defend liberty against forces working to revive the tribal and nationalistic ideologies of the past. 75,000-copy announced first printing. Dutton Uncensored: Life and Uncomfortable Conversations at the Intersection of Black and White America by Zachary Wood (June 19, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-5247-4244-7). Rooted in his own powerful personal story, 21-year-old Zachary Wood, president of the student group Uncomfortable Learning at Williams College, shares his perspective on free speech, race, and dissenting opinions. 35,000-copy announced first printing. Ecco Squeezed: Why Our Families Cant Afford America by Alissa Quart (June 1, hardcover, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-06-241225-6). The executive editor at the Economic Hardship Reporting Project examines the lives of middle-class Americans who can now barely afford to raise children in an economy that holds too few options. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Amity and Prosperity: The Cost of Fracking in Two American Towns by Eliza Griswold (June 12, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-374-10311-8). The prize-winning poet and journalist exposes how fracking shattered a rural Pennsylvania town and how one lifelong resident brought the story into the national spotlight. The Burning Shores: Inside the Battle for the New Libya by Frederic Wehrey (Apr. 17, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-374-27824-3). The death of Muammar Qaddafi freed Libya, but ignited bitter rivalries and civil war, leading to the Islamic State and a catastrophic migrant crisis. In a narrative that blends frontline reporting, analysis, and history, Wehrey tells what went wrong. Hachette Keep Marching: How Every Woman Can Take Action and Change Our World by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner (Mar. 13, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-316-51556-6). The CEO of MomsRising and one of the contributing authors of the Unity Principles examines the societal, institutional, and political barriers that women historically and currently face, and how they can be dismantled. All proceeds will be donated to MomsRising. The War on Normal People: The Truth About Americas Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future by Andrew Yang (May 22, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-316-41424-1). The founder of Venture for America argues that the shift toward automation is about to create a tsunami of unemployment, and outlines the urgent steps America must take (including Universal Basic Income) to stabilize the economy. Hachette/Twelve The Russian Connection: The Inside Story of How Vladimir Putin Attacked a U.S. Election and Shaped the Trump Presidency by Michael Isikoff and David Corn (Mar. 6, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-1-5387-2875-8) features rhe incredible account of how Putin hacked an American election as part of a covert operation to subvert U.S. democracy and help Donald Trump gain the presidency. Harper Fascism by Madeleine Albright (Apr. 10, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-280218-7). The former secretary of state and U.N. ambassador offers a personal look at the history and current resurgence of fascism today and the virulent threat it poses to international freedom. 150,000-copy announced first printing. Messing with the Enemy by Clint Watts (Mar. 27, hardcover, $27.99, ISBN 978-0-06-279598-4). A former FBI Special Agent and leading cyber-security expert surveys the misinformation campaigns, fake news, and electronic espionage operations that have become the cutting edge of modern warfare. 50,000-copy announced first printing. HarperOne Rules for Rulebreakers: A Pussy Riot Guide to Revolution by Nadya Tolokonnikova (Mar. 6, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-0-06-274158-5). Tolokonnikova, an artist, activist, and a Pussy Riot founder, offers a guerrilla guide to radical protest and joyful political resistance. Harper Perennial Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay (May 1, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-0-06-241351-2). Bestselling author Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face and are bullied for speaking out. 50,000-copy announced first printing. Harvard Univ. The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It by Yascha Mounk (Mar. 5, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-674-97682-5). Drawing on vivid stories and original research, scholar and pundit Mounk identifies three key drivers of voters discontent: stagnating living standards, fears of multiethnic democracy, and the rise of social media, and argues that we may be running out of chances to save democracy. Holt Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West by James Pogue (May 22, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-250-16912-9) takes an inside look at Americas militia movement, showing a country at the crossroads of class, culture, and insurrection; based on Pogues interactions with Ammon Bundy and the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. Hot Books Inside Job: How American Elections Are Still Rigged Against Voters by Steven Rosenfeld (Feb. 6, hardcover, $21.99, ISBN 978-1-5107-2945-2) is an impassioned takedown of the undemocratic features of American electoral politics and their role in the 2016 election. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Chinas Great Wall of Debt: Shadow Banks, Ghost Cities, Massive Loans, and the End of the Chinese Miracle by Dinny McMahon (Mar. 13, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-328-84601-3). While the world sees China as a booming economic power, McMahon thinks otherwise: Chinas perceived economic growth is built on a staggering mountain of debt. 40,000-copy announced first printing. From Cold War to Hot Peace: The Inside Story of Russia and America by Michael McFaul (May 8, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-0-544-71624-7). One of Americas leading scholars of Russia who served as U.S. ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration offers an inside account of U.S.-Russia relations from 1989 to the present. 35,000-copy announced first printing. Island Twenty Years of Life: Why the Poor Die Earlier and How to Challenge Inequity by Suzanne Bohan (Apr. 19, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-1-61091-801-5). Journalist Bohan exposes the ugly truth that health is largely determined by zip code, with life expectancies in wealthy versus poor neighborhoods varying by as much as 20 years. Johns Hopkins Univ. Common Core: National Education Standards and the Threat to Democracy by Nicholas Tampio (Mar. 1, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-4214-2463-7). Fordham political science professor Tampio argues that, though national standards can raise the education bar for some students, the democratic costs outweigh the benefits. Little, Brown Assad, or We Burn the Country: How One Familys Lust for Power Destroyed Syria by Sam Dagher (June 12, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-316-55672-9). Journalist Daghers account of the destruction of Syria from inside the palace of President Bashar al-Assad offers a new way of understanding the conflict that has engulfed the Middle East and pitted the United States against Russia. Metropolitan The Poisoned City: Flints Water and the American Urban Tragedy by Anna Clark (May 22, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-1-250-12514-9). The first full account of the Flint, Mich., water scandal, an American tragedy, presents new details from an award-winning Michigan journalist who has covered the story from its beginnings. Morrow/Dey Street Can It Happen Here? Authoritarianism in America, edited by Cass R. Sunstein (Mar. 6, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-06-269619-9). The Harvard professor and bestselling author collects diverse perspectives on timely questions and more in this volume of essays from distinguished contributors and influencers. Nation Everything You Love Will Burn: Inside the Rebirth of White Nationalism in America by Vegas Tenold (Feb. 20, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1-56858-994-7). Tenold, who has reported from the inner circle of three white power groups in America, charts how the movements have gone from small, disorganized groups outside the mainstream to open displays at rallies in Charlottesville, Va.; Berkeley, Calif.; and Boston. New Press After the Education Wars: How Smart Schools Upend the Business of Reform by Andrea Gabor (Feb. 6, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-62097-199-4). Gabor makes the case for seeking education-reform solutions through a collaborative, grassroots approachmodeled in part on the open-source software movement. Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality, and the Law by Sherrilyn Ifill et al. (Mar. 6, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-62097-395-0) delivers a discussion of race in America today from leading thinkers, including Bryan Stevenson, the bestselling author of Just Mercy, and Loretta Lynch, the former attorney general of the United States. Norton Peacemakers: Leadership Lessons from Twentieth-Century Statesmanship by Bruce W. Jentleson (Apr. 24, hardcover, $28.95, ISBN 978-0-393-24956-9) shows how key figures in the previous century, including Gandhi, Yitzhak Rabin, and Dag Hammarskjold rsuccessfully prevented conflict, advanced human rights, and promoted global sustainability. Oxford Univ. Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship by Nadine Strossen (May 1, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-0-19-085912-1). A former head of the ACLU clears up the many misunderstandings that have clouded the debates about hate speech vs. free speech, arguing that an expansive approach to the First Amendment is most effective at promoting democracy, equality, and social harmony. Penguin Press Directorate S: The C.I.A. and Americas Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 20012016 by Steve Coll (Feb. 6, hardcover, $35, ISBN 978-1-59420-458-6). The Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist tells for the first time the epic story of Americas intelligence, military, and diplomatic efforts to defeat al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 9/11. Frenemies: The Epic Disruption of the Ad Business and Everything Else by Ken Auletta (June 5, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-0-7352-2086-7) examines the changes buffeting the $2 trillion global advertising and marketing business and its impact on, among other industries, the media. Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations by Amy Chua (Feb. 20, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-399-56285-3). The bestselling author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and Yale Law School professor supplies a new prescription for reversing Americas foreign policy failures and overcoming destructive political tribalism. Sh*tshow by Charlie LeDuff (May 22, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-525-52202-7) furnishes a firsthand account of crisis in America, from Ferguson to Flint, from Cliven Bundys ranch to Donald Trumps presidential campaign, from the Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of [em]Detroit: An American Autopsy. PM Insurgent Supremacists: The U.S. Far Rights Challenge to State and Empire by Matthew N. Lyons (Apr. 1, trade paper, $22.95, ISBN 978-1-62963-511-8) takes readers on a tour of the American right wing, concluding with an analysis of the Trump administrations relationship with far-right politics and the organized far rights shifting responses to Trump. Princeton Univ. The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America by Robert Wuthnow (Feb. 27, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-0-691-17766-3). Why did rural Americans vote overwhelmingly for Donald Trump? Princeton sociologist Wuthnow brings readers into Americas small towns, farms, and rural communities to paint a portrait of this critical segment of the nation. PublicAffairs Vanishing Frontiers: The Irresistible Forces Transforming Mexico and America by Andrew Selee (June 5, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-61039-859-6). Many believe that Mexico and the U.S. are about as different as can be, but Selee shows that the demographics, economics, politics, and culture of these two countries have much in common. Random House The Return of Marco Polos World: War, Strategy, and American Interests in the Twenty-First Century by Robert D. Kaplan (Mar. 20, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-8129-9679-1). A sobering assessment of U.S. foreign policy over the past two decades is anchored by a major new essay commissioned by the Pentagon about changing power dynamics among China, Eurasia, and America from the bestselling author of The Revenge of Geography. Regnery Donald Trump: The Man and His Hour by Conrad Black (May 14, hardcover, $28.99, ISBN 978-1-62157-787-4). The bestselling author of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom and Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full turns his attention to President Trump. Rowman & Littlefield Backlash: What Happens When We Talk Honestly about Racism in America by George Yancy (Apr. 15, hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-5381-0405-7) follows up on Yancys New York Times op-ed entitled Dear White America, which asked white Americans to confront the ways that they benefit from racism. Yancy expands upon the original article and chronicles the ensuing controversy. Scribner The Age of Walls by Tim Marshall (Feb. 20, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-5011-8390-4). The bestselling author of Prisoners of Geography analyzes urgent topics in global politics and international relations by examining the borders, walls, and boundaries that divide countries and their populations. The Unmaking of the President 2016: The Case Against FBI Director James Comey and How He Cost Hillary Clinton the Presidency by Lanny J. Davis (Feb. 6, hardcover, $24, ISBN 978-1-5011-7772-9). A longtime Washington insider argues that there was one determining factor that threw the election to Donald Trump: FBI Director James Comeys October 28 letter to Congress. Simon & Schuster The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis by Martha C. Nussbaum (July 3, hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-5011-7249-6). Scholar and humanist Nussbaum sees a simple truth at the heart of Americas political problems: politics are always emotional. She attempts to untangle the web of feelings behind politics and provide a roadmap of where to go next. Standoff by Bill Schneider (May 1, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-4516-0622-5). Journalist Schneider takes readers inside the voting booth to show how Americans vote and why their votes sometimes seem to make no practical sense. S&S/Touchstone Our Damaged Democracy: We the People Must Act by Joseph A. Califano Jr. (Feb. 13, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1-5011-4461-5) details the changespolitical, cultural, constitutional, technological, institutionalthat render our government completely dysfunctional, including a concentration of power in the presidency and a Congress crippled by partisanship and dependence on special interest money. St. Martins Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn by Chris Hughes (Feb. 20, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-250-19659-0). Facebook cofounder Hughes makes the case that one-percenters like him should pay their fortune forward in a radically simple way: give working people money, no strings attached. Soul of a Democrat: Recovering the Seven Founding Myths That Can Bring Our Party Back to Power by Thomas Reston (May 29, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-250-17605-9) features the history of the Democratic Party, offering the successes and failures of its greatest figures, from Thomas Jefferson to Harry Truman, and showing modern Democrats how to craft an approach to politics to again become the party of the people. St. Martins/Dunne How Bernie Won: Inside the Revolution to Take Back Our Country by Jeff Weaver (May 15, hardcover, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-250-14475-1) explores how Bernie Sanderss 2016 presidential campaign took on the entire establishment and changed modern American politics. Verso Mistaken Identity: Race and Class in the Age of Trump by Asad Haider (Apr. 17, trade paper, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-78663-737-6) issues an urgent call for alternative visions, languages, and practices against the white identity politics of right-wing populism. Yale Univ. The Great Alignment: Race, Party Transformation, and the Rise of Donald Trump by Alan I. Abramowitz (June 19, hardcover, $35, ISBN 978-0-300-20713-2). The Emory University political scientist believes that our current political divide is not an illusion but a key feature of the American cultural landscape; he explains how this phenomenon paved the way for the Trump presidency and examines why polarization will likely grow deeper. Return to the main feature. This article has been updated. This springs fiction includes works by prize winners and debut novelists set in such locations as the Alaskan wilderness, a womens correctional facility, and post-WWII London. Links to reviews are provided when available. Top 10 The Female Persuasion Meg Wolitzer. Riverhead, Apr. 3 From the author of The Interestings: Greer is a shy college freshman when she meets Faith Frank, who has been a central pillar of the womens movement for decades. Greer, searching for purpose, finds it through Faith. The Great Alone Kristin Hannah. St. Martins, Feb. 6 Hannahs novel, starred by PW, follows the Allbright family, who barely make ends meet, as they move from 1974 Seattle to the untamed wilderness of Kaneq, Alaska, to claim a parcel of land left to the father by a slain Army buddy. Kudos Rachel Cusk. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, June 5 Following Outline and Transit, this novel completes Cusks trilogy: a woman writer visits a Europe in flux, where questions of personal and political identity rise to the surface. The Mars Room Rachel Kushner. Scribner, May 8 Its 2003 and Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Womens Correctional Facility, where she experiences the absurdities of institutional living. From the author of The Flamethrowers. My Year of Rest and Relaxation Ottessa Moshfegh. Penguin Press, July 10 The latest from the Man Booker finalist is about a young womans efforts to duck the world by embarking on an extended hibernation with the help of the worst psychiatrist in the world. The Parking Lot Attendant Nafkote Tamirat. Holt, Mar. 13 Tamirats debut is a coming-of-age story about a girl in Bostons tightly knit Ethiopian community who falls under the influence of a charismatic hustler. The novel received a starred PW review. The Sparsholt Affair Alan Hollinghurst. Knopf, Mar. 13 PW starred this family epic spanning the 1940s to the present. Hollinghurst is a past winner of the Man Booker Prize. Speak No Evil Uzodinma Iweala. Harper, Mar. 6 This PW-starred second novel from the author of Beasts of No Nation is set in Washington, D.C., as top student Nirus life shifts when his conservative Nigerian parents find out hes queer. There There Tommy Orange. Knopf, June 5 In this debut novel, the lives of a disparate cast of characters are altered at the Big Oakland Powwow. Warlight Michael Ondaatje. Knopf, May 8 In Ondaatjes first work of fiction since 2011, its 1945 and 14-year-old Nathaniel and his older sister, Rachel, stay behind in London when their parents move to Singapore, leaving them in the care of a mysterious figure named the Moth. Literary Fiction Akashic Beautiful Music by Michael Zadoorian (May 8, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-61775-627-6). Set in early 1970s Detroit, a racially divided city still reeling from its violent riot of 1967, this novel is the story of a high school boys transformation through music. 15,000-copy announced first printing. Algonquin An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (Feb. 6, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-1-61620-134-0). Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are ripped apart when Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime Celestial knows he didnt commit. Celestial takes comfort in Andre, her childhood friend and best man at their wedding. When Roys conviction is overturned, he returns to Atlanta ready to resume his marriage. Archipelago The Farm by Hector Abad, trans. by Anne McLean (Apr. 17, trade paper, $20, ISBN 978-0-914671-92-3). Pilar, Eva, and Antonio Angel are the heirs of La Oculta, a farm hidden in the mountains of Colombia. The siblings rivalries threaten to tear apart the hard-won legacy their father fought to establish against guerrilla and paramilitary violence. 10,000-copy announced first printing. Atria/37 Ink Heads of the Colored People: Stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires (Apr. 10, hardcover, $23, ISBN 978-1-5011-6799-7). Two mothers exchange snide remarks through notes in their kids backpacks; a young girl contemplates how best to notify her Facebook friends of her impending suicide. In these stories, Thompson-Spires shines a light on the simmering tensions and precariousness of black citizenship. Bloomsbury Invitation to a Bonfire by Adrienne Celt (June 5, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-63557-152-3) is the story of a love triangle inspired by the Nabokov marriage. In the 1920s, Zoya Andropova, a young refugee from the Soviet Union, finds herself at an elite all-girls New Jersey boarding school, where she meets Leo Orlov, a famous writer and fellow Russian emigre. 50,000-copy announced first printing. Catapult Welcome to Lagos by Chibundu Onuzo (May 8, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-936787-80-7). When Nigerian army officer Chike Ameobi is ordered to kill innocent civilians, he knows its time to desert his post. As he travels toward Lagos and into the heart of a political scandal involving Nigerias education minister, he becomes the leader of a band of runaways who share his desire for a new life. Coffee House Comemadre by Roque Larraquy, trans. by Heather Cleary (July 10, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-56689-515-6). In the outskirts of Buenos Aires in 1907, a doctor becomes involved in a misguided experiment that investigates the threshold between life and death. One hundred years later, a celebrated artist goes to extremes in search of aesthetic transformation, turning himself into an art object. 15,000-copy announced first printing. Counterpoint The Gunners by Rebecca Kauffman (Mar. 20, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-61902-989-7). Mikey Callahan, a 30-year-old suffering from the clouded vision of macular degeneration, reconnects with his group of childhood friends after one of their members has committed suicide. This core of friendsMikey, Alice, Lynn, Jimmy, and Samsearch for of truth and forgiveness. Counterpoint/Soft Skull Men and Apparitions by Lynne Tillman (Mar. 13, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-59376-679-5). Ezekiel Hooper Stark is first a child obsessed with family photo albums, then a passionate cultural anthropology researcher, then a man betrayed in love. His academic fascinations touch on such subjects as discarded images, pet pictures, spirit mediums, the tragic life of his long-dead cousin and semifamous socialite Clover Adams, and the nature of contemporary masculinity. Crown/Hogarth The Pisces by Melissa Broder (May 1, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-1-5247-6155-4). In this humorous novel about love and a merman, Lucy has been writing her dissertation on Sappho for nine years when she and her boyfriend break up in a dramatic flameout. When she moves in with her sister in Los Angeles, she meets Theo, an eerily attractive swimmer. Custom House Stray City by Chelsey Johnson (Mar. 20, hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-0-06-266668-0). Andrea Morales, 24, escaped her Midwestern Catholic childhoodand the closetto create a home and life for herself within the insular lesbian underground of Portland, Ore. One drunken night, reeling from a bad breakup and a friends betrayal, she hooks up with a man. Upon discovering shes pregnant, Andrea decides to have the baby. Doubleday I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon (Mar. 20, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-385-54169-5). In this historical suspense novel, Lawhon unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Andersons 50-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. Is she the Russian grand duchess, or is she an imposter, the thief of another womans legacy? Ecco Census by Jesse Ball (Mar. 6, hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-0-06-267613-9). When a widower finds out that he doesnt have long to live, hes struck by the question of who will care for his adult son, who has Down syndrome. With a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son. Europa Disoriental by Negar Djavadi, trans. by Tina Kover (May 1, trade paper, $18, ISBN 978-1-60945-451-7). Kimia Sadr fled Iran at age 10 with her mother and sisters to join her father in France. Now 25 and waiting in a Parisian fertility clinic, Kimiastoryteller extraordinaireis inundated by her own memories and the stories of her ancestors, which come to her in unstoppable waves. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Kudos by Rachel Cusk (June 5, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-374-27986-8). Following Outline and Transit, this novel completes Cusks trilogy: a woman writer visits a Europe in flux, where questions of personal and political identity rise to the surface, and the trauma of change is opening up new possibilities of loss and renewal. FSG/MCD The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley (May 22, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-374-20843-1) presents a modern retelling of Beowulf, set in American suburbia as two mothersa housewife and a battle-hardened veteranfight to protect those they love. Feminist Press La Bastarda by Trifonia Melibea Obono, trans. by Lawrence Schimel (Apr. 17, trade paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1-936932-23-8). Orphaned Okomo falls in with her villages outcasts: her gay uncle and a gang of mysterious girls reveling in their so-called indecency. Drawn into their illicit trysts, Okomo falls for their leader and rebels against the rigid norms of her culture. Graydon House The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick (July 3, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-5258-0599-8). Browsing antiques shops in Wiltshire, Alison Bannister stumbles across an old portrait: Mary Seymour, daughter of Katherine Parr, taken to Wolf Hall in 1557 and presumed dead after going missing as a child. The painting of Mary holds a key to Alisons past. Graywolf Lucky Man: Stories by Jamel Brinkley (May 1, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-55597-805-1). A young boy from the Bronx goes swimming with his day camp group at a backyard pool in the suburbs and faces the effects of power and privilege; a pair of college boys on the prowl follow two girls home from a party and have to own their uncomfortable desires. Grove Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (June 12, hardcover, $22, ISBN 978-0-8021-2825-6). Keiko Furukura takes a job in a convenience store while at in college. At age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only a few friends. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he upsets Keikos contented stasis. Harper Only Killers and Thieves by Paul Howarth (Feb. 6, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-269096-8). Two brothers are exposed to the brutal realities of life and the seductive cruelty of power in this debut novela story of injustice and honor, set in the untamed frontier of 1880s Australia. 100,000-copy announced first printing. Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala (Mar. 6, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-128492-2). In this second novel from the author of Beasts of No Nation, Niru is a top student in Washington, D.C., bound for Harvard in the fall. When his conservative Nigerian parents find out hes queer, events occurs that affect not only Niru but also his best friend, Meredith, daughter of prominent Washington insiders. 50,000-copy announced first printing. Holt Motherhood by Sheila Heti (May 1, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-62779-077-2). In her late 30s, when her friends are asking when they will become mothers, the narrator of Hetis novelafter How Should a Person Be?considers whether she will do so at all, questioning what is gained and what is lost when a woman becomes a mother. The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat (Mar. 13, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-1-250-12850-8). Tamirats coming-of-age story is about a girl in Bostons tightly knit Ethiopian community who falls under the spell of a charismatic hustler out to change the world. Receiving a starred PW review, its a debut novel about national identity and what it means to be an immigrant in America today. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Call Me Zebra by Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi (Feb. 6, hardcover, $24, ISBN 978-0-544-94460-2). Zebra is last in a line of anarchists, atheists, and autodidacts. Her family took refuge in books instead of fighting in war. Now in exile, Zebra leaves New York for Barcelona, retracing the journey she and her father made from Iran to the United States years ago. Kensington Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore (Apr. 24, trade paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1-4967-1366-7). On a quiet Philadelphia morning in 1906, a newspaper headline catapults Alma Mitchell back to her past. A federal agent is dead, and the murder suspect is Almas childhood friend, Harry Muskrat. Knopf Madness Is Better Than Defeat by Ned Beauman (Feb. 13, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-385-35299-4). In 1938, rival expeditions descend on an ancient temple recently discovered in the jungles of Honduras, one to shoot a screwball comedy, the other to ship the temple to New York. A stalemate ensues, and 20 years later a rogue CIA agent sets out to exploit it for his own ends. The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst (Mar. 13, hardcover, $28.95, ISBN 978-1-101-87456-1). Spanning seven transformative decades in Englandfrom the 1940s to the presentthis novel plumbs the complex relationships of a remarkable family. PW starred this novel from a winner of the Man Booker Prize. There There by Tommy Orange (June 5, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-525-52037-5). Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to get back to the family she left in Oakland; Tony Loneman is a young Native American whose future seems destined to be as bleak as his past, and he has come to the Big Oakland Powwow with dark intentions that threaten the lives of everyone in his path. Warlight by Michael Ondaatje (May 8, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-525-52119-8). In 1945, 14-year-old Nathaniel and his older sister, Rachel, stay in London when their parents move to Singapore and leave them with the mysterious Moth. He might be a criminal, but they are less concerned as they come to know his eccentric crew of friends: men and women joined by a shared history of unspecified service during the war. Little, Brown Feast Days by Ian MacKenzie (Mar. 13, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-316-44016-5). Recipient of a starred PW review, MacKenzies novel follows a young wife relocating with her financier husband to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she encounters crime, protests, refugees, gentrification, and the collision of art and commerce, while confronting the crisis slowly building inside her own marriage. The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea (Mar. 6, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-316-15488-8). In his final days, beloved and ailing patriarch Miguel Angel De La Cruz, known affectionately as Big Angel, summons his entire clan for one last legendary birthday party. But as the party approaches, his mother, nearly 100, dies herself. LB/Boudreaux Circe by Madeline Miller (Apr. 10, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-316-55634-7). In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child who can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Zeus banishes her to an island, where she hones her craft and unwittingly draws the wrath of men and gods. Morrow Sophia of Silicon Valley by Anna Yen (Apr. 10, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-267301-5). A brilliant young Asian woman navigates the thrilling world of Silicon Valley in the boom years of the tech industry, working for some of the greatest minds of our time, including Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, in this satirical novel. New Directions The Chandelier by Clarice Lispector, trans. by Magdalena Edwards (Mar. 27, hardcover, $21.95, ISBN 978-0-8112-2313-3). Lispectors second novel, available for the first time in English, follows Virginia, a clay sculptor, who seeks freedom via creation. Like the rest of Lispectors idiosyncratic work, this novel seeks to penetrate the core of interior life. New Press Slave Old Man by Patrick Chamoiseau, trans. by Linda Coverdale (May 1, hardcover, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-62097-295-3). From the winner of the Prix Goncourt, this is the unsettling story of an elderly slaves daring escape into the wild from a plantation in Martinique, with his master and a fearsome hound on his heels. Norton Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk (May 1, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-393-65259-8). Smug, geriatric politicians hatch a nasty fate for the burgeoning population of young males; working-class men dream of burying the elites; and professors propound theories that offer students only the bleakest future. When it arrives, Adjustment Day inaugurates the new, disunited states. Going for a Beer: Selected Short Fictions by Robert Coover (Feb. 6, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-393-60846-5). In this selection of 30 of Coovers stories, readers will find an invisible man tragically obsessed by an invisible woman; a cartoon man in a cartoon car who runs over a real man who is arrested by a real policeman with cartoon eyes; and a stick man who reinvents the universe. Open Letter Fox by Dubravka Ugresic, trans. by Ellen Elias-Bursac and David Williams (Apr. 17, trade paper, $16.95, ISBN 978-1-940953-76-2), takes readers from Russia to Japan, through Balkan minefields and American road trips, and from the 1920s to the present. 10,000-copy announced first printing. Pantheon Good Trouble: Stories by Joseph ONeill (June 12, hardcover, $22, ISBN 978-1-5247-4735-0). In these stories from the author of Netherland, a lonely wedding guest talks to a goose, two poets struggle over whether to participate in a pardon Edward Snowden verse petition, a husband lets his wife face a possible intruder in their home, and a potential co-op renter in New York City cant find anyone to give him a character reference. The Occasional Virgin by Hanan Al-Shaykh (July 10, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-5247-4751-0). Yvonne and Huda relax by the sea on the French Riviera. Both women spent their childhoods in BeirutYvonne in a Christian family and Huda raised in the Muslim faithand while they left Beirut behind, they cannot escape their families reach. Penguin Back Talk by Danielle Lazarin (Feb. 6, trade paper, $16, ISBN 978-0-14-313147-2). In one story in this debut collection, a woman at the end of her marriage tests her power when she inadvertently befriends the neighbor trying to buy her apartment. In another, a 16-year-old grieving her mothers death experiences first love and questions how much more heartbreak she and her family can endure. Penguin Press My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (July 10, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-525-52211-9). A young woman trying to duck the world embarks on an extended hibernation with the help of a terrible psychiatrist and the battery of medicines she prescribes. Putnam What You Dont Know About Charlie Outlaw by Leah Stewart (Mar. 27, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-7352-1434-7). Actor Charlie Outlaw flees newfound fame to a remote island searching for a chance to reevaluate his recent breakup with his girlfriend. Soon after his arrival, a solitary hike into the jungle takes him into danger. Random House Bring Out the Dog: Stories by Will Mackin (Mar. 6, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-8129-9564-0). A debut linked story collection from a U.S. Navy veteran, which received a starred PW review, follows a team of SEALs who, from 2008 to 2011, serve and try to survive together, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan. You Think It, Ill Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld (Apr. 24, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-399-59286-7). Among the 10 stories in Sittenfelds first story collection are The World Has Many Butterflies, in which married acquaintances play a strangely intimate game with devastating consequences, and Vox Clamantis in Deserto, in which a shy Ivy League student learns the truth about a classmates seemingly enviable life. Restless Moon Brow by Shahriar Mandanipour, trans. by Khalili Sara (Apr. 17, trade paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-63206-128-7). This imaginative love story is narrated by two angel scribes perched on the shoulders of a shell-shocked Iranian soldier searching for the woman who visits his dreams. Riverhead The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer (Apr. 3, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-59448-840-5). Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets Faith Frank, who has been a central pillar of the womens movement for decades. Greermadly in love with her boyfriend but still longing for purposefeels her inner world light up. 200,000-copy announced first printing. Scribner The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner (May 8, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1-4767-5655-4). Its 2003, and Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at a prison deep in Californias Central Valley. Outside is her young son, Jackson. Inside is a new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive, casual acts of violence, and the absurdities of institutional living. Simon & Schuster Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday (Feb. 6, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-5011-6676-1). This novel connects the story of Alice, a young American editor, and her relationship with a famous older writer to the story of Amar, an Iraqi-American man who, on his way to Kurdistan, is detained by immigration officers and spends the last weekend of 2008 in a holding room at Londons Heathrow airport. S&S/Touchstone The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar (May 1, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1-5011-6903-8). Two girls living 800 years aparta modern-day Syrian refugee seeking safety and a medieval adventurer apprenticed to a legendary mapmakerboth brave the unknown beside their companions as they are pulled by the promise of reaching home at last. Soho Where the Dead Sit Talking by Brandon Hobson (Feb. 20, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-1-61695-887-9). With his single mother in jail, Sequoyah, a 15-year-old Cherokee boy, is in foster care with the Troutt family. Sequoyah has spent years mostly keeping to himself, living with his emotions pressed deep below the surfaceuntil he meets 17-year-old Rosemary, another youth staying with the Troutts. Sourcebooks Landmark This Could Change Everything by Jill Mansell (June 5, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-6422-2). Essie Phillips never meant her private rant about her boss to go to everyone in her address book, but as it goes viral, her life changes dramatically. When secrets are revealed and new friends are made, Essie might not have such a hard time adjusting to her new life. 55,000-copy announced first printing. St. Martins The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (Feb. 6, hardcover, $28.99, ISBN 978-0-312-57723-0). Hannahs novel, starred by PW, is about a family in crisis. A young father and POW returns from Vietnam suffering from PTSD. The family, barely making ends meet in 1974, moves from Seattle to the untamed wilderness of Kaneq, Alaska, to claim a parcel of land left to Ernt by a slain Army buddy. Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts (May 29, hardcover, $27.99, ISBN 978-1-250-16159-8). Shooters arrive one evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. The violence lasts only eight minutes before the killers are taken down, but for those who lived through it, the effects last forever. Tin House The Adulterants by Joe Dunthorne (Mar. 6, hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-941040-87-4). Ray is a 30-something freelance tech journalist living with his pregnant wife in Northeast London. Through escalating catastrophes, his merciless mental commentary on the foibles of those around him and the vicissitudes of modern urban life continue: internet trolls, sadistic estate agents, open marriages, and the threat posed by more sensitive men. Transit Blue Self-Portrait by Noemi Lefebvre, trans. by Sophie Lewis (Apr. 3, trade paper, $15.95, ISBN 978-1-945492-10-5). On a flight from Berlin to Paris, a woman haunted by composer Arnold Schoenbergs self-portrait reflects on her romantic encounter with a pianist. This novel unfolds among repetitions and variations that explore the possibilities and limitations of art, history, and connection. Two Lines Lion Cross Point by Masatsugu Ono, trans. by Angus Turvill (Apr. 10, hardcover, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-931883-70-2). Ten-year-old Takeru arrives at his familys home village in a scorching summer, remembering unspeakable acts against his mother and brother. As Takeru befriends Mitsuko, his new caretaker, and Saki, his spunky neighbor, he inches toward a new idea of family and home, while he sees a strange figure called Bunji. Unnamed Mem by Bethany C. Morrow (May 22, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-1-944700-55-3). A scientist in Montreal discovers a method that allows people to have their memories extracted from their minds, whole and complete, and stored in creatures called Mems. Dolores Extract #1, the first Mem capable of creating her own memories and allowed to live on her own, is summoned back to the Vault, where the Mems are kept. Viking America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo (Apr. 3, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-7352-2241-0). When Hero de Vera arrives in America, disowned by her parents in the Philippines, her uncle, Pol, who has offered her a fresh start and a place to stay in the Bay area, knows not to ask about her past. Only his daughter Roni asks Hero why her hands seem to constantly ache. Return to the main feature. Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the name of one of the characters in The Pisces. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. W. Andy Tao, a biochemistry professor in the College of Agriculture who discovered a method to detect and monitor breast cancer using a simple blood test and bladder cancer using a urine test, is the 2017 recipient of the Outstanding Commercialization Award for Purdue University faculty. The award is given annually to a faculty member in recognition of outstanding contributions to, and success with, commercializing Purdue research discoveries. The award was established with an endowment gift from the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Foundation. I am truly honored by this award because Purdue University has so many faculty who have conducted outstanding and inspiring research and also made them available through commercialization, Tao said. Ive been fortunate to work with so many great scientists and entrepreneurs. Tao, a member of the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, was named to the Purdue Innovators Hall of Fame during the 2012-13 school year for commercializing technologies for analyzing phosphoproteins, one important class of proteins involved in many diseases, in particular cancer. Earlier this year, Tao and his colleagues identified a method of detecting elevated levels of proteins in blood plasma that signify a patient has cancer. The process was used for detecting breast and bladder cancer. Tymora Analytical Operations was founded by Tao and Anton Iliuk, his former Ph.D. student, in 2010. Initially, the company transferred several analytical techniques developed in the Tao lab at Purdue to commercialization. The company has now moved toward clinical diagnosis and is partnering with companies and academic units to search for phosphorylated proteins in detecting breast and bladder cancers and to use the same technique to detect other cancers. Iliuk, Tymoras chief technology officer, praised the choice of Tao as the Outstanding Commercialization Award winner. Dr. Taos vision and unique perspective on research and its outcomes has not only empowered his students and postdoctoral fellows, but also enabled direct translation of his research into tangible products, Iliuk said. His goals of disseminating the knowledge and data through technology commercialization and realization are inspiring and highly productive. Rather than following the very familiar path of data generation, Andy has been trying to identify the needs in cancer R&D and directly address them. Tao, who joined the Purdue faculty in 2005, was named a Purdue University Faculty Scholar 2011-16; an Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy Scholar 2012-13; and a Bindley Bioscience Center Fellow in 2012-13. He holds more than a half-dozen patents and has written more than 120 articles, reviewers and book chapters. Tao earned his doctorate from Purdue in 2001, where R. Graham Cooks was his adviser. Cooks, the Henry B. Hass Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, was the second commercialization award winner in 2005. Cooks describes Tao as a renaissance scientist who succeeds at everything he tries. He was unstoppable as a graduate student, blazing fast. Superb, they say, as a postdoc, and wont be stopped now. His efforts at commercialization are inspired. His efficiency is amazing. His running is so-so. Nice guy too. Greg Deason, senior vice president of Purdue Research Foundation and a member of the selection committee, said the decision-making process was difficult. Its exciting to see how the ideas of Purdue faculty are having impacts in the research of cancer, traumatic brain injury, medical implants, drug development, phenotyping, computer-based technologies and numerous other fields, said Deason, who also is director of innovation and commercialization for the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship in Discovery Park at Purdue. Dr. Tao has found a way to detect cancer at earlier stages that will not only save people the pain of invasive procedures, but also save them money. He also co-founded Tymora, a startup company that is enjoying its fifth year of profits. He is well-deserving of this award. Purdue faculty and staff whose inventions were patented during the 2016-17 fiscal year are: * Rakesh Agrawal, the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering. * R. Claudio Aguilar, assistant head, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science; associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science. * Muhammad Ashraful Alam, the Jai N. Gupta Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Daniel G. Aliaga, associate professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Science. * Bruce Applegate, professor, Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture. * Brooke Beier, former graduate student, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. Current executive director, Office of Technology Commercialization. * Dor Ben-Amotz, professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * Ernest R. Blatchley III, professor, Lyles School of Civil Engineering, Division of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, College of Engineering. * Alexandra Boltasseva, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Richard B. Borgens, retired as director, Institute for Applied Neurology, Center for Paralysis Research; Mari Hulman George Professor of Applied Neuroscience, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine; professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Charles A. Bouman, the Showalter Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Gregery T. Buzzard, head and professor, Department of Mathematics, College of Science. * James Caruthers, the Gerald and Sarah Skidmore Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Zhulong Chan, former visiting scholar, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, College of Agriculture. Current professor, Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University. * Srinivasan Chandrasekar, professor, School of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering; professor (by courtesy) Department of Materials Engineering, College of Engineering. * William J. Chappell, former adjunct professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. *Ji-Xin Cheng, adjunct professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Jean Chmielewski, the Alice Watson Kramer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, College of Science, and professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Paul Collodi, Professor Emeritus of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture. * R. Graham Cooks, the Henry B. Hass Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * Scott Crist, former assistant research professor, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine. * Mark Cushman, Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy. * Mingji Dai, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * Brian Dilkes, associate professor, Department of Biochemistry, College of Agriculture. * Patrick Eugster, adjunct associate professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Science. * Kirk Foster, senior research engineer, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Suresh V. Garimella, executive vice president for research and partnerships at Purdue University, R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, and director of the National Science Foundation Cooling Technologies Research Center. * Arun Ghosh, the Ian P. Rothwell Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, College of Science; Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy. * Lori Groven, former research assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. Current assistant professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. * Chang-Deng Hu, professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy. * Y. Charlie Hu, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Jessica E. Huber, interim associate vice provost for faculty affairs, co-director of the Center for Research on Brain, Behavior, and NeuroRehabilitation; professor, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences. * Kyle E. Hultgren, director, Center for Medication Safety Advancement, clinical assistant professor (by courtesy) Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy. * Pedro Irazoqui, director, Center for Implantable Devices; associate head and professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering; professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Jeanette L. Jensen, research associate, Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture. * Qing Jiang, professor, Department of Nutrition Science, College of Health and Human Sciences. * James T. Jones, former engineering resources manager, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. Current research engineer/technologist, Cook Advanced Technologies. * Byunghoo Jung, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Kevin M. Keener, adjunct professor, Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture; professor (by courtesy), Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, College of Agriculture and College of Engineering. * Hilkka I. Kenttamaa, the Frank Brown Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * Scott Kepner, retired senior research engineer, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, College of Health and Human Sciences. * Robert Kramer, director, Energy Efficiency and Reliability Center; NiSource Charitable Foundation Professor of Energy and the Environment; professor, Department of Chemistry and Physics, College of Engineering and Science, Purdue University Northwest. * Gary Krutz, professor emeritus, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, College of Agriculture. * Michael Ladisch, director, Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering; Distinguished Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, College of Agriculture; Distinguished Professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Mark A. Lipton, associate professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * David Love, leader, Efficient Spectrum Usage Preeminent Team; professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Philip S. Low, Presidential Scholar in Drug Discovery; Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * Bradley J. Lucier, professor emeritus, Department of Mathematics, College of Science; professor emeritus, Department of Computer Science, College of Science. * Mark Lundstrom, the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Eric Lynch, former senior technology manager in in the Office of Technology Commercialization. Current chief executive officer of Frontier Additive LLC. * James B. Mann, former research engineer, Center for Materials Processing and Tribology, School of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering. Current assistant professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, University of West Florida. * Samuel P. Midkiff, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Charilaos Mousoulis, senior research scientist, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Eric A. Nauman, director, College of Engineering Honors Program; professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering; professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering; professor (by courtesy), Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine. * Brittany Newell, assistant professor, School of Engineering Technology, Purdue Polytechnic Institute. * Cristina Nita-Rotaru, adjunct professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Science. Current professor, Computer Science, Northeastern University. * George Nnanna, director, Purdue University Northwest Water Institute; head, Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Purdue University Northwest; Francis and Elsie Meyer Professor, Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Purdue University Northwest; professor (by courtesy) School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. * David Nolte, the Edward M. Purcell Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science. * Zheng Ouyang, adjunct professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Alyssa Panitch, former Leslie A. Geddes Professor in Biomedical Engineering, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. Current Edward Teller Professor and chair, Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis. * Kinam Park, the Showalter Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering; professor, Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy. * Johnny Park, research assistant professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * John Patterson, professor emeritus, Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture. * Libbie Pelter, associate professor, Department of Chemistry and Physics, College of Engineering and Sciences, Purdue University Northwest. * Dimitrios Peroulis, deputy director, Birck Nanotechnology Center; professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Voicu Popescu, associate professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Science. * Minghao Qi, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * P. Veeraraghavan Ramachandran, professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * Timothy L. Ratliff, Ph.D. the Robert Wallace Miller Director, Purdue University Center for Cancer Research; Distinguished Professor, Comparative Pathbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine. * Shripad T. Revankar, director, Multiphase and Fuel Cell Research Labs; professor, School of Nuclear Engineering, College of Engineering. * Jenna Rickus, associate vice provost for teaching and learning, professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, College of Agriculture; professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Victor Rodwell, professor emeritus, Department of Biochemistry, College of Agriculture. * Kaushik Roy, the Edward G. Tiedemann Jr. Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Farshid Sadeghi, director of Mechanical Engineering Tribology Laboratory, Cummins Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Cagri A. Savran, professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering; professor (by courtesy), Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Michael E. Scharf, the O. Wayne Rollins/Orkin Endowed Chair in Urban Entomology, College of Agriculture. * Mohamed Seleem, associate professor, microbiology, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine. * Gregory Shaver, professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Riyi Shi, professor, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine; professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Yung C. Shin, the Donald A. and Nancy G. Roach Professor of Advanced Manufacturing, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Joseph Sinfield, director, College of Engineering Innovation and Leadership Studies Program; associate professor, Lyles School of Civil Engineering; College of Engineering. * Alvin A. Solomon, professor emeritus, School of Nuclear Engineering, College of Engineering. * Steven F. Son, professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Keith Stantz, associate professor, School of Health Sciences, College of Human and Health Services. * Cynthia V. Stauffacher, associate head and professor, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science. * Ronald Sterkenburg, professor, School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, Purdue Polytechnic Institute. * Calvin N. Steussy Jr., research associate, Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science. * Rusi P. Taleyarkhan, professor, School of Nuclear Engineering, College of Engineering; professor (by courtesy), School of Health Sciences, College of Human and Health Services. * Bernard Tao, professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, College of Agriculture and College of Engineering; professor (by courtesy) Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture; professor (by courtesy), Environmental and Ecological Engineering, College of Engineering. * W. Andy Tao, professor, Department of Biochemistry, College of Agriculture; professor (by courtesy), Department of Chemistry, College of Science; professor (by courtesy), Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy. * David H. Thompson, professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Science; professor, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Kevin Trumble, professor, School of Materials Engineering, College of Engineering. * Mitchell Tuinstra, scientific director, Institute for Plant Sciences; professor and Wickersham Chair of Excellence in Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture. * Arvind Varma, the R. Games Slayter Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering. *Juan Wachs, associate professor, School of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering. * Alexander Wei, professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Science, professor (by courtesy), School of Materials Engineering, College of Engineering. * Steven Wereley, professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Jonathan Wilker, professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * Mary J. Wirth, the W. Brooks Fortune Distinguished Professor, Analytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, College of Science. * Eduardo Ximenes, senior bioprocess research scientist with a graduate faculty appointment, Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering, College of Engineering. * Xianfan Xu, the James J. and Carol L Shuttleworth Professor of Mechanical Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering; professor (by courtesy) School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. * Yoon Yeo, associate professor, Department of Industrial and Physical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy; associate professor (by courtesy) Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering. * Xiangyu Zhang, professor, Department of Computer Science, College of Science. * Yang Zhao, former visiting scholar, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, College of Agriculture. Current professor, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai. * Jian-Kang Zhu, Distinguished Professor in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, College of Agriculture. * Babak Ziaie, professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering. Purdue Research Foundation contact: Tom Coyne, 765-588-1044, tjcoyne@prf.org Source: Brooke Beier, 765-588-3464, blbeier@prf.org Univision-owned Fusion Media Group (FMG) is to enter the Mexican market through an agreement with Grupo Televisa. According to the company, the deal marks the first step of FMGs plans for international expansion into Latin America.Under the terms of the multi-platform agreement, spanning digital and television, with Grupo Televisa, the Mexican media company has acquired a licence to the brands and content from FMG's collection of digital publications for Mexico and will launch a new FUSION 24/7 cable network in Spanish.Furthering the solid commercial relationship between Televisa and Univision, FUSION MX will be operated by the Mexican group and feature locally-produced Spanish-language programming as well as local versions of shows originally developed in the US.The agreement includes also the potential launch in other Latin American territories."Our production and editorial teams produce content that connects with the young, diverse audiences that are shaping our future. This partnership with Televisa allows us to continue to extend the reach of our brands internationally, across platforms, and in multiple languages, said Felipe Holguin, CEO, Fusion Media Group "From digital content to compelling long-form programming, Fusion Media Group has assembled a powerful collection of brands and a video library that connect with young audiences around the interests and issues they are passionate about," added Bernardo Gomez, who will be Televisas co-CEO from January 2018 Just when we all thought Ed Sheerans Perfect couldnt get any more perfect, a duet version with Beyonce was released on Nov.30th. Yet, the purpose of adding Beyonce wasnt necessarily to make the song more perfect, but was rather intended to make a version of the song with a different meaning and a different feel. How many steps will it take to walk off Thanksgiving dinner? Monrovia set for semistate battle with Lawrenceburg. Here's what to know. Here's all the information you need to know before Friday's IHSAA semi-state football showdown between Monrovia and Lawrenceburg. On Dec. 8, 1972, Max Churchill was among the first to drive across the then brand new Norbert F. Beckey Bridge. He was the chairman of the grand opening for the Muscatine Chamber of Commerce. He took pictures of people as they drove across the new supports for the first time. "We needed safe transportation across the Mississippi River," Churchill said. "The old bridge fell in twice." The now defunct Muscatine High Bridge had been in need of replacement. Its first collapse was in 1899 and the second in 1956 when a man driving away from the police in a high-speed pursuit crashed into the side of the bridge, causing a support truss failure and collapse. 45 years later, the newer Beckey Bridge still spans the Mississippi River connecting Iowa to Illinois. "I love Muscatine," Churchill said. "And that bridge is an iconic part of it. It's a very important part of our city." Two villages near the city of Donetsk, Avdiyivka and Pisky, are the scene of ongoing fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists. Both towns have been heavily damaged, and the fighters are suffering the impact of months or years of combat. RFE/RL journalists visited the front-line positions of the Ukrainian government forces in both locations. A highly anticipated Bolshoi Theater ballet about the life of Russian dance legend Rudolf Nureyev has premiered while its acclaimed director, Kirill Serebrennikov, remains under house arrest on fraud charges that have stunned the Russian artistic world and elicited support internationally. The premiere of Nureyev, which stirred controversy when it was abruptly canceled earlier this year, drew a standing ovation from the audience in Moscow on December 9. During the curtain call, at least three members of the show wore T-shirts that read "Freedom for the Director" and featured a photograph of Serebrennikov, 48, who had his house arrest extended by a Moscow court days earlier. The director of Moscow's famed Gogol Theater was arrested in August, accused of embezzling some $1 million in state funds. He has called the charges absurd. In addition to his theatrical work, Serebrennikov is a respected filmmaker. The Bolshoi canceled the premier of Nureyev at the last second in July amid speculation in Russian media that its treatment of the dancer's homosexuality prompted officials to shut it down. Russia's conservative-minded culture minister, Vladimir Medinsky, spoke with the Bolshoi's general director, Vladimir Urin, shortly before the originally planned premiere, though Medinsky denied interfering in "repertory politics." The Bolshoi said the show was canceled because it was not ready. A principal dancer of St. Petersburg's Kirov Ballet, Nureyev asked for a political asylum in France while on tour in Paris in 1961. He died of AIDS-related illness in 1993 at the age of 54. The criminal case against Serebrennikov has drawn international attention and prompted accusations that Russian authorities are targeting cultural figures who are at odds with President Vladimir Putin's government. Serebrennikov has taken part in antigovernment protests and voiced concern about the increasing influence of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has close ties to the state. Former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin, a relative liberal who is reportedly on close terms with Putin, said on Twitter after the ballet's premiere that it is "unfair" that Serebrennikov was not in attendance. Putin has dismissed concerns about Serebrennikov's case, claiming on October 30 that it has nothing to do with politics. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, attended the premiere and told the state-run TASS news agency that it is a "global event." He added that he did not see "anything provocative" in the show. With reporting by Interfax, Reuters, AFP, AP, The Guardian, and Meduza 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. A British journalist working for the French news agency AFP says he has been denied entry to Kyrgyzstan upon arrival and told he was banned from the ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia. Chris Rickleton, 32, told RFE/RL in a December 9 telephone interview that he was stopped at the border earlier that morning after arriving at Manas airport outside Kyrgyzstans capital, Bishkek. Rickleton, who has worked as Central Asia correspondent for AFP since 2015, said he was informed by border guards that he had been hit with an entry ban but that they did not know the reason for the restriction. They actually asked me what the reason for the entry ban was, and I told them that I didnt know, he told RFE/RL. He said it was the first difficulty he had faced entering Kyrgyzstan since the countrys October 15 presidential election won by Sooronbai Jeenbekov, outgoing President Almazbek Atambaevs favorite in the ballot. Rickleton told RFE/RL that he believes the ban is linked to Kyrgyz security services, with whom he said he had had issues with in the past. He declined to go into details about his interaction with Kyrgyz security services but said he had last entered the country successfully in early October. Rickleton, who said he was speaking from a departure hall at Manas airport while waiting for an outbound flight, said he has unsuccessfully tried to obtain official accreditation as an AFP journalist with the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry. In a December 9 Facebook post, Rickleton said he has a long-term accreditation with the Foreign Ministry in neighboring Kazakhstan. He added that he has lived consistently in Kyrgyzstan for eight years and that his wife and daughter are Kyrgyz citizens currently based in Bishkek. Rickleton told RFE/RL that he had been attempting to enter Kyrgyzstan under the country's visa-waiver system for citizens of Britain and other countries for stays up to 60 days. Kyrgyz officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The Kyrgyz newssite Kloop.kg cited a spokesman for the Kyrgyz State Committee for National security, Rakhat Sulaimanov, as saying that his committee is not responsible for deportations and referring questions on the matter to the Foreign Ministry. The journalism watchdog Reporters Without Borders last month noted the pluralism of Kyrgyz media, calling it an exception in Central Asia. But the group's secretary-general, Christophe Deloire, said that while the situation in Kyrgyzstan is better than elsewhere in the region, media outlets there face increasing challenges, including costly defamation lawsuits and self-censorship on sensitive issues. AFP did not immediately respond to a request for comment on December 9. Iraq has declared victory over Islamic State (IS) militants, saying the last remnants of the extremist group have been driven from the country three years after it captured large swaths of Iraqi territory. Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on December 9 that that Iraq has "completely liberated" the country. "Our enemy wanted to kill our civilization, but we have won through our unity and our determination," Abadi said of the three-year effort to dislodge IS. "All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist [IS] gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian border," General Abdul-Amir Rahid Yar Allah said in a statement. In 2014, IS seized about one-third of the country. In response, the government, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition, launched a campaign against them. The United States later on December 9 praised the end of what it called the "vile occupation" of Iraq by IS militants while warning that the group continues to present a threat. "The Iraqi announcement signals the last remnants of ISIS's self-proclaimed 'caliphate' in Iraq have been erased and the people living in those areas have been freed from ISIS's brutal control," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, using an alternate acronym for the extremist group. "The United States joins the government of Iraq in stressing that Iraq's liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism, and even against ISIS, in Iraq is over," Nauert added in her statement. The U.S.-led coalition fighting IS militants in Iraq and Syria welcomed the news on Twitter, saying it congratulates the people of Iraq on their significant victory. We stand by them as they set the conditions for a secure and prosperous #futureiraq," the tweet said. Iraqi forces last month recaptured the last town controlled by IS militants -- Rawah, which is located near the Syrian border -- and continued operations to clear areas of Iraq's western deserts in the ensuing weeks. With reporting by AP, AFP, and Reuters Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said U.S. threats to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran are hampering efforts to end the nuclear crisis with North Korea. Lavrov said at a summit in Vienna on December 8 that in his talks with Pyongyang, he's found North Korea is willing to negotiate a de-escalation of the crisis with the United States, but it has doubts about whether Washington will abide by any deal in light of what happened with Iran. The question is "how to convince North Korea that a deal won't be rejected in a year or two by a new American administration," Lavrov said, according to a translation of his remarks on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "North Korea needs security guarantees, especially when Washington is about to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal," he said. With both sides escalating the conflict this year through a series of missile and nuclear tests by North Korea and U.S. and South Korean military drills, Lavrov said, "now, of course, it will be more difficult to create conditions for the resumption of the dialogue." After a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on December 7, Lavrov had said Moscow was ready to try to mediate talks between Washington and Pyongyang at the same time he accused the United States of contributing to increased tensions. "We know that North Korea wants foremost to discuss security guarantees with the United States. We're ready to support, to participate in these negotiations," Lavrov said at the time. "We are convinced of the need to end the vicious cycle of confrontation, carelessness, and provocations." Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and dpa A senior Russian general who was accused in a recent investigation of being a coordinator of separatist forces in eastern Ukraine and of possibly playing a role in the downing of a civilian airliner in July 2014 has said he plans to sue the authors of the report for defamation. Retired General Nikolai Tkachyov told Novaya Gazeta on December 9 that he will sue the Bellingcat investigative collective and the independent website The Insider over their report, in which they used digital voice analysis to identify Tkachyov as a man codenamed Delfin (dolphin) who appears on intercepted communications with separatist fighters. Tkachyov denies that he was Delfin or that he was in eastern Ukraine in 2014. He said he has spent the last few years in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg busying himself with the "patriotic education of youths." Bellingcat and The Insider published their investigation on December 8. In it, they reported that they had enlisted two independent analytical centers -- one in the United States and one in Lithuania -- to compare the intercepted audio from 2014 with recordings of Tkachyov made under the pretext of interviewing him for another story. The two centers, using various digital analytical methods, independently determined it was "highly probable" that the man on the recordings and Tkachyov were one and the same. According to the report, Delfin was a Russian general who was based in the Ukrainian town of Krasnodon in the summer of 2014 with the task of coordinating disparate separatist militia units in parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Dutch-led Joint Investigative Team (JIT) has identified Delfin as a person of interest in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in July 2014. The JIT determined in 2016 that it was shot down from separatist-held territory in the Donetsk region by a BUK antiaircraft system provided by the Russian military. The JIT report says the BUK entered Ukraine near Krasnodon and was spirited back into Russia immediately after the airliner was shot down, killing all 298 people aboard. Russia denies interfering in Ukraine's internal affairs, despite compelling evidence that Moscow has provided military, economic, and political support to separatists fighting against Kyiv. Russia and the separatists deny shooting down MH17 and have offered several other theories to explain the incident, all of which have been rejected by investigators. Tkachyov, 68, is a decorated veteran of both Russian campaigns in Chechnya. He was released from military service in 2010. After his retirement, however, he served in 2011-12 as a military adviser to the government of Syria. After his return, he was assigned to the Central Military District and based in Yekaterinburg. In May 2014, he attended the Victory Day parade in Yekaterinburg. He appeared again in public in August 2014 at an event celebrating Orenburg Cossacks. With reporting by Novaya Gazeta MUSCATINE The prominent Muscatine couple, Richard "Dick" and Mary Jo Stanley have donated $10 million to support the building of the new University of Iowa Museum of Art. This month, Jim Leach, Interim Director of the museum, made the announcement, saying the Stanley's generosity will help the university rebuild its art museum after the 2008 flood, according to a news release. The $50 million, 63,000-square-foot museum will include 16,500 square feet of exhibition space and 2,200 square feet of outdoor gallery space, plus research rooms. Dick, who recently died, and Mary Jo Stanley have been strong advocates of the University of Iowa, supporting the UI College of Engineering, as well as the art museum. A portion of the family's gift, Leach said, comes from the estate of Dick Stanley's parents, C. Maxwell and Elizabeth Stanley, who developed a large collection of African art, which was donated to the museum in 1985. The university now has a 2,400-piece African art collection, according to Leach. Following the announcement of the $10 million donation, the university decided to rename the museum the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, according to a news release. "The Stanley family has made an indelible mark on our universityand on the art of the world...Today, our university is stronger because of the Stanleys," UI President J. Bruce Harreld said in a news release. "With Dick's recent passing, the university has lost one of our strongest advocates and supporters. He will be greatly missed." Construction of the museum will begin next year, and the university hopes to plan a public opening in 2020. Until the new museum opens, exhibitions will be held at the Iowa Memorial Union and Figge Art Museum in Davenport, according to a news release. Officials said the museum will be called the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art beginning next spring. "When future generations visit the museum and see uplifting art from every corner of the world, they also will be witnessing the philanthropic impact of model citizens within and outside the state," Leach said. "In this galaxy of cultural generosity, as well as international humanism, Dick and Mary Jo have few peers. The university is deeply grateful." C. Maxwell Stanley, Elizabeth Stanley and Dick Stanley all graduated from the University of Iowa. A Bolshoi Theater ballet about Russian dance legend Rudolf Nureyev that was abruptly canceled when its director was arrested this summer will premiere on December 9. The Bolshoi in July abruptly cancelled the premiere of "Nureyev" after director Kirill Serebrennikov was detained in a criminal inquiry that shocked the global arts world. Serebrennikov remains under house arrest on financial fraud charges. "Sadly, our request to the [Russian] Investigative Committee that Kirill Serebrennikov be allowed to take part in rehearsals was not answered," the Bolshoi's general director Vladimir Urin said at a news conference on December 8. Serebrennikov's arrest had raised concerns that the ballet's frank treatment of Nureyev's same-sex relationships had offended Russian authorities. Serebrennikov's productions have offended social conservatives in the past. But Urin and members of the cast insisted there had been no major changes to the production from what Serebrennikov originally planned before his arrest. Rehearsals began in mid-November under choreographer Yury Possokhov, and "everything Possokhov did was with the agreement of Kirill Serebrennikov," Urin said. "I know Kirill has overseen the course of rehearsals and as far as I know he is still making comments, so he hasn't left the process," said principal dancer Vladislav Lantratov. "All of us -- artists, creators and everyone involved in this show -- found it very difficult what happened. We dreamed that this show would be performed, and it will be," he said. Serebrennikov, who heads Moscow's Gogol Center theater and who has done several productions for the Bolshoi, has been accused of defrauding the state of over $1 million in arts funding. He has denounced the charges as "absurd" and his supporters have said the case is part of a politically motivated crackdown on Russia's arts community ahead of presidential elections next year. Based on reporting by AP and AFP Dear all, Warning: TL; DR I have been thinking to write this for a long time ago. This is the story of how I lost my bike because of useless KTM Mogappair Service Centre (Chennai), TN Police and Bajaj Alliance Insurance Ltd are able to do nothing about it even after providing substantial evidence of suspect. I owned a KTM Duke 200 (MH14 FB0280), bought in August2015 while I was in Pune. Last year during December I got shifted to Chennai for a job. I parked my bike at ground floor of my residence with sidelocked condition on 16March2017. It was stolen between 8pm of 16March2017 and 8am of 17March2017 by breaking sidelock of my bike. Immediately I gave complaint at Police Station. Got FIR for that on 22March2017 (after 5 days). On 28March2017, I got a call from Mogappair KTM Service Centre (KLN Automobiles Ltd) regarding a customer feedback for a repair work done on my bike. I told them my bike got stolen already and how it is possible to service it. They told someone brought my bike with a TN register no. (TN20 BE 4848) on 21March2017 and got it repaired on 22March2017. I visited the service centre next day and enquired about my bike. It has been found that 3 guys gave my bike for replacing entire lock kit including sidelock and rear left footrest (which was already broken). As per the information given by service centre lady who does all the billing works and feedback, before giving bike for service the culprits visited the service centre to check whether sidelock kit is available for separate sale but service centre people told them that they wont sell separately and it will be replaced only at service centres. So, the next day, they brought my bike with a fake TN no. plate and got it repaired. I was unable to download CCTV footage video but got pictures of suspect from those videos. Only 2 of 3 guys were caught on CCTV. I have collected details of that repair job as well. I have shown photos of those suspects and other service details to police on 31March2017. Police asked me to bring photo prints of it. When I tried to give photo prints on 03April2017, police didnt utter a word about the suspects and told they lost the details which I have already provided. And again I tried to submit photo prints, police were not interested in looking into my case and postponed it. Initially police not even considered me to file a case against bike theft. The FIR I got it for this case also happened only after I sent complaint letter thro a registered post. The idea was suggested by a lawyer (a friend). The following are the experiences I had with these 3 entities. KTM Mogappair Service Centre: KTM Mogappair service centre people are so lethargic to cross question the suspects by asking ID proof of owner. Service centre in-charge was telling, he gave bike because one guy told him he is the owner. I doubt KTMs service and delivery policy. While owning 2 original keys by myself, how it is possible for them to take repair job of a bike without asking for the key and smartcard? When billing was made thro KTM portal, the bill was generated with original owner info. (my details). So, while delivering, showroom security quarrelled with the suspect that he wont allow bike for delivery since there is a discrepancy in bike nos. On bill it was printed MH14 FB0280 with my Pune address whereas on bike it was TN20 BE4848. I strongly condemn KTM Mogappair service centre guys for this lethargic act. If they could have cross verified the owner info, I would have got my bike now. Police Station: On the day my bike was stolen, I had to wait at Police Station for a whole day to give my complaint. Initially I requested police take my complaint at least for the sake. I kept on begging them to take complaint because if the culprits uses my bike for any illegal activities, then I would become the victim. Since Im the only earning member of my family, I asked them to consider it. But I was humiliated and harassed. Police were telling me to go to Pune where I bought my bike and give complaint there. They were not even paying heed to my problems. They asked me what I was doing. I said, Im working at Renault-Nissan, Mahindra City. In reply they asked me whether Im a CL labour or an operator. Whoever I was, is this the way of treating a common man? Even the police started suspecting me whether truly I own a bike or not. They were discussing themselves that this guy might not have a bike (based on my appearance) but came here to file a case just like that. Who will go to police station just to file a fake case unless the person is a fraudulent? That night at 10.30pm, the sub-inspector took my complaint just for the sake and didnt utter anything. I pleaded him to give an acknowledgement for the complaint he took. He doesnt want to give one even after I pleaded him so much. I asked them shall I visit next day as well. Simply they said, seri seri (ok ok). Eventually next day I went but it was crowded too much. I contacted a lawyer friend and he suggested me to send formal complaint via registered post. The next Tuesday I have sent complaint letter. Then Wednesday itself, police called me and gave FIR immediately. I realised they trust only registered post and not the people. And still there is no progress in my case despite strong evidence of suspect. I agree that I didnt have Non-Objection Certificate from RTO for using it in Tamilnadu. I have submitted all documents to get NOC there but I had to visit Pune again for signing few documents in front of RTO. It was not even 3 months I came to Chennai. Clearly I can see, this is a well-executed theft. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Ltd: The day I lost my bike, I have registered for claim with Bajaj Allianz. Immediately they took my request and gave an ID for claiming. Initially they told me that I have to visit the head office in Arumbakkam to submit all the original documents and keys of bike. The staff were nice to me. The staff who took my claim told me to submit NOC (Notice To Complainants report) which will be provided at police station after 90 days of FIR registered. Since my bike was in loan I had to foreclose it in-order to get NOC (No Objection Certificate) from Bajaj Finance Ltd, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Pune. In between, an investigator from Bajaj Allianz had to visit the location where theft happened and collect witnesss signature. The investigator guy was not interested to visit my flat even after numerous follow-ups and he was getting tensed whenever I called him to check status. Saying, Are you the only one who lost bike? We have to look all the cases. You have to wait till I call. Still I am absolutely clueless with the words he spoke. I dont know where the problem is. I have to blame Bajaj Allianz Ltd for this shameless act. I think Bajaj Allianz is not guiding their employees about customer service. I have paid insurance worth Rs. 4000/- per year. When I asked the reason they told for premium bikes, insurance fee will be high. If this is the case, then they should act accordingly for the money I paid for my bike. For the people who doubt the authenticity of this write-up, you can inbox me. I can provide you the soft copy of original documents and FIR. Kind request to all bike users in Chennai, never ever park your bike in theft prone zones like secluded areas where you dont have any securities. Even with the CCTV monitoring, thieves still manage to execute the theft. For KTM owners, immediately contact KTM India Sales and Service Office and request to block your engine and chassis no. So, when someone bring your bike for any repair work, they wont be able to generate bill. Any information regarding my bike theft is welcome. So far, I have contacted few Facebook popular persons to post this on their timeline. Theyre not willing to respond. Anyway here Im posting it from my profile. Please share maximum to spread awareness. Bike Details: Model : KTM Duke 200 Colour : Orange Reg. No. : MH14 FB0280 Chassis No. : VBKJUC4C4FC043731 Engine No. : 590625551 Update Thanks to reader Kathir Elango, who using the VAHAAN service, has managed to find out the details of the fake no plate used by the thieves. This is as follows. Vehicle Number : TN20BE4848 Owner Name : MUNUSAMY S Registration Authority : RTO, TIRUVALLUR, TAMIL NADU Registration Date: 23-Feb-2011 Vehicle Model : BAJAJ AUTO LTD, PULSAR 150 Vehicle Class : MOTOR CYCLE Vehicle Type : PETROL Chasis No : MOTOR CYCLE Engine No : DHGBTJ XXXXX Bike Theft Suspects Bike at the KTM outlet for changing locks. Bike Theft Suspects Bike Theft Suspects Mogappair KTM Service Details Mogappair KTM Service Details Mogappair KTM Service Details Mogappair KTM Service Details < Mogappair KTM Service Details[/caption][caption id="attachment_258056" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Owner of the bike - Tamilmani[/caption] U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Litigation Release No. 24006 / December 8, 2017 Securities and Exchange Commission v. Steve Qi, et al., Civil Action No. 2:17-cv-08856 (Central District of California, Complaint filed December 8, 2017) SEC Charges Immigration Lawyer and His Law Firm with Defrauding Immigrant Investors and Acting as Unregistered Brokers The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed a civil injunctive action charging a California-based attorney and his law firm with acting as unregistered brokers in connection with sales of EB-5 investments and defrauding their investor clients by not fully disclosing their receipt of transaction-based compensation. According to the SEC's complaint, filed today in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Steve Qi and his firm, Law Offices of Steve Qi & Associates, A Professional Corporation, promoted EB-5 investments to potential investors who were also their immigration law clients. Over 70 clients who retained Qi's law firm also invested in EB-5 securities offered by entities recommended by Qi and his firm. The complaint alleges that in addition to receiving legal fees from those clients, Qi and his firm also directly or indirectly received over $1.6 million in transaction-based compensation from the entities whose EB-5 offerings their clients purchased, which was not fully disclosed to the clients, in breach of the fiduciary, legal and ethical duties of Qi and his firm. The SEC's complaint further alleges that when an entity selling EB-5 investments refused to pay commissions to U.S.-based persons based on the broker registration requirements in the federal securities laws, Qi and his firm used Qi's overseas relatives as nominees to receive over $1 million in transaction-based compensation on their behalf. The SEC's complaint charges Qi and his law firm with violations of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. They are also charged with violating Section 15(a) of the Exchange Act, the broker-dealer registration provision. The SEC's complaint seeks disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and penalties, along with permanent injunctions. The SEC's investigation was conducted by Ashley Dolan, Sarah Hall, Heather Powell, Thomas Manganello, and Roger Paszamant, and supervised by Melissa Robertson. The litigation will be led by Kenneth Guido. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. SEC Complaint https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2017/lr24006.htm Modified: 12/08/2017 Man facing murder charge given 10 years for unrelated fatal crash Travis Logan was given 10 years in prison this week for his role in a fatal Mishawaka crash from 2020. He still faces a murder charge from 2021. President Donald Trump responded to chants of "lock her up" by citing the "rigged system," while speaking at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, on Friday night. "Look, it's being proven we have a rigged system," Trump said to the crowd of supporters. "Doesn't happen so easy. But this system, there will be a lot of changes." The crowd's chant -- referring to Trump's former Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton -- and his railing on a "rigged" system harkened back to the 2016 election. Trump also called it a "sick system from the inside," and said he was working to course-correct the institutional sickness within the country. Before the crowd began its cries of "lock her up," Trump mocked the Democratic movement known as "the resistance." Standing at the lectern, Trump imitated the holding of a sign and asked if the crowd had seen the ones that say "resist." He later carried on to say that the resistance was purely a resistance against "the will of the American people," which prompted calls of "lock her up." "They are resisting progress," Trump later said. "They're resisting change. Because the only thing they really care about is protecting what they have been able to do, which is really control the country and not to your benefit." Trump is speaking just days ahead of the special election in Alabama, after having put his full support behind the controversial Republican candidate Roy Moore earlier this week. Covering nearly a fifth the circumference of Mars, the canyon system Valles Marineris reigns as the largest canyon system on the Red Planet. Dwarfing its Earthly counterpart, the Grand Canyon, the Martian feature is one of the larger canyons in the solar system. Characteristics Valles Marineris is a system of canyons that spans 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers). At some points, the canyon is 125 miles (200 km) wide. Regions can reach depths of 6 miles (10 km). If the system were located on Earth, it would stretch across the United States, from Los Angeles to the Atlantic coast. By comparison, Earth's natural wonder, the Grand Canyon, is only 227 miles (446 km) long, 18 miles (30 km) wide, and 1 mile (1.6 km) deep. A windy channel on Venus, Baltis Valles, extends longer than the Martian system, as do a handful of rift valleys on Earth, which form along fault lines as the crust breaks apart. Valles Marineris stretches east-west just below the Martian equator. It starts in the west in the Noctis Labyrinthus, a system of maze-like valleys and canyons, and stretches around 20 percent of the planet to the chaotic terrain near the Chryse Planitia basin. (Chryse Planitia was visible to NASA's Viking 1 lander.) The canyon system contains a number of different features that give clues to its formation. Collapse pits created by rushing water eating away at the land, massive floods, and seeping along canyon walls all point to water just at or beneath the surface at some point in the Martian history. Cracks in the crust, cliffs and walls, and landslides also exist along the expanse of Valles Marineris. The vast canyon can be seen from Earth through a telescope as a dark scarring on the planet's surface. Features known as chasmata, steep depressions that resemble canyons on Earth, dominate the canyon. The canyon begins in the Noctis Labyrinthus on the western edge, a region of material thought to have volcanic origins. Two parallel chasmata, Ius and Tithonium, stretch eastward, and contain lava flows and faults from the Tharsis Bulge. Three more chasmata, Melas, Candor and Ophir, are connected on the east side of the parallel features. Their floors contain eroded material and volcanic ash. The floor of the Melas chasma contains the deepest point of the canyon system. Valles Marineris in the east of Mars Tharsis volcanic region. Higher regions are marked red in this topographic map, while yellow and green indicate moderate elevations; the lowest points are shown in blue. (Image credit: MOLA, NASA/JPL/University of Arizona) Coprates Chasma lies farther east, with well-defined layered deposits. These deposits may have formed from landslides or wind-blown material, although the region may once have housed isolated lakes. This canyon, one of the lowest points in Valles Marineris, boasts a handful of its own volcanoes, though they are small compared to Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, and its neighbors. The 400-meter high cones were only recently identified. "We observed morphological details such as bulging of solidified lava caused by the injection of more-recent lava beneath the hardened crust, as well as characteristic surface patterns identical to lava fields on Earth," Petr Broz, from the Institute of Geophysics of the Czech Academy of Science, said in a statement. "This reinforces our assumption that we are looking at magmatic rock volcanism and not liquid mud." "In geological terms, the volcanic cones are very young, just 200 [million] to 400 million years in age," co-author Gregory Michael, of the Freie Universitat Berlin in Germany, said in a separate statement on the research. This is surprising, given that the bulk of Martian volcanism took place around 3.5 billion years ago. Eos and Ganges are another set of chasmata that contain volcanic or windblown deposits that have slowly eroded over time. The Valles Marineris system empties into the Chryse region, one of the lowest regions on Mars. Any water from the canyon system would have flown into the lowlands, and it may have once contained an ancient lake or ocean. Valles Marineris formation Over the years, scientists have proposed a number of theories about the formation of Valles Marineris. Erosion during a water-rich past and the withdrawal of subsurface magma were both early possibilities. Today, most scientists think that the formation of the Tharsis region may have helped the canyon to form. The Tharsis region contains several large volcanoes that dwarf those found on Earth, including Olympus Mons. The valleys of Coprates Chasma in the east of Valles Marineris. This perspective view was created using stereo image data from DLRs High Resolution Stereo Camera on board the European Space Agencys Mars Express spacecraft. (Image credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) As molten rock pushed through the volcanic region to form the monstrous volcanoes 3.5 billion years ago, the crust heaved upward. The strain cracked the crust, causing large faults and fractures across the planet's surface. Such fractures, growing over time, birthed the enormous canyon system. The spreading cracks caused the ground to sink and opened an escape for subsurface water. The upward rushing liquid broke down the edges of the fractures, enlarging them and washing away more of the ground while flowing past. Signs of flooding are especially apparent at the eastern end, in the mesas and hills known as chaotic terrain. Rushing water poured through channels into the lowlands, carving a series of channels. Scientists do not yet know whether the flooding took place over a short span of time, or whether one overwhelming flood was accompanied by several smaller flooding events. At the same time, canyons were slowly widened over smaller scales as seeping groundwater carried rock and sediment away in smaller quantities. Landslides also helped to enlarge the features, sometimes traveling as far as 60 miles (100 km). Lava flows and ash falling from the nearby volcanoes may also have played a role in forming the intricate feature. Glaciers probably helped with the carving. Signs of acid-rock interactions in Valles Marineris suggest that giant ice formations may have helped to carve at least some of the extensive network of channels. Deposits of the mineral jarosite suggest formation by ice rather than by puddles of water. "Jarosite is usually considered an evaporative mineral: it forms from acidic water that is evaporating," lead author Selby Cull, of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, told Space.com. "Getting an evaporating pool of water halfway up a 3-mile-high cliff is tricky, and the more we looked into the geologic context surrounding the deposit, the less likely a liquid water origin seemed." The large canyon system was discovered in 1972 by its namesake, NASA's Mariner 9 spacecraft, the first satellite to orbit another planet. Follow Nola Taylor Redd at @NolaTRedd, Facebook, or Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebook orGoogle+. Last year we were told that an unsightly shade of lime green was going to be the colour to have in our wardrobe's. So, it's understandable that we were all a little bit apprehensive about discovering the must-have hue of 2018. However, we can now all breath a sigh of relief as Pantone revealed earlier this month that the colour for next year is set to be 'Ultra Violet' - a deep vibrant purple which has recently featured on several catwalks, including Balenciaga, Gucci and Marni. The uplifting hue is said to communicate originality, ingenuity and visionary thinking and while many will be intrigued to find out more of the meaning of the shade most of us just want to find out how we can work the bold colour into our wardrobe. In the past many musicians have sported the hue, with Pantone explaining, "Musical Icons Prince, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix brought shades of Ultra Violet to the forefront of western pop culture as personal expressions of individuality". The Queen wearing Ultra Violet 1 /12 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet 1994 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet AFP/Getty Images 2004 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2004 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2010 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2010 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2010 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2012 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet AFP/Getty Images 2013 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2017 The Queen wearing Ultra Violet AFP/Getty Images However, in recent years there haven't been many brave enough to wear the retro shade - that is, apart from two women who have now become rather unlikely trendsetters. If you're searching for a 2018 style inspiration, look no further than Hilary Clinton and The Queen who seem to already be firm fans on the Ultra Violet shade. The Queen chose to wear the hue today as she travelled from London to Norfolk in order to start her Christmas festivities at Sandringham. Queen Elizabeth II signature style / PA Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty was hard to miss as she stepped off the train at King's Lynn station wearing a vibrant ultra violet coat and matching patterned headscarf. This isn't the first time the Queen has worn the trendy 2018 colour head-to-toe in recent weeks - she also wore the bold shade when she visited the HM Naval Base in Portsmouth in early December. Getty Images Furthermore, the Queen has been sporting the shade since the early 90s - proving that Her Majesty is not only the leader of Britain, but also the leader of trends. Another woman who loves to don the bold purple is Hilary Clinton, who chose to wear the colour for her concession speech in 2016. Getty Images Many believe that there was symbolism behind Hilary's choice of a purple shirt and blazer, with some linking the colour to feminism and unity. However, Hilary has always been fond of the hue, wearing it on several occasions including to the Arkandad inagural ball in 1993, as well as through much of her campaigning in 2016. Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet 1 /9 Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet 1993 Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet AFP/Getty Images 2015 Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images for EMILY's List 2015 Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2016 Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2016 Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet AFP/Getty Images 2016 Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images 2017 Hilary Clinton wearing Ultra Violet Getty Images for The Foundation for Women So, if you want to dress on-trend next year, you may want to start taking a few style lessons from Hilary Clinton and Her Majesty. A manhunt has been launched after a woman was raped in a horrific attack after a festival in north London. The victim, a woman in her early 20s, was attacked by two men she met at Hospitality in the Park in Finsbury Park, police said. The assault happened in a moving vehicle at between 11pm on Saturday, September 23, and 1am the following morning, Scotland Yard added. It is believed the woman was later dropped off in the Elephant and Castle area. Detectives investigating the rape have released CCTV footage of two men they are trying to trace following the assault. The first suspect is described as black, slim build, with short black hair, a tuft of hair on his chin and slight facial scarring. The second is described as black, of slim build with a black goatee and short hair. DC Caroline Himsworth from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command said: "I am appealing to the public to assist us in catching these two dangerous individuals who carried out this horrific attack." Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call detectives on 0208 217 7415 or contact police via Twitter @MetCC. To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. P rotesters are set to descend on the Libyan embassy in London after hundreds of thousands of people signed a petition demanding more is done to stop the sale of slaves in Africa. The petition was launched after disturbing footage emerged appearing to show people being sold in a modern-day slave market in Libya. In the video, which was first made public by CNN, young men believed to be migrants trying to reach Europe are seen being sold off as farm workers. It sparked outrage across the globe and the petition, calling on the UK government to put pressure on Libyan leaders to stop the illegal markets, has garnered the support of more than 260,000 people. Several big names have thrown their weight behind the cause, including Stormzy, Cara Delevingne, Skepta and Naomi Campbell. And on Saturday hundreds of demonstrators will march to the embassy in Knightsbridge, demanding more is done to halt this crime against humanity. On the event page organisers African Lives Matter described the abhorrent markets as a crime against African humanity [that] dehumanizes all of us because humanity is one. They are demanding that "inhumane" detention centres are closed and African leaders step in to rescue anyone being held as a slave. The footage is believed to show youths from Niger attempting to travel through Libya which is considered the gateway for those trying to reach Europe. There had previously been reports of migrants being held by people smugglers before being sold to work for little or no money. But the footage was the first hard evidence of the 21st century slave trade and brought the issue to the forefront of global news. This is about humanity, human rights , human dignity therefore we invite everyone who feels this is wrong and must be stopped to join us, the protest organisers wrote. Protests definitely work, it gets the word out and sends a strong warning to the criminals. All Africans, all humans are welcome. The march begins at Belgrave Square at midday. W idespread disruption is expected as snow continues to fall across swathes of the UK, with forecasters warning some areas could be cut off as temperatures plummet. Freezing air hanging above much of the UK will continue to turn an eastward-moving band of rain into wintry showers on Saturday. And strong winds pose the risk of blizzard conditions across northern Scotland where thousands of homes were left without power on Friday. A yellow warning of snow and ice covering western parts stretching from Devon and Cornwall in the south to the far north of Scotland is in place until 6pm on Saturday evening. Weekend weather warning across parts of the UK Temperatures will struggle to get above 0C (32F) "across the board" throughout the day. Southern areas are expected to be marginally milder, meaning they will see rain rather than snow, however strong winds are forecast in the wake of Storm Caroline. Elsewhere freezing temperatures are expected overnight and into Sunday morning, down to as low as -12C (10F), meaning that fallen snow will fail to clear before the arrival of further heavy showers. An amber warning of heavy snow, beginning at 4am on Sunday, has been issued for most of north Wales and north-west England. Parts of the West and East Midlands, the East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber and London and the South East could be affected. Tourists walk past a red phone box as snow falls on Parliament Square (file photo) / Getty Images "Road, rail and air travel delays are likely, as well as stranding of vehicles and public transport cancellations. There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off," the Met Office said. The alert is accompanied by a yellow warning of wind for parts of eastern England, London and the South East, the South West and Wales that could bring "short-term loss of power and other services" as well as transport disruption. Accumulations of 10cm (four inches) of snow are expected widely in the warning areas, while 15-20cm is possible in worst-hit areas. Forecaster Steven Keates said: "This has the potential to cause quite widespread disruption to transport, power outages and isolation for some rural areas. It will not be a pleasant day. "South of that there will be some rain coming through and it will be quite windy, with 50-60mph gusts, so we are talking about gale-force wind and severe gales in some parts. "Farther north, for the bulk of Scotland, it will be a cold but fine day with some snow for the far north." Highways England has advised road users intending to travel through the West Midlands and the north-west of England to check the forecast and road conditions before they travel. Meanwhile, council gritting teams are on standby to cover roads across the country as temperatures plummet for a second night. On Friday night lows of 5.3C (42F) were recorded at Spadeadam in Cumbria, while widespread frost was forecast on Saturday night with lows of -12C (10F) expected in sheltered Scottish glens under clear skies. Some 18,000 homes were reconnected after losing power as a result of stormy weather on Friday, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said. A total of 14cm (6in) of snow was recorded in Inverness-shire, while 12cm (4.7in) was recorded in Aviemore. A former co-star of Dustin Hoffman has accused him of sexual harassment, describing her experience as horrific, demoralising and abusive. Actress Kathryn Rossetter said when the pair co-starred in Death of a Salesman on Broadway in 1984, the Hollywood star would grope her and demand foot rubs. On one night, she said, Hoffman exposed her body to the stage crew. "Suddenly he grabs the bottom of my slip and pulls it up over my head, exposing my breasts and body to the crew and covering my face, she said. Rossetter told her account in a guest column in The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, adding: Night after night I went home and cried. I withdrew and got depressed and did not have any good interpersonal relationships with the cast." Her allegation comes a month after actress Anna Graham Hunter accused Hoffman of groping her and making inappropriate comments when she was a 17-year-old intern on the set of the 1985 TV movie Death of a Salesman, in which Rossetter reprised her stage role. Rossetter filmed her part in three days and said she had no knowledge of how Hoffman treated anyone on the set. Hoffman's representatives have not commented on the latest allegations. He has previously denied abusing Hunter, saying her allegations were "not reflective of who I am." Rossetter, who went on to have roles in Speed 2: Cruise Control and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, wrote that Hoffman "left dirty fingerprints on my soul." Hunter's allegations against the actor recently prompted television host John Oliver to publicly question Hoffman during an anniversary screening of his film Wag the Dog. During a panel discussion, Oliver said Hoffman's reply that harassment was not reflective of who he is was a "cop-out," adding: "It is reflective of who you were." I srael says it has targeted sites in Gaza belonging to militant group Hamas in retaliation over an attack. Israeli military said it hit weapons sites early on Saturday morning. Two people were killed in the strikes, according to local reports, bringing the deaths in Israeli strikes and gunfire over the past day to four. Three rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza late on Friday. Israeli-Palestinian tensions have increased since President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Boris Johnson: Trump's Jerusalem intervention is 'not helpful' The decision reversed decades of US neutrality on the conflict. It comes as the Arab League is to hold an emergency on Saturday to discuss the status of Jerusalem. Protests erupted across the Middle East after Mr Trump made the historic and highly controversial move on Wednesday. Palestinian protesters burn tyres in the main square in Gaza city following the president's announcement / AP In a ground-breaking speech at the White House, the president ended decades of US neutrality on Jerusalem and promised to relocate the US embassy there from Tel Aviv. The move sparked fury among Palestinians, who immediately took to the streets in protest at a decision that they claim shatters hopes for peace in the war-torn region. Jerusalem is regarded as a capital by both Israel and Palestine, making it the highly combustible centre of the decades-long Israeli-Arab conflict. Defying worldwide warnings, Mr Trump insisted that after repeated peace failures it was time for a new approach. "We cannot solve our problems by making the same failed assumptions and repeating the same failed strategies of the past," he said. B oris Johnson spoke frankly for two hours with his Iranian counterpart in a bid to free jailed London mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The Foreign Secretary met with Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif in Tehran on Saturday, covering a number of areas including Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's situation. The meeting, in which Mr Johnson brought up "concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals", was described by the Foreign Office as "constructive". Mr Johnson earlier said he would express grave concerns over the detention of the 37-year-old, who is from Hampstead. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif shakes the hand of Boris Johnson / AP She has been held in Tehran since April 2016 after being accused of plotting to overthrow the Iranian government, which she denies. A Foreign Office spokesman said: "They discussed the full range of bilateral issues and they both spoke frankly about the obstacles in the relationship, including the Foreign Secretary's concerns about the consular cases of British-Iranian dual nationals. "Both emphasised their commitment to continuing to work together to improve the bilateral relationship." Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe explainer It added: "During two hours of frank talks, they agreed to work together to make progress on a number of the most important bilateral and regional security issues. "The Foreign Secretary began by expressing his condolences for the powerful November earthquake which struck Iran's border region with Iraq. "He then moved on to the nuclear deal, underlining the UK's continued support for the deal and determination that it should be fully implemented. "They also talked at length about the breadth of regional issues and the need for regional partners and the international community to work together to find solutions. "Overall, it was a useful meeting at the start of the Foreign Secretary's visit to Iran." Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and daughter Gabriella / AFP Mr Johnson has been seeking the release of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe who is serving a five-year sentence over allegations. She was arrested in 2016 during a holiday visit to show her baby daughter Gabriella to her parents. Reports suggest she could appear in court again on Sunday, following threats to increase her sentence by five years following Mr Johnson's gaffe of telling a parliamentary committee that she had been in Iran to train journalists. He later acknowledged this was not the case. Emma Thompson marches in support of mother held in Iran 1 /10 Emma Thompson marches in support of mother held in Iran Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe march Richard Ratcliffe is joined by actress Emma Thompson in Hampstead PA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe march Ms Thompson called on the Government to do more PA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe march Richard Ratcliffe talks to demonstrators before a march REUTERS Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe march Ms Thompson joined supporters in north London REUTERS Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe march Demonstrators hold placards reading 'Free Nazanin' Reuters Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe march The actress told Boris Johnson to 'get on a plane' Reuters Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe march Demonstrators hold placards before a march in support of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe REUTERS Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe march The grop gathered in Hampstead PA Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said he was "waiting on tenterhooks, biting my nails" ahead of Mr Johnson's visit to Iran. "I'm really pleased he is there in time for Nazanin's trial and waiting to see what will happen. I'm certainly hopeful but I'm trying not to be expectant," he told The Guardian. It is understood that Mr Ratcliffe did not accompany Mr Johnson on his trip after receiving advice that such a move may not help his chances of seeing his wife in prison. "If I'm blunt, it is better that he is there in time for her trial than he and I go there after her trial and she's been sentenced to more years," he told the newspaper. Mr Ratcliffe has not seen his wife or daughter for over 20 months When the couple last spoke by telephone on Tuesday, Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe was "genuinely worried about the court case and getting quite agitated", her husband said. Mr Ratcliffe told the newspaper that Mr Johnson will attempt to visit his wife in jail and meet the head of the Iranian judiciary. However, Tehran does not recognise Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's dual UK-Iranian nationality, and refuses her access to representatives of the British authorities, making a prison visit for the Foreign Secretary unlikely during the trip. Her case is one of a small number of cases of dual nationals whose release Britain is seeking on humanitarian grounds on which Mr Johnson will push for progress. The Foreign Office has declined to name the other individuals involved - or even identify the number in jail - after their families asked for their cases to be kept out of the public eye. Mr Johnson's trip to Tehran is only the third by a UK foreign secretary since 2003 and comes at a time of tension in the Middle East over Donald Trump's announcement that he is recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy R obert Finlay - Goin Platinum! **** One suspects this Louisiana bluesman knows his second album isnt really goin platinum but it deserves too. Robert Finlay launched his debut, Age Dont Mean a Thing, last year at the age of 63, and its follow-up is another masterclass in rhythm and blues. The Black Keys Dan Auerbach is on guitar duties but its Finlays voice thats the centrepiece. On opener Get It While You Can, he sounds like a more gravelly Tom Jones, singing: Youve got to take it while you can get it, and get it while you can, wrap it up in bacon and sizzle it in a pan. Elsewhere, If You Forget My Love is dewy-eyed soul while Complications sounds like the single that could bring Finlay to the attention of a wider audience. In the meantime, if you like your music as rootsy as an oak tree, walk this way. (Nonesuch) by Rick Pearson Dan Michaelson - First Light **** First Light is not album you would put on to cheer yourself up, exactly. Dan Michaelsons mournful English baritone, the string arrangements and languid guitar form a party-killer so potent, it should really come with some sort of health warning. But should you find yourself staring out the window at the bare trees, wondering where another year has gone, well, it might just provide the balm you need. The tempo rarely rises above a largo and melodies are dictated by the extreme weight of his voice: creaky and hard to move, like an old oak chest. But theres a mordant wit to songs like But Ill Never Be Lost, which together with a dream-like shimmer, reaches some of the corners visited by Bill Callahan, Nick Cave or the Nationals Matt Berninger. A small gem. (The State 51 Conspiracy) by Richard Godwin MMODE - MMODE *** Perhaps tired of receiving hundreds of tweets from angry commuters every day, Belfast siblings Thom and Lucy Gaffney have changed their band name from Southern in time to release their debut album. Theyve also tamed their bluesy early sound into something that could soothe the brow of anyone enduring another signal failure at East Croydon. Lucys soft, blurred voice suits the acoustic finger-picking of Sometimes in Life and the early-morning shuffle of Sunrise in Belfast, which adds a meandering saxophone to the unhurried guitar groove. When they pick up the pace, however, as on Waiting in the Desert and Over This Before, they rely on early Nineties indie-dance beats that sound dated rather than stylishly retro. In their quieter moments, though, they arrive at a destination that has real promise. (Gone Fishing) by David Smyth Jim James - Tribute To 2 *** From Black Sabbath and Bob Dylan to George Michael and Kool & the Gang, US psychedelic rock band My Morning Jackets addiction to cover versions means they can play a completely different set every night. The torrent of covers continues on frontman Jim Jamess solo record, a more wide-ranging follow-up to his 2009 Tribute To collection devoted to the songs of George Harrison. Largely respectful rather than needlessly radical in his reworkings, James still sneaks in subtly off-kilter elements to Thirties standard Love is the Sweetest Thing and Willie Nelsons Funny How Time Slips Away. The lush rendition of The Beach Boys I Just Wasnt Made for These Times, combining a timorous vocal with a hint of an Isaac Hayes groove, is melancholy perfection and the ultimate antidote to cheery festive pop. (ATO Records) by Andre Paine Soumik Datta & City of London Sinfonia - King of Ghosts **** In June the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeares Globe showed the Satyajit Ray film King of Ghosts with a new score by Soumik Datta. Now the music has been released on the Globe Music label, featuring Soumik Datta, Indian-born and London-raised, on the plucked sarod, Irish percussionist Cormac Byrne and the City of London Sinfonia conducted by the Globes music director Bill Barclay. The sound world is Indian and, with its delicate textures and nuances, very evocative. It still feels like a soundtrack rather than a proper album but fortunately theres plenty of interest here, notably the spectral Ghost Dance and energetic Chasing Them. The Globe Music packaging is remarkable, with extensive notes and photos. (Globe Music) by Simon Broughton Hello Skinny - Watermelon Sun *** Hello Skinny is the alias of London-based drummer Tom Skinner, a free-thinking DJ and musician who has driven the rhythm for the great and good of UK jazz. After a well received 2013 debut comes this intriguing effort, which grabs New Yorks Eighties club music by its lapels and throws it in the ring with a bit of Nineties Chicago footwork and UK jazz. Cult NYC trombone player Peter Zummo lends often improvised, riffs and loops and even bashes a tambourine; louche but pretty melodies on horns and keys add sugar to (almost too) repetitive beats. Dance music, then, with blurred lines; floaty, bright and futuristic. (Brownswood) by Jane Cornwell Countries & Areas Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe Hungary has been trying to sell off its fleet of 24 MiG-29s for the last six years, without much success. For example in November Hungary tried to auction off sell 23 decommissioned MiG-29s, complete with engines, at a starting bid (price) of $18 million for all the aircraft plus 20 spare engines, an unspecified number of missiles integrated into the MiGs, 293 pieces of associated support equipment, and 1,251 spare parts. Sounds like a real bargain. None of the potential buyers agreed. The auction failed because none of the qualified (legally able to own Mig-29s) bidders was willing to pay the minimum bid of what came to less than $800,000 per aircraft. This was not first attempt to auction off these MiGs. A previous attempt offered the same package for $43 million. It was believed that drastically reducing that minimum bid would work. The main problem was not the price but the main requirement was that the transaction needed to be approved by Russia as they are the original equipment manufacturer. This meant, unless Russia was willing to change their standard terms that all spare parts, upgrades and factory level maintenance had to be provided by Russian approved firms. That usually means Russian suppliers and no recourse if the customer is unhappy with the high cost, low quality and late delivery of these items and services. Sometimes Russia is willing to negotiate exceptions to these standard terms. That was not the case with Hungary, which was on bad terms with Russia and not willing to negotiate with someone it did not trust. As a result of these onerous terms all Hungarian MiG-29s were retired in 2010. This was a logical thing to do because at that time only four were operational and these four were quickly sold to an undisclosed neighboring country. The remaining aircraft last flew in 2010 and their current operational status is unknown. Some of the MiG-29s were stored out in the open for years at Kecskemet Air Base in Hungary. Hungary received 28 MiG-29s in 1993 as a payment for $800 million Russia owned. That comes out to approximately $29 million per aircraft, each with about 14 years of service left in them. But Hungary found the aircraft expensive to maintain. Despite the cost, half of them were refurbished to extend their service life. Since then, two of the standard variant aircraft crashed and others were cannibalized for spare parts. After Hungary retired its MiG-29s in 2010 they looked around and bought Swedish Gripen fighters in 2016. The Gripen is comparable to the MiG-29, more reliable, easier to operate and much cheaper to maintain. The Swedes have a long tradition of reliability and adhering to terms of any contract. But not everyone is fed up with the MiG-29. Although many nations (most recently Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Moldova) have retired their MiG-29s, Serbia has been eager to acquire them. That's because Serbia is broke and Russia is providing them with subsidies for military equipment. There is also a diplomatic price Serbia has to pay (acknowledge Russia as its patron and so on). Russia is giving Serbia six MiG-29s and has persuaded Belarus to provide another eight freebies. These 14 Mig-29s are not free because Serbia is required to overhaul the free MiG-29s using Russian suppliers and paying the usual Russian prices. Many Serbs opposed this deal but Serbia needs a powerful patron and only Russia was willing to step up, for a price. NATO member Bulgaria is also looking to upgrade its current fleet of MiG-29 aircraft in the near future and appears to be getting the same treatment as Hungary. Other nations are backing away from MiG-29s because of reliability and durability problems. Several times in the last few years, Russia has had MiG-29s grounded because of crashes and suspicion that there might be some kind of fundamental design flaw. All aircraft were eventually returned to flight status. This has not helped sales, and most export customers prefer the larger Su-27 (and its derivatives like the Su-30). The MiG-29 entered service in the Soviet Union in 1983, as the answer to the American F-16. Over 1,600 MiG-29s have been produced so far, with most (about 900) exported. The biggest customer, India, received its first MiG-29s in 1986, with deliveries continuing into the 1990s. As the major export customer India has been able to force Russia to back down on their usual support terms. This was not easy, but India has long been a major customer for Russian weapons and always pays (unlike many other buyers of Russian weapons). Despite this a growing number of Indians want to drop Russian as a weapons supplier and switch to more reliable (usually Western) ones. The 22 ton aMiG-29 is comparable to the F-16, but significant capability differences are noticeable between the respective variants of each aircraft. Compared to Western aircraft, like the F-16, the MiG-29 is available for action about two thirds as often. Despite any challenges, the MiG-29 remains as one of the most formidable combat aircraft currently used in multiple air forces around the world. But you must be willing and able to pay what is demanded to keep them flying. Ryan Schinault With a general election due later this year, how will Cambridge students vote? If we indeed do represent the future of the nation, what is the political mood like in the lecture halls? With this in mind, The Cambridge Student (TCS) decided to survey students voting intentions, as well as affiliations to political clubs. The poll was sent out to the student body via each colleges Communications Officer, with hundreds of students taking part. The result was a sharp split between colleges, with some leaning towards the Liberal Democrats, and others towards the Conservatives. None of the colleges surveyed had a Labour majority. Trinity had the strongest Labour vote, at 37.5%, despite the fact that the Tories carried the College with about 50% of the vote. Churchill had the second largest Labour percentage, at 29.4%. Their weakest colleges were Jesus and Robinson, with 0.0% and 7.1% respectively. Winning just under half the colleges surveyed, the Liberal Democrats performed particularly well amongst Cambridge students. Whether this can be attributed to Cambridge being generally a strong Lib Dem seat or the nature of students as a political demographic group is open to interpretation. Despite its considerably left-wing tradition, Kings College students opted to support the Liberal Democrats, with 36.1% of the vote. The College saw the highest turnout in the survey, with over one hundred people participating. Only 13.4% of Kings students voted Tory, a low only beaten by the Conservative vote at Churchill, stagnating at 11.8%. The Liberal Democrats swept Robinson with a whopping 71.4%, the highest support for any party within one college. The Conservatives carried Christs, Corpus Christi, Gonville and Caius, Magdalene, Newnham, Queens, St Johns, Trinity as well as Trinity Hall. Ironically, both Christs and Trinity, boasted strong Labour percentages. Neither had any Green voters, which indicate that Labour benefits from a low Green presence, who might otherwise whisk students away. The Green vote was surprisingly strong in certain colleges, which was perhaps a factor splitting the left-wing vote at colleges such as Kings, where 20.1% of surveyed students would vote Green. Their strongest showing is at Pembroke, where the party had an astonishing 26.3% of the vote, cutting deeply into the Labour vote which comprised only 5.3% in the College. Trinity Hall come third in the Green tally, where the party managed to lay claim to 15.4% of students participating in the poll. The only two BNP votes from the entire student body came from Magdalene College. Nick Hobbs, JCR Vice-President, commented: Whether or not these ballots were cast in jest, how individuals vote is a personal choice and it is not the place for a college or a JCR to comment on this. Other factors emerged from the survey: colleges further from the centre are far more likely to vote Liberal Democrat, whereas small, central colleges such as Corpus Christi and Trinity Hall favoured the Conservatives. Colleges that preferred the Lib Dems over the Tories generally also boasted higher turnout, indicating political zeal. If all colleges had been combined the Lib Dems would have won by a considerable margin. This contrasts with the fact that the Cambridge University Conservative Association (CUCA) currently boasts larger membership than either the Cambridge Universities Labour Club (CULC) and the Cambridge Student Liberal Democrats (CSLD). TCS was able to contact Gavin Rice, chairman of CUCA, for comment on results of the survey: The fact that the Conservatives have gained such popularity in traditionally left-wing Cambridge shows that students realise the severity of the economic catastrophe Britain faces, and that Labours total refusal to look facts in the face is no longer fooling anybody. People everywhere, especially students, are fed up with corruption, authoritarianism and the stagnant political system. Brown has shot himself in the foot by returning to Labours traditional tactic that of class-war rhetoric when in desperation. This is unhelpful and misleading when the UK needs sensible, level-headed policies to get it back on track. Its great that people no longer feel that Conservative is a dirty word, that we as a party have it in for the working man, or that young people have no reason to be Conservatives. It really is a breath of fresh air. Regarding the survey George Owers, head of the Cambridge Universities Labour Club, had only this to say: A small self-selecting sample reveals, I suggest, absolutely nothing. Proper polls weight parts of the population in question by all sorts of relevant criteria. If you want a revealing or meaningful poll, then commission a polling agency or try to get someone to do it who knows how to conduct a methodologically credible survey. Mr Owers is at Jesus College, where Labour garnered no votes. While Cambridge colleges of course only account for a tiny fraction of the population, nationwide they represent a strong demographic group, some 2 million strong. It has been suggested that students over the country might be motivated by the same issues. Wes Streeting, President of the National Union of Students, had raised this point: In many seats up and down the country the student vote can make a decisive difference. Through this campaign we hope to remind students of the power they hold and remind candidates of the danger of not taking our votes seriously. Our message to candidates is simple, vote for us or pay the price. Our list of key student seats should make the point particularly clearly. Elections have been won and lost by the votes of students before and it will happen again. It is clear that a rise in fees would be deeply unpopular across the country. Only 12 % of the public think raising fees should even be on the table. As no mainstream political party has a clear policy on fees, it is down to individual candidates to take a stand and sign our pledge. Disclaimer: Downing College, Fitzwilliam College, Homerton College, Peterhouse and St. Catharines College chose not to distribute the TCS Election Survey. We regret that we were unable to transmit it to Girton college, Murray Edwards as well as Sidney Sussex College. Key Figures: Pembroke: 26.3% Green vote 9 colleges voted Conservative 8 colleges voted Liberal Democrat 2 students voted BNP Most participants: Kings Cambridge Universities Labour Club comment: Cambridge Universities Labour Club exists to unite and mobilise Cambridge students who believe in democratic socialism and social democracy. We are a broad church, welcoming all of those on the democratic left who share our principles of solidarity, equality and social justice. We are affiliated to the Labour Party, but we maintain an independent stance towards its national policies. We are also affiliated to the Co-operative Party, and committed to its values of mutualism and social responsibility. We are united by our belief that the only way to practically and justly implement leftist policies, rather than talk about them, is through the parliamentary means of the Labour Party. To this end, we campaign for the election of Daniel Zeichner as an independently minded Labour MP for Cambridge, emphasising that the choice at the coming General Election is between a viciously reactionary Tory government and a basically decent, albeit imperfect, Labour government. Cambridge University Conservative Association comment: CUCA serves not only to represent the Conservatives in Cambridge; as well as providing this very important voice it serves an even more vital function. As a fully independent Association we focus on the free expression of ideas by our members, rather than toeing the Party line or functioning as a wing of the Cameron Youth. CUCAs long history of independence and intelligent reflection have rendered us distinct from other Conservative youth organisations and the modern-day Conservative Future. As such we have historically been respected as a recruitment ground for tomorrows Conservative thinkers, movers and shakers, not merely as a source of leafleters for the Party or future political researchers. Our distinguished alumni such as Michael Howard, Kenneth Clarke, Michael Portillo and Leon Brittan are a testament to this. As well as our political and intellectual dimension, CUCA strives to provide a vibrant, affordable, open and occasionally silly social scene, including our infamous Port & Cheese parties, free Gin & Tonic evenings and our Termly Chairmans Dinner. Our relaxed attitude makes us the friendliest and most laid-back political group in Cambridge. We seek to provide the kinds of social event not readily available elsewhere, and we like to think it reflective of CUCAs character that our parties are usually both cheaper and less noisy and sticky than a night out at Cindies (fun though that can be). We aim to make the fustier, sillier aspects of Cambridge life available to people of all backgrounds. CUCA provides a hub in which people with shared interests and views can meet, mix, chat, debate and have fun. Cambridge Student Liberal Democrats comment: Cambridge Student Liberal Democrats, CSLD, is the most active campaigning organisation in Cambridge. Our members strike a balance between campaigning for the Liberal Democrats and Julian Huppert in Cambridge, discussing politics and enjoying ourselves! CSLD offers so many different activities. We have regular canvassing and campaigning sessions where our members get experience of hands-on election campaigning. We are constantly in touch with the local Liberal Democrats discussing national and local politics, and how we can improve it. We meet with key national figures; for example, Nick Clegg is coming to visit Cambridge for a Q&A on the afternoon of the 25th of February at Trinity Hall, and Vince Cable is coming to speak to on the 4th of March. When we find the time around campaigning, we have fun debating issues and discussing politics, with regular Pizza and Politics evenings, and our Annual Dinner later this term. One of the best evenings is always cross-party drinks when we discuss all things political with the other parties! Getting involved with CSLD is so easy, and its a great way to meet new people, make new friends and get real hands-on experience of election campaigning. The decision affects far-right rural entrepreneurs who have placed their trucks in front of barracks with the undisguised objective of demanding a military coup. | Read More Representative Trent Franks, who did not find it inappropriate to discuss surrogacy with two of his staffers. Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images During this ongoing watershed moment for sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior and sexual misconduct have become catch-all phrases to denote everything from masturbating in front of non-consenting individuals to preying on teenage girls at the mall. Yesterday, Arizona congressman Trent Franks, an Evangelical culture warrior who was a member of the Freedom Caucus, resigned for a type of inappropriate behavior we have not yet seen in the past few months of public accusations against powerful men: asking two women on his staff to be surrogate mothers. You would think asking female staffers to have your babies would be an obvious no-no, but it seems many politicians could use a refresher on guidelines for interacting with fellow humans in a professional setting. Here, let the Cut provide you with a handy cheat sheet, so that next time youre wondering, Should I tell my female aide I had a sexual fantasy about her last night? there wont be any confusion. Feel free to pass it around Congress! Dont pose for a picture while groping someone. While eight women in total have accused former senator Al Franken of inappropriate behavior, this lesson comes from his first accuser, TV and radio host Leeann Tweeden. She alleges that he kissed her without her consent on a USO trip to the Middle East in 2006, as well as groped her while she was asleep, of which there is photographic evidence. Its not great optics, and also its assault. Dont brag about groping someone. It may not have kept Donald Trump out of the White House, but wed advise you to avoid bragging about how you like to grab women by the pussy. Similarly, dont joke that your favorite magician is David Cop-a-feel, especially if, like George H.W. Bush, youre allegedly making it a habit to grope women mid-photo op. Just dont grope anybody! While Donald Trump and (if elected) Roy Moore may serve as proof that you can be an accused sexual predator and still serve in government, consider this: Do you really want to be the kind of guy who trawls malls for teens or eats four McDonalds sandwiches in one sitting? Dont tell your staffers you had a wet dream about them. Before Conyers or Franken or Franks, there was Texas representative Blake Farenthold, a man who bragged to another staffer about having wet dreams and sexual fantasies about his former communications director Lauren Greene (maybe while he was wearing his beloved ducky pajamas? Unclear). Greene alleges that she was fired after complaining, so she responded by filing a lawsuit, which was dropped after Fartenhold paid her $84,000 in taxpayer funds. In the past few days, various politicians have called on Farenthold to resign. If you don't know Blake Farenthold, once accused of sexual harassment who wanted to gut congressional ethics panel: https://t.co/akzChZSTXI pic.twitter.com/yFvsjcvrNC (((JonathanWeisman))) (@jonathanweisman) January 3, 2017 Dont confuse the elevator for a swingers party. Women on Capitol Hill know to avoid one specific place where predatory behavior is reportedly rampant: the elevators. The most infamous incident of this localized harassment occurred in 1993 when South Carolina Republican Strom Thurmond tried to fondle Washington Democrat Patty Murrays breast, and according to multiple women who spoke to CNN recently, women to this day are warning others to consider taking the stairs instead. One former Senate staffer detailed a specific incident in which a senator stroked the inside of her palm in a really gross, suggestive way in the elevator. You never know how long those doors literally and figuratively will stay shut. Dont expose yourself to staffers. Last month, congresswomen Barbara Comstock and Jackie Speier both testified in front of the Committee on House Administration about various inappropriate incidents, including stories about congressmen exposing their genitals. Comstock told the committee, a former staffer told her that a congressman asked a staffer to bring some materials to his residence, greeted her at the door wearing a towel and exposed himself after he invited her inside. Next time youre thinking about taking your junk out in public for a little fresh air, might we suggest you reconsider? Dont proposition your staffers for sex. Most women dont want to have sex with their bosses. Nevada representative Ruben Kihuen, like many accused men, mustve thought he was an exception, as he allegedly propositioned a campaign staffer during the 2016 election for sex. Given his calls for resignation, he may be the next to go. Its the most wonderful time of the year! Therell be parties for hosting, celebrity outfits for roasting, and DJs spinning out in the sand. Therell be scary gallery stories and tales of the glories of Basel drama long, long ago. Art Basel Miami: Its the tackiest season of allllll! Today marks the last day of Art Basel Miami 2017, and frankly, were exhausted. During the daylight hours, Soho Beach House hosted The Last Ten Years: Tracey Emin in Conversation with Alastair Gordon, and by night, the spot had turned into a top party venue, where Jez Pereira DJed the launch of Photo Butler at Art Basel with Anna Rothschild and Claudine De Niro. Over at the Faena Theatre, celebs including Morgan Brown, Gerard Butler, Camila Alves, and Matthew McConaughey hit up Duran Durans live show, and based on Butlers and McConaugheys very sweaty faces, the show was definitely fun (or at least hot). Other popular nighttime events included the Kickstarter Dinner in honor of Art Basel and artist Glenn Kaino and Olympian Tommie Smith, The Art EDITION Hosted by The Academy New York and presented by Highsnobiety, and an INTERMIX x Caroline Constas Mer launch dinner, among a million parties, both planned and informal. We can see the finish line of Art Basel Miami 2017. In honor of making it through the very long weekend, look back on all the best, most artfully outrageous looks that artists, celebrities, and guests wore in Miami Beach, below. Cellino & Barnes, injury attorneys. Photo: MirageC/Getty Images New York, New York: the city that never sleeps, because we always have the Cellino & Barnes jingle stuck in our heads. Over the years, the dulcet tones of the personal-injury attorneys ads culminating in their phone number, 800-888-8888 have become a beloved local stalwart. Until May, that is, when we learned that Ross Cellino and Stephen Barnes were tragically breaking up. There were a lot of difficult questions: What caused the professional split? Who would get to keep the jingle? Does love even exist? Throughout 2017, their feud only escalated and grew all the more vicious. Here, we walk through how Cellino & Barnes may soon just be Cellino and Barnes. May 2017: Cellino Sues Barnes On May 10, Ross Cellino Jr. sues his long-time partner, Stephen Barnes, to dissolve their firm, which has offices throughout New York State and in California. The next day, Cellino & Barnes (the firm) release a statement saying theyd keep operating as normal and fighting the dissolution papers. We are blindsided by this terrible tragedy. June 2017: We Learn That Theyve Been Unhappy for a Long Time A petition is released, revealing that Cellino and Barnes have been fighting with each other for a year plus. Per Gothamist, they clashed over managing the business, employees compensation, which clients they take on, expansion, how to practice the law, and marketing as well as Barnes refusing to let Cellino hire his own daughter. Why didnt we see this coming? July 2017 : Barnes Wants a Restraining Order On July 24, Barnes requests a restraining order against Cellino after alleging that hes trying to poach lawyers and cases from Cellino & Barnes. Per the Buffalo News, Barnes also accuses Cellino of something thats frankly very hurtful: Another statement that Ross made to the attorneys and employees during his pitch was that the Cellino name was better than the Barnes name analogizing our firm to Harley-Davidson and telling people no one ever calls their motorcycle a Davidson. The next day, Cellino files new papers against Barnes alleging they simply cannot work together. He also claims that Barnes is bullying attorneys into declaring loyalty for him: When one attorney refused to acquiesce, respondent Barnes called him a fing coward and vowed that respondent Barnes will remember this. Barnes doesnt show up in court later that week, the day he loses his request for a preliminary injunction in the case. The month wraps up with some Cellino & Barnes street art meant to help us heal. August 2017: We Learn That Theyre Rich The New York Post reports that Cellino and Barnes have still made $2 million each since their legal battle kicked off in May and raked in $20.75 million total in 2015 and 2016. Between this and her newfound bingeing of The Good Wife, this writer wonders if she shouldve just gone to law school. Cellino also files court papers in Delaware to try to stop Barnes from using the jingle for California clients, since Barnes owns all three Cellino & Barneses (Cellinos & Barnes?) out there. September 2017: We Use Yelp We learn that the Cellino & Barnes Manhattan office has exactly one (1) star on Yelp. October 2017: Their Breakup Goes Through in California The Cellino & Barnes offices in California are no more now theyre just identified as The Barnes Firm. Californians will never again hear the sweet, sweet sounds of 800-888-8888. Later in the month, Cellino files more papers against Barnes. A special council to the firm goes on record saying that the toxicity level in some offices has exploded because of the partner dispute. November 2017: Barnes Says Cellino Threatened to Burn the Place Down On November 17, somebody sends a suspicious package filled with white powder to a Cellino & Barnes office in Buffalo. It is tested and cleared by police. Post-Thanksgiving, Barnes files court papers claiming that Cellino threatened to burn the law firm down. Specifically: I dont give a f, I will burn the place to the ground and start over with one lawyer. Damn, Cellino! December 2017: Barnes Still Loves Cellino Barnes spends $900,000 on a new phone number: 800-800-0000. Eh, weve heard better. And despite all this fighting Cellino allegedly threatening to burn the firm down, Cellino allegedly insulting Barness name Barnes still wants to find a way to keep the band together. Ross has been my friend for over 25 years. I know we could still work together for the benefit of our clients, he told the Buffalo News. Weve built something amazing together It would be wrong to break that up. Were not crying, youre crying. A 14-Year-Old Spoke of Missing Teen Killed by MS-13; the Next Day Another Vanishes Sergio Triminio received a message on Facebook in September last year with a plea for help. The brother of missing Falls Church, Virginia., teenager Edvin Mendez, who Triminio knew, was looking for help in finding him. Triminio, 14, agreed to meet and later told the brother what he knew: Mendez, 17, was kidnapped and killed by the MS-13 gang. The killers suspected that Mendez was a spy for the gangs rival. The next day, Triminios mom asked him to take out the garbage around 8 p.m. at the familys Alexandria, Virginia, home. The boy went out in his pajamas and was never seen again. His body and that of Mendez were discovered in February this year in unmarked graves. The details surrounding the teens murders emerged in unsealed search warrants cited by the Washington Post on Friday, Dec. 8. The two teens are the latest victims of a wave of MS-13 brutal gang violence that surged to the top priority lists of President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Authorities announced that two bodies had been found in March, but withheld the identities of the victims until now. The killings are being investigated by the FBI and Fairfax County Police. Triminios family was devastated by the news. The teens mother, Karla Triminio, told the Washington Post that the boys 3-year-old sister keeps asking where he is. I tell her that hes in heaven, the mom told the Post. But then she goes around looking for heaven, looking for him. The newly unsealed warrants show that Mendez received several phone calls from an unidentified person on Aug. 28 last year. Mendez ignored the first two calls, but replied to the third saying, Wait for me, Ill be right there. Mendez then left the home, never to return. His family reported him missing on Sept. 1. The family began suspecting that the teens disappearance may be gang-related by mid-September, the search warrants show. Three weeks later, Mendezs brother contacted Triminio and the pair met at an Alexandria hotel. Triminio knew of Mendezs murder because was an MS-13 gang associate, according to the search warrants. When Triminio did not return home after going to take out the trash next day, his mother started calling and texting him but received no response. The 14-year-old was wearing a court-ordered ankle bracelet at the time, but the signal could no longer be detected after Sept. 26, the search warrant states. The teens mother reported him missing on Oct. 4. Karla Triminio believes that her son was approached by gang members in school. He started having disciplinary problems and often disappeared from home. The mom went to the police and juvenile court for help. He wasnt a bad kid, she said. He had a family. He was caring. A female member of the MS-13 gang approached the mom after her son vanished and offered help. She believes the gang member was trying to find out what she had told police. The bodies of Mendez and Triminio would be found months later in Holmes Run Park on Feb. 28 this year. The discovery was made public on March 3. MS-13 previously used Holmes Run Park to bury the bodies of two gang members in 2013, sparking a high-profile crackdown on the gang in Northern Virginia. From NTD.tv Support The Epoch Times. Share this article. Another Woman Accuses Dustin Hoffman of Sexual Harassment Actress Kathryn Rossetter has accused actor Dustin Hoffman of repeatedly sexually harassing her 32 years ago. Her allegations come after Anna Graham Hunter accused Hoffman last month of sexually harassing her when she was 17 and worked as a production assistant on the set of Death of a Salesman, a TV movie in 1985. Hoffman later said he doesnt know who the woman is and that hes never met her or not met her alone. Rossetter wrote in an article published by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, Dec. 8, that Hoffman regularly groped her when the two worked together on the Broadway revival of Death of a Salesman starting in 1983. She said she was too young for the role of Willy Lomans (Dustin Hoffman) mistress. But after she read for the scene with Hoffman, he complimented her laugh and requested she get the role. That was the beginning of what was to become a horrific, demoralizing, and abusive experience at the hands [literally] of one of my acting idols, she wrote. Aside from her role, Rossetter was also given the task to stand in the wings during the show and laugh in a microphone on cue. She said Hoffman would sit on a chair behind her and grope her thighs almost every show, which played 6-8 times a week. One time he also groped her private parts, she wrote. She tried to shake him off, but couldnt say anything because she was facing a live microphone. One time he even pulled her dress over her head, exposing her body to other crew members in the wings, she wrote. In addition, whenever they were taking a picture together, Hoffman would grope her breast and quickly remove his had before the picture was taken, she wrote. She said one time he didnt remove his hand fast enough and the photographer captured him in the act. There I ambig smile and my arm moving toward his with the intention to push it away. But caught as it is, it seems Im complicit with the gesture. I was not. Not ever, she wrote. I tried to laugh it off, smack him and say witty, pointed things. I begged him nicely with tears in my eyes to please stop it. To no avail, she added. Rossetter said she didnt come forward with the allegations at the time because she was afraid Hoffman would seek revenge against her and cause her to lose her job and career. Hoffman hasnt denied Rossetters account to The Hollywood Reporter, but his attorneys connected the publication with at least seven people who worked on Death of a Salesman and said they dont recall Hoffman doing what Rossetter has alleged. It just doesnt ring true, said production stage manager Tom Kelly. Given my position, its insulting to say this kind of activity would go on to the extent of sexual violation. Hoffman is but one of many celebrities in the movie and television industry recently accused of sexual misconduct, including Matt Lauer, Harvey Weinstein, and Kevin Spacey. While youre here Share! We work hard to deliver the most important and interesting news every day for you, but would like to ask a little favor in return: Would you please share this story with your friends? You can just click the share button below. Thank you! The Met Office has issued several weather warnings for this weekend, with snowfall predicted in parts of Scotland and Northern England. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) As UK Temperatures Plummet, Fire Stations Have Opened Their Doors to Homeless People Fire stations have opened their doors to homeless people as the UK braces itself for icy weather. The Met Office has issued several weather warnings for the weekend, with snowfall expected in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and the Midlands. The plunge in temperature comes in the wake of Storm Caroline, that brought winds as high as 90 mph. In response to the arctic chill, community areas in two fire stations in Manchester have been converted into shelters for homeless people as a respite from the bitter cold, the Manchester Evening News reported. Community rooms will be converted into temporary shelters at Manchester Central tonight and Ashton station tomorrowhttps://t.co/Kzkfb8OvO8 Manchester News MEN (@MENnewsdesk) December 7, 2017 The initiative at Manchester Central and Ashton fire stations is supported by careworkers to welcome people who would otherwise be sleeping rough in sub-zero conditions. This is a clear example of all agencies in Greater Manchester pulling together to help support some of the most vulnerable people in our city region, Greater Manchesters Mayor, Andy Burnham told the Manchester Evening News. Whilst most of us are enjoying the festive season, for those who have no choice but to sleep on the streets it is a lonely, dangerous, and potentially life-threatening time. On Sunday, heavy snow is predicted in parts of Wales, the Midlands, and parts of Northern and Eastern England. An Amber warning for snow was issued by the Met Office for parts of the UK. It warns: Road, rail and air travel delays are likely, as well as stranding of vehicles and public transport cancellations. There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off. Here's the latest forecast for snow amounts of Sunday. With weather warnings in force stay #weatheraware pic.twitter.com/B5ninUEjtw Met Office (@metoffice) December 9, 2017 Up to 20 cm of snow could fall in the hills of Northern Scotland, while in Northern England, 5 to 10 cm of snow could accumulate over high ground and 2 to 5 cm could fall on low levels. The move to convert the fire stations community rooms came after Burnham called on the council, police officers, and housing providers to take immediate action to tackle the homelessness crisis. This initiative provides comfort, warmth and shelter for rough sleepers and the homeless which is a fantastic step forward and Im really grateful to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and the relevant councils and agencies whove made this happen. It may just save lives, he said. Enjoyed this story? Hit the share buttons below The Australian national flag flies over Parliament House in Canberra in this file image. A scheme by Chinese intelligence agencies to insert people into powerful positions to influence Australian politics has caused concern for Australia's peak domestic intelligence agency, said a report in the Weekend Australian. (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images) Australian Intelligence Identifies Local Politicians With Suspect China Ties Australias peak domestic intelligence service believes that 10 recent political candidates for local and state governments have links to Chinese intelligence agencies. The Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) said one of those candidates was elected to office and is currently still there, reported The Weekend Australian on Saturday, Dec. 9. Officials from the intelligence agency say what is occurring is part of efforts by Beijing to influence Australian politics, said the report. The majority of the candidates who are thought to have close ties with Chinese intelligence and Chinas ruling Communist Party were involved in council elections. However, the report said Australian security officials are concerned about individuals at both state and federal levels of politics. The reports said that ASIOs concerns are focused around Western Sydney. Chen Yonglin, a former Chinese diplomat who defected in dramatic style in 2005, told the paper that there are very obvious attempts by the Chinese government to influence opinions in Australia. In Australia, it seems theres no limitation at all, the Chinese do it publicly, Chen said. It seems they are above the law in Australia. They are braver than their activity in the U.S., he said. ASIO flags Manchurian candidates https://t.co/3KldOvx8eL Louisa Lim (@limlouisa) December 9, 2017 Saturdays report comes after widespread media reports about efforts by Chinas Communist Party to interfere with Australian politics as well as areas within the broader community especially among the Chinese-Australian community. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday said he took reports that Chinas Communist Party had sought to interfere in his country very seriously. Media reports have suggested that the Chinese Communist Party has been working to covertly interfere with our media, our universities and even the decisions of elected representatives right here in this building. We take these reports very seriously, Turnbull said, according to Reuters. The attention of Australian public over the past two weeks has been on the dealings between Australian Labor Party (ALP) senator Sam Dastyari and a Beijing-linked Chinese billionaire. The federal government has called on Dastyari to resign because he allegedly warned Chinese Communist Party-linked Huang Xiangmo that his phone was likely being tapped by intelligence services, including those of the U.S. government. The senator also received negative press recently over a 2016 speech when he publicly backed Beijings aggressive moves in the South China Sea. His comments, made while standing next to Huang, were contradictory to that of his partys and the Australian governments policy on the issue. .@smh: An explosive tape recording reveals that Senator Sam Dastyari delivered a scripted, deliberate and detailed defence of Chinas aggressive land grab in the South China Sea. #headsup pic.twitter.com/o817t0wJus Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) November 29, 2017 Charles Wallace, a former Australian intelligence officer, said that the Chinese work towards having well-placed sleeper agents in key positions. The most common method China uses to influence our political process is via agents of influence, Wallace wrote for the Canberra Times. Some of these agents are dual citizens of China and Australia, he wrote. Their aim is to bribe current and past politicians to support Chinas interests, sometimes to the detriment of Australias. Think your friends may not know about this? Share it on Facebook and you will help keep them up to date and help us earn the ad revenue we need to keep reporting. Thank you! From NTD Chicago Woman Guilty of Hate Crime, Beating of Disabled Teen on Facebook Live A Chicago woman involved in the beating and torment of a mentally disabled man pleaded guilty on Friday, Dec. 8 to multiple charges and was sentenced to four years of probation, reported the Chicago Tribune. A grisly video of the incident was live-streamed on Facebook, showing a man bound and gagged, being beaten and taunted, threatened with a knife, and forced to drink from a toilet. Horrific, is what Cook County Circuit Judge William Hooks called the racially charged incident, for which the woman pleaded guilty to aggravated battery, intimidation, and hate crime. Brittany Covington, 19, has been in custody since her January arrest. For her role in the incident, it is reported the judge banned Covington from social media for four years, prohibited her from contacting her co-defendants, and ordered her to perform 200 hours of community service. Hooks opted for leniency in sentencing, but could have hit Covington with a prison term. Im not sure if I did that youd be coming out any better, the Tribune reported the judge as saying. The judge warned the defendant that if she violates any of the terms of her probation, she will serve time behind bars. The plea deal saw prosecutors drop additional charges, including kidnapping, reported the Tribune. The sickening video that Covington live-streamed often focuses on her face, as she smokes and narrates some of the groups exploits. The assault went on for up to two days, The Epoch Times reported, until Chicago police found the victim in distress walking along a street. The suspects can be heard on the video using profanities against white people and then President-elect Donald Trump. During the video, the victim does not appear to make any attempt to defend himself or to escape his attackers. He is a suburban Chicago resident described by Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson as having mental health challenges. It makes you wonder what would make individuals treat somebody like that, he said at a news conference on Wednesday, Jan. 4, The Epoch Times reported. The victim had reportedly been classmates with one of the defendants at a west suburban alternative high school. The cases of the remaining three defendants are still pending, reported WGN9 news, and they face the following charges: Jordan Hill, 18, of Carpentersville, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, robbery, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and residential burglary. Tesfaye Cooper, 18, of Chicago, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and residential burglary. Tanishia Covington, 24, of Chicago, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Plea negotiations are in progress with the trio, all of whom have been in custody since their arrest. Please support independent media and share this article on social media. Thank you! Czech Prime Minister: EU Should Not Push Us Over Migrants PRAGUECzech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said that the European Union should not push Czechs over their refusal to shelter asylum-seekers, because it could strengthen extremist parties in the country. The European Unions executive will sue Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic in the blocs top court for their refusal to host asylum-seekers, Brussels said on Thursday. Babis, whose government is due to be appointed by President Milos Zeman on Dec. 13, repeated his countrys stance on migrants. The (European) Commission can withdraw the charge at any moment. We have to negotiate on this and to offer different models, like guarding the borders or help to other countries. But we dont want any refugees, Babis said in an interview published on Saturday by the Pravo daily paper. He will represent his country at the EU summit on Dec. 14 and Dec. 15, where European leaders will discuss migration. The Czechs have declined to shelter asylum-seekers despite an overall drop in arrivals due to tighter borders and projects beyond the EUs frontiers to discourage migration to Europe. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) cases could lead to financial penalties but may take months, or years, to conclude. Babis said that by pushing on with the case, the EU might embolden extremist elements. The EU has to understand, that if it wont listen to our proposals, then the influence of extremist parties like (Germanys) AfD or (Czech) SPD will grow, whose strategy actually is to destroy the EU, he said. Despite his ANO party winning the parliamentary election by a landslide in October, it is unclear whether Babis will be able to win a confidence vote for his government by mid-January as required by the constitution. He also faces the threat of prosecution in connection with his business interests. The far-right, anti-EU and anti-NATO SPD party and the Communists have lent ANO support in several initial votes in parliament in return for committee posts for their members, raising the prospect that they may have some kind of agreement to back ANO. But Babis reiterated in the Pravo interview that there was no deal in place and he would talk to all parties to either back the cabinet or abstain from the vote to help ANO win. Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager testifies during his murder trial at the Charleston County court in Charleston, South Carolina on Nov. 29, 2016. (Grace Beahm/Getty Images) Former Police Officer Gets 20 years for Shooting Unarmed Man in the Back Former South Carolina police officer Michael Slager was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Dec 8. for fatally shooting an unarmed man in the back after a traffic stop. After the sentencing, Anthony Scott, the victims brother, said, We are hurt and we do have some type of passion for the Slager family, in that they have to suffer as well. And we do forgive Michael Slager for what he did. But yes, we did want justice for my brother, and we feel that we have gotten a sense of justice. Members of both families cried when the sentence was announced. Slagers mother, Karen Sharpe, said, This will be in his heart for the rest of his life and will never, ever go away. Hes a very, very good person and hell think of this for the rest of his life. I miss my brother, and our family will never be the same, Anthony Scott said. Until I got the help I needed, it helped me to release the pain of losing my brother. God gave forgiveness in my heart for Officer Slager. We have to get this type of justice, because being a police officer is one of the most powerful jobs in the country, and it should be respected, said Chris Stewart, an attorney for the Scott family, at a press conference following the sentencing. But that doesnt mean youre above the law. That doesnt mean you can do as you please. In his final statement, Slager said, I wish I could go back in time and change the events. But I cant. Its a very tragic situation. Im standing before the Scott family and the court and taking responsibility for the actions of April 4, 2015. Deadly Force Unwarranted Michael Slager was a 33-year-old officer with five years with the North Charleston, South Carolina, police department on April 4, 2015, when he stopped Scotts car for having a broken tail light. Scott, 50, had a warrant out for his arrest for non-payment of child support and had already been jailed three times for non-payment. When officer Slager headed back to his car to run Scotts license and registration, Scott exited the car and took off running. Slager jumped out of his car and took off after the fleeing suspect. Legally, an officer cannot use deadly force to stop a fleeing suspect unless the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others. An officer might shoot an escaped murder suspect or a convicted murderer. An officer cannot use deadly force to stop someone who is not a definite threat to the community. Slagers account of what happened next might have justified his use of deadly force. Slager said that he caught Scott, the two struggled, and Scott grabbed Slagers taser. Slager testified that Scott had the taser and was advancing on the officer. Slager said that he felt that his life was threatened, so he drew his firearm and shot in self-defense. Slager did not realize that a bystander, Feidin Santana, had videoed the encounter on his cell phone. The video told a different story. The Decisive Video In the video, it appears that Slager catches Scott and grabs him from behind. Scott attempted to break free, and Slager dropped something,something which was later judged to be the taser in question. As far as can be determined from the video shows, Slager tased Scott, then grabbed him. Scott broke free and Slager dropped his taser. Scott immediately turned and started running, while Slager reached for his gun. As Scott fled, Slager opened fire. Slager fired eight shots, five of which struck Scott in the back. Scott was at least 15 feet away from Slager and running away when Slager started shooting, making any claim of self-defense invalid. After Scott fell, Slager ran to his body and handcuffed it. He then ran back, picked up the taser, and walked back to the body. There, in the presence of another officer, Slager dropped the taser to the ground next to Scotts body. On the video, Slager can be heard radioing, He grabbed my taser. Slager later picked up and holstered his taser. Criminal and Civil Trials Slager was arrested for murder on April 7, 2015. A South Carolina Grand Jury indicted officer Slager for murder on June 8, 2015. He was held in jail until January 2016, then released on bond. His trial started on Oct. 31. After five weeks of testimony, 11 out of 12 jurors voted to convict, but one refused and the judge declared a mistrial. On May 11, 2016, Scott was charged with three federal offenses: violating Scotts civil rights, unlawfully using a weapon during the commission of a crime, and obstruction of justice. Scott pleaded guilty to the civil rights violation in return for the other charges being dropped. This included the states murder charge; Slager had been scheduled for a new trial in 2017. The federal judge, Judge David C. Norton, had to determine whether Slager was guilty of murder or manslaughter. Judge Norton eventually decided that murder was the appropriate charge, calling the shooting reckless, wanton and inappropriate. Slager has two weeks to appeal his sentence. Based on the video, do you think Michael Slager is guilty of murder? Do you think the sentence is fair? If you enjoyed reading this article, your friends might, too. Share it with them. From NTD.tv Investor Who Defrauded Millionaires Escapes From Federal Prison An investment manager who ran a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme which earned him an 18-year sentence in a federal penitentiary, is free after serving only four yearsfree and on the run. Frederick Darren Berg, called mini-Madoff, escaped from Atwater Satellite Prison Camp, about 80 miles southeast of San Francisco sometime on the afternoon of Dec. 6, prison officials said. Prison officials did not say how Berg escaped. It appears he simply walked away from the low-security work camp. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said he received immediate notice of the missing inmate from the U.S. Marshals Service. We offered our assistance, but they assured us he was probably already out of the area, said Warnke, according to the Merced Sun-Star. Warnke said that Berg was nonviolent and not a danger to the public. Berg, now 55, was convicted of running the biggest Ponzi scheme in Washingtons history, swindling investors out of more the $100 million, which he used to support his own lavish lifestyle. Berg operated Meridian Mortgage for almost a decade, taking out money whenever he wanted, while paying off investors with the investments of new customers. So long as the company kept attracting new money, Berg kept spending it in ever larger amounts. Berg used his investors money to by two Lear jets, several yachts, and million-dollar condos and homes in Washington state and California over the course of a decade, Fox News reports. The final tally of funds he had stolen was around $130 million, from more than 800 victims. Many of his victims were senior citizens whose retirement funds were wiped out by Bergs greed. Berg was arrested in 2010 and pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering, and bankruptcy fraud charges in 2012. Berg received an 18-year sentence, to be served at the work camp attached to USP Atwater. Atwater is a high security penitentiary with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. Minimum Security Should Not Mean No Security Atwater Federal Prison Camp has a serious escape problem. The camp is basically a dormitory building with minimal fencing, which can hold about 130 prisoners. It held 108until Berg left, making it 107. The site is surrounded by guard towers from which guards could see inmates trying to escapebut because of budget cuts, the towers are not manned. So far this year three prisoners have escaped Atwaters work campby simply deciding to walk away. Eric Pree, 47, was serving 8 years, 5 months for conspiracy to commit mail fraud. he started his sentence in September 2016and on Jan. 29, 2017, walked away from the camp. He was recaptured in May. Another inmate, 26-year-old Guaymar Cabrera-Hernandez, walked off the prison grounds at about 8:30 p.m. on May 12. He was serving a nine-year sentence for unarmed carjacking, assault with intent to commit robbery, and destruction of property less than $1,000. He was also serving time for escaping from prison, and for attempting to escape from the District of Columbia and Northern District of West Virginia. Despite his record of escaping and attempting escape, he was not under special supervision. Cabrera-Hernandez was recaptured several hours after escaping. Berg is the third inmate to take advantage of the lack of supervision and simply walk away from what is supposed to be a corrections facility. Darren Berg will be captured, held to account and returned to federal custody, said Emily Langlie, from the U.S. Attorneys Office in Seattle, Fox News reported. However, if Berg has any money squirreled away, he could easily disappear forever. Do you think Atwaters work camp should be made more secure? Do you think Darren Berg should be transferred to a serious prison if he is caught? Post your comments below. If you enjoyed this article, your friends might too. Please share it with them. From NTD.tv Leader of the Night Wolves Russian motorcycle club Alexander Zaldostanov stands beside Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the 35th Coastal Defence Battery memorial center in central Sevastopol on the Crimea Peninsula on Aug. 18, 2017. Zaldostanov and the Night Wolves have opposed democratic movements in Ukraine and have rallied Russian sentiments there to support Moscow and rebel forces. (ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images) Is the Solution for the North Korea Nuclear Crisis in Ukraine? News Analysis Pyongyang is ready to talk, according to Russias Foreign Minister, but North Koreas priorities and Russias motivations are questionable. We know that North Korea wants above all to talk to the United States about guarantees for its security. We are ready to support that, we are ready to take part in facilitating such negotiations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at an international conference in Vienna on Dec. 7, according to Russian news agencies. Our American colleagues, [including] Rex Tillerson, have heard this. While the State Department has not issued a formal reply to any proposed talks, an official in the department told The Epoch Times the United States was hoping to see a peaceful, diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear and missile threat. The official said the United States was open to serious and meaningful negotiations to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. But the onus is on North Korea to take meaningful actions toward denuclearization and refrain from provocations, they said. Pressure Campaign North Koreas recent intercontinental ballistic missile test decreased the chances of any possible diplomatic solution, which makes the timing and substance of the overture through Russia suspect. Since North Korea shows no signs of pausing its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs, the United States is focused on increasing the costs on Pyongyang for continuing those efforts, said the official. Most recently, that included re-designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism and leveling additional sanctions against North Korean and Chinese entities. The state official reiterated that the United States has no interest in regime change or destabilizing the Korean Peninsula, nor is it seeking an excuse to move U.S. troops into North Korea, contrary to frequent claims made by state-run North Korean and Russian news outlets. But any effort to resolve the crisis short of military intervention will likely hinge on Russia and China implementing sharper sanctions against North Korea. China and Russia prevented the United Nations Security Council from passing stronger sanctions in line with what the United States wanted. And since then, Russias actions have undermined the sanctions that were passed. China Versus Russia Even before the U.N. Security Council sanctions were passed in September, following North Koreas underground nuclear test, Chinas relationship with North Korea had started to deteriorate. In May, North Koreas state-run KCNA news agency issued a commentary threatening China for criticizing the Kim regime and its nuclear program. China had better ponder over the grave consequences to be entailed by its reckless act of chopping down the pillar of the [North Korea]-China relations, it said. The DPRK will never beg for the maintenance of friendship with China, risking its nuclear program, which is as precious as its own life, no matter how valuable the friendship is, the commentary said. Russia, meanwhile, has used the crisis to tighten its relationship with North Korea. While Russia has denounced North Koreas nuclear missile program, it is accused of increasing its trade with North Korea, even as China implemented the Security Council sanctions. Russia has increased oil exports to North Korea through the short land border the two countries share, leading fuel prices in North Korea to fall since November. That has allowed the Kim regime to escape the impact of Chinas adherence to a cap on oil exports to North Korea. The United States has been calling for a full embargo on oil exports to North Korea. Russia and North Korea also recently signed an extradition treaty to cooperate on criminal matters and return fugitives to one anothers territory, which gives the Kim regime much desired international recognition. It is unclear how the treaty will handle North Koreas repressive policies that make it a serious offense to leave the country without permission or say anything negative about regime leader Kim Jong Un. Russian Interests Russia has several motives for protecting the Kim regime. Doing so keeps a long-term ally on Russias doorstep, draws U.S. attention away from Syria and other areas where Russian and American foreign policies clash, and boosts Russian sentiment at home by proving the former host of the Soviet empire still has international clout. But what happens if the current crisis is not resolved diplomatically? Russias foreign minister has said Russia wont let anyone use force to destroy North Korea. I think it is playing with fire, it is a big mistake. We will do everything to prevent this from happening, and promote solving the issue exclusively by peaceful political and diplomatic means, Lavrov told reporters on Dec. 1. But backing North Korea presents a major problem for Russia. By dulling sanctions so much that they dont threaten the Kim regimes basic survivalwhich many see as a prerequisite to convincing Kim to abandon nuclear weaponsRussia has forced the United States to escalate pressure through military means. And if war does break out, the Kim regime will inevitably fall and Russia will have to face the prospect of a unified, U.S.-aligned Korean Peninsula on its back door. Russia may have another option, however, one that gives it everything it wantsand more. Crimea Trade-off If Russia can preserve the Kim regime through participating in deeper sanctions so that Kim is forced to abandon its nuclear program, Russia wins. But it also loses. Russia has gained international influence with its repressive allies by proving it stands by its friends. Walking away from North Korea could damage that reputation. But if Russia could use that trade-off to lessen or end U.S. and EU sanctions against it, that damage may be worth it. Those sanctions were leveled against Russia for its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its ongoing support of anti-government forces in Eastern Ukraine. At the moment, it seems unlikely the United States would ever make that kind of trade-off. Tillerson made Russias actions in Ukraine a focus in his remarks to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in the Europe Plenary Session in Vienna on Dec. 7. We will never accept Russias occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea. Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine, he said. Russia is arming, leading, training, and fighting alongside anti-government forces. But if Russia agreed to stop backing rebels in Eastern Ukraine, and the United States withdrew sanctions related to the annexation of Crimea, effectively accepting the status quo, a bigger deal that includes North Korea is not impossible. To date, there is no hint that any such deal is in the works, but it would make sense for Russia. Putin has done much to increase Russias stature on the Korean peninsula, proving that Russia can stymy U.S. and international efforts there, even with China cooperating with the United States. If Russia can now use that stature to end economic sanctions that have hit the Russian economy hard, it would be a huge win for Putin. Not only would he have gained Crimea and resolved the gravest security threat on the planet, he would have ended sanctions that have crippled the Russian economy. If you enjoyed reading this article, support our independent journalism by sharing it online. Thank you! Hugh Garth, 25, has been given 10 plus years in jail for fatally punching Raynor Manalad, 21, while drunk. (Screenshot via 7 News) One-Punch Killer Sentenced to More Than Ten Years Jail A 25-year old man has been convicted to more than ten years in jail over a fatal assault under an Australian states new one-punch laws created to address alcohol-fueled violence. A Sydney court sentenced Hugh Garth, 25, to more than 10 years prison for fatally striking nurse Raynor Manalad outside a 21st birthday party in 2014, reported the ABC. Garth was found guilty of the crime in May. Garth admitted to being intoxicated when he punched Manalad. He said it was done out of self-defense. Manalad died of brain damage in hospital the day after the attack. Garth was already on a good behavior our bond for drunken violence before punching Manalad. Judge Antony Townsden said alcohol-fueled violence was all too common, reported the ABC. Over recent years, the incidence of such offences, particularly when associated with the excessive consumption of alcohol, have been all too frequent, Townsden said Friday, Dec. 8. Such offences are cause for grave disquiet and the community is understandably angry and frustrated by their occurrence. During the sentencing, the judge said that Garth had shown no remorse for what he did and had not taken responsibility for what occurred. The first man to be convicted under one-punch laws in NSW has been jailed for more than 10 years. #7News pic.twitter.com/umIHrwSeTh 7 News Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) December 8, 2017 Outside the court, Manalads mother expressed no sympathy for the murderer of her child. I dont feel anything for him and the family, I wont waste any breath, any part of my brain for them, she said, reported the ABC. Along with her husband, she implored that young men who drink alcohol when they go out act responsibly. Be responsible, be good, be kind and be the best version of yourself, take responsibility for your actions, she said. The one-punch law sets a mandatory no-parole period of eight years and a maximum of 25 years for anyone found guilty of lethally hitting another with a single punch while drunk or under the influence of drugs, reported ABC. Garth is the first person to be convicted under the law. Over the past several years, there has been similar incidences of fatal so-called king hits in Sydney. One-punch legislation was introduced in New South Wales after the deaths of two teenagers, Daniel Christie and Thomas Kelly. Kelly, 18, was killed in the nightclub area of Kings Cross in Sydney by a drunken stranger in 2012. A year later, Christie, also 18, was killed in the same area by a single punch thrown by another drunken stranger. About 70,000 people are victims of alcohol-fueled assaults each year in Australia, say official statistics. An estimated 60 percent of police time is spent on alcohol-fueled issues. Think your friends may not know about this? Share it on Facebook and you will help keep them up to date and help us earn the ad revenue we need to keep reporting. Thank you! From NTD Artist's depiction of the collective excitons of an excitonic solid. These excitations can be thought of as propagating domain walls (yellow) in an otherwise ordered solid exciton background (blue). (Peter Abbamonte, University of Illinois Department of Physics) Physicists Discover New Kind of Matter: Excitonium Excitonium sounds like a made-up substance from a childrens graphic novel. But it is an actual scientific word, coined 50 years ago to describe new a type of matter, which scientists believed should exist, but werent able to proveuntil now. Physicists at the University of Illinois said that they have now proven that excitonium really exists, describing the discovery as being of cosmic significance. In a paper published on Dec. 8, researchers reveal how they were finally able to prove the existence of this new type of matter and begin to answer some long-standing questions by studying metal crystals with a special new technique. But understanding what excitonium is like isnt as straightforward as coming to grips with the structures of molecules or atoms, which can be visualized with the ball and stick models in high school chemistry labs, or the diagrams of rings of electrons around atoms. Excitonium is subject to the rules of the weird and wonderful world of quantum physics, where things like enigmatic probability waves, can exist simultaneously as waves and particles, defying regular human logic and Newtonian physics. According to the researchers, excitonium is made of the energetic holes made by electrons escaping from their positions. The oddities of the quantum realm are not usually directly seen in this world, confined to the atomic level, and are only able to act out in the realms of tiny particles such as electrons. However, in certain situations these oddities can break through to the physical levels, breaking the laws of physics taught in high school. Superconductors and superfluids are examples of these phenomena where the regular laws of Newtonian physics seem to look the other way and we can see the quantum world bubble up to our own. Excitonium is what is known as a condensate, which like the superfluids or superconductors is subject to quantum effects. Physicists excited by #ILLINOIS team's confirmation of a new form of matter, excitonium https://t.co/y7xElAbhPE pic.twitter.com/3iESDgB6YF Univ. of Illinois (@Illinois_Alma) December 8, 2017 Its made up of excitons, particles that are formed in a very strange quantum mechanical pairing, namely that of an escaped electron and the hole it left behind, wrote Siv Schwink, a spokesman for the Department of Physics at Illinois University. The researchers had developed a technique for studying metal crystals, which enabled them to measure paired electrons and their holes in a new way. They were able to detect something known as a soft plasmon phase five timeswhich they said is the smoking gun that proves the existence of the excitonium, and has never been observed before. This result is of cosmic significance, said physics professor Peter Abbamonte, in charge of the project, in a university press publication. Ever since the term excitonium was coined in the 1960s by Harvard theoretical physicist Bert Halperin, physicists have sought to demonstrate its existence. Share this exciting new finding. Hit the share button below. Tosha Mae Daley (L) and Nicholas Vonallen Shinn have been charged with murdering Daleys stepmother, Jamie-Ruth Daley. (Franklin County Jail) Stepdaughter Accused of Hiring Friend to Kill Stepmother Pennsylvania State Police are treating a death in Greene Township, near Chambersburg, as a potential murder for hire. One of the two prime suspects is the victims stepdaughter. A crew of people repossessing an automobile at the victims home in the 3700 block of Mountain Shadow Circle on Thursday, Dec. 7 heard sounds of a struggle and called the police. The police arrived at 11:29 a.m.to find the body of 46-year-old Jamie Ruth Daley on the lawn outside. Daley had been stabbed several times and apparently beaten with a blunt object. Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Brent Miller spoke at a press conference at the scene Thursday evening. Its gruesome because it was a stabbing. You dont hear stabbings really frequently, said Miller. At this time its mostly gunshots, or guns involved, but this one was strictly a knife and other objects. That made the scene very gruesome, very bloody, he said. The Major Case Unit, the Franklin County Coroners Office, and District Attorneys Office investigated the case and on Friday, Dec. 8, charged two people with the crime. Tosha Mae Daley, 26, and Nicholas Vonallen Shinn, 21, were each charged with murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, burglary, robbery, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary, robbery, and theft. Tosha Daley, Jamie Daleys stepdaughter, was also charged with criminal solicitation of a murder and second-degree murder. By Thursday night police had zeroed in on Daley and Shinn. While they think the case is a murder-for-hire, each suspect told a different story of what had happened. Miller explained at a Friday press conference that as far as police can tell, Tosha Daley drove Shinn to the home and Shinn broke in and attacked Jamie Ruth Daley. Daley is claiming it was a simple burglary gone awry; Shinn is accusing Daley of paying him to kill her stepmother. Both Daley and Shinn are being held in Franklin County jail without bail. Diverging Explanations Police say that Nicholas Shinn told a friend on the afternoon of Dec. 7 that he had attacked Jamie Daley, using a crowbar to finish her off, Public Opinion.com reported. That persons tip to the police led to the arrests. Shinn allegedly told police, I was going to get paid to whack her stepmom, and that Tosha Daley had offered him $30,000 to commit the crime several times during the prior two weeks. Shinn claimed Daley had been arguing with her stepmother over a Jeep SUV, which was about to be repossessed. Also, Daley apparently learned that her stepmother had a sizeable life insurance policy. Shinn claimed Daley drove him to the home, handed him a knife, and left him. He told police he entered, saw Jamie Daley on the phone, and went into some kind so rage, telling police he saw red. Shinn admitted to stabbing Jamie Daley and beating her with a chair. Shinn claimed that Daley picked him up after the murder, and the two drove to Greencastle where Shinn washed up and changed his clothes. Tosha Daley told a radically different tale. According to Daley, she drove Shinn to the development where her stepmother lived, dropped him off, and drove away. After leaving, she claimed she called her mother to warn her that Shinn might be coming to steal some money. Daley then claimed that she drove back by the neighborhood, saw Shinn, and offered him a ride. When he got into the car, he told her that he had hurt Jamie Daley really bad. Police. acting on information from witnesses, were able to identify the vehicle the couple used and tracked it to Greencastle. They recovered the bag full of bloody clothes and other evidence. From NTD.tv If you enjoyed reading this article, your friends might, too. Share it with them. The 17-year-old crouched on the small platform behind the cab through 55 cold miles from Louisville to Seymour. (commons.wikimedia.org) Teen Hitches a Ride on a Semi-Trailer A 17-year-old runaway trying to get back to Ohio from Louisville, Kentucky decided waiting for a ride was taking too long. To expedite the process, he hopped on a semi-trailerwithout the driver knowing it. The runaway made it all the way to Indiana before a highway official at a weigh station spotted him. We were just running trucks through like we do every day just weighing them, said Motor Carrier Inspector Mike Buckley told FOX News. And I happened to catch a face coming out behind one of the trucks on the tractor. Buckley called the Indiana State Police. Eventually, a trooper found the hitch-hiker and took him into custody. The youth was taken to the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center in Brownstown, Indiana. He will be sent back to Ohio. Cold and Dangerous Ride The runaway, whose name has not been released, left from Shelby, Ohio with a friend. The pair made it to Louisville, where his friend caught a ride back home. The runaway decided any ride was better than no ride, so he climbed onto the platform behind the trucks cab. Buckley spotted the young traveler at an ISP/INDOT weigh station on I-65 just north of Seymour, Indianaabout 55 miles north of Louisville. When he realized he had been spotted, he slid down from the platform and snuck away. Buckley sent a State Trooper after the truck, but when the trooper stopped the truck he found the youth was gone. Juvenile Found Riding on Exterior of Commercial Motor Vehicle https://t.co/50CVgaruGu Indiana State Police (@IndStatePolice) December 6, 2017 According to the police report, Trooper Seth Davidson eventually spotted the teen and took him into custody. Davidson recognized the youth as the one who had been reported as a runaway from Ohio. According to Fox News, the hitch-hiker was covered in road grime and diesel fueland no doubt very cold. The teen, clad only in a light sweatshirt, rode 55 miles in the 65 mile-per-hour-wind. He might have ridden a lot further if he hadnt been spotted. He also could have slipped off the truck and hit the highway. 65 miles an hour, thats pretty scary, Buckley said. The driver had no clue he was even back there. He was very shocked. He was very scared, thinking the kid could have fell off. The driver, who had no idea he was carrying a passenger, is not facing any charges. If you liked this article, consider sharing it with your friends. From NTD.tv North Korean soldiers attend a mass rally to celebrate North Korea's declaration on Nov. 29 that it had achieved full nuclear statehood, on Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang on Dec. 1, 2017. North Korea maintains a large army, but soldiers are not being given enough food and morale has plummeted, say sources inside the country. (KIM WON-JIN/AFP/Getty Images) The Sad State of North Koreas Starving Soldiers Sources inside North Korea say the regime has ramped up ideological and military training recently, but have not supplied the food and supplies soldiers need, causing morale to plummet. The story comes a few weeks after a North Korean soldier defected to South Korea by running across the demilitarized zone, getting shot five times in the process and revealing a stomach full of parasites, tuberculosis, and Hepatitis B. That soldiers state appears to reflect recent reports that the North Korean regime cant keep its soldiers fed and that many troops are facing a shortage of food. The 12th Army Corps began exercises on the first of the month, but the leading commander said during opening inspections that he had merely received orders to carry out the drills, but had not received any accompanying provisionsquite the disconcerting welcome, a source in Ryanggang Province told Daily NK on Dec. 5. Daily NK is a Seoul-based news site that specializes in getting information from sources inside North Korea. After this, the soldiers were taken through the ideological and physical drills and told to express their enthusiasm for becoming young heroes of the nation, but their reactions were lukewarm at best, said the source. According to Daily NK, the winter drills, which begin Dec. 1, are often a welcome source of a good meal for soldiers, but this year food supplies are slim. Under the previous North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, soldiers would be well fed by locals on the first day of exercises. That is no longer the case. Nor is the regime itself able to provide for its soldiers, according to other recent reports. Recently, sources in North Korea said soldiers had taken to looting farms to feed themselves. The looting came after earlier reports that the communist regime has ordered the military to acquire its own food supplies. Normally, the regime mobilizes citizens to collect supplies for the army, but in October, the military was ordered to collect its own provisions. Military leadership handed down orders last month detailing the quotas required to be collected, a source in Ryanggang Province told Daily NK in October. It is quite absurd that military personnel have to collect these provisions themselves. And such orders were handed down in all provinces, covering all military divisions across the country, said the source. Since the order came down, reports of looting have increased. In one incident in the Kapsan region, soldiers from the 43rd Brigade raided fields at night, a source in Ryanggang Province told Daily NK on Nov. 2. They all gathered for the surprise attack, fanned out across the farms and swept up all the corn, the source said. Its not an everyday occurrence for the 43rd Brigade to go around plundering the farms, but they have become much more brazen this year, he said. Due to the lack of provisions, the current drills will likely not have the impact the communist regime hopes. One source said it is unlikely the soldiers will improve their fighting capabilities, or feel better about their lot. The authorities have to feed the soldiers before they will be able to fight the enemy, an additional source in Ryanggang Province said. If the condition of North Koreas soldiers is similar to that of Oh Chong Songthe soldier who ran across the border on Nov. 13, under bullet fire and is still recovering in the hospitalKims army will be far from being in top fighting form. According to reports, the lead surgeon who worked Ohs bullet wounds said his medical team found squirming white parasitic worms coming in the mans digestive tract as they removed bullets. Oh was shot at least five times, with several bullets hitting his intestines. Everything was stained with blood, but the parasite was basically a really white color and this thick, big, long and very, very hard, this kind of thing was getting out from his bowel system, surgeon Lee Cook-Jong told CNN. The medical team managed to remove all of the worms, some of which were over 10 inches long, reported The Independent. Parasites like those in Ohs stomach are typically a result impoverished conditions found in the poorest areas of the world, where conditions are unsanitary and water or soil can be contaminated with sewage. Ohs situation seems widespread for a top-tier military, as the Kim regime claims to have cultivated with its Songun, or military first, policy. The Songun policy is used to justify prioritizing the needs of the military over all other matters. It was instituted in 1994 as famine began to grip the country. The estimated death toll ranges from 240,000 to 3 million North Koreans. With current leader Kim Jong Un fully absorbed with developing nuclear weapons, it seems that his soldiers are being overlooked. Sources inside the country say moldy cornmeal recently caused an outbreak of diarrhea among soldiers. We work hard to deliver important and interesting articles to you. Please help support independent journalism by sharing this article with your friends and family. It takes less than a minute. Thank you! U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside Vice President Mike Pence (3L), meets with Congressional leadership including Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (3R) (R-Ky.), Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (2R) (D-NY), Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (2nd L) (R-Wis.), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (L) (D-Calif.), and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (R), in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, Dec. 7, 2017. (SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images) Trump Signed Spending Bill, Avoiding Shutdown The two-week funding bill allows additional time for House and Senate leadership to negotiate on a long-term budget deal President Donald Trump signed a two-week funding bill on Dec. 8, preventing a government shutdown hours before the deadline. The stopgap legislation will maintain current funding for federal operations and keep the government open through Dec. 22, while lawmakers continue to negotiate on a long-term budget deal. The short-term funding measure known as a continuing resolution (CR) passed both the House and the Senate on Dec. 7 and was sent to the presidents desk. It is an extension of the CR that has been in place for several months and was due to run out on Dec. 8 at midnight. The House approved the measure on a 235-193 vote and the Senate passed it by 81-14. Before the voting, Trump met with both Democratic and Republican congressional leaders in the Oval Office on Dec 7. Were all here as a very friendly, well-unified group, he said during the meeting. Its a well-knit-together group of people. And we hope that were going to make some great progress for our country. The CR will allow additional time for House and Senate leadership to negotiate on overall topline spending levels for the 2018 fiscal year. We hope we can come to an agreement, said Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer during the meeting. Funding the government is extremely important, helping our soldiers is very important, and helping average citizens is very important, he said. Democrats demand parity on defense and nondefense discretionary spending increases above the statutory caps. In addition, they are pushing for a legislative solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program before the end of the year, which is a significant hurdle in the budget talks. President Barack Obama introduced DACA through an executive order in 2012 as a temporary measure that gave people renewable, two-year work authorization and deportation immunity. It involved nearly 800,000 individualsreferred to as Dreamerswho entered the United States illegally as children. The White House, however, wants to keep DACA and immigration talks out of the budget deal. In return for granting some type of legal status to the DACA recipients, Trump earlier outlined his priorities for border security and immigration reform. The President wants to make sure that we have responsible immigration reform, including a border wall and other things that weve laid out in those priorities and those principles, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Dec. 7. Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi reiterated her stance on DACA during a press conference on Capitol Hill on Dec 7. We will not leave here without a DACA fix, she said. In addition to DACA, other budget priorities of Democrats include fighting the opioid epidemic, veterans funding, the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), community health centers, emergency disaster funding, and saving endangered pensions. If you enjoyed reading this article, support our independent journalism by sharing it online. Thank you. Supporters hold a photo of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe during a vigil for British-Iranian mother, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, imprisoned in Tehran outisde the Iranian Embassy on January 16, 2017 in London, England. ( Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images) UK Foreign Minister Arrives in Iran to Lobby for Jailed Aid Worker DUBAIBritish Foreign Minister Boris Johnson arrived on Saturday in Iran, where he is expected to lobby his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif for the release of jailed Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. The visit is only the third by a British foreign minister to Iran in the last 14 years, and takes place against a complex backdrop of historical, regional and bilateral tensions. Johnson will also meet President Hassan Rouhani, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Irans Supreme National Security Council, and other officials, the state news agency IRNA said on Saturday in its report on the visit. Johnson and Iranian officials will discuss bilateral relations, including banking and economic ties, as well as regional issues and international developments, IRNA added. Johnson has vowed to leave no stone unturned in Britains efforts to free Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project manager with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, who was sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted by an Iranian court of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment. She denies the charges. The Foreign Secretary will urge the Iranians to release dual nationals where there are humanitarian grounds to do so, a foreign office spokesman said earlier. Zaghari-Ratcliffe is not the only dual national being held in Iran, but has become the most high-profile case. Johnson said on Nov. 1 that she had been teaching people journalism before her arrest in April 2016, in remarks critics said could have prompted Iran to extend her sentence. The Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity organization that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News, said Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been on holiday and had not been teaching journalism in Iran. Johnson has since apologized for any distress his comments may have caused and said that she was in Iran on holiday. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been told she will appear in court on Dec. 10, her husband Richard has said. The visit will test Johnsons ability to navigate a political landscape littered with potential pitfalls. Irans 1979 Islamic Revolution turned it into a pariah state for most of the West and many Middle Eastern neighbors. International sanctions have only recently been lifted as part of a multilateral nuclear deal to curb Irans disputed uranium enrichment program. That deal is under threat after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to decertify Irans compliance with the terms of the agreement. Britain has voiced its continued support for the nuclear deal but is one of a number of Western powers voicing concerns about Tehrans destabilizing influence in the region. U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, center, arrives at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, on an unannounced trip on Feb. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Sagar Meghani) US Defense Secretary Mattis: US Will Stay in Iraq a While BAGHDADU.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday he believes U.S. forces will be in Iraq and in the fight against the ISIS terrorist group for a while. Speaking at the end of a day of meetings in Baghdad with military commanders and Iraqi political leaders, Mattis said he is open to any request from his military commanders to aid the battle to retake Mosul and launch a major battle to oust ISIS from the base of its so-called caliphate in Raqqa, Syria. He would not provide details. Mattis said his meetings with Iraqi leaders underscored the partnership the United States has with the Iraqis. He said theres no doubt that the Iraqi people, the Iraqi military and the Iraqi political leadership recognize what theyre up against and the value of the coalition and the partnership, in particular with the United States. His optimistic words come on the heels of his earlier declaration that the U.S. does not intend to seize Iraqi oil, something that President Donald Trump mentioned in the past while lamenting the United States allowing ISIS to seize control of it. I think all of us here in this room, all of us in America have generally paid for our gas and oil all along, and Im sure that we will continue to do that in the future, Mattis told reporters traveling with him. Were not in Iraq to seize anybodys oil. Mattis and Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, described an enduring partnership between the U.S. and Iraq. I imagine well be in this fight for a while and well stand by each other, Mattis said. Townsend, who was standing by Mattis, declined to say how long the U.S. military will stay in Iraq. But, he said, I dont anticipate that well be asked to leave by the government of Iraq immediately after Mosul. He added, I think that the government of Iraq realizes their very complex fight, and theyre going to need the assistance of the coalition even beyond Mosul. Townsend also acknowledged that U.S. forces are now operating closer and deeper into the fight with Iraq units as the battle to retake western Mosul entered its second day. He said the change began in recent months during the successful fight to take back eastern Mosul, and is now happening more often. U.S. special operations forces have been working with the Iraqis, offering advice and assistance, but initially they were only at the headquarters level. More recently they have been moving closer to the battlefront, working with brigade, battalion and sometimes smaller units. But they are generally with command and control units, not in combat on the front lines. Related Coverage Residents Can Play Soccer Again in Mosul, Without ISIS Rules We embedded advisers a bit further down into the formation, Townsend said. Mattis unannounced one-day stop in Iraq was his first as Pentagon chief and the first visit to the warzone by a senior member of the Trump administration. It comes as Mattis and his military leaders are nearing the end of a 30-day review of the ISIS fight. He must send Trump a strategy to accelerate the battle in the next seven days. Senior U.S. military officers said Monday that the fight in the more urban, heavily populated areas of western Mosul will require more precision airstrikes and probably smaller bombs that can take out a building or group of fighters and leave surroundings intact. Lt. Gen. Jeff Harrigian, the top Air Force commander in the Middle East, said troops responsible for calling in airstrikes are closer to the fight and can move forward with Iraqi units. They also have greater authority now to speak directly to pilots in the aircraft overhead, allowing them to launch strikes more quickly, he said. Military leaders, said Harrigian, realized they could be more responsive now because the troops have built up trust with their Iraqi partners. While Mattis and Townsend wouldnt talk about any future changes or accelerants in the war fight, various military options have been discussed in recent months. Among them: putting more troops in Iraq and Syria and boosting military aid to Kurdish fighters backed by the U.S.-led coalition. More specifically, officials have talked about expanding efforts to train, advise and enable local Iraqi and Syrian forces, increasing intelligence and surveillance, and allowing U.S. troops to move forward more frequently with Iraqi soldiers nearer the front lines. Related Coverage US Commander: Mosul and Raqqa Should Be Retaken in 6 Months The Pentagon also would like more freedom to make daily decisions about how it fights the enemy. Current and former U.S. officials discussed the likely options on condition of anonymity because they werent authorized to talk publicly. In Syria, a possible option would be to send more U.S. forces, including combat troops, there as the Raqqa fight heats up. Another move would be to provide heavy weapons and vehicles to the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds, and boost training. They have been the most effective force against IS in northern and eastern Syria, but the proposal is sensitive. Turkey, a key U.S. and NATO ally, considers the group a terrorist organization. There are more than 5,100 U.S. military personnel in Iraq, and up to about 500 in Syria. Epoch Times contributed to this report. Woman Attempting Yoga Pose Alone on Mountain Pass Falls Into River Hot yoga enthusiast Chisa Tolbertson plunged into a raging river while attempting a yoga pose on a dead tree. She was alone at the time, and was carried downstream by the rushing currents. There was nobody there to pull her out, just her cell phone propped up on a rock, capturing the whole ordeal. If the yoga picture wasn't worth it or if I don't make it on America's Funniest Home Videos it was not worth it at all pic.twitter.com/YSnBNIptTL Chisa(; (@Chisamariee) May 17, 2017 She fell onto her head from about five or six feet up, then was washed downstream 30 more feet. She broke nails trying to grab onto rocks and pull herself out, but eventually washed up along the opposite shore. She went back to get her belongings and had to walk across the same dead tree she fell from, Tolbertson told NTD. Tolbertson has since posted another photo showing her doing yoga along the same river to prove she survived. This time she successfully does the wheel pose from a safer location. For the record I'm alive and I got a redemption picture with said river pic.twitter.com/UBj0oYc5MQ Chisa(; (@Chisamariee) December 4, 2017 Tolbertson first posted the video to Twitter in May, but only this month did it skyrocket in popularity and go viral. The video has since been capturing views on Reddit, Snapchat, and on other news media sites which have shared it with their audiences. Tolbertson first started practicing yoga when she was 10-years-old, but only started to take it seriously in 2013. When she isnt doing yoga, Tolbertson is a 22-year-old embarking on a music career, she told NTD. She lives in Denver and has used some of her recent fame to usher people finding her via social media to her online music recordings. Bella makes me look good at things I otherwise suck at its quite a concept A post shared by Chisa Marie (@chisamarie) on Jul 29, 2017 at 2:34pm PDT Hey I re-recorded all my songs should you care to listen link is in my bio and this one's called Runaway Season A post shared by Chisa Marie (@chisamarie) on Dec 5, 2017 at 8:21pm PST Please support independent journalism by sharing this article. From NTD.tv Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- White House communications director Hope Hicks met with special counsel Robert Mueller's team for interviews Thursday and Friday, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News. Hicks was interviewed as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and any potential collusion with the Trump campaign. The New York Times reported Friday that the FBI warned Hicks earlier this year that Russian operatives had made repeated attempts through email to contact her during the presidential transition. According to the Times, FBI agents met with Hicks after President Donald Trump took office and cautioned her that the emails might be part of a Russian intelligence operation. There is no indication Hicks did anything wrong, the Times reported. It's not known whether the attempts to contact Hicks were discussed in her meetings with the special counsel's team. A lawyer for Hicks declined to comment to the Times. Hicks did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. Hicks was named communications director in September. She has been a member of Trump's inner circle since joining the presidential campaign in 2015 and serving as a spokeswoman. The White House brought her in as director of strategic communications after the inauguration. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. CNN believes that its sources were just mistaken and did not want to deliberately mislead the network, @brianstelter reports. *****cOCw96gGMR pic.twitter.com/0G8AbMv30s Peter Sterne (@petersterne) December 9, 2017 CNN confirmed this morning that Donald Trump Jr. received an email September 4 2016 offering access to hacked Democratic Party data. (Only they had the date wrong) The offer was for an decryption key and website address providing access through Wikileaks for hacking the documents. As it turns out, after all the outlets repeated CNN's story, they had to admit they had the date wrong. It was September 14th when all that data was available publicly online. All the outlets, CBS, NBC, and others had to put in the correction. CNN wanted people to believe there was collusion and Trump Jr. had advance knowledge. Doctors have discovered brain abnormalities in the U.S. embassy victims of suspected attacks in Cuba. The doctors were searching for clues to explain the hearing, vision, balance, and memory issues suffered by the victims. The damage was discovered in the white matter tracts that let different parts of the brain communicate. The findings are expected to be published in an article being submitted to the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to reports, 24 U.S. government officials and spouses fell ill starting in homes and later in some hotels in the last year. The embassy workers reported loud, mysterious sounds followed by hearing loss and ear-ringing. A few Canadian Embassy staffers also got sick. Get Warning: Undefined variable $CompanyName in /home/thelincol/public_html/wp-content/themes/responsalambre/single.php on line 65 alerts: The workers reported sounds audible in parts of rooms but inaudible a few feet away. Some were awakened by the sound while asleep and reported that others sleeping in the same bed or room heard nothing. Vibrations sometimes accompanied the sound. Physicians, FBI investigators and U.S. intelligence agencies have spent months trying to solve the Cuba mystery. Investigators initially suspected sonic attacks but are now working off of the theory that the sounds may have been the byproduct of something else that caused damage. Acoustic waves have never been shown to alter the brains white matter tracts. Some developed visual symptoms within 24 hours. Whatever harmed the Americans led to perceptible changes in their brains. After extensive testing and trial therapies, physicians are treating the symptoms like a new, never-seen-before illness. Most patients have fully recovered and are back at work, but roughly a third presented symptoms that persisted for long periods or continue remain to this day. The FBI investigation has struggled to identify a culprit, method, and motive. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday hes convinced these were targeted attacks. U.S. officials wouldnt say whether the changes were found in all 24 patients. It is unclear how the white matter changes might relate to their symptoms. Cuba has adamantly denied involvement and says Washington hasnt presented any evidence that U.S. workers were attacked. Cubas experts have concluded that the Americans allegations are scientifically impossible. The Cuban government has produced TV specials and an online summit regarding its own investigation into the matter. Globant S.A. operates as a technology services company worldwide. It offers e-commerce, new distribution capabilities, augmented revenue management, hyper connected operation, and conversational user experience services through reinvention studios; digital lending, commercial effectiveness, finance, sustainability, regulation analytic, transformation and post-merger integration, and payment and open banking services; and game and graphic engineering, UI and UX design, game as a service, DevOps, and online services, as well as high tech tools. The company also provides smart farming, image diagnosis, healthcare interoperability, genomics data processing, telemedicine and medical device, research and development, and precision medicine services; media and entertainment, and travel and hospitality services; cloud transformation advice, building cloud environment, moving workloads to the cloud, cloud support and operation, chaos engineering, and site reliability engineering services; and data strategies, insights, data platforms, MLOps, and data as a product services. In addition, it offers agile delivery, blockchain, business and cultural hacking, conversational interface, cybersecurity, design, digital sales and marketing, enterprise applications, internet of thing, metaverse, process optimization, quality engineering, salesforce, smart venue, UI engineering, and sustainable business solutions. Further, the company provides smart underwriting, monitoring, and digital collection services; digital experience platforms; product strategy, management, and delivery services; and strategic architecture consulting, platforms evolution, and augmented composable solutions. Additionally, it operates augmented coding and testing, StarMeUp, PagoChat, ShopChat, and Walmeric platforms. The company was formerly known as IT Outsourcing S.L. and changed its name to Globant S.A. in December 2012. Globant S.A. was founded in 2003 and is based in Luxembourg. Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses. This segment offers financial products and services through branches, automated teller machines, and mobile sales network. Its Wealth Management segment provides a suite of advice-based solutions and strategies to high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals, and institutional clients. The company's Insurance segment offers life, health, home, auto, travel, wealth, annuities, and reinsurance advice and solutions; and business insurance services to individual, business, and group clients through its advice centers, RBC insurance stores, and mobile advisors; digital, mobile, and social platforms; independent brokers; and travel partners. Its Investor & Treasury Services segment provides asset servicing, custody, payments, and treasury services to financial and other investors; and fund and investment administration, shareholder, private capital, performance measurement and compliance monitoring, distribution, transaction banking, cash and liquidity management, foreign exchange, and global securities finance services. The company's Capital Markets segment offers corporate and investment banking, as well as equity and debt origination, distribution, advisory services, sale, and trading services for corporations, institutional investors, asset managers, private equity firms, and governments. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi [] WashingtonAs automakers turn their vehicles into app-laden computers on wheels, theres one habit they dont want to acquire from Silicon Valley: fighting over patents in court. Manufacturers from BMW to Hyundai to Ford are trying to learn from the smartphone wars, which cost technology companies hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees, as they prepare to revolutionize their vehicles. No sane automaker wants to repeat these wars, where the lawyers were the only winners, said William Coughlin, chief executive officer of Ford Global Technologies, Fords intellectual property arm. Automakers have ramped up their patent applications as they compete to roll out crash avoidance systems, on-board Wi-Fi and cars that can drive themselves. To avoid court battles over who gets paid and how much, competitors are banding together to jointly license technology, use nonproprietary software and buying or challenging patents that might be used in lawsuits against them. Read more: BlackBerry teams up with Qualcomm to expand connected-car technology Volkswagen senior manager gets 7 years in prison for role in emissions scandal Both Toyota and Ford were among the top 21 recipients of U.S. patents last year, with 1,540 and 1,530, putting them in company with Apple, Qualcomm and Alphabets Google, according to figures compiled by the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Toyotas recent patents cover ways to keep a vehicle in the proper lane and respond correctly at a traffic signal; Ford won rights to sensors that gather data from other vehicles and a system to measure customer satisfaction by expressions or statements made while driving. The smartphone wars that began in 2010 were sparked by a clash of the phone and computer industries and pitted iPhone-maker Apple against manufacturers of phones that ran on Android, the operating system owned by Google. Microsoft also got swept in when it demanded royalties on phones that used Android. Technology companies frequently resolve patent disputes others have been over computer memory, networking and video cards in court. But the big automakers tend to settle their fights more informally or let suppliers duke it out. One way is by joining with other companies to share technologies. Many of the groups that are attracting automakers as members were created by Silicon Valley companies to limit the number of lawsuits filed by licensing firms known as patent assertion entities or by the pejorative term troll. Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Tesla and Volkswagen AG are members of the LOT Network, a non-profit consortium in which companies pledge to continue to make their patents available to all members even if they sell them to another firm. Daimler AG, Ford, and Toyota are among those belonging to Unified Patents, which challenges patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Ford also is a member of RPX Corp., a risk management service that buys up patents and challenges patents that already have been issued. Last week, BMW became the latest automaker to enter a licensing deal, agreeing to pay a per-car fee to gain access to a pool of patents related to wireless industry standards from companies including Qualcomm, Ericsson AB, Sony and eight others. Pricing Patents They see every day there is litigation and they dont want that, said Kasim Alfalahi, head of Avanci LLC, a Dallas-based group that operates the patent pool. They say, We have looked at this, we have studied this and we would like to avoid it. Figuring out the proper royalty rates for use of industry standard technology has led to global fights among technology companies, the most prominent being Apple and Qualcomms three-continent combat over what patent fees Qualcomm collects from each iPhone. Automakers look at the fights right now, and they understand that a lot of it has to deal with the pricing and expectations, said Alfalahi, who was Ericssons top intellectual property counsel before starting Avanci. Another way carmakers are cutting costs is by using nonpatented technology. Wild West Open Invention Network, which buys and cross licenses patents related to the open source Linux operating system, has signed up companies such as General Motors and Daimler, giving them free access so they can then build their own individual applications for on-board systems to monitor traffic patterns, help cars avoid crashes or perform other functions akin to a computer or smartphone. Keith Bergelt, the networks CEO, said the battle between Apple and phones that used Googles Android operating system created a culture that brought out the worst in many companies. The automotive industry hasnt been completely immune to litigation. When it comes to self-driving vehicles, its still somewhat of a Wild West, with companies all over the country doing research and hoping to come up with the next big thing. Thats already spawned a nasty fight, with Alphabets Waymo claiming Uber Technologies stole trade secrets for the laser-based sensors known as Lidar. Thousands of cars now run Apple and Googles operating systems for infotainment through their dashboard touch screens in the form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Ford and BMW are integrating Amazons Echo into their dashboards. A big chunk of the lawsuits against tech companies were an outgrowth of the dot-com bust, during which sharks picked up patents from bankrupt internet companies and then demanded royalties from companies that were still in business. Companies like Delphi Automotive have expressed concern that the same thing may happen to companies that dont succeed in the autonomous car market, said Bruce Rubinger, founder of Global Prior Art, which conducts research on the validity of patents. The automakers and suppliers have been investing in technology companies, so they will own rights to some of the research no matter what happens with the company, Rubinger said. The relatively slow pace of change in the auto industry can help it avoid some legal problems. In the technology industry, new products are introduced every 18 months, but it can take four years or more for a new feature to go from the design stage to the showroom floor. Car manufacturing is different from that perspective its not like smartphones where you can just outsource it, said Shawn Ambwani, co-founder of Unified Patents. There are very few players who get into the market. Market share doesnt change dramatically every five years. And the auto industry will be able to draw on the legacy of the technology industrys patent cases. Court rulings make it easier to invalidate patents and lower the amount of damages that can be awarded. Legislation also created a new procedure at the U.S. patent office thats been embraced by Silicon Valley for its reputation as a death squad for patents. So far there have been few lawsuits over the new cars, though Fords Coughlin said they will come because everybody wants to protect their investments. Still, he said, hes not expecting a lot of patent litigation unless somebody is acting unreasonably. Read more about: SHARE: When she was a teen, Kristin Kreuks mother sent her to karate school to learn how to defend herself. The idea was to kick people in case they attacked me, says the 34-year-old Vancouver-born actress, perhaps best known as Lana Lang on CWs Smallville, or detective Catherine Chandler in Beauty and the Beast. As a young actress, Kreuk says she wasnt taught the concept of consent, or how to deal with inappropriate touching, where your attacker may not be wielding a knife. She just figured that sexism in the movie industry was a fact of life. And in her two-decade career, she says she has, until this year, never felt truly safe. Ive always felt like this is a boys club. Ive never felt safe on set, says Kreuk. Sexual harassment is pervasive and insidious and it exists. Its not always the crazy stuff you hear about. It can be more subtle. But its a fact of life. Its an astonishing admission from an actress with millions of fans that she has never felt safe in her own work environment. But Kreuks statement is not an outlier. She is voicing what many in the industry feel, but havent addressed en masse, until now. In a watershed moment for the industry, and in a kind of unprecedented universal reckoning, television and film executives and unions are urgently exploring ways to combat harassment in the wake of allegations over disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and an ever-growing list of accused, including actor Kevin Spacey, comic Louis C.K., director James Toback, and Just For Laughs co-founder Gilbert Rozon. Perhaps its no surprise that as cultural mores shifted so dramatically this year, Time Magazine dedicated its Person of the Year designation this week to the Silence Breakers the voices that launched a movement. And the sexual harassment issue has not been restricted to film and television: Allegations and repercussions have permeated the sports, media and political worlds in what seems to be a sea change in attitude toward a problem that has long been acknowledged but never truly dealt with in a comprehensive fashion. There is a revolution happening. And every dude out there has to look in the mirror, says Newfoundland actor Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle, Frontier). Sunlight is the great disinfectant. And thats the only way things will change. Hawco says as a younger actor, he too was subjected to harassment from people in the industry with power over his career. Ive been through it too, to be honest. Ive experienced it as a man in my younger years with a producer or a casting director. I havent had it to the extent of some people, and Ive only had a taste of it. And that was a different time too. But these are interesting times. Hawco says in one instance he turned down the role he was offered. I felt it was too creepy. Because of the larger conversation on harassment in the industry, Hawco says he is communicating with friends more openly about the subject. I have a lot of friends and I am only discovering now theyve been subjected to that their whole careers. I have a friend who was on a show with someone who has now been publicly outed (for harassment). And for a while that was her whole life. As a guy you dont think about these things. But you have to look at yourself as a man if you are doing anything if you are in a position of power. I feel like its a time of deep reflection for everybody. Jill Hennessy, the Edmonton-born actress who is most familiar to viewers on American television series such as Law & Order and Crossing Jordan, says she has managed to extract herself from compromising situations as part of her job. Ive walked out of certain situations. And Im lucky I got out, says Hennessy. But some of my friends werent so lucky. I know women and men who went through this. However, there were things over the years that I saw on sets that infuriated me. And I let it be known. So I havent been silent. Hennessy says that even having the conversation means that change is possible. I like to think that any other people out there right now who perpetuate these acts are looking at themselves right now . . . This is an incredibly brutal and important subject for women and men. And I hope its a moment where we see change. And maybe internal change in people who didnt see this as a big deal. In response to the sexual harassment fallout, Canadian creative industry stakeholders held meetings in the last few weeks to try and come up with a regulatory framework to respond to harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence in the workplace. First steps include launching an education campaign, enacting an industry-wide code of conduct, and creating more effective reporting mechanisms and supports. There are an unprecedented number of industry stakeholders gathering around the table, says David Sparrow, the national president of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Arts (ACTRA). Our members are telling us we need to effect real change. The whole industry realizes that this is a different landscape that were in, that perpetrators will not be permitted to repeat their behaviour. Sparrow says since the allegations against Weinstein were revealed, ACTRA has received dozens of calls from victims across Canada alleging harassment in their workplaces. He said the union is investigating the complaints. We are encouraged by the fact that people have been very brave to come forward. Investigations are taking place, and part of the process is what will be our next steps to either ensuring the perpetrator is re-educated or faces a more dire consequence, said Sparrow. It is our responsibility to make sure this kind of behaviour doesnt befall the next generation. In the meantime, the Toronto branch of the union has renamed its hotline the Sexual Harassment and Emergency Hotline and is encouraging members to call with any workplace complaints. But not everyone is happy about the way the industry and unions have historically responded to sexual misconduct, including Canadian actress Mia Kirshner, who helped form the #AfterMeToo movement after describing her own ordeal with Weinstein. Up until recently our stories were met with indifference by some of our representatives and even the institutions who are in a position to protect us, Kirshner wrote this week in The Hollywood Reporter. The whistleblowers were at the bottom of a caste system determined by priorities that deem preservation of income streams and power more important than the protection of humanity in our workspaces. Sparrow, meanwhile, feels this may be a moment where Canada can step forward as a global leader on the issue. We are already known for tremendous crews and performers and for our diversity. This can only benefit Canada as a shooting location as we move forward. Canada needs to be a leader in this to ensure everyone can go to work without fear of harassment. One way that the industry can effect systemic change is the makeup of men and women who are in front of and behind the cameras. Having more women in leadership roles changes the power dynamic in an industry where the top executives are overwhelming male, say insiders. How to get there is another issue. But change starts with a conversation. What is surprising and heartening is that people are making a difference, says actress Kreuk. People are feeling consequences and women are feeling more emboldened and empowered to come forward and speak to their experiences. And that will change our industry and beyond. Kreuk says this year, for the first time, she has felt safe in her own work environment, while creating the CBC limited series Burden of Truth, shot in western Canada. But that, too, is about the balance of power. In addition to being the star, Kreuk is an executive producer on the show, so she calls the shots. Thats unlike earlier in her career when she was the hired help in front of the camera not the person who made the executive decisions. Men are changing too. It takes both of us. On my show there are great male advocates who take these things seriously, she adds. And she says the culture is changing as well. Being female, the minute I was 14 or 15 years old, it starts by being bugged on the street the minute you hit puberty by adult men when you are so clearly a child, Kreuk says. So it starts happening when youre so young. And as I grew up I started to believe that it was part of my job to handle that. And going into the industry that it was normal. But now I work with some young actresses on my show and theyre much more clear on the rules of consent. If they dont want someone to touch them they would say no. I didnt know how to do that at that age. I would laugh it off, or smile, or make them feel O.K. Thats how I was conditioned. Now, when younger women ask Kreuk for advice, she tells that that they shouldnt doubt themselves. Stand your ground. Its not your job to make someone feel good all the time. And trust your gut. If you feel something is wrong. There is probably something wrong. Dont ever be afraid to speak out. SHARE: Communities across Ontario cannot opt out of hosting a government-run pot shop if they are selected for a site, the provincial government said Friday after at least one town expressed resistance to having a cannabis retail location. If a community is selected to host one of the marijuana shops, it could delay hosting the store but cannot completely opt out of having it, said Ontarios Ministry of Finance. As we roll-out the next phase of stores, we will continue to engage with municipalities on an ongoing basis including with those municipalities who may not be ready for a store opening in July 2018, said Jessica Martin, spokeswoman for Finance Minister Charles Sousa. Read more: Cities press Ottawa for a share of pot taxes Richmond Hill Mayor Dave Barrow just says no to recreational marijuana sales in his town Ultimately, our goal through a controlled model is to ensure a safe and sensible framework for cannabis legalization. Earlier this week, a committee of the City of Richmond Hill unanimously endorsed a statement saying it was not willing to host one of the retail stores. City councillors are expected to debate the motion next week. The community had been notified in late November that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which will run the shops through a subsidiary, was beginning early work to site a store in Richmond Hill. In a report from the citys municipal staff, councillors were told they would likely only have a say over the zoning of a proposed location. Martin said the government has consulted with municipalities about its retail model through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Municipalities were involved in establishing the initial guidelines for siting stores, including achieving geographic distribution and combating illegal dispensaries, she said. But hours later the government backtracked, telling The Canadian Press it has not decided if municipalities will be able to opt out of hosting a cannabis store. The LCBO will be addressing local concerns as they move forward with the siting process, Martin said in a statement Friday night. Those conversations will evolve as more details are revealed by the federal government, including a revenue model that will allow the province to recover costs and support municipalities when dealing with issues around enforcement, healthcare, education, and social programs. In October, Sousa wrote municipal leaders and said Ontarios store rollout aims to achieve the right geographic distribution across the province and to reduce the number of illegal marijuana dispensaries that have opened since the federal government announced it will legalize recreational marijuana next summer. The public will also be notified about the proposed store locations and will be asked to provide feedback directly to the LCBO, he said. None of the retail stores will be located near schools, Sousa said. The LCBO hopes to open its first batch of 40 stores by July 2018. The province plans to set up approximately 150 stand-alone cannabis stores by 2020. All consumers will also be able to access cannabis through an online retail website. Association of Municipalities of Ontario executive director Pat Vanini said reaction to Ontarios plan to retail cannabis has been met with anxiety by some municipal leaders who say the process has not provided them with enough information. Some communities dont want to be part of the first wave of government-run cannabis stores, she said. Were at such and early stage we still havent been able to nail down how municipal governments costs that are going to host retail facilities will be recovered, she said. There is still, amazingly at this point in implementation, a lot of unknowns. Thats whats creating some consternation. Vanini said this isnt the first time municipalities have been forced to comply with a broad top-down government policy. Municipal governments have been through this willing/unwilling piece before with wind turbines, she said. It took a while for the province to say Well go where there are willing communities. Vanini said if communities are allowed to opt out of hosting a cannabis shop, it could be an unexpected boon to the government. SHARE: The city will demand Uber reveal how many Toronto users were affected by a security breach that saw hackers access personal information of 57 million people worldwide in October 2016. Council unanimously approved the member motion Friday, directing the city manager to not only demand information from Uber, but also to ask how and when the company will inform impacted drivers and riders in Toronto. To date, the California-based ride-sharing company has ignored requests from Canadian authorities to reveal how many Canadians were affected and where, said a staff report. Torontos Uber customers and drivers have a right to know if their personal data has been released as a result of this breach, Councillor Janet Davis, who put forward the motion, told the Star. The city has given them incredible access to a huge market here in Toronto. I am hoping they recognize the value of our licensing agreement and abide by our request. Under Torontos licensing agreement with Uber established in May 2016, five months before the breach occurred, Uber is required to protect the personal data it collects from users, said the report. The agreement also requires Uber to be able to produce all data or records to the city or police for investigations or audits within 30 days of the request. If Uber breaches the citys licensing agreement it could face fines or suspensions, Davis said. Uber officials said the company plans to work with the city. The privacy of our riders and drivers is of paramount importance for Uber, said spokesperson Susi Heath in an email to the Star. That is why we are working closely with regulatory and government authorities globally, including the Federal Privacy Commissioners Office here in Canada. We look forward to working with city officials on this matter. On Nov. 21, 2017, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement that two people had accessed user data stored on a third-party cloud-based service in late 2016. Uber kept the data breach a secret for more than year after paying $100,000 USD in ransom, reported the New York Times. Hackers had downloaded the names and drivers license numbers of about 600,000 drivers in the U.S., plus some personal information of 57 million users from around the world, Khosrowshahi said in the statement. That information included names, email addresses and cellphone numbers. None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it, Khosrowshahi said. While I cant 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. Read more about: SHARE: Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes [] Toronto police arrested five people and seized nearly 10 kgs of marijuana after raiding a dispensary in the Trinity Bellwoods area Friday. Police also found nearly $6,500 in cash, 8.8 kg of marijuana oil, 377 g of hash and more than 125 g of shatter (a concentrated form of THC) while executing a search warrant at Eden on Queen St. W, near Bellwoods Ave. Eden was previously raided in May 2016 but reopened days later. The store is part of a chain with locations in Vancouver. The five people arrested are facing a total of 15 charges for drug possession, trafficking and possessing proceeds of crime over $5,000. Among the arrests were Alexander McLean, 27, Kaniagha Malale, 32, Rebecca Luong, 20, and 19-year-old Heap Thomas, all of Toronto. Malcolm McKenzie, 22, of Brampton, was also charged. All five are scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall on Jan. 19. SHARE: As Canada prepares to establish what will become the largest protected area in the country Tallurutiup Imanga the Inuit communities that live nearby are aiming for full Inuit management of the region, which covers the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage. What were envisioning is for Inuit to fully manage and control the conservation area, said Sandra Inutiq, the Qikiqtani Inuit Associations chief negotiator for the Tallurutiup Imanga Inuit impact and benefit agreement. Were the ones living there, were the ones that have the knowledge of the land and the waters and were the ones that will continue to be there, said Inutiq, who was in Toronto last week for the Canadas Oceans: Towards 2020 conference at the Royal Ontario Museum. In a statement, Parks Canada said it is committed to working collaboratively with Inuit to determine how best to manage the proposed Tallurutiup Imanga/Lancaster Sound national marine conservation area. Inuit will participate in the management and protection of the national marine conservation area and Inuit Qauijimajatuqangit (traditional knowledge) will inform future decision making, said spokesperson Audrey Champagne. The almost 110,000 square-km conservation area rich in biodiversity is considered the ecological engine of the Arctic. The area is home to up to 75 per cent of the worlds narwhal population, 20 per cent of Canadian belugas, the largest subpopulation of polar bears in Canada and some of the largest colonies of seabirds in the Arctic. Its also home to about 3,600 Inuit. For QIA the conservation area is about bringing economic opportunities to the people who have lived in the region for millennia and launched the effort to protect it more than 50 years ago. This is about communities, we want communities to grow and to thrive, said Stephen Williamson Bathory, QIAs director of major projects. The governments of Nunavut, Canada and the Qikiqtani Inuit Association agreed on the boundaries of the conservation area this summer. Now the three bodies are in the midst of an 18-month process to develop a management plan, while the federal government and QIA negotiate the Inuit impact and benefit agreement, which must be finalized before the conservation area can be formally established. These agreements typically include provisions that would give preference to Inuit for employment and contract opportunities and address Inuit harvesting rights and use of the region, said Williamson Bathory. QIA is also keen to establish a new approach to governance in the region that prioritizes Inuit participation and economic interests, he said. For Inutiq, its about strengthening our rights as Indigenous people to really manage and control what happens to our lands. To achieve that goal, QIA is aiming to broaden negotiations beyond Parks Canada to include other federal departments that have an interest in the area, including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Transport Canada and Natural Resources Canada. The association is also consulting with five of the Inuit communities it represents that lie within the region Grise Fiord, Resolute Bay, Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet and Clyde River. Though, Parks Canada has not yet provided funds to QIA to support their participation in this process. Champagne said the two organizations are currently finalizing the details. As part of its consultations QIA will discuss what capacities already exist within the five communities to manage the conservation area and what capacities need to be developed. They are also looking for input on what infrastructure is needed to promote economic development and create opportunities for the next generation. There is very little economic opportunity and very high unemployment in our communities, we dont have basic infrastructure like high speed internet, what we have is slow speed internet, Inutiq said. Were a coastal people but we dont have anything to reflect that were a coastal people like small craft harbours, or harbours of any kind, she added. If we wanted small scale fisheries in the region, we wouldnt have anywhere to land the fish and process them. While Inutiq has some concerns that the 18-month timeline will be difficult to meet, she is also excited about the opportunity the process presents. Theres so much opportunity with this proposed conservation area to really think about . . . what Inuit want and when we create this conservation area what ways do we see the governance piece. I think the legacy of that question is huge, she said. SHARE: The quaint, burgundy paneled home on Yarmouth Rd. in Toronto is up for sale, no sign of a duchess-to-be in evidence. But this is the place formerly inhabited by actress Meghan Markle. The newest member of the British Royal family, by way of engagement to Prince Harry, has moved out of the two-storey, three-bedroom home in Seaton Village, just to the west of the Annex, after renting the space for several years. Property owners Elizabeth Cabral, a former stylist with Flare magazine, and Kevin ONeill, put the house, which comes with a detached garage, on the market for $1.395 million. The two have owned the property for about a decade, and purchased it for $508,000. The simply designed home was featured in Hello! magazine in June, where Markles preference for the simple things was on show: white plush sofa; a vintage chest used as a coffee table with Noam Chomskys Who Rules The World? casually displayed, Markles two dogs lounging around. The actress herself is also seen taking a selfie posed like a yogi in her bedroom mirror. Markle and her new fiance have reportedly been stalked by paparazzi several times outside the west-end home. According to a feature in Britains Write Royalty magazine, the separate garage allowed Markle and her fiance to avoid photographers camped outside her front door. A neighbour of Markle, Alex Beauregard, said running into the paparazzi in Seaton Village became a regular occurrence for him, his wife and two kids. Were used to seeing the big SUV with security guys and the constant cameras, he said. It did bother some neighbours, just because the paparazzi would be in our backyard, but I dont think people were really angry. Beauregard added that he never thought spotting Prince Harry in his neighbourhood would feel as casual as it did. The sale of the home is in the hands of Daniel Todd Freeman, a Toronto Broker, who made the listing available on Thursday evening. Toronto has been home ground for the romantic relationship of Markle and Prince Harry. They made their first public appearance together at the 2017 Invictus Games in the city. Buckingham Palace, a world away, announced the couples engagement at the end of November. Correction December 11, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that that mistakenly said the Invictus Games in Toronto took place in 2016. Read more about: SHARE: Do you recognize this ring? Toronto police are asking for the publics help to identify a woman found dead with it, nearly 5 kilometres off the shore of Lake Ontario last summer. Police said foul play isnt suspected in the death of the woman, whose body was found on Aug. 28 near the Scarborough area. All attempts to identify her have been unsuccessful, said police in a press release Saturday. Police said the woman is white, about five-foot-eight, with a solid build. Shes likely between the ages of 40 and 70, with grey and light brown hair. She has no noticeable scars, marks or tattoos. Toronto police Const. David Hopkinson said investigators are hoping someone will recognize the ring. The silver, intricate patterned band has clear gems mounted in it. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact police at 416-869-4100 or get in touch anonymously through Crime Stoppers. SHARE: A Toronto police officer publicly admitted Thursday to having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a youth group participant. Discipline charges against Const. Kevin Ward stemmed from his role with the 22 Division Rovers, a program offered by the Toronto Police Service, Humber College and Scouts Canada. Participants are between 18 and 26 years old. A founding member of the Rovers, Ward pleaded guilty to carrying on a sexual relationship with a participant referred to in police documents as CH. According to an agreed statement of facts, Ward entered CHs tent during a Rovers outing in 2016. After another female participant, referred to as LQ, said she needed to change, Ward turned his back to her and stayed in the tent as she changed under the cover of her sleeping bag. He then slept in the tent with the women. His contact with CH, specifically, escalated to a sexual relationship. The notice of hearing describes it as lasting from September 2016 to January 2017. Ward also pleaded guilty to showing CH videos of police activities captured on his phone. The tribunal heard Ward also showed videos to other Rovers participants. Defence and prosecution agreed Ward should forfeit pay for 13 days as penalty for the relationship and a concurrent five days for the video offence. The officer hearing the case has not issued a decision on the penalty. Ward told the tribunal that he regretted bringing negative attention to the force and the Scouts and said he was focusing on his family. I can assure you that I wont be back here, he said at Thursdays hearing. Service prosecutor Insp. Domenic Sinopoli emphasized the relationship was consensual but highlighted an obvious power imbalance. To me, this is a case of trust, professionalism and moral integrity, he said. Defence lawyer Gary Clewley highlighted the officers positive work history at the tribunal and said Ward is barred from the Rovers and Scouts. Clewley said Ward would apologize in writing to CH and LQ. Another charge, describing Wards alleged inappropriate behaviour during Rovers outings, was withdrawn at Sinopolis request. SHARE: SARNIAThe province is giving a $100-million grant to a Sarnia-area petrochemical company thats under investigation by Ontarios environment ministry. Alberta-based Nova Chemicals, which operates three plants in the Sarnia region, is being investigated over allegations it didnt properly report a Nov. 8 incident at its site in Corunna, south of Sarnia, where a chemical leak forced employees to evacuate. Weve asked the company if there are any incidents that were to be reported and the information we have received is there were none, said Minister of Economic Development and Growth Brad Duguid, when asked by reporters if he was aware of the investigation. That doesnt mean there werent any issues that just (means) there werent any that should have been reported. The money wont flow if theres any outstanding compliance issues, Duguid added. The announcement appears to be bright news for the Sarnia area, where thousands are employed in a thriving petrochemical industry. At the grant announcement in Sarnia on Friday, Nova said it would invest $2 billion to build a new plant in the area and upgrade one of its existing facilities. The plant, first proposed in 2011, will have about 150 workers and result in about 1,400 indirect jobs, the company said. Last month, a Star investigation found that since 2010, more than $2.6 billion in public money has flowed to dozens of companies that had repeated or significant violations of environmental rules designed to keep the public safe. Those companies were fined, in total, about $15 million. Critics note that, in effect, taxpayers paid their fines and, in many cases, the companies continued to pollute. Nova was not among the companies examined in the Star investigation. A separate joint investigation by the Star, Global News, National Observer, the Michener Awards Foundation and journalism schools at Ryerson and Concordia universities also revealed a troubling pattern of secrecy and potentially toxic leaks in the Sarnia area. There are 57 polluters within 25 kilometres of the city registered with the Canadian and U.S. governments. The investigation also raised questions about whether companies and the provincial government are properly warning residents of Sarnia and the nearby First Nations community of Aamjiwnaang when potentially toxic substances are leaked. The environment ministry has confirmed with the joint investigation that it is looking into the Nov. 8 leak, when an internal alarm for hydrogen sulphide went off. The chemical, which has a rotten egg odour, can paralyze the human sense of smell and cause death at high concentrations. In a statement on its website regarding the Nov. 8 leak, Nova said its air-monitoring protocols showed no off-site impact. Nova employees, speaking to the joint investigation on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, also allege the company didnt report a second leak in October involving benzene, known to cause cancer, during an outage. Novas regional manufacturing director, Tom Thompson, said the company did detect trace levels of the chemical during the outage. Though the employees said plant workers were hospitalized due to the alleged leak in October, Thompson said that wasnt the case, and refused to answer further questions. An environment ministry spokesperson said Nova didnt report any such incident in October, and that its staff has contacted the company for more information. Duguid said the economic development ministry will check to ensure Nova is complying with all environmental, health and workplace safety standards, and the grant should serve as an incentive. Theyve been in compliance throughout many times in the past, he said. There are sometimes interactions with the ministry of the environment that take place and we expect Nova, as they do, and all of our companies, to comply when the MOE identifies that theres something they need to comply with. With files from Carolyn Jarvis, Global News, and David Bruser and Jesse McLean, staff reporters SHARE: PENSACOLA, FLA.U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday urged voters to elect a Republican Senate candidate in Alabama who has been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct, warning that America cannot afford to have a Democrat win the hard-fought campaign instead. Trump gave a boost to the campaign of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore during a raucous campaign rally in the Florida panhandle, near the state line with Alabama. Get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it, Trump told the crowd. Read more: Roy Moores signature on 1977 yearbook confirmed by expert, accusers lawyer says GOP leaders now backing Roy Moore despite sexual misconduct allegations We cannot afford, the future of this country cannot afford to lose the seat, Trump said, referring to his partys razor-thin 52-48 advantage in that chamber of Congress. Trump said Moores opponent, Doug Jones, is a liberal Democrat who would be completely controlled by Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi in the House and Chuck Schumer in the Senate. Hes their total puppet and everybody knows it, Trump said during a wide-ranging speech that included riffs on the U.S. immigration system and the nations economic performance since he took office. He touched briefly on the closely watched Senate race that will be decided when voters in next-door Alabama go to the polls Tuesday. We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda, which involves tough on crime, strong on borders, strong on immigration, Trump continued. As Trump spoke about Moore, Moore tweeted Trumps comments to his own followers. Trump also taunted Beverly Nelson, one of Moores accusers, who had presented a yearbook inscription by Moore as a key piece of evidence that the candidate knew his accuser. Nelson said Friday she had added a notation marking the date and place where it was signed. Did you see what happened today? You know, the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made, Trump said, shifting to a sing-songy voice. She started writing things in the yearbook. Trump then mentioned Nelsons lawyer, Gloria Allred, and said, Anytime you see her, you know somethings gone wrong. Trump had reinforced his support for Moore earlier Friday by tweeting a similar message. Moore, who is 70, has been dogged by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including accusations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s. Moore has denied the allegations. Trump also regaled his supporters with a story about a disagreement with Canadas prime minister, and sprinkled his tale with some questionable statistics about international trade. Trump said he and Justin Trudeau had a closed-door debate about trade balances. He described it during the part of his speech where he blasted bad trade deals as one of the reasons he won the election, and reiterated his promise to either cancel or renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. He lamented the $71 billion trade deficit with Mexico, then added that theres also a deficit with Canada. Thats where he described his exchange with Trudeau who apparently kept telling Trump the U.S. has no trade deficit with Canada. I like the prime minister very much. Prime Minister Trudeau. Nice guy. Good guy. No, I like him. But we had a meeting... He said, No, no, you have a trade surplus. I said, No we dont. He said, No, no you have a trade surplus, Trump told the Florida crowd. (Trudeau) said, Im telling you that Canada has a deficit with the United States. I told my people in front of a lot of people I said, Go out and check. During the rally, Trump also crowed about stock market gains and other upbeat economic indicators. He said he was confident hed win re-election in 2020, despite his dismal approval rating. I think its going to be very hard for somebody to beat us in a few years, Trump said, pointing to the impact on 401(k) investments. All you have to say is: With us it goes up, with them it goes down. And thats the end of the election, right? The White House said the rally was a campaign event for Trump. But the location so close to the Alabama state line and feeding its television markets stoked speculation that it was a backdoor way for the president to boost Moores campaign without actually setting foot in the state. Its not that hes not going to Alabama. Its that he is going to Pensacola, White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters on board Air Force One as Trump flew to Florida. Pensacola is Trump country. This is a part of the state that voted overwhelmingly for the president in 2016. Hell be travelling back to Florida from time to time, and its a key state. Shah said the president and White House have made clear that the Moore allegations are troubling and concerning and should be taken seriously. He also noted that Moore has maintained his innocence, and said that should be considered as well. Ultimately his endorsement is about the issues, Shah said. Trump tweeted earlier Friday that the LAST thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already. Republicans currently have a 52-48 GOP edge in the Senate. He also criticized Jones as being bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military Moore tweeted that he agreed with Trump. Youre right Mr. President! We cant Make America Great Again with another radical liberal in the US Senate, he said. I look forward to working with you to pass the America First Agenda! Trump, who overcame allegations of sexual misconduct to win last years presidential election, looked past the charges against Moore and formally endorsed the former Alabama judge this week for the seat once held by Jeff Sessions, now the U.S. attorney general. Top Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, had called on Moore to step aside after the allegations were made public. Fridays campaign rally was Trumps first since September, when he went to Alabama to campaign for Sen. Luther Strange, who lost the GOP runoff election to Moore. Trumps visit to the Florida panhandle comes in the final days of the Alabama Senate special election campaign to fill the seat formerly held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The crowd included some Alabama voters who travelled across the border for the rally. These are lies, just malicious lies, said John Maddalena, head of the south Alabama chapter of Bikers for Trump. Maddalena and his wife, Alisha, rode to the Trump rally from their home near Montgomery, Alabama. Alisha Maddalena described herself as a strong woman who still doesnt believe Moores accusers. You let him sit there and pass judgment on people as a jurist for 40 years and dont say anything? she asked. You wait until hes running for the Senate to come up with this? That makes you suspicious. Im a strong female, she continued. If things like that happen to you, you need to come out immediately. Others were Trump supporters eager to see the president in person. Forrest Holt, 71, came to Pensacola from neighbouring Gulf Breeze with his Marine buddies for the rally. We love Trump, because he doesnt back down from anybody, said Holt, who said a tax cut is his top priority. Holt gave Trump credit for Republicans on Capitol Hill advancing competing bills through the process, but said hes not worried about the details. Theyre on the right track, he said. I pay my fair share, and I just want everyone else to pay theirs too. With files from The Canadian Press Read more about: SHARE: The fires sweeping through Southern California, destroying property and threatening human lives, have also killed at least 54 horses, according to the authorities. The California Horse Racing Board said Thursday that at least 25 horses were killed and that at least three people were injured when a fire burned through about eight barns at the San Luis Rey training centre in Bonsall, in San Diego County. The area, near the countys northern border, is known for its equestrian facilities. Wildfires fanned by sustained Santa Ana winds continued to wreak havoc across Southern California on Friday as blazes in Los Angeles, San Diego and Ventura counties destroyed more than 500 structures, sent 212,000 people fleeing and left thousands without power. In northern San Diego County, the Lilac fire continued to burn Friday morning, holding at 4,100 acres from the night before with no containment. More than 1,000 firefighters were battling the blaze, which roared through Bonsall and into Oceanside late Thursday. At least three people were injured. At least 85 structures have been destroyed, including a number of mobile homes, authorities said Friday. Mike Marten, a spokesperson for the racing board, said in an interview Friday that the death toll was likely to rise. The area hardest hit is still smouldering, so no one is allowed in, he said. Earlier this week, 29 horses were killed by the Creek Fire at a ranch in Sylmar in the San Fernando Valley, according to the Department of Animal Care and Control in Los Angeles County. The department said it arrived at the ranch Tuesday morning and found a barn burning, its roof collapsing. Its officers retrieved two horses and a puppy, then returned to the barn to rescue four more horses. Flames blocked their entry. Additional officers arrived, and they were eventually able to rescue more horses, breaking padlocks on stalls to get them out. The department took three horses to nearby Pierce College, where one was euthanized because its injuries were so severe. Southern California is one of the nations largest horse-racing centres, thanks to an inviting climate where horses can be run year-round. San Luis Rey serves as a hub for trainers and others shuttling among the courses of the regions racing circuit, Del Mar, Santa Anita Park and Los Alamitos Race Course. Video from the San Luis Rey fire showed pandemonium as horses scrambled free, kicking dust into the air as flames began to encroach on the property. One trainer, Cliff Sise, told a local CBS station that he had been unable to rescue his horse from a burning barn. It was dark, everything was hot, and she wouldnt come out, Sise said. I opened the pen and tried to get behind her and get her out, and she wouldnt get out. She burned to death that quick. Nearly 500 horses were at the training centre when the fire hit, and Marten said at least three people were injured while trying to rescue them: two trainers, Joe Herrick and Martine Bellocq, and a rider whose name he did not yet know. Bellocq was in a medically induced coma at a hospital while being treated for the second- and third-degree burns covering more than 50 per cent of her body, said her brother-in-law, Remi Bellocq, who runs a jockey school in Kentucky. He said she was burned while trying to save the six horses she had at San Luis Rey, three of which died in the fire. He explained that horses facing a dangerous situation were liable to panic and flee to where they felt the most secure. Whenever theres a situation like a barn fire, just cutting them loose out of their stall to get away might not work because theyre so fearful that they might go back to where theyre comfortable, which is the barn, he said. The trick is to get away from there and secure them in another corral or paddock where they cant come back. The Stronach Group, a track operator, was working with the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club to raise money to help those affected, as was the California Thoroughbred Horsemens Foundation. Horses rescued from the fire at the San Luis Rey training centre were taken to Del Mar racetrack, where between 800 and 850 horses have taken refuge from the fire. The racetrack started receiving horses at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, and the animals continued to come in throughout the night, a spokesperson, Annie Pierce, said in a phone interview. Pierce said the people dropping them off ran the gamut from individual owners to farmers and ranchers. Its been really heartwarming to see as a lot of them come in because theyre just so appreciative to have a place to bring their animals, she said. As you can imagine, anxiety levels are really high. Some owners are dropping their horses off, then going back to get more animals. She said the racetracks new guests were not limited solely to equines. Goats, cows and chickens were also sheltering there, along with a potbelly pig that was found running by the side of the road. With files from Los Angeles Times SHARE: AZTEC, N.M.A 21-year-old gunman who disguised himself as a student to get into a New Mexico high school where he killed two students had caught the attention of U.S. investigators more than a year ago, authorities said Friday. William Atchison, a former student at small-town Aztec High School, had legally purchased a handgun at a local store a month ago and planned the attack, authorities said. He left a message on a thumb drive found on his body that detailed his plan to wait until the students got off buses and made their way to class. He mingled with students, then walked into school with them and went into a second-floor bathroom to gear up. Atchisons plan was to shoot up a classroom and then kill himself. Read more: Shooting at New Mexico high school leaves 2 students, suspect dead Work sucks, school sucks, life sucks. I just want out of this (expletive), he wrote. More lives could have been lost had Francisco I. Fernandez not walked into the bathroom, authorities said. The gunman shot Fernandez, then walked out into the hallway and encountered the second victim, Casey J. Marquez. He immediately killed her. Atchison then walked up and down the hall, firing randomly, before killing himself, authorities said. He was determined to create as much carnage as he possibly could, San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen said. The shooter did not have a criminal record, much less a traffic ticket, officials said. The only contact with law enforcement was what they described as a generic message on an online gaming forum in 2016 in which he talked about what weapons might be used in a mass shooting. The FBI said the posting was flagged and investigators talked with the gunman at his home in Aztec, where he lived with his parents. At the time, he did not own any weapons other than an airsoft pellet gun and said he had no plans for an attack and just liked to troll sites online. The shooting has rocked Aztec, a community of about 6,500 near the Colorado border. Hundreds gathered for prayer services and candlelight vigils and more gatherings are planned over the weekend as residents look for answers. In one bright spot, authorities said heroes at the school helped save lives. A substitute teacher heard the gunshots but didnt have a key to lock the door to the computer lab. So she took students into an office or storage area and barricaded the door with a couch. Atchison came to the room and yelled that he knew they were in there and fired multiple shots into the room, authorities said. A custodian also heard the gunshots and yelled for teachers to lock their doors. State Police Chief Pete Kassetas said the two victims were not specific targets. Marquez was a cheerleader and was planning to perform in the upcoming Orange Bowl. Her classmates said she came across as a student leader. Bryn Divine, a senior at Aztec High School, remembered the victim being a vibrant and friendly student who often won dance contests at school events. She lit up pretty much any room we were all in, Divine said. She was such a fun person to be around. Fernandez was known for his interest in computers and his speed on the keyboard. His family has said he had a bright future ahead of him. Gov. Susana Martinez said she has met with the teens families and they talked about what great kids they were. Both of them also had jobs. Martinez said the families are broken but are pulling together. I dont think anyone ever gets over this, she said. Investigators were still combing over evidence at the school Friday, trying to determine how many shots were fired. The gunman had several magazines and reloaded multiple times, Kassetas said. At Atchisons home, investigators found a torn note in a trash can in his room that listed what they believed to be the timeline for Thursdays shooting. The last words written on the note read die. Authorities dont believe anyone else knew about Atchisons intentions but said they are still investigating. SHARE: GAZAIsraeli airstrikes killed two Hamas members early Saturday following a rocket attack on Israel, in the latest fallout from President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital a development that has roiled the region and the larger Muslim world. The Israeli military said it targeted four Hamas facilities in response to rockets fired the previous night, including one that landed in the town of Sderot without causing casualties or major damage. The military said it struck warehouses and weapons manufacturing sites, after which Hamas said it had recovered the bodies of two of its men. Israel considers Hamas responsible for all rocket fire emanating from Gaza, which is home to other armed groups. Some residents of Sderot and other border towns spent the night in shelters, fearful of a resumption of rocket attacks from Gaza that have led to three Israel-Hamas wars over the past decade. Protests and demonstrations continued across the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday on the third and final so-called Palestinian day of rage following Trumps announcement. The military said there were clashes in some 20 locations. In Bethlehem, Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli troops, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades. The Israeli military said some 600 Palestinians were throwing firebombs and rolling burning tires toward Israeli forces. It said it dispersed the crowds and arrested six rioters. Along the border with the Gaza Strip, some 450 Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops at eight main locations. About 20 were lightly wounded. Some 4,000 demonstrators gathered in Gaza City and demonstrations resumed in Pakistan, Turkey and elsewhere across the Muslim world as well. In Jerusalem, police forces some on horseback scuffled with protesters near the Old City and arrested 13 people who were involved in what they called an illegal protest. Four policemen were slightly injured. President Trump cannot take what he doesnt have, said Zuheir Dana, one of the protesters from East Jerusalem. In a first, violence spilled into Israel itself, with Arab protesters blocking a major highway in the northern part of the country and hurling rocks at a bus and motorcycle rider, injuring two slightly. Israel has mobilized troops in case further violence breaks out. However, the clashes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have yet to claim lives or spiral into the level of violence some had feared following Trumps move. Read more: Tony Burman: In favouring Israel, Trump puts it at risk Angry worshippers across Muslim world protest Trump over Jerusalem decision Clashes erupt in West Bank, Gaza over Trumps Jerusalem move; more unrest feared Saturday saw a drop in the scope of the protests after clashes erupted Friday between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops in dozens of West Bank hot spots and along the Gaza border. Two Palestinians were shot dead in Gaza and dozens were wounded in the West Bank. In Jerusalem, Friday prayers at Islams third-holiest site dispersed largely without incident. Large crowds of worshippers across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches Friday, some stomping on posters of Trump or burning American flags. Trumps announcement on Jerusalem, and his intention to move the U.S. Embassy there, triggered denunciations from around the world, with even close allies suggesting he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. The status of the city lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinians conflict, and Trumps move was widely perceived as siding with Israel. Even small crises over Jerusalems status and that of the holy sites in its ancient Old City have sparked deadly bloodshed in the past. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Fatah movement and other groups have called for mass protests while its rival, the Gaza-based Islamic militant group Hamas, is calling for a third violent uprising against Israel, though such appeals have largely fizzled as Palestinians have become disillusioned with their leaders. Arab foreign ministers, meanwhile, gathered in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for an emergency meeting to formulate a unified response to Trumps decision. It was not immediately clear what concrete measures might be taken to counter Trumps decision, but Arab diplomats have spoken of submitting a draft resolution condemning the move to the U.N. Security Council and unspecified measures regarding bilateral ties between Arab League member states and Washington. Hamas, which seeks Israels destruction, killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and other attacks during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s. In Cairo, Arab foreign ministers kicked off an emergency meeting with scathing criticism of Trumps decision, which they agreed has robbed Washington of its credentials as an honest broker in Mideast peace. The head of Egypts largest Christian church announced Saturday he would not meet U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence when he visits Cairo on Dec. 20, mirroring a decision made Friday by the countrys top Muslim cleric. The Cairo meetings televised public session began at 9 p.m. local and ended 2 hours later after nearly 20 chief delegates spoke. Their comments ranged from blasting Trumps decision to the need for concrete action to musings on whether fiery speeches would change anything. If we do nothing about this one (Trumps decision), there will be many, many more tragedies, warned Iraqs foreign minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari. No normalization (with Israel) and no compromises. Lebanons foreign minister, Gibran Bassil, suggested that there might be a silver lining in the latest crisis to hit an Arab world locked in conflict with Israel for nearly 70 years. Could this calamity bring us together and wake us from our slumber? Let it be known that history will never forgive us and our future will not be proud of what we have done, he told the meeting. Earlier, both Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki called on world nations to recognize the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital in response to Trumps decision. Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the league chief, said Trumps decision condemned the country that took it and the administration that passed it. It also raised a question mark over Washingtons role as a peace mediator, not just in the Middle East but in the entire world. The decision amounts to the legalization of occupation, said Aboul-Gheit, alluding to the occupation and later annexation of East Jerusalem by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Al-Maliki called on the league to instruct its envoys in the United Nations to submit a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council condemning Trumps decision. Trumps decision, he said, betrays its hostility and bias against the Palestinian people. Most countries have not recognized Israels 1967 annexation of East Jerusalem and maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv. Under a long-standing international consensus, the fate of the city is to be determined in final status peace negotiations. Israel says it hopes others will follow Trumps lead, but the United States found itself alone in the U.N. Security Council on Friday, fielding criticism from the other 14 members over the proposed move. Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi said the council took a strong stance against American violations of international law. They have no mandate to give away Jerusalem to an occupying power or to violate international law in such a blatant and egregious manner, she said. While Trumps announcement was warmly welcomed in Israel as an acknowledgement of its longtime seat of government and the ancient capital of the Jewish people, it was greeted with outrage from Palestinians who considered it a slap in the face and an abandonment of the longtime American role as mediator in the conflict. After two decades of halting peace negotiations that have failed to bring Palestinians closer to statehood, some in Abbas inner circle have begun to speak openly about abandoning the two-state formula in favour of a single binational state. In a sign of Palestinian frustration with the Americans, Abbas political adviser Majdi Khaldi said the Palestinian president will not meet with Vice-President Mike Pence when he visits the region later this month. The U.S. crossed the red line in its decision about Jerusalem, he told The Associated Press. Read more about: SHARE: PENSACOLA, FLA.U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to push embattled GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore across the finish line in Tuesdays election in Alabama by contending the Democratic nominee would oppose what we must do for the nation. Trump, in a tweet early Saturday, hours after boosting Moores campaign during a Florida rally, framed the race as a referendum on his efforts to reshape the country and said Democrat Doug Jones would work in lockstep with his partys leaders on Capitol Hill to oppose the Trump agenda. With Moore denying allegations of sexual misconduct that have arisen late in the campaign, Trump basked in what he called a big contingent of very enthusiastic Roy Moore fans at the Friday night event in Pensacola, the Florida Panhandle city near the state line with Alabama. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump In a rally cry to Alabama voters, the president tweeted that we cant have a liberal in the mould of Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi holding the seat in a Senate where the GOP hold a slim 52-48 edge. Need your vote to Make America Great Again! Jones will always vote against what we must do for our Country, Trump wrote. At the campaign-style event in Pensacola, Trump claimed Jones was the Democratic leaders total puppet and everybody knows it. Trumps wide-ranging speech also touched on the immigration system and the nations economic performance since he took office. As Trump spoke about Moore, the Republican candidate tweeted Trumps comments to his own followers. Trump also taunted Beverly Nelson, one of Moores accusers, who had presented a yearbook inscription by Moore as a key piece of evidence that the candidate knew his accuser. Nelson said Friday she had added a notation marking the date and place where it was signed. Read more: America cannot afford Roy Moore loss in Alabama, Trump says Roy Moores signature on 1977 yearbook confirmed by expert, accusers lawyer says Did you see what happened today? You know, the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made, Trump said, shifting to singsong. She started writing things in the yearbook. Moore, who is 70, is facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including accusations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s. Moore has denied the allegations. During the rally, Trump also crowed about stock market gains and other upbeat economic indicators. He said he was confident hed win re-election in 2020, despite his dismal approval rating. The White House said the rally was a campaign event for Trump. But the location so close to Alabama and feeding its television markets stoked speculation that it was a backdoor way for the president to boost Moores campaign without actually setting foot in the state. White House spokesperson Raj Shah said the president and White House have made clear that the Moore allegations are troubling and concerning and should be taken seriously. He also noted that Moore has maintained his innocence, and said that should be considered as well. Ultimately his endorsement is about the issues, Shah said. Trump, who overcame allegations of sexual misconduct to win last years presidential election, looked past the charges against Moore and formally endorsed the former Alabama judge this past week for the seat once held by Jeff Sessions, now U.S. attorney general. Fridays campaign rally was Trumps first since September, when he went to Alabama to campaign for Sen. Luther Strange, who lost the GOP runoff election to Moore. Read more about: SHARE: Stop the violence, Editorial, Dec. 6 Yes, the gun massacre at Ecole Polytechnique was the same kind of empowered hatred of women that leads to women fleeing with their children to shelters, or to racially motivated murders. But no, Dec. 6 is not the time to lump together mass shootings with less life-threatening gropings and indecent speech directed at women, because the intentional murder of women must not be trivialized. The Justin Trudeau Liberals have done nothing yet to reverse the Stephen Harper Conservatives unconscionable weakening of gun control. During the last year of the Harper mandate, there were three gun massacres of women and their children committed in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario, yet these murders were never high on Mr. Harpers radar, because guns were involved and the Conservatives rely heavily on gun lobby support. Toronto Mayor John Tory should push the feds to get much more deeply into the gun business, to ban home gun collecting and to open the federal armouries as places where those minimally vetted men who wish to collect the weapons used by soldiers and police officers may do so, but only under state-of-the-art secure, alarm-protected conditions. All crime guns start out as legal guns. All three politically and racially motivated mass shootings here in Canada (Moncton, Montreal, Quebec City) were committed by legal gun owners. Lets not join the Americans in their firearms follies. Ron Charach, Toronto SHARE: Music teacher sues board for defamation over song, Dec. 7 As a former principal, I know that every school concert is the culmination of weeks of rehearsals. Where were principal Nancy Keenan and vice-principal Edita Tahirovic during those rehearsals? At the very least, they gave tacit approval to Land of the Silver Birch being included in the program. What happened after the concert to spur them suddenly to action? Ab Dukacz, Mississauga Yes, of course colonizers have romanticized Indigenous culture. School projects such as the construction of a totem pole at a Stouffville school, learning the song Land of the Silver Birch, various traditions and practices at Canadian summer camps, the reading of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and the appreciation of such films as A Man Called Horse or Dances with Wolves have contributed to colonialists appreciation of Indigenous peoples and cultures. This is one of the roles of art to connect people emotionally with issues and causes that should concern them. Brian OSullivan, Stouffville Coming from Europe as a 10-year-old member of an artistic and literary family, a poem by E. Pauline Johnsons was the first one I memorized many years ago and held in my heart. For this young new arrival, it was breathtaking to learn about the vastness and mystery of nature in my new land, which still holds true in spite of obvious problems. Her beautiful rhymes and elegant words must stand as a noble part of the Canadian canon. Kathy Millard, Toronto How sad. Land of the Silver Birch is a glorious childrens song that connects them to the common experience of Canadas wilderness heritage. Teaching this song is an opportunity for affirmation of Indigenous understanding of our connection with the natural world. This perception is not primitive, it is one that must be regained if we are to survive on Earth. It could be introduced by saying it is based on a poem by E. Pauline Johnson, a 19th-century Mohawk woman of Six Nations and could provide the basis for classroom study of her life and work and range of issues she dealt with, as well as comparison of the different types of Indigenous housing. Joell Ann Vanderwagen, Oshawa I have many happy memories paddling to this tune. For me, Land of the Silver Birch is about the sheer joy of paddling in Canadas great outdoors. If there is an offensive piece to the song then, yes, bring it to the attention of the school. That would be an excellent teaching moment, with the teacher and students discussing the debatable lines and offering alternatives. Barb Jantzi, Toronto I cant believe the Canadian folksong Land of the Silver Birch made front-page news. Its pretty shocking to see what is being identified as inappropriate by cowardly school administrators whose prime mission in life is to cater to parents. It is especially shocking that Toronto District School Board administrators have labelled an innocent song as inappropriate when there is little control over some of the music with racy/foul language students are listening to on their personal devices in school buildings. I fondly remember singing Land of the Silver Birch in elementary school and how we enjoyed the actions that went along with it. And Im trying to find just one ounce of inappropriateness in the lyrics. While administrators have ruled the song to be inappropriate, the music teacher is sticking to her guns and is suing for defamation. Good for her! Trevor Dearham, Bradford, Ont. SHARE: Trump ignites anger across Muslim world, Dec. 7 The Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims strongly condemns U.S. President Donald Trumps ill-advised declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We are joined by the echoes of dismay and indignation the world over. Trumps imprudent statement risks destroying the cherished hopes for a two-state resolution held by many Israelis and Palestinians, and indeed Jews and Muslims the world over. It exacerbates the frustration of those who have worked for decades to build bridges of co-operation, in the knowledge that a peaceful outcome depends on negotiations that respect both sides historic ties to Jerusalem. Trumps misguided statement could fan the flames of violence and bring harm to innocent lives. It may be Trumps attempt to divert attention from his domestic troubles, but the consequences will certainly increase the marginalization of both the U.S. and Israel in the international community. This irresponsible move immediately drew an angry response from Britain and France, two close allies and key members of the UN Security Council, NATO, the EU, as well as the Pope. CAJM shares the fear that this declaration will strengthen extremists and complicate an already delicate situation in a volatile region of the world. The muted response from the Canadian government to this inflammatory act is disappointing. We urge Prime Minster Justin Trudeau to condemn Trumps declaration unequivocally. Canada can play a constructive role as a neutral facilitator, ready to support both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians who still hold fast to the hope of peace in the Holy Land. Shahid Akhtar and Barbara Landau, co-chairs, Canadian Association of Jews and Muslims, Mississauga Donald Trump is taking double speak to new heights by recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital while claiming U.S. support for a two-state peace solution. Stating that this is only a recognition of reality hides the insidious truth that it is the U.S. that enables this reality. First, it continues to block any UN resolution to even condemn the growth and expansion of illegal settlements, giving Israel carte blanche to keep doing just that. Second, it heavily funds and arms Israel, making it an oppressive occupier able to maintain military checkpoints throughout Palestine with a brutal siege of Gaza. A two-state solution will elude us if international law gives way to recognition of stolen land. Ali Manji, Thornhill I find myself asking why Canada did not join the rest of the world in denouncing Donald Trumps decision on Jerusalem. Canada has always believed that the Palestinians deserve better than what they get from Israel and the United States. Yet Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland barely whispered our support for the Palestinian cause. Poor little Canada, cowtowing to the bully in the White House, again. Joe Spence, Ottawa U.S. President Donald Trumps official recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital and announcement to move the U.S. embassy there should be viewed as a day of infamy right alongside Pearl Harbor. Alan Pellettier, Scarborough On one hand, this declaration states the obvious, as Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. The Israeli parliament, supreme court and federal government offices are located in Jerusalem. More importantly, Israel, a sovereign nation, has always stated Jerusalem to be its capital. On the other hand, this declaration is an act of kindness and bravery, as the nations of the world have not had the decency to formally accept Israels will. It is hard to understand the absence of global recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. After all, is only under the rule of Israel that the adherents to all three main monotheistic faiths have been able to live, work, play and pray freely in Jerusalem. Only under Israeli control has Jerusalem been so open to global tourism. Unfortunately, the reality is that for those of us who acknowledge the correctness of this recognition, we cannot simply celebrate and appreciate. Instead, we have to shudder and be fearful of what the negative reaction of the Muslim world will be against Israelis, Jews and Americans. Peace in the region will only be achieved when the Muslim world accepts the actuality of Israel as a self-determining state that has a right to exist and thrive and to declare its own capital. That acceptance is in the hands of Muslim leadership. Miriam Snowbell, Thornhill The real facts are that not recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel for the past 40 years has not brought peace to the region. By maintaining the status quo, does anyone really think there will ever be peace? So why would the U.S. agreeing that Jerusalem is the capital suddenly make the peace process an impossible feat? Allen Stern, Thornhill Read more about: SHARE: Well you dont have it so bad. Everyone in Canada has a sob story. So said Sport and Persons with Disabilities Minister Kent Hehr to lawyer Fiona Sampson and four other thalidomide survivors in an October meeting. His lip was curled in a bit of a sneer when he made the sob story comment, Sampson told me. He was mocking and dismissive. He even reached out to grab one womans arm which made her uncomfortable. The woman in question is missing one leg and some internal organs. You dont touch any woman, particularly thalidomiders, as they call themselves, without permission, and a competent disabilities minister would know that. This group of thalidomiders were women, and they have it very bad indeed. They were asking Hehr for help after a 2014 House of Commons pledge to fully support them turned to air, as these things tend to without public reminders. Because of their shortened lifespans, five victims have since died, they told him. So you probably have about 10 years left then now, Hehr responded. Thats good news for the Canadian government. The remarks were a massive unkindness, especially to people who might not have arms or legs, with distorted hands and damaged bodies. In shock after the Hehr meeting, they couldnt get out of the building. The handicapped doors didnt work. Collectively missing multiple hands, arms, legs, etc. we couldnt get those huge, antique carved oak doors open, Sampson said. It was awful. After Sampsons public statement, Hill reporters were so astonished by Hehrs quotes that they repeatedly and specifically offered him a chance to explain himself. He could not. Over and over he danced with words. They sounded familiar, the same words that cowardly powerful American sex abusers have been using. He said the fatal if as in if anyone was unreasonably offended, and worse, he used the as someone with a disability, which sounds much like as a father of daughters that American politicians use when they deplete womens rights. Hehr is a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down with only some use of his left hand, which makes the you dont have it so bad remark even more contemptuous. It is not his judgment to make. If there was any physical contact, it was completely accidental, Hehr said, and were hearing a lot of that too. If. If. Hehrs contempt for Parliament was patent. After a Conservative MP asked about his remarks, he twice responded by reading an identical statement off a piece of paper. He did not deny his remarks, but passed them off as unimportant. While some of my comments were misconstrued, as soon as I learned that my comments were felt to be offensive, I immediately... apologized. So its on the thalidomiders. What dopey ladies they are, so unreasonable in their hurt. Sampson, who had initially accepted Hehrs apology with courtesy, now objects. The fact that Hehr is now saying (in the scrum) that he never said some of the things he definitely said adds to the insult, she told me. I had been busy on another story as the Hehr news appeared. By sheer chance, it was about Sampsons day job. I have written about it before and always have trouble with it, fearing Star readers might find it too upsetting. People can only take so much. For many years Sampson has headed The Equality Effect, an NGO in Kenya that has helped Kenya pass a law to prosecute men who defile or rape little girls, sometimes as a way to cleanse themselves of HIV/AIDS. In the 160 Girls project, girls at a shelter in Meru (a city north of Nairobi) between the ages of 3 and 17 sued the Kenyan government for failing to protect them from being raped. After a landmark legal fight they won. The Equality Effect has no white saviour complex, quite the opposite. It plants seeds, working in partnership with victims, parents, shelter staff, politicians and police. Thanks partly to Sampsons efforts she was given an Order of Canada in 2016 men are now less likely to violently rape children. It was about legal impunity, Sampson, born a thalidomide child, told journalist Sally Armstrong. The pharmaceuticals and governments had impunity when my mother was pregnant with me. The rapists in Kenya also had impunity because the police didnt take the defilement of girls seriously. And this is the person Hehr mocked. Im not saying he was inaccurate. Everybody does have a sob story, including Hehr, Sampson and tiny 3-year-old girls who are taken away as they play outside and violently raped by grown men. Meet little Emma who was raped by her stepfather at the age of 2, beaten and left for dead. She totters, her untreated injuries now irreparable. When she sees a man, she covers her face and weeps, making it literally a sob story. What makes Sampson different from Hehr is that she didnt react to the childrens pain with mockery and a hope that Kenyan taxpayers wouldnt get dinged. Canadians arent like that. I know that to be true. I dont know what Hehr is doing in Prime Minister Trudeaus cabinet, a place of intellect, decency and feminist fairness. Hehr is inept. He is blase about the pain of others, as a newer complaint also reveals. To a woman discussing a class action suit over denial of maternity benefits, Hehr said, Well, Ms. McRae, that is the old question, like asking... When did you stop beating your wife? In the House of Commons, he offers rote bafflegab one reason MPs have lost much public respect instead of candour. The reasoning behind his appointment came from identity politics, which is fine so far as it goes. But it contains a flaw. The assumption that a disabled minister would understand all kind of disability is not true, just as women are not automatic sustainers of other women. Hehr was pitiless to these braver Thalidomider women who came to him seeking a champion. It was unforgivable. hmallick@thestar.ca Read more about: SHARE: Bitcoin isn't really an investment, it's just a gamble for most people -- and a "refuge" for those who live in countries like Venezuela that have shaky currencies, Jim Cramer says. "If you're in a country that is falling apart, it is a refuge. If you're anybody else [and] it's not a refuge for you, it's a gamble -- [and] I'm not about gambling," Cramer said during his latest private conference call with members of his Action Alerts PLUS club for investors. Cramer said investing in bitcoin -- which started the year below $1,000 but briefly hit $19,000 this past week -- is little better than playing blackjack because there's no logic behind its price moves. "No one's been able to tell me why it should go up or down," he said. "That's like playing cards." In fact, Cramer sees only three non-speculating types of bitcoin buyers: People Stuck in Bad Economies. The expert said many recent bitcoin buyers come from Venezuela, which has a collapsing economy and currency controls that generally prevent moving cash out of the country. "In failing countries, the last thing you want to do is own the [local] currency," Cramer said. Sneaky Hedge Funds. He said some hedge funds are trading bitcoin in a bid to "corner the market." Crooks. "If you're a hacker and you want to be paid for a ransomware, you do it with bitcoin," Cramer said. He added that you shouldn't buy chipmakers Nvidia (NVDA) - Get Free Report , Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - Get Free Report or payment-processing firm Square (SQ) - Get Free Report just to play the bitcoin craze. Cramer said that while such stocks have a tie to the industry, "it's just very small." Want to join in on Jim's monthly conference calls? Click here for a free 14-day trial subscription to Action Alerts PLUS and hear all of the latest call, plus get e-mails before Jim makes any trade and enjoy lots of other exclusive material. Nvidia is a holding in Jim Cramer'sAction Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells NVDA? Learn more now. More of What's Trending on TheStreet: Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA provides dialysis care and related dialysis care services in Germany, North America, and internationally. It offers dialysis treatment and related laboratory and diagnostic services through a network of outpatient dialysis clinics; materials, training, and patient support services comprising clinical monitoring, follow-up assistance, and arranging for delivery of the supplies to the patient's residence; and dialysis services under contract to hospitals in the United States for the hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and for patients suffering from acute kidney failure. The company also develops, manufactures, and distributes dialysis products, including polysulfone dialyzers, hemodialysis machines, peritoneal dialysis cyclers, peritoneal dialysis solutions, hemodialysis concentrates, solutions and granulates, bloodlines, renal pharmaceuticals, and systems for water treatment; and non-dialysis products, such as acute cardiopulmonary and apheresis products. In addition, it develops, acquires, and in-licenses renal pharmaceuticals; offers renal medications and supplies to patients at homes or to dialysis clinics; and provides vascular, cardiovascular, endovascular specialty, vascular care ambulatory surgery center, and physician nephrology and cardiology services. The company sells its products to dialysis clinics, hospitals, and specialized treatment clinics directly, as well as through local sales forces, independent distributors, dealers, and sales agents. As of February 23, 2022, it operated 4,171 outpatient dialysis clinics in approximately 150 countries. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Bad Homburg, Germany. How many steps will it take to walk off Thanksgiving dinner? Study: You'd need to walk nearly 80,000 steps to walk off the calories associated with the 10 most popular Thanksgiving Day dishes. Travelled 5 times to DR, got Hep A/B vaccines many years ago as we travel to more places than the DR. This was done in advance over a 6 month period. (More as a precaution against stepping on something on the beach/water and pre-cautions against food/drink) But, we have only seen 1 or 2 mosquitoes in 5 times to DR. The resorts due an excellent job of maintaining very low bug counts. Enjoy your trip! David Is your company in need of the most reliable and efficient best Best Jasmine Tea s in the market? Your good luck led you to the ideal situation, so congratulations! You are in the best possible place. By eliminating the need to read through dozens of Best Jasmine Tea reviews, we are saving you time and stress. Many customers find it difficult to decide which Best Jasmine Tea product to buy. The dilemma is brought about by the many types of Best Jasmine Tea in the market. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a clear understanding of how you may choose the most suitable Best Jasmine Tea available in the market. - NASA's strategist and international economist David Ndii has termed charges against him non-serious - He also accused the government of defeating alternative voices by intimidating them - Ndii was recounting his moments with the police after he was taken in for questioning over incitement remarks attributed to him National Super Alliance (NASA) strategist David Ndii on Saturday, November 9 condemned incitement remarks attributed to him terming them non - serious. David Ndii said the government was determined to defeat alternative voice by way of intimidation. Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens READ ALSO: NASA strategist David Ndii breaks silence days after his dramatic arrest in Kwale NASA's strategist and international economist David Ndii with Lawyer James Orengo. Photo: Robert Kiberenge/Facebook READ ALSO: NASAs top strategist, David Ndii, allegedly arrested in Kwale Speaking at the Wiper offices in Nairobi he said the incitement charges he was accused of were thoughtless and later turned out to be fake news. "If you are with ten armed policemen in the forest in the middle of the night you can only fear for the worst," Ndii said. David Ndii terms incitement charges against him non-serious "By the time I was done with the police at DCI, they were embarrassed with what they were accusing me of because it was fake news, " he added. READ ALSO: Govt puts counties passing Railas People's Assembly Motion on notice The NASA strategist was hauled from his hotel at the Coast on Sunday, December 3 by about seven armed law enforcers and taken to DCI headquarters in Kiambu for questioning. According to prior TUKO.co.ke reports, Ndii and his wife were in Kwale county for a family event when the police found them at Leopard Beach Hotel. The police took him and told his wife they were taking him to Diani Police Station. ALSO WATCH: Swearing in of Raila Odinga is a huge mistake, the Attorney General warns Source: TUKO.co.ke Russian-backed militants launched 28 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. The enemy violated ceasefire in ATO area 28 times over the past day. As a result of the enemy shelling, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed, one soldier was wounded, and another one serviceman was injured the statement reads. In Luhansk direction, illegal armed formations used infantry weapons and 120mm mortars to fire at Ukrainian positions near Travneve. The enemy also used 82mm mortars to shell Ukrainian strongholds outside Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk), Novooleksandrivka (65km west of Luhansk) and Krymske (42.5km north-west of Luhansk). ATO troops near Zolote (67km north-east of Luhansk) came under small arms and grenade launcher fire. The enemy also shelled the entry-exit checkpoint Zolote, scheduled for opening today, on December 9. In Donetsk direction, Russian-backed militants launched attacks on Ukrainian strongholds outside Avdiivka (18km north of Donetsk) and Vodiane (16km north-west of Donetsk), using mortars and infantry weapons. The enemy sniper fired at Ukrainian troops near Kamyanka (62km south of Donetsk). The defenders of Butovka coal mine (11.4km north-west of Donetsk) came under mortar, grenade launcher and small arms fire. In addition, the enemy UAVs, banned under the Minsk agreements, were spotted in the area of Vodiane, Travneve, Avdiivka, Siversk and Stanytsia Luhanska. ol The deployment of an international peacekeeping mission in Donbas is impossible without the consent of the Russian Federation. U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker said this during the skype conference from Vienna, the Yevropeiska Pravda Ukrainian online newspaper reports. "There will no peacekeeping mission if Russia does not give its consent," he said. According to Volker, the Russian Federation offers to provide guards for the OSCE SMM monitors instead of deploying a peacekeeping mission in Donbas. "They actually offer to leave their troops on the territory of Donbas and let them control a part of the Ukrainian border. This proposal contradicts the Minsk agreements," the U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations said. He stressed that the international peacekeeping mission would allow the presence of heavy weapons and enable Ukraine to control its border. "Now there is no control over the border in the occupied territory. This must be stopped. The international forces will be able to control it. Moreover, the peacekeeping mission will enable the OSCE monitors to perform their work properly," Volker added. ol Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and another two were wounded in the anti-terrorist operation area in eastern Ukraine over the past day. Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO Oleksandr Motuzianyk said this at a press briefing on Saturday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed as a result of the enemy shelling near Vodiane, Kamyanka and Travneve in ATO area in last day. Another two our soldiers were wounded and injured. They were promptly delivered to hospitals, Motuzianyk said. He added that Russian-backed militants had violated ceasefire in eastern Ukraine 28 times over the past day, using the weapons banned under the Minsk agreements. Ukrainian troops returned fire 16 times. ol Forty military ambulances, received from the United States, have been sent today to the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in eastern Ukraine. "Forty military ambulances, which save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, have been sent to the ATO area. From the very first day they will work for the Ukrainian army, Ukrainian soldier," President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko wrote this on his Facebook page. On the Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on December 6, Poroshenko handed over the certificates for 40 military ambulances, which had been provided to Ukraine by the United States, to the Ukrainian soldiers. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch stressed that the United States supported Ukraine in protecting its sovereignty and noted that 40 state-of-the-art military ambulances, equipped for providing medical assistance, would increase the level of response and readiness. ol The success of Ukraine on the path towards economic transformations and fundamental changes will become the key to the development of the whole of Europe. Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said this during the plenary session of the 4th meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council in Brussels, the Government portal reports. The meeting was chaired by Volodymyr Groysman and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. Volodymyr Groysman stressed that the implementation of the Association Agreement and the Association Agenda remains a roadmap for reforms in Ukraine and briefed the European partners about the progress of reforms, especially in the energy sector, public finance management, public administration, decentralization, the judiciary, the formation of favorable business climate, etc. "We are facing difficult challenges. We have certain difficulties while introducing each reform. However, we can admit that we are building effective mechanisms to fight corruption, we are talking about the completion of the judicial system reform," urged Volodymyr Groysman, "We focus on recovery of the economy and partnership with the EU is essential in this matter. We have switched to a new quality of decision-making and look forward to further support." In turn, the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, emphasized that the EU commends Ukraine's strive to remain steadfast in abiding by the provisions of the Association Agreement and its efforts to introduce effective tools of anti-corruption policies. ol Music Time in Africa is VOAs longest running English language program. Since 1965, this award-winning program has featured pan African music that spans all genres and generations. Ethnomusicologist and Host Heather Maxwell keeps you up to date on whats happening in African music with exclusive interviews, cultural information, and of course, great music -- including rare recordings from the Leo Sarkisian Library of African Music. Humanitarian organizations are urging the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh to ensure Rohingya refugees return to their home country in safety and on a voluntary basis. They also say they would boycott any new camps for Rohingya returnees to Rakhine state in Myanmar if the Rohingya refugees are not allowed to safely establish themselves in their existing homes. In a joint statement issued Friday, groups aids such as Care International, Save the Children, Consortium Dutch NGOs and Solidarites International, say they are concerned about the announcement made this past week Bangladesh and Myanmar to commence returns of refugees within two months. Though nonprofits praised the commitment of both countries to facilitate the returning process, they urged that it take place in line with international standards and we uphold the fundamental right of refugees to voluntarily return to their place of origin. However, we urge that the rights, safety and protection of returnees must be guaranteed before any returns process commences. Some 645,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, since the end of August, the United Nations reports. Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement in November for the return home of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Bangladesh officials said returnees initially would live in temporary shelters in Rakhine state. The announcement raised concerns that refugees would face a repeat of what happened in 2012 when more than 100,000 Rohingya in central Rakhine, who had been trapped in squalid camps, were displaced by a 2012 outbreak of violence. UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards says it is premature to repatriate the refugees, as the conditions for a stable and sustainable return do not exist. "Many refugees, as you know, have suffered severe violence and trauma," Edwards said. "Many have lost family members, relatives and friends. Many have seen their homes, their villages torched and destroyed. Deep divisions between the communities in Rakhine state remain unaddressed and humanitarian access, at this time, is not there. It is critical that the returns are not rushed or premature. "There should be no form of closed camps or camp-like settlements. INGOs will not operate in such camps if they are created," aid groups added on Saturday. The latest unrest erupted after Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Myanmar on August 25, prompting a military crackdown. Aid access to northern Rakhine have also been restrained by authorities since the violence erupted in late August, which drove more refugees across the border. 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. The aid groups also said they stand ready to help those who want to return when it is safe and sustainable for them to do so. We are committed to helping all groups who have been impacted by the recent violence to recover and rebuild their lives and to support all groups who live in Rakhine State to achieve equality, prosperity and peace, the statement reads. If you want to experience infinity, you're going to have to wait a long time. On a recent Saturday, the line to see Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's new Infinity Mirror Rooms stretched all the way around a Manhattan city block, the end of the line even meeting up with the beginning at the entrance to David Zwirner Gallery, and the wait as long as six hours. Some 5,000 people came through that day, the gallery says, the busiest day yet for the exhibit, and yet more proof if it were needed of the massive popularity of Kusama, who's been described as the top-selling living female artist. Among the 5,000 was not, however, Alla Kondrateva. The 27-year-old New Yorker took one look at the line and gave up, returning on a chilly weekday a few days later when the wait was much shorter. She was happy she returned. "She's really quirky,'' Kondrateva said of the 88-year-old artist. Her work, she said, "is interactive, and it just draws people in her style is just out there, eccentric." Like many who have passed through the gallery since the exhibit opened at the beginning of November, Kondrateva had seen Kusama's work on Instagram, where the artist is a presence. Her famous Infinity Mirror Rooms two new ones are being debuted at the current exhibit, called "Festival of Life" are perfect for selfies. Hardly anyone leaves without one, or two, or 26. But Kondrateva said she tried to limit the impulse: "I feel like it kind of takes away from the whole experience because you're not experiencing the art, you're spending the whole time on your phone." And that time isn't very long. After the lengthy wait outside, visitors get one minute yes, 60 seconds in the first Infinity Room, called "Let's Survive Forever," a mirror-lined space in which only four to six people can fit amid a slew of shiny mirrored orbs, some hanging from the ceiling, some attached to the floor. In the middle of the room, one peeks into a box that splits images, well, infinitesimally. The room is ideal for selfie-takers; there seems to be no angle from which you cannot see yourself and your smartphone. In the second room, "Longing for Eternity," one peers through round holes into a mirrored box, witnessing a light show with constantly changing colors. The view below appears infinite. It's hard to take a selfie, but if you have that live-photo function, your photos will go through two color changes as you view them. You get 30 seconds in that room. (One couple got engaged early this week in an Infinity Room, the gallery says; presumably, they got a bit more time.) After the Infinity Rooms, you're led white booties on your feet into "With All My Love for the Tulips, I Pray Forever," an earlier Kusama work appearing for the first time outside Asia. The entire room is white and covered with Kusama's signature red polka dots, with huge sculptures of tulips (also white with red dots.) Colleen Murphy, 23, stood recently in the center of the very photogenic room, taking selfies. She, too, said the wait just under two hours that morning was worth it. "It's really special to see a lot of her work at once, having the context," said the former art history major who now works in marketing. "Rather than seeing one or two pieces, as you would in a museum." In another room hang some 66 of the artist's brightly colored paintings from her "My Eternal Soul" series, accompanied by a set of new and shiny floral sculptures. One visitor, Mahera Jeevanjee, a physical therapist from San Antonio, Texas, said she found the paintings fascinating as a onetime science major, because some design patterns "look like the anatomy of a cell." The Chelsea show closes December 16; a concurrent show of Kusama's "Infinity Nets" paintings at the gallery's Upper East Side location runs until December 22. In a video message accompanying the show, Kusama in a bright red wig says that if her art "can inspire a deep love of humanity and acknowledge the amazingness of who we are, I will be very happy." "I am determined to continue to grow as an artist who can give hope and power to society,'' says the artist, who has a history of neurosis and channels hallucinations into her work. "I want to accomplish work that leads to world peace and the empowerment of our collective future. I will continue to fight this battle and I invite you to fight it with me." Have some extra cash? All the works are for sale even the Infinity Mirror Rooms, though the gallery would not give prices on those, nor say how many editions would be available. As for the paintings, they're listed for under $1 million. Brazilian President Michel Temer accepted the resignation on Friday of his minister of political affairs, whose party is abandoning the ruling coalition to ready for the 2018 election. Antonio Imbassahy of the Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) has handled the government's relations with Congress, keeping an unwieldy coalition united in blocking the prosecution of Temer on corruption charges earlier this year. However the PSDB, Temer's largest ally, has split over whether to stick with the unpopular president in the run-up to a general election next October, when the party plans to field its own presidential candidate. The PSDB will hold its national convention in Brasilia on Saturday, when it is expected to elect Sao Paulo Governor Geraldo Alckmin as its new party leader, replacing Senator Aecio Neves, who is under investigation for graft. That would make Alckmin the PSDB's most likely candidate in next year's presidential race. Allies say Alckmin plans to continue his party's disengagement from the Temer government, where the PSDB still has two ministers, including Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes, who is expected to stay on the job based on personal conviction. Still, Alckmin is expected to mobilize PSDB support for Temer's signature legislation proposal, the overhaul of Brazil's costly social security system. Investors consider the measure crucial to closing a huge budget deficit that cost Latin America's largest economy its investment-grade credit rating. Temer needs the PSDB's 46 votes in the lower house of Congress to win passage of the pension reform bill, which is set for a vote the week of Dec. 18. There was relief in London and Brussels Friday after Britain clinched an initial agreement on its terms of divorce from the European Union, opening the way for the next and even harder phase of negotiations over the country's future trade relations with the economic bloc. Let us remember that the most difficult challenge is still ahead, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, warned after the overnight deal was struck. We all know that breaking up is hard. But breaking up and building a new relation is much harder. 'Give and take on both sides' Welcoming Fridays deal, which guarantees the rights of Europeans living in Britain and Britons residing in EU countries, as well as committing not to reestablish a customs border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a bleary-eyed British Prime Minister Theresa May said there had been give and take on both sides. Her aides say the deal was a triumph for her. But many of the red lines she had laid down previously were crossed to pull off the breakthrough, analysts say. To clinch the deal, May had to agree that the European Court of Justice will oversee the rights of EU citizens in Britain, for at least a minimum of eight years after Britain formally breaks from the EU, which is scheduled next year. She also agreed on an expensive exit bill, which will amount to $47-$53 billion. 'Regulatory alignment' And to the anger of Brexiters, May also agreed that Britain will maintain regulatory alignment with the EU to ensure there doesnt have to be a hard border or regulatory barriers between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. That suggests to them that Britain is likely heading for a so-called soft Brexit, whereby it remains entangled with the EU. The former leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, scathingly described the 15-page draft agreement it still has to be endorsed by EU national leaders next week as pathetic. He added: The British prime minister had to fly through the middle of the night to go meet three unelected people who condescendingly are now saying Jolly well done, May. You've met every single one of our demands. Thank you very much, we can now move on. May and Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, had originally planned to agree on a first-phase deal on Monday, but it was thwarted in a chaotic breakdown between the British prime minister and Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), who May needs for her parliamentary majority. The DUP objected to some of the border commitments May was making. Terms a tough sell? For May, the challenge now may be to sell the terms of the divorce agreement to her own Conservative party. Brexiters within her cabinet, including Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Environment minister Michael Gove, who both challenged her for the party leadership last year, were supportive of May publicly Friday. How long she will retain their backing? I wouldnt like to place a wager on that, remarked a Conservative lawmaker. The promise that Britain will maintain close regulatory alignment with many of the EU single markets rules and regulations for the sake of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, even after leaving the economic bloc, quickly attracted criticism from other Brexiters Friday. Former official has concerns One former Conservative minister, Owen Paterson, tweeted his concern over the alignment pledge as well as divorce bill saying they must be debated and resolved. He warned ominously, Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Other Brexiters said the agreement to maintain regulatory alignment between Britain and the EU was inconsistent with Mays pledge that Brexit means Brexit. They argue by entangling Britain with EU regulations, it will make it harder for Britain to strike out and to negotiate bilateral trade deals with other countries. They are suspicious also that, despite Mays insistence, Britain will leave the blocs customs union which she is on course to keep Britain in pushed to do so by ministers who want to retain a close relationship with the EU and opposition lawmakers in the House of Commons opposed to Brexit. No 'hard Brexit' Their fears might not be misplaced. A former head of the British Foreign Office, Simon Fraser, says Fridays deal makes it less likely there will be a sharp hard Brexit from the EU. But he says trade discussions will prove even harder than the first phase with much bigger and more complicated negotiations. We need a much clearer understanding of what our negotiating strategy is, he told Britains Sky News. For all sides in the Brexit divide roiling British politics there remains much to fight over, including the biggest of all questions: What should Britains future relationship with the EU look like? The first-phase deal is full of ambiguity and fudge and leaves more questions unresolved than it answers, analysts say. According to former Conservative lawmaker and newspaper columnist Matthew Parris, Theresa Mays supposed victory merely prolongs the illusions and postpones the hard decisions. From Hollywood to major media outlets, high-profile men are stepping down or being fired from their jobs for alleged sexual misconduct. The issue is now making headlines at the U.S. Capitol, where a wave of allegations is forcing out U.S. lawmakers from both political parties. VOA's Congressional reporter Katherine Gypson has the latest from Capitol Hill. New-York based Christie's auction house said Friday that Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism was acquiring Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Christ, "Salvator Mundi," a painting that sold for $450.3 million. The latest twist in a saga over the painting came after a report in the Wall Street Journal which said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MbS, was identified as the buyer of the painting in U.S. intelligence reports, according to people with direct knowledge of the information. A Saudi official denied MbS had purchased the artwork. "Christie's can confirm that the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi is acquiring 'Salvator Mundi' by Leonardo da Vinci," the auction house said in a statement. "We are delighted to see that this remarkable painting will be available for public view at the Louvre Abu Dhabi." The painting, sold last month, become the most expensive painting ever sold. At the auction, the painting was purchased by an unidentified buyer bidding via telephone after a protracted contest of nearly 20 minutes at the auction house. A document seen by Reuters showed that a Saudi prince was authorized to purchase the painting on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism. The document, dated Nov. 12, is addressed to Prince Badr bin Abdullah al Saud and thanks him for "agreeing to bid as undisclosed agent for and on behalf of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi for the artwork" at Christie's auction on Nov. 15. The letter authorizes the Prince to "bid up to a hammer price" of $500 million. A UAE government official confirmed the painting belonged to the Abu Dhabi government and would be put on display at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. "We own it," the official said. In November, MbS ordered Saudi security forces to round up members of the political and business elite, including princes and tycoons, holding them in Riyad's opulent Ritz Carlton hotel in what was billed as a war on rampant corruption. "Contrary to media reports, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not purchase this art piece," a Saudi official told Reuters. "But, yes, His Royal Highness and His Highness Prince Badr Al Saud are good friends," the official said. The official added that the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism had subsequently asked Prince Badr to act "as an intermediary purchaser." The Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened last month, said on its Twitter feed it was "looking forward to displaying the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo Da Vinci" and said the work was acquired by the Department of Culture and Tourism for the museum. A spokeswoman for the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism confirmed the department had acquired the painting to be displayed at the Louvre, but declined to say whether it was bought by the department. The painting, only recently rediscovered, was the last da Vinci left in private hands and fetched more than four times Christie's pre-sale estimate of about $100 million. The leaders of the two primary opposition parties in Honduras have asked for the annulment of the results of the still unresolved presidential election. Salvador Nasralla and Octavio Pineda each filed paperwork Friday with the election tribunal calling for the votes from the November 26 election to be thrown out. The vote count had incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez leading Nasralla by a slim 1.6 percentage point margin. At one point, polling had predicted Hernandez would win handily, but with half the votes counted, Nasralla surprisingly had pulled ahead with a five-point lead before an interruption in the count. When Hernandez regained the lead, Nasrallas backers claimed fraud in the vote count. Pineda said the vote should be annulled because, There have been violations since the president of the republic was allowed to participate in the electoral process when the constitution prohibited it. Nasralla said the result should be declared null because of the scandalous fraud his party has discovered. Hernandez is the first Honduran president to run for a second term, following the Supreme Courts decision to lift the re-election ban. He was elected in 2014 to a four-year term, but contested the ban. During ballot counting, Honduras suspended some constitutional rights and imposed a 10-day curfew, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., in an effort to give security forces whatever powers they needed to control protests about the disputed election. Amnesty International said Friday that the Honduran government is deploying dangerous and illegal tactics to silence any dissenting voices in the aftermath of one of the countrys worst political crisis in a decade, including preventing lawyers and human rights activists from visiting detained demonstrators. Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International said, Honduras seems to be on a very dangerous free fall where ordinary people are the victims of reckless and selfish political games. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Saturday that the three-year war aimed at driving Islamic State out of Iraq was successful and has come to an end. "Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh [IS]," Abadi said at a conference in Baghdad that was arranged by the Iraqi journalists' union. The announcement came two days after Russia said it had defeated IS in Syria, where Moscow is supporting the Syrian military. The Iraqi government said the declaration of victory meant its forces had secured the western desert, in addition to the Iraq-Syria border. IS fighters seized control of nearly one-third of Iraq in the summer of 2014, threatening the very existence of the Iraqi state. Over the past three-and-one half years, however, Iraqi forces backed by the U.S.-led coalition recaptured all of the territory. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert congratulated the Iraqi people and the country's security forces Saturday, saying, "The Iraqi announcement signals the last remnants of ISIS's self-proclaimed "caliphate" in Iraq have been erased and the people living in those areas have been freed from ISIS's brutal control." The militant group is still capable of executing insurgent attacks in Iraq, as it did in November when it regained control of Rawah, the last town it held, near the border with Syria before relinquishing it again over the following weeks. Nauert acknowledged the fight against terrorism in Iraq is not over and said the U.S. would continue to provide the country military support. "Together, we must be vigilant in countering all extremist ideologies to prevent the return of ISIS or the emergence of threats by other terrorist groups," she said. Iraq now turns its attention to rebuilding the many areas of the country that were devastated by the fighting and assisting some 3 million Iraqis who are still displaced. Nauert said the U.S. would continue to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn country so that displaced Iraqis could return to their homes and "begin to reestablish their lives." Prime Minister Abadi declared December 10 a national holiday that will be celebrated every year. Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from Gaza killed two men Saturday, in the latest fallout from the announcement from U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington is recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and plans to move its Israeli embassy there. Hamas said two of its gunmen were killed in the strikes. An Israeli army statement said the target of the strikes were "two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound." Large crowds of protesters across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches Friday after the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, with protests in Gaza leading to the death of one Palestinian man. The Palestinian, Mahmoud al-Masri, 30, was killed by Israeli soldiers during clashes along the Israel-Gaza border after Palestinians called for a Day of Rage to protest the U.S. action. The Israeli military confirmed that it shot two people in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, accusing them of being "main instigators" of "violent riots." Israeli warplanes also struck Hamas military targets in Gaza Friday in response to a rocket fired from the area. The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people were injured in the strikes. Demonstrations also took place Friday in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Malaysia and Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. The Arab League, comprised of nearly two dozen countries, will meet Saturday in an effort to create a joint position on the matter. Some of the United States' oldest allies turned their backs on Washingtons decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council Friday. It contradicts international law and U.N. Security Council resolutions, Swedish Ambassador Oloof Skoog told the council. Jerusalem is a final status issue and can therefore only be resolved through negotiations agreed between the parties. British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states after a negotiated settlement. More than half the councils 15 members requested the open meeting, and delegations from other member states packed the chamber, indicating the importance Jerusalems status holds across the globe. Security Council members criticized the Trump administration decision, saying it risks prejudging the outcome of final status issues and threatens the entire peace process. They also expressed concerns it could be exploited by extremists and radicals, fueling tensions in an already turbulent region. Elsewhere, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Beijing, "The status of Jerusalem should be determined through dialog and negotiation. . . The two-state solution remains the feasible way to fundamentally settle the Palestinian issue." Trump's announcement defies decades of diplomacy in the quest to bring peace to Israel. Jerusalem has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the quest and it was widely believed that a solution would be hammered out in the peace process negotiations. The White House has denied that the presidents announcement on moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem means his administration is pulling out of the Middle East peace process. Palestinian officials say Trump's decision has disqualified the U.S. as an honest broker in the peace process. No other country has immediately followed Trumps lead in planning to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something the White House has acknowledged. Trump, on Wednesday, said he was directing the State Department to immediately begin drawing up architectural plans for a U.S. embassy in the holy city. But the actual relocation of the U.S. embassy, however, would take years, according to White House officials. Despite ongoing efforts to curb corruption, billions of dollars continue to flow illicitly from countries around the world. Thats led to a range of multinational efforts to stem corruption and repatriate stolen funds, including a new U.S. State Department event designed to find collaborative solutions to corrupt practices. Along with the U.S., Britain hosted the event, the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR), earlier this week, ahead of International Anti-Corruption Day on December 9. The forum convened investigators and prosecutors from 26 jurisdictions around the world to establish working relationships that will make it easier to prosecute criminals and return stolen assets. Attendees discussed case studies from four countries, including Nigeria and Tunisia. Robert Leventhal, deputy director of the Office of Anti-Crime Programs at the U.S. State Department, said the fight against corruption contributes to peace and stability worldwide. Over the years, weve learned that the impact of corruption extends far beyond the borders of the country in which it takes place, Leventhal said during a conference call with journalists participating from across the continent. Kleptocracy, or high-level corruption, breeds instability by driving a wedge between government and the people, he added. It turns institutions meant to serve the people into tools for exploiting them, and this can leave many feeling disempowered and convinced that the system is rigged. Leventhal believes that U.S. efforts to fight corruption play a critical role in supporting the rule of law and even battling terrorism. Those efforts include repatriating $150 million in lost funds and freezing $3.5 billion in assets linked to foreign corruption since fiscal 2016. [Corruption] can open the door for transnational organized crime and extremist groups to exploit this frustration for their own purposes, he said. Rising corruption Corruption in Africa rose from 2012 to 2016 in 25 countries, fell in 19 countries and remained stagnant in seven, based on rankings by Transparency International, an organization focused on ending corruption with chapters in more than 100 countries. Transparency International ranks perceived levels of corruption in the public sector based on assessments from international analysts and experts. Overall, corruption in Africa has risen three years in a row. Corruption often goes hand-in-hand with violence and insecurity. The most corrupt countries in the most recent report Somalia and South Sudan have both faced protracted conflicts, food insecurity and political instability. Corruption declines in more open societies. The least corrupt country based on Transparency Internationals index, Botswana, also had the highest trade openness in 2017, according to the Index of Public Integrity, a project of the European Research Center for Anti-Corruption and State-Building. Cape Verde, the second-least corrupt country, has one of the continents freest media, according to Reporters Without Borders. Endemic problem Nigeria, Africas most populous nation and largest economy, has also struggled with corruption, so much so that President Muhammadu Buhari made addressing it a major campaign promise. At GFAR, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malam called corruption an endemic problem in Nigeria, made worse by how long it can take to repair the damage when wealth illegally leaves the country. It takes just a click of the button for illicit wealth to leave Nigeria to foreign destinations, but then the process of repatriating such wealth takes ages, Malam said. Exhausted fire crews made little headway Friday in containing the most troublesome of six major wildfires burning in Southern California as dry winds fanned flames that ravaged avocado farms, racehorse stables and a retirement community. Forecasters predicted weather would continue to challenge the 8,700 firefighters who have been battling fast-moving blazes for five days from the San Diego area up the Pacific Coast to Santa Barbara County. At least 500 structures have been destroyed, six people hurt and four firefighters injured. At the peak, about 212,000 people were forced to flee their homes. Evacuation orders were lifted in some areas, welcome news for many in shelters waiting to see whether their homes survived. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday issued a federal emergency declaration for California, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security to coordinate relief efforts. Two of the most dangerous fires, in Ventura County and San Diego County, were zero to 10 percent contained, the CAL FIRE agency reported. Property worth billions of dollars was at risk. "Critical fire weather is expected to continue for the next few days. Firefighters continue their aggressive firefighting!" the Ventura County Fire Department said on Twitter. A joint weather forecast by firefighting agencies said temperatures would remain "well above normal for the foreseeable future." Winds were expected to continue, peaking in strength on Sunday, then becoming much lighter on Monday. "Ongoing fires may see significant growth on Sunday," it said. Lilac Fire North of San Diego, the Lilac Fire swelled from 10 acres to 4,100 acres (1,659 hectares) in a few hours on Thursday, prompting Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for San Diego County. The fire destroyed 65 structures. Fallbrook, known for its avocado orchards, burned, and homes were destroyed in its Rancho Monserate Country Club retirement community. Blazes approached the Camp Pendleton marine base. A 500-stall stable for Thoroughbred race horses at San Luis Rey Downs training site burned late Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported. An estimated 25 to 30 horses died, in addition to 29 horses killed in Los Angeles earlier in the week. A trainer suffered second- and third-degree burns over half her body trying to rescue horses, the newspaper said. She was airlifted to a San Diego hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. IN PHOTOS: California's Battle Against Wildfires Continues Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, a racetrack in a beachside community north of San Diego, said it was providing refuge for more than 900 animals, mostly horses as well as some goats and pigs. A horse hospital was being opened on Friday. On Twitter, animal lovers sought to reunite lost dogs with their owners and posted pleas for residents in the Los Angeles area to put out water for wild animals fleeing the fires. The wildfires forced producers of commercials, television shows and even student films to pause or seek alternate shooting locations. The Los Angeles Police Department on Wednesday suspended permitted filming in zones near the fires as well as other areas deemed to be at severe risk of burning. Applications for filming in the Angeles National Forest were also halted this week. Visible from space The largest of the blazes, known as the Thomas Fire, was in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, and has charred 132,000 acres (53,418 hectares) and destroyed 439 structures, officials said. More than 2,600 firefighters from as far away as Portland, Oregon, and Nevada, made progress against the blaze, with 10 percent of it contained, up from 5 percent on Thursday. A huge plume of smoke flared from the fire in the Ventura County mountains on Friday and was visible on satellite images, the National Weather Service said. Astronauts have captured images showing the wildfires' smoke visible from space, and the National Weather Service said visibility was being affected in the San Francisco area. The Santa Ana winds, which blow hot and dry across Southern California to the Pacific, eased up on Friday, ranging from 5 miles per hour (8 kilometers per hour) to 35 mph (56 kph). That turned out to be a mixed blessing for firefighters because the lingering smoke limited the use of water-dropping aircraft. About 86,000 homes were at risk in the three large fires in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to CoreLogic Inc., a California risk analysis firm, with reconstruction costs possibly totaling $27.7 billion. California is still recovering from wildfires in the northern part of the state that resulted in insured losses of more than $9 billion in October. Those fires, which were concentrated in California's wine country, killed 43 people. U.N. political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman, who visited North Korea this week, expressed willingness to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula, state media said Saturday, amid a rising war of words over the North's missile and nuclear programs. North Korea also said in a statement carried by its official KCNA news agency that the U.N. envoy acknowledged the negative impact of sanctions on humanitarian aid to North Korea. Feltman, the highest-level U.N. official to visit North Korea since 2012, was not immediately available for comment. "The United Nations expressed concerns over the heightened situation on the Korean Peninsula and expressed willingness to work on easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula in accordance with the U.N. Charter, which is based on international peace and security," KCNA said. North Korea is pursuing nuclear and missile programs in defiance of U.N. sanctions and international condemnation. On November 29, it test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that it said was its most advanced yet, capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. 'An established fact' The United States and South Korea conducted large-scale military drills this week, which the North said made the outbreak of war "an established fact." KCNA said North Korean officials and Feltman agreed that his visit helped deepen understanding and that they agreed to communicate regularly. Feltman visited Pyongyang from Tuesday to Saturday, KCNA said. Last month's missile test prompted a U.S. warning that North Korea's leadership would be "utterly destroyed" if war were to break out. The Pentagon has mounted repeated shows of force after North Korean tests. North Korea regularly threatens to destroy South Korea and the United States and says its weapons programs are necessary to counter U.S. aggression. The United States stations 28,500 troops in the South, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War. Dear Jill, I see a lot of makeup coupons for face products. A lot of times there will be a whole page of them in the newspaper. There will be coupons for $1 off lipstick or $2 off eye shadow, but the face product coupons are always for more money, $3 or $4 off. I think anything that goes on the face is a face product! These coupons dont say not to use them on eye or lip makeup, so can I use a face product coupon to buy lipstick? Allie R. Ive tackled this question in my column before, and youre certainly not alone in believing a cosmetic face product coupon should be valid on anything that can be applied to the face. However, in the makeup world, face product refers to cosmetics that are applied to the skin on your face: Foundation, powder, blusher and concealer. These products typically have higher price points than lip and eye products, which is why youre also seeing lower dollar-amount offers for those lower-priced items. Dear Jill, When you see coupons that say $2 off nail polish $7.45 or more or $4 off cosmetics purchase of $13.99 or more is that price on the coupon the sale price or the shelf price? Tess B. Typically, these coupons refer to the current selling price of the item. If the nail polishs regular price is $7.45, but its on sale for $5.99, the coupon would not be valid on the item. Keep in mind that brands often work together with stores to put items on sale. These temporary price reductions are often reimbursed to the store by the brand, and the brand may not necessarily want to both reimburse the store for that sale price and reimburse them for a coupon used on the same item. Dear Jill, The newspaper had a coupon for Grown in Idaho potatoes. I bought a bag of russet potatoes that said they were made in Idaho, but the coupon beeped at the register and the cashier would not let me use it. Have you seen this coupon? Esther N. I have. While it may seem a little confusing, Grown in Idaho is actually a new brand of frozen potato products, such as hash browns and French fries. This coupon is not valid on any Idaho-grown potatoes, but it is valid on any product with the Grown in Idaho brand name. Dear Jill, The last couple of months a brand of European butter and cheeses has had coupons for Any [Brand] product. I noticed last month that the deli at my grocery store also sells this same brand of cheese. I decided to buy the cheese because nothing on the coupon restricted it from deli. Well, this month, the same brand has a coupon in the paper again, and this time it says Any [Brand] product (excluding deli.) was I wrong to use it on the deli sliced cheese last month? Cheri D. No, you werent, because you purchased the same brand and the coupon did not restrict you from using it at the deli. In fact, I suspect you werent the only one to do so. Its likely the brand was trying to boost sales on its packaged cheese and butter products, not on its deli offerings. The brand may have seen too many redemptions that did not match up to pre-packaged products and decided to focus on promoting those this time around. A U.N. envoy says time is of the essence to resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula peacefully. Jeffrey Feltman, the U.N.s under-secretary-general for political affairs, visited North Korea this week, holding meetings with Foreign Minister Ri Yoing Ho and Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Guk. North Korean state media say the two sides have as a result agreed to communicate regularly. KCNA, North Koreas state run news service, said Saturday this latest development is a result of a Feltmans recent four-day visit to the isolated nation. Tense, dangerous security issue A U.N. spokesperson said the three diplomats exchanged views on the Korean Peninsula and agreed that the current situation was the most tense and dangerous peace and security issue in the world today. North Korean state media said Feltmans visit contributed to deepening the understanding between the DPRK and the U.N. Secretariat. DPRK is the abbreviation for North Koreas official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Feltmans visit came right after the U.S. and South Korea launched their biggest, annual joint air exercises. KCNA said Pyongyang considers the joint drills part of a U.S. scheme to make a surprisingly preemptive nuclear strike on North Korea. Japan announced Sunday that it will hold a drill with the United States and South Korea this week to practice jointly tracking airborne missiles. The drill will be held Monday and Tuesday in waters near Japan, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera said. UN project sites In late November North Korea test-fired a powerful new intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say is capable of reaching the U.S. The new ICBM is one of several missile tests conducted by Pyongyang, along with a series of nuclear tests, in defiance of international sanctions. The international community is alarmed by escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula, the U.N. spokesperson said, and is committed to the achievement of a peaceful solution North Korea is also concerned about the effects international sanctions have had on the delivery of humanitarian aid. Feltman met with the U.N.s country team and members of the diplomatic corps in North Korea. He also visited U.N. project sites, including a childrens foodstuff factory, a tuberculosis prevention institute, a breast tumor institute, and a childrens hospital. During the site visits, he learned about the U.N.s life-saving work on the ground, as well as the challenges in procurement and funding gaps, the U.N. said. Feltman is the highest ranking U.N. official to visit North Korea since 2011. The Pentagon has reasserted its commitment to complying with the laws of war, after news emerged that the International Criminal Court is seeking an investigation into alleged war crimes by U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. Pentagon spokesman Mike Andrews, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, told VOA on Friday that 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 was replying to a move by ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in November requesting judicial authorization to investigate the alleged misconduct by members of the U.S. military and Central Intelligence Agency. The alleged war crimes by U.S. personnel are centered on reports from secret detention facilities in Afghanistan and on the territory of other states who are party to the ICC, particularly between 2003 and 2004. Andrews said the U.S. objects to such an investigation, specifying that "we do not believe that an International Criminal Court examination or investigation with respect the actions of U.S. personnel in Afghanistan is warranted or appropriate." Meanwhile, a defense official told VOA that the United States has never consented to be under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, meaning it is not obligated to comply with the court's actions. "The U.S. has a longstanding and continuing objection in principal to any ICC assertion of jurisdiction over U.S. personnel," the official said. Bensouda, the ICC prosecutor, requested permission from the ICC judges on November 20 to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the ongoing armed conflict in Afghanistan. The court has been examining the situation in Afghanistan since 2006. ICC origins The International Criminal Court began operations in 2002 and was designed to be permanent and independent of national governments as it investigated war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. While it has the support of small- and medium-power states, world powers such as the United States, Russia and China have been reluctant to sign on. The United States has specifically passed legislation prohibiting U.S. support of the ICC. Those laws authorize Washington to use "any means necessary" to repatriate U.S. citizens detained by the court. The U.S. also has diplomatic immunity agreements with some nations in which they agree not to turn U.S. citizens over to the ICC. The court is investigating situations in Burundi, the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Kenya, Libya, Mali and Uganda. The ICC Office of the Prosecutor is conducting preliminary examinations in nine other situations: Afghanistan; Colombia; Gabon; Guinea; Iraq/the United Kingdom; Nigeria; Palestine; registered vessels of Comoros, Greece, and Cambodia; and Ukraine. Poland's lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly approved legislation that gives lawmakers more control over the selection of judges, in defiance of warnings from the European Union. The new legislation allows lawmakers to choose members of the National Judiciary Council, which appoints judges. It also lowers the retirement age for Supreme Court judges from 70 to 65 and would force out a significant number of current judges. The ruling conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) says the aim of the new legislation is to cut down on corruption and make judges more accountable to citizens. However, opponents say the ruling party is trying to increase its hold on power and is infringing on the country's separation of powers. Opposition lawmakers chanted "dictatorship" before and after the votes were read Friday in the lower house of parliament. The European Union has threatened legal action over the reforms, saying they will threaten the impartiality of Poland's courts. The legislation must still be approved by Poland's Senate and signed by the president before becoming law. Friday's approval of the bill came a day after PiS fired its prime minister and replaced her with Finance Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a loyalist of party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The European Union is already at odds with Poland on a number of issues, including immigration. On Thursday, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, announced it would sue Poland, as well as Hungary and the Czech Republic, for refusing to accept mandatory quotas of asylum-seekers. Large crowds of protesters across the Muslim world staged anti-U.S. marches Friday after the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital, with protests in Gaza leading to the death of one Palestinian man. The Palestinian, Mahmoud al-Masri, 30, was killed by Israeli soldiers during clashes along the Israel-Gaza border after Palestinians called for a Day of Rage to protest the U.S. action. The Israeli military confirmed that it shot two people in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, accusing them of being main instigators of violent riots. Israeli warplanes also struck Hamas military targets in Gaza in response to a rocket fired from the area. The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people were injured in the strikes. Demonstrations also took place Friday in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Pakistan, Lebanon, Malaysia and Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country. The Arab League, comprised of nearly two dozen countries, will meet Saturday in an effort to create a joint position on the matter. U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and the United States plans to move its embassy there. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. The Palestinians want the eastern part of Jerusalem for its capital of a future independent state. Holy sites Israel has added additional security forces in Jerusalem. In the past, Israel has imposed age restrictions at Jerusalems Temple Mount compound where violence often erupts during tense times. Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said, We have no indication there will be disturbances on the mount, therefore there is no age restriction. If there will be disturbances, then we will respond immediately. The site is known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount. It is the holiest Jewish site and the third holiest in Islam. The Islamist group Hamas, meanwhile, has called for an uprising against Israel. Decade of diplomacy defied Trumps announcement defies decades of diplomacy in the quest to bring peace to Israel. Jerusalem has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the quest and it was widely believed that a solution would be reached in the peace process negotiations. The White House on Thursday denied that the presidents announcement on moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem means his administration is pulling out of the Middle East peace process. In fact, in the presidents remarks, he said that we are as committed to the peace process as ever, and we want to continue to push forward in those conversations and those discussions, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. And hopefully the ultimate goal, I think, of all those parties is to reach a peace deal. And thats something that the United States is very much committed to. No other country has immediately followed Trumps lead in planning to relocate its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, something the White House has acknowledged. Im not aware of any countries that we anticipate that happening at any point soon, Sanders said. Im not saying that they arent, but Im not aware of them. The Russian ambassador in Israel, Alexander Shein, said Moscow could move its embassy to West Jerusalem after the Palestinians and the Israelis agree on all issues of the final status of the Palestinian territories. The Russian foreign ministry, in a statement viewed as a surprise by Israelis, said it considers East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state. At the same time, we must state that in this context we view West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. To draw up plans Trump, on Wednesday, said he was directing the State Department to immediately begin drawing up architectural plans for a U.S. embassy in the holy city. But the actual relocation of the U.S. embassy, however, would take years, according to White House officials. We have to acquire a site, we have to develop building plans, construction plans, as you point out, ensure we get the authorizations although I do not anticipate any difficulties getting those authorizations. And then actually build an embassy, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Friday at a joint press conference with his French counterpart in Paris. So this is not something that is going to happen this year, probably not next year, Tillerson added, also noting that Trump was careful to say in his speech Wednesday that recognition and moving the embassy do not indicate any final status for Jerusalem. Both Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have expressed concern about the timing of Trumps announcement, according to U.S. officials. Asked by VOA whether the presidents declaration had been delayed at the request of the two Cabinet members in order to put into place adequate security at U.S. embassies, Sanders replied the decision was made only after a thoughtful and responsible process and that components of the decision went through the full interagency process. Palestinian officials say Trumps decision has disqualified the U.S. as an honest broker in the peace process. Many U.S. allies are also disagreeing with the move. Robert Berger in Jerusalem, and Steve Herman at the White House contributed to this report. At least 6 armed separatists and a police official have been killed and several people wounded in the southwestern Cameroon English speaking town of Mamfe during an attack on a military post. The attack occurred after a special envoy from Nigeria assured Cameroon that they want to work jointly to reduce terrorism on their frontiers. Cameroon has been complaining that armed separatists were using Nigerian territory as a training ground. Cameroon communication minister and government spokesman Issa Tchiroma says hundreds of youths armed with guns, machetes and spears attacked Cameroon's police unit in the English speaking south western town of Mamfe Thursday night. Tchiroma says a policeman was killed and another wounded while dozens of the attackers incurred severe injuries. "Five terrorists were shot dead by the defense forces who retaliated to an attack led by nearly 200 attackers against the Mamfe gendarmes (police) barracks," said Tchiroma. It was the third such attack in Mamfe and the neighboring town of Eyumojock that the government says have killed at least seven soldiers and policemen and wounded several more. Residents report that at least 16 military men have been killed there. Eyumojock is the home town of Julius Ayuk Tabe, the man who says he is the first president of Ambazonia, the name given to the state the separatists say they have created. Julius Ayuk Tabe is based in neighboring Nigeria where Cameroon communication minister Issa Tchiroma says many fighters have been going for training. "Over ten young people traveling to Nigeria to be enrolled by terrorists gangs were arrested near the border," he said. "Shortly after an individual, recruiting agent for the armed wing of the secessionist was arrested and their weapons, weapons of war seized." This week, Lawan Abba Gashagar, Nigeria's high commissioner to Cameroon and special envoy of president Muhammadu Buhari visited Cameroon president Paul Biya and said they would collaborate in fighting the terrorists. "Nigeria is not in any way supportive or encouraging the dissidents or secessionists and we are going to tackle it accordingly," said Gashagar. The crisis in the English speaking northwest and southwest regions of Cameroon began in November last year when lawyers and teachers called for a strike to stop what they believe is the overuse of the French language. Violence erupted when separatists started asking for complete independence. Schools have been closed in most of the English-speaking regions. On October first the separatists declared the independence of what they called the Republic of Ambazonia and asked the military to surrender and join them or leave their territory. So far at least 12 military and police have been killed in the two English speaking regions. Paul Biya has always said he is not open for any negotiation on the form of the state and that Cameroon is one and indivisible. Separatist groups have, on social media, said they are only ready to dialogue with Biya on the terms of their separation. President Donald Trump on Friday touted his efforts to secure the homeland, telling a raucous rally crowd in the Florida panhandle that his administration is taking care of our citizens at home by defeating the Islamic State abroad and expelling violent street gang members from the U.S. Trump said the U.S. military is dealing the Islamic State one brutal defeat after another. Not only are we defeating these killers, these savage killers, horrible, horrible, Trump told hundreds of supports at a rally in Pensacola, Florida, a region a White House spokesman called Trump country. Florida helped Trump win the White House. You dont even want to say people, Trump said. These are savage killers over there, but we sure as hell don't want them to come over here. United States 'is respected again' Trump also said he is expelling members of the violent street gang known as MS-13, which has its origins in Central America. America is being respected again abroad and we are taking care of our citizens at home and we're going to have safety and we have a lot more now, said the president, who appeared buoyed as he headlined his first campaign rally in more than two months. America is more than just a place on a map, he said. America is a nation. America is a family. America is ours to love and to cherish and to protect and to take care of. Before arriving in the panhandle, Trump reinforced his support for embattled Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore. Trump told voters four days before they go to the polls that the LAST thing he needs in the closely divided GOP-controlled Senate is a Liberal Democrat who opposes his agenda. A backdoor boost for Moore The White House has said the rally is a campaign event for Trump. But the location, near the Alabama border and feeding television markets in the state, stoked speculation that the rally was a backdoor way for the president to give Moore's campaign a boost without actually setting foot in the state. Its not that hes not going to Alabama. Its that he is going to Pensacola, White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters on board Air Force One as Trump flew to Florida. Pensacola is Trump country. This is a part of the state that voted overwhelmingly for the president in 2016. He'll be traveling back to Florida from time to time, and it's a key state. Moore, who is 70, has been dogged by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including accusations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s. He has denied the allegations. Shah said the president and White House have made clear they find the allegations troubling and concerning and believe they should be taken seriously. But he said Moore has maintained his innocence, and that should be taken into account as well. Ultimately his endorsement is about the issues, said Shah. He doesn't want to see Alabama elect a Nancy Pelosi/Chuck Schumer puppet who's going to be wrong on the issues and not support the agenda, he said, referring to top congressional Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Exchange of tweets Trump tweeted earlier Friday that the LAST thing the Make America Great Again Agenda needs is a Liberal Democrat in Senate where we have so little margin for victory already. Republicans currently have a 52-48 GOP edge in the Senate. He also criticized Democrat Doug Jones, Moore's opponent, as being bad on a number of issues. The Pelosi/Schumer Puppet Jones would vote against us 100% of the time. He's bad on Crime, Life, Border, Vets, Guns & Military. VOTE ROY MOORE! Trump said. Moore tweeted that he agreed with Trump. You're right Mr. President! We can't Make America Great Again with another radical liberal in the US Senate, he said. I look forward to working with you to pass the America First Agenda! Trump, who overcame allegations of sexual misconduct to win last year's presidential election, looked past the charges against Moore and formally endorsed the former Alabama judge this week for the seat once held by Jeff Sessions, now the U.S. attorney general. Top Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, had called on Moore to step aside after the allegations were made public. Friday's campaign rally will be Trump's first since September, when he went to Alabama to campaign for Sen. Luther Strange. Strange lost the GOP runoff election to Moore. The final days before vote Trump's visit to the Florida panhandle comes in the final days of the Alabama Senate special election campaign. The crowd included some Alabama voters who traveled across the border for the rally. These are lies, just malicious lies, said John Maddalena, head of the south Alabama chapter of Bikers for Trump. Maddalena and his wife, Alisha, rode to the Trump rally from their home near Montgomery, Alabama. Alisha described herself as a strong woman who still doesn't believe Moore's accusers. You let him sit there and pass judgment on people as a jurist for 40 years and don't say anything? she asked. You wait until he's running for the Senate to come up with this? That makes you suspicious. Im a strong female, she continued. If things like that happen to you, you need to come out immediately. Supporters eager to see Trump Others were Trump supporters eager to see the president in person. Forrest Holt, 71, came to Pensacola from neighboring Gulf Breeze with his Marine buddies for the rally. We love Trump, because he doesn't back down from anybody, said Holt, who said a tax cut is his top priority. Holt gave Trump credit for Republicans on Capitol Hill advancing competing bills through the process, but said he's not worried about the details. They're on the right track, he said. I pay my fair share, and I just want everyone else to pay theirs too. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave out toy cars and dolls to children on the final leg of a visit to Greece on Friday, a trip meant to boost ties but which has exposed the deep rifts between the two neighbors. Erdogan visited the Muslim community in Komotini, a town in northern Greece which once belonged to the Ottoman Empire. A day earlier, he riled his Greek hosts by suggesting the 130,000 Muslims in the region were discriminated against by Athens. "We have made very important decisions to meet the needs of our ethnically Greek citizens, and it is our right to expect similar behavior from Greece," he told cheering crowds outside a school in the region. Turkey has frequently found fault with the appointment by Athens of local Muslim clerics known as Muftis instead of recognizing those elected by the local population. Erdogan is the first Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years, but he has put Athens on the defensive by remarking that a decades-old treaty needs revision. The treaty, among other things, defines the boundaries between the two countries. None of that controversy was apparent Friday, as hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside a mosque in Komotini to welcome Erdogan. Aides carried bags stuffed with toys, which Erdogan gave out to children. Some supporters shouted "Leader" as he made his way through the crowds. Greek police snipers were stationed on nearby buildings and security was tight. "Erdogan is very popular among the Muslim community in the area. He is an ordinary person close to the people," said Ahmet Hoca, 57, a farmer. Closer to Istanbul than to Athens, this community in northern Greece sometimes feels uneasy with the disputes between the two countries, which range from airspace in the Aegean Sea to minority rights. "When someone asks you whom you love more, your mother or your father, what are you supposed to answer? You love them both," said resident Hussein Kara, 64. After World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne pushed modern Turkey's borders eastward. About 1.3 million ethnic Greeks, and 356,000 Turks, moved between Turkey and Greece in a population exchange. The deal excluded Muslim inhabitants of Western Thrace, which includes Komotini, and more than 200,000 Greeks then living in Istanbul. Fewer than 3,000 ethnic Greeks now live in Istanbul. Britons who voted for Brexit in the hope of slashing immigration seem set for disappointment. In the farming and food industries at least, any exodus of Polish and Romanian workers may simply be followed by arrivals of Ukrainians and Filipinos. From dairy farms to abattoirs, employers say not enough Britons have an appetite for milking cows before dawn or disemboweling pig carcasses jobs often performed by workers from the poorer, eastern member states of the European Union. With unemployment at a four-decade low of 4.3 percent, even Brexit supporters acknowledge the industries will need some migrant workers after Britain leaves the EU in 2019, ending the automatic right of the bloc's citizens to work in the country. Employers praise eastern European staff for their skills and work ethic. "They are a massively valuable part of our work force and a massively valuable part of the food industry overall," said Adam Couch, chief executive of Cranswick plc, a meat processing group founded by pig farmers. Food and drink is the largest U.K. manufacturing sector, with a turnover of 110 billion pounds ($147 billion) in 2015, government figures show. Much of it depends heavily on staff from elsewhere in the EU, mainly the post-communist east. For example, the British Meat Processors Association says 63 percent of workers in the sector come from other EU countries, and in some plants it can be as high as 80 percent. The proportion has risen partly due to increased demand for more labor-intensive products such as boneless meat. Association members have found it impossible to recruit the additional employees needed from Britain, the BMPA says. Pro-Brexit campaigners say Britain needs to reduce its reliance on EU workers. "Our sights should be firmly set on raising the skill level of our own domestic workers, employing domestic whenever we possibly can and automating," said Owen Paterson, a member of parliament for the ruling Conservatives. But Paterson, who as a former Environment Secretary was responsible for U.K. agricultural policy from 2012-14, added: "Where there is a clear shortage and no technological solution, by all means bring in labor but the good news is we wouldn't be limited to the EU. We will have the whole world to choose from." 'Money for a month' On the meat production line, Romanian Dumidru Voicu explained the attractions of working at Cranswick's plant in Milton Keynes, a town northwest of London. "I just want to do something with my life, save some money and make my own business. The money for a week here is the money for a month in Romania," said Voicu, who arrived in the country about the time that Britons voted to leave the EU in June last year. An estimated 27,000 permanent staff from elsewhere in the EU worked in British agriculture last year, House of Commons staff noted in a briefing paper for members of parliament. This figure is swollen at times by around 75,000 seasonal workers. A further 116,000 EU citizens worked in food manufacturing. The Food and Drink Federation predicts the sector, which employs about 400,000 people, needs to recruit another 140,000 by 2024. The government, which wants to reduce immigration sharply, has yet to announce its post-Brexit policy but farm minister George Eustice has recognized employers' concerns. "Leaving the EU and establishing controlled migration does not mean closing off all immigration," he told parliament in earlier this year. However, a government document leaked in September showed that restrictions for all but the highest-skilled EU workers were under consideration. Such a possibility alarms farm employers. "Without EU labor there will be no British pig industry as we know it," said Zoe Davies, chief executive of the National Pig Association. British farmers have relied on foreign labor for a long time, at least around harvest time. A Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme was introduced shortly after World War II. The government ended it in 2013 before Romanians and Bulgarians won the automatic right to work in Britain, arguing that there were now enough EU workers to fill farm vacancies. With EU citizens to lose that right on Brexit, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) wants the scheme or something similar reinstated. This may mean going back to the time when people from beyond eastern Europe filled farm jobs. Michael Oakes, chairman of the dairy board at the NFU, says older colleagues remember when people from countries such as the Philippines worked on British farms. "There are other countries in the world that would help to solve the problem but at the moment because they are not within the EU they are not necessarily able to come in and work." Filipinos already work on New Zealand farms but such an idea could prove politically difficult in Britain as the pro-Brexit side fought the referendum on promises to curb immigration. Many of the 17 million Britons who voted to leave are likely to be unhappy if they find eastern Europeans simply replaced by non-EU workers such as Filipinos or Ukrainians. "Perhaps we need to broaden out the opportunities but a lot of people voted for Brexit because of immigration reasons, so it is a tricky one for the government," said Oakes. Making sacrifices Any new seasonal plan could still recruit in the EU, but might be forced to widen its scope to get the required numbers. Net migration to the UK fell to 230,000 in the year to June, far from the government's ambition of arrivals "in the tens of thousands". Still, EU citizens accounted for three quarters of the 106,000 drop, the Office for National Statistics reported. The figures present a mixed picture, with a net 20,000 Poles leaving the country in 2016 but 50,000 Romanians arriving. But some eastern Europeans say they feel less welcome since the referendum and resent the negative attitude of some Britons. "I was quite upset. Why do you have a problem with me if I am coming to take a job you don't want and I am paying tax?" said Zoltan Peter, who came to England in 2009 to work on a dairy farm in western England, initially leaving his wife and baby daughter at home in Romania. Peter now works as a regional manager for LKL, a firm which recruits workers to the dairy industry, but says the early years were not easy. "I didn't catch my daughter starting to talk, but you sometimes you make sacrifices and eastern European people are making sacrifices," he told Reuters. A drop in sterling since the referendum has also made Britain less attractive for farm workers who earn at least 7.20 pounds an hour. That was worth 41 Polish zlotys before the vote but now it buys only 34. Part of the answer may lie in a drive to recruit and train more British workers, despite Peter's doubts. Oakes said he needed people prepared to work long, unsocial hours often in cold, wet conditions. Milking on his farm starts at 4.30 a.m. and the day does not end until 8 p.m. "It is an early start or a late finish, and occasionally on bad days you might have to do both," he said. Ukrainian opposition politician and former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has declared a hunger strike, his lawyer told journalists on Saturday. Attorney Ruslan Chornolutskiy released a letter from Saakashvili calling on supporters to protest in Kyiv on Sunday and to call for the impeachment of President Petro Poroshenko. Also Saturday, a spokesman for the Prosecutor-General's Office said prosecutors would ask a court to place Saakashvili under house arrest with electronic monitoring pending trial. Ukrainian officials have accused Saakashvili of abetting an alleged "criminal group" led by former President Viktor Yanukoych -- who was pushed from power in 2014 and fled to Russia -- and have suggested that his protests are part of a Russian plot against Ukraine. Saakashvili has dismissed the claims. Saakashvili was arrested in the Ukrainian capital late on Friday, prompting hundreds of his supporters to demonstrate for his release. The firebrand activist's supporters gathered in a narrow street outside the police station where he was taken late on Friday, not far from the parliament building, shouting "Shame" and "Kyiv, get up!" while a large number of police in riot gear stood guard. Close ally and fellow Georgian David Sakvarelidze called on Kyiv residents to take to the streets to protest Saakashvili's recapture, which he blamed on President Poroshenko. "Today Poroshenko broke all records and went down in history as a dictator who does this to political opponents," Sakvarelidze told TV channel NewsOne. Three associates of Saakashvili told RFE/RL that he was arrested at a friend's apartment where he was visiting earlier Friday. Sakvarelidze said the agents were from the state security agency SBU. Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko said in a post to his Facebook page that "everything was done to avoid bloodshed." "The detainee is placed in a temporary detention facility," he wrote. Hours earlier, Saakashvili called on Ukrainians to demonstrate in Kyiv on December 10. In a Facebook post, Saakashvili told supporters he had lost his voice and was running a temperature but would "be by your side again" at a midday march to Kyiv's Independence Square, which was the site of the monthslong 2013-14 protests that ousted the country's pro-Russia president. Saakashvili, who became governor of Ukraine's Odesa region in 2015 but quit a year later and is now a vocal opponent of Poroshenko, thanked backers for their support in the tumult of recent days. Law-enforcement officers searched Saakashvilis apartment in Kyiv on December 5, dragged him off the roof, and bundled him into a car. But supporters blocked the streets and pulled him from the vehicle, and he led a march to parliament. A day later, police raided a protest tent camp near parliament, but Saakashvili was not detained and a 24-hour deadline for him to turn himself in passed without visible action by the authorities. The search of Saakashvili's home was conducted two days after his Movement of New Forces party organized a rally in Kyiv calling for Poroshenko's impeachment and for legislation that would allow it to take place. Poroshenko late on December 8 said international experts may help justice officials investigate the charges against Saakashvili, adding that he was sure Saakashvili would get a fair trial in Ukraine. "I don't exclude that the inquiry may ask for extra expertise, including from international organizations, to enhance trust," Poroshenko told reporters during a visit to Vilnius to meet with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. Saakashvili "has to answer to investigators and to society regarding the accusations against him," Poroshenko said. "If he doesn't answer, it only means that these accusations are well-founded." "If he flees from the investigation, this undermines his credibility," Poroshenko said. This story first appeared on RFE/RL's website. The U.N. migration agency called on social media giants Friday to make it harder for people smugglers to use their platforms to lure West African migrants to Libya where they can face detention, torture, slavery or death. The smugglers often use Facebook to reach would-be migrants with false promises of jobs in Europe, International Organization for Migration (IOM) spokesman Leonard Doyle said. When migrants are tortured, video is also sometimes sent back to their families over WhatsApp, as a means of extortion, he said. "We really ... ask social media companies to step up and behave in a responsible way when people are being lured to deaths, to their torture," Doyle told a Geneva news briefing. There were no immediate replies from Facebook or WhatsApp to requests by Reuters for comment. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Europe since 2014, and 3,091 have died en route this year alone, many after passing through Libya. This year, 165,000 migrants have entered Europe, about 100,000 fewer than all of last year, but the influx has presented a political problem for European countries. Who 'polices' pages? IOM has been in discussions with social media providers about its concerns, Doyle said, adding: "And so far to very little effect. What they say is, 'Please tell us the pages and we will shut them down.' "It is not our job to police Facebook's pages. Facebook should police its own pages," he said. Africa represents a big and expanding market for social media, but many people are unemployed and vulnerable, he said. "Facebook is pushing out, seeking market share across West Africa and pushing out so-called free basics, which allows ... a 'dumb phone' to get access to Facebook. So you are one click from the smuggler, one click from the lies," he said. Social media companies are "giving a turbocharged communications channel to criminals, to smugglers, to traffickers, to exploiters," he added. Images broadcast by CNN last month appeared to show migrants being auctioned off as slaves by Libyan traffickers. This sparked anger in Europe and Africa and highlighted the risks migrants face. Doyle called for social media companies to invest in civic-minded media outreach and noted that on Google, pop-up windows appear if a user is looking at pornography images, to warn of danger or criminality. The IOM has helped 13,000 migrants to return voluntarily to Nigeria, Guinea and other countries from Libya this year. It provides them with transport and pocket money and documents their often harrowing testimonies. Doyle said it was currently repatriating 4,000 migrants to Niger. Switzerland said Friday that it was willing to take in up to 80 refugees in Libya in need of protection, among 5,000 who the U.N. refugee agency says are in a precarious position. When fires struck Napa County last month, local small business owners faced a sudden loss of customers. Many are still struggling to recover. But, owners of at least two business a downtown bakery and a Napa Valley tour company are returning to the Napa Valley College business center for help the same place that helped start their businesses two years ago. Sweet Pea Bake Shop owners Zaclyn and Albert Rivera, along with Vine Tours owner Aundrea Rodamaker, are praising the community colleges Small Business Development Center, where economic experts work to boost spirits and profits for small business owners. We went to SBDC two years ago to get a business plan and financial projections from consultants Louise Dawson, a former restaurateur, and Tom Camerato, a financial strategist, said Zaclyn Rivera. Although the Riveras each had experience as chefs, they couldnt secure a conventional loan from a local bank because they hadnt owned a business for at least two years. We do help a lot of clients get financing if they cant qualify for Small Business Administration loans, by getting them bank ready with other partners such as Opportunity Funds or Working Solutions, said Dawson. They were amazing clients, said Laurie OHara, of Working Solutions (workingsolutions.org). They were definitely loanable, had experience and talent and were already in business working in a shared space at Molinari Caffe in downtown Napa. The landlord, Rick Molinari, offered them a separate space to do wholesale for the cafe and other clients, and also gave them an opportunity to sell directly to clients, retail. Sweet Pea came away with a $25,000 loan over five years to purchase equipment to build out their kitchen. Until Oct. 9, business was booming, as the Riveras worked mostly in wholesale with clients such as Oakville Grocery and Coles Chop House. But after the fire, everything went down, said Zaclyn. Today, the couple is returning to a trusted source for advice the SBDC at Napa Valley College. We need help securing funds for marketing, to help grow the business, said Albert. Aundrea Rodamaker of Napa has a similar story. Two years ago, she needed consulting help from SBDC to start a new business. The former cosmetics executive from Silicon Valley loved visiting hundreds of Napa Valley wineries before moving to start Vine Tours. I knew how to manage a company, but not how to start one or get financing, Rodamaker said. I went to the SBDC, where I met Tom Camerato, who did financial forecasting, and I took their financial seminars in Napa and Santa Rosa. Her business was rolling along quite well until last month, when the North Bay fire scared away nearly 30 percent of her annual revenue. That would have been enough to pay 10 months worth of payments on her touring car. I felt I had to start my business again, from ground zero, she said. With help from the SBDC, she applied for an SBA loan to invest in marketing to re-energize her business. SBDC consultant Dawson said clients who secure loans through SBDC also get the added benefit of free consultation. For marketing, I will work with them myself. Or, if they need special help, I refer them to marketing consultants they get up to 80 hours of free marketing consulting, Dawson said. All SBDC consultants teach, so if a client needs to improve their startups, learn customer service, how to write a business plan, buy a restaurant or do a lease, we teach that, too. Camerato added that SBDC consultants also advise business professionals, from service providers like Rodamaker to retail and wholesale outlets like the Riveras and other manufacturers, about how to survive unexpected losses resulting from fires or earthquakes. Each business situation is different, Camerato said. I would make sure my client is comfortable repaying the loan, based on where the business needs to be. I would help figure out what she is going to do, because nobody knows when the customers will come back. A lot of businesses have to lay people off. I dont just get them a loan, I get them information so they can decide if this is a smart decision. One client had been growing 20 percent per year before the fire, and then his sales dropped 50 percent. Rather than apply for a loan he is using his savings to avoid losing money month after month after the fire. The Riveras and Rodamaker agree that SBDC assistance allowed them to continue doing the work they love. Albert and Zaclyn became full-time bakers after their son Julien was born 21 months ago. Albert, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, had worked for six years as head chef at Boon Fly in Carneros before switching gears. I was spending 14 or 15 hours a day in the restaurant business time I would rather spend with my family, he said. Zaclyn grew up baking holiday treats with her mother, who gave her the Sweet Pea moniker. She attended the California Culinary Academy at age 22 and later met Albert when she was working as a pastry chef and he was working as chef de cuisine at a restaurant in Palo Alto. We knew the food scene in Napa as exceptional, took Winery Wednesdays in the valley, then took a chance and moved here without having jobs, she said. Zaclyn was working as pastry chef at the Carneros Inn when the couple decided to start their own business. We started building this business out of nothing but thats what small business is all about, she said. The SBDC at Napa Valley College is a great resource, said Albert. I dont know why people dont use it more. Mark Quinn connects local business owners who suffered fire-related economic losses to the SBDC and the SBA loan program. He is available at mquinn@microbiz.org or 415-850-8131. The SBDC Business Services Director Mary Cervantes is available in Napa at 707-256-7253. The U.S. military said Friday that its airstrikes had killed five al-Qaida militants in central Yemen. A Central Command statement said the strikes, which took place November 20 in Bayda province, had killed Mujahid al-Adani, an al-Qaida leader, and four associates. It said al-Adani was responsible for planning and conducting terrorist attacks against Yemeni and coalition forces. The statement said he had a significant influence in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, including close ties to other senior leaders. Yemen is in the midst of nearly three years of civil war, which has given militant groups, including al-Qaida and Islamic State affiliates, an opportunity to expand their operations. The conflict has left 10,000 people dead and millions in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Earlier this week, former Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh was killed by Iran-backed rebel Houthis, his uneasy allies-turned-foes. The killing plunged the country into further violence, prompting some of the fiercest fighting since the start of the conflict in 2014. The Venezuela National Electoral Council is making final preparations for Sundays municipal elections, which are expected to tighten leftist President Nicolas Maduro's grip on the beleaguered South American nation. State owned Corporacion Venezolana de Television (Venezuelan Television Corporation VTV) is reporting the National Electoral Council had installed about 99 percent of the voting stations. Venezuelan official Tania DAmelio, who is overseeing the process of installing voting machines, urged voters to trust the election process. National Electoral Council chief Sandra Oblitas said voting materials had been distributed so Venezuelans could exercise their constitutional right at the polls Sunday. "These electoral processes have been carried out amid threats and attacks by those who do not believe in voting as a tool to resolve political differences," Oblitas said in denouncing the boycott. According to reports, officials from the Council of Electoral Experts of Latin America have arrived in Venezuela to audit the elections. The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition refused to put up candidates for the 335 open mayoral seats, saying it had no confidence in a fair vote. Coalition candidates had been expected to win more than half of Venezuela's 23 governorships in a mid-October ballot, but they claimed only five after irregularities including last-minute shifts in polling places and a shortage of voting machines in anti-Maduro neighborhoods. Message to supporters Maduro urged his supporters to go to the polls, saying another victory was necessary "to consolidate peace and recover prosperity." Venezuela was wracked earlier this year by violent political protests and suffers from ongoing, crippling shortages of food and medicine in the oil-rich country. On Sunday, voters also must choose a new governor for western Zulia state. Opposition candidate Juan Pablo Guanipa's win in the October 15 election was annulled after he refused to pledge loyalty to the Constituent Assembly. The four other opposition winners promised their fealty to the pro-Maduro superlegislature, further fracturing the coalition. With the mayoral elections, the ruling Socialist Party which holds more than three-fourths of the seats is likely to build its advantage. Of the remaining 76 mayors affiliated with the opposition, 13 have been arrested or are in exile. That would give a broadened base of support to Maduro elected in 2013 following the death of mentor Hugo Chavez as he considers whether to seek another six-year term. Earlier this week, Venezuela officials threatened to halt presidential elections in 2018 unless the United States lifts financial sanctions it has imposed on Maduro and more than two dozen other government officials. The European Union, Canada and Spain also have levied sanctions to pressure the Maduro administration to restore democratic functions. Independent candidates Though the coalition is boycotting the vote, some opposition candidates are running independently. One is Robert Garcia, who wants to become mayor of Chacao, a Caracas subdivision formerly led by political prisoner Leopoldo Lopez and, more recently, the deposed and now exiled Ramon Muchacho. "We are not giving up," Garcia said. "We are participating, we are not giving up on our fight for our rights." Venezuelans were split on whether to heed the opposition coalition's call to skip voting. Javier Bellot, an electrician in Caracas, told VOA he doesn't plan to vote Sunday. "No, I will not participate" in the election, he said. "It's a fraud." But Diego Medina, another Caracas citizen, said he'll exercise his right. "It's the least we can do. If we want this to change, we must participate." Enrique Mendoza, opposition candidate for mayor of Sucre a municipality in northern Miranda state said observers at polling stations would be essential to prevent fraud. "We want people to be there until the end" of polling, Mendoza said. "No matter what happens, they have to stay until the end." Polls will be open Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. Many scientists believe the Arctic, one of the fastest-changing places on the planet, could drive change in other parts of the world, including wildfire-ravaged Southern California. In a recent NASA mission called Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG), climate scientist Josh Willis embarked on a journey to study ice in Greenland and surrounding oceans and how much oceans are eating away at the ice around the edges of the ice sheet. The data collected included the oceans temperature and salinity, and the shape and depth of the sea floor. The shape of the sea floor determines how much the warm water can reach in and touch the glaciers, said Willis, who works at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Los Angeles. Warm water is widespread across the Greenland shelf, and it is very much a major threat to the glaciers, Willis said. The thing we really dont know is how fast is Greenlands ice going to disappear. If it takes a thousand years or two thousand years, then we can probably adapt. But if it happens in a few hundred, we should already be evacuating cities around the world, he added. Impact of sea ice A separate study from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory suggests a link between sea ice melting in the Arctic and drier conditions in California. A new simulation that only looks at sea ice in the next two decades, shows a pressure ridge pushing the winter air masses north into Alaska and Canada, which impacts California. We saw quite substantial drying of California so with (looking at) the sea ice alone, we saw 10 to 15 percent decrease in precipitation over a 20-year period, said Ivana Cvijanovic, an atmospheric scientist and post-doctoral researcher at the national laboratory. Other factors such as greenhouse gases and particulate pollution can also affect the future of rainfall in California. The modeling framework used in the study at Lawrence Livermore helps scientists understand the impact of sea ice in isolation to these other factors. Ice is disappearing on the Arctic Ocean. Its disappearing from Greenland and this is reshaping climate patterns all across the planet, Willis said. He and other scientists predict that as Arctic regions warm, the American Southwest will feel the impact. We will probably see drier conditions in the long run in the second half of the [21st] century in the Southwest and that means were going to struggle with water needs and also fire, Willis said. Intersection of wildland, people Dry conditions plus a growing population and urban sprawl equals more wildfires and costly devastation, such as the ones in Southern California. We are in Southern California and a lot of the fires we find that happen right where people intersect with wildland happen because of people, said Natasha Stavros, an applied science system engineer and fire expert at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As the weather evolves and more wildfires burn, Stavros expects other environmental changes. As we experience climate changes and things become hotter and dryer, fire acts kind of like an eraser. It erases the landscape and it actually allows new ecosystems to establish because they dont have to compete with what was there, Stavros said. The American Southwest is not the only place where change is predicted. As the atmosphere heats up, it becomes a better pipe for carrying water for picking it up from one place and dumping it in another, Willis said. This means that dry places are more likely to get drier and wet places are likely to get wetter. It also means that bigger more torrential downpours become more likely. U.S. President Donald Trump's deputy national security adviser, Dina Powell, plans to resign early next year and return to her home in New York, the White House said on Friday. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Powell, a key player in U.S. diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, had always planned to stay one year at the Trump White House. Powell could be one of several administration officials to leave at the one-year mark of Trump's presidency. Speculation has centered on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who officials say could be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and top economic adviser Gary Cohn may possibly leave also. Powell's replacement is likely to be Nadia Schadlow, a National Security Council aide who has been working with Powell on a new U.S. national security strategy expected to be released in the next couple of weeks, a senior administration official said. Powell has been one of Trump's inner circle and a key aide to national security adviser H.R. McMaster. She engaged in diplomacy throughout the Middle East with Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. "Dina has done a great job for the administration and has been a valued member of the Israeli-Palestinian peace team. She will continue to play a key role in our peace efforts and we will share more details on that in the future," Kushner said in a statement. Trump's move to have the United States officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has been denounced across much of the Arab world. His team is working on a framework for a potential Israeli-Palestinian peace deal that aides say could be released early next year. The White House was fully briefed on the potential security fallout from officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announcing plans to move the U.S. embassy there. The outgoing director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Nicholas Rasmussen, said while intelligence officials offered no advice as to whether the move would help achieve U.S. policy goals, President Donald Trump was informed of the national security ramifications. Our role is limited to spelling out with as much precision and care as possible our assessments of what particular courses of action will lead to in terms of threats, Rasmussen said Friday during an appearance at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. I can certainly say in the case of this particular policy decision [on Jerusalem], that was done, he added. Protests across Arab, Muslim world Protests have broken out across parts of the Arab and Muslim world, from Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon to Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia, in response to Trumps announcement Wednesday. Violence also erupted in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where Palestinians declared a day of rage Friday. Militants in Gaza fired a series of rockets at Israeli towns. Israeli military officials responded with a series of airstrikes that reportedly wounded 25 people. A Palestinian man was also killed by Israeli forces during clashes along the Israel-Gaza border. Response from terror groups Terrorist groups have also been quick to respond to Washingtons official recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital. Al-Qaidas Al-Sahab Media Foundation on Thursday called the move an act of blatant aggression against the sanctities of Muslims a high-voltage shock, and called on Muslims to target U.S. vital interests. Just as you kill us, you shall be killed; just as you bomb us, you, too, shall be bombed, the statement said according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The Islamic State also called for supporters to help liberate Jerusalem by waging jihad, against Israel and the West, in its weekly, digital Al Naba newspaper, SITE said. State Department issues caution Following Wednesdays announcement on Jerusalem, the State Department issued a worldwide caution, saying, U.S. government facilities worldwide remain in a heightened state of alert. Theres no doubt but that in the short term, the near term there will be an increase in violence and we are at greater risk in certain places around the world, Rasmussen, of the counterterrorism center, said Friday. Certainly, from a diplomatic security perspective, our men and women serving in difficult spots overseas, this will add to the security problem and add to the security complexity, he said. I cant tell you how long that will extend. Still, at least some former U.S. officials said the Trump administration can help ease raw emotions gripping parts of the Middle East by reaching out to Palestinian and Arab officials. Say, publicly, were not prejudging the negotiations and we respect and understand that the Palestinians and the Arabs have claims and needs and rights in Jerusalem that have to be addressed, former U.S. Ambassador and Middle East envoy Dennis Ross said. The more that can be emphasized the better it will be for trying to create a different atmosphere, Ross said. California Governor Jerry Brown cautioned Saturday that more wildfires were in his state's future, as firefighters battled six major blazes that have killed at least one person and damaged hundreds of homes. Brown surveyed fire damage in Ventura County, just north of Los Angeles, the scene of some of the worst destruction of the past week. "This is the new normal," he said, blaming climate change for the increased danger of wildfires late in the year. "We're facing a new reality in the state where fires threaten people's lives, their property, their neighborhoods, and of course billions and billions of dollars" in damage, Brown told reporters. Late Friday, officials said they had linked the death of a 70-year-old woman in a car accident to the fires. Ventura County medical examiner Christopher Young said Virginia Pesola was fleeing the Thomas Fire in her car, following an evacuation route, when she crashed and died. Young said the cause of death was blunt force injuries and smoke inhalation. About 87,000 people remained evacuated from their homes, down from a height of more than 200,000 earlier this week. Since Monday, the fires have burned more than 670 square kilometers (260 square miles). New fires keep erupting in dry conditions, though, and are being stoked by relentless westward Santa Ana winds, which are expected to gust up to 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph) on Sunday. About 8,700 firefighters, accompanied by helicopters, continued to spray and dump water and fire retardant to try to slow the spread of the blazes that have erupted along the Pacific Coast from San Diego to Santa Barbara County, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) to the north. President Donald Trump responded to the fires Friday by issuing a federal declaration of a state of emergency for California, paving the way for federal agencies to help coordinate relief efforts. The biggest and most destructive blaze is the Thomas Fire, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) northwest of Los Angeles. It has charred nearly 580 square kilometers (224 square miles) and destroyed nearly 440 structures. As firefighters made progress against the Los Angeles-area fires, most evacuation orders were lifted. One of the newer blazes, the Lilac Fire, broke out Thursday in San Diego County, more than 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Los Angeles. The fire burned 16 square kilometers (6 square miles) in mere hours as it swept through the densely populated Rancho Monserate Country Club community and the small city of Fallbrook, home to numerous horse ranches and avocado orchards. Officials said 85 structures were quickly destroyed. Officials said a smaller fire erupted Friday in San Diego County, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of downtown San Diego. They said the fire was small compared with the Lilac Fire and that numerous resources would be sent to fight it. WATCH: Warming Arctic, Drier Regions and Wildfires: Is There a Link? Fires are not uncommon in Southern California this time of year, before the winter rains set in, when the vegetation is tinder dry and winds blast the region. This year, however, has been particularly bad for California fires because of dry, hot and windy conditions that would be extreme for any season, including the winter season that is just two weeks away. Just weeks ago, wildfires that broke out in Northern California killed 44 people and destroyed 8,900 homes and other buildings. Many in Mississippi's African-American community had waited decades for a civil rights museum. But with President Donald Trump coming to the museum's opening Saturday, some will skip the eagerly anticipated opening. They say Trump's policies are incompatible with honoring the African-American freedom struggle. That slide into racial and partisan strife from what was supposed to be a moment of unity and atonement was punctuated Thursday with U.S. Rep John Lewis saying he would abandon his plans to speak, saying Trump's presence was an insult. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi's only Democrat in Congress, announced his exit in a joint statement with Lewis. The NAACP, led by a Mississippian, has said Trump should cancel his planned appearance because of his divisive record on civil rights issues. To come and somehow give the impression that things are all right, that were getting along, was absolutely the wrong message, Thompson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview, saying he views Trump's agenda as too destructive to paper over differences, even for just an hour or two. The White House later issued a statement calling it unfortunate that Lewis and Thompson wont join the president in honoring the incredible sacrifice civil rights leaders made to right the injustices in our history. The White House said Trump hopes others will join him in recognizing ``that the movement was about removing barriers and unifying Americans of all backgrounds.'' Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a big supporter of Trump who invited the president, is urging Mississippians to embrace the visit, a rare presidential trip to Mississippi not linked to a disaster. He told reporters Wednesday that Trumps presence will bring worldwide attention and give the museums a big boost. We are going to celebrate his presence, Bryant said. I think he is going to have a testimonial speech that day and it will be a wonderful speech for all of Mississippi. People can lay aside any political positioning or pandering that they may have. This is a day for the president of the United States to come and honor Mississippi and thats what he intends to do, and I intend to be there with him when he does that. Some African Americans, although opposed to Trump, still intend to go. The Rev. C.J. Rhodes, a prominent clergyman and son of one of the states top voting rights lawyers, said hed still go. He said Trump sharing the day is part of Mississippi's complicated, complex, conflicted narrative. My stance in being present is saying we are here in Mississippi and we are not going away, Rhodes said, although he said hed draw the line at taking a picture with Trump or Bryant. But some plan protests and others continue to bail out, including current elected Democrats and veterans of the civil rights movement. Former Democratic Gov. Ray Mabus, most recently the Secretary of Navy, also announced Thursday he wouldnt attend, calling Trump an overt racist. Donald Trump represents the exact opposite of what this museum is about honoring the heroes who fought for, and often died for, the idea of equality of all, Mabus said in a statement. Donald Trumps words and deeds show he would not stand with people like Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and so many, many more. Lewis, a civil rights icon and Georgia Democrat, was arrested in Jackson in 1961 with Freedom Riders who were protesting segregated bus travel. He was held at the infamous Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman. Later, as the head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Lewis helped organize Freedom Summer, a volunteer effort to register voters in Mississippi in 1964. The killings of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner that summer near Philadelphia, Mississippi, contributed to political pressure leading to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Lewis has been expected to be one of the main speakers at the event, along with Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of assassinated Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers. Evers-Williams has said she will address Trumps presence, although the president may be gone by the time she speaks. A schedule released Thursday by Bryants office shows Trump speaking briefly inside the museum, but not outside during the main ceremony. If God gives me the breath and the strength, I will address his attendance when I stand to speak, she told The New York Times. Two distinct museums are being dedicated under one roof. A museum of Mississippi History covers 15,000 years of human habitation. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum focuses primarily on the years 1945 to 1976, telling about efforts to break down segregation and bigotry, and the violent backlash against that work. For those who arent going on Saturday, they are taking some consolation. As state Rep. Sonya Williams Barnes noted in announcing she wouldnt attend, the museum will still be there after Trump leaves. The museum is something I encourage those who have planned to attend on Saturday go witness the magnificent history Mississippi has to offer on another day,'' she said. NAFTA trade negotiators convene in Washington next week for a limited round of talks unlikely to move the needle on major sticking points, but aimed at demonstrating some progress toward closing easier chapters. Last month's round of negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement in Mexico City failed to resolve major differences, as Canada and Mexico pushed back on what they saw as unreasonable U.S. demands on automotive content rules, dispute settlement and a five-year sunset clause. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said that the United States wanted to see "meaningful progress" before year's end. The "intersessional" meetings in a Washington hotel come with lower expectations and without trade ministers from the three countries, who are due to attend a World Trade Organization meeting in Buenos Aires. Some lobbyists and trade experts said that chapters with the best chances of showing progress were among those that Canada and Mexico had agreed to create or update in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: digital trade, food safety, state-owned enterprises and telecommunications. NAFTA negotiators have not closed any chapters since completing talks on competition policy and small-medium enterprises in late September. Talks have since been dominated by U.S. demands, such as for half of all North American automotive content to be produced in the United States. Less rhetoric, more substance "The intersessional could be a chance to turn the temperature down," said Max Baucus, a former U.S. senator who chairs Farmers for Free Trade, a coalition of U.S. farm sector groups. "This should be a round for the worker bees, with less rhetoric and more concrete negotiations." A senior Canadian government source said no progress would be made on the most contentious issues at the Washington talks. Separately, Canada's chief negotiator, Steve Verheul, said the U.S. "extreme proposals" were proving very hard to deal with. "We will not accept U.S. proposals that would fundamentally weaken the benefits of NAFTA for Canada and undermine the competitiveness of the North American market in relation to the rest of the world," Verheul told Canadian lawmakers this week. The Washington meetings follow stepped-up lobbying efforts by NAFTA backers in the United States to warn against the dangers of withdrawing from the nearly 24-year-old trade pact. Top Detroit auto executives met with Vice President Mike Pence, and pro-trade Republican senators met with President Donald Trump. Moises Kalach, the head of Mexico's CCE business lobby and a government consultant, said that the United States would need to back off from some of its "extreme" positions for compromises to be made. "We're ready to dance. The question is whether the American government is willing to do so," Kalach told Reuters. Zimbabwe's new government has unveiled a $5 billion budget for 2018 that it says will revive the country's moribund economy as long as the country can rein in corruption, hold a credible election and implement investor friendly laws. Presenting the budget, Minister of Finance Patrick Chinamasa said reviving Zimbabwe's economy would not be easy. The government must take steps to restore confidence in Zimbabwe's public finances and institutions, he told parliament. "We need to address the issue of international re-engagement, corruption and indiscipline, we need an investor-friendly business environment, and finally we need to ensure credibility in the conduct of the 2018 elections," he said. Chinamasa said revising the "indigenization" law would be one way to bring back foreign investment. The law, which requires Zimbabweans to hold a majority stake in any business, is blamed for driving away potential investors. Independent economic analyst John Robertson said he thought the law should be repealed. "We could have had a considerable amount of investment, but for the existence of that act," he said. "I believe the attempt to impose it was an attempt to legalize the theft of assets of companies, and the warning that anybody trying to start a new company would face the same penalty has been more than enough to stop anybody coming to the country with new investment funds. So the removal of the act is what we are now hoping for." Ministry dropped The law is still on the books. But in naming his cabinet last week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa dropped the Indigenization Ministry, which was in charge of enforcing the policy. On Thursday, Chinamasa said the law, which former President Robert Mugabe said was meant to address colonial-era imbalances, would now apply only to diamond and platinum extraction. HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairwoman Rita Makarau resigned on Friday, months before a vote whose credibility is crucial to the new army-backed governments efforts to re-engage international lenders and lure investors, a senior government source said. Makarau, seen as an ally of 93-year-old former president Robert Mugabe, gave no reason for her resignation, the official, who declined to be named, said. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was sworn in two weeks ago in the wake of the de facto military coup that ended Mugabes 37-year rule, pledged to hold elections as scheduled next year. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa mentioned the credibility of the elections at least five times in a budget speech on Thursday, a sign of the votes importance in shoring up Harares democratic legitimacy. Opposition parties have demanded reforms to an electoral system they say is skewed in the ruling ZANU-PF partys favor. Makarau, who has been accused of being partisan, was overseeing an overhaul of the voters roll, which the opposition Movement for Democratic Change has described as shambolic. Makarau did not answer her mobile phone. A spokesman for the ZEC was unable to confirm Makaraus departure. Justice Minister Kazembe Kazembe confirmed to VOA Studio 7 that she has resigned. He did not elaborate. An Overland Sheepskin Co. store opened on Friday on First Street in downtown Napa. The retail store is located within the First Street Napa project at 1202 First St., home of the historic Beckstoffer Building. The new 2,000-square-foot shop in Downtown Napa carries an extensive collection of the finest sheepskin coats, leather jackets, wool coats, sheepskin slippers, leather bags, sheepskin rugs, cowhides and accessories, said a news release. We are pleased to announce this first new retail opening at First Street Napa, said Todd Zapolski, principal of Zapolski Real Estate, LLC. The Napa community and guests staying at the newly-opened Archer Hotel Napa will greatly benefit from this high quality retailer, he said. The first Overland outlet opened in 1973 in a small adobe storefront in Taos, New Mexico, offering sheepskin apparel made with meticulous craftsmanship, said a news release. More than 40 years, 15 more stores, and one thriving Internet business later, the small family shops passion for quality and exceptional service have remained the hallmarks of the business. First Street Napa, owned and managed by Zapolski Real Estate, LLC and Trademark Property Company, has welcomed its first series of shops and restaurants this year with continued openings phased throughout 2018. The project recently announced retail, culinary, hospitality, and creative office space tenants that include Archer Hotel Napa, Charlie Palmer Steak Napa, a Maris Collective boutique, Lush, Compline wine bar + restaurant + merchant, John Anthony Family of Wines, Silicon Valley Bank, Pacific Union International, Napa Valley Jewelers, Eikos Sushi, and Brown Estate. TECHNOLOGY 6-month sentence for ex-Amazon analyst A former financial analyst at Amazon.com has been sentenced to six months in prison and a $2,500 fine after admitting he tipped off a college friend to details about the companys upcoming first-quarter earnings report in spring 2015. Brett D. Kennedy was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to a federal insider trading charge in September. Prosecutors said his former fraternity brother at the University of Washington, Maziar Rezakhani, used the information to make $116,000 trading stock and paid Kennedy $10,000. Kennedy gave up the $10,000 in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post. Associated Press REGULATORS SEC delays deadline for mutual fund data The Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday that it would delay new submissions of portfolio data by mutual funds, as the regulator beefs up its cybersecurity. Large mutual funds will have an extra nine months before they must submit monthly details about their portfolio holdings to the agency. Instead, funds will be able to hold the data and provide it to the SEC upon request. The delay comes as the SEC reviews its cybersecurity protocols after a 2016 hack of its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval filing system. That breach was first disclosed by the agency in September. Large funds will now have until April 2019 before they must submit that information, and April 2020 for smaller funds. Reuters Also in Business Delta Air Lines said this week that passengers in its basic economy class will now have to pay for each piece of checked baggage when flying to Europe or North Africa. Delta said it will charge those passengers $60 for the first bag and $100 for a second. The fees will apply to tickets bought after Dec. 6 and for flights after April 10 originating from the United States and Canada. Streaming service Spotify and Chinese Internet company Tencent have struck a deal to take minority stakes in each other. The companies said Friday they will acquire new shares representing minority equity stakes in each other for cash. Tencent will invest in Spotify, while the Swedish music start-up will take a stake in Tencent's music wing. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Imports by retailers are estimated to rise 1.5 percent in December, indicating that companies are expecting strong sales through the holiday season, the National Retail Federation industry group said Friday. Major U.S. retail container ports are expected to handle 1.6 million TEUs in December, according to the NRF's monthly Global Port Tracker report. A TEU is a 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent. From news reports James OKeefe, the conservative founder of a charity that specializes in undercover videos targeting journalists and liberals, has been personally barred from seeking donations in Florida due to his criminal record, officials said. The ban is part of a wave of scrutiny by regulators in several states after New York officials threatened last week to prohibit Project Veritas from raising money in that state. The charity did not disclose OKeefes 2010 conviction for entering a federal building under false pretenses, as required, New York officials said. While Project Veritass deceptive techniques and splashy videos have attracted attention and acclaim from far-right activists, as well as criticism from others, its past problems with regulators have gained little notice. The charity has previously been sanctioned or denied a license to seek donations in Utah, Mississippi, Wisconsin and Maine, records show, due partly to misstatements and failures to disclose OKeefes conviction for entering a U.S. senators office with two men who were posing as telephone repairmen to make a secret recording. OKeefes group has lately drawn attention for another failed operation. A woman working with Project Veritas last month falsely claimed to two Washington Post reporters that U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore impregnated her when she was a teenager. The Post did not publish a story based on her account, but later revealed she was working with Project Veritas and had waged a months-long effort to infiltrate the The Post and other media organizations. This week, Florida officials said OKeefe had been bannedunder a state law preventing those who have committed certain crimes, including fraud, from seeking donations from Floridians. Weve spoken with the organization and informed them that Mr. OKeefes conviction falls within the category of disqualifying offenses under Florida law, said Aaron Keller of Floridas Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Its not clear how much that might curtail Project Veritass fundraising. The charity brought in $4.8 million in 2016 and has raised millions from large conservative donors. A spokesman for the charity declined to comment on the Florida ban, which applies only to OKeefe and not to the organization. But OKeefe is the public face of the organization, is in charge of fundraising and has signed email solicitations. Project Veritas spokesman Stephen Gordon said OKeefes conviction was not disclosed on registration statements in several states, including New York, because OKeefe was not president of the organization in 2010, the time covered by many of the documents initially submitted. OKeefe, however, testified before Utah regulators in 2013 that he had been president since the organization was founded by him in 2010. Ive been an officer of the company since 2010, OKeefe said. I was the president of the company . . . in its inception. In an August 2015 email, the charitys accountant told regulators in Wisconsin the same thing. Mr. OKeefe has been president since inception of Project Veritas, accountant Traci Pacailler wrote. Federal tax filings do not list OKeefe as president until 2011. Gordon said Thursday that he could not determine precisely when OKeefe became president. The timeline could become important in states that are trying to determine whether the charity properly disclosed OKeefes conviction and his role in the organization when seeking licenses to solicit money. Registration statements submitted to several states for the year 2010 make no mention of OKeefe, records show. Some states, like Mississippi, Utah, and Florida, have laws barring people with certain criminal convictions, and the organizations they run, from raising money in those states. Others require disclosure so prospective donors know more about the group. Gordon said OKeefe may have erred during the hearing with Utah regulators, who barred the charity from fundraising in 2013 after concluding that OKeefe had been found guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude. Mr. OKeefe may or may not have misspoken, but our corporate paperwork is clear: James OKeefe was neither president nor on the board when Project Veritas was established, Gordon said. As for the accountant, he said, It seems like Traci made a mistake. Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) on Capitol Hill in March. Franks recently announced his resignation, saying Friday that it would be effective immediately. (Cliff Owen/AP) The explanation that Rep. Trent Franks gave in announcing his resignation this week centered on a House Ethics Committee investigation that he said was prompted by his discussions of surrogacy with two female subordinates. His statement turned a spotlight on the often medically complex world of infertility treatment, which many abortion opponents also consider ethically fraught. And the glare could intensify, with a former staff member alleging that the Arizona Republican offered her $5 million if she would bear his child. The 60-year-old lawmaker had shared Thursday that he and his wife had endured three miscarriages and tried adoption on more than one occasion only to have the women in each case change their minds before giving birth. It was then that the couple chose surrogacy through in vitro fertilization. Having struggled with infertility, Franks said in a statement, the couple used a surrogate, a wonderful and loving lady, to whom we will be forever grateful, to successfully have twins. He described the process used as a pro-life approach that did not result in throwing away any embryos. But many within the antiabortion activist community, especially evangelicals and Catholics, have decried the use of IVF and surrogacy even when embryos are not discarded in the process. In vitro fertilization of an egg cell. (iStock) IVF raises more ethical questions than simply the question of whether youre going to destroy embryos, said Paige Comstock Cunningham, executive director of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity at Trinity International University. Those include the multiple risks involved, including the impact on a womans body and the potential that an embryo could be lost after it is implanted. According to his congressional biography, Franks and his wife have served as Sunday-school teachers at a Southern Baptist church in Phoenix. The churchs overarching denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, has not issued any resolutions on IVF or surrogacy, but an analysis by its policy arm suggested ethical questions about surrogacy. Almost all Christian bioethicists agree that most forms of surrogacy are theologically and morally problematic, the analysis states. The moral qualms generally concern the exploitation of women (e.g., womb-renting), the selling of children, the violation of the marital covenant, and the use of embryo-destructive reproductive technology. There is also the issue of the commercialization of children, Cunningham said. Theres a temptation to select a child or hope for a child to be a certain way, she said. When you have surrogacy and the purchase of egg and sperm, theres an expectation to get what you paid for. As one of the most conservative members of Congress, Franks was a member of the Arizona Right to Life organization and was known for picketing abortion clinics. In 2013 and this year, he introduced bills to ban abortions after 20 weeks except in cases of rape or incest. While IVF and abortion are two different and distinct medical procedures, many antiabortion leaders consider them similarly wrong in that they typically result in the destruction of embryos. Many theologians point to the biblical case of when Abraham and Sarah could not have children and Abraham impregnated Sarahs Egyptian slave Hagar as a negative example of how humans have tried to take reproduction into their own hands. The Catholic Church teaches that reproduction should take place as the result of sex within marriage. By contrast, just 12 percent of Americans say they personally consider IVF to be morally wrong, according to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey. Only small percentages of religious Americans opposed IVF: Hispanic Catholics (18 percent), white evangelicals (14 percent) and white Catholics (9 percent). Franks did not offer any details about what took place during his wifes IVF treatment, such as how many embryos were created and fertilized, where his surrogate was from and whether she was paid. Surrogacy is illegal in Arizona. A previous statement had said a trusted friend told us of a medical organization that would allow us to pursue a surrogacy effort where a limited number of eggs would be fertilized and no embryos would be discarded. The typical IVF procedure involves doctors creating multiple embryos sometimes as many as 20 or 30 and allowing them to grow for a few days, then testing them to see which have the best chance for success. The embryos are given letter grades, with A being excellent, B good, C fair and D poor. The highest-rated ones are usually implanted first. Once a couple has the number of children desired, the leftover embryos are usually destroyed or donated to science. Its a classic example of our throwaway culture, said Charles Camosy, a professor in the theology department at Fordham University. Even if you dont throw them away, youre participating in a process where embryos are thrown away or are frozen in storage. This is part of what it means to separate procreation from sex. It becomes a market force subject to all the whims of the market. Another part of IVF that most antiabortion leaders oppose is selective reduction, which usually occurs when three or more embryos are transferred to the womb to increase the probability that at least one will implant and grow into a baby. Sometimes all of them implant, however, and many modern doctors recommend aborting some for the safety of the woman and the pregnancy. Frankss statement appeared to suggest the couple did not have to address this issue. Several women who gave birth to quadruplets or more such as Nadya Suleman, who had octuplets in 2009 had declined this option. Regulations on surrogacy vary across the nation, and low-income women often are persuaded to sign over their rights and incur medical risks to have another person's baby, said Jennifer Lahl, who opposes surrogacy and runs the nonprofit Center for Bioethics and Culture in the San Francisco area. Theres a myth that they did it to be altruistic angels. Most women dont want to sign up for nine months with zero compensation, Lahl said. Its a trending-up, global industry, a multimillion-dollar industry thats become widely accepted. Actress Robin Wright will take Kevin Spaceys place in the lead role on House of Cards, after he was pushed out of the show amid sexual assault allegations. (Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images) First the spotlight was on the men, trailing them as they fell: Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Charlie Rose, Al Franken, a seemingly endless parade of famous names. Now the women are taking the stage, stepping into the spaces left behind. Robin Wright will take Spaceys place in the lead role on House of Cards. Veteran correspondent Christiane Amanpour was named Charlie Roses interim replacement on PBS. Al Franken announced his resignation recently after Democratic women in the Senate pressured him to step down; a woman is expected to take his seat. And the silence breakers the tidal wave of survivors who shared their stories of sexual harassment and abuse as part of the burgeoning #MeToo movement were emblazoned on the cover of Time magazine, collectively awarded the title of 2017 Person of the Year. Proponents of gender equality have widely dubbed the moment a reckoning. That word suggests finality, a clear resolution yet while many men have fallen, and some women have ascended in their place, an undercurrent of uncertainty lingers: Could a backlash be coming? This year, abusers are being held accountable; but what will happen next year? In Hollywood the catalyst of the groundswell, in the wake of Weinsteins downfall there seems to be a sense of hope. "I feel like this is a tipping point," says actress Geena Davis, a feminist activist and founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. "I do feel like this has the potential to cause a sea change." She points to how much has happened in just the past few years: "Think back on the reaction to the [Bill] Cosby case, and how profoundly people did not want to believe the women," she says. "If that happened today, oh, my God, what an incredibly different reaction there would be. Harvey Weinstein was the same type of thing and boom. And then all of a sudden it's spread like wildfire to other sections of society, to politics, to business." This has the potential to cause a sea change, says Geena Davis of the momentum of the #MeToo movement. (Rich Fury/Getty Images) Other prominent women have cautioned that cultural transformation is hardly a guarantee. In a viral Facebook post, Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg emphasized how much more must be done to end "the abuse of power imbalances" caused by sexism and racism: "We have to be vigilant to make sure this happens," she wrote. "I have already heard the rumblings of a backlash: 'This is why you shouldn't hire women.' Actually, this is why you should." Writer Rebecca Traister, author of "All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation," echoed Sandberg's worries about the potential blowback in an essay for New York magazine. "All it will take is one particularly lame allegation and given the increasing depravity of the charges, the milder stuff looks lamer and lamer, no matter how awful the experience to turn the tide from deep umbrage on behalf of women to pity for the poor, bullied men," she wrote. But feminist author Linda Hirshman maintains that the momentum of #MeToo has already grown to a point where it wont be easily derailed. "All movements make mistakes. This movement cannot be held, and will not be held, to a standard that if we make one mistake the whole movement goes down," Hirshman says. "We know that this is the most potent weapon that can be used against the 'Me Too' movement, and even if we do and inevitably, someone will make an erroneous charge, that does not kill the movement that rests on the backs of tens of thousands of accurate charges." Hirshman added that all social movements progress gradually and imperfectly, with surges in strength and also inevitable setbacks. In an essay for the Los Angeles Times, Dylan Farrow the adopted daughter of Woody Allen, who has accused the filmmaker of sexually abusing her as a child questioned why Allen had been exempt. "The revolution has been selective," she wrote. "The system worked for Harvey Weinstein for decades. It works for Woody Allen still." As he announced his resignation on the Senate floor, Franken noted that neither President Trump nor Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore both of whom have been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women had surrendered their respective positions. Trump and Moore have denied the accusations. I of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office, and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party, Franken said. [Why so many women are still supporting Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race] Cynthia Deitch, associate professor of womens, gender and sexuality studies at George Washington University, says many of the men to fall from power have been highly visible actors, politicians, icons of popular culture. Whether that ultimately reflects similar outcomes for people who arent so prominent isnt yet clear. Since were right in the middle of [the movement], it is really hard to predict, she says. I think that the issue and the conversation arent going to be stuffed back in a box. But in terms of whether there will be lasting policy and institutional changes in organizations that affect not just people at the very top its just really hard to say. FROM LEFT: Isabel Pascual a pseudonym), Ashley Judd, Adama Iwu, Susan Fowler and Taylor Swift on Time Magazines 2017 Person of the Year cover. (Time Inc./Reuters) There is at least one way that setting a highly visible example can make a difference, Davis says. Systemic change takes a long time in the real world, but it can happen swiftly on screen. Hollywood called attention to the problem, and its also uniquely positioned to be part of the solution. "This is the only sector of society with gross inequality that can be fixed overnight, where the very next movie somebody makes can be gender-balanced," Davis says. "The very next story that's about a company the CEO could be a woman. Half the board could be women. We can't do that in real life, but we can on TV and in movies, and life will imitate art. We all want to fix gender inequality, we all want to empower women, but until we change the cultural message, it's still going to be an uphill slog." A 17-year-old boy in Falls Church was arrested Friday and faces charges related to allegedly threatening to carry out a school shooting and bombing at George Mason High School, authorities said. The student, whom officials did not identify, was arrested about 11 a.m. near his family's home, said Falls Church Police Chief Mary Gavin. He was charged with one count of threatening to bomb or damage a building, Gavin said. In the last two weeks, the student told several witnesses, including students and at least one administrator, that he was angry and frustrated, and wanted to do damage by shooting up the school and using explosives, Gavin said. School administrators alerted police Tuesday, the chief said. Authorities put security measures in place and acquired a search warrant for the students home. During the search Friday, police retrieved about 20 items including four BB guns one of which was fashioned to look like a real gun, Gavin said. Police also recovered electronic devices, books and journals. The student was transported to Arlington County Juvenile Court. Police determined that no other people were involved in planning an attack and said there is no ongoing threat to the school or community. In a statement, school superintendent Peter Noonan said a student alerted administrators at George Mason to the threat. The schools principal, Matt Hills, contacted police and the students parents. The student was not permitted to return to school until the police investigation was complete, according to the school district. In a phone interview, Noonan applauded the student who came forward for doing what needed to be done to protect our community. Napa Valleys world-famous wine country scenery lacks the validation of a single California-designated scenic highway marked by signs with a golden poppy. A dearth of poppy signs doesnt seem to have dented the confidence of local officials. They dont need much prompting to praise the Napa County landscape. The scenic beauty of the Napa Valley is ranked right up there as the number one or two reason people come to the Napa Valley, county Supervisor Diane Dillon said. In fact, its almost a dead heat. A recent Visit Napa Valley survey of 1,353 tourists found 24.1 percent rated wine as the best thing about the county and 23.8 percent rated the scenery as the best. California started its scenic highway program in 1963. Highways and freeways running through some of the most beautiful parts of the state are graced with the golden poppy signs. Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast, Highway 50 through Gold Country to Lake Tahoe and Highway 190 through Death Valley are a diverse sampling of scenic highways. Theres even a slice of wine country Highway 12 through Sonoma Countys Valley of the Moon. Not every scenic highway runs through an area with national fame for its beauty. A stretch of Interstate 5 through the Central Valley has the designation signs, even though few people would head there for a vacation. If the Central Valley can make the grade, why not the Napa Valley? Why the scenic highway snub? The reason Napa County doesnt have the poppy designation signs is that it hasnt asked for them. The state doesnt simply bestow scenic highway status. A community has to prove the driving experience on a road meets certain criteria. Napa Countys 2008 General Plan says the county might consider pursuing state scenic highway designations for some local roadways provided the benefits outweigh the costs. Caltrans sells the benefits on its website. It claims having a scenic highway enhances community identity and pride, enhances land values by maintaining the roadways scenic character and helps a community promote tourism. Dillon said shed be interested in looking at what land use regulations are associated with scenic highways. But we also already have some of the most stringent or strict regulations of any county in the state, she said. Santa Barbara County knows whats involved. It worked with Caltrans to have the Gaviota Coast section of Highway 101 declared a state scenic highway in December 2016. The effort took less than a year, with most of the cost coming in staff time, County Deputy Director of Long-Range Planning Dan Klemann said. It was a fairly painless process, Klemann said. Santa Barbara Countys application included a report on visual intrusions. Homes listed as minor and the largely shielded Tajiguas Landfill as moderate. A gas plant shielded by eucalyptus trees is listed as the only major visual intrusion. Its mostly agriculture or open space, more open space than agriculture, Klemann said. Mostly undeveloped. And its a very stunning coastline. Communities seeking state scenic highway designations must have or pass laws to protect the views. In Santa Barbaras case, those laws already existed for Highway 101 along the Gaviota coast. Some people see having a scenic highway as bringing bragging rights, Klemann said. He sees it as bringing recognition to the highway and care to development decisions. A scenic highway landscape doesnt have to be development-free. Highway 24 in Contra Costa County has the states poppy signs and it passes the small communities of Lafayette and Orinda. But development can go too far. The state in 1993 turned down a scenic highway request for a stretch of Highway 101 in Ventura Countys Conejo Valley because of urbanization. In addition, if Caltrans decides new development along an existing state scenic highway substantially mars the views, it can revoke scenic highway status. Napa County under the 1963 state legislation has several state roadways eligible for scenic road status. They are Highway 29 from Vallejo to the city of Napa, Highway 221, Silverado Trail (Highway 121) south of Trancas Street and Highway 29 from the city of Napa to Lake County. No other state-owned highway in Napa County can become a state scenic highway unless the county has it added to the state legislation. The county could seek state scenic status for a road that it owns itselfsay, Pope Valley Roadsimply by petitioning Caltrans. Some of these highway nominees have seen considerable development since 1963 and may no longer have the rural ambiance sought by the state. For example, Highway 29 north of Vallejo passes through the city of American Canyon, with its homes and shopping centers. The most obvious candidate on the eligibility list is Highway 29 through the heart of the world-famous Napa Valley. The question is whether the prize is worth the effort. Clay Gregory is CEO of Visit Napa Valley, the tourism marketing organization for the county. The group reports that Napa Valley had 3.5 million visitors spending $1.9 million in 2016. Were blessed to have some of the greatest wine in the world and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, he said. Given that, he doesnt view having the states official poppy signs along Highway 29 as being that important. It certainly wouldnt hurt to have a sign, Gregory said. But I dont think it would make any real difference in terms of what visitors think. If the county never seeks state scenic highway status for local roads, it wont be alone. Examples abound of highways in other counties that have stunning views and no poppy signs. For example, Marin County doesnt have a single state scenic highway, not even Highway 1 along the coast through Point Reyes National Seashore to the Golden Gate Bridge. Napa County has seen at least one movement to seek state scenic highway designation for Highway 29. It came in 1966, mostly to ward off proposals to turn a two-lane rural road into a Napa Valley freeway. But the freeway proposals died long ago. In recent years, Napa County has forgone seeking the states poppy signs and let the scenery speak for itself. The man shot to death Friday at the old Walter Reed Army Medical Center was identified early Saturday by D.C. police as a 45-year-old resident of Northwest Washington. They said Brian Andrew Gibson ,who has been described as the driver of a shuttle bus, died in the incident. He was killed about 8 a.m. in the 6900 block of Georgia Avenue NW during a dispute with another driver of a shuttle bus, according to police. Police said Koonce Wright, 59, of Silver Spring, was arrested later and charged with second degree murder. According to police the shuttle bus drivers involved in the dispute were transporting construction workers to the site on Georgia Avenue. A police statement issued early Saturday did not describe the dispute. Father William Aitcheson, of the Catholic Dioceses of Arlington, wrote on his past as a Ku Klux Klan member before he became a priest. (Handout) (N/A) It took 40 years, but a Catholic priest who used to be in the Ku Klux Klan finally apologized to the black couple he targeted in a cross burning. William M. Aitcheson told Phillip and Barbara Butler how he was blinded by hate and ignorance when he targeted the then-newlywed couple who had just moved to the neighborhood. He rejected those beliefs before entering the priesthood but was too ashamed to face the Butlers, he wrote. I believe now that all people can live together in peace regardless of race, he said in a letter, dated Sept. 8. I also know that the symbol of the most enduring love the world has even known must never be used as a weapon of terror. Its use against you was a despicable act. I seriously regret the suffering it caused you. The Butlers and their attorney, Ted Williams, spoke in a news conference Friday about Aitchesons letter, and recent payment to the Butlers of $23,000 from an overdue civil suit judgment along with $9,600 in attorney fees. Aitchesons attorney could not be immediately reached for comment. [Priest who left KKK is testing parishioners ideas about redemption] Barbara and Phillip Butler, victims of the 1977 crossburning on their property by Catholic Priest William Aitcheson. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) Although Aitcheson was no longer under any legal obligation to pay the Butlers, he felt a moral obligation and used his private funds and a personal loan to make the payment, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington wrote in a statement. The Butlers declined a meeting with Aitcheson, so he wrote "a genuine apology through a hand-written letter," the diocese wrote. Fr. Aitcheson acknowledges that he should have reached out to the Butler family and paid restitution decades ago, but he hopes this resolution begins a process of healing and peace, the diocese wrote. In his letter, Aitcheson explained to the Butlers that it took him so long to apologize because he was ashamed of his actions. Its no excuse. I understand that. But it is the truth. I didnt know how to deal with it, he wrote. You deserved an apology, but I did not demonstrate the strength needed to face you. As a Catholic, Phillip Butler said he wants to be able to forgive Aitcheson now that he has confessed his sins, but said he is not ready. Thats what they preach, but then you have to give it from your heart and say, Okay, Im going to do that, Butler said about forgiveness, motioning to his heart. I cant do it yet. The Butlers only recently heard from Aitcheson after he penned an essay about redemption, claiming that the violence at the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville made him think of his "despicable" actions with the Ku Klux Klan. The Butlers doubt the sincerity of his confession, saying he wrote the essay only because a freelance reporter who introduced herself as a parishioner contacted the diocese about Aitchesons radical past. [Priest who penned essay about KKK past came forward after journalists inquiry] For you to say that youre sorry? No, youre not sorry, said Barbara Butler, as if speaking directly to Aitcheson. Youre sorry that you got caught. Most recently, Aitcheson was a parochial vicar, or assistant to the pastor, at St. Leo the Great church in Fairfax City, where he had been for four years before temporarily stepping down from his post. "As this matter involving the Butler family and Fr. Aitcheson has only been resolved recently, plans for his future priestly ministry are still being discerned," the diocese wrote in a statement Friday. Forty years ago, Aitcheson was a University of Maryland student and a KKK member who was eventually deemed too radical and violent for the main KKK branch, which threw him out, according to FBI files. [The day President Reagan comforted a black family who had a KKK cross burned on its lawn] He led a group called the Klan Beret and prepped to blow up a local NAACP branch and a power plant and communications center at Fort Meade, Md., an undercover agent testified. The group had burned five other crosses in Prince Georges County, including at two Jewish institutions. Aitcheson was sentenced in 1977 to 90 days in a federal medical prison with four years probation by a judge who told him, I dont believe you are a bad person. Aitcheson was targeted in a class-action lawsuit, filed in federal court, which was resolved in 1982 with $23,000 in damages awarded to the Butlers and $1,500 apiece to Beth Torah Congregation and Bnai Brith Hillel Foundation of College Park. It was unclear whether Aitcheson also paid the Jewish groups. In October 1981, Aitcheson wrote a letter to the judge detailing how his life had changed, saying that he had held jobs as a florist driving a delivery truck, a shoe salesman and a garment factory worker, earned his teacher certificate and started teaching. [How I discovered my childhood priest was in the Ku Klux Klan] I am truly sorry for the harm I did, Aitcheson wrote to the judge. I regret my association with that organization; my thinking has so totally changed in the last five years, it would be inconceivable for me to ever resume that part of my life. Eventually, Aitcheson decided to become a priest. He was ordained for what was then the diocese of Reno-Las Vegas in 1988 at age 33, and in brief comments in August, Reno diocesan spokesman, the Rev. Robert Chorey, said church leaders "understood at least part of his background" when they hired Aitcheson. ". . . I have no record of their thought process." The Butlers are still angry about the cross burning and said the letter and money mean nothing to them. Neither are sure what Aitcheson could do to earn their forgiveness. This is going to take time, Barbara Butler said after the news conference. For you to come into my life, 40 years, and say Im sorry. I will pray on it. Thats the only thing I can do. THE DISTRICT Unconscious mans death ruled a homicide A man found mortally wounded Wednesday night in Southwest Washington's Bellevue neighborhood had been stabbed, D.C. police said. An autopsy, completed Thursday, determined that his death was a homicide. The victim was identified as Ricky Williams, 41, of Southeast. Police said they were called to the first block of Forrester Street SW shortly before 11 p.m. and found the man, who was unconscious, on the street. The initial call was for a shooting, but police said they could not immediately determine how the victim received a puncture wound to the chest. No arrests have been made, and police did not comment on a possible motive. Peter Hermann MARYLAND Double shooting leads to one mans death One man is dead after a shooting in Seat Pleasant on Friday afternoon, police said. Officers called to the 400 block of 69th Place around 12:40 p.m. found two men who had been shot , said Marcus Jones, assistant to the Seat Pleasant police chief. The men were taken to a hospital, where one was later pronounced dead, police said. Authorities are still investigating a motive and suspect in the case, although the shooting appears to be an isolated incident, Jones said. Prince Georges County police will take over the homicide investigation, Jones said. The identity of the dead man will be released after his family is notified. Lynh Bui VIRGINIA Fairfax reports 6 overdoses in week Police said Friday that six people died of drug overdoses in Fairfax County in the past week and that five of the deaths may be related to batches of heroin laced with lethal opioids. The victims were between 22 and 34 years old, Fairfax County police said in a statement. The first opioid-related death occurred last Friday in Alexandria, the statement said; the second Sunday in Fairfax Station; the third and fourth deaths Wednesday in McLean and Clifton; and the fifth death Thursday in the Fairfax City area. The deaths may be related to batches laced with fentanyl and carfentanil, synthetic opioids that can be lethal in small doses, according to the statement. In my 20 years in Narcotics, I have never seen anything like this, 2nd Lt. James Cox of the organized-crime and narcotics division said in a statement. Before this week, the highest number of opioid overdoses we had in a weekend was five, and fortunately, everyone lived. There have been 102 overdose fatalities in Fairfax County in 2017, police said. Justin Wm. Moyer Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper), left, confers with Del. Robert B. Bell, R-Albemarle during a meeting of the House Education committee in Richmond on Feb. 1, 2017. (Bob Brown/AP) Under a banner declaring "Liberty Rising" at a gathering of Virginia Republicans, Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) announced late Friday that he will seek his party's nomination to challenge Sen. Tim Kaine (D) next year. Freitas will compete for the nomination against Corey Stewart, the bombastic chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors who has fashioned himself after President Trump. [After near miss in primary for governor, Stewart promises a vicious campaign against Ka ine] The move is likely to reassure some state and national Republican leaders who have been nervous about Stewart becoming the face of the party in a purple state where Trump is deeply unpopular. [Anybody but Corey Stewart? GOP leaders search for an alternative] Stewart narrowly lost the primary for governor in June after pledging to crack down on illegal immigration and preserve Confederate heritage. But Freitas, who was just elected to a second term last month, is not exactly a mainstream figure. At his announcement in a cramped hotel suite at the Homestead resort, the 38-year-old federal contractor delivered a treatise on small government, promising to combat a worldview that treats free people as if we were subjects instead of citizens. Quite frankly, establishment elements from both sides of the aisle have been responsible in thinking themselves made from finer clay than the rest of humanity, Freitas said. In response to his announcement, Virginia Democratic Party Chairwoman Susan Swecker lumped Freitas and Stewart together and called the state GOP out of touch. This extremist duo of candidates in the race supports Donald Trumps dangerous plans, and neither of them would put Virginia families before their nutty agenda, she said in a statement. With a conservative voting record and libertarian streak, Freitas expected to line up support from Republicans hoping to rebrand the party with a fresh face. He has sought advice from Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Mike Lee (Utah) and members of the hard-line conservative House Freedom Caucus. Others are waiting to see how the field shapes up. Evangelical pastor E.W. Jackson is preparing to announce, former governor James S. Gilmore III is considering it, Army veteran Ivan Raiklin filed the paperwork, and policy expert John Norton Moore may run. Kaine a popular and well-funded former mayor, lieutenant governor and governor is seeking a second term after delivering Virginia for Democrats as Hillary Clintons vice-presidential running mate in 2016. Freitas said he wouldnt sugarcoat the challenge ahead but dismissed critics who warned him the race would damage his political career, saying that wasnt his priority. He also pledged not to attack his GOP competitors, a refreshing concept to some Republicans weary after the nasty gubernatorial primary between Stewart and Ed Gillespie. Im not here to bash my fellow Republicans, Freitas said. Period. The end. Raised in California by a single mother who ran a GOP womens group, Freitas, 38, joined the Army after high school, became a Green Beret and served 11 years active duty. In the House of Delegates, he is known for giving passionate floor speeches, such as his 2016 defense of Sgt. 1st Class Charles Martland, who was facing discharge for beating up an Afghan commander who allegedly raped a small boy. He is a member of the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank, and a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. Dels.-elect Danica Roem (D-Prince William) and Chris Hurst (D-Blacksburg) say they will push for stronger open-records laws in Virginia. (LEFT: Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post; RIGHT: Jay Westcott for The Washington Post) An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the business executive at the center of a federal corruption case involving former Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell. That executive was Jonnie R. Williams Sr., not Jonnie R. Williams Jr. This version has been corrected. Getting public records can be challenging in Virginia, where the state attorney generals office once charged nearly $15,000 for the release of emails related to then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinellis (R) ties to a well-connected businessman. But 2018 may be a year for greater transparency, with two journalists entering the House of Delegates determined to revise Virginia's Freedom of Information Act and Fairfax County the state's largest jurisdiction launching a policy officials say will make it easier for the public to get public records. Dels.-elect Danica Roem (D-Prince William) and Chris Hurst (D-Blacksburg) say they know all about being blocked from getting records in Virginia. Virginia's 49-year-old statute is considered among the most restrictive in the country, with about 150 exemptions barring the release of certain information, which often result in heavily redacted documents. Advocates say the rules and the high prices agencies charge to produce documents that can be made public hamper journalists, community activists and ordinary citizens who seek information on topics that range from police investigations to safety inspections and local school test scores. "It's gotten to the point where I generally don't even bother filing a FOIA request," said Robert B. Weir, who chairs the planning commission in the town of Haymarket and, in 2016, was denied Prince William County records related to a new computer data center until he initiated a lawsuit. "It's not worth the frustration or the expense." Roem, a former newspaper reporter in Prince William County, is preparing a bill that, among other things, would waive any fee for FOIA requests that take less than two hours to process. She also wants to create an ombudsman position to facilitate requests made to state agencies modeled after a 2015 Maryland law that seeks to weed out excessive FOIA requests and expedite those that are on topic. The Maryland law has received mixed reviews from journalists and residents of the state. That is the goal here, Roem said. To improve government accountability and to allow the people to have access to their documents. Virginia's FOIA fees stirred controversy in 2013 when the state attorney general's office charged state Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D) nearly $15,000 to begin a search for emails linking Cuccinelli to Jonnie R. Williams Sr., the business executive at the center of a federal corruption case involving Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R). McEachin, now a Virginia congressman, unsuccessfully sued the state for the information. Outgoing Del. James M. LeMunyon (R-Chantilly), who chaired an advisory council on FOIA issues, said the General Assembly has revised the FOIA law in some ways requiring government agencies to hire FOIA officers to facilitate requests and post meeting notices on their websites, for example and has grappled with questions of cost. The government doesnt want someone to come in with a huge request and then the taxpayers will lose a lot of money because someone wants to see something, LeMunyon said. Other looming issues include how to treat text messages sent by public officials during public meetings and comments posted on their personal Facebook pages, he added. Open-records advocates seek more wholesale changes, possibly including stiffer penalties for officials who violate FOIA laws. Washington state assesses a fee of $100 per day for each document improperly withheld from public view. Fines in Virginia can climb as high as $5,000, but violations are harder to prove, advocates say. Megan Rhyne, director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said she has a wish list for Virginias law that includes allowing residents in other states access to public records and, as in North Carolina, making transcripts of closed-session meetings available after a decision is made. In Fairfax, Benjamin Tribbett, a former chief of staff to Supervisor Kathy Smith (D-Chantilly), said a county attorney once told new employees during a training session to regularly delete emails and explained how communications that include the county attorney's office fall under attorney-client privilege and would not be subject to disclosure. "To emphasize to people that you can delete an email and that if it's not on your hard drive, it's not FOIA-able basically speaks volumes of what the intent of that training is," said Tribbett, a political consultant for Democrats who stopped working for the county earlier this year. Fairfax officials disputed Tribbett's account, saying employees are only instructed to delete personal emails and that employees undergo training that details which documents must be released. Fairfax County does not advise employees at orientation or any other time to delete emails to avoid FOIA, county spokesman Tony Castrilli said in a statement. Transparency and accountability to the community are our top priorities and part of the culture in Fairfax County. The county is streamlining its approach to the roughly 6,000 FOIA requests its 50 agencies receive every year. It will track pending requests to monitor for compliance, use technology that makes email searches easier and regularly remind agency directors they have the discretion to release some information the law considers to be exempt. Rhyne said shes happy to see the FOIA process getting more attention. But she said there could be resistance in the state legislature from some lawmakers because the overhaul effort is spearheaded by current or former journalists. Besides Roem and Hurst a former television news anchor in Roanoke who plans to introduce a bill that would prevent marketing companies from receiving college students' cellphone numbers Del. Mark Levine (D-Alexandria), a radio journalist, co-founded a General Assembly "transparency caucus" in 2016 that also advocates strengthening FOIA. My job will be to remind the General Assembly members of all stripes that FOIA is a citizens law, Rhine said. Its not just a press law, as some often think. Del. Alfonso H. Lopez (D-Arlington) addresses citizens opposed to the opening of a gun store in 2016. Immigrant groups are critical of his work for an immigration detention center in 2014, 2015 and 2016. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) Young Latino activists in Northern Virginia are trying to punish a Democratic state legislator for his work for an immigration detention center, demanding that he apologize, be stripped of his leadership position in the General Assembly and use the money he earned to help undocumented detainees. Del. Alfonso H. Lopez, a Democrat who has represented a Hispanic-heavy South Arlington district since 2012, was paid more than $5,000 a year in 2014 and more than $10,000 a year in 2015 and 2016 by Immigration Centers of America (ICA), which operates a detention center in Farmville, Va. , according to his state financial disclosure reports. La Colectiva, a group of college- and post-college-aged activists, says the income means he has betrayed and backstabbed the immigrant community. The group, along with other campus-based immigrant organizations, is asking the Virginia House Democratic Caucus to unseat Lopez as minority whip when the legislature reconvenes in January. Lopez, a U.S.-born son of a Venezuelan immigrant, is a lawyer and partner in two consulting firms. Normally responsive to media inquiries, he declined repeated requests by The Washington Post to discuss his work for the ICA Farmville center. In a statement, he said he has properly filed financial disclosures, is proud of his heritage, and is "an open, honest and a fierce advocate" for his community. J. Walter Tejada, president of the Virginia Latino Leaders Council, praised Lopez for, among other things, fighting to expand in-state tuition for immigrants and helping to create a trust fund for affordable housing. But at a time when the Trump administration is cracking down on undocumented immigrants, increasing arrests and terminating programs that provide temporary legal status, Tejada said that the concerns raised by La Colectiva and the other groups have resonance. This is very uncomfortable and difficult for all of us, he said. We need to learn more about this situation. Officials at the detention center did not respond to several requests for comment. The campaign by the young Latinos shows the growing strength in Virginia of progressive groups, which helped flip more than a dozen House seats from Republican to Democrat in the off-year election last month. (Lopez easily defeated his Republican opponent.) Activists say that they are ready to exercise the power they earned knocking on doors, making phone calls and executing social media strategies, and that they are willing to make Lopez, 47, one of their targets. "This is a wake-up call to other representatives," said Aurea Galvan, a member of George Mason University's "dreamers" group, which includes undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children who were shielded from deportation under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an Obama-era program that will begin expiring in March. "We gave you our support, and we go around canvassing for you, and you give us your word that our community is safe. You're going to be held accountable." La Colectiva member Irma Corado, 27, said her group learned about Lopezs ICA income this summer. The disclosure forms do not require legislators to detail their work, or say how much they were paid beyond a specific threshold, which was $5,000 in 2014 but went up to $10,000 in 2015. The activists met twice with Lopez, who told them that his work for the center involved federal consulting and was done during the Obama administration, which in general did not embrace as broad a crackdown on illegal immigration as President Trump has. To make their outrage clear, the activists disrupted Lopez's election party last month, as well as a victory party for Gov.-elect Ralph Northam (D), who angered the group by saying that he would not support the establishment of "sanctuary cities" in Virginia. Days later, they confronted Lopez in an Arlington parking lot, demanding that he apologize and admit to "profiting from immigration detention centers." In a video of the encounter, which La Colectiva posted on its Facebook page, a frustrated Lopez tells the protesters that ambushing him is not effective. You guys dont want any borders. You dont want any detention. We have international treaties, he says in the video. Weve had conversations about this. If youre going to do this, do it properly, in a meeting. . . . Last time you did this, you did it in front of my little boy, my 10-year-old boy. Corado said that the groups want Lopez to prove that he has cut all ties to the ICA detention center and that the fact that he has not reported income from them since spring 2016 is not proof enough. They are also calling for the money Lopez earned from the Farmville center to be turned over to a third party to create a fund to help detainees make bond. Our endgame is to use him as an example of what happens when you say one thing and do another, Corado said. More-established Latino and Democratic leaders expressed support for Lopez, including Del. David J. Toscano (Charlottesville), the House minority leader, who will decide the minority whip position in January. Del. Charniele L. Herring (Alexandria), chair of the Virginia House Democratic Caucus, said that efforts to create a schism between party leaders and individual delegates won't work. Northern Virginias lawmakers are among the most liberal in the General Assembly, and Alfonso is an important part of that, Herring said. I dont see any division or divide between us, and I dont see it as symptomatic of anything. Tejada, a longtime friend who said Lopez helped him in his first successful campaign for the Arlington County Board in 2003, said he does not know the details of Lopezs work for ICA. Other state lawmakers who are also lawyers, and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, suggested that Lopez may be bound by attorney-client privilege or a nondisclosure agreement that prevents him from talking about his work with the center, which houses immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Hes unable to provide detail that would help us understand the situation better, Tejada said, adding that the council he leads has an obligation to help resolve the differences between Lopez and the activist groups. Im hopeful that we can collectively work together to resolve this soon, Tejada said. We are actively under discussions, trying to bring everybody together. Yemens deposed leader killed by rebels The violence that had long stalked his country and that he had often stoked finally caught up with Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemens deposed president, who was killed Monday, apparently by a band of rebel fighters, Salehs aides and rebel officials said. washingtonpost.com/foreign Metro bill to build funds for overhaul Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) unveiled her long-awaited Metro bill on Monday, proposing to increase federal funding for the transit agency by 50 percent in exchange for creating a temporary reform board, adopting tough measures to hold down labor costs and other changes. washingtonpost.com/local Every worker may get portion of the tip jar Restaurants could soon require waiters, bartenders and delivery drivers to split tips with their co-workers or even managers if a proposed rule from the Labor Department takes effect. The move would reverse a rule enacted during the Obama administration, which declared tips the property of the workers who collected them. washingtonpost.com/business Dissidents press D.C. to rename street Russian dissidents urged the D.C. Council on Wednesday to rename the street in front of the Russian Embassy to honor Boris Nemtsov, a prominent opposition leader assassinated in Moscow. washingtonpost.com/local Where do you want to die? When asked, the vast majority of Americans answer with two words: "At home." Despite living in a country that delivers some of the best health care in the world, we often settle for end-of-life care that is inconsistent with our wishes and administered in settings that are unfamiliar, even dangerous. In California, for example, 70 percent of individuals surveyed said they wish to die at home, yet 68 percent do not. Instead, many of us die in hospitals, subject to overmedication and infection, often after receiving treatment that we do not want. Doctors know this, which may explain why 72 percent of them die at home. Using data from the Dartmouth Atlas a source of information and analytics that organizes Medicare data by a variety of indicators linked to medical resource use we recently ranked geographic areas based on markers of end-of-life care quality, including deaths in the hospital and number of physicians seen in the last year of life. People are accustomed to ranking areas of the country based on availability of high-quality arts, universities, restaurants, parks and recreation and health-care quality overall. But we can also rank areas based on how they treat us at an important moment of life: when it's coming to an end. It turns out not all areas are created equal. Critical questions abound. For example, why do 71 percent of those who die in Ogden, Utah, receive hospice care, while only 31 percent do in Manhattan? Why is the rate of deaths in intensive care units in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, almost four times that of Los Angeles? Why do only 12 percent of individuals in Sun City, Ariz., die in a hospital, while 30 percent do in McAllen, Texas? Andrew MacPherson of the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation. (Tabitha Rhea Photography) /Tabitha Liddiard/Tabitha Rhea Photography) Race and other demographics in a given area certainly matter. One systematic review of more than 20 studies showed that African American and Hispanic individuals utilize advance-care planning and hospice far less than whites. More research is needed to explore these differences and to close these gaps and demand high-quality, personalized care for people of all races. But race and demographics dont provide all the answers. For instance, Sarasota and St. Petersburg, Fla., are only 45 miles apart and have similar ethnic demographics. Yet we found that they score quite differently on several key quality metrics at the end of life. A variety of factors probably contribute to our findings. Hospice, which for 35 years has provided team-based care, usually at home, to those nearing the end of life and remains enormously successful and popular, is underutilized. Most people enroll in hospice fewer than 20 days before death, despite a Medicare benefit that allows patients to stay for up to six months. Hospice enrollment has been shown to be highly dependent on the type of doctor that you see. In fact, one study among cancer patients with poor prognoses showed that physician characteristics (specialty, experience with practicing in an inpatient setting, experience at hospitals, etc.) mattered much more than patient characteristics (age, gender, race, etc.) in determining whether patients enrolled in hospice. For example, oncologists and doctors practicing at nonprofit hospitals were far more likely than other doctors to recommend hospice. Also, physicians in a given geographic area are likely to have similar approaches to health care. They may collectively differ from physicians in another area in their familiarity and comfort with offering hospice care to a patient. This may explain why hospice enrollment significantly varies among geographic regions. Palliative care, which focuses on alleviation of suffering, is often misunderstood by doctors as giving up. Health professionals' lack of longitudinal, substantive training in end-of-life care only compounds the problem. Perhaps most important, fewer than half of Americans have had a conversation about their end-of-life wishes a process known as advance care planning and only one-third have expressed those wishes in writing for a health-care provider to follow when they become seriously ill. If people do not have a clear sense of their end-of-life wishes, it is easy to imagine that they may be swayed by a physicians recommendation. The private sector has led the way in addressing the underutilization of hospice and improving end-of-life care. For instance, health insurers such as Aetna have devised programs integrating nurse-led case management services for seriously ill individuals, reducing costly and undesired emergency room visits while increasing appropriate hospice referrals. And start-ups including Aspire Health are working with communities to provide palliative care in people's homes while devising algorithms to help payers and providers identify individuals who might benefit from palliative and hospice care. Ravi Parikh of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (Courtesy of Ravi Parikh) Congress also is considering bipartisan solutions consistent with best practices. Congressional leaders have recently introduced several pieces of legislation that would test new models of care for those facing advanced illness, support health professionals in training for end-of-life care and ensure that barriers are removed for consumers to access care. And Medicare, via its Innovation Center, has led the way in testing promising care models to support those at the end of life, including the Medicare Care Choices Model, which allows individuals to receive hospice care alongside traditional, curative treatment. But the secret sauce may be a shift in culture. We will not improve the death experience until we demand that our public- and private-sector leaders act and that our local health professionals encourage person-centered end-of-life care. As with any social change, progress will be driven by a growing awareness and a desire for justice among families and patients. There are good and bad places to die in America. However, to ensure a better death for all, we must confront not just geographic disparities but also our resistance to thinking about death. MacPherson is a principal at Healthsperien and serves as senior policy adviser to the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care and the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation. Parikh is a physician at the University of Pennsylvania and senior clinical adviser at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care. Read more My mother wanted a peaceful death at home. I nearly blew it for her. When a doctor and patient disagree about care at the end of life Asking agonizing questions at the end of life Until a court intervened last month, Nevada planned to execute an inmate here using fentanyl as part of a combination of drugs. (Courtesy of the Nevada Department of Corrections) The synthetic painkiller fentanyl has been the driving force behind the nation's opioid epidemic, killing tens of thousands of Americans last year in overdoses. Now two states want to use the drug's powerful properties for a new purpose: to execute prisoners on death row. As Nevada and Nebraska push for the countrys first fentanyl-assisted executions, doctors and death penalty opponents are fighting those plans. They have warned that such an untested use of fentanyl could lead to painful, botched executions, comparing the use of it and other new drugs proposed for lethal injection to human experimentation. States are increasingly pressed for ways to carry out the death penalty because of problems obtaining the drugs they long have used, primarily because pharmaceutical companies are refusing to supply their drugs for executions. The situation has led states such as Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma to turn to novel drug combinations for executions. Mississippi legalized nitrogen gas this spring as a backup method something no state or country has tried. Officials have yet to say whether it would be delivered in a gas chamber or through a gas mask. Other states have passed laws authorizing a return to older methods, such as the firing squad and the electric chair. Were in a new era, said Deborah Denno, a law professor at Fordham University. States have now gone through all the drugs closest to the original ones for lethal injection. And the more they experiment, the more theyre forced to use new drugs that we know less about in terms of how they might work in an execution. Supporters of capital punishment blame critics for the crisis, which comes amid a sharp decline in the number of executions and decreasing public support for the death penalty. States have put 23 inmates to death in 2017 the second-fewest executions in more than a quarter-century. Nineteen states no longer have capital punishment, with a third of those banning it in the past decade. If death penalty opponents were really concerned about inmates pain, they would help reopen the supply, said Kent Scheidegger of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which advocates for the rights of crime victims. Opponents caused the problem were in now by forcing pharmaceuticals to cut off the supply to these drugs. Thats why states are turning to less-than-optimal choices. Prison officials in Nevada and Nebraska have declined to answer questions about why they chose to use fentanyl in their next executions, which could take place in early 2018. Many states cloak their procedures in secrecy to try to minimize legal challenges. But fentanyl offers several advantages. The obvious one is potency. The synthetic drug is 50 times more powerful than heroin and up to 100 times more powerful than morphine. Theres cruel irony that at the same time these state governments are trying to figure out how to stop so many from dying from opioids, that they now want to turn and use them to deliberately kill someone, said Austin Sarat, a law professor at Amherst College who has studied the death penalty for more than four decades. Another plus with fentanyl: It is easy to obtain. Although the drug has rocketed into the news because of the opioid crisis, doctors frequently use it to anesthetize patients for major surgery or to treat severe pain in patients with advanced cancer. Nevada officials say they had no problem buying fentanyl. We simply ordered it through our pharmaceutical distributor, just like every other medication we purchase, and it was delivered, Brooke Keast, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Corrections, said in an email. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. The state, which last put someone to death in 2006, had planned its first fentanyl-assisted execution for November. The inmate involved, 47-year-old Scott Dozier, was convicted of killing a man in a Las Vegas hotel, cutting him into pieces and stealing his money. According to documents obtained by The Washington Post, Nevada's protocol calls for Dozier first to receive diazepam a sedative better known as Valium and then fentanyl to cause him to lose consciousness. Large doses of both would cause a person to stop breathing, according to three anesthesiologists interviewed for this report. Yet Nevada also plans to inject Dozier with a third drug, cisatracurium, to paralyze his muscles a step medical experts say makes the procedure riskier. If the first two drugs dont work as planned, or if they are administered incorrectly, which has already happened in so many cases . . . you would be awake and conscious, desperate to breathe and terrified but unable to move at all, said Mark Heath, a professor of anesthesiology at Columbia University. It would be an agonizing way to die, but the people witnessing wouldnt know anything had gone wrong because you wouldnt be able to move. John M. DiMuro, who helped create the fentanyl execution protocol when he was the states chief medical officer, said he based it on procedures common in open-heart surgery. He included cisatracurium because of worries that the Valium and fentanyl might not fully stop an inmates breathing, he said. The paralytic hastens and ensures death. It would be less humane without it. A judge postponed Dozier's execution last month over concerns about the paralytic, and the case is awaiting review by Nevada's Supreme Court. In the meantime, Nebraska is looking toward a fentanyl-assisted execution as soon as January. Jose Sandoval, the leader of a bank robbery in which five people were killed, would be the first person put to death in that state since 1997. Sandoval would be injected with the same three drugs proposed in Nevada, plus potassium chloride to stop his heart. Nebraska and Nevada are trying to move forward with executions using fentanyl. Jose Sandoval, left, would be put to death in Nebraska. Scott Dozier would be executed in Nevada. (Nati Harnik/AP, Ken Ritter/AP) Even at much lower concentrations, intravenous potassium chloride often causes a burning sensation, according to Heath. So if you werent properly sedated, a highly concentrated dose would feel like someone was taking a blowtorch to your arm and burning you alive, he said. Fentanyl is just the latest in a long line of approaches that have been considered for capital punishment in the United States. With each, things have often gone wrong. When hangings fell out of favor in the 19th century because of botched cases and the drunken, carnival-like crowds they attracted states turned to electrocution. The first one in 1890 was a grisly disaster: Spectators noticed the inmate was still breathing after the electricity was turned off, and prison officials had to zap the man all over again. Gas chambers were similarly sold as a modern scientific solution. But one of the country's last cyanide gas executions, in 1992, went so badly that it left witnesses crying and the warden threatening to resign rather than attempt another one. Lethal injection, developed in Oklahoma in 1977, was supposed to solve these problems. It triggered concerns from the start, especially because of the paralytic drug used. Even so, the three-drug injection soon became the countrys dominant method of execution. In recent years, as access to those drugs has dried up, states have tried others. Before the interest in fentanyl, many states tested a sedative called midazolam leading to what Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor called "horrifying deaths." Dennis McGuire, who raped and killed a pregnant newlywed in Ohio, became the first inmate on whom that states new protocol was tried. Soon after the 2014 execution began, his body writhed on the table as he gasped for air and made gurgling, snorting noises that sounded as though he was drowning, according to witnesses. The same year, Oklahoma used midazolam on an inmate convicted of kidnapping and killing a teenager; authorities aborted the execution after Clayton Lockett kicked, writhed and grimaced for 20 minutes, but he died not long after. Three months later, Arizona used midazolam on Joseph R. Wood III, who was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend and her father. Officials injected him more than a dozen times as he struggled for almost two hours. Like those in other states, Arizona officials argued that the inmate did not suffer and that the procedure was not botched. Later, they said they would never again use midazolam in an execution. Joel Zivot, a professor of anesthesiology and surgery at Emory University, called the states approach ludicrous. Theres no medical or scientific basis for any of it, he said. Its just a series of attempts: obtain certain drugs, try them out on prisoners, and see if and how they die. The bad publicity and continuing problems with drug supply have sent some of the 31 states where capital punishment remains legal in search of options beyond lethal injection. Turning to nitrogen gas would solve at least one issue. Nitrogen is literally in the air we breathe you cant cut off anyones supply to that, said Scheidegger, who strongly supports the idea. In addition to Mississippi, Oklahoma has authorized nitrogen gas as a backup to lethal injection. Corrections officials and legislators in Louisiana and Alabama have said they hope to do the same. And yet, critics note, there is almost no scientific research to suggest that nitrogen would be more humane. Oklahoma's legislature approved nitrogen gas in 2015 based on a report solicited from three professors at a local university, none of whom had any medical or scientific background. They cited examples of airplane pilots passing out from nitrogen hypoxia and accounts of people killing themselves using nitrogen and helium gas. A financial analysis prepared for lawmakers said the approach would be "relatively cost effective," requiring only a gas mask and a container of nitrogen. Zivot is among those skeptical that nitrogen would work as hoped. Theres a difference between accidental hypoxia, like with pilots passing out, and someone knowing youre trying to kill him and fighting against it, he said. Have you ever seen someone struggle to breathe? They gasp until the end. Its terrifying. Dozier, the inmate Nevada hopes to execute soon with fentanyl, has said he would prefer death by firing squad over any other method. In more than a dozen interviews, many experts on both sides of the issue expressed similar views. Of all the lethal technology humans have invented, the gun has endured as one of the most efficient ways to kill, said Denno, who has studied the death penalty for a quarter-century. The reason we keep looking for something else, she said, is because its not really for the prisoner. Its for the people who have to watch it happen. We dont want to feel squeamish or uncomfortable. We dont want executions to look like what they really are: killing someone. Julie Tate contributed to this report. Read more: Trump remains a staunch supporter of the death penalty, but many Americans are souring on it Why plummeting support for the death penalty doesnt mean its going away Trump declares the opioid crisis a public healthy emergency Consider it America's other prescription drug epidemic. For decades, experts have warned that older Americans are taking too many unnecessary drugs, often prescribed by multiple doctors, for dubious or unknown reasons. Researchers estimate that 25 percent of people ages 65 to 69 take at least five prescription drugs to treat chronic conditions, a figure that jumps to nearly 46 percent for those between 70 and 79. Doctors say it is not uncommon to encounter patients taking more than 20 drugs to treat acid reflux, heart disease, depression or insomnia or other disorders. Unlike the overuse of opioid painkillers, the polypharmacy problem has attracted little attention, even though its hazards are well documented. But some doctors are working to reverse the trend. At least 15 percent of seniors seeking care annually from doctors or hospitals have suffered a medication problem; in half of these cases, the problem is believed to be potentially preventable. Studies have linked polypharmacy to unnecessary death. Older patients, who have greater difficulty metabolizing medicines, are more likely to suffer dizziness, confusion and falls. And the side effects of drugs are frequently misinterpreted as a new problem, triggering more prescriptions, a process known as a prescribing cascade. The glide path to overuse can be gradual: A patient taking a drug to lower blood pressure develops swollen ankles, so a doctor prescribes a diuretic. The diuretic causes a potassium deficiency, resulting in a medicine to treat low potassium. But that triggers nausea, which is treated with another drug, which causes confusion, which in turn is treated with more medication. For many patients, problems arise when they are discharged from the hospital on a host of new medications, layered on top of old ones. Alice Cave, who divides her time between Alexandria, Va., and Tucson, discovered this when she traveled to Cheyenne, Wyo., after her 87-year-old aunt was sent home following treatment for a stroke in 2015. Before her hospitalization, Cave said, her aunt, a retired telephone company employee whose vision is impaired by glaucoma, had been taking seven drugs per day. Five new ones were added in the hospital, Cave said. She came home and had a huge bag of pills, half of which she was already taking, plus pages and pages of instructions, she said. Some were supposed to be taken with food, some on an empty stomach. Cave said she spent several hours sorting the medications into a giant blue pill box. It was crazy and scary. Cave said she felt helpless to do much; her aunts doctors didnt question the need for more drugs. When Shannon Brownlees mother was taken to an emergency room recently to determine whether her arm pain might signal a heart attack (it didnt) a cardiologist prescribed five new drugs including an opioid to the small dose of a diuretic she had been taking to control her blood pressure. Brownlee, senior vice president of the Lown Institute, a Boston-based group that seeks to improve health-care quality by reducing unnecessary treatment, said that when her brother questioned the necessity of so many new drugs for a woman in her late 80s, the specialist replied frostily, "I don't see anything wrong with prescribing lots of medication to older people." Bring the pill bottles This problem has gotten worse because the average American is on a lot more medications than 15 years ago, said cardiologist Rita Redberg, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. Studies bolster Redberg's contention: A 2015 report found that the share of Americans of all ages who regularly took at least five prescription drugs nearly doubled between 2000 and 2012, from 8 percent to 15 percent. University of Michigan researchers recently reported that the percentage of people older than 65 taking at least three psychiatric drugs more than doubled in the nine years beginning in 2004. Nearly half of those taking the potent medications, which include antipsychotic drugs used to treat schizophrenia, had no mental-health diagnosis. Redberg and other doctors are trying to counter the blizzard of prescriptions through a grass-roots movement called "deprescribing" systematically discontinuing medicines that are inappropriate, duplicative or unnecessary. Interest in deprescribing, which was pioneered in Canada and Australia, is growing in the United States, bolstered by physician-led efforts, such as the five-year-old Choosing Wisely campaign. The Beers Criteria, a list of overused and potentially unsafe drugs for seniors first published in 1991, has been followed by other tools aimed at curbing unnecessary drug use. Lots of different medications get started for reasons that are never supported by evidence, said Redberg, editor in chief of JAMA Internal Medicine. In general, we like the idea of taking a pill a lot better than non-drug measures, such as improved eating habits or exercise. "That's what we were taught as physicians: to prescribe drugs," said Ranit Mishori, a professor of family medicine at Georgetown University and a proponent of deprescribing. "We are definitely not taught how to take people off meds." Kathryn McGrath, a Philadelphia geriatrician, said she tries to begin every appointment with a review of medications, which she asks patients to bring with them. "I think having the pill bottles" is much more powerful than a list, said McGrath, who has written about how to deprescribe safely. Although support is growing, deprescribing faces formidable obstacles. Among them, experts say, is a paucity of research about how best to do it, relentless advertising that encourages consumers to ask their doctors for new drugs, and a strong disinclination baked into the culture of medicine to countermand what another physician has ordered. Time constraints play a significant role. So do performance measures that are viewed as a mandate to prescribe drugs even when they make virtually no sense, such as giving statins to terminally ill patients. A reluctance to overrule Theres a reluctance to tinker or change things too much, said University of Michigan geriatric psychiatrist Donovan Maust, who labels the phenomenon clinical inertia. When inheriting a new patient, Maust said, doctors tend to assume that if a colleague prescribed a drug, there must be a good reason for it even if they dont know what it is. Maust said he tries to combat inertia by writing time-limited orders for medication. He recently began treating a man in his 80s with dementia who was taking eight psychiatric drugs each of which can cause significant side effects and most of which had been prescribed for undetermined reasons. "It's very typical to see a patient who has a few episodes of reflux and is then put on a [proton pump inhibitor, or PPI] and a few years later are still taking it," said Georgetown's Mishori. Many experts say the heartburn drugs are overprescribed, and studies have linked their long-term use to fractures, dementia and premature death. "This is a cultural problem and an awareness problem exacerbated by the fragmentation of care," said Brownlee, the author of "Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer." Many doctors, she added, have never heard of deprescribing. Before his death several years ago, doctors advised Brownlees father, a hospice patient, to continue taking a statin, along with several other medications. None would improve or extend his life, and all had potentially harmful side effects. Rx: What for? Older people taking lots of medication was what Canadian pharmacist Barbara Farrell encountered when she began working at a geriatric hospital in Ottawa nearly two decades ago. Her experience, she said, was a catalyst for the Canadian Deprescribing Network, a consortium of researchers, physicians, pharmacists and health advocates she co-founded. The group seeks to drastically reduce inappropriate medication use among Canadian seniors by 2020. Farrell, a clinical scientist at the Bruyere Research Institute, has also helped write guidelines, used by doctors in the United States and other countries, to safely deprescribe certain classes of widely used drugs, including PPIs and sedatives. Ive found a lot of receptivity to the guidelines among physicians, Farrell said. We know there are pockets around Canada and the world where theyre being implemented. One of Farrells most memorable successes involved a woman in her late 70s who was used a wheelchair and was nearly comatose. She would literally slide out of her chair, Farrell recalled. The woman was taking 27 drugs four times per day and had been diagnosed with dementia and a host of other ailments. After reviewing her medications, Farrell and her colleagues were able to weed out duplicative and potentially harmful drugs and reduce the doses of others. A year later, the woman was like a different person: She was able to walk with a cane and live mostly independently, and she reported that her doctor said she did not have dementia after all. When Farrell asked another patient why she was taking thyroid medication, the woman replied that her doctor had prescribed it for weight loss after her last pregnancy in 1955. The patients I see are the tip of the iceberg, Farrell said. One way to facilitate deprescribing, Farrell said, is to require doctors to record why a drug is being prescribed, a proposal the deprescribing network has made to Canadian health officials. A recent study by a team from the Boston VA Healthcare System found strong support among doctors for this concept. While some doctors are reluctant to discontinue medications, patients can be wary, too. "They may say, 'I tried stopping my sleeping pill and I couldn't sleep the next night, so I figured I needed it,' " Farrell said. "Nobody explained to them that rebound insomnia, which can occur after stopping sleeping pills, lasts three to five days." Mishori said that she deprescribes only one medication at a time so she can detect any problem that arises from that change. And, she adds, I never take people off of a medication without doing something else. In the case of heartburn drugs, she might first recommend taking the drug only when needed, not continuously. Or she might suggest a safer alternative, such as an over-the-counter antacid tablet. Maust, the geriatric psychiatrist, recommends that doctors actively focus on the big picture and carefully weigh whether the benefits of a drug outweigh its risks. In geriatrics, he said, less is more. Boodman is a regular contributor to Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit health news service that is an editorially independent part of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Read more This physician wants her patients to use fewer medications With drug overdoses soaring, doctors limit length of prescription painkillers Is your surgeon doing two operations at once? The Moki Dugway, a series of steep switchbacks that climb 1,200 feet to the top of Cedar Mesa, is no longer part of Bears Ears National Monument after President Trumps action. (Jim Lo Scalzo/European Pressphoto Agency-Efe/Rex/Shutterstock) A uranium company launched a concerted lobbying campaign to scale back Bears Ears National Monument, saying such action would give it easier access to the areas uranium deposits and help it operate a nearby processing mill, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and top Utah Republicans have said repeatedly that questions of mining or drilling played no role in President Trump's announcement Monday that he was cutting the site by more than 1.1 million acres, or 85 percent. Trump also signed a proclamation nearly halving the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which is also in southern Utah and has significant coal deposits. This is not about energy, Zinke told reporters Tuesday. There is no mine within Bears Ears. But the nations sole uranium processing mill sits directly next to the boundaries that President Barack Obama designated a year ago when he established Bears Ears. The documents show that Energy Fuels Resources (USA) Inc., a subsidiary of a Canadian firm, urged the Trump administration to limit the monument to the smallest size needed to protect key objects and areas, such as archeological sites, to make it easier to access the radioactive ore. In a May 25 letter to the Interior Department, Chief Operating Officer Mark Chalmers wrote that the 1.35 million-acre expanse Obama created "could affect existing and future mill operations." He later noted, "There are also many other known uranium and vanadium deposits located within the [original boundaries] that could provide valuable energy and mineral resources in the future." Trump instructed Zinke in April to assess 27 monuments designated under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives presidents wide latitude to protect federal lands and waters under threat. Conservationists, tribal officials, ranching groups and other interests sought to influence the reviews outcome, unsuccessfully in the case of the two Utah sites. Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R-Utah) addressed the energy considerations in an interview Monday. The only thing that smacks of energy is the uranium, he said. The uranium deposits are outside the monument now. Energy Fuels Resources did not just weigh in on national monuments through public-comment letters. It hired a team of lobbyists at Faegre Baker Daniels led by Andrew Wheeler, who is awaiting Senate confirmation as the Environmental Protection Agencys deputy secretary to work on the matter and other federal policies affecting the company. It paid the firm $30,000 between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, according to federal lobbying records, for work on this and other priorities. The company's vice president of operations, William Paul Goranson, joined Wheeler and two other lobbyists, including former congresswoman Mary Bono (R-Calif.), to discuss Bears Ears in a July 17 meeting with two top Zinke advisers. Goranson said Friday that the session with Downey Magallanes, who oversaw the monuments review and serves as Zinkes deputy chief of staff for policy, and Vincent De Vito, his energy policy counselor, was focused on fairly narrow issues. Company officials were trying to get a sense of what was going on with the review because some of their air and water quality monitoring stations and a road leading to the now-dormant Daneros mine all lay within the original monument, Goranson explained. The goal of the meeting . . . was not to go and advocate on the boundaries, he said, adding that the lobbying for that was on a separate track. Still, the officials proposed small boundary adjustments to accommodate the monitoring stations as well as the mine, he acknowledged. And they emphasized that the company had cut its workforce by more than half since 2015 because of low uranium prices. They heard what we had to say about the job losses, etc., he said. Zinkes deputies were pretty positively disposed to the idea of spurring future domestic uranium production. The Interior Department did not respond to a request for comment Friday. The price of uranium has recently hovered between $20 and $25 per pound. To justify mining activity, it needs to approach $40 to $50. Michael Heim, a securities research analyst at Noble Capital Markets, said Friday that the current amount is not a sustainable price for firms such as Energy Fuels Resources. Given todays price, Heim said, the idea of creating more areas to mine wouldnt have much impact. But Goranson said he and other company officials are confident that the construction of nuclear plants in Asia and elsewhere, along with other factors, will eventually push prices higher and justify reopening the Daneros mine. Greg Zimmerman, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation and advocacy group, said the Energy Fuels Resources effort shows the extent to which industry interests influenced the monuments review. You listen to the rhetoric about how this was all really about taking special interests out of the equation, Zimmerman said. Theyre doing this on behalf of special interests. When you look in terms of public access to recreation areas, theres not a hunter or angler or outdoor recreationist who wants to be out and around an uranium mine. The idea of uranium mining is particularly sensitive among members of the Navajo Nation, who have a reservation near Bears Ears and played a key role in pressing for its creation. More than 500 uranium mines have been left near or on their lands, and most of these designated Superfund sites have not been cleaned up. Contamination still affects drinking-water wells, springs and storage tanks. Navajo Nation Council delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty, who represents several communities near Bears Ears, said Friday that the nation opposes any additional uranium development. We felt the full brunt of uranium contamination and lost a whole generation of men who were mining or milling uranium, she said. The Navajo Nation and other tribes are challenging Trumps Bears Ears proclamation in federal court, and Navajo President Russell Begaye expressed confidence in an interview that the move will be overturned. Yet there is a definite door thats been opened with its signing, he said. With this proclamation, its an open invitation for mining companies to come in and start mining uranium and other minerals in the area. Read more: U.S. Forest Service didnt call for removing its land from Bears Ears Zinke proposes shrinking four monuments, changing rules in six others Read Zinkes original monuments report to the White House The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, once one of Mesoamericas most powerful urban centers. (Alexandre Meneghini/AP) More than a thousand years ago, Teotihuacan was one of Mesoamericas most powerful urban centers. Now its one of the worlds most important archaeological sites, its pyramids and plazas just as impressive as they must have been then. Teotihuacans time as the ancient Americas most densely populated city is long gone, but the citys splendor is still alive at San Franciscos de Young Museum, which is hosting a major exhibition on the ancient city. "Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire" takes visitors through recent archaeological discoveries, including a sculpture-packed tunnel that provides clues to the city's significance. It also delves into the history and culture of what was once North America's most majestic city. (It lies about 25 miles from Mexico City.) The pyramids that still stud the UNESCO World Heritage site take center stage, represented by objects that showcase their ritual significance to the citys residents. But daily life is on display, too, in the form of jaw-dropping murals that once adorned the apartments of the elite and obsidian blades produced by working-class people. Curators collaborated with the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History to bring to California many objects that have never been shown in the United States. The exhibit will stay in San Francisco through Feb. 11, then head to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Its a rare chance not just to view ancient items but also to understand their context within the history, anthropology and archaeology of a city that fell from greatness centuries before Europeans reached the area. And given Teotihuacans fiery end the citys religious centers were ransacked around A.D. 550 its pretty amazing that theres a tale to tell. Want a look? The de Young has a free, interactive digital story about the city on its website, and has even virtually rebuilt Teotihuacan in Minecraft. Read more This adventurer found the trip worth it, despite flesh-eating disease Archaeologists unearth a 500-year-old tower of skulls For many years now, I have been sounding the alarm of the misguided principles the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors are employing in rewarding winery use permit violators. The latest example in this ongoing practice was the approval of the Reynolds family winery which was caught cheating in its 2014 audit. On Nov. 1, the Planning Commission rewarded the winery with an increase in production from 20,000 gallons annually to 40,000, an increase in weekly visitors from 60 to 280 and in annual marketing events from 3 to 54. The owner, a dentist of some assumed educational level, stated that he hadn't noticed the increase in visitors. As shocking this may be, even more so are the statements of the commissioners who appreciated the winery "owning up to the code violations," whatever owning up means. Commissioner Basayne stated that the county wants "to work with violators who want to work with the county," another meaningless talking point. Commissioner Scott stated that the county "must support efforts of small family wineries to succeed," in effect sweeping the issue of violations under the rug. To top it all off, staff developed a comparison chart of 14 wineries producing between 35,000 to 45,000 gallons to serve as a guide for future applications. The chart showed that comparable wineries had 6,213 visitors annually compared to 14,560 granted to Reynolds and 691 marketing visitors while Reynolds was granted 1,901. Putting all this in perspective and leaving all the ethical and government credibility issues of rewarding violators aside, I want to concentrate on how this affects the state's California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, intended to safeguard not the Reynolds' pocket book but our common quality of life including our resources, infrastructure and traffic congestion. During my appeal on a similar violations reward case of the Reverie winery in 2015, I pointed out to the Supervisors the court decision of that same year in Center for Biological Diversity v. Department of Fish and Wildlife holding that "the CEQA baseline must include existing conditions, even when those conditions have never been reviewed and are unlawful." This means that the environmental conditions factored in the Reynolds CEQA analysis included the conditions of the violations, not those which would have been in place had the winery complied with its original conditions and came before the commission seeking for an increase. In other words, the impact of the increase from 6,213 to 14,560 visitors, the increased production etc. all escaped CEQA review. This circumvention of the CEQA law by our local government was also pointed out to our supervisors in letters by the law firms of Abbott & Kindermann representing Beckstoffer Vineyards in April 29, 2015 and by Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger representing Alliance for Responsible Governance in Aug. 11, 2017. Yet the Planning Commission remains undaunted to the fact that its policy of "forgive and reward" which was officially rescinded by Resolution No. 05-229 in Dec. 13, 2005 and signed by then chair Dillon compromises - in fact encourages - the circumvention of CEQA which was designed to protect the health and welfare of communities throughout the state of California. When the commissioners and our supervisors increase the use permit levels of violators such as Reverie, Summers, Reynolds and others one after the other, the comparison chart of "similar wineries" is climbing up the ladder to the benefit of the next violator, all without CEQA review. If one wonders how traffic congestion levels have increased dramatically in recent years even though each project CEQA analysis has assured the public that all impacts have been mitigated to "less than significant levels," one need only look at the ladder of forgiveness. To be clear, rewarding such violators has nothing to do with helping small family wineries, nothing to do with people who are nice or generous to the community or even those who come forward admitting to violations without having been caught let alone those who have. Unfortunately, our government refuses to get it and many fear corruption. What is the solution? The county has suspended its auditing program and is examining solutions. No solution will be effective unless violators are caught immediately so the CEQA baseline is not allowed to move forward unexamined. This means a step up in auditing to at least 80 wineries annually, sworn affidavits of winery CEOs that they comply with the terms of their use permits and non-complying wineries having to revert to use permit levels of operation for a minimum of three years so that CEQA conditions have time to reset. George Caloyannidis Calistoga New Mexico Authorities had eyed school shooter earlier A 21-year-old gunman who disguised himself as a student to get into a New Mexico high school where he killed two students had caught the attention of U.S. investigators more than a year ago, authorities said Friday. William Atchison, a former student at Aztec High School, had legally bought a handgun at a local store a month ago and planned the attack, authorities said. He left a message on a thumb drive found on his body that detailed his plan to wait until the students got off buses and made their way to class. Associated Press Oklahoma No charges for officer who killed deaf man An Oklahoma prosecutor announced Friday that he will not file criminal charges against a police officer in the September shooting death of a deaf man who was not following officer commands. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said that his investigation determined the Sept. 19 shooting death of Magdiel Sanchez outside his Oklahoma City home was justified. Prater said the shooting was lawful, reasonable and not excessive. Associated Press FLORIDA Anniversary honors for black astronaut Americas first black astronaut, Air Force Maj. Robert H. Lawrence Jr., finally got full honors Friday on the 50th anniversary of his death. Several hundred people gathered at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island to commemorate Lawrence, who almost certainly would have gone on to fly in space had he not died when his F-104 Starfighter crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Dec. 8, 1967. He was 32. Associated Press YEMEN 5 al-Qaeda operatives killed in U.S. airstrikes The U.S. military said its airstrikes have killed five al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen. Central Command said Friday that the airstrikes were carried out Nov. 20 in the central province of Bayda. It said those killed included Mujahid al-Adani, an al-Qaeda leader in the neighboring province of Shabwa. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has long been seen by U.S. officials as the most dangerous offshoot of the global network founded by Osama bin Laden. Associated Press AFGHANISTAN Gas explosion kills 7 in Kabul, police say An Afghan police official said an explosion in the capital killed seven civilians and wounded 16 on Friday. Hafez Khan said police were investigating the blast, which took place in a residential neighborhood of Kabul, far from any government offices or other obvious targets for insurgents. Kabuls deputy police chief, Aqhnawaz Aqyar, later said it appeared to have been an accidental explosion at a shop selling canisters of gas for cooking. A bombing in the eastern province of Nangahar earlier in the day killed one person and wounded eight. Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the blast took place inside a mosque during Friday prayers. Associated Press POLAND Parliament approves judiciary overhaul Polish lawmakers on Friday approved an overhaul of the judiciary that would give Parliament de facto control over the selection of judges in defiance of the European Union. The legislation, if endorsed by the Senate and President Andrzej Duda, would heighten tensions with the E.U., which has threatened legal action over proposed changes that it says will subvert the rule of law. The right-wing Law and Justice party, which holds a majority in Parliament, argues that the judiciary needs to be changed to repair a corrupt system and make courts more efficient. The E.U. says giving politicians a say in appointing judges will threaten the impartiality of the courts. Critics see the proposed changes as part of a broader shift toward authoritarianism by the deeply conservative government. Reuters Fire at Lebanon refugee site kills 7 Syrian children: The U.N. refugee agency said a fire in a Syrian refugee settlement in eastern Lebanon has killed seven children. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Friday in a statement that it was "deeply shocked by the fire" the day before in the village of Ghaze and extended its "sincere condolences to their families and to all those affected by this tragic incident." Lebanon is home to more than 1 million Syrian war refugees. UNHCR said it is coordinating with local authorities, adding that families who lost their homes in the fire have gathered at the local municipal hall. The agency said they have received food, water, blankets and other aid. Hungarian lawmaker takes jab at Soros: A lawmaker from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling party posted a photo of a dead pig on Facebook with a partially veiled reference to billionaire George Soros. The photo, which legislator Janos Pocs said was sent to him by someone from his electoral district, shows people standing over a slain and charred pig, with "O VOLT A SOROS!!!" inscribed on the animal. The phrase could translate either as "It was his turn" or "This was Soros." Pocs commented on Facebook: "One pig less over there. Bon appetit!" Hungarian-born Soros, who Orban says is undermining his anti-immigrant policies by backing nongovernmental organizations, said the government was using Nazi-era propaganda tools to spew hate. Abu Dhabi acquiring da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi": New York-based Christie's auction house said Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism was acquiring Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Christ, "Salvator Mundi," a painting that sold for $450.3 million. The latest twist in the saga of the painting came after a Wall Street Journal report that said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had been identified as the buyer of the work in U.S. intelligence reports. A Saudi official denied that the prince had bought the painting, which some doubt is actually a da Vinci. From news services Columnist The first use of nuclear weapons occurred Aug. 6, 1945. The second occurred three days later. That there has not been a third is testimony to the skill and sobriety of 12 presidents and many other people, here and abroad. Today, however, North Korea's nuclear bellicosity coincides with the incontinent tweeting, rhetorical taunts and other evidence of the frivolity and instability of the 13th president of the nuclear era. His almost daily descents from the previous day's unprecedentedly bad behavior are prompting urgent thinking about the constitutional allocation of war responsibilities, and especially about authority to use nuclear weapons. Last month, for the first time in 41 years, a congressional hearing examined the Atomic Energy Act of 1946, which gives presidents sole authority. There was serious discussion of whether a particular presidential order for their use might not be "legal" necessary, proportionate. But even if, in a crisis, time permits consulting lawyers, compliant ones will be found: President Barack Obama's argued that the thousands of airstrikes that killed thousands and demolished Libya's regime did not constitute "hostilities." The exigencies of crisis management in an age of ICBMs require speed of consultations, if any, and of decisions. And the credibility of deterrence requires that adversaries know that presidents can act in minutes. Furthermore, the authority to employ nuclear weapons is, as was said at the congressional hearing, "intertwined" with the authority "to take the country to war." So, as a practical matter, President Trump can unleash on North Korea "fire and fury" without seeking the consent of, or even consulting, Congress. This, even if North Korea has neither attacked nor seems about to attack the United States. A long train of precedents tends to legitimate although not justify practices, and this nation has engaged in many wars since it last declared war on June 5, 1942 (when, to satisfy wartime legalities, it did so against Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania). Over many decades, Congress has become has largely made itself a bystander regarding war. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) says, "If we have to go to war to stop this, we will." By "this," does he means North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons, which it has had for 11 years? Or ICBMs, which it is rapidly developing? If so, Graham must think war is coming, because there is no reason to think North Korea's regime will relinquish weapons it deems essential to its single priority: survival. As Vladimir Putin says, North Korea would rather "eat grass." U.S. actions have taught this regime the utility, indeed the indispensability, of such weapons. Would America have invaded Saddam Hussein's Iraq if he had possessed them? Would America have participated in destroying Libya's regime in 2011 if, soon after Saddam's overthrow, Moammar Gaddafi had not agreed to abandon his nuclear weapons program? North Korea, says Trump, is a "situation we will handle" "we will take care of it." Does "we" denote deliberative and collaborative action by the legislative and executive branches? Or is "we" the royal plural from the man whose general approach to governance is "I alone can fix it"? Trump's foreign policy thinking ("In the old days, when you won a war, you won a war. You kept the country"; we should "bomb the s--t out of [the Islamic State]") is short on nuance but of Metternichian subtlety compared with his thoughts on nuclear matters: "I think, for me, nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me." A U.S. war of choice against North Korea would not be a pre emptive war launched to forestall an imminent attack. Rather, it would be a preventive war supposedly justified by the fact that, given sophisticated weapons and delivery systems, imminence might be impossible to detect. The long war on the primitivism of terrorists has encouraged such thinking. A leaked 2011 memo from the Obama administration's Justice Department argued that using force to prevent an "imminent" threat "does not require . . . clear evidence that a specific attack . . . will take place in the immediate future." So, regarding al-Qaeda, the memo said that because the government might not know of all plots and thus "cannot be confident that none is about to occur," any leader of al-Qaeda or "associated forces" can be lawfully targeted at any time, without specific knowledge of planned attacks. It would be interesting to hear the president distinguish a preventive war against North Korea from a war of aggression. The first two counts in the indictments at the 1946 Nuremberg trials concerned waging aggressive war. Read more from George F. Will's archive or follow him on Facebook. WITH A summit meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations coming to Manila in November, the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, announced in October that he was pulling the national police back from their murderous crusade against drug users and dealers, a spasm of extrajudicial killing in which an estimated 12,000 people had died. We hoped then that Mr. Duterte was serious about ending the violence by police and vigilante groups. He wasn't. On Dec. 5, Mr. Duterte ordered the national police back onto the streets, claiming there had been a "clamor from the public" for such action. More likely, Mr. Duterte put the killing on pause to get through the ASEAN summit, and now that the leaders have gone home without much criticism of his drug war, he has decided to resume the campaign. Mr. Duterte made a similar feint in January, stopping the police for a while, then sending them back into the fray. You can fool people once, or twice, but now it appears the Philippine president was serious only about a public relations gimmick. There was a public clamor in August over the killing of a 17-year-old-boy, who police said was shot in self-defense, but closed-circuit television footage showed how plainclothes officers dragged away the unarmed teenager and killed him in an alleyway. According to Amnesty International, more than a dozen police officers have been investigated for the killing, but no one has been held to account. This is what is missing in the whole sad affair: accountability and rule of law. Many of the shooting deaths since Mr. Duterte took office in 2016 have been at the hands of vigilante triggermen who opened fire from motorbikes, summarily ending lives without cause or trial. Philippine national police records show at least 6,225 drug-related deaths between July 2016 and this September. But it is typical of such shadowy and wanton violence that the recorded numbers are hardly credible; human rights groups say the total deaths from Mr. Duterte's campaign may be at least twice as high. Mr. Duterte answered his critics, including human rights groups and Catholic bishops and priests, in a speech Dec. 5, declaring, "You can go to hell, all of you!" He added, "I do not want Filipinos to be turned into fools during my time. You can do that at any other time, but not during my time, during my watch." No. A fool sees himself as above the law. A fool gives the police and vigilantes power to commit violence without due process. Mr. Duterte seems to have willingly taken his place in the pantheon of police-state despots who treated their people as pawns, to be disappeared or disposed of in grisly concentration camps. There is sufficient history about such campaigns of terror that the people of the Philippines should say: Enough, this is not for us. Regarding the Dec. 3 Metro article "Dockless bikes race in as new travel option": It is assumed that dockless bike systems will improve travel. Having lived in Europe for more than 12 years, I can attest that this bike-share system is not as attractive as depicted in the article. When I lived in Rome, I saw that many bike-share bicycles were stolen and damaged. Berlin has issues with bike theft. This issue is widespread throughout Europe and will be a problem in the United States. My time overseas also taught me that because these bikes are not private property, riders are less likely to take care of the bikes than if they were their own. Further, because dockless bikes have no precise holding areas, this method of transportation is unreliable. The European experience with bike-share systems suggests the United States will experience the same problems. Franziska Lois Harrison, Washington FEEL LIKE the world is falling apart? Heres some good news for a change. Australia's Parliament voted Thursday to legalize same-sex marriage. The result followed a popular vote in which marriage equality prevailed easily. All that remained was for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Parliament to act according to the expressed will of the people, officially making Australia the latest in a string of countries, including the United States, to recognize the legitimacy of same-sex couples. As in many places in pre-marriage-equality America, Australia previously allowed same-sex partners to claim a variety of spousal rights and benefits. But, also as in this country, offering civil protections without the full recognition of same-sex commitments was only a way station to a more equitable future, a place for society to pause as mores and attitudes changed. The word marriage confers dignity to couples who are just as in love, for whom their partnerships are just as natural, as heterosexual pairs. Thankfully, popular opinion has evolved rapidly across much of the world. Same-sex marriage advocates criticized the referendum process for unnecessarily drawing out a wrenching debate. Marriage equality could have come earlier and without a prolonged opposition campaign that offended LGBTQ people. Yet the advocates gained something for their forbearance. Following a referendum and legislative approval, perhaps nowhere else on the planet is the issue so conclusively settled. The U.S. Supreme Court was right to declare same-sex marriage legal two years ago, righting a long-standing injustice the Constitution could not sustain. The backlash has been muted, and the American public has in poll after poll supported same-sex rights. Yet the victory would have been even more spectacular and the opposition even more chastened had Congress been the body to decide or if more state legislatures had endorsed the move before the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling. For Americans, the news from Australia should be more than just a positive note. It should spur them to consider the inequities same-sex couples must still endure. The Supreme Court just this past week considered the case of a baker who turned away a gay couple looking for a simple wedding cake. In many places, it is still legal to discriminate against LGBTQ people in housing, the workplace and public accommodations simply for being who they are. If Congress continues to refuse to extend essential civil protections in federal law, states and cities must fill the gap. There are more victories to be won in the struggle for fairness and dignity. Columnist The reckoning with men who use their power to take what they want from women, as signified by Time magazine's choosing the #MeToo movement "The Silence Breakers" as the 2017 Person of the Year, has been momentous. But it comes centuries late for Americas original victims of grotesque sexual exploitation: black women, who suffered horribly, in forced silence, back in the day when it was considered quite all right for white folks to own people of a darker hue. Memories of that repugnant era can be found in interviews of former slaves compiled in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration Slaves Narrative Project. That legacy of pain and suffering remains with us today. Draw near, contemporary America, and hear my ancestors speak: Plenty of the colored women have children by the white men. She know better than to not do what he say. . . . Then they take them very same children what have they own blood and make slaves out of them. If the Missus find out she raise revolution. But she hardly find out. The white men not going to tell and the nigger women were always afraid to. So they jes go on hopin that thing[s] wont be that way always. W.L. Bost, enslaved in North Carolina, interviewed 1937. There was a doctor in the neighborhood who bought a girl and installed her on the place for his own use, his wife hearing it severely beat her. . . . I have had many opportunities, a chance to watch white men and women in my long career, colored women have many hard battles to fight to protect themselves from assault by employers, white male servants or by white men, many times not being able to protect [themselves], in fear of losing their positions. Richard Macks, enslaved in Maryland, interviewed 1937. In them times white men went with colored gals and women bold[ly]. Any time they saw one and wanted her, she had to go with him, and his wife didnt say nothin bout it. . . . Now sometimes, if you was a real pretty young gal, somebody would buy you without knowin anythin bout you, just for yourself. Before my old marster died, he had a pretty gal he was goin with and he wouldnt let her work nowhere but in the house, and his wife nor nobody else didnt say nothin bout it; they knowed better. She had three chillun for him and when he died his brother come and got the gal and the chillun. Unnamed former slave, enslaved in Georgia, interviewed circa 1937. I was regarded as fair-looking for one of my race, and for four years a white man . . . had base designs upon me. I do not care to dwell upon this subject, for it is one that is fraught with pain. Suffice it to say that he persecuted me for four years, and I I became a mother. The child of which he was the father was the only child that I ever brought into the world. If my poor boy ever suffered any humiliating pangs on account of birth, he could not blame his mother, for God knows that she did not wish to give him life. He must blame the edicts of that society which deemed it no crime to undermine the virtue of girls in my then position. Elizabeth Keckley, author of the autobiography "Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House," 1868. Mother said there were cases where these young girls loved someone else and would have to receive the attentions of men of the masters choice . . . . The masters called themselves Christians, went to church worship regularly and yet allowed this condition to exist. Hilliard Yellerday, enslaved in North Carolina, interviewed circa 1937. Many of the light-skinned blacks of my generation and in generations before are descendants of Southern rural plantations. They and their children are living reminders of a time without safeguards or boundaries, and when black women had no choice and white men faced no consequences. This is the period that Roy Moore, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Alabama, is nostalgic for. "I think it was great at the time when families were united even though we had slavery they cared for one another," he said. How different is it today? My Post colleague Karen Attiah noted this in an interview with NPR about the #MeToo movement: What ties all of this together, regardless of income, regardless of status, regardless of color, really, is about the abuse of power. Women of color already have harder barriers in those professional circles, she said. I think we absolutely do need to pay more attention to their stories, and part of that will be for us to start listening and to start taking women of color seriously. And that, Lord knows, will be an American First. Read more from Colbert King's archive. Columnist The Northern Ireland "Troubles" really a low-grade civil war lasted 30 years. During that period, more than 3,600 people died from car bombs, street violence or skirmishes between Catholic paramilitaries who wanted to join the Irish Republic and Protestant Unionist paramilitaries who wanted to stay in the United Kingdom. The problem seemed intractable precisely because it was so black and white. Catholic vs. Protestant, united Ireland vs. United Kingdom: There seemed no room for compromise. But when the Good Friday agreement was negotiated in 1998, a compromise was found. Devolution of power from London to Belfast helped. But so did the European Union. Because both Ireland and Britain were E.U. members, no border was needed between the two. Because the E.U. had harmonized regulation, trade was smooth. Residents of Belfast who wanted to be Irish could get Irish passports. Thousands did including Protestants. The question of which group would rule didnt disappear so much as dissolve. Things grew blurrier. Sovereignty, once everyone agreed to share it, ceased to be a source of conflict. The struggle for influence didn't exactly go away. But the violence morphed into something else: a bureaucratic tangle, an unending argument, a squabble about power-sharing. Over time, the whole Northern Ireland problem became . . . boring. Boring was a lot better than violent. But it also meant that Northern Irish politics drifted off London's front pages, migrating into history books and West End plays. During the Brexit referendum campaign, it barely figured. Immediately afterward, I happened to be in Belfast. "They forgot about us," someone told me. This week, they were forced to remember, because Britain's decision to leave the E.U. which was partly motivated by people who want a return to old-fashioned forms of sovereignty has the potential to drag Northern Ireland out of the realm of blurred identities and back into the clear blue, zero-sum, black-and-white world of stark choices. The most important one sounds like a technicality: If Britain leaves not only the European Union's political institutions (which is certain) but also its customs union (which is optional, though the Brexiteers are pushing for this), then there has to be a customs border between Britain and Ireland. Either that border can run through the middle of the island, once again separating north and south, or it can lie, in effect, in the Irish Sea, between the island of Ireland and the British mainland. The construction of a border through the island is not just unpopular; it is probably also impossible. There are hundreds of roads and paths across the border, not to mention fields and forests that straddle it. Chances that border posts would be circumvented, ignored, vandalized or worse are high; the possibility that the border would revive the Irish Republican Army cannot be excluded. British Prime Minister Theresa May took the other road: Perhaps Northern Ireland and the Republic could maintain "regulatory alignment" a curious phrase that could imply that the North stays in the customs union with Ireland, while the rest of the U.K. takes off in a different direction. In other words, the border would move to the Irish Sea. The result? May's coalition partners, the Democratic Unionists, revolted. Suddenly, they feared losing sovereignty once again. Their leader could not have been more clear: "We will not accept any form of regulatory divergence which separates Northern Ireland economically or politically from the rest of the United Kingdom." Negotiations ground to a halt. The solution, announced with great fanfare early Friday, was and yes, this is the technical term used by the experts a "fudge." It was an agreement to agree later, to talk about it in a couple of years when the other elements of the E.U./U.K. relationship are clearer. It is still possible that Northern Ireland will wind up with special status. It is still possible that the British government, under this prime minister or another one, will wind up inside the customs union. The squabble was suppressed beneath the bureaucratic E.U. language everyone loves to hate. But it offered a brief hint of the conflicts that could be brought to life when the smothering blanket of European law is removed from Britain. It was also a reminder of what united Europe, with its boring consensus procedures, achieved even in Britain, a country that never fully accepted this way of doing things. Certainly there are drawbacks to shared sovereignty of the kind the E.U. requires. In Northern Ireland, both sides had to give things up. Neither is entirely satisfied. The political squabble for power not only along the Irish border but along the Franco-German border, the Hungarian-Romanian border and many others, too is dull and unsatisfying. But no one dies. Read more from Anne Applebaum's archive, follow her on Twitter or subscribe to her updates on Facebook. Rohingya refugee children look at a soldier maintaining order as they wait for cooked food to be distributed at Tengkhali camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Friday. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters) INTERNATIONAL REACTION to the ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by the Burmese military against the country's Muslim Rohingya minority gathered some momentum this past week. On Tuesday, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning Burma, also known as Myanmar, for the "very likely commission of crimes against humanity." The next day, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding an end to the military's attacks and the restoration of humanitarian access to Rakhine state, from which more than 625,000 people have been driven since late August. Both Congress and the Trump administration are moving toward sanctions, including against the military leadership and, in the case of Congress, the industries that supply it. So is the European Union. Pope Francis met Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh at the beginning of December after visiting Burma and spoke out about "the immense toll of human suffering." Unfortunately, there is not much evidence the pressure is having an effect on Burma's generals or even the civilian government under once-revered Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. By most accounts, Burmese society is united to an extraordinary degree in its contempt for the Rohingya, a long-despised community, and in its rejection of international criticism. Far from being willing to investigate reports of systematic brutality murders of children, gang rapes, the torching of scores of villages the military is insisting that its troops are innocent of any offense. Rather than speak out or pressure the generals, Aung San Suu Kyi has been telling Western officials they are only endangering Burma's nascent democracy by protesting what the U.N. human rights chief has called "elements of genocide." On Dec. 1, she followed the Burmese army chief in traveling to Beijing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose regime has predictably opposed any U.N. criticism or action on Burma. Even China's support is not absolute, though. Like the United States and United Nations, it has called for a return of the Rohingya massed in squalid camps in Bangladesh. In theory, Burma has accepted repatriation; the government signed an agreement with Bangladesh last month and says returns can begin in a couple of months. But as U.N. refugee officials pointed out this past week , the conditions for a voluntary and sustainable return of the refugees don't yet exist. Many Rohingya are traumatized. There is no provision for international monitoring, humanitarian aid, secure places to live or the granting of basic rights such as citizenship. These hard realities mean that the United Nations and Western governments must begin to focus on improving conditions for the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya in Bangladesh, who are likely to remain there for the foreseeable future and who face grave humanitarian risks such as an incipient diphtheria epidemic. Their temporary settlements which have quickly become one of the largest refugee camps in the world could become a recruiting ground for extremists if they are not well managed and secured. At the same time, Western governments must not allow the intransigence of the Burmese elite to deter the pursuit of justice for the Rohingya, including prosecution of those responsible for the ethnic cleansing. Allowing crimes against humanity to go unpunished is an invitation for more and worse atrocities. Regarding the Dec. 5 Health & Science article "In the shadow of great hospitals, asthma reigns": The fix to any problem is to address its root cause; the root cause of Baltimores high asthma rates is not the greed of its fine hospitals. The article talked about environmental triggers, including mold, roach and rat droppings, pollution and mites; it included three pictures of barren streets and dwellings boarded up, with dirt floors and piles of trash in the back yards. Parts of Baltimore have looked like this for decades. To imply that high asthma rates exist because hospitals are interested only in profit-making is way off the mark. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson says his agency is discussing ways of financing pest removal, moisture control, etc., changes that "could reduce asthma flare-ups by 44 percent," according to the article. Let's not overlook the fact that substandard housing and inadequate cleanup initiatives are not new. Whole streets have been boarded up, becoming magnets for rodent infestation and trash accumulation. The city has an estimated 16,000 abandoned houses, some of which have been empty since the rioting of 1968. Many homes do not have air conditioning or working vacuum cleaners. Certainly, the efforts to reduce asthma prevalence in Baltimore must be collaborative, but how about asking Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh (D) and the Baltimore City Council how they plan to address the root causes and high rates of asthma in Baltimore? Pam Foster, Ellicott City THE MAIN hospital in Prince Georges County is a cramped, badly outdated money drain that has required tens of millions of dollars in public subsidies in this decade on its way to obsolescence. Most of the structure, in Cheverly, just beyond the Districts northeast border, is 50 or 60 years old and has not been renovated; its age and layout make modernization all but impossible. Little wonder that top doctors, as well as privately insured patients, have fled the place in favor of better-rated hospitals in the District and elsewhere. The decay at the Prince Georges Hospital Center has left the county of more than 900,000 people with a shortage of high-quality health care not just an inconvenience, but a competitive disadvantage in terms of regional economic development. For years, county elected officials lobbied for an upgrade while at the same time they sought to explain away a track record of woeful management at the existing hospital, which made investment in a new one a tough sell. That hurdle, among others, was finally overcome last year when state regulators approved a new hospital. And last week, construction finally began on a modern, full-service health center of 205 beds just beyond the Beltway at the Largo Town Center Metro stop, due east of the District. The construction, expected to take more than two years, should correct what amounted to an injustice for Prince George's if the new center's manager, University of Maryland Medical Systems, which runs a network of 13 hospitals around the state, lives up to its promises. The new teaching hospital, to be known as the Prince George's County Regional Medical Center, was scaled down from the original proposal to meet state regulators' concerns about cost and need. Planners shaved more than $100 million off the $654 million price tag foreseen in 2013. The facility also will have a slightly smaller bed capacity than the existing hospital, although it will provide a state-of-the-art cancer center, stroke center and pediatric hospital, as well as programs in neuroscience, orthopedic medicine and women's health. It didn't help matters for the existing hospital that Dimensions Healthcare, the private nonprofit organization that managed it for 30 years, was notoriously inefficient, inept at collecting bills and subject to political meddling. Under pressure from state regulators, Dimensions was folded into UMMS as a precondition of the new center's approval. It won't be missed. Key to the new centers success will be the reality and appearance of providing quality health care, without which it is unlikely to lure back thousands of insured patients who gave up on seeking in-county medical treatment. That has saddled the existing hospital with an unusually high proportion of indigent patients, weighing on its balance sheet and forcing it to charge higher rates to patients who do pay. Unless UMMS can convince insured patients and top doctors that the new facility is on a par with its competitors in the region, it too will be forced to charge high rates, imperiling the projects market share and success. Contributing columnist House and Senate Republicans have begun to hammer out a merger of the two bodies tax bills, and President Trump stands ready to sign whatever can pass both chambers. There are a few great opponents and one enormous obstacle between them and the sort of success that defines a presidency and a congressional career. But there is also a solution that turns opponents into allies and red ink into black. Opposed to the bill are residents of high-tax states (and members of those states governments), real estate agents, home builders, mortgage holders, businesses that have borrowed in the past and see all or part of their interest deduction vanish (and with it, for some, their very viability as a business), and students, especially those who chose a college based on a tuition benefit derived from the schools employment of a parent. This last group will almost certainly get relief. No congressman or senator I have spoken with fails to see how unjust it is to penalize students who did not search for a scholarship or financial aid elsewhere because they took the tuition benefit that came with their status as children of staff or faculty. (I had one email this week from a low-wage worker at a Little Ivy whose son passed up an ROTC scholarship to go to the college that employs her. Their family will be crushed if his and his siblings tuition benefits are suddenly taxed after they forwent scholarship trains that left years ago.) Far more numerous, though, are all the other aggrieved groups. There are fixes for each, but revenue must be found. Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) offered a solution he credited to my radio show but that actually originated from years of lawyering for home builders: allow every individual with retirement assets to withdraw up to 25 percent of the assets at a one-time federal tax rate of 10 percent (plus applicable state income taxes) provided that the proceeds are used to pay off existing mortgage debt or purchase a principal residence for the withdrawing taxpayer or a child. Americans hold more than $26 trillion in retirement assets, and $6 trillion to $7 trillion of those assets would thus be made available for withdrawal. Billions of dollars would be paid in the one-time taxes (the revenue!), with mortgages paid off and new homes purchased. Those newly free of mortgages would have more cash on hand, and many renters and children of homeowners would buy a first home. Realtors, the National Association of Home Builders, and high-tax states looking at a revenue rush to help ease the transition to the new tax world would shift from opponents to friends of the bill. Crucially, far more Americans would be better off under such a tax bill than under either the House or Senate version. The objection is that we cant allow Americans to drain their retirement assets, as they already save too little. Setting aside for the moment that conservative legislators should favor giving Americans more freedom to use their own assets, the reality is that principal residences are the key retirement asset for most Americans. Huge majorities want to live their retirements out in their own homes. Getting rid of the mortgage on the biggest retirement asset via the use of other retirement assets has long been the big gap in our retirement laws, but Congress can remedy that. And in so doing, legislators can make millions of Americans retirements more secure, provide a huge stimulus to the housing sector and reduce the debt that most Americans labor under. It may be difficult to score the Inhofe amendment, given the vast combinations of Americans retirement assets and mortgage debt. But I havent found any mortgage holder who wouldnt leap at this opportunity because of the benefits it would bring to retirement security and long-term cash flow. If only half the assets that qualify were brought out from their tax-protected status, more than $300 billion would be added to the revenue side of the ledger revenue that could be used for other fixes in the bill. So GOP conferees: Please put aside the Beltway vanity that tax proposals must originate from staff or be contaminated by K Street. Sometimes common sense should be allowed into the sausage factory. This is one of those times. Let retirement assets work for the people who earned them and ease the passage of this enormous legislative victory as they are set free. Robert Thomas (R) watches as final returns come in at an election night party in Stafford, Va., on Nov. 7. Thomas, shown with his wife, Christi, and their children, won the 28th House District seat by 82 votes. (Suzanne Carr Rossi/The Free Lance-Star via AP) THE MYSTERY of how, why and by whom a few hundred Northern Virginians were registered to vote in the wrong state legislative districts in this fall's elections does not look as though it will be resolved soon. For one thing, the registrar who might have been able to shed some light on the issue died last spring. The more pressing question is what to do about the razor-thin result in one of the districts, on which partisan control of the state House of Delegates may hinge. Short answer: A federal judge now reviewing the mess should order a do-over. That would be an unusual recourse for the race in the 28th House District, including parts of Stafford County and Fredericksburg, where Republican Robert Thomas leads Democrat Joshua Cole by 82 votes. It would also be warranted. Consider: Dozens of the districts voters, including some in a heavily Democratic precinct, were disenfranchised when they were mistakenly issued ballots to vote in the neighboring 88th House District (where the outcome was not close). Dozens more voters in the 88th District, which tilts Republican, were mistakenly given ballots to vote in the 28th. An additional 237 voters were misassigned between the two districts but never cast a ballot in some cases, perhaps, because they were confused about their registrations. And who could blame them? Given that Mr. Thomass 82-vote victory margin still subject to recount was just a third of a percentage point of some 23,000 votes cast, and that 147 votes were erroneously cast 86 of them in the 28th District and 61 in the 88th District the outcome is invalid on its face. And there is no recourse under state law for elections officials to redo the election on their own say-so. Unsurprisingly, Republicans are opposed to a redo in the 28th District. No doubt Democrats would be opposed if their candidate were in the lead. For the judge, that should be irrelevant. The GOP's opposition is understandable given that it is clinging by its cuticles to a House majority. Having controlled nearly two-thirds of the chamber's seats going into the November elections, it got hammered statewide, losing at least 15 seats, and emerged with a 51-to-49 edge including not only Mr. Thomas's tainted "victory" in the 28th District but also a downstate seat in which the Republican candidate leads by just 10 votes heading into a recount. If either seat slips away, the GOP will have to share power with Democrats in the House; if the Republicans lose both seats, the Democrats will take control of the chamber for the first time since 2000. But whatever the statewide stakes, residents in the 28th District deserve a clean election, one unsullied by some voters who were ringers and others who were disenfranchised. On Wednesday, Democrats asked U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III to order a new election. Given that the last one is irreparable, he should do just that. The Dome of the Rock Mosque in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalems Old City is seen trough a door with the shape of Star of David on Friday. (Ariel Schalit/AP) Regarding the Dec. 7 front-page article "Trump orders Israel switch": The consensus on the decision to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing it as the capital of Israel, is that it is harmful to the peace process. But there is reason to believe the move will help the peace process. For almost 70 years, the Palestinians have refused to make peace despite generous terms extended by Israel. Now faced with recognition of Jerusalem as part of the Jewish nation, the Palestinian Authority should realize that the door of opportunity is closing. For the past 50 years, the Palestinians have seen a shrinkage of their proposed territory. This action by President Trump should show that delay is not in the Palestinians favor. Nelson Marans, New York I'm a strong supporter of Israel, but I'm ambivalent about moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, even if the location is in West Jerusalem, which has been Israeli since 1948. The arguments for keeping the embassy out of Jerusalem are based on a peculiar aspect of the United Nations' 1947 Partition Plan. That plan called for Jerusalem to be an international city ruled by a U.N.-appointed governor. The area defined for this international enclave was much larger than the actual city and included the Palestinian town of Bethlehem to the south. But the Partition Plan was made obsolete by Israeli independence in 1948 and the armistice of 1949. So eternal adherence to this facet of the Partition Plan will forever prevent rational discussions of Jerusalem's status. Fred Rednor, Arlington In his Dec. 6 op-ed, "American Jews vs. the Israeli government," Richard Cohen quoted Chaim Weizmann that "the world will judge the Jewish State by what it will do with the Arabs." I agree. Israel gave its Arab population full citizenship with equal legal rights while 800,000 Jews were being ethnically cleansed from Arab countries after Israel was created. There are more than 1.6 million Arabs in Israel. They vote, they serve on the Israeli Supreme Court and they comprise the third-largest voting bloc in parliament. While economic disparities persist, Arabs enjoy prosperity unheard of in the surrounding countries. The Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza have on several occasions been offered peace terms that years ago would have created a Palestinian state, including the Arab sections of Jerusalem, and ended the occupation, if they would only agree to live in peace with the Jewish state. So, yes, Mr. Cohen, I would be very happy to judge Israel by its treatment of Arabs, since that treatment represents magnanimity and benevolence with few parallels in world history. Andrew M. Caplan, Arlington President Trump will most likely fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court this year. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) The Supreme Court announced Friday it will add a second case this term to determine whether partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional, accepting a challenge from Maryland Republicans who say the states dominant Democrats drew a congressional district that violated their rights. The court already has heard a challenge from Wisconsin Democrats, who challenged a legislative redistricting drawn by the states Republican leaders. [Supreme Court takes up Wisconsin partisan gerrymandering claims] The cases could reshape the way American elections are conducted. The Supreme Court has never thrown out a states redistricting efforts due to partisan gerrymandering, and political parties consider drawing the map one of the perks of being in charge of state government. It is unclear why the court thought it needed another case, and it had previously declined to immediately take up the Maryland case Benisek v. Lamone. But the new challenge raises a question of specific interest to Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who is thought to be the pivotal vote on the issue. Kennedy has wondered whether partisan gerrymandering retaliates against voters for their past support of a partys candidates, which he has said could be a violation of the First Amendment. In the Wisconsin case, Gill v. Whitford, the court was considering a different constitutional issue, equal protection. The court heard arguments in that case in early October and has not issued an opinion. The challenge in Maryland centers on the 6th Congressional District in Western Maryland, which was redrawn to include parts of heavily Democratic Montgomery County. The plaintiffs say that in the mandatory redrawing of congressional districts after the 2010 census, the states Democratic leaders diluted the number of Republican voters in the district to ensure that a Democrat would win. [Judicial panel refuses to order Maryland congressional districts redrawn] The plaintiffs, Republican voters who live in the district, claim the legislature and then-Gov. Martin OMalley, a Democrat, targeted them for vote dilution because of their past support for Republican candidates for public office, violating the First Amendment retaliation doctrine, lawyer Michael B. Kimberly wrote in his petition to the court. The legislature reshuffled fully half of the districts 720,000 residents far more than necessary to correct the mere 10,000-person imbalance in the districts population following the 2010 census, the petition states. That resulted in a more than 90,000-voter swing in favor of Democrats, and the share of registered Republicans fell from 47 percent to 33 percent. No other congressional district anywhere in the nation saw so large a swing in its partisan complexion following the 2010 census, Kimberly wrote. The incumbent, Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, had won by 28 percentage points in the old district. In 2012, Bartlett lost to Democrat John Delaney in the new district by 21 percentage points. Delaney has represented the district since then. A three-judge panel ruled against the challengers in August. In a 2-to-1 vote, the panel said the Republican challengers didnt prove the election results occurred just because of those redistricting changes. The states lawyers pointed to the fact that Delaney was almost defeated in his reelection attempt in 2014, and Republican Larry Hogan won more than 50 percent of the vote in the district in his successful campaign for governor. Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) told the Supreme Court that showed candidates make a difference in the election outcomes. "As the three-judge court noted, if an electoral loss is not attributable to 'constitutionally suspect activity,' but 'is instead a consequence of voter choice, that is not an injury. It is democracy.' " The Supreme Court regularly voids redistricting plans because of racial gerrymandering. Although it has indicated partisan gerrymandering can also raise constitutional problems, the court has never been able to come up with a test to gauge when normal political considerations become too much. Kennedy has refused to close the door to challenges, though. The Maryland plaintiffs point to his comments the last time the court attempted to come up with a test, in 2004. Kennedy said citizens have a First Amendment right not to be burdened or penalized for their past association with a political party. If a court were to find that a state did impose burdens and restrictions on groups or persons by reason of their views, there would likely be a First Amendment violation, Kennedy wrote. While in the Wisconsin case a three-judge panel ruled that the states entire legislative map be thrown out, the Maryland case involves a single congressional district. It does not rest upon statistical measures of partisan imbalance, the challengers told the court. It does not ask the court to adopt any new doctrinal frameworks or approve any new legal standards. The new case is Benisek v. Lamone. The Wisconsin case is Gill v. Whitford. The Trump administration for now does not have to turn over additional documents related to ending the program protecting 800,000 undocumented immigrant children, a divided Supreme Court said Friday night. The court's conservative justices granted the administration's request, pending further review of a lower court's order in a lawsuit challenging the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The courts four liberals added a dissent to the 5-to-4 unsigned order, saying the court was making a mistake in getting involved at this point. The government contends that review of its decision terminating DACA must be based exclusively on the documents that the government itself unilaterally selected for submission to the district court, wrote Justice Stephen G. Breyer. I am not aware of any precedent supporting the governments position. Breyer was joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit earlier this month agreed with a decision by U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup that states and organizations challenging the decision should see more of the emails, memos and legal opinions generated before officials of the Department of Homeland Security announced it was ending the program that protects dreamers. But Solicitor General Noel J. Francisco said in a filing to the Supreme Court that was unjustified. The district courts sweeping expansion of the administrative record in the face of the acting secretarys contemporaneous and reasonable explanation for her decision directly contradicts this courts precedents, he wrote. The case challenging the DACA decision was brought by four states California, Maine, Maryland and Minnesota and Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California. The appeals court panel, in a 2-to-1 ruling, said that what the administration had provided to challengers was not enough. The notion that the head of a United States agency would decide to terminate a program giving legal protections to roughly 800,000 people based solely on 256 pages of publicly available documents is not credible, as the district court concluded, Judges Kim Wardlaw and Ronald Gould wrote. Strikingly missing, the judges said, were any materials from the February 2017 decision by then-DHS Secretary John F. Kelly to retain the program, before Trump announced in September he was ending the program. We are not unmindful of the separation-of-powers concerns raised by the government, the judges wrote. However, the narrow question presented here simply does not implicate those concerns. We consider only whether DHS failed to comply with its obligation . . . to provide a complete administrative record to the court or, more precisely, whether the district court clearly erred in so holding. The five justices who granted the stay did not explain their reasoning but called for more briefing on the case next week. Every competitive special election draws outsized attention, but few deserve it more than Tuesdays Senate contest in Alabama. No matter the outcome, the results will reverberate loudly across the country and nowhere more than inside the Republican Party. The contest between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones is a morality play with significant political consequences. It sweeps in everything that is current President Trumps standing, the fractured Republican Party, the Democrats hopes for 2018, and above all, the issue of whether, at a time of changing attitudes, political allegiance outweighs credible claims of sexual misconduct. Unlike in many such elections, the voting Tuesday will not end the controversy. For Republicans, thats perhaps the most worrisome aspect. Tuesdays results will be picked at for meaning beyond what any single election can produce, but there will be plenty in what happens worth picking at. For Republicans, there likely can be no truly good outcome. If Moore wins, the party will have preserved the seat but will be saddled with a new senator under a cloud of allegations, including assaulting a teenager many years ago as well as a pattern of pursuing teenagers half his age when he was in his 30s. If he wins and is sworn in, he probably will face an ethics investigation that will keep the controversy alive until his fate is resolved and perhaps much longer than that. For the Republicans, its a hot mess. If Moore loses, the GOP would be spared his presence in the Senate. But the result will have inflamed the anti-establishment forces led by former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, deepening antagonisms that continue to roil the party. A Jones victory also would tarnish the president, who has enthusiastically endorsed Moore and campaigned near the Alabama border Friday night in a display of that support. Additionally, a Jones victory would put the Republican majority at greater risk in 2018. As a public figure, Moore has long been a renegade. He is a throwback to a different era and an embarrassment to many in his state. Even before the women came forward to accuse him of sexual impropriety, he was highly controversial, having twice been removed from the state Supreme Court. The first involved his resistance to an order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state Supreme Court building; the second was over his order to state judges not to abide by the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling that legalized same-sex marriages. [Moore accuser alters part of her story about an inscription] Still, Moore would be a shoo-in on Tuesday were it not for the allegations of sexual misconduct. Alabama is one of the most Republican states in the nation and is deeply polarized, red vs. blue and white vs. black. Trump won Alabama by 28 points in 2016. His campaign took flight in August 2015 when he staged a massive rally in Mobile. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then an Alabama senator, was the first U.S. senator to endorse Trump. Moore has a following that is unshakable, especially among evangelical Christians. In a recent Washington Post-Schar School poll that showed the overall race neck and neck, 78 percent of evangelical Christian voters in Alabama said they backed Moores candidacy. Among other white Christians in the state, his support was at 41 percent. Moores support among Christian conservatives highlights the degree to which tribal loyalty offsets other factors in voters political choices. The president cast the choice in starkly partisan and ideological terms when he recently gave Moore a full-throated endorsement. In a tweet last week, he said of Moore: We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, V.A., Judges 2nd Amendment and more. The split within the Republican coalition is highlighted by the divergent paths taken by Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) since Moore was accused of sexual assault and impropriety. Trump made a bad bet earlier when he was persuaded to endorse Sen. Luther Strange in the GOP primary. Now he is all in with Moore. Having been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women during his presidential campaign, Trump has chosen to embrace another Republican facing similar charges. Shortly after his endorsement, the Republican National Committee reversed course and reentered the race on behalf of Moore after pulling out in the wake of the allegations against him. Democratic Senatorial candidate Doug Jones speaks as he hosts a "Women's Wednesday" campaign event Wednesday in Cullman, Ala. Mr. Jones is facing off against Republican Roy Moore in next week's special election for the U.S. Senate. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) [Democrats struggle to boost African American turnout in Alabama] McConnell was a more enthusiastic supporter of Strange in the primary, directing money toward the Alabamians candidacy, but to no avail. Once the women came forward, the majority leader tried without success to force Moore to step aside. His failure once again underscored the limited power the GOP establishment has in these matters. Unlike Trump, however, he has not moved back toward Moore in these final days. A week ago, he appeared to be softening his opposition to Moore, saying it was up to the voters in Alabama to decide whom to send to the Senate. Asked to explain that, he later told reporters, Theres been no change of heart. I had hoped he would withdraw as a candidate. That obviously is not going to happen. He also made clear that an ethics investigation probably awaits Moore if he wins on Tuesday. Should Moore become a senator, he and McConnell will find it difficult to coexist in the same chamber. The National Republican Senatorial Committee and its chairman, Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, embraced McConnells hands-off approach. After the RNC announced its support for Republican nominee, Gardner, who like other Republicans had called on Moore to withdraw, reiterated that the NRSC would continue to stay out of the race. A Jones victory would give Democrats a boost in the battle for control of the Senate next year, though the path is narrow and starts with the necessity of holding every Democratic seat at stake next year, including the red and purple states Trump won in 2016. If Democrats were to do that, they would still need to pick up a net of three more seats to gain the majority. While recent events have thrown into question such a pickup, they have two decent possibilities: in Arizona, where Sen. Jeff Flake is stepping down; and in Nevada, where Sen. Dean Heller is in trouble. The Senate map got further scrambled in the past few days. Democrats got good news when Phil Bredesen, the former Democratic governor of Tennessee, announced that he would run for the seat of retiring Sen. Bob Corker (R). He is one of the few Democrats who might be able to win statewide in a state that has turned increasingly red and conservative. Meanwhile, the decision by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to resign his seat in the face of allegations of sexual misconduct puts a Democrat seat in play next year that his party had not expected. Even the possibility of a Republican seat falling into Democratic hands in Alabama adds to the significance of Tuesdays outcome. On this final weekend, the race in Alabama symbolizes a Republican Party in turmoil, with Trump and Bannon pitted against McConnell and others in the GOP establishment. Trump has continued to bend the party in his direction. A Moore victory on Tuesday would add to that record of success by the president, but at a potentially sizable cost to the Republican Party. The morning after Rep. John Conyers Jr. announced his resignation from Congress on her radio show, host Mildred Gaddis remained livid about his swift political demise. She questioned the veracity of a woman who accused Conyers of sexual misconduct, raged about the racism that led fellow Democrats to demand his ouster and spoke of how disrespectful the episode had been to a 52-year congressman considered a civil rights icon. At the same time, she also meticulously avoided showing any support for Conyerss handpicked successor, his 27-year-old son, John Conyers III, whom the elderly lawmaker attempted to anoint on her airwaves the day before. That balancing act revering and defending the fallen man while shrugging off his judgment about who should carry on his lifes work was performed throughout Detroits African American political world this week. As smooth as the 88-year-old Conyers hoped his succession would be, his departure creates a once-in-a-half-century vacancy for, as Gaddis put it on the air, an overcrowded field of opportunists who have been waiting for the congressman to retire or die. That field may or may not include Conyerss son; hes yet to declare his candidacy and has been slammed with news of an arrest connected to an alleged domestic assault earlier this year in Los Angeles. But even before Conyerss announcement on Gaddiss program Tuesday, another relative state Sen. Ian Conyers, the congressmans 29-year-old great-nephew announced his own candidacy. And state Sen. Coleman Young II, son of Detroits first black mayor but fresh off being clobbered by incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan last month, declared his bid Friday. The campaign promises to be brutal and long. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, announced Friday he would leave Conyerss seat vacant until the already-scheduled November 2018 election to reduce the financial burden on local taxpayers. Under state law, he could have scheduled a special election as soon as May. The decision aligns with the recommendation of the districts Democratic chairman, Jonathan Kinloch. To have a congressional seat open for the first time in a half-century, thats going to uncork an awful lot of ambition in southeast Michigan, said Susan Demas, editor of Inside Michigan Politics. Perhaps, but Conyerss hopes for a political dynasty wont come easy, especially with the family divided as to who the heir apparent should be. Conyers III, who said he was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight by his father, is a political unknown who told the Detroit News on Thursday that he remains unsure about a run and will decide next month. Conyers III describes himself online as a hedge fund manager who lives in Detroit and Los Angeles. In February, he was arrested but not prosecuted in an incident in which his girlfriend accused him of cutting her with a knife and body-slamming her on a bed, NBC News first reported Wednesday. He denied the accusation in media interviews Thursday, but such an allegation may be politically toxic after his father's downfall amid multiple allegations of inappropriately touching female subordinates and paying a tax-funded settlement to one former employee amid an internal House probe. One person who hopes to undermine the case for Conyers III is his own second cousin, Ian Conyers, who on Tuesday liked a tweet containing a link to an MLive.com article about a 2010 scandal in which Conyers Jr. paid the Treasury Department $5,600 for Conyers III's unofficial use of a Cadillac Escalade bought by the congressman's office. Conyers III had extensively documented his alcohol-soaked exploits in the vehicle on social media. In an interview with The Washington Post, Ian Conyers downplayed internal family friction. He insisted his great-uncle encouraged him to run for the seat in a phone call a few days before the congressman resigned. Hes got a right to endorse whomever he pleases, said Ian Conyers, who texted The Post a link to Conyers Jr. talking him up at a Washington fundraiser in 2016 in support of the younger mans ultimately successful state Senate campaign. Its up to the voters to take a look at our records and decide whether our public service makes us qualified to earn their votes. Ian Conyers said he aims to make his own case for election while embracing a political legacy in Michigan that dates back to his great-grandfather, John Conyers Sr., who was a pioneering black leader for the United Auto Workers union. Unlike Conyers III and other family members, Ian Conyers does not question the veracity of the women who have accused his great-uncle of sexual misconduct, saying, I believe in giving women the full benefit of the doubt. There comes a time when we have to separate someones stature from their actions. Ian Conyers also cast doubt on whether he would focus on civil rights as much as his great-uncle, a contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr. instrumental in passing the national holiday in the slain leaders honor. The state senator refused in an interview with The Post to commit to introducing a bill demanding federal reparations for the descendants of American slaves, a long-stalled measure Conyers famously filed every year for decades. Its important to study it, but I think that my focus will be on economic development because thats where I come from. Thats what I did in the private sector, Ian Conyers said, referencing his involvement with the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, an effort to revitalize the Anacostia River area of Washington when he worked under D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. My uncle is a civil rights attorney, so those are the things he focused on. I have a masters in urban planning, so I would work on the issues of growing the economy of the region. Young II, also a state senator, took a different tack, promising to continue to file the reparations bill and rattling off statistics reflecting the unfair treatment of black people in the criminal justice system. Young made racial discrimination a central tenet of his campaign against Duggan, who is white and who beat him by more than 2 to 1, and said he would return to such themes. Its important that the right person replace John Conyers, a person who shares the values and ideals of the community, Young said. We need to keep talking about race. Its an important issue thats overlooked. Ian Conyerss hesitation on reparations could harm him among Detroit voters who view the Conyers seat as one representing black Americans locally and nationally, political consultant Steve Hood said. Hood and Demas suggested that too many black candidates from Detroit named Conyers or otherwise could split that portion of the district and create an opening for a suburban white candidate to win. In Conyers Jr.s district, which once encompassed more of Detroit and was more predominantly black, African Americans now constitute only 56 percent of the vote. Top nonblack contenders could include Westland Mayor Bill Wild; state Sen. David Knezek of Dearborn Heights, a 31-year-old Iraq War veteran; and former state senator Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American Muslim who could draw votes from the districts fast-growing Arab American population. Knezek and Tlaib both tweeted that they are mulling runs. (The district, which went for Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 61 points, is seen as certain to remain in Democratic hands.) The Conyers seats falling into white hands would mean the failure of the black power structure to maintain control, Hood said. That uncertainty and disorganization, he said, reflects the fact that Conyers did not consolidate his kingmaking power in his waning decades as well as the weakened influence of labor unions in the region. The black labor unions used to control everything, Hood said. They were the ones who would say, You, you, you, you, you, get out. They dont have that kind of pull anymore. On her radio program last week, Gaddis said she knew little about Conyers III and lambasted Ian Conyers for launching his candidacy before the congressman announced his resignation. She spoke highly, however, of another potential contender, Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones, praising her for being the only person [who] sent a letter to Congressman John Conyers thanking him for what hes done for Michigan, the nation and Detroit. Jones has not said whether shell run, but Hood said he doubted she or many other top-tier black Detroit politicians would, as the seat itself may soon disappear. Detroits epic population decline could cost the Wolverine State a House seat after the 2020 Census and will almost certainly reduce the city to just one predominantly African American seat, Hood said. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D) represents the other major portion of Detroit. Demas wasnt so sure that likelihood would shrink the field. I would be surprised if the number of candidates is in the single digits, she said. The Conyers name makes a difference, but not enough to blow away the competition. Will it make a difference to voters? It very well may. But John Conyers III has not established himself, and Ian Conyers was just elected for the first time last year, so hes not going to chase anyone off, either. Friess is a freelancer based in Ann Arbor, Mich. His Twitter handle is @stevefriess. In 2012, Donald Trump greets Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney after endorsing his candidacy for president at the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas. As president, Trumps relationship with Romney is complicated. (Steve Marcus/Reuters) Before Ronna Romney McDaniel took over as Republican National Committee chairwoman earlier this year, President Trump had a request: Would she be willing to stop using her middle name publicly? Trump followed up by saying in a lighthearted way that McDaniel, the niece of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, could do what she wanted, according to two people familiar with the comments. But the change was soon plain for all to see. Though she had used her maiden name for years in Michigan, where her grandfather George W. Romney had been governor, McDaniel dropped Romney from most official party communications and has rarely used it since. The moment offers a window on Trumps complicated and often tense relationship with the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, who has remained a frequent critic of the president and is considering a Senate campaign next year in Utah. The pairs history stretches from Romneys pained courtship of Trumps endorsement in 2012 to Trumps searing criticism of Romney in 2016, when he called his predecessor a stone cold loser who blew an easy chance to beat then-President Barack Obama. Those tensions were on display again this week, when White House aides scripted a trip to Utah with a single political goal in mind: to convince Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) to run for reelection and thwart Romney from mounting his own bid for the seat, according to a senior White House official involved in the preparations. The White House focus on wooing Hatch, 83, whom aides see as a loyal supporter and reliable vote, is part of a growing behind-the-scenes effort to prepare for a difficult 2018 election season. The senior official, who along with others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the relationship, said that the White House worries that Romney would continue voicing open hostility to the president on issues such as the endorsement of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore. We hope you continue to serve your state and your country in the Senate for a very long time to come, Trump told Hatch in his prepared remarks Monday. [From 2016: Romney slams phony Trump, says hes playing the American people for suckers] White House officials say the personal relationship between Trump and Romney has improved in the last year, despite the behind-the-scenes maneuvering and Romneys continued criticism. Mitts a good man, Trump told reporters on the ground in Utah. Trump later called Romney to discuss policy and to ask about Romneys family, a White House adviser said. But Trumps advisers have long been wary of any public embrace of Romney by the president. Last December, when Romney was being considered for secretary of state, he dined with Trump over a dinner of frog legs at Jean Georges restaurant in the Trump International Hotel & Tower. After the dinner, Kellyanne Conway, who is now a senior White House aide, said that Trumps voters would feel betrayed to think that Gov. Romney would get the most prominent Cabinet post after he went so far out of his way to hurt Donald Trump. Trump was pleased that McDaniel mostly stopped using the Romney moniker, according to a senior administration official and an adviser. Trumps request to drop the maiden name, advisers said, came around the time he noted to others that Romney often prompted boos at his events. Former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who continues to speak privately with Trump, launched a separate personal attack on Romney and his family at a rally Tuesday in Alabama. Bannon denounced Romney, who has criticized Moore, for hiding behind your religion by going on a Mormon religious mission when he was younger and avoiding service in the Vietnam War. Bannon also called out Romneys five sons for not serving in the military. President Trump speaks Dec. 2 after his introduction by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel at a fundraising breakfast in New York. She has rarely used her middle name Romney since Trumps request. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images) The comments created a backlash in Utah, with Hatch, Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) all condemning Bannon for criticizing Romneys religious mission. Mitt is a close friend, and I resent attacks on anyones religion, especially my own, Hatch said. But conservatives with ties to Bannon say that they plan to keep attacking Romney if he moves toward a Senate campaign with the goal of blunting his impact as a critic of Trump on the national stage. If elected, Mitt Romney would take the role as Americas number one never Trumper, said one conservative strategist aligned with Bannon on Thursday, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss strategy. If he does decide to run, I think he can expect a full-on carpet bombing from conservatives coming his way. [Bannon rails against Romney in Alabama speech: You hid behind your religion to avoid Vietnam] The public fights between Trump and Romney have sometimes been fierce. During the 2016 campaign, Romney warned Republicans that Trump was a con man, a fake. Trump dismissed Romney as a stiff and a failed candidate who walks like a penguin. More recently, Romney has publicly denounced Republican support for Moore, dismissing Trumps argument that keeping the seat in Republican hands is more important than allegations that Moore made sexual advances on teenage girls when he was in his 30s. No vote, no majority is worth losing our honor, our integrity, Romney tweeted. When Trump heard about Bannons comments in Alabama, he authorized Conway to distance him from the remarks, the White House adviser said. Conway said during a Wednesday morning appearance on CNN that Trump and Romney had a wonderful conversation the night before and have a great relationship. Officials at the White House and RNC declined to comment on the conversation between Trump and McDaniel about her maiden name. Cassie Smedile, a Republican Party spokeswoman for McDaniel, pointed to recent fundraiser invites in which the RNC had used McDaniels full name, and said there was no internal prohibition on using Romney. This is silly, Smedile said. Republican Party news releases and social-media accounts generally do not use her maiden name. The White House also declined to comment on the conversations. The president has full confidence in the chairwoman who has led the Republican Party toward record-breaking fundraising, said Raj S. Shah, a White House spokesman. Trump has had a warmer relationship with McDaniel, but the presidents support of Moore has strained some ties, White House officials said. McDaniel did not want the RNC to reenter the race after Trump gave a full endorsement Monday but eventually acquiesced after officials told her she should. [A generation of GOP stars stands diminished: Everything Trump touches dies] First elected in 1976, Hatch is the Senates most senior Republican and has said he expects to decide on running for reelection before the end of the year. He has welcomed Romneys preparations for the race, describing him as an ideal successor. Hatchs advisers said that the presidents efforts to woo him were appreciated, but are unlikely to be decisive. Senator Hatch appreciates the presidents support but his final decision will largely be influenced by conversations with his family over the next few weeks, Hatch spokesman Matt Whitlock said after Trumps visit to Utah. Romney has spoken extensively with former advisers and colleagues about mounting a campaign if Hatch retires, including several calls with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). He has found a receptive audience from Republican senate leaderships. If Hatch retires, Romney is not expected to face much opposition either in the primary or the general election, given his popularity in the state. Romney would have to do two things, go up to the capitol and file papers for his candidacy and a make reservations for the victory party, a prominent Republican strategist in Utah said. In one November statewide general-election poll, Romney was ahead by more than a 3-to-1 margin in a hypothetical matchup with a possible Democratic candidate, Salt Lake City Council member Jenny Wilson. Trumps courtship of Hatch began with a January meeting at the White House, where Hatch discussed his desire to reduce the amount of federally protected land in the state. They met again in March, and Trump encouraged Hatch to run again for reelection. The Monday trip to Utah was carefully choreographed to continue the flattery. Trump and Hatch exited Air Force One together after hours of face time on the plane. The two men rode together in the presidential limousine, and went straight to meet leaders of Hatchs faith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for a photo op that Hatch had suggested. At a church-run charity center, Trump posed for photos with Mormon leaders while pushing a shopping cart. The president then announced the largest rollback in federal land protection in American history, fulfilling Hatchs longtime priority. Philip Rucker contributed to this report. They were turning away Russian reporters Thursday at the State Duma, Russias lower house of parliament. But when I showed up, I flashed my accreditation card and a big American smile and walked right in. Thats because of something that rarely gets mentioned about Russia: A correspondent accredited with U.S. media here can enjoy privileges that his Russian media counterparts can only dream about. The home of the Duma can be a surprisingly welcome, even friendly place for visitors that is, if you're not from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty or Voice of America, both of which were barred this week. It was Moscow's retaliation to similar actions taken in Washington against Russia's RT network and news site, and another sign of the hard times the U.S.-Russian relationship has fallen upon. Seen from only the outside, the Duma is a homogeneous collective of nationalist Russian angst, the podium from which Russian politicians rail in lockstep against the forces that they believe to be at the root of this new deep chill: a Russophobic American establishment, intent on isolating Moscow and blaming it for Hillary Clinton's loss in the 2016 elections. The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian legislature, in Moscow. (David Filipov/The Washington Post) These days, the Duma has plenty to rail at. On Wednesday, deputies, as members of parliament are called, were decrying what some see as an international conspiracy that led the International Olympic Committee to ban Russia from the Winter Olympics in South Korea. All week, they've railed against the treatment of RT in the United States as a violation of international norms on freedom of the press. [Russia enraged by 2018 Winter Olympics ban over doping ] As the deputies barreled toward a 413-to-1 vote to bar Radio Free Europe and Voice of America, they extolled the democratic virtues of the Duma as opposed to the anti-Russian U.S. Congress, the elite and the media. Until this week, it was still up in the air whether the Moscow bureau of The Washington Post would be tarred with the same brush. We had shown up in at least one report on a "blacklist," and the Russian Foreign Ministry kept its cards close, promising only a "surprise." For now, Russia decided to name only U.S. media that receive their funding from Congress, and not privately owned outlets such as The Post. Having dodged the bullet so far, I resolved to spend some quality time in a body that, it must be said, is not heavily covered by foreign reporters. I had spent only two days here in the past year, to report a story in June about a plan to relocate hundreds of thousands of Moscow residents. And even that was not exactly necessary. The Duma broadcasts its sessions live on its website, and reporters, not allowed entry into the main hall, see the same thing on closed-circuit TV. I was one of only two people in the media room this week who covered the first post-Soviet Duma at its inaugural session in January 1994. Back then, the Duma was politically diverse, chaotic and hard to predict. Now, the Duma is caught up in the spirit of these bad times. "The U.S. and Russia to some extent are in the thrall of the so-called myths about each other created during the last 20 years," Pyotr Tolstoy, a deputy speaker of the Duma, told me. [Kremlin: Attempts to tie U.S. investigations to Russia baseless and ludicrous] But although the animus toward the United States is the public face of the Duma, when an American reporter showed up in person, the house proved a rather accommodating place. It starts at the door to the imposing structure, the former home of the Soviet state economic planning authority. The accreditation card that international media receive from Russias Foreign Ministry allows correspondents unfettered entry to both houses of parliament, as well as other government agencies, whereas Russian beat reporters have to get accredited to each body separately. On Thursday, Russian reporters with one-time passes were turned away or allowed entry only if they were being met by a legislator. The reason appears to have been the unusual popularity of the days main event, a hearing on legal and social aspects of sustainable development of agricultural territories. (Sample quote, from Vladimir Kashin, a lawmaker from Russias Communist Party: I want to clarify that grain is not something abstract. It is bread.) When I wandered into the media room, the handful of Russian reporters got a kick out of the fact that the foreign agent even though Im not one, they all jokingly call me that made it in. But the cordiality did not end with my Russian colleagues. All week, the press service made sure I made it into the events I needed, talked to the people I wanted to interview, had a good Internet connection, and felt no fear that I was going to be booted out at any moment. [Trump administration reveals new list of potential Russia sanctions] Over at the Duma souvenir shop, where I perused the $85 boxes of handmade glass double-headed-eagle holiday tree ornaments, a helpful worker offered suggestions on how to pack them for the long trip home. A server at the special Duma food store laughed politely and agreed when I pointed out that the blue cheese being sold there looked suspiciously as if it were from Germany and, therefore, subject to sanctions against European Union food imports. Deputies are supposed to have preference in the line at the cafeteria, which serves hearty food at heavily subsidized low prices, but the cluster standing behind me let me go first. The only request, voiced not just here but also by every Russian official Ive spoken to in the past 400 days, is that I write objectively. And Im trying really hard. But how do I do that and not mention Russia's perennially poor showing in rankings of media and political freedoms, and that the country's many and often odd restrictions on civil liberties start their way into law right here? The decision to decriminalize domestic violence, the law banning "homosexual propaganda," the legislation that targets human rights organizations, profanity in theaters, lacy women's underwear all that was adopted by the Duma. So I asked Tolstoy how I should write about all that and remain objective. He offered no hope. One should hardly expect adequacy or objectivity nowadays because there is mutual mistrust and an attempt to put responsibility for the bad things on the other side, he said. [Russian lawmakers approve harsh rules on election monitors and NGOS] He also pointed out that while Congress rescinded RTs accreditation, the Duma merely barred Radio Free Europe and Voice of America from its premises. Remember, other correspondents for U.S. media here need only the one accreditation card that gets us in when reporters for Russian outlets get turned around. If Congress changes its mind, the Duma will let the American outfits back in, he said. So who will win this battle of wills between the U.S. and Russian legislators? Here, Tolstoy picked up his iPhone and TV remote and attempted to draw on the descriptive abilities of his great-great-grandfather, the novelist Leo, to make an analogy that was at once incomprehensible and appropriate. Its like comparing this TV remote control and this phone, Tolstoy said. The phone is more sophisticated, and 300 years were spent developing it, and only 30 years were spent on this control. But if you beat one against the other, the one that is harder and stupider will win. Correction: An earlier version of this report gave an incorrect date for the inaugural session of the first post-Soviet Duma. It was January 1994, not December 1993. Read more: Russia banned from 2018 Olympics for widespread doping program Vladimir Putin says hell run for reelection. No one is surprised. For the Kremlin, winning a supermajority in the Russian parliament was the easy part Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news A masked Palestinian protests Friday in the Gaza Strip against Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. (Mohammed Saber/EPA/EFE/REX/Shutterstock) Two Hamas militants were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Saturday after rocket fire from the enclave hit an Israeli town, as the death toll in violence linked to President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital rose to four. The Israeli military said it had responded to rocket fire by striking four facilities belonging to Hamas in the Gaza Strip: two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and a military compound. It called the rockets fired at Israel one of them hitting the town of Sderot, with no casualties reported a severe act of aggression. Violent confrontations were reported elsewhere Saturday but were less widespread than a day earlier. Riots had broken out in about 20 locations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the army said. About 450 protesters burned tires and threw rocks along the Gaza border fence, while 600 took part in unrest in the West Bank, it said. The diplomatic fallout also continued, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas canceling a planned meeting with Vice President Pence when he visits later this month, according to an aide cited by Israeli media. Egypts Coptic Church said on Saturday that its pope had also canceled his meeting with Pence when he travels on to Cairo. It said the U.S. decision did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people. Palestinian protesters carry a person wounded during clashes with Israeli forces on Friday near the border fence with Israel, east of Gaza City. (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images) The White House announcement Wednesday recognizing Jerusalem as Israels capital triggered widespread protests, with tens of thousands gathering across the region to show their anger. In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military has used tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets to break up demonstrations. However, the sharpest escalation has been in the Gaza Strip. [In Jerusalem, Trumps speech sparks scenes of joy, outrage] Hamas, which controls Gaza, has called for a third intifada, or uprising, against Israel in wake of Trumps decision. Hamas confirmed two of its members were killed in one of the early-morning airstrikes in Gaza. In a strike Saturday night that hit a military facility in a developed area, 15 people were injured, including a child, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. A day earlier, two protesters were shot dead near Gazas border fence with Israel during a day of rage against Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and move the U.S. embassy to the city. The Israeli military said it had shot toward dozens of instigators of riots, in which participants had rolled burning tires and thrown stones. Hazim Qasem, a spokesman for Hamas, said Israel will suffer the consequences of the escalation, saying the death of the demonstrators and airstrikes come in the context of ongoing crimes against the people of Gaza. He accused the United States of giving Israel cover for these crimes. The uprising of Palestinians shows that Palestinian people are ready to redeem Jerusalem with their blood, and their families will not surrender in their confrontation with the occupation, Qasem said. People look out from a window at masked Hamas gunmen during a rally Thursday against the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza Strip. (Khalil Hamra/AP) Israel, citing security concerns, has imposed severe restrictions on the freedom of movement and import of goods into Gaza since Hamas took control of the enclave in 2007. Egypt has also rarely opened its border crossing with Gaza in recent years. In East Jerusalem, clashes broke out after Israeli police attempted to break up a gathering of a few dozen chanting demonstrators on one of the main shopping streets, appearing provoked by the presence of Palestinian flags. Police used sound bombs and other crowd-control methods against Palestinian stone-throwers as the demonstration turned violent. Four police officers were lightly injured, a police spokesman said. A Palestinian medic on the scene said eight people had been hurt, with two sent to hospital for treatment. Protests were also reported in Arab communities inside Israel. International criticism of Trumps decision has mounted, with the U.N. Security Council holding an emergency meeting Friday to discuss the issue at the request of eight of its 15 members. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley struck a defiant tone in the tense meeting, saying Trumps decision was taken to advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Palestinians and governments in the Middle East and Europe have said it does the opposite. Abbas said the United States can no longer be a broker of peace efforts, as the decision shows the White Houses bias toward Israel. Israel sees the whole of Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinians, however, envisage the eastern part of the city, which Israel captured from Jordan in 1967 and annexed in a move seen as illegal by the United Nations, as the capital of their future state. Morris reported from Jerusalem. Read more Trump had for months been determined to move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem Friends and foes of the U.S. denounce Trumps Jerusalem move U.S. Embassys move to Jerusalem should take at least two years, Tillerson says Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Iraq's prime minister declared an end Saturday to the war against the Islamic State, more than three years after militants overran and captured one-third of the country, and imposed a violent and austere rule over millions of Iraqis. Haider al-Abadi announced that the rugged, sparsely populated desert region bordering Syria has been cleansed of Islamic State fighters and that the porous border that had underpinned the self-declared caliphate that straddled both countries has been fully secured. This victory was achieved . . . when Iraqis united to face a heinous enemy that didnt want us to see this day, Abadi said. They wanted to return us back to the Dark Ages. Saturday's declaration caps a war that has killed thousands of Iraqi troops in fierce battles for such cities as Tikrit, Ramadi and Baiji since 2015. But after losing the grueling nine-month battle for Mosul in July, the Islamic State began to quickly collapse ceding its grip on smaller cities and towns in days rather than months. The explosive rise of the militants in 2014 drew the United States back into Iraq, with more than 5,000 U.S. troops assisting Iraqs military as it wrested back land. The Islamic States growth also saw the United States enter Syrias battlefields, already crowded with Russian and Iranian-proxy forces that buttressed the unsteady rule of President Bashar al-Assad. The Coalition congratulate the people of Iraq on their significant victory against #Daesh. We stand by them as they set the conditions for a secure and prosperous #futureiraq, the U.S.-led coalition wrote in a tweet, using the Arabic name for the Islamic State. Last month, Iran and Russia declared victory over the Islamic State in Syria, though fighting continues in small pockets near the border with Iraq. The Syrian Democratic Forces, a group of mostly Kurdish fighters backed by the United States, won back the Islamic States de facto Syrian capital of Raqqa in October. Abadi's comments came almost in passing as he attended a conference with the journalists' union Saturday. The casual declaration of victory over the Islamic State came as the nation's attention has turned to a political standoff with Kurdish separatists and a reckoning with repairing the immense physical and social damage the militants and the military fight to dislodge them have wrought. Later, in a 10-minute speech broadcast on national television, Abadi stood before columns of soldiers and police in front of the defense ministry and congratulated Iraqis on their victory. He highlighted national unity as the engine that powered the war against the Islamic State, telling Iraqis to hold their heads high. Abadi said the coming fight will be against rampant corruption, saying it is a natural extension of the war to bring Iraqs resources back into the hands of the nations citizens. Although a large military parade to mark the victory is planned for the coming weeks, Abadis announcement provoked little public jubilation, reflecting a mood in the country that is still grappling with its losses. The Pentagon has acknowledged that at least 801 civilians have been mistakenly killed in U.S.-led airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. Airwars, an independent monitoring group, says the figure is likely much higher, totaling 5,961 since 2014. Last week, an Iraqi official charged with managing a fund to reconstruct cities such as Mosul said it would cost about $150 billion to rebuild these places the majority of which are in Iraqs Sunni heartland. About 3 million people remain displaced to this day. In addition, 20,000 people accused of joining the Islamic State remain in detention, coursing through an overburdened criminal justice system that the Human Rights Watch said last week is unable or unwilling to provide fair trials and distinguish between those who eagerly killed for the group or were coerced into menial roles such as cooks. Iraqi forces are also bracing for the Islamic States continued presence as an underground insurgency that has returned to its traditional tactics of terrorist attacks. Hours before Abadi spoke, a car bomb in Tikrit killed at least one person. Abadi, who has won plaudits in Iraq for his posture of inclusion and efforts to reverse nearly a decade of his predecessor's sectarian policies that favored Shiites, has insisted the conditions that gave the Islamic State rise would return if there is no genuine nationwide move toward reconciliation. The appetite for such a reconciliation will be tested as campaigning for national elections slated for May 2018 has begun. Powerful Shiite militias that played a significant role in freeing Sunni lands occupied by the Islamic State are expected to field dozens of candidates, some of whom are closely aligned with Iran and embrace a sharply sectarian narrative that pins the Islamic States rise on widespread support by Iraqs Sunnis. Abadi has insisted that the militia figures who want to contest elections must disarm, a demand many Iraqis see as impossible to impose given how deeply enmeshed the militias are in Iraq's security apparatus. Badr Organization, one of the oldest and largest Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, already controls the interior ministry and holds 22 seats in parliament. In his speech on Saturday, Abadi hinted at this looming challenge. The only way to build a state and achieve justice and stability is by keeping arms under the control of the state and the rule of law, he said. Mustafa Salim contributed to this report. Read more: Islamic States caliphate has been toppled in Iraq and Syria. Why isnt anyone celebrating? Iraqi forces retake last town under Islamic State control For Kurds in Baghdad, the failed Kurdish independence bid provokes an identity crisis Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Emilio Gutierrez, seen here with Associated Press journalist Michele Salcedo, received a press freedom award from the National Press Club in October. (Noel St. John/National Press Club) A Mexican journalist who sought asylum in the United States in 2008 was arrested by U.S. immigration agents this week and told he would be deported, though an appeals board temporarily halted his removal Friday sparing his life for now, he said. Emilio Gutierrez, 54, who in October received a press freedom award from the National Press Club in Washington, said he and his 24-year-old son, Oscar, were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday while trying to enter an appeal to their asylum claim. We cant go back to Mexico. Theyll kill us, Gutierrez said, using his attorneys cellphone to speak from an ICE detention center in Sierra Blanca, Texas. Gutierrez said he and his son fled northern Mexico's Chihuahua state in 2008 after he published stories exposing the abuses committed by soldiers who robbed and extorted residents in his hometown, Ascencion, a notorious drug trafficking hub. After soldiers ransacked his home, Gutierrez said he learned his name appeared on a military kill list, so he fled across the border into Texas with his then-teeange son. [Im a reporter in Mexico. My life is in danger. The U.S. denied me asylum] In July, after living nine years in the United States, Gutierrezs asylum request was denied, and an appeal was rejected in early November. His attorney, Eduardo Beckett, said Gutierrez and his son were handcuffed and jailed Thursday when they presented themselves at an ICE processing center to enter an emergency appeal. Ill go anywhere in the world, Gutierrez said. Any place is safer for me than Mexico. In a statement Friday, ICE officials said Gutierrez remains in custody pending a decision on his appeal. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, the statement said. With drug-related violence at record levels, Mexico has become one of the worlds most dangerous countries for the press, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists. More than 40 Mexican reporters have been murdered since 1992 for performing their jobs, including at least five this year. Only Iraq and Syria were more dangerous for the press in 2017, according to CPJ. Journalists working in small towns plagued by drug cartel violence are especially vulnerable, but the dead have included staffers at some of Mexico's leading publications. Bill McCarren, the executive director of the National Press Club, said the organization gave Gutierrez this year's press freedom award to draw attention to the plight of Mexico's imperiled journalists. McCarren was alarmed to find out ICE agents were trying to send Gutierrez back to a place where his life would be in danger. This is a critical, existential issue for Emilio, but also a critical issue for all journalists in Mexico, McCarren said in an interview. Its a concern for us that the United States, that stands for free press as a bedrock principle of our democracy, would not make a place for him here when hes so clearly at risk. Earlier this year, U.S. authorities denied asylum to another Mexican reporter, Martin Mendez Pineda, who fled death threats after writing about similar military abuses. After months in U.S. immigration detention, his asylum request was denied and he consented to deportation. The Mexico representative of the Committee to Project Journalists, Jan-Albert Hootsen, said the Mexican government has responded to public pressure over the killings by setting up new safeguards, including temporary housing in Mexico City for journalists under threat. But Hootsen said his organization cautions reporters against seeking asylum in the United States because the requests are likely to be denied. The United States is obviously the place that first comes to mind for Mexican reporters who need to flee the country, said Hootsen, so its important for U.S. authorities to take their claims seriously and give them a fair hearing. Four days before the knock on his door, Venezuela's oil minister tweeted an ode to President Nicolas Maduro: "Thank you, President Maduro, for giving me the honor of being by your side." Flattery got the oil chief nowhere. In a scene videotaped and displayed on government channels, a masked intelligence agent, clad in black, handcuffed the surprised minister at the door of his home Nov. 30, before hauling him away to a military jail. Venezuela's government called the arrest of Eulogio Del Pino part of a "historic fight against corruption" that in recent weeks has ensnared dozens of senior officials, especially those linked to the all-important state oil giant, PDVSA. Yet observers say the moves also highlight an escalating effort by Maduro to consolidate power ahead of next year's presidential elections, in which he is expected to seek another term. The removals include the forced resignation last week of Venezuelas once-powerful envoy to the United Nations, Rafael Ramirez, who some saw as a possible Maduro rival in their United Socialist Party of Venezuela. Del Pino was viewed by some as one of Ramirezs men as were several other arrested officials. Maduro seems to be clearing the decks for a presidential run in 2018, trying to reduce the stature and perhaps the freedom of anyone who might be a countervailing center of power, said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas, a business and culture organization. [Even sex is in crisis in Venezuela, where contraceptives are growing scarce] Maduro, the handpicked successor of leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, who died in 2013, is among a handful of global leaders identified as threats by the Trump administration which has described Maduro as a dictator. With Venezuela's economic crisis spiraling out of control and medical and food shortages worsening, the climate here is ripe for dissent. Yet after suffering a series of arrests and electoral setbacks that many blamed on fraud and intimidation, the political opposition is weakened and divided. One faction, for instance, is participating is Sunday's vote for mayors across the nation, while others are boycotting it, arguing the government cannot be trusted. The opposition is in such disarray that despite Venezuela's myriad problems, a new public opinion poll showed Maduro's popularity jumping to 31 percent, the highest in two years. With his opposition neutralized as an immediate threat, Maduro appears to be looking closer to home, observers say. At least one thing is sure: Internal divisions within the socialist party founded by Chavez have rarely been so public. On Tuesday, Ramirez, the representative to the United Nations and once one of the country's most powerful government officials, announced in a tweet that he was quitting his post at Maduro's request. Ive been removed because of my opinions, I will continue to be, no matter what, loyal to Commander Chavez, he tweeted. [Venezuelas universities feel the sting of economic and political crisis] Ramirez, a close Chavez ally who ran PDVSA from 2004 to 2014, had been the subject of intrigue for years. The oil giant has been implicated in a number of corruption scandals during Ramirez's reign and afterward. In 2015, officials in Andorra intervened in a bank called BPA after the U.S. government said it was involved in laundering billions of dollars, including money pilfered from PDVSA. Ramirez has denied wrongdoing, as has BPA. Speculation in Venezuela has raged that Ramirez was considering a run for the presidency, backed by Chavezs daughter, Maria Gabriela Chavez, who has worked with him at Venezuelas mission at the United Nations since 2015. In mid-November, Ramirez published an article on a leftist website in which he criticized the Maduro administrations handling of the economy. Ramirezs differences with Maduro were evident for years, said Isaias Medina, who, until July, worked for Ramirez at the mission. Maduro sent Ramirez to the U.N. to get rid of him after he disagreed on the way Maduro was running the economy, said Medina, who cited differences with the government when he resigned his post. This persecution is a public sign of a fight between criminal blocs. When Ramirez ran PDVSA, Del Pino was his vice president of exploration and production for more than five years. Experts see Del Pinos detention as an attempt to purge government officials who arent completely loyal to Maduro. I think theres a growing desperation within Maduros inner circle and with Maduro himself, and we see that manifested with Ramirez and these arrests, said a senior Trump administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The man at the helm of Maduros cleanup operation is Venezuelas chief prosecutor, Tarek William Saab. Since being named to the job in August, he has arrested more than 60 officials on corruption charges. Three weeks ago, the president and five other executives of Citgo, the U.S. subsidiary of PDVSA, were detained and accused of profiting from fraudulent contracts. In late November, the president of PDVSA, Nelson Martinez, was arrested on charges of money laundering and embezzlement, and this past week Ramirez's cousin, Diego Salazar, was taken into custody on suspicion of money laundering. Venezuelas oil sector has been widely viewed as corrupt for years. Graft, a lack of investment and poor management are often cited as reasons for its gradual decay. Oil production fell by 650,000 daily barrels between 2011 and 2017, with Venezuelan refineries working at 50 percent capacity. Saab told The Washington Post through a text message that the fight hes leading to clean PDVSA doesnt have political undertones. That wretched argument is absolutely false, he said. Last Sunday, in Maduros weekly show on state TV, Venezuelas leader said the jailed oil officials had stabbed me in the back. I still feel the wound, but well fix it with work and unity to save PDVSA. But observers say the objective is not to improve the companys precarious situation but rather ensure that the officials running the most important economic sector in Venezuela are loyal. If government authorities were serious, they wouldve named a technocrat, an expert as the new head, said Felix Seijas Rodriguez, political analyst and director of the Delphos polling agency. Instead, Maduro recently appointed a loyal military man with no experience in the energy sector, Manuel Quevedo, to run PDVSA. Faiola reported from Miami. Read more A Venezuelan woman had grown used to shortages. Then her HIV drugs ran out. In a hungry Venezuela, buying too much food can get you arrested Venezuelas paradox: People are hungry, but farmers cant feed them Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Anzeige August 24 - September 23 Anzeige Virgo gets a lot of bad press; this refined sign is typically associated with perfection, purity and self-control. But Virgo is so much more complex and nuanced. Sure, youre deeply committed to improving the world and yourself but you are also sexy, drop-dead funny (many comedians are Virgos) and super smart. You dont broadcast youre talents; youre quiet dignity speaks for itself. Ruled by intelligent Mercury, Virgo possesses not just information, but genuine wisdom. This year its time to share that wisdom. Your Theme For This Year Finding Your Voice, Sharing Your Message. You have something important to say, dear Virgo, and the world is ready to listen. Kingly Jupiter entered your zone of communication and conversations on October 10, 2017 and will remain there through November 8, 2018. Virgos are gifted writers, storytellers, teachers, and techies and this generous planet will help you communicate more easily in your chosen area. Writing projects and social media campaigns could soar. You will also expand your circle, locally and globally. Self-improvement is your super power and this year youre on a mission to increase your knowledge, deepen your message, and inspire people with what inspires you. Anzeige May 15 Uranus moves into Taurus (a friendly earth sign) and your zone of travel, philosophy, and higher education. It will remain there until November 6, retrograde back into Aries, then reenter Taurus on March 6, 2019. Dont be surprised mid-May if suddenly have to travel abroad for work, get a publishing deal, or decide to go back to school. New teachers with exciting ideas come into your life to wake you up and shake you up. This enlightened planet rules technology; you book, blog or YouTube video could go global. Uranus will be here for seven years; this is just the beginning of an amazing and rewarding journey. Career and Finance Uranus remains in your zone of other peoples resources through May 15; stay informed about your partners finances or any joint accounts. Review documents like wills, insurance, and retirement plans. April 18 could bring a major windfall or an unexpected expense. Youre born to organize so get your finances in order, then you can enjoy (and afford) all the globetrotting and gallivanting youre going to be doing. Saturn and Pluto are in your fifth house of creativity, romance and children. Pluto has been here since 2008. Saturn joined Pluto on December 20, 2017 and will remain for the next two and a half years. Capricorn is a sober sign and both these planets are uncompromising. The good news? If theres a creative project you want to tackle then go for it! You may not be able to quit your day job (just yet) but with these two heavy-weights on your team youll have the focus and discipline to complete it. Capricorn (like Virgo) is an earth sign, so although you will be working hard, youll be working well. The Capricorn new moon on January 16 could be a turning point for your career. This is also the zone of passion and romance; you may finally commit to your steady or decide to have a child. Romance and Relationships Anzeige With dreamy Neptune in your zone of true love, youve been longingfor a soul mate and this year brings opportunities for new relationships as well as a chance to deepen committed ones. Although with Jupiter cruising through your social third house and impulsive Uranus in your travel zone you may be in the mood for flirting and having fun and theres plenty of that as well. All possibilities are on the table. Single or spoken for, love is golden while the radiant Venus unwinds in Capricorn and your zone of romance from December 25, 2017 until January 17, 2018. In fact, January 1-16 you could meet someone in your neighborhood (at your favorite cafe, the dog park, the gym) or at a conference, seminar or social gathering. March 4 the sun and tender Neptune get personal in your relationship zone. Venus visits sensual Taurus March 30 through April 24 is another superb time for amour. A cross-cultural romance could be in the stars at the Taurus new moon May 15. Partnered? Go somewhere steamy like Brazil or Bali or enjoy a sexy staycation at your favorite hotel. Venus in Virgo, July 9 through August 6, is the best time for love; your powers of attraction are at their height. Circle July 27 when seductive Venus and erotic Pluto get physical. Nov 24 Neptune in your partnership zone goes direct opening the doors for true love. Your Power month Anzeige Anzeige The end of August and Septemberare glorious. Your guardian planet Mercury goes direct August 18. The sun enters your sign August 22. Then on the 25 the sun in Virgo reaches out to Uranus and Saturn; think publishing, travel, foreign investors or foreign romance! September 9 is the annual Virgo new moon; it only happens once a year and initiates a bold new beginning. September 11 the sun teams up with influential Pluto and lucky Jupiter. September 15 your ruler, Mercury (in Virgo) collaborates with Pluto. These are epic days; you could debut your work, make progress on a dream project or meet a powerful mentor. Home and Family November 8 Jupiter leaves Scorpio and enters Sagittarius and your domestic zone for a year just in time for the holidays! The sun and Jupiter align on November 25 one of the best days of the year; gather the clan and have and grand party! Theres a beautiful new moon December 6 plus Mercury (retrograde since November 16) moves forward the same day. Unexpected guests may arrive during the holidays but it will only increase the fun and festivities. Challenges Virgos are especially sensitive to Mercury retrograde periods as Mercury is your ruling planet. Youll be doing a lot of travelling so pay special attention; delays and miscommunications can happen. March 22 - April 15; July 25 - August 18 and November 16 - December 6. Restless Mars spends five months in your zone of day-to-day work and you may feel like bolting, especially May 16 and August 1. Listen to your inner wise self and not your inner critic. Travel Keep a suitcase packed and your passport up-to-date. Impulsive Uranus enters your zone of long distant travel and education on May 15. Get ready for sudden trips and new experiences; an apartment swap in New Zealand, an assignment in Los Angeles, a chance to lecture in Mumbai. Anything is possible! Uranus goes retrograde August 7 so leave before; July 3-22 is outstanding. Health and wellness The February 15 new moon eclipse falls in your wellness zone and could jump start a whole new health trend. You may want to explore treatments such as homeopathy, acupuncture or Reiki. Energy planet Mars remains in this zone for five full months (May 16 through August 12 and September 10 through November 15); youll definitely have the focus and the stamina to sustain it. Mars here can be edgy and Virgo is a mental sign; its important to move your body and spend time in nature. Dear Virgo, You were born to teach, educate and inspire. With Jupiter (in your communication zone), Uranus (in your higher learning zone), and Saturn and Pluto (in your creative sector) you have the perfect team to help you get your message out. This is your time to speak your mind, tell your story, and live your truth! Do follow us under the name ICONISTbyicon on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Donald D. Lawrence Audio Article Friends and family of Compatriot Donald D. Lawrence are deeply saddened to announce his passing on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022,... Guadalupe Lupe Campos Audio Article Guadalupe Lupe Campos of La Vernia, Texas, passed away in his home on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. Lupe was born... Manuel A. Acevedo Audio Article Manuel A. Acevedo passed away in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, at the age of 76 years... Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/12/2017 (1804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Dear Mike, I know you know a lot about Coca-Cola collectibles. I have this plastic Coca-Cola button sign. I cannot find any info on it on the web. It is made out of plastic and it has a few chips at the top. It measures 14.5 inches (36.8 centimetres) round.There are no hooks or holes to hang it. I think it is older but Im not sure. Any help would be appreciated. John G., Winnipeg Dear John, Your button is an insert to a light-up sign that was made in the 1950s. The complete sign was made of metal and has a few different inserts. The other insert I have seen has the slogan Shop Refreshed. This would make me think it was designed for grocery stores. Its a Canadian sign, which is why there is not a lot of info on the internet about it. Your insert with the chips would sell for $60 to $75. A complete sign in perfect condition would sell for $400 to $450. Mike Huen is an antique dealer and owner of Mikes General Store. If you would like to have an item appraised, email your questions and include a photo to mike@mikesgeneralstore.com and put Free Press in the subject line, or write to Mikes Appraisals, 52 St. Annes Rd., Winnipeg, MB, R2M 2Y3. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/12/2017 (1804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. When Leonardo da Vincis long-lost painting, Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World) shattered records by selling for US$450.3 million at auction in mid-November, its fate remained as mysterious as its unknown buyer. But both were revealed on Wednesday. Museumgoers will be able to view the painting at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a United Arab Emirates franchise of the Paris museum, Christies Auction House told Bloomberg. The museum appeared to confirm this, tweeting on Wednesday that, Da Vincis Salvator Mundi is coming to #LouvreAbuDhabi. It is unclear at this time when the painting will be displayed. According to the New York Times, the paintings buyer was not the museum but an outside party: one Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, a little-known Saudi Arabian prince with no history as an art collector. Kirsty Wigglesworth / The Associated Press files Da Vincis Salvator Mundi sold for a record US$450.3 million at auction in November. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened on Nov. 11, has been one of the most aggressive buyers on the global art market over the last decade, according to Bloomberg. These acquisitions, including that of Salvator Mundi, are probably part of a dedicated effort to raise the global cultural profile of the UAE. Prince Baders purchase of the painting is surprising for a number of reasons, as the New York Times noted. First, the painting portrays Jesus, whom many Muslims believe to be a prophet. Most who practise Islam the state religion of Saudi Arabia shun visual portrayals of its prophets. When he placed the required US$100 million to participate in the Christies auction, lawyers from the auction house asked how he acquired the money, according to documents obtained by the Times. He reportedly responded that it came from real estate and that he was one of 5,000 princes, saying nothing more. Finally, the splashy purchase came just as Saudi Arabias 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was leading a sweeping crackdown against corruption and self-enrichment among the countrys elite, as the Times noted. Salvator Mundi, which depicts Jesus holding a crystal orb in his left hand and raising his right in blessing, is one of some 16 known surviving works painted by da Vinci. While most are scattered around the world, the Louvre Abu Dhabi will now have two of these paintings. It displays La Belle Ferronniere, which is on loan from the Louvre in Paris, according to Bloomberg. The painting disappeared several times over the course of history, most recently in 1958 when it was sold alongside the rest of the Cook Collection in London. By then, though, the paintings origin had been obscured due to overpainting and it was credited to da Vincis follower Bernardino Luini. It sold for only 45 pounds or about US$125 today, CNN reported. New York-based art collector and da Vinci expert Robert Simon and art dealer Alexander Parish found the painting in Louisiana in 2005 and purchased it for US$10,000. It then underwent a six-year restoration and verification process. In 2013, a consortium of dealers including Simon, Parish and Warren Adelson sold Salvator Mundi for US$80 million to a company owned by a Swiss businessman and art dealer Yves Bouvier, Bloomberg reported. Bouvier, in turn, sold it to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev for US$127.5 million in 2014. Washington Post Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-08 22:56:08|Editor: yan Video Player Close THE HAGUE, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The deal between Britain and the European Union (EU) in Brussels to open the next phase of Brexit talks gives "confidence for the future", Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra said in a statement on Friday. "The news from Brussels today shows that the Brits want to leave the European Union in a decent and orderly way," stated Zijlstra. "This gives confidence for the future. Brexit is bad news, but that the negotiations have led to this result, is good news for the Netherlands." In a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier on Friday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced that both parties made sufficient progress in the first phase of the Brexit talks and would recommend the European Council open the second phase. They reached an agreement on subjects such as the divorce bill, without giving specific figures, the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which will not become a hard border, and on the rights of EU citizens living in Britain and British citizens in the other 27 countries of the bloc, which will remain the same. "It is good to see that progress has been made in the Brexit negotiations on citizens' rights, the financial aspects and the (Northern) Irish border," Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated. "I told Theresa May that I am happy we can proceed to the next phase in which we can discuss the future relationship between Britain and the EU27." Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/12/2017 (1804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Last year, I enthusiastically described Peter Morgans The Crown with the word scrumptious. Season 2 of this lavishly made, approximately true biographical series about the young Queen Elizabeth II deserves an upgrade in praise, while also recognizing that the show has discovered its top and gone a little over it. So now its scrumpdillyicious, perhaps? In striving to be more, The Crown, which delivered 10 robust new episodes Friday on Netflix, intermittently becomes too much. But I doubt youll hear fans complain as they devour each and every bit of it the way Elizabeth (Claire Foy) slathers butter on her baked goods as a means of quietly tormenting her VIP guest, Jacqueline Kennedy (Jodi Balfour), during a tea time tete-a-tete between two women with markedly different approaches to 20th-century fame. This is the kind of show you watch with the hope that it will give you a bit too much of everything. Alex Bailey / Netflix Claire Foy (right) returns as Queen Elizabeth II in Season 2 of the Netflix Original, The Crown, which introduces Jodi Balfour as Jackie Kennedy. That said, The Crown brings surprisingly less oomph this time around, and takes noticeably more liberties with historical fact and chronology. We return more or less where we left off in the late 1950s: Winston Churchill has been replaced (which sadly means no more John Lithgow) by a rapid sequence of milquetoasty prime ministers (Jeremy Northam as Anthony Eden and Anton Lesser as Harold Macmillan), while Elizabeth and her husband, Philip (Matt Smith), have fallen into a cyclical pattern of marital frostiness followed by periods of detente long enough to produce another two sons. Shes certain hes cheating; the palace cognoscenti are certain hes cheating; viewers are certain hes cheating; yet The Crown remains coy about catching Philip in the act. We all know how it works, Philip complains, when forced to fire his chief confidant and fellow playboy (who is going through a public divorce that threatens to shame the palace). There is no room for mistakes, there is no room for scandal. There is no room for humanity. He means the humanity in his trousers. Theres quite a bit of this macho misery in the first few episodes, which focus too much on Philips wounded ego and his extended goodwill cruise around the British Empire (where temptations abound and cheap spirit-gum costume beards are applied as Philips all-guy ship symbolically traverses the frigid Arctic). After that, The Crown becomes more like its old self, namechecking historical events (the Sputnik launch, the Profumo scandal, African colonies in revolt), but always sticking close to family affairs. The fifth episode, Marionettes, recounts the palaces reckoning at last with its own stodgy image, as the Second Baron Altrincham (John Heffernan) pens an editorial in the National and English Review that sharply criticizes the Queens remote style of rule and the stiff delivery of her dreadfully snobby speeches. Hailed by progressives and derided by loyalists, Lord Altrincham manages to have an impact on public opinion and, eventually, the Queen herself. Here, Foy gets to show off her greatest skill, which is transmitting Elizabeths near-wordless disappointments and vulnerabilities through all that power and stiff-upper-lip resolve. She still rules, but, as the Queen Mother (Victoria Hamilton) astutely observes, the Empire is shrinking and her daughter must learn to become more of a symbolic queen than an actual one a puppet for the people. This means shell have to start doing live TV addresses instead of radio; shell have to get out there and meet more of the common folk. Shes on the precipice of a change that will define her long reign. Yet for every step forward, a setback. After she acquiesces to a new, shorter and more modern hairdo, Philip is there to undermine her confidence. I thought you were hoping for more children from me. I am, Elizabeth replies. Then why on earth would you do something like that to your hair? Whats wrong with it? I thought it was tidy and sensible. Adjectives to stir the loins. A visit from U.S. President John F. Kennedy (Dexters Michael C. Hall) and Jackie has both an enlivening and intimidating effect on the royals; Elizabeth learns a thing or two from the first lady about the uses of celebrity distraction in diplomacy. Her sister Margaret (Vanessa Kirby), meanwhile, continues to suffer ever so exquisitely, as if in a dress rehearsal for the life of Diana 30 years down the road. Margarets woes are ameliorated by the arrival of Antony Armstrong-Jones (Downton Abbeys Matthew Goode), who is only too happy to tweak convention with a modern marriage that is more style over substance. Sadly, Goodes knack for playing sympathetic cads doesnt quite register or smoulder here; hes not having his usual fun. As before, I recommend taking The Crown in small doses no more than an episode or two at a time because it works best when savoured as a series of short but extravagant films about a dysfunctional family facing a unique set of problems. Overall, this season of The Crown works best in storylines that handle both the past and the future: shy, jug-eared Prince Charles (Julian Baring) is shipped off to the dreary, bully-filled Gordonstoun School in Scotland, his fathers alma mater. While Charles suffers, the viewers at least get to flash back to the unenviable details of Philips adolescence, which was rife with tragedy, neglect and (you guessed it) Nazis. Where is the Queen in all this? Excellent question. Foy certainly dominates the many scenes shes in, but the show seems more interested this time in developing every other character but hers, perhaps as a way of preparing viewers for a bigger shift next season, when Broadchurchs Olivia Colman is expected to take over the role of an older Queen with a fresh set of issues to face. If nothing else, The Crown makes it abundantly clear that Elizabeths job is a lifelong and often redundant burden. Washington Post Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/12/2017 (1804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The narrative around the new Team Manitoba provincial economic development initiative suggests that after spending a year and a half working on the fiscal management of the province, the Pallister government is ready to turn its attention to economic development. A new working group to advise the province will be headed by Payworks founder and CEO Barb Gamey and former Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president Dave Angus. Their job isnt going to be to help the province pick winners, but rather come up with some ideas for the right kind of organization to put in place and accomplish this bold and modern approach to economic development. Gamey is a very successful entrepreneur with superior organizational skills and a community-minded business leader who will chair the city-wide United Way campaign next year. Angus, who is no stranger to these kinds of provincial economic development committees having served on some with the former NDP government, was also the author of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerces Bold campaign from earlier this decade, which attempted to encourage government and the business community to think outside the box. Perhaps it was fitting that the day Premier Brian Pallister announced the two experts would lead the initiative, Angus was in Oregon talking to the chamber of commerce there about the Bold campaign. The province commissioned a report from Deloitte several weeks ago on economic development strategies and part of the advice was to create a new mechanism for the province to manage economic development. Angus and Gamey, and the team they will put together, are going to advise the best structure to ensure integration and collaboration to optimize the diversified economy that characterizes the provinces business community. Were going to look at some governance options, discuss models, consult with government and partners and make some recommendations on the optimal model, said Gamey There are plenty of dedicated business people running economic development organizations in the province who have had their budgets slashed and have been left in suspended animation waiting for the province to arrive at this stage. There has been lots of uncertainty since Premier Pallister took office, Angus acknowledged. Decisions have been hard to come by regarding economic development. Not that it was negative, just there was no path forward. As the co-chair of a fiscal review committee prior to the last budget, Angus said he knows first-hand that the province had its hands full dealing with budget management issues. That had been a lot of the focus, he said. Now, my sense is they are ready to pivot and provide the certainty the business community is looking for. I think it is a ray of hope that we have a provincial government that really wants to make this a high priority. That has been missing as well. Its early days and neither Gamey or Angus have been briefed enough to know more thoroughly what it is theyve got themselves into. The Deloitte report is brand new and has not been made public, but the premier has mentioned such issues as duplication and lack of co-ordination in the way the province provides support. Gamey said one thing that will likely be addressed is the way data is collected to help analyze program effectiveness. We need to develop metrics so that we can know if we are moving the needle on economic development, she said. That will be tricky, but something that in these days of big data should not be beyond the realm of the doable. Communicating the vision to all parties concerned is also part of the process. Angus said the approach thats agreed on is something that should be on the desk of the heads of all the economic development agencies, all the post-secondary institutions, as well as all the other provincial departments that touch on economic development. Michael Legary, the former IT entrepreneur whos now working with both the city and the province advising on innovation strategies, is helping to co-ordinate the new Team Manitoba initiative. He said everyone learned a lot from the Amazon HQ2 pitch that was hustled together in a short period of time. Now, the province wants to get something in place that will work for the long term. From a staffing perspective, the intent from the province is not to build a large new entity, Legary said. It is about building a very streamlined business-focused, business-accountable entity that enables the other partners (access to) the other tools that are already out there. martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 08/12/2017 (1805 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The provinces police watchdog is investigating allegations a female RCMP officer committed multiple instances of inappropriate sexual touching while off-duty at a Winnipeg hotel. According to the Independent Investigations Unit (IIU), the incident happened while the female officer was attending a conference in Winnipeg on Nov. 30. The lewd and inappropriate behaviour is alleged to have taken place during a social gathering at the hotel lounge. An IIU spokeswoman declined to say whether there was more than one alleged victim, or if the incident involved civilians or other RCMP officers. She also declined to say whether it was being investigated as a potential sexual assault. The investigation is really just beginning. If we could release more details than we have, we would that will inform a portion of the investigation as it moves on, the spokeswoman said. She added the IIUs civilian director determined it was in the publics interest to investigate the matter. An airport-area hotel confirmed it hosted an RCMP tactical training service conference on Nov. 30. Both the IIU and the RCMP were tight-lipped regarding the incident on Friday afternoon when reached for comment, declining to say whether the officer was from a rural detachment or based in the city. While the IIU spokeswoman initially said it appears the officer was off-duty at the time, it was later confirmed by the RCMP that she was. The officer has been suspended with pay until the investigation is complete. While the incident happened on Nov. 30, the IIU was not notified until Dec. 5 although it remains unclear when a complaint regarding the officers behaviour was made to the RCMP. A retired RCMP officer, who spent a number of years working internal affairs, said based on the fact the officer was suspended and the IIU notified, the allegations must have been determined to be of a serious nature. To have that member suspended, and to have it turned over to the IIU, thats a big deal. So it must have been pretty serious, because normally it would be investigated by internal (affairs). Another uncommon thing about this is that its a female member involved, he said. The IIU spokeswoman said she was unable to provide a time frame for how long the investigation was expected to take. News of this latest incident comes on the heels of a number of other investigations into off-duty Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP officers in particular for incidents related to drunk driving. In that context, the retired RCMP officer said the law enforcement agency may have kicked the investigation over to the IIU to avoid even the perception of a conflict of interest. Nonetheless, he maintains the accusations must have been of a serious nature for the IIU to deem the investigation in the publics interest. Just the fact the officer has been suspended indicates its fairly serious, he said. It would have to be fairly overt and have a pretty bad reflection on the member and on the force. The IIU investigates all serious incidents involving police officers whether on- or off-duty in the province. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 08/12/2017 (1805 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A new federal agreement with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs supports First Nations jurisdiction over child and family services. AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas signed a memorandum of understanding on the subject in Ottawa with Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett. The signing of this (MOT) is an important step forward, focusing on improvements that First Nations in Manitoba want to see in the child-welfare system. This work will also ensure that our collaborative efforts will result in fewer children in care and more children reunited with their families and communities, Philpott said in a prepared statement issued after the Dec. 7, signing. WAYNE GLOWACKI / FREE PRESS FILES Scott Fielding will travel to Ottawa next week for a meeting of federal, provincial and territorial housing ministers to develop a 10-year national housing strategy. In Manitoba, more than 11,000 children are in child and family services care and more than 90 per cent of them are Indigenous. The provincial government has publicly recognized the system is in crisis and pledged reforms, including ones to restore families and give children a permanent link back to them. Families Minister Scott Fielding welcomed the initiative. We want to work with our Indigenous partners and the federal government to find meaningful solutions that create better outcomes for all our children, on and off reserve, Fielding said. Fielding met with Philpott and Southern Manitoba Grand Chief Jerry Daniels days later in Ottawa to discuss ways the province, the federal government and Manitobas Indigenous leaders can work together. In an interview the day after the signing, AMC Grand Chief Arlen Dumas explained what First Nations expect to accomplish in reforms. Were not saying we dont want the system. We need the system to do what its intended to do. Its not about kidnapping children, thats not what the system was intended to do. It was about helping people, bringing families together, going out and finding resources to help people if they have issues that prevent them from being healthy parents, Dumas said. Theres people from all the communities in the province who are in the system, and unfortunately it turned into a Hotel California for them: you can never leave. Ottawa provided $560,000 in the past two fiscal years to the AMC to hold regional discussions on First Nations and with the province about changes communities would like to see made to First Nations child and family service systems, a process that wrapped up with a report on June 30. The funding was for the Keewaywin Engagement, an eight-month-project that ran from November 2016 to June 30, 2017 (and) through it, AMC engaged with First Nations grassroots citizens on their dreams for reform of the federal First Nations child and family services program, Dumas later said in a Dec. 12 letter to the Free Press. The Keewaywin Engagement Manitoba First Nations Child and Family Services Reform covered key findings, including calls to restore traditional cultural practices, establish customary care/kinship care in all 63 Manitoba First Nations and to recognize First Nations inherent jurisdiction over the well-being of their families and children. Child welfare falls under provincial jurisdiction, but Aboriginal Justice Inquiry recommendations nearly two decades ago called for reforms that created Indigenous child-welfare agencies. Those agencies were intended to make room for Indigenous-led reforms and lead to an Indigenous child-welfare system, Dumas said; instead, the number of children removed from families soared along with spending to licence and support foster parents to care for them. First Nations have the inherent jurisdiction to look after our children and families, Dumas stated in the letter. That was the understanding when First Nations and the province of Manitoba, through the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry Child Welfare Initiative, created the current system that temporarily borrowed provincial legislation, Dumas said in his letter. The job now is to address First Nations jurisdiction over their own children and to hold the province accountable in the way child welfare is run, he said. The funding follows on the heels of an $800,000 envelope Ottawa handed the AMC in October to expand its family advocacy office and come up with community solutions to address the high number of seizures of Indigenous children. alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca Note: This story as initially published contained several errors, including erroneously making a link between federal funding to the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and provincial reforms to child welfare. In fact, the agreement between Ottawa and the AMC was to support the inherent jurisdiction First Nations have over child and family services. At no point was the funding meant to facilitate talks with the province, nor to suggest that the province would share jurisdiction for child welfare with First Nations. The story has been updated to correct these errors. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 08/12/2017 (1805 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba Tories, and Manitobans in general, are currently being reminded of the risks and the rewards that accompanied the 2016 election of Premier Brian Pallister. A veteran public servant and successful business owner, there are a lot of reasons on paper to consider him to be the right man to lead the province, particularly in these perilous and uncertain economic times. He is relentless, driven and ambitious. However, Pallister is also a loose cannon who can, and often does, surprise the people around him with the things he says and does. For a case in point, we need look no further than the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce State of the Province address on Thursday. John Woods / The Canadian Press files Manitoba Premier Brian Pallisters Costa Rican holdings continue to be a bone of contention for the Opposition. In his opening remarks to 1,200 members of the business and political community at the RBC Winnipeg Convention Centre, Pallister thanked chamber chair Johanna Hurme a successful architect and businesswoman for dressing up for the occasion, and for those heels. In the hours that followed the speech, furor over the comments grew until the premier normally a laggard when it comes to admitting his missteps issued a statement which tried to provide the context for his comments. Lamentably, it was not an apology. Pallisters statement turned out to be one of those Im-sorry-if-you-are-one-of-those-people-who-were-offended-by-my-joke apologies that was missing an essential ingredient: an admission that what he did was wrong. In this, the year when powerful men who harass and abuse women have been stripped of their armour and arrogance, this is a hilariously insufficient response. For her part, Hurme issued an elegant statement later on Friday afternoon that attempted to explain her response to the comments, as well as her feelings going forward. Although she did not consider Pallisters comments ill-intended or a significant moment for me personally, she nonetheless acknowledged that this incident was connected to a much bigger issue that I cannot ignore on behalf of all women, young girls and progressive men in the audience and now across our country. Hurme expressed her disappointment that Pallister had decided to acknowledge her presence at the chamber lunch with comments about her clothes and shoes and not my based on my work. Unfortunately, similar situations continue to be all too familiar for women in leadership positions across Canada. In closing, Hurme noted that she received a call from Pallister, shared her thoughts with the premier, and he expressed his regrets. It is, at this moment, hard to tell how much longer this story will simmer. Pallister has no shortage of political enemies who will try to use this gaffe to undermine broader public support for the premier and his government. The shrill siren of outrage is already ramping up in opposition offices. There are also no doubt segments of the Manitoba electorate mostly, but perhaps not exclusively, men who will dismiss what happened as an overreaction to events that are occurring well away from this province. The fact is that this thing, is a thing. Theres no getting around it. The world has recently undergone swift and seismic change when it comes to indiscretions committed by powerful men against women. Any man who doesnt understand the importance and magnitude of that change is not worthy of much sympathy. But there is more to this story than just another older man demonstrating a lack of sensitivity about the way women are treated and characterized. This is also fast becoming a story about how a premier has become the single greatest liability in his own government. Pallister is impulsive, largely does not trust the people who are advising or serving with him, and shoots from the lip more than a first minister should. He is demanding when it comes to the performance of others, and yet has single-handedly produced more negative headlines than anyone else in his government. After looking at his roster of gaffes and missteps, one has to wonder whether he would tolerate this kind of performance from one of his cabinet ministers. There was the time during the provincial election where it was revealed that Pallister had fibbed about being out of Manitoba, and in Costa Rica at his vacation property, during 2012 summer floods. Pallister had continued to maintain he was at a family wedding in Alberta, right up until a media outlet found incontrovertible documents showing that he was, in fact, in Central America. Pallisters mismanagement of the Costa Rica issue produced other wounds as well. He and his government were forced to deflect questions for several weeks after Pallisters refusal to explain how he keeps in touch with his office while down south, and the ultimate revelation that he was channeling sensitive government information and phone calls through his wifes mobile phone. There was the infamous night-hunting comments, in which he disparaged indigenous hunting rights and suggested that friction between indigenous hunters and non-indigenous hunters and landowners was becoming a race war. There have been ill-advised taunts directed towards the federal government, and disparaging remarks about policies in other provinces. For Tory party insiders, the gaffes include Pallisters curious decision to float the idea of a health care premium, a controversial idea that had never been discussed at length within the party or the government, and which certainly did not do anything to win or sustain support among voters. For a party that is sagging in the polls, particularly in the seat-rich capital city of the province, these gaffes are extremely concerning for a government and a party that has struggled to provide good government. Pallisters remarks at the chamber lunch were certainly ill-timed and poorly conceived. But they also tell us something about the qualities of the man running the province. And its not good. dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 09/12/2017 (1804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. As awkward moments go, this was something of a towering achievement. Premier Brian Pallister appeared at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday, delivering the annual State of the Province address to an audience exceeding 1,200 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. After being introduced and striding confidently onto the stage, he prefaced his speech with a couple of stumbling off-hand remarks that were intended as humorous but left the crowd dumbfounded. In thanking chamber chair Johanna Hurme for inviting him to speak, Mr. Pallister said, I want to thank Johanna for dressing up. I want to thank her for those heels I notice theyre a foot high. One could almost hear the social-media universe coming unglued as the words left the premiers mouth. WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Brian Pallister It was, of course, a patently stupid thing to say. Commenting on the wardrobe choices of Ms. Hurme an architect and accomplished business owner was rightly perceived as a belittling and sexist gesture toward a professional person who deserves to be treated as an equal. Such remarks would be unacceptable in any current situation, but were especially ill-considered in the current context of powerful men being taken to task for their mistreatment of women. The mistake created a very uncomfortable moment, but those who have immediately sought to build it into something more serious should pause for a moment and reflect on their motives. Mr. Pallister issued a statement late Thursday, explaining his misstep was the result of a poorly delivered joke about his own height rather than a gender-biased clothing critique. I am particularly aware of my height and often make light-hearted comments about being taller than the people around me, the statement offered. Ms. Hurme released a response Friday stating that the comments were not significant to her personally, but required a response as part of a larger issue. Similar situations continue to be all too familiar for women in leadership positions across Canada, she said. The premier expressed his regrets to Ms. Hurme, who said she wants to move past the incident. Mr. Pallister clearly intended no harm with his clumsy compliment, and will have learned a hard and slightly humiliating lesson. That is not to say, however, that the premiers appearance at Thursdays event was without deliberate verbal mischief. There was nefarious intent in another portion of Mr. Pallisters chamber address. In his opening remarks, he took aim at a certain media outlet presumably of the broadsheet-newspaper variety for continually employing the word austere to unfairly malign his governments budget-conscious performance to date. Look it up in the dictionary, he told the lunch-hour crowd, and youll find that word defined as cold and bitter. Invoking this selectively chosen meaning, he insisted his governments tough-love plan to balance the books is anything but austere, and that bitter would more aptly describe the provincial debt accumulated by his NDP predecessors. Mr. Pallister seemed genuinely offended by the media outlets use of austere in relation to his agenda. Its worth noting, however, that the media outlet the premier sometimes refers to as the official opposition actually favours the noun form austerity over the adjectival variant employed by Mr. Pallister for political-theatre purposes. Merriam-Websters definition of austerity includes enforced or extreme economy, especially on a national scale, and illustrates the meaning with the example a series of austerity measures (measures taken to reduce spending). In this instance, the premier did not misspeak. His intention was clear, and his rather cold linguistic calculation backfired, leaving him looking like a man embittered. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 00:06:39|Editor: yan Video Player Close SHENZHEN, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A China-EU maritime economy industrial park will be built in south China's Shenzhen city, according to the local authority. The China-EU blue industrial park will be a hub for maritime cooperation between China and the EU. Wang Hong, head of the State Oceanic Administration of China, said coastal provinces, which accounted for 14 percent of China's territory, generated 60 percent of the country's GDP. "Ocean-involved companies provided 36 million jobs, and the gross ocean product exceeded 7 trillion yuan in China last year," he said. Six companies in China and the EU signed cooperation agreements on maritime economy Friday. During the 18th bilateral summit between the EU and China, China and the EU agreed to establish 2017 as the China-EU Blue Year. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 01:57:19|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close A wounded Palestinian protester is evacuated during clashes with Israeli troops after a protest against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, near east of Gaza city, on Dec. 8, 2017. An estimated 4,500 Palestinian protesters participated in violent riots at six locations along the border with the Gaza Strip throughout Friday against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, said a statement by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Friday evening. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar) JERUSALEM, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- An estimated 4,500 Palestinian protesters participated in violent riots at six locations along the border with the Gaza Strip throughout Friday against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, said a statement by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Friday evening. Protestors rolled burning tires and threw rocks at the security fence and IDF troops who responded with riot dispersals. During the riots, IDF soldiers fired selectively toward dozens of main instigators, according to the statement. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians held demonstrations in Judea and Samaria Area of the West Bank, said the IDF. Protestors threw firebombs and rocks and rolled burning tires at security forces. The violence was taking place in Hebron, Al-Arroub, Tulkarm, Ramallah, Qalqilya and Nablus. In order to disperse the riots, IDF and Border Police soldiers responded with riot dispersals and fired warning shots into the air. During the course of Friday, 28 rioters were arrested and approximately 65 injured, said the IDF. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 03:52:58|Editor: yan Video Player Close ACCRA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The government of Ghana commenced the process here on Friday to reform its business registration and regulation atmosphere to make the country most friendly business nation in Africa within three years. The coordinated national program aims at improving the country's Doing Business Climate and improve its performance in key global indicator surveys including the annual World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index. Minister for Trade and Industry Allan Kyeremateng who launched the program said the process would focus on selected regulations relevant to the life cycle of domestic small and medium sized businesses. The indicators to be reformed include Starting a Business; Dealing with Construction Permits; Enforcing Contracts; Resolving Insolvency; Registering Property and Getting Electricity. In addition, Getting Credit; Protecting Investors; Paying Taxes and Trading Across Borders will also be reformed, according to the minister. Ghana slipped 12 places to 120 from 108 in the 2017 World Bank Ease of Doing Business index released in November. "We are seeking to create and enabling environment that will make Ghana the most friendly business country in Africa," the minister said in an interview, adding:" that will require the reform of laws, regulations and administrative procedures." Kyeremateng added that the reforms would not happen by chance but by careful and deliberate engineering, hence the multi-sectoral nature of the program which is mostly being led by the private sector under the guidance of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI). "At the end of the three-year period of implementation phase, we are confident that Ghana will not only become the most friendly business country in Africa, because we do not want to benchmark ourselves with our African peers alone, but would also be among the best in the world," Kyeremateng projected. When Casey Anthony walked out of jail a free woman in 2011, she was described as the most hated woman in America. More than 1,000 angry protestors gathered at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Florida, after her shocking acquittal on murder and manslaughter charges in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. At the time, Anthonys attorney, Cheney Mason, said that his client was in fear for her life and that the angry public was a threat to her safety. But things seem to have changed. Anthony, now 31, lives a quiet life in South Florida doing legal investigation work and staying with Pat McKenna, a private investigator who worked on her case. (The nature of their relationship has never been made public.) And while she generally keeps to herself, Anthony is also meeting new people. PEOPLE spoke with two sources close to her who say that she is encountering less hostility than she used to. People pretty much leave her alone, says one source who has known Anthony since her trial. She can go out and no one really bothers her. Casey Anthony A second source agrees, saying, Enough time has passed that shes not as toxic as she used to be. Shes going out now and then. Shes got a circle of friends, and guys are paying attention to her again, the second source says, Guys are even asking her out now. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. While Anthonys team had actively sought to sell photos and interviews to the media, they were ultimately unsuccessful in cashing in on her notoriety. Ultimately, she gave her first interview since her acquittal for free to the Associated Press earlier this year. Speaking then, she said that she wasnt sure if she was dumb enough to ever have another child. Anthony has occasionally spoken with her mother, Cindy, and her brother, Lee, but has had little contact with her father, George, who was accused by her defense team at her trial of molesting her a charge he vehemently denies. Story continues From left: Cindy and George Anthony Cindy said she believes Casey is mentally ill while George said that he still sees his granddaughter in the house, nine years after her death. And both of them said they would sue Casey if she participated in a reality show. Casey, be true to yourself, start being honest with yourself and own everything, Cindy said. Quit putting blame on everybody else. One of the Casey insiders tells PEOPLE that she will not speak out about her life again anytime soon. There will be no more interviews or book deals at least for the moment, according to this source. She likes being more anonymous now, the source says. People dont recognize her. Guys just see her as a pretty girl. Shes not Casey Anthony, murder defendant. Shes just an average Florida girl who is living her life. The husband and three children of a victim in the Octobers Las Vegas concert massacre are seeking $45 million in damages from the estate of the gunman, PEOPLE confirms. On Wednesday, the family of 31-year-old Keri Galvan who was killed along with 57 other innocent people in the mass shooting on Oct. 1 filed a creditors claim against the estate of shooter Stephen Paddock in Clark County, Nevada, according to court documents first obtained by The Blast. Paddock, 64, shot down onto Galvan and thousands of others at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival, opening fire from his nearby hotel suite at the Mandalay Bay casino. In addition to killing 58 people, Paddock injured hundreds, according to police. He fatally shot himself as authorities closed in. Documents filed in court and reviewed by PEOPLE show that Keris husband, Justin, and the couples three children, who are 10, 4 and 2 years old, are each seeking $10 million from Paddocks estate. The amount each family member is requesting represents Keris lost wages, her funeral expenses and the loss of her love, companionship, comfort, care, assistance, protection, affection, and emotional support, the court records show. Justin is seeking an additional $5 million for intentional infliction of emotional distress and assault, the documents state. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Keri Galvan The total size of Paddocks estate following his death is unclear. Why authorities and his family have said he was a wealthy and successful gambler, investigators also said he lost a significant amount of money since 2015. Paddocks brother has been in charging of his estate and previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was focused on getting money to the victims from Paddocks assets. The plaintiffs attorney was not available to comment to PEOPLE and efforts to reach attorneys for Paddocks estate were unsuccessful. Story continues Multiple lawsuits have been brought in connection with the mass shooting against the hotel owner, MGM Resorts, and the concert organizer, Live Nation. In an earlier statement MGM said, Out of respect for the victims, we are not going to try this case in the public domain and we will give our response through the appropriate legal channels. The company described the mass shooting as a meticulously planned, evil senseless act. As our company and city work through the healing process, our primary focus and concern is taking actions to support the victims and their families, our guests and employees and cooperating with law enforcement, MGMs statement continued. (Live Nation also said it was unable to comment on the suits.) Keri, a resident of Thousand Oaks, California, died in Justins arms, according to news reports. She attended the festival with her husband and friends, her sister wrote on a fundraising page launched to help pay for her funeral expenses. Her children were everything to her, a close friend previously told PEOPLE: She lived and breathed being a mother. Her family is her entire world. Since Beverly Young Nelson accused Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore last month of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 and he was a deputy district attorney in his 30s, Nelson has been the target of threats and lies, she said at a press conference Friday. A talk radio host said I should be put in a town square and stoned and he said he wanted to be the first to throw the largest stone at me, she said while seated with her attorney, Gloria Allred. Someone sent me a photo of a casket which I have taken as a threat, she continued. I have had to live behind triple-locked doors, tinted windows, have security accompany me when I went to a doctors appointment. At the November press conference, Nelson revealed that when she was 16 and a waitress at a restaurant in Gadsen, Alabama, and Moore was the deputy district attorney of Etowah County and in his 30s, he offered to give her a ride home. Instead, she said he pulled over behind the restaurant, groped her breasts against her will and when she resisted, Moore began squeezing my neck and attempting to force my head into his crotch. Beverly Young Nelson (left) and Gloria Allred Moore has repeatedly denied her allegation, as well as those from the eight other women who have accused him of sexual assault and misconduct. These allegations are completely false. They are malicious. Specifically, I do not know any of these women nor have I ever engaged in sexual misconduct with anyone, he said at an Alabama rally in late November. While Moore has denied knowing Nelson, she has produced her high school yearbook where Moore allegedly wrote before the incident: To a sweeter, more beautiful girl I could not say Merry Christmas. Christmas 1977. Love, Roy Moore, D.A. Moore has denied it is his handwriting, and has called for her to allow his campaign to have a handwriting expert to examine it. Allred refused to turn over the yearbook to the Moore campaign. She hired her own expert, Arthur T. Anthony, a member of the Southeastern Association of Forensic Document Examiners, whom she said confirmed that the writing of the note and signature is Moores. Story continues Allred said Thursday that beneath Moores signature, Nelson added notes to remind herself who Roy Moore was and when he signed it. The notes read: 12-22-77, Olde Hickory House. Earlier in the day, conservative media outlets accused Nelson of forging the yearbook note. It is a defamatory statement to accuse her of a crime, Allred said. Anyone who accuses her or me of a crime should proceed at their own risk and own peril. Nelson said Friday that she is a Republican who had voted for Donald Trump, but is disappointed that Trump is now supporting Moore. I have some fear but refuse to be intimidated to silence or retract anything I have said, she said. I stand by my previous statement, that Roy Moore sexually assaulted me. At least one person is dead and thousands of Southern California residents have been forced to evacuate as a string of wildfires wreak havoc on the region, with the largest blaze spreading across more than 65,000 acres of land. Officials say that the powerful Santa Ana winds have contributed to the disastrous wildfires. And although fires are not typical in Southern California during this time of year, the mix of dry vegetation, too little rain and the massive winds have sparked the blazes and the Santa Ana winds have been whipping the fires across the region. The fire is still out of control and structures continue to be threatened throughout the fire area, officials said in a statement, describing the blaze as a fast moving, active brush fire. Due to the intensity of the fire, crews are having trouble making access and there are multiple reports of structures on fire. Three fire firghters were injured in Los Angeles and were taken to a hospital where they were listed in stable condition, the Washington Post reports. One person died in a rollover crash while trying to evacuate the area as thousands attempted to escape in the dark earlier this week, CNN reports. Santa Ana winds have long been a California staple, but what are they exactly? Heres everything you need to know about the powerful gales: Why Santa Ana? According to the National Weather Service, the Santa Ana winds are a weather condition in which strong, hot, dust-bearing winds descend to the Pacific Coast around Los Angeles from inland desert regions. The winds have been named such because they often pass through Santa Ana Canyon, located east of Los Angeles, CNN reports. How Do They Form? The winds are generated when cold, dry air masses move into the Great Basin, Fox News reports. Air flowing from the high-pressure region pours into Southern California metropolitan areas. The Santa Ana winds push back the cool air of the Pacific Ocean but are usually warmed by compression and speed, according to Fox. Story continues When Do They Usually Occur? The Santa Ana winds are most common in the fall but can occur during any time of year, the Associated Press reports. The winds often reach fierce speeds as they squeeze through canyons and mountain passes, the AP reports. Although they are usually warm, the Santa Ana winds develop when the desert is cold, according to the UCLA Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. They are most common from October through March. Are There Any Dangers? According to the Department, the winds can cause a great deal of damage. The fast, hot winds cause vegetation to dry out, increasing the danger of wildfire, the Departments website states. Once the fires start, the winds fan the flames and hasten their spread. The page continues: The winds tend to make for choppy surf conditions in the Southern California Bight, and often batter the north coast of Santa Catalina Island, including Avalon cove and the islands airport. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 03:58:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump declared an emergency in state of California on Friday as wildfires have engulfed several mountains around Los Angeles. The declaration allows federal assistance to supplement the state and local response efforts due to emergency conditions resulting from wildfires beginning earlier this month, according to the White House. It also frees up federal emergency funds for disaster-hit places, including Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, and Ventura counties, where California Governor Jerry Brown declared states of emergency earlier this week. Trump's announcement also came a day after Brown asked the president in a letter to declare an emergency in the state. The wildfires, driven by unpredictable winds, have destroyed thousands of acres of property and some 439 buildings in just a few days, fire authorities said. Earlier this year, wildfires ravaged Northern California, killing 44 people and causing damages worth billions of U.S. dollars. Former Massachusetts Sen. Brian Joyce was charged Friday with taking more than $1 million in bribes including, according to a 102-page indictment, 704 pounds of free Dunkin Donuts coffee. The former Democratic legislator apparently took bribes from a variety of companies and individuals looking to trade in on his influence, then laundered the money through his law offices, intentionally making the sums look like legal fees, the Associated Press reports. Joyce was arrested at his home on Friday morning, and has been charged with a litany of crimes including racketeering, extortion, wire fraud and money laundering, according to AP. Joyce pleaded not guilty in Worcesters federal courthouse Friday. Among Joyces more colorful alleged exploits, according to the indictment, was taking hundreds of pounds of free coffee from a Dunkin Donuts franchise owner, in addition to more than $125,000 in purported legal fees. The document says Joyce specifically asked in an email for no decaf and said we like k cups at my office if possible. Among other bribes, Joyce also reportedly received a Jeep worth almost $35,000, monetary kickbacks from an energy company and more. We believe Mr. Joyce was greedy, plain and simple, Harold Shaw, head of the Boston FBI office, said during a news conference Friday. Girls writer Murray Millers legal team retracted a claim against his accuser, and its highly suspicious On November 17th, news broke that actress Aurora Perrineau had accused Girls writer Murray Miller of sexual assault. Millers legal team promptly released a statement which not only stated that the accusations were false, but strongly implied that Perrineau was merely attempting to extort Miller for money. The statement read: After being contacted several weeks ago by lawyers who on Ms. Perrineaus behalf sought substantial monetary damages from him, Mr. Millers legal team gathered overwhelming evidence directly contradicting these false and offensive claims. Only after her demands for money were rebuffed did Ms. Perrineau go to the police. However, Millers legal team retracted their statement on December 7th. In a previous statement to the media, we stated that Ms. Perrineau sought substantial monetary damages from our client Murray Miller. Neither Ms. Perrineau nor her attorney have ever made a demand for money. Our previous above statement was incorrect and the result of a good-faith misunderstanding, his team said in a statement to Variety. 'Girls' writer Murray Miller's lawyers retract claim that assault accuser demanded money https://t.co/sbDcv5ZTCK pic.twitter.com/PeveMdpPgi Variety (@Variety) December 7, 2017 This new information begs the question: Why would Millers legal team think Perrineau had asked for money in the first place? Could it be because Miller falsely claimed she had? We unfortunately have no way of knowing at this time, but these new developments certainly raise some red flags. Namely: If Millers legal team was so wrong about the fact that Perrineau had demanded money from their client, could they also be wrong about his claims of innocence? Perrineaus accusation made headlines in no small part because Girls creator Lena Dunham initially came to Millers defense. In a joint statement, Dunham and Girls show-runner Jenni Konner wrote, Story continues While our first instinct is to listen to every womans story, our insider knowledge of Murrays situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year. It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed. We stand by Murray and this is all well be saying about this issue. Dunham faced strong backlash for her comments, with many pointing out her hypocritical stance on sexual misconduct (aka We should believe womenunless the accused is my friend). Dunham issued a retraction of her statement the next day, along with an apology, but not before the damage had been done. Apparently Lena Dunham is a huge supporter of women coming forward with sexual assault unless its someone she knows personally and has held her up and filled her world with love. Tom & Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo) November 18, 2017 Womens voices have been silenced for far too long on these issues, which is why its important to take each and every claim of sexual abuse and misconduct seriously. Well be monitoring this case as it develops, and only hope that justice is served. Roy Moore said America was great during the time of slavery, and Twitter is outraged Roy Moore, the Republican Alabama Senate nominee accused of inappropriate advances toward teenage girls, has continued to astound with his behavior. On December 7th, social media was in uproar over a slavery comment Moore made during a rally, in which he seems to look back on the Civil War with fond nostalgia. At a rally in Florence, Alabama, Moore responded to a black audience members question about what Moore considered to be the last time America was great. Moores answer reportedly acknowledged the racial divisions of the time but still settled on the 1800s when slavery was still around. I think it was a great time when families were united even though we had slavery they cared for one anotherOur families were strong and our country had direction, Moore said. The comment was covered by the Los Angeles Times in a September article, but social media didnt latch onto Moores words until a viral tweet on December 7th. The tweet was posted by Eric Columbus, who worked in the Department of Justice and Homeland Security under President Barack Obama. Columbuss post was retweeted more than 9,000 times. Can't make this up -- Roy Moore said in September that the last time America was great was when we had slavery. (h/t @reckonalabama)https://t.co/NMF4BCQ6ZS pic.twitter.com/XbpPtdifuS Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) December 7, 2017 Twitter users were incredulous, saying that Moore seemed to want a second Civil War. Roy Moore wants to return Alabama to before the Civil War. He said as much today. Roy Moore hates America. Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) December 7, 2017 Even if you're willing to somehow dismiss Roy Moore's pedophilia, let's not forget that this is a man who, in September, referred to the Civil War era as a time when America was great "even though we had slavery" and referred to Native Americans and Asians as "reds and yellows." Salty Submarine Sailor (@Shoffner1974) December 8, 2017 Others pointed out that there were plenty of other periods in American history that Moore could have chosen. Roy Moore literally says that the last time America was great was not when we fought Nazis. Not when we eliminated polio. Not when we WENT TO THE FUCKING MOON. He thinks the last time America was great was before the Civil War, "even though we had slavery." #weepforAmerica J.D. Rhoades (@JD_Rhoades) December 8, 2017 Not to mention that, as some said, enslaved families were often separated from one another during the 1800s definitely not among those who were united at the time. Roy Moore believes that the greatest time in the US was during the Civil War when families were still together. Slave families were split Jamie Griles (@JamieGriles) December 8, 2017 "It was great at the time when families were united even though we had slavery." Slavery literally tore families apart. Possibly at no time in US history when families were less united than during this time. sistermagpie (@sistermagpie) December 7, 2017 And others said the comment was racist. Some even suggested that the Trump-coined phrase MAGA referred to bringing back slavery all along. SLAVERY. Roy Moore said the last time America was great was during slavery. With a straight face. Slavery. The man actually said it. We've known for two years that "Make America Great Again" was code for this, but Roy Moore doesn't speak in code. The man said slavery. https://t.co/uqzAyWnVjo Shaun King (@ShaunKing) December 7, 2017 Roy Moore is out here talking about the Civil War positively while running against a man (Doug Jones) who prosecuted the god damn Klan. https://t.co/OBB9mMBbPA Avi (@JasperAvi) November 22, 2017 America was great when black people were slaves, according to Roy Moore. (PS: many Black people have long known that this is what MAGA meant all along.) https://t.co/VLWfXVkCec Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) December 7, 2017 What did y'all think MAGA referred to?! mandarin seasons greetings (@TheRealMCSloth) December 7, 2017 A dangerous, insensitive, white supremacist statement from #RoyMoore. Rhetoric our nation and world cannot afford, particularly with our neighbors on the auction block in #Libya. https://t.co/ffPRp7XPdW The King Center (@TheKingCenter) December 8, 2017 Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct by nine women. Several of these women alleged that Moore made sexual advances toward them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. Moore has denied the allegations against him. President Donald Trump officially endorsed Moore for Senate on December 4th. And the Republican National Committee was not far behind, saying they would resume funding Moores campaign a few hours later. The sexual misconduct allegations against Moore were enough for us to want him out of the Senate race, but these comments add a new layer. There was nothing great about slavery. We hope that the people of Alabama consider Moores comments when they vote in the upcoming election. President Trump. (Photo: Getty Images) According to a new Quinnipiac University poll, most Americans want President Trump investigated for sexual harassment, and they arent afraid to say it. Between the dates of Nov. 29 and Dec. 4, the polling team asked a random sample of 1,747 American adults across the nation this question among others: Do you think Congress should investigate the accusations of sexual harassment against President Trump, or not? Seventy percent of Americans responded that they would like the U.S. Congress to investigate the 45th president, while only 25 percent said they would not. Most Americans polled also said they found it hypocritical for President Trump to criticize men accused of sexual harassment. Quinnipiac also asked, Have you ever been sexually assaulted, meaning someone touched you in an inappropriate, sexual manner without your consent, or not? Among those polled, 32 percent said they had been assaulted, which was consistent across all age groups from 18 to over 65. Women made up 47 percent of those sexually assaulted while 17 percent were men. Looking further at the Quinnipiac findings, 39 percent said their assault happened in social settings, 37 percent said it happened at work, 27 percent said it happened at home, and 20 percent said it happened on the street. Nineteen percent of those sexually assaulted claimed it happened at school. A little more than half of Americans think that coming forward with stories of sexual harassment and sexual assault will change the nation for the better while 33 percent said it will not have much impact. Only 9 percent said it will make things worse. Douglas Schwartz, director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, conducted the survey with the help of Tim Malloy, its assistant director. Malloy tells Yahoo Lifestyle this was the first poll of its kind that the school has ever done, but the current state of affairs called for it. There was an avalanche of accusations and firings and scandals in the political arena as well as business and media. We watched the headlines, he said. We poll on the trends and what we see going on, and people were talking about it. Story continues During the polls timeframe, sexual misconduct dominated the national conversation: NBC fired Matt Lauer after sexual assault allegations, and Rep. John Conyers was under pressure to resign for sexual harassment allegations as well. Sen. Al Franken was called on to resign, Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore disputed claims about his contact with nine teenage women, and producer Russell Simmons stepped down, among others. The #MeToo movement dominated much of the national conversation. Malloy explains that to eliminate potential bias or swaying questions, he and a team of five come up with unbiased questions and read them off to participants as written. Usually 25-30 percent of the people called will respond, he explained, but these days, things are different. In this volatile political atmosphere, people are more willing to say what they think, he said. You dont get as many hang-ups as you used to. Malloy says neither the president nor the White House have contacted them about the poll. It remains to be seen if those 70 percent of Americans will be heard. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Los Angeles (AFP) - Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani ended the suspense on Friday, agreeing to sign with the Los Angeles Angels where he'll team with two-time Most Valuable Player Mike Trout. "This morning, after a thorough, detailed process, Shohei Ohtani has decided to sign with the Los Angeles Angels," Ohtani's agent Nez Balelo said in a statement, capping a frenzy of courtship and speculation that had surrounded the player's move to the US major leagues. The Angels have until December 22 to finalize a deal with the 23-year-old. They must pay the $20 million posting fee to Ohtani's Japanese club the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He'll receive a minor league contract, along with the $2.315 million in international bonus money the Angels have available. On Wednesday the Angels boosted their international bonus fund by $1 million by trading outfielder Jacob Pearson to the Minnesota Twins. The acquisition is a coup for the Angels, who beat out a host of suitors. That included six other teams that made his short list: The Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. "Shohei is humbled and flattered by all the time and effort that so many teams put into their presentations," Balelo said. "What mattered to him most wasn't market size, time zone or league but that he felt a true bond with the Angels. "He sees this as the best environment to develop and reach the next level and attain his career goals." Ohtani, dubbed the Babe Ruth of Japan, is a two-way threat with a fastball clocked at 100 mph (161 km/h) and an explosive presence at the plate. Although his 2017 season with the Ham Fighters was hampered by an ankle injury, in 2016 he put up dazzling numbers, with a 10-4 record and a 1.86 ERA in 140 innings. At the plate he hit .322 and clubbed 22 home runs. In 403 games over four seasons with the Japan Pacific League club he batted .286 with 48 homers, 166 RBIs and a .859 OPS. As a pitcher, he was 42-15 with a 2.52 ERA in 85 outings (82 starts). Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 04:38:15|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close MOSCOW, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia is ready to work with the United States on issues regarding the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty via professional dialogue, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday. "This event (the signing of the INF Treaty) was a milestone on the path towards abandoning the Cold War. The treaty contributed greatly to strengthening European and global security and stability...It was crucial step towards nuclear disarmament," the ministry said in a commentary on the 30th anniversary of the treaty. Moscow has strictly abided by the INF Treaty over the three decades and will continue to fulfill its obligations in the treaty "for as long as our partners do the same", the ministry said. According to the ministry, Washington keeps producing groundless accusations of Russia's violating the treaty, while tending to interpret its obligations stipulated in the treaty in a way that is favorable to the development of important armament. "We are ready to engage in a non-political, professional dialogue with the U.S. regarding the issues around the treaty. However, attempts to communicate with us in the language of ultimatums or to put military and political pressure on Russia through sanctions are unacceptable," it said. The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 by the former Soviet Union and the United States to ban the development, deployment and testing of ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles with ranges between 300 miles (483 km) to 3,400 miles (5472 km). Moscow and Washington have repeatedly accused each other of violating the treaty. The Angels are looking much better now that Shohei Ohtani is coming to town. (AP Photo/Toru Takahashi, File) The Los Angeles Angels may have finally put a team capable of winning it all around superstar Mike Trout. With the addition of Japanese stud Shohei Ohtani on Friday, the team saw its World Series odds dramatically increase. Coming into the day, the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook listed the Angels at 50-1 to win the World Series. After the Ohtani news, that went to 30-1. Japanese star Shohei Ohtani's signing with the Los Angeles Angels had ripple effects in Las Vegas as well. The Angels go from 50-1 to 30-1 to win the World Series at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. https://t.co/b30dMlwT7T Ben Fawkes (@BFawkesESPN) December 8, 2017 Thats a pretty dramatic change. When Westgate released its odds in November, the Angels were tied with the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants at 50-1. With their new odds, the Angels would be in the same category as the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers. Note that those odds are from November and may have changed since then. While Ohtani should help the Angels, the team is still considered a fringe playoff contender according to Las Vegas. None of the teams with 30-1 odds made the postseason in 2017, though many came close. That includes the Angels, who finished at 80-82. Despite all the hype about the 23-year-old two-way player, there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding his abilities. Many believe Ohtani can be a difference-maker, at least on the mound. But there are questions over whether hell be used as a true two-way player, and whether he can hold up under that workload. The league hasnt seen a player seriously attempt both pitching and hitting at the same time since Babe Ruth. If Ohtani is that good, you might as well put your money down now, because it would be tough to see the Angels miss the postseason with the next Babe Ruth and Mike Trout on the same team. Story continues Actually, you might want to put your money on the Angels even if you believe Ohtani is merely a good player instead of a legendary one. The level of uncertainty surrounding Ohtani could mean Vegas is underrating him at the moment. If Ohtani comes into spring training and merely looks decent, the Angels odds will only improve from here. Now is the time to strike if youre a believer. More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports: Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik Day of Rage demonstrations turned deadly on Friday, as clashes continued between Palestinians and Israeli forces after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and move the U.S. embassy to the contested city. Israeli soldiers fatally shot a 30-year-old Palestinian man near the Gaza border, Reuters reported. A Gaza hospital official later confirmed a second person had died of their injuries. Live fire and rubber bullets also injured scores of people, the news outlet added, citing the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service. More than 200 people have been wounded across the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem so far, including 50 who required hospital treatment. The anti-Israel protests have stretched into a third consecutive day after Trump made his widely condemned announcement Wednesday. Haaretz reported a rocket struck the city of Sderot on Friday afternoon. Emotions are very high here, and it doesnt take much to kick things off, said Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, speaking in front of Damascus Gate in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli forces reportedly responded to scuffles in at least 30 different locations with rubber bullets and tear gas. The army said hundreds of demonstrators threw stones at soldiers and rolled burning tires toward them. Troops have reportedly handcuffed, detained, teargassed and used water cannons against protestors. Thousands of people also gathered in protest in Algeria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Malaysia, Kashmir, Iran and Indonesia. U.S. embassies across these regions tightened security in anticipation of further demonstrations, and urged U.S. citizens to avoid the gatherings. WATCH: Security on high alert in Jerusalem amidst violent protests following President Trumps decision to recognize the city as Israels capital pic.twitter.com/KIsInXDvoc TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 8, 2017 Trumps recognition of Jerusalem this week enraged Palestinians, who say the decision hampers or destroys chances for a two-state peace deal. For decades, U.S. policy has stated that Israelis and Palestinians should negotiate the citys status among themselves. Story continues Many leaders in the Arab world and beyond including U.S. allies swiftly condemned Trumps controversial decision to reverse the policy. The group included the governments of Lebanon, France, Turkey, the U.K., Iran and Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a courageous and just decision. Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, called for a new uprising, or intifada, beginning Friday, against Israelis. The Palestinian Authority announced that Vice President Mike Pence, who was set to visit the region later this month, is no longer welcome in Palestinian territories. Israels army launched strikes on two locations inside the Gaza Strip on Thursday, targeting Hamas, according to Israeli media reports. The strikes appeared to be retaliation for rocket attacks from Gaza earlier in the day. The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Friday meeting to discuss the embassy relocation. In a joint statement, the ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the U.K. expressed their disappointment. We disagree with the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, they said. The status of Jerusalem must be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians leading to a final status agreement. CORRECTION: A previous version of this article mischaracterized the protests as the reason that some United Nations Security Council members called for a meeting; rather, it was the announcement of the embassys relocation that prompted calls for a meeting. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. (SAN ANTONIO) An imprisoned former nurse who prosecutors believe could be responsible for the deaths of up to 60 children in Texas pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges in the deaths of five children in the early 1980s. Genene Jones, 67, was arraigned Thursday in San Antonio. She was brought into court in a wheelchair and wore a surgical mask. Jones is serving concurrent 99-year and 60-year sentences in state prison for the killing of 15-month-old Chelsea McClellan and the sickening of 4-week-old Rolando Santos. Before the new charges were brought, Jones had been scheduled to be freed in March 2018 under a mandatory release law that was in place when she was convicted. Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood said each case will be tried separately. Jones could face up to life in prison on each charge. Children died of unexplained seizures and other complications when Jones worked at a San Antonio hospital and clinic in Kerrville, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) to the northwest of San Antonio. This is an enormous step in the right direction to secure justice for these slain children, their families and our community as a whole, LaHood said at a news conference Wednesday. He said theyll first try the case of 11-month-old Joshua Sawyer, who investigators say died in 1981 of a fatal overdose of an anti-seizure drug. Our goal, my goal is that she takes her last breath from behind bars and she meets the Lord from behind bars, LaHood said Wednesday. Prosecutors at Jones 1984 murder trial said the nurse lethally injected children at the Kerrville clinic to demonstrate the need for a pediatric intensive care unit at a nearby hospital. Other prosecutors theorized that her tactic was to take swift medical action and save some of her victims so she could appear to be a sort of miracle worker. LaHood said Wednesday that todays prosecutors dont really know her motivation. To me, evil is evil is evil, LaHood said Wednesday, All I know is these children were stolen from family. Its not clear why Jones actions, involving so many suspected victims, were not detected earlier. But Sam Millsap, a previous district attorney in Bexar County, told KSAT-TV in 2013 that medical records at the San Antonio hospital at one point were accidently destroyed, hampering efforts by investigators to prove their suspicions. She was sentenced to prison in 1984 in the McClellan and Santos cases. When LaHood took office in January 2015, he approved a task force to investigate Jones. In announcing in May the indictment in the death of Sawyer the first of the five new indictments that came this year, LaHood said his office would attempt to account for every child whose life was stolen by the actions of Jones. This is Mississippi, the middle of the iceberg. This is a tremor in the middle of the iceberg from a stone that the builders rejected, Bob Moses, the director of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)s Mississippi project, wrote in 1961 from a jail cell in Magnolia, Miss., where he and 11 other activists who had been trying to help fellow African Americans register to vote had been imprisoned. Now, more than 50 years since that tremor catalyzed a seismic shift in American society, Saturday will see the grand opening of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum making Mississippi the first U.S. state to have its own official state-funded civil rights museum. In eight galleries, visitors start at the beginning with the Atlantic slave trade and move through displays on the Emancipation Proclamation and Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the 60s and the present moment, ending with a room to reflect on the modern-day offshoots of the movement. Its a striking moment for a state that was often the violent epicenter of the fight for racial equality in the United States and a reminder that the history to which the museum is devoted is not fully in the past, as President Trumps plan to attend the grand opening has prompted some to consider protesting the event. Ahead of the grand opening, TIME talked to the Mississippi Civil Rights Museums director, Pamela Junior, about what she hopes visitors will take away from the new exhibits. TIME: What are some of the most unique artifacts in the collection? JUNIOR: The actual rifle that Byron De La Beckwith used to assassinate Medgar Evers is here, given to us by the Hinds County Circuit Court. The doors to Bryants Grocery that Emmett Till touched in August 1965, before he was lynched. Its amazing that this young boy, 14 years old, went into a store to buy a piece of gum, never knowing this was going to happen to him later on that evening. When I saw those doors for the first time, it was hard for me to get close to them because I couldnt reconcile with those doors. Theres a burned cross, thats part of the Klan exhibition. We have three Klan robes. What its doing is showing how the Klan would come onto the property with a small coffin, put it on your doorstep, and the next day come and put a cross in front of your house. One particular gentleman picked it up and kept it. Im amazed, still, that people kept these artifacts. How did they know that one day thered be a place to put it? Now there is. The museums layout is circular. Why? The circle has to do with everything being so dark that you needed to be able to come out and sit and reflect before you go back into the tunnel, as I tell people. The civil rights movement was a very uncomfortable movement. The architect made everything very close, very tight, and I love that. You walk into a gallery and see lynching monoliths [listing the names of victims], and you hear the sound of people saying, Girl, get off that sidewalk! And it puts you in the moment. You hear rifles being ready to shoot, and you hear dogs barking. All of this is part of putting people in that time period. And you come out of that and into a rotunda, where there is a 37-foot-high circular sculpture called This Little Light of Mine that moves when you walk in. When one person walks in, it kind of flickers. The more people walk in, the more it starts dancing. And what its symbolizing is all of the people who came to help bring a change to Mississippi. People are a little nervous when they come in and see images of people that have been lynched, when they the imprint of the bodies of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner in shallow graves. Ive seen crying, and people coming out to just breathe because it was so heavy. One lady told me she couldnt breathe. I get that. Thats the dark tunnel thats part of what Mississippi went through. Were serious about this. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter Growing up in Mississippi, what inspired you to make a career out of educating people on the history of civil rights? When I was 11 years old, the first book I read, as far as a novel, was Black Boy by Richard Wright. Richard Wright was a genius because the same problems the black boy had in the [Jim Crow South] are the same problems happening today in the 21st century. Freedom Schools were big in Jackson so sometimes my parents would allow me to go hang out and be around students who were a part of Freedom Schools. What gave me my strength is not the information I got in school, but when I was 12 in 1970, I was walking through Jackson State campus from middle school, and a Black Panther put a black band on my arm. And that did something for me. I didnt take that black band off for probably about three weeks. Made me feel like there something Im supposed to be doing. It just stuck with me forever. What does it mean for Mississippi to have the first such state-sponsored civil rights museum? What it means is that Mississippi is ready, finally, to tell the truth. Mississippi has the best people to tell the story. Its right here. Its in black and white. Come and understand the people of Mississippi. Come and understand the struggle. Come and understand the folks who gave their lives up for people in Mississippi. Thats a great example for people all over the world. Were going to help ourselves by really reading and listening and teaching our children about this history and about mobilizing, strategizing and organizing. Movements are around us. Lawmakers seeking to address the issue of sexual harassment on Capitol Hill have hit a brick wall when trying to gather information about past complaints. Rep. Susan Brooks, a Republican from Indiana, and a colleague sent a letter to the Congressional office tasked with handling workplace issues like harassment and discrimination seeking as much information as possible on sexual harassment claims. Brooks chairs the House Committee on Ethics, which is tasked with investigating member misdeeds. She and the committees ranking member, Rep. Theodore Deutch, a Democrat from Florida, sent the letter on Dec. 1. We were asking for anything related to sexual harassment, said Brooks. The response received today indicated that due to the confidentiality requirements of the statute, they cannot provide us with that. All of the counseling and mediation that is conducted by the Office of Compliance is confidential under existing law, the head of that office wrote in a letter Brooks office shared with TIME. The office can share information and records with the committee, but only if the complaint reaches the end stage of the complaint process and a decision has been rendered in the case. Because there were no such proceedings for any current members of Congress, the office had nothing to share. The way the law is written, the strict confidentiality not only binds the parties, but it specifically binds our office from discussing those claims, said Susan Tsui Grundmann, the offices executive director, while testifying before a House panel. The revelation about how little information can be gleaned about sexual harassment complaints came during a Congressional hearing on reforms to the 1995 law that dictates how the body deals with such complaints. Under that law, the Congressional Accountability Act, the Office of Compliance was created. That office has come under fire amid discussions on sexual harassment in the Congress because of the onerous requirements and restrictions placed on victims when they seek out that process. Story continues Right now, victims of harassment have to undergo 30 days of mandatory counseling, followed by 30 days of mandatory mediation if they file a complaint to the Office of Compliance. If the complaint is not settled in mediation, they have to adhere to a mandatory 30-day cooling off period before they can pursue the case furthereither via an administrative hearing or in a federal district court. The whole time, they are under strict confidentiality rules and cannot share details of the process or their complaint. They created their own set of rules that put a number of onerous requirements on complainants and make it very difficult to navigate the process or come forward, Washington-based employment attorney Debra Katz told TIME in November. At Thursdays hearing, the details of the law were held under a microscope as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle look for ways to overhaul the process. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced the Me Too Congress Act, which would change some of the provisions that have drawn the most ire including the lack of provided counsel for victims and the 30 cooling off period, when victims can do nothing and cases are sometimes settled. That bill was not the focus of the hearing on Thursday, but some of the changes that are suggested within it were discussed. Rep. Barbara Comstock, a Republican from Virginia, asked specifically if a victim advocate would help bolster the complaint process. Wouldnt that improve the whole dynamic of the experience with victims, putting them on a level playing field and helping them through this process? she asked. Victoria Lipnic, the acting chair of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, called that a valuable suggestion. Democrat Rep. Jackie Speier of California, who introduced the Me Too Congress Act, focused on victims, too. She asked Grundmann to address cases of retaliation. The Compliance Office chief revealed that under the current system, if a person is retaliated againstfor instance, if they lose their job or are punished, they would have to start the 90-day process all over again in order to seek justice. This is why we propose the possibility of investigations for general counsel and the possibility of amending the complaint so the charges all merge, Grundmann said. Several Congressmen, including Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia, focused on the issue of settlements. Rep. John Conyers, who retired amid allegations on Tuesday, had settled a $27,000 sexual harassment complaint in his office. Recent data from the Office of Compliance also revealed that an $84,000 sexual harassment settlement was paid in 2014 using taxpayer money because of a complaint against Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold. On Monday, Farenthold said he would pay back the full amount of that settlement. The most startling revelation from the hearing could be what ushers in change: the lack of information that exists on harassment complaints could be what drives Congress to fix the system. After the hearing, Brooks told a gaggle of reporters that while she was frustrated by what was revealed on Thursday, it will help guide members as they seek to work to improve the complaint process. Republican Trent Franks says he deeply regrets that workplace discussion caused distress as Congress grapples with sexual misconduct allegations Trent Franks said he would step down at the end of January. Photograph: Aaron P Bernstein/Reuters The Arizona congressman Trent Franks said he will resign from Congress at the end of January after discussing child surrogacy with two female staff members. Franks announcement came as the House ethics committee said it would launch an investigation into whether the congressman engaged in conduct that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment. I have recently learned that the ethics committee is reviewing an inquiry regarding my discussion of surrogacy with two previous female subordinates, making each feel uncomfortable, Franks said in a statement on Thursday. I deeply regret that my discussion of this option and process in the workplace caused distress. However, the Arizona Republican insisted, I want to make one thing completely clear. I have absolutely never physically intimidated, coerced or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff. The congressmans statement said he deeply regretted that his discussion of surrogacy in the workplace caused distress, but he left unclear the circumstances of the discussion. A source familiar with the allegations said that Franks asked two female staffers who worked for him at the time to be surrogate mothers for his child. Frankss office refused to comment on that issue. Franks, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus and a staunch social conservative, said he would step down on 31 January 2018. Roll Call first reported the story. Franks departure comes amid widening allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct in politics and increased scrutiny over how such claims are handled on Capitol Hill. Just hours before Franks announcement, the Minnesota senator Al Franken, a Democrat, said he would resign in the coming weeks after women accused him of sexual harassment. It also came days after the departure of the Democratic congressman John Conyers, the longest-serving African American member in House history, who is facing accusations that he made repeated unwanted sexual advances toward female staffers. Story continues Franks, who represents a deeply conservative district and is known in Washington as an anti-abortion crusader who frequently cites scripture, could be seen on the House floor on Thursday huddling with his fellow Arizona Republicans David Schweikert and Andy Biggs, just after the story broke. As he walked off the floor, Franks declined to confirm to reporters that he intended to resign. Ill let the statement speak for itself, he said, in a rush to the elevator banks. In his lengthy written statement, Franks said he took full responsibility for the way he broached the topic, which unbeknownst to me until very recently, made certain individuals uncomfortable. He also shared details about the difficulties he and his wife had had conceiving a child, including three miscarriages and two failed attempts to adopt a child before a wonderful and loving lady acted as a gestational surrogate for their twins. He said the process was a pro-life approach that did not discard or throw away any embryos. Franks said the couple continued to look for surrogates to give their twins another sibling. The statement ended by saying, in part: In the midst of this current cultural and media climate I am deeply convinced I would be unable to complete a fair House ethics investigation before distorted and sensationalized versions of this story would put me, my family and my staff and my noble colleagues in the House of Representatives through hyperbolized public excoriation. It is with great sadness that for the sake of the causes I deeply love, I must now step back from the battle I have spent over three decades fighting, Franks added. I hope my resignation will remain distinct from the great gains we have made. The House speaker, Paul Ryan, said in a statement that on 29 November he had been briefed on credible claims of misconduct by Rep. Trent Franks that he found serious and requiring action. He also said that Franks, when presented with the accusations, did not deny them and that Ryan told him he should resign. In background further provided by Ryans office, it was disclosed that an investigation was opened two weeks ago when the speakers general counsel was given information about troubling behavior by Rep. Trent Franks directed at a former staffer. The Arizona Republic reported that last week the congressman declined to respond to a request by the paper about whether he was aware of any legal settlements to resolve claims against him involving sexual harassment or creating a hostile workplace for women. In light of the allegations in Congress, a group of lawmakers led by a coalition of bipartisan women are pushing for stricter standards for reporting sexual assault and would reform the rules around settling harassment claims. Currently, accusations of sexual harassment in Congress are overseen by the little-known Office of Compliance, which over two decades used roughly $17m in taxpayer dollars to pay out settlements and awards to federal employees. Last week, an ethics panel in the House of Representatives demanded records of all settlements for sexual harassment made in the lower chamber of Congress. It was revealed that Conyers was among those who used the fund to settle a claim for $27,000 with a former staffer who said she was fired for refusing to give in to his repeated sexual advances. It was later unearthed that the Texas Republican Blake Farenthold settled a 2014 sexual harassment complaint with a former female aide for $84,000. Both men deny the allegations. The House ethics committee also announced on Thursday night that it was launching an investigation into the claims against Farenthold. The rapid succession of resignations this week is an indicator of how politically toxic the issue has become since the Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct. How many times do people get asked the uncomfortable question: "No, but where are you really from?" because of their ethnicity? SEE ALSO: Donald Trump just retweeted anti-Muslim videos from a British extreme far-right group It still happens quite a lot, despite it being a form of "microaggression," according to some social scientists. A similar incident just occurred to London Mayor Sadiq Khan during his historic walk across the border between India and Pakistan. BBC reporter Karl Mercer awkwardly asked him whether the symbolic visit felt "like coming home." The mayor replied: Nah, home is south London mate." Then he added: "But its good to be in Pakistan. Its good to come from India, home of my parents and grandparents." People criticised the reporter for the question, while praising Khan's sassy response: Who asked Sadiq Khan, currently in Pakistan, how does it feel coming home? Utterly pathetic. cc @meghamohan Julia Merryfarlane (@juliamacfarlane) December 7, 2017 "How does it feel to come home?" "Nah, home's Sarf London, mate." LOVE SADIQ KHAN. https://t.co/NCq7dU6qwx Ali Catterall (@AliCatterall) December 7, 2017 I sincerely doubt anyone would ask Iain Duncan Smith "how it feels to be home" on a work visit to Japan. Sadiq Khan was born and raised in South London. To even ask the Mayor of London that question is utterly shocking in its audacity. Oz Katerji (@OzKaterji) December 7, 2017 Iain Martin, a columnist for The Times, defended the question, saying it wasn't weird: Story continues The Sadiq Khan "home" question not weird. Scots, Welsh, Irish get it all the time. I call Scotland home, although London is my home. Iain Martin (@iainmartin1) December 7, 2017 But people pointed out that people of colour get told to leave Britain by racists, something that's unlikely to happen to a white Scot: Isnt the context important? People of colour get told to go home ie leave Britain by racists, no one says that to a white Scot/Welsh Fatima Manji (@fatimamanji) December 7, 2017 Scots get it more than might think! But of course, yes, are racist idiots. Not odd for Brits with roots abroad to celebrate it. Iain Martin (@iainmartin1) December 7, 2017 As a Brit with a foreign surname, I often get asked where are you from. It was a good response from Sadiq Khan. Leon Emirali (@LeonEmirali) December 7, 2017 Are you being serious? Calling Scotland "home" in your case makes sense because you were born there, and it's not a foreign country. This is a British man of Asian heritage being wrongly told a foreign country he's never grown up is "home" (which he obviously rejects). Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) December 7, 2017 American manufacturer Boeing on Friday praised Canada for its planned purchase of used Australian F-18 fighter jets, which the government has yet to confirm. "The Boeing Company respects the Canadian government's decision," it said in a statement, citing reports that Ottawa will buy the planes after breaking off talks with Boeing to purchase 18 new F-18 Super Hornets following a major trade row. Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan's spokeswoman Byrne Furlong declined to comment on the reports and Boeing's praise, saying only that Ottawa is "actively exploring options, including with Australia," for fighter jets. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals in 2015 scrapped the previous administration's planned purchase of state-of-the-art, but costly, Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets to replace Canada's aging F-18 fleet. His government promised to hold a competitive bidding process in 2019, but in the meantime announced it would pick up 18 new Boeing Super Hornets to fill an air force interim capability gap. The deal fell apart after Boeing filed a trade complaint against Canada's largest manufacturer, Bombardier, over the sale of its new CSeries passenger jetliners in a bid to keep it out of the US market, resulting in massive duties being imposed on the planes. "Attempts by Boeing to put tens of thousands of aerospace workers out of work across Canada is not something we look on positively," Trudeau told reporters in October when he went to Washington to press US President Donald Trump on the issue. "And I certainly mentioned that this was a block to us purchasing any -- making any military procurements from Boeing," he said. The would-be deal with Australia could include extra planes to be used for spare parts, according to reports, thereby potentially eliminating the need for a maintenance contract with Boeing. By Jim Christie SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The parent company of the Boston Herald filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Friday and will look to sell the newspaper to Gatehouse Media LLC, a move that underscores the hard times facing traditional print journalism. Publisher and owner Patrick Purcell broke the news personally to the newspaper's staff and said in a letter to employees that a court-supervised sale was the best option for the Boston Herald, which traces its roots to 1846, to stay in business. "All I ever wanted to do was keep the Boston Herald alive," Purcell said in the letter, according to the newspaper's report of the sale and the bankruptcy filing. "And it is with this pending sale that I am able to do that in these difficult newspapering times." "I am certain this is the best pathway forward for you and for the newspaper we have nurtured together, in my case, for the last 33 years," said Purcell. The sale to Gatehouse, which publishes daily and weekly newspapers in Massachusetts, is pending court approval. Financial details were not disclosed. Parent Boston Herald Inc and Gatehouse were not immediately available for comment. The Boston Herald's report on the sale and bankruptcy filing noted the tabloid had been "hindered like many other newspapers with significant pension and retirement liabilities as well as declining revenue with the onset of digital media and a growing variety of news originators and aggregators." Purcell bought the newspaper in the 1990s from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. At its peak in 2000, it had about 900 employees. Now it has 240 employees, with more than half working in the newsroom. The Boston Herald, which has a circulation of 64,500, said it will publish as usual as its parent company pursues the sale. Boston Herald Inc filed for protection from its creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. The company's Chapter 11 petition indicated it has between 200 and 999 creditors and estimated assets and liabilities each between $10 million and $50 million. (Reporting by Jim Christie, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 06:43:49|Editor: yan Video Player Close VANCOUVER, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The vote by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) this week to label Canadian softwood imports as harmful to American interests is "completely without merit", the British Columbia Lumber Trade Council has said. The council's comments came Thursday here after the American trade commission unanimously voted 4-0 that Canadian softwood lumber imports have been damaging to the U.S. lumber industry. The U.S. lumber coalition says Canada subsidizes its softwood producers with low stumpage fees for harvesting trees on public land, which allows Canadian producers to export wood into the U.S. that is cheaper than local product. The vote comes after the U.S. Commerce Department initially slapped most Canadian softwood producers earlier this year with a combined anti-dumping tariff and countervailing duty of 26.75 percent. That rate was dropped to 20.83 percent, last month. "The ruling today, while not unexpected, is completely without merit," said Susan Yurkovich, the president of the B.C. Lumber Trade Council in a release on Thursday. "There can be no doubt that this process is biased in favour of the U.S. industry," she said. "To our knowledge, the ITC has never before reached an affirmative decision of injury when an industry was enjoying the most profitable period in its history, which is the case today for the U.S. lumber industry." She said the council will initiate appeals as soon as possible and will continuing to work with provincial and federal governments in the dispute, which has experienced several flare-ups over the last three decades. "We are confident that the ITC decision will be overturned," she said. "The U.S. Coalition's claims of injury ring particularly hollow given the extraordinary financial performance that the U.S. lumber industry is enjoying," Yurkovich said. "Canadian imports are at a lower level today than at the levels deemed non-injurious under both the 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement and by the ITC itself in the last round of litigation." B.C. is the largest Canadian exporter of softwood lumber to the U.S. The lumber industry supports about 145,000 direct and indirect jobs in the province. Canada's softwood lumber exports to the U.S. have fallen since the U.S. initially enacted its tariffs earlier this year, Canada's national broadcaster, the CBC, reported Thursday. However, near-record wood prices have so far insulated Canadian producers, the CBC said. The report said the Canadian softwood exports to the U.S. has fallen by 8 percent in the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year. Canada has challenged the U.S. tariffs under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The NAFTA dispute panel is expected to make its ruling by next fall, the CBC reported. The WTO process could take years. Duties against Canada collected so far by U.S. authorities have been kept in a 500-million dollars bond. Canadian exporters will now have to pay the tariffs out of that bond, said trade expert John Ries at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. "Going forward, (more) duties will be collected as well," he told Xinhua in an interview Friday. "This isn' t a surprise. There was a preliminary determination on injury long before, and Canada is taking the dispute to both a NAFTA panel and a WTO panel. This is a lot like the last dispute in the early part of the 2000's where it got to the same point." He said the WTO ruled in favour of Canada in that dispute, but the U.S. authorities are raising the same complaints once again. If the WTO finds in favour of Canada once again, it doesn't necessarily mean the U.S. will drop its softwood tariffs, Ries said. "The WTO doesn't have an army or police to do that." Rather, it would give Canada the ability to levy tariffs of its own against U.S. imports. "Then things just kind of get uglier," he said. The crux of the dispute is whether or not Canada's stumpage fees for trees logged from public land equates to a subsidy, he said. Most U.S. lumber is logged from private land. One possible outcome is that the U.S. and Canadian trade delegates negotiate new restrictions on the amount of Canadian softwood that can be sent into the U.S. market, Ries said. "That's not perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than a 25 percent tariff collected by the U.S. government," he said. Race to contain deadly blazes as authorities warn 80mph gusts could fan flames in already devastated communities Wildfires blazing through California have entered the heart of Los Angeles as authorities warned of an extreme fire danger across the city. Firefighters in the affluent Bel-Air neighbourhood battled to save multimillion-dollar estates in the path of the flames, which have destroyed homes near the Getty museum in Americas second largest city. Video and photographs posted on social media showed hillsides above busy roads covered in flames, rows of houses reduced to ash, and firefighters spraying water on walls of fire. The largest blaze, the Thomas fire, has covered more than 95,000 acres, destroying more than 150 homes and threatening thousands more in Ventura, about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of Los Angeles. The remains of the Vista del Mar hospital after the Thomas wildfire swept through Ventura. Photograph: Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images A woman was found dead after a car crash in an area under an evacuation order, the authorities said on Thursday. With winds forecast to reach 80mph, officials have warned the worst could be yet to come. An alert sent by the countrywide emergency system in Los Angeles said: Strong winds overnight creating extreme fire danger. The fear is that the winds, blowing westward from the California desert, could stoke several blazes burning in the Los Angeles area that have already forced an estimated 200,000 people to evacuate. We are in the beginning of a protracted wind event, Ken Pimlott, the director of the California department of forestry and fire protection, told the Los Angeles Times. There will be no ability to fight fire in these kinds of winds. A firefighter controls flames at a home set ablaze by the Skirball fire in Bel-Air. Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images The Skirball fire, which erupted early on Wednesday, burned about 500 acres near large estates in Bel-Air, scorching part of a winery owned by Rupert Murdoch. It erupted before dawn in the Sepulveda Pass, just up Interstate 405 from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), which cancelled classes for the rest of the day. The Los Angeles Unified school district, the countrys second largest with more than 640,000 students, said it closed at least 265 of its nearly 1,100 schools on Thursday. Story continues Dozens of schools were also closed in Ventura County. The school district, with nearly 17,000 students, said it hoped to reopen on Monday. In the city of Ventura, along the coast, where hundreds of structures were destroyed, blazes also killed more than two dozen horses at a stable. The deputy fire chief, Charles Butler, said firefighters and aircraft had stopped the spread of the blaze in Bel-Air and were attempting to contain it before the winds returned. He said four homes had been destroyed and 11 damaged, while about 700 properties, an apartment building and a school had been ordered to evacuate. Paris Hilton was among those who said they had fled the fire. The Los Angeles mayor declared a local state of emergency on Wednesday morning because of the Skirball fire. Eric Garcetti told a news conference: These are days that break your heart. These are also days that show the resilience of our city. In the San Fernando Valley, north of Los Angeles, the Creek fire destroyed at least 30 homes, blackened more than 12,000 acres and forced the evacuation of 2,500 homes and a convalescent centre. Another fire, known as the Rye, threatened more than 5,000 homes and structures north-west of Los Angeles. Nasa satellite footage captured on 5 December shows thick smoke streaming from several fires in southern California. Photograph: Nasa/Zuma/Rex/Shutterstock According to the LA Times, the LAPD have asked people to avoid using navigation apps on their phones because drivers were being directed towards open roads that were traffic-free because they were on fire. Footage of a man appearing to coax a rabbit out of the fires near La Conchita on Wednesday night went viral on social media. Three firefighters were injured and said to be in a stable condition in hospital, the Los Angeles fire department said. South of Los Angeles, authorities also ordered evacuations in parts of San Diego County, closer to the Mexico border. In the rural community of Bonsall, more than a dozen structures were damaged or destroyed. In a small evacuated community called Faria Beach, some residents were staying in place. Joseph Ruffner, a resident who left earlier in the week and recently returned, told the Associated Press that he wasnt going to evacuate again. This morning there was a wall of fire back right over here, he said. I didnt think it was no big deal, but its coming back to burn what it didnt burn yesterday. (JERUSALEM) Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops across the West Bank and Muslim worshippers from Jordan to Indonesia took to the streets after Friday midday prayers to protest President Donald Trumps recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israels capital. In several cities and town, angry protesters hurled stones at Israeli troops who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. Smoke rose over Bethlehem. Trumps seismic policy shift on Jerusalem has angered Arabs and Muslims who view it as an expression of blatant pro-Israel bias on one of the regions most explosive religious and political disputes. Jerusalem is home to major Muslim and Christian shrines, as well as Judaisms holiest site. The citys Israeli-annexed eastern sector is sought by the Palestinians as a future capital, while Israel says it wont relinquish any part of the city. On Friday, clashes erupted after Palestinians poured out of mosques after midday prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week. Erab Fukaha, a spokeswoman for the Red Crescent paramedics, said 12 Palestinians were hurt by rubber-coated steel pellets and one by live fire. Palestinian political groups had called for massive demonstrations in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem on Friday. Separately, the Gaza-based leader of the Islamic militant Hamas has agitated for a third uprising against Israel. Meanwhile, the militant al-Qaida network urged followers around the world to target vital interests of the United States, its allies and Israel. A statement posted Friday on al-Qaidas media arm as-Sahab called for holy war or jihad and described America as an oppressor of Muslims. Street protests were held Friday across the region. Marches were staged in Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Jordan. For decades, the United States had professed neutrality on the fate of Jerusalem, in line with an international consensus that the fate of the holy city should be determined in negotiations. Story continues On Friday, all eyes were on east Jerusalems Old City, home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which is Islams third holiest shrine and stands on the remnants of Judaisms holiest site. One of the compounds outer walls is the holiest site where Jews can pray. In the past, Israeli authorities often imposed age restrictions, barring younger Muslims from entering the Al Aqsa compound during periods of tensions. The preacher at Al Aqsa told worshippers that the city will remain Muslim and Arab. All we want from the Arab and Muslim leaders is action and not statements of denunciation, Sheikh Yousef Abu Sneineh said to the approximately 27,000 worshippers. Around 2,000 people later gathered in the plaza around the mosque, chanting: With our soul and blood, we will defend Al Aqsa and Jerusalem. In neighboring Jordan, hundreds of protesters in the capital, Amman, chanted Jerusalem is Arab and America is the head of the snake. At a summit in Paris, the leaders of France and Lebanon warned that the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital threatened stability throughout the region. French President Emmanuel Macron said he was launching an appeal for calm and responsibility. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the U.S. decision will further complicate the peace process and pose an additional challenge to the stability of the whole region. The national conversation on sexual harassment and assault reached a tipping point on Capitol Hill this week as lawmakers began facing serious consequences for their alleged behavior. The week was bookended by revelations and resignations. Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold of Texas said he would pay back some $84,000 in taxpayer funds that were used to settle a sexual harassment claim levied against him in 2014. Two Democratic members accused of misconduct announced they were stepping away from their posts: Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, who retired on Tuesday, and Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, who announced he would be resigning from the Senate in a defiant speech on Thursday. Later that day, Rep. Trent Franks, a Republican from Arizona, also announced he will resign. Franks said in a statement that he had discussed surrogacy with former members of his staff just as the House Ethics Committee announced it would investigate whether that constitutes sexual harassment. In a way, with the departure of these powerful men, the stories of women and men who have accused powerful men of sexual harassment and assault were validated. Read More: TIMEs 2017 Person of the Year: The Silence Breakers For so long, women who were abused didnt feel like they could say anything because they thought theyd get fired, they thought nobody would believe them, they thought theyd get trashed or pushed aside, Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat of Virginia, said on Thursday. I think weve crossed a Rubicon where people believe they can say stuff and there will be folks who support them. The moment of reckoning reached a fever pitch on Wednesday when over two dozen of Frankens colleagues, led by a group of Democratic women, called on him to step down. That same day, two women had come forward with allegations that Franken groped or tried to forcibly kiss them. With that, many of his colleagues felt that enough was enough: it was time for him to go. I believe it would be better for our country if he sent a clear message that any kind of mistreatment of women in our society isnt acceptable by stepping aside to let someone else serve, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday. Story continues But the Minnesota Democrat didnt go quietly. And though hed previously apologized to the women who have accused him of groping, forcibly kissing or inappropriately touching them, he did not do so in his floor speech. Some of the allegations against me are simply not true, he said. Others I remember very differently. He also used his speech to note the irony in the fact that hes being asked to leave the Senate, but there is a chance that Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexually molesting teenage girls, could soon be joining his colleagues on Capitol Hill. I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party, Franken said on the Senate floor. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon told reporters on Thursday that he hoped the Minnesota Democrats actions would help set a higher standard for all parts of our society. He said, sexual harassment is always unacceptable. But the irony that Franken alluded to was not lost on some of his soon-to-be former colleagues. I dont know how you could be a public official in either party and support a nominee that has as many disturbing allegations as the candidate in Alabama has, said Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania. If he is elected, its going to be a fundamental decision: Is he elected and retained in the Senate, or is he not? In the same week that two Democrats found themselves shunned by their colleagues amid sexual harassment allegations, the Alabama Senate candidate received a monetary boost from the Republican National Committee and an endorsing tweet from the President. It could be argued that Democrats did not have a choice but to come out against their own; how could they seek to have any moral authority on the issue of sexual misconduct if they refused to dump their own when theyre faced with similar allegations? But in the halls of the Senate, many lawmakers were reluctant to view what happened Thursday through such a partisan lens. As Franken spoke on the floor that morning, some of his colleagues wiped tears and a few hugged him as he made his way out. And if anything has been made clear in the past few weeks, its that sexual harassment is a bipartisan issue. There is no moral high ground on this, said Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina. I dont know that we should try to find a partisan path in the issue. I think thats counterproductive. President Donald Trumps approval rating continues to fall, according to one survey, reaching 32% in November its lowest point since he took office in January. The new poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center at the end of last month, drew on a handful of topics currently prevalent in the national political conversation: namely the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the ongoing public campaign against sexual misconduct. Approval of Trump is largely rendered along party lines, but the surveys findings note that his support among Republicans has dropped since February: 76% of them approve of his job performance today, down from 84%. But even his supporters are not unequivocal. Nearly 40% of them said hed done things or behaved in ways that had proven disappointing; 26% of his supporters complained about his public style, on social media or elsewhere. Sentiments on the Russia investigation also vary by political affiliation. An overwhelming majority of Democrats 82% suspect there was improper contact between the Trump campaign and Russia during the election; only a quarter of Republicans agree with them. People purchase firearms in a gun shop in Las Vegas, the United States, on Oct. 4, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. researchers have found that the more people are allowed to carry firearms in the United States, the more likely gun-related violence will increase sharply in the country. In a study published Friday in the online journal Science, the researchers from Stanford University and Duke University examined recent studies on the causes of gun violence in the United States and reached some conclusive consensus. Their findings showed that lifting restrictions on concealed carry guns increases violent crime and that laws restricting gun ownership for people convicted of domestic violence reduced killings of female domestic partners. By the mid-1970s, most U.S. states had banned concealed carry of firearms, or limited concealed carry to those having a special permit from law enforcement, the study said. However, restrictions have been gradually eased in many states, where anyone who are financially affordable can buy firearms, and 12 states went even further to totally drop the requirement for any permit to buy a gun. By 2014, all but eight states and the District of Columbia in the United States have put in place the "right-to-carry" (RTC) laws, according to the study. The study compared state crime rates in 1977 to those in 2014, and found that violent crime rates fell by 42.3 percent in the nine jurisdictions that did not adopt RTC. In contrast, the figure went down by a mere 4.3 percent in the 36 states that adopted RTC laws after 1977 and before 2014. RTC laws are associated with increases in violent crime and homicides, particularly firearm homicides, which rose by roughly 9 percent when stringent regulations on concealed carry are removed, according to the study. More people carrying firearms would likely increase the potential for deadly violence in any tense confrontation, such as barroom and other angry arguments, highway collisions and disputes, and police stops of pedestrians and drivers, it explained. Even well-intentioned actions of private individuals with guns ended with the death of an innocent person, the study said, with reference to statistics from documented cases. Guns carried outside the home are more likely to be lost or stolen, a major pathway to arming criminals, and if 1 percent of gun owners have their guns stolen each year, "the permit holders are furnishing criminals with over 100,000 guns per year," the study warned. When the public is more likely to be armed, robbers and other assailants may respond in kind, which escalates violence in their choice of arms. The United States has long been plagued with gun violence these days, which places it as an outlier among developed countries. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 36,000 people died from gunfire in 2015, with roughly two-thirds of those deaths being classified as suicide. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Democratic members of Congress are said to have been left off President Donald Trumps guest list for the White House Hanukkah party. Mr Trump also did not invite Reform Jewish leaders who have been critical of him or progressive Jewish activists who have differed with him publicly on policy issues, the New York Times reported, injecting partisanship into a normally bipartisan event. Mr Trump hosted the Hanukkah party early this year - five days before the holiday takes place - reminding several about how the ex-real estate magnate had criticised former President Barack Obama for a similar move in 2011. Why was the Hanukah celebration held in the White House two weeks early? @BarackObama wants to vacation in Hawaii in late December. Sad, Mr Trump tweeted at the time. Mr Trump is heading to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday. Tonight, Trump is hosting the White House Hanukkah party. Hanukkah is next week. In an early holiday miracle, this Trump tweet lasted for six years and came back to burn him, one person tweeted. Speaking to a crowd while standing amid Christmas trees, Mr Trump declared at the party: I know for a fact there are a lot of happy people in this room. Why was the Hanukah celebration held in the White House two weeks early? @BarackObama wants to vacation in Hawaii in late December. Sad. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2011 Tonight, Trump is hosting the White House Hanukkah party. Hanukkah is next week. In an early holiday miracle, this Trump tweet lasted for six years and came back to burn him. https://t.co/epBcyKD0iO (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) December 8, 2017 Hanukkah is a time for Jewish families around the world to celebrate the miracles of the past and promises of the future, he added. We are proud to stand with the people of Israel and to renew our enduring bond. Story continues And right now Im thinking about whats going on and the love that's all over Israel and all about Jerusalem. The event came on the heels of Mr Trumps controversial decision to designate Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy to the holy city - an announcement that was greeted with condemnation from Arab leaders and sparked unrest in the Middle East. But the move also delighted many American Jews, particularly some of those who attended the party. People are in a celebratory mood and just kvelling over this incredible, historic moment, Morton Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America, told the Times. But Jewish congressional Democrats criticised the White House for turning the party into a partisan affair. Its deeply unfortunate that the White House Hanukkah Party - a bipartisan event bringing together Jewish and non-Jewish leaders alike to celebrate the Festival of Lights since 2001 - has turned into a partisan affair under this administration, Democratic Congresswoman Nita Lowrey told the Times in a statement. The White House has denied that the guest list was shortened for political reasons. I am not aware of the political affiliation of any of the guests, but I do know that this year was meant to be more personal than political, first lady Melania Trump's spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham told the newspaper. A former Fox News anchorwoman who accused Bill OReilly of sexually harassing her in 2011 is now claiming that Donald Trump kissed her on the lips in an elevator. Juliet Huddy said Thursday morning on the Mornin!!! With Bill Schulz podcast (which has a paywall) that it happened around 2005 or 2006 when Trump was hosting The Apprentice on NBC. He took me to lunch in Trump Tower, she said. He said goodbye to me in an elevator while his security guy was there. He went to say goodbye and he, rather than kiss me on the cheek, he leaned in on the lips. Huddy, whom Trump knew because she co-hosted Fox & Friends on the weekends, said she assumed Trumps lip kiss was just confusion: Oh, we went the wrong way, she said. She also said she wasnt offended. I thought, This is interesting. It should be noted that this was her expression on the show when she said that: (Photo: Screenshot via Compound Media) Huddy said she was surprised he went for her lips but didnt feel threatened. In fact, she brought a friend back to Trump Tower so that the future president could give them a tour of The Apprentice set. Huddy believes Trump was single at the time, and, after checking the math, host Bill Schulz said it was possible he wasnt engaged to Melania Trump at the time of the kiss. She says Trump referenced the kiss when he was Huddys guest on her syndicated series, The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet. He came up on stage and he turned around to the audience and, you know, there were 50 people there and he said, I tried to hit on her, but she blew me off, Huddy remembered. Huddy emphasized that at the time she wasnt offended that he kissed her but that she has a different perspective now. Now that Ive matured, I wouldve said, Nope. At that time, I was making excuses. HuffPost reached out to the White House for comment, but it did not immediately respond. Huddy commented further on Twitter on Friday evening after the New York Post picked up the story. Story continues Re: @PageSix story: Yes, it's true. And though I'm offended by his comments on 'other matters' - as I said on @77WABCradio & @BillSchulz's show yesterday - I was neither threatened nor offended in elevator. End of story. Now, plz let me get back to @TheCrownNetflix. Juliet Huddy (@JulietHuddyTV) December 9, 2017 Also on HuffPost Tarana Burke (center), originator of the #MeToo campaign, leads marchers. Protesters hold up signs denouncing sexual misconduct. This is a perfect place to hold this rally, an attendee says, feet away from Kevin Spacey and Donald Trumps Stars. #MeToo march pic.twitter.com/NIK5FvKlub Brittny Mejia (@brittny_mejia) November 12, 2017 Protesters hold up signs denouncing sexual misconduct. A protester covered her body in messages condemning sexual assault. Protesters hold signs as they march through Hollywood. One woman holds a sign echoing the #MeToo social media campaign. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. When a Florida hospital managers dog mauled her young daughters Elf on the Shelf, she called on her colleagues to save the day. Jenn Thelens co-workers at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando sprung into action on Monday morning to help save 7-year-old Aubries injured toy, which the familys German shepherd, Zoey, had attacked overnight. In an adorable video thats going viral, the emergency room staff wheeled Kris Kringles tiny spy into the trauma bay on a gurney: OK, lets see what we can do, said one of the team, dressed in full surgical gear. Another worker listed the injuries the elf named Sam had sustained. They then painstakingly reattached its arm, before sprinkling glitter over his body in a bid to bring him back to full elf. Sam was discharged later that day. Thelen, who is the hospital ERs nurse manager, said Aubrie burst into tears after finding her beloved elf missing an arm on Monday. But after seeing the videos and photographs of Sams surgery, the youngster was thrilled to welcome him home. My kids know that our medical team does amazing things, Thelen told Babble. We always talk about Christmas magic with our kids. Aubrie is a very analytical kid, so she wants to know details about everything, she added. So, we explained that Christmas magic is a way that Santa and the elves are able to do things that maybe normally wouldnt make sense. According to the hospital, the team used expired medical products for the spoof surgery. Aubrie knew that the elf could not be touched but Jenn told her that the magic gloves would allow the team to work on Sam, it added, since legend says the Elf on the Shelf can lose his magic if touched by humans. Sam is now back on his shelf and mom will definitely make sure that he is out of Zoeys reach. Related Coverage Police Urge Caution If You See This 'Wanted' Elf On The Shelf These Dogs Are Waging War Against The Elf On The Shelf Jimmy Kimmel Offers A Solution To Your Elf On The Shelf Woes Story continues Bryan Cranston Is The Elf On The Shelf Of James Corden's Nightmares Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Firefighters battled several intense wind-driven wildfires early on Friday across densely populated Southern California that have destroyed at least 500 structures and chased tens of thousands of people from their homes over the past five days. President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in California due to the fires, the White House announced Friday. As a part of the declaration he ordered federal assistance be made available to help the state recover. Governor Jerry Brown had requested the aid on Thursday, which includes military support and supplies such as shelter, food and water. CAL FIRE captain Bill Murphy told CNBC on "Power Lunch" that the wildfire season has become a nearly year-round event across the state. "Southern California still has had almost no rain this year," Murphy said. "And when you have gusts in excess of 70 miles an hour, essentially anything that's combustible can become fuel for fire." More than 5,700 firefighters from across California and the region worked to stop the spread of six large wildfires and other smaller blazes that have erupted since Monday, from San Diego County up the Pacific coast to Santa Barbara County, and stoked by fierce westward Santa Ana winds. There is more than $5 billion in real estate at "high" and "extreme" risk, CNBC reported. That estimate, according to CoreLogic, account for only half of the six major wildfires still burning. Firefighters and helicopters sprayed and dumped water and fire retardant on the inferno, against a hellish backdrop of flaming mountains and walls of smoke as the blaze hopscotched over highways and railroad tracks and torched rows of houses. The raging fires have forced the evacuation of about 190,000 people and threatened 23,000 homes as of late on Thursday, CAL FIRE said a tweet. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the country's second largest with more than 640,000 students, closed more than a quarter of its nearly 1,100 schools for a second day on Friday. The University of California Santa Barbara canceled Friday classes as well. Multiples fires out of control The Liberty Fire in Murrieta has burned 300 acres with 10 percent containment. The Lilac Fire in Fallbrook has burned 4,100 acres with 0 percent containment. The Thomas Fire in Ventura has burned 132,000 acres with 10 percent containment. The Rye Fire in Valencia has burned 6,049 acres with 35 percent containment. The Creek Fire in Sylmar has burned 15,323 acres with 40 percent containment. The Skirball Fire in Bel-Air has burned 475 acres with 20 percent containment. The Thomas Fire northwest of Los Angeles grew to 132,000 acres from 96,000 acres and destroyed 439 structures, officials said. More than 2,600 firefighters from as far away as Portland, Oregon, and Nevada were battling the blaze. North of San Diego, another blaze called the Lilac Fire swelled from 10 acres to 4,100 acres in just a few hours on Thursday, CAL FIRE said, prompting Governor Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency for San Diego County. The blaze destroyed 20 structures and prompted evacuations and road closures. Propane tanks under several houses exploded from the heat, sounding like bombs, according to a Reuters photographer at the scene. Three people sustained burn injuries and another suffered from smoke inhalation in the Lilac Fire. Two firefighters were also injured, CAL FIRE said on Twitter early on Friday. Pollution levels "off the charts" The other fires, which broke out on Monday and Tuesday, have reached into the wealthy enclave of Bel-Air on the west side of Los Angeles. Some major highways in the densely populated area were intermittently closed. In the seaside enclave of Faria Beach, caught between burning mountains and the Pacific Ocean northwest of Ventura, fires spread down the smoking hills. Flames jumped the heavily used U.S. 101 highway and headed toward clusters of beach houses. Firefighters lined up along a railroad track, the last barrier from the flames. Heavy smoke made breathing hazardous in some areas, and residents were urged to stay indoors. Ventura County authorities said air pollution measures in the Ojai Valley were "off the charts." The Los Angeles Police Department tweeted, "LAPD Working to Save Every Californian, Pets Included" along with a photo of a police officer in a respirator rescuing a cat. The Los Angeles County animal shelter said it was hosting 184 pets including llamas, donkeys and horses while reports said 29 horses were burned to death on Tuesday at a ranch in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles. The Skirball Fire in Los Angeles has forced hundreds of residents in the wooded hills near the Bel-Air neighborhood to evacuate and charred more than 475 acres. Skirball threatened media magnate Rupert Murdoch's Moraga Estate winery. The property was evacuated, with possible damage to some buildings, Murdoch said in a statement, but "we believe the winery and house are still intact." Utilities cut power to customers in some mountain communities northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles to limit fire danger. The outage could last several days. The fires are the second outbreak to ravage parts of California this autumn. The celebrated wine country in the northern part of the state was hit by wind-driven wildfires in October that killed at least 43 people, forced some 10,000 to flee their homes and consumed at least 245,000 acres north of the San Francisco Bay area. The California Department of Insurance said the northern California blazes caused insured losses of more than $9 billion. Reuters contributed to this report. More From CNBC Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - A Palestinian was shot dead in Gaza by the Israeli army on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said, the first person killed in clashes over US President Donald Trump's planned embassy move. The health ministry confirmed Mahmoud al-Masri, 30, was killed in clashes along the Israeli-Gaza border in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. The Israeli army confirmed it had shot two people along the border, accusing them of being "main instigators" of "violent riots." Trump's Wednesday announcement that he would move the embassy and recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital sparked anger across the Palestinian territories and the wider Muslim world. Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas had called for a day of rage Friday. Clashes were reported in a number of locations along the Gaza border fence, as well as in the West Bank and Jerusalem. More than 250 Palestinians were injured, mainly from tear gas, according to the health ministry. The Israeli army said "violent riots" had broken out in around 30 locations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The West Bank clashes involved some 3,000 Palestinians, while hundreds of others were involved in the clashes on the Gaza border, it said. The UN Security Council was to meet later Friday in an emergency session to discuss Trump's move, which has drawn near universal condemnation, including from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Cairo (AFP) - Al-Azhar's Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb cancelled a meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence after President Donald Trump's move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Al-Azhar said Friday. In a statement, Al-Azhar, Egypt's highest Sunni institution, said Tayeb had reversed his previous decision to meet Pence, who is due to travel to Egypt and Israel in the second half of December. Tayeb announced "his categorical rejection of a formal request from US Vice President Mike Pence to meet with him on December 20", Al-Azhar said. The US embassy had submitted an official request a week ago, "and the grand imam had agreed to this, but after the unjust and unfair American decision on Jerusalem, Al-Azhar's grand imam announces his strong and decisive rejection of this meeting". "Al-Azhar cannot sit with those who falsify history and steal the rights of people," the statement said. "How can I sit with those who gave what they do not own to those who are undeserving?" the statement quoted Tayeb as asking. "The US president must immediately reverse this decision." Trump's move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel sparked Palestinian protests, sporadic clashes and a call for a new intifada or uprising amid fears of new bloodshed in the region. After Friday prayers, Tayeb directed "an urgent call to the people of Jerusalem: 'Let your third intifada be on the level of your belief in your cause and your love for your country. We are with you and will not let you down'," the statement said. Tayeb holds Trump and his administration "fully responsible for igniting the flame of hatred in the hearts of Muslims... and the consequences of spreading hatred," Al-Azhar said. Jibril Rajoub, a senior member of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party, has said Pence was "not welcome in Palestine" during his upcoming visit, and signaled that Abbas would not meet him. (TOKYO) The head priest of a prominent shrine in Tokyo was ambushed and killed with a samurai sword, apparently by her brother, who then took his own life, police said Friday. A female accomplice also died in the attack, and the priests driver was injured, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said. The motive was unclear, though Japanese media reported there may have been a feud between the priest and her brother. Police said that Nagako Tomioka, the 58-year-old head of Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, was attacked as she got out of her car Thursday night. Shigenaga Tomioka, 56, and an accomplice were hiding behind her house, police said. Japanese media said he is the victims brother, but police would not confirm that. Japanese priests generally live on the grounds of their shrines or temples. The accomplice attacked the driver with a samurai sword and pursued him as he ran out of the temple grounds and about 100 meters (300 feet) down a road, police said. A trail of splattered blood was still visible on the pavement Friday morning. The drivers injuries were not life-threatening. The brother is then believed to have killed the woman before committing suicide. At least one blood-stained sword and two survival knives were found near the scene, Japanese media said. The nearly 400-year-old Tomioka Hachimangu shrine is known for its close ties to sumo and holding one of Tokyos three big Shinto festivals. WASHINGTON A little over a month ago, Iran established something close to a diplomatic presence in Saudi Arabia for the first time in nearly two years. The Saudis, for their part, got an equivalent not-quite-embassy in Iran. Suddenly, two regional powerhouses whose rivalry had caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and untold global instability seemed a little closer to peace courtesy of Switzerland, which announced on Oct. 25 that it would represent Saudi interests in Iran and vice versa. The Swiss mandate is narrow. It only covers consular services, as a Swiss official was quick to remind HuffPost. The official said the foreign ministry had no further comment on the policy. But when it comes to the possibility of a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, even the smallest steps matter. Despite the furor over U.S. President Donald Trumps upending of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process this week, the defining fault line in the Middle East today is not between supporters of Palestine and those of Israel. The fight that will decide the Mideasts future is that between Iran and its many opponents most importantly Saudi Arabia. They are locked in a zero-sum power contestation, said Randa Slim, a prominent peace-building expert at the Middle East Institute, a think tank. Iran says it will never leave the Middle East that is, accept a marginal role in regional affairs including the Arab region, since it is from this region. Saudi Arabia says Iran has no role to play in the Arab region since it is not an Arab country. The level of tensions that exists today between the two countries is one of the highest I have witnessed. Peace in the region depends on effective diplomacy between Riyadh and Tehran. Years of attempts to achieve that goal have yielded a little progress and a lot of frustration but experts say that given regional turmoil and the two countries inevitably intertwined futures, even limited proof of success shows its worth trying. Story continues The good news is that the Swiss channel is just one of multiple attempts. Since autumn 2015, Western officials have paid increasing attention to a Europe-based effort to bring together a group of influential Saudis and Iranians on a fairly regular basis twice a year. Regardless of political tensions, there is always a core in both countries in academia, but also in the think tank scene and in the security establishment that is interested in having some forms of communication, said Adnan Tabatabai, the head of the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient in Bonn, Germany. Known as a Track II dialogue because it does not include government (Track I) figures from either side, the exercise is a partnership, backed by the German government, between CARPO and the EastWest Institute, a nonpartisan American think tank. The process is extraordinarily sensitive. The dialogues organizers do not reveal the names of the Saudis, Iranians and others who attend (usually European experts on the region). Nor do they say where the meetings are held. Its understood that the participants might share information or analysis with policymakers, Tabatabai said, but there have not been official inquiries from any side. The priority is maintaining trust, confidentiality and good faith which involves expectations like the Chatham House rule that insights from the conversations can be shared externally, but only if they are free of identifying information about which individual or institution they came from. A real success is already if you have a continuous channel where people of knowledge from both sides come together to discuss current developments and do so in a civilized manner where discussions are frank yet respectful, and where you actually throughout those meetings have coffee breaks, lunches, dinners where these people then simply mingle and socialize and humanize each other, Tabatabai said. What we regard as a success is that throughout the past two and a half years we have been able to bring participants from both countries together six times and have had a continuous conversation which builds on the previous rounds. After Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran in early 2016, Saudi Arabia and its allies in the region slashed ties with the Iranian government. (Photo: Reuters Photographer / Reuters) After four of the meetings, the organizers have released brief reports to share the perspectives and concerns the Saudis and Iranians brought. They also conduct briefings in capitals around the world. Officials see the dialogue as useful because it sustains relationships between fairly consistent groups and deliberately covers a range of issues. Among them so far are the refugee crisis, environmental concerns, the threat posed by Islamic State militants, and plans to reduce the two countries reliance on oil revenue. Simply meeting face-to-face regularly and becoming familiar with each others methods can make it easier for both sides to be honest, according to Richard Nephew, a former top State Department official who participated in the broadest U.S. talks with Iran in decades as part of the Obama administrations nuclear diplomacy. He recalled something similar occurring during those negotiations. In those initial conversations, the dimensions of what you could say and what you could float were profoundly different than a year and a half in, Nephew told HuffPost. And committing to a dialogue even as Saudi Arabia and Iran have cut off official diplomatic ties and ratcheted up their rhetoric sends an important signal that both sides take the talks seriously, and that some true confidence has developed. Its really impressive how [Tabatabai and his team have] managed to maintain these exchanges even after all of the terrible events of the last three years, a Western government official told HuffPost. Tabatabais definition of failure is a situation where no one is even able to start a conversation. That prospect seems more likely in a year in which Saudi Arabias crown prince called Irans leader the new Hitler and Iran-aligned rebels in Yemen almost successfully destroyed the main Saudi airport. The report on the last workshop, held this past April, noted that it was more difficult than before to secure balanced participation on both sides. The increasingly hard-line Saudi position which the kingdom says is an appropriate response to Iranian assertiveness following its gains from the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 is a particular problem. Saudi officials have decided to go all in contesting Iranian influence in their backyard. They will not abandon this strategy anytime soon, Slim, who runs her own broad regional dialogue at the quasi-official Track 1.5 level, said. She noted that even during less assertive periods, Saudi Arabia has been wary of engagement through nonofficial channels. The Iranians, always they have shown readiness, said Seyed Houssain Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat who worked on engaging the Saudis. During the late King Abdullahs era, Riyadh was ready to hear what the Iranians say, but no more in [current King] Salmans era. Mousavian, now a researcher at Princeton University, sees the growing reluctance on Saudi Arabias part as a result of anxiety about the nuclear deal and Irans outreach to the West. For years, Saudi Arabia has sought to have its U.S. partner serve as a balancing force in the region, while Iran, skeptical of Washingtons intentions and more confident in its own abilities, has pushed to shape the Middle East on a bilateral basis, according to a 2009 study from the RAND think tank. The Trump administrations chumminess with the Saudis, and its determination to challenge Iran, means theres presently little American pressure to reconcile the two powers though theres still an acknowledgement that in the long run, a reconciliation is essential. Asked about the new Swiss policy, a State Department official said: We have seen these reports. We continue to urge leaders across the region to take affirmative steps to calm tensions. Some observers feel the U.S. could do more even if the administration doesnt want to. A top congressional aide working on Capitol Hill efforts to promote Saudi-Iran dialogue told HuffPost theres frustration in progressive circles that former Obama aides are not more vocal, particularly to say their experience suggests Iran is willing to engage with its adversaries. But theres no telling when positions might soften on their own. Some analysts believe that when the Saudi king-to-be thinks he has fully consolidated his control and boosted Saudi prestige abroad, he may modify his tone and attempt compromise. Experts say Riyadh and Tehran have pragmatically kept their governments ready to launch such engagement at fairly short notice. Theres a number of well-placed Saudis who know their counterparts in Iran very well, not through [Tabatabais] stuff and not through the Swiss, the Western official said. Slim noted that the two governments have communicated surreptitiously for years through U.S., Swiss, Iraqi, Emirati and Kuwaiti officials most recently in a Kuwaiti mediation that reached an advanced stage but is now on hold if not finished. And despite impressions that sectarian differences might preclude open engagement, as most Saudis follow the Sunni school of Islam and most Iranians adhere to Shiite ideology, analysts say religious differences are not decisive. Probably more important are the differences in political systems, with Iran supporting and exporting the idea of a quasi-democratic theocracy, which the Saudis see as a threat to absolute monarchies like their own. Mousavian and Nephew, Iranian and American diplomats respectively, both told HuffPost the key to successful talks is high-level interest. In the 1990s, reformist Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and then-Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah wanted to defuse tensions lingering from Saudi police scuffles with Iranians during the Hajj ceremony in Saudi Arabia in 1987, the Lebanese Civil War and other issues. Rafsanjani sent Mousavian to the kingdom as a special envoy in the summer of 1996. We discussed security concerns, interferences, very, very honestly, openly, frankly. We talked about the minorities the Shiite minority in Saudi, the Sunni minority in Iran and mutual suspicions about interferences in our internal affairs, Mousavain said. Ultimately, our package was a very comprehensive package that led to good Saudi-Iran relations for almost a decade. The two leaders were really positive, both of them, he noted. We were recognizing every concern. We were not fighting. We were saying, If this is your problem, what is the solution? Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's top moderate politician, visited Saudi Arabia more than once and approved high-level talks. Rafsanjani (left) and Saudi King Abdullah (right), seen here in 2008, were both supportive of engagement between the two countries. (Photo: Ho New / Reuters) The first real hurdle we had to overcome [in the Iran nuclear talks] is knowing that they were speaking on behalf of their government, Nephew said. Otherwise dialogue can be useless, even with good intentions. Saying the words regional dialogue is a little bit like saying grace when you sit down at a table, he added. For Tabatabai, whose dialogue has identified a host of problems the Saudis and Iranians will have to cooperate on at some point, its about waiting for that perfect moment. He believes political reconciliation at the highest level will happen sooner or later and when it does, he said, his project wants to ensure it can be deeply rooted in both societies to continue these expert discussions on the social level. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 07:44:01|Editor: Liu Video Player Close HOUSTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Oil drilling activity in the United States continues to pick up with rigs added this week, according to Baker Hughes rig count released Friday. The United States gained two oil drilling rigs nationwide, while the number of rigs drilling for natural gas stayed flat, according to the weekly. The Permian and Eagle Ford region in the state of Texas added three new rigs apiece, contributing to a net gain of five rigs for Texas. New Mexico, which has a portion of the Permian, tacked on three rigs. However, the states of Oklahoma, Colorado, North Dakota, Kansas and Ohio all counted losses in their rig counts, potentially because of seasonably colder weather farther north. The total U.S. rig count is now up to 931 rigs, down from a July peak of 958. The rig count has dipped for much of the fall, but rebounded in recent weeks. Still, the total U.S. rig count is well up from an all-time low of 404 rigs in May 2016. Oil drilling rigs currently accounts for 751 of the total. Despite the recent jump, the oil rig count is down 53 percent from its peak of 1,609 in October 2014, before oil prices began plummeting. Baghdad (AFP) - Iraq's autonomous Kurdish area Friday accused Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of "hatred" of the Kurds after he compared their September independence referendum to acts by the Islamic State group. At a meeting of his Dawa party on Wednesday, Abadi said: "To have maintained Iraqi unity and prevented the crime of partition is a victory as great as that against Daesh (IS)." After a September 25 independence referendum held in defiance of Baghdad, federal security forces seized control of disputed zones in the north that had been held by the Kurds. "Some people wanted to use the war against Daesh to divide the country and facilitate a separation, but thank God, the Iraqis through their conscience, the Kurds and Arabs as well as the peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) who fought Daesh refused to turn their guns on the Iraqi army and federal forces," Abadi said. "They refused to obey orders... to fight the Iraqi forces and patriotically obeyed their consciences," he said. On Friday, the Kurdish autonomous region's peshmerga ministry said in a statement that it "regretted" Abadi's comments. "His declaration demonstrates the depth of his thinking and his hatred for the people of Kurdistan. "But history has proven that no one or any force can break the will of the Kurdish people," it added. September's referendum returned a resounding "yes" vote for Kurdish independence. On November 20, Iraq's supreme court declared the vote to be unconstitutional, in a decision hailed by Abadi who said his government "rejected this referendum and refused to have anything to do with it". Kaspersky Lab Inc. has had a rough time with the US government this year and now Bloomberg reports that the company will be closing its Washington, DC office. However, while its government business seems to be dead in the water, Kaspersky still plans to sell to non-federal US customers and will be opening offices in Chicago and Los Angeles next year. In July, the Trump administration removed Kaspersky from its list of approved IT vendors and in August reports surfaced that the FBI was trying to convince companies to ditch Kaspersky's products. These moves were a result of US government suspicions that Kaspersky funnels information from its customers to the Russian government. Best Buy pulled Kaspersky products from its shelves shortly thereafter and the US government ultimately banned federal agencies from using the company's security software in September. While the UK's cybersecurity authority, the National Cyber Security Centre, also advised government agencies against using Kaspersky software, the company's vice president, Anton Shingarev said in a recent interview, "We are in talks with NCSC and are trying to figure out what's needed to deserve an opposite recommendation. In general, they support the idea of opening the source code of our software for independent audit." He also said that Europe's regulators are "fact-driven" while the US ban was based on "emotions" and "speculations." Kaspersky has repeatedly maintained that it does not share its information with the Russian government. To quell concerns about the company, Kaspersky announced in October that it would open up its source code to third-party review. That's set to begin early next year. Following months of controversy and conflicting accounts, Kaspersky is pulling back in D.C. As Bloomberg initially reported, the Russian security firm is closing its office in the U.S. capital. The D.C. office specialized in developing Kaspersky's relationship with the U.S. government and supplying its software for federal contracts. The company intends to continue the rest of its non-governmental U.S. operations normally. "We are closing our facility in Arlington as the opportunity for which the office was opened and staffed is no longer viable," a Kaspersky Lab spokesperson told TechCrunch. In September, the Department of Homeland Security issued a ban on Kaspersky products, coupled with a statement expressing its concerns regarding "the ties between certain Kaspersky officials and Russian intelligence and other government agencies, and requirements under Russian law that allow Russian intelligence agencies to request or compel assistance from Kaspersky and to intercept communications transiting Russian networks." Plenty of drama ensued, including a revelation that the Israeli government itself had compromised Kaspersky's antivirus software and found evidence that the software maker was spying on its U.S. clients, a claim that the company openly disputed. In the months following the initial public crackdown on its products, Kaspersky founder Eugene Kaspersky has fiercely defended his company from the allegations, dismissing them as "completely unfounded," demanding that the U.S. government provide detailed proof of its damning claims and pledging to open its code for review. In the beginning of December, the U.K. appeared to follow suit with the U.S. decision when GCHQ (its NSA-equivalent agency) issued a qualified warning about Kaspersky antivirus software. In a public statement, GCHQ advised national security systems to mitigate risk when using products that could be "exploited easily" by Russian authorities, but it noted that such decisions must be undertaken in an "evidence-based and transparent way" and did not broaden its warning around Kaspersky products to the public sector or to individual users beyond the central government, which has a very small existing install base. While Kaspersky is a multinational company with contracts and sales around the globe, the decision to shutter its D.C. office shows that its stateside federal contracting business is truly drying up in the wake of warnings from the U.S. government. Woody Allen and Kate Winslet on the set of "Wonder Wheel" on Sept. 27, 2016. (Photo: Ignat/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images) Kate Winslet recently said director Woody Allen totally understands women and is great at developing female characters. I think on some level Woody is a woman, Winslet told the Sydney Morning Herald last week. I just think hes very in touch with that side of himself. He understands the female characters he creates exceptionally well. The actress stars in Allens latest film, Wonder Wheel. His female characters are always so rich and large and honest in terms of how theyre feeling and he just knows how to write dialogue for them to communicate all that, Winslet said. Dylan Farrow, Allens adoptive daughter, has accused the director of sexually abusing her when she was a child. Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet, Woody Allen, Juno Temple and Jim Belushi attend the NYFF premiere of "Wonder Wheel" in New York City. (Photo: Todd Williamson via Getty Images) The New York Times asked Winslet about the allegations in September, and whether they had given her pause. Of course one thinks about it, Winslet told the Times. But at the same time, I didnt know Woody and I dont know anything about that family. As the actor in the film, you just have to step away and say, I dont know anything, really, and whether any of it is true or false. Having thought it all through, you put it to one side and just work with the person. Woody Allen is an incredible director, she said. So is Roman Polanski. I had an extraordinary working experience with both of those men, and thats the truth. Also on HuffPost January 1996 (WireImage) February 1996 (WireImage) March 1996 (WireImage) January 1998 (Ron Galella Collection) January 1998 (Ron Galella Collection) January 1998 (Ron Galella Collection) March 1998 (Ron Galella Collection) April 1999 (Getty photo) February 2002 (Getty photo) January 2002 (Getty photo) September 2004 (Getty photo) September 2004 (Getty photo) October 2004 (Getty photo) November 2004 (Getty photo) January 2005 (Getty photo) February 2005 (Getty photo) February 2005 (Getty photo) February 2005 (Getty photo) September 2006 (Getty photo) September 2006 (Getty photo) September 2006 (Getty photo) October 2006 (Getty photo) October 2006 (Getty photo) October 2006 (Getty photo) November 2006 (Getty photo) November 2006 (Getty photo) December 2006 (Getty photo) January 2007 (Getty photo) February 2007 (Getty photo) February 2007 (Getty photo) October 2007 (Getty photo) November 2007 (Getty photo) December 2008 (Getty photo) January 2009 (Getty photo) January 2009 (Getty photo) Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Young environmental activists take to the streets in Denver. (Photo: Tamara Roske) A unique climate change lawsuit brought by kids against the government will face a big test on Monday, Dec. 11, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit will decide, after hearing oral arguments, whether it should continue to move ahead. If the judges greenlight the suit Juliana v. United States, filed on behalf of 21 concerned young citizens ages 10 to 21 by counsel Phil Gregory and Julia Olson and with support from the environmental activist group Our Childrens Trust it could force the government to figure out once and for all how to reduce greenhouse gases through a comprehensive plan. Your government, under the Constitution, does not have a duty to protect you, Phil Gregory, one of the co-counsels for the plaintiffs, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. But if the government creates the danger you are in, or is part of the reason youre being harmed, then the government, under the Constitutions due process clause, has an obligation to protect you and keep you from being harmed. Thats the basis for the argument being raised by the young plaintiffs, who insist that the United States government has failed to heed the scientific evidence much of it commissioned by its own agencies on how to reverse climate change. My niece Avery is just a regular 12-year-old kid. However, even at 12 she knows there are some pretty messed-up things going on these days. And even at 12 she has a voice, noted Heather Bartlett, the aunt of one of the 21 plaintiffs, in a Paintsuit Nation post on Facebook that has prompted more than 64K reactions (on the pages private version). Sadly, the Trump administration has appealed and now the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will decide, she continued. But heres the great thing Avery is fierce. And so are the other kids standing with her to protect this beautiful planet. And she isnt going to be intimidated. So, I am going to try and find this fabulous girl a Pantsuit as fabulous as she is!!! Story continues The litigation was first brought in 2015; in 2016, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken upheld a Magistrate Judges ruling for the district that the young plaintiffs deserved to have their day in court after the Obama administration had moved to have the case dismissed. This June the Trump administration then filed a writ of mandamus, saying that even having to participate in pretrial discovery would cause harm to the federal government, and requesting that the trial process be halted. That feels unacceptable to plaintiff Tia Hatton, who first got involved in environmental activism during her senior year of high school in her hometown of Bend, Ore., when record high temperatures yielded a bad ski season, thus impacting the towns economy and her schools annual senior ski trip. Through her activism, she came into contact with Our Childrens Trust, which eventually asked her to be a co-plaintiff. I grew up in a pretty conservative household, so when we talked about climate change, I always heard, The science isnt really clear, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle. The first thing I asked for [when approached to join the suit] was the science behind the suit, to read for myself. She adds, The reason Im so passionate about climate change isnt because I know I will have a decreased ability to ski in the future, but more about millions being displaced and our safety and security and cultures being lost. Its bigger than me. I know climate change is a huge environmental justice issue, and those people in marginalized communities are feeling the effects first and foremost and those who are benefiting off it continue to benefit off of it. And thats why were going to court. Gregory, meanwhile, compares the foundation of the suit to that of the foster care system. If the government places a child in a home and then that child is abused, then the government is not liable, he explains. But if the government knows that the proposed foster parents have a history of abusing children or the government suspects that a person will somehow abuse a child and the government places the child with that person anyway, then the government has an obligation to that child and a duty to that child under the Constitution. And thats what our case is about. He continues, For over 50 years, the federal government has known that fossil fuel systems, through the emission of greenhouse gases, will cause cataclysmic climate change. This is known. So just like in the foster care system, the government has known that this fossil fuel system is going to harm these kids, and the government has not only allowed the fossil fuel system to continue but has itself participated in it through leasing lands for coal extraction and through itself being a major polluter. The bottom line is that the government has known it is causing a problem and the government has continued to cause the problem, and as a result these kids are being faced with a future unlike anything we can imagine. And we have stuck them with this problem. As the case has wound its way through the legal system over the past two years, Hatton says, she has seen both some really beautiful moments, like watching her co-plaintiffs stand proudly in what they want, and some really dark moments, like having government lawyers argue against us when we sit next to them in a courtroom. She adds, I look at those lawyers and I wonder if they have children. I wonder why they are doing this. But for her part, Hatton says, Its important to do something and not just sit around, so you can say to your future children, I tried to do something. I just want to know I tried to do something. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Kylie Jenner is no stranger to social media. With almost 100 million Instagram followers, shes used the platform to advertise all things Kylie and Kardashian/Jenner from cosmetics, to clothing, to lifestyle. But the social media star has also used her account as a way to send coded messages out to her fans. One look at her profile and its easy to see that among the very many sexy selfies, are discreet nods to media rumors. After the murmurs of baby bump began, the Life of Kylie star posted a picture with best friend Jordyn Woods flashing just a tiny bit of tummy fueling even more chatter about if she is or isnt. And that certainly wasnt the first time Kylie used her gram as a way of speaking to speculation. In fact, shes a pro at it. Here are some of the most memorable times that Kylie used Instagram to keep people guessing. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Taraji P. Henson giving off major Diana Ross disco vibes is everything Curls in the royal palace: Photos of Meghan Markles natural hair divide the internet Curls in the royal palace: Photos of Meghan Markles natural hair divide the internet Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. Beirut (AFP) - Lebanon's prime minister on Saturday criticised a visit by an Iraqi Shiite militia leader to Lebanon's ceasefire line with Israel, saying it violated local law. The trip by Qais al-Khazali, the founder and leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, was organised by Lebanon's Hezbollah, a powerful armed movement and arch-foe of Israel. A video of the visit began circulating on social media on Friday, showing Khazali wearing military uniform during a tour of parts of southern Lebanon. "We declare our full readiness to stand united with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause in the face of the Israeli occupation," he can be heard saying in the recording. Asaib Ahl al-Haq spokesman Jawad al-Tlibawi told AFP that the visit was "in solidarity with the cause of Arabs and Muslims, with occupied Palestine." "It's a clear message to the Israeli entity, as well as solidarity with the Lebanese people if the Israeli entity attacks them," he added. In a statement, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the visit took place six days ago and was a "violation of Lebanese laws", without specifying further. He added that he had instructed authorities to investigate and "take measures to prevent any person from carrying out military activities on Lebanese territory... and to prevent the person in the video from entering Lebanon". Asaib Ahl al-Haq is an Iran-backed group that is one of the main components of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force. Hezbollah has sent advisers to assist the force in their battle against the Islamic State group. The Lebanese group is also fighting in neighbouring Syria, and has been accused of assisting Huthi rebels in Yemen. Its regional interventions have been a source of tension in Lebanon, and were cited by Hariri when he announced last month that he was resigning. He later withdrew his resignation after talks that saw Lebanon's government issue a statement reasserting a policy of non-interference in regional conflicts. Story continues Israel fought a devastating war against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006 that killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 120 Israelis, most of them soldiers. Israel withdrew its forces from southern Lebanon in 2000, ending a 22-year occupation, but the two countries remain technically at war and there have been occasional skirmishes on the border. burs-rh/sah/hc Paris (AFP) - The world's energy companies are being increasingly enticed by liquefied natural gas, thanks to an expected rise in global demand and the fuel's flexibility when compared to costly, long-term pipeline projects. France's Total, which holds a 20 percent stake in the Yamal project that went on line in the Russian Arctic on Friday, recently announced it was buying some of the LNG assets of Engie, another French energy firm, catapulting it into the number two spot in the sector. Anglo-Dutch Shell is the top firm in the industry, having bought rival BG Group in 2016 for 47 billion pounds (currently 53 billion euros, $63 billion). "I do expect LNG demand to grow in the next few years for a number of reasons as part of the overall growth in demand for natural gas," said Peter Hartley, a professor of economics at Rice University. Demand is expected to increase as the need for energy grows along with the economies of developing nations. It offers customers the advantage of polluting less than coal or oil and can provide power when renewables such as wind or sun do not produce enough energy. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts a 45 percent rise in natural gas consumption in the coming quarter century. It expects developing nations in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East to account for 80 percent of that increase. - More flexible than pipelines - Liquefied gas offers numerous advantages for energy firms. When natural gas is chilled to the point that it liquefies, it shrinks considerably in volume, making it more convenient to transport by ship. It also offers more flexibility than pipelines, said Thierry Bros, a senior research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. "When you are an LNG supplier you go where the market tells you to go," said Bros. "With LNG you can't make a mistake," he said, while for pipelines, companies must invest huge sums of money and enter into long-term contracts with clients who may later not want to buy as much gas. Story continues That flexibility is also valued by client countries. "Many countries are looking to LNG as a more secure source of natural gas imports than pipelines," said Rice University's Hartley. "LNG can be imported from many different potential suppliers while a pipeline tends to tie suppliers and customers to one another." The IEA predicts that the growth of LNG will undermine the development of mega international gas pipeline projects, except those linking China with Russia and Turkmenistan which have that benefit from solid political and financial backing. The mega pipeline projects are often hindered by geopolitical concerns which can delay their construction. For example the Nord Stream 2 project to deliver more Russian gas directly to Germany via another pipeline under the Baltic Sea is running into opposition from eastern European nations as well the European Commission. - Smaller is smarter, cheaper - When it comes to converting the LNG back into its gaseous state for transportation, the trend is to build smaller, more flexible, and cheaper terminals. "For the past decade they've been building floating regasification terminals," noted Bros. These offshore terminals, known in the industry as FSRUs, or Floating Storage Regasification Units, are often combined with storage facilities. This flexibility is helping grow the worldwide market, with supply and demand more quickly met, as opposed to pipelines where suppliers and customers are often linked by contracts that run for years. "LNG creates a more fluid, mobile global market place, allowing supply to respond to demand," said Tisha Schuller, head of the Adamantine Energy consultancy. "Ultimately, this will increasingly stabilise natural gas prices," she said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 07:44:02|Editor: Liu Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A British envoy said Friday that his country does not agree with the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and has no plans to move the British Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Britain's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and longstanding: it should be determined through a negotiated settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states, said Matthew Rycroft, the British ambassador to the United Nations. "We therefore disagree with the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and unilaterally to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final-status agreement," Rycroft told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the issue of Jerusalem. The meeting was called by Britain and seven other council members following a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. "These decisions are unhelpful to the prospects for peace in the region, an aim that I know all of us in this council remain committed to. The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it." In line with relevant Security Council resolutions, Britain regards East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, he said. Rycroft called on the U.S. administration to bring forward detailed proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, as it claims to be committed to peace. "The UK will also do everything we can to support progress and achieve the vision of a lasting peace." Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 07:54:04|Editor: Liu Video Player Close United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L, front) makes a statement on the attack on peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the UN headquarters in New York, Dec. 8, 2017. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned "unequivocally" an attack on UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that killed 12 Tanzanian UN peacekeepers and five DRC soldiers. (Xinhua/Li Muzi) UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Friday condemned "in the strongest terms" an attack on UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that killed 15 Tanzanian blue helmets and five DRC soldiers. In a press statement read out by Japanese deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Yasuhisa Kawamura, the members of the Security Council extended their deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and to the governments of Tanzania and the DRC and to the UN mission in the country known as Monusco by its French acronym. They wished a speedy recovery to the 53 peacekeepers who were injured. The Japanese permanent representative to the United Nations serves as the president of the Security Council for the month of December. The members of the Security Council reiterated that deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. They called on the DRC government to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice. There cannot be impunity for such attacks, said the statement. The council members demanded all armed groups immediately cease violence. They paid tribute to the peacekeepers who risk their lives to maintain peace and protect civilians. They also reiterated their support for Monusco, the largest UN peacekeeping operation. Thursday night's attack, reportedly by anti-government forces, on a peacekeeping base in North Kivu province is the worst in recent UN history. Since its establishment in 2010, Monusco has recorded 93 fatalities in military, police and civilian personnel. Libreville (AFP) - Sudan's Janjaweed, Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army and other notorious militias are wreaking havoc on wildlife in central Africa, poaching and trafficking elephants, hippopotamuses, buffaloes and other animals, a monitor said Friday. The threat comes from "highly organised armed groups who are linked to human rights violations and ongoing political instability" as well as state actors, armed pastoralists and poachers, Traffic said in a report. Joseph Kony, a self-styled mystic and prophet who launched a bloody rebellion three decades ago, "tasked a group of LRA fighters with obtaining 100 tusks... over the course of nine months" from the Garamba natural reserve in Democratic Republic of Congo, Traffic said. The report also tracked poaching in Bili in DRC and the Chinko reserve in Central African Republic. The research covered nearly 90 villages in the region. "This region is perhaps the most remote and underdeveloped on the continent," said Liz Williamson, one of the authors of the report. "The lack of governance and enforcement has rendered local communities and wildlife an easy target for exploitation by armed groups, while illegal wildlife trade fuels continued instability across the landscape." Exacerbating the problem was endemic corruption in a region mired in poverty, but things were improving in DR Congo where poaching by government soldiers has been declining in the past few years due to "stronger collaboration with park enforcement authorities," it said. - The pastoralist threat - But animals are also under threat from pastoralists like the Fulani, who are spread over a swathe of western and central Africa, and the Mbororo, a Fulani sub-group which kill Giant Eland -- a Savannah antelope -- and buffaloes "to sell as bushmeat and to poison predators. "Fulani have also been reported as trafficking wildlife products such as ivory and leopard skins across borders, primarily to South Sudan and Uganda," Traffic said. Story continues And there were armed "poachers targeting large mammals, including bongo, buffalo, elephant and hippopotamus in the protected areas" selling their meat to individuals and restaurants and transporting high-value products such as ivory, skins and other trophies further afield. "Hunting serves as an income-generator for people living around protected areas and about 20 percent of men in northeast DRC reported that they engage in small-scale poaching," it said. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has previously found that Africa's elephant numbers fell by 111,000 between 2006 and 2015. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species said the elephant population in southern Africa and much of East Africa is now either stable or increasing but illegal killings remain high across the continent. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 07:54:05|Editor: Liu Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A British envoy said Friday that his country does not agree with the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and has no plans to move the British Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Britain's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and longstanding: it should be determined through a negotiated settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states, said Matthew Rycroft, the British ambassador to the United Nations. "We therefore disagree with the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and unilaterally to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final-status agreement," Rycroft told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the issue of Jerusalem, which was called by Britain and seven other council members following a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. "These decisions are unhelpful to the prospects for peace in the region, an aim that I know all of us in this council remain committed to. The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it." In line with relevant Security Council resolutions, Britain regards East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, he said. "We remain committed to an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that is based on 1967 borders with agreed and equal land swaps, reflecting both parties' national and religious interests; and with Jerusalem as the shared capital of an Israeli (state) and Palestinian state. This outcome must be determined through a final-status agreement, and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees, that is demographically compatible with the principle of two states for two peoples." Jerusalem holds huge significance and holiness for Jews, Muslims and Christians, he said. "We reiterate the fundamental necessity of maintaining the status quo at the Holy Sites, in particular the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif and we welcome President Trump's call on the parties to maintain that status quo. Access and religious rights of both peoples must be respected." He expressed deep concern over continued developments on the ground that undermine the prospects for a two-state solution. "As the Quartet (for Middle East peace) has made clear, (Jewish) settlement construction and expansion, particularly in East Jerusalem, is a significant barrier to achieving that solution. Terrorism and incitement to violence constitute another crucial barrier." He said Britain will continue to press the parties to refrain from actions which make a viable peace more difficult to achieve. "A just and lasting resolution to end the occupation and deliver peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue. Recent developments demonstrate the urgency of progress toward peace." He called for the early resumption of peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians with the support of the international community. Rycroft called on the U.S. administration to bring forward detailed proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, as it claims to be committed to peace. "The UK will also do everything we can to support progress and achieve the vision of a lasting peace." "We share President Trump's desire to bring an end to this conflict. We welcome his commitment to a two-state solution negotiated between the parties. We note his clear acknowledgement of the importance of the final status of Jerusalem, including the sovereign boundaries within the city, which must be subject to negotiations between the parties." To have the best chances of success, the peace process must be conducted in an atmosphere free from violence, he said. "We call on all parties to maintain calm, and work together in a spirit of commitment to this common enterprise." On Jerusalem specifically, peace efforts need to take account of the people, not just the land and the Holy Sites, said Rycroft. "There are more than 320,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem. The vast majority are permanent residents whose permits can be revoked at any point. If they move away from the city, Israel often does not allow them back. If they marry, they face obstacle in bringing their spouses. If they apply for Israeli citizenship, and most do not, a high proportion of applications are rejected. Their status must not be forgotten in any peace effort." If all parties can truly take bold steps in the spirit of compromise, an agreement can be reached. This is the only way to ensure the long-term security that Israelis deserve, and the statehood and end to the occupation that Palestinians are calling out for, he said. "This is what both peoples ought to have. It has been denied to them for too long." Aisha was 14 years old when she married a man almost a decade older in a match arranged by her parents. I was just thinking I would have the opportunity to wear good clothes and high heels, Aisha, now 35, tells TIME. Living in Pakistans northwest Mianwali district, the marriage festivities made her feel glamorous, even though she would no longer attend school and her elders had forged a marriage certificate saying she was 18. Soon after the marriage was solemnized, however, the abuse from her husband began: Age 16, Aishas pregnant body was hurled against a cupboard, leaving her covered in bruises. Her husband later burned his daughters hand on a heater and dropped icy water over his wifes head as she slept. He was torturing me in small, cruel ways, says Aisha, who asked TIME not to use her real name for safety reasons. Her husband sought a second wife, but ordered Aisha to initiate a divorce first, fearing the risk to his reputation in the family. Pakistan has one of the highest numbers of child brides in the world. Almost a quarter of girls marry before the age of 18, according to a recent poll by Gallup. Although the minimum age limit for marriage is set at 18 for men, women can legally marry at 16 in the South Asian country of more than 200 million. However, some lawmakers are taking action following longtime lobbying efforts of womens and child rights groups, and have proposed amending the legal age of marriage for women to 18. On Dec. 11, parliament will vote to end child marriages nationwide under the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill 2017. In a country where people are not allowed to drive or vote before the age of 18, why should marriage be the exception? Senator Sehar Kamran, one of the main supporters of the bill, tells TIME. Similarly, why protect only our boys and not our girls under the guise of values or culture? Read More: Child Marriage Survivor: I Was Introduced to Him in the Morning and Handed Over That Night Story continues However, the bill faces opposition from conservative religious groups who contend that girls as young as 15 can wed. In October, the Council of Islamic Ideology, an advisory body that judges whether certain bills are compliant with Islamic religious law, characterized raising the age from 16 to 18 as anti-Islamic, on the grounds that girls who have undergone puberty are of marriageable age. Three years ago, the same Council advocated allowing girls as young as nine to marry if signs of puberty were evident, drawing the ire of rights activists around the country. The argument that it is un-Islamic is invalid, counters Anbreen Ajaib, executive director of Bedari, a nonprofit working on combating child marriages in Pakistan. The Council of Islamic Ideology never gets involved in anything to do with Islam, it just becomes active when it comes to women, she says. While the Councils recommendations to lawmakers are not legally binding, the 55-year-old body serves a barometer for potential backlash by religious conservatives in the Islamic republic. In Pakistan, like its South Asian neighbors Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, early marriage is prevalent, especially in rural communities. Women who enter wedlock before the age of 18 have a higher risk of maternal or infant death or health complications: Eight percent of Pakistani women aged 20 to 24 delivered a baby before the age of 18, and every 20 minutes, a Pakistani woman dies from childbirth or complications in pregnancy. The children of young mothers are more likely to die at an early age because their bodies are not ready, nor are they psychologically ready, Ajaib says. In Pakistan, 64 infants die per 1,000 births the highest rate of infant mortality in Asia, and worse than war-ravaged Afghanistan or Yemen, according to figures from the World Bank. The high maternal and infant death rates in Pakistan have a close link to early pregnancy and marriage, says Sadia Hussain, the executive director of the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child. For child brides, the risk of domestic violence, early pregnancy, and marital rape increases significantly, while many drop out of school and have little employment opportunities, according to UNICEF. Aisha, who faced heavy bleeding during her second pregnancy, regrets the physical and emotional toll the early marriage took on her. It should have been with someone the same age, so that I could have shared my life with them, she says. I wanted to grow old together with this person, and be at the same mental level as them. At least then I could have had a chance at a happy marriage. Multiple factors, including poverty, lack of education, and deeply entrenched patriarchal customs, can impel families to arrange early marriages. In 1929, the British passed a law restraining underage marriage in colonial-era Pakistan, raising the legal age to 14 for girls and imposing a 1,000 rupee fine (around $10) for violations. Since this period, lawmakers have sought to institute checks on child marriage through amendments to both the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 and the Penal Code, which was updated in February 2017 to criminalize forced marriages of underage brides. A punishment of five to ten years was imposed, along with fines of up to one million rupees ($9,500). However, these strict penalties only apply when a marriage is classified as forced and the bride is under the current marriageable age of sixteen. For this reason, activists have pushed for an update to the Child Marriage Restraint Act itself, to widen the scope of the law. Read More: How One Indian School Is Working to End Child Marriage Pakistan has already achieved some successes in fighting early marriage: the southeast province of Sindh proscribed child marriages in 2014, levying prison terms of up to three years, along with a 45,000-rupee (around $427) fine. And in Pakistans most populous Punjab province, a six-month jail sentence and $475 fine was approved under a 2015 bill. However, a lack of enforcement has done little to stop early marriage in rural Pakistan, where it is most commonly practiced. The new bill would revise the marriageable age of women to 18, and increase punishment to a minimum 100,000 rupee fine (around $950) and a two-year jail term. Those who would face punishment under the law include the adult husband, the childs parents or guardians, and the person who solemnizes the wedding. In a country where underage marriage is sometimes used as a means to reduce the burden of childcare on destitute families, the stiff financial penalty might dissuade some from arranging early unions, activists say. Previous attempts to raise the national minimum marriage age for women to 18 have failed. In October, parliamentarians scuppered a draft bill, pointing to Muslim theologians who argued that Islams lack of an explicit age for marriage indicated that early unions could be approved. Likewise, last year, another proposal was derailed by clerics who labeled it blasphemous. Despite these setbacks, a few weeks ago, the Child Marriage Restraint Bill was approved by a Senate committee, paving the way for this months upcoming vote. If the bill passes the Senate floor, it will head to the National Assembly for approval. If its rejected, activists and lawmakers will return to the drawing board, Kamran says. We must protect our girls, the senator tells TIME. Read More: Why Is It So Hard to Combat Child Marriage? A 16-year-old girl cannot have property, open a bank account, or travel alone without a national ID card, says Bedaris Ajaib. She cant even buy a small mobile SIM card without a national ID card, so how can she take responsibility for a family as a wife? Senator Kamran is optimistic about the prospects ahead for reform. We are keeping our fingers crossed, she says, but cautions Changes dont come overnight. For Pakistani women like Aisha, whose education was cut short by a failed early marriage, the legal change would prevent the setbacks faced by young brides like herself. Now divorced, she is determined not to allow the same fate to befall her young daughter: A 14-year-old child cant make a decision about marriage, Aisha says. We dont understand what a husband or marriage is. Yaounde (AFP) - Nigeria called for an end to violence in neighbouring Cameroon, where a crisis sparked by a separatist drive in English-speaking areas has forced thousands of people to seek sanctuary across the border. "The Nigerian state by no means supports the secessionists," Nigerian ambassador Lawan Abba Gashagar said Thursday, after a meeting with Cameroon's President Paul Biya. "The Nigerian government supports a swift return to peace in Cameroon and the preservation of its territorial integrity," said the ambassador, who is also a special envoy of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. The meeting came as thousands of Cameroonians fled across the border into English-speaking Nigeria. While some are fleeing the unrest, others are suspected to be secessionists in favour of armed struggle, who could use the Nigerian side of the border as a base. "There are agreements that indicate that a Cameroonian can go to Nigeria for three months without a visa, just as a Nigerian can come to Cameroon and stay here for three months without a visa," Gashagar told Cameroonian state radio. "Citizens can stay in either country, so long as they respect the law and they do not engage in activities aimed at destroying their own country," he added. Mounting violence in the English-speaking west of mainly francophone Cameroon claimed the lives of dozens of people, including five police officers and five soldiers in November, according to an official tally. Resentment over perceived discrimination and a tough crackdown on separatist political forces has provoked secessionist demands in anglophone regions, which account for about a fifth of Cameroon's population of 23 million. The Cameroonian authorities have already imposed night-time curfews, restrictions on movement, raids and body searches. The government in Yaounde has also reached out to the anglophone community for political dialogue. Moscow (AFP) - Russian president Vladimir Putin is "deeply concerned" by Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, the Kremlin said in a statement Thursday. In a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin called for the Palestinians and Israel to "hold back" and renew negotiations. "This kind of measure can block possible paths to peace in the Middle East," the Kremlin said of US President Trump's move. Trump's defiant announcement, making good on a core campaign pledge, ended seven decades of US ambiguity on the status of the Holy City, which is vociferously claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Trump's decision threatened security and risked aggravating already complicated Israeli-Palestinian ties. "Moscow views the decisions announced in Washington with serious concern," the ministry said in a statement. It called on "all involved parties to show restraint and forego any action that would be fraught with dangerous and non-controllable consequences". Moscow stressed its traditional view that the two sides should negotiate their long-running conflict during "direct Palestinian-Israeli talks." Moscow said earlier that it considers east Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state, and west Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Israel occupied east Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967. It later annexed east Jerusalem in a move never recognised by the international community. Embattled Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken announced Thursday that he is resigning from Congress, following allegations from multiple women of sexual misconduct. While Franken maintained that some of the allegations against him are not true, and others he recalled differently than his accusers, he acknowledged that they had prohibited him from effectively conducting his responsibilities as Senator. His remarks came a day after a flood of his Senate Democratic colleagues called for his resignation, and as he faced an Ethics Committee probe. This decision is not about me. Its about the people of Minnesota, Franken said. And its become clear that I cant both pursue the Ethics Committee process and at the same time remain an effective senator for them. I of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the senate with the full support of his party, Franken added, referring to numerous allegations against President Donald Trump and Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, both of whom have denied those allegations. Read more: Al Franken Just Resigned Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations. Heres What Happens Now Franken said his resignation will take place in the coming weeks. Read a full transcript of his remarks below: A couple months ago I felt that we had entered an important moment in the history of this country. We were finally beginning to listen to women about the ways in which mens actions affect them. The moment was long overdue. I was excited for that conversation and hopeful that it would result in real change that made life better for women all across the country and in every part of our society. Then the conversation turned to me. Over the last few weeks a number of women have come forward to talk about how they felt my actions had affected them. I was shocked. I was upset. But in responding to their claims, I also wanted to be respectful of that broader conversation because all women deserve to be heard and their experiences taken seriously. I think that was the right thing to do. I also think it gave some people the false impression that I was admitting to doing things that in fact I havent done. Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember very differently. I said at the outset that the Ethics Committee was the right venue for these allegations to be heard and investigated and evaluated on their merits, that I was prepared to cooperate fully and that I was confident in the outcome. You know an important part of the conversation weve been having the last few months has been about how men abuse their power and privilege to hurt women. I am proud that during my time in the Senate I have used my power to be a champion of women. And that I have earned a reputation as someone who respects the women I work alongside every day. I know theres been a very different picture of me painted over the last few weeks but I know who I really am. Serving in the United States senate has been the great honor of my life. I know in my heart that nothing I have done as a senator, nothing, has brought dishonor on this institution. And I am confident that the ethics committee would agree. Nevertheless today I am announcing that in the coming weeks I will be resigning as a member of the United states senate. I of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the senate with the full support of his party. But this decision is not about me. its about the people of Minnesota. And its become clear that i cant both pursue the ethics committee process and at the same time remain an effective senator for them. Let me be clear. I may be resigning my seat, but I am not giving up my voice. I will continue to stand up for the things I believe in as a citizen and as an activist. But Minnesotans deserve a Senator who can focus with all her energy on addressing the challenges they face every day. There is a big part of me that will always regret having to walk away from this job with so much work left to be done. But I have faith that the work will continue because I have faith in the people who have helped me do it. I have faith in the dedicated, funny, selfless, brilliant young men and women on my staff. They have so much more to contribute to our country, and I hope that as disappointed as they may feel today, everyone who has worked for me knows how much I admire and respect them. I have faith in my colleagues, especially my senior senator Amy Klobuchar. I would not have been able to do this job without her guidance and wisdom. And I have faith, or at least hope, that members of this senate will find the political courage necessary to keep asking the tough questions, hold this administration accountable, and stand up for the truth. I have faith in the activists who organized to help me win my first campaign and who have kept on organizing to help fight for the people who needed us: kids facing bullying, seniors worried about the price of prescription drugs, Native Americans who have been overlooked for far too long, working people who have been taking it on the chin for a generation, everyone in the middle class and everyone aspiring to join it. I have faith in the proud legacy of progressive advocacy that I have had the privilege to be a part of. I think Ive probably repeated these words 10,000 times over the years, Paul Wellstones famous quote, the future belongs to those who are passionate and work hard. Its still true. It will always be true. And most of all I have faith in Minnesota. A big part of this job is going around the state and listening to what people need from Washington, but more often than not, when Im home, I am blown away by how much Minnesota has to offer the entire country and the entire world. The people Ive had the honor of representing are brilliant, creative, hardworking, and whoever holds this seat next will inherit the challenge Ive enjoyed for the last eight and a half years, being as good as the people you serve. This has been a tough few weeks for me, but I am a very, very lucky man. I have a beautiful, healthy family that I love and that loves me very much. Im going to be just fine. Id just like to end with one last thing. I did not grow up wanting to be a politician. I came to this relatively late in life. I had to learn a lot on the fly. It wasnt easy, and it wasnt always fun, and Im not just talking about today. This is a hard thing to do with your life. There are a lot of long hours, and late nights, and hard lessons, and there is no guarantee that all your work and sacrifice will ever pay off. I won my first election by 312 votes. It could have easily gone the other way. And even when you win, progress is far from inevitable. Paul Wellstone spent his whole life working for mental health parity and it didnt pass until six years after Paul died. This year a lot of people who didnt grow up imagining that theyd ever get involved in politics have done just that. Theyve gone to their first protest march or made their first call to a member of Congress, or maybe even taken the leap and put their names on a ballot for the first time. It can be such a rush to look around a room of, full of people ready to fight alongside you, to feel that energy, to imagine that better things are possible. You too will experience setbacks, defeats and disappointments. There will be days when you will wonder whether its worth it. What I want you to know is that even today, even on the worst day of my political life, I feel like its all been worth it. Politics, Paul Wellstone told us, is about the improvement of peoples lives. I know that the work Ive been able to do has improved peoples lives. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. For a decade now every time I would get tired or discouraged or frustrated, I would think about the people I was doing this for, and it would get me back up on my feet. I know the same will be true for everyone who decides to pursue a politics that is about improving peoples lives. And I hope you know that I will be fighting alongside you every step of the way. With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor. California's wildfires reached San Diego County Thursday as a blazed named the Lilac fire near Bonsall quickly grew to engulf thousands of acres. The newest fire raged through agricultural lands to the west of Interstate 15, affecting rural communities and prompting a scramble to save horses. SEE ALSO: Striking aerial photos show severity of California wildfires The Lilac fire quickly spread to cover 2,500 acres with zero containment by Thursday afternoon, prompting evacuations in several areas and affecting dozens of buildings. California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in San Diego County on Thursday night. The San Luis Rey Downs training center was hit badly, with several barns affected and some deaths among the horses, according to local reports. Locals quickly sprung to action on social media, sharing news of what was happening and aiming to coordinate rescue efforts. This afternoon, horses are being evacuated from San Luis Rey Downs training center in San Diego county, and bound for Del Mar, because of a fire in the area, trainers and Del Mar officials said. More on https://t.co/3lUqXXeB8I soon. #drf Steve Andersen (@DRFAndersen) December 7, 2017 URGENT! Horse trailers needed! if headed 2 lilac fire with truck/trailer contact DART program leaders 1 760-267-0104 Kevin (602) 503-0922 Holly These people are dispatching trailers when they get the word from Animal Control,Cal Fire u must call/text 2 get in 2 evac areas!! Tischa Culver (@TischaCulver) December 7, 2017 The Del Mar Racetrack threw open its doors for evacuees, and the owners encouraged people to bring bedding and food for the horses. Facebook groups were filled with posts aiming to coordinate the effort. Story continues #LilacFire The @DMFairgrounds is now open for evacuees through the Stable Gate. Call 858-755-1161. Evacuees are encouraged to bring bedding, feed & horse identification. Del Mar Racetrack (@DelMarRacing) December 7, 2017 Del Mars Josh Rubenstein on housing San Luis Rey horses: We will take every single horse we can get. Were open to anything with four legs. Jeremy Balan (@BH_JBalan) December 7, 2017 A reporter for Fox 5 San Diego captured scenes of the horses fleeing. #Lilacfire our cameras just caught this group of horses fleeing from fire. Dozens are stuck in field, people scrambling to round them up. pic.twitter.com/t3QeD6VcMO Fox 5 Sharon Chen (@sharonchenfox5) December 8, 2017 Other photos showed horses being led through smoke to safety. The latest on #LilacFire | -1000 acres -0 percent contained -5 structures destroyed, 1000 more threatenedhttps://t.co/tlfTa3mwvT pic.twitter.com/PMJAeivbjP San Diego Union-Tribune (@sdut) December 7, 2017 Horse rescues have happened elsewhere this week. In Ojai in Ventura County, a group of volunteers organized themselves over Facebook and told photographers they'd saved some 100 horses from the nearby blaze. Horse rescuers gather near Ojai. Image: Noah Berger/AP/REX/Shutterstock California has been hit with multiple fires in multiple counties this week, stretching from Ventura in the north through LA County and Orange County right down to San Diego County. A deadly combination of strong Santa Ana winds and dry vegetation have led to the ongoing blazes. Over 200,000 people have been evacuated and the fires have affected some 9.5 million people. California's fire season has stretched later into the year than usual and local conditions are drier than normal. UPDATE Dec. 8 11:18 p.m. PT Video posted at the San Luis Rey Downs training center to Facebook Thursday showed the confusion as dozens of horses were set free amid the smoke. Some 25 horses are believed to have been killed by the fire. The high ground of space often makes the Earths grandest features shrink to invisibility. You cant really see the great Wall of China from orbitat least not with the unaided eye. You certainly cant see Hoover Dam or the Empire State Building or Beijings sprawling Forbidden City. But you can see natureboth at its magnificent best and its terrifying worst. Thats the case with the wildfires that are currently blowtorching their way through southern California. The Ventura County fire is now twice the size of Washington, D.C. Nearly 23,000 homes and businesses are threatened and 260,000 people have been evacuatedthe equivalent of the population of St. Petersburg, Fla. A decade of drought and powerful Santa Ana winds are being blamed for the disaster. Multiple satellites, along with astronauts aboard the International Space Station, have been monitoring the hellscape below from the cold and quiet of space. Here are just a few of the images theyve returned. Tuesday, Dec. 5 The European Space Agencys Sentinel-2 satellite captured the visible, shortwave infrared, and near infrared light for an image of the burn scar in Ventura County, California. Active fires appear orange; the burn scar is brown. Unburned vegetation is green; developed areas are gray. Powerful winds fanned the flames. A prolonged spell of dry weather also primed the area for major fires. This weeks winds follow nine of the driest consecutive months in southern California history. Tuesday, Dec. 5 The Suomi NPP satellite captured this nighttime image of the fire Ventura fire. After burning for roughly one day, the blaze had charred 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares), destroyed at least 150 structures, and forced more than 27,000 people to evacuate. The fire was imaged by a day-night band in the satellites optics that detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared and uses light intensification to detect dim signals. Wednesday, Dec. 6 Expedition 53 Commander Randy Bresnik aboard the International Space Station took this photo of the California wildfires in the Los Angeles area on Dec. 6, 2017. Story continues Thursday, Dec. 7 Smoke from massive fires burning across southern California seen from the International Space Station. The Thomas fire carved a path of destruction from the Pacific Ocean to 10 miles inland south along the coast, forcing mandatory evacuations for tens of thousands of residents. Thursday, Dec. 7 NASAs Terra satellite collected this natural-color image of the California wildfires. Actively burning areas are outlined in red. Each hot spot is an area where the satellites thermal detectors recognized temperatures higher than background. When the picture was taken, none of the fires was even 15 percent contained. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 08:29:11|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A massive blaze in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province had destroyed about 284 hectares of forestland on Friday and two scenic forest sites in the province were also burnt, officials said. Divisional forest officer Amjad Khan said that apparently the fire had been deliberately made by militants or timber mafia. However, more investigations are being made to determine the exact cause of the fire. The flames destroyed scenic forests of Gandorai and Bisham areas, which are the country's summer tourist destinations, he added. Residents said that the massive fire engulfed two water supply stations, a mosque and several houses in the nearby area. A team of 200 forest officials and residents are trying hard to put out the fire by using their limited means, said Khan. The local officials have asked the provincial government to provide helicopters for containing the fire, saying if not extinguished it may engulf more houses in the nearby area. Less than a year into President Trumps time in office, clean energy developers face a slew of unanticipated threats from the White House and Republicans in Congress that could slow the industrys growth in ways unimaginable just a year ago. During Trumps presidential campaign, energy analysts were skeptical of his promise to preserve the coal industry at the expense of wind and solar. Even the most aggressive attempts at regulatory rollback couldnt reverse the market forces driving the decline in coal, they reasoned. But the administration has not stopped at mere deregulation. From the threat of a subsidy for coal-fired power plants to a tax bill that hurts the financing of clean-energy projects, Republicans in Washington have launched a campaign against renewable energy that includes market interventions that alarm other industries, including oil and gas. Even if these measures never come to fruitionadvocates of transitioning from fossil fuels are pushing backthe changed mood in Washington threatens to undermine the confidence of companies planning to invest in renewables. Jeff Waller, of the Rocky Mountain Institutes sustainable finance practice, described the lingering threats as a spook factor that hangs over investment. All these different things add uncertainty to planning and project development, Waller says. The tax-cut packages that passed the House and Senate represent the most immediate threat to the deployment of renewable energy. The version of the bill that passed the Senate contains a provision that would impose a new tax on many companies that finance wind and solar projects. For some companies, including large multi-national corporations, the new tax could hit 100% and make investing in clean-energy sources a money loser. That financing mechanism generated $13 billion in investment in U.S. renewable energy this year, according to energy research firm Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The House version weakens tax credits for wind and solar power, including a 40% cut to a tax credit for producing wind energy. Notably, both the House and Senate bills would apply retroactively, disrupting a slew of projects that are already in operation or development. The American Wind Energy Association said the measure would cost 50,000 jobs. Story continues This is the most immediate threat and could be the most devastating, says Gregory Wetstone, president of the American Council On Renewable Energy of tax reform. It would simply undermine the financial structure that is critical for renewable energy and bring a booming sector to a halt. Renewable-energy companies are also concerned that the Trump Administration may impose tariffs on solar panels imported from China, where a massive push from the government has allowed the country to manufacture panels cheaply at large scale. A federal agency ruled in October that foreign solar panels threaten the survival of the U.S. solar-panel manufacturing industry, giving the Trump Administration the legal authority to impose a tariff that could kill imports, send the price of solar panels spiking and drive down new installations. (Around 250,000 people work in the domestic solar-installation industry, but only 8,000 of those work in manufacturing.) If you were to double the price of a solar module, it would have massive negative impacts for 99% of the solar supply chain, Amy Grace, head of North American research at BNEF, said earlier this year. You would be cutting off your entire body to save your pinky. A tariff would hurt the key Trump constituency of blue-collar workers and the proposal has faced opposition from conservative groups like The Heritage Foundation as well as the expected supporters of renewable energy. But Trump is reportedly intent on imposing a tariff on China and this provides a relatively easy avenue. The White House has until January to decide on a remedy. Perhaps the most dramatic threat to renewable energyand also the most unlikely to succeedcomes in the form of a proposed Department of Energy rule to subsidize coal-fired and nuclear power plants. Energy Secretary Rick Perry proposed the rule in September, arguing that coal and nuclear power plants provide a resilient source of energy. That argument has been widely panned, including by the Departments own research. But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, has final say on the matter. A key member on the commission, Neil Chatterjee, a Trump appointee with roots in Kentucky, has suggested an interim solution to prop up coal-fired power plants at risk of closing while the issue is being debated. Subsidizing coal, which policymakers around the globe are trying to push out of the electricity mix, would renew its competition with renewables as well as natural gas. Coal use has dwindled in the last decade largely because its no longer the cheapest source of reliable electricity. The new threats to renewables follow years of rapid growth. Wind and solar now represent around 7% of the U.S. electricity mix, up from less than a percentage point a decade ago. The International Energy Agency estimates that globally renewables are expected to make up 40% of power generation by 2040. Despite the many challenges posed by the Trump Administration many energy analysts see these developments as a bump in the road rather than spelling a long-term end to renewable growth. The industry has demonstrated over the last seven to ten years a remarkable ability to innovate, says BNEF analyst Stephen Munro. But that will be of little solace to the companies that have invested billions in part because they thought the government would keep its word. By Lefteris Papadimas KOMOTINI, Greece (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gave out toy cars and dolls to children on the final leg of a visit to Greece on Friday, a trip meant to boost ties but which has exposed the deep rifts between the two neighbors. Erdogan visited the Muslim community in Komotini, a town in northern Greece which once belonged to the Ottoman Empire. A day earlier, he riled his Greek hosts by suggesting the 130,000 Muslims in the region were discriminated against by Athens. "We have made very important decisions to meet the needs of our ethnically Greek citizens, and it is our right to expect similar behavior from Greece," he told cheering crowds outside a school in the region. Turkey has frequently found fault with the appointment by Athens of local Muslim clerics - known as Muftis - instead of recognizing those elected by the local population. Erdogan is the first Turkish president to visit Greece in 65 years, but he has put Athens on the defensive by remarking that a decades-old treaty needs revision. The treaty, among other things, defines the boundaries between the two countries. None of that controversy was apparent on Friday, as hundreds of well-wishers gathered outside a mosque in Komotini to welcome Erdogan. Aides carried bags stuffed with toys, which Erdogan gave out to children. Some supporters shouted "Leader" as he made his way through the crowds. Greek police snipers were stationed on nearby buildings and security was tight. "Erdogan is very popular among the Muslim community in the area. He is an ordinary person close to the people," said Ahmet Hoca, 57, a farmer. Closer to Istanbul than to Athens, this community in northern Greece sometimes feels uneasy with the disputes between the two countries, which range from airspace in the Aegean Sea to minority rights. "When someone asks you whom you love more, your mother or your father, what are you supposed to answer? You love them both," said resident Hussein Kara, 64. After World War One and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne pushed modern Turkey's borders eastwards. About 1.3 million ethnic Greeks, and 356,000 Turks, moved between Turkey and Greece in a population exchange. The deal excluded Muslim inhabitants of Western Thrace, which includes Komotini, and more than 200,000 Greeks then living in Istanbul. Fewer than 3,000 ethnic Greeks now live in Istanbul. (Additional reporting by Ece Toksabay in Ankara; Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Andrew Roche) WASHINGTON Before she voted for the Senate version of the Republican tax bill, Sen. Susan Collins saw that Congress would soon be passing separate spending deals, and she had demands. The Maine Republican laid out a series of conditions for her to support the final conference committee version of the tax proposal. Most notably, she wants Congress to pass two separate health care bills first. I am pushing to make sure they are passed and signed into law prior to the conference report coming back on the tax bill so that I would know for certain were going to be able to mitigate the impact of the repeal of the individual mandate, Collins told reporters before the vote last week. The Senate tax bill would repeal the Obamacare requirement that everybody purchase health insurance or pay a fine. Collins was one of three Republicans to vote down attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act earlier this year. She said that while shed prefer that the tax legislation not repeal the individual mandate, with those two other pieces of legislation, the effects of that repeal wouldnt be so bad. Its unclear how the separate health bills would become law before a final tax vote. Though Collins secured support from both President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), neither man controls the House of Representatives. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has suggested he doesnt support the Collins demands, saying he wasnt a party to her deal with McConnell. And Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), leader of a group of lawmakers called the Republican Study Committee, said the conservative bloc had been promised by GOP leaders that the health bills would not be part of a must-pass spending package this month. Collins wants Congress to pass the so-called Alexander-Murray deal an agreement worked out between Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) that would provide for Cost Sharing Reductions for Obamacare insurers and another bill providing $2.25 billion annually for states to offset the high insurance costs of some individuals. Story continues Without those measures signed into law, McConnell could just invite Collins to become the one remaining no vote Senate Republicans can afford, since their tax bill passed with 51 votes last Saturday. Collins did influence the actual tax bill. For instance, she insisted that the Senate bill not fully repeal the state and local tax deduction, though the provisions Collins got mirrored House changes and were probably necessary for the bill to ultimately pass Congress anyway. Other senators may also have misplayed the tax bill. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) recently complained about the presidents newfound openness toward raising the corporate tax rate slightly from the 20 percent rate that GOP leaders insisted was sacred. Rubio had unsuccessfully pushed for increasing the rate to pay for a better child tax credit. And Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said he supported the tax bill partly on condition hed be included in negotiations to protect undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children, another policy conservatives dont want in a spending deal. It would be difficult for Republican leaders to appease Collins without betraying House conservatives. On Thursday, they went along with a stopgap spending bill under the conditions that there would be no Alexander-Murray provisions in any of the other upcoming measures to fund the government. Ryan and House Republicans could very well pass another short-term appropriations bill in two weeks, have the Senate change the bill because, after all, McConnell needs Democratic votes to pass that bill in his chamber and then force Ryan and House Republicans to pass the Senate version or shut down government. But no matter the ultimate conclusion, Collins is already being asked to accept more things on faith than she was supposed to. Earlier in the week, the House Freedom Caucus nearly derailed a vote to begin merging the separate versions of the tax legislation until leaders agreed to decouple the tax bill from the other spending bills, with Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) telling reporters that the final tax bill would now likely come next week, days before Senators vote again on a spending bill. If thats the case, Collins will once again be asked to vote for legislation she believes is harmful to Americans with the promise that Congress will mitigate their actions in the future. If Collins objects, any one other Republican senator with Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) continuing to oppose the bill could sink the tax legislation. And other senators may hold up the process until Collins receivers firmer commitments. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), for example, could have a problem with McConnell going back on his word. But it should be clear at this point, to Collins and to House conservatives, that someone is going to get hoodwinked. At least one GOP leader is going to have to go back on his word. And it should be clear at this point that these commitments Republicans are making are a lot looser than members of Congress think. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. (TAMPA, Fla.) The parents of the 24-year-old man suspected in a string of fatal shootings that terrorized a Florida neighborhood must show cause on why they shouldnt be held in civil contempt for refusing to answer investigators questions about the case, a judge ruled Thursday. Hillsborough County Judge Margaret Taylor set a Jan. 5 hearing for Howell Donaldson Jr. and Rosita Donaldson. State Attorney Andrew Warren requested the hearing after the Donaldsons refused on Tuesday to answer questions about their son, Howell Emanuel Donaldson III. Prosecutors were seeking information about his background, developmental history, gun possession and state of mind. This is a rarity, State Attorney Andrew Warren said while addressing the issue on Wednesday. Because most people understand that they have a duty to answer questions. And when that duty is explained to them by a judge, theyre willing to provide us answers. Ralph Fernandez, an attorney for the couple, said they havent slept much since their son was arrested Nov. 28 and charged with four counts of first-degree murder for the apparently random shootings that began in early October in Tampas Seminole Heights neighborhood. In motions filed Wednesday, the state attorneys office said the parents refusal to testify despite having received a court-authorized subpoena constitutes indirect criminal contempt. The judge questioned whether the goal was to punish the parents or simply to get them to comply with subpoenas. Taylor ruled that the couple must show cause that they shouldnt be held in civil contempt. Assistant State Attorney Jay Pruner told the judge that the state believes there is no privilege that allows the Donaldsons to avoid answering questions, which is what prosecutors were seeking when they requested the hearing. The parents were being interviewed in separate rooms Tuesday when they refused to continue answering questions. The Tampa Bay Times reports Rosita Donaldson told investigators she and her husband also have a 28-year-old daughter and a 13-year-old son. She said the family had frequent gatherings around the holidays. Story continues Thanksgiving everyone was at our house, she said, before her attorney told her that if she wanted to refuse to talk she could just say no. When investigators asked if she would continue, she declined, adding, With all due respect, Im not answering any more questions. Were not only trying to build a case against the defendant, were trying to ask the broader question of why a question that the victims families and the community deserves to have answered, Warren, the state attorney, said Wednesday. Unlike some states, Florida has no law establishing parent-child privilege, which would keep communications between them confidential. By Francois Murphy and Shadia Nasralla VIENNA (Reuters) - The United States would "badly" like to lift sanctions against Russia but will not do so until Moscow has pulled its forces out of eastern Ukraine and Crimea, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday, calling that the main obstacle to normal ties. Tillerson is on a visit to Europe during which he has reassured allies with tougher rhetoric against Moscow than that of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has sought better relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), also attended by his Russian counterpart, Tillerson said Moscow was to blame for increased violence in eastern Ukraine and that had to stop. "We've made this clear to Russia from the very beginning, that we must address Ukraine," Tillerson told a news conference with his Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz. "It stands as the single most difficult obstacle to us renormalizing the relationship with Russia, which we badly would like to do." On Wednesday, Tillerson met NATO foreign ministers and criticized Russia for the mix of state-sponsored computer hacks and Internet disinformation campaigns that NATO allies' intelligence agencies say is targeted at the West. The conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 10,000 lives since it erupted in 2014. Russia denies accusations that it fomented the conflict and provided arms and fighters. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the OSCE conference that "all the responsibility is with Ukraine" as far as violence in the east was concerned. In his speech to the gathering, Tillerson went even further in spelling out Russia's involvement in the conflict and the consequences it faced than he had the day before in Brussels. "We should be clear about the source of this violence," Tillerson said, referring to increasing ceasefire violations recorded by OSCE monitors in eastern Ukraine. "Russia is arming, leading, training and fighting alongside anti-government forces. We call on Russia and its proxies to end its harassment, intimidation and its attacks on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission." While both sides have called for a U.N. peacekeeping force in eastern Ukraine, they disagree on the terms of its deployment, and there was little sign of concrete progress at Thursday's meeting. "We will continue to work with Russia to see if we could not agree a peacekeeping force that could enter Ukraine (and) reduce the violence," Tillerson told the news conference. "NEVER" He and Lavrov met on the sidelines of the conference, though both ignored reporters' questions when the meeting began. Asked later what commitments he had received at the meeting, Tillerson said: "I'm not going to tell you specifically what we get. We get progress, that's what we get. We get dialogue, we get cooperation, we don't have it solved. You don't solve it in one meeting." In his speech, he referred to the 2015 Minsk ceasefire agreement, brokered in the Belarussian capital by France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. "In eastern Ukraine, we join our European partners in maintaining sanctions until Russia withdraws its forces from the Donbass (region) and meets its Minsk commitments," Tillerson said. He also made clear that Washington did not accept Russia's seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. "We will never accept Russia's occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea. Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns full control of the peninsula to Ukraine," he said. (Additional reporting by Kirsti Knolle, Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Richard Balmforth) Trent Franks resigned from Congress due to claims that he asked female colleagues to be a surrogate mother to his unborn child. (Photo: Getty Images) Republican Congressman Trent Franks resigned on Friday after two female staffers accused him of unwanted advances including a $5 million payout for carrying his unborn child. According to the Associated Press, a former colleague claimed Franks, 60, asked her four different times to be a surrogate for him and his wife, who are parents to 8-year-old twins, through surrogacy. The anonymous female staffer, who rebuffed Franks requests, said the conversations took place last year, that she wasnt comfortable reporting his behavior, and she resigned from her job fearing professional consequences. During my time there, I was asked a few times to look over a contract to carry his child, and if I would conceive his child, I would be given $5 million, the staffer told the Associated Press. The ex-staffer also claimed Franks approached another female colleague with the same request. According to the AP, Franks said in a statement Thursday that he became insensitive as to how the discussion of such an intensely personal topic might affect others and he was remorseful for thediscussion of this option and process in the workplace. Twitter was buzzing about the eye-popping cost of Franks offer. Its a surrogacy, Michael, how much could it cost? $5 million? Jason Emory Parker (@jaspar) December 8, 2017 If Trent Franks actually wanted an in vitro surrogacy, I'm pretty sure there are legal ways that cost way less than $5 million. #TrentFranks #Trent gswaggroom (@girumbishu) December 8, 2017 If $5 million was the going rate for gestational surrogacy (donor egg, not having sex to impregnate) Id have done it. Rachel Joy Larris (@RachelLarris) December 8, 2017 That said, the former politician from Arizona has a net worth of $33 million dollars, and, because he is a public figure, the financial incentive was likely a bid to maintain his privacy. Story continues The typical cost of surrogacy a process in which a woman carries a child for another couple can run, on average, up to $120,000, says Candace Simpson, director of Extraordinary Conceptions, an international surrogacy and egg donor agency in Beverly Hills, Calif. For couples who cant conceive on their own, they can explore two types of surrogacy. Traditional surrogacy is when a woman is impregnated with the sperm of the donor, using her own eggs. Gestational surrogacy is when a woman is impregnated with the sperm and egg of the donor couple, using in vitro fertilization. Simpson says the latter method can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000 more, due to the egg retrieval procedure, fertilization process, and embryo transfer. That $120,000 price tag can include clinic fees, health insurance for the surrogate mother, the embryo transfer to the surrogate mother (in gestational surrogacy), a monthly allowance for the surrogate, and any expenses from a potential C-section if the mother isnt able to deliver vaginally. Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. We're in Pensacola promoting @IvankaTrump's comments on Roy Moore pic.twitter.com/NJ3evTw0mw American Bridge (@American_Bridge) December 9, 2017 While President Donald Trump was inside the Pensacola Bay Center auditorium in Florida on Friday night, urging people to vote for Senate candidate Roy Moore, Ivanka Trumps pointed comment on accusations against the Alabama Republican was plastered on a political ad outside. The giant ad covered the sides of a truck that was parked across the street from the auditorium and then was driven around the rally. The ad featured a giant photo of Ivankas face along with her cutting comment about Moore in an Associated Press interview last month. Theres a special place in hell for those who abuse children, she said. (She also said in that interview that she had no reason to doubt the victims accounts.) She criticized Moore just days after The Washington Post reported he had had inappropriate relationships with teens when he was in his 30s. One woman said he removed her clothing and groped her when she was just 14. A digital billboard on the side of a truck, across the street from Trumps rally tonight in Pensacola, FL pic.twitter.com/6BaDOAf90o Henry J. Gomez (@HenryJGomez) December 8, 2017 The ads were arranged for Trumps Pensacola rally by American Bridge, a liberal group and PAC. Try as Trump and the Republican Party might, theres no way to escape the truth about Roy Moore or Ivanka Trumps own words, American Bridge spokeswoman Allison Teixeira Sulier said in a statement. Its a disgusting new low that the President, the RNC, and the rest of the Republican Party are trying to help send a pedophile to the US Senate, and the American people wont soon forget it. Story continues The New York Times reported last month that Trump was angry with his daughter for speaking out against Moore. The president strongly supports the former judge despite multiple accusations of sexual misconduct. Donald Trump, a serial abuser of women, is urging the @GOP to vote for a serial abuser of young girls. pic.twitter.com/80VLjxT6ri American Bridge (@American_Bridge) December 9, 2017 Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. At a campaign-style rally in Florida on Friday night, President Donald Trump once again used the death of Kate Steinle to argue for stricter immigration enforcement. Letting people pour into our country, we dont know who they are, we dont know where they come from you saw what happened with beautiful Kate Steinle, the president said at his rally in Pensacola, referring to the 2015 fatal shooting of a woman in San Francisco that has become a flashpoint for the right in calling for stricter immigration. That was a total miscarriage of justice. The real changes that were facing are the drugs and the gangs pouring into our country, the millions of people overstaying their visas, Trump continued. And sanctuary cities that set free violent criminal aliens all over our country and protect them. I mean, you go to Kate, who was such a beautiful young American woman, killed on a pier in San Francisco in the prime of her life. She was killed by this guy, an illegal alien who had been deported five times, Trump added. San Francisco is a sanctuary city, in other words, a city run by politicians who would rather protect criminal aliens than American citizens. MOMENTS AGO: Pres. Trump at "MAGA" rally in Pensacola, Florida, on the fatal shooting of Kate Steinle by an undocumented immigrant who was acquitted on state charges of murder and manslaughter, "That was a total miscarriage of justice." pic.twitter.com/IUopvanMxJ World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) December 9, 2017 Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was found not guilty last week of murder and manslaughter charges in the death of Steinle. Garcia Zarate had been deported five times prior to her death and had several felony convictions related to drugs or illegal re-entry but none for violence. His lawyers argued that, although he did shoot the gun, it was an accident that the bullet, which ricocheted off the ground, struck her. The federal government has recently charged Garcia Zarate with new immigration and gun counts. He was indicted earlier this week. Conservatives have often seized on the Steinle case to try to paint sanctuary cities as dangerous and to call for stricter immigration enforcement. Trump has repeatedly referred to the case over the years including last week, when he called the verdict disgraceful on Twitter and used it to again push for a wall on the Mexican border. Steinles family has complained in the past about Trump using Kates death as a political talking point. Also on HuffPost America Ferrera Did Not Mince Her Words At The Women's March The day after President Donald Trump's inauguration, women across the country and world marched for women's rights and other human rights. America Ferrera spoke in front of marchers in Washington, D.C., and gave a rousing speech. Its been a heart-wrenching time to be a woman and an immigrant in this country a platform of hate and division assumed power yesterday. But the president is not America. ... We are America, she said. Latinas Fought For Their Rights At The Womens March Latinas marched alongside thousands of other women across the country on Jan. 21. They joined demonstrations to advocate for women's rights as well as immigrant rights, with some writing "nopal-itics around my ovaries" on their arms and hoisting signs that read "No human being is illegal." The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Vowed To Protect Dreamers Hours after Trump's inauguration, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Ca.) and other Hispanic lawmakers met with reporters to say they would fight "at every turn" to protect thousands of young undocumented immigrants from deportation under the new administration. We are here today on the day of inauguration to send a very clear message to our president: The CHC is going to stand up and fight for the rights of the Hispanic community, Sanchez said. The president of the United States has made it abundantly clear, including in his speech today, that he is openly hostile to immigrants, particularly immigrants of Mexican ancestry. Parents emigrated from DR in the 60's, him an auto worker for GM, her a seamstress in factories. Raised 3 proud Americans #ImAlreadyHome pic.twitter.com/5ZbV439ivn Jennifer (@bebedelaluna) January 27, 2017 A Latina Teen Countered Anti-Immigrant Sentiment With Her Own Weekly List When Valeria Alvarado found out Trump had asked that a weekly list of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants be published, she knew it would "unfairly define a community of over 11 million people by the actions of a few." That's when the 19-year-old Villanova University student decided to create "We, Too, Are America" and share positive and inspiring immigrant stories on Facebook to counter Trump's list. Immigrants Tested If The U.S. Could Handle A Day Without Them Restaurants, activists and immigrants across the country gave the United States a taste of what life without immigrants would be like during a national strike in February. Many stayed home from work or school to show solidarity, and gathered in support of immigrants everywhere. High-profile restaurants and restaurateurs, like Spanish-born chef Jose Andres, also closed their doors in solidarity. We really didnt expect all these absences, one Austin teacher, who said only four of her 26 students showed up, told HuffPost. We were prepared for some, but we never imagined that it would be this big. Sandra Cisneros Called Trump's Immigration Directives 'Barbaric' The Chicana author spoke to Univision about the Trump administration's immigration policies and the uptick in ICE raids across the country. Cisneros said the president was "a man who behaves like a 15-year-old" and denounced the separation of families. I think one of the most horrible things weve seen is the possibility of losing your family, a member of your family, she told Univision in reference to deportations. I think the destruction of families is something barbaric we havent seen since the time of concentration camps, she added. I think its a savage thing. Gael Garcia Bernal Denounced Trump's Border Wall At The Oscars Gael Garcia Bernal took the Oscar stage to present the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, but before revealing the winner, the Mexican actor took a moment to publicly denounce Trump's proposed border wall. Flesh and blood actors are migrant workers; we travel all over the world, we build families, we construct stories, we build life that cannot be divided, Garcia Bernal said. As a Mexican, as a Latin American, as a migrant worker, as a human being, Im against any form of wall that wants to separate us." Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 08:33:50|Editor: Liu Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned "unequivocally" an attack on UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that killed 12 Tanzanian blue helmets and five DRC soldiers. "I want to express my outrage and utter heartbreak at last night's attack on UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," said Guterres. Early indications from the site of the attack in North Kivu indicate that at least 12 Tanzanian peacekeepers were killed, and at least 40 injured, four of them critically, according to the UN chief. In addition, at least five DRC soldiers were killed in the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in UN's recent history. Trump visits Mississippis Civil Rights Museum amid protests President Donald Trump speaks at the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson, Miss., Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. (Photo: Susan Walsh/AP) President Donald Trump paid tribute Saturday to the leaders and foot soldiers of the civil rights movement whose sacrifices help make the United States a fairer and more just country, though protests surrounding his visit to Mississippi laid bare the stark divisions among Americans about his commitment to that legacy. As Trump gazed at an exhibit on Freedom Riders at the new Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, demonstrators near the site held up signs that said Make America Civil Again and Lock Him Up. Some shouted No Trump, no hate, no KKK in the USA. Trump spent about 30 minutes at the museums, gave a 10-minute speech to select guests inside and then flew back to his Florida estate, skipping the public schedule of the dedication ceremony held outside on a chilly day. He spent more time getting to Jackson than he did on the ground. (AP) See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr. President Donald Trump, who just last month said hes too busy reading documents to watch much television, spends up to 8 hours in front of the TV each day, according to a new report. White House aides tell The New York Times that Trump watches at least 4 hours, and sometimes up to twice that much, per day part of what the publication describes as an hour-by-hour battle for self-preservation. Around 5:30 each morning, President Trump wakes and tunes into the television in the White Houses master bedroom, the Times reports. He flips to CNN for news, moves to Fox & Friends for comfort and messaging ideas, and sometimes watches MSNBCs Morning Joe because, friends suspect, it fires him up for the day. Television serves as the ammunition for his outbursts on Twitter, according to the Times. No one is allowed to touch the remote except him and technical staff. And if he misses an important segment, he watches it later on what he calls his Super TiVo. Theres a 60-inch TV in the White House dining room that Trump keeps an eye on during meetings, according to the NYT. He enjoys Fox News Jeanine Pirro, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, and occasionally hate-watches CNNs Don Lemon. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during his trip to Asia last month, Trump dismissed the idea that he has time for the tube. The reason: documents. Believe it or not, even when Im in Washington or New York, I do not watch much television, Trump said. I know they like to say that. People that dont know me, they like to say I watch television people with fake sources. You know, fake reporters, fake sources. He added: But I dont get to watch much television. Primarily because of documents. Im reading documents. A lot. And different things. I actually read much more I read you people much more than I watch television. Also on HuffPost US President Donald Trump waits ahead a working session on the first day of the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany, on July 7, 2017 Tourists walk past a graffiti by street artist Lushsux, depicting US President Donald Trump kissing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drawn on the controversial Israeli separation barrier separating the West Bank town of Bethlehem from Jerusalem, on October 29, 2017. A man takes a picture of a mural by English street artist Bambi depicting British Prime Minister Theresa May dancing with US President Donald Trump in London on February 22, 2017. A man takes pictures of a graffiti of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Barcelona on June 7, 2016. A mural of U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin 'shotgunning' a marijuana joint is seen on March 17, 2017 in Vilnius, Lithuania. A visitor looks at a painting representing US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin made by Nepalese artist Sunil Sidgel at the India Art Fair in New Delhi on January 2, 2017. A collage shows Pope Francis kissing US President Donald Trump with a caption by Italian artist TvBoy reading in English and Italian 'The Good forgives the Evil' in tiny letters along Francis belt, on May 11, 2017 near Castel Sant'Angelo in central Rome. Mural depicting US President Donald Trump is seen on a wall as part of Mural Festival in the village of Staro Zhelezare, Bulgaria, Wednesday 26 July 2017. View of a graffiti painted against US President Donald Trump in Mexico City on June 27, 2017. This photo taken on December 24, 2016 shows a giant chicken sculpture outside a shopping mall in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi province. A Chinese shopping mall is ringing in the year of the cock with a giant sculpture of a chicken that looks like US president-elect Donald Trump. Picture of a graffiti against US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump painted by an unknown artist on the embankment of the Bravo River on the border with the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua State, Mexico, on June 28, 2016. Detail of the mural paint made by Mexican artist Luis Sotelo called 'We are migrants not criminals' (Somos migrantes no delincuentes) in Tonatico, Mexico, on 25 June 2016. The mural is part of the cultural movement 'Stop Trump'. A man cycles past graffiti condemning US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, on a street in Surabaya, Indonesia's east Java on October 17, 2016. A man photographs a mural on a restaurant wall depicting US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting each other with a kiss in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on May 13, 2016. A mural lampooning US President Donald Trump in Dublin's Temple Bar by artist ADW. A mural of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump is painted on April 14, 2017 in Belgrade, Serbia. The text reads 'Kosovo is Serbia'. A woman runs along a towpath near graffiti depicting U.S. President Donald Trump on a canal bridge in east London, Britain, February 18, 2017. A Donald Trump mural covers a building in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, Florida, on October 27, 2016. Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has sparked outrage on Twitter once again with his views on immigration. The congressman who has previously lauded white nationalism on the social media platform wrote on Twitter Friday, Diversity is not our strength. He cited Hungarys hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who reportedly stated that mixing cultures will not lead to a higher quality of life but a lower one. Diversity is not our strength. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, Mixing cultures will not lead to a higher quality of life but a lower one. https://t.co/ZlMXzcc87w Steve King (@SteveKingIA) December 8, 2017 King followed up with this tweet, in which he claimed that assimilation, not diversity, is our American strength. Assimilation has become a dirty word to the multiculturalist Left. Assimilation, not diversity, is our American strength. Steve King (@SteveKingIA) December 8, 2017 Fellow Twitter users erupted in anger over the posts. King came under similar fire in March after he tweeted his support of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders. Heres a sampling of the responses to his latest posts below: How are you employed, much less as a member of Congress? Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) December 8, 2017 As the beady eyed slack jawed spawn of whatever has polluted your gene pool, you are Exhibit A why a family tree should fork and culture should be a bouillabaisse of the best of all people, you mentally stunted simian. Dane (@SeeDaneRun) December 8, 2017 Just a reminder that Viktor Orban is, explicitly and in his own words, opposed to liberal democracy https://t.co/kMUO5TyHMv Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) December 8, 2017 Other members of the Republican party have called Orban a "neo-fascist dictator" https://t.co/5CHKCwtTrr Steve King offers this... https://t.co/BfaZmuw3Mg Dan Merica (@danmericaCNN) December 8, 2017 Hi @SteveKingIA : this is an entirely serious offer. Come to #Oakland. Beers and tacos on me. Tell me, to my face, human to human, why diversity is bad. Thanks! Cyrus Farivar (@cfarivar) December 8, 2017 The problem with a lack of diversity, Congressman, is that it tends to lead to in-breeding of the sort that creates monstrous dimwits like you. https://t.co/IZBVdHAs47 John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) December 8, 2017 Go fuck yourself, Steve. Alexandra Halaby (@iskandrah) December 8, 2017 Someone should break it to Steve King that he wouldn't be around to say this ignorant shit if not for the diversity of America. https://t.co/6OgaTxPBMB Josh Moon (@Josh_Moon) December 8, 2017 Congressman Steve King is really on (white supremacist) one this morning pic.twitter.com/BXcDWMzfmJ katherine krueger (@kath_krueger) December 8, 2017 David Duke and now Rep. Steve King have tweeted that diversity is not our strength. pic.twitter.com/M5i5DWOnyP Eric Hananoki (@ehananoki) December 8, 2017 Related Coverage Story continues Seth Meyers Shuts Down Steve King Over His 'Overtly Racist' Tweet Samantha Bee Skewers 'Geert Wilders' Superfan' Steve King Steve King: Iowa's Embarrassment Also on HuffPost Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. In the past five years, eight states and Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational marijuana for adults. Today, 68 million people live in areas where marijuana is treated like alcohol or tobacco. The drug is sold in stores, millions of tax dollars are being raised from its sale, and an increasing number of businesspeople are profiting in this lucrative new industry. Long seen as either a hippie accessory or a dangerous gateway drug, legal marijuana is booming. Pot is so popular that, in 2015, its sales surpassed Girl Scout cookies, Oreos, and Dasani bottled water. By 2026, analysts predict it will match, and eventually outpace, Americas $50 billion wedding industry. How did this happen? How did marijuana transform from a primary target of Just Say No into something that, according to a recent Gallup poll, 60% of Americans want legalized? The answer lies in five decades worth of grassroots activism, in which legions of the drugs supporters pushed to move marijuana from decriminalization to criminalization to legalization. But, while legalization proponents may declare victory in the war over marijuana today, history shows that the debate is far from settled. In fact, weve been here before. Between 1973 and 1978, a dozen states decriminalized the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. Pro-pot activists, many of them young veterans of the anti-war and civil-rights movements, argued that marijuana wasnt as harmful as the government said it was, and that laws against it were unjust. In the era of Watergate and the Pentagon Papers, they built on Americas growing distrust of the government to pass less restrictive marijuana laws at the state level. It worked: by 1978, a third of the country lived in states where marijuana possession warranted little more than a fine. But a multi-million dollar paraphernalia industry followed in decriminalizations wake. By 1977, sales of pipes, bongs, rolling papers and drug-oriented magazines and toys were generating $250 million a year (equivalent to $1 billion today). There was little to no regulation or oversight on this booming new industry, however. Products that seemed directly targeted to kids including Frisbees with pipes on them and bongs shaped like spaceships were sold openly, often in corner shops and music stores. Story continues Before long, a counterrevolution unfolded, as an army of concerned parents tied paraphernalias availability to rising rates of adolescent marijuana use. By 1978, nine percent of high school seniors reported smoking pot every day, and children as young as 13 reported that the drug was easy to get. The parent movement sought to close head shops and rescind decriminalization laws, while organizing local groups to prevent adolescent drug use in their communities. Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter By 1981, the parent movement had effectively overturned many state decriminalization laws, and soon it was guiding the new First Lady in her battle against pot. Unpopular when her husband first took office, Nancy Reagan was encouraged by parent activists to adopt adolescent drug-abuse prevention as her platform, and her approval ratings skyrocketed in response. Despite decreasing rates of adolescent use, Reagan and parent activists continued to declare that adolescent marijuana use was nothing less than a national emergency. This emphasis on the danger of adolescent drug use helped fuel the administrations punitive drug war, especially when new laws were passed in the wake of the crack cocaine epidemic in 1986. With the White House behind them, it took less than a decade for parent activists to demonize marijuana nationwide. These activists were powerful because of how effectively they shifted the debate. Whereas pro-marijuana advocates supported decriminalization on the basis of an adults right to privacy and freedom, parent activists said that children had a more important right to grow up drug-free. And though many Americans supported decriminalization in the 1970s, once rates of adolescent use started to rise, and when paraphernalia manufacturers sold items to kids, the countrys attitude toward marijuana experienced a swift reversal. Something similar could happen today. Marijuana has experienced a renaissance since the 1990s, when the first medical marijuana laws were passed. Today, 60% of Americans support legalization, and many tie it to calls for social justice. Organizations like the ACLU and authors like Michelle Alexander argue that non-white Americans have been disproportionately incarcerated for nonviolent marijuana crimes, even though blacks and whites use the drug in equal numbers. A rising national insistence on addressing inequity in policing, alongside over two decades of precedent selling marijuana as a medicine, have birthed legalizations powerful new shift. But the winds could swiftly change. If large numbers of kids start consuming cannabis, or if the industry grows predatory and unmanageable, or if legalization just isnt the panacea for social justice issues its claimed to be, a new anti-marijuana counterrevolution could unfold, just as it did in the 1980s. It will have the support of the current administration, too, since Attorney General Jeff Sessions remains focused on re-criminalizing marijuana even as the country experiences an unprecedented opioid epidemic. If the new legalization industry regulates itself, however, and avoids the pitfalls that befell decriminalization 40 years ago, it may last longer than Americas previous experiment with loosening restrictions on pot. Pro-legalization activists are celebrating the widespread adoption of new marijuana laws, but if history is any guide, declarations of legal marijuanas permanence may be premature. Still, Americas previous experiments with both legalization and criminalization can provide clues for how to handle the countrys newest legal shift. Emily Dufton is the author of the new book Grass Roots: The Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America. London (AFP) - Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will arrive in Iran early Saturday, where he will press for the release of a British-Iranian woman held in prison, according to Britain's Foreign Office. Johnson, who will meet with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, will also discuss the Iranian nuclear deal, the conflict in Yemen and other key regional issues. In advance of his arrival in Tehran -- the first by a British foreign secretary since 2015 -- Johnson said he expected "a constructive visit". "I will stress my grave concerns about our dual national consular cases and press for their release where there are humanitarian grounds to do so," he vowed. Part of a three-day trip to the region, it unfolds amid mass protests across the Muslim world following US President Donald Trump's announced move of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Johnson stopped in Oman on Friday, and will move on to the United Arab Emirates Sunday. "Iran is a significant country in a strategically important, but volatile and unstable, region which matters to the UK's security and prosperity," Johnson added. "While our relationship with Iran has improved significantly since 2011, it is not straightforward and on many issues we will not agree," he added. "But I am clear that dialogue is the key to managing our differences and, where possible, making progress on issues that really matter, even under difficult conditions." Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian citizen, was arrested at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016, after visiting relatives with her young daughter. Iranian authorities accused her of links to mass protests in 2009, which she denies, and sentenced Zaghari-Ratcliffe to five years in jail for sedition. Last month they filed additional charges of "spreading propaganda" and will present her in court again on Sunday. Johnson appeared to jeopardise her defence last month by saying she was training journalists during her visit -- something her employer, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and her family strongly deny. The foreign secretary later clarified his remarks, saying it was clear that she was only on holiday. Husband Richard Ratcliffe, who had lobbied to join Johnson on the visit, has raised concerns about his wife's mental health, citing the mounting toll of incarceration. Kiev (AFP) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is facing mounting pressure from the West for his failure to fight high-level corruption that helped drive pro-EU protests and topple a Russian-backed government in 2014. The fear in Brussels and Washington is that Kiev will follow the failed course of a similar revolution in 2004-2005 and dissolve into political infighting between vested interests tied to powerful ministries and tycoons. That era ended with the election in 2010 of a Kremlin-backed leadership that quickly realigned the former Soviet republic with Russia. Scrutiny of Poroshenko is also growing because of the security service's attempt on Tuesday to arrest former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili -- an anti-corruption campaigner who is leading protests against the president. The ruling party's desire to defang the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) by giving parliament the right to remove its leaders appeared to be the final straw for Kiev's chief Western backers. IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Wednesday said she was "deeply concerned by recent events in Ukraine that could roll back progress that has been made in setting up independent institutions to tackle high-level corruption". The US State Department and European Union issued similarly blunt statements this week. The World Bank and British Foreign Office have also rallied to NABU's defence. The new agency has won numerous enemies by targeting people who seemed untouchable to law enforcement in the past. These have included the powerful interior minister's son and three senior defence officials. Poroshenko's party bowed to Western pressure by withdrawing the NABU bill from a debate planned for Thursday and agreeing to rewrite the legislation. But analysts said they expected the attacks to continue. "We have won this battle but the war goes on," Vitaliy Shabunin of Kiev's non-profit Anti-Corruption Action Centre told AFP. Story continues - 'A disgrace' - The International Monetary Fund believes that corruption is a $1.8-billion (1.5-billion-euro) problem that accounts for two percent of Ukraine's gross domestic product. But its true extent may be far greater because the handful of billionaires who control most of Ukraine's prized assets prefer to conduct their business through shell companies. The extent of Western disenchantment with Poroshenko was encapsulated by Michael Carpenter -- a former US deputy assistant secretary of defense who is also a senior director of the Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement. "If (parliament) votes to dismiss the head of the Anticorruption Committee (Yegor Sobolyev) and the head of the NABU, I will recommend cutting all US government assistance to #Ukraine, including security assistance," Carpenter tweeted. "This is a disgrace." Lawmakers agreed to remove Sobolyev hours after Carpenter posted his comments. Conflict-riven Ukraine has relied on various sources of Western support to climb out of a dire 2014-2015 recession that nearly emptied the central bank. Now those funds are drying up. The European Commission last week decided against sending a 600-million-euro tranche payment of a 1.8-billion-euro assistance programme because of Ukraine's foot-dragging on institutional changes. Poroshenko appeared to try Thursday to reassert his reformist credentials by vowing to introduce legislation supporting NABU's work with special anti-corruption courts. But many remain unconvinced. "The attacks against the anti-corruption agency will continue," Transparency International Ukraine chief Yaroslav Yurchyshyn told AFP. "The question is whether the remaining clean members of the ruling elite can withstand pressure from the corrupt ones." Paris (AFP) - An attack which killed 15 United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo late Thursday is one of the worst in the history of the organisation. The following is a look at previous deadly attacks on the so-called Blue Berets: - Democratic Republic of Congo - - December 7, 2017: At least 15 United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania are killed, in what is the deadliest attack on its forces in the central African country since they were deployed in 1999. At least 53 are wounded, including several critically. The UN peacekeeping mission blames the attack on ADF, a Ugandan Muslim armed group with a presence in the country. - January 23, 2006: Eight Guatemalan peacekeepers are killed in a clash with armed men in the Garamba park in far eastern DRC. They were carrying out reconnaissance missions in the region which is suspected of harbouring fighters from Uganda's deadly Lord's Resistance Army. - February 25, 2005: Nine Bangladeshi peacekeepers are killed in an ambush as they patrol an area in Ituri in northern eastern DRC. - Mali - - May 29, 2016: Five Togolese peacekeepers are killed in Mali's central region of Mopti, in an attack which is not claimed. - May 18, 2016: Five Chadian peacekeepers are killed in an ambush near Aguelhoc in north eastern Mali. The attack is claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Dine, which controlled Mali's vast north for nearly 10 months between 2012 and January 2013. - February 12, 2016: Seven peacekeepers from Guinea are killed in a jihadist attack on their base in Kidal, also claimed by Ansar Dine. - July 2, 2015: Six peacekeepers from Burkina Faso are killed in an attack in northern Mali, south west of Timbuktu, claimed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). - October 3, 2014: Nine Nigerian peacekeepers are killed as they travel in the northeastern region of Gao. The attack is claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked MUJAO, one of the groups that controlled northern Mali between 2012 and early 2013. Story continues - Central African Republic - - May 9, 2017: Four Cambodians and one Moroccan peacekeeper are killed during an attack on their convoy in the south east of the Central African Republic. - Sudan - - July 13, 2013: Seven Tanzanian peacekeepers in the joint UN-African Union force in Darfur, Minuad, are killed in an ambush to near Nyala, one of Darfur's main towns. - July 8, 2008: Seven Minuad soldiers are killed in northern Darfur. - Ivory Coast - - June 8, 2012: Seven Nigerian peacekeepers working for the UN operation in Ivory Coast, ONUCI, are killed in an ambush near to the western town of Tai, near to the border with Liberia. - Lebanon - - June 24, 2007: Six members of the Spanish contingent of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force are killed in a car bomb in south Lebanon. - Rwanda - - April 7, 1994: Ten Belgian Blue Berets charged with protecting Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana are lynched in the first hours of the country's genocide. - Somalia - - June 5, 1993: 24 peacekeepers from Pakistan are killed in Mogadishu during clashes with warlord General Mohamed Farah Aidid's militia. Washington (AFP) - A US appeals court on Friday declined a motion to free a man convicted of a killing featured in the hit Netflix series "Making a Murderer." The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago met in September to consider whether Brendan Dassey, now 28 but 16 at the time of his conviction, was properly interviewed by police or forced into confessing. In the end, by a vote of 4-3, the judges ruled that the confession was not forced. It was a key element in Dassey's 2007 conviction for the murder of Teresa Halbach in Wisconsin. Dassey was accused of aiding his uncle Steven Avery in the murder, and they were both given life sentences. A federal court in Wisconsin last year found that Dassey, over the course of multiple interviews, had been tricked into confessing -- both by police and an unsympathetic private investigator working for his defense attorney. The judge pointed out in his ruling that Dassey had a low IQ, was easily coerced and changed his story multiple times, and was without proper legal representation during his police interrogations. A three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Chicago agreed in a 2-1 ruling in June and ordered Dassey freed. But the state appealed, asking the full panel of the appeals court to reconsider the case, claiming the earlier decisions had "rewritten the rules for juvenile interrogations." Halbach's murder was featured in the documentary series "Making a Murderer" launched in December 2015. It raised questions about the US legal system and prompted many viewers to believe Dassey and Avery were wrongly convicted. Washington (AFP) - The US Congress, facing an end-of-week deadline, passed a funding stopgap measure Thursday that averts a government shutdown and provides lawmakers and President Donald Trump with breathing room to strike a 2018 budget deal. The Senate easily passed the bipartisan measure that funds government until December 22, by a vote of 81 to 14. It occurred just hours after the House of Representatives did the same. The bill heads to the White House for the president's signature ahead of the Friday midnight deadline. But with a shutdown crisis prevented -- at least for now -- a heated battle could lay ahead. Trump will need to work with Democrats and his fellow Republicans in the coming weeks to thrash out a budget plan for fiscal year 2018 that earns the support of lawmakers battling over policy and spending priorities. The Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress, but in the Senate they will need at least a handful of Democratic votes in order to pass the spending bill. While the two sides share some common goals, such as funding the program that provides health insurance for millions of children, they remain divided on issues like the level of military funding compared to that for domestic programs. Democratic and Republican leaders huddled with Trump at the White House before the Senate vote. "We hope we can come to an agreement" on 2018 spending, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said. "We're here in the spirit of 'Let's get it done.'" Senate Democrats earlier had threatened to block progress unless they won concessions from Republicans on a number of issues, notably the fate of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants who came to the United States as children. Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, protected the so-called "Dreamers" from expulsion through an executive order. Trump rescinded that order, but then told Congress to craft a legal solution within the next six months. Story continues House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said passage of the Dream Act protecting young immigrants was a top priority. But White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Republicans were angling for separate talks on immigration. Trump, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell "stressed that negotiations on immigration should be held separately on a different track, and not as part of the government funding bill," she told reporters. With the Trump administration seeking to boost military spending for 2018, Pelosi said Democrats wanted to match those hikes on the domestic side. "Our fight is to bring up the domestic agenda to parity" with military spending increases, she said. Democrats supported several bipartisan priorities including funding opioid abuse prevention, improving conditions for veterans, and disaster relief funding. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 08:34:13|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said Friday that the country would form five joint working groups with Afghanistan to boost cooperation in different areas including security and intelligence sharing. Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had floated the proposal during his talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Oct. 1. Pakistan has now formally shared details of the groups. "In the follow-up to that visit (of the army chief) five working groups are being formulated on the basis of a proposal made by Pakistan," the Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Faisal said. He said the working groups will "enhance cooperation on counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing, military, economy, trade and transit interaction, refugees' repatriation and connectivity". Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has again flirted with being an open white nationalist. In a tweet Friday, the congressman lashed out at multiculturalism. Diversity is not our strength, the congressman wrote, linking to an article on a deeply dubious anti-immigration website called Voice of Europe, which quotes Hungarys far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban, as saying that mixing cultures will not lead to a higher quality of life but a lower one. Diversity is not our strength. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, Mixing cultures will not lead to a higher quality of life but a lower one. https://t.co/ZlMXzcc87w Steve King (@SteveKingIA) December 8, 2017 But where have we heard this phrase before? Well, David Duke, the former KKK grand wizard and prominent American white supremacist, has used it when exploiting tragedies or acts of violence: Belgium Massacre - Not possible without Immigration - Diversity is NOT our STRENGTH - Diversity is our DESTRUCTION! pic.twitter.com/enrmzwmyQJ David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) March 22, 2016 Orlando Terror impossible but for the 1965 immigration law sellout! 911-S.Bernardino-Paris -- Diversity is NOT Strength - it is DESTRUCTION! David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) June 12, 2016 Thomas Robb, current national director of the KKK, told Slate earlier this year that diversity is not our strength. Diversity will kill us. Heres Robb at a cross-burning rally in Texas: Thomas Robb speaks at a KKK cross-burning rally in Hico, Texas. (Photo: Gregory Smith via Getty Images) Billy Roper, a prominent American neo-Nazi, wrote in his book The Big Picture that Diversity is not our strength. Neither is being outnumbered and outgunned. Heres Roper at an Aryan Nations-sponsored White Heritage Days Festival in Alabama: Story continues Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today. Billy Roper, chairman of an Arkansas-based white nationalist group. (Photo: David S. Holloway via Getty Images) Brad Griffin, also known as Hunter Wallace, a leader of a white nationalist group based in Alabama, tweeted diversity ISNT our strength last month. Griffin organized a White Lives Matter rally in Tennessee recently, which featured neo-Confederate, southern secessionist, and neo-Nazi participants. In 2011, writer Peter Brimelow, the white nationalist behind the racist site VDARE, told CNN that Diversity is not strength. He uttered the phrase previously in 2004, while praising a book by conservative blogger Michelle Malkin that defended the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans in concentration camps during World War II. The rationale for imprisoning thousands of people in the camps, he told The Denver Post, was very straightforward. Racial profiling always makes sense. Its just that, you know, diversity is not strength, its weakness. Its impossible to discuss it honestly, though. Heres Brimelow at a recent conference of the National Policy Institute, the think tank of the so-called alt-right, a loose association of fascists and white supremacists. Thats him second from the left, in between his white nationalist pals Richard Spencer and Jared Taylor: From left to right, Richard Spencer, Peter Brimelow, Jared Taylor and "Millenial Woes." (Photo: The Washington Post via Getty Images) And in 2007, Gordon Baum, co-founder and then-CEO of the racist group Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) whose website has referred to blacks as a retrograde species of humanity told the Birmingham News that diversity is not our strength, it is our calamity, our downfall. Diversity is not our strength has been seen on white nationalist fliers in Pennsylvania. Theres also a whole thread called Diversity is not our strength on the popular white supremacist hate site Stormfront. And variations of the phrase appear most commonly today on alt-right Twitter accounts, often paired with cherry-picked news stories of non-white people committing crimes. https://t.co/YAoSVX2zWo Build the wall! Diversity is not our strength, if it was it wouldn't need a marketing campaign. DougMerryChristmas (@DougGT500) November 24, 2017 Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism, told HuffPost that the phrase isnt a white supremacist slogan, as much as it is an obvious thing for them to say. Its a response to hearing liberal politicians and academics praise diversity, he said. And the phrase isnt the sole provenance of self-proclaimed white supremacists. There are hard-right figures and anti-immigration groups, some of them bordering on extremist, who have used the phrase. Co-founder of Vice Media, Gavin McInnes, the Alt-Lite figure and self-proclaimed western chauvinist founder of the Proud Boys has also used it. In a video posted earlier this year, he talks about how he thinks other countries food is yucky, and he really doesnt like it! The video was titled Diversity is NOT our strength (and shut up about restaurants). Gavin McInnes, the Alt-Lite figure and self-proclaimed western chauvinist founder of the Proud Boys. (Photo: Screenshot) And Michael Anton, the controversial White House aide selected by President Donald Trump to serve on the National Security Council, used the phrase last year in an essay in which he defended the America First Committee, a World War II-era isolationist group known for its anti-Semitism. Diversity is not our strength; its a source of weakness, tension and disunion, Anton wrote. America is not a nation of immigrants; we are originally a nation of settlers, who later chose to admit immigrants, and later still not to, and who may justly open or close our doors solely at our own discretion, without deference to forced pieties. Pitcavage said its alarming to see an elected official like Rep. King make the statement. Its problematic, first of all because it suggests that diversity is a bad thing, which suggests that people should work to remove diversity, Pitcavage said. Not only does that speak against the whole American experiment, it sends a clear message to anybody who is not white or is in some way a minority or is not part of whatever selected pool Mr. King approves of. How are his constituents supposed to feel? he continued. Hes from Iowa. Iowa is not the most diverse state in the country, but there are people of different faiths and ethnicities and hes supposed to represent them. Excellent Trump appointment for Secretary of Homeland Security, General John Kelly & I discuss border security with my wall model on table. pic.twitter.com/OGkBcN6NjU Steve King (@SteveKingIA) January 13, 2017 Heidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Centers Intelligence Project, which monitors hate groups, says shes heard white supremacists say the diversity is not our strength expression since at least 1999, when she joined the SPLC. King, she said, clearly is a racist who shares some views with white nationalists on things like immigrants for example. King has a long history of signaling support of white nationalism. He keeps a Confederate flag on his desk, even though he is from Iowa, which was not part of the Confederacy. He has said America shouldnt apologize for slavery. He has called putting emancipator Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill racist and sexist. He, of course, has indulged in birther beliefs, once suggesting President Barack Obama was born in Kenya. Racial profiling in Ferguson, Missouri, during protests over the police shooting of Michael Brown, King once said, was not an issue because all the protesters were of the same continental origin. He has argued that most undocumented immigrants are drug mules. For every [undocumented immigrant] whos a valedictorian, theres another 100 out there who weigh 130 poundsand theyve got calves the size of cantaloupes because theyre hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert, he said. He once tweeted a photo of himself standing with Geert Wilders, the rabidly Islamophobic far-right Dutch politician, with the caption: Cultural suicide by demographic transformation must end. And in March of this year, King tweeted Wilders understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We cant restore our civilization with somebody elses babies. The 15 Words: [C]ulture and demographics are our destiny. We can't restore our civilization with somebody else's babies. Richard Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) March 12, 2017 This prompted gushing praise from white nationalists. Steve King is basically an open white nationalist at this point, Andrew Anglin wrote on his popular white supremacist site, The Daily Stormer. OUR civilization and SOMEBODY ELSES babies. Not really any nuance there, Anglin wrote. Steve King should be Speaker of the House. Period. There [sic] is as plain as the nose on your face. He is /ourguy/. Richard Spencer, the alt-right figurehead, wrote that King is more /ourguy/ than Trump has ever been, but would he be saying these kinds of things without Trump? We can only hope these kinds of statements serve to embolden more of our people, as they see that people like themselves are in positions of power. And David Duke, the former KKK leader, called for King to succeed Trump as president in 2024 to finish the job. Steve King -> 2024 (finish the job)? https://t.co/7nZsetoYvY David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) March 12, 2017 Kings office did not immediately respond to a HuffPost inquiry Saturday as to whether he considers himself a white nationalist. America does not do a good job of tracking incidents of hate and bias. We need your help to create a database of such incidents across the country, so we all know whats going on. Tell us your story. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. The IDF attacked Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip early Saturday morning in retaliation for Friday's rocket attacks on Sderot and surrounding communities. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that IAF planes bombed two weapons production sites, a military compound and an ammunition depot. Hamas said two of its gunmen were killed in the bombings. Their bodies were pulled from the rubble hours later. Wreckage following IAF's bombing (Photo: Reuters) This is the second attack in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours. "The IDF views the shooting at Israeli communities with great severity," an IDF spokeperson said in a statement, adding that the IDF holds Hamas "solely responsible for what is happening in the Gaza Strip." Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced that the two men killed in the attack were its members. "Shahid Muhammad al-Safadi, 29, from the al-Daraj neighborhood, and Shahid Mahmud al-Attal, 28, from Sheikh Radwan, both died as martyrs early in the morning following a Zionist bombing that hit a position of the al-Qassam Brigades," a statement from the Brigades said. The two militants who were killed in the bombing Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassim said that "Israel bears full responsibility for the consequences of the escalation in the Gaza Strip. "The spark of the intifada was ignited yesterday, and it will continue until it achieves its goals." Earlier this morning, both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad called on the Palestinian public to confront Israeli security forces. According to Palestinian reports, rioting takes place in at least three locations in the southern Gaza Stripeast of Khan Yunis, east of Gaza City and in Beit Hanoun. The Palestinians also reported that the IDF responded by firing at those who gathered near the fence in Khan Yunis. Clashes in Bethlehem (Photo: EPA) Additionally, according to reports, rioters clashed with IDF forces this morning in the West Bank at the northern entrance to Bethlehem, near Rachel's Tomb. After one rocket launched from the Gaza Strip at Sderot Friday evening was intercepted by the Iron Dome system, a second rocket landed between two cars in the southern city. No people were hurt but nearby cars were damaged. Shortly before the successful launch, Israel Air Force fighter jets bombed a Hamas training compound and weapons cache in northern Gaza Strip in retaliation to the two first rockets fired at the communities around the Gaza Strip. Palestinians report 25 people were wounded in the attacks. The Iron Dome system was successful in intercepting a rocket launched at Sderot earlier Friday, with the IDF Spokesperson's Unit saying there were no physical or material damage caused. A short while later a second alarm sounded in northern Negev communities, but the rocket seems to have fallen within the strip itself. The third alarm sounded in Sderot and Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, and a landing was confirmed in Sderot shortly thereafter. Several communities on the Gaza perimeter decidedof their own volition but with IDF coordinationto instruct residents to remain near shelters due to the day's events. Saudi Arabia pulled no punches when it condemned President Donald Trumps move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. But Palestinian officials say Riyadh has also been working for weeks behind the scenes to press them to support a nascent US peace plan. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Trump reversed decades of US policy on Wednesday with his announcement and instructions to begin the process of moving the embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, despite warnings that it would drive the wedge between Israel and the Palestinians deeper. The Saudi royal court described the decision as unjustified and irresponsible and a big step back in efforts to advance the peace process. Trump (R) and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman (Photo: AP) But Arab officials privately say that Riyadh appears to be on board with a broader US strategy for an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan still in its early phases of development. Four Palestinian officials, who spoke on condition they not be named, said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed in detail a grand bargain that Trump and Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and adviser, are expected to unveil in the first half of 2018. One official said Prince Mohammed asked Abbas to show support for the US administrations peace efforts when the two met in Riyadh in November. Another Palestinian official said Prince Mohammed told Abbas: Be patient, you will hear good news. This peace process will go ahead. The US-Saudi relationship has improved dramatically under Trump, partly because the leaders share a vision of confronting Riyadhs arch-rival Iran more aggressively in the region. Kushner, 36, whose father knew Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, has also nurtured strong personal ties with the 32-year-old crown prince as he asserts Saudi influence internationally and amasses power for himself at home. The Saudi royal court did not respond to requests for comment. A White House official said Kushner did not ask the crown prince to talk to Abbas about the plan. Ultimate Deal Palestinian officials fear, and many Arab officials suspect, that by closing the door on East Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state, Trump will align with Israel in offering the Palestinians limited self-government inside disconnected patches of the occupied West Bank, with no right of return for refugees displaced by the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948 and 1967. The Palestinian officials said they were concerned that the proposal that Prince Mohammed communicated to Abbas, which purportedly came from Kushner, presents exactly that scenario. As told to Abbas, the proposal included establishing a Palestinian entity in Gaza as well as the West Bank administrative areas A and B and 10 percent of area C, which contains Jewish settlements, a third Palestinian official said. Jewish settlements in the West Bank would stay, there would be no right of return, and Israel would remain responsible for the borders, he said. The proposal appears to differ little from existing arrangements in the West Bank, widening Palestinian control but falling far short of their minimum national demands. Mahmoud Abbas and Muslims praying at the al-Aqsa mosque (Photo: Yael Friedson, AFP) This is rejected by Palestinians. Abu Mazen (Abbas) explained the position and its danger to the Palestinian cause and Saudi Arabia understood that, the official said. The White House official denied that Kushner communicated those details to Prince Mohammed: It does not accurately reflect any part of the conversation. Trump sought to temper the blow from his Jerusalem announcement with a phone call to Abbas on Tuesday, stressing that the Palestinians stood to gain from the plan being drawn up by Kushner and US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt. President Trump in a phone call told Abu Mazen: I will have some proposals for you that you would like. When Abu Mazen pressed him on details, Trump didnt give any, the first Palestinian official said. A Saudi source said he believed an understanding on Israeli-Palestinian peace would nonetheless begin to emerge in the coming weeks. Do not underestimate the businessman in (Trump). He has always called it the ultimate deal, the source said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject. I dont think our government is going to accept that unless it has something sweetened in the pipeline which (King Salman and the crown prince) could sell to the Arab world that the Palestinians would have their own state. Red line Trumps decision on Jerusalem is seen almost uniformly in Arab capitals as a sharp tilt toward Israel, which has only signed peace deals with Egypt and Jordan. Jordan, a US ally which has played a key role in the peace process since inking its bilateral deal with Israel in 1994, insists that no peace can be achieved without Jerusalem. Jordanian political analyst Oraib Rantawi, who spoke with King Abdullah after the monarch met with top US administration officials last week, said Amman is worried about being bypassed in favor of Saudi Arabia. There are direct dealings and a desire to present a deal that is unfair to the Palestinians in return for securing US backing and paving the way for Gulf-Israeli cooperation to confront Iran, he said. Clashes in Ramallah following Trump's Jerusalem declaration (photo: Reuters) Most Arab states are unlikely to object to Trumps announcement because they find themselves more aligned with Israel than ever, particularly on countering Iran, said Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at Brookings Institution in Washington, If Saudi officials, including the crown prince himself, were particularly concerned with Jerusalems status, they would presumably have used their privileged status as a top Trump ally and lobbied the administration to hold off on such a needlessly toxic move, he wrote in an article published in The Atlantic. Its unlikely Trump would have followed through if the Saudis had drawn something resembling a red line. Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, a member of the security cabinet, told Army Radio in November that Israel has had covert contacts with Saudi Arabia, a disclosure of long-rumored secret dealings between the two countries which have no official ties. Saudi Arabia denied the reports. It maintains that normalizing relations hinges on Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war, territory Palestinians seek for a future state. But with both Saudi Arabia and Israel viewing Iran as a major main threat in the Middle East, shared interests may push them to work together. Under Prince Mohammed, the kingdom is pushing back at what it sees as growing Iranian influence in and around its borders. Theyve got an unprecedented level of support from Washington right now and seem to be making the most of it, said a diplomat in the region. Theyre not willing to jeopardize that. Theyve got bigger fish to fry. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 11:23:21|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. State Department said Friday that Washington is considering deploying "conventional, ground-launched, intermediate-range missile systems" to defend itself and allies against Russia's "violation" of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The treaty, signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1987, banned the development, deployment and testing of ground-launched ballistic or cruise missiles within ranges from 300 miles (483 km) to 3,400 miles (5,472 km). Moscow and Washington have repeatedly accused each other of violating the treaty. The treaty has been "a pillar of international security and stability since its inception," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in a statement. "By eliminating an entire class of the most destabilizing weapon systems, the INF Treaty served as a key component to building and reinforcing strategic stability in the later days of the Cold War," Nauert said. It has "set in motion the negotiations for a series of agreements to stabilize the post-Cold War relationship between the United States and our allies and the former Soviet Union," she added. However, the agreement "is under threat," she said, accusing Moscow of taking steps to develop, test and deploy a ground-launched cruise missile system that can reach ranges prohibited by the treaty. "Despite repeated U.S. efforts to engage the Russian Federation on this issue, Russian officials have so far refused to discuss the violation in any meaningful way or refute the information provided by the United States," she noted Washington "cannot stand still" while Russia "continues to develop military systems in violation of the Treaty," she said, adding that Washington is pursuing economic and military measures to "induce" Moscow back to compliance. "This includes a review of military concepts and options, including options for conventional, ground-launched, intermediate-range missile systems, which would enable the United States to defend ourselves and our allies, should the Russian Federation not return to compliance," she said. "We are also prepared to cease such research and development activities if the Russian Federation returns to full and verifiable compliance with its INF Treaty obligations," she added. Also on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Russia is ready to work with the United States on issues regarding the INF Treaty via "non-political" and "professional dialogue." "This event (the signing of the INF Treaty) was a milestone on the path towards abandoning the Cold War. The treaty contributed greatly to strengthening European and global security and stability... It was a crucial step towards nuclear disarmament," the ministry said in a commentary on the 30th anniversary of the treaty. Moscow has strictly abided by the INF Treaty over the three decades and will continue to fulfill its obligations under the treaty "for as long as our partners do the same", said the ministry. Washington keeps producing groundless accusations of Russia violating the treaty, while tending to interpret its obligations stipulated in the treaty in a way that is favorable to the development of important armament, according to the ministry. "Attempts to communicate with us in the language of ultimatums or to put military and political pressure on Russia through sanctions are unacceptable," said the Russian side. The U.S. State Department has approved a sale of the Patriot Anti-Missile System to Poland at an estimated cost of 10.5 billion U.S. dollars, said the Pentagon on Nov. 17. (Xinhua reporter Liao Bingqing in Moscow contributed to the story) A senior official has confirmed that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not meet with US Vice President Mike Pence in the West Bank this month because of US recognition of contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital. President Donald Trump's recent decision breaks with long-standing US policy. Israel says it won't relinquish any part of the city, while the Palestinians want the Israeli-annexed eastern sector as their future capital. Under international consensus, the city's fate is to be determined in negotiations. Abbas' diplomatic adviser, Majdi Khaldi, said Saturday that Abbas won't meet Pence "because the US has crossed red lines" on Jerusalem. Abbas had viewed close ties with Washington as strategically important because of the US role as Mideast broker. The snub of Pence signaled a sharp deterioration in relations. Residents of communities in the Gaza vicinity who were forced to flee Friday to shelters and protected areas due to rockets being fired from Gaza said Saturday they knew it was coming, but knowing never makes it any easier. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter "We knew it would happen. We're not going to sleep peacefully tonight," they said after three rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip, the last of which exploded in the heart of Sderot. There were no casualties but several cars were damaged. IDF retaliated hours later, destroying Hamas targets and killing two Hamas militants. Tal Bornstein, with his mother and three children, spending the night in a security room (Photo: Barel Efraim) A short time before the last rocket was fired, the IDF attacked a training compound and a Hamas weapons storehouse in the northern Gaza Strip in retaliation of earlier rockets being fired into Israel. "There were huge explosions that shook the windows of the house," said Rafi Amar of Sderot. "The table that was already ready for Shabbat meal shook. The glasses, the plates, everything. "The rocket was intercepted right above our heads. It was frightening. And the truth is that, after everything that happened that day, I knew it was bound to happen." On Thursday, a " day of rage " was declared in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and thousands of Palestinians demonstrated at different locations following the announcement by US President Donald Trump that the US now recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In clashes between Palestinians and security forces, a 30-year-old Gaza resident was killed, and a few hours later, another Palestinian demonstrator, 54, was killed. Scores more were injured. Clashes in Bethlehem (Photo: EPA) "The clashes that took place throughout the day along the security border indicated that there will be rockets in the evening," Amar added, speaking from experience. "In general, it's something that repeats itself. Every time something happens in this country, it always comes out of the Gaza Strip. "I'm troubled, and tonight I know I'll go to sleep but not peacefully. Everyone is staying vigilant. I have no doubt that something will happen soon enough." The residents of southern Israel, and of Sderot in particular, grew accustomed to this after years of repeated attacks, suffering rocket fire from Gaza whenever tensions between Hamaswhich rules the Stripand Israel escalate. Aftermath of the IDF's retaliation to the attack on Sderot (Photo: Reuters) "We understood that there was going to be tension, we assumed there would be, and now we already feel it in the air," said Tal Bornstein, a resident of one of the communities in the Gaza vicinity, while sitting in security room with his mother and three children. "Right now we are in the security room, just in case, because in our area we have at best seven seconds to reach a protected area, and usually only two or three seconds. So in the meantime we are here, having some family time." Regarding the question of where he and his family will sleep tonight, Bornstein replied unequivocally: "Tonight we will sleep in the security room." Reinforced security rooms are required to be built in all new buildings by Israeli law. Rocket landed in a street in Sderot "For a long time, I think since Operation protective Edge, we have not been instructed to stay near protected areas," said a resident of one of the kibbutzim in the Sdot Negev Regional Council. "It's not pleasant, certainly not on Friday night, which basically means that we will not be able to leave the house. We're not staying in the security room but we also do not leave the house and stay close to it for safety's sake. "I hope it will pass quickly. There's tension in the air, but not something we never felt before." Clashes in Ramallah (Photo: AFP) The residents of the south suffered not only from explosions and alarms, but also from the demonstrations that went on near the security border from Thursday through Friday. During the demonstrations, the IDF used tear gas to disperse the crowd of rioters that had gathered along the fence. The wind carried the gas eastward, reaching the settlements in the Gaza vicinity. Local residents complained of eye, respiratory, and skin irritations. Iraq said Saturday that its war on the Islamic State is over after more than three years of combat operations drove the extremists from all of the territory they once held. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced Iraqi forces were in full control of the country's border with Syria during remarks at a conference in Baghdad, and his spokesman said the development marked the end of the military fight against ISIS. A senior military commander confirmed that combat operations had been completed. Iraqi soldiers celebrate after liberating the town of Hawija from ISIS forces (Photo: AFP) "All Iraqi lands are liberated from terrorist Daesh gangs and our forces completely control the international Iraqi-Syrian border," Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar Allah said in a statement released shortly after al-Abadi's remarks. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for ISIS. ISIS fighters overran nearly a third of Iraqi territory, including Mosul, the country's second largest city, in the summer of 2014. Over the past three and a half years, Iraqi ground forces closely backed by the US-led coalition have retaken all of that territory. However, ISIS fighters remain capable of carrying out insurgent attacks in Iraq, and the group has recovered from past setbacks. In November, Iraqi forces retook the last town held by ISISRawah, near the border with Syria. Over the following weeks Iraqi forces continued to clear patches of the country's vast western deserts. In the most significant victory over the extremists, Iraqi forces retook Mosul earlier this year. Al-Abadi declared the fight concluded in July, but clashes continued in the city for weeks afterward. Iraq now faces the daunting challenge of reconstruction. The fighting caused massive devastation in many areas, and some 3 million Iraqis are still displaced. Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan and France's Emmanuel Macron will work together to try to persuade the United States to reconsider its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a Turkish presidential source said on Saturday. The two leaders agreed during a phone call that the move is worrisome for the region, the source said, adding that Turkey and France would make a joint effort to try to reverse the US decision. Erdogan also spoke on the phone to the presidents of Kazakhstan, Lebanon and Azerbaijan on Saturday regarding the issue, the source said. On Wednesday, he called an urgent meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Turkey next week. Turkey's president has called on Muslims to remain calm in their response to the US recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said protesters should act within the scope of law and democracy. Protests in Gaza and the West Bank have led to clashes. Demonstrations in Turkey continue Saturday. Erdogan says: "The fate of Jerusalem cannot be left to an occupying state that usurped Palestinians' lands since 1967 with no regard to law or morality." Erdogan called Jerusalem "the apple of our eyes" and the "red line" of the Muslim world. Palestinian rioting continued for the third day on Saturday in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in response to US President Donald Trump's declaration earlier this week recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Red Crescent reported 171 Palestinians were wounded Saturday in the West Bank, while 60 were wounded in Gaza. Dozens of masked rioters at the Ar'ara junction on the southbound Route 65 hurled stones at police cars and buses driving by. They also caused damage to a motorcycle belonging to a Yedioth Ahronoth photographer. Stone throwing in Wadi Ara X The driver of a bus to Tel Aviv was lightly hurt from glass shards as a result of the shattered windows and was taken to the hospital for further treatment. Two female passengers were lightly hurt and treated on the scene. Police arrested three stone-throwing suspects, two of them minors. Earlier, some 200 people protested at the junction, including MK Ahmad Tibi and former MK Osama Saadi, waving Palestinian flags as well as signs saying "Al-Quds the capital of Palestine," using Jerusalem's Arabic-language name. Demonstrations in Jerusalem and Bethlehem ( : ) X In the capital's Salah ad-Din Street, dozens of youths blocked the road, lobbed stones, confronted officers and threw other objects at them. Four police officers were lightly wounded and treated on-site. Police arrested 13 suspects who threw stones and other objects and attacked officers. Protests took place in several places Saturday (Photo: EPA) In the West Bank, meanwhile, some 600 Palestinians protested, set tires ablaze and threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at IDF and Border Police forces. The two central areas where disturbances took place in the West Bank were Rachel's Tomb and Tulkarm. IDF forces retaliated by deploying crowd control methods to disperse the rioters. One rioter was arrested. Riots in Bethlehem (Photo: EPA) One protester has been arrested thus far and three were lightly wounded. Some 100 people also congregated in the center of the southern Bedouin town of Rahat Saturday morning as part of the "Day of Rage" protests, with former Joint List MK Juma Azbarga numbering among the protesters. In the Gaza Strip, where two protesters were killed Friday, some 450 Palestinians protested in eight spots along the border fence. They burned tires and threw stones at the fence and nearby IDF forces. The Gaza health ministry reported at least 10 wounded by Israeli fire. Clashes also took place east of Khan Yunis, east of Gaza City and in Beit Hanoun, with protesters in the former claiming army forces shot at them. The Israel Air Force performed attack sorties in the strip overnight Friday after a rocket fired from Gaza landed in Sderot. The air force's attack killed two people, with Hamas's military wing saying the casualties were its members. A previously unknown Salafist group calling itself the Salahedin Brigades claimed responsibility for one of the attacks. In a post published on Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories' Arabic-language Facebook page, Maj.-gen. Yoav Mordechai cautioned the people of Gaza that "irresponsible entities over the past few days have been forcing the Gaza Strip into escalation, and the people of Gaza will be forced to pay the price." Protesters in Bethlehem (Photo: EPA) "The IDF has shown restraint in light of the demonstrations near the strip's border fence. In addition, several rockets were fired at Israel in the past 24 hours, one of which landed in Sderot," Mordechai said. "These grave, unacceptable events led to IDF attacks on Hamas terror targets. Continued shooting incidents led to a harsh, painful response by the IDF. Do not test our might. The people of Gaza, do you not understanding the irresponsible terrorists are dragging you to escalation just before winter, where strife in Gaza intensifies? Hamas is responsible for the strip. Wake up, because you're almost out of time," COGAT Mordechai cautioned. Hazem Kasem, a spokesperson for Hamas, responded, "Israel carries full responsibility for the ramifications of the Gaza Strip escalation. The fuse of the coming intifada was lit (Friday), and it will continue until its objectives are met." Earlier Saturday, both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad called on the Palestinian public to confront security forces in various friction points. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will refuse to meet US Vice President Mike Pence later this month following Washington's controversial policy shift on Jerusalem , an Abbas aide said on Saturday, as protests gripped the Palestinian territories for a third straight day. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed two Hamas militants before dawn, as unrest simmered over US President Donald Trump's controversial declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. A total of four people have now been killed and dozens wounded since Trump announced the move, which drew criticism from every other member of the UN Security Council at an emergency meeting on Friday. Abbas refuses to meet with Pence (Photo: AFP, Reuters) "There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine," Abbas's diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi told AFP. "The United States has crossed all the red lines with the Jerusalem decision," he added. Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki also confirmed that Abbas will not meet with Trump, added there will be no communication between US and Palestinian officials. "We will seek a new mediator from our Arab brothers and the international community, a mediator who can help with reaching a two-state solution," Maliki told reporters in Cairo. Egypt's Coptic Pope Tawadros II also canceled a meeting with Pence with the church saying it "declines to receive" him in protest at Trump's announcement, which failed to take into account the "feelings of millions" of Arabs. That decision came a day after Egypt's top Muslim cleric, Ahmed al-Tayeb who heads Al-Azhar, also scrapped plans to meet the US vice president over the "unjust and unfair American decision on Jerusalem." 'Trump's decision is null and void' In Cairo, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki said the Palestinians "oppose the decision made by President Trump and will deal with it as if it doesn't exist. The decision is null and void diplomatically and legally, and it would not change the legal reality in which Jerusalem is part of the occupied territories." "The United States is trying to pressure other countries to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, but it has so far been unsuccessful. False reports were made about some countries considering moving their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but they turned out to be untrue. The international community stands with Palestine," al-Maliki added. Al-Maliki also said the Palestinians will seek a UN Security Council resolution over Trump's decision on Jerusalem. "When the time comes, we'll demand all countries to recognize the State of Palestine and the fact east Jerusalem is our eternal capital," he added. He called on "all Arabs to come to Jerusalem - it will be a direct and quick response to President Trump's decision." US isolated Trump's decision drew lavish praise from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but has sparked a worldwide diplomatic backlash. Five European countries on the UN Security Council insisted the new US policy was not consistent with past resolutions, including one that declares east Jerusalem to be Israeli-occupied. The meeting was requested by eight of the 15 members of the council but was largely symbolic as no vote on a resolution was planned because the US wields veto power. Trump said his defiant movemaking good on a 2016 presidential campaign pledgemarked the start of a "new approach" to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But many analysts question how a balanced agreement can be reached by granting such a major Israeli demand before negotiations have even started. Israel has long claimed all of Jerusalem as its indivisible capital, while the Palestinians see the annexed eastern sector of the city as the capital of their future state. Its status is the most sensitive issue in the decades-long conflict. Some 200 protesters blocked Highway 65 near the Ar'ara Junction area heading south in the vicinity of Wadi Ara, in protest of President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and photos of Trump on which "Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine" was written. MK Ahmad Tibi (Joint List) and former MK Osama Saadi were among the protesters. BEIRUT - A powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militant commander has visited the Lebanon-Israel border expressing support for the Lebanese and Palestinians against the Jewish state and sparking harsh criticism from Lebanon's prime minister who ordered him banned from entering the country. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Qais al-Khazali is commander of the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous, a group that staged massive attacks against US troops before their withdrawal from Iraq in 2011. He appeared in military uniform in a video while touring the border with Israel along with members of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group. X "We declare our full readiness to stand with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against the unjust Israeli occupation that is hostile to Islam, Arabs and humanity," he said. Qais al-Khazali visits Israel-Lebanon border The visit could be seen as a message to Israel that a possible war with Hezbollah in the future would bring into the country Iran-backed fighters from around the region at a time when Iranian-backed groups have a major presence in Syria and Iraq. Qais al-Khazali visits Israel-Lebanon border The visit was blasted by Prime Minister Saad Hariri who said in a statement that it is a "flagrant violation" of Lebanese laws, adding that the appearance happened six days ago. Hariri ordered al-Khazali banned from entering Lebanon again. Hariri's office said the prime minister contacted security officials to investigate the incident and prevent any person or group from carrying out any military activities on Lebanese territory. Qais al-Khazali visits Israel-Lebanon border The video was aired by Asaib Ahl al-Haq al-Ahd TV station Thursday night showing al-Khazali along with several other people in military uniforms as they showed him around areas overlooking Israeli towns and villages. One of those guiding al-Khazali points to a mountainous region in a distance and tells him "this is Golan" in reference to Syria's Golan Heights that were captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Days War. Al-Khazali is later seen standing next to a wall on the border near the Fatima Gate in the Lebanese border village of Kfar Kila. Qais al-Khazali Al-Khazali's Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Hezbollah are among the Iran-backed groups that are fighting in Syria along with President Bashar Assad's forces helping in tipping the balance of power in his favor in Syria's conflict now in its seventh year. Jawad al-Tlebawy, a spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq in Baghdad, told The Associated Press that the trip to the Lebanon-Israel border occurred after this week's decision by US President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital Hariri's office said it happened few days before Trump's decision that has triggered widespread protests throughout the Arab and Muslim world. BAGHDAD Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says the fight against the Islamic State group is over after more than three years of combat operations. In an address to the nation aired on Iraqi state television, Al-Abadi says Iraqi forces retook the last IS strongholds in the country Saturday. Flanked by senior commanders, Al-Abadi says: "The Iraqi flag is flying high today over all Iraqi territory and at the farthest point on the border." Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of IS fighters from Iraq's western deserts Saturday, securing the country's border with Syria. IS fighters overran nearly a third of Iraqi territory, including Mosul, the country's second largest city in the summer of 2014, declaring a caliphate that stretched from northern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 12:23:32|Editor: Liu Video Player Close by Peerzada Arshad Hamid NEW DELHI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Voting for local elections in India's western state of Gujarat began Saturday morning amid tight security and adequate arrangements, officials said. The voting is underway in all the 89 constituencies of Kutch, Saurashtra and South Gujarat. Voters including women and elderly are making queues outside the polling stations to cast their votes. "Today's phase elections are taking place in 89 of the state's 182 constituencies," said an election commission official. "All the measures have been put in place to ensure free and fair polling." Polling began at 8:00 a.m. local time and will go on until 5:00 p.m.local time in the evening. Officials said in the first phase over 21 million voters are expected to exercise their right to vote to decide fate of 977 candidates including 57 women in the fray. India's ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has been governing the state since 1998. Gujarat is the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi has served as chief minister of the state for over 12 years. In the ongoing elections, the opposition Congress party and two young leaders Hardik Patel and Jignesh Mevani are trying hard to unseat BJP in the state. All the parties have led aggressive campaigns to impress upon voters and get them on their side. Reports pouring in from the state said the polling was going on peacefully and is picking up slowly. "All arrangements are in place for smooth conduct of polls," a poll official told media. "Both VVPAT machines and Electronic Voting Machines are being used on all polling booths. " Modi has urged the voters from state to ensure participation in the elections. "Phase 1 of Gujarat polls begin. Urging all those voting today to turnout in record numbers and vote. I particularly call upon youngsters to exercise their franchise," the prime minister wrote on twitter. The counting of votes will be taken up on Dec 18. The Election Commission of India has already asked media to refrain from publishing any articles or programs related to prediction of election results (popularly known as exit polls) regarding local elections. The poll body issued an advisory that no such news or opinion piece should be published until the evening of Dec. 14, when the second and final phase of Gujarat local elections will be held. The step, according to officials, was taken to prevent electors from being influenced by the predictions. PARIS - Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on Saturday staged a protest in Paris against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned visit to France on Sunday. Protestors carried Palestinian flags and photos of French President Emmanuel Macron marked "accomplice" for hosting Netanyahu following the US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Netanyahu, who has welcomed Trump's move, will meet with Macron on Sunday ahead of a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday described Israel as a "state of occupation," which used "terror" against the Palestinians, as he stepped up his criticism of the US recognition of Jerusalem as its capital. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Erdogan has been bitterly opposed to the decision of President Donald Trump to recognize Jerusalem and has called a summit of Islamic countries on December 13 in Istanbul. "Israel is a state of occupation," Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul, referring to Israel's settlement building. Turkish President Erdogan said Israel was a 'state of terror' (Photo: AP) Retaliatory Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip killed two militants from Palestinian terrorist group Hamas before dawn, bringing to four the number killed since Trump announced the move. Erdogan, who regards himself as a champion of the Palestinian cause and an opponent of any perceived global injustice against Muslims, described Jerusalem as the "apple of our eye" and a "red line" for Muslims. The Turkish president criticized President Trump's speech (Photo: EPA) He said that the American decision was "null and void" for Ankara. "Trump seeks to move forwards by saying 'there we go, I did it, it's done!' I'm sorry but... being strong does not give you such a right. "The leaders of major countries have a mission to make peace. Not unleash conflicts." Erdogan on Saturday continued to play a central role in diplomatic efforts in the crisis, telephoning French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Michel Aoun, the presidency said. Erdogan telephoned his Lebanese counterpart Aoun (Photo: Reuters) The Turkish presidential source said Erdogan and Macron agreed during a phone call that Trump's move was worrying for the region and that Turkey and France would make a joint effort to try to reverse the US decision. Erdogan also spoke to the presidents of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan on Saturday, the source said. Last year, Turkey and Israel ended a rift triggered by Israel's storming in 2010 of a Gaza-bound ship that left 10 Turkish activists dead and led to a downgrading of diplomatic ties. The two sides have since stepped up cooperation, particularly in energy, but Erdogan has repeatedly been bitterly critical of Israeli policy. Last week he warned that Turkey's reaction "could go as far as" cutting relations with Israel, but he made no reference to this in his latest speech. The UN Security Council is scheduled to convene at the end of the month for a special discussion on the Israeli citizens and the bodies of IDF soldiers being held by Hamas in Gaza Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Leah Goldin, the mother of slain soldier Hadar Goldin, will address the council alongside Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon. UN Security Council (Photo: AP) Goldin will call on council members to take immediate action to return the bodies of her son and fellow fallen soldier Oron Shaul, as well as two Israeli citizens believed to be aliveAbera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayedto Israel. In addition to the Goldin family, experts in the fields of international law and humanitarian aid will take part in the discussion. It will also feature speeches from ambassadors and representatives of the council member states. Top: Jumaa Ibrahim Abu-Ghanima, Sgt. Oron Shaul; Bottom: Lt. Hadar Goldin, Abera Mengistu The event, which will be open to all diplomats at the UN headquarters in New York, will be the first time Israel initiates a discussion in the Arria-Formula formata special, informal discussion of the Security Council. "With incomprehensible cruelty, Hamas is holding citizens and the bodies of Israeli soldiers," Israeli Ambassador Danon said. "The international community must realize its responsibility and pressure Hamas to put an end to this horrible situation. We will continue using all means at our disposal to return our citizens and soldiers to Israel." Some 300 people congregated in Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard in anticipation of a planned protest against governmental corruption. Police have started preemptively blocking roads in the area before the protest, expected to reach HaBima Theater's plaza. Additional demonstrations are being held elsewhere, in places such as Nahariya, Afula, Hadera, Netanya, Rishon LeZion, Modi'in, Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva. JERUSALEM Arab foreign ministers are arriving in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to attend an emergency meeting to formulate a unified response to President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The ministerial meeting brings together foreign ministers from Arab League member-states and is scheduled to open in Cairo later on Saturday. The meeting takes place amid a wave of anger at the US leader's decision, which sparked three days of street protests in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Cairo, the heads of the largest Christian church and the Al-Azhar, the world's top seat of learning for Sunni Muslims, have announced they would not meet Vice President Mike Pence when he visits Cairo Dec. 20. Hundreds also protested Trump's decision at Al-Azhar mosque on Friday. Tens of thousands of people congregated near Independence Hall on Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard for a protest demonstration against governmental corruption, exactly one week after last Saturday's mass demonstration in the city. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Protesters cried out "We will not give in until you give out," "Bibi Netanyahu to Maasiyahu Prison," "Bibi versus the State" and "Shame, shame, shame." Aerial footage of the Tel Aviv protest (: , - ') X Rothschild Boulevard was blocked off to traffic, as were Allenby, Ehad HaAm, Yehuda HaLevi, Bilu and other streets and the vicinity. Aerial view of the demonstration (Photo: Mahapach) The protest's organizers, carrying signs saying "Corrupt, go home," protested Coalition Chairman David Bitan, who was questioned by police this week, and railed against what they dubbed as "the lag in Prime Minister Netanyahu's investigations." 'Sweeping up corruption' (Photo: Motti Kimchi) A handful of Likud activists staged a counter-protest several dozen meters away. After the protesters arrived at the HaBima Square, the police shut down the generator protest organizers planned to use, claiming it did not meet safety requirements. (Photo: Motti Kimchi) In protest of the generator being shut down, several hundreds of demonstrators made their way down Kaplan Street, marching past the Kirya IDF headquarters. The unplanned march led to the blocking of Ibn Gabirol Street on the corner of Kaplan Street. Daphni Leef, one of the leaders of the 2011 summer social justice protest, led the marchers, who also briefly blocked the Azrielly junction. Those protesters later continued to Rabin Square, which was also not part of the original plan. The protest is organized by Eldad Yaniv and Meni Naftali, renowned for organizing weekly Petah Tikva demonstrations opposite the home of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit. The pair utilized social media and the Whatsapp instant messaging app to invite participants to attend. An aerial view of the protest (Photo: Ori Cole) "Yesterday what we said would happen, happened. When the corrupt get spooked by tens of thousands of people on the streets, they do what they do best. What do they do in the face of hope? They retaliate with violence to enflame the area," Yaniv said. Yaniv then went on to posit that the prime ministerthrough the country's security forcesengineered riots all across the country to keep people away from the protest. "It's their way of getting us to give up. What scares the corrupt more than last Saturday night? This Saturday night," Yaniv declared. "We want a new contract with politicians, without those colluding with tycoons. We want new leaders and a new contract. Politicians who work for us, not corrupt ones. Politicians who can see justice served," Yaniv said. "No disabled people will be making NIS 2,000 (then). We'll continue coming here every Saturday night. If we come here every Saturday night, he'll go home in the winter," the former Labor Party Knesset candidate promised. Protesters in Tel Aviv Saturday (Photo: Motti Kimchi) Co-organizer Meni Naftali spoke next, saying, "The prime minister fears demonstrations. Bibi tried to take people down so this protest doesn't take place, but here we are. All of the politicianswe haven't heard from (Labor Party Leader) Avi Gabbay and (Yesh Atid Chairman) Yair Lapid, we haven't heard from them in two yearshave suddenly started talking about corruption." "We'll march on HaBima and tell the prime minister to give back the reins and to Mandelblit we haven't forgotten about you, we'll get to you as well," Naftali vowed. The Likud party responded to the protest, saying, "On an evening where Prime Minister Netanyahu is representing the State of Israel in the face of attacks after President (Donald) Trump's historic declaration (recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capitaled), and during a time when protests are held all over the Arab world with Israeli and American flag burned, once again Tel Aviv hosts another left-wing demonstration." (Photo: Motti Kimchi) "Instead of uniting behind Jerusalem, along with all other Israelis, thus presenting a united front to the world, the left cannot help itself and prefers dealing in divisiveness," the prime minister's party chided. Simultaneous to the Tel Aviv demonstration, protests were staged elsewhere in Israel, in such places as Nahariya, Hadera, Afula, Netanya, Rishon LeZion, Modi'in, Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva. In Haifa, protesters called out "Our country is not for sale" and "Disgraceful country that has corrupted at its helm." At Paris Square, near the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem, some 150 people gathered to protest, calling out "Prime minister, every Shabbat has an end. We'll keep coming every Saturday night until we eradicate corruption from the Knesset and the government." The Jerusalem protest (: ) X Last week's "March of Shame" against government corruption and what demonstrators said was foot-dragging in the investigations against Netanyahu made its way from Independence Hall on Rothschild Boulevard to Habima Square, and was organized by Yaniv and Naftali. Similar demonstrations also took place in other places in Israel. (Photo: Motti Kimchi) The following day, Chairman of the Knesset's Internal Affairs Committee MK David Amsalem (Likud) announced a debate and vote scheduled to take place on his recommendations bill were canceled . The committee was to vote on the bill, barring police from making indictment recommendations, before it was brought before the Knesset for the final second and third readings. Amsalem's announcement was precipitated by Prime Minister Netanyahu's own message, saying he was not interested in being included in the bill's purview. Netanyahu's message, and objections from within the coalition itself, forced Amsalem's hand and brought about the postponement. An IDF squad commander was suspended after being filmed Saturday stealing from a Palestinian fruit stand in Hebron. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter A force from the Givati Brigade was on operational duty in Hebron securing the Jewish settlement in the city during the "days of rage" announced after US President Donald Trump's declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital X The squad commander was filmed taking apples for himself and his soldiers from a stand owned by a Palestinian who left amid the violence in the city. The IDF Spokesman's Office said this was an abnormal incident, which does not reflect on the conduct of the forces in the West Bank in general and this weekend in particular. The squad commander takes fruit from the stand "This behavior is not in line with what is expected from a soldier and commander in the IDF. The incident was investigated, and the commander was suspended and will face disciplinary action," the IDF said. "The Givati Brigade's battalion has been operating in the Hebron sector for several months, and its soldiers are constantly instructed to avoid this kind of incidents, as they are prone to encounter them more than any other battalion in Judea and Samaria, due to the high level of friction with the Palestinian and the Jewish populations," the IDF added. Troops from the same battalion were documented on Friday as well in a photo that went viral, showing some 20 soldiers surrounding a young Palestinian who took part in the violent rioting in the city. In this instance, the soldiers had the full backing of their commanding officers after having caught the main instigator and bringing him in for questioning. LONDON Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson is expected to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday to discuss bilateral and regional issues, a UK Foreign Office official said on Saturday. Johnson held talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and other officials in Tehran on Saturday, where he stressed Britain's support for Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and raised concerns about dual national consular cases between the countries. Several dozen rioters, some masked, hurled stones and Molotov cocktails at Israel Police and Border Police forces in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiya on Saturday night. The Israeli force used crowd dispersal measures to break off the demonstration. The rioters fled back into the neighborhood. CAIRO - Arab foreign ministers kicked off an emergency meeting Saturday in the Egyptian capital with scathing criticism of US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a move they agreed has robbed Washington of its credentials as an honest broker in Mideast peace. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The Arab League meeting, which brings together foreign ministers from member-states, is taking place as protests continued for three consecutive days in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Cairo, the head of Egypt's largest Christian church announced Saturday he would not meet US Vice President Mike Pence when he visits Cairo on December 20, mirroring a decision made Friday by the country's top Muslim cleric. Arab League meets in Cairo (Photo: AFP) Trump's announcement on Jerusalem, and his intention to move the US Embassy there, triggered denunciations from around the world , with even close allies suggesting he had needlessly stirred more conflict in an already volatile region. The city's status lies at the core of the Israeli-Palestinians conflict, and Trump's move was widely perceived as siding with Israel. Even small crises over Jerusalem's status and that of the holy sites in its ancient Old City have sparked deadly bloodshed in the past. Addressing the Cairo meeting, both Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki called on world nations to recognize the State of Palestine with east Jerusalem as its capital in response to Trump's decision. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki and Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit (Photo: AFP) Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the league chief, said Trump's decision "condemned" the country that took it and the administration that passed it. It also raised a question mark over Washington's role as a peace mediator, not just in the Middle East but in the entire world. "The decision amounts to the legalization of occupation," said Aboul-Gheit. Al-Maliki called on the league to instruct its envoys in the United Nations to submit a draft resolution to the US Security Council condemning Trump's decision. Trump's decision, he said, "betrays its hostility and bias against the Palestinian people." Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said Arab nations should consider imposing economic sanctions against the United States to prevent it moving its embassy to Jerusalem. "Pre-emptive measures (must be) taken against the decision ... beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions," Bassil said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 13:13:38|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close HOUSTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- In the coming decade, the United States is expected to increasingly export shale oil to the international market through its Houston terminal, a Houston-based analyst said Friday. The trend may exert pressure on oil exploration and oil prices, Jo Zhao, a senior consultant of the consulting company The Oil World, told Xinhua. He was referring to the the plan that Enterprise Products Partners announced Wednesday to convert one of its natural gas liquids (NGL) pipelines from western Texas' Permian Basin to the Texas Gulf Coast for crude oil service. The conversion, to be completed in the first half of 2020, is expected to provide the Enterprise with a total crude oil pipeline capacity of over 650,000 barrels per day from the Permian Basin to Enterprise's crude oil hub in the Houston area. A.J. "Jim" Teague, chief executive officer of the general partner of Enterprise, said Wednesday in a news release that the repurposing of an NGL pipeline into crude oil service is an example of system flexibility and innovation of response to customers' needs while increasing distributable cash flow and value of partnership. In early November, 2 million barrels of crude oil per day were delivered from ports along Texas Gulf Coast, setting a record in U.S. oil export. Enterprise Products Partners is one of the largest publicly traded partnerships and a leading North American provider of energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals. Dozens of people took part in an authorized but rare protest Saturday in Kuwait City to denounce US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Protesters gathered at Irada Square outside the National Assembly carrying banners reading "Jerusalem is an eternal Palestinian capital" and "Terrorism is an American business," an AFP reporter said. The call to protest had been made by several political groups, including the Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, and civil society associations. A "Wanted" poster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was torched by one protester and trampled on by others. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left on an official visit to Paris and Brussels on Saturday night, vowing not to accept "double standard" from Europe on US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "While I respect Europe, I am not prepared to accept a double standard from it. I hear voices from there condemning President Trump's historic statement, but I have not heard condemnations of the rockets fired at Israel or the terrible incitement against it," Netanyahu said. "I am not prepared to accept this hypocrisy, and as usual at this important forum, I will present Israel's truth without fear and with head held high," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 13:18:39|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's deputy national security adviser, Dina Powell, will step down from her position early next year, the White House said Friday. "Dina Powell has been a key, trusted advisor in this administration," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Friday. Sanders said Powell "has always planned to serve one year before returning home to New York, where she will continue to support the president's agenda and work on the Middle East." Powell, who started to serve the administration in March, is expected to be one of several aides to leave the White House at the one-year mark of Trump's presidency. Powell, 44, has been in Trump's inner circle and a key aide to National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. She has played a key role in Trump's Middle East agenda, along with the president's senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. "Dina has been an invaluable member of President Trump's team," McMaster said in a statement. Kushner, for his part, stressed Powell's role in the administration's Israeli-Palestinian peace team. Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move widely criticized by the international community. Powell, who speaks Arabic and moved to the United States from Egypt at the age of four, was in charge of the office of presidential personnel in the George W. Bush administration. After leaving the Bush administration, she joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 as a managing director. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 13:28:41|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close ATLANTA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. major companies in beverage making and logistics on Friday voiced support for strong U.S.-China ties as they benefit not only the two countries, but also the world at large. "The vibrant-going relationship between the U.S. and China is vital for our company ... for the U.S. economy, indeed, for the global economy," said Michael Goltzman, vice president of Coca-Cola, the world's biggest beverage maker, when delivering a speech at a luncheon held here. Since re-entering China in 1979, the Atlanta-based U.S. soda giant has been expanding its business in the Chinese market. With a total investment of 9 billion U.S. dollars over the past decades, Coca-Cola now has over 40 plants and about 45,000 employees in China, according to data from the company. "China is very important to Coca-Cola" and we look forward to a much stronger collaboration together, said Goltzman. Describing the U.S.-China ties as "critical and multi-faceted," UPS (United Parcel Service) Vice President Elizabeth Terrell said the bilateral relationship should continue to do what they do best -- create commerce, drive economic growth and connect the world. As a logistic bellwether in the Untied States, the UPS entered China in 1988, facilitating cooperation between American and Chinese companies. After years of development, the UPS now conducts more than 200 flights to and from its Chinese hubs on a weekly basis. In May, the Atlanta-based company announced a joint venture with SF Express, China's leading logistics service provider, marking a new height of its connection with China. "We view our partnership as an important symbol of growing U.S.-China collaboration," said Terrell when addressing the luncheon organized by the Chinese Consulate General in Houston. "There are great opportunities for further collaboration and cooperation between companies for both countries," she added. "A healthy and robust China-U.S. relationship will benefit not only the Chinese and American people, but also the world peace, stability and prosperity," Chinese Consul General in Houston Li Qiangmin said at the luncheon. During the luncheon attended by some 200 politicians and businessmen, Li briefed his audience on U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to China in November and the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in late October. China will never close its door to the world, said Li, adding that China will also improve the quality and level of its opening-up, further ease market access and further protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors. "All businesses registered in China will be treated equally," Li said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 13:43:45|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A special court has sentenced an Indian businessman and his domestic help to death for the brutal rape and murder of a 25-year-old housemaid in their home in Noida city on the outskirts of the national capital in 2006. The court of India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) pronounced the quantum of punishment on Friday, a day after holding businessman Maninder Singh Pandher and his aide Surinder Koli guilty in the crime they had committed in their house in Nithari village in Noida. This was the ninth of a total of 16 cases in the macabre serial killings that took place in Nithari in 2005 and 2006. While Koli has been found guilty in the earlier eight cases and awarded death penalty, Pandher was convicted in three cases and sentenced to death in two. Handing down the punishment in the latest case, special CBI judge P.K. Tiwari said both Koli and Pandher were involved in the rape and murder of housemaid Anjali in 2006, and they deserved to be punished in the strictest manner. "Koli had dragged the victim inside the house and made her unconscious, raped her, and then ate her flesh, therefore death sentence is the only option in law. Pandher was also involved in the crime. Both will be hanged till death," the court said. Anjali, who used to work as a housemaid in Noida, was reported missing in October 2006. Her killing came to light after Koli's arrest in December that year when police discovered skulls and bones of 16 persons, mostly children, near Pandher's house. The CBI took over the case from the local police subsequently and chargesheets have been filed in 10 out of 16 cases. The other cases are under trial. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 13:48:47|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close KUNDUZ, Afghanistan Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 Taliban militants have been killed and 16 others injured as military operations are continuing in the restive Imam Sahib district of the northern Kunduz province over the past three days, an army spokesman in the province Abdul Khalil said Saturday. According to the official, Taliban militants have also been evicted from several villages during the ongoing crackdown. Without mentioning the number of possible casualties of security forces, the official stated that the operation would continue until the militants are wiped out in the restive district. Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, in talks with media, has confirmed the death of two Taliban fighters and injuring of three others. However, he claimed that eight government soldiers had been killed in the fighting which is still going on. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 14:18:50|Editor: Zhou Xin Video Player Close YANGON, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Myanmar government has formed an advisory commission with experts from home and abroad for the Implementation Committee of Rakhine state, which was established in September, according to a presidential statement on Saturday. For effective implementation of matters relating to Rakhine state, the advisory commission was formed with a total of 10 local and foreign experts from related fields. The committee was established to implement the recommendations of the final report of the Advisory Commission, led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Maungtaw Investigation Commission. Meanwhile, the government has asked for cooperation from local and international community in rebuilding and resettlement efforts for conflict-torn Rakhine state. In the latest development, all displaced people taking shelter at 31 camps in Sittway, capital of Rakhie state, have come back to their homes as the situation in the state returned to normalcy. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army extremist terrorists launched fresh attacks on police outposts in Rakhine on Aug. 25, displacing residents from a number of areas in Maungtaw district. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 14:43:55|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen shows a letter of designation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Dec. 9, 2017. The European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) has appointed Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen as a global ambassador for tourism and sustainable development goals (SDGs). (Xinhua/Sovannara) PHNOM PENH, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) has appointed Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen as a global ambassador for tourism and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Professor Anton Caragea, president of the Bucharest-headquartered ECTT, presented the letter of designation to Hun Sen at a ceremony in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Saturday. In his speech delivered at the ceremony, Hun Sen vowed to promote global tourism, saying that peace is the key factor for all countries to achieve the United Nations' 2030 SDGs. "Peace is the most important factor for development, and only peace will enable us to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals," he said, vowing to maintain Cambodia's peace "at any cost". Anton Caragea said the appointment was made in recognition of Hun Sen's effort in promoting inclusive and supportive tourism and sustainable development, and in order to harness his abilities and knowledge for the benefit of world-wide growth, employment, and development agenda 2030 of the United Nations. The global ambassadors for tourism and sustainable development goals are leaders and prominent personalities committed to promoting the role and contribution of tourism in the achievement of the SDGs. The SDGs represent a commitment taken by all nations to working together to end poverty, achieve shared prosperity, build peace and secure a life of dignity and a healthy planet for present and future generations. At the ceremony, the ECTT also awarded the title of "World Capital of Culture and Tourism" to Phnom Penh. Tourism is one of the four sectors supporting the Cambodian economy. The Southeast Asian nation received 5 million foreign tourists in 2016, earning gross revenue of 3.4 billion U.S. dollars, according to the Tourism Ministry. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 15:06:42|Editor: pengying Video Player Close Passengers play cards at Kashgar Railway Station in Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Nov. 23, 2017. The 485-km train route linking two major oasis towns Kashgar and Hotan, runs through some of the remotest areas in Xinjiang, and has transformed life in the desert since its launch in 2011. It is the first and only railway in Hotan, via the railway the underdeveloped prefecture is linked to the rest of the country's rail network, which boasts 22,000 km of high-speed railway lines. Poor transport infrastructure has caused China's west to lag behind eastern regions in terms of economic competitiveness. Building more railways has become a necessity for the country's western region to expand growth and social development along the Silk Road. There was only one train per day when the passenger service was launched in June, 2011. Another train was added in 2016 to better meet local demand. In each trip some 1,000 passengers can board the 19-carriage train to cross the desert. The seven-hour ride costs only 28 yuan (4.2 U.S. dollars), one of the cheapest passenger train services in the country. Traveling used to be vexing in Hotan, where sand and dust storms dominate weather about 200 days of the year. "My clothes were a mess when I used to travel on donkey back or by car," says Seydiehmet Kichik, from Hotan, "Now the train brings me to more job opportunities outside." Working as a cotton picker in Aksu Prefecture, about 600 km from his hometown, Seydiehmet can earn 12,000 yuan in a three-month harvest season, more than his entire income for the previous year. The railway has shortened the distance between local people and their ideal schools and jobs. 15 million trips were made during the past six years, according to local railway authorities. (Xinhua/Zhao Ge) Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 15:02:38|Editor: Lifang Video Player Close Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2017 shows new year lights in Gomel, Belarus. Gomel lit up illumination decorations to celebrate the upcoming new year. (Xinhua) Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 15:04:00|Editor: ZD Video Player Close HAVANA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 39th edition of the New Latin American Film Festival of Havana opened here Friday night with an aim to highlight the cultural diversity in Latin America and the Caribbean region. The film festival, which will run until Dec. 17, will showcase more than 400 movies among which over 300 are Latin American films. The countries most represented at the event are Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and the United States, and 34 percent of the competing films are directed by women. "In competition will be 19 fiction feature films, 18 short and medium-length films, 18 (from) first-time directors, 23 documentaries and 16 animated films," said Ivan Giroud, president of the festival. Giroud said producing films in the new digital era has become a challenge for the movie industry as social media and the Internet are new scenarios where any audiovisual piece can have a life of its own. He referred to the festival's transformations since its first edition in 1979 and said film industries in Latin America including Cuba must adapt to the new times. "Time has passed, the world has changed, Cuba is immersed in reforms and the festival also changes. It's an event that has transformed throughout time motivated by different circumstances and it has been a long struggle of which we have come out strong," he said. At the opening gala, the festival presented an honorary award to Brazilian filmmaker Carlos Dieguez, who sent a video message as he could not be present in Havana for personal reasons. The Brazilian movie "The film of my life," directed by Selton Mello and produced by Carlos Dieguez, was presented to over 5,000 people that attended the event at Havana's Karl Marx Theater. Founded in 1979, the New Latin American Film Festival of Havana aims to disseminate cinematographic works to enrich Latin American and Caribbean cultural identity. Participants throughout its history include Colombian Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and other famous actors and directors such as U.S. director Francis Ford Coppola, U.S. actors Robert Redford and Harry Belafonte, U.S. actress Geraldine Chaplin, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and Spanish actress Victoria Abril, among others. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 15:04:01|Editor: ZD Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday wished main Opposition Congress leader Sonia Gandhi a long and healthy life on her 71st birthday. "Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health," Modi tweeted. Gandhi, the widow of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who became the head of Congress party in 1998, is likely to hand over the reins to his son Rahul Gandhi next week. She is of late not keeping well and had to be hospitalized on a number of occasions. In 2011, Gandhi went to the United States to receive surgery for an undisclosed medical condition. Gandhi is the head of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which has governed India for most of the time since independence in 1947. But her party lost the 2014 general elections to Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 15:29:10|Editor: ZD Video Player Close A Palestinian protester burns a tire during clashes with Israeli troops after a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Dec. 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Khaled Omar) UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Nikki Haley, found herself isolated at Friday's emergency meeting as 14 out of all the 15 members of the UN Security Council spoke against her country's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Haley, known for her eloquence, sounded equally fluent on Friday, but her defense of U.S. President Donald Trump's Wednesday announcement appeared to be feeble. "Israel, like all nations, has the right to determine its capital city. Jerusalem is the home of Israel's parliament, president, prime minister, Supreme Court, and many of its ministries. It is simple common sense that foreign embassies be located there. In virtually every country in the world, U.S. embassies are located in the host country's capital city. Israel should be no different," Haley told the Security Council. But representatives from other countries pointed out that Israel does not have sovereignty over Jerusalem. INTERNATIONAL DISAGREEMENT In line with relevant Security Council resolutions, Britain regards East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in 1967, as part of the occupied Palestinian territory, the British Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, said. "We remain committed to an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement that is based on 1967 borders with agreed and equal land swaps, reflecting both parties' national and religious interests; and with Jerusalem as the shared capital of an Israeli (state) and Palestinian state," Rycroft said. "We therefore disagree with the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem and unilaterally to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital before a final-status agreement," Rycroft told the same meeting. "These decisions are unhelpful to the prospects for peace in the region, an aim that I know all of us in this council remain committed to. The British Embassy to Israel is based in Tel Aviv and we have no plans to move it," he said The Swedish ambassador to the UN, Olof Skoog, said Trump's decision is against international law and Security Council resolutions. "We clearly disagree with the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and with the plan for a move of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem," Skoog told the emergency meeting, which was requested by his country and seven other council members. In 1947, the United Nations attributed to Jerusalem a special legal and political status as "corpus separatum" (separated body), he noted. In 1980, when Israel attempted to declare Jerusalem as its capital, the Security Council stated in a resolution that this was a violation of international law. The council further declared that attempts to change the character and status of Jerusalem were null and void, Skoog said. In 2016, the Security Council again stated in a resolution that it will not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, he said. "We consider Jerusalem to be the future capital of two states. We have never recognized Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and we thus consider it part of occupied territory. And we believe that the future status ... of Jerusalem can only be resolved through negotiations," he said. Vassily Nebenzia, Moscow's envoy to the United Nations, said Russia's principled position remains unchanged: "East Jerusalem would become the future capital of Palestine, and West Jerusalem would be the capital of the State of Israel." There is no alternative to the two-state solution, he said. Wu Haitao, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said various Security Council resolutions contain provisions regarding the status of Jerusalem. Any unilateral action to change the current status of Jerusalem will buffet the long-existing foundation for the settlement of the question of Palestine and will trigger new confrontation and conflict in the region, he said. "We support the establishment of a fully sovereign, independent State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. This position of China will not change," he said. NO SOVEREIGNTY OVER JERUSALEM In response, Haley explained that the United States has not taken a position on boundaries or borders. "The specific dimensions of sovereignty over Jerusalem are still to be decided by the Israelis and the Palestinians in negotiations. The United States has not advocated changing any of the arrangements at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. The president specifically called for maintaining the status quo at the holy sites," she said at the council. The Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif, remains a major focal point of the Arab-Israeli conflict as it is located in East Jerusalem, which Palestine regards as its state capital but has been occupied by Israel since 1967. "The United States is not predetermining final-status issues. We remain committed to achieving a lasting peace agreement. We support a two-state solution if agreed to by the parties," Haley added. Skoog said the U.S. decision risks, despite its stated intention, prejudging the outcome of negotiations on final-status issues such as Jerusalem, and thus threatens the peace prospect itself. The Swedish envoy said Washington needs to match its claim to support Middle East peace with action. "Now words need to be followed by deeds and ideas by proposals. We encourage the United States to follow up its statement with action toward a two-state solution," he said The two-state solution, which is recognized by the international community as the only viable solution to the conflict, is more threatened than ever, he noted. In a joint declaration, the ambassadors of five European Union (EU) countries -- Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden -- called on the United States to bring forward detailed proposals for an Israel-Palestine settlement since Washington claimed to remain committed to peace in the region. "We stand ready to contribute to all credible efforts to restart the peace process on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, leading to a two-state solution. We encourage the U.S. administration to now bring forward detailed proposals for an Israel-Palestinian settlement," the declaration issued at the conclusion of the Security Council meeting read. Except Germany, all the other four EU countries are siting on the Security Council. "The status of Jerusalem must be determined through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians leading to a final-status agreement. It is a constant position of EU members that within this framework, Jerusalem should ultimately be the capital of both Israeli and Palestinian states. Until then, we recognize no sovereignty over Jerusalem," the ambassadors said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 15:44:13|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close GAZA/WEST BANK, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Ashraf al Qedra, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman, told reporters on Saturday morning that rescue teams found a body of a Palestinian killed in last night's Israeli airstrikes on northern Gaza Strip, with the death toll climbing to three. He said two others were killed in the clashes on the borders, and 170 people were wounded. Israeli war jets carried out airstrikes at around 3:45 am Saturday. They struck with missiles three military posts that belong to Hamas in northern, central and southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli airstrikes were a response to firing rockets on Friday from Gaza into southern Israel. Hamas movement called on the Palestinians in a statement Saturday to carry on with the Intifada of Jerusalem all over the Palestinian territories. Clashes were renewed Saturday morning east of Gaza City and east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip between school children and Israeli soldiers stationed on the borders. One school boy was injured, according to Qedra. Meanwhile, clashes broke out in West Bank city of Bethlehem between Palestinian protestors and Israeli forces stationed at the northern entrance of the city, according to Palestinian sources. Political factions called for more protests in the West Bank Saturday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to head a series of meetings of the political leadership and his own Fatah party Saturday morning. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 15:54:15|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least three army soldiers and eight Taliban militants were killed as a clash erupted in Qarabagh district of Afghanistan's Gahzni province on Friday night, Arif Noori, the spokesperson for the provincial governor, said Saturday. The clash, according to the official, flared up in Liwana Bazaar area of Qarabagh district Friday night after the insurgents attacked security checkpoints and police returned fire, forcing the militants to flee with eight bodies left behind. During the clash, which lasted for a few hours, three army soldiers lost their lives, the official said, adding 12 more insurgents sustained injuries. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that the militants had captured two checkpoints and killed more than a dozen soldiers in the firefight. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 15:54:17|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close OTTAWA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)'s recent ruling that the American softwood lumber industry has been harmed by Canadian lumber imports might not be so serious a blow to Canada as the U.S. demand remains high, a former U.S. diplomat said. Canadian softwood lumber will likely be needed for reconstruction in the United States following Hurricane Harvey-related flooding and raging wildfires in the states of Texas and California this year, Sarah Goldfeder, who served as special assistant to two American ambassadors in Ottawa, told Xinhua. "Softwood land has also been lost in California and throughout the western U.S., so there is going to be a huge demand for softwood in the United States," said Goldfeder, currently a principal with Canadian public affairs firm Earnscliffe Strategy Group in Ottawa. The ITC announced Thursday its determination that Canadian softwood lumber is subsidized and sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. Canadian producers will now pay average combined countervailing and anti-dumping duties of 20.83 percent. Canada is challenging the tariff at the World Trade Organization and a dispute-resolution mechanism in the North American Free Trade Agreement. In a potentially hot market for softwood lumber in the United States next spring, American lumber producers may not be able to satisfy the growing demand, Goldfeder explained, adding that Canadian lumber could be imported without tariffs if the ITC agrees to extend the duty-free quota for Canada. "The argument from the American lumber industry has been to create a level playing field between the two countries," she said.p The Canadian softwood industry has an international reputation for its high quality and reliability, she said. "There is an entire continent - Asia - that loves Canadian softwood lumber," she pointed out. "But that will mean a higher cost of doing business because it will be more expensive to move softwood to a country like China than sending it to the United States." The United States is the largest customer for Canadian softwood lumber, while China comes in second place with exports valued at 1.6 billion Canadian dollars (1.2 billion U.S. dollars), according to Natural Resources Canada, the federal government's ministry that oversees Canada's forestry sector. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 16:04:19|Editor: pengying Video Player Close HELSINKI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Foreign companies will have more opportunities in the Chinese market, especially in the wake of wider reforms announced by a key meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC),a panel of Chinese experts said here Friday. A Chinese delegation led by Li Shulei, deputy secretary of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, arrived in Finland Thursday from Switzerland as part of a three-nation tour to explain the key decisions taken at the 19th CPC National Congress in Beijing in October, the key five-yearly assembly that assessed the current social reality and drafted plans for the future. Their next stop is Denmark. Their mission also includes explaining the social developments in China over the past five years, development of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era, and the improvements in the business environment to win the confidence of foreign investors. At a gathering of Finnish officials, business leaders and think tank members in Helsinki Friday, Li explained how China is deepening reform to improve the management system and attain better and more modern governance. The more China opens up and the wealthier the Chinese get, the more opportunities there are for China and Finland to work together, Li said. One example of that was the boom of Chinese tourists in Finland in recent years. Li Wentang, director and professor at the Literature and History Department at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said China will not close its doors to the world but open them wider. China's focus was to promote economic globalization and develop a high-standard economy as well as improve the environment for enterprises by strengthening intellectual property rights protection, the professor said. Jyri Hakamies, director general of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, said economic cooperation between China and Finland was experiencing the best period in history. The Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation, founded during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Finland in April 2017 to promote cooperation between Finnish and Chinese companies, had convened twice, he said. The Chinese experts Friday also met Maria Lohela, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament, and Matti Vanhanen, former prime minister and presidential candidate of the Center Party. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 16:49:24|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close CARACAS, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela has over 3 billion U.S. dollars blocked in the international financial system due to U.S. economic sanctions, Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza said at a meeting with international observers Friday, ahead of Sunday's local elections. In an apparent reference to the European Union adopting similar measures against Venezuela, Arreaza lamented what he described as the bloc's "extreme subordination" to Washington. In August, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting Americans or those living in the United States from dealing in new debt and equity issued by the government of Venezuela and its state oil company. The order also prohibited dividend payments to the Venezuelan government. The White House said the measures were "carefully calibrated" to deny the Venezuelan government "a critical source of financing." Venezuela has been grappling with a severe economic crisis sparked by plummeting oil prices. The government of President Nicolas Maduro says the crisis has been aggravated by the "economic warfare" unleashed by the U.S.-backed right-wing opposition. Arreaza reaffirmed that the presidential elections will take place next year and the presence of international observers will be crucial. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 17:04:28|Editor: Mengjie Video Player Close SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Three workers were killed and four others injured on Saturday after a high-rise tower crane collapsed in western South Korea, local media reported. The 36-story-high crane snapped in the middle and fell to the ground at about 1:10 p.m. local time (0410 GMT) at a construction site in Yongin city, Gyeonggi province. At the time of collapse, seven people were working on top of it. Among them, three were killed after it fell down to the ground. Four others were wounded and taken to a nearby hospital. Among the four, one was in a critical condition. The exact cause of the accident was still under investigation. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 17:34:37|Editor: Mengjie Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Small Mexican agricultural producers are seeking to access the Chinese market with value-added goods, such as salsas and spirits. A group of avocado growers and packers in Mexico's western Nayarit state is a prime example. Five years ago, they decided to start making guacamole, a party staple concocted from mashed avocado, tomato, onion and seasonings, and market it under the brand name Guacamo Dely. Today, the company in the central city of Xalisco employs 120 people and exports to the United States and Israel. Now it is about to send its first shipment of 10 tons to Russia. The next target is China. After having done their market research, the group plans to modify the product to suit the Chinese palate. Hugo Guerrero, the company's sales manager, told Xinhua that since Chinese consumers aren't fond of sour food items, Guacamo Dely will make a version for the Chinese market without adding lime juice. "We have done tests... so we can win over this new market. We ... want to satisfy them," Guerrero said. Mexico's agricultural exports to China have doubled to 300 million U.S. dollars a year since the two countries agreed to relaunch trade ties in 2013. In the past four years, Mexican products like avocado, beer and tequila have gained a foothold in the Chinese market, while the Chinese government has opened the door in the past three years to Mexican beef, pork, dairy, berries, corn and leaf tobacco. FROM TEQUILA TO MEZCAL Gerson Alcantar wants to introduce the Chinese to mezcal, an alcoholic beverage made from the agave plant, that his family has been handcrafting for 150 years in the mountainous municipality of Mezquital, in the northern state of Durango. A cousin of tequila, mezcal has a notable charcoal-fired aroma and Alcantar thinks Chinese consumers will relish the taste. His small company Apaluz employs 50 people and produces 200,000 liters of the spirit, which is sold exclusively in Mexico. However, now Alcantar, who is the sales manager, wants to ride the wave of popularity that mezcal currently enjoys and take the product to China and other destinations around the world. Chinese buyers have already shown an interest in Apaluz mezcal, which features a scorpion in every bottle, a reminder of the arachnid's prevalence in the desert climes of Durango. "We have high hopes of arriving over there soon ... It's a country with a lot of people... If 10 percent (of the population) consumes (our mezcal), that's a good amount," he said. Guacamo Dely and Apaluz are two of the 800 Mexican products participating in the 2017 Mexico Food Show, which opened in Mexico City Friday. Some 150 buyers from 34 countries are attending the three-day show, including a delegation from China. Hua Yaoming with Shanghai's Aon Food Enterprises said he was looking for Mexican wine and beef suppliers, who sell high-quality and competitively-priced products compared to many other countries like Australia. "Many Mexican beef producers still have no access to the Chinese market, but they are requesting ... to be able to do so," said Hua, who is on his first business trip to Latin America. The Mexican government estimates the food fair, which aims to primarily promote small-scale producers looking to export their ware, will see contracts worth nearly 1 billion U.S. dollars signed. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 17:44:41|Editor: Mengjie Video Player Close KABUL, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Up to three police were killed after militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group targeted police checkpoints in the eastern Nuristan province, district governor Anayatullah said on Saturday. Without providing more details, the official said the attacking IS fighters after facing resistance and "suffering casualties" ran away in Wama district on Friday night. IS outfit has yet to make comment on the report. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 17:49:43|Editor: Mengjie Video Player Close MAPUTO, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A transport bus collided head-on with a freight truck in Maputo Province, southern Mozambique, killing at least six people and injured seven on Saturday morning. "The cause of the accident was a reckless driving by the bus conductor as we found he was on the phone and driving in high speed," said Francisco Nhanala, an police officer who was working at the scene of the accident, where the bus crashed into the truck on the national main highway about 30 km to Manhica village. The month of December is characterized by huge traffic flow in Mozambique because in this month many people travel to their hometown to spend festival season with their families. Palestinian protesters hurl stones at Israeli troops during clashes after a protest against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 8, 2017. An estimated 4,500 Palestinian protesters participated in violent riots at six locations along the border with the Gaza Strip throughout Friday against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, said a statement by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Friday evening. (Xinhua Photo) GAZA/WEST BANK, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Ashraf al Qedra, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman, told reporters on Saturday morning that rescue teams found a body of a Palestinian killed in last night's Israeli airstrikes on northern Gaza Strip, with the death toll climbing to three. He said two others were killed in the clashes on the borders, and 170 people were wounded. Israeli war jets carried out airstrikes at around 3:45 am Saturday. They struck with missiles three military posts that belong to Hamas in northern, central and southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli airstrikes were a response to firing rockets on Friday from Gaza into southern Israel. Hamas movement called on the Palestinians in a statement Saturday to carry on with the Intifada of Jerusalem all over the Palestinian territories. Clashes were renewed Saturday morning east of Gaza City and east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza Strip between school children and Israeli soldiers stationed on the borders. One school boy was injured, according to Qedra. Meanwhile, clashes broke out in West Bank city of Bethlehem between Palestinian protestors and Israeli forces stationed at the northern entrance of the city, according to Palestinian sources. Political factions called for more protests in the West Bank Saturday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to head a series of meetings of the political leadership and his own Fatah party Saturday morning. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 17:54:45|Editor: Mengjie Video Player Close KABUL, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified armed men attacked a home in Afghan capital Kabul and killed 10 members of the family, a local TV channel reported Saturday. "On Friday night armed men entered a civilian house in Khair Khana area, in northern part of Kabul city killing 10 members of the family, including women and children," Tolo News reported in its news bulletin. Without providing more details on the bloody case, the media outlet said the police started an investigation. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 18:19:49|Editor: ZD Video Player Close LANZHOU, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Police in northwest China's Gansu Province have caught a fugitive suspected of fraud. Yang Guoqing, who appeared on a list of 100 "Red Notice" suspects who fled overseas, was captured by police in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu, on Dec. 2 after he arrived in Guangdong Province, according to Lanzhou police. He was brought back to to Lanzhou on Friday. In June 2002, Yang set up a refinery with partners in Lanzhou. Three months later, Yang fled with a large amount of company funds, which he obtained under the pretext of buying petroleum. Local police started investigating the case in 2005. In April 2015, Interpol's National Central Bureau of China released a list of 100 fugitives suspected of involvement in corruption, all of whom were on Interpol's "Red Notice" for international arrest. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 18:24:51|Editor: ZD Video Player Close SANAA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Saudi-led airstrikes hit Yemen's state satellite television station in the capital Sanaa, killing at least four journalists, Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported on Saturday. A guard at the gate of the station was wounded. Residents said part of the station's building was destroyed. This is the first time the Saudi-led military coalition targeted media facilities controlled by the rebels since the coalition began its war against the Houthi movement three years ago. The new wave of escalation came six days after Houthis killed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh who had swished sides and backed the coalition. The security situation has calmed after Houthis completely controlled the capital and defeated Saleh's armed supporters. The capital's residents began gradually to crowd in the markets, streets and state employees also went back to work in the ministries. Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen's conflict in 2015 to back President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi whom the Houthis forced into exile in Saudi capital Riyadh. The war has killed over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, and displaced 3 million, according to UN agencies. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 19:00:01|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close KAMPALA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan military said Saturday it has joined other security agencies in the hunt for the armed men who killed South Sudan regional parliament legislator on Wednesday in the northwestern district of Yumbe. Brig. Richard Karemire, Uganda's military spokesperson, told Xinhua by telephone that army officers have joined the police force for a manhunt of suspects who killed Jacob Kuwinsuk Gale, South Sudan's Yei River State Transitional Legislative Assembly legislator. "All security forces are working together to ensure the perpetrators of this incident are arrested and brought to book," said Karemire. The military spokesperson said the security has been beefed up at the refugee settlements hosting over one million displaced South Sudanese to avoid future killings. Josephine Angucia, the West Nile police spokesperson on Saturday said that no arrests have so far been made into the shooting of Gale. "As a security measure, refugees are being advised to stay at gazetted camps where Uganda government can be able to monitor and provide security to them effectively," said Angucia. Gale, the former Yei assembly chairperson for members' affairs, gender and human rights committee was shot at Pacific village, Yumbe by armed men allegedly loyal to former vice president, Riek Machar and died on his way to Arua Referral Hospital. The killing comes barely days after armed gunmen last week beheaded two South Sudanese in the neighboring district of Moyo. Uganda is host to more than one million South Sudanese refugees. The influx of the refugees was sparked by fighting in 2013 between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those supporting Machar. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 19:15:05|Editor: pengying Video Player Close KAMPALA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese ambassador to Uganda Zheng Zhuqiang has reiterated China's call for peaceful negotiated settlement to end South Sudan crisis and pledged support for thousands of refugees. Zheng told Xinhua in an interview that the warring parties must reach a deal through a political compromise to end the ongoing conflict. "A deal means a compromise. War can't be a compromise. Any deal, if it is reached voluntarily and through negotiations, can last long," Zheng said earlier this week after addressing diplomats and dignitaries at the fourth Uganda Council on Foreign Relations Policy round table. The ambassador said military options have never succeeded in resolving political impasses. "In today's world the only way to solve the conflict is through political dialogue and negotiations. If you resolve the conflict through force it will be temporary solution. The peace can't last long. It [conflict] will come back again," said Zheng. The ambassador said the Chinese government will continue to support and offer relief assistance to thousands of South Sudan refugees who have been displaced to the neighboring countries including Uganda. Uganda currently hosts over one million South Sudan refugees who have fled into the country following fighting between government troops of President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former vice president Riek Machar. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 19:40:13|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close SANAA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A senior Houthi official told Xinhua that the corpse of Yemen's slain ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh was buried on Saturday morning in the capital, six days after Houthis killed Saleh following deadly street clashes in Sanaa that erupted after Saleh switched sides of alliance. The official said Saleh's corpse was first handed over to the Parliament Speaker Yahya al-Raiee amid limited attendance from Saleh's supporters and Parliament members. Then, the official said, the corpse was buried. The official refused to reveal the location where Saleh was buried, but he said "Saleh's tomb is in Sanaa." The official talked to Xinhua on condition of anonymity. On Monday, dominant Houthi fighters killed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, his relatives and his senior aides after three days of deadly street clashes between Houthi movement and Saleh's armed loyalists in Sanaa. Officials at Saudi-backed Saleh's party vowed to revenge their leader's death and to continue fighting against the Houthis. The clashes first erupted last week after Saleh's loyalists prevented Houthis from entering a Saleh-run mosque to secure a nearby religious celebration organized by the group in Sabeen Square in central Sanaa. The clashes then intensified and turned into street fighting after Saleh announced disengagement of his alliance with the Houthis and declared war against them, citing allegedly "Houthi assaults on his family members." Hours after Houthis announced the death of Saleh, the Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi made a televised speech, saying his group had allegedly "foiled a plot by ex-president Saleh to involve all Yemeni people in armed chaos," accusing Saleh of betrayal. Death toll from the week-long clashes in Sanaa has increased to 234 people, while 400 others were wounded, including 383 severely injured, the International Committee of the Red Cross for the Middle East said Tuesday. Together, Saleh and Houthis had aligned in fighting against the Saudi-led coalition since Saleh's loyalists backed Houthis in storming Sanaa in 2014 and forcing Saudi-backed president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his government into exile. The clashes in Sanaa and surrounding provinces stopped on Monday following the announcement of Saleh's death, while the security situations are calm. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition warplanes have since launched over 60 airstrikes on positions of Houthis inside and outside Sanaa, targeting Houthi positions, according to local media. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 19:50:15|Editor: pengying Video Player Close COLOMBO, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday that Sri Lanka had joined China's Belt and Road Initiative with the launch of operations at the Hambantota Port through a joint venture between China and Sri Lanka. The port was handed over to the China Merchant Ports Holdings (CMPH) on a 99-year lease agreement at a ceremony, and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority together with CMPH will manage the operations of the southern port. "Today we have made arrangements for the management and long-term success of the Hambantota Port. This Sri Lankan and Chinese joint venture, which has taken over the management of this port, and its operations will ensure an additional port in the Indian Ocean," Wickremesinghe said. "The Hambantota Port will add to Sri Lanka's concept of transforming into a hub in the Indian Ocean." The Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes. The prime minister said that with the development of the Hambantota Port, steps were also being taken to construct an economic zone in Hambantota which would see hundreds of foreign investors launching factories within this zone in the near future. "This will definitely help strengthen our economy," Wickremesinghe said. CMPH said in a statement that the Hambantota Port will be the largest multi-purpose port in Sri Lanka and also the island nation's single largest private investment. "The aim of the government of Sri Lanka and the China Merchant Port Holdings is to transform Hambantota port from a "transshipment hub" to a "total logistics hub" of the Indian Ocean region," the company said. For CMPH, Hambantota is its second investment in Sri Lanka, the first being the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT). The CICT, which is the island nation's only deep-water terminal to date, has already notched 2 million TEU containers. In July, the Sri Lakan government together with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority signed an agreement with CMPH for the development and operation of the Hambantota Port on a Public-Private-Partnership basis. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 19:55:17|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close KAMPALA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Ugandan military on Saturday condemned the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attack on UN peacekeepers in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that left at least 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers dead. Brig. Richard Karemire, Ugandan military spokesperson told Xinhua that the ADF, a Ugandan rebel group hiding in eastern DRC must be eliminated. The rebel group's Thursday night attack in DRC's North Kivu province also left 53 peacekeepers wounded. "The ADF remains a threat to regional peace and stability. Elimination of these terrorists in eastern DRC primary rests on the Kinshasa government," said Karemire. "UPDF [Uganda People's Defense Forces] will continue to protect our border against infiltration," he said. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the attack calling it the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in recent history. Since its establishment in 2010, United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC has recorded 93 fatalities in military, police and civilian personnel, according to UN figures. ADF which was originally based in western Uganda but fled to eastern DRC has been accused of increased killings and massacres of troops and civilians, rape and abductions over the past three months in eastern DRC. French artist Christian Poirot and his painting. (Xinhua) PARIS, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- With his latest painting, "Cry of pain in Nanjing," French artist Christian Poirot is hoping to remind people of the sex slave victims of the Japanese military. The painting is to join another three of his paintings on the same subject to be presented in China for the Nanjing Massacre Commemoration Day that falls on Dec. 13. Poirot said he would like to use his canvas to contribute to the remembrance of "comfort women," a euphemism for victims of the sex slavery by and for the Imperial Japanese military during during the Second World War. "I created this painting to draw the attention of the international community to the actions of certain countries who try by all means possible to erase the somber pages of their history. The work of remembrance on the subject of 'comfort women' has only just begun," Poirot told Xinhua during a recent interview given at his home in Mulhouse, eastern France. "I don't like this euphemism 'comfort women' used to designate the victims, very often underage, sometimes very young, of the mass sexual slavery system organized throughout Asia by and for the Imperial Japanese army and navy, in particular during the Second World War," the artist said. The term was created by Japanese military authorities during the war. These women were swept up by the Imperial Japanese army to serve as sex slaves as part of a political system justified by the Japanese authorities, reminded the French painter. Even if the exact number of victims is still difficult to evaluate due to the absence of precise records, it is known that several hundred thousand women from Asia, of which a great number were Chinese, were forced to become "comfort women" during the war. Only 14 of them are still alive in China, after the death of a 90-year-old woman in August 2017. "It took dozens of years for languages to liberate themselves on the subject of the horror these women faced," said Poirot, who had himself discovered this tragic episode of history during one of his numerous visits to China. "The surviving comfort women in China are particularly disappointed by the postponement of the enrollment of documents concerning them in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register" in October, he said. In June 2017, thanks to his friend, the curator of the Nanjing Memorial, Poirot could paint in the museum dedicated to comfort women which was created on the same site as a Japanese brothel. "I immersed myself in this place which runs chills down your spine, where we have the impression that the walls weep, as if the tears of the women which were trapped there are still falling, where I was assailed by violent emotions," he said. "This painting, due to its tragic subject, was difficult to complete," the artist confessed. "I was plunged in a storm of emotions, from disgust to hate, rage, shame as well...faced with this crime against humanity," he said, while presenting the painting during the interview. Photo shows a painting on the sex slave victims of the Japanese military by French artist Christian Poirot. (Xinhua) The painting is made of three sections which tell the different scenes of the history of comfort women. A first section depicts soldiers taking young girls from their families. The second section depicts "a voyage toward horror," with a pile of corpses, hanged women, and other violent scenes. The third section shows the daily violence faced by the comfort women. Poirot paints his characters in a non-realist style, but with expression. The forms are fragmented, sometimes appearing as images within images. "This painting is also dedicated to all the victims of sexual services of all the wars. We know that rape is very often used as a weapon of war," he said. "And in the moment when the whole world is caught up in the scandals of sexual predators in the aftermath of the Weinstein affair, I think that it's urgent to defend the cause of women as a whole," he concluded. For the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Poirot had made a poignant but massive painting on the Nanjing Massacre called "Deliverance" which he presented as a gift to the Memorial Hall in Nanjing. For more than six weeks, from Dec. 13, 1937 to January 1938, more than 300,000 Chinese were murdered by Japanese invaders. With his large palette, the artist also likes to work on less somber and painful subjects. "Through landscapes and scenes of daily urban life, I want to show the modernity of a China which is changing, to escape the cliches which Europeans often have. During my trips through China, I draw my inspiration. I would like to paint a series on all the provinces of the country," he said. Formerly a chemical engineer, Poirot began to paint at the age of 26. He studied locally, then in Paris, earning distinctions and holding numerous exhibitions in the galleries of several countries. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 20:25:26|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraq declared Saturday the liberation of all Iraqi lands from Islamic State (IS) militants after seizing the whole border areas and desert in western Iraq, the Iraqi military said. "The liberation of all Iraqi lands from the IS has been completed and our heroic forces have tightened their grab on the Iraqi-Syrian border," Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah, commander of western Iraq operations, said in a brief statement. The army forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigades, backed by Iraqi helicopter gunships, managed to take control of the whole desert areas between the provinces of Nineveh and Anbar, Yarallah said. The troops took control of over 90 villages and cleared 16,000 sq km in the last operation during the past 24 hours, he said. The Iraqi forces are now in control of some 183 km from the Iraq-Syrian border, Yarallah added. On Nov. 5, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi raised the Iraqi flag on Husaibah border crossing with Syria two days after the Iraqi forces recaptured it and the nearby city of al-Qaim from the extremist militants. On Oct. 26, security forces started a major offensive to free last IS urban stronghold in Iraq near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in addition to clearing the villages in the vast rural areas in the north of the Euphrates River as well as the desert between the provinces of Anbar and neighboring Salahudin. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 20:40:29|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close GAZA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad group on Saturday blamed Israel for the consequences of what they termed as the "ongoing endless aggression" against the Palestinian people. "The Israeli escalation, especially in Gaza, will not stop the uprising of the Palestinian people or prevent it from continuing its path to the freedom and victory of Jerusalem," Hamas spokesman Abdellatif al-Qanoou told Xinhua. He stressed that Hamas is "ready to defend the Palestinian people and engage in the battle of freedom of Jerusalem." Islamic Jihad Spokesman Daoud Shihab said "the Israeli escalation on Gaza is a desperate attempt to exhaust the citizens and quell public anger in the face of the occupation to topple the unjust American decision against Jerusalem." Two militants belonging to al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, were killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes on sites belonging to Hamas in Gaza overnight in response to rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel. This came after the killing of two Palestinian civilians on Friday in clashes with the Israeli army in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, confrontations between the Palestinians and the Israeli army continued for the second day in a row in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in protest against the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, clashes since morning have resulted in three Palestinians wounded by rubber-coated bullets and 10 others suffocated by inhaling tear gas. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 20:50:31|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Italian Minister of Interior Marco Minniti said Saturday European countries will next week provide Libya with 35 million euros to support its efforts against illegal immigration. Minniti made his remarks during a meeting with Libya's UN-backed prime minister Fayez Serraj in the Libyan capital Tripoli. According to the prime minister's office, the meeting discussed detailed coordination against smuggling and human trafficking networks. Minniti praised efforts of the Libyan Coast Guard to rescue illegal immigrants in the Mediterranean. The number of immigrants rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard this year is 80,000. Following the 2011 uprising that toppled former Gaddafi's regime, Libya has become a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants wanting to cross the Mediterranean towards European shores, due to the insecurity and chaos in the country. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 20:50:32|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not receive U.S. Vice President Mike Pence during his scheduled visit to the region this month in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a Palestinian official said Saturday. "There will be no meeting with Pence, this is clear and the issue is bigger than just a meeting," Majdi al-Khalidi, Abbas's presidential adviser for diplomatic affairs, told Voice of Palestine radio. Al-Khalidi added that "the United States of America in its decision on Jerusalem has crossed and passed all red lines." Pence is scheduled to arrive in the Palestinian territories on December 19 to meet Abbas as part of a tour of several countries in the region. The White House warned Friday against the cancellation of the Pence's meeting. In response to the American warning, al-Khalidi said that "no one threatens the Palestinian people and no one threatens the Palestinian leadership." "The U.S. won't be a sponsor for peace again, and it's not qualified to do so," al-Khalidi said, adding "there are many measures that will be taken by the Palestinian leadership soon." Al-Khalidi revealed that the next few days will witness great political mobility, meetings and contacts, and President Abbas is determined not to get rest until putting things in the right direction. The declaration of Tramp last Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to sign a decree to transfer the U.S. embassy to the city was met with a large Palestinian, Arab and international rejection. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 21:00:34|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close MANAMA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Terrorism sponsored by states or non-governmental organizations continues to significantly threaten regional security and stability, said Bahrain's foreign minister on Saturday. "Hezbollah's terrorist activities in Lebanon provides a model for what might happen if a terrorist organization takes control of the political decision," said Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa at the Manama Dialogue 2017 conference. "This is in addition to the smuggling of weapons and explosives and training of terrorists to carry out terrorist operations in Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries," he added. The situation is further worsened by Iran's interference, said the foreign minister. "Iran undermines regional security and destabilize governments of other countries, as well as supports terrorist militias to implement its own agenda," he said. He also stressed that the decision taken by the four Arab countries including Bahrain to boycott Qatar is a result of the decades-long attempts of some countries to destroy the security and stability of other countries. "The decision came after decades of attempts to undermine national security of Bahrain and to overthrow its government," he said. He stressed that the Arab quartet is ready to re-establish relations with Qatar if it agrees to the set of demands proposed by the Arab alliance and stop its support for terrorism. The minister also said that the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would threaten the peace process in the Middle East and disrupt all initiatives and negotiations to reach the final solution. "It is a clear violation of the international resolutions that affirm the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 21:30:40|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraq declared Saturday the liberation of all Iraqi lands from Islamic State (IS) militants after seizing the whole border areas and desert in western Iraq, the Iraqi military said. "The liberation of all Iraqi lands from the IS has been completed and our heroic forces have tightened their grab on the Iraqi-Syrian border," Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah, commander of western Iraq operations, said in a brief statement. The army forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigades, backed by Iraqi helicopter gunships, managed to take control of the whole desert areas between the provinces of Nineveh and Anbar, Yarallah said. The troops took control of over 90 villages and cleared 16,000 sq km in the last operation during the past 24 hours, he said. The Iraqi forces are now in control of some 183 km from the Iraq-Syrian border, Yarallah added. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi confirmed in a speech at the International Media Conference in Baghdad that "our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border." Abadi also declared the end of military operations against IS militant group, saying that such "victory came through the unity of Iraqis against an enemy (IS group) who wanted to kill our civilization." "We have triumphed over Daesh (IS group) in a short time," Abadi said. Meanwhile, observers say that the declaration of ending operations against IS group does not mean final victory over the terrorist group which still has the capability to carry out deadly attacks across the country through its sleeper cells. IS deadly attacks have been dramatically declined after the Iraqi forces defeat the extremist militants from their redoubts in key Iraqi cities and areas in north and west of Iraq. During the day, a civilian was killed and two bystanders wounded when a roadside bomb went off at a busy street in the city of Tikrit, the capital of Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, said a provincial police source. In Iraq's western province of Anbar, another roadside bomb struck a civilian car near the city of Heet, some 160 km in west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, leaving four people killed and two others wounded, the source said. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the IS militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such bomb attacks, targeting security forces and civilians in crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq. On Nov. 17, the Iraqi forces ended the first phase of the offensive when they drove out IS militants from their last urban stronghold in Iraq and raised the Iraqi flag over the buildings of the city of Rawa and nearby border areas in north of the Euphrates River. On Oct. 26, security forces started a major offensive to free last IS urban stronghold in Iraq near the Iraqi-Syrian border as well as the vast desert areas in western Iraq. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 21:40:44|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close PYONGYANG, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said in a press release Saturday that a visit by senior United Nations (UN) officials helped promote understanding between the country and the UN Secretariat. The press release, issued by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the last day of the visit, said both sides acknowledged that the visit "contributed to promoting trust between the two sides" and that they "agreed to have regular exchanges of opinions through frequent exchanges of visits at various levels." Jeffrey Feltman, the UN's under-secretary-general for political affairs who was accompanied by two colleagues, visited Pyongyang from Dec. 5 to 9. According to the press release, the official met with both the DPRK's foreign minister and its vice foreign minister. During the meetings, they discussed bilateral cooperation between the country and the UN as well as the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The DPRK side said the current tense situation on the peninsula "is entirely ascribable to the U.S. hostile policy and nuclear threat and blackmail against the DPRK," said the press release, which also condemned the U.S.-South Korea joint military drills. It said the UN official expressed concern over the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the willingness to de-escalate the situation. The official also visited a children's foodstuff factory and a hospital in Pyongyang, according to the press release. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 21:40:47|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close LUXOR, Egypt, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khalid El-Anany announced Saturday the discovery of a new tomb and the re-discovery of an older one in the heritage-rich Luxor province in Upper Egypt. Both tombs were given special numbers by German archaeologist "Frederica Kampp" during the 1990s, the minister told reporters during the opening ceremony of the tombs. The first tomb has the number of "Kampp 161" and has never been excavated before while the second one has the number of "Kampp 150" and Kampp started its excavation until reaching its entrance gate but never entered it, the minister said. Since then both tombs were left untouched until the Egyptian archaeological mission started its excavations during the recent archaeological season, Anany added. The wall paintings, engravings and inscriptions found in Tomb Kampp 161 suggest that it could be dated to the era between the reign of King Amenhotep II and the one of King Thutmose IV. The tomb has a court lined with stone and mud-brick walls. It has a six meters deep burial shaft at its southern side that lead to four side chambers, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Head of Egyptian excavation mission, told Xinhua. He said the tomb's entrance is located at the eastern side with a sandstone facade without any inscriptions that leads to a rectangular hall with a Niche. "All the inscriptions are found on the western wall located at the tomb's northern end showing two feast scenes; the first depicts a person, probably the deceased's brother, presenting offerings and flowers to the deceased and his wife," he said. The second scene is found below the first one and shows some guests standing in four rows among which a row consists of three men and three women. A large wooden mask, a small painted wooden mask, a fragment of a gilded wooden mask in bad condition of preservation, four legs for wooden chairs, the lower part of a wooden Osirian shaped coffin were found at the tomb, Waziri added. The second tomb, dubbed Tomb Kampp 150, is only a few yards away from Tomb Kampp 161. According to the cartouche of king Thutmosis I engraved on the ceiling of one of the tomb's chambers, it could be dated to the end of the 17th Dynasty and the beginning of the 18th Dynasty, Waziri explained. "The tomb's owner is unknown yet but there are two possibilities. The first suggests that the tomb could belong to a person named "Djehuty Mes" as his name was engraved on one of the walls," Waziri said. He added that the second possibility sees that the owner could be the scribe "Maati" as his name and the name of his wife "Mehi" were inscribed on 50 funerary cones found in the tomb's rectangular chamber. The tomb has five eastern entrances that open on a rectangular hall partly damaged with two burial shafts, Waziri said. The Egyptian official said that a burial of a woman named "Isis Nefret" was also found. "Studies suggest that it could be the mother of the tomb's owner," he proclaimed. Waziri revealed that a very special ushabti depicting Isis Nefret in the form of Osiris was found. The tomb has only one inscription on one of its northern pillars, showing a scene of a seated man offering food to four oxen. The entrance of the long hall inscribed with remains of hieroglyphic text with the name of "Djehuty Mes." "The ceiling of the chamber is inscribed with remains of hieroglyphic inscriptions and the cartouche of King Thutmose I," Waziri said. He revealed that hundreds of artifacts, a small box in the shape of a wooden coffin, a collection of clay vessel and a mummy were found at the tomb. As one of the most ancient civilizations, Egypt has been hard at work to preserve its archaeological heritage. In an attempt to revive the country's ailing tourism sector, Egypt is keen to uncover the Pharaohs' archaeological secrets as well as other ancient civilizations throughout the country. A military vehicle is seen inside the liberated city of Rawa near the Iraqi border with Syria, on Nov. 18, 2017. Iraqi security forces battling Islamic State (IS) militants freed Friday the city of Rawa near the border with Syria, dislodging the extremist militants from their last urban stronghold in Iraq, the Iraqi military said. (Xinhua Photo) BAGHDAD, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraq declared Saturday the liberation of all Iraqi lands from Islamic State (IS) militants after seizing the whole border areas and desert in western Iraq, the Iraqi military said. "The liberation of all Iraqi lands from the IS has been completed and our heroic forces have tightened their grab on the Iraqi-Syrian border," Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah, commander of western Iraq operations, said in a brief statement. The army forces and the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi brigades, backed by Iraqi helicopter gunships, managed to take control of the whole desert areas between the provinces of Nineveh and Anbar, Yarallah said. The troops took control of over 90 villages and cleared 16,000 sq km in the last operation during the past 24 hours, he said. The Iraqi forces are now in control of some 183 km from the Iraq-Syrian border, Yarallah added. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi confirmed in a speech at the International Media Conference in Baghdad that "our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border." Abadi also declared the end of military operations against IS militant group, saying that such "victory came through the unity of Iraqis against an enemy (IS group) who wanted to kill our civilization." "We have triumphed over Daesh (IS group) in a short time," Abadi said. Meanwhile, observers say that the declaration of ending operations against IS group does not mean final victory over the terrorist group which still has the capability to carry out deadly attacks across the country through its sleeper cells. IS deadly attacks have been dramatically declined after the Iraqi forces defeat the extremist militants from their redoubts in key Iraqi cities and areas in north and west of Iraq. During the day, a civilian was killed and two bystanders wounded when a roadside bomb went off at a busy street in the city of Tikrit, the capital of Iraq's northern central province of Salahudin, said a provincial police source. In Iraq's western province of Anbar, another roadside bomb struck a civilian car near the city of Heet, some 160 km in west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, leaving four people killed and two others wounded, the source said. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the IS militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such bomb attacks, targeting security forces and civilians in crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq. On Nov. 17, the Iraqi forces ended the first phase of the offensive when they drove out IS militants from their last urban stronghold in Iraq and raised the Iraqi flag over the buildings of the city of Rawa and nearby border areas in north of the Euphrates River. On Oct. 26, security forces started a major offensive to free last IS urban stronghold in Iraq near the Iraqi-Syrian border as well as the vast desert areas in western Iraq. A building is seen in Vitebsk city, Belarus, April 19, 2017. (Xinhua/Shi Hao) MINSK, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Belarus is planning to extend visa-free entry from current five days to 10 days in 2018, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Alexander Ganevich, Deputy Head of the Central Consular Office of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry, said the visa-free period of traveling to Belarus through the Minsk National Airport may be extended to 10 days in 2018. The official added that they plan to extend the visa-free stay to 30 days during the period of the Second European Games in Belarus in 2019. According to Ganevich, Belarus issued up to 300,000 visas in 2015 and 275,000 visas in 2016. Due to the introduction of the visa-free regime, the number of visas issued in 2017 is expected to decline. The five-day visa-free regime started to work in Belarus in February 2017 for citizens from 80 countries. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 22:00:58|Editor: pengying Video Player Close HOHHOT, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Uyun poses and takes selfies with her friends backstage at a traditional ethnic clothing competition in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. "We made all these clothes by hand. It's a family thing and a tradition on the prairie," said Uyun, 55, who teamed up with her friends for the competition at the 14th Mongolian Costume Festival held in the regional capital of Hohhot last week. "As herders, we learned to make traditional Mongolian clothing as little girls," said Uyun, who is ethnic Mongolian from Hulun Buir City. Temperatures in Hulun Buir can plummet to minus 40 degrees Celsius in winter. "Only these, with lambswool lining, can help us keep warm," she said. Uyun's friend, Ulangolwa, 53, said she taught her daughter the craft when she was young, and now the younger woman makes a living from it. First held in 2003, the annual event aims to promote and protect Mongolian clothing. During this year's event, a seminar was held to discuss the status, trends, and protection of ethnic clothing. Designer Ma Yonghua, owner of a Mongolian clothing company in Xingan League, was among the attendees. The 27-year-old used to be a nurse and switched to costume design due to her passion for Mongolian clothing and tradition. "I persuaded my parents and sold my apartment to fund the company," said Ma. Ma said she respects tradition in making clothing. For example, cloud patterns should only be embroidered on the collar, rather than on trousers, to represent clouds' position in the sky and show awe of nature. "In making Mongolian clothing, one should follow standards and know both how and why," Ma said. While preserving the old, she is also creating new things. Ma is working on Mongolian-style school uniforms featuring ethnic elements, but in soft and stretchy modern materials, rather than traditional leather and silk. "Only when children love our traditional ethnic clothing will we be able to protect and develop it," said Zhang Yanru with the region's tourism development commission. A competition for Mongolian-style primary and middle school uniforms was held for the first time during this year's festival, Zhang said. In Xilingol League, the local government has established a "Mongolian Clothing Day" in Mongolian-language primary schools and kindergartens. On the day, students are encouraged to wear Mongolian clothing to school. Courses on Mongolian clothing design and production are now offered in middle schools and vocational schools, said Uzhitunasun, director of the league's tourism development commission. According to him, over 137,000 herders, or about a third of the population on the prairie in Xilingol League, still wear Mongolian clothing in their daily lives. More than 50,000 people in the league are engaged in Mongolian clothing production. With a history of more than 800 years, Mongolian clothing was added to China's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2008. In 2012, the region issued a set of standards for making the clothing. "Mongolian clothing is a symbol of Mongolians' nomadic life through history," said Zhang Yanru. There are 28 Mongolian tribes in Inner Mongolia. Influenced by different climates, history and traditions, every tribe has unique clothing designs. There is still a lack of designers of traditional Mongolian clothing, said Zhang Minghua, deputy director with Hohhot's tourism development commission. Not many students majoring in costume design choose Mongolian clothing as their career, she said, "So we must encourage and train more students to do it." Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 22:06:00|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close MADRID, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Spain will increase the number of military personnel currently stationed in Mali and Afghanistan, Spanish State TV network RTVE reported Saturday quoting military sources. Spain will increase the number of troops in Mali from 136 to closer to 300 in the New Year, while the number in Afghanistan will rise from 20 to 80, the report said. Meanwhile, Jan. 31 will see the Spanish general, Enrique Milan Martinez, take over the command of the European Union mission in Mali, replacing the Belgian, Bart Laurent. Spanish forces are currently instructing their Malian counterparts in artillery, shooting, urban combat and human rights issues. Meanwhile the Spanish troops in Afghanistan form part of the operation "Resolute Support." Spain currently contributes a total of 2,501 military personnel to overseas missions; of which 502 are collaborating with NATO, 693 with the EU, 623 with the United Nations, 531 to a the international Coalition against the Islamic State, 110 in a joint operation with France and 42 on Spanish planned missions. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 22:11:02|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close TEHRAN, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said here Saturday that his country would remain committed to Iran's 2015 international nuclear deal, semi-official ISNA news agency reported. Johnson, who arrived in Iran's capital Tehran on Saturday for a two-day visit, made the remarks in a meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The British top diplomat called for developing comprehensive bilateral ties with the Islamic republic and urged the expansion of banking, trade and economic relations. He also stressed cooperation between the two countries in regional and international issues. Johnson headed a high-ranking politico-economic delegation in his trip to Tehran and is scheduled to meet with other senior Iranian officials including President Hassan Rouhani. Johnson's trip to Iran is part of an effort to improve Tehran-London relations, Tasnim news agency reported. Iranian-British relations soured in 2011, when Iran decided to downgrade diplomatic ties with Britain, following the latter's decision to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran. Later, angry Iranian students stormed the British embassy in Tehran and pulled down the European country's flag. Following the incident, Britain withdrew its diplomatic staff from Tehran on Nov. 30, 2011, and asked Iran's diplomatic delegation in London to leave within 48 hours. The two countries made diplomatic efforts afterwards to amend ties. In August 2015, the British Embassy in Iran reopened after a four-year closure. Britain's then Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond attended a ceremony in Tehran to mark the reopening. It was the first visit by a British foreign secretary to Iran since 2003. Simultaneously, Iran's embassy in London also reopened. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 22:21:07|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close TEHRAN, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said Saturday that the Iran-Russia relations are "strategic," Tasnim news agency reported. The Islamic Republic views its relations with Russia as strategic since the ties are comprehensive and cover all political, economic and military fields, Hatami told Tasnim. "In terms of military and defense cooperation, Iran and Russia have taken good steps," he said, adding the national interests of the two countries make it necessary to deepen the bilateral relations. Iran and Russia have formed close ties in recent years, with both countries supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government against armed groups. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 22:31:14|Editor: yan Video Player Close BARINGO, Kenya, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least 14 people were killed and others seriously injured on Saturday after a police truck rolled over along Marigat-Loruk road in Baringo county in west Kenya. Baringo Administration Police Commandant Robinson Ndiwa confirmed the incident saying the truck was returning to Kapedo from Marigat town where the police officers and residents had gone for shopping. "The driver lost control of the vehicle and it veered off the road. There were five police officers aboard the vehicle and an unknown number of civilians," Ndiwa said. The police commander confirmed that a child was among those killed in the incident which left three police officers seriously injured. "We have rushed the injured to the hospital. The police officers had gone to Marigat town to buy foodstuffs and were involved in the accident on their way back to Kapedo," Ndiwa said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 22:36:18|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (2nd R), Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (2nd L), Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (1st R) and Romania's Prime Minister Mihai Tudose attend a joint press conference in Belgrade, Serbia on Dec. 9, 2017. Leaders of Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece agreed on Saturday that the whole region needs to be included in the European Union (EU) and that the cooperation on joint projects can bring the region long-awaited prosperity and stability. (Xinhua/Nemanja Cabric) BELGRADE, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece agreed on Saturday that the whole region needs to be included in the European Union (EU) and that the cooperation on joint projects can bring the region long-awaited prosperity and stability. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic hosted the second meeting with prime ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Greece Boyko Borissov, Mihai Tudose and Alexis Tsipras at the building of the Serbian presidency in Belgrade. Borissov said at a press conference after the meeting that the four leaders were talking how to organize the Balkans in a way that would make people's lives better and to convey the message to Brussels that "the Balkans is safe and predictable with us, and it will create no problems". "Our friendship is not directed against anybody 00 neither against Russia, or Turkey, or the United States nor the EU. We just wish to attract investments so that we can build infrastructure, because this is a guarantee that there will be no more war," he said, announcing the support of Bulgaria for the EU accession of Serbia and all other countries of the Western Balkans. He announced that the Bulgarian presidency over the Council of Europe, which is about to start next year, will be focused to include the whole of Balkans in the EU, and to solve problems these countries are facing with. Tsipras welcomed Borissov's idea to use the presidency to promote the joint ideas and attitudes of the whole Balkans and estimated that meetings like this are constructive and inspirational for the future perspective of the Balkans. "We cannot wait for a representative of some other great power to tell us what to do and to take us by the hand and show us. We have to cooperate and to have our own initiative as well as to promote peace and stability in the region," he said. Tudose said that Serbia's European integration is already an ongoing process visible in joint infrastructural projects and cultural cooperation. He continued that the meetings like this are useful to harmonize solutions for problems of each of the four countries. Vucic said that the political talks among the four countries focused on the increase of trade and joint infrastructural projects such as the interconnection with highways, high-speed railways and gas pipelines. "We expect that the Serbia's trade with these three countries will be more than 3 billion euros in the next year," Vucic said, adding that the three prime ministers brought the spirit of European friendship to Belgrade. The quadripartite meeting was held for the first time in Varna, Bulgaria while the third will be held in March in Bucharest, Romania and the fourth in Greece in May, aiming to make the cooperation permanent. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 22:36:19|Editor: yan Video Player Close NAIROBI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's lecturers in public universities on Saturday called off an over-one-month long strike which has paralyzed learning in the institutions of higher learning across the country. The Universities' Academic Staff Union (UASU) called off the 38-day strike after signing a return-to-work deal with the Universities Council following a consultative meeting with the Inter Public Universities Councils Consultative Forum (IPUCCF). "UASU and IPUCCF have today signed a Return to Work Formula concluding the strike that has paralyzed learning and research at all public universities since the beginning of November 2017," the two said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi. "UASU notes that return to work formula guarantees that universities will not victimize academic staff and union officials for participating in the industrial action," it said. They also agreed that the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations will start on Dec. 18 until January 31. UASU Secretary General Constantine Wasonga said the meeting also resolved that the Vice Chancellors' Committee takes up the outstanding pension issue for the 2010-2013 and the 2013-2017 CBAs, amounting to 15.6 million U.S. dollars and 20 million dollars respectively, with the education ministry and Treasury. All the lecturers in the East African nation's 31 public universities have boycotted duty on Oct. 31 to push for implementation of their collective bargaining agreement, which would see them earn more. It was the third time this year the 9,000 lecturers in public universities went on strike seeking to push the government to pay them 50 million U.S. dollars salary arrears, part of the deal. The union accused universities of refusing to effect a pay raise for workers to new brackets negotiated under the 2013-2017 collective bargaining agreement. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 22:51:25|Editor: yan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A Bulgarian company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran to develop solar photovoltaic infrastructure in the Iranian central city of Jahrom, Financial Tribune daily reported on Saturday. "The first investment agreement in the Jahrom Special Economic Zone has been signed with Solar & Benefit Corporation (Bulgarian renewable power developer) to build a photovoltaic power plant," said Alireza Sahraeian, the governor of Jahrom. The official did not specify the plant's capacity or the value of the investment, but said the deal is to meet the electricity demand of a population of 230,000 in Jahrom. "The agreement is to provide part of the country's power needs and to boost supply stability in the region through renewable energy resources," he said. Jahrom is approximately 200 km off the Persian Gulf coast and 800 km south of the capital Tehran. Solar & Benefit will be compensated for 20 years at a price of 15.2 euro cents per kilowatt hour. The Bulgarian enterprise operates through its local company Solar & Benefit Persia. The Sofia-based company plans to develop power projects in Iran with a total output capacity of 400 megawatts in collaboration with Grass Group, a German solar energy EPC contractor. King Abdullah II of Jordan (R) meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) in Amman, Jordan, on Dec. 7, 2017. King Abdullah II of Jordan on Thursday voiced the country's full support to the Palestinians in their efforts to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, state-owned Petra news agency reported. (Xinhua Photo) RAMALLAH, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- "There will be no meeting with Pence, this is clear and the issue is bigger than just a meeting," Majdi al-Khalidi, Abbas's presidential adviser for diplomatic affairs, told Voice of Palestine radio on Saturday. Al-Khalidi added that "the United States of America in its decision on Jerusalem has crossed and passed all red lines." Pence is scheduled to arrive in the Palestinian territories on December 19 to meet Abbas as part of a tour of several countries in the region. The White House warned Friday against the cancellation of the Pence's meeting. In response to the American warning, al-Khalidi said that "no one threatens the Palestinian people and no one threatens the Palestinian leadership." "The U.S. won't be a sponsor for peace again, and it's not qualified to do so," al-Khalidi said, adding "there are many measures that will be taken by the Palestinian leadership soon." Al-Khalidi revealed that the next few days will witness great political mobility, meetings and contacts, and President Abbas is determined not to get rest until putting things in the right direction. The declaration of Tramp last Wednesday to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to sign a decree to transfer the U.S. embassy to the city was met with a large Palestinian, Arab and international rejection. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 23:26:36|Editor: yan Video Player Close BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Brunei is expected to record positive growth in 2018, according to Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Asian Development Outlook update released recently. According to local media on Saturday, the sultanate will register slightly lower growth this year as forecasts are revised down by 1 percentage point, the report said. Brunei expects current account surplus this year, and in 2018 the country is likely to record higher current account surplus, it added. The sultanate has not yet fully adjusted to subdued global demand for oil and gas although the value of oil and gas exports increased in the first five months of 2017, the report further noted. "A monetary policy linking the Brunei dollar to Singapore dollar has helped Brunei to maintain monetary stability in the face of adverse external conditions in recent years," the ADB said. "The government budget continued to be under pressure in the first half of the year, as a persistent slump in the global oil and gas market caused revenues to weaken further," it added. According to Brunei's Department of Economic Planning and Development, measured at constant prices, Brunei's GDP recorded a decline of 2.5 percent in 2016. In the second quarter of 2017, Brunei's GDP recorded a growth of 0.7 percent year-on-year at constant prices. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 23:31:38|Editor: yan Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- One pilot and two Chinese trainees are thought to have died after their plane crashed into a lake in the U.S. state of Florida Friday, reports have said. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials said that the Connection 900 plane crashed in Lake Harney near the Volusia-Seminole county line around 11:30 a.m. (1630 GMT) Friday. Local reports said the pilot was from Sanford, a city in central Florida, and the two passengers were confirmed to be Chinese nationals who were staying in Sanford. Officials said their bodies have not yet been recovered. The search is expected to resume on Saturday morning. Scuba divers, search and rescue teams as well as boats reportedly spent hours in the lake searching for the victims on Friday. The FAA said the plane was on its way to Orlando Sanford International Airport. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the cause of the crash. Commercial Training Solutions, which operated the plane, confirmed the crash in a statement, while pledging full cooperation with the authorities in the investigation. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 23:36:40|Editor: yan Video Player Close TEHRAN, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraq and Turkey are in talks with Iran to improve and upgrade the latter's aging gas stations, Financial Tribune daily reported on Saturday. "Preliminary negotiations have been held with private enterprises from Iraq and Turkey, and they are ready to transfer the much-needed technical know-how to Iran to install advanced equipment in the Iranian gas stations," said Ali Maneshi, an official from the gas stations planning and research center. Iran's state-run gas stations and fuel market, closed to foreign companies, "has a great potential for attracting investors," Maneshi said, adding that holding regular international meetings can help the country to introduce the unique opportunity to those who are interested in investing in this lucrative business. Pointing to the first international conference on gas stations and related industries to be held in the capital Tehran on Dec. 24-27, Maneshi said that "trade delegations and companies from Japan, Russia, Italy, Iraq and Turkey have expressed readiness to attend the meeting to display their cutting-edge gas stations' spare parts and equipment." According to the official, the gathering is aimed at connecting gas stations-related industries as well as paving the way for domestic and foreign investors to play more active roles in this sector. There are 3,600 gas and diesel stations as well as 2,400 CNG stations in Iran, most of which are old and need renovation. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-09 23:36:40|Editor: yan Video Player Close WUHAN, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Air cargo services have been launched between Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, and Chicago. A B747-F aircraft carrying 105 tonnes of Chilean cherries and salmon landed at 4:35 p.m. at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, marking start of the first intercontinental air cargo route in Wuhan. The route is operated by Apex Logistics, a logistic company based in Shanghai. The flight is scheduled three times per week. According to Wuhan airport, cargo services between the city and Luxembourg will also be launched on Dec. 20. With the two intercontinental airlines, the airport is expected to quadruple its annual international cargo handling capacity. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 00:06:50|Editor: yan Video Player Close ISTANBUL, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel contradicts international law and UN resolutions. "The United Nations Security Council has taken the major blow out of this declaration," Erdogan said at a meeting in Istanbul. He said the declaration on Jerusalem has put the U.S. at odds with Security Council Resolution 478 which condemns Israel's attempted annexation of East Jerusalem and urges UN member states to withdraw their missions from Jerusalem. "How could it be possible? You have a signature on and now you are denying it," Erdogan demanded. "Leading the world is not that easy and being strong does not give you this right," Erdogan said of U.S. President Donald Trump, who on Wednesday reversed long-held U.S. policy by announcing his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and start the procedures of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "Leaders of the big countries are tasked with making peace, not to create conflicts," the Turkish leader said. Erdogan also accused Israel of being an occupying state, displaying the gradual expansion of Israeli territories from 1947 until today on a map shown on a screen. "Now, with its police forces, they are attacking children and young people, causing terror," he said, once again describing Jerusalem as the red line for the Muslim world. Erdogan has threatened to cut off diplomatic ties with Israel and called for an emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul on Dec. 13. The status of Jerusalem is among the core issues related to the Israel-Palestine conflict, as the Palestinians are seeking to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 00:36:54|Editor: Liangyu Video Player Close DHAKA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladesh-China Friendship Center (BCFC) organized a discussion along with an art contest and photo exhibition here Saturday to mark the sound development of relations between Bangladesh and China. Eminent Dhaka University professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, Chinese embassy official Tao Yun, journalist Amanullah Kabir and BCFC President Delwar Hossain, among others, spoke at the event attended by government officials, academicians, diplomats, senior politicians, journalists and businessmen. They lauded the economic achievements of China, highly appraised the fast development of China-Bangladesh relations over the past decades and expressed their heartfelt thanks to the assistance that China had provided to Bangladesh. They said the sound development of Bangladesh-China ties has not only brought benefits to the people of both countries, but also made contributions to peace, stability and development in the region. Professor Haque said China's role in this region has been constructive, which is in the fundamental interest of both peoples to develop mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Bangladesh as well as with other countries. Chinese diplomat Tao said China is willing to work with all countries within and outside of the region to promote sustainable development. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 01:11:59|Editor: yan Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The European Union Election Observation Mission said on Saturday that the elections to the House of Representatives and the provincial assemblies in Nepal represent a key milestone in the implementation of the country's 2015 Constitution. EU Chief Observer Zeljana Zovko said in a statement that "despite the violence designed to frustrate the electoral process, the two election days showed that voters were not deterred. Instead, millions of people throughout the country went to cast their ballots for peace, stability and a prosperous Nepal." Nepal held the two crucial elections simultaneously in two phases on Nov. 26 and Dec. 7, which are seen as a crucial step to implement the milestone new constitution promulgated in September 2015. The European Union was invited to deploy an election observation mission by the government of Nepal for these elections. During two phase of elections, over 100 EU observers observed the opening, voting and closing processes at 633 polling centres in 61 districts within all seven provinces. The mission, however, commented that there was a notable lack of transparency in the work of the Election Commission, which affected the electoral process, particularly in regard to the reconciliation of ballots, which is detrimental to transparency. The mission also noted that, although serious efforts were made, voter education was still insufficient. Nepal held parliamentary and provincial assembly elections after the Himalayan nation became a federal democratic republic in 2008 following the abolition of its 240-year monarchy. The mission's preliminary statement comes at a time when the vote counting is underway while the results are expected to be out within a week. The mission informed that it would remain in Nepal until the completion of the process and publish a final report afterwards, including recommendations for future elections. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 01:12:00|Editor: yan Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Officials in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan said Saturday that over 300 militants and 17 of their commanders of banned organizations have laid down arms and surrendered to the government. The militants surrendered at a ceremony in Quetta, the provincial capital, they said. Chief Minister of Balochistan, Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri, told the ceremony that the law and order situation is being improved in the province. "Those who are conspiring against Pakistan will never succeed in their evil designs," he said. Earlier in Aug. 22, militants and a commander of the banned Baloch Liberation Army had surrendered to security forces. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 01:12:01|Editor: yan Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A paramilitary trooper of India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Saturday killed four of his colleagues and wounded one using his service rifle in central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, officials said. The fratricide took place in Naxal-affected Basaguda in Bijapur district, about 457 km southwest of Raipur, the capital city of Chattisgarh. "This evening, CRPF paramilitary trooper posted at Basaguda camp opened fire on his five colleagues," a senior police official said. "Four of his colleagues including three superiors died on the spot, while one was left wounded." Reports said the paramilitary trooper fired on his colleagues following an altercation. The bodies along with the wounded were brought to Bijapur from Basaguda. The accused paramilitary trooper was taken into custody. Authorities have ordered an inquiry into the incident of fratricide. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has expressed grief over the killing of four paramilitary troopers and prayed for the speedy recovery of the wounded. New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces in Chhattisgarh to take on Naxals in their strongholds. Incidents of suicides and fratricides among stationed troops across India have been reported in the past. Health experts say continued separation from family, long duty hours, lack of recreational facilities, poor command and control structure were usually found to be reasons behind such incidents. iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Arizona Republican Representative Trent Franks, who announced Thursday that he would resign at the end of January after an investigation was launched into conversations he had with members of his staff, will now step down immediately. In a statement, Franks said he advanced the date of his resignation after his wife was admitted to the hospital Thursday evening "due to an ongoing ailment" and he reconsidered his options. "We came to the conclusion that the best thing for our family now would be for me to tender my previous resignation effective today, December 8th, 2017," he said. On Thursday, Franks announced his resignation, admitting that he broached the topic of child surrogacy "with two previous female subordinates, making each feel uncomfortable". The congressman noted that he and his wife had been struggling with infertility after several miscarriages. "I deeply regret that my discussion of this option and process in the workplace caused distress," Franks wrote, adding, "I do want to take full and personal responsibility for the ways I have broached a topic that, unbeknownst to me until very recently, made certain individuals uncomfortable." Franks further claimed that he never "physically intimidated, coerced, or had, or attempted to have, any sexual contact with any member of my congressional staff." The conservative lawmaker became the third member of Congress to resign this week, following Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., and Representative John Conyers, D-Mich., who each stepped down in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against them. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 01:22:03|Editor: yan Video Player Close A wounded Palestinian protester is evacuated during clashes with Israeli troops after a protest against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, near east of Gaza city, on Dec. 8, 2017. An estimated 4,500 Palestinian protesters participated in violent riots at six locations along the border with the Gaza Strip throughout Friday against U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, said a statement by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Friday evening. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar) RAMALLAH/GAZA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Palestinians were injured Saturday in fierce clashes with Israeli forces during protests against the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Palestinian sources said. Over 150 Palestinians were injured Saturday in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip during the protests. Ashraf Al-Qedra, Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson, said in a press statement that 25 Palestinians were injured by live ammunition and suffocated over tear gas grenades thrown by Israeli forces toward protestors. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said it had dealt with 140 injuries in Saturday clashes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Israeli media reported two Israeli policemen were injured in clashes in Salaheddine street in East Jerusalem. The clashes came in response to calls by Palestinian political factions, which urged the masses to take the streets in protest of U.S. President Donald Trump's Wednesday recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Russian security officers work at the site of an explosion near a bus stop at Michurinsky Avenue in Moscow, capital of Russia, Moscow March 9, 2011. (Xinhua/Lu Jinbo) MOSCOW, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Three armed suspects were killed Saturday in Russia's North Caucasus city of Stavropol for allegedly planning terrorist attacks in public places, Sputnik news agency reported, citing a Federal Security Service statement. Law enforcement authorities launched an operation early Saturday, foiling terrorist attack attempts of a group of gunmen, according to the statement. Several streets were under lockdown during the operation. The North Caucasus region is a hotbed of insurgency, with separatists and extremists frequently attacking governmental, military and police facilities as well as civilians. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 02:42:14|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Ndumiso Mlilo JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's National Heritage Council (NHC) has called on the country's black historians to make an effort to correct the distortions of history in some books by white historians. This was said on Friday night by the NHC CEO Advocate Sonwabile Mancotywa at the launch of Black Sacrifice, a book about British warship SS Mendi which sank in 1917, killing 646 soldiers with the majority being black South Africans. The book was written by Gladstone Sandi Baai who passed away in 2012 after submitting the manuscript to the NHC. Mancotywa said the book is the first one written by a black scholar about the sunken troopship. "This book will remove some distortions and contradictions about SS Mendi by white scholars. We do not know a lot about ourselves. This is the decolonization of the African heritage narrative and participation of the Africans in the World War I," said Mancotywa. He said South Africans were recruited as slaves and laborers and used as soldiers in some wars which were not theirs. Mancotywa said Africans were segregated when fighting alongside the British while they also staged their own in the ship. He said about 150 wars were fought against the British and called on that to be documented. Jeanny Morulane, general manager of the Constitutional Hill, one of the country's heritage sites, agreed that history needs to be corrected to tell the true story about the black participation in the World War I and local ones against the colonizers. "The sinking of the SS Mendi remains one of the worst tragedies of World War I. We continue to mourn as South Africa and many generations to come will do so. There was no compensation by the British for the loss of the black, some who had never seen the sea," she said. Professor Muxe Nkondo said there had been a fundamental antagonism between Africans and the Europeans, and liberation movements in the continent have failed to address it. Nkondo said Europe failed to apologize and compensate Africans for their sacrifice in fighting their (European) wars. He said there are still many questions about why and how the ship sank because some lies were peddled about it. Another South African scholar Nomboniso Gasa Gasa said there is a frosty relationship between Africa and Europe. She criticized some white historians for mysticizing the tragedy, blaming the blacks for doing death rituals before the sinking. "These are not closed chapters, black historians should continue researching and write the correct history. The SS Mendi is more than a historian's memory, it shows the border interaction of Africa and Europe and the entire colonial history and the annihilation of the African people," She said. Gasa added that Africans should demand compensation from Europe for colonization. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 02:47:15|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Eric J. Lyman ROME, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- New figures showing family income is on the rise in Italy are further bolstering the case that the country may be in an economic recovery, but the expanding gap between the country's richest and poorest residents shows the recovery is not helping everyone. The latest round of macroeconomic figures released by ISTAT, Italy's National Statistics Institute, show that average family income was up by 1.8 percent to 29,988 euros (35,300 U.S. dollars) per year and purchasing power up by 1.7 percent last year compared to two years earlier. Median income rose 2.8 percent in the same period. But the increase has been far from evenly spread. ISTAT said the top fifth of the population in terms of income enjoyed most of the growth, while the bottom 30 percent of the population was at risk of "poverty and social exclusion". That is up from 28.7 percent the previous year. Similarly, the percentage of Italians living in poverty rose to 20.6 percent in 2016, compared to 19.9 percent previously. The newest information is among the highest in Western Europe, and is the first time the poverty figure finished above the 20-percent threshold in Italy in more than 30 years. Most importantly, the gap between the richest 20 percent and the poorest 20 percent of the country -- known as the Gini index -- was 0.331 compared to 0.307 for the European Union as a whole. The Gini index, named for early 20th-Century Italian sociologist and statistician Corrado Gini, measures inequality on a scale between zero and one, with a higher score an indicator of less economic equality. Industrialized countries generally have lower Gini index than poor or developing countries. "Italy's economic recovery is still very timid, and it is very uneven," Andrea Ciarini, a professor of economic sociology in the Department of Social and Economic Sciences at Rome's La Sapienza University, told Xinhua. "More and more, the middle class is being left behind." Among the drivers pushing incomes higher, according to ISTAT, are increases in the numbers of skilled and high-paid self-employed workers, which rebounded in 2016 after falling for several years. The factors widening the gap between the richest and the poorest are an inflexible labor market, a high value-added tax rate, under-funded social programs, and high unemployment levels among young workers. Ciarini said that the trend indicating a widening income gap has been in the works for decades in Italy. "Italy has a very high national debt, but private sector debt has always been low, with much of the debt offset by high savings rates," Ciarini said. "But more people have to dig into their savings. That is likely to continue and as it does it will erode the economic health of poor and middle class families," Ciarini added. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 02:57:18|Editor: yan Video Player Close RABAT, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a loan of 265 million U.S. dollars to support a solar energy project in central Moroccan city of Midelt, local media reported on Saturday. The financial news site Medias24.com said that the loan will partly finance the first phase of NOOR Midelt project, which is expected to produce a cumulative capacity of 800 megawatts. Citing Yacine Diama Fal, representative of AfDB, the site said the solar plants will be connected to the national grid, and will guarantee electricity supplies to more than two million Moroccans and significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The project is part of Morocco's ambitious goal to produce 42 percent of its electrical power from renewable energy by 2020 and 52 percent by 2030. AfDB is financing some 33 projects in Morocco with a total of 3.1 billion dollars. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 03:57:29|Editor: yan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of internally displaced refugees from the Libyan city of Tawergha on Saturday demanded to return to their homes after years of displacement. About 35,000 Tawerghans, who fled their homes in the 2011 uprising, have been living in refugee camps in several Libyan cities, including the capital Tripoli. The refugees protested against their living conditions in the camps and demanded to immediately return to their own city. "We are here today to demand the right of returning to our city, our land, our homes, and our schools. For seven years, we have been living in the camps of displacement as refugees in our own country," Amal Baraka, head of Producing Family organization of Tawergha, told Xinhua. "Our demonstration today is to call no to violence against displaced women because, in addition to the misery in the camps and living as refugees and strangers in our homeland, displaced women are also subjected to extortion, violence, racism and disrespect for their humanity," she added. A Tawerghan refugee camp in Tripoli was burned a few days ago, with no human casualties reported. Authorities said the incident was due to accidental short circuit. UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Serraj said on Saturday that important steps have been taken to "end the suffering of the people of Tawergha." Serraj made his remarks during a meeting with Salem A'mesh, vice chairman of the local council of Tawergha. "Prime Minister Serraj stressed that these steps will enable the people of Tawergha to start the process of returning to their city before the end of this year," the prime minister's media office said. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 04:12:31|Editor: yan Video Player Close GABORONE, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Botswana's President Seretse Khama Ian Khama said that his government is committed to transforming Botswana from a resource based economy to a knowledge based one. Khama made the remarks at the Botswana Accountancy College 2017 graduation ceremony (BAC) on Saturday in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. He emphasized that in order to achieve the transition, they needed an education system that fosters critical thinking, creativity, entrepreneurship and integrity. Khama said the ultimate goal of Botswana's tertiary education system should be to produce well-rounded citizens. He further illustrated his point by making reference to the UNESCO Education 2030 Strategy which is themed " Towards inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all." He explained that the strategy emphasizes promotion of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required by citizens to lead productive lives as well as making informed decisions and assuming active roles locally and globally. Khama, who will be stepping down as the president of the Republic of Botswana, further said he had no doubt that BAC has endeavored over the years to ensure that their program design and delivery is focused on meeting these standards. He also made mention of the fact that his government also understands that skills development is directly linked to employability and entrepreneurship, hence the commitment to refocus education and training toward the fulfilment of a more diversified and knowledge-based economy. Khama further indicated that to attain this milestone, the match between qualifications and labor market requirements is being monitored through the Human Resource Development Council, thereby ensuring that education outputs are more closely aligned to future employment needs. According to him, the country is looking forward to having its first National Human Resource Development Plan before the end of this year. The plan is expected to assist in focusing on training and development in Botswana. Khama reminded the graduates that there are boundless opportunities in Botswana and other markets, adding that it will make the country proud to have young skilled graduates establish companies that can compete both locally and beyond Botswana borders, resulting in employment creation and diversification of the economy. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 04:52:39|Editor: yan Video Player Close BENGO, Angola, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The first joint military medical exercise of the armed forces of Angola, Serbia and the United States began Saturday in the town of Vale do Paraiso, Angola's northern Bengo province. The exercise is being assessed by experts from Hungary, South Africa, Cote d'Ivoire, Malawi, Botswana and Portugal, invited as observers. Speaking to the press, the director of the military medical practice, the Angolan Belchior da Silva explained that this is the operational phase of the exercise, following the training phase which started on December 4. On his side, the head of the Serbian mission, Miroslav Brocic said the exercise is a great opportunity to gain experience and practice together with his American colleagues, especially concerning tropical infectious diseases. Also on statement to the press, the head of the U.S. National Guard of Ohio's mission, Mark Bartman, reiterated the willingness to share information and knowledge for the success of the exercise. The exercise aims at improving the diagnosis of infectious, endemic and epidermal diseases such as malaria, dengue, chicungunha, zika, leptospirosis and cholera. National partners, such as the Ministry of Health, the National Civil Protection Service, the National Police, the Migration and Foreign Service are also participating in the activity. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 05:07:41|Editor: yan Video Player Close by Fatima AbdulKarim RAMALLAH, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Dec. 9 marks the birthday of the first popular Palestinian uprising (intifada) that brought the Palestinian cause into the international community's corridors and across the world. Saturday is the uprising's 30th birthday, which is seeing what it was, a local intifada that grew into a global phenomena with its internal democratic networks and peaceful resistance. Jamal Zakout was a leader of the Unified National Leadership (UNL) of the intifada, who contributed to the "communique No. 2" that was considered the first such deal within the UNL by the four factions: Communist party (now Palestinian People's Party), Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Fatah party, and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) to which Zakout belonged. Thirty years later, Zakout is still active. He heads a think tank in Ramallah and is a member of the Palestine National Council, which is the highest legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). He still believes there is much to be done. He said that the general atmosphere after U.S. President Donald Trump's Jerusalem declaration has reminded him of the clout of the eve of the intifada in 1987. The breakout of the intifada came after a series of Israeli measures that culminated in the Gaza Strip, where Zakout was born and raised, into a suppressive living condition with which no one was willing to cope. "The political, economic and social reality would show that something was flickering under the ashes," he said, explaining that "the bipolarity that has matured to its climax between the Palestinian people under occupation and the policies. Schemes and practices of the occupation have reached an unbearable point and reached its limit." On Dec. 9, 1987, an Israeli military truck ran over four Palestinian workers in Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, sparking nationwide protests that quickly organized and carried on in peaceful means with a two-fold strategy: stone hurling and stopping of Israeli forces from entering Palestinian localities; civil disobedience and boycotting the Israeli authorities that governed daily life of Palestinians, until the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) as per the Oslo Accords, which were signed by PLO and Israel in 1993. "The intifada was the question of life," Zakout said, deeply breathed and added. "With dignity and independence, Palestinians will head towards a just peace." Zakout said there were lots of dialogue, then it was a must to resort to the people, when the communique was issued. He highlighted the demands of the people including "ending land confiscation and settlement activity, stopping closure of educational institutions, withdrawing of Israeli army from Palestinian areas, and ceasing intervention in unionist work and the high taxation policy." Zakout said that three things made the intifada meaningful to the Palestinians, as "the spirit of social solidarity" that spread amongst the people, "the leadership's involvement in the front lines," and "the realistic nature of the tasks it requested." The intifada came to an end as the leadership of the PLO started the Madrid peace talks in 1991, eventually leading to the signing of the Declaration of Principles in Washington D.C, the Oslo Accords, and the historic handshake between late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Zakout believes that the recent declaration by the U.S. President Donald Trump is a result of the U.S. bias to Israel, international silence and the failure of the current Palestinian leadership to create an alternative to peace negotiations, which has allowed the situation on the ground to worsen and reached this moment of nationwide protest. "The unified Leadership was the consciousness of every Palestinian and not just a leadership that issues directives," commented Zakout, the 60-year-old politician who was close to the former PLO secretary general Yasser Abed Rabo and later worked as an advisor of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. "The Israeli disrespect of the lives of Palestinians, the Israeli denial of the existence of Palestinians, the dismay of the Palestinian leadership are clearly evident. It's not just the lack of hope, it's the absence of the leadership that offers hope for possible change," he added. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 05:17:43|Editor: yan Video Player Close RABAT, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Chinese BYD electric vehicle maker signed on Saturday an agreement to open a factory in Morocco to build battery-powered cars, official MAP news agency reported. The agreement was inked in Casablanca by BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu, Morocco's Minister for Industry and Investment Moulay Hafid El Alamy, and Financial Minister Mohamed Boussaid. The factory will be built in the new Mohamed VI Tangier Tech City, as part of a project between China and Morocco to create a large-scale industrial hub in the northern city of Tangier. The plant will cover an area of 50 hectares, and is expected to employ 2,500 people. Also on Saturday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco received Wang Chuanfu at Royal Palace in Casablanca. The king also chaired the presentation ceremony of BYD's electric transportation system project in Morocco, the report said. The meeting shows the king's determination to encourage and diversify the kingdom's economic and trade partnerships, as demonstrated by the king's numerous visits to several countries, including China, with which Morocco enjoys "exemplary political and economic relations," MAP said. Through this strategic partnership, Morocco joins, for the first time in Africa, forces with a pioneer in the field of integrated new energy solutions, it added. Founded in 1995, BYD currently has nearly 220,000 employees and 30 industrial parks around the world with an area of more than 18 million square meters. Source: Xinhua| 2017-12-10 05:57:50|Editor: Jiaxin Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Italian Minister of Interior Marco Minniti said on Saturday that European countries will next week provide Libya with 35 million euros (41.18 million U.S. dollars) to support southern security. The vast southern Libya is used as a crossing point for illegal immigrants desperate to reach Europe, due to poor security conditions. During a meeting on Saturday in the Libyan capital Tripoli, the Libyan UN-backed prime minister, Fayez Serraj, told Minniti that "despite successes achieved in the immigration file, the number of illegal immigrants outside shelters remains large and we need more cooperation, particularly in securing the southern Libyan borders through which these immigrants flow." According to a statement by the media office of the prime minister, Minniti praised efforts of the Libyan Coast Guard to rescue illegal immigrants in the Mediterranean. The number of immigrants rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard this year is around 80,000, the statement said. Serraj stressed the need to focus more on the pursuit of trafficking networks in Libya, Africa and Europe. "It was agreed to establish a joint chamber to combat smugglers and traffickers, consisting of representatives of Coast Guards, illegal immigration agencies, Attorneys General, and Intelligence Services of both countries," the statement revealed. Serraj announced on Friday that both the United States and Germany agree to support Libya to secure its southern borders, in order to stop illegal immigration. Serraj also confirmed that his recent talks with Washington and Berlin were "very productive and positive." Moreover, Prime Minister Serraj held a meeting on Saturday with the committee investigating into a recent report about immigrant slave trade in Libya. CNN published a report recently of auctions in different parts of Libya, where stranded African migrants were sold as slaves for as little as 400 dollars. "Prime Minister Serraj reviewed the latest results of investigation about allegations of migrants trade that might have occurred on Libyan territory," the media office said. "Prime minister asked the committee to provide him with the results and to quickly complete the investigation, in order to clearly determine the truth of what happened, where it took place, and the parties involved," it added. The UN General Assembly adopted, without a vote, a resolution on the Moroccan Sahara, upon the recommendation of its Fourth Committee, reiterating support for the political process conducted under the aegis of the UN since 2007. The Assembly also called upon parties and States of the region to cooperate with the efforts of the Secretary General and his Personal Envoy in order to reach a mutually acceptable political solution. The resolution supports the negotiation process initiated by resolution 1754 (2007) of the Security Council and backed by the Councils resolutions 1783 (2007), 1813 (2008), 1871 (2009), 1920 (2010), 1979 (2011), 2044 (2012), 2099 (2013), 2152 (2014), 2218 (2015), 2285 (2016) and 2351 (2017) to reach a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution to the Sahara issue. The 2007 resolution also called on the parties to the Sahara dispute to work in an atmosphere propitious for dialogue, in order to enter into a more intensive phase of negotiations. The year 2007 marks the date when Morocco submitted to the UN the autonomy initiative for the Sahara to put an end to the stalemate in the UN-sponsored negotiations and to settle definitively the regional conflict. Speaking during the works of the Committee, Moroccos representative at the UN in New York, Omar Hilale, called the General Assembly to stop examining the Sahara issue, thereby allowing Morocco to conduct the negotiation process leading to a mutually acceptable solution. He explained that the Sahara dispute is not a question of decolonization, stressing that Moroccos recovery of its territory from colonial Powers had been gradual and based on negotiated agreements. He recalled that the Polisario had not existed in 1965 (when Morocco tabled before the UN the issue of its Spain-occupied Sahara) and hence could not claim any rights over the territory. Algeria had only nurtured the separatist thesis and instigated the Polisario in order to undermine Moroccos territorial integrity, he said. General Assembly resolution 1541 stipulated that self- determination could never apply to a part or region of a sovereign State, and usually applied only to a group that was ethnically and linguistically distinct from the administering State, he recalled. By contrast, the Sahara was a geographic continuity of Morocco, Arabic was spoken there, Islam was practiced there, culture and traditions were the same as in the rest of Morocco, and the Sahara tribes were aligned in allegiance to the Moroccan King. He went on to reiterate that Algeria had distorted the principle of self-determination when it had insisted on a referendum in the Sahara, pointing out that such a mechanism was not enshrined in General Assembly resolutions 1514 or 1541, and even less in resolution 2625, all of which constituted the cornerstones of that principle. The option of a referendum is definitively a non-starter for the Sahara, he emphasized, pointing out that for the past 17 years, the Security Council had decided that a political resolution through dialogue was preferable to a referendum. Regrettably, Moroccos good faith efforts at negotiations had been met with intransigence by Algeria, which was responsible for the failure of peace efforts to date, he said, adding that Algeria remained opposed to a census in the Tindouf camps. Algeria must shoulder its full responsibility and sit at the negotiating table, a view that was shared by several envoys of the Secretary General, Hilale said. It is worth recalling that President Emmanuel Macron made it clear during his visit to Algeria last Tuesday that only negotiations between Morocco and Algeria can lead to the settlement of the Sahara issue. Its not a very festive time in the Capitol as dual deadlines for tax and spending bills approach, just before Xmas. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images If you are the kind of person who procrastinates in taking care of holiday business until time and retail shelves are about to run out, youre not alone. Congress is doing the same thing with two pieces of must-pass legislation. Its been clear for a good while that when the two-week stopgap spending bill Congress just passed runs out on December 22, some real decisions may have to be made. Yeah, its possible GOP leaders can convince their troops and the opposition to just kick the can down the road a bit further with another stopgap spending bill that expires in January. But previous indications have been that both Democrats and House conservatives will demand at least some agreement on spending targets before then. And theres a strong possibility other issues could produce a real clash and even a pre-Christmas government shutdown. Democrats are threatening to go to the mattresses over Dreamers, as The Hill reports: Speaking to reporters in the Capitol, Pelosi said Democrats will insist on safeguards for those in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program before the holiday recess, suggesting Republicans will be on their own to prevent a government shutdown if that language is excluded. We will not leave here without a DACA fix, Pelosi said. And conservatives are being equally obdurate over defense spending, as the Chicago Tribune reports: [Conservatives] want to provoke a confrontation with Democrats and break a cycle of bipartisan deals that has led both military and nondefense discretionary spending to rise in lockstep. They are also wary of a year-end spending bill becoming a legislative Christmas tree that could include relief for dreamers and other Democratic priorities. Theres not a lot of time to work this all out. And if that wasnt enough to generate some holiday jitters, we now learn from Politico that the House-Senate conference over the GOPs tax bill wont produce a product for a final vote until the week after next the week before Christmas. The House will not vote next week on a final agreement to rewrite the tax code, though House and Senate negotiators are expected to work through the weekend. Dec. 22 has been widely seen as the unofficial deadline in recent days, as thats the date federal funding will run out under a stopgap spending measure and lawmakers are expected to turn their attention to spending again. Trouble is, of course, that if there are conflicts over the spending bill, which seems extremely likely, Congress wont be able to wait until December 22 to turn their attention to spending again. And if the tax bill isnt tied up all nice and tidy by the beginning of that week, with no chance whatsoever of problems in either chamber, then the odds of the two big issues bleeding over into each other will skyrocket, as dissenters on one bill make demands about the other. Even if GOP leaders manage to keep the two measures separate, thats a lot of complicated work to get through, especially when members of Congress are facing their own holiday distractions. If Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, or Donald Trump know any shortcuts to avoid the pre-Christmas train wreck, theyd better pursue them right now. Otherwise, they could find themselves in a Christmas government shutdown that could enrage the nation, along with base-infuriating screwups over the tax bill that is supposedly going to be the big present under the tree for the GOP and its hungry donors. A funeral in Puerto Rico. Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe via Getty Images Two weeks after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, the official death toll from the storm was surprisingly low, at only 16. President Trump said on a visit to the island that the small toll was a sign that the storm was not a real catastrophe. Not long after Trump left the U.S. territory, the number was revised upward and as the more pressing concern of saving lives gave way to counting those that were lost, Puerto Ricos official death toll from Maria settled in at 62. But theres long been reason to question that number. In late October, BuzzFeed and CNN published reports about the bodies hastily cremated in the weeks following the storm. The proper officials were never able to examine many of the bodies, preventing them from being added to the death toll. Add the disputes over which deaths should even be counted, and some concluded that Marias true death toll would never be known. And while that seems very likely, it doesnt mean theres no way to get a more accurate estimate than the official total of 62. One way to do so is to compare the islands daily mortality data following the storm to the years prior. By doing that, the Center for Investigative Journalism found that 1,065 more people died in the 42 days following the hurricane than in the same span in 2016. By its own count, the Times put the number at 1,052. In either case, the death toll is around 1,000 more than the official figures say. One particularly deadly day, September 25, shows how much the hurricane changed things. Five days after Maria made landfall, 135 people died on the island, which was 60 more than died on that same date in 2016. Heres how the Times describes the conditions that day: It was over 90 degrees, and power was out on most of the island, even in most hospitals. Bedridden people were having trouble getting medical treatment, and dialysis clinics were operating with generators and limiting treatment hours. People on respirators lacked electricity to power the machines. If one assumes that the increased deaths in 2017 are due to the hurricane, and theres little reason to assume otherwise, then, man, most if not all of those 60 additional people who died on September 25 should be part of the official tally. The Center for Investigative Journalism says most of the people who died in the aftermath of the storm were older than 50 and in hospitals for conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and pneumonia. The near-universal loss of power on the island hit these patients hard and, as one expert told CNN earlier this year, if they might have lived another day, they should be counted among those dead due to the hurricane. These numbers matter, Robert Anderson of the National Center for Health Statistics told the Times, because If we have a lack of information, we cant adequately prepare for the next disaster. Trent Franks. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images Arizona representative Trent Franks, who announced Thursday that he would resign from Congress at the end of January, abruptly left office on Friday. The change of course came as a clearer picture began to emerge about Frankss misbehavior, which was first reported as conversations with aides about surrogacy. Turns out, according to multiple reports, that the eight-term congressman wanted to do more than talk to aides about getting pregnant. Two female staffers, according to Politico, say Franks asked them about serving as surrogates for him and his wife. Sometimes that asking turned into pressuring. And the whole time, it was unclear whether he wanted the hypothetical child to be implanted via in vitro fertilization or the old-fashioned way. As Politico put it, the aides fretted Franks wanted to have sex to impregnate them. The Associated Press adds that Franks offered one staffer $5 million to carry his child. The congressman is worth about $33 million thanks to his lucrative oil-company holdings, which have only increased in value since he took office. During my time there, I was asked a few times to look over a contract to carry his child, and if I would conceive his child, I would be given $5 million, she said, adding that she refused to look over the contract and has never seen a copy. The woman said the requests shocked her, and made her feel afraid that if she didnt agree, she would face professional consequences. She said she spoke to another aide in the office, who had also been approached about surrogacy. According to Politico, the congressman also tried to persuade a female aide that they were in love by having her read an article that described how a person knows theyre in love with someone. How romantic. One of the aides who rebuffed Franks also reported that she felt retaliated against by the congressman, who cut off her access to him after she declined his request to impregnate her. Frankss accelerated resignation on Friday came, he said in a statement, after his wife fell ill. Last night, my wife was admitted to the hospital in Washington, D.C., due to an ongoing ailment, the statement said. After discussing options with my family, we came to the conclusion that the best thing for our family now would be for me to tender my previous resignation effective today, December 8th, 2017. Franks resignation makes it three lawmakers who have stepped down or announced their intention to step down this week. On Tuesday, it was Representative John Conyers. On Thursday, Senator Al Franken. Who will it be tomorrow? Unlike the media, I never lie. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images On Friday, CNN incorrectly reported that President Trump and his son were offered access to hacked WikiLeaks documents before they were released to the public. According to a network spokesperson, the two well-regarded reporters who made the mistake were fed false information by a source, and the error was corrected. But it set off a firestorm from conservative media who regard the network, and its mainstream-media brethren, as driven by an anti-Trump agenda. And the timing was particularly unfortunate, coming on the heels of two other high-profile, Trump-related mistakes by mainstream-media sources in the last week. At a rally in Florida Friday night, President Trump took the moral high road, allowing that everyone makes mistakes and affirming the importance of an oppositional news media in a healthy democracy. Nah, just kidding. Some of what he actually said: Were going to cut right through the fake-news media. Were going to speak the truth. Did you see all the corrections the medias been making? [] Theyve been apologizing left and right. And: Theyre saying sorry theyve been doing that all year. They never apologize. [] Theyve been apologizing left and right. They took this fraudster from ABC they suspended him for a month. They should have fired him for what he wrote. He drove the stock market down 350 points in minutes, which, by the way, tells me they really like me, right? When you think of it. You know what he cost people? And I said to everybody, get yourself a lawyer and sue ABC News. Trump was referring to ABCs Brian Ross, who was suspended for four weeks after mistakenly reporting last week that President Trump had ordered Michael Flynn to make contact with the Russian government while he was a candidate. The president stepped up his anti-media fusillade with a pair of tweets on Saturday morning: Fake News CNN made a vicious and purposeful mistake yesterday. They were caught red handed, just like lonely Brian Ross at ABC News (who should be immediately fired for his mistake). Watch to see if @CNN fires those responsible, or was it just gross incompetence? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 CNNS slogan is CNN, THE MOST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS. Everyone knows this is not true, that this could, in fact, be a fraud on the American Public. There are many outlets that are far more trusted than Fake News CNN. Their slogan should be CNN, THE LEAST TRUSTED NAME IN NEWS! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2017 CNN may have slightly damaged its credibility this week, but it can take comfort in the fact that Trumps new nickname for it may be his laziest ever. She went to lend her brother support as he took the HIV test, but turned out, she was the one with the virus! An HIV positive diagnosis is bad enough when one has been suspicious of ones health status, but for Martha Clara Nakato, 21, she absolutely did not see it coming, because she felt healthy. Besides, she was still a virgin. She had escorted her twin brother Wasswa, who had had several unprotected sexual encounters and felt at risk. Wasswa asked me to escort him for an HIV test. But you know, as a teenager, I was inquisitive and just wanted to go through what my twin brother was going through, so I took the test, she narrates. Martha Clara Nakato As the twins waited for the results, Martha was strong because there was no way her results could turn out positive. I was instead feeling nervous on behalf of my brother. At that time Wasswa was not even talking to me, he was trembling. I felt pity for him, she remembers. But upon the results coming out, Nakato was HIV positive and Wasswa negative. I told the nurse there was a mistake, it was my brother who was positive and not me. But it was true; I was positive of HIV, she says. BUT HOW DID MARTHA GET INFECTED? The health facility was near home and our dad was known to most of the facility staff. I asked the nurse to take me home because all I could think about was going to the highway and [throw myself in front of a speeding vehicle], but I wanted my father to know my status first. Nakato, her brother and the nurse broke the news to her father. He was furious with the nurse, confusing her further. I mean, I was still a virgin and I had just tested positive and the only person I expected to stand with me was instead angry that I knew my status, she says. In the middle of that chaos seven years ago, Nakato went to a shop and bought rat poison to end her life; besides, she felt already dead, anyway. She was, however, unsuccessful as the she was rushed to hospital. The following day, Nakatos father finally told her she was born with the HIV virus and that the twins mother had died of Aids and not lung cancer as they had been made to believe for years. Positive living: Martha now looks at life more positively after attempting to commit suicide eight time The doctors were able to prevent the virus from passing from my mother to my brother, but it was not the case for me, she says. Her father told her she had been taking Septrin since her childhood as one of the medication for the virus. Nakato did not want to go through the long-term ailment like their mother had and she tried several means of ending her life. From over drinking, to jumping from buildings and trying to drown herself, she was unsuccessful for a total of eight times. STIGMA Nakatos father later took her to Kamwokya Caring Community where she used to pick her medication. From there she started interacting with the people in her situation and learnt how to live positively. However, Nakato remembers the biggest challenge was at school as I was regularly falling sick and would miss classes. I told some of my close friends at school about my status and they instead spread the word around the school. Everyone was looking at me as a walking dead person. Nakato had to change to a day school because she could no longer handle the stigma in the boarding school. In 2014, while in S6, Nakato was introduced to The Aids Support Organization (TASO) from where she got a different image of her HIV-positive life. I met my age mates who were going through situations that were worse than mine. Some of them had lived sexually-reckless lives, yet they were positive towards life. They were adherent to the drugs, they studied what the disease they are living with requires, and they were making changes in society. I was inspired. Since then I have [talked about] HIV/Aids with confidence, she says, beaming with a smile. In her advocacy work, Nakato has met thousands of youth in schools and tertiary institutions to sensitize them on HIV/Aids. I joined music, dance and drama clubs and last year I contested for the Young Positives beauty pageant and I was voted as the queen for the central region. This pageant has taken me places and I have also inspired more young positive girls to look at life differently. I hope to do more work after I complete my bachelors degree at Kyambogo university, she adds. According to the Uganda population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA) national survey conducted in August 2016 and March this year, the prevalence of HIV among Ugandans aged 15 to 64 is 6.2 per cent. The survey also indicates a prevalence of 0.5 per cent among children aged 0 to 14, which is about 95,000 children living with HIV. It also reveals that among the young adults, there is a disparity in HIV prevalence by sex. HIV is almost four times higher among females than males aged 15 to 24. Eleven midwives from 11 Ugandan sub-regions have been recognized by the Swedish government for their contribution towards the health sector by helping reduce maternal mortalities. These stood out for their resilience in helping mothers deliver safely amidst challenges including poor pay, lack of necessary equipment, and moving long distances to work. In her acceptance speech, Veneranda Musasizi, a registered midwife at Mparo health centre IV in Rukiga district, noted that it meant a lot to be recorgnised for doing a very challenging job. I am happy that today people from far have recognized that I have served mothers and for all those years, and what inspires me is that a mother has never died in my arms. I am really very happy and praying that may God help me keep serving and saving the mothers until I retire, said Musasizi, who has spent 19 years in the job and delivers at least 70 mothers every month, or 840 a year. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), one midwife in Uganda conducts between 350 to 500 deliveries a year, far higher than the recommended 175 by the World Health Organisation. Alain Sibenaler, the UNFPA country representative hands over a rose to one of the midwives. Looking on is the Swedish Ambassador, Per Lindgarde and Sarah Opendi, the state minister for health The winning midwives were selected from the sub-regions of Kabale, Busoga, Lango, Teso, West Nile, Karamoja, Bunyoro, Ankole, Acholi, Rwenzori and Bugisu. Per Lindgarde, the Swedish ambassador to Uganda, observed that midwives play a key role in maternal and newborn health since their presence often makes the difference between life and death. Lindgarde further observed that the midwives are central in promoting women empowerment which, in the end, contributes to economic prosperity and sustainable development. The Swedish envoy stressed that gender inequality and the lack of male involvement in maternal health are the root causes of high maternal mortality. He urged that men should be engaged more. It is our hope that all awarded midwives will continue to find inspiration and motivation to carry out the tremendously important work that they do and be role models for other midwives and students in their districts, regions and Uganda as a whole, said Lindgarde on Wednesday at a dinner held at his residence in Kololo. Alain Sibenaler, the UNFPA country representative, explained that even with support from the Swedish government in training midwives, there were still gaps that needed to be filled. He mainly pointed at recruitment whereby many of the trained midwives were not absorbed by the districts despite the staffing gaps in there. Sibanaler urged government to prioritise the recruitment and retention of trained midwives, and this could be done by increasing their wages. He further suggested that under-served local governments be supported to recruit the number of midwives they need. By prioritising investments in midwifery, we can only stand to gain. When educated to international standards and within a fully functional health system, midwives can provide about 90 per cent of the essential care to women and newborns and can potentially reduce maternal and newborn deaths by two thirds, said Sibenaler. Sarah Opendi, the state minister for health, commended the 11 midwives for their contribution and for helping deliver mothers safely amidst challenging situations. She said government was in the process of reviewing their salaries, adding that since there a few midwives, government was considering giving contracts to the retired one to fill this gap. The Midwifery Awards were first launched in 2015. abumay1988@gmail.com Former Infosys Chief Financial Officer V Balakrishnan today sought the discontinuance of certain board members in light of the company filing a settlement plea with SEBI on corporate governance lapses relating to severance payment to its former CFO Rajiv Bansal. "I think the continuation of certain board members like the erstwhile co-chairman (Ravi Venkatesan) and the audit committee chairman (Roopa Kudva) looks highly untenable in light of the current development of the company filing consent agreement with SEBI over Bansal's severance payment case," Balakrishnan told PTI here. In view of the current development it is all the more important to restructure the board and fill it with people of high integrity and stature, he added. The scathing communication to the stock exchanges blaming Infosys Co-Founder N R Narayana Murthy for all of the board's lapses was 'unprecedented,' Balakrishnan, who is known supporter of Murthy, said. He also said all along, the board had consistently denied any wrong-doing and in fact blamed Murthy terming his questioning as a "misguided campaign." Earlier, Murthy had accused Infosys and its board of failing in disclosure and corporate governance norms. The board of Infosys owes an apology to Murthy and should take steps to retract that statement, he said. "Murthy always stood for high level of corporate governance and only acted in the interest of protecting a great institution like Infosys," Balakrishnan said. On December 6, Infosys said it had approached SEBI with an application to settle the issues arising out of alleged disclosure lapses on the severance package paid to Bansal. India's second-largest IT firm, in a regulatory filing to the BSE, had said the settlement application made to SEBI was neither admission of guilt nor a denial. It, however, did not disclose what it had proposed in the settlement application. Infosys, under new Chairman Nandan Nilekani, moved the application as part of its attempt to settle the issues that had cropped up during the tenure of former CEO Vishal Sikka Murthy had first raised the issue of failure in corporate governance at Infosys soon after the company gave a huge severance pay to Bansal after the acquisition of Israeli technology firm Panaya. The founder continued to put pressure on Infosys to come clean, including seeking the resignation of then Infosys Chairman Seshasayee. One Rohingya man suffered a compound fracture in his leg when he was savagely beaten by Myanmar security forces. A 5-year-old girl was flung against a wall with such force that, two months later, she still cant walk. A young woman was struck over the head with a machete and then left to die in her burning home. Stories like these, and of mass rapes, mass killings, and mass graves, are some of the accounts being heard by a team of doctors from Physicians for Human Rights that is currently on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border to document evidence of extreme violence committed by Myanmar security forces against Rohingyas. Our colleagues have examined several men, women, and children who were shot in the back as they escaped villages that had been set aflame by their attackers. One women we spoke to said: If we go back, they will kill us. In this video, our director of programs, Dr. Homer Venters, talks about what he and our team are witnessing in PHRs second trip this fall to the refugee camps near Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, where almost 650,000 traumatized and desperate Rohingyas are sheltered. We will use the information and evidence we have gathered to draw attention to the profound suffering of the Rohingyas, to demand a response from world governments to prevent and punish the crimes being perpetrated against them, and to advocate that Rohingyas not be forced to return to areas of Myanmar where they are at risk of further persecution. SOUTH GLENS FALLS Diaper wipes cost South Glens Falls nearly $3,000 in a recent sewer system breakdown. The Feeder Dam sewer pump station stopped working after 300 pounds of wipes clogged the machine. The village had to call in specialists. It took three people to clear the problem, at a cost of $2,733. It was all full of those flushable rags, said Department of Public Works supervisor Richard Daley. They were so heavy that they broke electrical wires in the pump, he said. Wipes marketed as flushable have caused problems in sewer systems around the country. The village already asks users not to flush them, but now village officials are considering a direct appeal to residents. Im not thrilled with the whole situation, Daley said. Village Board members discussed the problem at their meeting Wednesday. They noted that the pump station is only 2 years old, to serve a new housing subdivision. What youre forgetting is, these new homes have little kids, said board member Bill Hayes. It might warrant some kind of notice to them. Mayor Harry Gutheil, who has been sounding the alarm about the villages finances, said the village cant afford to pay more $3,000 repair bills. Whats going to prevent it from happening again? he asked. The station is so new that it wasnt scheduled for its first maintenance inspection yet, Daley said. We didnt anticipate this, he said. But given the cost of the rising problem, he proposed pulling up every sewer pump twice a year so they can be cleaned of debris. They may also put a protective sleeve around the electronics that monitor each pump, so that wipes cant hang on them and break the wires. But theyre also hoping people stop flushing the wipes. Not everyone agrees that flushable wipes are the problem. The Alliance for Responsible Flushing says that people are flushing other wipes that arent marketed as flushable. To set the record straight, flushable wipes are not the culprit behind sewage problems flushable wipes are specifically designed to be flushed; they are engineered to break down in properly maintained sewer and septic systems, said spokeswoman Christine King. Recent studies conducted in New York City instead suggest the real source of the problem is the flushing of other products not designed or marketed as suitable for flushing. The same studies have proven flushable wipes to be compatible with wastewater systems, not a burden. For example, many disposable diaper wipes are not flushable. But people admit they flush them, King said. In New York City, more than 98 percent of items found in wastewater systems are items not meant to be flushed everything from non-flushable baby wipes, paper towels to non-flushable wipes to feminine hygiene products. Flushable wipes accounted for less than two percent of debris found in sewage screening, she said. Editor: I find it humorous that Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to waste more New York state taxpayer money by suing the federal government over the new tax plan. This is nothing more than another expensive Cuomo campaign stunt. His motto is ABC always be campaigning. Cuomo likes to play fast and loose with tax dollars. While he has the state anywhere between $4 billion and $8 billion in the red before the development of next years budget, he just spent millions on an executive helicopter to transport him around. He has sent millions to Puerto Rico while taking trips to Cuba and Israel as New Yorks infrastructure is failing. While I am all for helping others, none of this spending has been budgeted and adds to the growing deficit. He now wants to take the federal government to court and run up legal bills for nothing. It is interesting that 47 states are OK with the plan while just New York, New Jersey and California are against the plan because of the massive income and property taxes to which those states subject their residents. The federal plan is no problem in a state like Florida where there is no state income tax and the property taxes are less than half of what residents of New York pay. There is one simple solution to all of Mr. Cuomos angst: How about lowering the taxes in New York? Just a thought that he obviously has never had. Dr. John Metallo, Slingerlands Best Travel Apps For 2022 Finding Peace of Mind: Discover These Five Places in Europe to Unwind By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) In the 1950s and '60s, segregationist whites waved Confederate flags and slapped defiant bumper stickers on cars declaring Mississippi "the most lied about state in the Union." Those were ways of defiantly pushing back against African-Americans who dared challenge racial oppression, and taking a jab at journalists covering the civil rights movement. Decades later, as Mississippi marks its bicentennial, the state is getting an unflinching look at its complex, often brutal past in two history museums, complete with displays of slave chains, Ku Klux Klan robes and graphic photos of lynchings and firebombings. The Museum of Mississippi History takes a 15,000-year view, from the Stone Age through modern times. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum concentrates on a shorter, but intense span, from 1945 to 1976. They opened Saturday, the day before the 200th anniversary of Mississippi becoming the 20th state. The two distinct museums under a single roof are both funded by state tax dollars and private donations. Officials insist the museums aren't intended to be "separate-but-equal" in a state where that phrase was invoked to maintain segregated school systems for whites and blacks that were separate and distinctly unequal. "We are telling a much longer story in the Museum of Mississippi History, a much deeper story in the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum," said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. "We want everybody to walk in one door, side by side, to learn all of our state's stories." The general history museum depicts Native American culture, European settlement, slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction. It examines natural disasters, including the Mississippi River flood in 1927 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It also has only-in-Mississippi items such as the crown Mary Ann Mobley wore as Miss America 1959. The museums' opening caps a yearlong bicentennial commemoration. Some events celebrated Mississippi's success at producing influential authors and musicians, such as William Faulkner, Richard Wright, B.B. King and Elvis Presley. Others took a critical look slavery and segregation. Mississippi one of the nation's poorest states, population 59 percent white and 38 percent black remains divided by one of its most visible symbols. It's the last state with a flag featuring the Confederate battle emblem that critics see as racist. All eight public universities, and several cities and counties, stopped flying it in recent years. There's no flagpole outside the new museums. Ellie Dahmer, the 92-year-old widow of slain civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer, said the flag represents an unabashed defense of slavery. She marveled at the existence of the civil rights museum in a state that won't abandon the banner. A display in the museum tells of the 1966 KKK firebombing of the Dahmer home outside Hattiesburg after local NAACP leader Vernon Dahmer announced he'd pay poll taxes for black people registering to vote. He fired back at Klansmen who were shooting at his burning house. The family escaped, but Vernon Dahmer's lungs were seared; he died. The couple's 10-year-old daughter was severely burned. Parts of the Dahmers' bullet-riddled truck are in the museum with photos. The Mississippi museum joins several others focused on civil rights: the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta ; the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee; the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama; Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Alabama. The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington has attracted crowds since opening in 2016. Eddie S. Glaude Jr., a 49-year-old Mississippi native who chairs African-American Studies at Princeton University, said "Mississippi was ground zero" for the civil rights movement, and it's significant that the state presents an honest account of its history. "America can't really turn a corner with regards to its racist and violent past and present until the South, and particularly a state like Mississippi, confronts it and confronts it unflinchingly," Glaude said. In the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, columns list about 600 documented lynchings most of them of black men. One gallery's ceiling shows decades-old racist advertising images. Ku Klux Klan robes are on display. So's the remnant of a cross that was burned in 1964 outside white merchants' in McComb after they refused to fire black employees who registered to vote. So are mug shots of black and white Freedom Riders, who were arrested in Jackson in 1961 for challenging segregation on buses. A large display tells about Emmett Till, the black teenager from Chicago who was kidnapped and killed after witnesses said he whistled at a white woman working in a Mississippi grocery store in 1955. The central gallery provides a hopeful respite: An abstract sculpture 30 feet (9 meters) tall lights up as a soundtrack plays the folk song "This Little Light of Mine." As more visitors enter, more voices join the chorus and more lights flicker, symbolizing how one person's work can become part of a larger effort that leads to change. Id like to address the elephant in the room. That elephant being the Republican Party and their refusal to represent the majority of their constituents. Lets begin with stricter gun control (something that would help lessen the fears parents have when sending their children off to school), 53% of Americans favor this (Pew Research) yet the elephant in the room refuses to consider any such thing. Over 70% of Americans want stricter background checks yet again; the elephant in the room refuses to represent them. 61% of Americans say abortion should be legal. Again, the elephant in the room pushes laws that do the opposite. 74% of Americans do not want social security reduced in any way. But the elephant in the room pushes to do just the opposite, cut social security. 63% of Americans now prefer Medicare for all, but the elephant in the room fights it with all its might. 67% of Americans feel more needs to be done to reduce climate change, but not the elephant in the room. The elephant sides with the fossil fuel industry claiming its not a big concern. Given these few statistics (there are more like them) its obvious that the Republican Party is the party of minority rule, quite the opposite of what our founding fathers envisioned. The Republican Party has become a power cult, not a party that represents the majority of Americans. Remember this while you mark your ballot in this midterm election. Save Democracy! Vote Democratic! As the world becomes increasingly more digital, the use of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies will become commonplace in tomorrow's workplace. And 13 students at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges demonstrated Friday that they have the skills to put the futuristic technologies into use today. As the first graduates of the new EON Innovation Academy at the college, they successfully learned to create content and software for virtual reality, or VR, and augmented reality, or AR, over the course of the 11-month program. They graduated in a ceremony Thursday night with EON Reality Certified Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality Developer certificates. During a Reverse Job Fair held Friday afternoon at the college's Kahl Building in downtown Davenport, the graduates educated a handful of Quad-City companies on virtual reality and its possible uses. Slipping on the VR headsets to enter the virtual world, visitors saw for themselves a virtual confined-space training program the class developed together for the petroleum industry. "We had 13 strangers who not only had to work as a team, but they had conflicting personalities, different interests and skills," said Josh Webb, one of the new graduates. "We had to rely on each other's strengths." The class, which represented a variety of walks of life and generations, worked with an EON mentor and an actual client, a former petroleum industry representative and other EON instructors. "When we started this, I thought there is no way we're going to be able to do this," said Kevin Glowacki, a 20-year programmer who graduated from the VR/AR program. "Everyone matured enough as business people to figure out what had to be done." Glowacki, also an adjunct professor and IT lab consultant for Eastern Iowa, hopes to use the skills to now go work for EON or advance with the college. EON partnered last year with the college to bring the curriculum to the Quad-Cities and establish Eastern Iowa as one of four U.S. cities with one of EON's Innovation Centers. EON, the world leader in VR/AR-based knowledge transfer, is interested in growing the talent pool to help meet the exploding number of VR/AR jobs that will need filled. "A lot of people don't know this technology exists," Glowacki said of the part of the purpose behind the Reverse Job Fair. "If we can get it out to the general public, we can sell this to everyone." For area business leaders, who attended the job fair and met with each student to discuss their work, the ideas for using VR in their own industries were beginning to flow. Rick Hansen, a programmer analyst with the insurance company Iowa Mutual, made the trip from DeWitt, Iowa, to learn more about AR and VR. "I wanted to see how we can apply it to build a better business and help our customers," he said. Already brainstorming, he could see using VR to train Iowa Mutual's risk assessors who are tasked with assessing a client's operations "to make sure it's a safe environment for what we are insuring them." By providing training in a virtual reality method, "We could train those assessors for what to look for," he added. "As this technology matures even more, it's going to open up more opportunities." For Tim Hunter, who owns Quad-City-based Lucid Way e-Learning Group, a digital learning provider, VR training could become another training option he can provide his own training clients. "I see huge applications for it. The problem right now is getting people to understand it," he said. The fair also drew representatives from American Water, LogiFlow, Pegasus Machine Tool, Deere & Co., Jupiter Machine Tool, Derby LLC and the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce. James Noord, Eastern Iowa's IT Department coordinator, said educating the Quad-City business community to the possibilities of VR/AR is the next step for the emerging program. Tyler Lewis, 19, was one of a number of international EON training coordinators who taught the class. He graduated in July from EON's program in Manchester, United Kingdom, before coming to teach the class in Davenport. Teamwork was one of the most valuable skills this class gained, he said. "Without working together, this would never have gotten done." But along the way, Lewis said the students also learned problem-solving, 3D modeling, graphics, programming and systems. The growth Noord witnessed in the students has been remarkable. "With the team they have, they could start a company right now themselves," he said. "I'm going to miss them." But there were bumps along the road like any project team. "There were flare-ups. There will be when you put folks together in different disciplines. We had artists, programmers and engineers and when you put them together, you get different approaches to problem solving." MUSCATINE The Student Leadership Team, fifth graders from Madison Elementary, delivered 693 donated books to Franklin Elementary in Moline on Tuesday. The trip was the culmination of a project one month in the making. They begin with an idea and then we work to see it through to completion, to see if we can make a difference, said Dana Carlson, a co-leader with Madison Student Leadership Team. The idea students chose was to do a project that would help the students of Franklin Elementary. As WQAD reported, fire caused $400,000 in damage. According to Carlson, that damage left students at Franklin without a usable school library. A third grade teacher in Madison has a relative that attends Franklin Elementary in Moline," Carlson said. "She made (the Student Leadership Team) aware of the fire that had happened. Just an idea to prompt them." Students wanted to help. Their first idea, a school supply drive, was voted down as too costly. In the end, the book drive was picked. "A lot of people have a book at home that they have read and no longer need," Carlson said. "We didn't want this to be a cost issue for the Madison families but so many people have a book that they are done reading and can part with so we encouraged kids to not make it something that was going to be financially (burdensome) for Madison students. The book idea was quickly accepted and everything else just began to fly." (We are) letting them take the lead and giving them the responsibility and helping them identify the things that need to get done and assisting them in leading towards a goal that they have and helping them become leaders in the process, Carlson said. Stephanie Zillig, principal of Madison Elementary, said that even with the semester winding down, the Student Leadership Team is not done. They've already raised $201 for additional seating on their playground. "The students drive what service projects we do as a school," Zillig said. "This one sort of rose to the top for them." "The Student Leadership Team at Madison is about caring for others, modeling that caring for others and trying to be a model for the students at Madison to help make the world a better place," Carlson said. The former executive for the School Nutrition Association of Iowa has taken back her guilty plea to stealing more than $150,000 from the organization. The decision by Norma Jean Adams, 74, to take back the plea to commission of specified unlawful activity, a Class B felony, comes more than a week after Judge Mark Cleve rejected the plea agreement she struck with prosecutors in October. Specifically, the judge took issue with prosecutors statement in the plea agreement that they would not resist supervised probation if deemed appropriate by the 7th Judicial Department of Correction. That was contingent on Adams' paying $100,000 in restitution prior her Nov. 30 sentencing. The plea agreement also stated that the plea was open and that prosecutors could make any recommendation at sentencing. Cleve also cited the nature of the offense, the amount of money taken and her two prior felony theft convictions when rejecting the plea agreement. He also told Adams that she could take back the plea if she wished. A trial date has been set for March 12 on charges of commission of specified unlawful activity and first-degree theft, a Class C felony. She has a status hearing Jan. 2, according to court records. Under the name of Norma LaMantia, Adams was the executive director of the statewide School Nutrition Association until she resigned June 30, 2016, after members of the association's board discovered irregularities in her financial transactions for the organization. According to a report filed June 1 by Iowa State Auditor Mary Mosiman, from Jan. 1, 2010, through July 31, 2016, an audit discovered $166,895.25 that was submitted to Norma Jean LaMantia but never made it into the association's account. The checks, which came from dozens of school districts and food companies to pay fees for association events, were diverted for Adams' personal expenses and to support her addiction to casino gambling, the report said. Adams admitted to taking the money in an interview with auditors and a Davenport police detective, saying she had blown through her personal funds "and then I took some money from the association," according to the report. At one point, she said she felt "so guilty" about what she had done in 2014 that she paid back $10,650 but hid the reason for the repayment on financial documents, the report said. She was arrested June 28 and was released from the Scott County Jail after posting $1,000 cash bond. A Davenport man on parole since September on drug possession and delivery convictions has been arrested by Davenport police for allegedly peddling methamphetamine. Eric James Newman, 41, of 1104 E. 13th St., was arrested early Monday by agents of the Davenport Police Departments Tactical Operations Bureau. The agents were conducting an investigation into the distribution of crystal methamphetamine in the city. Crystal methamphetamine, also known as ice because it resembles glass or ice chips, is a powerful smokable form of methamphetamine, as opposed to a pill or powder form, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration website. According to arrest affidavits filed by Davenport police, Tactical Operations Bureau officers were watching Newmans home as part of a pre-raid surveillance. They saw one man enter the residence and then leave a short time later. Officers stopped the man, who was found to be in possession of 8.7 grams of crystal methamphetamine. The man was detained for questioning. Officers then searched Newmans home and seized 115 grams of crystal methamphetamine, a digital scale, packaging material and $3,393 in U.S. currency. According to the arrest affidavit, Newman told officers he sells crystal methamphetamine and buys a quarter-pound of the drug at a time. Newman admitted to buying more than 1 pound of methamphetamine in the past month, and admitted to selling 7 grams of methamphetamine to the man police had detained before searching Newmans home, according to the affidavit. Newman is charged with one count of possession with the intent to deliver more than 5 grams but less than 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. The charge is a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of up to 25 years. He also is charged with possession with the intent to deliver not more than 5 grams of methamphetamine, which is a Class C felony that carries a prison of up to 10 years. Newman also was charged with failing to have a drug tax stamp, a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of up to five years. Newman has a history of felony drug offenses dating back to 2005 that include convictions for trafficking in powder cocaine and crack cocaine. He also has convictions for distributing pseudoephedrine and possession of lithium, two of the main components for manufacturing domestic methamphetamine. Newman was being held Tuesday night in the Scott County Jail on $100,000 bond cash or surety. An arraignment hearing on the current charges is scheduled for Dec. 28 in Scott County District Court. The Iowa Department of Corrections also has filed a notice in district court for a hearing to revoke Newmans parole. According to the preliminary parole violation report, Newman was placed on parole Sept. 20. He provided a urine sample on Oct. 13 which tested positive for methamphetamine which he admitted using a couple of days before his appointment. Newman provided a urine sample on Nov. 20 that also tested positive for methamphetamine. He admitted to his parole officer that he had used the drug over the weekend with a female. An Alvarado, Texas, woman was found guilty Friday afternoon of homicide by vehicle-reckless driving in the Jan. 30 death of Cynthia Elaine Jones. Chief District Judge Marlita Greve, in a lengthy written ruling read aloud in court, rejected the defenses claim that Lauria Lee Kelly was insane at the time of the crash and noted that she was capable of knowing the nature of the act committed and was capable of distinguishing between right and wrong. Kelly, 58, faces up to 10 years in prison when she is sentenced Jan. 24. The judge's ruling came more than a month after Assistant Scott County Attorney Kimberly Shepherd called a handful of witnesses during a short bench trial Oct. 25 in Scott County District Court. Police say Kelly was driving her blue Dodge truck east on 2nd Street at a high rate of speed just before 6 p.m. Jan. 30. Witnesses to the crash and events leading up to it told police that Kelly was driving very fast and that she ran through at least two red traffic lights, one at 2nd and Harrison streets and the other at 2nd and Main streets, according to police. One witness, who was crossing 2nd Street at Brady, said she heard the roar of an engine just prior to the crash, according to police. Kelly's vehicle struck the rear of a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo that was stopped at the red light at 2nd and Brady. The force of the impact caused fatal injuries to Jones, 53, of Davenport. The Monte Carlo then was pushed into the rear of a green 1999 Buick Regal driven by Jessica Russell, who was seven months pregnant. The force of the crash was so great that all three vehicles came to a rest on the other side of the intersection more than 100 feet away, according to police. Kelly and Russell were taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Law enforcement who responded to the scene and to the hospital said that Kelly was acting strange and showed no emotion. She claimed that the military and Masons were following her and that God had sent her to Davenport. In her truck, she had a notebook filled with random and repeating words that did not seem to make any sense, Greve said. About two hours before the crash, she ran out of gas on Interstate 80 near Atalissa, Iowa, and encountered a state trooper who believed she was suffering from a mental illness. Greve noted that the trooper was comfortable enough to let her continue to drive her truck after getting her gas. Kelly was found competent to stand trial in June. She was examined in August by a doctor at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville to determine whether she was sane or insane at the time of the crash. The doctor noted that she suffered from a diseased or deranged condition of the mind and that she had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder bipolar-type. However, he noted that the evidence did not support a finding of not guilty by reason of insanity based on both positive and negative evidence, Greve said. Greve said the doctor said in his report that Kelly, at the time of the crash, was tired from lack of sleep, distracted by her feelings that the Masons were following her, checking her rearview mirror to see if anyone was following her, and was writing down license plate numbers as she drove. She also was preoccupied with trying to find a place to get gas and a bank to get her credit card and bank card working, Greve said. The doctor also noted in the report that Kelly said that she knew that it was wrong to run stop lights and speed and that she knew that it could cause injury or death. The doctor's report also said that Kelly had taken pride in her "safe driving record" from Texas to Davenport, Greve said. Greve said the doctor opined that Kelly's actions were not directly related to the content of her delusions about the Masons following her. Jones family, including her father, Jessie Jones Sr., filled several benches in the courtroom gallery as the judge read the verdict. Im happy, very happy, Jones sister, Gwendolyn Reid, told reporters outside the courtroom. Reid said her sister was a loving person who would help anyone. Im just blessed that my father is still here to see this day because a parent never wants to lose a child, and it was such as senseless murder, she said. My sister was sitting at a stop light, just sitting there, on her way home. She never made it home that day. Still, Reid said she prays for Kelly and said that she has forgiven her. Lesa Dixon, another sister, held onto to a framed photo of Jones and said Im glad justice was served. Kellys attorney, Harlan Giese Jr., said he was disappointed with the verdict but said that Kelly understood the judge's ruling. Nothing that was going to happen today was going to make much difference as to what happened, he said. But, I think there was a lot of evidence in there that my client has some mental problems. Kelly has been "straightened out quite a bit" through medication after the crash, and Giese said he was "a little bit concerned" that Greve's decision was based in part on the way she appeared to the psychiatrist who evaluated her months later. "That wasn't what was happening contemporaneously and that's why we put on a lot of evidence about what was happening at the time of the incident," he said. The youngest new resident of the United States is 20 years old, and came to Iowa to attend college. The oldest is 71 years old and works at the University of Iowa, Iowa City. Phuc Truong, formerly of Vietnam, and Rajabali Nimroozi, of Iran, were two of the 43 new citizens sworn in on Friday during a naturalization ceremony at the U.S. District Courthouse in Davenport. The youngest,and oldest new citizens both were given large U.S. flags as gifts. Chief Magistrate Judge Helen C. Adams presided at the event, which included a packed courtroom filled with family members. "I know this is an exciting day for all of you," Adams said. "You get to live your own personal dream." The judge said it was an honor and privilege to be the first to greet the assembly of new citizens. She had four suggestions: Be active in the United States by voting and volunteering; make a contribution to the community; celebrate your homeland's heritage by preserving your love of language, foods, music and dance; and tell your immigrant story to all who ask. "You add beauty to our country," she said, noting the United States has had a constant infusion of people in the past 230 years. The judge said all Americans, except Native Americans, had come to the United States from other parts of the world. Many in this nation take their citizenship for granted, and don't, for example, appreciate the contributions of people in military service. Truong, now of Epworth, Iowa, came from Vietnam to join his family in Georgia. He moved to northeast Iowa to attend Divine Word College and is interested in the ministry. Elena Boryuk, of Iowa City, was born in the Ukraine, and her husband is from the country of Georgia. Both sought asylum in this country because of Russian aggression in their homelands, she said. Boryuk has sought citizenship for 10 years, starting Dec. 23, 2007. Her family includes three children. Emigrating from the Sudan is Nowadr Mohamed, who has lived in the United States since 2000. She joined her husband and two children, a toddler daughter, Lamees, 2, and an adult son, Mohamed Ali, 23. Nimroozi, the former Iranian who now lives in Iowa City, turned 71 years old last week. "I am excited today," he said. Maria Dickmann, Davenport's 2nd Ward alderman, gave the featured address. The naturalization ceremony is the "first step of a brand new journey," Dickmann said. "As you build your lives here, make our country stronger and more resilient," Dickmann said. Correction: This story has been corrected to say the date of the email was September 14, 2016, not September 4, 2016. The story also changed the headline and removed a tweet from Donald Trump Jr., who posted a message about WikiLeaks on September 4, 2016. Candidate Donald Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and others in the Trump Organization received an email in September 2016 offering a decryption key and website address for hacked WikiLeaks documents, according to an email provided to congressional investigators. The September 14 email was sent during the final stretch of the 2016 presidential race. CNN originally reported the email was released September 4 -- 10 days earlier -- based on accounts from two sources who had seen the email. The new details appear to show that the sender was relying on publicly available information. The new information indicates that the communication is less significant than CNN initially reported. After this story was published, The Washington Post obtained a copy of the email Friday afternoon and reported that the email urged Trump and his campaign to download archives that WikiLeaks had made public a day earlier. The story suggested that the individual may simply have been trying to flag the campaign to already public documents. CNN has now obtained a copy of the email, which lists September 14 as the date sent and contains a decryption key that matches what WikiLeaks had tweeted out the day before. The email came two months after the hacked emails of the Democratic National Committee were made public and one month before WikiLeaks began leaking the contents of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's hacked emails. It arrived about a week before WikiLeaks itself messaged Trump Jr. and began an exchange of direct messages on Twitter. Trump Jr. told investigators he had no recollection of the September email. Sources said Thursday that congressional investigators were trying to ascertain whether the individual who sent the September email is legitimate and whether it shows additional efforts by WikiLeaks to connect with Trump's son and others on the Trump campaign. The email also indicated that the Trump campaign could access records from former Secretary of State Colin Powell, whose hacked emails were made public by a Russian front group the day before the email was sent to the Trump campaign. The email, which was described to CNN by multiple sources and verified by Trump Jr.'s attorney, came from someone who listed his name as "Mike Erickson." It was addressed to Trump, Trump Jr., Trump Jr.'s personal assistant and others, and turned over to Congress as part of the documents provided by the Trump Organization. Congressional investigators are uncertain who the sender is, and CNN was unable to make contact with the individual. It's not clear whether the email was a legitimate effort to provide the hacked documents to the Trump campaign. The individual was able to obtain the email addresses for Trump Jr. and his personal assistant, as well as an email that congressional investigators believe was for then-candidate Trump, although he rarely uses email. Trump Jr. was asked about the WikiLeaks email Wednesday when he was questioned in the House Intelligence Committee behind closed doors, several sources familiar with the exchange told CNN. Trump Jr.'s attorney, Alan Futerfas, told CNN that his client said he had no recollection of the email and took no action on it. The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and efforts to reach WikiLeaks for comment were unsuccessful. In a statement Friday morning, Futerfas said that Trump Jr. did not know who Erickson was and reiterated the email was not responded to. "We understand that the media reported 12 hours prior to this email that the DNC emails had been hacked or leaked," Futerfas said. "We do not know who Mike Erickson is. We have no idea who he is. We never responded to the email." The attorney went on to criticize "outrageous" leaks coming out of the House Intelligence Committee. After CNN's story published, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tweeted that it was "not clear what this has to do with @WikiLeaks." "Many enthusiastic readers emailed around archives of our publications during the election," Assange said. The use of a website and decryption key as a means to provide information aligns with past WikiLeaks practices. The idea is that WikiLeaks posts a data file on the Internet, but it is encrypted and impossible to open without the key. In 2010, for instance, Assange posted a "poison pill" on the Internet in the form of a 1.4-gigabyte file that contained damaging information, possibly about the US government. The file was encrypted, but Assange said a few trusted associates had the key to unlock it in the event that he was imprisoned or WikiLeaks was destroyed. Last month, Trump Jr. released messages he exchanged on Twitter with WikiLeaks starting in September 2016, including about an anti-Trump PAC's password and a request from Trump Jr. and his father to push out links about the WikiLeaks' Podesta email release. It's unclear whether the September 14 email has any links to the younger Trump's direct message exchanges. In Wednesday's hearing, Trump Jr. downplayed his message exchanges with WikiLeaks over Twitter. He claimed that talking to WikiLeaks was equivalent to speaking with news organizations like CNN or NBC, according to multiple sources familiar with the testimony. CNN's Pamela Brown, Jose Pagliery and Liz Stark contributed to this report. 'Big as my head': Hawaii woman seeks record for huge avocado KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) A Hawaii woman is waiting to hear back from Guinness World Records to find out if the massive avocado she snagged is the world's largest. Pamela Wang of the Big Island found the 5-pound (2.3-kilogram) avocado Sunday on a walk, the West Hawaii Today newspaper reported . "I see avocados every day, and I pick up avocados every day, but this one ... it was hard to miss," Wang said. "It was as big as my head." She met up with friends and showed them the enormous avocado. Wang's friends began making inquiries online, uncovering information that indicated that the avocado might just be the largest on record. Wang submitted an application to Guinness and expects to hear back within two months. She had Ken Love, executive director of Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers, witness the avocado's weighing. Guinness requires an expert to be present. "I've seen (avocados) longer and I've seen them fatter, but not both," said Love, who verified the fruit's weight at 5.23 pounds. "I think people have other ones that they don't weigh, but I think this one, it was way up there." Elizabeth Montoya, assistant public relations manager of Guinness World Records America Inc., wrote that the company doesn't have a category for the largest avocado. It does, however, have one for the heaviest. Guinness verified in January 2009 an avocado submitted by Gabriel Ramirez Nahim of Caracas, Venezuela, which weighed 4 pounds, 13.2 ounces, Montoya said. Wang said she found the avocado under a tree that hangs over a street. Anything overhanging or dropped outside a private property line is free for anyone to claim. Police: Woman drove with transit sign sticking out of car SOUTH HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) Police in New Jersey say a woman was drunk when she continued driving with a mass transit sign sticking out of the roof of her car. The 52-year-old was pulled over Saturday on Route 46 in South Hackensack when police noticed something odd. Police say the woman had a New Jersey Transit sign protruding through the roof of her car. Police say the woman didn't even know the sign was there. South Hackensack police say the sign got stuck in the vehicle when the driver was in Secaucus before she was pulled over. The woman has been charged with driving while intoxicated and careless driving. Bigfoot sculpture erected where some search for creature WHITEHALL, N.Y. (AP) A nearly 12-foot-tall sculpture of Bigfoot has been erected in an upstate New York town where some say the legendary creature stalks the woods. Paul Thompson told The Post-Star of Glens Falls that he got the idea for the statue after meeting people looking for Bigfoot around Whitehall, New York, located on the Vermont border between the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains. Thompson paid a local artist for an 11-foot-8-inch-high, half-ton steel sculpture that depicts Bigfoot in full stride. He placed the sculpture in front of his business, the Vermont Marble, Granite, Slate & Soapstone Co. Bigfoot's head is covered with a large red-and-white Santa Claus hat. Thompson says people driving by have pulled over to get a better look at the towering ape-like figure since its unveiling Saturday. Zippy's back! Town's elf on a shelf has been returned DEERFIELD, N.H. (AP) A New Hampshire town is happy to report that its beloved elf on a shelf has been returned, more than a day after he vanished. The Deerfield Rescue Squad posted on Facebook on Wednesday morning that Zippy the elf is a little wet, but safe. It featured photos of him carried by a police officer and parked in a car. The rescue says "Our Holiday Magic is back." Deerfield Rescue Squad EMS captain Cindy McHugh says a town resident was getting ready for work when he saw that Zippy was on his doorstep. He called police. McHugh said the town isn't interested in pursuing the matter further, and just wants Zippy back for the children. The mannequin in a red onesie, cap, mittens and slippers makes appearances around town. Better watch out: Santa makes 'naughty' comment to shopper BANGOR, Maine (AP) The police in Bangor, Maine, say they've gotten a complaint about a department store "bad Santa" who apparently wasn't working there. Police posted on Facebook on Thursday that a woman walking around the store with her daughter recently was approached by a man dressed as Santa, who handed out a candy cane. A short time later, they ran into him again and he said, "Good girls get candy, naughty girls get jewelry." The woman complained to a store manager, but was told they didn't have a Santa on the payroll or in the store. They looked around and couldn't find him. Police are advising him to do the right thing: "Put yourself on the naughty list and stop by to speak to us." Maine police: Bouncing roll of duct tape leads to 911 call BANGOR, Maine (AP) Police in Bangor, Maine, say a reported intruder turned out to be a roll of duct tape. Officers responded to a call from a woman who heard noises from her basement and reported that her dog was barking aggressively at the noise. Police said it turns out a "thump-thump-thump" sound the woman heard was a roll of duct tape that fell off a shelf and bounced down the stairs. Sgt. Tim Cotton wrote on Facebook that the woman had already investigated before the first officer arrived. The officer felt that the woman could've held her own until police arrived because she was "from Maine, had a dog, and a roll of duct tape." Selfie-service: Man cooks Waffle House meal as worker sleeps WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) When a man found the only worker at an empty South Carolina Waffle House asleep, he took his meal into his own hands. On Facebook , Alex Bowen chronicled with selfies how he made his own double Texas bacon cheese steak melt at the famous Southern 24-7 diner around 2 a.m. Thursday. Bowen says on Facebook he waited 10 minutes, then cooked his meal and "even scraped the grill when I was done." Bowen's photos showed him with the sleeping worker, frying bacon and putting the sandwich together. After good-natured kidding about stealing the sandwich, Bowen even posted a selfie returning to pay for his meal. Waffle House said in a statement it was impressed with Bowen's cooking skills but customers should never go behind the counter for safety reasons. Sharks in Italy get into Christmas spirit with creche ROME (AP) Christmastime Nativity scenes usually feature donkeys, cows and sheep. That could help explain the interest generated when divers mounted a creche in the shark tank of the aquarium in the Italian Adriatic city of Cattolica. The sharks who call the Cattolica Aquarium home a 3-meter (10-foot) -long sand tiger shark named Brigitte and her fellow tank-mates, closely inspected the work this week as divers installed the ceramic tiled Nativity scene on an underwater column. At one point Brigitte got too close and was poked to stay away. With its 3,000 sea creatures representing 400 species, the Cattolica is the largest aquarium on the Adriatic. Italy is famous for its "presepe," the hand-crafted Nativity scenes that often take over entire Italian living rooms at Christmastime. Opossum breaks into liquor store and gets drunk as a skunk FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) An opossum that apparently drank bourbon after breaking into a Florida liquor store sobered up at a wildlife rescue center and was released unharmed. Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge officials say the opossum was brought in by a Fort Walton Beach, Florida, police officer on Nov. 24. A liquor store employee found the animal next to a broken and empty bottle of bourbon. "A worker there found the opossum up on a shelf next to a cracked open bottle of liquor with nothing in it," said Michelle Pettis, a technician at the refuge. "She definitely wasn't fully acting normal." Pettis told the Northwest Florida Daily News the female opossum appeared disoriented, was excessively salivating and was pale. The staff pumped the marsupial full of fluids and cared for her as she sobered up. "We loaded her up with fluids to help flush out any alcohol toxins," Pettis said. "She was good a couple of days later." Pettis says the opossum did not appear to have a hangover. The store owner, Cash Moore, says he never had an opossum break in before. "She came in from the outside and was up in the rafters, and when she came through she knocked a bottle of liquor off the shelf," Moore said. "When she got down on the floor she drank the whole damn bottle." "But it just goes to show that even the animals are impressed with Cash's," he said. The animal was released on Thursday. Retired justice 'so disappointed' to be kept off jury BOSTON (AP) She was impartial enough to serve as a justice on the highest court in Massachusetts, but apparently that wasn't enough for Geraldine Hines to be named a juror in a murder trial. The 70-year-old Hines, who retired from the Supreme Judicial Court in August, said she was "so disappointed" when the prosecutor rejected her as a juror Wednesday. Hines tells The Boston Globe, "I've been waiting my whole life to be a juror in a criminal case." After questioning from defense attorneys and Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee, Lee used one of his challenges to keep Hines off the jury. He apologized outside of court. The case involves two gang members involved in a gunfight at a festival in Boston in 2014 that took the life of an innocent bystander. Man accused of illegally catching tuna, dumping it in woods GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) A Massachusetts man has been accused of catching a tuna out of season and then dumping its headless 400-pound carcass in the woods. The Gloucester Daily Times reports that 40-year-old Harold Wentworth on Monday pleaded not guilty to state charges including improper disposal of waste and expelling trash or litter from a motor vehicle. Federal fisheries regulators say they have also served him with an enforcement action for allegedly illegally harvesting tuna out of season. Authorities say they have video of Wentworth landing the bluefin tuna in Rockport on Oct. 20, 15 days after the close of the initial fall season. It was hauled out of the woods in Gloucester by a tow truck on Oct. 24. Wentworth's attorney did not respond to requests for comment. DES MOINES Iowas state government since 2011 has collaborated with Iowa businesses and educators to encourage students of all ages to pursue courses and careers in STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The state spends more than $5 million annually on its STEM program, which has been spearheaded by Kim Reynolds, when she was former Gov. Terry Branstads lieutenant, and now as governor. The goal, according to the state, is to increase student interest in STEM subjects and fields in order to improve Iowas workforce and educational system. However, some experts are concerned that the push toward STEM careers may be too broad, that most STEM fields do not have enough jobs available, or that growth is faster in some of the fields than others. Some experts think STEM should be more focused on the "T" than the other letters; technology jobs are growing faster than careers in the other fields, according to national and Iowa labor data. Despite the data, Iowa educators and the governors administration remain steadfast in their belief that fostering students interest in STEM subjects and careers remains an effective way to educate the states young people and prepare them for the workforce here. Were kind of answering the bell, and the bell that rallied the launch of STEM in 2011 is that the economy of our state depends on inspiring enough kids to enter these fields to replace the retires and expand (the workforce), said Dr. Jeff Weld, executive director of the Iowa Governors STEM advisory council and an associate professor of biology and science education at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Thats our calling and thats our challenge. Ill be the first to stand up and rally the troops around the STEM imperative. The top 10 most desired skills in workers are computer skills, and in the decade ending in 2024, 73 percent of STEM job growth will be in computer occupations, while just 3 percent will be in the physical sciences and 3 percent in the life sciences, according to a recent report on the New York Times website. While all American students should have a working knowledge of science and math, it may be misleading to suggest the country faces a shortage of STEM workers, an expert on science education and policy told the Times. When it gets generalized to all of STEM, its misleading, said Michael S. Teitelbaum, a senior research associate in the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School. Were misleading a lot of young people. Iowa-level job data, from the states workforce development department, combines computer and math jobs, so the two cannot be analyzed separately within an examination of STEM careers. The other STEM fields in state-level jobs data are in two more combined fields: engineering and architecture jobs, and life, physical and social science jobs. The combined field of computer and math jobs is projected to grow more than the other two STEM-related fields in Iowa, according to the state data, both in total job openings and new job openings. By 2024, there will be more than 1,000 job openings in the computer and math fields. There will be just more than 600 engineering and architecture jobs and just more than 500 science jobs, according to the state data. State officials said a well-rounded approach to STEM remains the proper course for educating students and preparing workers. The goal of the governors STEM advisory council is increasing student interest and achievement in STEM. Gov. Reynolds is passionate about advancing that mission, Brenna Smith, the governors spokeswoman, wrote in an emailed response to bureau questions. It is critical so students can pursue good-paying STEM careers, which in turn are vital to spurring innovation and job creation. Smith said the STEM program will help the administration meets its goal of getting 70 percent of the states workforce to have post-high school education or training by 2025. That effort is to fill what employers say is a middle skills gap: a lack of workers with the skills necessary to perform jobs in manufacturing, health care and skilled trades. Educators said even if students receive education in a STEM field, that education will prepare them for life in a non-STEM occupation, should a job more directly to their field not be available. Mark McDermott, the University of Iowas STEM coordinator, said he considers his job to improve STEM learning and teaching for all students, kindergarten through college, not necessarily to push them into STEM careers. Not so much as a specific way to push students into STEM careers in general or specific STEM careers, but more generally to develop STEM-literate students who could, if interested, pursue further STEM learning and at least be prepared to enter STEM careers if they choose, McDermott said. In this way, I would argue we can meet the needs of all students, both those who want to pursue STEM careers and those who may not but will still potentially need to make real-life decisions that are related to STEM fields or STEM concepts. STEM studies develop critical thinking and prepare students for emerging jobs and careers that they may not otherwise be considering, McDermott said. I guess my main point would be STEM education would be critical for all students, he said. Weld said reports that suggest there are more STEM graduates than STEM jobs available miss the ultimate point of STEM studies. He said the job categories in government data do not always align well with STEM jobs; some STEM graduates go on to further study rather than straight into the workforce; and that its not uncommon for any professional field not just STEM careers to have more graduates than jobs available. And pushing a student straight from a STEM education to a STEM career is not necessarily the ultimate goal, Weld said. STEM has become this transcendent concept thats more about transdisciplinary study, Weld said. The concept of a STEM field leading to a STEM job is kind of archaic. Youth Christmas Party First Church of God is inviting anyone grades 5 to 12 to for the First Youth Christmas Party on Wednesday, December 20 at 5p.m. The church is located at 706 E. Monroe St. in Rapid City. The event will have food, fun, games and more. Questions may be directed to Pastor James at jbaker@rapidcitychog.org or (605)390-1376. First Presbyterian to hold gospel celebration First Presbyterian Church, 710 Kansas City Street in Rapid City, will present Hope! A Gospel Christmas Celebration on Sunday, December 10 at 2:00 p.m. A festive reception will follow. The even will features music and fellow. Longest Night Service A Longest Night Service will be held on December 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Knollwood Heights United Methodist Church in Rapid City. This annual service is one of quiet reflection and music, especially for those who find the Christmas season difficult, due to a loss of some kind. For more information please call the church at 343-7145. Pope recalls suffering faces from Myanmar, Bangladesh trip Pope Francis says he recalls so many "suffering" but "noble" faces from his just-ended trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh. He greeted people in St. Peter's Square on Sunday. Francis thanked God for the voyage's opportunity to meet residents in the two Asian countries, citing in particular the tiny Catholic communities there, adding he was "edified by their testimony." Flying late Saturday, he recounted that he spoke frankly but privately in Myanmar about Rohingya refugees' plight and said he cried when he met some in Bangladesh, where they have fled a Myanmar military crackdown. He said Sunday of his trip: "Impressed on me is the memory of so many faces, tried by life, but noble and smiling." Francis had drawn criticism for not publicly citing, while in Myanmar, the Rohingya suffering. The U.S. Attorneys Office continued its streak of successfully prosecuting people caught in the Sturgis rally sex stings on Friday when a jury convicted one of the arrestees. Andries Snyman, 43, was found guilty of using the internet to try and entice a minor into having sex in 2016. He faces 10 years to life in prison, the consequence of the electronic messages he exchanged with a law enforcement officer posing as a 14-year-old boy. Snyman showed no reaction to the verdict, which came Friday afternoon, on the fourth day of a trial that at times became tense. The prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Collins, emphasized that Snyman began talking about sexual activity with what he believed to be a boy just minutes after they met on a social media app designed for gay men. Snyman, she said, asked inappropriate questions about the boys body, then persuaded him to meet in person that evening of Aug. 5, 2016. A South African national working at a ranch in Isabel, Snyman was arrested in the parking lot of Rapid Citys Stevens High School, where he and the boy agreed to meet. This was all about sex, Collins told jurors in her closing argument Thursday, simple case." Defense attorney Tom Diggins responded that Snyman had no intention of having sex with the boy. He instead wanted to tell the boy about predatory men online and the difficulties of being gay, especially in a place that didnt have a lot of resources to support sexual minorities. His intent was truly to offer guidance and help, Diggins said in closing, highlighting messages in which Snyman asked why the boy was on an adult sex/dating site and talked about explaining matters to him. Someone with the goal of enticing wouldnt use this language, Diggins told the seven women and five men on the jury. He said Snyman had no history of improper behavior toward children, and his electronic devices seized by police didn't contain any photos or messages with minors. Earlier Thursday, the defense called an expert witness who testified about the unique stress suffered by sexual minorities in the country and the importance of social support to combat this stress. The prosecution, which also presented an expert witness in rebuttal, said Snymans supposed method of helping the boy wasnt proper and that he was using the gay community as a shield. Snyman was only the third person to go to trial among the 36 men caught in the Sturgis rally sex stings, an annual undercover operation established in 2013. The two other men were found guilty at trial, and 21 have pleaded guilty under deals with the U.S. Attorneys Office. In an interview after the verdict was announced, Collins said she felt relieved and happy. The amount of time it took the jury to conclude the case, she said, was an indication that reaching a unanimous verdict didnt come easy. The case was handed to the jury for deliberation before 3:30 p.m. Thursday, and it reached a verdict around 1 p.m. Friday. The courtroom victories in the rally cases show that these investigations are important and that members of the community expect law enforcement to conduct these operations to keep kids safe, said Special Agent Brent Gromer, commander of the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which conducts the rally stings to catch people wanting to engage in sexual activity with minors. The task force, Collins said, plans to make some changes in the way it conducts the stings based on insights gleaned from the trial. Details on the changes were not immediately available. Collins said two other rally arrestees from 2016, Noah Schottenstein and Joel Zupnik, are preparing to go to trial next year. The ICAC task force includes personnel from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriffs Office and U.S. Attorneys Office. The Federal Public Defenders Office, which represented Snyman, declined to comment on the verdict. Snyman is scheduled for sentencing April 19 before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jeffrey Viken. Dec. 10, 2017: Updated story to include task force's plans to make some changes in the way it conducts the rally sex stings. When Rapid City Collective Impact announced it had chosen a preferred site for the Transformation Center campus on Nov. 2, it represented the culmination of more than two years of research, discussion and planning. Questions about the homeless and impoverished population's needs, the current stock of resources available to them and the challenges in administering proper treatment and assistance had been answered. Now, an entirely new set of questions loomed. At a Pennington County Board of Commissioners meeting the following week, some commissioners expressed surprise at the announcement, saying they had a number of unanswered questions about how the center would be funded and how much money, if any, Collective Impact would be asking for from the county. This spring, the county plans to open its $14 million Restoration Center at 321 Kansas City St., which sits just west of the proposed Transformation Center site. After lengthy discussions with Collective Impact project manager Charity Doyle, two of its chief fundraisers and Mayor Steve Allender, it appears the city, not the county, will be asked for a contribution. City to 'benefit' from project Its a $16 million project, Doyle said from her second story office at the corner of St. Joseph Street and Mount Rushmore Road last week, adding that the total price included the cost to buy the land and property, and to renovate the building. We have raised all but $7 million, and we have the renovation dollars committed should this go through. Were only asking for probably the $7 million from the city. Doyle said she expects there to be resistance from some citizens and perhaps a few Rapid City Council members for such an expenditure, admitting that part of her job will be to convince the community of the center's long-term benefits. Doyle said she thinks it's "absolutely fair" to ask the city for money. If we can centralize that and everybody is on a shared system, thats saving them (county/city) resources," Doyle said. "The city is going to see a benefit, the providers are going to see a benefit, the people were serving are going to see a benefit. Everybody has shortfall in their budget. So, by implementing this model and giving it a couple years to really have those adjustments take place, there are going to be opportunities for all of them and we can start getting to the things that matter instead of being in survival mode every year and pulling from a pot thats not growing nearly as fast as the demand is. As for the annual operating, maintenance and staffing costs, Doyle said the expectation is for that to be covered by private fundraising. "Its not going to take a whole lot because were not providing the services, she said, explaining that providers like the Cornerstone Rescue Mission, which operates a shelter, and the Hope Center, which provides day services to the homeless, are two community groups that have been approached about relocating to the campus. Mayor Steve Allender said he was supportive of the idea of a onetime contribution from the city and expected it to be considered by the city council sometime in early 2018. The citys Vision Fund, he said, would be the most likely source for the monies. I think itd be better to have a one-time, upfront contribution from the city rather than ongoing operations funding, he said in an interview. The only ongoing cost I can think of will be the cost that weve paid for decades to share in the operations of the (City/County Alcohol Drug Program) detox program. The citys involvement, if I get my way, would be to be the building owner and to lease to the Collective Impact organization. Allender added that he thought spending $7 million to buy what has been tentatively appraised as a $12 million structure was a good deal for the city. Preliminary plans are for the city to lease the land to an, as of now, unformed nonprofit that would manage the center. According to city attorney Joel Landeen, the citys decision to purchase the land and property could ultimately be referred to a special election but the funding source, being an administrative decision, could not. Finding a site key Anna Quinn, executive director of the Hope Center, said the centers board had yet to make a decision on whether to relocate to the campus. Lysa Allison, executive director of the Cornerstone Rescue Mission, also said the mission had yet to make any commitment but recognized the potential benefit of joining the campus. With the understanding that we will be much stronger and more effective by working together, we endorse the collaborative model proposed by Rapid City Collective Impact, Allison said in a written statement to the Journal. We look forward to the next phase of discussion to more clearly understand how to best utilize and improve our existing services to maximize the benefits to our community." The Career Learning Center of the Black Hills, YMCA of Rapid City, and Behavior Management Systems, a community mental health center, have also expressed interest in the campus. BMS would be able to offer a broad range of services at the campus, including therapy, psychiatric evaluations, medication management and case management, BMS CEO Alan Solano wrote in a letter of intent to Collective Impact. If feasible, we could create a mini mental health center on the campus. But before any binding commitments can come, Doyle said, providers would need to be confident about the location and see the space to visualize how it could accommodate their needs. A provider workshop, which would include a tour of the space and discussion among providers for potential areas of collaboration, would come in the future. Doyle called the progression of steps Collective Impact must tackle before it can open the center a "nonlinear process. The center is tentatively scheduled to begin operating in early 2019. A site must be selected before partners sign on, she said. "Now, the conversations are site specific so we can move that conversation forward. You know, What's this going to look like? What are we going to have to do to hopefully make this happen? Due to their space needs, the Cornerstone Rescue Mission would be the first provider Collective would need a commitment from. Doyle said questions like whether the mission wanted to include a soup kitchen in their plan would determine things like ingress/egress points and fencing, which is expected to surrounded the entire campus. Sandy Diegel, president and CEO of the John T. Vucurevich Foundation, and Liz Hamburg, executive director of the Black Hills Area Community Foundation, are members of Collective Impact's Guiding Council and Funding Circle. They are working on securing commitments from private donors to help fund the center. Both said that without an idea of the providers, they couldnt give an estimate of the operating, maintenance and staffing costs. Were just beginning to layout what this is going to look at operationally, Hamburg said. Diegel said layout designs preclude any accurate estimates, but without an idea of the operations plan, designs were wasteful. If money was no object we could have designed something, but money's always an object, Diegel said. Were just trying to figure out how to fill in the pieces. Location, location, location Though much has yet to be determined, Hamburg, Diegel, Rapid City Police Chief Karl Jegeris and Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom all agreed that the proposed site was the right choice. The proximity to (the county's) Restoration Center is really ideal so that the two programs can work closely together," Diegel said. "The layout of the property is perfect with the services and residential space thats needed. She noted the three adjacent apartment towers College Station Apartments owned by local developer Hani Shafai would be used to house people enrolled in the centers programs. Hamburg cited the same reasons and added another. So many of the people that were interviewed would talk about the barriers to connecting to the services they needed, she said. In a livability study conducted by Collective Impact, many of the 800 people interviewed expressed the difficulty they had getting to meetings and mandated appointments because of a lack of transportation and the dispersal of city/county service buildings. Without transportation, someone could miss a court-mandated appointment and end up right back in the criminal justice system. Jegeris is the first to admit thats not helping anyone. The jail is very ineffective to create lasting change, and its also very expensive, he said. He cited the costs of keeping someone in jail overnight, then assigning a prosecutor, public defender, judge, court reporter, clerk of court, and police officer to write and store the report. During the winter, Jegeris said, his officers often come across people who intentionally get arrested because of the warm bed and meal incarceration provides. Petty larceny, open containers or public intoxication is usually the modus operandi. That amount of resources to handle that one problem for simply that 24 hour period is, in my belief, a misuse of tax dollars," Jegeris said. "We can do better. Doing better isnt just about saving money, Doyle said, adding that the real benefit comes when people on the periphery make their way back into the community as productive and engaged citizens. Thats much harder to quantify than the costs of land, property and operations, she admits. But Collective Impact has always been about playing the long game. I think there are a few people getting a little ahead of themselves, she said. Its a piece at a time. When you look at this whole timeline of the next year and a half, were just starting. So all of those things are in the works, and theres a little bit of jumping the gun, I think. And for those who are questioning the location, concept, and claiming a lack of transparency, Doyle was anything but opaque. Nobody is in the dark unless they want to be, she said. This wasnt done in a vacuum. BUFFALO GAP - Once a town loses its school and churches, the grain elevator becomes the community-gathering place. Thats how it happened in Buffalo Gap, S.D. In this case the community covers roughly 50 miles in any direction in southwest South Dakota. Rancher Feed and Seed has been in operation since Walt Nolan built it over the years 1923-1927 and opened it 1928. The latest owner and operator is Sara Beard, a woman who grew outside of Buffalo Gap and who longed to return home. After a circuitous route of attending South Dakota State University, more college in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, S.D., Beard completed her degree in economics. She moved to Maryland and worked as a nanny and took more classes. The last company that employed Beard moved her to Colorado Springs. All the while she wished she could be home at Buffalo Gap, S.D., but good jobs of interest to her were scarce. In May 2015, Rancher Feed came up for auction. Beard talked to one of then-current owners, Rodger Jensen, who has worked at the elevator for over 30 years, and asked if he would stay on to help her get going. He said yes. With that agreed upon, the auction went Beards way and she stepped right into the middle of a busy season. She had to quickly obtain her commercial licenses so she could sell chemicals and was able to test online. Beard more or less grew up at the elevator. When she was in the first grade she decided she did not want to go to a babysitter, and she walked on by the sitters house to the elevator, several blocks from the school. She announced to owner Eben Streeter and his right-hand-man, Jensen, that she would come every day and wait for the school bus to take her home. It wasnt long until they put her to work pulling a lever to turn an auger on and off as needed as they filled feedbags. That suited her just fine. Beard said, The store had piles of note pads. Once I learned to write my name, I wrote it on every single one. Eben was not so happy with that. Beard was an active 4-H member and rodeo participant while growing up and now Rancher Feed supports Fall River County and Custer County 4-H as well as the FFA program in Hot Springs. Rancher Feed and Seed has corn, milo, wheat and sunflower seeds on hand; the latter two are locally grown. Oats are available. Beard said, We still custom mix feeds, though few others do since the mixers are no longer made. We grind and bag as requested. The business is a one-stop shop for many needs, including nails, nuts and bolts, insecticide, poison for gophers and prairie dogs, pour on and vaccines, leather gloves, both steel and wooden posts, panels and electric fence supplies. Salt and mineral blocks, high protein cake, chicken feed to dog food as well as many more products are available. It is certainly more than one might expect in a town of about 130 residents. If you have a hankering for pop or a candy bar, you can find them there, but the draw, especially for children, is the free salted-in-the-shell peanuts that Beard puts out by the two-gallon bag full. Although there is a receptacle provided, many of the shells and detritus end up on the floor. Is it unusual for a woman to not only own, but operate, such an occupation? Beard said, I am the only female at meetings relating to my business. A vendor stopped by the elevator last winter and after greeting me, asked to talk to the owner. I said that would be me. I could see what he was thinking, then he grabbed himself up by the bootstraps and we talked business. It is a small town. Buffalo Gap has no bank, though it does have an ATM not far from the elevator. Remember that and come prepared; Beard doesnt take credit cards. The Revitalize Belle Fourche Committee will conduct a Best Christmas Lights Contest again this year. But unlike its premiere in 2016, this years contest will award monetary prizes for first, second and third place. The awards will be $50, $40 and $30 respectively. The 2016 contest drew a number of nominations; the winning home was that of Jamey and Kristen Nolan, at 2042 12th Avenue. Nominations for the contest may be made through the Revitalize Belle Fourche Committees Facebook page. Citizens may nominate their own home, if they wish. To date, there have been 10 nominations made; some homes have received multiple nominations. Word is clearly spreading through the community about the contest, said committee chairwoman Kristi Thielen. As committee members drive through Belle Fourche, the increase in decorating and lighting even from last year is very noticeable. Thielen adds that the contest winners will be announced on the Revitalize Belle Fourche Committees Facebook page on Monday, Dec. 18. Revitalize Belle Fourche was created in January 2016 at the recommendation of Belle Fourche City Council member James Ager. He remains the council representative on this committee. In addition to Thielen, it includes Breanna Schaefer, Dallas Conner and Deb McCart. Revitalize Belle Fourches mission is to carry out projects that increase civic pride and spur citizens to help make the community the best it can be. It has conducted clean-up projects, planted raised flower beds, held a summer-long Home of the Week contest for two years and has purchased metal arms for State Street lampposts, to hold flower baskets in the summer. During the 2016 holiday season, it purchased new lights for the city Christmas tree. This year, the committee purchased a suite of boulevard banners to hang on State Street, strings of lights to run from light poles down on State Street and a new 3-dimensional tree topper for the city Christmas tree. We really make an effort to work with city departments, such as Public Works, and other committees that further civic projects, said committee council representative James Ager. Engaging with the community is critical to us, and were proud that all of the feedback weve received has been very positive. During World War II, the Japanese had a well-earned reputation for inhuman treatment not only of civilians but especially POWs. As if the prisons themselves werent cruel enough, they frequently moved prisoners, stowed in dank and dark cargo holds, on ships between Pacific islands. The aging and decrepit Van Waerijck was one such ship used by the Japanese. A soldier named Frank, along with a friend of his nicknamed Judy, was a prisoner on board the Waerwijck. As it chugged along the coast of Sumatra, he heard a strangled cry. Someone had spotted a pair of torpedoes, which had been fired from the HMS Truculent, a British submarine. There was no way the ship could maneuver in time. When the first torpedo hit the Waerwijck, explosions and fires quickly erupted. The old ship was torn to bits after the second torpedo hit it. With fire and smoke all around, Frank was able to spot a small porthole above; it looked too small for him to crawl through it, but it might be just big enough for his diminutive friend Judy. Frank helped Judy through the hole, then found another way up to the deck and jumped into the dark waters, just as his friend had done earlier. Clinging to part of the ships wreckage, Frank called out to Judy to no avail. Frank would later learn that Judy had saved many men by toting them to shore. Eventually, Frank made it to land, where he and other survivors were marooned two days without food or water. The survivors freedom was short-lived, as they were once again captured by Japanese soldiers. After being dragged into a prison camp, Franks spirits suddenly lifted when he saw his old friend Judy, covered in oil and exhibiting tired, red eyes. Frank and Judy would spend the next two and one-half years as the guests of the Japanese. Judy especially was instrumental in keeping up the morale of fellow prisoners. Once, after Frank contracted malaria, he thought about killing himself, and maybe his friend to spare additional suffering). But, as he made a slow recovery and with Judys constant encouragement, he resolved to persevere until the hoped-for rescue happened. On Aug. 15, 1945, Frank, Judy and the rest of the prisoners were freed by American forces. Frank and Judy spent the next month recuperating in a special POW hospital. After both had regained sufficient weight and strength, they boarded a transport ship destined for England, arriving in Liverpool on Oct. 29, 1945. When the story of their harrowing experiences became widespread, they were hailed as heroes, especially Judy. As such, on May 3, 1946, a special ceremony was held for Judy at which a medal was awarded and a special proclamation read: "For magnificent courage and endurance in Japanese prison camps, thus helping to maintain morale among fellow prisoners and saving many lives." Both Frank and Judy would spend quite a lot of time settling back into civilian life with family and friends. They remained fast friends until Judys death in 1951. By the way, Judy was a dog - the only dog that was a prisoner of war during World War II. A 37-year-old Victor woman is facing two felony drug charges after she allegedly was caught in a Hamilton restaurant with methamphetamine in her purse and heroin in her car that was parked outside. Detective Jase Basnaw with the Ravalli County sheriffs office was contacted by a probation and parole officer on Tuesday, who said he was assisting in a drug investigation in Butte. There, Anthony Beltran had been arrested for trafficking methamphetamine and heroin in western Montana. The officer told the detective that Katherine McDougall was a known associate of Beltrans, and that she admitted to two parole officers at the Hamilton restaurant that there was an ounce of meth in her purse, which was visibly confirmed by the parole officers. When Basnaw responded, he reported that McDougall was visibly upset for having put herself in this situation, and made an unsolicited confession that she had methamphetamine in her possession, according to court documents. She was taken to the Ravalli County Detention Center for a probation violation, where 36 grams of a white powder, .78 grams of meth, and a meth pipe allegedly were found in her purse. A search of her car turned up an ounce of meth, plus packets of meth prepackaged for sale. In addition, the officer allegedly found one gram of heroin in the vehicle. A search of her phone allegedly turned up text messages, confirming that McDougall was setting up drug transactions in Ravalli County. McDougall was charged with one felony count of possession of meth with intent to sell and one count of possession of heroin with intent to sell. She also faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia for a meth pipe that was found in her purse. She remains jailed in lieu of a $25,000 bond. Stevensville was awarded a Montana Main Street Program grant of $10,000 for a downtown master plan, River Park site plan, and a market analysis that organize local development opportunities, local business growth, and community facilities. Stevensville Main Street Association Executive Director Lorraine Roach said they requested $15,000 from the Montana Department of Commerce. We were awarded $10,000 and the town pledged $5,000 to match that out of their Economic Development Fund, Roach said. The downtown master plan is a two-phase project that begins with a market analysis providing details on how money flows into, around, and out of Stevensville. The analysis examines the community members, tourists, and visitors. Our goal is to get an idea of who lives here, who is spending money here, what money is leaking out of the community and what business categories to give us some ideas of opportunities as well as challenges, Roach said. The downtown master plan is intended to be market-driven. The Stevensville Main Street Association will look at market trends during the next 20 years, including population growth to forecast opportunities for business development, residential development, needed facilities, and infrastructure. In 2016, with the help of the Montana Main Street grant program, Stevensville completed its growth policy, which includes two subdivisions in the town limits. Currently those are not fully developed, but when they are the towns water and sewer systems will be at maximum capacity. After the market analysis, full buy-in from all stakeholders and community members is essential. Then the planning process can move forward with expansion, building, and investments in the community. We want to preserve the character of the town and the feel of the small town, walkable community. But we have vacant lots, vacant buildings, opportunities for redevelopment, space for residential infill, and things that will increase our tax base and provide a better foundation for the city and its budget, Roach said. We can address things on the horizon like infrastructure capacity. She said Stevensville will continue to grow as more people move from Missoula because it is a smaller town within commuting distance, is affordable and has strong schools. The original plan was to use the state money and the money from the towns economic fund as a match for federal funding from Housing and Urban Development or USDA Rural Development. The federal money hasnt been released yet because the federal budget that should have been available Oct. 1 has not been approved by congress. So we have the money for the market analysis but we dont want to spend it yet because then we cant use it as match, Roach said. The market analysis is information that all the businesses here can use to understand who existing and potential customers are. Stevensvilles population is nearly 2,000 but within the zip code area the population is more than 10,000. Only 20 percent of our residents live in town, Roach said. Make a 10-minute drive and our population is 20,000. Were small on paper but serve a significant market. Were not a rural town of in the middle of nowhere with just 2,000 people, but were a primary market area of about 20,000. Roach said Stevensville has a lot of opportunities, with clusters of businesses in the areas of medical, dining, and industry. Weve got real strengths munitions, dining, outdoor recreation, and value-added agriculture, she said. It is identifying how we take advantage of opportunities to support those businesses in reaching new markets or diversifying or adding customers. The $10,000 grant was from Montanas Main Street Program, which focuses on the development and revitalization of community downtowns. It serves 27 communities across the state, with the Department of Commerce goals of creating and maintaining vibrant and charming Montana communities, according to its website. Montanas Main Street Program shares technical assistance, expertise, and grant funding with towns currently working on downtown revitalization, economic development and historic preservation. For more information, visit comdev.mt.gov/programs/mainstreet. Larger wildfires and a longer fire season, less water for agriculture uses and an extended growing season are just of few of the changes Bitterroot Valley residents are expected to experience due to the changing climate in Montana, according to a presentation this week in Hamilton. Eight people associated with the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment painted a largely bleak picture of the future for the Bitterroot. Kevin Hyde with the Montana Climate Office told about 75 people gathered in Hamilton Wednesday that they can expect an increase in winter, spring and fall precipitation, and a decrease in the summer. The area can expect moderate increases in precipitation, but that might not fall at the times best suited for current agricultural uses, Hyde added, noting that theyre forecasting more rain or snow in the fall, winter and spring, but less in the summer quite similar to what occurred last year. The 2017-18 winter forecast by state climatologists is calling for a La Nina, where we anticipate reasonably high precipitation and lower than normal temperatures, Hyde said. But when and where that snow falls makes a difference. He said its higher in the mountains, with the snowline receding up the slopes over time and melting earlier and faster two or three weeks earlier than it was 20 to 30 years ago. The upside of that, according to Alex Leone with the Clark Fork Coalition, is that between a stable aquifer and the Painted Rocks Dam, the Bitterroot is in a better position than most areas in Montana to store and release water when needed. In the Clark Fork, we dont have a high-elevation dam, Leone said. I know dams are not really a popular thing, but maybe they need to be. Bruce Maxwell, a professor of earth sciences at Montana State University, said the unfortunate part of the predictions is that while the agricultural growing season will be longer, the lack of water in the future may be an issue. And that could be particularly problematic in eastern Montana. Were forecasting well run out of irrigation water, so there are certain crops that will be at risk in eastern Montana: sugar beets, corn and soybeans in the irrigated valleys like the Mussellshell and Yellowstone, Maxwell said. The change in the number of days with temperatures over 90 degrees will have a huge impact in Montana because of how that could impact grasses. We had 22 days of over 90 degrees as the state average last summer. That will stretch into June, through August and in some cases into October. That will bring radical changes. He expects the wetter springs and dry summers will lower yields for wheat, and that the warmer winters will be beneficial for weeds like cheat grass. Youll need more and more water to produce the same amount of hay. Ive already had a lot of ranchers saying thats consistent with what theyre seeing, Maxwell said. Theyre not getting the same production as they used to with the same amount of irrigation. He added that with wetter springs, farmers may find they cant get into the fields in a timely fashion to plant spring wheat, and it could flower in the middle of the hottest days. They wont be able to plant earlier, because of the frost in the fields. Durum wheat seems to do better, Maxwell said. Those hotter days and nights also will prove stressful for cattle, Maxwell said, noting that they need cool temperatures at night to recover from the hot days, and theyre seeing less of that Thats become a big issue, Maxwell said. In the Bitterroot, an increase in carbon emissions also may affect orchards, vineyards and vegetable farms, according to Zach Miller, superintendent of the Western Agricultural Research Center in Corvallis. While these plants show a brief and promising growth spurt upon initial exposure to carbon dioxide, it limits their ability to pick up other needed nutrients. Greenhouses add CO2 all the time but it also impacts pests. The weeds grow better and the insect damage often increases, Miller said. We also can get more bugs here that we dont have in the state as the winters warm. Alisa Wade, a researcher at the University of Montana, said the climate changes also will increase the frequency and severity of wildfires, regardless of the water situation. But she noted that the forests have evolved, adapted and transformed over time, so its not like the trees dont have the capacity to respond. However, the rate of change is such that theres the potential that some species will not be able to keep up and have serious declines, Wade said. To read the full 308-page report or the executive summary, go online to http://montanaclimate.org/ Guwahati : Assam police on Friday had arrested two supari killers, who are allegedly planning to kill Assam finance minister and top BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma. A top official of Assam police said that, based on intelligence input, police had arrested the persons from Singimari area near Dadara in Kamrup (Rural) district. The arrested persons were identified as Paban Ali and Fakaruddin Ali and both are fourth grade employees in the state health department, which department is also hold by Himanta Biswa Sarma. They had planned to kill the Assam minister by using bomb, the top police official said. The top Assam cop said that, the arrested person duo had sent SMSes to former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, former Congress minister Rockybul Hussain, Congresss Assam unit president Ripun Bora and a local Congress leader Dulu Ahmed to their mobile phones and seeking Rs 5 crore to kill the Assam finance minister. Meanwhile, Assam DGP Mukesh Sahay said that, police had intercepted the SMSes and later arrested the person duo. Investigation is going on, the Assam DGP said. On the other hand, former Congress minister Rockybul Hussain said that, when he received the SMS from an unknown number, he had immediately forwarded it to the Assam DGP for further action. Congresss Assam unit president and MP for Rajya Sabha Ripun Bora said that, it is a political conspiracy against them and he has sought a CBI probe into the matter to find out actual facts. (Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath) [Three Op-Eds on the implications of Faizabad protest by the fundamentalists in Pakistan ] The Indian Express - December 9, 2017 Return of a spectre called blasphemy The current turmoil in Pakistan is a rerun: The elected government has again failed to assert its authority against unconstitutional forces claiming to act in the name of Islam. Written by Farzana Shaikh Yet again the world must look on in bewilderment as Pakistan emerges battered and bruised from a crisis precipitated by an obscure theological dispute that has forced the resignation of the countryas law minister and led to the dramatic mobilisation of religious forces directed by the ponderous sounding Tehreek-e-Labbaik ya Rasool Allah (or Movement in the Service of the Prophet [Muhammad]). Presiding over this version of Pakistanas own passion play is the countryas military establishment. It has been credited with brokering a deal that ended the crisis, but on terms that raise doubts about the governmentas Islamic credentials and leave it vulnerable to an early demise. Pakistanas noisy commentariat meanwhile has taken in droves to the air waves, the press and social media. They hope to decide if the latest events spell a capitulation to religious bigotry or point to a carefully stage-managed show by the army to bring down a recalcitrant government. The jury is still out. What is clear is that the political stock invested in the language of Islam, which dates back to the creation of Pakistan, is limitless and still the preferred instrument of choice of those seeking political change by unconstitutional means. Indeed, there is a striking resemblance between recent developments and episodes in Pakistanas early history when elected governments also risked being unconstitutionally dislodged for failing to meet standards set by the extravagant claims to be aacting in the name of Islama . The trend was set in 1953 when religious protesters, aided and abetted by the provincial administration in Punjab, called for the Ahmadi minority to be stripped of their status as Muslims as a ploy to bring down the government at the Centre, which was accused of compromising Pakistanas Islamic identity. A more audacious attempt to test a governmentas performance against Pakistanas putative Islamic purpose came in 1977 when religious parties successfully ousted the then Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for what were judged to be secular misdemeanours. In a striking parallel with current events, Bhutto had sought to appease religious parties by pushing through a constitutional amendment in 1974 that designated Pakistanas Ahmadis as a non-Muslim minority. It remains in force to the present day. Like Bhutto, the governmentas beleaguered former law minister, Zahid Hamid, also moved to stave off protesters by acting pre-emptively. In October, long before the protests had erupted, he agreed to restore the original wording of an oath reserved for parliamentary candidates under a new election act. The new oath, which would later trigger the demonstrations, had required candidates to adeclarea their belief in the finality of the Prophet Muhammad instead of undertaking to asweara by it. Although it took protesters almost a month after the restoration of the original wording to express their outrage and to charge Hamid with blasphemy, the momentum unleashed by the demonstrations developed rapidly thereafter. Besieged by the protestersa sit-in, Pakistanas capital city, Islamabad, ground to a virtual halt. The government meanwhile was crippled by classic considerations that have plagued administrations in the past: A chronic unwillingness to be seen as aacting against Islama . Though Hamidas ignominious departure from office was perhaps inevitable in the circumstances, his public confession of faith in the days leading up to it was unprecedented even by the standards of Pakistanas blasphemy-obsessed political culture. That culture has gained immeasurably with the emergence of a distinctly muscular style of politics by followers of the Barelvi school of thought, who led the protests. They represent the dominant persuasion among Pakistanas Sunni Muslim majority and have been regarded, until recently, as the standard bearers of an internationally sanctioned discourse of amoderatea Islam owing to their close ties to local Sufi shrines. Their strident entry into Pakistanas politics has taken many by surprise; others have reacted with disbelief over reports that some Barelvi leaders now intend to tone down athe Sufi face of Barelvi Islama which they claim has been promoted to aplease the Westa . Be that as it may, signs of a shift in the posture of Barelvi groups have long been in evidence. In 2011 the Governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, was assassinated in broad day light after mounting a spirited campaign to reform Pakistan notorious blasphemy laws. His killer, Mumtaz Qadri, was a Barelvi militant, then serving as one of Taseeras bodyguards. Qadrias actions, his trial and his subsequent execution in 2016 are now seen as a turning point in the radicalisation of Barelvi politics. But they also brought to fruition a state-sponsored policy, active since 9/11, of quietly empowering Barelvi groups to counterbalance so-called ahardlinersa among Pakistanas proliferating Deobandi and Salafi groups. They were seen to have grown increasingly independent of their handlers within Pakistanas military and security establishment, whose authority it was said they were now prone to question. It is no wonder that eyebrows were raised when Pakistanas army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, declined to act in support of the government claiming the protestors were aour peoplea. Whether Bajwa meant to refer to apeoplea who had been consciously nurtured by his institution a namely the army a for ends unknown, or apeoplea who were merely exercising their democratic right to protest, may never be known. What is known and clearly in the public domain is the fulsome praise showered on Bajwa by Barelvi leaders, who hailed his decision to set his role as the guarantor of their interests above the militaryas constitutional responsibility to assist the civilian government when called upon to do so. It hardly needs saying (again) that current developments in Pakistan are far from conducive to stable government. Nor indeed are they welcome at a time when Pakistan hopes to emerge as the hub of ambitious new schemes of regional co-operation piloted by China. But so long as the stateas vexed relation to Islam is allowed to hold governments to ransom in Pakistan, we can all expect to witness a re-run of present events. The writer is an associate fellow of the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London and the author of aMaking Sense of Pakistana o o o The Washington Post, December 8, 2017 Whatas behind the Islamist protests in Pakistan? by Niloufer Siddiqui Three weeks of protests ended in Pakistanas capital, Islamabad, on Nov. 26, with the resignation of the countryas federal law minister a a demand of the hard-line Islamist protesters. The countryas major English-language newspaper termed the deal a acapitulationa and aa devastating blow to the legitimacy and moral standing of the government and all state institutions.a The protests, which had effectively paralyzed the city after blocking a major highway, resulted in the loss of at least six lives and 200 injured. They were sparked by a minor change to the oath taken by election candidates, which slightly altered the language declaring the prophet Muhammad as the final prophet a a central belief of the Islamic faith. The change was dismissed by the government as a aclerical errora and quickly reversed. However, the protests continued, calling, among other things, for the law minister to resign for his alleged blasphemy in overseeing this change. At the root of the issue was whether this tweak was intended to benefit the widely ostracized Ahmadi sect. Further underlying the protests, and the stateas response to them, are a number of key, recurrent issues in Pakistani politics: the troubling use of the blasphemy law, the street power of Islamists, the gray zone between political parties and militant actors a and of course, when it comes to Pakistan, civil-military relations arenat too far beneath the surface. Here are the main things to understand about the protests a and the trends to watch for. Who were the protesters? The protests were spearheaded by a newly formed political party, the Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah Pakistan (TLP). The party adheres to a sub-sect of Sunni Islam which emphasizes personal devotion to the prophet Muhammad, engages in such practices as the veneration of saints, and has typically been considered moderate and tolerant. As a result of some of these practices, the sub-sect has been a victim of extremist outfits in Pakistan, such as the Pakistan Taliban. But the TLP itself has violent origins. It was formed in large part to express support of Mumtaz Qadri, who killed the governor of Punjab for defending the rights of a woman accused of blasphemy in 2011. As the TLP seeks to establish itself as a relevant political force, the already fuzzy boundary between traditional Islamist electoral parties and explicitly militant a but not political a groups such as the Taliban is becoming increasingly blurred. While the countryas largest Islamist parties are no stranger to the art of street protests and vigilante action, the TLPas open incitement to violence and its avowedly sectarian nature are more emblematic of anti-Shiite movements in the country. These movements have been responsible for the killings of thousands of Shiites, at the same time as political wings affiliated with them contest elections. Individual clerics associated with such sectarian groups are also increasingly becoming important local actors, controlling vital vote banks, and proving to be valuable electoral allies for mainstream political parties. What led to the protests? The protests last month were related to the status of Ahmadis, a minority group that identifies as Muslim but diverges from other Islamic sects over the belief that the founder of their faith is the last messiah. For their beliefs, Ahmadis have long suffered mob violence and targeted attacks by Islamist groups. Street protests have played a central role in the Ahmadi issue, with protesters demanding, and state authorities largely acceding to, a steady erosion of Ahmadi rights. The Pakistani state resisted anti-Ahmadi street agitation in 1953, but since then, it has frequently capitulated to Islamist demands, including adding a 1974 constitutional provision that Ahmadis were non-Muslim. The alleged change in the election act in 2017, which precipitated the most recent crisis, was perceived as softening this constitutional amendment. The protestsa success threatens to embolden those who seek to use blasphemy accusations a a capital offense a as a tool in personal or political disputes. The law minister who resigned as a result of the protests was forced to apologize and, to counter these accusations of blasphemy, assure the nation that he believed in the finality of the prophet. Civil-military relations: a perpetual challenge The manner in which the protests ultimately disbanded demonstrates the outsized role of the military in Pakistani politics. The protestas leader made clear that he would negotiate with the army and not the civilian government, and the list of demands to which the government ultimately agreed includes a note of gratitude to the chief of army staff for asaving the nation from a big catastrophe.a The armyas role was such that an Islamabad high justice released a scathing order criticizing it for extra-constitutional meddling. A video showing a member of an army-controlled paramilitary force distributing money to the protesters further raises questions about the armyas motivations. Coupled with the army calling for nonviolence on both sides, which was seen as equating the civilian government with the hard-line protesters, journalists and political analysts have asked whether the army is seeking to a once again a influence upcoming national elections. In particular, the entry of the TLP and other newly formed religious parties into Punjabi electoral politics can make a dent in the vote bank of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), whose support base stems largely from a right-leaning religious electorate. The power of Islamists a who have historically failed at the polls a emanates primarily from their ability to get people out on the streets. However, their ability to weaken the vote share of mainstream parties is proving increasingly important. The recent release of a militant leader thought to be responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks is being interpreted in a similar vein. The armyas role aside, parties such as the PML-N know that they must ally with such religious actors a or, at the very least, avoid antagonizing them a or risk losing voters. Opposition political parties were quick to capitalize on the PML-Nas failure to manage the situation, publicly siding with the protesters. These electoral considerations encourage appeasement of militant actors by strengthening and entrenching them in politics. The stateas most recent capitulation to the protesters remains a continuation of a dangerous trend of ceding space to militant actors. Niloufer A. Siddiqui is a postdoctoral fellow at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs at the University at Albany-State University of New York. o o o Dawn, December 08, 2017 After Faizabad a what is to be done ? by Ammar Rashid There has been a tangible sense of despair among liberal and progressive commentators in the wake of the stateas capitulation to the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) at Faizabad. It has been said that the stateas writ has been forfeited, mobs now dictate policy, and extremism has permeated deep into societyas roots. While there is truth to such lamentations, there is also an urgent need to move beyond such cathartic grieving, to learn from what this moment signified, and strategise affirmatively for the future. Fascism unbound It is important to remember that the forfeiture of the stateas writ in Faizabad has not occurred without its own complicity. This is true both in a historical and a current sense. The blasphemy and anti-Ahmedi laws, whose protection has animated the new surge of fanaticism, were strengthened and weaponised by the Pakistani state. More recently, the spate of enforced disappearances of progressive bloggers, and the orchestrated campaign of vilification against them earlier in the year, had insidiously conflated political dissent against the establishment with blasphemy. In this context, the public affirmation of Khadim Hussain Rizvias demands by the state at Faizabad was the logical culmination of the anti-blasphemy hysteria collusively fomented by the state and the right. Nearly all political or religious dissent against the majoritarian consensus was now deemed a legitimate target for lethal violence. Yet, even if the state is complicit in the rise of fascism, that does not imply it is in control of the passions that have been aroused. Among the most chilling aspects of Faizabad was that it took us a step closer to public sanction for mass murder. As the TLYRA leaders demanded the publication of an Ahmadi registry and the creation of state commissions dedicated to the persecution of the minority group, the stateas acquiescence signified its nod to steps that, historically speaking, have foreshadowed genocide. The mesmerised mob-like euphoria that would greet Khadim Hussain Rizvias onstage invocation of rhetorical violence against religious aenemiesa also provided a legible blueprint for how such mass violence could easily be made to occur. Fascist movements are not an uncommon sight in the world today a across the globe, movements have resurfaced that have transformed the economic and cultural anxieties of ordinary people into political projects that scapegoat racial and religious minorities. Just months ago, American Nazis openly marched in Charlottesville, Virginia with torches in hand, chanting aJews will not replace usa and calling for the establishment of a white ethno-state in the US. European streets from Greece to Poland have witnessed fascist marches seething with anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic hatred in the past year alone. The crucial difference is that across the democratic world, such public displays of bigotry are usually met with organised resistance. The Nazis at Charlottesville were met by larger numbers of anti-fascist and leftist activists, one of whom paid for her defiance with her life. From anarchists in Greece to communists in India, the forward march of the organised far right has been opposed and defied on the streets, usually by political workers of a progressive disposition. The fascist frenzy that lasted for three weeks at Faizabad however, saw no such street challenge, allowing for an impression that it represented majority sentiment. Pakistani progressives a insufficient or ineffective? Quite often, the explanation offered for such inaction in Pakistan revolves around a widely-prevalent idea that liberals and progressives in Pakistan are simply too minuscule a minority to exert any influence in an overwhelmingly conservative polity. Articles abound in the international press about Pakistanas permanently abeleaguereda liberal minority while jokes habitually crop up on social media about how liberal and left Pakistanis can be counted on two hands. This perception is understandable. But it is also something of a careless underestimation. There is of course little doubt that the predominant political disposition in the Islamic republic is one that is conservative and authoritarian. Yet, after a decade of deadly fundamentalist violence, with often visible links to state institutions and laws; frustration from the senseless bloodshed, and lost lives and opportunities has crystallised in a significant progressive minority, which is severely disenchanted with the destructive character of the state and its proxies. Until now, the bulk of this minority is visible largely on social media. If the content and volume of engagement on liberal and progressive social media platforms is anything to go by, Pakistanis who believe in a greater degree of individual religious liberty, democratic continuity, political freedoms, socio-economic justice, and liberties for women and minorities, number in at least the hundreds of thousands, if not more. Yet one rarely sees even a fraction of such numbers amassed for these causes in the streets. As Aasim Sajjad notes in his recent column, it is this inability of most progressives to consciously act as members of a political community that constitutes a stiffer challenge than the supposed smallness of their numbers. The TLYRAas cadres too were not present in enormous numbers at Faizabad a there were a couple thousand of them at best at the height of the sit-in a yet they managed to cultivate the impression of representing popular sentiment. Even if one accounts for the support of the deep state, they were simply much more organised than Pakistani progressives are today. Why is this so? Popular opinion dictates that Pakistanas descent into madness is the product of an ideological shift a one in which progressives have simply been marginalised by the rightward drift of political convictions. But there is also a practical, material dimension to this shift a it has also been a consequence of the loss of the leftas organisational forms and spaces, which has greatly weakened and diminished progressive politics over time. In the 20th century, political Islamism, while still a force, was kept in check by the presence of formidable progressive political and social forces. Parties like the National Awami Party (NAP), social movements like the Khudai Khidmatgar, and the once-powerful left-wing labour, farmer, and student organisations, not only used to provide an ideological counterweight to the far right, but also channelled working peopleas class and nationalistic grievances against an unrepresentative and exploitative economic and political system. As decades of both military and civilian authoritarianism destroyed those class-based organisations through violent repression and bans, they also undermined the organic reproduction of political subjects who self-identified and acted primarily through the secular categories of class and regional nationalisms. The loss of these organisational spaces amid a global decline of left-wing politics after the Cold War was catastrophic for progressive politics in Pakistan. Shorn of both their shared clout and interactive spaces, progressives split up into disparate Marxist, liberal, and ethno-nationalist camps, each seeking their own form of accommodation with the state. This often resulted in dubious political positions, from tacit support by some for the Musharraf coup to backing non-transparent military operations. At the same time, the loss of progressive class-based organisations also meant a withering of the close relationships between progressive intellectuals and working classes that had fuelled the left-wing struggles of the 20th century. Increasingly, it was the ideologues of the right that filled the space progressives had vacated. As the state and its American and Gulf benefactors patronised extremist mosques and seminaries, class grievances began to be morphed and politically mobilised through increasingly exclusionary and reactionary expressions of religious identity. The earlier struggles against class exploitation by feudal, capitalist and imperialist elites were replaced with crude fundamentalist formulations about aWestern cultural invasiona, often defined to mean anything remotely progressive as coming from the aWesta, from womenas freedoms to music and dance. Rizvias TLYRA is merely the latest iteration in this process of class contradictions being cynically mobilised in the service of totalitarian ideology. Rebuilding progressive organisations and collective spaces a be it through joining existing ones, forming new ones, or overturning senseless legal restrictions like the 33-year-old student union ban a is critical if fascism is to be fought. Agonising over the need for acounter-narrativesa is pointless if the social and political collectives that will popularise and enact these narratives are weak or non-existent. As such collectives are rebuilt, so too will the possibilities of both class and inter-ethnic solidarity and indigenous cultural resistance that were the mainstay of the progressive politics of our past. A return to a constructive class politics However, even as progressives reorganise, it is also clear that they cannot simply do so under the banner of secularism and tolerance alone. For a disaffected young generation whose subjectivity was forged by the post-Zia Pakistani state and the imperialist invasions of the 9-11 era, there is an overwhelming suspicion of such labels as being a cover for more sinister motivations. While secular pluralism must remain central to the foundations of any progressive political project, progressives cannot rely solely on symbols of an ideological milieu that has not been experienced by a majority of the population, and that hence, carries few positive connotations for them. To render such ideals palatable to a conservative majority, they have to be tied to and synonymised with political demands aimed at the redistribution of wealth and power. This is not just important because Pakistan is one of the most obscenely unequal societies in the world, where millions of under-employed and poorly educated young men, living alienated lives with bleak prospects, become useful fodder for fundamentalist entrepreneurs, who convince them of the possibility of finding purpose in fighting imaginary threats to religious honour. It is also important because in a populist era, in which the legitimacy of the political and economic status quo is crumbling, a progressive project can only succeed in blocking the right-wing onslaught with popular support if it actively seeks to transform existing relationships of power (rather than seek accommodation and areconciliationa with the status quo, as most formerly liberal-left parties have done). There are two principal ways in which this political project can be constructed. The first has to do with undertaking conscious and collective resistance against excesses of political and economic power. Anyone who stakes a claim to progressive politics must work to support those engaged in struggles for a more just distribution of resources a and there are many. This includes, among others, workers protesting for living wages and formal contracts, katchi abadi residents struggling for dignified housing, farmers demanding rights to the land they till, women fighting against patriarchal violence, ethno-nationalist political workers protesting for the right to freely express their beliefs, and indigenous communities protesting the destruction of their local ecology by the state and private capital. If such disparate struggles can be brought together as a collective movement for peopleas rights, they can create the critical mass needed to revive the political clout of the left. However, a politics of redistribution cannot solely be confrontational, be it on the question of the civil-military imbalance, extremism , or resource distribution. In order to be effective, our politics must also be constructive. It must seek to mobilise and deploy common resources to meet peopleas collective needs. This is critical, in part, because the madrassahs and charity networks have exploited the survival needs of the poor to great effect. Constructive programmes rooted in an ethic of participatory and cooperative labour for the collective good are also part of both the progressive traditions from our regionas past, as well as contemporary revivals in progressive socio-economic movements on the left from Cuba to Nepal. Such work is easier said than done and will require years to build. But the political worth of constructive forms of productive and redistributive work is undeniable. Even in our recent context, the example of Edhi is instructive a till his death, Edhi remained an unapologetic humanist and avowed follower of Marx, speaking out for the liberation of the poor, women and minorities, while often taking unorthodox theological positions that could easily have landed others in the dock for blasphemy. Yet, the peerless example he established through his constructive humanitarian work ensured that he could openly speak truth to power without fear. Of course, not everyone can be Edhi, nor is the suggestion that all progressives should rush to establish charitable institutions. The forms such interventions may take depends on the context, resources and capacity. What is important is the principle of creating cooperative models of fulfilling peopleas needs that can become vehicles for the transmission of egalitarian ideas and practices, and reflect the society progressives wish to see in the future. If even small numbers of people around the country begin to engage in such forms of conscious collective practice over the next few years, it will help create the sense of purpose, community and identity required for the popular rejuvenation of progressive politics. Perhaps more than anything, progressives must become conscious of the legitimacy and urgency of their cause. There are a great many people who can sense things are going awry, and that violence and injustice in the name of religion, national security and petty political interests have gone on far too long. Yet, there remains a certain timidity in thought and action, remnants of a political culture long afflicted with defeatism, and wracked by self-doubt and fears, about the reactions of a society that never fails to punish the mildest of critical thought and speech. We are now at the point where we no longer have a choice. The state, the extremists, and their enablers in political society have pushed this society to the brink of collapse. Faced with this realisation, their only answer is to further divert peopleas frustrations toward imaginary foreign and domestic enemies. The progressive agenda; of the democratisation of the state, of the redistribution of resources to meet ordinary peopleas basic needs, of an end to the doctrine of national security and strategic depth, of the celebration of ethnic, national, religious and ideological difference and diversity, of the dismantling of patriarchal oppression, of the rejuvenation of the ecology; is a decisively better one. More than anyone else, progressives themselves need to overcome their doubts to realise this and consciously act upon it. Otherwise, our descent into barbarism is inevitable. [ SEE ALSO: Capitulation - Editorial in Dawn November 28, 2017 ] Frank Campo is a board member of the Committee to Improve North County and an Honorary Squadron Commander for the Western Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Child molester/gymnastics coach Larry Nassar gets maxed-out, 60-year federal prison sentence for child porn offenses | Main | "Portugals radical drugs policy is working. Why hasnt the world copied it?" December 8, 2017 SCOTUS grants cert on two(!) federal sentence reduction issues The Supreme Court this afternoon issued his new order list which adds seven new cases to its merits docket. Two of the new cases involve (narrow) related federal sentencing issues concerning the application of 18 USC 3582(c)(2). Here are the case pages and issues via SCOTUSblog: Hughes v. United States Issue : Whether, under Freeman v. United States, a petitioner is eligible for a sentence reduction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2) based on a retroactive amendment to the Sentencing Guidelines, when the petitioner was sentenced after entering into a binding Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(C) plea agreement that required a specific sentence not expressly tied to the guidelines. Koons v. United States Issues: Whether a defendant who is subject to a statutory mandatory minimum sentence, but who substantially assisted the government and received a sentence below the mandatory minimum pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3553(e), is eligible for a further sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2), when the Sentencing Commission retroactively lowers the advisory sentencing guidelines range that would have applied in the absence of the statutory mandatory minimum. As long-time readers should know, I am not a big fan of undue finality concerns in the sentencing context (see paper here), so my first instinct is to root for SCOTUS to take an expansive view of the reach and application of 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(2). But I will need to dig into the particulars of these cases before being ready to make any predictions about where the Justices may want to go with them. But, as long-time readers should also know, a cert grant on TWO sentencing cases makes me a happy camper no matter what may follow. December 8, 2017 at 05:54 PM | Permalink Comments Post a comment SIOUX CITY Morningside College has announced two new full-time admissions counselors. Valarie Hernandez and Liz Pyburn will work with prospective students and their families within an assigned territory. Hernandez is the admissions counselor for portions of Nebraska, including Lincoln, and the state of Kansas. She earned a bachelors degree from Morningside in May. Pyburn is the admissions counselor for portions of Nebraska and the states of Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. She previously owned and operated Milk Run Donut Cafe in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She earned a bachelors degree from Morningside in 2010. SIOUX CITY | Sioux City has installed the first wheelchair charging station in the state at its Martin Luther King Ground Transportation Center. The station, which sits at Fifth and Nebraska streets, is equipped with a standard power cord and charger that allows people who use wheelchairs or scooters an opportunity to charge at a location other than their home. A grant awarded to the Siouxland District Health Department funded the proejct. A city news release said it will provide added security for people who use electric mobility devices since the fear of losing a charge often prevents, limits or stops participation in community events. "We all know how frustrating it can be to have our cellphone die, but imagine the worry one has when relying on a scooter or a motorized wheelchair to navigate the city," City Councilman Alex Watters, who himself uses a motorized wheelchair, said in the release. "Hopefully this device can ease their worries and give them a little extra power to get on their way." The stations are being installed at various locations around the country to create more inclusive communities. They were designed and built by Darrin Umbarger, a wheelchair user who is a native of Oregon. The project was completed through a partnership of the Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council and the health department's Disability and Health Coalition. SIOUX CITY | Samantha, the small snowy-white Maltese with a playful personality, sold for $15,000 at Saturday's Little Yellow Dog Auction. The four-month-old dog was purchased by Darlene Erickson at the 82nd annual event, held noon Saturday in the atrium of the Ho-Chunk Centre. "I lost my dog this year, and it was a 16-year-old Maltese," Erickson said. "I wanted to get another dog, and this was just an opportune time for me to do this." Erickson, who worked at Wells Fargo Bank for 45 years and has been involved with the Little Yellow Dog event as a secretary for 25 years, said she plans to re-name the dog Daisy. Proceeds from the auction, sponsored by the Little Yellow Dog order, will benefit the Sioux City Journals Mr. Goodfellow Charity, a tradition that provides gifts and books to 8,000 underprivileged area children at Christmastime. Sue Stusse, treasurer of the Mr. Goodfellow Charity, said overall proceeds from the event totaled around $132,500 as of Saturday afternoon. She said she expected the charity to easily reach its goal of $135,000 in the coming days. The generosity of this community I tell you what, its overwhelming," she said. "People were writing $5,000 checks here and there." The Journal's Goodfellows fund began in 1914 to provide Christmas toys to needy children and expanded in 1936 to include the auction of a puppy. Toy giveaways will take place 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 501 Pavonia St., the warehouse directly south of the Journal building. Families must apply for the Goodfellow toys with the application that is running every day in The Journal and in the Siouxland Shoppers Guide. An application can also be picked up at The Journal, 515 Pavonia St. An estimated 200 people attended Saturday's auction. The event was also broadcast via live-feed on the Journal's website and on KSCJ radio. In addition to the auction, it featured Christmas tunes from Sioux City's All-America Concert Band. KSCJ Radio's Charlie Stone and Dave Nixon, a former anchor for KTIV and KCAU television, emceed the event. Samantha was donated this year by Powell Broadcasting, the company that owns KSCJ an a group of other local radio stations, as part of its celebration of KSCJ's 90-year anniversary. The puppy's name, Samantha, was a tribute to the late Sam Seldon, a longtime engineer and historian at KSCJ who was heavily involved in the Yellow Dog auction each year and with KSCJ's broadcasts of the auction. During last year's auction, Aspen, a 14-week-old Maltese, was sold for $16,000 to an anonymous Sioux City buyer. The fiancee of former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, is speaking out publicly to push back against claims by President Donald Trump and his team that Papadopoulos was just a "coffee boy" on the campaign. Papadopoulos' fiancee, Simona Mangiante, told CNN in an interview that Papadopoulos was "everything but a coffee boy" who worked with senior members of the Trump campaign. Mangiante said she is speaking out now because her fiance cannot. "His contributions to the campaign has been much more relevant than bringing coffee," she said. "I think they wanted to disassociate from the first person who decided to actively cooperate with the government, on the right side. And probably the easiest way out is to dismiss his personality and lower him to a low-level volunteer." Papadopoulos' role on the Trump campaign has been the subject of intense debate since his guilty plea was made public by special counsel Robert Mueller in October. The court documents detailed how he reached out to a London professor with connections to the Russian government who had offered damaging information on Hillary Clinton. After Papadopoulos' guilty plea was made public in October, President Donald Trump, the White House and Trump campaign officials downplayed his role. "Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar," Trump tweeted the day after the guilty plea was made public. "It was a volunteer position," said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. "And again, no activity was ever done in an official capacity on behalf of the campaign in that regard." "He was the coffee boy," former Trump campaign adviser Michael Caputo told CNN. But Mangiante, an Italian national, says her fiancee -- whom she first connected with in September 2016 -- was in touch with many high-level campaign officials during the campaign, and he worked with former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn during the transition. Papadopoulos is pictured in a March 2016 photo of then-candidate Trump meeting with his foreign policy team. "He worked with Michael Flynn during the transition, and he was actively contributing to the foreign policy strategies for the campaign," Mangiante said. "He didn't take any initiative on his own without campaign approval." She said he had communications with campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, campaign executive director Michael Glassner, campaign co-chairman Sam Clovis, campaign chairman Paul Manafort, executive chairman Steve Bannon, campaign adviser Rick Dearborn, and, during the transition, Flynn. Most have denied, downplayed or said they didn't recall their interactions with him. "He helped those editing Trump's speech on foreign policy. He attended many events and entertained contacts with high level officials of different countries," Mangiante said. "He was actively giving his input and insight in terms of strategies, and of course he was in contact with high level officials and got approved for any initiative." Papadopoulos also represented the Trump campaign at various meetings with foreign officials up to Inauguration Day. He met with a British government official, and the Jerusalem Post obtained video showing he met with Israeli settlers in Washington. Mangiante said that Russia was a secondary issue for Papadopoulos on the campaign, and his work focused more on Egypt and Israel. As a foreign policy adviser, Papadopoulos made numerous attempts to connect the Trump campaign with senior officials in the Russian government. Court documents show Papadopoulos emailed campaign officials in March 2016 about setting up a meeting in Moscow "between us (the Trump campaign) and the Russian leadership to discuss US-Russia ties under President Trump." A campaign supervisor, who was not named in the court documents but is now identified as Clovis, responded by saying "great work." "I would encourage you" to "make the trip, if it is feasible," he later wrote. Mangiante said the campaign's deputy communications director, Bryan Lanza, who is now a CNN contributor, signed off on Papadopoulos doing an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax. Lanza declined to comment. Mangiante said that Papadopoulos did not talk about his Russia connections with her, but she was interviewed by the FBI in October. A key focus of the interview, she said, was on the professor who met with Papadopoulos and offered the dirt on Clinton, who has been identified as Joseph Mifsud. Mangiante said she hopes Trump will pardon her fiance, who is awaiting sentencing and continues to cooperate with the FBI. "I'm very proud of it, of this choice to cooperate with the right side of history," she said. This story has been updated. Heres one way to determine what people --- and voters, presumably --- care about. On a weeknight during the holiday season in the state Capital, roughly 600 people attended events featuring discussions on Iowas mental health care and low-income health care systems. Even in the states biggest city, thats a lot of folks venturing out to hear about and discuss issues of the day. Its a headcount to which every state-level office-holder and candidate should pay close attention. On Tuesday evening, the Des Moines Register and Des Moines University hosted a forum on mental health care issues with the candidates running for governor in next years election. All 13 challengers appeared; Gov. Kim Reynolds was unable to attend due to a family vacation. Roughly 400 people attended. At the same time, the state Health Department held a public hearing on its $5 billion Medicaid program. State officials listened to thoughts and concerns from roughly 200 people. The concerns with the mental health care system are not necessarily new, nor are they confined to Iowa. States across the country are attempting to determine how best to serve residents with mental health care needs. Iowa recently shifted to a regional delivery system, which some advocates believe has helped. But concerns remain over bed and physician shortages, and stress on the law enforcement community, to name a few. Concerns with Medicaid largely surround the recent shift to privately managed care. Already, some people have expressed frustration that services, especially for those with a high level of care needs, have been reduced. Then, one of the three private companies being paid by the state to monitor the program dropped out, and a second said it can take no more new patients. There will be elections for the Iowa Legislature and governor in 2018. The party primary elections are in June, and the general election is in November. It would seem the candidates would do well to discuss mental health care and low-income health care issues, if they truly want to connect with Iowa voters on a topic that's clearly important to them. A tight race in Alabama The special election for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama is headed down to the wire, according to the latest from the University of Virginias Crystal Ball from Larry Sabato. The race between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones is a toss-up going into Tuesdays election, the Crystal Ball said this week. Much national attention has been paid to the race because of Republicans narrow 52-46 advantage in the U.S. Senate (both independents caucus with the Democrats) and charges of sexual misconduct from multiple women against Moore. Normally, this would figure to be a safe seat for the GOP. The Crystal Ball notes the polls, in aggregate, show Moore with a narrow lead within a typical margin for error. As the race enters its final days, there are reasons for optimism on both sides, though because of Alabamas conservatism, we suspect the Moore team may have more reason for it, the Crystal Ball said. A special election in Minnesota Iowas northern neighbor also could soon have a special election for a U.S. Senate seat after Democrat Al Franken announced this week he plans to resign in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. If Minnesota winds up with a special election, the Crystal Ball says the race would start with a rating of leans Democratic. The Democrats have a deeper bench of talent in the state and (Gov. Mark) Dayton will have the choice of several quality candidates to appoint, the Crystal Ball said. The midterm environment, which should have a Democratic lean with President Trump in the White House, helps Democrats in Minnesota too. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois government has taken a diplomatic approach to the European Unions (E.U.) decision to shame Samoa and 16 other countries on its tax havens blacklist. In a statement issued by the Principal Communications Officer, Press and Communications Division, Funefeai Dikaiosune Tamaalii yesterday, Cabinet assures it is working with the European Union to comply with their obligations. The government of Samoa confirms its commitment to meet its obligations for compliance under the Code of Conduct Group of the European Council on taxation by the deadline, the statement reads. This official confirmation is being issued as a signed letter by both the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Revenue. The government does not provide the letter. But the statement says the latter is addressed to the Chair of the Code of Conduct group to assure Samoas commitment within the prescribed time frame of 2018. The letter is also in addition to the Ministry for Revenues response sent to the Chair of the Code of Conduct Group on the 2nd November 2017 in relation to results as identified from its screening process. Samoa offers assurance of its willingness to work with the European Union Council in their current assessment for tax purposes as well as reassuring them that the Ministry for Revenue and the Government has never faltered nor withdrawn its commitment to ensure Samoas international obligations are addressed within given timeframes. The response from the government comes after the E.U. listed Samoa as one of 17 countries blacklisted as tax havens. The list part of the E.Us bid to crack down on tax avoidance. Other countries include American Samoa, Bahrain, Barbados, Grenada, Guam, South Korea, Macau, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Namibia, Palau, Panama, St Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates. The EU said the countries weren't meeting international standards and hadn't made sufficient commitments to change their ways. E.U. Council Head. Toomas Toniste said the list will be regularly reviewed until "good tax governance becomes the new norm". The blacklisting means the countries may not be eligible for certain types of financial help from the E.U. In a separate statement, the Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa International Finance Authority (S.I.F.A), Tootooleaava Dr. Fanaafi Aiono-Le Tagaloa, said Samoa has assured the E.U. about her commitment to remain internationally responsible, and compliant. Tootooleaava explained that Samoa is a member of the Group of International Finance Centre Supervisors (G.I.F.C.S.) and the Group of International Insurance Centre Supervisors (G.I.I.C.S.) through the Samoa International Finance Authority. The Independent State of Samoa is meeting, and continuing its efforts to meet a number of international standards set by international standard setting bodies of which Samoa is a committed and responsible active member, on various fronts, such as tax, money-laundering and terrorism financing, she said. The following is the statement issued by S.I.F.A. published verbatim: The Independent State of Samoa is meeting, and continuing its efforts to meet a number of international standards set by international standard setting bodies of which Samoa is a committed and responsible active member, on various fronts, such as tax, money-laundering and terrorism financing. Samoa is a member of the Group of International Finance Centre Supervisors (G.I.F.C.S.), and the Group of International Insurance Centre Supervisors (G.I.I.C.S) through the Samoa International Finance Authority. Samoa is also a member of the O.E.C.D. Global Forum and its Peer Review Group where the Ministry for Revenue is the Competent Authority; and of the Asia Pacific Group (A.P.G.) on Anti Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (the Regional body of the Financial Action Task Force (F.A.T.F.)), where the Money Laundering Prevention Authority (housed in the Central Bank of Samoa), is the Competent Authority. The G.I.F.C.S. has promulgated a standard (T.C.S.P. Standard), for the adherence and assessment of its members regulation of trust company service providers. Samoa has incorporated the T.C.S.P. Standard into its newly enacted Trustee Companies Act 2017, in order to comply with the G.I.F.C.S. standard, and in preparation of Samoas review under the same. The Trustee Companies Act 2017 also incorporates the necessary provisions to reflect the 2016 Terms of Reference, which is the new standard set by the O.E.C.Ds Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. Samoa has been assessed under the old standard (2010 Terms of Reference) and has met the requisite level of compliance under the 2010 standard, and therefore will now be assessed under the new standard, come July 2018. The O.E.C.D. Global Forum has 146 member nations, and is the largest international forum on tax. Furthermore, still pursuant to the O.E.C.D. Global Forum Standard Samoa has committed, and is due to execute Automatic Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, in September 2018. Again, pursuant to the 2010 and 2016 standards Samoa amended its tax legislation as well as other international finance legislation in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The F.A.T.F. Recommendations 2012, and Methodology 2013, forms the current standard regarding anti money-laundering and counter terrorism financing, pursuant to which Samoa was successfully reviewed in 2014/2015. The F.A.T.F., unlike the O.E.C.D., has regional sub-groups and for Samoa it is the Asia Pacific Group (A.P.G.) on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing, that is the relevant regional body of which Samoa is a member. In response to the tectonic shifts in the regulatory environment Samoa has modernised its legislation, incorporating sensible and appropriate protections to meet international standards. Evidenced by the fact that the Independent State of Samoa does not appear on any O.E.C.D., or F.A.T.F(.A.P.G.), or G.I.F.C.S. list. The European Union (E.U.), unlike the G20 which relies on the O.E.C.D. process, unilaterally decided to have its own review/standard and assessment. Even though many, if not all of the E.U. members are also G20 and O.E.C.D. Global Forum members. The E.U. membership, unlike the O.E.C.D. and F.A.T.F., is not international, as it has a parochial focus. Its review/assessment process, as compared to the O.E.C.D. and F.A.T.Fs is not fully transparent, especially with regard to monitoring; nor is their review process by peers, which in contrast, is the case for the O.E.C.D. Global Forum, the F.A.T.F. (A.P.G.), and the G.I.F.C.S. These differences between the E.U., and the O.E.C.D. and the F.A.T.F., may partially explain aspects of the E.U. Listing. For example, Guam and American Samoa which are U.S. territories are on the E.U. List, but the United States of America is not. Some offshore jurisdictions are listed like Panama, while others, like Cook Islands, Wyoming and Delaware U.S.A., are not; when the U.S.A., Panama and Cook Islands are all in the O.E.C.D. Global Forum and the F.A.T.F., and have been duly reviewed under their respective standards, and yet here, the E.U. has rated them differently. Samoa actively and promptly responded and cooperated with the EU and their process, meeting the mid-year and 17 November 2017 deadlines for response; while at the same time meeting its obligations under the international standards of the O.E.C.D. and G20, F.A.T.F., and G.I.F.C.S. Samoa has also given the E.U. assurances and indications of the Independent State of Samoas commitment to maintain its endeavours to remain internationally responsible, and compliant. WASHINGTON (December 8, 2017)The U.S. Department of Defense recently announced the following contract awards that pertain to local Navy activities., is being awardedfor modification P00059 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-14-C-0038) to exercise an option for range engineering, operations and maintenance services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Atlantic Test Range and the Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations Division. Services to be provided include system operations, laboratory and field testing, marine operations and target support, engineering, range sustainability, maintenance, data reduction and analysis. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy); and working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $27,920,366 will be obligated at time of award, $2,415,146 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded anindefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for technical analysis, engineering and integration services in support of the V-22 aircraft platform. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (50 percent); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2022. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The, is the contracting activity (N00019-18-D-0103).No applicable data., is being awarded aindefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the procurement of engineering and technical services in support of the Combat Integrated and Identification Systems (CI&IDS) Division for Systems Engineering and Technical Services Department (AIR-4.11.2). The contract provides systems engineering, research and analysis, technology assessment, requirements analysis, risk analysis, performance analysis and design engineering, test bed design and development, system test and evaluation, interface engineering, system integration engineering, installation and checkout planning, field engineering and technical support, engineering documentation, training services and quality assurance in support of CI&IDS. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (90 percent); and Lexington Park, Maryland (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2022. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals; one offer was received. The, is the contracting activity (N00421-18-D-0009)., is being awarded a not-to-exceedfirm-fixed-price modification P00003 to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-17-C-0015). This modification will provide for the acquisition of additional long-lead material and associated efforts required for the production and delivery of seven V-22 Lot 23 tilt-rotor aircraft for the Navy. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania (50 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (25 percent); and Amarillo, Texas (25 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $19,674,000 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The, is the contracting activity., is being awardedfor firm-fixed-price delivery order 0008 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0007) for the procurement of 41 A/A49E-7 (V4) gun turrets for AH-1Z helicopters in support of the Marine Corps and the government of Pakistan. Work will be performed in Williston, Vermont (50 percent); and Saco, Maine (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2021. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy); and foreign military sales funds in the amount of $9,064,921 are being obligated on this award, $221,096 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for U.S. Marine Corps ($5,969,582; 66 percent); and the government of Pakistan ($3,095,339; 34 percent), under the Foreign Military Sales program. The, is the contracting activity., is being awarded aindefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for integrated logistics services for the acquisition and life cycle sustainment of two weapon systems, the Naval Mission Planning Systems and the Theater Mission Planning Center. These services are in support of the Strike Planning and Execution Systems Program Office (PMA-281). Work will be performed in Marlton, New Jersey (76.91 percent); San Diego, California (6.15 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (4.62 percent); Whidbey Island, Washington (3.08 percent); Cherry Point, North Carolina (1.54 percent); Beaufort, South Carolina (1.54 percent); Lemoore, California (1.54 percent); Jacksonville, Florida (1.54 percent); Fallon, Nevada (1.54 percent); and Iwakuni, Japan (1.54 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2022. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; three offers were received. The, is the contracting activity (N00421-18-D-0011). ROCKVILLE, Md. (December 9, 2017)Two off-duty law enforcement officers were killed last night when they were struck while standing on the shoulder of I-270 in Montgomery County at the scene of a traffic crash. The identifications of the victims and their law enforcement agencies will be released later today, after families have been notified. The Maryland State Police investigation is continuing and details are incomplete at this time. The preliminary investigation indicates that at about 10:00 p.m. yesterday, an off-duty law enforcement officer called the Maryland State Police Rockville Barrack and reported he was out with what appeared to be a single-vehicle traffic crash in the fast lane of southbound I-270, north of Gude Drive. He requested assistance and blocked the approach to the damaged vehicles with his personal vehicle and activated his emergency flashers. His actions placed him in an official capacity at that time. Upon contacting the driver of the damaged vehicle, the law enforcement officer learned the driver was also in law enforcement. Both men moved to the shoulder of the fast lane, where they were standing when a southbound vehicle approached the scene. The investigation indicates the southbound vehicle swerved to the left, apparently to avoid the vehicles in lane one and struck both men on the shoulder. Both men were thrown over the jersey wall to the northbound side of I-270, where it appears at least one of them was struck by a northbound vehicle. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The other was transported to Suburban Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver and one passenger in the vehicle that struck the men were taken to Suburban Hospital. A second passenger in that car was taken to Shady Grove Hospital. The driver of the northbound vehicle that struck one of the men reported no injuries. There is no preliminary indication of alcohol involvement in these crashes. The causes of the initial and subsequent crashes remain under investigation by the Maryland State Police Crash Team. No charges have been filed at this time. Upon completion of the investigation, it will be presented to the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office for review. New Jersey racetracks could potentially receive a percentage of online gaming revenue if they partner with an existing Atlantic City casino operator. On Thursday, the state assembly passed amended bill 4255. The bill states that "a running or harness horse racetrack in this State may enter into an agreement with a casino located in Atlantic City, or such a casinos Internet gaming affiliate, that allows the racetracks premises to be available as a venue at which the holder of an Internet gaming account may place wagers at casinos using the Internet." The bill was initially introduced in October 2016, and passed in the assembly by a vote of 60-12 (with one abstaining). It would still need to be passed by state senate. It would bring more traffic into the racetracks, and they need it desperately, said Democratic Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, himself a former casino executive. According to Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of the Monmouth Park, tracks would essentially establish an area of the facility -- like an 'internet cafe' -- for patrons to place casino wagers. Tracks would be exempt from current laws that prohibit internet cafes from allowing online casino wagers. The casinos should realize that absolutely nothing will happen unless they agree to allow it through an agreement with a track, Drazin was quoted as saying. Nobody is forcing anything on them. This is really a win-win for the racing industry and the casino industry. In this week's edition of Rewind Robert Smith takes a look back 50 years ago to Canada's Centennial Year of 1967. As 2017 -- the year of our Country's 150th anniversary -- gets closer to an end, he offers readers another reminder of the events, people and other happenings as he did back in July of this year. The topics in today's piece were not a part of the July offering. As a reminiscence of 50 years ago I have chosen at random several different short stories and a few old photos to recall the year of 1967 which somehow seems not so long ago. My recollections cover both Canadian and U.S. topics. Windsor's Second Provincial Cup By the year 1967, the sport was blessed with one of the most famous and exciting horses of that era. Cardigan Bay, a wonder horse from New Zealand, infused new life into the sport in both Canada and the U.S. Racing for one of the top stables in the business -- that of Stanley Dancer -- Cardigan Bay made his first visit to Canada a memorable one. On March 8, 1967 Cardigan Bay electrified a Windsor audience of 8,434 wildly cheering fans [including this then much younger writer]. Despite the 36 degree temperature, the "Down Under" horse turned in a mile in 2:01 and turned back his seven opponents. The track was so full and congested that night that cars were turned away. The official crowd of 8,434 was understated as hundreds more jumped the fences and parked on area roadways. Some who made the trip from a distance never got to see the race. Left: Cardigan Bay and Stanley Dancer. Right: Hugh Wemp (L) of Centreville was Belleville's leading driver and received a trophy from local lawyer and supporter Robert Temple Left: Cardigan Bay and Stanley Dancer. Right: Hugh Wemp (L) of Centreville was Belleville's leading driver and received a trophy from local lawyer and supporter Robert Temple Belleville Holds Social Evening At End of 1967 Season The Quinte Driving and Riding Club had another successful year in 1967. A total of 17 nights were scheduled with two dates cancelled due to heavy rains. The wagering total was just over $199,000 -- a sizable increase over any previous year but racing officials were disappointed at the crowds based on the population of Belleville and area. President Gerald Vance was credited with doing a fine job leading the management of the track but indicated he would not be standing for re-election. He did however pledge his assistance for the incoming executive. Several awards were handed out with Hugh Wemp getting the points trophy, while leading percentage driver was James Cochrane of Colborne. Leo Law, handled locally by Don Heath, was horse of the year and owners Cliff Howie and George Thomas of Belleville received a cooler as their award. Driver Al Vance received the O'Keefe Brewing Co. trophy for achieving the meeting's fastest mile which was 2:09 with Campbell Chief, an indication of just how well the track was maintained. Purses were higher than ever before with the total on some nights reaching $1,400 for a nine-race card. The Black Diamond Cheese Stake held during the annual fair was a highlight of the 1967 season and was won by Tip Cee Chief. C.S.H.S. Has First $100,000 Plus Sale Horseman Ken Galbraith, originally from Tara Ont., appears with the crack trotting colt Bradley Song. As a yearling this son of Dick Song out of the producing mare Nancy Van topped the annual C.S.H.S sale and helped raise the overall total past the $100,000 mark for the first time ever. The top bidder at $5,200 was Toronto sportsman Bruce Smith, owner of Galleon Stables who owned the colt's full brother Danny Song A., an aged trotting star for many seasons. Horseman Ken Galbraith, originally from Tara Ont., appears with the crack trotting colt Bradley Song. As a yearling this son of Dick Song out of the producing mare Nancy Van topped the annual C.S.H.S sale and helped raise the overall total past the $100,000 mark for the first time ever. The top bidder at $5,200 was Toronto sportsman Bruce Smith, owner of Galleon Stables who owned the colt's full brother Danny Song A., an aged trotting star for many seasons. The sale, which was held at the CNE Centre on November 22 and 23, saw a total of 204 horses of all descriptions go through the auction. The final total was $100,225 which meant an average of $491 -- well below the previous year. Sales manager Wm. McDonnell said, "I was personally hoping to see us top that $100,000 plateau and we did; just barely though." Unlike some sale toppers Bradley Song soon lived up to his expectations. In 1968 his season started on August 10 with a third place finish in a qualifier at Greenwood and proceeded through to the end of September. His two-year-old campaign consisted of a total of just six starts but they were productive ones. He won four races and finished second in the other two. His biggest triumph came in September when he captured The Supertest Stake which carried a very attractive purse of $10,965. At season's end, he had banked a whopping $20,439 which was almost unheard of at that time. Returns such as this gave new hope to everyone in the sport. Dexter Cup Harness Racing's All Time Richest Race In October of 1967 history was made when Flamboyant (1) with Bill Haughton at the reins won the $183,465 Dexter Cup by a half length over Halifax Hanover (7) owned by Armstrong Bros. The scene of the world's richest harness race was Roosevelt Raceway in Long Island, New York. The mile time of 2:04 3/5 seems slow by today's standards but 50 years ago it was very appropriate. The record for the Dexter at that time was 2:03 3/5 set by Armbro Flight and Joe O'Brien in 1965. It was quite a year for Haughton at Roosevelt as he also won the Messenger Stakes, Realization Trot and Commodore Pace. (Hoof Beats) In October of 1967 history was made when Flamboyant (1) with Bill Haughton at the reins won the $183,465 Dexter Cup by a half length over Halifax Hanover (7) owned by Armstrong Bros. The scene of the world's richest harness race was Roosevelt Raceway in Long Island, New York. The mile time of 2:04 3/5 seems slow by today's standards but 50 years ago it was very appropriate. The record for the Dexter at that time was 2:03 3/5 set by Armbro Flight and Joe O'Brien in 1965. It was quite a year for Haughton at Roosevelt as he also won the Messenger Stakes, Realization Trot and Commodore Pace. (Hoof Beats) As a matter of comparison other top paying races that year were as follows with their respective purse in brackets. The Hambletonian ($122,650), Little Brown Jug ($84,788), Centennial Pace held at Blue Bonnets ($50,000), Canadian Pacing Derby at Greenwood ($18,900). Assinaboia Downs Has Successful Season Buddy Brae with Wilbur Thompson takes a close decision on the outside of Brisac Champ and Ray Remmen in a rapid 2:05 mile. Buddy Brae with Wilbur Thompson takes a close decision on the outside of Brisac Champ and Ray Remmen in a rapid 2:05 mile. Centennial year was a banner year for Winnipeg's huge 13/16 mile oval, living up to its claim of "the fastest track in the west." The records showed that no less than 123 miles in better than 2:10 entered the books. Leading the way in nearly all categories was the splendid pacing son of Champ Adios, Brisac Champ. Owned by Art Hunter of Hanley, Sask. and driven here by his 22-year-old grandson Ray Remmen, Brisac Champ accumulated $4,182.50 from the Downs' coffers with repeated wins in both Stakes and Invitational events. Most of his miles were around 2:04 with a best clocking of 2:03.2 which was just a fifth of a second off the track record set the previous year. The young Remmen had another stalwart performer in Sure Win, a two-year-old who dominated in a special series for first year performers. This horse was the property of Ivar Remmen, father of Ray, Larry and Gord and was described by writer Gary Wilmot as "as nice a two-year-old pacer as has been seen in the west in many a year." At the meeting's conclusion Ontario invader George Hawke was presented with a beautifully engraved Gruen watch for his top percentage driving performance. In the dash winning race another popular Ontario resident, Bert Madill dead-heated with Ed "Eggs" Oliver, each with 26 red ribbons during the meeting. Felt hats were given out for "Hat Tricks" (three wins on a card) and reportedly Bert had quite a load of them to bring back to Ontario. Blue Bonnets Joins Grand Circuit Grand Circuit President Delvin Miller reported at their annual meeting that the Blue Bonnets track will join the Circuit for the first time. While their schedule was tentative at that time, the dates assigned were for October 26 to November 1. This would be the only activity scheduled at a Canadian track. Canadian representatives Michael MacCormac (left) and George Giguere were on hand to represent Canadian viewpoints and are shown here in discussions about Grand Circuit racing at Blue Bonnets. (Hoof Beats) Canadian representatives Michael MacCormac (left) and George Giguere were on hand to represent Canadian viewpoints and are shown here in discussions about Grand Circuit racing at Blue Bonnets. (Hoof Beats) Elmira Raceway Plans Night Racing for 1968 A number of horses are in training at Elmira as shown above. A number of horses are in training at Elmira as shown above. With a new law in effect for 1968 which will allow smaller Raceways to conduct longer meetings, the Elmira Agricultural Society is currently laying plans for night racing next year. Based on their experience this year with three twilight meets, the club is fully dedicated to providing much more racing over their new track. The new provision which is no longer based on racing charters, an association can now operate for 14 days or nights. Grant Jackson, a well known horseman on the Ontario Circuit, has moved into the Town of Elmira from his farm and has had a great deal to do with the the layout of the new oval. He occupies a portion of one of the barns and has six head under his care. More than two hundred tons of stone dust have been added to the track which should make it ideal for winter training and also ensure that it will be ready for an early spring opening. Harrisburg Sale Attracts Canadian Buyers The annual Harrisburg sale held October 30 through November 2 saw a total of 149 horses at a cost of $590,150 knocked down to Canadian buyers. While the total was impressive, it was down slightly from 1966 when $626,150 was spent by Canucks. Top buyer was Georges Rioux of Montreal who acting as an agent shelled out $26,000 for Bye Bye Alby. Other Canadians very active at the sale included Max Webster of Brantford who spent a considerable amount in securing four top prospects: Larkina Hanover ($25,000), Sales Pitch ($17,000), Gayest Hanover ($14,000) and Keystone Actor ($7,500). Many others from north of the border including John Hayes of Columbus were successful bidders; his top purchase was Penn Hanover at $21,000. Benoit Cote took two Tar Heel colts totalling over $20,000 for the pair. Del MacTavish of Brownsburg, P.Q. had the last call on Byron Dares for $11,000, a full-brother to Dares Direct. Ron Feagan of Goderich haltered three yearlings as well. Keith Waples Wins Belle Acton Pace At Roosevelt In the eighth edition of the Belle Acton Pace for two-year-old pacing fillies Keith Waples gets Timely Drummond (4) up in time for a nose win in 2:06 3/5. This event worth $30,422 was contested over the Roosevelt half-miler. While Waples confined most of his driving to Canadian tracks at this time he showed here that he was just as much at home on the sport's largest stage. (Hoof Beats) In the eighth edition of the Belle Acton Pace for two-year-old pacing fillies Keith Waples gets Timely Drummond (4) up in time for a nose win in 2:06 3/5. This event worth $30,422 was contested over the Roosevelt half-miler. While Waples confined most of his driving to Canadian tracks at this time he showed here that he was just as much at home on the sport's largest stage. (Hoof Beats) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Just a short note to say that 94 years ago yesterday Mr. and Mrs. Jack Waples welcomed their first child, a son Keith Gordon Waples born on December 8, 1923. Who Is This? Can you identify the person in this photograph? The correct answer will be displayed during the coming week. A full field of top-tier pacers are set to collide in the Saturday afternoon Preferred Pace at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park. First race post time is 12:30 P.M. for the 16-dash program as the capital oval shifts to racing once a week for the winter meet. Heart And Soul rides a two-race win streak into the $2,550 Preferred Pace, slated as the 16th race on the card. The son of Western Paradise will leave from Post 4 in the afternoon feature for owner Riley Farms Ltd., of Summerside and trainer-driver Walter Cheverie. Race favourite Adkins Hanover is saddled with Post 7 for driver Corey MacPherson and trainer Trevor Hicken. Jeb was a winner in last two outings and gets rail control for trainer-driver Jason Hughes in the top class, while the ultra-consistent Winter Blast has Post 2 for conditioner Jennifer Trainor with Adam Merner picking up the catch driving call. Other entries include Cartoon Daddy (Vaughan Doyle), Rose Run Quest (Marc Campbell), Woggy Rocks (Gary Chappell), and Forever Paradise (Ken Murphy). The top mares on the Island will meet in Race 12 for a $2,000 purse. Drivingthedragon N is the morning line favourite from post 4 for trainer-driver Hughes and owner Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge. Formerly the top mare on the Eastern Seaboard, Drivingthedragon N was racing in the U.S. when she suffered an injury earlier in the year. She made her first start back in pari-mutuel action last week in Charlottetown finishing second to Best Risque and driver Gilles Barrieau. Barrieau has returned to his hometown of Saint John, N.B., for the winter, thus Ken Murphy picks up the driving duties on Best Risque from Post 9 on Saturday. Old Buck has been quietly amassing a solid season of racing on P.E.I. in 2017 and rides a two-race win streak into Race 15 with Hughes in the bike for owner-trainer Alan MacDonald of Summerisde. The four-year-old son of Ameripan Gigolo has has seven wins from 26 starts this year, racing primarily at Red Shores Summerside and is installed at 3-1 morning line odds Saturday afternoon. The $1,800 event has Painted Desert as the early favourite from Post 6 for driver MacPherson. Bad Silver is a newcomer to Island racing, making her debut in Race 6 for trainer-driver Todd Walsh of Charlottetown. The four-year-old daughter of Badlands Hanover had been racing at Dover Downs in Delaware. Bad Silver gets post 5 in the $900 class at 8-1 odds. To view entries for Saturday's card, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park. (with files from Red Shores) Even if your business is not in the tech industry, you must be on top of technology trends for small businesses. You can use iStock/Thinkstock(RIYADH, Saudi Arabia) -- The White House called on the Saudi-led coalition Friday to allow aid and commercial goods into Yemen, as the humanitarian crisis there continues to escalate. Two weeks ago, the coalition -- which has been fighting Yemeni Houthi rebels for almost 3 years -- eased an air, land, and sea blockade of Yemen that had been in place for three weeks, putting millions at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations. The White House praised Saudi Arabia for opening one seaport and airport, but had called for "additional steps" to ensure an unfettered flow of humanitarian aid. When that didn't happen, President Donald Trump increased his pressure on the country, directing his administration to call the leaders of Saudi Arabia "to request that they completely allow food, fuel, water, and medicine to reach the Yemeni people who desperately need it." "This must be done for humanitarian reasons immediately," Trump said in a statement on Wednesday. Now, the White House is repeating its call for the coalition to facilitate aid and goods through all Yemeni ports and allow commercial flights to resume out of Sanaa Airport. "The Iranian-backed Houthi militias must allow food, medicine, and fuel to be distributed throughout the areas they control, rather than diverted to sustain their military campaign against the Yemeni people," Friday's statement reads. "This humanitarian aid must be allowed to immediately reach all points of need." Last weekend, the chiefs of several United Nations agencies and other top humanitarian officials said millions of Yemenis depend on supplies that can't get through the Saudi blockade, and many cities are already out of fuel, which means health and facilities can't operate. Nearly 400,000 Yemeni children suffer from severe acute malnutrition and more than 8 million Yemenis could starve without urgent food assistance coming into Yemen, they said. The most recent White House statement also condemned the killing of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Salih by the Houthis on Monday, as well as "their reckless missile attacks" against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Salih had ruled Yemen for over three decades before being ousted during the Arab Spring in 2012. "The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its partners are arming, advising, and enabling the Houthis violent actions, which accelerate the cycle of violence and human suffering, obstruct the flow of humanitarian aid, and disrupt efforts toward a political resolution," the White House said on Friday. Separately, the U.S. military announced on Friday that U.S. airstrikes had killed five al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants on Nov. 20. AQAP continues to operate in southern areas of Yemen in the midst of the country's years-long civil war. The U.S. military regularly strikes AQAP targets, and more recently in October, struck ISIS training camps in the same area. Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Trump's decision much more than a 'kiss of death' to Palestinians Baher Kamal : US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital does not represent only a 'kiss of death' to the two-State solution, but also a strong blow in the face of 57 Muslim countries, let alone igniting fire in this easily inflammable region, providing more false arguments to criminal terrorist groups to escalate their brutal attacks, in addition to taking a step further in Washington's new conflict with Iran and the 'restructuring' of the Middle East. These are the main conclusions both Middle East analysts and international policy experts reached as soon as Trump announced on 6 December 2017 his decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thus recognising as capital of Israel this Holy City, home to essential shrines of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The 'Old City' of Jerusalem has been steadily considered by Palestinians to become the capital of their future State, should all international agreements - including the United Nations General Assembly-implement their commitment for the two-State solution, one Israeli and one Palestinian. Israeli captured Arab East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war and since then has gradually annexed against all international protests and non-recognition. The 'Old City' in Jerusalem hosts Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. Palestinian leaders have already warned that Trump's move could have dangerous consequences, calling for massive popular mobilisations that are feared to lead to new bloodshed in the occupied West Bank and Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. "This is much more than a kiss of death to the longstanding international consensus to establish two-States as the sole feasible solution," a former Egyptian high-ranking military official told IPS under condition of anonymity. "[Trump's] decision will add more dangerous fuel to the current rekindled flame over hegemony dispute between Shias lead by Iran and Sunnis lead by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, which fire President Trump has now contributed to strongly blow on." According to the retired high military official who participated in secret regional negotiations over the Middle East conflict, "The US has visibly shown its strategy to support the Sunni States in the Arab Gulf Just see president Trump's new weapons sale deal - worth 100 billion dollars - with the Saudi regime, and its tacit support -and even physical involvement - in the ongoing genocidal war against Yemen." Gulf Sunni Arab countries are home to a high percentage of Shias who have been systematically ruled by Sunni regimes. In some of them, like Bahrain, it is estimated that the Shias represent up to 60 per cent of the total population in spite of which they are considered minorities. Oil, that "Black Gold" The Egyptian analyst would not exclude a new armed conflict between the Gulf Arab Sunni states and Shia Iran. Such an armed conflict would break the already fragile stability in the region, leading to a strong rise in oil prices. "This eventually would clearly benefit the US fossil energy sector, would weaken the oil-dependent European economies, let alone striking a strong blow to the also foreign oil-dependent China." Hatred, Terrorism Another immediate, dangerous consequence of President Trump's decision is a feared new wave of terrorist attacks against US, Israel and Western interests worldwide. In fact, the Palestinian radical movement Hamas, which rules Gaza, has already urged Arabs and Muslims worldwide to "undermine U.S. interests in the region" and to "shun Israel." On this, Lebanese Muslim Shia cleric A. Khalil, expressed to IPS his "deep fear that the [Trump's] decision will help criminal terrorist groups, falsely acting in the name of Islam, to exploit the furious anger of lay people against the US-led aggression against Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen to commit more and more brutal, inhumane attacks." This will tragically and dangerously unleash a new wave of hatred and Islamophobia that will only add fuel to popular anger, to the benefit of terrorist groups, added the cleric. For his part, Ahmed El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar - which is considered the world's highest institution of Sunni Islamic learning- announced on 5 December 2017 that Al-Azhar rejects Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. "The US president's decision denies the rights of Palestinians and Arabs to their holy city; it ignores the feelings of one-and-a-half-billion Muslims as well as millions of Arab Christians who have a connection to Jerusalem's churches and monasteries," he said in a statement issued following Trump's announcement. Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church and Al-Azhar issued statements warning of the "serious potential consequences" of Trump's plan to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and to relocate the US embassy there. "Politically Correct" Words Meanwhile, politicians have reacted to president Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. Here some examples: Mahmoud Abbas, president of Palestinian Authority, alerted of its "dangerous consequences," while Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas chief, talked about "igniting the sparks of rage." Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stressed his country's firm stance on preserving the legal status of Jerusalem within the framework of international references and relevant UN resolutions, stressing the need to ensure that the situation in the region is not complicated by measures that undermine the chances of peace in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia expressed "grave and deep concern," while King Abdullah II of Jordan warned of "dangerous repercussions." Haider al-Abadi, Iraqi prime minister expressed "utmost concern," and Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, secretary general of the Arab League, which groups all 22 Arab countries, characterised Trump's decision as a "dangerous measure." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Jerusalem is a "red line for Muslims," threatening cutting relations with Israel. And Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary general, opposed Trump's "unilateral action," while Frederica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy representative, called for resolving Jerusalem's status through negotiations. Will words and "politically correct" statements reverse this new situation? Most likely they will not, at least if you judge by what's happened over the last 98 years, i.e. since the then British Empire released its 1919 Balfour Declaration granting Israel a national home in Palestine. (Baher Kamal is Senior Advisor to IPS Director General on Africa & the Middle East. He is an Egyptian-born, Spanish-national, secular journalist, with over 43 years of experience). Dust pollution takes toll in cities air PRESENCE of dust and pollution in the air of our cities has reached alarming levels. It's happening mainly due to chaotic construction works, poor management and protracted traffic jams. According to Air Quality Index Report of the Department of Environment's (DoE) "Clean Air and Sustainable Project" earlier this month, air quality of Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Rajshahi has been measured 'extremely unhealthy'. Yet there is no big-scale initiative taken from the government's end to address the dilemma. In fact the degree of pollutants have increased at such length, number of patients suffering from respiratory problems, Bronchiolitis, Asthma and Chronic Pulmonary diseases have dangerously shot up, according to the physicians of many public and private hospitals. Although the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) claimed that it has already taken a 'water-spraying programme' to combat dust and bring it to a tolerable level, but Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is doing almost nothing to combat the mounting dust in the city's air. The ecologists and the physicians expressed anxiety over the situation. They have repeatedly warned of dire consequences if dust from the city's air is not controlled. However, be it protracted traffic jams or increasing air pollution, the government's authorities concerned seems not interested enough. There is no sign of campaigning for creating mass awareness, preventing air pollution and the situation is worsening. Instead of focusing on massive infrastructure mega-projects it's time the party in power pays more attention to the very basic health predicaments that's taking Dhaka and other cities near the brink of collapse. The question relating to succeeding or failing in addressing the quandary only arises when sincere efforts are taken and applied, but if there are no visible efforts at all , the hope for a change any time soon is little. The dwellers of Dhaka and other cities are paying heavy social, physical and economic cost for the numerable development projects - still they are deprived from being the beneficiaries of the so-called rampant 'developments' here and there. The unending public sufferings due to air pollution must be handled efficiently and quick. Our cities must not become unlivable. Two Palestinians killed in Gaza Palestinian demonstrators react to tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes at a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump\'s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on December 9, 2017. Inter GAZA (Reuters) : Israel launched fresh airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in response to rocket fire from the enclave and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group said two of its gunmen were killed in the bombings. Militants fired at least three rockets toward Israeli towns from the Hamas-controlled strip on Friday, which was declared a "day of rage" by Palestinian factions protesting U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "IAF (Israeli Air Force) aircraft targeted four facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip: Two weapons manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse, a military compound," the Israeli military said in a statement. A Hamas source confirmed the two men killed in the strikes belonged to the group which urged Palestinians to keep up confrontation with Israeli forces. Two more Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops on the Gaza border on Friday and scores more were wounded there and in the occupied West Bank during the protests. Across the Arab and Muslim worlds, thousands more protesters took to the streets on the Muslim holy day to express solidarity with the Palestinians and outrage at Trump's reversal of decades of U.S. policy. Relatives of a Palestinian Hamas gunman, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, mourn during his funeral in Gaza City December 9, 2017. Trump's announcement on Wednesday has infuriated the Arab world and upset Western allies. The status of Jerusalem has been one of the biggest obstacles to a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians for generations. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its capital. Palestinians want the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future independent state of their own. Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East War, to be occupied territory. It includes the Old City, home to sites considered holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians alike. For decades, Washington, like most of the rest of the international community, held back from recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying its status should be determined as part of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. The Trump administration argues that the peace process has become moribund, and outdated policies need to be jettisoned for the sides in the conflict to make progress. Trump also said he would fulfil his campaign promise and begin the process of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, where no other country has an embassy. 15 peacekeepers killed in DR Congo attack The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the agency\'s largest and most expensive peacekeeping force. AFP, Goma (DR Congo) : The United Nations suffered its worst attack on a peacekeeping mission in nearly a quarter of a century on Friday when suspected Ugandan rebels attacked a base in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 15 peacekeepers. The UN Security Council said the peacekeepers, who were all from neighbouring Tanzania, were killed in the North Kivu province late Thursday, alongside five Congolese soldiers, with 53 personnel wounded. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime," he said in a statement. Heather Nauert, spokeswoman for the State Department, said Washington was "appalled by the horrific act". The attack is the worst loss of life to a UN peacekeeping force since 1993 when 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Somalia during clashes with a local warlord. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo-a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping force in DR Congo, said its operating base at Semuliki, North Kivu, was attacked by "suspected ADF elements". ADF are a Ugandan Muslim rebel group, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly," MONUSCO head Maman Sidikou said in a statement, vowing to bring the attackers to justice. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." Some those wounded in the attack are in critical condition with the medical evacuation of casualties continuing, he added, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene. MONUSCO, a 18,000-member force, has suffered scores of attacks since its establishment in DR Congo, a vast, mineral-rich but chronically unstable nation home to myriad warring groups and ethnic groups. The ADF was blamed for an ambush on UN peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo in October, which killed two peacekeepers and wounded 12. The ADF has been accused by Kinshasa and the UN mission of killing more than 700 people in the Beni region since October 2014. Violence plagues North Kivu on a daily basis, with civilians caught between a coterie of vicious armed groups. Human Rights Watch has documented more than 500 civilian deaths, at least 1,087 people kidnapped, and 11 reports of mass rape in North Kivu alone since June. The UN estimates that more than four million people are internally displaced in DR Congo, and 922,000 people were forced to flee their homes last year-more than in any other country. Guterres warned in October against budget cuts to MONUSCO, the UN's largest and most expensive peacekeeping mission. The UN's Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, said on Twitter he was "outraged" by Thursday's violence. The country has also faced violence after President Joseph Kabila, who refused to step down after his final term last December, pushed back a new vote until December 2018. Kabila, in power since 2001, told the UN General Assembly in September that he was moving "towards credible, transparent and peaceful elections" but concerns persist that tensions over the vote will escalate into large-scale violence. "This latest attack highlights the urgency of helping people in need and addressing the volatile situation," Guterres said. GOMA, DR Congo, Dec 9, 2017 (BSS/AFP) - At least 15 United Nations peacekeepers were killed in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Friday, in the deadliest attack in the organisation's recent history. The UN Security Council said the peacekeepers, who were from neighbouring Tanzania, were killed in the North Kivu province late Thursday, alongside five Congolese soldiers, with 53 personnel wounded. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime," he said in a statement. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter- ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo-a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping force in DR Congo, said its operating base at Semuliki, North Kivu, was attacked by "suspected ADF elements". ADF are a Ugandan Muslim rebel group, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly," MONUSCO head Maman Sidikou said in a statement, vowing to bring the attackers to justice. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice," he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." Some those wounded in the attack are in critical condition with the medical evacuation of casualties continuing, he added, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene. Govt to file lawsuit against RCBC: Muhith Staff Reporter : The government has decided to file a case against the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp- oration of the Philippines (RCBC) over the cyber heist of $81 million from Bangladesh Bank's reserve account held with NY Federal Reserve Bank. "We will file a lawsuit against the RCBC as it has refused to return the heist fund of Bangladesh Bank," Finance Minister AMA Muhith told reporters after attending a function in the city on Saturday. He said, the government of Bangladesh has discussed the matter with the Philippines authorities several times. "They have assured us of full cooperation regarding the matter. Now they are making dilly-dally to pay back the money compelling the government to file a case against the RCBC," he added. Muhith further said he would talk with the central bank authorities in this regard. The RCBC recently said it was not liable to compensate Bangladesh for the heist money deposited in its accounts and instead blamed the Bangladesh Bank (BB) for being "negligent". The RCBC said it would not compensate Bangladesh because of the initial security breach was Bangladesh's own fault. A high-level delegation from Bangladesh including Law Minister Anisul Huq and Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir earlier visited Manila to push for the recovery of the stolen money. Authorities of RCBC also assured the Bangladesh team that it would return the money if found liable. Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1bn from the Bangladesh Bank in February in one of the biggest ever bank frauds. They succeeded in transferring around $81m from an account maintained with the New York Federal Reserve to four accounts in fake names opened in a branch of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) in Manila. A lion part of the money have laundered through casinos in Manila and remains missing. Defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan; US tells citizens US State Department has issued a travel warning after a gap of seven months. AP PTI, Washington : The United States today advised its citizens to defer all non-essential travel to Pakistan, saying that foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a threat to them throughout the country. The warning comes in the wake of increasing terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, in Pakistan. In a travel warning, issued after a gap of seven months, the State Department warned the US citizens against all non-essential travel to the South Asian country. The fresh travel warning replaces earlier warning, issued on May 22. Pakistan continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks, the State Department said, adding that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and non-governmental organisation (NGO) employees, tribal elders, and law enforcement personnel were common in the country. It said foreign and indigenous terrorist groups continue to pose a danger to US citizens throughout Pakistan. Terrorists have targeted US diplomats and diplomatic facilities in the past, and evidence suggests they continue to do so, the travel warning said, adding that terrorists and criminal groups have resorted to kidnapping for ransom. Sectarian violence, the State Department said, remains a serious threat throughout the country, and the Pakistani government continues to enforce blasphemy laws. Religious minority communities have been victims of targeted killings and accusations of blasphemy, it added. The State Department said insurgent and terrorist groups conducted numerous suicide bombings, hand grenade attacks, and ambushes on Pakistani security forces and civilians over the past six months in Balochistan. A suicide bomber in Quetta targeted senior police officers near Shuhada Chowk, killing 14 people and wounding 30. In Chaman, another suicide bomber attacked a police convoy, killing three police officials and injuring 20 others, it said while giving details of terrorist attacks in Pakistan's restive Balochistan and FATA. Two hand grenade attacks in Gwadar and Mastung injured 41 people. Myanmar takes steps to repatriate Hindus who fled to BD News Desk : NAYPYITAW - The Myanmar government is taking steps to repatriate more than 400 Hindus who fled to Bangladesh since August 25 after insurgent attacks on border police prompted counter-insurgency military operations in northern Rakhine State. Union minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye on Thursday revealed the plan to reporters in administrative capital Naypyitaw at the meeting of the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine State (UEHRD), reports The Irrawaddy. The Myanmar government has sent application forms for Hindu people to fill out in order to come back to Myanmar. "We'll send more application forms depending on the number of houses available in the area," said Dr. Win Myat Aye, as many houses were burned down or damaged in the conflict. On Nov. 22, the Myanmar and Bangladeshi governments signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the repatriation of refugees. The two countries agreed to form a joint committee within three weeks and start the repatriation process within two months. The Myanmar government sent application forms in response to the request of Hindu refugees, said Dr. Win Myat Aye, who is also the vice-chair of UEHRD, adding that the government would only send and accept application forms for those who were willing to come back to Myanmar of their own accord. "We are arranging accommodation for them. For example, we are planning to build houses near Nga Khu Ya and Taung Pyo Let Wae villages where houses were burned down," the minister told reporters. Arakanese lawmaker U Aung Thaung Shwe representing Rakhine State's Buthidaung in the Lower House has criticized the government for failing to publicize the repatriation agreement. He suggested that Arakanese people are likely to leave their native towns if the government accepts back Bengalis-a term used by the majority of Myanmar people to refer to the Rohingya as interlopers from Bangladesh-for fear that insurgents might also infiltrate into the state along with refugees. "Arakanese people can live together with Hindus who live peacefully. But what if insurgents come back? If they come back here, we can't live here. We dare not. We can only leave," U Aung Thaung Shwe told The Irrawaddy. The latest repatriation agreement is a modification of a 1993 agreement between the two governments. It is not clear if the Myanmar government has also sent applications for Muslim refugees in Bangladesh. But, the minister said that houses were being built in northern Rakhine State for their repatriation as well. Anyone coming back will have to undergo the national verification process according to the 1982 Citizenship Law, and full citizenship and associate citizenship along with fundamental rights and freedom of movement will be granted respectively to those who are eligible, according to the minister. The UN estimates that more than 600,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Aug. 25, but the Myanmar government has denied those figures. Govt asks cops to collect info of pilots, air staff Md Joynal Abedin Khan : The government has asked the law enforcement agencies to collect personal information of pilots, air staff and drivers in public and private airlines to tackle any probable militant attack at home and abroad. The decision has been taken at a high profile meeting held in the secretariat where security experts and high officials of law enforcing agencies were present, Home Ministry sources said. Following a malfunction incident of a plane which carried Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and inactive of six bolts if a vehicle that carried Salina Hayat Ivy, Mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation (NCCC), they said. They also mentioned that the emergency meeting was called in the secretariat to check possible militant attacks after the arrest of a first flight official (co-pilot) and three air staff on charge of militant connection. Civil Aviation Ministry's Additional Secretary Abul Hasnat Md Ziaul said, "Information of pilots and airlines officials are being collected for security purpose. A database will be created. So, there is nothing to be worried about." Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies have started collecting personal information of domestic pilots working in both private and public airlines in the country, Home Ministry sources said. Besides, personal data of airlines employees and those who have access to airport are also being collected, they said. The ministry sources said, the initiative was taken following the advice of law enforcement agencies. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested Biman's first officer Amam Sabbir and three others on October 30 on militancy charges. They were allegedly planning acts of sabotage using a plane, the sources said. Helicopter pilots, co-pilots, cabin crew, engineers, airport officials and employees, who have civil aviation passes to enter the airport premises, have been ordered to fill out forms detailing personal information, according to them. The information covers family and educational background, information related to property, bank accounts, details of relatives and professions, and political ideology, among other things, they added. Detectives are verifying the information provided by the individuals. On September 4, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) raided a house in the city's Darus Salam where militant Abdullah was staying with his two wives, two children and two associates. Former Biman first officer Sabbir's father Habibullah Bahar Azad was the building's owner. Habibullah and the building's guard Sirajul Islam were detained on charges of being directly involved in militancy. Sabbir was a former first officer of Biman's Boeing 737 plane. He was detained on October 4 for allegedly planning to use the plane in an act of sabotage. Captain Sajjadul Haque, General Secretary of Bangladesh Airlines Pilots Association, said, "This process of collecting information is nothing new to us. When we joined the service, we provided personal information for police verification. "At that time, such comprehensive information was not collected. Hence, there is no reason for pilots to object to giving their personal information. Everyone wants to ensure a safe work environment." US-Bangla Airlines CEO Imran Asif said, "Security is the top priority. So, collecting information for this purpose is important. However, pilots need to be stress-free in order to work. Creating a situation which could increase their mental stress would not be right." Police Headquarters' Assistant Inspector General (Media and Public Relations) said that the law enforcers had started working to collection information about pilots and drivers after getting an instruction to check upcoming militant attacks by the drivers and pilots. Trump desecrates Jerusalem "Abu Hena Jerusalem is once again a city of discord. Trump's tactless decision on Jerusalem has thrown 70 years of diplomacy to the wind. It has plunged the Middle East peace process into total disarray inflaming renewed violence in the region. On Saturday all 14 members of UNSC unanimously condemned Trump's provocative decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The last 11 US Ambassadors to Israel are against Trump's move. Both Secretary of State, Secretary Defense and US's European allies told him 'don't do this'. Saudi royal court said the decision "represents a significant decline in efforts to push a peace process and is a violation of the historically neutral American position on Jerusalem." Turkey's President Erdogan blamed Trump for "throwing the region into a ring of fire." Hamas takes on Trump as rage mounts: "We are coming, Jerusalem. We will not concede of one sand." Thirty years ago Palestinians were undergoing days of rage in what they called 'First Intifada' which sparked on Dec 8,1987. Thirty years on the 'Third Intifada' is happening due to Trump's insensitive anti -Muslim stand. Clashes continue in Gaza, West Bank and Jerusalem. Armed with U.S. weapons Israel, the only remaining apartheid state in the world has started bombing Gaza killing 8 and wounding 200 civilians. Jerusalem has a deep spiritual resonance for all three Abrahamic faiths for which the holy city holds a unique status. In 1947 UN approved a partition plan to split Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. The plan granted special status to Jerusalem. Envisaged as an international city in 1948 Jerusalem was divided between Transjordan which annexed the Old City and the rest of East Jerusalem, and Israel, which held West Jerusalem. But over the years Israel completed its occupation of entire Palestine along with Jerusalem using force. In 1967 war Israel occupied East Jerusalem and in 1980 declared Jerusalem as its 'eternal' capital. International community called it illegal occupation and the UN passed a resolution declaring Israel's move null and void. For Jews Jerusalem is the repository of their memories of King David and his son Solomon's 78 year rule. For Christians it is the scene of their Saviour's agony and triumph. For Muslims Jerusalem is the goal of their Prophet's mystic night journey and the site of their third most sacred shrine. About 1000 BC Jerusalem was captured by David, king of Israel. In 922 BC Egyptian pharaoh destroyed the city. In 63 BC Roman emperor Pompey captured Jerusalem. The conversion of Roman emperor Constantine to Christianity in 324 led to the building of Christian shrines in Jerusalem including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In 614 Persians invaded Jerusalem, massacred the city and destroyed churches. In 638 the Muslim Caliph Umar 1 entered Jerusalem and in 688-691 the 10th caliph Abdal Malik Ibn Marwan built the Dome of the Rock. In 969 control of Jerusalem passed to Shiite Fatimid caliphs of Egypt. In 1071 Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantines, displaced Egyptian masters and cut the pilgrim route thus causing crusades. Then after 461 years of Muslim rule in Jerusalem, the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem lasted from 1099 to 1187, when it was overthrown by Saladin the Great. In 1247 the Holy City fell to the Mamluks of Egypt and remained until 1517 when the Ottoman Sultan Selim 1 took control of the city and established a Turkish administration that was to last exactly 400 years. Thus from historical records Jewish kingdom of David and Solomon lasted 78 years from 1000 BC to 922 BC. The Christians controlled Jerusalem from 326 to 638 and then from 1099 to 1187,totaling 400 years. The Muslims on the other hand ruled Palestine with control on Jerusalem continuously from 638 to 1924 (with 88 years' break- 1099 to 1187) when Ottoman Turkish Empire became a Republic. So Jerusalem remained under Muslim rule for 1190 years. From 1924 to 1948 British administered Jerusalem as a mandate before its fate was decided by UN in 1948. Trump's decision to declare Jerusalem as Israel's capital defies history, legality, international principles, agreements signed and resolutions passed. It also puts America's Middle East allies in a tough spot and given Jerusalem's emotional connect within the Muslim world, no Arab nation can now afford to defend Trump's delinquent recklessness. The Israel- Palestine conflict can be categorized as the mother conflict that spawned Muslim armed resistance, to begin with. It has now become a civilizational war between Muslims and Judaeo-Christian western order. This ideological conflict impelled Muslims to undertake jihad against injustices to the ummah. Trump's abnormal behavior has ignited the fire of resistance. There are other reasons why Trump's decision could have dire consequences for the Middle East. U.S. has lost its credibility as honest broker in Israel-Palestine peace negotiations. Palestinians are not going to negotiate with U.S. Stake holders in the dispute had in recent years veered around the two state solution that envisages an independent Israel and a Palestine state living side by side. The final status of Jerusalem was to be decided through direct negotiations between the parties to the dispute. Trump's erratic decision has put the cart before the horse. Now the entire process is in tatters. All concerned people wonder why Trump made the senseless move and why he chose this particular time to do it. Trump is the disruptor. He isolated U.S. in all fronts depriving it of its leadership role. He has chosen this time because he is about to face treason charge for conspiring against U.S. during 2016 election. Netanyahu, the only other beneficiary of the decision is suspect in two serious criminal investigations. Whatever be the reason Trump has given away the sacred city of Muslims, Christians and Jews to Netanyahu like a piece of real estate property. [Writer is a former Member of Parliament and retired Civil Servant] Touhid Ebrahim :Bangladesh is determined to be a middle-income country by 2021. To achieve this status, quality education has been identified as one of the issues and lack of which may hamper achieving the target. Quality in education is difficult to achieve. It depends on many factors such as quality teachers, quality teacher education and training, methods used in teaching, assessment system, teaching aids, use of technology, and so on. The education researchers point out that Bangladesh education system puts emphasis on rote memorization rather than critical thinking while teaching in the classrooms. They also indicate that teaching is mainly based on two major categories of methods and approaches. One is teacher-centred one-way traditional method and another one is learner-centred participatory approach.In teacher-centred method, students set all of their attention on the teacher and theoretical knowledge is disseminated through chalk and talk. The teachers here work alone and a little scope of student's participation and co-operation. On the other hand, in learner-centred approach, students and teachers interact equally; hold debate on some issues and come to a decision. In this approach, decision is made together, not provided by the teachers. Teachers here employ different types of techniques instead of a single method. In this approach, students actively take part in the learning process and teachers facilitate learners creating learning environment and opportunities. And the way of learning together through interactions is called participatory approach.In education, participatory approach is one of the most popular and effective approaches of the current time. Many teachers believe that knowledge is not something to be given to students; it is to be created through interaction, negotiations, active participation, and critical thinking. In this approach, students directly involve and dominate in the discovery of their own knowledge, skills and attitudes.They can expose their imaginative power and get an opportunity to express their opinion in the classroom. Some of the characteristic features of participatory approach are the combination of activities like pair work, group work, role play, pair checking, peer teaching, peer observation, group teaching, panel discussion, brainstorming, debate, recitation, assignment, project work, report writing, group presentation, and so on.As a 'Bachelor of Education' honours student at Govt. Teachers' Training College, Dhaka and a trainee teacher at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government Boys' High School, my experiences say that students are different and they learn in different ways. In participatory approach, teachers use different methods and techniques to make the lesson more inclusive. As a result, students are more active, absorbed, and sincere in the act of learning. They are also able to exchange their ideas with each other as well as with their teacher. Participatory approach creates a co-operative learning atmosphere where students get a chance to make them confident removing their learning-related fear, shame and imbecility. It makes the lesson more enjoyable, effectively affective and long lasting while teacher-centred approach makes the class monotonous and boring. Real learning cannot happen if it is not in a joyful environment.Teacher-centred traditional teaching and training mostly depends on the lecture. This is a one way communication where students are almost inactive in the classroom. It can be mentioned that the whole world is moving towards participatory way of teaching and learning. What are the teachers doing in the Bangladesh classrooms and why are they following 100 or more years old lecture method? The system of education in Bangladesh is not quite learner-friendly yet. Participatory approach in teaching and learning in Bangladesh is not yet in practice. It follows the minimized way of teaching and learning which is definitely incomprehensive to the students in the classroom. Negative attitude of some teachers, lack of coordination among head teacher, assistant head teacher and other teachers, shortage of teachers, pressure of completing syllabus, short duration of class routine, existing fixed classroom furniture, unusual size of classroom, lack of multimedia projector and sound system in the classroom are some of the impediments to the effective practice of this approach. It need to mention that although the secondary curriculum 2012 prescribed 50 minutes for each class (and one hour for the first period of the day), schools do not follow it!Whatever the reasons are, the government has already taken some steps through different projects to minimise the impediments and maximise the opportunities for effective implementation of participatory approach. The Government is providing participatory friendly furniture, multimedia projector, laptop and sound system. Many schools have started arranging participatory classroom with these facilities. Access to Information (a2i) at the Prime Minister's Office with the support by UNDP & USAID has introduced Multimedia Classrooms. There are 23,000 multimedia classrooms so far set up in secondary schools. And about 61,000 teachers have been trained and many teachers are being trained by 500 trainers of public Teachers' Training Colleges (TTCs). Undoubtedly these are the positive steps towards quality teaching and learning at secondary level and the better implementation of participatory approach.It is clear from the above discussion that participatory approach makes the classroom learner-friendly, comprehensive, joyful, interactive and democratic while traditional teacher-centred approach makes the classroom monotonous, tedious and boring for both sides, especially for the learners. It is high time we changed the teaching methods and approaches as quality of teaching mostly depends on the classroom practices. Ministry of Education is trying to bring quality in teaching putting emphasis on participatory approach. But it is not possible for the government alone to fulfil all the required needs. Along with the government, if the private sectors, print and electronic media come forward and disseminate the initiative all over the country, it will bring a great momentum in the better implementation of the participatory approach. The said steps, if taken, may also pave the way to achieve the vision 2021, I firmly believe.(The writer is a 4th year 'Bachelor of Education' honours student at Govt. Teachers' Training College, Dhaka. He can be reached at email: [email protected] ). Prepare for multiple careers Alyssa Walker : Welcome to the new normal. It's no secret that millennials are job hoppers. Over 42 percent of millennials change jobs every one- to three-years. What does this mean? Employee retention challenges employers in ways they've never had to anticipate before. While the single career path isn't dead, it's more likely that people will change jobs at least once. Let's take a closer look at why so many people are changing jobs, and how you should prepare yourself to switch careers at least once in your lifetime. Why are there so many career changes? 1. It's part of the economic model Your economic longevity no longer requires that you work at the same place for the duration of your career. The era of pensions has ended, unless your employer is a government agency or traditional establishment. Your retirement will hinge on a 401() or a 403(b), which you can rollover to new accounts wherever you work. 2. Learning in one career leads to discovering other careers Your current career will give you perspective on another. Working for a marketing company? The skills you develop there can translate in innumerable ways from writing and editing to art curation, human resources, and other branches of management. There's no reason you can't explore other options once you start in one place. It happens all the time-and employers have come to expect it. 3. People see the benefits of a career change Curiosity about the world is a good thing. The job market is constantly changing, and the world with it. Knowing about different options, being curious about how you approach your job, and recognizing that the landscape of work is constantly evolving put you in a position for success-one that can be adaptable to change. By seeing the benefits of being open-minded about your career, you can pursue diverse interests, work globally, and cobble together a career path that suits you and your goals. How should you prepare yourself? 1. Make sure you want it There's nothing wrong with not wanting to switch careers. Here's why you should want a career change: there's no more opportunity for you-or no more opportunity that you want-to learn and grow in your current position; the positives, like salary, no longer compensate for the negatives, like long working hours; or everything is "fine." If you feel like you want a change, make sure it's something you truly want and you're not just momentarily bored. 2. Think about what you want from a new job Ask yourself a few questions: Do you feel like you need a challenge? More motivation? Do you want a big change in a new field, or a small change in your current field? Does this change require that you switch companies or organizations? Do you want more responsibility? Do you need more qualifications to get what you want? How will this change affect your financial situation? Your lifestyle? By being honest with yourself, you'll make the best decision that suits you. The beauty of decisions? You can always change your mind. Be thoughtful. 3. Get new qualifications If you're going for a significant career change that requires some new skills, start with an online course. Why? Online learning offers you flexibility and the chance for you to dip your toe in to see if you like this new field without sacrificing your current job. Another way to get new qualifications? If you do a little digging, you can attend workshops and lectures, or potentially meet with someone currently in your desired field. Your takeaway? The work world is always changing-and you need to be ready to change with it. Make thoughtful decisions and do your best. (Alyssa Walker is a freelance writer, educator, and nonprofit consultant. She lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with her family). The role of teachers and school heads in improving vocational education and training ETUCE : The European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) is pleased to announce the forthcoming public hearing on "The role of teachers and school heads in improving the status of Vocational Education and Training". The public hearing is organised jointly by ETUCE, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and the European Federation of Education Employers (EFEE). On the occasion of the second European Vocational Skills Week (20-24 November), the European Social Partners in Education, EFEE and ETUCE wish to promote through this event the role of the education social partners in improving the quality of VET and apprenticeship systems across Europe. European Social Partners in Education strongly believe that VET is a vital part of the education sector and that appropriate measures are needed to make it more attractive for both students and adults. The event is to highlight that the role of teachers, trainers and school leaders is a precondition for improving learning and teaching in VET. Social dialogue with the education trade unions at all levels is essential to ensure that the necessary investment in the sector are made with a view to improve both the working environment for teachers, trainers and school heads and the learning environment for students in each classroom, to update the technological equipment, as well as to ensure that students are supported by teachers and trainers who are qualified for this purpose and rewarded with decent salaries and working conditions. However, social dialogue is still to be improved in several European countries and the event will highlight these challenges. Building on the experience acquired through discussions and exchanges within their European Sectoral Social Dialogue in Education (ESSDE), ETUCE and EFEE are to commit undertake jointly further actions to make VET more attractive to society and the school community as a whole, including teachers, trainers, other education personnel, school leaders, students and their families. The Public Hearing is to be the occasion to also distribute a Joint ETUCE and EFEE Statement on improving Vocational Education and Training in Europe, put forward for adoption by the forthcoming ESSDE Plenary meeting, ahead of the joint public hearing. The event will include a panel of testimonies from VET students, VET teachers and VET school heads while another panel discussion will focus on national examples on the importance of effective involvement of the education sectoral social partners in improving quality VET and raising the status of VET. High-level representatives of the European Parliament, Estonian and Bulgarian Presidencies, the European Center for Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) and the European Training Foundation (ETF) will discuss about European-level actions and strategies to support VET teachers and school heads, as well as VET institutions on improving the status and quality of VET and apprenticeship. Representatives from Brussels-based policymakers, EESC members, education trade unions and education employers in Europe, as well as other prominent organisations, have been invited to the hearing. The event takes place on 24 November in Brussels, Belgium, from 09.00 - 12.30 on the premises of the European Economic and Social Committee. Discover own potential Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina poses for photo session with the recipients of Begum Rokeya Padok, 2017 at Osmani Memorial Auditorium on Saturday. UNB, Dhaka : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged the country's women to discover their own potential and value defying all the odds and obstacles to stand on their own feet. "Women always think how they can flourish their merit and potential...they have to take their own initiatives, they must not dependent on others. There'll be obstacles and hurdles, but women have to move forward overcoming all those," she said. Sheikh Hasina said this while inaugurating Begum Rokeya Day and distributing Begum Rokeya Padak-2017 at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city. The PM said this is not possible for men alone to build a society with their own efforts. "It's not possible to build a sustainable society keeping the women aside," she said. Hasina said in a society where women constitute half of the total population that cannot go a long way without the contributions of women. "So, all are needed equally to build and develop a society properly." She also urged all irrespective of men and women to devote themselves to the development of the country. The Ministry of Children and Women Affairs organised the programme with State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki in the chair. Women and Children Affairs Secretary Nasima Begum delivered the welcome address at the function. Recipients of the Rokaya Padak-2017 Freedom Fighter and organiser Mazeda Shawkat Ali also spoke on the occasion. Recalling the great role played by women during the Liberation War, the PM said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had taken massive steps for women's emancipation and their political, social and economic development alongside rehabilitating the mothers and sisters who suffered immense brutalities by Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators. Following the footprint of Bangabandhu, Hasina said, her government paid special attention to the development of poor, marginal, under privileged and the uncared women of society to expedite their empowerment. She mentioned that Begum Rokeya had dreamt of a society where the women would be magistrates, judges and barristers. "Today, women are now serving the country holding those posts." The Prime Minister said her government is the first to appoint women secretary, women SP, OC and women justice, and they are doing excellent jobs in their positions. She noted that now Bangladesh's prime minister, deputy leader of the house, opposition leader, speaker and a number of ministers are women, which is a rare example in the world. Green Dhaka, Clean Dhaka my dream: Dr Iqbal Special Correspondent : Dr H.B.M Iqbal, a freedom fighter and Chairman of Premier Bank, has said he will contest the mayoral election of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) if the ruling Awami League gives him nomination. "It is too early to announce my candidature, as the election will be held nearly three months later. I will contest the mayoral post if I get AL nomination," Dr Iqbal told The New Nation yesterday in an exclusive interview. The English daily approached him for the interview since his name is being discussed from various corners as the mayoral candidate. The government declared the mayoral post of DNCC vacant after the death of its mayor Annisul Huq bringing many mayoral aspirants in the scene. According to the electoral law, the Election Commission can hold a by-poll to elect the city's mayor for the vacant post within 90 days for the rest tenure of the DNCC. Dr Iqbal, also a former member of parliament, claimed that the slogan "Green Dhaka, Clean Dhaka" was his brainchild that he presented to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina along with a master plan to manage the mega city in 2009. The master plan outlined strategies to manage city's traffic, drainage and garbage management, eradicate crimes and corruption, introduce modern transport and set up four-satellite township in and around the Dhaka city. For the first time, I presented the route franchise plan to the Prime Minister to bring discipline in Dhaka's transport system and ease traffic jams. But unfortunately my plan was hijacked and the mayors started implementing development works in line with my plan. "It utterly frustrated me as they did not mention my name and tried to take the credit saying they are working to make Dhaka green and clean," he added. "I had a dream to make Dhaka livable and clean. But I cannot fulfil the dream, as I did not get AL's nomination in that time. Being a dedicated party man I desire the party support to get nomination for the upcoming mayoral post". When asked, Dr Iqbal said, he fought for the independence and establish democracy of the country. I also struggled and worked for getting back the state power to AL. My aim has already been realized and in the meantime I dedicated myself with the social work and business. "Now my dedication lies with public function, so I want to contest in the mayoral post. It is the best platform to serve people. I seek Prime Minister's earnest support in this regard. Her support will help realize my dream, Clean Dhaka, Green Dhaka," he said. He also pledged to resolve basic city problems facing the residents for long and expressed his firm determination to free the DNCC from all kinds of malpractices if he gets AL's nomination and elects as mayor. "To make Dhaka a clean, green, healthy and digital city was my dream and I am ready to fulfil my pledge," he said, adding problems have been identified and now time has come to solve those. DU student breaks hunger strike after assurance of DUCSU polls DU Correspondent : Walid Ashraf, an evening masters' student of Dhaka University (DU), who went on hunger strike on November 25 for indefinite period demanding Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election, ended it on Saturday upon assurance of the Vice-Chancellor (VC) that the election will be held soon. Walid was continuing his silent protest on the Memory Eternal premises, DU VC Professor Akhtaruzzaman along with the Dhaka University Teachers' Association (DUTA) President Professor Maksud Kamal and Proctor Professor Gulam Rabbani fed Walid a banana and water at about 12:30pm. DU VC said, President Abdul Hamid and the High Court had directed to hold DUCSU polls. We need some time to arrange the polls as no election was held in last 27 years. We will take necessary steps to hold polls immediately. Walid Ashraf said, he broke his hunger strike because the VC assured him of DUCSU election. He ended the hunger strike, but will not move away from the demand. ``I will take position on the Memory Eternal premises every evening until DUCSU election is held,'' he added. On December 6, Walid was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the evening as his health condition deteriorated. He was injected with saline at the DMCH. He, however, returned to Memory Eternal premises immediately afterwards where he had been living in a tent since November 25. DSCC in trouble to realise Tk 60 crore from ministries Reza Mahmud : Dhaka South City Corporation is in trouble, as it has to realise Tk 60 crore of holding taxes from 35 ministries. The corporation cannot, as such, pay bills to the construction firms for which progress of development work under many projects get slow. "We are in fund crisis as the offices of the 35 ministries repeatedly failed to pay their holding taxes amounting Tk 60,32, 86,971. We have asked the secretaries of those ministries to clear the taxes soon," Khan Mohammad Bilal, the Chief Executive Officer of DSCC told The New Nation on Saturday. According to DSCC official sources, the Finance Ministry has to pay Tk 11,72,18,629, the Housing and Public Works Ministry Tk 9,96,97,125 of 2017-2018 fiscal year, the Education Ministry Tk 6,53,86,693, the Health and Family Welfare Ministry Tk 5, 25, 42, 377, the ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Tk 82,74, 390, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Tk 41, 90, 056, the Primary and Mass Education Ministry Tk 51,05,758, the Road, Transports and Bridges Ministry Tk 35,48,880, the Food Ministry Tk 12,07,444, the Law, Justice and Parliament Affair Ministry about Tk 18 lakh, the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry about Tk five lakh, Ministry of Land about Tk one crore, Ministry of Industry Tk one crore, Ministry of Shipping about Tk 43 lakh, Ministry of Social Welfare about Tk two lakh, Ministry of Post Office, Telecommunication and Information Technology about Tk 57 lakh and Home Ministry about Tk one crore. The list of tax defaulters include Information Ministry, Ministry of Textiles, Cultural Affair Ministry, Religious Affairs Ministry and Ministry of Liberation War Affairs also, among others. The DSCC officials said preferring anonymity that the ministries repeatedly failed to pay their taxes. "The DSCC face problems to continue its development work of many projects due to fund crisis. We have sent letters several times, but fruitless," one of the officials said. Khan Mohammad Bilal said that they personally contacted with the secretaries about the issue. The secretaries said that they have also problem. If the government gives fund, they shall pay all dues soon. CARBONDALE In January 2016, a group of friends and strangers who met over discussions about race and cultural assumptions and inclusion came together, determined to be a spark to understand and show the common humanity among all people. The group decided to do this by meeting weekly with people from varied walks of life, faiths, religions, ages and professions, to discuss some of the day's tough issues: racial profiling, community policing, privilege and power. They've invited into their meetings some thought-shapers, both locally and nationally known, and celebrated their diversity, as they did in this past year's All Faiths Thanksgiving Celebration. Recently, another regional group took notice, awarding the group the Race Unity Group of Carbondale its Human Rights Day Award. The Southern Illinois Chapter of the United Nations Association will present the award to the Race Unity Group at a special program on Sunday, Dec. 10. The Human Rights Dinner and Program begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Epiphany Lutheran Church of All Saints, 1501 W. Chautauqua Ave. in Carbondale. Human Rights Day, celebrated on Dec. 10, commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, according to the UNA-SI. The UNA-SI has been presenting a human rights award to a local organization or group since 2010. "The Race Unity Group of Carbondale, a local grassroots group, was chosen for its efforts to promote interracial and interethnic dialogue and understanding in the southern Illinois region," reads a news release from the group. One of the primary goals of the United Nations is fostering peace," Cindy Buys, president of the UNA Southern Illinois Chapter, wrote in the release. "The Race Unity Group engages in peacemaking efforts in our local community by facilitating dialogue and better understanding among diverse groups in the Southern Illinois community." Also at Sunday's event, Southern Illinois University Carbondale law student Mariam Mansaray will speak about her summer experience of working in Ethiopia for the African Union. Mansaray received the Human Rights Fellowship at the School of Law this past summer. For more information about the event, please contact chapter Vice President Pamela Umlauf-Brown at plauf@siu.edu. Ernest A. Finney Jr. will be remembered at his alma mater today. Finney's body will lie in repose for an hour starting at 9 a.m. Saturday before his celebration-of-life service at 10 a.m. at the James and Dorothy Z. Elmore Chapel at Claflin University. Events were held earlier this week in his hometown of Sumter and at the South Carolina Supreme Court, where he became the states first African-American chief justice in 1994. Finney died Sunday. He was 86. In 1961, Finney represented the Friendship 9, a group of black college students arrested for trying to desegregate a lunch counter in Rock Hill. Two years later, Finney was appointed chairman of the S.C. Commission on Civil Rights. Finney was elected to the S.C. House of Representatives in 1972 and was the first African-American to serve on the House Judiciary Committee since the Reconstruction era. In the House, Finney was a co-founder of the Legislative Black Caucus and served as its first chairman. He was elected as a judge to the S.C. 3rd Circuit Court in July 1976, becoming the Palmetto State's first African-American Circuit Court judge in the process. Nine years later, he was appointed to the S.C. Supreme Court, later becoming the chief justice. He held that position until he retired in March 2000. In 2002, he was the interim president of South Carolina State University, a post which he held for one year. Finney served on Claflin's Board of Trustees for two decades and was elected as its chairman in 1986. In 2003, the university granted him the status of trustee emeritus. COLUMBIA South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster wants to fire the chairman of the state-owned utility involved in a failed nuclear project that has cost billions of dollars, but the chairman calls the letter "completely false." McMaster sent a letter Friday to Santee Cooper board chairman Leighton Lord saying he is angry that the utility did not turn over all the documents he asked for about the failed construction schedule for the two new nuclear reactors at the V.C. Summer plant north of Columbia. McMaster also thinks Lord's failure to attend several legislative hearings on the reactors is suspicious. "Whether by omission, commission, obfuscation or delay, such resistance, interference and lack of cooperation by a State entity is not tolerable," McMaster wrote. Lord said he has never had the documents the governor wanted and he told Santee Cooper officials to give McMaster everything he has asked for. "I read it twice," Lord said of McMaster's letter. "It's 100 percent false." McMaster spokesman Brian Symmes said the governor stands by what he wrote. "There are over a million ratepayers in South Carolina who would disagree," Symmes said. McMaster wants to fire Lord on Dec. 18, but under state law Lord can respond to McMaster's letter by next Friday and ask for a hearing on the matter. Lord said he has not decided what to do next, but pointed out he was appointed chairman of the board in 2013 by the previous governor, Nikki Haley. "She asked me to serve," Lord said. "I'm going to do what is in the best interest of Santee Cooper and the state." Santee Cooper partnered with private company SCANA Corp. on the project, which has cost the companies nearly $9 billion and ratepayers to the utilities nearly $2 billion. McMaster has said he can get back some of the money by selling Santee Cooper and perhaps getting the buyer to restart the project. Santee Cooper leaders have been reluctant to back a possible sale. Customers of Santee Cooper and SCANA's South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. have paid higher rates to pay for the reactors, which never generated a watt of power, for nearly a decade. SCANA and the state-owned utility Santee Cooper stopped construction July 31, mostly blaming the bankruptcy of principal contractor Westinghouse. South Carolina lawmakers, state and federal authorities and Wall Street regulators are investigating the failed project. Orangeburg Department of Public Safety An Orangeburg man was charged Friday with second-degree burglary and breach of trust with fraudulent intent, value more than $2,000 but less than $10,000, in two separate incidents. An arrest warrant for the burglary accuses John Nelson Pindak, 43, 133 Timrose Lane, of breaking into a Crossing Circle apartment on Dec. 2. A black, .300 Weatherby and an 8mm Mauser were stolen, according to a police incident report. The victim says his 2001 red Ford F150 was also stolen, as well as the spare keys to another truck and a key to his motorcycle. The value of the items stolen was $4,100, according to the incident report. Bond was set on Pindak at $50,000 cash or surety on the second-degree burglary charge. Pindak was also charged Friday by the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office with breach of trust, according to county court records. Arrest warrants for the breach of trust charge were not available Friday. In other reports: A 59-year-old Pelion woman was charged Thursday with two counts of forgery with a value of less than $10,000 and one count of forgery with no dollar amount Judy Walker of 176 Catherine Drive, was accused of crimes which occurred in June, according to incident reports and arrest warrants. Walker allegedly entered the Magnolia Liquor and Check at 2194 Magnolia Street on June 20 and cashed a check made payable to her from Don's Car Crushing in St. Matthews. The check was for $469.43, according to the arrest warrant. Don's Car Crushing later claimed the check is counterfeit, noting Walker is not an employee of the business and has never conducted any business with the company. The next day, Walker allegedly went to the Columbia Road Piggly Wiggly and cashed a forged check also made payable from Don's Car Crushing for $585.06. Walker allegedly went back to Magnolia Liquor on June 21 and presented another forged check from Don's Car Crushing for $562.32, the warrant states. Management of the business held the check for investigation and did not cash the check due to Walker's previously presenting a counterfeit check. Bond was set on Walker at $1,000 cash or surety for each of the forgery counts. An Orangeburg man was accused Thursday of burglarizing the China Buffet restaurant on John C. Calhoun Drive back in October. Ricky Lamar White, 26, 876 Kearse Drive, was charged with third-degree burglary. The charge stems from an Oct. 26 incident when he allegedly broke into the restaurant and stole approximately $1,000 worth of food from the refrigerator. Upon arriving to the restaurant, officers observed onion rings and crawfish strewn about the kitchen floor near the refrigerator, the report states. Bond was set on White at $40,000 cash or surety. Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office A DirectTV contractor says a Santee resident pointed a weapon at him when he tried to recover equipment he installed on the property, according to a sheriffs office incident report. The contractor arrived at an Antioch Church Road residence Thursday afternoon to install cable. After hooking up the cable, he learned there was an outstanding bill from the previous resident. The contractor said he then recovered the property he had installed per his company's policy, the report states. The victim said the subject became upset and pointed a black and silver rifle with a scope toward him, the report states. The victim said the subject was about 40 yards from him at the time. The contractor said he sped away from the residence and called law enforcement. In a separate incident, the catalytic converter was stolen from a 2009 Ford bus belonging to the Orangeburg County Disabilities and Special Needs Board. The item is valued at $1,240. COLUMBIA - Bakari Sellers, an attorney with Strom Law Firm and political analysis for CNN, will deliver the commencement address during the Benedict College Winter Commencement Convocation. The ceremony is set for 9 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, in the Benjamin E. Mays Human Resources Center Arena on the main campus. Sellers made history in 2006 when, at just 22 years old, he defeated a 26-year incumbent state representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina legislature and the youngest African American elected official in the nation. In 2014, he was the Democratic nominee for South Carolina lieutenant governor. Earning a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies from Morehouse College, where he was elected student body president, and a law degree from the University of South Carolina, Sellers followed in the footsteps of his father, Dr. Cleveland Seller, a civil rights leader and icon in the state. They are both passionate servants in the community championing progressive policies to address issues ranging from education and poverty to preventing domestic violence. Sellers has an impressive list of accomplishments. He served on former President Barack Obamas South Carolina steering committee during the 2008 election. He is widely considered to be a rising star within the Democratic Party and leading voice for his generation. That, coupled with his uncommon ability to reach across the aisle to get things done, has led to numerous accolades for Sellers, including being named to Time Magazines 40 Under 40 in 2010, 2014 and 2015 and The Root 100 List of the nations most influential African-Americans. He has provided commentary and analysis to CNN and MSNBC including multiple appearances on Hardball with Chis Matthew and Morning Joe. He is married to Dr. Ellen Rucker-Sellers. The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) has signed agreements with Yemen's General Authority for Rural Water Supply Projects and Ministry of Education, to provide support for rural water projects and educational development initiatives in the Wadi Hadhramaut area, reported state news agency Wam. Ahmed Al Neyadi, the deputy head of the ERC team in Hadhramaut, reaffirmed the ERC's keenness to support and improve infrastructure, utilities, and education sector projects, as well as providing humanitarian relief support to the residents as per the directives of President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. "The ERC is keen to implement this necessary project to provide clean drinking water to Yemeni citizens," he stated. The Hadhramaut Governorate Under-Secretary praised the great efforts exerted by the UAE and the ERC to support the people in the governorate in particular, and Yemen in general, across various sectors, stated the report. Dubai-based Audacia Capital, a newly established investment bank, has completed the acquisition of two adjacent built-to-suit headquarter office properties now under construction in Hoofddorp, close to Schiphol Airport, The Netherlands. The properties, being developed by Red Company and designed by architecture firm Powerhouse Company, are both state-of the-art office buildings with a strong focus on sustainability and health, said the company in a statement. Consequently, the properties are designed to become an attractive, healthy, collaborative and cost efficient workplace to fulfil the ambition of realising sustainable and healthy buildings, the choice has been made for the worlds most recognised assessment systems in the field: Leed for sustainability and Well for health and well-being. The ASICS EMEA and Benelux headquarters is due for completion in October next year, while the new Danone Netherlands Global headquarters office building is due for completion in March 2019. Emad Mansour, the founder and CEO of Audacia, said: "This acquisition heralds our entry into the European real estate investment market and provides our partners with an exciting opportunity to be part of a ground-breaking development project." "We will continue to develop in this sector, always striving to select and ensure solid, quality returns working alongside trusted partners. Our strategic aim is to continue to develop Audacia Capital to become a multi-asset class manager. European real estate is an important asset class to our clients thus we will continue to focus on sourcing exciting deals to help our clients achieve their investment objectives," he added.-TradeArabia News Service Turkish Airlines has expressed its commitment to joint the fight against illegal wildlife trade with the signing of the United for Wildlife Buckingham Palace Declaration (UFW). The United for Wildlife Buckingham Palace Declaration (UFW) which was on the agenda of the 73rd IATA Annual General Meeting held in Cancun, Mexico last June, has been signed by 41 airline companies so far. The declaration, also signed by institutions such as ACI, AFRAA, AASA and London Heathrow Airport, is aiming to stop the illegal wildlife trade of tusk, rhino horn, tortoise shell etc. as well as increasing passenger, customer, client, and staff awareness about the nature, scale, and consequences of the illegal wildlife trade. The declaration was approved by Turkish Airlines at a signing ceremony held at the Turkish Airlines Istanbul Headquarters, attended by Bilal Eksi, Turkish Airlines deputy chairman and CEO, and Iata director general, Alexandre de Juniac. With this declaration, we as Turkish Airlines are not only underlining one of the most important environmental issues of our times, trafficking of wildlife, but we are also setting an example of responsibility. Today with this signature we hope that we are contributing to the level of awareness on the issue and smoothing the path for legal enforcement procedures against the traffickers. said Eksi. De Juniac said: The illegal wildlife trade threatens to extinguish many of the worlds most iconic and special creatures. The global connectivity built by the aviation industry is being exploited by traffickers, but through coordinated action with our industry partners, and assisting the proper authorities, we can help to end this dreadful trade. We welcome Turkish Airlines commitment to join this fight, symbolised in its signature to the Buckingham Palace declaration. Airlines commitments expression and demonstration of agreement to tackle the illegal wildlife trade are as follows; 1. Adopt or encourage the adoption of a zero-tolerance policy regarding illegal wildlife trade. 2. Increase passenger, customer, client, and staff awareness about the nature, scale, and consequences of illegal wildlife trade. 3 Promote the declaration and its commitments across the entire transport sector and encourage all in the sector to sign up to the declaration. 4. Develop mechanisms to enable the transport sector to receive timely information about the transport of suspected illegal wildlife and their products, including methods of transportation, key routes, ports and other locations. 5. Enhance data systems, including due diligence and risk assessment, to allow the transport sector and/or enforcement agencies to screen data and/or cargo, to identify potential shipments of suspected illegal wildlife and their products. 6. Identify and promote systems for staff and the public to report suspicions in relation to the transportation of illegal wildlife and their products. 7. Improve the training of staff within the transport sector to enable them to detect, identify and report suspected illegal wildlife trade, and acknowledge staff who champion this cause. 8. Develop a secure, harmonised system for passing information about suspected illegal wildlife trade from the transport sector to relevant customs and law enforcement authorities, where permitted by law. 9. Notify relevant law enforcement authorities of cargoes suspected of containing illegal wildlife and their products and, where able, refuse to accept or ship such cargoes. 10. Establish a cross-disciplinary team working with local customs and law enforcement authorities to develop a system of best practice for combatting illegal wildlife trade in key ports. 11. Support the development of mechanisms by the World Customs Organization and national customs authorities to aid the detection and prevention of trade in illegal wildlife and their products. - TradeArabia News Service Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village Sundays Highlights Sunday support meetings Alcoholics Anonymous: 10 a.m., 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 10:15 a.m., 917 N. Beech; noon, 500 S. Wolcott, Ste. 200; 6:30 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott; 6:30 p.m., 328 E. A; 8 p.m., 917 N. Beech; 8 p.m., 328 1/2 E. A. Douglas: 1 p.m, Douglas, 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back), womens meeting; 7:30 p.m., 628 E. Richards (upstairs in back). Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are open. Casper info: 266-9578; Douglas info: (307) 351-1688. Narcotics Anonymous: Noon, 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 6:30 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club; 8 p.m., 15th & Melrose at the church. Web site: http://www.urmrna.org. Nicotine Anonymous: 5 p.m., 500 S. Wolcott, 12-24 Club. Info: Pam M., 577-0518. Elks breakfast starts Sunday breakfast open to the public at the Casper Elks Lodge starts again Sunday with the Girl Scouts helping out. The new kitchen looks great. Open every Sunday, 8 to 11 a.m. Serving pancakes, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage links, potatoes, scrambled eggs, French toast and omelets to order. New to the menu is build your own breakfast burrito. Also served is toast, juice, tea and coffee. All you can eat for $7, children 5 to 12 are $3, 4 and under are free. Come down for the best breakfast in town and see the old crew again. Also, if you have a birthday please let us know and Michael will sing to you. This is open to the public. The Lodge will be open for breakfast only on December 24. For more information, call 234-4839. Christmas craft fair at Sunrise Sunrise Shopping Center hosts its annual Christmas Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Enjoy browsing more than 40 Wyoming vendors and get all of your holiday needs from food to gifts. Bell choir at First Christian Bell choir is presenting Christmas Angels Medley, during Sunday morning worship at 10:10 a.m. at First Christian Church, 520 CY Ave. All are welcome. Gingerbread house workshop The Natrona County Library will hold a Gingerbread House Workshop from 2 to 4 p.m. Families and individuals may stop by at their leisure to build and decorate gingerbread houses out of graham crackers, frosting and candy. Attendees will be seated on a first come, first served basis. Seating is limited to 50 people at a time. The event is free and open to the public. All building materials and decorations will be provided at no cost. Jam session at Eagles Jam Session at the Eagles Lodge is 4 to 8 p.m. All talents invited to join on stage and entertain or come dance and listen to the music. Eagle Riders Club will be preparing juicy hamburgers with the fixins for your hungry enjoyment. Come down and join in on the fun and food. You never know who might show up. See you there. PFLAG sponsors forum The Casper PFLAG group is sponsoring an Open Forum with the board and staff of Wyoming Equality from 3 to 5 p.m., at the UCC Church at the corner of 15th and Melrose. The goal of the forum is to discuss how the Casper LGBTQ+ community and organizations can work together with Wyoming Equality to advocate, educate, support, and sponsor social activities to the LBGTQ+ and their families, friends, and allies. Everyone is invited to stay for the monthly PFLAG meeting at 5 p.m., and to join us for a pot luck Holiday Dinner and White Elephant Gift Exchange. For more information please contact Rob Johnston at 259-5026, Dee Lundberg at (406) 930-1099, or Ruth Ann Leonard, 265-5449 or email casperpflag.com. Compassionate Friends set candle lighting event Another Compassionate Friends event is The Worldwide Candle Lighting at 7 p.m., mountain time. Join in this event by lighting a candle in your home and letting it burn for an hour until the next time zone lights candles. You will be helping to honor the memories of children who have died, but who will never be forgotten. For more information, please call Gail, 235-0702 or Sheila, 237-0735. Tips for Foo Fighters concert The Foo Fighters will perform at the Casper Events Center at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Spectra Venue Management and the Casper Events Center would like to inform the public about prohibited items and helpful hints to make the night more enjoyable for all. Attendees and their belongings will walk through metal detectors upon entry. Ticket holders consent to reasonable search for such items below and waive any related claims that may arise. The Casper Events Center Management reserves the right to make the final determination on prohibited items. CECs Prohibited Items: outside food or beverage, alcohol, bottles or cans; professional cameras, cameras with detachable lenses, or lenses longer than 2.5; GoPro cameras; video or audio devices; selfie sticks or telescopic devices; aerosol cans or noisemaking devices; drones (UAS-Unmanned Aircraft Systems) or other model aircraft; animals (unless a service animal); weapons; self defense sprays/pepper spray; explosives; fuels (torches, lighter fluid); tools; razor type blades (box cutters, razor blades, scissors); hazardous items (chemicals, paints, thinners); laser pointing devices; gifts, letters, signs, banners, flowers, or sealed packages of any kind; hoverboards and skateboards; umbrellas; any other items deemed inappropriate. Prohibited items cannot be stored or held at the entrance points, security base or guest services. They must be returned to the patrons vehicle or thrown away. The following restrictions are also in place for the performance in addition to the Casper Events Centers prohibited items list: no professional cameras with detachable lenses; no professional or non-mobile phone video recorders; no professional recording devices; No go-pros, Ipads, or selfie sticks; no weapons, bottles or containers of any type; no items that can be used as a projectile; no laser pointers; no bags (small medical necessity bags and clutch-type bags will be allowed); no wallet chains. Crowd surfing and moshing is not advised and is strongly discouraged/ It is also important to note that this show includes heavy use of strobe lighting. Additionally, by entering the venue, patrons agree to be photographed and videotaped. Some helpful hints: empty your pockets before you leave home; only bring the essentials; arrive early; doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.; dont forget your valid photo ID if you plan to drink any alcoholic beverages. Uber is the official transportation network partner for the Casper Events Center. Guests can download the app on smartphones or visit: www.uber.com/ride and use the promo code: CASPEREVENTS for discounts. The Casper Events Center will be taking additional security measures when the Foo Fighters perform Sunday night. The venue will be using metal detectors and will not allow concertgoers to bring bags into the show. This is a tighter security event than (concertgoers) are normally used to, said events center General Manager Brad Murphy. The venue is advising concertgoers to arrive early. Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. show. Several items will be prohibited at the show including: professional and GoPro cameras; selfie sticks; weapons or pepper spray; laser pointers; wallet chains; bags (clutch bags are permitted); and professional video or audio recorders. The Foo Fighters began in 1994 as a one-man project by then Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Theyve since become one of rock and rolls biggest acts, with hits such as Everlong and Ill stick around. The band will perform in Billings, Montana, on Saturday night and Salt Lake City on Tuesday. More high profile acts have been performing at the events center since Spectra took over management of the venue last year. Recent shows include Snoop Dog, Elton John, Eric Church and the Beach Boys. Casper officials are swearing in a new police chief this week, but City Council ensured at its Tuesday meeting that the man who has been steering the ship for the last seven months wasnt forgotten. Interim Police Chief Steve Schultz was tapped in May after former Chief Jim Wetzel was dismissed from his position. The dismissal occurred after problems in the police department became public, but the city has never offered a reason for Wetzels departure. He came into a situation that he inherited and stepped up, Councilwoman Amanda Huckabay said of Schultz on Tuesday. The councilwoman said she worked with Schultz on several occasions and praised him for always taking time to address her concerns. Councilman Dallas Laird also expressed gratitude to Schultz and wished him luck with any future endeavors. I know youve given some of your best years to the city of Casper, he said. Schulz will remain with the force as a captain, according to City Manager Carter Napier. While on the topic of the police department, Laird stated that he wants City Council to start planning for a new police headquarters. Council should begin looking into price estimates, funding options and potential new locations, said the councilman. The department moved into its current headquarters on David Street in 1976, but the building no longer meets the needs of the operation, Wetzel explained last spring. The department needs a building with stronger electronic connectivity, more space and better air control. Council members also commented on a few youth-related issues Tuesday night. At a recent workshop for government officials, Councilman Jesse Morgan said he spoke with a councilman from Washington who implemented a program allowing those ages 18 and younger to ride public transit for free. The program also gave adolescents free admission into some recreation centers. It keeps them out of trouble when theyre out of school, it keeps them out of trouble and occupied during the summertime, and I think thats a great idea, said Morgan. Vice Mayor Ray Pacheco, who held a Youth Town Hall in October, announced that a follow-up event is in the works for January. Pacheco said he will be meeting with the Youth Empowerment Council next week to start planning. The empowerment council, which helped the vice mayor organize the town hall, strives to improve the community through various events and projects, such as giving presentations about bullying awareness at schools. A Wyoming man who spent 24 years in prison for a crime he did not commit is appealing a federal judges decision to throw out his lawsuit seeking compensation for alleged civil rights violations. A lawyer for Andrew Johnson filed a notice of appeal this week with the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, the attorney announced Friday. We fight on, attorney Robert Schuster said in a written statement. Andrew Johnsons case is the single greatest miscarriage of justice in Wyomings judicial history. We will ask the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to finally reverse and correct this tragedy. A jury in Cheyenne convicted Johnson in 1989 of breaking into an acquaintances home and raping her. Johnson spent more than two decades in prison before a DNA test showed that semen collected from the alleged victim belonged to her then-fiance, not Johnson. Johnson was granted a new trial in 2013, but prosecutors later dropped the charges and a judge signed an order declaring him innocent. Despite this, Johnson has never received compensation from the state for his wrongful conviction and time in prison. Wyoming does not pay restitution to people who are wrongfully imprisoned, and attempts to change that have failed in the state Legislature. Mr. Johnson was wrongfully convicted and spent 24 years in prison, missing 24 years of freedom, missing the life of his daughter who was only 1 year old when convicted, missing the death of his mother, Schuster said. It is an unspeakable travesty, and an unspeakable tragedy. Johnson sued the city of Cheyenne in April, alleging that police officers there withheld information that led to his conviction. Specifically, his attorney alleges police officers either intentionally withheld or recklessly lost about 20 crime scene photos that could have been used in his clients defense. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit in July on procedural grounds, including that many of the lawsuits claims had been raised in previous legal actions filed by Johnson. However, his attorney said the earlier lawsuit was filed while Johnson was still a prisoner. It is ultimately unfair that Mr. Johnson should be denied his civil rights now after he has been declared actually innocent and after the court acknowledged that he did not commit the crimes because he filed cases decades ago without the benefit of a lawyer, without the benefit of scientific evidence, and without the support of Judge Campbells Order (of innocence), Schuster said. Since leaving prison, Johnson has had a difficult time making ends meet. Recently, friends began an online fundraiser to help him. That gofundme.com account has already brought in more than $10,000. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) The wildfires that ravaged Northern California wine country two months ago have generated $9 billion in insurance claims, far more than the single costliest fire in U.S. history, officials said Wednesday. The figure is not likely to increase much more, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said. It represents residential, commercial, automobile and other property claims filed with 260 insurers by Dec. 1. "And behind those staggering numbers are personal stories of tragedy and loss, and 44 individuals whose lives were lost," Jones told The Associated Press. A 1991 fire in Oakland Hills is the costliest single fire in U.S. history, prompting $2.7 billion in claims in today's dollars, according to data from the Insurance Information Institute. Nearly two dozen fires broke out in Northern California in mid-October. The state hasn't provided a cost breakdown by each fire, but officials say one of the largest damaged far more buildings than the 1991 blaze. People have filed insurance claims on more than 18,000 homes that were partially or fully destroyed, most of them in Sonoma County, where a blaze decimated several neighborhoods, Jones said. There were nearly 2,300 business property claims, nearly 5,000 vehicle claims and 650 claims for other property, including boats. Despite the staggering losses in a short period of time, Jones said there's "no question" insurers have the money available to pay claims. Some Californians have reported receiving inaccurate information from their insurance companies, Jones said. He also warned that people should vet any contractors they plan to work with on rebuilding. One person reported to Jones' office that they were told insurance money could only be used to rebuild on the same property. The law allows for using that money to build or buy a home anywhere, Jones said. Another was told they had 12 months to resolve their claims, not 24 as the law allows for a declared disaster like the wildfires. The inaccuracies may stem from the fact that insurers have brought in staff from other states to handle the influx of claims, he said. "If one person is told the wrong thing by an insurance company, it's not acceptable," Jones said. Disputes over claims are likely to increase in the coming months as consumers move through the process, Jones said. The FBI has created a task force to work with state and local agencies to investigate and prevent fraud in relief efforts. Intelligence gathered about fraudulent activities in other natural disasters this year, including hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, will help serve as a guidepost for ferreting out schemes in California, the FBI's San Francisco division said in a statement. Consumers in other areas of California claimed an additional $400 million in wildfire-related losses in October, including 376 residential property claims totaling $71 million from a fire in Orange County. A Montana judge has temporarily restricted wolf hunting and trapping near Yellowstone and Glacier national parks and imposed tighter statewide limits on killing the predators. Wildlife advocates sued last month claiming that looser hunting rules adopted in the Republican-controlled state could harm wolf populations. State District Court Judge Christopher Abbott on Tuesday ordered officials to reimpose rules from 2020 that allow the killing of only five wolves per person, instead of 20, and forbid the use of snares for trapping. Abbott also limited hunting and trapping near the national parks. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte criticized the ruling, saying he thinks the judge overstepped his bounds. But state wildlife officials have pledged to comply with the order. Throughout the past year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has ramped up its activity in Wyoming and across the United States to deport as many immigrants as possible. ICE arrests are up 40 percent over last yearmembers of our communities, our neighbors, coworkers and friends. Its more than just increasing numbers; its who ICE is going after and how. That affects all of us and it should have all of us concerned. Now, unless we the people stand up against a proposed new private immigrant detention facility in Uinta County, these indiscriminate deportations will be put into overdrive. The federal government is seeking to significantly expand its immigrant detention capabilities, including through a new and privately-operated facility right outside Bear River State Park, right along wildlife migration corridors and in the way of economically-promising public recreation. The private detention company Management and Training Corporation, or MTC, has already approached local officials for the go-ahead for the facility. If this plan moves forward, ICE could detain up to 600 people in our own state. Immigration enforcement used to rely on priorities: focusing most attention and arrests against immigrants who they deemed pose a threat to public safety. Now, those priorities have been erased as ICE goes after any immigrant they can find. The Teton County Sheriffs Office recently reflected on ICEs new approach, with Sheriff Jim Whalen noting that while ICE had previously focused on prior deportees and public safety threats, ICE now would take any undocumented immigrant they encountered into custody. Since President Trump took office, arrests of immigrants without a criminal record have increased 179 percent. Unfortunately, examples of immigrant moms and dads being ripped away from their kids are commonplace. Such was the case in Casper recently, when a 17-year-old boy drove his father to the local bank to cash his paycheck as part of a normal errand that any Wyoming family might run. Any sense of normal ended abruptly, however, when ICE agents came up to the boys car, tore open the passenger door, ripped his father out of his seat, and swept him away. Arresting, detaining and deporting immigrants with families and ties to the community does not benefit our state or better our communities. In fact, this indiscriminate targeting harms, instead of helps, public safety, making it less likely that immigrants are willing to work with law enforcement to report crimes or serve as witnesses. The for-profit private prison system, including privately operated immigrant detention facilities, have been marked by substandard and inhumane conditions, broken financial promises to local rural communities, and a lack of transparency and accountability when problems have arisen. One of the worst offenders has been MTC, the third-largest private prison company in America and one with a disturbing history of corruption and a disturbing record of abuse and neglect at its facilities. Among MTCs lowlights: In Texas, MTC operated the notorious Willacy County Correctional Center, where former employees revealed that the company encouraged its workers to cover up reports of rampant sexual and physical abuse. In June 2009, a former nurse at the facility testified before Congress that the level of human suffering [at Willacy] was just unbelievable. In Arizona, MTC-operated prisons in Kingman and Marana were the site of ongoing problems including riots and escapes. In July 2010, the state department of corrections produced a scathing security assessment of the MTC prison and its staff. And in Mississippi, the state Attorney General in February 2017 named MTC as a defendant in a RICO lawsuit, alleging that MTC paid Mississippi state officials consulting fees that were used to provide kickbacks to a corrupt former state Department of Corrections commissioner, who then helped to funnel $800 millions of corrections contracts towards the company. Unfortunately, MTC has already started to weasel into Wyoming, with promises of high-paying jobs and economic benefits. And while building and operating detention facilities is big business for the private companies, the economic benefits do not flow to the larger community, especially when those communities are rural. As the Brennan Center for Justice recently noted, contrary to popular belief, private prisons often dont save the economies of the rural towns that seek them out. We can do better than stand by idly as our government rounds up immigrants who are contributors to their communitiesand to ours. And we can do better than watch private prison companies make a fast buck off ofand try to take advantage ofrural Wyoming communities. Wyoming lawmakers will again consider a bill that would broaden the definition of stalking and increase incarceration time for those convicted of the crime. The Joint Judiciary Interim Committee sponsored a bill for the 2018 legislative session that would revise the states stalking statutes. If passed, the bill would increase the maximum punishment for misdemeanor stalking from six months to one year and increase the maximum penalty for felony stalking from five years to 10. The bill also gives judges the ability to sentence a person convicted of misdemeanor stalking to up to three years of probation. The proposed bill also broadens the definition of harassment. Currently, Wyoming statutes define the term as a course of conduct that would make a reasonable person suffer substantial emotional distress, and which does in fact seriously alarm the person toward whom it is directed. The bill expands that definition to include actions that would make a reasonable person fear for their safety, that of another person or for the safety of their property. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence defines stalking as acts by an abuser that intentionally create a fear for the victim by threatening harm or death to themselves, a relative, property or any third party. A 2011 study found that one in every six women and one in every 19 men have been stalked in their lifetime. Stalkers also often assault their victims 81 percent of women who were stalked by an intimate partner were also physically attacked by them, according to the coalition. A group of lawmakers introduced a similar bill during the 2017 legislative session, but it failed to pass out of the Senate Judiciary committee. The members of the committee wanted more time to study the issue and make sure the legal language was more clear before proceeding, according to a story from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. The bill in front of the committee now is a bit more of a comprehensive overview, Rep. Charles Pelkey, D-Laramie, said Thursday. Pelkey was one of the lawmakers who sponsored the bill during the previous session and is a member of the interim committee sponsoring the 2018 version. One of the committees goals during the interim was to study statutes related to domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault and protective orders. During that review, a number of people who work in law enforcement and advocacy expressed their support for a draft of the bill, including a representative from the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and an investigator with the Natrona County Sheriffs Office. The bill also expands what constitutes felony stalking. Currently, a person can be convicted of the felony offense if they stalked someone in violation of certain types of protection orders or within five years of a previous stalking conviction. The bill would lengthen that time limit to 10 years and expand the types of protection orders included. Finally, the bill would define the jurisdiction for stalking, which can be committed from afar via social media or the phone. If the bill is passed, a person could be charged with stalking in Wyoming if he or she stalked their victim from elsewhere but the victim was in the state at the time. Pelkey said the bill could face challenges from people who do not want to lengthen sentences or think the changes are too broad, but he remained optimistic. Im hopeful that there will be more support, he said. Overall, at least well discuss the issue. CHEYENNE Last Monday I went to the Jonah Center, the temporary home of the Legislature, to sit in on the meeting of the Joint Interim Revenue Committee. This was the committees big day; the members were going to vote on a slew of tax bills on property, beer, cigarettes and services that now are exempt. I wasnt expecting anything major to get passed, given the recent modest increase in revenues, coupled with Gov. Matt Meads statement that a tax increase or new taxes werent necessary. The last nail in the tax coffin, I thought, was the resolution passed by the Republican Central Committee last summer warning the lawmakers against any tax increases or new taxes. A decree, as it were. The GOP resolution had been presented to the harried members of the Revenue Committee. Those members had been assigned the job of identifying hundreds of millions of dollars to finance schools and social services and other needs to fill the gap left by diminished energy revenue contributions to the state. Inside the building, outside the committee room, it appeared that every lobbyist or other representative of all the interest groups extant in Wyoming had gathered for this major meeting. There was no seating or standing room in the room and enough of the observers were in the outer hall to occupy a second, albeit small, room of their own. So I wandered down the hall to the Joint Appropriations Committee (JAC) room, where there were empty seats. Giving a report to the committee were State Treasurer Mark Gordon and Chief Investment Officer Patrick Fleming. I learned later (from old friend and colleague Bob Beck of National Public Radio who got into the meeting room) that the revenue committee delayed action on the major items until early next year in order to get the final report on school recalibration which may show some ways to save money. By then the Legislature will also have an update on revenue estimates. The biggies to increase property taxes and remove the sales tax exemption for services such as pet grooming and attorney fees were put off until early next year. The budget session opens in February. The revenue committee did pass a bill to raise the tax on cigarettes to $1 per pack and proposals to divert mineral taxes and royalties for school construction and general government, but killed yet again a bill to raise the tax on beer. The Legislature should forget the beer tax. Despite umpteen efforts, it hasnt been raised since it was levied at two cents a gallon in 1935thats 82 years ago. A higher tax wouldnt raise much money anyway nothing like an uptick in the return on the states portfolio. Meanwhile, in my committee room down the hall, Gordon and Fleming were giving a generally positive report, outlining adjustments that would increase the amount of money available for schools through asset allocation. Voters in November 2016 passed a constitutional amendment to allow the state to invest non permanent funds in equities, upon approval of the Legislature. The treasurers office already had authority to invest the permanent funds in equitiesthe stock market. Gordon, a presumed GOP candidate for governor next year and a former member of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, knows how to do the math, as we like to say. He is not rushing into the stock market with new money, although the amendment allows the state to increase the portfolios investment in equities from 45 to 70 percent. The valuation is fairly high and the state must be careful of risk. It would be better to get into the market after a correction, he said. Wyoming, he added, always has focused on the preservation of capital while getting the best return on investment possible. Investment income is important it is the second highest source of money for the states general fund, behind sales taxes. We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Dec. 9 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages. Federal agents arrested the suspected head scout for a drug smuggling organization that controls the corridor north of Lukeville. Jose Angel Felix Ramirez, 28, also known as Cinco, was the head scout for the Sonoyta, Sonora-based Cusa smuggling organization that moves migrants and marijuana from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Phoenix area, according to a criminal complaint filed by a Homeland Security Investigations agent in U.S. District Court in Tucson. After weeks of surveillance of the Pia Oik hills northeast of Lukeville, Border Patrol agents arrested Felix, a Mexican citizen identified in the complaint as the lead scout in charge of the smuggling network for the smuggling season, on Dec. 4. Agents also arrested another suspected scout, Arnoldo Ojeda Zavala, a 31-year-old Mexican citizen. Both men were charged with conspiracy to commit drug trafficking. The bust of the scouting site came amid a flurry of arrests this week that targeted scouts along the western desert smuggling corridor and Phoenix residents who supply scouts with food, batteries and other items. Scouts spend weeks or months on mountainsides warning smuggling groups when law enforcement officers are in the area, often by using encrypted radios and cell phones. Scouts have worked in the west desert for more than a decade, but they became an increasingly serious problem for Border Patrol agents in the last five years. Prosecutors had trouble charging suspected scouts with drug smuggling because they usually do not possess large quantities of drugs when they are arrested. Instead, the suspected scouts would be charged with illegally crossing the border. However, a federal judge in Tucson convicted a suspected scout on a drug smuggling conspiracy charge in a 2015 bench trial. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction in January. HSI agents also target the network of people who are paid to supply them, as was the case in February when 10 U.S. citizens and a Mexican man were charged with drug smuggling conspiracy for buying supplies in Phoenix and dropping them off near scout sites on the Tohono Oodham reservation. Adriana Fonseca Dominguez, a 34-year-old Mexican woman living in Phoenix, was charged alongside Felix and Ojeda with marijuana smuggling conspiracy charges after she was connected to Western Union payments to scout suppliers. HSI agents arrested Raul Edgar Arellano Garcia, 29, on Dec. 6 after he handed off groceries and supplies to men in Phoenix who delivered them to scout locations on the Tohono Oodham reservation. Arellano told agents he is paid $200 for each bag of groceries he buys, according to a criminal complaint filed by an HSI agent. He told agents he usually gets a call from Felix, who tells him where to meet for the food drop-off. He reportedly told agents Felix also asked him to wire money to Mexico. Also on Dec. 6, Border Patrol agents arrested Carlos Ivan Estrada Nunez, a 31-year-old Mexican citizen, at the scouting site in the Pia Oik hills. Estrada told agents he had been a scout for the Cusa organization for five years and was paid $200 for each smuggling attempt he helped. He also identified Cinco as the head scout for the Cusa organization, according to the complaint. In another Dec. 6 incident, a Border Patrol agent spotted suspected scouts in the Sierra Blanca Mountains northeast of the village of San Simon on the Tohono Oodham reservation. With the help of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter and an Air National Guard plane, agents arrested Jesus Felix Ramirez, a 21-year-old Mexican citizen who told agents he had been on the hilltop since late October. He also said Cinco was the head scout for his smuggling organization and knew that Cinco had been arrested. The Cusa organization is part of the Sinaloa cartel and controls the smuggling corridor between Sonoyta and Rocky Point in Sonora, Mexico. Members of the Cusa organization were involved in an attack between a hit man and a rip crew that stole a load of marijuana in May 2016 in the Santa Rosa Mountains southwest of Casa Grande, as the Arizona Daily Star reported Feb. 4. One man was shot in the knees and six men involved in the attack were sentenced to federal prison terms ranging from 5 to 12 years. These are some of the critters you might see while out and about in Southern Arizona. If you are looking for a specific type of critter, you c Why: Hamblin works as a VA outreach technician for the Tucson Vet Center and he travels throughout Southern Arizona to work with military veterans concerning services and programs available to them. He helps them secure housing, jobs and benefits, and many other services. He goes above and beyond, Adams wrote when nominating Hamblin. Hamblin even gave up his portable air conditioning unit to a veteran who had no AC for several days. This is just one example of the many additional things he has done in support of the veterans community. Keiths kindness and willingness to help has spread not only to veterans, but also to friends, neighbors and strangers, Adams wrote. U.S. Rep. Martha McSally announced she will donate to veterans groups the more than $16,000 her campaign received from former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks. The announcement comes less than a day after Franks surprise announcement that he would leave the House amid allegations that he asked female staffers to be surrogates for his child. Congresswoman McSally, like everyone else is just learning about the disturbing allegations regarding former Congressman Franks. Immediately after Congresswoman McSally learned about the allegations, she decided to donate all the funds she has received from Rep. Franks to a veterans charity," said Andrea Bozek, a McSally campaign spokeswoman. She said McSally's quick response to donate the funds is in sharp contrast to Democrats Kirsten Sinema and Ann Kirkpatrick, who both received donations from the spouses of the Backpage.com founders in previous campaign cycles. Both Sinema and Kirkpatrick donated the funds from Backpage to charity earlier this year. "They kept the contributions even after the pimps were arrested and only returned the donations after being pressured by the media," Bozek said. A spokesperson for Kirkpatrick, Rodd McLeod, said Kirkpatrick donated the money as soon as she was made aware of the information. "Trent Franks reputation for misconduct has been well known for years in McSallys workplace, yet she chose him as her mentor, and has not spoken one word against him, President Trump or Roy Moore," he said. "Only after McSally shows the integrity to speak truth to power, will she have the credibility to criticize other women." Franks gave $2,000 to McSally on in September, another $4,000 in 2016, $6,733 in 2014 and $3,633 in 2012, according to Federal Election Commission records. The Arizona Democratic Party had demanded on Friday that McSally and state Sen. Steve Smith who is running in Arizona Congressional District 1 return the money that Franks and his political action committee gave them. Franks' PAC, Defending America's Future, gave Smith's campaign $1,000 in June. A representative for the Smith campaign did not return calls seeking comment. The local economy will gain momentum next year after a sluggish performance in 2017, a University of Arizona expert believes. George Hammond, director of the Eller Economic and Business Research Center, presented his economic outlook for Tucson to more than 500 people at a luncheon Friday at the Westin La Paloma. Heres a Q&A with Hammond: Q. Whats the most significant event that happened with Tucsons economy in 2017? A. The renegotiation of NAFTA is a big deal. Its something we should all track carefully. However, the biggest event of the year has not happened yet and might not happen at all. Its the tax cuts/tax reform working its way through Congress. Stay tuned. Q. Theres been a lot of optimism about Tucsons turning economy, but you continue to express skepticism. Why is that? A. Earlier this year, there was a disconnect between the preliminary job data for Tucson and the buzz circulating around town. Ive been pointing that out and waiting for more reliable data to be released. Those data have started to come out and show stronger job growth in Tucson through March 2017 than previously thought. Thats good news and it fits better with the buzz about the local economy. Q. Do you believe the announced jobs will not materialize? A. Well have to wait and see on that, but I do expect overall job growth to continue this year and into 2018. Q. Are there things that give you optimism? A. Yes, the strong U.S. economy really sets the stage for continued growth in Tucson. If the buzz regarding the local economy pans out, that will help as well. Q. In what sector do you believe Tucson will see the most job growth in 2018? A. I think well see the local economy add at least 3,000 net new jobs this year, with stronger gains in 2018 of 4,400 new jobs. I think well continue to see strong job gains in service-providing sectors, especially health care, tourism, manufacturing, and professional and business services. The manufacturing job growth would be especially helpful, since those are high-paying jobs. Professional and business services includes accountants, lawyers, management consultants, computer scientists, engineers, and call centers, among others. Q. What do you predict for residential construction and real estate? A. I think well see job growth translate into population gains during the next year. In turn, population gains will generate additional activity in residential construction. It will also continue to put upward pressure on house prices. Q. What are the economic risks and pressure points facing Tucson? A. The forecast assumes that the U.S. economy will continue to grow during the next year. That seems very likely at this point. However, if the U.S. economy slows dramatically or falls into recession next year, that will take the wind out of Tucsons sails and raise the odds of a downturn locally. I also think that a major disruption in trade relations with Mexico is a risk for Tucson. Trade with Mexico, including the spending of Mexican visitors here, is an important part of the state and local economies. Thats particularly true since Arizonas exports to Mexico are already under pressure from a strong U.S. dollar. Q. Anything else you want readers to know about the local economy? A. While I think Tucson is growing this year and will generate stronger gains over the next couple of years, that growth is very likely to fall short of our long-run averages. That will reflect the demographic shift caused by the aging of the baby boom generation. This is not specific to Tucson well also see below average gains nationally, statewide, and in Phoenix. 'Big as my head': Hawaii woman seeks record for huge avocado KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (AP) A Hawaii woman is waiting to hear back from Guinness World Records to find out if the massive avocado she snagged is the world's largest. Pamela Wang of the Big Island found the 5-pound (2.3-kilogram) avocado Sunday on a walk, the West Hawaii Today newspaper reported . "I see avocados every day, and I pick up avocados every day, but this one ... it was hard to miss," Wang said. "It was as big as my head." She met up with friends and showed them the enormous avocado. Wang's friends began making inquiries online, uncovering information that indicated that the avocado might just be the largest on record. Wang submitted an application to Guinness and expects to hear back within two months. She had Ken Love, executive director of Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers, witness the avocado's weighing. Guinness requires an expert to be present. "I've seen (avocados) longer and I've seen them fatter, but not both," said Love, who verified the fruit's weight at 5.23 pounds. "I think people have other ones that they don't weigh, but I think this one, it was way up there." Elizabeth Montoya, assistant public relations manager of Guinness World Records America Inc., wrote that the company doesn't have a category for the largest avocado. It does, however, have one for the heaviest. Guinness verified in January 2009 an avocado submitted by Gabriel Ramirez Nahim of Caracas, Venezuela, which weighed 4 pounds, 13.2 ounces, Montoya said. Wang said she found the avocado under a tree that hangs over a street. Anything overhanging or dropped outside a private property line is free for anyone to claim. Police: Woman drove with transit sign sticking out of car SOUTH HACKENSACK, N.J. (AP) Police in New Jersey say a woman was drunk when she continued driving with a mass transit sign sticking out of the roof of her car. The 52-year-old was pulled over Saturday on Route 46 in South Hackensack when police noticed something odd. Police say the woman had a New Jersey Transit sign protruding through the roof of her car. Police say the woman didn't even know the sign was there. South Hackensack police say the sign got stuck in the vehicle when the driver was in Secaucus before she was pulled over. The woman has been charged with driving while intoxicated and careless driving. Bigfoot sculpture erected where some search for creature WHITEHALL, N.Y. (AP) A nearly 12-foot-tall sculpture of Bigfoot has been erected in an upstate New York town where some say the legendary creature stalks the woods. Paul Thompson told The Post-Star of Glens Falls that he got the idea for the statue after meeting people looking for Bigfoot around Whitehall, New York, located on the Vermont border between the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains. Thompson paid a local artist for an 11-foot-8-inch-high, half-ton steel sculpture that depicts Bigfoot in full stride. He placed the sculpture in front of his business, the Vermont Marble, Granite, Slate & Soapstone Co. Bigfoot's head is covered with a large red-and-white Santa Claus hat. Thompson says people driving by have pulled over to get a better look at the towering ape-like figure since its unveiling Saturday. Zippy's back! Town's elf on a shelf has been returned DEERFIELD, N.H. (AP) A New Hampshire town is happy to report that its beloved elf on a shelf has been returned, more than a day after he vanished. The Deerfield Rescue Squad posted on Facebook on Wednesday morning that Zippy the elf is a little wet, but safe. It featured photos of him carried by a police officer and parked in a car. The rescue says "Our Holiday Magic is back." Deerfield Rescue Squad EMS captain Cindy McHugh says a town resident was getting ready for work when he saw that Zippy was on his doorstep. He called police. McHugh said the town isn't interested in pursuing the matter further, and just wants Zippy back for the children. The mannequin in a red onesie, cap, mittens and slippers makes appearances around town. Better watch out: Santa makes 'naughty' comment to shopper BANGOR, Maine (AP) The police in Bangor, Maine, say they've gotten a complaint about a department store "bad Santa" who apparently wasn't working there. Police posted on Facebook on Thursday that a woman walking around the store with her daughter recently was approached by a man dressed as Santa, who handed out a candy cane. A short time later, they ran into him again and he said, "Good girls get candy, naughty girls get jewelry." The woman complained to a store manager, but was told they didn't have a Santa on the payroll or in the store. They looked around and couldn't find him. Police are advising him to do the right thing: "Put yourself on the naughty list and stop by to speak to us." Maine police: Bouncing roll of duct tape leads to 911 call BANGOR, Maine (AP) Police in Bangor, Maine, say a reported intruder turned out to be a roll of duct tape. Officers responded to a call from a woman who heard noises from her basement and reported that her dog was barking aggressively at the noise. Police said it turns out a "thump-thump-thump" sound the woman heard was a roll of duct tape that fell off a shelf and bounced down the stairs. Sgt. Tim Cotton wrote on Facebook that the woman had already investigated before the first officer arrived. The officer felt that the woman could've held her own until police arrived because she was "from Maine, had a dog, and a roll of duct tape." Selfie-service: Man cooks Waffle House meal as worker sleeps WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) When a man found the only worker at an empty South Carolina Waffle House asleep, he took his meal into his own hands. On Facebook , Alex Bowen chronicled with selfies how he made his own double Texas bacon cheese steak melt at the famous Southern 24-7 diner around 2 a.m. Thursday. Bowen says on Facebook he waited 10 minutes, then cooked his meal and "even scraped the grill when I was done." Bowen's photos showed him with the sleeping worker, frying bacon and putting the sandwich together. After good-natured kidding about stealing the sandwich, Bowen even posted a selfie returning to pay for his meal. Waffle House said in a statement it was impressed with Bowen's cooking skills but customers should never go behind the counter for safety reasons. Sharks in Italy get into Christmas spirit with creche ROME (AP) Christmastime Nativity scenes usually feature donkeys, cows and sheep. That could help explain the interest generated when divers mounted a creche in the shark tank of the aquarium in the Italian Adriatic city of Cattolica. The sharks who call the Cattolica Aquarium home a 3-meter (10-foot) -long sand tiger shark named Brigitte and her fellow tank-mates, closely inspected the work this week as divers installed the ceramic tiled Nativity scene on an underwater column. At one point Brigitte got too close and was poked to stay away. With its 3,000 sea creatures representing 400 species, the Cattolica is the largest aquarium on the Adriatic. Italy is famous for its "presepe," the hand-crafted Nativity scenes that often take over entire Italian living rooms at Christmastime. Opossum breaks into liquor store and gets drunk as a skunk FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) An opossum that apparently drank bourbon after breaking into a Florida liquor store sobered up at a wildlife rescue center and was released unharmed. Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge officials say the opossum was brought in by a Fort Walton Beach, Florida, police officer on Nov. 24. A liquor store employee found the animal next to a broken and empty bottle of bourbon. "A worker there found the opossum up on a shelf next to a cracked open bottle of liquor with nothing in it," said Michelle Pettis, a technician at the refuge. "She definitely wasn't fully acting normal." Pettis told the Northwest Florida Daily News the female opossum appeared disoriented, was excessively salivating and was pale. The staff pumped the marsupial full of fluids and cared for her as she sobered up. "We loaded her up with fluids to help flush out any alcohol toxins," Pettis said. "She was good a couple of days later." Pettis says the opossum did not appear to have a hangover. The store owner, Cash Moore, says he never had an opossum break in before. "She came in from the outside and was up in the rafters, and when she came through she knocked a bottle of liquor off the shelf," Moore said. "When she got down on the floor she drank the whole damn bottle." "But it just goes to show that even the animals are impressed with Cash's," he said. The animal was released on Thursday. Retired justice 'so disappointed' to be kept off jury BOSTON (AP) She was impartial enough to serve as a justice on the highest court in Massachusetts, but apparently that wasn't enough for Geraldine Hines to be named a juror in a murder trial. The 70-year-old Hines, who retired from the Supreme Judicial Court in August, said she was "so disappointed" when the prosecutor rejected her as a juror Wednesday. Hines tells The Boston Globe, "I've been waiting my whole life to be a juror in a criminal case." After questioning from defense attorneys and Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Mark Lee, Lee used one of his challenges to keep Hines off the jury. He apologized outside of court. The case involves two gang members involved in a gunfight at a festival in Boston in 2014 that took the life of an innocent bystander. Man accused of illegally catching tuna, dumping it in woods GLOUCESTER, Mass. (AP) A Massachusetts man has been accused of catching a tuna out of season and then dumping its headless 400-pound carcass in the woods. The Gloucester Daily Times reports that 40-year-old Harold Wentworth on Monday pleaded not guilty to state charges including improper disposal of waste and expelling trash or litter from a motor vehicle. Federal fisheries regulators say they have also served him with an enforcement action for allegedly illegally harvesting tuna out of season. Authorities say they have video of Wentworth landing the bluefin tuna in Rockport on Oct. 20, 15 days after the close of the initial fall season. It was hauled out of the woods in Gloucester by a tow truck on Oct. 24. Re: the Dec. 3 article Some Tucson drivers gripe about damage at carwashes. The article grossly misled readers into believing car washes are dangerous. Wed like to set the record straight. Nationwide, Mister Car Wash cleans 35 million cars a year, with 99.97 percent of them leaving our facilities without incident. While incidents are rare, we do have a process in place to resolve every damage claim. We are not in business to give Tucson drivers the blues. On the contrary, we proudly deliver unrivaled customer service and help drive local economies across the country, including here in Tucson, with over 7,500 employees and an annual payroll of more than $200 million. We offer our fellow Tucsonans fair wages and benefits, best-in-class training and career tracks. Additionally, we give back to the community generously through our Inspiring Futures program, which funds local classrooms and supports students goals of attaining higher education. We welcome readers to learn more at www.mistercarwash.com John Lai CEO, Mister Car Wash Arizona is often called ground zero in todays heated debate over the direction of our countrys policies and treatment of immigrants. This is the state, after all, that in 2010 passed the infamous show us your papers law, Senate Bill 1070. This week, more than 1,000 leaders arrive in Phoenix to attend the National Immigrant Integration Conference the nations largest gathering of immigrants advocates, allies and supporters. Our vision is a thriving democracy where new Americans contribute fully as citizens, workers, entrepreneurs and job creators, raising and educating their children, building their families and celebrating their faiths and traditions freely. In its 10th year, the conference brings together immigrant- and refugee-rights leaders, experts, service providers and public officials involved in immigration issues nationwide. Arizona has important lessons to share about how to effectively counter anti-immigrant sentiment and engage our foreign-born communities in our democracy. This years conference will help set the agenda for how immigrants, refugees and their allies respond to this challenging period in our history. In the past year, President Trump has terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and Temporary Protected Status for Sudanese, Nicaraguan and Haitian immigrants in America. The administration has basically ended refugee resettlement into the U.S., slamming the doors to those fleeing violence and persecution. Our nation needs to build on its strengths as the most successful experiment in building a nation of immigrants in history. We know that supporting new Americans as they learn English, start businesses, educate their children and become citizens is what works to build a stronger nation with opportunities for all. Instead, we are heading in the opposite direction, destroying families with U.S. citizen children and spouses through deportation, demonizing and criminalizing Latinos and Muslims and closing our doors to the talent and brilliance of the world. Arizonas fight against SB1070 and the defeat at the ballot box of its champion, Sen. Russell Pearce, and anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio, teaches new American leaders across the nation a lesson: To dig deep and fortify our grassroots efforts; to build resources with allies in labor, business and the faith communities; and to naturalize, register and mobilize our voters. Our conference theme this year, And Justice for All, speaks directly to our collective mission for immigrants and those born here alike, to stand for the best of our countrys traditions of welcoming and offering equality and inclusion to new Americans, while understanding that the Mexican and Syrian and Chinese immigrants and refugees of today are great contributors to our nation, just as the Irish, Italians, Germans and Poles were in years past. Were inspired by a clear trend among advocates, immigrants and diverse communities alike taking charge of their lives, because justice for all is won by leading and ensuring an inclusive movement that is united and ready to fight for our shared American values. In just the last two years, a record number of immigrants have become U.S. citizens, while many more got involved in local, state and national political campaigns. Well keep building on the triumphs of the past and the energy of today to promote commonsense immigration reforms, citizenship and civic participation. Two weeks ago, I had dinner with several of the women whose lives were upended by harassment from former Pima Community College Chancellor Roy Flores and their subsequent job change, dismissal or settlement by the college. I can feel eyes glaze that I would dare write another word about sexual harassment at Pima Community College. We fixed that, I hear people saying. The bad man is gone, get over it. Trouble is, with daily headlines of powerful men being brought down by harassment charges across the nation, and with a president in the Oval Office who flat out lies about sexually abusive behavior that was caught on tape, it is impossible to pretend away the rage that stirs with each story. The rage stems directly from the gross inequities that are central to the thriving culture of harassment that is part of our national fabric. A culture that is fed by a web of complicity that simultaneously spawns, incubates, fertilizes and silences harassment in our cities, towns and industries. Until we shine a light on how we are all complicit, harassment will continue to thrive. I met the other women at a midtown restaurant, spending just a few minutes on general catch-up and then diving into the PCC harassment morass that first publicly erupted five years ago but remains lodged in all aspects of our lives today. Turns out harassment not only leaves dirty fingerprints on hearts and souls but it steamrolls the career paths of those who speak out while the ones who harassed, and those who facilitated the behavior with silent acquiescence, go on to bigger and better things. Just look for a moment at where some of the primary players in our regional harassment scandal are today: The careers of the eight women at PCC who stepped forward have either stalled or flat-lined. A cursory review shows all of us earning substantially less than we did before the story broke, passed over repeatedly for promotion, sidetracked into jobs not relevant to our resumes, or simply retiring and getting out. The man who was allowed to perpetuate a 10-year reign of anger, retribution and harassment at PCC has slunk away with a fat retirement package from the state of Arizona. The administrators and powerful men who refused to accept that women who had been harmed by the former chancellor deserved restitution continue in their high-profile community roles. And so, dining with my friends that night, all the anger and inequity was again stirred. Perhaps most disturbing: the deep pain one of the women (the sole-breadwinner in her family) carries that she let her children down by not fighting harder against being forced out as an administrator into a much lower paying position at PCC when she was harassed by Flores. Star Editorial Page Editor Sarah Garrecht Gassen asked in a recent opinion piece, How can we ask the right questions to get to the root of harassment in our nation? The only answer is that we must. To truly turn the tide on harassment we must detail the imbalance of the fallout and how victims too often wind up poorer, shamed, tainted while the perpetrators, and all those complicit in letting perpetrators do what they do, continue in their high-paying jobs raking in public tributes. I would love to see Tucson lead the nation by convening a community conversation on harassment. A public forum where those with power in Tucson could listen fully and honestly to the women and acknowledged their own silent complicity that allowed harassment to thrive in one of our major institutions. A forum that produces data on the vast inequities implicit in harassment and publicly awards the courage of those who came forward. We must stop shushing, quit paying for female silence, and begin acknowledging the guilt of our civic leaders, leaders of industry all of us who silently let the web flourish. I believe Tucson is the perfect place to shine a bright spotlight on the fallout of the PCC harassment scandal, honor the women who spoke truth, accept sincere apologies from all those who encouraged silence or looked the other way and, together, plot a path forward. Together, we could show the nation how to truly banish harassment and serve as a beacon of hope for all those who suffer the long-term impact that sexual harassment exerts on human lives. Help India! By Saeed Naqvi The 25th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition has rekindled debate: Why was it demolished, historical wrongs, Mandal Commission inviting a Mandir backlash, Hindu yearning for a Ram temple and so on. But the clinching evidence judges of the Supreme Court, steeped in the case, might find interesting is a video recording of celebrations at ground zero, the site of the demolition soon after the traumatic event. Support TwoCircles The first scene opens with a number of girls in a circle, clapping in unison and singing a song with the following refrain: Ab yeh jhanda lehraayega saarey Pakistan pe (Now this flag will flutter over Pakistan) The next scene shows a group of young men, delirious with excitement, wearing bandanas around their heads, carrying lances. They lunge towards the camera, shouting: Bomb girega Pakistan pe Bomb girega Pakistan pe (Bombs will fall on Pakistan) Third scene consists of a handsome Swami with wavy hair. In his booming voice he spells out: Abhi hamein Lahore jana hai, Rawalpindi jana hai The final scene has the late Bal Thackeray predictably announcing in very matter of fact tones, from his Mumbai residence: We are going to build the Ram Temple, and if the Muslims dont like it, they can go to Pakistan. There was no mention of Ram or a temple, only a frenetic triumphalism over Pakistan. In the context of the demolition of a mosque which carried the name of the first Moghul Emperor, the celebrations appeared to settle multiple scores against a long chain of Muslim marauders and Muslims who mushroomed under their auspices and who eventually walked away with an independent country. Worse, they left behind almost as many of their co-religionists in this country. No one ever disputed the primacy of Ram in the Hindu belief system, but the demolition of the mosque was an instance of faith being placed in the service of politics. L.K. Advanis 1990 Rath Yatra was designed to neutralise caste divisions aggravated by the Mandal Commission. Its purpose was to compact the Hindu caste pyramid teetering because of excessive exposure to identity politics. The mosque and, by extension, the Muslim, was to be the foil in this primary enterprise. This was the cement that would be filled into the crevices to stabilise the pyramid. In this masonry for compacting Hindu society, heavy collateral damage would have to be borne by the Muslim. This collateral damage, in other words, was to be no meager side show. The scaling down of a thousand years of civilisation associated with the invaders would be cathartic, even exhilarating for the majority. By that very token, it would be degrading for the largest minority ever in history. Pakistan had become a part of the countrys internal politics even before the 1965 war when Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri upturned Nehruvian secularism by seeking RSS volunteers for Civil Defence Duty. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister after Shastri, felt the heat when she lost the 1967 elections in eight states. Even during electoral adversity in the north, Indira Gandhi felt reasonably secure so long as her charisma lasted in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. When these states were lost in 1982, she realised that the Congress rule could not be secured in the north without recourse to a shade of saffron. This shade she brought into play during the 1983 Jammu elections, harnessing Hindu sentiment against the Khalistan movement next door. The 404 seats in a House of 533 that Rajiv Gandhi won in 1984, after Indira Gandhis murder, were interpreted by the Congress as Hindu consolidation against minority communalism. From the Sikh minority to the Muslim minority was an easy conceptual leap. It was a moment of reckoning for the BJP, smarting with only two seats in 1984. It could not allow the Congress to steal the Hindu platform. Congress too would not give up the advantage. In 1986 it arranged for the locks of the Ram temple to be opened, having earlier pleased the obscurantist Muslims by upturning the Shah Bano judgement which provided maintenance to a divorced woman. Then Rajiv Gandhi began the 1989 election from Ayodhya with a promise that he would usher in Ram Rajya. He allowed bricks to be laid for the temples foundation, exactly where the VHP had planned to. To win this competition in Hindu radicalism, Advanis Rath Yatra provided the BJP with an occasion to raise the stakes beyond the Congress reach. While Rajiv stood on a saffron platform, he was careful not to overtly offend the Muslims. P.V. Narasimha Rao as Prime Minister reversed this ambidextrous approach. He slept while the Kar Sevaks pulled down the mosque. There was no ambiguity now. It was straightforward Hindu-Muslim polarisation. And now as the 2019 elections approach, what should the Muslims do? My mother, who died three years ago, had accompanied my wife, daughter and me to Ayodhya to see the 1989 Shilanyas (brick laying). She lived in Lucknow and we were there only for two days. This way, she thought, she would see more of us and also inform herself about the mosque in the news. After watching the grotesque drama this is what she said: A mosque of fitna (conflict) is not an auspicious place of worship. In any case, a Muslim can spread his prayer mat anywhere in the direction of Kaaba and say his namaz. A Hindu consecrates his idols in a temple. Muslims should, as an act of generosity, gift the disputed mosques in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura. Hindu masses would be ecstatic. I chose not to argue. Maulana Kalbe Sadiq of the Personal Law Board, echoes the same sentiment. Even if Muslims win the case in the Supreme Court, they should make a gift of the land to the Hindus. The Supreme Court can be the guarantor that communalism would not claim more monuments. Masses will be electrified and communalists on all sides will be defeated, he says. Help India! By Mazhar Farooqui In the end, justice will prevail. Nobody is above the law. Have faith in the judiciary. Support TwoCircles All these oft-repeated phrases sound good but the fact is that in India the possibility of a Muslim victim of Hindutva terror getting justice is as minuscule as the eye of a needle. You are living in a fools paradise if you believe Shambhulal will be punished for hacking an innocent Muslim man to death and burning his body in the name of love jihad. For all you know, he could soon be an MLA or some such thing. It doesnt take rocket science to predict the outcome of Afrazuls bone-chilling murder. All you need to do is look at the outcome of some recent and past cases. Whether its Akhlaq (Dadri), Pehlu Khan (Alwar), Imran (Aligarh), Imtiyaz (Jharkhand) Umar Khan (Alwar) or 16-year-old Junaid (train lynching (Ballabhgarh) in each instance the killers were let off despite clinching evidence such as dying statements. In Pune, a 24-year old techie Mohsin Shaikh was lynched to death when he was returning from a mosque. The people behind the ghastly murder were arrested and produced before the High Court. And what did the Honorable High Court do? It set free all key suspects, saying that it was not them but Mohsin who was at fault as he had provoked the murderers by sporting a beard and wearing a skull cap. Phew! But then justice has always remained an alien concept for Indian Muslims. In 1987, as many as 42 Muslim youths including children were dragged out of their homes by the PAC in the dead of night, bundled in a truck and shot dead. Their bullet-riddled bodies were dumped into a canal. The Maliana Massacre or Hashimpura Horror as the case is known as went on for over 20 years. Eventually, all policemen accused of the cold-blooded murders were acquitted. From Muzzafarnagar to Moradabad and Bhagalpur to Bombay, thousands of Muslims have lost their lives and properties in communal riots. Forget about justice, many still havent got any compensation. On the odd instance when they did get some justice, the government stepped in to ensure rapists and murderers remained scot-free. A case in point is that of the 2002 Gujarat riots. Indias highest court convicted BJP minister Maya Kodnani and Bajrang Dal leader to life imprisonment for the Naroda Patiya massacre in which nearly 100 Muslims including women and kids were killed. In fact, the Supreme Court ruled that they should remain in jail until their death. But any hope of the victims getting justice was dashed when government got both Bajrangi and Maya Kodnani released on bail. The convicts are now living normal lives like you and me. The people behind fake encounters fared even better. Cops like DG Vanzara, PP Pandey and Abhay Chudasama who were arrested and faced kidnap and murder charges for a string of extra-judicial killings (Ishrat Jehan, Sohrabuddin, Kauser Bi, Sadiq Jamal, Amjad Shaikh, Tulsi Prajapati to name a few) were not just discharged but in some cases even handsomely rewarded with plum promotions. Amit Shah, the main accused of all these murders, went on to become the BJP President and is now the second most powerful man in India after Narendra Modi. Its not that Muslims have never got justice in India. Three recent beneficiaries (if you can call them that) are Nisar, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Ajmeri. They were acquitted by the courts but not before spending 50 years between them in various jails for terror charges they were not even remotely associated with. Main Ek Zinda laash hoon (I am a living corpse) is how Nisar described his life after getting out of jail. Three innocent men spent the equivalent of half a century behind bars. And did anything happen to the cops who framed them? No Sir, nothing. The only time anything happened to a cop or judge (remember Loya?) was when Anti Terrorist Squad Chief Hemant Karkare busted a major Hindu terror cell responsible for the Mecca Masjid attack, Samjhauta Express, Ajmer and Malegaon blasts. Following his investigations, Lt Col Purohit, RSS activist Swami Aseemanand and Sadhvi Pragya Thakur were arrested. Aseemanand even went on to say that he carried out the terror attacks at the behest of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Anywhere in the world, his damning testimony would have been enough to launch at least an investigation against Bhagwat. But not in India. As it turned out, one by one Aseemanand, Pragya Thakur and Col Purohit were released and the charges against them were dropped. RSS functionary Sunil Joshi who had fallen out of Pragya and had threatened to expose her role in the blast was mysteriously killed as was Hemant Karkare. Theres even a book called Who Killed Hemant Karkare? And mind you, its not written by a Chetan Bhagat but an ex IGP. Anyone who dared to spill the beans or fell foul with the powers-that-be died mysteriously. The same fate befell BJP home minister Haren Pandya and, later, special CBI judge Loya hearing a trial about Amit Shahs role in fake encounters. At the height of the Ram Janam Bhoomi movement, some two dozen policemen stormed our Muslim-dominated neighbourhood in Lucknow around 6 am to arrest a man suspected of rioting and arson. Faced with resistance, the cops, including PAC personnel, clambered on the top floor of a nearby school building and then, shouting Jai Shri Ram, opened unprovoked fire at the homes below. Within minutes, four were dead and many injured. All men died in their homes. One of them was a friend who had got married weeks before. His brain was blown to smithereens by a .303 bullet as he stumbled out of bed, half asleep and opened his bedroom window to look out. When the guns fell silent, the cops broke into several homes and rounded any young man they could get their hands on. Shaukat, the blind muezzin of our mosque was dragged out on the street and shot in the palm of his hand by a service revolver in full public view. Media reports on the following day said he was injured after a crude bomb exploded in his hand. A blind man throwing bombs? I found it funny even under those critical circumstances. The police also gate crashed into my uncles house, a mere 200 meters from my own place and whisked away two of my cousins to the Aminabad police station where they were beaten mercilessly all day and forced to chant Jai Shri Raam. Katve, yeh lo Javed Miandad Ka chakka, the cops jeered as they rained lathi blows on my cousins, who had been arrested on suspicion of rioting because they were dressed in shalwar kameez. Another young cousin, who lived in the same house was spared because he was wearing a pullover over a pair of jeans. Later that evening, some us visited the police station carrying warm clothes and blankets for our cousins who were still in illegal custody and shivering in cold. As we handed over the blankets, a police inspector sized us up and asked: Saaley Katve, bhainsa khaatey ho, phir bhi sardi lag rahi hai? I was not at home when the police firing started that morning. My Dad and I had gone to the nearby Charbagh Railway station to pick my uncle and cousin who were coming back from Delhi. And since there were no cell phones during that time we remained blissfully unaware of the carnage until we drove back towards our home. We had no clue even when a posse of policemen who had set up a barricade in the middle of the LaTouche road stopped us and asked us to step out. As we revealed our names, the policemen started raining lathi blows on the four of us. We were all well dressed, and by no accounts, looked criminals. My dad showed them railway tickets saying we had merely gone to pick our relatives. But the explanation cut no ice. The beat us mercilessly. One enthusiastic cop, even cocked a gun at us. Luckily he didnt pull the trigger. For days my cousins remained locked up in a dingy cell where the cops took turns to thrash them. Now contrast this with the punishment meted out to the then UP chief minister Kalyan Singh who reneged on a Supreme Court to protect the Babri Masjid and under whose watch the building was demolished. For a crime that sparked nationwide riots, Singh was given a token imprisonment of just one day and that too in a plush state guest house. He is now a Governor and enjoys immunity till he is in office. So all you Indian Muslims out there, get this straight. You are a child of a lesser God. Sarv Dharam Sambhav and secularism are just myths. For you getting justice is like catching quicksilver with bare fingers. Nobody knows better than the families of Afzal Guru and Yaqub Menon. The former was hanged to death by the courts own admission to satisfy the collective conscience of society while the latter was given capital punishment for a crime he didnt commit. The author is a Dubai-based journalist. Help India! By TCN News The gruesome murder of Mohammed Afrajul Khan under the pretext of Love Jihad has sent shockwaves around the nation, with people organising protests across the nation. On December 8, protests were organised in various parts of Kolkata, with members of the civil society along with various social and human rights organisations. The protesters called for justice for the family and the strictest punishment for the guilty. Today, Delhi saw two protests-one outside Bikaner House and the other in Central Park-against the murder that has once again highlighted the growing Hindutva terror facing India. Support TwoCircles At the protests in Kolkata, Dr, Emanul Haque, the General Secretary of Bhasha and Chetana Samiti and also an Assistant Professor of Bidhannagar College, spoke to TwoCircles.Net. Its the work of the BJP-RSS. One can very easily understand that by watching the video clip. The BJP fears losing the upcoming Gujarat general election because of the minimal participation in their processions and they are just trying to polarize the Hindu-Muslim issue as they did before the UP general elections by lynching Akhlaq on suspicion of eating beef, he said. He added, It will not be surprising in the near future if we come to hear that the accused Sambhunath Raigar had psychological issues and either his family or he himself will get a job by the government, as the UP government did with the killers of Akhlaq Khan. Young Bengal, another non-political organization marched for the same cause as the representative of students community with people from various fields of profession and with common men. The Kolkata Police arrested 30 people including social activists, students, and other protesters when they tried to approach towards the headquarter of RSS, Kolkata, as a part of their protesting agendas. They were released after three hours in the Lalbazar Police headquarter. Prosenjit Bose, the President of the organization talked to TwoCircles.Net and he said, This is not an isolated incident. The BJP and the RSS are doing this throughout the country and this incident is another example of what RSS has spread as the seed of terrorism. We are not seeing the RSS do anything from the ISIS. In Delhi, the protesters in Central Park formed a silent human chain to call for Muslim Lives Matter. The protests meant to challenge the violent hate politics which are encouraging people to hack, kill, burn and lynch Muslims in India. It is essential to protest all such brutal crimes against humanity, as these are glowingly becoming a new normal to the nation as the acts of pride, the Facebook page of the event said. Despite a heavy presence of paramilitary in the area, hundreds of students, journalists, social activists and members of the academia joined the protest. The protests outside Bikaner House also saw a number of protesters calling for the resignation of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Apart from major cities like Delhi and Kolkata, protests were also organised in various parts of Bengal. Burdwan, about 100 km away from Kolkata and Birbhum, about 193 km away from Kolkata, saw protests organised by common citizens. Syed Tanveer Nasreen, a Professor of History at the University of Burdwan attended at the protest gathering in the university gate and spoke to TwoCircles.Net. She said, Its extremely condemnable and there is perhaps no words to describe this, especially with the hate that led the criminal to shoot the whole thing and put it on social media. There have been serial doubts on the allegations whether this 50-year-old man was actually in any love affair with someone, there have been serial doubts on love jihad in general and what the criminal was saying in the recorded video. Actor Charlie Sheen has never been a stranger to controversy. He has been embroiled in many scandals involving drugs and it was even revealed that he is now living with HIV. Another story has broken which seems to throw more dirt onto the already tarnished name of the Hollywood brand. Charlie Sheen has been accused of "sodomizing" the actor Corey Haim on the set of the 1986 movie "Lucas." It is being alleged that the late actor, who died in 2010 told former actor Dominik Brascia about the incident. In the face of these damming allegation against him, Charlie Sheen released a statement through his representatives saying he "categorically denies these allegations." Hollywood's skeletons are going to need a graveyard The late actor's friend and fellow child star Corey Feldman, has also come out recently and stated that he was also abused by people within the Hollywood fraternity and that he was going to be releasing details of the abuse shortly. According to the Daily Mail, it is suggested that Corey Feldman hinted about the alleged rape in his book "Coreyography: A Memoir." The actor Dominick Brascia told the National Enquirer that Corey Haim and Charlie Sheen had sex on the set of the movie, but after the alleged encounter, Charlie Sheen became "very cold and not interested in him." More allegations have been levelled at the actor, who has starred in films such as "Platoon" and is also the star of the sitcom "Two and a Half Men." The actor has been accused of kissing a 17-year-old woman and trying to proposition her for sex on the set of the same 1986 film Lucas. Every day a new revelation from Hollywood There doesn't seem to have been a day that has gone by without fresh allegations being levelled at Hollywood stars when it comes to this type of behaviour. The A-List star Kevin Spacey's career appears to be all but over after the claims that have been directed towards him. New allegations have emerged today regarding the former "House of Cards" star, in which a former television anchor Heather Unruh claims that Kevin Spacey had sexually assaulted her son in a bar in Nantucket, Massachusetts in 2016. The Harvey Weinstein story, the revelation that seemed to have opened the floodgates for these revelations has taken another turn this week. Actress Paz de la Huerta has filed a claim that she was raped by Harvey Weinstein in 2010, and the police describe her as a "credible witness." It is looking more likely that Harvey Weinstein will be indicted over this claim. Just another day, just another story emerging from the open sewer which is known as Hollywood. With a number of claims that are emerging on a daily basis, Hollywood is going to need a graveyard to house the skeletons that are creeping out of their closet. Whether these latest claims turn out to be true, we will just have to wait and see. But the question everyone is asking themselves, is who will be in the spotlight tomorrow? As the ongoing investigation into Russian election interference continues, new details have emerged about Donald Trump's past history in the country. The latest revelation dates back to an incident at the the Miss Universe Pageant in 2013 in response to the so-called "pee tape" dossier. Trump in Russia Not long after Donald Trump announced his campaign for president, questions were raised as to what conflicts of interest he might run into due to his past history of taking part in international business. As the months moved forward in the 2016 presidential election, speculation grew about what Trump's relationship was with Russia. The former host of "The Apprentice" refused to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin in a direct contrast to his typical behavior of calling out several other world leaders. In addition, Trump refused to release his tax returns, becoming the first major presidential candidate in 40 years to keep his financial information from the public. With his finances hidden and his apparent admiration for Russia out in the pubic, Trump has also faced the issue of having past and current members of his campaign and administration linked back to the Kremlin, from former campaign manager Paul Manafort, to his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Fast forward to present day and the investigation into Russia, led by special counsel Robert Mueller, has already filed charges against three former members of Trump's campaign, despite constant denial by the White House. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding the president and Russia stems from the unconfirmed "dossier" that was released by CNN earlier this year, which Buzzfeed claims included Trump involved in sexual acts with Russian prostitutes. As reported by NBC News on November 9, one of Trump's bodyguards elaborated further. BREAKING: Longtime Trump bodyguard testifies that Trump turned down an offer of Russian women https://t.co/mjd97jMqCy pic.twitter.com/gRKtVne008 NBC News (@NBCNews) November 9, 2017 According to Keith Schiller, a longtime bodyguard for Donald Trump, opened up to congress about an incident that took place several years back with the president in Russia. During the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Moscow, Russia, an unnamed Russian participant offered to "send five women" to Trump's hotel, in what would amount to potential sexual activity. Schiller reportedly explained that the offer was viewed as a possible joke, and was quickly turned down. "We don't do that type of stuff," he said, adding that the billionaire real estate mogul laughed off the offer before going to bed alone for the night. #BREAKING: Ex-Trump bodyguard: Trump declined offer to have women sent to his hotel room in Russia https://t.co/NqGD9smZBZ pic.twitter.com/EZY2TbWXwR The Hill (@thehill) November 9, 2017 The interview with congress was in relation to the aforementioned "pee tape" dossier that was put together by a former British intelligence operative, before being reported on as speculation by CNN. When asked about the dossier itself, Keith Schiller replied, "Oh my God, that's bullsh*t." Next up While the Russian investigation continues to move forward, Donald Trump is in the middle of his 12-day foreign trip to Asia where he is expected to meet with Vladimir Putin in the upcoming days. Though it's unknown what the investigation will reveal, only time will tell how the president handles the information when he returns to the United States. Taos is a city that inspires, amazes, and captures the hearts of all who visit. Discovered by nomadic tribes thousands of years ago and believed to be the fabled City of Gold by the Conquistador Hernando de Alvarado, Taos, New Mexico, was the place where greats such as Aldous Huxley and Georgia OKeefe created their best works. It is a city known for fantastic skiing, beautiful art galleries, the historic Taos Pueblo, excellent restaurants, and year-round festivals. Here are the best things to do in Taos, NM. We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times. 1. Taos Pueblo, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of Linda Meyer - Fotolia.com When visiting Taos Pueblo, you are not visiting a museum, but peoples homes. Living and thriving for more than 1000 years, Taos Pueblo is the only Native American living community that is designated as both a National Historic Landmark and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Taos Pueblo is one of the top Taos NM attractions. Most of the existing buildings were probably built sometime between 1000 and 1450 A.D. When the Spanish came to the Taos Valley in 1540, they thought they had discovered the City of Gold. Hlaukwima (south house) and Hlauuma (north house) are believed to be of the same age. The Pueblo consists of five stories of individual homes that are built side-by-side and on top of each other with common walls. Several feet thick, the walls were made of earth mixed with water and straw to maintain a cool interior. About 150 Taos Indians live in the Pueblo today permanently. Since tradition demands no electricity and no running water in the pueblo, most families come to the old pueblo for the ceremonies and live in more modern homes on the pueblo land or elsewhere. 120 Veterans Hwy, Taos, New Mexico 87571, Phone: 575-758-1028 -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top 2. Taos Plaza & the Taos Historic District, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of eunikas - Fotolia.com Just like when it was built 300 years ago, Taos Plaza is still the heart of Taos. Located in the center of the Taos Historic District, the plaza is surrounded by picturesque shops, galleries, and a historic Hotel La Fonda where D.H. Lawrence painted his erotic paintings. Lovely old trees shade the plaza, where you can relax on a bench with an ice cream and watch people passing by. If you are wondering what to do in Taos NM today, this is a great place to start exploring. There is always something going on in the plaza, but it gets especially lively from May to October when you can enjoy the Taos Plaza Live concerts. As you stroll from the Plaza through the Taos Historic District, you will notice an interesting mix of architecture of homes in a place where Spanish Colonial Style houses stand next to the houses built in the Territorial, Pueblo Revival, and Mission Revival styles. -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top 3. Kit Carson Home & Museum, Taos Courtesy of Natalia Bratslavsky - Fotolia.com The former house of Josefa and Kit Carson, a famous frontiersman, this museum aims to preserve the traditional Spanish colonial architecture of the neighborhood and provide educational opportunities for visitors to learn about life in a frontier town. The museum is filled with period memorabilia and hosts lecture events and tours for schools and groups. The home and museum have been lovingly restored to look as they did in the 1800s, so visitors here can get a feel for the period firsthand. The museum is filled with the actual belongings of the Carson family, and highlights include Kit Carsons Civil War saber. 113 Kit Carson Road, Taos, NM 87571, 575-758-4945 More places to visit: 17 Best Things to Do in Sedona, Arizona. -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top 4. Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of monamakela - Fotolia.com When it was completed in 1965, 650 feet above the raging river, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge was going nowhere the road ended on the other side of the river and there was no money to extend it. At the time, it was the second longest bridge in the country with three spans, totaling 1,280 feet. It is considered the most beautiful steel bridge in the country, and it has been immortalized in a number of famous movies. Its elegance and the fact that it almost floats in the clouds above the magnificent nature that surrounds it will take your breath away. It is at its most spectacular during the sunset or sunrise. -- You are reading "Fun Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico this Weekend with Friends" -- You are reading "Fun Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico this Weekend with Friends" Back to Top 5. San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of David Smith - Fotolia.com From the time it was completed in 1816 to today, the San Francisco de Assisi Mission Church was a center of community life of Ranchos de Taos. With its huge adobe buttresses and two bell towers facing front, the church is designed as a seamless blend of native adobe and Spanish architecture. Three white crosses decorate he church entranceway and the towers. Four beehive-shaped buttresses support the back of the church, and the front is supported by two buttresses in front of both bell towers. There is a choir loft above the entrance to the church, and the spacious sanctuary is airy, cool, and welcoming. Original historic Spanish religious objects and woodworking decorate the altar. The church, forecourt and adjoining cemetery are all surrounded by thick adobe walls built to protect the community from frequent attacks by Comanche raiders in the 18th century at a time when the church sat in the center of the plaza, surrounded by adobe homes of the Rancho de Taos residents. 60 St Francis Plaza, Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557, 575-758-2754 -- You are reading "What to Do in Taos, New Mexico this Weekend" -- You are reading "What to Do in Taos, New Mexico this Weekend" Back to Top 6. Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico: High Road to Taos Courtesy of brianw_45 - Fotolia.com On your way to Taos, prepare yourself for the towns unique world by taking the famous "High Road." Take NM 503 to NM 76 until you reach Chimayo, a village known for its traditional weaving and its many galleries featuring award-winning local works. Continue to the Santuario de Chimayo, a 19th-century church that attracts pilgrims every year seeking the churchs miraculous dirt. As you continue along, you will pass the towns of Truchas, Cordova, and Ojo Sarco, famous for woodcarvings, rugs, pottery, and other artifacts produced by local artists. Continue to Las Trampas to see a spectacular example of Spanish colonial architecture at San Jose de Gracia de las Trampas 18th-century mission church. As you continue through the Carson National Forest, you will notice San Francisco de Asisi, a 19th-century Church immortalized by a number of great artists. After this whirlwind introduction to what the region has to offer, drive into Taos. You will know what to expect a historic place that has art in its heart. More NM destinations: 15 Best Things to Do in Roswell, New Mexico -- You are reading "Top Romantic Tourist Attractions in Taos, New Mexico" -- You are reading "Top Romantic Tourist Attractions in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top 7. Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, New Mexico Millicent Rogers Museum What do fashionista Millicent Rogers and world-famous Pueblo potter Maria Martinez have in common? Both have their most precious items in the Millicent Rogers Museum. Millicent donated her spectacular turquoise jewelry collection, and Marias family donated a collection of her most significant works, creating the core of the Millicent Rogers Museum, celebrating Southwestern art heritage. The museums 20 galleries and exhibition spaces contain a priceless assemblage of art created by the Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo artists in the region throughout the last 2000 years. While you stroll through the galleries, you will see the history of the region through the eyes of the artists who lived and died in the Taos high dessert. The museum is located in a charming historic hacienda overlooking the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, donated to the museum by the Anderson family of Taos. 1504 Millicent Rogers Rd, El Prado, NM 87529, 575-758-2462 , From LA -- You are reading "What is There to Do with Kids in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top 8. Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway Courtesy of brianw_45 - Fotolia.com Exploring Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway is a perfect way to spend an adventurous weekend while in Taos. It is only about 83 miles, but there is so much to see that you will want to take your time. As you drive out of Taos on NM 522, take a detour to see the Taos Gorge Bridge, which is spectacular. If you take a detour to the east, you can visit Arroyo Seco, a lovely little artistic village on the road to the Taos Ski Valley. As you continue north, you will pass scenic Arroyo Hondo. After San Cristobal, you can visit the ranch of famous writer D. H. Lawrence who lived and is buried there. On your east, you will see the towering Sangre de Cristo range. Passing Questa, you will encounter truly dramatic landscapes with access to Rio Grande. A steep road to Red River town offers a spectacular vista of aspen and spruce groves. There are some great ski runs here and great lodges to spend the night. Continue alonag the Enchanted Circle from NM 38 to NM 64 through Eagle Nest Lake State Park with a spectacular 2,400-acre lake excellent for hiking, fishing, boating, and cross-country skiing. Watch for deer, elk, bear, and eagles. As you continue west, you will pass Angel Fire, another great family resort on the way back to Taos. 9. Things to Do in Taos, NM: Taos Art Museum at Fechin House Taos Art Museum at Fechin House The Taos Art Museum at Fechin House is housed in a historical building, the former home of Nicolai Fechin, a prominent artist who emigrated from Russia. The building is a museum in itself and borrows from the local Native American and Spanish styles with a Russian twist. Many of Fechins pieces are on display, along with the works of members of the Taos Society of Artists. There are both permanent and temporary exhibitions that celebrate diverse forms of art and related events throughout the year. 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte PO Box 1848, Taos, NM 87571, 575-758 2690 -- "Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico for Locals & Tourists - Restaurants, Hotels" -- "Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico for Locals & Tourists - Restaurants, Hotels" Back to Top 10. Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, New Mexico Harwood Museum of Art Head to the Harwood Museum of Art of the University of New Mexico to learn about the history of art in northern New Mexico. Since the early part of the twentieth century, artists have gravitated to the region to try to capture the beauty of the natural environment of New Mexico. The Harwood Museum of Art is filled with depictions of the stunning scenery painted by local artists. There are collections that span from the early twentieth century to the present day as well as temporary exhibits that change throughout the year. 238 Ledoux Street, Taos, NM 87571, 575-758-9826 11. Taos Ski Valley, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of minicel 73 - Fotolia.com If you love to ski or just want to try it for the first time, then head to Taos Ski Valley, a spot that is said to be located on sacred ground. It is a place of great cultural significance for the local communities of Taos. At the Ski Valley, visitors can book lodgings, rent ski equipment, and take ski lessons with trained ski instructors at their own level of ability. There are numerous ski trails you can use depending on the level of challenge want, and if you dont want to ski then you can try snow tubing on the mountain. After a day on the slopes, you can take advantage of various dining and apres ski options at Taos Ski Valley. More NM things to do 116 Sutton Place, Taos Ski Valley, NM 87525, 800-776-1111 -- "New cool stuff to do in Taos, New Mexico" -- "New cool stuff to do in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top or Romantic Getaways 12. La Hacienda de los Martinez, Taos Courtesy of giumas - Fotolia.com If you want to visit a monument to great American homes from the Spanish Colonial Period then head to La Hacienda del los Martinez. The former abode of the Martinez family, built in 1804 and a significant location in the Spanish Empire due to trade routes, the house now has twenty one rooms on show that span two courtyards, and visitors can tour this unusual museum and admire replicas of working life in a frontier town from years gone by. If the museum itself doesnt give you enough of a feel for the Santa Fe Trail routes, there are also daily live demonstrations that depict traditions from the period. 708 Hacienda Rd, Taos, NM 87571, 575-758-1000 13. Earthship Biotecture World Headquarters and Visitor Center Courtesy of franzeldr - Fotolia.com The Earthship Biotecture World Headquarters and Visitor Center is something of a rarity; it is a museum built to showcase sustainability through earthships, sustainably built living quarters. There is a purpose built gallery area where visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour of an earthship that serves to provide education on environmental issues such as recycled water and solar power. Visitors can even book to stay overnight in their own pod to experience the earthships firsthand. There are guided tours available for large groups and a visitor center that allows you to continue your learning journey by purchasing a range of educational merchandise. #2 Earthship Way, Tres Piedras, NM, 87577, 575-613-4409 14. Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico: Wild Rivers Recreation Area Courtesy of bwolski - Fotolia.com The Wild Rivers Recreation Area is part of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, a great place to fully experience the magnificence of the 800-foot deep awe-inspiring Rio Grande gorge. This deep canyon cuts into the mountain by the power of the Rio Grande, which goes on to meet the Red River. You can check the visitors center for more information, use a campground, picnic areas, a Backcountry Byway and check many scenic hiking trails. There are a few absolutely spectacular overlooks such as La Junta Point that will take your breath away. Watching the sun going down behind the mountains and turning the river deep in the gorge into a streak of gold is an unforgettable experience. 15. Wild Earth Llama Adventures, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of Ana - Fotolia.com Cuddle up with a cute llama and engage in a hiking and camping trip lasting either one or several days. The llamas are there not to ride on but to carry the camping equipment on their furry backs while you hike alongside. Experienced members of the community guide the trips, and they will teach you everything you need to know about the local flora and fauna, campfire techniques, and wilderness living, as well as the background of the culture and the history of the area. Depending on which trip you choose, there is also a gourmet lunch provided on some itineraries. Phone: 800-758-5262 -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top or Amazing things to do around me 16. Taos Snowshoe Adventures, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of Kara - Fotolia.com Journey up into the Southern Rocky Mountains of New Mexico and pull on a pair of snowshoes before embarking on a guided tour with one of the naturalist guides who will talk you through the local flora and fauna of the area and provide you with tips and tricks to survive in the wilderness, A long enjoyed winter recreation activity in the area, snowshoeing is a fun way to spend a few hours outdoors, and unlike other winter sports, it doesnt require fancy equipment or robust fitness levels. You can customize your tour to fit your fitness abilities and interests, and the emphasis is on enjoyment and relaxation in the snow. Taos Ski Valley, 800 758-5262 17. Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico: Williams Lake Courtesy of Karen - Fotolia.com If you love hiking then a trip to the Williams Lake Trail is a must-do activity in the Taos Ski Valley area. At almost two miles long and over 11,000 feet where the trail ends near the lake, the terrain is steep in parts but relatively short, making this route is extremely popular with hikers. The hike to the summit offers spectacular views of the lake, and there is a waterfall that also operates as a rest area. Also in the area is a quaint inn selling beer and German food, a picnic area, and many examples of the local flora like the Columbine blossom. -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top 18. Los Rios River Runners, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of Alex Green - Fotolia.com With over 40 years in business, Los Rios River Runners offer visitors rafting and camping trips on the Rio Grande River. More adventurous guests can take white water rafting trips over rapids, or you can choose to camp in the wilderness in the stunning Rio Chama Canyon. The guides are from the Native Pueblo Indian community and also offer visitors Feast and Float Trips, which include rafting and dining opportunities for those looking to enjoy a calmer rafting experience. There are short or half day tours and less intense choices for families with children. The trips also offer the chance to enjoy the local scenery and learn about the flora and fauna of Taos. Phone: 575-776-8854 19. The Low Road from Taos and Santa Fe, Taos, New Mexico Courtesy of bwolski - Fotolia.com This scenic trip from the town of Taos to Santa Fe takes you past lush valleys, mountains, and canyons, and there are plenty of picturesque spots on the way to grab a bite to eat and sample the flavors of New Mexico. For visitors interested in wine making and sampling, there are also a number of wineries en route where you can learn about the local grapes. If you really want to get back to nature, there are also camping grounds and nature trails along the way, or you can take to the river and raft around the area. Where to eat in Santa Fe: 21 Best Romantic Santa Fe Restaurants, Where to stay in Santa Fe: 15 Beautiful Romantic Santa Fe Hotels & Inns -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top 20. Things to Do in Taos, NM: Rio Grande del Norte National Monument Courtesy of Alizada Studios - Fotolia.com The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is made up of volcanic structures, deep valleys, and gorges, and it is bisected by the Rio Grande River. The monument features volcanic cones, the highest of which is Ute Mountain standing at over 10,000 feet, and the area is filled with local wildlife, particularly those seeking shelter during the winter months. Besides offering an opportunity for wildlife sightings, the monument also offers rafting and fishing on the rivers, or visitors can explore the area by hiking or mountain biking. If you want to stay longer then you can also camp in the area. 21. Blumenschein Home & Museum, Taos, NM Blumenschein Home & Museum Another family home turned museum, this is the house of E.L. Blumenschein, his wife Mary Greene, and their daughter Helen. E.L. Blumenschein. He was was a prominent local artist in Taos, and the museum is filled with a collection of his artworks, as well as pieces of art by other famous figures in the Taos art world. Visitors will also see examples of antiques from the Spanish Colonial and European period, as well as memorabilia in the form of the familys personal possessions that still fill the house. More than just an art gallery, this house allows visitors a glimpse of life in the early twentieth century in Taos. 222 Ledoux Street, Taos, New Mexico 87571, 575-758-0505 22. Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico: Mountain Skills Rock Guides Courtesy of Andreas P - Fotolia.com If you are looking to improve your mountain skills, head to Mountain Skills Rock Guides to start your rock climbing adventure in earnest. The school provides rock climbing guides to teach you how to conquer any mountain. Anyone from novices to seasoned climbers looking to take on a new challenge can go on an adventure. The guides lead trips to a number of locations in Taos, New Mexico, the wider United States, and even abroad. They aim to teach students how to climb safely and with confidence, and all trips are fully insured. Locations are selected with stunning views and safe conditions so that all climbers can enjoy the scenery. Phone: 702-325-1616 -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico" Back to Top 23. The Burger Stand at Taos Ale House, Taos, New Mexico The Burger Stand at Taos Ale House The Burger Stand at Taos Ale House is where everyone in Taos hangs out on a big game day. Three large TVs show the action while the patrons yell at the referees and enjoy one of the local craft beers on tap. There are also beers from all over the world and a nice selection of wines, so you can bring a mixed crowd or even have a ladies night out the wonderful cozy vibe of the place makes everyone feel at home. Game night or not, it is the burgers that make The Burger Stand so popular they are top of the class. Made from real grass-fed beef and cooked to perfection, they come fully dressed there is a side bar for all the dipping sauces. Vegetarians will love their mushroom burger and a range of other meat-free options. The Cat Fish PoBoy is to die for. Check their calendar for the live music evenings. 401 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, Taos, New Mexico, 575-758-5522 24. Taos Mesa Brewing, Taos, New Mexico Taos Mesa Brewing Taos Mesa Brewing is a popular Taos microbrewery that offers up to 12 of their beers on tap at any time, including some of their seasonal specialties. They also offer other local and regional craft beers, giving the place a true Tap Room vibe. Taos Mesa Brewing beers have a reputation for high and consistent quality, but more importantly, they are highly quaffable. You can see the proof of this every evening when the crowds gather for a happy hour, to meet friends, munch on some of their fabulous pub grub (their tacos are absolutely delicious), and listen to some great local bands. Their fantastic outdoor patio is a popular venue not only for the live bands but also for comedy nights, ping pong tournaments, and much more. 20 ABC Mesa Road, El Prado, Taos, New Mexico, 575-758-1900 25. Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico: Kit Carson Park Courtesy of Brent Hall - Fotolia.com Stretching across 19 acres, the Kit Carson Park and Historic Cemetery is a favorite spot for walking and jogging, and it has trails for walkers or runners that follow the perimeter of the park. For sports lovers, there are also tennis courts, basketball courts, and baseball fields as well as open areas that can be used for a variety of sports such as soccer, badminton, or simply throwing a Frisbee around with friends. If you are in the mood to relax, there are lush fields to choose from as well as picnic spots and barbecue pits. For younger visitors there are playgrounds and little league fields in the park. More vacation ideas: Best Things to Do in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico Spotlight on: Taos Ski Valley Taos Ski Valley is a destination spot in New Mexico for just about every outdoor activity imaginable. From rock climbing to skiing to llama trekking, there's something for everyone looking for some outdoor fun throughout the year. Visitors can choose from many different companies and accommodations at Taos Ski Valley for just a day of adventure or a fun-filled vacation. For visitors interested in rock climbing, there are many options available at Taos Ski Valley, including rappelling the Rio Grande Gorge with a guide or mountain climbing and bouldering near the Twining Road Campgrounds. There is a variety of routes and rocks throughout the area for beginners to advanced climbers. Rafting from calm waters to river rapids along the Rio Chama and the Rio Grande provides a thrilling adventure. Options for rafting in the Valley range from half-day to multi-day journeys. There are several trails for hiking in the area as well. Hikers can take a trip around Williams Lake on the four-mile, intermediate-level trail that begins at The Bavarian. The forested valley contains aspen, western white fir, rare bristlecone pine and red fir, and blue and Englemann spruce. Visitors can also enjoy the sight of colorful wildflowers and other plants along their hike. The highest peak in New Mexico can be reached by a somewhat difficult hike up the Williams Lake Trail or Bull of the Woods Trail. Mule deer, elk, and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep can sometime be spotted along the trails. Visitors to Taos Ski Valley can enjoy horseback riding or even llama trekking through the Valley. Guided rides and treks offer a chance to reconnect with nature. Rio Grande Stable and Big Al's Wilderness Adventures take guests on horseback rides over crystalline streams and through forests. Wild Earth Llama Adventures offers llama treks with gourmet meals. A hot air balloon ride is the perfect way to get a birds-eye view of all the beauty of Taos Ski Valley. High above the Rio Grande, guests can see snow-covered mountains during the winter and colorful foliage in the fall. One fun and thrilling activity available at Taos Ski Valley during the winter months is snowmobiling. Visitors can reach heights of 12,000 feet with Big Al as they explore the mountains by snowmobile. Guests can also strap on a pair of snowshoes to explore the trails through the area. Snowshoeing offers a unique way to discover the beauty of Taos in the winter season. Forty-nine percent of Taos Ski Valley's expansive terrain designated as beginner and intermediate runs, there's plenty of skiing and snowboarding opportunities for everyone. Taos boasts legendary steeps for expert snowboarders and skiers. Guests can ride the Kachina Chair Lift up 12,450 feet to the fourth highest lift-served summit in the country. Maxie's Terrain Park features rollers, smaller jumps, and other features designed as an introduction to the freestyle terrain park. Another section of the park contains a larger line that features a number of big airs and a manual pad. Rails and scattered boxes cater to skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels. Thunderbrid Road, Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico, Phone: 575-776-1413 You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Taos, New Mexico " Back to Top Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. HA NOI The private business sector in Viet Nam is vital for the economy, however, obstacles and challenges remain, which can only be overcome through the combined efforts of policymakers and business leaders next year. This was the conclusion of Thursdays economic forum on domestic enterprises adaptation capability in a changing economic environment, held in Ha Noi by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). At the forum, Hoang Quang Phong, VCCIs Vice Chairman, said the government has determined to reduce costs for businesses from 2017 onward, cutting up to 50 per cent of unnecessary business licences. Nguyen Hong Long, deputy head of the Governments Steering Committee for Enterprise Innovation and Development, stated that the private sector has grown strongly, with nearly 620,000 operating enterprises, contributing to 40 per cent of GDP. It attracts some 51 per cent of the nations labour force and generates about 1.2 million jobs per year, Long added. Still, he warned of issues related to the economic model, mainly based on cheap labour and low technology level; which had gradually exhausted natural resources, although efficiency and productivity had still increased significantly. oan Trong Ly, director of the Animal Production Processing and Import-Export Jsc (APROCIMEX), stressed that the private sector had been identified by the Government as the focus of support and favourable policies with firm actions taken, including significant tax reforms and customs clearance changes in 2017. o Van Ve, deputy general director of Huong Sen Group Jsc, was optimistic about 2018s positive business trend as he believed the national business environment was on the rise. Many Vietnamese enterprises have recovered with positive signals for a 2018 breakthrough, such as increases in oil and gas exports, textile and garment services and agricultural products, he said. Statistics from the VCCI showed that Viet Nams economic targets set by the Government for 2017 are plausible, although forecasts for 2018 highlight issues faced by domestic enterprises that are still limited in capacity and competitiveness, Phong said. Viet Nam has advanced in ranking on several business environment and global competitiveness indexes, Phong emphasised. am Quang Thang, chairman of the Hanoi Agricultural Chemicals Association, said Vietnamese businesses need to be aware of the current world situation, lest they become exploited when Viet Nam participates in bilateral or multilateral free trade agreements. Vietnamese businesses need to readjust their business and work ethics to avoid litigation or penalties upon entering important markets such as Japan and the European Union. Phan uc Hieu, deputy director of the Central Institute for Economic Research, said private enterprises must take the initiative to improve competitiveness. According to Hieu, Viet Nam is ranked 93 out of 128 countries in terms of technology absorption capacity. The quality of Vietnamese suppliers is especially weak, with limited number of registered patents, ranking only 91 from 128 countries. A survey by VCCI showed that 116,000 new businesses were set up from January to December 2017. However, out of all enterprises currently operating, more than 60 per cent have reported unprofitable business, which could be either due to incompetence or tax fraud, Hieu added. According to Ly, domestic enterprises still face many difficulties, including lack of capital, obstructing policies and unresponsive market. He argued that there is a need to further strengthen risk management and oversight functions within the private sector. The long-term challenge for Viet Nam is to maintain high growth rate coupled with sustainable poverty reduction while continuing to accelerate the process of State-owned enterprises restructuring, improve business environment and remove barriers to productivity improvement, Phong said. According to VCCIs report, so far, the 2017 GDP growth target of 6.7 per cent is within reach, while all 13 targets set by the Central and National Assembly have been exceeded. Within the framework of the event held yesterday, VCCI and the Vietnam Accounting-Audit Association announced the launch of a new enterprise capacity assessment programme, focusing on businesses Key Result Indicators and Performance Indicators. The 2018 Business Forum featured talks from economic experts, business representatives and corresponding authorities, with forecasts, discussions, recommendations and consultations to help businesses identify challenges and seek development opportunities in 2018 and beyond. VNS HCM City The Viet Nam Cashew Association has provided VN1.5 billion (US$66,000) to the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for growing one million cashew trees on a total area of 500,000 hectares from now through 2022. Cambodia is one of the countries in the world that have excellent natural conditions for growing cashew, Nguyen uc Thanh, chairman of VINACAS, told a conference held on Thursday to discuss import and export of cashew through next year. Cambodia has paid much attention to developing cashew to improve the living standards of farmers, he said. VINACAS has collaborated with the ministry and some Cambodian firms and hopes to grow one million tonnes of cashew a year in that country in a few years from now. VINACAS and its members will buy the entire cashew output and work closely with Cambodian partners to speed up the project. In the last few years, due to price volatility and poor management of farming, the area under cashew in Cambodia plummeted from 300,000ha in 2014 to 100,000ha, Hean Vann Horn, head of the ministrys agriculture general department and an envoy of the Cambodian Government said. To ensure success and attract the participation of local farmers, VINACAS should provide good seeds, training in cultivation techniques and harvesting technologies to ensure good quality and yields. This year Viet Nam is expected to export processed cashew worth $3.5 billion and remain the largest exporter in the world as it has been for the last 11 years. Viet Nam has a strong cashew processing industry, but local raw material supply only meets 20 -35 per cent of demand. Viet Nam has imported 1.2 million tonnes of raw cashew so far this year, mostly from Africa. But importers face risks related to poor quality and difficulty in getting refunds. Before 2014 Cambodia had only been exporting 30 per cent of its raw cashew to Viet Nam, but for the last two years the figure has been 90 per cent. It is now the fifth biggest exporter to Viet Nam. If Cambodia can grow one million tonnes of cashew a year, it will be the biggest raw cashew nut exporter in the world. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam recorded a trade surplus of US$2.76 billion in the first 11 months of the year, or 1.4 per cent of total export turnover, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). This marks a slight decrease against the $2.9 billion surplus seen in 2016. The total export value during the reviewed period was $193.75 billion and that of imports was $190.99 billion, up 21.1 per cent and 21 per cent year-on-year, respectively. The ministry says that agriculture and seafood exports during this period rose 16.9 per cent year on year to reach $23.5 billion, accounting for12.1 per cent of total export turnover. Export of crude, coal, petrol and minerals is estimated at $3.94 billion, up 26.4 per cent year-on-year, accounting for 2.0 per cent of total export turnover. The export of processed goods reached $157.3 billion, up 22.4 per cent over the same period last year, accounting for 81.2 per cent of total export turnover. Asia has emerged the main importer of Vietnamese goods, with a year-on-year increase of 30.8 per cent, accounting for 52.1 per cent of total exports. It estimates that import turnover in the first 11 months of 2017 increased by a significant 21 per cent year-on-year. Asia was also the biggest supplier of goods, with Vietnamese imports from this market rising strongly by 22.2 per cent year-on-year, accounting for 81 per cent of total import turnover. The ministry says that Viet Nams total export turnover in 2017 is expected to reach the highest level since 2011, far exceeding the $202 billion target set for the year. The annual export figure is estimated at $210 billion, an increase of 20 per cent compared over 2016. VNS HA NOI Viet Nams hotel and resort real estate needs to have a comprehensive plan to ensure its development is on the right track. According to Mauro Gasparotti, director of Savills Hotels Asia Pacific, the hotel and resort property market of Viet Nam was growing, driven by strong increase in the number of foreign tourist arrivals in recent years. Recent updates of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism showed that the country received 11 million foreign tourists so far this year, representing a rise of 27.8 per cent over the same period last year. The increase was thanks to the launch of a number of international flight routes, together with easier visa policies. Hotel occupancy rates saw a significant increase in major tourism cities such as Ha Noi, HCM City, a Nang and Nha Trang, according to Savills Hotels. However, a majority of the hotel rooms were located in coastal areas while condotel count outnumbered resort rooms, Gasparotti said, warning that this would lead to serious competition in hotel room prices. He said several developers did not pay adequate attention to the planning of their projects, adding that some focused simply on building their hotel projects with as many rooms as possible without giving thought to how to increase the added value of their projects. It was critical for the hotel and resort real estate segment of Viet Nam to have a comprehensive plan to ensure long-term sustainable growth, he said. Vo Kim Trang from Savills Hotels also said developers needed to have a long-term vision. Developers will need to know tourism trends and changes in tourist demand, which will affect the development of hotel and resort products in the medium and long terms, rather than just focus on revenue in the short-term. Savills Hotels also pointed out that Viet Nam lacked diversification in products compared with destinations such as Thailand and Indonesia. The global market was currently witnessing new kinds of developments, such as resort wellness, resort spa, poshtel, co-working hub and hi-tech hotel. Morris Sim from Next Story Group, a hospitality management, marketing, design, franchising, investment and development company headquartered in Singapore, said developers in Viet Nam should diversify their hotel and resort products to meet the increasingly diversified demand of tourists. Sim also said the sharing economy and social marketing were significantly affecting the hotel and resort property market with a new technology-savvy generation showing a new trend for working and traveling. Next Story Group said hotels and resorts must make changes to maintain and improve competitiveness. VNS HA NAM Fuji Engineering Viet Nam, a member of Japans Fuji Group, on Thursday opened the first wholly foreign-invested serviced apartments for lease in Ha Nam Province. Located in the ong Van 1 Industrial Zone, Duy Tien District, Famille Ha Nam consists of 76 serviced apartments with areas of 26sq.m or 54sq.m. The building also has other facilities for lease, including offices, conference room, restaurant and supermarket. Osamu Yasuhara, chairman of Fuji Engineering, said that the US$10m project would help meet accommodation demand for foreign investors visiting Ha Nam and therefore contribute to enhancing the provinces investment climate. Minister and head of the Government Office, Mai Tien Dung, said at the opening ceremony of Famille Ha Nam that the province should create more favourable conditions for foreign investors, especially from Japan. Dung noted that Japan has been the leading provider of official development assistance (ODA) to Viet Nam in recent years, while being the second largest investor in the country and its third largest trade partner. VNS MEKONG DELTA The Mekong provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang have worked together to efficiently use water resources, combat natural disasters and cope with their aftermath. Kien Giang and An Giang signed an agreement in 2013 for water resource management in the Long Xuyen Quadrilateral with support from the Integrated Coastal Management Programme (ICMP). The agreement relates to water resource, flood and salinity control, water resources for irrigation and the responsibility of local authorities in implementing the agreement, Quang Trong Thao, deputy director of the Kien Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at a recent conference on water management in the two provinces in 2013-17. Situated in the west of the delta, the 498,000ha Long Xuyen Quadrilateral is bordered by the Vinh Te Canal, the Hau River and Cai San Canal. It is a major producer of rice and aquatic produce. Under the agreement authorities have built the Tha La and Tra Su flood control systems in An Giang Provinces Tinh Bien District, a flood control dyke along National Highway 1 from Chau oc to Ha Tien, a flood control system along the Hau River, dykes and rainwater drainage and saltwater control systems along the coast, Grade 1 and 2 canal systems, an urban flood control embankment, and an embankment for agricultural production and flood control in An Giang and Kien Giang provinces. The water resource monitoring system includes hydrometeorology stations and stations for measuring water and alluvium quality. Thao said in the past several years authorities in the two provinces have collaborated for the operation and maintenance of irrigation works that serve agriculture and foster socio-economic development. The well-funded and -operated irrigation works in the Long Xuyen Quadrilateral have helped control flooding and saltwater intrusion and provide water for locals daily needs, irrigation and river traffic. Now the region has over 85,000ha of land under rice, producing over five million tonnes of paddy a year, 13,598ha of ponds for shrimp farming, producing nearly 18,000 tonnes. An Giang and Kien Giang have also agreed on the annual release of water from the Tha La and Tra Su dams between late August and early September to irrigate the summer-autumn and autumn-winter rice crops, mitigate flooding in the upper section of the river, wash away salt and disease-causing pathogens and deposit alluvium. The two provinces have also jointly operated a drainage and saltwater control dyke system in the quadrilateral. In 2018-20 a recent agreement on water management in the quadrilateral will be implemented, with Hau Giang Province and Can Tho City joining Kien Giang and An Giang. They will work together to collect and share data on surface and ground water resources and the zoning and use of water resources in the quadrilateral. Nguyen Huu Thien, an expert on the Mekong Deltas ecology, said: In the complex situation caused by climate change, water is an essential resource. All fresh, salt and brackish water must be considered resources. VNS HA NOI - Hundreds of television employees will attend the 37th National Television Festival being held from December 13 to 16 in the central province of Thanh Hoa . Nearly 500 television working in nine categories, including documentaries, reportage, talk shows, science education and ethnic minority television shows will compete for the best television work awards at the festival. "The festival will be held in Thanh Hoa for the first time," said festival organiser Nguyen Ha Nam from Viet Nam National Television at a press conference. "The reportage category has attracted 150 entries, the most for any section." The annual event aims to honour producers, directors and camera crews as well as outstanding work that has provided insight into the daily lives of the people. It also provides an opportunity for television workers to share experiences. Seminars to exchange experiences in television broadcasting will also be held. A seminar entitled Producing Childrens Shows will present producers from VTVs Education Channel and AnakTV from the Philippines. AnakTV is chiefly an advocacy organisation that pushes the agenda for child-sensitive and family-friendly television in the Philippines. Promoting tourism through television will be a theme at another seminar aimed. Television stations will report the advantages and disadvantages of various localities for producing television tourism work. Presenters from the US and Indonesia will talk about television and internet development trends throughout the world. An exhibition will be held to display photos taken by television producers throughout the country. The opening and closing ceremonies will be aired live on VTVs Chanel 1 and Thanh Hoa Television. VNS HA NOI The latest broadcasting equipment and technology will be presented at the Viet Nam International Broadcast & AV (VIBA) Show in Ha Noi next year. Visitors will be able to watch films screened with modern technology, attend photo shows and sound performances, and play games with virtual reality (VR) glasses. Following the succes of two events held in HCM City, the VIBA show will showcase opportunities for international and Vietnamese television and businesses. The exhibition will definitely boost the industry, said Kim Jeong-hun, general director of Exporum Inc, organiser of the event. The Broadcast Department under the Ministry of Information and Communication, will bring a total of 200 exhibitors from 11 countries and territories together for the event. Visitors will be able to experience ultramodern broadcasting equipment and technology plus post-production, digital displays and IT solutions. They will be able to experience interactive contents that create exciting atmospheres and workshops, seminars and business matching with opportunities to meet government bodies, associations and other major key players in the industries. The drone competition will show visitors the new trend of camera recording which has also become a sport. The event will be held at the Ha Noi International Exhibition Centre, 91 Tran Hung ao Street on April 5-7, next year. VNS Le Quoc Phong, First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, speaks to Vietnam News Agency about the tasks for Vietnamese youth over the next five years ahead of the National Congress of the union in Ha Noi from December 10-13. What are the most notable achievements of the youth union in its last five-year term from 2012-2017? There are two most notable achievements over this term. The first is the unions educational activities. In the last five years, the Youth Union has done its best to renew and diversify educational activities among the union members. To make the activities more interesting and attractive, we have used the Internet to disseminate information on the activities of the Youth Union nation wide, as well as disseminate the Party and Governments policies, particularly policies relating to the youth. For example, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Day of War Invalids and Martyrs, we launched a campaign to call on all Vietnamese youths to take specific actions to show their deep gratitude to people who have rendered services to the nation. At the same time, we also launched an education campaign to instill in them the love for the nation and national sovereignty. We also organised trips to offshore islands or border areas for many young people to further instill in them the love of the nation and to help them get to know the lives of the local people, particularly their peers. The other achievement of the last five years is the two big campaigns launched by the Youth Union with the participation of more than 16 million union members. In the five years from 2012-2017, for the first time each volunteer campaign launched by the Youth Union had its own name. For example, we held the green summer for students; the flamboyant summer for school pupils; the green march and others. Through those campaigns, we have successfully enhanced the young peoples energetic spirit and love for the nation through specific activities, including helping people to recover their losses after natural disasters and through environmental protection activities and others. The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union has carried out many specific activities to support the start-up movement. For example we launched the Vietnamese Youth Start-up Programme; or the establishment of the Support Centre for Start-ups and others. At the same time, we have invested a lot of time and effort to organise spaces and environments for the young people to learn new life and working skills to enable them to enter their adult life with more experiences. Will you please talk a bit further about the Youth Unions future plan to help its members in their start-ups? In the next five years, the start-up movement will receive special attention from Vietnamese young people and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee considers it as one of its important missions to accompany them in the movement. This is already included in the draft political report to be presented at the upcoming 11th National Congress of the union. In the document well come up with measures to foster and promote the start-up spirit in the next five years so that it will become a driving force in the national economic development. As Viet Nam becomes a start-up nation, each Vietnamese youth should clarify their thinking about their future. And the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union will always be by their side wherever they are. We hope our young people will always be a vanguard in economic activities. This is the best way for them to contribute to the course of national development. In your opinion, what should Vietnamese young people do to contribute their part in solving regional and global issues? Viet Nam is in the stage of speeding up its process of industrialisation and modernisation while deeply integrating internationally. As a result, our young people will have many opportunities to approach and exchange experiences with their foreign peers, particularly in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. This is one of the important tasks of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee: to prepare necessary skills for our young people to integrate internationally, including their foreign language skills. Were confident that in the course of deep international integration, our Vietnamese young people will join hands with their foreign peers to come up with programmes and solutions together. What will be the focus of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committees activities in the future? We will focus our activities in three areas: education, movement and the bolstering of the Youth Union. Of course, for each mission, well come up with specific activities which are closely linked to the major programmes launched by the Youth Union Central Committee. We have also defined the action slogans for our activities in the coming future: Pioneer, firm character, unity, innovation and development. We hope that the 6.4 million members of the union, plus the 24 million Vietnamese youths living inside and outside the country, will join hands to make Viet Nam a prosperous and happy nation. VNS The Ministry of Transport (MoT) on Thursday rejected the Ha Noi Taxi Associations request to extend taxi licences for 12 months. Photo tapchigiaothong.vn HA NOI The Ministry of Transport (MoT) on Thursday rejected the Ha Noi Taxi Associations request to extend taxi licences for 12 months. A decree issued by the MoT in 2014 regulates that taxis can be licensed for up to eight years in Ha Noi and HCM City and 12 years in other localities. At present, the MoT is seeking opinions from taxi associations, taxi firms and related agencies to build regulations to replace the 2014 decree. The Ha Noi Taxi Association, in September, submitted a request to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the MoT and Ha Noi Peoples Committee, asking to extend the expiration dates of taxi badges for an additional 12 months while awaiting the new decree. The association said the Ha Noi Department of Transport had registered the taxis till December 31, 2017 for 2010-made cars owned by the citys taxi firms without considering whether they were assembled at the beginning or end of the year. Therefore, cars produced at the end of 2010 will be unreasonably forced to stop operation early, according to the association. Extending the badge by 12 months would ease burdens on taxi associations and firms amidst fierce competition with ride-hailing services like Uber or Grab, they said in the request. According to current regulations, every taxi has to use a badge granted by a State agency. The badge contains information on the taxi enterprise and has the cars number plate printed on it. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam and Liberia have affirmed their determination to double or triple bilateral trade, currently at US$35.3 million annually. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Liberian Foreign Minister Marjon Vashti Kamara set the target during talks in Ha Noi on Friday. At the talks, Minh asserted that Viet Nam views its efforts to establish friendship and cooperation with Liberia, a promising partner in West Africa, as important. . The two officials agreed on concrete measures to effectively advance bilateral ties. The Liberian official expressed his hope that Viet Nam will help his country in agriculture, mining, infrastructure-building and telecommunications. He said he welcomes Vietnamese businesses to Liberia for market research to establish trade and investment relations. The two sides agreed to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese and Liberian enterprises to promote trade and attend fairs and exhibitions in each country. They discussed measures to step up collaboration in agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunications and defence-security. They agreed to soon sign the framework agreement on cooperation between the two Governments, the bilateral trade agreement, the agreement on investment encouragement and protection and the protocol on cooperation between the two foreign ministries, creating a strong legal corridor for bilateral cooperation. In terms of politics, the two sides emphasised the need to increase the exchange of all-level delegations via the channels of Party, State, National Assembly, ministries and localities while facilitating people-to-people exchange to further solidarity and mutual understanding. They also pledged to continue coordination at multilateral forums. Deputy PM and FM Pham Binh Minh expressed his wish to welcome the President of Liberia to Ha Noi next year. He suggested the West African country support Viet Nams bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and recognise Vietnam as a full market economy. Regarding regional and international issues of mutual concern, the Vietnamese official affirmed that the principle stance of Viet Nam and ASEAN is to solve disputes, including those in the East Sea, through peaceful means, including full respect for diplomatic and legal processes on the basis of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and objections to the use of force or threat to use force. Minh suggested Liberia back the principal stance of Viet Nam and ASEAN. He stressed the need for the full and serious implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in order to conclude talks to establish a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC). Following the talks, Deputy PM and FM Pham Binh Minh and Liberian FM Marjon Vashti Kamara witnessed the signing of the agreement on a visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders, the first such agreement between the two countries. Prime Minister meeting Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked Liberian Foreign Minister Marjon Vashti Kamara to push for the provision of favourable conditions for Vietnamese investment in Liberia as he received the minister in the capital city of Ha Noi yesterday. Welcoming the ministers working visit to Viet Nam, PM Phuc said he believed that after this trip, the two countries would make new strides in their relations with the implementation of concrete projects to meet the aspiration of the two countries leaders and people. He asked the two sides, which boast sound bilateral relations, to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels. As cooperation potential remains high, especially in trade and investment, Viet Nam and Liberia should take measures to enhance cooperation in all aspects. The PM urged efforts to strongly boost bilateral trade, which stands at just US$35.3 million, and create optimal conditions for each others businesses to promote trade, exchange delegations, and participate in fairs and exhibitions held in their countries. Phuc also asked Liberia to support Viet Nams candidacy for non-permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council for 2020-2021 and to recognise the full market economy status of Viet Nam. Meanwhile, the two foreign ministries would need to keep close coordination to step up bilateral cooperation activities in all spheres, he added. At the meeting, Minister Kamara expressed her admiration for Viet Nams struggle for national independence and development efforts. Informing her host about the outcomes of the talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, she said the two sides agreed on many concrete measures to reinforce cooperation and maximise their countries advantages. They also signed an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders of Viet Nam and Liberia, which will strengthen connections between the two Governments and peoples. The minister also voiced her hope that her visit would give a boost to the two countries friendship and cooperation in the future. VNS VNS HA NOI Viet Nam is very concerned that US President Donald Trumps move to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel will cause instability and adversely impact the peace process in the Middle East, said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang. Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said Viet Nam currently enjoys amicable friendships with all Middle Eastern countries, including Palestine and Israel. Viet Nam favours any effort regional, international, or between involved parties to settle conflicts in a peaceful manner to bring long-lasting peace and stability to the region. Such stability will ensure the mutual prosperity and development of all countries in the region, which will ultimately contribute to world peace. Viet Nam reaffirmed its stance on supporting a two-state solution, which provides for the establishment of the State of Palestine co-existing in peace with the State of Israel according to the 1967 borders. Viet Nam also holds the position that all solutions concerning Jerusalem must be in line with international law, especially United Nations resolutions, and must be agreed upon by all parties involved. VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with a delegation of the Japan Business Federation (KEIDANREN) in Ha Noi on Friday. The host leader spoke highly of KEIDANRENs role in the Viet Nam-Japan extensive strategic partnership, along with the role of the federations Japan-Viet Nam Economic Committee in enhancing the two countries economic, trade and investment cooperation. The Vietnamese Government and people attached importance to the development of ties with Japan and pledged to work to boost the strong and sustainable development of this relationship, he said, expressing his hope that Japan would soon become the biggest investor in Viet Nam. Kuniharu Nakamura, Co-Chairman of the Japan-Viet Nam Economic Committee, said that Japanese businesses view the Vietnamese market as important, with significant consumption strength. The two countries boast strong trade ties at present. Viet Nam should improve its business climate and reinforce the bilateral economic partnership, he added. Hideo Ichikawa, who co-chairs the committee, said Viet Nam needed to further develop infrastructure, such as railways and roads, in order to attract investment and improve the overall business climate. Japanese companies were interested in infrastructure projects under the public-private partnership (PPP) model in Viet Nam, he noted, asking the Vietnamese Government to remove obstacles facing Japanese firms. PM Phuc said he hoped Japanese enterprises would pay attention to environmental issues when investing in Viet Nam. He also asked Japan to assist Viet Nam to develop infrastructure, especially in transport, as it is currently a bottleneck in Viet Nams economy. Viet Nam wants Japanese businesses to invest more in the country. They are very successful in Viet Nam, which is partly attributable to the work of KEIDANREN, according to the Prime Minister. At the meeting, PM Phuc also answered Japanese businesses representatives questions about local mechanisms and policies. VNS KHANH HOA Retirement is the time for people to enjoy their lives, but a group of war veterans in the central province of Khanh Hoa want to devote their twilight years helping comrades in need. The veterans have set up a health clinic to provide free check-ups, health counselling and medicine to fellow veterans who lack health insurance cards or are victims of agent orange. Tran Van ong, 75, head of the clinic, said most of its health workers had professional training and a lot of experience in health care. They were kind-hearted people and willing to work for no pay. ong said: Coming back from the resistance war against the Americans, I understood the pain of my comrades who lost parts of their bodies in the battle. Returning to normal life, many people did not have health insurance cards and could not enjoy social policies. "I volunteered to join the war veterans health clinic to help my sick comrades. We are ready to support comrades who are in need, he said, adding that some health workers at the clinics were themselves war invalids or victims of Agent Orange. Duong Cong Lien, 69, a former doctor at Military Hospital 87, said he joined the army in 1968. Twenty-seven comrades in his commune also joined the army at the same time, but half of them died in the war. I find myself lucky. This prompted me to do this job as soon as I retired. I will engage in this work as long as I have the strength, he said. Nguyen Thanh Ba, 59, a resident from Nha Trang citys Phuong Sai Ward, said he suffered diseases related to blood pressure and arthritis for many years. He couldnt afford to go to the hospital for treatment as he had no health insurance card. He was happy when introduced to a health clinic run by war veterans in Tran Quy Cap Road in Nha Trang City . "I have to work hard every day to make ends meet in spite of my illness. Every time I feel tired, I go to the clinic where doctors give me free medical check-ups and medicine," Ba said. Nguyen Thi Kim, 64, who resides in Phuoc Long Ward, said that, like Ba, he tried to work hard to support her family but couldnt afford hospital treatment. After receiving acupuncture from the clinic for a week, her backache had been relieved, she said. ong said the clinic had given medical examinations and free medicine to more than 26,000 patients and provided counselling for another 5,000 since it was set up in 2007. Every year, health workers at the clinic not only provide free medical services in Nha Trang City, but also organise many trips to support people living in remote and ethnic areas in Khanh Hoa Province, ong said. In the last days of November, doctors at the facility went to Van Ninh District to assist local residents who were victims of tropical storm Damrey. Funding for the clinic came from kind-hearted donors and war veterans contributions, ong said. Looking to the future, he said he was less worried about procuring financial resources than he was about maintaining a qualified and dedicated staff. In reality, all health workers here are enthusiastic with the work, but they are getting older. It is not easy to find people who are dedicated and work with a volunteers spirit to replace the current staff, he said. Tran Van Hanh, chairman of Khanh Hoa Province s War Veterans Association, said the association had co-ordinated with relevant agencies to call on people with expertise and enthusiasm to do volunteer work at the clinic. He also said the association would rebuild the clinics quarters and purchase more equipment. VNS HCM CITY The 10th HCM City Book Fair will be held from March 19-25 at District 1s Le Van Tam Park, according to the citys Department of Information and Communication. The book fair, with the theme Books Culture, Integration and Development, is organised by the citys People Committee, Department of Information and Communication, Saigon Cultural Products Corporation, HCM City Book Distribution Corporation (Fahasa), and other companies. The fair is expected to have more than 800 book stalls, with some of them taking up hundreds of square metres, and 27 per cent more stalls than the last book fair in 2016. A total of 350,000 book titles, with multiple copies available for sale, will be displayed. Stationery manufacturers and more than 200 publishers will attend. Foreign publishers have also been invited including English publishers (Oxford University Press, Cambridge, National Geographic and others), as well as publishers from countries such as Spain, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and others. In addition, the book fair will have areas for reading, book exchange, author panels, promotion of new books, and showcases of new technologies related to book publishing and e-book selling. A 10-20 per cent discount will be applied for books and other items during the first few days of the fair, and will increase up to 50 per cent on the last three days. There will be free wifi at the book fair, and stalls will not be allowed to play their own music and announcements to reduce noise. The HCM City Book Fair, the largest book in the country, has been held every two years since 2000. VNS There has been a 91 per cent reduction in the amount of goods controlled by the Ministry of Science and Technology inspected before customs clearance. Photo tintm.com HA NOI There has been a 91 per cent reduction in the amount of goods controlled by the Ministry of Science and Technology inspected before customs clearance. The move followed a Government order to 12 ministries to reduce commodities considered possibly unsafe and possibly unhealthy to consumers. From October, most of the goods are subjected to State inspection after customs clearance, Nguyen Hoang Linh, deputy director of the ministrys Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, said yesterday. Before the circular took effect, 24 commodity groups managed by the ministry must be inspected before customs clearance. Now there are only two oil-petrol and Liquefied Petroleum Gas. Linh said that this meant more than 30,000 commodities were no longer subjected to inspection before custom clearance every year, saving time and costs for enterprises. At the time, the Government also assigned the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Transport, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Health to reduce the ratio of imported goods subject to specialised inspections at the clearance stage to 15 per cent from the current ratio of 30-35 per cent. Relevant ministries are taking efforts to implement this work. The Ministries of Construction, Agriculture and Rural Development, Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Health have now proposed to add to the list of commodities that need to be removed, Linh said. In fact, the Group 2 commodity list is still said to be too long. Linh said that it should be narrowed down further to include those that have no national quality standards or inspection criteria -and those considered not to be unsafe or have any risk. Narrowing down the list was the responsibility of every ministry, he said. Linh added that there were no clear inspection criteria and inspection methods for quite a few import groups. au Anh Tuan, Head of the Legal Department of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that besides cutting procedures, it was necessary to remove regulations no longer relevant. He also admitted that the new regulation could cause risks to enterprises if commodities were not approved after after customs clearance. This could create a burden for importers. Linh said that to handle the risk, the ministry had provided detailed instructions to inspection agencies in all sectors and provinces and cities nationwide. Enterprises still have to take legal responsibility for the quality of their imported commodities. The State will inspect and assess whether enterprises follow the laws or not, Linh said. VNS HA NOI Viet Nam must step up efforts to ensure 90 per cent of HIV-infected people will receive sustained antiretroviral (ARV) therapy by 2020, in line with the international UN target, Deputy Prime Minister Vu uc am said at a meeting of National Committee for AIDS, Prostitution and Drug Prevention yesterday. Currently, about 50 per cent of Viet Nam s HIV-infected people are being treated with ARV. The Health Ministry, Financial Ministry and Viet Nam Social Insurance must work together to ensure enough ARV drugs are available. State and local budgets must be generous enough to cover the drug supply, he said. The treatments must be more convenient and sensitive to the patients mental and emotional needs, he said. According to Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quy Vuong, 6,883 new people tested positive for HIV in the first nine months of this year. As many as 3,484 HIV patients saw their illness progress to AIDS and 1,260 patients died. It is estimated that the number of new cases of people living with HIV will reach 9,800 by the end of 2017, while the number of deaths will climb to some 1, 800. Vuong said that the number of newly HIV-infected people had decreased. This year had also been the ninth year in a row to see decreases in the number of new infections, the number of HIV cases that have turned to AIDS and the number of deaths. Deputy Prime Minister am said that the HIV/AIDS work should not be neglected as the number of infections declines. Growing drug addiction According to the Ministry of Public Security, there was a surge in the number of drug criminals this year. In the first nine months of this year, more than 906 kg of heroin were seized, an increase of 49 per cent over the same period last year. More than 856 kg and over 979,000 synthetic drug tablets were seized, a hike of 129 per cent compared to last year. am said that without drastic measures, tackling synthetic drugs and growing drug addiction would be challenges. The Health Ministry has set up treatment guidelines. Sectors and localities must promote communication through video clips and programmes to warn people about the risks of synthetic drugs. am said that local leaders must change attitudes towards drug treatment. The purpose of drug rehabilitation efforts, he said, is not to purify an area but to ensure addicted people can return to their communities and receive appropriate treatment as social order is maintained. am urged localities to sustain the use of methadone in treating drug addiction. He said that there were 408 locations nationwide where prostitutes were known to work. He ordered the provinces and cities to implement projects to reduce the number to 200 by the end of next year. Officials at the meeting announced a methadone treatment management system at methadone.vaac.gov.vn, aiming to support patients being treated with methadone and link patients with treatment facilities. Each patient will have an ID and electronic medical record to manage their treatment. They can take the medicine at any facility without having to bring their records with them. Using this app, they can make appointments and select treatment locations. The system will show patients the nearest location where they can access the medicine. - VNS The Spirit of Flight Center in Erie, Colorado took delivery of a rare Lockheed Model 12A Electra Junior in June, 2017. The iconic aircraft rolled off the production line as serial #1205 and soon became an executive transport with the Continental Oil Company, registered as NC16079. The aircraft was impressed into military service during WWII, heading up to Canada as part of the Lend-Lease Program. At one point in the aircrafts history, it was owned by the legendary aircraft broker, Charles Babb. Interestingly, it was Babb who signed Amelia Earharts pilots license, and we all know her close connection to the Lockheed Electra! The museum has already begun restoring their Electra Junior back to flying condition, but needs to raise funds to help with the effort. Towards this end, the museum received the generous gift of a pristine 1957 Ford Thunderbird which they will be giving away via a lottery. Please see their recent press release for further details on how you can enter to win this amazing car and help restore a rare Lockheed beauty! The Spirit of Flight Center recently received the gift of a fully restored 1957 Ford Thunderbird. The museum now plans to give it away to a lucky winner. We are incredibly grateful that a 1957 Thunderbird was gifted to the museum, said Gordon Page, President of the Spirit of Flight Center. The donor saw our Lockheed 12A aircraft project and wanted to do something to help get it back into the air. We had no idea they would give us a collector car to raffle off to help the process. The Starmist Blue Thunderbird has only 35,000 miles and was fully restored in 2006. It has a 312 cubic inch V-8 engine and automatic transmission, and it is loaded with features including hard and soft tops. We plan to hand over the keys to the car at our 10th Annual Spirit of Flight Day event on July 14th, 2018, said Gordon Page. I cant wait to see the look on the winners face, added Page. People can enter to win the car by making a donation to the non-profit Spirit of Flight Foundation at www.spiritofflight.com. All proceeds will help fund the restoration of a 1936 Lockheed 12A Electra Jr. that the museum acquired earlier this year. My wife has wanted a 57 Thunderbird since we started dating, so you can bet I will be making a donation, said museum supporter, Mike Castro. Castro added, Its even the right color. Click the image below to buy your ticket to win! ~~~ About the Spirit of Flight Center: Founded in 1998, the non-profit Spirit of Flight Center facility features over 1000 aviation artifacts at its Erie (CO) Municipal Airport facility. Aircraft including a rare German Messerschmitt Bf-109, L-19 Bird Dog, and a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fighter jet are among the collection. The Spirit of Flight Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and uses tax deductible donations to support its mission to save aviation history. Contact the Spirit of Flight Center at info@spiritofflight.com for more information. CHARLES CITY -- A Charles City man will serve up to half a century in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in mid-October, pending appeal proceedings. Antoine Williams, 36, was found guilty of killing Nathaniel Fleming, 36, just before 10 p.m. June 30 in a parking lot outside the Casa Apartments in Charles City. According to court records, Nellie O'Mara, one of his attorneys, asked to withdraw from the case. She also asked the state to appoint someone from the State Appellate Defender's Office. Prosecutors argued during the trial that Williams planned to shoot Fleming, while Williams' attorneys argued he was acting in self defense. The jury deliberated for less than three hours over a two-day span to reach its verdict. Under Iowa law, Williams must serve a mandatory minimum of 37 years if his sentence is upheld. WATERLOO John Deere Waterloo Operations is donating $30,000 to a high school advanced manufacturing career program over the next three years. The Waterloo Career Center launched the career pathway this fall. The center, operated by Waterloo Community Schools at Central Middle School, seeks sponsorships for its programs. Deeres donation puts it at the exclusive-sponsorship level, but the company has waived its exclusive rights to allow the district to seek additional partners for the program. Deere is the first of many local companies that have expressed interest and intent in career program partnerships to make it official, according to the district. Career Center, Central Middle School sport fresh look in Waterloo WATERLOO The milling machines, lathes and a plasma cutter have been delivered to Bob Plagg The Waterloo Career Center will allow students to gain experience in fields of study not commonly taught in their everyday learning, Dave DeVault, Waterloo Works factory manager, said in a news release. As a company, John Deere is invested in the growth of the Cedar Valley and the education of the next generation. We are excited to see students utilize this center and witness the results for years to come. Advanced manufacturing is one of three new career pathways added to the career center program offerings this fall. It gives students a comprehensive, hands-on overview of the manufacturing process complete with cutting-edge technology like computer-aided design and drafting, 3-D printing and plasma cutting. In addition, students use computer numerical control machines and gain introductory-level industrial welding experience. John Deere is a pillar in this community and we are thrilled to partner with them at the Waterloo Career Center, Superintendent Jane Lindaman said in a news release. The resources and expertise they provide will ensure our students get real-world manufacturing experiences to prepare them for whatever they choose to pursue after high school. This is a great day for Waterloo Schools students. WATERLOO Denver attorney and Cedar Falls pastor Larry Stumme is one voice, but asked others to join him. He asked opponents of the proposed tax bill in Congress to meet for a half hour of silent protest at noon Saturday at the Waterloo post office on Sycamore Street, and each Saturday thereafter until the bills outcome is determined. About 10 people joined Stumme and his wife, Eleanor, to picket in bitter winds outside the post office, including friends, neighbors and some labor union retirees. A handful of passing patrons voiced approval or honked and waved as they drove by. Stumme said he believes the tax bill is an assault on the poor and vulnerable and invited like-minded individuals to join the protest. He said the protest is an idea he came up with and not part of any organized national movement. However, he hopes it catches on. He said many people cant afford to travel to mass rallies to make their views known. But they can make a statement where they live and have kind of a forum to make their views known. Its not boisterous, just a statement of our belief that the government should be responsible to us and not just to money. ... It permeates into many areas of our lives, said Stumme, pastor of St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls. Thats kind of the thinking behind it. My hope would be that it would catch on across the country. The new tax bill will impact the environment, Social Security and other areas, Stumme said. The Democrats and Republicans have been equally guilty of kowtowing to this power of money, he said, noting the message should be not one more cent for the super rich. He said the protest should continue each Saturday at noon for a half an hour, until this dangerous law is defeated or corrected. By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 06, 2017 | 01:49 PM | GRAVES COUNTY, KY Police have made an arrest in a pedestrian hit and run collision earlier this week in Graves County. Graves County Sheriff Dewayne Redmon said 24-year-old Morgan Borens,of Lynnville, was arrested Wednesday at her home. Redmon said Borens was the driver of the vehicle that struck 33-year-old Richard Poindexter, of Mayfield, Monday night while he was walking on KY 564 between Farmington and Tri City. Poindexter remains in critical condition at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, IN. He was found in the roadway on KY 564 by a passing motorist after he was struck by a vehicle. Evidence left at the scene and information called into the sheriff's office led deputies to Borens. During an interview with police, Borens allegedly confessed to being the driver of the vehicle that struck Poindexter. Borens then left the scene and drove to her home. Borens is charged with 1st degree assault, leaving the scene of an accident, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no insurance. She was lodged in the Graves County Jail. past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1) In a flurry of protests, heads of state from Cuba to Ecuador have joined the growing international condemnation of Trump's "arbitrary" decision to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel. Governments across Latin America are voicing their opposition to U.S: President Donald Trumps formal decree that the U.S. embassy in Israel is being moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In an ongoing flurry of enraged protests, heads of state from Cuba to Ecuador have joined the growing international condemnation of the "arbitrary" decision, which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has already warned could irreparably damage the delicate peace process. Ecuador joined the throng late Thursday, issuing a formal statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejecting Trump's gesture. "The declaration of the United States undermines international efforts to seek a negotiated, just and lasting solution in the region. Ecuador warns of the negative effects that the decision of that country may have on the recovery of peace talks between Israel and Palestine," the statement read. On Wednesday, Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza posted on Twitter: "The Bolivarian government of Venezuela expresses its firm condemnation of the US decision to recognize the city of Jerusalem, occupied illegally, as the capital of Israel. Venezuela expresses its respect for UN resolutions and its solidarity with the Palestinian people." In the full statement, issued by Arreaza on behalf of President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela "rejects any arbitrary, unilateral and without consultation actions that seek to strengthen the illegal presence of the State of Israel over the Occupied Palestinian Territory and its de facto annexation of the City of Jerusalem, facts that undermine the sovereignty of the State and the Palestinian people, undermine the peace and stability of the region, and tragically influence international efforts in search of a dialogued, peaceful, just and lasting solution." The statement also expresses the desire of the Venezuelan people to "reaffirm their unrestricted commitment to the achievement of a dialogued, peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict, as well as for the concretion of the full sovereignty and independence of the brotherly State of Palestine, reiterating its willingness to face together with the brave Palestinian people all those arbitrary and unjust actions that, like this one, undermine the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, and only seek to continue sowing chaos in the Middle East region." In a separate statement also posted on Twitter, Bolivian President Evo Morales wrote: "We send our message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and affirm our support for the two-State solution, with the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian State." Cubas Ministry of Foreign Affairs also rejected the "unilateral declaration," which it described as "a serious and flagrant violation of the Charter of the UN, of International Law and of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations." "This intention of the U.S. government to modify the historic status of Jerusalem violates the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations, will have serious consequences for stability and security in the Middle East, will further increase tensions in this region and will impede any effort aimed at resuming peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, the ministry said in a statement released late Wednesday. "Cuba calls on the Security Council to fulfill the responsibility given to it by the UN Charter in the maintenance of international peace and security, to adopt the necessary decisions and to demand from Israel an immediate end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories and of aggressive policies and colonizing practices, as well as compliance with the resolutions adopted by that body on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question." Trumps signing of the decree was immediately met with widespread resistance. Palestinian leaders have called for "Three Days of Rage," prompting Palestinians to take to the streets to demonstrate resistance. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh described the U.S. decision as "flagrant aggression" and an "uncalculated gamble that will know no limit to the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim reaction," Al Jazeera reported. "Our national Palestinian cause is at a crossroads after the U.S. decision on Jerusalem," Abbas said in a separate speech aired live on the official Palestinian Television shortly after the White House statement. "The Palestinians will remain a united front defending Jerusalem and peace and freedom and winning the rights of our people to end the occupation and achieve its national independence." BOZEMAN A day after a man suspected of being in the country illegally who feared posting bail was released from jail and within an hour taken into custody by immigration officials, Montana's attorney general filed a brief saying a state Supreme Court case filed on his behalf was a "thinly veiled request" for the state's high court to nullify federal immigration law. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox's brief, filed Friday, called a petition by Arturo Valerio-Gonzales a "thinly veiled request" for the court to nullify federal immigration law. It argues that the Gallatin County jail has the authority to voluntarily comply with an immigration detainer. The brief from the attorney general also argues that detainer requests are not "federal commandeering" of a state's authority because they are requests and not commands, and also say the Bozeman jail had clear authority to comply with the request from immigration officials. Public defender Annie DeWolf argues Arturo Valerio-Gonzales' release Wednesday was coordinated by local and federal officials to render moot an effort before the Montana Supreme Court that argues civil immigration holds are illegally keeping defendants in jail. Such detainers are a request for local authorities to hold someone who is suspected of being in the country illegally for another 48 hours after they are eligible for release from custody. The extended detention allows immigration agents to decide whether defendants should be taken into federal custody to begin the deportation process. The Gallatin County attorney's office filed a motion Thursday asking the Supreme Court to declare DeWolf's petition moot because he has already been released. The attorney general's office did the same on Friday. DeWolf said she still plans to ask the state Supreme Court to rule on the issue because it could be repeated. Valerio-Gonzales, 46, had been jailed on misdemeanor federal sexual assault charges since June even though he could afford to post bail. His trial was scheduled to start Dec. 12. The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, the Montana Human Rights Network and other groups filed a brief supporting Valerio-Gonzales' release. "Arturo Valerio-Gonzales is not the first person in Montana, nor will he be the last, to have his detention unlawfully prolonged due to the improper use of ICE detainers," wrote ACLU of Montana legal director Alex Rate. "Montana should join the list of states that have rejected the widespread use of civil ICE detainers as a means of unlawfully imprisoning individuals, who enjoy the presumption of innocence, pending trial." Valerio-Gonzales was charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a vehicle at a gas station near Bozeman. The woman said she had been traveling with the defendant and that they had pulled over to rest when the alleged assault occurred. He has pleaded not guilty. Valerio-Gonzales has lived in Utah for about 20 years and has two children who are American citizens, DeWolf said. She said she did not know if he was in the country illegally. Dec 8, 2017 | By David Over the last few years, smartphone manufacturers and app developers have been pioneering technology that suggests a shift in the role that mobile devices play in their users lives. Social media feeds and Angry Birds are now jostling for disk space with fitness and sleep monitoring apps of all kinds, re-imagining the phone as an important health tool as well as a communication device. The latest breakthrough in this field, by engineers at the University of California San Diego, will enable diabetes patients to monitor their glucose levels, and 3D printing was a key part of the development process. Integrating blood glucose sensing into a smartphone would eliminate the need for patients to carry a separate device, said Patrick Mercier, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC San Diego. An added benefit is the ability to autonomously store, process and send blood glucose readings from the phone to a care provider or cloud service. The innovative system is known as the GPhone, and is currently at the proof-of-concept phase. It was created by a team based at UC San Diegos satisfyingly specific Center for Wearable Sensors, and the details of their project were laid out in a paper entitled Re-usable electrochemical glucose sensors integrated into a smartphone platform, which was published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics. The technology allows a person with diabetes to check their blood sugar levels whenever necessary, wherever they happen to be, using a few simple components and a proprietary mobile app. The main part is a slim, specially designed smartphone case, which was produced cheaply using 3D printing technology. This has an integrated sensor on one corner, which is reusable. A number of small, one-time use, enzyme-packed pellets that magnetically attach to the sensor are housed inside a 3D printed stylus, which is attached to the side of the smartphone case. These pellets contain an enzyme called glucose oxidase, which reacts with glucose. This chemical reaction generates an electrical signal that can be measured by the sensors electrodes, and the greater the signal is, the higher the glucose concentration. Tests with known glucose concentrations showed that the system can measure blood sugar levels to a very high degree of accuracy. To test glucose levels, a user dispense a pellet onto the sensor, which activates it. The user then drops their blood sample on top, and the sensor measures the blood glucose concentration as explained. The data is then wirelessly transmitted, via Bluetooth, to a custom-designed Android app. This software displays the numbers simply on the smartphone screen, for the user to get an easy reading, and the whole process takes just 20 seconds. The next steps for the project will be to test the technology on actual blood samples instead of just pre-prepared glucose concentrations, as well as minimizing sample volumes. The current prototype uses at least a dozen drops of sample per test, which is more than the finger prick normally required from a diabetes patient for this kind of DIY monitoring kit. Getting the price of the pellets down is also something that might be necessary in order to make the system commercially viable, as they are slightly more expensive than the test strips currently used. If this project is successful, the team hopes to one day come up with a way to integrate this kind of sensing technology directly into the mobile device, without the need for a special case. Its applications neednt be limited to diabetes patients either. According to nanoengineering professor Joseph Wang, This system is versatile and can be easily modified to detect other substances for use in healthcare, environmental and defense applications. The project was supported in part by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering of the National Institutes of Health. Posted in 3D Printing Application Maybe you also like: Emily Temple in Literary Hub: William H. Gass, author of Omensetters Luck, In the Heart of the Heart of the Country, and Middle C, died on Wednesday at the age of 93 at his home in St. Louis. Gass was a boundary-breaking experimental writer (please read In the Heart of the Heart of the Country) as well as a critic, essayist and philosophy professor. Most importantly, Gass was a reigning master of the art of the sentence, and every one he wrote, he wrote with singular purpose. If I am anything as a writer, that is what I am: a stylist, he told The Paris Review. I am not a writer of short stories or novels or essays or whatever. I am a writer, in general. I am interested in how one writes anything. His work is invested in exploring the possibilities of literature as a form, in cadence, in sound, in weight and rhythmwhich makes it sometimes impenetrable but often transcendent. To celebrate his life and art, here are a few of Gasss instructions for writers and thoughts about the craft. Put all those nasty thoughts you have to use: If someone asks me, Why do you write? I can reply by pointing out that it is a very dumb question. Nevertheless, there is an answer. I write because I hate. A lot. Hard. And if someone asks me the inevitable next dumb question, Why do you write the way you do? I must answer that I wish to make my hatred acceptable because my hatred is much of me, if not the best part. Writing is a way of making the writer acceptable to the worldevery cheap, dumb, nasty thought, every despicable desire, every noble sentiment, every expensive taste. More here. Note: We're sometimes called to the carpet for not featuring the voices of people with autism on AofA. "Nothing about us without us" is a phrase used within the self-advocacy community. We do not exclude on purpose. I think many, maybe even most, of our readers' children have autism to a degree where writing about themselves is not possible. I was pleasantly surprised a couple of weeks ago to receive an email from Khali Raymond. He asked if we would publish his story. Please visit his site. If you're a teen or adult with autism reading this post, please, we encourage you to share your story. You do not have to agree with all of our opinions and positions at Age of Autism to write for us. We value and need your stories so that we can understand our own kids better. Please leave a kind comment for Khali - and thank him for his submission. Kim By Khali Raymond Living with Asperger's is not an easy feat. It never is. imagine yourself in a room full of people. All of those people are laughing and mingling. Meanwhile, you arent. Youre sitting there in the corner all alone, watching everyone make nice with each other. Nobody doesnt even acknowledge that youre there. You just sit there, crushed from the inside. You have trouble expressing yourself because you dont know how to. Your fear of being rejected eats you up. Your fear or feeling inadequate to others eats you up. As youre living with this disorder, those whom youre around cant understand your pain. Youre constantly feeling glum and angry. You feel as if this condition drags you into an abyss, an abyss that leads you to a point of no return. I have this feeling. Growing up, I could never fit in with others. As a kid, I couldnt look an adult in the eye. I never had the capacity to. There was just something about looking at another person that made me feel very uncomfortable. In social situations, my heart would pound very fast. I would tend to get nervous. I would always be the one that got left out because I couldnt relate to the other children. Being bullied didnt help curb my condition, it only worsened it. Every day, I would walk around and get laughed at. I would be humiliated every day. I would be made fun of because of the way I talked, walked, and looked. Imagine trying to answer a question in class and the kids would mock you. Every word you would say, theyd make this expression, trying to take the words from out of your mouth. As I was around my family, they couldnt relate to my condition either. I constantly sent them cries for help and they just rejected me. Nobody listened. This only made me feel even more depressed. The bullying in school got so bad that I nearly tried to kill myself at the age of eleven. I was going to leap from out of my bedroom window, but my mom stopped me in the process. I would use writing as my means to communicate. I loved to write. Whenever I was in class, I would be the first person to get up and share what Ive written with the class. I impressed my teachers with my impeccable writing abilities. My creativity was amplified. There was nothing limiting it. A committee on Friday has recommended three finalists for appointment as Yellowstone County justice of the peace. County Attorney Scott Twito, who headed the review committee, said the three finalists are Scott Ayers, a Montana Highway Patrol sergeant; Robert Spoja, a Yellowstone County deputy attorney; and Jeanne Walker, an attorney in private practice. Yellowstone County commissioners will interview the three candidates at their Dec. 12 board meeting. The interviews are public. The county is seeking to fill the position formerly held by Pedro Hernandez, who retired on Nov. 30. Whoever is appointed will have to run for election in 2018 to retain the four-year position. The job pays $101,082 a year. Montana law does not require a justice of the peace to be a lawyer. It's been one year since a beloved tow truck driver died on the interstate when he was hit while helping a stranded motorist, and his loved ones will mark the somber anniversary with a rally and two-county procession to bring awareness to the state's "move-over" law. John William Hubbard, 25, was killed Dec. 10, 2016. He was assisting a woman with her disabled 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer when two other vehicles collided nearby. One of those vehicles - a 2012 Hyundai Elantra - left the roadway and struck the Mitsubishi. The Mitsubishi then struck Hubbard and his tow truck. Hubbard, who lived in Quinton and worked for Classic Towing and Recovery in Hueytown, was taken to DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa where he was pronounced dead a short time later. "That morning my family's life was forever changed when finding out the devastating news that my big brother has lost his life while do what he loved so much,'' said his brother, Jason Hubbard, also a first responder. "This has been the most hectic time and year of my life. My best friend, big brother, hero, that one person you always went to for no matter what it was, he was always there, is gone because someone failed to follow the law." The driver of the Hyundai who troopers say started the chain of events that ultimately killed Hubbard was indicted in September and arrested last month. Sheridan Temms, 30, is charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless driving. Court records indicate speed was a factor. Since Hubbard's death, his friends, family and coworkers have fought to increase enforcement of, and the penalty for violating, the state's "move-over" law. The law requiring drivers to move into the next lane or slow down, once known as the "Blue Light" law, was amended in 2009 to include all emergency vehicles, including wreckers, that bear flashing lights -- not just law enforcement vehicles. On four-lane highways, drivers are required to move into the next lane when they see an emergency vehicle flashing its lights by the side of the road. On two-lane highways, or when moving to the next lane is not possible, drivers must slow to 15 miles per hour under the posted speed limit. The penalty for a first offense is $25 ticket, a second offense is $50 and a third or subsequent violation is $100. Law enforcement officers from throughout Jefferson County, Alabama State Troopers, and other towing agencies are set to attend Sunday's Slow Down/Move Over rally. Line up for the event will start at 1 p.m. at Garywood Church in Hueytown off of Allison Bonnet Memorial Drive. There will be food trucks to serve lunch before police, fire and wrecker service vehicles have the procession along Interstate 59 from Hueytown to McFarland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa. Jason Hubbard, a volunteer firefighter in Walker County, said the "move-over" law is near and dear to his heart for many reasons. He wants to be around to watch his son grown up. "It's important to me because I'm a first responder myself,'' he said. "I've seen it with my own eyes that people don't pay attention to the roadway, much less the law." "I'm not the only first responder in the state. My big brother wasn't the only tow truck driver in the state of Alabama. Why is it fair for the families of police, fire, towing operators, EMTs, or just someone on the side of the road needing help to have to go through such stress worrying if their loved one is going to get hurt or killed,'' he said. "If the law is changed and stronger fines and penalties are in place, then they would start paying attention. The first offense is a $25 fine. A human life is priceless. $25 ain't hard to come up with. You'll spend the same amount of money at the movies." He said he's touched by the outpouring of support for his family and their efforts with the "move-over" law. "I'm happy and honored that my brother made an impact on someone many peoples' lives that they are joining up and taken action to put a stop to it,'' he said. " A lot of great people are in the brotherhood of towing and I'm honored to be working with such great and caring people." The second inmate who escaped from the St. Clair County Correctional Facility Monday was captured early Saturday in Florida. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and Bevard County sheriff's deputies took Antwone Wilson into custody about 1 a.m., said Alabama Department of Corrections spokesman Bob Horton. The 27-year-old fugitive was found at a hotel in Titusville, Fla. where he surrendered without incident. He was taken to the Brevard County Jail to await extradition back to Alabama. Wilson and Ronald Odell King, also 27, made their getaway five days ago from the St. Clair County Correctional Facility in Springville. Both were last seen at their morning meal about 3:30 a.m. Monday and were discovered gone from their cell at 5:15 a.m. and at that point the facility was locked down. Authorities have not yet detailed how the pair got out of the lockup, which is a maximum-security prison. "The Alabama Department of Corrections is investigating the details of the escape, following leads, and is working with all levels of law enforcement to locate the inmates,'' Horton said in a prepared statement. King was taken into custody Tuesday in Birmingham's Elyton Village public housing community. King, according to the ADOC release, is serving 50 years on a burglary conviction out of Jefferson County. Court records show, however, show he also was convicted of first-degree rape, sexual torture and abuse and first-degree robbery. He was arrested in July 2013 after an armed robbery at an Alpine Village apartment. Authorities said the incident happened about 10:30 p.m. on July 26 when King and another man entered an apartment and robbed a man and woman at gunpoint. They fled the scene, with one of them taking a Ford pickup truck that belonged to the victim. The victims called 911 and police were able to track down the truck and one suspect in Bluff Park. King was arrested after a short foot chase and was in possession of property belong to the victim. Also in July of 2013, King raped a woman with the handle of a frying pan "with the intent to sexually torture or abuse her,'' records show. Charging documents show he also raped her with forcible compulsion. Court records don't say where that incident happened but indicate the attack happened on July 15 of that year. Wilson, serving a life sentence, was arrested by Birmingham police in 2012 in connection with a spate of robberies on Birmingham's Southside - including three in one night. During that investigation, Birmingham police also impounded a vehicle that matched the description of one that police said was used during the Southside robberies. The robbery spree lasted from Feb. 15 to Feb. 29 of that year. At the time of that arrest, Wilson already had previously pleaded guilty in 2010 to robbery charges and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to court records. He was released on probation in 2011. Horton said Saturday that both men now face additional escape charges. Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell joined Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones today at an historic Selma church as part of a home-stretch push for Tuesday's election. The Jones campaign made another stop in Montgomery, where U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, spoke to a crowd of more than 100 people at Alabama State University. Booker, appearing with Jones and Sewell, talked about the plight of Alabama's poorest counties and quoted Martin Luther King Jr. "When it comes to the long hard march toward justice, nothing is given," Booker said. "King used to say that change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability. It has to be carried in on the backs of good folk. The opposite of justice is not injustice, it is indifference, it is inaction." In Selma, Jones, Patrick, Sewell and Selma Mayor Darrio Melton appeared outside the Brown Chapel AME Church, where civil rights marchers gathered in 1965 to begin the trek across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday. U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, is scheduled to appear with Jones this afternoon at Alabama State University. Jones faces Republican Roy Moore in Tuesday's election. President Donald Trump reiterated his support for Moore during a rally in Pensacola on Friday night. "We need more integrity, more grace, more patience, more understanding and better listening in all of our leaders in every level of government and most especially in Washington today," Patrick said at his appearance in Selma today. "And Alabama has a chance to regain its voice for integrity and grace. Its patience and listening. It's willingness to hear all sides and to do what's right for the good of the whole." Patrick was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2006 and reelected in 2010. He served as assistant attorney general of civil rights under the Bill Clinton administration. Alabama has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since Richard Shelby in 1992. Shelby changed parties two years later. "We in Alabama have worked too hard to go backwards," said Sewell, the only Democrat in Alabama's congressional delegation. "We want to be forward leaning. And there's only one candidate in this race who has earned the right to be the United States senator. We need a United States senator whose integrity and character will not be questioned on Day One." Jones said he believes his campaign has momentum. "This campaign has got the wind at its back because we are bringing people together from all across the state," Jones said. "We've got thousands of volunteers. People are out there working today in the cold. They worked yesterday in the snow. It's been amazing and humbling for me but it's because we care about issues that we have in common, not issues that divide us." Jones closed his remarks in Selma with a shot at his opponent, accusing Moore of "hiding" because of Moore's limited press availabilities. "He seems kind of like the groundhog," Jones said. "He comes out every so often to see whether or not he can see his shadow." At today's event for the Jones campaign at Alabama State, Ashley Adams of Montgomery said she thinks Jones has a chance to overcome the recent history of Democrats losing statewide races in Alabama. Adams, a Jones supporter, acknowledged that would not be an easy feat. "I think it's going to be a tough race," Adams said. "I have hope but I still think it's going to be a tough fight for Jones. "I'm just trying to be realistic about what the possible outcome could be." Katie Keller of Montgomery, another Jones supporter who attended the Alabama State event, said she thinks Jones has a "fair chance" of winning on Tuesday. Asked why she supports Jones, Keller said, "Because I believe that he listens to the people and by listening to the people I think he's trying to be aware of all differences and respect differences. And I believe that in doing that he will meet with people that think differently from the way he thinks." She added that she thinks Jones will work to build a bridge between those differences "and make Alabama proud." Keller said she thinks Jones can overcome the difficulty of a Democrat winning a statewide race in Alabama. "I just believe that there is lots of good in Alabama and I believe in the goodness of this race," Keller said. Keller said women's accusations of sexual misconduct against Moore decades ago, which Moore has denied, are not a factor in her vote. She said she was for Jones before those accusations surfaced a month ago. Adams said the accusations do not appear to have affected the race as much as she would have expected. "I think it's made some difference, but sadly not as big a difference as it should and not as big a difference as a lot of us thought it would," Adams said. Also tonight, musical artists Jason Isbell and St. Paul & the Broken Bones are scheduled to perform "get out the vote" concerts for Jones in Huntsville and Birmingham. Updated shortly before and after 5 p.m. to add comments from people at Jones' event at Alabama State University. Updated at 6:40 p.m. to add quotes from Sen. Cory Booker. Edited at 8:32 p.m. on Dec. 10 to correct a word in Katie Keller quote. Defense and prosecuting attorneys will reconvene in federal court Monday as a suppression hearing for Red Fawn Fallis ran out of time Friday. Attorneys defending the Dakota Access protester accused of firing a handgun at arresting officers submitted two motions this fall to suppress all evidence and statements from Fallis at the time of her arrest, arguing her warrantless arrest violated free speech rights. Six officers who participated in some aspect of Fallis' arrest on Oct. 27, 2016, along State Highway 1806 testified during the all-day hearing Friday. Their testimony largely related to the circumstances of her arrest. Defense attorney Jessie Cook grilled Pennington County (S.D.) Sheriff's Deputy Thadius Schmit about Fallis' conduct before her arrest, which he said included "her aggressive stance, her having to be pushed away from (another officer)." Other officers testified about where they were when they heard the three gunshots Fallis is alleged to have fired from under her as they tried to cuff her. Officers said after she was cuffed, she made statements to the effect of "If I wanted to kill you, I would have shot you in the head," and "All pigs deserve to die" while laughing or giggling. The courtroom also watched three videos from the time of Fallis' arrest that show when Schmit tackled her to initiate her arrest. As the 5 o'clock hour approached in court, Fallis' team still had one officer to complete questioning, while two other witnesses had yet to testify, including a man who traveled from South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation. After a brief awkwardness as to how to proceed, attorneys and District of North Dakota Chief Judge Daniel Hovland then agreed to reconvene at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Fallis was on court-ordered leave from a Fargo halfway house to attend Friday's hearing. In an unusual agreement, a man who lives in a West Fargo motel volunteered to return her to Fargo Monday afternoon. "If she's not (returned to Fargo), then life will be much more complicated," said Hovland, who amended Fallis' travel order. Prior to testimony, defense attorneys addressed issues of discovery related to potential recordings the prosecution has been unable to produce. "Everything that we have been able to obtain, we have turned over," Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hagler said. Hovland ordered the prosecution to file formal responses by Dec. 15 to each of the 17 "problem areas" Fallis' attorneys addressed. Hagler said discovery has included thousands of items including pages, pictures and videos. Defense attorney Bruce Ellison also asked about outstanding discovery items, such as photos taken in October 2016, requested in January and received Thursday. Hovland said both sides will work to resolve discovery issues. Fallis' jury trial is set to begin Jan. 29 in Fargo. She is charged with civil disorder, discharging a firearm in relation to a felony crime of violence and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon. "I want to get this case tried," Hovland said. After travelling to Romania from Turkey via the dangerous Black Sea, refugees and migrants struggle to survive. Names marked with an asterisk* have been changed to protect the identities of the migrants quoted in this piece. Bucharest, Romania In a small yard of an old Bucharest building, 24-year-old Sitna* barely moves. She is pregnant, waiting to deliver at any moment. Along with her husband and their two-year-old daughter, she travelled from Iraq to Romania on the Black Sea, on a ship that was saved from capsizing by Romanian Border Police. They lied, they said we would be 80 people, and in the end we were over 150, the guide lied to us. I felt like I was dying there because there was no oxygen, she said. {articleGUID} The family had been living in a village in the Kurdish region of Iraq, but life took a turn for the worse when her husband Mohammed* took a job at a Yazidi religious centre. Most Yazidis are Kurdish, and their ancient religion, Yazidism, is derived in part from Christianity. We are Muslims and our families, especially my wifes brothers, didnt accept this. They said How can you take money from them? And for this reason, I said we better go instead of being killed, said Mohammed. The family left Iraq and entered Turkey with a legal visa. There, they contacted a smuggler who offered them accommodation for a month and six days. In September, they embarked on a boat to Romania on the Black Sea. Most refugees and migrants have been using the Mediterranean to escape deadly violence and persecution, often both. But the Black Sea route, which has worse weather conditions and is considered more dangerous, continues to be tested by smugglers. As recently as the night of November 27, Romanian Border Police said at least 60 people, including 24 children, from Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, were rescued when winds became strong. In September, at least 21 people drowned when a boat capsized. I thought I was going to die Sitna said she wanted to get off the boat because she was sick, but smugglers in Turkey did not allow her. I thought I was going to die, especially because I was pregnant. Even in the engine room, there were 13 people. Only the toilets were empty, she says. There were many sick people, pregnant women, newborn babies. Three women were pregnant and two others had just given birth, there was an old lady who had no legs and a boy who didnt have a leg. The big boss, as Mohammed calls the smuggler, was not on the boat. There were six Turkish guides, each accompanying his group of migrants, who knew the way, said Mohammed. However, they almost got lost. By the time of publishing, Turkish authorities had not responded to Al Jazeeras request for comment. The journey took three nights and two days, because they went wrong. We were going to Russia. For 13 hours we were in Russian water, says Mohammed. We were eating an apple a day and water. Everything I was eating, I was vomiting. And we were running out of water. It was the first time we were on a boat, it was windy and I was afraid for the baby, Sitna says. The journey took three nights and two days, because they went wrong. We were going to Russia. For 13 hours, we were in Russian water. by Mohammed, refugee On the morning of September 12, according to a press release from the Romanian Border Police, the ship sent SOS signals, with conditions of extreme weather [strong wind and five degrees waves]. Mohammed says it took the police nine hours to pull the boat onto shore. The smugglers were arrested and the migrants were detained in centres for foreigners. Tolerated in Romania Sitna and Mohammed were sent to Arad, western Romania. After five days they were released because she was pregnant. They now have the status of tolerated. The tolerated status allows people to remain in the territory of that country. It is given for six months, with the possibility to be renewed, said Maria Voica, project coordinator at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Romania. There is not enough information to give an international form of protection, but at the same time, there is a reserve that if the person returns to the territory of the state of origin, his life could be in danger. Mohammed said he left Iraq in the hope of being accepted by any country. We paid 5,000 euro for the boat to Romania. We didnt have more money. Some, who had money, paid from Turkey to go to the West. There are guides who guarantee you, for up to 7,500 euro, to Germany. They now live at a centre run by the Jesuit Refugee Service Romania (JRS) NGO, which houses 22 people in total. It doesnt have ideal conditions, but we dont have money to reconfigure it, says Catalin Albu, JRS head. JRS is the only centre offering accommodation for those with toleration stay in Romania. The organisation wanted to build another in Romanias north, but locals did not want migrants in the area. Albu said migrants generally do not want to stay in Romania because the country doesnt offer them much. Some have had tolerated status for 10 years, she said. There is no financial support, no doctors help you, said Sitna, who considered returning to Iraq to give birth. My country, Iraq, for me is something black Rebaz Taqana, a 35-year-old Kurdish car mechanic and taxi driver from Iraq, also lives at the centre with his wife and three children, with the status of tolerated. They entered Romania by the Black Sea, three days earlier than Sitna, with a boat carrying 97 migrants. The family paid 11,000 euro to smugglers to take the boat from Turkey to Romania, having paid 2,000 euro to cross the border from Iraq to Turkey. My country, Iraq, for me is something black, it is no longer important. There is no life there, they have guns, and they sell them in the street, the cars go without registration plates and they can do anything. Every day you hear someone died, he said. His youngest child, two-year-old Cohar, has just one kidney. A doctor in Iraq said he should be operated on by the age of four. I wanted to get to Germany to help the child. We could have died [on the boat], because we wanted to help the baby, says Rawef, Cohars mother. Gabriela Leu, UNHCR Romania spokesperson, said children are entitled to receive medical care regardless of their insurance status, and tolerated people have the right to work in Romania. We dont have an answer from the doctors, we dont know whats next, Rebaz said, adding he had applied for asylum but was rejected. A second rejection would lead to their deportation. Iranian Khabat Ahmadi, 37, travelled on the boat with Rebaz, and claims smugglers promised him they had a relationship with police and that a truck would take them to Germany. But Khabat was detained by police, in addition to the 472 migrants and refugees from Iraq and Iran who arrived in August and September via the Black Sea. What we offer them is a small bandage for a big wound ... At this point I can't tell you what will happen to them. by Catalin Albu, head of the Jesuit Refugee Service Romania NGO Alexandra Popescu, Romanian Police spokesperson, said between 2013 and 2014 and in February 2015, border police detected about 500 people who tried to enter Romania illegally on the Black Sea. Until August this year, there were no other cases of illegal migration. At least 4,600 people in 2017 have tried to cross the border illegally to Romania, Popescu said, adding that 2,200 tried to enter and 2,400 attempted to leave. Khabat now lives at a centre for asylum seekers in Bucharest, run by the General Inspectorate for Immigration. We have bugs, its not clean. I was told that if I apply for asylum, I am free. I had enough of staying in a closed centre and this is why I applied, he said. Khabat said he was in danger in Iran because, as well as running a clothes shop, he worked for the communist party and fought for rights for the Kurdish population. His wife and his 17-year-old son stayed in Iran. It took him three months and 10 days to reach Romania, paying smugglers almost 14,000 euro to cross the border to Turkey. He had attempted to travel to Italy and cross the border to Bulgaria and Greece, but was repeatedly caught. When they caught me, I said I was from Syria and nothing happened, he said. For me, life was very good there [in Iran] But I have problems and thats why I came here and I want one day to go back there. According to the General Inspectorate for Immigration, 331 migrants who arrived via the Black Sea in 2017 have applied for international protection in Romania. The IOMs Voica said up to 90 percent of Syrians are usually successful in asylum applications, followed by Iraqis, Afghans and lastly Pakistanis. With regards to the tolerated, Albu, of the NGO JRS, said: What we offer them is a small bandage for a big wound At this point I cant tell you what will happen to them. This week the worlds diplomats have once again gathered in Geneva, determined to help secure Syrias future. This years negotiations mark five years since I sat at that same table as part of the 2012 Syrian Opposition delegation, and seven years since the beginning of the civil war. Syria is the place I call home. Its where I went to school, began my career and raised my son. I have dedicated my life to promoting democracy and human rights, including defending political prisoners tortured under Assad and exposing the regimes brutality. In 2012, I was forced to flee Damascus with my son after being threatened by the regime, crossing borders and seas to finally reach safety in the UK. The UN Peace Talks come just days after President Putin met Assad face to face, the first time they had met since Russias military intervention began. Sending shivers down Syrian spines, Assad thanked Russia for its backing on behalf of the Syrian people. The two men hugged for the cameras as the Russian president boasted that victory was near. But for Syrians like me, who still believe democracy is a right and not a dream, there is no legitimacy in any statement from Assad and his allies. Victory cannot be written in civilian blood: the conflict has already claimed up to half a million lives, left one million Syrian children orphaned and displaced half the prewar population from their homes. To me they are more than numbers, they are my family, friends and fellow Syrians. A choice between the barrel bombs and chemical weapons of Assad's military and the beheadings, rape and torture of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is no choice at all. by The implication that victory is near is delusional. Assad and the Syrian regime must be held to account for their crimes, and so must the armed fighters whose brutality has matched that of the very dictator they pledged to replace. Victory will only come when Syria enjoys true democracy. That means we need to believe in the justice of international institutions and the compassion of our international friends to help us negotiate for a freer Syria. Seven years ago the conflict began with the arrest and killing of peaceful Arab Spring demonstrators who wanted three very simple things; political change, fair elections and a say in the kind of constitution they would live under. We cannot give up on their ambitions. I have seen first-hand just how important the talks are for uniting those who believe in positive change. I was the director of media for the Syrian Opposition delegation in 2012; we went there armed with fierce courage and ambitious hope. Despite the suffering that still plagues Syria, I am optimistic. While the Syrian regime is once again stalling progress at every turn with the help of Russia, I am confident that international determination to see progress will not retreat. It is clear that the regime does not want peace nor is it serious about reaching a fair solution. While Russia uses Syria as a pawn in their game of chess, countries like the UK, where I live, remain committed to achieving peace and seeing a sustainable future for the people of Syria. If the world Syria deserves better than Assad and better than terrorism, I hope we will get the ending we deserve. by Real victory will be declared when Syria is a sovereign state, with democracy and human rights at its core. A new constitution must be created by the Syrian people which includes the participation of all segments of society, the protection of minorities and the full representation of women. We must also ensure the safe return of refugees and the release of prisoners unfairly detained under Assad. This requires a review of the legal system and most importantly the establishment of free and fair multi-party elections. Syrians must be free to choose their leadership. Delivering this vision may not be straightforward, but it must not become a mere fairy tale Syrians tell their children. I refuse to tell my son that Syrias destiny is to be trapped in an indefinite war. It will require a break from dictatorship, and instead, cooperation between Syrias warring factions and between international players. We must do all we can to create the conditions for this to happen, working within the realm of reality and learning from the mistakes of the past. And what next for Assad himself? I do not believe his self-proclaimed victory is sustainable. First, the balance of power has changed: the regimes army has shrunk to less than half, its resources have been depleted, and many of their supporters have been killed. Second, acceptance of Assads survival and a return to the status quo is not only unacceptable to ordinary Syrians, it may also be unacceptable to Europe and the United States. After all, a full acceptance of the victory of the Russians and Iranians would not only imply the defeat of the Syrian opposition but all those who want to see a democratic Syria. We must end the conditions that have enabled terrorists to infiltrate and a dictatorship to persist. These conditions fuel anger and extremism. It is likely that over the coming weeks Russia will continue to hint at victory as Assad tries to spin his way back to power. Anyone who cares about Syria must reject this. A choice between the barrel bombs and chemical weapons of Assads military and the beheadings, rape and torture of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is no choice at all. If the world remains united in the stance that Syria deserves better than Assad and better than terrorism, I hope we will get the ending we deserve. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. This years GCC summit in Kuwait fell apart within hours. Will there ever be another GCC summit? The future of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is extremely unclear six months into the bitter Qatar crisis. On December 4, Kuwait hosted the GCCs annual summit, which marked the sub-regional organisations lowest point in its 36-year history. Qatars Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani attended, but absent at the summit were the Bahraini, Emirati, and Saudi heads of state. The summit fell apart within hours, underscoring the internal damage within the GCC as a result of its Qatar rift. Looking ahead, the million-dollar question is: Will there be another GCC summit ever again? Kuwaits Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, who has engaged in shuttle diplomacy between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States, is committed to preventing the GCCs de facto dissolution. The emir has the full support of his people in addition to all of the parties involved in the Qatar crisis, Oman, and virtually the entire international community. Sheikh al-Sabah is very committed to helping the two sides reach a rapprochement; Kuwait suffered a war on its soil only 26 years ago, and the Kuwaitis want the parties to the GCC dispute to address their problems through dialogue, fearing the prospects of escalation into a military confrontation. In his speech, Kuwaits monarch sent a number of important messages, stressing the need to continue the GCC meetings despite the six-month-old Qatar rift. Additionally, he called for the formation of a committee that would look into modifying the GCCs statute to establish a clear mechanism for resolving disputes between member states. In a new era of Middle Eastern history in which the GCC is a totally ineffectual institution, wars in Yemen, North Africa, the Levant, West Asia, and the Horn of Africa will leave the Arabian Peninsula's sheikdoms in a more vulnerable position. by Significant was the establishment of the first inter-committee organisation among GCC members that did not include all six. The UAE announced the formation of a committee for Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia to cooperate in military, economic, cultural, and political domains. In other words, it is essentially intended to fulfil the GCCs exact purpose since its 1981 birth. The committee is to be chaired by the ruler of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and to operate completely separately from the GCC. The National reported that the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, stated that the UAE and Saudi Arabia have passed beyond the usual diplomatic ties and could be considered as one. Given the extent to which Bahraini foreign policy is under Riyadhs thumb and to a lesser extent Abu Dhabis it is probably safe to bet that the archipelago nation will join this new partnership as well. Some observers of the region believe that this committee will mark the start of a new GCC compromised of the Gulf countries blockading Qatar. {articleGUID} Such realignment within the Arabian Peninsula raises important questions about Kuwaiti and Omani relations with both Qatar and the Saudi/Emirati/Bahraini axis. Both determined to focus on efforts to maintain good relations with all Gulf states including Iran and Iraq Kuwait and Oman see the GCCs potential collapse as extremely unsettling. A breakup of the Council would severely set back both countries interests in terms of economic integration and counterterrorism cooperation among other domains. To be sure, the Kuwaiti and Omani royal families will be eager to maintain their alliances and close relations with the Al Saud royals in Saudi Arabia and with the UAE. Yet, both Gulf states also see the Qatar crisis within the context of Riyadhs efforts to assert greater dominance within the GCC at the expense of the smaller Gulf states sovereignty and independence. For years, both Kuwait and Oman have opposed the Saudi/Bahraini-backed idea of a Gulf Union. In Kuwaits case, this has been due to the implications for its relatively democratic and transparent political system which would change under a de facto Saudi-led Union. As for Oman, it is largely because of the likely ramifications for Muscat-Tehran relations, which are important for the Sultanates future natural gas interests. In Saudi-Kuwaiti relations there is some friction over the oil-rich Neutral Zone. Perhaps tension between these two countries will worsen as an outcome of this months summit. Officials in Saudi Arabia have also expressed disappointment with Kuwait for not joining the blockade of Qatar six months ago and with Oman for hosting secret talks between American and Iranian officials which led to the watershed nuclear deal. At a time when regional security crises pose a threat to the six GCC members, the failure of the parties involved in the Qatar crisis to resolve the dispute comes at the expense of all Gulf countries vital interests. In a new era of Middle Eastern history in which the GCC is a totally ineffectual institution, wars in Yemen, North Africa, the Levant, West Asia, and the Horn of Africa will leave the Arabian Peninsulas sheikhdoms in a more vulnerable position. Next year is set to begin with the six GCC states in a diplomatic deadlock as the Yemeni civil war continues to rage, particularly in the aftermath of the killing of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh at the hands of Iranian-allied Houthi rebels. Will 2018 be a year in which the GCC states experience unexpected and unpleasant surprises due to the damaging impact of the Qatar crisison the Council? Or can the Gulf disputes involved parties meaningfully capitalise on the Kuwaiti emirs efforts to broker a settlement? In any event, 2017 will be remembered as the worst year for the concept of Khaleeji identity since the GCCs establishment 36 years ago. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. Trump isnt going to be impeached by this or perhaps any future Congress as currently constituted. Its the knowing smirk that rankles most. When Donald Trump flashes his grating, self-satisfied grin, hes signalling to you and me that hes untouchable, beyond the reach of special counsel, Robert Mueller, and the comical remnants of the rule of law. Its his easy, quick way of quashing the frayed spirits and hopes of those of us aching for his belated comeuppance and eviction from the White House. But Trump knows hes not going anywhere, anytime soon. So, he basks in his immunity and smiles. Its his tiny middle finger to anyone who believes that Mueller, the FBI or Congress will save the US. Trumps right. No one is going to save the US because there is no saviour leading a righteous cavalry over the horizon riding to its rescue and impeachment. Mueller isnt John Wayne. Anyway, if The Duke were around today, hed probably campaign for Trump. Still, a legion of progressives clings, like desperate shipwreck survivors, to the risible myth that Mueller and his busy band of G men will ultimately slay the idiot King. Its simply a matter of time, they say. Muellers coming guns-a-blazing and he will deliver the US from the pestilence of Teflon Don. The proof, they say, that the USs deliverance is at hand arrived late last week when one of Trumps faithful courtiers, Lieutenant General Michael Flynn strode mute into a Washington, DC court and plead guilty to lying to Muellers men. Blunt, cautionary note to progressives: It's not 1974 and Trump isn't going to be impeached by this or perhaps any future Congress as currently constituted. by Flynn, who was Trumps National Security adviser for slightly more than a nanosecond, has turned, in effect, co-operating witness. The Naval War college graduate who once famously led a frothing Republican mob in a lock her [Hilary Clinton] up chant, was now reportedly squawking to the feds to save himself from being locked up for presumably a long time. It was a glorious, near-orgasmic moment for progressives who cheered like giddy school kids: You see, Trump will be impeached. Flynns got the goods on his ex-boss, Trumps kids, Ivankas hubby, Jared Kushner, and Vice President Mike Pence. The dirty dominoes are about to fall. Mug shots are in the offing. The system works. The good guys will prevail. Its 1974 again. Trump is Richard Nixon redux and you know what happened to Tricky Dick Nixon. Blunt, cautionary note to progressives: Its not 1974 and Trump isnt going to be impeached by this or perhaps any future Congress as currently constituted. The good guys arent likely to prevail. So, curb your enthusiasm. Look, if the rule of law or decency existed in the USs capital, Trump would already have been impeached. This stain of a president has, like many of his predecessors, offended the Constitution he quite possibly hasnt read, but swore to uphold so many times since his inauguration to warrant being impeached more than once. Remember when Trump sacked FBI director James Comey and the impeachment chorus cried: Oh, thats it, hes gone too far. Then, nothing happened. Remember when Trump called fascists who roamed around Charlottesville, Virginia, carrying tiki torches with one hand, while offering stiff-armed Nazi salutes with the other, very fine people and the impeachment chorus cried: Oh, thats it, hes gone too far. Then, nothing happened. Remember when Trump gave his blessing to a disgraced former Alabama judges Senate bid despite the deviants disqualifying habit of allegedly trolling shopping malls for girls for sex and the impeachment chorus cried: Oh, thats it, hes gone too far. Then, nothing happened again. I could go on for another column. This time is different, the impeachment chorus says. This time Trump is surely going to be charged with obstruction of justice and weve got the Twitter-obsessed charlatans tweet to prove it. Hes done, they say. Meanwhile, Alan Dershowitz is telling anyone with a microphone or a TV camera that Muellers probe is fatally misguided, that President Trump cant be charged with obstruction of justice and Flynn may turn out to be a legal nothing burger. And the ageing former Harvard Law professor insists hes no friend of Trumps, to boot. Sixty-three million Americans and Fox News certainly are. Theyre more than just friends, of course. Theyre more like cultists who, like most cultists, have abandoned reason, reality and dignity to pay slavish fidelity to their infallible and illiterate deity. Trump derives his strength, confidence and impunity from the vast and rabid network of rancid, right-wing enablers on radio, TV and social media who, in lock ideological step with the presidents locusts, wouldnt, its clear, dump their dear leader even if he did shoot someone on 5th Avenue. The media landscape in 2017 doesnt remotely resemble 1974. Trump can rely on Fox News and company to discredit Muellers agents and any potential criminal charges as a politically motivated vendetta engineered by an old, compromised Washington hand. It will work because it has worked. Do progressives believe that a solitary obstruction of justice charge is going to prompt this hear-no-evil, see-no-evil Congress to stir from its moral, legal and ethical hibernation and miraculously summon the will to defy Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and remove this disgrace from office? Its not going to happen. The USs vaunted structure of so-called checks and balances is a silly, quaint anachronism. Progressives who remain convinced that Saint Mueller and the other sacred institutions that are supposedly designed to first neuter, then expel authoritarians like Trump, are deluding themselves. Trump isnt being ostracised, let alone expelled. Trump has ample reason to keep smiling. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy. The international accolade has an unusual affiliation with the Asian nations long-standing oil industry. The Nobel Peace Prize has been bestowed upon 131 laureates from around the world since it was first awarded in 1901. But few people are aware that the international accolade which will be handed out on December 10 in Sweden has an unusual connection to Azerbaijans long-standing oil industry. Alfred Nobel, the Swedish-born chemist after whom the prize is named, is perhaps best known for holding hundreds of patents and being the inventor of dynamite. However, Nobel left a $265m endowment to fund the prize in his will when he died in 1896 and a sizeable portion of that money came from the extraction of Azerbaijani oil, according to Togrul Bagirov, chairman of the Baku Nobel Heritage Foundation (BNHF). Land of fire Located on the Caspian Sea in the South Caucasus region, Azerbaijan is known as the land of fire because of its rich reserves of oil and gas, which the government estimates total nearly three trillion cubic metres today. Alfred Nobels older brother, Robert, first came to Azerbaijan in 1873. Another brother, Ludwig, had sent Robert over from Russia to find walnut trees that could be used to build the rifles the family was manufacturing for the Russian tsars army at the time, according to a New York Times report. Their father, Immanuel, had moved his family to St Petersburg to produce military equipment to be used in the Crimean War from 1853 to 1956. When the fighting ended, however, the family encountered financial problems and ended up bankrupt. That is when Immanuel, his wife, Carolina, and Alfred returned to Sweden. There, Alfred and his father built a nitroglycerin factory, and soon after that, dynamite was born. But it was Robert Nobel who saw the potential in Azerbaijans oil business. Villa Petrolea Robert bought a small refinery, and in 1879, with Ludwig, he established an oil extraction operation, the Baku-based Branobel oil company. Bagirov told Al Jazeera that archival documents showed that between 20 and 22 percent of the funds used to start the Nobel Foundation came from Alfreds shares in the oil company. The Nobel brothers also established petroleum storage sites around Russia. They helped Baku become a major source of oil and oil-related products, supplying markets in Europe, China, India and Iran, according to the Times. In fact, the first prize established by the Nobel family came after the death of Ludwig in St Petersburg in 1888. The Ludwig Nobel Award was established by the Imperial Russian Technical Society to honour advances in the oil and metallurgy sector. The award was handed out three times before being discontinued due to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in the early 1900s. The Branobel oil companys headquarters, Villa Petrolea, was built in Baku, the capital, and the brothers lived there for about 45 years. Today, after being restored by the BNHF, it serves as a museum that details the Nobels lives. Improving his image Nobels dual and seemingly contradictory legacy as the inventor of dynamite and founder of the peace prize has been a source of curiosity for many. Certainly the background of the prize was humanitarian: [It was] a wish to support science and innovations [and] also peace, Bagirov said. But another reason for the prize was that Alfred Nobel wanted to improve his image and support scientists, he said. This year, the Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Follow Ayseba Umutlu on Twitter @Ayseba_Umutlu Arab states hold emergency meeting in Cairo to discuss Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The head of the Arab League has called US President Donald Trumps decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israels capital dangerous and unacceptable and a flagrant attack on a political solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. The statement by Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, the regional blocs secretary-general, came after an emergency meeting of foreign ministers from 22 Arab states in Egypts capital, Cairo, on Saturday. Aboul-Gheit said Trumps decision was against international law and raises questions over American efforts to support peace between Palestine and Israel. The shift in US policy undermines Arab confidence in the Trump administration and amounts to the legalisation of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, he added. {articleGUID} Leaders from across the globe made similar remarks in the days before and after Trumps announcement on Wednesday. The US president also ordered the US embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. World leaders said the move could derail peace efforts. During an emergency meeting, UN Security Council members on Friday widely condemned Trumps decision, which sparked deadly protests in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. Demonstrations denouncing the US move were held in a number of other Muslim countries too. US an aggressor against Palestinians Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting in Cairo, said Palestinians can no longer accept the US as a broker in the peace process because it has now positioned itself as a party in a dispute and not as a mediator. Calling for a UN Security Council action against Trumps decision, al-Maliki added, America is being an aggressor against the Palestinian people and against international law. US officials, however, have defended the move, saying Trump remains committed to reviving long-stalled talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. The status of Jerusalem, home to sites holy to Muslims, Jews and Christians, is one of the core issues in the perennial Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After occupying the citys eastern part in the 1967 War, Israel annexed the territory, and proclaimed it as its eternal, undivided capital. The Palestinians, however, see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, a position Aboul-Gheit backed in his opening statement on Saturday. We call upon all countries that support peace to refuse the decision of the US president. We consider the decision unfair and unjust. We call upon everyone to recognise Palestine as a state and East Jerusalem as its capital, he said. Speaking at the meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Trumps policy change put the region on the verge of explosion. Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatars foreign minister, called for all possible measures under international law, while his Lebanese counterpart called for the League to consider imposing sanctions on the US. Pre-emptive measures must be taken against the decision beginning with diplomatic measures, then political, then economic and financial sanctions, said Gebran Bassil. Statements made for public consumption But despite the rhetoric in the Cairo meeting, Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeeras senior political analyst, said Arab states, in practice, differed in their reaction to Trumps decision. I doubt that all this will come together and culminate in any serious decision or action plan, he said. We will probably be left once again for the Arab street, rather than the Arab League, to do something moving forward. Ali Abunimah co-founder of Electronic Intifada, an independent online news publication focusing on Palestine, concurred. The Arab League meeting and the Arab League summit will amount to nothing, as it has amounted to nothing for decades, he told Al Jazeera from the US city of Chicago. All the statements being made by the Arab regimes are strictly for public consumption because the Arab public is clearly outraged as the massive demonstrations in cities across the world showed. But in reality, most of these regimes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan are very close to Israel. They either have formal or tacit ties and so they will do nothing in practice other than issue statements. Meanwhile, the leader of Egypts Coptic Church on Saturday cancelled an upcoming visit with US President Mike Pence in protest of the shift in US policy. Pope Tawadros II said Trumps move did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people. The grand imam of Cairos Al Azhar Mosque said he would not meet Pence either, while Palestinian leaders stated that Trumps deputy was not welcome in the occupied territories. Former president of Georgia says he has gone on hunger strike following his re-arrest in Ukraines capital. Mikheil Saakashvili, a former Georgian president and ex-governor of Ukraines Odessa region, says he has gone on hunger strike following his re-arrest in Kiev. Police took the 49-year-old into custody late on Friday, four days after a large crowd ripped off the doors of a police van to free him after he was briefly detained in Ukraines capital. His official Facebook page said on Saturday that Saakashvili had started a hunger strike while in detention and issued a call to his supporters to take to the streets on Sunday. Sakaashvili is being investigated for alleged support of a criminal organisation, among other charges. He is also facing accusations of having received financing from removed President Viktor Yanukovych, who is currently living in exile in Russia, in order to stage a coup. He has said the charges against him are false, according to his lawyer, insisting that they are politically motivated. Sakaashvili has been at the forefront of anti-corruption protests calling for the impeachment of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Scores of his supporters gathered outside the detention centre in Kiev and promised to stay until he was released. Fuse of discontent Sakaashvili gained international fame for leading the 2003 Rose Revolution in Georgia that forced President Eduard Shevardnadze to resign. He won the subsequent presidential elections and was in office from 2004 to 2013. He left Georgia, which he led in a disastrous war against Russia, for Ukraine in 2015. There he was made governor of Odessa by Poroshenko, a former university friend, but resigned after 18 months in protest over alleged efforts to stymie his anti-corruption drive. Saakashvili was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship while on a trip to the United States in July, but forced his way back into the country in September. He surrendered his Georgian citizenship because Ukraine forbids its citizens from having dual nationalities, meaning Saakashvili has since been stateless. {articleGUID} In Georgia, he faces corruption allegations, which he denies. Michael Boiciurkiw, a global affairs analyst based in Kiev, said Sakaashvilis only possible option, if Ukraine decides to deport him, would be to go to Poland. He added, however, that his arrest did not signal the end of his political career. Sakaashvili has a tremendous ego but he has a lot of staying power, he told Al Jazeera. Boiciurkiw went on to say that the government had not only turned Sakaashvili into a martyr, but also lit a fuse of discontent. This is like shooting steroids in a tiger. Saakashvili is a fighter, he is not a man who goes down without a fight, he added, noting that his arrest might be used by the government to divert attention from the allegations of corruption. A lot of analysts, including myself, see this as Poroshenko very desperate to keep attention away from the corruption. Move by Pope Tawadros II comes after Palestinian leaders say Trumps deputy is not welcome in occupied territories. The leader of Egypts Coptic Church has cancelled an upcoming meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence, protesting against Washingtons move to declare Jerusalem as Israels capital. The move by Pope Tawadros II on Saturday came a day after Palestinian leaders also said that Pence, who is scheduled to visit the region later this month, was not welcome in the occupied territories. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump formally recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and said he would start the process of moving its embassy there from Tel Aviv. The controversial decision sparked anger and protests throughout the occupied Palestinian territories and a number of Muslim countries. It also drew widespread condemnation from world leaders. In a statement, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt said it excused itself from hosting Pence when he visits the Egyptian capital of Cairo on December 20. It said Trumps decision did not take into account the feelings of millions of Arab people. On Friday, the grand imam of Cairos Al-Azhar Mosque also said that he would not meet Pence, according to Egyptian media. How can I sit with those who granted what they do not own to those who do not deserve it? said Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb. During his trip to the region, Pence was expected to also visit Israel with a stop in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. Few details are available about a shooting that occurred Friday afternoon in Mandan. Mandan police received a report of a shooting about 4 p.m. Friday in the 1000 block of First Street Northwest, according to a news release from Mandan Deputy Police Chief Lori Flaten. A victim was taken to a local hospital by private citizens, Flaten said. On Saturday, a police dispatcher said Mandan police were not speaking to the media about the shooting. A message left for the Mandan police shift commander was not returned Saturday afternoon. Police do not believe theres a threat to public safety, the news release said. The incident remains under investigation. Friday's shooting comes about a week after a Dec. 2 shooting incident in Mandan in the 800 block of Poplar Street that sent a 22-year-old man to the hospital injuries that were not life-threatening. Mandan police have released few details about that case, describing it as complex. Israel carries out air raids after rockets allegedly shot from Gaza were intercepted by the Iron Dome defence system. At least two people have been killed in an Israeli air raid on the besieged Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Another 25 Palestinians, including a six-month-old baby, were also wounded in the attack carried out on Friday night. Dr Ashraf al-Qidra, the spokesperson for the health ministry, told local media that the bodies of two Hamas fighters were recovered at dawn from training sites of the Qassam Brigades armed wing in the south of Gaza City. The fighters were identified as Mahmoud al-Atal, 28 and Mohammed Safadi, 30. Friday nights air raid by Israel followed the alleged launching of rockets from inside the Gaza Strip. One was reportedly intercepted by Israels US-built Iron Dome missile defence system over the southern Israeli city of Sderot, while the second did not reach Israeli territory. A third rocket, allegedly fired from Gaza, exploded in Sderot, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz. No casualties were reported. Palestinian political party Hamas tweeted that Israeli jet planes target parts of north Gaza. Israeli media said the targets were Hamas military installations. https://twitter.com/HamasInfoEn/status/939211590372601856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw {articleGUID} The Israeli attack came amid massive protests in the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and besieged Gaza over US President Donald Trumps recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Palestinians see East Jerusalem, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, as the capital of their future state. At least one Palestinian has been killed by Israeli fire in the protests and nearly 800 more have been injured. Al Jazeera was unable to confirm if any group in Gaza had claimed responsibility for the rockets. Speaking to Al Jazeera from Gaza on Wednesday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya called Trumps move a flagrant aggression. We call on stopping this decision fully because this will usher in the beginning of a time of terrible transformations, not just on the Palestinian level but on the region as a whole, Haniya said. This decision means the official announcement of the end of the peace process. Myanmars army is being accused of deliberately targeting Rohingya children who are escaping a military crackdown in Rakhine State. Myanmars army is being accused of deliberately targeting Rohingya children who are escaping a military crackdown in Rakhine State. A nine-year-old girl has told Al Jazeera how she survived being shot three times as she crossed into Bangladesh, after Myanmar soldiers shot and killed both her parents. More than 625,000 Rohingya are seeking sanctuary in Bangladesh. Al Jazeeras Charles Stratford reports from the Thangkali Refugee Camp, Bangladesh. Native Americans launch fight to protect sacred sites after Trump reduced the size of protected cultural lands in Utah. Davis Filfred has future generations of the Navajo Native American tribe on his mind. A member of the Navajo Nation Council, Filfred fears for the fate of nearly 547,000 hectares (1.35 million acres) in the US state of Utah, filled with ceremonial sites, dwellings, rock art and cultural resources that date back thousands of years. Were trying to protect and preserve for generations to come, and if they destroy it, were just going to [have to] say, That place used to be Bears Ears,' he told Al Jazeera, referring to the Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah. Over 100,000 significant, scientific, historical [artifacts] are still out there, Filfred said. Until recently, Bears Ears was protected under US federal legislation, namely, the US Antiquities Act, which allows a US president to designate government-owned and controlled lands as national monuments provided they contain objects of historic or scientific interest. We have rooms. We have tools. We have artifacts This land was our aboriginal land, Filfred explained. We have ties to this land in terms of stories and prayers, and we have medicines, we have herbs, that are on this land. But earlier this month, US President Donald Trump dramatically reduced the size of the Bears Ears monument, shrinking the site by about 85 percent, down to approximately 82,000 hectares (201,876 acres). A second national monument, Grand Staircase Escalante, was also reduced by 39 percent to just over 403,600 hectares (one million acres). The administration wants to open up the areas for hunting, fishing, cattle grazing and other commercial activities, including potential oil drilling. {articleGUID} But five Native American tribes the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Zuni Tribe have filed a lawsuit in the US District Court against Trump and a handful of other administration officials. The president does not have the authority to abolish the monument designation for Bears Ears, the lawsuit argues, and therefore Trump has exceeded the limited authority delegated to his office and violated the Antiquities Act and the separation of powers established in the Constitution. Were going to litigate. Were going to stand. Were going to hold President Trump accountable for this and were going to take it to court. Were going to fight it, said Filfred, who also sits on the Bears Ears Commission, a tribal committee that made recommendations on how to administer the monument. Strict government control Outdoor clothing company Patagonia has also filed a lawsuit against the presidents decision, calling it an illegal move. This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history, the company said on its website. As of Thursday, four separate lawsuits had been filed against Trumps proclamation on the national monuments, the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper in Salt Lake City reported. Speaking in Utah on Monday, however, Trump accused previous US administrations of overreaching in their national monument decisions. Those administrations, Trump said, engaged in abuses of the Antiquities Act [that] give enormous power to faraway bureaucrats at the expense of the people who actually live here, work here, and make this place their home. Weve seen many rural families stopped from enjoying their outdoor activities. And the fact theyve done it all their lives made no difference to the bureaucrats in Washington, Trump said. Passed in 1906, the Antiquities Act is meant to protect sacred lands and artifacts, among other things. It restricts hunting, fishing and other recreational activities in the designated areas. Following a years-long, concerted effort from Native tribes, Barack Obama designated Bears Ears a monument in December of last year, just before the end of his second term as president. Former President Bill Clinton made Grand Staircase Escalante a monument in 1996. Abundant rock art, ancient cliff dwellings, ceremonial sites, and countless other artifacts provide an extraordinary archaeological and cultural record that is important to us all, but most notably the land is profoundly sacred to many Native American tribes, Obama wrote in a proclamation at the time. But Trump has argued his predecessor did not designate the smallest necessary area be set aside for special protection as stipulated under the Antiquities Act. Unfortunately, previous administrations have ignored the standard and used the law to lock up hundreds of millions of acres of land and water under strict government control, Trump said. Other monuments under review In April, Trump signed an executive order calling on Ryan Zinke, the US interior secretary, to review all national monument designations over 100,000 acres (40,400 hectares) that were made since 1996. In addition to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante, Zinke is pushing the administration to change the monument designations in at least 10 other monuments to allow for more grazing, timber, fishing, road access and other uses, Reuters news agency reported. The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, on the border of Oregon and California, and the Gold Butte National Monument in Nevada could be reduced in size, Zinke recommended, according to a statement on the website of the department of the interior. On Twitter, Zinke said Trump was giving a voice back to the people who live and work in Utah Our land is for the enjoyment and benefit of the people and not special interest groups, Zinke wrote. Packed house for @POTUS at the Utah Capitol. Returning land to the people. Restoring access. Protecting resources. pic.twitter.com/2hN4tn5dZA Secretary Ryan Zinke (@SecretaryZinke) December 4, 2017 But according to an August report by the Center for Biological Diversity, energy companies have lobbied to lease more than 42,500 hectares (105,000 acres) within or near public lands that now constitute Bears Ears for oil and gas development. Can never be replaced According to Shaun Chapoose, a member of the Ute Tribal Business Committee from the Uncompahgre band in Utah, the Bears Ears area is a flashpoint in the relationship between Native Americans and the federal government. Granting the area national monument status helped ease past tensions, Chapoose told Al Jazeera, which have flared over the years when sacred burial grounds, religious altars and other artifacts have been disturbed. It was a great move within the nation to finally have reconciliation, he said. But with this president and this administration, theyre trying to take us back into that era of the 1800s and a more paternalistic approach. Chapoose, who is also a Bears Ears Commission member and part of the lawsuit challenging the Trump administrations decision, added that protecting Bears Ears is in the interests of everyone, not just Native Americans. If its destroyed, it can never be replaced, he said. Treasures like these, you could go across the world the pyramids in Giza, the Pantheon once those types of resources get destroyed, you lose a very important part of the story of the world. We do have responsibilities to protect that. Alliance of communist parties appears set to win a majority of seats in first general election since end of civil war. An opposition alliance between Nepals two, major communist parties has a strong lead in landmark post-war parliamentary and provincial elections, according to preliminary results. Nepals Election Commission said on Saturday that the coalition between the Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist Leninists (UML) and the former Maoist rebels won 43 seats in the federal parliament, and was leading in 72 other constituencies. The ruling Nepali Congress won only six seats, according to early tallies. In the federal parliament, 165 seats are directly elected and 110 are allocated to parties based on proportional representation. The leftist alliance also won a majority in state assemblies, preliminary results showed. The vote, which took place in two phases in November and December, is the first parliamentary election since 1999, and comes two years after the approval of a new constitution. It lays the groundwork for Nepals transition to a democracy, after the end of a civil war in 2006 and the abolition of the countrys 239-year-old Hindu monarchy two years later. The final result may not be known until mid-December, according to officials. Turnout stood at 67 percent among the 15 million eligible voters. Nepal has seen 10 government changes in as many years. Ambitious plan to diversify the countrys revenue streams focuses on sectors such as manufacturing and tourism. Muscat, Oman The future of Oman, situated along a vast stretch of coastline reaching the strategic Strait of Hormuz, is linked to the sea and the countrys ability to leverage this connection will be key to its economic development in the years ahead. 2018 marks the middle of a five-year diversification strategy that builds on Omans long-term vision to shift from an oil-based economy towards other critical sectors, including manufacturing, logistics, tourism, fisheries and mining. In an era of low oil prices, Oman which has the lowest GDP per capita among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and an unemployment rate surpassing 17 percent wants to refashion itself as a hub for shipping and industry. Facilities such as the special economic zone at Duqm, established in 2011 with a goal of becoming a commercial powerhouse, will play a significant role in this transition. But how realistic is Omans diversification plan, and what obstacles could the Gulf nation face in the years ahead? We are aware that we live in a very critical area of the Middle East [Oman] is like an island in a sea with a lot of challenges happening, Talal Sulaiman al-Rahbi, the deputy secretary-general of Omans Supreme Council for Planning and the architect of the countrys economic diversification plan, told Al Jazeera. We are looking first into reducing the dependence on oil for the national budget, and also to diversify the economy and start other clusters of industries in addition, increasing job opportunities in the private sector, away from government jobs. [These] are being looked at as key things to achieve. Unique competitive advantage According to the Tanfeedh (Implementation) handbook for Omans National Program for Enhancing Economic Diversification, published earlier this year, non-oil activities are forecast to grow at 4.3 percent annually between 2016 and 2020, while oil-related activities at constant prices will increase at just 0.2 percent annually. Economic diversification is considered a strategic objective which will lead to economic growth in light of the global economic conditions The diversity of its natural resources presents the Sultanate a unique competitive advantage in regional and global markets, as well as an opportunity to achieve its economic diversification objectives, the handbook notes. An emphasis on the identified non-oil sectors, such as tourism and fisheries, will result in a decline in the contribution of oil to Omans GDP from 44 percent in 2011-2015 to 30 percent by 2020, officials project. At the same time, the state aims to increase the contributions of manufacturing, tourism and logistics to its GDP from 4.9 billion Omani riyals ($12.7bn) in 2015 to 6.6 billion by the end of 2020, while creating at least 30,000 new job opportunities for Omanis. This entails a diverse array of projects everything from building an ammonium plant, to manufacturing scaffolding locally, to planting a million date palm trees, to privatising the management of nature and heritage sites, to strengthening academic and professional training programmes to ensure Omanis are better equipped for the workforce. Education is a critical part of this equation, as many citizens lack the type of technical knowledge needed to kick-start certain industries, noted Marcus Chenevix, a MENA analyst with the London-based economics consultancy TS Lombard. Oman has a great deal of potential to diversify, probably in many ways more than its neighbours, especially in terms of tourism and in terms of the natural resources that Oman has available things like access to an enormous fishery, he told Al Jazeera. However, the focus on areas such as manufacturing may be problematic, as the country has no real institutional memory of having that kind of industry and its very hard to develop that from scratch, Chenevix said. Job creation Oman has experienced massive growth since Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said came to power nearly half a century ago. His predecessor left the country stunted, but in the decades that followed, Qaboos used oil revenues to build schools, roads, hospitals and other vital infrastructure. Today, protracted low oil prices are weighing on Omans economy, as deficits remain large and real GDP growth has slowed to an estimated 2.2 percent in 2016 from 5.7 percent in 2015, according to the World Bank. However, growth is expected to pick up in 2018 as Oman pins hopes for its economic diversification plan on the fisheries and tourism sectors, noted the organisations April economic outlook for the GCC. The expected boost in gas production at the Khazzan field next year will also help uplift the economy. The problem is not about the creation of jobs its how to create jobs that are good for the locals, and also how to produce outcomes of the education system that fit the job market, Rahbi said, citing efforts to close the gap between the supply of graduates and the demand of the local market [including] getting private sector jobs and also starting their own businesses. Salalah businessman Salim Said Bahid al-Mashikhi, who has interests in the construction, power and restaurant industries, says that despite the fiscal challenges facing Oman, he is optimistic about the countrys future. The economy in Oman, in general, is affected because of the low price of oil, but the government has tried its best to address this problem [An increasing number of] foreigners and visitors like to come to Oman and spend money and invest, Mashikhi told Al Jazeera, highlighting the value of diversification. It is very important for the country to try to get another income, not to depend only on oil and gas, he said. Whats happening from the crisis of low oil prices should be a warning to go for other solutions. Salim Aday al-Mamari, Omans director-general of tourism promotion, believes that the states push to draw new visitors will be an important facet of this. Oman aims to attract 2.7 million visitors annually by 2020, up from 1.9 million in 2015, and there are a wealth of heritage and nature sites that can be leveraged to help make that happen. Oman has lots of beautiful places that can be visited and can be introduced to international tourists, Mamari told Al Jazeera. This sector can play an important role in the economy of the nation by contributing jobs and by introducing Oman to international markets. Follow Megan OToole on Twitter: @megan_otoole The Israeli government has admitted to reaching out to members of Donald Trumps transition team last December before he was sworn into office. The Israeli government has admitted to reaching out to members of Donald Trumps transition team last December before he was sworn into office. Now the Special Counsel in the Russia investigation is trying to determine if the Trump team, Moscow and Israel joined forces to undermine the US government. One key person under the microscope is Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and middle east envoy. Al Jazeeras Shihab Rattansi reports from Washington, DC. US asks Saudi Arabia to facilitate flow of aid into the country where nearly 80 percent of people need aid to survive. The US has urged the Saudi-led coalition to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid in Yemen as millions suffer in the war-torn country due to the land and air blockade imposed by the Saudis. The United States is gravely concerned by the recent escalation in violence and continued dire humanitarian conditions in Yemen, the White House said in a statement on Friday. We call on the Saudi-led coalition to facilitate the free flow of humanitarian aid and critical commercial goods, including fuel, through all Yemeni ports and to restore commercial flights through Sanaa Airport. {articleGUID} In October, the Saudi-led coalition, bombing Yemen since March 2015, imposed a total blockade on the impoverished country after a rebel missile was shot down near Saudi capital Riyadh. According to Red Cross, nearly 80 percent of Yemeni residents need humanitarian aid to survive. Mounting international pressure forced the Saudis to allow some humanitarian aid in the last week of November. But the killing of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh by Houthis, who control vast expanses of the country, including the capital Sanaa, has resulted in violent clashes aggravating the humanitarian situation further. Dire humanitarian situation The statement comes two days after US President Donald Trump called on Saudi Arabia to completely allow food, fuel, water, and medicine to reach the Yemeni people who desperately need it. A senior US official, who did not want to be named, told Reuters news agency on Friday that the US had warned Saudi Arabia of threats in Congress over the dire humanitarian situation. {articleGUID} We wanted to be very clear with Saudi officials that the political environment here could constrain us if steps arent taken to ease humanitarian conditions in Yemen, the senior Trump administration official said. Speaking in Paris on Friday, Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, called on Saudi Arabia to be measured in its military operations in Yemen. He demanded a complete end to the Saudi-led blockade of Yemen so that humanitarian aid and commercial supplies could be delivered. His comments came after at least 23 civilians were killed in Saudi air raids in the countrys north. The US also condemned the Houthi rebels, who overthrew the internationally backed President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi from power in September 2014. Hadi has since been based in Saudi Arabia running a government-in-exile. We condemn the Houthis brutal repression of political opponents in Sanaa, including the killing of their former ally [Ali Abdullah Saleh] and his family members, as well as their reckless missile attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the White House said. Hundreds of women take to the streets of the capital, Juba, to call for an end to the countrys devastating war. They marched in silence, yet their message was loud and clear. Hundreds of women covered their mouths with tape on Saturday as they took to the streets in South Sudans capital, Juba, to demand an end to their countrys war and the suffering of its people. Carrying posters and signs that read Bring back our peace now!, Save my future, stop the war and Enough of the bloodshed, women of all ages expressed their anger at a conflict now entering its fifth year. We, the women of South Sudan, have decided that we have had enough of this. This war has been going on for a long time, a demonstrator said after briefly removing the piece of white tape from her mouth. Women continue to be raped and killed; they dont have access to their homes, and there is no humanitarian access for people in need, she told Al Jazeera. We are tired and fed up of this, and we want our leadership to understand that this is their final chance to bring peace to this country. Devastating conflict South Sudan was founded with optimistic celebrations in the capital on July 9, 2011, after it gained independence from Sudan in a referendum that passed with close to 100 percent of the vote. The country descended into conflict in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir accused Riek Machar, his former deputy who he had sacked earlier that year, of plotting a coup. Civil war broke out when soldiers from Kiirs Dinka ethnic group disarmed and targeted troops of Machars Nuer ethnic group. Machar and commanders loyal to him fled to the countryside, and tens of thousands of people died in the conflict that followed. Many starved to death. A peace accord was signed in August 2015 and Machar returned to the capital in April last year to share power with Kiir. However, the deal fell apart and fighting continued. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of people being killed and a quarter of the countrys 12 million population forced from their homes According to the UN, six million people half of the countrys population are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. More than 1.2 million are at risk of famine if humanitarian assistance is not delivered by next year. Al Jazeeras Hiba Morgan, reporting from the march in Juba, said attempts are under way to revitalise that [peace] process. There are efforts right now to try and bring together all the warring sides and put an end to the conflict, which the women here say has taken so much from them and their future. Zimbabwe Vigil Coalition accuses ruling ZANU-PF party of only being interested in power and control. After 15 years of protesting against Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwean diaspora in the UK will continue to rally against the ruling ZANU-PF party, accusing its leaders of being dictators who only believe in themselves ruling. Mugabe stepped down as president after 37 years in power after a military takeover in November. Members of the Zimbabwe Vigil Coalition, who have demonstrated outside the countrys embassy in London every Saturday since October 2002, say Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabes replacement, has filled his cabinet with contaminated genocidaires from the armed forces and discredited former Mugabe freeloaders. Protester Rose Benton, who coordinates the group, told Al Jazeera from London: Theres been no democracy in Zimbabwe since we started protesting [instead] theres a battle in ZANU-PF to keep power and control of the population. Mnangagwa assumed control of the party, and the country, following the bloodless military takeover beginning on November 15, which resulted in 93-year-old Mugabes forced resignation. This was not a democratising coup Mugabes removal sparked scenes of jubilation in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, with many taking to the streets to celebrate. However, that initial relief has evaporated, according to Dr Sue Onslow, a specialist in African history at The Institute of Commonwealth Studies in London. There were hopes that Mnangagwa would reach out to other elements, to build upon the extraordinary multiple agenda of supporters of the opposition and civil society activists in those massive street demonstrations in Harare and Bulawayo, [but] these have been swiftly disabused, she told Al Jazeera. This was not a democratising coup; it was a palace coup It was a succession crisis. Critics have accused Mnangagwa of filling his 22-member cabinet with senior military figures and ruling party loyalists, but no opposition politicians. Right now we are still under dictatorship, said Fungayi Mabhunu, a 46-year-old based in London. Its the same head with a different haircut. He left Zimbabwe for the UK in 2002 out of fear of being targeted by government security forces following his outspoken campaigning for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party. He has not felt able to return since, but continues his activism alongside 50 or so other Zimbabweans every weekend come rain, thunder, or sunshine outside the embassy on the Strand. From history, towards the future Mnangagwa served as vice president in the previous government before his dismissal in October. The 75-year-old and Mugabe had enjoyed a long-term political alliance born out of Zimbabwes war of liberation from Britain in the 1960s and 70s. It ended when Mugabe, it was widely believed, attempted to position his wife Grace as his successor. A political crisis followed, culminating in the transition of power. Mnangagwas allies have defended his appointments. Playing it safe is important right now We need civil servants to be paid on time, basic economic stability, [and] investors coming to Zimbabwe, Nick Mangwana, UK chairman for ZANU-PF, told Al Jazeera on December 1. The new president has said he will hold elections in 2018, but protester Mabhunu remains sceptical. The results of that election are already in ZANU-PF offices, he said. [The election] will be rigged, thats how they [ZANU-PF] operate. Thats why Mnangagwa was bold enough to say the vote will go ahead as planned. Mabhunu said international pressure is needed to support lasting change. The real solution starts with the international community tying much-needed funding and support to the implementation of democratic and institutional reforms, he said. What we are doing here in London people cannot do back home, we believe the people of Zimbabwe need us to carry on our protest. Mugabe not being there gives us a very slim and fragile hope, but we need 20 steps to go forward, and we have only taken one. According to Onslow, reforms include increased electoral education, updating the electoral roll, a drive for voter registration, equality of access for all political parties in the media and international verification of results. Its about developing institutions that build towards free and fair elections, she said. [Otherwise] elections can be stolen months before the actual polling day, as the protestors outside the Zimbabwe embassy know very well. Meanwhile, those who continue to hold the London vigil say they will not give up. They will sing, dance, pray and protest every Saturday afternoon until their dream of a democratic Zimbabwe becomes a reality. We talk about ourselves as the voice of the voiceless, said Benton. We have to carry on, thats our commitment. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Zimbabwes government, under newly inaugurated President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has announced a new economic order that signals a potentially significant change from the previous era of former President Robert Mugabe. In a bid to revive the southern African nations battered economy, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa has proposed a series of measures to attract foreign investment, along with tax concessions to local businesses. But Nelson Chamisa, a leader of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, the countrys largest opposition coalition of seven political parties, has warned that this strategy could be hampered by the joint police-army patrols that began after a military operation was launched on November 15, targeting criminals associated with Mugabe. The continued occupation of the streets by the army scares away investors. It does not inspire confidence, Chamisa said at a news conference in the capital Harare on Friday. Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti expressed scepticism that the 4.5 percent growth prediction could be achieved in 2018 and called for more severe cuts to government expenditures in order for the administration to operate within the $5.7bn budget. Police roadblocks An internal split within the ruling ZANU-PF sparked a military takeover on November 15 that saw Mugabe step down after 37 years in power. Members of the army and police continue to monitor roadblocks and strategic government sites. Despite criticism, Chinamasa appeared optimistic as he unveiled a raft of strategies to address corruption and the lack of fiscal discipline that typified the former regime. Key among the changes to woo investors is a revision of the indigenisation law, a cornerstone of the Mugabe regime. The controversial policy requires 51/49 percent ownership in favour of black Zimbabweans as majority shareholders in companies worth more than $500,000; however, from April 2018, indigenisation will be restricted to the diamond and platinum extractive industries. Simbarashe Mhuriro, the managing director of Oxygen Africa, a renewable energy company partnered with a Swiss enterprise, Meeco Invest AG, welcomed the policy shift. The change in the indigenisation policy means a big change for us. Under indigenisation, the foreign investor could only have a 49 percent stake and they would make less return on their money, he told Al Jazeera. However, with the recent changes, it means the investor assumes a bigger risk, but at the same time, big developers can get real value on their dollar across different industries. This may encourage other investors to take a look at Zimbabwe again. In his budget speech, Chinamasa announced that more than 3,000 jobs in the youth service would be cut. Months before his resignation, Mugabe had ordered the reinstatement of youth and gender officers in rural areas, but they have often been accused of campaigning on behalf of ZANU-PF. In the past, Mugabe has been reluctant to cut the bloated civil service, whose salaries consume at least 90 percent of the budget. With $5.1bn budgeted for public expenditures in 2018, Mnangagwas administration has promised to trim the civil service and retire workers over 65 from January, while benefits to top officials will be reduced. Tax breaks The government has also proposed corporate income tax breaks for the energy sector. Companies involved in power generation will be exempt from paying income tax for five years, after which they will be subject to a 15 percent charge. Mhuririo, whose Oxygen Africa is currently pursuing a joint venture to build solar farms across Zimbabwe, said that if implemented, the tax break could translate to lower electricity rates for consumers. Earlier this year, the partnership received a $1m grant from the African Development Banks Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa towards further project development. In his address, Chinamasa also offered a tax amnesty on debts acquired prior to December 1; interest and penalties accrued on the debt would be written off if taxpayers settled their debts on or before June 30, 2018. In the second city of Bulawayo, which in its heyday was the base of Zimbabwes manufacturing industry, people listened to the budget on their car radios and gathered around television sets in some shops as Chinamasas address was broadcast live. Local businessman Ernest Mpofu, 65, said the tax reprieve was a welcome move. I feel very encouraged by the measures the government has made, especially with the tax amnesty. It means businesses can now work towards settling their principal debts instead of battling to pay accumulated interests and penalties, he said. This could free up capital for many businesses, and I hope the local authorities will take the same approach when it comes to settling debts on water and rates. The tax pardon comes on the heels of a 90-day amnesty window for the repatriation of public funds taken out of the country through illegal means. According to a statement issued by Mnangagwa last week, the relief would apply until February 1, 2018, after which individuals and companies still in possession of illicit funds could be liable to prosecution. Vince Musewe, an independent economist, said he was disappointed the government did not announce an emergency rescue plan to supply money to the banks and avert the liquidity crisis causing cash shortages that have seen ordinary Zimbabweans sleeping outside banks since 2016. If the economy is to grow at Chinamasas predicted 4.5 percent rate, practical implementation of the governments proposals is key, he added. Industrial recovery can never happen without some real concessions being made to business and, if done, these measures could inspire confidence in the local and foreign business community to show that the government is actually trying to do things differently, he said. Follow Tendai Marima on Twitter: @i_amten North Dakota attorney general Drew Wrigley says doctors who perform abortions should be able to disclose the patients personal health information as part of their defense to avoid prosecution. North Dakotas abortion ban, which is currently on hold because of a lawsuit, makes the procedure illegal except in cases of rape or incest or when the life of the mother is in danger. Doctors would have to prove those exceptions in court in order to be cleared of a Class C felony. The attorney general said he couldnt find any cases that address the scenario and it would not violate the privacy rule. The iconic academic journal of American medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), published since 1812, has committed itself to a Noble Lie[1], that ambient (natural) air quality in America kills hundreds of thousands annually. Jeffrey Drazen, MD, lung specialist, Editor in Chief of the NEJM since 2000, Distinguished Parker B. Francis Professor of Medicine at the Harvard School of Medicine, professor in the Department of Environmental health at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, is in his 17th year of tenure as editor of the NEJM and in that time he has approved publication of false claims about air quality lethality, resulting in the NEJM become a partisan news outlet that promotes the US EPA political agenda and onerous burdensome air regulations that chase a phantom air quality scare. Air quality in America isnt killing anyone. The bias and partisanship of the NEJM and Dr. Drazen and his editorial board is displayed in the publication of an article in June of 2017, authored by Di, Dominici, Schwartz, and others titled Air Quality and Mortality in the Medicare Population that claimed to show deaths from exposure to American air quality in a very large study of elderly Americans. They claimed thousands of elderly Americans were dying every year from bad air quality, but their study showed a very insignificant increase of 8% in deaths, in the range of what scientists call noise (natural variance) as opposed to good evidence, called signal. In spite of that unreliability, as described in the Federal Judicial Centers Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence (Chapter on Epidemiology, pages 597-606), Dr. Drazen approved publication in the NEJM and joined in writing an editorial applauding the article Air Pollution Still Kills. Earlier in 2017, two published studies on air quality effects said just the opposite of the Di study, that ambient air quality wasnt killing anybody. The first research report by James E. Enstrom was a reanalysis of old studies relied on by the EPA in the 1990s to justify air regulations. The second study was by Young, Smith and Lopiano, a comprehensive decade long study of all the heavily populated air basins in California that showed no death effect from small particle or ozone air quality. These two studies refuted the premise and claims of the Di NEJM study of June 2017 and all the EPA funded and sponsored studies used to justify aggressive air quality regulations. In legitimate science activity, researchers are expected to comment on studies that conflict or contradict their assertions, but the Di, Dominici, Schwartz article did not comment on or discuss the Enstrom and Young studies, or other studies that showed no death effect. The editors of the NEJM would be expected to demand that authors display a proper scientific temperament and cite contradictory studies and attempt to explain or refute the contradictions. Instead the Di authors and the editors of NEJM ignored the conflicts in results, and asserted their position. Thats how the Noble Lie is perpetrated; establishment researchers repeat themselves and assert the matter is settled. Dr. Enstrom wrote an eloquent letter objecting to the Di article. Enstroms letter and the response of the Di authors showed that the Di authors didnt think Enstroms objections deserved their time. Then Steve Milloy wrote a protest demanding NEJM correction, followed by a second letter by Dr. John Dunn (with cosigners). The arguments by Milloy and Dunn condemning the study and article as well as the letter of defense made by the authors to Dr. Enstroms critique were: The Di article authors were dishonest to claim they ignored contradictory studies because there are hundreds of supportive studies, since in science studies that disprove a hypothesis are more important in assessment of its veracity and reliability. The test of a scientific theory is to fail to refute or disprove it. The Di article and letter authors didnt cite any null studies or allude to possibility that null studies exist, ignoring the record. That is dishonest scientific misconduct. The editors of NEJM were complicit in the misconduct because they knew of contradictory studies and allowed the article and the editorial to leave readers with the impression the science was settled. Di authors claim they didnt control for smoking because a sensitivity analysis showed it would be unlikely to confound the association, but such a claim is nonsense in an air quality study. Cigarette smoke is heavily contaminated with small particles. The scientific misstatement of most moment is the Di authors is that the claim that their study had strong evidence when a Hazard Ratio of 1.08 is not strong at all but very weak, a negative not positive result. After Editor Drazen dismissed Milloys and Dunns requests to take remedial action, describing their complaints as a disagreement when it was an accusation of flagrant scientific misconduct. Milloy wrote to the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Research Integrity, complaining of the conduct of the Di authors and the NEJM in the matter, misconduct that violated the law in a federally funded research project, Milloy wrote in pertinent part: [Since] the NEJM study authors carefully, if not cynically, used the term associated with rather than causes, there can be no doubt as to their intent to convey a false certainty that PM2.5 (2.5 micron size particles, compared to the 10 micron diameter of a human hair) causes death. The researchers have committed misconduct by knowingly misrepresenting the research record.... [S]tudies, in particular, were well known to those involved with the NEJM study. NEJM study funder HEI, NEJM study author Dominici and the NEJM study editor-in-chief Drazen all knew of these contradictory findings. This can only have occurred by design. Misrepresenting research so it is not accurately represented in the research record is misconduct. [G]overned by the standards established in 42 CFR Part 93 -- Public Health Service Policies on Research Misconduct. Thereunder, research misconduct means knowingly misrepresenting the research record. No mention made of contradictory research. The NEJM study authors omitted mentioning the limitations of epidemiology, including that there is no biological plausibility for the notion that PM2.5 kills. .National Academy of Sciences and National Cancer Institute stated in a media release on October 26, 1994: In epidemiologic research, relative risks of less than 2 are considered small and usually difficult to interpret. Such increases may be due to chance, statistical bias or effects of confounding factors that are sometimes not evident. In his highly-valued 1965 essay in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, entitled The Environment and Disease: Association or Causation, Sir Austin Bradford Hill described the criteria for evaluating epidemiologic studies and discounted hazard ratios below 2.0: First upon my list I would put the strength of the association. The reason hazard ratios below 2.0 are unreliable is because much epidemiologic data are incomplete, guesstimated and/or otherwise of dubious validity. The unreliable data problem is writ large in the NEJM study: The NEJM Di study data lacks information on the cause of death for any individual in the Medicare population so deaths not possibly caused by PM2.5 (e.g., those resulting from accidents, homicide/suicide, cancer, etc.) are included in the study population. In essence, the NEJM study assumes all excess deaths are PM2.5-related. Also, the NEJM study authors repeatedly present their hazard ratio estimates as risk estimates. It is Epidemiology 101 that, despite terminology like relative risk, hazard ratios are not estimates of risk. But hazard ratio estimates have nothing to do with risk per se. Communicating hazard ratios as risk is deceptive. Given the current political situation a new administration reportedly looking to cut EPAs budget (including for university-conducted research into PM2.5) and cut EPAs regulatory overreach -- the political nature and timing of the HSPH/NEJM study and editorial cannot be overlooked.. The editorial drives home a wild political attack on President Trump, concluding with the irresponsible implication that President Trumps administration is going to cause U.S. air to be polluted to lethal levels -- i.e., Do we really want to breathe air that kills us? It is worth noting that while air quality did kill people on several occasions during the 20th century, these deaths were not caused by particulate matter but by temperature inversions that trapped and concentrated emissions of caustic gases. In an interview about the NEJM study, NEJM study author Francesca Dominici told the media: We are now providing bullet-proof evidence that we are breathing harmful air. So the intent of the NEJM study authors is clear to present their study as incontrovertible evidence that PM2.5 kills.Theirs is a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the research record. This is a fraud on the government and taxpayers who have funded this research. These researchers and the NEJM editor Dr. Drazen, as sponsors of the article should be appropriately reprimanded and sanctioned for promoting and supporting scientific misconduct. In addition to basic income as Editor of the NEJM, 650 thousand dollars annually, Dr. Drazen receives a salary from Harvard, as well as honoraria and consulting income for his wide-ranging activities. Dr. Drazens research interests include his partnership with a researcher at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Dan Tshumperlin MD, who has received, according the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools (RePORT), federal funding dating from 2013 through 2017 of more than 3.1 million dollars from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a federally government funded and organized entity. Dr. Drazen is not named as the principle in the Tshumperlin grant information, but the Harvard School of Public Health information on line indicates that Dr. Drazen has a research relationship to Dr. Tshumperlin, and would, no doubt, receive remuneration for his collaboration. Editor Drazen, in spite of or possibly because of his position as a the most important medical journal editor in America, and a remarkable tenure of 17 years, has received $1.9 million in federal grants for research since 2014, according to RePort, and his grants are also from NHLBI. It is difficult to assess the amount of money awarded to the Harvard School of Public Health from federal agencies due to Dr. Drazens position and influence, but it is naive to think it would not be multiples of the amounts above, and the grants related to environmental health research would tend to prove up agency policy positions and regulatory actions as beneficial. Research that creates a crisis or threat is essential to agency hegemony. Dr. Drazen is uniquely positioned to promote the environmental scares and regulatory agenda of the US EPA, so he is well armed to be a scientist zealot for the agenda of the US EPA and not shy about attacking anyone who would question the science sponsored by the US EPA and affiliated federal agencies like the National Institutes of Health and other federal medical science funding agencies. Drazen is, therefore, one part of the expert army that promotes the Noble Lies necessary for promoting policy. The granting agencies and their paid researchers have a dog in the fight to tell the public that the EPA is doing the right thing on air quality regulations going back more than 2 decades. The Di article authors and NEJM editorial staff shill for the EPA regulatory regime and promote the Noble Lie that air quality kills with another government funded data dredge, another federal agency public relations release, a well-timed effort to promote the EPA claims of killer air quality and the need for new and stricter air standards that will save hundreds of thousands of lives. Send lawyers, guns and money. Taxpayer money. We object. It is a scam, a very expensive scam that harms the public and the economy. The strategy is scaremongering, the Noble Lie perpetrated to allow for regulatory tyranny imposed on the public by the US EPA. John Dale Dunn MD JD is an emergency physician and attorney, Steve Milloy, MS Biostatistics), JD, LLM, is proprietor of JunkScience.com, a web site devoted to debunking fraudulent science and public policy making. A few days' passing and thorough reading of the oral argument transcript for Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission leave me less optimistic than commentators such as Amy Howe at Scotusblog and David French at National Review. While it was heartening that Justice Kennedy called out one of the Colorado civil rights commissioners for a statement apparently expressing animus toward religion, with the chief justice going so far as to suggest that this necessarily tainted the court's earlier ruling against Jack Phillips, and Justice Alito cynically pointing out that none of the other commissioners disavowed the commissioner's unseemly statement then or has since, still, the line-drawing the conservative justices seemed to be searching for remained fuzzy. Would a ruling in favor of Phillips gut civil rights protections, as opponents relentlessly and hyperbolically argue? It wouldn't. The conservative justices seemed to know that it wouldn't. Yet no one could really say how the ruling could be fashioned to prevent it. If the court is going to hang Phillips's protection on free speech, that potentially sweeps with a broad brush. It lays Phillips's position open to the repeat attack that bigots can use religion as a pretext to discriminate against protected groups. It also opens the door to run-of-the-mill craftspeople who wish to avoid compliance with anti-discrimination laws by hiding behind claims of communicative conduct. But as the Justice Department's General Francisco pointed out, the solution is not to shun new adaptations in the law; it is to figure out how to make "the cut" that all First Amendment cases must initially make. To that end, one clear difference here from all the hypotheticals with which Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor besieged Kristen Waggoner, from the Alliance Defense Fund, is this: it's the combination of deeply held religious beliefs and the specific performance in the creation of unwanted messaging that distinguishes Phillips's cause. It is their tandem significance religion and speech as a conduit for the specifically tailored, creative expression of sincere convictions that evokes our outrage at the state's coercion. That is why the indignation comes from not just religious supporters, but also those vitally attuned to language, visual and literal, in their commercial endeavors. Such people are most often creatives. Unfortunately, chaotic attempts at hard line-drawing between the liberal justices and Ms. Waggoner and General Francisco failed to distill these unique characteristics of the case into the abstract rule that Justice Gorsuch was fairly begging for. The attempts culminated with a question by Justice Alito about architecture, to which Ms. Waggoner, under pressure to answer, said no, buildings would not qualify as implied speech under their theory. Justice Alito expressed amazement that a cake would be covered, but the "Laurentian Steps" (by Michelangelo) would not be. This torturous misdirection compounded the initial wrong turn. Checklists shouldn't be the point. Even copyright law recognizes distinctions between standard functional elements of a building, which cannot be copyrighted, and distinctively individualistic features, which can be. It isn't a stretch to say that if the latter are suffused with deeply held values as, say, in the work of an architect like Tadao Ando it doesn't matter what category the work falls into. Its special commission should be left to the discretion of the creator or speaker. Expressive conduct of a high order can be a kind of secular religiosity. Coming up, then, with an organizing principle should have been both easier and more subtle than Waggoner and Francisco scrambled to suggest. If intellectual property law (whose foil is the First Amendment) can draw distinctions between mundane originality and the type of work that carries a personal message, work that is even imprinted with the "beingness" of the message's author, then why not here? Indeed, it is hard to understand why, beyond an abbreviated mention of Mastrovincenzo v. the City of New York, Waggoner and Francisco didn't advert more to the Second Circuit's sophisticated discussion of commercial wares with a "dominant expressive purpose" in the context of their immunity from government regulation in this New York street vendor case. Instead, the discussion degenerated into jokes about whether food, because of its impermanence, could be "art." What about Navajo sand paintings? Part of this failure to import a more graduated First Amendment approach might have stemmed from a giant stumbling block the respondents put in the way of traditional analysis. It was uncovered by Waggoner toward the end of her speaking time. She pointed out that however much the Court might struggle to demarcate the line between conduct and expressive conduct, or art and speech, or communicative and utilitarian objects, when all is said and done and we know this to be true from their rhetoric the other side doesn't care a fig about any of it: What's deeply concerning is that [protected expression] is not the theory that Respondents are submitting to this Court today. They believe that they can compel speech, of filmmakers, oil painters, and graphic designers in all kinds of context. Forget the niceties. Forget the unavoidable First Amendment inquiries into what type of speech is at issue. Entrust the nuances of heartfelt belief to a state agency, which will control everybody, because, of course, everybody (read: religious conservatives) at his core wants solely to act on his basest instincts to discriminate against and harm the dignitary interests of gays. Sound familiar? For their part, Colorado solicitor-general Frederick Yaeger, on behalf of the Commission, and ACLU lawyer David Cole for Craig and Mullins maneuvered around the whole sticky business. They did this by asserting that any message related to a protected group is discriminatory. It wasn't a good answer, but it was an answer: the only right the business owner has is to refuse to lend his talents to a message that, in Cole's words, "is apart from the identity of the customer." Notwithstanding its streamlining of the problem, this proposal simply avoids what the First Amendment is designed to protect: unpopular speech. If the baker would write, "God bless the union of Ruth and Marty" on a cake, he could be compelled to write, "God bless the union of Dave and Craig." The only difference, according to Craig and Mullins, is the "identity" of the customer. Expression in this context can mean only one thing: discriminatory animus. Thus do the respondents render moot, on the specious basis that "identity" determines meaning, Phillips's compelled speech objection. But talk about disturbing: the respondents actually go farther. They not only advocate for compelling speech, but are willing to emasculate the business owner's power of speech altogether. The business owner is not just being told what he must say. He is being told by institutional authority what he in fact did say: [W]e don't ask is it expressive from the perspective of the baker or is expressive from the perspective of the of a customer. We ask what's the state's interest in regulating? What is the state doing? And then, in response to a question by Justice Alito about whether such "regulation" applies to the writing on the cake: It doesn't matter whether it's speech or whether it's not speech. As for Hurley v. Irish-American Gay Group of Boston, the Supreme Court case proscribing compelled speech, Mr. Cole is ready there, too, with a solution that would shrink the Hurley ruling's reach to naught: [W]here the state is regulating only expression, no conduct at all, just a banner that's in the parade, the Court takes a different view, but where expressive conduct is involved ... the analysis this Court uses with respect to expressive conduct is is the state regulating the conduct for some reason other than what it expresses or is it regulating what it expresses? Got that? If you can prove that you are speaking in a zero-conduct vacuum, you get to choose your words. (Better not scratch your nose!) Conventional wisdom says Phillips's free speech claim is a workaround for a free exercise of religion claim, a way to end-run adverse judicial precedent. The respondents' countermoves show just how nearsighted that strategy is. Uninhibited speech and religious exercise are profoundly intertwined. The predicted victory for Phillips on narrow fact-based grounds stemming from the Commission's animus would not only fall short of being a victory for religious liberty, as commentators have noted. It would be a setback for free speech. Some lies have consequences; others do not. No real political consequence resulted from the declaration of a well known politician on TV on January 26, 1998, that "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time, never." It took six months before the manifest admission that indeed "I did have a relationship with Miss Lewinsky that was not appropriate. I misled people. It is time, past time to move on." The problem in American politics is that the time for dealing with sexual hypocrisy and moving on is taking more time than warranted. The latest case came to a head on December 7, 2017. After a number of allegations of sexual harassment and mistreatment of women, without admission of responsibility, and under pressure from most of his Senate colleagues, Senator Al Franken announced his somewhat equivocal decision to resign "in the coming weeks." The 66-year-old Franken, acknowledging he was shocked and upset by the allegations against him, explained that "nothing I have done as a senator has brought dishonor on this institution." By coincidence, the question of honor and dishonor in politics 50 years ago has been evoked by the death on December 4, 2017 of the once notorious model Christine Keeler, who has earned a place in British history as a high-class "call girl." The sordid case in which she was key figure had everything: unrestrained sex, scandals, class privilege, the role of Soviet spies, fear of possible espionage, echoes of the Cold War, sexual hypocrisy, and lying to political colleagues. The events involved Keeler, the hapless, uneducated young former topless dancer, a figure in the sleazy sector of London society at the time, indiscriminately sexually promiscuous. On July 8, 1961 at the Cliveden estate of Lord Astor, the rich aristocrat, she was spotted swimming naked in the pool by John Profumo, who had the misfortune and bad timing to see her as she got out of the pool. Within a few days, the 46-year-old Profumo, the husband of famous actress Valerie Hobson, began an affair with the 19-year-old Keeler that lasted a few months. It was Profumo's misfortune that the sexually promiscuous Keeler was simultaneously having an affair both with Profumo, then secretary of state for war, and with the senior Soviet naval attache and GRU official in London, Yevgeni Ivanov. No one genuinely believed that secrets or military information were divulged by Profumo in pillow talk in Keeler's encounters with the two men. But though not directly connected with Keeler's relationships, the years of these events also embraced the Cuban missile crisis. In London, Soviet officials were attempting to persuade U.K. politicians to avert developments in Cuba during the crisis. It took a series of events, some violent and criminal, concerning other lovers of Keeler before the Profumo relationship came to public light in a court case. When it did, Profumo, like Bill Clinton in 1998, denied that the relationship with his mistress was anything more than an innocent social friendship. This was Profumo's downfall. Descendant of a Sardinian background and a wealthy family, educated at Harrow and Oxford, he rose to the rank of brigadier in World War II. He had had a successful political career, starting at age 25, when as a young man on May 8, 1940, after the fall of Norway, he had refused to support the government of Neville Chamberlain, voted against him, and thus helped bring Winston Churchill to power as prime minister. Profumo became secretary of state for war in July 1960. But on March 22, 1963, he made his mistake. To lie in the nude may be terribly rude, but to lie in the House of Commons is obscene. In a statement on that day, in what is known as a "personal statement," when M.P.s can make a point of a personal nature, Profumo lied to the House of Commons. He stated that there was no impropriety whatever in "my relationship with Miss Keeler." He would not hesitate to issue writs for libel and slander of scandalous allegations made or repeated outside the House of Commons. His explanation was inadequate, not accepted as true, and he resigned his ministerial post and his membership in the House on June 5, 1963. Profumo was brought down not on any moral or ethical issue. The prime minister, Harold Macmillan, in his speech in the House on June 17, 1963, explained to the House that Profumo had lied to his wife, to his legal advisers, to ministerial colleagues, and above all to the House of Commons. He had undermined one of the very foundations on which political life must be conducted. Profumo never again participated in politics. He spent the rest of his life, 40 years, as a voluntary worker and chief fundraiser in Toynbee Hall, a charitable organization helping poor residents in the East End of London. Profumo had violated the high standards, the set of expected values of Parliament, honest speaking, and sought to make amends. Nothing in the Al Franken 11-minute speech of December 7 resembled this. There was no profuse apology to women who had made allegations against him. Rather, he asserted that "some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others I remember very differently." At first, Franken, though embarrassed and ashamed by his behavior, said he would not resign. But in the present climate of revulsion over allegations of sexual harassment, he was obliged to bow to pressure from his own Democratic colleagues in the Senate. Finally, what is disconcerting is that after Franken's speech, those fellow members who had urged him to resign lined up to hug him, behavior that smacks of hypocrisy. Franken said he is going to try to learn from his mistakes, but he should take his cue from John Profumo and do so outside the realm of politics. True feminists should insist on this. It's been a week to forget for the national media. Besides the usual partisan, biased, and hysterically exaggerated reporting, there were some major errors of basic facts that led to one reporter being suspended without pay and four other media organizations being forced to issue embarrassing and sheepish corrections. We covered the latest media misstep here a CNN "bombshell" report that turned out to be a nothingburger. And there were several other careless errors that led to cries of "fake news" across the internet. Vox: In today's hyperpolarized world, "fake news" has become a refrain to describe stories that observers on both sides of the spectrum decide that they don't like. These reporting issues by esteemed media organizations give credence to that ignorance, which further damages the value of insightful, impactful reporting especially when it comes to one of the biggest, most polarizing stories of our political age: the Russia probe. Flynn's testimony: Last Friday, ABC News reported that former national security advisor Michael Flynn was prepared to testify that President Trump, while still a candidate, directed him to contact Russian officials. But later in the day, the network issued a "clarification" that the direction came when Trump was president-elect. That changed the impact of the story entirely as it's a common occurrence for presidential transition teams to reach out to foreign governments. Deutsche Bank subpoena: Reuters and Bloomberg both reported on Tuesday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation had subpoenaed Deutsche Bank for information on accounts relating to President Trump and his family members seemingly confirming that Mueller had expanded his probe to investigate the president's financial dealings. The WSJ defused that bombshell in a follow-up report stating that the subpoenas actually dealt with "people or entities close to Mr. Trump." WikiLeaks emails: CNN reported this morning that senior Trump campaign officials, including Trump himself, received an email from an unknown sender on September 4, 2016 that linked them to what could have been unreleased WikiLeaks documents. WaPo issued their own report later in the afternoon that the email was actually sent on September 14 and linked to a trove of documents that WikiLeaks had publicly released a day earlier. And that's just reporting on the Russia probe. Fox News had its own brush with fake news: Beverly Young Nelson has accused the Repub lican Senate nominee of sexually assaulting her nearly 40 years ago when she was 16 years old. She told Tom Llamas, of ABC News, in a Friday interview that she made notes underneath Moore's entry. "Beverly, he signed your yearbook?" Llamas asked. "He did sign it," Nelson replied. "And you made some notes underneath?" Llamas followed. "Yes," she confirmed. A since-deleted tweet on the official Fox News twitter account had read, "BREAKING NEWS: Roy Moore accuser admits she forged part of yearbook inscription attributed to Alabama senate candidate." Fox News has since updated the story with a note at the bottom of the piece while removing any references to "forgery" in it. "An update to this story reflects that Beverly Young Nelson admits writing what ABC News characterized as 'notes' beneath what she says is Roy Moore's signature, and that the only notes below the signature are the date and location. "Furthermore, the headline on [the] story now specifies that Nelson admits to writing part of the inscription herself, rather than forging part of it." Adding the date and location below pervert Moore's creepy inscription and signature is not "forging" anything. But Moore is desperate to discredit Nelson, who has accused the former DA of sexual assault. An update to the Fox story reflected that: An update to this story reflects that Beverly Young Nelson admits writing what ABC News characterized as "notes" beneath what she says is Roy Moore's signature, and that the only notes below the signature are the date and location. Furthermore, the headline on story now specifies that Nelson admits to writing part of the inscription herself, rather than forging part of it. Regardless of what Moore wrote or what Nelson wrote, there is the fundamental question: why is a 30-something man writing anything in a teenage girl's yearbook? Creepy. We live in a media age where "facts" no longer drive the story, but rather the story drives the "facts." Reporters pick and choose which "facts" fit their narrative, and if they don't conform to their bias, they are conveniently left out or, in the cases above, altered. Former senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, "You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts." That's a lesson that should be hammered into the consciousness of contemporary "journalists." Amnesty International, the sanctimonious purported human rights group that champions halting the death penalty, has been caught taking $160,000 from George Soros's Open Society Foundation to promote...abortion, in contravention of Irish law. File under "unclear on the concept" in championing the value of human life. It's hard to say which player in this drama here is most loathsome. Soros is appalling just for his uni-world vision with rotted out values, from pot legalization to releasing predators out on the streets from prisons to coercive, anything-goes redefinitions of family. He calls himself a "stateless statesman" and sees that as his license to foment revolutions in struggling and established democracies, using NGOs as the arms of his multi-tentacled operational octopus. He also loathes America. During the Bush administration, he compared Americans to Nazis. He's only gotten worse ever since, moving into the promotion of abortion. Abortion is an awful topic, too: the ending of human life, and cheapening it into a convenience and commodity. Without abortion, there would be no sale of baby parts, as the current Planned Parenthood investigation announced yesterday by the Department of Justice signals. Amnesty International is yet another problem, a sanctimonious non-government organization whose mission has led to a lot of useful idiots, as its founder once admitted to me back in the 1980s in San Francisco. Originally focused on the noble mission of freeing political prisoners and ending the death penalty, it rapidly morphed into a hypocritical organization that ignored human rights violations in places such as Cuba and the Soviet Union and found infinite violations in the U.S. Naturally, Soros has been bankrolling the organization for years. Now with Amnesty International as his catspaw, Soros is using his cash to spread abortion into nations that have never known the barbaric practice, such as Ireland. The stateless statesman doesn't think laws against foreign organizations funding political campaigns apply to him. Abortion is horrible as always, and even its record isn't stopping its proponents. Amnesty is failing in its mission to defend human life. Let's see what consequences look like for those who would wreak their havoc on nations that don't want their globalist meddling. So after months of congressional hearings, the unmasking scandal, where top Obama administration officials were caught revealing the names of Americans caught up in political dragnets and then leaking them to the press, really just boils down to a need for a rules change? That's the apparent state of things, now that the director of National Intelligence has proposed a new set of rules on unmaskings during presidential transitions. In a letter to House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes, the DNI, Dan Coats, has proposed new guidelines with new safeguards and reporting requirements on unmasking any Americans during a presidential transition. This time, they will make them really, really, really airtight to protect innocent Americans. The problem here is that there already are rules in place, and the Obama administration just didn't want to follow them. Obama people broke the laws on unmaskings; unmasked like crazy under the protestation that they were just doing their intelligence duties to protect the country, as they testified in House hearings; and then got away with it. Putting more reins and fetters on now sitting Trump officials who have done nothing of the sort pretty well closes the barn door after the horse has gotten out. It's infuriating because it suggests that Team Obama from Samantha Power to Susan Rice to Ben Rhodes won't be held to account for the blatant abuse of their privileged access to top U.S. intelligence information for political purposes. This was evident in their leaks of national security advisor nominee Michael Flynn to the press in a bid to whip up a legal case against him. For that abusive tactic alone, the charges against Flynn ought to be dismissed. Yet they are the ones who broke the law big-time in their unwillingness to accept the results of the 2016 election, and Flynn is the one paying the price over a minor slip-up after the illegally pretexted prosecution activity was launched. Improperly gathered evidence is dismissed in criminal cases, and it should be dismissed here, too. The sad thing here is that more laws aren't going to fix this underlying problem. Democrats break these laws with impunity, so no new laws are going to stop them. Has anything come of the massive wave of unmaskings that Obama officials such as Power and Rice have insisted were just them doing their duties? Has anything come of why someone was able to use Power's intelligence account to access zillions of unmaskings as she denied doing it herself? Has anyone found out whom she gave her password to? Has anyone figured out Obama's role in this? What's needed here is serious punishment for lawbreakers at the source for prosecutors to go after the likes of Rice, Power, Rhodes and others for their blatant abuse of intelligence privileges for political purposes. Since they aren't going to obey laws, they need to fear the long arm of the law instead. The recent announced decision by President Trump formally designating Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel has generated a storm of protest, mainly from left-leaning American groups and newspapers, as well as predominantly Muslim countries. Setting aside for a moment whatever one might think of the president in general, his action in this particular case deserves some thoughtful consideration. First, and perhaps most important, this action is a reflection of the legislative process of our government. The decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the proper location of our embassy was made by our elected representatives on October 24, 1995. By overwhelming majorities 91% in the House of Representatives and 95% in the Senate, our Congress officially demanded that the action be taken as soon as possible. However, the executive branch has, every six months since then, delayed the implementation of the move until now. The political events leading up to the formal decision by our legislators is not widely recognized by our media and populace in general. The State of Israel was formally recognized by the United Nations in 1947, with implementation set for May of 1948. The size of the new state was a mere fraction of what had been designated by the United Kingdom in its formal splitting of the territories in the jurisdiction of their mandate, set at the conclusion of World War I. Despite the disappointment caused by this rendering, the Jews, who had been living in the region for centuries, accepted the terms of the U.N. decision. The Arabs in the region did not. Immediately upon British departure from the area, on May 15, 1948, forces of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt stormed into the new State of Israel from all sides, bent on military conquest and complete removal of its Jewish inhabitants. To the surprise of the world, the State of Israel succeeded in defending its borders and repulsing the multi-front attack. Twice more, in 1967 and 1973, Israel's neighbors instigated military assaults on Israel; each time, they failed. Most notably, in the 1967 conflict, it was Jordan that precipitated the attack on the Israeli section of Jerusalem, resulting in the rout of the Jordanian army that followed. Ever since, the Arab governments have demanded a return to the "pre-1967 borders," with the presumption that it was the Israelis who precipitated the military action. Just for a moment, suppose that the Arabs had been successful in their military adventures and had ousted the Israelis from their sliver of land. Does any logical person think the Arab governments would then be amenable to "peace talks" in order to re-stake the boundaries in the region? Why should any aggressor nations who attempted to steal land by military action be given the opportunity to claim that land by diplomatic means? The Israelis, to their credit, unilaterally returned lands in the Sinai to the Egyptians and made other concessions to the Jordanians in order to facilitate formal recognition by these governments. The Arabs living in "the West Bank," Judea and Samaria, now want formal recognition with no offer of diplomatic resolution, only the threat of more vicious terror and plunder, for which they have become internationally known. One possible solution that gets little notice in the press is repatriation. Jews from all over the world have, for decades, been repatriated to Israel. They have been welcomed from the United States, Europe, Asia, and even Africa, at Israel's expense. These new citizens have contributed greatly to the country's phenomenal advances in science, medicine, and agriculture. These same human assets are available to the Arab countries. These nations, many of them mired in the feudalism of the twelfth century, have countless millions of acres of potentially arable land and endless wealth and are remarkably under-populated. Yet the "Palestinians," as they are called, are persona non grata in most of these nations. Jordan, from which many of these unfortunates originated, has unceremoniously expelled more than 20,000 in recent decades. Beirut displaced more than 30,000 in 2007. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Libya ejected over 100,000 in 1994. Perhaps most notably, Kuwait, one of the wealthiest of the Arab countries, forcibly deported more than 200,000 Palestinians in 1991. All of these Arab countries could become self-sufficient, and even net exporters of food and other products, with the aid of this huge potential labor pool. The technology for developing arid regions into resourceful ones is available. It may well be that because the advances were made largely in Israel, they are distasteful to the leaders of the Arab countries. But that is hardly reason to dismiss them. Until the Arab countries accept their responsibility for the Palestinian problem, there is no reason to place the blame for the current unrest on the government of Israel. Israel has shown itself to be a positive contributor to world sustenance and health. Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish State, has been since 1948, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. It deserves recognition as such by the world's community of nations. I have become a bit of a connoisseur of the pomposity of Trump-haters who purport to be "experts" much smarter than the POTUS, who lecture him on the futility and foolishness of his moves breaking with the failed policies of his betters. So I am savoring this example from Evan Halper, who "writes about a broad range of policy issues out of Washington D.C., with particular emphasis on how Washington regulates, agitates and very often miscalculates in its dealings with California." Photo: L.A. Times. In full condescension mode, Halper writes: [A] familiar battle cry is ricocheting through this city: Move the bureaucrats out. It has the ring of a Trumpian fantasy. Dislodge arms of the federal government from Washington and reattach them in faraway places, spreading the wealth generated by these well-paid agency workforces and forcing senior bureaucrats to face the people they affect. ... There hasn't been so much buzz about getting "Washington" out of Washington since Franklin D. Roosevelt sent 30,000 federal workers to the Midwest[.] ... None of it is going over well with die-hard Washingtonians. Many scold that the idea will flame out the same way it did when the Clinton administration pondered and then dropped a big relocation initiative, and the Reagan administration did the same before it. I love it when people tell President Trump he can't do something because nobody else in the federal government ever did it for example, move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Lots of people are being shown up as ninnies on that one. I cherish this in particular from Halper: The swaggering Interior secretary from Montana is putting the finishing touches on his plan to move the headquarters of three large public lands agencies to the West. "Swaggering"? Kind of gives away Halper's game. But he does acknowledge that here are concrete plans, only to disparage them: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, a Montanan, is aiming to move the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation out of Washington as soon as logistically possible. Western politicians like Sen. Corey Gardner (R-Colo.) are cheering him on. "Ninety-nine percent of the nearly 250 million acres of land managed by BLM is west of the Mississippi River, and having the decision makers present in the communities they impact in Colorado or across the region will lead to better results," Gardner wrote in an email.He wants the bureau headquartered in his state, and Colorado's Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper, has joined Gardner's lobbying campaign. Bipartisan support! But Halper downplays the significance of a move even if it is successfully implemented. Because experts say so. [S]ome scholars project that while a few hundred jobs might get moved here or there, the broader vision of moving large pieces of Washington officialdom hundreds or thousands of miles away will end up in the shredder, as tends to happen with outsized plans to reinvent and reimagine government. The politics are messy, the logistics are tough, and the status quo is entrenched. I wonder if Halper has ever looked at what happens when a headquarters is moved. It happens all the time in the private sector. The impact cannot be measured by numbers alone. The open secret of such moves is that they offer the chance to weed out the staff. In the federal government, where bureaucrats are insulated, the only way to get rid of someone can be a transfer to someplace completely undesirable from a personal standpoint. And here's a little secret Halper should know, since he is such an expert on government bureaucracies: D.C. is full of couples who both work for the federal government. That means that if an agency moves to, say, Pueblo, Colorado[i], if the couple want to stay together and move, they are going to have a find a job for the other spouse in Pueblo, where federal jobs might be much scarcer than in D.C. Or they can decide to avoid upending their lives and those of other family members and simply leave the HQ operation and try to find something new in D.C. If one wants new policies implemented by new headquarters people (because the old swamp-dwellers might sabotage them), then moving an HQ to places spurned by Beltway elitists is a smart move. But what do I know compared to Halper? The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) has investigated a purported incident of racist vandalism of a black sailor's bunk and found that it was staged by the sailor himself. The Navy Times reports (hat tip: Dennis Michael Lynch): A sailor who claimed someone scrawled racial slurs on his bed aboard an aircraft carrier sparking a viral Facebook post in the process staged the incident himself, the Navy said Friday. Marquie Little, a 27-year-old African American seaman, posted photos to Facebook on Nov. 15 under an alias that showed his rack on the carrier George H.W. Bush covered in trash and racial slurs. "I proudly serve the Navy and this is what I'm receiving in return," he wrote in the post. I note that the Facebook post linked just above has been either removed or made unavailable to the public. But Little continues to maintain that his report is true: Little denied staging the racist vandalism, and said Friday that NCIS had not done a proper investigation, but did not elaborate. "And now I'm to be here looking like a bad guy for attention," Little wrote in a text message. "I have nothing to gain from doing such an incident but I have everything to lose." Photo from Little's Facebook page before it was taken down. And the Navy has announced that he will not be punished: [Spokesman for Naval Air Force Atlantic Cmdr. Dave] Hecht declined to identify the sailor because he was not charged with a crime, but said the sailor had "received appropriate administrative actions and additional counseling and training." "He will remain a member of the crew and continue to perform his military duties," Hecht said. If the NCIS investigation is conclusive and yet Little continues to deny responsibility, how can he be relied upon to perform his duties faithfully? I realize that we have an acute shortage of recruits, a result of the horrible way we have treated veterans and the stresses imposed by a never-ending war. But I fear that fake hate crimes are not receiving the opprobrium they merit. In my view, a fake hate crime is every bit as harmful as a real one, for it intensifies racial tensions quite deliberately. And the legacy of shame and guilt over sins of past eras, as well as an awareness that racism has not completely vanished, has consequences: Hecht said that, while the Navy had disproven the sailor's claims, it used the incident to provide additional crew training and reemphasize that vandalism and racism would not be tolerated. ... Hecht said the carrier's command used the incident as an opportunity to reiterate that the command "has an open door policy for reporting incidents of misconduct." There is evidence that fake hate crimes are a problem in the military: The Navy incident follows another one this fall at the Air Force Academy preparatory school, where racial slurs were found written on the dorm message boards of five black cadet candidates. The Air Force later said that one of those five black cadet candidates had admitted to writing the slurs. If the NCIS is wrong, then a horrifying injustice has been done. But unless Little can dispute those findings conclusively, if he refuses to apologize, he will be a ticking time bomb on board a carrier, a crowded hothouse where life-and-death risks are a daily matter. An angry sailor maintaining that he was unjustly blamed while racists escaped punishment does not a happy and effective team member make. Society needs to decide collectively that fake hate crimes are a serious problem that merit more than slap-on-the-wrist punishment like counseling. Would a genuine perpetrator of a racist incident be treated with counseling? Those "experts" who long have warned of "violent chaos" if the U.S. moves its embassy to Jerusalem have been exposed as a bunch of hysterical ninnies, at best, in the Age of Trump. The fury of the "Arab street," the purported seething anger over America recognizing the reality that Jerusalem is Israel's capital, is a chimera in the era of Iran, ISIS, and a booming high-tech Israel in a de facto alliance with a reformist Saudi monarch. To be sure, the leadership of Hamas, Hezb'allah and the Palestinian Authority need there to be violence, and they have the resources to produce some. But all they could come up with were comparatively puny riots on Friday after Arabs went to mosques and heard fiery sermons. The violence afterward was just vicious enough to provoke an Israeli response and produce scary photo-ops for CNN and the rest: In fact, there was no spontaneous violence directly after President Trump announced the embassy move, as would happen if there really were seething anger. You see, it was raining then, so naturally, people stayed indoors, because nothing says rage quite like an unwillingness to get a little wet. It required planning, and urging, and maybe a little pressure in order to produce a pitifully small turnout in the West Bank and Gaza. CNN reports on the scale of ginned up gatherings: An Israeli army statement said what it called violent riots had broken out in about 30 locations across the West Bank and Gaza. The main disturbances in the West Bank were in Hebron, Al-Arroub, Tulkarm, Ramallah, Qalqilya and Nablus. About 3,000 protesters were involved in the West Bank unrest, with 28 people arrested and about 65 injured, it said. In Gaza, about 4,500 Palestinians were demonstrating at six locations along the border with Israel, the army said, with protesters rolling burning tires and throwing rocks at IDF soldiers. "IDF soldiers are responding with riot dispersal means," the military said. Population figures for the West Bank and Gaza are disputed (like everything related to the Palestinians' claims), but one reasonable estimate reported in left-leaning Haaretz has 2,657,029 Palestinians in the West Bank and 1.7 million in Gaza. That means that just over one tenth of one percent of West Bank Palestinians turned out for demonstrations after a day of cajoling by Palestinian Authority agitators. In Gaza, where even more violent, radical, and fearsome Hamas presumably urged rioters on, turnout more than doubled Gaza as a percentage: a massive two and half tenths of one percent of the population turned out. Both turnouts happened right after Friday mosque services and sermons. Hezb'allah doesn't really need street demonstrations in the territory it dominates in Lebanon. It has a military force to use, and it fired off some of its Iranian-supplied missiles on Israel. The object, once again, was photo ops pictures demonstrating poor Arabs suffering at the hands of mighty Israel, as the anticipated retaliatory air strikes at the missiles hit the civilians among whom Hez places its rockets, so as to use their suffering for propaganda. Richard Baehr suspects that the Palestinian leadership "may fear that Trump will get ticked off and there will be real repercussions for inciting violence. They have feared nothing from prior presidents on violence related to this particular conflict." If he is correct, as I suspect, this means that President Trump has indeed changed the calculus of the Palestinians, letting them realize that their intransigence from now on has a cost. For decades, they have rejected any compromises because there have been only gains, not losses, when they escalate. Those days are over. President Trump knows hardball negotiations and feels no guilt at all at pressing for the interests of the United States and its allies. Now that the world is seeing the brand-new American posture, we can expect the behavior of our foes to change. I am not yet "tired of winning," and I expect more gains to be made in the Middle East over the next three years than have been made in the last three decades. No less than Osama bin Laden noted that when people see a "strong horse," they naturally are attracted. BOTTINEAU A Bottineau man has been acquitted of charges that he sexually abused a child multiple times. A jury found Heath Lester Vivier, born in 1986, not guilty Thursday in Bottineau County District Court. He initially appeared Dec. 7, 2015, in court on a Class AA felony charge of continuous sexual abuse of a child identified in court documents only by her initials. Court documents dont reveal much detail about the alleged incidents, but an information document claimed Vivier engaged in multiple sexual acts against a child who was about 10 years old. The alleged acts happened once or twice a week every other week over a period of approximately three years, according to court documents. Court documents did not say when the alleged acts happened. The crime carried a maximum punishment of life in prison without parole, but the acquittal means the case is closed after two years of legal filings and court hearings. Prosecutors successfully blocked attempts by the defense to submit evidence of alleged victims prior sexual behavior or knowledge of such, according to court documents. Defense attorney Robert Hoy filed a motion Monday to offer such evidence, arguing that excluding the evidence would violate the defendant's constitutional rights to present a complete defense and to confront his accuser, according to court documents. Prosecutors argued rules required the defense to file such a motion at least 14 days before a trial begins, according to court documents. Hoy also argued the state could not keep Viviers accuser from deposition after she invoked Marsys Law, which North Dakota voters approved almost a year after Vivier was charged. The defense filed a motion on Nov. 17 to take the accusers deposition, but the state responded with a document that the child refused the deposition pursuant to Marsys Law. Vivier had the right to take (the accusers) deposition when he was charged with this crime, Hoy said in court documents. He cannot lose that right two years later by giving Marsys retroactive effect because the law does not clearly disclose an intention to make it apply retroactively to cases pending at the time of its enactment. That motion was resolved by the defense and prosecution, Hoy said. He said he didnt want to speculate on why the jury found his client not guilty. (The jurors) heard all of the evidence the state had to offer and decided the states proof did not rise to the level of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, so they had to bring in a verdict of not guilty, he said. Comedian Sarah Silverman told the audience on her Hulu show I Love You America that, at the sight of the American flag, she "instantly felt very weird. It didn't make sense, but I felt...scared." The reason? "Nationalism." Washington Times: The talk-show host said she immediately questioned her boyfriend's motives, to which he responded, "Um, because I love America?" "I was like, 'Right, right, of course,' but inside I was shaken," Ms. Silverman recalled. "I had no idea why I was freaking out," she said, so she called her sister, a rabbi in Israel, to try to understand her feelings better. Ms. Silverman went on to criticize President Trump's "nationalist" slogans like "Make America Great Again" and "America First" as problematic because they "exploit patriotism" and indicate that America is "No. 1" without acknowledging the need for change. "As patriots, I think we should strive to see ourselves in each other, whereas I feel that the nationalist view is to see yourself and then others," she said. "There's a willing blindness in saying, 'We're No. 1.'" "I fear that 'We're No. 1' nationalism is really like an old bed buddy of racism and xenophobia," she added. She later said that while she "can get behind the flag," she can't accept the "We're No. 1" vibe as genuine patriotism. "It's tacky," she said. My take on the rise of nationalism in America. #ILYAmerica pic.twitter.com/VzXJZpNDDo Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) December 8, 2017 Conflating "nationalism" with "patriotism" is a political construct that has nothing to do with reality. Silverman, like many liberals, have decided to define nationalism extremely narrowly. That definition equates the simple, heartfelt patriotism of most Americans with the virulent, racist nationalism of Nazi Germany. That kind of hyper-nationalism was endemic in all of Europe for the first fifty years of the 20th century. It led to two world wars and the Holocaust. The perfectly legitimate belief in American exceptionalism has nothing whatsoever to do with the nationalism displayed by Nazis. In fact, the attempt to do so says more about liberals than it does about most Americans. It shows the left living in the past when "my country right or wrong" and "America: Love it or leave it" were catchphrases heard during the Vietnam war. Following decades of scandal and those in power abusing their trust, few Americans compared to then take those words to heart. You can love America and point out its errors, its troubled past, or its sins. But without acknowledging America's triumphs, its generosity of spirit, its dedication to human freedom, and all the things that make us an exceptional nation, one can legitimately question what kind of "patriotism" Silverman and her ilk actually feel. The swamp has told us that the following events are nothing for us to worry or concern ourselves about. We deplorables, clinging to our guns and religion, should simply accept these and not question them. Obama gave 150 billion dollars to Iran. Iran is the chief sponsor of jihadist terrorism and has sworn to destroy Israel, supports Hamas and Hezb'allah, and will have nuclear weapons. Obama and Hillary approved the sale of 20% of our uranium to Russia. Hillary received over $150 million to her foundation. Bill Clinton got speaking gigs in Moscow paying about $500,000. Trump contacting the Russians to have them vote against the U.N. resolution to condemn Israel in December 2016 warrants an investigation, but not the sale of uranium to the Russians or the gift of $150 billion to Iran. Hillary and the DNC, through their attorneys, paid Fusion GPS to pay Christopher Steele, a British spy, to manufacture opposition research, using anonymous paid Russians as sources. This phony report was called a "dossier" to make it sound important. The dossier was shopped and leaked to the press and also given to John McCain, always ready and willing to stab a Republican, who gave it to the FBI. Bruce Ohr, the number-four man in the Obama Justice Department, met with the Fusion people and Steele in November 2016, after Trump defeated Hillary. We are not supposed to know why the Obama DOJ met with Steele. In October 2016, the Obama Justice Department filed an application for a FISA warrant to spy on the Donald Trump campaign. It appears that FBI agent Peter Strzok was involved in the FISA warrant process. Strzok has been a busy boy. In spring 2016, he corrected James Comey's exoneration letter of Hillary, written before Comey had interviewed Hillary, to change the words "grossly negligent" to "extremely careless." It seems that Comey was too dumb to realize that the words "grossly negligent" meant that Hillary had violated the law, so Strzok changed the wording. Evidently, Bill Clinton did not get a copy of the exoneration letter. Bill wanted to be sure, so he met with Obama's attorney general, Lynch, by "accident," at an airport, several days before FBI agent Strzok questioned Hillary, not under oath. Why bother to question under oath when the fix is in? Bubba could have saved himself a trip to the airport. Hillary lost the election, so she and the swamp blamed the loss on Russian "interference" with our election. The DNC claims that it was hacked, but it refused to have the FBI inspect its computers, so the FBI accepted the DNC's assertion that it was hacked. Trump fired Comey because Comey is basically dumb, dishonest, and incompetent. Even the Dems wanted Comey fired. Comey needed a ghostwriter, Strzok, to correctly write an exoneration letter. Comey illegally leaked a memo to force a special counsel. On March 2, 2017, Jeff Sessions, our A.G., recused himself from anything dealing with "Russia." We learned on December 8, 2017 that Sessions was cleared on March 7, 2017 of any improper "contact with the Russians." But Sessions has not un-recused himself. Rod Rosenstein, deputy A.G., appointed Robert Mueller, Comey's pal. The law requires that the appointment order specify the crimes to be investigated. But Rosentstein appointed Mueller to investigate anything dealing with Russia, without specifying what crime or crimes were committed. Mueller hired 20 attorneys who hate Trump; have worked for Obama and Hillary; and have donated to Obama, Hillary, and other Dems. Mueller also hired Strzok. Strzok is a busy boy. He is having an affair with a Justice Department attorney, also on Mueller's staff until September 2017. He sent her numerous texts detailing his hate of Trump, in addition to ghostwriting Comey's exoneration letter of Hillary and questioning Flynn. Strzok also interviewed Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills. He gave both immunity. Strzok questioned Flynn in January 2017 about Flynn's contacts with the Russians. It was an ambush interview at the W.H. Flynn did not have an attorney present. Flynn had contacted the Russian ambassador in December 2016 to lobby Russia to vote against the U.N. resolution to condemn Israel for its settlement policy. The U.N. Security Council voted 14-0 to condemn Israel, with Obama abstaining. Flynn also contacted the Russians to lobby against retaliation by the Russians for the Obama sanctions. These contacts upset Obama's Justice Department namely, Sally Yates, who thinks this violates the Logan Act. There has not been a prosecution under the Logan Act in over 150 years. Sally also was fired by Trump because she refused to enforce Trump's travel ban on countries designated as terrorist by Obama and Trump. Sally was praised for her insubordination by Mueller's chief deputy, Weissman. Weissman prosecuted the major accounting firm, Arthur Anderson, in the Enron case, forcing Anderson out of business, resulting in the loss of over 10,000 jobs. The Supreme Court, 9-0, reversed the conviction of Anderson. Mueller removed Strzok in July 2017 from his team but did not notify Congress about this. Strzok remained on the FBI "Russia" squad. The DOJ never informed Congress about Bruce Ohr's meetings with Fusion and Steele. Rod Rosenstein presumably oversees the Mueller investigation because Sessions recused himself. Rosenstein did not inform Congress about Strzok and Ohr. Ohr, whose office is four doors down from Rod, was removed only when Ohr's meetings are discovered by Congress and the media. The wife of Andrew McCabe, the number-two man in the FBI in charge of "investigating" Hillary, received over $700,000 from Terry McAuliffe, the money bag man for the Clintons, for her political campaign for the Virginia legislature. We are supposed to trust the FBI, despite the conduct of McCabe, Strzok, and Comey. We are supposed to trust the Department of Justice despite Lynch, Ohr, Rosenstein, and Yates, and worse, Jeff Sessions. Sessions should not have recused himself. Sessions has allowed the Justice Department to be run by Rosenstein, which allowed Mueller to establish a mini-Justice Department that resembles an Obama-Hillary Justice Department, with an unlimited budget, to investigate "Russian" collusion with the Trump campaign when there is no evidence that Russia affected the results of the election. Moreover, "collusion" is not a crime. The purpose of the investigation is to create "process" crimes to ensnare those whose statements to the FBI are deemed "lies" by the FBI. If we only had an attorney general willing to clean up the FBI and DOJ. Former governor Phil Bredesen, who announced his campaign for Senate on Thursday, is being accused of systematically covering up evidence of harassment by top officials in his administration. At issue is why Tennessee investigators shredded documents that gave details of sexual harassment and assault against two key aides early in Bredesen's administration. Washington Free Beacon: The details of the 2005 harassment claims against Mack Cooper, Bredesen's senior adviser for legislation and policy, were never revealed. Bredesen denied that shredding documents was part of a "cover up." Instead he argued it was part of an effort to protect the identities of victims. He admitted, however, that there was no way to prove his point. "There's nothing to be covered up here," Bredesen told the AP in reference to the Cooper case. "I don't have any way of proving that to you." Equally damning for Bredesen's office was the case of Quenton White, appointed commissioner of Tennessee's Department of Corrections by Bredesen shortly after he was elected governor in 2002. White resigned from the post in July 2005, just two months after Cooper's suspension, due to "mounting questions about a sexual harassment allegation against him, his handling of a sexual harassment case against his executive assistant, and circumstances surrounding his relationship with a former subordinate," the Tennessean reported. White, reporters discovered, had been accused of sexual harassment a year before his resignation. Bredesen confirmed the 2004 sexual assault allegation but said investigators found "no corroboration" of the claim. Bredesen again had to explain to reporters, however, that he could not give any proof for his statement because the top investigator shredded her notes and had no written report on what was found. The incidents sparked investigations into whether shredding of documents relating to sexual assault was common throughout state government or whether it was unique to political appointees. "The governor's office has become involved in a select number of workplace harassment complaints against top state officials and has put them under a veil of secrecy that does not apply to ordinary state workers, a Tennessean review of case files shows," the paper wrote in July 2005 after finding that shredding of documents was common for investigations into officials at the level of Cooper and White. The AP, which conducted its own thorough review of workplace harassment in Bredesen's office, came to a similar conclusion. Bredesen is considered the Democratic frontrunner, with GOP rep. Marsha Blackburn heading a strong field of Republicans. Bredesen's name recognition and personal popularity may give him crossover appeal in the deeply red state. But these allegations have the potential to derail his candidacy or, at the very least, taint his legacy, which he has been trying to sell to voters. In a highly charged nationwide political atmosphere that is hypersensitive to how sexual harassment claims are being handled by the powers that be, Bredesen's attempt to cover up the details of harassment claims against his aides will be a major line of attack by Republicans against him. Last Thursday evening, I was part of a debate on the public television station WTTW in Chicago to discuss President Trump's decision to recognize that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and begin the process of moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. My debate "partner" was Ali Abunimah, a full-time Palestinian activist, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada, and a supporter of a one-state solution. Abunimah was asked about whether there is still a chance for Palestinians to gain a capital of their own in Jerusalem. He avoided answering, since he does not favor two states, or two capitals for two nations. As should be clear from viewing the debate, for much of it, Abunimah spent his time slandering Israel, throwing out numerous untruths and distortions, much of it with little connection to the issue we were invited to discuss. I chose to use my time to address the questions I was asked by the moderator on the supposed topic of the evening rather than debate the merits of each assault on Israel by Abunimah. Panel discussions such as this one, limited to ten minutes in total, provide little time to make one's case, and often lies are left un-rebutted due to time constraints. New Zealanders have a unique way of discarding their trashthey hang them on fences. Bras, boots, toothbrushes, bicycles, everything that has had their useful life over gets hung en masse on roadside fences. Perhaps, the most famous of them is the Cardrona Bra Fence in Central Otago. The fence began one morning in 1999 when four womens bras were found attached to the wire fence alongside the road and fluttering in the breeze. Rumor is that a group of women were celebrating the new year at the Cardrona Hotel and after leaving the pub late at night, they decided to take off their bras and hang them on the fence. Over the next few weeks, the number of bras on the fence steadily increased until there were sixty more by the end of February 2000. As news about the fence spread, even more bras started appearing. In the following years the bra population multiplied to thousands and the fence became a unique tourist attraction gaining worldwide attention. The Cardrona Bra Fence in 2016. Photo credit: Kathrin & Stefan Marks/Flickr With popularity the fence also began to attract haters who thought the unabashed display of undies on a pubic thoroughfare an embarrassment and an eyesore. They began to attack the fence and the bras were stripped off on numerous occasions. But each time, the bras returned. In the past couple of years, the fence has been used to raise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation through donations made by tourists at the fence's pink charity box. Photo credit: Shellie/Flickr Photo credit: Ian Mackenzie/Flickr Photo credit: Michael Whitney/Flickr The Toothbrush Fence is located on a quiet rural road in Te Pahu, about half an hour from Hamilton. The roadside fence is decorated with hundreds of toothbrushes of vivid colors. The creator of this Te Pahu attraction is a local named Graeme Cairns. At first the fence grew slowly, as friends and visitors added their own brushes. But as its fame spread, people began donating their used brushes from all over the country and even overseas. The toothbrush of Helen Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, also hangs there. Toothbrush Fence, Te Pahu, Waikato, New Zealand. Photo credit: KiwiPatPhooey/Flickr Photo credit: Peter Yersin/Flickr Many New Zealanders love to decorate their fences with flip-flops, which they call jandalshort for Japanese sandals. The name is actually a trademark originally filed by Morris Yock, who is said to have patented the famous design. But there is some dispute regarding who actually brought the design to New Zealand. According to the Yock family, Morris Yock was inspired by the footwear he had seen in Japan, and began manufacturing this simple rubber sandal in their garage in 1957. But the family of John Cowie claim that it was Mr. Cowie who introduced the footwear from Japan in the late 1940s, coining the name jandal in the process. They believe Yock only imported the jandals and applied for the trademark. Irrespective of who introduced it, jandals are now a national icon of sort in New Zealand. Photo credit: Drew Mackie/Flickr A jandal fence in Kaeo, Northland, New Zealand. Photo credit: Justine Sanderson/Flickr A jandal fence just outside of Hot Water Beach on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. Photo credit: Brandon Koger/Flickr A jandal fence in Manly, North Island, New Zealand. Photo credit: Nic Porter/Flickr Just off the main road in Kingston, is what is known as King Wheel Cottage. The cottage fence is made of old traction engine wheels. Photo credit: Benjamin Ho/Flickr Photo credit: Travel Aficionado/Flickr A fence decorated with gumboots at Woodhill, North West Auckland. Photo credit: GPS 56/Flickr Old fashioned bicycles decorate this wooden fence in Inglewood, New Plymouth. Another bicycle fence in Athol, Southland. Photo credit: Gorgeous with Attitude This fence decorated with hub caps is located near Kelston, Auckland. Photo credit: GPS 56/Flickr Another hub cap fence near Wenderholm. Photo credit: Gorgeous with Attitude A fence decorated with buoys beside the road to Cape Palliser in Wairarapa. Photo credit: Gorgeous with Attitude This concrete wall in Eltham in the central Taranaki town is embedded with hundreds of children toys. The wall was created by local resident Fay Young in 1997, when she found a child's toy car on the ground outside her home. She popped it atop a concrete wall for the child to find, but when the unclaimed toy kept falling off, she cemented it on. After that, other children asked her to add their toys to the wall. Today the wall is 20 meters long. Photo credit: www.lionsclubs.org.nz Photo credit: www.lionsclubs.org.nz